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Category: Gamespot

  • Five Free BioWare PC Games Will Be Available This Week, Here's How to Get Them

    RPG developer BioWare is giving away PC games every day this week, leading up to Christmas.

    In a tweet, BioWare said its free game promotion will begin on December 20. There are reports that Mass Effect 2 was free on Origin yesterday, December 19, though it’s since returned to its normal price. Perhaps the deal went live too early. Keep checking back with GameSpot to find out what BioWare games are free on Origin this week.

    In the spirit of the season, we’re giving away five days of freebies starting tomorrow. Stay tuned. 🎁 pic.twitter.com/0oNuMkAevX

    — BioWare (@bioware) December 19, 2016

    If you want a free EA PC game right now, you can pick up the original Dungeon Keeper right here through Origin’s On the House promotion.

    What BioWare games would you like to see included in the holiday sale? Let us know in the comments below!

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  • Resident Evil 7 Demo Hits PC, Numerous Graphics Options Revealed

    Resident Evil 7 Demo Hits PC, Numerous Graphics Options Revealed

    Right on schedule, Resident Evil 7‘s PC demo landed on Steam today, letting a new group of players get a taste of the horror game that arrives in January.

    The Beginning Hour demo, as it’s called, can be downloaded right here on Steam for free. “You wake up alone on the floor of an abandoned farmhouse. Daylight is quickly fading. You must find a way out,” reads a line from the demo’s description.

    The demo’s full minimum and recommended system requirements can be seen further down the page.

    When Capcom announced the Resident Evil 7 PC demo earlier this month, the developer said there would be a “multitude of PC-specific settings and graphics options.” Courtesy of someone on NeoGAF, we now know that they include things like dynamic shadows, ambient occlusion, bloom, chromatic abberation, and much more. You can see the graphics options menu here.

    The Resident Evil 7 Beginning Hour demo is already available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

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    Resident Evil 7 launches on January 24, 2017 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. That’s just a few days before the new movie, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, comes out in theaters on January 27. Check out the newest trailer for Resident Evil 7 above, while the latest Final Chapter trailer can be seen here.

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  • Nintendo Switch Specs: CPU and GPU Clock Speeds Reportedly Revealed

    Nintendo Switch Specs: CPU and GPU Clock Speeds Reportedly Revealed

    Following a report last week, we’ve now possibly learned a little more about the Nintendo Switch‘s specs. Digital Foundry has the scoop today on the system’s CPU and GPU speeds.

    According to the site, the CPU power is the same when the Switch is docked and undocked, with the cores running at 1020MHz in both situations. “This ensures that running game logic won’t be compromised while gaming on the go: the game simulation itself will remain entirely consistent,” the site reported. “The machine’s embedded memory controller runs at 1600MHz while docked … but the default power mode undocked sees this drop to 1331MHz. However, developers can opt to retain full memory bandwidth in their titles should they choose to do so.”

    The Switch’s GPU speed is what might be controversial, Digital Foundry says. This is because, when docked, clock speeds for the system are reportedly locked at 768MHz. As the site points out, this is much lower than the 1 GHz that Nvidia’s Shield Android TV runs at in terms of GPU seed.

    “But the big surprise from our perspective was the extent to which Nintendo has down-clocked the GPU to hit its thermal and battery life targets,” Digital Foundry said. “That’s not a typo: it really is 307.2MHz–meaning that in portable mode, Switch runs at exactly 40 percent of the clockspeed of the fully docked device.”

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    Nintendo did not respond to the site’s request for comment. Be sure to read Digital Foundry’s full report to learn lots more about the Switch’s rumored specs and what it might mean for the way the console’s games look.

    An earlier report from Digital Foundry claimed that the Switch’s portable screen has a resolution of 720p and supports multi-touch.

    Last week, a report claimed the Switch would use Nvidia’s Maxwell graphics processing technology, not the chip-maker’s newer Pascal architecture. It was confirmed during the Switch announcement event in October that the console would use a variant of Nvidia’s Tegra chip.

    The Switch’s reported use of the custom Maxwell Tegra apparently means the console will have more than 1 teraflop of performance. This would be well below Project Scorpio (6 teraflops), the PS4 Pro (4.2 teraflops), the standard PS4 (1.8 teraflops), and the standard Xbox One (1.3 teraflops).

    Nintendo will officially announce the Switch’s specs during an event in January, though we don’t know how specific Nintendo plans to get. The event, scheduled for January 12, is also where Nintendo will reveal the console’s price and launch lineup, but not necessarily its release date.

    We know it’s coming sometime in March 2017, but a specific date has not been revealed.

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  • Rogue One Director Reveals he Used Unseen Footage From Original Star Wars

    Rogue One Director Reveals he Used Unseen Footage From Original Star Wars

    As anyone who has seen the new Star Wars spinoff Rogue One will know, the movie is packed with Easter Eggs, cameos, and callbacks to the other films in the blockbuster series. Now director Gareth Edwards has spoken about one of the coolest surprise appearances.

    Spoilers about Star Wars: Rogue One follow below.

