Blackhats Clan

Guild Wars 2 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting releases of the year. We took a good look at it in the recent beta, and can say it’s coming along quite nicely. We tried to answer as many of your Guild Wars 2 questions as we could, but you’re bound to have more. There’s only one way to answer them all, and that’s to play it. Here’s your chance.

The Guild Wars 2 beta sign up page is now live. It’ll only be open for the next 48 hours, so you’ll want to get in there ASAP to throw your name in the hat. Head over to the Guild Wars 2 beta-sign up page now to apply. Good luck!

A couple of weeks ago a Mass Effect 3 DLC pack called “From Dust” was spotted in a Gamestop store, suggesting that there’s a bit of day one DLC on the way. Bioware have popped onto their forums to confirm that this is indeed the case after another advert appeared on Xbox Live, but the DLC will instead be called “From Ashes.” Owners of the N7 Collector’s Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition will get the DLC for free.

The Xbox Live Marketplace listing also contained a bit of info about what the DLC will contain, but it’s quite spoilery, so I’ve quarantined it beneath the indomitable red ‘Read and Comment’ line below. If you’re avoiding spoilers like the genophage then stay up here where it’s warm and safe.

From Ashes will apparently contain a Prothean team mate. This ancient race is supposed to be entirely extinct, but somehow, at least one has survived. VG247 highlight a number of Prothean lines that one fan managed to find hidden away in the files of the recently released Mass Effect 3 demo.

The developers at Re-Logic have decided wrap up their work on Terraria and move onto other projects. Developer, Redigit broke the news to fans on the Terraria blog, saying that he wants to spend his time off “recharging and bettering myself as both a programmer and game designer.”

“I have learned a lot from working on Terraria and plan on using what I’ve learned, building upon it, and moving forward with another, even better project,” he says. He’s also about to have a baby, which tends to get in the way of coding. And sleep. The other member of Re-Logic, Finn “Tiy” Brice has already moved elsewhere to work on Starbound.

Sad news for Terraria fans, but it’s had a great run. Terraria was promising on release, but grew enormously with major updates after launch. One patch made it 150% more difficult, another one at Christmas added evil snowmen and many more added new monsters, biomes and spectacular weapons. At £6 / $10, it’s probably one of the best value games on Steam right now. If you like the idea of exploring the tunnels of a huge, randomly generated world, finding “megashark” machine guns and taking on giant evil eyeballs, you should check it out.

Polytron reveals multidimensional indie game submitted to Microsoft for certification before launch on Xbox Live.

It has been a long road to release, but Polytron's multidimensional platformer Fez is now one step closer to launching on the Xbox 360.

It's time for Microsoft to give a tip o' the hat to Fez.

A tweet from Polytron reveals that Fez has been submitted to Microsoft for certification, one of the last steps required before the game can be released.

When Fez was first announced in 2009, Polytron expected the title to be out in 2010. It missed that date, and was later rescheduled to a release in early 2012.

Fez has been nominated for two Independent Game Festival awards, including Technical Excellence and the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. The 2012 Independent Games Festival takes place March 5-9 in San Francisco as part of the annual Game Developers Conference.

A featured title in the documentary film Indie Game: The Movie, Fez is a platformer built entirely using Microsoft's XNA tools. It takes the form of a 2D platformer but adds a third dimension and the ability to rotate the gameworld around playable character Gomez. The game also has a unique retro 8-bit pixel art style, along with a suitably retro soundtrack.

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I’m not sure if humanity has yet invented a unit capable of measuring the kind of manic, gun-loving hysteria exploding out of every frame of the new Borderlands 2 trailer on RPS. It’s possible that language alone can’t contain this amount of concentrated wub wub in one place, which explains the appearance of words like “bazilliondier” and expressions like “get read to joy puke your face off.”

Between the beats there’s mention of a September 18 release date. That’s for the US, the Borderlands 2 site says that it’ll be released internationally on September 21. If the concentrated, brilliant mind-bludgeoning above has rewired your brain into a state in which you must buy Borderlands 2 now or explode, there are various pre-order options advertised on the Borderlands 2 site. A refined, expanded version of the first game would do very nicely indeed.

