gammerscafe: February 2018

Wednesday, 28 February 2018

Great puzzles in PC gaming

Now these are some damn good puzzles.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2Fc4Kze

6 essential tips for Into the Breach

How much does Power Grid really matter, and what should you upgrade?

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2F1IVyR

Don't Miss: A game dev postmortem of Ratchet & Clank 2016

"We needed to make a big game that blew away our previous efforts. It needed to sync up with the just-getting-started film. And we needed to ship it in 10 months to line up with the movie release." ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2F1V7E8

Facebook launches Women in Gaming site to share stories, research, and tools

Facebook has launched a Women in Gaming initiative to share the stories of female developers with the goal of encouraging more women to take up roles in the industry. ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2F2JA3g

How to get the best framerate in Rainbow Six Siege

From minimum to maximum quality, we show how the game runs on a large suite of hardware.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2oy4bWP

Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli Stepping Down, Replaced By Fellow Co-Founders

Cevat Yerli, co-founder of Crysis, FarCry, and The Hunt: Showdown developer Crytek, has stepped down as CEO of the company, staying on as a "Strategic Shareholder" at the company.

His two co-founding brothers, Avni and Faruk Yerli, will replace him as joint-CEOs. The company did not announce any additional changes to its company structure, and maintained that none of its current projects would be impacted by the change.

“With the company in a strong position, now is the ideal time to recognize the existing leadership’s excellent achievements over these past two years and formally transition executive leadership to Avni and Faruk," Yerli said. "I have every confidence that the company will continue to shine under the guidance of Avni, Faruk, and the rest of the leadership team.”

[Source: Crytek]

Our Take
"Strategic Shareholder" sounds like a neat job.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2EZKAcD

Get an AMD Ryzen 7 1700X and MSI X370 Gaming M7 motherboard for $400

Bundle and save.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2oEV5ab

AMD pushes prebuilt PCs with free Far Cry 5 offer on select systems

Buy a qualifying system with an AMD GPU inside and receive Far Cry 5 for free.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2HTkVzR

Road to the IGF: E-Studio's Tormentor X Punisher

Tormentor X Punisher draws the player into bloody, frantic gunplay with pounding music, screen-shaking effects, and a few hidden audio tricks that make the player's actions part of the sound. ...

from Gamasutra Independent Games News http://ift.tt/2F0gSQp

Far Cry's 5 live-action 'Baptism' trailer is a disturbing tale of power and insanity

The video reveals some of the history between Joseph Seed and pastor Jerome Jeffries.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2oFeh7w

Brigitte abilities list: here's everything Overwatch's new hybrid support/tank can do.

She tanks, she heals, she provides armor—she does it all.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2F2C9Jo

Road to the IGF: E-Studio's Tormentor X Punisher

Tormentor X Punisher draws the player into bloody, frantic gunplay with pounding music, screen-shaking effects, and a few hidden audio tricks that make the player's actions part of the sound. ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2F0gSQp

This cloth mouse pad also has integrated RGB lighting

A reasonably priced RGB mouse pad.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2FF0KoM

Get a job: Wargaming is hiring a UI Engineer

Wargaming Chicago-Baltimore is looking to add a UI Engineer to its growing studio. ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2t3hweD

Blog: What makes a crafting system unique?

Let's talk about the crafting system in Evil Islands, and how it does something that makes it really unique. ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2HNF76u

Ubisoft acquires Is it Love? dev 1492 Studio

Ubisoft has acquired the French developer behind the free-to-play romance game series Is it Love. ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2GNxifq

PlayStation Plus will stop offering PS3 and Vita games in 2019

Sony has announced plans to cut down on the numbers of free games subscribers to the company's PlayStation Plus service receive a month, specifically by removing PlayStation 3 and Vita games from the running. ...

from Gamasutra Console/PC News http://ift.tt/2FFJTCn

Final Fantasy Meets The Sims On PC With Sims 4 Pack

Final Fantasy XV is coming to PC on March 6, and the bonuses keep rolling in. Those who pick up the PC edition before May 1 will be treated to a Sims 4 pack, which includes two very unique superhero outfits, the Llama Suit and Plumbob. You can see them in action in the trailer below.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

This pack comes in addition to the Half-Life pack, which allows you to dress Noctis up as Gordon Freeman and fight enemies with a crowbar.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2FCIMDa

Father Of Final Fantasy Hironobu Sakaguchi Streaming Final Fantasy VI

Hironobu Sakaguchi, commonly known as the father of the Final Fantasy series, will be doing a four-part stream of Final Fantasy VI on March 1.

