http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 22 Mar 2014 20:58:11 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-heroes-of-the-storm-is-different-from-and-the-same-as-league-of-legends-and-dota-2/1100-6418405/ <p style="">Diablo rides a horse that looks small enough to buckle under his gargantuan weight. Just like that poor horse, Blizzard has a lot riding on <a href="/heroes-of-the-storm/" data-ref-id="false">Heroes of the Storm</a>. This is the <a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">Warcraft</a>, <a href="/starcraft-ii-heart-of-the-swarm/" data-ref-id="false">StarCraft</a>, and <a href="/diablo-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Diablo</a> maker's take on the blossoming multiplayer online battle arena, and its attempt to claim the riches and colossal global audience that come with the territory.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/5-biggest-announcements-from-blizzcon-2013/1100-6416118/" data-ref-id="1100-6416118">Heroes of the Storm's initial showing at BlizzCon 2013</a>, the developer launched the game's technical alpha last week. There's a good chance many things will be changed, tweaked, and modified over the coming months. Even now, though, Blizzard's intriguing take on the genre has plenty of fascinating new mechanics and exciting twists. This is no mere attempt at simply re-creating <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">Dota 2</a> or <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a>.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Heroes of the Storm is all about the map objectives</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard calls them battlegrounds, and each comes with its own central map mechanic that greatly impacts each game. Let me say that again, just to be clear: If your team ignores the map's main objective in Heroes of the Storm, you will almost definitely lose. Badly. When the announcer tells players that this all-important objective is about to spawn, any feeling of individual freedom at this point is an illusion. Stop whatever you are doing, right now, and leg it to the objective.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blue and red teams compete to blow up the opposing nexus on each of the four maps--Dragon Shire, Blackheart's Bay, Haunted Mines, and Cursed Hollow--but their various shapes (not every map here involves three lanes, for instance), shortcuts, and those all-important mechanics add plenty of variety, and give the game a very different feel to its contemporaries. It means the rhythm of Heroes of the Storm flicks between traditional phases of the odd offensive push or defensive retreat and frenzied, all-out contests over that all-important objective. What's really going on here is that Blizzard, in the interests of keeping match times down to around the 30-minute mark, is routinely herding players into situations where they have no choice but to fight to the death.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">There's some other important things to be aware of, too. Towers are dotted along each lane, but they are fortified with healing fountains that provide a health and mana boost to allied players, and occasionally with a castle that can spawn additional minions. Fancy running past an enemy tower because you're confident you can secure a kill? Not here; Heroes of the Storm has gates that block the enemy team from passing. Towers themselves have an ammo supply, too, so if they pelt out too many rounds they'll need to pause to reload and can easily be destroyed in this time. And while characters tend to move quite slowly, almost all players can summon a mount so they can zip around the map faster. Mounts are no good for offensive plays, mind, as they disappear as soon as a player takes damage.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417719" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417719/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Teamwork really is king, too. Securing the powerful dragon knight, feeding enough coins to a ghostly sea captain, getting a stronger golem because your team picked up the most undead skulls from the mines, or winning enough tributes to have the raven lords curse your opposition are all acts of such dramatic significance that they far outweigh a handful of player kills gained (or lost) from team fights. Another game-changing features include a scattering mercenary camps--Heroes' take on the jungle area--on each map, which bestow a gaggle of very powerful siege units if your team captures them. These can easily swing a game in your favor.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Having to divide your team up to claim the north and south shrines on Dragon Shire is a very different process than racing around the Haunted Mines' inner map to slay undead faster than the opposition. Even the shape of the maps affects things massively, such as how working your way around the dense forest area of Cursed Hollow means you're more likely to be able to plan and execute ambushes than the simpler Blackheart's Bay. The design also fits into the objectives of each map; Dragon Shire and Cursed Hollow are about controlling certain spots at the right time, and are therefore larger, more complex Battlegrounds, whereas securing victory in Blackheart's Bay and Haunted Mines is done by collecting more resources than your opponents, so these are smaller are designed to funnel you into conflict.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Despite Blizzard's efforts, bad players will still be able to ruin your game</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">There are plenty of other big changes (though if you're a religious Dota player, you might call them blasphemies) that affect, well, just about everything. Experience is shared and distributed across the team, rather than going to the individual players. That's a huge shift from other games of this ilk, making it so individual players can't fall ahead or behind the rest of their allies, and softens the pain of being accidentally slain once or twice. Repeated deaths still end up handing a huge advantage to the opposing team, mind. I had a game last night when one Raynor player went and got himself killed nine times in a row, and it's safe to say we ended up losing that game pretty bloody quickly. Believe me, superior enemy teams can snowball out of control just as easily here as in the worst matches of Dota 2 or League of Legends.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372648-arthas+raising+an+army+of+the+undead.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372648" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372648-arthas+raising+an+army+of+the+undead.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372648"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/536/5360430/2372648-arthas+raising+an+army+of+the+undead.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">What else? League of Legends and Dota players might squabble endlessly over the merits of the <a href="http://dota.wikia.com/wiki/Deny" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">deny</a> mechanic, but Heroes of the Storm has made it so you can't even <a href="http://youtu.be/MtUtjwAHoRw" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">last hit</a>. There's no gold to worry about and no store to buy items from, and you don't level up your character's individual abilities with each level. If you're a MOBA purist, then you've probably already flipped your computer desk over by now, and I'll admit I was pretty skeptical at first. But now, after many games, I think it works well. These nips and tucks get games off to an immediately confrontational start, removing that initial foreplay from Dota and League of Legends matches while players farm up enough cash to buy their basic starting items. It's a tauter, fiercer way to initiate each game, and another one of the ways Blizzard has shaved minutes off the average game length. And while there's no store to buy items from, characters can be developed in various ways as they are given a list of options to choose from as they level up. Heroes have two ultimate abilities, for instance, but you'll only be able to select one of them in each game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Right now there's 23 characters to choose from, with Blizzard offering a weekly rotation of six heroes to play for free. The characters are bucketed into Assassin, Warrior, Support, and Specialist categories, and it's the latter one that offers up character that could only in this game. Take the Zerg evolution specialist Abathur, for instance, who has no ability to directly attack enemy players but can instead buff allied players, spawn locusts that act as additional minions, or clone an allied player with his ultimate ability. He could never exist without Heroes of the Storm's shared experience, and he's an absolutely fascinating addition that I'm still trying to get my head around.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">I've had some thrilling matches, including games where I've been in a team of underdogs that turn things around after a poor start, games where I've lost a clear advantage by missing out on too many mercenary camps and objectives, and games that have been nothing but tense reversals leading into narrow victories or defeats. When it works, the game is a tense half hour of neck-and-neck fighting made up of a cast of well-known Blizzard characters.</p><h3 dir="ltr">There's a lot to like, but you might not be able to play it without friends.</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">Big team fights aren't as exciting as they should be, though. Part of this is down to the fact that heroes just don't feel very strong right now. Abilities are weak and easy to spam, and characters survive for much, much longer than in League of Legends and Dota. It's not uncommon to see players, provided they've not been totally caught out of position, nonchalantly run out of fights with the last chunk of their health bar remaining. If you ask me, Blizzard needs to make the game riskier and more dangerous, and that added thrill of peril and power will create something that's more exciting to watch and play.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372652-arthas%2C+witch+doctor%2C+diablo%2C+and+illidan+showcase+some+heroic+abilities.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372652" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372652-arthas%2C+witch+doctor%2C+diablo%2C+and+illidan+showcase+some+heroic+abilities.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372652"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/536/5360430/2372652-arthas%2C+witch+doctor%2C+diablo%2C+and+illidan+showcase+some+heroic+abilities.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">But my biggest concern so far is that Heroes of the Storm lacks the proper communication tools for its overwhelming focus on securing those shifting map objectives. Blizzard has made the game's minimap confusingly small, and right now there's only a basic ping or teeny-tiny chat window for rallying your allies. With the varied maps, shared experience, and shifting mission objectives, teams have to be on the ball constantly and with perfect coordination, else everything quickly falls apart. These are early days, but I've already had far too many games where crucial map objectives have been ignored in favour of pushing lanes, farming mercenary camps, or attempting to confront the enemy team. There is so much at stake with each objective in Heroes of the Storm that it is utterly galling when you're matched alongside a player that's off in a world of their own.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Think of it like this. When playing Dota with one or two friends, the thing we dread most is the horror of facing a five-stack--an entire team of players who know each other and who are all probably hanging out in a Skype call and plotting how to brutally divide, conquer, and eviscerate our disjointed match-made team. Terrifying. And I now dread the five-stack in Heroes of the Storm even more than I do in Dota. If Blizzard is going to fulfil its self-professed remit of making a MOBA that's more accessible, approachable, and not as toxic as its contemporaries, it's going to have to work something out to address that need for communication and teamwork.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Still, I can't wait to see what comes to Heroes of the Storm next. Blizzard's spin on the MOBA has the potential to be exciting, more accessible, and the most unique take on the genre since the <a href="/warcraft-iii-battlechest/" data-ref-id="false">Warcraft III</a> mod that started it all.</p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 17:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-heroes-of-the-storm-is-different-from-and-the-same-as-league-of-legends-and-dota-2/1100-6418405/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-thrones-to-advertise-in-league-of-legends/1100-6418481/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483913-7154871566-24340.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483913" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483913-7154871566-24340.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483913"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483913-7154871566-24340.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">HBO is advertising the next season of Game of Thrones in Riot Games' <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/league-of-legends/">League of Legends</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Vice president of eSports and merchandising at Riot Games Dustin Beck told <a href="http://www.alistdaily.com/news/game-of-thrones-in-league-of-legends-promotion" rel="nofollow">[a]list daily</a> that the three week-long campaign leading up to the premiere of the fourth season could include website takeovers in addition to the featured logos you can already see in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S28UOzTCZ8&feature=share&t=1h5m50s" rel="nofollow">Championship Series broadcast</a>. Beck also said that Riot Games is working with HBO to produce a mash-up trailer, and that it was given exclusive sneak peaks into footage that haven't been seen before.