Completely optional and voluntary network testing program runs today through March 27; open to US residents only; zero-point achievements, Avatar items gifted for participating.
In the past year, Microsoft’s online platform–Xbox Live–has hiked its price and accrued more than 30 million users. Now, the tech giant is rolling out a testing program aimed at bettering its online experience.
Microsoft’s director of Xbox Live Programming Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, has announced via his blog that US Xbox Live subscribers can participate in a service testing program called Xbox Live Labs beginning today.
The program–which runs through March 27–is aimed at improving Xbox Live through a range of “network tests” from the Xbox 360 to Xbox Live. According to Hryb, “These results are recorded solely for the purpose of testing and improving the service and will not be used to identify you.”
To sign up for Xbox Live Labs, gamers will need to sign into Xbox Live, navigate to the community channel, and select the Xbox Live Labs icon. According to Microsoft, when the program is running, gamers will not be able to play games, download music, or watch movies, and Internet connectivity will be slower than usual.
Those who do choose to participate will score free goodies for their willingness. Microsoft will gift each participating gamer a zero-point achievement and one of three Avatar items: a lab coat, brain helmet, or crazy mad scientist hair.
We lay siege to a haunted house during our hands-on cooperative session with Dungeon Siege III.
When we last visited the world of Dungeon Siege III, we helped young Lucas Mont Barron escape the burning Mont Barron estate, adventured through the countryside, and rescued a supposed Archon, Anjali, from some cultists. Now, we’re back in developer Obsidian Entertainment’s action role-playing world.
However, this time Lucas and Anjali are teaming up for some cooperative gameplay as we go hands-on to investigate the spooky Gunderic Manor.
Once again, we stepped into the young adventurer’s shoes. Adept with a sword and shield, Lucas is a strong melee fighter who excels at powerful blows against single targets.
Our co-op companion was Anjali, a fiery mage with some crowd-control abilities. Our mission was to help Leona, a witch looking to set up shop in the dilapidated Gunderic Manor. We agreed to investigate the manor for her and clear out any malcontents (or homeless people) we found within it.
The quest started out easily enough. The manor seemed to be deserted until we encountered Alise Gunderic, one of the manor’s former inhabitants. Specifically, we encountered the ghost of Alise Gunderic, who pleaded with us to destroy the Heart of Nagog.
According to her, this item was the one thing binding her soul to the mortal realm. Having only just met her, we decided to trust her completely and agreed to help without another word.
All of the gargoyles and skeletons outside must have overheard our conversation because after we exited the room, they all sprang to life and attacked. What a mistake on their part.
It didn’t take us long to fall back into the easy rhythm of Dungeon Siege III’s combat. Our role was simple: Get in front of the enemies and dish out as much hurt as possible.
What happens when you mix mech combat, strategy defense, and an off-kilter sense of humor? Double Fine’s latest game, that’s what.
If there’s been one immediate benefit to Double Fine’s recent shift toward downloadable games, it’s been the developer’s newfound freedom to toy around with lots of different genres. Costume Quest showed what the studio could do with a turn-based role-playing game, while Stacking followed that up with something that offered more traditional adventure-game leanings. And now we have Double Fine’s latest downloadable offering: Trenched. Revealed last week, Trenched is a hybrid between tower-defense strategy and third-person mech warfare. Having had the chance to check out Trenched last night, we came away impressed with just how well this game hit the sweet spot between blowing stuff up and cerebral tactics.
It’s apparent from the outset that Trenched revels in the same offbeat humor for which Double Fine is now known. The game is set in a fever dream vision of the years following World War I, a time when dough boy-piloted mech suits do battle with robotic alien beasts powered by the brainwashing powers of television…if television were invented by an evil villain years before it’s time.
The game’s presentation is thoroughly inspired by the tough-guy men’s magazines of the early 20th century, giving everything an over-the-top look and feel awash in machismo. It’s there in the way you see your commanding officer defiantly waving an American flag as his legs are crushed by a tank in the opening cutscene; it’s also there in the way you see yourself light a cigar using a handgun when celebrating a victory.
But in true Double Fine style, it’s all done with a wink and a nod, never taking itself too seriously.
Snowblind Studios explores the previously unseen northern battles of Middle-earth in this action role-playing game.
