BioWare writer David Gaider to helm ‘Baldur’s Gate’ series
When longtime BioWare writer David Gaider announced his departure from the studio, many wondered where he would end up next. The answer shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. He’s joining Beamdog, a game developer and distributor best known for the “enhanced” remakes of Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II. That’s notable because Gaider started his career at BioWare working on Baldur’s Gate II, before moving on to larger writing roles with Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and, most famously, the ongoing Dragon Age franchise.
Beamdog is currently working on a novel project — an all-new expansion pack for Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition called Siege of Dragonspear, which will add 25 hours of gameplay, 70 locations and four heroic companions. The studio is a rare opportunity for Gaider to return not only to a classic and well-regarded RPG franchise, but one that played a pivotal role in his early career. At Beamdog, he’ll be taking on the role of Creative Director, leading its writing team and taking the helm with “new creative endeavors for the company.” We really hope that’s code for Baldur’s Gate 3.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Beamdog (Blog Post)
Opera Apps Club launches globally: “all you can download” subscription service
Opera has announced the global launch of its Opera Apps Club, a subscription service that allows subscribers unlimited downloads from a curated list of premium apps. Think of it like a VIP Play Store where every app is hand-picked for quality: you pay entry to get in the door, but then everything is included once you’re in. No ads, no in-app purchases, just complete and unlocked premium Android apps.
The idea actually comes from an app subscriptions service called Bemobi that Opera acquired in mid-2015. That company had already been offering the service in Latin America and Brazil to six million subscribers, but it will now be expanded globally under the moniker Opera Apps Club. With two OEMs on board and 34 carrier partners, if you haven’t already been exposed to Opera Apps Club, you soon will be.
The nice part about carrier integration is that the subscription fee can be added to your monthly bill, meaning there’s no money exchanging hands within the app and no “bill shock” when someone gets carried away with in-app purchases. All included apps – over 400 right now – are free to download for subscribers, and you will get unlimited free in-app items as well. There’s even a free week-long trial for those that aren’t quite sure if the idea is for them.
See also: 15 best free Android games of 2016!
The idea is not only a great cost-saving idea for fans of games with in-app purchases, but it also benefits subscribers in emerging markets. This is because Opera Apps Club makes premium apps available to everyone, including those that live in countries without the Google Play Store or without access to credit and debit cards for making app purchases. It’s a novel idea, and one we’re sure to hear more about in the near future.
What do you think about a subscription premium app service? Would you use it?
Sonic to star in a ‘live-action and animation hybrid’ movie
If you’ve played the most recent Sonic the Hedgehog games, you might be wondering how life can get any worse for the blue blur. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was universally panned by the press, and previous efforts such as Lost World and Unleashed didn’t fare much better. How could his reputation be dragged any lower? Well, perhaps with a film. Not just any film though — a worrying “live-action and animation hybrid.” The project, which is currently still in the planning stages, was revealed by Sega president and CEO Hajime Satomi in an interview with The Worldfolio.
“Sega Sammy Group is currently planning with Sony Pictures to create a live-action and animation hybrid ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movie scheduled for release in 2018. Like with this CG animation production, we would like to expand our business into other entertainment areas beyond what we are currently involved.”
Now, a Sonic the Hedgehog movie could be done tastefully. In 1996, a two episode animated OVA was dubbed and released in the West as Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie. The voice acting was terrible, but the animation itself was fine. More recently, the Sonic Boom TV show has been quite successful (despite its terrible video game counterpart) and picked up for a second season. But it’s the “live-action and animation hybrid” part that has the alarm bells ringing. Remember that kiss scene from the 2006 game simply titled Sonic the Hedgehog? Yeah, we don’t need to see that again.
Via: Den of Geek
Source: The Worldfolio
‘Metal Gear Online’ adds a bit of sabotage next month
Despite what you might think, Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima‘s unceremonious departure from publisher Konami won’t affect how Metal Gear Online plays out. To wit, the company’s bolstering the amount of post-release add-ons for the adversarial multiplayer suite next month as part of a “commitment” to the game’s fans. A trio of new maps and a playable version of the eye-rollingly-designed sniper Quiet will be available in March for $4 in the “Cloaked in Silence” pack, while a quartet of emote packs will sell for $2 each.
There’s also a free game type dubbed “Sabotage” en route that sadly does not involve aviator sunglasses or giant mustaches, but instead has you destroying or fultoning an enemy missile (like the bear above) before time runs out.
Oh, and unlike what Activision is doing to last-gen Call of Duty players, these add-ons will be available across all platforms.
With this, in addition to the “Outer Rim” expansion inbound for Star Wars Battlefront, it looks like March is officially the month of content updates for last fall’s big multiplayer games. Or not — the online-only Tom Clancy’s The Division launches next month, too.
