Guild Wars 2 Halloween update video: Chris and Tom try on costumes, throw things at kids

Guild Wars 2's 'Shadow of the Mad King' update launches tonight, adding Halloween-themed decorations, mini-games and events throughout the human kingdom of Kryta.

Guild Wars 2's 'Shadow of the Mad King' update launches tonight, adding Halloween-themed decorations, mini-games and events throughout the human kingdom of Kryta. In this video, Tom S and I take a quick look at the redesigned Lion's Arch and Mists areas, some spooky costumes, and a few of the new items. We also throw heavy vegetables at children, which is neither appropriate nor advisable.

There's more to this update than a Halloween re-skin: Shadow of the Mad King also adds a number of new events accross the world, including Skritt thieves that players will have to chase down if they want to reclaim stolen treasure. There's a set of new dungeons, including Vexa's Lab, described by ArenaNet as a set of environmental puzzles inspired by M. C. Escher.

You'll also be able to take on the Modus Sceleris, a guild of NPC troublemakers, and help the Durmand Priory track down anomalies as part of the quest to stop the Mad King himself.

Are you looking forward to jumping into Guild Wars 2 tonight, readers? If you've had a break since launch, is this update enough to tempt you back?

Capcom vows to punish Street Fighter V rage quitters

Back in the good old days rage quitting involved bitter anger, a lot of swear words and sometimes a broken keyboard or two.

Street Fighter V 1

Back in the good old days rage quitting involved bitter anger, a lot of swear words and sometimes a broken keyboard or two. Nowadays it can have more far-reaching consequences, as some players have discovered in Street Fighter V.Basically, if a player quits an online game when it seems inevitable they'll lose, their win streak won't be affected and the hard-fought victory of their opponent will be stolen.

But Capcom is aware of the issues and is determine to stamp the phenomenon out. "Yes, we are well aware of the problem of players disconnecting before the match ends to retain their League Points and their win streaks," a post on the Capcom Unity blogreads. "Thanks to all of the players who have brought this to our attention.

"We are working on a permanent solution to this problem, though we don’t have an exact date to share with you at the moment. That said, we are going to take direct action starting next week to punish those players who are abusing the system."

Capcom asks that players record instances of rage quitting (though they don't provide details on where to send those videos, presumably that will come later). The long-awaited fighter had a rocky launch, but things appear to have smoothed out. In his review, Nathan Brown described SFVas "so, so good for the genre-savvy", but warned that "Street Fighter V does nothing to help you grow as a player."

Battlefield: Hardline review

Battlefield: Hardline review While it is entirely possible to discuss Battlefield without mentioning Call Of Duty, Battlefield: Hardline is just not a Battlefield game. The sheen and thunder of DICE’s Frostbite engine is unmistakable, and the loadout, perk, and Battlepack menus are all replicas of those seen in Battlefield 4. But if Hardline signifies anything, it’s that EA is still chasing the dream

Guild Wars 2 introductory video shows the ropes for new and returning players

Plenty of ambitious adventurers piled onto Guild Wars 2's awaiting servers when it launched in late August, taking the fight to Tyria's tyrants with sword, board, staff, pistol, cutlass, and...well, you get the idea.

piled onto Guild Wars 2's awaiting servers when it launched in late August, taking the fight to Tyria's tyrants with sword, board, staff, pistol, cutlass, and...well, you get the idea. As is typical for most big-budget MMO releases, a fair share of on-the-fence gamers lingered with concerns over whether ArenaNet's social-minded design was really gonna do it for them. Now, the developer's latest expository trailer hopes to sway some fresh faces with a rundown of Guild Wars 2's fundamentals. Check it out inside, but make sure to read our reviewas well if you're still pondering whether or not to make your move.

Capcom "looking into" adding an arcade mode to Street Fighter 5

Street Fighter 5, we said in our review , does what it does very well.

Street Fighter V

, does what it does very well. The problem is that it doesn't do enough. There's not even an Arcade Mode, which means there's no way to take on the AI in the best-of-three punch-ups that have traditionally been a cornerstone of nearly every fighting game ever made. As omissions go, it's glaring, but Capcom recently told Forbesthat it's giving thought to adding one.

“The team is looking into adding an Arcade Mode and we’ll have more information to share soon,” the rep said. Capcom is also apparently planning to add difficulty sliders to the current “character prologues,” which as we explained in the review are simply “single-round fights... against AI that just sits there and gets hit.”

That, unfortunately, is the extent of Capcom's commitment, which strikes me as a bit odd given the near-universality of complaints about the incomplete stateof the game. Online play is lovely (and yes, vital for maintaining long-term interest), but offering newcomers nothing but repeated ass-kickings at the hands of callous-thumbed Street Fighter veterans is no way to build a community.

Wolfenstein made Lucy Liu cry

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The Making Of Battlefield Hardline

The Making Of Battlefield Hardline Visceral Games wants to prove that EA can give gamers the products they want. We caught up with Visceral’s creative director and general manager to talk about its plans to restore Battlefield’s name and prepare to launch itself back into space… Originally printed in games™ 158 Visceral Games’ growth has definitely been an evolution over time,” explains Ian Milham

Guild Wars 2's final beta weekend unlocks two never-before-playable races

The weekend of July 20th will play host to Guild Wars 2's final beta weekend, just a touch over a month before its highly-anticipated August 28th ship-date.

The weekend of July 20th will play host to Guild Wars 2's final beta weekend, just a touch over a month before its highly-anticipated August 28th ship-date. New to this pre-release swan song will be the ability to finally play as Tyria's two previously locked races: the Asura and the Sylvari. Fans of steampunk gnomes and photosynthetic, tree-hugging elf people rejoice!

The techmage Asura will get to check out the starter quests in their home province of Metricia, which includes the capital city of Rata Sum. The Sylvari will get to explore the Grove, an appropriately foliated capital that isn't so much a city as it is a whole bunch of trees with stuff in them. These newcomers will join the existing humans, norn, and charr from previous betas to round out GW2's quintet of playable races.