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We got a cold call from HBO because they thought that there was going to be a great overlap between our players and their demographic of people that watch Game of Thrones and this was a good way to explore reaching that demographic through new media," Beck said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As Beck explained it, the advantage to advertising with League of Legends is its focused strategy. "We're not working with a ton of different brands," he said. "There's not going to be the kind of sponsor overload you get when you look at NASCAR for example. You see a car that's littered with various sponsor bugs and it's very hard to focus in on what logo you're looking at."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Other big companies that advertise with League of Legends include American Express and Coca-Cola, both of which sponsor the game's Challenger Series.</p><p style="">Earlier in the week, League of Legends creators Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill won the Pioneer Award at the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-gdc-game-of-the-year-award/1100-6418420/">Game Developers Conference awards show</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417816" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417816/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 16:41:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-thrones-to-advertise-in-league-of-legends/1100-6418481/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-exclusive-watch-dogs-content-shown-off-in-new-trailer/1100-6418480/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483857-3475499995-%255BHo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483857" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483857-3475499995-%255BHo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483857"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483857-3475499995-%255BHo.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">Watch Dogs</a> for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 will come with four exclusive missions that will earn you a hacking boost and a new outfit when completed, <a href="http://blog.ubi.com/watch-dogs-exclusive-ps4-ps3-gameplay-content/" rel="nofollow">Ubisoft said on its official blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The four missions, which Ubisoft said will take about an hour to complete, will have protagonist Aiden Pierce taking on the security network of Umeni Technologies to deliver payback for the notorious hacker group DedSec. If you finish the missions, you'll get bonus tech points and unlock the White Hat Hacker outfit.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">PS4 and PS3 players will be able to download this content by entering a code that will come with the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In October of last year, we learned that the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/">Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a> and Watch Dogs content exclusive to PlayStation is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassin-s-creed-iv-and-watch-dogs-dlc-exclusive-to-playstation-for-six-months-suggests-sony-ad/1100-6415757/">only exclusive for the first six months</a> after release. After that period, it will arrive on other platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Watch Dogs launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-release-date-announced-for-everything-except-wii-u/1100-6417977/">May 27</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. The Wii U version <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-for-wii-u-definitely-not-canceled/1100-6418164/">will come sometime later</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Watch Dogs, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">our previous coverage</a>, including this guide to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-preorder-bonuses/1100-6417493/">Watch Dogs preorder bonuses</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNuhuY4ZT1Q" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FcNuhuY4ZT1Q%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcNuhuY4ZT1Q&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FcNuhuY4ZT1Q%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 14:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-exclusive-watch-dogs-content-shown-off-in-new-trailer/1100-6418480/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-iii-for-ps4-warlords-of-draenor-hearthstone-for-mobile-and-more-from-blizzard-at-pax-east/1100-6418479/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483827-9127374307-24338.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483827" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483827-9127374307-24338.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483827"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1535/15354745/2483827-9127374307-24338.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard will show off more of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/diablo-iii/">Diablo III</a>: Ultimate Evil Edition for PlayStation 4, the mobile version of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft/%E2%80%8E/">Hearthstone</a>, and new <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/heroes-of-the-storm/">Heroes of the Storm</a> characters at PAX East, the company has announced on <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/13354132" rel="nofollow">its blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard developers will be present at the company's booth (BOOTH #848) in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to talk to fans from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13. Attendees will be able to get hands-on time with the in-development Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition on PS4, the iPad version of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and the "intro experience" for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/world-of-warcraft-warlords-of-draenor/" data-ref-id="false">Warlords of Draenor</a>, featuring updated character models. The company will also show off a new demo for Heroes of the Storm featuring new playable Heroes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard developers will also give a presentation at the Albatross Theatre on Friday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The presentation, titled Heroes of the Storm: The Ultimate Blizzard Mashup, will be streamed live on one of the official PAX Twitch channels for those who can't make the show.</p><p style="">For more on Blizzard's games, check out our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-review/1900-6415707/">recent review of Hearthstone's PC version</a>, and our story on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-s-heroes-of-the-storm-alpha-characters-cost-between-3-99-and-9-99/1100-6418324/">what Heroes of the Storm characters will cost you</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417838" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417838/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 13:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-iii-for-ps4-warlords-of-draenor-hearthstone-for-mobile-and-more-from-blizzard-at-pax-east/1100-6418479/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-mass-effect-developer-says-games-need-to-move-beyond-race-gender-stereotypes/1100-6418478/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483774-4559084787-24059.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483774" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483774-4559084787-24059.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483774"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483774-4559084787-24059.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Gameplay designer on the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/untitled-mass-effect-game/">next Mass Effect</a> at BioWare Manveer Heir spoke passionately at GDC this week about why games should move beyond presenting certain groups as stereotypes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Why should we reject stereotypes? Not only is it lazy, but it's fairly boring," Heir said, as quoted by <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-03-20-we-must-reject-stereotypes-in-games-manveer-heir" rel="nofollow">GamesIndustry International</a>. "We play so many games that use the same stereotypes. I get fed up with the same old story and characters in every game. I know there are others like me, I talk to them all the time. For me, these stereotypes are contributing to the creative stagnation in our industry. But I also believe we need to reject stereotypes as a social responsibility to mankind."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Heir said that this is one of the biggest areas of growth in the industry, and while developers might make a lot of missteps along the way, it doesn't mean that they should stop trying. He also rejected the notion that games have to feature traditional protagonists because it makes them more realistic."If we want to make meaningful games, if we want to avoid turning away a significant portion of our potential audience, if we want to be a successful medium that is grown-up and not stuck in adolescence, then we need to stop falling back on the realism excuse and use realism responsibly and not as a default."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Heir ended his talk by calling developers to action, saying that the only way to solve this problem is for them to challenge the majority and the minority perception of how we deal with race, gender, sexual orientation, and all other sources of social injustices.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This is the way to push the art form," he said. "This is our way to challenge ourselves and others. Wherever we stand today as an industry, I am confident that we will stand somewhere far better tomorrow as long as you right here are willing to be an agent of change."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In December 2013, we heard that the next <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-mass-effect-is-playable-bioware-calls-it-fresh-but-recognizable/1100-6416811/">Mass Effect is already playable</a> and that it's "fresh but recognizable."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6360576" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6360576/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 11:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-mass-effect-developer-says-games-need-to-move-beyond-race-gender-stereotypes/1100-6418478/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exclusive-documentary-about-buried-atari-cartridges-put-on-hold/1100-6418477/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483760-5809446988-22871.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483760" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483760-5809446988-22871.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483760"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1535/15354745/2483760-5809446988-22871.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The New Mexico Environment Department has rejected an excavation plan from a documentary crew hoping to unearth thousands of copies of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial/">E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial</a> for the Atari 2600 in a landfill where they are rumored to be buried.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/documentary-aims-to-unearth-millions-of-et-copies/1100-6409193/">Alamogordo city commissioners approved the search in June</a>, but state environmental officials have to approve a waste excavation plan before digging can begin. <a href="http://www.alamogordonews.com/alamogordo-news/ci_25380218/atari-dig-put-hold-alamogordo-by-environmental-department" rel="nofollow">The Alamogordo Daily News</a> reports that the Solid Waste and Ground Water Bureau staff rejected the plan because it was too "generic," and noted many items that needed to be addressed or clarified before it could approve the plan.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The two companies producing the documentary, Fuel Entertainment and Lightbox Interactive, have yet to submit a revised plan, but according to the <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/search-old-atari-games-go-new-mexico" rel="nofollow">Associated Press</a>, a Lightbox producer said that the search hasn't been halted.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Lightbox and Fuel Entertainment will release the film exclusively on Xbox in 2014 as part of <a href="http://news.xbox.com/2013/12/ent-xes-lightbox" rel="nofollow">Xbox Entertainment Studios' documentary series</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">E.T. was released in December 1982 for the Atari 2600, with millions of copies produced under the assumption that the link to the hit Steven Spielberg movie would guarantee sales success. The failure of the game is believed to be one of the main contributing factors to 1983's crash of the video game industry.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 10:42:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exclusive-documentary-about-buried-atari-cartridges-put-on-hold/1100-6418477/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everquest-next-landmark-closed-beta-starts-march-26/1100-6418476/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483717-9276666089-24468.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483717" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483717-9276666089-24468.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483717"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483717-9276666089-24468.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">EverQuest Next Landmark will start its Closed Beta on Wednesday, March 26, Sony Online Entertainment has announced on <a href="https://forums.station.sony.com/eqnlandmark/index.php?threads/goodbye-alpha-hello-closed-beta.25504/" rel="nofollow">the game's forums</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The games servers will be down on March 24 and 25 so SOE can wipe data and set up the new islands. The data wipe will delete everything except your character name, templates, and any items you purchased, whether through the Founder's Pack or marketplace.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">SOE highly recommends that you template any items on your claim that you'll want in the Closed Beta no later than March 23. When the Closed Beta begins, you'll need to choose a new appearance, gather new resources, craft new tools, and make new claims all over again.