pax-prime-2013
Latest
PAX Prime 2013: Behaviour on WAR40K Eternal Crusade's friendly fire, ARG, and more
Massively spoke with Behaviour Interactive at last weekend's PAX Prime, and the topic of the day was of course the company's take on the Warhammer 40K license. Eternal Crusade, as the upcoming sci-fi title is known, is an unapologetically group-focused take on the genre. Join us after the cut as we break down our chat with Behaviour studio head Miguel Caron and talk about space marines, ARGs, and friendly fire.
PAX Prime 2013: A doomsday strike to the heart of Infinite Crisis
I think I'd be a lousy MOBA level designer. I'd always wondered why PvP and MOBA maps came few and far between; after all, how hard is it to whip up a quick level? I realized my ignorance after listening to Turbine Creative Director Cardell Kerr talk about the immense amount of thought and planning that goes into a single map. Kerr and his team were showing off Infinite Crisis, the upcoming DC superhero MOBA, at PAX Prime this weekend, with constant matches taking place between superhero-wannabes. As with most everything at PAX, it's a mix of promotion, information, and entertainment, although I got the feeling that the team also had something to prove. After all, everyone seems to be making MOBAs these days to catch some of that League of Legends/Dota 2 money, and because such, it's triply important that an upstart have a way of distinguishing itself from the pack. Merely having Wonder Woman and Batman show up won't be enough these days (although it certainly doesn't hurt). So what is Infinite Crisis angling to do that will make this the MOBA you'll click on more than the others? It comes down to options: options how to play your game, options how to exploit advantages on a map, and options when it comes to game modes.
XCOM: Enemy Within 'too big' to be DLC on Xbox 360, PS3
XCOM: Enemy Unknown's expansion, Enemy Within, will be issued as DLC on PC and Mac for $30, but the only way to get it on consoles is through a new Commander's Edition – a retail re-release that includes the XCOM: Enemy Unknown game, the Slingshot and Elite Soldier add-ons, plus the Enemy Within expansion. The reason for issuing the Commander's Edition is because Enemy Within is simply too large a file to patch into the console game as DLC. "For the expansion on the PC, it was fairly straightforward," Garth DeAngelis, senior producer at Firaxis Games, said during a PAX Prime interview. "But when it came to the consoles, it was too big. If we wanted to deliver the same content to the console players, we had to do it this way as a standalone expansion on a disc. We couldn't simply just patch it in." DeAngelis added that Enemy Within includes so many changes to the base XCOM: Enemy Unknown experience – new unit types, upgrades and even skill changes – it necessitated an entire re-issue of the game. "These things are tied deeply into Enemy Unknown so we wanted to release [the Commander's Edition] as sort of the ultimate edition, with all the previous DLC on this one disc. It was either deliver it this way or not deliver it at all." XCOM: Enemy Within, announced at Gamescom nearly a week ago, launches on November 12.
PAX Prime 2013: The Repopulation hunkers down for a siege
If EverQuest Next is the big dog of the upcoming sandbox MMO set, then The Repopulation is on the other end of the spectrum. The title is still in alpha testing with only a few hundred players participating, the team is spread across the globe, and the studio is looking for a publisher to help give the title the financial backing it sorely needs. Even so, the folks at Above and Beyond Technologies have an obvious passion for the project and were plainly eager to talk about it at PAX Prime. Tucked away in the Indie Megabooth area, The Repopulation devs invited players to sit down with a laptop and take part in testing the game's siege mode. I chatted up the developers -- who are head-over-heels enthusiastic about The Repopulation, by the way -- and got my first look at what PvP a sandbox hath wrought.
The Nexus Telegraph: No WildStar reveals at PAX Prime panel
The title up there is kind of glib, I admit it. We certainly heard more about WildStar during the game's presentation at PAX Prime. But most of what we heard was filling in blanks and elaborating slightly upon what we hard already learned, sort of an extended postscript to the presentation offered at PAX East. I sat down and watched through the whole panel as it streamed, and after it was over I was left with a distinct sense of confusion about how little new information was actually included. Out of the entire panel, the biggest reveal was the fact that the game does have a dye system, plus the roundabout mention of experience earned at the level cap converting into a form of currency. (Along with more use of the term "elder game," which I increasingly dislike.) Both of these are interesting tidbits, but the former isn't all that surprising and the latter is of interest only to those invested in the game as it stands. This was not a panel stuffed with information.
The Daily Grind: What was your favorite piece of PAX Prime news?
