Rockstar Games offers a brief look at the impressive array of graphical options and settings included on Grand Theft Auto V‘s PC version.

Thanks to the platform’s raw power and functionality, GTA V on PC is largely seen as the definitive flavor, featuring a huge range of visual and performance upgrades that soar past consoles.

Today Rockstar delivered a brief Tweet that shows off some of the exclusive higher end options that PC users will get to play with to test the mettle of their rigs.

One of these settings lets you play a god of sorts, giving players direct control the visual fidelity of Los Santos’ environments and population. The graphics tab includes slider bars for population density in any given area–that is to say how many NPC’s are on-screen–as well population variety, ensuring seldom repeated characters.

Other visual options include your basic textures and shadow quality presets, along with tampering with the pristine sheen on reflective surfaces like water and glass, water quality (which is pretty important when you’re boating or jet-skiing across the waves on Vespucci Beach).

You’ll be able to adjust “high detail streaming” while doing barrel rolls and soaring the skies, which might have something to do with the streamers left by the planes in the air. Other advanced options include high-resolution shadows and extended shadow and distance scaling.

The advanced graphics tab even has a benchmark tester, just in case you need to gauge how good your hardware is while in-game.

Below is a full list of GTA V on PC’s graphical settings (thanks, PC Gamer):

Graphics Tab

• Video memory slider: shows you how much video memory is being used in MB
• DirectX Version Output monitor: 1-3
• Anti-aliasing: FXAA, MSAA and Nvidia TXAA supported
• Pause game on focus loss
• Texture quality: Normal – Very High
• Shader quality: Normal – Very High
• Shadow quality: Normal – Very High
• Reflection quality: Normal – Very High
• Reflection MSAA
• Water quality: Normal – Very High
• Particles quality: Normal – Very High
• Grass quality: Normal – Very High
• Soft shadows options: softer, softest, AMD CHS, Nvidia PCSS
• Post FX options: Normal – Ultra
• Motion blur strength
• In-game depth of field effects
• Anisotropic filtering: Up to x16
• Ambient occlusion Options
• Tesellation Options

Advanced Graphics Tab

• Long shadows: On/Off
• High resolution shadows: On/Off
• High detail streaming while flying: On/Off
• Extended distance scaling bar
• Extended shadow distance bar
• Benchmark testing

As far as controls, it looks like Rockstar might have ensured the game can be comfortably played with a keyboard and mouse as well as a gamepad.

Players can customize their keyboard and mouse combinations with specific key-bindings and map their own control schemes, and adjust various sensitivities and auto-centering features across vehicles and on-foot.

Basically Rockstar gives PC gamers expansive control over the entirety of their experience in Los Santos, letting them tweak a vast assortment of options to ensure optimum performance.

Grand Theft Auto V‘s highly anticipated PC version launches just next week on April 14, 2015.

The post GTA V on PC Advanced Graphics Settings Unveiled appeared first on VR World.

It looks like Rockstar’s highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto V on PC will be a whopping seven discs, according to recent reports.

The news was originally found on a Reddit post that depicts what appears to be an early shipped physical copy of the game across seven DVD discs. For comparison’s sake the Xbox 360 flavor of the game weighs in at just two DVD discs, whereas the PS4 and Xbox One variants are a single Blu-ray disc.

But why go with DVD instead of Blu-Ray, when the latter can hold so much more space?

It looks like Rockstar went with the more accessible option. Not everyone has Blu-ray drives and the studio wanted to make GTA V as compatible as possible, even if if the game has high recommended specs.

Digital downloads of GTA V require at least 65 GB of free space, and doing a little bit of match, the physical version seems to be around ~63 GB (7 discs multiplied by the max 9GB capacity of dual-layer DVD’s).

Since GTA V on PC is markedly different than its console predecessors, it’s easy to see why the game needs so much space.

Harnessing the extensive power of the PC platform affords amenities like consistent 60fps frame-rates for fluid gameplay, not to mention dazzling 4K-ready resolution.

Adaptive Sync is yet another PC-only utility that improves performance. Using Nvidia’s G-Sync and AMD’s FreeSync PC gamers can ensure optimum graphical fidelity and refresh rates between monitors and GPUs.

It looks like GTA V might require a 58mb day one update, which is paltry compared to the mandatory 8-16GB day one updates required by some console games.

GTA V on PC also requires a 58mb day-one update, says Twitter user Funmw4, who actually was able to snag the update while pre-loading his copy.

Apart from the update, Funmw4 also confirmed that a Rockstar Club account is 100% required to play the game, which is a bit curious. In the console flavors signing up wasn’t mandatory, but offered extra features like sharing in-game pictures across social media streams and forums.

Digital pre-loading for GTA V has since gone live, allowing gamers to secure their copies before Rockstar officially launches it next Tuesday.

t’s also worth noting that the day-one update might be a an anti-piracy measure of some sort, perhaps even a safeguard against cracked versions.

It’ll be interesting to see if the game is in fact seven DVD discs or not, but judging how long the downloads are taking so far, this might be the best option.

The post Report: GTA V On PC Will Span Seven Discs appeared first on VR World.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced that it has halted production of the second-generation PC-compatible Kinect sensors, with the Xbox One variants taking their place.

In a recent post on the Kinect for Windows blog the Redmond-based tech giant has cited “unprecedented demand from the developer community for Kinect sensors” as the main reason for the decision.

The Kinect for Windows v2 model has essentially been folded into the existing Xbox One variant.

The cutoff doesn’t affect developers who already own Windows-compatible v2 Kinects. Microsoft has made it clear that “support for the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor [will] remain unchanged, and [owners] can continue to use their sensors.”

Since it was unable to meet soaring demand, Microsoft utilized a brilliant business tactic by simply nixing a product it couldn’t keep supplying and producing an adapter that effectively makes the Xbox One Kinect equal to the second-gen Kinect for Windows model.

The new adapter allows an Xbox One Kinect to be hooked up to any Windows 8.0 PC or tablet.

The Kinect for Windows adapter retails at $49.99 and allows any Xbox One Kinect to be hooked up to a PC or tablet running Windows 8.0 or 8.1. The USB 3.0 adapter basically acts as an intermediary that bridges the compatibility gap between the Xbox One sensor and PC’s.

Both Kinects are “functionally identical” so the Kinect for Windows SDK 2.0 development suite will be exactly the same.

All that’s really changed is that you now have to shell out an extra $49.99 for the adapter, plus $150 for the sensor itself.

This is a smart move considering Microsoft now has a way to move its stock of unsold Xbox One Kinects. Most gamers have been buying the $349 Kinect-less console option, leading to a surge in supply of the peripheral, and this way the company will be able to funnel that supply over to the demand for PC sensors.

In tandem with the Oculus Rift, NASA used the Kinect v2 to control a robot arm, which could revolutionize off-planet exploration.

Although the Kinect sensor is largely seen as a gimmick in the video games industry, the peripheral has been used by researchers to study asteroids and glaciers, collect forensic crime-scene data, and NASA has even used it to control robots with body movement.

The Kinect can also guide your exercise routine by tracking your heart rate, track your burned calories, and so much more. It can even bring physical therapy to patient’s homes and make PT more rewarding and entertaining.

