By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 11:49 pm
Piss Off the Mimes
Mimes are littered throughout Grand Theft Auto V. But these supposedly mute NPCs will break character if you get them angry enough. If you do decide to attack mimes (why wouldn't you?) their health is astonishingly high, so bring a weapon ... or five. (Photo: Rockstar)
Transform Into an Animal
Grand Theft Auto has expanded the use of drugs throughout the series. In GTA V, players can find and consume peyote plants. After an intricate cut scene, players instantly take control of a mammal. Get this: NPCs still interact with you as if you're a human. (Photo: Rockstar)
Search for Bigfoot
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, rumors swirled that Bigfoot could be found in the forests. Players searching for the mythical creature are rewarded in GTA V with two missions involving the cryptid. (Photo: Rockstar)
Punch Sharks and Find Treasure
Since Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar has emphasized the aquatic side of the open-world game. GTA V takes it to a new level with random shark fights and buried treasure. (Photo: Rockstar)
Take All The #Selfies
With the rising popularity of selfies in today's world, it's no shock that the fun feature was added to Grand Theft Auto. The GTA selfie phenomenon has spawned its own website, where fans can post their favorite selfies from the game. (Photo: Rockstar)
Wreak Havoc!
Who would've thought the first Grand Theft Auto, with its original title of "Race 'n' Chase," would spawn one of the best gaming franchises of all time? The inaugural GTA game let players cause catastrophic damage while stealing cars. The novelty of that first game earns it a place on this list. (Photo: Rockstar)
Get Sucked Into a Side Mission For No Reason
Grand Theft Auto 2 instituted a wide-ranging gameplay option that's been adopted by nearly every open-world game: side missions. Those missions may not directly impact the main story, but they do often give birth to some of the most ridiculous characters in any series. (Photo: Rockstar)
Play Games Within Games
Staying in shape is a major factor in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but Rockstar takes it to a whole new level in GTA V. If you're tired of running over pedestrians and high-tailing it from the cops, why not let loose on the golf course or find your inner chi doing yoga? (Photo: Rockstar)
Rid the City of Pigeons
Story mode and side missions can only entertain for so long. GTA IV mixed things up with an interesting achievement: kill 200 pigeons in Liberty City. Players could get all kinds of creative when it came to the disposal of the rats of the sky. (Photo: Rockstar)
Play Fetch ... With a Grenade
Chop from Grand Theft Auto V isn't the first pet to be introduced in the series. But this dog can be tricked into playing with a grenade. We won't tell you any spoilers about what happens next. (Photo: Rockstar)
Flip the Bird to the Police
Police are just so cumbersome in Grand Theft Auto. If you don't want to instigate a high-speed chase, Rockstar has incorporated another outlet for your digital road rage. While unarmed in a car, players can press the left trigger to give the one-finger salute. (Photo: Rockstar)
Fly Over Area 69
Area 69, the Grand Theft Auto version of Area 51, is an off-limits no-fly zone that first came to the screen in San Andreas. If you happen to fly over Area 69, you'll automatically receive a four-star wanted level. To survive such a harrowing adventure, steal a jet to defend yourself from the government (and aliens). (Photo: Rockstar)
Skydive Onto a Yacht
Skydiving in Grand Theft Auto is a ton of fun. But try skydiving out of a plane onto a boat. Now that's fancy. (Photo: Rockstar)
Remake the Classics
When it comes to customizable, open-world games like Grand Theft Auto, players can take the creativity into their own hands. One fan of the franchise re-created the opening of Will Smith's old sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with Grand Theft Auto's Franklin as The Fresh Prince of Rockford Hills. (Photo: YouTube)
