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Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep DLC Review

by Joel Santana

June 26, 2013 12:57 pm in Features

Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep is the latest and final campaign add-on for the Borderlands 2 season pass. It has players immersed in a game of “Bunkers and Bad-Asses,” a Pandorian version of the popular tabletop role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons. In this game, Pandora’s deadliest child, Tiny Tina, acts as the game’s Dungeon Master, or “Bunker Master” in this case, and the original vault hunters helplessly play along, even if they aren’t really up to it. Tiny Tina deals with the events of the main game and slowly comes to terms with the death of her friends, all while they wait for the new six vault hunters to get certain information off of a Hyperion Spy.

With my time playing Assault On Dragon Keep, it was apparent that Gearbox really went above and beyond with creating this DLC, making sure it pleased all Borderlands 2 fans. Its great writing really stands out, painting the vault hunters, both old, new, and other fan favorite characters, in a less serious tone then their usual self, leading to rather interesting and hilarious quests that range from helping an adventurer track down his buddies who he fears to be loot ninjas, to helping Mister Torgue fit in with the ‘nerd’ culture even though he clearly isn’t the type.

Thanks to the great writing, those who weren’t fans of the Tiny Tina character will be happy to know she’s more toned down in this DLC, making her much more enjoyable then her previous self. This, of course, has a lot to do with her current state of mind, trying to deal with events of the main game and using this game of Bunkers And Bad Ass as a healing process. In turn, it leads very dramatic decisions during her time as the Dungeon Master, adding a very interesting dynamic to game. For example, she can change the quest, characters enemies and their levels, and scenery in the imaginary world around on the fly, depending on how she’s feeling.

An example of two very contrasting settings:

Speaking of scenery, the art and locations featured in Assault On Dragon Keep are easily, hands down, the best yet. Not only are they interesting, but the areas are massive and really add to the feeling that you’re actually going on an adventure. The big change in the quality of the scenery also goes hand-in-hand with all of the new enemies, who act rather differently from the majority of the baddies found in the main game and previous add-ons. Gearbox added a whopping 71 new enemy types in the DLC, which is more then three times the number of enemies found in the other DLCs. Among the new enemies added in Dragon Keep is Spider-Pants, a running joke from the Borderlands 2 community that stemmed from a simple typo of the Spider-Ant enemy that gained massive popularity on the official Gearbox forums.

Additionally, Assault On Dragon Keep implements a number of various new features. It includes tons of requested wishes from the community, such as new uses for Eridium, for example. You can choose to spend 5 pieces to have a greater chance to ‘roll’ for better quality loot from all the red chests that you will come in contact with during your time in Assault On Dragon Keep. You can feed a person of high importance your earned Eridium for a chance to receive some rare loot as well. Gearbox has also added a repeatable slaughterhouse that’s not only fun, but challenging too.

Now, no DLC for Borderlands 2 would be complete without some sweet loot that you can add to your arsenal. Though the actual amount of unique loot to be featured is rather low compared to the previous add-ons, it does contain possibly one of the best healing items in the game, the Grog Nozzle. It is capable of healing you for 65% of all damage dealt while it’s in your hands. You can also now “spell cast” grenades as your character shouts out words like “magic missiles” or “fireball” as you throw them, makes nading all the more fun. These grenades are able to replenish themselves over time, acting as spells would in other RPG games.

BL2_DragonKeep_MageEncounter — Axton, Maya and Sal taking on some wizards in hopes to score some magic spell grenades

Those who aren’t fans of the constant grinding for the legendary loot will be happy to know that high-tier loot and loot unique to Assault On Dragon Keep are actually easy to acquire. In fact, by the time I finished the main quest for Dragon Keep, I acquired five new legendaries and handful of unique items, all dropped by random mobs of enemies or bosses.

Finally, and possibly one of my favorite part of any Borderland 2 DLC, are the raid bosses. The raid bosses featured in Dragon Keep are quite different from the norm that we’ve become used to in the Borderlands series so far. Taking on not one dragon, nor two, but four at once make for a very hectic fight – Dragon whom are made up of Boost (purple), Brood (green), Healianth (blue), and Incinerator (red). Collectively, they are called The Ancient Dragons Of Destruction and will test your ability to survive.

If you are able to overcome the odds and beat them, you will be showered with loot and be able to access over 50 red chests on your way back to exit the arena. Maya players who have been disappointed with her action skill ‘Phaselock’ not being able to trap raid bosses will be happy to know that the Ancient Dragons Of Destruction are able to be trapped into your phaselock.

tiny-tina-dlc — Gaige taking on a dragon

Final Words

To put it simply, Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep is a must buy if your a fan of the Borderlands series. It takes what makes Borderlands a great game and adds on to the goodness in every way possible, bringing you the whole Borderlands experience for a small price. Additionally, Gearbox did a great job to make sure some of the fan’s wishes and crazy ideas, such as spider-pants, were implemented, including the return of fan favorites characters such as Mister Torgue.

5 / 5

Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep gets five out of five stars. You can either pick it up for free as a season pass holder, or for $9.99 / 800 MS point.

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > Features

League of Legends – Riot Games To Add LCS Team Icons To Support eSports

by MP1st Staff

12:38 am in Features

Riot Games is adding new summoner Icons to League of Legends as a way to support both their eSports organization and LCS teams from both Europe and North American regions.

Team Icons will be sold at the shop for 250 RP (which is slightly less than $2), and will be available until the LCS Summer Split ends. Let’s note that these Icons will be permanent and won’t go away if any team disbands or gets relegated. According to the staff members that announced this, 20% of the revenue for each icon will be given to their respective team, while the 80% will be directed towards any eSports event Riot Games does in the future.

In addition to the new icons, a new loading screen template is being created and being currently tested by the PBE community. This new loading screen includes a space where you can show your current icon, which would mean that with the next patch, you will be able to show with pride which team you are rooting for. This change, as well as the upcoming icons, are going live when patch 3.9 is released, which is probably coming in a month. There’s also speculation about the new legendary skin that hasn’t been officially announced.

3253dXJ — A new champion loading screen is on its way

What do you think about this addition? Would you purchase a summoner icon to support your favorite team, and if so ,which one? Post your comments below!

Tags: esports Featured Icons LCS League of Legends LoL Multiplayer PC Riot Games Teams

MP1st Staff

Home > News

Halo Xbox One E3 Teaser ‘Wasn’t The Game,’ Halo 2 Remake In Discussion

by David Veselka

June 25, 2013 10:55 pm in News

Remember that sweet teaser you saw during E3 2013 that was sort of Halo 5 but not really? This one, right here?

[youtube id=”ZipoIbBDf-c” width=”618″ height=”378″]

Well, that wasn’t the actual game, according to Microsoft Game Studios vice president Phil Spencer.

