‘The Division’ update arrives with some giant bugs
The Division’s Conflict update is here, and it brings some big features for players eager to find new things to do. Great! Only… some of those features aren’t working properly. Players are reporting that high value target missions aren’t unlocking, and that the Clear Sky incursion resets all on its own. Worryingly, users have also noticed characters going missing — a problem that surfaced with the last update, and was eventually traced to a server hiccup.
Ubisoft has already told VG24/7 that it’s fixing the missing character problem, but it’s not yet clear how soon the company will tackle the other bugs. We’ve asked Ubisoft about the issue and will let you know if it can provide some details. However, it’s evident that The Division is rough around the edges these days. You might want to hold off until the kinks have been ironed out.
Source: Polygon, VG24/7
You can play the new ‘Legend of Zelda’ early in New York City
You won’t be left out of the E3 festivities just because you can’t make it to Los Angeles for E3 Live. Nintendo is giving gamers in New York City an opportunity to play The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U between June 14th and June 19th if they’re willing to jump through a few hoops. To start, you’ll have to show up for a “Super-Fan Signup Day” at Nintendo’s New York store on the morning of June 11th to have a chance of playing. If you’re one of the 500 people to make the cut, you’ll have to line up at the store on June 14th to get a wristband and make an appointment for some hands-on time.
Don’t despair if you aren’t part of the privileged few. There will be guided Zelda demos for everyone between June 15th and June 19th, and there are hints that “several fans” may get to participate. You’ll very likely get to see the game first-hand — it’s just a question of whether or not you get your mitts on a controller.
Source: Nintendo (BusinessWire)
SteelSeries ships its OLED-packing gaming mouse
Did you look at SteelSeries’ display-toting Rival 700 mouse in January and think it was just the edge you needed for your gaming exploits? It’s time to do something about it. The company’s Rival 700 is now available for a pricey (though not outlandish) $100. As before, its centerpiece is a side-mounted OLED screen that both shows data (such as your in-game stats or your team logo) and helps you tweak settings without firing up software on your PC. You can also ‘feel’ events through customizable vibrations, and swap optical sensors when you’re eager for an upgrade. Is this overkill? Probably — but there’s no doubt that you’ll have a distinct gaming experience.
Source: SteelSeries
E3 will hold a public gaming event this year
For years, E3 has largely been limited to game industry tradespeople and the press. That’s somewhat necessary (it’s difficult to wade through the show as it is), but it also locks out thousands of players dying to get a peek at the future of their favorite hobby. Thankfully, that’s about to change: the Entertainment Software Association has announced E3 Live, a free public event that gives you a taste of what you’re missing. The ticketed gathering, which runs alongside E3 itself (June 14th through 16th), promises the opportunity to “test-drive” new games, meet developers in person and try new experiences before anyone else.
Don’t expect it to be a perfect reflection of what you see behind closed doors. The initial participants include a few E3 mainstays, such as Ubisoft and Warner Bros., but there’s more of an emphasis on hardware here: HTC and Oculus will be showing off their virtual reality headsets, while Alienware will be pushing its gaming-friendly PCs. The remaining lineup includes the likes of Frito-Lay, Loot Crate, Monster and Twitch. If you were hoping to experience the grandeur of the Microsoft or Sony booths, you’ll have to keep waiting.
All the same, it’s a big step… and possibly a necessary one. Penny Arcade’s PAX gatherings draw attention partly because they represent a rare chance to show new and upcoming titles to everyday gamers — E3 Live gives the ESA a chance to join in the fun and possibly upstage its rival. It’s doubtful that this will steal all of PAX’s thunder (those events are nowhere near LA), but it’s definitely good news for anyone who lives and breathes gaming.
Source: E3 Live, ESA (PR Newswire)
Second ‘The Division’ update raises the stakes
Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment are willing to try quite a few things to keep you coming back to The Division, but their latest approach is particularly direct: they’re upping the ante. Ubi has revealed that its second free update, Conflict, will include “high-value targets” where you only get one shot at success. If you die or take too long, you’ll miss out on a nice reward. Also, the Dark Zone is that much more dangerous now that other players can hijack your loot during extraction. Don’t assume that you can relax just because you’ve dropped off your gear, then.
There’s more than those two additions, of course. You’ll get new Incursion mission (Clear Sky) targeting an anti-air missile site, and there’s the obligatory round of fresh equipment. There’s enough to keep you around for at least a little while when the update arrives on May 24th. The big question is what happens when the attention shifts to paid add-ons, which start arriving in June. Will gamers pay to keep The Division fresh, especially when rival MMO-style shooters like Destiny are vying for their attention?
Source: Ubisoft
‘Woorld’ makes a strong argument for weird Project Tango apps
It’s not hard to see how Google’s Project Tango can be utilitarian. Need directions through a crowded mall? Easy. Want to learn more about art installations as you wander through a museum? Done. What’s easier to miss is just how weird things can get when you’re holding a device that can sense the very environment around you, but Funomena’s new Tango game Woorld serves as a pretty good reminder.
