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The adventure game classic 'Grim Fandango' is coming to PS4 and PS Vita
Just because LucasArts as an active game studio is no more doesn't mean that some of its original franchises are going the way of the dodo -- far from it. Double Fine's Tim Schafer has revealed at Sony's E3 event that the classic 1998 adventure game Grim Fandango will be re-released on the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. Details of the remake aren't available just yet, but it's safe to presume that some visual upgrades are coming to Manny's journey through the Mexican Land of the Dead. Update: Double Fine has confirmed via Twitter that the remake is also coming to PC, Mac and Linux platforms.
SWTOR's Spoils of War update offers casinos, tweaks group finder
In Star Wars: The Old Republic's most recent dev blog, designers Chris Schmidt, Alex Modny, and George Smith discuss the major game systems headed to servers with the 2.8 Spoils of War update -- specifically, the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife event, PvP tweaks, and the story mode ops group finder. Nar Shaddaa casinos will feature slot machines that award special buffs, weapons, armor, cosmetic abilities, and mounts -- like a ridable Rancor -- to lucky gamblers. Participants in Galactic Starfighter matches and Warzones will begin receiving double rewards, and two new ship variants, the Assault Bomber and Skirmisher Gunship, will become available. In an effort to reduce queue time, the group finder will utilize the 16-man story mode difficulty for operations and bolster gear rating for all players. Rewards will also be increased. Read the full dev blog at the official site.
Take a tour of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Coruscant Skyrise
Looking for a new apartment in a galaxy far, far away? Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Strongholds: Return of the Colon wants to move you into a spacious Coruscant Skyrise this summer. In a new video released today, SWTOR shows off some of the looks and amenities of the Skyrise player apartment. As long as you don't have a strong fear of heights, it could be perfect for your character. Check out the trailer after the break and see if this is the pad for you!
Hyperspace Beacon: Beating the system in the new SWTOR event
I'm not a huge fan of gambling in general. "The house always wins" isn't a motto, it's the truth. But if you have fun while you're doing it, then it's fine that the house wins. However, I don't have fun playing most gambling games, especially the overly simplistic ones like slot machines. Some gambling establishments will claim to have the loosest slots in the business, but I can tell you that the slot machines in Club Vertigo and the Star Cluster Casino are not that loose. But there is a best way to play the game. On June 10th, Star Wars: The Old Republic launches Update 2.8: Spoils of War, and the casino event called the Festival of Splendor along with most of the patch already resides on the public test server. Over the last week or so, Voidmynx (a.k.a Laura Williams from Gamebreaker's The Republic and HSB Sci-Fi MMO Show) and I have tried multiple methods to beat the slots. And I believe we've found a decent one.
Star Wars: The Old Republic housing will not disappoint, devs promise
Housing in a galaxy far, far away will be "nothing like any system" we have seen in MMOs before, say the devs. At a recent Vancouver Star Wars: The Old Republic cantina community event with the devs, McSleuth Gaming took down detailed notes from the Q&A session and intermingling that followed. One of the questions probed the type of housing that Galactic Strongholds will offer, to which a dev replied, "I will say though it is nothing like any system in any other MMO out there right now; it is completely different and a new style. I promise you, as a fan of housing you will not be disappointed in how our works. Seriously. We have put a lot of thought into making it customizable." If you're hoping for looser free-to-play restrictions, well, don't hold your breath. "Every time something new is added for F2P it actually is simultaneously taking something away from subs perks," the devs hedged. "So there needs to be balance and that is something we are always looking at changing." Meanwhile, Massively's Larry has several pictures of the new casino event and stronghold construction coming to the game, so check them out! [Thanks to Dengar for the tip!]
Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider previews future updates
Do you want to know what the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic looks like? The latest installment of Star Wars: The Old Republic Insider hosted by community manager Eric Musco is all about that, covering the upcoming Galactic Strongholds expansion as well as what players can expect in terms of PvP and community events. If you've been avidly following every bit of news about the game, you've quite possibly seen some of what the game has to offer, but if you've been a bit out of the loop it's a great chance to check out the new features of strongholds and the refinements made to PvP. Check out the full video just past the break.
