New inFAMOUS: Second Son Screenshots Show Off Neon Power

3/14/14 folks.

Next-Gen NBA2K14 MyGM Dev Diary

Courtesy of Operation Sports

Franchise modes are a passion for me; they are my go-to mode in any sports game. I truly enjoy the challenge in taking a struggling team and rebuilding them into one of the best teams in the league. It’s a very cerebral experience, one that requires a certain level of shrewdness. For years, our award winning Association mode has put you through the trials and tribulations of building a team that can co-exist while trying to win titles. We had some pretty defining features during the last generation in The Association, but for this generation, it’s a whole new game.

What is MyGM?

MyGM is a brand new experience that will challenge your perception of what a franchise mode should be. Let’s make one thing clear, this is not The Association. This is the beginning of so much more. The design paradigm that I worked from this year, and that I challenged everyone on the Features team here at Visual Concepts to work from was this, ‘Make Interesting Decisions.’ I want everything you say and do in this mode to matter. I want to see it make a difference in the world that surrounds you.

At the end of the day, I fully believe the team here did a tremendous job in creating a foundation for what I think will be the defining franchise experience of this generation. With help from all of you, and your feedback, I genuinely believe we can build together the mode we’ve all wanted all along. So what exactly have we done?

Becoming a GM

This mode is all about you, the GM. You have big decisions to make every time someone walks into your office, but none more important than the first. And that is, what kind of GM are you going to be? The following are the 7 different GM Specialties you will choose from:

- Tactician: A master of the X’s and O’s, a tactician specializes in the area of Coaching and managing player morale and expectations.

- Physician: One who specializes in the areas of Training and player development, and is afforded opportunities to keep his players healthy and on the court longer.

- Evaluator: Someone who excels in Scouting and is given many advantages over his peers when it comes to evaluating incoming rookies.

- Persuader: A master in the art of Salary Negotiation, a persuader is able to leverage his assets in order to get players and staff to sign slightly reduced contracts in many cases.

- Broker: Unmatched during Trade Negotiation, a broker is occasionally able to get slightly better deals when negotiating with other GMs.

- Entrepreneur: Unparalleled in his acumen and Business Savvy, an entrepreneur will have access to a number of tools that will give his team a leg-up financially.

- Psychologist: A master of the mind games, a psychologist’s ability to assess Emotional Intelligence during conversations will allow him to occasionally persuade players to agree with his side of the argument during many conversation types.

Attribute Upgrades

Building and leveling up your GM can be the difference between success and failure in MyGM. There are seven different attributes, each with 10 different levels for you to upgrade. Every upgrade comes with a ‘perk’ that will give you a benefit for upgrading that particular attribute. For example, here are the ‘perks’ that can be obtained when going through the Business Savvy tree:

Level	Perk
1	Ability to change Ticket/Parking prices
2	Ability to change Food Concession prices
3	Ability to purchase Facilities
4	Ability to purchase Program Vendor Kiosks and set/change prices
5	Ability to purchase Souvenir Kiosks and set/change prices
6	Get an additional 3 pricing changes per season
7	Facility upgrades cost 5% less
8	Attendance increases by 5%
9	"Apple Polisher" Special Ability becomes available for purchase
10	Facility upgrades cost 15% less

The astute reader saw a lot of new features in the above list (which we’ll cover in more detail below). For now, I want to briefly discuss the ‘perk’ for level 9. In addition to attribute upgrades, your MyGM will also have access to 8 different Special Abilities (think of these as GM versions of Signature Skills) that can be unlocked during the course of the mode. These abilities will do things like garner you extra favor with the team’s owner, with the press, with players, etc. Rather than spoil the full details on these, I’d like you to learn about them as you play.

Conversation

What separates MyGM from any other franchise experience out there is what I like to call the ‘Human Experience’. This is achieved through our implementation of a very robust Conversation Engine. All interactions with your Owner, Staff, Players, and Press will take place in a fully modeled 3D environment, as you’ve seen in a number of the screens released thus far.

Gone are the days of making important decisions through dialog boxes. You’ll now be face-to-face with the person you’re talking to, trying to assess their emotional state. What you say will have a direct effect on that person, and their perception of you. What are you going to tell Goran Dragic when he comes in and says he wants to start at the point? How is that going to affect Eric Bledsoe? How is your current Assistant Coach going to feel when you tell the press that you would like Steve Nash to be your top assistant when he retires? How is your owner going to react when you pass the buck and tell the press that HE is the reason the team didn’t go out and sign a top free agent in the summer due to budget restrictions? How are you going to handle the situation of your Head Coach storming into your office with an ultimatum (my way or the highway)?

These are real decisions that you are absolutely going to have to face as you traverse through your career in MyGM. This is only the tip of the iceberg, and beyond that, the tip of what we have planned for the coming years.

The Owner

Every team has an Owner, the person you need to answer to as the GM. And each owner has a completely unique personality that you will need to decipher and understand. This is actually one of my favorite things about MyGM mode; the game plays completely different based on what team you are running. With the Lakers, you will have copious amounts of money at your disposal to build a winner. Play as the Bobcats, and you’ll need to be a little more creative to get your way to the top.

Owner Attributes

Every owner is rated in six different categories to ensure that each and every team offers a unique playing experience. The attributes are:

- Money: The higher this attribute, the more important turning a profit is for the owner.

- Team Success: This attribute values how important winning is to the owner. (beware the owner that wants to win and insists on a healthy profit at the same time!)

- Team Image: Owners who have a high value here care greatly about the satisfaction level of the fan base. If the fans are against you (think pricing, team success, etc.), the owner will be as well. So keep an eye on that Fan Interest value!

- Involvement: Owners with a very high involvement attribute will tend to give goals that are more meddlesome, than goals that guide you to success.

