Bandai Namco Studios Vancouver and Crossy Road developer Hipster Whale are working on a new Pac-Man mobile game called Pac-Man 256, the companies have announced.
The game is named after the infamous 256 glitch. When players reached that level in the original Pac-Man arcade machine, half the screen turned into a garbled mess of random characters. Hipster Whale and Bandai Namco say that in Pac-Man 256, the player will be chased by the glitch through an endless maze.
In short, the game sounds and looks like a mix between Crossy Road and Pac-Man.
“Playing PAC-MAN in a seaside arcade in 1980 is one of my earliest memories,” Hipster Whale Director Matthew Hall said. “It is an incredible honor to be able to contribute to one of the most iconic video game franchises in history. Our game, PAC-MAN 256, takes the infamous ‘glitch’ level of PAC-MAN and builds upon this to become a unique game that retains the retro spirit of the original.”
Crossy Road, in case you haven’t played it, is an incredibly successful “endless hopper” mobile game inspired by Frogger. For more on the game, check out GameSpot’s interview with Hipster Whale’s Andy Sum and Matthew Hall.
Need for Speed Open-World “Full Reboot” Hitting PS4, Xbox One, and PC This Fall: After a week of teases, Electronic Arts formally announced a new Need for Speed game this week. The game, called Need for Speed, launches this fall for new-gen consoles and PC. We spoke with Marcus Nilsson, GM of developer Ghost Games, about the project. Click through the link above to get the full story.
GTA 5 Ships Nearly 52 Million Copies: Rockstar’s open-world action game reached yet another sales milestone this week. The new number comes after the release of the PC version in April.
THE OTHER STUFF:
President Obama, who seems to enjoy The Witcher, has joined Twitter. This comes after six years in office. By comparison, Michelle Obama has had a Twitter account since 2013. What’s on Obama’s mind? Follow him here to find out:
Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.
Chicago-based developer Above and Beyond Technologies has announced that its Kickstarter-funded MMO, The Repopulation, will officially launch for PC in Q4 this year. The game promises a level of player freedom “unparalled in MMORPGs.” An in-development version of the game is currently available through Steam Early Access for $15.
Here’s a juicy, but pretty sketchy, rumor. Japanese website Gamestalk has obtained what appears to be a promotional image for Shenmue 3. Logos for Sega and Square Enix (??) appear in the image, along with…well, check it out for yourself.
NOVA’s Evolution Lab has released a new video game that aims to teach children (or really, anyone else) about the theory of Evolution. It features an interactive digital tree of life and more. Play it here.
Did You Know Gaming’s next video has arrived, this one focusing on Sony’s Ratchet & Clank series. Watch the video below to learn a lot about the PlayStation franchise.
PC gaming company Razer this week announced that it worked with Chinese authorities to nab two people for illegally selling counterfeit Razer products in China. Per a press release: “Haikui Lin and Ping Gong were each committed to a year in prison and fined 140,000RMB, in addition to a 150,000RMB fine paid to Razer.”
Are toys-to-life games like Skylanders and Amiibo a passing fad or here to stay?The Wall Street Journal dug into the issue this week as part of an excellent feature. Read it here.
EliteGamerLive, which aims to be the NCAA of esports, has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for its development and expansion. Head to the Indiegogo page to get all the details and to support the campaign.
Here is a video of 49 floppy disks playing various theme songs, including the Tetris theme song Not much else to say here.
If Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic action game The Last of Us were set in Tokyo, it might look this this. Check out this incredible concept art from a current Ubisoft Osaka artist.
A Minecraft player who chose the name “MojangSucksDick” faced justice as Mojang changed his name to “NoWeDont.” Good stuff, Mojang. Get the full story here.
Whether or not anyone asked for it, it’s happening. It was announced this week that the Adventure Time and Puzzle Quest franchises are coming together for a new crossover game. Stay with me…The game is called Adventure Time Puzzle Quest. It’s a match-three puzzle game that features the characters (and accordingly, the humor) of the popular Cartoon Network animated TV show. The free-to-play game launches this summer worldwide for iOS and Android devices.
Image credit: TouchArcade
At the request of competitive players, Riot has introduced a new “Hide Eye Candy” option to popular MOBA League of Legends. As its name suggests, this disables elements like butterflies, dragonflies, and water wakes. Get the full scoop over at Riot’s website.
Nintendo was victorious in a patent suit involving the Wii Balance Board, the Japanese game giant announced this week. Two years ago, two companies, Ithaca Ventures and Ithaca Development sued Nintendo. They claimed the Wii Balance Board infringed on their patent. However, Nintendo said the suit was meritless, and Ithaca eventually withdrew its case. Get the full story here.
