Reboot
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Cult classic adventure Outcast rebooted for PC
Indie developer Fresh3D recently launched a Kickstarter project to fund a high-definition remake of Outcast, the 1999 Infogrames-published PC adventure game. The open-world game will feature re-designed objects, textures, environments and characters, each made from scratch to run in 1080p HD at 60 frames per second. The developer is targeting $600,000 by Wednesday, May 7, to fund the game. So far it's achieved more than $140,000. Fresh3D includes three designers from Appeal, the developer of the original cult classic adventure game: Yann Robert, Franck Sauer and Yves Grolet. Grolet is involved in the project as a gameplay advisor, while Robert and Sauer are technical and creative directors, respectively. The three designers purchased the rights to Outcast in July 2013. [Image: Fresh3D]
Upcoming system update adds auto-reboot to Xbox One
Microsoft offered a few more details on upcoming updates for Xbox One in the form of three new features that testers can preview. First, firmware updates for the Xbox One controller and headset adapter will improve wireless connectivity and are expected to reduce static heard over the headset. Microsoft also plans to update the Blu-ray player app and add support for 50 Hz video output. Lastly, the console will quietly reboot following future updates, so owners won't need to manually turn their systems back on after they update, providing the system is in Instant On mode. Microsoft discussed a suite of SmartGlass options for Xbox One last week, bringing snap functionality, mobile Xbox Live alerts and easier navigation to the companion app along with the ability to view Xbox content on any Microsoft device. The company also detailed improved voice commands and friend notifications in mid-March, announced plans for external storage support on the system last week and just announced an update to the Xbox One YouTube app yesterday to allow users to upload clips to the video platform. [Image: Microsoft]
Fix for FFXIV's server load woes includes suspending sales
At what was meant to be a happy and joyous time, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn's birth was beset by complications -- namely that it was too popular for servers to handle. Players trying to get into the reboot are suffering through significantly long waits, if they are able to make it in at all. In order to fix this issue, Square Enix has announced that the capacity of its data centers throughout Japan, North America, and Europe will be increased. As a temporary stopgap measure to keep the problem from getting worse and allow current players a chance to actually play, all digital sales of A Realm Reborn are suspended. [Thanks to omedon666 and Bartillo for the tips!]
Luvinia Online relaunching as Luvinia World today
If you were a fan of Luvinia Online, news of the game's shutdown probably took you by surprise, largely because there was no real news of it. It just sort of happened without explanation or warning, like your boyfriend breaking up with you by blocking your phone number. But the game is relaunching today as Luvinia World starting at 12:00 p.m. EDT today under the management of Shanda Games and Soa Games, giving players a chance to log back in and play once more. Players looking to retrieve their old characters will be expected to pay a fee of $25, which will both restore the character on the new servers and offer a $30 credit in microtransaction currency. It's not ideal, obviously, but considering the game has changed hands altogether it's somewhat expected. And it's good news for players who lost a game unexpectedly -- you can have it back now, almost as good as new.
Slender Man game Faceless postponed for 'partial reboot'
Ethereal Entertainment is postponing development of Faceless to make way for a" partial reboot," following the exodus of some of its developers. Faceless, a Half-Life 2 mod, has seen a few roadblocks in its development – it was held up on Steam Greenlight due to legal complications with the Slender Man IP, but was eventually able to snag a spot on Steam. Hope is not lost, Faceless Lead Promotional Designer Adam Sklar writes in an update. Faceless is on hiatus because of issues finding an AI programmer willing to follow through, Sklar says. Ethereal tried out a few programmers, but none worked out. "This became frustrating for all of us and we couldn't just go into a hiatus without letting anybody know; it had to be announced," Sklar writes. "We didn't want to leave you hanging and never finding out about what's happening with the mod. Myself in particular have always wanted to be open and honest about everything in relation to Faceless, so that's why I'm still here today to try and get it complete." The new development group will retain some previous members, and the story and style of the Faceless Slender Man will stay the same. The game will get new maps, textures and models to fit the new team. The team is hiring now. Last year, Ethereal founder Justin Ross launched two funding campaigns for Faceless and raised $2,291. Considering the changes, those who want a refund are getting one, Sklar says. "For those who have not recalled their donations, we'd like to ask you all a very important request," he says. "This is your money: Would you like it back? Or would you like us to use it to pursue a professional development team to ensure a professional and high-quality standalone Steam mod? We are not making this decision for ourselves of course, we want to ask you." If you have an answer or are curious about Faceless' changes, check out Sklar's post on Mod DB.
