http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 08 Jun 2014 05:34:42 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-responds-directly-to-rumors-the-last-guardian-not-cancelled/1100-6420189/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6229136" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6229136/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">First <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-motion-controller-revealed-god-of-war-iii-due-in-march/1100-6210509/" data-ref-id="1100-6210509">announced at E3 back in 2009</a>, <a href="/the-last-guardian/" data-ref-id="false">The Last Guardian</a> is easily the most-anticipated game on any current PlayStation platform. While it's gone through some <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-reengineering-the-last-guardian/1100-6415289/" data-ref-id="1100-6415289">re-engineering over the years</a>, development on the follow-up to<a href="/ico/" data-ref-id="false"> Ico</a> and <a href="/shadow-of-the-colossus/" data-ref-id="false">Shadow of the Colossus</a> has never been halted.</p><p style="">And today, amid unverified rumors circulating on various sites, Sony was quick to reassure fans that the game is still in development. Responding directly to the hearsay, Scott Rohde, PlayStation's software product development head for Sony Worldwide Studios America,<a href="https://twitter.com/RohdeScott/status/475515804067569664" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> wrote on Twitter</a>: "[Shuhei Yoshida, SCE president of worldwide studio] Sony Worldwide president] and I laughed at this rumor over dinner. The Last Guardian has NOT been cancelled."</p><div data-embed-type="html"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p style=""><a href="https://twitter.com/notaxation" rel="nofollow">@notaxation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/yosp" rel="nofollow">@yosp</a> and I laughed at this rumor over dinner. The Last Guardian has NOT been cancelled.</p> — Scott Rohde (@RohdeScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/RohdeScott/statuses/475515804067569664" rel="nofollow">June 8, 2014</a></blockquote><script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script></div><p style="">Of course, that shouldn't really come as a surprise. Rohde said <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-guardian-is-absolutely-still-on-the-way-but-sony-won-t-say-if-it-s-coming-to-ps4/1100-6418279/" data-ref-id="1100-6418279">the game was still in development back in March</a>. Back then, Rohde said that he would not "announce what platform it's coming on, who's working on it, who's involved. But that is still a title that's absolutely in the mix at Worldwide Studios."</p><p style="">We know that the game's original director, Fumito Ueda, is still <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/last-guardian-director-terribly-sorry-for-delay/1100-6416255/" data-ref-id="1100-6416255">working on the game in a freelance capacity</a>. But we can only hope to get a glimpse of how it's been coming along next week during Sony's E3 press conference.</p><p style="">Personally, I'm still holding out hope that we'll not only get an announcement that it's coming to PS4, but also that it'll ship this year. Considering the game's been in development since around 2007, that seems a lot more likely than the game disappearing completely.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a></strong></p><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sun, 08 Jun 2014 02:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-responds-directly-to-rumors-the-last-guardian-not-cancelled/1100-6420189/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-s-e3-plans-feature-sonic-alien-isolation-and-hatsune-miku/1100-6420188/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6416745" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416745/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">With E3 2014 so close to kicking off, Sega has announced the slate of games it plans to have on show during the event, and it consists of a lot of Sonic and the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/alien-isolation-is-this-the-alien-game-you-ve-been-waiting-for/1100-6416961/" data-ref-id="1100-6416961">most promising Alien game</a> in years.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Unlike fellow third-party publishers <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3-ea-press-conference-2014/" data-ref-id="false">Electronic Arts</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3-ubisoft-press-conference-2014/" data-ref-id="false">Ubisoft</a>, Sega won't be hosting a press conference of its own. Regardless, it will have a handful of its upcoming games on display. More specifically, we'll be seeing <a href="/alien-isolation/" data-ref-id="false">Alien: Isolation</a> (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC), <a href="/sonic-boom-rise-of-lyric/" data-ref-id="false">Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric</a> (Wii U), <a href="/sonic-boom-shattered-crystal/" data-ref-id="false">Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal</a> (3DS), and <a href="/hatsune-miku-project-diva-f-2nd/" data-ref-id="false">Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd</a> (PS3 and PlayStation Vita).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's not a huge number of games for a company that used to have a much larger presence at the annual conference. But with it not making sports games or hardware like it once did, the company has less to show, although it is curious that only one of these four games is actually developed internally by Sega.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Keep in mind, these plans don't preclude Sega from still making a surprise announcement of some sort--I've got my fingers crossed for word on a Western release of <a href="/phantasy-star-online-2/" data-ref-id="false">Phantasy Star Online 2</a>, and others are no doubt hoping for a new <a href="/yakuza/" data-ref-id="false">Yakuza</a>. For now, though, these are the only Sega games we'll definitely be seeing this coming week.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">E3 kicks off on Monday</a> with press conferences from Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, and Sony, followed by Nintendo's pre-recorded show on Tuesday. You'll be able to watch all of this and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-gamespot-cast-and-crew/1100-6420115/" data-ref-id="1100-6420115">follow along with the week's happenings right here on GameSpot</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-s-e3-plans-feature-sonic-alien-isolation-and-hatsune-miku/1100-6420188/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-nintendo-need-to-do/1100-6420178/ <p style=""> </p><p style="">Like last year, Nintendo is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-will-again-forgo-a-traditional-e3-press-conference/1100-6419283/">foregoing a traditional press conference</a> at E3 in favor of a Nintendo Direct presentation, but that doesn't mean the company lacks for big announcements. E3 is going to be Nintendo's chance to show off how it plans to turn around the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wii-u-sales-slow-to-a-crawl-as-nintendo-posts-457-million-loss/1100-6419475/">troubled Wii U</a> and give gamers a glimpse at their <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/could-nintendo-s-nfc-figurines-and-pokemon-save-the-wii-u/1100-6419544/">upcoming NFC figurines</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-explains-why-it-wants-to-improve-your-quality-of-life/1100-6418059/" data-ref-id="1100-6418059">quality of life improvement ideas</a>.</p><p style="">Microsoft and Sony may have more successful home consoles at the moment, but Nintendo has a history of bouncing back from adversity (especially looking back at the <a href="http://www.irwebcasting.com/100129/86/98457542e5/main/index_hi.htm" rel="nofollow">crazy, surprise success of the original Wii</a>). We've already written about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-nintendo/1100-6420172/">what games we want to see on Wii U and 3DS at E3</a>, but here's what some GameSpot editors feel the company needs to discuss at the show to reassure fans Nintendo is on the right track.</p><h3><strong>Never Bet Against Nintendo - Edward Makuch</strong></h3><p style="">It's no secret that<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wii-u-sales-slow-to-a-crawl-as-nintendo-posts-457-million-loss/1100-6419475/"> the Wii U is struggling</a>, but as Nintendo says: <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/as-wii-u-struggles-nintendo-says-a-single-game-can-alter-the-fate-of-a-platform/1100-6419628/">a single game can alter the fate of a platform</a>. By the time Nintendo's E3 briefing takes place on June 10, <a href="/mario-kart-8/" data-ref-id="false">Mario Kart 8</a> will have already provided a nice sales jolt for the Wii U in the US (<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-8-helps-wii-u-hardware-sales-climb-666-percent-in-the-uk/1100-6420019/" data-ref-id="1100-6420019">much like it did in the UK</a>), and Nintendo needs to capitalize on this opportunity to advance the platform's momentum in a meaningful way. Nintendo can do this by giving us details on powerful exclusive franchises (New Legend of Zelda, 3D Mario, and Metroid perhaps), as well as games that leverage the Wii U's GamePad in unique ways. The GamePad can open up new and exciting ways to play, and Nintendo needs to show us why we should care about the tablet-like peripheral.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552788-9791950121-Ninte.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552788" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552788-9791950121-Ninte.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552788"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2552788-9791950121-Ninte.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Nintendo also needs to not only give us more details about the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/could-nintendo-s-nfc-figurines-and-pokemon-save-the-wii-u/1100-6419544/"> NFC technology it's planning to introduce for Wii U</a>, but more importantly, tell us why what Nintendo plans to offer is more meaningful than what <a href="/skylanders-swap-force/" data-ref-id="false">Skylanders</a> and <a href="/disney-infinity/" data-ref-id="false">Disney Infinity</a> already let us do. There's also the matter of Nintendo's mysterious "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-explains-why-it-wants-to-improve-your-quality-of-life/1100-6418059/">quality of life</a>" initiative, as well as Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's thoughts about the company <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-president-we-are-not-just-a-video-game-company/1100-6419254/">wanting to be known as more than a games developer</a>. Does Nintendo have an ace to play or are we in store for another "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-putting-vitality-sensor-on-hold/1100-6411100/">vitality sensor situation</a>"? We'll find out soon.</p><h3><strong>Some Original Games Please - Mark Walton</strong></h3><p style="">It's safe to say Nintendo's Wii U isn't in the best place right now. Even the Gamecube--hardly regarded as a success--had sold nearly 10 million units compared the Wii U's six million by this point in its lifecycle. Alas, it's hard to see what Nintendo can do to pick up the pace. Third parties aren't exactly rushing to develop for the console, so it's all up to a strong first-party lineup to entice people towards a purchase.</p><p style="">But Nintendo's focus on established franchises like Zelda and Mario--which take a long time to develop--can only take it so far. A change in direction is sorely needed. There are some immensely talented people working for the company, and I'd love to see Nintendo announce some original games, and more regular releases, to make the Wii U a worthy alternative to the PS4 and Xbox One. A price drop would certainly help things along too. Maybe that could rekindle some of the magic that the much cheaper Wii had.</p><h3><strong>No Time Like the Present - Tom Mc Shea</strong></h3><p style="">How long does Nintendo plan on treading water? The Wii U is in a bad situation, and even though the 3DS houses countless great games, its time is also running short. We've seen just about every major franchise make its way to Nintendo's handheld already, so there just aren't many more blockbusters-in-waiting, unless we see sequels to the games that we just finished playing. Clearly, Nintendo needs to make a move, and there's no time like the present.</p><p style="">We already know that Nintendo is working on a quality of life platform, but considering that mystery device probably isn't related to video games, I don't think we'll see it at E3. Instead, we need to see the first glimpse of Nintendo's next console. Ideally, it would be a console that you could take with you--replacing both the Wii U and 3DS in one swoop--so no longer would Nintendo's internal teams have to fight among themselves. Rather, the best developer in the world would be able to combine its efforts in one place. Just imagine how many great games would appear on a console in which the entirety of Nintendo is focused just on it. Sounds pretty good, no?</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552787-2919395348-Drmar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552787" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552787-2919395348-Drmar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552787"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2552787-2919395348-Drmar.jpg"></a></figure><h3><strong>I Want Nintendo To Get Healthy - Dan Hindes</strong></h3><p style="">What I want to see from Nintendo is also what I have no interest in actually engaging with: its mass market experiences like <a href="/wii-fit/" data-ref-id="false">Wii Fit</a> and <a href="/videos/brain-training-mensa-academy-trailer/2300-6388780/" data-ref-id="2300-6388780">Brain Training</a>. All Nintendo needs is just one of these on the Wii U to take off and become a system seller to get the console out of the red. Now, I have no personal interest in anything like Wii Fit or Brain Training, but the Wii U needs to be healthy so I can get more of the games I actually want to play - the Marios, Zeldas, and hey, maybe a full-featured Pokemon game on a home console, for once.</p><p style="">I doubt we're actually going to be seeing any of that this year, however. Nintendo has been hinting at its new quality of life platform--some combination of hardware and software that they seem completely unwilling to describe in further detail--signifying the company's new direction. That new direction is what we'll be seeing this year. Because if Nintendo is happy to fall back on Mario Kart 8 and <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros</a>. as system sellers for the core gamer, then E3 for Nintendo is going to be all about how they recapture that mass audience that it had in its grasp with the Wii.</p><p style=""><i>You've read our thoughts, but what games do you think Nintendo needs to talk about to reassure its fan base? Let us know in the comments below!</i></p><p style=""><em>And For even more E3 discussion, check out our full pre-E3 series:</em></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-sony/1100-6420028/">What We'd Like To See at E3 From Sony</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-microsoft/1100-6420112/">What We'd Like to See at E3 From Microsoft</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-nintendo/1100-6420172/?preview=1/" data-ref-id="1100-6420172">What We'd Like to See at E3 from Nintendo</a></li><li>What We'd Like to See at E3 on PC [COMING SUNDAY]</li></ul><p style=""><em>And</em></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-sony-need-to-do/1100-6420070/">E3 Press Conferences, What Does Sony Need to Do?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-microsoft-need-to-do/1100-6420144/" data-ref-id="1100-6420144">E3 Press Conferences, What Does Microsoft Need to Do?</a></li></ul><p style=""> </p> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:24:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-nintendo-need-to-do/1100-6420178/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-sapphire-remakes-add-new-mega-evolutions/1100-6420187/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6418754" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418754/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Among the features being added in the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-ruby-sapphire-remakes-coming-to-3ds-this-year/1100-6419483/" data-ref-id="1100-6419483">upcoming remakes</a> of <a href="/pokemon-ruby-version/" data-ref-id="false">Pokémon Ruby</a> and <a href="/pokemon-sapphire-version/" data-ref-id="false">Sapphire</a> are new Mega evolutions for three Pokémon, as well as new evolutions for the games' two Legendary cover stars.