Games.com News. CityVille, FarmVille, CastleVille games news

EA: "Opportunity for a new Battlefront is very exciting"

Matt Liebl, GameZone — 2013-05-23T16:55:00+00:00

EA appears to be contemplating the revival of the Star Wars: Battlefront franchise. While the publisher/developer conglomerate has promised tounveil its Star Wars plans during E3, CFO Blake Jorgensen has already teased one of the possible titles -- Battlefront 3.

"The opportunity to do a newBattlefront, for example, which is one of the very popular Star Wars games, or some of the other traditional games that were made, is very exciting," Jorgensen said during the Stifel 2013 Technology Conference.

Star Wars: Battlefront 3 has had one of the more ugly development stories. Despite never being announced, the game was reportedly 99% complete before it was scrapped due to "financial reasons." That report was later disputed by a former LucasArts employee who estimated Battlefront 3 to be "75% of a mediocre game." Since the war of words, we've since seen several videos showing apparent footage of the game while it was still in development. While I personally wasn't blown away with anything I saw, there seems to be plenty of demand for a newBattlefront game.

I'd like to see DICE work their FPS magic on a new Battlefront game. What about you?

Check out more gaming news at GameZone >

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PS4 dev Jon Blow: "Profit is not the number one priority"

Matt Liebl, GameZone — 2013-05-23T16:45:00+00:00

One of the most anticipated "features" of the PlayStation 4, for me, is Sony's willingness to work with independent publishers. Why, you ask? Simply put, it's not always about the money with them. Yes, a profit is nice, but as you can see from the attitude of current PS4 developer Jonathan Blow, the gameplay experience comes first. As it should.

In a Sony blog "Conversations with Creators" post, Jonathan Blow, who is currently developing The Witness for the PlayStation 4, explains a point-of-view that I think many of the larger publishers seem to forget -- it shouldn't always be about the money.

"With that independence that we have the ability to be free in what project we choose, we also have the freedom not have to make a huge profit if we don't need to. I would definitely like to make our money back on this game and I would like to make a profit on it, but it's not actually the number one priority," said Jonathan Blow.

Check out the rest of the interview >

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Target lowers Wii U price

James, Pure Nintendo — 2013-05-23T16:00:00+00:00

Target has lowered the price of the basic Wii U by $60 and the deluxe by $10. It would be hard to ignore a deal like this.
Check out more deals here.

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Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Column: Dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV

Ryahl Smith, MMORPG.com — 2013-05-23T15:52:00+00:00

In the depths of the Central Shroud, a new menace arises. Travellers talk of undead horrors walking the lands. Gridania's best and bravest soldiers are barely able to hold back the encroaching menace. They need heroes to venture into the tombs of former kings and restore the undead to the dignity of death.

A Dungeon Preview

Tam Tara Deepcroft is the first dungeon available to beta players. It is located in the central shroud, just south of Bentbranch Meadows. The dungeon is designed for a "light party" of four players (full parties are eight players) and is tuned for players in the 15-19 level range. At least for the present, entry into dungeons requires at least one player to run out to the dungeon entrance to talk to a gatekeeper NPC. The remainder of the party need only be in the same zone as the instance.

The Final Fantasy series is recognized for high production values in its cinematics and the introductions to dungeons do not disappoint. Players are treated to a camera pan through of the dungeon accompanied by theme appropriate music.
Once into the dungeon, players will discover that FFXIV treats dungeon instances a bit differently than other MMO's. Dungeons are timed, you have one hour to complete the instance or the duty fails. Additionally, while the main objective is linear, there are branching paths which might just contain some additional treasure. Does the party make a mad dash to complete the objectives? Or, should it branch out and explore some side rooms, possibly increasing the loot haul, but risking failure?

Find out more about Final Fantasy XIV at MMORPG >

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Top 10 F2P MMO Racing Games

Michael Flusk, MMO Attack — 2013-05-23T15:30:00+00:00

MMO Attack is proud to present the Top 10 F2P Racing MMO games! To review a full text version of the list as well as expanded information and links for each game, check out our article HERE.

For more news, updates and information on these games and all of the top Free MMORPGs, be sure to keep it here at MMO Attack!

Get more in-depth and play with the Top 10 at MMO Attack >

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New Vindictus Episode Coming Soon!

Mark McDonald, MMO Attack — 2013-05-23T15:29:00+00:00

Nexon announced that the second episode of Vindictus Season 2 is set to launch on May 29th, titled The Secret of Twilight Desert. The update will bring a bevy of new features to the game as well as new story content for players to explore. Tasked with uncovering the secrets of the Twilight Desert, it is up to the player to find a mysterious item that will help them make contact with the Mistress of the Twilight Desert.