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to what Director of Development for the EverQuest franchise <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-everquest-next-landmark-plans-to-make-money-without-annoying-you/1100-6418046/">David Georgeson said earlier this month</a>, the Closed Beta means the game will soon add Player Studio, where players can buy and sell templates to other players with real money.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">SOE also announced that the four time-limited beta keys that were included with the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everquest-next-landmark-alpha-available-now-to-owners-of-60-founder-s-pack/1100-6417475/">Trailblazer packs</a> are now unlimited, meaning they now grant permanent access to the beta.</p><p style="">For more on EverQuest Next Landmark, make sure to read <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/you-decide-the-future-of-everquest-next-landmark/1100-6417446/">our preview of its creation tools</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 08:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everquest-next-landmark-closed-beta-starts-march-26/1100-6418476/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-xbox-boss-thinks-all-games-will-be-connected-like-titanfall-in-the-future-but-not-at-the-expense-of-offline/1100-6418475/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483698-6862390938-_DA17.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483698" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483698-6862390938-_DA17.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483698"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1535/15354745/2483698-6862390938-_DA17.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Former chief product officer and corporate vice president for the Xbox team Marc Whitten thinks that more games will be connected like <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a> in the future, but not at the expense of offline.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Whitten stopped by the <a href="http://majornelson.com/cast/2014/03/21/mnr-504-id-xbox-gdc-and-marc-whitten/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Major Nelson Radio</a> podcast during one of his last days with the company and talked about the past and future of Xbox, especially the evolution of its online features. "We're clearly in the place where not only is every console and every device is going to have a service, but every game is going to be a service," he said. "This is the way that we'll have entertainment experiences and they'll be connected together."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Whitten said that we're starting to see where things are headed with games like Titanfall, which uses Microsoft's cloud computing. "Everybody obviously sees the Titanfall stuff with the cloud. It's easy to get into a match, low latency, all those sorts of things. But then there's this other thing where I'm relying on the cloud so I can offload more stuff. Now we have AI coming from the cloud as well. And as that becomes more and more of the tool set I think you're going to see this deep and rich growth of new entertainment experiences."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, Whitten was quick to say that this future does not necessarily mean Xbox will have the kind of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-we-shouldn-t-have-sugar-coated-the-xbox-one-controversy/1100-6418296/">online requirements that stirred so much controversy</a> leading up to the Xbox One launch. "No, I don't mean at the expense of offline and all that kind of stuff," he said. "I just think that having more tools for creators, to be able to use more crayons to draw the pictures, that's all just great for us."</p><p style="">Whitten announced earlier this week that he was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-boss-marc-whitten-quits-microsoft/1100-6418367/">leaving his job at Microsoft to join Sonos</a> as its chief product officer.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417779" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417779/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:41:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-xbox-boss-thinks-all-games-will-be-connected-like-titanfall-in-the-future-but-not-at-the-expense-of-offline/1100-6418475/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-titanfall-bundle-drops-to-450-at-wal-mart-best-buy/1100-6418457/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417899" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417899/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">[UPDATE 2] Use code "X1AMAZON" to get $50 off on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-One-Console-Titanfall-Bundle/dp/B00IIHU44E" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Xbox One Titanfall bundle at Amazon</a>.</p><p style="">[UPDATE] Xbox One systems, including the Titanfall bundle, are <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/xbox-one/xbox-one-consoles/pcmcat303600050004.c?id=pcmcat303600050004" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">also available for $450 at Best Buy</a>.</p><p style=""><em>The original story is below.</em></p><p dir="ltr" style="">The<a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Xbox-One-Titanfall-Console-Bundle/35046405" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Xbox One Titanfall bundle</a> and <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Xbox-One-Console-Standard-Edition/28876155" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">standard edition</a> consoles are currently selling for $450 at Wal-Mart. That's a nice markdown of $50 from the system's official $499 price point.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The deal went live today (thank you, <a href="http://www.dealzon.com/deals/cheap-xbox-one" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Dealzon</a>), though it's unclear how long it will last. If you're on the prowl for a new Xbox One, now seems like a good time to jump in, as it's the best deal around.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Other retailers like GameStop and Amazon continue to sell the Xbox One and the Xbox One Titanfall bundle for full price.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For the Wal-Mart deal, you'll need to add the console to checkout and then sign in to a Wal-Mart or guest account to see the final price. Free shipping and free store pickup delivery options are available.</p><p style="">Wal-Mart is also currently offering a<a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Xbox-One-Standard-Edition-Starter-Bundle-w-Choice-of-Controller-or-Game/25886195" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> "starter" Xbox One bundle </a>that includes a system and your choice of any Xbox One game for $500.</p><p style="">The world's largest retailer made other gaming-focused headlines this week, as Wal-Mart <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wal-mart-taking-on-gamestop-will-soon-accept-video-game-trade-ins/1100-6418369/" data-ref-id="1100-6418369">on Monday announced that it would go head-to-head with GameStop</a> in the used game space with a trade-in program launching March 26.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-titanfall-bundle-drops-to-450-at-wal-mart-best-buy/1100-6418457/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-virtual-reality-a-gimmick-or-the-future/2300-6417909/ The Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus made a splash at GDC, but is VR here to stay? Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-virtual-reality-a-gimmick-or-the-future/2300-6417909/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/virtual-reality-fad-or-future/1100-6418400/ <p style="">Virtual reality is currently experiencing a revival thanks to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-gdc-2014-the-future-of-oculus/2300-6417808/" data-ref-id="2300-6417808">Oculus Rift</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-first-impressions-of-sony-s-project-m/2300-6417843/" data-ref-id="2300-6417843">Sony's Project Morpheus</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-produced-virtual-reality-headset-not-likely-to-see-release/1100-6417199/" data-ref-id="1100-6417199">Valve's VR tests</a>, and there are <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-report-says-xbox-also-getting-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-device/1100-6418363/" data-ref-id="1100-6418363">hints</a> that Microsoft isn't far behind, either. The prospect of actual, fully realized VR is certainly enticing, but the question on everyone's mind is whether VR is here to stay or if it will fade into obscurity yet again..</p><p dir="ltr" style="">At this point, it's too early to tell where VR is headed, but in the interest of exploring both sides of the debate, here's why Peter Brown thinks VR is the future, and why Mark Walton thinks it may just be another techno-fad in the making.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417909" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417909/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h4 dir="ltr">Peter Brown: Virtual Reality is the Future</h4><p dir="ltr" style="">As an admirer of new and interesting hardware, I was immediately drawn to the Oculus Rift when it was announced in 2012. However, after a few tests with the first developer kit, I was surprisingly dejected. Early VR experiences, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6t69mp0ZhE" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Dactyl Nightmare</a>, failed to deliver on the promise of tricking our brains into believing a false reality, and I hoped that Oculus would be different. I was entertained by a port of <a href="/doom-3/" data-ref-id="false">Doom 3</a>, and walked around a frozen castle in Epic Games' <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/playstation-4-elemental-trailer-epic-games-unreal-/2300-6404240/" data-ref-id="2300-6404240">Elemental demo</a>, but there was no suspension of disbelief to be had. It wasn't Dactyl Nightmare all over again, but there wasn't any evidence that it was worth getting excited about the future VR. Apart from motion-blur-related queasiness, nothing inside of me felt connected to the experience before my eyes.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417904" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417904/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Fast-forward to August 2013. I'm at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, for an appointment with CCP Games to try out its new space-combat game <a href="/eve-valkyrie/" data-ref-id="false">EVE Valkyrie</a>. It had been exactly a year since my first Rift experience, and with memories of motion sickness still fresh in my mind, I was more than a little nervous. If walking down a hallway in Doom 3 made me dizzy, how could I possibly handle spaceflight? Little did I know that I was walking into a demo that would forever alter my opinion of VR and its potential to change not only gaming, but our relationship with technology at large. A minute into the demo, my reluctance transformed into excitement, and I was instantly converted into a VR believer.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="right"><p dir="ltr" style="">Little did I know that I was walking into a demo that would forever alter my opinion of VR...</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Unlike the other experiences I mentioned, EVE Valkyrie was built around the limitations and aims of VR. First, the notion of sitting in the cockpit of a spacecraft translates perfectly to sitting in a chair. Flying a jet doesn't require you to turn your shoulders or walk; your torso and arms remain stationary whether you're diving, climbing, or turning. Most impressively, apart from controlling your perspective within the cockpit, you can lock on to enemy spacecraft by following them with your gaze. I can't fully explain how great it was to crane my neck backward to lock on to a passing enemy ship, but it was an empowering feeling, and I was immersed in my role as a pilot. Not only are your physical movements accounted for in the virtual world, but the gameplay is enhanced as well. After a few minutes of dogfighting in space, I began to anticipate the effects of centripetal force; my brain had been tricked, and my fate as a VR evangelist took off.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Having witnessed firsthand the sorts of experiences that only VR can offer, I've seen that there's more to the medium than I once thought. Now, not everyone who has played EVE Valkyrie shares my excitement, but I haven't met a single person who didn't thoroughly enjoy it. The experience allowed me to extrapolate the potential that lies down the road if VR hardware and software are continually developed hand in hand. In some ways, the industry is starting over from scratch with VR, and there are a lot of lessons to be learned.</p><p style="">As Oculus' VP of product, Nate Mitchell, likes to put it, VR is like a house of cards. If you take one card out--such as the relationship between physical and virtual movements--the illusion crumbles. The fact is, the house of cards at present is just a foundation, but it's already attracting lots of money and attention. The industry is in a much better position to facilitate the dreams of artists and designers than it was 20 or 30 years ago, and with institutions like USC successfully adopting VR for mental health treatment, the implications of the tech outside of gaming will bolster its legitimacy in the short term and spur further funding and research in the long term. It's still the early days, but with the right experience under your belt, I think you'll agree that VR is the future.</p><p style="">This time, it's here to stay.</p><h4>Mark Walton: Is There an Audience for Virtual Reality?</h4><p style="">How many people <em>really</em> want virtual reality? That's the question I was left asking myself after <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">Sony revealed Project Morpheus</a>, its sleek, futuristic-looking foray into the fledgling medium. It arrives after a flurry of hype and media fervor over the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-will-be-affordable-says-creator/1100-6418068/" data-ref-id="1100-6418068">Kickstarter-backed Oculus Rift</a>, as well as the likes of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-produced-virtual-reality-headset-not-likely-to-see-release/1100-6417199/" data-ref-id="1100-6417199">Valve's in-house VR headset</a>. Having been fortunate enough to try the Oculus Rift, there's no denying it's an impressive, potentially game-changing piece of technology. Project Morpheus is no less impressive, at least on paper: a 1080p display, 90-degree field of view, 3D audio, motion tracking... you know, all the things us tech-heads like to geek out over.