Sony Online Entertainment: Sandbox Games Are The Future Of MMOs

Massively multiplayer online games are a fickle beast: while there’s a massive market for them, there’s no question that the arena is dominated by a few select offerings.

Massively multiplayer online games are a fickle beast: while there’s a massive market for them, there’s no question that the arena is dominated by a few select offerings. No matter how well-known the brand, or how high-quality the content, the average life cycle of the modern MMO can fall far short of the developer’s projections.

Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley has noticed this trend. Rather than fight an uphill battle in the MMO space, he would rather shift the battlefield.

In its current state, the MMO market is dominated by content-driven models like that of World of Warcraft . These are dubbed ‘content-driven’ as content is continuously created by the developers to keep players engaged, whether it be new races, dungeons or quests. But given how quickly today’s gaming audience consumes content, there are few surprises to uncover once the core game is released.

Past releases have shown that no matter how fast additional content is released, developers simply can’t keep up with the consumption of the average MMO gamer. As a result, SOE‘s John Smedley posits on his new blogthat sandbox gameplay holds the key to the future of the massively multiplayer online game:

“In my opinion the solution is focusing a lot more on letting players make and be content for each other… Building systems into the games that let the players interact with each other in new and unique ways gives us the ability to watch as the players do stuff we never anticipated. We’ll see a lot more creativity in action if the players are at the center of it.”

As he states in the blog post, this is very similar to the mission statement (and success?) of. From its battles of epic proportionsto its economy crashes, the universe that CCP initially built is constantly influenced in fundamental ways way by the community’s actions and motivations. Even if the game didn’t have regular content updates, EVE represents a constantly shifting entity that has its community to thank as much as – or even more than – the developers.

This is what John Smedley foresees the MMO market converging on in the future. Not only does it make sense from a player’s standpoint as it motivates dynamic, player-driven content, but it also makes sense from a financial standpoint, allowing the developers to focus on the content that will ultimately define the game instead of injecting significant amounts of filler content simply to sate their community’s voracious appetite.

“Our belief at SOE is that it’s smarter to head in this direction now rather than waiting. We want to innovate and let players be a part of everything we do including make the game in the first place. We’re going to take the idea of sandbox gaming and we’re putting it at the core of everything we’re doing. We’ll obviously still be making awesome stuff for players to do, but we’re going to aim very high in terms of letting players be a part of the game systems. The more emergent sandbox style content we can make the less predictable the experience will be.”

With EverQuest Next standing as one of the next big releases from SOE, it’s clear that this philosophy is playing a crucial part in its development. Being touted as an MMO for the fans, by the fans, sandbox gameplay looks to be the main course in EverQuest Next with players creating content for one another through a separate client called EverQuest Next Landmark . If the execution is on point, it could represent the continued shift in the MMO spectrum.

Until then though, the state of the MMO world doesn’t seem to have any intention of changing too drastically. It will take a massive release to shift the weight that past MMO titans have secured with World of Warcraft still going strong. For the sake of gamers, developers, and the potential evolution of the genre, here’s hoping that John Smedley and SOE can find a way to effectively bring sandbox gameplay to the masses.

Do you think EverQuest Next will be able to reach a wide enough market to initiate any sort of change? Do you agree with John Smedley’s beliefs on sandbox gameplay?

Source: John Smedley

H1Z1’ Boss Says ‘World of Warcraft’-Style MMOs ‘Are Over’

‘H1Z1’ Boss Says ‘World of Warcraft’-Style MMOs ‘Are Over’
World of Warcraft is one of the most successful games of all time, breaking multiple gaming records throughout its ten years on the market.

is one of the most successful games of all time, breaking multiple gaming records throughout its ten years on the market. Blizzard’s iconic MMO has seen several updates since its release, including last year’s Warlords of Draenor , and has had a large impact on gaming and pop culture. Indeed, Blizzard’s influence has been so widespread that the Warcraft universe is even set to have a feature film adaptation with a cast including Dominic Cooper.

Occasionally, however, World of Warcraft feels like it is some distant fossil from the gaming past. With a gameplay style built around sessions that run for hours upon hours, multiplayer raids requiring strategic teamwork, and an extreme level of player dedication, Blizzard’stitle seems like the antithesis of modern day gaming. After all, WoW is at the opposite end of the gaming spectrum to pick-up-and-play mobile titles and Modern Warfare -esque shooters.

According to another lead designer in the world of MMO games, current gaming trends are set to continue going against Blizzard’s gaming giant. John Smedley, president of H1Z1 developer Daybreak Game Company, has said that the era of World of Warcraft -style MMOs is now “over.” Smedley, who was speaking to GamesIndustry, instead believes that gamers are set to look towards games with shorter single session times.

Some MMO fans may raise their eyebrows at the idea that World of Warcraft and its contemporaries are outdated, however. World of Warcraft is still one of the most popular games on the market, with over 10 million users subscribed by the end of 2014. The game has so far resisted breaking from its business model, despite numerous competitor MMOs taking the route to free-to-play. World of Warcraft’s influence is still prevalent, too, with Bungie’s hit shooter Destiny hybridizing MMO and FPS, offering gamers group-based raids.

Nonetheless, there is undoubtedly a move towards shorter, sharper gameplay sessions, and Daybreak’s H1Z1 certainly has some strong figures to back up Smedley’s claims. The game launched into early access in January of this year, and has already sold 1 million copies before full release, in spite of a market already flooded with multiplayer zombie survival titles and criticism over the addition of pay-to-win microtransactions. It remains to be seen just how true Smedley’s predictions are, but for now it looks like both kinds of MMO can share the multiplayer scene.

Source: GamesIndustry

The Division’s Most Overpowered Weapon Is Getting A Nerf

The Division community manager Natchai confirms that the high-end gun Midas will be getting nerfed soon, after users took to Reddit to highlight how unbalanced the weapon is.

