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Written By Kom Limpulnam on Sabtu, 01 Maret 2014 | 19.51

Gamespot's Site MashupTwitch Plays Pokemon collects all badges, enters home stretchBasement Crawl ReviewThief Walkthrough - PrologueGS News - PS4 Virtual Reality Headset + Who Thinks Fable 3 Sucked?!Pilotwings Highlights - MEGABITPlants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare - Plants Starter GuidePath of Exile: Sacrifice of the Vaal - Official TrailerPath of Exile: Sacrifice of the Vaal - Now PlayingYoshi's New Island - PreviewDonkey Kong/Metroid Prime dev calls Wii U a "powerhouse," confirms new gameThe Best South Park Episodes to Watch Before Playing The Stick of TruthFeedbackula - Thief Stealth Sourness!PlayStation Plus Free Games of MarchThe Threat of Microtransactions Looming Over Plants vs. Zombies: Garden WarfareThis is what a 'fourth-person' PS4 and PS Vita game looks like

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 01 Mar 2014 03:51:04 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-plays-pokemon-collects-all-badges-enters-home-stretch/1100-6417981/ <p style="">UPDATE 3/1/2014</p><p style="">Early this morning, after 16 days and seven hours of continuous play, Twitch Plays Pokemon beat the game! Congratulations to everyone who participated!</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2446408-screen+shot+2014-03-01+at+1.21.40+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446408" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2446408-screen+shot+2014-03-01+at+1.21.40+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446408"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1534/15343359/2446408-screen+shot+2014-03-01+at+1.21.40+am.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">UPDATE 2/28/2014</p><p style="">And they did it! Twitch Plays Pokemon has officially beaten the Final Four and become a Pokemon Master...but they still need to beat their rival, BLUE.</p><div data-embed-type="html"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p style="">We did it :') <a href="http://t.co/dvCNiUENm4" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/dvCNiUENm4</a></p> &mdash; TwitchPlaysPokemon (@TwitchPokemon) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitchPokemon/statuses/439533666000060416" rel="nofollow">February 28, 2014</a></blockquote><script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script></div><p style=""><em>The original story appears below.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplayspokemon" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Fwidgets%2Flive_embed_player.swf%3Fchannel%3Dtwitchplayspokemon&amp;fv=hostname%3Dwww.twitch.tv%26start_volume%3D25%26channel%3Dtwitchplayspokemon%26auto_play%3Dfalse&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Ftwitchplayspokemon&amp;key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&amp;type=application%2Fx-shockwave-flash&amp;schema=twitch&amp;wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Against seemingly impossible odds, the Twitch Plays Pokemon stream has collected all of the game's badges and is getting ready to take on the Elite Four.</p><p style="">If you'd like a complete recap of events, Reddit has put together an exhaustively <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/twitchplayspokemon/comments/1y6wyc/nearly_complete_timeline_of_events/" rel="nofollow">time-stamped recap</a>, or you can read a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/twitchplayspokemon/wiki/historyoftpp" rel="nofollow">more narrative retelling</a>. But this <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/twitchplayspokemonstatus/" rel="nofollow">public Google document</a> is the easiest way to see at a glance what's up in the game. According to the document, the players are working towards getting past one of the game's trickier ledge sections (tricky when you have 50,000 people playing, at least) as they head towards Victory Road.</p><p style="">Also notable is that the stream was able to revive the Helix fossil into the Pokemon Omanyte. The Helix Fossil is an item given to the player early in the game that cannot be thrown away; it has been elevated to a savior-like status in the chat with prayers of "Praise Helix" and "Base Helix."</p><p style="">Users are able to balance the game by shifting control between an Anarchy mode (where every command from the chat is input into the game) and Democracy (where the most popular commands go through). But <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-plays-pokemon-is-a-fascinating-vision-of-the-future/1100-6417867/" data-ref-id="1100-6417867">none of the spin-off games (like QWOP and Tetris) have reached the same level of incredible popularity</a>. The phenomenon has seen some drop-off from it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/over-60k-people-watching-twitch-play-pokemon-update/1100-6417762/" data-ref-id="1100-6417762">high count of over 100k viewers</a>, currently sitting at just over 50k viewers, though it's likely the game will see another uptick as it nears its conclusion.</p><p style="">Are you going to tune in more frequently now that it's over? And if so, will you work to sabotage the people trying to finish the game, or are you part of the group trying to shift the game to democracy, order, and finality? Either way, Twitch Plays Pokemon has turned out to be a surprising experiment that no one could've seen coming.</p> Sat, 01 Mar 2014 01:23:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-plays-pokemon-collects-all-badges-enters-home-stretch/1100-6417981/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/basement-crawl-review/1900-6415683/ <p style="">Basement Crawl opens with a cutscene that promises horror and perhaps a bit of mystery. A grandmother sternly tells her granddaughter of the dangers that lurk outside their home, though the grandmother's warning is itself tinged with a sinister tone. What has happened to the outside world? How have these two people survived? Is the grandmother evil? What are these horrific creatures that we're getting glimpses of?</p><p style="">Then you start the game and find a lackluster, multiplayer-only <a href="/bomberman/" data-ref-id="false">Bomberman</a> clone bereft of features and personality. Any promise the premise had is immediately lost, and disappointment--not terror--lurks around every corner.</p><p style="">Basement Crawl is a grid-based game for multiple players in which you bomb things. As one of four different characters, each with slightly different starting stats (one is a bit faster, one has a bit more health, and so on), you lay down bombs--sorry, "traps"--which explode in straight lines in four directions: up, down, left, and right. You can collect power-ups for longer explosions, kick traps away from you, and hide behind a predictable pattern of unbreakable blocks, all in an effort to kill the opposing players over and over again.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2441341-basement_crawl_preview_09.png" data-ref-id="1300-2441341" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2441341-basement_crawl_preview_09.png" data-ref-id="1300-2441341"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/536/5360430/2441341-basement_crawl_preview_09.png"></a><figcaption>Wait, am I the crash test dummy in the center or on the left? They both look the same!</figcaption></figure><p style="">If this sounds familiar, then you've probably played a Bomberman game before. Basement Crawl may call its bombs traps, but even the game's dark visuals can't hide the fact that this is just Bomberman with a shoddy horror theme.</p><p style="">Basement Crawl's biggest problem isn't that it's derivative, however; it's that it gives you no options. Never mind that there is no single-player mode whatsoever, not even an option to play against bots for practice. There simply aren't any settings to toggle for what kinds of rules you want to play by. Even when you create your own custom game (which is likely, since there's no matchmaking), you can't set options like match time, the number of kills needed to win, whether or not certain power-ups are disabled, or even a player limit. Your only options are Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch. That's it.</p><p style="">Want to limit your online match to four players, because you think having eight players in a match is too hectic and not very fun? Too bad. Want to disable the ability to kick traps, because that's all some players ever use? No dice. For having been inspired by a classic party game, Basement Crawl sure doesn't want you to have any chance at forming house rules. But hey, you can take your room full of four local players and join online matches with them, so that's something, right?</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446168-0002.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446168" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446168-0002.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446168"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2446168-0002.png"></a><figcaption>Ooooh, look at all that blood outside the arena. So scary!</figcaption></figure><p style="">One thing you do get to choose is the arena, though differences between arenas are negligible and almost entirely cosmetic. They come in three flavors, with a few different grid shapes for each: Restaurant Dungeon, Abandoned Circus, and Forgotten Factory. Notably, none of these environments is a basement.</p><p style="">One thing all these environments have in common is that they are dark and cramped. So dark and cramped, in fact, that it's easy to lose track of the action. A pillar of light highlights your location when you spawn, but if you lose track of your character after that first moment, good luck finding it again. It's bad enough that there are only four characters to go around for eight players, but they're not visually distinct enough from each other to quickly pick them out in the dark environments anyway. There is often so much happening onscreen--much of which looks too similar to its surroundings already--that you lose track of the action constantly. As you play, you hear people screaming and a creepy child laughing, but none of it is the least bit effective at delivering on the premise of horror.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446169-0003.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446169" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446169-0003.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446169"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/416/4161502/2446169-0003.png"></a><figcaption>It's hard to tell in the dark. How many players are here, again?</figcaption></figure><p style="">The only sense of progression is the ability to play online against strangers in an effort to increase your online rank. But since there's no form of matchmaking, your rank means very little. And if you want to increase it at all, you have to actually win matches--as in, win first place in Deathmatch (or as a team in Team Deathmatch). Otherwise, you get nothing. Reaching the maximum rank of 30 could take a very long time.</p><p style="">To top it all off, Basement Crawl is buggy at worst and unfinished at best. For example, when you pause an offline game, the action pauses, but the match timer keeps ticking down. How do you get the act of pausing wrong? It has been a while since a good Bomberman game was released, and nobody else seems to be interested in mimicking that classic gameplay. If you can get a solid group of four local Bomberman fans, and you have no desire to change any of the game's standard settings, you can have some simple fun blowing each other up. But if you're really desperate for this kind of experience, you're better off hunting down just about any Bomberman game from years past, rather than getting dirty crawling through the muck in this basement.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:03:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/basement-crawl-review/1900-6415683/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/thief-walkthrough-prologue/2300-6417463/ Join Garrett as he sneaks his way through the Prologue in this walkthrough of Thief. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:29:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/thief-walkthrough-prologue/2300-6417463/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-ps4-virtual-reality-headset-who-thinks-fab/2300-6417443/ Someone has it out for Fable 3, the PS4 virtual reality headset could be very near on the horizon, and what's been happening in Japan?! Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-ps4-virtual-reality-headset-who-thinks-fab/2300-6417443/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/pilotwings-highlights-megabit/2300-6417475/ Shaun and Peter try their hands with bi-planes, jet packs, hang gliders, and skydiving in this weeks MEGABIT Pilot Wings edition. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:47:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/pilotwings-highlights-megabit/2300-6417475/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-plants-starter-gu/2300-6417462/ Soak up these tips like sunshine and put your root down on some zombies in this starter guide. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:44:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-plants-starter-gu/2300-6417462/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-official-trail/2300-6417461/ Take a look at this official trailer for the Sacrifice of the Vaal update to Path of Exile, coming out on March 5. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:29:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-official-trail/2300-6417461/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-now-playing/2300-6417445/ Kevin VanOrd is joined by Chris Wilson to talk about the Sacrifice of the Vaal DLC including Vaal skill gems, new areas, and talk about the new leagues. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:01:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-now-playing/2300-6417445/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-preview/2300-6417459/ Yoshi and Baby Mario are back again! Check out Tom's preview on this upcoming title for the 3DS. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 14:07:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-preview/2300-6417459/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-metroid-prime-dev-calls-wii-u-a-powerhouse-confirms-new-game/1100-6418032/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405018-wiiu_dkctf_12-18_pr_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405018" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405018-wiiu_dkctf_12-18_pr_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405018"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/536/5360430/2405018-wiiu_dkctf_12-18_pr_03.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Wii U, from a technical standpoint, is a "powerhouse," Donkey Kong and Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios believes. Speaking with GameSpot editor Peter Brown recently, Retro Studios president and CEO Michael Kelbaugh said developers shouldn't brush the console aside over fears that it's under-powered.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Unfortunately, the perception is that it's not a very powerful machine," Kelbaugh said about the Wii U. "That's just not true. It's a powerhouse. It's more than adequate to make great games on."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Kelbaugh went on to label the Wii U a "great box to make games on." Retro Studios' first project for the Wii U was <a href="/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze/" data-ref-id="false">Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</a>, released last week. He said his team had to overcome a steep learning curve that came with transitioning from Wii to Wii U. But he was happy to face this challenge, as it meant his artists became "uncorked" and free from the "traditional limitations" they'd been under for so long with the original Wii.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2446029-wiiuhome.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2446029" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2446029-wiiuhome.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2446029"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1179/11799911/2446029-wiiuhome.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">"It was really fun being able to crack that open for the first time and learning HD techniques; pixel shading, having a lot more horsepower and how that impacts the team. It was really fun to watch our artists just go crazy because now they didn't really have to worry about polygons anymore. 'Make as many as you want!'"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Despite Kelbaugh's admiration for the Wii U, the system is struggling, having sold only 5.61 million units worldwide since its launch in November 2012. Nintendo even recently <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-slashes-wii-u-sales-expectations-by-two-thirds/1100-6417187/" data-ref-id="1100-6417187">slashed its sales forecast for the machine by a massive margin</a>. Nintendo is no doubt looking to games like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, as well as upcoming titles like <a href="/mario-kart-8/" data-ref-id="false">Mario Kart 8 </a>and all-new <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros.</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Legend of Zelda</a> titles to help things turn around.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p dir="ltr" style="">"We love working with Donkey Kong. It's a great character. It's a lot of fun. We love working with Metroid Prime, with Mario Kart; those are fun, fun games to work on. So, you know, you can't lose."</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Also in our interview, veteran Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe confirmed that Retro Studios is working on a new game, but he would not say anything more than that. This game has been in development for a few months now, as Retro wrapped work on Tropical Freeze in November and hasn't been sitting by idly, Kelbaugh assured us.