Gaming

Did you know Sony Online Entertainment is making a new EverQuest? You can't be blamed if you don't. They've kept the game under tight wraps but buzz from press-only E3 previews suggests this MMORPG could be worth watching.

Australia's government-sponsored media funding body Screen Australia announced its support for local indie game developers, promising to pay out a $6 million grant over the next three years. The stimulus arrives in response to a sharp decline in industry income and employment. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, local game industry employment dropped from 1,431 to 581 people between 2011 and 2012. Screen Australia announced its funding in the hopes that local developers will "grow the business, retain intellectual property, keep a skilled workforce and raise the necessary finance." The following ten indie studios will share the grant:Continue reading Australian government supports local indie devs with $6M grantAustralian government supports local indie devs with $6M grant originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

What was formerly The War Z website now redirects to infestationmmo.com, indicating the name of this zombie game has been changed to Infestation: Survivor Stories (thanks IGN). The game has had...

As we reported moments ago, the Xbox One's reviled DRM and used game policies have been removed. Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business President Don Mattrick posted an addendum to the Xbox One policies on the official Xbox site today, detailing the changes. Since the official site is currently having loading issues, we're posting the full statement below: Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience. For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future. This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Xbox One DRM U-Turn Statement in Full - News

Microsoft has officially announced that it is dropping its controversial DRM and used game-restriction policies for the Xbox One. Reported as a rumor on multiple outlets earlier today, Microsoft has now confirmed the reports through the official Xbox website. In a statement from Microsoft President of Interactive Entertainment Business, Don Mattrick, the new Xbox One policies were revealed as follows: No more internet connection required to play offline Xbox One games No restrictions on trading, reselling, gifting and loaning disc-based games No regional restrictions for disc-based games on Xbox One consoles In what could be seen as a "potential" downside, downloadable Xbox One games will no longer be able to be shared or sold, but as noted in the statement, this isn't any different from the way Xbox 360 games work today so nothing is really lost. This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Microsoft to Drop Xbox One DRM, Used-Game Restrictions - News

If you're looking for a beautiful platformer with tight controls, an engaging story, and addictive gameplay, then this game is not for you. However, if you are looking for a decent game that teases you with moments of creativity then maybe Rush Bros is exactly what you're looking for. The plot for Rush Bros is fairly odd. Two former DJ partners decide it's time to go head-to-head with one another. Most DJs would have some kind of a "DJ-off" in a club to see who could scratch the best remixes, but these are not your average DJs. They instead choose to race through insane obstacle courses filled with death traps. Makes a lot of sense, right? Putting the weird plot behind us, this concept still has the potential to make a great video game. The goal of each level is to race to the end while avoiding the traps and obstacles. There are several possible routes to take, power-ups to grab, and abilities to master, and setting a good speed run is heavily based on the gamer's ability to experiment and really get to know all of the different options that exist within a course. With that in mind, the main focus of Rush Bros is speed runs. Ghosts, based off of your best time, will run alongside you to provide a reference for how well you're doing. There are also online leaderboards, so you can compare your best times with users across the world. Speed runs are where Rush Bros really shines; if you're the kind of gamer who will play a level on repeat to shave off fractions of a second, then you may find this game enjoyable. On the other hand, if you are not such a gamer then you will want to pass on Rush Bros. Although Rush Bros best shines as a single player speed runner, there are a few nagging issues that keep the overall experience from being greatly enjoyable. The game's controls are sketchy at best. They are not precise, which makes avoiding the obstacles more of a chore than a test of your ability to perfect a racing line. The wall jumping is also laggy at times, which can really throw off your timing. These issues will not bother you much at first, but as you advance to the more difficult levels, where precision is truly necessary, you will find yourself screaming at the game. This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Rush Bros (PC) - Review

Your cries have been heard folks. The campaigns, the polls, the pre-order lists, the forum board complaints, the Reddit threads, the chat room debacles and the Best Buy spybox defamation has all led up to this moment: Microsoft has officially canceled the digital rights media restrictions for the Xbox One.

We all expect the zombie apocalypse to be difficult, but The War Z has found the real world just as trying. Between being pulled from Steam, responding rudely to players, a forum hack, and, well, being widely slated, it's had a tough old time. Add another problem to the list: following "trademark issues", developer Hammerpoint Interactive has renamed the survive 'em up Infestation: Survivor Stories. I'd expect that's something to do with World War Z."This change has come about primarily as a result of some confusion and trademark issues with a similarly titled property," community manager 'Kewk' explained on the game's forums (via IGN)."While we were reluctant to rename the game so long after launch, especially with nearly 1 million registered players, it was ultimately decided to be in the best interest of our existing community as well as future players in order to eliminate confusion."And to avoid lawsuits, one imagines. Aside from the name change, all will carry on as before.If it is World War Z, that'd hardly be surprising. The War Z was a always questionably similar name, dare I say hoping to catch a little extra attention from fans of the zombie novel. With Brad Pitt's movie adaptation launching on Friday, folks probably wanted to shut that down--partly to stop Hammerpoint profiting off the association, and also to stop potential players from thinking author Max Brooks or any of the involved movie companies were in any way responsible for the game.

The Xbox One will not require regular online check-ins or place restrictions on game lending, Microsoft announced today.

As the Xbox One suffered a significant amount of negative feedback from those that, thus far, weren’t happy with the machine’s rules surrounding disk sharing and always-connected internet, Microsoft and the Xbox team have turned over a new leaf. This afternoon straight through Microsoft’s own Xbox Wire portal, Don Mattrick, President of Interactive Entertainment Business, Read The Full Story