We’ve seen games individually based on the Lord of the Rings films and books, but we haven’t seen a game that encompassed nearly all major media birthed from Tolkien’s fantasy universe until now.
Warner Bros. and Snowblind Studios have license to use both the films and the books in their upcoming action role-playing game Lord of the Rings: War in the North. While this ostensibly lets the development team at Snowblind borrow visual elements from the films and stay closer to the lore of the books, their relationship with the fantasy universe created by Tolkien even goes deeper. The Tolkien estate is working in conjunction with the development team on the new story, overseeing details to ensure that it fits in within the rest of the Lord of the Rings canon.
War in the North occurs around the same time as the War of the Ring in which Frodo and Sam make their way to Mordor as the rest of Middle-earth fends off Sauron. And much like that story, War in the North focuses on the fellowship of a dunedain (ranger), dwarf, and elf attempting to fend off Sauron’s armies in the north headed by one of Sauron’s top lieutenants, Agandaur. Using this fellowship as the foundation for gameplay means that you’re never alone.
You always have direct control over one member of the fellowship whether you’re playing alone or with two other people. But if you are playing solo, then the AI will take over the other members. Additionally, if you’re playing as the dwarf but feel like switching to the ranger, you’ll have opportunities to switch at various hub areas.
The reason you might want to switch, and the reason why you’re always playing with two other characters at any given time, is that members of the team have their own strengths and skills that are designed to work more effectively when used in conjunction with each other. For example, Farin the dwarf is the tank of the group, which means he’s most effective when engaged in melee combat. In fact, one of his special abilities, called war cry, is even designed to draw enemies toward him and away from his teammates who might have a harder time standing toe-to-toe with more powerful foes.
This war cry skill also makes him impervious to knockdown strikes, but he can still take damage, and you would do well to use evasive moves while in this state. Meanwhile, Eradan the ranger is formidable at both close and long range, but he has the ability to surprise enemies with his special stealth skills. Finally, Andriel the elf can be used primarily as a support-ranged character because one of her skills lets her cast an orb that simultaneously heals other members of the fellowship and deflects enemy projectiles.
However, she can also dual-wield various weapons, which can make her effective in close combat.
Eidos Montreal reveals release date for long-awaited cyberpunk action-RPG; UK release set for August 26.
The traditional press release may want to watch its back, as more and more companies are using Twitter to make major announcements. The latest example comes from Eidos Montreal, which today used the microblogging service to reveal the release date for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Square Enix’s long-in-development action role-playing game will arrive on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on August 23 in North America and August 26 in the UK.
Deus Ex will be available in two versions: The regular $60 edition and a $70 Augmented Edition. The latter will include premium packaging for the game, a 40-page art book, a DVD with behind-the-scenes features, and a motion graphic novel included on a bonus disc. Players who preorder from specialty retailer GameStop will get a new mission–complete with a cameo from original Deus Ex protagonist JC Denton–as well as in-game assists in the form of a grenade launcher, explosives, and an automatic lock pick.
Developer Eidos Montreal has said it wants to stay true to the spirit of the original Deus Ex, allowing players to choose their own approach to each level. Depending on the augmentations players choose, they can go through each part of the game with a focus on combat, stealth, hacking, or even social interactions. For more on the game, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.
We go hands-on with the exiled prince himself, Sebastian Vael, in Dragon Age II’s upcoming DLC pack.
Dragon Age II is almost upon us, along with the game’s first downloadable content pack: The Exiled Prince. It’s no secret that some fans were less than thrilled with the implementation of the previous Dragon Age’s DLC.
This time developer BioWare has tried to craft a content pack catered to their desires by extending the game’s storyline and not deviating from the main party.
On the eve of Dragon Age II’s release, we got the chance to try out this upcoming content pack and put the noble Sebastian Vael through his paces.
“All of the quests in The Exiled Prince revolve around a coup that you learn took place in the city of Starkhaven, elsewhere in the Free Marches,” explained Ferret Baudoin, lead designer for The Exiled Prince. “During the coup, all of Starkhaven’s ruling family was killed in a bloody massacre, except one: Sebastian Vael. Sebastian was third in line for the throne of Starkhaven, always overshadowed by his elder brothers.
