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Committed Battlefield 4 players will soon be able to rent their own dedicated servers to power online multiplayer matches on consoles, Electronic Arts announced.

"Indeed, it is coming," Battlelog manager "EA_Stiv" confirmed in response to a user question regarding rented servers on the PlayStation 4. "I'm afraid we don't have any information on this quite yet, but it is coming soon! Keep your eyes peeled on the Control Room and Battlefield blog, as those are most likely where you'll see it announced first."

Electronic Arts previously hosted a server-rental service for Battlefield 3, leading to public server shortages as rentals exceeded anticipated demand. An implementation date for Battlefield 4's server rental service has not been announced.

[Image: Electronic Arts]

We're one day out from the release of perhaps the biggest Xbox One game yet—and, really, the first real reason to own an Xbox One at all. But we're not ready for an official review just yet . Servers for early players haven't been up for long and even then aren't too populated so I've mostly only gotten my hands on Attrition mode (which is basically like your standard Team Deathmatch modes in most first-person shooters). The game won't really be put through its paces until its servers are overrun by the public post release, too. So in the meantime I thought I should share some starter tips to keep in mind before everyone starts installing this one.Read more...

Titanfall is strictly coiled around the player. You couldn't excise even one piece without slackening it like a ruined kidnapper's rope. The serpentine level design, the liberating sense of movement, the flawless controls and yes, the enormous bipedal tanks dropping from the sky, are equally indispensable in this arresting shooter.

Given the studio's splintered status as a former Call of Duty custodian, Respawn Entertainment has made a multiplayer game fit for those who have spent years peering through the eyes of a speedy killing machine - a seasoned six against six in battles for land or a higher kill count. A history with rapid-fire aim and fleet-footed 3D movement is not essential here, but recommended.

Find out what we think of the much-anticipated mech-tastic, jetpack-happy shooter.

Ubisoft announced that a new DLC-bundled retail version of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is due to hit store shelves in Europe later this month.

Assassin's Creed 4: Jackdaw Edition includes the full version of Black Flag and seven previously released Season Pass DLC packs. The bundle collects the standalone "Freedom Cry" single-player mission pack alongside the multiplayer-focused Death Vessel Pack, Kraken Ship Pack, Crusader & Florentine Pack, Illustrious Pirates Pack, Blackbeard's Wrath Pack, and the Guild of Rogues Pack.

Assassin's Creed 4: Jackdaw Edition will launch in Europe on March 28 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC platforms. Joystiq has contacted Ubisoft for details regarding a North American release, and will update once we receive a response.

[Image: Ubisoft]

Microsoft's Phil Spencer is getting more involved with what franchises feature in Games with Gold, but the Xbox executive downplayed comparisons with Sony's PlayStation Plus service. Polygon reports that at his SXSW panel, Spencer reiterated there's no restraint over playing games given away by the Xbox service when a Gold subscription ends.

Responding to feedback that Games with Gold offerings are often older than Plus games, Spencer told the SXSW audience, "One of our issues with Games with Gold - not 'issues,' but differences between the other system we get compared to, is the fact that with Games with Gold, you get to keep that game, regardless of whether you continue to subscribe.

"And the business around Games with Gold, for us, is just fundamentally different from some of the other programs that are out there, which does put a different financial picture on a - you're gonna go buy a game that's brand new, the cost of putting that in, just to be kind of blunt about it."

Microsoft launched Games with Gold last summer to provide Gold subscribers with two free Xbox 360 games each month, and the program is due on Xbox One sometime this year. However, users have drawn inevitable comparisons to greater number of games offered on Plus, and how they're often fairly new releases such as Tomb Raider on PS3 this month.

"That said," Spencer continued, "I have been sitting down monthly now with that team - some of the earlier months were already programmed - and playing a more active role in picking franchises that show up in Games with Gold, and I think you'll see at least something that feels, at least, more true to what I think Games with Gold should look like with the constraints that are there." [Image: Microsoft]

A stealthy technological tug-of-war sounds nice and all but how are you supposed to get anything done in Watch Dogs when your friends are constantly dropping by to jack your bank account? Don't worry: The multiplayer action can be turned off any time.