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But what might the new game be? Last year, iconic Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto singled out Retro as a "<a href="http://www.nintendo-insider.com/2013/09/20/miyamoto-retro-studios-a-very-high-priority-for-next-metroid-game/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">high-priority</a>" studio to make a new Metroid game, leading some to believe the Austin, Texas outfit is indeed working on the beloved franchise. Miyamoto has also said previously that it "<a href="http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/43391/retro-studios-is-qualified-to-make-a-zelda-game-miyamoto/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">could be possible</a>" for Retro to work on a new Zelda. But Kelbaugh won't say.</p><p style="">"We love working with Donkey Kong. It's a great character. It's a lot of fun. We love working with Metroid Prime, with Mario Kart; those are fun, fun games to work on. So, you know, you can't lose," he said. "Every one of those IPs have been a lot of fun to play with and work on and [we'd] love to come back to them sometime."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417281" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417281/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><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><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 13:06:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-metroid-prime-dev-calls-wii-u-a-powerhouse-confirms-new-game/1100-6418032/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-best-south-park-episodes-to-watch-before-playing-the-stick-of-truth/1100-6418008/ <p style="">Guys, I'm being super cereal right now: South Park: The Stick of Truth comes out next week, and I finished playing it recently. I don't want to give away much in advance of the review, and there are certain things you simply have to see for yourself. But there are enough references to previous episodes that I wanted to prepare you. And so I present to you six South Park episodes that clearly inspired The Stick of Truth. And afterwards, we will all sing "Kyle's Mom is a Stupid B****" in d-minor.</p><p style=""><strong>Season 11, Episode 14: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s11e14-the-list" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">The List</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:27522e64-ed01-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">Girls. They're such a mystery, making dumb lists all the time--and I don't say that just because they put lardasses at the bottom of their lists. The boys embark on Operation: Cannot Possibly Fail so that they might recover the girls' list of boys rated from cutest to ugliest. Does that sparkle with all the girls?</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"You think maybe girls keep their balls on the inside of their tummies?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 10, Episode 6: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s10e06-manbearpig" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">ManBearPig</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 15px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:a6fb1384-ed00-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">Totally super cereal story recap: Don't worry, it's not ManBearPig… it's Al Gore who takes center stage at a South Park Elementary school assembly, spreading ManBearPig awareness. But all Gore really wants is to be taken cereal for once. For maximum enjoyment, bring everyone you can to your ManBearPig viewing and watch at 8AM sharp, and keep an eye out for anyone with large hooves where their feet should be.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"It is half man, and half bear, and half pig."</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 17, Episode 7: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s17e07-black-friday" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Black Friday</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:ff7317f1-73bb-4de4-95d2-ad212f256343" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">Winter is coming. And if you've seen Black Friday, or any other entry in the show's recent three-episode arc, then you've met Princess Kenny, aka Lady McCormick. Let's not beat around the bush: these episodes are savvy companion stories that have more than a little to do with South Park: The Stick of Truth. But hey--marketing is what makes the world go round, and if you feel too squicky about the crossover, then douse yourself in pig blood and bring the m*****f***ing pain.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"Have you ever noticed that almost every time they show a guy's wiener, that guy's character is gay?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 1, Episode 8: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s01e07-pinkeye" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Pinkeye</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:1f1d9616-ed01-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">The little British kid is a limey zombie now in this episode that teaches us never to use Worcestershire sauce as embalming fluid. Come for the story, which has the town of South Park falling prey to zombies. Stay for the sight of a perpetually horny Chef proving that even death cannot quell a man's carnal desires.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"Let's try to keep our hands and arms to ourselves, okay?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 2, Episode 17: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s02e17-gnomes" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Gnomes</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:a6cda7a0-ed00-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">You couldn't accuse me of not teaching you enough about current events. Unfortunately, Mr. Garrison is lacking in this regard, and has to assign oral reports to the entire class. The frazzled Tweek joins Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny to work on the report, but Tweek finds it hard to concentrate, given the frequent appearance of the underpants gnomes, whose goal is to steal everyone's briefs. As if underpants in South Park didn't already have it hard enough.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"Who is this woman with the gazongas and the high heels, what does she know about medicine?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 1, Episode 1: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s01e01-cartman-gets-an-anal-probe" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Cartman Gets an Anal Probe</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:400dcb64-fc17-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">I believe. And you should too after viewing the episode that started it all. Cartman is abducted by scary aliens with big heads and big black eyes who violate anuses when not mutilating cows. He also learns about Christopher Columbus, the Indians' best friend, who freed the Hebrews from Napoleon. For best results, watch while recovering from prostate tumor surgery.</p><p style="">Relevant Quote: <em>"We told you they were real, Cartman! Sorry about your ass."</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="">These aren't necessarily the best episodes of South Park of all time, but they are the best ones to watch before diving into South Park: The Stick of Truth. What are your favorite episodes, and why? Sound off--and quote abundantly--in the comments below!</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 13:03:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-best-south-park-episodes-to-watch-before-playing-the-stick-of-truth/1100-6418008/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/feedbackula-thief-stealth-sourness/2300-6417450/ Thief may have made a return, but it's not one to form. Johnny sneaks in to see what you've been saying about the Square Enix stealth 'em up. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 12:00:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/feedbackula-thief-stealth-sourness/2300-6417450/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/playstation-plus-free-games-of-march/2300-6417371/ We take a look at the free games of March for PlayStation Plus users including Tomb Raider, Thomas was Alone and Lone Survivor: Directors cut for PS3 and Unit 13 & Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite for the Vita. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 11:27:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/playstation-plus-free-games-of-march/2300-6417371/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-threat-of-microtransactions-looming-over-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare/1100-6418013/ <p style="">There's an awful lot I really like about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare/" data-ref-id="false">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare</a>. I like that the bright and colorful world of the game demonstrates that the mechanics of shooters can be just as enjoyable when they're tied to goofy, charming aesthetics as they can when they're tied to the grim military or science-fiction scenarios that they're so often couched in. I like that the game tries to make players of all skill levels feel welcome; the variety of classes and abilities lends the action the complexity that seasoned shooter players want, but those abilities are introduced at a pace that should make even most genre newcomers feel comfortable with them. And I like the way Agent Pea looks. He's just so dapper!</p><p style="">But the way in which you unlock class variants like Agent Pea (a variant of the standard peashooter) is one of the game's few frustrations. Each standard class has five variants, and unlocking each one of those variants requires collecting the five stickers that depict them in the game's sticker book. You acquire those stickers by spending coins in the sticker shop. The 10,000-coin craaaazy pack of stickers has, according to the in-game text, "a high likelihood of a Rare character piece." The 20,000-coin supremium pack nets you nine stickers and "has the best likelihood of a Super Rare character piece." If you just want to be sure you're going to unlock a new class variant, though, your best bet is to save up 40,000 coins for the spectacular character pack. It contains five stickers, and purchasing the pack will always unlock a character for you. (How long it takes you to earn 40,000 coins depends a lot on the outcome of games you play, but it's a matter of a few hours of play, not days. Still, with a total of 40 class variants to unlock, that adds up to a significant amount of time.)</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417398" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417398/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">So you can buy the spectacular character pack and guarantee yourself a character unlock. However, you can't control or influence which character that might be. You might really want to try out the ice pea you see other players using, for instance--a peashooter variant whose shots can freeze zombies--but instead, your 40,000 hard-earned coins unlock the electrician variant to the zombies' engineer. The potential for player disappointment and frustration in this randomized system is significant, and it seems to me that the developers of the game must have been aware of it, and could easily have designed around it. Which makes me suspect that maybe they didn't want to design around it. Maybe they want you to get a little frustrated. Why? So that you can alleviate those frustrations by spending a little money, once microtransactions are introduced.</p><p style="">Of course, PopCap and EA haven't said for certain that microtransactions will be introduced. But they also haven't said that microtransactions won't be introduced. When I asked PopCap producer Brian Lindley about microtransactions, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/plants-vs-zombies-shooter-has-no-microtransactions-at-launch-probably-doesn-t-run-in-1080p/1100-6417864/" data-ref-id="1100-6417864">he said</a> that PopCap would look at player feedback and in-game metrics when determining whether or not to add them to the game.</p><p style="">So maybe I'm just being cynical, but it's hard for me not to see the frustrations inherent in Garden Warfare's character unlock system as deliberately laid groundwork for future microtransactions. Perhaps, rather than needing to constantly save up your 40,000 coins and take another shot at unlocking the ice pea, you'll be able to just unlock that character (or any character of your choice) for a few bucks. Are you tired of getting the relatively useless browncoat zombies in your reinforcement packs? Maybe you'll be able to shell out some cash to stock your inventory with more formidable newspaper zombies.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2445641-agent+pea+in+action+1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445641" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2445641-agent+pea+in+action+1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445641"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/78/787590/2445641-agent+pea+in+action+1.jpg"></a><figcaption>The dapper Agent Pea in action.</figcaption></figure><p style="">If they are added to Garden Warfare, it won't be the first time that microtransactions have come to the world of Plants vs. Zombies. Yes, you can play through the campaign of the mobile game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/plants-vs-zombies-2-its-about-time/" data-ref-id="false">Plants vs. Zombies 2</a> without spending a dime, but the game is designed to make doing so a lot less enjoyable than playing through it with the help of a few real-money purchases. And yes, you can earn the in-game coins that you use to purchase in-game boosts just by playing the game, but it's not fun to grind levels you've already played just to get more coins. Of course it's not. It's designed to not be fun. If it were fun, you wouldn't want to spare yourself the trouble of doing it by just kicking in some real-world coinage. (And there are some items, like the snow pea, that can only be acquired with real money.) There are a number of companies out there using microtransactions as a way to make their games profitable, and not all of them rely on frustrating players to incentivize them to spend money, but other games published by EA have relied on this model. The publisher's recent <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dungeon-keeper/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Keeper</a> was roundly criticized as one of the most egregious examples of microtransaction abuse, forcing players to wait for extended periods of time for in-game actions to take effect, or to pay to keep playing.</p><p style="">I'd much rather that Garden Warfare not go down the microtransaction road. But I'd also like to see the game give you some control over which characters the coins you've earned go toward unlocking. After all, the future cactus looks super cool, and I really want to try her out.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 11:24:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-threat-of-microtransactions-looming-over-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare/1100-6418013/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-is-what-a-fourth-person-ps4-and-ps-vita-game-looks-like/1100-6418031/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2445944-pavilion.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445944" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2445944-pavilion.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445944"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2445944-pavilion.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">You're probably most familiar with first- and third-person video games, but what about a fourth-person game, what would that look like? The answer comes by way of indie developer Visiontrick Media's new puzzle game <a href="/pavilion/" data-ref-id="false">Pavilion</a>. The game was originally announced during the Tokyo Game Show in September, but now they've released a video to show the game off.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As you can see in the video below, you don't control the main character himself, but rather the world around him--this "indirect control" is what its developers call "fourth-person."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This method of control has resulted in some interesting reactions," Visiontrick Media cofounder Henrik Flink said in a statement on the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/02/28/fourth-person-puzzler-pavilion-coming-to-ps4-and-ps-vita/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">PlayStation Blog</a>. "Some people feel it's just a buzzword, while others are rather intrigued by it. In the end, we're happy to see people giving it a thought and talking about it."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The game throws you into its world without any text tutorials or a beginning explanation and is portrayed entirely through "exploration and audio-visual imagery."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Pavilion launches for PS4 and PS Vita later this year, but if you're attending the Kyoto Indie Games Festival BitSummit next week you'll be able to go hands-on with the game and speak with its creators.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_rCDXPYtto" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F1_rCDXPYtto%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1_rCDXPYtto&amp;image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F1_rCDXPYtto%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube&amp;wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><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><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 10:49:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-is-what-a-fourth-person-ps4-and-ps-vita-game-looks-like/1100-6418031/

