All Topics Users older than one year ago

Over thirty-five games and soundtracks are on offer in a very special Humble Bundle sale, established to help support IGF chairman Brandon Boyer's cancer treatment relief campaign.

The massive collection of independent gems is priced at $25, with all proceeds going to Boyer's treatment relief fund. The package includes a slew of games and soundtracks ranging from big hits like Capy's Sword & Sworcery EP to quirky bites like Double Fine's Stacking. The majority of available titles are available for PC, Mac and Linux; a few recent additions, including Whitaker Trebella's Pivvot, are only available for Android devices. The Developer Digital Humble Bundle is also available, offering the option to help fund Boyer's treatment.

The Humble Bundle of Love will be available until Friday, March 21 at 11:59 PM Pacific/8:59 PM Eastern. A complete list of the games and soundtracks included in the bundle can be found after the break. [Image: Brandon Boyer]

Over thirty-five games and soundtracks are on offer in a very special Humble Bundle sale, established to help support IGF chairman Brandon Boyer's cancer treatment relief campaign.

The massive collection of independent gems is priced at $25, with all proceeds going to Boyer's treatment relief fund. The package includes a slew of games and soundtracks ranging from big hits like Capy's Sword & Sworcery EP to quirky bites like Double Fine's Stacking. The majority of available titles are available for PC, Mac and Linux; a few recent additions, including Whitaker Trebella's Pivvot, are only available for Android devices. The Developer Digital Humble Bundle is also available, offering the option to help fund Boyer's treatment.

The Humble Bundle of Love will be available until Friday, March 21 at 11:59 PM Pacific/8:59 PM Eastern. A complete list of the games and soundtracks included in the bundle can be found after the break. [Image: Brandon Boyer]

There's nothing quite like the moment in Titanfall when you finally call down your giant mech, sprint across the battlefield, and leap into the cockpit. It's robot fightin' time! Read more...

We have pictures of all the DC heroes and villains who will be getting a Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure figure. Check 'em out!

Learn to grind efficiently and load up on souls in Dark Souls 2.

Defeating the Freja Boss in Dark Souls 2.

I love playing Gauntlet, but sometimes you want something faster, leaner and more aggressive. Indie hopeful The Hero Trap hopes to fill that void.Read more...

A closer look at the massive promotional Titans built to show off Respawn's mech shooter.

All of this week's game reviews in one place.

Nintendo Video removed from eShop. Recommends deletion of app and extra data. pic.twitter.com/KivVYzLJM4

— Aaron (@xaaronh) March 13, 2014

In lieu of serving up in-game footage or even pre-rendered cutscenes from the upcoming sci fi survival horror game Alien: Isolation, the developers at Creative Assembly instead offer this behind-the-scenes look at how the team is translating Hollywood-style horror for the virtual world.

The focus of the clip is on the creation of the game's titular xenomorph, and specifically the artificial intelligence ruling its in-game behaviors. According to the game's designers, the alien utilizes a unique set of "senses" to actively hunt players down, leading to encounters with the creature that can last up to half an hour, depending on how cautious a player is in approaching the confrontation. The development team claims this just isn't possible with scripted cutscenes and traditional enemy behavior patterns, but the extra effort poured into the birth of the xenomorph pays off by presenting players with an enemy that is both deadly and unexpectedly cunning.

Alien: Isolation is slated for release toward the end of 2014, when it will debut on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 platforms. [Image: Sega]

And there is only one thing we say to Death: 'Not today'.Read more...

Animation Bootcamp: Animating the Spy Fantasy in Splinter Cell – Monday 1:45pm-2:45pm

Panelist: Kristjan Zadziuk, Animation Director at Ubisoft Toronto
Summary: A more technical presentation focusing on the animation pillars for Splinter Cell: Blacklist and the technical challenges the team faced, as well as how they overcame those challenges.

-----

Rayman Legends: The Design Process Within the UbiArt Framework – Wednesday 11:00am-12:00pm

Panelist: Chris McEntee, Level Designer at Ubisoft Montpellier
Summary: This presentation details how the team behind Rayman Legends used the unique UbiArt Framework to build the world in the game.

-----

Modeling AI Perception and Awareness in Splinter Cell: Blacklist – 2:35pm-3:00pm

Panelist: Martin Walsh, Lead AI Programmer at Ubisoft Toronto
Summary: This presentation is about what works and what doesn’t for modeling perception and awareness in a realistic game.

-----

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – Road to Next-Gen Graphics – Thursday 11:30am-12:30pm

Panelist: Bartlomiej Wronski, 3D Programmer at Ubisoft Montreal

-----

Enter the Stage: Cinematic Dialogue in Performance Capture – Thursday 2:30pm-2:55pm

Panelist: Richie Nietro, Team Lead Audio at Ubisoft Toronto
Summary: This presentation provides a step-by-step look at how the team at Ubisoft Toronto produced the cinematic dialogue in Splinter Cell Blacklist.
Summary: This highly technical presentation is all about nest-gen advancements and what we achieved with new consoles, using Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag as an example.

-----

The Art of Child of Light – Thursday 2:30pm-3:30pm

Panelist: Patrick Plourde, Creative Director at Ubisoft Montreal
Summary: How did the team behind Child of Light create the stunning living watercolor art for the game? This presentation explores the process of creating the art as well as various iterations the main character went through before landing on the final version.

-----

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Multiplayer – Crafting Good Monetization on the Traditional Console – Thursday 5:30-6:30

Panelist: Damien Kieken, Game Director at Ubisoft Montreal
Summary: This is another panel focusing on monetization and how to make it work while ensuring it doesn’t hinder a player’s experience or make them feel “trapped” into paying to play.

