General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


AMD Starts Shipping Trinity And Brazos 2.0 APUs To Manufacturers

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT

If AMD were an Internet troll, it would be that annoying guy who always chimes in with a "FIRST!" post in the comment section of articles. After the company's Radeon 7000 series beat Nvidia to market by quite a few months, it's now beaten Intel to the CPU punch, too. With Ivy Bridge's expected launch staring us square in the face, AMD has announced that its Trinity and Brazos 2.0 APUs have begun shipping out.

…kinda. In a blog post on the AMD website, senior PR manager Phil Hughes announced that the chips started shipping to OEMs last quarter, but haven't started shipping to retail. The actual street date for Trinity- and Brazos 2.0 based systems is a more nebulous "will be available globally soon."

Hughes even tossed in a Trinity elevator pitch for the folks who aren't familiar with the APU: "(Trinity) helps improve on virtually every aspect of our current A-Series APUs while doubling the performance-per-watt over our previous generation." Brazos 2.0 improves upon currently available Brazos chips and targets low-end products.

All that's left to see is whether or not Trinity is actually able to deliver decent enough CPU chops at a low enough price to be able to steal some of the thunder away from Intel's Ultrabooks and Ivy Bridge CPUs.

Diablo III Beta Open To Barbarians (And Everyone Else) This Weekend

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 10:21 AM PDT

Attention would-be witch doctors and wizards: it's time to reschedule whatever you had planned for the weekend. Homework, quality time with your significant other and bleaching your grandma's teeth all take a backseat to your new to-list entry -- blasting demons and devils in Diablo III. Last night, Blizzard announced that the game would be free for all this weekend as part of a stress-testing open beta. Actually, you can start swinging your swords any minute now.

Anybody with a Battle.net login can start downloading the Diablo III client now and hop into the action at noon Pacific time this afternoon. Keep downing those 5 hour energy drinks and immolating fools throughout the weekend, though, as the beta shuts its doors at 10 A.M. Pacific time on Monday. (Just don't expect to get your PvP on.)

Beta testers can play any and all of the five classes during the beta. Leveling is capped at level 13 for each, however. Gamers have been griping about some of the major changes made to Diablo III; now's your chance to see whether or not the game is awesome enough to wash away complaints about its always-connected single player mode and the new item marketplace.

The full game is still slated to drop on May 15.

This week's hottest reviews on TechRadar

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 08:28 AM PDT

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30

HTC's 'One' range of Android smartphones represents the company's great hope of a 2012 financial comeback, and we've now reviewed all three models.

The HTC One V is the most affordable of the three, and you should check out our review if you're looking for a premium handset for a reasonable price.

Elsewhere it's been another exciting week in the world of cameras so do check out our cameras channel.

HTC One V review

Bringing impressive specs to a more entry-level friendly price point, the HTC One V is a smartphone that will help push user expectations of competitively priced handsets to a new level. Far from a beige device that will simply blend into the highly competitive crowd, the HTC One V features enough standout specs and impressively simple user interface characteristics to separate it from the throng of devices all vying for the same limited custom.

HTC One V

Although not perfect, the handset's 1GHz Qualcomm CPU keeps the device zipping through content at an impressive pace, with little lag when jumping between apps, menus and the selection of heavily skinned home screens.

Panasonic HC-V700 review

The Panasonic HC-V700 has some really stand out features to remind you that smartphones and small Sony Bloggie-style cameras can't do everything a bigger unit can. With its wide-angle lens, massive zoom and image stabilisation, it's easy to see the technological advantages of the HC-V700. Unfortunately, it proved to be only competent at actual image quality, and at £450, that inevitably knocks it down from being an essential purchase.

Nikon D800 review

It's great to find that the D800 isn't just a triumph of numbers, and that the 35.3Mp sensor actually delivers on its promise – capturing bags of detail. The surprise bonus is that noise is actually pretty well controlled and the dynamic range is very impressive.

For those interested in stepping up to a full-frame camera, the D800 represents a good investment. You get pretty much all of the best features of the D4 in a more compact and lighter body, with a much higher pixel count for just shy of half of the price.

Olympus OM-D review

Three years after making its first entrance into the compact system camera arena with the PEN E-P1, Olympus has gone back to its roots again to produce the OM-D, with its retro styling owed to its analogue predecessor.

Panasonic TZ30 review

The Panasonic Lumix TZ30 is quite an expensive compact camera, although when you take into account the raft of functions it starts to appear good value. Features are one thing, though - image quality is quite another. Although the Panasonic Lumix TZ30 is capable of capturing good pictures, we don't feel the camera's images match the high levels of performance it delivers elsewhere.

Panasonic Lumix TZ30

Other reviews this week:

Home cinema systems

Samsung HT-E6500 review

Laptops

Lenovo IdeaPad U260 review

Acer Aspire Timeline M3 review

Samsung Series 3 NP300E5A review

Mice

Logitech m600 Touch Mouse review

Mobile phones

Samsung Focus Flash review

Routers

Trendnet TEW-692GR Dual Band Wireless Router review

Asus RT-N66U Dark Knight review

D-Link DHP-1565 Wireless N PowerLine Gigabit Router review

Software

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 review

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4

Symantec Norton One review

Microsoft Posts Better-Than-Expected Q3 Results

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:44 AM PDT

If this is indeed the post-PC era as some are claiming, it isn't having the kind of detrimental effects that one would expect it to have on Microsoft's fiscal health. The Redmond-based software leviathan on Thursday announced its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2012 and the numbers are better than Wall Street's expectations. Hit the jump for more.

