Player's Choice Video Game Superstore

Category: Gamespot

  • The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Magical Signs Guide

    The way Geralt uses Signs in The Witcher series has changed significantly from one game to the next, as have the skill trees assigned to each Sign. To help guide you towards a combat style that works for you, I have compiled footage of each Sign at each upgrade tier, so you have an idea of how Geralt’s magical abilities behave from one level to the next. Don’t forget: to use these Signs beyond their default effects, you not only need to spend skill points on them, but you must also slot them into the ability grid on the right of your Character screen. Slotting a mutagen of the same color in the same quadrant will then make that mutagen, and the Signs slotted into that quadrant, more effective. Happy hunting!

    Aard

    A directed blast of telekenetic energy that staggers opponents, leaving them open again for a subsequent attack.

    Aard is helpful in a number of situations, though most useful when surrounded by a pack of creatures like nekkers, drowners, or wolves. You can also blast a flying enemy like a harpy out of the air with a well-timed Aard burst.

    Level 2: Far-Reaching Aard

    Tier 1: Increases Aard’s range by 1 yard. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases Aard’s range by 2 yards. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases Aard’s range by 3 yards. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 3: Aard Sweep

    Tier 1: Alternate Sign mode: Aard strikes all opponents in a certain radius. Knock-down chance is 21% lower. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Alternate Sign mode: Aard strikes all opponents in a certain radius. Knock-down chance is 17% lower. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Alternate Sign mode: Aard strikes all opponents in a certain radius. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 4: Aard Intensity

    Tier 1: Increases Aard Sign intensity by 5%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases Aard Sign intensity by 10%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases Aard Sign intensity by 15%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Increases Aard Sign intensity by 20%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Increases Aard Sign intensity by 25%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Level 5: Shock Wave

    Tier 1: Aard now deals 40 damage. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases the damage dealt by Aard to 80. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases the damage dealt by Aard to 120. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Increases the damage dealt by Aard to 160. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Increases the damage dealt by Aard to 200. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Yrden

    Magic trap that slows enemies who enter its area of effect. Effect duration: 13 seconds.

    Yrden is vital when facing certain ghostly foes, such as noonwraiths, because it turns them corporeal (and thus makes them prone to damage) when they enter the trap’s area of influence. Its slowing capabilities also help when crowd control is a concern.

    Level 2: Sustained Glyphs

    Tier 1: Increases Sign duration by 5 seconds. Number of alternative mode charges: 2. Number of standard mode traps: 1. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases Sign duration by 10 seconds. Number of alternative mode charges: 4. Number of standard mode traps: 2. Stamina regeneration in combat: 1 per second.

    Level 3: Magic Trap

    Tier 1: Alternate Sign mode: Damages and slows all enemies within a 10 yard radius. Destroys projectiles passing through this area. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Alternate sign mode: Damages and slows all enemies within a 12 yard radius. Destroys projectiles passing through this area. Damage increased by 25%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Alternate sign mode: Damages and slows all enemies within a 14 yard radius. Destroys projectiles passing through this area. Damage increased by 50%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 4: Yrden Intensity

    Tier 1: Increases Yrden Sign intensity by 5%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases Yrden Sign intensity by 10%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases Yrden Sign intensity by 15%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Increases Yrden Sign intensity by 20%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Increases Yrden Sign intensity by 25%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Level 5: Supercharged Glyphs

    Tier 1: Enemies under the influence of Yrden lose 10 points of vitality or essence per second. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Enemies under the influence of Yrden lose 20 points of vitality or essence per second. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Enemies under the influence of Yrden lose 30 points of vitality or essence per second. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Enemies under the influence of Yrden lose 40 points of vitality or essence per second. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Enemies under the influence of Yrden lose 50 points of vitality or essence per second. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Quen

    Protective shield that lasts until it has absorbed damage totaling 5% of maximum vitality.

    Quen should be your first line of defense when facing bosses and other grand beasts, many of which can slash away a good portion of your vitality with a single blow.

    Level 2: Exploding Shield

    Tier 1: Quen shield pushes opponents back when it breaks. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Quen shield pushes opponents back and deals damage when it breaks. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per seconds.

