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You bet. en-us Fri, 04 Jul 2014 05:42:48 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioware-reveals-more-details-on-lelianas-return-in/1100-6420918/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586046-lelianadai.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586046" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586046-lelianadai.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586046"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2586046-lelianadai.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/characters/humans/leliana" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">BioWare </a>has revealed more information regarding the return of a party member from<a href="/dragon-age-origins/" data-ref-id="false"> Dragon Age: Origins</a> in its upcoming role-playing game, <a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a>.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586048-leliana.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586048" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586048-leliana.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586048"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/280/2802776/2586048-leliana.jpg"></a><figcaption>Leliana as she appeared in Dragon Age: Origins.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Leliana was previously confirmed to make an appearance in Inquisition, and according to the character's page on the official Dragon Age site, her "devotion to the Maker is matched only by her devotion to Divine Justinia V, a woman who is both mentor and savior."</p><p style="">Several screens show Leliana's new appearance and hint at her role as "the shadow behind the Sunburst Throne" in Inquisition.</p><p style="">The character's first appearance was in Dragon Age: Origins as a recruitable party member. She went on to appear briefly in the game's sequel, <a href="/dragon-age-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age II</a>.</p><p style="">Just a few days ago BioWare revealed <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-s-dorian-character-is-legitimately-gay-bioware-says/1100-6420844/" data-ref-id="1100-6420844">Dorian </a>as a party member, described by writer David Gaider as "legitimately gay."</p><p style="">Dragon Age Inquisition launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-release-date-announced-new-gameplay-trailer-sets-up-the-story/1100-6419128/" data-ref-id="1100-6419128">October 7</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 22:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioware-reveals-more-details-on-lelianas-return-in/1100-6420918/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guerilla-tactics-rule-on-planetside-2-s-new-continent/1100-6420865/ <p style="">The war for Auraxis has raged on across deserts, mountains, and even tundra, but now it's time to add some roses to your guns and crank up your "Welcome to the Jungle:" The new continent of Hossin is now available to PlanetSide 2 players.</p><p style="">Hossin is covered in swamps and marshes and evokes the feel of a murky biome. A constant haze limits your visibility, while overgrowth, gnarled roots, and hollow logs offer cover on the ground. The terrain features so much natural cover that guerrilla tactics become the law of the land and limit the power of brute force. The canopies of the continent's many forests add a new depth to aerial dogfights where pilots are fighting the terrain as much as they're fighting enemy pilots. The facilities and outposts themselves are not entirely completed, and the continent has been labeled with an "Early Expedition" tag from Sony Online Entertainment to remind players that battling on Hossin is not free from hiccups. Bases that have not had their level design optimization are labeled with words that highlight their antiquity.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584440-2014-06-28_00001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584440" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584440-2014-06-28_00001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584440"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584440-2014-06-28_00001.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The various bases that have been completed display how far the level design in PlanetSide 2 has evolved over the course of its life span. The new base layouts feature better interaction between the placed objects, like floors and buildings, as well as meticulously handcrafted terrain. The Hayd Skydock outpost brings the framework of the bio lab to the ground quite literally, having soldiers fight inside a dome that appears to have crashed or sunken into the ground below. You can tiptoe along the pipes that hold the framework of the bio lab's shields (which offer no shielding here). With the building itself sunken into the ground, the floor has become earthen, with jagged rocks replacing some of the familiar buildings of an otherwise standard dome.</p><p style="">The Gourney Dam outpost features a reservoir of toxic material you must avoid while only providing some fairly thin bridges for infantry within the base itself. The dam's capture point is across the pond from its spawning room, encouraging standoffs and drawing any and all traffic to the limited footpaths of the area. Just to the north of the dam rests Nason's Defiance, a building atop a roomy cavern, adorned with three capture points that sprawl across the vast area. Point A sits in isolation to the south, while B very nearly hugs the spawn tubes, and C rests underground in the cavern upon which the facility was built. The entire base is elevated above the ground, leading to light assaults jetpacking to ascend the walls, while other players funnel in through ramps and lifts to try to get a foothold to penetrate the base's defenses.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584441-2014-06-30_00007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584441" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584441-2014-06-30_00007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584441"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2584441-2014-06-30_00007.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">In my own play, I joined the Vanu in defense of the eastern facility, Nettlemire Gardens, as a New Conglomerate line of tanks assembled on the northern road alongside enough sunderers to supply a steady stream of money-grubbing dogs of war. I hopped into a lightning tank and navigated through the swamps and around the glowing shrubbery to flank the NC's armor line and damage their freshly spawned soldiers before they could push out. After my tank was taken down, I donned my jetpack and skirted the same path, climbing up trees to get a better vantage point and use my C4 to take down the blue buses that were spawning soldiers. My fellow Vanu handled the tanks as we pushed out the NC threat and began to siege their base to the north, The Ziggurat. But the pyramid's side platforms, featuring a spawning room and a portal, and a pain field to keep us back, proved to be too strong in their strategic value, and the NC MAXes pushed us off and away, and eventually a second NC armor column reinforced its comrades from the north and pushed us back to the gardens and returned us to low tide in the waves of battle.</p><p style="">Along with the new continent, PlanetSide 2 now features continent locking, which completely locks the continent from other players being able to play on it (until a new continent is locked). Continents may be locked by taking control of at least 94 percent of a continent's territory, or by winning alerts (the game's dynamic event system), which are now focused entirely on one continent at a time, rather than offering the global "capture bio labs" or "capture tech labs" that had been commonplace. During a continent lock, the empire responsible for the lock gets a surge in power on the other continents, as vehicles or infantry explosives and medkits become half price depending on the continent that has been captured. Hossin still has the Interlink Facilities to come, a new base type for PlanetSide 2, but a familiar name to those who played the original PlanetSide and remember the epic battles over the nigh impregnable basements of the interfarms in the days of old.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584442-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584442" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584442-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584442"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584442-0001.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The locked continents help saturate populations on the other continents and ensure players aren't always fighting in the same place. When a continent finally unlocks once again, the warp gates on the map shuffle for each continent, freshening up the gameplay by giving the different factions a new point of origin on the land. No longer do you have to suffer from IndarSide 2 syndrome, where once an alert dies down you return to Indar for the majority of combat; now, you are forced to explore the other battlegrounds. Outfits are also now able to recruit through an in-game recruiting system to bolster the numbers of the organized platoons on Auraxis, and display outfit pride through purchased decals. Once a base is captured, the game displays the decal of the outfit whose members contributed the most scoring points in the base's capture.</p><p style="">If you've been looking for an excuse to get back to contributing to the war effort on Auraxis, the launch of the Hossin continent is what you've been waiting for. The swamps and jungles are the perfect chance to channel your inner Rambo as you sneak through them to rescue allies as a lone guerrilla trudging through the bogs of Hossin.</p> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 17:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guerilla-tactics-rule-on-planetside-2-s-new-continent/1100-6420865/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/civilization-revolution-2-is-a-good-mobile-game-bu/1100-6420914/ <p style="">In 2009, developer <a href="/companies/2k-shanghai/" data-ref-id="false">2K China</a> brought Sid Meier's Civilization series to mobile with <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-revolution/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization Revolution</a>. This week, it has launched its next foray into tablet gaming with <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-revolution-2/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization Revolution 2</a>, now available for iOS devices and coming later to Android. With a number of visual, UI, and gameplay improvements, Civ Rev 2 brings the tablet Civ experience even closer to the PC's. But like its predecessor, this is not a full Civilization experience. It's been streamlined, reduced, and changed to make it compatible for mobile and accessible for people who don't know the Civ series. As a result, Civ Rev 2 is not a great Civilization title--but it is its own entity, a full-fledged mobile strategy game with engaging combat and resource collection. Ultimately, there are elements in the game that may alienate some hardcore Civilization players. But for people who just want a strategy experience on a tablet, it is an excellent title that will expose them to some of the magic of Civ games.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420067" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420067/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">The main differences between Civilization Revolution 1 and 2 can be seen in the visuals. In the sequel, environments are lush. Cities grow as objects within the world, rather than just icons. Battles now occur with full animation in the environment, rather than the tiny, pixellated window that popped up for combat in the first game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Controls and the interface have also been upgraded. Moving a unit now only requires selecting the character and double-tapping on the tile you want to move to. Selecting a city now brings up every build order and statistic, so you do not have to navigate through a maze of menus to get there.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, the improvements do come with a tradeoff: the camera is difficult to use. You cannot zoom out from the default perspective, and I could never find a world map to look at. It's difficult to find cities and units. Fortunately, the camera automatically cycles through idle units and cities that, so manual perspective control is usually not necessary.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Civ Rev 2 also doesn't have multiplayer. Although it has weekly scenarios with scoring systems, the player-vs.-player mode seen in the first title has been removed for this game. The developer said that the removal was due to low player counts in multiplayer and a design choice to focus on the single-player experience.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When I began a game, I noticed immediately that, like the first game, Civ Rev 2 doesn't have workers. Instead, the entirety of resource collection is done via the city menu and citizens. Tapping on one of a city's tiles reassigns a citizen to work it and collect the resources it contains. This system, which existed in the first Civ Rev as well, vastly increases the importance of city growth and location. When I play <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-v/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization V</a>, the most recent <a href="/pc/" data-ref-id="false">PC</a> entry in the series, I generally don't pay much attention to the landscape where I found cities, because I can simply make farms everywhere to get enough food from the land. In Civ Rev 2, the lack of workers and tile improvements forced me to be far more conscientious of where I set down my cities so that I could maximize the food output of my citizens. This led to more citizens being produced, which allowed me to then collect the other resources in greater amounts.