According to the company, its third-quarter revenue was a record $17.41 billion, a 6 percent increase from the same period last year. Even though the software giant's net income fell slightly year-on-year to $5.11 billion, or 60 cents per share, it was higher than the Street's forecast of around 58 cents per share.

"We're driving toward exciting launches across the entire company, while delivering strong financial results," said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft, in a press release. "With the upcoming release of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the next version of Office, and a wide array of products and services for the enterprise and consumers, we will be delivering exceptional value to all our customers in the year ahead."

Barring the lackluster performance of the Entertainment & Devices Division, which posted an year-on-year revenue decline of 16 percent, the company managed to do well in almost all other key areas, with the enterprise-focused Servers and Tools and Business Divisions being the best performers.

The Windows and Windows Live Division, which posted a considerable revenue decline during the previous quarter, managed to bounce back in this one, posting a revenue of $4.62 billion, a 4% increase from the same period last year. The company also revealed that 40 percent of the world's enterprise desktops now run on Windows 7.

"We saw strong demand for our business desktop and infrastructure offerings," said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft. "Solid revenue growth and continued cost discipline drove double-digit operating income growth."

AMD Reports $590 Million Loss in Q1, Still Thumbs Nose at Wall Street

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:32 AM PDT

Scanning AMD's financial report for the first quarter of 2012, you would think the Sunnyvale chip maker is in big trouble. Revenue was $1.59 billion, a nice number if not for the fact that it represents a net loss of $590 million, or $0.80 cents per share, along with an operating loss of $580 million. That's a 6 percent sequential decrease and a 2 percent decrease year-over-year. Non-GAAP earnings were $0.12 a share. So why wouldn't investors want to hit the panic button?

For starters, AMD topped Wall Street's expectations. Wall Street was bracing itself for AMD to report non-GAAP earnings of $0.09 cents a share on revenue of $1.56 billion, so things didn't shake out as bad as they could have.

The other reason things aren't as bad as they seem is because the numbers include a $703 million charge AMD took when restructuring its business relationship with Globalfoundries last month, along with the acquisition of SeaMicro. All things considered, AMD believes it's standing on solid ground.

"AMD delivered solid results in the first quarter as we remain focused on improving our execution, delivering innovative products, and building a company around a strategy to deliver strong cash flow and earnings growth," said Rory Read, AMD president and CEO. "A complete top-to-bottom introduction of new APU offerings, combined with ample product supply resulting from continued progress with our manufacturing partners, positions us to win and grow."

Looking ahead, AMD expects revenue to increase 3 percent sequentially for the second quarter of 2012. There's also reason to be optimistic with the hard drive shortage starting to subside and Windows 8 on the horizon, both of which could drive up PC sales throughout 2012.

Image Credit: Flickr (chimothy27)

Asus Introduces Factory Overclocked GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 07:03 AM PDT

It's still a challenge finding one of Nvidia's Kepler infused GeForce GTX 680 graphics cards in stock and ready to ship, but one thing the new GPU series doesn't lack is third-party variation. Nvidia's GPU partners are putting their own stamp on the GTX 680 with custom coolers and, in some cases like the new DirectCU II TOP edition from Asus, custom designed PCBs as well.

Asus went above and beyond the reference blueprint with the GeForce GTX DirectCU II TOP, adding 10-phase DIGI+ VRM digitally regulated power delivery with 30 percent noise reduction. The card also features 'Super Alloy Power' components that Asus claims will last 2.5 times longer than reference parts.

As for the custom cooler, it's a dual fan design that Asus says will keep the card 20 percent chillier than the stock heatsink/fan, and will do so while running 14dB quieter. It has five copper heatpipes with a 20 percent bigger dissipation area than reference.

What it all adds up to is a card that can withstand the rigors of overclocking, and to prove it, Asus goosed the clocks at the factory. Clockspeeds are pre-configured to 1,137MHz (up from 1,006MHz) for base and 1,201MHz (up from 1,058MHz) for boost. The 2GB of GDDR5 memory was left alone and runs at 6,008MHz (effective) on a 256-bit bus.

Price and availability were not announced.

Image Credit: Asus

Ultrabooks, Not Tablets, Prop Up the NAND Flash Memory Industry

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:37 AM PDT

Memory makers would be wise never to take consumer demand for granted. It's a lesson all involved had to learn the hard way after the DRAM market crashed crashed a few years ago, and with the rise in popularity of solid state drives and products that use them, NAND flash memory is proving to be their mulligan. Even still, a repeat of what happened to DRAM sales is possible, and surprisingly enough, it's the Ultrabook market that's driving sales of NAND flash memory, not all those supposed PC-killing tablets.

If IHS iSuppli's projections are spot on, NAND flash revenue will climb to $22.9 billion in 2012, up a "healthy 8 percent" from $21.2 billion in 2011. Looking longer term, the use of NAND flash memory in three key markets -- Ultrabooks, smartphones, and tablets -- will push revenue to $30.9 billion by 2016.