Personally, I don't see the point of including any other races in a game that lets you be giant, Viking werebears. But that's just me. Which of the new races are you most interested in trying out?

Street Fighter 5 mod restores R. Mika's ass slap

Last November, Capcom made a very small change to the Street Fighter 5 character R.

R Mika s ass

character R. Mika that did away with the self-inflicted ass-slap she performed prior to launching an attack. I don't know why she would slap her own ass in the middle of a fight—some kind of “here comes the ass” warning, maybe—and I don't know why Capcom cut it, beyond the obvious fact that it was ridiculous. Whatever the reasons, it happened, and predictably, people—specifically the kind of people who sign petitions—got mad.

But one of the great things about PC gaming is that we're not necessarily stuck with what we're given. Enterprising modders can work all sorts of magic to make games behave in unintended ways. They can make a corgi that is a gun. They can make Dead or Alive 5 characters fight in the nude. And, yes, they can make R. Mika slap her ass like a particularly unloved stepchild before she drops a Sardine Beach Special.

The re-slappage magic comes from modder CENAWINSLOL and is available on the Kappa subreddit, which for the record is probably NSFW. It sounds like a fairly simple thing, as it simply replaces the camera animation file with one from the beta, when the slap was still in place, but the mod maker warned that he has no idea whether its use could trigger online desyncs or even bans, and urged users to back up their files before installing it. That said, the reaction amongst Redditors indicates that the mod does in fact work as intended.

I don't judge—I installed the Circle of Eight mod for Temple of Elemental Evilso I could get the brothel quests back, after all—but it seems like a really small thing to get worked up about, especially in light of the shockingly incomplete state of the game. Still, if this something you consider a problem, now there's a solution—and because it's bound to come up, CENAWINSLOL also has a mod that restores the upskirt shot of Cammy that was removed at the same time. Artistic integrity and all that, right?

Thanks, PCGamesN.

...

Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros Beasts to ride Metal bra Color-coded attacks Cons Repetitive action Dated graphics Shoehorns in old mechanics Pretend God of War hasn’t happened. Pretend you’ve never heard of Devil May Cry – this has the bonus side effect that you can squint at the box all over again, and think: “Don’t they mean Devil May Care?” for the first time, just like you did in 2001

NBA Live 16 review

NBA Live 16 review [Reviewed on Xbox One] You have to take your hat off to EA Sports, it knows how to take a beating. Every year a new NBA Live is released, and every year it’s beaten to a pulp by critics and basketball fans alike. But despite suffering what must be chronic bruising and shattered ego, the releases keep on coming. One day, surely, the tough lessons will result in a genuine alternative

Guild Wars 2's Gendarran Fields has centaurs, pirates, zombies, and filthy lying apple vendors

In Guild Wars 2's next beta weekend, you're going to be able to play though the Gendarran Fields zone.

gw2

In Guild Wars 2's next beta weekend, you're going to be able to play though the Gendarran Fields zone. We were given the chance to jump into that level 30 zone and scout it out ahead of time. We assembled the PC Gamer exploration team and set off in search of the zone's best events. Below, we've compiled videos of all of our favorites, plus a link to our archived livestreamof our adventures in the zone.


Burnin' down the house!

The first major event we came across in Gendarran Fields tasked us with fighting off a group of pirates and putting out the fires that they have quite rudely set to the better part of a small village. In between bouts, I picked up a water bucket (which disabled all of my weapon-based combat abilities) and dumped its contents on the flames. Taking this on solo will require a bit of juggling between hitting pirates in the face and dousing the ongoing inferno.

From here, Josh's Charr Necromancer and T.J.'s Norn Warrior split up and went down opposite sides of the zone. For Josh, this lead straight to a confrontation with more pirates.


To Pirate Island!

Josh: Having foiled their incendiary antics, I discovered that those rambunctious pirates had taken over an island in the middle of the lake. One of their own wanted me to assault it and knock her ex-friends down a peg. Apparently Pirates love nets because I was repeatedly trapped in them while trying to take down the buccaneers. And it quickly became even more apparent that assaulting a pirate captain on his boat head-on is not a wise idea. Still, I think the 10 cannon shots exploding on top of my corpse after I was dead was a bit overkill.


Of course I know the Pirate Polka! ...Just give me a minute.

Josh: One of the more interesting skill challenges I found in the zone (there were four), this scruffy pirate gal gave me the option of fighting her or doing the pirate polka. I, of course, opted for the latter, but after several command attempts erroring out (no /piratepolka?? Come on!) I resorted back to fisticuffs.


Well, that was not among my best ideas.

Josh: The dredge, a race of unagreeable subterranean mole-people, stick together. I was sent into the mountain to tear apart their mining operation (which I dutifully did), and then I stumbled into the sunlight and found a beautiful damsel in full armor asking for my aid. Of course, I'll help! In hindsight, the 5 unconscious champion NPCs should've told me that this boss was no cakewalk. It killed the soldiers faster than I could resurrect them and then came after me. Ouch. At least it resulted in some up-close footage of a Dredge in a mechwalker.

Meanwhile, T.J.'s hulking Norn found himself in the southwest corner of the zone, where a small town was under attack by the Risen dead.


Stick with me and you'll be just... okay, that guy's pretty strong.

T.J.: After fending off a wave of zombified creatures, I was tasked with escorting a caravan owned by a man and what seemed to be a rather fierce raccoon through the swampy sub-zone, so they could get supplies up to a town that was apparently under attack by centaurs or something. The waves of enemies in our way were of little consequence... until some kind of hulking super-zombie came at us and I had to fall back and regroup.


Door, meet hammer. Hammer, door.

T.J. Heading North, I discovered that besieged settlement that's been talked about in many a GW2 preview. After liberating it from centaur hooves, I was given a number of tasks to weaken the invaders, including rescuing some townsfolk they'd taken as slaves. I later discovered that it's possible to stop the slavers before they get back to the centaur camp, which would've obviated the need to bash down the cage door. Still, it was fun.