- Franchise Morale: A high rating here indicates an owner that puts a lot of stock into the trust levels of his player and staff. He will want you to treat everyone on the payroll with respect and dignity (which can sometimes hurt your ability to get results).

- Patience: This attribute simply indicates how much slack an owner is willing to give you before you get fired. Some owners expect immediate results, while others may have other business ventures that distract them, and thus, afford you more time to right the ship if it veers off course.

Owner Demands/Wishlists

The first thing that happens when you start the mode is a sit-down with the owner of your team. He will provide you with a list of Demands and Wishlist items that you will want to accomplish. These goals are derived directly from his personality attributes. Throughout the regular season, as well as the offseason, the owner will come to you with additional needs/requests based on the dynamic changes you’re making during the season.

Whenever the owner provides you with a new Demand/Wishlist, you can either tell him that you will definitely accomplish the goal, that you might accomplish the goal, or that you won’t accomplish the goal. It’s certainly ok if you don’t agree with everything he throws at you.

Your owner’s Trust level will change with respect to how you answer his requests. For example, if you tell him that you will definitely get one of his demands done, you’ll get a nice boost to his trust. If you don’t follow through in this case, you’ll take a big hit to that trust (a large net loss). On the other hand, if you tell him that you might get it done, you will get a much smaller initial trust boost, but also a smaller trust loss later if you fail to satisfy the request. If you don’t agree with a goal at all, you can just tell the owner you won’t get it done. You’ll take a sizeable trust hit right up front, but there won’t be any further negative hits when you fail the goal at a later time. MyGM is all about managing expectations, and that is certainly the case with your relationship with the owner.

For those of you out there who want full control, and to be your own (wo)man, you have options. If you perform well enough, and keep yourself in the owner’s good graces, you will have an opportunity to purchase your own NBA franchise and run it however you see fit. One fun reward for owning your own franchise is that you can earn VC based on the profit level you are able to make from year-to-year.

Staffing

We’ve completely re-written Staff to be quite different than it’s ever been in a 2K franchise mode. In an area that generally provides little ‘game’, you’ll certainly feel the need to strategize with who you keep on staff in NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode.

Each staff position will have a unique attribute (or in some cases, multiple attributes) tied to them that describes their ability to perform a given job. The positions you’ll be in charge of hiring/firing are:

C.F.O.
Assistant GM
Head Coach
Assistant Coach
Head Scout
Trainer

Staff Badges

In addition to the various ratings your staff will have, and I believe this is something you’ll likely find very fun, is that we gave all positions a unique set of Staff Badges. Think of these as Staff versions of the Signature Skills that players have. Each staff member can have up to 3 staff badges equipped, but beware, not all staff badges are positive. There are a number of negative staff badges out there to trip you up.

To give you an idea of how this works, here is a listing of the Head Coach badges that your coach can potentially have:

- Tactician: Players absorb knowledge, Basketball I.Q. is increased in 4th quarter for all players.

- Coaching Legend: Players are more willing to sign with your team due to coach’s prestige.

- Former Player: Players respect this former NBA player, and as such, negative morale hits are reduced.

- Teacher: His players have a greatly increased chance of developing Signature Skills.

- Clutch: Calm and poised in elimination games; his players outperform their abilities in playoff elimination games.

- Rejuvenator: Gets great contributions from older players, who seem to turn back the clock.

- Short-Timer (negative): A coach known for only doing short stints with teams before moving on.

- Competitor (negative): Easily frustrated by losing; teams suffer an additional Team Chemistry hit after losses.

As you can see from this set of badges, there will be a lot of strategy with respect to what kind of coach you hire. A young, developing team will certainly want a coach with the Teacher badge, while a veteran team with a chance to win it all will likely be looking a coach with a mix of the Coaching Legend, Clutch, and possibly even Rejuvenator badges. Every staff position has their own unique set of Staff Badges.

Additional Staff Tidbits

In addition to the above staff details, we’ve added a couple little nuggets that you all have been asking about for years.

- Certain players will now look for careers as Assistant Coaches (and later, Head Coaches) once their playing days are over. You’ll have the opportunity to bring them on-staff from the offseason free agent pool.

- Assistant Coaches around the league are available to hire as Head Coaches (including your own, he may bolt for a head coaching gig elsewhere if you don’t meet his needs), in addition to the ability to promote your own A.C. to the Head Coaching role when your H.C. role is available.

- Maintaining a reasonable Trust level with your entire staff is of the utmost importance. Any staff member that is frustrated in his role will suffer a decrease in his ratings (much like how players take hits to their ratings when their morale has dropped). You can maintain a reasonable level of Trust by simply engaging with your staff when they come to you, and by accomplishing any favors (goals) they may ask of you in the offseason.

Facilities

New to NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode is the concept of Team Facilities. These are upgrades you can purchase for your team that will give you boosts across the following categories:

- Stadium Upgrades: Upgrades in this category consist of items like Souvenir Kiosks, In-Arena Restaurant, Theater Seating in Suites, etc. These upgrades are aimed solely at increasing your gameday revenue streams.

- Player Upgrades: Upgrades in this category consist of items like a Weight Room (3 levels), a Sports Science Institute, Private Team Jet, Film Room, etc. These upgrades are clearly aimed at the health and well-being of your players.

- Attendance Upgrades: Upgrades in this category consist of items like Parking Garage expansions, Children’s Play Areas, Public Transportation Hubs, etc. For teams that are struggling to get fans in the seats, this is a great avenue to take in order to get fans to come to the games.

- Operations Upgrades: Upgrades in this category consist of items like a Scouting Film Room, Tablet Upgrades for your Scouts, an Analytics Firm, Travel Coordinators, etc. These upgrades are a mix of improving your scouting accuracy and reducing operating expenses (increasing your bottom line, always a good thing!).