One thing that's interesting about all this is the fact that Ultrabooks are playing the biggest role right now, and because "consumers did not embrace tablets as enthusiastically during the fourth quarter [of 2011] as initially expected," last year's NAND flash memory sales actually fell below expectations.

"Given the lukewarm performance of the tablet segment last year, there was some trepidation coming into 2012 for the NAND industry," said Michael Yang, senior principal analyst for memory & storage at IHS. "But even though most NAND manufacturers had planned to be on the fast track in 2012 to increase production at newly built fabs, each supplier has since reduced capital spending compared to its original plans, electing to moderate supply expansions to allow demand to catch up. Such a strategy will avoid a precipitous price decline that the industry won't be able to withstand, leading to more optimism for a stronger 2012."

IHS iSuppli called Ultrabooks the "shining new hope" for NAND sales as suppliers push for continued adoption of SSDs into thin and light notebooks. Combined with long battery life and fast boot-up times, Ultrabooks have grabbed the attention of both home consumers and corporations. The way IHS iSuppli figures it, Ultrabooks will account for 15 percent of total NAND flash sales, while tablets will account for 12 percent.

Image Credit: Samsung

Nokia CEO Chalks Up $1.2 Billion Loss to "Competitive Challenges"

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:11 AM PDT

Competition's a pain in the backside, especially when your competitors are launching products people actually want as opposed to stinking up the joint with promises of something better on the horizon. That pretty much sums up Nokia's business strategy, as the handset maker found itself in a smartphone holding pattern during its shift to Microsoft's Windows Phone platform and the launch of the Lumia 900. As a result, Nokia posted a $1.2 billion loss during the first quarter of 2012 and blamed it on "competitive challenges and seasonality."

Nokia's smartphone sales in Q1 2012 plummeted 29 percent year-on-year and fell 26 percent compared to the previous quarter. Forget about the proverbial rock and hard place, the problem Nokia faced was being stuck between a Symbian and a Windows Phone platform.

"We are navigating through a significant transition in an industry environment that continues to evolve and shift quickly," Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said in a statement. "Over the last year we have made progress on our new strategy, but we have faced greater than expected competitive challenges."

Elop admitted to being "disappointed" with Nokia's Q1 performance but found solace in the fact that "Lumia is up and running" in the U.S. Indeed, there's a silver lining there. The Lumia 900 is arguably the best Windows Phone device currently available, and that's saying something when traditionally there has been little to separate devices running Microsoft's mobile OS. But will it be enough? Nokia's future may ultimately depend on the answer.

Image Credit: Nokia

MMO News

MMO News


Star Conflict Closed Beta Gameplay – First Look HD

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 01:50 PM PDT

 

To Learn More About the Game Check out our Star Conflict Page.

Star Conflict is a 3D Sci-Fi MMO published by Star Gem, Inc. Star Conflict is a PvP-based combat game that revolves around several factions in space. The game offers players the ability to fully customize their ship to suit their own needs, with various weapons, modules, and upgrades. The game is completely PvP based, but gives the ability for new players to do just as well as veterans.To learn more about Star Conflict check out the official MMOHut Star Conflict page which includes a detailed review, tons of screenshots, and additional videos.

Golden Age launches Bloodlust server and new features

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 11:44 AM PDT

Aeria Games has launched a new server, Bloodlust, for its browser-based strategy game Golden Age.

New features have also been added to Golden Age. These features include a new Jewel Socket system to allow players to imbue their gear, a new Kingdom Chat, and a Fortification System to add properties to hero gear items. A “Rain Clouds Go Away” event lets players collect rain boots, umbrellas, and rain coats to help make Spring time flowers, and players can also now test the Battlefield Tournament system for alliance vs. alliance combat.

Aeria Games also publishes Eden Eternal and Crystal Saga.

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Golden Age Gameplay Screenshot

 Source:

A New Age Dawns as Aeria Games Launches New Server and Update for Golden Age

 

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – April 20 – Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, has added new features to its popular Real-Time Strategy (RTS) browser-based title Golden Age, an expansive free-to-play game set in a tumultuous medieval setting inspired by the history of the Knights Templar. Traditional browser-based RTS gameplay is blended with role-playing game elements to deliver a beautifully-rendered and immersive experience. Along with this new feature update, Aeria Games has also launched a completely new server for Golden Age, called "Bloodlust."

 

Players can join in on Bloodlust to vie for top rankings and achievements based competitions. Additionally, players can earn exclusive prizes for demonstrating their skills.

 

New features are key to any MMORPG along with adding new servers. Golden Age has been able to provide both in a timely fashion such as introducing the new "Jewel Socket" system that allows jewels to imbue additional properties and item characteristics. Additional features in this update to Golden Age include:

 

• New Kingdom Chat: Players can now talk with their alliance members; global chat, private chat, and now kingdom chat (larger alliance made up of alliances).

 

• Fortification System Update: New charms to help add special properties to hero gear items will be implemented.

 

• "Rain Clouds Go Away" Event: A quirky in-game event where ominous rain clouds have invaded Golden Age and must be repelled by collecting rain boots, umbrellas, and rain coats to make Spring time flowers.

