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'The Order: 1886' is the latest in a long line of beautiful, boring games
The Order: 1886 isn't anything new, but man, is it pretty. Every review I've read mentions just how absurdly good-looking the PlayStation 4 exclusive is (out today); that praise is buried under heaps of valid criticisms regarding monotonous gameplay and hackneyed storytelling. Based on what I've played, I'm inclined to agree. Regardless of the pretty visuals, I've yet to be tasked with doing anything particularly interesting. The cover-based shooting is adequate, but I just can't shake the feeling that I've done it all before in better games. What's more, the narrative is incredibly dull: non-interactive scenes plod on for too long, helmed by characters I have zero connection with, spouting rote dialog that's difficult to decipher more often than not. Its just not very good. But it is pretty!
Ryse ditches microtransactions in next month's PC release
Crytek's gory hack-and-slash game, Ryse: Son of Rome, is on its way to PC platforms next month without the microtransaction structure embedded in its previously released Xbox One edition, Videogamer reports. The version of Ryse that launched alongside the Xbox One console last year allowed players to boost their character stats using in-game currency, earned either through gameplay or purchased with real-world money. Several Xbox One-exclusive launch games premiered with embedded microtransactions last year, including the Xbox 360-ported Crimson Dragon, racing sim Forza Motorsport 5, and resurrected fighting game franchise Killer Instinct. Crytek notes that the upcoming PC port also bundles all four DLC packs originally released as add-on content for the Xbox One edition, adding a Survival mode, new multiplayer maps, and other bonus perks. The package additionally includes a selection of expanded graphics options, along with support for 4K resolution. The PC version of Ryse launches with Steamworks support on October 10. [Image: Crytek]
Veni, vidi, PC - Ryse: Son of Rome hits Steam next month
Former Xbox One exclusive Ryse: Son of Rome expands its empire to Steam on October 10, and it's currently available to pre-order for $40 (£35/40 euros). The third-person legion-leading adventure shynes in 4K resolution according to Crytek, who's bundling in all the previously released DLC in the new Windows PC version. Also, all pre-orders score the game's soundtrack for free, which you can hear parts of in a new trailer below the break (that offer also applies at participating retailers selling the physical edition). If you're after the minimum requirements, check out the Steam page.
Crytek Ryses to the occasion to bring Son of Rome to PC
Ryse: Son of Rome has its ballistae and catapults aimed at the walls of the PC kingdom and developer/publisher Crytek expects to lay siege sometime this fall. What's more, Crytek is enlisting the aid of Dead Island series publisher, Deep Silver, which will handle boxed copies of the game. Er, uh ... boxes of ammunition, in keeping with the metaphor. The choice of co-publisher shouldn't come as too much of a surprise; following a "transitional phase" marked by multiple staff departures, Crytek offloaded the Homefront IP and a work-in-progress sequel called Homefront: The Revolution to Deep Silver just last month. It would seem the two companies are on friendly terms at the moment, and if that results in more people being offered the chance to play more games, we're okay with that. Ryse on PC will feature previously-released DLC, including the Colosseum Pack, the Mars' Chosen Pack, the Duel of Fates Pack and the Morituri Pack. PC players will also have access to the Ruins multiplayer map and the Legionnaire's Trust sword which were previously restricted to Day One Edition copies of the game. Lastly, the game will support 4K resolution, so you can take in the sights with absurd levels of detail. [Image: Crytek]
Ryse: Son of Rome DLC adds to Gladiator, Survival, Solo modes
There's a fresh batch of enemies to brutally murder in Ryse: Son of Rome, thanks to this week's launch of the Morituri Pack. Season pass holders can get help themselves right away, but anyone else will need to pay $7.99 to sink their blade into more waves of squishy, stab-susceptiple gladiators. Among the Morituri Pack's locales are three new arenas for Gladiator mode: "Beacon," a raid on a barbarian camp, "False Gods," which hosts battles in Egyptian temples, and "Revolution," which plays out among the ruins of the Roman Empire. Survival mode also gets new content in the form of The Forbidden Forest and Sulfur River stages. There are five arenas newly "optimized" for Solo mode as well, with Beacon, Revolution, False Gods, Market and Garden rounding out the offering. Don't worry if your armor's a bit stained after all this - Morituri offers fresh attire in the form of armor owned by Oswald, King of the Britons, which you'll surely keep clean of blood for all of 30 seconds. [Image: Crytek, Microsoft]
Ryse gets three maps in 'Duel of Fates' DLC
The third piece of DLC for Crytek's deliberately misspelled gladiatorial combat game, Ryse: Son of Rome, launched today. Titled Duel of Fates, the pack includes two arena round-to-round maps and one survival map, as well as two gladiator skins drawn from the game's single-player mode, the barbarian chief Glott and Marius Titus. The arena maps, Invictus and Barbarous, challenges players to control landmarks, defend Emperor Nero from attackers and set wicker men ablaze. The maps include underground areas that link stages together. In the Island survival map, players pick apart an endless wave of enemies while dodging a downpour of arrows. The add-on is free for Ryse season pass holders ($19.99, £15.99) on Xbox One, or can be downloaded separately for $8.99 (£4.79). [Image: Microsoft]
Ryse won't be getting that co-op challenge editor
Ryse: Son of Rome won't be getting the cooperative gladiator mode challenge editor that was announced last year. Speaking to Polygon, publisher Microsoft said it would focus on expanding and improving the game experience through other "free content updates and purchased add-on packs." The company plans to share more details soon. Ryse was an Xbox One launch title that was tedius maximus. Don't just take our word for it -- the vox populi agree.
