The traditional game review as you know it could soon become a thing of the past, according to Bungie COO Pete Parsons. He says in a new interview that online- and multiplayer-focused games like Destiny might require professional critics to rethink the review process.
“It is true there are a lot of those people who were skeptical that are still playing it now,” he told GamesIndustry International. “I think it’s very difficult to–as we see games like Destiny coming out–it’s very difficult to sit down for nine hours, 11 hours, and write up a review of a game like Destiny, right?”
“If I were a reviewer it seems like a nearly impossible challenge to do because there’s just no way you can experience… you barely experience sort of the campaign side of it and just PvP and no way you can get into all of the end-game activities,” he added. “And so it really asks a great question which is ‘how are games like Destiny going to be reviewed in the future?’”
We’re going to find out, as Bungie is already working on Destiny 2, publisher Activision confirmed earlier this month during a financial presentation.
Next up for Destiny, which has 9.5 million registered users, is an expansion called The Dark Below. It launches on December 9, introducing new multiplayer maps, weapons, and missions, as well as raising the level cap. Check out the video above for GameSpot’s thoughts about the upcoming DLC.
The review process for games is indeed changing. Earlier this week, Ubisoft explained why it thinks you might not want to trust day-one reviews for The Crew, a socially inspired racing game.
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Recently released 3DS games Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire together sold more than 3 million copies across Japan, the US, and other territories during the three-day Nov. 21-23 period.
The Pokemon Company confirmed the figure with Siliconera. 1.5 million copies were sold in Japan alone, with the other 1.5 million coming from the US and other markets.
Importantly, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire have not yet been released in Europe. Sales of the handheld role-playing games are likely to grow further when they are released there November 21.
Pokemon is a powerful, enduring brand, but some questioned whether fans of the series would flock to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, given they are remakes and not brand new games. Strong initial sales, however, suggest that there indeed is a market for such games.
For more on Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, check out GameSpot’s review.
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Despite widespread debate over clandestine paid game promotions on video websites such as Twitch and YouTube, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) says it has yet to receive one official complaint.
Matt Wilson, a spokesperson for the ASA, told GameSpot that the group was “aware of disquiet” among gaming circles regarding undisclosed paid YouTube promotions, but explains that it cannot take action unless it is formally contacted.
“We’ve seen the news reports, and we’re aware of the disquiet, but we haven’t had a complaint about it yet,” Wilson said.
“Obviously we have to manage our resources and look into adverts that people are complaining about. There are millions of adverts published each year and we need to be on-hands in dealing with the ones people are complaining about,” he added.
“But if a complaint came in, we would absolutely look into it and see of there are grounds for further investigation. We encourage people to contact us if they are concerned about a specific games company.”
The ASA is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising practices across print and television. Now, thanks to a new ruling, it has powers to act on promotional videos on sites such as YouTube and Twitch.
On Wednesday, the ASA said it has set a new precedent by blocking videos from five YouTubers who advertised Oreos on behalf of the company. Despite no mention of Oreo paying for the content, the ASA said the content was “obviously identifiable” as marketing communications.
Landmark rulings such as these gives the ASA more freedom to make decisions in similar scenarios, meaning it now has a stronger grip on video blogger content in the UK. It also shows that the regulator also has means to block content paid for by overseas companies.
“Advertisers and video bloggers have a responsibility to be clear about when they are promoting content,” Wilson said.
“Reputation Damage”
The ASA ruled that some “Oreo Lick Challenge” video was “obviously identifiable” marketing
The ASA’s removal of the Oreo marketing comes amid uneasiness within the games industry over undisclosed marketing videos by self-employed video bloggers.
In January, it was discovered that Microsoft was paying a YouTube network, Machinima, for positive coverage of the Xbox One. Both parties went on to defend their deal, claiming it was a “typical partnership“. In the same month, it was discovered that Electronic Arts had paid some YouTubers for non-negative Battlefield 4 coverage.
“If video bloggers are found to be hiding that they have a commercial relationship, then they risk reputational damage,” Wilson said.
“We want video bloggers who are unsure about what’s the right and wrong approach to contact us for help and advice, which we’re offering for free.”
