Sega classic ‘Wonder Boy III’ remake is decidedly modern
The Wonder Boy series originally debuted in arcades in 1986, spawning five sequels over the next few years, namely Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. That platformer made its way to the Sega Master System in 1989, featuring colorful and rich gameplay with “Metroidvania” elements and rave reviews from critics upon its release.
Now, developer Lizardcube and publisher DotEmu are looking to bring the classic to life once more for modern players with a drastic facelift. The new Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a gorgeous, hand-drawn affair with a new soundtrack to match its stunning looks. While the core gameplay is said to remain the same, taking players through a complex world as the shape-shifting protagonist Lizard Man, it looks to be introducing several new elements along the way.
Lizardcube will be releasing the game for both PC and consoles, though there’s no concrete date just yet.
Via: Polygon
Computex 2016: It’s a wrap!
Just like that, Computex 2016 has come to an end. As in previous years, the show kicked off with ASUS’ big keynote presentation, but this time it wasn’t just laptops, tablets and smartphones — the company also unveiled its first home robot, Zenbo. We met up with Chairman Jonney Shih who gave us an exclusive demo of this $599 machine, so do check out our interview wit him. We also saw Intel launch its first 10-core desktop processor geared towards hardcore gamers, followed by yet another exclusive interview — this time with the company’s new consumer head, Navin Shenoy.
The rest of the show gave us a lot of opportunities to play around in virtual reality. HTC was there with several cool Vive demos; MSI showed off its Backpack PC; AMD announced its $199 Radeon RX480 graphics card to lower the entry barrier for VR; and even Microsoft is opening up its Windows Holographic platform to embrace the virtual world. Find all that and more in the video above.
Synaptics’ under-glass fingerprint reader is almost here
It was just a month ago when LG Innotek unveiled its under-glass fingerprint sensor, but it’s clearly not the only company working on this space. At Computex, the folks over at Synaptics were kind enough to let me take a sneak peek at a similar technology that they’ve been working on for two years. For some reason, photography was forbidden, but the prototype was simply a special glass trackpad — with extra details which I am not at liberty to disclose — retrofitted into an existing laptop. It’ll essentially be a spiritual successor to Synaptics’ SecurePad (pictured above), but rather than having to cut a hole through the trackpad, the next-gen fingerprint sensor will simply sit underneath the glass layer, so that when it’s idle, you can still use the entire trackpad area for the usual cursor and gesture controls.
The company reps wouldn’t give a timeline here, but based on the prototype’s responsiveness when I tried it, I have a feeling that it’ll be made available to OEMs soon. And as you’d expect, the same technology can be applied to smartphones — Synaptics is the supplier behind the fingerprint readers on Samsung’s flagship smartphones, after all. The company reps added that this will be ready for Windows Hello.
“I don’t see laptops shipping without fingerprint reader in three years’ time.”
According to Vice President of Marketing Godfrey Cheng, Synaptics is shipping over 100 million trackpads a year these days, which explains why his company is working hard on refining the fingerprint-on-trackpad integration. “I don’t see laptops shipping without fingerprint reader in three years’ time. People are transitioning aggressively, probably more so on the consumer side than the business side,” Cheng added. For the same reasons, Synaptics has been bolstering its fingerprint anti-spoofing technology to stay ahead of the curve: The demo I saw was able to differentiate between a real finger and its wood glue copy after a new algorithm was enabled.
Despite its increased effort in pushing integrated fingerprint readers, Synaptics is actually also looking into bringing back the fingerprint USB module, but in a much smaller form factor — so much that it can just stay in the USB port without getting in your way. Starting in Q3, the company will be sampling its small, fully-housed IronVeil “Catalyst” fingerprint module turnkey solution (featuring the same rectangular sensor made for modern mobile devices), followed by mass-production in Q4. It’d only cost OEMs less than $40 a pop, plus the device will also be compatible with Windows Hello, so they’ll only have to worry about the packaging, branding and marketing costs.