Speaking to IGN, Spencer said, “There was no ambiguity in not putting a number after the game. For me, what we showed wasn’t the game. Nobody should be confused on that. I didn’t really want to try to show something that was clearly a thought piece by the studio around where Master Chief is in his journey, and then drop the name after it and be somewhat disingenuous about that being the game.”

“But I did want Bonnie to come out and say, ‘First-person shooter. Master Chief.,’” Spencer explained. “Because they’ll get the questions – ‘Hey, is this ODST? What are you guys doing?’ Bonnie comes out and reaffirms that 343 is building this game. It’s Master Chief. It’s a first-person shooter at 60 frames per second. It’s coming in 2014.”

So, there you have it. It was just a teaser for whatever Halo game 343 Industries is working on for 2014, which is probably still Halo 5, but could also be Halo: Go Kart Racer.

IGN also asked about the possibility of an Anniversary Edition of Halo 2, seeing as 2014 is the 10-year anniversary of the original Halo 2, after all.

“I’ll be open,” Spencer answered. “We have discussions about it. It’s more about the right time and making sure that we really would do the right thing for the franchise.”

“The Halo Anniversary that we did was as much about the launch of the first Xbox as well. It was a culmination of many things coming together. It would probably run out of steam if we were trying to think about, ‘Okay, what’s 10 years old now?’ It’s definitely more from the game itself, the experience that we’re able to bring to market. Less about ‘Is the last digit a zero?’ in terms of its anniversary.”

Either way, 2014 looks like a good year for Halo fans.

Tags: 343 Industries Featured Halo 2 Halo 5: Guardians Xbox 360 Xbox One

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Black Ops 2 – Double XP is Coming This Weekend

by David Veselka

3:25 pm in News

Black Ops 2 players will be getting a dose of Double XP this coming weekend in preparation for the launch of Treyarch’s third DLC, Vengeance.

Look for it this Friday, June 28 at 10am PDT until Monday, July 1 at 10am PDT on all platforms.

Black Ops 2: Vengeance drops July 2 on the Xbox 360 first with four new multiplayer maps, a new zombies experience and a brand new zombies weapons.

Check out the latest trailer here, featuring The Replacers.

Tags: Black Ops 2 BO2 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC Double XP Featured PC PS3 Vengeance Xbox 360

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > Features

The Kinect is Stupid, For Now

by BOSS JEDIZOHAN

3:18 pm in Features

When the Kinect was first announced for the Xbox 360 a few years ago, people were genuinely interested to see what Microsoft was going to do with it. Needless to say, we were all disappointed. Maybe Kinectimals is a great game (it is the highest-selling game for Xbox 360 after all), but I have less than zero interest in playing it, ever.

[youtube id=”MsZSOkEOKvY” width=”618″ height=”378″]

But since the Kinect first launched, countless homebrew mods of it have made their way to the internet, proving that as a piece of hardware at least, the Kinect is a very powerful tool. Despite the potential behind the Kinect, it seems like Microsoft will be continuing the trend of under-utilizing it with the Xbox One. That said, Microsoft has another project in development called Illumiroom that might just be amazing if they use it properly.

Of course, there’s also Google Glass. I covered Google’s latest dabble in real-world interfacing a while back when it was first announced and boy oh boy was I excited to see what it really could do. Despite proving to be more or less a cumbersome way to interact with your email notifications, Google Glass has some serious potential as a technology, especially for gaming and digitizing the real world.

The way I see it, the convergence of all these technologies, Google Glass, Kinect, Illumiroom, and even the Oculos Rift, is coming in the very near future to your handheld quad-core computer/smartphone. I know the more pervasive and broad-reaching technology becomes, the lazier we seem to get, but you can bet that I’ll be riding the gaming via Kinect IllumiGlass train as soon as it leaves the station.

If you think LARPing and Paintball is fun now, wait until you’re gunning down Spetsnaz and slaying dragons in your backyard.

Tags: Featured Kinect Microsoft Xbox One

BOSS JEDIZOHAN

I've been a gamer since before most gamers were born. Now a full-fledged member of the PC Master Race, I'm enjoying all the best games from both AAA and Indie developers in glorious 1440p. Praise Gaben and may the Steam deals be ever syphoning funds from your life savings. Subscriber

Home > Videos

Battlefield 4 – Operation Metro and Caspian Border Most Likely to Be Remade in Second Assault DLC

by David Veselka

2:06 pm in Videos

Fan-favorite Battlefield 3 maps like Operation Metro and Caspian Border might be sneaking their way into Battlefield 4 via the game’s recently announced expansion, Second Assault.

As the expansion’s description reads on the official website, “This Premium expansion pack will feature four of the most fan-favorite maps from Battlefield 3, redesigned to take advantage of our advanced Frostbite 3 engine and enhanced to include new multiplayer features from Battlefield 4.”

Of course, no mention is made of what maps will be returning, but core gameplay designer Alan “Demize99” Kertz has a few clues.

On a Reddit thread centered around Battlefield 4’s Second Assault DLC, Kertz mentioned that “Metro and Caspian are runaway favorites.”

In a recent poll brought to my attention by YouTuber xFactor, 6,655 voters have determined the following as the most popular Battlefield 3 maps (as of Tuesday, June 25 at 1:50pm PST):

If DICE were to stick to strictly Battlefield 3 vanilla maps, we would most likely see the return of Grand Bazaar, Caspian Border, Seine Crossing and Operation Metro, rebuilt in the Frostbite 3 engine for Battlefield 4.

What do you guys think? Would you like to see those four maps remade in Frostbite 3? Woud you like to see some of the DLC maps, like Epicenter or Strike at Karkand thrown into the mix as well?

Battlefield 4: Second Assault is coming to the Xbox One first sometime after Battlefield 4 launches on October 29.

Big thanks to xFactor for the tip. Check out his video below:

[youtube id=”EXITqXc-NBk” width=”618″ height=”378″]

Tags: Battlefield 3 Battlefield 4 BF3 BF4 DLC Featured PC PS3 PS4 Second Assault Xbox 360 Xbox One

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > Features

The Last of Us Multiplayer Review

by James Lara

12:56 pm in Features

Coming into The Last of Us, I knew that the main course would be served up in the single-player proportion. From the visuals to the astonishing voice acting, The Last of Us offers one of the best single-player campaigns of this generation. And while Naughty Dog did keep the lid extremely tightly sealed on the multiplayer portion, saving its reveal for the last minute made me even more excited for it.

The multiplayer, though it does follow the same third-person play style, is very different from what we normally play today. By combining the core fundamentals of a multiplayer game with the same intense suspense that you get from the single-player, multiplayer is surely one feat to be proud of.