In conjunction with Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Sakaguchi will be streaming the game on Youtube and Japanese video site NicoNico. The first episode will have a guest appearance by Kazuko Shibuya, the pixel artist on Final Fantasy VI, to join Sakaguchi in his quest to topple the Empire and save the world from ruin.

Sakaguchi directed the Final Fantasy series up through Final Fantasy V, then becoming the producer for the series as a whole until Final Fantasy IX. After that, Sakaguchi took on a more broad role in Square, overseeing games like Parasite Eve, Vagrant Story, and Kingdom Hearts. After he spearheaded and directed Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which was a box-office bomb, Sakaguchi resigned from Square and founded Mistwalker, the studio behind games like Lost Odyssey and Terra Battle.

Final Fantasy VI was released in the west as Final Fantasy III, but has since been referred to in every modern incarnation as the corrected VI.

[Source: Gematsu]

Our Take
It probably won't do me much good in Japanese, but I'm really hopeful someone subtitles this so we can hear Sakaguchi's insights into what I think is the best Final Fantasy game.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2EZJk9e

Sony Will Stop Offering PS3, Vita Games In PS Plus Lineups Next Year

Sony has announced PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita games will no longer be part of its monthly roster of free PlayStation Plus titles.

But don't fret. Any PS3 and Vita freebies previously downloaded from PS Plus can be re-downloaded any time after the update, which goes live March 8, 2019. Sony simply will no longer include new games from those platforms in future lineups. Members can also still use game saves among other PS Plus perks on PS3 and Vita following the update.

Sony says this update stems from "the increasingly vast number of PS4s in homes around the world." PS Plus each month typically releases two games each from PS4, PS3, and Vita, each platform of which sometimes has cross buy. Sony in a statement to Polygon says the PS3 and Vita games won't be replaced by more PS4 titles. PS Plus will instead only release the usual two free PS4 games.

Check out the free PS Plus games for March here.

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

Our Take
It's certainly understandable why Sony wants people to ditch the old and focus more on the new, especially with the PS4s critical and commercial success that it absolutely deserves. However, not substituting the four PS3 and Vita games with one, maybe two more PS4 titles each month devalues PS Plus. The free games are arguably the best part about being a member. Perhaps if there's enough fan demand Sony will compensate with more PS4 titles. If not, they need to have more desirable games on their PS Plus horizon to keep people on the hook.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2FdJHwb

PlayStation Plus will stop offering PS3 and Vita games in 2019

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2FFJTCn

Democrats introduce bill to restore net neutrality rules, but it's probably doomed

An uphill battle.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2FbmxX9

David Lynch Teaches Typing is exactly what it sounds like

It's also free.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2oBc4do

How I lost my mind on the last day of Hearthstone ladder

The final hours can have a punishing effect on pros trying to grind for HCT points, as our man found to his cost.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2owKpLA

See GDC 2018 speakers (try to) pitch their talks to you in 60 seconds!

These "Flash Forward" videos are always perfect summations of what makes GDC sessions great: they're fun, charming, and surprisingly informative! ...

from Gamasutra Independent Games News http://ift.tt/2EZQrOX

See GDC 2018 speakers (try to) pitch their talks to you in 60 seconds!

These "Flash Forward" videos are always perfect summations of what makes GDC sessions great: they're fun, charming, and surprisingly informative! ...

from Gamasutra Console/PC News http://ift.tt/2EZQrOX

Discuss good game monetization with Guild Wars 2's Crystin Cox at 3PM EST

We're talking to the game director of Guild Wars 2 about good monetization in game design at 3PM EST. ...

from Gamasutra Console/PC News http://ift.tt/2F0N7PC

Become a better producer in a day at the GDC 2018 Producer Bootcamp!

The GDC 2018 Producer Bootcamp on Tuesday, March 20th is going to be a fantastic day-long learning opportunity with a ton of expert sessions on the ins and outs of being a great producer in game dev. ...

from Gamasutra Console/PC News http://ift.tt/2HU6JH8

See GDC 2018 speakers (try to) pitch their talks to you in 60 seconds!