One of the most notable changes that will influence gameplay is the addition of an all new day and night cycle. Caution must be taken after the sun sets as new enemies rise from the ground to search for victims. Amongst the new enemies are the Grim Reaper and the Guardian Soldiers. Promising to provide significant challenge, players with the time and skill to defeat these new enemies will reap the rewards of lost technology that will help them on their way.

The Last of Us Can Be Played While It Is Being Downloaded on PS3

MegaGames — 2013-05-23T14:40:00+00:00

PlayStation 3 owners who buy the digital download version of The Last of Us won't have to wait for the game to finish downloading before they are able to play it. Instead, the game is playable as soon as its download has reached 50%.

This feature is borrowed from PlayStation 4 where it should be available for all digital download games thanks to the availability of hardware dedicated to background downloading and processing.

The Last of Us will launch on June 14th, 2013 on PlayStation 3. The game will be available on Blu-Ray and digital download on launch day.

New Madden 25 Owner Mode (Connected Franchise) Announced

Madden School — 2013-05-23T14:23:00+00:00

Madden 25 is bringing back one of the most beloved features in it's 25 year history: Owner Mode. Fans will be able to act as if they were the owner of their favorite team by hiring advisers, upgrading their stadium, setting merchandise and concession prices and even relocating the team to a different city.

A few other notable changes to the connected franchise mode in Madden 25 include an overhaul to the player progression system. Older players will no longer be able to progress nearly as fast as in Madden 13. Young players have always commanded a huge premium in the Madden NFL franchise and this news will only add to that.

Breakout stars can now emerge as well. In last year's game if you had a good season, you could only progress a few points. That wasn't realistic and it looks like it will be addressed. If you have a player on your team who has been putting up stats like a 90 overall player, he will start to progress to that point much faster even if he is only a 60 overall at the time.

Read all about the new Madden 25 at Madden-School >

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PC version Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is in the works

MegaGames — 2013-05-23T14:20:00+00:00

Hideo Kojima announced that Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be ported to PC.

A PC version of Metal Gear Rising was announced then cancelled a few months ago. This decision didn't sit well with the series' fans who wanted to experience it in the highest graphics quality achievable today.

No release date was given for the PC version, but we expect it to launch later this year. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in February 2013.

Check out MegaGames for more great news >

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EA plans to support Xbox 360 and PS3 with games through 2017

Matt Liebl, GameZone — 2013-05-23T14:10:00+00:00

Despite the impending arrival of next-gen consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One, publisher/developer conglomerate Electronic Arts is not quite ready to abandon the current generation systems. Speaking at the Stifel 2013 Technology Conference, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said the company will continue to develop and release titles for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 until at least 2017.

Given the large and active install base for both systems, it's easy to understand why EA isn't so hot on the idea of completely abandoning them and moving to a new generation -- with a smaller install base early on -- entirely. EA is still making games for the Xbox One and PS4, and will likely focus on the new consoles moving forward, but it's comforting to know that the older generation won't be forgotten.

Game of Thrones Ascent now playable on DisruptorBeam.com

Cameron Faulkner — 2013-05-23T13:50:00+00:00

Game of Thrones Ascent, the popular Facebook game based on the works of George R.R. Martin and the award-winning television show, is now playable on DisruptorBeam.com.

Head to their site, sign up and you'll be playing in no time. Fans of Game of Thrones will love this game. You can choose which Great House you'll swear your allegiance to, develop you lands and assign soldiers to different tasks. Running alongside the show, the game releases new content every week, perfect for that unbearable week gap between episodes.

"We're thrilled with how well fans have reacted to Game of Thrones Ascent, with close to a million installs since February," said Jon Radoff, CEO and Founder of Disruptor Beam. "Players have told us that they are looking for social game experiences beyond Facebook, so we're excited to now provide the game on our website. This is just the beginning for DisruptorBeam.com, which we plan to transform into a go-to portal for story-based social game experiences in the future."

Check out a trailer for Game of Thrones Ascent below.

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Need for Speed Rivals blends single and multiplayer experience with AllDrive

Mike Splechta, GameZone — 2013-05-23T13:40:00+00:00

You can't have a next-gen console release without a Need for Speed title to go along with it. The new development team, Ghost Studios, comprised of talented individuals from studios like Criterion, Rockstar, Turn10, Bizarre and Playground, are at the helm of the upcoming Need for Speed Rivals, which will be coming out on Xbox One and PS4, as well as Xbox 360 and PS3.

