Guild Wars 2 Gets Additional Pre-Purchase Bonus After Complaints
ArenaNet has responded to player feedback by announcing new rewards for veterans and a refund policy for those who purchased the core game by mistake.
Veteran Guild Wars 2 players who registered the base game before January 23, 2015, and also pre-purchased any version of the Heart of Thorns expansion prior to release, will be gifted one extra character slot.
Every player who purchased the core game via the Guild Wars 2 website, and registered between January 23 and June 16, 2015, will be automatically given a refund should they decide to purchase Heart of Thorns, so long as it’s bought by July 31, 2015.
The news comes following fan outrage regarding how ArenaNet is handling the latest expansion. Three different pricing tiers were announced a short while back, but the pricing wasn’t directly the main issue. You see, the cheapest version of Heart of Thorns comes with a copy of the core Guild Wars 2 game. For new players looking to get into the series, it was a great entry point, but seasoned players who already owned the base game were confused as to why they needed to rebuy something they already own.
New Contract and Armour Set Coming to The Witcher 3
CD Projekt Red has revealed what we have to look forward to as part of this week's free DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
So far we received a Temerian Armor Set and an array of additional beards and hairstyles for Geralt in the week following launch. This was then followed by a new Witcher Contract quest and skin for Yennefer, then a new armour set and crossbow weapons. We've also seen new Gwent Cards and Quests, while last week gave us alternative looks for Triss and another new quest.
Batman: Arkham Knight Suffering Major Issues on PC
Numerous reports are surfacing of Batman: Arkham Knight's PC port suffering performance problems.
We've experienced the issues ourselves, which include frequent stuttering and audio glitches while moving around the open-world. As a result, Steam user reviews (which can only be given by people who've purchased the game) are flooded with complaints, as are the NeoGAF boards.
Additionally, many gamers have been bemused to find a 30 frames-per-second cap in place. Thankfully, a work around has been discovered. All you need to do is open your Arkham Knight install directory, and navigate to, "BmGameConfigBmSystemSettings.ini”. In the config file, search for "Max_FPS=30", and change it to "Max_FPS=9999".
Sony’s 4K Ultra Thin TVs, When and How Much?
Sony has announced the pricing and release dates for its X900C and X910C series 4K Ultra HD TVs.
The X900C will be $2,500 for the 55-inch model, while the 65-inch model will go for $4,000. The 75-inch X910C will cost you $5,500.
Pre-sales on the X900C begin on June 21, with full purchase availability starting in July. According to Sony, the X910C will be available "this summer".
We found out at CES this year that the X900C is just under 0.2-inches thick. Sony isn't the only company in the 4K game though, as Vizio is looking to compete by offering cheaper options.
The Original Ridge Racer: A PlayStation Launch Classic
It wasn’t long ago that the Ridge Racer series was seen as one of the immutable titans of arcade racing. A brand that would always endure. Ridge Racer was a staple of every Sony platform launch – a Ridge Racer game debuted with the original PlayStation, the PS2, PS3, PSP and PS Vita.
But where is it now? There’s been no Ridge Racer game on PS4 or Xbox One, and the last retail release was Bugbear’s Ridge Racer Unbounded in 2012, which – although a great racer in its own right – was “Ridge Racer in name only,” according to the guy who wrote the IGN review. It was a break with tradition – an experiment to find a new direction for the series, and the same can be said for the disastrous free-to-play PC experiment that followed, Ridge Racer Driftopia, which was shuttered after a year in Early Access in August last year.
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition Review
Devil May Cry 4 is excessive by design, from the mammoth swords to the boss battles rooted in elegant mayhem. The action can feel like a firework show that spurns a nuanced routine for a non-stop, thirty-minute finale, and there's a certain charm to this bravado. But the excessiveness takes away just as much as it gives. The structure of the extended campaign works against its own momentum, forcing you to retread recently explored locations and battle all-too-familiar enemies over and over again. While this Special Edition provides slight combat tweaks and additional characters to toy with, there's just not enough mechanical or architectural variation to justify the fluff. As a result, the endless combat rooms and recycled scenarios can be exhausting.
The re-progression is thematically justified by a character swap, giving you at least some reason to remain engaged during this slog. You spend the majority of Devil May Cry 4 with Nero, a silver-haired, sardonic punk whose emotions swing from caustic rage to lovesick sweetness at the drop of a sword. He's a suitable protagonist for the series, with enough emotional intrigue to carry the early portions of the story, but the eventual shift to Dante is welcomed. Collecting new weapons and experimenting with his unique combat stances spices up the action, and his comically blasé attitude toward towering demons hurling fire, ice, and everything in between adds an additional layer of absurdity to this ballet of angels and demons. It's just a shame that Dante is left with so little meat to pick off the bone, being relegated to retracing Nero's steps.
The most significant change introduced by the Special Edition is the inclusion of three additional characters: Lady, Trish, and Vergil. The fresh cast is playable from the start, and thankfully, each member provides a much-needed layer of combat variation absent from the original release. Lady’s proclivity for projectiles punches up your offense at range, allowing you to more easily dust airborne foes and wipe out large groups with a single, charged missile. Trish and Vergil aren’t as unorthodox in their play styles, but both benefit from swift hypersonic attacks that help you smoothly transition from demon to demon. Vergil, especially, can quickly jump from place to place and easily build upon a string of combos without having to waste time walking to a new target.