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417808" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417808/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">The trouble is, despite its "<a href="http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/03/19/introducing-project-morpheus/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">3+ years</a>" development time, it's hard to see Project Morpheus as anything but a case of Sony hopping on the VR bandwagon, trying to chase down a new and potentially lucrative audience. And if that all sounds a little familiar, you only need look back at the last console generation to see how such a strategy played out. Sony's PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Kinect were both responses to Nintendo's hugely popular Wii. Neither was anywhere near as successful.</p><p style="">And with Microsoft rumoured to be developing its own VR tech, VR is very much becoming the hot new tech item that everyone is scrambling to get a piece of, but--unlike with motion gaming--without any evidence that the public at large is willing to buy one.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">For all its success with the developer community and games media, there's still no hard evidence that the Oculus Rift has wide appeal.</p></blockquote><p style="">Today's VR is very impressive. Developers love it too. But how do we know the public at large will? The majority of interest in VR has come from the industry, not from consumers. It's impossible to really know the demand for such a device before it goes on sale; even the hugely successful Oculus Rift Kickstarter was backed only by a few thousand people. But until it does, I'm erring on the side of caution. After all, there are plenty of great ideas--in gaming and consumer technology alike--that haven't caught on in the way their creators had hoped.</p><p style="">There are so many variables at play: will people feel comfortable sitting at home with a screen slapped to their face? Will they be willing to pay for it? They certainly weren't too happy with 3D glasses, and those were nowhere near as cumbersome, even if the actual experience wasn't as impressive. Plus, with 1080p displays, motion tracking and the like inside VR headsets, it's doubtful they'll be cheap. The consumer version of the Oculus Rift is targeting a $300 price point, which is hardly an impulse buy. Plus, much like 3D, or indeed motion-controls, it's hard to demonstrate the pros of VR to consumers without them actually getting their hands on a unit. Getting demo units into stores is going to be just as important as getting developers on board to make games.</p><p style="">This raises the classic games peripheral problem too: developers want a large install base to sell to, but consumers are reluctant to buy into a new piece of tech in large numbers without the games to back it up. Big graphics engine companies like Epic Games, Crytek, and Unity have all pledged support for Project Morpheus, but as Nintendo found out with the Wii U, third-parties are just as quick to abandon a new platform as they are to support it if it <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-s-plan-to-quietly-kill-the-wii-u/1100-6418177/" data-ref-id="1100-6418177">doesn't live up to sales expectations</a>. Even making sure a peripheral is bundled with the hardware isn't any guarantee of success: just look at how many games are specifically designed for Kinect on Xbox One (spoiler: not many).</p><p style="">Sony's move into VR may represent the most high-profile support of the technology yet. And, with <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-report-says-xbox-also-getting-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-device/1100-6418363/">rumours that Microsoft is also working on its own VR device</a> (codenamed Fortaleza), both of the big home console makers are hoping to capitalise on VR's recent rebirth. But it is <i>a hope</i>, and right now there's little evidence that VR is going to reach the kind of critical mass that'll entice developers to create games for it in the long term. I'm just hoping history isn't repeating itself, and we end up with a bunch of impressive but forgotten peripherals that chased an audience that simply wasn't there.</p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/virtual-reality-fad-or-future/1100-6418400/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-3-offers-100-bonus-xp-weekend-ahead-of-reaper-of-souls-release/1100-6418474/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483685-1798619221-3FZJ5.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483685" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483685-1798619221-3FZJ5.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483685"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483685-1798619221-3FZJ5.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/13407841/" rel="nofollow">Blizzard has announced</a> that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/diablo-iii/">Diablo III</a> players will get +100 percent bonus XP this weekend to celebrate the release of the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The +100 percent bonus XP period, which doubled the +50 percent bonus that started earlier this month, is active now and will end on Monday, March 24, at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launches on PC and Mac the next day.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grab-some-free-hearthstone-cards-if-you-buy-diablo-3-reaper-of-souls/1100-6418464/">As we reported yesterday</a>, if you buy the standard edition of the game you'll also get one pack of Hearthstone cards, while the digital deluxe edition and retail collector's edition will feature three packs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier in the week, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-pulls-the-plug-on-diablo-3-s-infamous-auction-house/1100-6418372/">Blizzard also finally pulled the plug on Diablo III's infamous auction house</a>, following an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-iii-auction-houses-closing-march-2014/1100-6414544/">announcement it made in September</a> last year.</p><p style="">For more on Diablo III, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/diablo-iii/">our previous coverage</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414237" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414237/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 06:43:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-3-offers-100-bonus-xp-weekend-ahead-of-reaper-of-souls-release/1100-6418474/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-vr-is-something-we-ve-been-playing-with-for-a-while/1100-6418473/ <p style=""> </p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2483490-5830780210-24570.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483490" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2483490-5830780210-24570.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483490"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1534/15343359/2483490-5830780210-24570.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Speaking at aGDC panel earlier today, Microsoft's Phil Spencer talked about his company's plans for virtual reality saying, "I think the technology's really interesting, and it's definitely something we've been playing with for quite a while."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">While Spencer didn't provide any solid details on the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-report-says-xbox-also-getting-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-device/1100-6418363/" data-ref-id="1100-6418363">rumored system reportedly under development</a>, he did discuss how Microsoft's research division has helped the Xbox (and Microsoft as a whole) remain competitive. "We have this huge Microsoft research organization that is pretty important to us as a platform holder in helping us think about what might be next. It's where Kinect came from, it's where [Cortana's] voice system came from, it's where Drivatars came from. There's a bunch of stuff in our games that have been berthed out of Microsoft research; thousands of people working there in that team. Looking at things like Oculus, Morpheus--they haven't sent me one yet--but when I think about VR and its uses in gaming I think there's a real <i>something</i> there."</p><p style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">But does the VR we've seen so far from Oculus and Sony have a chance at success outside of the hardcore, tech-savvy, and early adopters? Spencer says, "I don't think it's going to be that every game requires me to put goggles on my face in order to go play it, but ... there are real, immersive games where actually being able to completely immerse the user in the experience, both in audio and visuals, can be really compelling.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"Will it ever become mainstream? You see these bifurcations; some people are playing simple touch games where you feel like you're controlling the Death Star, and then other people are putting goggles on their face where they can feel like they're living in that world 24/7. But the big area in the middle is closer to the casual side in terms of usage."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">But while Microsoft didn't have any experimental, far-off tech to show at the conference, he thinks that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">Sony made the right choice in revealing Morpheus this week.</a> "Sony did a good job with Morpheus and showing it here, and talking to the developer community. Bringing out things that you're talking about, whether it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-reveals-direct-x12-promises-major-improvements-for-xbox-one-and-pc-developers/1100-6418438/" data-ref-id="1100-6418438">Direct X12</a> or it's Morpheus, is why GDC exists. People can bring out technologies that they see a future for and get feedback from the development community. This is absolutely the right kind of forum for that."</p><p style="">Here at the GameSpot office, the tech has generated a lot heated discussion, and we'll be exploring VR technology's current implications, as well as other developers' reactions to it, in the coming weeks.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 21 Mar 2014 19:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-vr-is-something-we-ve-been-playing-with-for-a-while/1100-6418473/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-learned-and-didn-t-from-the-new-assassin-s-creed-trailer/1100-6418472/ <p style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417887" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417887/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">The announcement trailer for the next <a href="/assassins-creed-unity/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed </a>was released earlier today, and finally confirmed where the next game in Ubisoft's hit franchise will be set--revolutionary France. But the trailer revealed very few other hard facts. Who is the new main character? What part will he play in the revolution occurring around him? What's the importance of the guillotine? And what's happening with the previous console generation versions? Check out the teaser trailer above, and then see what GameSpot editors Kevin VanOrd and Carolyn Petit have to say about these mysteries in the video below.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417906" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417906/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-learned-and-didn-t-from-the-new-assassin-s-creed-trailer/1100-6418472/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-helped-xbox-live-on-xbox-one-enjoy-its-biggest-week-ever/1100-6418471/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417583" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417583/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>'s launch for Xbox One this month helped Xbox Live on the platform enjoy its "biggest week in terms of users and usage," Xbox boss Phil Spencer told GameSpot today at GDC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Spencer didn't reveal specific Xbox Live usage statistics, and he doesn't have access to Titanfall sales numbers because the game is published by Electronic Arts.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The very same day that Titanfall launched earlier this month, Xbox Live suffered through stability and connectivity issues, but this <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-live-struggling-and-it-s-not-titanfall-s-fault-update/1100-6418246/" data-ref-id="1100-6418246">was not the game's fault</a>, Microsoft said.</p><p style="">For more on Titanfall, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/titanfall-review/1900-6415690/" data-ref-id="1900-6415690">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:24:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-helped-xbox-live-on-xbox-one-enjoy-its-biggest-week-ever/1100-6418471/
