gamescom-2012
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Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault coming to Vita
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault will be hitting the PlayStation Vita, Sony announced at its Gamescom press conference today. Full Frontal Assault, subtitled Q Force in Europe, will be one of the first titles to use Sony's new Cross Buy functionality, which gives people who buy a game on PS3 a copy for the Vita, for free.
Dante, Sackboy, Ratchet, Clank and Spike join PlayStation All-Stars' roster [Update: Now with trailers]
DmC's Dante, LittleBigPlanet's Sackboy, Ratchet and Clank's, well, Ratchet and Clank, and Ape Escape's Spike have just been revealed as playable characters in PlayStation All-Stars: Battle Royale during Sony's Gamescom press conference in Germany.All five four of these characters – Ratchet and Clank fight as one – were included in that leaked character roster we posted near the end of last month, which gives us hope that the other "unannounced" characters listed (Nariko, Raiden, Sir Daniel Fortesque, etc) may in fact be totes legit. The game will launch for PlayStation 3 and Vita in November, but people with both systems will only need to buy it once.Update: Trailers for each new character have been added beyond the veil.
PS Vita and PS3 cross-buy feature revealed: buy one copy, get the other free
Sony's kicked off its Gamescom event in Germany by revealing a new deal for games playable on both the PS3 and its handheld relative, the PS Vita. The incoming PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault will be two of the first titles to arrive on both -- with a single purchase giving you both versions. According to Jim Ryan, president and CEO for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, you'll get both copies in the single package but there's no word on whether both, or one, will be digital download-only. We'll update this post when we hear more.
Get your sea legs on with Assassin's Creed 3's Naval trailer from Gamescom
Who's that dashing sea captain with the ragged hair? Ah, of course – it's the half-Native / half-British protagonist of Assassin's Creed 3, Connor. And wouldn't you know it, he's got his trusty tomahawk aboard that colonial era ship. Take a peek at the leaked footage above before Ubi pulls it!Update: Ubisoft has officially released the trailer, after pulling it earlier today with a convenient copyright claim. Celebrate your freedom to watch it now.%Gallery-162449%
FIFA 13 adds real-life developments in-game with Match Day
FIFA 13 will have a feature called Match Day that incorporates real-world developments into the gameplay, through the running in-game commentary. Match Day will also affect gameplay, with team figures changing to reflect the real world numbers, and in-game stats reflecting on-pitch performance.Match Day will be included in the FIFA 13 demo, which launches September 11. The full game is out September 25 in North America and September 28 in Europe.
Live from EA's Gamescom 2012 press conference [update: it's over!]
We went all the way to Germany to see some EA news. Find out with us at 10am EDT if EA is rolling out its most artful works of the electronic arts. We'll be updating live with all the news of how loud the Battlefield sound effects are, how much speed is needed, how Alpha and Bravo get along, and ... something something FIFA.You can follow along with a stream of the event right here.
Battlefield 3 Premium Edition coming September for $70
A new version of Battlefield 3, the Battlefield 3 Premium Edition, will arrive this September, executive producer Patrick Bach announced during EA's Gamescom press conference. As the title implies, the Premium Edition includes a membership to the Battlefield Premium service which, in turn, grants access to new expansions, including Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, and the upcoming Armored Kill, End Game and Aftermath.The Premium Edition also features the "Multiplayer Head Start Kit," which includes "15 different weapons, gadgets and vehicle upgrades." The Battlefield 3 Premium Edition will launch on PC, Xbox and PS3 this September for $70 in North America, €60 in Europe and £50 in the UK.
Crysis 3's Hunter Mode is mostly cloak, no daggers
Crysis 3 will have a Hunter Mode that supports up to 16 people at one time, pitting a majority group of CELL troopers against a handful of cloaked Hunters. Hunters try to eliminate CELL enemies before the clock runs down, with each trooper killed respawning as a Hunter.Crytek demonstrated a nine-player round of Hunter Mode during EA's Gamescom presentation today.
SimCity PC beta registration open as soon as the site goes live [Update: It's up!]