The ASA did not suggest that the responsibility lies with platform holders such as Google (which owns YouTube) or Amazon (which owns Twitch). It also clarified that it only has jurisdiction over content that is available in the UK.
Asked what the ASA could do if a YouTuber refused to co-operate, Wilson explained that it has many options.
“There’s two parties involved in this, so the advertiser would be held to account as well. They could face significant damage to their brand and reputation,” he said.
“We don’t want to go down this line usually, but there is a raft of different options we have for people who do not co-operate. We can, for example, place adverts around search results for people who do not take down offending content.”
He concluded: “We also have the option to refer the case to a legal backstop, in the form of Trading Standards.”
Blizzard has revealed what the visual update on the Blood Elf race in the World of Warcraft MMO looks like so far. Posted on the Battle.net blog, the developer stated that it was happy with the direction of the aesthetic upgrade for the Blood Elf race, and shared images for both female and male blood elves.
Senior artist Dusty Nolting said that the Blood Elf race was more about subtlety, and this was reflected in the female’s design, “Something we did often was move things around in small but deliberate increments, to make sure everything was just right. It’s the delicate details like her nose shape or fingertips that represent the most challenging parts of upgrading the female.”
Speaking about the male Blood Elf design, senior artist Joe Keller said that while the model “already has a lot of character” thanks to his “easily recognizable pose and stylish hair,” the upgrade provided opportunity to define these traits, “while still maintaining his iconic look, bringing him to the level of the other new character models.”
While Blizzard has not provided a specific timeframe for when these models will go live, the company has stated that it is “focusing on model and texture variations, as well as rigging and animating” and hopes to release the updated visual look soon.
Most races in World of Warcraft received a visual upgrade in the lead-up to the launch of the Warlords of Draenor expansion. After the Blood Elves, the Goblin and Worgen races are still due for visual change.
Rockstar Games is giving away a custom designed Grand Theft Auto V-themed PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The limited edition consoles are part of a competition hosted to celebrate the launch of the game on current-generation consoles.
The consoles feature “an exclusive black-on-black Grand Theft Auto V design, laser etched on micro perforated metal panelling with hi-gloss deep green painted accents and a custom color-matched controller.” More details can be found on the competition announcement page.
In addition to the major prize, chosen runners-up of the competition will receive GTAV-themed merchandise. The gear featured in the runners-up prize pack will eventually be available for purchase on Rockstar Warehouse, although it was not specified when.
Sandbox game Minecraft is getting a downloadable Star Wars skin pack today, exclusive to the Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles. The announcement was made by Microsoft on the official Microsoft Studios Blog.
The Star Wars downloadable content skin pack contains 55 skins from the Star Wars movies Episode IV through to Episode VI. Priced at $2.99, the DLC includes character skins for Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Yoda. See below for a full list of skins that will be available.
This won’t be the last of Star Wars themed content pack to come, with Microsoft stating that players can “look forward to even more downloadable Star Wars content releasing in the future.”
When you lose blood in the game, you also lose it in real life. That’s the concept for Blood Sport, a new gaming project that was seeking funds on Kickstarter before the crowdfunding site suspended it.
The concept is relatively simple. Every time your character took damage in a game, any game, the system would draw blood into a sterilized donation bag similar to the standard blood bank experience.
Here’s how it works. When you take damage in a game like Call of Duty, the controller rumbles. All Blood Sport’s creators did was re-route this signal, using an Arduino Board, to determine how much blood is drawn. The process would stop when you reach the set blood donation quantity.
The system factors in your age, weight, and preexisting medical conditions, too.
Blood Sport’s creators were hoping to take the system across Canada, with gaming gatherings that effectively double as blood donation events.
“We are simply creating the gaming hardware that will allow us to get gamers thinking about more important issues while still doing what they love,” the team said. “From there, we’ll partner with the appropriate organizations in both the gaming and medical communities to bring it all to life.”
Blood Sport was aiming to begin a tour of Canada on March 17, timed with the release of Battlefield Hardline in an effort to drum up hype. The project’s creators were also hoping to get celebrities such as PewDiePie, Seth Rogen, Snoop Dog, and Conan O’Brien to play Blood Sport.