Syndicate Wars inspires 5 Lives Studios to get a Kickstarter in June
Five Lives Studios is teasing a Kickstarter project for something called Satellite Reign – and all signs point to a game inspired by Syndicate Wars. The Kickstarter is scheduled for June, with a countdown on the Satellite Reign site. The teaser video reads, "In 1996, this man –" referring to Syndicate Wars lead Mike Diskett, it would seem "– created a Bullfrog masterpiece. In 2013, with your help, we will redefine the genre." The original Syndicate Wars launched for the PlayStation and DOS in October 1996 as a real-time tactics game. Syndicate got an FPS reboot from Starbreeze Studios and EA in February 2012.
The end comes to Final Fantasy XIV
As of 1:00 a.m. EST today, the Final Fantasy XIV servers started the game's final event before the relaunch. At 3:00 a.m. EST, they shut down. Immediately following the shutdown, the last trailer for the game's current version was posted, showing the outcome of the final battle against the forces of the Garlean Empire by the unified Grand Companies of Eorzea. And if you've been following the game's story in any fashion, you'll probably want to see how it all ends. It's worth noting that the cutscene is both fairly long and lacking in context -- if you don't know the most recent lore of the game, you're not going to catch everything that's going on. But if you've been watching the final defense of the Eorzean city-states from inside the game or on the sidelines, you deserve a front-row seat for the last clash of armies. And even though you know how it ends, it's still going to pack a punch. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Final Fantasy XIV plans grand finale for the current game
Final Fantasy XIV as we know it is about to go away forever. Square-Enix is spinning the current version of the game down in preparation of next month's A Realm Reborn reboot. The studio announced that it's planning one final hurrah for FFXIV 1.0 this week before the switchover begins. The Seventh Umbral Era event marks the end of the current game. While players will be able to enjoy the title through November 11th, character data will be saved and frozen on October 31st in preparation for the transfer to the new version. The studio is also starting up limited alpha testing for A Realm Reborn, and players are welcome to apply. If you're interested in A Realm Reborn, we encourage you to check out its new character creator, the PlayStation 3 version, and its currency changes. [Source: Square-Enix press release]
Darkfall temporarily goes F2P before Unholy Wars launch
In preparation for Darkfall's upcoming Unholy Wars relaunch, Aventurine is giving all players past and present the chance to play the game entirely free from October 17th through November 15th, when the servers will shut down in anticipation of the relaunch. On November 20th, Darkfall: Unholy Wars aims to redefine what the three-and-a-half-year-old MMO has already done for the genre by rebooting entirely. You can find out more on what this relaunch will mean for the game in our recent interview with Aventurine. [Source: Aventurine press release]%Gallery-139865%
The Daily Grind: Does your MMO need a reboot?
MMO reboots, revamps, and pseudo-sequels seem all the rage these days, from Global Agenda 2 to Darkfall: Unholy Wars to Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Sometimes it makes sense to start over and take developed assets and lessons forward to a much improved version. Once in a while, the first launch of an MMO is so disastrous that only by hitting the reset button does the game have a chance for the future. But what about your favorite MMO? Is it in sore need for a massive overhaul or a big reboot? Did it fail to gain a significant audience the first time around? Does it need the push of additional development and media coverage to succeed in its second chance? If so, let us know what you'd recommend developers do if they rebooted your game. How could they feasibly make it much better and perhaps take a slightly different course than what exists today? 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!
