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Alter Ego: Issue #1 - Kid Critical in DC Universe Online
Some intergalactic psychopath called Brainiac covets the Earth. He's trying to digitize the lot of us, see, only his exobyte technology has some... unforeseen side effects. At the risk of going all science whiz on you, I'll just say that these nanite exobyte gizmos transformed hundreds of humans into uber-powerful ubermensch. Mutants or even metahumans, if you'd prefer. We're superheroes, really, when you get right down to it. It's a good thing, too, because Earth's real superheroes couldn't stop Brainiac. Superman, Batman, the Justice League, all of them failed. Even supervillains attempted to save mankind, for a time at least. Before long, though, they did what villains do: They leveraged chaos and exploited disorder for their own selfish ends. So, yep, it's pretty much business as usual but for the meglomaniacal space invader bent on destroying both sides. Me, I'm just a soldier in this new war, one of a fortunate few gifted with the power of Brainiac's buggy exobytes. Before all this I was a nobody. A minor game critic or some such silliness. Now, my friends just call me the kid. You can call me Kid Critical. Every two weeks, Kid Critical and his Alter Ego, mal-mannered game journo Jef Reahard, take you for a whirlwind tour of DC Universe Online. Join the dynamic duo as they explore PvE, PvP, story content, and more!
EVE: The Second Decade Collector's Edition has landed
You've known that EVE Online's giant tribute to the game's first 10 years was coming in the form of a special collector's edition of the game, and now you can finally get your hands on it. The Second Decade CE is chock full of in-game items, from clothing to ship skins to a CCP Mystery Code for a special item, as well as real-world collectibles like a commemorative hardcover book, a board game, and an EVE Online Symphony CD. There are also in-game rewards available for DUST 514. The Second Decade CE can still be purchased at EVE's new store for $149.99. If you're currently waiting for yours to arrive, you can help pass the time by watching the official unboxing trailer below. [Source: CCP press release]
DC Universe Online shows off major graphical upgrades
Sometimes all it takes is a graphical improvement to make a game feel new. DC Universe Online has to keep its graphics at a level the PlayStation 3 can use, but with the pending release of the PlayStation 4, the game is going to be able to offer better textures and lighting all around. You can check out a preview video past the break to see what the game will look like with the visual upgrades. But that's not the only thing coming along with the new patch; in order to ease new players on the PS4 into the game, the game's early leveling has been revamped and improved and several areas have had environmental details and quest flow updated as well. So experienced players can enjoy looking at a world in greater detail and new players will find it easier than ever to get into the game. That seems like a pretty solid update.
Producer's letter details DCUO 'remastered'
DC Universe Online's Update 31 is on its way, and with it come some of the biggest changes ever implemented to the game's core design and appearance. Executive producer Larry Liberty today outlined the key points in a letter to the community, explaining to players what they can expect from Update 31 and beyond. According to Liberty, the bulk of Update 31 focuses on preparing DCUO for its impending PS4 launch. Changes include graphics upgrades like higher resolution textures and area redesigns, along with a "remastering" of the core leveling experience. Leveling from 1-30 has seen special attention; Liberty noted that new players should see a smoother progression of content with less chance of being stuck without a mission. Update 31 is tentatively scheduled for a November launch on PC and PS3. The game's PS4 release is still on track to match up with the console's release window.
Return to DUST 514, get free dropsuits
CCP wants you to know that it's made a bunch of changes to its EVE-universe DUST 514 shooter. The company has a new "welcome back" page on its official DUST website that features a promotion for players with that have been inactive for more than 60 days. Gifts include 100 copies of the Black Eagles Scout dropsuit and 100 copies of the Quafe Scout dropsuit. The blurb also mentions various in-game improvements since last May's Uprising 1.0 patch. In other DUST news, Polygon interviewed new executive producer Jean-Charles Gaudechon, who says his first order of business is to amp up the new player experience. "If I would want to push the game somewhere right now," he explained, "it would be to really focus on that kind of visceral gameplay -- that intense first few hours, first few days of playing the game -- and making sure that we can engage more people into that world, into that fiction, and show you how deep and rich that universe is."