 

Players currently are able to participate in our live testing of the new "Battlefield Tournament" system that allows alliance vs. alliance combat during this update, which should be fully released in the near future.

 

Like all browser games from Aeria Games, no download is required and the game is free-to-play. To play Golden Age or get more information on the game, visit http://goldenage.aeriagames.com.

 

A New Age Dawns as Aeria Games Launches New Server and

Update for Golden Age

SANTA CLARA, Calif.– April 20 – Aeria Games, a leading global publisher of free-to-play online games, has added new features to its popular Real-Time Strategy (RTS) browser-based title Golden Age, an expansive free-to-play game set in a tumultuous medieval setting inspired by the history of the Knights Templar. Traditional browser-based RTS gameplay is blended with role-playing game elements to deliver a beautifully-rendered and immersive experience. Along with this new feature update, Aeria Games has also launched a completely new server for Golden Age, called "Bloodlust."

Players can join in on Bloodlust to vie for top rankings and achievements based competitions. Additionally, players can earn exclusive prizes for demonstrating their skills.

New features are key to any MMORPG along with adding new servers. Golden Age has been able to provide both in a timely fashion such as introducing the new "Jewel Socket" system that allows jewels to imbue additional properties and item characteristics. Additional features in this update to Golden Age include:

New Kingdom Chat: Players can now talk with their alliance members; global chat, private chat, and now kingdom chat (larger alliance made up of alliances).

Fortification System Update: New charms to help add special properties to hero gear items will be implemented.

"Rain Clouds Go Away" Event: A quirky in-game event where ominous rain clouds have invaded Golden Age and must be repelled by collecting rain boots, umbrellas, and rain coats to make Spring time flowers.

Players currently are able to participate in our live testing of the new "Battlefield Tournament" system that allows alliance vs. alliance combat during this update, which should be fully released in the near future.

Like all browser games from Aeria Games, no download is required and the game is free-to-play. To play Golden Age or get more information on the game, visit http://goldenage.aeriagames.com.

Divina Challenge 72 events laid out as beta begins

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 10:14 AM PDT

Divina’s Challenge 72 beta – 72 hours of a beta test rushed this weekend – has laid out its events for players. The beta starts today, Friday April 20, at 10am Pacific.

One of the challenges is to push Divina’s Level Meter to 100%, which raises each time a player reaches level 30. The meter will be updated every 24 hours, and if it reaches 100%, all players will be able to keep their characters into the next PvP Beta (instead of a wipe).

Other daily events are laid out to let players rub elbows with the game’s GMs, with a full daily event schedule each day. These events will include Arena and Guild PvP, Q&A sessions, contests, town invasions, and GMs joining players to help them quest. You can check out the full event schedule here.

Divina is published by Gamania (beanfun), which also publishes Lucent Heart and Bright Shadow.

50817  420x310 divina beta reminder

Divina Gameplay Screenshot

 Source:

DIVINA'S CHALLENGE 72 BETA EVENTS REVEALED

PvP Battles, Staff Meet-ups, Invasions, and More

IRVINE, Calif. – April 20, 2012 – After inviting registered players and handing out beta keys this week, Gamania Digital Entertainment is counting down the launch of Divina's Challenge 72 beta, set for 10:00AM PDT. To get players ready, the team has released a packed 72 hour event schedule, filled with awesome activities.

The first challenge is to get Divina's "Level Meter" to 100%, full of level 30 players. Every 24 hours, Gamania will update the number of players that have reached level 30, and if the Level Meter reaches its goal, all characters will not be wiped before the next PVP Beta – allowing everyone to keep their progress and special beta rewards.

Anyone who's played Lucent Heart knows that Gamania is dedicated to building a lasting relationship with its community. In Divina, the team is continuing that trend. With friendly GMs who get to know players, and daily events that encourage community interaction, Gamania is once again set on delivering an unprecedented social experience.

Events Schedule: http://us.beanfun.com/divina/event/beta72/

  • Arena and Guild PvP: Nothing brings a server together like friendly competition. These heated tournaments will run throughout the beta.
  • Staff and GM Meet-ups: The GMs and Staff of Divina want to personally meet the community. They'll be holding Q&As, running contests, and even questing with players.
  • Town Invasions: Players and Guilds will need to band together and drive away invading demons.

It's going to be a busy 72 hours with hundreds of quests to complete, items and skills to unlock, monsters to collect, and of course, exciting events every hour. Anyone who missed the Challenge 72 beta can still signup for Divina's upcoming closed beta at the official website (http://us.beanfun.com/divina/entrance/) and join the community at Divina's official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/divinaenglish.

Star Conflict

Posted: 19 Apr 2012 04:47 PM PDT

Star Conflict is an ambitious MMO, that blends several exciting aspects into a single game. Pilot a ship that suits your needs from the get-go. Help your team or hinder your opponents with a variety of tactics, skills, and ship modifications. Join up in clans to show your supremacy in a detailed, high-end graphical experience!

50815  320x240 star conflict 09

Publisher: Star Gem, Inc
Playerbase: ??
Graphics: High
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: ??
PvP: Several modes
Filesize: ??

Pros: +Amazing graphics. +Everything available from the start. +Fast-paced combat.