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    In an interview with the Radio Times, Edwards discussed the appearance of Rebel pilots Red Leader and Gold Leader from the original Star Wars. The director revealed that the footage of the two characters–played by actors Drewe Henley and Angus MacInnes–were actually taken from unused scenes from the original movie.

    “We went to Skywalker ranch, and there’s the archives there,” he said. “And as we’re walking around, and doing all the cool things and looking at the Millennium Falcon and trying on Han Solo’s jacket and things like that, in the back at the bottom was all these cans of film. And we said, ‘What are they?’ and they said, ‘Oh, it’s Star Wars.’ “And you go… ‘has someone gone through all this? And it’s like, ‘not really, they’re not fully digitised at all.’

    “We got the neg documents and found the clips from A New Hope that hadn’t been used. And there’s pilot photography and lines that were never featured in [the film.] Through the magic of [vfx studio] ILM they cut round them and manipulated them and stuck them into our cockpits.”

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    Edwards went on the explain that he wasn’t initially sure the time, cost, and effort involved in placing the characters into the climactic scenes of Rogue One was worth it–until he saw the movie with an audience.

    “It’s the sort of thing you think, ‘How many people will notice?’,” he admitted. “It’s like, is this a lot of effort for very little reward? At the world premiere in LA, there was this massive cheer at a particular point in the film. It was the only time during the premiere where I actually punched the air.”

    Rogue One opened last weekend to massive worldwide success. In the US it made $155 million, which makes it the second biggest December opener of all time, behind last year’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Internationally, it earned $135.5 million, boosting the global haul to $290.5 million. Check out GameSpot’s review here, and read our roundup of the best moments from the film.

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  • GTA 5 Sells 6 Million Physical Copies in the UK

    GTA 5 Sells 6 Million Physical Copies in the UK

    Grand Theft Auto V has now sold more than 6 million physical copies in the UK, according to Chart-Track, as reported by Eurogamer. This figure does not include digital sales of the open-world game.

    The game continues to sell well in the UK, landing in the No. 5 position last week for physical sales.

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    GTA V has been a massive, enduring hit. Worldwide, it’s shipped more than 70 million copies. The game originally launched in September 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, before coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in November 2014. It came to PC in April 2015.

    Rockstar continues to update and evolve the game–at least its GTA Online mode. The newest free expansion, Import/Export, arrived last week, giving players new ways to steal cars.

    GTA Online is free, but it’s been a huge, continual money-maker. During an earnings event in November, Take-Two president Strauss Zelnick said GTA Online continues to see year-over-year growth in bookings. In November 2015, GTA Online had 8 million players a week, though Take-Two has not updated that figure since.

    Given the massive success of GTA V, it was no surprise in March this year when a report claimed that GTA VI is currently in production.

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  • GameStop's Most-Requested Retro Consoles Revealed

    In addition to selling the newest consoles and games, retailer GameStop has a retro gaming business. It sells older consoles, games, and accessories. Now, the store has announced the results of a new survey, revealing which legacy consoles are the most highly sought-after among the members of its loyalty program, PowerUp Rewards.

    Nintendo leads the way, taking the top three positions. The Nintendo 64 is hottest with GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards members, followed by the NES and the Super NES. Other consoles that made the Top 10 list include the PlayStation 1 (No. 4), original Xbox (No. 6), and the Sega Saturn (No. 8). Nintendo’s Game Boy (No. 9) and Game Boy Advance (No. 10) are also represented, meaning Nintendo consoles made up five of the top 10 most-requested retro consoles.

    As part of the survey, GameStop asked members what retro consoles they were most interested in. The full Top 10 list is below, as reported by GamesBeat.

    1. Nintendo 64
    2. Nintendo Entertainment System
    3. Super NES
    4. PlayStation
    5. Sega Genesis
    6. Xbox
    7. Sega Dreamcast
    8. Sega Saturn
    9. Game Boy
    10. Game Boy Advance

    The Nintendo 64 sells for $80 at GameStop, while Super Mario 64 goes for $35 and GoldenEye 64 for $30. Go to GameStop’s retro gaming page to see everything the store offers.

    Nintendo started selling retro gaming items through its website on July 2015, expanding the program to all of its North American stores as of October 2016, according to GamesBeat.

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  • Dynasty Warriors 9 Announced, Reinvents Series as Open-World

    Dynasty Warriors 9, the latest in the long line of Japanese hack-and-slash games, has been revealed.

    Publisher Koei Tecmo has said the series is going open-world for the first time with this ninth entry. You can take a look at a Japanese teaser trailer below. Don’t be confused by the “8” on the title screen–in Japan, numbered Dynasty Warriors games are one behind their western releases.

    According to Siliconera, producer Akihiro Suzuki has described Dynasty Warriors 9 as a “rebirth” for the series, with developer Omega Force aiming to boil down the whole of China into one in-game map. All 83 playable characters from Dynasty Warriors 8 will return, in addition to a selection of new fighters; one of these is Zhou Cang, a character from the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the book on which Dynasty Warriors is based.