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">New information about the remakes, entitled <a href="/pokemon-alpha-sapphire/" data-ref-id="false">Pokémon Omega Ruby</a> and <a href="/pokemon-alpha-sapphire/" data-ref-id="false">Pokémon Alpha Sapphire</a>, has surfaced online from Japanese magazine <em>CoroCoro</em>. As translated by <a href="http://www.serebii.net/index2.shtml" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Serbii.net</a> (via <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2014/06/07/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-sapphire-mega-evolutions/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Siliconera</a>), the games will feature three new Mega evolutions: two for existing Generation III Pokémon (Sceptile and Swampert) and one for a much newer Legendary Pokémon (Diancie). Mega Sceptile becomes a Grass/Dragon-type, while Mega Swampert remains a Water/Ground-type and Mega Diancie a Rock/Fairy-type. Mega evolutions are triggered in the game through the use of the Mega Bangle item.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The two Legendary Pokémon who serve as cover stars for Ruby/Sapphire and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Groudon and Kyogre, respectively, will be getting new evolutions. Through something called "Ancient Devolution," they will become (depending on the translation) Primal/Prehistoric/Primeval Groudon and Kyogre. Previously, neither had evolutions of any kind.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Confirmed to return in the remakes are the Mach Bike and Acro Bike, as well as Team Magma (led by Maxie) and Team Aqua (led by Archie). As was the case in the original games, which game you play will dictate which of the two you'll encounter.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Nintendo <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-ruby-sapphire-remakes-coming-to-3ds-this-year/1100-6419483/" data-ref-id="1100-6419483">announced Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire last month</a>. Both games are said to be "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-sneak-peek-at-pokemon-omega-ruby-and-pokemon-alpha-sapphire/1100-6419555/" data-ref-id="1100-6419555">fresh takes</a>" on the originals and are expected out on 3DS this November. You can count on them being on show during <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">E3</a>, which takes place this coming week.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:05:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-sapphire-remakes-add-new-mega-evolutions/1100-6420187/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/what-will-ea-ubisoft-pc-devs-reveal-at-e3/2300-6419194/ Danny, Peter, Cam and Dan talk about Steam Machines, VR and go over third party games that might make an appearance at E3 2014 including Mirrors Edge 2, Fallout 4, Evolve, The Division, Destiny and Mass Effect 4. Sat, 07 Jun 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/what-will-ea-ubisoft-pc-devs-reveal-at-e3/2300-6419194/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guy-transforms-apartment-into-an-arcade-fiancee-promptly-dumps-him/1100-6420186/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2552747" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552747-arcade1.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552747-arcade1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552747"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2552747-arcade1.jpg"></a><figcaption>Photos courtesy of the New York Daily News</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Chris Kooluris realized a fantasy when he converted his apartment into an arcade. Unfortunately, that reality cost him a fiancée.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As reported by the <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/turned-apartment-arcade-article-1.1816727" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">New York Daily News</a>, the 37-year-old Kooluris decided to sell his furniture--including his bed--in order to spend $26,000 transforming his apartment into an arcade that consists of games like <a href="/pac-man/" data-ref-id="false">Pac-Man</a>, <a href="/punch-out/" data-ref-id="false">Punch-Out</a>, and <a href="/street-fighter-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Street Fighter II</a>. He did this after unsuccessfully trying to sell his Manhattan apartment when he moved into his fiancee's apartment in Brooklyn. He began to feel uncomfortable living with her and her things, and after reading the Ernest Cline sci-fi novel <em>Ready Player One</em>, he had an epiphany of sorts.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The book just blew me away," he said. "It awakened something in me and I started thinking that I can't believe I'm not surrounded by all these things that I grew up loving."</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2552752" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552752-arcade2.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552752-arcade2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552752"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2552752-arcade2.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">In the process of creating an apartment filled with not just arcade games, but Transformers action figures, a futon with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles blankets, candy dispensers, and a high-score board, his fiancée decided to leave him.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Kooluris, who is a senior vice president of PR company Weber Shandwick, invites friends over regularly to enjoy his creation, but he finds himself enjoying it less because of his newfound single status. "Now that my fiancée and I are no longer together, it's hard to enjoy the room as much as I want to," he said. "I always end up thinking about her."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Should you be in the area and want to check out the arcade for yourself, Kooluris has an email address--bedroomarcadenyc@gmail.com--that you can email to express your interest.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:43:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guy-transforms-apartment-into-an-arcade-fiancee-promptly-dumps-him/1100-6420186/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-jimmy-fallon-trying-ps4-s-project-morpheus-on-the-tonight-show/1100-6420185/ <div data-embed-type="html"><iframe src="http://player.theplatform.com/p/NnzsPC/widget/select/u5uxxTIsnxPS?form=html" height="422" width="751" seamless="seamless"></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony's VR headset, Project Morpheus, had perhaps its most high-profile showing yet when it appeared on <em>The Tonight Show</em> last night.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Project Morpheus was one of two pieces of technology, along with the impressive Lytro Illum camera, being shown off by The Verge editor-in-chief Joshua Topolsky. Host Jimmy Fallon seemed especially enthusiastic about getting to show off Project Morpheus--although, to be fair, he seems to be a <a href="https://screen.yahoo.com/jimmy-mirror-000000238.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">big fan</a> of most everything.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Fallon, along with actor Channing Tatum, both put Morpheus headsets on to try out a multiplayer demo that makes use of two PlayStation Moves, each of which serves as a hand. Starting at 1:47 in the video above, you can see what ensued when the two were put in the courtyard of what looks like a medieval castle.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As soon as Fallon puts the headset on, he starts looking around and expressing his amazement with what he sees. Once he has a Move in each hand, he begins to caress the face of a dummy before punching its head off. (As you do.) Tatum, meanwhile fires a crossbow before a dragon shows up, which Fallon then attempts to punch as the brief demo comes to an end.</p><div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">This is far from the first time Fallon has featured something related to video games on one of his shows, although those appearances typically happened on <em>Late Night</em>, the program he hosted prior to taking over <em>The Tonight Show</em> in February. Fallon's shows have given time to everything from <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/natal-burnout-demod-on-fallons-late-night/1100-6211853/" data-ref-id="1100-6211853">Kinect</a> (back when it was called Project Natal) to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/jimmy-fallon-demos-xbox-one-on-late-night-tv/1100-6416314/" data-ref-id="1100-6416314">Xbox One</a> to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/jimmy-fallon-and-ice-t-play-ps4-on-late-night-tv/1100-6416179/" data-ref-id="1100-6416179">PlayStation 4</a> to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-razer-edge-to-be-demoed-on-jimmy-fallon/1100-6403053/" data-ref-id="1100-6403053">Oculus Rift</a>, and the former <em>SNL</em> cast member has even had the likes of Tim Schafer and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cliff-bleszinski-unveiling-new-game-next-thursday-on-jimmy-fallon/1100-6254521/" data-ref-id="1100-6254521">Cliff Bleszinski</a> on as guests.</p><p style="">At least as of yet, Sony has yet to announce many of the particulars, like a price or release date, that we're most interested in hearing about Project Morpheus, though we do know <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-s-project-morpheus-vr-device-won-t-launch-in-2014-1000-price-point-unlikely/1100-6418418/" data-ref-id="1100-6418418">it will not be available this year</a>. Morpheus, which works in conjunction with the PS4, is the original reason the DualShock 4 <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-controller-s-lightbar-purpose-was-originally-morpheus-vr-tracking/1100-6419509/" data-ref-id="1100-6419509">came equipped with a light bar</a>.</p><p style="">Project Morpheus was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">first revealed in March</a> and is very likely to be seen <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">during E3 next week</a>, so stay tuned to GameSpot for all the latest.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 10:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-jimmy-fallon-trying-ps4-s-project-morpheus-on-the-tonight-show/1100-6420185/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/your-madden-15-cover-star-is-controversial-seahawk-richard-sherman/1100-6420184/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419177" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419177/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">The public has spoken, and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will be on the cover of <a href="/madden-nfl-15/" data-ref-id="false">Madden NFL 15</a> when it's released this August.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When the game was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/madden-returns-to-its-classic-name-style-with-madden-nfl-15-in-august/1100-6419266/" data-ref-id="1100-6419266">announced in late April</a>, Electronic Arts said it would once again turn to fans to decide who would be the game's cover star. A March Madness-style bracket was created, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/who-should-be-on-the-cover-of-madden-nfl-15-voting-starts-now/1100-6419528/" data-ref-id="1100-6419528">16 players in all were in contention</a>--if you'd actually consider it to be 'in contention' in a popularity contest between Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery versus Sherman, or Redskins (yes, they're still called that) running back Alfred Morris versus Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Roughly 10 million votes in total were cast during the tournament, which allowed fans to vote online once per day. Sherman did face some difficult competition after getting past Jeffery, including Saints tight end (read: wide receiver) Jimmy Graham, 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, and, in the finals, Panthers QB Cam Newton.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2552663" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552663-madden.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552663-madden.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552663"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2552663-madden.jpg"></a><figcaption>Richard Sherman knows exactly where you're ticklish.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">By winning, Sherman becomes the first cornerback to ever get the cover star treatment, which--since John Madden himself stopped appearing on the cover after Madden 2000--has typically been dominated by quarterbacks and running backs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Even if you don't follow the NFL closely, it's possible you've heard of Sherman, either because he played on this year's Super Bowl-winning Seahawks team or because he has a propensity for trash talk. The latter has earned him scorn; despite arguably being the best cornerback in the league, he's done and said things that have caused him to be viewed as a poor sport (or worse). As demonstrated in the <a href="http://mmqb.si.com/2014/01/20/richard-sherman-interview-michael-crabtree/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">essays he's written</a>, though, he's actually a very thoughtful individual.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Having a defensive player on the cover of Madden 15 is fitting, given EA's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/madden-nfl-15-gets-new-gameplay-video-and-details/1100-6420163/" data-ref-id="1100-6420163">focus on defense for this year's game</a>. Along with prettier graphics (including authentic tattoos) and an improved presentation, the defensive side of the game has been overhauled. New pass-rushing moves, an "intuitive" tackling system, and upgraded coverage logic are among the changes which promise to give players a better chance at shutting down the opposing offense. There's also a new "crowd-sourced recommendation engine" for suggesting plays to select based on games played online, which sound questionable in theory to me given the bad play-calling I've seen online in my time. (Fourth down typically means you punt!)</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Madden 15 will be available on August 26 in North America and August 29 in Europe on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Expect to hear much more about the game next week during <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">E3</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 09:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/your-madden-15-cover-star-is-controversial-seahawk-richard-sherman/1100-6420184/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-surprising-facts-about-video-games-y/2300-6419195/ How many people play video games? What is the average gamer like? And exactly how big is this industry? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this weeks Reality Check. Sat, 07 Jun 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-surprising-facts-about-video-games-y/2300-6419195/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-2-review/1900-6415786/ <p style="">Borderlands 2 is a big game. The PlayStation Vita? Not so big. And yet the sprawling cooperative shooter has arrived intact on the portable platform, delivering long hours of shooting, looting, and butt jokes. Well, almost intact. Game design changes, like knocking the maximum player count down from four to two and changing the enemy death animations, do a good job of cutting corners while preserving the core action. Technical shortcomings, however, leave little doubt that this is the lesser version of Gearbox's great sequel. Dialogue and sound effects frequently sound flat and occasionally disappear, while the frame rate often slows down in combat and makes the chaotic action feel unwieldy.</p><p style="">Despite these limitations, Borderlands 2 on the Vita is still, very clearly, Borderlands 2. The world is colorful and diverse; the writing is witty and sometimes affecting; the loot is bountiful and rewarding; and the combat is entertaining and rowdy. Teaming up with another player and working your way through myriad quests on the path to increased skills, richer rewards, and Pandoran glory is great fun. It's just as easy to happily while away dozens of hours in this portable version as it is in its console and PC counterparts.</p><p style=""><em>(This review will focus primarily on the Vita-specific strengths and limitations of Borderlands 2. To read a more in-depth analysis of the game in general, check out our <a href="/reviews/borderlands-2-review/1900-6396650/" data-ref-id="1900-6396650">original Borderlands 2 review</a>.)