Blizzard's 'Overwatch' Is A Remnant Of 'Project Titan' - Blizzard stuns video game world by debuting their first new IP in 17 years

Forbes - Yesterday, Blizzard stunned the video game world by debuting their first new IP in 17 years. The game is Overwatch, a multiplayer shooter than blends elements of different genres and games, and perhaps is most similar to Team TISI +0.52% Fortress 2 from what we’ve seen so far.

But past the existence of the IP and game itself, the most curious part of Overwatch is the timetable. At its BlizzCon reveal, Blizzard was able to show not just a cinematic trailer, but a gameplay video as well. Even past that, the game is actually playable at BlizzCon and will have a beta sometime in 2015. For Blizzard, known for preposterously long release tables, this is moving at lightning speed. 


So how is this possible?

There’s a pretty simple explanation. Overwatch has been Frankensteined to life from the corpse of Project Titan.

Blizzard recently cancelled the would-be MMO, causing many to applaud them for axing a game they deemed to be going nowhere even after sinking tons of time and money into its development. But they weren’t going to let all that hard work go to waste, and it seems to be the case that Overwatch has been spun out of Titan, perhaps even once existing as the game’s PvP mode.   Read More

Hands on with PlayStation Now

Sony's ambitious streaming-only game service is about to hit public beta. Here's what to expect.

CNET - I've recently become enamored with the idea of replaying games from my past because unlike a favorite film, I don't often experience a game twice.

Backwards compatibility has been a point of contention in previous generations of consoles, but with the arrival of Xbox One and PlayStation 4, legacy titles have taken a backseat. While Microsoft has yet to flesh out plans on addressing this void, Sony has aggressively teased PlayStation Now, a game-streaming service that not only chips away at the backwards compatibility shortcomings of PS4, but will soon offer the ability to stream archive games across multiple Sony platforms.

I've had a few weeks with the closed PlayStation Now beta, and while I'm told almost everything I've seen is subject to change, here are my first initial impressions of Sony's ambitious service.   Read More

There's One Big Issue That's Slowly Killing The Xbox One And PS4

Business Insider - When most people think of "next-generation" gaming graphics, they envision crisper textures, added realism, detailed environments, and a sharper resolution.

Resolution plays a huge role in the overall gameplay experience, and it's fast becoming a low-hanging ceiling that effectively limits the "next-generation" Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles.

Here's an example.

"Titanfall," the parkour shooter with large mechs thrown into the mix, is arguably the biggest debut yet for Microsoft's Xbox One. But did you know that when it debuted, there were regular old Xbox 360 games running at a higher 1080p resolution? Keep in mind, the Xbox 360 launched back in 2005 — some eight years before the Xbox One.

"Titanfall" ran at only 792p when it shipped, which is a significant drop compared to the 1080p HD quality most people are accustomed to by now.

In an age where we're beginning to see a push for 4K "Ultra HD" displays, which promise four times the resolution of 1080p HD TVs, it's tough to call anything "next-generation" when it's pumping out games at a lower resolution than the mobile games in people's pockets.

It's not just the Xbox One that's hampered by too little horsepower. While Sony's PlayStation 4 does have beefier hardware, it's still running into similar issues, just less frequently.

One of the biggest games at this year's gaming expo, E3, was the medieval roleplaying game, "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt." The game will be released in 2015, but even a full year and some change after the Xbox One's release, the development team still can't promise 1080p HD graphics.

"We will hit 900p no problem," executive producer John Mamais said in an interview with Cinameblend. "We'd like to get it up to 1080p on Xbox One. That's our goal. Whether we can do it or not I don't know. We've got to squeeze everything we can out of the hardware."