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Although I prefer the worker system--I like having more control over which resources I collect at what time--the focus on the citizens is likely the best way to handle resources in a mobile game. The level of micromanagement that workers require in Civ 5 would be frustrating on a mobile device.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585833-1568908142-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585833" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585833-1568908142-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585833"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2585833-1568908142-25849.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Of course, resource collection is only one part of the game. For many players, building armies and sending them to war is the main draw of Civilization games. In Civ Rev 2, militaries grow quickly, far quicker than I expected. There are fewer buildings in the game than in Civ V, so I found myself building units for most of the time. Since the cities will keep producing a unit until it is manually deselected, I often ended up with fairly large armies just because I forgot to change the build order for one of my cities.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But what makes Civ Rev 2 so dramatically different from Civ V is that units stack. There's no struggle to move military units around to get them to fit in friendly territory. Instead, you can have a great number of soldiers in one tile. Although each unit must attack individually, a group of three identical troops can combine to form an "army," a single unit that gains a substantial strength and health increase. Units have visible attack and defense ratings, so making an army out of three units will generally triple the ratings of the unit.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">Even slightly stronger units can rampage through enemy ranks unimpeded because, except in the case where an individual soldier is killed, health is not persistent across battles.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">In addition, instead of a Civ V-style health bar, damage is measured by the number of individual soldiers in each unit. A warrior unit has three soldiers, for example, and so it has three bars to eliminate. Each battle is determined by a random system like a dice roll that's influenced by the relative strength of the two sides, with the stronger unit having a greater chance of killing one of the enemy soldiers. If you eliminate all three individual soldiers, the unit is destroyed, and your unit can occupy its territory--unless it was stacked. Then, you must fight the enemies in the tile turn after turn until every enemy soldier is killed.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The problem with this system is that it almost completely eliminates the ability for weaker units to kill a stronger unit. In Civ V, you can surround an enemy with a number of weaker units and pick away at its health until the enemy succumbs. In Civ Rev 2, if you have a warrior with an attack rating of 5, and you go against an enemy archer army with a defense rating of 12, it's virtually impossible to take it down, no matter how many warriors you have in adjacent tiles. Even slightly stronger units can rampage through enemy ranks unimpeded because, except in the case where an individual soldier is killed, health is not persistent across battles. There's no measurement for how much damage a unit takes. Although the battles are dice rolls, and I've seen a rating 10 take down a 13 (and consequently receive a huge experience boost from it), for the most part, the stronger unit will always win.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The strategy in combat, then, becomes exclusively to make armies of three of the strongest units you can make. I eventually stumbled upon tanks, which I quickly grew to rely on. When I set out to win by military conquest, I focused on researching tank technology as quickly as possible. When I had a group of three tanks, I made them an army and discovered that it had an attack rating of 90. Since I had researched the tech fairly early in the game, I easily rolled over every enemy in my path, including every city.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A lot of what makes combat so difficult and rewarding in Civ V has been removed and changed in Civ Rev 2. There's no need to flank, no need to encircle, and no need to diversify unit types. I never even needed ranged attacks. All I needed was the strongest unit possible, and I went undefeated in battle.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585834-8596310183-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585834" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585834-8596310183-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585834"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2585834-8596310183-25849.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">And yet, it was still satisfying. I was engrossed with trying to determine the correct path to get to tank technology as quickly as possible. As a result, the early part of the game was tense as I tried to repel enemy advances with sometimes slightly inferior units, getting extremely lucky that I was able to defeat them. One of my cities was taken with ease, because I had forgotten to fortify it. Cities in Civ Rev 2 don't have their own defense; they must have a unit stationed in them or they can be taken simply by moving into them. I forgot about this and lost a city early on, which made me have to direct some of my resources to building up a big enough military to get it back.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The first half of a Civ Rev 2 round is where the game really shines. This is where settlements are important, and you have to juggle having enough troops to beat back an enemy advance, and devoting enough to science so that you can keep the technological advantage. This is where buildings matter. The choices you make in the early game compound into your advantages at the end of the game. When I focused on science buildings at the beginning of one round, it snowballed into the acquisition of stealth bombers by 1960 and unlocking all tech by the turn of the century. Although the developer stated that it was attempting to prevent such "funneling down" of the game, so that early-game decisions didn't irrevocably affect the endgame, I noticed that my focus at the very start generally informed my results at the end. I did note that up until the research of Industrialization, there was a tug-of-war for territory and resources going on between the different civilizations. It felt balanced, and I was able to come back from some catastrophic losses of cities and territory. For the most part, however, the victor became clear as soon as guns were researched.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Of course, no Civilization game would be complete without several different paths to victory. Following the system of the first Revolution, Civ Rev 2 has four different victory types: economic, cultural, conquest, and scientific.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Economic victory is perhaps the most strange to me, because it requires you to simply collect a huge amount of gold. In Civ V, gold can be used to purchase buildings, units, tiles, and city-state alliances. In Civ Rev 2, from what I could tell, gold existed only for the purpose of furthering economic "milestones." These milestones give perks every time you pass one, but that's the only clear use for gold.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420068" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420068/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Conquest victory is identical to all Civ games. Simply capture all of the enemies' capitals, and you win. Cultural victory combines diplomatic and cultural victories in Civ V. You must occupy towns, build wonders and great people, and collect culture, and if you achieve 20 wonders, great people, and towns, you can build the United Nations wonder and win the game. It's an interesting method of encouraging you to focus on culture, but I wish there was stronger diplomatic gameplay in the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">I enjoyed science victory the most by far of the four victory conditions. To win via science, you must research enough technology to be able to build a spacecraft. Then, several spacecraft parts must be built and launched into orbit to create a space station. In Civ Rev 2, this process is fully animated, and a cutscene plays every time a part of the ship is completed. You see the rocket launching into orbit and each module pairing with the space station. A screen of statistics shows the readiness of the ship. Finally, when you pair the last module--a habitation capsule that allows ten thousand citizens to live comfortably for many years--the ship launches for a distant star. In a fun nod to the Civilization series, the citizens fly for Alpha Centauri, where the upcoming Civilization: Beyond Earth takes place.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">This is a game you can turn off, pick back up, and have no problem jumping right back into a round. This is a game I can imagine playing on a short car ride, or a long plane ride, for one hour or six hours at a time.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">There are things about it that might turn a hardcore Civilization fan away. Combat strategy is frustratingly superficial. Controls still aren't amazing. The camera is hard to move around. Resources have been significantly simplified.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But this isn't a hardcore Civilization game. If anything, this is a bite-sized turn-based strategy game with inspiration from the Civ titles. This is a game you can turn off, pick back up, and have no problem jumping right back into a round. This is a game I can imagine playing on a short car ride, or a long plane ride, for one hour or six hours at a time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When I stopped comparing it to Civ V, and instead enjoyed it for its merits as a good mobile strategy title, I realized that Civ Rev 2 is a great game with enough to it to keep me coming back. Even though it is not a full Civilization experience, Civilization Revolution 2 improves on its predecessor in all the right places and continues to bring that turn-based Civilization feel to tablets in an effective and engaging way.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 16:54:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/civilization-revolution-2-is-a-good-mobile-game-bu/1100-6420914/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/watch-dogs-dlc-walkthrough-breakthrough-contract/2300-6420065/ We walk you through one of the first three Watch Dogs DLC contracts, Breakthrough. Set up on the train platform, prepare your sniper rifle, and get ready to unleash hell. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 16:41:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/watch-dogs-dlc-walkthrough-breakthrough-contract/2300-6420065/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/natural-doctrine-hands-on-preview/2300-6420058/ Tom McShea has the chance to watch two developers duke it out in Natural Doctrine and shares his impressions of this exciting card-based strategy game. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 15:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/natural-doctrine-hands-on-preview/2300-6420058/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sign-ups-now-available-for-evolves-alpha-the-co-op/1100-6420915/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419967" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419967/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Sign-ups are now available for an upcoming alpha test of cooperative monster-hunting shooter <a href="/evolve/" data-ref-id="false">Evolve</a>, developer Turtle Rock announced today.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can visit the official <a href="http://t.co/xEKhmPVNsB" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Evolve site</a> right now and fill out the registration form for your chance to play to the game prior to its launch later this year. You'll have to own a PC capable of playing the game--sorry, console owners--have a Steam account (which is free if you don't already have one), and agree not to disclose anything about your experience with the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You'll also need a password--"happyhunting" without the quotes--which Turtle Rock community manager Jess Damerst shared on <a href="https://twitter.com/DamJess" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter</a>, along with the referral code "JoinTheHunt" that you should enter during registration. Gamers interested in checking out Evolve should act fast, as Turtle Rock says it hopes to select its testers by Saturday, July 5. Dates for when the test will begin or end were not announced.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Evolve has a lot of positive buzz surrounding it, having just <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/monster-hunting-game-evolve-beats-batman-lord-of-the-rings-to-win-e3-critics-game-of-show/1100-6420859/" data-ref-id="1100-6420859">won the top prize from the E3 Game Critics Awards</a>. The game pits a team of four players playing as humans against one player who assumes the role of a monster that evolves throughout the course of a match. GameSpot has taken an extensive look at the game recently as part of our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-next-big-game-evolve/" data-ref-id="false">Next Big Game feature</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Evolve, which publisher 2K says will be the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/evolve-poised-to-be-the-defining-xbox-one-ps4-game-of-2014-2k-says/1100-6420873/" data-ref-id="1100-6420873">"defining" game of the year</a> on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, will be available on both of those consoles and PC on October 21.