Valve has introduced a new refund policy for Steam that allows you to return games and DLC within two weeks of purchase, provided you haven't played the content in question for more than two hours.
With seemingly no fanfare, the new refund policy went into effect today. The latest Steam client update notes its new integration with Steam refunds and the Steam support site, and a new page devoted to refunds has gone live.
In short, you can return most anything within 14 days of purchase for a full refund. The key restriction is that you can't have played the game for more than two hours. In the case of DLC, you can't have played the base game for more than two hours since buying the DLC. You also can't have consumed or transferred the content in question.
Refunds, which can be requested through Steam's website, will be issued within one week of approval. There's no specific reason you'll need to qualify; whether you don't like the game, it goes on sale just after buying it, or it simply doesn't run properly on your computer, you'll be able to get a refund. If, for whatever reason, there's an issue refunding your original payment method, the money will be added to your Steam Wallet.
This applies to pre-purchased games as well. At any point prior to release, you can request a refund. After its release, the 14 days/two hours rule applies, though it's unclear how Valve will handle cases where you receive bonus content (say, Team Fortress 2 items) for preordering a game.
In-game purchases work differently. As long as you haven't "consumed, modified, or transferred" the content, you can request a refund on in-game purchases made in Valve's games within 48 hours of purchase. (That means things like level boosters are non-refundable.) Third-party developers will be able to enable refunds if they want to, but whatever they choose, you'll be able to tell what is and isn't refundable before buying it.
There are some other restrictions of note. Movies can't be refunded, nor can gifts that have been redeemed by the recipient. Additionally, if you are VAC banned from a game, you'll be ineligible to request a refund on it. Valve also offered a disclaimer regarding the use of refunds.
"Refunds are designed to remove the risk from purchasing titles on Steam--not as a way to get free games," the website states. "If it appears to us that you are abusing refunds, we may stop offering them to you. We do not consider it abuse to request a refund on a title that was purchased just before a sale and then immediately rebuying that title for the sale price."
Previously, Valve had pushed back against laws requiring it to offer refunds in Europe, asking users to waive their rights upon purchase. This new refund policy seems like a major--and very welcome--step forward.
The patch fixes a number of issues, such as Weekly Heroic strikes not awarding engrams, Trials of Osiris emblems not being sent to your mailbox if your inventory was full, and fusion rifles working as they did prior to the balance changes made in the 1.1.1 update.
Other changes deal with treasure keys, which should now become less rare. You're guaranteed one after completing your first Wanted Fallen bounty of the week, and the drop rate for keys has been increased in small chests at the end of the Prison of Elders, as well as in ether chests.
Destiny briefly went offline earlier today as the 1.2.0.2 update rolled out. The game's servers are now back online, and these changes should all be in place.
Read on for the full list of patch notes. For more on Destiny, check out some of the trademarks recently registered by Bungie, which may potentially point to future Destiny content.
Destiny 1.2.0.2 patch notes:
Key Highlights
The first Wanted Fallen Bounty completed each week is now guaranteed to drop a Treasure Key
Greatly increased the drop rate of Treasure Keys from the small chests at the end of the Prison of Elders
Increased the drop rate of Treasure Keys from Ether Chests
Prison of Elders
Greatly increased the drop rate of Treasure Keys from the small chests
Class Items will now drop from Level 32, Level 34, and Level 35
Fixed a bug in which the Ship (Hildian Seeker) did not drop under certain circumstances
Fixed a bug in which the 'Elder Cipher' Bounty could not be acquired if your Bounty inventory was full
You will need to defeat Skolas again to receive the 'Elder Cipher' Bounty
Damage caused by Qodron's Gaze is reduced by 25%
Damage multiplier for the Jailbreaker buff increased by 100%
Trials of Osiris
Fixed an issue in which Trials of Osiris emblems were not sent to the Postmaster if your Emblem inventory was full
Passage Coins can now be dismantled
Weekly Heroics
Fixed an issue where the Weekly Heroic strikes did not award engrams (Note: Tooltip will not display them as rewards)
World
Increased the drop rate of Treasure Keys from Ether Chests
Ether Chests may only be looted once per spawn
Ether Chests will no longer grant ammo consumables when opened
Ether Chests will now grant a small amount of Queen's Wrath reputation when opened
Ether Chests now have a chance to drop Tokens of Flight, Identity, and Judgment
Quests
Petra will no longer display a quest waypoint for players who have not purchased House of Wolves
Fixed a bug in which players abandoning the 'Gone to Ground' quest were still being directed to the Venus Patrol
Bounties
The first Wanted Fallen Bounty completed each week is now guaranteed to drop a Treasure Key
Weapons
Fixed a bug in which the 1.2.0.1 hotfix mistakenly did not contain the 1.1.1 Fusion Rifle balance changes. As a result, players were playing with its pre-1.1.1 weapon balance state. The original fix has been reapplied.
