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19 CommentsDemon's Souls, Malicious and more free to PlayStation Plus members in April
By Michael McWhertor on Apr 01, 2013 04.01.13
PlayStation Plus subscribers in North America will get free access to five games in April, according to an update on the PlayStation Blog — Demon's Souls, Malicious and Labyrinth Legends for PlayStation 3; and PSP game Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge for PlayStation Vita. Those games will be made available for free to PS Plus members over the next month, starting with From Software's dark, challenging role-playing game Demon's Souls on April 2. The PlayStation Store update on April 2 will also bring with it discounts on games like Telltale Games' The Walking Dead, Söldner-X2 and Rainbow Moon. This month's free PlayStation Plus offerings will replace a trio of titles leaving the Instant Game Collection in April: Spec Ops: The Line, Super Street...
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38 CommentsSpec Ops writer thinks violence is too easy
By Russ Pitts on Mar 27, 2013 03.27.13
The enemies in Spec Ops: The Line, however, were meant to have character. Killing them was supposed to feel weighty. It was intended to be a thing which would give you pause, even if you were enjoying it. Williams says he considers Spec Ops:The Line to have been an experiment, and one that he's still a little surprised by. What Williams and developer Yager set out to do with Spec Ops was prove that violence could be used as a core component of a game narrative, but not necessarily as an end to itself. They wanted to give the violence meaning. "It was a hard game to get out the door," he says. "[But] the reaction to it was quite wonderful." In most games, violence is the principle method by which a player interacts with the world. Shooting solves problems, whether those problems are...
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24 CommentsSpec Ops: The Line subject of critical, month-long playthrough at New York Public Library
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 12, 2013 03.12.13
As part of the NYPLarcade's game series, the Mid-Manhattan Library will host a "critical, chapter-by-chapter" play session of Spec Ops: The Line beginning on March 25. The inaugural event will cover "The Evacuation," "The Dune" and "Underneath," with five events total examining the game's 15 chapters. During each event, participants can play or watch before engaging in a guided discussion. The full schedule is as follows: March 25: "The Evacuation," "The Dune," "Underneath" April 1: "The Refugees," "The Edge," "The Pit" April 8: "The Battle," "The Gate," "The Road" April 15: "Riggs," "Alone," "The Rooftops"April 22: "Adams," "The Bridge," "Welcome" The NYPL event isn't the first time Spec Ops: The Line has been critically analyzed. In November 2012, academic Brendan Keogh published K...
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13 CommentsSpec Ops: The Line, Joe Danger 2 and more free this month for PlayStation Plus members
By Tracey Lien on Mar 04, 2013 03.04.13
PlayStation Plus is introducing five new games to its Instant Game Collection and discounting many more for the month of March, according to the PlayStation Blog. For this month, PlayStation Plus members will be able to download the following games for free: Spec Ops: The Line, Joe Danger 2, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, The Cave and Tekken 6. A number of PlayStation Vita games will also be discounted as part of week two of the Vita anniversary sale for all PSN users. Among the discounted titles are Army Corps of Hell, Blazblue: Continuum Shift Extend, Dokuro, Knytt Underground, Lego Lord of the Rings. Sine Mora, Retro City Rampage and more. The full list of games on sale this week on PSN can be viewed here. The following games are leaving PlayStation Plus this month: Guardians...
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3 CommentsVoting open online for the Game Developers Choice Award
By Dave Tach on Feb 19, 2013 02.19.13
The virtual ballet box is open for the Game Developers Choice Audience Award and accepting nominations today through 5 p.m. ET March 1, according to the official website. Voters need to select a game from a list provided and enter an email address, from which you'll be prompted to confirm your vote. The list of nominated games includes: Assassin's Creed 3 Borderlands 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Dishonored Dust: An Elysian Tail Far Cry 3 Fez FTL: Faster Than Light Gravity Rush Halo 4 Hero Academy Hotline Miami Journey Kid Icarus: Uprising Mark of the Ninja Mass Effect 3 PlanetSide 2 The Room Sound Shapes Spelunky Spec Ops: The Line Trials Evolution The Unfinished Swan Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward The Walking Dead XCOM: Enemy Unknown ZombiU In late...
