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Trials Fusion gets eight-racer multiplayer by the end of the year
Ubisoft detailed a coming improvement to its motorcycle racer Trials Fusion this week, a new online multiplayer mode. At the game's launch in April, it included four-player local competitions, which our review of the game deemed "halfhearted." Developer RedLynx will provide a free update that adds support for races between eight players online by the end of the year. A recent Ubisoft blog post discussed the shortcomings of previous multiplayer efforts in Trials Fusion and Trials Evolution, stressing that the new mode places racers in the foreground at all times so that opponents are "never in your way." The developer plans on issuing a beta test of the multiplayer mode on PC as well, but has not indicated when the testing phase will begin. Since the game's launch, it has received three pieces of downloadable content with additional tracks, challenges and track editor objects, the most recent being October's Welcome to the Abyss pack. [Image: Ubisoft]
BlizzCon kicks off on Friday, virtual tickets still available
If you've been waiting patiently for the next big convention focused entirely around Blizzard's game catalogue, your wait is almost over. BlizzCon 2014 kicks off on Friday, November 7th, with the opening ceremonies starting at 2:00 p.m. EST. There's no chance of attending in person if you don't already have a ticket, but you can still pick up a virtual ticket, and DirecTV customers can also grab a pay-per-view stream that includes a virtual ticket and the associated benefits. The convention will host a variety of tournaments, including the Hearthstone championships, the StarCraft II championships, and the World of Warcraft Arena championship. There will also be the usual assortment of lore panels, development previews, and reveals for the various games under the Blizzard banner, included the much-anticipated Warlords of Draenor expansion. If you've been on the fence about getting a stream, take a look at the list of festivities and get ready to see what's coming from the studio this weekend.
EVE Evolved: Could permadeath work in EVE?
Permadeath has been one of the most contentuous features in online gaming since as far back as I can remember. The feeling of permanently losing a character you've spent months training up and playing with because of a single mistake or lag spike would be horrifying to most people, yet the idea continues to intrigue both players and developers. Diablo II's Hardcore mode is probably the most successful permadeath mechanic in an online game to date, separating the hardcore players onto a different server so that they develop their own game economy and leaderboard. Several MMOs have experimented with permadeath servers or mechanics over the years, but they're almost always reverted as failures. In a recent presentation at EVE Vegas 2014, EVE Online developer CCP Rise discussed the idea of permadeath characters as something he's wanted to add to the game for the past few years. This is particularly problematic for EVE as the game uses passive time-based skill training and the whole game takes place on one massive shard. The hardcore players would need to have enough incentive to risk their characters' lives on a daily basis, their abilities would have to be balanced with non-hardcore players, and abuse of the system to suicide gank players would need to be handled. But if those problems are tackled, is it possible that there's a place for permadeath in EVE? In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at how permadeath could be added to EVE Online without disrupting the rest of the game.
Titanfall update gets cooperative, adds ranked play
The next major update for Titanfall will land tomorrow on Xbox One and PC, Respawn announced today. The patch is the "biggest update ever," according to the developer's blog, which revealed the inclusion of new modes in the update. For starters, Titanfall players will have a new "Frontier Defense" cooperative multiplayer mode in which teams of four stand their ground against waves of AI enemies, getting assistance from stationary turrets and loadout crates. The other major addition is ranked play, which will be in beta through the end of the month. Respawn's dedicated discussion on its ranked play system for Titanfall notes that players will receive "Rank Chips," which act as "expensive pedometers" that measure players' prowess in the game. Players will have the ability to turn off their Rank Chips as well, so ranked play in Titanfall won't boil down to a separate set of maps or playlists. The update will introduce a multitude of other fixes and improvements, such as the ability to go full-screen with the mini-map, a "sudden death" addition to Capture the Flag mode and seven new Titan insignias. [Image: EA Games]
Google Play update adds local multiplayer to Android games
Android device owners can now crush virtual foes within spitting distance - please don't spit on your foes - thanks to the addition of local multiplayer to certain mobile games. "Google Play Games has added the ability for players to find each other nearby in multiplayer games with the latest Play services update," reads an update on the Android Developers Google Plus page. "Through games that support Play Games multiplayer, players can now invite others nearby into the same game when starting a multiplayer session, creating more local competitive and cooperative experiences." The only caveat here is that this local multiplayer support will only work in games built using the awkwardly-named Google Play Games services. It remains to be seen whether developers will embrace this new feature (and the Google oversight that comes with it). [Image: Google]
Blizzard posts official BlizzCon schedule
You've got your tickets purchased, your hotel arrangements squared away, your bags all packed. You're ready for BlizzCon this year! But leaving aside the fact that you can probably unpack your bags now as you've still got a month to go, what are you actually going to be doing at BlizzCon? That's what you can find out by taking a gander at the official schedule, which tracks the events of the day on both Friday and Saturday for World of Warcraft, StarCraft 2, Hearthstone, and Diablo III. A floor map is also available so that congoers can get a feel for the layout before arrival, although that's of less interest to fans planning on taking advantage of the streaming options available for the convention. If you're thinking of buying a virtual ticket for the high-quality streams, take a look at the schedule and see if it's stuff you want to watch streaming live. Unless, as we said, you've already got your bags packed to go in person.
