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Torchlight 'hopefully' out on XBLA and PSN by holidays, has sold 750,000 units
Runic Games had dreams of putting Torchlight on Xbox Live Arcade, then it put "serious effort" into a console version, and now the studio is hoping to have the game out by this holiday for PSN and XBLA. Runic CEO Max Schaefer told Joystiq at Gamescom today, "We're trying, we're talking [to Sony and Microsoft] and we hope to get that done quickly." Although there's no release window, he told us it'll "hopefully" be available "by the holidays." Schaefer also told us the game has now sold over 750,000 units and is en route to a million. The RPG reached the half-million milestone back in May after launching in October, following a tiny development time of 10 months. If the sales figure seems a bit low, the executive mentioned that piracy has been an issue, but they have no way of tracking how many illegal copies were made. As for Torchlight 2 on consoles, Schaefer told us Runic will "try" to get the multiplayer sequel to consoles sometime after the PC and Mac release. %Gallery-72098%
Famitsu interview covers the testing of Final Fantasy XIV
After the recent interview confirming that some of the disliked aspects of the game weren't going away, it's understandable that some Final Fantasy XIV fans might have felt a bit disheartened. After all, it's easy to feel as if the developers weren't trying to listen to the players at all about their issues. The newest interview to come out of Gamescom, however, should help to alleviate some of those fears. Famitsu, frequently a good source for game information, had a chance to chat with some of the team about the game's testing schedule and their interactions with feedback. Two of the big issues highlighted are the controls and the user interface -- both polished since earlier phases and both continuing to be polished. The team wants control to be smooth with or without a gamepad, whether you don't have a gamepad or simply choose not to use one. There's also a mention of further classes possible, including pet classes, and the acknowledgment that the development team is currently debating the two-day guildleve timer after all. Take a look at the full interview if you're interested in Final Fantasy XIV, as it covers some interesting ground.
Overheard @ Gamescom: A development house divided
Like many Wii games before it, the upcoming revival of Goldeneye 007 supports a number of different controllers. You'll be able to play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Classic Controller, a GameCube controller or even the Wii Zapper. But surely one of these myriad methods must be the preferred control scheme among the development team, right? Well, no, not really. "There's a house divided, at least amongst ourselves," said Activision production coordinator Graham Hagmaier while presenting a demo of the game at Gamescom this week. "A lot of us play with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. I prefer this particular scheme [the Classic Controller], just because I used to play a lot of FPS games on [the Xbox] 360 and PS3, and for a lot of people those are very popular formats. But it just depends on your proficiency with the controller." The team's proficiency with the Wii Zapper was left unaddressed.
Age of Empires Online promises not to nickle-and-dime players
Love it, hate it or meeky accept it, the terms "freemium" and "free-to-play" come with a lot of baggage these days, sometimes to the point of overshadowing the game itself. When Age of Empires fans heard that Microsoft was going to be releasing an online version of the hit RTS series, some of the fans' enthusiasm was tempered by the word that it would adopt the popular freemium business model. Microsoft Game Studio's Dave Luehmann was on hand at Gamescom to assure players that the company isn't out to nickle-and-dime fans to skip parts of the game they don't like. Joystiq reports that they won't be adopting the same strategy as other F2P models. "I don't like to pay for things I don't like to do, that seems kind of backwards," Luehmann said. "So how about we produce things that people actually want?" Instead of purchasing a lot of little items, the studio will simply put up large chunks of content as one-time purchases. These might include a new civilization or an area containing a plethora of quests. Microsoft is still feeling out a fair price point for the additional content, but it pointed to the fact that Age of Empires Online will ship with more than 25 hours of completely free entertainment to enjoy.