</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418700" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418700/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">In any transition from console or PC to the Vita, there is a question of controls. The Vita has fewer button inputs than other platforms, and this often necessitates the use of touchscreens for buttons, often with mixed results. In Borderlands 2, the default control scheme puts some pretty important actions on the front and rear touchpads. Some of my battles got a little more heated due to a sprint or a melee attack not registering on the first tap, but for the most part, I was able to act when I wanted to, and my co-op partners reported no troubles (you can also freely remap the buttons if a particular input is tricky for you).</p><p style="">Combat in Borderlands 2 is naturally a bit floaty and loose, largely due to way player movement and enemy behavior are paced. As a result, it can accommodate the small degree of control imprecision added by the touchscreens and be none the worse for it. Likewise, the smaller range of motion of the analog sticks may cause some making the PC/console transition to balk a bit, and indeed, aiming can initially feel ungainly if you're used to the game on other platforms. After you adjust the aim sensitivity and spend some time wandering the wastelands, however, the mercenary satisfactions of long-range headshots and up-close bullet barrages are well within reach.</p><p style="">And taking on enemies in Borderlands 2 is very satisfying. Raving psychos that run toward you in serpentine patterns, heavy flamethrower troops that wield bulky shields, speedy lizards that can turn invisible and teleport, lumbering insects that spew corrosive acid, giant attack robots that build other robots, and shotgun-wielding midgets that jump out of lockers are just some of the diverse forces arrayed against you. To combat them, you arm yourself with a standard variety of weapon types made distinctly nonstandard by varying scopes, firing patterns, and elemental effects. Throw in a wide selection of grenades, shields that can damage enemies, and your character's customizable action skill, and you've got a lot of different strategic options. Marshaling these options and bringing gleeful destruction to your enemies is a lot of fun, and the variety of adversaries and environments helps keep combat fresh many hours into the game. </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551017-2014-06-06-151122.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551017" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551017-2014-06-06-151122.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551017"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/542/5424362/2551017-2014-06-06-151122.jpg"></a><figcaption>Play as the Mechromancer and summon a flying killer robot to keep you company.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">During<span> </span><span>full-on firefights there can be a </span><span>lot happening onscreen, and here's where the Vita struggles. The frame rate slows down and makes things look choppier, adding a bit more chaos to an already chaotic situation. On another platform, you might feel like you still have a grip on things when the action gets frantic; on the Vita, that grip is a bit more tenuous. In many cases, it's just an added nuisance, but in the worst moments, it's another consideration you must add to your decision-making process. Lining up your sniper shot takes a little more patience, and your berserk shotgun rampages have to be a little more wild; it feels like you need to exaggerate whatever your chosen play style is, or maybe get comfortable with having less control.</span></p><p style="">But this isn't to say that everything spirals out of control when the frame rate suffers; the effect is not nearly that severe. There are a lot of elements that combine to make combat in Borderlands 2 chaotic and satisfying, and while the frame rate adds to the former and not the latter, it doesn't tip the scales. This still feels like proper Borderlands 2 action, complete with all the thrills and challenges that it boasts on PCs and consoles. The cycle of exploring the world, vanquishing enemies (who vanish in a spurt of blood instead of melting or falling down or whatever else they do in the other versions), and collecting loot is still enthralling.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551019-2014-06-06-145605.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551019" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551019-2014-06-06-145605.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551019"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/542/5424362/2551019-2014-06-06-145605.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">This cycle gets even better when you play with a friend, something that is no less true even though you can team up with only one other player on Vita, as opposed to three. You need an online connection, though, because there's no local connection option. You can ask the game to find a match for you, or peruse the available matches in a list, and after a lengthy loading screen, you're in the action seamlessly. Whether someone joins your game or you join someone else's, the frame rate issues are about the same, so it's generally as smooth as playing by yourself. Playing with someone else not only adds the usual camaraderies, it also lets you use complementary abilities and tactics, pits you against tougher enemies, and gives you bigger rewards. It's like playing a souped-up version of the game, and it's great.</p><p style="">Of course, you might end up with someone who just constantly asks to trade weapons and leaves when you don't comply; such is the risk of all online play. The built-in Vita mic is also active by default, which could either be a great way to communicate and make a new friend, or an annoyance that you quickly mute. The audio landscape in Borderlands 2 is already quite crowded, given all the sound effects, enemy taunts, character quips, dialogue, and voice-over lines. Many of these effects sound flatter and less rich than they do on consoles and PC, even through headphones, and occasionally dialogue lines or effects drop out and leave a conspicuous silence. The lines dropped tend to be prioritized well, though, so you aren't likely to miss any crucial dialogue. This leaves you free to enjoy the irreverent and relentless humor, which is one of the game's greatest strengths. </p><p style="">Audio and video in Borderlands 2 seem to push the limits of what the Vita can handle, but the system merely strains and does not break (though the game did crash once or twice in my dozen or so hours with it). The Vita version also comes with two of the sizable downloadable mission packs, two extra playable characters, and an assortment of bonus goodies. And you can take advantage of the cross-save capability if you own Borderlands 2 on the PlayStation 3. The result is an impressive package that delivers exciting combat, hilarious dialogue, entertaining quests, and delightful rewards.</p> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 18:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-2-review/1900-6415786/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hardcore-moba-vain-glory-from-former-rockstar-and-riot-devs-has-a-catch-it-s-on-tablet/1100-6420180/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419146" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419146/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">What game are you playing on your tablet right now? Maybe it's Monument Valley, Threes!, or the guilty pleasure that is Candy Crush Saga? One new startup is hoping that, over the next few months, you'll be looking to play a hardcore MOBA on your iPad.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Super Evil Megacorp is currently working on Vain Glory, a MOBA for tablets that's gunning to recreate the success of <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a>. My first reaction was, well, immensely sceptical. And then I remembered that, earlier this week, I spent an evening at a game night where scores of people were sitting around in the same room playing <a href="/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">Hearthstone</a> against each other, all with their own laptops and tablets. And then last night I watched as the GameSpot office exploded in noise after a game of <a href="/towerfall-ascension/" data-ref-id="false">Towerfall Ascension</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">That's Super Evil Megacorp's gamble, then: pretty much everyone has a tablet, and there's a growing market for technical, dense games that a group of people can play together in one room.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The company's freshly minted executive director Kristian Segerstrale, who previously co-founded Playfish, says that the iPad and iPhone "are capable of these incredible core gaming experiences, but the software just hasn't been made yet."</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550993-superevilmegacorp_vainglory_gameplay.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550993" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550993-superevilmegacorp_vainglory_gameplay.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550993"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1493/14930800/2550993-superevilmegacorp_vainglory_gameplay.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Still, the first thought most of us have when it comes to the App Store are Flappy Bird and Candy Crush clones. There's a reason so many people are skeptical about playing long, intricate titles on their tablets, right? "There's been a bunch of games that sort of market themselves as 'core', where they look core in their marketing messaging, they look core in their first five minutes of gameplay, and then it turns out they are very shallow. We feel like it just hasn't been done yet, except with the possible exception of Hearthstone... which I think is the first piece of software that's been crafted for tablets that actually shows what the hardware is capable of."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">CEO Bob Daly has put together a team, currently of around 16 developers, that includes former staff from Riot Games, Rockstar, and Playfish to work on Vain Glory. It's a 3 vs. 3 brawler, so slightly smaller than the main modes of League of Legends and Dota 2, and the game is being created with its own proprietary engine. Right now Vain Glory is being beta tested in Southeast Asia, and Daly says the team is specifically targeting players of LoL and <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">Dota 2</a>. A wider, global rollout of beta invites is scheduled to begin in the next few months. The studio has just secured another $11.6 million in financing, which brings its funding total to $15 million. That sounds like a lot, but this is team gunning for League of Legends, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/league-of-legends-revenues-for-2013-total-624-million-update/1100-6417224/" data-ref-id="1100-6417224">which is estimated to have grossed $624 million in 2013</a>.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550992-superevilmegacorp_playtime.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550992" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550992-superevilmegacorp_playtime.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550992"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1493/14930800/2550992-superevilmegacorp_playtime.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">But does the game work? Is it fun? How on Earth do you play a MOBA, a genre which requires hundreds of mouse clicks and button presses, on a tablet? Super Evil Megacorp isn't talking about any of that stuff right now--it says it's just looking to unveil the studio and communicate their design philosphy.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The real question, then, is whether this developer can walk the walk after so many others have tried and failed. Segerstrale, however, points to the team's work on creating its own bespoke engine as a sign of its intentions. "If you think about Apple's announcement of Metal," said Segerstrale, "it shows how very serious game engines are." And what about the games? "I think the pointers are there, but nobody has made the defining software for these devices. Somebody is going to do that. In the next 12, to 18, to 24 months, somebody is going to come out with a defining core product for tablets. We're working very hard to be that company, but it could be somebody else. It will happen."</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><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></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hardcore-moba-vain-glory-from-former-rockstar-and-riot-devs-has-a-catch-it-s-on-tablet/1100-6420180/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/militant-e3-2014-trailer/2300-6419192/ Check out the Militant E3 2014 trailer. Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:07:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/militant-e3-2014-trailer/2300-6419192/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-forest-early-access-review/1100-6420176/ <p style=""><i>GameSpot's early access reviews evaluate unfinished games that are nonetheless available for purchase by the public. While the games in question are not considered finished by their creators, you may still devote money, time, and bandwidth for the privilege of playing them before they are complete. The review below critiques a work in progress, and represents a snapshot of the game at the time of the review's publication.</i></p><p style="">It was the nearly naked guy with a flashlight strapped to his head who did me in. I've little doubt that he'd waited there in the darkness by the shore long enough to watch me stumble through my own campfire like an idiot, setting my clothes aflame moments before I prepared to lie down for the night. Relieved that I'd ended that little emergency, I looked up to find him and his two friends illuminated by the soft orange light. And so I died again, satisfied that I'd at least managed to survive two days this time. A record. Such is life in The Forest, a new survival sim available on Steam.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2550941" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550941-%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82-the-forest.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550941-%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82-the-forest.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550941"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/725/7253563/2550941-%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82-the-forest.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Shades of BioShock reveal themselves in the opening moments, when the hero's plane falls out of the sky and strands him smack in the middle of a community of nutjobs. (Thankfully, there's no need to worry about water pressure or objectivism.) There's a kid who clings to your arm as the plane breaks apart, but he's taken away by a guy who looks like he last worked as an oliphant teamster in <i>The Return of the King</i>. Is he your son? Your MacGuffin? It's never expressly stated, and 30 minutes into my attempt to build shoddy lean-tos and cook iguanas I realized I'd briefly forgotten the tyke even existed. I suspect he'll pop up later, since I have to watch him get taken away from me every time I start the game anew after dying.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">It was the nearly naked guy with a flashlight strapped to his head who did me in.</p></blockquote><p style="">As survival sims go, there are far worse options than The Forest, even in its unfinished state. It lacks the austerity of, say, DayZ, since it complements its statuses about needing food or cleaning off blood before an infection sets in with an unobtrusive UI element that shows meters for thirst, hunger, and temperature. Experimentation is also largely a no-no. Our hero carries in his pocket the world's most comprehensive survival guide (accessible by pressing B), which provides templates for everything from log cabins and weapons to totems cobbled together from the heads and limbs of your foes. All airlines should start carrying this thing.