The graphics bottleneck stems from the graphics cards nestled within the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The graphics card inside the PlayStation 4 is more powerful than the graphics card inside the Xbox One, but they're both vastly underpowered when compared to even mid-grade gaming PCs of the last couple of years.     Read More

Assassin's Creed: Unity preview: Stealth stabbing sneaks into the French Revolution

 
PCWorld - This looks a lot like Assassin's Creed II . It's the only thought flitting through my brain as I watch this year's awkwardly-clad assassin—seriously, doesn't anyone think he stands out with his hood on?—leap down the wrought-iron-and-stone exterior of Notre Dame.

Substitute Notre Dame for any of a dozen Roman or Florentine cathedrals, though, and you might not notice a huge difference between Assassin's Creed: Unity and its earlier predecessors. After last year's little tangent into Caribbean piracy, Assassin's Creed has returned to its roots. This is the most "traditional" Assassin's Creed game since 2011's Revelations.

I can't decide whether I'm excited or not.

Getting crowded

 

Assassin's Creed Unity is most impressive in a behind-the-scenes technical manner that I'm not sure most players will appreciate. Last year's pirate-themed entry to the series, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, used the power of the new consoles for gorgeous water effects and better textures, but the presence of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions belied the fact that Black Flag was a spruced-up version of an old game.

Assassin's Creed Unity is a next-gen title, full stop. I remember the first time I played the original Assassin's Creed, being amazed at how crowded the streets were in Altair's cities. Heck, I've been playing games long enough I remember when people touted insane features like "We've managed to get up to six enemies on-screen at the same time."

AC Unity? I was told the scene at the beginning of my demo contained about 500 people, and the scene at the end of the demo featured approximately 2,000. And, if the Ubisoft rep I spoke to is to be believed, that's not even the maximum that could be onscreen. "5,000" was uttered at one point.   Read More

Alienware's Alpha Is A Gaming PC With The DNA Of A Console -- And It's The Real Deal

Forbes - A funny thing happened on the road between CES 2014 and E3 2014: Alienware went from showcasing a console-esque Steam Machine with unknown internals, to showing a legitimate living room PC with the unadulterated DNA of a game console. Frankly I’m surprised I’m uttering these words, but the Alienware Alpha is the real deal. It’s the system that finally makes PC gaming frustration free for anyone, even PC gaming virgins who don’t have a clue what Steam is.

I don’t make that statement lightly, so consider this: During my time with the Alienware Alpha, I didn’t see a traditional desktop, explorer window, or anything resembling Windows 8.1. So before we talk about what it is, it’s important to rule out what it’s not. It’s not an HTPC (Home Theater PC), nor is it a standard gaming PC stuffed into a compact form factor. It’s a “PC console,” designed from the ground up to offer performance comparable to a system like Xbox One or PlayStation 4.

Suppressing Windows

 

The Alienware Alpha boots directly to a streamlined user interface which Alienware designed. It’s clean and clutter-free, with large type and controller-based navigation similar to Steam’s Big Picture. In fact, you can launch into Big Picture from this UI and even execute certain Windows maintenance features. Perhaps best of all, it eliminates certain nags like Windows Updates reminders and imminent restart warnings so that you can stay immersed in your game. Unfortunately Alienware wasn’t allowing photos of the interface since it’s very early in development.   Read More

E3 2014: Every Video Game Release Date Announcement

Here's a full list of every release date announced so far at this year's E3 for Xbox One, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and 3DS.

GameSpot -

E3 is a popular place to announce new games, but it's perhaps an even more popular venue for announcing release dates. And in that regard this year's show has not disappointed so far--whether it's the beta for Destiny or PlayStation Now, The Last of Us Remastered, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, or any number of other games, there's a good chance that, if it's a game coming out this year, we now know its release date.

What follows below is a complete look at the release dates (and frustratingly vague release windows) announced at E3 so far. We'll be updating this list throughout the week, so even if you don't see what you're looking for, check back and you may just find what you're looking for.

Click here for release dates for PlayStation 4, XBOX One, Wii U,  PlayStation 3, XBOX 360,  3DS and PC.