Since the sensor has a huge potential of practical and theoretical uses, scientists and researchers across the globe are interested in trying it out for themselves.

The Kinect v2 for PC isn’t gone, it’s just been consolidated, and developers will still be able to push the boundaries even further with new techniques.

The post Microsoft Will Stop Producing Kinect For Windows appeared first on VR World.

A new trailer for Halo Online gives us a brief look at the game’s built-in microtransactions, revealing an extensive pay-to-win style structure.

While the footage for 343 Industries’ brand new free-to-play PC shooter does indeed look pretty, it showcases something quite troubling that manifests as a cheap cash grab. Halo Online pay to win microtransactions are a thing, and its something I predicted in my recent editorial.

Halo Online is set up like Halo: Reach, where you earn credits from matches to spend on armor permutations and such.

But in the Russian PC shooter, players will get to customize every little thing about their Spartan: weapon loadouts, armor sets, and even equip a number of extra attachments to make your weapons stronger.

Check the upper right hand corner to see the Gold and Silver currency, and it looks like all the armor will be priced in different tiers in terms of its effectiveness in battle.

And you’ll have to pay for every little bit of it–every scope augmentation, every armor set, every little change to your Spartan will be monetized. The real balance is how much silver you can earn per match, and if that’s handled just right, the skewed ratio won’t be so bad.

But if you earn hardly any silver? You’ll be pushed and pushed to just snag the gear for cash. Plus the game has weapon rentals.

That’s right, you can rent your weapons for 30 minutes, 6 hours, or 24 hour periods.

Anyway, let’s take a look at the microtransactions and their rates.

It looks like Halo Online will have Silver, which can be earned by free players, and Gold, which is the game’s premium currency. Some of the ratios are pretty exorbitant, sometimes ranging to 50,000Silver to 50 Gold.

The trailer didn’t show us how much the premium currency will cost, but it’s a bit unsettling to know that the game embraces such an obvious pay-to-win structure.

The main Spartan hub screen showcases a variety of different sections that act as their own different marketplaces:

• Bundles
• Weapons
• Tactical Packages
• Armory
• Restock

In the footage we only ever get to see the Weapons and Armory section. The Bundles section is probably straight-forward, having a variety of pre-sorted bundles that come with weapons, tactical packages, and armor sets.

Strangely enough you can rent weapons, as well as attach a number of different upgrades to them–all of which can be bought with premium Gold currency.

The Weapons section is a tailored marketplace for all the destructive weaponry in Halo, and to the game’s benefit, there is an amazing array of guns. There’s Primary and Secondary slots that include just about every gun in the franchise, along with a slew of different grenades

But you have the opportunity to pay cash for all of them, as well as a number of different accessories. You can, of course, earn them the hard way, but you’ll be grinding for quite some time I’m sure.

The Tactical Packages is a bit worrying, considering Halo 4 had a considerable RPG structure that let gamers customize their Spartan with a number of passive abilities.

Considering the game uses the Halo 3 engine, and we see instances of Bubble Shields and the like used in-game, this might be a marketplace for Halo 3 equipment (Rengerators, Bubble Shield, Trip Mines, etc) rather than actual Halo 4-style passives, but we really don’t know.

The Armory is where you buy your stylized armor. It looks like the armor will have passive bonuses like increased melee damage or boosted shield recovery, further incentivizing the pay-to-win structure.

Restock might be where you can buy grenades, ammo and such, but again we weren’t shown this screen so there’s no telling.

Halo Online has primary, secondary and grenade slots–all of which will probably cost silver or the premium gold currency.

So far this is like Halo from hell, where combat is just abysmally skewed towards players who are willing to shell out cash for victory.

This isn’t the Halo I grew up with. Although there’s a substantial RPG presence going on here, the whole game looks like it was optimized to get you to spend as much money as possible in order to win–a concept that should be abolished in any competitive PVP space.

The Halo Online beta is scheduled to start this Spring exclusively in Russia, but 343 Industries hasn’t ruled out an expansion across the globe.

So we might see this pay-to-win shooter make its way to North America and Europe, but at this point I’m glad it’s an overseas exclusive.

The post Halo Online Pay To Win Microtransactions Revealed appeared first on VR World.

UPDATE: A new trailer for the game has revealed a peek at the game’s microtransactions, confirming a shameless pay-to-win scheme.

In Halo Online Russian gamers will get the opportunity to pay for every little thing, including weapons, armor sets that give passive bonuses, Spartan passives, and even attachments that boost weapon damage.

Original story is as follows.

In a quite confusing move, 343 Industries has announced Halo Online, a brand new free-to-play game for PC.

Even more strange is the news that Halo Online free-to-play PC game will be tested exclusively in Russia via an upcoming closed beta test.

The game itself is built on Halo 3‘s engine and is a multiplayer-only PVP style game that plans to bring all the definitive FPS chaos to the PC world. The beta test is planned to start “this spring” in Russia, which means sometime soon.

Since it’s free-to-play it’s fair to assume microtransactions will be involved, and maybe a horrible pay-to-win style to boot.

Also there’s a chance Halo Online could come to other regions, although it won’t ever be released on Xbox One (of course not, you’ll have to shell out premium cash to play Halo in console form).

In the FAQ listed below, 343i doesn’t explicitly rule out a release in North America or Europe, but they’re more worried about learning what they can from Russian players before the game launches overseas.

Halo Online looks like it’ll have all of the PVP staples, but how many armor sets will be locked behind premium paywalls?

This is probably the worst time for 343i to take on a project like this.

Instead of focusing on fixing the Xbox One’s still-awkward Master Chief Collection or even wholly devoting the team to polishing up Halo 5 for its impending launch, they’ve decided to splinter precious resources to focus on a F2P Halo game.

I personally think this is an awful idea that could destroy the very soul of Halo itself.

Halo has always been a big win for the Xbox brand. Microsoft has made concessions by bringing the original Halo: Combat Evolved to PC, along with Halo 2 years later, but this kind of game isn’t Halo: it’s a bastardized attempt at a cheap cash grab.

Now if the microtransactions are entirely cosmetic, that won’t be so bad.

With a huge arsenal of armor permutations to choose from, we can see how this could work. But if the game starts charging premiums for skill sets straight out Reach, that’s when things get terrible.

343 Industries needs to be careful how they proceed here or they risk alienating themselves from the game’s fanbase–something they’ve accomplished with the abysmal Master Chief Collection launch.

No one likes microtransactions, especially the pay-to-win variety. Although it’s a lucrative structure for publishers it becomes a roadblock for gamers and locks off a portion of content behind paywalls.

And paywalls are eroding gaming.

Halo Online is tailor-made for Russian PC gamers, but we might see it cross over to other regions…which could be a good or bad thing.

That being said, 343i could take Halo Online in an interesting direction, maybe even making a distinct MMOFPS mashup. The Halo universe is so massive and full of wonder, splendor and depth, and it’s so much more than just competitive PVP multiplayer action.

Imagine a subscription-based MMO based in the Halo universe that has the depth of, say, Final Fantasy XIV? Imagine combining Halo Wars with the dynamism of the first-person shooter elements, along with a winding story arc.

There’s so much potential with a Halo Online game. But instead, it looks like 343 Industries want to go the cheap, easy way.