</p><p style="">Crazed cannibals aside, it's kind of a nice life in an Idaho-mountain-man kind of way. The seaside landscape evokes the Douglas fir forests of the Pacific Northwest, and there's even a Mount Rainier look-alike that dominates the skyline from the beach. You can climb trees, and occasionally birds flutter down and land on your arm. Sometimes when the thunderheads start to roll in or the light breaks through to a small meadow, it's worth just sitting there gawping at the beauty. Small trees and weeds rustle and shake just as they would if you hit them with a real axe, and trees fall with a satisfying thud. In time, developer Endnight claims, you'll be able to sample all this in a peaceful mode without the threat of gruesome deaths from the natives. It's an attractive idea, sort of like reliving the story of Christopher McCandless but with the chance of a happy ending.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2550943" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550943-theforest-flare.jpg" data-size="medium" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550943-theforest-flare.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550943"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2550943-theforest-flare.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">But as much as I hate to admit it, The Forest probably needs its barely clothed antagonists. They add a necessary dose of tension to every action. Maybe, I'd think, I could get about eight logs by chopping down that tree. The problem is, it might draw their attention. Ambling out onto the beach to scavenge for supplies? You're so exposed that it's always a risky venture. I also like the way cannibals move. These aren't idiotic zombies; they circle around you, trying to stay in your blind spot to catch you off guard before charging. Too bad the alpha state of the game often gives them an unfair advantage; I once swam out to sea in an attempt to escape, only to witness one of them walking under the water as carefree as you please. It didn't end well.</p><p style="">Fortunately, that doesn't always mean dying. Sometimes the cannibals drop you off in the back of a cave, where you wake up next to a poor fellow who's had his intestines yanked out through his T-shirt. Here, too, the unspoken narrative gets a little muddy. Dozens of bodies hang upside down from the cave's ceiling, and jumping up and touching them--hey, I was curious--triggers something to the effect of "1 out of 160 Passengers Found." Were these the passengers on my plane? Aside from the boy and a flight attendant with an axe buried in her chest, the plane was empty during the crash. It's ultimately a small complaint since they do little else besides hang there, and at any rate, you have a cave to escape.</p><p style="">I suppose you could die in the attempt, but I never have. The Forest reveals the presence of enemies with the subtle stroke of an autoharp, usually providing just enough time to prepare. One time after being captured, I chanced upon a gang of three cannibals blocking the exit to the cave, but I was able to kill them by blasting them with some starting pistols I'd found and chopping them with my trusty axe. Good thing they left me with all my supplies when they captured me (and I'm still not entirely sure if that was a bug).</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2550944" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550944-theforest-bloody.png" data-size="medium" data-align="left" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550944-theforest-bloody.png" data-ref-id="1300-2550944"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2550944-theforest-bloody.png"></a></figure><p style="">Escape, and you live to fight another day. Or at least a couple of hours. The Forest currently piles on the enemies a little too thickly, to the point that it's difficult to go 10 minutes without seeing one. This is a problem when you're building stuff. Case in point: I've never been able to survive long enough to sleep in a shelter I've built and thus save my progress; the cannibals always find me first. (I hear that sleeping is bugged right now anyway.) My death in the opening paragraph? That was but moments before I'd planned to sleep in the little hunter's shack I'd just finished. Developer Endnight Games might do well to limit thine own appearance of cannibals based on whether it's night or day.</p><p style="">The Forest is a nice counterpart to DayZ's heavy emphasis on interactions with other players. Here, it's just you against the world. Given time, the game might even be great. But right now the glitches are almost as common as the cannibals, whether it's little stuff like seeing logs float well away from where they're supposed to be when you're building something or more pressing concerns such as the water-walking baddies. Only seconds after I booted it up for the first time, I was stuck in a rock-bashing animation that couldn't be fixed without a full restart. It's a lot better than you normally get with games labeled "alpha" these days, but it's an alpha nonetheless. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to playing.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><b>What's There?</b></p></td><td><p style="">A single-player survival game that pits you against the trials of the wilderness and some hungry cannibals.</p><p style=""> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>What's To Come?</b></p></td><td><p style="">Possibly a multiplayer or cooperative mode, but Endnight wants to deliver a different "feel" than DayZ and Rust.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>What Does it Cost?</b></p></td><td><em>$14.99</em></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>When Will it Be Finished?</b></p></td><td><p style="">There's currently no concrete release date.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>What's the Verdict?</b></p></td><td><p style="">Despite its cannibals, The Forest delivers a survival experience that feels more "real" than many of its counterparts. You hunt, build shelters, and fight in a beautiful world that's oblivious to the action. It's largely playable in its current state, but you might want to wait a bit for the team to iron out some significant bugs and glitches.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-forest-early-access-review/1100-6420176/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kill-the-bad-guy-review/1900-6415785/ <p style="">Sometimes a title really an get the point across. Set-piece puzzler Kill the Bad Guy lays your motives bare with its blunt moniker, which nicely sums up your primary goal. The game has you murdering a rogues' gallery of ne'er-do-wells via assassinations that play out like gory outtakes from old cartoons, and lets you see the real aftermath of Elmer Fudd shooting Daffy Duck in the face. Yes, this is a game about killing, but it's a fun, lightweight game about killing that mostly succeeds by blending cunning logic- and physics-based puzzles with a great sense of humor relating to the daydream revenge fantasies that we all have about taking out everyone from serial killers to that guy in the Volvo who just cut you off.</p><p style="">The single-player-only Kill the Bad Guy puts you in the employ of an international guild of assassins out to kill every villain who ever got off on a technicality, escaped the long arm of the law, set up a terrorist attack, parked in a handicapped spot, and so forth. You do so by rigging up various traps that allow the murders to look like accidents, presumably because any half-decent international guild of assassins wouldn't want its dirty work winding up on the cover of the New York Post. Everything takes place in real time, although you can pause the action or even speed it up to zip past dull spots when you're waiting for your victim to get into position for the kill.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550976-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550976" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550976-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550976"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2550976-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Rigging manholes so they turn into explosive geysers is just one of the many fun ways to murder people in Kill the Bad Guy.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Each of the 60 levels (split into six chapters with 10 levels in each) included in the game is a small set-piece affair that involves no more than a couple of city blocks. The bad guy enters on one side of the map--which is sparsely populated by stores, vehicles, garbage trucks, pedestrians, and so forth--and walks around a set route until he exits a minute or so later. Everything is given a surreal, art-house style, with most of the backdrop presented in black and white. Only the bad guys really stand out, because they come equipped with colorful sporty jackets (think Starter in the '90s), faces painted with bull's-eye targets, and loads of bright red blood, which tends to end up smeared all over the landscape by the close of each level.</p><p style="">Dark objects in levels can be manipulated with basic left and right clicks of the mouse, while light ones are just part of the scenery. How and when you manipulate these objects is where the puzzle part of the game comes into play. Victims don't just stroll straight to their deaths, so you need to adjust the landscape to both nudge them into the right spots and set up various kooky traps. You can indirectly guide bad guys by putting obstacles in their way. So whenever you want to discourage targets from going down a street, you throw a stop sign in their way, or the glass from a broken bottle, or even a dead dog. Or lure them where you want them to go with goodies like porno mags and, um, French bread.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550977-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550977" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550977-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550977"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2550977-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Black humor doesn't mesh well with real-life monsters like Albert Fish...although few people in human history are more worthy of being crushed into bloody goo by a piano.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The trick is not being seen. At first, you just have to avoid the viewing cone of the victim (which can be toggled on and off), because he flees in panic if he spots anything suspicious (oddly enough, dropping a dead dog directly in front of somebody produces a pretty dramatic reaction). But later levels introduce patrolling cops, police cruisers, pedestrians, security cameras, and the like. Commit any sort of criminal act in front of them, and you instantly fail the mission.</p><p style="">Kill the Bad Guy murders are always pulled off in elaborate ways reminiscent of Saturday-morning cartoons as reimagined by Edward Gorey. Falling pianos, explosive manhole covers, runaway cars, flaming pools of oil, and more all figure into the mayhem here. You might combine a rope with a crate and then hang the contraption on a building for the moment that your target walks past. Or rig up a wannabe catapult with some parking stanchions and a metal bar from a nearby construction site. Or spill some water and then cut a power cable right as a bad guy is getting his feet wet.</p><blockquote data-align="center" data-size="large"><p style="">This is a game about killing, but it's a fun, lightweight game about killing that mostly succeeds by blending cunning logic- and physics-based puzzles with a great sense of humor.</p></blockquote><p style="">Objects function in realistic, physics-based ways, but the game features sort of a "horseshoes and hand grenades" leeway where you can generally kill a baddie by getting reasonably close with a falling crate, an explosive, or a runaway lawn mower. You can never be foiled by any didn't-quite-get-me moments reminiscent of the grinning pigs in Angry Birds. Get close enough, and you can guarantee that you'll soon be seeing a screaming, flaming corpse-in-waiting running frantically around the map.</p><p style="">Trapping and killing are imaginative and fun for the most part. There are a lot of chuckles to be had, as well as some devious plots to concoct. Levels offer a fair bit of replay value. There are almost always multiple ways to kill targets, as well as bonus goals like finding a victim's passport and grabbing the tooth that always pops out of a bad guy as he expires. Levels fly by, too, making this a very catchy game you can play on the fly when you have only a few minutes to spare. You can whip through even the toughest levels in little more than 10 minutes, and the average and easy ones can generally be solved in no more than a couple of minutes on your first attempt.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550980-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550980" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550980-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550980"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2550980-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Aldrich blew up real good.</figcaption></figure><p style="">But the developers don't push the design enough, and repetition is a problem. There are really just a handful of go-to ways to kill bad guys, so the thrill eventually evaporates from even wacky murders, such as slingshotting a dead dog onto somebody's head. Each of the game's six chapters also brings in a new gameplay element, like the aforementioned security cameras, and then the next few missions are fairly easy introductions to this added feature. As a result, the game isn't as challenging as it could be.</p><p style="">The dark humor sometimes goes a little too far. Bad guys are given biographies in the splash screens before each assignment. Most are irreverent and goofy, but some reveal that you're taking on too-close-to-home villains like one of the Columbine killers, serial killer Albert Fish, and even Hitler. Profiling these real-life monsters with the game's blackly humorous text can be a little off-putting.</p><p style="">Even though Kill the Bad Guy has its moments, it's never quite as challenging or as engaging as it could be. The biggest problem may be the platform. Such lightweight and casual play would likely work better on a phone or a tablet, especially at a cheaper price than the $14.99 sticker virtually attached to this Steam-distributed game. Still, even with these flaws, this is a diverting, innovative puzzler with more than enough charm to make staging loony-tunes murders look like an appealing pastime.</p> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kill-the-bad-guy-review/1900-6415785/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gunpoint-developer-releases-new-game-floating-point/1100-6420182/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2552283-7606660926-ss_1e.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552283" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2552283-7606660926-ss_1e.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552283"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2552283-7606660926-ss_1e.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Tom Francis, developer of the stealth-puzzle game <a href="/gunpoint/" data-ref-id="false">Gunpoint</a>, released his newest game today, Floating Point. And it doesn't cost a dime.</p><p style="">In Floating Point, you take control of a grappling hook, and the game is all about swinging and collecting points. The more you swing and the less you hit, the faster you go and the more points you earn.</p><p style="">Player performance affects the sensory experience of the game, too. As Francis describes on the Steam product page, "As you pick up momentum, you start to glow, the bars you're collecting rise up, the music kicks in, and your trajectory burns a bright red line in the air, drawing huge, beautiful mathematical curves of your arcing flight."</p><p style="">The game is peaceful, surprisingly engaging, and will run on almost any Windows, Mac, or Linux <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/" data-ref-id="false">computer.</a></p><p style=""><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/302380" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">It is available today for free on Steam</a>.</p><p style="">Tom Francis' first game, Gunpoint, was received positively on GameSpot. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gunpoint-review/1900-6409472/" data-ref-id="1900-6409472">You can read our review here.