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Play Xbox One early at a few Microsoft Stores
Microsoft's Major Nelson is embarking upon a tour of the United States and Canada, opening new Microsoft Stores and visiting existing ones in order to show off the Xbox One to the general public. Obviously we're too scared to go outside too cool for large groups, but if you live in Massachusetts, Florida or Alberta, you'll get the opportunity to play Forza 5 and Killer Instinct about a month ahead of launch. The first two events take place on September 19 and 20 at Microsoft Stores in Burlington and Boston MA, respectively. Nearly a month later, Nelson and his entourage pop into Orlando, FL on October 23 before heading up to Edmonton, Alberta on October 27. A fifth event is also planned for Scottsdale, AZ, although that won't take place until December 6. Nelson says that more locations/dates will be added to the list in the coming weeks – complete location information can be found here.
Demowatch: Diablo 3, FIFA 14, PES 2014, Etrian Odyssey Untold
What do Diablo 3, FIFA 14, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, and Etrian Odyssey Untold have in common? Fantastically little, really, they're drastically different games after all - well, apart from FIFA 14 and PES 2014. Not our best riddle, frankly. Oh wait: They all have demos coming out soon! Diablo 3 on consoles, FIFA 14 and PES 2014 get theirs this week, while 3DS RPG Etrian Odyssey Untold receives an eShop demo on September 16. The Diablo 3 demo is out now on Xbox Live (as a Gold-exclusive), and hits PlayStation Network later today. The demo goes as far as the Skeleton King, the action-RPG's first boss, and features all five Hero classes and both local and online multiplayer. Meanwhile, the FIFA 14 demo has already kicked off on PC and XBL, taking to the field on PSN later today. It lets you play as one of eight teams: Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Paris St. Germain, Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Barcelona, New York Red Bulls, and Boca Juniors. As for the PES 2014 demo, it's out on XBL now too, and should hit PSN today. Bear in mind, Euro-folk, PSN tradition is for updates there on Wednesday, so FIFA 14, PES 2014 and Diablo 3 demos may arrive then. However, EA Community Manager Rob Hodson tweeted this morning to say the FIFA 14 demo could hit today, around 5PM UK time.
Start October with a Beyond: Two Souls demo
Ellen Page simulator Beyond: Two Souls gets a demo on October 1 in North America, and the day after in Europe. We jest when we call it that, because Quantic Dream's next PS3 game will clearly be its own complicated beast, much like Heavy Rain before it, and hopefully much more than Hollywood-tinted mo-cap. For the curious, the demo should provide some inkling as to how Beyond plays, but it may be far from the full picture. The PSN demo includes two sections: The first stars a mini-Jodie (Page's character) as she takes part in an experiment scrutinizing her supernatural abilities, while the second sees an older Jodie on the run from government agents. If you'd rather hold out for the full game, you won't have long to wait: Beyond: Two Souls hits North American retail shelves on October 8, and Europe on October 11. Oh, and if you happen to have pre-ordered Beyond from GAME in the UK, you'll get the demo a week early on September 25. In the US PlayStation Blog's announcement, there's mention of "opportunities for a few of you" to get the demo on September 24, so maybe, just maybeeeee there'll be something similar in North America.
Xbox 360 reputation scores will not carry over to Xbox One
Xbox Corporate VP Marc Whitten recently clarified the Xbox One's reputation-based matchmaking system, which was first announced in July. Reputation scores from Xbox 360 accounts will not carry over to Xbox One, though Whitten told IGN that the Xbox Live enforcement team will set a "small subset of members that have recently had enforcement actions taken against them" to a "Needs Work" reputation level. "This will give those members a chance to prove they can participate on Live fairly, and are not automatically placed in the 'Avoid Me' classification where things like SmartMatch filtering will affect them," he said. Additionally, while every XBLA game on Xbox 360 was accompanied by a demo, that will not be the case for digital games on Xbox One. Whitten said the company is "going to work on lots of ways to make it easy for you to find and try new games on the service," without clarifying how Microsoft will accomplish that.
