Gamespot's Site Mashup

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Minggu, 22 Juni 2014 | 19.51

Gamespot's Site MashupMicrosoft Says It's Not Shutting Down Games for Windows LiveBattlefield 4 Dragon's Teeth DLC Details RevealedFree Resogun Update Adds Local Co-Op, Ship Editor, New TrophiesDestiny T-Shirt Celebrates Peter Dinklage's Infamous Line of DialogueEA CEO on $60 Games, VR, and the Company's Digital BusinessSony President Kaz Hirai Promises to Fix Company's "Money-Losing Structure" This YearOur Steam Summer Sale Pick of the DayStar Citizen Hires Director of Persistent UniverseBorderlands 2 PS Vita Update Addresses Player FeedbackPlayStation Now Beta Prices: $5 for Four Hours of Final Fantasy XIII-2Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar ReviewRidge Racer Driftopia Shutting Down August 15I'm Not A Hipster - GTA OnlineGSNT5 - Bloodborne gameplay revealed; Oculus Founder Calls 30fps a "Failure"Nintendo Thinking About Minecraft on Wii U, 3DS

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 22 Jun 2014 05:02:27 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-it-s-not-shutting-down-games-for-windows-live/1100-6420654/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574614-2801137551-22933.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574614" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574614-2801137551-22933.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574614"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574614-2801137551-22933.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Many developers have been ditching Microsoft's Games for Windows Live service in favor of Valve's Steamworks since last year, when <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-retiring-xboxcom-pc-marketplace-on-august-22/1100-6413083/">Microsoft confirmed it will retire its PC Marketplace</a>. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dirt-3-pc-abandoning-games-for-windows-live/1100-6416120/">DiRT 3</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/batman-arkham-origins-ditches-gfwl-for-steam-on-pc/1100-6413149/">Batman: Arkham Origins</a>, and even <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ms-splosion-man/">Ms. 'Splosion Man</a> developer Twisted Pixel, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-entangles-twisted-pixel/1100-6339625/">a Microsoft owned studio</a>, are all using Steamworks now to manage achievements, multiplayer and other features.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/games-for-windows-live-to-be-axed-by-microsoft-in-june-2014-report/1100-6413206/">contrary to rumors</a>, Microsoft insists that it is not shutting down Games For Windows Live on July 1, 2014.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We are continuing to support the Games for Windows Live service," Microsoft said in a statement to <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/06/19/games-for-windows-live-exodus-continues.aspx" rel="nofollow">Game Informer</a>. "As previously announced, as part of the retirement of Microsoft Points the Xbox.com PC marketplace was closed. Although customers are unable to purchase new games from the marketplace or receive title updates, they can continue to enjoy previously purchased content by downloading them through the Games for Windows Live client as usual. We remain committed to investing in PC gaming in the years ahead, and look forward to sharing more in the future."</p><p style="">Xbox boss <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-we-need-to-do-more-for-pc-gaming/1100-6420024/">Phil Spencer said earlier this month</a> that he thinks Microsoft needs to "up" its gaming presence on Windows, but stressed that Microsoft doesn't plan to compete directly with Steam. Microsoft also didn't mention Windows and PC gaming during its E3 2014 press conference. "It's a retail show, it's a console show, so it didn't really feel like the right place for us to talk about Windows," Spencer explained. "But Windows and gaming on Windows is critical to Microsoft's success."</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 16:51:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-it-s-not-shutting-down-games-for-windows-live/1100-6420654/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-details-revealed/1100-6420653/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574608-4914986187-Bqj7CH_CQAAwqYl.png%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2574608" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574608-4914986187-Bqj7CH_CQAAwqYl.png%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2574608"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574608-4914986187-Bqj7CH_CQAAwqYl.png%3Alarge"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">DICE and Electronic Arts have officially revealed what the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/">Battlefield 4</a> Dragon's Teeth DLC pack will include. Overall, it's very similar to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-battlefield-4-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-details-leaked/1100-6419560/" data-ref-id="1100-6419560">details users uncovered last month</a> by combing through files that were recently added to the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It will add four new maps set in Asian cities: Lumphini Garden, Pearl Market, Propaganda, and Sunken Dragon, and five new weapons, though at the moment we can't confirm that these are the same five weapons that were leaked back in May.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The remotely operated armored ground vehicle, R.A.W.R, and the ballistic shield that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-image-of-battlefield-4-s-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-revealed-what-do-you-think/1100-6419624/">EA previously teased</a>, are also included in the Dragon's Teeth DLC. There will also be 10 new assignments with unlocks for each, and a new game mode, Chain Link, where you create chains and win the battle by linking capture points together.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can find more details about each of the maps on <a href="http://www.battlefield.com/au/battlefield-4/expansion-packs/dragons-teeth" rel="nofollow">Battlefield's official site</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Dragon's Teeth DLC is set to launch this summer. For more on Battlefield 4, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><p style="">EA and Visceral Games are currently working on the next installment in the Battlefield series, the cops and robbers-themed <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-hardline/">Battlefield Hardline</a>. It is set to release on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/PS3/">PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ps4/">PlayStation 4</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/xbox-360/">Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/xbox-one/">Xbox One</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/">PC</a> on October 21.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 15:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-details-revealed/1100-6420653/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-resogun-update-adds-local-co-op-ship-editor-new-trophies/1100-6420652/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574571-1678433682-25548.png" data-ref-id="1300-2574571" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574571-1678433682-25548.png" data-ref-id="1300-2574571"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574571-1678433682-25548.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Tomorrow, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resogun/">Resogun</a> will get a free update that adds a local cooperative mode, ship editor, new trophies, and leaderboard changes, according to a post to the <a href="http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/06/21/free-resogun-update-goes-live-tomorrow-full-details/" rel="nofollow">PlayStation Blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As developer Housemarque Studios <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resogun-dlc-adds-new-modes-and-local-multiplayer/1100-6420205/">previously teased</a>, the local co-op mode is being added to Resogun for free ahead of the paid DLC, Heroes, which will release on Wednesday for $5.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Ship Editor will allow you to design your own ships from scratch using a detailed voxel editor. The editor doesn't only let you choose what your ship looks like, but also balance its agility, boost, overdrive, and standard weapons. When you're done designing your ship, you can also share it online and download other players' designs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">With the addition of the ship editor and a number of fixes to exploits that the update will address, Housemarque said it has little choice but to reset the game's leaderboards. However, Housemarque will honor the best players predating tomorrow's update with a Hall of Fame Leaderboard, which will display their high scores forever.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Resogun's Heroes DLC will add two new modes, Survival, in which you'll see how far you can get with only one life, and Demolition, in which you destroy enemies by slamming into them with your ship. Housemarque also announced that it is developing more content for Resogun and has made a season pass available for $8.</p><p style="">For more on Resogun, be sure to check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/resogun-review/1900-6415541/">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 14:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-resogun-update-adds-local-co-op-ship-editor-new-trophies/1100-6420652/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-t-shirt-celebrates-peter-dinklage-s-infamous-line-of-dialogue/1100-6420651/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574550-6565893869-TWCFT.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574550" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574550-6565893869-TWCFT.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574550"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574550-6565893869-TWCFT.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Even if you didn't make it into the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/" data-ref-id="false">Destiny</a> Alpha, by now you may have heard people joke about the line "that wizard came from the moon." Rather than shy away from it, Bungie is now selling a "that wizard came from the moon!" t-shirt, which <a href="https://twitter.com/Bungie/status/480100984190795776" rel="nofollow">became the best-selling item on the Bungie store within an hour</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The line is delivered by Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, who voices the player's robot companion in the game. We've just seen Dinklage perform some memorable monologues in the fourth season of Game of Thrones, but some players in the Destiny Alpha found his voice acting stiff and awkward, especially with the now infamous line.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bungie says that the t-shirt is for players who want to remember their time with the Destiny Alpha. It costs $25 and will be available for a limited time only. All profits from sales of this item will be donated to charity through the Bungie Foundation.</p><p style="">You can find the t-shirt on the <a href="http://bungiestore.com/collections/apparel/products/commemorative-destiny-alpha-t-shirt" rel="nofollow">Bungie's online store</a>.</p><p style="">Destiny launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-announces-destiny-release-date-delays-beta/1100-6416594/" data-ref-id="1100-6416594">September 9</a> in North America for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4. A beta for the game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-destiny-beta-kicks-off-july-17-first-on-ps3-ps4/1100-6420271/" data-ref-id="1100-6420271">kicks off on July 17</a>, first on PlayStation systems. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 13:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-t-shirt-celebrates-peter-dinklage-s-infamous-line-of-dialogue/1100-6420651/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-on-60-games-vr-and-the-company-s-digital-business/1100-6420650/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574510-8624519895-24510.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574510" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574510-8624519895-24510.