    Tier 3: Quen shield pushes opponents back and deals damage when it breaks, with a chance for knock-down. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 3: Active Shield

    Tier 1: Alternate Sign mode: Creates an active shield. Maintaining it and blocking attacks drains stamina. Damage absorbed by the shield restores player vitality. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Alternate Sign mode: Maintaining an active shield now drains 50% less stamina. Stamina drain for blocked attacks unchanged. Damage absorbed by the shield restores player vitality. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Alternate Sign mode: Maintaining an active shield no longer drains stamina. Stamina drain for blocked attacks unchanged. Damage absorbed by the shield restores player vitality. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 4: Quen Intensity

    Tier 1: Increases Quen Sign intensity by 5%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases Quen Sign intensity by 10%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases Quen Sign intensity by 15%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Increases Quen Sign intensity by 20%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Increases Quen Sign intensity by 25%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Level 5: Quen Discharge

    Tier 1: Reflects 5% of absorbed damage back to the attacker. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Reflects 10% of absorbed damage back to the attacker. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Reflects 15% of absorbed damage back to the attacker. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Reflects 20% of absorbed damage back to the attacker. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Reflects 25% of absorbed damage back to the attacker. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Axii

    Charms an opponent’s mind, temporarily eliminating him from combat. Effect duration: 7 seconds.

    Axii’s uses transcend combat. Not only does it allow you to stun bandits and turn them against each other, but it makes available certain conversation options when Geralt engages with other characters.

    Level 2: Delusion

    Tier 1: Target does not move towards Geralt while he is casting Axii. Also increases the effectiveness of Axii in dialogues. Stamina regeneration in combat:+0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Target does not move towards Geralt while he is casting Axii. Also increases the effectiveness of Axii in dialogues. Reduces Axii casting time. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Target does not move towards Geralt while he is casting Axii. Also increases the effectiveness of Axii in dialogues. Reduces Axii casting time. Failed Axii attempts stagger the target. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 3: Puppet

    Tier 1: Alternate Sign mode: Targeted enemy briefly becomes an ally and deals 20% more damage. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Alternate Sign mode: Targeted enemy briefly becomes an ally and deals 40% more damage. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Alternate Sign mode: Targeted enemy briefly becomes an ally and deals 60% more damage. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 4: Axii Intensity

    Tier 1: Increases Axii Sign intensity by 5%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases Axii Sign intensity by 10%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases Axii Sign intensity by 15%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Increases Axii Sign intensity by 20%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Increases Axii Sign intensity by 25%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Level 5: Domination

    Tier 1: Two opponents can be influenced by Axii at the same time. The effect is 50% weaker. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Two opponents can be influenced by Axii at the same time. The effect is 25% weaker. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Two opponents can be influenced by Axii at the same time. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Igni

    A directed fiery blast that damages enemies. Damage scales with Sign intensity. Current damage: 128.

    It’s fire. (Igni needs little explanation.) Its secondary mode is great fun, admittedly: rather than producing a single flash of fire, it maintains a stream of flames.

    Level 2: Melt Armor

    Tier 1: Damage dealt by Igni also permanently weakens enemy armor. Effect scales with Sign intensity up to maximum of 15%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Damage dealt by Igni also permanently weakens enemy armor. Effect scales with Sign intensity up to maximum of 30%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Damage dealt by Igni also permanently weakens enemy armor. Effect scales with Sign intensity up to maximum of 45%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Damage dealt by Igni also permanently weakens enemy armor. Effect scales with Sign intensity up to maximum of 60%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Damage dealt by Igni also permanently weakens enemy armor. Effect scales with Sign intensity up to maximum of 75%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Level 3: Firestream

    Tier 1: Alternate Sign mode: Emits a continuous stream of fire that damages enemies. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Alternate Sign mode: Emits a continuous stream of fire that damages enemies. Stamina cost is reduced by 25%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Alternate Sign mode: Emits a continuous stream of fire that damages enemies. Stamina cost is reduced by 50%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Level 4: Igni Intensity

    Tier 1: Increases Igni Sign intensity by 5%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases Igni Sign intensity by 10%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases Igni Sign intensity by 15%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Increases Igni Sign intensity by 20%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Increases Igni Sign intensity by 25%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

    Level 5: Pyromaniac

    Tier 1: Increases the chance to apply burning by 20%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +0.5 per second.

    Tier 2: Increases the chance to apply burning by 40%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1 per second.

    Tier 3: Increases the chance to apply burning by 60%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +1.5 per second.

    Tier 4: Increases the chance to apply burning by 80%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2 per second.

    Tier 5: Increases the chance to apply burning by 100%. Stamina regeneration in combat: +2.5 per second.