Tom Clancy’s The Division launched earlier this week and players are already racing to reach the level capin order to not only experience end game content and the Dark Zone, but also to get their hands on some of the best loot in the game. Much of this loot can be found inside of the dangerous walls of the Dark Zone, an area that sports elite AI enemies along with other players who can potentially turn on you at any point. Whether purchasing the loot from special Dark Zone vendors or getting lucky through loot drops, users are quickly finding out that one gun in particular is quickly unraveling the balance in the game, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

Initially reported by Reddit user dedaFedil, the golden high end submachine gun known as Midasis starting negatively affect the balance inPvP centric Dark Zone areas of the game. While the gun doesn’t hit as hard as some other weapons, the main issue people seem to have with it comes from its unique talents and attributes. While at full health, the user gains a bonus to critical hit chance, and gives 5% of the users health and signature skill cooldown on every critical hit. Couple all of that with the fact that sub-machine guns come with a high rate of fire and a bonus to critical hit chance, so when paired with the perks of the Midas, many users become unstoppable not only against the AI but against other users as well.

Signature skill cooldowns are typically set for 15 minutes, but with a rapid firing gun that shaves a percentage off for every critical hit, users are able to utilize their ultimates at a much faster rate than originally intended. This gives users the ability to activate one of three ultimates that range from fully health their group, reduce all incoming damage by 80%, or gain a big boost to damage and critical hits at a much faster rate than other players.

As many have found out, studio personnel at Massive Entertainment have been listening and respondingto feedback as quickly as possible since launch, and the same is true for this story. Ubisoft community manager, Natchai Stappers responded to the original posters a few hours after the thread was created, informing everyone that the team is aware of the situation and is currently working on a fix for the gun.

Comparisons have already been made to the Gjallarhorn, an exotic rocket launcher that was wildly popular during the first year of Destiny , and many would agree was overpowered at the time. Once upgraded, the rocket launcher was capable of unleashing homing wolfpack cluster rounds, which essentially destroyed most enemies in a couple of hits. The problem is that this was also true for high end, raid level bosses, which ultimately made the game too easy. The difference here is that Bungie left the Gjallarhorn unpatched for most of the first year of the game, intentional or not, while Massive is already working on a fix.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Source: Reddit

The Division Guide: How to Earn and Use Phoenix Credits

Follow this helpful Tom Clancy’s The Division guide to learn what Phoenix Credits are, where to spend them, and details on how to earn them while playing.

Ubisoft’s highly anticipated third person shooter, The Division , is finally available after a long development cycle that really kicked off all the way back in 2013 after a jaw-dropping demosurprised the audience at the end of Ubisoft’s press conference. With players already hitting the level cap, many have started to look towards the end game areas like the Dark Zone to continue their experience beyond the story missions.

In order to unlock the best gear thathas to offer, players will need to earn and collect a completely different in-game currency known as Phoenix Credits. Similar to Strange Coins found in Destiny , Phoenix Credits are end game currency that players use on weapons, mods, accessories, or gear that have both level 30 Agent and level 50 Dark Zone requirements on them.

This gear can be found at the Special Gear Vendor in the Tech Wing of the Base of Operations or the Dark Zone Special Vendor found in the safe room in the northern part of the DZ06 area. Unlike the beta, superior and high-end rarity itemsat these vendors can only be purchased by level 30 characters using Phoenix Credits.

The biggest question that many players have, however, is how to actually acquire this currency. To help answer that, we’ve put together some tips on how to start collecting Phoenix Credits in Tom Clancy’s The Division .

Complete Daily Activities

Once a player reaches the level cap at 30, daily missions will unlock. Each day, three story based missions will have a white ring appear around the mission marker when viewing the map letting players know that this mission has a daily activity associated with it. These activities typically task the player with beating the mission on a higher difficulty, resulting in higher level enemiesthat are packing better weapons and armor.

Challenging Difficulty

For players who want an even greater challenge, specific missions in the gamehave a third difficulty setting known as Challenging. This difficulty manages to live up to its name as every enemy in the mission is an elite that is capable of killing players in one or two shots. As of right now, these missions can only be played once in order to obtain the rewards at the end, though players have begun to speculate that these missions may be repeatable once per week. This unfortunately can’t be confirmed until next week when The Division enters its second week as a retail game.

As a reward for the effort required for players to make it through the mission, players will earn a higher payout of Phoenix Credits, in addition to high-end loot, gear, or materials.

Ubisoft Club

For an easy thirty Phoenix Credits, players simply need to log into Ubisoft Club, a rewards program tied to all Ubisoft games, from the website or from the in-game menu and head to the rewards section of the site. From here, players can view and unlock specific Division rewards like Phoenix Credits for only 30 Uplay credits.

Players unlock these credits by simply playing Ubisoft developed games which are then tied to their accounts. Rewards range from simple wallpapers to in-game items, to other goodies like soundtracks.

Have you already unlocked high-end gear from these special merchants? Have a success story from either the daily or challenging difficulty missions? Tell us your war stories down in the comments below.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

E3 2015: ‘Guild Wars 2’ Heart of Thorns Expansion Trailer, Pre-Purchasing Open Now

The E3 2015 PC Gaming Show was really long in the tooth without much to say, and as such, many people thought it was easily the worst out of all the E3 2015 press conferences.

The E3 2015 PC Gaming Show was really long in the tooth without much to say, and as such, many people thought it was easily the worst out of all the E3 2015 press conferences. Due to its absurd length and cheap setup, a lot of legitimately exciting PC gaming news was buried in the proceedings, with the news getting the most attention being Xbox related, such as Gears of War: Ultimate Edition coming to PCand the rebooted Killer Instinct also making the jump to PC.

