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Elite: Dangerous has no offline mode for story reasons
Frontier Developments head honcho David Braben has been working overtime to defend the 11th-hour revelation that Elite: Dangerous will have no offline play option. A recent video interview with Braben includes his response to these issues; he states that it's not off the table, but it's incompatible with the way that the game handles storytelling. The game world is meant to change over time based on player actions, and it wasn't as functional without players being affected by each another. Braben explains that the game's missions are generated in part by aggregates of player activity; if a majority of players choose to support a rebel faction on a given planet, for example, then that faction becomes more powerful, and the nature of missions related to those rebels changes. Keeping the game online ensures that these changes can be reflected in gameplay, making the experience more dynamic and engaging. The full interview also covers the details of beta testing and control setups, if you're not as interested in the fine details of staying online while playing in single-player mode. Elite: Dangerous formally launches tomorrow.
PSA: Resistance PS3 trilogy going offline on April 8
Sony let us know last year that online play for the PS3's Resistance trilogy would end in early 2014, and a recent tweet from developer Insomniac Games has narrowed that ending date to April 8. Insomniac's post encourages fans to get online for the trilogy's final moments and "make some memories" with some of Insomniac's own employees. In response to an inquiry about continuing online support for the Vita's Resistance: Burning Skies, Insomniac tweeted they're "not sure" about that game's potential loss of online play. An optimist would take this as a significant withdrawal of the Chimera invasion, but with Sony's June 2012 statement that no Resistance games were in the works, it's a little sad to think we won't get another chance to fight back the invasive alien race. [Image: Insomniac Games]
Nintendo pulling plug for online play on DS, Wii in May
The Nintendo Wi-Fi connection for Wii and DS ends on May 20, bringing an end to online play for the two systems. What that means is there are a few months left to play Wii and DS games online, be that through multiplayer, sharing in-game content, or leaderboards. Nintendo notes this is just for the DS and Wii and won't affect Wii U and 3DS games, although Wii Mode won't offer online play on Wii U and similarly DS games when played on the 3DS. The two systems aren't losing all online functionality. The DSi shop and Wii U Shop Channel are staying open, and users will still be able to access the DS Browser and Wii channels like Neflix, Hulu, and YouTube. The company also published a full list of the affected games. Nintendo didn't provide an explanation for the discontinued service in its announcement - nor did it ask the last ones out on DS and Wii to remember to turn out the lights - but it did thank its fans for their continued support and enthusiasm for its "legacy systems." [Image: Nintendo]
Dawn of Fantasy shows off the Online Kingdoms mode
If you've followed stories on Dawn of Fantasy, you know that the game offers an MMORTS mode in addition to its offline modes. What you may not know is exactly how the MMO side of gameplay works out in practice, and that's the sort of thing that's really important to know before you dive into a game. The team at Reverie World Studios has helpfully put together a video diary detailing the Online Kingdoms mode, showing off how players can experience the game in a persistent online world. The focus of the game, naturally, is on creating and running one's own city; it takes some time to turn your plot of land into a functional city, and in the midst of all that you still have troops to recruit, train, and improve. It's a mixture of quest-based gameplay and more traditional RTS mechanics, but you don't need to take our word for it. Jump past the break to watch the full video and see if it looks like the right mix of both tastes for you. [Source: Reverie World Studios press release]
Monster Hunter Tri-G has downloadable quests, but not online play
A Capcom support page reveals a disappointing fact about the 3DS's upcoming Monster Hunter Tri-G: unlike the Wii game upon which it's based, Tri-G will not offer online multiplayer. It offers only local wireless multiplayer, like the PSP Monster Hunters (without the option to rig up an Internet play session through a PS3). Despite that lack of functionality, however, Tri-G does still connect to the internet -- to download special quests. This isn't really a big deal in Japan, where online play is less popular than local, in-person multiplayer. Technically, it's even less of a big deal outside of Japan, since Capcom has yet to announce a release of the game anywhere else.
Hands-on with the PlayStation Network
It's not really fair to judge the PS3's online component before, like, the console is actually released and gamers start putting it through its paces, but it's still interesting hear Eurogamer's take on a pre-launch version of the PlayStation Network, courtesy of some exclusive face time with Sony exec Phil Harrison. From the site's extensive coverage of many aspects of the service, the most noticeable theme is that Sony seems to have been closely watching the successes and failures of Xbox Live, and is serious about its promise to meet or exceed all of Live's capabilities. Therefore, many of features that 360 fans have become accustomed to -- consistent UI, multiple methods of communicating with friends, and downloadable content -- are prominently featured in the Network experience, with other aspects -- namely a full web browser, multitude of game-specific mini-stores, and pricing in real currency as opposed to "points" -- clearly designed to one-up Microsoft's offering. Other nice touches here include the ability to create a master account and regulated "associated" accounts (helpful for parents looking to police their kids' usage), a global "Wallet" with which you make all micro-payments (including those required by third-party publishers), and of course, an upgradable OS that leverages the hard drive on both versions of the PS3. Downsides? Unlike Xbox Live, the first iteration of PlayStation Network doesn't let friends communicate while playing a game; even though you'll get a notification of new messages during gameplay, you have to exit the game in order to read them and respond. Also, it's still not clear if / how Sony will implement player rankings a la Live's leaderboards, which is a feature that naturally-competitive gamers have come to expect. All-in-all, though, it sounds like Sony has put a lot of thought into the usability of this increasingly important aspect of the console experience, and assuming that the company is able to overcome potential shortages, lack of rumble, and other well-known nitpicks, the PlayStation Network looks poised to attract the same fervent following as XBL.[Via PS3 Fanboy and Joystiq]
Virtua Fighter 5 only for PS3 next spring
There was a time when Virtua Fighter 5 was considered a strong candidate for an arcade port to the Xbox 360, but that multiplatform hope's been dashed with the official announcement that VF5 will appear only on PS3 in the spring of 2007. Sega's technical fighter is a Sony exclusive once more.While home-console online play remains doubtful at this point, next-gen PlayStation owners can now securely look forward to facing off as El Blaze and Eileen (the new luchador and monkey kung-fu artist, respectively) along with the other 15 fighters, decked out in all sorts of items purchased in the in-game store with prize money earned through in-game matches.VF5 will support up to 720p HD resolution and will be featured in game footage in the SEGA booth at E3 (South Hall, Booth #946) later this week.[Thanks, Matt; also via Joystiq]