"All the online activities are just part of the menu," said Danny Belanger, Watch Dogs' game designer, during a Friday event on Twitch, as reported by Polygon. "They're a choice. But if someone is not into that... they can totally turn it off."

Ubisoft takes a distinctly Dark Souls-style approach to multiplayer in Watch Dogs. While you're playing as Aiden Pearce, doling out vigilante justice on the streets of Chicago, another player can sneak into the game. It's your job to hunt the intruder down in the anonymous masses and hack their phone before they do they same to you.

Watch Dogs is already layered with distractions. During a recent preview event, Joystiq found that the sheer number of side missions and mini-games in the anticipated PlayStation 4 and Xbox One title obscured the drama in the main storyline. Maintaing that "vigilante obsessed with atonement" atmosphere is hard when you're always pausing to collect golden coins. If real people were constantly dropping into your game it would be even harder, so it's smart of Ubisoft to make these multiplayer components optional for players of varying tastes. [Images: Ubisoft]

South Park: The Stick of Truth may be censored on UK consoles, but that isn't going to stop Brits from respecting its authoritah. The long-delayed RPG ousts Thief to debut in the top spot this week, and that's Obsidian's first UK No.1 since Fallout: New Vegas in 2010. Alright, the developer only released Dungeon Siege 3 in the interim, but it's still a decent achievement.

The only other new release in this week's charts places way lower, and that's Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures in 21st. Also, there's a big second-week plummet for Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, which is damned from 10th down to 24th. Otherwise, it's all eyes on next week to see which of Dark Souls 2 and Titanfall to see which will keep UK tills the busiest. [Image: Ubisoft]

A website has appeared promising a collaboration between Respawn Entertainment and FX house Playfight on "live-action epic" Titanfall content.Read more...

This week, Ubisoft finally gave us a new release date for Watch Dogs, and with it a new trailer and gameplay footage. That teaser caused a lot of teeth around the internet to chatter as folks discussed whether how it looks now is a downgrade from how it looked when it was announced at E3 2012.Read more...

Childhood fears might seem silly now that we're all grown up, but it's amazing how strongly we could convince ourselves of basement monsters and lurking ghosts when we were alone in our darkened houses. Taking those fears on isn't always easy for a kid, but Ashlyn seems ready to bash her way through them all using toys and puppets in Hush, Game Studio 78's episodic action adventure game set in an abandoned orphanage.

Each of Hush's episodes will consist of three chapters built around specific fears. The first episode's "Fear of Thunder" chapter, for instance, will contain monsters that paralyze Ashlyn with loud noises, comparable to how claps of thunder leave some children immobile from fear. Fear of darkness, spiders and clowns are also among Hush's subject matter, just in case you've forgotten why you can't sleep.

Game Studio 78 cites Alice: Madness Returns as an inspiration for Hush's surreal environment and twisted enemies, while also drawing comparisons to The Legend of Zelda series in reference to its puzzles. Since Ashlyn is facing fears, players will need to keep her braveness gauge filled as they explore - failing to do so means having to flee from battles, unless Ashlyn outright faints.

Hush is currently on Indiegogo and is planned to reach PC and Mac first, with Xbox One, PS4, and Wii U versions following. Android and iOS mobile ports will follow if their €100,000 stretch goal is met, but €50,000 is needed for development of the first three episodes on home platforms. [Image: Game Studio 78]

The Koenigsegg Agera One:1 is a car as fast as its name is difficult to pronounce. Thankfully, you'll have better things - like evading the cops or catching racer punks - to worry about should you choose to give it a spin in Need for Speed: Rivals. The car is now available to download for free, and comes in both racer and police variants.

According to the Need for Speed blog, the real-life Agera, "possibly the fastest car ever built," packs 1340 BHP (or brake horsepower, which is to say horsepower that doesn't factor in an engine's natural loss in power) and weighs 1340 kilograms. That's one BHP per kilogram, a 1:1 ratio! Oh. Ohhhhhhhh. Hold up. Nevermind. We just got it. [Image: EA]

Folks who have managed to snag Titanfall early from retailers are saying players who grab Xbox One disc copies of the anticipated online title this week will need to download a relatively manageable 840mb patch before they can play it.Read more...

Prepare to laugh, cry, and be amazed in this week's Top 5 Titanfall Kills of the Week.