ArenaNet was one of the PC bright spots of the unusually dull show, bringing with them an epic new trailer for the upcoming Guild Wars 2 expansion Heart of Thorns ., for those unfamiliar, is one of the most popular and successful MMORPGs ever made. The Guild Wars franchise is one of the few MMO experiences that, while not true competition with Blizzard’s World of Warcraft , has still managed to stand toe to toe with that mammoth of a game, whereas countless other MMOs have floundered and failed over the years.

Part of the success of Guild Wars 2 can be attributed to its lack of a subscription fee, as well as its extreme amount of polish, setting it apart from the sea of similar games. The game has certainly earned its success, with 2 million units sold shortly after launch, and much more since then. Considering the success of the base game, ArenaNet is counting on the first major expansion, the aforementioned Heart of Thorns , to give existing players plenty of new content to enjoy, as well as convince lapsed players to resume their online adventuring.

An exciting new gameplay mechanic is coming to Guild Wars 2 via the Heart of Thorns expansion, as highlighted in the E3 2015 trailer, in the form of Guild Halls. Guild Halls serve as bases for guilds. A guild has to band together first, and then cooperate to clear the hall of enemies before claiming it as their own. Once a Guild Hall has been claimed, it can be filled with specialized buildings that serve various purposes, as well as dotted with a wide variety of decorations to liven the place up.

Along with these details, ArenaNet was on hand during the PC Gaming Show to announce that Heart of Thorns is currently available for pre-purchase on the Guild Wars 2 official website. As an added bonus, anyone that pre-purchases the expansion will be given access to all future Guild Wars 2 beta events, offering players an opportunity to test and try out new content first.

The Heart of Thorns expansion for Guild Wars 2 doesn’t have a release date just yet, but pre-purchasing for the game is open now, and will guarantee consumers access to future beta events in the game.

The Division Video Details Game’s Map Size

YouTuber Arekkz Gaming posts a video detailing The Division ‘s map size as well as the game’s mission structure, safehouses, and other gameplay features.

Fans of The Division have been following the game closely ever since its exciting E3 2013 reveal trailer. Painted as an open world cooperative shooter/RPG hybrid, many have been wondering exactly how large the map size is in the game. Well, thanks to YouTuber Arekkz Gaming, we now have a much clearer idea as to just how big the map will be in.

The game will take place almost entirely in Manhattan, though other areas of New York may also be explored in some specific missions. The map size itself doesn’t seem gargantuan by any means, and while some may consider that a problem for a game like this, it appears as though The Division makes up for that with its density.

As described by Arekkz Gaming, the map in The Division offers a good number of buildings to explore in any given area of the map. This gives players plenty of additional space to roam, beyond the city streets and underground locales.

To see the map size for The Division , as well as learn a bit more about missions and safehouses, check out Arekkz Gaming’s video right here:

While some may complain that the map for The Division doesn’t seem all that “large,” it’s worth keeping in mind that most of the larger open worlds deliver breadth at the cost of interesting locales and characters. Size certainly isn’t everything, though, and with a game like The Division , it seems the smaller, more personal touches may be more important than having a massive map.

Perhaps the upcoming Division beta(which will be available first on Xbox One) will shed more light on the map size issue. It will at least give players a chance to explore a portion of Manhattan themselves, and get a taste of just how dense The Division ‘s map actually is.

Regardless of how big or small the map is in The Division at launch, it’s also worth noting that the map size could certainly increase down the road. This could come in the form of paid DLC expansions or free content updates, and could allow players to explore more areas of Manhattan and New York in general. Brooklyn won’t be in The Division at launchdespite appearing in previous trailers for the game, so perhaps that particular borough will be one of the first areas added to expand the game’s map.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is scheduled to release on March 8th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

The Division Player Wins 1v3 Battle in Dark Zone

A skillful solo gamer pulls off an impressive feat in The Division beta, managing to survive and take down an enemy team of three players in the Dark Zone.

The Division beta has only been accessible since January 28th, but some players have already committed some legendary deeds in that short time. One such player went into a Dark Zonealone and managed to survive an onslaught of three enemy players at once.

The player in question, FaTaLiiTty, trekked down into the Dark Zone all on his lonesome. While the Dark Zone has enough AI enemies to be a threat to a single player alone, it’s also the sole PvP area in. As such, FaTaLiiTty quickly encounters three enemy players that must have seen him as an easy target, but the trio didn’t have any idea what they were getting themselves into.

The video, seen below, replays the encounter between FaTaLiiTty and his three opponents. In just under half a minute, FaTaLiiTty finishes off all three of them, and rakes in the loot, collecting base Dark Zone funds for the kills, as well as their bounties and keys.

Dark Zones are unique in The Division , as the rest of the game is focused on PvE. Dark Zones not only for allow PvP, but they reward or punish players depending on their actions towards other human players in the area. Gamers who open fire on other players in the Dark Zone are marked as an enemy by all nearby players, and an extra bounty is rewarded to gamers who bring them down. If an aggressive player with a bounty on their head is defeated, they’re penalized fairly heavily, losing a portion of their Dark Zone funds and keys, which can be used to open Dark Zone chests.

While some players are polishing their skills in The Division beta, many others are unfortunately being left out. Due to massive demand, Ubisoft had to place limits on beta access to The Division , and they’ve already stated that gamers on the wait list may not make it in at all. Sadly, the beta will end on Sunday, meaning many players won’t get a chance to even try out the game, let alone develop their skills to the level shown in the above video.

The Division is set to release on March 8th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: XboxClips

The Division Sets Day 1 Sales Record for Ubisoft

Ubisoft confirms that The Division has set the publisher’s new record for first day sales of both retail copies and digital downloads.

Ubisoft hasn’t stated how many copies of The Division have been sold across both retail stores and the digital frontier, but the title has already set some impressive records for the company. In regards to Ubisoft’s first-day sales,has now claimed the record, overtaking the popular Assassin’s Creed franchise which was recently knocked off its annual-release schedule.

