General Game News

[Johnny Unusual]

Speaking of Kickstarter, except not really, because they aren't using kickstarter (presumably because the idea is this game will happen even if it's not "fully funded", except how could it not be), Neil Gaiman and the Odd Gentlemen are releasing a game that has the premise of Beetlejuice meets Arsenic and Old Lace type deals.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/WQn-napv3zo" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/WQn-napv3zo</a>

Does anyone know if the Odd Gentlemen games are any good?

BTW: If you love games, Pak Man is hosting a list of crap to name the top 50 Video Games of the 90's.  Do him a solid and take part.

[The Lurker]

2 shirts available based on The Binding of Isaac.


And yes, they are official.

[iv3rdawG]

EverQuest Next information: http://cobess.com/everquest-next-enters-the-mmo-battleground-0015/

[The Lurker]

This combo pack is an odd one.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/N1WJXmeUdFo" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/N1WJXmeUdFo</a>

[Variety of Cells]

I didn't care much for either of the trials. Excited for terminator though. Wish I would have known about the kickstarter

[The Lurker]

In case you haven't already seen it.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/CwSTqfrVIL4" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/CwSTqfrVIL4</a>

[The Lurker]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/3wihyFSQhL4" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/3wihyFSQhL4</a>

[Compound]

FYI: Amazon is strongly hinting that if you haven't preordered a PS4 launch day bundle, like say this one: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00DE2W5XG/
then today might be the last day to do so.  Hint, hint.

(And Dota casters? Zee-nith, not Zen-ith. I'm about ready to head to Seattle to start punching people over this.)

[Variety of Cells]

Just heard about X-Rebirth.  A space sandbox game for the PC.  The video bellow shows the scale, which appears to be huge.  I like the concept that you aren't the center of the universe, and that everything has a purpose beyond being there for you to kill.

However, I don't like the sound of "simplified" controls.  The world is setup for some great immersion, but that is all broken by the fact that it's made to be controlled with a game pad, and I doubt it'll support Track IR.  The game seems interesting and looks pretty despite the dated character models, but I have a feeling it'll just be an appetizer to hold me over until Star Citizen comes out.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/NEbL1p5vZpw&amp;feature=player_detailpage" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/NEbL1p5vZpw&amp;feature=player_detailpage</a>

(Posted this in the wrong thread before.)

[Compound]

Woooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Wasteland is getting a re-release on Steam and GoG!

From the Kickstarter page:

Wasteland 1 getting a separate release!As you may know, we had a deal in place with EA to give all our Wasteland 2 backers (including late backers) a copy of Wasteland 1, which was to be integrated and launched from the game’s menu like the original Bard’s Tale trilogy into the new Bard’s Tale. We very happy about that, as we’ve always wanted to enable people to get back to the original, and it serves as a good refresher for the sequel.
We recently went to talk with EA to try and get it out in a different, separate format, and they accommodated our idea. We’ve now inked a new deal where we’ll be able to release Wasteland 1 separately. After getting the game in our hands and ensuring it runs on modern machines, we plan to distribute it FOR FREE to all our backers before Wasteland 2’s release, as well as sell it on GOG.com and Steam for anyone else interested in trying out this classic RPG.

Wasteland was a hell of a game and was the inspiration for the Fallout series. And congrats to EA for approving this. Say what you want about "the worst company in the world" but in recent years they've re-released a good number of games that were thought to be trapped in legal hell (Wasteland, Alpha Centauri, Starflight) . Good for them.

[Compound]

Soooooo........

http://www.justpushstart.com/2013/08/xbox-one-does-not-require-the-kinect-to-function/

Xbox One does not require the Kinect to function

As you all may remember, Xbox One is supposed to need the Kinect in order for the console to work. Well, it seems that there’s a chance of policy again as Marc Whitten, Corporate VP of Xbox says so.

In an interview from IGN with Marc Whitten, it seems that the Kinect will still work even though if it’s not plugged in. Those who decide to not connect the Kinect on their Xbox One will not be able to make use of certain features like voice commands, motion-based navigation features, or play games like Fantasia: Music Evolved. If this is indeed true, will it be possible for Microsoft to announce a Kinect-less Xbox One SKU later this Fall?

While I like the XBox One, this entire roll out campaign has been a textbook example of "how not to do a product rollout." Geez.

(Oh, and Microsoft has already said in the past few hours that, no, there won't be a bundle without the Kinect.)

[Pak-Man]

Now I get this part of their strategy. In the big race, the Kinect could be what seperates the XboxOne from the PS4. Microsoft doesn't want us NOT to have a Kinect. If it's an option, nobody will want to develop for it, and we'll end up with the same "Eh, that's kinda cool" Kinect games we've been getting so far. If Nintendo had offered a cheaper Wii with a classic controller instead of the Remote/Nunchuck, Wii Sports would have been as far as that control scheme would have gone.

Forcing everyone to use the Kinect has its own drawbacks, though, since it kinda requires your own gymnasium to really work. We have the couch in our living room way too far from the TV (I have to squint to read some things on my 50 inch) and I STILL have to move the coffee table out of the way to enjoy a Kinect game. But if the next generation of Kinect works a little better and requires a little less space, then it could get people hooked. It's a nice device when it works.

By allowing people to use the XboxOne without the Kinect plugged in, it at least silences the Big-Brother-Is-Watching crowd.

[Compound]

Oh, I get the strategy and agree with the assessment. If you want folks to use the thing, make sure everyone has it.  They're just doing a horrible job promoting the damn thing.

And just as an FYI, Microsoft has claimed that the new Kinect has been tightened up and is much more precise in detecting your movements and its detection range is down from  6 feet to about 3. (And I currently have to stand on my couch to get the Kinect to detect me, so the lessened range is a great sign.)

[Compound]

Hey, there's a new Dead Island game on the way!

It's a MOBA.

Yeah, not exactly the genre you'd expect it to be.

[Compound]

Okay, some good news from Microsoft this time.

Microsoft and several publishers (EA, Activision, Ubi) have worked out an agreement that if you buy a title on the 360 and then buy the season pass for that title, you will also get that content on the XB1 as well. So if you buy, say, Call of Duty: Ghosts on the 360, and then upgrade later, you won't have to rebuy all that DLC.

In addition, Gamestop (and I presume others will follow) (Aug 19: Yep, Amazon's doing the same deal now)  is offering a trade in program where if you buy a copy of certain titles (Like the above mentioned Ghost) on the 360, you can then upgrade to the XB1 version for $10.

For once, this is actually a pretty good idea that should reduce the reluctance to upgrade.