http://auth.gamespot.com/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 22 Mar 2014 20:58:11 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-heroes-of-the-storm-is-different-from-and-the-same-as-league-of-legends-and-dota-2/1100-6418405/ <p style="">Diablo rides a horse that looks small enough to buckle under his gargantuan weight. Just like that poor horse, Blizzard has a lot riding on <a href="/heroes-of-the-storm/" data-ref-id="false">Heroes of the Storm</a>. This is the <a href="/world-of-warcraft/" data-ref-id="false">Warcraft</a>, <a href="/starcraft-ii-heart-of-the-swarm/" data-ref-id="false">StarCraft</a>, and <a href="/diablo-iii/" data-ref-id="false">Diablo</a> maker's take on the blossoming multiplayer online battle arena, and its attempt to claim the riches and colossal global audience that come with the territory.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">After <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/5-biggest-announcements-from-blizzcon-2013/1100-6416118/" data-ref-id="1100-6416118">Heroes of the Storm's initial showing at BlizzCon 2013</a>, the developer launched the game's technical alpha last week. There's a good chance many things will be changed, tweaked, and modified over the coming months. Even now, though, Blizzard's intriguing take on the genre has plenty of fascinating new mechanics and exciting twists. This is no mere attempt at simply re-creating <a href="/dota-2/" data-ref-id="false">Dota 2</a> or <a href="/league-of-legends/" data-ref-id="false">League of Legends</a>.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Heroes of the Storm is all about the map objectives</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard calls them battlegrounds, and each comes with its own central map mechanic that greatly impacts each game. Let me say that again, just to be clear: If your team ignores the map's main objective in Heroes of the Storm, you will almost definitely lose. Badly. When the announcer tells players that this all-important objective is about to spawn, any feeling of individual freedom at this point is an illusion. Stop whatever you are doing, right now, and leg it to the objective.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blue and red teams compete to blow up the opposing nexus on each of the four maps--Dragon Shire, Blackheart's Bay, Haunted Mines, and Cursed Hollow--but their various shapes (not every map here involves three lanes, for instance), shortcuts, and those all-important mechanics add plenty of variety, and give the game a very different feel to its contemporaries. It means the rhythm of Heroes of the Storm flicks between traditional phases of the odd offensive push or defensive retreat and frenzied, all-out contests over that all-important objective. What's really going on here is that Blizzard, in the interests of keeping match times down to around the 30-minute mark, is routinely herding players into situations where they have no choice but to fight to the death.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">There's some other important things to be aware of, too. Towers are dotted along each lane, but they are fortified with healing fountains that provide a health and mana boost to allied players, and occasionally with a castle that can spawn additional minions. Fancy running past an enemy tower because you're confident you can secure a kill? Not here; Heroes of the Storm has gates that block the enemy team from passing. Towers themselves have an ammo supply, too, so if they pelt out too many rounds they'll need to pause to reload and can easily be destroyed in this time. And while characters tend to move quite slowly, almost all players can summon a mount so they can zip around the map faster. Mounts are no good for offensive plays, mind, as they disappear as soon as a player takes damage.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417719" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417719/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Teamwork really is king, too. Securing the powerful dragon knight, feeding enough coins to a ghostly sea captain, getting a stronger golem because your team picked up the most undead skulls from the mines, or winning enough tributes to have the raven lords curse your opposition are all acts of such dramatic significance that they far outweigh a handful of player kills gained (or lost) from team fights. Another game-changing features include a scattering mercenary camps--Heroes' take on the jungle area--on each map, which bestow a gaggle of very powerful siege units if your team captures them. These can easily swing a game in your favor.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Having to divide your team up to claim the north and south shrines on Dragon Shire is a very different process than racing around the Haunted Mines' inner map to slay undead faster than the opposition. Even the shape of the maps affects things massively, such as how working your way around the dense forest area of Cursed Hollow means you're more likely to be able to plan and execute ambushes than the simpler Blackheart's Bay. The design also fits into the objectives of each map; Dragon Shire and Cursed Hollow are about controlling certain spots at the right time, and are therefore larger, more complex Battlegrounds, whereas securing victory in Blackheart's Bay and Haunted Mines is done by collecting more resources than your opponents, so these are smaller are designed to funnel you into conflict.</p><h3 dir="ltr">Despite Blizzard's efforts, bad players will still be able to ruin your game</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">There are plenty of other big changes (though if you're a religious Dota player, you might call them blasphemies) that affect, well, just about everything. Experience is shared and distributed across the team, rather than going to the individual players. That's a huge shift from other games of this ilk, making it so individual players can't fall ahead or behind the rest of their allies, and softens the pain of being accidentally slain once or twice. Repeated deaths still end up handing a huge advantage to the opposing team, mind. I had a game last night when one Raynor player went and got himself killed nine times in a row, and it's safe to say we ended up losing that game pretty bloody quickly. Believe me, superior enemy teams can snowball out of control just as easily here as in the worst matches of Dota 2 or League of Legends.</p><figure data-align="left" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372648-arthas+raising+an+army+of+the+undead.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372648" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372648-arthas+raising+an+army+of+the+undead.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372648"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/536/5360430/2372648-arthas+raising+an+army+of+the+undead.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">What else? League of Legends and Dota players might squabble endlessly over the merits of the <a href="http://dota.wikia.com/wiki/Deny" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">deny</a> mechanic, but Heroes of the Storm has made it so you can't even <a href="http://youtu.be/MtUtjwAHoRw" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">last hit</a>. There's no gold to worry about and no store to buy items from, and you don't level up your character's individual abilities with each level. If you're a MOBA purist, then you've probably already flipped your computer desk over by now, and I'll admit I was pretty skeptical at first. But now, after many games, I think it works well. These nips and tucks get games off to an immediately confrontational start, removing that initial foreplay from Dota and League of Legends matches while players farm up enough cash to buy their basic starting items. It's a tauter, fiercer way to initiate each game, and another one of the ways Blizzard has shaved minutes off the average game length. And while there's no store to buy items from, characters can be developed in various ways as they are given a list of options to choose from as they level up. Heroes have two ultimate abilities, for instance, but you'll only be able to select one of them in each game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Right now there's 23 characters to choose from, with Blizzard offering a weekly rotation of six heroes to play for free. The characters are bucketed into Assassin, Warrior, Support, and Specialist categories, and it's the latter one that offers up character that could only in this game. Take the Zerg evolution specialist Abathur, for instance, who has no ability to directly attack enemy players but can instead buff allied players, spawn locusts that act as additional minions, or clone an allied player with his ultimate ability. He could never exist without Heroes of the Storm's shared experience, and he's an absolutely fascinating addition that I'm still trying to get my head around.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">I've had some thrilling matches, including games where I've been in a team of underdogs that turn things around after a poor start, games where I've lost a clear advantage by missing out on too many mercenary camps and objectives, and games that have been nothing but tense reversals leading into narrow victories or defeats. When it works, the game is a tense half hour of neck-and-neck fighting made up of a cast of well-known Blizzard characters.</p><h3 dir="ltr">There's a lot to like, but you might not be able to play it without friends.</h3><p dir="ltr" style="">Big team fights aren't as exciting as they should be, though. Part of this is down to the fact that heroes just don't feel very strong right now. Abilities are weak and easy to spam, and characters survive for much, much longer than in League of Legends and Dota. It's not uncommon to see players, provided they've not been totally caught out of position, nonchalantly run out of fights with the last chunk of their health bar remaining. If you ask me, Blizzard needs to make the game riskier and more dangerous, and that added thrill of peril and power will create something that's more exciting to watch and play.</p><figure data-align="right" data-size="medium" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372652-arthas%2C+witch+doctor%2C+diablo%2C+and+illidan+showcase+some+heroic+abilities.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372652" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/536/5360430/2372652-arthas%2C+witch+doctor%2C+diablo%2C+and+illidan+showcase+some+heroic+abilities.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2372652"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_medium/536/5360430/2372652-arthas%2C+witch+doctor%2C+diablo%2C+and+illidan+showcase+some+heroic+abilities.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">But my biggest concern so far is that Heroes of the Storm lacks the proper communication tools for its overwhelming focus on securing those shifting map objectives. Blizzard has made the game's minimap confusingly small, and right now there's only a basic ping or teeny-tiny chat window for rallying your allies. With the varied maps, shared experience, and shifting mission objectives, teams have to be on the ball constantly and with perfect coordination, else everything quickly falls apart. These are early days, but I've already had far too many games where crucial map objectives have been ignored in favour of pushing lanes, farming mercenary camps, or attempting to confront the enemy team. There is so much at stake with each objective in Heroes of the Storm that it is utterly galling when you're matched alongside a player that's off in a world of their own.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Think of it like this. When playing Dota with one or two friends, the thing we dread most is the horror of facing a five-stack--an entire team of players who know each other and who are all probably hanging out in a Skype call and plotting how to brutally divide, conquer, and eviscerate our disjointed match-made team. Terrifying. And I now dread the five-stack in Heroes of the Storm even more than I do in Dota. If Blizzard is going to fulfil its self-professed remit of making a MOBA that's more accessible, approachable, and not as toxic as its contemporaries, it's going to have to work something out to address that need for communication and teamwork.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Still, I can't wait to see what comes to Heroes of the Storm next. Blizzard's spin on the MOBA has the potential to be exciting, more accessible, and the most unique take on the genre since the <a href="/warcraft-iii-battlechest/" data-ref-id="false">Warcraft III</a> mod that started it all.</p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 17:02:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-heroes-of-the-storm-is-different-from-and-the-same-as-league-of-legends-and-dota-2/1100-6418405/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-thrones-to-advertise-in-league-of-legends/1100-6418481/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483913-7154871566-24340.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483913" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483913-7154871566-24340.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483913"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483913-7154871566-24340.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">HBO is advertising the next season of Game of Thrones in Riot Games' <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/league-of-legends/">League of Legends</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Vice president of eSports and merchandising at Riot Games Dustin Beck told <a href="http://www.alistdaily.com/news/game-of-thrones-in-league-of-legends-promotion" rel="nofollow">[a]list daily</a> that the three week-long campaign leading up to the premiere of the fourth season could include website takeovers in addition to the featured logos you can already see in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S28UOzTCZ8&feature=share&t=1h5m50s" rel="nofollow">Championship Series broadcast</a>. Beck also said that Riot Games is working with HBO to produce a mash-up trailer, and that it was given exclusive sneak peaks into footage that haven't been seen before.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"We got a cold call from HBO because they thought that there was going to be a great overlap between our players and their demographic of people that watch Game of Thrones and this was a good way to explore reaching that demographic through new media," Beck said.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">As Beck explained it, the advantage to advertising with League of Legends is its focused strategy. "We're not working with a ton of different brands," he said. "There's not going to be the kind of sponsor overload you get when you look at NASCAR for example. You see a car that's littered with various sponsor bugs and it's very hard to focus in on what logo you're looking at."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Other big companies that advertise with League of Legends include American Express and Coca-Cola, both of which sponsor the game's Challenger Series.