NEWS | Week beginning August 24th | Steam OS pre-order bonuses, Black Ops 3 Beta breaks records & An Island giveaway

Good evening guys, and welcome back to another video game round-up, brought to you by me!
Let's get straight into it!

Pre-order bonuses

First up, Valve, the people who have given us gamers things like Half-Life and Steam, have recently announced that if you pre-order any of the new Steam hardware devices, of which are the Steam controller, Steam Link or Steam Machine, you will receive a free copy of Football/Car simulator Rocket League and puzzle solving game Portal 2.

Fancy tech right there!

Rocket League, which was once free on the Playstation Store for a limited time, has sold over 1 million copies since it's release on Steam in early July.

If you guys have already pre-ordered  any of those three devices, do not fear! A copy of both Rocket League and Portal 2 will be deposited into your account by the 4th September. Also, if you've already pre-ordered any of the devices at a retail store, again, do not fear! You will be given a code for each of the games when you pick up your device.
So if you haven't already pre-ordered any of the devices, go ahead and do it now! You'll get two free games for your troubles!

Black Ops 3 Beta

Next up, the Call of Duty, Black Ops 3 Beta broke multiple records last week after debuting on the Playstation 4.

Activision announced last week that the Beta for the upcoming Call of Duty title broke 'multiple' records during the pre-release play period last week. According to Activision, 'millions' of people played the Beta, making the 'biggest' ever beta to feature of the Playstation.
The beta, which was available to Playstation users from the 19th August to the 24th August, was made available so Treyarch Studios, the developers of Black Ops 3, could collect "critical feedback and technical data". Obviously, it would be difficult to gain accurate data from internal testing only, so releasing a portion of the game to the public would help gather the necessary data.

The 'biggest' ever beta to
feature on PS4!

Activison did not release any specific figures, they did however claim that the beta saw more downloads, gameplay session and total hours of gameplay that other PS4 beta, which include Destiny and Battlefield Hardline.

Sony executive Adam Boyes boasted by saying:
"Played by millions of Playstation fans aroud the world, the response to the beta was massive and shows the strength when bringing together the best-selling console franchise with the best-selling game console." He continued by saying "Signalling an impressive start of a new era for Playstation and this famed franchise, there was no better way to welcome Call of Duty to its new home on Playstation 4."

TheCall of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta is still available to Xbox and PC users, and the full game launches on 6th November for PS4, Xbox One, PC and last generation consoles.

Just Cause 3

Finally, Square Enix and Avalanche Studios, the developers behind the Just Cause series, have this week announced a contest for for their soon to be released title, Just Cause 3, with the grand prize being a real life island!

The requirements, which are listed on the contest's official website, a player must top the 'Chaos Points' leaderboard after 90 days of the game. If you do manage to top the leaderboards, you can either have the island, or you be given the island's equivalent worth, which is $50,000 USD. Chaos points are earned by destroying significant items or objects in game, which are labelled red.

This could be yours???

Square Enix has stated that the island's location is to be determined by the sponsor, and does not guarentee that the island is inhabitable or accessible via means other than a boat.

"Location of Island to be determined by Sponsor," said Square Enix. "All taxes and fees associated with purchasing and obtaining of Island (including but not limited to attorney's fees, escrow, and closing costs) are the responsibility of the Winner. Sponsor does not guarantee the Island to be inhabitable, developed or reachable by any means other than a boat."

To participate, all you have to do is pre-order the Day One Edition of Just Cause 3 on Xbox One or PS4, register an account on the Sqaure Enix site and link wither your PS or Xbox account to your Sqaure Enix account, and of course top the Chaos Points leaderboard.

Fancy yourself an island? Go and get Just Cause 3! Here's a video released by Square Enix explaining what you have to do to win:

And that's it for this week! What did you think of this weeks news? Will you be pre-ordering a Steam device? Have you played the Black Ops 3 beta yet? Are you going to try and win the Just Cause 3 island? Let me know in the comments down below!

As always, thanks for reading!

Connor :)

Gaming Scams. Why?!

News this week has been super slow, so I thought I'd go back to basics and cover something that I've been thinking for a while now. Scams in video games. Enjoy!

