http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 23 Jul 2014 05:41:23 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-nightfall-to-star-mike-colter-as-agent-locke/1100-6421255/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605387-sdcc-2014-halo-nightfall-locke-determined-jpg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605387" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605387-sdcc-2014-halo-nightfall-locke-determined-jpg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605387"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2605387-sdcc-2014-halo-nightfall-locke-determined-jpg.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Mike Colter has been announced as the protagonist of live-action miniseries Halo: Nightfall. Colter is best known for his role in the CBS drama, <i>The Good Wife</i>. He will play the character Agent Jameson Locke.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605397-9942405372-25324.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605397" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605397-9942405372-25324.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605397"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/280/2802776/2605397-9942405372-25324.jpg"></a><figcaption>Agent Jameson Locke on the Halo 5: Guardians teaser.</figcaption></figure><p style="">No further details were given, although footage from the series will be revealed for the first time at San Diego Comic-Con this Thursday at 11:45 a.m. PT.</p><p style="">Agent Locke <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-halo-5-s-mysterious-spartan-named-agent-locke-backstory-coming-in-nightfall/1100-6420433/" data-ref-id="1100-6420433">first appeared as a featured character in the</a> <a href="/halo-5-guardians/" data-ref-id="false">Halo 5: Guardians </a>teaser image. According to 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross, the character will have "a key role in Halo 5: Guardians". His backstory and origin will be explored in Halo: Nightfall, which is being directed by <em>Alien</em> director Ridley Scott. The first episode will debut around the release of the Halo: Master Chief Collection on November 11.</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Zorine Te is an associate editor at GameSpot, and you can follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/ztharli" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @ztharli</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><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 23:14:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-nightfall-to-star-mike-colter-as-agent-locke/1100-6421255/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-and-xbox-360-ship-1-1-million-consoles-co/1100-6421253/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2605244" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2605244-xbox1.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2605244-xbox1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605244"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2605244-xbox1.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft sold in a total of 1.1 million Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles during its fiscal fourth quarter (April 1 - June 30), the company announced today as part of its quarterly earnings report.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As has been common with the sales numbers Microsoft has provided for its gaming consoles this year, it's important to note that "sold in" refers to the number of consoles shipped to retailers. This is as opposed to the number of consoles actually sold through to consumers--a figure we haven't been updated on since Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-sold-3-million-units-in-2013-microsoft-says/1100-6416955/" data-ref-id="1100-6416955">announced 3 million Xbox One consoles had been sold</a> to consumers as of December 31.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The 1.1 million consoles shipped is a steep drop compared to the prior three months, when <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-ships-1-2-million-to-retailers-during-2014-s-first-quarter/1100-6419194/" data-ref-id="1100-6419194">Microsoft shipped 2 million consoles</a> (1.2 million of which were Xbox Ones). The company noted that it "drew down channel inventory" during this most recent quarter, referencing plans it announced in April to slow shipments in order to allow retailers to sell the consoles they already have on store shelves.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Without providing any specific figures, Microsoft announced last week that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-sales-more-than-double-during-june-in-us-/1100-6421168/" data-ref-id="1100-6421168">Xbox One sales had "more than double[d]" in June</a> (as compared with May) following the release of the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-399-xbox-one-out-now-xbox-360-sales-rise-to-84-million/1100-6420231/" data-ref-id="1100-6420231">$400 Kinect-less model</a>. That system went on sale on June 9 and brought the system's price down to that of Sony's PlayStation 4, which has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-tops-june-2014-npd-sales-chart-despite-xbox-on/1100-6421187/" data-ref-id="1100-6421187">outsold the Xbox One to date</a>. As of April 6, the PS4 had <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-reports-7-million-playstation-4-consoles-sold-worldwide/1100-6419044/" data-ref-id="1100-6419044">sold 7 million units worldwide</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As part of its earnings report, Microsoft renamed its Devices & Consumer Hardware group, which will now be known as the Computing and Gaming Hardware group. Despite the name change, it will continue to include both Xbox and Surface. During Q4, the group posted revenue of $1.44 billion, a 23-percent year-over-year increase. That was thanks in part to a 14-percent increase in revenue for the Xbox platform (which accounts for the Xbox One and Xbox 360). Revenue for Microsoft as a whole was up 18 percent to $23.4 billion.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">CEO Satya Nadella recently <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-remains-a-focus-at-microsoft-as-company-drops/1100-6421024/" data-ref-id="1100-6421024">offered a showing of support for Xbox</a>, though the platform was not completely unaffected by the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-layoffs-greater-than-expected-up-to-18-0/1100-6421171/" data-ref-id="1100-6421171">layoffs outlined last week</a>. Most notably, Xbox Entertainment Studios--the group responsible for developing original TV programming for Xbox--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shutting-down-xbox-entertainment-studios/1100-6421179/" data-ref-id="1100-6421179">is being shut down</a>. A select number of its projects (including <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-halo-5-s-mysterious-spartan-named-agent-locke-backstory-coming-in-nightfall/1100-6420433/" data-ref-id="1100-6420433"><em>Halo: Nightfall</em></a>, the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-tv-show-won-t-be-filler-microsoft-says/1100-6416982/" data-ref-id="1100-6416982">Halo TV series</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-exclusive-quantum-break-s-live-action-sho/1100-6421215/" data-ref-id="1100-6421215">Quantum Break</a>) will be unaffected.</p><p style="">In a formal statement today, Nadella briefly discussed the decision to refocus on gaming with Xbox One. "With our decision to specifically focus on gaming, we expect to close Xbox Entertainment Studios and streamline our investments in Music and Video," he said. "We will invest in our core console gaming and Xbox Live with a view towards the broader PC and mobile opportunity. I hope you can see that we have bold ambitions and we have made a lot of progress."</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:54:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-and-xbox-360-ship-1-1-million-consoles-co/1100-6421253/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/crypt-of-the-necrodancer-on-the-lobby/2300-6416142/ The guys dance the show away with help from Girls Make Games on The Lobby Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/crypt-of-the-necrodancer-on-the-lobby/2300-6416142/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/super-comboman-review/1900-6415823/ <p style="">At first glance, Super Comboman looks like the kind of average action platformer that overwhelms Steam's front page. But it isn't. Rather, it's bad, and sometimes amazingly so. Nearly every success is met with an equivalent failure, and that leads to a cycle of hope and despair that perfectly encapsulates the Super Comboman experience. The art style is charming enough, as the game makes all of its characters and environments look like cute stickers, but the animations often fail to load, leading to visual clutter and confusion. Some of the music is amazing, but it wears on you when it loops every 30 seconds or so. And perhaps most damning, Super Comboman occasionally makes you feel incredibly powerful before doling out some excruciating forearm cramps.</p><p style="">The strange, almost dualistic nature of Super Comboman is clear from the outset. The star is Struggles, an out-of-work comic book geek desperate for some cash to help with his mortgage. To make a bit of money, he sets off with his sentient fanny pack in the hopes that he can one day learn how to fight as well as his hero, the eponymous Super Comboman. Immediately, there's an awkward clash between heavy poignancy and camp that ultimately drifts off into a nonstop barrage of groan-inducing Internet memes.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605130-scm_002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605130" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605130-scm_002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605130"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605130-scm_002.jpg"></a><figcaption>These types of vertical climbs highlight how bad Super Comboman's wall-jumping mechanics are.</figcaption></figure><p style="">After that introduction, you're thrust straight into the heat of combat and taught how to string together attacks and combo like a pro. At first, you have a few basic moves, such as light and heavy attacks. For the most part, these are functional and help you juggle foes or slam them through a brick wall, but when the action gets going, the cracks in the foundation become too big not to notice. Even under the best circumstances, you can only ever attack in one or two directions, though you often have foes attacking from several elevations in addition to being in front of or behind you. Escape is tough, because it opens you up to other attacks, which can put you in an animation cycle that ends only when you die.</p><p style="">Guarding can help, sometimes, but more often than not enemies just wear you down and kill you. Your only recourse is to parry attacks, which is done by tapping forward. Even that comes at a cost, namely your stamina. With most incoming attacks, a small bubble appears that alerts you to a parry, or at least that's how it's supposed to work. Sometimes there is so much happening onscreen that you just blindly tap forward so you can parry any incoming attack and avoid nasty animation locks. That's fine for a while, but it doesn't take long for that tactic to get exhausting. Add that to the constant flurry of attacks, blocks, and dashes that you perform, and on some levels, your forearms will be cramping inside of 10 minutes.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605132-scm_003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605132" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605132-scm_003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605132"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/416/4161502/2605132-scm_003.jpg"></a><figcaption>It's easy to get caught between two enemies and just...die. It's not fair, and just makes the game that much more frustrating.</figcaption></figure><p style="">If you can defeat enough foes, you steadily earn a bit of cash, which you can spend on more-advanced attacks that are supposed to help rack up damage a bit more quickly, but they're really tough to pull off thanks to input lag. Every once in a while, everything lines up just right, and you can perform really slick combos that feel amazing, but those moments are far too rare and end all too quickly. In a game like this, boss fights should be a full test of everything you've learned up to that stage--tough, but ultimately empowering. Instead, I found that the best option was simply to double-jump in, use one attack, and then jump back out before I took a hit. The bigger, fancier moves Super Comboman tries to encourage are especially risky when facing off against a particular baddy that can knock away half your health with one good shot. Ultimately, combat is far and away more aggravating than fun.</p><p style="">Combos also bring up a smooth-voiced announcer that says things like "Noobtastic," "Scrubtacular," and "Smizzle" when you've performed combos that exceed five, 10, and 20 hits respectively. While the exclamations warrant little more than a dry smirk the first time, given that the game is based on performing combos as many times as humanly possible, the constant audio feedback quickly becomes mind-numbingly obnoxious. It's also representative of the kind of grating humor that pervades the entire game. Some of it can be offensive, depending on your sensibilities. I recall one enemy that's meant to represent homeless men, and after he attacked by flashing his penis offscreen, I couldn't help but think Super Comboman was presenting and reinforcing some of the worst stereotypes of the homeless with a touch of snarky homophobia. That crass and sophomoric humor runs throughout and is usually a miss.</p><blockquote data-align="right" data-size="small"><p style="">Nearly every success is met with an equivalent failure, and that leads to a cycle of hope and despair that perfectly encapsulates the Super Comboman experience.</p></blockquote><p style="">Platforming is just as awful. Super Comboman often transitions from large open areas to cramped vertical segments. To manage the transitions, the designers opted for long vertical tubes that rely on several successful wall-jumps in quick succession. What makes that problematic, though, is that the wall-jumping here is terrible and without qualification the worst I've ever seen in any game. Wall-jumps are typically difficult maneuvers, sure, but game designers have found many ways to make them simple enough to be doable for average players. Mega Man X lets you slide gently down and jump at your leisure, while the Metroid series requires you to properly time only a few button presses and automates the rest.