By Anonymous on May 14, 2015 12:05 am
 Today's best deal comes from eBay, which is offering the Last of Us Remastered PS4 bundle for $350. Green Man Gaming has kicked off a big PC game sale to celebrate its fifth birthday. Among the highlights are Deus Ex: Human Revolution for $4, Hitman Absolution's Elite Edition for $5, and Tropico 5 for $10. Meanwhile, The Humble Store has a big spring sale that will see new PC game deals introduced every day over the next two weeks. Currently, you can get The Vanishing of Ethan Carter for $8, Luftrausers for $2.49, Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition for $7.49, and much more. Best Buy is offering a free Turtle Beach XO One headset with the purchase of an Xbox One. That's a $70-$80 headset you're getting for free with the $350 Assassin's Creed and Halo Master Chief Collection bundles. You can preorder a number of games through Dell--Splatoon, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Batman: Arkham Knight--and receive a $15 Dell gift card. Monument Valley is $1 right now on both iOS and Android. Below you'll find the rest of today's best deals divided by platform: PlayStation 4EBay has seller-refurbished PS4s for $324. Preorder the Batman: Arkham Knight PS4 bundle at Dell and get three free months of PlayStation Plus and a $25 Dell gift card. Additionally, you can bring the price down from $420 to $400 by using the promo code: 6980X63DCJNXSP Buy a PS4 (including the Last of Us Remastered bundle) and get a free copy of Destiny at Best Buy. My Best Buy Gamers Club members can save $10 on Bloodborne or MLB 15 right now. Combined with the 20 percent discount that Gamers Club Unlocked members get, that brings either game's price down to $40. Other PS4 game deals: PlayStation Plus' free games for May are now available and include Guacamelee, Murasaki Baby, Hohokum, The Unfinished Swan, and more. Xbox OneWalmart is offering the Halo Master Chief Collection Xbox One bundle with a free second controller for $349. You can also buy a year of Xbox Live Gold on eBay for $39. Best Buy will take $20 off the price of a one-year Xbox Live Gold membership when you buy any Xbox 360 or Xbox One. Microsoft's latest Deals With Gold promotion is on, discounting a handful of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. You can check out all the deals here. Other Xbox One game deals: May's free Games With Gold games are now available on Xbox One and Xbox 360 and include CastleStorm and Mafia II. PCBuy a GeForce GTX 980 or GTX 970 and you'll get free copies of The Witcher 3 and Batman: Arkham Knight. The newest Humble Bundle features Paradox games. Paying any price gets you games like Magicka and Knights of Pen and Paper, while paying $15 or more also gets you Europa Universalis IV, Crusader Kings II, and more. Alternatively, check out the new Humble Weekly Bundle. Ultima VIII: Gold Edition is free on Origin. Other PC game deals: 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. 3DSWalmart is offering a New 3DS XL bundle with Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and your choice of select Amiibo figurines for $229. Alternatively, the retailer has a New 3DS XL bundle with your choice of select games and a Pokemon figurine for $229-$237. Eligible games include Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Code Name: Steam, and quite a few more. PS VitaAmazon is selling the Wi-Fi PlayStation Vita for $170. HardwareAmazon 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 May 13, 2015 11:32 pm
With just a few more days to go before Destiny's next expansion, House of Wolves, arrives on May 19, developer Bungie has discovered a "late-breaking technical" issue related to update 1.2.0. It remains to be seen if this issue will impact House of Wolves' scheduled release next week.  "I've spoken with the finest minds at Bungie about Update 1.2.0 just moments ago. They're working to correct a late-breaking technical issue that would have impacted the way the game launches for a large portion of you," Bungie community manager David "Deej" Dague said in a post on Bungie's website. "Progress is being made." Update 1.2.0 was released last week, but it won't be activated until later. The update features a long list of changes including major tweaks to Commendations and more. Dague went on to pledge that he'll update the community every day until the issue is sorted out. "We'll be sharing new details on the deployment schedule that leads to House of Wolves as soon as they become facts," he explained. "At the very least, you'll hear from me once a day about this. Hang in there, and thank you for your patience." For lots more on House of Wolves--which introduces a Gears of War-style arena mode, a new 3v3 Crucible variant, and more--check out GameSpot's roundup of everything you need to know.
