Disney Interactive on Wednesday announced the release date for its upcoming toys-to-life game Disney Infinity 3.0, the latest installment in the popular franchise. The game, which includes Star Wars characters in its Starter Pack, will debut in North America on August 30 for consoles, PC, and mobile.
The new Starter Pack, which will sell for $65, comes with the Star Wars Twlight of the Republic Play Set, the Disney Infinity 3.0 Base, Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker figures, and a code that unlocks even more content for PC and mobile. Take a look at the box art below.
Something also to remember is that all previously released Disney Infinity figures for past games are compatible with Disney Infinity 3.0 and the new Toy Box.
The following play sets and more, with descriptions courtesy of Disney, will also be available at launch:
Star WarsTwilight of the Republic Play Set (Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures included) for players who choose to digitally download the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition software; additional standalone figures (Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Power Disc Pack
Star Wars Rebelsfigures (Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Zeb Orrelios)
Star Wars Saga Starter Pack
Disney Pixar's Inside Out Play Set (Joy and Anger figures included) and additional standalone figures (Sadness, Disgust, and Fear)
Disney figures (Mickey, Minnie, Mulan, Olaf, Sam Flynn, and Quorra)
Tomorrowland Power Disc Pack
In addition, Disney said even more play sets and figures will be made available in the fall.
Disney has also announced that everyone who preorders Disney Infinity 3.0 at retail will receive an early copy of Toy Box Takeover, an expansion to the Toy Box mode, for free. This multiplayer mode lets players combine the game's various characters, including those from Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, and Pixar.
What's more, Disney announced that another Toy Box expansion game, Toy Box Speedway, will launch this fall. This is a kart-racing game that players can unlock inside of Disney Infinity 3.0.
Disney Infinity 3.0 and its new Base are required to play the expansion games.
Toy Box Takeover and Toy Box Speedway will also be sold separately for $20 each this fall. For a closer look at Disney Infinity 3.0, check out some images in the gallery below.
Capcom's upcoming PlayStation 4 and PC fighting game Street Fighter V will feature a Brazil-themed stage, joining the previously announced China and London stages. Series producer Yoshinori Ono made the announcement in a video address this week, which shows a work-in-progress version of the stage.
It has also been announced that Ono and associate producer Peter Rosas will attend the Brasil Game Show, where they will announce a new Street Fighter V character. The show takes place October 8-12 in Sao Paulo.
The Brasil Game Show will also host the Brazilian leg of the Capcom Pro Tour competitive fighting game event. Registration for the tournament, which will be played using Ultra Street Fighter IV, opens in September, with qualifying rounds beginning in early October. The winner will advance to the Capcom Cup Finals, which will be held in the United States later in 2015.
No Man's Sky developer Hello Games has shared some new information about how you'll trade, craft, and buy objects and materials in the game.
In an interview with IGN, managing director Sean Murray described the trading and crafting in the game, revealing that players will be able to choose how they want to interact with the economy.
For example, if you want to go down onto planets and gather materials, crafting them into objects to later sell at spaceports, you can do that. To craft, players must discover different chemical elements on planets, gather them, and then figure out how to put them together. Murray stated that the developer isn't giving formulas for crafting to players; rather, they generally must stumble across functional combinations on their own.
But if you don't ever even want to set foot on a planet and only wish to roam space, you can still make money. Murray explained that there is a free-market economy in the game, meaning that items have variable prices at different spaceports. This allows players to buy up items at one port and travel to another to sell them at a higher price.
No Man's Sky's economy also operates without player involvement. AI-controlled characters travel between planets and spaceports, bringing material up to be sold and traded. They transport material into frigates to be taken to other systems. Murray remarked that one of his favorite activities in-game is just to sit in space and watch the economy progress around him. "I often like to just sit there [in space]," he said. "It's quite nice... you get to sit there and watch the trade economy in motion."
No Man's Sky is planned for release sometime this year on PlayStation 4 and PC. At E3 this year, Murray told GameSpot that upon death in-game, players might be met by a Jaden Smith motivational quote. Keep an eye on GameSpot for more news about No Man's Sky as it becomes available.
The Marvel comics library has grown huge, with tens of thousands of comic books published during the company's history. In celebration of San Diego Comic-Con starting tomorrow, Marvel has made it cost only $.01 to access a significant portion of the collection online.
For a penny, you can join Marvel Unlimited, the company's online subscription service, for a month. This will let you read over 15,000 Marvel comics digitally, including Spider-Man, The Avengers, and Daredevil, among others. Normally, a month costs $9.99. The service is available across PC and mobile devices.
To get the deal, enter code "Penny" at checkout. Your account will have auto-renewal active if you buy a month, so be sure to turn it off if you don't want to be charged full price later on. This offer runs from today until July 20.
Check back on GameSpot all of this week for more news coming out of Comic-Con.