The record was set for both retail copy and digital copies individually, proving that the massively successful open betawas a good indicator of interest for the game.

The massive success (so far) of The Division is great news for Ubisoft, which is currently fending off a hostile takeover from Vivendi.It looks like The Division is on the fast-track to being a commercial success, and this will help Ubisoft attract the investors it needs and keep Vivendi at bay. Regardless of the politics behind a well-timed successful launch, it looks like the game’s release went over well with fans, even if it didn’t come without server issues.

We’ve taken the liberty of crafting some guides for The Division , so players can easily find out how to level up quicklyor earn plenty of Pheonix Credits. It’s evident, though,  not every gamer needs a guide to get things done in Manhattan, as some gamers have already been able to reach the game’s level cap.

Many gamers rushed through the game’s story mode as well, allowing for a spoiler-free look at the end game content. Some may not be too happy to hear that the storyline content can be beaten in a single day of playing, but with plenty of Dark Zone multiplayer gameplay and incoming updates, it looks like Ubisoft has a plan to support the title throughout the coming year. Only time will tell if these investments will grant the title the staying power that was promised.

What do you think about The Division , Ranters? Do you think Ubisoft is heading in a good direction with this title?

Tom Clancy’s The Division is available now for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

Source: Ubi Blog

The Division Open Beta Confirmed

Ubisoft officially confirms the previously leaked open beta for The Division , which will begin February 18th for Xbox One owners, and February 19th for everyone else.

Outside of some hacking problems in the PC version, the beta for Tom Clancy’s The Division mostly went off without a hitch. Perhaps in an effort to ensure that the launch of the game proper is just as successful, Ubisoft has officially announced a second beta for the game, but this time it will be completely open for anyone to download and play.

This previously leaked betawill take place from February 18th to February 21st on Xbox One, with PC and PlayStation 4 owners having to wait until February 19th to jump into the action. Users across all platforms will be able to pre-load the new beta forstarting February 16th.

While some gamers may have had their fill with the previous beta, it may be benefit them to partake in this one as well. That’s because it will include a brand new story mission, and will even net participants a special “in-game reward” come the game’s full release in March. Ubisoft is keeping tight-lipped when it comes to what the new story mission will entail or what the in-game reward may be, but for the latter, it’s probably a special cosmetic item or weapon.

Regardless of any new incentives, anyone that enjoyed playing The Division ‘s previous beta(which was a lot of people considering Ubisoft had to limit beta access), should be happy to have the opportunity to jump into virus-ridden NYC again before launch. In addition, those that were unable to get in to the previous beta for whatever reason now have a chance to try out The Division for themselves and see what all the fuss is about.

Hopefully this new beta has enough new content to justify revisiting it for those that have already spent plenty of time with the previous beta. The new story mission is intriguing, and it will be interesting to see what happens next in the plot. Perhaps this new mission will dictate that The Division beta map sizeis increased to allow players to explore more of Manhattan.

Tom Clancy’s The Division will be available on March 8th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Source: GameSpot

The Division Needs Compelling Side Quests to Succeed

It’s time for RPGs to offer immersive and compelling side quests, and I truly hope The Division has great side quests to help set a new standard in the industry.

Everything I’ve seen about Tom Clancy’s The Division looks fantastic, and overall I’m very excited to play the game. In fact, as an Xbox One gamer, I’m especially looking forward to playing The Division beta later this month.

However, there is one aspect of the game I’m worried about: the side quests. In my experience, Ubisoft hasn’t been the most reliable when it comes to quality side-quest storytelling, and for me, that’s where a lot of the magic in RPGs can be found. It’s partly why I enjoyed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt so much. That game had immersive, compelling side quests that were just as interesting and engaging as the main story.

I’m definitely a fan of the Ubisoft’s games, and feel the folks they have writing the stories for their games are very good. But sadly, it seem Ubisoft’s best storytelling usually happens in the main storyline, with side quests often becoming repetitive and dull.

Considering how long Ubisoft has been working on The Division , and how much hype is surrounding the game, I’m truly hoping the development team took the time to craft riveting side quests that beg to be played. I would love so much to be drawn into side quests that are as rewarding as the main storyline, and offer their own injections of emotion, intrigue, and significance.

As mentioned above, a prime example of this kind of storytelling is CD Projekt Red’s. After spending dozens of hours exploring the game’s expansive landscape filled with frightful monsters and fascinating characters, it’s no wonder to me that the game was awarded Game of the Year. Countless times I was so engrossed in side quests I was truly sad when they ended and I had to go back to the main story. In my opinion, that is how every RPG should be.

Side quests in many RPGs have become like the single-player campaigns of current shooter games. They’re included as a means to give a false sense of depth to the game, but ultimately fall short of offering any real meat to the title. My worry with The Division is that Ubisoft has been so focused on other aspects of the game, that the side quests will fall short and end up being the run-of-the-mill brand of tacked-on fluff.

Ultimately, I’m hoping the team at Ubisoft has learned from the likes of CD Projekt Redand have built interesting and engaging side quests for The Division . If they have, I can see The Division capturing Game of the Year for 2016. And while it may be a bit early to make that prediction, I believe The Division winning Game of the Year due, in part, to rich and worthwhile side quests could help set a new standard in the gaming industry.

The fact that The Witcher 3 had abnormally good optional missions shows the value of the CD Projekt Red team. But on it’s own, it’s simply a one-off that will serve that developer well when it releases games in the future. But if Ubisoft follows suit with The Division and also offers better-than-average side quests (potentially winning Game of the Year in the process), it’ll help to raise the bar in the industry. Gamers will get to a point where they expect immersive, compelling side stories in games from all studios, and that’s an outcome I think we can all agree on.