PAX Prime 2013: Adjusting butts in Elder Scrolls Online
After my hands-on demo at E3, I was cautiously optimistic about sitting down for another hour of Elder Scrolls Online at this year's PAX Prime. I was ushered into the press demo area and immediately dived into character creation. There were significantly more options available here than during my last demo just a few months ago. Among the additions was a feature I'm sure you've been waiting for: the "posterior dimensions" slider. Beyond butts, the variety of the options Bethesda brought to PAX Prime was pretty impressive. I spent more time in character creation than I expected, even customizing my stomach size. After I decided on the appropriate butt girth, I loaded into the snowy, nordic area of Bleakrock Isle and immediately spent a solid 10 minutes exploring my option menus.
Sony's Shuhei Yoshida takes a quick tour through the PS4 dashboard (video)
Just in case you missed it during Sony's Gamescom 2013 presentation (and our live coverage), the company kicked things off in a fresh way, letting the PlayStation 4 experience do all of the talking. No words were necessary as Mr. @yosp himself, SCE prez Shuhei Yoshida, casually sat in a chair flipping through the new UI and loading up a quick game of Killzone Shadow Fall. Whether you have loved or loved to hate the PS3's XMB, this nearly three minute-long demo should fill in many blanks about what life will be like if you pick up one of Sony's $399 boxes on or about November 15th. Check out the video embedded after the break plus a list of launch window games while you weigh the pros and cons of pre-ordering.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 hits UK a week ahead of FIFA 14
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 steals a week's march on FIFA 14 by coming to the UK on September 20, Konami announced today. The proper football sim's release date announcement for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC follows the news its EA-developed rival will be bundled with all Xbox One pre-orders in Europe. For those who just can't wait to score the new PES, a demo will be released via PSN on September 11, and then on Xbox Live the day after. Meanwhile, PES 14 hits the back of American nets on September 24.
WildStar primps for convention appearances
WildStar's dance card is quite full this month, as Carbine is heading to both Gamescom and PAX Prime for promotions, hobnobbing, and public demos. First up is Gamescom, where the devs will be present at the NCsoft booth (Hall 8, Booth #B030), showing off the Chua and Mordesh races and a couple of new zones. The team is throwing a party that Friday at the Marriott Koln that is first-come, first-served. Up next is PAX Prime, where the devs and demo will be at booth #642 for the curious and beta-envious. Carbine's hosting a panel at PAX on Saturday, August 31st, which will be livestreamed for those who can't attend. There will be a PAX party as well later that night at the Hard Rock Café, so Massively encourages those who attend to drink and demo responsibly.
The Wonderful 101 demo soars onto EU eShop today [Update: NA too!]
European citizens looking to join up with The Wonderful 101 can give it a shot later today, when the demo arrives on the Wii U eShop. As revealed at the end of the European version of today's Wonderful 101 Nintendo Direct, the demo of Platinum Games' superheroic effort will be available on the continent as of 4PM BST/5PM CET. There was no mention of a demo in the North American stream, indicating it may take a bit more time to arrive on this side of the ocean; the game is out in Europe on August 23, and doesn't come to North America until three weeks later on September 15. Platinum Creative Producer JP Kellams tweeted the US version is due soon. At least this morning's Direct provided plenty of info on the game, including the various ways you can use the dozens of heroes around you to save the day. There's also a chunky new seven-minute trailer to tide you over until next month. Update: The Wonderful 101 demo is now also available on the North American Wii U eShop.
Gran Turismo 6 demo downloaded by 1.3 million
1.3 million worldwide racers took on the challenge of the Gran Turismo 6 demo, or at least downloaded it. The demo also served as the qualifying process for the 2013 GT Academy competition; a small selection of the victorious speedsters progressed to the next stage of the process, where they'll fight to win the eventual grand prize of a spot on Nissan's real-life racing team. The rest of us must make do with the virtual prospect that is the game proper, due on PS3 this holiday. The demo remains open until the end of August to those who downloaded it.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow PC demo rises on Steam tomorrow
A demo for the Ultimate Edition of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is due on Steam this week. There was some initial confusion over which day, but we've confirmed with a Konami representative the PC port's demo is "definitely" coming tomorrow. Meanwhile the game proper, which features add-on chapters Reverie and Resurrection, flies onto Steam on August 27, with a boxed retail edition sinking its teeth into Europe on August 30. As for Lords of Shadow 2, series producer David Cox recently revealed the action-adventure sequel will be developer MercurySteam's final foray into Castlevania. The Spanish studio will say so long and thanks for all the Nosferatu when the follow-up hits Xbox 360, PS3, and PC sometime this winter.