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574510"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1535/15354745/2574510-8624519895-24510.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Electronic Arts Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson doesn't think that the glut of free-to-play content on mobile devices and other platforms make it harder to justify $60 console games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"It doesn't matter how much money you spend, as long as you feel like you got value," Wilson told <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/a-conversation-with-andrew-wilson-chief-executive-of-electronic-arts/?_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_r=1&amp;" rel="nofollow">The New York Times</a> in an interview. "People spend $300,000 on a Ferrari and feel good about it." Wilson explained EA is just as focused on investment of time as investment in money. "Engagement is the world's new profit metric," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Wilson also said that the company's focus on its digital business is finally starting to pay off. 45 percent of EA's revenue was digital last year (including PC, consoles, and mobile), and it's expecting that number to rise to 50 percent or higher next year. Wilson credits this success to EA building a direct commercial relationship with players, and investing a lot in infrastructure, architecture, and security. "We took a good hard look at our business and said we have to manage costs better," he said. "We want iteration, rapid prototyping, experimentation. But we don't want random hobby projects around the company."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-thinking-about-virtual-reality-experiences-but-not-necessarily-for-the-oculus-rift/1100-6418183/">reiterating statements he's made previously</a>, Wilson said he believes that VR will become more popular in the future. "We're presently building our tools and technology and engines with a view to being able to render in that format," he said.</p><p style="">Wilson <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-boss-battlefield-4-launch-unacceptable/1100-6420633/">recently admitted</a> that the launch of last year's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/">Battlefield 4</a> had "unacceptable" problems, and that EA was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/">completely overhauling its QA system</a> to make sure similar problems do not make it into future final products.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 12:08:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-on-60-games-vr-and-the-company-s-digital-business/1100-6420650/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-president-kaz-hirai-promises-to-fix-company-s-money-losing-structure-this-year/1100-6420649/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574484-6613707009-23626.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574484" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574484-6613707009-23626.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574484"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1535/15354745/2574484-6613707009-23626.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony's President and Chief Executive Officer Kaz Hirai promised shareholders he'll fix the company's "money-losing structure" this fiscal year.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Hirai made the promise at Sony's annual general shareholders' meeting in Japan, where he was heckled by attendees. The <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/sony-investors-back-ceo-directors-despite-losses-0" rel="nofollow">Associated Press</a> reported he had to ask hecklers to keep quiet multiple times as he answered questions regarding his performance in leading the company, engineers quitting Sony, poor product quality, and his plans for "wearable" products, like Sony <a href="http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/smartwear/about-smartwear/" rel="nofollow">SmartWear</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The best way to build our future is for Sony to remain Sony, and realize our motto to become a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity," Hirai said, adding that Sony engineers had great ideas which will become real products.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">So far, the PlayStation 4 has done well for Sony. The last official worldwide numbers put the PS4 at <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-reports-7-million-playstation-4-consoles-sold-worldwide/1100-6419044/">7 million units</a> sold (ahead of Xbox One's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-sold-3-million-units-in-2013-microsoft-says/1100-6416955/">3 million units</a>), and according to the NPD Group's May sales report, it's been the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-tops-npd-may-2014-sales-charts-in-us-again-wii-u-and-vita-both-up/1100-6420522/">top-selling video game system in the United States for the last five months</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, Sony's once successful TV division has been losing money for the past decade. Earlier this year, the company also announced that it is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-selling-pc-business-reforming-tv-unit-and-laying-off-5-000-people/1100-6417558/">selling its PC business and VAIO brand to Japan Industrial Partners</a>, resulting in 5,000 Sony employees around the world losing their jobs. At the time, Sony also announced it will spin off its TV business and operate it as a wholly owned subsidiary. This transition, aiming to help Sony "further enhance its TV business' profit," is expected to be complete by July 2014.</p><p style="">It's also interesting to note that only 4,662 people attended the annual general shareholders' meeting this year, compared to 10,693 last year.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 11:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-president-kaz-hirai-promises-to-fix-company-s-money-losing-structure-this-year/1100-6420649/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/our-steam-summer-sale-pick-of-the-day/1100-6420612/ <p style="">Got some spare cash you're desperate to offload? Do you have wads of bills just spilling out from your overflowing pockets? Then the <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam Summer Sale</a> is here to help you get rid of that pesky excess cash. With so many games on offer, it gets tough to figure out which ones to buy, so we're here to help that decision making process easier. Every day during the Steam Summer Sale--which runs from June 19 to June 30--we'll highlight our top pick from Steam's Daily Deals. Make sure to check back regularly to see which games you should get!</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2574464-steamworkshop_webupload_previewfile_221572497_preview.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574464" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2574464-steamworkshop_webupload_previewfile_221572497_preview.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574464"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2574464-steamworkshop_webupload_previewfile_221572497_preview.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Day 3: June 21, 2014</th><th scope="col"> </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style="">Our pick: <a href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/" data-ref-id="false">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</a> -- $4.99 (-75%)</p><div data-embed-type="html"><div><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" target="_blank">T</a>he epic fantasy RPG has seen deep discounts before, but there's no better time than now to pick it up if you've been waiting. Explore the open-world of Skyrim, customize your character and playstyle, and maybe even fight some dragons. You can also get the Legendary Edition of the game, complete with all the DLC expansions, for just $13.59.</p></div><div><strong><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-review/1900-6344618/" data-ref-id="1900-6344618">Read our review</a>. And then check it out on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam</a>.</strong></div><div> </div><div id="livefyre-app-custom-1401497831589"><strong>Other Daily Deals today:</strong></div><div><ul><li><a href="/7-days-to-die/" data-ref-id="false">7 Days to Die</a>: $13.74</li><li><a href="/the-stanley-parable/" data-ref-id="false">The Stanley Parable</a>: $5.99</li><li><a href="/age-of-empires-ii-hd-edition/" data-ref-id="false">Age of Empires II: HD Edition</a>: $4.99</li><li><a href="/project-zomboid/" data-ref-id="false">Project Zomboid</a>: $10.04</li><li><a href="/wasteland-2/" data-ref-id="false">Wasteland 2</a>: $40.19</li><li><a href="/contagion/" data-ref-id="false">Contagion</a>: $4.99</li><li><a href="/dragon-age-origins-ultimate-edition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition</a>: $7.49</li><li><a href="/terraria/" data-ref-id="false">Terraria</a>: $1.99</li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573520-amnesia.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573520" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573520-amnesia.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573520"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2573520-amnesia.jpg"></a></figure><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Day 2: June 20, 2014</th><th scope="col"> </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style="">Our pick: <a href="/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" data-ref-id="false">Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs</a>--$4.99 (-75%)</p><div data-embed-type="html"><div><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" target="_blank">Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs</a>, the follow-up to the genuinely frightening <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-the-dark-descent/" target="_blank">Amnesia: The Dark Descent</a>, is a steal on the Steam Summer sale today at 75% off. Machine for Pigs is set in the same universe as the original, but it follows a new story and cast of characters, so it's a great place to start if you're looking for a horror fix on a budget (though the original is also currently going for 80% off and you can get <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/sub/36631/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">both games together for only $6.99</a>).</p></div><div><strong><a href="/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" data-ref-id="false">Read our review</a>. And then check it out on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam</a>.</strong></div><div> </div><div id="livefyre-app-custom-1401497831589"><strong>Other Daily Deals today:</strong></div><div><ul><li><a href="/bound-by-flame/" data-ref-id="false">Bound By Flame</a>: $23.99</li><li><a href="/shin-sangoku-musou-7-musouden/" data-ref-id="false">Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends</a>: $24.99</li><li><a href="/game-dev-tycoon/" data-ref-id="false">Game Dev Tycoon</a>: $3.99</li><li><a href="/plague-inc-evolved/" data-ref-id="false">Plague Inc Evolved</a>: $10.04</li><li><a href="/prison-architect/" data-ref-id="false">Prison Architect</a>: $10.19</li><li><a href="/rpg-maker-vx-ace/" data-ref-id="false">RPG Maker VX Ace</a>: $17.49</li><li><a href="/the-walking-dead-season-two/" data-ref-id="false">The Walking Dead Season Two</a>: $12.49</li><li><a href="/state-of-decay/" data-ref-id="false">State of Decay</a>: $4.99</li></ul></div></div></td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573522-farcry3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573522" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573522-farcry3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573522"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2573522-farcry3.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Day 1: June 19, 2014</th><th scope="col"> </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Our pick: <a href="/far-cry-3/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 3</a>--$7.49 (-75%)</strong></p><p style="">The Far Cry series has always been ambitious, and it culminated with the sprawling, enthralling, and sometimes narratively challenging Far Cry 3. If you're looking for a shooter that eschews the military feel most others in the genre embrace, then you can't go wrong with this outstanding game. Plus, with <a href="/far-cry-4/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 4</a> coming out later this year, now's a great time to catch up on the last game in this intriguing series.