What are your predictions for The Division ? Do you think Ubisoft will come through with high-quality, immersive side quests, or will we get the status quo content we so often receive? Let me know your thoughts and predictions in the comments below.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is set to release March 8, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

The Division: This is Why it Was in Development for So Long

During a recent trip to New York City, we sat down with the associate creative director for The Division to talk about why the game was in development for so long.

As one of the biggest games launching this year, many gamers have begun turning their attention to The Division and its massive in-game world. With an MMO-inspired base that finds itself riddled with team-focussed shenanigans and PVP-centric warfare, there’s little question that it’s one of the more ambitious projects arriving in 2016. But as many will note, it took a while for it to finally get here.

During a recent press visit to New York City, I sat down with Ubisoft’s Julian Gerighty, the associate creative director for, to talk about the reasoning for the delays the game has faced. According to the Gerighty, the game faced numerous push backs in order to execute properly on its immense premise. This obviously took more time than originally thought, but the developer expressed that he firmly believes it was the right call.

GR: Can you tell me a bit about the development process for The Division and why it was announced several years ago and has faced several delays since?

“I think, when you look at it just on paper, what we were trying to achieve: huge open worlds; super realistic recreation of New York; new engine; 100% online all the time; co-operative play; seamless PVP; enabled Dark Zone. All of these things, these are all massive risks for our project. It’s a great creative idea, and if you pull it off it’s amazing, but it’s a huge amount of risk that you pile up. So I just think that the time that it took is the time it needed to take to do it right. And, you know, Massive is fortunate [enough] to work with Ubisoft, that I’ve been with for 15 years, and they really believe in quality and pushing this kind of content. So, having this time to do things right is an issue because it costs money, but it’s a worthwhile investment.”

The recent closed beta for The Division has many encouraged that the game will execute on its lofty ambitions, but there are still several elements of the final product that remain to be seen in action. That said, the title appears to be doing quite well thus far, and many fans will be following closely to see if the numerous delays have ended up being worth it.

Are you looking forward to Tom Clancy’s The Division ? Do you think the delays will end up being worth it? Get at us in the comments.

How The Division Is Separating Itself from Destiny

We chatted with Julian Gerighty, the associate creative director for The Division , about similarities being drawn between the game and the blockbuster Destiny .

Now that Ubisoft’s The Division is firmly on the horizon – and the recent closed beta only just shuttering this past week– gamers have started getting excited for the third-person shooter. Taking place in New York City following the outbreak of a biological terrorist attack, the game looks to blend its post-apocalpytpic aesthetic quite well with its multiplayer core. Of course, the multiplayer aspect of the title has already drawn comparisons from players about similarities to Bungie’s popular first-person shooter,.

With a focus on squads, boss battles, and loot mechanics, it was inevitable that gamers from all walks would note some similarities between the two titles. Fortunately, during a recent trip to New York City, I was given the opportunity to speak with the associate creative director on, Julian Gerighty, about what he thought of the dots gamers were connecting between his project and Destiny . Evidently, he sees quite a few things that separate the two.

GR: There have been a lot of parallels drawn between The Division and Destiny . What do you think about that?

“It’s hard for me to talk about Destiny, obviously, but thinking about the qualities of The Division: contemporary; virus-ridden real-world city; open-world game. There are a lot of differences that make it stand out, so I think it’s a modern game in the way that it’s a very co-operative focussed experience. Progression is extremely important. So I would say that they are both very modern and different games.”

It’s evident in these comments that Gerighty sees a lot of difference located primarily in the setting and narrative of The Division , and he makes mention of the open-world aspect of the game as well. Still, the loot-gathering premise of Ubisoft’s newest IP does seem to share similarities, although that’s far from a bad thing. In fact, if the community takes to the new title’s grinding premise then it could be one of its largest strengths – which would be great for the French developer given the recent backlash Bungie has faced from its community.

Of course, as one of the biggest games in recent memory to build its entire premise on shooting and looting, comparisons were sure to be made between the pair. Fortunately, based on my hands-on time with the title leading up to and after the interview (as well our own thoughts on the closed beta), it’s safe to say that they are two very different beasts.

The Division will arrive for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on March 8, 2016.

E3 2015: ‘The Division’ Release Date & Dark Zones Gameplay Revealed

Since it was first announced at E3 a couple years ago, Ubisoft has touted Tom Clancy’s The Division as an open-world action RPG that encourages teamplay among friends and strangers.

as an open-world action RPG that encourages teamplay among friends and strangers. The ambitious game looks to reshape the way gamers think about RPGs by providing an immersive, challenging experience.

Now, two years later, Ubisoft is still providing new details about, and how gamers will engage both with and against each other in the post-apocalyptic world. During their E3 conferencetoday, Ubisoft showed off some gameplay of The Division ‘s Dark Zones.

Dark Zonesare specialized PvP areas where players work alone or in teams, seeking out unique loot, while fighting off NPCs and fellow players. As the gameplay video showed, the Dark zones open the door for friends and strangers to work together in a coordinated effort, or go on the offensive and take each other down in an effort to horde the available loot. And yes, that even means backstabbing friends who have helped obtain that loot.

The Dark Zones in The Division are an interesting addition by Ubisoft, and one that will likely be a successful  for the game. Rather than simply sending players into team deathmatch arenas, or capture the flag games, The Division ‘s Dark Zones provide a unique PvP experience that works seamlessly with the game’s campaign.

With The Division not slated to come out for another nine months, Ubisoft will surely be releasing additional details about the game and beta in the coming weeks and months. It’ll be interesting to see what other new features are added and revealed prior to the game’s release in March.