</p><p style="">Earlier in the week, League of Legends creators Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill won the Pioneer Award at the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-last-of-us-wins-gdc-game-of-the-year-award/1100-6418420/">Game Developers Conference awards show</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417816" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417816/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 16:41:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/game-of-thrones-to-advertise-in-league-of-legends/1100-6418481/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-exclusive-watch-dogs-content-shown-off-in-new-trailer/1100-6418480/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483857-3475499995-%255BHo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483857" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483857-3475499995-%255BHo.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483857"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483857-3475499995-%255BHo.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">Watch Dogs</a> for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 will come with four exclusive missions that will earn you a hacking boost and a new outfit when completed, <a href="http://blog.ubi.com/watch-dogs-exclusive-ps4-ps3-gameplay-content/" rel="nofollow">Ubisoft said on its official blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The four missions, which Ubisoft said will take about an hour to complete, will have protagonist Aiden Pierce taking on the security network of Umeni Technologies to deliver payback for the notorious hacker group DedSec. If you finish the missions, you'll get bonus tech points and unlock the White Hat Hacker outfit.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">PS4 and PS3 players will be able to download this content by entering a code that will come with the game.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In October of last year, we learned that the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/assassins-creed-iv-black-flag/">Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag</a> and Watch Dogs content exclusive to PlayStation is <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/assassin-s-creed-iv-and-watch-dogs-dlc-exclusive-to-playstation-for-six-months-suggests-sony-ad/1100-6415757/">only exclusive for the first six months</a> after release. After that period, it will arrive on other platforms.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Watch Dogs launches <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-release-date-announced-for-everything-except-wii-u/1100-6417977/">May 27</a> for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. The Wii U version <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-for-wii-u-definitely-not-canceled/1100-6418164/">will come sometime later</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For more on Watch Dogs, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/watch-dogs/">our previous coverage</a>, including this guide to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-preorder-bonuses/1100-6417493/">Watch Dogs preorder bonuses</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNuhuY4ZT1Q" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FcNuhuY4ZT1Q%3Fwmode%3Dopaque%26feature%3Doembed&wmode=opaque&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DcNuhuY4ZT1Q&image=http%3A%2F%2Fi1.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FcNuhuY4ZT1Q%2Fhqdefault.jpg&key=6efca6e5ad9640f180f14146a0bc1392&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=youtube" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 14:53:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-exclusive-watch-dogs-content-shown-off-in-new-trailer/1100-6418480/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-iii-for-ps4-warlords-of-draenor-hearthstone-for-mobile-and-more-from-blizzard-at-pax-east/1100-6418479/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483827-9127374307-24338.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483827" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483827-9127374307-24338.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483827"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1535/15354745/2483827-9127374307-24338.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard will show off more of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/diablo-iii/">Diablo III</a>: Ultimate Evil Edition for PlayStation 4, the mobile version of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft/%E2%80%8E/">Hearthstone</a>, and new <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/heroes-of-the-storm/">Heroes of the Storm</a> characters at PAX East, the company has announced on <a href="http://us.battle.net/wow/en/blog/13354132" rel="nofollow">its blog</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard developers will be present at the company's booth (BOOTH #848) in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center to talk to fans from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, April 11 through Sunday, April 13. Attendees will be able to get hands-on time with the in-development Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition on PS4, the iPad version of Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, and the "intro experience" for the upcoming World of Warcraft expansion <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/world-of-warcraft-warlords-of-draenor/" data-ref-id="false">Warlords of Draenor</a>, featuring updated character models. The company will also show off a new demo for Heroes of the Storm featuring new playable Heroes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Blizzard developers will also give a presentation at the Albatross Theatre on Friday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The presentation, titled Heroes of the Storm: The Ultimate Blizzard Mashup, will be streamed live on one of the official PAX Twitch channels for those who can't make the show.</p><p style="">For more on Blizzard's games, check out our <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/hearthstone-heroes-of-warcraft-review/1900-6415707/">recent review of Hearthstone's PC version</a>, and our story on <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-s-heroes-of-the-storm-alpha-characters-cost-between-3-99-and-9-99/1100-6418324/">what Heroes of the Storm characters will cost you</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417838" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417838/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 13:04:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-iii-for-ps4-warlords-of-draenor-hearthstone-for-mobile-and-more-from-blizzard-at-pax-east/1100-6418479/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-mass-effect-developer-says-games-need-to-move-beyond-race-gender-stereotypes/1100-6418478/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483774-4559084787-24059.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483774" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483774-4559084787-24059.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483774"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483774-4559084787-24059.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Gameplay designer on the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/untitled-mass-effect-game/">next Mass Effect</a> at BioWare Manveer Heir spoke passionately at GDC this week about why games should move beyond presenting certain groups as stereotypes.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"Why should we reject stereotypes? Not only is it lazy, but it's fairly boring," Heir said, as quoted by <a href="http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-03-20-we-must-reject-stereotypes-in-games-manveer-heir" rel="nofollow">GamesIndustry International</a>. "We play so many games that use the same stereotypes. I get fed up with the same old story and characters in every game. I know there are others like me, I talk to them all the time. For me, these stereotypes are contributing to the creative stagnation in our industry. But I also believe we need to reject stereotypes as a social responsibility to mankind."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Heir said that this is one of the biggest areas of growth in the industry, and while developers might make a lot of missteps along the way, it doesn't mean that they should stop trying. He also rejected the notion that games have to feature traditional protagonists because it makes them more realistic."If we want to make meaningful games, if we want to avoid turning away a significant portion of our potential audience, if we want to be a successful medium that is grown-up and not stuck in adolescence, then we need to stop falling back on the realism excuse and use realism responsibly and not as a default."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Heir ended his talk by calling developers to action, saying that the only way to solve this problem is for them to challenge the majority and the minority perception of how we deal with race, gender, sexual orientation, and all other sources of social injustices.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">"This is the way to push the art form," he said. "This is our way to challenge ourselves and others. Wherever we stand today as an industry, I am confident that we will stand somewhere far better tomorrow as long as you right here are willing to be an agent of change."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">In December 2013, we heard that the next <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-mass-effect-is-playable-bioware-calls-it-fresh-but-recognizable/1100-6416811/">Mass Effect is already playable</a> and that it's "fresh but recognizable."</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6360576" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6360576/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 11:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/next-mass-effect-developer-says-games-need-to-move-beyond-race-gender-stereotypes/1100-6418478/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exclusive-documentary-about-buried-atari-cartridges-put-on-hold/1100-6418477/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483760-5809446988-22871.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483760" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483760-5809446988-22871.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483760"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1535/15354745/2483760-5809446988-22871.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">The New Mexico Environment Department has rejected an excavation plan from a documentary crew hoping to unearth thousands of copies of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial/">E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial</a> for the Atari 2600 in a landfill where they are rumored to be buried.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/documentary-aims-to-unearth-millions-of-et-copies/1100-6409193/">Alamogordo city commissioners approved the search in June</a>, but state environmental officials have to approve a waste excavation plan before digging can begin. <a href="http://www.alamogordonews.com/alamogordo-news/ci_25380218/atari-dig-put-hold-alamogordo-by-environmental-department" rel="nofollow">The Alamogordo Daily News</a> reports that the Solid Waste and Ground Water Bureau staff rejected the plan because it was too "generic," and noted many items that needed to be addressed or clarified before it could approve the plan.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The two companies producing the documentary, Fuel Entertainment and Lightbox Interactive, have yet to submit a revised plan, but according to the <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/search-old-atari-games-go-new-mexico" rel="nofollow">Associated Press</a>, a Lightbox producer said that the search hasn't been halted.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Lightbox and Fuel Entertainment will release the film exclusively on Xbox in 2014 as part of <a href="http://news.xbox.com/2013/12/ent-xes-lightbox" rel="nofollow">Xbox Entertainment Studios' documentary series</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">E.T. was released in December 1982 for the Atari 2600, with millions of copies produced under the assumption that the link to the hit Steven Spielberg movie would guarantee sales success. The failure of the game is believed to be one of the main contributing factors to 1983's crash of the video game industry.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 10:42:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-exclusive-documentary-about-buried-atari-cartridges-put-on-hold/1100-6418477/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everquest-next-landmark-closed-beta-starts-march-26/1100-6418476/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483717-9276666089-24468.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483717" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483717-9276666089-24468.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483717"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483717-9276666089-24468.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">EverQuest Next Landmark will start its Closed Beta on Wednesday, March 26, Sony Online Entertainment has announced on <a href="https://forums.station.sony.com/eqnlandmark/index.php?threads/goodbye-alpha-hello-closed-beta.25504/" rel="nofollow">the game's forums</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The games servers will be down on March 24 and 25 so SOE can wipe data and set up the new islands. The data wipe will delete everything except your character name, templates, and any items you purchased, whether through the Founder's Pack or marketplace.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">SOE highly recommends that you template any items on your claim that you'll want in the Closed Beta no later than March 23. When the Closed Beta begins, you'll need to choose a new appearance, gather new resources, craft new tools, and make new claims all over again.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">According to what Director of Development for the EverQuest franchise <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/how-everquest-next-landmark-plans-to-make-money-without-annoying-you/1100-6418046/">David Georgeson said earlier this month</a>, the Closed Beta means the game will soon add Player Studio, where players can buy and sell templates to other players with real money.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">SOE also announced that the four time-limited beta keys that were included with the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everquest-next-landmark-alpha-available-now-to-owners-of-60-founder-s-pack/1100-6417475/">Trailblazer packs</a> are now unlimited, meaning they now grant permanent access to the beta.