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 11:30 pm
 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the ninth game in GameSpot history to receive a ten. We invited reviewer Kevin VanOrd onto the show to answer your lingering questions about this wonderful game.
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 09:22 pm
Nintendo on Wednesday announced its plans for E3 2015, which kicks off next month in Los Angeles. The company made the announcement through a funny YouTube video. Watch it below. The most important bit is that Nintendo's E3 briefing--a digital event, compared to the live, in-person briefings from other companies--will take place on Tuesday, June 16, starting at 9 AM PDT. That's Nintendo's usual day and time, but this year, it's also the exact same date and time as Square Enix's briefing. We already know that Nintendo won't talk about NX, smartphone games, or its quality of life initiatives at E3. According to Nintendo, viewers of the company's E3 event "will be treated to detailed information about the various games and experiences Nintendo has in store for its systems." Nintendo's E3 plans for 2015 also includes the return of its "E3 Treehouse Live" stage show, where the company will feature games and guest appearances from the show floor. What's more, Nintendo and Best Buy have teamed up to allow shoppers to play Wii U game Mario Maker in stores the week of E3. Anyone who visits participating Best Buy stores can play Mario Maker on the following dates: - June 17 -- 4-9 PM
- June 20 -- Noon-5 PM
Finally, Nintendo announced that it's reviving the long-dormant Nintendo World Championship event this year on Sunday, June 14 in Los Angeles. Qualifying competitions open May 30 at Best Buy stores. Winners of regional events, along with "competitors chosen by Nintendo," will battle it out in Los Angeles on June 14 at the Nokia Theatre as part of a multi-round competition. One player will ultimately be crowned champion in the first Nintendo World Championship since 1990. If you're in Los Angeles, you can attend the tournament in person, while it will also be streamed online. E3 2015 Press Conference ScheduleSunday, June 14Monday, June 15- Microsoft - 9 AM PDT (expected)
- Electronic Arts - 1 PM PDT
- Ubisoft - 3 PM PDT
- Sony - 6 PM PDT (expected)
Tuesday, June 16- Square Enix - 9 AM PDT
- Nintendo - 9 AM PDT
- PC Gaming Show - 5 PM PDT
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 09:03 pm
To celebrate what it's calling Let's Play day, online video giant YouTube on Wednesday announced the ten biggest games of all-time on the decade-old site, based on time watched.  Despite being a relative newcomer, Minecraft topped the list, beating out other household names like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, FIFA, and The Sims. Minecraft's dominance isn't all that surprising, given that the sandbox game has frequented YouTube popularity charts before. In 2014, Minecraft was searched on YouTube more often than Beyonce or Taylor Swift. Check out the top ten list below, but note that YouTube didn't provide any details on how wide the gap is between titles in terms of watchtime. - Minecraft
- Grand Theft Auto (series)
- League of Legends
- Call of Duty (series)
- FIFA (series)
- Garry's Mod
- The Sims (series)
- Five Nights at Freddy's (series)
- Puzzles & Dragon
- Dota 2
YouTube also announced today that Let's Play videos, like the ones PewDiePie releases for his 36.5 million subscribers, have together generated "billions of hours of watchtime" to date.
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 08:23 pm
[UPDATE] We now know the roles Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, and Sylvester Stallone--among others--will play in the upcoming movie. See below. - Paul Giamatti -- Chairman Drek
- John Goodman -- Grimroth
- Bella Thorne -- Cora
- Rosario Dawson -- Elaris
- Sylvester Stallone -- Victor
The original story is below The voice cast for the upcoming animated Ratchet & Clank movie has been revealed.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, household names like Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, and Sylvester Stallone will star in the film, along with Rosario Dawson and Bella Thorne. Their roles have not been announced, however. Meanwhile, Ratchet & Clank video game voice actors James Arnold Taylor (Ratchet), David Kaye (Clank), Armin Shimerman (Nefarious), and Jim Ward (Captain Qwark) will also lend their voices to the movie. The Ratchet & Clank movie follows Ratchet and Clank as they attempt to thwart the plans of an evil alien named Chairman Drek. "When the duo stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team a group called The Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy," reads a line from the movie's description. Presumably, Giamatti, Goodman, Stallone, Dawson, and Thorne will voice The Galactic Rangers. Directing the Ratchet & Clank movie is Kevin Munroe, who directed 2007's TMNT. The film is being developed by production companies Rainmaker Entertainment and Blockade Entertainment, alongside PlayStation and Insomniac Games. Insomniac will have a "hands-on role" in the film's production, screenplay, character development, and animation consulting. In addition, Ratchet & Clank writer T.J. Fixman--who has written every Ratchet & Clank game--will pen the script for the film. The movie is scheduled to hit theaters in 2016. In addition to the Ratchet & Clank movie, Insomniac has announced a new Ratchet & Clank game for PlayStation 4. It's a remake of the 2002 PlayStation 2 original, and will have "new visuals that rival the best PS4 games on the market."