What did you think about The Division ‘s Dark Zones gameplay during Ubisoft’s presentation? Are the Dark Zones a positive addition for the game, or would you rather see a more traditional PvP arena? Sound off your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is set to release on March 8, 2015 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Source: YouTube

New The Division Trailer Highlights the Story & Agent’s Journey

A new trailer for Tom Clancy’s The Division highlights an overarching story for the game while showing off a number of new environments like player safe houses and gameplay footage.

With the release date forfinally nearing after multiple delays, the marketing machine at Ubisoft has begun to get in gear. And this week, the developer has dropped a brand new trailer featuring some teases of the story as well as gameplay. New environments like player safe houses, underground subway lines, and the Brooklyn Bridge are prominently shown in addition to another glimpse at the player versus player oriented Dark Zone.

As the trailer begins, a narrator speaks over the gameplay, offering insights into the origins of your character and their decision to join The Division . As the trailer progresses, the narrator reveals that it’s up to the player how the city is rebuilt, showing the Joint Task Force central hub first in disrepair before it is slowly upgraded over time.

Upgrades to the hub will be influenced by the player’s actions, which include story based missions, side missions, and completing bounties. These bounties pit the player against a boss style character, like the gang member known as ‘Iceman’ in the trailer.

A lot of new game footage is also shown, including what appears to be cut scenes depicting a mob attacking a police vehicle, characters being executed, and new characters joining the cause and helping in any way they can. The trailer also shows off a lot of the central base of operations, and how the base continues to grow and upgradebased on the player completing missions surround the three major departments: security, medical, and technology.

The more missions the player finishes for each department, the more it grows and offers new gear and abilities to the character. At one point in the video, a Canine Unit is shown in what appears to be the upgraded security wing.

For guaranteed access, players are encouraged to pre-order the game or they can gain access by picking up the Tom Clancy bundle on the Humble Bundlewebsite. As of now, Ubisoft has not detailed any alternative ways of getting into the beta.

Does the trailer get you excited for the game or do you need a few more pieces of information to hit before you climb aboard the hype train? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below.

Tom Clancy’s The Division launches on March 8 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

Source: YouTube

Titanfall 2 Toys Coming In Winter 2016

After developing toys for Halo and Five Nights At Freddy’s , McFarlane Toys have partnered up with Respawn Entertainment to release a line of action figures inspired by Titanfall 2.

After the critical and commercial success of Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall , EA had enough confidence in the franchise to greenlight Titanfall 2 . While much about the game is still unknown, that is expected to change following today’s announcement of an upcoming partnership between McFarlane Toys and Respawn.

A line ofinspired action figures will be released in Winter of 2016 and will provide fans a glimpse of what to expect from the upcoming game. Other than a couple of brief descriptions and the release window for the action figure line, details relating to Titanfall 2 and its estimated release window were not revealed.

This isn’t the first time McFarlane Toys have produced action figures as a video game tie-in. The company partnered up with Microsoft and 343 Industries to produce a line of Halo 4 action figuresbefore that game’s release. And just recently, McFarlane Toys announced a partnership with Scottgames to make a series of toy construction sets based on

As for Titanfall 2, a number of details have emerged since EA announced the title in early 2015. After some criticism was leveled at Titanfall ‘s lack of a single-player mode, Respawn have responded by confirming that Titanfall 2 will have a full-fledged single-player campaign . With a Respawn team populated by many developers worked at Infinity Ward during the heyday of Call of Duty 4 and Modern Warfare 2 , the ingredients are there for Titanfall 2’s single-player campaign to be something special.

Moreover, gamers who felt shafted over the Xbox-exclusivity of the first Titanfall will also be pleased to know that will be coming to a myriad of platforms. The deal with Microsoft for Titanfall ‘s exclusivity was smart for the Xbox One’s appeal in its launch window, but it’s hard not to imagine how popular the game would have been if it was also on PS4. We’ll apparently find out some time this year.

Either way, wth the upcoming action figure line, the spin-off, Titanfall 2 currently in the pipeline, and a Titanfall TV series in development, it is going to be an exciting upcoming few months for every Titanfall fan.

Titanfall 2 is currently under development for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. No release date has been set for the title just yet.

Source: Polygon, Gamespot

Fallout Shelter’ Mobile Game Now Available

‘Fallout Shelter’ Mobile Game Now Available
The Bethesda E3 presentation was full of exciting announcements.

was full of exciting announcements. Gamers got tons of details about, a first look at DOOM’s gameplay, and a cinematic trailer for Dishonored 2 . In addition to all of that console and PC action, Bethesda also surprised gamers with a plan to jump into the mobile market. The Fallout series will see a spin-off installment on the mobile market in Fallout Shelter .

Inspired by game’s like SimCity and XCOM ,puts the Fallout world in gamers’ pockets. The truly free-to-play mobile game allows users to create and manage their own Vault during nuclear fallout. The game is available now on the Apple Store and doesn’t require an internet connection to play.

The mobile game allows players to build different rooms, manage stats, and keep their Vault residents happy. Just like the standard installments in the Fallout franchise, this mobile experience looks incredibly addictive. Fallout 4 will have some entertaining mini-games within the AAA experience, but it’s exciting to know that there will be a Fallout adventure available even when gamers are away from their consoles.

Take a look at some screenshots from the newly-released Fallout Shelter …

As gamers might expect from a community management game, Fallout Shelter players will be able to customize their Vault residents’ outfits, items, and even love lives. The player can build classrooms to raise the intelligence of their community or something like a bar to raise charisma.

What do you think of Fallout Shelter ? Will you be downloading the app tonight? Let us know in the comments.

Check back throughout the week for more of our live E3 2015 coverage.

Fallout Shelter is available now, free of charge, on iOS. The game will be available on Android devices some time in the future.

Tom Clancy’s The Division’ Gameplay Preview

‘Tom Clancy’s The Division’ Gameplay Preview
The Division imagines a future where the human population has been depleted by a rapidly spreading virus.

imagines a future where the human population has been depleted by a rapidly spreading virus. Some unknown entity releases the virus onto the population by contaminating a small amount of currency and distributing it during Black Friday – mankind’s reliance on money does the rest.