</p><p style="">Super Comboman gives you no such help. You need to jump toward a wall and then quickly switch to moving out and away. The problem here is twofold. With the game's input lag, it's almost impossible to get that timing right consistently, and without a system like that of <a href="/mega-man-x/" data-ref-id="false">Mega Man X</a>, where the game gives you a larger window to make that jump, platforming comes off as ludicrously frustrating. It's made much worse in some timed segments where obstacles and enemies are placed in front of you, and failure means an instant death. That is punishingly, brutally hard for absolutely no reason. After several runs, I found no consistent pattern for what let me succeed and what caused me to fail. Sometimes the enemies would lock me in one of those animation loops and I'd be dead before I could react. At other times I seemed to do everything wrong and still make it through. With levels like this, Super Comboman made me feel like my success was arbitrary and completely divorced not only from my actual level of skill, but also from what I'd managed to learn and ultimately apply within the game.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2605134-scm_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605134" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2605134-scm_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605134"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605134-scm_001.jpg"></a><figcaption>In this screenshot, the camera is stuck above the action as a wall of insta-death blades approach. That's a recipe for guaranteed frustration.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Super Comboman is severely flawed, but buried beneath controller-snapping frustration is a game that with some control tweaks, less lag, and some bug fixes could have been enjoyable. Sadly, in addition to its numerous deficiencies, it is riddled with annoying bugs that keep the camera from focusing on you or that prevent your character sprite from loading at all, though to the developer's credit, patches have been frequent. Nonetheless, Super Comboman is still a frustrating mess that's more likely to cause wrist injuries than it is to inspire cries of platforming joy.</p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:24:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/super-comboman-review/1900-6415823/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-olliolli/2300-6420380/ Watch extended gameplay footage from OlliOlli featuring the Giant Bomb crew. Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-olliolli/2300-6420380/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oddworld-new-n-tasty-review-roundup/1100-6421248/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419704" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419704/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">The latest Oddworld game, <a href="/oddworld-abes-oddysee-new-n-tasty/" data-ref-id="false">Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty</a>, is now available on PlayStation 4. Also now available is the first handful of reviews, which we've gathered for you below.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">I describe this as the <em>latest</em> game because New 'n' Tasty isn't strictly new--it's a remake of the first game in the series, <a href="/oddworld-abes-oddysee/" data-ref-id="false">Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee</a>, which was originally released in 1997 for PlayStation. The graphics, sound, and controls have all been improved, while keeping the gameplay mostly intact. As Abe's Oddysee was notoriously challenging, new difficulty settings have been added to allow newcomers the chance to play the game with less frustration.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">New 'n' Tasty is currently only available as a downloadable title on PS4, but PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions will follow with Cross-Buy support. This means that purchasing the PS4 version will entitle you to free copies of both the PS3 and Vita versions once they are released. PC, Wii U, and Xbox One versions are in the works, too. Also of note: Should New 'n' Tasty sell well enough, developer Just Add Water <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/want-a-new-oddworld-game-new-n-tasty-needs-to-sell-500-000-first/1100-6418373/" data-ref-id="1100-6418373">plans to work on a remake of the second Oddworld game</a>, <a href="/oddworld-abes-exoddus/" data-ref-id="false">Abe's Exoddus</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The first reviews follow below, with GameSpot's still to come. Let us know whether you played the original Oddysee and if you plan on revisiting it with New 'n' Tasty in the comments below.</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Game:</strong> Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Developer:</strong> Just Add Water</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Platforms:</strong> PS4</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Release Date:</strong> July 22</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Price:</strong> $29.99 (Cross-Buy with PS3/Vita releases to come)</li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">GameSpot</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">Coming soon!</p><h3 dir="ltr">Eurogamer -- 9/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"More than anything, what really stands out about Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is the sheer coherency of the original design. It was startling back in 1997 on the PlayStation when games did not often turn up with proper themes to think about, and it's still just as startling in 2014, to be honest, where the grace with which the plot unfolds and the relevance it still has for the real world remain something of an anomaly. This is a story-driven game in which neither game nor story are made to suffer because of the close proximity of such traditionally toxic partners." [<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-21-oddworld-new-n-tasty-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2014-07">Full review</a>]</p><div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419725" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419725/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><h3 dir="ltr"> </h3><h3 dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-21-oddworld-new-n-tasty-review" rel="nofollow">D</a>estructoid -- 8/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is roughly the same frequently soul-crushing, yet unique and rewarding game it was in the '90s. Even if you hated it back then, it's probably worth investigating the remake just to see if your puzzle skills have improved, even if there aren't a whole lot of extras ready for you this time around. In the end, Abe's adventure is a tale worth telling." [<a href="http://www.destructoid.com/review-oddworld-new-n-tasty-278263.phtml" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.destructoid.com/review-oddworld-new-n-tasty-278263.phtml" rel="nofollow">I</a>GN -- 8.5/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is a beautiful remake that irons out nearly all of the problems and limitations of 1997's Abe's Oddysee while bringing its best qualities to the fore. This ground-up remake looks and feels fresh enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any modern 2D platformer--evidence that Abe's Oddysee really was ahead of its time." [<a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/21/oddworld-new-n-tasty-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">PlayStation Nation -- 9/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's a fine art to be able to recreate something that so many have loved for so long, and the crew at Just Add Water have done so masterfully. The best part is that if you've never played an Oddworld game before, your first foray into the series will be a memorable one for all of the right reasons." [<a href="http://www.psnation.com/2014/07/21/review-oddworld-new-n-tasty-ps4/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oddworld-new-n-tasty-review-roundup/1100-6421248/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-new-dragon-age-battlefield-delayed-dota-2-/2300-6420382/ Playing professional Dota 2 won a bunch of gamers a share in $10.9 million, big games are hit with delays, and get The Last of Us on PS4 cheap! Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-new-dragon-age-battlefield-delayed-dota-2-/2300-6420382/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-goes-live-on-xbox-one-and-xbox-360-re/1100-6421250/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6420291" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420291/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Bungie has brought the <a href="/destiny/" data-ref-id="false">Destiny</a> beta--which was expected to be offline for maintenance until tomorrow--back online early. This means gamers on Xbox 360 and Xbox One with a code can now get into the beta and begin playing, and those on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 can get back to what they've been <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-now-live-on-ps4-and-ps3-watch-our-liv/1100-6421173/" data-ref-id="1100-6421173">doing since last week</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Codes for the Xbox versions of the beta are being distributed by email. Provided you've already redeemed the code on <a href="http://www.bungie.net/en/View/Bungie/DestinyBetaFAQ" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Bungie's website</a>, your allotment of codes--everyone with access gets three codes for the platform of their choice--will also be located there.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bungie's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-now-live-on-ps4-and-ps3-watch-our-liv/1100-6421173/" data-ref-id="1100-6421173">original plans for the beta</a> were for it to be offline for all of yesterday and today, resuming tomorrow at 10AM Pacific. The beta runs through Sunday, July 27; those who play after 2PM Pacific on Saturday, July 26, will receive an exclusive emblem for use in the final game when it launches on September 9. Bungie teased today that it has "some surprises in store" even for those who have already been playing. Over the weekend, it launched a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-gets-two-new-maps-this-weekend-but-on/1100-6421211/" data-ref-id="1100-6421211">special Iron Banner event</a> that took place on PS3 and PS4.</p><p style="">We've already spent a good deal of time with the beta. You can check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-destiny-beta/1100-6421206/" data-ref-id="1100-6421206">everything we know about it here</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 15:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-goes-live-on-xbox-one-and-xbox-360-re/1100-6421250/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/unrest-review/1900-6415822/ <p style="">In many games where conversational choices dictate plot progression, success is often guided by a system of modern Western morality. Choosing the noble response sends you on a path toward "good," while the opposite is clearly "bad." Sometimes there is a moral gray area, but ultimately, the games are typically designed around the binary concept of good and evil. Unrest, however, steps away from such tradition. Challenging the ancient and uncompromising social barriers of Unrest can yield dire consequences: putting your family in peril, shaking a community apart, or much worse. While Unrest struggles to stay consistent in its message, the lives of its damaged, refreshingly human characters stayed in my mind for many days after the credits rolled.</p><p style="">Against the backdrop of an ancient India rooted in both myth and history, you guide several people as they struggle to survive in Bhimra. Once a thriving city, previously considered the mightiest of all, Bhimra is choked by drought and bridled by poverty, disease, and hatred. The game's unconventional cast members stand as grim reflections of Unrest's dismal world. This point-and-click adventure game is devoid of the cleft-chinned adventurer who approaches danger with a charming quip--or a crack of a whip, when charisma won't do the trick.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605097-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605097" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605097-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605097"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605097-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Talking to everyone you meet can open new quest options.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Instead, you play as individuals straddling the social divide of India's rigid caste system. They include a peasant girl, betrothed against her will; a priest who bows to new masters for the sake of his family; a mercenary captain, barely keeping the city from tearing itself apart; and a princess, fallen from grace, fighting for survival in the slums. The emotional impact of their stories hits deep. It's hard not to feel sympathy for a young girl whose world was once adorned with flowing drapes, clean clothes, and rich food. This same girl now finds herself filthy, starved on the streets, and standing over a mutilated corpse, contemplating whether she should walk away and save her dwindling pride, or soil her hands with the victim's blood in hopes that a pocket yields a mere crust of bread. Desperation is prevalent, and in Unrest, living to see another day is the greatest victory.</p><p style="">Most of your time is spent in conversations, where your replies shape your fate for good or ill, and discourse is rarely straightforward; Unrest is not a game that provides easy answers to complicated issues. Instead, you are rewarded for your ability to intelligently weave your way through conversations, suppressing any penchant for a brazen response. Yielding to the social laws is hardly virtuous, but it could keep you breathing.