Not every team has the built-in advantage of a rabid fan-base, or access to the latest technologies. Upgrading your Team Facilities is a great idea to try and mask those problem areas. My personal favorite upgrade is the Analytics Firm. If you hire an analytics team, they will constantly poll your fans to give you a direct insight into how they feel about your current gameday prices. Ensuring that you set all of your prices accordingly is without a doubt, the key to maximizing your profit margins; and this segues handsomely into my next section…

Finances

You are responsible for whether your team finishes a season in the black, or in the red. The difference between those two can be continued employment versus unemployment depending on your owner and his trust level in you. Yes, this is still a video game, but yes, this is also real life now. You are accountable for everything you do in MyGM, and few things are more important than your cash flow.

In the spirit of authenticity, let’s set the ground rules. The Lakers and Knicks are absolutely flush with cash. They have rabid fan bases. It’s not trivial to lose money with those teams. Then again, those owners care little about money and expect results, annually (as you might expect). Teams like the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Bobcats, they come from much smaller markets and simply don’t have the fan demographics to consistently support league-high payrolls. That’s just reality. We’ve captured real-world numbers with respect to a team’s market size, metropolitan area size, per capita income, fan loyalty, fan resiliency, and much more. This was all done in to order to re-create the concepts of true market sizes and the challenges that teams in different cities face when it comes to drawing free agents and pricing their product accordingly. Market sizes matter, and they sometimes force tough, but necessary decisions. Sam Presti knew this all too well when his hand was forced with James Harden.

You will of course be provided with the obligatory balance sheets that describes where your income and expenses are coming/going from, in addition to a number of graphs that lay out the information in a much more consumable fashion. The real nitty-gritty comes in that you will now have the ability to set the pricing for everything that goes into your gameday experience right down to ticket prices, parking prices, hot dogs, soda, souvenirs, etc. etc. etc. It’s important to understand that teams don’t just have a ‘sweet spot’ for each item. The amount that your fan base is willing to pay is dependent on their Fan Interest level, the current team Buzz, and of course, the overall success of your franchise. Fans of the Pelicans will be willing to spend more money for tickets after you’ve won a couple titles rather you’re your continued ‘winning’ in the lottery, if you know what I mean.

As the GM, you will be controlling where funds are allocated at the beginning of every season. The owner will sit down with you and essentially tell you that you have THIS much money to spend this season. It will be your job to break it down between your Player Salaries, Staff Budget, Operations Expenses, etc. Feeling overwhelmed? No worries, you can always auto-allocate the funds with the help of your trusty Assistant GM.

Tidbits

Season Mode – For our users out there who just want to play through a simple season (with varying season lengths) without all the intricacies of the financial system and player management, we offer a single Season mode that offers up the sandbox components many users seek.

Generational Players – I particularly enjoy this feature as it makes some drafts very intriguing. Once in a blue moon, a very special, generational prospect (think LeBron James) will come through the ranks. It’s a common understanding around the league that this player WILL be the #1 pick in the draft. His predicted draft stock WILL be #1 right from the time of his creation. It’s just understood, this guy has got next. They don’t come around often, but when they do, teams with picks in the ballpark of landing him will value those picks accordingly.

Custom Rosters – As has been the case with our franchise modes for a long time, you will be able to continue to use your own custom rosters when starting a new MyGM.

Classic Teams / Customize League – You will also be able to continue bringing classic teams into MyGM to relive their glory days.

Custom Draft Classes – User created & shared Draft Classes also make a return for NBA 2K14’s MyGM mode. This one is a favorite of mine. There are some very talented draft class creators out there that have generated some amazing content for all of us in the community.

Closing Thoughts

In MyGM, there are no ‘right answers’, and there are no ‘wrong answers’. Your actions and reactions will shape your story. Your organization will ultimately be what you make of it.

I know a lot of you were starting to feel like The Association was getting long in the tooth, and you know what, I agree completely. With these next generation consoles, there was no better time than now to take what we thought were our strongest franchise features and use them as the centerpiece for a brand new experience (complete with its own set of new features) that will keep you engaged and entertained.

The concept of MyGM is the creation from a team of developers who live for franchise modes. In designing this experience, we quickly realized that it’s going to take a number of years to fully realize everything we want to do in this mode. We dream big at 2K. We want to challenge you in ways that franchise games have yet to do. For 2K14, the focus was clear; lay a solid foundation that we can build on in the coming years, while making an engrossing and fun experience that will challenge even the most seasoned franchise gamers. And in the same breath, to make the mode more accessible for users who might have been a little intimated or turned off by our 360/PS3 offerings. I think we hit that target, and then some for 2K14.
I’d like to close by reiterating something I said earlier. This is a mode for all of us (and by all of us, I mean the close knit community of franchise gamers out there). Once you’ve spent some time with the game, I want to know what you like about the mode. What you don’t like about it. What works for you, what doesn’t. We’re going to grow this thing like crazy, this is just the start of something big…

Post-Launch PS4 Games You Can't Afford To Miss

Starting with the PS4, i'm going to highlight the post-launch games that are must haves once the launch confetti has settled onto your living room floor. (Xbox One post following shortly) So without further ado let's look at the upcoming greats for the PS4.

Deep Down

- The player perspective for Deep Down begins in New York City in the year 2094. By touching magical artifacts, players are teleported into the distant past to explore dungeons and avoid or battle monsters and seek treasure.

DRIVECLUB
- DRIVECLUB is Sony's new racing series from Evolution Studios (MotorStorm) and it's focus is on evolving the social aspect of racing games with racing crews that grow and earn points and experience together.



inFAMOUS: Second Son
- A Freeroam Action-RPG game where you control Delsin Rowe in the city of Seattle using your super power of absorption to take on the powers of other conduits (super humans) and fight the DUP (Department of Unified Protection). It follows 7 years after the good ending of the last game, inFAMOUS 2 which you can watch on youtube here.



