Even though Jack the Giant Slayer didn’t fare too well at the box office, Disney wants another crack at the classic fable. Deadline reports the House of Mouse has picked up Beanstalk, yet another revisionist take on the familiar tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. However, this one just might get your attention, because the detailed outline that inspired Disney to pick u pthe project comes from “Breaking Bad” and its spin-off series “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan. And if you’re a fan of those shows, you’ll also be glad to hear the script will come from of the Emmy-winning writers, Thomas Schauz. Sounds like a sweet deal. ›››
As far as the English dictionary goes, all the synonyms we have for the word “brutal” have a difficult time doing justice to the level of violence on display in New Zealand’s The Dead Lands. From the visceral and energetic opening scene, the tribal actioner proves its worth in blood spilt and limbs lopped off. It’s a virtual candy store for martial arts fanatics and hand-to-hand junkies, but this Maori tale of honor and vengeance slowly wears down under the weight of all that visual carnage. The level of brutality holds up in The Dead Lands. The story, though itself drenched with grand ideas of legends, Gods, and monsters, barely clicks. ›››
Lasers. They’re the future of cinema, so you better get used to it. I’ve been attending CinemaCon (formerly ShoWest), the movie theater owners’ convention, for the last 9 years and have seen many fantastic technical demos. One year James Cameron came and showed us his first look at High Frame Rates; one year Dolby introduced their (now everywhere) Atmos sound system with a custom install in a big auditorium where we get to see screenings. This year, Dolby held a demo of their latest offering – a system called Dolby Vision (we’ve written about it recently). It runs on two 4K laser projectors and they claimed that the contrast ratio they were getting up to is 1,000,000:1. Most cinemas today are barely 2,000:1. It was mesmerizing to see. ›››
The mod in question was for a fishing animation for the open-world fantasy RPG; Valve even promoted this mod on the new Steam Workshop page (though it’s since been replaced).
The fishing mod in question
The mod was developed by Chesko and aqqh, but as detailed in this Destructoid report, it actually contained assets from another modder Fore’s New Idles in Skyrim creation without his permission.
Fore wrote in the Steam forums in a since-removed post (but captured by Destructoid) that Chesko and aqqh never asked for his permission to use his assets in their Skyrim fishing mod. He went on to say that “making money with mods is totally against my attitude” and claimed that Steam’s new paid-for mod system will lead to the “end of a working and inventive modding community.”
“I would like to make it clear that I have been under a non-disclosure agreement for over a month, and was unable (not unwilling) to contact others. I asked Valve specifically about content that requires other content, and was told that if the download was separate and free, it was fair game.”
“In the case of this mod, the animations are not required and the mod continues to work. However, I will defer to Fore’s decision, which will issue a refund to all subscribers.”
On Valve’s new Steam Workshop website for paid mods, the developer says people who see someone posting content they’ve created should issue a DMCA takedown notice right away.
However, modders are allowed to use the work of other modders, provided they get approval first. The Steam Workshop even has a revenue-sharing option to allow creators to allocation portions of item revenue with other collaborators or co-authors.
Other Skyrim paid mods
But Valve again reminds modders: “If your creation builds on another mod or utilizes content from another mod, you should first ask their permission.”
You can see all the paid (and free) Skyrim mods here.
In announcing the new Steam Workshop paid-for mod support, Valve said it is a way for gamers to support their favorite modders to allow them to build even more unique creations.
“By paying for mods and supporting the people that made them, you enable those artists and creators to continue working on their mods and inspire new modders to try their hand in creating new, higher quality items and experiences,” the company said.
Meanwhile, Bethesda–the first publisher to allow paid-for mods with Skyrim as part of Steam’s new program offered the following statement on Thursday as part of the original announcement.
“Modding has been important to all our games for such a long time,” Bethesda said. “We try to create worlds that come alive and you can make your own, but it’s in modding where it truly does. Thanks again for all your incredible support over the years. We hope steps like this breathe new life into Skyrim for everyone.”
Valve’s new modding program launched only with Skyrim, but other supported titles will be announced in the coming weeks.
What do you think about Steam’s new paid-for mod program? Let us know in the comments below!
The game, announced on Thursday and the first in the core series in over six years, is a major departure from Overlord and Overlord II. It’s played from a top-down, Diablo-style perspective, and features four heroes instead of one. Some fans aren’t happy about this new approach.
