Epic Games Awards Open Source 3D Creation Tool Blender With $1.2 Million
Epic Games has announced that they have donated $1.2 million in cash towards the Blender Project, an open source tool to create 3D graphics animation and even entire games. This award is part of the Epic MegaGrants Initiative which Epic Games has committed $100 million. This program was created to help game developers, students, professionals, and creators. [Source: TheOuterHaven]
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 07-16-2019, 07:29 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Prime Day 2019: Sekiro Price Gets Sliced (US)
Sekiro: Shadow's Die Twice is one of 2019's best games. It takes From Software's distinct brand of challenging gameplay and adds new dimensions, requiring a new brand of skill in order to succeed. Admittedly, like all of From's games, Sekiro is the type that isn't for everyone--you'll need to undertake an uphill struggle to earn those moments of unparalleled satisfaction, so perhaps not one for a chill evening of gaming. But if working hard for your sweet victory sounds like the kind of thing you're up for, Amazon's Prime Day sale has a deal on Sekiro.
The PS4 and Xbox One versions of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are available for $48, which is around $12 cheaper than the normal retail price. Admittedly, it's not a massive discount, but it's a very fair asking price for one of the most acclaimed video games of the year so far. It's sure to appear in more than a few Game of the Year lists towards the end of 2019.
In GameSpot's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review the game was awarded a 9/10. "The orchestration of intense one-on-one boss encounters that truly test your mettle, and slower-paced stealth sections that let you take on battles at your own pace, is masterful," reads the review.
"More so than in previous games, From Software has honed in on the inherent tension found in the challenging nature of its games, and uses it to incredible effect. Sekiro marries the developer's unique brand of gameplay with stealth action to deliver an experience that is as challenging as it is gratifying."
Deals: PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 Mini Pre-orders Are Now Live
Following the shock news that Konami are planning to release a PC Engine Mini console (TurboGrafx-16 for our US readers) we have been eagerly waiting to slam down a pre-order as we’re sure that these will sell out quicker than the original NES Mini due to limited supply at launch.
Amazon UK is now listing the pre-order for the PC Engine CoreGrafx Mini priced at £99.99 and it is currently set to ship on 19th March 2020. The more attractive white PC Engine version can also be pre-ordered, if you can get your head around how to place an order on Amazon Japan. The US TurboGrafx-16 Mini can also be pre-ordered from Amazon Japan too – strangely it’s not on Amazon in the US yet, but we’re sure it’s just a matter of time.
Please note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale which helps support the site. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.
Let us know if you plan to pick up one of these lovely retro delights with a comment below.
Random: ‘Princess’ And ‘Zelda’ Mentioned On US Game Show Years Before The Game
Here’s a funny little thing. A clip from an episode of Password Plus – a US game show where celebrities would team with members of the public to guess ‘passwords’ from single-word clues – shows a contestant referring to a ‘Princess Zelda’ years before the world ever met Nintendo’s princess.
Mention the name ‘Zelda’ these days and arguably most people will assume you’re referring to the princess from Nintendo’s eponymous legendary series – the franchise has become famous enough to seep into wider popular culture outside the realm of video games. On the other hand, some people might think of Zelda Fitzgerald, novelist and wife of author F. Scott Fitzgerald (after whom Shigeru Miyamoto named his princess), or perhaps Zelda Spellman, one of the aunts of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
This particular 1982 episode of Password Plus comes from a good few years before Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda launched in February 1986 alongside the Famicom Disk System. Not only can you enjoy a hit of nostalgia from its early ’80s style in all its glory, but you can also witness contestant ‘R.J.’ unwittingly predicting Nintendo’s second-most famous royal as he says the word ‘princess’ while trying to elicit the word ‘Zelda’ in the video below. The exact moment is at 9 minutes 12 seconds:
Oddly, earlier in the episode we learn that he’s a computer programmer for a medical laboratory that also enjoys writing ‘computer video games’. Well done, R.J. – you unknowingly conjured the name of a gaming icon years before the rest of the world would meet her!
Aqua Security Launches Microsoft Azure Marketplace Private Offers
Aqua Security has announced a new Private Offer for software licensing and procurement directly through Microsoft Azure Marketplace. Software purchased directly from Aqua can easily be installed on Azure while still taking advantage of streamlined deployment through the Azure Marketplace. The Aqua Cloud-Native Security Platform (CSP) now offers full support for the widest range of Microsoft cloud-native technologies including Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Instances (ACI) and the Azure Functions serverless compute service. [Source: Aqua Security]
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 07-16-2019, 12:55 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Top 10 UK Games Chart: Racing Games Can't Keep Up With Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Maker 2 has kept its place atop the UK all-format physical sales chart, according to sales monitor Chart-Track. The Nintendo Switch exclusive has now been at No.1 for three consecutive weeks, and it stays ahead of an otherwise largely unchanged top 10.
Three racing games follow Super Mario Maker 2, with Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled at No.2, F1 2019 at No.3, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The week ending July 13 did see one new release enter the top 10, as Dragon Quest Builders 2 debuts at No.5. That did, however, launch on Friday, July 12, so had less time to make an impact than games already available. The only other new entry anywhere in the chart is the physical launch of Hollow Knight on PS4 and Switch, which finishes at No.34.
Super Mario Maker 2 is another great addition to the Switch's library of exclusive games, according to our critic, Peter Brown. "The Mario series is worth all the admiration it gets, and Super Mario Maker 2 is an excellent tool for picking it apart by pushing its enemies, mechanisms, and Mario, to their limit," he said. "I've yet to make a stage of my own that I think is worthy of sending out to other players, but I'm committed to getting there. Whether exploring the full potential of a single element or throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, I've got the itch to join the creator's club.