So he led a life of excess–wine, women, and song. In the process, he became a headache for his father, who decided that Sebastian would do better with a life of religious contemplation in Kirkwall.”
BioWare’s RPG sequel and Nintendo’s twin titles join Torchlight, MLB 11: The Show, and Major League Baseball 2K11 on the release docket.
The first quarter isn’t even over yet, but it has already seen a host of high-profile games hit the market. This week’s release docket is particularly full, with a variety of high-profile titles for the role-playing gamer, the sports fan, and Pokemon junkies.
The latter title–or titles–are Pokemon Black and White version. Having already sold over 5 million units in record time, the twin games debuted on March 6, in line with Nintendo’s Sunday high-profile releases. The two titles introduce a handful of changes to the established gotta-catch-’em-all formula. Developer Game Freak has expanded the games’ online functionality through features such as Global Link, where players can access special content by uploading their save files to a website. Black and White also introduce more than 150 new Pokemon that players can add to their Pokedexes, as well as changing seasons. The two titles are exclusive to the DS.
RPG lovers get a big-name release this week in the form of Dragon Age II from celebrated developer BioWare and Electronic Arts. The game–which is already available in demo form–will see the player transform Blight-survivor Hawke from “a destitute refugee to the revered champion of the land,” with new combat mechanics for the game’s three archetypal classes. Although Hawke gains fame as the Champion of Kirkwall, the game will peer into his mysterious rise to power over a 10-year period. It will be available for the Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on Tuesday, March 8, which will also see the release of the first two DLC packs for the game, The Exiled Prince and The Black Emporium.
Tuesday will also see baseball fans get a choice of two sports sim titles. 2K Sports will release Major League Baseball 2K11–which boasts Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay on the cover–for the 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS, PC, and PlayStation 2. Meanwhile, Sony will release the latest in its acclaimed line of first-party baseballers, MLB 11: The Show, for the PSP, PS3, and PS2. The latter game will see the introduction of pure analog controls and co-op play to the series.
Xbox Live Arcade will see a notable release this week in the form of Torchlight. The action-RPG from Seattle-based developer Runic Games was originally released for the PC in late 2009. The hack & slasher sees players exploring a mine which leads to a labyrinth of dungeons from ruined civilizations. Players must fight a series of monsters of ever-increasing toughness to discover the source of a magical–but corrupting–mineral called ember.
For further details on the week’s games, visit GameSpot’s New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.
SUNDAY, MARCH 6
Pokemon Black Version–DS–Nintendo
Pokemon White Version–DS–Nintendo
MONDAY, MARCH 7
G.G Series: Horizontal Bar–DS–Genterprise
GO Series: Earth Saver–DS–Gamebridge
Heavy Fire: Black Arms–WII—Teyon
TUESDAY, MARCH 8
Atari’s Greatest Hits Volume 2–DS–Atari
Beastly Frantic Foto–DS–Storm City Games
Dragon Age II: The Black Emporium–MAC, PC, PS3, X360–Electronic Arts
Dragon Age II: The Exiled Prince–MAC, PC, PS3, X360–Electronic Arts
Dragon Age II–MAC, PC, PS3, X360–Electronic Arts
Major League Baseball 2K11–PS3, PC, PS2, PSP, X360, DS, WII–2K Sports
The ,000,000 Pyramid–WII–Ubisoft
MLB 11: The Show–PC, PS2, PSP–SCEA
Petz Bunnyz Bunch–DS–Ubisoft
Ship Simulator Extremes: Ferry Pack–PC–Paradox Interactive
The Sims 3: Barnacle Bay–PC–Electronic Arts
Yoostar 2–PS3, X360–Yoostar Entertainment Group
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9
Torchlight–X360–Microsoft Game Studios
GDC 2011: We get a taste of combat in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.
Developers 38 Studios and Big Huge Games took the opportunity at this year’s Game Developers Conference to show off their new action role-playing game Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Founded by former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, 38 Studios has assembled a talented cast from across the entertainment industry to bring its primer title to life.
These include Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, New York Times best-selling author R.A. Salvatore, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston.
We got the chance to peek into their fantasy world during a hands-off demonstration last week.
