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YouTube’s personalized music playlists are available to all users
YouTube Music's new personalized playlists are now available to users worldwide. Today, YouTube introduced its Discover Mix, New Release Mix and Your Mix. The playlists will curate your favorite songs, new releases and unheard tracks by your favorite artists, plus others you might like.
YouTube Music listeners are getting three personalized playlists this month
YouTube Music's big plan to take on Spotify appears to be essentially copying Spotify's personalized playlists. YouTube is preparing to launch three new playlists: Discover Mix, New Release Mix and Your Mix. The platform's Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan discussed the playlists today at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2019, and they sound remarkably similar to Spotify's offerings.
Universal Pictures will master new and existing titles in HDR10+
Now that Samsung has established HDR10+ as a viable and accessible alternative to Dolby Vision HDR, it's looking to bring more HDR content to viewers. To do so, Samsung is partnering with Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) to master a selection of new releases and existing movies and shows with the standard. Not only will we soon have more HDR10+ hardware, we'll also have something to watch on it.
Holy crap, your wallet is screwed today
November 18 is the new October 7. Last month's $300 day tamed before it began, as the launch of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor moved up a few days while Dragon Age: Inquisition was delayed to the industry's new busy day, today. It's okay, friends, we're here to guide you through today's retail chaos. Dragon Age: Inquisition reached Xbox One, PS4, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC today, and was received well in our five-star review of the game. Joystiq Streams took Dragon Age for a spin earlier this week, so those that want a taste of the game's first hour should watch the archived video. Meanwhile, Ubisoft dished Far Cry 4 out to current-gen, last-gen and PC players, a game deemed the "undisputed king" of open-world shooters that offers a "staggering number of adventures."
New Nintendo eShop releases: More GBA games, Conception 2
Joystiq: Hey Reggie Fils-Aime, what do you think about this week's new eShop releases? Reggie: Tomodachi Tomodachi Tomodachi Tomodachi Tomodachi Tomodachi Tom... Couldn't have said it better, Reg, although you could've noted Kirby and the Amazing Mirror and WarioWare Inc on the Wii U, and Conception 2 and Lego: The Hobbit on 3DS. If your body is ready for more info, head past the break for the full list of new releases. Also, look out for some eShop sales, including DuckTales: Remastered sproinging to half-price at $7.49 - that offer's good until April 17. Between April 12-27 you can get Escape from Zombie City at 50 percent off, which should equal to $2,. Finally, G-Style Co has a sale on its collection of games including Chain Blaster and Undead Bowling, and that's also running for a couple of weeks starting April 12. [Image: Nintendo]
Guardians of Middle-Earth brings competitive MOBA gaming to consoles
It seems as if the world has gone MOBA-mad in recent years, with Dota 2 launching the first ever million-dollar competitive tournament and League of Legends becoming the most played game in the world. While there are plenty of PC games following in the competitive footsteps of classic DotA, the console market has remained largely untested. Today that changed with the launch of Guardians of Middle-Earth, the first 3-D console MOBA to be designed for classic DotA-style competitive matches. Guardians of Middle-Earth gives players control of iconic characters from the Lord of the Rings lore, like Gandalf and Gollum. Each character has an array of special abilities, and teams of five players battle against each other in short competitive matches. A streamlined item system and directional attacks adapt the game for the controls and faster pace of gameplay console gamers expect, but it remains to be seen whether the console audience will form a hardcore competitive tournament scene. The game went live on the Playstation Network today and goes live on XBox Live Arcade tomorrow.
The Daily Grind: Are there too many new MMOs?
There was a time not too long ago (although about a decade in internet time) when new MMOs were a rare event, the sort of launch that happened irregularly at best and promised to whisk you away for quite some time. Of course, a cursory glance would make it clear that this is no longer the case -- Betawatch is filled with titles in various stages of testing, and despite having already seen a high-profile title launch this year, we're due for at least one or two more before the year is out. It's not a bad thing to have choices, of course, but we've gone from having a small sub-genre to having a veritable explosion of different MMOs on the market, from Ultima Online being the golden standard to having both Global Agenda and Mortal Online fit comfortably beneath the same aegis. Do you feel as if there's too much on the market at the moment and too many new games in development? Or do you hope we continue to see the same diversity of product, if not even more? 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!
First Impressions: Divine Souls
Divine Souls, published by Outspark, reminds me of Vindictus in far too many ways. I only question which came first and whether more fighting games like the two are coming in the future. While I have had a lot of love for Vindictus since its release, I also have had enough issues with it that I had to stop playing it much at all. While I will save that for another article, I can use the popular Nexon release to illustrate what is wrong and right about Divine Souls. More of Massively's readers are probably familiar with Vindictus, so that will be a good point of comparison. Think of Divine Souls as Vindictus' uglier little cousin. Granted, Vindictus is a supermodel, so that makes Divine Souls just an average beautiful person, but it should still be noted. Also, both games pit players against hordes of enemies -- massive swarms of baddies that die in spectacular ways. Well, spectacular when you see them for the first few times. After that it becomes pretty repetitive. Join me past the cut and let's talk about what I liked and didn't like about Divine Souls. Don't worry, there are no baddies to jump you.