Mobile developer Ijji has announced its latest product, an iOS and Android app called Gameflip, which effectively works as a pre-owned games and accessories marketplace that lives in your pocket.
The free app promises nice discounts for shoppers and high returns for sellers, and--unlike other sellers such as Amazon and eBay--it is focused exclusively on video games. The marketplace will accept games, collectibles, accessories, and consoles. Right now, Gameflip boasts a library of some 600 games.
Though it's still early days for Gameflip, it appears the app is attempting to take GameStop on.
You'll pay a 10 percent commission to Gameflip for items sold. But if your item does not sell after 30 days, Ijji will pay you the difference (in Gameflip credits) between the Gameflip list price and the current GameStop trade-in price. This is Gameflip's "Seller Guarantee."
The Gameflip website states that this guarantee ensures that you will "get more money than at GameStop."
"Packaged games are currently the only medium allowing gamers to get cash for their pre-owned games. Yet the process of trading in games and game-related items is neither easy nor cost-effective," Ijji CEO JT Nguyen said in a statement. "We created the Gameflip marketplace to put the power of buying for less and selling for more in the hands of gamers. In other words, we are transferring the monetary power of retailers to gamers."
The Gameflip app, available now on iTunes and Google Play, uses your phone's camera to not only take a picture of the game/console/accessory you want to sell, but also scan the barcode where possible. Doing this will automatically associate the relevant product information to, in theory, save you time. There are also push notifications for buyers and sellers to let them know how their transaction is moving along.
It also includes social connectivity, allowing users to share their shopping behavior with friends and more. You can also earn credits for referring your friends to Gameflip.
The Gameflip app is currently available only in the United States for iPhones and Android phones. The service will launch in other markets and for tablets "soon," according to Ijji.
For more on Gameflip, including specific buying and selling instructions and a detailed FAQ, check out this website.
The Bard's Tale IV Kickstarter campaign is nearing its end, and developer inXile has released a new trailer to advertise the game that looks like a TV infomercial.
Although it doesn't show much of the upcoming RPG, the trailer is notable for its direct response to the common practice of releasing several DLC packs quickly after a game's release. It goes on to lay out all the reasons why people should back its Kickstarter.
At the beginning of the trailer, the narrator says, "Are you tired of buying supposedly complete computer games just to find that you've got to buy a bunch of extra add-ons just to enjoy them? Well, here at inXile we do things differently."
The game's Kickstarter currently sits at $1.44 million with 56 hours left. It has already crossed its goal, and the next stretch goals involve RPG designers making new dungeons for the game.
The developer also recently announced that donating to the Kickstarter at the $20 tier or higher will also get you the first three Bard's Tale games, in addition to a copy of The Bard's Tale IV.
This is inXile's third successful Kickstarter campaign in a row. The studio has already released Wasteland 2 and is currently working on Torment: Tides of Numenera.
Bungie is not resting on its laurels with Destiny.
Lead designer Luke Smith says as part of a new interview that no one at the studio is exactly satisfied with Destiny right now. Instead, the focus is on the "ridiculous amount of work" still to do to build out the franchise and ensure that it lives up to its full potential, he explained.
"I actually don't think there are many, or any, people on the Bungie team who look at Destiny as a job well done," Smith said during PlayStation's first Conversations With Creators roundtable interview; watch it below.
"It's like a job in progress that has a ridiculous amount of work in front of us and huge amount of potential that we haven't met at all in a bunch of ways," Smith added. "We've met it in other ways, but that potential is the thing we're still chasing."
"We have to make Destiny, the franchise, into something that rises up to meet the potential that people imagine when they sit down and they hear [hums theme song]."
Also during the interview, Smith teased that Bungie is already hard at work on what's coming next after Destiny's The Taken King expansion, which launches in September. When discussing Bungie's various Destiny projects currently in development, Smith mentioned that Destiny art director Jason Ellis is taking on the role of game director for an "upcoming title" in the Destiny universe.
He didn't share any further details. But it's not much of a surprise that Bungie would be planning to support Destiny for a long, long time, given publisher Activision's sizable investment in the series and recent comments about supporting the game with a "constant stream" of content. On top of that, Bungie has itself spoken previously of having a 10-year, Lord of the Rings-sized vision for the franchise.
The full Conversations with Creators episode is quite fascinating, even if you only have a passing interest in Destiny. Also featured in the interview, which is moderated by actor Wil Wheaton, are Bungie co-founder Jason Jones, senior environment artist Jason Sussman, and Ellis. They talk about topics such as the origins of Destiny and where it's headed in the future, among many other things.
Technology giant Microsoft has announced a major round of layoffs, but the Xbox and HoloLens teams do not appear to be affected. Following aNew York Times report this morning, Microsoft issued a press release that confirmed it will cut up to 7,800 jobs, mostly in its phone hardware business.