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  • $30 Civilization: Beyond Earth Expansion Rising Tide Announced

    $30 Civilization: Beyond Earth Expansion Rising Tide Announced

    2K and Firaxis Games on Monday announced the first expansion for Civilization: Beyond Earth. Called Rising Tide, the $30 expansion adds new biomes, introduces more diplomatic options, welcomes new factions, and more. The add-on launches this fall for PC and you can read our new preview right here.

    As its name suggests, Rising Tide lets players colonize the ocean, while introducing new aquatic gameplay and alien beasts to take on. 2K and Firaxis also promise an “overhauled diplomacy system,” while a new Artifact System will allow players to collect and combine alien relics.

    One of the new factions is the Al Falah, which Firaxis describes as a “group of nomad explorers descended from wealthy and resilient Middle Eastern states.” Another new system will allow players to invest in multiple Affinities as part of their effort to unlock hybrid Affinity units, a first for the series.

    As for the worlds players will explore, one is the Primordial world. Firaxis describes this place as an “untamed biome rife with volcanic activity and indicative of a chaotic landscape still forming in the new world.”

    “It’s not just moving things out to the water; it’s not just blue terrain,” co-lead designer David McDonough told GameSpot about Rising Tide’s new gameplay features. “We really changed some of the very fundamental ways in which you build cities, capture territory, develop, and grow, so that if you play at sea, you have a whole different strategic landscape.”

    Rising Tide is also coming to Mac and Linux, by way of ports from Aspyr. For lots more on Rising Tide, check out GameSpot’s new preview and some images in the gallery below.

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  • Colonize the Ocean in Civilization: Beyond Earth's First Expansion, The Rising Tide

    Colonize the Ocean in Civilization: Beyond Earth's First Expansion, The Rising Tide

    Video games have offered us some compelling visions of the future of human habitation. Some seem idyllic, like the glistening arcologies of SimCity 2000. Others imagine a darker fate, like the makeshift subway settlements of Metro 2033. But perhaps the most intriguing have been those that look to that which covers the majority of our planet’s surface for inspiration. The underwater metropolis of Rapture captured our imaginations in BioShock, and now, Civilization: Beyond Earth is preparing to challenge our intellect by asking: “What if you could build cities on water?”

    The Rising Tide is the first expansion for Beyond Earth and the first time in the long history of Civilization that water tiles will present the same opportunities as land tiles. Well, not exactly the same. As Co-Lead Designer of Beyond Earth, David McDonough, put it during a recent phone interview, “It’s not just moving things out to the water; it’s not just blue terrain. We really changed some of the very fundamental ways in which you build cities, capture territory, develop, and grow, so that if you play at sea, you have a whole different strategic landscape.”

    Nice try, alien fish demons. We’ve seen Jaws and we’re not going out like that.

    He then went on describe the litany of core Civilization elements that they marshaled to create “a whole catalog of unique gameplay.” Resources, tile improvements, wonders, units, aliens, and territorial control all have to be adapted to make water gameplay viable. You can get a sense of how water cities will start out from the screenshot above, which shows a few new friendly and alien unit types squaring off in battle. And note the new resources that are visible below the surface of the water; though there will be important features at surface level, in shallow water, and in the deeps, McDonough confirmed that “oceanic gameplay is happening on one seamless layer.” There’s to be no deep sea counterpart to the orbital layer, it seems, but how depth will affect different units and resources remains to be seen.

    Historically in the Civilization series, bodies of water have served as barriers to development–areas to be explored, traversed, and patrolled militarily, but not controlled outright. From the screenshot above, it seems that aquatic cities will be able to exert areas of control similar to those of terrestrial cities, but there may be new systems in play as well.

    “We’re playing with the idea that the ocean is a fundamentally different space, where we build structures differently and we move differently, and ownership and control mean a little bit of a different thing. [Control is] sort of like an area of force that you need to project, rather than staking a claim, fortifying, and digging in.” Jockeying for geographical position is an important strategy in early-game Civ, whether you’re racing to research the right tech to beat your opponents to new islands, or parking a unit on a narrow isthmus to shut off a whole continent from unwelcome explorers. Without these kinds of bounds, won’t oceanic settlement just be a frantic free-for-all land grab?

    The strategic richness of terrain is something the developers at Firaxis are keenly aware of, and they are working to make sure that Rising Tide’s oceans present a similar density of opportunities and obstacles. Will there be such a thing as impassable water tiles? What will replace roads and magrails as city connectors? Can you land your first outpost at sea? Will resource-agnostic improvements like nodes, domes, and academies have aquatic equivalents? My mind reels with all the strategic implications of expanding to water, but Firaxis is keeping its cards close to the chest for now and McDonough assured me that “just about everything has been slightly moved, in some cases significantly moved, in order to account for water gameplay.”