BlockBuster Express to distribute Warner Bros DVD rentals 28 days after release
It was only a couple of weeks ago that BlockBuster Express and Warner Bros were trialling the release of DVD titles into the former company's rental kiosks on their day of commercial release, but it seems like that's a future we're not going to see any more of. The pair have now announced a partnership whereby NCR's Blockbuster Express will offer WB's new DVD titles for rent 28 days after launch, matching Redbox and Netflix who are also subject to a four-week delay. This follows similar deals being concluded by NCR with Universal Studios and 20th Century Fox, with the major benefits being lower acquisition costs and a direct relationship with the studio. Update: We initially conflated Blockbuster with Blockbuster Express-branded DVD kiosks operated by NCR. The post has now been updated to rectify this unforgivable misguidance.
King of Kings 3 shows off its world-class menagerie
King of Kings 3 recently launched amidst some rather elaborate promises the game may or may not be able to follow up on. (The verdict is out on whether or not it truly is the answer to all our dreams, for instance.) But gamigo's most recent game promises a fair bit of love for a longstanding player favorite: pets. We have a small preview gallery showing off a sample of the variety of pets available in the game, ranging from small helper fairies to class-specific helper pets. There are three basic categories of pets: imamus, class pets, and mounts. Imamus boost both the character's leveling rate and regeneration rate while serving as a remote vendor for unwanted items. Mounts come in a wide variety of flavors while offering players unspecified buffs, and class pets serve as a boon for several classes -- Sword Mages can conjure an animated sword as a companion, while Bishops get a guardian angel. If the description of the pets of King of Kings 3 interests you, take a peek at the gallery for some samples of the companions in action. %Gallery-108152%
The Daily Grind: What makes you optimistic?
Being negative about the industry these days seems to be the norm, and it's kind of understandable. APB managed to set a record for being the fastest MMO death ever, Final Fantasy XIV launched to massively mixed opinions, and not everyone is really on board for the coming Cataclysm. It's very easy to look to next year and assume that more promises will be broken, that coming titles won't live up to the hype, and that everything is doom and gloom for the forseeable future. Despite all of that, however, there are reasons to be just a bit more optimistic. There has to be something that inspires you to at least adjust your opinion ever-so-slightly upward, that maybe things won't turn out as bad as your nervousness might indicate. Whether it's an upcoming title, patches or expansions that are handled well, or even just a humble move by developers, what makes you hopeful for the future of MMOs? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of our 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 The Daily Grind!
City of Heroes celebrates the official Going Rogue launch with a new trailer
In case you've managed to miss the news, the latest expansion for City of Heroes has launched today. Well, technically it launched yesterday, but that was for customers who had pre-purchased via the NCsoft store. Today remains the official launch of Going Rogue, and to both commemorate the occasion and drum up more interest, Paragon Studios has released an official launch trailer for the expansion. And if you've somehow missed all of the ramp-up to the launch, well, now would be the perfect time to catch up. Going Rogue is a pretty big expansion for the game's core, and the video (embedded past the cut) shows off the many new elements while also highlighting the familiar City of Heroes engine. Featuring the option to switch between heroic and villainous factions as well as a revamped starting experience, it's the perfect time for a new player to jump on. And if you get in that mood after seeing the trailer, well, we do have a contest running at the moment...
Fallen Earth companion app released on Blackberry
Fallen Earth has been pushing its mobile app with quite a bit of vigor ever since it was released on both the iPhone and the Droid a few weeks ago. And it's with good cause -- the app allows for players to take care of a number of more tedious play elements while on the go, freeing up in-game time for more exciting endeavors. While the functionality of the software hasn't been expanded, the user base certainly has, as the mobile companion is now available for Blackberry phones and devices as well. Available via Blackberry App World for $2.99, the ported release offers all the functionality of the original Fallen Earth application. That means players can browse the auction house, check in on the world map, keep track of crafting, and interact with both friends and clan members. For a full picture of the features, players are encouraged to check out the official release and FAQ for the prior versions, which apply equally for the latest release. Whether you're wandering as much as your favorite clone or just want to browse auctions at work, the expanded potential user base is a good thing for the game's players.
