Category: Gamespot

Microsoft and developer 343 Industries have released the latest update for Xbox One game Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This update focused on matchmaking and party stability.

One of the key improvements is that Master Chief Collection players should now be able to find multiplayer matches more quickly and successfully. General stability throughout the entire matchmaking process has also been improved, 343 explained in a blog post.

You can see the full Master Chief Collection patch notes below. The next time you log into the game, you’ll be prompted to download the update.

343 has been updating The Master Chief Collection frequently since its troubled launch in November 2013. The overall experience has definitely improved since then, and the changes introduced today should only bolster the experience further.

As a means to make it up to fans affected by the game’s rocky release, Microsoft is giving away free Xbox Live Gold, DLC, and even an HD version of Halo 3: ODST.

MATCHMAKING

• Made a variety of updates to improve matchmaking performance and success rates
• Improved matchmaking search times/time to match
• Improved stability throughout the matchmaking process across all titles

PARTIES

• Improved party stability

HALO 2

• Made improvements to multiplayer shot registration
• Improved campaign stability across a variety of levels
• Addressed stability issues for matchmaking and custom games
• Fixed issues around resuming H2A Campaign from “remastered” mode
• Improved medal display consistency

HALO: CE

• Fixed issues regarding aim assist which resulted in the reticle being pushed away from an enemy
• Improved shot registration consistency between host / client in peer-to-peer custom game matches
• Resolved a variety of UI inconsistencies, including team color randomization, medals, and in-game scoreboard display

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During an interview this week at the 2015 Game Developers Conference, HTC chairwoman Cher Wang suggested that a Half-Life game for the new Vive VR headset that uses Valve’s SteamVR technology might be in development. Though she didn’t confirm at the time that the game was actually in the works, her comments did lead to rumors that it might be happening.

However, Wang has now issued a new statement to the BBC on the matter, apologizing for her remarks and saying she misspoke when talking specifically about Half-Life possibly coming to VR.

“I would like to apologize for any confusion caused when I referred to individual games titles,” she said. “In response to a question on specific games, I misspoke when I referred to our working together with Valve on a particular game, when instead I meant our collaboration with Valve on developing next-generation virtual reality experiences for gaming.”

A BBC source added that Valve is not currently working on a new Half-Life game for VR.

GameSpot will have more on the HTC-produced Vive VR headset–along with Steam Link, Steam Machines, and more Valve products–later this week from GDC. The Vive VR headset will launch for developers this spring and a consumer model will be available by the end of the year. Pricing has not been announced.

Half-Life has been dormant for more than seven years now, with Half-Life 2: Episode Two having been released in 2007. Fans have been awaiting news of a sequel for years, but with Valve’s propensity for taking its time–not to mention the lack of any official indication that a new Half-Life is in development–it’s unclear what the franchise’s status is.

Valve added support for the Oculus Rift VR headset to Half-Life 2 in 2013. It’s possible that this version of the game could come to Vive, but as of yet, there’s been no word from Valve on what its plans are.

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Nvidia has announced its new Shield gaming device during a livestreamed GDC 2015 press event tonight. The Android TV-based console is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra X1 Super Chip, comes bundled with one Shield controller, and will have a recommended retail price of $200.

Like previous Shield devices, the new Shield allows you to stream games from your Nvidia GeForce-powered PC to your device or a TV. The device can be controlled using a bluetooth remote, which can act as a receiver for headphones. A microphone on the bottom of the remote will be able to take voice commands. The remote will be sold separately and is rechargeable via USB.

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang described its Tegra X1 Super Chip as possessing twice the power of the Xbox 360, and six times more RAM, with a fifth of the power requirements. The Shield console supports DirectX 12. The Shield’s controller sports 40 hours of battery life.

As part of the show, Nvidia demonstrated Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, The Talos Principle, and Crysis 3 on the machine running at “30 frames per second.” It is worth noting that the latter will be an Android port of the game, powered the latest version of CryEngine. Resident Evil Revelations 2 producer Michiteru Okabe also confirmed during the presentation that Resident Evil 5 would be released on the Android store.

The Shield will be released for $200 with 50 Android games at launch.

Nvidia also announced the GRID subscription store, a paid service which grants streaming of several triple A games at 720. New games can be purchased and play in addition to the additional paid subscription.

According to Huang, GRID will “do for gaming what Netflix did for videos. Do what Spotify did for music.” GRID will have an approximate response time of 150ms, what Nvidia dubs “half the time it takes for an eye to blink.”