Gamespot's Site MashupTwitch Plays Pokemon collects all badges, enters home stretchBasement Crawl ReviewThief Walkthrough - PrologueGS News - PS4 Virtual Reality Headset + Who Thinks Fable 3 Sucked?!Pilotwings Highlights - MEGABITPlants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare - Plants Starter GuidePath of Exile: Sacrifice of the Vaal - Official TrailerPath of Exile: Sacrifice of the Vaal - Now PlayingYoshi's New Island - PreviewDonkey Kong/Metroid Prime dev calls Wii U a "powerhouse," confirms new gameThe Best South Park Episodes to Watch Before Playing The Stick of TruthFeedbackula - Thief Stealth Sourness!PlayStation Plus Free Games of MarchThe Threat of Microtransactions Looming Over Plants vs. Zombies: Garden WarfareThis is what a 'fourth-person' PS4 and PS Vita game looks like

http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 01 Mar 2014 03:51:04 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-plays-pokemon-collects-all-badges-enters-home-stretch/1100-6417981/ <p style="">UPDATE 3/1/2014</p><p style="">Early this morning, after 16 days and seven hours of continuous play, Twitch Plays Pokemon beat the game! Congratulations to everyone who participated!</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2446408-screen+shot+2014-03-01+at+1.21.40+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446408" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2446408-screen+shot+2014-03-01+at+1.21.40+am.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446408"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1534/15343359/2446408-screen+shot+2014-03-01+at+1.21.40+am.png"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style="">UPDATE 2/28/2014</p><p style="">And they did it! Twitch Plays Pokemon has officially beaten the Final Four and become a Pokemon Master...but they still need to beat their rival, BLUE.</p><div data-embed-type="html"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p style="">We did it :') <a href="http://t.co/dvCNiUENm4" rel="nofollow">pic.twitter.com/dvCNiUENm4</a></p> &mdash; TwitchPlaysPokemon (@TwitchPokemon) <a href="https://twitter.com/TwitchPokemon/statuses/439533666000060416" rel="nofollow">February 28, 2014</a></blockquote><script charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" async=""></script></div><p style=""><em>The original story appears below.</em></p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.twitch.tv/twitchplayspokemon" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Fwidgets%2Flive_embed_player.swf%3Fchannel%3Dtwitchplayspokemon&amp;fv=hostname%3Dwww.twitch.tv%26start_volume%3D25%26channel%3Dtwitchplayspokemon%26auto_play%3Dfalse&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitch.tv%2Ftwitchplayspokemon&amp;key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&amp;type=application%2Fx-shockwave-flash&amp;schema=twitch&amp;wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">Against seemingly impossible odds, the Twitch Plays Pokemon stream has collected all of the game's badges and is getting ready to take on the Elite Four.</p><p style="">If you'd like a complete recap of events, Reddit has put together an exhaustively <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/twitchplayspokemon/comments/1y6wyc/nearly_complete_timeline_of_events/" rel="nofollow">time-stamped recap</a>, or you can read a <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/twitchplayspokemon/wiki/historyoftpp" rel="nofollow">more narrative retelling</a>. But this <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/twitchplayspokemonstatus/" rel="nofollow">public Google document</a> is the easiest way to see at a glance what's up in the game. According to the document, the players are working towards getting past one of the game's trickier ledge sections (tricky when you have 50,000 people playing, at least) as they head towards Victory Road.</p><p style="">Also notable is that the stream was able to revive the Helix fossil into the Pokemon Omanyte. The Helix Fossil is an item given to the player early in the game that cannot be thrown away; it has been elevated to a savior-like status in the chat with prayers of "Praise Helix" and "Base Helix."</p><p style="">Users are able to balance the game by shifting control between an Anarchy mode (where every command from the chat is input into the game) and Democracy (where the most popular commands go through). But <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-plays-pokemon-is-a-fascinating-vision-of-the-future/1100-6417867/" data-ref-id="1100-6417867">none of the spin-off games (like QWOP and Tetris) have reached the same level of incredible popularity</a>. The phenomenon has seen some drop-off from it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/over-60k-people-watching-twitch-play-pokemon-update/1100-6417762/" data-ref-id="1100-6417762">high count of over 100k viewers</a>, currently sitting at just over 50k viewers, though it's likely the game will see another uptick as it nears its conclusion.</p><p style="">Are you going to tune in more frequently now that it's over? And if so, will you work to sabotage the people trying to finish the game, or are you part of the group trying to shift the game to democracy, order, and finality? Either way, Twitch Plays Pokemon has turned out to be a surprising experiment that no one could've seen coming.</p> Sat, 01 Mar 2014 01:23:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/twitch-plays-pokemon-collects-all-badges-enters-home-stretch/1100-6417981/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/basement-crawl-review/1900-6415683/ <p style="">Basement Crawl opens with a cutscene that promises horror and perhaps a bit of mystery. A grandmother sternly tells her granddaughter of the dangers that lurk outside their home, though the grandmother's warning is itself tinged with a sinister tone. What has happened to the outside world? How have these two people survived? Is the grandmother evil? What are these horrific creatures that we're getting glimpses of?</p><p style="">Then you start the game and find a lackluster, multiplayer-only <a href="/bomberman/" data-ref-id="false">Bomberman</a> clone bereft of features and personality. Any promise the premise had is immediately lost, and disappointment--not terror--lurks around every corner.</p><p style="">Basement Crawl is a grid-based game for multiple players in which you bomb things. As one of four different characters, each with slightly different starting stats (one is a bit faster, one has a bit more health, and so on), you lay down bombs--sorry, "traps"--which explode in straight lines in four directions: up, down, left, and right. You can collect power-ups for longer explosions, kick traps away from you, and hide behind a predictable pattern of unbreakable blocks, all in an effort to kill the opposing players over and over again.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2441341-basement_crawl_preview_09.png" data-ref-id="1300-2441341" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2441341-basement_crawl_preview_09.png" data-ref-id="1300-2441341"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/536/5360430/2441341-basement_crawl_preview_09.png"></a><figcaption>Wait, am I the crash test dummy in the center or on the left? They both look the same!</figcaption></figure><p style="">If this sounds familiar, then you've probably played a Bomberman game before. Basement Crawl may call its bombs traps, but even the game's dark visuals can't hide the fact that this is just Bomberman with a shoddy horror theme.</p><p style="">Basement Crawl's biggest problem isn't that it's derivative, however; it's that it gives you no options. Never mind that there is no single-player mode whatsoever, not even an option to play against bots for practice. There simply aren't any settings to toggle for what kinds of rules you want to play by. Even when you create your own custom game (which is likely, since there's no matchmaking), you can't set options like match time, the number of kills needed to win, whether or not certain power-ups are disabled, or even a player limit. Your only options are Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch. That's it.</p><p style="">Want to limit your online match to four players, because you think having eight players in a match is too hectic and not very fun? Too bad. Want to disable the ability to kick traps, because that's all some players ever use? No dice. For having been inspired by a classic party game, Basement Crawl sure doesn't want you to have any chance at forming house rules. But hey, you can take your room full of four local players and join online matches with them, so that's something, right?</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446168-0002.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446168" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446168-0002.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446168"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/416/4161502/2446168-0002.png"></a><figcaption>Ooooh, look at all that blood outside the arena. So scary!</figcaption></figure><p style="">One thing you do get to choose is the arena, though differences between arenas are negligible and almost entirely cosmetic. They come in three flavors, with a few different grid shapes for each: Restaurant Dungeon, Abandoned Circus, and Forgotten Factory. Notably, none of these environments is a basement.</p><p style="">One thing all these environments have in common is that they are dark and cramped. So dark and cramped, in fact, that it's easy to lose track of the action. A pillar of light highlights your location when you spawn, but if you lose track of your character after that first moment, good luck finding it again. It's bad enough that there are only four characters to go around for eight players, but they're not visually distinct enough from each other to quickly pick them out in the dark environments anyway. There is often so much happening onscreen--much of which looks too similar to its surroundings already--that you lose track of the action constantly. As you play, you hear people screaming and a creepy child laughing, but none of it is the least bit effective at delivering on the premise of horror.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446169-0003.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446169" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/416/4161502/2446169-0003.png" data-ref-id="1300-2446169"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/416/4161502/2446169-0003.png"></a><figcaption>It's hard to tell in the dark. How many players are here, again?</figcaption></figure><p style="">The only sense of progression is the ability to play online against strangers in an effort to increase your online rank. But since there's no form of matchmaking, your rank means very little. And if you want to increase it at all, you have to actually win matches--as in, win first place in Deathmatch (or as a team in Team Deathmatch). Otherwise, you get nothing. Reaching the maximum rank of 30 could take a very long time.</p><p style="">To top it all off, Basement Crawl is buggy at worst and unfinished at best. For example, when you pause an offline game, the action pauses, but the match timer keeps ticking down. How do you get the act of pausing wrong? It has been a while since a good Bomberman game was released, and nobody else seems to be interested in mimicking that classic gameplay. If you can get a solid group of four local Bomberman fans, and you have no desire to change any of the game's standard settings, you can have some simple fun blowing each other up. But if you're really desperate for this kind of experience, you're better off hunting down just about any Bomberman game from years past, rather than getting dirty crawling through the muck in this basement.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:03:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/basement-crawl-review/1900-6415683/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/thief-walkthrough-prologue/2300-6417463/ Join Garrett as he sneaks his way through the Prologue in this walkthrough of Thief. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:29:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/thief-walkthrough-prologue/2300-6417463/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-ps4-virtual-reality-headset-who-thinks-fab/2300-6417443/ Someone has it out for Fable 3, the PS4 virtual reality headset could be very near on the horizon, and what's been happening in Japan?! Fri, 28 Feb 2014 16:00:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-news-ps4-virtual-reality-headset-who-thinks-fab/2300-6417443/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/pilotwings-highlights-megabit/2300-6417475/ Shaun and Peter try their hands with bi-planes, jet packs, hang gliders, and skydiving in this weeks MEGABIT Pilot Wings edition. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:47:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/pilotwings-highlights-megabit/2300-6417475/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-plants-starter-gu/2300-6417462/ Soak up these tips like sunshine and put your root down on some zombies in this starter guide. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:44:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare-plants-starter-gu/2300-6417462/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-official-trail/2300-6417461/ Take a look at this official trailer for the Sacrifice of the Vaal update to Path of Exile, coming out on March 5. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:29:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-official-trail/2300-6417461/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-now-playing/2300-6417445/ Kevin VanOrd is joined by Chris Wilson to talk about the Sacrifice of the Vaal DLC including Vaal skill gems, new areas, and talk about the new leagues. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:01:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/path-of-exile-sacrifice-of-the-vaal-now-playing/2300-6417445/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-preview/2300-6417459/ Yoshi and Baby Mario are back again! Check out Tom's preview on this upcoming title for the 3DS. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 14:07:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/yoshi-s-new-island-preview/2300-6417459/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-metroid-prime-dev-calls-wii-u-a-powerhouse-confirms-new-game/1100-6418032/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405018-wiiu_dkctf_12-18_pr_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405018" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2405018-wiiu_dkctf_12-18_pr_03.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2405018"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/536/5360430/2405018-wiiu_dkctf_12-18_pr_03.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">The Wii U, from a technical standpoint, is a "powerhouse," Donkey Kong and Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios believes. Speaking with GameSpot editor Peter Brown recently, Retro Studios president and CEO Michael Kelbaugh said developers shouldn't brush the console aside over fears that it's under-powered.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Unfortunately, the perception is that it's not a very powerful machine," Kelbaugh said about the Wii U. "That's just not true. It's a powerhouse. It's more than adequate to make great games on."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Kelbaugh went on to label the Wii U a "great box to make games on." Retro Studios' first project for the Wii U was <a href="/donkey-kong-country-tropical-freeze/" data-ref-id="false">Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze</a>, released last week. He said his team had to overcome a steep learning curve that came with transitioning from Wii to Wii U. But he was happy to face this challenge, as it meant his artists became "uncorked" and free from the "traditional limitations" they'd been under for so long with the original Wii.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2446029-wiiuhome.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2446029" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2446029-wiiuhome.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2446029"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1179/11799911/2446029-wiiuhome.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">"It was really fun being able to crack that open for the first time and learning HD techniques; pixel shading, having a lot more horsepower and how that impacts the team. It was really fun to watch our artists just go crazy because now they didn't really have to worry about polygons anymore. 'Make as many as you want!'"</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Despite Kelbaugh's admiration for the Wii U, the system is struggling, having sold only 5.61 million units worldwide since its launch in November 2012. Nintendo even recently <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-slashes-wii-u-sales-expectations-by-two-thirds/1100-6417187/" data-ref-id="1100-6417187">slashed its sales forecast for the machine by a massive margin</a>. Nintendo is no doubt looking to games like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, as well as upcoming titles like <a href="/mario-kart-8/" data-ref-id="false">Mario Kart 8 </a>and all-new <a href="/super-smash-bros-for-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Super Smash Bros.</a> and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/the-legend-of-zelda-wii-u/" data-ref-id="false">Legend of Zelda</a> titles to help things turn around.</p><blockquote data-size="small" data-align="right"><p dir="ltr" style="">"We love working with Donkey Kong. It's a great character. It's a lot of fun. We love working with Metroid Prime, with Mario Kart; those are fun, fun games to work on. So, you know, you can't lose."</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Also in our interview, veteran Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe confirmed that Retro Studios is working on a new game, but he would not say anything more than that. This game has been in development for a few months now, as Retro wrapped work on Tropical Freeze in November and hasn't been sitting by idly, Kelbaugh assured us.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">But what might the new game be? Last year, iconic Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto singled out Retro as a "<a href="http://www.nintendo-insider.com/2013/09/20/miyamoto-retro-studios-a-very-high-priority-for-next-metroid-game/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">high-priority</a>" studio to make a new Metroid game, leading some to believe the Austin, Texas outfit is indeed working on the beloved franchise. Miyamoto has also said previously that it "<a href="http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/43391/retro-studios-is-qualified-to-make-a-zelda-game-miyamoto/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">could be possible</a>" for Retro to work on a new Zelda. But Kelbaugh won't say.</p><p style="">"We love working with Donkey Kong. It's a great character. It's a lot of fun. We love working with Metroid Prime, with Mario Kart; those are fun, fun games to work on. So, you know, you can't lose," he said. "Every one of those IPs have been a lot of fun to play with and work on and [we'd] love to come back to them sometime."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417281" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417281/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><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><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 13:06:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/donkey-kong-metroid-prime-dev-calls-wii-u-a-powerhouse-confirms-new-game/1100-6418032/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-best-south-park-episodes-to-watch-before-playing-the-stick-of-truth/1100-6418008/ <p style="">Guys, I'm being super cereal right now: South Park: The Stick of Truth comes out next week, and I finished playing it recently. I don't want to give away much in advance of the review, and there are certain things you simply have to see for yourself. But there are enough references to previous episodes that I wanted to prepare you. And so I present to you six South Park episodes that clearly inspired The Stick of Truth. And afterwards, we will all sing "Kyle's Mom is a Stupid B****" in d-minor.</p><p style=""><strong>Season 11, Episode 14: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s11e14-the-list" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">The List</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:27522e64-ed01-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">Girls. They're such a mystery, making dumb lists all the time--and I don't say that just because they put lardasses at the bottom of their lists. The boys embark on Operation: Cannot Possibly Fail so that they might recover the girls' list of boys rated from cutest to ugliest. Does that sparkle with all the girls?</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"You think maybe girls keep their balls on the inside of their tummies?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 10, Episode 6: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s10e06-manbearpig" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">ManBearPig</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 15px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:a6fb1384-ed00-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">Totally super cereal story recap: Don't worry, it's not ManBearPig… it's Al Gore who takes center stage at a South Park Elementary school assembly, spreading ManBearPig awareness. But all Gore really wants is to be taken cereal for once. For maximum enjoyment, bring everyone you can to your ManBearPig viewing and watch at 8AM sharp, and keep an eye out for anyone with large hooves where their feet should be.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"It is half man, and half bear, and half pig."</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 17, Episode 7: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s17e07-black-friday" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Black Friday</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:ff7317f1-73bb-4de4-95d2-ad212f256343" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">Winter is coming. And if you've seen Black Friday, or any other entry in the show's recent three-episode arc, then you've met Princess Kenny, aka Lady McCormick. Let's not beat around the bush: these episodes are savvy companion stories that have more than a little to do with South Park: The Stick of Truth. But hey--marketing is what makes the world go round, and if you feel too squicky about the crossover, then douse yourself in pig blood and bring the m*****f***ing pain.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"Have you ever noticed that almost every time they show a guy's wiener, that guy's character is gay?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 1, Episode 8: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s01e07-pinkeye" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Pinkeye</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:1f1d9616-ed01-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">The little British kid is a limey zombie now in this episode that teaches us never to use Worcestershire sauce as embalming fluid. Come for the story, which has the town of South Park falling prey to zombies. Stay for the sight of a perpetually horny Chef proving that even death cannot quell a man's carnal desires.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"Let's try to keep our hands and arms to ourselves, okay?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 2, Episode 17: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s02e17-gnomes" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Gnomes</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:a6cda7a0-ed00-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">You couldn't accuse me of not teaching you enough about current events. Unfortunately, Mr. Garrison is lacking in this regard, and has to assign oral reports to the entire class. The frazzled Tweek joins Cartman, Stan, Kyle, and Kenny to work on the report, but Tweek finds it hard to concentrate, given the frequent appearance of the underpants gnomes, whose goal is to steal everyone's briefs. As if underpants in South Park didn't already have it hard enough.