Plan your EVE Vegas weekend with this final schedule
Wondering what's in the cards for EVE Vegas this weekend? Speculate no more: The final schedule of events has been released for EVE Online's convention being held at the Rio Las Vegas from October 18th through the 20th. The weekend kicks off with poker and a pub crawl on Friday, then dives into seminars, round tables, and PvP tournaments for both EVE and DUST 514 on Saturday and Sunday. Attendees will also have the chance for some hands-on with the VR dogfighter Valkyrie. If you aren't one of the virtual pilots able to attend the event live, you can still watch the various seminars and talks from both the developers and members of the community via CCP's official Twitch channel. For the times of each event, see the schedule below or visit the official site.
Battlefield 4 beta feedback spurs bug fixes and balance tweaks
The Battlefield 4 beta served two purposes: It hyped up fans for the game's launch later this month by offering a small taste of what's to come in multiplayer and it gave EA crucial preliminary data for last-minute tweaks on the eve of release. In a missive on the Battlefield blog, developer DICE has detailed some of the persistent issues from the beta: On PC, players encountered inconsistent frame rates, loading screen issues and spontaneously high CPU usage; on Xbox 360 and PS3, known problems included limited control schemes and empty servers populating throughout the server browser; and across all platforms, elevators were mysteriously catapulting players far off into the sky. While that last one sounds hilarious, it certainly wasn't intentional. Some of the more granular changes to infantry and vehicles, for example, can be seen in the full patch notes over on the Battlefield blog. DICE assures all of the above issues, including more, are being worked on for Battlefield 4's launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 29. Xbox One and PS4 versions of Battlefield 4 will be available alongside those consoles' respective launches.
Choose My Adventure: Indecision 2013
My goodness, it's been a long time since I've done Choose My Adventure. I cannot wait to dive into it again. But first, I should probably break down the rules and let you know how my Choose My Adventure will likely differ from those who have come before me. Besides the weekly column that comes out on Wednesday, I will also run a livestream whenever I play the game. Of course, Massively's livestream sessions are abbreviated, so I cannot stream on that channel for the number of hours that it will take me to accurately get a taste of what the game is like. So I will run the regular livestream on my channel, then take over Massively's stream when I can. That also means that some of the choices made during the course of this adventure will be made on the livestream and not in this column. However, I will attempt to let the readers of this column make the major choices. So let's decide what game I'll be playing for you. After the break, I've listed five games that I am interested in revisiting or visiting for the first time. Read the descriptions, then at the end, vote on the game you'd like to see me play. I will have to close the voting on Fridays, so that I will have the weekend to actually implement the choices you make. Happy adventuring!
Sony now lets you pre-order PS4 games from your PlayStation 3
Sony wants to make it easier for US PlayStation 3 owners to get themselves ready for the launch of its next-gen console next month. Earlier today, the company rolled out an update for the aging console that makes PlayStation 4 games available to pre-order through the PlayStation Store. The first two digital titles available are SCE Japan Studio's Knack, which comes in at $60, and the free-to-play multiplayer shooter Warframe. Although we'd question the need to pre-anything free titles, gamers can simply power on their new PlayStation 4 on November 15th and find them ready to play. There's no word on whether Sony will add more titles but we hope those "significantly discounted" upgrades for PlayStation 4 games are made available ahead of launch day.
PSA: Dragon's Crown cross-play update now on PS3, PS Vita
The cross-play update for Dragon's Crown is live. If you purchased Dragon's Crown on either PS3 or PS Vita, you'll find you can now install the update and play on the other system at no extra cost. Dragon's Crown is a 2D beat-em-up developed by Japanese outfit Vanillaware, the same studio who brought us Muramasa Rebirth. In our review, we said it just might be Vanillaware's best game to date – and "if you're committed to leveling up all six playable classes, you'll be playing Dragon's Crown for a long time to come."
