In the Halloween trailer above released today by Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs developers Frictional Games, you’ll see the protagonist’s panting and nervous crawling through the indirect sequel to The Dark Descent.
*39
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs Halloween Teaser Trailer
In the Halloween trailer above released today by Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs developers Frictional Games, you’ll see the protagonist’s panting and nervous crawling through the indirect sequel to The Dark Descent.
*39
Until Dawn Releases New Trailer
Until Dawn, the PS Move-enabled horror game developed by Supermassive, has gotten a new trailer today (via the PlayStation Blog).
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*37
Counter Strike: Global Offensive Tournament
In celebration of the Electronics Sports World Cup happening this weekend, Counterstrike: Global Offensive, the sequel to one of the most popular multiplayer games of all time, is going free to play this weekend.
The game will be available for anyone to play from October 31 at 10am to November 4 at 1pm PST.
"The ESWC is the first major tournament featuring CS:GO and shows that CS:GO is taking over in major tournaments everywhere," Valve said in a post on their blog. "We start with France this weekend and next up in November – CS:GO will be in Sweden at DreamHack Winter with a prize pool over $45,000!"
Valve also teased that they might put the game on sale following the free weekend. Counterstrike: Global Offensive is usually $14.99 and is available on both Mac and PC.
Outlast Trailer Has Plenty of Scares
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*36
The Dead Linger has gone Alpha
Sandswept Studios today released the Alpha version for their upcoming game The Dead Linger. The game aims to be an open sandbox zombie survival game, in the vein of games like Day-Z, the popular Arma 2 mod.
Access to the Alpha costs $24.99, which Sandswept Studios advertises as a reduced price. Players who have pre-ordered the game or purchase it October 31 will receive an exclusive in-game item, the DOVRAC mask, which will grant benefits to characters that equip it.
You can check out Sandswept Studios' Facebook page or visit the game's website to purchase the Alpha version.
Curiosity Release Date
What's inside the cube?Peter Molyneux, the mastermind behind the Fable franchise, announced today the release date for his newest game Curiosity. Molyneux quit Lionhead Studios after the newest Fable game, Fable: The Journey was released.
Since then, Molyneux has been focusing on his startup company, 22 Cans, and their first release is imminent.
Curiosity is coming to iOS and Android and will have players chip away at a black cube in the middle of a bare room. The main draw of the game is the mystery of what's inside the cube. Players will be able to purchase DLC of higher quality chisels to, presumably, chip away at the cube in larger quantities. Only the player who chips away the last piece will be able to see what is inside.
Keep up to date at 22 cans Facebook page, or Peter Molyneux's twitter.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Dishonored Review
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| Review written by @SyphiloidMonkey - Executive Editor for The TechFixation |
ishonored is set in the city of Dunwall, a place ravaged by a plague with no cure, a place crumbling and falling in to decay, a place where deceit and treachery are rampant. You are Corvo, hero of the city returning from a crucial mission away from Dunwall for several months. Here is my experience with the game.
1 minute - waiting for install, liked the progress bar hinting to me that it was installing multiple files, though no clue what these were.
5 minutes - still waiting for the install, began to wonder why developers don't put detailed instruction manuals with games anymore, would have given me something to do. The last good one I remember was Resistance 2.
10 minutes - At least it's not as epic as the Gran Tourismo install, it's loaded to the pre-menu start screen.
11 minutes - Check my pre-order DLC is listed then hit new game!
20 minutes - Finally take control of Corvo, learn basic stealth through a game of hide and seek (neat idea), speak to the Empress, watch her get killed, forced myself to turn the PS3 off and go out (already running late).
That last statement pretty much sums up Dishonored, I've had to force myself to stop playing because it's a time stealer. You think you've not done much, maybe watched some guard patrol routes, read a bit about Dunwall's history and customs, stolen some coins, and inched your way closer to the target. But in reality, hours have passed because it manages to draw you into the world and makes you want to explore, but to do it in the stealthiest way possible you have to be very, very patient.