</p><p style="">Relevant quote: <em>"Who is this woman with the gazongas and the high heels, what does she know about medicine?"</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""><strong>Season 1, Episode 1: <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s01e01-cartman-gets-an-anal-probe" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Cartman Gets an Anal Probe</a></strong></p><table data-max-width="true"><tbody><tr><td><div data-embed-type="html"><div style="background-color: #000000; width: 307px;"><div style="padding: 4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:arc:video:southparkstudios.com:400dcb64-fc17-11e0-aca6-0026b9414f30" height="173" width="307"></iframe><p data-right-indent="0" data-left-indent="0" style=""><b><a href="http://beta.southparkstudios.com/" rel="nofollow">South Park</a></b><br />Get More: <a href="http://www.comedycentral.com" rel="nofollow">Comedy Central</a></p></div></div></div><p style=""> </p></td><td><p style="">I believe. And you should too after viewing the episode that started it all. Cartman is abducted by scary aliens with big heads and big black eyes who violate anuses when not mutilating cows. He also learns about Christopher Columbus, the Indians' best friend, who freed the Hebrews from Napoleon. For best results, watch while recovering from prostate tumor surgery.</p><p style="">Relevant Quote: <em>"We told you they were real, Cartman! Sorry about your ass."</em></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="">These aren't necessarily the best episodes of South Park of all time, but they are the best ones to watch before diving into South Park: The Stick of Truth. What are your favorite episodes, and why? Sound off--and quote abundantly--in the comments below!</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 13:03:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-best-south-park-episodes-to-watch-before-playing-the-stick-of-truth/1100-6418008/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/feedbackula-thief-stealth-sourness/2300-6417450/ Thief may have made a return, but it's not one to form. Johnny sneaks in to see what you've been saying about the Square Enix stealth 'em up. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 12:00:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/feedbackula-thief-stealth-sourness/2300-6417450/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/playstation-plus-free-games-of-march/2300-6417371/ We take a look at the free games of March for PlayStation Plus users including Tomb Raider, Thomas was Alone and Lone Survivor: Directors cut for PS3 and Unit 13 & Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite for the Vita. Fri, 28 Feb 2014 11:27:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/playstation-plus-free-games-of-march/2300-6417371/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-threat-of-microtransactions-looming-over-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare/1100-6418013/ <p style="">There's an awful lot I really like about <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare/" data-ref-id="false">Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare</a>. I like that the bright and colorful world of the game demonstrates that the mechanics of shooters can be just as enjoyable when they're tied to goofy, charming aesthetics as they can when they're tied to the grim military or science-fiction scenarios that they're so often couched in. I like that the game tries to make players of all skill levels feel welcome; the variety of classes and abilities lends the action the complexity that seasoned shooter players want, but those abilities are introduced at a pace that should make even most genre newcomers feel comfortable with them. And I like the way Agent Pea looks. He's just so dapper!</p><p style="">But the way in which you unlock class variants like Agent Pea (a variant of the standard peashooter) is one of the game's few frustrations. Each standard class has five variants, and unlocking each one of those variants requires collecting the five stickers that depict them in the game's sticker book. You acquire those stickers by spending coins in the sticker shop. The 10,000-coin craaaazy pack of stickers has, according to the in-game text, "a high likelihood of a Rare character piece." The 20,000-coin supremium pack nets you nine stickers and "has the best likelihood of a Super Rare character piece." If you just want to be sure you're going to unlock a new class variant, though, your best bet is to save up 40,000 coins for the spectacular character pack. It contains five stickers, and purchasing the pack will always unlock a character for you. (How long it takes you to earn 40,000 coins depends a lot on the outcome of games you play, but it's a matter of a few hours of play, not days. Still, with a total of 40 class variants to unlock, that adds up to a significant amount of time.)</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417398" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417398/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">So you can buy the spectacular character pack and guarantee yourself a character unlock. However, you can't control or influence which character that might be. You might really want to try out the ice pea you see other players using, for instance--a peashooter variant whose shots can freeze zombies--but instead, your 40,000 hard-earned coins unlock the electrician variant to the zombies' engineer. The potential for player disappointment and frustration in this randomized system is significant, and it seems to me that the developers of the game must have been aware of it, and could easily have designed around it. Which makes me suspect that maybe they didn't want to design around it. Maybe they want you to get a little frustrated. Why? So that you can alleviate those frustrations by spending a little money, once microtransactions are introduced.</p><p style="">Of course, PopCap and EA haven't said for certain that microtransactions will be introduced. But they also haven't said that microtransactions won't be introduced. When I asked PopCap producer Brian Lindley about microtransactions, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/plants-vs-zombies-shooter-has-no-microtransactions-at-launch-probably-doesn-t-run-in-1080p/1100-6417864/" data-ref-id="1100-6417864">he said</a> that PopCap would look at player feedback and in-game metrics when determining whether or not to add them to the game.</p><p style="">So maybe I'm just being cynical, but it's hard for me not to see the frustrations inherent in Garden Warfare's character unlock system as deliberately laid groundwork for future microtransactions. Perhaps, rather than needing to constantly save up your 40,000 coins and take another shot at unlocking the ice pea, you'll be able to just unlock that character (or any character of your choice) for a few bucks. Are you tired of getting the relatively useless browncoat zombies in your reinforcement packs? Maybe you'll be able to shell out some cash to stock your inventory with more formidable newspaper zombies.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2445641-agent+pea+in+action+1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445641" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787590/2445641-agent+pea+in+action+1.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445641"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/78/787590/2445641-agent+pea+in+action+1.jpg"></a><figcaption>The dapper Agent Pea in action.</figcaption></figure><p style="">If they are added to Garden Warfare, it won't be the first time that microtransactions have come to the world of Plants vs. Zombies. Yes, you can play through the campaign of the mobile game <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/plants-vs-zombies-2-its-about-time/" data-ref-id="false">Plants vs. Zombies 2</a> without spending a dime, but the game is designed to make doing so a lot less enjoyable than playing through it with the help of a few real-money purchases. And yes, you can earn the in-game coins that you use to purchase in-game boosts just by playing the game, but it's not fun to grind levels you've already played just to get more coins. Of course it's not. It's designed to not be fun. If it were fun, you wouldn't want to spare yourself the trouble of doing it by just kicking in some real-world coinage. (And there are some items, like the snow pea, that can only be acquired with real money.) There are a number of companies out there using microtransactions as a way to make their games profitable, and not all of them rely on frustrating players to incentivize them to spend money, but other games published by EA have relied on this model. The publisher's recent <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/dungeon-keeper/" data-ref-id="false">Dungeon Keeper</a> was roundly criticized as one of the most egregious examples of microtransaction abuse, forcing players to wait for extended periods of time for in-game actions to take effect, or to pay to keep playing.</p><p style="">I'd much rather that Garden Warfare not go down the microtransaction road. But I'd also like to see the game give you some control over which characters the coins you've earned go toward unlocking. After all, the future cactus looks super cool, and I really want to try her out.</p> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 11:24:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-threat-of-microtransactions-looming-over-plants-vs-zombies-garden-warfare/1100-6418013/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-is-what-a-fourth-person-ps4-and-ps-vita-game-looks-like/1100-6418031/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2445944-pavilion.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445944" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1179/11799911/2445944-pavilion.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2445944"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1179/11799911/2445944-pavilion.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">You're probably most familiar with first- and third-person video games, but what about a fourth-person game, what would that look like? The answer comes by way of indie developer Visiontrick Media's new puzzle game <a href="/pavilion/" data-ref-id="false">Pavilion</a>. The game was originally announced during the Tokyo Game Show in September, but now they've released a video to show the game off.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As you can see in the video below, you don't control the main character himself, but rather the world around him--this "indirect control" is what its developers call "fourth-person."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This method of control has resulted in some interesting reactions," Visiontrick Media cofounder Henrik Flink said in a statement on the <a href="http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/02/28/fourth-person-puzzler-pavilion-coming-to-ps4-and-ps-vita/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">PlayStation Blog</a>. "Some people feel it's just a buzzword, while others are rather intrigued by it. In the end, we're happy to see people giving it a thought and talking about it."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The game throws you into its world without any text tutorials or a beginning explanation and is portrayed entirely through "exploration and audio-visual imagery."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Pavilion launches for PS4 and PS Vita later this year, but if you're attending the Kyoto Indie Games Festival BitSummit next week you'll be able to go hands-on with the game and speak with its creators.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_rCDXPYtto" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F1_rCDXPYtto%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1_rCDXPYtto&amp;image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F1_rCDXPYtto%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube&amp;wmode=opaque" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><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><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 28 Feb 2014 10:49:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/this-is-what-a-fourth-person-ps4-and-ps-vita-game-looks-like/1100-6418031/