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 08:05 pm
As part of its Spotlight series, Rocksteady has released details on The Disruptor, one of the gadgets players will have access to in Batman: Arkham Knight. First seen in the All Who Follow trailer (below), The Disruptor is designed to "provide options that bolster Batman's ability to control engagements like never before." The Disruptor's long-range scopes allow it to function much like a sniper rifle, but it can also be used up close. The weapon has three charges per engagement. It can be used to jam enemy weapons as they fire at Batman, explode enemy weapons at the cost of two charges, rig weapon crates to shock enemies that try to arm themselves, and tag vehicles with tracking for Batmobile pursuits. "The Disruptor provides Batman with greater tactical flexibility in any engagement before it even begins," Rocksteady explains on the official forums. "Before combat, the Disruptor can be used to jam the weapons of an opponent, buying Batman precious time to gain the advantage and land the first attack. "In Predator scenarios, the Disruptor can be employed to target various enemy devices by rendering them inactive, or even turning them against their owners." The Disruptor can be upgraded with additional charges and, at advanced levels, can be used to hack and disrupt turrets on Drone Tanks. An Amazon listing for two versions of Batman: Arkham Knight was recently spotted. The first is just the standard version of the game, while the second is called the Comic Bundle, and features an in-game skin ("Batman First Appearance"), along with an exclusive, 25th anniversary version of an Grant Morrison's acclaimed graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. However, this version will not include all the DLC contained in the game's $40 season pass, which sparked somewhat of a backlash from fans.
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 07:59 pm
Ahead of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's release next week, Sony has released a new 35-minute gameplay video for the RPG that shows off the massive game's map from end to end. The video comes by way of the PlayStation Access channel. Watch as they travel on foot, horseback, and boat from the South to the main city of Novigrad. In addition to the main world, there is an archipelago destination that you can visit only by boat. The Witcher 3 launches May 19 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Reviews for the game came online yesterday, and GameSpot gave the RPG a perfect 10/10. For more on The Witcher 3's map size, check out the images below.   
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 07:30 pm
 Peter and Mary have the opportunity to test out the Samsung Gear VR and are pleasantly surprised by this $200 headset.
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 04:37 am
The gaming essentials.
It isn't often that we give 10/10 review scores on GameSpot. Since the site was founded in 1996, only nine games have earned that rank. But to achieve a 10/10, a game needs to be essential, and it needs to have something so meaningful to offer us that it simply cannot be ignored. Regardless, a 10/10 review score is always determined by the personal opinion of its respective writer and always reflects as such. So without further ado, here is a list of all the games that we've scored with a 10/10!