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 11:23 pm
Satoru Iwata's story is one laced with unbelievable risks, bright thinking in dark times, and a bold ambition to make a difference. For all that can be said about his charming mannerisms, his warm smile, his unquestionable love of video games, it should not be overlooked that Iwata was a visionary businessman who saved Nintendo by reinventing it. He was a radical force; a revolutionary figure who commanded a century-old company as though it was his own start-up. Foreseeing a bleak future in retreading old ground, Iwata took Nintendo down the uncharted path, often with its future hinging on little more than his peculiar ideas. Those who believed in him were rewarded with the most prosperous period in the corporation's proud history. Even Iwata's appointment to the head of Nintendo, in 2002, was unconventional by nature. He was the company's very first elected president who had no blood ties to the Yamauchis; the family that had founded and managed Nintendo across three generations. His promotion came at a bleak hour for Nintendo, with the GameCube languishing in the shadow of the PlayStation 2, with retailers and publishers abandoning the console. Little more than a year into his tenure, Iwata had to warn investors the corporation had begun losing money. But in the same speech where he announced Nintendo's half-year fiscal loss, Iwata revealed plans for a new system that would take the company on a bold new direction. The Nintendo DS was to be his first major gamble; a bizarre-looking handheld that housed two separate screens in a clamshell design. It was the first mainstream games platform to use a touchscreen and stylus, and one that clearly prioritised how it felt over how it looked. The secret to the DS's record-breaking sales was neither how it played or looked, however. A key part in its success was down to Iwata's belief that he could ignite interest in people who didn't typically play games. So for every New Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart DS released for the handheld, there was also a Brain Age (pitched as a daily mental workout companion) and Nintendogs (a virtual pet simulator). The popularity of these unique games spread by word of mouth, with commuters playing them on buses and trains like walking billboards. Iwata revealed the Wii Remote at the Tokyo Games Show in 2005. It was perhaps his defining moment at the company. The DS, which underwent several revisions throughout its ten years on the market, sold more than 150 million units. Nintendo's handheld business, which some felt was doomed by the arrival of Sony's PlayStation Portable, was more prosperous than ever. Even before the reveal of the Nintendo DS, at E3 2004, Iwata already had bigger and bolder plans in place. He said the handheld "should serve as a hint towards our next-generation console," but few would have predicted how far Iwata was prepared to go. His second major gamble, the Wii, was so radical, so implausibly different, that it belongs in a league of its own. At the Tokyo Game Show in September 2005, Iwata took the stage and held up a bizarre, one-handed game controller. This was perhaps the defining moment of his career; a wild and arguably reckless break from more than thirty years of tradition. It was a concept that triggered internal controversy and resistance too. George Harrison, a marketing boss at Nintendo of America during this period, was flown to Japan in early 2005 and shown the motion controller for the first time. "To be honest, at first I was sceptical," he said in a recent interview. "I think a few of us were. You look at that remote, after years of standard controllers, and you don't quite know what it is." "Nintendo, like all creative companies, will stumble again and again throughout its lifetime. That is a natural flaw of any person or business that dares to innovate."