Below we have the Halo Online FAQ published on Halo Waypoint that might answer some questions you have.

Halo Online FAQ

Q: What type of game is Halo Online?

A: Halo Online is a free multiplayer-only PC experience that we’re launching as a closed beta test in Russia.

Q: Does Halo Online represent your future plans for the franchise on PC?

A: Halo Online is a learning opportunity for us as we explore ways to welcome new fans to the “Halo” universe. We’re excited to release a “Halo” multiplayer-only PC experience tailored for Russian gamers.

Q: When will Halo Online be available?

A: The closed beta period will begin in Russia later this spring. There is no definitive launch date at this time.

Q: Are you planning on bringing Halo Online to the Xbox One?

A: Halo Online was built from the ground up specifically for the PC. There are no plans to bring Halo Online to the Xbox One.

Q: Will gamers in other regions like North America and Europe be able to play Halo Online?

A: Right now our focus is on learning as much as we can from the closed beta period in Russia. Theoretically, any expansion outside of Russia would have to go through region-specific changes to address player expectations.

Q: Are you planning to officially launch this year?

A: There is no definitive launch date at this time as we proceed in our closed beta period in Russia.

The post The New Halo Online Free-To-Play PC Game Is A Bad Idea appeared first on VR World.

Batman: Arkham Knight has been delayed again, and Warner Bros. Interactive is now eyeing a finalized release date of June 23, 2015 across all platforms.

The publisher shared the news in a recent Twitter post, revealing that the game has been pushed back three weeks from its original June 2 launch.

We are pleased to announce our new release date – Batman: Arkham Knight will officially launch worldwide on 06.23.15 pic.twitter.com/3XEBhghpK6

— Batman Arkham (@BatmanArkham) March 23, 2015

This new revised date marks the second delay for the final chapter in the caped crusader’s saga, and Rocksteady game director Sefton Hill delivered a public apology on the subject.

Plus we also get a new gameplay trailer, but at this point fans are probably getting wary about further delays, especially the ones who pre-ordered the game and expected it to get their hands on it last year.

So is this new date set in stone and completely finalized? It should be, and judging by the footage it’ll be well worth the wait, but any more delays will test gamers’ patience.

“We’re a developer that hates to make any compromises,” Rocksteady game director Sefton Hill said, “so we are sorry to say this means it’s going to be just a little bit longer until you can play the epic conclusion to the Arkham trilogy.

“As a reward for your patience and understanding, and to make the wait even more unbearable, we are pleased to whet your appetite with a new gameplay video of Batman: Arkham Knight.”

In other news, it looks like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City are coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 as a new remastered bundle.

Sources told both IGN Italy and Videogamer that the collection will be released “around Christmas” and that both games will run in 1080p HD with possible frame-rate buffs.

This hasn’t been officially announced by Warner Bros. Interactive, but it’s not really a surprise considering all of the current-gen remasters floating around.

Batman: Arkham Knight is slated to release on June 23, 2015 across Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The post WB Delays Batman: Arkham Knight Again appeared first on VR World.

Since it was announced last year, EA hasn’t revealed very much about the new Star Wars: Battlefront reboot; we’ve gotten a teaser trailer, some concept art, and a Holiday 2015 release window. But that’s all about to change.

Electronic Arts today revealed that they’ll be blowing the lid of off the new Battlefront game during the official Star Wars Celebration held in Anaheim, California this April.

“We’re thrilled to share that Star Wars Battlefront will be taking part in Star Wars Celebration next month in Anaheim, CA from April 16-19.

“We could not think of a better or more appropriate place to debut the game officially for the first time than the premier event that celebrates the Star Wars universe and the legions of fans who have fallen in love with it.”

As for the reveal, we’ll likely see a press conference consisting of gameplay footage (maybe live action), an on-stage breakdown on what to expect from the game itself, and maybe even a finalized release date. DICE may even host a few panels at the event to talk about Battlefront’s development followed up by possible Q&A sessions.

Additionally a recent Tweet from DICE confirms that Battlefront will only be available on next-gen consoles and PC.

@KyleHackley Star Wars Battlefront will be available holiday 2015, on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

— EAStarWars (@EAStarWars) March 19, 2015

Holding a reveal at the convention is a pretty ingenious tactic, considering everyone who attends the venue are die-hard Jedi fanatics who look forward to more new and unique games set in their beloved universe.

Also the event looks pretty promising seeing as Jedi Knight Mark Hamill, renown princess Carrie Fisher and the Sith Emperor himself Ian McDiarmid will all be in attendance.

J.J. Abrams, the director of The Force Awakens, will also be hosting an exciting early morning panel so we might get a few hints and tidbits about the upcoming movie as well.

Star Wars Battlefront has a tentative release window of Holiday 2015 across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The post New Star Wars Battlefront Reveal Coming Next Month appeared first on VR World.

Creative Assembly, the dev studio that brought us the amazing sci-fi thriller Alien: Isolation, is working on another big multi-platform game.

The news was gleaned from a new job listing posted up by the studio (originally spotted by Z-Giochi) that outright says they’re “creating another multi-platform AAA blockbuster” and lists the platforms as PS4, Xbox One and PC.

“We are seeking an talented programmer has thorough experience developing a range of online features. We are creating another multi-platform AAA blockbuster and the successful applicant will be part of a team which allows our game experience to be shared.”

Since the official job listing is for an “Online Multiplayer Programmer” it’s a safe bet that Creative Assembly’s new in-development title will feature an online-based component, possibly PvE style co-op modes or even a competitive PvP gametype.

VideoGamer spotted a secondary job listing which calls for a “talented programmer who lives and breathes graphics tech”, which hints that their new game might call for a new graphics engine–or maybe a new peripheral altogether.

“We are creating another multi-platform AAA blockbuster and the successful applicant will be part of a very talented engine team working at the cutting edge of interactive graphics technology.”

Could the new game embrace VR tech? Maybe we’ll see Creative Assembly’s next AAA title on Valve’s new Vive VR headset, or maybe prototyped on Sony’s (NYSE: SNE) Project Morpheus? And let’s not forget Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) own VR-ready Hololens headset, which acts as the Xbox One’s virtual reality hardware.

VideoGamer also suggests that the new game might be a sequel to Alien: Isolation, citing that Creative Assembly’s lead designer Gary Napper says that “the plot for a sequel is a daily topic in the studio”.

We have no clue what Creative Assembly is working on next, but could we hear an official announcement at E3 2015 in June? I personally hope it’s a sequel, but a co-op component could be iffy, considering a lot of Alien: Isolation‘s suspense is a very intimate thing indeed.

Source: Z-Giochi

Via: VideoGamer, PC Gamer

The post Creative Assembly Working On New Multi-Platform AAA Game appeared first on VR World.

It looks like we can’t expect Street Fighter V any time soon, and will have to wait about a year before we can shoryuken

According to a recent blog entry, Capcom’s next installment in the landmark fighting franchise is planned for a release in Spring 2016 across PlayStation 4 and PC.

Interestingly enough the entry itself has nothing to do with the game itself, and was posted to show off Capcom merchandise available for purchase at PAX East. But Gregaman, the Capcom employee who wrote the post, said something very interesting that caught the attention of one sharp-eyed NeoGAF user:

“Everyone is fired up for Street Fighter V coming to the PS4 and PC next Spring. Until then, you can sport the official SFV key art T-shirt, which features Ryu in a heroic pose, for $25.”