Dishonored is a pure stealth game, do not be fooled by the advertising that lets you approach the levels in different play styles, a full on assault with more than 2 guards will get you killed nearly every time. If you do survive then you'll spend then next section hunting for health and avoiding contact with everyone. But that said, there are multiple ways to complete your objective. Taking a side quest from a seemingly unconnected character can open up routes to your goal previously locked off, or give you info that allows you to find secrets or items you might have overlooked. You can also ignore all side missions and just follow the main mission markers, there are always multiple paths to the goal.To help you avoid detection there are numerous powers you can buy and upgrade, collect relics that are dotted around the levels and spend the points on the available options. You start with Blink which is a short distance teleport, and then it's up to you what comes after. There are powers to possess small animals and sneak through small gaps, slow down time to sneak past crowds of people, see locations of guards and objects through walls, and a couple of offensive abilities too. Each ability can be mapped to one of the D-pad buttons on the fly to give maximum flexibility using them. There are also bone charms that give slight benefits like health upgrades, faster movement or affinity with animals. These are limited initially to 4 slots with more purchased through the game, and the bone charms can be swapped out for others at any point.
In addition to the supernatural abilities there are the usual assassin methods available: sword, crossbow, obligatory drop assassination (sound familiar?), and there's always a non-lethal option. It is possible to finish the game without killing anyone, including the main targets, though there was a point where I really made a hash of things and had no option but to silence witnesses. Killing has its benefits in making the levels easier to traverse, but the number of bodies contribute to the plague and affect the final outcome of the story. Your normal gear can also be upgraded if you find the right blueprints, with these costing coins scavenged through the levels. You can probably tell there are lots of collectables, and there are never enough available for you to buy and upgrade everything, the game makes you choose your upgrades carefully, but none of them are required for accomplishing the goals.
It is difficult for any game to give this level of open-choice play without some trade offs happening, and Dishonored is no exception. I've already mentioned the need to stay hidden, combat is not easy with multiple foes so it only serves as an escape tool rather than a tactic, and the other compromise is the AI. The guards have a number of different situations they could react to, and in most cases the responses are right, but occasionally I found myself being hunted when there was no reason for their suspiciousness. So, even though you get absorbed in the rich detail of the game, the illusion is broken by some odd AI behavior. In fairness this made the response unpredictable which heightened the tension, particularly towards the end of the game.
I've made it quite a way through this review without comparing it to Bioshock, but can't go any further. The style of the game, dual wielding weapons and powers, red bottles for health, blue for power recharge, audio logs, massive amounts of irrelevant but interesting history, it's all familiar. But this isn't a bad thing, Dishonored may use the template but not the story, and there's a feeling of freedom that you don't have in Bioshock (for good reason if you've played that). The only thing it doesn't match is the length, under 15 hours felt too short to me. There's plenty of replay in there, I'm conscious of what I did in the first playthrough and should be able to tackle things differently, but I'd just got into my stride at the end of the game and wanted more.
I rate it £35/£40 ($52/$60).
I enjoyed my time in Dunwall, and with my choices and style of play feel I did what was right for the city. I'll be returning someday too, there's plenty I didn't see, options I didn't take, and maybe next time I'll do what's right for Corvo.
Apple Execs Leaving the Company
Scott Forstall, senior VP of iOS, is leaving iOS for reasons unknown. In the biography of Steve Jobs, Scott was ranked as the #4 man at Apple. Speculation is the as Senior VP of iOS, the spotlight for the shortcomings of the news Maps App and Siri has landed upon Scott.
Here is Apple Full statement:
Apple Announces Changes to Increase Collaboration Across Hardware, Software & Services
Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi Add Responsibilities to Their Roles
Apple today announced executive management changes that will encourage even more collaboration between the Company’s world-class hardware, software and services teams. As part of these changes, Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will add more responsibilities to their roles. Apple also announced that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim.