What followed TGS 2005 was a frenzy. A fever of debate, speculation and unforgettable excitement. "It was as though the audience didn't know how to react," Mr Iwata said of his Wii controller reveal. While there were significant reservations from some fans, the sheer enigma of the Wii had captured the imagination of the gaming world. The console became the fastest selling in history, brought games to entirely new audiences, and ushered in a new age of motion control. Iwata would never reach that same height again. The 3DS initially struggled with a lukewarm reception to its stereoscopic 3D, as well as a declining market for handhelds, while the Wii U is a more clear-cut failure; another brave idea certainly, but one that did not connect with the masses. Nintendo, like all creative companies, will stumble again and again throughout its lifetime. That is a natural flaw of any person or business that dares to innovate. That dares to expose itself. But Nintendo is undoubtedly standing on far more solid foundations now than it was thirteen years ago. Iwata's legacy serves as a reminder of how far one can go if they never give up on their ideas. Further reading: In Pictures: The Captivating Career of Satoru Iwata
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 11:08 pm
Five Nights at Freddy's 4: The Final Chapter will launch for PC on August 8, developer Scott Cawthon announced on Monday. This is earlier than expected, as the indie horror game was previously slated to debut on the appropriate-sounding date of October 31--Halloween.  Cawthon made the announcement through various YouTube channels, including Razzbowski. August 8 is not a random date; it's the one-year anniversary of the release of the original Five Nights at Freddy's. Cawthon plans to "keep the Halloween date special" by releasing a free update for the game with extra content on that date. In addition, a new trailer for The Final Chapter is coming next weekend. When it's released, Five Nights at Freddy's 4 will be the fourth Five Nights at Freddy's game launched in the span of one year. Five Nights at Freddy's 3 is the most recent entry in the series and was released in March this year. The original Five Nights at Freddy's was well-received in GameSpot's review, praised for its dark humor, ability to invoke "heart-pounding terror," and story delivery. A film adaptation of the game is also in the works with Roy Lee (The Departed, The LEGO Movie) and Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg of KatzSmith Productions (the upcoming Beetlejuice sequel) signed on as producers.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 10:33 pm
 Take a look at this gameplay trailer for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 10:26 pm
Disney's 2012 animated video game-themed movie Wreck-It Ralph is getting a sequel. That's according to the movie's lead voice actor John C. Reilly, who said in a new interview with Irish radio show RTE Arena that he has "signed on" for Wreck-It Ralph 2. Hollywood news site The Wrap notes that Disney has not yet officially greenlit the movie, though director of the original, Rich Moore, has talked openly about ideas for a follow-up.  One of Moore's ideas, according to a December 2012 interview, is for Nintendo's Mario to feature in a sequel. The first movie featured appearances from Bowser, Dr. Robotnik, and Pac-Man, among others. Wreck-It Ralph follows the titular Ralph--played by Reilly--a villain in a retro Donkey Kong-style arcade game. After decades of being the bad guy, Ralph decides he's fed up with being hated for doing his job and quits to embark on a journey to reveal his true qualities. The movie was a big success. It made close to $50 million during its first weekend, outperforming Walt Disney Animation Studios' previous record-holder, Tangled. To date, the film has generated more than $470 million at the global box office against a $165 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. Wreck-It Ralph was generally well-received by critics and also featured the voicework of other actors such as Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, and Mindy Kaling. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but ultimately lost out to Pixar's Brave. What would you like to see from a Wreck-It Ralph sequel? Let us know in the comments below.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 10:00 pm
 Amazon is selling the 500 GB Xbox One bundle with Halo: The Master Chief Collection for $349 with a free copy of Mortal Kombat X. The price for this bundle is now $390.
Newegg's eBay account is offering the PS4 Last of Us Remastered bundle with a free controller and three months of PlayStation Plus for $400. This offer has ended.
Green Man Gaming's summer sale continues, offering discounted prices plus an additional 20 percent off when you use the promo code GMGSUM-MERSAL-E20OFF. Today's theme appears to be simulation games, and with that code, you can get Cities: Skylines for $16 or Roller Coaster Tycoon Deluxe for just $1.92.