The eponymous Division is a classified group brought in under Directive 51 to keep the US population safe while it struggles to recover from this massive pandemic. The player, along with thousands of other players online, will work to achieve specific objectives in rundown, almost post-apocalyptic New York.

The most striking thing about The Division , aside from its unique story conceit, is its visuals. It should go without saying that The Division is a next-gen game – most likely on Xbox One, PS4, and PC – and it certainly looks the part. Dynamic lighting and procedural destruction were among the game’s chief highlights. For example, bullets were ripping through car windshields in a very realistic fashion, leaving familiar-looking bullet holes behind.

At its core, however, The Division is still a third person, cover-based shooter. It may sport the visuals and destruction of a next-gen game, but players will still be popping up from behind cover and shooting at enemies. The game does structure missions into an open-world context, though, with players acquiring new points of interest by scanning maps tacked to walls.

Aside from very familiar gunplay, there was a brief moment where the player character emitted a large sonic blast, knocking an enemy backwards, but the action came and went without any explanation. There’s also a distinctly high-tech design to the HUD and various visual elements (waypoint indicators, street overlays, etc.) that looks cool, but needs further clarification. With this being a classified government outfit, it seems likely that the tech comes from sophisticated government programs, but we’ll wait to deliver full details when Ubisoft provides them.

What makes The Division ’s experience unique is its companion app, which lets players interact with each other while offline. With the app, players can take control of a drone hovering above a team of players, providing assistance whenever needed. The drone can buff friendly players – healing them or increasing their bullet resistance – or debuff enemy players by weakening their armor or sending missiles their way.

It’s evident from games like Watch_Dogs , The Crew , and now The Division that Ubisoft is pushing forward an initiative that puts companion apps as a main pillar of the experience. Obviously, the drone gameplay experience is something players can ignore altogether if they wanted to, but it seemed like a fun time-killer with some important in-game impacts.

Much like with our limited preview of Watch_Dogs last year, there isn’t much we can say about The Division , and even less we can say with certainty. Ubisoft Massive evidently wants to create a specific world state, generate interactive experiences for the player, and see what happens, but how that will inevitably work and in what context is still a mystery.

But from a visual standpoint the game looks phenomenal and has some unique multiplayer trappings. For a brief teaser as to what The Division is all about, make sure to check out the game’s first trailer below:

What do you think of The Division ? Does it sound like a new IP you would be interested in seeing become a franchise?

Tom Clancy’s The Division is targeting a 2014 release date on the Xbox One and PS4. No confirmations regarding the PC.
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The Division: 5 Reasons to Be Excited

Tom Clancy’s The Division is right around the corner, and here are five reasons that gamers should be excited to explore virus-ridden NYC in the game next month.

Even though Tom Clancy’s The Division is still a month out from release, the game has already proven to be divisive in the gaming community. There are those that are hailing it as the next big online multiplayer shooter, while others have doubts, with some unfavorably comparing it to Destiny .

After having spent extensive time with the beta for, it’s clear that the game is doing its own thing, and comparisons to existing shooters, like Destiny , are mostly unfounded. However, this means that it’s harder to predict if The Division will resonate with fans of Destiny and other popular shooters.

For shooter fans on the fence about whether or not The Division should be a game worth keeping on their radar, here are five reasons why it may just meet meet or exceed expectations.

1. Dark Zone Offers Unique Gameplay Opportunities

One of the most advertised gameplay features in The Division is the Dark Zone. This PvP area reportedly features some of the game’s best loot, but comes with its own dangers, mainly in the form of other players.

While in the Dark Zone, fellow players are able to steal loot and kill each other, which results in tense situations where one can’t be sure who outside of their own teammates to trust. This, in turn, creates an interesting dynamic where some players work together and others are just out to steal and kill, and it’s something that’s rarely explored in multiplayer games. Let’s just hope Ubisoft irons out the Dark Zone exploitsdiscovered during the beta ahead of the game’s launch.

2. Intriguing Premise

The Division ‘s storyis one of the game’s main draws. The game is set in New York, following the spread of a virus that ran rampant during the peak shopping hours of Black Friday. As agents, players are meant to gain control of the situation, saving civilians while dealing with the roving gangs of violent looters that run amok.

The Division ‘s betaoffered a small glimpse into what the game’s story will be like, and it seems as though it will be an interesting ride. The story missions themselves were entertaining and well-designed, so hopefully The Division keeps up that level of mission quality throughout the game.

3. Large World with Plenty of Depth

No, The Division ‘s map isn’t as big as Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto 5 , but it still offers a relatively large open world nevertheless. Some would argue that The Division ‘s map makes up for its lack of size with its depth, as it features a number of buildings that players are able to explore at their leisure, along with extensive underground subway systems.

4. Rewarding Loot System

Anyone that played The Division ‘s beta knows that loot collecting will be a major part of the experience come launch. Loot in The Division includes a variety of weapons as well as interesting cosmetic options, which should help each agent roaming New York City feel distinct from one another. Ubisoft is counting on this loot system to hook players long after the game’s story wraps up, and considering how fun it was in the beta, it seems safe to assume the loot collecting will be even better in the full game.

5. Seamless and Simple Online Multiplayer Experience

With most online titles bogged down by constant load screens, realizing that there are no virtually no load screens in The Division after the initial startup felt like a breath of fresh air. The Division ‘s lack of load screens along with it allowing players to form groups with friends almost instantaneously helps players get into the action as quickly as possible, making it one of the most seamless and simple online experiences in recent years.

