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Cult classic Vib-Ribbon will finally land in North America tomorrow
Back in 1999, that little vectorized rabbit thing (Vibri, if you want to get specific) bounded across televisions in Japan and Europe in a quirky little PlayStation title called Vib-Ribbon, Now, 15 years later, gamers in North America are finally getting a chance to steer her through an array of trippy musically generated levels... as long as they have a PS3 or PS Vita. Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Shawn Layden wrote in a blog post today that the cult classic would go live in the PlayStation Store tomorrow (no firm price just yet), and that the PS3 version retains the game's original hook: you'll be able to pop in an audio CD, and the game will automagically create a level from each track. Alas, you won't be able to play the game if you splurged on a PlayStation 4, though Layden was quick to point out that your time will soon come. Bummer, but hey: it's not like you're going to have to wait another 15 years, and you can peer beyond the jump to see what exactly you'll have to look forward to.
SOE previews new DCUO UI
DC Universe Online is getting a UI makeover, and SOE has released a new nine-minute video that serves as a sneak preview of what you can expect from the superhero MMO in the near future. For starters, there's a new PDA featuring transparent layers that allow players to observe game action while managing their stuff. SOE says that it also achieved a "more consistent and better organized" menu flow as well as improved performance. Click past the cut to see if you agree.
Sony is shutting down PlayStation Home in North America, too
It was only a matter of time. When word came down that Sony was shuttering the PlayStation 3 virtual space, PlayStation Home, in Japan earlier this year, the service's domestic days were likely numbered as well. Citing a "shifting landscape" as the cause (and likely no public outcry that the oft-laggy environment was missing from the PlayStation 4), senior community manager Paul Sullivan writes on the PS Blog that the last day to run around the hub will be March 31st of next year. Don't start fretting just yet, however, as the electronics giant plans to release new downloadable content for the quasi-Second-Life experience ahead of that. Perhaps it's time to do a mournful diva dance in your virtual domicile to commemorate this event. A bit rusty with the proper moves? Check the video after the jump for some inspiration, then.
Bungie's leap forward with 'Destiny' isn't gameplay: it's social
"Waffles. Waffles with Swedish fish in them!" Destiny developer Bungie's community manager Eric Osborne is telling me about his crew's Halo LAN-party ritual. Lugging bulky CRT TVs everywhere ("You didn't have a 36-inch [Sony] Trinitron Wega?" he asks), snaking Ethernet cables around a possible stranger's house, sipping Mountain Dew in the kitchen between games of capture the flag, eating lots of cheap pizza. Or, in Osborne's case, breakfast food sprinkled with candy. "That was my experience!" It's easy for him to chuckle at how ridiculous his go-to game fuel sounds in retrospect. Back then, host advantage wasn't having non-lagging bullets -- it was knowing where the bathroom was and not having parents home. Times were a lot simpler.
DCUO sells base item packs
If you're the type of person who would rather hop on the express lane to interior decorating in a superhero setting, then DC Universe Online is rolling out the welcome mat for you. The MMO is now selling theme base item packs in its marketplace. These packs all contain housing items that can be obtained in the game, so it's a trade-off between spending time and effort to get them or to pay for the privilege of snatching them up all at once. Two of the item packs revealed are the Dynasty Starter and Greek Statues collections. [Thanks to Demonxaphan for the tip!]
SOE Live 2014: DCUO's Legends PvE and a la carte DLCs
A superhero game deserves a super announcement at SOE Live, and DC Universe Online delivered. Creative Director Jens Andersen and Assistant Creative Director SJ Mueller shared details about many upcoming updates, from the second installments of the various trilogy story arcs to new movements and powers to a whole new way to purchase the DLC themselves. Oh, and we can't forget one of the biggest announcements: Legends play is coming to PvE!
SOE Live 2014 in pictures: H1Z1's Zombie Prom, a costume contest, and attendees galore
Every year there seems to be something different at SOE Live. IN 2013, there was the big reveal of the new EverQuest Next and the surprise announcement of Landmark, complete with sand art and champagne. This year, one popular festivity focused on another new title in development: H1Z1. Attendees got all dolled up and put on their best undead faces for a night of dancing at the Zombie Prom (those who preferred the living enjoyed a pool party). It was quite the evening, complete with a wedding proposal! But even as some things change, some stay the same. Friends and guildies meet up (or just plain meet!), games are played, tournaments are won, costumes are shown off, swag is collected, and folks have a good time geeking out with devs. There were also plenty of heart-warming moments, from stories of players helping players to actual weddings. If you weren't able to attend the festivities, or you just want a little pick-me-up as you come down from your convention high, here's a quick look at the weekend in pictures.
