Gotham City
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Intel wants to make your autonomous car rides more entertaining
Once autonomous cars can routinely take over the monotonous, minute-to-minute responsibilities of actually driving, what are their human passengers supposed to do with themselves? Well, if Intel has any say, people will spend their trips being immersed in interactive fantasy lands.
Batman: Arkham Knight leaked on GAME listing [Update: 10/14 list date]
A listing for Batman: Arkham Knight appeared on the GAME retailer site. While no longer available to view, the game was listed for PS4, Xbox One and PC. A Google search limited to GAME's site shows the listing existed in some capacity before being pulled by the retailer. Update: Game Informer revealed that Batman: Arkham Knight will be the cover of its April magazine. The game will be the final one in the Arkham series from Rocksteady, and is set after the events of Batman: Arkham City. The game will feature the Batmobile and a new area of Gotham City reportedly "far larger" than that of Arkham City. Batman will spend his time in the game hunting down familiar foes: Scarecrow, Two-Face, Penguin and Harley Quinn in particular. Update 2: WBIE issued a trailer for the game and a press release, the latter found after the break. The publisher noted that the game will launch this year. Update 3: The game's website lists Harley Quinn as a playable character via a pre-order bonus. The add-on content will include four challenge maps and give players the opportunity to use Harley's "unique weapons, gadgets, and abilities first-hand." Update 4: An image on GameStop promoting Batman: Arkham Knight's Harley Quinn pre-order bonus lists an October 14 release date for the game. Given that GameStop is the only retailer with that listed date at the moment, we wouldn't mark our calendars just yet. We've added the image after the break and reached out to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to confirm the date. Update 5: A Warner Bros. representative told Joystiq, "Batman: Arkham Knight is scheduled for release worldwide in 2014. " [Image: WBIE]
Alter Ego: Issue #2 - Learning to fly in DC Universe Online
Last time in Massively's DC Universe Online webcomic, Kid Critical escaped from Brainiac's dastardly clutches and -- aided by the Man of Steel -- brought down one of the evil overlord's deadly harvester ships. But Brainiac still has designs on digitizing Earth and all its inhabitants. And both supervillains and petty criminals alike are leveraging the chaos to cause big trouble for the Justice League and its new exobyte-powered allies. Now, Kid Critical returns home to Gotham City, struggling with his super powers and at the mercy of a mysterious hacker called Oracle. Will he master his exobytes in time to help save the city? Or will he end up as another grease spot on Gotham's mean streets? Find out in Alter Ego #2: Learning to Fly.
SOE announcing DCUO's freemium launch date tomorrow
Well folks, we'd love to tell you the official date that DC Universe Online is switching to its freemium business model. The only problem is that Sony Online Entertainment isn't making that information available until tomorrow. Why this post, then? So you can mark your Bat-calendars of course! SOE will make the date official at 7:30 p.m. EDT on October 27th via its Stickam portal (so, yes, this is effectively an announcement about an announcement). As we reported last month, SOE will be moving DCUO to a tiered access plan and eliminating the barrier that is the monthly subscription fee -- although gamers who choose to continue paying it in the form of the Legendary plan will enjoy numerous perks including free DLC and lots of character slots. [Source: SOE press release]
The Daily Grind: Do single-player games influence your MMO choices?
OK, I admit it. I'm not playing many MMOs this week (Heresy! Burn the infidel! Etc.). I'll log a couple of merc matches in Global Agenda and maybe complete a faction quest or two in Age of Conan, but almost all of my gaming time is going toward Rocksteady's glorious Batman sequel. Arkham City is so good, in fact, that it's made me patch my long-neglected DC Universe Online client just in case I feel like soaking up some more Gotham City atmospherics while I'm away from my Xbox 360. And how sad is that, seriously? Anyway, since this is the Daily Grind and not the daily-random-game-related-rambling, I'll cut to the chase in favor of the traditional question: Do single-player games influence your MMO playing? 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!
DCUO's latest update takes you to the Fortress of Solitude
We still don't have a date for you with regard to DC Universe Online's impending payment model switcheroo. We do have the latest Sony Online Entertainment press release, though, and it's full of details about the superhero MMO's latest content patch. Listen up, Superman fans, as today's patch brings about the second phase of a three-part raid in which players must stop Brainiac from harnessing Kryptonian technology and using it to destroy the entire planet. The update, appropriately titled The Fate of the Fortress, features Superman's iconic arctic hideout known as the Fortress of Solitude, and the patch allows would-be heroes to team up with Kal-El, Lex Luthor, and their fellow players to tackle a challenging eight-man group combat raid. There's a bunch of new loot to be had as well, and today's update also features a new hard-mode option for the HIVE tier-two alert as well as a new Batcave PvP map. Finally, SOE has incorporated a new dueling mechanic into DCUO, so fire up your launchpads, button up your underoos, and get ready to save Gotham City and Metropolis from the clutches of the megalomaniacal Brainiac. [Source: SOE press release]
Massively Exclusive: SOE's John Smedley reveals F2P model for DC Universe Online
For those of us who lack Batman's financial resources, maintaining several monthly MMO subscriptions can be a challenge. Sony Online Entertainment recognizes this, and as a result, the company has just announced that DC Universe Online will be officially joining the freemium revolution toward the end of October. The new business model will feature a familiar tiered access plan with three membership levels. The Free, Premium, and Legendary plans feature full access to the current game while offering different levels of "convenience and flexibility." Free players will be limited to two character slots, and new "downloadable game packs/updates, additional character slots, powers, and more" will be available for purchase via microtransactions. Premium players, i.e., folks who have spent at least $5 US on the game (including former subscribers and in-game item purchasers), will receive additional character slots, inventory slots, and higher cash limits. Legendary players will take home "maximum features and benefits" including free DLC, more than 15 character slots, and more than 80 inventory slots, all for the regular $14.99 monthly fee. DCUO will also continue to be available on SOE's Station Pass (and subscribing to the monthly all-in-one service nets you Legendary status in DCUO as well as access to all of SOE's MMORPGs). Finally, Massively sat down with SOE president John Smedley and producer Lorin Jameson to chat about the new model, and you can find that transcription after the break.