</p><p style="">For more on EverQuest Next Landmark, make sure to read <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/you-decide-the-future-of-everquest-next-landmark/1100-6417446/">our preview of its creation tools</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 08:30:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everquest-next-landmark-closed-beta-starts-march-26/1100-6418476/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-xbox-boss-thinks-all-games-will-be-connected-like-titanfall-in-the-future-but-not-at-the-expense-of-offline/1100-6418475/ <figure data-align="right" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483698-6862390938-_DA17.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483698" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483698-6862390938-_DA17.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483698"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1535/15354745/2483698-6862390938-_DA17.jpg"></a></figure><p dir="ltr" style="">Former chief product officer and corporate vice president for the Xbox team Marc Whitten thinks that more games will be connected like <a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a> in the future, but not at the expense of offline.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Whitten stopped by the <a href="http://majornelson.com/cast/2014/03/21/mnr-504-id-xbox-gdc-and-marc-whitten/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Major Nelson Radio</a> podcast during one of his last days with the company and talked about the past and future of Xbox, especially the evolution of its online features. "We're clearly in the place where not only is every console and every device is going to have a service, but every game is going to be a service," he said. "This is the way that we'll have entertainment experiences and they'll be connected together."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Whitten said that we're starting to see where things are headed with games like Titanfall, which uses Microsoft's cloud computing. "Everybody obviously sees the Titanfall stuff with the cloud. It's easy to get into a match, low latency, all those sorts of things. But then there's this other thing where I'm relying on the cloud so I can offload more stuff. Now we have AI coming from the cloud as well. And as that becomes more and more of the tool set I think you're going to see this deep and rich growth of new entertainment experiences."</p><p dir="ltr" style="">However, Whitten was quick to say that this future does not necessarily mean Xbox will have the kind of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-we-shouldn-t-have-sugar-coated-the-xbox-one-controversy/1100-6418296/">online requirements that stirred so much controversy</a> leading up to the Xbox One launch. "No, I don't mean at the expense of offline and all that kind of stuff," he said. "I just think that having more tools for creators, to be able to use more crayons to draw the pictures, that's all just great for us."</p><p style="">Whitten announced earlier this week that he was <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-boss-marc-whitten-quits-microsoft/1100-6418367/">leaving his job at Microsoft to join Sonos</a> as its chief product officer.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417779" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417779/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a><br /></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:41:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-xbox-boss-thinks-all-games-will-be-connected-like-titanfall-in-the-future-but-not-at-the-expense-of-offline/1100-6418475/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-titanfall-bundle-drops-to-450-at-wal-mart-best-buy/1100-6418457/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417899" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417899/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">[UPDATE 2] Use code "X1AMAZON" to get $50 off on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-One-Console-Titanfall-Bundle/dp/B00IIHU44E" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Xbox One Titanfall bundle at Amazon</a>.</p><p style="">[UPDATE] Xbox One systems, including the Titanfall bundle, are <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/xbox-one/xbox-one-consoles/pcmcat303600050004.c?id=pcmcat303600050004" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">also available for $450 at Best Buy</a>.</p><p style=""><em>The original story is below.</em></p><p dir="ltr" style="">The<a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Xbox-One-Titanfall-Console-Bundle/35046405" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Xbox One Titanfall bundle</a> and <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Xbox-One-Console-Standard-Edition/28876155" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">standard edition</a> consoles are currently selling for $450 at Wal-Mart. That's a nice markdown of $50 from the system's official $499 price point.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The deal went live today (thank you, <a href="http://www.dealzon.com/deals/cheap-xbox-one" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Dealzon</a>), though it's unclear how long it will last. If you're on the prowl for a new Xbox One, now seems like a good time to jump in, as it's the best deal around.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Other retailers like GameStop and Amazon continue to sell the Xbox One and the Xbox One Titanfall bundle for full price.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">For the Wal-Mart deal, you'll need to add the console to checkout and then sign in to a Wal-Mart or guest account to see the final price. Free shipping and free store pickup delivery options are available.</p><p style="">Wal-Mart is also currently offering a<a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Xbox-One-Standard-Edition-Starter-Bundle-w-Choice-of-Controller-or-Game/25886195" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> "starter" Xbox One bundle </a>that includes a system and your choice of any Xbox One game for $500.</p><p style="">The world's largest retailer made other gaming-focused headlines this week, as Wal-Mart <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wal-mart-taking-on-gamestop-will-soon-accept-video-game-trade-ins/1100-6418369/" data-ref-id="1100-6418369">on Monday announced that it would go head-to-head with GameStop</a> in the used game space with a trade-in program launching March 26.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-titanfall-bundle-drops-to-450-at-wal-mart-best-buy/1100-6418457/ http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-virtual-reality-a-gimmick-or-the-future/2300-6417909/ The Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus made a splash at GDC, but is VR here to stay? Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/is-virtual-reality-a-gimmick-or-the-future/2300-6417909/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/virtual-reality-fad-or-future/1100-6418400/ <p style="">Virtual reality is currently experiencing a revival thanks to the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-gdc-2014-the-future-of-oculus/2300-6417808/" data-ref-id="2300-6417808">Oculus Rift</a>, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/gs-breakdown-first-impressions-of-sony-s-project-m/2300-6417843/" data-ref-id="2300-6417843">Sony's Project Morpheus</a>, and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-produced-virtual-reality-headset-not-likely-to-see-release/1100-6417199/" data-ref-id="1100-6417199">Valve's VR tests</a>, and there are <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-report-says-xbox-also-getting-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-device/1100-6418363/" data-ref-id="1100-6418363">hints</a> that Microsoft isn't far behind, either. The prospect of actual, fully realized VR is certainly enticing, but the question on everyone's mind is whether VR is here to stay or if it will fade into obscurity yet again..</p><p dir="ltr" style="">At this point, it's too early to tell where VR is headed, but in the interest of exploring both sides of the debate, here's why Peter Brown thinks VR is the future, and why Mark Walton thinks it may just be another techno-fad in the making.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417909" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417909/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style=""> </p><h4 dir="ltr">Peter Brown: Virtual Reality is the Future</h4><p dir="ltr" style="">As an admirer of new and interesting hardware, I was immediately drawn to the Oculus Rift when it was announced in 2012. However, after a few tests with the first developer kit, I was surprisingly dejected. Early VR experiences, such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6t69mp0ZhE" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Dactyl Nightmare</a>, failed to deliver on the promise of tricking our brains into believing a false reality, and I hoped that Oculus would be different. I was entertained by a port of <a href="/doom-3/" data-ref-id="false">Doom 3</a>, and walked around a frozen castle in Epic Games' <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/videos/playstation-4-elemental-trailer-epic-games-unreal-/2300-6404240/" data-ref-id="2300-6404240">Elemental demo</a>, but there was no suspension of disbelief to be had. It wasn't Dactyl Nightmare all over again, but there wasn't any evidence that it was worth getting excited about the future VR. Apart from motion-blur-related queasiness, nothing inside of me felt connected to the experience before my eyes.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417904" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417904/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p dir="ltr" style="">Fast-forward to August 2013. I'm at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, for an appointment with CCP Games to try out its new space-combat game <a href="/eve-valkyrie/" data-ref-id="false">EVE Valkyrie</a>. It had been exactly a year since my first Rift experience, and with memories of motion sickness still fresh in my mind, I was more than a little nervous. If walking down a hallway in Doom 3 made me dizzy, how could I possibly handle spaceflight? Little did I know that I was walking into a demo that would forever alter my opinion of VR and its potential to change not only gaming, but our relationship with technology at large. A minute into the demo, my reluctance transformed into excitement, and I was instantly converted into a VR believer.</p><blockquote data-size="large" data-align="right"><p dir="ltr" style="">Little did I know that I was walking into a demo that would forever alter my opinion of VR...</p></blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="">Unlike the other experiences I mentioned, EVE Valkyrie was built around the limitations and aims of VR. First, the notion of sitting in the cockpit of a spacecraft translates perfectly to sitting in a chair. Flying a jet doesn't require you to turn your shoulders or walk; your torso and arms remain stationary whether you're diving, climbing, or turning. Most impressively, apart from controlling your perspective within the cockpit, you can lock on to enemy spacecraft by following them with your gaze. I can't fully explain how great it was to crane my neck backward to lock on to a passing enemy ship, but it was an empowering feeling, and I was immersed in my role as a pilot. Not only are your physical movements accounted for in the virtual world, but the gameplay is enhanced as well. After a few minutes of dogfighting in space, I began to anticipate the effects of centripetal force; my brain had been tricked, and my fate as a VR evangelist took off.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Having witnessed firsthand the sorts of experiences that only VR can offer, I've seen that there's more to the medium than I once thought. Now, not everyone who has played EVE Valkyrie shares my excitement, but I haven't met a single person who didn't thoroughly enjoy it. The experience allowed me to extrapolate the potential that lies down the road if VR hardware and software are continually developed hand in hand. In some ways, the industry is starting over from scratch with VR, and there are a lot of lessons to be learned.</p><p style="">As Oculus' VP of product, Nate Mitchell, likes to put it, VR is like a house of cards. If you take one card out--such as the relationship between physical and virtual movements--the illusion crumbles. The fact is, the house of cards at present is just a foundation, but it's already attracting lots of money and attention. The industry is in a much better position to facilitate the dreams of artists and designers than it was 20 or 30 years ago, and with institutions like USC successfully adopting VR for mental health treatment, the implications of the tech outside of gaming will bolster its legitimacy in the short term and spur further funding and research in the long term. It's still the early days, but with the right experience under your belt, I think you'll agree that VR is the future.</p><p style="">This time, it's here to stay.</p><h4>Mark Walton: Is There an Audience for Virtual Reality?</h4><p style="">How many people <em>really</em> want virtual reality? That's the question I was left asking myself after <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">Sony revealed Project Morpheus</a>, its sleek, futuristic-looking foray into the fledgling medium. It arrives after a flurry of hype and media fervor over the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-will-be-affordable-says-creator/1100-6418068/" data-ref-id="1100-6418068">Kickstarter-backed Oculus Rift</a>, as well as the likes of <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-produced-virtual-reality-headset-not-likely-to-see-release/1100-6417199/" data-ref-id="1100-6417199">Valve's in-house VR headset</a>. Having been fortunate enough to try the Oculus Rift, there's no denying it's an impressive, potentially game-changing piece of technology. Project Morpheus is no less impressive, at least on paper: a 1080p display, 90-degree field of view, 3D audio, motion tracking... you know, all the things us tech-heads like to geek out over.