</p><p style=""><a href="/reviews/far-cry-3-review/1900-6400893/" data-ref-id="1900-6400893">Read our review.</a> And then check it out on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam</a>.</p><p style=""><strong>Other Daily Deals today:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/dead-rising-3/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Rising 3</a> pre-purchase: $37.49</li><li><a href="/sins-of-a-solar-empire/" data-ref-id="false">Sins of a Solar Empire</a>: $7.99</li><li><a href="/divinity-original-sin/" data-ref-id="false">Divinity: Original Sin</a>: $31.99</li><li><a href="/democracy-3/" data-ref-id="false">Democracy 3</a>: $8.49</li><li><a href="/xcom-enemy-unknown/" data-ref-id="false">XCOM: Enemy Unknown</a>: $7.49</li><li><a href="/dont-starve/" data-ref-id="false">Don't Starve</a>: $3.74</li><li><a href="/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings</a> Enhanced Edition: $3.99</li><li><a href="/dayz/" data-ref-id="false">DayZ</a>: $25.49</li></ul></td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><em>Check back tomorrow to see our newest pick from the <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam Summer Sale Daily Deals</a>!</em></p> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 10:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/our-steam-summer-sale-pick-of-the-day/1100-6420612/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-hires-director-of-persistent-universe/1100-6420648/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419120" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419120/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Developer Cloud Imperium Games announced it has hired Tony Zurovec as <a href="/star-citizen/" data-ref-id="false">Star Citizen</a>'s Director of Persistent Universe.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">That's not a title you hear every day, but it's pretty much what it sounds like. Zurovec will direct design, engineering, and art in Cloud Imperium's Austin studio, focusing on the space sim's persistent universe. He'll also manage some of Cloud Imperium's contract studios. According to a press release from Cloud Imperium, there are now more than 250 employees and contractors working on Star Citizen.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Zurovec, who's best known for his <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/crusader-no-regret/">Crusader</a> series, started his career at Origin Systems (now a part of Electronic Arts), where he worked on the Ultima role-playing games. Zurovec and Cloud Imperium founder Chris Roberts also worked together at developer Digital Anvil in the late '90s.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'm extremely excited to be working with Chris Roberts again," Zurovec said. "What Chris is doing with Star Citizen is absolutely unprecedented in the industry. The entertainment potential for a totally open-ended universe that gives players complete freedom to pursue their own path is staggering, and I look forward to working with the vast number of talented developers Chris has pulled together from all over the world to help deliver an experience unlike anything anyone's ever seen."</p><p style="">After a slight delay, Star Citizen recently made its dogfighting module, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-s-dogfighting-module-now-available-to-backers/1100-6420104/">Arena Commander</a>, available to backers. Star Citizen is being funded by fans, and has raised more money than any other crowdfunding project to date. At the moment, it's approaching its $47 million stretch goal.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 09:58:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-hires-director-of-persistent-universe/1100-6420648/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-2-ps-vita-update-addresses-player-feedback/1100-6420647/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574429-2390053574-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574429" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574429-2390053574-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574429"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574429-2390053574-25723.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Update 1.04 for the PlayStation Vita version of Borderlands 2 is out now, Sony has announced. It aims to improve "the overall Borderlands 2 PS Vita experience" by addressing feedback from players.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Most importantly, Sony has worked with developer Iron Galaxy Studios to improve the game's stability and performance overall, including known issues with audio playback.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For users who found that they inadvertently triggered actions mapped to the PS Vita's rear touch inputs, you can now find scaling sliders in the Options menu to reduce the inputs areas to much smaller zones. For those of you who play shooters with inverted vertical look, Gyroscopic controls can now also be independently inverted. Finally, Sony has fixed an issue where players weren't notified that their online session had expired, causing them to incorrectly appear available for multiplayer.</p><p style="">The PS Vita version of Borderlands 2 was released last month, and was also included in a special <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps-vita-slim-hits-the-us-may-6-through-200-borderlands-2-bundle/1100-6418855/">$200 PS Vita Slim bundle</a>. Borderlands 2 for consoles and PC has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-2-ships-9-million-units-bioshock-infinite-climbs-to-6-million/1100-6419623/">shipped 9 million copies</a> since its release in September 2012.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 08:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-2-ps-vita-update-addresses-player-feedback/1100-6420647/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-prices-5-for-four-hours-of-final-fantasy-xiii-2/1100-6420646/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574412-9035660400-24271.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574412" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574412-9035660400-24271.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574412"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574412-9035660400-24271.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony recently revealed that it would be using the PlayStation Now beta to test different pricing models for the game streaming service. The company said there will be shorter rentals priced as low as $3, and longer-term ones that will generally fall between $3-$20.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Players participating in the beta can now see the preliminary prices and rental periods, which are probably less of a bargain than you'd expect. For example, it costs $5 to rent <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-xiii-2/">Final Fantasy XIII-2</a> for four hours, $8 for seven days, $15 for 30 days, and $30 for 90 days. In case you're wondering, you can buy the full, physical copy of the game from Amazon for less than $18.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The indie platformer Guacamelee! is slightly cheaper at $3 for four hours, $6 for seven days, $8 for 30 days, and $15 for 90 days. The full version of Guacamelee! is currently $15 on the PlayStation Store.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Though it's just a beta test, participants do have to pay these prices to stream the games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Those prices are a little outrageous, but keep in mind that Sony is also likely to<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-will-offer-netflix-like-subscription-options/1100-6417035/" data-ref-id="1100-6417035"> offer PlayStation Now as a subscription service</a>, which might come at a more reasonable price. Sony also made clear that "as with all content published on PlayStation platforms, publishers and developers will ultimately decide their game price points," so the current prices could also change.</p><p style="">During its E3 2014 press conference, Sony<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-playstation-now-open-beta-launches-on-ps4-july-31/1100-6420289/"> announced that Now will progress into open beta on July 31 on PS4,</a> and that a number of new games will be available. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-ascension/">God of War: Ascension</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dead-space-3/">Dead Space 3 </a>are among over 100 games that you will be able to stream via PlayStation Now. Open betas for PS3, Vita, and Sony TVs will come later.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 07:28:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-prices-5-for-four-hours-of-final-fantasy-xiii-2/1100-6420646/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hegemony-rome-the-rise-of-caesar-review/1900-6415795/ <p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/hegemony-gold-wars-of-ancient-greece/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/hegemony-gold-wars-of-ancient-greece/">Hegemony Gold: Wars of Ancient Greece</a> was easily one of my favorite real-time strategy games. It was rough, but it captivated me with some of the freshest ideas I'd seen in a while. Hegemony Rome drops almost all of the cleverness of its predecessor and replaces it with a lackluster facsimile poorly concealing an almost hollow frame.</p><p style="">Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar follows one of history's most prolific conquerors through his Gallic campaign and the political aftermath. The game's story mode captures only a few of the really big historical moments, but it helps serve as a primer for the sandbox mode, which gives you all of Gaul and Southern Britain to play with. From there, you build up cities, gather resources, and expand--all typical of an average RTS game.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572407-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572407" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572407-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572407"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/78/787590/2572407-001.jpg"></a><figcaption>The strategic view shows the relative strength of garrisoned forces as well as supply lines and basic troop movements.</figcaption></figure><p style="">What makes the Hegemony series different from most is its attention to historical accuracy. It plays as somewhat of a cross between <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/europa-universalis/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/europa-universalis/">Europa Universalis</a> and the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/total-war-shogun-2/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/total-war-shogun-2/">Total War</a> series. You spend a lot of time managing the minute details of your cities and forts, but you can also seamlessly zoom back out to a wide-area view that shows where all of the key points of interest are. In that sense, it's a lot smoother than Total War, which basically plays out as two games, one strategic and one tactical. In Hegemony Rome, you have one big map with two ways of looking at it. Unfortunately, while that system is great for quickly navigating from one battle to another across the map, it can be a bit unwieldy. As you pull the camera back, the texture of the large-scale paper map begins to replace the trees, mountains, and fields a bit too quickly, cutting off indicators for troop morale and circumstantial bonuses (such as flanking and charging). Because neither view offers up all of the information you need at any given point, a system that should be a boon often comes off as an annoyance.</p><p style="">The big draws of Hegemony Gold were troop management and logistics, and in these areas, it can be defined as a counterexample to other games of its type. In <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/starcraft/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/starcraft/">Starcraft</a>, you didn't really need to manage supplies for your troops. You had a big pool, and every unit you built took from that pool. No additional management was required. Hegemony Gold was quite different. Not only did you have global resource totals that represented the theoretical maximum of your empire, but you also had to move those resources from city to city. If you were building up a big force to capture a new city, wherever you stationed your soldiers needed to have enough resources to keep them fed and happy, or you'd see them dissolve within a few minutes. That mechanic was reinforced by an entire system of troop formations, stances, and tactics that not only raised the stakes of proper administration but also felt cohesive and sturdy.