</a></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, 06 Jun 2014 16:39:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gunpoint-developer-releases-new-game-floating-point/1100-6420182/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sun, 08 Jun 2014 05:34:42 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-responds-directly-to-rumors-the-last-guardian-not-cancelled/1100-6420189/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6229136" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6229136/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">First <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps3-motion-controller-revealed-god-of-war-iii-due-in-march/1100-6210509/" data-ref-id="1100-6210509">announced at E3 back in 2009</a>, <a href="/the-last-guardian/" data-ref-id="false">The Last Guardian</a> is easily the most-anticipated game on any current PlayStation platform. While it's gone through some <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-reengineering-the-last-guardian/1100-6415289/" data-ref-id="1100-6415289">re-engineering over the years</a>, development on the follow-up to<a href="/ico/" data-ref-id="false"> Ico</a> and <a href="/shadow-of-the-colossus/" data-ref-id="false">Shadow of the Colossus</a> has never been halted.</p><p style="">And today, amid unverified rumors circulating on various sites, Sony was quick to reassure fans that the game is still in development. Responding directly to the hearsay, Scott Rohde, PlayStation's software product development head for Sony Worldwide Studios America,<a href="https://twitter.com/RohdeScott/status/475515804067569664" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> wrote on Twitter</a>: "[Shuhei Yoshida, SCE president of worldwide studio] Sony Worldwide president] and I laughed at this rumor over dinner. The Last Guardian has NOT been cancelled."</p><div data-embed-type="html"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p style=""><a href="https://twitter.com/notaxation" rel="nofollow">@notaxation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/yosp" rel="nofollow">@yosp</a> and I laughed at this rumor over dinner. The Last Guardian has NOT been cancelled.</p> — Scott Rohde (@RohdeScott) <a href="https://twitter.com/RohdeScott/statuses/475515804067569664" rel="nofollow">June 8, 2014</a></blockquote><script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script></div><p style="">Of course, that shouldn't really come as a surprise. Rohde said <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-guardian-is-absolutely-still-on-the-way-but-sony-won-t-say-if-it-s-coming-to-ps4/1100-6418279/" data-ref-id="1100-6418279">the game was still in development back in March</a>. Back then, Rohde said that he would not "announce what platform it's coming on, who's working on it, who's involved. But that is still a title that's absolutely in the mix at Worldwide Studios."</p><p style="">We know that the game's original director, Fumito Ueda, is still <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/last-guardian-director-terribly-sorry-for-delay/1100-6416255/" data-ref-id="1100-6416255">working on the game in a freelance capacity</a>. But we can only hope to get a glimpse of how it's been coming along next week during Sony's E3 press conference.</p><p style="">Personally, I'm still holding out hope that we'll not only get an announcement that it's coming to PS4, but also that it'll ship this year. Considering the game's been in development since around 2007, that seems a lot more likely than the game disappearing completely.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a></strong></p><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sun, 08 Jun 2014 02:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-responds-directly-to-rumors-the-last-guardian-not-cancelled/1100-6420189/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-s-e3-plans-feature-sonic-alien-isolation-and-hatsune-miku/1100-6420188/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6416745" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6416745/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">With E3 2014 so close to kicking off, Sega has announced the slate of games it plans to have on show during the event, and it consists of a lot of Sonic and the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/alien-isolation-is-this-the-alien-game-you-ve-been-waiting-for/1100-6416961/" data-ref-id="1100-6416961">most promising Alien game</a> in years.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Unlike fellow third-party publishers <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3-ea-press-conference-2014/" data-ref-id="false">Electronic Arts</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3-ubisoft-press-conference-2014/" data-ref-id="false">Ubisoft</a>, Sega won't be hosting a press conference of its own. Regardless, it will have a handful of its upcoming games on display. More specifically, we'll be seeing <a href="/alien-isolation/" data-ref-id="false">Alien: Isolation</a> (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC), <a href="/sonic-boom-rise-of-lyric/" data-ref-id="false">Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric</a> (Wii U), <a href="/sonic-boom-shattered-crystal/" data-ref-id="false">Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal</a> (3DS), and <a href="/hatsune-miku-project-diva-f-2nd/" data-ref-id="false">Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd</a> (PS3 and PlayStation Vita).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">It's not a huge number of games for a company that used to have a much larger presence at the annual conference. But with it not making sports games or hardware like it once did, the company has less to show, although it is curious that only one of these four games is actually developed internally by Sega.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Keep in mind, these plans don't preclude Sega from still making a surprise announcement of some sort--I've got my fingers crossed for word on a Western release of <a href="/phantasy-star-online-2/" data-ref-id="false">Phantasy Star Online 2</a>, and others are no doubt hoping for a new <a href="/yakuza/" data-ref-id="false">Yakuza</a>. For now, though, these are the only Sega games we'll definitely be seeing this coming week.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">E3 kicks off on Monday</a> with press conferences from Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, and Sony, followed by Nintendo's pre-recorded show on Tuesday. You'll be able to watch all of this and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-gamespot-cast-and-crew/1100-6420115/" data-ref-id="1100-6420115">follow along with the week's happenings right here on GameSpot</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sega-s-e3-plans-feature-sonic-alien-isolation-and-hatsune-miku/1100-6420188/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-nintendo-need-to-do/1100-6420178/ <p style=""> </p><p style="">Like last year, Nintendo is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-will-again-forgo-a-traditional-e3-press-conference/1100-6419283/">foregoing a traditional press conference</a> at E3 in favor of a Nintendo Direct presentation, but that doesn't mean the company lacks for big announcements. E3 is going to be Nintendo's chance to show off how it plans to turn around the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wii-u-sales-slow-to-a-crawl-as-nintendo-posts-457-million-loss/1100-6419475/">troubled Wii U</a> and give gamers a glimpse at their <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/could-nintendo-s-nfc-figurines-and-pokemon-save-the-wii-u/1100-6419544/">upcoming NFC figurines</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-explains-why-it-wants-to-improve-your-quality-of-life/1100-6418059/" data-ref-id="1100-6418059">quality of life improvement ideas</a>.</p><p style="">Microsoft and Sony may have more successful home consoles at the moment, but Nintendo has a history of bouncing back from adversity (especially looking back at the <a href="http://www.irwebcasting.com/100129/86/98457542e5/main/index_hi.htm" rel="nofollow">crazy, surprise success of the original Wii</a>). We've already written about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-nintendo/1100-6420172/">what games we want to see on Wii U and 3DS at E3</a>, but here's what some GameSpot editors feel the company needs to discuss at the show to reassure fans Nintendo is on the right track.</p><h3><strong>Never Bet Against Nintendo - Edward Makuch</strong></h3><p style="">It's no secret that<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wii-u-sales-slow-to-a-crawl-as-nintendo-posts-457-million-loss/1100-6419475/"> the Wii U is struggling</a>, but as Nintendo says: <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/as-wii-u-struggles-nintendo-says-a-single-game-can-alter-the-fate-of-a-platform/1100-6419628/">a single game can alter the fate of a platform</a>. By the time Nintendo's E3 briefing takes place on June 10, <a href="/mario-kart-8/" data-ref-id="false">Mario Kart 8</a> will have already provided a nice sales jolt for the Wii U in the US (<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/mario-kart-8-helps-wii-u-hardware-sales-climb-666-percent-in-the-uk/1100-6420019/" data-ref-id="1100-6420019">much like it did in the UK</a>), and Nintendo needs to capitalize on this opportunity to advance the platform's momentum in a meaningful way. Nintendo can do this by giving us details on powerful exclusive franchises (New Legend of Zelda, 3D Mario, and Metroid perhaps), as well as games that leverage the Wii U's GamePad in unique ways. The GamePad can open up new and exciting ways to play, and Nintendo needs to show us why we should care about the tablet-like peripheral.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552788-9791950121-Ninte.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552788" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552788-9791950121-Ninte.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552788"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2552788-9791950121-Ninte.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Nintendo also needs to not only give us more details about the<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/could-nintendo-s-nfc-figurines-and-pokemon-save-the-wii-u/1100-6419544/"> NFC technology it's planning to introduce for Wii U</a>, but more importantly, tell us why what Nintendo plans to offer is more meaningful than what <a href="/skylanders-swap-force/" data-ref-id="false">Skylanders</a> and <a href="/disney-infinity/" data-ref-id="false">Disney Infinity</a> already let us do. There's also the matter of Nintendo's mysterious "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-explains-why-it-wants-to-improve-your-quality-of-life/1100-6418059/">quality of life</a>" initiative, as well as Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's thoughts about the company <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-president-we-are-not-just-a-video-game-company/1100-6419254/">wanting to be known as more than a games developer</a>. Does Nintendo have an ace to play or are we in store for another "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-putting-vitality-sensor-on-hold/1100-6411100/">vitality sensor situation</a>"? We'll find out soon.</p><h3><strong>Some Original Games Please - Mark Walton</strong></h3><p style="">It's safe to say Nintendo's Wii U isn't in the best place right now. Even the Gamecube--hardly regarded as a success--had sold nearly 10 million units compared the Wii U's six million by this point in its lifecycle. Alas, it's hard to see what Nintendo can do to pick up the pace. Third parties aren't exactly rushing to develop for the console, so it's all up to a strong first-party lineup to entice people towards a purchase.</p><p style="">But Nintendo's focus on established franchises like Zelda and Mario--which take a long time to develop--can only take it so far. A change in direction is sorely needed. There are some immensely talented people working for the company, and I'd love to see Nintendo announce some original games, and more regular releases, to make the Wii U a worthy alternative to the PS4 and Xbox One. A price drop would certainly help things along too. Maybe that could rekindle some of the magic that the much cheaper Wii had.</p><h3><strong>No Time Like the Present - Tom Mc Shea</strong></h3><p style="">How long does Nintendo plan on treading water? The Wii U is in a bad situation, and even though the 3DS houses countless great games, its time is also running short. We've seen just about every major franchise make its way to Nintendo's handheld already, so there just aren't many more blockbusters-in-waiting, unless we see sequels to the games that we just finished playing. Clearly, Nintendo needs to make a move, and there's no time like the present.</p><p style="">We already know that Nintendo is working on a quality of life platform, but considering that mystery device probably isn't related to video games, I don't think we'll see it at E3. Instead, we need to see the first glimpse of Nintendo's next console. Ideally, it would be a console that you could take with you--replacing both the Wii U and 3DS in one swoop--so no longer would Nintendo's internal teams have to fight among themselves. Rather, the best developer in the world would be able to combine its efforts in one place. Just imagine how many great games would appear on a console in which the entirety of Nintendo is focused just on it. Sounds pretty good, no?</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552787-2919395348-Drmar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552787" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2552787-2919395348-Drmar.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552787"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2552787-2919395348-Drmar.jpg"></a></figure><h3><strong>I Want Nintendo To Get Healthy - Dan Hindes</strong></h3><p style="">What I want to see from Nintendo is also what I have no interest in actually engaging with: its mass market experiences like <a href="/wii-fit/" data-ref-id="false">Wii Fit</a> and <a href="/videos/brain-training-mensa-academy-trailer/2300-6388780/" data-ref-id="2300-6388780">Brain Training</a>. All Nintendo needs is just one of these on the Wii U to take off and become a system seller to get the console out of the red. Now, I have no personal interest in anything like Wii Fit or Brain Training, but the Wii U needs to be healthy so I can get more of the games I actually want to play - the Marios, Zeldas, and hey, maybe a full-featured Pokemon game on a home console, for once.</p><p style="">I doubt we're actually going to be seeing any of that this year, however. Nintendo has been hinting at its new quality of life platform--some combination of hardware and software that they seem completely unwilling to describe in further detail--signifying the company's new direction. That new direction is what we'll be seeing this year. Because if Nintendo is happy to fall back on Mario Kart 8 and <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros</a>. as system sellers for the core gamer, then E3 for Nintendo is going to be all about how they recapture that mass audience that it had in its grasp with the Wii.</p><p style=""><i>You've read our thoughts, but what games do you think Nintendo needs to talk about to reassure its fan base? Let us know in the comments below!</i></p><p style=""><em>And For even more E3 discussion, check out our full pre-E3 series:</em></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-sony/1100-6420028/">What We'd Like To See at E3 From Sony</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-microsoft/1100-6420112/">What We'd Like to See at E3 From Microsoft</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-d-like-to-see-at-e3-from-nintendo/1100-6420172/?preview=1/" data-ref-id="1100-6420172">What We'd Like to See at E3 from Nintendo</a></li><li>What We'd Like to See at E3 on PC [COMING SUNDAY]</li></ul><p style=""><em>And</em></p><ul><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-sony-need-to-do/1100-6420070/">E3 Press Conferences, What Does Sony Need to Do?</a></li><li><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-microsoft-need-to-do/1100-6420144/" data-ref-id="1100-6420144">E3 Press Conferences, What Does Microsoft Need to Do?</a></li></ul><p style=""> </p> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:24:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-press-conferences-what-does-nintendo-need-to-do/1100-6420178/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-sapphire-remakes-add-new-mega-evolutions/1100-6420187/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6418754" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418754/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Among the features being added in the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-ruby-sapphire-remakes-coming-to-3ds-this-year/1100-6419483/" data-ref-id="1100-6419483">upcoming remakes</a> of <a href="/pokemon-ruby-version/" data-ref-id="false">Pokémon Ruby</a> and <a href="/pokemon-sapphire-version/" data-ref-id="false">Sapphire</a> are new Mega evolutions for three Pokémon, as well as new evolutions for the games' two Legendary cover stars.