“We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The amazing products that we’ve introduced in September and October, iPhone 5, iOS 6, iPad mini, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, iPod nano and many of our applications, could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services.”
Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design. His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade.
Eddy Cue will take on the additional responsibility of Siri and Maps, placing all of our online services in one group. This organization has overseen major successes such as the iTunes Store, the App Store, the iBookstore and iCloud. This group has an excellent track record of building and strengthening Apple’s online services to meet and exceed the high expectations of our customers.
Craig Federighi will lead both iOS and OS X. Apple has the most advanced mobile and desktop operating systems, and this move brings together the OS teams to make it even easier to deliver the best technology and user experience innovations to both platforms.
Bob Mansfield will lead a new group, Technologies, which combines all of Apple’s wireless teams across the company in one organization, fostering innovation in this area at an even higher level. This organization will also include the semiconductor teams, who have ambitious plans for the future.
Additionally, John Browett is leaving Apple. A search for a new head of Retail is underway and in the interim, the Retail team will report directly to Tim Cook. Apple’s Retail organization has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level who will continue the excellent work that has been done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services for customers.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
Here is Apple Full statement:
Apple Announces Changes to Increase Collaboration Across Hardware, Software & Services
Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi Add Responsibilities to Their Roles
Apple today announced executive management changes that will encourage even more collaboration between the Company’s world-class hardware, software and services teams. As part of these changes, Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will add more responsibilities to their roles. Apple also announced that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim.
“We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The amazing products that we’ve introduced in September and October, iPhone 5, iOS 6, iPad mini, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, iPod nano and many of our applications, could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services.”
Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design. His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple’s products for more than a decade.
Eddy Cue will take on the additional responsibility of Siri and Maps, placing all of our online services in one group. This organization has overseen major successes such as the iTunes Store, the App Store, the iBookstore and iCloud. This group has an excellent track record of building and strengthening Apple’s online services to meet and exceed the high expectations of our customers.
Craig Federighi will lead both iOS and OS X. Apple has the most advanced mobile and desktop operating systems, and this move brings together the OS teams to make it even easier to deliver the best technology and user experience innovations to both platforms.
Bob Mansfield will lead a new group, Technologies, which combines all of Apple’s wireless teams across the company in one organization, fostering innovation in this area at an even higher level. This organization will also include the semiconductor teams, who have ambitious plans for the future.
Additionally, John Browett is leaving Apple. A search for a new head of Retail is underway and in the interim, the Retail team will report directly to Tim Cook. Apple’s Retail organization has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level who will continue the excellent work that has been done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services for customers.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.
iTunes 11 Delayed
iTunes 11 has been pushed back until late November. Originally scheduled for the end of October, a press release from Apple tells us that iTunes 11 has been delayed for more polishing.
The Press Release said:
The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
The Press Release said:
The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November.
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
[UPDATE] BREAKING NEWS: Disney Acquires Lucas Arts; Star Wars Episode 7 Due in 2015
[UPDATE] Disney paid $4.05 Billion for Lucas Arts.
This is huge! This isn't like any other movie news this is the saga of Darth Vader we're talking about. This is Star Wars! In a stunning out-of-nowhere display of endorsement Disney is buying Lucas Arts AND producing Star Wars: Episode VII (not yet titled) planned to hit theaters in 2015! This is massive on so many levels.
Here is the FULL Press Release:
Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.
"Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney's unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value."
"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products."
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.
Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.
The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.
Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm's legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney's strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.
The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney's very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company's unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney's portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company's ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world's highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.
The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.
"Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney's unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value."
"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products."
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.
Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.
The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.
Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm's legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney's strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.
The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney's very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company's unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney's portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company's ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world's highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.
The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.