Video games can be great place to escape the drudgery of the real world. No need to think about tax rates, paying utility bills or contractor rates when you're in a Halo multiplayer match. But the dirtiest competition in the real world—jockeying for elected office—might be landing up on an Xbox near you, if Microsoft can get political ads running on their platforms. Read more...

Respawn's Vince Zampella talks to IGN about building Titanfall and starting over.

Employees of Titanfall developer Respawn are now officially proud owners of the branded Xbox One consoles that leaked a few weeks ago.

Once upon a time in South Africa, a young video game journalist named Ludwig Kietzmann collapsed for no apparent reason, falling to the floor in a heap of stylish dark-wash jeans and almonds. Seconds later, he awoke and knew something was desperately wrong. Something horrible was coming, and there was only one thing he could do to avoid catastrophe. He had to get out of South Africa.

EA South Africa will not launch Titanfall in the region, attributing the decision to poor internet performance rates. The post on EA South Africa's Facebook reads as follows:

"After conducting recent online tests for Titanfall, we found that the performance rates in South Africa were not as high as we need to guarantee a great experience, so we have decided not to release Titanfall in South Africa at this time.

"We understand this is a disappointment for local fans and will keep fans posted on any future plans regarding the release of Titanfall in South Africa."

In February, EA delayed the Titanfall beta in South Africa, but overall it marketed the game as per standard protocol. Reviews of the South African beta noted a ping in the 200ms range, but added that the game's built-in latency tolerance worked well and made it playable. [Image: Titanfall]

Has any franchise reboot endured more scrutiny and debate over its degrees of success (or is it failure?) than 2013's Tomb Raider? Perhaps it's apt fallout from Lara Croft's rugged origin story, in which she proves herself against wolves, wild cultists and supernatural weather.

Tomb Raider's commercial splash has gone from "'biggest opening" to "weak," back to "profitable" and onward to exceeding "profit expectations," according to a fan-facing note from Square Enix's head of studios, Darrell Gallagher. Looking back at the year since Tomb Raider first launched, Gallagher plays the referee and makes the call fans have been waiting for: "By the end of this month we will surpass 6 million units for our Tomb Raider reboot, and, having achieved profitability back in 2013 Tomb Raider has exceeded profit expectations and continues to make significant contributions to our overall financial performance."

Publisher Square Enix was never going to get an instant Call of Duty caliber hit out of the story-driven Tomb Raider, but this affirmed success becomes important when we see doom hanging over major AAA studios, investing years into a game that hits - but doesn't hit quite hard enough. For now, Lara Croft appears to be a viable business again, even if she's not yet swimming in it. And let's get some actual swimming in the next one, please?

Haven't played Battlefield 2142? If that's the case, the upcoming 'Carrier Assault' mode in the Naval Strike DLC for Battlefield 4 will feel like a fresh experience. Inspired by 2142's 'Titan' mode, Carrier Assault challenges opposing sides to sink their enemy's aircraft carrier. In a new post on the official Battlefield blog, lead gameplay designer Gustav Halling explains how the revamped mode works:

"There are two ways of destroying the enemy carrier: either by full map control or assaulting the carrier as infantry. Each round is divided into 2 stages, starting with map control and ending with carrier attack. Both teams start on their own carrier and race to control the missile launchers placed on the map, by capturing the control points near them. This will automatically launch missiles towards the enemy carrier throughout the round, eventually destroying its hull and making it open for infantry attacks," he writes. Once access to the carrier is established, players can either drive a boat to the carrier to board it, or parachute down from spawn points above to destroy a series of M-COM stations within the hull. Alternatively, they can sit back and allow for the missile silos to reduce the carrier's health to zero.

Halling says the inspired mode maintains the importance of map control, so a team that can't seem to break through to an enemy carrier can still succeed by defending their carrier and controlling the missile silo.

Battlefield 4's 'Naval Strike' expansion will launch (as missiles are wont to do) later this month, first for Premium members and then for all. [Image: EA/DICE]

Back in January, there were rumours that Microsoft would be releasing a special Titanfall-branded Xbox One console. That machine never actually appeared. At least, it never did for consumers.Read more...

Alfredo uses what he learned from the beta to create a killer loadout for when Titanfall drops.

