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Piles of dead demons: A hands-on with Path of Exile
Path of Exile makes me smile. It isn't because of the gritty, dark setting or how a swing of my mace scatters disembodied monster pieces in every direction. It isn't the interesting design of the passive skill tree or the inclusion of PvP. What makes me smile is knowing that the kid inside me has finally found a worthy successor to the action RPG Diablo II. Oh, and it's free-to-play. Grinding Gear Games begins the PoE open beta on January 23rd, 2013. This week I massacred hordes of various dark abominations with Lead Programmer Jonathan Rogers and Producer Chris Wilson in the brand-new Act III content. And after my demo was finished, I almost felt bad for Diablo III.%Gallery-170186%
Click-click-click: Massively's double-dose of Path of Exile impressions
New Zealand-based Grinding Gear Games has a challenge ahead of it: to convince a jaded gaming audience that its online action RPG Path of Exile can be more than just another Diablo III clone. Our Not So Massively crew has been following the game with great interest, zeroing in on its generously sprawling skill tree and item-customization systems in particular. And this Wednesday will see the launch of open beta, leaving only one question left to answer: click-click-click? Well, maybe a few other questions too, like how does it play and is it worth my time? To get some first-hand experience with the latest edition of the game, Massively sent two freelancers -- Gavin Townsley and Jeffery Wright -- to two different Path of Exile developer events last week, one in San Francisco and the other in Los Angeles. Which city won in the quest for the coolest demo? You'll just have to read both to find out.
'Gearing' up for Path of Exile's launch with a demo and interview
Grinding Gear Games is finally gearing up (pun intended) for the launch of Path of Exile, an MMO dungeon-crawler that hopes to satisfy fanatics and casual gamers alike. The new title has been in closed beta for just the last few months of its six-year development cycle, and on January 23rd, it will hit open beta -- surely a relief for players eyeing the closed beta wistfully. Unfortunately for those who have been grinding away (yep, pun intended again) at hordes of monsters during the beta, there will be a character wipe, one that sets all characters, levels, items, experience, passive skills, active skills, and everything else back to zero. I recently attended a live demo and got to chat about the game with reps from Grinding Gear in Los Angeles. Read on for my take!
No pre-launch Tomb Raider demo for sake of story, says Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is not planning to release a Tomb Raider demo before the game launches on March 5."For all those @tombraider fans asking. There are no plans to release a demo of the game pre-launch. We don't want to spoil the story," tweeted Global Brand Director Karl Stewart. "We've weaved such an personal story we don't believe spoiling it by having you wait a week or so to play on, delivers on our promise."While pre-release demos are typical, it's not rare to see them pop up after the game arrives on retail shelves. Nonetheless, the news and the reasons given by Stewart are somewhat surprising given how much exposure the game's opening act has already received. A different part of the game may make for a better demo, but would lack the context Crystal Dynamics has crafted in this story-driven reboot.
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance demo hits Jan. 22
The Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance demo slices up Xbox Live and PlayStation Network on January 22. Konami also released a new seven-minute 'Jack the Ripper' trailer for the game, as edited by a certain Hideo Kojima.This is the same demo as included with Zone of the Enders HD Collection, released last year in October. With a week left to wait, buying that now just for the demo is inadvisable.
Fire Emblem: Awakening demo coming Jan. 17
A demo for Fire Emblem: Awakening will be released on the 3DS eShop in North America on January 17. If you only know the Fire Emblem characters from Super Smash Bros., this is a good chance to find out if you like them in their actual game.There will be more to download following the February 4 release date: as in Japan, Fire Emblem: Awakening will have downloadable content, with one free map starting off the weekly release of new maps. We'll have more detail about the DLC in an upcoming preview.
NintendoWare Weekly: ZombiU demo, Hello Kitty
A demo on the Wii U eShop today will allow you to get your first taste of our #10 game of 2012, ZombiU. Perhaps that's not the best phrasing for a zombie game, but nonetheless. An NBA 2K13 demo will also be available.Meanwhile on 3DS, there's fishing, hunting, DinoPet...ting, and Hello Kitty Picnic with Sanrio Friends, a minigame collection with unlockable "supercute outfits for Hello Kitty."