Guild Wars 2 wins best online game at Gamescom
The ArenaNet staffers have been working pretty hard this week -- both at Gamescom and at home in Seattle -- to make the world premiere of Guild Wars 2 gameplay an event to remember. Their hard work paid off this morning when Guild Wars 2 was presented with the award for Best Online Game of Gamescom 2010. "We're honored and delighted to receive this award," says ArenaNet, and credit was given to quite a few others who helped make it happen at Gamescom as well. "We'd like to thank our Gamescom collaborators, Razer, Alienware, nVidia, Flashpoint and Intel, and to send a special thanks to our fans in Cologne and all over the world!" We at Massively join all the fans in congratulating everyone at ArenaNet!
Darkspore screens filled with spore creatures, totally dark
In case you were wondering about the validity of Darkspore's "darkness" or its inclusion of Spore creatures, these screens from Gamescom should more than clear that up. An ice level? Check. A fire level? Totally. What, you wanted a water level? Nope. Wait a sec ...
THQ reveals DLC for Red Faction: Battlegrounds
Red Faction is kind of a big deal -- maybe you didn't know? The franchise is getting its fourth full retail game early next year (Red Faction: Armageddon), a television tie-in on SyFy (Red Faction: Origins), and even a downloadable title for XBLA, PSN, and PC (Red Faction: Battlegrounds). The downloadable property, however, will be getting tied to the other Red Faction ... things in production. Speaking with StrategyInformer, a THQ rep said that two downloadable content packs will be released for Battlegrounds, one of which contains extra vehicles, while the other will somehow tie to the forthcoming Syfy show. Furthermore, Achievements (and presumably Trophies as well) from Battlegrounds will unlock content in Armageddon, though it wasn't made clear what type of content that will be (the coveted ostrich hammer, perchance?). Battlegrounds will be available sometime in "early 2011."
Rock Band 3 songs leaked by video
A video coming out of Germany's Gamescom convention yesterday may have accidentally revealed a whole mess of unannounced tracks for upcoming rhythm/music title Rock Band 3. During an interview shot by YouTube user GottGamesShow (since taken down), an RB3 rep could be seen scrolling through the entire setlist for the game, apparently revealing tracks from John Lennon's "Imagine" to Devo's "Whip It." RockBandAide grabbed the whole list before the video went down, which we've dropped for you after the break. And though we've reached out to Harmonix and MTV Games for confirmation, we'd like to point out that, for now, the songs could potentially be future Rock Band Network tracks or simply placeholder. That said, we're hoping they're not -- we're pretty psyched about the two songs we already mentioned, and frankly, it's all about James Brown. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Next gen PSP to have touch controls -- on the wrong side?
Touchscreen controls are nice for some applications but, until someone invents transparent fingers, they're a real bother for gaming. Many, including Apple, have toyed with the idea of putting the touch sensitive sections on the back of the device, and we have strong rumors coming out of Gamescom this week that this is the path Sony is taking for its next-generation PSP. Now, we've been hearing various rumors about this thing for just about as long as we've known about the first-gen PSP, but Sony is said to be quietly showing off a prototype unit about the size of a PSP-3000. While everyone agrees about the touch-sensitive portion 'round the back, it's unknown what (if any) physical controls will go along with it. A release date for the thing is also unclear, with some saying next year and others saying it'll be later than that. Whenever it ships we hope it'll do the right thing and finally put the UMD format out of its misery.