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2585848" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585848-evolve.png" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585848-evolve.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585848"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2585848-evolve.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 14:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sign-ups-now-available-for-evolves-alpha-the-co-op/1100-6420915/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-handsome-jacks-tips-for/2300-6420053/ Hear from Handsome Jack in this trailer for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel as he gives you some tips for surviving on the moon. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 13:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-handsome-jacks-tips-for/2300-6420053/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-the-witcher-3-and-taking-drugs-befor/2300-6420052/ The Witcher Geralt of Rivia is no stranger to drugs, mainly because he uses them to give him an advantage in combat. But have we puny human beings ever done the same? Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-the-witcher-3-and-taking-drugs-befor/2300-6420052/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-features-a-kinect-enabled-digital-/1100-6420911/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2585734" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585734-horizon+2.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585734-horizon+2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585734"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2585734-horizon+2.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Although Kinect is no longer something developers can <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-will-pay-you-40-for-your-xbox-one-kinect/1100-6420789/" data-ref-id="1100-6420789">rely on every Xbox One owner having</a>, it's continuing to be put to use in certain games--and you can now count <a href="/forza-horizon-2/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Horizon 2</a> among them.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft's upcoming racing game will feature an "on-board digital assistant" known as ANNA that functions as a GPS. Microsoft tells GameSpot that, by using Kinect voice commands, you can set your destination by stating the name of the location you want to reach. Once you've done this, you'll be guided to your location by what Microsoft hilariously refers to as "the acclaimed Forza 'green line.'" This will likely sound familiar to players of the original <a href="/forza-horizon/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Horizon</a>, which offered a similarly convenient, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-forza-goes-open-world/1100-6380081/" data-ref-id="1100-6380081">Kinect-enabled GPS feature</a> on Xbox 360.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2585736" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585736-horizon2-.jpg" data-size="small" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585736-horizon2-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585736"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/123/1239113/2585736-horizon2-.jpg"></a><figcaption>ANNA, set me a green line to the sky.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">ANNA can also be used to find events you should play next based on your progress: by simply asking, "What should I do next?" you'll be given event recommendations. ANNA also tracks what friends are doing; should a friend start an Online Road Trip, for instance, you'll be alerted so that you can can easily join his or her game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Horizon 2's Kinect functionality is limited to voice only--Microsoft says it "does not feature head-tracking or motion controls." (Last year's Forza 5 offered limited head-tracking for looking around a car's interior.) This follows Turn 10 creative director Ralph Fulton telling the <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/forza-horizon-e3-interview-with-creative-director-ralph-fulton" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Examiner</a> that the game would feature a Kinect-enabled assistant who is "very intelligent and will suggest things to do in the game and give you a recap when you return to the games," as well as "alert you when friends are online."</p><p style="">The Xbox One version of Horizon 2 is primarily being <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-a-different-game-on-xbox-360-xbox-one/1100-6420678/" data-ref-id="1100-6420678">developed by Playground Games</a>, developer of the first Horizon, while Sumo Digital is handling the Xbox 360 version. The two will be "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-a-different-game-on-xbox-360-xbox-one/1100-6420678/" data-ref-id="1100-6420678">different games</a>," albeit ones "inspired by the same ideas" when they're released on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-forza-horizon-2-launching-september-30/1100-6420211/" data-ref-id="1100-6420211">September 30</a>. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-forza-horizon-2-has-some-devious-tricks-up-its-sleeve/1100-6420331/" data-ref-id="1100-6420331">GameSpot's E3 preview</a>.</p><p style="">Does ANNA's Kinect functionality sound like a feature you'll use? Are there any uses for Kinect that you wish were included? Let us know in the comments below.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-features-a-kinect-enabled-digital-/1100-6420911/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/longtime-blizzard-chief-leaving-the-warcraft-diabl/1100-6420912/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2585751-pardo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585751" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2585751-pardo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585751"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2585751-pardo.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">17-year Blizzard Entertainment veteran Rob Pardo, who most recently worked at the<a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false"> Warcraft </a>and <a href="/diablo-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Diablo</a> studio as its chief creative officer, has left the company. "Every ending is a beginning, and today marks a new beginning for me," Pardo <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/13348514719" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">wrote in an update on Battle.net</a>.</p><p style="">He was the lead designer on the original <a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">World of Warcraft</a>, a game that is still <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-of-warcraft-subscribers-slide-as-activision-blizzard-sees-profit-fall-35-percent/1100-6419463/" data-ref-id="1100-6419463">played by millions and millions to this day</a>. He also worked on the Starcraft, Diablo, and non-WoW Warcraft franchises. In 2006, Pardo was featured in <em>Time Magazine'</em>s list of the <a href="http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1975813,00.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">100 most influential people in the world</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Pardo's decision to leave Blizzard, based in Irvine, California, was made after "long and careful contemplation," he said. He moves on from Blizzard to pursue the next chapter in his life and career.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'm looking forward to new challenges in my career, but I will always cherish the time I spent with you all and the amazing and collaborative teams at Blizzard," Pardo said. "It was both satisfying and humbling, and it made me a better developer and a better person. I look forward to playing Blizzard games as a player for many years to come. Most important, now I have plenty of time to learn how to build a competitive Hearthstone deck."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What's Pardo doing next? "I don't have an answer for you yet," he said, joking that he will inform the company of his future plans "when it's ready."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"My priorities are to enjoy the summer with my family, play plenty of games, and think about what's next," he said. "The game industry is such an exciting place right now with PC gaming thriving, the new consoles, mobile games, and virtual reality becoming an actual reality. It's like having an empty quest log and going into a new zone for the first time."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">He's not known to be the most active Twitter user, but if you want to follow Pardo on Twitter, his handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/Rob_Pardo" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">@Rob_Pardo</a>. He pledged to tweet more often. Prior to joining Blizzard in 1997, Pardo spent two years at <a href="/fallout/" data-ref-id="false">Fallout</a> and<a href="/baldurs-gate/" data-ref-id="false"> Baldur's Gate</a> developer Interplay.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 11:34:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/longtime-blizzard-chief-leaving-the-warcraft-diabl/1100-6420912/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/exploring-why-the-playstation-vita-is-suddenly-out/1100-6420907/ <p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585671-screen+shot+2014-07-03+at+9.09.46+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585671" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585671-screen+shot+2014-07-03+at+9.09.46+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585671"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2585671-screen+shot+2014-07-03+at+9.09.46+am.png"></a></figure><p style="">During a recent episode of the <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/">Giant Bomb podcast</a>, a reader called in to ask about where to find a PlayStation Vita. Despite a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps-vita-slim-hits-the-us-may-6-through-200-borderlands-2-bundle/1100-6418855/">hardware update back in May</a>, he hasn't been able to find one in any nearby stores. That raised our curiosity as well, so we started tracking availability of the system at the beginning of the week.</p><p style="">Sony has already phased out the older version of the Vita in favor of<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-vita-slim-review/1100-6419638/" data-ref-id="1100-6419638"> the slimmer redesign</a>, so the only way to get the new Vita currently is through the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps-vita-slim-hits-the-us-may-6-through-200-borderlands-2-bundle/1100-6418855/" data-ref-id="1100-6418855">$200 Borderlands bundle</a>. It hasn't announced a standalone hardware offering, but the story is the same everywhere: new PlayStation Vitas (both the old version and the new) are unavailable online and in stores across the US.</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.gamestop.com/Browse/StoreSearch.aspx?sku=020419&return=%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fnav%3D131af-c4" rel="nofollow">GameStop</a> -- sold out online and within a 100 mile radius of San Francisco. (Naturally, you can buy a refurbished model now.)</li><li><a href="http://www.target.com/p/playstation-vita-wifi-bundle-with-8gb-memory-card-and-borderlands-2-voucher/-/A-15389006#prodSlot=_1_1" rel="nofollow">Target</a> -- sold out</li><li><a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?_dyncharset=UTF-8&_dynSessConf=&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&fs=saas&saas=saas&keys=keys&st=playstation+vita" rel="nofollow">Best Buy</a> -- sold out</li><li><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/PlayStation-Vita-Borderlands-2-Limited-Edition-Bundle/36009510" rel="nofollow">Walmart</a> -- sold out</li><li>Even <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dvideogames&field-keywords=playstation%20vita&sprefix=plays%2Cvideogames&rh=i%3Avideogames%2Ck%3Aplaystation%20vita" rel="nofollow">Amazon</a> isn't selling the systems directly. You can only purchase Vitas through third-party sellers, though they're selling them at MSRP and are "fulfilled by Amazon."</li></ul><p style="">Speaking with sales associates at individual retailers, no one seemed sure when they'd get their next shipment of Vitas, and some stores reported not having received new systems for weeks. Does that mean that the Vita has become so popular in the US now that it can't be kept in stock, or is the redesign getting phased out before it even started?</p><p style="">Sony commented on the issue, but not with any solid information. A representative for the company said, "We're seeing healthy consumer demand for PS Vita globally, particularly in markets like Japan. The U.S. launch of the slimmer and lighter PS Vita has generated strong interest among gamers, and we're working to replenish supply here to ensure continued momentum leading into the holidays." And an official GameStop representative was more bullish, but similarly vague, saying, "The system has sold better than expected, and we are working closely with Sony to receive more to fulfill customer demand."