Source: Konami
‘Metal Gear Online’ adds a bit of sabotage next month
Despite what you might think, Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima‘s unceremonious departure from publisher Konami won’t affect how Metal Gear Online plays out. To wit, the company’s bolstering the amount of post-release add-ons for the adversarial multiplayer suite next month as part of a “commitment” to the game’s fans. A trio of new maps and a playable version of the eye-rollingly-designed sniper Quiet will be available in March for $4 in the “Cloaked in Silence” pack, while a quartet of emote packs will sell for $2 each.
There’s also a free game type dubbed “Sabotage” en route that sadly does not involve aviator sunglasses or giant mustaches, but instead has you destroying or fultoning an enemy missile (like the bear above) before time runs out.
Oh, and unlike what Activision is doing to last-gen Call of Duty players, these add-ons will be available across all platforms.
With this, in addition to the “Outer Rim” expansion inbound for Star Wars Battlefront, it looks like March is officially the month of content updates for last fall’s big multiplayer games. Or not — the online-only Tom Clancy’s The Division launches next month, too.
Source: Konami
‘Rocket League’ reaches your Xbox One on February 17th
PC and PS4 owners have been playing Rocket League‘s unique take on sports gaming since last July, leaving Xbox One owners on the virtual sidelines. Don’t worry, though — you won’t have to twiddle your thumbs for much longer if you prefer Microsoft’s console. Psyonix has revealed that the Xbox One version of Rocket League will arrive on February 17th for a fairly reasonable $20. You’ll get three past downloadable content packs for free in exchange for the wait, and there will be two Xbox-exclusive vehicles, including the Gears of War-based Armadillo and a variant on Halo‘s Warthog.
If you’re not familiar, Rocket League is effectively soccer (aka football) in souped-up, rocket-powered vehicles. The allure is that it somehow manages to recreate the spirit of the real, on-foot sport while speeding things up — there’s nothing quite like a well-coordinated play or flipping your car to score in mid-air. The title requires a ton of skill to play well, but it’s accessible and fiercely competitive.
Source: Xbox Wire
Atari Lynx: a romance of high scores and low batteries
Like most tween crushes, the attraction was instant and overwhelming. I remember the first time I set eyes on the Atari Lynx as if it were yesterday. It was perched on a shelf, center stage, behind a huge pane of glass — a window display in a branch of Dixons on Park Street, Bristol. There it sat, so near, yet (at about about £85/$100) so financially far. The Lynx didn’t know I existed, even though I was just a few feet away. In my preteen mind it felt unfair. My situation felt hopeless, which of course only fanned the flames of my forbidden desire.
Weeks passed, turning into months, and my life remained Lynx-less. The nearest I got was the occasional furtive glance in the pages of Computer and Video Games magazine (and its GO! supplement), but that just made me want it even more. Until one Christmas morning, there it was, waiting for me under the tree. My life felt complete. We became inseparable. We learned each other’s every nuance. I preferred Cherry Coke to regular, and the Lynx liked emptying batteries and being too big to fit in pockets. No matter. If I held it right (tipping it away from myself at an angle), we could eke out a few more precious moments of California Games (surfing, especially) before the batteries died. I also bought jeans with much bigger pockets. When you love something, you make things work.
Our relationship wasn’t easy; other people frowned on it. Most people considered Nintendo’s Game Boy to be the social norm. As is all too often the way, simpler minds were wooed by Game Boy’s (relatively) slimline form and promiscuous approach to games (over 1,000 according to this list; the Lynx had 72). Just one other friend of mine understood, appreciating the complexities of Atari’s pioneering color handheld (16-bit graphics, 4,096 colors, a clever “left-hand” mode and portable — phwoar!). That meant we could enjoy double dates: his Lynx I and my Lynx II could talk (via a ComLynx cable), while we enjoyed two-player California Games (surfing, especially).
I’m not sure what happened, but over time we drifted apart. My humble income (£2 a week for pocket money) wasn’t enough to provide new games for it, and the relationship got stale. Also, I’ll admit, I made some poor choices with the games I did have. Electrocop was a 3D shoot-’em-up that looked fantastic but didn’t really deliver on gameplay (it had great music though). Robotron 2084 was a faithful adaptation of an arcade game but wasn’t for me. Eventually it was time to move on and bid good riddance to that infuriating “Insert Game” message. (The Lynx won’t turn on without a game in it, so if you’re seeing that message, it means you’re going to have to blow in the cartridge slot, or clean the game’s pins.)