The project was created by just two people, Taran Chadha and Jamie Umpherson, who are working on Blood Sport in their spare time.
In terms of safety, the Blood Sport team says all tests were conducted alongside medical professionals. And while Blood Sport’s system should know when to stop drawing blood, in the event that there is a problem, a medical technician standing by would step in, the creators say.
It is unclear why Blood Sport, which launched on Kickstarter November 18 and gathered close to CA$4,000 ($3,500) of its CA$250,000 goal, was suspended just this week. The game’s creators could not be reached, and a Kickstarter represented declined to comment when approached by CNET.
We’ll continue to monitor this story as it unfolds.
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As the gamer-focused G4 TV nears the end of its days, founder and former CEO Charles Hirschhorn has launched an online auction for memorabilia from the X-Play network’s glory days.
Up for auction are Hirschhorn’s personal collection of items, including a G4 clock, various t-shirts, G4 caution tape, and even G4-branded fuzzy dice. You can see the whole set of items here. The auction wraps up soon, so if you’re interested in bidding, you’ll want to do so right away.
100 percent of proceeds from Hirschhorn’s auction will go to fighting homelessness. Specifically, funds will go to Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization that helps homeless and low-income individuals get the resources they need to get back on track.
Former G4 host Kevin Pereira has recorded a video (above) where he talks about Hirschhorn’s impact on his own life and why you should check out the auction.
G4 will officially go offline November 30. It has not aired any new original programming in quite some time. Though the network is perhaps best known for programs such as X-Play and Attack of the Show!, it most recently aired only re-runs of shows like Cops, Lost, and Ninja Warrior, as well as some movies.
Did you ever watch G4’s original shows? Are you interested in Hirschhorn’s auction? Let us know in the comments below!
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Resident Evil publisher Capcom has a new PlayStation 4 title in the works that will “turn heads,” according to producer Jun Takeuchi. He teased the game in the latest issue of Famitsu (via Gematsu).
Takeuchi described the PS4 as an “incredible system,” and one he’s constantly learning new things about. Pressed to say if Capcom was working on any new PS4 titles, beyond those that have already been announced, Takeuchi said this is indeed the case.
“It’s gonna be something that will even turn heads overseas” — Takeuchi
“Of course,” he said. “Right now, we’re seeing how far we can push the game engine. You’ll be surprised by the quality of the games we’re working on right now. I think we’ll be able to announce it soon, so please look forward to it. I realize that’s obnoxious (laughs).”
He went on to say: “It’s gonna be something that will even turn heads overseas.”
One of Capcom’s major new PS4 games is the free-to-play dungeon-crawler Deep Down. That game’s producer, veteran Capcom designer Yoshinori Ono, is also working on a second PS4 title, according to Gematsu. It is possible that the game teased by Takeuchi is that game, though it’s not confirmed.
During his time at Capcom, Takeuchi has worked on a number of franchises, including Onimusha, Lost Planet, and Resident Evil.
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Ubisoft has explained why it will not distribute review copies of The Crew prior to its release date.
The open world racing game can only be fully assessed when it’s live, Ubisoft said, as servers are populated by players. However, Ubisoft assured that there would be no coverage embargoes in place either.
Ubisoft was scrutinised for requesting an embargo on Assassin’s Creed Unity, which could only be lifted after the game was released. The editor of one publication, Kotaku, said in response to the situation that he would no longer acquiesce to post-release review embargoes.
However, regardless of embargo timelines, it is now common practice for publications–including GameSpot–to postpone reviews of online-centric games until its server infrastructure is tested.
Ubisoft says this is the very reason why it is not handing out early copies of the game. It also points out that, on several occasions already, has let players sample the game via betas.
“The Crew was built from the beginning to be a living playground full of driving fans, so it’s only possible to assess our game in its entirety with other real players in the world,” the publisher wrote on its blog.
“For this very reason, The Crew will be available to media to begin their reviews when the game launches on December 2. There will be absolutely no embargo on any type of coverage once the game is available for sale.”
The company added: “While we fully anticipate that you might see some reviews immediately at launch–largely built around the preview sessions we facilitated during the past months or the limited content of the closed and open betas–they won’t be based on optimal conditions or reflect the finished game.”