So, video games. They're great right?! They provide us with endless hours of entertainment and in return, only expect soThemoney in return. Usually that would seem like a good deal. I mean, if you're spending £40-50 you should rightly expect something great in return.
So, my question today is, why do people use video games as a way of scamming people? Well of course, there's an obvious financial gain to be made, but why video games in particular? Why are video games now-adays seen as one of the most popular methods to scam people?
I have some ideas, and I want to share them with you guys...

Firstly, I think that video games are easy to be fooled by...

For example, you go past your local video game store and see a poster for the new Call of Duty or Battlefield game. You think "This looks so new and original! I'm going to buy it and buy all the map packs and give them all my money!!". It's only after you've played said game for a couple of weeks that you realise the newest rendition of Call of Duty or Battlefield is exactly like the last 4 games. Now I wouldn't necessarily call Call of Duty and Battlefield scams. They're Triple A titles that never fail to impress. However, they show all this fancy new technology and features, and you just want to give them all your money. Most of the time however developers like Activision and EA use resources from previous titles, meaning each game seems awfully similar to the previous. Again, as I said, not necessarily a scam, but it's a very cheap and easy way of going about things.

"Sneaky, sneaky developers.."

The real reason I say that video games are easy to be fooled by is that developers can, in a way, get away with quite a lot, without us gamers knowing. A few weeks ago you may remember the story I covered in which a developer, going by the name of 'Lord Kres', published a game on Steam called 'Journey of the Light' (click here to refresh your memory!). The game looked good and had great potential, however, the game only had one chapter, when it said on the games' Steam page that there were eight chapters in total. Also, all the levels within the game were exactly the same file size. I said this in the news update, but surely, as you progress further into a game, the game should become larger, shouldn't it? Valve did their own investigation, and the game was removed from Steam and users who bought the game got their money back. As I just said, the game looked good and had great potential, yet over 1000 people bought the game and were scammed by 'Lord Kres'
. It's not their fault, but maybe, just maybe, platforms like Steam should have some sort of testing phase or something, so games such as 'Journey of the Light' don't steal our hard earned cash! At least this way, people can only be scammed by really poor quality games, and not some sneaky developer!

My next point is,  most modern video game tech is sooo easy to rip-off!

One of the main gaming news stories this week is that a random company in China is ripping off the two major video game companies,  Microsoft and Sony. The console, named the 'OUYE' (which is very similar to the failed OUYA) well, looks like a PS4 and an Xbox One had a baby. The OUYE shares the PS4's slim, rectangular body while it shares the Xbox One's texturing and controller. The OUYE has a Kickstarter campaign that begins later this month, with a $15,000 stretch goal.

Now, as you can see from the image (left), the PS4/Xbox One and the OUYE look remarkably similar. Think about this, the Playstation 4 and the Xbox One are high tech consoles, meaning they do come with a hefty price tag. If a Mother for example, wants to buy their son or daughter a Playstation 4 for their birthday, they're going to see the price tag and could well be put off of by it. However, if they see the OUYE on sale, for around $70 (it's actual price tag), they could well be tempted to buy the OUYE instead, leaving them a very disappointed child in the process. Consoles and tech like this are blatant knock-offs. Now gamers like you and I can tell the difference between a legitimate PS4 and the OUYE, but clueless parents and guardians may not.

This is not the only example. A less obvious example being FPS' and shooters. There are the FPS' and shooters that are at the top of the chain, those being Call of Duty, Battlefield and Counter-Strike. Over the years these game franchises have made millions upon millions of dollars. Call of Duty, for example, recently passed $10 billion (yes, billion!!) in lifetime revenue. Now I don't know about you, but I consider that a lot of money! As a result of all this success and more importantly, revenue gain, smaller developers are trying to pump shooters out of their proverbial backsides, trying to raise as much money as possible. They've seen the success that Activision and EA have had, and are trying to replicate it, leaving us, the consumers, with a multitude of knock-offs. Again, unknowing parents and guardians could be asked by their sons or daughters to go and buy a Call of Duty, and instead come home with a crappy knock-off instead. Again, not necessarily a scam, but an incredibly sneaky way of going about things.

