Section: Video Games

Disney registers Star Wars Attack Squadrons domains

Developer Electronic Arts also picks up related domain names, suggesting title for new game has been revealed.

 

Disney's LucasFilm division recently registered a slew of new domain names related to a mystery project called Star Wars Attack Squadrons. Some of the names include StarWarsAttackSquadrons.com, AttackSquadrons.com, and StarWarsSquads.org.

It's not clear right now if Attack Squadrons is the name of a new film, game, both, or something else entirely. But as Fusible points out, Electronic Arts currently owns the domain names AttackSquadron.com and AttackSquadron.net, suggesting the company is involved in the project.

In early May, Disney and EA signed a multiyear agreement that gave the Battlefield publisher the exclusive rights to games for the Star Wars franchise. The first title out of the partnership, a next-generation Battlefront game, was revealed during E3 2013 last month.

That game is in development in Sweden at DICE. Dead Space developer Visceral Games is also working on an all-new Star Wars game, though no details on this project have been announced.

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"Disney registers Star Wars Attack Squadrons domains" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 05:55:41 -0700
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PS4 friends list limit double that of Xbox One

Sony's new console will let players have 2,000 virtual friends, while Microsoft will support 1,000; PS4 party chat confirmed.

 

The PlayStation 4 friends list limit will be double that of the Xbox One, Sony has confirmed in a new PlayStation Access video today.

A Sony representative confirmed that the PS4 will allow players to have up to 2,000 friends, while the Xbox One will support 1,000 friends.

Currently, the maximum number of friends a PlayStation 3 user can have through the system is 100, the same figure for the Xbox 360.

Elsewhere in the video, Sony confirmed that the PS4 will support party chat, though this functionality was not detailed at any length.

In addition, it was confirmed that the PS4 will be available in jet black at launch, support 3D games, and allow players to carry over their PlayStation Network IDs and avatars.

The PS4 will launch globally later in 2013 for $399/€399/£349.

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"PS4 friends list limit double that of Xbox One" was posted by Eddie Makuch on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 05:16:48 -0700
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Sony confirms PlayStation 4 developers can use flexible memory

Sony confirms earlier report that PlayStation 4 will feature "flexible" memory for developers, but does not clarify further specifics.

 

PlayStation 4 developers will be able to use a mix of direct and flexible memory for making games, Sony has confirmed.

A report last week said that the PlayStation 4 would reserve 3.5GB of its 8GB of GDDR3 RAM for the OS--leaving 4.5GB to developers--with another 1GB of "flexible" memory potentially available for developers from the operating system's share.

Sony's statement, issued to Digital Foundry, said that "we would like to clear up a misunderstanding regarding our 'direct' and 'flexible' memory systems."

"The article states that 'flexible' memory is borrowed from the OS and must be returned when requested--that's not actually the case."

According to Sony, "'Direct Memory' is memory allocated under the traditional video game model, so the game controls all aspects of its allocation," whereas "'Flexible Memory' is memory managed by the PS4 OS on the game's behalf, and allows games to use some very nice FreeBSD virtual memory functionality."

"However this memory is 100 per cent the game's memory, and is never used by the OS, and as it is the game's memory it should be easy for every developer to use it," added Sony.

The developer would not confirm whether the PlayStation 4 would indeed use 3.5GB of its memory for the operating system, or what functions any allocation of memory would be used for.

Sony will launch the PlayStation 4 this year for $399/€399/£349.

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"Sony confirms PlayStation 4 developers can use flexible memory" was posted by Martin Gaston on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 03:51:19 -0700
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UK Chart: Minecraft blocks Pikmin 3 from No. 1

Nintendo's Pikmin 3 debuts in second place in the UK charts, behind a resurgent Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition.

 

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has denied the Wii U its first taste of the top of the UK charts, with a 74 per cent jump in sales securing it the lead over Pikmin 3.

Nintendo's GameCube predecessor, Pikmin 2, debuted at 32 in the UK chart back in 2004.

Another new release on the Wii U, the disc-based edition of New Super Luigi U, debuted in the chart at 13. The game had previously been made available digitally on the Wii U eShop.

The Last of Us slips to third, ending its unbroken six-week run at the top of the charts.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros are in fourth and fifth, with FIFA 13 in sixth.

Far Cry 3 is seventh, Skyrim eighth, and Tomb Raider ninth. Lego Batman 2 rounds out the top 10.