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572410-002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572410" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572410-002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572410"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/78/787590/2572410-002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Conquering anything less than a fully upgraded city rarely requires more than four regular units. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Hegemony Rome keeps a few of those concepts, but also waters them down to the point of near irrelevance. The emphasis here is on the supply lines themselves and making sure you have an efficient network of resource nodes to transport food, wood, and gold. Large forces still drain local resources pretty quickly, but that's rarely a problem. Hegemony Gold, however, limited the total number of resources that could move through any given area, unless upgraded. Each upgrade cost a lot to construct and maintain and forced you to make careful decisions about the best way to move resources around. Each city and resource node could also support only two or three supply lines, making your decisions that much more significant.</p><p style="">Hegemony Rome has almost none of these subtleties. All of your supplies can support an enormous resource flow, and only the foolishly long routes incur high penalties. They cost a fixed amount to maintain and cannot be upgraded, and you can make as many of them as you'd like. Their role is to support a fairly simple system of city and fort upgrades, but the mechanics behind this upgrade system are no longer robust enough to be compelling or interesting. Instead, the system encourages you to build up complex webs of short, cheap supply lines that minimize global losses. That makes the game extremely tedious, however, because forts, bridges, and cities need to be linked and bunched really close together. Tactics and big strategy take a backseat to tedium and rote patterns.</p><p style="">Every city is captured in more or less the same way. With a scout or two, you can get an eye for how strong the defenses are, and if the defense rating is below a certain number, you can be reasonably sure that you can capture the city in one go. If it's above a certain number, you simply have to starve the citizens out by blocking their supply lines and waiting. Once that's done, you get the new acquisition connected to your trade network, get a few upgrades in, leave a garrison, recruit a few new units, and keep the push going. Occasionally, you encounter a unique situation where the city is nestled in a cliff and you can use only a few units to attack versus your standard five or so. Outside of that, though, there's very little to mix up the combat.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572411-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572411" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572411-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572411"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/78/787590/2572411-003.jpg"></a><figcaption>The super-zoomed-out version of the map sits on a desk, presumably belonging to Julius Caesar himself. It's a neat visual and conceptual touch, but that doesn't make Hegemony Rome any less banal.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Part of the problem is that there are no longer troop formation options. Instead of forming a chevron pattern or having your units stand in a circle with spears facing outward for defense, you typically choose one of two stances. Now, these offer similar bonuses to battle formations, but with only two options, there isn't enough variance to do much of anything. In the first Hegemony, I could have troops stationed in the wilderness and have them constantly gathering a little bit of food. If enemies approached, they assumed a defensive battle formation and stood their ground. If the opposing force was too much, playing defensively would at least buy me enough time to move cavalry in a wedge formation to break enemy ranks and cause them to scatter. When I would siege enemy cities, I would often find that they had kept some extra units nearby to ambush and flank attackers. These were complex, emergent battle tactics that were facilitated by the game's mechanics. That kind of complexity doesn't happen anymore. Too much has been cut out, and not enough added back in to compensate. The only thing that is more robust in Hegemony Rome is the expansion of unit upgrades. As your soldiers fight and earn experience, they can gain skills that improve their maximum morale, or they can add more soldiers to their ranks. These upgrades are nice, but they're not enough to help fill out such a large game.</p><p style="">At this point, I've put more than 24 hours into Hegemony Rome, but I feel like it's waging some kind of psychological warfare on me. Outside of the first couple of hours, I've gone through the exact same process: expand, fortify, hold, lather, rinse, repeat. It's remarkably addictive, but in a cheap, Skinner box way. There's nothing to improve upon, so I'm not compelled to try harder. I just keep capturing things.</p><p style="">I went back a few times recently to play the first Hegemony to see if I just had huge nostalgia glasses for the series. I didn't. Hegemony Gold really is that much better. Everything from the user interface to the unit AI was and still is superior. To be fair, not every game needs to live up to its predecessor, but Rise of Caesar can't even stand on its own. Almost everything here is mediocre, and that's really a shame given the promise of Wars of Ancient Greece.</p> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hegemony-rome-the-rise-of-caesar-review/1900-6415795/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ridge-racer-driftopia-shutting-down-august-15/1100-6420645/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574397-1377226168-22388.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574397" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574397-1377226168-22388.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574397"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574397-1377226168-22388.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Free-to-play racing game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ridge-racer-driftopia/">Ridge Racer Driftopia</a> will shut down its servers and no longer be available starting August 15, publisher Bandai Namco has announced.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The leading developer and publisher wanted to take this opportunity to thank all its players for their permanent support and dedication!" Bandai Namco said in <a href="http://www.bandainamcogames.co.uk/news/2014/06/19/ridge-racer-driftopia-beta-coming-to-an-end/4422" rel="nofollow">a statement</a>. "All the feedbacks will be taken into account for the upcoming projects."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">First announced in April 2013, Ridge Racer Driftopia was supposed to release on PC and PlayStation 3, and is currently still available to download via Steam Early Access. Developed by Bugbear Entertainment, which also developed, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ridge-racer-unbounded/">Ridge Racer Unbounded</a>, it allows players to purchase additional vehicles, experience, and other items through in-game microtransactions.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Free-to-play is playing an increasingly important role, so it's very exciting to be bringing one of our most successful franchises to the free-to-play space for everyone to enjoy," Namco Bandai senior vice president Olivier Comte said when the game was first announced.</p><p style="">Bugbear Entertainment is currently working on a demolition derby-themed racing game, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/next-car-game/">Next Car Game</a>, currently available through Steam Early Access as well.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 06:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ridge-racer-driftopia-shutting-down-august-15/1100-6420645/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/i-m-not-a-hipster-gta-online/2300-6419851/ Get the rundown from Rob on the biggest GTA Online update yet. Fri, 20 Jun 2014 19:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/i-m-not-a-hipster-gta-online/2300-6419851/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gsnt5-bloodborne-gameplay-revealed-oculus-founder-/2300-6419833/ Dark Souls' successor "Bloodborne" gets a gameplay trailer, Microsoft explain their lack of PC games at E3, Oculus Creator says 30fps sucks, and more! Fri, 20 Jun 2014 16:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gsnt5-bloodborne-gameplay-revealed-oculus-founder-/2300-6419833/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-thinking-about-minecraft-on-wii-u-3ds/1100-6420643/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2574119-1635297804-21128.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574119" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2574119-1635297804-21128.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574119"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2574119-1635297804-21128.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Nintendo has been thinking about bringing <a href="/minecraft/" data-ref-id="false">Minecraft</a> to <a href="/companies/nintendo/" data-ref-id="false">Nintendo</a> devices, according to comments made by Nintendo executives.</p><p style="">Shigeru Miyamoto and Shinya Takahashi, heads of Nintendo's internal development teams, <a href="http://kotaku.com/what-nintendos-top-game-creators-think-of-minecraft-1593839008?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&amp;utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&amp;utm_medium=Socialflow" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said to Kotaku</a> that they believe Mojang's popular crafting game would be a good fit on the <a href="/3ds/" data-ref-id="false">3DS</a> and <a href="/wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Wii U</a>. According to them, the touch control of the Wii U Gamepad and the 3DS would allow Minecraft to reach a wider audience than ever. In Takahashi's words, "We've always thought internally that using the GamePad would probably make for a<i> </i>Minecraft that's very easy to play. And, of course, if we were to do something with Minecraft on the 3DS, similarly we would probably do it where it would be easier to play and could probably reach a lot of kids."</p><p style="">Their focus for a possible Minecraft port is to make it appeal to as many users as they can. This does not seem to be an obstacle, however, but rather an opportunity. Both executives see a wide, untapped market in Japan where the game has yet to really take off. "What's interesting is that, in Japan, Minecraft is not popular in the way it is in the U.S. and Europe," Takahashi explained, "so we've also thought that, if we were able to do a partnership like that, it might bring opportunity to help make Minecraft more popular in Japan."</p><p style="">Miyamoto also revealed that he has never actually played the game, but this didn't stop him from hinting further at the possibility of bringing it to Nintendo consoles. According to him, only Nintendo hardware would be able to mesh the widespread appeal of the touch-based mobile version of Minecraft with the precision of console controls. "Our hardware is the only hardware that you can do both the touch control and stick control," he said.</p><p style="">Minecraft is available for the Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, and mobile devices, and is coming to PlayStation 4, Vita, and Xbox One some time in August.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/alexbnewhouse" rel="nofollow">Twitter @alexbnewhouse</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 20 Jun 2014 15:57:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-thinking-about-minecraft-on-wii-u-3ds/1100-6420643/

