In the hoo-rah jingoism of Call of Duty and other military action shooters, it’s easy to forget that many of the scenes depicted in the games would be judged contrary to the laws of war. The BBC reports that the Red Cross would like games to encourage their players to adhere to the international treaties governing behavior on the battlefield. Commit a war crime? Face the consequences! The video news story features a lot of Arma III footage to back up the claim that games depicting warfare are getting more realistic.
The story includes Marek Spanel, CEO of Bohemia Interactive, speaking about how they’re incorporating some of the Red Cross recommended concepts into their game. Specifically, shooting a civilian will result in your fellow soldiers firing on you to presumably stop you from ruining the effort to win over the locals’ hearts and minds. Spanel must be talking about the campaign Bohemia promises to add to the game someday since the in-game editor lets you make and share scenarios with any virtual atrocities you want. I tested it in the editor, and you can murder noncombatants all day with nary a word from your soldiers. Still, with the kind of verisimilitude Arma III strives to present about modern warfare, it’s interesting to see some effort to incorporate real-world moral concerns, even if it has to come as free DLC.
My review of Arma III touched on the freedom the editor allows, and how user-made content is mostly what Arma III offers for now.
Get a good, long look at Valve’s newly announced Steam Controller. Notice anything different from the controller you have plugged into your PC now? It’s missing analog sticks or a d-pad! Valve’s idea of a controller made for PC gaming uses dual circular trackpads to translate thumb movements into commands. Valve promises that the control method’s “resolution approaches that of a desktop mouse.”
The Steam Controller also features a touchscreen in the middle to be used in ways similar to the Wii U. They can set it to be a second screen, a menu, the player’s inventory, or any other function they wish. The controller screen will pop up on the main TV or computer display when a player clicks it, so they can keep their eyes on the action.
Valve expects community hackers and modders will help bring new functionality to the controller due to its open software.
Microsoft has announced a subscription based fitness application for the Xbox One. The Xbox Fitness service will use online stat-tracking, an extensive library of interactive videos, and the Kinect sensor to run gamers through a gauntlet of torturous exercises. Grand Theft Auto V’s waterboarding scene has nothing on Shaun T or Jillian Michaels screaming in your face to do one more set of leg lifts.
Using precision Kinect technology, Xbox Fitness can read your heart rate without a monitor, see which muscles are most engaged by measuring the power, force and transfer of weight in your body, and track the quality of your performance by measuring your balance, tempo and form.
That’s not creepy at all. Xbox Fitness will be included at no extra charge with an Xbox Live Gold membership subscription until December 2014. Microsoft has not revealed what Xbox Fitness will cost after that date.
Admit it. You thought I was going to incorporate the name of Planetary Annihilation’s spiritual ancestor, Supreme Commander, into the title! Uber Entertainment’s planet busting real-time strategy game entered beta yesterday. If you took part in the Kickstarter at the Commander level or above, or you purchased Early Access on Steam, you should already be able to download and play the beta. If the trailer didn’t get you drooling, Uber mentioned some things to come in the backer email.
“So, what’s next? We’ll continue to make your experience as best as possible. Also, Galactic War, in-game community-related features, better modding support, and a mod marketplace are all on deck.”
Planetary Annihilation is scheduled to launch in December of this year.
(Sometimes a response deserves to be more widely read than it would be if it were a private email or a post in a comments section. This is one of those times. The following email is reprinted with the permission of the author.)
I’m a 50 year old female gamer who absolutely loves Rockstar games, especially Red Dead Redemption. My wife and I (yes, we’re lesbians) have been playing Grand Theft Auto V since it came out. We’re slowly wending our way through the storyline, taking our time to drive around and discover random events.
On the latest Quarter to Three Games Podcast, Tom Chick talked about how Rockstar is telling a specific story and because this story doesn’t really have anything to do with women, it shouldn’t have to worry about issues of misogyny. His point was also that Rockstar and other developers shouldn’t have to rein in anything because someone might mistake the content for reality. I certainly understand what he’s saying. Since I used to work in the comic book industry, I too am a strong advocate for “just because a story/game is violent doesn’t mean that people will become violent by exposure.”
