Author: dpugh007

Sony has issued a notice reassuring fans that the free PlayStation Plus version of Driveclub has not been cancelled, following an interview with a company executive that had casts doubts over the project.

In a statement sent to GameSpot, Sony explained that it is trying to create a network that can handle the estimated stresses of releasing an online-centric triple-A game for free. The corporation could not, however, provide a timeline for completion of its work.

“Although currently we do not have an update regarding the timing for the launch of the PS Plus Edition, we are continually working on improving the server capacity to enable us to launch the PS Plus Edition as quickly as possible,” the statement read.

Sony’s statement comes amid doubts over the prospects of the PS Plus edition–which was first promised in June 2013–after a PlayStation executive appeared to hold off making any promises.

Jim Ryan, the chief executive of PlayStation Europe, was asked in a recent interview whether the release of the free version would arrive soon.

“That’s still being looked at,” he replied.

When asked whether the free version would ever ship, Ryan replied: “I can’t say anything at this stage.”

At E3 2013, months ahead of the release of the PlayStation 4, Sony made a pledge that PlayStation Plus subscribers would be given a free abridged version of Driveclub as a reward for their membership.

But the matter was complicated on several occasions, first in October 2013 when the racing sim was delayed just weeks ahead of its launch. It was delayed again in early 2014, and when finally released in October that year, it launched with major server issues that knocked its network infrastructure offline.

During the disaster launch, a decision was made at Sony to postpone the free version, likely in order to prevent the online problems worsening.

Months of waiting followed while fans hoped that the free version would still ship. Then, in early February this year, a representative for the game’s developer, Evolution Studios, told a fan that the build “still needs a lot of work“.

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Bungie.net and Destiny will be offline for a few hours tomorrow for maintenance, Bungie has announced on Twitter. The maintenance being carried out will be server-side and gameplay will not be affected.

Bungie also confirmed that update 1.1.1 will still be implemented this month. The patch will introduce compulsory match-making to weekly heroic strikes, removing the ability for players to solo them. This will affect all levels of the Weekly Heroic, though Nightfall will remain unaffected. Matchmaking has yet to be implemented for Raids, which Bungie says are more reliant on “groups of communicative players who are invested in each other.”

Other changes which are part of patch 1.1.1 include a fix to the heavy ammo bug, balance fixes to weapons, and the ability to view a player’s in-game reputation with faction vendors.

Destiny’s next downloadable content pack will launch sometime in the second quarter of this year, and is called House of Wolves. Bungie has said it won’t make the same mistakes in this DLC, with plans to improve the progression system.

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Chicago’s 40,000 square foot Pac-Man restaurant Level 257 is now open for business, at least for some. The venue is now letting “beta testers” make a dinner reservation and sample the food and entertainment before it opens to the public later this year.

Chicago Eater went inside Level 257 and snapped a series of lovely photos of the space. It’s not just a restaurant, however. In addition to seating for 180 people, it has a bowling alley, ping pong tables, and of course, Pac-Man video games to play, among other things.

Level 257’s cocktails are named after video games. Some of these include “Game Over,” “1 Up,” and “Midway.” Check out the restaurant’s menu here. And definitely be sure to look through the whole image gallery at Chicago Eater.

As for the name, Level 257 is a reference to Pac-Man’s infamous killscreen, which pops up during the 256th board. Overall, the restaurant aims to offer a “fun dining” experience.

Level 257 is located at the Woodfield Mall in Chicago. For more on the venue, and to make a reservation, head to the restaurant’s Facebook page.

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When Microsoft announced Rise of the Tomb Raider as an Xbox-exclusive last summer, some fans scratched their heads and wondered: Why? After all, the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot was released across Xbox and PlayStation consoles, as well as PC. Now, developer Crystal Dynamics boss Darrell Gallagher has expanded on the nature of the deal, what it means for the game, and more.

Speaking with Game Informer, Gallagher says the relationship didn’t happen overnight. In fact, it’s “been a long partnership” that actually began, in a way, back in 2008 when Crystal Dynamics brought Tomb Raider Underworld to the Xbox 360 with some exclusive DLC.

This was followed up with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light in 2013, which was released first on Xbox 360 through Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion. As a result of these previous working relationships, the Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox exclusivity deal represents a “natural evolution on where we started,” Gallagher said.

Microsoft will publish Rise of the Tomb Raider and handle marketing and distribution. Overall, Microsoft working on the project helps Crystal Dynamics “achieve what we want with Rise of the Tomb Raider; to deliver the best game that we can,” Gallagher said.

The interviewer went on to ask Gallagher if he thought that Crystal Dynamics’ partnership with Microsoft was so deep that Rise of the Tomb Raider could not exist without it. Gallagher said he doesn’t think that’s the case.

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said. “If you look at Tomb Raider, it’s been around for 20 years, so I do think that Tomb Raider would still be around [without Microsoft].”

Gallagher explained that partnering up with Microsoft helps boost the profile of the Tomb Raider franchise to new heights.

“What we look at is how do we bring the best version of Tomb Raider to market? How do we actually make it as prominent as it can be? And there’s no doubt that having a first-party in Xbox, alongside, saying, ‘We want to help you make this great, we want to push this and get behind it, and love it in the same way as you guys do,’ there’s only benefits that can come from that,” he said.

The deal also means Crystal Dynamics can tap into Microsoft’s hardware-specific expertise to help with the development of Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gallagher said. From the start, Microsoft employees have shown initiative to help Crystal Dynamics with the project, asking things like “How can we help?” and “What do you need?,” Gallagher said.

“It’s been a great partnership so far,” he added.

Also in the interview, Gallagher reiterated that Rise of the Tomb Raider could come to PlayStation consoles sometime in the future. This is not too surprising because, after all, we know that Microsoft’s exclusivity deal for the game has a duration, and it’s not forever.

“We’re focusing on Xbox One and Xbox 360 here at Crystal, and that’s what we’re focused on right now,” he said. “And anything beyond? We’ll come back to at a later date.”

Finally, Gallagher confirmed that the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot has now sold 7.5 million copies.

For more on Rise of the Tomb Raider, check out some newly discovered screenshots below. Rise of the Tomb Raider launches this holiday for Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

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