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14 CommentsInside Gaming Awards winners include Halo 4, Fez
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Dec 09, 2012 12.09.12
The 4th annual Machinima Inside Gaming Awards took place yesterday in Hollywood, Calif., with Halo 4, Fez and Mass Effect 3 sweeping the largest number of the 17 available awards, according to a recent press release. The award show streamed live through MachinimaLive.com. 343 Industries's Halo 4 won Game of the Year, Best Competitive Multiplayer and Best Sound Design, while Polytron's puzzle platformer, Fez, landed two awards with Best Original Score and Best Indie Game. Mass Effect 3, BioWare's title, won two awards as well for Best Co-Operative Multiplayer and Best Game Cinematography. Spike Video Game Awards favorites such as Journey and The Walking Dead both scored awards as well. Check out the full list of winners below. Game of the Year: Halo 4 (343 Industries)Best Competitive...
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13 CommentsSpec Ops: The Line analysis 'Killing is Harmless' available now
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Nov 23, 2012 11.23.12
Killing is Harmless: A Critical Reading of Spec Ops: The Line, an analysis of virtual violence by critic and academic Brendan Keogh, is now available starting at $2.99. Officially announced on Nov. 3, Killing is Harmless is Keogh's 50,000-word attempt to answer questions about the nature of violence in games, as well as "Western interventionism and wars conducted via proxies." Keogh hones in on Spec Ops: The Line, beginning with the game's opening menu to its final epilogue, and analyzes the game's characters, stages and player decisions. The title comes from one of the game's loading screen lines: "To kill for entertainment is harmless." The book is available on a pay-what-you-want scale, beginning with the minimum launch price of $2.99. The sale price will last until Dec. 21. You...
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3 CommentsGamefly heavily discounts digital PC versions of Darksiders 2, Dishonored and more for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
By Tracey Lien on Nov 22, 2012 11.22.12
Gamefly is offering up to 83 percent off its PC games from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday, with titles like Spec Ops: The Line and Mafia 2 reduced to only $7.49. Some of its deals are exclusive to Black Friday (Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for $7.99, Syndicate for $4.99, Galaxy on Fire 2 Full HD for $9.99) while others are exclusive to Black Friday and Cyber Monday (Battlefield 3 Premium Edition for $29.99, Prototype 2 for $19.99, Need for Speed: Most Wanted for $24.99). Most of its other deals are available for the entire weekend. In addition to the sale, buyers can use a coupon code (NOV20OFF) to get a 20 percent discount on top of their purchases. The coupon applies to digital PC titles. Gamer Deals has collated all of Gamefly's PC sales here.
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18 CommentsWindows 8 Marketplace will sell 'mature' games after all
By Tracey Lien on Oct 25, 2012 10.25.12
Microsoft is changing its guidelines for content on the Windows 8 Markeplace after the original guidelines barred developers and publishers from uploading content rated "mature" onto the store. Under section 6.2 of the original guidelines, the Windows 8 Marketplace did not give certification to games or apps with a rating over PEGI 16, ESRB Mature or a corresponding rating under other ratings systems. This meant that games like Dishonored, Max Payne 3, Spec Ops: The Line, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and others would not be available in the Marketplace in territories like Europe, where all of the above games are rated PEGI 18. Speaking to Gizmodo, Windows Corporate VP of Web Services Antoine Leblond said the guidelines will be changed by December. "It basically ends up...
Darkside responds to Spec Ops multiplayer 'cancerous growth' criticism
By Russ Pitts on Aug 31, 2012 08.31.12
Darkside Game Studios president Hugh Falk reached out to Polygon with a statement, responding to criticism of the multiplayer portion of Spec Ops: The Line from lead designer Cory Davis calling it "a cancerous growth." Falk tells Polygon that Davis' concerns were "an outlying opinion." Darkside, founded in 2008 in Florida as a spinoff of the successful art and design house Shadows in Darkness, was tapped to develop the multiplayer for Spec Ops alongside the single-player development at Yager. According to Spec Ops' lead designer, Cory Davis, the multiplayer was forced on the development team, relentlessly pushed by publisher 2K Games, to the detriment of the overall game. Speaking to Polygon earlier this month, Davis called the multiplayer portion of the game "a cancerous growth." "The...
