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Xbox One getting 15 exclusive games in its first year from Microsoft Studios [Update]

Update: The exclusive games are coming from Microsoft Studios specifically, as the announcement was made by studio head Phil Spencer. There may be more exclusive games for the system in its first year, depending on the Xbox One’s third-party support.

The Xbox One will receive at least 15 exclusive games in the system’s first year, Microsoft announced at today’s next-gen Xbox reveal event. Of the 15 games, eight of them will be brand-new franchises.

At the event, EA’s Andrew Wilson revealed that four EA Sports games in the FIFA, Madden, EA Sports UFC and NBA Live series will launch with the Xbox One, though none were named as exclusive to the system. Remedy announced Quantum Break at the event as well.

JoystiqXbox One getting 15 exclusive games in its first year from Microsoft Studios [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 May 2013 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch Dogs getting hacking feedback from security firm Kaspersky Lab

Watch Dogs getting hacking feedback from security firm Kaspersky Lab

Ubisoft Montreal is soliciting feedback on hacking as it is depicted in Watch Dogs, a contemporary action game in which the protagonist exploits interconnected computer networks through his smartphone. Senior Producer Dominic Guay told Joystiq about the developer’s work with Kaspersky Lab, the internet security firm that recently claimed to have identified a targeted malware attack on the Android platform.

“We’re working with Kaspersky Lab, a big security firm,” Guay said during a San Francisco press event. “They have really hardcore experts there on hacking. We send them some of our designs and we ask them feedback on it, and it’s interesting to see what gets back. Sometimes they say, ‘Yeah, that’s possible, but change that word,’ or, ‘That’s not the way it works.’”

Watch Dogs isn’t focused on hacking at a granular level, despite being fictionally fertile ground for the clichéd hacking minigame. Instead, it treats hacking as a shortcut to manipulating doors, cameras, cars, laptops and ATMs in a futuristic “smart city” based on Chicago. The centrally computer-controlled urban environment is a sprawling basis for the game’s traversal, shooting, stealth and driving systems.

“It’s not about the challenges of climbing a wall,” Guay says, recalling the simplification of movement in Ubisoft Montreal’s flagship series, Assassin’s Creed. “It’s finding the path I want to follow.

“It’s not about the minigame that will let me open the door, it’s the fact that I’m making a plan. I’m making a plan of how I’m going to chain hacking, shooting, traveling the city and driving to achieve an objective.”

The input from Kaspersky Lab, and that from Ubisoft’s own engineers, is intended to reduce instances of Hollywood hacking: the sexed-up, hyperspeed code wrangling meant to convey skilled computer use and software creation in an exciting/embarrassing way. Watch Dogs is certainly bombastic, but attempts to be more sensible than the likes of “Swordfish.”

After the break: that scene where Hugh Jackman shows John Travolta where he hid the worm.

Continue reading Watch Dogs getting hacking feedback from security firm Kaspersky Lab

JoystiqWatch Dogs getting hacking feedback from security firm Kaspersky Lab originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 May 2013 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Defiance Getting First Substantial DLC Update With Free And Paid Options

Trion Worlds is getting ready to roll out the first major batch of added content for its open-world shooter, Defiance. The tentative offerings were announced today, giving players multiple options for expanding their experiences.

Included in Patch 1.020 will be new television tie-ins, which we haven't seen since the game's early days and prior to the premiere of the SyFy Channel show. This time, the connections will be in the form of a new "Siege" game type, though producer Nathan Richardson (whom we had the opportunity to interview a few weeks back) isn't quite ready to share details.

This year, Richardson and his team are planning five DLC packs, each of which will have a store update, a paid component, and something for free that will keep people playing together (something he stressed in our talk). According to his latest post, the first major content update will focus on the Castithan race, including the ability to play as one. If you don't want to start over, you'll be able to buy a change of name, appearance, or both from the store.

Other updates, like a complete overhaul to the salvage matrix, are also in the works. Richardson wisely addresses Defiance's continuing struggles amidst strong player reception and over one million user accounts. In his words, "We know we aren't perfect yet." It's clear that Trion Worlds is trying, though. You can see the likely list of updates for the Castithan DLC below, read the entire blog post here, and read our extensive impressions.

You get this when you buy the DLC for $ 10:

  • Access to play the Castithan Species
  • Access to a new Story Mission Line with new Battle Arena Game Mode
  • Access to the new Castithan Battle Arenas
  • Castithan Charge Blade & Ceremonial Mask as a reward from Story Mission Line
  • A unique version of the Raptor, a new 4 player truck of doom
  • A unique Castithan version of an outfit
  • A Charge Weapons Starter Pack
  • Access to New Pursuits
  • New Xbox and PS3 Trophies and Achievements

You get this in the DLC for Free

  • Access to the new Charge Weapons Class and Castithan Blades
  • Access to Sieges, a new Open World Game Mode
  • Access to the new Monolith Major Arkfall
  • Access to a new PvP Map – Military Academy
  • Join a friend into the Battle Arenas Game Mode
  • Duel your friends and neighbors in the Duels Game Mode
  • Enemies, lockboxes, and events can drop Charge Weapons
  • Select a new voice for you character
  • Multitude of game improvements from UI to content

