Battlefield Hardline, Electronic Arts’ latest entry in its flagship shooter series, has held first place in the UK all-format games charts for the fourth week running.
This was achieved despite a 56 percent week-on-week decrease in sales, although all games featured in the top ten had performed worse than the week before it. The UK’s lack of new releases will be to Warner Bros’ advantage, as the publisher prepares for the release of Mortal Kombat X on Tuesday.
Microsoft has partnered with HBO to offer the first episode of Game of Thrones Season 5 for free on Xbox Live.
Between now and April 16, Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners can watch Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 1 online for free via a stream available through Xbox Live. It appears that the offer is only available to customers based in the US; GameSpot has contacted Microsoft to clarify.
Along with this, both Xbox systems will host additional content such as virtual on-set tours, trivia questions, and various video clips.
The entirety of the show’s fifth season can be purchased through the Xbox HBO GO app, which is also available on a range of platforms including Apple TV and PlayStation 4.
The Game of Thrones season 5 premiere aired across North America on Sunday, and is set to air in the UK on Monday evening. To mark the occasion, Telltale Games, which is developing the episodic interactive series based on the show, is offering its first episode for free for Android devices.
Over the weekend, the first four episodes of the new series leaked online.
As detailed across a series of articles on ESO’s support website, some of ESO’s computer players are eligible to buy a digital copy on console for $20 (€14.99 or £12.99). To do so, you need to have purchased and registered a PC/Mac copy by no later than June 30, 2014. If you did that, you have from now through May 9 to visit ESO’s PC/Mac store and purchase the discounted version, which is available under the long-winded name of “The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited for Console with account copy.”
Buying this will get you a full digital copy on your choice of Xbox One or PS4, no different from the version you’d be able to buy from the respective consoles’ online stores for $60. Once you’ve purchased this, you’ll receive a key and instructions via email sometime ahead of the console game’s launch on June 9.
Also as part of this process, your account will be copied to the console version. It’s important to note that your account will literally be copied–it isn’t simply being moved, meaning you’ll be able to continue playing on computer after your account is copied. However, your progress between the two platforms (or three, if you pay to be transferred to both consoles) will be separate from one another after the copy occurs, a date for which has not been set.
The transfer will bring your characters to consoles along with their gold, inventories, and bank inventories, but a number of things will be left behind:
Crowns
Mail
Guilds
Friends
Ignore list
Trading house
Raid leaderboards status
AvA leaderboard status
Deleted Items
Deleted Characters
There’s no word on whether console transfers will be made available for those who have bought ESO since the end of last June.
ESO: Tamriel Unlimited marks the game’s long-awaited console debut. It won’t require a subscription fee (outside of Xbox Live Gold), as has been the case with the computer version since March, but it will offer an optional subscription and other ways to keep spending money on it.
Indie game Crawl is adding a secret new boss character: Valve managing director Gabe Newell.
Developer Powerhoof recently revealed the new addition to the game, which has been in early access on Steam since last year, with an animated GIF showing off Newell (below). Because this was seen by much of the world on April Fools’ day, this was presumed by many to be a joke. In fact, it isn’t, as designer Barney Cumming has clarified that the blog post announcement was actually posted on April 2 in Melbourne, Australia.
Cumming described the addition of Newell to the game as having “been at the top of my list since the very start.” If all goes according to plan, he’d be added in Crawl’s next update.
However, Powerhoof evidently didn’t ask either Newell or Valve for permission to use the former’s likeness; it was only after it began attracting the attention of the media that Cumming emailed Newell for the thumbs up.
In the email, which Cumming shared on Powerhoof’s blog, he presents the case for adding Newell. This includes the fact that he would be Crawl’s most powerful character, an exchange of pictures so that Cumming’s likeness can be used in Valve’s games, and an offer to get the developers of Crossy Road to add Newell’s favorite animal to the game. Cumming also argues, “The transformation implies your more recent bearded look is actually your Super Saiyan form.”
Oh, and he says “please.”
“I always got the impression Gabe would be cool with stuff like this, but when a big company is involved who knows what kind of crazy reasons they’ll have, so at least I can say I tried!” Cumming said of the email.
Newell has yet to respond, at least publicly, nor has Valve responded to GameSpot’s request for comment.
Crawl is a multiplayer dungeon crawler where one player assumes the role of the hero while others control traps and monsters. At this point, its multiplayer is limited to local play only, though online support is described as “a possibility.”
The Masters, one of the most high-profile events in all of golf,will notappear in this year’s Rory McIlroy PGA Tour. That was tough news to hear for fans of the sport who wanted to virtually walk the hallowed grounds of Augusta National and compete for a Green Jacket.