Aside from the truly open, and large open-world racers will be able to drive around in, Ghost Studios is merging the single and multiplayer experience with an all new feature called AllDrive. Thanks to AllDrive, players will be able to seamless connect to other players and populate their world. Since this connection is done seamlessly, players don't even have to be in the same area, and can experience races completely separate from one another.

However, since the game will once again feature racers vs. cops, those in cop cars can try to take down other racers mid race, or team up with others on the police force and lay down the law.

Ghost Studios have stated that there is no dedicated single player mode or multiplayer mode, instead, as soon as you jump in the game, other players will be able to populate each others worlds instantly. For those that prefer to play alone though, the ability to set the game world to private is still available.

Ubisoft reaffirms commitment to Wii U

MegaGames — 2013-05-23T13:40:00+00:00

Ubisoft is certainly one of the strongest supporters of Nintendo's Wii U and it seems that EA's backing down on the platform isn't changing that anytime soon.

Responding to the news that EA has found Wii U software sales too weak, a Ubisoft spokesman pointed out that "As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base."

"Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist," he added. "We're confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market."

Find more current gaming news at MegaGames >

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Could This Be What The PS4 Sort of Looks Like?

MegaGames — 2013-05-23T13:21:00+00:00

In order to upset Microsoft's debuting of the Xbox One yesterday, Sony released a video of its own hardware the day before, but it was all blurry and the only times it popped into focus, we were treated to quick snaps of very close up sections of the chassis, making it very hard to tell what was what. But that hasn't stopped some people trying. According to one Redditor, this is what it might look like.

The flat design and angular front would certainly separate it from the blocky looking Xbox One - that resembles something closer to a DVR player than a console. There's a tri-choice of materials across the top, which looks pretty unique and would be the first time we've seen something like that on a PlayStation, with the emphasis always being on one uniform coloring.

The Blu Ray drive is located right in the front, alongside the vents, which would presumably be cold air intakes, with an exhaust sitting at the top-right; as it were. That rear grill looks a bit strange and breaks the smooth lines of the system, but could be necessary for cooling purposes if this design is indeed somewhat accurate.

Plants vs. Zombies Adventures review

Joe Jasko, Gamezebo — 2013-05-23T13:20:00+00:00

There are very few video games out there that have managed to reach such a loved and dedicated fan following as PopCap's Plants vs. Zombies. It seems like every time I log onto Facebook these days, I see fans of the cutesy "flower defense" game posting pictures of PvZ birthday cakes, elaborate zombie setups in their backyards, or their newborn babies dressed up as little Peashooters. Plants vs. Zombies Adventures takes this fun-loving obsession on the open road in a new social setting, and if my time spent with the game is anything to go by, then we're going to be seeing plenty more creative ways to express our love of this franchise for many miles (and brains) to come.

Plants vs. Zombies Adventures manages to retain the core essence of the original game, while adding tons of fun new twists and gameplay alterations to always keep things fresh and interesting. The new "road trip" scenario works wonderfully well, as you will leave your home to embark on dozens of flower defense stages in all sorts of varied environments, before returning back to home base to cultivate more plants and set up shops to generate coins or "Zombie Bucks." The original Plants vs. Zombies was known for its impressive wealth of content, from dozens of mini-games and survival modes, to the addictive Zen Garden: and in that regard, PvZ Adventures does far from disappoint. You'll be guided through your wild adventure by your wise and knowledgeable mentor, Crazy Dave, which uh, goes about as well as you would expect.

But let's start with your first burning question: yes, PvZ Adventures features both new plants and new zombies, and they are all wonderful additions to those steadfast garden towers and beady-eyed, little brain-hungry tykes we all know and love. My personal favorite so far is the deadly "Beeshooter," who looks like your typical Peashooter, but in black and yellow face paint, and who fires devastating homing bees at any zombie in its path. Be wary of the new "Barrel Zombie" though: because once you break his outer shell, let's just say he gets a little frantic (and naked). The new art style might come as a surprise to some at first, but the designs are all extremely thoughtful, and they do an incredible justice to the look and feel of the original game; not to mention it gives the series an exciting breath of fresh air.

Perhaps the biggest gameplay difference in this game is that now the zombies will approach you from all four directions, so no Sunflower is ever safe! Lawnmowers are no longer luxuries, as sometimes it will take you until the end of a level to truly feel oriented towards the zombies' winding paths that get them mowed down by those grass-trimming saviors. Placing your Walnuts has never been more strategic, and the zombies will continue to munch on every plant they pass as they slowly make their way to your camper. The new setup may seem a bit confusing at first, but it won't be long before you're completely eating up these new level scenarios, and the new gameplay twist is well-envisioned and perfectly executed.

