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PSA: D4, MX vs. ATV now on Games with Gold
As the calendar flipped to January yesterday, Xbox Live Gold members are now able to download this month's free games on Xbox One and Xbox 360. As revealed in December, Xbox One owners with a premium Live subscription can now pick up Access Games' quirky adventure D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die free of charge. Subscribers get two games on Xbox 360 this month: Offroad racer MX vs ATV Alive and CD Projekt's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. D4 will be available throughout the month while the two previous-generation games are on a split schedule. MX vs ATV Alive is free until January 15, then The Witcher 2 will be available to download at no cost on January 16 through the end of the month. Lastly, according to the Microsoft Store, last month's Xbox One game Worms Battlegrounds is still available to download for free. [Image: Microsoft]
Games with Gold January: D4, The Witcher 2, MX vs. ATV Alive
Games with Gold in January offers the deliciously off-kilter D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die free all month for Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox One, a savings of $15. Xbox 360 Gold members get two rounds of free games: MX vs. ATV Alive from January 1 - 15, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings from January 16 - 31. Swery's D4 is a particularly lovely offering for Xbox One owners – in our review, we note the surprising smoothness of the Kinect voice and motion controls, and highlight the wacky yet gruesome narrative: "As a Kinect game, D4 gives me hope for the innovation and technical acuity still to come in motion-controlled gaming. [...] It's all very fun, even when addressing the gory details of a murder, but that's not where it stops. The story, while generic on the surface, is engaging and wild enough to support an episodic format. I want to know what happens next. I want to interrogate more people. I want to find out who killed my wife, and I want to try to bring her back." Happy new year, indeed. [Image: Microsoft]
GOG puts daily sale to a vote, discounts The Witcher games
GOG.com started its "Battle of the Games" promotion today, in which players can vote on which games they'd rather purchase at a cheaper rate. The sale offers two sets of three games every morning at 7:00 a.m. ET, accumulating votes throughout the day to determine which set receives a 75 percent discount and which is 60 percent off the next day. Currently, the digital retailer is pitting the trio of Red Faction and Red Faction 2 as well as Chaser against Unreal Gold, Unreal Tournament and Unreal 2: The Awakening. To get the sale started, GOG.com is also offering discounts on six games for the day: The first three games in the Heroes of Might and Magic series for $2.49 each, Blackguards Special Edition ($22.49) and the enhanced editions of The Witcher ($1.99) and The Witcher 2 ($3.99). The Battle of the Games sale ends April 21. [Image: CD Projekt Red]
The Witchers run free on Steam this weekend
Polish developer CD Projekt Red's excellent RPG series, The Witcher is free to play on Steam this weekend until 1pm PT on Sunday, February 16. If you'd like to continue playing each past this weekend, both games have been drastically discounted until February 18: The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is currently $2 and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition is $4. In our review of The Witcher 2 we said it was "polished for the most part and Polish throughout, though its unique origin is reflected more in the grounded fantasy than in the charming, brassy localization. There's no apocalypse in sight, only a well-written web of murdered monarchs, racial tension and freedom fighting - with just a dash of magic." The third entry in the series, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, aims to wrap up the story of silver-haired protagonist Geralt, but will not necessarily be the last game in the franchise. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is an open-world take on the role-playing series and is currently being planned for release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC later this year. [Image: CD Projekt Red]
Xbox Live deals: Ghosts, Souls and Witchers, oh my!
Microsoft is offering some tempting discounts for Xbox 360 owners this week. From now through January 27, Xbox Live is slashing prices on downloads of Dark Souls, Call of Duty: Ghosts and more. Ghosts is down to $40, while Dark Souls is only $5. Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an odd-yet-cheap $6.59, The Witcher 2 is a similarly oddly-priced $9.89 and, rounding out this week's smattering of deals are Tales of Vesperia and Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara – both under $5. The deals are live when viewing each individual title on Xbox Live, though the Xbox Live Deal of the Week section is still showing last week's discounts – which highlight Darksiders for under $7, Darksiders 2 for under $20 and Painkiller: Hell and Damnation for $15.
Japanese Walking Dead, Witcher publisher Cyber Front dissolves
Cyber Front, the Japanese publisher of Telltale's The Walking Dead, Valve's Portal series and CD Projekt's The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings has been dissolved by parent company Kaga Electronics. According to a Gamasutra translation of a statement posted by the company on its website, Cyber Front was subject to a change in management in March of this year. Since that time, the company struggled to rebuild, and on December 19, the decision was made to close shop. Cyber Front recently also published Lab Zero's Skullgirls, which has had a string of bad luck lately, though it will be re-emerging on XBLA and the PSN in January as Skullgirls Encore.