Amazon has a new (partially hidden) discount program for Prime members. At least a few games are currently included, such as Batman: Arkham Knight for $50 (Xbox One/PS4), Madden NFL 16 for $50 (Xbox One/PS4), and Splatoon for $53. You won't see the lower price until you add the item to your cart and proceed to checkout. At Best Buy, all Disney Infinity single figures are marked down to $10. You can preorder a number of games through Dell and receive either a $15 or $25 gift card: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ($25), Mad Max ($15), Rory McIlroy PGA Tour ($15), and Until Dawn ($15). If you think Rory McIlroy PGA Tour might inspire you to play the real sport, Target is offering a 15-pack of golf balls with the purchase of the game. At GameStop, you can get a new Nintendo 3DS XL for just $100 when you trade in a qualifying system. Below you'll find the rest of today's best deals divided by platform. PlayStation 4Get The Last of Us Remastered PS4 bundle for $350 at Newegg with promo code EMCAVAV79. At Newegg, you can get the PlayStation Silver wired headset for only $20 using promo code EMCAVAV85. Buying a PS4 at Best Buy this week gets you a free PlayStation Silver wired headset and allows you to save $5 on a 12-month PlayStation Plus subscription and $10 on a DualShock 4. Gamers Club Unlocked members can save $20 or more on a few PS4 games at Best Buy right now, including MLB 15: The Show for $16, The Order: 1886 for $16, and Bloodborne for $32. The PlayStation Store has a sale centered around superheroes going on. You can get Injustice: Gods Among Us for $12, Mortal Kombat X for $45, and more. Also on PSN, there's a sale on Destiny content, discounting the first two expansions to $15 each and the expansion pass to $25. Other PS4 game deals: The free PlayStation Plus games for July are now available and include Rocket League and Styx: Master of Shadows. Xbox OneWalmart is selling the Halo Master Chief Collection Xbox One bundle with a free second controller for $349. You also get a free copy of Watch Dogs or Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, or you can pay a bit more to replace it with Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition ($5), Need for Speed: Rivals - Complete Edition ($5), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare ($20), or Batman: Arkham Knight ($30). Buy an Xbox One at GameStop and get a $40 gift card. Get a free copy of Assassin's Creed: Unity with the purchase of an Xbox One at the Microsoft Store (500 GB/1 TB). You can get the new model of Xbox One controller (equipped with a 3.5mm headset jack) with a $10 gift card for $60 at Newegg. Buy an Xbox One or Rory McIlroy PGA Tour and save $10 on an Xbox One controller at Best Buy. You can buy a year of Xbox Live Gold on eBay for $36. Alongside the usual Deals With Gold offerings, Microsoft has kicked off this summer's Xbox Ultimate Game Sale, discounting a wide variety of digital games. Check out the full list of everything on sale here. The first episode of Telltale's Game of Thrones series is free on Xbox Live, and the subsequent episodes are on sale as part of the aforementioned Ultimate Game Sale. Other Xbox One game deals: July's free Games With Gold games are now available and include Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. PCThe Humble Store has a Total War sale going on where you can get much of the series for cheap, including Attila for $30, Shogun 2 for $7.49, or the Grand Master Collection for $41. The latest Humble Bundle consists of a few games, but primarily focuses on game-making tools. The new Humble Weekly Bundle features Bohemia Interactive games like Arma 2 and its many mods (including DayZ), all of which you can get for just a few bucks. If you have a free Green Man Gaming account, you can access the VIP area of the site where you can find some nice deals, including SimCity for $10, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin for $25, and Project Cars for $35. You can play Depth for free on Steam this weekend, and then pick it up for just $8.49. Zuma's Revenge is free on Origin. Other PC game deals: - Elite: Dangerous -- $40 (Steam)
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited -- $40 (Best Buy)
- Rogue Legacy -- $3 (Steam)
- Panzer Corps -- $10 (Steam)
- The Red Solstice -- $20 (Steam)
- Out of the Park Baseball 16 -- $20 (Steam)
- Skulls of the Shogun -- $5 (Steam)
- Master Reboot -- $6 (Steam)
- Bardbarian -- $1.19 (Steam)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Master Collection -- $9.50 (Steam)
- Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Gold Edition -- $5 (Steam)
- Tropico 4 -- $8 (GOG)
- Tropico 4 Complete DLC Pack -- $5 (GOG)
- Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition -- $3.33 (GOG)