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Warface Xbox 360 Edition - Preview

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Rabu, 26 Februari 2014 | 19.51

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Thief - The Lobby

Broadcast live from our studios in San Francisco, join GameSpot every Tuesday at 2PM Pacific for the latest previews, interviews, game demos, giveaways and more.

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FarCry 3 - The Shaun Method

Shaun McInnis does not play video games like most people. He likes to bend the rules and push the boundaries, turning serious games into absurd misadventures. Things only get crazier when he's playing sandbox and open-world games.

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Watch GameSpot's new weekly live show and go behind-the-scenes

Did you miss our new weekly live show The Lobby today? Well fear not, because the entire episode of our spiritual successor to On the Spot can be found in the video player above! And you might not be able to take part in the show's console giveaway, but there's still time to get in on the Elder Scrolls Online Beta giveaway right here as well!

If you'd prefer to relive individual segments or you don't have time to watch the entire thing, we have the show parceled out into easy-to-watch snippets right here:

  • Thief gameplay
  • Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare gameplay
  • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze gameplay
  • Path of Exile gameplay

Don't miss out next week. The Lobby airs live every Tuesday at 2PM PST with a wide-range of segments covering every facet of gaming.

And check out the pictures below for a behind-the-scenes look at the show in action!

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Gamespot's Site Mashup

Written By Kom Limpulnam on Sabtu, 01 Februari 2014 | 19.51

Gamespot's Site MashupHalo 4 - Spartan Bowl!Titanfall Preorder BonusesTeam Fortress 2 Review

