I’ve just got no interest in playing their games. Overwatch, however…it did peak my interest. And now that I’ve taken to the screen and spent a small section of time with Blizzard’s latest foray in to first-person-shooters, I found myself walking a psychological line: “This genre’s going to become very saturated, good luck to them” and “It’s alright you know. If anyone can spice up this pot of flavorless gunk consisting of corridor meetings and crippled FOVs, then it’ll be Blizzard.

"Here’s the what I took away from Overwatch: It’s got a great cast, it plays different yet familiar and it’s full of shooty, shooty bang-bang stuff."

Here’s the what I took away from Overwatch: It’s got a great cast, it plays different yet familiar and it’s full of shooty, shooty bang-bang stuff. But honestly, what stands out the most is colour. I imagine the game’s developers hunched over their keyboards with Smarties and Opal Fruits drooling from their mouths. But coming from the perspective of someone who occasionally dips in and out of this specific space within the FPS genre, it also reminds me of just how much I enjoyed 2K’s Evolve. It’s right there where my first concern of the game lies as it’s highly dependent upon it’s online team-based nature, which in itself is dependent upon a strong user-base. Where Evolve faced no competition in this space during the time of its release, and had successfully maintained the good will of players from Left 4 Dead, it still failed, miserably. “It Is Not the Strongest of the Species that Survives But the Most Adaptable”…evolve or die.

Taking a look towards the strong line-up of upcoming games all of which are of similar nature as well as those currently on the market, the distinction that Overwatch does bring is one I’m largely unsure about. Overwatch is an online focused team-based shooter. Currently it contains twenty-one characters, a handful of game modes, and a small selection of playable environments. The game utilizes a colourful almost cartoonish visual style with a strong sense of personality, and all of this is great. In what Blizzard calls “Heroes” as opposed to character classes, each character within it’s current line-up is ridiculous, wacky, and expressive. While I have yet to find the defining factor of what differentiates a “Hero” from your typical first-person-shooter character class system, I did find each character to be fairly interesting within their own rights.

"Characters are controlled in a manner whereby three out of four from their special abilities are mapped to each trigger as dictated by the gamepad, with the remainder being set to a location on the facepad."

My sense of interest within the game clashes with my concerns for it. For instance, Blizzard has managed to create twenty-one diverse characters each containing their own unique weapons, visual theme, and special abilities. Characters are controlled in a manner whereby three out of four from their special abilities are mapped to each trigger as dictated by the gamepad, with the remainder being set to a location on the facepad. During the course of a match this quartered-off ability will then be unlocked and initiated at the player’s disposal. All of these abilities function on a cool-down basis and despite the large roster they all manage to prove diverse and purposeful to the objectives of the match. The lengths that Blizzard has taken in delivering such a varied and creative system in character abilities and weapons is quite impressive.

However, as varied as they may be and despite the yet to be defined “Hero” system, during my the time with the game I found myself working in the same standard manner to that of any other team-based shooter. You play support, I’ll play attack, he’ll play tank, and she’ll play tactical. And while there’s nothing wrong with this execution I do feel the term “Hero” is little to nothing more than a quick way of saying “Our game has ninjas, assassins, robots, cowboys, and mechanized gorillas. They also have time-powers, freeze-rays, swords, and turrets.” It’s shooty, shooty, bang-bang with two pinches of salt. And to be perfectly honest, I’m content with that. I was just expecting something more innovative when the term “Hero” started to gain traction, as I have yet to save any civilians or encounter any NPCs for that matter.

"Let’s take Tracer for instance and her ability to rewind her position in space-time. This young, quick vixen can backtrack her position on the battlefield in short-quick bursts while dual-wielding pistols."

Let’s take Tracer for instance and her ability to rewind her position in space-time. This young, quick vixen can backtrack her position on the battlefield in short-quick bursts while dual-wielding pistols. She can also fast-forward her position in a similar manner to that of Bethesda’s knife-wielding, masked avenger from Dishonored. That’s teleportation in layman’s terms. While tracer is indeed quick and as intuitive as every other character, she’s also quite fragile. This is where the element of team-based gameplay comes in to action as support roles like Mercy can keep others buffed, while tanks such as Reinhardt and Winston can charge with shields and barriers leaving Tracer to take the offense.

What’s rather unique about this system is that none of the players are confined to a specific class, leaving the strategy of how each team will work together entirely to their own will as they engage in a six versus six battle. Which brings me back to Evolve, not to mention The Division, Destiny and so forth…yes, you need friends. The kind you know and talk too daily that will be willing to invest their time as much as you do your own. While the game does have a narrative or a justification if you will, as to why you’re playing the game, as interesting as it may be it also does well to remind me just how stifled the genre is for creativity when it comes to big guns meets talented story-telling. The focus here is the element of multiplayer but since the game modes at this point in time largely consist of those we’re already familiar with, the narrative resides fairly pointless when you’re simply capturing points of a map or escorting a convoy.

"Blizzard isn’t just building a game, it’s building a universe throughout other forms of media."