The job cuts, which total around 6 percent of the company's workforce, are part of a wider restructuring effort of the company's phone business "to better focus and align resources." The layoffs will take place over the next several months.
"As a result, the company will record an impairment charge of approximately $7.6 billion related to assets associated with the acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services (NDS) business in addition to a restructuring charge of approximately $750 million to $850 million," Microsoft explained.
"We are moving from a strategy to grow a standalone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem including our first-party device family," Nadella said. "In the near-term, we'll run a more effective and focused phone portfolio while retaining capability for long-term reinvention in mobility."
For more on this news, be sure to read GameSpot sister site CNET's full report.
Following its closed beta period in May, the Xbox One's first MOBA--the third-person action game Smite--is now available to everyone. You can download the free-to-play, mythology-inspired game right now through your console or online at the Xbox website. Smite requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription on Xbox One.
Smite's virtual marketplace, where players can spend real-world money to acquire new gear, has also launched. Developer Hi Rez stresses that all purchases, progress, and achievements earned during the open beta will carry forward to the final version, which is scheduled to launch sometime this summer.
Though Smite is a free game, players can buy the $30 Founder's Pack to unlock every god character currently in the game (there are 65 right now), as well as all future gods, 400 Gems (the game's virtual currency), an "exclusive" Ares skin, and the Ymir "Cacodemon X" skin.
The Founder's Pack will be discontinued when Smite launches in full.
Hi Rez has also announced that people who link their PC and Xbox One Smite accounts will receive a special bonus in the form of a Zeus skin, which can be used on both platforms. There is also a one-time account merge option players can take advantage of; get all the details at this special landing page.
Originally released in March 2014 for PC to a positive critical reception, Smite has attracted more than 7 million players to date. The game is focused around the Gods of mythology, and Hi Rez claims it offers "more game modes than any other leading game in its genre."
The already-massive world of Grand Theft Auto V continues to grow today with the release of Ill-Gotten Gains Update: Part Two. A follow-up to last month's expansion, Part Two adds new cars, guns, clothes, and more to the open-world action game, and is available now across all consoles and PC.
Like the first chapter, Ill-Gotten Gains Part Two is focused on high-end items.
Below is a quick rundown of what's available, while full details are available on the Rockstar Newswire.
Vehicles:
Coil Brawler -- Luxury sports-style off-roader with raised suspension and a 400 horsepower engine.
Progen T20 -- Among the fastest cars to be found in Los Santos.
Vapid Chino -- An "old-school" sedan.
Dinka Vindicator -- A fast motorcycle that features a kinetic energy recovery system that stores energy from braking and lets you unload it for a burst of speed.
Lampadati Toro -- A speedboat built using the "finest timber from protected rainforests."
Weapons:
Marksman Pistol -- A single-shot gun "with more stopping power than a pump action shotgun."
Knuckle Dusters -- For up-close-and-personal encounters, these come in solid gold.
Attire:
iFruit Snap Watch -- "For those players who prefer to wear their status as conspicuous consumers."
Medici Radial and Covargi Universe -- "Classically opulent" timepieces.
More -- "A massive selection of new apparel and jewelry for men and women."
Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 also introduces a new radio station, The Lab, for console. Previously, this station was only available on PC. It features tracks from The Alchemist and Oh No. Guest appearances include Killer Mike, Little Dragon, Earl Sweatshirt, Phantogram, Freddie Gibbs, and others.
Alongside Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 is a new GTA V title update, 1.28, which includes a long list of fixes, improvements, and tweaks for all versions of the game. Among the changes is the ability to make custom Jobs at the Los Santos International Airport and the Fort Zancudo Military Base. Load times have also been improved for in-game leaderboard screens, among other things. See the full changelog here.
Finally, Rockstar Games said it will announce a special Ill-Gotten Gains Part 2 Social Club weekend event, featuring "special bonuses," very soon.
Comedy Central announced on Wednesday that it has ordered 30 more episodes of the longrunning animated TV show created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The renewal, which lasts through the end of the 23rd season in 2019, will see South Park cross 300 episodes.
Parker and Stone will write and direct every episode, Comedy Central said in a press release (viaVariety).
"Nearly two decades later, South Park today remains as important and influential as any series on any platform and has become one of the most recognizable brands to ever come out of television," Comedy Central owner Viacom executive Doug Herzog said.
Herzog added that Viacom will "aggressively expand" the reach of South Park beyond just the TV show by way of new licensing deals across the globe. At E3 2015, Parker and Stone appeared on stage during Ubisoft's briefing to reveal the next game in the South Park series, called The Fractured But Whole.
SouthPark's 19th season, meanwhile, kicks off September 16.
According to 343 Industries lead producer Chris Lee, the campaign and multiplayer modes for upcoming sci-fi shooter Halo 5: Guardians will run at 60fps. But what about resolution?