Persistent issues and Final Fantasy XIV
There are certain recurring complaints heard about Final Fantasy XIV's beta, especially with players freely able to share their experiences. The fact that guildleves are on a 48-hour timer and the lack of easy and efficient mana regeneration are two of the more persistent ones, and a recent interview with Hiromichi Tanaka at Gamescom address just those complaints among others. But it's not all roses and sunshine -- if you're one of the testers hoping for the guildleve timer to be reduced, you're flat out of luck. Tanaka makes it clear that several of these issues are part of the intended design -- guildleves, for instance, are doable solo or in groups, but they aren't meant to just be burned through solo each time they're up. As a result, the team is looking into how to give better incentives to group up and share guildleves. MP regeneration is meant to be difficult, and spells are supposed to be a choice of using up limited resources. There are several interesting answers in the interview, but not every Final Fantasy XIV player will be happy with the content of those answers
Knights Contract seems really, really dangerous
We're all for super tough, magical knights with transforming sword/scythe weapons. Snarling 15-foot beasts, though? Not so much. The latest trailer for Knights Contract features both. This could pose a problem for us, juxtaposing two things that we, respectively, like and despise. When we saw the magical knights brutally murder a handful of the beasts ... we'll be honest: it made us feel a lot better. Hopefully you'll click past the break and it'll have the same effect on you.%Gallery-99725%
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 isn't short on characters
Naruto games tend to be on the gorgeous side of things, and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 looks to be another visually impressive entry in the franchise. And that attractiveness won't be lacking for applications, as the game features "over 40" playable characters, evidenced by its latest trailer from Gamescom. If you were looking for a Naruto trailer with, like, dozens of combinations of characters fighting each other, this is the one for you. If not, well, maybe this Dragonball: Raging Blast 2 trailer is more up your alley? We're doing the best we can here, folks.%Gallery-99730%
Razer BlackWidow Ultimate mechanical keyboard offers backlit, programmable keys
There are mechanical keyboards, and then there's Razer's newest duo. For the past three years, the gaming accessory company has been toiling in a back room trying to figure out how to really get mechanical keyboards right; according to it, the vast majority of the options today "feature stiff keys that cause key actuation fatigue," and it has sought to remedy said issue with the BlackWidow and BlackWidow Ultimate. Launched today over at Gamescom, these two keyboards offer key actuation that feels much like a mouse click, with an actuation point that's actually halfway through the full travel distance. The company claims that its power-packin' pair has one of the lightest actuation forces for all keyboards, making it ideal for hardcore gamers who can't be bothered with missing a single keystroke. The standard BlackWidow offers up fully programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording as well as five additional gaming keys, while the Ultimate edition adds individually backlit keys with five levels of lighting, 3.5mm audio and microphone out jacks as well as an additional USB port. Both 'boards are due out next month for $79.99 / $129.99, respectively, and you can peek the full specs list in the press release just past the break.
Cataclysm needs a "couple more months" before release
German entertainment site Gamona landed an interview with World of Warcraft Game Director Tom Chilton at Gamescom 2010. They cover a myriad of topics including Tol Barad, guild leveling, the state of the various classes in the Cataclysm beta and the reasoning behind Facebook integration into their games. But perhaps the most interesting piece of data is that according to Tom Chilton, Cataclysm needs "a couple more months" of work. While that might seem terribly obvious to some, it's the closest thing to an official timetable we've heard from Blizzard or a Blizzard employee beyond the aim for releasing in 2010. A "couple more months" would set the launch firmly after BlizzCon and leaning closer to the holiday season. Mike Morhaime recently confirmed that the expansion was still on track for a 2010 release, so we're most likely looking at a November or December launch. I, for one, look forward to another middle-of-winter midnight release. Head on over to Gamona.de for the full video interview.
Warhammer Online's RvR pack announced
Mention "Skaven" to your average Warhammer Online player, and you'll be treated to an almost instant recitation of all the reasons why the race ought to be playable. It appears that players might be due to get that wish -- as well as a few more wishes -- with the announcement of the RvR pack for the game. Although we only have the broadest strokes of an outline for the pack, it promises to expand the game's core focus of PvP with an increase in the renown ranks to 100. Executive Producer Carrie Gouskos has confirmed the involvement of the Skaven, although she's stated that they'll not be playable directly from level 1. How the integration will take place is unclear, as are most of the fine details, although the pack will clearly be a big change for the game's overall structure. The pack is also meant to move away from the "huge expansion" model that's common in the MMO genre, with the company presumably moving to several smaller expansions on a quicker timetable. It's good news for Warhammer Online players to see what's coming around the bend, especially if players can run about sowing chaos as ravenous rat-men.