Evolve's closed 'big alpha' test hits Halloween weekend
Evolve's "Big Alpha" test is scheduled to begin on October 30, 2K announced today. The closed alpha phase will be available to Xbox One players through November 2, while PS4 and PC players will have access from October 31 to November 2. Those interested in participating in the alpha test can register for "priority access" on Xbox One through 2K's website. Pre-order customers will have a guaranteed spot in the Halloween weekend alpha on their platform of choice. The "Big Alpha" test requires that PS4 and Xbox One users have a PS Plus or Xbox Live Gold subscription, respectively. Turtle Rock Studios also offered a special limited-use code for "a couple thousand" alpha testers to register with on its blog. The four-versus-one multiplayer shooter was delayed in August after a previous alpha test, and will launch on February 10, 2015. [Image: 2K]
The Master Chief Collection getting Halo 2's 'Warlock' map
The final Halo 2 map being remade for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection is Warlock, Microsoft announced today. The multiplayer map was itself a remake of the Wizard map from Halo: Combat Evolved. Warlock, now known as "Warlord," joins five other multiplayer maps from Halo 2 that will return in the The Master Chief Collection: Ascension, Coagulation, Lockout, Sanctuary and Zanzibar. The map will include "additional cover, new skill jumps, and a new weapon in the center," according to Certain Affinity President Max Hoberman, former multiplayer lead designer for the original version of Halo 2. Microsoft first revealed the collection during its E3 2014 press event in June following rumors of the bundle's existence in May. Halo: The Master Chief Collection packs together Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4, and is Xbox One exclusive. It will also include formerly PC-exclusive maps from the first two games. The collection will launch on November 11. [Image: Microsoft]
Diablo III on sale this weekend
If you're one of the few holdouts on this here planet Earth who hasn't picked up a copy of Diablo III or its expansion, Blizzard is prepared to make you one tempting offer. From now through Monday, October 6th, Diablo III and the Reaper of Souls expansion is 50% off through the Blizzard store. This puts the core game and the basic expansion at $20 apiece, with the digital deluxe edition of Reaper of Souls marked down to $40. Diablo III recently patched up to 2.1.1 and announced a month ago that it has sold 20 million units.
Diablo III patch improves pets, Greater Rifts, and Witch Doctors
The latest patch for Diablo III is out now for players in North America, and it's a big one for pets. Area damage now hits pets for less damage than before, some pets have had their health increased, and in general there's a play philosophy focus that pets should be roughly as durable as the class that summoned them in the first place. It's good news if you tend to take part in the game with a companion creature or two. The update also makes a variety of adjustments to Greater Rifts, altering the behavior of enemies found within the rifts and removing certain maps form the rotation. Witch Doctors have also received a variety of buffs, with several fetishes getting substantially more life and improved functionality. Take a gander at the full patch notes to see how much has changed.