"Mario Maker 2 makes the learning process intuitive and enjoyable. Most importantly, it's enabled designers amateur and professional alike to share their creativity with the world. The community is off to a great start, and thankfully, the fun has only just begun." You can read more in our full Super Mario Maker 2 review.
You can read the full top 10 sales chart for this week below, courtesy of UKIE and GfK Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Take A Look At The Bubsy: Paws On Fire! Launch Trailer For Nintendo Switch
Publisher Accolade and developer Choice Provisions have released a new trailer to promote the upcoming release of Bubsy: Paws on Fire! The game arrives on Switch on 29th August.
This follows on from a delay in May, when it was revealed the title had been pushed back to this summer “to allow a bit more time for final adjustments.” The co-founder also released the following statement at the time:
“The Switch version of Bubsy: Paws on Fire is in great shape, we’re in the final push on some non-gameplay aspects on Switch.”
If you haven’t kept up with the recent Bubsy news, the anthropomorphic bobcat’s latest game has been created by the same team responsible for the Bit. Trip series (Gaijin Games). This one is also a runner-style platform title.
It will include four playable characters, new moves, collectibles, a unique combo system, in-game cosmetic shop, boss battles, and more than 100 levels. For more information, check out our previous post.
Will you be picking up this game when it arrives next month? Leave a comment below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 07-16-2019, 12:25 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Under fire from game devs, G2A proposes new ‘Key Blocker’ tool
Under-fire key reseller G2A has admitted to being “short-sighted” in its attempts to justify the ease of which users can flip gray market game keys on the platform, and is proposing a new ‘Key Blocker’ tool to give devs more control over how some of their titles are resold.
Rose explained that devs don’t receive a penny from G2A sales, so he’d rather potential customers illegally download No More Robots-published indie titles rather than support G2A’s business model.
Other developers quickly expressed their support, with Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail explaining that sites like G2A cost devs so much time in customer service, investigating fake key requests, and figuring out credit card chargebacks.
In a new blog post, G2A proposed a new ‘Key Blocker’ feature that will allow developers and G2A to easily spot and prevent the sale of keys that’ve been handed out for review purposes, or as part of a giveaway.
The tool would require devs to become verified on G2A, and then input a list of game keys they don’t want to be sold on the platform. After that, every time someone tries to sell a key that’s been highlighted by a developer, the seller will be told that particular code has been blocked from sale.
“You, the developer, only need to get verified. All you have to do is prove that you can act in the name of the studio you’re representing, so that we can deter any impostors. Once your identity is confirmed, you will gain access to two separate sections,” explains the G2A blog.
“The first of these is the ‘Review keys’ part. Once you generate keys to be sent out for a review to various sources, all you would need to do is select your game in our panel and paste the keys you don’t want to pop up on our marketplace.
“Once that’s done, each time anyone tries to sell a key for your game, our algorithm will check the keys you have provided us with. If there is a match, the seller will get a notification that the key has been blocked so that they can’t sell it.
“The second section would be the ‘Giveaway’ part. This panel works in the same way as the previous one — just fill in the keys you will be giving out that you don’t want sold before you start the giveaway. If a seller tries to sell more than three keys that match the ones in the giveaway database, our system won’t allow that.”
G2A claims the creation of such a tool will be “time-consuming and expensive,” and although it has pledged to cover the costs of development, it will only begin work if over 100 developers express their interest within the next month.
Although some used the tool as intended, a fair few soon realized they could build quickfire quests that would dish out a bounty of experience points upon completion. It’s a workaround that allowed players to quickly level up their in-game characters with little to no effort.
Ubisoft claims those quests risk “jeopardizing the overall quality, integrity, and purpose of Story Creator Mode and results in less visibility for the creative, interesting and frankly fantastic community stories that have been published.”
As a result, the Ubisoft is working on a variety of fixes and adjustments that will reduce the impact of farming quests on the player experience, and is also changing Story Creator Mode’s terms of use to prevent creators from publishing those types of quests altogether.
“XP farming quests will not appear in our automatic recommendation system — this includes the Hall of Fame and the trending section,” said Ubisoft in a forum post, detailing the work-in-progress changes.
“Stories that are reported for exploitation or cheating will be hidden moving forward, and our terms of use will be updated to reflect the misuse of the tool. We will also be sanctioning those who continue to willingly and intentionally misuse the tool, and will look to implement further solutions with upcoming title updates.”
Madden 20 Ratings: All Four 99-Rated Players Revealed
Electronic Arts kicked off revealing the Madden 20 player ratings when it announced all the highest-rated rookies. Now, the company has named Madden 20's four 99-rated players--the very best in the game, and that's before factoring in the new X-Factor super-abilities they come equipped with.
The four 99-rated players in Madden 20 (at launch) include Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins, Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald, Seattle Seahawks ILB Bobby Wagner, and Chicago Bears OLB Khalil Mack. These ratings, and those of everyone else in the game, can and most likely will change over the course of the real NFL season. Roster updates are released routinely by EA Sports based on how players are performing on the field in the real world.
Madden 20's new X-Factor system grants highly rated players super-abilities that can be used at key moments, and these 99-rated players all have them. As Pasta Padre reports, "Hopkins wins aggressive catches against single coverage. Donald can place pressure on the QB even while still engaged in a block. Wagner gets tighter coverage and a higher chance of picking off a pass on contested catches. Mack’s pass rush leads to quicker block shedding."
The rest of Madden 20's ratings will be revealed throughout July leading up to the game's release. Keep check in back with GameSpot for more.
Madden 20 launches on August 2 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. EA Access members will get a limited amount of time to play the game early, as per usual.