Why Activision is spending $500 million on Destiny
Yes, it's true: Activision is spending half a billion dollars on Bungie's Destiny. Yes, that's true despite Bungie's statement that, "the budget for Destiny, including associated marketing costs and pizza Wednesdays, is nowhere near 500 million dollars." And that's because, when Activision head Bobby Kotick revealed that gargantuan number earlier this year, he was speaking to the entire franchise, not just this September's game. "That number has been widely misinterpreted as a production number for the first game," Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg explained in an interview today at Gamescom. "That number is an all-inclusive number that's several years worth of investment, including marketing and several games, and a lot of up front investment in things like engines and tools that will be able to be used for years to come."
DC Universe Online unleashes the Halls of Power
It's been years since DC Universe Online launched, and yet players have spent all of that time without nearly enough material on the New Gods. But that's changing now; the Halls of Power part I DLC has just been released, and that includes exactly what you'd expect if you know who the New Gods are. Darkseid's son Kalibak and the villainous Mantis are seeking out relics beneath the surface of Apokolips and New Genesis, leading Mister Miracle and Big Barda to recruit heroic forces to stop their malevolent designs. The DLC contains two new Raids and one new Operation for eight players, along with an Alert and an Operation for four players. It also offers six new Skill Points, new styles and gear, new feats, and all of the other widgets like base items that you'd expect. This content is available now for players on both consoles and PCs, so even if you're not versed enough in DC lore to understand what's going on, you can still take part and start smashing (or helping) the villains. [Source: Sony Online Entertainment press release]
DC Universe Online DLC is 75% off right now
Not everyone is as rich as Bruce Wayne, so for those of you who have been pinching your pennies instead of splurging on DC Universe Online content, here's where your thriftiness pays off. Steam is holding a 75% off sale for much of DCUO right now. This includes 10 DLC packs for $2.49 apiece and the Ultimate Edition bundle for $7.49. In fact, you could buy the whole kit and kaboodle (that's a superhero term) for only $32.39 $22.50. That's less than the cost of many box games these days right there, so what are you waiting for? [Thanks to Balsbigbrother for the tip and to greaterdivinity for the math!]
Touring DC Universe Online's league halls and Halls of Power
It was a couple of years ago that we got our first in-depth look at DC Universe Online's personal housing system, dubbed lairs. Since then, heroes and villains alike have been looking forward to the league version. Thanks to the announcement earlier this month, we knew that the wait for league halls was almost over; guild-level housing was to hit this summer. Surprise! GU39 and league halls launched today! And thanks to a special tour with Creative Director Jens Andersen and Community Manager Ted Stone (AKA Mepps), I got a good look at the league hall system and how it all works in the Halls of Power Part 1 DLC due later this summer.
SOE Live player panels include support for military gamers
SOE Live posted its list of player panels today for its convention, with topics ranging from supporting military gamers to fansite management. The full list is as follows: Friday, August 15 11:00 am - 12:00 pm -– EQ2U & Dragon's Armory 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm –- Live Together, Die Alone: Surviving H1Z1 as a Group 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm –- Inter-Outfit Operations in PS2 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm –- Become Your Character: Tricks and Tips for Cosplay 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm –- Military Gamers: Taking Care of Each Other Saturday, August 16 10:00 am - 11:00 am -– Social Media/Steaming & Fansites 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm -– Effective Guild and League Management 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm –- Improving Your EverQuest 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm –- DCUO – Advanced Raid Tactics 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm –- The New Conglomerate 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm -– Hardcore Decorating in EQII 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm –- EQII Game Macros, ACT Triggers, and You!
DC Universe Online adding League Halls this summer
Just because reruns dominate the TV during the summer doesn't mean that geeks need to submit to rehashed entertainment during these months. Why, DCUO has canceled the annual family road trip to pump out a new DLC that's coming later this summer, just to keep everyone happy. The game's 11th DLC is called Halls of Power Part 1, and it will send player heroes into a new saga looking back at the ancient past in the Fourth World. The DCUO dev team is creating five additional raids, alerts, and operations to go with the update, and players will have six new skill points to earn. However, the crown jewel of Halls of Power Part 1 is the implementation of League Halls, which looks to be DCUO's answer to guild housing. League Halls will be added shortly before the DLC for free to all players. [Source: SOE press release]
The PS4's gamepad now works wirelessly with your PS3
If you've wanted to use the PlayStation 4's (arguably superior) DualShock 4 controller with a PS3, you've so far had to plug it in; that's not easy if your couch and TV are at opposite ends of the living room. It's a good thing, then, that Sony has quietly enabled wireless support for the newer DualShock through its latest PS3 firmware update. It's still treated as a generic controller without motion or vibration, and game compatibility is somewhat spotty, but it's now relatively safe to ditch the USB cable while playing. You can check out Reddit's instructions for pairing the gamepad with your PS3 at the source link, and here's hoping that it eventually gets first-class treatment.