</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p style="">"The most likely reason for the shortage is that they want to replace the existing unit with something different, and they weren't ready to announce it at E3." -- Michael Pachter</p></blockquote><p style="">But just saying that there's a rise in demand without providing any hard numbers or a reason is especially curious in Sony's case. The new hardware launched in May, which <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-tops-npd-may-2014-sales-charts-in-us-again-wii-u-and-vita-both-up/1100-6420522/">lent a modest bump to the Vita's sales</a>, but there hasn't been a new high-profile game in the intervening weeks that would explain the sudden surge in sales for a console that's otherwise <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-explains-why-playstation-vita-has-come-up-short/1100-6417101/">received a lukewarm reception in the US</a>.</p><p style="">Games industry analyst Michael Pachter agrees. In an email exchange with GameSpot, he wrote, "I think it is exceedingly unlikely that demand has spiked, and am not familiar with any killer games that recently launched that could spur demand. That means that the shortages must be supply driven, meaning that demand is constant (and weak), and supply has declined."</p><p style="">It's possible that supply chain issues have limited supply in some way, whether that's a component shortage or a change in manufacturer. But that's also an issue that would lead to more widespread shortages--a quick check at <a href="http://www.game.co.uk/en/playstation-vita-slim-282303?pageSize=20&searchTerm=playstation%20vita&catGroupId=" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">UK retailer Game</a> and Japanese retailer <a href="http://www.yodobashi.com/ec/category/index.html?cate=&word=vita&ginput=" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Yodobashi Camera</a> doesn't show the same lack of availability as in the US. And that's despite the Vita's continuing, unabated sales success in Japan; according to data from <a href="http://www.m-create.com/ranking/" rel="nofollow">Media Create</a>, Vita was the number two best-selling console last week there. Pachter adds that supply problems are unlikely because, "Sony has been manufacturing the Vita for two years, and the supply chain was in place long ago."</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585669-vita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585669" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585669-vita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585669"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2585669-vita.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">For Pachter, the shortage could signal another hardware revision. "The most likely reason for the shortage is that they want to replace the existing unit with something different, and they weren't ready to announce it at E3. It is possible that they have found a way to make the Vita more cheaply, and are thus able to cut price further. I think their comment about 'continued momentum leading into the holidays' suggests that they intend to keep the Vita alive, and think it is probably just a new model coming that caused the disruption."</p><p style="">That doesn't mean we'll necessarily get something on the scale of the May Vita redesign. The issue could be as simple as replacing an internal chip or other hardware component with either a cheaper or more efficiently produced version--something that could cause a restart of the manufacturing process, but not entail a cosmetic redesign.</p><p style="">Sony has said previously that the Vita will be getting <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/vita-s-focus-will-be-indie-titles-and-remote-play-sony-says/1100-6420613/">less first-party support in the future</a>, but that doesn't mean that Sony will try to phase out the system. While the company has had experience with hardware flops that just get quietly pushed under the rug (<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/psp-go-dead/1100-6309145/">remember the PSP GO</a>?), the Vita's success in Japan alone ensures that it will continue production. The hardware didn't take center stage at E3, but Sony seems to be changing the system's focus to better complement the PS4, rather than count on it (in the US at least), to stand on its own. And Sony has yet to squash rumors of a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-ps-vita-bundle-revealed/1100-6420095/" data-ref-id="1100-6420095">possible PS4/Vita bundle. </a></p><p style="">We'll hopefully have hardware sales information on the Vita next week when the NPD releases its data, which will provide greater context to the Vita's lack of availability. But it's more likely that the those numbers will just show the same modest but continual growth the Vita has experienced in recent months. The real reason for the Vita's sudden disappearance from store shelves will, for now, have to wait to be uncovered.</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a></strong></p><p style=""><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly about this story? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a> and add the headline to the subject.</strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 11:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/exploring-why-the-playstation-vita-is-suddenly-out/1100-6420907/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/aim-down-sights-e3-advanced-warfare-reveals-breakd/2300-6420045/ Dan and Bricey break down the Advanced Warfare reveals from E3, and discuss your feedback and all the latest Call of Duty news. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/aim-down-sights-e3-advanced-warfare-reveals-breakd/2300-6420045/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/humbles-drm-freedom-sale-discounts-broforce-surgeo/1100-6420909/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2585697" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585697-broforce.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585697-broforce.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585697"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2585697-broforce.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The Humble Store today kicked off its Independence Day sale--the <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/drmfreedom" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">DRM-Freedom sale</a>--which will run for the next two weeks and offer discounts up to 85 percent off of a variety of games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A selection of new deals will be rotated in every 24 hours throughout the sale. Today's deals include the early access version of co-op shooter <a href="/broforce/" data-ref-id="false">Broforce</a> for $10 (regularly $15); the always-wacky <a href="/surgeon-simulator-2013/" data-ref-id="false">Surgeon Simulator 2013</a> for $2.50 (regularly $10); gorgeous, hand-drawn adventure game <a href="/machinarium/" data-ref-id="false">Machinarium</a> for $2 (regularly $10); and puzzle/RPG hybrid <a href="/dungeon-hearts/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Hearts</a> for a mere $0.44 (regularly $3).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As the name of the sale suggests, all games are available free of DRM--meaning you don't need to worry about using a third-party client or verifying that you're online in order to play any of them. Many of the games also include access to the Steam versions if, like me, you prefer to be plugged into that system whenever possible while playing PC games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After the recent <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-summer-sale-2014-and-summer-adventure-starts-now/1100-6420606/" data-ref-id="1100-6420606">Steam</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gog-summer-sale-begins-offers-cheap-games-to-fill-the-e3-hole-in-your-heart/1100-6420476/" data-ref-id="1100-6420476">GOG</a> summer sales, you might be feeling guilty about adding even more games to your PC backlog, but the Humble Store provides a great excuse to do so: ten percent of all Humble Store purchases go toward charities including the American Red Cross and Child's Play. We recently learned that, since the online store's launch last November, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/humble-bundle-has-raised-1-million-for-charity-through-humble-store/1100-6420681/" data-ref-id="1100-6420681">$1 million has been raised for charity</a>. This is in addition to all of the money raised during the always-popular Humble Bundles.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The full list of today's deals:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><a href="/broforce/" data-ref-id="false">Broforce</a> -- $10 (original price: $15)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/the-last-federation/" data-ref-id="false">The Last Federation</a> -- $12 (original price: $20)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/surgeon-simulator-2013/" data-ref-id="false">Surgeon Simulator 2013</a> -- $2.50 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr">Bridge Constructor -- $1.50 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/teslagrad/" data-ref-id="false">Teslagrad</a> -- $5 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/retro-city-rampage/" data-ref-id="false">Retro City Rampage</a> -- $2 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/space-pirates-and-zombies/" data-ref-id="false">Space Pirates and Zombies</a> (S.P.A.Z.) -- $2 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/machinarium/" data-ref-id="false">Machinarium</a> -- $2 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/dungeon-hearts/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Hearts</a> -- $0.44 (original price: $3)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/race-the-sun/" data-ref-id="false">Race the Sun</a> -- $2.50 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/really-big-sky/" data-ref-id="false">Really Big Sky</a> -- $1.50 (original price: $6)</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">The DRM-Freedom sale runs from today through Wednesday, July 16 at 10AM Pacific.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Is there anything you plan on picking up? Perhaps more importantly, do you have any money left after the Steam and GOG sales? Let us know in the comments below.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/humbles-drm-freedom-sale-discounts-broforce-surgeo/1100-6420909/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meiers-civilization-beyond-earth-gameplay-walk/2300-6420047/ Watch the E3 behind-closed-doors gameplay demonstration narrated by co-lead designer, Will Miller. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:36:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meiers-civilization-beyond-earth-gameplay-walk/2300-6420047/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/preorder-witcher-3-youre-now-in-the-witcher-advent/1100-6420908/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419528" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419528/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Polish developer CD Projekt Red announced today that a closed beta for <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-adventure/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher Adventure Game</a>--the upcoming collectible card game for PC, iOS, and Android--has begun. The first wave of invitations are going out to people who preordered 2015's <a href="/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt</a> from GOG.com.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Executive producer Rafał Jaki said he hopes players not only have fun with The Witcher Adventure Game, but also share their feedback with CD Projekt Red. The beta will be expanded later on, and you can sign up for a spot by<a href="http://www.gog.com/galaxy" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> heading to GOG's website right now</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The closed beta for The Witcher Adventure Game also serves as the first test of the infrastructure and services for CD Projekt Red's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gog-launches-a-drm-free-steam-competitor-gog-galaxy/1100-6420137/" data-ref-id="1100-6420137">new digital platform GOG Galaxy</a>, the developer said. Beta testers will help the studio test and refine the multiplayer components of GOG Galaxy.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Witcher Adventure Game's closed beta will be held on PC and Mac, while the full version launching this fall will be available on those platforms in addition to iOS and Android tablets. The game is not to be confused with <a href="/the-witcher-battle-arena/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher Battle Arena</a>, a newly announced MOBA set in the fantasy universe.</p><p style="">In addition to the digital versions of The Witcher Adventure Game, CD Projekt Red will offer a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-witcher-adventure-game-coming-to-tabletop-ios-and-android/1100-6420367/" data-ref-id="1100-6420367">physical tabletop game of the same name</a>. In the game, you can play as one of four characters from the Witcher franchise: Geralt, Dandelion, Triss Merigold, and Yarpen Zigrin. The full version of The Witcher Adventure Game will have an offline single-player mode as well as "hot-seat" multiplayer.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:34:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/preorder-witcher-3-youre-now-in-the-witcher-advent/1100-6420908/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Fri, 04 Jul 2014 05:42:48 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioware-reveals-more-details-on-lelianas-return-in/1100-6420918/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586046-lelianadai.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586046" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586046-lelianadai.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586046"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/280/2802776/2586046-lelianadai.