Video Games News -2013 Game Developers Conference Edition-

The annual Game Developers Conference had come and gone. Here are some of the biggest video game news that came out of this conference.



During the conference, Sony provided new details about their next-gen console. First, they revealed the five core principles that they intended the PS4 to have: “Simple, Immediate, Social, Integrated, and Personalized.” The new user interface reflected those principles by providing users information without loading a new game. They can see new add-ons, friends' opinions about a new game, etc.

Its CPU will have a 64-bit x86 architecture, low power consumption, low heat, 8 cores, 8 hardware threads, 2MiB L2 cache per 4 core group, 32kib l1 I/D-cache, PlayStation Shader Language, and features DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.0 support. The system will have a 8GB 256 bit GDDR5, and the console will have a large hard-drive equipped.

The DualShock controller will replaced the Start and Select buttons with a single "Options" button and have a "Share" button. Sony also stated that the controller buttons will go back to digital over analog since many players didn't use them on the PS3. The L2 and R2 buttons will be given a curved bottom. The touchpad will have a resolution of 1920×900 and will click if pressed down. The light bar behind the controller will indicate different players; Player One will be blue; Player Two, red; Player Three, green; and Player Four, pink, which are the same colors the Playstation symbols. It could also be used as an in-game indicator, such as health bar. Unike the PS3 DualShock controller, it can be charged even if the system is off.

The Playstation 4 Eye camera will have high-sensitivity dual color cameras at 1280×800 resolution, 12 bits per pixel, and 60Hz. Sony will have a port for this peripheral, which is an exclusive Sony-developed connector so unfortunately you can't plug it into your PC.

The new Playstation Network will give users two identities choices: their real name and picture, and their PlayStation Network ID and avatar. Players can decide which one to use and whether or not to allow others to see their real names. If a player imported from Facebook, his or her name will automatically be used though it can be modified. Sony also increased friend capacity.

Promoting the social aspect of the console, Sony revealed that developers can set chapter markers for references to use for the share options and that the hardware will automatically take care of the sharing and streaming features. During Remote Play, PS4 games can be played on the Vita and can be displayed on both systems at the same time. Just like the sharing and streaming features, it will be handled by the hardware. Lastly, the Playstation mobile app will allow users to login, buy PlayStation 4 games, and have their systems begin downloading them at home.

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Sony revealed more information about their upcoming PSN game, Rain. The story is about a boy who is chasing a girl with an invisible silhouette and discovers that she is being pursued by ghostly creatures. However, he found himself to be invisible as well, and his silhouette can be only seen in the rain. Now he has to navigate through the unknown world while avoiding monsters.

SCEA associate producer Dais Kawaguchi stated that the game encourages players to think of strategies such as using the boy as bait in order to lure the monsters away or picking up items to taunt them. No release date had been posted yet.

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Four more indie games will be available for the PS3 and Vita. These games are:

• Divekick: A “quirky two-button fighting game” from Iron Galaxy Studios for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita.
  
• Metrico: A PS Vita exclusive from Digital Dreams that “delivers an innovative experience in an atmospheric infographic world” and utilizes the system’s controls “in a new way.”
  
• Spelunky: A randomly-generated cave explorer, first launched on Xbox LIVE Arcade and PC, coming to PlayStation 3 and PS Vita with “new exclusive features” this summer.
  
• Limbo: The acclaimed puzzle platformer will make its way to PS Vita.

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Sony revealed that Puppeteer will be released on Sept. 10th. In this game, you control a boy named Kutaro, whose head was eaten by the Moon Bear King and body transformed into a wooden puppet. To get his head back, he will use replacement heads, make allies, and use a pair of magical scissors. The game setting is a theater stage.

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Two more games have been announced for the PS4.



The first game is Blacklight: Retribution, which is a sequel to Blacklight: Tango Down. It is a futuristic free-to-play first-person shooter, which already have over one million players on PC. Zombie Studios hopes to bring a "new experience" and "further evolution" of the shooter to the PS4.



The next game, Primal Carnage: Genesis, is a “story driven, episodic single player adventure”, which takes place in a world where dinosaurs came back to life.

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EA and DICE officially announced the next Battlefield game at the conference. In the press release, they promised that “Players will learn how to work together in both the Campaign and Multiplayer, issuing squad orders and comparing achievements in both experiences. Adventure and Competition will unfold through a series of beautifully crafted locations constructed with some of the best art and sound design in modern shooters.”

Players who preorder the game at participating stores will get the Premium expansion pack at no additional cost. If players buys the game on Origin, they will get a Battlefield 4 Digital Deluxe edition including the game, bonus digital items, Premium expansion pack, and exclusive access to the multiplayer beta.

Battlefield 4 will be out this fall for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

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Suda51's new assassin game, Killer is Dead, is about an executioner named Mondo Zappa, who wield a katana in one hand and his other arm is a transforming cybernetic arm. He works for the government-funded Bryan Execution Agency and its mission is to hunt down people who live in the Underworld.

Each mission will be similar to an episode of a drama TV show. While the missions are self-contained, they will tie to a bigger plot. The first mission revealed at the conference was “The Girl Who Lost Her Ear.” In this mission, Monda confronted the boss, Victor, who planned to steal music from all the musicians around the world so he could amplify it to make the world an evil place. Suda51 added that some of the bosses will have human forms while others will not.

During battle, the player will have three choices: weak attack, strong attack, and punch attack, which can be linked together as combos. There are also finishing blows though they haven't been detailed. The game will include a Gigolo Mode, which allow Mondo to seduce women.

The game will be out on the PS3 and Xbox 360 this summer.

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At the conference, Kojima Productions has confirmed that two separate games, Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain will combine to make up Metal Gear Solid V. The former will be a prologue and take places nine years before The Phantom Pain. It will immediately take place after Peace Walker. The Phantom Pain, which is considered to be the main game, begins after Snake wakes up from his coma. Both will be open world though Ground Zeroes will be smaller.

Hideo Kojima stated that Snake is the only playable character and that he headed a new squad called Diamond Dogs. He also confirmed that old and several new characters will be in the game. For the gameplay, he wanted the infiltration to be more realistic, which will provide players more options. The game, which takes place around 1984, will be "80% real and 20% sci-fi".

The reason why he decided to use Roman numeral for this game instead of "5" is because he wants the "V" to represent their will for "victory". Likewise, he and his team wanted to reinvent the series, which is also why they decided not to ask David Hayter to voice Snake like he did with the previous games. He also added that this will be the last Metal Gear Solid game he will make because he wishes to work on other projects. He intends for the LA and Tokyo teams to take over the series.

Metal Gear Solid V will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 though Kojima won't comment whether or not it will be out for the next-gen consoles as well.

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