CCP hires new Executive Producer for DUST 514, Jean-Charles Gaudechon
It makes sense to hire people based on what they've already proven capable of doing. That's obvious. If someone has built seven houses that have all stood up to hurricanes, you're probably going to hire that guy to build your hurricane shelter. And if someone's familiar with making multiplayer first-person shooters work in the free-to-play market, well, you'll hire him to manage DUST 514. That's what CCP Games did with their newest Executive Producer for the game. Jean-Charles Gaudechon previously worked for Electronic Arts in Stockholm, Sweden, where he worked on both Battlefield: Play4free and Battlefield Heroes. He also worked on Need for Speed World, which is less of a shooter but still an online title with similar needs to DUST 514. Gaudechon will be responsible for overseeing further development of the title at CCP's Shanghai studio and will report directly to senior VP of product development Sean Decker. [Source: CCP Games press release]
PlayStation 3 update brings automatic downloads to all PSN users, more Vita sharing options
Sony's next-generation console may be nearing its launch date in some parts of the world, but the Japanese company isn't forgetting about its aging PlayStation 3 just yet. With an update that's due to roll out in the next few hours, the PS3 will no longer limit automatic firmware downloads to PlayStation Plus subscribers, a definite plus for non-paid PlayStation Network users. What's more, version 4.50 also brings additional privacy settings to trophies and the ability to transfer data from the PS3 to PS Vita via a WiFi connection. It may not be the beefiest of updates, but sometimes keeping things short and sweet is just what the doctor ordered. Update: 4.50 is now available.
CCP still sees 'massive opportunity' on PS3 for DUST 514
CCP is apparently content to keep DUST 514 on the PlayStation 3 for the time being, even though there's no exclusivity deal preventing it from appearing on other platforms. CEO Hilmar Petursson recently told Eurogamer that "there isn't anything preventing us from doing anything like that other than focus and prioritization." "It's easy to go and look at all the new shiny things that are coming but we don't want to be doing that. We want to stick to our guns," Petursson said. "There are 80 million PlayStation 3s and we have a free-to-play game; I think there is a massive opportunity in continuing to work on that throughout next year." If that sounds like CCP isn't quite sure whether or not it will bring DUST to the upcoming PlayStation 4, well, yes. "We just haven't decided," Petursson said. "It's just as simple as that. It can, technically, be [on the PS4]. There's nothing preventing it, it's just not what we're focusing on."
gdgt's best deals for September 18th: Klipsch Image E1 In-Ear Headphones, Jabra Wave Bluetooth Headset
Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our friends at sister site gdgt track price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long. Today we have not one but two headsets going for half their regular prices. The Klipsch Image E1 In-Ear Headphones are good for listening to media on the go, while the Jabra Wave Bluetooth Headset offers a less conspicuous design than most other earpieces we've seen. Also, in especially timely news, it's worth noting that Sprint is offering new customers the iPhone 5c for free and the iPhone 5s for $99.99. Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!
Jukebox Heroes: Tracy W. Bush opens up about WoW, Dungeon Runners, and DCUO
Odds are that even if you don't know who Tracy W. Bush is, you've allowed him to pipe music from his mind directly into your ears at one point or another during your MMO gameplay. Bush has contributed to tons of MMO soundtracks over the past decade-plus, including World of Warcraft, Tabula Rasa, Dungeon Runners, Auto Assault, and DC Universe Online. It was actually this column's discussion of the Tabula Rasa soundtrack that prompted Bush to write in (fun fact: Blue Turns to Grey was the first track he wrote for the game, but the team held off putting it in until the very end), and I asked him if he'd be open to chatting about his collective work here. That didn't take much arm-twisting, no sirree. So with that, I'm going to turn the mike over to Tracy Bush and let him share with you what it's like to create soundscapes that echo so powerfully in your memories.