The Order: 1886
- The Order: 1886 is set in an alternate history where an old order of knights keep all of the world safe from half breed monsters, who are a combination of animal and man. The game is an 3rd person shooter, and is expected to become a new series of games, following the notion subtitle "1886".



MLB 14: The Show
- This game needs no introduction. The Show series is by and far the best baseball experience on any console. It has totally eclipsed 2K sports' MLB2K series. It will be released for the PS4 just in time for spring training next March.



Hotline Miami 2: WRONG NUMBER
- The first Hotline Miami game was a PS3 and PSVITA exclusive title that introduced players to an interesting take on a top down 8-bit style puzzle game where you have to defeat all enemies on screen without being hit once, because all hits are instakill.



The Witness
- From the creator of BRAID, one of the best indie titles seen on PS3/XB360 comes The Witness which is a strange puzzle game that looks to be fun and challenging.



These 7 titles are the stars of the post launch exclusives announced so far. The key phrase there though is "so far". Sony has stated that on 11/14/13 they will announce more PS4 exclusives during their "Countdown to Launch" event, and also we have the SPIKETV 2013 VGAs coming, which is known to be an event where Sony, Microsoft and various publishers love to announce coming titles. So stay tuned as i will update this post once we get more games announced.

2 Minutes of Real-time 2K14 PS4 Gameplay (video)

Wow. (video courtesy of IGN)

Complete Details On Next-Gen NBA 2K14 From 2K Event

2K is apparently going for the FIFA approach with their 2K series. They want the complete NBA experience, as they've built the game ground up for the next generation. Check out the details below.

(Courtesy of Operation Sports)

Graphics and New Engine

• The first thing you need to know, NBA 2K14 is not a port. It has been built from the ground up for the new hardware with a new engine called "Eco Motion."

• The game will feature much improved graphics, with additional details like leg tattoos, new celebrations, hairstyles, and facial hair.

• 2K will be focusing its efforts on four main pillars of gameplay: NBA Today, MyCAREER, MyTEAM, and MyGM.

• NBA Today is brand new, built from the ground up. Video highlights from previous days games will be shown with the menu looking like a scoreboard w/ all games listed.

• All your NBA news connected on your console updated daily. This is all driven by Dynamic Living Rosters which is adjust daily based on how players are performing in the real world.

• Points of emphasis has been added to the game, which is a feature last saw in the old College Hoops franchise. No warmup outfit for bench players, but the crowds look much better. There are now less duplicates in the crowd. FYI the gameplay clip we saw was only 4 possessions.

• Little imperfections of dirt on the backboard tells you all you need to know about the attention to detail. 2K built a material library. It looks like 2K took each arena and really upgraded them.

• Details shown at scorers table. A thumbprint on a monitor is shown. Redid the scoreboards in each arena and the lighting in each arena, it is a small but definitely noticeable improvement.

• Now showing off the new LED dynamic lighting system. Just stunning. Scoreboard lights are dynamic and showcase reflections.

• 2K actually measured the color temperature of lights and count the number of lights and manufacturer of lights.

• 2K now showcasing Kobe Bryant getting head scanned. Kobe hung around while they built his model and his reaction was "GTFO here"

• Watching Lebron face map. Asking him to make intense faces. Can’t lie the game has his and Kobe’s face down. KD’s and Iguodala face maps. Both look great. Even have KD’s bad skin.

• The team captured and head scanned constantly working around NBA schedules to capture nearly every player in the NBA. Hundreds of players with thousands of expressions you will see in the game. Showcasing art of those now. This is photo realism.

• 2K captured nearly every player in the NBA. Parker looks great. Have Amare haircut with brown streak. Ray Allen looks great.

Gameplay

• Mike Wang is on and speaking about elevating the game harnessing the tech. Primarily in physics and animations. Foot planting clips shown.

• Wang is talking about Ecomotion. Foot planting. No sliding or phantom steps. Showed difference between cur and next gen. It looks great. Really no sliding. Now showing dribbling. Ball actually rotates while dribbling which is not in current gen.

• Now speaking to ball handling. Eco Motion allows them to track true physics. Ball spinning when dribbling, ball in hands. Tangible object.

• New animation system. Guys will have real life wingspans. New KD shoes look great.

• Mike speaks about animation synthesis, Eco Motion - based on physics and situation, animations will change. With animation synthesis, animations will change based on circumstances. If KD takes a shot and D is guarding him tight, anim will change on the fly.

• The game feels alive. For example, a shooter won't land the same way two times. Animation will adapt to the situation. Truly incredible stuff here.

AI

• Coaches will adapt to what is happening in the game. So game plans will dynamically change based on what other teams are doing.

• Rob talks about points of emphasis. Every coach will have its own ai and strategize based on how the game is going.

• There are nine different options on offense and defense to strategize how to defend or attack your opponent.

Emotion Plus

• Emotion Plus will categorize all the players personalities. For example, Kobe is an Alpha Dog. He wants the ball, he's fierce.

• "Human emotions translate into performance. Every player has personality, highs are highs, lows are lows."

• Emotion plus is a new feature. Each player has a personality. Personality and game events can affect how a plot performs.

MyGM

• My GM is new franchise mode. Lots of RPG elements are in the next-gen game.

• MyGM is a cerebral experience. Every decision changes the world around you. GM has attributes and special abilities.

• MyGM includes conversations. You have to asses the emotional intelligence of the person you're talking too.

• You will get fired from the owner of you don't maintain harmony in your organization, locker room and fan base. Revolutionizes what franchise mode is.

• This is the complete evolution of association mode. Decisions and reactions is what this mode is all about.

• "We have built a completely new experience for franchise players. All your day to day experiences have no right or wrong answers."