These "Flash Forward" videos are always perfect summations of what makes GDC sessions great: they're fun, charming, and surprisingly informative! ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2EZQrOX

Heaven's Vault gameplay trailer showcases the new project from 80 Days studio Inkle

Inkle says Heaven's Vault will be 'bigger, better, and deeper' than 80 Days.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2F2tRVR

The best speakers for PC gaming

We've found budget, mid-range, and high-end speakers with excellent sound quality.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2kbxeh7

Bill Gates blasts cryptocurrency, says a cause of deaths 'in a fairly direct way'

The billionaire co-founder of Microsoft is not a fan of the anonymous nature of cryptocurrency.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2EZlfzx

New Overwatch hero Brigitte is a support tank

The daughter of Torbjörn is a melee support hero with a hammer and shield.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2ovHbro

Discuss good game monetization with Guild Wars 2's Crystin Cox at 3PM EST

We're talking to the game director of Guild Wars 2 about good monetization in game design at 3PM EST. ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2F0N7PC

Overwatch Reveals Its Latest Support Hero, Brigitte

After making a few teases about its next hero, Overwatch has finally unveiled Brigitte Lindholm, who is now playable in the PC Public Test Realm of the game.

You might recognize the surname Lindholm, as she is the daughter of Torbjörn. In combat, Brigitte's main weapon is a close-range rocket flail. Her Whip Shot ability has a much longer range by swinging the flail forward, knocking back enemies. Like Reinhardt and Orisa, Brigitte can deploy a barrier, but can use the Shield Bash ability to run past it and stun the first enemy she hits.

She can also lay down repair packs to heal her allies. Allies with full health gain additional armor. Her ultimate ability, Rally, creates a "substantial" amount of armor for her allies, and lets her move much more quickly.

To get a more in-depth look at Brigitte, check out the trailers below.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2t7x8Og

March's PlayStation Plus Lineup Includes Bloodborne, Ratchet And Clank

March starts tomorrow, and with it comes a new lineup of games available for PlayStation Plus subscribers. This month's lineup is headlined by Bloodborne, a dark and dreary action RPG that's one of PlayStation's best exclusives, and Ratchet & Clank, which is much better than the film and helps breathe new life into the iconic PlayStation characters.

Here's the rest of March's PlayStation Plus offerings:

Legend of Kay, PS3
Mighty No. 9, PS3 (Cross Buy with PS4)
Claire: Extended Cut, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4)
Bombing Busters, PS Vita (Cross Buy with PS4)

Fans of Dungeon Defenders II will also be able to receive an exclusive PlayStation Plus pack starting on March 13 through April 10, which will include four Shadow Costumes, one million in gold, five Campaign Shard Packs, five Defender Packs, and a Ninja Gato Pet. Every other game that's listed on March's PlayStation Plus lineup will be available next week.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2HULTr4

Become a better producer in a day at the GDC 2018 Producer Bootcamp!

from Gamasutra Independent Games News http://ift.tt/2HU6JH8

Twitch Prime subscribers now get exclusive Fortnite cosmetics, heroes

Goodies span both Battle Royale and Save the World.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2FDp4XV

News: H1Z1 waves goodbye to Early Access today with full PC launch

Become a better producer in a day at the GDC 2018 Producer Bootcamp!

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2HU6JH8

Old-school FPS Ion Maiden has the same engine as Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior

It's got Bombshell's protagonist, but it's a totally different game.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2t7mtDe

FTL-like sea adventure Abandon Ship shows great potential

Flee from cultists, manage supplies and crew morale, and try not to be eaten by the kraken.

from PC Gamer http://ift.tt/2CPq881

Feature: The 6 stages of the Konami/Kojima break-up that make the secret Metal Gear Survive message extra tragic

New Gameplay Today – Kirby Star Allies

Kirby's Switch debut is only a few weeks away, so we decided to take an extended, detailed look at the game. To do that, however, it was requested that we keep our looks to three minutes each, with the option to showcase up to 15 minutes for footage from the game prior to its release on March 16. So we decided to do exactly that.

Join Jeff Cork, Leo Vader, a special guest I refuse to spoil here, and me for a look at Kirby Star Allies across five bite-sized episodes.