- Thief Gold -- $3.33 (GOG)
- Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver -- $2 (GOG)
- Batman: Arkham Origins -- $12 (Amazon)
- Diablo III -- $29 (Amazon)
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls -- $25.62 (Amazon)
- StarCraft II: Battle Chest -- $33 (Amazon) / $24 (Best Buy)
- Tropico 5 -- $24 (Amazon)
- Dying Light -- $48 (Amazon) / $48 (Walmart)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth -- $18 (Amazon)
- Battlefield Hardline -- $33 (Amazon)
- Assassin's Creed Rogue -- $30 (Amazon)
- Evolve -- $29 (Amazon) / $35 (Best Buy)
- Watch Dogs -- $10 (Amazon) / $12 (Best Buy)
- Dragon Age: Inquisition -- $30 (Amazon) / $30 (Best Buy)
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag -- $16.44 (Amazon)
Wii UIf you don't mind a refurbished system, Nintendo's online store has a Wii U bundle with Nintendo Land for $200, or Nintendo Land and Super Mario 3D World for $225. The eShop has an indie game sale going on, discounting Shantae and the Pirate's Curse to $8, Guacamelee to $6, Runner 2 to $6, and more. - Bayonetta 2 -- $45 (GameStop)
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker -- $32.60 (Amazon) / $32.60 (Walmart)
- New Super Luigi U -- $20 (Nintendo Store)
- The Wonderful 101 -- $30 (Nintendo Store)
- Game & Wario -- $30 (Nintendo Store)
- ZombiU -- $9 (Best Buy)
- Rayman Legends -- $17 (Walmart)
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze -- $40 (Amazon)
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut -- $14.50 (Amazon)
- Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two -- $11.40 (Amazon)
- Hyrule Warriors -- $49 (Amazon)
- Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition -- $14 (Amazon)
- Watch Dogs -- $18 (Amazon)
- Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $20 (Amazon)
- Scribblenauts Unlimited -- $16 (Amazon)
- Transformers Prime: The Game -- $12 (Amazon)
3DSGet a New 3DS XL for $180 at Newegg using the promo code EMCAVAV82. Walmart is offering a New 3DS XL bundle with Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and your choice of select Amiibo figurines for $239. This week's eShop sale features indie games like the Phoenix Wright games; you can get Dual Destinies for $17 or the Ace Attorney Trilogy for $22.49. Persona Q, meanwhile, is just $30. - Mario Party: Island Tour -- $26 (Amazon) / $24 (Best Buy)
- Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance -- $20 (Walmart)
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Record Breaker -- $42 (Amazon)
- Pokemon Alpha Sapphire -- $30 with bonus figure (Walmart)
- Pokemon Omega Ruby -- $30 with bonus figure (Walmart)
- Pokemon Y -- $30 (Amazon)
- Pokemon X -- $34 (Amazon)
- Steel Diver -- $8 (Best Buy)
- Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate -- $11.67 (Walmart)
- Scribblenauts Unlimited -- $8 (Best Buy)
- Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion -- $12.55 (Amazon)
- Code Name: Steam -- $26 (Amazon)
- Crosswords Plus -- $6 (Best Buy)
- Lego Marvel Super Heroes -- $15 (Amazon)
- Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars -- $22 (Amazon)
- Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $23 (Amazon)
- Hometown Story -- $15 (Amazon)
PlayStation VitaThe PlayStation TV is available for $40 at Best Buy and GameStop . The PlayStation Store's superhero sale also includes some Vita games, including Injustice: Gods Among Us for $12, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X for $4, and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for $10. - God of War Collection -- $23 (Amazon)
- Persona 4: Golden -- $20 (Amazon)
- Gravity Rush -- $19 (Amazon)
- Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Freedom Wars -- $15 (Amazon) / $15 (Best Buy)
- The Wolf Among Us -- $13 (Amazon) / $15 (Best Buy)
- Borderlands 2 -- $20 (Amazon) / $20 (Best Buy)
- The Walking Dead: Season Two -- $15 (Best Buy)
- Mind Zero -- $22 (Amazon)
- Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $18 (Amazon)
- Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd -- $21.62 (Amazon)
- Xblaze Code: Embryo -- $20 (Amazon)
- Arcana Heart 3: Love Max -- $20 (Amazon)
- Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars -- $21.45 (Amazon)
- Resistance: Burning Skies -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational -- $10 (Amazon)
- 16GB Memory Card -- $39 (Amazon)
- 32GB Memory Card -- $67.32 (Amazon)
The free PlayStation Plus games for July are now available and include Geometry Wars 3 and Entwined. Hardware- PowerA Charging Station for Xbox One -- $30 (Best Buy)
- PDP PS4 Afterglow Kral Wireless Headset -- $70 (Best Buy)
- PDP Xbox One Afterglow Karga Wired Headset -- $70 (Best Buy)
- PlayStation 4 Camera -- $45 (Amazon) / $45 (Walmart)
- Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury Gaming Mouse -- $41 (Amazon)
