More Than 9 Million Players Joined the War In Star Wars: Battlefront Beta

Boom!

That’s the sound of millions of players blasting each other in the Star Wars: Battlefront Beta over the weekend.

From the presser:

“Impressive. Most Impressive.” Yesterday, the Star Wars™ Battlefront™ beta surpassed a major milestone: more than nine million players logged in and played. That makes this the single largest beta in the history of EA. We could not be happier that so many of you wanted to come in to get a small taste of what our passionate team has been working on.

Ever since we revealed Star Wars Battlefront back in April, we knew the beta would be a huge test for our game. After all, the beta has been one of the most talked about topics around the game over the last six months, and it was exciting (and a little nerve racking if I’m being completely honest) to open it up to the world.

And like Han Solo at the end of A New Hope, we’re glad you showed up. Even more importantly than just showing up, you’ve been spending a lot of time playing, having a great time and leaving us some invaluable feedback, as we continue to tune and balance the game until launch on November 17, 2015 in North America, and November 19, 2015 in Europe.

On behalf of the team at DICE, and everyone at EA, thank you for playing. We hope you enjoyed what you played in the beta, which is just a small part of the overall experience. There’s a lot more to the game, including all of our multiplayer modes and mission types.

Thank you, and may the Force be with you, always.

I have a good feeling about this.

Digital Foundry: The Witcher 3 Patch 1.10 Finally Fixes PS4 Version of the Game

Finally, PS4 gamers can play The Witcher 3.

Digital Foundry just released their breakdown of the 1.10 patch for the Witcher 3 and it seems like it fixes most of the issues that has plagued the Playstation 4 version (special thanks to ElTorro  for the quotes):

The good news first. PS4 benefits hugely from the update, and our first stress- test in Crookback Bog shows the biggest gains in the shift to patch 1.10. This area’s fog and water transparency effects push the engine hardest, and notoriously, prior versions of the game locked PS4 to the 20fps line here. But with everything updated fully, frame-rates now stick closer to the 30fps line across the entirety of our run. At points this gives The Witcher 3 a boost of 10fps overall on PS4, and it overtakes a fully-patched Xbox One version in direct comparison.

Drops are still felt, and the graph hits 28fps at points – sometimes lower. But it’s fair to say it’s a step forward, and a much smoother gameplay experience overall in what were previously troublespots. […]

Either way, the PS4 version gets a step in the right direction with patch 1.10 installed – but how does Xbox One hold up by comparison? Sadly, across this analysis we get no performance boosts on Microsoft’s console at all; Crookback Bog runs at more or less the same frame-rate as before, with a sustained update of around 25fps. Likewise, cut-scenes are note-for-note the same as before the patch in frame-rate levels.
….
The only real surprise is in how Novigrad City performs with patch 1.10 installed on Xbox One. Much like PS4, there’s a downgrade as we follow the same path through the city streets – but in Xbox One’s case it’s a more stark difference. The drop from patch 1.08 is noticeable; going from a locked 30fps with occasional stutters to sustained performance at 24-26fps. This bears out across multiple re-trials of the same area, using the same in-game time of day and weather state. We have been downgraded – and compared to a fully patched PS4 version, the gap is as wide as 5fps as we canter down the city streets.

….

Overall, it’s a mixed bag. Xbox One takes one step forward, and another step back – with better asset streaming in the city, but a notably worse frame-rate there as well. As for PS4, this is the first patch where the platform is so consistently ahead of Xbox One in performance terms. Previous updates had different scenes favouring one console or the other, but this patch ramps up PS4’s delivery across the board; less stuttering while travelling the world, and a smoother return in matching stress-tests.

It’s a lead that holds across all scenes on PS4, a version that already benefits from a 1080p resolution, compared to Xbox One’s dynamic setup (resolving typically at 900p). Neither platform locks on to 30fps to a tee, but it’s fair to say we’re bounding ahead of The Witcher 3’s shaky launch state. Patch 1.10 gives Sony’s console the push in performance fans had waited for, and it’s now a far more refined game. For PS4 owners resisting the jump into CD Projekt Red’s epic, at least on on technical grounds, this is a moment to reconsider.

Sounds like this is the time to actually purchase and play the game. This also reinforces my mantra to wait until a game is released before buying instead of pre-ordering the title. Far too many companies release games with bugs and or problems. Waiting ensures that everything is worked out before buying.

Return To The Original Deus Ex With this Revision Mod

Celebrating the 15th anniversary of the original Deus Ex, Square Enix and Edios-Montreal has just released the authorized Revision mod for the original game. The mod, created by Caustic Creative, is free on Steam and re-visualizes the environments and soundtrack of the original game:

“Where other projects fill in detail around the edges of the game by tuning gameplay mechanics or improving textures, we focus on the visceral core of the Deus Ex experience, bringing new level design, aesthetic direction and world-building detail,” said John French, Creative Director, Caustic Creative.