Gamespot's Site MashupMicrosoft Says It's Not Shutting Down Games for Windows LiveBattlefield 4 Dragon's Teeth DLC Details RevealedFree Resogun Update Adds Local Co-Op, Ship Editor, New TrophiesDestiny T-Shirt Celebrates Peter Dinklage's Infamous Line of DialogueEA CEO on $60 Games, VR, and the Company's Digital BusinessSony President Kaz Hirai Promises to Fix Company's "Money-Losing Structure" This YearOur Steam Summer Sale Pick of the DayStar Citizen Hires Director of Persistent UniverseBorderlands 2 PS Vita Update Addresses Player FeedbackPlayStation Now Beta Prices: $5 for Four Hours of Final Fantasy XIII-2Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar ReviewRidge Racer Driftopia Shutting Down August 15I'm Not A Hipster - GTA OnlineGSNT5 - Bloodborne gameplay revealed; Oculus Founder Calls 30fps a "Failure"Nintendo Thinking About Minecraft on Wii U, 3DS

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 22 Jun 2014 05:02:27 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-it-s-not-shutting-down-games-for-windows-live/1100-6420654/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574614-2801137551-22933.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574614" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574614-2801137551-22933.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574614"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574614-2801137551-22933.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Many developers have been ditching Microsoft's Games for Windows Live service in favor of Valve's Steamworks since last year, when <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-retiring-xboxcom-pc-marketplace-on-august-22/1100-6413083/">Microsoft confirmed it will retire its PC Marketplace</a>. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dirt-3-pc-abandoning-games-for-windows-live/1100-6416120/">DiRT 3</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/batman-arkham-origins-ditches-gfwl-for-steam-on-pc/1100-6413149/">Batman: Arkham Origins</a>, and even <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ms-splosion-man/">Ms. 'Splosion Man</a> developer Twisted Pixel, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-entangles-twisted-pixel/1100-6339625/">a Microsoft owned studio</a>, are all using Steamworks now to manage achievements, multiplayer and other features.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/games-for-windows-live-to-be-axed-by-microsoft-in-june-2014-report/1100-6413206/">contrary to rumors</a>, Microsoft insists that it is not shutting down Games For Windows Live on July 1, 2014.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We are continuing to support the Games for Windows Live service," Microsoft said in a statement to <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/06/19/games-for-windows-live-exodus-continues.aspx" rel="nofollow">Game Informer</a>. "As previously announced, as part of the retirement of Microsoft Points the Xbox.com PC marketplace was closed. Although customers are unable to purchase new games from the marketplace or receive title updates, they can continue to enjoy previously purchased content by downloading them through the Games for Windows Live client as usual. We remain committed to investing in PC gaming in the years ahead, and look forward to sharing more in the future."</p><p style="">Xbox boss <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-we-need-to-do-more-for-pc-gaming/1100-6420024/">Phil Spencer said earlier this month</a> that he thinks Microsoft needs to "up" its gaming presence on Windows, but stressed that Microsoft doesn't plan to compete directly with Steam. Microsoft also didn't mention Windows and PC gaming during its E3 2014 press conference. "It's a retail show, it's a console show, so it didn't really feel like the right place for us to talk about Windows," Spencer explained. "But Windows and gaming on Windows is critical to Microsoft's success."</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 16:51:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-it-s-not-shutting-down-games-for-windows-live/1100-6420654/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-details-revealed/1100-6420653/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574608-4914986187-Bqj7CH_CQAAwqYl.png%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2574608" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574608-4914986187-Bqj7CH_CQAAwqYl.png%3Alarge" data-ref-id="1300-2574608"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574608-4914986187-Bqj7CH_CQAAwqYl.png%3Alarge"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">DICE and Electronic Arts have officially revealed what the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/">Battlefield 4</a> Dragon's Teeth DLC pack will include. Overall, it's very similar to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-battlefield-4-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-details-leaked/1100-6419560/" data-ref-id="1100-6419560">details users uncovered last month</a> by combing through files that were recently added to the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It will add four new maps set in Asian cities: Lumphini Garden, Pearl Market, Propaganda, and Sunken Dragon, and five new weapons, though at the moment we can't confirm that these are the same five weapons that were leaked back in May.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The remotely operated armored ground vehicle, R.A.W.R, and the ballistic shield that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-image-of-battlefield-4-s-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-revealed-what-do-you-think/1100-6419624/">EA previously teased</a>, are also included in the Dragon's Teeth DLC. There will also be 10 new assignments with unlocks for each, and a new game mode, Chain Link, where you create chains and win the battle by linking capture points together.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can find more details about each of the maps on <a href="http://www.battlefield.com/au/battlefield-4/expansion-packs/dragons-teeth" rel="nofollow">Battlefield's official site</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Dragon's Teeth DLC is set to launch this summer. For more on Battlefield 4, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><p style="">EA and Visceral Games are currently working on the next installment in the Battlefield series, the cops and robbers-themed <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-hardline/">Battlefield Hardline</a>. It is set to release on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/PS3/">PlayStation 3</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ps4/">PlayStation 4</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/xbox-360/">Xbox 360</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/xbox-one/">Xbox One</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/">PC</a> on October 21.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 15:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-dragon-s-teeth-dlc-details-revealed/1100-6420653/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-resogun-update-adds-local-co-op-ship-editor-new-trophies/1100-6420652/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574571-1678433682-25548.png" data-ref-id="1300-2574571" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574571-1678433682-25548.png" data-ref-id="1300-2574571"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574571-1678433682-25548.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Tomorrow, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/resogun/">Resogun</a> will get a free update that adds a local cooperative mode, ship editor, new trophies, and leaderboard changes, according to a post to the <a href="http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/06/21/free-resogun-update-goes-live-tomorrow-full-details/" rel="nofollow">PlayStation Blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As developer Housemarque Studios <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/resogun-dlc-adds-new-modes-and-local-multiplayer/1100-6420205/">previously teased</a>, the local co-op mode is being added to Resogun for free ahead of the paid DLC, Heroes, which will release on Wednesday for $5.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Ship Editor will allow you to design your own ships from scratch using a detailed voxel editor. The editor doesn't only let you choose what your ship looks like, but also balance its agility, boost, overdrive, and standard weapons. When you're done designing your ship, you can also share it online and download other players' designs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">With the addition of the ship editor and a number of fixes to exploits that the update will address, Housemarque said it has little choice but to reset the game's leaderboards. However, Housemarque will honor the best players predating tomorrow's update with a Hall of Fame Leaderboard, which will display their high scores forever.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Resogun's Heroes DLC will add two new modes, Survival, in which you'll see how far you can get with only one life, and Demolition, in which you destroy enemies by slamming into them with your ship. Housemarque also announced that it is developing more content for Resogun and has made a season pass available for $8.</p><p style="">For more on Resogun, be sure to check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/resogun-review/1900-6415541/">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 14:47:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-resogun-update-adds-local-co-op-ship-editor-new-trophies/1100-6420652/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-t-shirt-celebrates-peter-dinklage-s-infamous-line-of-dialogue/1100-6420651/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574550-6565893869-TWCFT.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574550" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574550-6565893869-TWCFT.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574550"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574550-6565893869-TWCFT.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Even if you didn't make it into the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/" data-ref-id="false">Destiny</a> Alpha, by now you may have heard people joke about the line "that wizard came from the moon." Rather than shy away from it, Bungie is now selling a "that wizard came from the moon!" t-shirt, which <a href="https://twitter.com/Bungie/status/480100984190795776" rel="nofollow">became the best-selling item on the Bungie store within an hour</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The line is delivered by Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, who voices the player's robot companion in the game. We've just seen Dinklage perform some memorable monologues in the fourth season of Game of Thrones, but some players in the Destiny Alpha found his voice acting stiff and awkward, especially with the now infamous line.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bungie says that the t-shirt is for players who want to remember their time with the Destiny Alpha. It costs $25 and will be available for a limited time only. All profits from sales of this item will be donated to charity through the Bungie Foundation.</p><p style="">You can find the t-shirt on the <a href="http://bungiestore.com/collections/apparel/products/commemorative-destiny-alpha-t-shirt" rel="nofollow">Bungie's online store</a>.</p><p style="">Destiny launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bungie-announces-destiny-release-date-delays-beta/1100-6416594/" data-ref-id="1100-6416594">September 9</a> in North America for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4. A beta for the game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-destiny-beta-kicks-off-july-17-first-on-ps3-ps4/1100-6420271/" data-ref-id="1100-6420271">kicks off on July 17</a>, first on PlayStation systems. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/destiny/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 13:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-t-shirt-celebrates-peter-dinklage-s-infamous-line-of-dialogue/1100-6420651/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-on-60-games-vr-and-the-company-s-digital-business/1100-6420650/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574510-8624519895-24510.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574510" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574510-8624519895-24510.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574510"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1535/15354745/2574510-8624519895-24510.