This is some of the best Pac-Man themed trolling I’ve ever seen. Such dedication!
Oculus VR, the Facebook-owned company behind the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, is facing another lawsuit. As reported by Reuters, a new lawsuit filed this week makes serious accusations against Oculus VR and the Rift creator Palmer Luckey.
Per the report, the lawsuit accuses Luckey of “taking confidential information he learned while working with another company and passing it off as his own.”
The company in question is Total Recall Technologies. The Hawaii-based company says in its filing that it hired Luckey in 2011 to create a prototype virtual reality headset; he even signed a confidentiality agreement, the lawsuit says.
“Throughout the latter half of 2011 and into 2012, Luckey received feedback and information to improve the design of the display,” Reuters explains. “However, Luckey used information he learned from his partnership when he launched a Kickstarter campaign for his own head mounted display called the Oculus Rift, according to the lawsuit.”
Total Recall Technologies is seeking compensatory and punitive damages. However, a specific dollar amount was not mentioned in the suit. The lawsuit claims Luckey committed breach of contract and fraud.
When approached by Reuters, a representative for Facebook declined to comment on the lawsuit. We also reached out to Oculus, but the company declined to comment. Get the full story over at Reuters.
Welcome back to GameSpot Q&A, a weekly section where we ask our staff and readers an interesting discussion question about video games. Look at this as a forum where you and others can discuss and compare your opinions of this beloved hobby of ours. Let us know what your answer is to this week’s question in the comments below!
This week’s question is:
What game world would you want to spend a week-long vacation in?
With a three-day weekend coming up for a lot of our readers, there is finally time to relax and maybe go off on mental vacations to the worlds of some of our favorite video games. But what if you could real-life week-long vacation to a video game world? Which world would you choose? Below is what some of our editors had to say.
The Longest Journey
The Longest Journey | Kevin VanOrd
Arcadia, from The Longest Journey. This was tough for me–I almost cited Ni No Kuni or The Secret World here–but Arcadia is overflowing with character and style, and home to countless cultures and myths. I wouldn’t want just a week there, but an entire lifetime.
Broken Age | Alexa Ray Corriea
All game worlds are inherently perilous, so I’m not entirely sure I would want to spend a week in any of them. Given I’m into relaxing vacations these days, I’d probably want to spend a week on a beach somewhere… But if I had to pick I’d want to stay in Sugar Bunting from Double Fine’s Broken Age, because I have a cake problem. I have a massive sweet tooth. I never pass up dessert, I love sugar, and a whole town basically kind of made out of cake and filled with bakers always making cake? Please. Put me on the first flight.
Yakuza | Peter Brown
There are so many fantastical worlds that are interesting, but I would love to spend a week-long vacation in the world of Yakuza, a.k.a., Tokyo. Arcades? Unlimited ramen? Gangsters fighting in the streets with perfectly formed pompadours swaying but never fraying? Sign me up! I’ll take neon lights and Japanese video game shops over orcs and strongholds any day.
Rogue Legacy
Rogue Legacy | Danny O’Dwyer
Rogue Legacy seems cool. I mean, it’s not like I have a thing for haunted castles. It’s more the person-swapping element that appeals to me. I’ve always wanted to live a day in the life of somebody else; an old guy, a woman, somebody who’s blind. Rogue Legacy allows you to live, and die, as dozens of weird and wonderful people. Like some fantastical version of Quantum Leap where you die as a color-blind shinobi and wake up as a gay, narcoleptic dwarf. How cool is that?!
Super Mario 64 | Rob Crossley
I’m tempted to say Katamari Damacy, because it’s bonkers, but if it’s a week long I’d have to go for Super Mario 64. It’s the paintings dotted around the castle that seal the deal–you can literally jump into them and emerge on the other side in a completely different world. I really want to know how that feels.
Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green | Zorine Te
I would love to chill out in the world of Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green and command an army of creatures to take over the world and end all conflict as we know it have fun visiting each town, riding my bike, exploring caves, surfing, and cutting down bushes. There is much to see and do in the Kanto region, and I can imagine coming out of it relaxed and enriched. By the way, Australians call them holidays.
Dishonored | Daniel Hindes
Dunwall, so I can catch the plague and really live #belowtheline. I would also like to be mercilessly beaten by the City Watch, vomited on by infested Weepers, and very likely assassinated by a teleporting man wearing a freaky mask.
Castlevania | Matt Espineli
I’d love to spend a week in Dracula’s castle from Castlevania. Even though that place is filled with countless dangers that could very well threaten my life, I can’t deny how cool it would be to explore. What other place has an awesome ice cavern, a haunted Victorian ballroom, and a clock tower inhabited by the Grim Reaper all in the same building? Nowhere.