MyPLAYER, MyCAREER

• Complete cut scenes in MyCAREER. Team captured hundreds and hundreds of scenes. A rival, agent, buddies and a compete cast of characters.

• This mode "will leave you asking, "what will happen next?" Building relationships, making deals, etc..

• Over 40 hours of gameplay in your first year alone.

• "captured 1000s of cut scenes w actors & whole life of player. Every experience of being NBA player. All you want to see is next path"

• When you're not balling in MyCAREER, you can hang out with hundreds of MyPlayers in the Park.

• Open field of courts shown with hundreds of MyPlayers playing. Quite a tease.

• Jeff: "When MyPlayer isn't balling, he likes to hang with 100 of his friends at The Park."

FUNimation Drops Dragon Ball Z Season 1 Blu-ray Trailer

Looks to be original version remastered. Promising.

2K Sports Releases First 5 on 5 Gameplay Video of 2K14 on PS4

Courtesy of Gamespot.com

New Screenshots of The Order:1886 Show the PS4 Exclusive Has Insane Graphics In Store

Credits to GameInformer for the photos.

New Assassin's Creed IV Launch Trailer & Killzone Shadow Fall Story Trailer (VIDEO)

23 Days and counting.

Sony Launches "#4ThePlayers Since 1995" PS4 Ad Campaign (VIDEO)

A big change from the weird PS3 launch commercials (doll baby crying ?_?), the new PS4 ad campaigns combines with the "Greatness Awaits" one to provide the PS4 with a full head of steam as we get closer and closer to launch.

Updated List of Launch Games For Next-Gen (Retail and Download)

With Watch_Dogs being delayed (to my utmost behest) and DRIVECLUB shortly thereafter, a lot of people are wondering just what exactly is going to be available at launch for the next gen consoles. So below I am going to list the launch titles for both systems, separating which will be multi-platform, retail exclusives and also download exclusives.

RETAIL MULTI-PLATFORM GAMES:
Assassin's Creed IV
BATTLEFIELD 4
Call of Duty: Ghosts
FIFA 14
Just Dance 2014
LEGO MARVEL Super Heroes
Madden 25
NBA 2K14
NBA LIVE 14
Need For Speed: Rivals
Skylanders Swap Force
Watch_Dogs (Delayed Until Spring 2014)

RETAIL EXCLUSIVES:
PS4:
DRIVECLUB (Delayed Until Spring 2014)
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
Killzone Shadow Fall
Knack

XBOX ONE:
Dead Rising 3
Fighter Within (Kinect)
Forza Motorsport 5
RYSE
Zoo Tycoon (Wal-Mart Retail Exclusive)
Zumba Fitness World Party (Kinect)

DOWNLOAD ONLY GAMES:
PSN: (Cross-buy = Free if you purchased the PS3 version / F2P = Free To Play / PS+ = Free with PS+)
Blacklight: Retribution (F2P)
Contrast (PS+)
DC Universe Online (F2P)
DiveKick
Escape Plan (Cross-Buy)
flOw (Cross-Buy)
Flower (Cross-Buy)
Minecraft
Pinball Arcade
Putty Squad
Resogun (PS+)
Sound Shapes (Cross-Buy)
Super Motherload
Switch Galaxy Ultra
Tiny Brains
War Thunder (F2P)
Warframe (F2P)

XBL:
Crimson Dragon
Killer Instinct (DEMO)
LocoCycle
Powerstar Golf

New Drake - Too Much (Download)

NWTS SEPT 24

Drake - Too Much

25 Minutes of Battlefield 4 Gameplay [VIDEO]

Video Shows Off GTA V Map Scale (No Spoilers)

This makes the map seem MUCH larger than I originally thought when the map photo was posted.

As We Get Closer To The Day Of Jesus' Return, More GTA Online Info Trickles Out

I took the liberty of putting the really interesting parts in bold font.

• Character progression has a "flow" but there isn't an "overarching narrative that culminates in a definitive conclusion" 
• The aim of GTA Online is to do whatever it takes to get more money in the bank and accrue assets such as cars and real estate 
• Characters appear in cut scenes when interacting with other characters in the world as they would in the single-player but doesn't speak 
• Female characters can be used in GTA Online 
• Almost all activities from the campaign are available in GTA online: "heists, missions, robberies, assaulting gang hideouts, hijacking armored vehicles, races" as well as "tennis, golf and base jumping" 
• According to Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies there's over 500 missions. Some can be completed solo, but others are complicated and require a team. 
• GTA Online takes place after the main story, familiar faces will make appearances 
• By currying favor of characters you can be introduced to more people and delve deeper into the criminal world 
• Franklin's friend Lamar may introduce you to a car dealer named Simeon Yetarian, who wants you to steal cars for him 
• Biker gangs my support you during missions if you're friendly with them 
• A tech-savvy character you've befriended may hide you on the radar during multiplayer 
• Security firms that have taken a liking to you may be used to deliver air strikes 
• Rockstar uses a "dynamic" system to populate GTA Online, starting with your friends and crew members, then similarly skilled players in the same part of the world. 
• GTA Online has been created to be "as customisable as possible" in terms of who you play with: "there are options to let the game decide who to play with... or you can hand pick every player in the game". 
• The game analyses your playing style as you play and surfaces missions that appeal more to your style. 
• There's a crew ranking system and a personal rank 
• The fourth GTA Online player is fresh off a plane in Los Santos, character creation involves choosing your mum, dad and grandparents and you're given a character. Then players then choose a lifestyle, make choices about the things the character does (partying, couch potato, criminal, athletics nut). 
• Starting skills are based on the chosen lifestyles, but can be upgraded, as can the look of the character 
• Players riding shotgun in cars can also control radio station, set way points, use a cinematic camera, or attack others 
• Holding the select button (on a PS3) pulls up a menu where outfits and gestures can be changed 
• Phone camera's can be used to take a selfie 
• During a liquor store robbery the player can shout at the cashier to hurry up through a mic and the character will respond 
• Escaping cops involves keeping yourself out of the police's vision cone 
• After each GTA Online mission cash rewards and Reputation Points are awarded. The crew leader decides who keeps the loot. 
• A leader can choose to hog the spoils but, obviously, other players might not take that very well 
• Invites are received through the character's phone and accepting seamlessly transports the player to the activity 
• Players can customise the way a vehicle handles at shops found around the city 
• In missions involving bigger teams a lobby window opens up. From this the roles such as sniper, look-out and transporter can be assigned. The crew leader can tweak settings such as time of day, weather, difficulty and how many lives they have to complete the mission. 
• Everyone is given priorities suited to their role when missions begin 
• When you have enough cash to purchase a "high end residency" you gain the ability to set up heists like the ones in the solo campaign. 
• These missions involve multiple phases, including a set-up phase. In the mission shown prep involved buying guns from Ammu-Nation and procuring a helicopter. The tasks can be split between players. 
• Passive mode can be activated if you want to enjoy Online without being troubled by other players, this is automatically deactivated when you fire your gun however. 
• Players can kill you and take your cash, so you are encouraged to put money in the bank and use ATMs. 
• Purchases can still be made using the money even if it's in the bank 
• If you are robbed, you can put a bounty on a players head for revenge 
• Each house you purchase has space for storing cars. Modest apartments have space for two, but high-end homes can store ten. 
• Garage areas can be treated like showrooms. You can walk around and admire your cars and hire a mechanic to keep them in good condition. You can also insure them to avoid big payouts should you damage them badly. 
• You can invite friends to your home and drink, call strippers, watch Rockstar's custom created TV shows (or your friends in high-speed chases). 
• Missions are controlled through Rockstar's Social Club, which means the developer tweak them regularly.