PSA: Blood Dragon puts the Cyber into Xbox's Cyber Monday sale
There are no surprises in the Xbox Cyber Monday sale, with today's deals lining up as announced last week. That said, there are at least a couple of offers worth highlighting, including one for the most appropriate game this Cyber Monday: Far Cry 3 - Blood Dragon. The standalone follow-up to Far Cry 3 is at 75 percent off, meaning you can gorge on all its 80s cyber-cheddar for $3.74. That's the standout deal to us, but the excellent Dark Souls at just $5 is not far off it. Other nods go to Red Dead Redemption, The Witcher 2, and L.A. Noire, each of those going for $7.49, and to co-op beat-em-up Battleblock Theater, which is down to $4.94. For the full list of one-day-only cyber-discounts, head over to Xbox.com.
The Witcher series reaches 6 million unit sales
As part of The Witcher's sixth anniversary, series developer, CD Projekt RED announced this morning that to date the series has sold six million copies worldwide. "Since the very beginning of our journey we have seen that the approach of inviting gamers into a dialogue with the developer is really important and can shake up the - sometimes self-destructive - business side of games," said CD Projekt RED head Adam Badowski. "We hope you'll stay with us for the years to come and that we will continue to make these changes together." The Witcher series, which includes the The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings continues to be on the rise. The window between sales of a million units is getting smaller and the next installment of the series, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, is scheduled to go monster hunting next year.
The Witcher series 75% off on GOG, Steam
If price was the monster you feared in your quest to own CD Projekt RED's Witcher series, Steam has come to your rescue. Now through August 26, "enhanced editions" of both The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings are available for 75 percent off from Valve's digital storefront, priced at $2.49 and $4.99, respectively. In case digital rights management emerges as another terror, CD Projekt's own digital platform - the DRM-free GOG.com - is also offering both RPGs at the same discounted prices on PC and Mac. The Enhanced Editions feature additional quests, the soundtracks and a few more bonuses from the developer.
The Witcher 2 official mod tools released
CD Projekt RED has released REDkit, an official set of tools that allows amateur modders to make The Witcher 2 even witchier than ever before. REDkit, originally launched as a private beta back in August, is a robust toolkit that lets users create new characters and quests within The Witcher 2. If you want to further tweak your mod's fantasy setting, REDkit also allows modders to edit terrain and plant virtual forests using the SpeedTree system. User-created content can be shared with fellow Witcher series enthusiasts at CD Projkt RED's website. Would-be modders might want to check out REDkit's wiki before delving too deeply into the REDkit's world of character creation and tree-planting.
Buy 'Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition' on OnLive, get free GOG copy
Hey, OnLive, it's been a while! Remember when you made that offer of a free PC or Mac copy of The Witcher 2 with an OnLive purchase of the game? What, that's now? Silly us!The cloud gaming platform told us that, starting today, a $19.99 purchase of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition grabs you a PC or Mac copy via GOG.com. CD Projekt's action RPG is also one of the over 200 games in OnLive's PlayPack, which you can subscribe access to for $9.99 a month.
Trine 2 Director's Cut 25% off in Wii U eShop, GOG.com holding RPG sale
Frozenbyte has announced that Trine 2 Director's Cut is currently on sale in the Wii U eShop, meaning the $19.99 co-op puzzle platformer is now on sale for $14.99 in the US. That price will last through February 28 in North America and all the way to March 7 in the EU.And if that sale and the ongoing Steam for Linux price drops aren't enough for you (FTL for $5!), GOG.com is also having a sale this weekend, on a number of impressive role-playing games. You can grab The Witcher 2 for $9.99, Divinity 2: Developer's Cut for $9.99, or pick up the original Torchlight for $7.49. Steam is also offering the sequel to that last one for just a few bucks more.
Witcher franchise up to 5 million sold
CD Projekt's The Witcher games continue to enchant gamers into buying them, with the franchise now over the 5 million mark for copies sold. The figure represents a combined total for The Witcher and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, and with both games on sale this week, it could be on the rise quicker than you can say Gwynbleidd.A few months after The Wither 2 arrived on Xbox 360, CD Projekt announced the franchise was up to 4 million copies sold. With a further million sold in the six or so months since, it's not surprising to hear CD Projekt SA CEO Adam Kiciński say the console port "largely contributed" to the franchise's new milestone.
PC Witcher games on sale, Xbox game permanently discounted
To celebrate the announcement of The Witcher 3: Witch Harder, CD Projekt Red has instituted a 50% off sale on previous Witchers on GOG and Steam. On GOG, The Witcher: Director's Cut is $5, and The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition is $15 (both with extras) through Friday at 10:59am GMT.On Steam, The Witcher is $5, and The Witcher 2 is $10, as is its Prima Guide. In addition, CDP has permanently dropped the MSRP of the Xbox version of The Witcher 2 to $29.99/€29.99/£19.99. Perhaps the company wants you to play these before the new one comes out.