Pathfinder Online unveils 'Environment Experience'
Pathfinder Online's Kickstarter campaign continues ever onward, but it will soon be drawing to a close. The Goblinworks title has received pledges totaling $671,765 of its whopping $1,000,000 goal. If you're on the fence trying to decide whether or not to pledge to the campaign, Goblinworks' latest treat might be enough to knock you off of it (one way or another). Fans can now access a nifty tool that will allow them to traipse about the environment from the game's tech demo. It runs right in your browser courtesy of Unity, so it's definitely worth at least a quick look. There is, as you may have guessed, no actual gameplay in this little demo-land; it's just you, the movement keys, and a small chunk of the Pathfinder Online world. If you wanna poke around for yourself, you can find the demo at the source link below.
Metal Gear Rising demo downloadable in the West next month
A demo for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be released in January on Xbox Live and PSN, Konami announced today. The demo was previously (and currently) included with Zone of the Enders HD Collection, so if you absolutely can't wait to cut everything using precisely lined up slashes, you can go pick that up.What you can't do is just download the demo from the Japanese PlayStation Network. We tried that, only to discover that – for the first time in our experience – the demo is region-locked.
Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams offers free standalone Xmas level
Taking a page from Christmas Nights, Black Forest Games is releasing a free, standalone Christmas-themed level for Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, in which you explore two different versions of a snowy level and defeat Santa-Owls.If you already have the game, the new level will available as an update from Steam, GOG, or Gamersgate, and can be found in the extras menu. If you don't have it, the Christmas level will be available for separate download from Steam and GOG. It'll act as both a gift and a demo when it's released this month.
Wii U's Rayman Legends out in UK on March 1 [update: Feb. 26 in North America]
Rayman Legends will be released in the UK on March 1, publisher Ubisoft announced today. No date has been provided for North America or any other territory, other than the worldwide "Q1 2013" release window given in October.There is good news for the impatient, however: UK residents desperate for floaty-limbed heroics and Lum vocals will have access to a Rayman Legends demo on the Wii U eShop starting December 13.Update: Ubisoft announced a Feb. 26 release date for North America. The demo will have the same December 13 date in that region.
FIFA 13 is Wii U eShop's first demo
There is one game demo on the Wii U eShop in North America, and it's for EA Sports' FIFA 13. The approximately 1.2GB download is available within the game's page on the eShop, though the size isn't explicitly shown until you begin the process.Bear in mind that there is no dedicated section for demos in the store, nor is there a way to search for demos. Instead, you either have to click on individual game icons to see if demos are available, or view everything in the eShop as a list and hunt for the "demo" icon.Having just done all that, we can confirm that FIFA 13 is at present the only demo.[Thanks, Jon B.]
Japan nabs special Metal Gear Rising PS3
The two new Metal Gear Rising announcements are for Japan only, accessible at different levels of difficulty for fans outside. The easiest to acquire is the demo, which will be available on the Japanese PlayStation Store on December 13 for those who don't already have it from the Zone of the Enders HD Collection. Getting that is as simple as creating a Japanese PSN account, or waiting for the inevitable western release.The special edition Metal Gear Rising PS3 will be a bit harder to get your hands on. The 250GB system, with a special controller, copy of the game, and a few exclusive downloads, will retail in Japan for ¥31,960 ($390), but it'll likely more to import one.It's easiest of all to watch the new Japanese trailer, featuring lots of ninja technique demonstrations. It's embedded after the break.
Pid receives 'Easy Mode' on PC
Might & Delight patched a new 'Easy Mode' into puzzle-platformer Pid earlier this week. The Swedish studio redesigned levels to lower the mode's difficulty and shortened boss fights. Normal Mode also sees some tweaks, with the developer saying changes were made based on feedback from critics and fans.In our review, Garrett Martin grew frustrated with the game's difficulty spikes, and Might & Delight now says those spikes are "lessened" thanks to the update. Overall, Garrett rated Pid at two and a half stars, saying the game comes alive when it sprinkles puzzles on top of its straightforward platforming, but also "makes a few crucial mistakes that similar recent games avoided."If you want to try but not necessarily buy Pid for yourself, the game now has a demo available on Steam.