- Logitech G502 Proteus Core Gaming Mouse -- $59.43 (Amazon)
- Logitech G602 Wireless Gaming Mouse -- $51 (Amazon)
- Logitech G700s Gaming Mouse -- $61 (Amazon)
- Wireless Xbox 360 Controller for Windows -- $39 (Amazon)
- Wired Xbox 360 Controller for Windows -- $27 (Amazon)
- Black Xbox One Wireless Controller -- $50 (Amazon)
- PlayStation Silver Wired Stereo Headset -- $26 (Amazon)
- Turtle Beach Ear Force PX22 Amplified Universal Gaming Headset -- $59 (Amazon)
- Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930 -- $93 (Amazon)
- Free Silver Headset with purchase of any PS4 console (Best Buy)
- Save $10 on a PS4 DualShock 4 controller when you buy a new PS4 console (Best Buy)
- Save $10 on an Xbox One controller with the purchase of a new Xbox One console (Best Buy)
- Save $10 on an Xbox One controller with the purchase of Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (Best Buy)
Amazon prices are accurate as of publishing, but can fluctuate occasionally throughout the day. GameSpot's gaming deals posts always highlight the best deals we can find regardless of retailer. We also occasionally use retailer affiliate links, which means that purchasing goods through those links helps support all the great content (including the deals posts) you find for free here on the site.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 09:29 pm
Sega will release the first-ever gameplay trailer for Total War: Warhammer this coming Friday, the publisher announced today. The video will offer an in-engine look at the upcoming turn-based strategy game. But you don't have to wait until Friday to see something new from the PC title. Ahead of the video's release, Sega launched a new video series for Total War: Warhammer, the first episode of which is available now. Installments will offer a first look at the game's battlefield units, beginning today with the Demigryphs. You can watch the video below. "Part lion and part eagle, these noble monstrous cavalry are ridden by only the most renowned knights of the Empire," Sega said in a statement. "Clad in ornate plate armor, their densely muscled frames enable them to thunder into combat, tearing their foes limb from limb and spreading fear among the enemy ranks." For a closer look at the creature, check out the image below.  Total War Warhammer is in development at The Creative Assembly (Total War: Attila, Alien: Isolation) by way of a partnership with Warhammer license-holder Games Workshop. In a press release, Sega said Total War: Warhammer will deliver "hundreds of hours" of gameplay--and two additional expansions will follow. Total War: Warhammer is the first in a three-part trilogy, Sega said, noting that two standalone installments--as well as further DLC packs--will be released later. This all combines for the "single largest Total War experience ever," Sega said. No release date for Total War: Warhammer has been announced. Other new Total War games in development include Total War: Battles Kingdom and Total War: Arena.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 09:11 pm
In the market for a New 3DS XL? GameStop has announced a special deal you may want to consider.  Now through July 26, GameStop will give you a $100 credit toward the purchase of a New 3DS XL when you trade in a 3DS XL, 3DS, 2DS, or PlayStation Vita. With the New 3DS XL retailing for $200, that means you can get a system for just $100. Not bad. This deal is the latest offer from GameStop as part of the retailer's "Summer of Savings" promotion. This week's other offers include Mortal Kombat X for $40 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, as well as Far Cry 4 for $20 across all platforms. Those offers are good through July 19. Head to GameStop's special summer deals page to see all the offers. For more gaming deals, check out GameSpot's roundup of today's best offers.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 09:05 pm
With the passing of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, the video game industry has lost one of its most bold and inspiring luminaries. To honour Nintendo's fourth CEO, GameSpot has put together a short gallery chronicling Iwata's career, starting from aspiring developer to iconic president. Images for this gallery were found on the official GDC Flickr (http://bit.ly/1O0S20D)
Satoru Iwata was born on December 6, 1959 and raised in Sapporo, the capital city of Hokkaido, the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectures. Iwata's love of gaming began at a very early age, as did his ambition to develop them. According to Iwata, the first game he ever played was Pong, which he "loved." This spurred him to buy a Hewlitt Packard Pocket Calculator, which he used to program a baseball video game.