Finally, MICROTRANSACTIONS...

Yes, the dreaded microtransaction. They appear in most modern video games, from FIFA to Call of Duty. They're everywhere.
I'm sure if you ask a developer "are microtransactions a scam?" they'll definitely say no. For most games, microtransactions are a way of making a little money on the side. For example, most free-to-play games rely on microtransactions to make money, like Dota 2 and EVE. In my opinion, that's okay. At least they're not charging for the full game too.

I see microtransactions as scams because of how the bigger developers use them. One example, being Call of Duty. You have to pay £40-50 for the full game, then, if you want the season pass containing all future DLC's, you'll have to pay an additional £30.

Forza's ridiculous microtransaction
scheme...

Another example being Forza 5. Developer Turn 10 implemented 'Tokens' into the game, allowing players to buy in game advantages, such as 'Accelerators'. Basically it allows players to remove all skill needed from the game, thus removing any effort needed to complete the game. Another Forza example being that you could buy locked cars and use them early. However, the cost of the cars was often higher than the cost of the actual game itself. Now that's what I call a scam!
Of course, it's all up to the player whether they spend the money or not. The scam in all of this is the pricing. I mean, most microtransactions cost little, yet in total, cost more than the game does itself! I think that it is ridiculous that developers can price additional content so highly. A few virtual cars should not cost more than a couple of quid. That's the same with Call of Duty. A few maps and gun skins should not cost £15 per pack. A less obvious scam, but in my opinion, a scam none the less.

Scams. They're everywhere. Unfortunately, we can't do much about them, only really avoid them. I guess my point today is, be careful when you're buying video game tech, whether it be a game, a console or a peripheral device. Developers and video game orientated companies will do anything to make some easy cash. So, be careful when buying!

That's it from me today. What are you opinions on video game scams?  Do you agree with me, or have anything to add? Let me know in the comments below!

As always, thanks for reading!

Connor :)

NEWS | Week beginning August 10th | Fallout Leaks, A Gaming Millionaire & Black Ops 3 Beta

Good afternoonguys, and welcome back to another news round-up. Let's get into it!

Leaks

First up, Fallout 4 has suffered some unfortunate leaks over the past week. Video gaming convention Gamescom was in full swing this week, and as it turns out, Bethesda held a private screening of Fallout 4, showing never-seen-before footage. Now of course, I expect that the usual 'No cameras allowed' rule was enforced during the showing, however, one daring viewer decided to go against the curve, and film the gameplay anyway.

The secrets of the Vault
revealed?

The gameplay didn't show nothing major. It was mainly a short play-through of a short section, showing off some of the new interfaces and weapons available in the game. The footage shows a new 'Perks' screen, with little icons/animations for each of the perks, with Bloody Mess set to make a return to the series.
Next the gameplay went off to a new area known as 'Lexington'. From there the gameplay took the usual Fallout route. A little bit of walking here and there, a lot of shooting here, there and everywhere, etc, etc. Some Ghouls appeared later on in the gameplay and one of the Ghouls had the tag of 'Legendary Feral Ghoul Roamer'. Could this suggest that there will be new enemy tiers, much there are in other RPG's like Borderlands? Who knows. All we know is at this stage, it looks good and well polished, which is what we like to hear.

"Look, Boy. Look at all those
leaks."

From a gamer's point of view, leaks like this are grand. It gives us an opportunity to see the game in it's current form, wether it be ready or not. From an industry point of view however, it's a royal pain. Gaming Marketers and PR spent countless amounts of hours trying to correctly market and distribute the game. A leak this this could severly affect the process.
The leaked footage originally appeared on forum site 'SugarBombed'. Bethesda then swiftly had the video removed from the site, yet, much like an infestation of Radroaches, they keep on coming back, with the leaked footage most notably appearing on 'PornHub' of all places. The video is no longer site, the footage does however still appear on other sites.
I can't embed a link to the footage in this post, because Bethesda will no doubt remove this blog post. If you did want to try and find it however, try searching on the Fallout 4 reddit.