Between brazen buccaneers, marauding horse men and vicious walking corpses, you'd think you've seen the worst of Gendarran Fields. You would be wrong. We leave you with the true greatest injustice found here: a young boy named Applejack, who is a filthy, no-good liar with no honor. He taunts you with talk of delicious candied apples and then... well, see for yourself.

Street Fighter 5 has a release date and a new fighter

Capcom announced today that Street Fighter 5 will be out on February 16, 2016, and that the Indian Yogi Dhalsim will be part of the initial cast.

will be out on February 16, 2016, and that the Indian Yogi Dhalsim will be part of the initial cast. It also revealed plans to release six more characters following the game's launch at a hoped-for rate of one every two months, bringing the total number of fighters in the lineup to 22 by the beginning of 2016.

"In case you haven’t heard, Street Fighter V is moving away from doing large bundles of post launch content, such as our prior Super or Ultra upgrades, and instead will be continuously releasing new post launch content on a regular basis," Capcom wrote on its blog. "No longer will you need to wait one or two years for new Street Fighter goodness; it will always be right around the corner."

That content will be purchasable with "Fight Money," an in-game currency used to "reward players who stay engaged with Street Fighter V over time." Pricing and accumulation rates haven't been nailed down yet, but Capcom said there will be two primary methods for earning it: Through daily goals, like landing a specific number of anti-air attacks or Hadoukens, and by leveling characters through different game modes.

"To remove any confusion up front, leveling up a character in Street Fighter V will not affect game balance. It only shows how much time and effort an individual has placed into learning a character," Capcom explained. "Each time a player levels up a character, they will receive a Fight Money bonus. Earlier levels will be easy to obtain, and will scale to become more difficult the higher the level."

And of course, for players who don't want to wait, all post-launch content can also be acquired instantly with "Zenny," a "premium currency" that can be purchased with real money.

As for Dhalsim, he's picked up a few new tricks that will prove handy in combat, including Yoga Float, during which he floats in the air and can access all airborne attacks and specials, and Yoga Burner, a stream of flames that will remain on the ground "for an extended period of time" and drain the life of enemy fighters who stand in it.

Thanks, PCGamesN.

...

Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros Beasts to ride Metal bra Color-coded attacks Cons Repetitive action Dated graphics Shoehorns in old mechanics Pretend God of War hasn%26rsquo;t happened. Pretend you%26rsquo;ve never heard of Devil May Cry %26ndash; this has the bonus side effect that you can squint at the box all over again, and think: %26ldquo;Don%26rsquo;t they mean Devil May Care?%26rdquo

Rhianna Pratchett and the art of game narrative

Rhianna Pratchett and the art of game narrative We speak exclusively to the most wanted writer in gaming today How did you originally get started working in the games industry? Originally I started writing freelance games reviews back in 1998 for an 18-24 year-old women’s magazine called Minx. I then took on a full-time role on PC Zone. I worked there for a couple of years before I eventually left

Guild Wars 2 release date announced. Return to Tyria on August 28th

Finally!

Finally! Guild Wars 2 has to be one of the most anticipated games of the year, but ArenaNet have always been coy about when the game is actually coming out. Not any more. As the above trailer declares, Guild Wars 2 will arrive on August 28th.

Before all that though, there'll be one final beta weekend on the 20th-22nd of July, following on from yesterday's stress test weekend. If for any reason you're still undecided about the game, try reading our most recent Guild Wars 2 preview, which is just one of several you can find under our Guild Wars 2tag.

Here are 11 minutes of Tekken 7 footage

Heihachi and his bessie mates Kazuya and Akuma (please don't reach for the Tekken wiki, I've no idea) have a playful scrap in this reel of Tekken 7 footage, recorded by our friends (well actually we've not met, but I reckon we'd get on) at Gamespot .

. It certainly looks like a Tekken game, which is to say an extravagant 3D fighter hopefully starring a big panda and a sentient wooden dummy.

Bandai Namco are hoping to win over the esports crowd with this one. We'll see how that pans out when Tekken 7 releases on Steamin early 2017.

Golden Axe PS3: First details

Nov 27, 2007 The first details on Sega and Secret Level's long announced Golden Axe update have been revealed in the latest issue of PSM3. If you're looking for a straight update you're probably going to be disappointed, because the classic bruiser has been pretty much completely re-imagined in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 update. First off, you now play as one Amazonian hero, the scantily clad Tyris

Don't Look Down

Don't Look Down “When it comes to the industry as a whole, I think we’re seeing a change of focus,” begins Tom Farrer, producer at Electronic Arts’ DICE studio and veteran of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. “It is much more about creating a great experience, rather than a challenging one. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, though, and I think it’s possible to create something that can offer both.” On

Guild Wars 2 beta key giveaway

You there!

Guild Wars 2 preview thumb

You there! Yes you behind the keyboard, how do you fancy a delicious taste of Guild Wars 2? It seems Arenanet are having another beta weekend on the 8th-10th of June, but to join in, you'll need a key. How do you get one of those? Well you can get one by pre-ordering the game, or you can get on the the 1500 we're giving away. Yes, you can finally have a chance to see if Guild Wars 2 really is as amazing as it promises to be.

To claim your key, just go to our competition pageand fill in the details. You'll have until Monday to enter, and the keys will be dispatched on Wednesday, giving you plenty of time to download the Guild Wars client for the weekend.

When you receive your key, you'll need to register it on the Guild Wars website, after that you can head to the 'getting started' threadon the Guild Wars forums to download the beta client.

If you want to know more about Guild Wars, you can read our Guild Wars 2 previewour Guild Wars 2 Elementalist preview, our Guild Wars Asura 2 previewour Guild Wars dungeon 2 previewand our Guild Wars 2 PVP guide. As you can tell, we're pretty excited about it.

Tekken 7 will come to PC

Bandai Namco is pushing its esports chops, calling it a return to Tekken's "purest form" and welcoming a new pool of "talented competitive tournament players" to the franchise.

In March, a vague consumer surveyhinted that the Tekken series might finally come to PC. That survey was bang on: Tekken 7 will come to Steam in early 2017.

