Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley has shared some images of prototypes for the original console’s controllers–and they look familiar.
As you can see in the images below (via Gamasutra), the prototypes are inspired by controllers for the ill-fated Dreamcast console from Sega. The imagery also includes what appears to be a VMU as well. Take a look:
Blackley acknowledged the comparisons to the Dreamcast controller, saying Sega’s console was the system to beat at the time. “These look as they do because at the time, Dreamcast was king. Influence,” he said on Twitter.
Some of the prototype images also feature characters from the Power Stone series, which was made for Dreamcast. Click through the images in the gallery above to see them all.
Blackley also mentioned that Microsoft never came close to choosing any of these as the final design. It’s unclear if Microsoft ever produced any physical prototypes or if they only stayed on the page.
Microsoft would eventually settle on a much different look for the Xbox controller. The original Xbox went on sale in 2001, the same year that Sega discontinued Dreamcast.
The new novels will be published by Titan Books, BioWare confirmed. As for who is writing them, what stories they will tell, and when they’ll arrive, those details are being saved for a later date.
“Unfortunately, it’s still too early to go into more detail about the books or when they will be released,” BioWare said. “We are still in the midst of the creative process, but we are working with a talented group of writers to bring these exciting new stories to our fans.”
According to the report, there will be four new Mass Effect novels in all. The first one, which is reportedly titled Mass Effect Andromeda: Initation, is being written by N. K. Jemisin; the report said it’s due out in August 2016. The document also revealed that Mass Effect series writer Mac Walters will pen the last one, which does not yet have a title but is slated for March 2018.
There is no word yet on who will write the second and third books, but release dates of March 2017 and September 2017 were listed for them.
Andromeda the game was originally scheduled to come out in 2016, but in May, BioWare announced that the game is now coming in “early 2017.” The game was delayed “to make sure we deliver everything the game can be and should be,” BioWare said at the time.
For more on Andromeda, check out the news stories and features below.
[Warning: Game of Thrones Season 6 spoilers ahead]
Game of Thrones‘ season six finale included some major twists, turns, and–naturally–mass murder. The MVP of the episode was Cersei Lannister, who basically wiped out half of the cast using Wildfire, a substance that burns so hot that even water can’t put it out.
As with everything these days, someone has taken it upon themselves to take that the scene where Cersei unleashes her burning green fury on her enemies, and some of the ensuing fallout, and give an Overwatch-style twist.
Check out the Lady of Casterly Rock’s Play of the Game in the video below.
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably seen the season finale of Game of Thrones season six, in which case why don’t you check out the accompanying episode of GameSpot of Thrones. Watch as the team analyse the events of the episode, discuss the potential ramifications, and make a few predictions.
If you’re not interested in any of that, you can watch them pick their favourite death of the week and pick the most sassy character of the episode.
The Underground DLC expansion for Tom Clancy’s The Division is available now on Xbox One. It can be purchased as part of the game’s Season Pass, which is available for $39.99, or individually for $14.99.
The content has appeared on Xbox Live and is available to download. For those that aren’t familiar with it, Underground is the first of three planned paid expansions for The Division. It features a new raid called Dragon’s Nest, and new areas to explore that offer “endless replayability.” Developer Ubisoft has achieved this by introducing what is essentially randomly generated dungeons.
Along with the new content, The Division will also receive its 1.3 update. This introduces major weapon balance changes and a talent recalibration system, and fixes a bug where the moon was upside down. Check out the full patch notes here. The patch will be available Xbox One and PC, but is delayed on PS4.
The other two upcoming expansions are called Survival and Last Stand. All three are included in the $40 DLC pass. If the other two DLC expansions are priced the same as Underground, purchasing the pass would represent a $5 saving.
Streaming platform Twitch has introduced the ability to buy emotes and use them in chat.
The feature is called “Cheering” and, in an official Twitch blog post, is described as “a new way to show support for streamers and celebrate the moments you love with the community.”
Cheers are purchased using “Bits,” which are themselves purchased using real money. Spending a certain number of Bits results the use of a specific cheer animation.
Bits are purchased using Amazon Payments. Take a look below to see how much real money Bits cost.
100 Bits: $1.40
500 Bits: $7.00
1500 Bits: $19.95 (5% discount)
5000 Bits: $64.40 (8% discount)
10000 Bits: $126 (10% discount)
25000 Bits: $308 (12% discount)
According to a support page focused on the new feature, select partnered broadcasters on Twitch “get a revenue share from Bits used to Cheer for them,” effectively providing viewers another way to support streamers, alongside buying subscriptions.