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605098-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605098" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605098-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605098"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605098-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Unrest stars a cast of unconventional characters.</figcaption></figure><p style="">In conversations, characters acknowledge you in three colored bars representing friendship, respect, and fear. That acknowledgment is important in choosing the right person to strike up a conversation with in order to pursue your goals. In one event, a town guard with little respect for your plight shows a comparable amount of empathy for your hunger pangs, refusing you access to a temple that hands out food. A guard in another story, however, can be coerced to step aside if you latch onto his fear and agree to help appease his crippling gambling debt. But not all characters welcome discourse. The reptilian naga, for example, are often blamed for Bhimra's condition, and therefore show no love toward humans. Most interactions with these creatures in the slums involve death threats.</p><p style="">In Unrest, failing in a storyline is worse than the end of a quest; it could mean the death of a character. You might believe that decisions you make are the correct ones--like I did many times. But Unrest is not like games such as <a href="/mass-effect/" data-ref-id="false">Mass Effect</a> or <a href="/reviews/dragon-age-origins-review/1900-6238628/" data-ref-id="1900-6238628">Dragon Age</a>, and assuming the sensibilities of such games could leave you staring down an executioner's blade. As the story draws to a close, the game tells you how your character managed after leaving your care. My first experience in receiving this report card of my actions was a gut punch--despite my best efforts, my character didn't survive. What had I done wrong? I did everything that came natural to me, and so I assumed I would be kindly rewarded. Unrest's cold pragmatism was sobering, and such lessons linger as the game progresses.</p><blockquote data-align="left" data-size="small"><p style="">Most of your time is spent in conversations, where your replies shape your fate for good or ill, and discourse is rarely straightforward.</p></blockquote><p style="">Unrest requires much readiing, both in and out of conversations. In games with so much unvoiced conversation, reading several paragraphs with each character interaction comes with the territory. But the game also provides detailed profiles on the people the character knows personally, as well as descriptions and the history of items in your inventory. The game's own exposition, coupled with books and scrolls containing Bhimra lore, has you perusing pages and pages of information. It gets exhausting, and I found that I needed to take occasional breaks to rest my eyes and stave off boredom.</p><p style="">Unrest isn't free of concerns, the most damning of which is its tendency to hinder immersion. The vibrant hand-painted environments are far too cheerful for the theme. Bright splashes of colors and hand-illustrated designs are a jarring juxtaposition to Unrest's somber motif, and undercut the overall impact of the stark, poignant world. There are also technical issues, which range from crashing to desktop following one of Unrest's many loading screens to odd pathfinding problems in which characters oscillate along their path or get stuck on corners. During conversations, making choices drops the menu back to the gameplay screen for a split second, which is distracting to the point of aggravation.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p style="">In Unrest, failing in a storyline is worse than the end of a quest; it could mean the death of a character.</p></blockquote><p style="">With different ways to approach situations, Unrest encourages multiple playthroughs. Unfortunately, in replaying the game, I found myself disappointed by how completed stories affect the overall plot. Unrest claims that characters, left alive or otherwise, blend naturally into the game's narrative after their tales are finished. However, only two individuals were ever mentioned, one of them just in a passing comment. In reality, the characters' plights and their impact on the plot are superficial, existing merely to give you the impression that their lives changed something.</p><p style="">But I found myself most disappointed in the game's central story. Out of the four playable characters, there is one whose placement in the narrative is an anomaly; she experiences the hardships of her world, but no matter your influence on it, you cannot alter her course. I had even tried replaying certain sections in an effort to sabotage the final sequence of events, choosing options that I felt could have affected her path, but to no avail. Unrest ultimately opts for what is almost a fairy-tale-like conclusion, which goes against the messages that paved the way.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605103-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605103" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605103-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605103"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605103-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>You can't make everyone happy, especially the desperate. </figcaption></figure><p style="">At the end of her journey, the character ends up in a situation similar to the one that started it; the ending, uninspired, rang hollow. After I completed Unrest, I spent some time contemplating the circular logic behind the conclusion. I thought, perhaps, that the game was attempting to explain that no matter how hard we try to change our destinies, fate is carved in stone and impervious to our influence. But I could be searching for a deeper meaning where one doesn't exist. A quote by a character near the end of the game seems appropriate: "When you get lost in a happy story, all the other details and consequences are nothing, and anything becomes possible."</p><p style="">Despite the glaring issues, I was swept up by Unrest's unique cast, and I cared about their troubles, enough to even feel responsible if the path I led them down ended up in disaster. Though flawed, Unrest's system of cause and effect is a refreshing change from traditional conversation mechanics and deserves appreciation. In a sea of clearly defined morality systems, Unrest proves that sometimes the best waters consist of infinite shades of gray.</p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 15:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/unrest-review/1900-6415822/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sentris-the-evolution-of-a-new-kind-of-music-game/1100-6421249/ <p style="">The inspiration for Sentris, a music game by designer Samantha Kalman, came out of her experiences with playing in a band. In <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ghn8Ksojqk" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">the original Kickstarter campaign video</a> for Sentris, she explains, "Making music is a feeling unlike any other. It's an intense emotional rush, being surrounded by music that's coming from inside you and your friends. The first time I experienced it, I knew I needed to find a way to share it with everybody." Kalman was here at the offices of CBS Interactive last week to make an appearance on the <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/giant-bombcast-07-15-2014/1600-924/" data-ref-id="1600-924">Giant Bombcast</a>. When she was done chatting it up with that crew, I sat down with her to talk about the evolution of Sentris, which is going into Early Access on Steam next month.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420365" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420365/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Sentris is not about duplicating pre-existing songs the way that you do in rhythm games like Rock Band. Instead, Sentris provides you with musical frameworks with certain requirements that you need to meet, but outside of those requirements, you're free to string together sounds any way you like. Having played some early levels from Sentris, I found the experience of playing it altogether different from that of playing most other music games. It's a more meditative experience, with the colorful, slowly moving visuals contributing to the feeling of a pleasant, focused trance as I drop sounds into place, creating a song as I move toward solving the puzzle on any given level.</p><p style="">Given that the game allows for a good deal of freedom in terms of how you approach it, I asked Kalman if it was interesting to observe how different people play Sentris. "One thing that's been interesting to me," she said, "is the gap between beginner and expert play. I get to see a lot of beginner play, and everyone is a beginner when they first play the game, and the way it gets talked about is being a very meditative experience, but it becomes less true as you get more advanced. When you become an expert player in Sentris, a huge element of what makes that true is that you're performing your own music. You become more of a real musician as you get better at the game."</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">When you become an expert player in Sentris, a huge element of what makes that true is that you're performing your own music. You become more of a real musician as you get better at the game.</p><cite>Samantha Kalman</cite></blockquote><p style="">But even though the levels are scaffoldings that enable you to create your own songs rather than songs themselves, Kalman has enlisted the help of established musicians in creating some of those levels. She's still tinkering with the overall structure of Sentris, but has an idea of what form she wants it to take. "Right now I'm feeling really positive about embracing an album model," she said, "where the tutorial is an album, and then, I'm working with Disasterpeace and Danny [Baranowsky] and Symbion Project, so, like, here's a Disasterpeace album. And here's all these different songs that were made for the game for you to play. And here's a Danny B album. And then I'm also making level editors and instrument editors so that anyone can make an album as user-generated content and share that with people."</p><p style="">Striking the right balance in level design between structure and freedom has been a challenge in designing Sentris, and Kalman got some insight from someone who has a lot of experience with music games. "At GDC, I had the pleasure of meeting [former Harmonix CEO] Alex Rigopulos, and he made me really think a lot because he said, 'In our games, we find that people can only really focus on one thing at a time. They can only focus on trying to accomplish a challenge, in which case they're ignoring the music and how to craft that, or they're thinking only about how to craft the music and they're not paying attention to the puzzles.'"</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2605149-ci-131619428830385652.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605149" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2605149-ci-131619428830385652.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605149"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/78/787590/2605149-ci-131619428830385652.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">"I had never thought about it in those terms before, because my core mission was always to smash these ideas together into a game in which you have to do both to finish the game. But since he said that, I've noticed that people's attention would shift back and forth between, 'I'm gonna start out just pushing the button and make something and see how it sounds,' and 'Oh, there are some targets here, I'll try to solve the puzzle.'" Kalman says that the different types of puzzles in the game encourage different kinds of play. "The pitch-based puzzles are the game part, you have to solve the puzzles, but the rhythm puzzles are the other part of it." These, she said, give players the opportunity to focus more on what sounds good to them.</p><p style="">I think that Sentris' emphasis on player freedom and creativity could make it an important entry in the world of music-focused games. Kalman is eager to see how players respond to it when it becomes available on Steam Early Access in August. This release is just the next step for Sentris, though; there's still more work to be done. "Depending on how large the community becomes," she said, "I'm expecting to be in Early Access for about six to eight months, and be finishing features, adding many more levels and more music, high-quality recordings of all these analog instruments, and figuring out the right shape for the game, before launching it early next year."</p><p style=""> </p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 15:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sentris-the-evolution-of-a-new-kind-of-music-game/1100-6421249/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-delayed-a-month-will-releas/1100-6421247/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420161" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420161/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""><a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a> has had several delays in its path to release, and today publisher Electronic Arts and developer BioWare have announced that it's being pushed back again.</p><p style="">The third installment in the RPG series will launch on November 18 this year, more than a month later than its planned October 7 date. This, of course, is fairly insignificant compared to its <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-delayed-a-year/1100-6409593/" data-ref-id="1100-6409593">first year-long delay</a>. Dragon Age: Inquisition was originally supposed to launch in Fall 2013.</p><p style="">Executive producer Mark Darrah explains in a press release that the team needs more time to eliminate bugs and polish the game. "This last bit of time is about polishing the experience we want you to see," he says. "Ensuring that our open spaces are as engaging as possible. Strengthening the emotional impact of the Hero's choices. And ensuring the experience you get is the best it can be in the platform you choose to play on."</p><p style="">He continues: "We appreciate the enormous support we've received from all of you to get to this point, and while this extra few weeks may not seem like a lot, I know the game you'll play will be all the better for it."