GamingBolt recently caught up with Lee, and asked him if Halo 5 would run at 1080p. Lee said it's too early to commit to a specific figure, saying instead that 343 continues to optimize for best performance.
"So, we're still optimizing the game as we haven't launched so we haven't locked in our final resolution yet," he explained. "But we will talk more about that in the future."
The Halo 5 multiplayer beta last year ran at 720p, but 343 was quick to point out that this would not be the final resolution for the game. "All of the polish and optimization graphically is stuff that typically comes towards the end of the production cycle," studio head Josh Holmes said at the time.
Also in GamingBolt's interview, Lee was asked if he thought the Xbox One's reported eSRAM issues were hurting the game's ability to reach 1080p. Lee said this has not been the case.
"It didn't cause any issues for us," he explained.
Ahead of its release next week, Warner Bros. on Wednesday released the first full trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight's Batgirl-focused expansion, A Matter of Family.
In this DLC, which launches July 14, you'll get to play as Batgirl for the first time in the Arkham series. The expansion is set prior to the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum, which explains Harley Quinn's attire.
You also may notice that Batgirl appears to move much quicker than Batman as she deals with thugs. Also on display are some of her useful gadgets and other characters from previous games.
A Matter of Family will launch on July 14 through the $40 Arkham Knight DLC pass. The add-on will be sold separately starting July 21 for $7.
In terms of story, we recently learned that Batgirl will team up with Robin in the expansion to rescue Batgirl's father, Commissioner Gordon, who has been kidnapped by Joker.
The DLC was created by Batman: Arkham Origins developer WB Montreal, not Arkham Knight developer Rocksteady, and is set in a new area called the Seagate Amusement Park. The environment features a nautical theme, but is built on top of an oil rig that--naturally--is rigged to be a death trap.
A new demolition derby-style entry in the FlatOut racing series is currently in development for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, publisher Strategy First announced on Wednesday. The game, due in 2016, is being developed by Kylotonn Entertainment, the Paris-based studio behind games like Truck Racer and Motorcycle Club.
Strategy First said it received "numerous" offers from "great" developers across the world, but decided to partner with Kylotonn because it believes the team has the necessary experience to revive the franchise with a game "that fans have been waiting for."
The publisher went on to describe the new FlatOut game as the "most ambitious title in the franchise's history." To realize that vision, Strategy First and Kylotonn are inviting gamers to "get involved in the creative process," but official details regarding how the community will shape the game are being kept under wraps for now.
"FlatOut is our most important franchise," Strategy First director Emanuel Wall said in a statement. "There is a strong vocal community that have numerous constructive ideas and suggestions on what they would like to experience in an all new FlatOut."
For its part, Kylotonn director Roman Vincent said the new FlatOut will deliver "new experiences," though no further details were made available. We'll have more details on the new FlatOut as they're announced.
Lara Croft will have believable-looking hair that is capable of reacting to water and snow in Rise of the Tomb Raider, developer Crystal Dynamics has announced. Thanks to improvements to the game's use of TressFX technology, which is developed alongside AMD, the studio has been able to make new strides in "hair tech" for the upcoming Xbox One game.
"We definitely believe the hair technology we developed with AMD was a foundation for the way we believe hair will be rendered in the future video game graphics," game director Brian Horton said on the official Tomb Raider Tumblr. "And, as pioneers of this--there's not many people to look at for reference other than films--we have been pushing that technology to find ways to make it even better."
"The hair is now in clusters, so the way hair naturally falls is that hair wants to be next to a adjacent hairs that create shapes. Now, the hair splines can follow these guide hairs and these formerly physics-grown hairs, so it feels a little bit more natural when it moves," he added.
One specific hair-themed improvement for Rise of the Tomb Raider is a new "zero-gravity" effect for underwater scenes. Horton explains: "When she goes underwater, her hair will float and it's important- when it comes out of the water--it will feel heavier and feel more clumped and obviously look wet and darker."
Horton also reveals that, during Rise of the Tomb Raider's snowy scenes, Lara's hair will accumulate snow.
The 2013 Tomb Raider reboot did not feature the new TressFX hair technology, but it was later made available for the PC version, along with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Definitive Edition. Below is a comparison, but note that this is for the 2013 game, not Rise of the Tomb Raider.
"We really try to look for landmark people who have been pivotal to gaming culture to open our event, so you can understand why we are thrilled to have her at Prime this year," organizers said in a statement.
Previous PAX keynote speakers have included Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton, BioShock creator Ken Levine, and Fable designer Peter Molyneux, among others.
"We can't wait to hear the stories and insight she will share at Prime this year," PAX said.
Organizers also announced this year's concert lineup. The following performers and bands will play at PAX Prime, which runs August 28-September 1 in Seattle, Washington.