Items
Tokens of Flight, Identity, and Judgment can now be dismantled to gain +10 House of Judgement reputation each
Even if it was just an online poll, being voted the "worst company in America" in 2012 and again in 2013 was something Electronic Arts had major problems with and took serious steps to correct. Executive editor Ian Sherr of GameSpot sister site CNET dives deep into the subject as part of a wide-ranging feature published today that offers an inside look into how EA got there, and how the company hopes to change in the future.
The story starts off with EA interim CEO Larry Probst's reaction when he found out his company received the ugly honor a second time. "It was a hideous thing," he said. One person speaking to CNET about that day said Probst "hit the roof."
Now, a year and a half later, Probst--who was brought on as interim CEO after John Riccitiello quit in March 2013--recalled what he told his senior staff at the time.
"The message I tried to deliver was, 'This will not happen again,'" Probst said. "'As long as I draw breath, this will not happen again.'"
Probst brought together a team of EA executives (he referred to it as a "rehabilitation group") for an important meeting in April 2013. Their directive was to systematically develop a set of policies regarding what EA could do differently to better address the concerns and desires of gamers.
In September 2013, Andrew Wilson was named the new EA CEO. Five months later, in February 2014, he assembled 146 of EA's top executives at the company's headquarters for a non-traditional meeting. The group came together for one purpose: to try to better understand why some customers were so upset with EA.
Sherr writes: "The group was led to the basketball court, which had been temporarily remade into a conference space with stations of computers and telephone lines. For hours, executives went through the steps of installing, troubleshooting, and playing the company's games. They also listened in on customer service calls so they could hear firsthand players' frustrations."
Wilson admitted that EA didn't always do a great job of thinking about what its business decisions meant "in the context of the player experience."
Despite the fact that Super Smash Bros. boils down to various Nintendo (and some non-Nintendo) mascots beating each other up, the series has never felt particularly dark or brutal. Cut in some footage of Mortal Kombat's X-ray attacks, however, and things quickly change.
The new video above, entitled Super Smash Bros x Mortal Kombat, comes from YouTube user Sterling. It takes footage of Super Smash Bros. and cuts it in short clips of Mortal Kombat X-ray attacks, which provide a graphic view of characters' bones being crushed, stabbed, broken, and so on. It's made all the better (or more unsettling, depending upon your perspective) that the choice of X-ray clips line up so well with the Smash Bros. attacks.
The video's already gotten a strong response, and Sterling has said he'll be creating a sequel. He's also taking suggestions--what would you like to see next?
Every week Activsion has been revealing a few new tracks for the upcoming guitar game revival Guitar Hero Live, and this week we learned those songs a little early.
Queen -- "Tie Your Mother Down"
Alice In Chains -- "Stone"
Bullet For My Valentine -- "Temper Temper"
Deap Vally -- "Lies"
Wolfmother -- "Sundial"
Weezer -- "Buddy Holly"
Angus & Julia Stone -- "A Heartbreak"
Catfish and the Bottlemen -- "Kathleen"
Neon Trees -- "Everybody Talks"
New Politics -- "Harlem"
These tracks join the 47 songs previously revealed below. Note that the tracks revealed so far will be either a part of the main campaign or accessible through the free Guitar Hero TV mode.
E3 is fast approaching, when we expect to hear even more information about the game including exactly how Guitar Hero TV will work. But stay tuned later this week when we'll have a Q&A with the developers and updated impressions of the game and guitar so far.
In the meantime, check out this gallery of images of the new Guitar Hero guitar hardware.
The Batman: Arkham Knight trailers are coming in thick and fast in the lead up to its release. The latest, which you can watch below, features Harley Quinn.
The trailer shows Harley, armed with her trusty baseball bat, tearing through a wave of Gotham City police officers. She even uses some of her tricksy traps for a little more explosive action.
Harley Quinn is playable in a story mission that is exclusively available to those that pre-order.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment recently showed off the Gotham's Future skin pack, which has been announced only for the PC edition of Arkham Knight and features the Batman Beyond costume.
Ubisoft has said it will announce multiple new games at E3 2015 and confirmed comedian and actress Aisha Tyler will once again be hosting its press conference.
"E3 is always a very special moment for the entire gaming community because we all come together to share our visions for the future of entertainment and reveal the games into which we've been pouring our energy and passion," said co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft, Yves Guillemot.
"We love being a part of this great community, and our talented teams continue to take risks, push boundaries and offer more freedom, and choice within our games so that we can create long-lasting, enriching experiences for the players."
