gamescom-2014
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Black Desert getting naval transportation, combat
Fan site BlackDesert.com spoke to representatives from Pearl Abyss and Daum Communications at Gamescom. The resulting interview is worth a read, and it mentions that Black Desert will in fact be getting some sort of naval system. "Yes naval transportation and combat will be present in Black Desert Online," said Daum's Park Yoo Jin. "Players will be able to control boats and ships and depending on the kind of naval unit, there will be the possibility to board it with more than one person." Pearl Abyss had previously announced that it was adding naval combat at this year's E3, but thus far the systems have not been made available during Black Desert's Korea beta tests.
Gamescom 2014: WildStar abandons monthly update pace
Yet another MMO has fallen into the trap of promising monthly updates after launch only to realize that it's not as feasible as once thought. A mere two content updates into the live game, WildStar announced that it will be abandoning its monthly pace in favor of major drops every few months. At Gamescom, Senior Game Designer Megan Starks fessed up to the change of release cadence: "Originally our idea was to have a really aggressive post-launch schedule, just constantly provide stuff for our players so that there's always things for you to do. Now that we've put out two of our updates, our schedule is still planned out. [...] We decided to work on [the upcoming patch Defile] until it's a really good quality state. We do know that we want it to come out in the next few months. Instead of saying that we have this hard deadline, that it's going out no matter what, we're going to take the time to make sure that the quality is there." When asked if this is going to be the case for updates in the future, Starks said, "Yes."
Assassin's Creed competitive killing takes a break
The dense history of Assassin's Creed starts humbly in 2007, with polarizing reviews seeing more potential than anything else in the first game. Still, big sales paved the way for Assassin's Creed 2, which took the franchise into 15th century Italy and along an unbroken streak of bigger, annual releases. The addition of competitive multiplayer for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood drew extra skepticism around the franchise's expansion, but it endured and grew alongside new assassins - until now.
35 minutes of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gameplay
If you didn't have the opportunity to travel all the way to Gamescom last week and check out the latest footage of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in action, are you ever in luck right now! Here's 35 minutes taken directly from the presentation at last week's show. Now, there are some elements from the Gamescom presentation missing in the video and we should point these out for you. First, you won't have to make an appointment to see it. Next, you won't be packed into a really warm room with comfy chairs where you may or may not fall asleep on your boss' shoulder (Sorry, Ludwig). Three ... no, seriously, accidentally snuggling your boss gets really weird quick. Check out the video after the break. The video of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, not of me snuggling Ludwig. That'll require a Joystiq Premium membership.
Bloodborne has Dark Souls in its veins
When Sony showed us Bloodborne at E3, it was like that disconcertingly racy feeling of seeing someone you really like and then realizing it's their younger, even more attractive sibling. It looked like a Souls game, albeit one even deeper into a goth phase, but bits and pieces felt weirdly unfamiliar. After putting hundreds of hours into three such similar games, it was surreal to sense the shifts in something that clearly has its roots in the Souls series, even if it doesn't share a surname. I think what I needed was hands-on time, and that's what I got at Gamescom, even if it was for just 15 minutes. Once I picked up the DualShock and navigated the shadowy hero along the game's cobblestone alleys, things began to click. It was like stepping into a pair of your favorite shoes, but using them to ride a brand new bike. While wielding a shotgun.
Around 335,000 attend Gamescom 2014
Gamescom: The Year of Sechs, according to the Koelnmesse organizers, reduced last year's attendance of over 340,000 to "around 335,000." Things were quieter a few years back - you know, with only around 275,000 attendees - thanks to Microsoft and Nintendo's absence, but that certainly wasn't the case this year. After the break you'll find our annual roundup of official and unofficial stats from the show. There's also plenty of podcasts to listen to and we've also got a text-based roundup of stories, if you're interested in those. We'll be back at Gamescom in 2015 from August 5-9.
Ninja Theory: Hellblade isn't tied to Heavenly Sword at all
Like many of you, when Ninja Theory showed its new game at Gamescom we turned to each other and whispered "Heavenly Sword 2? Come on, that's totally Kai!" But no, it was Hellblade, and in an Eurogamer interview the studio's confirmed the PS4 game has no ties whatsoever to the 2007 hack-and-slash. And no, it's not even a spiritual successor. "It's a brand new IP," Ninja Theory's Dominic Matthews said. "Senua is a new character. It's not tied to Heavenly Sword at all. I saw someone describe the name as someone just putting Heavenly Sword into Thesaurus.com and going, oh it's Hellblade. It's not something where we've gone, 'Yeah, let's make people think it is this.' We really like Heavenly Sword. We loved making that game. So it's actually more just we like making female protagonists that look in a certain style. And we like swords. And we like hell. It's more that."