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="http://www.dragonage.com/#!/en_US/characters/humans/leliana" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">BioWare </a>has revealed more information regarding the return of a party member from<a href="/dragon-age-origins/" data-ref-id="false"> Dragon Age: Origins</a> in its upcoming role-playing game, <a href="/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age: Inquisition</a>.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586048-leliana.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586048" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/280/2802776/2586048-leliana.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2586048"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/280/2802776/2586048-leliana.jpg"></a><figcaption>Leliana as she appeared in Dragon Age: Origins.</figcaption></figure><p style="">Leliana was previously confirmed to make an appearance in Inquisition, and according to the character's page on the official Dragon Age site, her "devotion to the Maker is matched only by her devotion to Divine Justinia V, a woman who is both mentor and savior."</p><p style="">Several screens show Leliana's new appearance and hint at her role as "the shadow behind the Sunburst Throne" in Inquisition.</p><p style="">The character's first appearance was in Dragon Age: Origins as a recruitable party member. She went on to appear briefly in the game's sequel, <a href="/dragon-age-ii/" data-ref-id="false">Dragon Age II</a>.</p><p style="">Just a few days ago BioWare revealed <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-s-dorian-character-is-legitimately-gay-bioware-says/1100-6420844/" data-ref-id="1100-6420844">Dorian </a>as a party member, described by writer David Gaider as "legitimately gay."</p><p style="">Dragon Age Inquisition launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dragon-age-inquisition-release-date-announced-new-gameplay-trailer-sets-up-the-story/1100-6419128/" data-ref-id="1100-6419128">October 7</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dragon-age-inquisition/" data-ref-id="false">GameSpot's previous coverage</a>.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 22:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/bioware-reveals-more-details-on-lelianas-return-in/1100-6420918/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guerilla-tactics-rule-on-planetside-2-s-new-continent/1100-6420865/ <p style="">The war for Auraxis has raged on across deserts, mountains, and even tundra, but now it's time to add some roses to your guns and crank up your "Welcome to the Jungle:" The new continent of Hossin is now available to PlanetSide 2 players.</p><p style="">Hossin is covered in swamps and marshes and evokes the feel of a murky biome. A constant haze limits your visibility, while overgrowth, gnarled roots, and hollow logs offer cover on the ground. The terrain features so much natural cover that guerrilla tactics become the law of the land and limit the power of brute force. The canopies of the continent's many forests add a new depth to aerial dogfights where pilots are fighting the terrain as much as they're fighting enemy pilots. The facilities and outposts themselves are not entirely completed, and the continent has been labeled with an "Early Expedition" tag from Sony Online Entertainment to remind players that battling on Hossin is not free from hiccups. Bases that have not had their level design optimization are labeled with words that highlight their antiquity.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584440-2014-06-28_00001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584440" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584440-2014-06-28_00001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584440"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584440-2014-06-28_00001.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The various bases that have been completed display how far the level design in PlanetSide 2 has evolved over the course of its life span. The new base layouts feature better interaction between the placed objects, like floors and buildings, as well as meticulously handcrafted terrain. The Hayd Skydock outpost brings the framework of the bio lab to the ground quite literally, having soldiers fight inside a dome that appears to have crashed or sunken into the ground below. You can tiptoe along the pipes that hold the framework of the bio lab's shields (which offer no shielding here). With the building itself sunken into the ground, the floor has become earthen, with jagged rocks replacing some of the familiar buildings of an otherwise standard dome.</p><p style="">The Gourney Dam outpost features a reservoir of toxic material you must avoid while only providing some fairly thin bridges for infantry within the base itself. The dam's capture point is across the pond from its spawning room, encouraging standoffs and drawing any and all traffic to the limited footpaths of the area. Just to the north of the dam rests Nason's Defiance, a building atop a roomy cavern, adorned with three capture points that sprawl across the vast area. Point A sits in isolation to the south, while B very nearly hugs the spawn tubes, and C rests underground in the cavern upon which the facility was built. The entire base is elevated above the ground, leading to light assaults jetpacking to ascend the walls, while other players funnel in through ramps and lifts to try to get a foothold to penetrate the base's defenses.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584441-2014-06-30_00007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584441" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584441-2014-06-30_00007.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584441"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_medium/416/4161502/2584441-2014-06-30_00007.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">In my own play, I joined the Vanu in defense of the eastern facility, Nettlemire Gardens, as a New Conglomerate line of tanks assembled on the northern road alongside enough sunderers to supply a steady stream of money-grubbing dogs of war. I hopped into a lightning tank and navigated through the swamps and around the glowing shrubbery to flank the NC's armor line and damage their freshly spawned soldiers before they could push out. After my tank was taken down, I donned my jetpack and skirted the same path, climbing up trees to get a better vantage point and use my C4 to take down the blue buses that were spawning soldiers. My fellow Vanu handled the tanks as we pushed out the NC threat and began to siege their base to the north, The Ziggurat. But the pyramid's side platforms, featuring a spawning room and a portal, and a pain field to keep us back, proved to be too strong in their strategic value, and the NC MAXes pushed us off and away, and eventually a second NC armor column reinforced its comrades from the north and pushed us back to the gardens and returned us to low tide in the waves of battle.</p><p style="">Along with the new continent, PlanetSide 2 now features continent locking, which completely locks the continent from other players being able to play on it (until a new continent is locked). Continents may be locked by taking control of at least 94 percent of a continent's territory, or by winning alerts (the game's dynamic event system), which are now focused entirely on one continent at a time, rather than offering the global "capture bio labs" or "capture tech labs" that had been commonplace. During a continent lock, the empire responsible for the lock gets a surge in power on the other continents, as vehicles or infantry explosives and medkits become half price depending on the continent that has been captured. Hossin still has the Interlink Facilities to come, a new base type for PlanetSide 2, but a familiar name to those who played the original PlanetSide and remember the epic battles over the nigh impregnable basements of the interfarms in the days of old.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584442-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584442" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2584442-0001.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2584442"><img src="http://static3.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/416/4161502/2584442-0001.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">The locked continents help saturate populations on the other continents and ensure players aren't always fighting in the same place. When a continent finally unlocks once again, the warp gates on the map shuffle for each continent, freshening up the gameplay by giving the different factions a new point of origin on the land. No longer do you have to suffer from IndarSide 2 syndrome, where once an alert dies down you return to Indar for the majority of combat; now, you are forced to explore the other battlegrounds. Outfits are also now able to recruit through an in-game recruiting system to bolster the numbers of the organized platoons on Auraxis, and display outfit pride through purchased decals. Once a base is captured, the game displays the decal of the outfit whose members contributed the most scoring points in the base's capture.</p><p style="">If you've been looking for an excuse to get back to contributing to the war effort on Auraxis, the launch of the Hossin continent is what you've been waiting for. The swamps and jungles are the perfect chance to channel your inner Rambo as you sneak through them to rescue allies as a lone guerrilla trudging through the bogs of Hossin.</p> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 17:09:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/guerilla-tactics-rule-on-planetside-2-s-new-continent/1100-6420865/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/civilization-revolution-2-is-a-good-mobile-game-bu/1100-6420914/ <p style="">In 2009, developer <a href="/companies/2k-shanghai/" data-ref-id="false">2K China</a> brought Sid Meier's Civilization series to mobile with <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-revolution/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization Revolution</a>. This week, it has launched its next foray into tablet gaming with <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-revolution-2/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization Revolution 2</a>, now available for iOS devices and coming later to Android. With a number of visual, UI, and gameplay improvements, Civ Rev 2 brings the tablet Civ experience even closer to the PC's. But like its predecessor, this is not a full Civilization experience. It's been streamlined, reduced, and changed to make it compatible for mobile and accessible for people who don't know the Civ series. As a result, Civ Rev 2 is not a great Civilization title--but it is its own entity, a full-fledged mobile strategy game with engaging combat and resource collection. Ultimately, there are elements in the game that may alienate some hardcore Civilization players. But for people who just want a strategy experience on a tablet, it is an excellent title that will expose them to some of the magic of Civ games.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420067" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420067/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">The main differences between Civilization Revolution 1 and 2 can be seen in the visuals. In the sequel, environments are lush. Cities grow as objects within the world, rather than just icons. Battles now occur with full animation in the environment, rather than the tiny, pixellated window that popped up for combat in the first game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Controls and the interface have also been upgraded. Moving a unit now only requires selecting the character and double-tapping on the tile you want to move to. Selecting a city now brings up every build order and statistic, so you do not have to navigate through a maze of menus to get there.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, the improvements do come with a tradeoff: the camera is difficult to use. You cannot zoom out from the default perspective, and I could never find a world map to look at. It's difficult to find cities and units. Fortunately, the camera automatically cycles through idle units and cities that, so manual perspective control is usually not necessary.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Civ Rev 2 also doesn't have multiplayer. Although it has weekly scenarios with scoring systems, the player-vs.-player mode seen in the first title has been removed for this game. The developer said that the removal was due to low player counts in multiplayer and a design choice to focus on the single-player experience.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When I began a game, I noticed immediately that, like the first game, Civ Rev 2 doesn't have workers. Instead, the entirety of resource collection is done via the city menu and citizens. Tapping on one of a city's tiles reassigns a citizen to work it and collect the resources it contains. This system, which existed in the first Civ Rev as well, vastly increases the importance of city growth and location. When I play <a href="/sid-meiers-civilization-v/" data-ref-id="false">Civilization V</a>, the most recent <a href="/pc/" data-ref-id="false">PC</a> entry in the series, I generally don't pay much attention to the landscape where I found cities, because I can simply make farms everywhere to get enough food from the land. In Civ Rev 2, the lack of workers and tile improvements forced me to be far more conscientious of where I set down my cities so that I could maximize the food output of my citizens. This led to more citizens being produced, which allowed me to then collect the other resources in greater amounts.