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Electronic Arts Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson doesn't think that the glut of free-to-play content on mobile devices and other platforms make it harder to justify $60 console games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"It doesn't matter how much money you spend, as long as you feel like you got value," Wilson told <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/12/a-conversation-with-andrew-wilson-chief-executive-of-electronic-arts/?_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_php=true&amp;_type=blogs&amp;_r=1&amp;" rel="nofollow">The New York Times</a> in an interview. "People spend $300,000 on a Ferrari and feel good about it." Wilson explained EA is just as focused on investment of time as investment in money. "Engagement is the world's new profit metric," he said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Wilson also said that the company's focus on its digital business is finally starting to pay off. 45 percent of EA's revenue was digital last year (including PC, consoles, and mobile), and it's expecting that number to rise to 50 percent or higher next year. Wilson credits this success to EA building a direct commercial relationship with players, and investing a lot in infrastructure, architecture, and security. "We took a good hard look at our business and said we have to manage costs better," he said. "We want iteration, rapid prototyping, experimentation. But we don't want random hobby projects around the company."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Finally, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-thinking-about-virtual-reality-experiences-but-not-necessarily-for-the-oculus-rift/1100-6418183/">reiterating statements he's made previously</a>, Wilson said he believes that VR will become more popular in the future. "We're presently building our tools and technology and engines with a view to being able to render in that format," he said.</p><p style="">Wilson <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-boss-battlefield-4-launch-unacceptable/1100-6420633/">recently admitted</a> that the launch of last year's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-4/">Battlefield 4</a> had "unacceptable" problems, and that EA was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/">completely overhauling its QA system</a> to make sure similar problems do not make it into future final products.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 12:08:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-on-60-games-vr-and-the-company-s-digital-business/1100-6420650/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-president-kaz-hirai-promises-to-fix-company-s-money-losing-structure-this-year/1100-6420649/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574484-6613707009-23626.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574484" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574484-6613707009-23626.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574484"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1535/15354745/2574484-6613707009-23626.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony's President and Chief Executive Officer Kaz Hirai promised shareholders he'll fix the company's "money-losing structure" this fiscal year.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Hirai made the promise at Sony's annual general shareholders' meeting in Japan, where he was heckled by attendees. The <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/sony-investors-back-ceo-directors-despite-losses-0" rel="nofollow">Associated Press</a> reported he had to ask hecklers to keep quiet multiple times as he answered questions regarding his performance in leading the company, engineers quitting Sony, poor product quality, and his plans for "wearable" products, like Sony <a href="http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/smartwear/about-smartwear/" rel="nofollow">SmartWear</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The best way to build our future is for Sony to remain Sony, and realize our motto to become a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity," Hirai said, adding that Sony engineers had great ideas which will become real products.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">So far, the PlayStation 4 has done well for Sony. The last official worldwide numbers put the PS4 at <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-reports-7-million-playstation-4-consoles-sold-worldwide/1100-6419044/">7 million units</a> sold (ahead of Xbox One's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-sold-3-million-units-in-2013-microsoft-says/1100-6416955/">3 million units</a>), and according to the NPD Group's May sales report, it's been the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-tops-npd-may-2014-sales-charts-in-us-again-wii-u-and-vita-both-up/1100-6420522/">top-selling video game system in the United States for the last five months</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, Sony's once successful TV division has been losing money for the past decade. Earlier this year, the company also announced that it is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-selling-pc-business-reforming-tv-unit-and-laying-off-5-000-people/1100-6417558/">selling its PC business and VAIO brand to Japan Industrial Partners</a>, resulting in 5,000 Sony employees around the world losing their jobs. At the time, Sony also announced it will spin off its TV business and operate it as a wholly owned subsidiary. This transition, aiming to help Sony "further enhance its TV business' profit," is expected to be complete by July 2014.</p><p style="">It's also interesting to note that only 4,662 people attended the annual general shareholders' meeting this year, compared to 10,693 last year.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 11:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-president-kaz-hirai-promises-to-fix-company-s-money-losing-structure-this-year/1100-6420649/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/our-steam-summer-sale-pick-of-the-day/1100-6420612/ <p style="">Got some spare cash you're desperate to offload? Do you have wads of bills just spilling out from your overflowing pockets? Then the <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam Summer Sale</a> is here to help you get rid of that pesky excess cash. With so many games on offer, it gets tough to figure out which ones to buy, so we're here to help that decision making process easier. Every day during the Steam Summer Sale--which runs from June 19 to June 30--we'll highlight our top pick from Steam's Daily Deals. Make sure to check back regularly to see which games you should get!</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2574464-steamworkshop_webupload_previewfile_221572497_preview.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574464" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2574464-steamworkshop_webupload_previewfile_221572497_preview.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574464"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2574464-steamworkshop_webupload_previewfile_221572497_preview.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Day 3: June 21, 2014</th><th scope="col"> </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style="">Our pick: <a href="/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim/" data-ref-id="false">The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim</a> -- $4.99 (-75%)</p><div data-embed-type="html"><div><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" target="_blank">T</a>he epic fantasy RPG has seen deep discounts before, but there's no better time than now to pick it up if you've been waiting. Explore the open-world of Skyrim, customize your character and playstyle, and maybe even fight some dragons. You can also get the Legendary Edition of the game, complete with all the DLC expansions, for just $13.59.</p></div><div><strong><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-review/1900-6344618/" data-ref-id="1900-6344618">Read our review</a>. And then check it out on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/72850/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam</a>.</strong></div><div> </div><div id="livefyre-app-custom-1401497831589"><strong>Other Daily Deals today:</strong></div><div><ul><li><a href="/7-days-to-die/" data-ref-id="false">7 Days to Die</a>: $13.74</li><li><a href="/the-stanley-parable/" data-ref-id="false">The Stanley Parable</a>: $5.99</li><li><a href="/age-of-empires-ii-hd-edition/" data-ref-id="false">Age of Empires II: HD Edition</a>: $4.99</li><li><a href="/project-zomboid/" data-ref-id="false">Project Zomboid</a>: $10.04</li><li><a href="/wasteland-2/" data-ref-id="false">Wasteland 2</a>: $40.19</li><li><a href="/contagion/" data-ref-id="false">Contagion</a>: $4.99</li><li><a href="/dragon-age-origins-ultimate-edition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition</a>: $7.49</li><li><a href="/terraria/" data-ref-id="false">Terraria</a>: $1.99</li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573520-amnesia.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573520" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573520-amnesia.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573520"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2573520-amnesia.jpg"></a></figure><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Day 2: June 20, 2014</th><th scope="col"> </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style="">Our pick: <a href="/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" data-ref-id="false">Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs</a>--$4.99 (-75%)</p><div data-embed-type="html"><div><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" target="_blank">Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs</a>, the follow-up to the genuinely frightening <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/amnesia-the-dark-descent/" target="_blank">Amnesia: The Dark Descent</a>, is a steal on the Steam Summer sale today at 75% off. Machine for Pigs is set in the same universe as the original, but it follows a new story and cast of characters, so it's a great place to start if you're looking for a horror fix on a budget (though the original is also currently going for 80% off and you can get <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/sub/36631/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">both games together for only $6.99</a>).</p></div><div><strong><a href="/amnesia-a-machine-for-pigs/" data-ref-id="false">Read our review</a>. And then check it out on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam</a>.</strong></div><div> </div><div id="livefyre-app-custom-1401497831589"><strong>Other Daily Deals today:</strong></div><div><ul><li><a href="/bound-by-flame/" data-ref-id="false">Bound By Flame</a>: $23.99</li><li><a href="/shin-sangoku-musou-7-musouden/" data-ref-id="false">Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends</a>: $24.99</li><li><a href="/game-dev-tycoon/" data-ref-id="false">Game Dev Tycoon</a>: $3.99</li><li><a href="/plague-inc-evolved/" data-ref-id="false">Plague Inc Evolved</a>: $10.04</li><li><a href="/prison-architect/" data-ref-id="false">Prison Architect</a>: $10.19</li><li><a href="/rpg-maker-vx-ace/" data-ref-id="false">RPG Maker VX Ace</a>: $17.49</li><li><a href="/the-walking-dead-season-two/" data-ref-id="false">The Walking Dead Season Two</a>: $12.49</li><li><a href="/state-of-decay/" data-ref-id="false">State of Decay</a>: $4.99</li></ul></div></div></td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573522-farcry3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573522" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/225/2256286/2573522-farcry3.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2573522"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/225/2256286/2573522-farcry3.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Day 1: June 19, 2014</th><th scope="col"> </th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Our pick: <a href="/far-cry-3/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 3</a>--$7.49 (-75%)</strong></p><p style="">The Far Cry series has always been ambitious, and it culminated with the sprawling, enthralling, and sometimes narratively challenging Far Cry 3. If you're looking for a shooter that eschews the military feel most others in the genre embrace, then you can't go wrong with this outstanding game. Plus, with <a href="/far-cry-4/" data-ref-id="false">Far Cry 4</a> coming out later this year, now's a great time to catch up on the last game in this intriguing series.