Ubisoft also released a teaser for its E3 press conference. Watch it below.
Ubisoft has confirmed its E3 media briefing will take place on June 15, starting at 3 PM PDT.
During a recent earnings call Ubisoft teased a AAA game that will not be announced at E3. Although it did not provide specifics about the mysterious game, the publisher said it will be available sometime in the company's current fiscal year, which means it should be released before April 2016.
The creativity of the Grand Theft Auto VPC modding community continues to impress.
This week in our regular video feature, we take a look at mods inspired by Batman and the grappling hook from Just Cause 2. Watch as we tear up the streets as the Caped Crusader in a custom Batmobile of sorts, with GameSpot editor Rob Handlery doing a dynamite impression of the iconic character.
See below for links to all of the mods featured in the video. But as we recently learned, certain mods reportedly include malware. As always, you should be careful about downloading and installing mods.
Infinite Crisis, the DC Comics free-to-play PC MOBA from Warner Bros., will officially shut down this summer. Boston-based developer Turbine announced the news today on the game's Steam page.
"After much deliberation, we regret to announce the official shutdown of Infinite Crisis," the studio said.
Development on the game ends immediately, while the service overall will close on August 14. Between now and then, you can continue to play the game.
"This was an extremely difficult decision to make," Turbine added. "On behalf of the entire Infinite Crisis team we want to thank all of you for your feedback, support, and for joining together to create one of the best communities in gaming."
Turbine did not say if it will issue refunds for people with a credit balance on their account. People with questions about the closure of Infinite Crisis can reach Turbine's support staff here.
It is unclear what impact the forthcoming shutdown of Infinite Crisis will have on Turbine staffing levels. We've followed up with the company to find out.
After an extended beta period, Infinite Crisis saw its full release at the end of March 2015.
Bandai Namco will announce Dark Souls 3 at E3 2015, according to an unconfirmed rumour reported by VG247.
The site goes on to say with series mastermind Hidetaka Miyazaki, who designed and directed Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and PS4 exclusive Bloodborne, is returning for the sequel.
Miyazaki served in a supervisory capacity on Dark Souls 2, with Yui Tanimura and Tomohiro Shibuya co-directing the game.
It's important to note that, as of yet, this game has not been officially confirmed by Bandai Namco or From Software.
In May, Sony Computer Entertainment's World Wide Studios' Shuhei Yoshida confirmed a Bloodborne DLC expansion pack is in development, and more details are going to be revealed "later this year."
It is unclear whether Miyazaki, who directed Bloodborne, will also be involved with its expansion. Or if, as the rumour suggests, he has moved on to a new project.
[UPDATE] The website Fallout4.com has now gone live, redirecting to the teaser page.
The original story is below.
Bethesda will make some kind of Fallout-related announcement tomorrow, the publisher announced today through a teaser website. A clock on the page is counting down to 7 AM PDT / 10 AM EDT on June 3.
A line from the website's source contains a reference to Fallout 3's Masterbrain:
"PA system failure has occurred. Shutdown of the Masterbrain has been authorized and all sensitive materials have been removed for security purposes," reads the line. "Please attempt re-access. Have a pleasant day."
Fallout 4, which is reportedly set in and around Boston, has been rumored for years. The word "Institute," supposedly the game's codename, is also referenced in the teaser page's source code.
Bethesda will hold its first-ever E3 briefing later this month in Los Angeles. The show is set for the evening of Sunday, June 14. GameSpot will bring you all the news from the event as it's announced.
Video game retailer GameStop announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Geeknet, the parent company of tech-focused online retailer Think Geek. GameStop will acquire all of Geeknet's outstanding stock (yes, they are a publicly traded company) for $20 per share, meaning the deal is worth an estimated $140 million.
Geeknet was previously in merger discussions with Hot Topic, but those talks have been terminated.
"Following discussion with both GameStop and Hot Topic, the Board of Directors of Geeknet determined that the GameStop transaction represented a superior proposal," GameStop said in a statement. "Geeknet will pay Hot Topic a termination fee pursuant to the Hot Topic agreement, for which GameStop has agreed to reimburse Geeknet."
GameStop CEO Paul Raines offered his own statement on the acquisition, explaining why he thinks it was a smart move that will help GameStop grow its brand.
"This acquisition creates value to all stakeholders involved," he said. "The addition of Geeknet is an important expansion of our global multichannel platform and we are excited to leverage their product development expertise to broaden our product offering in the fast-growing collectibles category and deepen relationships with our existing customer base."
Geeknet's CEO Kathryn McCarthy said, "As a part of GameStop's family of brands, Geeknet will be well-positioned to achieve our goals of increasing our brand awareness and expanding our product offerings."