Iwata joined the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1978 and enrolled to study engineering and computer science. At the time, game programming was not commonly taught. Despite being unable to study game programming, Iwata's innate desire to create games pushed him to independently seek out avenues through which he could realise his dream. Instead of studying, he travelled to a Tokyo department store--the first in the city dedicated to PCs--and met like-minded people with dreams of game design and development.
With the friends he made hanging out at the PC retailer, Iwata moved into an apartment in Akihabara, where he spent nights designing and programming games. The group would eventually form a company called HAL. Though Iwata didn't know it at the time, this studio would deliver some of Nintendo's most cherished video games including Mother, Kirby, Smash Bros., and more. HAL was named after the computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Following the completion of his studies, Iwata became the fifth full-time employee of HAL. By his own account, he joined "the smallest company of any graduate in [his] class." At HAL, he was a programmer, an engineer, designer, and also marketed the team's games, "ordered food, and helped clean up."
The small team at HAL eventually began hearing whispers about a project at Nintendo which involved the development of a machine "capable of incredible new graphics." Convinced the hardware would be the platform for HAL's breakout success, the team arranged a meeting with Nintendo. Its first task, however, was a rescue mission. Iwata and his colleagues were put to work with helping bring a game that had fallen behind schedule to completion. That game would eventually be released as NES Pinball.
HAL's consistency earned it a close relationship with Nintendo and, over time, it was given the opportunity to develop franchises that would go on to become Nintendo icons, such as Kirby. However, its early days were spent doing work-for-hire arcade ports. In between it released numerous entries in the Eggerman series (known in the West as the Adventures of Lolo). As well as this, members of the HAL team took on consultancy work to keep the company afloat.
HAL would go on to work with Shigesato Itoi, a renowned Japanese writer, on his first game: Mother. Much, much later (E3 2015, in fact), the role-playing game would be released in the West as Earthbound Beginnings. Thanks to its unique visual style and mature themes, the Earthbound series as a whole has amassed a passionate cult following.
In 2000, Iwata became head of Nintendo's corporate planning division. Two years later, Hiroshi Yamauchi, who had served as company president since 1949, retired and Iwata succeeded him as the fourth Nintendo president. He was the first Nintendo president who not part of the Yamauchi family through blood or marriage since it was established in 1889 as a Hanafuda card company.
Iwata's appointment as the head of Nintendo came in the heat of a crisis. At the time, the Nintendo GameCube's performance was being eclipsed by its main competitor, the PlayStation 2, and faced stiff competition from Microsoft's first ever console, the Xbox. It was around then that Iwata began to think about distinguishing Nintendo's consoles from its rivals, and also appealing to a wider audience by creating approachable, creative experiences.
Iwata's vision for a successful new Nintendo was defined by "lateral thinking with seasoned technology," a principle developed by Gunpei Yokoi, father of the Game Boy, Game & Watch, the modern day directional pad, and creator of iconic franchises such as Metroid. It posited that a creative person could take mature technology and find radical new ways of using it to create transformative experiences. The first fruit of this ideology was the Nintendo DS which, in the face of adversity from Sony's slicker, more powerful PSP, went on to sell over 150 million units, making it the second-best selling console of all time.