Game On: Smartphones pose little threat to gaming as we know it
Gaming is in a transitional period right now. We're approaching the end of a console generation, new handheld systems are attempting to gain a foothold, and smartphone gaming is just starting to put on its big boy pants and doing its best to swing with the big dogs. In short, it's a rather exciting time. A recent article by Horace Dediu and Dirk Schmidt of Asymco suggests that rather than standing before the scheduled rebirth of home gaming -- as we do every 5-7 years or so -- we are actually witnessing its last days, and the smartphone craze will be the executioner. I disagree. Before I dive in, I think it's important to separate mobile gaming and home console gaming. These are two very different beasts, and while you might see headlines for portable games alongside their console counterparts, the markets don't always share each others problems. First, let's look at home consoles. Couch gaming is king Nearly all of what Asymco's article uses as evidence of an industry on the verge of demise is taken from the current (7th) console generation, with little in the way of a historical perspective. So just to make things clear, the consoles that have been on store shelves since 2006 have overall handily trumped their predecessors in total sales. Gamecube: 21 million PlayStation 2: 155 million Xbox: 24 million Total: 201 million consoles Wii: 100 million PlayStation 3: 78 million Xbox 360: 78 million Total: 256 million consoles It's important to remember that the previous generation of consoles also has an additional 6+ years of sales at this point, and the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 have not yet approached their final sales numbers. The iOS App Store opened for business in 2008, so to take the twilight days of the 7th console generation and suggest that the products are somehow dipping in sales due to the emergence of gaming on smartphones appears a bit shortsighted. Nintendo Nintendo is featured prominently in the article because its tale of woe has been well documented and the company is extremely open with its sales numbers. What we see is a company that hit its sales peak in late 2008/early 2009 and is now coming back down to Earth. There are, of course, reasons for this: The Wii: The original Wii resonated with consumers in a way that no console before it managed to. This was thanks to its intuitive controller and a suite of games that even your grandmother could play -- and she probably did. It had all the appeal of a must-have holiday toy, a la Tickle Me Elmo, combined with a bargain price and, oh, it also had Mario. It was a perfect storm for Nintendo and they bathed in the riches for a long, long time. Now, the honeymoon is over and both the non-gamer and gamer markets have had their fill. The Wii U: It's still relatively new, but the fact remains that there has been very little in the way of must-play games for the console. There were already countless critics that pointed out the system's shortcomings even before we all realized its sales figures were nosediving, but it's extremely clear at this point that Nintendo dropped the ball here. It's an undesirable product, which has nothing to do with outside factors. Taking the flash-bang success of the Wii and following it up with a product like the Wii U produces a pretty convincingly negative trend on a graph, but there is no data that shows that smartphones are the cause. The only party to blame for this turn of fortune is Nintendo. I recently made the case that Nintendo needs to strongly consider using iOS as a platform for its own first-party games. I didn't suggest this because I think the console market is unsuitable for standalone gaming systems, but rather because after a string of very poor decisions it may be the one play Nintendo has that could both win favor with disenfranchised gamers and bring new fans into the fold. Consoles make money, but not in the same way smartphones do When Apple sells an iPhone 5, the company makes as much as $442 in profit. When Sony launched the PlayStation 3 it lost upwards of $300 per console. This is what makes debating console sales figures so difficult; It's a much more complicated metric than just listing how many iPhones were sold and calling it a success. Microsoft lost $125 on every Xbox 360 it sold during launch, but when the company turns around and sells 4.2 million copies of Halo 3 at a minimum of $60 each, things start to look a lot different. Halo 3 had a reported budget of $60 million (roughly half of which was spent on marketing), but the game made over $300 million in just its first week. That's why companies like Sony and Microsoft have historically sold their systems at a loss -- it's about building the install base that will buy your games later, not about how much money is made from selling the console. The number of consoles sold is still important, which is why it's significant that more consoles were sold in the current generation than the previous one, but the point here is that Apple (or any smartphone manufacturer) needs to sell more and more of the profitable hardware each time. Console makers don't have to worry about selling a new system every year, or even every five years, because the profit comes from licensing content, selling first-party games, collecting subscription fees from online services like Xbox Live and PS Plus, and several other avenues. If home game consoles in general were hemorrhaging cash from their respective companies it would be pretty hard to explain why we're just a few weeks away from the third Xbox and fourth PlayStation. Apples and oranges Suggesting that an at-home gaming experience could somehow be replaced by a device like the iPhone or even the iPad