Devil May Cry 4 is deeply flawed, but the new 1080p, 60 frames-per-second wrapping provided by the Special Edition does well to modernize the aesthetic while maintaining the series' blistering speed. The action rarely skips a beat--even when a sea of enemies floods the screen--and while you might not mistake it for a brand-new 2015 release, the characters and environments just look cleaner. The uproariously extravagant cutscenes, where you'll find Dante and Nero elegantly sliding under deadly projectiles or bouncing away from massive demons with aplomb, benefit the most from the improved visual fidelity.
But like a stubborn wine stain, the repetition so deeply rooted in Devil May Cry 4's fabric can't be easily washed out. The additional characters replace Nero and Dante in the same scenarios, so you're still playing through identical missions you're likely already tired of. Starting the game over with a different character only highlights the lack of unique locations, so once the initial wonder of Vergil's lightning-quick technique and Lady's devastating grenade launcher wears off, there's not much left to enjoy. You can avoid replaying the main missions by instead testing out each character’s abilities in the Bloody Palace, which is a series of combat challenges where the deeper you descend, the more difficult the enemies become. However, Devil May Cry 4 can already feel like a combat gauntlet, so stripping out the story, puzzles, and exploration doesn't do it any favors. It’s nice to have more options, but the Special Edition's prevailing new features are hampered by the nature of its main adventure.
The series of events is both interesting and challenging the first time around, at least--even if they're weighed down by too many back-to-back combat sequences. Nero's combo-driven sword-play is bolstered by his pistols and wonderfully versatile Devil Bringer--a demonic arm that acts as both a quick means of transportation and a powerful melee option. Beyond its practical use, the Devil Bringer gives you greater opportunity to increase your style gauge and extend combos to great lengths. By diversifying your attacks, you can earn more points and, most importantly, complete a combat scenario in the most surgical, exciting ways possible.
Like a stubborn wine stain, the repetition so deeply rooted in Devil May Cry 4's fabric can't be easily washed out.
You can grab, pull, and pound enemies into the dirt through Nero's glowing grip, but the manner by which this arm translates to platforming and puzzle solving is more frustrating than fun. Devil May Cry 4 provides very limited camera control, and shifting perspectives often obfuscate your view as you use your arm to grapple from point to point. It can be difficult to determine your position, let alone time a jump or push certain objects to unlock doors with such a restrictive, jarring point of view.
If you're a seasoned demon hunter, the Special Edition does provide a new, punishing difficulty called Legendary Dark Knight Mode. Here, a greater number and variety of enemies spawn at any given time--creating more opportunities to string together stylish combos, but a higher probability of becoming overwhelmed. Thankfully, the points and skills accrued over time carry over, so some of the difficulty's edge can be dulled by tackling this hellish challenge on a second playthrough. However, no matter how skilled you become, the boss battles here can be ruthless, so even fully decked-out characters can fall after a few mistimed dodges.
The visual improvements and additional characters layered atop the Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition can't conceal its bloated structure. This is, without a doubt, the best this stylish action romp has looked and felt, but just because you can gussy up an old game, doesn't always mean that you should. If you're dying to see how Vergil fares against the Order of the Sword or feel the need to test the extreme difficulty, take the leap. Just be warned that some aspects of the game would have been better left in the past.
Michael Keaton’s in Another Comic Book Adaptation
After recently starring in a movie about moving beyond comic adaptations (Birdman), Michael Keaton is set to star in another one.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star of Tim Burton's Batman will produce and star in Imagine Agents, an adaptation of a Boom! comic series of the same name written by Brian Joines and drawn by Bachan.
Composer James Horner Killed in Plane Crash
Prolific Hollywood composer James Horner has been killed in a plane crash in southern California, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The news was reportedly confirmed by Horner’s assistant Sylvia Patrycja via a post on social media.
A short time ago CBS Los Angeles revealed that a plane registered to Horner had crashed 60 miles north of Santa Barbara, killing the pilot. The plane was a two-seater S-312 Tucano MK1 turbo-prop, but no one else has been reported on board. It was not immediately clear whether Horner himself was flying the plane but the 61-year-old was unaccounted for following the crash.
Independence Day 2 Has an Official Title
Independence Day 2 has a non-numerical title: Independence Day Resurgence.
Variety reported the new title and included a couple of shots from the set.
The first shot is of a "Moon Tug spacecraft" and the other is of director Roland Emmerich posing in front of the ship.
How Fast & Furious: Supercharged Takes You to the Streets
Opening June 25th at Universal Studios Hollywood, Fast & Furious: Supercharged brings the incredibly successful movie series into the theme park realm for the first time. The new ride has been incorporated into the classic Universal Studio Tour, and includes several stars from the films, including Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Luke Evans.
A few weeks back, I was given an early look at what to expect from Supercharged from Universal Studios Hollywood Executive Show Producer, Chick Russell, whose previous work for Universal theme parks included Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey and Transformers: The Ride. Russell showed me a computer walk-through of the entire ride, including the lead-up portion setting up the scenario and then the main ride itself, which involves huge screens on both sides of the guests, putting them into the middle of a high speed street race, in a manner Universal first used for their King Kong attraction.