</p><p style=""><a href="/reviews/far-cry-3-review/1900-6400893/" data-ref-id="1900-6400893">Read our review.</a> And then check it out on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam</a>.</p><p style=""><strong>Other Daily Deals today:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="/dead-rising-3/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Rising 3</a> pre-purchase: $37.49</li><li><a href="/sins-of-a-solar-empire/" data-ref-id="false">Sins of a Solar Empire</a>: $7.99</li><li><a href="/divinity-original-sin/" data-ref-id="false">Divinity: Original Sin</a>: $31.99</li><li><a href="/democracy-3/" data-ref-id="false">Democracy 3</a>: $8.49</li><li><a href="/xcom-enemy-unknown/" data-ref-id="false">XCOM: Enemy Unknown</a>: $7.49</li><li><a href="/dont-starve/" data-ref-id="false">Don't Starve</a>: $3.74</li><li><a href="/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings</a> Enhanced Edition: $3.99</li><li><a href="/dayz/" data-ref-id="false">DayZ</a>: $25.49</li></ul></td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><em>Check back tomorrow to see our newest pick from the <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Steam Summer Sale Daily Deals</a>!</em></p> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 10:31:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/our-steam-summer-sale-pick-of-the-day/1100-6420612/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-hires-director-of-persistent-universe/1100-6420648/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419120" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419120/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Developer Cloud Imperium Games announced it has hired Tony Zurovec as <a href="/star-citizen/" data-ref-id="false">Star Citizen</a>'s Director of Persistent Universe.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">That's not a title you hear every day, but it's pretty much what it sounds like. Zurovec will direct design, engineering, and art in Cloud Imperium's Austin studio, focusing on the space sim's persistent universe. He'll also manage some of Cloud Imperium's contract studios. According to a press release from Cloud Imperium, there are now more than 250 employees and contractors working on Star Citizen.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Zurovec, who's best known for his <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/crusader-no-regret/">Crusader</a> series, started his career at Origin Systems (now a part of Electronic Arts), where he worked on the Ultima role-playing games. Zurovec and Cloud Imperium founder Chris Roberts also worked together at developer Digital Anvil in the late '90s.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'm extremely excited to be working with Chris Roberts again," Zurovec said. "What Chris is doing with Star Citizen is absolutely unprecedented in the industry. The entertainment potential for a totally open-ended universe that gives players complete freedom to pursue their own path is staggering, and I look forward to working with the vast number of talented developers Chris has pulled together from all over the world to help deliver an experience unlike anything anyone's ever seen."</p><p style="">After a slight delay, Star Citizen recently made its dogfighting module, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-s-dogfighting-module-now-available-to-backers/1100-6420104/">Arena Commander</a>, available to backers. Star Citizen is being funded by fans, and has raised more money than any other crowdfunding project to date. At the moment, it's approaching its $47 million stretch goal.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 09:58:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-citizen-hires-director-of-persistent-universe/1100-6420648/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-2-ps-vita-update-addresses-player-feedback/1100-6420647/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574429-2390053574-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574429" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574429-2390053574-25723.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574429"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574429-2390053574-25723.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Update 1.04 for the PlayStation Vita version of Borderlands 2 is out now, Sony has announced. It aims to improve "the overall Borderlands 2 PS Vita experience" by addressing feedback from players.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Most importantly, Sony has worked with developer Iron Galaxy Studios to improve the game's stability and performance overall, including known issues with audio playback.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For users who found that they inadvertently triggered actions mapped to the PS Vita's rear touch inputs, you can now find scaling sliders in the Options menu to reduce the inputs areas to much smaller zones. For those of you who play shooters with inverted vertical look, Gyroscopic controls can now also be independently inverted. Finally, Sony has fixed an issue where players weren't notified that their online session had expired, causing them to incorrectly appear available for multiplayer.</p><p style="">The PS Vita version of Borderlands 2 was released last month, and was also included in a special <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps-vita-slim-hits-the-us-may-6-through-200-borderlands-2-bundle/1100-6418855/">$200 PS Vita Slim bundle</a>. Borderlands 2 for consoles and PC has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-2-ships-9-million-units-bioshock-infinite-climbs-to-6-million/1100-6419623/">shipped 9 million copies</a> since its release in September 2012.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 08:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-2-ps-vita-update-addresses-player-feedback/1100-6420647/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-prices-5-for-four-hours-of-final-fantasy-xiii-2/1100-6420646/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574412-9035660400-24271.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574412" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574412-9035660400-24271.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574412"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574412-9035660400-24271.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony recently revealed that it would be using the PlayStation Now beta to test different pricing models for the game streaming service. The company said there will be shorter rentals priced as low as $3, and longer-term ones that will generally fall between $3-$20.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Players participating in the beta can now see the preliminary prices and rental periods, which are probably less of a bargain than you'd expect. For example, it costs $5 to rent <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/final-fantasy-xiii-2/">Final Fantasy XIII-2</a> for four hours, $8 for seven days, $15 for 30 days, and $30 for 90 days. In case you're wondering, you can buy the full, physical copy of the game from Amazon for less than $18.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The indie platformer Guacamelee! is slightly cheaper at $3 for four hours, $6 for seven days, $8 for 30 days, and $15 for 90 days. The full version of Guacamelee! is currently $15 on the PlayStation Store.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Though it's just a beta test, participants do have to pay these prices to stream the games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Those prices are a little outrageous, but keep in mind that Sony is also likely to<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-will-offer-netflix-like-subscription-options/1100-6417035/" data-ref-id="1100-6417035"> offer PlayStation Now as a subscription service</a>, which might come at a more reasonable price. Sony also made clear that "as with all content published on PlayStation platforms, publishers and developers will ultimately decide their game price points," so the current prices could also change.</p><p style="">During its E3 2014 press conference, Sony<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-playstation-now-open-beta-launches-on-ps4-july-31/1100-6420289/"> announced that Now will progress into open beta on July 31 on PS4,</a> and that a number of new games will be available. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/god-of-war-ascension/">God of War: Ascension</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dead-space-3/">Dead Space 3 </a>are among over 100 games that you will be able to stream via PlayStation Now. Open betas for PS3, Vita, and Sony TVs will come later.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 07:28:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-prices-5-for-four-hours-of-final-fantasy-xiii-2/1100-6420646/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hegemony-rome-the-rise-of-caesar-review/1900-6415795/ <p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/hegemony-gold-wars-of-ancient-greece/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/hegemony-gold-wars-of-ancient-greece/">Hegemony Gold: Wars of Ancient Greece</a> was easily one of my favorite real-time strategy games. It was rough, but it captivated me with some of the freshest ideas I'd seen in a while. Hegemony Rome drops almost all of the cleverness of its predecessor and replaces it with a lackluster facsimile poorly concealing an almost hollow frame.</p><p style="">Hegemony Rome: The Rise of Caesar follows one of history's most prolific conquerors through his Gallic campaign and the political aftermath. The game's story mode captures only a few of the really big historical moments, but it helps serve as a primer for the sandbox mode, which gives you all of Gaul and Southern Britain to play with. From there, you build up cities, gather resources, and expand--all typical of an average RTS game.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572407-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572407" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572407-001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572407"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/78/787590/2572407-001.jpg"></a><figcaption>The strategic view shows the relative strength of garrisoned forces as well as supply lines and basic troop movements.</figcaption></figure><p style="">What makes the Hegemony series different from most is its attention to historical accuracy. It plays as somewhat of a cross between <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/europa-universalis/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/europa-universalis/">Europa Universalis</a> and the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/total-war-shogun-2/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/total-war-shogun-2/">Total War</a> series. You spend a lot of time managing the minute details of your cities and forts, but you can also seamlessly zoom back out to a wide-area view that shows where all of the key points of interest are. In that sense, it's a lot smoother than Total War, which basically plays out as two games, one strategic and one tactical. In Hegemony Rome, you have one big map with two ways of looking at it. Unfortunately, while that system is great for quickly navigating from one battle to another across the map, it can be a bit unwieldy. As you pull the camera back, the texture of the large-scale paper map begins to replace the trees, mountains, and fields a bit too quickly, cutting off indicators for troop morale and circumstantial bonuses (such as flanking and charging). Because neither view offers up all of the information you need at any given point, a system that should be a boon often comes off as an annoyance.</p><p style="">The big draws of Hegemony Gold were troop management and logistics, and in these areas, it can be defined as a counterexample to other games of its type. In <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/starcraft/" data-ref-id="false" data-mce-href="http://www.gamespot.com/starcraft/">Starcraft</a>, you didn't really need to manage supplies for your troops. You had a big pool, and every unit you built took from that pool. No additional management was required. Hegemony Gold was quite different. Not only did you have global resource totals that represented the theoretical maximum of your empire, but you also had to move those resources from city to city. If you were building up a big force to capture a new city, wherever you stationed your soldiers needed to have enough resources to keep them fed and happy, or you'd see them dissolve within a few minutes. That mechanic was reinforced by an entire system of troop formations, stances, and tactics that not only raised the stakes of proper administration but also felt cohesive and sturdy.