As of yet the exact amount broadcasters receive hasn’t been disclosed. It is unclear whether purchasing Bits is a better source of revenue for broadcasters than subscriptions.
In addition to emotes, there are also Cheer Chat Badges, which are earned as you cheer and “help you identify the regulars in new channels.”
Cheering will only be available to select partners initially, as it is in a beta stage.
“Our goal is to make Cheering a great experience for streamers and viewers alike,” Twitch explained. “During the beta period, we’ll be gathering feedback and making improvements, which is much easier to do on a smaller scale. We’re excited about the future of Cheering, and we’re looking forward to making it more widely available as soon as it’s ready.”
“After reviewing the progress of the project, the team at WB Games has decided to delay the release of Batman: Return to Arkham to give the team at Virtuous Games additional time to deliver a polished Batman Arkham game experience,” reads the statement.
“We do not have a release date yet and will be sure to communicate that once we are sure the game will be ready. We know this is disappointing news, but we feel the extra time will allow the team to create the best gaming experience for our fans.”
Following multiple leaks, Batman: Return to Arkham was officially announced in May. In addition to the base games, players will receive all Game of the Year extras and downloadable content. Overall, Warner Bros. said players can expect “improved graphics” and “upgraded models, environments, lighting, effects, and shaders.”
While the original games were powered by the Unreal Engine 3, the remasters are being developed by Virtuous using Unreal Engine 4.
Virtuous previous worked on Heavy Rain‘s PS4 version and contributed to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. Additionally, the company created assets for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Take a look at this Batman: Return to Arkham screenshot comparison gallery to see some of the visual differences between the old and new versions of Rocksteady’s games. These comparison shots are not official, and we compiled by a fan.
[UPDATE] Here’s the new trailer for Beyond, featuring the Rihanna song “Sledgehammer”:
The original story is below.
Singer Rihanna has teased a new song for July’s Star Trek: Beyond. Posting to her social networking channels today, the “Shut Up and Drive” singer said an official reveal for the song, “Sledgehammer,” is coming tomorrow, June 27.
According to The Verge, Rihanna may have been working on this song since 2014. The singer tweeted two years ago, “You’re just another brick and I’m a sledgehammer #barz“
A listing for “Sledgehammer” popped up on iTunes last week, Official Notes reports.
Star Trek: Beyond is set for release on July 22, 2016. It stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, and John Cho.
Indie developer Breaking Bytes is turning to Kickstarter to fund its ’90s-style 2D shoot-em-up Xydonia. The crowdfunding effort is kicking off today, June 27, asking for €20,000 ($22,000) to help make the project a reality.
Xydonia aims to be a “love letter” to Japanese arcade classics such as Gradius, R-Type, Darius, and Thunder Force, and is also inspired by the wonderful and challenging Spelunky. It’s a “return to the golden age of the shmup genre,” containing “hardcore” arcade-like gameplay and a unique cast of characters.
Another compelling element is that Breaking Bytes has brought on famous Japanese composers Shinji Hosoe (Dragon Spirit, Under Defeat, Otomedius) and Keishi Yonao (Mad Stalker, Strania) to write music for Xydonia. If funding reaches €32,000 ($35,000), Ayako Saso (Tekken series) and Yosuke Yasui (Custom Robo) series will provide guest tracks.
Expect to hear Genesis/Mega Drive-like “chip” sounds. You can watch the trailer above to get an idea for what to expect from the gameplay and music.
In another nod to ’90s arcade games, there will be an option to play Xydonia in “CRT mode” by way of an emulation shader and border overlay. Overall, the game’s technical specifics and presentation style are “carefully crafted to recreate the look and feel of the era.”
Breaking Bytes art director Walter Samperi said it’s been “great to see” the shmup genre take off on Steam, and that he hopes Xydonia (which is also on Steam Greenlight) can keep that trend going.
“Xydonia aims to bring the hardcore arcade experience, both in gameplay and style, to modern standards, while keeping it genuine,” he said. “Spelunky is one of the most balanced modern arcade experiences, and Xydonia takes inspiration from this philosophy, emphasizing the same short-burst type of play from R-Type, Darius, or Thunder Force and mixing that with Spelunky’s long-term replayability and secrets.”