Usually we preface Daily Grind questions like this one with a lengthy preamble. Sometimes it's borne of our personal experience relative to the gaming topic at hand. Sometimes it's for restating an earlier news post or opinion column that we're about to reference with our question. And sometimes it's an unabashed rant or love letter to a game, dev, or mechanic that was inspiring enough to warrant a post. This Daily Grind has no such preamble. In fact, it's basically just some filler text designed to look pretty on the page and provide an easy visual segue into the question that you already read up there in the title. So, let me state it again in case you missed it. What was your favorite piece of PAX Prime news? 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!
Super TIME Force coming 'for sure' in 2013
Super TIME Force from Capybara Games will "for sure" be available to play on your Xbox 360 before the year is out, Capy President Nathan Vella said at PAX Prime. Once Super TIME Force is out in the wild, it will be exclusive to Microsoft platforms for "a period of time." The same timed exclusivity goes for Capy's Xbox One title, Below. So many vague details regarding time and time windows! If only there were some kind of force... a Super Force of Time, if you will, to help us sort this all out. You can check out the latest trailer for the game right here.
PAX Prime 2013: Guns of Icarus Online's new Adventure mode, features, and PS4 version
Guns of Icarus' Online's concept of crewing airships in a steampunk future might be a little strange at first, but it's something that Muse Games is really passionate about. I linked up with founder Howard Tsao yesterday at PAX Prime to talk about the game's upcoming Adventure Mode, which will add new context to battles over the unfriendly skies. The new online mode won't replace Guns of Icarus' current lobby-based multiplayer mode, but it will add new content, including missions and factions to provide a backdrop for actions in the game's steampunk world.
PAX Prime 2013: S2 Games shows off Strife
I was pretty interested to see S2 Games' newest venture into the MOBA genre, Strife, at this year's PAX Prime. It's a more newbie-friendly take on the traditional DotA concept while still retaining high levels of complexity and a high skill cap. S2 Games has learned a lot of lessons from Heroes of Newerth, and I spoke with creative designer Doug Houserman about what the team is bringing to the table to make Strife a better game.
PAX Prime 2013: FFXIV's Yoshida on rebuilding trust and expanding functionality
Apart from Square's public presentation, which was open to both media types and fans at this year's PAX Prime, we were also able to sit down with Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida for a more intimate interview session. Join us after the cut as we talk about classes, jobs, consoles vs. PCs, and a boatload of other Eorzean tidbits.
Xbox One indie program will support free-to-play games, microtransactions
Looking into Microsoft's ID@Xbox program for independent developers? You'll be happy to hear that the company won't be placing any restrictions on your desired distribution model. Speaking to Joystiq at PAX Prime, Microsoft portfolio director for digital games Chris Charla explained that independent developers are free to utilize "every business model that any other game on Xbox One has." This means that independent self-published games won't be restricted to a different price structure than games from mainstream studios, opening up the possibilities for indie games with premium pricing, micro-transactions or free-to-play models. Charla explained it as a fundamental tenet of the program, clarifying that ID@Xbox titles have access to all the same features as any other game. "They have full Gamerscore, full Achievements, can take advantage of SmartGlass, Kinect – if you can do it with an Xbox One game, you can do it with anything that comes through the ID@Xbox program." It's a smart policy, one that takes full advantage of the growing popularity of the indie gaming scene. Check out Joystiq for more PAX Prime coverage.
PAX Prime 2013: Exploring Wander with creator Loki Davison
Wander is an MMO that eschews the primary mechanics of traditional titles and instead relies on what creator Loki Davison refers to as "collaborative exploration." Designed to recreate the feeling you get when you discover something beautiful in real life and rush home to tell your friends, Wander has no maps, checkpoints, or objectives. The only ways to uncover the game's secrets are to discover them yourself or have another player show you the way. Our own Jasmine Hrushcak snagged some time with Wander and its creator at PAX Prime 2013 and managed to ask a few questions in between acrophobic Oculus Rift-induced panic attacks.
Seen@PAX Prime: Nintendo 2DS in 3D
Nintendo had a few of its recently announced 2DS systems at one of its play lounges at PAX Prime in Seattle. Naturally, we cradled the system in our hands, then took a few photos of it, one with our Nintendo 3DS. Check out our 3D photo of the 2DS after the break.
PAX Prime 2013: Final Fantasy XIV's presentation apologizes for a 'rocky' launch
Final Fantasy XIV had a sizable presence at PAX Prime this year. Massively sat in on Square's presentation and group interview, and we also managed a separate session with producer Naoki Yoshida apart from all the hustle and bustle. In this recap, we'll walk you through the highlights from the first session, which also featured sound director Masayoshi Soken and localization lead Michael-Christopher Koji Fox, who handled translation duties.