Gamescom 2014: Skyforge's crew narrates a 30-minute tour
Skyforge is a title that has caught my attention for several reasons, including its pretty graphics, its science-fiction bent, and its flexible class build system. Past that I'm a little ignorant, which is why I appreciated the following video from Gamescom. After Skyforge's trailer, the team delivers a crash course on the game's lore, features, and combat. One of the interesting aspects is how the game can zoom out to show you the entire world so that you can easily see where quests for your character are waiting. If Skyforge is on your radar, do yourself a favor and give the Gamescom panel a watch when you have a moment!
Far Cry 4: Crouching tiger, hidden Blood Dragon
If there's one game that doesn't quite fit into Far Cry's exotic zoo of flammable locales, it's Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. The standalone spinoff (often confused for DLC) dragged the franchise's jungle-stalking into a neon cyber-parody of 1980s action, stripping off a serious face to reveal a toothy grin and bulging cheek. Players loved it, and some wondered why that couldn't have been THE Far Cry 3. As much as I like what I've played of THE Far Cry 4, I wonder about a full surrender to Shangri-La, the strange, mystical reflection of the game's "real" Himalayan world. These excursions into Shangri-La are absolutely integrated into the main storyline – not DLC – and spread across five unreal episodes. There may yet be another Blood Dragon, but Far Cry 4 comes with weirdness built-in.
Halo: is it the TV you're looking for?
The custodians of Halo have considered "what it means to move television forward," says executive producer Kiki Wolfkill. It's an unusual line coming from 343 Industries, maker of Halo 4, but it shows a more practical streak than Microsoft's own (and now defunct) Xbox Entertainment Studios. 343's Halo Channel is an Xbox One and Windows 8.1 app that works like a giant web for the Halo franchise, ensnaring original TV programming, games, news, Twitch streams, social activity, franchise fiction and, by the looks of it, any Halo fan who uses it. Tapping into your Xbox profile, it'll recognize you and suggest content based on what you've played, watched and read before. "We will always curate a stream," Wolfkill says.
The Daily Grind: What was your favorite Gamescom reveal?
Gamescom 2014 came and went, but not before a handful of interesting MMO-related news blurbs made their way from Cologne, Germany to your monitor. My personal favorite was Star Citizen's quartet of new videos, not to mention a fifth that showed off a multiplayer-crewed Constellation fighting for its life. What about you, Massively readers? What was your favorite Gamescom reveal? Or did nothing much catch your eye this year? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Titan Souls: One hit point, one bow, one arrow, lots of deaths
Of the three key influences in Acid Nerve's Titan Souls, From Software's Souls series is the least obvious. The PS4, Vita and PC game is an immediate callback to top-down Zeldas like A Link to the Past, with its pixelated bow-wielding hero dueling with boss after boss hidden in room-like caverns. The bosses themselves are huge, powerful and varied, and the very nature of a game in which you only take on bosses clearly takes inspiration from Shadow of the Colossus. These influences aren't hard to spot. Your hero only has one hit point and a single weapon, the bow and arrow. It's a formula which on paper presents a challenge that doesn't have much to do with the Souls games at all. Yet there is a key similarity, and it's what makes Titan Souls shine with so much potential. If you love a good challenge, Titan Souls should definitely be on your radar.
Gamescom 2014: Blizzard says World of Warcraft 2 is 'something we have talked about'
World of Warcraft fans are not the only ones who have speculated about a sequel to the hit MMO. Blizzard Game Director Tom Chilton gave a surprisingly non-evasive answer at this year's Gamescom about whether the company was thinking about creating World of Warcraft 2. "It's something we have talked about," Chilton said. "It's something we have talked about for 10 years. I think that there are a lot of challenges there in seeing how World of Warcraft 2 relates to World of Warcraft, do they live alongside each other, does one feed into the other, what is that product, etc. These are challenges that have to be figured out before that becomes a reality."
