Major ‘No Man’s Sky’ update arrives with surprises
That promised Foundation Update for No Man’s Sky? It’s already here for both PC and PS4… and it includes much, much more than Hello Games hinted at just a couple of days ago. The centerpiece remains base building, which turns out to be simple but helpful. If you find an uninhabited base, you can use modular structures to make it your own — including automated resource farming and storage so you don’t have to traipse across the planet harvesting items. You can also hire aliens to research technology, and teleport to and from space stations. And did we mention that you can buy freighters, which serve as spaceborne bases that you can summon anywhere in the galaxy? If you hated the forced mineral-gathering marches that you experienced on launch, you might be happy with this alone. Thankfully, there’s more.
The update also introduces Creative and Survival modes, in case you want to either remove restrictions or add an extra challenge on hostile worlds. You’ll see new biomes and star-specific resources, along with new equipment to collect rare goods. The interface has received a healthy makeover, too. There’s a smart quick access menu that helps you quickly switch to and interact with items (say, charging your mining beam). You can stack more items in a given inventory slot, get a clearer view of which minerals are nearby, quickly view your objectives and get a heads-up when pirates are nearby.
Visuals are also getting a boost: there’s both motion blur and temporal antialiasing options (at least on PCs), and lower-end PCs can enable texture streaming to lighten the burden on their systems. On the PS4, there’s a photo mode to preserve scenic views for posterity.
It’s too soon to say if the Foundation Update will please all the players upset that they didn’t get the game they expected. Base building and the Creative mode should eliminate some of the drudgery, but will they be enough? This is just the first of a string of promised upgrades, however, and it’s important enough that historically quiet company chief Sean Murray has stressed that it’s extremely “meaningful” for the team. If nothing else, it shows that Hello Games hasn’t been deaf to complaints — it just wanted to have an answer ready before it spoke up.
Via: Polygon
Source: Hello Games, Sean Murray (Twitter)
First ‘Titanfall 2’ DLC includes a no-nonsense skins store
Respawn made it a point with Titanfall 2 to ditch some of the more annoying business models of modern games (such as charging for important add-ons), and you’re about to find out how well that works in practice. The studio has revealed that its first downloadable content pack, Angel City’s Most Wanted, will arrive on November 30th… and this is not the usual case of charging a small fortune for a handful of extra gameplay. The extension not only gives you a ‘new’ map (surprise: the original game’s Angel City), a new pistol and several titan kits completely free of charge, but introduces an in-game skins store that is the opposite of what you frequently see in other blockbuster titles.
As Respawn notes, the store simply involves buying what you like with cold, card cash, and it’s strictly cosmetic items like Prime Titans (robots with different looks and assassinations) and camouflage. There are no arbitrary in-game currencies or loot boxes, and nothing you buy is a shortcut to victory. To put it another way: you shouldn’t have to grind for days just to get something for free.
The company is also promising a few treats in what’s left of 2016. In keeping with the young company’s traditions, you’ll see “twists” periodically show up in certain game modes. There will also be double-experience weekends and public recognition for top teams. You’ll have to wait until 2017 for more DLC, but this and Angel City at least show that Respawn is determined to avoid the drop in players that affected the first Titanfall (where paid DLC was the rule). This promises to be a constantly evolving game, and you won’t have to keep shelling out money to get the full experience.
Via: GamesRadar
Source: Titanfall
‘Deus Ex Go’ is now ready for your puzzle creations
If you’ve ever wanted to create puzzles for mobile games rather than playing whatever the developer gives you, you’re about to have a field day. Square Enix has released a promised Puzzle Maker update for Deus Ex Go that lets you craft your own challenges on Android and iOS. As the studio told us back in June, this isn’t considered a throwaway feature — the aim is to have a genuinely practical, easy-to-use level editor that you’d want to try on your phone. You can share your work with the community, as well, so this could extend the life of the game even if you hardly touch the creative tools yourself.
The update includes a few other welcome tweaks, too. You now have an undo feature to rewind your move, and a profile page that lets you earn rewards as you gain experience points. There’s also a daily challenge if you’ve run out of levels to play. The main gripe, assuming you like Deus Ex Go in the first place, is that this puzzle editing isn’t coming to Hitman Go or Lara Croft Go. Like it or not, you’ll have to pay for the newer game (and accept its sci-fi trappings) to express yourself.
Source: App Store, Google Play, Square Enix Montreal (Twitter)
Steam’s first game awards are chosen by you
Valve doesn’t want to leave game awards to others any more. The gaming giant is introducing its first-ever Steam Awards, and it’s asking the community to decide on both the nominees and the winners. These aren’t the usual best-in-category awards, either. It wants you to nominate titles based on everything from their addictive qualities (the “Just 5 More Minutes” award) through to the best mini games (“Game Within A Game”). You’ll get experience points and badges for nominating, so you aren’t just receiving a pat on the back for your time.
The nominations are open now, and the final votes will take place alongside a winter sale in December.
Valve is pairing the awards announcement with the start of its annual Autumn Sale, which runs from now through November 29th at 1PM Eastern. There are many, many games on sale (12,841, to be exact), but there are some highlights. Games in the Batman, Civilization, Elder Scrolls, Far Cry, Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause and Street Fighter franchises are all on sale, with discounts ranging from 10 percent to 92 percent — most of those we’ve mentioned are over 50 percent. If you’re not sure who to nominate for the awards, you’ll at least have an excuse to buy some of the candidates.
Source: Steam Awards, Steam Store
New ‘Pokémon Go’ creature throws unpredictability into your game
That didn’t take long. Mere days after leaks hinted that Pokémon Go would get more monsters, Niantic and The Pokémon Company have rolled Ditto into the game. The critter is a shape-shifter that won’t reveal its true form until you capture it — in other words, the only reliable way to capture a Ditto is to keep playing until you find one at random. In the Gym, it’ll assume the looks and abilities of the first creature it sees and stay that way throughout other battles.
