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PSA: The Evil Within Xbox One digital pre-load goes live
Here's a heads up for those who want to get the earliest possible scare from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami's latest project. The Xbox One version of Tango Gameworks' The Evil Within is now up for pre-order on Xbox Live, granting immediate pre-loading access to early adopters. The Evil Within's installation weighs in at around 40 GB, making it a good idea to start your downloads early. Publisher Bethesda notes that digital pre-loading will be available for the PlayStation 4 and Steam editions as The Evil Within approaches its launch on October 14. [Image: Bethesda]
Guild leaders converge for The Elder Scrolls Online's first guild summit
If you weren't invited to The Elder Scrolls Online's current guild summit... well, don't feel bad; only the leaders of 20 guilds and online communities were invited. But it's still kind of nail-biting. What could they be talking about in there? What strange and arcane topics will be brought up? Will special items be handed out? Are there designer cheeses available? Lucky for you, though, the folks at the Tamriel Foundry have taken the time to transcribe what's going down in Maryland so that even those not at the summit can get a sense for what's happening. The first day of the summit covered combat responsiveness, system design, AvA mechanics, and the Champion system. This means both detailed examinations of where the game is currently lacking and what's coming in the future; the Champion system and the rework of the veteran experience is slated for "when it's done" rather than a specific date. So sit back and take a look at all of the hard details on display, possibly whilst eating some designer cheese of your own.
The Elder Scrolls Online asks players for a tale of the dead
Aw, jeez. That can't have been happy. There's a story behind that picture, you just know it; people don't just grow spears while sitting down with some wine and cheese. And what is that story, you ask? Well, that's up to you! The Elder Scrolls Online is challenging players to construct yet another tale of the dead, a 500-word story in any format outlining how the unnamed skeleton in this screenshot wound up in this unfortunate predicament. Players who'd like to participate need only post their entry to the official contest thread before 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 26th. The three winners will each receive a $25 electronic gift certificate to the Bethesda store as well as a free t-shirt. If that sounds good to you and you think you can tell a convincing story about this guy, it's time to crack your knuckles and get writing.
The Evil Within not without TGS trailer
The Evil Within, from Resident Evil maestro Shinji Mikami, is heading to this week's Tokyo Game Show with a new gameplay trailer. The game already features a cast who know grisly, but the game's environments don't seem to be holding back either. There's plenty of gore, blood and terror to go around in this trailer, but the room with spinning blades is a nightmare room. No wait, the one with the stamping spikes is a nightmare room. Wait, the barbed wire fishtank of drowning is. It's all a nightmare room!
The Elder Scrolls Online pushes players to Upper Craglorn in Update 4
You've been to Craglorn? Pff, that's boring now. Upper Craglorn is where the real action is these days. And by complete coincidence, Upper Craglorn is now open on The Elder Scrolls Online's servers, as the game's fourth major update has just dropped. The zone will wrap up the Celestial storyline as your character takes on the Scaled Court. That also ties into the new trial, Sanctum Ophidia, which is a direct strike against the heart of the Court; players will take on the minions and end up fighting the Celestial Serpent. The new Dragonstar Arena also debuts with this patch, asking players to fight against waves of oncoming enemies. Plus there's a new crafting trait available, improved grouping mechanics, various bugfixes, the usual assortment. So if you can't wait to go knife up a really important snake and check out the places that all the hip new kids are heading for, go check out the update.
Elder Scrolls ups VR cap, adds upper Craglorn and more
Did you know that Elder Scrolls Online's fourth major content patch came out today? It sure did, and judging by the 1.4.3 notes it's a biggun. ZeniMax has added the upper region of Craglorn and a new trial called Sanctum Ophidia. The four-player Dragonstar Arena with its 10 stages of monsters is live, too, along with a VR level cap bump to 14. That's not all, so click the links below to read about the additional changes.
Can you play Doom on a printer? Yes you Canon
With wearable computers like Google Glass and Apple Watch wooing the tech obsessed, it's hard not to feel bad for older machines showing their age. Printers no doubt look at fax machines and imagine a grim future of irrelevance, but they can buck up thanks to hot new game support! Printers are finally getting id's Doom just 21 years after the game came out. Only one printer is actually running Doom at the moment. Michael Jordon, a researcher with Context Information Security spent four months hacking a Canon Pixma printer to get it to run the classic shooter. The Pixma's online access interface lets owners check on the status of their printer remotely via a web browser, but it also created a massive vulnerability to hacking as noticed by Jordon. Once he realized the extent to which he could access one of the printers through the web, he got it running every hacker's delight. "Running Doom, that's real proof you control the thing," Jordon told the BBC.