Disney bought Pixar Studios and Marvel Entertainment previous to the Lucas Arts deal. This means that the graphic team from Pixar and the incredible team at Marvel could host a ton of peripherals in the area of a new Star Wars Trilogy.
My opinion: Disney will fund, produce, and distribute 3 new Star Wars films. These films should expand the story on the Skywalker and Solo family, Luke Skywalker falling to the Dark Side, and Chewbacca's death and the rise of his son, Lowbacca, and the New Jedi Order with Luke as head-master. Marvel will team with Dark Horse Comics to produce more literary works in the Star Wars universe. Then I'm assuming more video games will release based in the lexicon of The Force.
This is a very good thing for fans. I'm sure some are growling and others are cheering, but the main point is that George Lucas is admitting that he can't do this forever. He relinquished his rights and is passing the torch. Every Star Wars fan has thought of a third trilogy and now we get our wish.
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*33
My opinion: Disney will fund, produce, and distribute 3 new Star Wars films. These films should expand the story on the Skywalker and Solo family, Luke Skywalker falling to the Dark Side, and Chewbacca's death and the rise of his son, Lowbacca, and the New Jedi Order with Luke as head-master. Marvel will team with Dark Horse Comics to produce more literary works in the Star Wars universe. Then I'm assuming more video games will release based in the lexicon of The Force.
This is a very good thing for fans. I'm sure some are growling and others are cheering, but the main point is that George Lucas is admitting that he can't do this forever. He relinquished his rights and is passing the torch. Every Star Wars fan has thought of a third trilogy and now we get our wish.
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*33
Assassin's Creed III Day One Patch
Assassin's Creed III, which launched today, has already received a patch. Ubisoft urges players to download this patch as it will provide a much better player experience. Find the full list of fixes below.
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
BUGS
- Animus Synching tutorial, fixed an issue where the player could think he's stuck in an infinite loading when getting to Boston after the end credits
- Fixed a bug where counter-killing with the bow does not always work
- NPCs spawned too far away could end up being of the wrong type
- Camera could remain stuck after the player being respawned
- Player could remain stuck after diving from a waterfall
- Player could remain stuck if he exits a slopped hay stack at a certain angle
- player would always get immediately detected when performing an unarmed stealth assassination in another guard's back
- Under rare circumstances, the crowd would stop spawning
- Fixed an animation glitch when interrupting the reception from high profile jump
- Fixed various occurrences of missing sounds
- In some cases, the Animus Database sound ambiance was not stopped when exiting
- Various stats and leaderboards were not showing up properly
- Online shop could sometimes appear empty if fetching the data from Xbox Live is taking too long
- Mission "RETURN TO ABSTERGO" - fixed a bug where the player would lose control over Desmond during a fight if he lures and kills some guards in the wrong area
- Mission "A DEADLY PERFORMANCE" - Mission would not continue if the player decides to climb the wall instead of using the ladder
- Mission "JOHNSON'S ERRAND" - fixed a bug where the game would remain stuck if the player runs during the black screen that occurs after exiting the tavern
- Mission "THE SURGEON" - Charles Lee could fall in the water and die while following the player, causing the mission to fail, if the player decides to take a certain path that involves jumping over the water
- Mission "THE SURGEON" - fixed a bug where we would show the desync effect if the player throws one of the target in the water, even though the mission is not really failed
- Mission "WELCOME TO BOSTON" - The courier side-quest next to the general store would not start properly
- Mission "EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING", fixed a bug where the mission would not continue if the NPCs you are eavesdropping react to a dead body
- Mission "THE BRADDOCK EXPEDITION" - Mission would not continue if the player kills all enemies in the camp, killing the required target last, without triggering open conflict
- Mission "FEATHERS AND TREES" - NPC's would not detect beams properly, preventing them from performing the trunk around move
- Mission "FEATHERS AND TREES" - Mission would not continue if the player doesn't follow the expected path
- Mission "HUNTING LESSONS" - Mission giver could not be there if the player goes away and comes back
- Mission "SOMETHING TO REMEMBER", fixed a bug where the screen could become all white or black for the remainder of the mission if the player set his brightness option to anything else than the default value
- Mission "ON JOHNSON'S TRAIL", fixed a bug that could cause the optional objective "Use powder kegs to destroy smuggled cargo" to not be saved properly if the player reloads during the mission
- Mission "THE TEA PARTY - Optional objective "Dump crates of tea in the water" could not be completed if the player threw all crates before having killed all guards
- Mission "THE MIDNIGHT RIDE" - Mission could not be completed if the player interacts with the delivery quest giver along the way
- Mission "BRIDEWELL PRISON", Player could remain stuck prison cells
- Mission "PUBLIC EXECUTION" - Crowd NPCs could be spawned in or walk through a cart during a cinematic
- Mission "SOMETHING ON THE SIDE" - Optional objective "Perform a successful static eavesdrop" could not be completed.