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417808" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417808/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">The trouble is, despite its "<a href="http://blog.eu.playstation.com/2014/03/19/introducing-project-morpheus/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">3+ years</a>" development time, it's hard to see Project Morpheus as anything but a case of Sony hopping on the VR bandwagon, trying to chase down a new and potentially lucrative audience. And if that all sounds a little familiar, you only need look back at the last console generation to see how such a strategy played out. Sony's PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Kinect were both responses to Nintendo's hugely popular Wii. Neither was anywhere near as successful.</p><p style="">And with Microsoft rumoured to be developing its own VR tech, VR is very much becoming the hot new tech item that everyone is scrambling to get a piece of, but--unlike with motion gaming--without any evidence that the public at large is willing to buy one.</p><blockquote data-size="medium" data-align="left"><p style="">For all its success with the developer community and games media, there's still no hard evidence that the Oculus Rift has wide appeal.</p></blockquote><p style="">Today's VR is very impressive. Developers love it too. But how do we know the public at large will? The majority of interest in VR has come from the industry, not from consumers. It's impossible to really know the demand for such a device before it goes on sale; even the hugely successful Oculus Rift Kickstarter was backed only by a few thousand people. But until it does, I'm erring on the side of caution. After all, there are plenty of great ideas--in gaming and consumer technology alike--that haven't caught on in the way their creators had hoped.</p><p style="">There are so many variables at play: will people feel comfortable sitting at home with a screen slapped to their face? Will they be willing to pay for it? They certainly weren't too happy with 3D glasses, and those were nowhere near as cumbersome, even if the actual experience wasn't as impressive. Plus, with 1080p displays, motion tracking and the like inside VR headsets, it's doubtful they'll be cheap. The consumer version of the Oculus Rift is targeting a $300 price point, which is hardly an impulse buy. Plus, much like 3D, or indeed motion-controls, it's hard to demonstrate the pros of VR to consumers without them actually getting their hands on a unit. Getting demo units into stores is going to be just as important as getting developers on board to make games.</p><p style="">This raises the classic games peripheral problem too: developers want a large install base to sell to, but consumers are reluctant to buy into a new piece of tech in large numbers without the games to back it up. Big graphics engine companies like Epic Games, Crytek, and Unity have all pledged support for Project Morpheus, but as Nintendo found out with the Wii U, third-parties are just as quick to abandon a new platform as they are to support it if it <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-s-plan-to-quietly-kill-the-wii-u/1100-6418177/" data-ref-id="1100-6418177">doesn't live up to sales expectations</a>. Even making sure a peripheral is bundled with the hardware isn't any guarantee of success: just look at how many games are specifically designed for Kinect on Xbox One (spoiler: not many).</p><p style="">Sony's move into VR may represent the most high-profile support of the technology yet. And, with <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-report-says-xbox-also-getting-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-device/1100-6418363/">rumours that Microsoft is also working on its own VR device</a> (codenamed Fortaleza), both of the big home console makers are hoping to capitalise on VR's recent rebirth. But it is <i>a hope</i>, and right now there's little evidence that VR is going to reach the kind of critical mass that'll entice developers to create games for it in the long term. I'm just hoping history isn't repeating itself, and we end up with a bunch of impressive but forgotten peripherals that chased an audience that simply wasn't there.</p> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 07:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/virtual-reality-fad-or-future/1100-6418400/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-3-offers-100-bonus-xp-weekend-ahead-of-reaper-of-souls-release/1100-6418474/ <figure data-align="center" data-size="large" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483685-1798619221-3FZJ5.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483685" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1535/15354745/2483685-1798619221-3FZJ5.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483685"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_super/1535/15354745/2483685-1798619221-3FZJ5.jpg"></a></figure><p style=""><a href="http://us.battle.net/d3/en/blog/13407841/" rel="nofollow">Blizzard has announced</a> that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/diablo-iii/">Diablo III</a> players will get +100 percent bonus XP this weekend to celebrate the release of the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The +100 percent bonus XP period, which doubled the +50 percent bonus that started earlier this month, is active now and will end on Monday, March 24, at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. Diablo III: Reaper of Souls launches on PC and Mac the next day.</p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/grab-some-free-hearthstone-cards-if-you-buy-diablo-3-reaper-of-souls/1100-6418464/">As we reported yesterday</a>, if you buy the standard edition of the game you'll also get one pack of Hearthstone cards, while the digital deluxe edition and retail collector's edition will feature three packs.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Earlier in the week, <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-pulls-the-plug-on-diablo-3-s-infamous-auction-house/1100-6418372/">Blizzard also finally pulled the plug on Diablo III's infamous auction house</a>, following an <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-iii-auction-houses-closing-march-2014/1100-6414544/">announcement it made in September</a> last year.</p><p style="">For more on Diablo III, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/diablo-iii/">our previous coverage</a>.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6414237" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6414237/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on <a href="https://twitter.com/emanuelmaiberg" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Twitter @emanuelmaiberg</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/116710591398405257934/" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false">Google+</a>.<br /></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Sat, 22 Mar 2014 06:43:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/diablo-3-offers-100-bonus-xp-weekend-ahead-of-reaper-of-souls-release/1100-6418474/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-vr-is-something-we-ve-been-playing-with-for-a-while/1100-6418473/ <p style=""> </p><figure data-align="left" data-size="small" data-img-src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2483490-5830780210-24570.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483490" data-resize-url="" data-resized="" data-embed-type="image"><a href="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1534/15343359/2483490-5830780210-24570.jpg" data-ref-id="1300-2483490"><img src="http://static.gamespot.com/uploads/scale_small/1534/15343359/2483490-5830780210-24570.jpg"></a></figure><p style="">Speaking at aGDC panel earlier today, Microsoft's Phil Spencer talked about his company's plans for virtual reality saying, "I think the technology's really interesting, and it's definitely something we've been playing with for quite a while."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">While Spencer didn't provide any solid details on the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/another-report-says-xbox-also-getting-virtual-reality-augmented-reality-device/1100-6418363/" data-ref-id="1100-6418363">rumored system reportedly under development</a>, he did discuss how Microsoft's research division has helped the Xbox (and Microsoft as a whole) remain competitive. "We have this huge Microsoft research organization that is pretty important to us as a platform holder in helping us think about what might be next. It's where Kinect came from, it's where [Cortana's] voice system came from, it's where Drivatars came from. There's a bunch of stuff in our games that have been berthed out of Microsoft research; thousands of people working there in that team. Looking at things like Oculus, Morpheus--they haven't sent me one yet--but when I think about VR and its uses in gaming I think there's a real <i>something</i> there."</p><p style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417843" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417843/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style="">But does the VR we've seen so far from Oculus and Sony have a chance at success outside of the hardcore, tech-savvy, and early adopters? Spencer says, "I don't think it's going to be that every game requires me to put goggles on my face in order to go play it, but ... there are real, immersive games where actually being able to completely immerse the user in the experience, both in audio and visuals, can be really compelling.</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">"Will it ever become mainstream? You see these bifurcations; some people are playing simple touch games where you feel like you're controlling the Death Star, and then other people are putting goggles on their face where they can feel like they're living in that world 24/7. But the big area in the middle is closer to the casual side in terms of usage."</p><p style=""> </p><p style="">But while Microsoft didn't have any experimental, far-off tech to show at the conference, he thinks that <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/" data-ref-id="1100-6418391">Sony made the right choice in revealing Morpheus this week.</a> "Sony did a good job with Morpheus and showing it here, and talking to the developer community. Bringing out things that you're talking about, whether it's <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-reveals-direct-x12-promises-major-improvements-for-xbox-one-and-pc-developers/1100-6418438/" data-ref-id="1100-6418438">Direct X12</a> or it's Morpheus, is why GDC exists. People can bring out technologies that they see a future for and get feedback from the development community. This is absolutely the right kind of forum for that."</p><p style="">Here at the GameSpot office, the tech has generated a lot heated discussion, and we'll be exploring VR technology's current implications, as well as other developers' reactions to it, in the coming weeks.</p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p><p style=""> </p> Fri, 21 Mar 2014 19:10:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-says-vr-is-something-we-ve-been-playing-with-for-a-while/1100-6418473/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-learned-and-didn-t-from-the-new-assassin-s-creed-trailer/1100-6418472/ <p style=""> </p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417887" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417887/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p style="">The announcement trailer for the next <a href="/assassins-creed-unity/" data-ref-id="false">Assassin's Creed </a>was released earlier today, and finally confirmed where the next game in Ubisoft's hit franchise will be set--revolutionary France. But the trailer revealed very few other hard facts. Who is the new main character? What part will he play in the revolution occurring around him? What's the importance of the guillotine? And what's happening with the previous console generation versions? Check out the teaser trailer above, and then see what GameSpot editors Kevin VanOrd and Carolyn Petit have to say about these mysteries in the video below.</p><div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417906" data-width="100%" data-height="100%"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417906/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p> Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:22:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/what-we-learned-and-didn-t-from-the-new-assassin-s-creed-trailer/1100-6418472/ http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-helped-xbox-live-on-xbox-one-enjoy-its-biggest-week-ever/1100-6418471/ <div data-embed-type="video" data-ref-id="2300-6417583" data-width="854" data-height="480"><iframe src="/videos/embed/6417583/" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe></div><p style=""> </p><p dir="ltr" style=""><a href="/titanfall/" data-ref-id="false">Titanfall</a>'s launch for Xbox One this month helped Xbox Live on the platform enjoy its "biggest week in terms of users and usage," Xbox boss Phil Spencer told GameSpot today at GDC.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">Spencer didn't reveal specific Xbox Live usage statistics, and he doesn't have access to Titanfall sales numbers because the game is published by Electronic Arts.</p><p dir="ltr" style="">The very same day that Titanfall launched earlier this month, Xbox Live suffered through stability and connectivity issues, but this <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-live-struggling-and-it-s-not-titanfall-s-fault-update/1100-6418246/" data-ref-id="1100-6418246">was not the game's fault</a>, Microsoft said.</p><p style="">For more on Titanfall, check out <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/titanfall-review/1900-6415690/" data-ref-id="1900-6415690">GameSpot's review</a>.</p><table data-max-width="true"><thead><tr><th scope="col"><em>Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on<a href="https://twitter.com/EddieMakuch" rel="nofollow" data-ref-id="false"> Twitter @EddieMakuch</a></em></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong><em>Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email <a href="mailto:news@gamespot.com" rel="nofollow">news@gamespot.com</a></em></strong></td></tr></tbody></table> Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:24:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-helped-xbox-live-on-xbox-one-enjoy-its-biggest-week-ever/1100-6418471/
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