But golf video game fans can enjoy a Masters-style experience through The Golf Club, an unlicensed golf game developed by HB Studios.
Using the game’s course creator tool, dedicated gamer Craig LeVasseur created his own version of Augusta National, calling it “Magnolia National.” The course, available for all to play for free, is a pretty faithful recreation of Augusta National.
While there’s no Jim Nantz on the call or the iconic Masters theme music, Magnolia National does feature Augusta’s famous holes and surroundings, including Amen Corner. Check out the video above and some images in the gallery below for a closer look.
You can find Magnolia National in The Golf Club today by selecting “All Courses” and then searching for “Magnolia.” The course is available on all platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The open beta for Creative Assembly’s upcoming free-to-play strategy game Total War Battles: Kingdom is now available on PC. You can download the game right now through Steam
Total War Battles: Kingdom, which was announced in December 2014, is described as a “persistent world strategy game.” It’s set during the turn of the 10th century, as mankind emerges from the Dark Ages.
Overall, the game aims to offer “rich, bite-sized Total War experiences.” Watch the trailer above to see more of the PC game and how it works.
Previously, Total War Battles: Kingdom was available on PC through a limited closed beta. A Mac version of the game, along with a tablet edition, will launch later this year, though exact release dates have not been announced.
Creative Assembly’s goal for Total War Battles: Kingdom is to allow you to play Total War wherever you are. “With one persistent world, players will be able to continue their campaign across multiple devices, at home, work, or out and about,” the developer said.
For a closer look at Total War Battles: Kingdom, check out the image gallery below.
Ahead of Grand Theft Auto V‘s release for PC next week, the Humble Store has rolled out its latest weekend deal, offering 10+ Rockstar titles for as much as 80 percent off now through Sunday.
Everything on sale through the Rockstar Weekend Sale is available below. 10 percent of all purchases go to charity–this has so far amounted to more than $2.1 million, and it’s only Saturday.
Earlier this week, CD Projekt Red announced two major expansions for upcoming open-world role-playing game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, but the developer didn’t say how much they would cost. Now we know.
Official descriptions posted on Steam, GOG.com, and the PlayStation Store reveal that the Witcher 3 Expansion Pass–which includes the Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine add-ons–will cost $25.
There is no Witcher 3 Expansion Pass product page yet on Xbox.com, but you can bet it will also cost $25 on Microsoft’s console.
The Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine expansions will presumably also be sold separately, though prices for individual expansions were not announced.
Hearts of Stone will be released in October 2015, while Blood and Wine is due to launch in early 2016. Together, the expansions will add around 30 hours of gamplay to an already massive game. You can read more about the two expansions through GameSpot’s previous coverage.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III Officially Confirmed for This Year: It’s finally official. Activision announced this week that, as it was rumored, Treyarch is in fact working on the next Black Ops game. It launches this fall, and more details are coming on Sunday, April 26.
Watch Deus Ex: Mankind Divided’s First Trailer: Square Enix this week announced a brand-new Deus Ex game and it looks pretty excellent, at least according to its first (CG) trailer. Watch it above. Mankind Divided, which doesn’t yet have any kind of a release date, is in development for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
How to Buy an Xbox One for $225: GameStop has rolled out a really good deal if you’re looking for a new Xbox One. Now through April 25, shoppers who trade in a PlayStation 3 (120 GB or greater) or an Xbox 360 (250 GB or greater) will receive $125 worth of in-store credit when applied toward the purchase of a new Xbox One. That means you can get a new Xbox One for just $225. Nice!
THE OTHER STUFF:
Develop has an excellent feature on the effect development on the canceled action game Prey 2 had on its developer, Human Head Studios, and what’s next for the company. Read the excellent story here.
Have you ever wanted to own a life-size Dark Souls II statue? It’s OK, you can admit it. Now you can have one in your home, provided you win this special GameStop contest. Check out this post for a full set of instructions on how to enter–and hopefully win!
In response to a 12-year-old girl’s op-ed about the relatively small number of female characters in video games today, Temple Run developer Imangi Studios has announced that it will release a free female runner for Temple Run 2. Read the full story here.
Retailer Best Buy is opening hundreds stores at midnight next week to sell copies of highly anticipated fighting game Mortal Kombat X as soon as possible. More than 360 stores will open (or stay open, depending on the time zones) to sell the game. Here’s a nice chart, courtesy of Best Buy, that explains exactly when the game will go on sale depending on where you live.
12:01 a.m. April 14 in the Eastern time zone
11:01 p.m. April 13 in the Central time zone
10:01 p.m. April 13 in the Mountain time zone
9:01 p.m. April 13 in the Pacific time zone
Smosh Games has posted its latest “Honest” trailer, this one for BioShock. Not much else to say here–check out the video below and let us know what you think.
