Forza: Future Xbox, PC Games ‘Absolutely’ Developing Concurrently
Future Forza games will “absolutely” be developed concurrently for Xbox and PC, according to Turn 10 Design Director Andy Beaudoin, who noted that the recently announced Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is “the first step in an ongoing commitment for Turn 10 and PC”
Beaudoin told IGN, “This is just the first step and this is why we can do it for free. The best way to learn to make a game on a platform is to ship a game on it…. It’s a great way for us to flex our muscle in the PC space and set the groundwork for future titles.”
Those future titles may not be Turn 10’s alone. We asked Beaudoin about Forza Horizon featuring a similar development plan, and while he declined to comment on specific future titles, Motorsport or Horizon, Beaudoin said that “as a franchise, we’re going to embrace that.”
Forza 6 Apex on PC Is Not ‘a Microtransaction-Driven Game’
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex on Windows 10 is free-to-play with optional microtransactions, but Design Director Andy Beaudoin told IGN that it’s “been built from the beginning, all the way to the end, not to be a microtransaction driven game.”
Beaudoin explained, “We know that over time, we’ve looked at previous Forza games, and some people have liked to shortchange the progression system through other systems. So we’ll give players the opportunity to do that with purchases.”
To that end, Apex will not feature Forza Motorsport 6’s $20 VIP membership. “It’s something we looked at with Apex, and it’s not something we’ve done simply because Apex is meant to bring in a new group of gamers to Forza,” Beaudoin said. “Because of the focused, curated nature there wasn’t a natural fit. We really want this to be a free game.”
19 Details Fans Will Want to Know about Dark Souls 3
Spoiler Alert: Below are details I found in the first four hours of Dark Souls 3. I also discuss some elements from previous games in the series.
Dark Souls 3 comes out in just a few weeks in Japan, before heading West in April. I played for around 4 hours or so, and it feels a lot like Dark Souls, unsurprisingly. It was demanding, surprising, and full of fantastic environmental and creature design.
But instead of talking about such boring things as its difficulty, I thought I'd focus on the small things – lore fragments, little mechanical details – as they've always been my favourite part of these games. Below are the things I'd want to know going in.
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex Announced, Free-to-Play on PC
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is coming to PC, and the Turn 10-developed, Windows 10-exclusive racing game will be free-to-play. Optional mictotransactions will allow players to purchase vehicles, or they can be earned by winning events.
Apex is not a straight port of Forza 6. At launch, Apex features 12 themed racing events, more than 60 cars, and a new objective system, which challenges players to complete specific, skill-based tasks for additional in-game currency.
"Drivatars" from Forza 6 on Xbox One will not carry over to Apex, Turn 10 told IGN. The developer declined to comment on any upcoming paid expansions, but emphasized the importance of updates to Apex, specifically in spotlighting specific cars with different events.
Return to World War II Again in Days of War
Bulkhead Interactive’s Battalion 1944 isn’t the only competitive shooter that wants to resurrect the spirit of classic World War II action games; it's now going to be sharing a foxhole with the newly-announced Days of War from Driven Arts. Days of War, like Battalion 1944, is multiplayer shooter aiming to “revive the style of classic WWII shooters from the 2000-2010 era.”
Driven Arts founder George Rivara explains Days of War began development two years ago and it is slated for a 2016 release on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. The team has launched a Kickstarter campaign “to accelerate the final stages of development.”
US Race Car Pack for Project CARS Available Today
A new DLC pack of vehicles for Project CARS is available from today and features a quartet of US race cars.
Leading the pack is the dominant Corvette C7.R GTE, which won both of its first two North American Endurance Cup races in 2015 (including the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring) and also brought home the chocolates in the GTE Pro class at last year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. Slightly Mad Studios enlisted the assistance of Corvette driver and two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tommy Milner to accurately recreate the C7.R’s driving dynamics within the game itself.
The US Race Car Pack is out today on all platforms. #ByRacers4Racers pic.twitter.com/alcsQnWFPv
Battalion 1944’s Kickstarter Stretch Goals Include Single-Player Campaign
Developer Bulkhead Interactive has confirmed several stretch goals for its successful Kickstarter funding campaign for Battalion 1944.
To date Battalion 1944 has secured more than double the amount Bulkhead was seeking but the studio has several ideas for additional content should funding continue to increase. These include the addition of British and Russian soldiers (including female Russian snipers), an offline ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ mode (where players can fight in the game’s maps offline against AI bots and compete for high scores against friends), a new D-Day map, and even the addition of the Pacific Theatre.
Bulkhead notes that one of Battalion 1944’s most-requested features was a single-player campaign, though the studio stresses that such a feature would require “a significantly larger development budget.” The team has nonetheless added a final £1.2 million stretch goal that would see the addition of a single-player allied campaign.
Sony Details Next PS4 Software Update, Beta Incoming
Sony has laid out what’s coming in the next major PlayStation 4 system software beta.
Codenamed “Musashi,” beta 3.50 brings with it online friend notifications, an event organiser for those looking to schedule gaming sessions in advance, and the introduction of livestreaming service Dailymotion. That's as well as the long-awaited feature to appear offline.
Although not present in the next beta, Sony also mentions the update will make Remote Play available via PC and Mac.
The beta for update 3.50 starts on March 2. If you’ve previously signed up for the beta, keep an eye on your email for instructions on how to access it.
Metal Gear Online Introduces New Mode, Maps and Character
Konami has announced that the new DLC for Metal Gear Online will be available from March 15, 2016.
Cloaked in Silence will be a "dedicated, squad-based multi-player component" of the Metal Gear Online and includes three new maps - Coral Complex, Rust Palace, Azure Mountain - and features Quiet.
From April 7, 2016 you'll also be able to play new mode Survival which pitches teams against each other to compete for the highest win streak.
Three new maps are headed for Metal Gear Online later this month
HTC Vive Sells 15,000 Units in Minutes
The HTC Vive sold over 15,000 units in less than ten minutes.
The virtually reality system sold out just minutes after the device went on pre-sale yesterday.
HTC’s Shen Ye tweeted "Woah, more than 15k units in less than 10 mins".
Woah, more than 15k units in less than 10min :o
— Shen Ye (@shen) February 29, 2016
The device went on sale for $800/£690/€900. Included in the price is a headset, two wireless controllers, two movement tracking and room scale sensors, and three games - Fantastic Contraption, Job Simulator, and Google's Tilt Brush.