Category: Gamespot

Upcoming changes to Microsoft’s Halo: The Master Chief Collection have been detailed, as work on the update is “nearing completion.”

According to a post on Halo Waypoint, the update will “address a variety of areas, including ranking, will add new systems for quitting and penalties, and will improve a number of community items,” though the post did not details exactly what these are or what the penalties will be.

Much of the changes being made to Master Chief Collection are based on feedback fans have delivered through Twitter, Waypoint, and Reddit. Take a look at all the upcoming tweaks and changes below.

Team Doubles

We’ve sat down to discuss how we could overhaul the voting options for this playlist to allow for lots more variety. After the next update, they’ll look something like this:

• Slot 1: Slayer BRs on a mix of Halo 2 Classic, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4
• Slot 2: Objective on a mix of Halo 2 Classic, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4
• Slot 3: Slayer BRs on a mix of Halo 2 Classic, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4

In the new system, you’ll first be presented with a Slayer BRs option from one of the four games. In the second slot, you’ll find an objective game type, meaning that if both teams prefer objective, it will be played. Lastly, in slot 3, another Slayer BRs option will await, in the event that you don’t prefer your first Slayer BRs nor the objective game type.

Other Changes to Team Doubles:

• Removing Team Slayer SMG on Lockdown (H2A)
• Removing Team Slayer SMG on Warlord (H2A)
• Adding Warlock CTF (H2)

Team Action Snack

We’ll be upping the max party size from four to eight, meaning that you’ll be able to jump in with a full (or kinda-ish full) lobby and play a random assortment of chaotic game types, including the ones we’ll be adding (with a low weighting):

• Adding Team Splasers on The Pit
• Adding Team Splasers on Construct
• Adding Team Rocket Lasers on Isolation
• Adding Team Shotty Snipers on Lockout
• Adding Team Shotty Snipers on Ivory Tower

We’re looking at overhauling the voting options in the future to allow for the appearance of more wacky game game types, and slightly less standard game types.

Team Hardcore

In Team Hardcore, we’re ever-so-slightly increasing map variety for Halo 3. As some maps (Narrows, Heretic, The Pit, and Construct) are home to more than one game type, we’ll be slightly bumping down the weighting of these map/game type combos to ensure that you’ll see an even amount of Guardian Ball as well as Amp Team Slayer & Onslaught CTF.

Halo 4

Adding the following game types:

• Adding Ricochet on Skyline
• Adding Ricochet on Pitfall
• Adding Ricochet on Haven

Halo 2 Anniversary

For H2A, we’ll be increasing map variety by reducing some higher-weighted game types that you let us know appear a bit too often:

• Slightly reducing appearance of Stonetown 1-Flag CTF
• Slightly reducing appearance of Stonetown 1-Flag CTF
• Slightly reducing appearance of Remnant 1-Flag CTF
• Slightly reducing appearance of Remnant 1-Flag CTF

Infection

Infection has been performing quite well, and we’ll be keeping it around for a bit longer before rotating in another playlist. The playlist team has a few new experiences they’re working on, and we want to give a chance for these to enter the matchmaking lineup. Infection will be around until the next playlist update, and it will return, potentially as a permanent playlist if it outperforms future playlists that we’re thinking about.

For this next update, we’ll be making just a few quick updates to Infection:

• Removing Braiiins on Avalanche
• Removing Braiiins on Standoff

Halo 3

The most common feedback we saw for the Halo 3 playlist was a desire for more map variety, and that there was a bit too much King of the Hill, so we’ll be making the following changes to improve what you see in voting:

• Reducing appearance of Orbital Team Slayer BR
• Reducing appearance of Orbital Team Slayer
• Reducing appearance of Citadel KotH
• Slightly reducing appearance of Boundless Team Slayer BR
• Slightly reducing appearance of Boundless Team Slayer
• Slightly reducing appearance of Last Resort Team Slayer BR
• Slightly reducing appearance of Last Resort Team Slayer
• Slightly reducing appearance of Last Resort KotH
• Slightly reducing appearance of Ghost Town KotH
• Slightly reducing appearance of Construct KotH
• Slightly increasing appearance for Heretic Assault

Halo 2 Classic

For the Halo 2 Classic playlist, we’re also looking to add more variety and reduce redundancy. Here’s what’s coming:

• Removing SMG-start Team Slayer on Colossus
• Adding Team Slayer BR on Tombstone
• Slightly increasing appearance of Sanctuary Team Slayer BR
• Slightly increasing appearance of Turf 3 Plots
• Slightly reducing appearance of Zanzibar Team Slayer BR
• Slightly reducing appearance of Turf KotH
• Slightly reducing appearance of Turf Team Slayer BR
• Slightly reducing appearance of Elongation Team Slayer BR

Team Snipers

For Snipers, the most common request we saw was the addition of more maps, so that’s what we’re doing:

• Adding Stonetown (H2A)
• Adding Remnant (H2A)
• Adding Bloodline (H2A)
• Adding Isolation (H3)
• Adding Blackout (H3)
• Adding Rat’s Nest (H3)
• Adding Exile (H4)
• Adding Solace (H4)

Halo 5: Guardians launches October 27 for Xbox One. For more, check out some recent stories below.

• Watch Halo 5 Limited Collector’s Edition Unboxing
• Halo 5 Gets Its Own Mega Bloks Toys
• How Halo 5’s REQ System Works
• Watch Nearly 5 Minutes of Halo 5 Campaign Footage

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Killbrite Studio, the developer of PC first-person horror title Among the Sleep, has announced it is no longer working on the VR version of the game, following a rethink about its suitability for the tech.

Explaining the decision on its official website, the studio described VR as “wonderful, immersive, engaging, and powerful,” but added that “you really need to design your game for VR from the ground up, not the other way around.”

Killbrite continued to address some of the key factors in the decision, focusing specifically on the feel of the game.

“A huge focus when creating Among the Sleep was to make the player feel like he or she was controlling a small child. To accomplish this we spent a lot of time on camera movement,” it explained.

“One of the first things we learned when experimenting with VR is that the player needs to be in control. All the time. When a player puts on a headset to play your game he is basically placed inside the game … A very common technique in story driven first person games is to take away the players control of the camera when you want to tell some story … This feels horrible in VR.”

It continued: “If you do this in VR it basically feels like someone is physically grabbing your head and forcing you to watch something. Suddenly your entire body is paralysed and the sense of freedom of perspective and immersion that VR does so well is shattered. It’s a violation of the trust you are building up between your game and the player.”

Reflecting on the experience of developing for VR, Killbrite said it was convinced “the story we want to tell and the relationship we want to build between the player and the child – isn’t doable for virtual reality.”

Looking forward, the team is considering using “assets from the game for a smaller and more focused VR-demo.”

The experience would be a “tight and focused experience tailored for VR … a small part of the game, stand alone from the rest of the story, but a much better VR-experience than the original game forced into virtual reality.”

In GameSpot’s Among the Sleep review we said the game “doesn’t leverage its intriguing concept to tell a more memorable story” but “the journey is far from wasted.

“Among the Sleep is a distinctive and promising first game from new Norwegian studio Krillbite, and though the dreams it conjures might be scary, it ultimately leaves you with the feeling that you’re strong enough to face your fears, in dreams or otherwise.”

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Another year, another FIFA. Among the many touted changes and additions to the FIFA experience, highlights include a Draft mode for FUT, an overhauled passing system, and tweaks to defending. But is the latest entry in EA’s long-running series worth your time and hard earned cash?

To answer that question we’ve gathered some of the FIFA 16 reviews, taking the score as well a a sample of the review text and placed it a handy list below. Take a look and, by the time you’re done, you’ll have a good overview of FIFA 16’s critical reception.

• Game: FIFA 16
• Developer: EA Canada
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC
• Release Date: September 22 (NA), September 24 (EU)
• Price: $60/£49.99

GameSpot — 9/10

FIFA needed a year like this. Without serious competition from Konami’s PES in the past few years (until now), and with Ultimate Team keeping players playing and paying all year round, there’s been no pressing motivation to ring the changes. Annual titles will always evolve gradually, but recent progress has felt glacial. FIFA 16 can be stubborn and stifling, but it feels gloriously new, and having to learn fresh strategies and nuances in a game series like this is an almost-forgotten pleasure. [Full review]

GameInformer — 8.75

I had a lot of fun playing with the women’s national teams, but it’s limited to a one-off tourney. Regardless, developer EA Canada’s creation of new player models pays off in how the players feel and move on the pitch, which helps it feel unique. FIFA 16 isn’t going to blow you away with any single feature. Instead, it falls back on its strong gameplay to provide a fresh experience. [Full review]