Registration for a closed SimCity beta has now opened, EA and Maxis announced during their Gamescom press conference in Cologne, Germany. Or rather, it will be open as soon as the registration page goes live, which as of press time it has not.Eventually though, prospective PC mayors can register for their chance to benevolently/malevolently control the lives of millions ahead of the game's February release window. No word yet on when the beta will actually take place, or whether Mac mayors will get to join in on the fun of not getting to sign up for a SimCity beta.Update: The site is now live and accepting beta applications. Go get the key to your almost-guaranteed-to-be-obscenely-named city!
Origin coming to Mac, getting achievements and free-to-play later this year
Over 21 million users have signed up for Origin, EA COO Peter Moore revealed during the publisher's annual Gamescom keynote – Origin currently has over 500 games from more than 50 publishers. But more exciting than boasting figures was the news that the service would be available to Mac users sometime this year.It's part of improvements coming to the platform overall, improvements which include the integration of achievements and adding free-to-play gaming. Not only that, but EA is bringing its digital distribution platform to, well, other platforms, like Android and Facebook.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted to ditch traditional car unlocks, let you smash your friend's face
In Criterion's upcoming Need for Speed: Most Wanted, every car in the game will be available almost immediately, executive producer Matt Webster said during EA's Gamescom press event today. Webster asked the crowd why players can't just choose any car they want at the beginning of a game, saying that the only thing holding developers back is 20 years of tradition. "An open world game deserves an open game structure," he said, adding that "if you can find it, you can drive it." Adding to the open nature of Most Wanted's progression, unlocking upgrades for a specific car is as easy as driving it.Another Most Wanted feature involves competing with your friends. The team at Criterion thought it would be great to show which of your friends have made the best jump in a given area, for example. The solution, just slap up an in-game billboard of your friend's face. If you want to break your buddy's record, all you have to do is smash right through his or her face (as illustrated by the about-to-be-obliterated image of Peter Moore's mug seen above).Furthermore, a feature called CloudCompete will allow players to track their friends activity and earn multiplayer points across multiple devices, including iOS, PC, Mac, Vita and consoles.Need for Speed: Most Wanted will launch on October 30 in North America and on November 1 in Europe.
The Simpsons: Tapped Out returns to iOS this week
If you've missed the iOS social game The Simpsons: Tapped Out, it's returning to the App Store this week, after being quickly pulled earlier this year. EA's Peter Moore reports that it'll have enhanced graphics, and content tying in with the current 24th season of the show.Oh hey, The Simpsons is still on, apparently!
NHL 13 EU demo out next week, full title rushing the ice Sept. 13
Pulling someone's shirt over their head and them punching them in the gut is a great way to pass the time and everything, but sometimes you need a structured sporting event built around beating the tar out of someone. Thus, hockey was invented, and has been continually reinvented every year by EA's NHL series of games.The latest entry, NHL 13, will be available in demo form for Europeans with XBL and/or PSN access on August 21 and 22 respectively, EA has just announced during its Gamescom conference in Cologne, Germany. The full game will crush your spine against a plexiglass barrier on September 13.
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel takes out baddies with Overkill mode
Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel will include a new Overkill mode, which can be activated to allow you and your buddy to dole out extra damage for a limited amount of time. Players can activate Overkill mode by taking down enemies.EA showed off a split-screen demo of The Devil's Cartel, including Overkill, at its Gamescom press conference today. During the demo, Alpha and Bravo took out a helicopter with a handgun, and absolutely no one was surprised.
SimCity comes to Mac in February
What press conference? We just got an email from EA alerting us to the Mac release of the new SimCity, due in February.Sold digitally through Origin, the newly announced Mac version has the same release window as the previously announced PC version.
Industry vet Don Daglow on how failure is a tough sell for American gamers
Americans, according to Don Daglow, have trouble with failure, especially when it comes to their games. He should know, he has an impressive resumé, dating all the way back to the Intellivision and the early days of Electronic Arts and extending through the likes of the original Neverwinter Nights. Daglow directed his comments to developers during a panel at GDC Europe, exposing just one of the facts about American culture that baffle European game designers.While traditional education systems teach students to try to succeed and learn from their failures, he said, the American education system has evolved to the point that failure has largely been removed from the equation entirely. "The idea of failure has been dramatically reduced," he said, noting that American students don't "fail." Rather, they are "challenged," a concept that Daglow believes European developers should keep in mind when trying to design games that will succeed in the American market.The concept of failure as an inducement to try again and succeed is difficult for many Americans to accept. Many will blame their failure on the game itself, instead of recognizing their mistake and trying again. The key to breaking through to an American audience, he said, is encouragement, individuality and grabbing the player's interest as quickly as possible. "If you think of the best James Bond movies, the first ten minutes is an experience all unto itself. You're on this joy ride," he said, "don't wait to entertain people."On the bright side, once you do grab a player's interest, the habits of Americans and Europeans are practically identical. Once a player enjoys a game, said Daglow, they will stick with it despite their cultural leanings – and their abject failures.