This news comes not from Microsoft's E3 press conference, but a fresh Bandai Namco press release. It's strange—Microsoft was exceedingly keen to tell us about all the "Xbox and Windows 10 exclusives" lined up, but somehow forgot to mention Tekken's Steam release at all during the presentation. Weird.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider

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2016’s most wanted games revealed in games™ 169

2016’s most wanted games revealed in games™ 169 It’s time to look ahead at the games that will be dominating our time in 2016 as we celebrate the most wanted titles on the horizon. From Dark Souls III to Mass Effect Andromeda and Uncharted 4 to Gears Of War 4, games™ has all of the hottest new titles for you with insider access and new info crammed onto every page. Why Dark Souls III is tougher than

How to preserve your Guild Wars character name in Guild Wars 2

Reserving your Guild Wars character name for use in Guild Wars 2 is easy: just log in to Guild Wars.

Guild Wars 2 character

Reserving your Guild Wars character name for use in Guild Wars 2 is easy: just log in to Guild Wars. Any "active" Guild Wars player -- meaning you've logged in since Jan 1, 2012 -- will have his or her name added to a list which will be active during GW2's Headstart Access period and launch day. During those periods, new players will not be able to claim your name.

The reserved list will be opened to the public sometime after launch day, so if you don't claim your name early, it'll be up for grabs. Also note that the list of reserved names will be generated before the Guild Wars 2 launch, so if you haven't logged in this year, make sure you do it soon to ensure that your name isn't left off. You wouldn't want to be stuck with "Wizardex," would you?

The full explanation of how name transfers will work is available in a post on the ArenaNet blog.

Golden Axe: Beast Rider

The next time someone says that they’ve got ‘fond memories’ of the original Golden Axe (or look at you in all seriousness and claim that it was “really good”) remember to tell them in the kindest possible way to stick it. It was bad enough you could complete it using the same move over and over, but it was made worse by the fact that the only long-term amusement to be had was seeing how far you can

Build of the week: Triptyk Core P5

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Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis.


Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 1 of 14 Next Prev Page 1 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 2 of 14 Next Prev Page 2 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 3 of 14 Next Prev Page 3 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 4 of 14 Next Prev Page 4 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 5 of 14 Next Prev Page 5 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 6 of 14 Next Prev Page 6 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 7 of 14 Next Prev Page 7 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 8 of 14 Next Prev Page 8 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 9 of 14 Next Prev Page 9 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 10 of 14 Next Prev Page 10 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 11 of 14 Next Prev Page 11 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 12 of 14 Next Prev Page 12 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 13 of 14 Next Prev Page 13 of 14 Next

Nowadays, I don’t look for much in a PC chassis. By that, I mean the less chassis, the better, and the Triptyk Core P5 from Paris modder Nicolas, aka Triptyk, represents a trend I’m all about: open-face PC design. I’ve been ignoring the signs my entire life: open-face turkey sandwiches, butter toast, other kinds of toast. Toast. PCs.

The elegant, showy design doesn’t depend on the typical outlandish chassis cliches. Instead, the Triptyk Core P5 just puts itself out there, literally, where the components speak for themselves. I'm a fan of all the fans, the clean liquid cooling lines, and bare naked GPU. Hello there, GPU.

An open-face PC like this often inspires a trail of concern about a dust invasion, but keep in mind, the Triptyk’s open design means you keep the machine clean on the daily instead of once every full moon during the age old dustbunny massacre PC gamers have been practicing for decades. Practical and pretty, the Triptyk Core P5 is a PC liberated from the dark corners beneath desks, courageously exposed to the elements—which probably only consist of toddler hands and tossed controllers, but hey, these looks are worth the risks.

For more information on the build, check out Triptyk's interview with Guru3D.

Triptyk Core P5 components:

Chassis: Thermaltake Core P5
Mobo: Asus X99 Deluxe
CPU: Intel 5930K @ 4.25 Ghz / Waterblock EK Monoblock X99
RAM: 4x4 DDR4 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2666 Mhz
GPU: GTX 980 TI KFA2 HOF @1500/2000 Mhz
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 512 Go
PSU: Alimentation Seasonic Snow Silent 750w

Prev Page 14 of 14 Next Prev Page 14 of 14 Next

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR At only 11-years-old, James took apart his parents’ computer and couldn’t figure out how to put it back together again. As an Associate Editor, he’s embarked on a dangerous quest to solve Video Games. Wish him luck.

Topics

...

Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros Swing mechanics are fluid and easy to control Some great set-pieces Offers a hefty challenge Cons Not enough exploration allowed Annoying radiation deaths Too much time on loading screens It was around the time we stopped swinging through the jungle to punch a robot in the face, rip open its hatch and then punch the pilot in the face that we decided: “this

Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel claims "the indie bubble is popping"

For Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel, there's really only one problem affecting the sustainability of the indie PC gaming scene at the moment: "too many games." In a recent , the veteran developer behind the Avernum and Avadon RPG series discusses what the "flood of games" means for indie studios today and in the future.

RPG series discusses what the "flood of games" means for indie studios today and in the future. It's an issue Vogel says has gotten so severe, "even the gaming press has noticed."

Vogel situates his analysis around a fact that has been making the rounds in the media recently—namely the sheer number of gamesSteam has released this year. So far in 2014 the distributor has pushed out more games than during all of last year.

"Indie gaming started out as games written with passion for people who embraced and loved them," Vogel writes. "Now too much of it is about churning out giant mounds of decent but undifferentiated product to be bought for pennies by people who don't give a crap either way. It's not sustainable."

But Vogel doesn't blame Steam for the current situation, arguing that the boom in indie gaming has made the task of sorting and curating all those games "impossible." This left Steam "in a position of being hated for something it could do nothing about."

And with so many bundles now available, bundles Vogel admits he has also taken advantage of, the return from selling games is diminishing. The "problem" he identifies is one Vogel feels developers and gamers have been noticing for several years now, as the joy of uncovering a new indie gem has turned into a more stressful process of sorting an endless list of new releases.