Another Xbox Live sale: Ryse, Persona 4 Arena and more for cheap
We think Microsoft may have an addiction. On top of the Ultimate discounts on offer this week, Microsoft has announced an entirely different crop of cheap games, available through February 24. Two sales at the same time? Madness! If you want to take advantage of Microsoft's lapse in judgment, you can grab Ryse: Son of Rome for $40. We may even see more of this in the future, as Microsoft toys around with discount digital pricing on Xbox One. Ridge Racer Unbounded is on sale for $5 and all of its DLC can be acquired for pennies on the dollar. Persona 4 Arena, Angry Birds: Star Wars and more on Xbox 360 are cheap too so, if you're interested, pop on over to Major Nelson's website for the full list of markdowns. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Ryse: Son of Rome 'Mars' Chosen Pack' DLC coming February 28
Ryse: Son of Rome players will be getting new DLC, "Mars' Chosen Pack," on February 28, according to a Microsoft press release. Don't get your hopes up for Roman gladiators in spaaaaaace, a delicious treat or a funky soundtrack, though; the Mars referred to here is (probably) the Roman god. The pack contains a new, two-player co-op Survival mode, four new maps, one re-worked map and a skin. It will be preceded by 10 days of sales. The first sale, which runs from February 18 to February 24, knocks the Games on Demand version of Ryse down to $39.99 for North America and £34.99 for Europe. Major Nelson will announce new sales every day thereafter, up until the DLC's release date. Upon its surely-bloody debut in the arena, "Mars' Chosen Pack" will cost $8.99 in NA, £7.19 in EU territories. Two of the pack's maps, Firestorm and Dockyard, have been created specifically for Survival mode, while two more, Pyramid and Obelisk, will add to the game's Arena mode. An already-existing map, Courtyard, has been "optimized" for Survival mode. [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Microsoft 'testing' lower pricing for digital games on Xbox One
A sale on Ryse: Son of Rome, which puts the game at $39.99 starting tomorrow and runs until February 24, may be the beginning of a trend, according to a series of tweets from Xbox studio manager Mike Ybarra. "Lot of people asked for better deals on our digital marketplace, so we're testing some," Ybarra wrote, before noting that the $39.99 price is lower than a used physical copy at GameStop. One responder asked Ybarra if being able to pre-order digital content so that it could begin downloading at midnight on the date of release would be possible. Ybarra said he would "love" the feature, and claimed that Microsoft has "a long list" of features they want to bring to Xbox Live. Now we and Microsoft just have to wait for the test results. Will the strip turn blue? [Image: Microsoft Studios]
New Xbox One ad is scar-y
Was this Xbox One ad designed to get a Ryse out of us? Because man, is it disturbing or what? "Hey, innocent man, buy our system and be scarred for life, mentally and literally!" Still, not quite as freaky as this bad boy.
Ryse adds free level events, asks you to pay for skins, arenas
Two new downloadable updates have launched for Ryse: Son of Rome: one free and one paid. The free update is our first focus as it adds new events to the game's already-chaotic warfare. Cutting down barbarians in the arena is all it takes to set off these new events, and while one sees a ballista rain down arrows on your head until you dispatch it, the other offers a host of statues representing Roman deities that you can smash for health and focus bonuses. Today's paid update will set you back $4. For that cash, you're receiving two new player skins as well as new arenas: Henge, an ancient shrine possibly built by aliens, druids or bored Scottish farmers, and Ascension, a map that asks players to battle their way out of Hades' literally hellish realm. All of these updates are currently available for download on the Xbox One. The free updates should be added to your game automatically, though you'll need to visit the Xbox Live Marketplace to grab that $4 addition.
Microsoft adds £5 to the price of exclusive digital Xbox One games in the UK
All that turmoil deciding whose next-gen colors you were going to wear might have come down to one thing: which one has the launch titles, or exclusives you want. Imagine, then, that the very thing that won you over, came back to bite you. For early adopting Xbox One fans in the UK, that's exactly what's happening. Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5 and Ryse are all listed on Xbox Live for a fiver more than they cost at launch (£49.99, up from £44.99). At time of writing, it's not all titles that will see you short of a deep sea diver, but Microsoft has confirmed to VG247 that pricing for "select digital content" has changed since launch, gently reminding us that price and promotions can vary by region. Evidently so.