Hitman: Absolution features asynchronous multiplayer 'Contracts' mode
Hitman: Absolution will feature an asynchronous multiplayer mode known as "Contracts," IO Interactive revealed at a Gamescom event. Players make their own scenarios, targeting any three characters on a given level with any weapons, and challenging other players to complete the contract in less time (and for more money).For example, in the oft-seen library scene where Agent 47 is trying to get away from a group of cops, it is now possible to make an original kill scenario. Players take out a target, choosing a specific weapon. Then they can do that to two other characters, then escape the scenario – and upload that to the contracts server.Developer IO Interactive says there will be weekly contracts. Earned money can be used to start scenarios with weapons and disguises. For example, if you know a specific costume helps you blend in a certain level, you'll be able to start the level wearing it to reduce time. The mode will be playable at Gamescom and IO will release a video detailing the new mode tomorrow.%Gallery-162335%
'Half-Life 3' pops up on Gamescom product listing
Is Valve showing Half-Life 3 at Gamescom 2012? One product list from the event's official page certainly thinks so, but ... well, come on now. We've been hearing about (or, rather, not hearing about) Half-Life 3 in some form or another for a few years now, all the while Valve Software stayed silent. As it stands, we're not sure what to make of this, but its place on an official product list from the gigantic gaming convention we're at makes it pretty hard to ignore.Has the official Gamescom site been hacked, and a fake PDF uploaded? We sure hope not, but boy are we wary of anything Half-Life 3.Also of note, Dragon Age 3 appears on the list, as do lots of other (known) titles. We've reached out to both Valve and the Gamescom folks to see what's up, and we'll let you know as soon as we hear more.Update: Valve's VP of marketing Doug Lombardi told Lambda Generation in July, "We will have the Steam team there to meet with developers and publishers. No game showing planned." Sorry, folks! We'll be sure to take a look around Valve's booth as soon as Gamescom opens officially tomorrow.Update 2: Gamescom organizers characterized the listings for both Half-Life 3 and Dragon Age 3 as "a mistake," but wouldn't explain to Eurogamer why the listings appeared. The plot thickens!Update 3: Valve rep Doug Lombardi reconfirmed with us that, "We are not showing any games in Cologne this year." Welp, that's that, folks. Unless it's not, of course.Update 4: Gamescom's organizers tell us, "We can not officially announce it. Please check our list for further changes. Please see the legend for information about the sources."[Thanks Roelosaurus]
Seen@GDC Europe: The adorable video that led to GoldenEye 007
When Martin Hollis first pitched GoldenEye 007 to Rare boss Tim Stamper in 1995, he had worked as a programmer on the arcade version of Killer Instinct. That wasn't, however, his greatest credential to direct the project, he told an audience at GDC Europe. No, his greatest credential was a video he created with his brothers when he was 18.We managed to record the video during the GoldenEye 007 postmortem and, as you'll see, Hollis has been a Bond fan for quite some time. We'll have more from the postmortem soon.
Capcom and Dontnod team up for new game, 'Remember Me'
Remember Me is a cyberpunk, third-person action game from Capcom and Paris-based developer Dontnod Entertainment, set to launch in May 2013 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Remember Me is the new wrapper for Adrift, a game we covered at Gamescom last year."Set in 2084 Neo Paris, where memories are bought and sold," Remember Me stars Nilin, an elite memory hunter. She is trained in martial arts and has the job of stealing and changing people's memories, while the company Memoryeyes saves these memories in the cloud. Nilin's entire identity is erased, and the game's story takes off when she wakes up in the Bastille prison.As the above video demonstrates, Remember Me channels the brawling of Devil May Cry and aesthetic of Deus Ex.