Super Mario Sunshine | Eddie Makuch
I’d love to spend a week inside the world of Super Mario Sunshine. It seems like such a lovely place to either go on an adventure or just sit back and relax. The sun is always shining and the world feels so alive. Plus, you can do good deeds for the city’s inhabitants by washing clear the mud from their world. Everyone wins!
Boku no Natsuyasumi | Justin Haywald
Boku no Natsuyasumi. For anyone who knows the series, that may seem like a pretty boring response. After all, the PlayStation games are simply about being a kid and enjoying summer vacation. You collect bugs and bottle caps, go swimming, and run errands; no explosions or guns or doomsday scenarios. But the idyllic countryside setting combines the measured pace of Animal Crossing and the with the intimate slice-of-life details from a Miyazaki film. Besides, if I’m only there for a week, I want a place I’ll enjoy, not a place where I’ll get blown up.
World of Warcraft? | Chris Watters
Only a week? Well, I’m gonna want to see some sweeping vistas and meet some colorful locals. I’d also like to ride on some strange creatures, and maybe fly if that’s not too much trouble? And it’d be great to visit a place with some history. I was thinking about Dinotopia or maybe Avatar when I wrote this description, but I think I ended up describing World of Warcraft. I’m alright with that, I hear they like dancing!
If you haven’t caught up with Mad Max: Fury Road yet, you probably should, since it’s emerging as one of the best action movies of the year. The only thing that could make it better is a touch of Nintendo, and that’s just what this fan-made trailer below does.
Created by aspiring filmmaker Kris Sundberg , the trailer subtly sets Mad Max in a Nintendo’s universe, with only a few added CGI and sound effect you’ll recognize from Mario Kart.
Digital games distributor Desura has been late to pay developers that publish games on its online store. The company admitted as much in a post to its official site yesterday where it apologized for the delay and tried to explain the issue.
“The issues have stemmed from a number of factors coming together in a bad way,” Head of Developer Relations Lisa Morrison said. “The acquisition of the company last year has presented us with a number of very difficult issues to tackle, and we have been clearing those hurdles as efficiently as we are able. This has been compounded by the office being relocated, and by the current hospitalization of our CEO.”
Developer Creative Assembly today released the first gameplay trailer for the free-to-play strategy game Total War: Arena.
This weekend, Creative Assembly will also show the first Total War: Arena live match. The developer will stream games from an exclusive ESL eSports event in Cologne, Germany. You can catch the broadcast on the official Total War Twitch channel, starting Saturday May 23, at 5:00 PM CEST.
If you want to try the game before it’s released, you can sign up to join the closed alpha, currently available in Europe, with United States servers coming soon.
Total War: Arena is a free-to-play, team-based strategy game where two teams of 10 players engage in large-scale battles. For more on the game, check out GameSpot’s preview of Total War: Arena.
Just days after the game’s release, a new Witcher 3: Wild Hunt infinite money exploit has been discovered–and it involves mercilessly killing cows over and over and over.
YouTube user WhatsMyGame reveals that the trick–which is an exploit, not a glitch–is really quite simple. All you need to do is find some cows (White Orchard is a good place), kill the cows there, and then harvest their hide for a nice fee of 27 gold. Next, mediate for two hours and the cows will re-appear, thus allowing you to repeat the exploit as many times as you want.
There are only a couple drawbacks. First, the cow corpses don’t vanish, meaning your heartless bovine slaughter will be an inescapable reality, weighing on your conscience (if you have one). Also, local shopkeepers don’t have enough money to pay you once you turn in a certain number of hides.
This isn’t such a big deal, however, as you can always travel to another shopkeeper or simply hoard the cash to spend later. And on the plus side, this exploit can be triggered very early in the game, affording you the nice benefit of being flush with cash from the onset.
We have contacted developer CD Projekt Red to see if the team plans to address this exploit in a future patch.
Sony UK has released a new PlayStation 4 TV ad that does not hold back in boasting about the company’s new system, touting it as the “world’s most powerful console.”
Ahead of E3 next month, Sony has filed a new trademark application for something called “The Player.”
The company made the filing May 18 with the United States Patent & Trademark Office. The trademark application is registered to Sony Pictures Television, but also appears to be tied to gaming.
It covers two good/services, the first of which is “downloadable electronic game software; video game software.” While the second specifically mentions “entertainment services in the nature of a dramatic television series.”
No further information about The Player is available in the filing, though the document also includes the image you see below.
Sony has used the word “Player” before in marketing materials for the PlayStation 4, as you can see here. We’ve followed up with Sony, asking for more details about The Player.