E3 - Hands On With Splatoon, Nintendo's New Multiplayer Online Shooter

Forbes - I’m deep in enemy territory, surrounded by hostiles, and nearly out of ammo. But I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Hefting my weapon, I squirt a tiny patch of green goo on the ground, and then dive into it; my squid form disappears into the murk.

When enemies come for me, I’ll be waiting. And when their backs are turned, I’ll drown them in my ink.

 

 

I’m playing a new Wii U game called Splatoon, which was announced this morning as part of Nintendo's E3 “digital event.” It’s a team-based first-person shooter, in the style of Team Fortress 2, but with a family-friendly Nintendo twist: The soldiers are cartoonish squidlike creatures, and you win by covering the ground of the arena in your team’s colored ink.

Each Splatoon match involves up to eight players in a four-on-four battle in an enclosed battlefield full of hallways, platforms, gates and ramps. Your soldier carries a weapon that looks like a big water gun, and it’s fed with brightly colored ink from a tank worn on your back; when you fire the gun, it squirts a solid stream of liquid that coats and colors anything it hits.

It feels like shooting propulsion gel from Portal 2, and has similar properties; when you’re on ground coated with your team’s color, you can dive and swim through it at high speed. You can climb up walls coated in your ink, or slip under obstacles via the colored ground underneath; you can even become effectively invisible to enemies if you stay still.     Read More

Get Ready For CES 2014 - What To Expect

• CES 2014: We'll take you there News Lindsey Turrentine 6 hours ago 
  

  From stellar panels to on-stage torture tests, CNET's CES 2014 coverage will make you rethink your definition of technology. Find out what we have in store for the first and largest tech show of the year.
  
  
• LG HomeChat lets you SMS with your appliances News Megan Wollerton 8 hours ago
  

  Use this app to chat with your LG fridge, robot vacuum, washing machine, and oven.
  
  
• CES 2014 Gaming preview: Gaining Steam News Jeff Bakalar 3 days ago
  

  For the first time in recent memory, gaming may have a significant presence at CES.
  
  

Smartphones at CES: Big, bendy, 64-bit

A look at the year's upcoming trends for Las Vegas' Consumer Electronics Show and into 2014.

The calm before the tablet storm

What's in store for tablets at CES 2014? Probably not all that much.

Wearable tech: Expect the unexpected

The weird, wild world of wearables is bound for a lot of chaos in Las Vegas. What will it all add up to? That's anyone's guess.

See the Rest Here

DARPA wants you to play video games

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is crowdsourcing its software testing with a series of online games aimed at seeking out bugs and vulnerabilities.

CNET - The Last Starfighter it ain't, but if you ever wanted to get in good with the military without getting out of your chair, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has the job for you.

DARPA has created five games as part of what it is calling the Crowd Sourced Formal Verification (CSFV) program, aimed at locating software vulnerabilities in the commercial off-the-shelf IT systems used by military, governmental, and commercial bodies.

Called Verigames, they allow DARPA to crowdsource formal verification -- a time-consuming process whereby engineers usually scour the software manually to find the bugs.   Read More

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - 101 Trailer

PS4 Launch: Sony's Best or Worst? - A Walk Down Memory Lane

Why Gamers (And Developers) Will Love the PlayStation 4

 

Wired - TOKYO — A gaming console is only as good as the games you can play on it, and Sony went all-out to ensure the PlayStation 4 gets the best. In this video, lead system architect Mark Cerny joins Sony Computer Entertainment execs Andrew House and Shuhei Yoshida to explain how the PS4 will make it easier for developers to create amazing games and leave gamers drooling over the graphics and gameplay.

“We’d reached the point in games overall that it was appropriate to bring the software creators into the room when the hardware was being designed,” explains Cerny. “Ultimately, it’s all about having the best games on the platform.”

Read More about the Playstation 4:

See What’s Inside the PlayStation 4 With These Exclusive Photos.

Exclusive: The American Who Designed the PlayStation 4 and Remade Sony.

