Media Molecule’s first PlayStation 4 project was something of a surprise- it was Tearaway Unfolded, a PlayStation 4 ‘retelling’ of Tearaway, the delightful platformer that they released on the PlayStation Vita last year that was built from the ground up to be uniquely married to that system. And while, yes, Tearaway is an amazing game that absolutely deserves to be exposed to a wider audience, those who were hoping for something new and original from the studio, something that would be as delightfully unique to the PS4 as Tearaway was to the PS Vita, or LittleBigPlanet to the PlayStation 3, were probably a bit disappointed.

Well, it’ll probably please you to know, then, that Media Molecule are also working on another PlayStation 4 game. This news comes to us from their developers keynote at the Eurogamer Expo, where they mentioned their other game, also noting that they would love to announce it soon. Of course, simple marketing dictates that announcing it before Tearaway Unfolded releases is absolutely dumb, so don’t expect that to happen. Meaning the earliest we will be hearing from it is probably some time next year.

“It’s a very interesting situation right now. I think with the games we make, we’re in a more interesting position. We get these preconceptions certainly from hardcore gamers who say, ‘Oh it’s not a videogame. It’s interactive cinema and we’re not interested in games where you don’t shoot.’ So they’re not interested in our games.

“But at the other end of the spectrum we see people who are like, ‘We see what you’re doing, delivering emotion, but videogames are still all about violence and shooting.’ So what I think we’re doing is trying to say to both ends, ‘Wait a second. Look at what we’re doing and then make your judgement.’

“But we like to say to hardcore gamers, ‘Yes there are some great games out there whether it’s GTA, Call of Duty and all of those things, but look, this is something a little bit different.’ It’s not about shooting. It’s different but give it a try. For the sake of society have a look, because all games are not about violence. They are about very different things.

“There are very interesting indie games right now exploring very different reactions that are clearly not about violence, that are trying to make this medium really strong. There is definitely something happening in the industry just now and we should look at this. It’s interesting because with the presence of Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe in the game, we managed to open some of these doors, where people who would never talk about video games before are now getting interested. With Beyond it’s about opening that door and to show people that all games are not the same, they are not all about shooting.”

Beyond: Two Souls will be releasing on October 8th in North America and on October 11th in Europe, exclusively for PlayStation 3.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is an example of Ubisoft Montreal going forward by moving backward. While the saga of the Animus continues, we’ll be going back in time to take on the role of Edward Kenway, Connor’s grandfather, on the Caribbean as he steals, wines, dines and wrecks havoc across the high seas like the best of them. Some new footage from the PlayStation 4 version of the game has emerged, showcasing the game’s brilliance on next-gen consoles. Check it out above.

Assassin’s Creed 4 may emphasize stealth, but there will be plenty of naval battles, whaling, deep sea diving in the pursuit of treasure, fort sieges and just straight up massacring to fill the gaps between the sneaky bits. It will also feature its own multiplayer mode, though naval combat is conspicuously absent.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag releases on October 29th for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii U, with the PS4 version release on November 15th in North America and November 29th in Europe while the Xbox One version launches on November 22nd worldwide.

However, a Microsoft representative speaking to Game Informer has snuffed out any hope of recording being longer than 5 minutes. “We are committed to giving gamers the ability to produce high quality videos easily and quickly. We can confirm the recording buffer in Game DVR is 5 minutes, which we feel is optimized to take advantage of high-quality production features and advanced social mechanics in Xbox One.”

In comparison, the PlayStation 4 allows players to record up to 15 minutes of video footage. Will the Xbox One suffer in light of that? We’ll find out when both consoles launch this November.

However, the screen above shows that you can either choose between recording the final five minutes or record manually. For his part, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President Phil Harrison stated that “you can record as much or as little as you want.”

There are many questions that arise from this: For example, the default function is to record the last five minutes from your gameplay. Does this mean that when you record manually, that you’ll be starting from any point and be able to record a maximum of five minutes of gameplay? Or will you really be able to record as much footage as you want with manual recording?

Stay tuned for more information on the same, as the Xbox One prepares to launch on November 22nd.

Via: Reddit

“It’s also about cloud processing and AI. This is where some of the computational effort of a game can be offloaded to the dedicated CPUs on the cloud, to make your game experience even better, better graphics, better lighting, better physics. This is an example of where we think the the cloud is going to push the next generation of game development in new and creative ways, that will make the experience even more better.”

Harrison also believed that the Cloud will help keep consoles relevant, even as PCs become more powerful. Will Microsoft’s server farms be enough to support visual improvements for so many consoles and games over several years at a time? That remains to be seen, but at the very least, you won’t need to worry about games looking visually inferior down the line.

During his keynote speech at this year’s Eurogamer expo, Treyarch design director David Vonderhaar talked about the prestige system in Black Ops 2 and how it will differ from what we’re used to seeing till now.

“Congratulations. Here’s a new icon. Repeat the entire game. What? What?” he began mockingly. “This is a very simple example of how we are damned if we do and damned if we do not. Looking back at these mechanics, play 55 levels, hit a button, get a new rank icon, start over.”

Then he went on to talk about some stats and mistakes the system had been making earlier: “I’ve been thinking about it non-stop, about how to get people to prestige. We kept going about it the wrong way. We kept saying, here are some more rewards if you do it. Here is this extra stuff if you decide to hit the prestige button.