Naughty Dog is still somewhat new with the whole multiplayer genre. Their titles, from Crash Bandicoot (PS1), all the way to Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, have been nothing but single-player experiences. Their first title with multiplayer was Uncharted 2, and that went extremely well, with Uncharted 3 having made improvements in some areas (and dumbing down others). Now, the fear that many players have for TLOU MP is that it would end up being a carbon copy of Uncharted. I’m here to tell you that that isn’t the case, and it isn’t close to it.

Gameplay

While it’s presented in the same traditional third-person shooter view, what makes this game so much more different from Uncharted is the pacing. Yes, we can run and such, but everything feels sluggish, in a good way. Moving around, you always feel that there’s danger lurking around the corner, and the likelihood that someone is watching you is almost absolute. We can compare this title to SOCOM in terms of tactical gameplay, only it’s more limited. First and foremost, every single bullet you waste that isn’t a direct hit means life and death. You only get a few bullets per gun, making you more conservative about them. If you fire, you better have a clear shot because if you don’t, your target has every opportunity to counter and all the enemies now know your current location. However, this unique but deadly mechanic can also be used to your advantage. More on that later.

In most modern games today that feature a cover system, you have to push a button to initiate it. So, pressing a circle would force the character to hug a wall. That button is no longer required and the cover system here feels, by far, like one of the most fluid systems yet. Everything in this game can be used as cover and this is due to the fact that anything that the character rubs against they are automatically attached to it without any annoying snaps to it or camera shifts. If you were aiming to move across the map, this would play absolutely zero annoyance since it plays right into the movement. It’s easier to hide from enemies, too, since the camera is set in a fixed range, meaning they won’t be able to peak over a box entirely to see if there’s anyone hiding there. This cover system supplies a huge amount of stealth, something that was lacking in Uncharted. As for vaulting and platforming, it nearly doesn’t exist. Sure we can vault over cover, but it’s slow, considering the gear you have, and is nowhere close to what Uncharted offers. You won’t be jumping down from high buildings, zip lining, running across rooftops, or scaling over walls. It’s all about keeping the pace slow and using stealth to counter opposing forces, and if you play this like Uncharted, then expect to be bad at it. However, the only downside to this is that we can’t stealth kill unless we craft a shiv, which brings us to the crafting feature.

Crafting

Crafting plays a significant role in the multiplayer, and in comparison, maybe even more than it does in the single-player. In total, there are six items that can be crafted, which are: Melee Upgrade, Shiv, Health Kit, Molotov, Bomb, and Smoke Bomb.

Melee Upgrade

When it comes to using a melee weapon, such as a piece of plywood or even a machete, they all have durability and will break after a certain amount of hits. By crafting an upgrade for it, the normal amount of hits it takes to kill an enemy with a melee weapon is greatly reduced. One hit from an upgraded melee weapon, and it’s an automatic brutal kill.

Shiv

This is the only way to do stealth kills, which really doesn’t make sense to me, considering that we could strangle enemies in the single-player with the shiv being the only tool to kill clickers in stealth. This does come with its annoyances, considering that I have been in multiple situations where I could have used one, but the field has more than enough supplies to craft a few, along with a skill that will actually supply you with one.

Bombs and Molotovs

As mentioned earlier, firing can be used to your advantage since you’ll show up on everyone’s radar. Bombs can be used to kill an enemy, as the same with Molotovs. But to really get some true enjoyment, setting up traps is always fun to do, especially when they work. Watch as I demonstrate how giving away your position could work to your advantage.

[youtube id=”Btqoo2JxUEU” width=”618″ height=”378″]

Smoke Bombs

These have two uses; the first is to stun an enemy momentarily. This could either give you the chance to run (if there’s a hoard and you’re alone) or give you the opportunity to take them down. The second use is to supply additional cover. It’s nearly impossible to see what’s ahead of you when there’s a massive cloud of smoke and using smoke bombs to distract and move from place to place is the perfect way of utilizing them.

Maps and Modes

The lack of multiplayer mode is probably my biggest con. At the launch, I was expecting it to have some standard modes (FFA, TDM, and CTF) along with unique ones, however that wasn’t the case. In total, the game features a mere two game modes, which are: Supply Raid and Survivor. Despite it just being two modes, one of them pretty much just renamed, I can’t say I’m disappointed since the core game mechanics and the way the modes are set up are pretty damn enjoyable.

Supply Raid

[youtube id=”rggw3eykwwQ” width=”618″ height=”378″]

It’s pretty much just Team Deathmatch with limited respawns. Each team has a respawn limit of 20 and if either team reaches zero, they’ll go into a last-man-standing round where they only have that one life left. This mode is also great for collecting the most parts (explained later).

Survivor

[youtube id=”Zdk2kf7PU8Y” width=”618″ height=”378″]

You only get one life, and teamwork is far more crucial here than Supply Raid. In total, there are seven rounds that can be played, unless, of course, one team has a higher win streak where the other team can’t catch up.

Both these game modes are available on all seven maps. The great thing about the maps is that they are from the single-player, though with a few change-ups to make them support 8 players. I can’t say any of the maps in TLOU are terrible or that there is even a single one that I hate, as I found all the maps to be well crafted in terms of design and graphical looks. The nice thing is that all the maps have different themes, too. On one map, you’ll be fighting your way through blankets of snow, while on another, you’ll be walking slowly and quietly due to its close-quarters feel. That’s the nice thing about these maps; they have both close quarters and open areas that allow for intense firefights. Everything is designed for stealth, and it’s all great to look at. Seeing a waterfall’s mist roll in to cloud the battlefield on a green flourish dam, it’s so eye appeasing to see in game with such a grim setting. Don’t expect it to look muddy with fifty shades of brown.

Survival

The Multiplayer does feature a leveling-up system, though it’s not your traditional one. When a player starts their multiplayer campaign, they must select from two factions; The Firefly or The Hunters. This is where things get a little interesting. The number rank you see on a player represents how many weeks they have survived. Every match represents a day, with the 7th one being the last in the week. So, say you are on week 4, day 3. This would mean that your rank 3, with only five matches remaining until the next level. I’m not sure how high it goes, but I’ve seen people go to 14 weeks, even though 12 weeks seems to be where the unlockables stop unlocking.