IGN — 7.8/10

The complete package is as substantial as ever, and those who’ve acclimatised to FIFA’s play style in recent years will likely consider it good enough. But in the face of much stronger competition, ‘good enough’ might not actually be good enough. With its biggest rival matching its dynamism and beating it for fluidity and responsiveness, EA Sports has work to do if FIFA is to regain its title as king of the digital sport. [Full review]

Digital Spy — 4/5

FIFA 16 is undoubtedly an impressive beast of a game that’s stuffed with official leagues and licenses, game modes and other little touches that add flavour to the match day experience. EA’s noble quest for authenticity certainly has its benefits, but there are times when the slower pace and more deliberate build-up play takes the shine off what is, after all, a video game representation of the beautiful game. It makes those wonder strikes and team goals all the more magical when you pull them off, but you’re going to have to work a little harder to make these moments happen. [Full review]

Polygon — 9/10

I rarely cheer my players in any other sports title because it’s like laughing at your own joke. Yet here I am, falling into a 2-2 tie with Germany in the semifinal of the “Women’s International Cup” tournament, dreading extra time or, worse, penalty kicks. And in the 90th minute, Ali Krieger swoops in on her own, takes the pass and lofts a pinpoint cross to Alex Morgan, whose divebomb header delivers our salvation. This sequence is the story of FIFA 16, from its participants, to the tools used to deliver the goal, to the cathartic payoff that sent me leaping from my seat. Sports video gaming is at its best when you’re fighting your ass off and the miracle comes through. And when it does, no game rolls out the TNT like FIFA 16. [Full review]

The Guardian — 5/5

What isn’t in doubt is that EA’s game offers the superior package. Ultimate Team, career mode, online seasons, female players, dozens of leagues and hundreds of teams all with weekly line-up updates, bespoke overlays for Premier League and Bundesliga matches … the feature list goes on. While on-pitch matters between these two old foes are too close to call, Fifa’s breathtaking scope secures yet another silver pot for an already heaving trophy cabinet. [Full review]

Ars Technica — No Score

FIFA 16 will dominate the sports game charts as it has done so successfully for so long—the brand alone will ensure of that. This is a great game for delivering a quick fix of football action wrapped up in the sharpest of visuals and the flashiest of presentations. But releasing a game as safe and as conservative as FIFA 16 while rivalPES continues to push the boundaries and diversity of play means that, for the first time in a long time, FIFA isn’t the best football game out there. [Full review]

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NBA Live 16 isn’t slated to launch until September 29, but a free demo is available now on PS4 and Xbox One. Players have quickly discovered that, like other EA Sports games before it, this one also has bugs–some of which are hilarious.

My favorite of the bugs, compiled on NeoGAF, would have to be this glitch where Kevin Love lines up for a free throw and then proceeds to shoot the ball at the hoop on the other side of the court. Watch it below.

Some other bugs include those involving players with missing mid-sections, Steph Curry doing his best impression of The Flash, an alley-oop with some weird arm animations, and another where LeBron James makes the most stunning of jump shots. Take a look at some of the bugs discovered so far over on NeoGAF.

If you encounter any yourself, drop us a note via the email address below.

NBA Live 16 launches on September 29 for PS4 and Xbox One. In addition to the demo, Xbox One players with an EA Access membership can pick up the full version of the game through a limited-time trial September 25.

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This story contains Call of Duty: Black Ops story spoilers.

Treyarch has published a new video that offers a timeline of the events and characters that make up the Call of Duty: Black Ops universe. This is a good way to catch up on the story so far in the run-up to Call of Duty: Black Ops III‘s release in November. But be warned, this is a 10-minute video that is mostly text.

The story spans more than 100 years, beginning with Viktor Reznov’s birth in April 1913 and ends where the events of Call of Duty: Black Ops II capped off in fictional 2025 with the death of Raul Menendez.

This video doesn’t dive into the events of Black Ops III, but we know the game picks up in 2065, 40 years after the events of Black Ops II. Human augmentation is everywhere in this future.

Black Ops III launches on November 6 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC. The famous Nuketown map is coming back–but not as you remember it.

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The news that Star Wars Battlefront would not use a server browser, opting instead for a skill-based matchmaking system, was met by mixed reactions from fans. But now, DICE is back with some news that will probably go over a lot better. The upcoming shooter will use dedicated servers for multiplayer.

Lead designer Jamie Keen told PlayStation Lifestyle at TGS, “We’ll still have dedicated servers. Absolutely. It’s one of the hallmarks of making sure we deliver unparalleled online servers for the game.”

