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Which game controllers are worth buying?
If you're picking up a game console like the Xbox One X or PlayStation 4 Pro this holiday season, congratulations: You already have a great controller for your new system. Traditionally, third-party gamepads have always been a bit subpar, the kind of thing you buy cheap and pawn off on an unsuspecting younger sibling at playtime. But what if you want to game on your mobile device (or an Apple TV)? Or what if you're looking for an edge in your favorite console title? We've taken a look at the available controllers out there to find the best one for your needs, no matter which system you prefer.
'Duke Nukem 3D' re-release adds new levels from the original team
If Duke Nukem Forever convinced you that cheesy one-liners, bad puns and juvenile action-hero humor is best left in the 90s, you're in luck. Gearbox Software just announced that it's bringing back the original Duke Nukem 3D in a special 20th Anniversary Edition World Tour that packs in 8 new levels, a ton of freshly recorded voice lines and a modest graphics update. Even better, all this new content was designed by much of the 1996 classic's original team.
'Rock Band 4' for PC will offer every DLC song ever for $2,500
Unlike on other platforms that have access to most every song in the franchise's archives, Rock Band 4 for the PC comes with no previous DLC content. As such, Harmonix has added an additional tier to its fan-funded Fig campaign that would give backers at that level every single song in the Rock Band DLC library. The only hitch: you're going to have to shell out a whopping $2,500 for it. Well, that and the campaign still needs to raise another two thirds of its $1.5 million funding goal in the next 11 days.
These were some of 2015's best selling games
What games sold the most copies in 2015? Exactly the titles you'd expect: the latest entries in long-running franchises like Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Madden NFL 16 and Fallout 4. It's not surprising -- sequels have the springboard advantage of an existing fanbase -- but disappointing: not a single new IP shows up on the NPD's top 10 best selling games list for last year.
Talking it out: Do I buy a console or the Oculus Rift?
So my old Xbox 360 finally gave up its ghost last weekend and presented me with the most dreaded of error codes, the 'Red Ring of Death'. It wasn't an entirely shocking turn of events, mind you. I'd had that console since 2006 -- it survived four intra-state moves, countless roommates and a bitter ex armed with a croquet mallet (seriously Ashley, if you're reading this, you still owe me a croquet set) -- but the increasingly common and severe loading screen freezes made it clear my 360 was reaching the end of its operational service life. Now I'm faced with a difficult choice: What gaming platform do I buy next? Do I suck it up and embrace Microsoft's current console, Xbox One? Should I jump ship to the PlayStation 4 which all my own friends own and use? Or, do I say goodbye to console gaming altogether and get one of those fancy new Oculus Rifts?
Babymetal will cute you to death in Rock Band 4
Earlier this summer, a trio of teenage rockers took the internet by storm with their unique blend of J-Pop effervescence and head-banging thrash metal beats. The band's star continues to rise with both a world tour and the announcement that their first hit, "Gimme Chocolate" is coming to Rock Band 4. The song will available as a bonus track beginning October 6th (which is when the game actually hits store shelves). Unfortunately, the track is exclusive to the Xbox One platform and needs to be reserved as part of the game's pre-order bundle.
Daybreak: No SOE Live this year, but our games will endure
What does the transition from SOE to Daybreak Game Company mean for you? Well for starters, if you had set aside money and time to attend SOE Live this year, it's time to change those plans. Community Manager Linda Carlson confirmed on Twitter that the fan convention would be taking some time off due to the corporate transition: "SOE Live will take a hiatus as we focus on our exciting transition and the future of Daybreak Game Company." Daybreak President John Smedley also posted several follow-ups to the announcement and the ensuing player questions: "1) All our games are still up and will continue to be despite our new name. 2) Yes, we want to bring our games to Xbox One in addition to PS4. 3) Station Cash doesn't change at all (though we will be rebranding it soon here). 4) We're still making Everquest Next. Nothing has changed."
Get organized with The Elder Scrolls Online's collections system
So you have a whole lot of stuff in The Elder Scrolls Online. That's great. How are you going to organize it all? With a house? Don't be ridiculous; what you need is the new Collections feature going live in the game's next major update. A new development blog explains how the system will allow players to organize mounts, pets, and costumes through a few tabs and a handful of blood sacrifices. (Mostly the tabs.) Items that belong in Collections will automatically be moved over when Update 6 goes live, removing any need to worry about inventory space when you need to summon a mount or don a costume. Any new items will also be tossed right in your Collections if they fit the criteria. The Collections also allow you to see vanity pets that you haven't yet obtained, thus giving you all the more reason to hunt down those elusive little critters for your collection-related purposes.
It's time to pilfer Elder Scrolls NPCs' pockets on the PTS
Ready to kill and steal your way through Elder Scrolls Online's NPC population? You can thanks to Update 6's recent appearance on the public test server. The justice system is a big part of the patch, but so is the champion system which tweaks endgame progression. Read all about it on the official ESO site!
Here's how to steal from NPCs in Elder Scrolls Online
"Justice is coming to Tamriel," according to ZeniMax's latest website notice. It's probably more accurate to say that criminality is coming to Tamriel, though. More specifically, Elder Scrolls Online's upcoming Update 6 features the justice system which will enable your avatar to participate in a variety of underhanded activities including murder and thievery. The latter involves relieving hapless NPCs of their valuables while avoiding those pesky town guards, and the former involves assaulting and even killing AI citizens. At some point you'll end up with a bounty on your head, which in turns affects how guards react to your presence. Click through the links below to read the rest of the details.