[Credit to CVG for this info]

Think You're The Only One Taking Off Work For GTA V? This Store Says Think Again

I. am. in. tears.

A Day With PlayStation 4; First PS4 Ad Released & Wow

At this point you can't tell me you don't want a PlayStation 4. Stop lying to yourself. Look at this ad. This is going to be crazy.

Gameplay Video of PS4's Warframe From Gamescom

Somebody Out There Already Has An Xbox One At Home, And He Was Nice Enough to Post A Video Of It In Action

Dashboard still looks a little rough, but then again we are 2 months from release.

Proof of God's Existence: The NFL is Back

After what seemed like the longest off-season of all time, (doesn't it always?) the NFL fully returns today, at 1PM EST. We got a teaser (and a hell of a game at that) on Thursday night with BAL @ DEN. Peyton Manning decided to remind you negroes who the hell he was and throw 7TDs and 463yds on the team who cut his Super Bowl hopes short last season. But today marks the official official return of the Sundays that we men cherish only second to our offspring. (Sorry wives, girlfriends, woman-lady aquiantances in general) So without further ado, here's my predictions for the 2013-2014 NFL season for each team, arranged by division.

AFC East:

Patriots 11-5

Dolphins 7-9

Bills 5-11

Jets 3-13

AFC North

Steelers 9-7

Ravens 9-7

Bengals 8-8

Browns 4-12

AFC South

Texans 13-3

Colts 11-5

Titans 7-9

Jaguars 2-14

AFC West

Broncos 13-3

Chargers 4-12

Chiefs 3-13

Raiders 2-14

NFC East

Cowboys 10-6

Eagles 9-7

Giants 8-8

Redskins 7-9

NFC North

Packers 13-3

Bears 11-5

Vikings 7-9

Lions 4-12

NFC South

Falcons 13-3

Saints 9-7

Buccaneers 9-7

Panthers 6-10

NFC West

Seahawks 12-4

49ers 12-4

Rams 3-13

Cardinals 3-13

PS4 Retail Boxes Are On Their Way To A Store Near You

November 15th doesn't seem as far now.

[Source]: NeoGAF

Brand New Metal Gear Solid V Info Blowout

Kojima-san recently gave a closed media play test of MGSV at the opening of the brand new LA Studio for Kojima Productions, and from the looks of the information, this game is going to be the craziest Metal Gear yet. It Makes IV seem like child's play. It also seems that we will get to see this gameplay at the TGS.

Gameinformer:

• The life bar seems to be gone. In stead, the screen will turn bloody and red when Snake gets hurt, and he will regenerate health automatically if he takes cover long enough (this feature was also in previous Metal Gear games, if Snake kneeled or took a prone position).
• The interface has been toned down a lot, also as a result of the removing of the health bar and other items and bits of information.

Kotaku:

• Players can use their scope to mark enemies and vehicles, so they appear on the map.
• Context sensitive buttons let Snake open locked gates, or interrogate guards. After this has been done, the objective will appear on the map automatically.
• The threat ring from MGS4 makes a return, only this time it isn’t around Snake anymore, but against the screen.
• When Big Boss gets spotted by an enemy, the game will go into a slow motion, during which the player can still silence the enemy, and the alert phase will be canceled. This was done to help players in compensation for the extra difficulty posed by an open world design, and the lack of a radar.
• During driving sequences, the player can switch between first and third person view.
• Enemies can take out tires of vehicles Snake is driving.
• Player can call in a helicopter for extraction (as we already knew), but the player isn’t safe until he’s actually boarded and flying away.
• Big Boss received information over the codec when he saw certain things through his scope. Kojima explained that story moments would mostly be told through the players perspective.
• Ground Zeroes takes place in 1975, and The Phantom Pain in 1984. This is a reference to Orwell’s novel, among other things.
• According to Kojima, MGSV is not being ‘westernized’. He simply tries to give the game a global appeal, just like he did with the original Metal Gear Solid. The Kojima Productions LA studio is not involved in the game’s story, only in the multiplayer.
• There’s a reason Quiet looks the way she looks.