Perhaps what’s more readily available is the Tt eSports Black FP gaming mouse, which we first saw back at last year’s Computex and is now finally prepping for retail launch. The mouse features a Synaptics IronVeil fingerprint sensor on where your right thumb would rest, so you’ll only need to register one finger here. As for the actual mouse itself, it’s powered by a 5700 dpi laser sensor and features seven programmable buttons. Alas, there’s no pricing info just yet.
‘Overwatch’ already has 7 million people aiming at your face
Blizzard Entertainment probably knew its online shooter Overwatch was going to be pretty popular following the wildly successful beta, but maybe not to this extent. The company has revealed that the game has earned some 7 million players worldwide already across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with users logging over 119 million hours of the colorful shooter since its May 24th launch. For context, New York City has around 8.5 million residents and the playtime translates to over 13,500 years.
Furthermore, Blizzard says that folks have swapped between the game’s 21 characters 326 million times. Now I’m curious how many of the people who threatened they wouldn’t buy it out of protest (for a change in character Tracer’s victory pose) actually followed through on that.
Source: Businesswire
Sony will trade sweet PS4 game clips for swag
Sometimes you’re just sitting at home, dialed into your favorite online game, when suddenly you pull off a ridiculous play that makes you feel like a closet professional. It’s only natural to want to broadcast your moments of genius, which the PlayStation 4 makes incredibly easy thanks to the DualShock 4’s dedicated Share button. While cool points are great and all, Sony’s announced it’s also going to start rewarding these multiplayer feats with swag. Each month, Sony will set Brits a selection of challenges across three games, with prizes awarded for the best shared clips.
These #PLUSMOMENTS will be showcased on a dedicated site, with Uncharted 4, FIFA 16 and Call of Duty: Black Ops III this month’s chosen games. All you need to do is get a sweet headshot or insane volley goal while playing online and upload proof to YouTube, including a note of your PSN ID as well as a couple of required hashtags. Potential prizes this month include a three-month PS Plus voucher, a DualShock controller, a Juggernog mini-fridge for CoD submissions, and signed Uncharted 4 artwork specifically for that game’s challenges.
While the monthly competitions are only available in the UK for now, Sony has a habit of rolling things out in specific regions before expanding them elsewhere, so it might not be exclusive for long. And remember Brits, you might wanna think about using the new features in Sharefactory to try and sway the judges with a lovingly edited clip… of you blowing someone’s face off.
Source: Sony (1), (2)
If you excel at ‘Hitman’ games, it’s because of repetition
If you’ve ever played a Hitman game, you’ve probably ended up at the end of a mission with a pile of bodies, your target dead in the center of a mansion, and errant guards prowling around to take you out. Nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to everyone. But how could you ever truly channel Agent 47, ruthless assassin as he is, when you can barely get the “stealth” portion of the game right?
It’s all part of some very clever game design on the part of Hitman’s developers, as explained in this engaging YouTube video by way of Mark Brown of Game Maker’s Toolkit. In the video, Brown delves into the very thread of how this feat can be accomplished: repetition, repetition, repetition.
If you’ve ever wondered how the game developers themselves took the seemingly impossible task of getting you into Agent 47’s psyche, the video is an interesting watch. Even if you’re only keen on getting into the developers’ heads by watching, you’ll definitely come out with a new sort of appreciation for what really goes on in Hitman, especially the latest release.
Build a criminal empire in new ‘GTA V Online’ expansion
For a game released in the fall of 2013, Grand Theft Auto V has enjoyed a long life. Most credit this to the regularly updated multiplayer, which has kept the game so popular that it was one of the top-selling games in January for the third consecutive year. Next week on June 7th, the game will see its latest content expansion, giving online players the keys to build their own crooked business kingdom on the streets of Los Santos.
From the title alone, “Further Adventures in Finance and Felony”, Rockstar’s preserving the game’s spirit of jovial carnage. Instead of just running jobs, you’ll create a business empire trafficking illicit goods and sabotage your rivals to get ahead. Some of the rewards seem a little tame for the player base (Do I really care about opening new offices in gleaming skyscrapers?), but there’s enough fancy cars and mayhem in the climb to the top. And really, whether it’s a C-130 cargo plane or a shiny new Learjet, GTA players will find ways to use them for joyously stupid stunts and post them online for our entertainment.