GameStop added that it expects to see a boost of about $100 million-plus in annual net sales as a result of the buyout. The retailer already sells a lot of game-themed merchandise, making this really an extension--albeit a major one--of what the company already does itself.
Think Geek's video game-themed April Fools' Day prank this year was really, really good.
Video game rental company GameFly is making major moves.
The company on Tuesday announced GameFly Streaming--a cloud-powered, Netflix-style subscription program for games. GameFly also revealed today that it had acquired streaming service Playcast, whose technology will power GameFly Streaming.
According to The Verge, GameFly's new streaming program offers bundles of games for a fixed price, which starts at $7/month. There are six bundles currently available, each containing seven games focused around a particular theme.
One bundle offers LEGO games, while another comes with adventure games such as Darksiders II and Batman Arkham titles.
GameFly Streaming also offers a pricier "gamer pack" that comes with 16 games for $10/month.
The one major catch is that GameFly Streaming is available only for Amazon Fire TV, which costs $100. All games are compatible with the $40 Amazon Fire TV controller. Games are streamed from a PC to the device.
"Definitely not today. That's all I can say for now," community lead Marcin Momot said on Twitter to a fan who asked when the patch would be deployed.
He went on to say the patch should be released "very soon," explaining that it's taking a little while due to the scope of the changes and fixes that it will include.
"This patch is very large (lots of changes/fixes)," he said. "We are hoping to release it very soon."
The forthcoming Witcher 3 patch is called 1.05 for PC and 1.04 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Some of the most-requested changes and fixes are listed below, but be aware that the final changelog has not been published yet.
When the patch is ready, it will presumably be released on PC first before coming to consoles later. This has been true for all Witcher 3 patches released so far.
Witcher 3 1.04/1.05
Geralt will no longer interact with candles near chests and other interactive element
General stability and performance improvements
Significantly Enlarged GUI and HUD elements (including fonts) on consoles and slightly on PC.
Improved camera smoothness
Performance improvements during some cutscenes
Fixed case where game was crashing on loading a save in certain situations
Various bug fixes and user experience improvements in GUI panels.
Fixed issue where some players were unable to run after Wandering in the Dark quest
Fixed issue where players were unable to talk to Eight after the Lord of Undvik quest
Too many wild hunt minions were spawned during Ciri's Story: Fleeing the Bog quest.
Fixed issue where Keira could sometimes fall under terrain during Wandering in the Dark quest
Fixed issue where Player was unable to move freely during Blindingly Obvious quest
Fixed issue where Player was unable to activate portal during Wandering in the Dark quest
Fixed issue where Player could get trapped in Turseach castle ruins
Fixed issue where Roche was not present at Hanged Man's tree during Eye for an Eye quest
Fixed issue where Player was unable to talk or interact with certain NPCs
Fixed issue where Sirens in quest Lord of Undvik could be invulnerable
Fixed issue where player was unable to use certain actions after Carnal Sins quest
Fixed issue where Geralt was sometimes unable to mount Roach
Fixed issue where some players where experiencing infinite loading screen during King's Gambit quest.
Fixed issue where Simun was not properly spawned in An Unpaid Debt quest
Fixed issue where player might have had a progression break after choosing certain dialogue option when talking to Dijkstra in Count Reuven's Treasure quest
The Pyres of Novigrad quest is of course going to be fixed as well as the XP glitch
[UPDATE] The Kickstarter campaign for The Bard's Tale IV has now gone live. inXile is looking to raise $1.25 million to make the project a reality. inXile also plans to invest $1.25 million of its own money for the project.
If it works out, it would be inXile's third successful multi-million dollar crowdfunding campaign, following Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera. Check out the Kickstarter page here. A new video is also available.
The original story is below.
Wasteland 2 developer inXile Entertainment has announced a special offer for early supporters of the studio's upcoming crowdfunding campaign for The Bard's Tale IV. Anyone who backs the game's Kickstarter campaign with $20 or more during its first 24 hours will get a free game--and the options are pretty great.
Your choices are PC copies of inXile's Wasteland 2 or CD Projekt Red's The Witcher or The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. The free game will be delivered at the end of The Bard's Tale IV's crowdfunding drive in July. Wasteland 2 can be redeemed on either Steam or GOG, while The Witcher and The Witcher 2 can only be redeemed on GOG, which CD Projekt Red owns and operates.
The Kickstarter campaign for The Bard's Tale IV will open tomorrow, June 2, starting at 6 AM PDT / 9 AM EDT. June 2 marks the 30th anniversary of the original game's release in June 1985.
"This is our way to show our gratitude to those who continue to support us," inXile CEO Brian Fargo said in a statement. "We're also very happy to be working with our friends at CD Projekt, who have shown they understand the right way to treat your fans."
