Gears of War 3 led the smaller batch of releases this week so we'll be focusing on the news side of the industry. While Minecraft and Gears of War dominated the headlines this week along with news from the Eurogamer event, there were quite a few other important happenings, a lot of which we didn't get a chance to discuss yet.
So, in this edition of the Weekly Video Games News Round-Up, we'll discuss the future of World of Warcraft, the colors or lack thereof in the Deus Ex prequel, the expansions coming to PlayStation Home, the date and size of The Old Republic's launch, Nintendo pricing, Batman toys, a cancelled Irrational game, Metacritic scores, the Samsung vs. Apple war and a movie tie-in MMO.
Video Game News
1. The Future of World of Warcraft
The World of Warcraft 4.3 'Dragon Soul' patch concludes the story arc of the latest expansion and ends with the boss fight against Death Wing. The patch also brings with it some inventory changes such as Transmogrification which lets players customize their armor without changing its stats. This idea here is that players don't all care about looking like they finished the game with everyone wearing the same loot.
The patch also adds the 'Void Bank' which lets players store more goods, though this one requires a different NPC in a different locale - It removes gems and enchantments, however, with the goal of letting players save more inventory but at the same time, reducing server-side database space.
The three instances of the patch (Endtime, Well of Eternity and Hours of Twilight) involve quite a few boss battles and the patch will be on public test servers rather soon.
As for the future of WoW, expect the next major expansion announcement at Blizzcon. The good news for fans is that Blizzard Game Director Tom Chilton emphasizes that future content will need to continue to evolve gameplay like we see with Deathwing and the latest updates.
If you're a player and/or simply a Warcraft fan, read our World of Warcraft Wisdom column.
Source: Joystiq
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2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution Tastes The Rainbow
The most recognizable aspect of Deus Ex: Human Revolution is its color scheme. Everything in the game, from the interior and exterior lighting, to the menus, HUD and more are all gold in color. It works for the game and helps it be unique, but it's also a bit much.
This led to the creation of a mod found on ENBSeries that removes the gold filter and keeps the environments looking a lot more varied and colorful. The mod however, only works on NVIDIA hardware.
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Read our Deus Ex: Human Revolution review.
Source: PC Gamer
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3. Shoot up Your PlayStation Home
The PlayStation Home Redesign is bringing with it a first-person shooter titled Bootleggers. It's free-to-play and lets users use their PSN avatars in combat. In the new PlayStation home - which Sony Home director Jack Buser compared to Disneyworld - there will be different areas to do different things. Enter an action area and jump writing into, with a run-down darker aesthetic, and watch your back. It's extremely basic but totally free - it's goal is to get more people using Home.
There's also a poker coming to the Sports Hub so prepared for continued growth in PlayStation Home.
Source: Shacknews
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4. On Approach to The Old Republic
Despite an artificial limited imposed on users buying Star Wars: The Old Republic at launch, BioWare and EA are forecasting big numbers and in their own words, "have to be ready for the biggest online launch in history essentially."
With The Old Republic release date announced for late December, development is in the homestretch as the team works on polishing up what's already been built. Post-launch, there will be years worth of content, a lot of it free.
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5. No Dungeon Dueling For You
Back in 2002, Irrational Games was starting to work on an RTS-RPG hybrid called Dungeon Duel which got canned rather quickly. Irrational technical director Chris Kline went through archives of old, old email and they asked around on who may have worked on it back then to find out more. Here's the original pitch:
"Dungeon Duel combines fast-paced RTS strategy with the addictiveness of card game trading in a unique fantasy setting—a true RTS game built specifically with consoles and their controllers in mind."
For artwork and more information, click here to download the PDF.
Source: Irrational Games
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6. Under The Dark Knight's Mask
Want to know what Bruce Wayne looks like from Batman: Arkham City? Check out these action figures based on Rocksteady's versions of the iconic characters of the Batman universe which reveal Wayne's face under the mask.
Source: Toy News International
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7. Another Nintendo Rip-off
One of the many problems with the Nintendo 3DS are how outrageous its console and video games cost. Thankfully, they quickly dropped the console price by $80 but the games are still a total rip-off where users need to pay $30-40 for games that are often worth a tenth of that on the Apple app store.
Nintendo refuses to enter the mobile market or to compete with digital download markets to "protect their developers" from lower costs, but what they are really doing is overcharging for games and reaching a smaller market because of it. The latest example of this is with the hit iPhone game Cut The Rope which retails for the friendly price of $1. Want to play it on the 3DS? Download it through the eShop with a 620% price increase. No joke. It costs more than 7.2 times as much money.
Source: MCV
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8. Additional FFXIII-2
If you were one of the many gamers disappointed in Final Fantasy XIII, maybe its sequel will do the trick. Either way, the game is confirmed to have DLC which includes new costumes, weapons and enemies.
In other fun news, FFXIII-2 will also include an amusement area where players can use a casino and watch chocobo races.
Source: Andriasang
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9. The Samsung iBan
Samsung is trying to ban the unreleased iPhone 5 from Korea. An executive at Samsung said the following in The Korea Times:
"Just after the arrival of the iPhone 5 here, Samsung plans to take Apple to court here for its violation of Samsung's wireless technology related patents"
This of course, is in retaliation to Apple winning a few legal proceedings against Samsung for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 in Germany and additional injunctions against the Galaxy S models.