- Mission "MISSING SUPPLIES" - Optional objective "Do not hide in the hay cart while following the convoy" not being saved properly if the game is reloaded during second part of the mission
CRASHES
- Possible crash that could happen if the player blends in a crowd group where some NPCs haven't spawned yet, and while blended performs a kill.
- Possible crash that could happen if the player triggered a loading while being in a covert escort formation with his brotherhood trainees
- Possble crash that could happen when calling a brotherhood trainee with the snipe ability
NAVAL PROBLEMS
- "OAK ISLAND" - Player could pass through the ground when diving into the cave
- "OAK ISLAND" - Wolves could stop attacking the player and remain stuck
- Possible crash if the player spams the swivel guns with the semi-automatic cheat enabled
HOMESTEAD
- Mission "HAPPY EXPECTATIONS" - Game could remain stuck on a white screen when starting the mission
- On the Homestead, fixed a bug where the player could remain stuck if he performs a corner pose on the left side of Norris' cave's entrance
SIDE QUESTS
- Brawler Challenges 3 - Task "Own every weapon available in the stores" would not complete when the player expects it to.
- Fort Monmouth and Fort Division - Quest objectives would fail too early without the fort resetting properly
- New York delivery mission - Game asked for a different item (deer heart) than what was showed to the player (venison)
- New York Liberation Missions - Possible that the game would wrongly display that 2 of the districts were completely liberated when it's not the case yet
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
BUGS
- Animus Synching tutorial, fixed an issue where the player could think he's stuck in an infinite loading when getting to Boston after the end credits
- Fixed a bug where counter-killing with the bow does not always work
- NPCs spawned too far away could end up being of the wrong type
- Camera could remain stuck after the player being respawned
- Player could remain stuck after diving from a waterfall
- Player could remain stuck if he exits a slopped hay stack at a certain angle
- player would always get immediately detected when performing an unarmed stealth assassination in another guard's back
- Under rare circumstances, the crowd would stop spawning
- Fixed an animation glitch when interrupting the reception from high profile jump
- Fixed various occurrences of missing sounds
- In some cases, the Animus Database sound ambiance was not stopped when exiting
- Various stats and leaderboards were not showing up properly
- Online shop could sometimes appear empty if fetching the data from Xbox Live is taking too long
- Mission "RETURN TO ABSTERGO" - fixed a bug where the player would lose control over Desmond during a fight if he lures and kills some guards in the wrong area
- Mission "A DEADLY PERFORMANCE" - Mission would not continue if the player decides to climb the wall instead of using the ladder
- Mission "JOHNSON'S ERRAND" - fixed a bug where the game would remain stuck if the player runs during the black screen that occurs after exiting the tavern
- Mission "THE SURGEON" - Charles Lee could fall in the water and die while following the player, causing the mission to fail, if the player decides to take a certain path that involves jumping over the water
- Mission "THE SURGEON" - fixed a bug where we would show the desync effect if the player throws one of the target in the water, even though the mission is not really failed
- Mission "WELCOME TO BOSTON" - The courier side-quest next to the general store would not start properly
- Mission "EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING", fixed a bug where the mission would not continue if the NPCs you are eavesdropping react to a dead body
- Mission "THE BRADDOCK EXPEDITION" - Mission would not continue if the player kills all enemies in the camp, killing the required target last, without triggering open conflict