This all plays into a mini-game where you collect parts in order for your clan to survive. From time to time, you’ll be given challenges such as down “x” number of enemies, revive “x” numbers of teammates, and much more. For every kill, an enemy drops supplies, and for every crafted item, you gain some money, which can be converted into supplies at the end of matches. My personal first thoughts were: “This is such a tacked-on and useless feature.” However, upon advancing to a higher level (9-12), I began to be more careful in-game. I don’t know what happens when you lose all survivors, nor would I want to find out, but I am assuming that it means you die and would have to start all over again by selecting a faction from week 1. It also made me a better team player, and I want to earn additional parts for healing teammates or spotting enemies. However, the system becomes broken at a certain point. Say you have somewhere between 120-150 survivors, that would mean you would need, every match, somewhere between 120-140 supplies, which is absolutely impossible without boosting. It’s not possible. Trust me. I’ve tested it, and with the challenges that pop in and can wipe out 20% of the population, there is not enough to keep up with supplies. It needs to be toned down, and it saddens me to know that I may never get some unlockables due to this system unless it gets patched. This system is great, but has huge cons.

As mentioned, there are unlockables in this game. These unlockables range from guns, survival skills, to even new apparel. Survival Skills are pretty much your perks, and they do have higher-level tiers for each skill. Despite the game making it seem like you can attach up to four high-level skills, in reality, you can’t. Characters have load-out points (13 max) and each weapon, booster, and purchase slot take up an “x” amount of points. So that means we won’t be seeing any high-level skills being partnered up with other high level ones. Guns can also be modded with silencers or upgraded ammo slots and such. It’s your ordinary weapon customization. The apparels are disappointing, due to the fact that we can only customize what we are wearing on our faces/head. You don’t even get to pick whether you are a male or female, as everything after the hat, mask, and helmet selection is decided by the game. There’s no full character customization, which is a downer considering that I really wanted to make an awesome-looking raider.

The community, though has to be the best I’ve ever seen in any game. We know that the PlayStation 3 had its fair issues with online gaming, where a mass amount of gamers lacked mics. Though it’s been seven years, it’s still pretty common to find a whole lobby with no mics, but that’s okay because everyone knows what you’re saying already. If you stick in groups, use the radar, and tag, it’s very easy to get a smart team together that knows how to play. Naughty Dog has implemented so many ways to communicate without vocals in this game, it’s actually nice not having to always use a mic. The game is pretty active as it stands to0, with new players coming into the mix every day. I’m not sure if this game will last for a long time, but it certainly will always have a community to support it until the next one comes out.

Score: 9/10

Overall, it doesn’t exactly live up to the “best ever conceived” multiplayer game, but it’s far from disappointing. The multiplayer has captured the idea that you genuinely are being hunted and must do everything in your power to survive. It’s live or die, hunt or be hunted, a true battle of the fittest.

Tags: Featured Multiplayer Review The Last of Us

James Lara

A gamer at heart, James has been working for MP1st for the last decade to do exactly what he loves, writing about video games and having fun doing it. Growing up in the 90's gaming has been in his DNA since the days of NES. One day he hopes to develop his own game.

Home > News

Arma 3 Enters Beta Testing Today

by David Veselka

11:18 am in News

Bohemia Interactive is moving Arma 3 development forward by opening up beta testing today.

Users can participate in authentic, true-to-life action before the game’s official release and can even help improve the game through the beta.

The beta will include the same content found in the Arma 3 Alpha, making the total package up of 20 km² island of Stratis, 20 weapons, 18 vehicles, 3 factions, 8 showcase missions, 4 multiplayer scenarios, 4 challenges, the scenario editor and modding support.

Check out the full details on how to participate in the beta:

People who participated in the Arma 3 Alpha will gain access to the Arma 3 Beta by downloading the automatic update on Steam. Those who are new to Arma 3 can purchase the Arma 3 Beta (which includes the full retail game when released) from Steam or Store.bistudio.com.

Here you can choose between the regular Arma 3 Beta (34.99 EUR/29.99 GBP/44.99 USD) or the Arma 3 Digital Deluxe Edition (44.99 EUR/39.99 GBP/59.99 USD). Those who would like to sponsor development further, also have the option to purchase the Arma 3 Supporter Edition (69.99 EUR/59.99 GBP/91.99 USD) from Store.bistudio.com. The price of each edition will increase upon launch of the full and final game.

Also, check out some brand new screens from the game!

Tags: Arma 3 Bohemia Interactive Featured PC

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > News

Black Ops 2: Vengeance DLC Trailer – The Replacers Are Back

by David Veselka

10:41 am in News

The Replacers are back with a brand new trailer for Black Ops 2‘s third DLC pack, Vengeance, this time, with even more help.

[youtube id=”5sPp-8VfMDE” width=”618″ height=”378″]

Black Ops 2 Vengeance drops on the Xbox 360 next week, July 2, for $14.99 USD or free for those who own the Black Ops 2 Season Pass.

It comes packed with four new maps; Cove, Detour, Rush and Uplink, a new zombies experience; Buried, and even a brand new zombies weapon; the Ray Gun Mark II. Check out all the details, including the first trailer, right here.

Tags: Black Ops 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 DLC Featured PC PS3 Vengeance Xbox 360

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

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Borderlands 2 – Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep Launch Trailer, New Customization Skins Available Soon

by Joel Santana

1:29 am in News

To celebrate the launch of Borderlands 2’s fourth campaign DLC, Gearbox has released the launch trailer for Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep. Check it out below:

[youtube id=”YPo4vzqfDEU” width=”618″ height=”378″]

Additionally, the unannounced customization pack which we covered last week, as well as the skins and heads for Assault On Dragon’s Keep, will be available soon. Check out the gallery below to see them all:

For even more information about the latest campaign add-on for Borderlands 2, feel free to check out these images of all the sweet loot you can expect to acquire.

Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep will be available today once the marketplace of your platform of choice updates. Those who purchased the Borderlands 2 season pass will get this DLC add-on at no extra charge, while those who didn’t will be able to purchase it for $9.99 USD or 800 Microsoft Points.

Tags: Borderlands 2 DLC Featured Mac PC PS3 Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon's Keep Xbox 360

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > Features

E3 2013 – The Winners

by MP1st

June 24, 2013 7:05 pm in Features

Find out what MP1st thought about this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. Who had the best announcements? Who had the best presentations? What were the best games?

But before reading on, be sure to catch up on everything that went down at E3 2013 by visiting our dedicated event page right here, or check out a wrap-up of our hands-on and behind-closed-doors experiences at E3 right here.

It was a big year that included some major announcements and even a first look at the next generation of gaming. Having let it all sink in about a week after the events concluded, we discuss, in general, our personal and overall winners and losers of E3 2013.

James

Winners

Nintendo
EA
Sony

What? Nintendo? Well, I’m going to be honest. They showed games that really interested me during their Nintendo Direct conference. They pulled some big guns, even though the announcements were expected. With EA, they announced Star Wars: Battlefront and showed off Battlefield 4 multiplayer, which, for me, was all impressive. Sony comes in third just because they stole a lot of thunder from the competition, showed some impressive IP’s, and, overall, the information regarding the console was extremely pleasant.