However, I just have to point out a thing or two. I think we can agree that most people in the world are taught that stealing is bad, and that killing to get what you want is out of the question, and even that lying/cheating is generally a no-no. But can you say the same about how to treat women? If society had a handle on how women were treated, there’d be no rape/death threats for Anita Sarkeesian’s exploration into gender issues within the gaming community.
For me, the complaint isn’t necessarily that Rockstar is misogynistic. It’s that in Grand Theft Auto V, and other GTA games, women are treated as one-dimensional things. Even cars and weapons have more depth than women. I’m only a bit into the game, and I haven’t gotten to the torture scene yet, but so far women in Grand Theft Auto V are airheaded new wave feminists who sound crazy (both Michael’s wife & Franklin’s aunt are in this vein) or airheaded fame seeking shits who can only scream “you’re ruining my life!” One of the best things about Red Dead Redemption was Bonnie MacFarlane. Why? Because she was a well thought out character who had depth.
Why is it okay for us to play a game where carjacking is the norm? Because the vast majority of folks aren’t likely to commit grand theft auto. But what about treating women like objects? Even my nephew, who was raised by three strong women, has enacted forcing a woman to go down on him, in my presence. At the time, he was trying to prove his masculinity to me. This is why in boy toys like Grand Theft Auto, removing content like touching strippers without consent might be better for the world. Yes, it’s okay to have dark humor regarding things that we know are wrong. The problem is, within the current boy culture, treating women like shit or like an object isn’t a wrong thing. So in this case, excusing misogynistic content by calling it dark humor is the ol’ boys club creating a wall.
Rockstar revealed more details of their vision for Grand Theft Auto V’s online multiplayer mode. Their latest blog post starts by warning players that while they are working on internal testing and adding more servers to avoid “teething problems,” the first few days of Grand Theft Auto Online may be temperamental. Rockstar explains that server load issues are the reason for the iFruit iOS app and Social Club features not working correctly.
Rockstar confirmed that there will be an in-game store to purchase virtual funds with real world-money. Earlier this week, some cash shop information had been uncovered by players sifting through the game’s files, causing rumors of pay-to-win or free-to-play gaming structure being imposed on Grand Theft Auto Online. The developer insists that the cash shop is a convenience option only.
You will have the option to purchase GTA$ through the in-game Store. The game and its economy have been designed and balanced for the vast majority of players who will not buy extra cash. There is no in-game paywall and nothing that should disrupt the balance of the game. You don’t have to spend real money to attain the cars, guns, clothes, flash and style of a high-roller in Los Santos, but can if you wish to get them a little quicker. The economy is balanced differently from the single player economy, and cash earned in one cannot be taken over to the other. Most players will earn cash much faster Online than in Story Mode.
The blog post ends with a preview of some of the upcoming free updates to the online mode. Rockstar plans to add a content creator so fans can design their own deathmatch and race scenarios, a capture the flag mode, a “Beach Bum” pack that will add more in-game items, and cooperative heists that will include a planning board feature similar to the singleplayer game. Grand Theft Auto Online goes live on October 1st.
Brandon Cackowski-Schnell joins us this week to discuss what sets Grand Theft Auto V apart from other open-world games. We also touch on some of the more controversial issues. For instance, is it fair to call it out for misogyny? Is the torture scene out of place? Has Rockstar grown up or just gotten more provocative?
I’ve been walking for twenty minutes since the mission started, my MX assault rifle swaying in front of me, the Mediterranean sunset over my shoulder, when I spot the enemy about 800 meters away on a hilltop outpost. I crouch next to a bush and command a couple of my NATO squaddies to flank left behind some rocks so they can get a better angle on the enemy. We have to take this point so the area around Camp Rogaine will be secured. One… Two… Pop! Pop! Pop! The sound of small arms fire stutters out from a group of nearby trees. I can hear excited Farsi chatter from the enemy soldiers. We’ve been spotted by a patrol! A firefight breaks out between the Iranians and my team pinned behind the rocks. I slide into a prone position and take careful aim on a target while they’re shooting at my flanking fire team. If I can just pick off a few of these guys, my men can move up to that abandoned shack for some cover so we can call in some support from the Israeli Merkava tanks. That’s when a Greek transport helicopter crashes into the hillside killing everyone. Welcome to Arma III.
Valve is giving away 300 prototype Steam devices. Following on the previous announcement of the SteamOS, Valve revealed that they will be randomly selecting about 300 Steam users to help them test the prototypes of Steam Machines. While Steam Machines will be manufactured by various hardware partners, Valve is developing their own prototype for testing purposes.