Sony has "completely redesigned" the PlayStation Now app on PlayStation 4, giving it a major makeover in an overall effort to make it more visually appealing and easier to navigate and discover new games.
PlayStation Now is Sony's game streaming service that originally launched last year.
The new PlayStation Now UI features sections of games filtered by theme. What's more, game pages have been beefed up and now feature more in-depth descriptions, along with new images and videos.
There are currently more than 125 PlayStation 3 games on PlayStation Now, and the service is growing further in July. Sony normally adds five new games to the platform per month, but, to mark the UI makeover, the company has added six to the service this month. This month's "bonus" game is Resistance 3.
Below are PlayStation Now's six new games for July, which you can rent individually or through the platform's subscription plan.
The game, a remastered version of the groundbreaking 2006 shooter from Epic Games, will offer a total of 1250 Gamerscore points to earn. These are listed below.
The Ultimate Edition is in development at UK studio Splash Damage, in collaboration with Black Tusk The Coalition. That studio is primarily focused on Gears of War 4 for Xbox One, which launches next year.
The remaster includes all 19 original multiplayer maps, split-screen and LAN support, and all original game modes plus Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill. During a recent beta test, over one million matches were played and feedback was gathered. It launches on August 25 for Xbox One and on an unspecified later date for the PC.
Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Achievements:
Prison Breakout (10)
Complete tutorial path on any difficulty
Welcome to Delta Squad (20)
Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 1 (on any difficulty)
Cole? As in the Cole Train? (20)
Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 6 (on any difficulty)
Yeah, Yeah, Group Hug (20)
Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 7 (on any difficulty)
My Love for You Is Like a Truck (20)
Story Progression in Act 1 Chapter 8 (on any difficulty)
No More Favors (20)
Story Progression in Act 2 Chapter 2 (on any difficulty)
Lights, Action! (20)
Story Progression in Act 2 Chapter 4 (on any difficulty)
Taking Laverne for a Ride (20)
Story Progression in Act 2 Chapter 6 (on any difficulty)
The Biggest E-hole (20)
Story Progression in Act 2 Chapter 8 (on any difficulty)
Smell Good Too… (20)
Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 2 (on any difficulty)
Go Time, Show Time (20)
Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 4 (on any difficulty)
Broken Fingers (20)
Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 5 (on any difficulty)
Lethal Acoustics (20)
Story Progression in Act 3 Chapter 6 (on any difficulty)
I Can See You! (10)
Spot 100 enemies resulting in assisted kills in Versus (social or competitive)
Raven Down (20)
Story Progression in Act 4 Chapter 1 (on any difficulty)
Fry Up With a Side of Greens (20)
Story Progression in Act 4 Chapter 2 (on any difficulty)
Know Place Like Home (20)
Story Progression in Act 4 Chapter 6 (on any difficulty)
YEEEEHAAAAA! (20)
Story Progression in Act 4 Chapter 6 (on any difficulty)
Power Up (20)
Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 5 (on any difficulty)
Marcus? Is That You? (20)
Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 3 (on any difficulty)
Shock Therapy (20)
Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 5 (on any difficulty)
All Aboard! Uh… We're Aboard! (20)
Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 6 (on any difficulty)
A Dish Best Served Cold (20)
Story Progression in Act 5 Chapter 8 (on any difficulty)
Mercenary (50)
Complete all acts on Casual Difficulty
Classic Mercenary (50)
Complete all acts on Normal Difficulty
Soldier (50)
Complete all acts on Hardcore Difficulty
Commando (75)
Complete all acts on Insane Difficulty
Time to Remember (10)
Recover 11 COG tags (on any difficulty)
Honor-Bound (20)
Recover 22 COG tags (on any difficulty)
For the Fallen (30)
Recover all 33 COG tags (on any difficulty)
Zen and the Art of Reloading (10)
Perform 25 perfect active reloads (on any difficulty)
Zen and the Art Part 2 (20)
Perform 5 perfect active reloads in a row (on any difficulty)
Clusterluck (30)
Kill 3 enemies at once 10 different times (on any difficulty)
Dom-curious (10)
Complete 1 co-op chapter in co-op (on any difficulty)
Domination (20)
Complete 10 different chapters in co-op (on any difficulty)
I Can't Quit You Dom (30)
Complete all acts in co-op (on any difficulty)
Don't You Die On Me (20)
Revive 100 teammates in Versus multiplayer (social or competitive)
Always Remember Your First (20)
Finish playing a Versus match (social or competitive)
Don't Hate the Player (10)
Finish with the highest points in a Versus match (social or competitive)
Mix It Up (20)
Win a match in every Versus game type (social or competitive)
Around the World (30)
Win a match on every Versus map (social or competitive)
Can't Touch Me (20)
Win 10 Versus matches without losing a round (social or competitive)
Seriously ... (50)
Kill 10,000 people in Versus competitive matches
THIS! IS! ANNEX! (40)
Complete 100 matches of 3+ rounds in Annex and capture 3 objectives in each match
Nub Pwn3r (30)
Win 20 rounds in Annex by shutting out the opposing team
CQC (20)
Win 25 matches in Boxes (social or competitive)
Level 5 (50)
Reach Level 5
Level 10 (10)
Reach Level 10
Level 25 (25)
Reach Level 25
Re-up (20)
Reach Level 100 and re-up
Handyman (25)
Killed an enemy with every weapon in Versus (social or competitive)
G-reader (10)
Read one full comic
Brothers To The End (10)
Defeat General RAAM in co-op on Insane without either player being DBNO
Gimme Some Skin (10)
Play one Versus Match with a Custom Weapon Skin
Better Late Than Never (20)
Win 25 matches in Team Deathmatch
Whack-A-Grub (10)
Closed all 4 e-holes around the fountain in Fish in a Barrel without any Locust fully emerging
A seventeen year-old with ties to black hat hacking group Lizard Squad has been convicted of more than 50,000 charges related to cyber crimes in a court in Espoo, Finland.