PS4 owners get free online multiplayer access this weekend
Sony is offering free access to online multiplayer modes in all PlayStation 4 games this weekend in North America and Europe, giving players a taste of the matchmaking features bundled with a PlayStation Plus membership. The trial period begins Friday, September 26 at 12:01 a.m. PST, and extends through September 28 at 11:59 p.m. During this time, players can compete in games like Battlefield 4 and Killzone Shadow Fall, or team up with friends in Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition and Destiny. Note, however, that many modes and missions in Destiny normally require a PlayStation Plus membership to function, so be prepared to either buy a subscription or say goodbye to your teammates after the free weekend wraps up. [Image: Bungie]
Chariot drags the dead to PS4 next week
Chariot, Frima Studio's cooperative platformer, will launch on PS4 next week. The game will arrive on Tuesday, September 30 in North America for $14.99, though European players will have to wait until October 22 to dig into the game. The platformer has two local players (or one solo player) working together to carry a king's coffin to its resting place. However, the king's ghost is particular about where his body winds up, so players must overcome physics-based obstacles to satisfy "His Majesty." The playable characters in question are the princess and her fiancé, who "gather gold and precious gems to decorate the sepulcher" while traversing Chariot's underground environments. The developer opted for local multiplayer only with Chariot, as "direct communication is very important in the game," and that "the tricks you'll need to do with the Chariot requires a lot of precision and we felt that precision might be lost because of the latency online." [Image: Firma Studio]
Destiny combines arms in the Crucible this weekend
The next two community events for Bungie's Destiny will start this weekend. We had names for the two events before, Combined Arms and The Queen's Wrath, and now we have dates and descriptions for them as well. The Combined Arms event is an "all out war on a massive scale" in the Crucible multiplayer section. Players form fireteams of up to six, driving across the map and making use of increased heavy weapon ammo drops. The event starts today and lasts through the weekend. Next up is The Queen's Wrath, a set of bounty missions that begin on Tuesday, September 23 and runs through Monday, October 6. By completing the mission, players earn unique rare and legendary gear. The following two Destiny events are September's Salvage mission and October's Iron Banner mission. This week's Vault of Glass quest was first conquered roughly 11 hours after it opened. Bungie opted to double its well-broadcasted shooter's public events for players to encounter while patrolling areas in the game. [Image: Bungie]
Killzone: Shadow Fall drops three new multiplayer maps
Sony dished out three free maps for Killzone: Shadow Fall today, the publisher's FPS that launched with the PS4 last November. One of the maps is The Statue, a competitive affair that takes place at a Scolar Visari memorial statue surrounded by scaffolding. A trailer for The Statue map can be found after the break. The other two maps, The ATAC Tower and The Canal, feature cooperative multiplayer action. Players that want to check out those two levels must also own Killzone: Shadow Fall Intercept, either in its add-on expansion form or the standalone version. The DLC launched in June, while the lone Intercept download arrived last month. For an extensive look at Intercept, check out our archived stream of the DLC from July. [Image: SCEA]
Japanese Super Smash Bros. players mistakenly banned for using Peach online
Princess Peach fans in Japan got a rude surprise this week, as Nintendo mistakenly banned a swath of Super Smash Bros. 3DS players due to purported cheating, Kotaku reports. The ban affects players who used Princess Peach in Super Smash Bros' "For Glory" online multiplayer mode, which forbids item use during matches. Due to a bug, however, Princess Peach is able to pluck turnips and throw them at opponents, circumventing the restriction. Nintendo subsequently banned a large number of Princess Peach players from using the game's online features after the bug was discovered, regardless of whether they used the cheat or not. The bans are temporary, but many were handed out mistakenly, leading Nintendo to issue an apology afterward. Nintendo is currently working on a fix for the issue, and a patch should be ready by next week. [Image: Nintendo]
BlizzCon offers up virtual tickets
If you really want to check out BlizzCon but can't quite manage a flight out to California, a solution is available. Virtual tickets are now available from Blizzard for $39.99, allowing you to watch the panels, the competitions, and the events live from the comfort of your own home. Sure, you won't get to actually be packed in the convention hall, but this way no one cares whether you're wearing pants or not, so you even come out ahead. Purchasing a virtual ticket will give you access to bonus in-game goods for World of Warcraft, Diablo III, StarCraft II, Heroes of the Storm, and Hearthstone, although the details are not yet available. All of the streams are also available in high definition and can be re-watched, so you needn't worry about missing something. If you've already purchased a physical ticket, you still have access to a virtual ticket as well, so you can still take advantage of the streaming. Everyone who wants to attend can at least get something like that experience.