Shacknews:

• Snake can grab enemies in higher positions and drop them down to their death, similar as in Uncharted.
• The demo being played was very similar to the one at PAX, but this time players had to retrieve a red FOXHOUND patch (the logo of the new LA studio). Also, the demo was in English, with Big Boss voiced by Kiefer Sutherland. He also spoke the famous line ‘Kept you waiting, huh’.
• The demo was being played on the easiest difficulty setting. Kojima will show a more difficult playthrough at TGS.

Polygon:

• The holographic gear Snake used in the demo is called the iDroid.
• Snake can use searchlights and gun mounted flash lights to blind and distract enemies.
• Snake can still throw empty gun magazines to distract enemies.
• The game will feature less cutscenes and smoother transitions between them and gameplay.

Gamespot:

• During interrogation, the player can choose between multiple lines for questioning.

Gametrailers:

• If you mark a destination using the tablet, it will appear on the screen in the game world, so not just on a map.
• Item selection will happen on the center of the screen now, using sub options, and obviously it won’t be permanently there.
• The lens flare seen in some of the videos isn’t just cosmetic, it is there to warn the player that they might be detected. A lens flare will come from the direction of something that might spot Snake, like a searchlight. So the lens flare is the caution alert phase. Human enemies have a cone directional lens flare, similar to the cone field of view on the map of previous Metal Gear games. This lets the player know from which direction the alert is coming. The music lets Snake know in which alert phase he is, because there is no radar anymore to indicate this.
• The interface, switching between weapons for different alert phases, seemed really fluent.
• There seemed to be auto-aim.
• At the end there was a cutscene. Snake put on the patch he retrieved, and when he did that the ‘XOF’ on it turned to ‘FOX’.

Nerdreactor:

• Snake can now sprint, really fast.

Gamesradar:

• Among the items that make a return are the thermal goggles.
• When calling in a helicopter, Snake can choose between multiple extraction points.
• The exclamation mark makes a return, as well as the famous alert sound.

Five New Videos of DRIVECLUB In All Its 1080P Glory

Microsoft Releases First Xbox One Commercial. Highlights NFL on Xbox. No Games Shown.

No idea why this didn't air last night during the opening game of the NFL season. My guess is it'll air throughout Sunday and also on Monday night.

Bungie Posts "Thank You" Destiny Video. Shows Off New Gameplay

Definitely in my most anticipated games list.

All PS4 Titles That Will Be Available At Launch

Here are all the launch titles that will be available for Sony's PlayStation 4 at launch, both physically and digitally. 

- Assassin's Creed 4

- Battlefield 4

- Blacklight: Retribution (PSN)

- Call of Duty: Ghosts

- Contrast (PSN)

- DC Universe Online

- DiveKick (PSN)

- DriveClub

- FIFA 14

- Just Dance

- Killzone Shadow Fall

- Knack

- LEGO Marvel Superheroes

- Madden 25

- Minecraft

- NBA 2K14

- NBA LIVE 14

- Need For Speed Rivals

- Pinball Arcade (PSN)

- PlayRoom (Free with every PS4)

- Resogun (PSN)

- Skylanders Swap Force

- Super Motherlode (PSN)

- Tiny Frame (PSN)

- Warframe (PSN)

- WarThunder (PSN)

- Watch_Dogs

Microsoft Announces Xbox One Available Starting November 22nd, One Week After PS4 Release Date

So, the official Xbox One release date for the US/UK/AU is November 22nd. That's exactly one week from the official PS4 release date of November 15th. This gives prospective dual console gamers like myself who plans to be a day one owner one week between the two. This is actually wonderful for both consoles as competition is always good and the advertisements and deals that retailers will deliver will be for the better of the consumer. Now that we know the official dates, be on the lookout for future posts detailing the pros & cons of each console and which may be right for you, leading up to the launch dates.

Battlefield 4, Titanfall & Forza 5 Live Game Play Videos From PAX'13

3 nice game play vids from PAX'13. Enjoy.

[VIDEO] Killzone Shadow Fall Full Multiplayer Match 1080p From PAX

A full  warzone multiplayer match of Killzone Shadow Fall from PAX Prime in Seattle. God damn this game looks good. (and colorful!) Peep the end of match cut-scene.

GTA V Goes Gold. RockstarGames Drops Official Trailer (VIDEO)

This is simply the final reminder that September 17th is near, and that it will be the greatest day in the history of man. *wipes tear from eye*

GTA V Soundtrack Leaked

Gamefront.com apparently has the leak of the GTA V soundtrack (& radio stations) here: http://www.gamefront.com/gta-5-radio-and-soundtrack-leaked-lazlow-is-back/

Here's the songs by radio, with notables in bold font. 

West Coast Classics
N.W.A. – Appetite For Destruction
N.W.A. – Gangsta Gangsta
2pac – ambitionz az a ridah
DJ Quik – Dollars and Sense
C Walk – Kurupt
Snoop Dogg – Gin N Juice
Snoop Dogg Dr. Dre – Still D.R.E
Snoop Dogg Dr. Dre – The Next Episode
King T – Played Like A Piano
Geto Boys – Mind Playin’ Tricks
Tha Dogg Pound Ft. Mack 10 – Nothin’ But The Cavi Hit
Too $hort – So You Want To Be A Gangster
Kausion – What You Wanna Do (Ft. Ice Cube)
Ice Cube – You Know How We Do It