- Mission "FEATHERS AND TREES" - NPC's would not detect beams properly, preventing them from performing the trunk around move
- Mission "FEATHERS AND TREES" - Mission would not continue if the player doesn't follow the expected path
- Mission "HUNTING LESSONS" - Mission giver could not be there if the player goes away and comes back
- Mission "SOMETHING TO REMEMBER", fixed a bug where the screen could become all white or black for the remainder of the mission if the player set his brightness option to anything else than the default value
- Mission "ON JOHNSON'S TRAIL", fixed a bug that could cause the optional objective "Use powder kegs to destroy smuggled cargo" to not be saved properly if the player reloads during the mission
- Mission "THE TEA PARTY - Optional objective "Dump crates of tea in the water" could not be completed if the player threw all crates before having killed all guards
- Mission "THE MIDNIGHT RIDE" - Mission could not be completed if the player interacts with the delivery quest giver along the way
- Mission "BRIDEWELL PRISON", Player could remain stuck prison cells
- Mission "PUBLIC EXECUTION" - Crowd NPCs could be spawned in or walk through a cart during a cinematic
- Mission "SOMETHING ON THE SIDE" - Optional objective "Perform a successful static eavesdrop" could not be completed.
- Mission "MISSING SUPPLIES" - Optional objective "Do not hide in the hay cart while following the convoy" not being saved properly if the game is reloaded during second part of the mission
CRASHES
- Possible crash that could happen if the player blends in a crowd group where some NPCs haven't spawned yet, and while blended performs a kill.
- Possible crash that could happen if the player triggered a loading while being in a covert escort formation with his brotherhood trainees
- Possble crash that could happen when calling a brotherhood trainee with the snipe ability
NAVAL PROBLEMS
- "OAK ISLAND" - Player could pass through the ground when diving into the cave
- "OAK ISLAND" - Wolves could stop attacking the player and remain stuck
- Possible crash if the player spams the swivel guns with the semi-automatic cheat enabled
HOMESTEAD
- Mission "HAPPY EXPECTATIONS" - Game could remain stuck on a white screen when starting the mission
- On the Homestead, fixed a bug where the player could remain stuck if he performs a corner pose on the left side of Norris' cave's entrance
SIDE QUESTS
- Brawler Challenges 3 - Task "Own every weapon available in the stores" would not complete when the player expects it to.
- Fort Monmouth and Fort Division - Quest objectives would fail too early without the fort resetting properly
- New York delivery mission - Game asked for a different item (deer heart) than what was showed to the player (venison)
- New York Liberation Missions - Possible that the game would wrongly display that 2 of the districts were completely liberated when it's not the case yet
Dead Island Riptide Release Dated
It has been confirmed by Developer Deep Silver that Dead Island Riptide will release on April 23rd in the US and the 26th abroad. Riptide will launch on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
GTA V Confirmed for Spring 2013 Launch
Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto V will be released in Spring 2013. The confirmation came when they announced preorders would begin on November 5th. This launch window is for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, no other systems have been mentioned yet.
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-chief of TechFixation
Posted by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-chief of TechFixation
Monday, October 29, 2012
56 - From Windows 8 to the Apple Keynote
Windows 8 & RT
iPad Mini
4th Generation iPad
Mac Book Pro 13"
iMac
HP's New ENVY SmartTouch Ultrabook
"Another Earth?"
The Wolverine Poster
The first Poster for the upcoming film, The Wolverine, had been revealed. Here at TechFixation we are very much looking forward this movie, what do you think?