Ninja Theory splash reel reveals girl with blue hair in a dark city
Ninja Theory is responsible for Heavenly Sword, Enslaved, the new Devil May Cry reboot and ... something starring a girl with blue hair in a dark urban environment. A demo reel on Ninja Theory's front page shows concepts and clips from all of these games, including that last one, which doesn't fit into any universes the developer has announced or released so far. The clips show off a dystopian, vaguely Neapolitan cityscape, and a dank alley of dripping pipes, curving metal signage, garbage cans on fire and a cage-like people-mover that speeds by a bullet train. The girl has bright blue eyes, matching blue hair, and the world itself is tinged in blue hues See a few screengrabs below. Ninja Theory is currently working on next-generation console titles, according to its introduction paragraph, though it recently teamed up with Chillingo to develop the mobile game Fightback.
PSA: Gran Turismo 6 demo rolls out today
Vrooooooooom! Vroooooooooooooooooom! Rrrrrrrrrhhhhhh! That's just some of the noises you can make as you while away the hours waiting for the Gran Turismo 6 demo, which is due on the PlayStation Store later today. Sony pins the demo's arrival for 8PM ET (5PM PT). The demo includes a tutorial, four warm-up races, and various time-trial snapshots of UK track Silverstone. As detailed previously, the demo also serves as the qualifying method for the GT Academy 2013 competition, based on times for a full lap of the circuit. The watch stops for GT Academy qualification on July 28.
Puppeteer demo coming to PSN in Europe
A demo for Puppeteer will be made available in Europe prior to its launch on September 10. We contacted SCEA regarding a demo in North America and were told, "SCEA does not have anything to announce at this moment." There's nothing regarding demo content or specific timeframe listed in the PlayStation Blog post, though art director Gavin Moore promises more info "soon." Puppeteer, a platformer in development at Sony Japan Studio, revolves around a little boy named Kutaro who has his head lopped off and is turned into a puppet by the evil Moon Bear King. (It's cuter than it sounds.)
Project X Zone gets 'Ghost' demo on eShop next week
Fanstravaganza Project X Zone already has an "Imperial" demo available for download on the 3DS eShop, but the game's official Nintendo page says there's another demo coming on July 2. The second demo is called "Ghost" and will give players a look at a completely different segment of the game. Project X Zone (pronounced "Project Cross Zone," because Japan) is a turn-based strategy RPG that mashes up characters from Namco Bandai, Capcom, and Sega franchises. The game came out in Japan last year, and just recently arrived here in North America.
Gran Turismo 6 demo out next week
A playable Gran Turismo 6 demo is coming to PSN on July 2, SCE America revealed this week. When Polyphony Digital's shiny new racer was unveiled finally last month, Sony promised a demo was due in July. Sure enough, the demo is coming and right at the start of next month too, which should go some way to allaying fears the racer's 'holiday 2013' release window is too soon to be true. The demo is also the qualifying method for GT Academy 2013, the competition intended to unearth real driving talent by providing winners with a spot on Nissan's racing team. Qualifications end on July 28, but the demo remains freely available to all afterwards. The demo itself features beginner stages themed around a GT Academy boot camp, with racers who make the grade going on to the final qualifier at the UK's Silverstone track. In terms of cars, SCEA said the demo features the Nissan Leaf, 370Z, and GT-R at the least.