In the mean time, Capcom is planning a beta test for Street Fighter V on both platforms, and the company is calling the test “the largest and most ambitious online beta program” in the history of the franchise. Fans who pre-order the game are guaranteed access to the beta once it launches, but Capcom hasn’t delivered a finalized date as of yet.

Also we’ve included the brand new Nash character trailer that showcases his definitive moves while giving a closer look at Street Fighter V in action.

The Street Fighter V release window looks to be planned for Spring 2016, and it’ll be interesting to see if Capcom confirms or denies the release window, or if they stay silent on the matter.

Either way it looks like we’ll have to tide ourselves over with Super Street Fighter IV which is slated to release on PS4 the next few months.

Source: NeoGAF
Via: Gematsu

The post Street Fighter V Release Window Revealed For Spring 2016 appeared first on VR World.

Rockstar Games has released a fresh batch of new GTA V PC screens to make up for the game being delayed (again), but these high-fidelity captures really do soothe our wounds.

GTA V was originally scheduled to launch in March on PC, but Rockstar delayed it to April to ensure enough time to unroll last-minute polishes and fixes across Los Santos. Plus they wanted make sure GTA Online‘s long-awaited Heists gametype was up and running before the PC port’s launch.

The new dazzling screenshots give players a closer look at the “detail and refinements that PC players can expect” in Grand Theft Auto V, and based on this gallery alone this port looks to be the definitive version.

Not to mention the PC flavor gets sweet, sweet mod support and more powerful hardware to boost overall performance. But there’s one thing that console gamers have that PC players don’t: the actual game.

Also Rockstar is giving out an extra R$300,000 in GTA Online to gamers who pre-order the PC version from now until March 31–that’s ontop of the R$1,200,000 you get by default for just pre-ordering. So if you pre-order by the end of March, you get a whopping R$1.5 million in GTA Online currency.

The studio says it’ll be unloading a bunch of new screenshots and a brand new trailer in the next coming weeks, so keep on the look out.

GTA V on PC is slated to release on April 14, 2015. Hopefully this date’s for keeps.

The post New GTA V PC Screens Take The Sting Off Of Recent Delay appeared first on VR World.

Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: Feb. 10, 2015
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre: Online Mulitplayer Shooter
MSRP: $59.99

Note: Our Evolve review was conducted on the Xbox One via a copy purchased independently by the reviewer.

Evolve is a curious game that’s built upon a fantastic idea: a sci-fi take on a Godzilla-esuqe hunter vs. hunted scenario complete with high-stakes strategic gameplay.

But as we’ve seen in the past, fantastic ideas have a way of losing sight of their core goals, becoming something quite different when made a reality. Evolve is a prime example of a great idea that lost a lot of its magic during execution.

The main problem with Evolve is that it makes players gamble with their time. There’s no guarantee you’ll enjoy yourself while playing, and that’s quite true with just about any game, but it’s moreso true here.

This is mainly because the game’s steep learning curve, its emphasis on teamwork, and the wildly varying pace.

As a monster, you’re lone-wolfing it and are pretty much responsible for your own survival. Basically you want to hunt down as many creatures as you can and trigger evolution as quick as possible while avoiding hunters along the way.

Every premature encounter lowers your odds in winning, and while there is some pretty good tutorials, it’s up to you to figure out which skill combos work in which situations.

Panicking almost always leads in death–especially with the Goliath–but gameplay can get pretty entertaining if you’re lashing lightning blasts with the Kraken or slicing and dicing with the Wraith.

Every match is a clean slate for the monsters. You get to pick which skills you want to use and allocate three points before the match. You’ll want to pay attention to the hunters that you’re facing and match your skills accordingly–like if Bucket is an enemy, pick up the Goliath’s stone throw so you can easily take out his pesky sentry guns.

Ultimately as the monster you have to find successful ways to outwit, outmaneuver, and out-hunt your opponents, all while paying close attention to the tracks you leave and chomping on wildlife to fuel your evolution.

As interesting as this sounds, playing as the monster can often be pretty menial and rote, and sometimes you’ll find yourself asking why you’re playing to begin with. Victory just means you get more points to spend in a light RPG like progression system, unlocking perks and more monsters along the way.

Seeing as your main goal is to literally avoid hunters until you hit Stage 3 for the final chaotic showdown. In a sense, Evolve is kind of like the Dragonball Z saga: there’s a ton of talking and commercials that culminate in a short fight, where the powers clash.

When you’re playing as the monster, there can be a sense of urgency and danger. But this feeling fades away as you explore the rather drag environments–despite the “interactive wildlife”, everything seems so tacked on–and start to feed.

Maneuvering and controls vary from monster to monster; the Kraken, for example, can float and wisp along in the air, whereas the Goliath is primarily ground-based. The Goliath can leap and climb quite adeptly, but he’s not so fast when you need to get out of an area in a pinch.

The Wraith is my personal favorite; it’s snake-like and oily, using a variety of deadly skills like the dreaded Supernova and basic melee slices to dish out chaos. Plus the Wraith also has a decoy ability that’s amazing fun, even if it’s a bit broken.

How much you get out of being a monster just depends on how crafty you are and how well you adapt to your surroundings and pick up on new strategies. But the novelty, like the thrill of the hunt, seems to wear off fast, letting the mediocre shooter elements shine through.

When you’re playing as a hunter, there’s a distinct heavy emphasis on teamwork and knowing your role and sticking to it. Now FPS mechanics are in play here, but they take a backseat to team-oriented strategy with defined roles like Trappers, Medics, Assault and Support classes.

Trappers are responsible for dropping domes and laying out hook traps then dealing some DPS when possible; Assault classes are simply wreaking total chaos as the main DPS/tank; Support pays close attention on mitigating damage whenever possible with the shield projector and using cloak to hide and revive teammates; the Medic heals with a medgun, burst heal, or even heal grenades.

The beauty of the classes is that there are three different sub-classes, or characters, that each have their own unique weapons and abilities. The principle role still stands, but there’s a number of different ways going about it thanks to the sub-classes.

The post Evolve Review: Monster Of The Week appeared first on VR World.

UPDATE: The hidden codes found in the new trailer have been cracked by Reddit user SixSided, revealing three different sets of character bios for Ivy, Scarecrow and Harley Quinn. The codes below can be entered at the game’s official website for access to the bios.

• ‘qeL e2uLEE2 zul2e’ for Harley
• ‘pPL2a3Mn Ppi3mAMpyL2′ for ivy
• ‘c Rcn3n3 N2Jn3tjHn2′ for Scarecrow.

Original story as follows.

Batman: Arkham Knight is set to wrap up Rocksteady’s gritty magnum opus centered on the Caped Crusader, and today we’ve been given a brand new trailer that sets a rather ominous shadowy tone for the game.

Scarecrow, that maniacal fearmonger we all know and love, looks to be the principal ringleader for Arkham Knight, with the iconic Joker taking a hiatus.

According to Rocksteady game director Sefton Hill, the Joker won’t be featured in the game at all, leaving room for other villains–Riddler, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, etc–to form a tenuous alliance and carry out their menacing plan to utterly destroy Batman once and for all.