The Bard's Tale IV was announced earlier this year, and we learned more about some of its new features last month. The most recently released game in the series is 2004's The Bard's Tale, also developed by InXile. The Bard's Tale IV, however, is positioned as a sequel to The Bard's Tale III, released all the way back in 1988.
inXile is looking to go three-for-three on Kickstarter, as the studio previously successfully raised millions of dollars for Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera, which is still in development.
Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne has joined Warner Bros. Pictures' upcoming Harry Potter spinoff, the film production company announced this week.
Redmayne, who won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, will play Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Scamander, a character created by J.K. Rowling, is a "magizoologist." He traveled the world and documented his findings in the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them. His adventure will be the basis for the upcoming movie, set 70 years before the events of Harry Potter.
"Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of today's most extraordinarily talented and acclaimed actors," Warner Bros. creative development president Greg Silverman said in a statement. "We are thrilled to welcome him into J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, where we know he will deliver a remarkable performance as Newt Scamander, the central character in 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.'"
Rowling is writing the script for the movie, marking her screenwriting debut.
Directing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is David Yates. He directed the most recent Harry Potter movies, and says of Redmayne, "Eddie is a fearless actor, brimming with invention, wit, and humanity."
Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them will open in theaters on November 18, 2016. When the movie was originally announced in September 2013, Warner Bros. also said game adaptations were in the works. However, no games based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them have been announced so far.
Video games based on the popular Harry Potter films were developed and published by Electronic Arts. It is unclear if Warner Bros. will develop the new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them games internally through its Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment label or license them out.
Following yesterday's surprise announcement and release of Lego Worlds, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on Tuesday shared new information about its upcoming Skylanders-style toys-to-life game, Lego Dimensions. As rumored, the following franchises have now been confirmed to appear in the game.
The Simpsons
Doctor Who
Ghostbusters
Portal
Jurassic World
Midway Arcade
Lego Chima
Scooby-Doo!
Previously announced franchises include DC Comics, The Lord of the Rings, The Lego Movie, The Wizard of Oz, Lego Ninjago, and Back to the Future. Today's confirmed IP bring the total number of brands for Lego Dimensions to fourteen.
When Lego Dimensions launches in September for basically every platform out there, players will be able to buy Fun Packs ($15), Team Packs ($25), and Level Packs ($30) based on these franchises. The game itself is available through the $100 Starter Pack, which comes with everything you need to get started.
Warner Bros. has also published a new trailer for Lego Dimensions that demonstrates the transforming power of the physical Lego bricks. Each physical Lego Dimension toy can be built then rebuilt twice, meaning one toy actually represents three.
"For example, the Lego vehicle bricks that come in the Starter Pack can be used to build the Lego Batmobile that enables players to activate accelerator switches," Warner Bros. says. "The Batmobile can be rebuilt and transformed into the Lego Batblaster which adds Sonar Smash, a sonar gun that has the ability to break Lego sonar bricks. The vehicle can then be rebuilt again as the Lego Sonic Batray which adds a special attack in the form of a missile barrage."
"Players can fuse an upgraded vehicle to the Lego Toy Tag, enabling them to take it and any new abilities with them to a friend's game or wherever they'd like to play," the company added. "Players can do this with every vehicle and every gadget from every pack."
If there's one thing kids don't care about when they're in the midst of play, it's intellectual property rights. In play, characters and worlds mash together seamlessly, fuelled purely by a child's imagination and unfettered by such mundane things as trademark (no, son, you can't say the Batmobile is powered by a captured Pikachu. Just because). Which is why LEGO Dimensions (Warner Bros. Interactive's and TT Games' take on the huge toys-to-life genre populated by the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity) and its mash-up of some wildly popular properties feels so, well, amazing. Ever wanted to try and hit 88 miles per hour in Back to the Future's DeLorean along the yellow brick road? Or see how Batman deals with those pesky kids from Scooby Doo? LEGO Dimensions is promising to let you do just that and more with a whole raft of different worlds, and it could come very close to nailing that elusive and pure feeling of play that we all engaged in as kids.
LEGO Dimensions promises no restrictions on which levels you can use its many different characters and vehicles with. Of course, other similar games already let you mix and match characters from different IPs together: Disney Infinity allows play with any character in its sandbox mode, but cross-IP play in its playsets are a no-no (so no Marvel characters in The Pirates of the Caribbean playset, for example). But LEGO Dimensions seems to revel in the freedom to allow players to mix to their heart's content. Previous trailers for LEGO Dimensions already showcased the fictional worlds of The Lord of the Rings, DC Comics, Back to the Future, and the recent LEGO Movie being mashed together, but a whole raft of other properties were officially confirmed today. These new ones include The Simpsons, Portal, Scooby Doo, Ghostbusters, Midway games, Doctor Who, Jurassic World, and The Wizard of Oz (for the much younger set, current LEGO favorites Ninjago and Chima were also confirmed).