Play around with iOS 7 in your browser (Updated)
OK, so you're not an iOS developer and you're not particularly interested in possibly borking your one and only iPhone, but you'd still like to try out some of the features of iOS 7. Well, the folks at Recombu have created an "Interactive iOS 7 Demo" that you can play with and fantasize about that day later this year when your iPhone will be running the new OS. As our very own Dave Caolo noted, "It's extremely limited. Essentially a bunch of static photos. But still, you can poke around." At least it gives muggles (non-developers, in this case) a facsimile to play with without causing a potential disaster. Those static images show what some of the new built-in apps look like as well, even to the point of letting you use the built-in FaceTime HD camera on your Mac to play with the revised Camera app. The parallax view that's visible and so enthralling in the real iOS 7 beta isn't possible with the interactive demo, so that's one item you'll just have to wait for. [via 9to5Mac] Update: Well, apparently someone at Apple wasn't too happy with Recombu's nifty iOS 7 simulator, as it has been shut down. There's a nice video from the Recombu folks explaining why it's not up and running, as well as a link to Apple's iOS 7 preview page.
Tesla's 90 second battery swaps will power EVs faster than gas pumps fill tanks (video)
Tesla founder Elon Musk has mentioned battery swap service stations as an even faster alternative to charging for EV drivers, and tonight the company showed just how efficiently it can be done. In a demonstration at its design studio, it beat what it claims is the fastest gas pump in LA by exchanging a drained car battery pack for a fresh fully charged one in just 90 seconds. When the $500,000 stations start rolling out, owners will stay in the car the whole time then either swap the battery back for their original on a return trip, or get a bill for the difference based on how new their battery is. According to Reuters, the exchange is expected to cost owners between $60 - $80 each time or about the cost of 15 gallons of gas Of course, failed outfit Better Place proposed a similar service before it shut down, but Tesla is betting that it can make it work this time. The first service stations are coming to busy corridors, with some planned for I5 in California. Still need more proof? Elon Musk tweeted that video of the event will be available in "about an hour," so check back then. Update: We're still waiting on the official video, but reader Weapon sent in a link to video shot by an event attendee, which can be viewed after the break. Take a peek and see a pair of Tesla's Model S sedans get quick battery service, one after the other in less time than a fuel pump can deliver one tank of gas. Update 2: The official event video is up, check it out embedded after the break.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number unmasked: Blood, drugs, feelings
Don't worry, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is just as violent as Hotline Miami. In fact, it has everything that made Hotline Miami so brilliantly bloody – and then it adds more. More characters, more emphasis on narrative, more enemies, more weapons, more underground electronica bands, more masks and more ladies. Playable ladies. In a demo at E3, one half of Dennaton Games, Denis Wedin, showed off two new, playable characters in Wrong Number: the Pig Butcher and the Fans. The Pig Butcher starred in an early trailer for Hotline Miami, and he's a throwback to the mass murderers of classic '90s slasher movies. That trailer begins with the disclaimer, "Based on true events," because it's for a horror film within the Hotline Miami universe, where these vigilante rampages truly did go down. The Fans really are the fans, Wedin said. "They symbolize the players that want Hotline Miami 2 to be exactly like Hotline Miami 1," he said. "They collect masks and get phone calls – and that will be in there, but we don't want to make the same game one more time. We're trying to work with different storylines and what motivates the characters to actually go inside a building and start killing people." After the demo concludes, Wrong Number makes it clear that "more emotion" doesn't equate "less violence."
E3 2013: DCUO plans to remain completely free on PS4
The PlayStation 4 made headlines at this year's E3 thanks to its console wars one-upmanship as well as its newly announced launch library. But one previously announced had a live demo at the L.A.-based convention extravaganza; DC Universe Online offered players a chance to experience some next-gen superhero shenanigans for themselves, so we totally jumped in on the action! After engrossing ourselves in the world of capes, masks, and super powers, we nabbed Executive Producer Lawrence Liberty to talk with us about DCUO's conversion to the PS4. He shared details about performance, uses for the touchpad on the new controller, a new companion app, and the plan for DCUO to be available at the console's launch. Liberty also noted that the team is working with Sony to keep the game free on the PS4 so players won't have to purchase a PlayStation Plus membership.