OnLive on rumors of closure: 'of course not' [update]
InXile Entertainment's Brian Fargo tweeted this morning that he heard from someone inside Onlive that it was closing down, and has now posted that everyone on staff has lost their jobs, and that "a new company will be formed" soon after. A Mashable report from an anonymous source alleges the same. Joystiq reached out to OnLive directly to ask about the rumors, and Director of Corporate Communications Brian Jaquet replied to us with a blunt denial: "We don't respond to rumors, but of course not." "The exciting news is that the first VIZIO Co-Stars (Google TV stream players) with the OnLive app built-in have just arrived in customer homes," he continued, "and our second of three 'Indie Giveaway Weekends' is going on now. OnLive users can get a free copy of the award-winning games Space Pirates and Zombies and SpaceChem." So it sounds like OnLive is still open for business. Joystiq followed up to ask if there were any layoffs at the company this morning at all, and Jaquet could only confirm that "the OnLive service is not shutting down." We'll update this post with any more details if we can get them. Update: Kotaku is now hearing from "a source inside OnLive" that there in fact was a meeting this morning where CEO Steve Perlman told the staff that the company was filing for bankruptcy, and that no one would be employed by the current OnLive going forward. We're still researching this story, and will provide more information when we get it. Update 2: IDG's Martyn Williams reports via Twitter that he's outside OnLive's headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, and that he's seeing "employees leaving OnLive headquarters with moving boxes." It's looking more and more like there were layoffs at the company today. Joystiq is continuing to follow up. Update 3: OnLive laid off "at least 50 percent" of its staff this afternoon, and the company is being taken over by an unknown third-party. More through this link.
WiFi Direct headed for a revamp: simpler integration, better support
We love WiFi Direct, we do, but there's no denying the standard has failed to take the world by storm. The WiFi Alliance is going back to the drawing board and looking to streamline its system of connecting devices. A new Wi-Fi Direct Services task group was formed last month, charged with building new tools for helping apps and devices work together. The plan is to have what amounts to a complete revamp of the WiFi Direct standard within 12 to 18 months. One of the keys will be exposing the feature more directly to end users. Often it hides in the background, but the alliance is working on a way for apps to advertise their capabilities to each other and consumers. Developers have also struggled with poorly defined hooks that often lead to incompatible products. Will 2013 finally be the year that WiFi Direct takes off? Who can say. Considering the break-neck pace our technological world moves at, something better may have come along by the time the WiFi Alliance gets its act together.
Syndicate reboot 'didn't pay off' for EA; SSX reboot 'very successful'
Clearly a positive review on Joystiq isn't the sales driver we thought it was. Despite having a good time with it ourselves, it would seem EA's Syndicate reboot was not the commercial success the company had hoped for. So says EA Labels president Frank Gibeau."Syndicate was something that we took a risk on. It didn't pay off – it didn't work," Gibeau told CVG. "But in general it doesn't change my appetite for wanting to go look in the library and see what we have and maybe bring back some IPs for the next-generation. That's the nature of the business; some stuff works, some stuff doesn't."EA's other big reboot this year, SSX, apparently fared a bit better. Gibeau called this year's revival "a very successful launch for us," and lauded the game's "online innovation" as a catalyst for bringing the series back. "It's done well and you'll probably see more in the future," Gibeau concluded.
German studio SilentFuture resurrecting Earthrise
Fans of Masthead Studios' late sandbox MMO, Earthrise, have cause to rejoice today. The Wuppertal, Germany-based studio SilentFuture announced in a press release today that it will be taking over development and operation of the title, which was shut down in February earlier this year. According to the press release, the studio is currently working on a complete overhaul of the game, from backstory to gameplay to technology. SilentFuture plans to have the game up and running again sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. Earthrise will return as a free-to-play title in which players "no longer find themselves in a post-apocalyptic world" but rather are "part of the apocalypse itself." Sounds promising! Hopefully we can look forward to more details in the coming weeks, but at least we know one thing for sure: Earthrise is back! [Source: SilentFuture press release]
The Game Archaeologist: When dead MMOs come back to life
Maybe I'm alone in this, but my jaw just dropped when I came home this past week to see that Massively posted the news that Shadowbane is coming back to life. Granted, it's only going to happen in China, but still, that's pretty incredible. Shadowbane's been in the ground for three years now, and if I had to pick an MMO that deserved resurrection, this particular one would be farthest from my mind (no offense if you liked the game; it's just that there are so many others that are even more worthy). But how can this not give you hope? Many of us have lost an MMO we loved or at least had a decked-out character populating the character select screen, and the thought of that game coming back against all odds is a goosebump-rising one. It may also smack of justice served, as some MMOs fail not because of faulty gameplay but because of mismanagement by the studio, complex legal wrangling, or bad marketing. Today let's look at a few examples of dead MMOs that were brought back to life and what this may mean for the future of the industry. Zombie MMOs! Not, you know, MMOs with zombies.