I recently played two brief levels from LEGO Dimensions, and in tone, it's remarkably similar to last year's The LEGO Movie, which cheerfully threw together a vast array of characters from different licenses into one joyful melange. In the Dimensions world of The Wizard of Oz, for example, Batman ran across Dorothy and the gang, leading Batman to assume the entire bright, shiny world of Oz was actually a hallucination created by Scarecrow. The gameplay was typical of the LEGO games so far--controls were simple, and each character had moves unique to them, forcing you to switch around depending on the task at hand. In an attack by the Wicked Witch of the East a little further down the yellow brick road, for example, I had to switch to Gandalf in order to use his long-range spells to hit the broomstick-riding Witch.
Given the fun and irreverent nature of what I saw with LEGO Dimensions, it's little surprise to find, then, that one of the producers for The LEGO Movie was developer TT Games' founder and creative director Jon Burton. Burton says the success of the movie was critical in showing different license holders that a mix of worlds with the LEGO universe would work.
"We've been making games based on licenses since 1993, and have made two Sonic games, two Crash Bandicoot games, Toy Story 1 & 2, as well as all of our LEGO games, so license holders can see how carefully we treat license. Most of our LEGO games are popularly seen as love-letters to the IP they are based on, which I think gave license holders some comfort. We understand and love each license we work on, and it shows in the games. The biggest hurdle was getting different license holders to agree to have a mix of licenses in the one game. The LEGO Movie introduced cameos of different licenses into a consistent LEGO world, which certainly paved the way and opened a few doors," Burton said.
It's not just within the game that LEGO Dimensions is trying to instil a greater sense of play. The actual figures you'll use in Dimensions are honest-to-goodness LEGO figures, in that you'll have to put them together yourself and attach to its specific disc (which holds the figure-specific information for the game to recognise). Even the game's "portal" is a LEGO set you'll need to build. In the game's starter pack alone (which includes the toypad, Batman, Gandalf, Wyldstyle, and the Batmobile), there are more than 100 LEGO pieces.
Breaking apart and creating new objects with the LEGO you have is even built into the game itself. The Batmobile, for example, has three different "forms" it can take, and Dimensions includes in-game instructions (in the form of replica LEGO instruction pamphlets) to help you rebuild.
Unfortunately, the game won't let you build just anything and have it appear in game, but having a very tactile, building element to deal with lends LEGO Dimensions an appeal its competitors don't have. It's another way Dimension seemingly wants to tap into that sense of being a child again, to recreate the days when we all would play with LEGO and create insane narratives in our minds using our favorite characters.
For TT Games' Burton, that aspect of emulating how children play was the key feeling he wanted LEGO Dimensions to bring to its players. "The LEGO Movie introduced cameos of different licenses into a consistent LEGO world, which certainly paved the way and opened a few doors. We explained (to license holders) how we were digitally recreating the way kids play with LEGO sets, and if they owned a Lord of the Rings set and a Batman set no one could stop them combining the two in the real world, so why stop them in the digital world," Burton said.
As it is wont to do, Square Enix has designed a limited colour Batman: Arkham Knight figure as part of its Play Arts Kai line.
According to Square Enix's store listing the figure, which you can see in the screenshot gallery below, is designed to "match the beautiful and highly detailed game graphics."
"We placed heavy emphasis on bringing out the fine details and mechanical look when creating the sculpt, resulting in a finish that gives the realistic impression of a human being, Bruce Wayne, wearing the suit."
Talking about the figures paintwork, the listing points out the metallic sheen effect, as well as the finer details such as the scuff marks and weathering that provide the battle-worn effect.
The coloured version of the Batman Arkham Knights Play Arts Kai figure is a San Diego Comic-Con 2015 exclusive. Unlike on other versions of the figure, its creators have "highlighted the fine details with metallic paintwork in bright blue and gold."
It also has a cape that "more realistically replicates the movement of cloth," interchangeable hands with different textures, and the ability to add weapon pieces when posing.
The figure will be sold for $99.99, with a max order quantity of three. If you've got money burning a hole in your pocket and are planning on grabbing this, please note that SDCC exclusive pre-orders at the Square Enix online store are shipped to the address and cannot be picked up at SDCC.
We're not too sure about the blue and gold. What do you think of the figure? Let us know in the comments below.
Click image to view in full screen
You may know Square Enix as that Japanese company behind role-playing games with an abundance of zippers and spikey hair, but it also has rather large prolific merchandising division producing high-quality figures, many of which are redesigned versions of popular fictional characters.