Cons: -No PvE content. -Not enough information available.

official site

Overview

Star Conflict Overview

Star Conflict is a PvP-based combat game that revolves around several factions in space. The game offers players the ability to fully customize their ship to suit their own needs, with various weapons, modules, and upgrades. The game is completely PvP based, but giving the ability for new players to do just as well as veterans. The game will offer regular updates, adding more variety in maps, weaponry, and more.

Star Conflict Screenshots

Star Conflict Featured Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Full Review

Star Conflict Full Review

Coming Soon…

Screenshots

Star Conflict Screenshots

Coming Soon…

Videos

Star Conflict Videos

Star Conflict Beta Launch Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Star Conflict Links

Official Game Page

System Requirements

Star Conflict System Requirements

Coming soon. . .

 

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates


Call of Duty’s Lackluster March Isn’t Indicative of Much

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:12 AM PDT

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Generally speaking, the videogame industry sees the sale of games come primarily at launch before quickly tapering out. Nintendo games and Call of Duty games are some of the few exceptions to this. Whereas even many big titles will disappear from the NPD sales charts within a few months of launch, the latest Call of Duty traditionally has a long stay at the top before sticking around in the top ten long after when the majority of games would have fallen off. Modern Warfare 3 has yet to drop out of the top ten but it is doing more poorly than Black Ops was at the same point last year, leading some to wonder if the Call of Duty bubble is ready to burst. The series’ haters may want to delay celebrating just yet, however, as it’s hardly as if Activision is on the verge of being forced to shelve the series like it did Guitar Hero last year.

The “shortened tail” of Modern Warfare 3 first had attention called to it last week by PiperJaffray analyst Michael Olson. Gamasutra reported Olson was expecting MW3 to sell in March half of what Black Ops did during the same period last year. He was not of the belief this decline was specifically related to Call of Duty, though. “We believe big name titles are no longer able to sustain ‘fat tails.’” he said. “This ‘thinning tail’ phenomenon is driven by 1) casual gamers leaving the market, 2) a steeper pre-sale and up-front curve, and 3) cannibalization from the pre-owned market.”

The impact of secondhand sales can be debated all day; some would say they hurt new game sales, while others would counter that they make it possible for some gamers to afford new games and lead to the sale of downloadable content. Both sides have a point. In the case of a game like Modern Warfare 3 that doesn’t use any sort of online pass, it’s entirely possible that many consumers looking to pick it up now are opting to save a few dollars by purchasing a used copy (making it seem as if there is less demand for the game than there was for Black Ops last year).

More up-front sales, as Olson pointed to, is also likely to be contributing to some degree. It may not be selling as well this many months after launch, but Modern Warfare 3 had a record-breaking launch with both its first day and first five days. Despite being available for less than two months, it was also the best-selling game for all of 2011 in the United States according to the NPD Group. The point of this is not to remind you Call of Duty is a big deal, but instead to suggest the possibility that some of those people who waited until spring to buy Black Ops were compelled to pick up Modern Warfare 3 right at launch. So rather than having its sales more spread out over time, MW3 has attracted more early adopters. Considering that increases the likelihood of those people paying full price — you’re less likely to find the game on sale in November or December than you are in March — that is not necessarily a bad thing (and it’s also not a Call of Duty-specific phenomenon, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter).

And as noted by Olson, it’s possible some of the more casual players have moved on to entertaining themselves in other ways. That could mean they’re buying other games (considering the lull the industry is currently going through, I wouldn’t put my money on it) or using their consoles for other purposes, such as streaming video content from the increasingly large number of entertainment apps found on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

The aforementioned dip in software sales industry-wide are another factor that could be contributing to the current decline; software (and hardware, for that matter) is simply not selling well in much of the world right now. The availability of Battlefield 3 isn’t helping MW3′s case, either, and the marketing muscle EA put behind it would explain part of Cowen and Company’s Doug Creutz’s assertion that the MW3 drop is due to decreased sales on Wii, handhelds, and PC. It’s entirely possible many PC gamers are opting to pick up BF3 instead of MW3.

Those with a disdain for Call of Duty — a group that seems to increase with each passing year — would no doubt argue the poor March sales are a direct result of the annualization (and accompanying lack of innovation) that has plagued the series for the past half decade. By alternating between Infinity Ward and Treyarch, Activision has allowed each to have two years in between releases. As far as the cynics are concerned, though, each new release brings little more than new guns and levels; it’s an oversimplification, certainly, though there is no denying every game feels remarkably similar to the one from the year prior. Then again, considering the games continue to sell as well as they do, changing things drastically could be considered a poor business decision.

We unfortunately don’t have exact sales numbers for Modern Warfare 3, so it’s difficult to know precisely how it stacks up against Black Ops overall. (Analysts have suggested it has sold between 4 and 5 percent fewer copies.) Whatever may be responsible for its disappointing performance last month, the year-over-year growth had to stop eventually. (The launches may continue to get bigger, but that, too, will stop at some point.) It is easy to imagine things being different next year because of the retail market recovering or simply because Black Ops 2 will be competing against Medal of Honor Warfighter, which I don’t expect to put up as much of a fight as Battlefield 3.