I would mention Ubisoft with The Division, however, their whole entire show was just bad.

Thomas

Winners

Sony
Ubisoft

The hands down winner for me is Sony. Hearing the uproarious and genuine applause for no used game DRM and the $399 price tag is enough to convince me the PS4 will have the early lead. Sony seemed to learn from their mistakes in 2005 when they announced the PS3 at a whopping $499 for the 20GB model and $599 for the 60GB model. This time around they showcased a versatile game library covering quality first party titles, a good selection of third party titles, free-to-play and MMO titles, and strong support for indie devs (i.e. lots of great games for under $20). To top it off, they’re doing it at a price point that is $100 less than their strongest competitor in Microsoft (which could be used towards your first game and a subscription to PS Plus). While paying to play online might be a disappointment for long time Playstation fans, its clear Sony has been listening to its consumers more intently than Microsoft.Another winner I have is Ubisoft. Hidden inside what was a decidedly unwatchable conference, Ubisoft actually has a pretty strong collection of games in the works for next-gen. Take it or leave it, but Assasin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will have its fans and undoubtedly sell millions. Watch Dogs unique take on the ‘big brother’ scenario, timed with the current PRISM scandal unfolding in the media, will make Watch Dogs a big seller. The Crew looks like a solid racing title taking place in a persistent online environment. A little bit down the pipe line, the open-world third person shooter The Division will be released and let’s not forget Rainbow Six: Patriots is still alive. Although none of these titles will be on the same level as the Call of Duty orBattlefield series in terms of popularity, the collection of all these quality titles will make for some very strong sales and have Ubisoft potentially moving up into the ranks of EA and Activision.

Losers

Microsoft
Nintendo

How the mighty have fallen. It seems a bit of role reversal has occurred here from 2005. Sony is now playing the underdog trying to become #1 and Microsoft is now playing the overconfident market leader who misfired and failed. Microsoft did little to conjure up excitement in its next-gen console pertaining to games. I don’t see launch titles such as Killer Instinct andRyse: Son of Rome being deciding factors in what console to get. Almost everything else showcased will be multiplatform titles. Factor in the $499 price tag, no backwards compatibility for retail or XBLA titles, exclusives such as the next Halo not launching until next year, not to mention the Xbox One is less powerful than PS4 and you begin to wonder: Where is the value for the consumer?

I know Nintendo wasn’t at E3 and instead opted to do Nintendo Direct. It was great for showcasing upcoming first party titles, but it still doesn’t change the fact that currently there isn’t much to play on the Wii U. Furthermore, it just emphasizes the point we already know: third party support is on life support. Not since the days of the Nintendo 64 have third party companies been able to achieve sales comparable to first party Nintendo titles. Whether it’s the less powerful hardware than its competitors or Nintendo’s general lack of support for third party games, it seems a full on rebellion is happening in our midst. Titles such as Mario and Zelda feature solid gameplay mechanics, but the decades of slight variations in each new game have led to my outright fatigue of all Nintendo franchises. The catsuit in Super Mario 3D World seems interesting, but not interesting enough to buy a Wii U for it.

Santiago

Winners

EA
Ubisoft
Nintendo

In my opinion, the winner was clearly EA with huge announcements like Star Wars: Battlefront. Although not much was shown, it is a game heavily desired by gamers (and that, in my opinion, is in good hands with DICE) and it’s simple announcement was enough to hype everyone. Another example is Mirror’s Edge 2, which after six years, was finally announced. Battlefield 4‘s 64 player showing was pretty impressive too, and I’m sure there was more than one jaw dropped with that building collapsing at the end of the multiplayer presentation (including the awesome returning feature: Commander). Respawn’s Titanfall looks simply amazing, I can’t wait to see how its multiplayer is going to be. I’m sure it will at least be interesting. I’m not a big fan of the Dragon Age series, but Dragon Age III will most likely be a really good game. I know shooters are everywhere nowadays, but Popcap’s Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, for me, was an amazing and funny idea and it looks like it’s being executed perfectly. Let’s be honest, PvZ is a funny game, and this one looks incredibly promising.

I know many readers here might not be fans of sports games, but releasing a UFC game is pretty big, and let’s not forget FIFA 13 itself had the most successful launch of 2012. NBA Live‘s announcement was pretty big (considering it had been cancelled the last two years). Need for Speed: Rivals is going to be interesting too with all its online features, but only time will tell how the game will be.

While looking at what EA plans this year, I can only wonder how the “Worst Company in America” gets to have the most awaited as well as the best games I’ve seen in a long time. Oh, the irony.

Joel

Winners

Sony
EA

At first, their presentation was just a mediocre conference. Not a lot of games that they showcased really wow’ed me, aside from some of their free-to-play title, but losing exclusivity to some of their biggest games like Kingdom Hearts 3 didn’t exactly help either. Sony did, however, manage to bounce back from it and made everyone forget their less-then-stellar conference when they delivered probably the biggest news in E3. The Playstation 4 will have a NO DRM policy and gamers will be able to play used games without jumping through hoops. This left Sony to receive, without a doubt, the biggest ‘pop’ from the audience, winning the hearts of many worried gamers through out the world.

When it comes to games, EA, without a doubt, had the best line up for this year’s E3. This is mainly in part to the folks over at DICE. The’ve delivered on everything fans could ever wish for, from the blockbuster Battlefield 4, which absolutely left me in awe, to announcing the heavily requested Mirror’s Edge sequel, and most importantly, a new Star Wars: Battlefront game.

In addition, it look likes EA is making big improvements on all of their popular sports games such as FIFA 14 and Madden. Though the announcement of NBA Live ’14 was a nice touch, we will have to wait and see if it actually see’s the light of day. If it does, it will have to prove itself to the current reigning basketball franchise, NBA 2K.

Alex

[youtube id=”ie46WtyJTg0″ width=”618″ height=”378″]

Winners

X
Kingdom Hearts 3
The Division

X, which is a follow up to the Wii’s Xenoblade looks to be one of those games that could be a franchise for the Wii U and Nintendo in much the same way that Final Fantasy is. A diverse world with fantasy characters, mechs, and some very nice visuals really drives X home for me as a game looking to take the Wii U as far as it can go. Of course, more “Nintendo” games like Smash Bros. and Mario Kart will be the priority purchases for Wii U owners, I think X is for sure a must buy.

I could spend an entire article fawning at how amazing this title could be considering Square has free reign to use characters created by the likes of Pixar, Marvel, and George Lucas, but I’m not going to. All I can say is that if you’re a fan of the Kingdom Hearts series, Disney movies, or just fun games, this is going to be the title to buy for your next-gen console.