SOE teases Gotham City fly-through video
Look! Up in the air! It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the latest DC Universe Online fly-through video! Unfortunately for you Man of Steel fans in the audience, it has nothing to do with Superman. I know, that was mean. SOE's Gotham City is cooler than Metropolis though, and glimpses of its gothic glory are enough to give cynical game journos a reason to grin, so what are you going to do? At any rate, feast your eyes on the creepy confines of Arkham Asylum, the rusty, run-down facade of Ace Chemicals, and the dimly lit digs of Crime Alley, the Gotham Freight Yards, Amusement Mile, and more. Don't forget to check out the legendary Bat-signal atop the Police Department while you're skulking about. Gotham City. After dark. It's all yours after the cut.
DC Universe shows off more location screens
It's Friday night, do you know where your alter-ego is? If you're lucky, he or she is logging into the DC Universe Online closed beta. If not, we'll point and laugh, but we'll also hook you up with some new location reveals via the latest screenshots courtesy of SOE. Feast your eyes on Green Lantern and friends flitting about Metropolis City Hall, Robin and Poison Ivy deep in the swampy bowels of the femme fatale's lair, and a few shots from around Gotham City (including the Botanical Gardens, East End Hotel, and Gotham University). You'll also catch a glimpse of a player character fighting his way free of the maniacal Brainiac tutorial missions. DC Universe Online is currently scheduled to release for PC and Playstation 3 platforms in early 2011. %Gallery-107324%
DC Universe previewed, Andersen talks character customization
With the launch of DC Universe Online just around the corner, we're starting to see a bit more information revealed about Sony Online Entertainment's superhero extravaganza. Gamespot reports on its lengthy hands-on at SOE's Austin development studio; highlights include a quest chain in the city of Metropolis as well as observations on the game's RPG and gear mechanics. Fan website DCUO Source also contributes some interesting info in the form of a collation of comments from the game's Facebook site. Ordinarily, reader comments regarding teaser videos aren't anything to write home about, but the fact that SOE's Jens Andersen chimed in to answer questions provides some interesting reading. One exchange that seems particularly noteworthy is Andersen's response to a fan concerned with the lack of information on DCUO's character customization options. "Character creation will be ongoing throughout the game with our appearance collection system and real items with stats forming a great fusion between form and function," Andersen says. "This means less choices upfront but more meaningful ones as you go through the game. It's a far cry from starting in rags and a loin cloth like in fantasy MMO's but it also isn't a fluff fest of everything which takes away the impact of getting cool stuff in games you can show off to your friends," he writes.
Slumming in DCUO is part of the adventure
Metropolis, one of the key cities in DC Universe Online, has a reputation for being the shiny, bright antithesis of Gotham City's dark and dungy environment. However, don't let preconceptions fool you -- Metropolis has its seedier side, especially with the cheerfully-named "Suicide Slums." In a video posted over at Shacknews, DCUO Game Director Chris Cao takes us on a brief tour through the Suicide Slums, pointing out how this isn't a place you'd want to casually visit. It's an "iffy-dodgy place" according to Cao, home to both criminal and superhero elements that revel in urban decay. Think downtown Detroit on a good day, perhaps, or the industrial quarters of SimCity. The slums are also home to the Steelworks, where John Henry Irons, aka Steel (famously played by Shaq in the motion picture), wages a daily battle to clean up the neighborhood. Travelers to Suicide Slums can check out another Metropolis landmark, the famous Ace-O-Clubs bar run by Bibbo Bibbowski. For the full travelogue, head over to Shacknews and get a gritty eyeful.
DC Universe Online details emerge
Sony Online Entertainment's highly-anticipated DC Universe Online just got a whole lot cooler. In this month's Edge magazine, executive creative director Jim Lee reveals some new information on the super hero MMO that is due out sometime next year.This game is described by Lee as a "kick-ass hybrid between a traditional MMO and a first-person action console game". Character creation promises to be diverse, and all of the expected MMO features are listed: character leveling, PvP arenas, raids, shared environments as well as instanced zones. While you may not be able to actually play as Superman or Batman, you will be able to meet them in game, and even battle them if you're playing the villain. Not only that, the first two large shared environments that are revealed so far include Metropolis and Gotham City.