But why Scarecrow?

In the DC Universe, Dr. Jonathan Crane represents a sort of figurative learning tool that reveals the truth about various characters through their fear. But as far as a major force, Kotaku argues that he’s pretty much a terrible choice for a leader–especially when he’s leading notorious baddies as the crazed Two-Face or cunning Riddler who could easily outwit and overpower him.

In any case, the trailer does a fantastic job in depicting the premise for Arkham Knight, though, which is undoubtedly the whole point–that and to show off some snippets of gameplay in the process.

Basically Batman has to face a broken Gotham City that’s been overrun with treacherous thugs and conquered by his worst foes, all of which are vying for his utter destruction.

Scarecrow isn’t satisfied with just killing the Batman, though. He wants the Dark Knight to suffer, he wants to break everything the daring detective stands for. Essentially Scarecrow and the others want to effectively annihilate Bruce Wayne in every way possible.

It’s a plot we’ve pretty much seen before, but the real star of the show is of course Batman. Armed with a huge array of weapons and definitive gadgets like the batarang and the grapnel gun, the Caped Crusader uses his superlative skills of ass-kicking and deduction to cut a swath in the villains’ newest scheme.

This time, though, things will be much more dark and gritty. Arkham Knight will show “Batman at his darkest”, a sentiment that’s earned the game an M for Mature rating.

“I’m not blind to the fact that [the M rating] does mean some fans will miss out… I don’t want to be oblivious to that fact,” game director Sefton Hill said.

“It would have been wrong to water down the game and deliver a story we didn’t believe in to keep the game ‘mass market’ or enable it for more people. We feel that’s the wrong way to go about it. We said we love the story and we don’t want to jepoardize that.”

Also some keen-eyed viewers have noticed some interesting easter eggs peppered in the new trailer. It looks like Rocksteady has hidden a variety of enigmatic codes that would make Edward Nigma proud.

According to Game Informer, the “codes are part of cypher with multiple entries on the game’s official website (under the Persons of Interest tab)”, and gamers are trying to figure out their meaning as we speak.

Batman Arkham Knight is slated to release on June 2, 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

The post Scarecrow Reigns Over Gotham In New Batman Arkham Knight Trailer appeared first on VR World.

How long have we been waiting for heists again? Rockstar affirms that the wait will be over soon. But we’ve heard that before haven’t we? How soon is “soon”?

Well how does two weeks sound?

The studio has finally pinpointed an exact date for Grand Theft Auto Online’s heists, which will be released on March 10, 2015 across all consoles.

Additionally Rockstar announces that Grand Theft Auto V‘s PC version will be available on April 14, 2015 across major retailers and as a digital download.

The devs cited that the PC flavor was delayed because “a bit more time is needed to ensure that the game is as polished as possible,” and that they wanted to make sure that GTA Online‘s heist mode was ready before the PC release.

Meanwhile console gamers have been anxiously anticipating the mode for more than a year, and there’s been no official word on a release date–until now.

“Heists will bring a brand new 4-player cooperative gameplay experience to GTA Online, giving players the chance to team up to pull off a string of intense, multi-part raids and robberies across Los Santos and Blaine County.

“Over the next couple of weeks, we will have more information about the launch of Heists and about other new features that we will release with it.”

Heists will add in a major new framework to the definitive GTA Online experience specifically because they’re so dynamic. Basically the mode is a smattering of branching story-like missions where players have to work together to complete huge robberies and scores.

In our in-depth GTAO heists breakdown we take a look at all the moving parts that go into an everyday mission

“Some missions have all players working as one unit, some require players to take on specific tasks like hacking or crowd control, while others require players to split into smaller teams to complete separate high value objectives.

“For example, one team may be stealing a getaway car from some gangsters while another team is attempting to sneak into a police station, all within the same prep mission.”

The post GTA V Coming to PC in April, GTAO Heists in March appeared first on VR World.

Developer: Techland
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Release Date: Jan. 27, 2015
Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre: First-person Survival, Action, Horror
MSRP: $59.99

Disclaimer: A digital copy of the game was received for Dying Light review on PlayStation 4.

Dying Light might look like any other zombie game, but I assure you, it’s not.

Yes it is made by Techland, and no it isn’t just another Dead Island clone. It’s something special and unique that represents the culmination of everything the developers learned from their mistakes with the previous games.

While Dying Light does borrow heavily from the core mechanics of Dead Island, the game has a deft and fluid grace that its predecessors lacked thanks to its new parkour-based locomotion.

And it also takes some of the best elements of the former series like crafting–adding makeshift blowtorch modules onto garden sickles or electrifying a police baton–as well as a RPG progression system.

Drop-in/drop-out co-op is also included, and is responsible for a good portion of the game’s replayability and fun factor.

Complimented with a bigger open-world sandbox filled with quests and activities and unique day-to-night transition that seamlessly changes a players role from hunter to hunted, Dying Light is one of the most entertaining and truly fun zombie games I’ve played in any generation of consoles.

Now let’s take a closer look at the bloody streets of Harran. Are you afraid of the dark? You should be.

A hero’s (zombie) journey

The overseas city of Harran is in flames. Misshapen monstrosities roam the streets, and the dead walk the earth, tearing swaths in the remaining population. The tropical resort has become a hellish nightmare that only gets worse when sun sets: that’s when the real terrors come out.

Society has splintered off into survivor factions, all fighting for precious supplies like weapons, food, and antizin, a drug that delays the symptoms of the zombie virus. But antizin is used as a commodity by Rais, a brutal despot who extorts survivors with his band of machine-gun toting ruffians.

Players take the role of GRE operative Kyle Crane, who acts as the central agent of change for the city of Harran.

Crane is a nondescript hero who must juggle a number of alliances to uphold his undercover status, ultimately leading to a true test of his morals and willpower as things become more and more dire for the citizens of the Tower.

The story has a distinct dramatic flair, with a few twists and turns, but overall is a decent backdrop to a ruined world. The stage is set by a soldier who soon realizes that his mission will ultimately compromise his humanity–standard fare in the weight of secrets upon a truly good-hearted hero.

But it becomes more and more dynamic and winding the more you progress, taxing our hero more and more. At one point Rais captures him and forces him to fight in an arena against undead, which ends up going quite amazingly well.

B-movie style

To me Dying Light feels distinctly like a B-movie, and that’s one of the many reasons I love this game.

Having seen a ton of horror movies and monster flicks, it has a decidedly cultish flair that seems to marry classic Romero sentiments with outlandish Troma-style gore. And the music feels very Carpenter-esque (something of a mix between Halloween III and Manhunter‘s creepy synth-tones).

And like a lot of campy B-movies and cult flicks, Dying Light makes use of no-brainer concepts like keeping safe zones completely devoid of ladders or stairs. Some zones are even built on floating piers, away from prowling undead.

Small things like these speak wonders and make traditional pop-culture zombie franchises look rather foolish by comparison.

It has style, it has its own allure that is suffused with a number of visceral horror elements that make it stand out quite clearly when compared to other zombie games. It’s a delightful mish-mash of both subtle fear and obscene blood and guts that shines an intimate look at the genre as a whole.

This is mostly fleshed out by the game’s day and night transitions.