Microsoft: Over 50 million hours logged on Xbox Ones since launch
In the realm of esoteric statistics, Microsoft announced that over 50 million hours in "games and entertainment" have been logged on Xbox One systems since it launched on November 22. The console manufacturer added that over 415 million Gamerscore points were unlocked via achievements on the system. Microsoft also noted a few other in-game milestones achieved in individual Xbox One games, such as the number of miles driven in Forza 5 globally (90 million), zombies killed in Dead Rising 3 (three billion), combos achieved in Killer Instinct (150 million) and enemies defeated in Ryse: Son of Rome (186 million). By comparison, EA announced that over 140 million gameplay minutes were logged in its games on PS4 in the console's opening five days. To add to today's numbers, Sony announced that global PS4 sales exceed 2.1 million, though we're not certain how that translates to hours spent or zombies destroyed or how close that is to the moon when you stack them all, etc.
Gaming deals: $200 Batman, The Last of Us PS3 bundle, Xbox One games, Battlefield 4 for PS4 $50
Black Friday is making our wallets cower as it looms in the distance, but why wait until then to start your financial downfall? Kmart is currently offering a 250GB PS3 with The Last of Us and Batman: Arkham Origins for $200. If you've already jumped into the current console generation, Amazon is selling select Xbox One games for $50, including Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse: Son of Rome, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes and ... Angry Birds: Star Wars. If you'd prefer to play on the PS4 and are generally optimistic, you can also buy Battlefield 4 for PS4 for $50 and hope that its issues are resolved before it reaches your doorstep. Since we're talking deals, Steam users can pick up Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit and Rage for $4.99 each this weekend, the latter of which can be played for free until 4pm Eastern Time. The ARMA series and most of its DLC can also be had for 80 percent off, meaning you can pick up Steam's ARMA selection for $18.98. Update: Amazon is also offering select games from the PS4 launch lineup for $50 apiece, including Knack, Need for Speed: Rivals, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Madden NFL 25 and FIFA 14. [Thanks, Jack!]
Joystiq Streams: Ryse Son of Rome, Dead Rising 3, Killer Instinct [Watch the replay!]
Update: The live stream has ended. Watch the replay above. If you've read our reviews for Ryse: Son of Rome and Dead Rising 3, you may want to learn even more about two of Xbox One's biggest launch games. Your pals at Joystiq are streaming them both in a special edition of our Joystiq Streams feature, right here at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Xav and Richard will be there to answer your questions while they murder barbarians and/or zombies. Be sure t jump into the chat on the official Joystiq Twitch stream page!
Ryse: Son of Rome review: Tedious maximus
We'll be rolling out Xbox One review coverage all the way through launch on November 22. Read all of our news and reviews right here! Ryse: Son of Rome is, graphically, a stunning game. It's a real marvel to watch gorgeous locales get flooded with hordes of barbarians jostling toward our hero, Marius Titus, who fights them off with expert swordplay and brutal executions. At first, the experience definitely has the power to enrapture. But then, a few minutes go by and the seams start to show – and split. Combat never changes, offering all of its tricks up front. Execution animations repeat again and again, despite your ability to unlock new ones as the game progresses. The same enemy types appear ad nauseam, pitting Marius against a world-record series of twins, triplets and so on. If Crytek's Xbox One action game is to be believed, the history books have it all wrong. The reason for Rome's fall wasn't decadence, economic problems or social division; it was sheer boredom.
Ryse: Son of Rome trailers take a tour of the empire
The Roman empire spanned a vast amount of land in its heyday. The empire stretched from Rome, Italy to York, England, over to the ... haunted swamps of the north? Okay, Ryse: Son of Rome may be taking some creative liberties with that last one.
Clobbering time again and again in Ryse: Son of Rome
There's a certain point where each execution in Ryse: Son of Rome stops feeling like a vicious byproduct of war and starts feeling like just another Tuesday in the legion. Violence is treated with such a casual tone, I found during my two hours sampling a near-final version of the game at Microsoft's Xbox One showcase in San Francisco last week, that it seeps into every corner of Ryse, dulling the impact of all conflict and narrative. Why should I mourn the death of a story character after I just killed 412 barbarians in the last 20 minutes? Ryse: Son of Rome feels like all sizzle and no steak. It's a procession of CPU-controlled warriors lining up to fall on protagonist Marius' sword in a stylish slow-mo ballet of blood and dismemberment. Killing enemies feels less and less triumphant with each strike, which is kind of a problem when the main focus of the game is seeing just how high you can stack the corpses.
Machinima to premiere live-action series based on Ryse: Son of Rome
Crytek and Machinima have partnered to produce a live-action webseries based on Xbox One game Ryse: Son of Rome called "The Fall." This four-part story will explore the character of Marius Titus, who is also the main character in the upcoming game, and will be stabbing its way to a computer near you on November 5. Martin McCready, a British stage actor, will take on the role of Titus, while Brian Beletic directs. The trailer, which you can check out above, shows no signs of the game's infamous QTE executions. You can decide for yourself whether you are or are not entertained by that.