Even if future Call of Duty games fail to sell as well as Black Ops, that doesn’t mean they will be any less successful. As more gamers take their consoles online, that increases the potential number of people to sell downloadable content to. More importantly, the introduction of Call of Duty Elite has opened up a way for Activision to get $110 out of hardcore fans per year instead of $60 plus a few possible $15 DLC purchases. In year one there are upwards of 1.5 million people willing to fork over $50 for an Elite subscription; it will be interesting to see how many of those stick around and how Activision tries to attract new subscribers. The monthly DLC installments MW3 Elite subscribers are seeing are a good start.

Considering all of this, Call of Duty haters should not be too excited about the news of MW3′s performance last much. At least until Call of Duty stops being a yearly record breaker, it’s not about to go anywhere.

Similar article: http://www.1up.com/news/call-of-duty-down-not-out

God of War: Ascension Goes Backward While Hopefully Taking the Series Forward

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:12 AM PDT

What’s so terrible about DmC? People sure were angry when Capcom revealed this Devil May Cry prequel/reboot last year. Not having particularly followed the series myself, I found the outcry a little baffling. Sure, it was being outsourced rather than being developed internally by Capcom, but the studio responsible for it is Ninja Theory, who have yet to make a poor game; on the contrary, their work — particularly the recent sleeper Enslaved: Journey to the West — have been quite nicely received by critics. In the end, the complaints mainly seem to boil down to the fact that protagonist Dante suddenly has dark hair and a coif that look an awful lot like that of Ninja Theory’s boss, Tameem Antoniades.

OK, so maybe it’s a little self-gratifying. But still, I have to ask: What’s so terrible about DmC? Now that I’ve had the opportunity to play DmC for myself, I have a hard time imagining that any fan of Devil May Cry fan wouldn’t enjoy Ninja Theory’s take on the franchise. Yeah, Dante has become something of a self-insertion character, and he’s a cocky twerp; but his brashness is offset by a delirious combination of over-the-top silliness and over-the-top action game excess. One moment, Dante is answering the door of his trailer home in the nude; the next, a massive demon is attacking and the hero dresses himself in slow-motion by free-falling through the air into his clothes. (Conveniently placed hovering free-fall objects such as slices of pizza manage to preserve his modesty to the viewer through an increasingly improbable sequence of events.) There’s a real sense of tongue-in-cheek absurdity to it all; were these events to simply flash past in a moment, they’d seem frivolous. Instead, they drag on just a little too long and become just a little too ridiculous, and that clearly deliberate excess amounts to a knowing wink at the audience. It works.

Similar article: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3187009

Blue Tears (CN)

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:11 AM PDT



I do know cute, fast and action sounds like a weird mixture in an online game, but at least that was what I felt :) Originally published by NCsoft back in Korea under the title “Punch Monster”, the game was unceremoniously canceled by the company in just a few months. Personally, I blame NCsoft for not placing more efforts into marketing the game and getting the right team to manage this action + casual side-scroller. NCsoft failed with Dragonica Korea as well (now under Gravity Korea as Dragon Saga), hence I shall give the label of “King of Failed Casual Games” to NCsoft.



Luckily, Punch Monster’s development studio is not under NCsoft, hence the game continued to thrive in other countries, such as China where I had my fair share of fun. Weekday evenings and weekends are a chore though, with the server practically full 24/7 and proving near impossible to log into the channels with less than a 30 minutes wait… This happens even when certain level ranges will only get bonus EXP for entering selected channels.



Now called Blue Tears in other Asian countries, I must say that I was surprised at myself for lasting so long in the game given that I am a “retired” MMO player. Sort of anyway. While Dungeon Fighter Online is no doubt the king of action side-scroller, Blue Tears is not far behind in the speed category in terms of combat. That is what I really liked about the game (to hell with MapleStory) and the really cute design, which some comparing it with Paper Mario.

Class selection is pretty standard, with 3 basic ones branching out into 2 advanced ones. I chose to be a warrior, and then continued to being a Dragon Knight, which is essentially the tanker. To some extent, I never really felt like a tanker until I upgraded my equipments to +8, and even then I felt paper thin against some bosses in the special dungeons (mentioned below) while normal dungeons are a breeze for me. Giving up my shield recently, I reset my skill points (and taunts) and decided to go a 2-handed spear style… No one kicked me out of a party for that, yet. I am dealing decent damage with many defensive buffs, hence I am quite happy with it.



For skills, players get 1 point upon leveling. However, you don’t really just add a point to the skill. Instead, you add the points to enhance the skills. For example, a skill call Dragon Wave will come with 2 enhancement options, 1 which will increase damage, while the other increase the number of foes it hits. Each of this enhancement skills can be leveled up to a maximum of 9 from what I observed. If you added 3 points to the enhancements, the main skill will automatically be level 4 (level 1 to use) and have increased attributes. Though there are a couple of games using this system, it is no doubt still a rarity.



While there are open world maps for quests and bosses, there are the signature instance dungeons as well. Each dungeon will have up to 3 difficulties, requiring players to unlock them after completing an easier one. Unfortunately, there are limited times a players can enter dungeons each day given the 1000 dungeon points. But I am not complaining, since the points are really more than enough for me on a weekday. There will be special bonus objectives when entering the dungeons, such as “Get hit less than 50 times” or “Use less than 50 potions”, most of which are really easy to achieve.