</p><p style="">Recently, BioWare revealed that it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-has-straight-bisexual-and-g/1100-6421222/" data-ref-id="1100-6421222">attempting to bring diversity</a> to Dragon Age: Inquisition because "there are a lot of stories to tell." We've been able to play some of the game, and it looks very promising. You can check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-the-baldurs-gate-legacy-and/1100-6421016/" data-ref-id="1100-6421016">our extensive preview of the game here</a>. It launches on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 18 in North America and November 21 in Europe.</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-delayed-a-month-will-releas/1100-6421247/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-delayed-until-early-2015/1100-6421246/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420367" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420367/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">The release of <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a>, Electronic Arts' new cops-and-robbers-themed shooter from <a href="/dead-space/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space</a> developer Visceral Games, has been pushed back until "early 2015," it was announced today. The game was previously scheduled to be <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-october-release-leaked-in-new-trailer/1100-6420148/" data-ref-id="1100-6420148">released on October 21</a>.</p><p style="">In a <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/07/bfh-will-launch-2015/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">blog post</a>, Karl Magnus Troedsson, VP and GM of Battlefield series creator DICE, explained the reasoning for the move, summing things up by saying, "[W]e want Battlefield Hardline to be the best game it can be, and so that we can create the best environment for a smooth launch for our players."</p><p style="">Both single-player and multiplayer will benefit from the delay, according to Troedsson. In the case of the latter, the developers plan to add "some new feature ideas direct from the community that will evolve the cops and criminals fantasy into a truly unique Battlefield Multiplayer experience."</p><p style="">For the single-player, Visceral will be "spending more time polishing our core features, as well as adding a few new ones that will support a deeper 'crime revenge' story experience." Visceral recently spoke about how it's hoping to "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardlines-single-player-aims-to-do-som/1100-6421183/" data-ref-id="1100-6421183">do something completely different</a>" with the game's campaign, which draws inspiration from TV crime dramas.</p><p style="">Referring to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-multiplayer-to-become-deeper-/1100-6421156/" data-ref-id="1100-6421156">feedback received from gamers</a> who played the June beta, Troedsson says, "This feedback also spurred us to start thinking about other possibilities and ways we could push Hardline innovation further and make the game even better. The more we thought about these ideas, the more we knew we had to get them into the game you will all be playing. However, there was only one problem. We would need more time. Time that we didn't have if we decided to move forward with launching in just a couple of months."</p><p style="">The game's stability will also benefit from the delay. <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a> had a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-defends-rocky-battlefield-4-launch/1100-6417666/" data-ref-id="1100-6417666">notoriously awful launch</a>, with serious issues plaguing the game for months on all platforms. These problems resulted in EA <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/" data-ref-id="1100-6420568">overhauling its testing process</a>, but concerns lingered among fans that Hardline's launch would also go less-than-smoothly. On the subject of stability, Troedsson says, "This has been a focus for our team since day one and we're going to be using the extra time to continue to optimize the game for a stable launch.</p><p style="">"We have learned a lot from Battlefield 4, are continuing to learn from our Community Test Environment and will learn more from another Hardline beta. More time allows us to surface issues that the team can attempt to fix prior to launch."</p><p style="">An exact new release date has yet to be announced, and there is no word on what this means for the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-beta-coming-to-all-platforms-this-fall/1100-6420797/" data-ref-id="1100-6420797">previously planned fall beta</a>. We've contacted EA to find out more.</p><p style="">Do you find this delay an encouraging sign that EA wants to get things right with Hardline? Let us know in the comments.</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><br /></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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-delayed-until-early-2015/1100-6421246/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grab-injustice-for-8-batman-arkham-city-for-5-and-/1100-6421245/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2605090-4578796299-batma.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605090" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2605090-4578796299-batma.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605090"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2605090-4578796299-batma.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">July is a slow month for big game releases. That means that there's time to catch up on some older games you might have missed. Luckily, there are some good sales going on to make catching up even easier. This week's <a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Promotion/deals-with-Gold" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Xbox Live Deals With Gold</a> offering has been announced alongside some other discounts that don't require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and they discount a number of Xbox 360 games.</p><p style="">Good news if you're a fighting game fan: <a href="/injustice-gods-among-us/" data-ref-id="false">Injustice: Gods Among Us</a> is only $8, and <a href="/marvel-vs-capcom-origins/" data-ref-id="false">Marvel vs. Capcom Origins</a> is $7.50. Batman games are also on sale, with <a href="/batman-arkham-city/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham City</a> and <a href="/batman-arkham-asylum/" data-ref-id="false">Arkham Asylum</a> available for only $5. You can get <a href="/batman-arkham-origins-blackgate/" data-ref-id="false">Arkham Origins Blackgate</a> for $10, as well.</p><p style="">Here's a list of all the featured deals this week. </p><h3>Deals With Gold:</h3><ul><li><a href="/injustice-gods-among-us/" data-ref-id="false">Injustice: Gods Among Us</a> -- $7.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li>Injustice: Gods Among Us Season Pass -- $5.99 (Was $14.99)</li><li><a href="/marvel-vs-capcom-origins/" data-ref-id="false">Marvel vs. Capcom Origins</a> -- $7.49 (Was $14.99)</li><li><a href="/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/" data-ref-id="false">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</a> -- $19.99 (Was $39.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-origins/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham Origins</a> Season Pass -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/dragon-ball-z-battle-of-z/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z</a> -- $19.99 (Was $39.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-city/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham City</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-asylum/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham Asylum</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-origins-blackgate/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate</a> Deluxe Edition -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/the-amazing-spider-man/" data-ref-id="false">The Amazing Spider-Man</a> -- $9.99 (Was $39.99)</li><li><a href="/the-amazing-spider-man-2/" data-ref-id="false">The Amazing Spider-Man 2</a> -- $29.99 (Was $49.99)</li><li><a href="/young-justice-legacy/" data-ref-id="false">Young Justice</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/mortal-kombat-vs-dc-universe/" data-ref-id="false">Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe</a> -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)<span><br /></span></li></ul><h3>Other Deals (Gold Subscription Not Necessary)</h3><ul><li><a href="/sacred-citadel/" data-ref-id="false">Sacred Citadel</a> -- $2.49 (Was $9.99)</li><li><a href="/arcania-fall-of-setarrif/" data-ref-id="false">ArcaniA: Fall of Setarrif</a> -- $4.99 (Was $9.99)</li><li><a href="/risen-2-dark-waters/" data-ref-id="false">Risen 2: Dark Waters</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/darksiders/" data-ref-id="false">Darksiders</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/jeopardy/" data-ref-id="false">Jeopardy</a> -- $7.49 (Was $29.99)</li><li><a href="/mx-vs-atv-alive/" data-ref-id="false">MX vs. ATV Alive</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/painkiller-hell-and-damnation/" data-ref-id="false">Painkiller: Hell & Damnation</a> -- $5.99 (Was $11.99)</li><li><a href="/red-faction-armageddon/" data-ref-id="false">Red Faction: Armageddon</a> -- $7.49 (Was $29.99)</li><li><a href="/red-faction-guerrilla/" data-ref-id="false">Red Faction: Guerrilla</a> -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/zombie-driver-hd/" data-ref-id="false">Zombie Driver HD</a> -- $4.99 (Was $9.99)</li><li><a href="/frontlines-fuel-of-war/" data-ref-id="false">Frontlines: Fuel of War</a> -- $3.99 (Was $14.99)</li></ul><p style="">Which games interest you? Let us know in the comments!</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grab-injustice-for-8-batman-arkham-city-for-5-and-/1100-6421245/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/comic-con-2014-custom-xbox-ones-with-halo-dragon-a/1100-6421243/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2604959" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604959-xbox+forza.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604959-xbox+forza.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2604959"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2604959-xbox+forza.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're in the market for an <a href="/xbox-one/" data-ref-id="false">Xbox One</a> system that looks nothing like the ones that you can find in stores, San Diego Comic-Con later this week is the place to be.</p><p style="">Microsoft has announced the "Collectible Console Sweepstakes" that will see it give away a number of uniquely designed Xbox One consoles, each featuring a different game or game franchise. Among these consoles are <a href="/the-master-chief-collection/" data-ref-id="false">Halo</a>, <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>, <a href="/sunset-overdrive/" data-ref-id="false">Sunset Overdrive</a>, <a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a>, and <a href="/forza-horizon-2/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Horizon 2</a> systems. You can see all of them below.</p><p style="">Entering to win is relatively simple, provided you're attending SDCC or know someone who is. All you need to do is visit the Xbox Gaming Lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where you'll find all of the exclusive consoles up for grabs, and tweet a picture of your favorite using the hashtags #XboxOne and #XboxSweeps. 20 people will then be selected to win an Xbox One and accompanying Kinect.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're not able to make it, there is an alternative way of entering which involves mailing your entry info to Microsoft. Full details on how to do so are outlined <a href="http://akamai.eprizecdn.net/microsoft/228445/rules.pdf" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">here</a>. Additionally, a Nerdist-branded system will be given away online through the official Xbox <a href="https://twitter.com/xbox" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter account</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft has only officially released the standard black Xbox One to consumers. A <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-employees-to-receive-limited-edition-white-xbox-one-consoles/1100-6413705/" data-ref-id="1100-6413705">special all-white system was given away</a> to Microsoft employees who worked on the system prior to its launch, and a few were later <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/white-xbox-one-fetches-11-300-on-ebay-for-charity/1100-6416249/" data-ref-id="1100-6416249">sold on eBay for charity</a>. It's rumored that the company will eventually <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/update-white-xbox-one-coming-in-2014-halo-2-anniversary-edition-and-titanfall-console-spotted-report/1100-6417425/" data-ref-id="1100-6417425">sell the white version publicly</a>, but it has announced no formal plans to begin doing so.</p><p style="">GameSpot will be bringing you coverage straight from SDCC, which kicks off this Thursday, July 24, and runs through July 27. For some idea of what to expect from the show's gaming presence, check out our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/comic-con/microsoft-xbox-one-booth-tour-comic-con-2013-6411701/" data-ref-id="false">roundup of all the gaming panels, tournaments, and playable titles that will be at the show here</a>.</p><p style="">Which of the systems below would you most like to get your hands on? Let us know in the comments below.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2604962" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604962-xbox1.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604962-xbox1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2604962"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2604962-xbox1.jpg"></a></figure><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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/comic-con-2014-custom-xbox-ones-with-halo-dragon-a/1100-6421243/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-ghostship-aftermath/2300-6420358/ Watch extended gameplay footage from Ghostship Aftermath featuring the Giant Bomb crew. Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-ghostship-aftermath/2300-6420358/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Wed, 23 Jul 2014 05:41:23 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-nightfall-to-star-mike-colter-as-agent-locke/1100-6421255/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605387-sdcc-2014-halo-nightfall-locke-determined-jpg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605387" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605387-sdcc-2014-halo-nightfall-locke-determined-jpg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605387"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2605387-sdcc-2014-halo-nightfall-locke-determined-jpg.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Mike Colter has been announced as the protagonist of live-action miniseries Halo: Nightfall. Colter is best known for his role in the CBS drama, <i>The Good Wife</i>. He will play the character Agent Jameson Locke.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605397-9942405372-25324.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605397" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2605397-9942405372-25324.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605397"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/280/2802776/2605397-9942405372-25324.jpg"></a><figcaption>Agent Jameson Locke on the Halo 5: Guardians teaser.</figcaption></figure><p style="">No further details were given, although footage from the series will be revealed for the first time at San Diego Comic-Con this Thursday at 11:45 a.m. PT.</p><p style="">Agent Locke <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-halo-5-s-mysterious-spartan-named-agent-locke-backstory-coming-in-nightfall/1100-6420433/" data-ref-id="1100-6420433">first appeared as a featured character in the</a> <a href="/halo-5-guardians/" data-ref-id="false">Halo 5: Guardians </a>teaser image. According to 343 Industries head Bonnie Ross, the character will have "a key role in Halo 5: Guardians". His backstory and origin will be explored in Halo: Nightfall, which is being directed by <em>Alien</em> director Ridley Scott. The first episode will debut around the release of the Halo: Master Chief Collection on November 11.</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Zorine Te is an associate editor at GameSpot, and you can follow her on <a href="https://twitter.com/ztharli" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @ztharli</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><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 23:14:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-nightfall-to-star-mike-colter-as-agent-locke/1100-6421255/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-and-xbox-360-ship-1-1-million-consoles-co/1100-6421253/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2605244" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2605244-xbox1.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2605244-xbox1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605244"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2605244-xbox1.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft sold in a total of 1.1 million Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles during its fiscal fourth quarter (April 1 - June 30), the company announced today as part of its quarterly earnings report.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As has been common with the sales numbers Microsoft has provided for its gaming consoles this year, it's important to note that "sold in" refers to the number of consoles shipped to retailers. This is as opposed to the number of consoles actually sold through to consumers--a figure we haven't been updated on since Microsoft <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-sold-3-million-units-in-2013-microsoft-says/1100-6416955/" data-ref-id="1100-6416955">announced 3 million Xbox One consoles had been sold</a> to consumers as of December 31.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The 1.1 million consoles shipped is a steep drop compared to the prior three months, when <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-ships-1-2-million-to-retailers-during-2014-s-first-quarter/1100-6419194/" data-ref-id="1100-6419194">Microsoft shipped 2 million consoles</a> (1.2 million of which were Xbox Ones). The company noted that it "drew down channel inventory" during this most recent quarter, referencing plans it announced in April to slow shipments in order to allow retailers to sell the consoles they already have on store shelves.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Without providing any specific figures, Microsoft announced last week that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-sales-more-than-double-during-june-in-us-/1100-6421168/" data-ref-id="1100-6421168">Xbox One sales had "more than double[d]" in June</a> (as compared with May) following the release of the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-399-xbox-one-out-now-xbox-360-sales-rise-to-84-million/1100-6420231/" data-ref-id="1100-6420231">$400 Kinect-less model</a>. That system went on sale on June 9 and brought the system's price down to that of Sony's PlayStation 4, which has <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-tops-june-2014-npd-sales-chart-despite-xbox-on/1100-6421187/" data-ref-id="1100-6421187">outsold the Xbox One to date</a>. As of April 6, the PS4 had <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-reports-7-million-playstation-4-consoles-sold-worldwide/1100-6419044/" data-ref-id="1100-6419044">sold 7 million units worldwide</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As part of its earnings report, Microsoft renamed its Devices & Consumer Hardware group, which will now be known as the Computing and Gaming Hardware group. Despite the name change, it will continue to include both Xbox and Surface. During Q4, the group posted revenue of $1.44 billion, a 23-percent year-over-year increase. That was thanks in part to a 14-percent increase in revenue for the Xbox platform (which accounts for the Xbox One and Xbox 360). Revenue for Microsoft as a whole was up 18 percent to $23.4 billion.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">CEO Satya Nadella recently <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-remains-a-focus-at-microsoft-as-company-drops/1100-6421024/" data-ref-id="1100-6421024">offered a showing of support for Xbox</a>, though the platform was not completely unaffected by the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-layoffs-greater-than-expected-up-to-18-0/1100-6421171/" data-ref-id="1100-6421171">layoffs outlined last week</a>. Most notably, Xbox Entertainment Studios--the group responsible for developing original TV programming for Xbox--<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-shutting-down-xbox-entertainment-studios/1100-6421179/" data-ref-id="1100-6421179">is being shut down</a>. A select number of its projects (including <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-halo-5-s-mysterious-spartan-named-agent-locke-backstory-coming-in-nightfall/1100-6420433/" data-ref-id="1100-6420433"><em>Halo: Nightfall</em></a>, the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/halo-tv-show-won-t-be-filler-microsoft-says/1100-6416982/" data-ref-id="1100-6416982">Halo TV series</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-exclusive-quantum-break-s-live-action-sho/1100-6421215/" data-ref-id="1100-6421215">Quantum Break</a>) will be unaffected.</p><p style="">In a formal statement today, Nadella briefly discussed the decision to refocus on gaming with Xbox One. "With our decision to specifically focus on gaming, we expect to close Xbox Entertainment Studios and streamline our investments in Music and Video," he said. "We will invest in our core console gaming and Xbox Live with a view towards the broader PC and mobile opportunity. I hope you can see that we have bold ambitions and we have made a lot of progress."</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:54:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-and-xbox-360-ship-1-1-million-consoles-co/1100-6421253/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/crypt-of-the-necrodancer-on-the-lobby/2300-6416142/ The guys dance the show away with help from Girls Make Games on The Lobby Tue, 22 Jul 2014 17:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/crypt-of-the-necrodancer-on-the-lobby/2300-6416142/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/super-comboman-review/1900-6415823/ <p style="">At first glance, Super Comboman looks like the kind of average action platformer that overwhelms Steam's front page. But it isn't. Rather, it's bad, and sometimes amazingly so. Nearly every success is met with an equivalent failure, and that leads to a cycle of hope and despair that perfectly encapsulates the Super Comboman experience. The art style is charming enough, as the game makes all of its characters and environments look like cute stickers, but the animations often fail to load, leading to visual clutter and confusion. Some of the music is amazing, but it wears on you when it loops every 30 seconds or so. And perhaps most damning, Super Comboman occasionally makes you feel incredibly powerful before doling out some excruciating forearm cramps.</p><p style="">The strange, almost dualistic nature of Super Comboman is clear from the outset. The star is Struggles, an out-of-work comic book geek desperate for some cash to help with his mortgage. To make a bit of money, he sets off with his sentient fanny pack in the hopes that he can one day learn how to fight as well as his hero, the eponymous Super Comboman. Immediately, there's an awkward clash between heavy poignancy and camp that ultimately drifts off into a nonstop barrage of groan-inducing Internet memes.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605130-scm_002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605130" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605130-scm_002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605130"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605130-scm_002.jpg"></a><figcaption>These types of vertical climbs highlight how bad Super Comboman's wall-jumping mechanics are.</figcaption></figure><p style="">After that introduction, you're thrust straight into the heat of combat and taught how to string together attacks and combo like a pro. At first, you have a few basic moves, such as light and heavy attacks. For the most part, these are functional and help you juggle foes or slam them through a brick wall, but when the action gets going, the cracks in the foundation become too big not to notice. Even under the best circumstances, you can only ever attack in one or two directions, though you often have foes attacking from several elevations in addition to being in front of or behind you. Escape is tough, because it opens you up to other attacks, which can put you in an animation cycle that ends only when you die.</p><p style="">Guarding can help, sometimes, but more often than not enemies just wear you down and kill you. Your only recourse is to parry attacks, which is done by tapping forward. Even that comes at a cost, namely your stamina. With most incoming attacks, a small bubble appears that alerts you to a parry, or at least that's how it's supposed to work. Sometimes there is so much happening onscreen that you just blindly tap forward so you can parry any incoming attack and avoid nasty animation locks. That's fine for a while, but it doesn't take long for that tactic to get exhausting. Add that to the constant flurry of attacks, blocks, and dashes that you perform, and on some levels, your forearms will be cramping inside of 10 minutes.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605132-scm_003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605132" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605132-scm_003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605132"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/416/4161502/2605132-scm_003.jpg"></a><figcaption>It's easy to get caught between two enemies and just...die. It's not fair, and just makes the game that much more frustrating.</figcaption></figure><p style="">If you can defeat enough foes, you steadily earn a bit of cash, which you can spend on more-advanced attacks that are supposed to help rack up damage a bit more quickly, but they're really tough to pull off thanks to input lag. Every once in a while, everything lines up just right, and you can perform really slick combos that feel amazing, but those moments are far too rare and end all too quickly. In a game like this, boss fights should be a full test of everything you've learned up to that stage--tough, but ultimately empowering. Instead, I found that the best option was simply to double-jump in, use one attack, and then jump back out before I took a hit. The bigger, fancier moves Super Comboman tries to encourage are especially risky when facing off against a particular baddy that can knock away half your health with one good shot. Ultimately, combat is far and away more aggravating than fun.</p><p style="">Combos also bring up a smooth-voiced announcer that says things like "Noobtastic," "Scrubtacular," and "Smizzle" when you've performed combos that exceed five, 10, and 20 hits respectively. While the exclamations warrant little more than a dry smirk the first time, given that the game is based on performing combos as many times as humanly possible, the constant audio feedback quickly becomes mind-numbingly obnoxious. It's also representative of the kind of grating humor that pervades the entire game. Some of it can be offensive, depending on your sensibilities. I recall one enemy that's meant to represent homeless men, and after he attacked by flashing his penis offscreen, I couldn't help but think Super Comboman was presenting and reinforcing some of the worst stereotypes of the homeless with a touch of snarky homophobia. That crass and sophomoric humor runs throughout and is usually a miss.</p><blockquote data-align="right" data-size="small"><p style="">Nearly every success is met with an equivalent failure, and that leads to a cycle of hope and despair that perfectly encapsulates the Super Comboman experience.</p></blockquote><p style="">Platforming is just as awful. Super Comboman often transitions from large open areas to cramped vertical segments. To manage the transitions, the designers opted for long vertical tubes that rely on several successful wall-jumps in quick succession. What makes that problematic, though, is that the wall-jumping here is terrible and without qualification the worst I've ever seen in any game. Wall-jumps are typically difficult maneuvers, sure, but game designers have found many ways to make them simple enough to be doable for average players. Mega Man X lets you slide gently down and jump at your leisure, while the Metroid series requires you to properly time only a few button presses and automates the rest.