The two children are also bickering engaged in 23 other legal proceedings around the world. This can only end well, right?
Source: Ars Technica
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10. The Thing MMO
NEVERDIE has partnered with Universal Pictures to develop Hunt The THING, a "movie-length" MMO inspired by the upcoming remake of the film. For more details on this, click here.
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11. Troll Banning
Metacritic is attempting to control user review scores by banning users who repeatedly offer zero scores without written reviews. This is in response to Bastion and Toy Soldiers: Cold War seeing their scores drop very quick, very significantly.
There are two major problems here with the first being there are publishers who hand out bonuses based on Metacritic ratings and the second being that Metacritic is taking out low scores, but what about the users who keep giving perfect scores to games that otherwise do not deserve it?
Source: Giant Bomb
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Video Game Reviews
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NEVERDIE Studios and Universal Partnerships & Licensing Launch the First-Ever Massively Multiplayer Game Based on Universal Pictures’ Upcoming Thriller, The Thing
Hunt The THING Delivers Unique, Authentic and Intense Feature Film Experience Within NEVERDIE Studios’ Massive ROCKtropia Virtual World
LOS ANGELES, CA, September 22, 2011–NEVERDIE Studios, creators of the ROCKtropia Virtual World, a sophisticated, next-gen, cash prize--based game world with mythology drawn from pop culture, today announced the release of Hunt The THING. This new movie-length massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) event is inspired by Universal Pictures’ upcoming thriller The Thing, which opens in theatres nationwide on October 14, 2011. The game was developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Partnerships & Licensing.
Hunt The THING exists as an experience within NEVERDIE Studios’ ROCKtropia, a vibrant, digital hangout where players can socialize and congregate with millions of other players worldwide. Players can go on missions; win coveted virtual prizes with high cash values; buy, sell and trade virtual goods in a $100 million-plus marketplace; listen to live music; play games; and even travel through space to other MMOGs. Additionally, Hunt The THING will be featured at ROCKtropia’s Hyperplex movie theater. Once players enter the theater, they will be transported to the Antarctic, and their Hunt The Thing adventure will begin.
Hunt The THING will allow fans to immerse themselves into the terrifying world of The Thing just before the new film arrives to tell the story of what exactly happened at the doomed Thule international research station in Antarctica. After downloading the free-to-play MMOG Hunt The THING, fans will be immediately thrust into a virtual Antarctic world where they are tasked with uncovering the mystery and ultimately hunting down The Thing. Whether they choose to play as a scientist or soldier, each of whom possess unique skill sets and upgrade paths, players will need to explore abandoned bases, decipher clues, take blood samples, secure gear, gather weapons, fight friends and enemies alike, and survive the many dangers presented by the world’s most inhospitable and uninhabitable continent.
“Hunt The THING is truly the first massively multiplayer game experience of its kind,” said Jon “NEVERDIE” Jacobs. “It brings together the depth of the classic MMORPG and the edge-of-your-seat excitement of the new feature film The Thing for a true movie-length MMOG that you can experience quickly, but also enjoy for extended periods of time.”
Hunt The THING will offer players numerous opportunities to win exclusive and highly collectible in-game virtual prizes. These include a collector’s edition flame thrower; a variety of automatic weapons and Antarctic survival gear; and, for those who are skilled enough to defeat The Thing, a combat helicopter that allows players to continue their adventures after the film is released on October 14. Players who complete the final Hunt The THING mission may enter expert mode for an opportunity to win even more valuable prizes.
Powered by the award-winning CryEngine 2, Hunt The THING will present players with an incredibly harsh environment alongside a mesmerizing storyline that weaves together elements from John Carpenter’s 1982 feature film, the upcoming companion piece and the previously released The Thing game. Hunt The THING takes place within NEVERDIE Studios’ ROCKtropia Virtual World, which allows players to utilize the same avatar within multiple game spaces and carry over friends, skills and gear from game to game.
Hunt the THING is now available for PC download at www.HuntTheThing.com. There are no fees or subscriptions required. Fans of The Thing can download the game and immediately embark upon their mission to hunt down and destroy one of the most terrifying movie monsters ever conceived!
About The Thing:
Antarctica: an extraordinary continent of awesome beauty. It is also home to an isolated outpost where a discovery full of scientific possibility becomes a mission of survival when a creature is unearthed by a crew of international scientists. In the thriller The Thing, paranoia spreads among a group of researchers as they encounter something inhuman that has the ability to turn itself into an exact replica of any living being.
The Thing serves as a prelude to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film of the same name. Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen, the thriller is produced by Strike Entertainment’s Marc Abraham and Eric Newman (Dawn of the Dead). www.thethingmovie.net.
About NEVERDIE Studios
NEVERDIE Studios was founded by legendary Avatar Jon “NEVERDIE” Jacobs. The Studios’ main focus is expanding the frontiers of pop culture into virtual reality. NEVERDIE Studios is the developer of the ROCKtropia Virtual World, a richly detailed alternate reality with mythology drawn from pop culture. ROCKtropia’s wild landscapes and urban centers provide the backdrop for movie inspired MMOG ’s and Iconic artist attractions. ROCKtropia is free-to-play and features micro transactions.