They made their concerns known in posts on social media, including in the comments of the game’s YouTube announcement trailer. This video currently has three times as many dislikes than likes.
“NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOOOOOO!” writes one commenter. Another adds: “Who wants this? Why is there co-op? Isn’t the whole point of the game the demonic minions?” Someone else wrote: “What a joke, good luck selling that to anyone…”
Now, one of the game’s writers–Rhianna Pratchett–has responded to these criticisms with a volley of tweets. She said Codemasters never meant to position Fellowship of Evil as Overlord 3, a game that she went on to say could still happen further down the road.
“Shame folks are getting angry on YouTube about Overlord: Fellowship of Evil,” she wrote. “We never claimed it was Overlord 3. It’s its own entity & certainly doesn’t stop a Overlord 3 happening.” She added that she personally hopes Overlord 3 is made one day, but for now, she’s happy to be working on the franchise again with a game that can stand on its own.
Pratchett also stressed that, in terms of tone (the Overlord series is known for its dark, yet humorous approach), Fellowship of Evil is “very much an Overlord game.” The game will fit within the previously established world and canon of the overarching Overlord series, she went on to say.
Finally, Pratchett reminded Overlord fans that this isn’t the first time the franchise is branching out into new territory. Overlord: Dark Legend for Wii was designed for a younger audience, while Nintendo 3DS game Overlord: Minions was presented in a top-down manner, similar to Lost Vikings.
“So we have done a few different things with the Overlord franchise in the past and explored different gameplay avenues,” she said.
Fellowship of Evil launches later this year for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. It will cost $20 on all platforms. For more, check out the first screenshots in the gallery below.
Since February 25, customers have published bug reports and queries on both the Capcom and PlayStation support forums, detailing a bug that is preventing them from playing DLC that had already been purchased via the PlayStation Store.
Specifically, the issue is that pre-ordered versions of Resident Evil Revelations 2 were bundled with special maps for Raid Mode, partly as an incentive to buy the game in advance. For some users, however, these maps remain inaccessible.
Sony sometimes allows players to pre-install games on the PlayStation 4 before their official release date, thereby eliminating download wait times once a game is available to play. But in order to prevent people from playing games early, pre-installed content is “locked” until release day.
It appears that the issue with Resident Evil Revelations 2, however, is that the map packs have no unlock date, leaving them in limbo.
In late March, when the issue dragged into its fifth week, a Sony representative wrote on the support forums that “our store team is aware of the issue. Thanks for the reports.”
Games publication Kotaku, which brought the issue to wider attention with a report on the problems, explains how the DLC bug can also break the full game.
“The really, really scary thing here is that because of the map pack being busted, no one can restore their game licenses on their PSN accounts,” one reader told the publication. “It causes an error.”
It appears that the issue, of erroneous content blocks to pre-purchased content, has also affected other PlayStation 4 games such as Dying Light.
Both Sony and Capcom said they are still working on a fix.
In addition, Resident Evil HD set a new record for the “biggest-selling day one digital title” on the PlayStation Network, the publisher said. Capcom further explained that this record is for first-day sales volume in North America and Europe. It’s unclear what game Resident Evil HD unseated from the top.
Resident Evil HD also becomes Capcom’s fastest-selling digital title in the company’s history for North America and Europe. What’s more, Resident Evil HD’s sales helped the entire Resident Evil franchise reach more than 65 million units sold as of March 31.
Originally released in 1996, Resident Evil was created by Shinji Mikami, who has since left Capcom and now works for the Bethesda-owned Evil Within developer Tango Gameworks. Capcom released the first remake of the original Resident Evil game back in 2002, for the GameCube. This latest version is in fact an HD version of that remake, featuring new gameplay elements such as more camera control options along with better visuals.
GameSpot critic Kevin VanOrd wrote in his review: “Later Resident Evil games would add more viruses and unnecessary subplots, but the original allows that menacing mansion to do most of the talking. In this series, less is more.”
Electronic Arts has revealed further details of an upcoming patch that will soon be deployed across the PC and console versions of Battlefield Hardline.
Developer Visceral, writing on the Battlefield community blog, has listed what it considers are the top five changes that the update will deliver. Among the list is a fix to its Punkbuster anti-cheat system, which some PC players had discovered was causing a spike in CPU usage.
Though the update was first announced in late March, a release date remains unknown. “We’re still working hard every day to improve the gameplay experience to make Battlefield Hardline even more fun,” said Visceral’s multiplayer game designer Thaddeus Sasser.