Ditto’s arrival may not be shocking, but it’s a reflection of the challenge the Pokémon Go team faces: how do they keep you playing now that the initial summer frenzy is over, and colder weather makes it harder to venture outside? While daily bonuses and themed events help, some trainers might not play unless there are more monsters and similar fresh content.
Source: App Store, Google Play, Pokemon Go
Nintendo offers rare discounts on 3DS and Wii U games
Nintendo isn’t known for running many sales on its games (you’re more likely to see sales on devices), but it’s making a big exception this year. It just kicked off a Cyber Deals eShop sale that offers large discounts on 3DS and Wii U titles — and these are frequently titles you’d want to play. On the 3DS, you’ll see price cuts on big titles like Hyrule Warriors Legends (down to $28), Fire Emblem Awakening ($20) and Monster Hunter Generations ($23). Head over to the Wii U side and you can pick up Twilight Princess HD ($35), Super Mario Galaxy 2 ($10) and Darksiders II ($10). Indie games like Super Meat Boy and Terraria are also on sale, and numerous Lego games (including Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens) are discounted across platforms.
The sale lasts through December 5th, and you’ll still get Gold Points if you’re a My Nintendo member. These aren’t necessarily the sales you’d hope for (Splatoon, anyone?). Look at it this way, though: it’s a good chance to scoop up a few of the titles you missed from the current generation before the Switch arrives.
Source: Nintendo
Xbox One games stream to your Oculus Rift on December 12th
You can already stream Xbox One games to your PC. But what if you’d rather not make it patently obvious that you’re playing Gears of War? You’re in luck. Microsoft and Oculus are launching an app that, as promised, will let you send Xbox One games to an Oculus Rift headset attached to a Windows 10 PC. The software, which arrives December 12th, won’t magically turn your favorite titles into virtual reality experiences. Instead, you’re getting a Netflix-style virtual screen. This is more for private gameplay (say, to prevent your kids from seeing gore) or giving yourself a larger screen than you can fit in your den.
The app will be free, although this clearly isn’t the cheapest way to play Xbox One games away from your TV: on top of the Xbox One, you’ll need a fast PC and a Rift. Still, this might beat having to sit in front of your monitor the entire time… or having to awkwardly explain an ultra-violent game to your little ones.
Via: The Verge
Source: Xbox Wire
‘Uncharted 4’ adds a survival mode with a few twists
Gears of War 4 won’t have a monopoly on co-op survival modes this holiday, apparently. Naughty Dog is introducing an Uncharted 4: Survival mode that will arrive in mid-December. As with its Xbox rival, Uncharted will have you facing 50 waves of AI enemies as you build up defenses, rank up your character and coordinate with teammates. Don’t call it an outright clone of Gears’ Horde mode, however, as it periodically throws a monkey wrench into the works.
Some waves will have objectives you need to complete, such as collecting treasures or defeating specific enemies. Also, you’ll occasionally run into modifiers that prevent you from relying on the same tactics every round. You may have to use only melee weapons, for example, or limit yourself to head shots. And while you will face the mercenaries that dominate the conventional story, Survival adds plenty of supernatural opponents.
This won’t be a radical break from the Co-Op Arena mode you saw in the second and third Uncharted games, but it should inject new life into a title that’s already on some critics’ short lists. It might impact Sony’s bottom line, too. If Uncharted 4 has an answer to one of GOW4’s best-known modes, you might be tempted to pick up a PS4 Slim bundle when you were otherwise set on an Xbox One S.
Source: PlayStation Blog
‘Star Citizen’ team will share its schedule with the public
Of all the complaints about Star Citizen’s development, transparency is one of the biggest. Outside of basic goals, it’s hard to know how well the epic-scale space game is coming along at any given moment — there are concerns that Cloud Imperium Games is frittering away all that crowdfunding money. The company wants to put some of those fears to rest, though. As of Star Citizen’s 2.6 alpha, the studio will share its internal development schedule with the public on a weekly basis. Cloud Imperium will clean up the details to make them more accessible, but you’ll know whether or not there’s a change or setback.
You’ll see this publication continue if it’s “well received,” company founder Chris Roberts says.
Significantly, Cloud Imperium hasn’t offered a schedule for the single-player Squadron 42. There’s no mention of why, but Polygon notes that the title was originally supposed to arrive in fall 2015 and was a no-show at an event a year later. Star Citizen is the game that remains relatively on track — you’re more likely to benefit from weekly updates on its progress than something that’s on the backburner. That won’t be much consolation if you wanted more info on both projects, but at least one of them won’t seem like as much of a black box.
Via: Polygon
Source: Roberts Space Industries
‘Minecraft’ game-making tutorial teaches kids how to code
Microsoft knows that Minecraft can get kids into programming, and it’s banking on that strategy again this year. It just teamed up with Code.org to introduce the Minecraft Hour of Code Designer, a tutorial that teaches young newcomers (6 years old and up) how to create a simple game. The Designer uses a drag-and-drop interface to illustrate familiar code concepts, such as object-oriented programming and loops, while letting imaginations run wild in Minecraft’s blocky universe. You can make chickens that drop gold, and otherwise set rules that are as logical or ludicrous as you’d like.
The tutorial is available right now in 10 languages, and it’ll be available in 50 languages by the time Computer Science Education Week kicks off on December 5th. This won’t be the same as picking up a programming language, of course. However, Microsoft and Code.org are betting that this will reveal the importance of code to kids, and start some of them on a path to computer science careers.
Source: Microsoft, Code.org
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