At E3 2005 Satoru Iwata took the stage and proudly held a diminutive black box aloft, proclaiming it a gaming revolution. That same year, at Tokyo Game Show, Iwata reiterated the company's ambition to expand the gaming audience and speak to a wider market and revealed a new controller that "attracts those who aren't playing games and offers new sensations to veteran" would be the key. The Wii outsold the competition from Sony and Microsoft by a considerable margin and became a bona fide sensation. Importantly, it achieved Iwata's ambition of placing video games firmly in the mainstream eye and attracting a wider audience. At the height of its popularity, Nintendo's stock became the second most valuable in Japan.
Iwata's most recent years were spent trying to maintain the momentum achieved by the Nintendo DS and Wii. Given the magnitude of the success, many would argue this was an impossible task. The follow-ups to both of those devices, the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U, marked a downturn in the company's performance. At the heart of these missteps was marketing that failed to distinguish new hardware from old, and a slowness to properly capitalise on the move towards mobile and tablet gaming. Despite this, Iwata remained a shining beacon of Nintendo's ambition and an unwavering leader, famously refusing to lay off staff.
Satoru Iwata 1959-2015
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 08:51 pm
Unofficial footage of the IO Interactive's upcoming Hitman game has leaked. The video offers an early look at a double assassination mission, as well as some of the equipment Agent 47 will have at his disposal. The video does clearly state, however, that the footage "May contain placeholder assets." Travis Barbour, community for IO Interactive, has said Hitman "looks and plays a lot better than" than what is shown in the video. "Proof to come, of course," he added. In an attempt to clear up confusion about the game's release schedule, developer IO Interactive recently clarified the game is not episodic, nor an early access game, contrary to earlier reports. However the studio did confirm an eventual disc release "at some point in 2016," following the game's initial digital-only release. IO also assured fans that the apparently substantial content updates--including new missions, locations, and even gameplay mechanics--will all be free, and that there will be no microtransactions. As well as the free content updates, there will also be "live events," where designated missions will appear for a short time, giving players just one chance at the assassination contract. Hitman is due for digital release on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on December 8. For more information about the game, check out our preview from E3 2015 here.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 08:13 pm
Last week, Amazon announced a new sale period called Prime Day that the online retail behemoth claimed would offer more deals than Black Friday. The one catch, however, is that promo was only for subscribers to Amazon's $100/year Prime service.  Now, Walmart has responded with its own deal, taking a shot at Amazon in the process. "We've heard some retailers are charging $100 to get access to a sale," reads a statement from Walmart.com CEO Fernando Madeira. "But the idea of asking customers to pay extra in order to save money just doesn't add up for us." "We're standing up for our customers and everyone else who sees no rhyme or reason for paying a premium to save." Walmart will roll out special deals "with no hidden costs or admission fees" this coming week through its website. And unlike Amazon's Prime Day, which will be held for one day only on July 15 to mark the retailer's 20th anniversary, Walmart's sale period will run for multiple days. "Our customers will see thousands of great deals on Rollback beginning this week along with some special atomic deals (more on that in the days to come)," Maderia said. "In addition, we're rolling back our free shipping minimum order to $35 from $50." Walmart did not say what items will be discounted, but you can pretty safely assume video games will be on sale.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 07:00 am
 Nintendo President and CEO of thirteen years, Satoru Iwata, has passed away at the age of 55.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 06:00 am
 Metal Gear Solid series voice actor seemingly confirms previous reports that Hideo Kojima's studio will disband after The Phantom Pain is completed.
By Anonymous on Jul 13, 2015 03:32 am
 Catch a glimpse of the amazing cosplay that our cameras caught at San Diego Comic-Con 2015.
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