Julius "Zeekill" Kivimaki
Local media reports claim that Julius "Zeekill" Kivimaki has been sentenced for a whole range of offences, such as data breaches, online harassment, fraud, and money laundering. He will serve a two-year suspended sentence and, according to the Finnish newspaper Kaleva, has been "ordered to fight against cyber crime." He has not been given a prison sentence.
Kivimaki has previously represented himself has a member of Lizard Squad, an online group of hackers who claim responsibility for a number of high-profile network disruptions and website takedowns.
One of Lizard Squad's most notorious attacks was the disruptions to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, which were both knocked offline for several days between Christmas Day and New Year's.
A massive distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack ground both those networks to a halt, resulting in engineers at both Sony and Microsoft working during the holidays to restore the service.
During the downtime, Sky News aired an interview with Kivimaki, and he suggested he had no regrets over the attack.
"I can't really say I feel bad. I might have forced some kids to spend more time with their families instead of playing games."
Through its Twitter account, a representative for Lizard Squad appeared to mock those who hoped Kivimaki would receive a harsher sentence.
All the people that said we would rot in prison don't want to comprehend what we've been saying since the beginning, we have free passes.
Microsoft has released a new patch for Xbox One, deploying some background changes to the system. The update doesn't introduce any new features, and is instead designed to prepare the Xbox One for game streaming compatibility with Windows 10.
As well as this, the update will prime the console for backward compatibility support, which was announced at E3.
"There are no new user-facing features in this release," Microsoft said. "The team [is focused] on the New Xbox One Experience that will be available later this year."
"We'll treat gaming on Windows 10 with the same passion as we've put into the Xbox console," said head of Xbox Phil Spencer.
Spencer also revealed PCs and tablets running the latest version of its operating system will support Xbox One game streaming later this year.
"We have to put the gamer at the center of every experience," he added.
Microsoft has confirmed the Windows 10 release date as July 29. For the first twelve months following Windows 10's launch, PCs running Windows 7 and 8 will be eligible for a free upgrade to the new OS.
Felix 'PewDiePie' Kjellberg has responded to negative comments resulting from recent reports claiming he earned $7.5 million in 2014.
A new six-minute video posted on YouTube, he recounts his rise to prominence--which starts with dropping out of university to work at a hot dog stand--before addressing the issue of money.
"Money is a topic that I purposefully tried to avoid for the five years I've been making videos," he said. "I just feel like it's not important to anyone. I just want to make entertaining videos."
"Whenever it comes out how much I made a certain year, people just get so shocked," he continues. "A lot of people were also very angry. They thought it was unfair. They thought I just sit on my ass and I yell at the screen over here--which is true--but there's so much more to it than that."
The YouTube superstar goes on to admit that money has certainly helped him, but added that he feels that people getting upset about him is "just sad."
"I understand that haters are going to hate, but I really think that money doesn't make you happy. I'm just as happy now as I was five years ago. I'm very happy that I don't have to worry about paying rent.
"That was a huge issue when Marzia [another successful YouTuber and PewDiePie's girlfriend] came to Sweden, we could barely afford it. So I'm happy about that, but other than that, it doesn't change much. To see so many people upset about this thing--it's just sad. I think it's such a waste."
According to a Swedish newspaper, PewDiePie Productions AB, Kjeilber's company, generated 63 million SEK ($7.4m) in 2014, which was up from $3.5 million in 2013, and $850k in 2012.
PewDiePie, who is famous for his Let's Play videos, currently has 37 million subscribers and is believed to generate more than $4 million in ad sales per year. In 2014, he raised $630,000 for the Save the Children charity.
Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest: Builders, a new offshoot of its long-running role-playing franchise.