I'll admit I was actually a little worried to see how PopCap would incorporate free-to-play elements into the PvZuniverse, but the developers have pulled it off flawlessly: and they even used some of the basic aspects of freemium games to add another layer of challenge to the flower defense stages. For instance, plants are no longer in abundance as long as you have the sun to keep growing them. In PvZ Adventures, you need to grow each and every one of your plant defenders yourself at your house, and use their limited numbers wisely during battles. It also presents the thrilling decision of choosing to add just one more plant into the fold, or to save it for the next level if you're feeling confident that you can hold out for just a few zombies more. If you are underprepared in a level, it's very tempting to add another plant you don't have in the heat of the moment, which will cost you a hefty fee of red diamonds, the game's premium form of currency.

In fact, the only real times you're ever forced to wait in the game is when you're growing more plants, or waiting for your buildings to generate more coins so you can buy new plant seeds. Another cool thing about the game is that when plants go down in battle, you can actually revive them a few seconds later for a small fee of sun. You can also use some of your sun to boost a plant's power and range for a short amount of time. But spoiler alert: it'll still break your heart every time you see a Walnut go down.

Check out GameZebo for the final verdict >

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Techland's latest game, Dying Light, proves that the studio is sticking to what it knows best

Mike Splechta, GameZone — 2013-05-23T13:10:00+00:00

It's not surprising that Techland, the creators behind the somewhat flawed, yet ultimately fun Dead Island games, are geared up for yet another zombie apocalypse with Dying Light.

The game will differentiate itself from the Dead Island series by introducing a new night and day mechanic, where players will traverse the expansive environment while scavenging for supplies and crafting weapons during the day, and then become the hunted at night. The more frightening, dangerous and aggresive infected will come out during the night, so it's up to the player to be prepared for it..

The game will also feature heavy free running mechanics to make the player feel more nimble, and allow unrestricted exploration around the open world.

Dying Light however won't be published by Deep Silver, the publisher behind the Dead Islandgames, but rather fall under Warner Bros. wing.

Madden 25 Will Allow NCAA 14 Draft Class Import

Madden School — 2013-05-23T13:07:00+00:00

We have received word today from a few EA Sports GameChangers that Madden 25 will indeed have the ability to import draft classes from NCAA Football 14 to Madden 25.

When it was announced last year that the ability to import draft classes into Madden 13 wouldn't be available, the sports gaming community went crazy. Some of the outrage was due to the fact that this was kept a secret until well after NCAA Football 13 was released leaving many fans who bought NCAA 13 for the ability to import their favorite players in Madden 13 feeling ripped off.

EA Sports will not make the same mistake again this year. In fact they have gone a step further. You will now be able to use imported draft classes in your online connected franchises that you play with your buddies. Be on the lookout for one of the guys in your league throwing his first year in an attempt to get Jadaveon Clowney or Teddy Bridgewater.

Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing cheats, trainer and more

Cheat Happens — 2013-05-23T12:00:00+00:00

When your game starts to gain compliments comparing it to Diablo III, you've got something of a double-edged sword in your hands. On one side, it would be a great honor to be mentioned in the same sentence as the dungeon-crawling RTS classic. The other side of the sword is much sharper, with fans praying that The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing will make good on some of the mistakes of Diablo III.

Cheat Happens has the cheats you need to start rollin' through game without a hitch. With cheats like, Edit Essence Capacity, Double/Clone Items and Edit Item Parry, you'll be getting somewhere fast. Just make sure you bring your buddies along.

Enjoy a trailer for The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing, available now for Windows PC and Xbox Live Arcade.

Find cheats for your favorite games at Cheat Happens >

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PS4 Console teaser released, full reveal at E3

Charly Pierre, PlayStation Gang — 2013-05-23T11:51:00+00:00

Sony has just revealed a video tease for the PS4. The video is titled, "Playstation 4 See it first at E3". It's a short 39 second video showing the close-up shots of the hardware. Unfortunately, we will only get to see the full hardware for the first time at E3 on June 10th.

Until then, check out the short teaser trailer below and let us know what you make of it.

Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest - Developer interview

All About Casual Game — 2013-05-23T11:40:00+00:00

As mentioned in our review, Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest is one of the best Hidden Object Adventure titles this year. With awesome visuals, engaging story and clever gameplay - Rite of Passage 2 is surely unforgettable. We had a chance to got in touch with Nenad Tomic, the game producer at Mad Head Games to talk about the game in more depths.