Millionaire

Next up, Sumail Syed has just become the Dota 2 champion at the age of 16. Sumail has just become one of the youngest millionaires in Pakistan after be crowned Dota 2 this week, pocketing himself around $1.6 million dollars.

Sumail, or 'Suma1L' has swiftly climbed the Dota 2 competitive ladder after not only helping his team 'Evil Geniuses', win the Dota Asian Championships earlier this year, pocketing around $1.2 million for his team, he has helped his team take out the former Dota 2: The International champions at this year's event, pocketing his team around $6.63 million.

Now I know absolutely nothing about Dota 2. I have no idea how it's played, what the objectives are in the game, etc, etc. All I know that helping your team pocket a total of $7.83 million in only one year of competitve gaming is a massive achievement.

Not only that, Sumail managed to earn $1.6 million and become one of the youngest millionaires in the country, just by being good at the game. Now, as I said, I know nothing about Dota 2, but after seeing those figures, I think maybe its time I learn a thing or two about the game! 

Hey, you never know, I could be the next Dota 2 champion!

'Suma1L', the youngest
millionaire in
Pakistan...

Beta footage

Finally, the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Beta Trailer has recently been revealed this week, and I must say, it look impressive.

The trailer is very fast paced and action packed, showing off a range of different weapons, killstreaks and customization that will be available next Wednesday for Playstation users.

It starts off showing a few weapons that will be available next Wednesday. The trailer also mentions a 'Paintshop', suggesting that you will be able to paint and create your own weapon camos. I'll be expecting to see a lot of penises and boobs then...

Next the trailer moves indoors, and one player shoots another player with a pistol and his arm flies off! It looks like the brutality of fan favourite World at War is back!

Pew Pew

There is then a very fast montage showing off typical Call of Duty shenanigans, with a variety of killstreaks and weapons making an appearance. It looks like the RC-XD from the original Black Ops is back, but it's all futurefied(?) and can fly. You can also see some Hellstorm missles, which return Advanced Warfare. You then see some guns in another montage, such as a sniper, SMG and a grenade launcher, mixed with some dubstep to make the whole sequence seem epic.

The trailer then goes on to end with a swimming sequence, and a player smashes some glowsticks on the floor(?). It's all very Call of Duty esque, and I like it.

Many complain now-a-days that Call of Duty is too similar and they aren't doing much to change the game. This trailer shows a lot of new changes, such as wall-bouncing, swimming and a range of new customization options. I know that they aren't massive, groundbreaking changes, but I like that. They aren't changing the game too much so it no longer looks like a Call of Duty, but enough so it's not identical to last years release.

You can check out the trailer below:

And that's it for this week. What did you guys think of this weeks news?
What do you think of the Fallout 4 leaks? Do you think you could be a worldwide gaming champion? Will you be pre-ordering Black Ops 3?
Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Connor :)

NEWS | Week beginning August 3rd | Steam Scam, Fake Swatting & Bungie abandon Dinklage

Good evening guys, and welcome back to another news round-up! Let's get straight into it!

Steam Scam

First up, a game formerly available on Steam has been identified as a scam.

The game, called 'Journey of The Light', asks players to "Control a Lightball in it´s journey back to home.

"Gimme my money!"

Solve Riddles & Clues to find the right path". The game consists of 8 eight chapters and players have to complete each level to continue onto the next chapter. The developer of the game also wrote on the game's Steam page that "Journey of the Light might be one of the Hardest games on Steam". Now, the game isn't considered as being a hard game because of it's difficult puzzles, many believe it to be a scam because the game isn't actually complete-able!

Most Steam users who bought the game complained that the game was very difficult, and when comparing Steam achievements, they swiftly realised that only one account on the whole of Steam has the achievement(s) for completing Chapters 1,2 & 3. That account being the developer's.
This, of course, raised some red flags, so Steam users did some digging to find the source of problem.
When inspecting the game's files, users found that each of the levels in the game were exactly the same file size, as well as being created on the same date. Surely as you progress further into a game it should become larger? Right?

The developer came out with a statement saying that:
"It seems that i did something wrong when i released the Bug Fix #1.

I did tested the game after the bug fix, but i only checked that the bugs are gone.