The Elder Scrolls Online answers player questions on its buy-to-play model
Even if you were among the many players predicting a business model shift for The Elder Scrolls Online, a change in business models can be kind of disturbing. Suddenly the game doesn't behave according to all of the same rules you've been familiar with since launch. To help alleviate that confusion, the ESO dev team hosted a quick question-and-answer session with players over the weekend to help answer some of the major questions about the change, the next major patch, and balance issues moving forward in the game. To start with, if you've still got time cards for the game on your desk, fret not; you can still use them after the model transition to add the equivalent amount of subscription time to your account. You might want to use them ahead of time, though, since there are plans to add in a special veteran reward for players who stayed subscribed during the game's entire subscription lifespan. DLC prices are not finalized, but they are intended to be around the normal DLC price points for other games. Take a look through the whole of the answers for more details on balancing and issues like controller support.
The Think Tank: Analyzing Elder Scrolls Online's B2P model
Yesterday's reveal that The Elder Scrolls Online will go buy-to-play in March has prompted much speculation about the nature of the cash shop, the ethics of the switchover, the continued viability of the game, and the quality, cost, and frequency of the promised DLC. In today's Think Tank, the Massively staff will discuss the decision. Is B2P the right call for ESO? Was the exceedingly long delay of the console launch a huge mistake? What do we expect from the DLC? And is "Tamriel Unlimited" in fact the worst rebrand ever?
Here's a 23-minute Elder Scrolls Online 'supercut' CG trailer
ZeniMax has released a 23-minute "supercut" of its Elder Scrolls Online trailer series. The firm says that the CG production was "over a year in the making," and the final bit -- dubbed The Confrontation -- brings the battle for Imperial City to an end and reveals "a new and horrific threat to Tamriel." Click past the cut to have a look.
Leaderboard: Is time or money more of a hindrance to your MMO habits?
Elder Scrolls Online's forthcoming buy-to-play conversion is a hot topic at the moment, but sadly it doesn't do much for me on a personal level. Even if I hadn't already played and enjoyed ESO for a significant chunk of 2014, I don't have the time for another grindpark, however well made it may be and however well it scratches my IP-related itches. But hey, maybe I'll have time at some point in 2015. I hope so! What about you, Massively readers? Is time or money more of a hindrance when it comes to your personal MMO habits? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Onigiri MMO coming to consoles next year
The Japanese mythology MMO, Onigiri, is officially on its way to the Xbox One (and PlayStation 4) next year in North America and Europe, Windows Central reports. The title, which is developed by Cyberstep, will be free-to-play and is already live on the Xbox One in Japan. Onigiri came out on the PC in 2013. The console version may have patches slightly lagging behind the PC version, but it will otherwise be identical in form and function. There will be no cross-over play between platforms. While Windows Central says that this will be Xbox One's "first MMO," that overlooks the already-released Destiny and The Crew as well as other titles on the way, including Elder Scrolls Online, PlanetSide 2, All Points Bulletin, Neverwinter, The Division, and Warframe.
Ubisoft dismisses doubts about The Crew's launch, releases launch trailer
Are you worried about the launch of The Crew being plagued by server issues, instability, and other issues? Don't be! None of that's going to happen at launch! Who said that? Ubisoft, of course! It seems trustworthy. In the wake of Ubisoft's launch issues this year (Assassin's Creed: Unity), not to mention other high-profile online titles that have been plagued by server issues, lead designer Serkan Hasan has stated that The Crew's beta testing has adequately prepared the game for launch. He also promises that the game's console versions will perform well on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Crew launches tomorrow, December 2nd. The studio has not shown any advanced previews to media on the basis that playing the game before launch would involve sub-optimal play conditions. [Update: We've included the launch trailer below.]
One year in, here's what our readers think of the Xbox One
Since the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One launched in North America last year, our readers have had plenty of time to get to know both systems. Last week, we took a look at what you had to say about the PlayStation 4 one year in. Now, we're shining a light on what you think of the Xbox One on its first anniversary. What works and what doesn't? And what still needs improvement?
The Crew fires up a new gameplay trailer
The latest trailer for The Crew might blow your mind. It turns out the game will feature cars. And driving. And... all right, maybe it's all stuff that you've known about if you've followed the game with any sort of enthusiasm up to this point. But it's still a glimpse into how the game will play beyond its cross-country driving. The trailer shows off a great deal of both driving mechanics and interface pieces, giving potential players a clearer picture of what the game will look like in play as well as how the game is meant to be played. If you like the idea of hooking up with other drivers and hitting the road to explore, race, and take out targets, catch a glimpse of the gameplay just past the break.
Gamescom 2014: SMITE heading for the Xbox One
Has your purchase of a next-gen console been reliant on finding out which one of them will get a MOBA on it? Your wait is now over. SMITE is set to launch on the Xbox One via the platform's ID@Xbox program at some point in 2015, as announced today during the Xbox Gamescom event. No specific dates have yet been announced for the port. COO Todd Harris stated that the game's third-person viewpoint makes it a natural fit to control with a console gamepad rather than a mouse and keyboard, leading to an easy conversion. Details of how the program will work with online connectivity and the possibility of requiring an Xbox Live subscription have not yet been revealed (unsurprisingly, since the program was only just announced). Keep your eyes peeled for more information through the tail end of the year, since the launch won't be happening until 2015. [Thanks to Sorenthaz for the tip!]
Bungie's first 'Destiny' expansion pack arrives this December
We've still got a little under a month left before Destiny officially makes its way to consoles, but we already know a bit about Bungie's expansion plans. At a Sony Gamescom event, the company announced that its first expansion pack for multiplayer, The Dark Below, will be available to everyone this December. Of course, it wouldn't be a Sony-related event without some exclusive content, and Bungie didn't disappoint there: The new expansion will come with a map called Blue Exodus that's exclusive to PlayStation 4 users.
