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Gamescom 2012: End of Nations trailer spotlights customization
Whether they're sporting traditional or tie-dye or polka-dots, players meeting on the battlefield in End of Nations won't have to worry about blending in with the crowd thanks to the variety of customization options available in the Armory. Trion Worlds released a trailer at Gamescom 2012 showcasing some of these available customizations in the upcoming free-to-play MMORTS. The customization in the Armory, however, goes beyond just a colorful outer shell; players also use this feature to set load outs, design and create companies, and modify units. Want different armaments? The Armory is where you get them. Check out the variety of options as well as some in-game footage in the trailer after the break. And players interested in experiencing the feature for themselves can sign up for the beta on the official site.
Claptrap Photobomb App available on Facebook
We all know Claptraps like to dance. It is known, Khaleesi. So, when a bunch of the robots showed up at the club across the street from our hotel during Gamescom, we couldn't help but snap a pic. For those who aren't so lucky, there is now an app available on the the Facebooks that will do such a thing for you.2K Games has put out the Claptrap Photobomb App on Facebook. It allows one to put Borderlands' mouthy robot into any photo – the app can also take immediate webcam pics. Uploading the photo to 2K will enter budding photojournalists into a contest to win an "ultimate loot chest," but the contest is available to US residents only. Shame we can't submit ours then.
Razer Deathstalker gaming keyboard announced, packs Switchblade UI LCD panels (hands-on)
It's pretty obvious from Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan's one-man presentation at Gamescom that he's buzzing about his new gaming keyboard. Ready to accompany the accessory maker's Ouroboros gaming mouse (hands-on impressions coming very soon), the Deathstalker will arrive in Ultimate and Standard versions. They both plump for chiclet-style keys and the pricier (and larger) Ultimate felt both light and slim. The standard issue packs three backlit color options, while the bigger board adds in Razer's light-up Switchblade UI, seen on its first gaming laptop. The first part of this is ten LCD keys that can be customized to gaming buttons or more typical PC use. They're still contextual, meaning if you launch the calculator from one of the keys, they will then transform into more appropriate calculator functions. Beneath that, a touchpanel LCD can act as a trackpad and accepts several gesture motions. It can also display your Twitter feed, game information and plenty more. The keyboard will also feature Synapse 2, Razer's new cloud-based settings service. The CEO explained that a player's custom layout and profile for the 'board could be stored online and then accessed from any computer it's plugged into, ready for your next (online) fight. Get our first impressions after our gallery and the break. %Gallery-162443% %Gallery-162445%
Razer announces new Kraken gaming headsets: Pros get a pull-out mic (hands-on)
Razer wasn't done with the Gamescom crowds just yet, revealing its latest Lime-doused gaming headset. The Razer Kraken is readying for a global launch next month, with a Pro version (with microphone in tow) hitting your wallet for 80 bucks and the similar-looking Music and Gaming cans priced around $60. Razer's pushing the headphone's ergonomic charms and we'll admit, they were pretty cosy, with some good (but not perfect) noise-isolation at work. The Kraken Pro packs a 40mm audio driver and the wired headphones will work with your phone or any device with a 3.5mm jack. Get all the audio statistics on the Hulk-esque headsets in the PR after the break. %Gallery-162452%
GDC Europe 2012: Funcom's Morrison says focus on the why, not the what
MMOs as a rule tend to have a focus on providing content for us, the players. It makes sense; they want us to play their games, so they give us as much stuff to do as possible so that we'll keep playing. But why do we want to do that stuff in the first place? Craig Morrison, creative director at Funcom Montreal, posed that question at his GDC Europe talk, saying that MMO design needs to shift to consider that option. Gamasutra covered what he has to say: "Everytime a player logs in, they need a 'why'," noted Morrison. "What we really need to be thinking about is the why -- it's the bit that we don't really consider enough. Players need a reason to be playing it. What is motivating them?" Referencing both Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Simon Simek's work on motivation, Morrison's talk ranged from discussing how games go wrong by focusing on only one kind of player to encouraging the development and fostering of community. "Unless you expose the players to the community and encourage community interactions, there's not that much difference between your game and a single-player game," he opined.
DayZ lead wants game on consoles, 'having meetings' about it at Gamescom
DayZ project lead Dean Hall "really hopes" the game is successful enough to justify a console version. Speaking to us today at Gamescom, the developer, who has been thrust into the spotlight thanks to the incredibly successful Arma2 mod, told us the only stumbling block is DayZ needs to be successful enough to justify a console version."You're not going to put it on the consoles if you're only going to sell 100,000 units or something like that," he said. "DayZ will be driven by its PC development and it will innovative on that. And, once we're at a point, we'll take it and do a Mac version, 360 and PS3."Asked if he's met with any of the console developers, he immediately chimed back, "We're meeting with them here."DayZ's publisher, Bohemia Interactive, does have a console background, and Hall has been a producer on console games in the past and knows "the pitfalls and horror that's involved with it."