'Summer of SWTOR' plans updated
BioWare Senior Producer Bruce Maclean took to the forums today to give an updated plan for the "Summer of SWTOR" that's coming to an MMO near you and to a galaxy far, far away. The updated schedule for the next few months of the game are as follows: June 10th: Game Update 2.8 arrives with a playable Nar Shaddaa Casino, double PvP currency events, a double Starfighter currency event, an overhaul to groupfinder operations, a nightmare mode for Dread Palace, an update to the nightmare mode for Dread Fortress, two new starfighters, and various tweaks. June through August: BioWare will cycle through all of its major in-game events, one after another, between the launch of 2.8 and the arrival of 2.9. August 19th: Game Update 2.9, also known as the Galactic Strongholds expansion, will unlock for subscribers. This will include the Forged Alliances storyline. Maclean also teased that his team has "a lot of folks working on something very big for later this year that [he has] yet to give details on."
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite fast travel gimmick?
Fast travel is ubiquitous in MMOs nowadays, but not every game goes the extra mile to make it an immersive experience. Star Wars: The Old Republic does, at least in my opinion, and I rediscovered as much when I logged in for a few minutes over the weekend. I picked up my Imperial Agent on Corellia where I'd left off some months before, but I'd forgotten about that spiffy sci-fi tram that speeds you to and from the planet's various quest districts. It's almost like a cutscene, and there may be some zone loading going on in the background, I don't know, but it's much better than a static transition screen with an image. What about you, Massively readers? Do you have a favorite fast travel gimmick? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Star Wars 1313 production art is a beautiful, painful reminder
Like a certain Mandalorian bounty hunter crawling out from the belly of a sarlacc, images from the canceled Star Wars 1313 game have defied death and are once more flying about, ready to be admired. Brazilian artist Bruno Werneck's work on the game has been spotted over at Filmpaint Studio, and if you were heartbroken about the game's cancellation before, just take a look at what could have been. Gaze ye upon Hoth, Tatooine, Coruscant ... and despair. Or be happy to have something to remember 1313 by. Whichever way you want to spin it. [Image: Bruno Werneck]
SWTOR's double XP weekend starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT
If, like me, you've got an account full of Star Wars: The Old Republic characters who still haven't seen the other side of level 50, you'll want to take advantage of this weekend's accelerated experience gain. And hey, if you're already maxed, you can still enjoy double Legacy XP. The promotion starts at 2:00 p.m. EDT and runs through Monday at 3:00 a.m. EDT. Full details are available at the official SWTOR website.
SWTOR releases Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace video
Housing: It's the year's MMO buzzword, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is getting it come August. BioWare has just released a new video narrated by producer Jack Wood, who previews the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace due out with this summer's Galactic Strongholds expansion. We've embedded the new (albeit short!) trailer below.
Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR's plan to survive 2014
Star Wars: The Old Republic launched successfully but ran into issues shortly thereafter because of its unpolished endgame. Despite this, even the loudest haters agreed that the personal story held the game together. Although thousands of people played through the same questlines, players latched onto these stories because they felt personal and unique to the individual player. Unfortunately, the MMO could not retain that individual feel for a number of reasons, including a focus on larger storylines and a considerable staff reduction. This year in particular, BioWare wants to turn things around so that it focuses on core ideas that made the game enjoyable in the first place. But how does the development team plan on doing that without creating new personal story arcs? Are there ways to keep the players connected and immersed without class stories? BioWare is going to give it a shot.
Star Wars: The Old Republic handing out free astromech pets
The internet and geek culture sure love its made-up holidays, doesn't it? And so, as we are on the verge of Star Wars Day ("May the fourth be with you"), Star Wars: The Old Republic is preparing to celebrate by giving away adorable blue astromech droid pets to its playerbase. Players who log in any time from April 29th through May 4th will be able to claim the MT-4T droid minipet. SWTOR will also be hosting a double-XP weekend starting Friday, May 2nd, at 2:00 p.m. EDT and ending on Monday, May 5th, at 3:00 a.m. EDT.
SWTOR's Galactic Strongholds early access delayed for more features
Star Wars: The Old Republic senior producer Bruce Maclean has penned a new producer's letter focused on the upcoming Galactic Strongholds expansion. He states that for GS to truly feel like an expansion, "it needs to include the full set of features including those originally coming later in the year." As such, BioWare is delaying the start of subscriber early access from June 24th to August 19th. Maclean says the additional time will allow the devs to add conquest events, expanded guild flagship functionality, the Tatooine Homestead stronghold, and the ability to place vehicles, mounts, pets, and companions as player housing decorations. BioWare has also moved the deadline date for subscribers who are looking to get early access rewards. It's now July 15th instead of May 11th, meaning that you'll need to sub up by the former date if you want the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with three additional rooms and the other promised goodies. After the August 19th subscriber early access period, preferred early access and the official launch will follow in September and October. [Thanks ninjonxb!]
