When I first reviewed The Crew I noted that it’s graphics were great considering the sheer size of the map but wouldn’t be winning any graphical achievement awards. In comparison to most racers out now the game did look a bit dated. However that will be changing soon as The Crew Wild Run expansion that is releasing isn’t just bringing with it new events, race types and new vehicles, it’s also giving the graphics a complete overhaul.
You can watch the trailer to see the improvements for yourself including the awesome new dynamic weather feature. The new graphics are an appreciated feature but not the most substantial. Motorbikes are being added to the game as well as 3 new tuning types; Dragsters, Drift Cars and Monster Trucks. The Summit Championship will add new events to the game as well.
Ivory Tower have continued to support the game by adding features requested by its passionate community. The latest addition is the ability to create FreeDrive Challenges. Basically this means you can create your own race by placing checkpoints on the map and then challenge your Crew and other players in those races. It seems this feature will land when the Wild Run Expansion launches.
This wild expansion might just be what The Crew needs to get its player base back, although it will be tough as the expansion releases only two weeks after the Need for Speed reboot. The expansion releases on the 17th of November for the PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and will be available as a download or in the Wild . Sorry 360 players, seems like your left out in the cold once again.
Edit: After further research it seems the graphic overhaul will be free for all players of The Crew and not only those who purchase the Wild Run expansion.
Deck13 (Lords of the Fallen) and Focus Home Interactive have revealed the action RPG they teased a few months ago as The Surge. The reveal teases the world players will explore in the game; a dystopian sci-fi that gives a grim vision of Earth, where the cities are massively overpopulated, the environment is horribly polluted, an aging population is pushing the social programs to the brink of collapse, and a vast majority of young workers are trapped in laborious jobs using exoskeletons.
Deck13 will be releasing more information about the game in the coming months. The Surge is scheduled to launch sometime in 2017. No platforms have been announced at this time.
It’s gamescom 2015 folks! In case you missed the Microsoft press conference, check out the recap with Xbox Newsbeat!
Xbox Unveils More of Its Greatest Games Line-up in History
The gamescom 2015 briefing served up the first gameplay videos for Crackdown 3, Scalebound, and Killer Instinct Season 3. Additionally, we saw more from Quantum Break, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza Motorsport 6, FIFA 16,Just Cause 3, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, Cobalt, and a slew of indie games participating in the ID@Xbox program. The real star of the announcements was probably the Halo Wars 2 reveal. The second installment of Halo strategy game is slated for launch on Xbox One and Windows 10 in fall 2016.
Additionally, Microsoft announced that Over-the-Air TV users will be able to use their Xbox One as a DVR for their antenna. This feature will come to all Xbox One owners in 2016.
Xbox One Backward Compatibility Launches in November with Over 100 Xbox 360 Titles
Microsoft has fleshed out their plans for Xbox One backward compatibility. The program is leaving beta in November with 100 games from Microsoft, 2K Games, Bandai Namco Games, Bethesda, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Disney Interactive, EA, Koei Tecmo Games, Majesco, Sega, Square Enix, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Gamers can look forward to many of these games being bundled as bonuses with upcoming titles.
Halo 5: Guardians Goes Big with Premium Hardware
Microsoft is going all out with Halo 5: Guardians. the game will be seeing a limited edition 1TB Xbox One featuring a contrasting light and dark grey body with blue metallic accents. The console’s sound effects have been completely replaced with effects from the game. The bundle also includes a matching limited edition Halo 5: Guardians controller, a digital copy of Halo 5: Guardians, the “Warzone REQ Bundle,” an alloy Guardian model designed by Metal Earth, the Halo: The Fall of Reach animated series, team dossiers for Blue & Osiris, and Spartan Locke’s classified orders. The console will be available on October 20th for $599.99 AUD.
Two limited edition controllers will also be available. One will be the same one bundled with the 1TB Xbox One, while the other is an olive green and gold controller inspired by Master Chief. Both controllers come with a bonus REQ Pack and are of the new design that includes the 3.5mm audio jack. The controllers will be available in Early October for an MSRP of $69.99 USD.
Finally, Microsoft and Astro Gaming are partnering to launch a Halo 5: Guardians themed Astro A40+Mixamp M80. The dark grey and blue metallic accents matches perfectly with the limited edition console and comes with a bonus REQ Pack. The headset has an MSRP of $220 USD and will launch in September.
Introducing the Halo World Championship
Halo 5: Guardians will be the first game in the new Halo World Championship series. The competition kicks off this winter with 4 vs 4 combat in Arena mode. The new Spectator Mode will let everyone join in on the action as the best gamers around the world compete for a million dollar prize pool.