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Although I prefer the worker system--I like having more control over which resources I collect at what time--the focus on the citizens is likely the best way to handle resources in a mobile game. The level of micromanagement that workers require in Civ 5 would be frustrating on a mobile device.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585833-1568908142-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585833" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585833-1568908142-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585833"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2585833-1568908142-25849.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Of course, resource collection is only one part of the game. For many players, building armies and sending them to war is the main draw of Civilization games. In Civ Rev 2, militaries grow quickly, far quicker than I expected. There are fewer buildings in the game than in Civ V, so I found myself building units for most of the time. Since the cities will keep producing a unit until it is manually deselected, I often ended up with fairly large armies just because I forgot to change the build order for one of my cities.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But what makes Civ Rev 2 so dramatically different from Civ V is that units stack. There's no struggle to move military units around to get them to fit in friendly territory. Instead, you can have a great number of soldiers in one tile. Although each unit must attack individually, a group of three identical troops can combine to form an "army," a single unit that gains a substantial strength and health increase. Units have visible attack and defense ratings, so making an army out of three units will generally triple the ratings of the unit.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">Even slightly stronger units can rampage through enemy ranks unimpeded because, except in the case where an individual soldier is killed, health is not persistent across battles.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">In addition, instead of a Civ V-style health bar, damage is measured by the number of individual soldiers in each unit. A warrior unit has three soldiers, for example, and so it has three bars to eliminate. Each battle is determined by a random system like a dice roll that's influenced by the relative strength of the two sides, with the stronger unit having a greater chance of killing one of the enemy soldiers. If you eliminate all three individual soldiers, the unit is destroyed, and your unit can occupy its territory--unless it was stacked. Then, you must fight the enemies in the tile turn after turn until every enemy soldier is killed.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The problem with this system is that it almost completely eliminates the ability for weaker units to kill a stronger unit. In Civ V, you can surround an enemy with a number of weaker units and pick away at its health until the enemy succumbs. In Civ Rev 2, if you have a warrior with an attack rating of 5, and you go against an enemy archer army with a defense rating of 12, it's virtually impossible to take it down, no matter how many warriors you have in adjacent tiles. Even slightly stronger units can rampage through enemy ranks unimpeded because, except in the case where an individual soldier is killed, health is not persistent across battles. There's no measurement for how much damage a unit takes. Although the battles are dice rolls, and I've seen a rating 10 take down a 13 (and consequently receive a huge experience boost from it), for the most part, the stronger unit will always win.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The strategy in combat, then, becomes exclusively to make armies of three of the strongest units you can make. I eventually stumbled upon tanks, which I quickly grew to rely on. When I set out to win by military conquest, I focused on researching tank technology as quickly as possible. When I had a group of three tanks, I made them an army and discovered that it had an attack rating of 90. Since I had researched the tech fairly early in the game, I easily rolled over every enemy in my path, including every city.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A lot of what makes combat so difficult and rewarding in Civ V has been removed and changed in Civ Rev 2. There's no need to flank, no need to encircle, and no need to diversify unit types. I never even needed ranged attacks. All I needed was the strongest unit possible, and I went undefeated in battle.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585834-8596310183-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585834" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1539/15391776/2585834-8596310183-25849.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585834"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1539/15391776/2585834-8596310183-25849.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">And yet, it was still satisfying. I was engrossed with trying to determine the correct path to get to tank technology as quickly as possible. As a result, the early part of the game was tense as I tried to repel enemy advances with sometimes slightly inferior units, getting extremely lucky that I was able to defeat them. One of my cities was taken with ease, because I had forgotten to fortify it. Cities in Civ Rev 2 don't have their own defense; they must have a unit stationed in them or they can be taken simply by moving into them. I forgot about this and lost a city early on, which made me have to direct some of my resources to building up a big enough military to get it back.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The first half of a Civ Rev 2 round is where the game really shines. This is where settlements are important, and you have to juggle having enough troops to beat back an enemy advance, and devoting enough to science so that you can keep the technological advantage. This is where buildings matter. The choices you make in the early game compound into your advantages at the end of the game. When I focused on science buildings at the beginning of one round, it snowballed into the acquisition of stealth bombers by 1960 and unlocking all tech by the turn of the century. Although the developer stated that it was attempting to prevent such "funneling down" of the game, so that early-game decisions didn't irrevocably affect the endgame, I noticed that my focus at the very start generally informed my results at the end. I did note that up until the research of Industrialization, there was a tug-of-war for territory and resources going on between the different civilizations. It felt balanced, and I was able to come back from some catastrophic losses of cities and territory. For the most part, however, the victor became clear as soon as guns were researched.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Of course, no Civilization game would be complete without several different paths to victory. Following the system of the first Revolution, Civ Rev 2 has four different victory types: economic, cultural, conquest, and scientific.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Economic victory is perhaps the most strange to me, because it requires you to simply collect a huge amount of gold. In Civ V, gold can be used to purchase buildings, units, tiles, and city-state alliances. In Civ Rev 2, from what I could tell, gold existed only for the purpose of furthering economic "milestones." These milestones give perks every time you pass one, but that's the only clear use for gold.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6420068" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6420068/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Conquest victory is identical to all Civ games. Simply capture all of the enemies' capitals, and you win. Cultural victory combines diplomatic and cultural victories in Civ V. You must occupy towns, build wonders and great people, and collect culture, and if you achieve 20 wonders, great people, and towns, you can build the United Nations wonder and win the game. It's an interesting method of encouraging you to focus on culture, but I wish there was stronger diplomatic gameplay in the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">I enjoyed science victory the most by far of the four victory conditions. To win via science, you must research enough technology to be able to build a spacecraft. Then, several spacecraft parts must be built and launched into orbit to create a space station. In Civ Rev 2, this process is fully animated, and a cutscene plays every time a part of the ship is completed. You see the rocket launching into orbit and each module pairing with the space station. A screen of statistics shows the readiness of the ship. Finally, when you pair the last module--a habitation capsule that allows ten thousand citizens to live comfortably for many years--the ship launches for a distant star. In a fun nod to the Civilization series, the citizens fly for Alpha Centauri, where the upcoming Civilization: Beyond Earth takes place.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p dir="ltr" style="">This is a game you can turn off, pick back up, and have no problem jumping right back into a round. This is a game I can imagine playing on a short car ride, or a long plane ride, for one hour or six hours at a time.</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">There are things about it that might turn a hardcore Civilization fan away. Combat strategy is frustratingly superficial. Controls still aren't amazing. The camera is hard to move around. Resources have been significantly simplified.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But this isn't a hardcore Civilization game. If anything, this is a bite-sized turn-based strategy game with inspiration from the Civ titles. This is a game you can turn off, pick back up, and have no problem jumping right back into a round. This is a game I can imagine playing on a short car ride, or a long plane ride, for one hour or six hours at a time.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">When I stopped comparing it to Civ V, and instead enjoyed it for its merits as a good mobile strategy title, I realized that Civ Rev 2 is a great game with enough to it to keep me coming back. Even though it is not a full Civilization experience, Civilization Revolution 2 improves on its predecessor in all the right places and continues to bring that turn-based Civilization feel to tablets in an effective and engaging way.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 16:54:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/civilization-revolution-2-is-a-good-mobile-game-bu/1100-6420914/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/watch-dogs-dlc-walkthrough-breakthrough-contract/2300-6420065/ We walk you through one of the first three Watch Dogs DLC contracts, Breakthrough. Set up on the train platform, prepare your sniper rifle, and get ready to unleash hell. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 16:41:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/watch-dogs-dlc-walkthrough-breakthrough-contract/2300-6420065/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/natural-doctrine-hands-on-preview/2300-6420058/ Tom McShea has the chance to watch two developers duke it out in Natural Doctrine and shares his impressions of this exciting card-based strategy game. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 15:52:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/natural-doctrine-hands-on-preview/2300-6420058/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sign-ups-now-available-for-evolves-alpha-the-co-op/1100-6420915/ <div data-height="100%" data-width="100%" data-ref-id="2300-6419967" data-embed-type="video"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419967/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Sign-ups are now available for an upcoming alpha test of cooperative monster-hunting shooter <a href="/evolve/" data-ref-id="false">Evolve</a>, developer Turtle Rock announced today.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You can visit the official <a href="http://t.co/xEKhmPVNsB" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Evolve site</a> right now and fill out the registration form for your chance to play to the game prior to its launch later this year. You'll have to own a PC capable of playing the game--sorry, console owners--have a Steam account (which is free if you don't already have one), and agree not to disclose anything about your experience with the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">You'll also need a password--"happyhunting" without the quotes--which Turtle Rock community manager Jess Damerst shared on <a href="https://twitter.com/DamJess" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter</a>, along with the referral code "JoinTheHunt" that you should enter during registration. Gamers interested in checking out Evolve should act fast, as Turtle Rock says it hopes to select its testers by Saturday, July 5. Dates for when the test will begin or end were not announced.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Evolve has a lot of positive buzz surrounding it, having just <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/monster-hunting-game-evolve-beats-batman-lord-of-the-rings-to-win-e3-critics-game-of-show/1100-6420859/" data-ref-id="1100-6420859">won the top prize from the E3 Game Critics Awards</a>. The game pits a team of four players playing as humans against one player who assumes the role of a monster that evolves throughout the course of a match. GameSpot has taken an extensive look at the game recently as part of our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-next-big-game-evolve/" data-ref-id="false">Next Big Game feature</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Evolve, which publisher 2K says will be the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/evolve-poised-to-be-the-defining-xbox-one-ps4-game-of-2014-2k-says/1100-6420873/" data-ref-id="1100-6420873">"defining" game of the year</a> on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, will be available on both of those consoles and PC on October 21.