The latest Final Fantasy mobile game, Record Keeper, has now been downloaded 1 million times, Square Enix announced this week. The game, developed by DeNA and Square Enix, was released on March 26. To celebrate the milestone, all players will be given one Mythril as a daily bonus. This special offer will starts this Saturday, April 11, and runs through April 16.
Nazi zombies will make a comeback in upcoming shooter Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. That’s according to this new Vine teaser video from Bethesda. Watch it below. The game arrives in May for console and PC.
Sad news for Smash Bros. designer Masahiro Sakurai. In the latest issue of Famitsu, Sakurai reveals that he’s still suffering from an arm injury that he’s had for years now. Read more about it here. Get better soon!
Bloodborne is a difficult game, you know this. But you aren’t the only one struggling. Now you can watch Sony Korea executive Shiro Kawauchi play and die…over and over and over again.
DLC alert! Bohemia Interactive has released the Marksmen DLC for military game Arma 3, introducing seven new weapons, two scopes, remote laser-designators, ghillie suits, firing drills, and the new Marksmen showcase scenario. Accompanying the paid DLC is a free update for the overall game, which adds new weapon resting and deployment features, along with sound enhancements and new multiplayer mode. Get all the news about the Marksmen DLC at the Arma website.
Square Enix this week announced an all-new Deus Ex game called Mankind Divided. You can read lots more about it and see the first images courtesy of Game Informer‘s excellent cover story, available now through the magazine’s May issue. You can buy the issue right here.
I can’t be the only total Halo nerd out there, can I? I doubt it. If you’re also a big fan of the series and the lore, you’ll probably enjoy this latest Cannon Fodder blog post from 343 Industries. “What are the origins of the stone structures seen on Installation 05”? Read this post to find out the answer to that question and many, many others.
Activision has released a Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Gold Edition. It retails for $60 and comes with the main game, the Havoc DLC, and the Atlas Gorge map. You can also buy all that content for the same exact price if purchased separately–$40 for the game (on Amazon), $15 for the Havoc expansion, and $5 for the Atlas Gorge map.
It may be nearly five years old, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth watching. Check out this hilariously unfortunate Halo: Reach betrayal. It boggles the mind!
DICE is building an all-new Battlefield 4 map and the developer needs your help to make it happen. The studio has rolled out yet another survey asking fans what they want to see from the map. You can fill out the survey here.
Here is the first footage of Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune’s next game–Mighty No. 9–running on Xbox One. What do you think? Let us know!
New Metal Gear Solid action figures are coming by way of Square Enix. The new toys are due for release later this year, starting at ¥9,800 (about $82 USD). Check out all the images of the new Metal Gear Solid toys over at ToyArk.
A new Digi-Capital study released this week predicts that the augmented/virtual reality market will reach $150 billion by 2020. The report, called “Augmented/Virtual Reality Report 2015,” gives the upper hand to augmented reality, saying the revenue split will be $120 billion for AR and $30 billion for VR.
eSports giant Major League Gaming (MLG) is doing pretty well. The company announced this week that its MLG.TV network has seen viewership increase by a massive 253 percent year-over-year. Meanwhile, total revenue is up 482 percent. You can see more impressive stats at MLG’s website.
Check out this fan-made live-action Uncharted 4 video that shows what A Thief’s End might look like from a first-person perspective. Very interesting!
Xenoblade Chronicles eD launches today on Nintendo 3DS XL (the first game that requires Nintendo’s new handheld to run), and we were able to send a few questions over to the game’s developers in Japan. Check out the Q&A below that covers Xenoblade’s original launch on Wii, what it took to bring the game to a portable device, and a few details about the upcoming Wii U-exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles X.
Answers were provided by Testuya Takahashi (the head of developer Monolith Soft), representatives from Monster Games (the company that worked on the 3DS port), and representatives from Nintendo SPD (an internal Nintendo developer that is lending support to Monolith).
GameSpot: The original Xenoblade Chronicles took a long time to come out in the West. Did Monolith originally intend to release the game worldwide, or was this going to be a Japan-only game?
Takahashi: This is just my personal point of view, but I think it’s pretty difficult to think about markets or potential acceptance levels in a nation outside your own, with different people, different cultures and different histories — someplace you’ve never even lived in. Even if you try to consider it, it’s a matter of fact that you won’t be able to understand all of the factors completely, and if you provide a game based on that kind of armchair thinking, you’ll always wind up off the mark.