Battlefront is a multiplayer-centric game, so it’s nice to see it will use dedicated servers. Other upcoming high-profile games that use dedicated servers include Halo 5: Guardians and Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

A beta for the Battlefront–not locked away as a preorder perk but open to everyone–will begin in early October across Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. More details about the beta are available here. Meanwhile, the full Battlefront game launches on November 17 on all systems.

In other recent Battlefront news, DICE has confirmed how Hero characters, such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, will work in the upcoming game. Read this post to learn more.

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The former director of Dead Island 2, Bernd Diemer, has joined Killzone studio Guerrilla Games to work on its next title, Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Diemer, who has previously worked at Crytek and, more recently, Yager Development, announced the move on Twitter. He did not specify what his role will be at the studio or on the project.

Horizon: Zero Dawn was debuted during Sony’s E3 2015 press conference, where it was confirmed for release in 2016 exclusively for PlayStation 4. It puts players in the shoes of a female archer called Aloy, who hunts animal and robot hybrids and fights for survival.

Dead Island 2 was in development at Yager, the studio behind Spec Ops: The Line. In July, 2015, however, publisher Deep Silver announced it had parted ways with the studio.

“With Dead Island 2, Deep Silver has always been dedicated to delivering the sequel that Dead Island fans deserve,” Deep Silver said in a statement. “After careful consideration, today we announce the decision to part ways with development partner Yager.”

Deep Silver also indicated it would continue with development of the sequel: “We will continue working towards bringing our vision of Dead Island 2 to life, and we will share further information at a later stage.”

Yager’s managing director, Timo Ullmann, later explained the split by saying the project “fell out of alignment.”

“Our team is made of the best creative minds and tech specialists, who all share a common identity. The team worked with enthusiasm to take Dead Island 2 to a new level of quality,” he said.

“However, Yager and Deep Silver’s respective visions of the project fell out of alignment, which led to the decision that has been made.”

Yager is currently working on Dreadnought, a flight combat simulator set to be published by Grey Box. Ulmann previously said the studio will “focus current efforts on Dreadnought”, along with “new projects.”

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A new video of Guerrilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn has been posted online, showing some of the first live gameplay of the upcoming PS4 exclusive.

The gameplay demonstration in the video below was recorded from a live Nico Nico stream at Tokyo Game Show, which explains why the quality is low and also the Japanese voices.

The section shown involves the player character, called Aloy, hunting Grazers in order to recover resources needed for a local tribe to survive. A developer from Guerrilla takes the tame to emphasise that the world of Horizon is open-world and fully-explorable. Stealth is also highlighted as a key component of Horizon, and Aloy is shown sneaking through large patches of grass while sneaking up on Grazers and avoiding the larger Thunderjaws.

Sony revealed Horizon: Zero Dawn during its E3 2015 press conference and said it will launch in 2016 exclusively for PlayStation 4. It puts players in the shoes of a female archer who hunts strange robot-animal hybrids for an as of yet unexplained reason.

Guerrilla Games has said it always wanted the lead in Horizon: Zero Dawn to be a woman, but noted there was a lot of discussion internally about this decision.

PlayStation Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida added that Sony wondered if it would be “risky” to launch such a major project with a female protagonist. Its developer, however, was able to show people would respond well to the game’s central protagonist, as well as the open-world RPG, and the set up of machine versus primitive weapons,

Horizon: Zero Dawn will not feature a traditional competitive multiplayer experience. Art director Jan Bart Van Beek and lead producer Lambert Wolterbeek Muller previously said “the core of the game is a single player experience,” but added that there will be “certain social features in there” too.

Horizon launches in 2016 exclusively for PlayStation 4.

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Destiny: The Taken King has taken the top spot on the UK sales chart, making it the first Activision Blizzard title to reach No.1 since Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

According to sales monitor Chart-Track, sales of The Taken King are equivalent to 16 percent of the sales of the original Destiny release.

Following The Taken King is Forza Motorsport 6, which makes its first week debut at No.2, and Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 at No.3.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain spends its third week at No.4, followed by Mad Max at No.5, and Super Mario Maker at No.6.

The full top ten for the week of September 19 can be found below.

1. Destiny: The Taken King
2. Forza Motorsport 6
3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
5. Mad Max
6. Super Mario Maker
7. Grand Theft Auto V
8. Disney Infinity 3.0
9. Rugby League Live 3
10. Lego Jurassic World

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