Saturday, October 27, 2012
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Friday, October 26, 2012
G4 Being Cancelled; No More AOTS & X-Play
Yes, G4, home to gamers everywhere is being cancelled. ThePauseMenu reported on this last month and the news is still as saddening as ever. G4's major video-game and geek-culture shows including X-Play and Attack of the Show will be cancelled at the end of the 2012 year. That's two months away. NBC is rebranding the G4 channel into a "Modern Male" channel shifting into a more "GQ or "Esquire" style.
Tweets from G4 staffers and industry insiders earlier today have hinted that a major shake-up is coming:
Launched in 2002, G4 started off with a programming slate that consisted almost entirely of game-centric programming. After acquiring TechTV, the network found success with X-Play, a recurring show that featured reviews and comedy based on new game releases. Longtime co-host Adam Sessler left X-Play earlier this year, a move that signaled the end of an era for many.
We're hearing that the network has booked conference rooms for today in order to inform groups of employees of their fate and of the future of the network.
G4's two longest-running and defining series, Attack of the Show! and X-Play, will be ending their run at the end of 2012. Both shows will include original episodes through the end of the year, and will look back at their most memorable moments as we lead up to their final episodes. A rotating lineup of guest co-hosts including John Barrowman, Michael Ian Black, Josh Myers, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Horatio Sanz will join AOTS hosts Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood, and X-Play hosts Morgan Webb and Blair Herter as part of the farewell shows.
With well over a thousand episodes each, Attack of the Show! and X-Play have defined gamer culture for a generation, serving as the launch pad for prominent personalities including Kevin Pereira, Olivia Munn, Chris Hardwick and Adam Sessler. Attack of the Show! debuted March 28, 2005 and from the start was the ultimate guide to everything cool and new in the world of technology, web culture, gaming and pop culture. X-Play made its debut almost two years earlier, on April 28, 2003 (on G4's previous incarnation: TechTV), and immediately became the go-to destination for young men seeking the latest video game news, honest reviews, hands-on demos and exclusive video game trailers and footage. The year-end celebration will take you back through highlights of these landmark shows' history, including its exclusive live-from-the-floor coverage of San Diego Comic-Con and E3.
Both long-running shows helped define, as well as expand, the pop culture and gaming TV experience for a generation. We hope you've had as much fun watching them as we have had making them, and sincerely hope you join us in bidding a fond farewell to Attack of the Show and X-Play's as we look back over the next two months and head towards each series' finale.
Tweets from G4 staffers and industry insiders earlier today have hinted that a major shake-up is coming:
We're hearing that the network has booked conference rooms for today in order to inform groups of employees of their fate and of the future of the network.
G4's two longest-running and defining series, Attack of the Show! and X-Play, will be ending their run at the end of 2012. Both shows will include original episodes through the end of the year, and will look back at their most memorable moments as we lead up to their final episodes. A rotating lineup of guest co-hosts including John Barrowman, Michael Ian Black, Josh Myers, Paul Scheer, Rob Huebel and Horatio Sanz will join AOTS hosts Candace Bailey and Sara Underwood, and X-Play hosts Morgan Webb and Blair Herter as part of the farewell shows.
Both long-running shows helped define, as well as expand, the pop culture and gaming TV experience for a generation. We hope you've had as much fun watching them as we have had making them, and sincerely hope you join us in bidding a fond farewell to Attack of the Show and X-Play's as we look back over the next two months and head towards each series' finale.
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*30
GTA Vice City Comes to iOS and Android
Grand Theft Auto Vice City will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary on October 29th, and to celebrate Rockstar Games is bringing their classic PS2 title to iOS and Android. There are no details yet about the pricing, but they are claiming to bring native High-Res graphics to the port.
I personally am very excited because Vice City was my favorite Last Gen GTA game, mostly due to the amazing soundtrack of the 80's.