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
"Where The Witcher 2 sputtered to a halt, The Witcher 3 is always in a crescendo, crafting battle scenarios that constantly one-up the last, until you reach the explosive finale and recover in the glow of the game's quiet denouement. But while the grand clashes are captivating, it is the moments between conflicts, when you drink with the local clans and bask in a trobairitz's song, that are truly inspiring."--Review date: May 12, 2015 | Kevin VanOrd
Bayonetta 2
"Bayonetta 2 is a masterclass in pure, unadulterated action-game design, where its insane eye-popping visuals meld effortlessly with some of the sharpest, most joyful combat to have ever graced a video game. "--Review date: October 13, 2014 | Mark Walton
Super Mario Galaxy 2
"Super Mario Galaxy 2 is simply an outstanding game. It never rests on its laurels for a second, constantly presenting new objectives and mechanics to push you to never before seen places."--Review date: May 21, 2010 | Tom Mc Shea
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
"For anyone who appreciates games that rise above the simple act of pushing a few buttons and pulling a few triggers, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a stimulating ride that you won't soon forget. You'll want to see what happens next, yet when its long campaign draws to a close, you'll wish it would continue. That's not just because it's a well-told tale, but because that tale is woven through a thoroughly impressive game that tops its predecessors."--Review date: June 13, 2008 | Kevin VanOrd
Grand Theft Auto IV
"In case you haven't guessed already, Grand Theft Auto IV is a game that you simply have to play. The single-player game, which you can still play long after you complete the story, is the series' best by far, and the multiplayer features are good enough that you'll likely have no problem finding people to play with for many months to come. The minor flaws that you'll experience are no more difficult to overlook than those in previous GTA games, and they're greatly outnumbered by the features that will impress and surprise you anytime you think you've already seen everything that the game has to offer. "--Review date: April 28, 2008 | Justin Calvert
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 strikes a perfect balance between new and old and renders the two previous entries in the series almost completely obsolete in the process."--Review date: October 29, 2001 | Jeff Gerstmann
Chrono Cross
"Fortunately for series fans, Chrono Trigger's dream team doesn't have a monopoly on RPG innovation. As with the first SNES title, everything in Chrono Cross "clicks" in a way most games wish they could imitate. The different parts combine into an instant RPG classic."--Review date: January 6, 2000 | Andrew Vestal
Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)
"Yes, it is a fighting game, a genre with a fairly limited scope, but insofar as fighting games go, Soul Calibur is mind-numbing perfection. Namco has taken the best and made it considerably better. The level at which the company has done so is practically unprecedented. Think state of the art. Absolutely brilliant in all aspects, as far as games of this type go, Soul Calibur is the undisputed king of the hill. It is essential in any gamer's collection."--Review date: August 9, 1999 | James Mielke
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
"In a way, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a textbook example of retro done right. It manages to combine small aspects from all the previous Zelda games, giving you the same Zelda feel but in an entirely new way. Even in its huge, fiercely 3D world, the game retains a truly classic feel. This is a sequel at its finest, expanding on previous themes and bringing plenty of new stuff to the table."--Review Date: November 23, 1998 | Jeff Gerstmann
By Anonymous on May 13, 2015 12:45 am
Project CARS doesn't have any unlockables. You don't amass a fleet of high-performance vehicles. You don't buy any new drivetrains or earn prototype engines. You can choose to work your way through a long career of tiered racing events, but even this is optional. You can just as easily start at the highest racing class, with the best cars, facing the toughest competition. Project CARS doesn't deliver a fantasy of accumulation and progress. What it does deliver is a simulation of racing as tense as it is deep. This simulation is rolled out across four modes. The Solo Race and Online modes let you build any race you'd like from the set of cars, tracks, motorsport restrictions, realism settings, and weather conditions available. While the range of vehicle types is wide, there are some notable absences: if you're desperate to drive a Ferrari, Porsche, or Honda, for instance, Project CARS isn't going to meet that need. But the cars that are available look appropriately lustrous, and learning each vehicle's intricacies offers a singular pleasure. Holding the reins of a growling Ford Mustang is wildly different from zipping around the track in a little superkart. The setting sun is gorgeous, but it can also make it tough to see. Career mode puts you in the role of a driver as he or she moves from one tier to another, signing contracts with new teams, earning new sponsorships, and going after self-chosen goals and achievements. A range of motorsports is available, with the low tiers devoted to karts, the middle tiers offering some open-wheel races and GT events, and the top tiers introducing prototype racing series. It's worth restating that this is not a mode about collecting new cars, earning money, or installing fancy new parts. Developer Slightly Mad Studios has instead built a career mode that effectively shuttles you from one race to another, with each event asking you to tackle a new challenge custom-built from the game's building blocks. The final mode is the Driver Network, which