This is in fact a shame since the story the game presents is fairly captivating, something which is largely reflected within the maps and levels design which are in themselves quite varied. Long story short: Humans live amongst robots, everybody wants equality, and everybody’s essentially at war -globally. This is essentially every videogame. As mediocre as this may sound where it does prove to be of interest lies within the animated shorts and books that expands upon the game. This is also where I question the long-term support of the game and where I feel Blizzard is really putting in the effort. Blizzard isn’t just building a game, it’s building a universe throughout other forms of media. Frankly, I wouldn’t be all too surprised if they started the development of web-episodes to further maintain the interest of those already invested. Should the game not maintain it’s potential appeal then the support of this expanded universe may not pay off, nor would it be worth it.

Taking a look to the graphical aspects of the game both console versions appear to render completely identical. Going for a stylized, cartoonish quality the game is vibrant with colour and it fits the theme of it’s character design rather well. Performance on the Xbox One does encounter a few minor frame-rate drops, possibly between two to ten at a time. Since the game uses a dynamic resolution scaler the game targets 1080p and sixty frames-per-second for the majority of gameplay, with these few small dips on rare and random occasions these are by no means game-breaking or intrusive. Textures could be a tad more rich and it would benefit from an increase in anisotropic filtering, but honestly it’s fine. It’s not ugly, it’s striking with colour and frankly you’ve got no choice anyway. “Don’t get picky.” Going forward with the game’s release it will be rather thought-provoking as to what changes and additions Blizzard may introduce and what further steps they may take in order to provide a valid reason for player investment.

"The ace in the hole which Blizzard has going for them however is that it’s also targeting the eSports community, and given Blizzard’s quite triumphant in building and establishing a strong and ongoing community, one without a bad reputation I might add, I have faith in the studio being able to accomplish just that. "

I don’t doubt their commitment just inquisitive. I like what I’ve played here but this is a game which requires dedication. It’s intuitive, fun, and exciting but it also requires a strong set of engagement from the player and their team-mates. Chances are if you’ve already grown bored with Destiny you’ve most likely moved on to The Division or Rainbow Six: Siege, and I feel it’s worth bringing reference to these games since the marketing of Overwatch appears to be targeting a similar audience, regardless of any differences within the genres. The ace in the hole which Blizzard has going for them however is that it’s also targeting the eSports community, and given Blizzard’s quite triumphant in building and establishing a strong and ongoing community, one without a bad reputation I might add, I have faith in the studio being able to accomplish just that.

This game was previewed on the Xbox One.

In between getting drones to handle your deliveries, Amazon has been in the news for the past few months due to purchasing Killer Instinct and Strider developer Double Helix Games. Then there are reports the online retail giant could in fact be gearing up to launch it’s own Android-based console.

According to Develop, Amazon has reportedly been sending out press invites for an event on April 2nd that will provude “updates for our video business”. The console in itself is expected to be a dongle that will stream games and other media content to your TV. In this way, Amazon could be working to bring online video streaming to non-Smart TVs.

Of course, if gaming capabilities are really part of the dongle, it begs the question as to how much importance it will be given on April 2nd. Nevertheless, stay tuned for more details and try not to expect a traditional “console” to be revealed.

Apple has released their most recent quarterly earning numbers, and despite a rise in the sale of their most popular product, the iPhone, their numbers show a significant decrease from the same quarterly period last year. This year’s total revenue was $35.3 billion, with the net profit being $6.9 billion. Still nothing to scoff at, but when compared to last years quarterly earning or $35 billion in revenue, and $8.8 billion in net profit, we can see that there has been almost a $2 billion dollar drop in profit. There’s no not noticing that kind of money disappearing.

Apple reports that while their iPhone sales rose from 26 million to 31.2 million, sales of iPads and Mac computers dropped by a combined almost 4 million.

Apple is hopeful that their new OS and line of products will help them bounce back from the profit decline. Apple CEO Tom Cook had this to say, “”We are especially proud of our record June quarter iPhone sales of over 31 million and the strong growth in revenue from iTunes, software and services. We are really excited about the upcoming releases of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks, and we are laser-focused and working hard on some amazing new products that we will introduce in the fall and across 2014.”

With this loss in profit on tech, it’s fair to assume that Apple could be considering throwing its hat into the console gaming ring, especially with the huge success of the iOS mobile gaming platform.

Do you think Apple is headed for console development?

Via: CVG

Backers have started receiving consoles as early as last month. Ouya has been receiving bad reviews since that time stating that the console is not ready for retail.

A statement was sent to Games Industry International, saying that the units that were sent last month were not review material, which meant that “not ready for review.”

These units were sent out for a “preview period” to test out, so that Ouya could make improvements based on critiques before the final product hit retail.

Ouya Representative has stated that “we will be making Ouya review units available in early to mid-May so that you are able to review the more complete consumer experience and prepare your coverage in time for the June 4th retail launch.”

Ouya says that the company “has sent no review units out to press. Any reviews you have seen online are a result from individuals who received early backer units from supporting our Kickstarter.”

Come back to GamingBolt for more news regarding Ouya and leave your comments below.