Viewers can get their first taste at the ESL Arena at gamescom 2015. The Halo 5: Guardians gamescom Invitational 2015 features Epsilon Esports (EU), Supremecy (EU), CAZ.Esports (EU) and OpTic Gaming (NA) duking it out on an early game build.
Forza Motorsport 6 Celebrates gamescom with New European Rides Added to the Garage
This week is bringing more garage announcements for Forza Motorsport 6. Last week was all about Britain, so this week we’re hopping across the channel into continental Europe. As a nod to gamescom 2015, the two headlining vehicles are the German made 1975 BMW #25 BMW Motorsport 3.0 CSL and slightly more modern 2014 BMW #55 BMW Team RLL Z4 GTE. This week will see the following cars added to the garage:
1973 BMW 2002 Turbo
2012 Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe Black Series
2005 BMW M3
1991 BMW M3
2009 BMW #92 Rahal Letterman Racing M3 GT2
2006 #2 Audi Sport North America R8
2013 Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG
1998 Mercedes-Benz AMG Mercedes CLK GTR
1939 Audi Auto Union Type D
1989 #4 Audi 90 quattro IMSA GTO
2004 Audi S4
2015 Audi RS 6 Avant
2014 Volkswagen Golf R
2014 Bentley #7 M-Sport Bentley Continental GT3
2014 Dodge #93 SRT Motorsports Viper GTS-R
2014 Mercedes-Benz #84 HTP Motorsport SLS AMG GT3
2011 Audi #2 Audi Sport Team Joest R15++ TDI
2011 Mercedes-Benz #35 Black Falcon SLS AMG GT3
2004 Audi #5 Audi Sport Japan Team Goh R8
2015 Honda #5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar
2015 Chevrolet #67 CFH Racing IndyCar
2015 Honda #14 AJ Foyt Enterprises IndyCar
2015 Chevrolet #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar
2014 McLaren #98 ART Grand Prix MP4-12C GT3
2015 Honda #7 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports IndyCar
2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe
1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI
2015 Audi S3 Sedan
1981 BMW M1
2006 Audi RS 4
2009 Audi RS 6
2009 Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series
1995 Audi RS 2 Avant
2010 Audi TT RS Coupe
2003 BMW M5
1983 Audi Sport Quattro
2011 Audi RS 5 Coupe
1995 BMW 850CSi
2014 Lamborghini #18 DragonSpeed Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo
1963 Volkswagen Type 2 De Luxe
1988 BMW M5
Four Easy Tips to Power up Your Windows 10 PC for Gaming
With millions of users upgrading to Windows 10 thanks to the free upgrade program for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, Microsoft has released the following guide for gamers.
Tip #1: NEVER Defrag Your Solid State Drive (SSD)
You are better of installing your games onto an SSD, and you should seriously consider putting your Windows 10 installation onto an SSD (not the same one, though) as well. Solid state drives are just so much faster than rotational media – you’ll spend far less time waiting around for things to load.
On top of that, you don’t need to defragment them. Ever. In fact, defragmenting an SSD is just going to unnecessarily reduce its lifespan. So don’t do it!
Tip #2: Get Rid of Unnecessary Apps and Memory Resident Junk
There are some quality third-party applications that can help you streamline your Windows 7 and/or 8 installations before you move up to Windows 10. The idea here is to get rid of the vestiges of old, or disused programs, or stuff that’s booting up when you start your PC that you never, ever use. You’ll free up memory by not booting that stuff at all.
MAGIX Software makes a program called PC Check & Tuning that can really dig deep into your Windows installation and make it easy for you to update drivers, streamline installations, and get rid of the stuff you don’t need. SUPERAntiSpyware is an absolutely fantastic, free tool to get rid of any little nasty bugs and spyware that might have found a way into your system (and could be slowing it down, or worse). And CCleaner by Piriform is an awesome free alternative to MAGIX PC Check, which can clean out your dead files and installs – as well as your Windows registry – safely. AVG makes an all-in-one “Uninstaller” and “Program Deactivator,” too, which can quickly and easily track down and kill anything you want to get rid of.
Tip #3: Slightly Overclock Your System
Editor’s Note: We strongly recommend you not follow this tip unless you know what you are doing. Overclocking can result in permanent damage to your expensive computer parts if done incorrectly. Please do some research to decide if overclocking is right for you. Capsule Computers is not responsible for any damage you may do to your computer.
Note that this one entails a little bit of risk – if your system is already running hot or if you’re uncomfortable with overclocking, skip this step entirely. That said, most modern gaming rigs (especially if you’ve bought them from a reputable manufacturer) are more than capable of a 5-10% overclock with zero ill effects. Still, understand that overclocking always entails a risk.