Next, there are the special dungeons which players can only enter 2 times each day. These dungeons are much tougher, monsters have insane amount of health points and the bosses are really a pain in the @$$. I got mined kicked really hard when entering the mid-levels one for the first time. Other than quests, these special dungeons’ monsters drops items which allows you to trade for NPC set-item gears at the entrance. While it sounds easy, collecting them (up to hundreds of them) is really time consuming. Not that I am complaining, I think no one should since these are basically free gears requiring just patience.

I am really impressed with the abundance of quests found in Blue Tears, since they really never stop appearing after completing older ones. Yes, most of them are the classic “Kill X monsters” or “Collect X materials”, but somehow I never really got tired of repeating the same formula, at least for the past 2 weeks. The game is bright and the models, environment are all clear and vivid, and while emulating some sort of childishness in the design style, is not too over the bar.

Given that the game is developed in Korea and being published in cash-rich China, there is no doubt a couple of advantages using the cash shop. For example, I can boost my strength by 20% after equipping my pet with a skill bought from the cash shop. Granted, there is not really any guild battles except simple 1 on 1 PvP, I think it is really ok… Well, I spent a hundred on the game so far, I am enjoying it :p

There is actually a little bit “fairness” in terms of upgrading equipments, where items which boosts success rate by 10% and items which prevent destruction cannot be used at the same time. At certain intervals, for example from +4 to +5 and +7 to +8, there are no penalties other than failing and losing the gold. In fact, equipments will not break until from +10 and onwards. However, even equipments will fall down 1 level if the upgrade fails. From +2 to +1 is really… Argh…

There are various other features such as automated fishing (chance to get an ultra rare fish as ingredient), the various costumes and mounts, bounty system for bosses and also a card game which I never really tried. You might be thinking “Wait, ain’t this just another Korean grinder?”… Well, it really is. Sometimes, a generic game just has that strange alluring charm which attracts the naysayers to give it a try, which in this case, is me. I think I need to see a shrink soon.  A MMO shrink.


Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/blue-tears-cn-cute-and-fast-with-tons.html

Path of Exile

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:08 AM PDT



[Game website] Crowd-funding seems to be the hottest thing right now in the gaming industry, with developers trying to get the financials in order to operate and sell games themselves. Those pesky publishers like EA should really do some self-reflection. Back to the MMO, Path of Exile, developer Grinding Gear Games sent out a press release earlier to extend their thanks to the gamer who bought virtual points even before the game is out. USD 200,000 from 13,000 players is by no means a small amount seeing that it only took them 6 days. You can still contribute (link) and Open Beta is currently scheduled in June.

MEDIA RELEASE

Indie Action RPG Path of Exile crowd-funds $200,000 over Easter

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – 11 April 2012 – Following a hugely popular
public test weekend, the makers of Indie Action RPG Path of Exile, New
Zealand-based Grinding Gear Games, have launched a 'crowd-funding'
campaign where players can pre-purchase game currency and receive
rewards such as Closed Beta Keys and exclusive in-game pets in return.

In first six days the free-to-play 'ethical microtransaction' funded
action RPG has sold over USD$200,000 worth of supporter packs to 13,000
fans.

The previous weekend 46,911 players stress tested the game. "We
literally had hundreds of people asking how they could support the game
to get to Open Beta sooner. We were blown away by the community
enthusiasm at the stress test weekend, so we moved quickly to open our
shop earlier than planned. We've been blown away again by the support
over Easter," says Grinding Gear Games' co-founder Chris Wilson.

13 people have bought the $1,000 Diamond Supporter package, which will
let them help design one of the game's Unique magic items.

Path of Exile features its own dark, gritty take on the Action RPG
genre, a unique skill gem system, a huge passive skill tree and PvP
combat in a persistent online world.

"The crowd-funding presales mean Path of Exile will enter Open Beta in
June with three acts of content. Although we plan to pile on the
content for years to come, further support will greatly accelerate it
and help pay for our US and European servers."

Grinding Gear Games have committed to never charge for content or power.
"Selling supporter packs and currency has also been a great test of our
'ethical microtransaction' philosophy. We hate the concept of
pay-to-win games, so it's great to see that players are willing to
support the game and to buy purely cosmetic items," says Wilson.

A range of supporter packs are available on Path of Exile's website.
The cheapest tier is $10 which includes Closed Beta access. Higher tiers
come with in-game Kiwi bird Pets, a collector's edition copy of the
game, t-shirts, soundtracks, signed posters, and the option to design a
Unique Item. All packs include game currency which can be used to buy
extra character slots and stash tabs for compulsive item hoarding. More
personalisation options and player services are planned for the Open
Beta.

Any purchases made now will continue into the Open Beta, although Closed
Beta characters and non-microtransaction items will be wiped upon
entering Open Beta in approximately June.

During the stress test weekend, 46,911 people tried the game with the
servers successfully handling a peak load of 7310 players. "The stress
test was great – we learnt a lot about how people are playing and
enjoying the game. We've built Path of Exile as an online game with PvP
and support for various leagues and game modes from the ground up, and
we're really pleased with how the servers performed," says Wilson.

Path of Exile has been in development for five years by Grinding Gear
Games, an independent studio of hardcore RPG fans based in Auckland, New
Zealand.