While Watch Dogs is busy making reviewers and gamers alike drool with anticipation, to me, it seems kind of been-there-done-that. Yes, the characters and story all look and sound fascinating and I’m sure it’s going to be a wonderful game. But the bottom line is it’s what Ubisoft is using to kill off the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Everything I’ve seen of Watch Dogs reminds of a mix between Splinter Cell and the AC franchise. So to me, The Division was the best title revealed at E3. Not only did we really know nothing about it before E3, it managed to wow just about everyone that’s seen it. If it’s not the graphics, then it’s the gameplay. If it’s not the gameplay, then it’s the teamwork and PVP. The Division looks to be the first next-gen MMO title that really takes the MMO genre to the next level. It has a real-world setting, focus on squads and teamwork rather than hordes and bug boss battles, and it looks visually amazing. While I’m sure Destiny is going to look great and play well, compare it to The Division. Maybe they aren’t the same kind of game, but how many games like Destiny have we seen before? An MMO about aliens and mysterious creatures in a far-away fictional universe… or WoW and Defiance.

Overall, I think The Division is the most exciting title to come out of E3. While it might be a Rainbow 6/Ghost Recon-feeling game, it’s MMO design and enviroment are very fresh and I have no doubt that it’s going to be a fantastic game and worthwhile purchase.

David

Winners

DICE
Titanfall
The Division

It’s safe to say Digital Illusions CE had a pretty good E3 this year. I just can’t imaging how excited they must have been while waiting backstage for their turn to essentially pleasure every gamer into total nerd-gasm with announcements like Star Wars: Battlefront and Mirror’s Edge 2. I love Star Wars and I love Battlefield, and while I can see concern amongst some gamers who don’t want to see the Battlefront series turned into a re-skinned Battlefield game, I couldn’t be any happier. I’m happy for Mirror’s Edge 2 not only because I simply want more Mirror’s Edge, but because I am relieved to see that, despite not meeting the mass success EA had hoped for it, the franchise has survived and will see the light of day yet again.

Despite being so early in development, Battlefield 4‘s multiplayer showing was very impressive. It’s not common for a fall release to have multiplayer playable at E3 and work as well as it did. I think, and am hoping, that DICE still has a lot more in store that will convince gamers that Battlefield 3.5 this is not.

I have high hopes for Titanfall. I want it to be that game that crashes the FPS party and says, “hey, I’m different, I’m taking risks, I’m breaking the mould, and everyone’s going to love me for it.” Honestly, it’s biggest attraction is that it simply looks fun. I’m sure it’s going to have that familiar, fast-paced Call of Duty feel, but the jet pack-assisted parkour elements that are being introduced, along with the ability to control giant mechs, looks really refreshing and exciting. Respawn also didn’t have that much to hide, demonstrating an entire multiplayer match from start to finish during their presentation, which is promising. I’m also a bit of a sci-fi junky who’s getting a bit tired of the modern military setting, so bring on the space mechs!

Ubisoft’s The Division was a bitter-sweet announcement. At first, I was like, “dude! Where is Rainbow 6: Patriots?” But after sitting through the game’s presentation, it left me wanting more, more so than any other showing at E3, besides some of the teasers I mentioned above. When the game’s E3 demo came to a close, I was left with one question: “How?” How is the co-op gameplay that we just saw so smoothly integrated with tablet players and PvP multiplayer? How does item retrieval play into the game’s survival elements? How will the gameplay feel when I have my hands on it – like a refined Ghost Recon? I just want to learn more about this game, and soon.

To touch shortly on the console wars, Microsoft admittedly had me pumped as I walked out of the Xbox One conference, mostly in due part to the games. We learned Call of Duty: Ghosts will be getting DLC first on the Xbox, as has always been the case, and that even Battlefield 4 would be receiving at least one DLC first on the Xbox One. Being a buff of both franchises, a part of me took a lot of comfort knowing I could get DLC first for two of my favorite franchises, as unimportant as it might sound. Of course, I also knew that I simply need to play Titanfall and Halo Xbox One. No question.

By the end of the day, however, Sony had me back at a state of indecisiveness after learning the price points of both consoles and some of the PS4’s features and policies. The PlayStation 4 won the hearts of many, I’m sure everyone would agree, but I remain cautious. Despite the PS4 sounding like the better deal, both in terms of price and performance, I admit that we don’t really know much about what Microsoft has planned with some of the Xbox One’s forward-thinking features, nor do I know what “catches” Sony might have up its sleeve. Currently, I could not tell you which console I prefer, but I’m sure I’ll be able to closer to launch.

Overall Winners

Based on the picks of the MP1st staff, we’ve determined the following as the overall winners of E3 2013.

Third Place

Sony (PlayStation 4)

Second Place

Ubisoft (The Division)

First Place

EA (Battlefield 4, Titanfall, Star Wars: Battlefront, Mirror’s Edge 2)

What do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? What were your personal winners at E3 2013? Let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear it!

Tags: E3 2013 Featured PC PS3 PS4 Xbox 360 Xbox One

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Home > News

Borderlands 2 – Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep DLC Available Early For Playstation 3 Users

by Joel Santana

5:37 pm in News

The final piece of content for Borderlands 2’s season pass, Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep, is just a few hours away from being released to the public, but fans of the shoot and loot FPSRPG on the PlayStation 3 platform, won’t have to wait much longer at all.

Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep will be available once the PlayStation store updates later on tonight, before the scheduled PlayStation Network maintenance that’s set to take place tomorrow (12:30 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST). So be sure to download your copy of Dragon’s Keep beforehand.

For the other platforms, Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep will be released once their marketplaces update.

Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon’s Keep will be available for $9.99 USD or 800 Microsoft Points. Those who purchased the Borderlands 2 season pass, will be able to download it at no extra charge.

Tags: Borderlands 2 Featured Mac PC PS3 Tiny Tina's Assault On Dragon's Xbox 360

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > News

Titanfall – Respawn Entertainment Talks Cloud Computing and Why Dedicated Servers are Better

by David Veselka

3:23 pm in News

Dedicated servers are coming to Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall next year, but not in the way you might normally think.

Jon Shiring, an engineer working with the Cloud technology being utilized in Titanfall, recently updated the official website with a very informative post describing the relationship between Microsoft’s Cloud and Titanfall.

From the get-go, the team was set on providing players with the best online experience possible. In order to do that, they would need to employ the use of dedicated servers. The problem? They’re too expensive and the studio doesn’t have the manpower to manage all those servers.

“This is something I have worked on for years now, since coming to Respawn,” Shiring writes. “A developer like Respawn doesn’t have the kind of weight to get a huge price cut from places like Amazon or Rackspace. And we don’t have the manpower to manage literally hundreds-of-thousands of servers ourselves. We want to focus on making awesome games, not on becoming giant worldwide server hosting providers. The more time I can spend on making our actual game better, the more our players benefit.”