Gamescom 2012: PlanetSide 2 available for hands-on play in Cologne
Players who want to experience PlanetSide 2 but haven't received that coveted beta invite have two hours of opportunity to do so this week... if they happen to be at Gamescom in Germany. Sony Online Entertainment announced that 48 game stations will be available at Booth #B-060j in the ESL CM Storm Arena (Hall 8) to help visitors to take part in battles with each other. The game stations will be open for PlanetSide 2 play in four blocks of time stretched over two days: tomorrow, August 16th, and Friday, August 17th. On both days, the available times will be 5:45 a.m. to 6:15 a.m. EDT (11:45 a.m. to 12 :15 p.m CET) and 9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. EDT (3:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. CET). Additionally, on Thursday and Friday, Creative Director Matt Higby will take the stage and present a brand-new PlanetSide 2 trailer as well as deliver several game giveaways to those who attend. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release] Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from MMOs at the show!
Gamescom 2012: New FFXIV 2.0 screenshots released
Gamescom maketh the good things flow. Today saw Square-Enix releasing a double helping of new FFXIV screenshots and artwork as a preview of what awaits fans in the game's 2.0 patch. The long-anticipated update, known as A Realm Reborn, is bringing some pretty significant changes to the game. The new images show off everything from skill effects and mounts to architecture and NPC dialogue. They serve as a mightily shiny glimpse at what's to come when the patch hits and brings a nearly universal graphical update with it. And chocobo-raising, because what good is a world without chocobo raising? [Source: Square-Enix press release] %Gallery-157176% Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from the MMOs at the show!
The invisible made visible in PS3's Rain
SCE Japan Studio's puzzle-adventure game Rain is a lot more intriguing, and its trailer much more quietly beautiful, when you can actually see it. Sony released yesterday's trailer online this morning, allowing you to get as good a look as you can considering the protagonist's invisible nature.
Gamescom 2012: DayZ stand-alone to have instanced building [Updated]
Rock, Paper Shotgun caught up with Arma II modder Dean Hall at this week's Gamescom. The braaaaains behind the zombie-centric DayZ mod revealed that player-driven construction is in the works for the mod's eventual stand-alone client. Hall says that the feature will probably take the form of underground bases accessed via portals (think a grate in the ground). He's leaning toward having players dig out the space, pour concrete, set up hydroponics, and possibly even have the structure collapse around them if it's a particularly gruesome day. DayZ's stand-alone client will also feature a revamped Chernarus that features more buildings you can actually enter as well as more detail and "entirely new areas." [Update: There are also talks of the game coming to consoles.] Every summer, the gaming industry descends on Cologne, Germany, for Gamescom, the world's largest trade fair for interactive games and entertainment. Massively's on the scene in 2012, bringing you all the best scoops, impressions, and interviews from the MMOs at the show!
Gamescom 2012: Wargaming.net teases World of Warplanes CG trailer
Wargaming.net has released a new CG trailer for its forthcoming World of Warplanes title. If you're an aviation buff or you simply like sleek machines and big explosions, the clip is pure porn that runs for just over a minute. While there's no gameplay footage, we do get to see a good representation of all the different aircraft up for grabs in the game. Everything from World War II stalwarts like the P-51 Mustang and Messerschmitt Bf-109 to Korean War birds like the F-86 are on display. There's even a glimpse of some World War I-era hardware. See for yourself after the break.
Liveblogging the Ubisoft Gamescom 2012 press conference [update: it's over!]
What's German for "Tobuscus?" Find out today as Joystiq presents live coverage of Ubisoft's Gamescom 2012 press conference. The event is due to start at 9am EDT, and will very likely be full of mostly armless heroes, shooting maniacs, Zombis, and, of course, anachronistic hoodies. Follow along with our liveblog after the break!Update: And we're out! Head past the break to see all the thrilling news from Ubi's Gamescom presser. And some pictures of people with blue light, obviously.
Command & Conquer Generals 2 launching as part of free-to-play C&C service
Command & Conquer Generals 2, originally announced at the VGAs as a new retail game by BioWare Victory, will now be released as the first "universe" of a free-to-play service called simply "Command & Conquer."Command & Conquer will launch next year as a platform for the delivery of new experiences in the strategy franchise, starting with the material originally planned as Generals 2. This move allows "gamers complete access to the cutting-edge visuals, sound and destruction of a full, AAA strategy game – for free," as EA puts it. Future "universes" will include Red Alert and Tiberium.We'll find out more about this sudden transition, and this new service, at Gamescom. Closed beta access will be given to some fans who sign up at the official site.