Classic Rock Station
Foreigner – Dirty White Boy
The Cult – Rain
Steve Miller Band – Rock ‘N Me
Elton John – Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
Julian Lennon – Too Late for Goodbyes
Greg Kihn Band – The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em)
The Doobie Brothers – What a Fool Believes
Kano – Can’t Hold Back (Your Loving)
Rick James – Give It to Me Baby
Queen – Radio Ga Ga
One Way – Cutie Pie
Evelyn “Champagne” King – I’m in Love
Eddie Murphy – Party All the Time
Stevie Wonder – Skeletons
Kleer – Tonight
D Train – You’re the One for Me

Punk Station
The Weirdos – Life of Crime
The Germs – Lexicon Devil
Youth Brigade – Blown Away
Black Flag – My War
Descendents – Pervert
Circle Jerks – Rock House
T.S.O.L. – Abolish Government/Silent Majority
Suicidal Tendencies – Subliminal
Fear – The Mouth Don’t Stop (The Trouble with Women IS)

Radio Los Santos
Gucci Mane Ft. Ciara – Too Hood
Freddie Gibbs – Still Livin
Clyde Carson, The Team – Slow Down
PROBLEM ft. Glasses Malone – Say That Then
Ab-Soul – Illuminate
Mc Enit – straight up menace
Kendrick Lamar – A.D.H.D
YG – I’m A Real 1
Kelly Rowland – Work (Freemasons Remix)
Game – Ali Bomaye (Explicit) ft. 2 Chainz, Rick Ross

Soulwax FM
Mim Suleiman – Mingi
FKCLUB – The Strange Art (ID Remix) (Thanks Flitskikker)
Matias Aguayo – El Sucu Tucu
Joe Goddard feat. Valentina – Gabriel (Soulwax Remix)
Daniel Maloso – Body Music
Green Velvet & Harvard Bass – Lazer Beams
Zombie Nation – Tryouts Goose – Synrise (Soulwax Remix)
Tiga – Plush (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)
Pulp – After You (Soulwax Remix)
The Hacker – Shockwave (Gesaffelstein Remix)

Non-stop Pop FM
Corona – The Rhythm of the Night.
Modjo – Lady (Hear Me Tonight)
Britney Spears – Gimme More
Rihanna – Only Girl Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You
Aphex Twins – Windowlicker Robyn – Every Heartbeat
The Blackout ALlstars – I Like It
Kelly Rowland – Work
Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls
All Saints – Pure Shores
Mystique – Scandalous
Moloko – Time Is Now
Amerie – 1 Thing
Fergie – Glamorous ft. Ludacris
Hall And Oates – Adult Education

Unknown
Waylon Jennings – Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way
Jay Rock Feat. Kendrick Lamar – Hood Gone Love It
Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake – Small Faces
Hackman – Forgotten Notes
The Dogg Pound – What Would You Do
The Game – Ali Bomaye ft. 2 Chainz, Rick Ross
Bernard Wright – Haboglabotribin’
Taana Gardner – Heartbeat (Club Version)
Zapp – Heartbreaker. Pt. 1, Pt. 2
Chief Keef – Love Sosa (Not 100% on this song.)
Aaron Neville – Hercules
Muse – Madness
Mis-Teeq – Scandalous
Inner Circle – Bad Boys (hahaha, perfect song.)
Marlena Shaw – California Soul
Outkast – Elevators (Me & You)
Regulate – Warren G and Nate Dogg
Jane Child – Don’t Wanna Fall In Love (Thanks Xl2onald)
Def Leppard – Photograph

Here's to 35 More: Happy Birthday Kobe Bean Bryant

Today is Bean's birthday. On this day, 35 years ago, the second greatest shooting guard and one of the top 10 players of all time was born. Kobe aka "the Black Mamba" is most assuredly my favorite player in the league, and has been since Jordan retired. (Huh? The Wizards? What are you talking about?) This blog post would go on forever if I listed every single one of Bean's great plays and accomplishments. So I'm just going to drop [some of] my favorite moments of his, along with some videos. Happy 35th #24.

Favorite Kobe Moments:

• Kobe Bryant scores 81 points as the Lakers defeat the Raptors
• Kobe outscores the entire Dallas Mavericks team 62 to 61 in 3 quarters. 
• Kobe shatters the single game three-pointer record as he hits 12 threes in a single game. 9 of them in a row.
• "Old Man Kobe" scoring 37 points in the 2012 All-Star game after ESPN commented on his age holding him back in the upcoming ASG.
• Kobe tapping Alvin Gentry in the 2010 WCF against the Suns after hitting an impossible three pointer. 
• Kobe throwing Shaq that one-handed oop in the '00 Finals where Shaq points to Kobe with the "OOOOOO!" face after. Which is ironically the "ball-hogs"'s most famous finals play.
• That run in 2003 when we thought Kobe was never gonna play another game without scoring 40 or more.
• The 2013 All-Star game when Kobe put LeBron in jail for like the last 2 minutes. the reactions on twitter were comedy GOLD.
• And lastly, Kobe's 2013 dunk on Josh Smith where if it's 8:24PM and you close your left eye and squint real hard you can see #8 flash on Kobe's jersey in place of #24 for like .3 seconds.

Now enjoy these highlights of the greatest Laker of all time.

KillZone ShadowFall Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer (VIDEO)

Guerilla Games has taken "custom matches" to a whole new level. This is pretty much going to ensure that KZ ShadowFall NEVER gets boring.

Watch This: New Gameplay Trailer for TitanFall for Xbox One from Gamescom

[insert the word "yes" in 15 different languages here]

PS4 Dashboard In Action (VIDEO)

We have an off-screen video from the Gamescom stream of how the PS4 dashboard functions and how easy it is to spectate and jump into a game. I'll update the post with the direct feed when it becomes available.

Brand New inFamous Second Son "Fetch Trailer" From Gamescom2013

Enjoy the visuals:

Tom Clancy's The Division: Companion Gameplay Trailer

I'm telling you. This is going to win GOTY in 2014 for sure.

Microsoft Releases Photos of Xbox One Dashboard In Action

Check them out below.