 

Watch Our Exclusive Teardown of the PlayStation 4.

Call of Duty: Ghosts - PS4 Multiplayer Gameplay

Dell's Alienware 14 - PC gaming in a semiportable package

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0StarsExcellent

The good: Dell's new Alienware 14 offers great performance, competitive prices, and quirky features such as a backlit touch pad.

The bad: The new design still feels dated, and it's as thick as a few slim laptops stacked together. The fan is insanely loud.

The bottom line: Dell has revamped its gaming line, including the new Alienware 14. The design changes don't go nearly far enough, but no complaints about the performance.

Read the Full Review

PS4 Release Date, Vita Price Drop, and GAMES!

Gaming: War of the Vikings Due in Early 2014

Paradox Interactive and Fatshark have announced War of the Vikings, a new multiplayer close quarters combat game in the spirit of War of the Roses.

VG 24/7 - A standalone entry in the new War series, War of the Vikings is built on a refined version of the engine that powers War of the Roses.

Players choose between Saxon and Viking factions, customise their warrior and weapons, and battle it out on 9th and 10th Century English soil in up to 64-player battles.

“We’ve been inspired many times over by the possibilities of the close-combat genre. It’s clear to us that that there are many more experiences we can share with our players, and War of the Vikings is our next step in establishing Paradox and Fatshark as leaders in the art of online war,” War franchise executive producer Gordon Van Dyke said in a statement.

Speaking to VG247 at a closed doors event in Sydney today, Van Dyke confirmed that female warriors will be available in both factions; after consulting with an archaeological expert in viking warfare, Fatshark was delighted to learn that women fighters are historically justifiable.

The producer stressed that War of the Vikings will continue the franchise’s traditions of emphasising skill over unlocks, but there will be plenty for veterans to collect, including more elaborate beard and hair styles and symbols of wealth. Although some interpretative allowances have been made, Van Dyke said he’s aiming for historical accuracy and a realistic portrayal of the viking profession, which has had some pretty poor PR for the last millennium.   More

Grand Theft Auto V: Official Gameplay Video

PS4 Gamers Can Play All Their Digital Games From Any System

Thanks to the PS4′s ability to play games that are being downloaded in the background, you can play your digital titles on any machine.

Forbes - Thanks to the PlayStation 4′s Play As You Download feature, PS4 gamers will be able to play any of their digital games from any system without having to wait hours for a game to download.

“You can visit your friends house you can log into your account and play any game from your digital library, which is good,” said Neil Brown, Sony’s R&D senior team leader, speaking at Develop. “But how useful is that if it takes half a day to download the game you want to play? With Play As You Download you get much quicker access to at least the first section of the game so you can start playing quicker. So this makes a digital library a practical option in the real world.”   More

Gaming: New Releases - CoD: Black Ops 2, Dark, Scourge, Brothers

GameSpot - This week we have Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Scourge: Outbreak, Dark, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Vengeance.

E3 2013: Day Two Wrap Up

E3 2013 via PCWorld

Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World: fun but what's new?techhive.com

Shiny cars! Zombies! Cosplay! All this and much more on display at E3techhive.com

No Internet access? Microsoft advises you to skip Xbox One, stay with aging Xbox 360techhive.com

The Evil Within aims to make horror games scary againtechhive.com

Touring Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online

Keep your eye on these three great PlayStation 4 indie gamestechhive.com

Hands on with ARMA III and DayZ, PC gaming’s E3 vanguards

Drifting down memory lane with Mario Kart 8 techhive.com

How Sony won E3's kickofftechhive.com

No surprises from Nintendo at E3 2013techhive.com

PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One: What you'll really spendtechhive.com

12 PC gaming gems hidden among the consoles at E3

Alienware shows off its all-new gaming notebook lineup at E3

Tom Clancy's The Division may be the best Ubisoft game announced at E3

Ubisoft delivers a meaty game lineup at E3

More