Sasser’s list, of what he considers to be the best five changes coming with the patch, can be found below.
Punkbuster fixes: We’re addressing some of the heavy CPU usage seen by players
Nvidia DirectX driver fixes: We’re working with our partners at Nvidia to create new drivers to prevent the most common crash issues
Extended Conquest time: We’ve extended the length of Conquest matches by increasing the number of tickets on both Large and Small
Fixed TDM spawns: We’ve adjusted spawn points and the spawn system for better TDM spawning
Multiple weapon balance tweaks: We’ve addressed some common complaints with the weapon balance, there will be more coming soon
Meanwhile, Visceral is also preparing to introduce a “rent-a-server” program to all console versions, which will allow players to customize their multiplayer matches as well as invite friends to play.
Found below is a detailed list of changes that the patch will deliver:
BUG FIXES:
Fixed a server crash in Rescue
Increased the character limit in the MapList to support up to 150 maps in a rotation
You can now set the time limit to 0 and it disables the time limit instead of instantly ending the round in Blood Money
Various fixes for server crashes with rental servers (multiple issues addressed)
Fix for the timer in Conquest freezing when the user set the time limit higher than 800
Fix for MP squad join issue where after the squad leader gets disconnected, a new leader cannot kick members or disband
Fix for the patch awarded in released game for reaching Rank 10 in the Beta
Fix for Derailed Levolution where players were teleported to origin of Point B and killed in some circumstances
Fix for crash if the UI is disabled in the .cfg file
Fix for Bloodmoney exploit in HH where players could access the money pile through the floor/roof
Fix on XB1 for players using invite/join on friend after Quickmatching
Fix for the Uzi’s weapon license cost, setting it to the correct value of $50,000
Fix for X360 players being unable to invite friends while playing Rescue
Fix for a rare crash in the Customize screen
All platforms, miscellaneous low frequency crash fixes
GAMEPLAY CHANGES:
Conquest tickets increased (CQL 999, CQS 600)
Greatly decreased nearby bullet impact flinch; your aimpoint will not shift from rounds striking the environment near you
Fixed some issues with FLIR/IRNV
RPG reduced to 1 ammo from back of cars, with smaller explosion radius overall thus requiring more skill to use effectively
TDM friendzones have been adjusted for better spawning
Rescue / Crosshair exploit where players could skip the round start time by hitting START or ESC has been fixed
Couch health reduced and repair rate decreased to a miniscule amount, making the Couch the one-off it was intended
Player should no longer Quickmatch into servers with unsupported numbers of players
K10: Reduce max damage to 33 and min damage to 8
Saiga and PTR: reduce recoil to bring more in line with Cop faction DMRs
HCAR and HK51: reduce recoil to bring more in line with SCAR-H and SA-58
.410 Jury: Increase damage per pellet to become more effective
FMG-9: increase damage per round to 25 and push out falloff start range to make these weapons more effective
Battlerifle min damage increased to 25 across the board
Bungie has released more details on an upcoming Destiny update which will remove Commendations from the game. As detailed on the Bungie site, update 1.2.0 will remove the Commendations feature.
Players who have a surplus of Commendations will be able to “burn them for reputation” which helps players progress to their next promotion, earning an additional reward package. Commendations were first introduced in Destiny’s previous downloadable content pack, and were needed to buy armor and weapons.
The patch notes also revealed that next Iron Banner event will take place on April 28 starting at 10AM Pacific Time. The event will introduce helmets for the first time, allowing players to complete the set. Bungie also announced when they would reveal the Trial of Osiris on a livestream, which will take place on April 29 at 11AM Pacific Time.
Destiny’s upcoming House of Wolves expansion is set to launch on all platforms on May 19. We’ve listed a breakdown of the biggest changes the expansion will introduce, which includes a new social space, tons of new ships, weapons, and armour, and raises the level cap to at least 34.
The upcoming Warcraft movie from Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures has had its theatrical release date pushed back three months later than its previous release date of March 11, 2016. The new release date of June 16, 2016 was announced by the Legendary Pictures official Twitter account.
During a special presentation at Blizzcon, Warcraft director Duncan Jones said the movie will feature a lot of special effects he described as “Avatar and Lord of the Rings at the same time.” Jones has said that he hopes the film will be released in 2D and 3D.