Steam Holiday Sale, day 10: Skyrim, BioShock, Grand Theft Auto franchise sales and more
Have you guys ever noticed how our money and a Steam Holiday Sale are never in the same room at the same time? Like, the same way that no one has ever seen Bruce Wayne and the Batman together in the same place? It's just weird, is all; almost as if our money was somehow being removed by the sale, or something.Some mysteries will never be solved, we suppose. Today's Steam Holiday Sale offerings include 50 to 75 percent off of Skyrim, its DLC and its predecessors, 75 percent off various Grand Theft Auto games, BioShock and BioShock 2 for a collective $10, 75 percent off both Witcher games, Galactic Civilizations I and II for $6.24 and Payday: The Heist for $5.
GOG's holiday sale discounts 475 games until Jan. 3
At some point the GOG holiday sale became unfair, an awfully cheap proposition that no fan of computer games could simply overlook. With rotating daily deals of up to 75% off and discounts up to 50% off on everything in GOG's catalogue, the platform is truly making a case for the season of giving to one's self.The sale lasts until January 3. Today's daily deals include The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings for $12 and The Longest Journey for $5, among other quality offerings. As for general standouts during the promotion, we'd have to say Syndicate for $3 is a nice deal, and so is Legend of Grimrock for $3.74. Mac gamers aren't left out in the full-priced cold either, with deals on SimCity 2000 for $3, Fallout for $5 and Descent and Descent 2 for $5 to consider.For the full list of 475 games on sale during GOG's promotion, follow the source link below.
The Witcher 2 coming to Mac, GOG.com adding DRM-free Mac games
Polish video game developer CD Projekt is here at the MacTech Conference in Los Angeles this week because they're making a few big announcements today about the Mac platform. First, the company's biggest and most popular game, The Witcher 2, is finally arriving on the Mac platform. The Mac version was announced earlier this year, but it's now available -- if you're interested in playing the award-winning and critically acclaimed RPG, you can pick it up on the company's website right now, or grab it over on Steam. It's arriving with a Mac launch sale for just $29.99. And speaking of the company's website, CD Projekt also distributes PC games under the GOG.com banner, and the other big Apple-related announcement today is that GOG.com will now carry DRM-free Mac games as well. We cornered representative Trevor Longino here at the MacTech Conference, and as he says in the video below, GOG.com will start out with over 50 different Mac games and will add even more as time goes on. There are also a number of sales available, including an offer of six different Mac games (including Sim City 2000, Postal Classic, and Crusader: No Remorse) for 50% off right now, as low as $2.99. New users to the site will also get eight games for free, and there are some other sales going on as well, including an incredible pay-what-you-will sale on all Interplay games (!). Since the arrival of Steam on the Mac platform, Mac gamers have had many more options for their playtime, and GOG.com's move on the Mac is just as valuable.
Witcher 2 on Mac via Steam right now, reports say GOG coming too
The Witcher 2 is available for Mac on Steam right now, and it's even on sale for 25 percent off, just $22.50.The Witcher 2 is dropping for Mac on GOG today as well, Eurogamer reports -- which suggests that from today, GOG will support Mac games.CD Projekt Red and GOG have a conference today at 2 p.m. ET, set to stream live from the Witcher Facebook page and on GOG. This may have been one of the surprise announcements scheduled for the event, but there should be plenty more. CD Projekt Red plans to announce the official name of its Cyberpunk game and show off the REDkit mod tools program.
New name for CD Projekt RED's 'Cyberpunk,' Witcher news to stream live Oct. 18
CD Projekt RED has enough announcements to fill up an entire Facebook wall post, and is streaming a live Special Event on October 18 at 2 p.m. ET, with news regarding Cyberpunk, The Witcher 2 modders and Mac users. The stream will be available on The Witcher Facebook page and on GOG.com.CD Projekt RED will announce the official name of its Cyberpunk project, hopefully as something that doesn't sound like a dangling adjective when spoken. Mac users can expect "a bunch of thrilling announcements" and details about The Witcher 2 on OSX. Last we heard, The Witcher 2 was scheduled to hit Mac this fall.Modding news may involve the REDkit mod tools program, which is accepting beta applications through September 30.The Special Event also includes news from GOG.com: GOG will officially announce plans to bring its lineup of classic PC games to "a new operating system," which we can only assume is Gentoo. OK, fine – it's probably OSX.
CD Projekt Red on killing your favorite features
Adding a feature to a game might seem like a fairly straightforward process, but even a simple one can have much bigger ramifications than you might think at first glance. During GDC Europe 2012, CD Projekt Red gameplay producer Marek Ziemak and lead gameplay designer Maciej Szczesnik detailed the process that the developer uses to evaluate any features that could make their way into a project.CD Projekt Red uses a set of internal documents that the studio's employees all have access to. Using these documents, developers can describe their features and the rest of the staff evaluates them. In some cases, staffers even apply numerical values to a proposed feature, with the final "score" affecting the likelihood that a feature will make it into the game. The overarching idea is to fully analyze the risk of a feature and the consequences of implementing it.%Gallery-163035%