In case you hadn’t heard, Funomena is an indie game studio in San Francisco that counts Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi among its ranks. Gamers probably know exactly what the means for Woorld: it’s equal parts adorable and strange. In a nutshell, you’ll use a Tango device to scan your surroundings — the floor, walls, and even ceiling if it isn’t too high. That initial sweep defines the realm of a tiny little world, where you place objects like plants, faucets, houses, moons and more. Why? Partially just because you can, but also to make the world — as viewed through a screen anyway — a little more beautiful.
See, unlike the Katamari Damacy series, or the more obtuse Noby Noby Boy, there doesn’t seem to be an overarching goal in Woorld. There’s an exploration mode (that we weren’t allowed to play with) that basically helps you wrap your head around the arithmetic of these objects — placing a cloud in the air and making it rain on a sprout causes the tiny plant to grow, and so on. Most of the time though, you’ll be hanging out in a sandbox mode, free to place objects where you like and see how your tiny virtual world comes together. There might be more to the game — Google didn’t have much information on how the final product would turn out — but at least we won’t have to wait too long to find out.
The first consumer Project Tango device is set to launch in just a few weeks, but developers — like Takahashi and Funomena — have had access to development devices for months. With any luck, that means people have been toiling on similarly off-the-wall stuff to give Project Tango hardware a more profound reason to exist. Navigating about learning more about the world around us is great and all, but I can’t wait to start seeing Tango apps that take the world around us and turn it on its ear.
Nintendo’s 2DS is now cheaper than ever. Play these games.
Who needs stereoscopic 3D, or a hinge? Nintendo’s cheaper, flatter 2DS is now a mere $80. It even includes a free digital copy of Mario Kart 7. That’s a bargain for a current-generation handheld, but where should you start your games collection? How about here, with Engadget’s favorites. (And remember, the console plays DS games, so there’s over ten years of hits to pick from.) We’d still advise starting with some of the most recent titles, which include animal villages, a particularly weird Zelda title, Square Enix’s resurrection of the JRPG, and Mario, somewhere, along the way.
Google Play is getting a dedicated VR section
Google is unpacking a lot of VR news at I/O today, and to make sure you can find that content easily, the company is making a dedicated section in the Play Store. That virtual reality hub will serve up immersive mobile gaming content from the likes of EA, Ubisoft and others alongside video streaming from Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now and more. You’ll be able to get news reports from USA Today, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and CNN with sports-related stuff from the MLB and NBA. Google’s own photos, Play Movies, Street View and YouTube videos will work with the new Daydream VR platform as well.
While we’ll have to wait until this fall to hear more about new VR hardware, Google did show off a reference design for a Daydream-ready headset and wireless controller. The current designs are being shared with phone makers now, so we’ll likely see something that works like Samsung’s Gear VR in terms of allowing you to slot in your handset to power the system. When the final devices do arrive though, Google is making sure you have plenty of content to occupy your free time, and that you’ll know exactly where to find it.
For all the latest news and updates from Google I/O 2016, follow along here.
‘Maize’ mates first-person puzzle gaming with sentient corn
Game developers are no strangers to using wild concepts to catch your attention, but this one might just work. Finish Line Games has revealed Maize, a first-person puzzler that revolves around scientists creating “sentient corn.” Yep. And reportedly, that’s just the start of the absurdity. On top of what learning what the corn wants (besides fewer crows), you’ll deal with a secret underground research facility and a Russian Teddy Ruxpin clone. It’s too soon to say whether the underlying gameplay will be as interesting as the premise, but you’ll get to find out first hand when the title reaches PCs in the fall.
Source: Maize
ESL gives eSports an official oversight body
While eSports is now a big money-maker, it’s still wildly inconsistent at times: rules, prizes and schedules can vary from league to league. The Electronic Sports League thinks the industry can do better, though. It’s forming the World Esports Association (WESA), a governing body that will set standards for the fledgling sports field. WESA promises to bring “structure, predictable schedules and transparency” to competitive gaming, including how teams receive promotion and split revenue. Importantly, it’s not just the higher-ups calling the shots — there will be a player council, and teams will appoint two of WESA’s five executive board members.
Eight eSports teams are helping to found the association, and the ESL Pro League for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will be the first to abide by WESA rules.
Whether or not WESA gets a foothold depends on other league systems falling in line. Will Activision’s Major League Gaming go for it, for example? Still, this is a big move that could be necessary for both giving eSports public recognition and making it a viable career path. Media outlets may be more likely to broadcast eSports if they know that it’s above-board, and players might be quicker to sign up if they know they’ll get enough prize money to supplement or even replace a more conventional job.
Via: Gamasutra
Source: ESL, WESA
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