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">New information about the remakes, entitled <a href="/pokemon-alpha-sapphire/" data-ref-id="false">Pokémon Omega Ruby</a> and <a href="/pokemon-alpha-sapphire/" data-ref-id="false">Pokémon Alpha Sapphire</a>, has surfaced online from Japanese magazine <em>CoroCoro</em>. As translated by <a href="http://www.serebii.net/index2.shtml" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Serbii.net</a> (via <a href="http://www.siliconera.com/2014/06/07/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-sapphire-mega-evolutions/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Siliconera</a>), the games will feature three new Mega evolutions: two for existing Generation III Pokémon (Sceptile and Swampert) and one for a much newer Legendary Pokémon (Diancie). Mega Sceptile becomes a Grass/Dragon-type, while Mega Swampert remains a Water/Ground-type and Mega Diancie a Rock/Fairy-type. Mega evolutions are triggered in the game through the use of the Mega Bangle item.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The two Legendary Pokémon who serve as cover stars for Ruby/Sapphire and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, Groudon and Kyogre, respectively, will be getting new evolutions. Through something called "Ancient Devolution," they will become (depending on the translation) Primal/Prehistoric/Primeval Groudon and Kyogre. Previously, neither had evolutions of any kind.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Confirmed to return in the remakes are the Mach Bike and Acro Bike, as well as Team Magma (led by Maxie) and Team Aqua (led by Archie). As was the case in the original games, which game you play will dictate which of the two you'll encounter.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Nintendo <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-ruby-sapphire-remakes-coming-to-3ds-this-year/1100-6419483/" data-ref-id="1100-6419483">announced Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire last month</a>. Both games are said to be "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-sneak-peek-at-pokemon-omega-ruby-and-pokemon-alpha-sapphire/1100-6419555/" data-ref-id="1100-6419555">fresh takes</a>" on the originals and are expected out on 3DS this November. You can count on them being on show during <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">E3</a>, which takes place this coming week.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 13:05:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-omega-ruby-alpha-sapphire-remakes-add-new-mega-evolutions/1100-6420187/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/what-will-ea-ubisoft-pc-devs-reveal-at-e3/2300-6419194/ Danny, Peter, Cam and Dan talk about Steam Machines, VR and go over third party games that might make an appearance at E3 2014 including Mirrors Edge 2, Fallout 4, Evolve, The Division, Destiny and Mass Effect 4. Sat, 07 Jun 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/what-will-ea-ubisoft-pc-devs-reveal-at-e3/2300-6419194/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guy-transforms-apartment-into-an-arcade-fiancee-promptly-dumps-him/1100-6420186/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2552747" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552747-arcade1.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552747-arcade1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552747"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2552747-arcade1.jpg"></a><figcaption>Photos courtesy of the New York Daily News</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Chris Kooluris realized a fantasy when he converted his apartment into an arcade. Unfortunately, that reality cost him a fiancée.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As reported by the <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/turned-apartment-arcade-article-1.1816727" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">New York Daily News</a>, the 37-year-old Kooluris decided to sell his furniture--including his bed--in order to spend $26,000 transforming his apartment into an arcade that consists of games like <a href="/pac-man/" data-ref-id="false">Pac-Man</a>, <a href="/punch-out/" data-ref-id="false">Punch-Out</a>, and <a href="/street-fighter-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Street Fighter II</a>. He did this after unsuccessfully trying to sell his Manhattan apartment when he moved into his fiancee's apartment in Brooklyn. He began to feel uncomfortable living with her and her things, and after reading the Ernest Cline sci-fi novel <em>Ready Player One</em>, he had an epiphany of sorts.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"The book just blew me away," he said. "It awakened something in me and I started thinking that I can't believe I'm not surrounded by all these things that I grew up loving."</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2552752" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552752-arcade2.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552752-arcade2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552752"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2552752-arcade2.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">In the process of creating an apartment filled with not just arcade games, but Transformers action figures, a futon with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles blankets, candy dispensers, and a high-score board, his fiancée decided to leave him.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Kooluris, who is a senior vice president of PR company Weber Shandwick, invites friends over regularly to enjoy his creation, but he finds himself enjoying it less because of his newfound single status. "Now that my fiancée and I are no longer together, it's hard to enjoy the room as much as I want to," he said. "I always end up thinking about her."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Should you be in the area and want to check out the arcade for yourself, Kooluris has an email address--bedroomarcadenyc@gmail.com--that you can email to express your interest.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:43:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guy-transforms-apartment-into-an-arcade-fiancee-promptly-dumps-him/1100-6420186/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-jimmy-fallon-trying-ps4-s-project-morpheus-on-the-tonight-show/1100-6420185/ <div data-embed-type="html"><iframe src="http://player.theplatform.com/p/NnzsPC/widget/select/u5uxxTIsnxPS?form=html" height="422" width="751" seamless="seamless"></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Sony's VR headset, Project Morpheus, had perhaps its most high-profile showing yet when it appeared on <em>The Tonight Show</em> last night.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Project Morpheus was one of two pieces of technology, along with the impressive Lytro Illum camera, being shown off by The Verge editor-in-chief Joshua Topolsky. Host Jimmy Fallon seemed especially enthusiastic about getting to show off Project Morpheus--although, to be fair, he seems to be a <a href="https://screen.yahoo.com/jimmy-mirror-000000238.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">big fan</a> of most everything.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Fallon, along with actor Channing Tatum, both put Morpheus headsets on to try out a multiplayer demo that makes use of two PlayStation Moves, each of which serves as a hand. Starting at 1:47 in the video above, you can see what ensued when the two were put in the courtyard of what looks like a medieval castle.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As soon as Fallon puts the headset on, he starts looking around and expressing his amazement with what he sees. Once he has a Move in each hand, he begins to caress the face of a dummy before punching its head off. (As you do.) Tatum, meanwhile fires a crossbow before a dragon shows up, which Fallon then attempts to punch as the brief demo comes to an end.</p><div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">This is far from the first time Fallon has featured something related to video games on one of his shows, although those appearances typically happened on <em>Late Night</em>, the program he hosted prior to taking over <em>The Tonight Show</em> in February. Fallon's shows have given time to everything from <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/natal-burnout-demod-on-fallons-late-night/1100-6211853/" data-ref-id="1100-6211853">Kinect</a> (back when it was called Project Natal) to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/jimmy-fallon-demos-xbox-one-on-late-night-tv/1100-6416314/" data-ref-id="1100-6416314">Xbox One</a> to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/jimmy-fallon-and-ice-t-play-ps4-on-late-night-tv/1100-6416179/" data-ref-id="1100-6416179">PlayStation 4</a> to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-razer-edge-to-be-demoed-on-jimmy-fallon/1100-6403053/" data-ref-id="1100-6403053">Oculus Rift</a>, and the former <em>SNL</em> cast member has even had the likes of Tim Schafer and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cliff-bleszinski-unveiling-new-game-next-thursday-on-jimmy-fallon/1100-6254521/" data-ref-id="1100-6254521">Cliff Bleszinski</a> on as guests.</p><p style="">At least as of yet, Sony has yet to announce many of the particulars, like a price or release date, that we're most interested in hearing about Project Morpheus, though we do know <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-s-project-morpheus-vr-device-won-t-launch-in-2014-1000-price-point-unlikely/1100-6418418/" data-ref-id="1100-6418418">it will not be available this year</a>. Morpheus, which works in conjunction with the PS4, is the original reason the DualShock 4 <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-controller-s-lightbar-purpose-was-originally-morpheus-vr-tracking/1100-6419509/" data-ref-id="1100-6419509">came equipped with a light bar</a>.</p><p style="">Project Morpheus was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">first revealed in March</a> and is very likely to be seen <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">during E3 next week</a>, so stay tuned to GameSpot for all the latest.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com</em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 10:11:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/here-s-jimmy-fallon-trying-ps4-s-project-morpheus-on-the-tonight-show/1100-6420185/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/your-madden-15-cover-star-is-controversial-seahawk-richard-sherman/1100-6420184/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419177" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419177/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">The public has spoken, and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will be on the cover of <a href="/madden-nfl-15/" data-ref-id="false">Madden NFL 15</a> when it's released this August.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When the game was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/madden-returns-to-its-classic-name-style-with-madden-nfl-15-in-august/1100-6419266/" data-ref-id="1100-6419266">announced in late April</a>, Electronic Arts said it would once again turn to fans to decide who would be the game's cover star. A March Madness-style bracket was created, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/who-should-be-on-the-cover-of-madden-nfl-15-voting-starts-now/1100-6419528/" data-ref-id="1100-6419528">16 players in all were in contention</a>--if you'd actually consider it to be 'in contention' in a popularity contest between Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery versus Sherman, or Redskins (yes, they're still called that) running back Alfred Morris versus Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Roughly 10 million votes in total were cast during the tournament, which allowed fans to vote online once per day. Sherman did face some difficult competition after getting past Jeffery, including Saints tight end (read: wide receiver) Jimmy Graham, 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick, and, in the finals, Panthers QB Cam Newton.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2552663" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552663-madden.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2552663-madden.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552663"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2552663-madden.jpg"></a><figcaption>Richard Sherman knows exactly where you're ticklish.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">By winning, Sherman becomes the first cornerback to ever get the cover star treatment, which--since John Madden himself stopped appearing on the cover after Madden 2000--has typically been dominated by quarterbacks and running backs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Even if you don't follow the NFL closely, it's possible you've heard of Sherman, either because he played on this year's Super Bowl-winning Seahawks team or because he has a propensity for trash talk. The latter has earned him scorn; despite arguably being the best cornerback in the league, he's done and said things that have caused him to be viewed as a poor sport (or worse). As demonstrated in the <a href="http://mmqb.si.com/2014/01/20/richard-sherman-interview-michael-crabtree/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">essays he's written</a>, though, he's actually a very thoughtful individual.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Having a defensive player on the cover of Madden 15 is fitting, given EA's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/madden-nfl-15-gets-new-gameplay-video-and-details/1100-6420163/" data-ref-id="1100-6420163">focus on defense for this year's game</a>. Along with prettier graphics (including authentic tattoos) and an improved presentation, the defensive side of the game has been overhauled. New pass-rushing moves, an "intuitive" tackling system, and upgraded coverage logic are among the changes which promise to give players a better chance at shutting down the opposing offense. There's also a new "crowd-sourced recommendation engine" for suggesting plays to select based on games played online, which sound questionable in theory to me given the bad play-calling I've seen online in my time. (Fourth down typically means you punt!)</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Madden 15 will be available on August 26 in North America and August 29 in Europe on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Expect to hear much more about the game next week during <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e3/" data-ref-id="false">E3</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/thesmokingmanx" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @TheSmokingManX</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> Sat, 07 Jun 2014 09:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/your-madden-15-cover-star-is-controversial-seahawk-richard-sherman/1100-6420184/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-surprising-facts-about-video-games-y/2300-6419195/ How many people play video games? What is the average gamer like? And exactly how big is this industry? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this weeks Reality Check. Sat, 07 Jun 2014 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-surprising-facts-about-video-games-y/2300-6419195/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-2-review/1900-6415786/ <p style="">Borderlands 2 is a big game. The PlayStation Vita? Not so big. And yet the sprawling cooperative shooter has arrived intact on the portable platform, delivering long hours of shooting, looting, and butt jokes. Well, almost intact. Game design changes, like knocking the maximum player count down from four to two and changing the enemy death animations, do a good job of cutting corners while preserving the core action. Technical shortcomings, however, leave little doubt that this is the lesser version of Gearbox's great sequel. Dialogue and sound effects frequently sound flat and occasionally disappear, while the frame rate often slows down in combat and makes the chaotic action feel unwieldy.</p><p style="">Despite these limitations, Borderlands 2 on the Vita is still, very clearly, Borderlands 2. The world is colorful and diverse; the writing is witty and sometimes affecting; the loot is bountiful and rewarding; and the combat is entertaining and rowdy. Teaming up with another player and working your way through myriad quests on the path to increased skills, richer rewards, and Pandoran glory is great fun. It's just as easy to happily while away dozens of hours in this portable version as it is in its console and PC counterparts.</p><p style=""><em>(This review will focus primarily on the Vita-specific strengths and limitations of Borderlands 2. To read a more in-depth analysis of the game in general, check out our <a href="/reviews/borderlands-2-review/1900-6396650/" data-ref-id="1900-6396650">original Borderlands 2 review</a>.)