Exclusive interview with Aion Producer Brian Knox
We submitted a few questions to NCsoft back when players were taking their first baby steps into the strange and lush world of Atreia. Things have obviously been a bit hectic these past couple weeks but Aion Producer Brian Knox took some time out today to answer them for us. Thanks Brian!We've heard a lot about "westernizing" or "culturalizing" Aion for North American and European audiences. Can you please explain the full breadth of this term? Are we talking about language translation, story rewrites, and lowered experience curves here? Westernizing Aion is about making the game culturally relevant to our market. This includes going above and beyond basic translation and delving into the story behind the text and making sure that it is presented in a way our players will understand. For us it isn't so much about changing things with Aion but shining the spotlight on the area that is most appealing to our audience. Aion is a huge game with a ton choices and features for users all over the world to enjoy; making sure we point those parts out is a huge part of the culturalization
September is a crazy month for MMOs!
September 2009 really is quite a month for new MMO releases, as Syp points out. Players will be able to dive into the worlds of Aion, Champions Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited (barring any unfortunate legal wrangling), and Fallen Earth. While we're at it, we might as well include CrimeCraft, which launched a couple days ago too. Remember the days when you might see 1-2 new MMOs per year, staggered six months apart from each other? As the genre grows, it seems unlikely that we'll see those days again. Since we're huge MMO fans at Massively, we think that's quite awesome!We're curious to know how you think the month of September will play out. Will this month be full of cut-throat competition with only one or two strong titles coming out on top? Are these MMOs even targeted to the same crowds? We actually feel each title is going after a slightly different audience, which may result in everyone being a winner. Do you plan on trying one of them? Two? All? None!? What's your gaming strategy coming up to September? Taking a quick look at Betawatch tells us that there may be a couple more MMOs launching in 2009 as well.
Now Playing: August 17-23, 2009
Please excuse us for missing last week's feature. We're pretty sure no games were foolish enough to release the same week as Madden. Right? Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:Last updated: Monday, 11:35 AM
Dr. Strangelove to ride in on Blu-ray this summer
Oh sure, the Cold War is a distant memory for most of us, but the hilarity of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, um, kills us even 45 years since its release. Which is all the more reason to keep an eye out for the 45th Anniversary Special Edition of the Stanley Kubrick classic starring a whole lot of Peter Sellers set to ship on June 16. The special features announced so far are a little thin (but do sound interesting), so we're hoping that more goodies find their way onto the disc by the time it releases -- there's got to be some great deleted scenes and outtakes that got left on the cutting room floor, especially with Peter Sellers filling so many roles in the movie.
Disney Fantasy Online becoming a reality in Spring 2009
Last we heard, Disney was interested, but not planning, to come up with their own themed MMO. Now we are told that Mickey and friends are heading to China to star in a new game in Spring 2009 - this from the news that NetDragon and Disney have teamed up to launch Disney Fantasy Online. The Disney cast of characters are set to play NPCs in a game of high adventure and romance where players can quest and level their way through campaigns. The dynamic sounds similar to that of Hello Kitty Online, where players are able to farm, build, and raise pets in a themed environment without actually being the well-known characters. According to NetDragon, additional expansions and content will be released often to keep the game fresh. No word yet on whether/when DFO might be available outside of China, but we will stay on top of it for you.
Worldwide PSP releases for the week of October 26
It's another solid week and one where North America finally outshines Japan. There seems to be a little something for everyone: fighting, strategy, platformers and other action titles. NA Games: Ben 10 Alien Force King of Fighters Collection- The Orochi Saga Monster Jam: Urban Assault Neverland Card Battles EU Games: Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant Manhunt 2 Asian Games: Cardinal Arc Portable Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) Rockman Rockman (Best Version) Suigetsu Portable [First Print Limited Edition] On a closing note, Manhunt 2? Finally.
Worldwide PS3 releases for the week of October 12th
It all begins here, folks. You're about to be inundated with quality titles from now until Christmas. Dead Space is one we've been eagerly anticipating, so it's great to see its release in the US and Asia this week. Even better that it'll be waiting for us when we return from TGS. Other notable releases include SOCOM, Rock Revolution and Saints Row 2. When we say "notable," we don't necessarily mean that in a good way. Here's the full release list: US Games Dead Space Blitz II: The League FIFA Soccer 2009 SOCOM: Confrontation (with headset) SOCOM: Confrontation (without headset) Rock Revolution Saints Row 2 Saints Row 2 Collector's Edition Golden Axe: Beast Rider EU Games PES 2009 Saints Row 2 Golden Axe: Beast Rider Rapala Fishing Frenzy Asian Games Dead Space NBA 2K9 FIFA Soccer 09 Facebreaker Release dates are constantly subject to change, almost completely by random. If you're worried, clarify with your local retailer. PS3 games are region free, so go ahead and import any game in the list above. Be aware, however, that DLC is region locked, so those downloadable Dead Space suits will only bought if manage to grab them from the appropriate PSN Store.