Source: Rockstar Games
‘Rocket League’ keeps adding players and making tons of money
Not many people would have predicted the success of Psyonix’s Rocket League when it first appeared as a free title on PlayStation Plus. But here we are, 11 months later, watching the game continue to go from strength to strength. In an interview with Forbes, the game studio revealed that the vehicular smash-em-up football game has now sold 5 million copies. Add to that a further 5 million DLC purchases across PC, Xbox One and Playstation and the company has earned more than $110 million — not bad for a game that cost just $2 million to build.
Thanks to its free promotion, PlayStation is the most popular Rocket League platform, accounting for 42 percent of the total player base. PC use is climbing, though, with Steam users accounting for 36 percent of players, and Xbox One comes in last with 22 percent. Don’t let that fool you, though, the game didn’t reach Microsoft’s console until February 2016. “Our numbers are actually going up, not down,” Psyonix vice president Jeremy Dunham told Forbes, “which is not very common for a game that’s ten months old.”
Part of the reason for Rocket League’s success (other than that it’s super fun), is that Psyonix has been quick to update the game as it’s grown in popularity. In recent weeks, the company added a basketball mode and then became the first game developer to integrate cross-play between Xbox One and PC. It’s those features that kept bringing 5 million gamers back to the game in April and 15 million players in total since last July.
Source: Forbes
‘Minecraft’ tops 100 million sales
The Minecraft juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down. Today, developer Mojang announced that the block-building phenomenon has passed 100 million sales across all platforms, including PC, Mac, consoles and mobile. Since the beginning of the year, roughly 53,000 copies have been sold each day around the world. The game keeps people hooked too — more than 40 million people boot up a Minecraft world each month and tinker around with a blocky axe, shovel and sword. Apart from Tetris, few games have come anywhere close to hitting the 100 million mark.
Much of that success can be attributed to the game’s open structure and limitless potential. Players can build anything they imagine, provided its outward-facing geometry is made up of simple, colorful blocks. The focus on creativity is why so many players, young and old, have been drawn to the game and continue to play years after its release. Mojang has supported the game with a steady stream of updates that have added new mechanics, creatures and materials. The game’s flexibility has also made it a smash-hit in the classroom, teaching art, geology, coding and other subjects.
When Microsoft acquired Mojang almost two years ago, many wondered what it had planned for the game. A sequel? Some kind of exclusivity to Xbox, PC and Windows Phone? In fact, none of that has panned out. Minecraft is available on more than platforms than ever before, and there’s been no word of a ‘Minecraft 2.’ Instead, we’ve had a HoloLens version of the game, a spin-off adventure series by Telltale Games and an acquisition of MinecraftEdu, which will soon result in a new, education-focused version of Minecraft. Soon, there will be a version just for China too.
Minecraft’s popularity shows no sign of waning. The game’s strength isn’t a finite story or tremendous graphics — because of this, it has a seemingly timeless appeal that catches new children as they grow old enough to play it. As long as that continues, Minecraft will continue to sell in extraordinary numbers.
Source: Mojang
Sony adds picture-in-picture editing to PS4 Sharefactory app
For a growing number of people, it’s not enough just to play a video game anymore. They also want to record and share their favorite moments, whether as a walkthrough, highlight reel or humorous “let’s play” experience. Sony’s answer to this — Sharefactory, a video editing app for the PlayStation 4 — has now been updated to facilitate more complex videos. The biggest addition is Track 2, formerly the Commentary Track, which now lets you add a second piece of footage from the Capture Gallery. With this, you can show two different clips simultaneously, side-by-side.
That’s useful if you want to show how a particular move or strategy (think Overwatch) will affect different parts of the map. Or how tackling an objective in different ways — a freedom offered in games like Hitman, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Dishonored — will change your experience.
As part of the update, Sony has also increased the app’s export limit to 60 minutes — useful if you like making “let’s play” videos — and added Chroma-key support, which lets you edit footage shot with a green screen. Sharefactory will never match professional software like Adobe Premiere, but these new features should make it a more competent alternative.
Source: PlayStation Blog
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