Activision's flagship first-person shooter, Call of Duty: Ghosts, is expanding once again, with the release of the "Devastation" DLC pack on April 3.

Devastation marks the second of four major DLC releases for Call of Duty: Ghosts and brings with it four new multiplayer maps, alongside the second chapter of the alien-infested narrative attached to the Extinction gametype. The highlight of these new maps is a modern reimagining of "Dome," a fan-favorite multiplayer arena first introduced in 2011's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Other maps include a wrecked shipping vessel pinned against an equally wrecked New York City bridge, a massive South American excavation platform and a Mayan temple inexplicably located at the top of a mountain.

To whet players' appetites for the DLC, Activision is releasing a small portion of Devastation early. As of today, those Xbox Live players who own the Call of Duty: Ghosts season pass now have access to the Ripper, a convertible weapon which can transform from sub-machine gun to assault rifle faster than you can say "Optimus Prime."

While season pass holders will receive Devastation at no additional charge, those who decide to purchase the DLC a la carte will need to shell out $15 for the privilege. [Image: Activision]

Dragon Age: Inquisition's environments span from brilliant ballrooms, to dark forests, crashing seas and otherworldly mountaintops, inhabited by people, animals, trolls and, of course, dragons. The latest video shows off Inquisition's settings, which include emergent ecosystems that change depending on what you do in the area.

"You'll see towns attacked by bandits, deer fleeing from wolves, giants feeding on bears, and countless other scenarios," Producer Cameron Lee writes.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is due out in fall 2014 for Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It was delayed in July and previously scheduled to launch at the end of 2013. The delay allowed the game to have multiple playable races. Also, Morrigan returns in Inquisition with a significant role, though not a playable one. [Image: BioWare]

Aiden Pearce is a complicated guy. Tormented by his past and his actions as a skilled hacker, the Watch Dogs protagonist has lost family and his identity to a world that hides its secrets behind firewalls. But he does this by using the systems he questions as his own destructive weapon, given the opportunity to wreak havoc on the lives of people in ways the establishment perhaps never would. He can steal people's money or use their secrets against them for information or access, all under the guise of combatting a security system that threatens the world's privacy.

Though the security state setting of Watch Dogs is dystopian, it does not venture into the dour imagery found in the pages of a Phillip K. Dick story. Its world is contemporary, taking place in an alt-history Chicago that looks similar to its real world counterpart and holds the title of America's first "Smart City, "one controlled by a powerful monitoring system infrastructure.

For players this offers a gateway of access, transforming simple button presses into a world of possibilities and making infiltration and information-gathering the most important element in Ubisoft's newest open world.

Explore a vast, fantasy world at the brink of catastrophe.

After a delay that pulled its newest open world title from the roster of two console launches, Ubisoft has set a new release date for Watch Dogs: May 27, 2014. The new release date targets versions in development on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3.

During a financial call in February, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced that the Wii U release of Watch Dogs would see its own separate delay, pushing the version's release beyond other platforms in order to "focus the team's resources where they could have the broadest possible benefit for both our customers and Ubisoft." No firm date for the Wii U version has been established.

Speaking with Joystiq, Watch Dogs Senior Producer Dominic Guay could only say the Wii U version would arrive "a few months" after the game's release on counterpart platforms. [Image: Ubisoft]

Konami has revealed pre-order bonuses for Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, and revealed your saves will change details in MGS 5.

After a delay that pulled its newest open world title from the roster of two console launches, Ubisoft has set a new release date for Watch Dogs: May 27, 2014. The new release date targets versions in development on PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3.

During a financial call in February, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot announced that the Wii U release of Watch Dogs would see its own separate delay, pushing the version's release beyond other platforms in order to "focus the team's resources where they could have the broadest possible benefit for both our customers and Ubisoft." No firm date for the Wii U version has been established.

Speaking with Joystiq, Watch Dogs Senior Producer Dominic Guay could only say the Wii U version would arrive "a few months" after the game's release on counterpart platforms. [Image: Ubisoft]

Watch Dogs, prepare to get voyeuristic on May 27. For the second time this week, UK retailer GAME has leaked a big announcement, as VideoGamer captured the social mediaization of the release date.