You can buy these individually from the store:

  • New Mods that tint the color of your Castithan Blade
  • Lockboxes have a chance to get Charge Weapons
  • More versions of the Raptor, the new 4 player truck of doomed compensation
  • Character Customization changes: Appearance change, name change, or everything change

[Source: Defiance Blog]

www.GameInformer.com – The Feed

‘Indies’ are getting their own PlayStation Store section

With Sony’s recent moves to get more indie games on its PlayStation platforms, the company today revealed a new “Indie Games” category in its PlayStation Store, with the aim to better highlight independent PSN games. …


Gamasutra News

Nintendo getting serious about mobile apps on Wii U

Amidst lagging Wii U sales, and following its Web Framework announcement at GDC, Nintendo continues laying groundwork for smartphone developers to carve out a niche on the platform. …


Gamasutra News

Special Forces: Team X getting price drop after going on sale on Steam

Special Forces Team X getting price drop after going on sale on Steam

Special Forces: Team X, the third-person shooter from Blacklight: Retribution developer Zombie Studios, is taking its price down to $ 5 on Steam from May 6 at 10 a.m. PT, through May 13. After the sale, Special Forces: Team X will get a permanent price drop to $ 10, forever and ever, or until Zombie Studios, publishers Atari and/or Microprose decide to change that number again. Before 10 a.m. PT today, Special Forces: Team X costs $ 15.

Special Forces: Team X is a cel-shaded, cover-based shooter with more than 100 possible map combinations and five multiplayer modes. When it first hit Steam in February, the game had a bug that could randomly reset character XP, but that issue has been resolved via a series of patches, Microprose says in a press release. A Title Update for the XBLA version is in testing now.

“We are hoping that this price drop will bring players into the game that may have been scared away by the initial launch problems,” the press release reads.

Continue reading Special Forces: Team X getting price drop after going on sale on Steam

JoystiqSpecial Forces: Team X getting price drop after going on sale on Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blog: ‘Free’ is getting very expensive

When a player springs for a “founder’s fee” in a new MMO, what do they really get? Ramin Shokrizade examines Marvel Heroes and MechWarrior Tactics. …


Gamasutra News

New Time and Eternity screens are getting married

New Time and Eternity screens are getting married

NIS America’s PS3 role-playing game Time and Eternity got some flashy new screens, which show main characters Toki and an unnamed knight from the kingdom of Kamza getting married. What the screens don’t show is the interruption of the wedding by a band of assassins, setting the stage for the rest of the adventure. Don’t you just hate when that happens?

The game features turn-based battles that offer players the chance to control their characters to dodge attacks. Also, players can switch Toki’s personality to her more aggressive counterpart, Towa, throughout the game. This knight probably should have known about that before tying the knot. Time and Eternity is coming to PS3 this summer.

JoystiqNew Time and Eternity screens are getting married originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 May 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Final Fantasy Tactics Getting Free To Play Makeover In Japan

Square Enix has adopted a mobile strategy that that has been slow to adapt to consumer expectations. As many publishers are pushing toward universal apps that work on all iOS devices, Square Enix has only recently moved away from multiple purchases. Prices have traditionally been low in the mobile space, but the company's titles (many of which are re-released classics) cost more than some Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network offerings. Worst of all, the most recent adaptation of the long-running RPG series was quite terrible.

It could be that Final Fantasy Tactics S, just announced in Japan as a free-to-play title, could take the company in a new direction for phones and tablets. The description doesn't offer much hope, though. According to a translation of the official website on FinalFantasy.net, players lead a clan in protecting the light of a crystal. There will be both single-player, social-based multiplayer content, and of course, lots of opportunities for real money purchases.

Adapting a turn-based strategy game to free-to-play model that is also profitable seems very difficult. However, given the races, jobs, and monsters borrowed from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the protection elements, and the mention of clan leadership, this title does not actually feature the strategic play we're expecting. For example, a re-skinned Clash of Clans set in Ivalice would work, without completely abandoning strategic elements.

It's unknown whether Square Enix will bring Final Fantasy Tactics S to western shores. However, given the company's profit problems of late, it wouldn't be entirely surprising to see an attempt to capitalize on fans with open wallets. The official site (in Japanese) offers the opportunity to pre-register for the game.

[Source: Square Enix via Final Fantasy Network]

www.GameInformer.com – The Feed

Resident Evil: Revelations getting demo ‘soon’

3DS defector Resident Evil: Revelations is revealing a chunk of itself through an upcoming demo. Capcom didn’t provide due dates for the bite-sized portion, but did say it’s coming to all platforms – that’s PS3, Xbox 360, PC, and Wii U, by the by.

Capcom recently detailed pre-order details for Revelations, which in turn revealed four unannounced DLC packs for the updated HD port. Capcom prophecies the full game will hit retail shelves on May 21.

JoystiqResident Evil: Revelations getting demo ‘soon’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Apr 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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