Category Archives: Links

SimCity needs more servers, is probably getting them

JC Fletcher, writing for Joystiq

In order to help get more people connected to SimCity during a launch period plagued by intermittent (at best) access and data loss, EA has begun adding more servers for the online-only game.

Read Maxis’s official response through that link. Instead of being like “oh god we really messed up here’s what happened,” it’s more like “yeah, yeah, there were problems and we’re fixing them; also, by the way, people have been LOVING this game let me tell ya.” Not really sure that’s the way to address this. At all. More servers should help, though.

XCOM the shooter is still on

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Jessica Conditt, writing for Joystiq

XCOM, the shooter from 2K Marin, is still a part of Take-Two’s future launch plans, scheduled for fiscal year 2014. Take-Two’s fiscal 2014 runs from April 1, 2013, to March 31, 2014. This is the same release window XCOM received in May 2012, which is also the last time we heard any significant news about the game.

It’s easy to get dismissive about XCOM the shooter. It’s a shooter, for one. That’s kinda hard to swallow. Also, it seems like its development has had a lot more downs than ups. Despite this, today’s news strikes me as exciting. It’s an indication that someone got the idea to work.

The Witcher 3 is coming

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David Hinkle, writing for Joystiq

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been revealed, appearing on the cover of the next issue of Game Informer.

The issue is available to digital subscribers now, ahead of the expected February 5 announcement CD Projekt RED teased in mid-January.

You know, I don’t think I could be happier with this game’s setup. I want to play as a Witcher who isn’t locked up in some vast, sprawling storyline. Nah, I’d rather hunt and kill some monsters in a huge open world. Fingers crossed that CD Projekt will be able to jump over all the technical hurdles.

Dirty Bomb’s closed alpha is definitely a thing

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John Walker, writing for Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Splash Damage’s Dirty Bomb has entered the mystic realms of “closed alpha”. Is that a thing? Surely that’s just “development”? Oh, players are getting in. Then that’s beta, isn’t it?

I don’t know anything about this game. I don’t think anyone does, outside of the folks who are forking over money to get into the game’s alpha. Speaking of that, take a look at this page. You see the part where you can pay up to 320 bucks for access to a bunch of trivial stuff, including access to what’s really a beta for an eventual free-to-play game? Gross.

Dead Space 3 has micro-transactions

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Tom Phillips, writing for Eurogamer

Dead Space 3 includes micro-transactions as part of its weapon crafting system, Eurogamer can reveal.

We spotted mention of “downloadable content” during a recent hands-on play session with the game. The message pops up when you don’t have enough resources to piece together the beefy new weapon you’re after.

From what I can tell, these are optional in-game purchases like the kind we see on mobile. You can spend forever grinding out the components you need or you can just flip the switch on your own personal money hose and get what you want now.

This is a monetization strategy that has been proven viable on the App Store and on Facebook, and I’m sure it’ll work just as fine in the console space. We’ll never see the numbers, though.

If you’re angry and asking what gives here, just consider the costs of making a blown-up, AAA game like Dead Space versus the couple of millions of copies it will probably sell. EA is trying to make a buck beyond the point of purchase. This is a way to do that.

Whoa, this Cyberpunk 2077 trailer

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John Keefer, writing for Shacknews

CD Projekt Red already had us intrigued with the thought of a Cyberpunk 2020-style game teleported some 57 years into the future. But its first teaser for Cyberpunk 2077 showing a bloodied blonde with alien-like augments kneeling in the middle of a mass of bodies just raised this game quite high on my want-to-play list. Oh, and bullets shatter on her face.

Word is that this thing might not hit until 2015. As clearly stated at the end of the trailer, CD Projekt isn’t interested in talking release dates or windows, though. In other news, The Witcher 3 is going to be a thing, apparently. That’s cool!

Telltale offers Walking Dead 360 owners another broken version of Walking Dead

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Tom Phillips, writing for Eurogamer:

The Walking Dead developer Telltale Games will offer download codes for the game’s entire first season to those affected by performance issues on 4GB-sized Xbox 360s.

This would be great if the other versions of this game didn’t have significant, fundamental, game experience breaking issues, too. Also, it’s still kinda blowing my mind that this disc went to retail to begin with.

Xi3 announces PC, People Start Calling It A Steam Box

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JC Fletcher, writing for Joystiq

The “Steam Box” is coming, though it’s not officially called that. PC company Xi3 has announced a “new development stage computer system,” to be shown at CES this week. It’s designed specifically to support Steam and by extension its Big Picture mode, and will be housed in a chassis similar to the one shown above. Valve has invested in the company, and the computer will be on display at both Valve’s and Xi3′s booths at CES.

Something smells weird about this. Just my own speculation, but my gut says Xi3 is overplaying the Valve connection on this. I mean, look at the statement given to Polygon – a Steam Box isn’t a device that “could” play Steam games. It’s a system that will play Steam games, full-stop.

Zeno Clash 2 hitting this spring

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Sinan Kubba, writing for Joystiq:

After around four years of devlopment, Carlos Bordeu, co-founder of developer ACE Team. posted the window on the game’s official forums. Bordeu said that Spring 2013 is as close as he can pin down a release date for the long-awaited sequel to 2009 brawler/shooter Zeno Clash.

YES. YES. YES. I loved the oddities, themes, and raw expression in the original Zeno Clash. So weird, but so awesome. I couldn’t be more stoked for its sequel, as I expect that it’ll double down on the stuff that made the first one so unique.

Oh hey, the Walking Dead is busted on another platform

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Samit Sarkar, writing for Polygon

Xbox 360 players are reporting in a seven-page thread with over 130 replies that the game is “practically unplayable” due to hitching and temporary freezing issues. Similar problems, along with audio skipping, exist in the PS3 version as well, according to a two-page thread with over 20 posts. “It’s essentially unplayable when it freezes so long that I can’t make a choice and then someone is upset with Lee for doing nothing,” said forum user Kahlusha.

This sounds bad, but it’s not unexpected. Telltale’s ships a lot of broken games. I feel bad for the dudes with unconnected consoles that are buying this. There’s no way they’ll get a title update, provided one even comes.

When do we stop giving the Walking Dead a pass, by the way? Sure, it tells a heck of a story and has some really neat design elements, but the game has technical problems on most of its platforms. And we’re not just talking about occasional lock-ups — some of these bugs seriously impact progression or stop it altogether. That’s fucked up.

I played the iOS version — which I think is the only one without the save bug — so I was able to have a full, fulfilling experience with the game. Give that a shot if you still haven’t played. It’s a slower, less visual experience but at least you can save your game without losing it.