"Also, it bums me out," Vogel writes. "I feel like some jerk who sees a guy's pants fall down and points and laughs and shouts, 'HA HA! Your pants just fell down!' The pants-down guy has my sympathy. My sales are way down too, so if you hate me, I hope that fact gives you a little smile."

There's a lot more to the Vogel's argument, and if you've thought about this issue at all I recommend checking out the whole thing.

Thanks, Games Industry International.

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Guild Wars 2 preview

You don't need to hate the way things are to look forward to change.

Guild Wars 2 preview thumb

This article originally appeared in PC Gamer UK issue 237.

You don't need to hate the way things are to look forward to change. The Guild Wars 2 hype has set it up as a rebuttal to the way things are done in MMOs: a rejection of unchanging worlds, heroism without consequence and epic battles that are more about logistics than bravado.

These expectations have been generated as much by the gaming community as by NCsoft's marketing. Simply by promising to do things differently, Guild Wars 2 has found itself nominated as the saviour of its genre. Lead designer Eric Flannum is more modest. “What we tried to do was take a look at what an MMO could be, and try to make it appeal to not only people who love MMOs but also people who maybe haven't tried an MMO for various reasons.”

As someone who likes MMOs – and who isn't necessarily convinced they need saving – I'm treating my uninterrupted weekend with the game as an opportunity to see how far it can deliver on its big ideas. If it can convince me that we really have been doing everything wrong since World of Warcraft, then ArenaNet could be on to something.

I opt to play a female human warrior. My choice of race is down to the fact that the human starting area – lush farmland under attack by roaming centaur warbands – is the most frequently cited example of GW2's evolving 'events' system, where quests are thrown out in favour of dynamic objectives based on the independent actions of players, monsters and friendly NPCs. I become a mail-clad warrior, meanwhile, because I want my character to put some bloody clothes on. The land of Tyria is populated by clear-faced underwear models, and it's an uphill struggle to make a female character who doesn't look 15 years old. The best I can do is a kind of Disney Joan of Arc, a waif-thin airbrushed beauty wielding a sword bigger than she is. I avoid spellcasters entirely because there's only so much Renaissance-themed fetish gear I can handle.

It's a negative first impression, albeit one that's down to personal preference. The first Guild Wars had a similar look, after all, and it's classier than Aion or Lineage. As with the rest of GW2's art direction there's an obvious investment of thought, detail and style – it just won't be to everyone's taste.

I'm asked a series of questions about my character's life, from the serious – her biggest regret – to the mundane, such as deciding what kind of helmet she wears. These choices are written up as a letter in the first person, describing the kind of person my character is. Signing the letter establishes her name, and we're off. It's a lovely system, and successful in making me feel ownership of my character straight away.

After a hand-painted introduction I'm dropped into the village of Shaemoor during a centaur attack. This is an instanced crisis, the kind that many MMOs begin with – but what's striking is that no one immediately tells me what to do. I rush towards a nearby player and help her take down a spear-wielding centaur. Control-wise, everything is where I expect it to be. I'm equipped with a one-handed sword, and hammering the '1' key makes things die. So far, so MMO.

An NPC shouts at me to get to the inn, and a waypoint appears on my minimap. I start to notice quirks in the combat system: while I can target enemies, I don't need to do so in order to hit them, and pressing the attack key causes my character to swing her sword regardless of whether she's in range. Damage is based on stats, but hitting a foe is partly twitch-based – a fact backed up by the evade system that lets you double-tap a movement key to roll out of the way.

When I reach the inn I enter a brief conversation with an NPC. These sequences are presented as oneon- one dialogues against a painted backdrop. Players are voiced, but you don't have any choice about what they say: it's not The Old Republic. I'm told to help out at a nearby guardhouse, and off I go again.

On the way, I loot a two-handed sword from a centaur warrior. Equipping it, my abilities immediately change. Every weapon in Guild Wars 2 has its own set of special moves, which range from area-of-effect attacks to throwing a greatsword like a four-foot steel boomerang. Moves are unlocked as you rack up kills with the weapon, so you have to work to access the full potential of a given loadout. It's very straightforward in practice, and it's impressive that only a few minutes into the game I'm already playing differently to the hammer-and-shield warrior next to me.

I'm the first player to reach the guardhouse, and as I arrive a message pops up: event started, defend the gate. Centaurs charge in from the hills and, of course, I fight them. I've got no kill-quota to hit, and I don't actually know how long the siege will last. More players join, and the centaur onslaught increases in intensity – I suspect the game is scaling up the encounter to match the amount of defenders, but my focus is on murdering horse-men, not mechanics. I'm paying attention to my goals as a character rather than my goals as a player.

Guild Wars 2's events system is starting to make sense. “Events are very visual,” Flannum says. “They don't require a lot of explanation. You run into a city and there are centaurs attacking everyone – you kind of know what to do, right?”

Guild Wars' Winds of Change concludes on a high note

Like a turbulent gust blowing off the Jade Sea, the latest installment of Guild Wars' Winds of Change clears away the heavy fog that has been hanging over players since learning of the Ministry of Purity's duplicity.

GW

Like a turbulent gust blowing off the Jade Sea, the latest installment of Guild Wars' Winds of Change clears away the heavy fog that has been hanging over players since learning of the Ministry of Purity's duplicity. With the Ministry not as innocent as it once seemed, the Kurzicks and the Luxons at it again, and Cantha in peril, heroes are needed. Who will answer this call? Why the players of course!

With the nine new quests available, as well as new rewards both in game and in the store, players will have plenty of fat lootz to entice them back to the adventure in Winds of Change.

Players looking to begin part three of Winds of Change will want to head into the sewers of Shenzun Tunnels and speaking to Miku. While many of my fellow Guild Wars players will probably find the missions to be a breeze, I struggled as I completed them. The first mission was a particular challenge, with enemies swarming me from all directions as my heroes and I fought them off. Then died. Again, and again. While I've been playing Guild Wars for a while now, I don't necessarily have the best gear, and very few expert skills. If you're in the same boat, I highly recommend working on these quests with guild mates, as that will make things much easier.