So if manning their own servers is out of the question, how are they managing with Titanfall? Shiring explains that Microsoft was able to help solve their problem, realizing that “player-hosted servers are actually holding back online gaming…”

“The Xbox group came back to us with a way for us to run all of these Titanfall dedicated servers and that lets us push games with more server CPU and higher bandwidth, which lets us have a bigger world, more physics, lots of AI, and potentially a lot more than that!”

“Microsoft has a cloud service called Azure (it’s a real thing – you can go on their website right now and pay for servers and use them to run whatever you want). Microsoft realized that they could use that technology to solve our problem. So they built this powerful system to let us create all sorts of tasks that they will run for us, and it can scale up and down automatically as players come and go. We can upload new programs for them to run and they handle the deployment for us. And they’ll host our game servers for other platforms, too! Titanfall uses the Xbox Live Cloud to run dedicated servers for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.”

“With the Xbox Live Cloud, we don’t have to worry about estimating how many servers we’ll need on launch day. We don’t have to find ISPs all over the globe and rent servers from each one. We don’t have to maintain the servers or copy new builds to every server. That lets us focus on things that make our game more fun. And best yet, Microsoft has datacenters all over the world, so everyone playing our game should have a consistent, low latency connection to their local datacenter.”

Shiring is convinced that “This is a really big deal, and it can make online games better.” He also expects that, over time “…we’ll be using these servers to do a lot more than just dedicated servers. This is something that’s going to let us drive all sorts of new ideas in online games for years to come.”

For those interested, Shiring shared his thoughts on what the Cloud actually is, giving a much clearer picture:

“Amazon has a cloud that powers websites. Sony has a cloud that streams game video so you can play a game that you don’t have on your machine. Now Xbox Live has a cloud that somehow powers games. Cloud doesn’t seem to actually mean anything anymore, or it has so many meanings that it’s useless as a marketing word.”

“Let me explain this simply: when companies talk about their cloud, all they are saying is that they have a huge amount of servers ready to run whatever you need them to run. That’s all.”

Source: Respawn

Tags: Featured PC Respawn Entertainment Titanfall Xbox 360 Xbox One

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > Features

H-Hour: World’s Elite Interview With Creative Director David Sears

by David Veselka

12:36 pm in Features

David Sears, former creative director of the beloved SOCOM series and also former creative director at Ubistoft studios, is back and ready to give the hardcore, FPS gaming community what they’ve been waiting for: a true ‘tactical’ and ‘team-based’ shooter that honors the source material as well as the men and women of the world’s militaries.

H-Hour World’s Elite is set to deliver a lethal military shooter experience on the PC and PlayStation 4, but not without the support of the community for which it is being built. That’s why Sears, along with SOF Studios head, Tom, have initiated a kickstarter campaign to help gather funds in order to get the project off the ground. We would love for you to check it out, and consider donating if it’s something you think you’d be interested in.

Visit the H-Hour: World’s Elite kickstarter page here.

If you’re itching to learn more about H-Hour: World’s Elite, you’re in the right place. We recently got the chance to talk to creative director, David Sears, about the game and to get his thoughts on what it means to be a real military shooter.

Listen in below and refer to the timestamps for specific topics.

[display_podcast]

0:45 – What type of people are involved in the making of H-Hour: World’s Elite in terms of game development and real-world know-how?

6:40 – For those inexperienced with the early SOCOM games and are more familiar with the popular, fast-paced, action-packed, AAA shooter of today, what do you think is going to immediately strike them as different or, perhaps, challenging?

13:05 – It sounds like H-Hour is going to be as lethal as ever and extremely unforgiving, but you have ways to help improve players and keep them in the game. Could you provide an example as to how some of the in-game tools you are providing will help players better themselves?

19:20 – MP1st exclusive: what happens to cheaters in H-Hour: World’s Elite.

20:30 – A lot of shooters throw these words around in their promotional material, as you mentioned yourself in your Kickstarter video, but how exactly are you going to make H-Hour a “tactical” and “team-based” experience?

23:50 – Mention of “our nation’s finest… quidditch players.”

24:20 – Clan support has always been a strong point for the SOCOM series. What are some of the biggest improvements you are making with H-Hour over previous SOCOM titles?

27:50 – Could you go into a little more detail regarding the first-person and third-person views? Will players have a choice between the two, or will the gameplay incorporate both views as the player shifts between taking cover and aiming?

29:00 – Since you guys aren’t being backed by a major publisher, what sort of things are you doing with H-Hour that you think bigger publishers might find risky?

32:45 – Mention of Tom’s Community Update:

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33:15 – Could you spare a few wise words regarding the future of military-inspired shooters? What sort of hopes and dreams do you have for the genre?

If you liked what you heard from Mr. Sears, please pay his kickstarter page a visit!

Keep an eye out for more H-Hour: World’s Elite right here on MP1st!

Tags: David Sears Featured H-hour H-Hour: Worlds Elite Military Shooter PC PS4

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > News

Xbox One November 27 Release Date Debunked, Despite Online Retailer Listing

by Joel Santana

12:15 pm in News

Over this past weekend, online retailers such as Amazon reportedly sent out e-mails to customers who pre-ordered Xbox One, stating that Microsoft’s next-generation console will be delivered day one to their home on November 27, which also happens to be a few days away from one of the biggest shopping holidays in the United States, Black Friday.

Unfortunately, it looks that the release date given by Amazon has been debunked, as a Microsoft representative recently told IGN the following: “We have not informed our retail partners about a specific launch date for the Xbox One, it is commonplace for retailers to put placeholders dates and prices into our system until they are given a specific date and price. We are excited to release the Xbox One in November 2013.”

Currently, the Xbox One still doesn’t have a set release date aside from November 2013 and has recently made some changes regarding some of its unpopular policies. Check out the full details on the recent changes Microsoft has made with the Xbox One here.

Tags: Debunked Featured Microsoft news Xbox One

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > News

Black Ops 2 is 33% Off on Xbox Live Starting Tomorrow

by David Veselka

11:50 am in News

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is getting a price cut on the Xbox Live Marketplace as of tomorrow, June 25.

According to the official Call of Duty Twitter account, the team is slicing 33% off the Xbox 360 version Black Ops 2 in celebration of the upcoming expansion pack, Vengeance, which you can learn all about right here.

You’ll be able to pick up the game on either the in-game Xbox Live Marketplace or on the official website. While they haven’t announced it, we’re going to assume the same deal will be made available for PlayStation 3 and PC users a few days before the Vengeance DLC released on those respective platforms.

Look forward to Black Ops 2: Vengeance DLC on the Xbox 360 this July 2.