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2585848" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585848-evolve.png" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585848-evolve.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585848"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2585848-evolve.png"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 14:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sign-ups-now-available-for-evolves-alpha-the-co-op/1100-6420915/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-handsome-jacks-tips-for/2300-6420053/ Hear from Handsome Jack in this trailer for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel as he gives you some tips for surviving on the moon. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 13:18:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/borderlands-the-pre-sequel-handsome-jacks-tips-for/2300-6420053/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-the-witcher-3-and-taking-drugs-befor/2300-6420052/ The Witcher Geralt of Rivia is no stranger to drugs, mainly because he uses them to give him an advantage in combat. But have we puny human beings ever done the same? Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:48:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/reality-check-the-witcher-3-and-taking-drugs-befor/2300-6420052/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-features-a-kinect-enabled-digital-/1100-6420911/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2585734" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585734-horizon+2.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585734-horizon+2.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585734"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2585734-horizon+2.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Although Kinect is no longer something developers can <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamestop-will-pay-you-40-for-your-xbox-one-kinect/1100-6420789/" data-ref-id="1100-6420789">rely on every Xbox One owner having</a>, it's continuing to be put to use in certain games--and you can now count <a href="/forza-horizon-2/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Horizon 2</a> among them.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Microsoft's upcoming racing game will feature an "on-board digital assistant" known as ANNA that functions as a GPS. Microsoft tells GameSpot that, by using Kinect voice commands, you can set your destination by stating the name of the location you want to reach. Once you've done this, you'll be guided to your location by what Microsoft hilariously refers to as "the acclaimed Forza 'green line.'" This will likely sound familiar to players of the original <a href="/forza-horizon/" data-ref-id="false">Forza Horizon</a>, which offered a similarly convenient, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-forza-goes-open-world/1100-6380081/" data-ref-id="1100-6380081">Kinect-enabled GPS feature</a> on Xbox 360.</p><figure data-ref-id="1300-2585736" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585736-horizon2-.jpg" data-size="small" data-align="right" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585736-horizon2-.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585736"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/123/1239113/2585736-horizon2-.jpg"></a><figcaption>ANNA, set me a green line to the sky.</figcaption></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">ANNA can also be used to find events you should play next based on your progress: by simply asking, "What should I do next?" you'll be given event recommendations. ANNA also tracks what friends are doing; should a friend start an Online Road Trip, for instance, you'll be alerted so that you can can easily join his or her game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Horizon 2's Kinect functionality is limited to voice only--Microsoft says it "does not feature head-tracking or motion controls." (Last year's Forza 5 offered limited head-tracking for looking around a car's interior.) This follows Turn 10 creative director Ralph Fulton telling the <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/forza-horizon-e3-interview-with-creative-director-ralph-fulton" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Examiner</a> that the game would feature a Kinect-enabled assistant who is "very intelligent and will suggest things to do in the game and give you a recap when you return to the games," as well as "alert you when friends are online."</p><p style="">The Xbox One version of Horizon 2 is primarily being <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-a-different-game-on-xbox-360-xbox-one/1100-6420678/" data-ref-id="1100-6420678">developed by Playground Games</a>, developer of the first Horizon, while Sumo Digital is handling the Xbox 360 version. The two will be "<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-a-different-game-on-xbox-360-xbox-one/1100-6420678/" data-ref-id="1100-6420678">different games</a>," albeit ones "inspired by the same ideas" when they're released on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-forza-horizon-2-launching-september-30/1100-6420211/" data-ref-id="1100-6420211">September 30</a>. For more, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-forza-horizon-2-has-some-devious-tricks-up-its-sleeve/1100-6420331/" data-ref-id="1100-6420331">GameSpot's E3 preview</a>.</p><p style="">Does ANNA's Kinect functionality sound like a feature you'll use? Are there any uses for Kinect that you wish were included? Let us know in the comments below.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/forza-horizon-2-features-a-kinect-enabled-digital-/1100-6420911/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/longtime-blizzard-chief-leaving-the-warcraft-diabl/1100-6420912/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2585751-pardo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585751" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2585751-pardo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585751"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1179/11799911/2585751-pardo.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">17-year Blizzard Entertainment veteran Rob Pardo, who most recently worked at the<a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false"> Warcraft </a>and <a href="/diablo-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Diablo</a> studio as its chief creative officer, has left the company. "Every ending is a beginning, and today marks a new beginning for me," Pardo <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/13348514719" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">wrote in an update on Battle.net</a>.</p><p style="">He was the lead designer on the original <a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">World of Warcraft</a>, a game that is still <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/world-of-warcraft-subscribers-slide-as-activision-blizzard-sees-profit-fall-35-percent/1100-6419463/" data-ref-id="1100-6419463">played by millions and millions to this day</a>. He also worked on the Starcraft, Diablo, and non-WoW Warcraft franchises. In 2006, Pardo was featured in <em>Time Magazine'</em>s list of the <a href="http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/0,28757,1975813,00.html" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">100 most influential people in the world</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Pardo's decision to leave Blizzard, based in Irvine, California, was made after "long and careful contemplation," he said. He moves on from Blizzard to pursue the next chapter in his life and career.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"I'm looking forward to new challenges in my career, but I will always cherish the time I spent with you all and the amazing and collaborative teams at Blizzard," Pardo said. "It was both satisfying and humbling, and it made me a better developer and a better person. I look forward to playing Blizzard games as a player for many years to come. Most important, now I have plenty of time to learn how to build a competitive Hearthstone deck."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">What's Pardo doing next? "I don't have an answer for you yet," he said, joking that he will inform the company of his future plans "when it's ready."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"My priorities are to enjoy the summer with my family, play plenty of games, and think about what's next," he said. "The game industry is such an exciting place right now with PC gaming thriving, the new consoles, mobile games, and virtual reality becoming an actual reality. It's like having an empty quest log and going into a new zone for the first time."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">He's not known to be the most active Twitter user, but if you want to follow Pardo on Twitter, his handle is <a href="https://twitter.com/Rob_Pardo" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">@Rob_Pardo</a>. He pledged to tweet more often. Prior to joining Blizzard in 1997, Pardo spent two years at <a href="/fallout/" data-ref-id="false">Fallout</a> and<a href="/baldurs-gate/" data-ref-id="false"> Baldur's Gate</a> developer Interplay.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 11:34:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/longtime-blizzard-chief-leaving-the-warcraft-diabl/1100-6420912/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/exploring-why-the-playstation-vita-is-suddenly-out/1100-6420907/ <p style=""> </p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585671-screen+shot+2014-07-03+at+9.09.46+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585671" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585671-screen+shot+2014-07-03+at+9.09.46+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2585671"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/1534/15343359/2585671-screen+shot+2014-07-03+at+9.09.46+am.png"></a></figure><p style="">During a recent episode of the <a href="http://www.giantbomb.com/podcasts/">Giant Bomb podcast</a>, a reader called in to ask about where to find a PlayStation Vita. Despite a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps-vita-slim-hits-the-us-may-6-through-200-borderlands-2-bundle/1100-6418855/">hardware update back in May</a>, he hasn't been able to find one in any nearby stores. That raised our curiosity as well, so we started tracking availability of the system at the beginning of the week.</p><p style="">Sony has already phased out the older version of the Vita in favor of<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-vita-slim-review/1100-6419638/" data-ref-id="1100-6419638"> the slimmer redesign</a>, so the only way to get the new Vita currently is through the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps-vita-slim-hits-the-us-may-6-through-200-borderlands-2-bundle/1100-6418855/" data-ref-id="1100-6418855">$200 Borderlands bundle</a>. It hasn't announced a standalone hardware offering, but the story is the same everywhere: new PlayStation Vitas (both the old version and the new) are unavailable online and in stores across the US.</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.gamestop.com/Browse/StoreSearch.aspx?sku=020419&return=%2Fdefault.aspx%3Fnav%3D131af-c4" rel="nofollow">GameStop</a> -- sold out online and within a 100 mile radius of San Francisco. (Naturally, you can buy a refurbished model now.)</li><li><a href="http://www.target.com/p/playstation-vita-wifi-bundle-with-8gb-memory-card-and-borderlands-2-voucher/-/A-15389006#prodSlot=_1_1" rel="nofollow">Target</a> -- sold out</li><li><a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?_dyncharset=UTF-8&_dynSessConf=&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&fs=saas&saas=saas&keys=keys&st=playstation+vita" rel="nofollow">Best Buy</a> -- sold out</li><li><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/PlayStation-Vita-Borderlands-2-Limited-Edition-Bundle/36009510" rel="nofollow">Walmart</a> -- sold out</li><li>Even <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dvideogames&field-keywords=playstation%20vita&sprefix=plays%2Cvideogames&rh=i%3Avideogames%2Ck%3Aplaystation%20vita" rel="nofollow">Amazon</a> isn't selling the systems directly. You can only purchase Vitas through third-party sellers, though they're selling them at MSRP and are "fulfilled by Amazon."</li></ul><p style="">Speaking with sales associates at individual retailers, no one seemed sure when they'd get their next shipment of Vitas, and some stores reported not having received new systems for weeks. Does that mean that the Vita has become so popular in the US now that it can't be kept in stock, or is the redesign getting phased out before it even started?</p><p style="">Sony commented on the issue, but not with any solid information. A representative for the company said, "We're seeing healthy consumer demand for PS Vita globally, particularly in markets like Japan. The U.S. launch of the slimmer and lighter PS Vita has generated strong interest among gamers, and we're working to replenish supply here to ensure continued momentum leading into the holidays." And an official GameStop representative was more bullish, but similarly vague, saying, "The system has sold better than expected, and we are working closely with Sony to receive more to fulfill customer demand."