http://auth.spacecat.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 01 Feb 2014 04:27:54 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/halo-4-spartan-bowl/2300-6417049/ In honor of the Super Bowl XLVIII, the Halo 4 team brings you... SPARTAN BOWL! Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:05:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/halo-4-spartan-bowl/2300-6417049/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-preorder-bonuses/1100-6417453/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429210-firsttofall.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429210" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429210-firsttofall.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429210"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/78/787270/2429210-firsttofall.jpg"></a><figcaption>The First to Fall patch is a Walmart exclusive.</figcaption></figure><p style="">If you're anything like me, you make a point of checking multiple retailers anytime you're ready to preorder a game, looking for the best deal and/or preorder bonus. There's one retailer that I typically default to if prices and such are the same across the board, but preorder bonuses can vary pretty wildly, and on occasion, I've been convinced to create a profile with and order from a retailer other than my go-to in order to get better in-game or physical items as a bonus. Searching all of those retailers' sites can be pretty time-consuming, though, so I figured I'd save you the trouble where my most recently preordered game is concerned: Titanfall.</p><p style="">I'm not here to share which of these preorder deals I ended up opting for, but I can tell you that I always want my game on day one when I preorder, and I don't like to pay for shipping.</p><p style="">What are your most important considerations when preordering games? Are there any retailers I missed that you'd like to see included in the future? Let us know in the comments below.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Retailer</th><th scope="col">Price</th><th scope="col">Shipping</th><th scope="col">Preorder Bonus</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Titanfall-Xbox-One/dp/B00DB9JYFY/&amp;tag=gamespot-vg-20" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Amazon</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td>Free release day delivery</td><td><p style="">Mini Prima guide with a breakdown of one of the game's multiplayer maps.</p></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/titanfall-xbox-one/9441146.p" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Best Buy</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Standard - Free</p><p style="">Expedited - $11.99</p><p style="">Express - $18.99</p></td><td><p style="">$10 in reward certificates for My Best Buy members.</p><p style="">15% off Prima Games game guide.</p></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.gamestop.com/xbox-one/games/titanfall/110170#bonusFeatures" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">GameStop</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Value - $3.50</p><p style="">Standard - $6.00</p><p style="">Two Day - $7.50</p><p style="">One Day - $10.00</p></td><td><p style="">Exclusive "The Divide" collectible poster (below), must be collected from a store.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429214-thedivide_bonuslg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429214" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429214-thedivide_bonuslg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429214"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/78/787270/2429214-thedivide_bonuslg.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.target.com/p/titanfall-xbox-one/-/A-14696843" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Target</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Standard - Free</p><p style="">Premium - $10.98</p><p style="">Express - $14.98</p></td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=23640036&amp;skuid=16710395" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Toys"R"Us</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Free</p></td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Titanfall-Xbox-One/26531800" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Walmart</a></td><td>$59.96</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Free release day delivery</p></td><td>First to Fall tactical patch (pictured above).</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="">While accurate at the time of posting, the information above is subject to change.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414534" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414534/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:13:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-preorder-bonuses/1100-6417453/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/team-fortress-2-review/1900-6415650/ <p style="">Longevity is tough for competitive shooters. Hardly a month goes by without new virtual arenas cropping up and enticing you into some fresh conflict, and only a few popular games manage to sustain active player bases even a year after their initial release. And then there's Team Fortress 2. Released in 2007, this class-based classic is still going strong well into its seventh year, thanks largely to its lively and creative community. Since GameSpot's original <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/team-fortress-2-review/1900-6190347/" data-ref-id="1900-6190347">TF2 review</a>, the game has benefited from numerous updates and made the jump to a free-to-play business model. So how well is Team Fortress 2 faring in 2014 among the current crop of competitors for your time and money?</p><p style="">The short answer is, it's holding up very well. The core action pits two teams of players against each other in a battle to capture points, move a cart, or steal a briefcase. The objective is always very straightforward; it's the interplay between the nine playable classes that makes things so varied and interesting. The speedy scout, the militant heavy, the diligent engineer, the conniving medic, the pesky sniper, the sneaky spy, the feisty pyro, the explosive soldier, and the even-more-explosive demoman all have unique weapons, attributes, and abilities that complement each other and clash in myriad ways. Encounters can vary widely depending on the match type and the makeup of each team, and this unpredictability is crucial to TF2's long-standing appeal.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417016" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417016/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">When you come out of the gate as a heavy with a medic in tow, you're a formidable offensive force, but if a spy loops around to backstab the medic and you round the corner on a pyro, it can all come undone in a matter of seconds. Snipers can cover expected enemy paths, but rocket-jumping soldiers have a knack for finding alternative routes and raining explosive death from above. You may think you have a comparatively weak scout dead to rights, only to be stunned by a baseball and beaten to death. As you watch your giblets splatter on the ground and see a freeze-frame of your gleeful killer, it's hard not to chuckle at the sheer variety of ways you can meet an untimely demise. And the humorous quips, ridiculous outfits, and histrionic announcer help cultivate this lighthearted tone. </p><p style="">Of course, this core dynamic has persisted for most of TF2's life span, so if you stopped playing it a few years ago and come back for a few matches, you'll find things are very familiar. Learning the ropes and getting the hang of your chosen role is still a gratifying experience, and mastering advanced techniques doesn't just make you deadlier; it gives you more options for how to approach combat. Keeping your options open is still valuable too, because being flexible with your choice of character can help you avoid ending up on a catastrophically imbalanced squad. It is <em>Team</em> Fortress, after all.</p><p style="">But though there is much that has remained constant about the core game, there have been some notable changes over the years, as well as regular infusions of new weapons and items. Of the hundreds of things available in the online store, some can be unlocked through play, while others must be purchased with actual money. From small doodads that cost less than a dollar to massive bundles that cost hundreds, there's a wide range of ways to customize your experience.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427703-%23%23%2300006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427703" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427703-%23%23%2300006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427703"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/542/5424362/2427703-%23%23%2300006.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Many of the items offer nothing more than a playful twist on the game's already cheeky cartoon aesthetic. You can buy hats, shirts, shoes, and other cosmetic gear to dress up like a character from Adult Swim or don spooky seasonal garb that you can wear only during Halloween or a full moon. Even if you don't fancy shelling out for any of this stuff, it's fun to see some visual variety as you try to light your opponents on fire.</p><p style=""><span>Other weapons have more of an impact, like the ones that give your character a new chargeable and expendable power. The scout can build hype, which turns his usual double jump into a triple, quadruple, or quintuple jump, and the soldier can build rage, which allows him to rally his nearby teammates to do extra damage. Skills like these have more of a meaningful impact on the action, bringing something new to the table that your enemies must contend with. And then there are the totally out-there loadouts, like the one that turns the grenade-launching demoman into an extra from the movie </span><i>Braveheart</i><span>.</span>In addition to the cosmetic options, there are a lot of weapons and items that offer small buffs or subtle tweaks to your attributes. Depending on which healing gun the medic equips, for example, he can imbue himself and his targeted ally with extra damage resistance or enable himself to match the speed of his target. Differences like these don't do much to change the core action, but they do give experienced players substantial room for strategic variation.</p><p style="">These options broaden the field of viable strategies, which helps keep combat lively and varied. And fortunately, none of the purchasable weapons or items tip the scales unfairly towards those willing to pay. Buffs and bonuses usually come with caveats, and the weapons that bestow new abilities are usually unlocked for free. For this review, I spent some money on goofy hats and some of the stranger weaponry on offer, like the pyro's flamethrower that actually shoots bubbles and rainbows. It was fun to play with the new gear, but I still found myself switching my loadout between free and paid weapons regularly to adapt to the match situation.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427671-%23%23%2300010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427671" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427671-%23%23%2300010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427671"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/542/5424362/2427671-%23%23%2300010.jpg"></a><figcaption>Mow 'em down and get paid.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The biggest divergence from the game's origins comes in the cooperative mode, Mann vs. Machine. In it, you and a few other human players must prevent hordes of robotic incarnations of TF2's classes from delivering a bomb to your base. The money you earn from destroying robots can be spent on mid-match upgrades to your attributes and weaponry, which can be crucial to success. Even on the easiest level, the robot legions are fierce enough to test the mettle of an unorganized team. This is a mode where carefully planned weapon choices and defensive strategies can mean the difference between succeeding and having to try, try again. You can play this mode for free, but you won't be eligible to earn rare prizes or complete challenges unless you pay a dollar for a Tour of Duty ticket. Though it lacks the frenetic unpredictability of competitive play, the cooperative mode can still provide satisfaction for those dedicated enough to see it through.</p><p style="">But competition is the real draw, and the Team Fortress 2 community can certainly be competitive. On some servers, you might be berated for unwitting breaches of etiquette, while on others, you might be welcomed with helpful tips and ubercharges. You can even ask for help on certain servers and be paired up with another player who is willing to give you some tips through chat. The community around TF2 is an intriguing one, not just for their deep knowledge of and passion for the game, but for their creative efforts in designing new weapons, items, and maps that have since become part of the experience. It feels like a community of curators, without whom the game may well have dwindled away and passed into obsolescence years ago.</p><p style="">Staying relevant even a year after release is rare for a competitive shooter, and yet, here's Team Fortress 2, still lively after seven years in the business. At times it feels like the same game you could have played back then, and at other times it feels like no one will ever quite nail class-based shooter competition the way TF2 does. The experience has evolved over the years without compromising what made it so great in the first place, so though your free-to-play options may have increased considerably in the past few years, there are few that do it as well as Team Fortress 2.</p> Thu, 30 Jan 2014 06:00:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/team-fortress-2-review/1900-6415650/