Australia gets The Evil Within maze-style haunted house
In an effort to scare the ever-living-shit out of its fans, Bethesda announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Movie World to craft a real-life maze based on its horror game, The Evil Within. Located on the Gold Coast in Australia, the maze will feature characters from the game portrayed by actors as well as lots of fake blood. The Evil Within maze will be part of Warner Bros. Movie World's "Fright Nights" event held throughout the month of October. Those that can't make the trip will have the chance to experience a "teaser version" of the maze at the EB Expo in Sydney from October 3 to 5 at Bethesda's booth. The Evil Within launches October 14 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. [Image: Bethesda]
The Evil Within also within Europe on October 14
While the big hitters sometimes arrive on the same day worldwide, typically a game's release schedule sees it launch first in North America on Tuesday, then Europe and other PAL regions two or three days later. That was the case with Mikami horror The Evil Within, which was due to launch in Europe on October 16. For whatever reason - maybe the kindness of its heart, a lost bet, or a throw of the die on the craps table of marketing - Bethesda's decided to bump that up to October 14, matching the release date stateside. The new date applies to Europe, the Middle East, India and South Africa, as well as both physical and downloadable copies across PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Bethesda also points out the game's still coming to Australia and New Zealand on October 16 and Japan on October 23.
The Evil Within launching October 16 in Europe
Good news, survival horror fanatics of Europe: You won't have a long wait before The Evil Within scares the sweet bejeezus out of you. Bethesda announced today that Tango Gameworks' brain-bending gorefest will hit Europe, South Africa, India and the Middle East on October 14, arriving the same day as its scheduled North American release. Directed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, The Evil Within traps players at the scene of a grisly mass murder, where they must carefully ration limited supplies in order to survive. Bethesda recently released an hour's worth of streamed gameplay footage if you want to mentally prepare yourself for what horrors await in the full retail version. The Evil Within will launch on October 16 in Australia, October 17 in New Zealand, and October 23 in Japan. [Image: Bethesda]
ZeniMax, Elder Scrolls Online hit with layoffs
ZeniMax has confirmed earlier Twitter rumors of layoffs -- sorry, "adjusted staffing" -- within the Elder Scrolls Online studio with the following statement made to our sister site Joystiq: As is the norm for games of this type, we had ramped up a large workforce to develop a game of vast scale, and ramped up our customer service to handle the expected questions and community needs of The Elder Scrolls Online at launch. Now that we are nearly 6 months post launch, we have a thriving online community in a game that runs smoothly. We have adjusted staffing to meet the ongoing needs of the studio, which continues to operate with a large work force. We remain strongly committed to The Elder Scrolls Online, and continue to invest heavily to develop new content for PC players, prepare the game for its console launch, and handle our planned expansion into important international territories. As for customer service, we continue to operate large support centers in Hunt Valley, MD and Galway, Ireland. Former ESO animator Nate Walpole attributed the apparent layoffs to the team's large size and the unpredictability of the MMO industry: Large layoffs reported ongoing at #ZeniMaxOnline today. MMO dev coupled with a #huge team size - GL and reach out if you need contacts. :(0 Massively extends its sympathies to those affected.
Elder Scrolls Online hit with layoffs, Zenimax will continue to 'invest heavily'
Zenimax Online Studios experienced a round of layoffs this morning. The studio is currently working on The Elder Scrolls Online for publisher Bethesda. "As is the norm for games of this type, we had ramped up a large workforce to develop a game of vast scale, and ramped up our customer service to handle the expected questions and community needs of The Elder Scrolls Online at launch," Bethesda VP of PR and Marketing Pete Hines told Joystiq. "Now that we are nearly 6 months post launch, we have a thriving online community in a game that runs smoothly."
Tamriel Infinium: Five reasons to return to Elder Scrolls Online
Today seems as good a time as any to mention returning to Elder Scrolls Online. I'm not talking personally, mind you, as I've been playing pretty consistently since early access. The winds of MMO change are doing their thing, though, and I'm seeing a bunch of thinking-about-returning-but-have-some-questions threads at my usual ESO forum hangouts. Maybe this is due to all the fail trolls glomping onto WildStar while eyeing the fast-approaching North American version of ArcheAge. Or maybe it's because ZeniMax has added quite a bit of post-launch tastiness to its ESO recipe.