-----

Super Spy Crash Course: Teaching Players in Splinter Cell Blacklist – Friday 10:35am-11:00am

Panelist: Laurent Malville, Lead Game Designer at Ubisoft Toronto
Summary: How do you make the perfect tutorial? Laurent Malville shows the audience how his team used tutorials to teach players how to be stealthy in Splinter Cell Blacklist.

-----

Modernizing Splinter Cell’s Gunplay – Friday 2:30pm-3:30pm

Panelist: James Everett, Game Designer at Ubisoft Toronto
Summary: How do you find the balance between realistic weapons and fun weapons? That’s something the makers of Splinter Cell Blacklist spent a lot of time researching and James Everett is bringing their findings to this session.

Though it's not likely that we'll see a Hideo Kojima game on mobile devices in the near future, it is a possibility that the Metal Gear Solid creator has put some thought into.

In a interview broadcast via Twitch, Kojima sat down with Geoff Keighley to field questions from the public. When asked if he'd ever develop a game for the mobile platform, Kojima stated that he has no desire to create the short, replayable diversions that constitute most mobile games. Instead, he cites indie hit Papers, Please as a personal favorite and claims that he would eventually like to develop "a practical, easy to play adventure game that is quite deep."

"[I have] no idea when I'll be able to do this, but I'll ask," Kojima added via translator. "[H]opefully someday in the future I will be able to develop one of those, but unfortunately, right now, my full time is devoted to The Phantom Pain."

A later question centered on the future of Snatcher, Kojima's cult classic adventure game that, while highly regarded, has been overshadowed by Metal Gear Solid. While Kojima would like to see Snatcher return, he has no time to develop a sequel himself, but wouldn't be opposed to someone else reviving the sci fi epic. "If someone wants to adapt those games ... I would definitely support that person, I would help out that person, but I don't think there are too many people like that."

Of course, that doesn't stop the game from looking super creepy.

GIMME.

Microsoft executive debunks rumor that drivers for PC weren't coming for controller.

Brad and the Daily Dota crew take a gander at the alpha version of Blizzard's new MOBA.

Valve offered up a clearer side-by-side image of its updated Steam Controller today. The second iteration of the SteamOS gamepad was revealed in January, and peeled away the center touchscreen in favor of more traditional face buttons. The new buttons consist of a directional pad and standard A, B, X and Y buttons, the latter formerly located around the touchscreen. Valve left the large circular trackpads on the device, but also added a Steam icon button in the center with start and select-like buttons on either side with what appear to be stop and play icons.

The Steam Controller was announced alongside SteamOS and Steam Machines in September 2013, and was followed up by a hardware beta program that already excluded the controller's touchscreen. We spent some time with Valve's beta hardware in early January and found the experience lacking on the previous version of the controller with Hotline Miami and Portal in particular. Head past the break for a closer look at the updated controller.

Trippy game gets trippy, interactive trailer. Metrico—which charmed the heck out of me when I saw it at PAX Prime last year—offers a small glimpse at the gameplay and design sensibilities inside its infographic, puzzle-heavy world. There's a bit more about the upcoming Vita release at the official PlayStation blog.Read more...

Two more titles to join PlayStation's growing library of downloadable games this summer. Will they be cross buy?

The Xbox One flagship title was originally planned as a PC exclusive.

This is State of Service, an ongoing review of the online service of a recently launched game. See our scored review of Titanfall here. Wednesday, March 14 | T-minus 27 days until final verdict
Current State of Service: Good
Summary: Launch day problems resolved. PC experiencing limited issues. Australia receives dedicated servers.

It appears that Titanfall's launch day kinks have mostly been ironed out. The Xbox One and PC versions seem to be running as intended, with Joystiq staff reporting no significant problems on either platform since launch day.

Some PC players are reporting an error that produces an infinitely looping loading screen. The Respawn Twitter account advises players encountering this problem to lower their in-game texture settings. Some PC users with Belkin routers are also having trouble connecting. Respawn has stated this problem will have to be addressed by Belkin.

Also of note, Australia now has access to dedicated servers for Titanfall. The servers were quickly inundated with players. As of earlier today, more servers are being put online.

If you encounter any problems with Titanfall, let us know in the comments or on Joystiq's Twitter or Facebook accounts (use the hashtag #sos and don't forget to specify your platform!).

This week I have been inspired in my work for this column by the magnificent website Critique *crag* Pic, which attempts to rate the erotic quality of dick pics with 100% no size shaming. I enjoy that website because for some reason dicks, especially erect dicks, are conspicuously absent from our media, including videogames, and I think a good dick pic can certainly be arousing to look at.

Probably most interesting about the site is that the curator, moscaddie, suggests that for maximum sexiness the person possessing said dick holds it or at least caresses it a little for the picture, which gives the dick a less… well, melancholy feel like it’s the loneliest snake in the world (she calls these ‘log’ pictures). Perhaps it gives the picture a sense of movement or purpose. Surely with the help of the best animators in the world, games would be the best place to give a dick a little something to do. Or at least get them to cast a cute shadow over exotic environmental art. … [visit site to read more]

Fans can buy a special 3DS XL to accompany the upcoming Persona title.

New touchscreen-free design pictured ahead of Valve's showing next week at GDC.

Mixing old school adventures with modern day classics, we get the first hands-on with this colourful debut.

Nintendo is celebrating spring by giving Wii U owners free access to Wii Sports Club.

Nice, Card Hunter is getting a tablet version. Blue Manchu's terrific tactics RPG/deck-building game Card Hunter always seemed suited to tablet devices, and now, it's finally happening. The tablet version will be a free-to-play app, similar to the browser-based original. The release date is still TBD.Read more...