Flick Knights is flicktastic fun
Flick Knights is a turn-based strategy game where you play against others online or in local play. The goal of Flick Knights is to flick your characters into the opposing team's characters to cause enough damage to flick them out of the arena and clear a path to their target button which you can flick one of your characters into to score a point. The first team to drain the other team's vat of liquid at their base wins. Flick Knights is compatible with iOS devices running iOS 6.0 or later. In Flick Knights, players create their own team by giving it a name, team uniform, characters, and team colors. Flick Knights features an array of different characters to include in your team, each with their own unique attack, strengths, and weaknesses. You can upgrade each character using coins received in the game. You can even buy new characters to include in your team using coins or gems. This helps keep the game feeling customizable and adds to the fun of building a custom team. There is a short registration process at the beginning of the game which requires an email address before you can make your team and play online. This is a minor annoyance but it is a very short process done in a rather unobtrusive way and makes sense for the online nature of the game. After registering and making a team, players can choose to either play an asynchronous match, live match, or a local match. The asynchronous matches are turn based with other online players and have a 48 hour turn limit which means players may be waiting awhile for the other player to make their move before they can continue playing. I was not able to do any of the live matches because the server did not find anyone for me to play against after numerous times of trying to connect which is a little disappointing as I was really looking forward to this type of gameplay. It is inteded to be a match against a live opponent with timed turns. The local matches are a lot of fun as you can play against someone next to you on the same device. My suggestion for the matches is that it would be really nice if there was a bot mode that you could practice in. It can be hard to keep playing this game if you can't find someone to play with and I ended up playing local matches against myself which is fun to a point but it takes away the random nature of the game. The human element of the gameplay, waiting to see where the other player puts their team members, what strategy they employ, is really cool and it is reminiscent of a chess match. Like in chess, you have to balance defending your base, the queen, and attacking the opponent's base, their queen. There is a lot of room for trying out new strategies and you have to keep on your toes because an opponent could get past your team and score easily if you don't consider what their next moves may be. Another feature that would help in the matches would be if in local play you got to pick your own team to play as and customize the members of that team. Currently, the teams are blue vs. red and the team members are randomized. It would be interesting if each player got to choose a certain character to play as that they might not have yet to test out if they want to get that character later. Flick Knights is a exceptionally fun turn-based strategy game that incorporates a lot of interesting characters, team customization options, and a strong reliance on being agile in strategies which creates an enjoyable experience that keeps players coming back. Flick Knights is free on the App Store and definitely recommended for those who love online multiplayer games.
Don't Starve Together is for people who 'just want to watch their friends burn'
Klei's cooperative Don't Starve expansion, Don't Starve Together, has the potential to bring you and your friends closer than ever before. That's when they'll least expect an axe in the face. Don't Starve Together is unique in that it encourages both cooperative and competitive play. Plopped down in the middle of the unforgiving wilderness, up to four players team up to build a camp, hunt wildlife and eke out a meager existence, strengthened by their bonds of friendship. The core Don't Starve experience can be much more forgiving, for instance, when you assign one friend to craft survival supplies while another goes and chops firewood. If you ran into any opposition alone and unprepared, you'd be in serious trouble, but with an armed buddy watching your back (and reviving you when you're overwhelmed), being stranded in the wilderness isn't so bad after all. If one of your teammates decides to choose the pyromaniac character class, though, you could be in for a world of hurt.
Interstellar Marines uses the buddy system, gets co-op in September
Interstellar Marines has sold over 100,000 copies since it launched in July 2013 on Steam Early Access, developer Zero Point Software announced this week. The sci-fi game has generated "more than $1.5 million in revenue" for the studio. Still in "heavy development," the tactical FPS will also receive an update on September 18 that adds cooperative multiplayer to the game. Zero Point Software first revealed Interstellar Marines in 2006, and the game received multiple "it's still alive" reassurances over the years. Players can pick up the game on PC, Mac or Linux via Steam for $18.99, which grants access to both the Early Access version of the game and its upcoming expansions and updates, such as the "Project Co-Op" one scheduled for next month. The developer will showcase its spacey shooter at PAX Prime in Seattle this weekend at Alienware's booth (#1246). [Image: Zero Point Software]
Dragon Age: Inquisition 4-player co-op revealed, separate to campaign
BioWare revealed the third Dragon Age game mirrors the third Mass Effect by introducing four-player online multiplayer on top of the single-player experience. An IGN preview reveals the co-op in Dragon Age: Inquisition runs separate to the main RPG campaign, with players ditching their Inquisitor robes to team up in randomly generated mini-dungeons that take around 20 to 30 minutes to complete in total. There'll be three multiplayer campaigns at launch, each generating a level made up from 5 of 10 smaller, pre-designed areas. Players will see different areas in different orders, with variables like the types of enemy encounter changing across different sessions. Also, rather than playing as the Inquisitor, you and your buddies are lackeys for the main hero. As Bioware's Mike Laidlaw told IGN, the studio's attempted to infuse the mulitplayer heroes with personality: "They're kind of like mini followers, and they banter among themselves." Update: Check out the reveal trailer below the break.