The scoop on Elder Scrolls Online's Dragonstar arena
When The Elder Scrolls Online's fourth update arrives next month, a new type of content will open to players: themed PvE arenas. The first of 10 such arenas, Dragonstar, is the subject of a new developer essay on the official site today. The Dragonstar Arena is located in Craglorn and will pit a group of four players against five waves of monsters with "escalating intensity," though not necessarily escalating numbers; ZeniMax promises there will be no "cannon fodder" to waste your time. Hazards inside the arena -- like poisonous clouds, lava flows, and immobilizing blizzards -- will further impede groups' progress through the challenges. ZeniMax says that arenas are intended to provide difficult combat encounters and elite rewards to small, highly skilled groups, but more casual players can skip Veteran mode for normal mode if they choose. We've included the brief Dragonstar arena trailer below.
Elder Scrolls' fourth major update teased in new concept art
When Elder Scrolls Online's fourth major update lands in September, players will be able to "discover the ruins and delves of the last region of Craglorn," according to a teaser on the fantasy MMO's website. Upper Craglorn holds the key to the mystery of the fallen constellations, apparently, and it also boasts something called "the Serpent Trial" and "treacherous new delves." ZeniMax has posted a few concept art wallpapers to whet your appetite for the new content.
Leaderboard: How do you feel about loyalty rewards?
Elder Scrolls Online announced its vet reward program recently, and while it doesn't take effect until next month, it got me to thinking about similar incentives in other MMOs. They're pretty common, of course, and even F2P games offer them provided that they also offer an optional subscription tier. Personally vet rewards aren't much of an incentive. I mean, sometimes they offer a neat-looking vanity pet that I'll look at once and subsequently forget to ever summon again, but I can't recall ever anticipating a loyalty reward or remaining subscribed in order to get one. What about you, Massively readers? Are loyalty rewards nothing more than a nice bonus, or are there some that go above and beyond in terms of desirability? If so, which ones? Don't forget to 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!
The Evil Within cast features Rorschach, Dexter's sister
The Evil Within's villain is voiced by a man with a sinister cinematic past: Jackie Earle Haley, the actor behind the mask of growling antihero Rorschach in the Watchmen film. Haley also played Freddie Kreuger in the 2010 A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, as well as the disturbing neighbor in 2006 drama Little Children. In short, the man can do dark. Starring alongside Haley in the Shinji Mikami horror is Jennifer Carpenter, who Dexter fans will recognize as Debra Morgan, the long-suffering sister of the serial-killer title character. Carpenter voices Judi Kidman, the junior detective partner of player protagonist Sebastian Castellanos, played by Hell on Wheels lead Anson Mount.
Corvo, guv'nor! Dishonored also playable for free this weekened
Steam is determined to siphon your free time away this weekend. Not only are the wastelands of Borderlands 2 free to roam in the coming days, but you can also slink in the perilous, industrial shadows of Dishonored without spending a sixpence. Arkane's stealthy adventure is free to download and play now, but only until 1PM PT/4PM ET/9PM UK time on Sunday, August 24. After that, you have to pay up to continue a-stabbin'.
Elder Scrolls Online introduces subscriber loyalty program
ZeniMax has just announced a subscriber loyalty program for Elder Scrolls Online that is slated to start in September. If you're eligible, you'll receive an email and subsequently a High Hrothgar Wraith vanity pet provided that you've been subscribed for three months. "The loyalty program will keep expanding over time," ZeniMax says, and you'll be able to collect pets and other upcoming rewards once you meet the requirements, so don't worry if you've canceled your sub already but plan to return.
The Elder Scrolls Online plans 4v4 arenas, veteran rewards
In a fresh entry on The Elder Scrolls Online's official site, Game Director Matt Firor has penned the latest Road Ahead update, in which he discusses the game's recent patch as well as what's in store for players next month. Of note, Firor says ZeniMax aims to make combat "more responsive," push out new Craglorn content, complete the last trial in the constellation storyline, and introduce a new 4v4 PvE arena. Work on the champion system, which revamps the MMO's character development and customization mechanics, continues; in fact, ZeniMax implores players to help test the inbound content on the public test server. The team plans to formally announce a loyalty program later this week; it's expected to dole out traditional MMO veteran rewards like minipets.