    The continental shelf extends only so far, and then, the deep.

    I guess that would have to be true for any in-game system connected with developing cities and moving units around, but what about that most detached and ephemeral of Civilization systems, diplomacy? Has that been tweaked in any way? In the words of producer Andrew Frederiksen, “I think tweaked would undersell it. Diplomacy has been, for lack of a better term, completely ripped out and rebuilt from the ground up.” So, that’s a yes, then.

    The goal, Frederiksen elaborates, is to make diplomacy a more active part of the Civ experience. To that end, The Rising Tide will introduce traits, dynamic descriptors of a given leader’s mindset that will change as they adapt to the evolving geopolitical situation. “You might have a leader who has a trait that favors diplomacy and energy, and then, as they move on, they get backed into a corner, so they start swapping out their traits to become more aggressive and more militaristic.”

    From Frederiksen’s description, traits seem like a more flexible version of policies from Civilization V. Where the cost of policies and the fact that only a few policy trees were mutually exclusive often discouraged switching them mid-game, traits are meant to be managed more actively. Like policies, they will come with unique perks and benefits for your civilization, but they will also fuel different kinds of diplomatic interactions. The development team wants to extend your diplomatic dealing beyond war, peace, and trade agreements, and having complementary traits will be a big factor in determining your options with a given leader. What these traits might be, how you manage them, what kind of benefits you’ll see, and how they will interact with each other all remain to be seen.

    The Rising Tide will also herald the arrival of four new factions; the only leader announced thus far is Arshia Kishk, head of the Al Falah (pictured at right). As Beyond Earth’s story tells it, the Middle East was mostly depopulated after The Great Mistake. In the years that followed, a tenacious group of resilient survivors held on and refused to desert their homeland. When they finally managed to fund a spaceship send forth colonists, it wasn’t the cryogenic variety that most other civilizations sent. It was a generation ship, meaning that those who boarded it knew they would never see their destination, and those who touch down at the end of the journey have never set foot on a planet before. The three other factions will apparently have similarly fraught origin stories, and each one of them will bring disruptive new strategies into play.

    There are a few other changes that The Rising Tide is bringing to Beyond Earth, though details on them are fairly scant at this point. In order to further enrich and incentivize the exploration processes, you will now be able to find artifacts through resource pods, expeditions, and other means. Whether it’s alien in origin or a relic from Old Earth, each artifact will have its own story and its own possibilities. You could keep it as is or combine it into a set, provided you find the others needed, and the rewards might include new perks or new buildings.

    Toasty.

    Along with the new units developed to accomodate aquatic and amphibious gameplay will be new hybrid units that require a blend of different affinity levels to unlock. Spreading your affinity points around may keep you from unlocking the highest level perks and units until very late in the game, but if these new hybrids are powerful in the mid-game, perhaps it’ll be a more viable strategy to play the field. And finally, two new biomes are on their way, including the primordial world pictured above. With so much volcanic activity, I asked McDonough if the environment was going to pose a threat beyond that of native aliens and miasma clouds. He said only that they are “in the process of making each biome more unique, and will share more soon.”

    There are certainly more questions to be resolved, but even what’s been shared so far seems to portend a serious shift in the Beyond Earth landscape. In a panel during the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco this year, McDonough and the other Co-Lead Designer, Will Miller, lamented that they hadn’t been bolder in their divergence from the core Civilization formula. The oceanic gameplay of The Rising Tide holds the promise of radically changing the way Beyond Earth plays when it is released in fall of this year, and hopefully we’ll get a clearer sense of how it all works in a few weeks at E3.

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  • Want JRPGs on Xbox One? "Keep Asking," Phil Spencer Says

    Want JRPGs on Xbox One? "Keep Asking," Phil Spencer Says

    Top Xbox boss Phil Spencer has another message for people who want to see Japanese role-playing games on Xbox One: “Keep asking.”

    Lost Odyssey

    That’s what he said to a fan recently on Twitter, who asked if there was anything on the JRPG horizon for Xbox One.

    “It’s a good and fair question. Keep asking until we show you something you like,” Spencer replied. “I can’t share specific plans now, sorry.”

    This isn’t the first time Spencer has spoken out about the potential for JRPGs on Xbox One.