Key features of 'Path of Exile':

- Completely free to download and play, but never 'pay-to-win'
- A persistent online world capable of supporting hundreds of thousands of players
- A dark and gritty game world rendered from a fixed 3D perspective
- Randomly generated levels and items for extreme replayability
- Online ranking and ladders for every game mode
- Visceral combat with dozens of combinable skills
- Battle in PVP tournaments for worldwide recognition
- Dynamic skill system

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/path-of-exile-developer-thanks-easter.html

Dragon Blade (CN)

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:01 AM PDT



[More info] China’s number 2 MMO company, NetEase, is not shying away from naming Tencent’s upcoming Blade Soul China as its main competitor. First revealed late in March, Dragon Blade so far has garnered mixed reviews, some claiming it to be a Blade Soul clone while others managed to picked out small details which differentiate it from the NCsoft-developed title. Nevertheless, I personally feel it is always good the have strong competition. A new Dragon Blade gameplay trailer was revealed just around an hour ago, so do take a look.

The trailer left me with quite some thoughts. It seems like a mixture of Blade Soul in terms of design, TERA in open world non-target action combat, and perhaps even Aion at the ending sequence with the wings. And not forgetting the trademark loli race which is in almost all “big” 3D online titles now. Still, Dragon Blade looks promising, I am certainly not discounting it yet.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/dragon-blade-cn-new-gameplay-trailer.html

Dungeon Hero (KR)

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT



I know, Dragon Nest developer Eyedentity Games just announced Dungeon Striker (link) recently, which I think forced EyaSoft to reveal their rendition of a online dungeon crawler as well. EyaSoft, if you remember, developed some rather memorable titles including Luna Online, Legend of Edda and Iris Online.

After temporary ceasing all work on their previous games (link), EyaSoft is now back with its 2nd title, Dungeon Hero. The first title to be announced after the studio’s revival was the spiritual successor to Luna Online, Luna Story: ELs (link).



Unlike Dungeon Striker which is a real time action slasher, Dungeon Hero still adopts the classic targeting system, which will no doubt draw in a different crowd of gamers who are still not used to action games. Combat is not really that slow, which I can attest with my experience in Legend of Edda and Luna Online.



Featuring a “Heroes’ Arena” inspired by MOBA games such as Dota 2, Dungeon Hero is still very much focused on PvP despite EyaSoft’s trademark cute design. There is also a PvP map which accommodates guild wars, supporting 100 Vs 100 players at the same time. Dungeon Hero is expected to enter beta later this year.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/dungeon-hero-kr-eyasofts-dungeon.html

Garena signs Club Mstar for Southeast Asia

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT



Garena has always been known to be more of a company hosting PvP games such as Heroes of Newerth, League of Legends and most recently Firefall (link) in the Asia region, hence today’s news came as a surprise to me. The company has signed a contract with Korean developer Nurien and CJ Games for the English publishing rights of Mstar Online (or Club Mstar), an online dancing game for Southeast Asia including Taiwan as well for the Traditional Chinese version.

From what I remembered, developer Nurien was on the brink of closure when Club Mstar lasted just a few days in Korea before the servers went offline. The game was previously heavily touted since it was developed using Unreal Engine 3, perhaps the first dancing online game to ever do so. Apparently picked up by MMO giant CJ Games, Club MStar was subsequently drafted into its online portal Netmarble which prompted its massive revival. No exact date is set currently for the game’s release, although it is scheduled for Q3 later this year.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/garena-signs-club-mstar-for-southeast.html

ChangYou preparing Shadowbane reboot

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 05:58 AM PDT



Yesterday at a big media conference where ChangYou revealed several new titles, the company’s Vice President revealed that the company secured the Shadowbane IP rights and is developing an online game mentioned as “World of Shadowbane”. Having been part of the original Shadowbane China operating team, he said that the game left him with some regrets. No other information was given. Update: “World of Shadowbane” at this point has been in development for 1 year already. This reminded me of NetDragon’s Dungeon Keeper Online (link).



At the media event, a total of 6 other MMOs were revealed, although most are in codenames such as Project X7 and Project M. Having got the rights for both CryEngine 3 and Unreal Engine 3, they will be used to develop several upcoming titles. These games were teased to be of several different genres, including 1 with a Diablo III feel, one which is an action combat game and an adventure MMO along the lines of Tomb Raider.

DaVinci Online was also part of the announcement, which was reported several months ago (link). Developed in Korea, ChangYou obtained global rights for the online shooter inspired by the Renaissance era, which means gamers can expect an English server in the near future. There will be an iPad version as well.

Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/changyou-preparing-shadowbane-reboot.html

Eyedentity Games developing 3rd online game

Posted: 20 Apr 2012 05:58 AM PDT



After announcing Dungeon Striker (link) just a couple of days ago, Korean media website Inven confirmed that the company is currently developing a “large scale” MMORPG as its 3rd game. While details are scarce including the name and genre, the 3 lead members for the team was revealed. They are all from Nexon, with experience in planning/ programming/ motion capture among many other skills for games including Mabinogi and Mabinogi Heroes. The first hint of the team’s formation was discovered when one of the members posted on Twitter Korea about his new role.


Similar article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/eyedentity-games-developing-3rd-online.html

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