Although Square Enix has not provided any details for the game, its official website, which features a single screenshot alongside a logo, reveals that it seems to be inspired by Minecraft.
The image features a mixture of the series' iconic Akira Toriyama-esque character art and Minecraft's material blocks. As the title implies, the game is likely to revolve around building.
Additionally, Dragon Quest: Builders looks to be exclusive to Sony consoles, for now, as only PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita logos are featured on the site.
[UPDATE] Sources have told Entertainment Weekly that Harry Shearer will return to The Simpsons.
"Shearer has signed the same contract as did the other five primary voice actors--Dan Castellaneta, Yeardley Smith, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, and Hank Azaria--keeping the show's original cast fully intact," the site reports.
The original story is below.
Just a week after Fox renewed The Simpsons for two more seasons, it's been confirmed that veteran voice actor Harry Shearer--the voice of Mr. Burns and Ned Flanders--is leaving the show.
"As The Simpsons continues its 27th and 28th seasons, Harry Shearer will not be within the show," showrunner Al Jean told CNN Money today.
In addition to Burns and Flanders, Shearer voices Principal Skinner, Reverend Lovejoy, Kent Brockman, Waylon Smithers, Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Otto Mann, Rainier Wolfcastle, and Dr. Marvin Monroe.
Basically, he's a Simpsons legend, and the show going on without him is devastating news for fans.
Jean explained that Fox has no plans to "kill off" Shearer's characters. However, the team will "replace them with the most talented members of the voice over community."
As for why Shearer is leaving the show, CNN Money cites issues involving his freedom to do work outside of The Simpsons, something he says he's been afforded since the show started in 1989.
Jean said Shearer was "offered the same deal as the rest of the cast, but turned it down."
In leaving Springfield behind, Shearer is passing over a reported $14 million deal for the upcoming two seasons. This deal, according to a CNN Money source, included terms that would allow Shearer to do outside work.
The Simpsons' latest two-season renewal will bring the total number of episodes to 625. The show is already the longest-running scripted program in TV history.
Almost a decade and a half after its original ending, The X-Files is set to return early next year. Today, Fox released the first footage from the new season.
Fox has kicked off a marketing campaign encouraging people to watch one episode per day up until the premiere of the new series, which is 201 days away. The short video below about this is capped off with a brief glimpse of the new series at about the 32-second mark. It lasts all of two or three seconds, but when you're a fanatic of a franchise that hasn't been seen for 13 years (save for one mediocre movie), you'll take what you can get.
What we see is pretty standard fare for The X-Files: Mulder and Scully enter a dark, creepy-looking room with guns and flashlights drawn as they scan the room. It's perhaps not a coincidence that it resembles a scene from the early episode "Squeeze," which would go on to be included in the show's opening title sequence for eight of its nine-year run.
The new six-episode season of the show--being referred to as an event series--is set to premiere on January 24, 2016. It will feature returning stars David Duchovny (Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (Scully), as well as series regulars like Mitch Pileggi (Walter Skinner) and William B. Davis (The Smoking Man).
Rocket League launches today on PC and PS4, with the latter version being free for PlayStation Plus members. Players can expect to see more content going forward--some for free--as the game's developer has teased "big plans" for the future.
In a PlayStation Blog post today, Rocket League developer Psyonix revealed that the first paid DLC pack is nearly complete and is due out before the end of the month. It will consist of two new cars "and several more surprises," the specifics of which weren't hinted at.
Also coming before the end of July is the first DLC map, which is said to be inspired by the Utopia map from Rocket League's predecessor, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars. Whereas the new cars are expected to be a mostly cosmetic change, a new map has the potential to fragment the online community if only some players have access to it. Fortunately, it will be released for free, as will all future maps.
There's no other word on what else we'll be seeing, but it sounds as if the company will be talking more about new maps before long. But Psyonix did tease that there is a lot more to come.
"We have BIG plans for Rocket League and our players, which is why you can expect to see plenty more from us over the next several weeks, months, and hopefully, even years," community and marketing director Jeremy Dunham wrote.
There's another Star Wars movie coming, and this one's all about Han Solo. It will be the second in a series of four standalone anthology films, and it's being directed by Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the duo responsible for The Lego Movie and 21 Jump Street.
Coming in 2018, this movie centers around the younger years of legendary smuggler Han Solo. According to the Star Warswebsite, "The story focuses on how young Han Solo became the smuggler, thief, and scoundrel whom Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi first encountered in the cantina at Mos Eisley."
Miller and Lord are aiming to stay faithful to the essence of Solo's character and the greater Star Wars universe. However, they are also attempting to make something new and interesting within that universe. In a statement posted on the website, the duo wrote, "We promise to take risks, to give the audience a fresh experience, and we pledge ourselves to be faithful stewards of these characters who mean so much to us. This is a dream come true for us."
The movie is slated for May 25, 2018. Its script is being co-written by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan. Lawrence Kasdan is known for writing The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi, and The Force Awakens.
