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APB: Reloaded coming to PS4 and Xbox One in Q2 2015
Last fall we heard that APB: Reloaded was reportedly working on bringing the crime spree MMO to consoles but was struggling with the companies to make that happen. Fortunately, it seems as though all of the details have been paved out, as APB is gearing up for its console debut in the latter part of the second quarter of this year. APB: Reloaded will be coming to both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as a free-to-play title, although it will require Xbox owners to be part of the Xbox Live Gold service. The console adaptation is being handled by a joint effort between Reloaded Games, Deep Silver, and The Workshop. The Workshop CEO Peter Akemann says that the title will shine on the new hardware: "Because APB is such a technically complex game, featuring thousands of destructible objects and heavily customized players and vehicles in every scene, we are thrilled to help make APB a reality on these brand new high performance hardware platforms." To date, APB has had five million PC downloads since 2011. [Source: Reloaded Games press release]
Norrathian Notebook: EQ Next's 'workshop collaborations'
Last month we embarked on the journey of corralling the remainder of the EverQuest Next Round Tables for you, adding the fifth installment to the previous four. But that last roundup did not quite bring us up to date. Why? It wasn't just a matter of space: There was a fundamental shift in the round table discussions that I felt warranted a separate Norrathian Notebook. The next section of round tables were focused on the collaborative efforts of the devs and the community in building and shaping EverQuest Next. While there is a smattering of other topics sprinkled in, the bulk is dedicated specifically to the Norrathian races and building collaboration. As such, many of the polls were more time-sensitive; some have closed, and some were just more relevant to determining design direction during the specific The Workshop Show series. However, the information is still valuable, and opinions can still be shared on a number of the proposed questions. If you have an opinion on coloring, racial mounts, and architectural styles, this is the collection of inquiries for you.
Norrathian Notebook: Building EverQuest Next in Landmark
From the first surprise announcement of Landmark at SOE Live last year, fans have been interested to know how exactly that sandbox would tie into the much anticipated EverQuest Next. In big bold letters on the main site, the devs declare, "EverQuest Next is still in development... and you can help us build it!" So how exactly is that going to come to pass? Through Landmark. Landmark might be a separate game in and of itself, but players can actually build structures there that might one day be gracing the landscape of EQN. At first, we knew only that those structures would be judged and picked through contests. However, with May's racial Round Table vote and the recent implementation of The Workshop, the actual process has begun. And you can get in on it right now!
Borderlands 2 'Torgue' expansion turns up on The Workshop resumes
Borderlands 2 promises four bits of DLC by June, and one of those may very well be based on the game's Torgue weapons manufacturer. A "Torgue" expansion is listed on a few resumes from The Workshop Entertainment, the studio behind PS3 Move's Sorcery, as spotted by Superannuation.A level designer lists the Torgue expansion for Borderlands 2 on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC and a former senior level designer (through August 2012) lists "unannounced DLC" for those three platforms. Superannuation notes a current animator also includes the Torgue DLC listing on his resume, but that has since been taken offline.Another Workshop level designer describes one piece of unannounced DLC as an "expansion for a highly successful triple-A FPS," and with more than 10 hours of gameplay.
Snapshot: Sorcery
There are so many games out there we couldn't possibly review them all. Welcome to Snapshot, where we highlight games that might fall outside our usual coverage but are still something we think you should know about. Today: Sorcery for PS3. Having been announced along with the PlayStation Move in 2010, Sorcery bears the burden of high expectations. This was supposed to be the game that showed what the Move could add to a non-party, non-minigame, and full-sized adventure in which your Move wand enabled you to fire magic bolts in any direction.It is, of course, unfair to judge the game by the expectations around its announcement. Such lofty circumstances make an enjoyable, if lightweight, game seem more disappointing.However, I will say that if Sorcery is to act as a Move ambassador, it is not up to the task. While there were certainly times I didn't mind using the motion controller, there were precious few times I was glad to; my experience aiming the in-game magic wand was, in equal parts, hitting the target accurately, flailing uselessly, and recalibrating.
Sorcery's first dev diary gets a Move on
All right, fine – we're sorry for the pun in the headline. This inaugural developer diary from Sorcery conjurers The Workshop and SCEA covers the game's extensive Move integration, the design processess involved and the satisfying feeling that comes with creating a tornado made of fire.
New Sorcery trailer uncovers a plot
For our next trick, we will make the next two and a half minutes of your day disappear.
The third-person witchcraft of Sorcery
I didn't feel like a magician, sorcerer, witcher, or warlock after playing through a combat demo of Sony's PlayStation Move-exclusive game, Sorcery, at a recent NYC press event. I wasn't sure how I felt, actually. The game didn't leave a huge impact on me, and perhaps that's telling as Sorcery doesn't seem to be remarkably deep or impressive, as much as it is fine. When working on this preview, I was asked if Sorcery's Move mechanic "felt like a tech demo," as so many games for the PlayStation Move have (The Shoot , The Fight: Lights Out, and Sports Champions come to mind). "It feels deeper than that," I responded. "But not by much." As it turns out, that phrase is pretty representative of my whole experience with Sorcery.%Gallery-141778%
Sorcery bewitching PlayStation 3 owners in spring 2012
Sorcery, a PlayStation Move game announced way back at E3 2010 and kept in relative silence since then, is set to launch this coming spring. SCEA hasn't offered a finer launch date beyond that. For those of you who might have forgotten about the title, Sorcery is a third-person, Move-centric title for the PS3 developed by California-based dev The Workshop. Players cast spells to take out enemies and solve puzzles via the PS3's motion peripheral, all the while controlling a player character on screen via Nav controller or DualShock 3. Still not clear? It's often referred to as, "That Move game that looked neat and then disappeared." Yeahhhhh, that one. Exactly.
Sony announces Move-enabled 'Sorcery'
Players looking for a Harry Potter-esque game for PlayStation Move which isn't Harry Potter will be pleased to hear of The Workshop's latest game announced for the peripheral: Sorcery. Players will have access to a variety of magic spells (each of which change the color of the Move's spherical tip), which they use to fight through a world of violent goblins, fairies and other mythical creatures. Players choose their spells, then, using the Move, fling them at enemies. Players will also have access to environment-changing spells, such as one that mends broken objects.