“One of the reasons that Deus Ex has been so popular for 15 years is the way in which the gaming community has embraced the ground-breaking gameplay and a narrative that looks to the future but is inspired by real-world events,” said David Anfossi, Head of Studio, Eidos-Montréal. “‘Revision’ from Caustic Creative is a fantastic way for fans new and old to experience the original  Deus Ex in a whole new way before  Deus Ex: Mankind Divided® raises the bar once again.”

Check out the gameplay trailer below:

Square Enix will also offer an 80 percent discount on Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition and Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut as part of the Steam Stealth Sale, running through Oct. 16.

Playstation 4 Gets a New Lower Price: $349.99 Starting Friday!

The price is right!

Starting October 9th, the price of Sony’s Playstation 4 will be $349.99. Here is the PR from Sony themselves:

Since the launch of PS4, we have been thrilled with the amount of gamers jumping into the world of PlayStation for the first time. If you haven’t made the jump yet, and you’re starting early on your holiday wish list, I have good news – we’re dropping the price of the PlayStation 4 system in the U.S. and Canada. Starting tomorrow, October 9, you’ll be able to pick up PS4 starting at the new price of $349.99 USD / $429.99 CAD (MSRP). Our goal at PlayStation has always been to provide the best gameplay experiences at the best value, and we feel this new compelling price will open the doors to even more gamers that have yet to purchase a system.

They also have a snapshot of their upcoming bundles for their holiday lineup:

It’s gonna be a busy holiday!.

Final Fantasy XV’s Game Engine Is Lumnious!

Development for Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XV, a title that has been in development for centuries, is well underway and is expected to be released sometime in the next decade. While the developers are hard at work, they took some time to discuss their effective but fleeting game engine, Lumnious, created solely for the fifteenth game in the series. Check it out below:

The engine is getting better and better, with some fluid animations and great lightning. The particle effects are very luminous also. It is definitely more refined than when it was first shown all those lost years ago.

I still hate the character designs.

Become Primal with Far Cry!

Ubisoft just announced Far Cry Primal for the Playstation 4, X-Box One and PC. The game is set to be released on February 23, 2016 for the consoles and the PC release will follow in March, 2016:

Set in 10,000 BC, Far Cry Primal follows Takkar, “a seasoned hunter and the last surviving member of his hunting group.” As players survive in the land of Oros, “they will have to craft weapons and tools partly from the bones of slain beasts, hunt for food, master fire, fend off fierce predators and face off against other tribes to conquer Oros.”

Check out the trailer below:

The game looks great and I, for one, welcome more games set in prehistoric times.

Microsoft Buys Havok From Intel, Chaos Ensues!

Video game Havok!

Havok, the leading studio in 3D physics in video games, has just been acquired by Microsoft. Originally part of Intel, the tech group has provided physics system for many of the most popular games created including Halo, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Destiny, Dark Souls and The Elder Scrolls. Here is the presser:

Today, we are proud to announce that Microsoft has acquired Havok, the leading provider of 3D physics, from Intel.

As we welcome Havok to the Microsoft family, we will continue to work with developers to create great gaming experiences, and continue to license Havok’s development tools to partners. We believe that Havok is a fantastic addition to Microsoft’s existing tools and platform components for developers, including DirectX 12, Visual Studio and Microsoft Azure.

Havok is an amazing technology supplier in the games industry and the leading real-time physics creator. We saw an opportunity to acquire Havok to deliver great experiences for our fans. Throughout the company’s history, they’ve partnered with Activision, EA, Ubisoft, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft and many others to create more than 600 games including Halo, Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Destiny, Dark Souls and The Elder Scrolls.

Microsoft’s acquisition of Havok continues our tradition of empowering developers by providing them with the tools to unleash their creativity to the world.   We will continue to innovate for the benefit of development partners. Part of this innovation will include building the most complete cloud service, which we’ve just started to show through games like “Crackdown 3.”

Havok shares Microsoft’s vision for empowering people to create worlds and experiences that have never been seen before, and we look forward to sharing more of this vision in the near future.

It looks like nothing much may change as Havok will continued to be licensed by every gaming studio in existence. Microsoft will just be providing financial support and reaping the benefits.

Check out their site for what services they provide, as it is extensive.

Uncharted Nathan Drake Collection Demo Available!

Sony has just released the demo for Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. It’s 6 GBs and demos Uncharted 2. Fans can experience all the graphical bells and whistles and can download it at the PSN Store.

The Russian Powerhouse Returns to Street Fighter: ZANGIEF!!

Fan favorite Russian Bear mountain, Zangief returns to Street Fighter V!

Prepared to be grappled and slammed. Zangief, a mainstay of the Street Fighter legacy, looks to be back with flair and goofiness. Check out the trailer below:

Street Fighter V comes out in March 2016.

Check Out This Awesome Mariachi Band Covering Video Game Songs!

DaveYard Shift is an awesome mariachi band that covers video game music. They are wonderful game loving musicians and consists of Daveyard Shift, Mandi Lozano, Gilberto Martinez, Alfredo and Amy Rabago, Alina Lozano, and others. Here are some of their works:

Like them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/DaveyardShift

And here is their Twitter page: https://twitter.com/drdavidortiz