Blizzard Says Diablo 3 Microtransactions Won’t Come West
Blizzard has countered concerns regarding microtransactions in Diablo III, explaining there are no plans to bring the feature to Europe or North America.
The developer was responding to files discovered by dataminers, which seem to suggest the upcoming patch 2.2 will add the controversial payment method. Thankfully, Diablo community manager Brandy ‘Nevalistis’ Camel has now explained this is primarily planned for Asian markets.
“While the above features will not apply to this region, players will still benefit from some of the quality of life perks tied to these additions, such as a streamlined UI for selecting cosmetic benefits like pets and Collector’s Edition wings,” he wrote about the premium Platinum currency used to buy experience boosts, increased inventory storage and character slots.
Nvidia Facing a False Advertising Lawsuit
Nvidia has been hit with a class action lawsuit that claims the company has falsely advertised its GeForce GTX 970 graphics card.
It is marketed as having 4GB of video RAM. However, users have reported that the performance of the card is drastically reduced after using 3.5GB of the allocation.
The lawsuit names Nvidia and Gigabyte Technology as the defendants. A judge will have to decide whether the lawsuit will be followed up with a jury trial.
Nvidia's competitor AMD poked fun at the situation, advertising its Radeon R9 290 card using the slogan "4GB Means 4GB".
Nvidia recently released the GTX 960, the cheapest product in the 900 series. Make sure you read IGN's impressions of the new card.
Feudal Japan Skin Pack Reported For Mortal Kombat X
An image doing the rounds online appears to show Mortal Kombat X's first skin pack will be themed around Feudal Japan.
The image (via MP1st) appears to have been taken on a PS3 and shows the game, pre-order bonus character Goro and the rumoured skin pack. We've been unable to verify the authenticity of the screenshot, and have reached out to Warner Bros. for more information.
The State of PS4 and Xbox One in Australia
It’s been 15 months since Sony and Microsoft launched their respective new-generation consoles in Australia. Shortly after launch, we ran an article on what was and wasn’t available for the brand-spanking-new Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and discovered that Australia’s offering was significantly reduced compared to other regions. There may have been hardware available to purchase around the globe, but what that hardware could do – the apps, the services, the core non-gaming functionality - differed greatly.
Of course, Australians weren’t the only ones scratching their heads. There were touted features for both systems that just weren’t ready at launch. Anywhere. Modern consoles, however, evolve over time, and the last 15 months have seen a host of post-launch updates designed to deliver on the potential of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Some of these have been global, others have helped close the gap between the services and functionality on offer for Australian gamers versus North American gamers. So how big is that gap now? And how have both machines changed in general? Let’s take a closer look.
Supergirl’s Mother Cast in Upcoming Series
CBS has cast Laura Benanti (Nashville, Go On) as Supergirl's mother, Alura Zor-El, in the upcoming DC Comics-based TV series.
According to Deadline, Benanti's version of Alura Zor-El will appear in a recurring role, and is described as, "A strong noblewoman, Alura sends Kara to Earth to escape Krypton’s destruction. Her wisdom and guidance echoes across space and time, proving invaluable on Kara’s journey toward becoming Supergirl."
Laura Benanti in a promo image for Go On.
Kanye is Working on a Video Game
In his ongoing quest to conquer the world, Kanye West is making a video game.
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club radio show on Power 105.1, West revealed that a video game based on his song Only One - dedicated to his mother who passed away - is currently being worked on.
"Right now I'm working on a video game for Only One", said West, "and the idea is that it's my mother going through the gates of heaven and you have to bring her to the highest gates of heaven by holding her to the light. We've been working on it for like six months."
West is following in the footsteps of his wife Kim Kardashian, who released a successful mobile game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, last year.
2015 Oscars: Who Won?
The winners of tonight's 87th Annual Academy Awards are marked in red and will be updated throughout the broadcast!
Before we get started, check out our Oscar Predictions and see how we match with what the Academy ultimately selects!
IGN's 2015 Oscar Predictions!
You can also follow the live Tweet coverage below!
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Microsoft “Still Committed” to Phantom Dust Reboot
Despite the closure of Phantom Dust developer Darkside Game Studio, Microsoft has reaffirmed its commitment to the reboot.
"You'd obviously like the first studio for a project to work out, sometimes that doesn't happen", wrote head of Xbox Phil Spencer in a tweet. "Still committed to PD."
Spencer's sentiments mirrors the statement IGN received after the news broke that Darkside Game Studio will be shutting down, although no replacement developer has been announced.
The reboot of 2005's card-strategy-action game Phantom Dust was first revealed at E3 2014.
New SHIELD Trailer Spotlights the Inhumans
While the midseason finale of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD involved Skye and Raina having their true nature revealed and marked the emergence of the Inhumans into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the word "Inhuman" itself hasn't been said by anyone within the series itself - even as the shows creators confirmed that was indeed what was happening.
However, a new promo for SHIELD's midseason premiere tonight during the Oscar pre-show changed that - and let Skye show off more of her powers, now that we know she's actually Marvel's Daisy Johnson, AKA Quake.
Introducing an Intriguing Puzzle-Platformer: Clockwork
Clockwork is the debut game from Sydney-based development studio Gamesoft, and we're pleased to be able to bring you the reveal trailer, showing off the game's hand-drawn 2D art and time manipulation gameplay. Check it out:
Set in the mechanical city of Watchtower, Clockwork's world has been forever changed by a great plague; its last survivors finding shelter "within metal walls and metal bodies." Players will discover a city divided, the polluted factories of the industrial slums below, gleaming towers above.
Showcasing the city's skyline.