If you’ve got a gaming-focused video card and/or motherboard, it should have come with some software that you can use to affect the clock speed. If so, go ahead and use that if you’ve got it. If not, check your video card manufacturer’s website for their recommended software. You can also use AMD OverDrive, which is AMD’s overclocking tool, if you have one of their chips. Intel makes an excellent stress-testing tool called Intel BurnTest that we recommend you use, to see just how much pressure you’re putting on your system with any given overclocking setting that you decide to use. You don’t need to be using an Intel processor to use it – but it works best with one.
However you decide to implement your overclock, we recommend not going over about 5-10% of the default setting (at most) for your CPU and memory clocks. Remember that overclocking adds heat to your entire system, not just the CPU and memory clocks. You don’t want to push things too much!
Tip #4: Install User Mods to Your Favourite Games to Improve Performance
You might be surprised to find out that a whole mess of folks have already created modifications to your favourite games that make them run faster, look better, and do all sorts of weird (but cool) stuff. These mods are available, often for free, from all sorts of places on the web. Check them out at the Windows Store, on Steam, or through your favourite communities and social media sites. Applying mods to games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim or Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin can greatly improve not only the games’ loading speeds, performance, and stability, but also the graphical fidelity and even the user interface.
SAINT JOHN, Canada – Aug. 7, 2015 – Independent developer Stompy Bot Productions today announced that its upcoming PC mech title, Heavy Gear Assault, has entered the Early Access phase of development. The action-packed mech game now features the Gear Bay module, which gives players unparalleled customization of their Gears (as the mechs are known in the game), alongside a wealth of optimizations and gameplay polish.
There are over ten different stock Gears that players can choose from, and every piece from shoulders to torsos to lower legs are interchangeable, resulting in hundreds of thousands of different combinations. Layer dozens of weapons into the mix that range from lasers, sniper rifles, and automatics and you have a recipe for complete and utter madness. Each Gear can also be equipped with jetpacks, grenades and other features, but defense will also be important as each individual part can be damaged, so a leg or arm may be rendered useless quickly in battle.
“This new phase of development has really energized our team, and we’re eager to keep the momentum going full speed. Our early supporters have been dying to share their excitement with the world since it’s been underwraps, and we’re thrilled to see more players join in and provide vital feedback as we gear up for our full launch next year,” said John Nguyen, Marketing Director of Stompy Bot Productions.
In Heavy Gear Assault, players venture to the distant planet Terra Nova and pilot giant, highly customizable Gears. Featuring a range of dynamic combat, customizations, gameplay modes and esport features, Heavy Gear Assault offers players a wealth of gameplay that brings the Heavy Gear universe to life. Various gameplay modes keep things fresh with advanced dueling in team battles, like the standard Deathmatch and more strategic Brunes Ball.
Following a modular release strategy, the team behind Heavy Gear Assault plans to implement all upcoming game features over a series of patches to Early Access players. With the move, players are now able to share live streams, screenshots, videos, and openly talk about the game.
Heavy Gear Assault is on track to officially release on PC, with full Linux support and compatibility between Windows and Linux users, in 2016. For more information, please visit www.heavygear.com.
About Heavy Gear Assault
Heavy Gear Assault is a next-generation mech simulator based on the award-winning Heavy Gear Franchise. Heavy Gear Assault is currently under development by MekTek Studios and is poised to be among the first titles released on Unreal Engine 4. Players customize their robots, known as Gears, and compete in no-holds barred esport competitions for dominance. Heavy Gear Assault won the Games Developer Conference’s “Best in Play” Award in 2014. For more info: www.heavygear.com and follow @heavygeartweet.
About Stompy Bot Productions
Stompy Bot Productions is the exclusive Heavy Gear digital games license holder and publisher of Heavy Gear Assault, developed by MekTek Studios, the next-generation PC title using the latest Unreal Engine 4 game engine technology. For more info: www.stompybot.com and follow @StompyBot.
While Amnesia: Memories is mostly a visual novel that follows the player’s choices and how they affect their relationship with their chosen love interest, there are also a number of mini-games scattered throughout the title and that happens to be what Idea Factory International chose to focus on today with their latest screenshots and a new trailer for the game.
This trailer not only shows off how the different choices you make throughout the game can affect your relationship with a chosen bachelor by affecting various relationship parameters but also air hockey and rock-paper scissors mini-games that are separate from the main storyline and allow players to play against the game’s available bachelors.
Currently Amnesia: Memories is set to be released on the PlayStation Vita and PC on August 25th and in Europe on August 26th.
Inti Creates has recently released Gal Gun: Double Peace in Japan and in a rather interesting twist, the company that is known most recently for working on the Gunvolt games asked their English speaking fans if they would like to see the game localized. Note that they followed up by saying that nothing has been confirmed as of yet but this would mark the first time that this type of game was considered for Western release since the original title, Gal*Gun, was released back in 2011.