    Koei Tecmo had previously said in January that a “big announcement” regarding Dynasty Warriors would come this year. The last core game in the series to be released was Dynasty Warriors 8 in 2013, though that has since received a pair of expansion packs. More recently, we got a Zelda-themed spinoff, Hyrule Warriors, for Wii U and 3DS.

    Further Dynasty Warriors 9 details, including a release date and which platforms the game will launch on, are currently thin on the ground, but GameSpot will keep you up-to-date with new information as we get it.

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  • Super Mario Run Downloaded 10 Times As Much As Pokemon Go On First Day, Says Report [Update]

    Update 2: Polygon reports that App Annie has published more recent data, which states that Super Mario Run was downloaded over 10 million times worldwide on December 15. That’s 10 times the amount Pokemon Go managed in its first day.

    App Annie also notes that 20 million people pre-registered for the game (meaning they clicked the ‘Notify’ button on Super Mario Run on the App Store), and that the game made $4 million in its first day.

    Update: Another research firm, App Annie, has an even more optimistic report regarding Super Mario Run‘s first day. The game was downloaded by an estimated 3.5 million users in just the US, according to its data (via Polygon). We’ll report back if Nintendo or Apple share any official figures.

    Original story: Super Mario Run was downloaded nearly 3 million times during its first day of availability, far outpacing Pokemon Go on its opening day, according to mobile analytics company Apptopia.

    Super Mario Run was downloaded 2.85 million times on day one, compared with 900,000 for Pokemon Go, according to the firm’s data (via VentureBeat). How quickly that will drop off remains to be seen–Pokemon Go reached 5.6 million downloads by its third day and has continued to grow.

    It’s an impressive figure for Mario and Nintendo’s mobile game debut, though it also isn’t an especially fair comparison. Super Mario Run is available in 150 countries, whereas Pokemon Go launched in only three countries, albeit on iOS and Android (Super Mario Run is iOS-only for now).

    Furthermore, Super Mario Run was also the subject of an extensive marketing campaign. It was unveiled during a high-profile Apple event this summer, enjoyed advertising on the App Store (including a new system that let you sign up to be notified upon its release), and made an appearance on The Tonight Show. Pokemon Go enjoyed none of this, showing up in July with little warning.

    Like Pokemon Go, Super Mario Run is a free download. However, the specific business models the two use are quite different. Pokemon Go is playable indefinitely without paying, but it also offers ways to continue paying indefinitely for in-game items. Super Mario Run’s first few levels are free and then it offers the rest of the game as a single $10 purchase.

    It’s a premium price for mobile, though that hasn’t stopped it from reaching the No. 1 spot on the App Store’s Top Grossing (and Top Free) charts in the US. Pokemon Go has been a mainstay on the Top Grossing charts since its release, though it seems doubtful Super Mario Run will have the same staying power due to its single-purchase model.

    Another research firm, SuperData, recently projected that Super Mario Run will hit 30 million downloads in its first month, bringing in $60 million. It has since reduced that figure to somewhere in the $12-$15 million range. Meanwhile, analyst Serkan Toto has said previously that he expects it to eventually eclipse 1 billion downloads, something only a small number of games have ever accomplished.

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  • Top 10 UK Sales Chart: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Dominates in Xmas Week

    Activision’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare takes the top spot on the UK sales chart for the week ending December 17. According to sales monitor Chart-Track, it is the seventh Call of Duty title to hold the top spot during Christmas week.

    Following Infinite Warfare is a pair of EA titles: FIFA 17 at No.2 and Battlefield 1 at No.3. Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 2 moves up two places from last week, rising from No.6 to No.4. Grand Theft Auto V continues its run in the top ten at No.5.

    Further down the chart, Ubisoft’s Steep finally manages to break into the top ten, reaching No.9 in its third week on sale. Rounding off the top ten is 2K’s Mafia III. You can take a look at the full top ten below. This table does not include digital sales data, and thus should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.

    1. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
    2. FIFA 17
    3. Battlefield 1
    4. Watch Dogs 2
    5. Grand Theft Auto V
    6. Final Fantasy XV
    7. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
    8. Dishonored 2
    9. Steep
    10. Mafia 3

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  • GameStop Is Giving Away PS4 and Xbox One Consoles Right Now, Here's How You Could Win

    With just a week to go before Christmas, GameStop has rolled out a new nationwide promotion where it’s giving away PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.

    As part of the “Let us Console You” program, GameStop is giving away five PS4 or Xbox One consoles apparently to random shoppers every day from now until Christmas Eve (December 24). GameeStop has been sharing images of the winners on its Facebook page, like this one:

    Even if you don’t win one, you can save $50 on all PS4 and Xbox One console bundles right now as part of temporary price cuts that went into effect last week. GameStop is sweetening the PS4 deal, offering a bonus $25 gift card with the purchase of the $250 Uncharted 4 PS4 Slim system.

    In other GameStop deals news, the store is selling Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Legacy Edition, which comes with the Call of Duty 4 remaster, for only $50. It normally goes for $80. GameStop announced last month that Infinite Warfare failed to meet its sales expectations.

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