It is indeed very clear that you have put so much effort into the game. Please tell us a bit more about how Mad Head Games is founded and your love of casual games.
Mad Head Games is the result of a long search for our place under the sun. Long before we became Mad Head Games, we spent years on various outsourcing projects, which were painful - since we were not working on our own games - but at the same time extremely useful because we gained a lot of experience working on games from many different genres, platforms, levels of complexity, etc. Honestly, just before we decided to start working on HOPA games none of us had prior involvement with the genre, but through exploration of these games we learned that they are the perfect ground to deliver these great, complex stories and push our artistic expression to the limit, so we decided to try and make something different. As it turned out, it was the coolest idea ever, because suddenly we started making games which "ordinary" people (not necessarily gamers) enjoyed and we could show our games to our friends and families and have them acutely wish to sit down and play. So, we grew to love the reactions of the casual audience
What is your inspiration to create Rite of Passage, since the first one?
When we started working on Rite of Passage we were fighting a battle on two fronts - one was to develop a technology from scratch and a workflow which would allow us to materialize our ideas, and the second was to learn how to successfully transfer story into a playable game. Our primary goal was to create a storyline that is deeper and more layered than your typical HOPA plot. We wanted to create a nostalgic feel of mid XX century and tell a dark story concerning deep personal dilemmas that lurk within each of us. At first, we wanted to exclude any supernatural phenomena, but our bias towards fantasy (luckily) led us away from this path and hence Rite of Passage franchise was born. The sequel follows the idea from the first part - an ordinary person is dragged into a paranormal situation which transforms her personality from an everyday person into a true hero.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced?
There are actually two challenges and I cannot make up my mind which one is more difficult: whether to make a visually impressive game and still maintain low hardware requirements and size of the game, and the other is to design and try all new features and still manage to complete the game in an acceptable time frame. Both of these things need to be taken care of if you aim to make a really good game.

What is 'unique' about Child of the Forest, that makes it worth playing?
First, I think the story is much more mature and unpredictable. Second, we've done a lot to explore, develop, test and deliver new gameplay mechanics that would turn "your everyday HOPA" into something bigger. And it turned out that it was good call and investment. New features of the game are very much appreciated among our audience, and it seems to me that aside from the awesome visuals, this is the biggest treat that the game offers. We've also added not one but two bonus games, which is very uncommon in this type of games.
How long it took you to develop the game?
As any love child, it took a whole nine months from inception to the moment it saw the light of the day :)

Games.com News. CityVille, FarmVille, CastleVille games news

EA: "Opportunity for a new Battlefront is very exciting"

Check out more gaming news at GameZone >

PS4 dev Jon Blow: "Profit is not the number one priority"

Check out the rest of the interview >

Target lowers Wii U price

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn Column: Dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV

A Dungeon Preview

Find out more about Final Fantasy XIV at MMORPG >

Top 10 F2P MMO Racing Games

Get more in-depth and play with the Top 10 at MMO Attack >

New Vindictus Episode Coming Soon!

Read more about Vindictus at MMOattack >

The Last of Us Can Be Played While It Is Being Downloaded on PS3

Read more about The Last of Us at MegaGames >

New Madden 25 Owner Mode (Connected Franchise) Announced

Read all about the new Madden 25 at Madden-School >

PC version Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is in the works

Check out MegaGames for more great news >

EA plans to support Xbox 360 and PS3 with games through 2017

Read more at GameZone >

Game of Thrones Ascent now playable on DisruptorBeam.com

Need for Speed Rivals blends single and multiplayer experience with AllDrive

Read more about Need for Speed Rivals at GameZone

Ubisoft reaffirms commitment to Wii U

Find more current gaming news at MegaGames >

Could This Be What The PS4 Sort of Looks Like?

Read more about the Playstation 4 at MegaGames

Plants vs. Zombies Adventures review

Check out GameZebo for the final verdict >

Techland's latest game, Dying Light, proves that the studio is sticking to what it knows best

Read more at GameZone >

Madden 25 Will Allow NCAA 14 Draft Class Import

Read more about Madden 25 at Madden-School

Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing cheats, trainer and more

Find cheats for your favorite games at Cheat Happens >

PS4 Console teaser released, full reveal at E3

Read more about Playstation news at PlaystationGang

Rite of Passage: Child of the Forest - Developer interview

Read more at All About Casual Game >