    Back in November 2014, the Xbox executive, in response to fans calling for more games along the lines of Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, said: “You will see JRPGs on Xbox One.”

    Bringing more JRPGs to Xbox One is a popular topic on the Xbox Feedback site, attracting more than 3,500 votes. For his part, Spencer said in previous interviews that Japan is a “soulful” place for games, and one that is “critical” for Microsoft to support.

    The Xbox One launched in Japan in September, though system sales aren’t very strong there.

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  • Witcher 3 Day One Patch Notes

    Witcher 3 Day One Patch Notes

    With just a matter of hours to go before The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt‘s release, developer CD Projekt Red has released the official patch notes for the open-world RPG’s day-one update.

    Featured are stability fixes and “overall performance improvements” such as the reduction of instances of texture pop-in.

    There are also changes to quests, improvements to AI, and UI optimizations, among other things. What’s more, the Xbox One edition will be updated to support dynamic 1080p scaling.

    The full Witcher 3 day-one patch notes are printed below, via wccftech.com.

    The Witcher 3’s official release date is May 19. The game unlocks at 1 AM CET tomorrow, which actually is 4 PM PDT / 7 PM EDT today, May 18.

    Even though The Witcher 3 is not even released yet, the game is already off to a strong start. It reached 1 million pre-orders last week, while reviews across the board are praising the game. GameSpot awarded The Witcher 3 a 10/10, only the ninth title in our site’s history to receive a perfect score.

    Major changes:

    • Support for DLCs
    • Multiple stability issues fixed
    • Overall performance improvements

    Quests and game:

    • Variety of cosmetic quest improvements
    • Journal objective fixes
    • Quest mapping fixes
    • Dialogue flag fixes
    • Quest balancing issues
    • Scene triggering improvements

    Gameplay systems:

    • Boat behavior
    • AI improvements
    • NPC spawn strategy improvements
    • Combat balancing
    • UI optimizations

    Read more: http://wccftech.com/witcher-3-day1-patch-changelog-revealed-includes-variety-cosmetic-performance-improvements/#ixzz3aUNViSGD

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  • UK Games Chart: Project Cars Breaks Sixteen-Year Bandai Namco Record

    For the second week running Slightly Mad Studios’ Project Cars has taken the top spot on the UK game chart, according to sales monitor Chart-Track.

    Interestingly, Project Cars is first Bandai Namco published title to hold on to No.1 for two weeks in a row since Ridge Racer Type 4, which shipped across the UK in 1999.

    The game, which held off competition from Grand Theft Auto V in its first week, maintains its position ahead of new entry Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, a standalone prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order.

    Wolfenstein: The Old Blood was significantly more popular on PlayStation 4 than Xbox One, with 67 percent of sales on Sony’s console, compared to 27 percent on Microsoft’s console.

    Grand Theft Auto V slips one position down to No.3, followed by Mortal Kombat X at No.4.

    At No.5, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster for PlayStation 4 was the only other new entry in the top ten. FIFA 15, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Dying Light placed at No.6, No.7, and No.8 respectively.

    Activision’s Destiny and Battlefield Hardline finish up the top ten at No.9 and No.10 respectively.

    The full top ten follows:

    1. Project Cars
    2. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
    3. Grand Theft Auto V
    4. Mortal Kombat X
    5. Final FantasyX/X-2 HD Remaster
    6. FIFA 15
    7. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
    8. Dying Light
    9. Destiny
    10. Battlefield Hardline

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  • Popular World of Warcraft Bot Creators Admit Defeat

    The creators of HonorBuddy, a popular World of Warcraft bot that was recently detected by Blizzard, has admitted defeat and apologised to its users.

    Posting on the official Honorbuddy forum, staff member “Bossland” reminded users of the risk associated with using bots in Blizzard’s MMO.

    “It seems like Honorbuddy was detected, we are not sure, but looking at the BAN THREADS, we think that its the most likely option at the moment,” said Bossland.

    “We are sorry for all your lost WOW Accounts, hopefully you can use them again after the 6 month ban is lifted. I have read here in the forums a bit, a lot of the accounts were 10 years old. This is a pity. We always say, do not use your valuable accounts as the risk is always there.”

    Bossland also reminded users of Glider, another popular bot that suffered a similar fate, and emphasised that the team hadn’t considered its bot immune to being caught in Blizzard’s detection net.

    “Some of us seem to forget the Gilder times. With Glider you knew that there where 2 software detections a year, it just happened,” Bossland continued.