Norrathian Notebook: SOE says bye-bye ProSiebenSat.1, hello Landmark Player Studio
Double the pleasure, double the fun! SOE made two big announcements Wednesday that brought smiles to the faces of many fans. One said goodbye; the other said hello. But both were good news indeed, especially for Norrathians. Sometimes parting is just sweet, without the sorrow. Such is the case with the first bit of news: the departure of ProSiebenSat.1 from SOE. That's right, my European compadres, rejoice because SOE is bringing you back into the fold! The deal that quickly went sour for fans squished between the US company and the European partner is over, and SOE's titles are returning fully to its portfolio while region locks are being lifted. I can hear you all singing hallelujahs and dancing in the street! The second bit of news worthy of celebration was the launch of Player Studio in Landmark. Although it arrived later than anticipated thanks to the international tax registration processes, the wait was worthwhile because players from not only the U.S but also Canada, Sweden, France, the UK (yes, including Ireland), Germany, Norway, and Denmark can now submit items for sale to other players. That means that aspiring money-makers and non-builders who want to buy their cool items can finally find one another and do business. And that just paves the way for the system to work in EverQuest Next. As great as the announcements are, neither is without a few downs mixed in with the ups. Norrathian Notebook explores both bits of news to get you the necessary details.
SOE and ProSiebenSat.1 splitting up, account migrations coming
"Sony Online Entertainment and ProSiebenSat.1 have jointly decided to migrate all PSG accounts for PlanetSide 2, DC Universe Online, and EverQuest II back to SOE in the near future," wrote SOE's Linda "Brasse" Carlson on the company's forums. SOE and PSG originally joined forces in 2012 to the dismay of European gamers who opposed the forced transfer of existing player accounts and regional server restrictions that threatened to affect international guilds and sub-communities.
Take a look at DC Universe Online's survival mode
DC Universe Online is gearing up to make survivors out of its players. That's kind of the whole focus of the game's upcoming survival mode, which sets players against waves of enemies in a test of endurance and persistence. So what does it look like in action? Well, you can check that out in a fan video just past the break showing off 11 minutes of action in the survival mode on the test server. The footage in question isn't the group's full run of survival mode, just a shot at a full group clearing through the first round and some of the second to give viewers a sense of how it works. There's also some mild cursing in the video, so you might not want to turn your speakers up to full if you're watching this at work. But if you haven't jumped on the test server and you want to see what it'll be like to stand against the hordes as long as you can, just jump on past the break.
'Minecraft' arrives on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this August
Look, playing Minecraft on a console is really great. It's basically the same delightful/terrifying experience from PC, albeit in the comfort of your living room. What's not to like? Well, on last-gen consoles, there was at least one unfortunate side effect of the platform: the procedurally generated world of Minecraft was significantly smaller than what could be done on PC. With Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions arriving this August, that changes. As development studio Mojang puts it, "It brings significantly bigger worlds and a greater draw distance than Xbox 360 Edition." Hot dog!
Old console, new tricks: Getting the most out of your PS3
Already paid up for Sony's PlayStation 4? Or are you waiting on a certain blockbuster title before you make the move to the next gen? We don't blame you. However, the PS4's ancestor -- that slightly curved obelisk sitting under your TV, the one with half an inch of dust -- still has a few tricks in it. While we wait for Sony to perfect its streaming tech, there's still no way to play PS3 titles on Console No. 4, unless it gets a fancy facelift... and you buy it again. So, we turn back to our faithful PlayStation 3. Born in 2006, eight years is a pretty good term for a games console. But maybe you don't want your time with it to be over. We don't either, and have found a few ways to breathe new life into your gradually graying PS3.
SOE announces game-specific player events for SOE Live
Are you headed to SOE Live this summer? We are, even if the game list is a tad shorter than in previous years. And that's why we're excited to see SOE's latest official post about the convention, set to run in Las Vegas, Nevada, this coming August 14th to 17th. The studio has announced special events for several of the games it plans to feature at the event: Plane raids await EverQuest fans. Deck-building games and PvP tournaments lie in store for DC Universe Online players. EverQuest II players will participate in speed instances and a murder mystery quest. Landmark devotees will be treated to a mega-build event and a harvesting-themed dice event. Finally, the studio has planned a squad showdown event for PlanetSide 2 players. Early bird registration for SOE Live ends on Monday.