Ni no Kuni demo on PSN tomorrow
You'll be able to take your first tentative steps into a new, animated world tomorrow. A demo for Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will be released on PSN in North America tomorrow, along with the Mass Effect Trilogy, the PS2 classic Chulip and a lot of other assorted stuff. The demo arrives in Europe on Wednesday.Ni no Kuni will be released in full on January 22.
Lego The Lord of the Rings demo journeys to XBLM, PSN
The demo for Lego The Lord of the Rings has completed the journey to PSN and XBLM. That's right, it's like you're Mordor and Frodo, Sam and a cast of unlikely fantasy characters have been risking their lives just to get to you. Feel the humility wash over your disembodied, fiery eye.The demo for Lego Lord of the Rings is free. The full game hit retail for PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii on November 13.
Fractured Soul demo on 3DS eShop Dec. 6
We've talked up Endgame Studios' punishing 3DS eShop platformer Fractured Soul, but perhaps you need more hands-on evidence before jumping in. Endgame will provide it in the form of a downloadable demo, the developer told Joystiq today. The demo will comprise the first four levels of the game, and will be downloadable in North America on December 6. The European and Australian releases of the game are still pending, but the demo will be available upon the game's release in those regions as well. Learn a bit more about Fractured Soul in the videos above and after the break.If you're already playing, you might be relieved to hear of an update coming soon. "We're also working on submitting an update for the game to make the infamous level 8 a little easier - by adding checkpoints," Endgame managing director Grant Davies said. "It's no secret that Fractured Soul is a damn hard platformer ... probably a little too hard. Hopefully this will smooth out the difficulty curve somewhat."
PSA: Devil May Cry demo now on XBLM, drops onto PSN later today [Update: Trailer]
The demo of Ninja Theory's Devil May Cry reboot is now up on Xbox Live for Gold members. PS3 owners have to wait until later today for it to arrive on PSN, unless they're in Europe in which case they'll have to sit on their hands until tomorrow*.There are two missions in the demo, one of which features a (probably ridiculous) boss battle. One completion of the demo makes the Son of Sparda difficulty available. The full game roars onto Xbox 360 and PS3 on January 15, 2013, and PC at a later date.*Or bide the time however they choose, we're not picky
Multi-iPad table moves from concept to reality
Here's an item that would spice up any living room -- although it might be a budget-buster. The iPad table, a project of the Universal Mind interactive agency in Grand Rapids, links 15 iPads together to create one synchronized display. The co-creator of the iPad table, Joe Johnston (who put it together with David Tucker), told TUAW that the system was conceived and built from scratch including the industrial design of the table and the custom app driving the connected iPads. A private wireless LAN hands off object information from iPad to iPad, allowing the moving "hypercards" to bounce and sail across the full extent of the iPad matrix. Double-tapping one of the cards expands it into a full webpage or other content. It's easy to see how this sort of system could be popular and useful in a conference, retail or exhibit context. In fact, it strongly resembles another tabletop approach to touch computing that's had its branding co-opted to launch a different product: Microsoft Surface, Mark I. Before the Surface name was attached to the tablet convertible with the snappy keyboard, Microsoft was marketing Surface as a cocktail table-sized touchable computer intended for public, tourism and exhibit functions; that concept lives on as Samsung's SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense. If you're interested in experimenting with multiple iOS displays linked together, Aachen University's Mobile Multi Display app is in the App Store now; for single-device inexpensive digital displays on the iPad, check out DynaSign or Digital Signage X. The utility of the iPad as a kiosk device took a big leap forward with iOS 6's Guided Access, which permits non-jailbroken devices to lock in a specific app and restrict sensitive screen areas while disabling the home & sleep buttons (making our "best of 2011" iPad accessory, the BubCap, a bit less necessary). Professional multi-display solutions from companies like Videro (profiled by us here) and Sedna are capable of driving the iPad as well as the Mac, but haven't yet reached the point of multi-device iPad display configurations. Thanks, Grant!
Devil May Cry demo tears onto Xbox Live, PSN next week
The Devil May Cry demo is coming to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network next week, arriving in North America on November 20. As for Europe, it drops the same day on Xbox, but a day after on PS3. Capcom didn't mention a PC demo in its announcement.The demo offers two missions, including a boss battle. After one completion it unlocks the special 'Son of Sparda' difficulty, which plays around with enemies' placements and behavior as well as making them tougher to beat