Gamespot's Site MashupHalo 4 - Spartan Bowl!Titanfall Preorder BonusesTeam Fortress 2 Review

http://auth.spacecat.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 01 Feb 2014 04:27:54 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/halo-4-spartan-bowl/2300-6417049/ In honor of the Super Bowl XLVIII, the Halo 4 team brings you... SPARTAN BOWL! Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:05:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/halo-4-spartan-bowl/2300-6417049/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-preorder-bonuses/1100-6417453/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429210-firsttofall.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429210" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429210-firsttofall.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429210"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/78/787270/2429210-firsttofall.jpg"></a><figcaption>The First to Fall patch is a Walmart exclusive.</figcaption></figure><p style="">If you're anything like me, you make a point of checking multiple retailers anytime you're ready to preorder a game, looking for the best deal and/or preorder bonus. There's one retailer that I typically default to if prices and such are the same across the board, but preorder bonuses can vary pretty wildly, and on occasion, I've been convinced to create a profile with and order from a retailer other than my go-to in order to get better in-game or physical items as a bonus. Searching all of those retailers' sites can be pretty time-consuming, though, so I figured I'd save you the trouble where my most recently preordered game is concerned: Titanfall.</p><p style="">I'm not here to share which of these preorder deals I ended up opting for, but I can tell you that I always want my game on day one when I preorder, and I don't like to pay for shipping.</p><p style="">What are your most important considerations when preordering games? Are there any retailers I missed that you'd like to see included in the future? Let us know in the comments below.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col">Retailer</th><th scope="col">Price</th><th scope="col">Shipping</th><th scope="col">Preorder Bonus</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Titanfall-Xbox-One/dp/B00DB9JYFY/&amp;tag=gamespot-vg-20" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Amazon</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td>Free release day delivery</td><td><p style="">Mini Prima guide with a breakdown of one of the game's multiplayer maps.</p></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/titanfall-xbox-one/9441146.p" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Best Buy</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Standard - Free</p><p style="">Expedited - $11.99</p><p style="">Express - $18.99</p></td><td><p style="">$10 in reward certificates for My Best Buy members.</p><p style="">15% off Prima Games game guide.</p></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.gamestop.com/xbox-one/games/titanfall/110170#bonusFeatures" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">GameStop</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Value - $3.50</p><p style="">Standard - $6.00</p><p style="">Two Day - $7.50</p><p style="">One Day - $10.00</p></td><td><p style="">Exclusive "The Divide" collectible poster (below), must be collected from a store.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429214-thedivide_bonuslg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429214" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/78/787270/2429214-thedivide_bonuslg.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2429214"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/78/787270/2429214-thedivide_bonuslg.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p></td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.target.com/p/titanfall-xbox-one/-/A-14696843" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Target</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Standard - Free</p><p style="">Premium - $10.98</p><p style="">Express - $14.98</p></td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=23640036&amp;skuid=16710395" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Toys"R"Us</a></td><td>$59.99</td><td><p style="">Free</p></td><td>N/A</td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Titanfall-Xbox-One/26531800" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Walmart</a></td><td>$59.96</td><td><p style="">Store pickup - Free</p><p style="">Free release day delivery</p></td><td>First to Fall tactical patch (pictured above).</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="">While accurate at the time of posting, the information above is subject to change.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414534" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414534/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:13:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-preorder-bonuses/1100-6417453/ http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/team-fortress-2-review/1900-6415650/ <p style="">Longevity is tough for competitive shooters. Hardly a month goes by without new virtual arenas cropping up and enticing you into some fresh conflict, and only a few popular games manage to sustain active player bases even a year after their initial release. And then there's Team Fortress 2. Released in 2007, this class-based classic is still going strong well into its seventh year, thanks largely to its lively and creative community. Since GameSpot's original <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/team-fortress-2-review/1900-6190347/" data-ref-id="1900-6190347">TF2 review</a>, the game has benefited from numerous updates and made the jump to a free-to-play business model. So how well is Team Fortress 2 faring in 2014 among the current crop of competitors for your time and money?</p><p style="">The short answer is, it's holding up very well. The core action pits two teams of players against each other in a battle to capture points, move a cart, or steal a briefcase. The objective is always very straightforward; it's the interplay between the nine playable classes that makes things so varied and interesting. The speedy scout, the militant heavy, the diligent engineer, the conniving medic, the pesky sniper, the sneaky spy, the feisty pyro, the explosive soldier, and the even-more-explosive demoman all have unique weapons, attributes, and abilities that complement each other and clash in myriad ways. Encounters can vary widely depending on the match type and the makeup of each team, and this unpredictability is crucial to TF2's long-standing appeal.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417016" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417016/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">When you come out of the gate as a heavy with a medic in tow, you're a formidable offensive force, but if a spy loops around to backstab the medic and you round the corner on a pyro, it can all come undone in a matter of seconds. Snipers can cover expected enemy paths, but rocket-jumping soldiers have a knack for finding alternative routes and raining explosive death from above. You may think you have a comparatively weak scout dead to rights, only to be stunned by a baseball and beaten to death. As you watch your giblets splatter on the ground and see a freeze-frame of your gleeful killer, it's hard not to chuckle at the sheer variety of ways you can meet an untimely demise. And the humorous quips, ridiculous outfits, and histrionic announcer help cultivate this lighthearted tone. </p><p style="">Of course, this core dynamic has persisted for most of TF2's life span, so if you stopped playing it a few years ago and come back for a few matches, you'll find things are very familiar. Learning the ropes and getting the hang of your chosen role is still a gratifying experience, and mastering advanced techniques doesn't just make you deadlier; it gives you more options for how to approach combat. Keeping your options open is still valuable too, because being flexible with your choice of character can help you avoid ending up on a catastrophically imbalanced squad. It is <em>Team</em> Fortress, after all.</p><p style="">But though there is much that has remained constant about the core game, there have been some notable changes over the years, as well as regular infusions of new weapons and items. Of the hundreds of things available in the online store, some can be unlocked through play, while others must be purchased with actual money. From small doodads that cost less than a dollar to massive bundles that cost hundreds, there's a wide range of ways to customize your experience.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427703-%23%23%2300006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427703" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427703-%23%23%2300006.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427703"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/542/5424362/2427703-%23%23%2300006.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Many of the items offer nothing more than a playful twist on the game's already cheeky cartoon aesthetic. You can buy hats, shirts, shoes, and other cosmetic gear to dress up like a character from Adult Swim or don spooky seasonal garb that you can wear only during Halloween or a full moon. Even if you don't fancy shelling out for any of this stuff, it's fun to see some visual variety as you try to light your opponents on fire.</p><p style=""><span>Other weapons have more of an impact, like the ones that give your character a new chargeable and expendable power. The scout can build hype, which turns his usual double jump into a triple, quadruple, or quintuple jump, and the soldier can build rage, which allows him to rally his nearby teammates to do extra damage. Skills like these have more of a meaningful impact on the action, bringing something new to the table that your enemies must contend with. And then there are the totally out-there loadouts, like the one that turns the grenade-launching demoman into an extra from the movie </span><i>Braveheart</i><span>.</span>In addition to the cosmetic options, there are a lot of weapons and items that offer small buffs or subtle tweaks to your attributes. Depending on which healing gun the medic equips, for example, he can imbue himself and his targeted ally with extra damage resistance or enable himself to match the speed of his target. Differences like these don't do much to change the core action, but they do give experienced players substantial room for strategic variation.</p><p style="">These options broaden the field of viable strategies, which helps keep combat lively and varied. And fortunately, none of the purchasable weapons or items tip the scales unfairly towards those willing to pay. Buffs and bonuses usually come with caveats, and the weapons that bestow new abilities are usually unlocked for free. For this review, I spent some money on goofy hats and some of the stranger weaponry on offer, like the pyro's flamethrower that actually shoots bubbles and rainbows. It was fun to play with the new gear, but I still found myself switching my loadout between free and paid weapons regularly to adapt to the match situation.</p><figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427671-%23%23%2300010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427671" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/542/5424362/2427671-%23%23%2300010.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2427671"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/542/5424362/2427671-%23%23%2300010.jpg"></a><figcaption>Mow 'em down and get paid.</figcaption></figure><p style="">The biggest divergence from the game's origins comes in the cooperative mode, Mann vs. Machine. In it, you and a few other human players must prevent hordes of robotic incarnations of TF2's classes from delivering a bomb to your base. The money you earn from destroying robots can be spent on mid-match upgrades to your attributes and weaponry, which can be crucial to success. Even on the easiest level, the robot legions are fierce enough to test the mettle of an unorganized team. This is a mode where carefully planned weapon choices and defensive strategies can mean the difference between succeeding and having to try, try again. You can play this mode for free, but you won't be eligible to earn rare prizes or complete challenges unless you pay a dollar for a Tour of Duty ticket. Though it lacks the frenetic unpredictability of competitive play, the cooperative mode can still provide satisfaction for those dedicated enough to see it through.</p><p style="">But competition is the real draw, and the Team Fortress 2 community can certainly be competitive. On some servers, you might be berated for unwitting breaches of etiquette, while on others, you might be welcomed with helpful tips and ubercharges. You can even ask for help on certain servers and be paired up with another player who is willing to give you some tips through chat. The community around TF2 is an intriguing one, not just for their deep knowledge of and passion for the game, but for their creative efforts in designing new weapons, items, and maps that have since become part of the experience. It feels like a community of curators, without whom the game may well have dwindled away and passed into obsolescence years ago.</p><p style="">Staying relevant even a year after release is rare for a competitive shooter, and yet, here's Team Fortress 2, still lively after seven years in the business. At times it feels like the same game you could have played back then, and at other times it feels like no one will ever quite nail class-based shooter competition the way TF2 does. The experience has evolved over the years without compromising what made it so great in the first place, so though your free-to-play options may have increased considerably in the past few years, there are few that do it as well as Team Fortress 2.</p> Thu, 30 Jan 2014 06:00:00 -0800 http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/team-fortress-2-review/1900-6415650/


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