During the day, players are pretty much free to do what they like: scout for items, molotov an entire horde of undead, tackle sidequests or just soak up the rays on a tropical beach. In the daytime, you’re the hunter.

But during the night? You’re the hunted. You’re prey.

Terror rules the night. The symbolism of night being dangerous and full of evils (as GRRM would say, the night is dark and full of terrors) has always interested me. So it’s with no small enjoyment that I found myself utterly captivated by the disorientation of being hunted in the dead of night.

Night is when the Volatiles, those super-powerful agile zombies, come out and play. And not all the parkour in the world can save you once you have a horde of those horrors on your back.

To even the odds Crane has a UV light to ward them off, and there are also UV light traps strewn through the city, but overall stealth is your best bet at night.

Strategic undead warfare

Combat is the most enjoyable part of Dying Light, and it’s a delicious meal that has all sorts of dishes and tastes.

There are so many different ways you can take on zombies in the game. If you’re the type that likes to bathe in zombie blood, jump right in and start swinging with a meat cleaver for some slicing-and-dicing.

You can use the multitudes of spike traps or explosive pools of gasoline to annihilate groups, or pick them off with well-placed shots from a rifle. Be aware that Walking Dead rules apply here, and loud bangs will attract tougher menaces to deal with.

Crane is a very nimble fighter, and in many ways he kind of reminds me of the Waterdancer Syrio Forel. His dodge move allows him to easily hop out of the way of an incoming Demolisher’s strike, or a skull-crushing swing of a two-handed rebar maul.

The kicks are another amazing feature. When I played Dead Island: Riptide as John Morgan, I kicked and kicked and kicked some more. I loved it. And this game adds the kick as a simple secondary feature, letting you disarm and sometimes even stun enemies.

Strategy and preference make up one half of combat, and really it’s all up to you how you dispatch the undead.

I myself love using firecrackers to get zombies massed together, and then tossing a molotov to slowly burn them out. When you level up your Survivor tree things can get much more interesting.

For example you can use freezing throwing stars to immobilize troublesome baddies in place, or toss a toxic grenade in their midst for some slow poison damage. You can even use some flammable liquid and combo off of your fire-enhanced weapons for explosive damage.

Loot, sweet loot

Items are the other hemisphere of combat, and Dying Light one-ups Dead Island in a few key ways. You can still pick up swords and axes and hammers–the basic advantages of melee weapons over guns still stands–but Techland has raised the ante a bit in terms of customization.

Every item can be upgraded and fit with a custom mod for double the carnage. Upgrades only raise stats like damage, durability and handling, whereas mods will imbue the item with interesting elemental affinities.

Also a lot of these affinities can combo off of specific materials and items–we’ve already explored how flammable liquid combos off of fire weapons, but the same is true for conducting liquid and electrically-charged crowbars, swords, etc.

There are a ton of unique items peppered through Harran, some of which are secrets. There’s the Excalibur sword hidden in a zombie corpse, the devastating sick bomb that’s awarded to you after a tedious game of checkers, the ultra-powerful Korek machete (named after a Techland employee) and a number of other goodies.

Sometimes, though, the best items are the ones you make yourself. Other times you’ll want to go ahead and just upgrade a Korek machete with a King’s Mod and just go to town.

Bloody chaos and parkour

Combat is a visceral, bloody and brutal experience.

You get up close and personal with the zombies–the game makes you feel when you hit that perfect critical and smash in their heads, bringing the total panicky terror when you’re overrun by dozens of undead.

Sometimes it can be satisfying, other times it can get out of control. I myself keep things interesting by complimenting my melee strikes by using throwing weapons, traps, and other mechanisms of destruction.

In terms of movement, the game flows exceedingly well thanks to its new parkour system. This pretty much gives you the freedom to explore and move across any area of the game, sprinting across rooftops or wall-jumping and leaping across high distances.

The parkour is smooth, and to me it’s smoother than Mirror’s Edge simply because you don’t have to keep that momentum going at all times. Plus later on you get a wall-jump that pretty much makes it so you can grasp any ledge, no matter how high it is.

That being said the parkour can be finicky at times. Early on you’ll learn what ledges you can grasp (anything without barbed wire) versus those you just can’t. And sometimes you’ll miss anyway. It happens.

And there’s a grappling hook. Yes, it’s amazingly fun, but you won’t get it until you’re level 12 in Survivor rank.

Skill progression

Speaking of ranks, there are three major RPG skill progression trees: Agility (running, jumping, sliding, parkouring, etc), Survivor (saving NPC’s, doing missions, side quests, grabbing air drops) and Power (killing zombies in any fashion, whether with weapons or traps).

Each tree has three tiers, and my favorite is the Survivor tree.

You can use it to create some pretty badass items, from elemental throwing stars, shields that can actually soak up damage and inflict status ailments, boosters and tonics too buff your armor and stamina, and even makeshift grenades.

Add to that a massive open-world sandbox filled with tons of easter eggs, hidden items, blueprints and volatile zombies and you’ve got the city of Harran. The in-game world is pretty huge and there’s a ton of side quests and NPC’s to interact with, along with a sprawling metropolis replete with different sections and areas.

In short there’s always something to do in the game, and all of it is pretty entertaining.

Co-Op

The co-operative play is amazingly well done.

Even when I’m playing with a full team of four I have hardly had any lag, and we pretty much decimated everything that was in our path. It’s a great way to blow off steam for some mindless chaotic fun, and to earn a lot of cash looting the dead zombies.

The only gripe I have with co-op is that all the players have to be in the same spot to initiate a mission or quest. A lot of the time random players will scatter to the four winds, but if someone’s trying to kick off a quest, you can actually teleport to their location in a jiffy.

I’ve had a blast with the co-op so far, and I’ve actually met a few new friends who I join for some high-stakes questing–and they even showed me a thing or two about Easter eggs, especially the incredibly amusing Super Mario Bros. parkour level.

Quirky NPC’s

I have to give a shout out to some of the most odd and comical NPC’s I’ve encountered in my time as a gamer.

Dying Light is full of unique characters who actually have character. It’s very refreshing to come in contact with a guy who’s willing to give me an impression before he just sends me on a fetch quest.

Some memorable NPC’s include those idiosyncratic twins Tolga and Fatin, who, after sending me on a fetch quest, initiated in a very entertaining bit of banter where they argued about who’s smarter Cornelius or Dr. Saius.

“Orangutans are smarter”, Tolga tells his half-wit brother in an obvious tone, “Cornelius didn’t even have a PhD.”

Then there’s Edwin Snowberg, a horror movie director who actually flew into Harran just so he could get cheap footage for his next zombie movie, Zombie Annihilation IV: Dying Lunch. Snowberg sends you on a mini-game where you blast zombies with a shotgun, and rewards you with cash. I love it.

Conclusion

Dying Light is zombie survival sim done right.

It keeps the tried and true Dead Island formula but patches up so many things that the original series missed out on, including free-flowing parkour, a more dynamic open-world, and more satisfying combat.

There’s a massive level of depth to the game that can be explored in so many ways, whether it’s with a friend (or group of friends or strangers) in co-op, or simply alone. The storyline is pretty decent and has some memorable characters like Jade and Rais to fill things in, but all in all the mechanics make the game what it is..