</p><p style="">Super Comboman gives you no such help. You need to jump toward a wall and then quickly switch to moving out and away. The problem here is twofold. With the game's input lag, it's almost impossible to get that timing right consistently, and without a system like that of <a href="/mega-man-x/" data-ref-id="false">Mega Man X</a>, where the game gives you a larger window to make that jump, platforming comes off as ludicrously frustrating. It's made much worse in some timed segments where obstacles and enemies are placed in front of you, and failure means an instant death. That is punishingly, brutally hard for absolutely no reason. After several runs, I found no consistent pattern for what let me succeed and what caused me to fail. Sometimes the enemies would lock me in one of those animation loops and I'd be dead before I could react. At other times I seemed to do everything wrong and still make it through. With levels like this, Super Comboman made me feel like my success was arbitrary and completely divorced not only from my actual level of skill, but also from what I'd managed to learn and ultimately apply within the game.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2605134-scm_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605134" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/416/4161502/2605134-scm_001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605134"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605134-scm_001.jpg"></a><figcaption>In this screenshot, the camera is stuck above the action as a wall of insta-death blades approach. That's a recipe for guaranteed frustration.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Super Comboman is severely flawed, but buried beneath controller-snapping frustration is a game that with some control tweaks, less lag, and some bug fixes could have been enjoyable. Sadly, in addition to its numerous deficiencies, it is riddled with annoying bugs that keep the camera from focusing on you or that prevent your character sprite from loading at all, though to the developer's credit, patches have been frequent. Nonetheless, Super Comboman is still a frustrating mess that's more likely to cause wrist injuries than it is to inspire cries of platforming joy.</p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:24:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/super-comboman-review/1900-6415823/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-olliolli/2300-6420380/ Watch extended gameplay footage from OlliOlli featuring the Giant Bomb crew. Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-olliolli/2300-6420380/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oddworld-new-n-tasty-review-roundup/1100-6421248/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419704" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419704/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">The latest Oddworld game, <a href="/oddworld-abes-oddysee-new-n-tasty/" data-ref-id="false">Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty</a>, is now available on PlayStation 4. Also now available is the first handful of reviews, which we've gathered for you below.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">I describe this as the <em>latest</em> game because New 'n' Tasty isn't strictly new--it's a remake of the first game in the series, <a href="/oddworld-abes-oddysee/" data-ref-id="false">Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee</a>, which was originally released in 1997 for PlayStation. The graphics, sound, and controls have all been improved, while keeping the gameplay mostly intact. As Abe's Oddysee was notoriously challenging, new difficulty settings have been added to allow newcomers the chance to play the game with less frustration.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">New 'n' Tasty is currently only available as a downloadable title on PS4, but PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita versions will follow with Cross-Buy support. This means that purchasing the PS4 version will entitle you to free copies of both the PS3 and Vita versions once they are released. PC, Wii U, and Xbox One versions are in the works, too. Also of note: Should New 'n' Tasty sell well enough, developer Just Add Water <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/want-a-new-oddworld-game-new-n-tasty-needs-to-sell-500-000-first/1100-6418373/" data-ref-id="1100-6418373">plans to work on a remake of the second Oddworld game</a>, <a href="/oddworld-abes-exoddus/" data-ref-id="false">Abe's Exoddus</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The first reviews follow below, with GameSpot's still to come. Let us know whether you played the original Oddysee and if you plan on revisiting it with New 'n' Tasty in the comments below.</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><strong>Game:</strong> Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Developer:</strong> Just Add Water</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Platforms:</strong> PS4</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Release Date:</strong> July 22</li><li dir="ltr"><strong>Price:</strong> $29.99 (Cross-Buy with PS3/Vita releases to come)</li></ul><h3 dir="ltr">GameSpot</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">Coming soon!</p><h3 dir="ltr">Eurogamer -- 9/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"More than anything, what really stands out about Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is the sheer coherency of the original design. It was startling back in 1997 on the PlayStation when games did not often turn up with proper themes to think about, and it's still just as startling in 2014, to be honest, where the grace with which the plot unfolds and the relevance it still has for the real world remain something of an anomaly. This is a story-driven game in which neither game nor story are made to suffer because of the close proximity of such traditionally toxic partners." [<a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-21-oddworld-new-n-tasty-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="2014-07">Full review</a>]</p><div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419725" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419725/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><h3 dir="ltr"> </h3><h3 dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-21-oddworld-new-n-tasty-review" rel="nofollow">D</a>estructoid -- 8/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is roughly the same frequently soul-crushing, yet unique and rewarding game it was in the '90s. Even if you hated it back then, it's probably worth investigating the remake just to see if your puzzle skills have improved, even if there aren't a whole lot of extras ready for you this time around. In the end, Abe's adventure is a tale worth telling." [<a href="http://www.destructoid.com/review-oddworld-new-n-tasty-278263.phtml" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr"><a href="http://www.destructoid.com/review-oddworld-new-n-tasty-278263.phtml" rel="nofollow">I</a>GN -- 8.5/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty is a beautiful remake that irons out nearly all of the problems and limitations of 1997's Abe's Oddysee while bringing its best qualities to the fore. This ground-up remake looks and feels fresh enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any modern 2D platformer--evidence that Abe's Oddysee really was ahead of its time." [<a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/07/21/oddworld-new-n-tasty-review" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</a>]</p><h3 dir="ltr">PlayStation Nation -- 9/10</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">"It's a fine art to be able to recreate something that so many have loved for so long, and the crew at Just Add Water have done so masterfully. The best part is that if you've never played an Oddworld game before, your first foray into the series will be a memorable one for all of the right reasons." [<a href="http://www.psnation.com/2014/07/21/review-oddworld-new-n-tasty-ps4/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Full review</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oddworld-new-n-tasty-review-roundup/1100-6421248/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-new-dragon-age-battlefield-delayed-dota-2-/2300-6420382/ Playing professional Dota 2 won a bunch of gamers a share in $10.9 million, big games are hit with delays, and get The Last of Us on PS4 cheap! Tue, 22 Jul 2014 16:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-new-dragon-age-battlefield-delayed-dota-2-/2300-6420382/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-goes-live-on-xbox-one-and-xbox-360-re/1100-6421250/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6420291" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420291/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Bungie has brought the <a href="/destiny/" data-ref-id="false">Destiny</a> beta--which was expected to be offline for maintenance until tomorrow--back online early. This means gamers on Xbox 360 and Xbox One with a code can now get into the beta and begin playing, and those on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 can get back to what they've been <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-now-live-on-ps4-and-ps3-watch-our-liv/1100-6421173/" data-ref-id="1100-6421173">doing since last week</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Codes for the Xbox versions of the beta are being distributed by email. Provided you've already redeemed the code on <a href="http://www.bungie.net/en/View/Bungie/DestinyBetaFAQ" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Bungie's website</a>, your allotment of codes--everyone with access gets three codes for the platform of their choice--will also be located there.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Bungie's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-now-live-on-ps4-and-ps3-watch-our-liv/1100-6421173/" data-ref-id="1100-6421173">original plans for the beta</a> were for it to be offline for all of yesterday and today, resuming tomorrow at 10AM Pacific. The beta runs through Sunday, July 27; those who play after 2PM Pacific on Saturday, July 26, will receive an exclusive emblem for use in the final game when it launches on September 9. Bungie teased today that it has "some surprises in store" even for those who have already been playing. Over the weekend, it launched a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-gets-two-new-maps-this-weekend-but-on/1100-6421211/" data-ref-id="1100-6421211">special Iron Banner event</a> that took place on PS3 and PS4.</p><p style="">We've already spent a good deal of time with the beta. You can check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-destiny-beta/1100-6421206/" data-ref-id="1100-6421206">everything we know about it here</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 15:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-goes-live-on-xbox-one-and-xbox-360-re/1100-6421250/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/unrest-review/1900-6415822/ <p style="">In many games where conversational choices dictate plot progression, success is often guided by a system of modern Western morality. Choosing the noble response sends you on a path toward "good," while the opposite is clearly "bad." Sometimes there is a moral gray area, but ultimately, the games are typically designed around the binary concept of good and evil. Unrest, however, steps away from such tradition. Challenging the ancient and uncompromising social barriers of Unrest can yield dire consequences: putting your family in peril, shaking a community apart, or much worse. While Unrest struggles to stay consistent in its message, the lives of its damaged, refreshingly human characters stayed in my mind for many days after the credits rolled.</p><p style="">Against the backdrop of an ancient India rooted in both myth and history, you guide several people as they struggle to survive in Bhimra. Once a thriving city, previously considered the mightiest of all, Bhimra is choked by drought and bridled by poverty, disease, and hatred. The game's unconventional cast members stand as grim reflections of Unrest's dismal world. This point-and-click adventure game is devoid of the cleft-chinned adventurer who approaches danger with a charming quip--or a crack of a whip, when charisma won't do the trick.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605097-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605097" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605097-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605097"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605097-0001.jpg"></a><figcaption>Talking to everyone you meet can open new quest options.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Instead, you play as individuals straddling the social divide of India's rigid caste system. They include a peasant girl, betrothed against her will; a priest who bows to new masters for the sake of his family; a mercenary captain, barely keeping the city from tearing itself apart; and a princess, fallen from grace, fighting for survival in the slums. The emotional impact of their stories hits deep. It's hard not to feel sympathy for a young girl whose world was once adorned with flowing drapes, clean clothes, and rich food. This same girl now finds herself filthy, starved on the streets, and standing over a mutilated corpse, contemplating whether she should walk away and save her dwindling pride, or soil her hands with the victim's blood in hopes that a pocket yields a mere crust of bread. Desperation is prevalent, and in Unrest, living to see another day is the greatest victory.</p><p style="">Most of your time is spent in conversations, where your replies shape your fate for good or ill, and discourse is rarely straightforward; Unrest is not a game that provides easy answers to complicated issues. Instead, you are rewarded for your ability to intelligently weave your way through conversations, suppressing any penchant for a brazen response. Yielding to the social laws is hardly virtuous, but it could keep you breathing.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605098-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605098" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605098-0002.