The top 20 UK chart for the week ending July 27:

1. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
2. Pikmin 3
3. The Last of Us
4. Animal Crossing: New Leaf
5. Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Bros.
6. FIFA 13
7. Far Cry 3
8. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Legendary Edition
9. Tomb Raider
10. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
11. Assassin's Creed III
12. Grand Theft Auto IV
13. New Super Luigi U
14. Max Payne 3
15. Lego The Lord of the Rings
16. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
17. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
18. Dynasty Warriors 8
19. Battlefield 3
20. Need for Speed: Most Wanted

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"UK Chart: Minecraft blocks Pikmin 3 from No. 1" was posted by Martin Gaston on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 02:27:18 -0700
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Aliens: Colonial Marines was “kind of passionless” – actor Michael Biehn

Actor preferred his role in Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon because of creative director's "interesting and creative presence."

 

The highly panned Aliens: Colonial Marines struck Terminator and Aliens actor Michael Biehn as "kind of passionless" when he reprised his role as Corporal Hicks in the game, according to a Game Informer interview.

"I think in movies, television, and the gaming world, you get some people that are really, really passionate, and some people that are just going through the paces. [Sega and Gearbox Software] think that because they have a brand name they're going to get a hit game or hit movie out of it. That certainly was the situation on [Aliens: Colonial Marines]," he said.

The actor compared his role on A:CM with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon in the piece. He described his work on the latter with the game's creative director, Dean Evans, as a great experience thanks to Evans' "interesting and creative presence."

"Dean is such an interesting and creative presence. He was talking to me about the game and the fact that it was an '80s throwback, and there would be a lot of lines that were Arnold Schwarzenegger-like, that were [Sylvester] Stallone-like, Bruce Willis, myself. Those kind of lines, that kind of vibe, and the fact that it was going to be a throwback to the '80s was something that I thought was interesting. But really it was his passion, man."

Aliens: Colonial Marines was heavily criticized for its campaign mode, dated visuals, and in-game bugs. A lawsuit was recently filed against Gearbox Software and Sega, accusing the companies of misrepresenting the game to consumers with false advertising.

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"Aliens: Colonial Marines was "kind of passionless" - actor Michael Biehn " was posted by Jonathan Toyad on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 01:48:58 -0700
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Extra quiz section omitted from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies DLC

Capcom says that extra section omitted due to in-depth knowledge of Japanese culture required for the quiz.

 

While Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies and its Turnabout Return DLC will be arriving in North America and Europe later this year, the game's extra quiz DLC will not.

According to an official post on the Capcom Unity site, Capcom senior community manager Chris Antista said that this is because the three-part deduction quiz "requires an in-depth knowledge of Japanese culture." Beyond that, everything else in the Turnabout Return DLC will be intact.

PW:AA - Dual Destinies will be out in North America and Europe later this year exclusively on Nintendo's eShop. The game is out now in Japan.

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"Extra quiz section omitted from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies DLC" was posted by Jonathan Toyad on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 01:41:54 -0700
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Kingdom Hearts 3 will end story arc, but not overall series

Game director Tetsuya Nomura says that upcoming sequel's gameplay will take inspiration from Kingdom Hearts 3D.

 

Square Enix game director Tetsuya Nomura has said in an LA Times interview that the current Kingdom Hearts story arc will end with Kingdom Hearts 3.

However, the franchise will continue after the release of the third game. Nomura explained that Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't part of a "trilogy," but added that story elements that were introduced in 2002 will be wrapped up and come to a close.

"There was never a plan [at first]. As a core game, this is finally the third, and 10 years have passed. I couldn't call this a trilogy. There have been so many spinoffs. In Kingdom Hearts 3, the battles that the characters have been fighting for the past 10 years will come to a conclusion. But the series will continue. Only the particular enemy they have been fighting the past 10 years will come to an end," he said.

Nomura hinted that Kingdom Hearts 3 will head in the direction of Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance from a gameplay perspective. The game's combat system was an early guide for the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One action role-playing game.

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"Kingdom Hearts 3 will end story arc, but not overall series" was posted by Jonathan Toyad on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 01:38:45 -0700
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Street Fighter producer does not want main series to stop at IV

"I don't want to stop Street Fighter's main numbered series at IV," series producer Yoshinori Ono says.

 

Street Fighter series producer Yoshinori Ono has made it clear he does not want the main Street Fighter series to end at number IV.