Tags: Black Ops 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Featured PC PS3 Xbox 360

David Veselka

Musician, Gamer, Geek. Subscriber

Home > News

Microsoft Details Games With Gold Initiative

by Joel Santana

11:28 am in News

Announced back at this year’s E3’s Microsoft convention, the Games With Gold initiative, which allows Xbox Live Gold members to add selected games per month onto their gaming library, will begin this July.

At first glance, it might seem as if Microsoft is taking a page out of its rival’s book, but according to officials details on Microsoft’s official site, it’s quite different.

Though you get two free games per month, only one game is available at a time. A new selected game becomes free on the 1st and then the 16th of each month. But thankfully, once the selected games go back to their regular prices, they will still be playable and you be able to keep them no matter what.

Microsoft has gotten an early start with this initiative as Fable 3 has been made free until the 30th of this month, so act now while you still can. Additionally, there’s no official word on which title, Halo 3 or Assassin’s Creed 2, will be made available first for free. The Games With Gold initiative won’t last long as it is set to expire at the end of this year.

Which game would you guys love to see become apart of this initiative? Let us know in the comment section below!

Tags: Fable 3 Featured Game With Gold Halo 3 Xbox 360

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > News

Ubisoft’s The Crew Supports ‘No Player Limit’ And Boasts 10,000 km Worth Of Road

by Joel Santana

11:11 am in News

The Crew, an open-world racer co-developed by Ivory Towers and Ubisoft Reflections which was was revealed to the world during Ubisoft’s 2013 E3 conference, will be biggest game ever, according to developers.

Though it seems a little far fetched, Ivory Tower’s COO Ahmed Boukhelifa offers some concrete details to support this claim.

Talking with OPM, Boukhelifa admitted that saying game’s world covers the whole country of the United States is taking a bit of “poetic license.” However, Boukhelifa did reveal that The Crew will contain a rather impressive 10,000 kilometers (which roughly equals to 6,213 miles) of road, covering areas such as New York, Miami and the West Coast for it’s playground, with a coast to coast trip taking 90 minutes to complete.

With a game that huge, Boukhelifa claims it “opens the road to much, much more gameplay experiences than before. You have this huge open-world. We spent lots of time-building a physics model with the goal to create all the cars with differences in handling, but also to tune them and make them behave correctly whether you’re on a dirt track, completely off-road, roaming the mountains, on circuits. With this and the variety of the physics experience, all the cars in this huge open-world, we can really provide this a la carte experience of driving the way you want, as you want.”

When asked how many players a server could support, Boukhelifa stated “Everyone” and that the game will include “No player limit.” He goes into more detail in his previous statement, saying, “The way we work is we split, technically speaking, the area around you is peer-to-peer, all the MMO services, they come from the server. Those MMO services can manage for everyone in the world from a selection of localized servers and those servers network together.”

Additionally, The Crew will feature different types of missions such as races, takedowns and escape scenarios. Boukhelifa goes on to say “I think that we can create any mission that ever existed within a driving game. So we have this huge variety, and when you add in the modified terrain – on-road, off-road, with traffic, no traffic – there’s this huge, huge variety and we’re using it extensively for all the solo-missions, co-op missions, PvP missions.”

On top of all this, Boukhelifa also explained, “we have our story layer, our context layer that brings sense and meaning and which sends the gameplay mechanics into the world and because you’re online we can renew content all the time, get the community to be alive. And we’ll provide content for the whole country, all the time.”

The Crew is slated for a early 2014 release on the PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Tags: Featured No Limit PC PS4 The Crew Xbox One

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author

Home > Features

MP1st Reader Blog: Did Microsoft Save Themselves, Dig The Hole Deeper, or Both?

by MP1st

10:22 am in Features

The MP1st reader blog is an open discussion lead by MP1st readers about the multiplayer titles and topics we cover. To learn how to have your voice heard, check out the Blog section on the MP1st Forums in the Multiplayer’s Lounge.

Ever since late February, Microsoft has been looked on as the anti-christ of next-gen consoles, with rumors about always online, and then the confirmation of it, gamers have felt stabbed in the back when it comes to privacy, traveling and most importantly, gaming. After E3 however, Microsoft decided it was time to get rid of those policies, but did they save themselves, dig the hole deeper, or both?

Whether they did it for the gamers as they say they did, or for the investors, Microsoft dropped the ball on always online and decided that it was time to go back to what made their last console a contender in the market. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy about it, one gamer by the name of colbycheese3 stated “Good on them for changing, but I think they changed for the wrong reasons. And that tells me something about Microsoft as a company, and I don’t like it.” And while I personally believe it’s a win for gamers as well, it does make Microsoft look weak and I’ll even go as far saying that they surrendered to Sony.

Whether or not they changed it for the wrong reasons, it still baffles me and others that Microsoft did not see this coming months back when the rumors started flying. DRM has always been controversial for consoles and games that are single-player, and the fact that Microsoft still decided that it was okay for these policies to be implemented says to me and many alike, “We don’t care about you”. And yes, they are a buisness and their main goal is to provide a service and make money, but the way you can make even more money is by listening to the people who are going to pay for your service. Companies like EA and Sony are becoming more game savvy, dropping controversial services, adding extra incentives, and providing gamers with new ways to expand their experience.

Overall, I believe that Microsoft did save themselves, the gamers spoke and either they listened to us or the investors, but they did it at the cost of our trust in them, which means they dug the hole deeper. I think the next time they plan on making some policies, they dive a bit deeper into the world of gaming instead.

Author: PI3KY

Check out the original blog post on the MP1st forums right here.

Tags: Microsoft Xbox One

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Home > Videos

Battlefield 4 – Frostbite 3 Feature Trailer

by Joel Santana

10:08 am in Videos

The developers behind the Battlefield series, Digital Illusions CE, have released a brand new trailer for Frostbite 3, detailing the engine that’s set to power their upcoming shooter, Battlefield 4.

Creative director Frank Vitz says, “I like to think of Frostbite as an evolutionary process, and Frostbite 3 is the next step in that evolution.”

Frostbite technology has been powering Battlefield titles, including other non-Battlefield titles ever since the first Bad Company, but it sure has come a long way since then. See where it’s at now in the trailer below.

[youtube id=”4Zgb8Tz1lSQ” width=”618″ height=”378″]

NOTE: The release date displayed at the end of the trailer is for European audiences.

Battlefield 4 is set to release on October 29 in North America, for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, with the next-generation release still to be announced.

Tags: Featured Frostbite 3 PC PS3 PS4 Trailer Xbox 360 Xbox One

Joel Santana

Gamer for the past 20 years who loves anything ranging from RPGs, Fighters and of course FPS games. Author