Spencer: 'I don't want the Rare brand to mean Kinect Sports'
Xbox head Phil Spencer has some encouraging words to fans of GoldenEye and Banjo-Kazooie development studio Rare. Speaking to CVG at Gamescom, Spencer said that the company is developing a new game - a new "Rare game." "I think it's about them thinking about the next game that's going to be the next 'Rare game' and really stand for what they are," Spencer said. "I know they've got some great ideas. I've not been up to Twycross for maybe six months, but I'm planning on getting up there this fall and seeing bits for the new game. But I know they're hard at work and Phil Harrison has been up talking to them." Rare was under evaluation earlier this year, after Microsoft revealed a Kinect-free Xbox One. Rare was the developer behind the Kinect Sports series, and with no more guaranteed Kinect, the studio's future seemed questionable. However, Spencer assured CVG that Rare was an "important" part of Xbox's future. "I don't want the Rare brand to mean Kinect Sports," Spencer said. "The Rare brand can be more valuable to them, to us and to gamers than that." [Image: Microsoft]
Gamescom 2014 round-up: Xbox, PlayStation, everything
We've still got a few more pieces coming as part of our Gamescom 2014 coverage, but we've wrapped up our week of daily treks to the Koelnmesse convention center. Yes, German readers, what I just wrote there was redundant, but let's just move on. If you missed our coverage, here are the highlights:
Don't kill the dogs in Below
The dogs in Below aren't vicious or dangerous. They'll follow you around and are downright cuddly, as long as you don't hurt one. Still, most players try to kill the dogs the second a pack appears, Capy founder Nathan Vella said during a demo of Below at Gamescom. "Everybody wants to kill the fucking dogs," Vella said. "Everybody who plays the game, they think everything is an enemy, but the bats are just bothering you, the dogs are just hanging out. They might catch your scent and they might want to follow you, but they're not really going to mess with you." Killing the dogs does give your character meat, an item that provides a health boost. So, sure, kill the innocent, adorable dogs if your character is feeling a little peaky. Sure.
Ephemeral entertainment and Activision's strategy for success
In a time when the video game industry is down to a handful of mega publishers and even small-scale independent developers have risen to become competitive, Activision stands out for making huge plays and reaping massive rewards. Activision Blizzard is going into this holiday season with one of the strongest publisher lineups in recent memory. It's not just the diversity of the games, but the scale that makes it so impressive: Destiny, Skylanders, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Hearthstone. "It never feels like that from the inside, it's a tough business and each one of these games is a hard slog to get done and bring to fruition," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg told us at Gamescom. "In my mind, we still gotta get the ball across the goal line. You can't take anything for granted."
Palmer Luckey looks years out, sees Oculus doing software
Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey compares the future of virtual reality to the current television industry – the money isn't in manufacturing TVs, it's in creating content for those TVs. "It's going to be the same thing with VR," Luckey said during an interview at Gamescom. "Eventually, it's going to be commoditized and the hardware differences between all the different vendors are going to be meaningless. It's all going to be about the content and the software. So I think we're actually – in the long haul, looking years or decades out – probably more on the software side." Luckey has a clear vision for the final Oculus hardware – higher resolution, higher framerate, 1080p, 90Hz, smaller, lighter and more comfortable. Get all of Luckey's specs in our video interview.
Gamescom Awards evolve, favor 2K's monstrous game
The votes are in, and the winner of the Gamescom 2014 Awards is ... *drumroll* Oh, you saw the headline and figured out the pun already? Well, you're right; it's Evolve, the 4v1 monster-on-human huntfest from Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studios. The game took home not only the award for "Best of Gamescom," but also the awards for "Best Console Game Microsoft Xbox," "Best PC Game," "Best Action Game" and "Best Online Multiplayer Game." Other highlights include Super Smash Bros. taking home the "Best Mobile Game" award for its 3DS iteration, while its console counterpart took home the "Most Wanted Consumer Award," a title that premiered at this year's ceremony. LittleBigPlanet 3 also won multiple awards, specifically the "Best Social / Casual / Online Game" award and the "Best Family Game" award. We're relatively sure that Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call won the award for "Best Simulation Game" due to its simulation of music, but we can pretend it won because it simulates being an adorable JRPG character singing along to catchy tunes, too. Check out the full list of winners after the break.
Overheard@Gamescom: Fly, you fool!
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor isn't canon, but developer Monolith intends to respect JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series as the game borrows the books' characters, settings and lore – and some of their famous lines. In a demo at Gamescom, Designer Michael De Plater showed off a scene where Talion, a ranger who exists between the living and spirit worlds, finds himself facing a giant, angry Graug in a dark cave. Powerful as he is, Talion can't face the beast alone yet, so his only recourse is to run. Talion's ghostly guide, the elven ringsmith Celebrimbor, offers the following piece of advice: "Fly, you fool!" This mirrors the last thing that Gandalf the Grey says to Frodo and his companions in the Mines of Moria near the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The line was brought to more public fame in the 2001 film, and it plays an important role in speculation concerning the eagle plot hole in the series. Also concerning hobbits. [Image: Warner Bros]