Why Remember Me isn't Adrift anymore
As of just "three or four months ago," Capcom and Dontnod's "Adrift" – first revealed during 2011's Gamescom Expo – wasn't yet named "Remember Me." Beyond "Adrift" being a code name, there's more to what precipitated the name change – a tonal shift for the game, for instance. "At the very beginning, memory wasn't even involved. We wanted to have a game of politics, economy, environment going 'adrift,'" Dontnod creative lead Jean-Maxime Moris told us in an interview this morning."And then, when we started the technology aspect of it, we decided to focus on social networks, and explore the memory theme," Moris added. As such, the name "Adrift" no longer fit into Dontnod's vision for the project – though we'd argue that it's still a pretty boss name, and certainly more interesting than "Remember Me."Given the approximately four years of development Remember Me has thus far been lavished with, why change the name so late in the project? "Thinking of bringing the game to market, it wasn't a good fit anymore," Moris said. It also wasn't just up to Dontnod. "The proposal actually came from Capcom," Moris said. "We found it really together with Capcom."Moris added that Remember Me fits as a name, "because it's personal, and that's what I really wanted for the game ... I want people to see our game as more about intimacy than about just hyper powers and enhancements." He's certainly not joking about that last claim – Moris took to Capcom's Gamescom press conference stage yesterday to relate a story of his first date with his girlfriend, where he tied the perception of that experience to the themes explored in Remember Me. He felt he was a failure during the date, and he wondered how things would've played out had he only done a few things differently. Thankfully for Moris, his lady friend saw things differently.Dontnod and Capcom's Remember Me launches in May 2013 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
'Routine' takes players to the moon (and maybe not back)
Routine is, according to its website, a "first person horror exploration" game. It's the first project from three-person UK indie dev Lunar Software, and while we don't know when it's going to come out or for what platforms, we do know that the above teaser trailer tickles a very specific part of our fancy (we've asked, so hopefully we'll know more soon).Set in an abandoned Moon base, Routine tasks players with uncovering the truth behind the mysterious disappearances of every person stationed there. There's no HUD, no points to collect or targeting reticle assist with aiming. In fact, there aren't even health packs or continues: Routine is a perma-death game, meaning that when you die in the game, you die for real. Okay, well, not in real life, but you do have to start all over. Which is worse, we ask you?
Borderlands 2 Mechromancer poised to ship ahead of schedule
The Mechromancer, a fifth playable class free in pre-orders of Borderlands 2, was initially announced to launch at least 60 days after the full game drops on September 18. Gearbox, apparently, is ahead of schedule."We're going to beat that estimate," producer Randy Varnell tells Joystiq at Gamescom. He is unable to specify a new release window for the new character, but he is confident the team can complete its build faster than previously thought. Gearbox finished Borderlands 2 and sent it off to certification in July, which is when it began focusing on the Mechromancer herself.
Injustice: Gods Among Us may ditch clash system
NetherRealm announced a wager system in its DC Universe fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, at E3 this year. Dubbed the clash system, this special function combines individualized cutscene cinematics with a process of betting your character's super meter, with the fighter betting the most winning the wager and getting the special move. It sounded confusing at E3, and it still is now at Gamescom, which is why NetherRealm is considering removing it from Injustice entirely."I can see the cinematic moves staying and the wager system going," NetherRealm's Adam Urbano tells Joystiq at Gamescom. NetherRealm is tweaking the clash system and may end up disposing of it entirely, while keeping the character-specific attacks and cinematics, Urbano says.
Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 gaming keyboard announced at Gamescom (hands-on)
In the hubbub of a late evening soiree in the center of Cologne, Mad Catz unveiled its new gaming keyboard. While the S.T.R.I.K.E. 7 keyboard is certainly punctuation-rich, it's aiming to match all those periods with just as many functions and permutations. The keyboard has a modular design, including a new touchscreen interface offering up some new swipe and gesture controls across both gaming titles and day-to-day PC use. Mad Catz reckons it's the final piece in their gaming range puzzle, complementing both the aforementioned R.A.T. mice and its F.R.E.Q gaming headsets. We take a closer look -- and throw in the suitably bombastic promo video -- after the break. %Gallery-162428% %Gallery-162343%
We're live from Gamescom 2012, in Cologne, Germany!
Europe's premier gaming event starts today. In fact, Sony got the party started a little early, with its own press preview last night. The PlayStation maker is the only one of the Big Three to offer up a show here, but that shouldn't mean there's nothing else to see -- this is the place for game devs and manufacturers to make an impression on Europe's tastemakers and games journalists. If you're in the area, the show even opens up to Joe Public later this week. But if the Rhine seems a little too far away, there's nothing to worry about, we'll be bringing all the notable hardware additions -- just point your browser to our Gamescom 2012 tag. Our sister site, Joystiq, is also out in force in Deutschland, so check the More Coverage link for their take on what Gamescom's got to offer.
Sony Gamescom media megapost: The Last of Us, Assassins Creed: Liberation and more
Welcome friend, to Joystiq's Sony Trailer and Gallery Wildlife Preserve. Here, you will find trailers for upcoming Sony games and/or games exclusive to Sony systems, cohabiting in a forced amalgamation of their natural habitats.Take for instance, The Last of Us' Gamescom trailer, chilling majestically above like a panther stalking its pray. Or perhaps, take a trip through the reserve's front gates and take a gander at LittleBigPlanet Vita and LittleBigPlanet Karting, Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation, Tokyo Jungle, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time and the Vita's suite of AR card games, all from the safety of your own virtual Jeep.