As always, we believe the best way to ensure that the right products are getting made is to let people try them out and then make changes as we go. We have designed a high-performance prototype that’s optimized for gaming, for the living room, and for Steam. Of course, it’s also completely upgradable and open.
The sign-up process for getting on the list of candidates has a deadline of October 25th.
Paradox released a gigantic patch for Europa Universalis IV yesterday. The free 1.2 update has a massive changelog which can be found on the official forums. It adds a lot of convenience and interface features as well as patching up a long list of bugs. You won’t get immortal Cardinals in your game any longer and Unam Sanctam has been renamed to Deus Vult, which should excite everyone, right? More importantly, Paradox added five new Steam achievements to the game including this gem:
Luck of the Irish – Conquer all the British isles as an Irish country
As mentioned by Tom, you can’t just cheese this achievement by knocking the difficulty down to easy. No blarney! You’ll have to grind your way through it the manly way.
In related news, Paradox also released the American Dream and National Monuments 2 DLC which can be purchased directly from the publisher as well as through Steam.
Grand Theft Auto IV had some of the coolest and most intriguing DLC of any current generation game. With The Lost and The Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, those folks over at Rockstar kept their audience busy. I can’t wait to see what DLC they’ll come up with for the excellent Grand Theft Auto V. Which is why I’ve compiled a list of titles that Rockstar might want to use.
After the jump, putting the grand theft in Grand Theft Auto V?Continue reading →
Remember when Burnout was about crashing instead of just racing? Former Criterion developer Adam Sawkins does. You can tell from Truck Stop, his Unity-built version of what Burnout used to be. Truck Stop has two things that would make any latter day Burnout update more awesome: 1) destructible environments, because why just wreck cars when you can wreck other stuff as well? And 2) zombies, because zombies.
You can see more of Truck Stop and support it on Steam Greenlight here.
Girl Fight is out today. No, not the Michelle Rodriguez movie. The latest game from Microprose. That’s right, Microprose. The publisher of games like X-Com, F-19 Stealth Fighter, Civilization, Railroad Tycoon, and Master of Orion is publishing Girl Fight for download on Xbox Live Arcade and Sony’s Playstation Store.
Featuring eight lethal ladies each with deadly sex appeal, these girls can devastate their opponents using conventional combat techniques and metaphysical powers. Girl Fight brings intuitive fighting mechanics with slick animations to deliver a fun fighting experience that’s easy on the eyes.
Of course, this isn’t the real Microprose. It’s merely a name fished out of several rounds of acquisitions and slapped onto hilariously inappropriate games like Girl Fight. It may be easy on the eyes (seriously?), but it sure is hard on the brain.
Mo’ money, mo’ problems! Internet sleuths have discovered files indicating that Grand Theft Auto V’s online multiplayer feature will offer in-game cash for real-world money. As detailed in this Reddit discussion, while the in-game Store feature is currently disabled, the public files on Rockstar’s servers (accessible with a bit of work) show four “cash card” DLC items that can be purchased to add funds to your online character’s account. The cards offer $100,000, $200,000, $500,000, and $1,250,000.
“Cash is king in this town. Solve your money problems and help get what you want across Los Santos and Blaine County with the purchase of cash packs for Grand Theft Auto Online. All purchased cash is automatically deposited into your character’s bank account. Spend wisely, cash therapy is fleeting.”
The prices for the in-game cash is unknown at this time. The offer of in-game cash purchases would seem to suggest that the multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto V will make acquiring and spending money a focus. Hey, those disappearing car mods don’t pay for themselves! Grand Theft Auto Online releases for free to all owners of Grand Theft Auto V on October 1st.
Don’t expect a lot of indie games on the Xbox One until 2014. Speaking to GamesIndustry International, Microsoft’s Phil Harrison predicted that indie games wouldn’t be coming to the next-gen console through their newly announced publishing program until next year.
I don’t think we’re going to see things at launch. I don’t think it’s realistic to see a developer get the programme and build a game and get it into the market on November 22. It’s reasonable to expect in early 2014 we’ll start seeing the first games come through.
Phil Harrison reiterated that despite some policy reversals, Microsoft’s vision for the console hasn’t changed.