I will roll the game back to it's former state and then fix the bugs again and make sure this wont happen again." (This was taken directly from Steam, so don't blame me for the bad grammar)!

At least it's pretty. Right?!

According to users on Steam, the game was never rolled back to a former state. As evidence grew and grew against the game and the developer, Steam stepped in and removed the game from the Store, and all users who bought the game are entitled to claim a refund for the game.

Scams are everywhere unfortunately, whether it be in day-to-day life or in a virtual world. Fortunately, as this is a game on an online store, who can get your money back. If something like this happened in the real world, you might not be so lucky. I guess the moral of this story is 'be careful how and where you spend your money'. But I don't need to tell you guys that! You're all adults, or old enough to make your own decisions!

Fake Swatting

Next up, a Twitch streamer has been suspended after staging a fake swatting prank.

Streamer 'Trick2G' staged a fake swatting in the final moments of his 800k follower stream. A few moments after the stream ended, the channel was suspended. When trying to navigate to his channel, it now says: "The community has closed this channel due to terms of service violations."

Swatting is a where people call SWAT teams to people's houses, leading the police to believe that the user is doing something illegal on stream.

The guilty party, Trick2G...

Two men, dressed in Team2G hats and fake tactical vests stormed into Trick's stream, forcing him onto the floor with fake assault rifles. Trick was also seen to swing a punch at one of the 'officers'. Now, if this was in fact a real swatting, that would have been a very foolish move.
The prank cost Trick a 4 month ban from Twitch, and has obviously annoyed a bunch of people from Team2G. Team2G released a blog post commenting on the situation, and said:

"Trick is an entertainer and that is just how it is, he streams 12 - 14 hours a day and brings constant laughter throughout each and every stream. Trick is known for his MY WAY streams and off the wall attitude. Now, I know some of you are saying...'Cher it is not funny to make a joke about being swatted' There is always someone that thinks only their sense of humour is what matters and if they don't think it is funny then it couldn't possibly be. That is why our country is in the shape it is now, because we fear making light of anything that might be thought of as controversial".

Someone is clearly not happy. Whether Trick will get his ban rescinded or not we'll have to wait and see. Personally, I think he does deserve a ban, just not for four months. Swatting is a very serious thing, and it can severely affect the people on the end of the swatting. Take Joshua Peters for example. Peters is a Runescape player who was swatted earlier this year. However, his 10 year old brother was the one who answered the door. Trick should definitely be punished, but maybe not for so long.

You can watch the swatting here, courtesy of YouTuber 'Nebu'.

Bye Bye Dinklage

Finally, Bungie have decided to replace Peter Dinklage, who voices 'Ghost', a robotic companion in Destiny.

Peter Dinklage, who is more famously known for playing 'Tyrion' in TV series Game of Thrones has been completely replaced by voice actor Nolan North, who is known for voicing Nathan Drake in the 'Uncharted' series, who has not only recorded new dialogue for the game, but has completely re-recorded old lines once voiced by Dinklage.

Ghost, the robotic companion

Dinklage has not contributed to voicing anymore lines for Ghost since Destiny was released. Bungie have cut several lines that were once in the game's beta, but also edited Dinklage's voice so it doesn't sound much like his own voice.
Bungie have not yet commented on why they replaced Dinklage with North, but have said that North has been signed up for the 'foreseeable future'.

North said that:

"I'm hoping we're doing this for years, If I get a chance to continue with the role, I think we can evolve Ghost as we move forward over the years. In the same way that the player learns about the game and the world, maybe the Ghost grows with them".

Not only does this confirm North will be with Destiny for a while, but we'll be getting lots more Destiny in the future, Good news! Well, not if you're Peter Dinklage...

And that's it for this week's new round-up. What did you think of these 3 stories? Have you ever been scammed, either in real life or by a video game? Do you think Trick's ban should be reduced? Did you like Dinklage as Ghost, or do you think North will do a better job? Let me know in the comments below!

As always, thanks for reading!

Connor :)

NEWS | Week beginning July 27th | Playstation gets mouse and keyboard support, Battlefront gets a new game-mode & Naughty Dog's nice touch!