Source – CVG

Modern console First Person Shooters lack innovation- that’s according to the director and producer of the N64 classic FPSs, Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark. “I feel that the consoles have lost ground and momentum with FPS since those days,” he told GameIndustry.biz.

Nowadays the interesting things that are happening for FPS tend to be for PC, and that has a different culture and it has different styles of gameplay. Different core mechanics and semi-core mechanics.

“The console experience of playing it is very different, very solitary. There’s online, but that’s a kind of solitary. I think that the genre’s moved away from that idea of getting people together in a room, more towards, more of an Xbox experience – I think that’s a great shame.

“I have to admit that when I look at FPS games, I’m always looking for innovation, and I don’t tend to be that excited by what people have done. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was retrograde, but there’s an awful lot of things that I’ve seen that aren’t really that new.”

We’ll see about that, with the slew of First Person Shooters coming out this year.

The Trioviz for Games SDK allows 3D viewing on traditional 2D displays, and full 1080p support.

French outfit Darkworks has partnered with stereoscopic 3D specialists Trioviz SAS to create the technology, and they are currently looking at ways of synching it with the Playstyation 3.

“Launching with little support for console games, 3D TVs present a chicken-and-egg dilemma; consumers are waiting for a critical mass of 3D content to justify the purchase while developers are waiting for an installed base of 3D TVs that justifies the development investment,” said Jon Peddie, president of the Peddie Research Group.

“The Trioviz technology serves as an excellent bridging solution. Developers and publishers don’t have to invest in multiple 3D solutions for multiple platforms, and consumers can play the same 3D console title on their existing HDTVs and then on their new 3D TVs.”

“You know, a lot of the casual games that really bombarded the DS marketplace have now moved onto other platforms like the iPhone, so I think everyone looks at this as an opportunity to kind of bring something special back to the gamers,” he said.

“Everyone looked at the 3DS with just how powerful it was, and the new features, the analog stick and the 3D, as an opportunity to bring almost console-level quality games to this handheld because they could,” added Connors. “On the DS, you really couldn’t.

“And that’s something that we’ve learned over the last six months. You can’t treat this machine as just a DS plus. You almost have to treat it like a console, because many of the things it can do are things that consoles can do. So, you know, why not bring a more ‘gamer’ experience to that platform, if it can do really well with it?”

Tell us what you think via your comments.

Despite the previous announcement that the game will be making its way over to the consoles as well as the PC, Trine 2 also looks to address many of the niggling problems that found their way into the first game.

Check out the press release and the first Trine 2 screenshot below the break.

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 17, 2010 – Atlus U.S.A., Inc., in collaboration with Frozenbyte, today announced Trine 2 TM , a high-fantasy, physics-based action platformer with cooperative online multiplayer. Trine 2 takes the first game’s beloved triad-the powerful knight, the swift rogue, and the crafty wizard-and puts them into an all-new adventure filled with more action, more puzzles, and the introduction of online support for the series’s popular cooperative 3-person gameplay.

“The Trine series is a bastion of pure gaming fun,” stated Aram Jabbari, Manager of Public Relations and Sales for Atlus, “Expanding upon what was considered one of the best cooperative multiplayer experiences in recent memory, Trine 2 introduces online cooperative support for up to three players, dramatically expanding the fun and appeal of the game’s spectacularly rich action platforming. In addition, the unique traits and abilities of the three character types in Trine 2 mean more now than ever before, with enhanced skill trees and progression ensuring perfect balance. As a result, the game’s new arsenal of thrilling physics-based puzzles delivers just as much challenge and satisfaction for a sole player as for three friends playing together.”

Boasting sumptuous visuals, a masterful musical score, and clever physics-based gameplay, Trine 2 is the perfect mix of old-school platforming action, original physics-based level design, and cooperative multiplayer fun!

Trine 2 is currently scheduled for release Spring 2011 via digital distribution. Details regarding platforms and availability will be released soon. For more information, please visit http://www.trine2.com.

CA are now hiring for a variety of jobs, among which are several which require detailed knowledge of xonsole programming on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

You can find it all here.

The page states, “We are seeking a console programmer who is interested in pushing the boundaries of next generation consoles to their limits. The successful applicant will be interested in all things graphics related and work as part of the team developing all aspects of a game specific engine for 360, PS3 and PC.”

Don’t get your hopes up too high though, as CA also recently announced that they are developing a 2012 Olympic sports title, which may be what the advertisement relates to. It will apparently be a ‘casual, next gen title’ according to Eurogamer.

However, note the URL of the jobs page; http://rometotalwar.com/. You can also follow the developer on their Twitter feed.

We don’t like to raise our hopes prematurely, but in this instance- we just can’t help ourselves!

“Platform investments, like the Mac, are difficult because you have to be aware of what direction that platform is moving. We need to target platforms that do a better job of looking like where we want to be in a few years,” Valve CEO Gabe Newell explained.

“We would love to see the PS3 be more open like a Mac than more closed like a Gamecube. It makes it easier to justify those investments if that were the case.”

Valve has often made it clear in the past that they don’t like developming for the PS3, and their lack of games for the platform shows that.

And I guess that until the Playstation 3 becomes more ‘like a Mac’- they won’t ever develop for the PS3.