Spoilers Ahead!

I was a big fan of the undercover mission, which had me mingle amongst outlaws and thieves to find out why there was a recruitment drive for new minions in the seedier elements of society. Nothing like a little detective work to keep things exciting.

While I'm still building up the courage (and teammate roster) to take on this final chapter in the Guild Wars story, I've done my research and know what we'll be facing there--and it sounds amazing!

The final fight has you battling against Minster Reiko (head of the Ministry of Purity) herself, as she summons illusions and phantasms to beat you back. Keep her occupied, destroy her constructs, and you'll find that “The Grand Illusion” bar on-screen will decrease. Bring it to zero and you win. It's a fun way to handle the non-traditional boss fight. It keeps you on your toes as you keep her busy, all the while whittling down the Illusion bar.

Once you've completed this mission, you'll find that Miku is now available as your newest hero!

The rewards are excellent, the story hit a chord with me, and the experience is a blast! I can't wait to complete it later this week, and connect some of the final dots leading up to Guild Wars 2.

...

Jump to Section: Best Price Comments Pros The swinging once you're used to it Throwing cars at enemies Zip-kicking guys in the crotch Cons The swinging if you're not used to it Guns are unsatisfying Story is meh The first hour introduces Nathan Spencer, the man with the bionic arm, and gifts him with a handful of neat moves but fudges things by hemming him in with BC’s answer to invisible walls – radioactive

Steam has added more games so far this year than in all of 2013

Looking for a few new games to play?

Looking for a few new games to play? We're not hurting for choices, reportedly. Steam has released more games so far this year than during all of 2013, according to an analysis at Gamasutra. The number of new releases in 2014 contrasts starkly with data from the previous two years, a difference the analysis attributes to Steam's community promotion process, Steam Greenlight.

For many months now, it's been a common experience to wander over to the Steam website, click the Greenlight tab, and see something like " 75 titles Greenlit today." In fact, just yesterday there were another 75 gamesapproved through Greenlight. Now, developers releasing their games is—of course—a good thing. But as Gamasutra smartly points out in its report that the sheer number of games makes each one visible on Steam's front page for far less time than in previous years.

But as we've heard in recent months, Greenlight's days may be numbered, even as so many intriguing new gameshave found an audiencethrough the process. People on obviously different ends of the game-industry spectrum—notably Steam head Gabe Newelland Vlambeer developer Rami Ismail—have predicted Greenlight's eventual demise. Exactly what would replace it, however, remains unclear.

Guild Wars 2 Mesmer revealed, can summon clones armed with magic shotguns

[VAMS id="41aaWo5bEV1mz"]
As expected , the latest Profession to be revealed for Guild Wars 2 is the Mesmer.

, the latest Profession to be revealed for Guild Wars 2 is the Mesmer. As you might expect from the name, Mesmers specialise in using mind tricks and illusion to defeat their enemies. It's a less subtle art than you might expect. Auras of invisibility and doppelganger companions are all standard fare for your average combat magician. It's the portal/laser beam sword combination that really sells the profession. It looks perfect for some high level PvP trolling and, with skill names like "Chaos Storm" and "Mind Wrack," feels like a powerful addition to the Guild Wars 2 roster.

You can find out more about the specific abilities the Mesmer will be able to wield on the new Mesmer section of the Guild Wars 2 site. Meanwhile, here are twelve new screenshots of the various Mesmer warriors from the trailer above.

The Bionic Commando launch site is HERE!

It seems like just yesterday we were playing Bionic Commando on our NES. But it was actually last week, because we at the GR offices love us some Bionic Commando, whether we%26rsquo;re playing with an expensive prop or beating other gaming journalists for a kick-ass lunch box . And it seems even yesterdaier that the next-gen return of BC was announced. But the much anticipated title is just days away

Jump to Section:Best Price

Comments
Our Verdict
Rocket League is fast, fun and relentlessly enjoyable.

Rocket League is fast, fun and relentlessly enjoyable. The best football game without feet.

NEED TO KNOW

What is it? A car soccer game and superior sequel to Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars.
Reviewed on i5-3230 CPU, 8GM RAM
Play it on 2GHZ dual core CPU, Nvidia 8800 or ATI 2900, 2GB HDD
Alternatively Trackmania, Sensible Soccer
Price £15 / $20
Release date Out now Developer Psyonix
Publisher Psyonix
Multiplayer Yes
Link Official site

Let’s not waste energy exploring why soccer should replace its paper chain of squalid billionaires with cars, and accept it as fact. A fact which Rocket League proves with simple and immediate ease.

I’ve never played a game that needed a tutorial less. Association football, soccer, wendyball; whatever you want to call it, it’s that, but on wheels. Drive car at giant ball; hit ball into net; score points. Rocket League’s competitive core has existed for centuries, and this helps make a preposterous concept feel primal. This, in turn, is a laughable way of describing a game which would be called moto carball if it actually existed.

Like dry martinis and penises scribbled in an unattended notebooks, Rocket League is a celebration of simplicity. Driving is delicious. Cars ease around like butter in a heated pan, but always feel under your control. You accumulate boost by driving over markers on the arena floor and unleash it is a thunderous rush that fires you across, over and around the pitch. Because matches take place in smooth, enclosed spaces, you can drive up walls and across ceilings. Cars can also jump and dodge, both of which can be used defensively and offensively. The weight of the cars, as well as your ability to apply unruly boost to jumps, adds a pleasingly haphazard element; like athletic footballers leaping to header high balls, but with less shirt-pulling and zero chance of flattening a £2000 hairdo.

Cars ease around like butter in a heated pan, but always feel under your control.