Good evening guys, and welcome back to another week of video gaming news! Let's get right into it!

TAC4

First up, the Playstation 4 is set to receive a mouse and keyboard support. Peripheral device manufacturer Hori have begun development on the 'Tactical Assault Commander 4'.

The 'TAC 4' device...

The device looks like a typical mouse and keyboard, with the left analog stick mapped to the 'WASD' buttons, and the right analog stick mapped to the mouse. The other buttons, such as Triangle, Square, etc are mapped to other side buttons and keys on the keyboard, along with features such as a Walk button and a button to change mouse sensitivity.

The device is set to release November 30th, tagged with a $120 (£77) price tag. Whether the device will work well on not we'll have to see. Hori released a similar device called the 'TAC3' for the Playstation 3, however, the device did not work very well and was "implemented poorly", according to TechnoBuffalo.

Personally I don't see the point of bringing such devices to consoles. As a person who mainly plays console games, I find it much easier to use a controller over a mouse and keyboard set-up. If you want to play games with a mouse and keyboard, stick to the PC! But hey, I can't say anything until the device has been released. For all I know, it could improve drastically improve my abilities. We'll have to wait until late November to find out...

Blast

Next up, Star Wars Battlefront has had a new game-mode revealed, and it's simply called 'Blast'.
The upcoming Star Wars game had a new Team Deathmatch mode revealed called Blast, which pits up to 20 players, in two teams of 10, against each-other. You either have to reach the 100 kill score limit first to win or have the most kills by the time the match's 10 minute timer expires. Standard Team Deathmatch, nice!

Battlefront will be releasing
November 17th.

Now that may not sound exciting, and even lead level designer Dennis Brännvall admits this. "In truth, it's just Team Deathmatch". He went on to say that "As in other Star Wars Battlefront game modes, the key to success is choosing a hand with a weapon layout that suits you and the battle conditions. He went on to say that "Also, you’ll find weapon pickups strewn across the map, and since there are no vehicles or Heroes & Villains joining the fight, the strategic value of these pickups is quite high. Whether you pick up a Droid scanning for nearby enemies or a turret that’ll control a zone for you, the pickups can really turn the tide of a Blast match. They are not around every corner though, so keep your eyes peeled.”

So, you need to use your noggin' to gain an advantage in the battlefield. This it what I like in first-person shooters. Its not just running around, shooting peepz, you have to scan, look around the battlefield for ways you can gain your team an advantage. It sounds both interesting and fun, and I'm most definitely looking forward to it!

Nice one Naughty Dog!

Finally, Naughty Dog, the developers The Last of Us and the Uncharted series, have showed the world that the gaming community isn't as bad as it's made out to be.

An unnamed Reddit reached to Naughty Dog after his/her father passed away. From Crash Team Racing to The Last of Us, the pair played Naughty Dog's games endlessly. He said that "After he passed, I wrote Naughty Dog a letter thanking them for their games". However, a few months later, something very unexpected happened.

The user went onto say that "They then sent me this [package] three months later…".

A great response from
Naughty Dog!

Naughty Dog had sent the grieving user a gift box, full of The Last of Us themed goodies and accessories, such as a soundtrack to the game and an art book. Also in the box was a letter from Naughty Dog to the user, which explained how the letter had touched many of the staff at Naughty Dog.

"Stories like yours are the reason why we work so hard to make great games, and reading that The Last of Us changed your life is inspiring," a representative responded. "When I read that you felt you were with your father again while playing it, it nearly drove me to tears. I can't imagine the pain you went through these last several months, but I'm touched that we've been able to help you get through it."

This is what we should be seeing in the gaming community. Although we all moan about games and argue over the interwebs, we don't realise that games have the power to bring us all together and remember the good times, which we should always be doing!

So, that's it for this week, what did you think of this week's news? Will you PS4 users buy the TAC4 mouse and keyboard? Are you looking forward to Star Wars Battlefront? What did you think of Naughty Dog's reply to the grieving Reddit user? Let me know in the comments down below. 

Unfortunately, it was another slow week for video gaming news, so again, apologies for the small post. 

Thanks for reading!

Connor :)