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572410-002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572410" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572410-002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572410"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/78/787590/2572410-002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Conquering anything less than a fully upgraded city rarely requires more than four regular units. </figcaption></figure><p style="">Hegemony Rome keeps a few of those concepts, but also waters them down to the point of near irrelevance. The emphasis here is on the supply lines themselves and making sure you have an efficient network of resource nodes to transport food, wood, and gold. Large forces still drain local resources pretty quickly, but that's rarely a problem. Hegemony Gold, however, limited the total number of resources that could move through any given area, unless upgraded. Each upgrade cost a lot to construct and maintain and forced you to make careful decisions about the best way to move resources around. Each city and resource node could also support only two or three supply lines, making your decisions that much more significant.</p><p style="">Hegemony Rome has almost none of these subtleties. All of your supplies can support an enormous resource flow, and only the foolishly long routes incur high penalties. They cost a fixed amount to maintain and cannot be upgraded, and you can make as many of them as you'd like. Their role is to support a fairly simple system of city and fort upgrades, but the mechanics behind this upgrade system are no longer robust enough to be compelling or interesting. Instead, the system encourages you to build up complex webs of short, cheap supply lines that minimize global losses. That makes the game extremely tedious, however, because forts, bridges, and cities need to be linked and bunched really close together. Tactics and big strategy take a backseat to tedium and rote patterns.</p><p style="">Every city is captured in more or less the same way. With a scout or two, you can get an eye for how strong the defenses are, and if the defense rating is below a certain number, you can be reasonably sure that you can capture the city in one go. If it's above a certain number, you simply have to starve the citizens out by blocking their supply lines and waiting. Once that's done, you get the new acquisition connected to your trade network, get a few upgrades in, leave a garrison, recruit a few new units, and keep the push going. Occasionally, you encounter a unique situation where the city is nestled in a cliff and you can use only a few units to attack versus your standard five or so. Outside of that, though, there's very little to mix up the combat.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572411-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572411" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2572411-003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2572411"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/78/787590/2572411-003.jpg"></a><figcaption>The super-zoomed-out version of the map sits on a desk, presumably belonging to Julius Caesar himself. It's a neat visual and conceptual touch, but that doesn't make Hegemony Rome any less banal.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Part of the problem is that there are no longer troop formation options. Instead of forming a chevron pattern or having your units stand in a circle with spears facing outward for defense, you typically choose one of two stances. Now, these offer similar bonuses to battle formations, but with only two options, there isn't enough variance to do much of anything. In the first Hegemony, I could have troops stationed in the wilderness and have them constantly gathering a little bit of food. If enemies approached, they assumed a defensive battle formation and stood their ground. If the opposing force was too much, playing defensively would at least buy me enough time to move cavalry in a wedge formation to break enemy ranks and cause them to scatter. When I would siege enemy cities, I would often find that they had kept some extra units nearby to ambush and flank attackers. These were complex, emergent battle tactics that were facilitated by the game's mechanics. That kind of complexity doesn't happen anymore. Too much has been cut out, and not enough added back in to compensate. The only thing that is more robust in Hegemony Rome is the expansion of unit upgrades. As your soldiers fight and earn experience, they can gain skills that improve their maximum morale, or they can add more soldiers to their ranks. These upgrades are nice, but they're not enough to help fill out such a large game.</p><p style="">At this point, I've put more than 24 hours into Hegemony Rome, but I feel like it's waging some kind of psychological warfare on me. Outside of the first couple of hours, I've gone through the exact same process: expand, fortify, hold, lather, rinse, repeat. It's remarkably addictive, but in a cheap, Skinner box way. There's nothing to improve upon, so I'm not compelled to try harder. I just keep capturing things.</p><p style="">I went back a few times recently to play the first Hegemony to see if I just had huge nostalgia glasses for the series. I didn't. Hegemony Gold really is that much better. Everything from the user interface to the unit AI was and still is superior. To be fair, not every game needs to live up to its predecessor, but Rise of Caesar can't even stand on its own. Almost everything here is mediocre, and that's really a shame given the promise of Wars of Ancient Greece.</p> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hegemony-rome-the-rise-of-caesar-review/1900-6415795/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ridge-racer-driftopia-shutting-down-august-15/1100-6420645/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574397-1377226168-22388.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574397" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2574397-1377226168-22388.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574397"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1535/15354745/2574397-1377226168-22388.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Free-to-play racing game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ridge-racer-driftopia/">Ridge Racer Driftopia</a> will shut down its servers and no longer be available starting August 15, publisher Bandai Namco has announced.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The leading developer and publisher wanted to take this opportunity to thank all its players for their permanent support and dedication!" Bandai Namco said in <a href="http://www.bandainamcogames.co.uk/news/2014/06/19/ridge-racer-driftopia-beta-coming-to-an-end/4422" rel="nofollow">a statement</a>. "All the feedbacks will be taken into account for the upcoming projects."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">First announced in April 2013, Ridge Racer Driftopia was supposed to release on PC and PlayStation 3, and is currently still available to download via Steam Early Access. Developed by Bugbear Entertainment, which also developed, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ridge-racer-unbounded/">Ridge Racer Unbounded</a>, it allows players to purchase additional vehicles, experience, and other items through in-game microtransactions.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Free-to-play is playing an increasingly important role, so it's very exciting to be bringing one of our most successful franchises to the free-to-play space for everyone to enjoy," Namco Bandai senior vice president Olivier Comte said when the game was first announced.</p><p style="">Bugbear Entertainment is currently working on a demolition derby-themed racing game, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/next-car-game/">Next Car Game</a>, currently available through Steam Early Access as well.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 21 Jun 2014 06:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ridge-racer-driftopia-shutting-down-august-15/1100-6420645/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/i-m-not-a-hipster-gta-online/2300-6419851/ Get the rundown from Rob on the biggest GTA Online update yet. Fri, 20 Jun 2014 19:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/i-m-not-a-hipster-gta-online/2300-6419851/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gsnt5-bloodborne-gameplay-revealed-oculus-founder-/2300-6419833/ Dark Souls' successor "Bloodborne" gets a gameplay trailer, Microsoft explain their lack of PC games at E3, Oculus Creator says 30fps sucks, and more! Fri, 20 Jun 2014 16:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gsnt5-bloodborne-gameplay-revealed-oculus-founder-/2300-6419833/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-thinking-about-minecraft-on-wii-u-3ds/1100-6420643/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2574119-1635297804-21128.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574119" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2574119-1635297804-21128.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2574119"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2574119-1635297804-21128.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Nintendo has been thinking about bringing <a href="/minecraft/" data-ref-id="false">Minecraft</a> to <a href="/companies/nintendo/" data-ref-id="false">Nintendo</a> devices, according to comments made by Nintendo executives.</p><p style="">Shigeru Miyamoto and Shinya Takahashi, heads of Nintendo's internal development teams, <a href="http://kotaku.com/what-nintendos-top-game-creators-think-of-minecraft-1593839008?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&amp;utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&amp;utm_medium=Socialflow" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">said to Kotaku</a> that they believe Mojang's popular crafting game would be a good fit on the <a href="/3ds/" data-ref-id="false">3DS</a> and <a href="/wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Wii U</a>. According to them, the touch control of the Wii U Gamepad and the 3DS would allow Minecraft to reach a wider audience than ever. In Takahashi's words, "We've always thought internally that using the GamePad would probably make for a<i> </i>Minecraft that's very easy to play. And, of course, if we were to do something with Minecraft on the 3DS, similarly we would probably do it where it would be easier to play and could probably reach a lot of kids."</p><p style="">Their focus for a possible Minecraft port is to make it appeal to as many users as they can. This does not seem to be an obstacle, however, but rather an opportunity. Both executives see a wide, untapped market in Japan where the game has yet to really take off. "What's interesting is that, in Japan, Minecraft is not popular in the way it is in the U.S. and Europe," Takahashi explained, "so we've also thought that, if we were able to do a partnership like that, it might bring opportunity to help make Minecraft more popular in Japan."</p><p style="">Miyamoto also revealed that he has never actually played the game, but this didn't stop him from hinting further at the possibility of bringing it to Nintendo consoles. According to him, only Nintendo hardware would be able to mesh the widespread appeal of the touch-based mobile version of Minecraft with the precision of console controls. "Our hardware is the only hardware that you can do both the touch control and stick control," he said.</p><p style="">Minecraft is available for the Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, and mobile devices, and is coming to PlayStation 4, Vita, and Xbox One some time in August.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/alexbnewhouse" rel="nofollow">Twitter @alexbnewhouse</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><em><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</strong></em></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 20 Jun 2014 15:57:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-thinking-about-minecraft-on-wii-u-3ds/1100-6420643/


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