2K Games details preorder bonuses for Gearbox's latest post-apocalyptic shooter/RPG hybrid; new trailer inside.

Take-Two has had its fair share of problems getting games out the door, but it appears as if the Gearbox-developed Borderlands 2 won't have that problem. Today, 2K Games confirmed Borderlands 2 will arrive within its projected 2012 window, having scheduled the game on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC for September 18 in the United States, and September 21 in the UK.

Guns will, of course, factor heavily into Borderlands 2's preorder bonuses.

Along with debuting a new sizzle reel for the game (below), 2K Games also outlined Borderlands 2's preorder bonuses. In-game items are the theme of the preorder pack, with the publisher promising access to the Gearbox gunpack, which includes a handful of starter golden guns, as well as a golden key that can be used to unlock a special chest in the city of Sanctuary.

Lastly, the pack includes the Vault Hunter's Relic, which impacts gamers' loot-finding capabilities. Those interested in picking up the aforementioned bonuses with their preorders can do so through the game's official website or at certain retailers.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Borderlands 2.

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Good news, everyone! Starting this Friday, February 24 at 12 p.m. EST, Tribes: Ascend will leave closed beta and open its free-to-play doors to the greater public. The game won’t launch officially until later this year, but with F2P games, the difference between an open beta and a “launch” is debatable. Perhaps the beta comes with an asterisk acknowledging that bugs happen, things get nerfed, and there’s still polishing to do, but Ascend is already pretty shiny. It started strong, and developer Hi-Rez has made substantial improvements during the closed beta, which CEO Todd Harris says “exceeded expectations” with over 300,000 players.

Ascend currently features five maps, nine customizable classes, and three modes: Rabbit, a free-for-all mode which awards points to the flag carrier; Team Deathmatch, which awards double points to kills scored by the flag-holding team; and traditional Capture the Flag.

Temple Ruins, a firey new CTF map, will be introduced before the open beta update.

Before the game opens to all on Friday, a major update will add a new mode called Arena Deathmatch, which will include two maps specifically designed for it; a new CTF map, Temple Ruins; a new Team Deathmatch map, Inferno; two new Soldier class unlocks; as well as several interface changes, balance tweaks, and bug fixes. Existing players will retain all progress and unlocks, and Hi-Rez doesn’t plan for any character wipes.

If you’re not in the closed beta, the upcoming public release will cost you nothing but time to check out. Purchasing gold gives you immediate access to additional classes and weapons, but those can also be acquired with experience earned in-game, and upgrades like larger clips and reduced reload times can only be earned with XP, so lacking funds won’t put you at a serious disadvantage. (Those with the cash can speed things up by purchasing XP boosters, but even so, the game’s balanced well enough that upgrades or no upgrades, you’ll never be a helpless weakling.)

Being the camping jerk I am, my current go-to class is the pesky, sniping Sentinel. For me, nothing beats picking a skiing flag carrier out of the air, but the game accommodates a ton of play styles. Gavin, for example, takes a bulkier approach, as seen in the Juggernaut class video we put together a while back:

For more on Hi-Rez’s approach to the series, check out our interview with Executive Producer Todd Harris, which was recorded prior to November’s closed beta launch, and scroll down for more screenshots of the new additions. Oh, and check back later this week for a very relevant giveaway!

Lava Arena, an upcoming map for the new Arena Deathmatch gametype.

Air Arena, another Arena Deathmatch map.

Soldiers can look forward to two new class items: the Utility Pack and Proximity Grenade.

Combining fast-paced first-person shooting with a Diablo-like loot system and the deep character customization of a role-playing game, Gearbox's Borderlands was a surprisingly sophisticated modernization of Doom-era kill-everything-you-see mayhem, and one of 2009's most memorable titles. It got even...