There’s been a mixed reaction to The Division after the game’s beta. Some are expecting the game to flop, while others feel as though it could potentially be one of the biggest hits of the year. Hype has been surrounding The Division ever since its E3 2013 reveal trailer, and while the beta gave everyone a taste of what to expect, we will soon find out definitively if the full version of The Division lives up to that hype. In the meantime, the features listed here give us hope that it will do just that.

Did you play The Division beta? Are you expecting the game to be a success, or do you think it will fail? Do you plan on picking it up next month? Sound off in the comments below and leave us your thoughts on Tom Clancy’s The Division .

Tom Clancy’s The Division will be available on March 8th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Currently No Plans for Premium ‘Super Smash Bros.’ DLC

It won’t be long now until fans can jump into the latest Super Smash Bros.

game on the Wii U, and there’s little debate that the game is poised to be a big system-seller for Nintendo as the company enters the Holiday season. Since the title is set to be a smash hit for the Big N, pun intended, across both the 3DS and Wii U, the games seem like obvious candidates to receive downloadable paid content. Sadly, that is currently not the case.

Despite official plans to offer the fan-favorite Mewtwo as free DLC for those that own both versions of the latest Super Smash Bros. games, it seems that Nintendo is still unsure of whether or not it’s worth creating more add-ons for the pair of fighters.

During a recent interview with Videogamer , the creator of the all-star, mascot-filled fighting series (Masahiro Sakurai) claimed that he doesn’t want consumers to think that any content was cut in order to be sold at a later date. He also confirmed that, at least at this point in time, no DLC beyond the aforementioned Mewtwo is being worked on for the titles.

“I understand that DLC could add a lot to the appeal of Smash Bros., and I appreciate that a major part of the excitement for these games come from which characters will appear in the roster, so I think fans could really enjoy DLC that could keep this excitement going. However, I think there might be criticism that we are cutting up content to sell characters one by one, or that we are adding things later that should have been there from the start.”

“Creating a single fighter involves a huge investment, and we’ve already been giving it our all and investing a lot of work in the characters currently available in the game, and I think it’s an incredible package in terms of the sheer amount of content in the game. But it might be that people may not understand and may think that I am not offering enough by just looking at DLC itself.”

Mewtwo is the only confirmed DLC combatant right now, but will that change?

Taking all of this into consideration, Sakurai still refused to rule out the possibility of DLC in the future. He believes that the team needs to properly weigh the pros and cons of releasing additional playable characters and stages for money. More importantly, however, the effort needs to bear fruit for Nintendo in order to make the expense of developing more content worth it.

“In light of this, we always need to weigh up both sides of this topic and carefully consider whether it really is best to have DLC or not. However, what I can say now about paid DLC is that we aren’t working on anything at the moment. We’ve put all our efforts into making the actual game. Creating DLC would involve large additional costs and require the involvement of a lot of people. I can’t yet give you an answer about whether the price would justify the costs and criticisms mentioned above.”

So, if there is additional content, who would Masahiro Sakurai like to add? According to the famed producer, “for the amount of effort involved, I would actually prefer to add another roster character. As it takes a lot of work to add a character to the game, it’s not a decision that can be taken lightly.” It’s not defined what a “roster character” is precisely, but it sounds as if a non-clone combatant is likely what Sakurai is implying.

Perhaps the Ice Climbers will make their return, as the mountain-climbing duo was originally planned to return to the fray (and was even running in the Wii U version), but had to be cut as a result of the technical limitations of the Nintendo 3DS. At this point, however, it’s hard to say which axed fighters or newcomers could get called up to the main roster down the road.

Are you hoping for additional DLC to arrive for the new Super Smash Bros. games? What other playable characters to you want to show up? Get at us in the comments!

Super Smash Bros. is currently available on the Nintendo 3DS, while the Wii U version is set to arrive on November 21, 2014.

Follow Riley on Twitter @ TheRileyLittlefor more news on Super Smash Bros. , as well as everything else in gaming.

Source: Videogamer

Pokken Tournament Coming to Wii U Next Spring

When Pokken Tournament was announced in August of last year, the news was a surprise for many.

was announced in August of last year, the news was a surprise for many. Nintendo had initially teased that there was a ‘major’ Pokemon announcementincoming, but very few were expecting the reveal to be that of a Bandai Namco-developed Pokemon fighting game. Fans of the series were given an initial release trailershowcasing a battle between Lucario and Machamp, along with a promise of an appearance in Japanese arcades.

Since then, those looking forward to morenews have been drip-fed information about the project, with a promise that the title would play differently from Tekken in spite of the developer’s history with fighting games. Meanwhile, it was revealed that Dave & Busters would be receiving a number of Pokken Tournament arcade machines in selected US locations– yet there was no still no news of a console release of the game.

Now, Pokemon fans awaiting news of just when the title would see a home release have had their question answered. The Pokemon Company has now revealed that Pokken Tournament is going be released worldwide in Spring 2016. The news was revealed during the 2015 Pokemon World Champions, which are currently taking place in Boston, before an official release trailer appeared on.

The special Pikachu joins a strong list of fan favorite Pokemon, with the likes of Charizard, Weavile, and Gengarjoining the roster in recent months. With a choice of characters also including Gardevoir and even Blaziken, hopefully there will be a sufficient number of the over 700-strong Pokedex to keep fans happy. The pocket monsters on offer will also no doubt open up more amiibo opportunities for Nintendo, although the company is yet to confirm amiibo support for the title.

It remains to be seen just how successful the Wii U home release of the game will be, and what features the game will have. However, the Wii U is no stranger to third party releases of popular Nintendo franchises, with a strong recent example being that of Hyrule Warriors . The Tecmo-Koei title has been a commercial hitand has developed a strong fanbase amongst the Wii U community. If Pokken Tournament can emulate or improve upon that success, Nintendo may have hit upon another strong title to add to its console’s library.

Pokken Tournament will be released worldwide in Spring 2016, exclusively for the Wii U.