The Han Solo anthology film is untitled at the moment. Since it tells the Han Solo origin story, it'll probably have a different actor than Harrison Ford, who is already confirmed to be in The Force Awakens. This film is the second of four standalone Star Wars films coming in the next few years; the first, Rogue One, comes out on December 16, 2016. In addition, the next film in the main series, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, will be out on December 18 this year.
Unfortunately for fans hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the new Star Wars films soon, parent company Disney will not be showing anything of The Force Awakens at Comic-Con this week. But keep an eye on GameSpot for more news about Star Wars as it becomes available.
It's been another rough weekend for CLG as they concede defeat in their games against Impulse and Gravity. They drop to fifth place, tying things up with Impulse, who managed to win both their games this week.
Meanwhile, Gravity has been sailing on a high note, even upsetting crowd favorites, TSM. They're both currently tied for first in the standings with Gravity's former sister team, Team Liquid, trailing just behind them in second place.
As most fans probably already know, Meteos decided to step down from Cloud9's starting roster. Hai, Cloud9's former mid laner, would return from his short-lived retirement in order to take Meteos' place in the jungle. With team synergy issues and new roster changes plaguing them, Cloud9 is barely scraping by in the NA LCS standings. Things are looking grim for the former powerhouse team as they try desperately to avoid relegations.
The latest Humble Bundle has kicked off, and this one is a bit different than the usual fare. Rather than simply offering games on the cheap, this bundle offers a variety of tools to help you create your own games.
Included in the bundle is software like RPG Maker VX and Spriter Pro (the full list follows below). There are also some actual games in various tiers of the bundle, but the focus is clearly on helping you to become a game-maker. Like in the recent Borderlands bundle, part of what you get here are coupons for discounts on certain software and expansions.
As with all Humble Bundles, you can get some of this bundle's contents by paying anything you want. Beating the average sale price (currently $9.45) gets you more, while paying at least $12 gets you everything on offer. Humble Bundle says that the total value of the included software is an astounding $1,985.
You're free to split your money between the developers, Humble itself, charity groups, and--in a new move--a fund that will be awarded to the winner of an upcoming game-making contest that anyone can enter.
The Humble Game Making Bundle runs for the next two weeks. Halfway through, on July 14, additional titles will be added to the bundle; those who buy the bundle before then will be entitled to all of these, provided they beat the average sale price at the time of purchase.
The full list of everything included as of this writing:
Pay any price:
Game Dev Starter Pack
Stencyl: Indie Edition 1-Year License
Humble Bundle Starer DLC Pack
Indie Game Maker Conteste '14 Finalist Pack
Labyrinthine Dreams
RPG Maker 90% Off Coupons
Pay more than the average:
RPG Maker VX Ace Deluxe Edition
Game Character Hub
Humble Bundle Sci-Fi DLC Pack
Humble Bundle New DLC Pack + $10 Game Dev Fort store credit
Dark Souls is a pretty difficult game, but it was inevitable that players would find ways to make it even more challenging. One player has even decided to play the game upside-down.
You read that right. Streamer LobosJR is utilizing a simple mod to flip the screen, which effectively flips controls, as well. He's gotten through a significant portion of the game, beating several bosses who give most players a lot of trouble when the screen is normal.
It's impressive to get through Dark Souls at all, and LobosJR seems well on his way to beating the game with this modification. At least for me, it's hard enough just to watch the upside-down gameplay, as my mind struggles to make sense of what I'm seeing.
Of course, this is just LobosJR's next step in a series of novel ways of playing Dark Souls. He gained popularity when he played through the game blindfolded.
What's the most interesting way you've played through a game? Let us know in the comments.
New shortcut-centric racing game Super Impossible Road is headed to PlayStation 4, developer Wonderful Lasers announced today.
Just like in its mobile predecessor, the notoriously difficult Impossible Road, Super Impossible Road has you racing down descending, twisting paths that are extremely narrow. In order to win, you need to do what might be considered cheating in other games by skipping sections of the track.
As detailed in a PlayStation Blog post, though, there are rules to how this works; you can't simply drop down to the end of a track. After leaving the ground, you have five seconds to touch down again. As this time elapses, the screen begins to go white, and you'll respawn if you don't make contact with the track again before time is up. Also of note is the absence of rubber-banding--the system seen in certain racing games (often Mario Kart) where players trailing behind are given an invisible boost.
The trailer above gives a taste of how the game works and shows off the game's four-player split-screen mode. Details regarding online multiplayer are not confirmed at this point, but there is a single-player component if you aren't able to gather friends around the same TV to play. Levels are procedurally generated, and developer Wonderful Lasers says it features a 1080p resolution and 60 frames-per-second framerate.
A release date and price were not announced; the official website only says it's "coming soon" to PS4.
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