An interview with 4gamer (translated by Siliconera) quotes the Street Fighter series veteran as stating, "Personally, I don…t want to stop Street Fighter…s main numbered series at IV,"

"Realistically speaking, developing a title for next-gen consoles requires a huge amount of staff members, and a large sum of money. The issue of money also applies to everyone else, as it…ll be required to invest in a new console, game, and arcade stick." Ono said.

The issue of money has been brought up in the past, when Ono tweeted that he had no budget for a Street Fighter V on next generation consoles.

"I don't have R&D budget and staff," He said in response to a fan who asked if he was secretly working on Street Fighter V for next-gen. He further explained that his team is now focused entirely on Ultra Street Fighter IV, which was announced at EVO this year.

Ultra Street Fighter IV is in development for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC with no plans to bring the updated game to next-generation consoles. The game includes five new characters, six fresh stages, and a host of gameplay tweaks. For more information, check out GameSpot's interview with Capcom about the pack.

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"Street Fighter producer does not want main series to stop at IV" was posted by Zorine Te on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 00:43:03 -0700
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Saints Row IV ban upheld in Australia

Appeal for reclassification of original, unedited version of game rejected by Classification Review Board; edited version still under review.

 

When Saints Row IV was initially banned in Australia last month, there was still some hope that an unedited version of the game would eventually make it out Down Under following an appeal by publisher Koch Media. But that hope has now been squashed, with the Classification Review Board today unanimously upholding the Refused Classification tag for Saints Row IV, meaning it will be illegal to sell the game in Australia.

The game was initially refused classification due to implied sexual violence (specifically pertaining to Saints Row IV's alien anal probe weapon) and the use of illicit drugs referred to as "alien narcotics."

The Review Board convened this week in response to an application from Koch to reconsider the Classification Board's original decision. And while it seems that the Review Board considers the alien anal probe weapon as allowable under Australia's R18+ classification, the drug use remained problematic. While a full report of the appeal has yet to be released, a statement from the review board has outlined that Saints Row IV "could not be accommodated within the Australian R18+ classification as drug use related to incentives and rewards is not permitted."

In the original Classification Board report, the issue with drug use stemmed around an optional mission where players needed to obtain and smoke the alien narcotic drugs.

"Smoking the 'alien narcotics' equips the player with 'superpowers,' which increase their in-game abilities, allowing them to progress through the mission more easily. During the mission, onscreen prompts guide the player to 'Go to deal location' and 'Get drugs,'" the report stated.

"In the board's opinion, there is insufficient delineation between the 'alien narcotic' available in the game and real-world proscribed drugs. The board notes that the label 'narcotics' is commonly assigned to describe a class of real-world drugs that include such proscribed substances as cocaine and heroin“this game therefore contains drug use related to incentives and rewards, and should be refused classification."

Despite today's news, there is still a chance Aussies will get to play Saints Row IV, albeit a slightly different version than the rest of the world will receive. An Australian spokesperson for Koch has confirmed to GameSpot that an edited version of Saints Row IV has been submitted to Australian censors for classification, although there's no indication when a decision about the edited version will be made.

GameSpot will update this story as more details emerge.

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"Saints Row IV ban upheld in Australia" was posted by Randolph Ramsay on Mon, 29 Jul 2013 00:40:21 -0700
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Xbox 360 developers able to self-publish this August – Report

Microsoft reportedly reversing its publishing stance for 360 games on the Xbox Live Arcade; new system coming into effect in August.

 

Independent game developers will soon be able to publish Xbox Live Arcade games on the Xbox 360 without the need for a third-party publisher, Polygon has reported.

According to Polygon, developer FarSight Studios made the announcement in a newsletter, stating, "Microsoft has just announced that indie developers (like FarSight) can now self-publish on Xbox Live Arcade instead of being required to find publishers for their games."

FarSight Studios reportedly stated that the ability for developers to self-publish on the Xbox Live Arcade for the 360 will be available from August this year.

The independent game developer released The Pinball Arcade for the Xbox Live Arcade in April last year, which was published by Crave Entertainment. Microsoft withdrew The Pinball Arcade from the Xbox Live Arcade when Crave Entertainment shut down business in 2012.

Microsoft recently confirmed the ability for independent developers to self-publish on the next-generation Xbox One console, effectively reversing its original policy. More details about the program will be shared at Gamescom next month.

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"Xbox 360 developers able to self-publish this August - Report" was posted by Zorine Te on Sun, 28 Jul 2013 22:52:45 -0700
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