</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6418700" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6418700/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">In any transition from console or PC to the Vita, there is a question of controls. The Vita has fewer button inputs than other platforms, and this often necessitates the use of touchscreens for buttons, often with mixed results. In Borderlands 2, the default control scheme puts some pretty important actions on the front and rear touchpads. Some of my battles got a little more heated due to a sprint or a melee attack not registering on the first tap, but for the most part, I was able to act when I wanted to, and my co-op partners reported no troubles (you can also freely remap the buttons if a particular input is tricky for you).</p><p style="">Combat in Borderlands 2 is naturally a bit floaty and loose, largely due to way player movement and enemy behavior are paced. As a result, it can accommodate the small degree of control imprecision added by the touchscreens and be none the worse for it. Likewise, the smaller range of motion of the analog sticks may cause some making the PC/console transition to balk a bit, and indeed, aiming can initially feel ungainly if you're used to the game on other platforms. After you adjust the aim sensitivity and spend some time wandering the wastelands, however, the mercenary satisfactions of long-range headshots and up-close bullet barrages are well within reach.</p><p style="">And taking on enemies in Borderlands 2 is very satisfying. Raving psychos that run toward you in serpentine patterns, heavy flamethrower troops that wield bulky shields, speedy lizards that can turn invisible and teleport, lumbering insects that spew corrosive acid, giant attack robots that build other robots, and shotgun-wielding midgets that jump out of lockers are just some of the diverse forces arrayed against you. To combat them, you arm yourself with a standard variety of weapon types made distinctly nonstandard by varying scopes, firing patterns, and elemental effects. Throw in a wide selection of grenades, shields that can damage enemies, and your character's customizable action skill, and you've got a lot of different strategic options. Marshaling these options and bringing gleeful destruction to your enemies is a lot of fun, and the variety of adversaries and environments helps keep combat fresh many hours into the game. </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551017-2014-06-06-151122.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551017" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551017-2014-06-06-151122.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551017"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/542/5424362/2551017-2014-06-06-151122.jpg"></a><figcaption>Play as the Mechromancer and summon a flying killer robot to keep you company.</figcaption></figure><p style=""> </p><p style="">During<span> </span><span>full-on firefights there can be a </span><span>lot happening onscreen, and here's where the Vita struggles. The frame rate slows down and makes things look choppier, adding a bit more chaos to an already chaotic situation. On another platform, you might feel like you still have a grip on things when the action gets frantic; on the Vita, that grip is a bit more tenuous. In many cases, it's just an added nuisance, but in the worst moments, it's another consideration you must add to your decision-making process. Lining up your sniper shot takes a little more patience, and your berserk shotgun rampages have to be a little more wild; it feels like you need to exaggerate whatever your chosen play style is, or maybe get comfortable with having less control.</span></p><p style="">But this isn't to say that everything spirals out of control when the frame rate suffers; the effect is not nearly that severe. There are a lot of elements that combine to make combat in Borderlands 2 chaotic and satisfying, and while the frame rate adds to the former and not the latter, it doesn't tip the scales. This still feels like proper Borderlands 2 action, complete with all the thrills and challenges that it boasts on PCs and consoles. The cycle of exploring the world, vanquishing enemies (who vanish in a spurt of blood instead of melting or falling down or whatever else they do in the other versions), and collecting loot is still enthralling.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551019-2014-06-06-145605.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551019" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2551019-2014-06-06-145605.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2551019"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/542/5424362/2551019-2014-06-06-145605.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">This cycle gets even better when you play with a friend, something that is no less true even though you can team up with only one other player on Vita, as opposed to three. You need an online connection, though, because there's no local connection option. You can ask the game to find a match for you, or peruse the available matches in a list, and after a lengthy loading screen, you're in the action seamlessly. Whether someone joins your game or you join someone else's, the frame rate issues are about the same, so it's generally as smooth as playing by yourself. Playing with someone else not only adds the usual camaraderies, it also lets you use complementary abilities and tactics, pits you against tougher enemies, and gives you bigger rewards. It's like playing a souped-up version of the game, and it's great.</p><p style="">Of course, you might end up with someone who just constantly asks to trade weapons and leaves when you don't comply; such is the risk of all online play. The built-in Vita mic is also active by default, which could either be a great way to communicate and make a new friend, or an annoyance that you quickly mute. The audio landscape in Borderlands 2 is already quite crowded, given all the sound effects, enemy taunts, character quips, dialogue, and voice-over lines. Many of these effects sound flatter and less rich than they do on consoles and PC, even through headphones, and occasionally dialogue lines or effects drop out and leave a conspicuous silence. The lines dropped tend to be prioritized well, though, so you aren't likely to miss any crucial dialogue. This leaves you free to enjoy the irreverent and relentless humor, which is one of the game's greatest strengths. </p><p style="">Audio and video in Borderlands 2 seem to push the limits of what the Vita can handle, but the system merely strains and does not break (though the game did crash once or twice in my dozen or so hours with it). The Vita version also comes with two of the sizable downloadable mission packs, two extra playable characters, and an assortment of bonus goodies. And you can take advantage of the cross-save capability if you own Borderlands 2 on the PlayStation 3. The result is an impressive package that delivers exciting combat, hilarious dialogue, entertaining quests, and delightful rewards.</p> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 18:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/borderlands-2-review/1900-6415786/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hardcore-moba-vain-glory-from-former-rockstar-and-riot-devs-has-a-catch-it-s-on-tablet/1100-6420180/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419146" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419146/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">What game are you playing on your tablet right now? Maybe it's Monument Valley, Threes!, or the guilty pleasure that is Candy Crush Saga? One new startup is hoping that, over the next few months, you'll be looking to play a hardcore MOBA on your iPad.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Super Evil Megacorp is currently working on Vain Glory, a MOBA for tablets that's gunning to recreate the success of <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a>. My first reaction was, well, immensely sceptical. And then I remembered that, earlier this week, I spent an evening at a game night where scores of people were sitting around in the same room playing <a href="/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">Hearthstone</a> against each other, all with their own laptops and tablets. And then last night I watched as the GameSpot office exploded in noise after a game of <a href="/towerfall-ascension/" data-ref-id="false">Towerfall Ascension</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">That's Super Evil Megacorp's gamble, then: pretty much everyone has a tablet, and there's a growing market for technical, dense games that a group of people can play together in one room.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The company's freshly minted executive director Kristian Segerstrale, who previously co-founded Playfish, says that the iPad and iPhone "are capable of these incredible core gaming experiences, but the software just hasn't been made yet."</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550993-superevilmegacorp_vainglory_gameplay.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550993" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550993-superevilmegacorp_vainglory_gameplay.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550993"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1493/14930800/2550993-superevilmegacorp_vainglory_gameplay.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Still, the first thought most of us have when it comes to the App Store are Flappy Bird and Candy Crush clones. There's a reason so many people are skeptical about playing long, intricate titles on their tablets, right? "There's been a bunch of games that sort of market themselves as 'core', where they look core in their marketing messaging, they look core in their first five minutes of gameplay, and then it turns out they are very shallow. We feel like it just hasn't been done yet, except with the possible exception of Hearthstone... which I think is the first piece of software that's been crafted for tablets that actually shows what the hardware is capable of."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">CEO Bob Daly has put together a team, currently of around 16 developers, that includes former staff from Riot Games, Rockstar, and Playfish to work on Vain Glory. It's a 3 vs. 3 brawler, so slightly smaller than the main modes of League of Legends and Dota 2, and the game is being created with its own proprietary engine. Right now Vain Glory is being beta tested in Southeast Asia, and Daly says the team is specifically targeting players of LoL and <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">Dota 2</a>. A wider, global rollout of beta invites is scheduled to begin in the next few months. The studio has just secured another $11.6 million in financing, which brings its funding total to $15 million. That sounds like a lot, but this is team gunning for League of Legends, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/league-of-legends-revenues-for-2013-total-624-million-update/1100-6417224/" data-ref-id="1100-6417224">which is estimated to have grossed $624 million in 2013</a>.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550992-superevilmegacorp_playtime.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550992" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1493/14930800/2550992-superevilmegacorp_playtime.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550992"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/1493/14930800/2550992-superevilmegacorp_playtime.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">But does the game work? Is it fun? How on Earth do you play a MOBA, a genre which requires hundreds of mouse clicks and button presses, on a tablet? Super Evil Megacorp isn't talking about any of that stuff right now--it says it's just looking to unveil the studio and communicate their design philosphy.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The real question, then, is whether this developer can walk the walk after so many others have tried and failed. Segerstrale, however, points to the team's work on creating its own bespoke engine as a sign of its intentions. "If you think about Apple's announcement of Metal," said Segerstrale, "it shows how very serious game engines are." And what about the games? "I think the pointers are there, but nobody has made the defining software for these devices. Somebody is going to do that. In the next 12, to 18, to 24 months, somebody is going to come out with a defining core product for tablets. We're working very hard to be that company, but it could be somebody else. It will happen."</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Martin Gaston is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/squidmania" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @squidmania</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><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></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hardcore-moba-vain-glory-from-former-rockstar-and-riot-devs-has-a-catch-it-s-on-tablet/1100-6420180/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/militant-e3-2014-trailer/2300-6419192/ Check out the Militant E3 2014 trailer. Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:07:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/militant-e3-2014-trailer/2300-6419192/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-forest-early-access-review/1100-6420176/ <p style=""><i>GameSpot's early access reviews evaluate unfinished games that are nonetheless available for purchase by the public. While the games in question are not considered finished by their creators, you may still devote money, time, and bandwidth for the privilege of playing them before they are complete. The review below critiques a work in progress, and represents a snapshot of the game at the time of the review's publication.</i></p><p style="">It was the nearly naked guy with a flashlight strapped to his head who did me in. I've little doubt that he'd waited there in the darkness by the shore long enough to watch me stumble through my own campfire like an idiot, setting my clothes aflame moments before I prepared to lie down for the night. Relieved that I'd ended that little emergency, I looked up to find him and his two friends illuminated by the soft orange light. And so I died again, satisfied that I'd at least managed to survive two days this time. A record. Such is life in The Forest, a new survival sim available on Steam.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2550941" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550941-%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82-the-forest.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550941-%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82-the-forest.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550941"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/725/7253563/2550941-%D0%96%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82-the-forest.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Shades of BioShock reveal themselves in the opening moments, when the hero's plane falls out of the sky and strands him smack in the middle of a community of nutjobs. (Thankfully, there's no need to worry about water pressure or objectivism.) There's a kid who clings to your arm as the plane breaks apart, but he's taken away by a guy who looks like he last worked as an oliphant teamster in <i>The Return of the King</i>. Is he your son? Your MacGuffin? It's never expressly stated, and 30 minutes into my attempt to build shoddy lean-tos and cook iguanas I realized I'd briefly forgotten the tyke even existed. I suspect he'll pop up later, since I have to watch him get taken away from me every time I start the game anew after dying.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="center"><p style="">It was the nearly naked guy with a flashlight strapped to his head who did me in.</p></blockquote><p style="">As survival sims go, there are far worse options than The Forest, even in its unfinished state. It lacks the austerity of, say, DayZ, since it complements its statuses about needing food or cleaning off blood before an infection sets in with an unobtrusive UI element that shows meters for thirst, hunger, and temperature. Experimentation is also largely a no-no. Our hero carries in his pocket the world's most comprehensive survival guide (accessible by pressing B), which provides templates for everything from log cabins and weapons to totems cobbled together from the heads and limbs of your foes. All airlines should start carrying this thing.