Written by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-chief of TechFixation
I personally am very excited because Vice City was my favorite Last Gen GTA game, mostly due to the amazing soundtrack of the 80's.
Written by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-chief of TechFixation
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Dishonored DLC Info; "Dunwall City Trials"
Releasing in December for $4.99 (or 400 Microsoft Points) Dishonored: Dunwall City Trials will include 10 challenge maps that will test and track your combat, stealth and mobility skills. Ten distinct trials await challengers – including an arena battle against waves of enemy AI, a gravity-defying run of drop assassinations, and a race against the clock. Dunwall City Trials also features a whole new set of achievements and trophies as well as a global online leaderboard that will establish the greatest assassins for each challenge.
The second and third add-ons for Dishonored will be coming in 2013 and will each feature story-driven campaigns. Pricing on these two packs will be revealed closer to launch.
Daud, the leader of a group of supernatural assassins known as ‘The Whalers’, will be the focus of the second add-on pack, scheduled for release in early Spring 2013. Make your way through new Dunwall locales and discover Daud’s own set of weapons, powers and gadgets in this story-driven campaign. How you play and the choices you make will impact the final outcome…
Additional story details on the third add-on pack will be revealed closer to its launch next year.
bethblog.com
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*29
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Mass Effect Film Gets New Screenwriter
Currently the Mass Effect motion picture is being supported by Legendary Pictures. In September 2011, screenwriter Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) was working at “following and honoring the story” of the first Mass Effect game. Today, Variety is reporting that Protosevich’s draft is out, and they’re bringing in former assistant editor Morgan Davis Foehl to take a crack at the script.
The problem with bringing the Mass Effect universe into fruition on the big screen relies on a singular story-line. The games focus on a plethora of different character arcs, quest-lines, and big bad enemies to overcome, but for a feature film to work it would have to funnel all of the best ideas into a single cohesive plot. Reapers vs all life is a given plot point. But the Mass Effect universe is broad and full of stories. It's a guessing game about the synopsis until we hear otherwise.
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*27
Left 4 Dead 2 is FREE-to-Play This Weekend
Left 4 Dead 2 will be free-to-play this weekend, starting tomorrow, October 25.
New players can start pre-loading the game now on Steam, and current players will be the recipients of a new achievement called Good Guy Nick.
The free-to-play weened ends October 29 at 10.00am PDT/1.00pm EDT.
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*27
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Epic Games is working With Square Enix
Today Epic Games announced an agreement granting Square Enix a group-wide license to develop multiple games with Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine 3 and its breakthrough Unreal Engine 4 technology.
“Epic has a strong relationship with Square Enix, and it’s an honor to provide their creative and technical talent with the best game technology available for licensing,” said Taka Kawasaki, territory manager of Epic Games Japan. “We look forward to supporting their developers with world-class tools for years to come."
-Daniel, Jedi Editor
*26
iPad Mini Specs and Prices
Today Apple unveiled their brand new iPad Mini. This 7 inch tablet weighs about the same as a notepad (.68 lbs) and is as thick as a pencil (.28 in). The new tablet will come in Black and White. The screen is 7.9 inches diagonally with 1024-by-768 resolution with 163 pixels per inch. Strikingly, this is not a retina display which is disappointing. In fact, that is the only disappointment I have with the device. The front camera is 1.2 megapixels and the back is 5 megapixels. It's uses the new and proprietary Lightning Connector from Apple. Also it does not appear to have Siri.
The pricing skews are:
Wifi only models
16gb = $329
32gb = $429
64gb = $529
Wifi + LTE models
16gb = $459
32gb = $559
64gb = $659
So who wants one? I know I do!
Written by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
The pricing skews are:
Wifi only models
16gb = $329
32gb = $429
64gb = $529
Wifi + LTE models
16gb = $459
32gb = $559
64gb = $659
So who wants one? I know I do!
Written by Dexter Jaekel
Editor-in-Chief of TechFixation
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