We began in a crypt, knee-deep in a pile of corpses. All we knew was that our character had recently died. Now, he was alive once more, thanks to the efforts of an excited gnome that had appeared on a balcony overhead. However, the one-sided conversation was cut short as the gnome urged our character–a blond-haired bruiser decked out in a pair of long johns–to arm himself against the crypt’s hostile inhabitants. Our character lifted a broadsword from a nearby corpse, and right on cue, he was attacked by a skeleton warrior.
As the two traded blows, the developers explained how they had integrated some traditional action game combat mechanics, such as launcher attacks and enemy juggling, into Reckoning. Each attack from our character was controlled with just one button, with variations in timing determining which attack was used. Our character opened with three quick strikes; then, he performed the same series again and paused slightly after the second hit before attacking again. This triggered an upward slash that lurched the enemy into the air, leaving him vulnerable to more hits.
With the battle concluded, our character collected some loot from the skeleton’s body. As it turned out, the fiend had a bit of a leather fetish because he was holding a pair of leather pants, boots, and armor. These items could be compared against our character’s current equipment and even equipped from the loot screen if we wanted. The developers made it clear that they wanted all of the customization options found in a traditional role-playing game, but without all the cumbersome menu diving found in other releases.
As we exited the crypt, our pilot skipped us ahead to the city of Didenhil. This scenic forest village served as one of the game’s main quest hubs. Here, we received a crash course on item crafting as our character produced a special gem that, when socketed with our broadsword, created a flaming broadsword. To help demonstrate how awesome this new sword was, he chased down an unsuspecting chicken and used it to punt the creature clear across town and into a small pond. It was an impressive shot.
GDC 2011: Tim Schafer’s studio bringing third-person shooter, tower-defense hybrid featuring mechs to Microsoft’s downloadable platform.
Handing out accolades to last year’s top titles was the name of the game at last night’s Game Developers Choice Awards, and Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption rode off with another saddlebag of statues.
However, the night also had a future-looking element, as host Tim Schafer capitalized on the opportunity to announce Double Fine’s latest downloadable title, Trenched.
As seen in the game’s first trailer (below), Trenched presents the plight of the Mobile Trench Brigade, which has been charged with protecting earth from an evil invading alien force known as Monovision.
A hybridization of the third-person shooter and tower-defense genres, Trenched sees players erecting both stationary defensive constructions and lurching about in a highly customizable mech warfare suit. According to Double Fine, players will be afforded thousands of differnt options to customize their mechs.
Trenched will also feature an online co-op mode, where players can join up with other players throughout the world to battle the invading force. Double Fine has yet to offer word on whether the game will have a competitive component.
As with the Double Fine’s recently announced Sesame Street:Cookie’s Counting Carnival, Trenched has thus far only been announced for the Xbox 360. Double Fine’s other recent downloadable efforts, Costume Quest and Stacking, both enjoyed multiplatform releases through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.
We traverse back to Three Kingdoms-era China and find a few surprises in the latest of this long-running series.
You may think that after six Dynasty Warriors games, there’s little new to discover in this sprawling hack-and-slash series. Tecmo Koei is hoping to pleasantly surprise cynics with the newest addition–Dynasty Warriors 7–by adding in a considerable amount of new content, particularly in the form of a brand new faction that comes with its own set of new characters and battles.
Dynasty Warriors games have long focused on the three warring clans of Shu, Wu, and Wei, but Dynasty Warriors 7 will for the first time include the Jin clan. For those of you up-to-speed on the original historical Chinese novels the Dynasty Warriors game are based on–Romance of the Three Kingdoms–the Jin was (spoiler alert) actually the clan that ended up ruling China after this tumultuous period.
As such, Dynasty Warriors 7 will include new battles in which to fight in, as well as including several new Jin generals for players to take control of. With dozens of playable generals already available in Wu, Shu, and Wei, there won’t be any shortage of characters to take on the massive hordes of soldiers you’ll be up against in this game.
The story, too, is supposedly taking a more realistic turn. In previous games, any clan was able to “win” power over China, but history clearly shows that there was only one winner amidst many losers. Dynasty Warrior 7′s narrative will now more closely resemble those events.
Game play, too, has been enhanced, both in minor and major ways. The biggest addition is the ability to wield different weapons for each character, as opposed to having one weapon which you can find upgraded versions of as in previous Dynasty Warriors titles.
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