Vehicles feel light and buzzy—somewhere between Micro Machines, and those swift, slidey remote controlled cars which only seem to appear on Christmas Day. This contrasts nicely with the fat, beefy bounce of the ball, which gormlessly invites impact like a punchable cousin. And that’s it. I feel almost guilty reducing a review to ‘ball’ and ‘car’, but there are only ever those two things in the field of play, and crucially, they both feel great. It’s helped by a crisp, intuitive camera. You can focus on the ball, effortlessly whizzing around with it always in view, or switch to the standard camera - very useful for rushing back to defend your goal, or smashing into other vehicles. There are no weapons, but certain markers fill your boost and let you obliterate other players. Mercifully, it’s the generous, instantly-respawning type of obliteration. Destruction is the only conspicuous deviation from clean business of driving around and scoring goals, but in most of the games I played it was a rarity—certainly never frequent enough to be irritating.

Destroying other vehicles is one of many actions which accumulates points; imagine Burnout, but with awards for skill not speed. You receive points for things like clearing the ball from your goal line, spectacular saves and overhead bicycle kicks—named so because the more literal ‘quadracycle wheel-nudge’ is a senseless stew of words. Giving everything a points value means it’s about more than scoring goals. The most valuable players I encountered were workmanlike wingers who selflessly chugged along the the flanks, crossing the ball for greedy goalhunters like me. It stops players from clustering in the same spots and reinforces the concept that Rocket League is a team game.

Except, of course, when it’s not, such as when you’re duelling against a single opponent. Alternatively, you can set teams of four against each other, in matches which become so frantic that they’re less like footy, more like a lost, confused beach ball bashed between bumper cars. Playlists of duels, doubles, standard 3v3 matches and the appropriately named Chaos 4v4 mode are all available online, with ranked playlists limited to duels, doubles and 3v3. There’s a reason why online play is the first option on the menu: Rocket League is designed to be played with actual people, and this is absolutely where it thrives. My experience was marvellously robust. I rarely had to wait long for a game, and if players dropped out mid-session they were immediately replaced by AI bots. Best of all, it’s refreshingly simple to get back into another game, so very little time is spent lingering in lobbies.

If playing online isn’t your thing, there are exhibition matches and full seasons you can solo. The length and difficulty can be altered, and while it doesn’t offer much in the way of depth—cars and football, remember?—I still found myself bonding with pretend teammates. Whether online or offline, playing games randomly unlocks new cars and upgrades. These range from simple things like fresh coats of paint and shiny wheels, to pointy hats for your wizardmobile. Upgrades are purely cosmetic, but volume, variety and the promise of driving around with bubbles frothing from your exhaust should be enough to keep you coming back.

The offline modes do reveal the game’s minor inadequacies, however: team AI can be flaccid and unreliable, especially against tougher opponents, and the same simplicity which makes Rocket League immediately playable can cause things to get repetitive when played alone; a criticism that only becomes apparent precisely because it’s so damn addictive. It’s a simple thing done brilliantly well, kept interesting by the thrill of competition.

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The Verdict

Rocket League

Rocket League is fast, fun and relentlessly enjoyable. The best football game without feet.

We recommend By Zergnet

Guild Wars 2 trailer and screenshots show off the Asura

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The Asura are the tiniest of Guild Wars 2's races, and the most likely to frolic around the place making merriment.

The Asura are the tiniest of Guild Wars 2's races, and the most likely to frolic around the place making merriment. They seem to live in a giant stone Rubik's Cube held together by magic and giggles. They do demand some respect, however, on account of their exceptional intelligence, engineering talent and tendency to roll around battlefields in giant magical mech suits with golem companions.

They've got quite a torrid history, too, detailed in the updated Asura page on the Guild Wars 2 website. The Asura used to live underground, until they accidentally burrowed into the home of an Elder Dragon champion known as The Great Destroyer. That did not end well. Now they live in gravity-warping palaces that hang above the planet and use their high-tech portals to travel from land to land.

ArenaNet reveal more about how they set about creating the Asura's extraordinary homelands in their Asura environments blog post. You can see how the concept art turned out in the five screenshots below, which also show some of their pleasingly stompy magical golems.

For a company that was recently bought up by the behemoth that is Facebook, Oculus' guys at the top are surprisingly chatty.

It's not uncommon to receive reams of marketing spiel from top executives at expensive game companies, but when I sat down with Nate Mitchell and Palmer Luckey at Oculus during Gamescom last week, it quickly began apparent that the Facebook buyout hasn't stopped these guys from speaking their minds, and letting the passion they have for VR spill all over the place.

As Rift leads the charge, Oculus hopes competitors don't mess up VR

Whether it's discussing the issues with bad VR implementation, their focus on video games as the Rift's core ideal, or what competition like Sony has cooking up, Mitchell and Luckey never show signs of dodging around a question or presenting me with stock PR-prepped statements.

As you might expect, it's really rather refreshing, and does much to quell any minor worries I might have following the Facebook acquisition -- as do the Superhot and Lucky's Tale demos, the latter of which left me speechless (a rarity, as those who know me will attest.) Here, you'll find my conversation with the pair.

So I was trying Morpheuslast month...

Nate Mitchell : Morpheus? What's that? [laughs] I actually haven't tried it yet.

Well, I was playing a demo where I was in a cage underwater and being attacked by a shark. Looking around felt great and there was a gorgeous sense of actually being there, but when the shark began to attack me, that really destroyed the immersion for me, because I couldn't feel the shark battering the cage. My brain had been tricked, and then when the shark started attacking and I couldn't feel it, my brain remembered that I wasn't actually there. Is that going to be an immersion issue for VR as a whole? Will we need haptics going on as well for the full experience?

Palmer Luckey : Yes. VR is a lot more than just vision - it's all the different components working together. That's one of the reasons we do so much R&D around it. Game developers have to make content that doesn't break presence - it doesn't break that feeling of being in a virtual place.



"When VR content is poorly designed, it's very easy to break the illusion and the spell. You pull one card out, and the whole thing collapses." Mitchell : I think that's what I really want to emphasize - I haven't tried the demo you're talking about, but it's very hard to create presence, and it's very easy to break the illusion, right? It's like this house of cards where, when everything is perfectly in its place, the illusion is totally there. A big part of it is our hardware, a big part is our software, and a massive part of it is the content. The content needs to be carefully designed for VR to really create presence. It's not something where it's like, it has to be hyper realistic. It just has to be designed with all this stuff in mind.