With a range of amazingly satisfying strategic-based combat mechanics, massive level of replayability, dazzling graphical fidelity, quirky NPC’s and a huge artillery of quests and side quests, Dying Light is pretty much my new favorite zombie game and we’re confident that after you try it, it’ll be yours as well.

The post Dying Light Review: Dead of Night appeared first on VR World.

The new Just Cause 3 trailer looks like one of Michael Bay’s wet dreams. It’s full of such explosive fiery carnage that really represents the quintessential spirit of the franchise: wanton destruction.

The footage isn’t very substantial in terms of content, but it is quite meaningful, full of symbolism that defines the entirety of what the new game–and the series–stands for.

And the best part about it is that it reveals that Just Cause 3 is slated for a release in holiday 2015.

While there’s no gameplay footage in sight, the trailer delivers a specific mood, a mood that boils down to explosive rage.

It’s the kind of passionate rage that leads you fantasizing about burning an entire man’s legacy, using his bones as so much kindling.

Rico Rodriguez is on a mission. Using his trademark grappling hook, wingsuit, and whole lotta devil-may-care courage, he’s going to tear down the entire regime of the despotic ruler General Di Ravello and reduce it to cinders and ash.

Rico is a one-man guerrilla army fighting for freedom, and although he’s been through a lot, he’s still the same dangerous daredevil that leaves total carnage in his wake.

Also if you want more Just Cause 3, we’ve attached a new batch of absolutely beautiful screenshots for good measure.

Hopefully the next trailer will showcase some of Just Cause 3‘s massive 400-square-mile open-world map, or some stylish aerial stunts and death-defying grapples to boot.

It’d be nice to see that hook in action–apparently you can hook on to nearly any surface–as well as the free-roaming flight of the wingsuit.

Just Cause 3 is slated to release sometime in Holiday 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. For more info be sure to visit the game’s official website.

The post New Just Cause 3 Trailer Shows You How To Burn The World appeared first on VR World.

Acer (TPE: 2353) said that the company is confident of its business scale in 2016 after its successful efforts to return to the profit-making direction.

“I hope we can gain momentum and expand our business scale starting from 2016. In 2015, we expect to find the right direction for our business and then speed up the momentum in 2016,” said Stan Shih (施振榮), founder for Acer.

Shih said that Acer, the leading Taiwanese PC maker, has expanded from hardware manufacturing into several new business with a profitable outlook, which will pave the way for faster growth of the company in the long term.

“Acer is like a big ship sailing in the ocean, but we lost direction in the past few years. We spent the entire year steadying ourselves last year, and I think now we have found the right direction to a new continent,” Shih said.

Acer’s revenue for 2014 declined to an eight-year low of US$10.49 billion. The PC maker has been moving beyond hardware manufacturing into software and services as the PC industry remains stagnated.

Acer Chief Executive Jason Chen (陳俊聖) said that the company will continue to invest in cloud computing this year, in return of a hope be profitable by the end of 2015.

“Our goal is to keep Acer’s core business and new businesses profitable and growing this year,” Chen said.

After a management reshuffle in January 2014, Acer began to emerge from three consecutive years of operating losses. The company’s new strategy “Build Your Own Cloud” became the hope for the company to increase the gross revenue of its cloud application business in 2015 by acquiring more corporate customers and increasing the payout rate for individual users. Acer said that the company has seen the number of individual users of its free cloud services jump from five million last year to six million as of Jan. 21. Shih said that the figure was estimated to reach 10 million during the first six months of this year.

The post Acer Vows for Business Expansion in 2016 appeared first on VR World.

UPDATE: The devs at CD Projekt RED told Gamespot that 50GB is the “ballpark figure” for Witcher 3 install sizes on both PS4 and Xbox One, but didn’t give exact values.

Original story is as follows.

CD Projekt RED’s upcoming high fantasy magnum opus The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is going to take up a good chunk of your PS4’s hard drive. How much will you have to clear to make room for Geralt’s legendary exploits?

If reports can be believed, The Witcher 3 will take up at least 50 GB’s on PlayStation 4, so you might want to think about going physical with this one.

But why’s it so big? Why do we have to offer up a full tenth of our PS4’s HDD for a single game? To fully understand why so much data is needed, let’s take a look at the scope of the game itself.

The Witcher 3 is a massive game that spans a rather sprawling fantasy world, replete with all the signature staples of an open-world RPG: dynamic characters in wide cities, in-depth questlines that span over 100 hours of content, multiple regions and landmasses to explore, strategic sword and sorcery combat, and much more.

The regions themselves are so pristine and detailed that they truly immerse players in another world; but it’s not all beautiful, as a brutal war ravages the very land with fiery destruction. And like any open-world RPG, players are free to go wherever they want and tackle quests or slay towering, menacing beasts along the way.

And bear in mind The Witcher 3 isn’t the first 50GB game; Killzone Shadow Fall was sizable, as was GTA V and Wolfenstein: The New Order.

With all of the high-definition renders, textures, lighting details, dialogue and more, it’s not surprising that the game will take up quite a bit of space. And based on everything we’ve seen and heard about the game so far, it’ll be a good trade off.

Additionally CD Projekt RED is more focused on in-game performance across all platforms, and is now targeting a steady constant of 30 frames-per-second.

The developers also affirm that the game will look “almost identical” across PC and consoles, and that the PS4 and Xbox One versions “use the same textures”. It’s worth remembering that The Witcher 3 will be native 900p upscaled to 1080p on the Xbox One.

In other Witcher news, the devs are toying around with the idea of including an ultra challenging “Insanity Mode” that could wipe your in-game saves when you die. The concept of Insanity Mode is very much like the Hardcore mode in Diablo’s 2 and 3, where death is permanent.

Nothing’s set in stone just yet, and the devs affirm that their goal is to make the mode “extremely punishing but fun”, and I for one am terrified at the prospect!

Last but not least CD Projekt RED will be offering 16 separate DLC packs for free, and everyone who buys the game will get them. That means no over-priced “special editions” or pre-order incentives. Just plain awesomeness.

The DLC packs don’t include anything too substantial, basically little extras and tidbits like beard textures for Geralt, horse armor and other clothing variants, but it’s still a great move from the developers.

Marcin Iwiński, co-founder and Joint CEO of CD Projekt RED, said that the free DLC is a clear message to other devs and publishers who lock whole portions of a game behind high-priced add-ons.

“We love games…[and] we feel really special when we receive free content that gives us more than we initially paid for.

Unfortunately this treatment is quite rare these days. As gamers, we nowadays have to hold on tight to our wallets, as surprisingly right after release, lots of tiny pieces of tempting content materialize with a steep price tag attached.

Haven’t we just paid a lot of cash for a brand new game?

As CD PROJEKT RED, we strongly believe this is not the way it should work and, with The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, we have decided to do it differently.”

Let’s hope this trend carries on–as a gamer, I for one grow weary of the cumbersome trends that saturate our industry like bullshots, pre-order incentives, high-priced special editions that include content we should be getting already, and, of course, the dreaded Season Pass scenario.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is slated to launch on May 19, 2015 across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

The post Witcher 3’s PS4 Install Size Clocked At 50GB appeared first on VR World.

A new batch of fresh Just Cause 3 screenshots has been released, and they showcase some sweet, sweet high-def havoc.