T-Mobile G2x gets its Gingerbread on (again), hopes it sticks
The G2x just can't seem to quit Gingerbread. After a series of upgrade starts and stops, LG is once again offering an OTA software upgrade for this pure Google experience device. The update started rolling out to handsets yesterday, but those impatient to part with FroYo can always opt for a manual install via the company's site. If you'll recall, the one-time T-Mobile flagship's woes began shortly after its launch, when complaints of random reboots, overheating and poor battery life overtook dedicated forums. Yet despite promises that Android 2.3 would hit "soon" to address these issues, frustrated owners were instead treated to an on again / off again melodrama of scheduled releases. Now, as we totter on the brink of 2012 and an Ice Cream Sandwich future, this drawn-out saga appears to be reaching some form of closure.
Sony reinventing PlayStation Home to be more like an MMO
PlayStation Home was a hugely anticipated feature for console fans, one that ultimately garnered mixed reviews and apathetic affection. Due to the reception, Sony has decided to reinvent the game lobby-slash-virtual-world to incorporate the best of themeparks, MMOs, and social networks. When it relaunches this fall, PlayStation Home will look radically different, resembling a sleek mall with plenty to do and faster functionality for those who want to get right to their games. But between playing commercial titles, gamers are encouraged to hang out for a while, which is where MMO elements come into play. The new Home has a number of districts, as an amusement park would, and in them players can pick up quests, go on treasure hunts, and explore these video game-themed zones to find hidden mysteries. Sony also promises that it will incorporate persistent, ongoing stories, similar to those you'd find in MMOs, such as an alien invasion that affects all of the areas. Sony is hoping that the 23 million Home users will embrace this new experience and form stronger social connections through it.
The Game Archaeologist uncovers Shadowbane: The battle-scarred blogger
I've long since enjoyed doing this column because, to me, it feels like the next best thing to having been there back in the day, playing these games. No one MMO player can occupy all titles at once, so experiences are bound to pass us by. Fortunately, the gamers who were there have long memories and are often more than willing to share a story or two if given half the chance. After last week's initial foray into our Shadowbane retrospective, I fished around for a hearty veteran of the minotaur wars who was willing to step up and answer a few questions without succumbing to post-traumatic stress disorder. Within a minute, my good friend Grimnir bit into the topic, and I reeled him in as he flopped and gasped for air. At some point, this metaphor got away from me, but no worries. Hit that jump and let's cast our nets down memory river and see what we can dredge up!
Gingerbread comes to T-Mobile G2x, users feel loved again
Dost our eyes deceive us, or are genuine, bona fide Gingerbread updates for the T-Mobile G2x taking to the airwaves? We're inclined to believe the latter, since the T-Mobile support site announced that the OTA download is now underway. The rollout begins less than a day after the refresh became available as a manual install via the LG Updater Tool. As if this isn't enough proof already, our inboxes have been flooded by G2x users who've personally witnessed Hades freeze over on their handset. Haven't seen it show up on yours yet? Fret not, getting these updates out to everyone takes time. But if you were an eager beaver who managed to beef your phone up with Android 2.3.3 manually, go ahead and relax; grab a lemonade, dust off the ol' hammock, and enjoy the rest of the summer afternoon free of (virtual) bugs. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Toshiba Thrive experiencing sleep / wake / reboot issues? (updated)
Toshiba's Android-powered Thrive just started shipping to end users during the past couple of weeks, but already we're seeing an alarming amount of bug reports crop up over at the outfit's own site. Specifically, legions of users are suggesting that their Thrive is having a whale of a time coming out of Sleep mode without a full, hard reboot, and some are even suggesting that it'll turn on by its lonesome on occasion. Hard to say if this is something that could be remedied via a future firmware update, but here's hoping, right? Let us know if you're seeing the same troubles in comments below -- we haven't seen any of this in the handful of days we've been testing our own, but we'll be sure to report more thoroughly in our upcoming review. Update: We spoke too soon. Although our Thrive review unit behaved just fine at first, we, too, have since found that it's unable to wake from sleep without a hard reboot. In our case, it happened after charging the Thrive overnight, as opposed to letting it sit around unplugged. Since then, Toshiba has acknowledged the problem and promised a fix is on the way, though it's still unclear when, exactly, the company will pull through. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