So when content is poorly designed, it's very easy to break the illusion and the spell. You pull one card out, and the whole thing collapses. And you think, this doesn't feel that cool anymore. So it sounds like, with that demo, it's largely due to bad design, and I bet if we sat down and brainstormed it for a while, we could come up with ways to make it way more excited.

I guess a larger issue resulting from this is that it's very detrimental for you guys if lots of bad demos come out, right? Because people won't say "this game sucks," they'll say "Oculus sucks."

Mitchell : It's two things there. Honestly, it's also the hardware side. Part of that house of cards is the hardware that's enabling the experience. So it's not only the games and content that's coming out - it's also the hardware devices that are coming out too.

We really can't control the hardware devices, which is one of the things that we're most worried about. If people ask us, 'What do you think of Morpheus?,' on the one hand it's amazing to see Sony come into the market, because it means more funding for developers...

Luckey : If they actually invest in it, of course.

Mitchell : Yeah, Morpheus isn't a product. That's true, and it's an important point - they haven't even said they are going to invest yet.

Luckey : It's not like they've said, "Yes, there will be more VR content that we're publishing."

Mitchell : But yeah, we're excited about that. But if the hardware isn't good enough, and it gives a bad experience and can't deliver presence - and actually one of the limited factors for them may end up being the PS4, for example - that's a major problem. That's kinda beyond our control, and that's really frustrating.

On the content side, there's a lot of things you can do - there was someone asking earlier whether we're going to have a "Nintendo approved" style, like an "Oculus approved" seal for games. We're not at that stage yet. We don't know what we're going to do. We're still just trying to get the hardware out there, and let developers achieve presence before we worry about enforcing them to have it.



"If [Morpheus] isn't good enough, and it gives a bad experience and can't deliver presence, that's a major problem. That's kinda beyond our control, and that's really frustrating." There's a lot of different ways you can drive a high quality bar, and we really do want there to be lots of high-quality experiences on the platform, and not just have this sea of bad experiences. We really can't control the whole ecosystem and VR industry, and that is what it is. We just hope that everyone who gets into it is serious about really delivering a super high quality bar. And if everyone does that, it really should help the entire industry. Any time they ship something bad, it hurts the whole industry.

When you picture the full consumer release and you forecast the sorts of people who are going to buy a Rift, what sort of audience do you think you're going to have?

Mitchell : If you only ship Call of Duty VR, then it's only going to be mainstream gamers. But if you have something like Minecraft VR, then there's this other, younger audience that's there. My dad is most excited for the utility stuff like Oculus cinema, or being able to walk around virtual tourism. So different things for different people. I think for us, it's really about creating an awesome platform and an awesome device that developers can build anything they want on. Obviously our focus is games...

How important is the other stuff besides games? You guys say you have this big focus on games, but it seems like Oculus has much bigger potential, and it seems like putting your biggest focus on games doesn't seem like the best idea? That seems weird coming from me, I know!

Luckey : I think the difference is that gaming is one of the most demanding applications that there could possibly be. It'd be like if you said, there's all these different types of TV - if you can make a TV work well for sports, which are running at a high frame rate, high contrast, all these things - certainly people are going to watch soap operas on it too.

That's kinda where we are at VR - if we can make this thing work for hardcore gamers, running the most technically demanding applications, for things like architecture or video playback, it's going to be totally fine.

Everyone keeps saying "What if it's just a fad?" and it seems to me that the way to make sure it's not a fad is to make sure the applications are widespread. So in a weird sense, I really like reading about the non-game stuff for it.

Mitchell : I think it's twofold. What Palmer says is accurate - we're trying to do the hardest possible thing, and if we can nail that, everything else just works. And with games, because for real-time 3D graphics most of the expertise is in the games industry right now - those are the people who are going to really push the medium forward.

We are gamers, so we're passionate about gaming, so we want to revolutionize gaming, which is part of the reason we are starting with games. Gamers also have disposable income, and are willing to strap a crazy device to their heads.

It's kinda like we're at the beginning of computers. Let's go past the mainframe computers to personal computers - if you think of the DK2 as one of the first personal computers, there's tons of people everywhere who are like, "Pfft, no-one's ever going to ever want that." But there's geeks out there who were like, "this is going to change the world" and look where we are right now.



"If we can make the consumer version of the Rift as successful as the Apple 2, or something like that, it'll be a massive success. But you've got to start small and grow from there." So when you're building something, especially something as game-changing as virtual reality, you don't want to try to boil the ocean right at the beginning, and just go for everything that actually eliminates focus and sort of spreads you too thin.

It's still early days. If we can make the V1 consumer version of the Rift as successful as the Apple II, or something like that, it'll be a massive success. But you've got to start small and grow from there. If we really nail it, everything else will fall out of it. We'd rather pour all our passion into games and knock that out of the park. I think everything else will fall behind it.

You were talking about getting games being an information factor for the platform. How cagey do you have to be now when you talk to developers? At this moment in time you're building the Oculus, and you also want to get loads of developers onboard - but of course, the problem is that you're still building it, and there's always going to be certain things you can't tell everybody, and then when you can tell them, it's going to have implications for what they're doing. How do you find that balance between saying, "Hey, everybody get onboard!" and then adding, "Oh, but this is happening now, and this is happening later"?

Mitchell : It's a major challenge. It's something that everyone who is developing a product that other people are building other products on top of deals with. You just strike the best balance you can. You can't give out all the details, all the time, but we also trust our developers with a huge amount of information.

Luckey : We lean towards being open, and one of the reasons that we don't say things - it's not because we wanna keep it secret, it's because we don't wanna say something that we're not sure about.

The only thing worse than not giving developers guidance on a certain date or feature is telling them that it will be something, and then changing it later. It's not that we're trying to keep secrets a lot of the time, it's just we don't want to tell people things that are not for certain.

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