In terms of story, Xydonia takes place in the year 30XX, a time when the rise of technology means everyone is traveling by space like it’s no big thing. However, there is a dangerous journey that none have returned from–you’ll be the first, if you’re successful.
“The legacy of planet Xydonia’s inhabitants still remains a mystery to this day,” reads a line from the game’s description. “Countless adventurers and opportunists have ventured in search of the remains of this ancient civilization and its homeworld, but none of them have returned. Now, it’s time to uncover Xydonia’s coordinates and discover its darkest secrets for yourself.”
You can get a copy of Xydonia for pledging at least €10 ($11), which Breaking Bytes says will represent a 33 percent discount from its retail price.
Higher-tier rewards include things like the soundtrack, your personal likeness put in the game, and the ability to work with the developer on enemy, boss, and character design. Xydonia is scheduled to launch in October 2017 for PC, but there are also stretch goals for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and 3DS versions.
A snapshot of the Xydonia stretch goals can be seen below. All of the details about these and the rest of the campaign can be seen on the Kickstarter when it goes live at 9 AM PST today.
Funcom has released new images for the upcoming Conan Exiles, showcasing things like combat mechanics and the game’s sandy open world. The other piece of news around the game is that its Steam Early Access release has been delayed to January 2017; it was previously pegged for September.
Regarding the delay, Exiles creative director Joel Bylos explained in a Steam post (via DualShockers) that, after considering fan feedback, the developer decided it would “like to spend a little more time” working on the game. He added that Funcom recently “secured additional funding,” which means the developer is in a “much more flexible” financial solution.
“We want to take advantage of that and move Early Access to January 2017,” he said. “With the extra time in development, we believe we can make a better game for you, the fans.”
He went on to say that Early Access games often trend in two different directions. On the one hand, some Early Access games are “buggy, unstable, and unfinished.” Others can be more stable and feature-rich.
“Our aim is to deliver a game that is firmly in the second situation and creates a quintessential Conan experience,” Bylos said.
“Conan Exiles is a different type of game for us and we have approached its development with an eye for the mechanics that make the survival sandbox genre so compelling, while attempting to bring the style and flavor of the Conan universe,” he added.
As announced previously, you don’t play as Conan the Barbarian, but rather as an “exile” who has been crucified and left to die. In keeping with the Conan tradition, Exiles aims to be brutal as it relates to violence.
“You see heads coming off, you see arms coming off, you see blood, you see gore, you see dents in armor,” Funcom said previously. “These are the things we’re aiming for.”
Exiles is described as an open-world game. It is multiplayer-centric, though you can play alone, too.
The game will launch for PC at first. A console version is also in the works, but Funcom has not provided any details on it outside of announcing its existence.
There have been crossover events for Fox’s hit animated shows, but now, a new video game is–for the first time–bringing together the worlds of Family Guy, Futurama, King of the Hill, Bob’s Burgers, and American Dad. That’s all of the big Fox animated shows except The Simpsons (which has its own mobile game with EA called The Simpsons: Tapped Out).
The game is called Throwdown: The Quest for Cards, and it will be published by GameStop subsidiary Kongregate for mobile devices. As its name suggests, The Quest for Cards is a collectible card game in the vein of Hearthstone and Gwent, among others.
Players will build a deck of cards containing characters from the Fox shows, including Peter Griffin (Family Guy), Hank Hill (King of the Hill), and Leela (Futurama), among others. With a deck assembled, players can then square off against others for supremacy.
“We are thrilled to bring together these five animated comedies for the first time in Animation Throwdown: The Quest for Cards.” said Emily Greer, president and co-founder of Kongregate. “We are looking forward to integrating characters from these hit series in a unique and exciting way that fans of all the shows will really love.”
Kongregate is co-developing The Quest for Cards alongside San Francisco based Chinzilla Games, which previously made Little Alchemist.
The game will be marketed on the Kongregate website, as well as on GameStop’s own site (and through email blasts) and in its physical stores. Fox Digital Entertainment will also market the game. All of this is to stay, you will definitely know about the game.
The Quest for Cards is due out in Q3 for iOS and Android devices, with a release for “other platforms” to follow later. No gameplay footage or further details about how it plays have been announced yet; we’ll bring you more information as it’s announced.
It appears The Quest for Cards gets its name from the Family Guy game, The Quest for Stuff.