One Shots: You won't believe what color this horse is
Let's start our time together today by playing a game! The game is this: You have until you hit the "continue reading" button to figure out what color this horse (well, technically a unicorn) is. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. This picture comes from reader Becca: "Here is my EverQuest 2 Fury, Sarense, riding her mighty steed. I spent a few hours grinding out candy hearts to get this mount, which shoots hearts out of his eyes and hooves (unfortunately not captured here). He's a hardcore stallion. Look at his cocky stare. He knows that you know he's a badass." My apologies in advance for our colorblind readers who think that this game is unfair. I'll tell you the answer to be fair: It's purple. Shh! Don't tell the rest of our readers, OK?
Former LucasArts president now CEO at Dungeon Defenders dev
Darrell Rodriguez, who served as president of LucasArts between 2008 and 2010, will now lead Dungeon Defenders developer Trendy Entertainment as its CEO, the studio has announced. Rodriguez, who most recently served as Chief Creative Officer at casino game creator International Game Technology, said in a press release that he was drawn to the studio due to it being "among the first companies to recognize that digitally distributed releases deserve the same high-quality treatment as traditional retail titles." "AAA doesn't belong to AAA anymore, and finding fellow video game industry veterans who understand this is an exciting proposition," Rodriguez said. Trendy's Dungeon Defenders 2, sequel to the studio's 2010 hit Dungeon Defenders, recently dropped its MOBA-inspired mode to focus on the game's unique blend of tower defense and RPG elements. It's expected to launch later this year. [Image: Trendy Entertainment]
Star Wars: The Old Republic brings changes to second PvP season
While Star Wars: The Old Republic is currently on a break between PvP seasons, the dev team has a few words to say about what awaits in Season 2. A new dev blog posted today outlines the changes that Season 2 will bring. These include a shorter season length of three months, quicker rewards, slower rollouts of new gear sets, and daily and weekly PvP quests. The team is also going to hand out a unique reward to the top 96 PvP players. Season 2 will commence with Update 2.7.1.
Report: LucasArts canceled Darth Maul origins game
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to canceled Star Wars video games. Okay, so maybe it wasn't hate or the Dark Side that spelled the death of a Darth Maul-centric Star Wars video game, but rather a chaotic triangle relationship between developer Red Fly Studios, publisher LucasArts and George Lucas. Game Informer reports in its May issue that the game explored the early days of Maul's life, giving an up-close and personal look at Sith training. Or rather, it would have, had two major changes to the game not thrown Death Star-sized wrenches into the proverbial gears. Ex-Red Fly employees speaking under condition of anonymity told Game Informer that it felt like LucasArts wanted to tie the game to the Clone Wars animated TV show. However, LucasArts only gave sparse details and vague hints to prevent any kind of leaks, which left Red Fly without a clear direction or vision for the game. The studio developed new prototypes for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii U, including a "forward stealth" design inspired by Batman: Arkham Asylum. The biggest vision shift, however, came from George Lucas himself. According to one source, Lucas took statues of Darth Maul and Darth Talon - a character from the Star Wars comics from Dark Horse - faced them toward one another, and declared, "They're friends!" When it was brought to Lucas' attention that Maul and Talon lived more than a century and a half apart from one another, Lucas reportedly suggested it could be a clone or descendant that players controlled instead of the original Maul. Game Informer obtained images and concept art of key characters and locales the game could have featured, and some are just as outlandish as the concept of Talon and Maul teaming up, including a redesigned Darth Krayt and an ocean city pulled along by colossal eels. The whole story is, as the kids say, pretty cray. [Image: Disney]
SWTOR's Game Update 2.7 is live
BioWare has published Star Wars: The Old Republic's 2.7 update. It includes a new story arc spanning two new level 55 flashpoints: Assault on Tython and Korriban Incursion. The story "will continue to be expanded through the year culminating in an incredible finale," the company says. Other additions include the Quesh Huttball Pit warzone, Dread Fortress nightmare mode, a new Galactic Starfighter domination map called Denon Exosphere, and "a plethora of bug fixes."
SWTOR 'make good' double XP weekend starts April 11
BioWare is hosting what it calls a "make good" double XP weekend in Star Wars: The Old Republic starting on April 11th. Community manager Eric Musco posted the details yesterday on the game's official forums, where he explained that the event is intended as a goodwill gesture due to the problems some players experienced with double XP in the Kuat Drive Yards flashpoint. [Thanks Dengar!]