Latest Splatterhouse trailer shows off retro roots, machetes them
The strangest concept for us about this fall's Splatterhouse re-imagining is the departure it takes from the series' 16-bit origins. Oddly, the latest trailer features a mashup of the original game with the new one, spliced with music from the original. We'll be honest -- it's pretty confusing. That, however, is significantly less of an issue than one of the screenshots Namco sent along with the new trailer. It's ... well, let's just say it's probably not the safest image for your boss to see. Or anyone, really. Actually, you know what? Maybe just stick with the trailer for now. Besides, you probably don't have enough Tide in your house to get out the stains left by this screen. We sure didn't.%Gallery-99731%
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow whipping up Oct. 7 EU release date, Oct. 8 in UK
During a Konami press conference at Gamescom, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow producer David Cox took to the mic to announce European and UK release dates for the forthcoming game: October 7 in Europe and October 8 in the UK. Furthermore, Konami UK rep Richie Churchill revealed via his Twitter account that the game will be getting a distinct collector's edition for (at very least) the UK, featuring the game's original soundtrack and a "replica God Mask in awesome packaging." Wait a minute -- why don't we get a God Mask?! Anyway, given the way European and UK releases work, it's fair to guess that Lords of Shadow will land stateside on October 5 (as compared to the Halloween release date Amazon gave it), sans God Mask. That's exciting enough, we guess.
Behind the scenes with Guild Wars 2 cinematics and demo
ArenaNet scheduled quite a few hands-on sessions for Guild Wars 2 at Gamescom this week, and the first reports are beginning to show up from those lucky enough to get playtime on the first day. IGN has an overview posted with plenty of exciting new details on character creation, events, weapons, and much more. The demo included quite a few events that the writer stumbled across and a battle with an "enormous, purple, glowing dragon," presumably an unrecognized Shatterer. If you've not seen the write-up yet, it's definitely worth your time. While you're at it, pay a visit to the ArenaNet blog as well. The crew back in Seattle is keeping busy, and there is a new blog entry with a video entitled "Creating Guild Wars 2 cinematics." Finally, don't forget to watch for Massively's recap of the Gamescom events on Monday!
Gamescom 2010: Guild Wars 2 demo video available, dev confirms necro class
Yesterday's footage of Guild Wars 2 being shown at Gamescom caused a huge stir in the GW2 community, but it was a little different than the one-on-one demos we've been waiting on. The first video was attendee footage of a developer player in godmode, who was invisible to the enemies for the sake of showing off some details of the game. Today, we get the real thing. 1UP has footage of their demo available, and it's a human vs. earth elemental battle on a pretty grand scale. That's not the only news coming out of Cologne this morning, though. Spong.com is reporting in a brief blurb that Colin Johanson told them that the necromancer is indeed the next class to be revealed. While ArenaNet has not announced this anywhere, in the demo video you are able to hear the necro class and a few of its abilities mentioned. Follow along after the jump to see the demo firsthand, and don't forget to keep an eye on NCsoft's live feed from Gamescom!
Gamescom 2010: BioWare reveals 10 new advanced classes for TOR
We've known for a while now that Star Wars: The Old Republic is planning to offer players two different specializations for each class, but up until now we've only heard of a couple of them. Today at Gamescom, however, BioWare unloaded the names and loose descriptions of ten advanced classes. The best part? No Bothans died for this information. Darth Hater reports that imperial agent characters will have the choice between specializing as snipers (long-range DPS) or operatives (who use stealth and short-range weapons to get up close and personal). If a bounty hunter is more to your liking, then the choice between a powertech and a mercenary should get your imagination racing. Over on the Republic side, troopers will sign up for either commando or vanguard training. Commandos are the tanking line, although we don't know much about vanguards yet. SWTOR-Station spied a Zabrak trooper at the BioWare booth, indicating another possible race for the class. Force-users are also in store for powerful upgrades. The villainous Sith inquisitors choose their path between a more Force-happy sorcerer or the twin lightsaber-using assassin. Their counterpart, the Jedi consular, has a similar decision to make: that of a shadow, who can use double-bladed lightsabers, or a wizard, who uses a single lightsaber but can heal. Are Star Wars fans ready for wizards and sorcerers in their MMO? Somehow, we think so.