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605098"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605098-0002.jpg"></a><figcaption>Unrest stars a cast of unconventional characters.</figcaption></figure><p style="">In conversations, characters acknowledge you in three colored bars representing friendship, respect, and fear. That acknowledgment is important in choosing the right person to strike up a conversation with in order to pursue your goals. In one event, a town guard with little respect for your plight shows a comparable amount of empathy for your hunger pangs, refusing you access to a temple that hands out food. A guard in another story, however, can be coerced to step aside if you latch onto his fear and agree to help appease his crippling gambling debt. But not all characters welcome discourse. The reptilian naga, for example, are often blamed for Bhimra's condition, and therefore show no love toward humans. Most interactions with these creatures in the slums involve death threats.</p><p style="">In Unrest, failing in a storyline is worse than the end of a quest; it could mean the death of a character. You might believe that decisions you make are the correct ones--like I did many times. But Unrest is not like games such as <a href="/mass-effect/" data-ref-id="false">Mass Effect</a> or <a href="/reviews/dragon-age-origins-review/1900-6238628/" data-ref-id="1900-6238628">Dragon Age</a>, and assuming the sensibilities of such games could leave you staring down an executioner's blade. As the story draws to a close, the game tells you how your character managed after leaving your care. My first experience in receiving this report card of my actions was a gut punch--despite my best efforts, my character didn't survive. What had I done wrong? I did everything that came natural to me, and so I assumed I would be kindly rewarded. Unrest's cold pragmatism was sobering, and such lessons linger as the game progresses.</p><blockquote data-align="left" data-size="small"><p style="">Most of your time is spent in conversations, where your replies shape your fate for good or ill, and discourse is rarely straightforward.</p></blockquote><p style="">Unrest requires much readiing, both in and out of conversations. In games with so much unvoiced conversation, reading several paragraphs with each character interaction comes with the territory. But the game also provides detailed profiles on the people the character knows personally, as well as descriptions and the history of items in your inventory. The game's own exposition, coupled with books and scrolls containing Bhimra lore, has you perusing pages and pages of information. It gets exhausting, and I found that I needed to take occasional breaks to rest my eyes and stave off boredom.</p><p style="">Unrest isn't free of concerns, the most damning of which is its tendency to hinder immersion. The vibrant hand-painted environments are far too cheerful for the theme. Bright splashes of colors and hand-illustrated designs are a jarring juxtaposition to Unrest's somber motif, and undercut the overall impact of the stark, poignant world. There are also technical issues, which range from crashing to desktop following one of Unrest's many loading screens to odd pathfinding problems in which characters oscillate along their path or get stuck on corners. During conversations, making choices drops the menu back to the gameplay screen for a split second, which is distracting to the point of aggravation.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p style="">In Unrest, failing in a storyline is worse than the end of a quest; it could mean the death of a character.</p></blockquote><p style="">With different ways to approach situations, Unrest encourages multiple playthroughs. Unfortunately, in replaying the game, I found myself disappointed by how completed stories affect the overall plot. Unrest claims that characters, left alive or otherwise, blend naturally into the game's narrative after their tales are finished. However, only two individuals were ever mentioned, one of them just in a passing comment. In reality, the characters' plights and their impact on the plot are superficial, existing merely to give you the impression that their lives changed something.</p><p style="">But I found myself most disappointed in the game's central story. Out of the four playable characters, there is one whose placement in the narrative is an anomaly; she experiences the hardships of her world, but no matter your influence on it, you cannot alter her course. I had even tried replaying certain sections in an effort to sabotage the final sequence of events, choosing options that I felt could have affected her path, but to no avail. Unrest ultimately opts for what is almost a fairy-tale-like conclusion, which goes against the messages that paved the way.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605103-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605103" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2605103-0003.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605103"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2605103-0003.jpg"></a><figcaption>You can't make everyone happy, especially the desperate. </figcaption></figure><p style="">At the end of her journey, the character ends up in a situation similar to the one that started it; the ending, uninspired, rang hollow. After I completed Unrest, I spent some time contemplating the circular logic behind the conclusion. I thought, perhaps, that the game was attempting to explain that no matter how hard we try to change our destinies, fate is carved in stone and impervious to our influence. But I could be searching for a deeper meaning where one doesn't exist. A quote by a character near the end of the game seems appropriate: "When you get lost in a happy story, all the other details and consequences are nothing, and anything becomes possible."</p><p style="">Despite the glaring issues, I was swept up by Unrest's unique cast, and I cared about their troubles, enough to even feel responsible if the path I led them down ended up in disaster. Though flawed, Unrest's system of cause and effect is a refreshing change from traditional conversation mechanics and deserves appreciation. In a sea of clearly defined morality systems, Unrest proves that sometimes the best waters consist of infinite shades of gray.</p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 15:29:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/unrest-review/1900-6415822/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sentris-the-evolution-of-a-new-kind-of-music-game/1100-6421249/ <p style="">The inspiration for Sentris, a music game by designer Samantha Kalman, came out of her experiences with playing in a band. In <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ghn8Ksojqk" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">the original Kickstarter campaign video</a> for Sentris, she explains, "Making music is a feeling unlike any other. It's an intense emotional rush, being surrounded by music that's coming from inside you and your friends. The first time I experienced it, I knew I needed to find a way to share it with everybody." Kalman was here at the offices of CBS Interactive last week to make an appearance on the <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/giant-bombcast-07-15-2014/1600-924/" data-ref-id="1600-924">Giant Bombcast</a>. When she was done chatting it up with that crew, I sat down with her to talk about the evolution of Sentris, which is going into Early Access on Steam next month.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420365" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420365/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Sentris is not about duplicating pre-existing songs the way that you do in rhythm games like Rock Band. Instead, Sentris provides you with musical frameworks with certain requirements that you need to meet, but outside of those requirements, you're free to string together sounds any way you like. Having played some early levels from Sentris, I found the experience of playing it altogether different from that of playing most other music games. It's a more meditative experience, with the colorful, slowly moving visuals contributing to the feeling of a pleasant, focused trance as I drop sounds into place, creating a song as I move toward solving the puzzle on any given level.</p><p style="">Given that the game allows for a good deal of freedom in terms of how you approach it, I asked Kalman if it was interesting to observe how different people play Sentris. "One thing that's been interesting to me," she said, "is the gap between beginner and expert play. I get to see a lot of beginner play, and everyone is a beginner when they first play the game, and the way it gets talked about is being a very meditative experience, but it becomes less true as you get more advanced. When you become an expert player in Sentris, a huge element of what makes that true is that you're performing your own music. You become more of a real musician as you get better at the game."</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">When you become an expert player in Sentris, a huge element of what makes that true is that you're performing your own music. You become more of a real musician as you get better at the game.</p><cite>Samantha Kalman</cite></blockquote><p style="">But even though the levels are scaffoldings that enable you to create your own songs rather than songs themselves, Kalman has enlisted the help of established musicians in creating some of those levels. She's still tinkering with the overall structure of Sentris, but has an idea of what form she wants it to take. "Right now I'm feeling really positive about embracing an album model," she said, "where the tutorial is an album, and then, I'm working with Disasterpeace and Danny [Baranowsky] and Symbion Project, so, like, here's a Disasterpeace album. And here's all these different songs that were made for the game for you to play. And here's a Danny B album. And then I'm also making level editors and instrument editors so that anyone can make an album as user-generated content and share that with people."</p><p style="">Striking the right balance in level design between structure and freedom has been a challenge in designing Sentris, and Kalman got some insight from someone who has a lot of experience with music games. "At GDC, I had the pleasure of meeting [former Harmonix CEO] Alex Rigopulos, and he made me really think a lot because he said, 'In our games, we find that people can only really focus on one thing at a time. They can only focus on trying to accomplish a challenge, in which case they're ignoring the music and how to craft that, or they're thinking only about how to craft the music and they're not paying attention to the puzzles.'"</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2605149-ci-131619428830385652.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605149" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2605149-ci-131619428830385652.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605149"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/78/787590/2605149-ci-131619428830385652.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">"I had never thought about it in those terms before, because my core mission was always to smash these ideas together into a game in which you have to do both to finish the game. But since he said that, I've noticed that people's attention would shift back and forth between, 'I'm gonna start out just pushing the button and make something and see how it sounds,' and 'Oh, there are some targets here, I'll try to solve the puzzle.'" Kalman says that the different types of puzzles in the game encourage different kinds of play. "The pitch-based puzzles are the game part, you have to solve the puzzles, but the rhythm puzzles are the other part of it." These, she said, give players the opportunity to focus more on what sounds good to them.</p><p style="">I think that Sentris' emphasis on player freedom and creativity could make it an important entry in the world of music-focused games. Kalman is eager to see how players respond to it when it becomes available on Steam Early Access in August. This release is just the next step for Sentris, though; there's still more work to be done. "Depending on how large the community becomes," she said, "I'm expecting to be in Early Access for about six to eight months, and be finishing features, adding many more levels and more music, high-quality recordings of all these analog instruments, and figuring out the right shape for the game, before launching it early next year."</p><p style=""> </p> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 15:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sentris-the-evolution-of-a-new-kind-of-music-game/1100-6421249/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-delayed-a-month-will-releas/1100-6421247/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420161" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420161/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""><a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a> has had several delays in its path to release, and today publisher Electronic Arts and developer BioWare have announced that it's being pushed back again.</p><p style="">The third installment in the RPG series will launch on November 18 this year, more than a month later than its planned October 7 date. This, of course, is fairly insignificant compared to its <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-delayed-a-year/1100-6409593/" data-ref-id="1100-6409593">first year-long delay</a>. Dragon Age: Inquisition was originally supposed to launch in Fall 2013.</p><p style="">Executive producer Mark Darrah explains in a press release that the team needs more time to eliminate bugs and polish the game. "This last bit of time is about polishing the experience we want you to see," he says. "Ensuring that our open spaces are as engaging as possible. Strengthening the emotional impact of the Hero's choices. And ensuring the experience you get is the best it can be in the platform you choose to play on."</p><p style="">He continues: "We appreciate the enormous support we've received from all of you to get to this point, and while this extra few weeks may not seem like a lot, I know the game you'll play will be all the better for it."