    “With Honorbuddy you thought that we are unbeatable, [but] we never thought that, we’ve succeeded since 2010 – HonorBuddy had not a single software detection. It seems there is one now.”

    Currently, the company hasn’t reflected the bot’s vulnerabilities on the front of its website and, it seems, HonorBuddy can still be purchased. By using it, players can automate the process of running around collecting honour in PvP.

    Blizzard issued temporary bans to a large number of World of Warcraft bot users on May 14, and HonorBuddy users were one of the main groups affected.

    “We’re committed to providing an equal and fair playing field for everyone in World of Warcraft,” said Blizzard.

    “[We] will continue to take action against those found in violation of our Terms of Use. Cheating of any form will not be tolerated.”

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  • AU New Releases: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC

    This week sees the release of a highly anticipated open-world game that will bring a well-received series to the current generation of consoles. Farming Simulator 15 hits the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on May 19 at Australian retailers.

    The console version of Farming Simulator 15 is built on a new graphics and physics engine. The game will introduce woodcutting, with new vehicles and tools dedicated to the craft. Like previous games in the series, Farming Simulator 15 tasks players with managing and developing their own farm. This includes harvesting resources and taking care of animals such as cows, chicken, and sheep. Players will also need to sell your products and invest in additional vehicles and power tools.

    Also out on May 19 is CD Projekt Red’s role-playing game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The game was very well-received in GameSpot’s review, scoring a ten out of ten. Editor Kevin VanOrd praised the game’s juxtaposition of violence with beauty in its open world, as well as its absorbing story and finer detailing.

    Developer CD Projekt Red will release a day-one update for the game that improves the framerate and introduce a number of other technical tweaks. The patch will be automatically applied, and is available to all platforms. Thinking of picking up a PC copy? Check out the minimum system requirements first.

    To see what everyone else is saying about the game, check out our review round up. If you want to know more about the game before diving in, we’ve listed everything you need to know about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in one place.

    May 19, 2015

    Farming Simulator 15 (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360)

    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

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  • Watch Ex-Wipeout Dev's Futuristic Racer for PC

    R8 Games, a new independent studio formed by developers who previously worked on Sony’s futuristic racing series Wipeout, has released pre-alpha gameplay footage if its next game, Formula Fusion.

    R8 Games first revealed Formula Fusion last year, saying that it’s a “huge” project that it can’t complete without help. In April, the developer took the game to Kickstarter, and hit its funding goal of £35,000 (about $52,000). At the time of writing, Formula Fusion raised £52,814 from 1,060 and still has five days to go before the campaign ends on May 23.

    R8 Games describes Formula Fusion as a fast, frantic near-future anti-gravity racing game for PC. It will feature 21 tracks and five craft classes to progress through and master. The developer set a stretch goal at £100,000 that will allow it to bring the game to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as well, but at the moment it doesn’t look like it reach that figure.

    “Set in the dystopian year of 2075 in the redeveloped ruins of New York State, Formula Fusion’s stunning atmospheric environments complement the dirty-urban visual design of The Designers Republic that truly set the stage for the Formula Fusion W.A.R Leagues – a dog-eat-dog racing competition born on the back of F1 racing,” R8 Games said.

    You can find out much more about the game on the Formula Fusion Kickstarter page.

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  • Oculus Puts Mac and Linux Development on Hold

    Oculus Puts Mac and Linux Development on Hold

    If you’re a Mac or Linux user looking forward to the retail release of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, it looks like you’re going to have to wait longer than PC users.

    Chief Architect at Oculus Atman Binstock announced last week that the company is pausing development on Oculus Rift support for those operating systems.

    “Our development for OS X and Linux has been paused in order to focus on delivering a high quality consumer-level VR experience at launch across hardware, software, and content on Windows,” Binstock said. “We want to get back to development for OS X and Linux but we don’t have a timeline.”

    Last week, Oculus also revealed the recommended PC specifications for the headset:

    • NVIDIA GTX 970 / AMD 290 equivalent or greater
    • Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
    • 8GB+ RAM
    • Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output (required)
    • 2x USB 3.0 ports (required)
    • Windows 7 SP1 or newer (required)

    Read Binstock’s full blog post here for more details for the Rift consumer model, set to launch in the first quarter of 2016.

    Joining Rift next year will be Sony’s PlayStation 4 headset, Project Morpheus. Meanwhile, the ViveVR headset, from Valve and HTC, is due to launch later this year. Pricing for both headsets has not been announced.

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