It was just a normal day on the internet when suddenly, without warning, an exclamation mark appeared above my head and a loud alert noise played out of nowhere. Resisting a sudden urge to walk very slowly around the room looking for intruders, I headed straight here to post news that a new Metal Gear Solid game is in the works, and it’ll be coming to PC.

A Konami GDC job ad, spotted by Joystiq, mentions that Kojima Productions are looking for “project engineers for the latest Metal Gear Solid targeted for high-end consoles and PC.” The ad is also looking for engineers capable of developing “network gameplay functionality for online games,” which obviously implies a multiplayer component. Beyond that, there are few details, but if it’s anything like every other MGS game, it will be quite wonderfully mad.

Eve Online’s rookie ships are finally getting a makeover. The increasing intricacy of Eve’s ship design over the years has slowly left the tiny starting vessels behind, so it’s probably about time they received an update. You can examine the concept art for the redesigned rookie ships on the Eve Online dev blog. They look pretty swish, but it’s worth noting that the old ones didn’t look bad at all, apart from the Reaper, which looks like several satellites trying to mate.

You check out the dev diary above for a look at how CCP went about designing the new craft and read on to see the old and new designs side by side. If you’re interested in trying out Eve Online, you can sign up for the 14 day free trial and pilot the new vessels for yourself when they’re released.

The old Reaper. Spindly and weird.

The new, chunkier Reaper. He's been at the Kit Kats.

The boxy old Ibis.

The sleek, curvy new Ibis.

The old Impairor. Probably the best looking Eve starter ship.

The new Impairor. Still sexy.

The lumpy, organic old Velator.

The new Velator. Not quite as interesting to my eyes.

If you’re playing Skyrim and have an Nvidia card, you’ll definitely want to grab the latest driver update. The Nvidia site boasts of significant improvements to Skyrim framerates. Indoor scenes should run 45% faster and Skyrim’s grand outdoor vistas will see a 16% boost. The drivers also come with an improved version of the ambient occlusion effect added by the last set of drivers. This adds a subtle layer of extra shadowing and darken the deep cracks in Skyrim’s rocky landscapes, boosting their cragginess factor by about 14%.

Modern Warfare 3 gets the same ambient occlusion treatment, boosting war torn grittiness by 32%. Additional AO for the Diablo 3 beta applies a chunky 35.2% hike to lingering sense of dread levels and PhysX fixes improve Batman: Arkham City’s bat-punchiness with 10% extra Pow! 4% extra Zam! and a minor increase to overall levels of Biff! You can download it now from the Nvidia site, where they also have some fancy interactive screenshots that show off these Ambient Occlusion updates quite nicely.

Hideo Kojima unveils GDC job site for upcoming Metal Gear title; site displays Big Boss; Californian development studio on the horizon.

Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima today revealed the search is on to find new development talent for the next title in the popular franchise.

Kojima used Twitter to unveil a GDC job portal site with the title: "Big Boss Wants You; The 'Next' MGS."

Big Boss, reporting for duty.

The site advertises for programming, art, game design, sound, and production roles, highlighting the next Metal Gear Solid is "targeted for high-end consoles and PC" and will use the FOX Engine.

The site advertises for positions in two locations: Japan, and California, US. Kojima Productions producer Ken-ichiro Imaizumi tweeted that the company is planning to open a studio in California, "If we can find the right people."

Another part of the site links to an image of Big Boss, but reveals no further information.

Kojima has alluded to the next series in the franchise in the past, and rumors pinned Kojima's next project as powered by the FOX Engine, which was publicly shown for the first time during Konami's Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference last year.

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If I could demand one thing for free, it would be a five pound tub of licorice. If I could demand two things, it would be full access to a mystic realm of winged beings and a five pound tub of licorice. Aion: Ascension, the major update coming to Aion this spring, fulfills most of my desires with their newly announced F2P business model. Everything previously released and in patch 3.0 will be absolutely free for everyone. Yes, everything for free—well not my licorice, but those tubs of delicious red chewies aren’t really NCsoft’s to give away in the first place.