“Then I looked at a graph of the people who play and what happens to them when they hit level 55 or whatever the max level is, and how they drop off, and how few people actually go to max prestige. I know they could go to max prestige because their time play suggests they could have. I have this data. I know this for a fact.

“They just stopped levelling. Maybe it’s because we keep taking away everything. Maybe. Maybe that’s the reason.”

But how will Blops 2 will be any different, you say? Here’s how. “In Black Ops 2 prestige is not a start over system,” he said. “When you prestige in Black Ops 2 it will not reset your weapon levelling. If you are level four on a gun you will still be level four when you cycle back around to that gun. Same with all your cosmetics, any camo you’ve unlocked or emblem, all the personalisation, all the fancy backgrounds you managed to achieve, all of that will still be there.”

Well, about f*cking time. What do you think of this? Tell us in your comments!

[Eurogamer]

Eurogamer has announced that developer sessions at this year’s Eurogamer Expo will be streamed online as well, on Eurogamer itself and their Youtube channel.

These sessions will show off several high profile games, including the likes of Black Ops 2, Halo 4, Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed 3 and much more.

“This year we’re delighted to be sharing more of the Eurogamer Expo online than we ever have before,” said Eurogamer Managing Director Rupert Loman. “Following the developer sessions live online gives you a window into one of the most exciting aspects of the show.”

Here’s the full schedule:

Thursday 27th September
12:00 – Frank O’Connor from 343 Industries – Halo 4
13:00 – Jamie Keen from Ubisoft Montreal – Far Cry 3
16:00 – Dean Hall from Bohemia Interactive – DayZ Standalone
17:30 – Torben Ellert/Christian Elverdam from IO Interactive – Hitman: Absolution

Friday 28th September
12:00 – Chet Faliszek from Valve Software – How to give yourself a job in the game industry
13:00 – Alex Hutchinson/Jonathan Cooper from Ubisoft Montreal – Assassin’s Creed 3
14:00 – Matt Webster from Criterion Games – Need for Speed: Most Wanted
15:00 – David Vonderhaar from Treyarch – Call of Duty: Blacks Ops II – Challenging Assumptions
16:00 – Ralph Fulton from Playground Games – Forza Horizon

Saturday 29th September
13:30 – David Footman from Ubisoft Toronto – Splinter Cell: Blacklist
15:30 – Clive Moody from Codemasters Racing – GRID 2: Total Race Day Immersion
16:30 – Peter Holzapfel from Crytek – Warface
17:30 – Jean Max-Morris from DONTNOD – Remember Me

Sunday 30th September
12:00 – Peter Molyneux from 22 Cans – Curiosity
13:30 – Meagan Marie/Brian Horton from Crystal Dynamics – Tomb Raider
15:00 – Lorne Lanning from Oddworld Inhabitants – Abe’s Oddysee HD
16:00 – Dominic Matthews from Ninja Theory – DmC: Devil May Cry

Eurogamer has announced the lineup for the Indie Games Arcade at this year’s Eurogamer Expo. It includes 16 PC indie titles, including games like DRM, Proteus, Sokobond and more.

Have a look at the full list:

– BaraBariBall (Noah Sasso)
– Dirac (Orihaus)
– Don’t Starve (Klei Entertainment)
– DRM: Death Ray Manta (Rob Fearon)
– Gear Up (Doctor Entertainment)
– Kairo (Locked Door Puzzle)
– Last Knight (David Hagemann)
– Proteus (Ed Key/David Kanaga)
– Sentinel (Matthew Brown)
– Sokobond (Alan Hazelden)
– The Button Affair (Oliver Clarke)
– Tower of the Gorillion (Circuiton World Design)
– Where is My Heart? (Die Gut Fabrik)
– Zineth (Arcade Kids)

“The IGA gets better every year,” said Indie Games Arcade curator David Hayward. “This time, I’m especially pleased to have games with local multiplayer. With BariBaraBall and A Bastard, there’s plenty of opportunity to thrash your mates, and if that’s not your kind of thing, Tower of The Gorillion is co-op.”

Stay tuned for more updates.

It’s been confirmed that Ubisoft will be hosting developer sessions at this year’s Eurogamer Expo on September 29th.

The games listed are Assassin’s Creed III, Far Cry 3 and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist.

Jamie Kean, Lead Designer on Far Cry 3, will be on stage at 1pm on Thursday 27th September to talk about the upcoming FPS. Then, at 1pm on Friday 28th September, Ubisoft Montreal’s Alex Hutchinson (Creative Director) and Jonathan Cooper (Animation Director) will be on stage to talk about AC3.

Finally, Ubisoft Toronto Cinematic Director David Footman will introduce Splinter Cell: Blacklist to attendees in a developer session on Saturday 29th September at 1.30pm.

“We’re delighted to welcome the developers of three of our favourite game series to the Eurogamer Expo developer sessions stage this year,” said Eurogamer’s Tom Bramwell. “Assassin’s Creed III is going to be one of the games of the year, Far Cry 3 looks gorgeous and imaginative, and we’re thrilled to have Splinter Cell: Blacklist as well ahead of its 2013 launch.”