If you haven't seen them already we recommend checking out the following redesigns:
Nintendo has said there is "no truth" to reports that its next console, codenamed the Nintendo NX, will run on Android.
On Monday it was widely reported that Nintendo was planning to adopt Google's Android platform as its operating system.
Sourcing a reputable Japanese newspaper, the reasoning was that Nintendo wanted to create a friendlier, familiar development environment for game creators.
Speaking to Wall Street Journal, a Nintendo spokesperson said this was not the case.
"There is no truth to the report saying that we are planning to adopt Android for NX," said the unnamed spokesperson.
Beyond its announcement, Nintendo hasn't provided any information on the NX and, according to CEO Satoru Iwata, the company will not reveal the Nintendo NX until 2016. An E3 2015 reveal has been ruled out.
At the time, Iwata simply said that the hardware project represents a "brand-new concept", but didn't explain what the new concept would entail.
"As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename 'NX'," Iwata explained at the press conference.
"It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year."
"Since we understand that E3 is an event for dedicated video game machines, we do not intend to discuss the smart devices as well as quality of life," said Iwata.
New DLC for the game is available today on Xbox 360 and Xbox One in the form of the Supremacy add-on. The expansion introduces four new multiplayer maps that take players to places like London, Athens, Moscow, and the Colorado Mountains. See below for a complete rundown of the new maps.
Supremacy also features the Exo Grapple gameplay mechanic that first appeared in the Ascendance DLC.
Also included in Supremacy is the next episode of the Exo Zombies mode, called Carrier. Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Burn Notice) joins the cast, which already featured a star-studded lineup. The mode's four characters are stuck on an Atlas aircraft carrier during this episode, which features new weapons and enemies.
Supremacy will be released on other platforms at a future date. It costs $15 on its own, or can be purchased part of the $50 season pass. Supremacy will be followed at some point in the future by Advanced Warfare's final expansion, Reckoning.
Activision's descriptions of the new multiplayer maps for Supremacy follow:
Parliament: Docked on the River Thames, this military cargo ship delivers a view of the London cityscape along with a fast-paced combat experience. Mixed sight lines provide opportunities for all styles of play to dominate this medium-sized map. Players can take control of the map-based scorestreak to unleash a barrage of missiles that annihilate enemies.
Kremlin: Gamers must prepare for intense combat outside Russia's presidential palace in the new map Kremlin, as they navigate the worn-torn buildings of Red Square in this medium-sized, three-lane map. Secure elevated positions to give the team a strategic advantage, or use exoskeleton capabilities to avoid being caught in the minefield that activates mid-match.
Compound: Players take combat preparation to the limit in an Atlas training facility hidden away in the Colorado wilderness, as they'll have to be quick on the trigger in this small, symmetrical map, which funnels high-speed combat through tight corners to the main tower structures.
Skyrise: Players deploy to an Atlas Skyscraper overlooking the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Based on the fan-favorite, Highrise, from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 by Infinity Ward, this map brings new exoskeleton mechanics to the classic multiplayer layout. Gamers must dominate the power positions in the center of this small-to-medium sized map to control the key navigation points.
No new Dragon Age: Inquisition story DLC has been announced. But BioWare continuing to support the commercially successful game wouldn't be a very surprising development.
One character who will not show up in whatever story DLC is in the works for Dragon Age: Inquisition is the Hero of Ferelden from Dragon Age: Origins.
"I've already said that the Hero of Ferelden will not be appearing. Sorry!" Laidlaw explained. "I do not feel the HOF would work well as an NPC."
Finally, Laidlaw also offered this interesting tweet about some kind of recent development at BioWare.
The past three days have been filled with that weird intensity that makes game dev kind of addictive. It’s a rush when things come together.
The deals listed below, divided between Xbox One and Xbox 360, are good through June 8 and require an Xbox Live Gold subscription unless otherwise noted.
Subscription-based video streaming service Netflix has started testing adverts in select markets.
Some Netflix subscribers have reported seeing teasers for the company's original programming content such as Orange Is the New Black and House of Cards. A similar strategy is used by HBO, which promotes shows it produces to its own viewers.
Netflix is not currently selling advertising space to third-parties and, speaking to Vice, a company spokesperson said it "[does] not and will not be adding third-party ads."
The spokesperson continued on to indicate the adverts are an experiment that may not be pushed out to all members.
"We are running a test to show some of our original programming," the unnamed spokesperson said. "As with any Netflix product test, this may never come to all our members."
"As of now, I have nothing new to share with you in regard to the use of our IPs for any TV shows or films, but I can at least confirm that the article in question is not based on correct information," said company president Satoru Iwata.