</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="left"><p style="">"The most likely reason for the shortage is that they want to replace the existing unit with something different, and they weren't ready to announce it at E3." -- Michael Pachter</p></blockquote><p style="">But just saying that there's a rise in demand without providing any hard numbers or a reason is especially curious in Sony's case. The new hardware launched in May, which <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-tops-npd-may-2014-sales-charts-in-us-again-wii-u-and-vita-both-up/1100-6420522/">lent a modest bump to the Vita's sales</a>, but there hasn't been a new high-profile game in the intervening weeks that would explain the sudden surge in sales for a console that's otherwise <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-explains-why-playstation-vita-has-come-up-short/1100-6417101/">received a lukewarm reception in the US</a>.</p><p style="">Games industry analyst Michael Pachter agrees. In an email exchange with GameSpot, he wrote, "I think it is exceedingly unlikely that demand has spiked, and am not familiar with any killer games that recently launched that could spur demand. That means that the shortages must be supply driven, meaning that demand is constant (and weak), and supply has declined."</p><p style="">It's possible that supply chain issues have limited supply in some way, whether that's a component shortage or a change in manufacturer. But that's also an issue that would lead to more widespread shortages--a quick check at <a href="http://www.game.co.uk/en/playstation-vita-slim-282303?pageSize=20&searchTerm=playstation%20vita&catGroupId=" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">UK retailer Game</a> and Japanese retailer <a href="http://www.yodobashi.com/ec/category/index.html?cate=&word=vita&ginput=" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Yodobashi Camera</a> doesn't show the same lack of availability as in the US. And that's despite the Vita's continuing, unabated sales success in Japan; according to data from <a href="http://www.m-create.com/ranking/" rel="nofollow">Media Create</a>, Vita was the number two best-selling console last week there. Pachter adds that supply problems are unlikely because, "Sony has been manufacturing the Vita for two years, and the supply chain was in place long ago."</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585669-vita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585669" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2585669-vita.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585669"><img src="http://static2.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_small/1534/15343359/2585669-vita.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">For Pachter, the shortage could signal another hardware revision. "The most likely reason for the shortage is that they want to replace the existing unit with something different, and they weren't ready to announce it at E3. It is possible that they have found a way to make the Vita more cheaply, and are thus able to cut price further. I think their comment about 'continued momentum leading into the holidays' suggests that they intend to keep the Vita alive, and think it is probably just a new model coming that caused the disruption."</p><p style="">That doesn't mean we'll necessarily get something on the scale of the May Vita redesign. The issue could be as simple as replacing an internal chip or other hardware component with either a cheaper or more efficiently produced version--something that could cause a restart of the manufacturing process, but not entail a cosmetic redesign.</p><p style="">Sony has said previously that the Vita will be getting <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/vita-s-focus-will-be-indie-titles-and-remote-play-sony-says/1100-6420613/">less first-party support in the future</a>, but that doesn't mean that Sony will try to phase out the system. While the company has had experience with hardware flops that just get quietly pushed under the rug (<a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/psp-go-dead/1100-6309145/">remember the PSP GO</a>?), the Vita's success in Japan alone ensures that it will continue production. The hardware didn't take center stage at E3, but Sony seems to be changing the system's focus to better complement the PS4, rather than count on it (in the US at least), to stand on its own. And Sony has yet to squash rumors of a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-ps-vita-bundle-revealed/1100-6420095/" data-ref-id="1100-6420095">possible PS4/Vita bundle. </a></p><p style="">We'll hopefully have hardware sales information on the Vita next week when the NPD releases its data, which will provide greater context to the Vita's lack of availability. But it's more likely that the those numbers will just show the same modest but continual growth the Vita has experienced in recent months. The real reason for the Vita's sudden disappearance from store shelves will, for now, have to wait to be uncovered.</p><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><p style=""><strong>Justin Haywald is a senior editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/JustinHaywald" rel="nofollow"> Twitter @JustinHaywald</a></strong></p><p style=""><strong>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly about this story? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a> and add the headline to the subject.</strong></p><p style=""> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 11:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/exploring-why-the-playstation-vita-is-suddenly-out/1100-6420907/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/aim-down-sights-e3-advanced-warfare-reveals-breakd/2300-6420045/ Dan and Bricey break down the Advanced Warfare reveals from E3, and discuss your feedback and all the latest Call of Duty news. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:55:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/aim-down-sights-e3-advanced-warfare-reveals-breakd/2300-6420045/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/humbles-drm-freedom-sale-discounts-broforce-surgeo/1100-6420909/ <figure data-ref-id="1300-2585697" data-img-src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585697-broforce.jpg" data-size="large" data-align="center" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/2585697-broforce.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2585697"><img src="http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/ignore_jpg_scale_super/123/1239113/2585697-broforce.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The Humble Store today kicked off its Independence Day sale--the <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/drmfreedom" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">DRM-Freedom sale</a>--which will run for the next two weeks and offer discounts up to 85 percent off of a variety of games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">A selection of new deals will be rotated in every 24 hours throughout the sale. Today's deals include the early access version of co-op shooter <a href="/broforce/" data-ref-id="false">Broforce</a> for $10 (regularly $15); the always-wacky <a href="/surgeon-simulator-2013/" data-ref-id="false">Surgeon Simulator 2013</a> for $2.50 (regularly $10); gorgeous, hand-drawn adventure game <a href="/machinarium/" data-ref-id="false">Machinarium</a> for $2 (regularly $10); and puzzle/RPG hybrid <a href="/dungeon-hearts/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Hearts</a> for a mere $0.44 (regularly $3).</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As the name of the sale suggests, all games are available free of DRM--meaning you don't need to worry about using a third-party client or verifying that you're online in order to play any of them. Many of the games also include access to the Steam versions if, like me, you prefer to be plugged into that system whenever possible while playing PC games.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After the recent <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/steam-summer-sale-2014-and-summer-adventure-starts-now/1100-6420606/" data-ref-id="1100-6420606">Steam</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gog-summer-sale-begins-offers-cheap-games-to-fill-the-e3-hole-in-your-heart/1100-6420476/" data-ref-id="1100-6420476">GOG</a> summer sales, you might be feeling guilty about adding even more games to your PC backlog, but the Humble Store provides a great excuse to do so: ten percent of all Humble Store purchases go toward charities including the American Red Cross and Child's Play. We recently learned that, since the online store's launch last November, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/humble-bundle-has-raised-1-million-for-charity-through-humble-store/1100-6420681/" data-ref-id="1100-6420681">$1 million has been raised for charity</a>. This is in addition to all of the money raised during the always-popular Humble Bundles.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The full list of today's deals:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><a href="/broforce/" data-ref-id="false">Broforce</a> -- $10 (original price: $15)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/the-last-federation/" data-ref-id="false">The Last Federation</a> -- $12 (original price: $20)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/surgeon-simulator-2013/" data-ref-id="false">Surgeon Simulator 2013</a> -- $2.50 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr">Bridge Constructor -- $1.50 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/teslagrad/" data-ref-id="false">Teslagrad</a> -- $5 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/retro-city-rampage/" data-ref-id="false">Retro City Rampage</a> -- $2 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/space-pirates-and-zombies/" data-ref-id="false">Space Pirates and Zombies</a> (S.P.A.Z.) -- $2 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/machinarium/" data-ref-id="false">Machinarium</a> -- $2 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/dungeon-hearts/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Hearts</a> -- $0.44 (original price: $3)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/race-the-sun/" data-ref-id="false">Race the Sun</a> -- $2.50 (original price: $10)</li><li dir="ltr"><a href="/really-big-sky/" data-ref-id="false">Really Big Sky</a> -- $1.50 (original price: $6)</li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="">The DRM-Freedom sale runs from today through Wednesday, July 16 at 10AM Pacific.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Is there anything you plan on picking up? Perhaps more importantly, do you have any money left after the Steam and GOG sales? Let us know in the comments below.</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/humbles-drm-freedom-sale-discounts-broforce-surgeo/1100-6420909/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meiers-civilization-beyond-earth-gameplay-walk/2300-6420047/ Watch the E3 behind-closed-doors gameplay demonstration narrated by co-lead designer, Will Miller. Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:36:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/sid-meiers-civilization-beyond-earth-gameplay-walk/2300-6420047/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/preorder-witcher-3-youre-now-in-the-witcher-advent/1100-6420908/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6419528" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6419528/" width="100%" height="100%" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Polish developer CD Projekt Red announced today that a closed beta for <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-witcher-adventure/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher Adventure Game</a>--the upcoming collectible card game for PC, iOS, and Android--has begun. The first wave of invitations are going out to people who preordered 2015's <a href="/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt</a> from GOG.com.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Executive producer Rafał Jaki said he hopes players not only have fun with The Witcher Adventure Game, but also share their feedback with CD Projekt Red. The beta will be expanded later on, and you can sign up for a spot by<a href="http://www.gog.com/galaxy" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> heading to GOG's website right now</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The closed beta for The Witcher Adventure Game also serves as the first test of the infrastructure and services for CD Projekt Red's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/gog-launches-a-drm-free-steam-competitor-gog-galaxy/1100-6420137/" data-ref-id="1100-6420137">new digital platform GOG Galaxy</a>, the developer said. Beta testers will help the studio test and refine the multiplayer components of GOG Galaxy.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Witcher Adventure Game's closed beta will be held on PC and Mac, while the full version launching this fall will be available on those platforms in addition to iOS and Android tablets. The game is not to be confused with <a href="/the-witcher-battle-arena/" data-ref-id="false">The Witcher Battle Arena</a>, a newly announced MOBA set in the fantasy universe.</p><p style="">In addition to the digital versions of The Witcher Adventure Game, CD Projekt Red will offer a <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-the-witcher-adventure-game-coming-to-tabletop-ios-and-android/1100-6420367/" data-ref-id="1100-6420367">physical tabletop game of the same name</a>. In the game, you can play as one of four characters from the Witcher franchise: Geralt, Dandelion, Triss Merigold, and Yarpen Zigrin. The full version of The Witcher Adventure Game will have an offline single-player mode as well as "hot-seat" multiplayer.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</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> Thu, 03 Jul 2014 10:34:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/preorder-witcher-3-youre-now-in-the-witcher-advent/1100-6420908/
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