Two subscription models will be available when GRID launches in May; one basic and one premium. Games on the GRID will not require downloading as they will be streamed via the cloud.

This is a breaking news story. Additional details to follow.

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The console version of celebrated indie game Gone Home, created by developer The Fullbright Company, has been canceled.

“Gone Home for console is not actively in development any longer,” Fullbright’s Steve Gaynor told DualShockers this week at the 2015 Game Developers Conference.

Mid-size publisher Majesco’s indie publishing arm Midnight City had originally signed on to publish the console version of Gone Home, but Fullbright’s relationship with Majesco “has sadly come to an end,” Gaynor said.

It’s unclear if Majesco’s troubled financial situation had anything to do with the console version’s cancellation. DualShockers notes, too, that Fullbright has not completely ruled out bringing Gone Home to consoles later down the road, though plans to do so anytime soon are not in the works.

Fullbright announced its next game, Tacoma, during The Game Awards in December. That game is due to launch in 2016.

Gone Home, a “story exploration game,” was originally released in August 2013. Set in the year 1995, the game challenges players to explore an empty home. GameSpot gave the game high praise, scoring it a 9.5/10. Gone Home is available today on PC.

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Half-Life maker Valve has unveiled Steam Link, the Source 2 engine, and more, at the Game Developers Conference today.

Steam Link will enable game streaming from Steam Machines, PC, Mac, and Linux PC within a network. It will support 1080p gaming at 60Hz . Steam Link will be available this November for $49.99, and users can add $49.99 on top for a Steam Controller. Valve will announce worldwide pricing closer to launch date.

Valve also detailed two new technologies which will be part of its virtual reality headset, Vive; a “room scale tracking system” called Lighthouse, and a VR input system. Simply put, Lighthouse will help Valve’s VR achieve higher resolution and higher speed tracking for a lower hardware cost. It will be available for free to hardware manufacturers who are interested. Vive will ship this year in April for developers, and November for consumers.

In addition, Valve revealed the Source 2 engine, a successor to the Source engine which powered games such as Counter-Strike and Half Life 2. Source 2 has been made with a focus on “increasing creator productivity.” Source 2 will be free to content developers, allowing “gamers themselves to participate in the creation and development of their favorite games.” It will be compatible with Vulkan, the name of the graphics API Valve teased earlier this month.

GameSpot will be getting hands-on with SteamVR at GDC this week, so stay tuned for more coverage as it rolls out on the hub.

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Veteran Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider is making a big change. He announced today on Twitter that he’s leaving the Dragon Age team to work on a secret BioWare game.

“So a bit of news: I have decided leave Dragon Age and move onto a new, upcoming BioWare project (which I can’t discuss),” he said. “While it’s hard to leave Dragon Age behind, 10 years is a long time to work on any one project. I decided it was time for something new.”

Gaider worked on Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age: Inquisition, as well as Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights.

Given that Gaider says he can’t talk about the new game, that suggests it’s an unannounced title. BioWare is working on an all-new IP, which could be the project Gaider has shifted to, though of course this unconfirmed.

What are hoping Gaider is working on next? Let us know in the comments below!

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Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster will be released for the PlayStation 4 on May 12 this year in North America, Square Enix announced today.

Posting via the Square Enix USA Twitter account, the company also revealed that fans who pre-order the PS4 release will receive a free desktop calendar featuring Yoshitaka Amano’s artwork. Amano has provided artwork and logo designs for various Final Fantasy games, and served as the character designer on Final Fantasy I-VI.

Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster was released for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in March last year. The game was positively-received in GameSpot’s review, praised for its wealth of additional content and ageless story, but criticised for the inclusion of some low-resolution textures. The game isn’t the only one to get a high-definition release from Square Enix this year, as Final Fantasy Type-0 will be launching for the PlayStation 4 on March 17. Fans who pre-order the Day One edition of Type-0 will receive a download code for the Final Fantasy XV demo.

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Newly discovered Mass Effect Commander Shepard cosplay from visual artist Freya Willia is some of the best, most jaw-dropping we’ve ever seen. As seen on Willia’s Facebook page (via Fashionably Geek) are a series of photos showing off the costume that took her more than two years to create.

You can also check out this post that explains the great lengths Willia went to in her effort to create the female Commander Shepard cosplay. Well done!

Check out some of Willia’s images in the gallery below, but be sure to head to her Facebook page to see them all.

BioWare is currently making an all-new Mass Effect game. Recently, the developer teased that the game is “getting real” and may have multiplayer in some form.

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