Today is Gal*Gun II release day in Japan! Would you like to see Gal*Gun localized some day? Let us know! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/BPIuNvH2Gj
For those who may be unaware of what exactlyGal Gun: Double Peace is, you can check out the nine minute launch trailer for the game below where many of the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita rail-shooting title’s mechanics are shown off, including the various girls that will appear in the game.
Those who wish to try out a bit of the game can do so as a demo for the PlayStation 4 version of Gal Gun: Double Peace has been released on the Japanese PlayStation Store though it is worth noting that a (easily created) Japanese account is required to download said demo.
While most of the games that Koei Tecmo produces involving historical figures focus almost entirely on destroying thousands of soldiers and laying waste to entire empires, Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence gives players a few other options to try besides swinging a sword around to try and sway those around you.
In the latest trailer and screenshots for Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence‘s diplomacy and espionage mechanics are shown off. You see, players can use various slow-burning methods of diplomacy to wield fruitful results. This ranges from cultivating relationships with nearby clans and tribes to make sure they don’t join up with enemies or rise up in rebellion or forging a lasting alliance with another lord.
As far as espionage goes, players can also assign officers to take on covert reconnaissance missions or attempt to entice or create discontent between enemy officers. You must be wary however, as your own soldiers can potentially be turned against you if their loyalty or satisfaction levels are too low.
Sega surprised many in the West when they announced their plans to localize Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax, a fighting game featuring some of the most iconic characters taken from light novels published by Dengeki Bunko, and now that we have a set release date for the game, they have released the first in what appears to be a series of trailers to meant to show off what most of these characters will be capable of.
This first trailer introduces Asuna, Kuroyukihime, Tomoka Minato, and Shizuo Heiwajima and you can read more details about each character below:
Asuna(Sword Art Online) – The sub-leader of the Knights of the Blood,
the strongest guild in Aincrad. Her nickname is “The Flash” due to her speed with her rapier, Lambent Light. Kirito is her boyfriend.
Kuroyukihime(Accel World) – The Umezato Jr. High student council V.P. She’s nicknamed Kuroyukihime, or “Snow Black,” because of her beauty. Her Brain Burst avatar is Black Lotus and she is Legion Master of the Nega Nebulas.
Shizuo Heiwajima(Durarara!!) – A debt collector who dresses like a bartender. He hates violence, but when he loses his temper, he’s the strongest man in Ikebukuro. Flying vending machines are a clue that he’s around.
Tomoka Minato(Ro-Kyu-Bu!) – A basketball ace at Keishin Academy. Her mother does traditional dance and her father is a tea master, so her manners are impeccable. But when she starts to play basketball…
The Disgaea franchise has always had plenty of different mechanics to work with both inside and outside of combat and now with the upcoming release of Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance even more systems have been added to the game. In order to try and explain some of these new details and features NIS America‘s Tiffany Chin explained most of these mechanics as well as the company’s DLC plans for Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance over on the PlayStation Blogand you can read the pertinent details below:
Curry Shop over
The Curry Shop is a new facility on the base where you can create different types of curries, which will give the squad temporary effects that last about one battle. Most of these recipes will give boosts in stats, but not all are good! Some can have a negative effect and are even poisonous!
Nether Research Squad
When your squad isn’t out fighting the good fight, you can deploy some of your recruits to explore the other Netherworlds through the Nether Research Squad. While they’re off researching the Netherworlds, they’ll be unlocking new worlds to visit, finding rare items in other worlds to bring back, and gaining experience for your squad members as they’re off exploring.
Netherworld Editor
These new Netherworlds will sometimes have special world effects, such as Icic-Hell’s snowy world that lowers all characters’ fire resistance. But don’t fret — you can override these Netherworld effects with the Netherworld Editor! This new feature allows you to create new Netherworlds for other people to encounter and play, and if one of the worlds is summoned while you’re in a map, the summoned Netherworld effects will override the effects of the current world.
Alchemy
With the new Alchemist feature, you can have items created for you while you’re off to battle! Create a brand new item and add Innocents to power up each copy. Don’t have enough innocents for your plentiful supply of items? The Innocent Shop can help with that; this shop acts like a warehouse to hold all your precious Innocents while breeding new ones at the Innocent Farm out back. Sometimes if you leave two Innocents alone together at the Innocent Farm, a third will appear with more rare and powerful effects!
Downloadable Content
NIS America will be releasing 5 batches of DLC which allow you to encounter the characters from Disgaea 3, Disgaea 4, and Disgaea D2 in various Netherworlds, as well as other games like La Pucelle! There will also be a season pass available and if you get all the DLC, you’ll unlock Pleinair as a playable character for free!
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance is set to be released in North America on October 6th and on October 9th in Europe and to go alongside these extra details, NIS America has released English character trailers for Killia and Seraphina and you can check those out below.