Episode 1
(Please visit the site to view this media)

Episode 2
(Please visit the site to view this media)

Episode 3: The Co-op Episode With Special Guest Suriel Vazquez
(Please visit the site to view this media)

Episode 4
(Please visit the site to view this media)

Episode 5
(Please visit the site to view this media)

For more on Kirby Star Allies, head here.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2FEylza

Cevat Yerli steps down as CEO and president of Crytek

Yerli, who courted controversy in 2014 by suggesting unpaid employees were being "impatient," will be sticking around as a strategic shareholder. ...

from Gamasutra News http://ift.tt/2oEBvLg

[Update] Nintendo Takes Down Its User Review System

Update 2/28/14: After being up for a short while, Nintendo has taken down its user reviews system.

Before, users could scroll down to a game's page on Nintendo's website to leave a review. Currently, however, they are greeted with the following message: "Customer reviews have been taken offline as we evaluate this feature and its functionality. We currently have no estimated date on when an update will be provided. We appreciate the positive response and thank the reviewers who provided such thoughtful commentary on the games."

The company did not provide a reason as to why they are evaluating the feature. We reached out to Nintendo and will update this story should they respond.

Original Story: User reviews are coming to Nintendo's website, as spotted by Polygon, adding a feature that lets fans talk up (or talk down) games on Nintendo systems.

If you have played a Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo Switch game, and your MyNintendo ID confirms as much, you can go to the company's website and drop some thoughts about the game. The process for this is, at best, circuitous in that Nintendo way, so let's go at it step by step.

To review a game, you browse Nintendo's game guide and search for the game you want to talk about. Upon finding let's say Splatoon 2, you scroll down to "Review This Game." Assuming you're logged in with your Nintendo ID, Nintendo's servers will check if you have played the game for at least two hours. If you have, great! You can submit a review using a 5-star system, create a headline, write a review (with a minimum of 50 characters, so no just "This sucks!" or "WOW"), be nice and mark for spoilers, and identify what type of gamer you are: Core gamer, casual gamer, parent, or Nintendo fan.

You can't mix and match, so you might need to ask yourself some hard questions about whether video games are more important than your kids.

The page notes that reviews will be moderated, but they won't be modified, removed, or rejected simply for disliking a Nintendo product. There might be other reasons that they'll be removed or rejected, but your opinions of the game won't be the straw that breaks the camel's back. After 3-7 business days, the reviews will go up, implying that a person or persons are actually looking through these manually.

The review system is brand new, so nothing has shown up yet, and we'll likely be seeing the first reviews next week.

[Source: Polygon]

Our Take
I assumed one of the reasons they killed Miiverse was because of the moderation overhead that must have gone into it, but maybe this is a much smaller scale. I do wonder if any of these ratings or reviews will be available to be seen or even posted from the eShop itself.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2GTpPvF

David Jaffe's Studio Shuts Down

The Bartlet Jones Supernatural Detective Agency has shut its doors, a month after the Drawn to Death developer announced it was laying off the majority of its staff. Studio founder David Jaffe broke the news in a tweet this morning, in which he also said the studio was looking to unload a variety of Twisted Metal and God of War props to people who live near the studio.

Any So Cal gamers interested in owning some gaming history? Sadly we are shutting down our Bartlet Jones offices and there's some great props that we're trying to unload to folks who are into such things. Ex: Sweet Tooth's machete we used in TM2012 movies; Sweet Chick's mask,etc.
— David Jaffe (@davidscottjaffe) February 28, 2018

Drawn to Death was the studio's sole release, and the stylish shooter was widely panned by critics. A few days earlier, Jaffe tweeted that the team had been working on a PlayStation VR Iron Man game on its own, with plans to eventually pitch it to Marvel. Unfortunately, that didn't come to fruition.

[Source: David Jaffe]

Our Take
I wasn't a huge fan of Drawn to Death, either, but it's still disappointing when a studio shuts down.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2Cs2nY3

Ralph And Vanellope Head Online In Wreck-It Ralph 2 Trailer

Walt Disney Animation Studios' 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph was a warm-hearted exploration of heroism and retro gaming, and the upcoming sequel appears to be raising the stakes even higher. How? By taking the arcade heroes Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz online, of course. The studio has released a new trailer for Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, which provides a slice of how they fare in this technologically advanced world.

Check out the clip below to see the pair interact with spam, clickbait, eBay, tablet gaming, and more.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 is coming to theaters on November 21.

from www.GameInformer.com http://ift.tt/2t1PO1X