However, we are also all human beings, all living creatures, and we must all have some common points of contact or things we can all empathize with. Thus, from the time we worked on the Japanese version, we planned out the game’s specs with the idea that it would be sold overseas, picking up those common points one at a time so we could reply to the demand.
What is it that you think made Xenoblade Chronicles such a critical and commercial success here in the US?
Takahashi: I think it all comes down to “empathy.” As I wrote above, it may not be impossible for Japanese people to understand what people in the West feel and like, but it does take a fair amount of time. Empathy, however, is something we can all recognize. Those of us in Japan can be moved by, and can empathize with, things like Hollywood films, dramas and novels written by Western authors. I personally love the TV dramas I watched as a kid, like Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, and Starsky & Hutch; I looked forward to seeing them broadcast every week.
Even if we remastered it for Wii U, my concern was that people like that would still avoid playing it.
The things that we’re moved by, the points that we can empathize with, are the same. So we decided it’d be fine if we just made something we could honestly be moved by and find fun; there was no need to fiddle around too much thinking about what we would need to achieve success outside Japan. That was a philosophy we took pains not to stray from as we proceeded with development.
Nintendo SPD: Xenoblade Chronicles features a ton of depth and volume, something that earned it a lot of high praise from the people who played the Wii release. I think a lot of people began to take an interest in this game after hearing all of that praise, too. However, it’s not unheard of for this game to take around 100 hours just to complete it normally, so even if people take an interest, I think some of them would give up the idea of playing it, thinking to themselves: “No way do I have the free time to sit in front of a TV and play this game for 100 hours.”
Even if we remastered it for Wii U, my concern was that people like that would still avoid playing it. Remaking it for a portable system, however, will let them play it whenever they like, at home or outside, and we thought that would lead to more people trying it out. We considered making it for the original Nintendo 3DS at first, but if we wanted to achieve nearly the same quality as you saw on the original Wii version, the New Nintendo 3DS XL became all but required.
Would it have been possible to run this on the regular 3DS? If no, what did the New 3DS open up?
Monster Games: We initially tried to get the game to run on the regular Nintendo 3DS system. After months of work, we realized that the game was too big and would perform too slowly. At this point we learned about New Nintendo 3DS XL hardware and were excited to learn about the faster CPU and extra RAM. This immediately made the project seem possible, so we continued working on the conversion.
The team had to rebuild all the graphical assets while making sure it still looked as good as the original game.
Even with the system’s extra capabilities, it was still a challenging project and we spent many months working on optimizations. Given how hard it was to convert the game for New Nintendo 3DS XL hardware, we can easily imagine that the port to the regular Nintendo 3DS hardware would have ended up far from the quality game play that the original Wii version had even if we had given it our all.
Were there any particular technological or UI hurdles to bringing the game to 3DS?
Monster Games: The biggest technical hurdle when porting between Wii and New Nintendo 3DS XL is that the two systems have very different capabilities. All these differences kept the project from being a simple port. Every part of the game had to be reworked to account for the capabilities of New Nintendo 3DS XL hardware. For example, New Nintendo 3DS XL has a different GPU architecture, so none of the art assets could be directly used. The team had to rebuild all the graphical assets while making sure it still looked as good as the original game. Each world was carefully optimized by the art staff and we needed to invent new techniques to render the large scenes where the player can see far into the distance. It wasn’t until late in the project that we finally were able to make sure the frame rate was good everywhere.
Regarding the UI design, our big challenge was to maintain the look and feel of the original game, while taking advantage of the dual screens. There are hundreds of screens in the game and the design had to work for many languages. The design team spent over a month mocking up various UI designs until we got one that seemed to work well. Once we converted the screens to run on New Nintendo 3DS XL, we brushed up the artwork to fit the small screens and fine-tuned the placement of the elements. Given the number of screens and languages, this process took a long time and we were working on improving and fine-tuning details all the way to the end of the project.
Without revealing any spoilers, what can fans of Xenoblade Chronicles look forward to when the franchise comes to Wii U? Will it feel familiar for returning fans, or will it be a departure from what was put together in Chronicles?
Takahashi: I think Xenoblade Chronicles X will have a different play feel from the first Xenoblade Chronicles game. Xenoblade Chronicles is a pretty linear game, but Xenoblade Chronicles X is non-linear, and I think a lot of the gameplay will depend on that.
Xenoblade Chronicles’ core thrust is centered around its story, but Xenoblade Chronicles X is shaping up to be a game with more focus placed on action elements that take advantage of the open world instead of the story aspects. However, both games will retain a common feel based on the core elements that serve as the foundation for the series. It may feel different to play, but it’ll provide a new way of having fun within the same Xenoblade series.