offers you the chance to compete against other players in an asynchronous time trial challenge. Everyone takes to the same track in the same car and tries to set the top time. At first, this mode was incredibly frustrating. The best players all had times that were much faster than mine, and I couldn't quite work out why. In trying to figure that out, I realized what differentiates Project CARS from its competitors: it opens up all the options from the beginning, gives you as much time as you need, and then asks you to drive, tinker, and repeat until you understand a race, not until you win it but until you understand it. I am a professional race car driver, I swear I know what I am doing.During the first few of hours of play, I didn't "get" this part of Project CARS. I'd slam on the gas down the straightaways, ease into the turns, and follow the racing line, and when my tires lost their grip and my car went spinning off toward the barricades, I'd pause the game and hit restart. Playing like this, Project CARS felt like any other realistic racing game from the past decade but a whole lot prettier (and without any of the familiar progression hooks). But then I committed to playing without restarting, and the whole experience transformed. Suddenly, I was spending time in the practice sessions before a race, learning the ins and outs of the turns, and trying to figure out how to tinker with my car's settings to adjust to the particularities of the track. And I found myself running a few more laps during the pre-race qualification because every little advantage meant that much more. Committing to the game this way brought its priorities into focus. I'd thought that the time-of-day and weather systems were superficial showcases. I assumed that the god-rays piercing through the trees and the sheets of rain in the night just existed to look pretty. But a sudden downpour halfway through a 30-minute race takes on a whole new character when you've spent the previous 45 minutes tuning your car and deciphering a track's turns. What was once a little inconvenience was now a catastrophe that needed to be managed. I started paying attention to the little weather forecast at the top of the screen before a race: "Cloudy... Hmm… Hmmmmmm." Project CARS doesn't deliver a fantasy of accumulation and progress. What it does deliver is a simulation of racing as tense as it is deep.
 So why were the folks who topped the rankings so much better than me? Not only because they were better drivers, but because they understood how to tune their cars to better fit the race's track and conditions. There are dozens of characteristics for you to learn about, adjust, and test out: change how open your radiator is, modify your gear timing, increase or reduce tire pressure, and even manage your fuel load. Each of these has some effect on your driving, and if you really hope to compete, you can't take a "one size fits all" approach. You need to learn what all of these options mean. Unfortunately, unless you already know the ins-and-outs of car tuning, this means that you'll need to seek help outside the game. The bottom of the tuning screen says that you can "...troubleshoot issues by asking your engineer," but there's not actually a way to do that in the game. Short descriptions of the tuning options give you a broad idea, but for the specifics, you'll need to turn to fan-made guides and tutorial videos. This is a problem for Project CARS because it makes approaching the game on its own terms that much harder. Even this one hurdle had me retreating to the way I played before: no tuning, no learning, just brute force and quick restarts. I finished this race with a 13 second lead. The AI is… inconsistent.It didn't help that the AI racers in the Career and Solo modes were so inconsistent. With the default difficulty setting, the other drivers varied between smartly aggressive and totally passive. Why should I spend an hour learning how to master the line at the Sonoma Raceway if I can win by a margin of 12 seconds even when I don't put in time studying the track? Couple this with a nasty bug that would randomly switch me from first to last place, and the whole experience went from meditative to monotonous. (I hit that bug four times in 15 hours of play, but even that is too many). The multiplayer modes sidestep the problem of the unpredictable AI, and it's in Online competition that Project CARS shines brightest (which makes it a shame that the North American multiplayer community is as small as it is.) Online, it all comes together: it's the last lap, and you're fighting for space against a group of 10 other real-life players. You pull ahead, and suddenly you're neck and neck for first place going into the final straightaway. You notice it before your rival does: his car just isn't keeping up with yours. After the race is over and everyone is congratulating everyone else on a good race, your rival says something like, "Man, I don't know what happened there. It was like my car just gave out on me." And you can't be sure, but you think that you know it's because of how much fuel was left in the tank. You'd tested that during the practice session, and that work paid off. Not the most useful camera angle, but boy is it pretty. That's Project CARS at its best. No experience points. No parts to buy. No cars to add to your collection. The audacious decision to offer everything up front informs the rest of Project CARS's design, making it distinct (and sometimes frustrating). Other games in the genre work like Skinner boxes, offering rewards according to a special schedule designed to keep you hooked. These games offer the fantasy of plodding, constant accumulation or low-stakes (if high-speed) action. Project CARS offers a different fantasy, one that's a little less attractive and a bit harder to enjoy: the fantasy of learning how to do something difficult.
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