</p><p style="">Recently, BioWare revealed that it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-has-straight-bisexual-and-g/1100-6421222/" data-ref-id="1100-6421222">attempting to bring diversity</a> to Dragon Age: Inquisition because "there are a lot of stories to tell." We've been able to play some of the game, and it looks very promising. You can check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-the-baldurs-gate-legacy-and/1100-6421016/" data-ref-id="1100-6421016">our extensive preview of the game here</a>. It launches on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on November 18 in North America and November 21 in Europe.</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-delayed-a-month-will-releas/1100-6421247/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-delayed-until-early-2015/1100-6421246/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420367" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420367/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">The release of <a href="/battlefield-hardline/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield Hardline</a>, Electronic Arts' new cops-and-robbers-themed shooter from <a href="/dead-space/" data-ref-id="false">Dead Space</a> developer Visceral Games, has been pushed back until "early 2015," it was announced today. The game was previously scheduled to be <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-october-release-leaked-in-new-trailer/1100-6420148/" data-ref-id="1100-6420148">released on October 21</a>.</p><p style="">In a <a href="http://blogs.battlefield.com/2014/07/bfh-will-launch-2015/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">blog post</a>, Karl Magnus Troedsson, VP and GM of Battlefield series creator DICE, explained the reasoning for the move, summing things up by saying, "[W]e want Battlefield Hardline to be the best game it can be, and so that we can create the best environment for a smooth launch for our players."</p><p style="">Both single-player and multiplayer will benefit from the delay, according to Troedsson. In the case of the latter, the developers plan to add "some new feature ideas direct from the community that will evolve the cops and criminals fantasy into a truly unique Battlefield Multiplayer experience."</p><p style="">For the single-player, Visceral will be "spending more time polishing our core features, as well as adding a few new ones that will support a deeper 'crime revenge' story experience." Visceral recently spoke about how it's hoping to "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardlines-single-player-aims-to-do-som/1100-6421183/" data-ref-id="1100-6421183">do something completely different</a>" with the game's campaign, which draws inspiration from TV crime dramas.</p><p style="">Referring to <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-multiplayer-to-become-deeper-/1100-6421156/" data-ref-id="1100-6421156">feedback received from gamers</a> who played the June beta, Troedsson says, "This feedback also spurred us to start thinking about other possibilities and ways we could push Hardline innovation further and make the game even better. The more we thought about these ideas, the more we knew we had to get them into the game you will all be playing. However, there was only one problem. We would need more time. Time that we didn't have if we decided to move forward with launching in just a couple of months."</p><p style="">The game's stability will also benefit from the delay. <a href="/battlefield-4/" data-ref-id="false">Battlefield 4</a> had a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-defends-rocky-battlefield-4-launch/1100-6417666/" data-ref-id="1100-6417666">notoriously awful launch</a>, with serious issues plaguing the game for months on all platforms. These problems resulted in EA <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/in-wake-of-battlefield-4-launch-issues-ea-overhauling-testing-process/1100-6420568/" data-ref-id="1100-6420568">overhauling its testing process</a>, but concerns lingered among fans that Hardline's launch would also go less-than-smoothly. On the subject of stability, Troedsson says, "This has been a focus for our team since day one and we're going to be using the extra time to continue to optimize the game for a stable launch.</p><p style="">"We have learned a lot from Battlefield 4, are continuing to learn from our Community Test Environment and will learn more from another Hardline beta. More time allows us to surface issues that the team can attempt to fix prior to launch."</p><p style="">An exact new release date has yet to be announced, and there is no word on what this means for the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-beta-coming-to-all-platforms-this-fall/1100-6420797/" data-ref-id="1100-6420797">previously planned fall beta</a>. We've contacted EA to find out more.</p><p style="">Do you find this delay an encouraging sign that EA wants to get things right with Hardline? Let us know in the comments.</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><br /></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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-hardline-delayed-until-early-2015/1100-6421246/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grab-injustice-for-8-batman-arkham-city-for-5-and-/1100-6421245/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2605090-4578796299-batma.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605090" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2605090-4578796299-batma.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2605090"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2605090-4578796299-batma.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">July is a slow month for big game releases. That means that there's time to catch up on some older games you might have missed. Luckily, there are some good sales going on to make catching up even easier. This week's <a href="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Promotion/deals-with-Gold" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Xbox Live Deals With Gold</a> offering has been announced alongside some other discounts that don't require an Xbox Live Gold subscription, and they discount a number of Xbox 360 games.</p><p style="">Good news if you're a fighting game fan: <a href="/injustice-gods-among-us/" data-ref-id="false">Injustice: Gods Among Us</a> is only $8, and <a href="/marvel-vs-capcom-origins/" data-ref-id="false">Marvel vs. Capcom Origins</a> is $7.50. Batman games are also on sale, with <a href="/batman-arkham-city/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham City</a> and <a href="/batman-arkham-asylum/" data-ref-id="false">Arkham Asylum</a> available for only $5. You can get <a href="/batman-arkham-origins-blackgate/" data-ref-id="false">Arkham Origins Blackgate</a> for $10, as well.</p><p style="">Here's a list of all the featured deals this week. </p><h3>Deals With Gold:</h3><ul><li><a href="/injustice-gods-among-us/" data-ref-id="false">Injustice: Gods Among Us</a> -- $7.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li>Injustice: Gods Among Us Season Pass -- $5.99 (Was $14.99)</li><li><a href="/marvel-vs-capcom-origins/" data-ref-id="false">Marvel vs. Capcom Origins</a> -- $7.49 (Was $14.99)</li><li><a href="/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles/" data-ref-id="false">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</a> -- $19.99 (Was $39.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-origins/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham Origins</a> Season Pass -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/dragon-ball-z-battle-of-z/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z</a> -- $19.99 (Was $39.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-city/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham City</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-asylum/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham Asylum</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/batman-arkham-origins-blackgate/" data-ref-id="false">Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate</a> Deluxe Edition -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/the-amazing-spider-man/" data-ref-id="false">The Amazing Spider-Man</a> -- $9.99 (Was $39.99)</li><li><a href="/the-amazing-spider-man-2/" data-ref-id="false">The Amazing Spider-Man 2</a> -- $29.99 (Was $49.99)</li><li><a href="/young-justice-legacy/" data-ref-id="false">Young Justice</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/mortal-kombat-vs-dc-universe/" data-ref-id="false">Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe</a> -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)<span><br /></span></li></ul><h3>Other Deals (Gold Subscription Not Necessary)</h3><ul><li><a href="/sacred-citadel/" data-ref-id="false">Sacred Citadel</a> -- $2.49 (Was $9.99)</li><li><a href="/arcania-fall-of-setarrif/" data-ref-id="false">ArcaniA: Fall of Setarrif</a> -- $4.99 (Was $9.99)</li><li><a href="/risen-2-dark-waters/" data-ref-id="false">Risen 2: Dark Waters</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/darksiders/" data-ref-id="false">Darksiders</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/jeopardy/" data-ref-id="false">Jeopardy</a> -- $7.49 (Was $29.99)</li><li><a href="/mx-vs-atv-alive/" data-ref-id="false">MX vs. ATV Alive</a> -- $4.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/painkiller-hell-and-damnation/" data-ref-id="false">Painkiller: Hell & Damnation</a> -- $5.99 (Was $11.99)</li><li><a href="/red-faction-armageddon/" data-ref-id="false">Red Faction: Armageddon</a> -- $7.49 (Was $29.99)</li><li><a href="/red-faction-guerrilla/" data-ref-id="false">Red Faction: Guerrilla</a> -- $9.99 (Was $19.99)</li><li><a href="/zombie-driver-hd/" data-ref-id="false">Zombie Driver HD</a> -- $4.99 (Was $9.99)</li><li><a href="/frontlines-fuel-of-war/" data-ref-id="false">Frontlines: Fuel of War</a> -- $3.99 (Was $14.99)</li></ul><p style="">Which games interest you? Let us know in the comments!</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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 13:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grab-injustice-for-8-batman-arkham-city-for-5-and-/1100-6421245/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/comic-con-2014-custom-xbox-ones-with-halo-dragon-a/1100-6421243/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2604959" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604959-xbox+forza.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604959-xbox+forza.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2604959"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2604959-xbox+forza.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're in the market for an <a href="/xbox-one/" data-ref-id="false">Xbox One</a> system that looks nothing like the ones that you can find in stores, San Diego Comic-Con later this week is the place to be.</p><p style="">Microsoft has announced the "Collectible Console Sweepstakes" that will see it give away a number of uniquely designed Xbox One consoles, each featuring a different game or game franchise. Among these consoles are <a href="/the-master-chief-collection/" data-ref-id="false">Halo</a>, <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>, <a href="/sunset-overdrive/" data-ref-id="false">Sunset Overdrive</a>, <a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a>, and <a href="/forza-horizon-2/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Horizon 2</a> systems. You can see all of them below.</p><p style="">Entering to win is relatively simple, provided you're attending SDCC or know someone who is. All you need to do is visit the Xbox Gaming Lounge at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, where you'll find all of the exclusive consoles up for grabs, and tweet a picture of your favorite using the hashtags #XboxOne and #XboxSweeps. 20 people will then be selected to win an Xbox One and accompanying Kinect.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">If you're not able to make it, there is an alternative way of entering which involves mailing your entry info to Microsoft. Full details on how to do so are outlined <a href="http://akamai.eprizecdn.net/microsoft/228445/rules.pdf" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">here</a>. Additionally, a Nerdist-branded system will be given away online through the official Xbox <a href="https://twitter.com/xbox" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter account</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft has only officially released the standard black Xbox One to consumers. A <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-employees-to-receive-limited-edition-white-xbox-one-consoles/1100-6413705/" data-ref-id="1100-6413705">special all-white system was given away</a> to Microsoft employees who worked on the system prior to its launch, and a few were later <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/white-xbox-one-fetches-11-300-on-ebay-for-charity/1100-6416249/" data-ref-id="1100-6416249">sold on eBay for charity</a>. It's rumored that the company will eventually <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/update-white-xbox-one-coming-in-2014-halo-2-anniversary-edition-and-titanfall-console-spotted-report/1100-6417425/" data-ref-id="1100-6417425">sell the white version publicly</a>, but it has announced no formal plans to begin doing so.</p><p style="">GameSpot will be bringing you coverage straight from SDCC, which kicks off this Thursday, July 24, and runs through July 27. For some idea of what to expect from the show's gaming presence, check out our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/comic-con/microsoft-xbox-one-booth-tour-comic-con-2013-6411701/" data-ref-id="false">roundup of all the gaming panels, tournaments, and playable titles that will be at the show here</a>.</p><p style="">Which of the systems below would you most like to get your hands on? Let us know in the comments below.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2604962" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604962-xbox1.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2604962-xbox1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2604962"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2604962-xbox1.jpg"></a></figure><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> Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/comic-con-2014-custom-xbox-ones-with-halo-dragon-a/1100-6421243/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-ghostship-aftermath/2300-6420358/ Watch extended gameplay footage from Ghostship Aftermath featuring the Giant Bomb crew. Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/quick-look-ghostship-aftermath/2300-6420358/
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