</p><p style="">Crazed cannibals aside, it's kind of a nice life in an Idaho-mountain-man kind of way. The seaside landscape evokes the Douglas fir forests of the Pacific Northwest, and there's even a Mount Rainier look-alike that dominates the skyline from the beach. You can climb trees, and occasionally birds flutter down and land on your arm. Sometimes when the thunderheads start to roll in or the light breaks through to a small meadow, it's worth just sitting there gawping at the beauty. Small trees and weeds rustle and shake just as they would if you hit them with a real axe, and trees fall with a satisfying thud. In time, developer Endnight claims, you'll be able to sample all this in a peaceful mode without the threat of gruesome deaths from the natives. It's an attractive idea, sort of like reliving the story of Christopher McCandless but with the chance of a happy ending.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2550943" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550943-theforest-flare.jpg" data-size="medium" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550943-theforest-flare.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550943"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2550943-theforest-flare.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">But as much as I hate to admit it, The Forest probably needs its barely clothed antagonists. They add a necessary dose of tension to every action. Maybe, I'd think, I could get about eight logs by chopping down that tree. The problem is, it might draw their attention. Ambling out onto the beach to scavenge for supplies? You're so exposed that it's always a risky venture. I also like the way cannibals move. These aren't idiotic zombies; they circle around you, trying to stay in your blind spot to catch you off guard before charging. Too bad the alpha state of the game often gives them an unfair advantage; I once swam out to sea in an attempt to escape, only to witness one of them walking under the water as carefree as you please. It didn't end well.</p><p style="">Fortunately, that doesn't always mean dying. Sometimes the cannibals drop you off in the back of a cave, where you wake up next to a poor fellow who's had his intestines yanked out through his T-shirt. Here, too, the unspoken narrative gets a little muddy. Dozens of bodies hang upside down from the cave's ceiling, and jumping up and touching them--hey, I was curious--triggers something to the effect of "1 out of 160 Passengers Found." Were these the passengers on my plane? Aside from the boy and a flight attendant with an axe buried in her chest, the plane was empty during the crash. It's ultimately a small complaint since they do little else besides hang there, and at any rate, you have a cave to escape.</p><p style="">I suppose you could die in the attempt, but I never have. The Forest reveals the presence of enemies with the subtle stroke of an autoharp, usually providing just enough time to prepare. One time after being captured, I chanced upon a gang of three cannibals blocking the exit to the cave, but I was able to kill them by blasting them with some starting pistols I'd found and chopping them with my trusty axe. Good thing they left me with all my supplies when they captured me (and I'm still not entirely sure if that was a bug).</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2550944" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550944-theforest-bloody.png" data-size="medium" data-align="left" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/725/7253563/2550944-theforest-bloody.png" data-ref-id="1300-2550944"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/725/7253563/2550944-theforest-bloody.png"></a></figure><p style="">Escape, and you live to fight another day. Or at least a couple of hours. The Forest currently piles on the enemies a little too thickly, to the point that it's difficult to go 10 minutes without seeing one. This is a problem when you're building stuff. Case in point: I've never been able to survive long enough to sleep in a shelter I've built and thus save my progress; the cannibals always find me first. (I hear that sleeping is bugged right now anyway.) My death in the opening paragraph? That was but moments before I'd planned to sleep in the little hunter's shack I'd just finished. Developer Endnight Games might do well to limit thine own appearance of cannibals based on whether it's night or day.</p><p style="">The Forest is a nice counterpart to DayZ's heavy emphasis on interactions with other players. Here, it's just you against the world. Given time, the game might even be great. But right now the glitches are almost as common as the cannibals, whether it's little stuff like seeing logs float well away from where they're supposed to be when you're building something or more pressing concerns such as the water-walking baddies. Only seconds after I booted it up for the first time, I was stuck in a rock-bashing animation that couldn't be fixed without a full restart. It's a lot better than you normally get with games labeled "alpha" these days, but it's an alpha nonetheless. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to playing.</p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><b>What's There?</b></p></td><td><p style="">A single-player survival game that pits you against the trials of the wilderness and some hungry cannibals.</p><p style=""> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>What's To Come?</b></p></td><td><p style="">Possibly a multiplayer or cooperative mode, but Endnight wants to deliver a different "feel" than DayZ and Rust.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>What Does it Cost?</b></p></td><td><em>$14.99</em></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>When Will it Be Finished?</b></p></td><td><p style="">There's currently no concrete release date.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p style=""><b>What's the Verdict?</b></p></td><td><p style="">Despite its cannibals, The Forest delivers a survival experience that feels more "real" than many of its counterparts. You hunt, build shelters, and fight in a beautiful world that's oblivious to the action. It's largely playable in its current state, but you might want to wait a bit for the team to iron out some significant bugs and glitches.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:06:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-forest-early-access-review/1100-6420176/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kill-the-bad-guy-review/1900-6415785/ <p style="">Sometimes a title really an get the point across. Set-piece puzzler Kill the Bad Guy lays your motives bare with its blunt moniker, which nicely sums up your primary goal. The game has you murdering a rogues' gallery of ne'er-do-wells via assassinations that play out like gory outtakes from old cartoons, and lets you see the real aftermath of Elmer Fudd shooting Daffy Duck in the face. Yes, this is a game about killing, but it's a fun, lightweight game about killing that mostly succeeds by blending cunning logic- and physics-based puzzles with a great sense of humor relating to the daydream revenge fantasies that we all have about taking out everyone from serial killers to that guy in the Volvo who just cut you off.</p><p style="">The single-player-only Kill the Bad Guy puts you in the employ of an international guild of assassins out to kill every villain who ever got off on a technicality, escaped the long arm of the law, set up a terrorist attack, parked in a handicapped spot, and so forth. You do so by rigging up various traps that allow the murders to look like accidents, presumably because any half-decent international guild of assassins wouldn't want its dirty work winding up on the cover of the New York Post. Everything takes place in real time, although you can pause the action or even speed it up to zip past dull spots when you're waiting for your victim to get into position for the kill.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550976-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550976" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550976-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550976"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2550976-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Rigging manholes so they turn into explosive geysers is just one of the many fun ways to murder people in Kill the Bad Guy.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Each of the 60 levels (split into six chapters with 10 levels in each) included in the game is a small set-piece affair that involves no more than a couple of city blocks. The bad guy enters on one side of the map--which is sparsely populated by stores, vehicles, garbage trucks, pedestrians, and so forth--and walks around a set route until he exits a minute or so later. Everything is given a surreal, art-house style, with most of the backdrop presented in black and white. Only the bad guys really stand out, because they come equipped with colorful sporty jackets (think Starter in the '90s), faces painted with bull's-eye targets, and loads of bright red blood, which tends to end up smeared all over the landscape by the close of each level.</p><p style="">Dark objects in levels can be manipulated with basic left and right clicks of the mouse, while light ones are just part of the scenery. How and when you manipulate these objects is where the puzzle part of the game comes into play. Victims don't just stroll straight to their deaths, so you need to adjust the landscape to both nudge them into the right spots and set up various kooky traps. You can indirectly guide bad guys by putting obstacles in their way. So whenever you want to discourage targets from going down a street, you throw a stop sign in their way, or the glass from a broken bottle, or even a dead dog. Or lure them where you want them to go with goodies like porno mags and, um, French bread.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550977-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550977" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550977-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550977"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2550977-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Black humor doesn't mesh well with real-life monsters like Albert Fish...although few people in human history are more worthy of being crushed into bloody goo by a piano.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The trick is not being seen. At first, you just have to avoid the viewing cone of the victim (which can be toggled on and off), because he flees in panic if he spots anything suspicious (oddly enough, dropping a dead dog directly in front of somebody produces a pretty dramatic reaction). But later levels introduce patrolling cops, police cruisers, pedestrians, security cameras, and the like. Commit any sort of criminal act in front of them, and you instantly fail the mission.</p><p style="">Kill the Bad Guy murders are always pulled off in elaborate ways reminiscent of Saturday-morning cartoons as reimagined by Edward Gorey. Falling pianos, explosive manhole covers, runaway cars, flaming pools of oil, and more all figure into the mayhem here. You might combine a rope with a crate and then hang the contraption on a building for the moment that your target walks past. Or rig up a wannabe catapult with some parking stanchions and a metal bar from a nearby construction site. Or spill some water and then cut a power cable right as a bad guy is getting his feet wet.</p><blockquote data-align="center" data-size="large"><p style="">This is a game about killing, but it's a fun, lightweight game about killing that mostly succeeds by blending cunning logic- and physics-based puzzles with a great sense of humor.</p></blockquote><p style="">Objects function in realistic, physics-based ways, but the game features sort of a "horseshoes and hand grenades" leeway where you can generally kill a baddie by getting reasonably close with a falling crate, an explosive, or a runaway lawn mower. You can never be foiled by any didn't-quite-get-me moments reminiscent of the grinning pigs in Angry Birds. Get close enough, and you can guarantee that you'll soon be seeing a screaming, flaming corpse-in-waiting running frantically around the map.</p><p style="">Trapping and killing are imaginative and fun for the most part. There are a lot of chuckles to be had, as well as some devious plots to concoct. Levels offer a fair bit of replay value. There are almost always multiple ways to kill targets, as well as bonus goals like finding a victim's passport and grabbing the tooth that always pops out of a bad guy as he expires. Levels fly by, too, making this a very catchy game you can play on the fly when you have only a few minutes to spare. You can whip through even the toughest levels in little more than 10 minutes, and the average and easy ones can generally be solved in no more than a couple of minutes on your first attempt.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550980-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550980" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2550980-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2550980"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2550980-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>Aldrich blew up real good.</figcaption></figure><p style="">But the developers don't push the design enough, and repetition is a problem. There are really just a handful of go-to ways to kill bad guys, so the thrill eventually evaporates from even wacky murders, such as slingshotting a dead dog onto somebody's head. Each of the game's six chapters also brings in a new gameplay element, like the aforementioned security cameras, and then the next few missions are fairly easy introductions to this added feature. As a result, the game isn't as challenging as it could be.</p><p style="">The dark humor sometimes goes a little too far. Bad guys are given biographies in the splash screens before each assignment. Most are irreverent and goofy, but some reveal that you're taking on too-close-to-home villains like one of the Columbine killers, serial killer Albert Fish, and even Hitler. Profiling these real-life monsters with the game's blackly humorous text can be a little off-putting.</p><p style="">Even though Kill the Bad Guy has its moments, it's never quite as challenging or as engaging as it could be. The biggest problem may be the platform. Such lightweight and casual play would likely work better on a phone or a tablet, especially at a cheaper price than the $14.99 sticker virtually attached to this Steam-distributed game. Still, even with these flaws, this is a diverting, innovative puzzler with more than enough charm to make staging loony-tunes murders look like an appealing pastime.</p> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 17:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kill-the-bad-guy-review/1900-6415785/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gunpoint-developer-releases-new-game-floating-point/1100-6420182/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2552283-7606660926-ss_1e.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552283" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2552283-7606660926-ss_1e.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2552283"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2552283-7606660926-ss_1e.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Tom Francis, developer of the stealth-puzzle game <a href="/gunpoint/" data-ref-id="false">Gunpoint</a>, released his newest game today, Floating Point. And it doesn't cost a dime.</p><p style="">In Floating Point, you take control of a grappling hook, and the game is all about swinging and collecting points. The more you swing and the less you hit, the faster you go and the more points you earn.</p><p style="">Player performance affects the sensory experience of the game, too. As Francis describes on the Steam product page, "As you pick up momentum, you start to glow, the bars you're collecting rise up, the music kicks in, and your trajectory burns a bright red line in the air, drawing huge, beautiful mathematical curves of your arcing flight."</p><p style="">The game is peaceful, surprisingly engaging, and will run on almost any Windows, Mac, or Linux <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/" data-ref-id="false">computer.</a></p><p style=""><a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/302380" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">It is available today for free on Steam</a>.</p><p style="">Tom Francis' first game, Gunpoint, was received positively on GameSpot. <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gunpoint-review/1900-6409472/" data-ref-id="1900-6409472">You can read our review here.</a></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, 06 Jun 2014 16:39:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gunpoint-developer-releases-new-game-floating-point/1100-6420182/
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