PlayStation Now is a subscription-based service that allows users to stream games on to a variety of devices including the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, as well as select Sony TVs, Blu-Ray players and - soon - PlayStation Vita and PS TV.
According to Jack Buser, Sony's senior director of PlayStation Now, the library of titles available to subscribes has reached "more than 125 titles."
In GameSpot's PlayStation Now review our reviewer said the service appealed for renting games and, provided Sony made some performance and feature improvements, it could be "a major step forward."
"While I won't be subscribing to PlayStation Now on a long term basis, I do plan on using the rental service," he said. "There are simply too many great games there that I haven't played, and in my case, there's no room for the PlayStation 3 near my TV.
"The convenience of streaming, which also negates nasty blu-ray-to-hard-drive installation times, provides instant gratification at mostly reasonable prices. For the moment, PlayStation Now is a solid addition to PlayStation 4. If it can resolve its network stability issues, resurrect older PlayStation libraries, and perhaps integrate a version of the service into PlayStation Plus, Sony could take a major step forward that Microsoft and Nintendo would find hard to match."
Although publisher 505 Games is yet to announce a re-release of the game for current generation of consoles, Twitter user Lifelower noticed a listing for it on a German classification board.
Brother: A Tale of Two Sons was originally released digitally for Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and PC. The game gives players control of two brothers, with each one mapped to the two thumbsticks on a controller.
The duo embark on a journey to get water from the Tree of Life and save their sick father. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons received critical acclaim for its emotionally-charged narrative, exhilarating platforming, and challenging puzzle design.
"Sure, the puzzles are suitably challenging and mighty clever in places, and the imposing environments are beautifully realised, but it's all there to build those emotional ties, and create moments that hit you right in the pit of your stomach," said our reviewer.
"Brevity is the only real misstep here, and you can't help but feel that with a little more time to build up the characters those emotional highs would have an even greater impact. But it's not enough to detract from what is a great achievement: an ambitious, emotionally affecting adventure that's short, but oh so sweet."
As Red Hood, players will access to his arsenal of weapons, which include firearms and a grappling hook, along with his trusty fists, knees, and elbows.
GameSpot recently got hands-on with the game, to see more of the game and hear what we thought of combat, the Batmobile, Riddler's role and more, watch our Batman: Arkham Knight gameplay analysis.
You can also check out a selection of high-quality screenshots below.
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has certified two new PlayStation 4 models, indicating Sony is planning to release new SKUs for its current home console.
More specifically, it seems there will be two variants of the same model, with the most obvious difference between them being the size of the hard drive
According to the FCC certificate, spotted by DualShockers, model CUH-1215A will feature a 500 gigabyte capacity, which is the same as current PS4 models. Model CUH-1215B, however, will feature a one terabyte hard drive.
Given how similar the new model numbers are to those of the existing PS4s, it is unlikely that the new models will be drastically different.
The second notable change is that the new models generate 230 watts of power, as opposed to the 250 watts of the original. Amperage has also changed from 2.3-9.95 A to 2.5.1.15 A.
Finally, the new models weigh 2.5 kilograms, instead of 2.8 kilograms.
Sony has made it easy for PS4 owners to swap in new hard drives, and the console even supports solid state drives. For those interested in upgrading the memory capacity on their current consoles, check out our guide to upgrading PS4 hard drives.
Is it your dream to go to the biggest gaming event in the world, E3? Thanks to Samsung Galaxy S6, GameSpot AU is giving one lucky reader the chance of a lifetime to attend this year's expo and win a Samsung Galaxy S6 phone!
Entrants were asked to put together a video to answer this question: NEXT is NOW with the Samsung Galaxy S6. What do you think is NEXT for the future generation of gamers? Look into your crystal ball and tell us in your video!
GameSpot AU has chosen our three favourite videos based on their creativity, and it's up to you to vote for your favourite! The video which has the most votes when the competition closes will be chosen as the winner and sent to this year's E3!
The armor set and Nilfgaardian crossbow can be purchased from the Barons Quartermaster in No Man's Land.
The Skellige crossbow can be bought from Skellige Kaer Trolde Castle Blackmsmith
The Elven crossbow can be purchased from the Novigrad Fancy Shop Owner.
Check out the new content in action below.
CD Projekt Red plans to release sixteen free DLC packs for The Witcher 3 in total. The first two, The Temerian Armor Set (for the horse) and the Beard and Hairstyle Set (for Geralt), were released when the game launched on May 19. The second batch arrived last week.
The remaining ten will be released weekly throughout June and July. CD Projekt Red plans to release multiple paid expansions for The Witcher 3. The first of these, Hearts of Stone, will launch in October.
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