Dragon Age Inquisition includes time-disrupting 'tactical view'
Dragon Age: Inquisition will feature a familiar method for calling out actions for your party, BioWare's Mike Laidlaw and Mark Darrah revealed during a panel at PAX Prime. The game will include a "tactical view" function, which has players shifting seamlessly to a top-down view at any point above a battle, similar to Dragon Age: Origins. With the game frozen in place, players can then issue commands for their companions at will before shifting back to the game's traditional over-the-shoulder, third-person perspective and resuming action. The in-game action demonstrated during the panel took place in a location called Crestwood, which Darrah said is "bigger than all of Dragon Age 2 put together." The game's delay to fall 2014 allowed the developers to bring multiple playable races back to the series, and it was revealed during the panel that both male and female horned Qunari characters would be among those playable races.
PAX Prime 2013: EverQuest Landmark screens and video
EverQuest Next Landmark is a prime (get it?!) focus for Sony Online Entertainment at this weekend's PAX Prime 2013 (now you get it) and the studio has released some new videos and screenshots showing off what players can expect from the title's sandbox of world-editing tools. On display is a time-lapse of player creation in a lava-filled cave, with a closer look at EverQuest Next's dwarf race. There's also a quick look at EverQuest Next's parkour-inspired free running in action. Check out both videos after the break and hit the gallery for the latest images. %Gallery-195288%
PAX Prime 2013: Guild Wars 2's anniversary bash
It seems that more and more studios at PAX are electing to avoid the convention hall altogether and go for off-site venues, especially when it comes to parties and fan events (I was told that even a small booth on the exhibit floor can cost a company $100,000). So while Guild Wars 2 was notably absent from the PAX Prime exhibit hall this year, it was quite a different story a few blocks away at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle where ArenaNet set up camp for the title's anniversary bash. Players began lining up for the panels, playthroughs, and party hours in advance, all sharing the same glow of enthusiasm for the game they've enjoyed over the past year. By all accounts (I wasn't there a year ago), the launch party for Guild Wars 2 at last year's PAX was far more insane. Yet I think that this year there was a better feel to it. It wasn't about hype and anticipation for the fans but about experience and shared affection for the title they'd been enjoying since last August. So join me as I recap the anniversary bash, step by step, and perhaps we'll learn a thing or two about where this game is going in the near future.
ID@Xbox program supports all payment models on Xbox One
Independent games will not have to adhere to a set pricing structure on the Xbox One. During an interview with Joystiq at PAX Prime, Microsoft's portfolio director for digital games Chris Charla said the ID@Xbox program, an initiative that will allow independent developers to eventually self-publish on Xbox One, will enable "every business model that any other game on Xbox One has." So ID@Xbox games support free-to-play, micro-transactions and premium pricing. "On Xbox One, games that come through ID@Xbox are no different than any other game," Charla said. "They have full Gamerscore, full Achievements, can take advantage of SmartGlass, Kinect – if you can do it with an Xbox One game, you can do it with anything that comes through the ID@Xbox program. That's like a fundamental tenet of the program." The ID@Xbox program, an effort that will allow independent developers to use retail Xbox One consoles as developer kits, was first announced last week. Developers will not be able to self-publish on Xbox One at launch later this year, though Microsoft has said the functionality will be rolled out an unspecified later date.
Takedown heading to XBLA and Steam on September 20
Takedown: Red Sabre will launch on XBLA and PC via Steam on September 20, Creative Director Christian Allen told Joystiq at PAX Prime. The tactical shooter will cost $14.99, and will see an early release for Kickstarter backers. Takedown developer Serellan received funding on Kickstarter for the game in April 2012, prior to finding a publishing partner in 505 Games in February. Takedown is a squad-based, tactical first-person shooter, billed as a spiritual successor to the original Rainbow Six and SWAT 4. It will feature six-player cooperative and 12-player competitive multiplayer modes, as well as mod support for Steam users looking to create their own battle arenas.
PAX Prime 2013: The strange case for EverQuest Next Landmark
It's early on the first day of PAX Prime and I haven't had my coffee yet. The coffee is necessary to catch me up to the boundless enthusiasm of the ponytailed dev who sits across from me gesticulating wildly. With each wave of the hand a new image pops on the large monitor to the right of us, showing off another captivating snapshot of a fantasy world and its potential inhabitants. It's one thing to watch Dave Georgeson be giddy about EverQuest Next and its slightly-more-sandbox-than-thou EverQuest Next Landmark from afar. It's another thing to be close enough that his hand gestures threaten my full cup of joe. And either near or far, it's hard not to ride the wave of enthusiasm to the shores of hype, hopes, and dreams. Georgeson and company are strongly pushing EverQuest Next Landmark these days, possibly because it's coming out in a couple of months and possibly because it's a strange game to explain to players. Just what is it? Sandbox? MMO? Real estate simulator? Parkour paradise? Capitalistic haven for up-and-coming designers? According to him, it's all of the above and then some.