is a bit like saying microwaves will soon replace stoves. Sure, your microwave can do some of the same things, and it may be more convenient, but when you want a hearty, home-cooked meal the microwave just can't do what your stove can do. Yes, there are first-person shooters on the iPad that -- at least in screenshots -- look like they could have been taken from an Xbox 360, but you'd never consider one as a replacement for the other. That's why home versions of Call of Duty regularly shatter previous sales records while portable versions of the franchise pop up out of nowhere with zero fanfare or anticipation. These aren't two sides of the same market; They cater to completely separate needs. The easiest way I can prove that is with a little help from the Angry Birds. Angry Birds is one of the most recognizable IPs in all of digital entertainment, with billions of downloads and fans in every corner of the globe. So, if portable games are reaching a point where they are making home consoles irrelevant, a console port of three of the franchise's most popular titles -- Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons, and Angry Birds Rio -- would probably flop pretty hard, right? Nope. In fact, sit-on-your-couch-and-play versions of these mobile hits are so popular that the crossover title Angry Birds Star Wars is scheduled to hit PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Wii U next month. Portable gaming may feel the effects Consoles are one thing, but when it comes to games you can play on a bus ride or during a break at work, smartphones may soon push out the competition. I say this because unlike the systems we play in our living rooms, the portable gaming scene has long been unpredictable and prone to dramatic shifts. The 3DS, for example, was a hot preorder item only to see sales wane and then explode again a few months later. I still think there is room for dedicated handheld gaming systems and judging by the fact that we've seen new entries from both Sony and Nintendo within the past month, the companies believe so, too. In fact, the renewed life of the 3DS -- thanks to the 3DS XL and new software titles -- was the biggest factor in helping Nintendo turn a profit after the dismal Wii U launch. That said, the 3DS and PS Vita will definitely serve as the canaries in the gaming coal mine, offering us a more concrete glimpse as to what effect as smartphones and tablets gain gaming clout. But until Apple releases an iPhone with a pair of analog sticks, there's no need for gamers to panic.
PAX Prime 2013: Breaking tables in DC Universe Online
During this year's PAX Prime, I was able to grab some hands-on time with the PlayStation 4 version of DC Universe Online. The demo was made up of content from the brand-new DLC, Sons of Trigon. The DLC features three new duos and an alert, whereas I feature slightly rusty DCUO skills. In fact, nearly all of my DCUO experience has been with a keyboard and mouse, so I reached for the controller with hesitation. I managed to pull slightly more confidence from a long history of PlayStation gaming and Sony's staunch refusal to change the basic layout of its controller for 19 years and counting.
The Daily Grind: Will you repeat old content with a new class?
There's a new power set in DC Universe Online this week. In fact, there's a whole lot of new stuff courtesy of the game's eighth DLC drop. Sons of Trigon added the Celestial power -- among other things -- which puts another healer class in the game's extensive toolbox. I've played the game quite a bit but I've never gone the healer route, so the new Celestial trees are somewhat appealing. The problem, though, is that I've played DCUO's 1-to-30 stuff numerous times already, and I'm intimately familiar with nearly all of the quests and locations in Gotham and Metropolis. As interesting as Celestial sounds, I'm probably going to leave it alone until some fresh lower-level content makes its way into the game. What about you, Massively readers? Is a new class or archetype enough to get you to repeat oft-repeated older content? 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!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the superheroic news that was fit to print in August
Some months surprise you. When I went back through July's news a month ago, I was surprised to see that there had been a lot of superhero stories that I had collected but not really thought about; what I thought was a quiet month turned out to be quite active. August, on the other hand, was a pretty light month with only one major update that arguably could be pushed to next month depending on perspective. Incidentally, this was the first summer in a while that didn't have a good superhero film come out. Coincidence? Almost certainly. Our current month promises to have some shakeups. There's a Kickstarter in the wings for The Phoenix Project, and the other major titles all have patches just over the horizon. But today we're looking at the calm before the storm, known to most people as "August." Even if there weren't many world-shattering revelations, there are still some elements worth discussing.
Leaderboard: What's your favorite DCUO power set?
DC Universe Online's newest DLC pack came out yesterday, and with it came the game's latest superheroic power set. DCUO's power sets are sorta like classes, though the game also makes use of weapon skills, movement skills, and universal DPS options to differentiate itself from typical class-based MMOs. Still, Fire- and Ice-based heroes are generally tanks, for example, while the new Celestial power set gives fans of healing another option. For today's Leaderboard, tell us which of DCUO's power sets is your favorite. Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!