Aion’s truly free business model follows in the footsteps of DC Universe Online, giving you everything for free. The original game, both expansions, all raid and dungeon content, and pvp content will be available to everyone just for showing up. That’s like going to an amusement park with your friends and having the ticket clerk give you the keys instead of just a day pass. According to their website, “If you like the game, we’d appreciate a purchase from our store (game developers need to eat too!). If you don’t like the game, can’t pay, or don’t want to pay—no worries, it’s on us!” Sounds good to me.

This can o' whoopass: totally free.

As if this deal couldn’t get any sweeter, mmmm licorice, Aion is also including patch 3.0 in the mix for all players. The patch will add a new stylish mount system and player housing, which you can decorate and show off to your friends. You’ll also get two new zones, six new dungeons (including a 24-player raid), and the level cap will be raised to 60. We’ve played around with all of the new content and will have our hands-on impressions in the next issue of PC Gamer US (May 2012).

The Aion website has an interesting story driven trailer for the announcement and you can check out the Ascension page for more details on the update.

Guild Wars 2's skill system is not a simple one, but thankfully right from the beginning you can hop into a PvP lobby and play around with a level-capped character, testing out skills you might not have a chance to otherwise use for many hours of play through the main game. This PvP character is separate from the one you level through the storyline, and you use it to hop into Conquest battles, which revolve around capture point control...

If you've ever wanted to learn to make games, Code Hero might be your best chance...

Warning: This story may contain nuts, does contain spoilers...

Digital copy of BioWare's upcoming RPG to be available to players via PSN at launch; M55 Argus rifle included to those who take up the offer.

One of the biggest titles of the new year will be downloadable on the PlayStation 3 day-and-date with its retail launch.

According to Sony, Mass Effect 3 will be available digitally at launch to anyone who preorders the title via the PlayStation Network. Gamers will be able to do so from today on the PlayStation Store.

Mass Effect 3 to be available digitally on the PS3.

Sony also revealed anyone who preorders the digital version of the game will receive the M55 Argus rifle, a close-range weapon that uses bursts of fire to ensure ammunition conservation, as well as a special Mass Effect 3 PS3 theme, which will only be available for digital preorders.

Sony's offer will not be available after the launch of the game.

Developed by BioWare, Mass Effect 3 is the final entry in the Mass Effect 3 trilogy but not necessarily the last title set in the game's universe.

The game will be out on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on March 6. For more on Mass Effect 3, check out GameSpot's latest hands-on preview.

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What better way to break open today’s toughest campaign issues than the imminent threat of becoming demon food? The just-released President’s Day Surprise DLC for Dungeon Defenders unlocks four new skins, including President Obama and Mitt Romney, then sets you up to battle for points while avoiding a giant patriotic demon. Of course you’ll also be fighting your fellow players, and at some point Michelle Obama will probably use a machine gun to rain lead pain down on George Washington. If only every presidential debate was this entertaining.

The free DLC unlocks more than just democratic mayhem. Two new pets (a Democrat Donkey and Republican Elephant) and two new weapons are also added. Would-be dungeon debaters can pick up their boxing gloves via Steam.

NCsoft reveals free-to-play overhaul of MMOG arriving in the coming months as Aion: Ascension as part of 3.0 content update.

NCsoft's massively multiplayer online game Aion adopted a free-to-play business model in Europe just this month, and soon, North American gamers will have access to a free version of the title.

Aion flips the switch to F2P this spring.

NCsoft today sent word that Aion--rebranded as Aion: Ascension--will be free-to-play in North America beginning this spring. The change will occur as part of the game's 3.0 content update, which brings a new level cap (60), as well as fresh zones, mounts, houses, and instances to the game.

Aion Ascension will give gamers access to the entire game, which includes two expansions, over 3,000 quests, more than 30 instances, and auction houses.

Also rolling out with the Aion 3.0 content update will be new real money trading (RMT) measures, which NCsoft says will help bolster safety and security for transactions within the game.

For more on Aion's free-to-play business model switch, check out GameSpot's interview with the developer concerning the decision. For more on Aion, check out GameSpot's review.

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