Fast-forward to 2014. I should be Christmas-shopping for my family. I’m not. I’m making a “best offer” on a fairly shabby-looking Atari Lynx II on eBay. My offer is a good deal lower than what the seller is asking. I’m just low-balling, killing time, remembering my high-school romance and avoiding my festive commitments. One problem: The seller accepts my offer. Like drunk texting your ex, a spur of the moment decision threw me and the Atari Lynx back together.
I’d like to say it had aged well. It had not. The display was faint and missing many pixels. The buttons were slack and the battery cover loose. But it was still the good old Lynx I remembered. I fired up California Games (surfing, especially) and got a sudden shot of nostalgia, though it seemed a lot more limited than I remembered. But fun nonetheless. Never mind, this encounter was just going to be a fling for old time’s sake, a walk down memory lane — and we’d go our separate ways. Or so I thought. Instead it revealed a connection I’d not had with any console since. This was something raw, real and pure that intoxicated me all over again. So I decided to commit and go all the way.
A year and a bit later and we’re as happy as ever. In fact, happier. Having more disposable income means I don’t have to pick and choose the games. I own them all. I’ve also gotten to know the real Lynx (and its colorful, if ill-fated, story). For example, it’s rumored that Atari designed its next (and last) console, the Jaguar, to connect with the Lynx, so you could use it as a controller with a screen — decades before the Wii U did the same trick.
I mentioned it didn’t age well, but it’s not shy of a little modernization. Much like how 80’s hair looked good at the time but appears dated now, my Lynx has a new, modern LCD — complete with VGA out (it’s OK, purists, I have an un-modded Lynx too). And sure, while the Lynx’s dancing days are definitely over, there’s still plenty of fight left in the beast — even a few newish games. Plus, there’s a die-hard community that keeps the dream alive, and I, for one, can’t wait for the release of Wyvern Tales — an RPG for the Lynx after 25 years without one!
Some might say that I’m crazy. Nostalgia has rotted my brain. I could have just downloaded an emulator, had my fun and moved on. These people don’t understand the joy and reward of committed relationships. The importance of connecting with something real. I’m still learning new things about the Lynx today (stories, weird game and cartridge variations to find). Then there’s the tactile feel and smell of hardware that connects you directly to a happy time. Every time. Atari Lynx, I’m sorry I ever doubted you. (Except for that creepy Malibu Bikini Volleyball intro.)
Do you have fond memories of your first tech love or maybe a gut-wrenching tale of gadget heartbreak? Share them using #LoveAtFirstByte
‘The Division’ is getting an open beta next week
If you didn’t participate in The Division’s recent closed beta, don’t worry — you’re going to have another chance to play the game soon. Ubisoft has announced open beta dates for its new Tom Clancy title, which will be available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Interestingly enough, gamers with a Microsoft console can start playing February 18th, with PS4 and PC support to come the following day. The open beta runs through February 21st, so you better enjoy it while it lasts. As a refresher, The Division launches March 18th, assuming there aren’t any more unexpected delays.
Source: Ubisoft
Pre-order Oculus Rift-ready PCs starting on February 16th
If you want an Oculus Rift virtual reality headset but realize that your existing PC just won’t cut it, don’t panic — you can get a guaranteed-ready system very shortly. Oculus has announced that pre-orders for both Oculus Ready PCs and those with Rift bundles will start on February 16th at 11AM Eastern, or 8AM Pacific. Amazon, Best Buy and the Microsoft Store will offer a handful of certified systems from Alienware, its parent company Dell and ASUS. Should you pull the trigger, you should get your rig sometime in April.
For the most part, these are standard gaming desktops that happen to meet Oculus’ recommended specs for a good VR experience. The big deal is that you’ll typically get a discount if you’ve already pre-ordered a Rift (between $100 to $200 off) — important when the cheapest system starts at $949 after you factor the Rift discount into the equation. This won’t matter much if you already have a speedy system, of course, but it’s a big deal for newcomers who want to get into VR without either a lot of knowledge or the time to track down an ideal PC on their own.
Source: Oculus
iPhone puzzle games are no match for this robot
Puzzle & Dragons is a ridiculously popular mobile game in Japan that tasks players with matching coloured orbs in order to take down enemy monsters. If you’ve played Pokemon Shuffle before, it’s just like that. To help with the trickier stages, YouTube user Junya Sakamoto has developed a robot that can play the game for him. Oh, and it’s unbelievably good. As Kotaku reports, a connected laptop is able to analyse the board and pick out the optimum combos, triggering a flurry of moves that would be almost impossible to replicate with your pinkie. Color us impressed, although we suspect developer GungHo won’t share our enthusiasm.
Via: Kotaku
Source: Junya Sakamoto (YouTube)
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