These new screenshots were snapped in the nick of time, immortalizing some truly awesome scenes that stand as a testament to the game’s pulse-racing vivacity as well as superlative graphical fidelity.

The images show the freedomfighting daredevil Rico Rodriquez in some pretty death-defying stunts: squaring off against a missile-launching helicopter? Check. Landing on a jet and tossing its pilot out of the cockpit? Check. Annihilating a host of baddies with explosions that would awe even Michael Bay? Check, check and triple-check.

The third entry in the definitive series sees Avalanche Studios returns to the mantle, bringing to life yet another worthy successor filled to the brim with emergent explosions and audacious action.

Originally unveiled last year in a cover issue of Game Informer, Just Cause 3 follows in the footsteps of its predecessors with focus on giving players the tools to wreak total chaos in their very own freeform sandbox.

Just Cause 3 will set itself apart from the earlier games in a few distinct ways. Not only will the game feature higher definition and afford for more dynamic encounters and physics interactions, the in-game map is notably more “volumetric”, meaning players will be able to explore down below as well as up in the skies.

This means delving into subterranean tunnels and massive caverns as well as scaling huge skyscrapers and soaring the heavens in your wingsuit.

Avalanche has also confirmed that the definitive grappling hook and parachute will make a triumphant return in the upcoming game. How else were you planning on attaching yourself to a helicopter or jet?

Oh, and Just Cause 3 might have multiplayer. Could you imagine the kinds of epic devastation that would unfold in wide-scale sandbox-style deathmatches?

In any case, we’ll have to wait a bit longer for more definitive info about the game, but Avalanche has affirmed that Just Cause 3 will release in 2015 across PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

And no, it (thankfully) won’t be free-to-play or have microtransactions.

The post New Just Cause 3 Screenshots Are All About The Mayhem appeared first on VR World.

Capcom has released a brand new gameplay trailer for Dragon’s Dogma Online, showcasing impressive combat sequences against towering monstrosities and the majestic high fantasy of the series.

Originally revealed in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Dragon’s Dogma Online will be a free-to-play game across PS3, PS4 and PC. Sadly Capcom has no plans to release the game overseas, and it’ll remain a Japanese exclusive.

The gameplay trailer also shows real-time perspectives of multiple players during the boss-fights, along with the in-game lobby system and more.

The upcoming online RPG will feature many of the traditional elements of the original series merged with an online multiplayer component, wherein players can join lobbies with up to 100 other players to form four-player teams to take on quests, raids, and other events.

Additionally due to it’s free-to-play status, DDO will be accompanied by the microtransaction structure.

Capcom has extensive plans for the game, complete with a host of new updates to expand the in-game world with new rotating seasonal events, dynamic questlines, new open-world environments, and more. Additionally Dragon’s Dogma Online will have a fresh new story complete with a host of new areas, questlines and monsters to slay.

Dragon’s Dogma Online is slated to release in 2015 in Japane across PS3, PS4 and PC. For more info be sure to drop by the game’s newly launched website (note that it’s entirely in Japanese).

The post New Dragon’s Dogma Online Trailer Shows Off Fantastic Battles appeared first on VR World.

For many the history of computers is a string of western events and discoveries, all attached to a single line that led to the development of modern PCs. But even as the IBM 5150 (NYSE: IBM) was being developed in the United States, Japan was already making history with its own personal computers and the PC-98 is perhaps the most important of them all.

A rising sun

The PC-98 started as project PCX-04, NEC’s (TYO: 6701)  first venture into the 16-bit computing era. The series’ first model, the PC-9801, was released in 1982. It came equipped 5Mhz processor running on Intel’s then new 8086 (NASDAQ: INTC) architecture. Much like the first IBM 5150 PC built during the same time period, it allowed easier use with its superior hardware specs, and consequently, improved graphical user interfaces as operating systems were maturing to the point of just beginning to offer robust GUIs.  As one may remember, the concept of the GUI is perhaps the most important breakthrough in computers, and this goes the same for Japanese computers for that era.

But more than just specs and usability, the PC-98 introduced several other specific breakthroughs, the most notable of which is the inclusion of a dedicated VRAM designed for fast Japanese text display. Though the Kanji letter database had the inconvenience of being in a separate, external ROM, the faster output processing power gave users the capacity to squeeze more time in using the unit, thus improving productivity. In addition, the hardware architecture was still largely based on NEC’s previous PC-8000/8800 series, which meant that businesses already familiar with its use could simply switch to the newer PC-98 models and enjoy its upgraded features. It vastly outclassed all of the other Japanese PCs that preceded it, and effectively rendered them obsolete business-wise.

The internal invasion

From a purely business standpoint, it is easy to point out that the best selling feature of the PC-98 was its enhanced number crunching and word processing capabilities. However, this was actually short lived, as other companies like Fujitsu (TYO: 6702) and Sharp (TYO:6753) eventually developed PCs that had better hardware specs. Its popularity was maintained largely by the increased number of software programs developed for the system.

This was especially the case with the release of the first games on the PC-98. Games developed for the system in time gained massive popularity (with Touhou Project as its most successful example). This then gave software companies the privilege to easily port well-known arcade games into the system, thus further increasing its demand. The significantly larger user base both from business and casual users then made software programs in general easier to distribute. The continued rotation of this positive cycle, along with the massive failure of NEC’s PC-88VA in 1987, finally established the PC-98 as one of the biggest selling PC model series of all time in Japanese computer history.

Towards modernity

The ubiquity of the PC-98 series in Japan stemmed from some of the fundamental aspects that we can commonly see in popular consumer tech today. First, it had hardware compatibility. The PC-98 was designed to be similar to its predecessors, and was built with more or less the same components that were used on IBMs PC/AT systems. Second, it featured a universal software program that makes it an attractive option for many users. It was the first system to use a dedicated VRAM for Japanese text input, and one of those that first adopted the DOS/V operating system. Lastly, it had software universality. Despite its rather steep price, the number of released software for the PC-98 is what kept its dominance in the market (sounds familiar?), staving off its competitors for at least one more decade before its decline by the end of the 20th century.

But the most important innovation that the PC-98 introduced that shaped Japan’s PC industry today was its popularization of the concept of a “hobby PC”. While the PC-8000/8800 series already introduced the concept of Japanese hobby PCs, it was the PC-98 series that finally fulfilled this idea. Long before today’s all-in-one PC systems and custom PC rigs, it demonstrated how PCs can be game software engines, showcasing faster gameplay and better graphics. It even introduced a few game genres (e.g. bishoujo games, bullet hell shooters, etc.) that are still quite popular in Japan’s PC software market today.

The PC-98 series went on to adapt further to the growing PC market in the 1990’s. By 1993, newer models had already switched to Windows 3.1, and by 1997, NEC finally introduced the Windows 95-powered PC-9821 series. However during last years of the decade, it suffered heavily from the distribution of cheaper PC models using the same DOS/V engine that it uses to display Japanese text. The era of the PC-98 finally ended in the year 2000, after NEC released the PC-9821 Ra43.

The PC-98 may be just part of history now, but its legacy goes on. As part of Japan’s technology culture, it essentially introduced the current development model for Japanese PCs today. We can even say that at least part of it still lives on to every PC in Japan.

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