Tag Archives: Game Development

Train2Game News: Borderlands 2 Tiny Tina DLC released today

Posted on by

Tiny Tina DLC2K and Gearbox Software announced today that Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, the fourth and final add-on content campaign for Borderlands 2, is available for download today for all available platforms.

Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep features the popular Tiny Tina as she takes on the role of Bunker Master in a game of “Bunkers and Badasses.”

Players join the vault hunters on an epic quest of revenge and redemption through dynamic and fantastical settings filled with castles, dungeons and magic forests. Borderlands fans will also fight off more new unique enemy types in Dragon Keep than in all three of the previous add-on campaigns combined, including sorcerers, wizards, orcs, dragons and more.

“The Borderlands franchise has set a high bar for the quality and value of add-on content,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “Today, that bar is raised even higher with the release of Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep, the most substantial add-on campaign in the franchise’s history.”

“As Bunker Master, Tiny Tina can change the game scenario however she wishes, making Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep the most dynamic add-on campaign Gearbox Software has ever produced,” said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. “The Borderlands 2 development team here at our studio really pulled out all the stops to create what we think is the best value in DLC ever offered.”

Critics exclaim that Dragon Keep is the most ambitious and impressive add-on campaign for Borderlands 2, with IGN calling it “The biggest and craziest DLC yet.”

Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep is the fourth and final add-on content campaign included in the Borderlands 2 Season Pass. The Season Pass, which also contains the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack, is still available for purchase and provides nearly $45.00 worth of content for $29.99 (2400 Microsoft Points), including:

  • Captain Scarlett and her Pirate’s Booty;
  • Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage;
  • Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt;
  • Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack;
  • Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep.

Players can also individually purchase Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep and the three previous add-on campaigns for $9.99 each (800 Microsoft Points) as well as the Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack for $4.99 (400 Microsoft Points).

Additionally, there’s never been a better time for new Vault Hunters to jump into the world of Pandora and experience the critically acclaimed shoot-n-loot mayhem, as the base game of Borderlands 2 is now available for $29.99 MSRP. When combined with the Season Pass, players will get nearly $75 of content for $60, offering hundreds hours of gameplay for an outstanding value.

You can enjoy the trailer for the new DLC below if you are over 18.

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 Games – 24.06.13

Posted on by

The Last Of UsSony and Naughty Dog’s PS3 exclusive, The Last Of Us, remains at number one for a second week and Nintendo’s big new 3DS release from last week, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, remains at number two. Max Payne 3 re-enters the chart at number five thanks to huge price promotions on PS3 and Xbox360. The only new entry to the top twenty this week is Moto GP ’13 which enters the charts at number number fifteen.

All formats

Week ending 22 June 2013

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 – THE LAST OF US SONY COMPUTER ENT. 1
2 – ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF NINTENDO 2
3 FIFA 13 EA SPORTS 5
4 – TOMB RAIDER SQUARE ENIX 4
5 MAX PAYNE 3 ROCKSTAR –
6 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II ACTIVISION 14
7 – FAR CRY 3 UBISOFT 7
8 INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 6
9 ASSASSIN’S CREED III XBOX 360 CLASSICS 10
10 GRID 2 CODEMASTERS 3
11 LUIGI’S MANSION 2 NINTENDO 9
12 LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 13
13 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM – LEGENDARY BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 8
14 DEAD ISLAND: RIPTIDE DEEP SILVER 11
15 MOTOGP 13 PQUBE –
16 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV XBOX 360 CLASSICS 18
17 DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS NINTENDO 15
18 NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED EA GAMES –
19 BIOSHOCK INFINITE 2K GAMES 16
20 LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 19
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2013 UKIE LtdThese charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News: OpenWheel Kickstarter

Posted on by

OpenWheelA Train2Game Student; Laurence Gee, has begun working full time with games developer Brain in a Jar who have started an initiative to receive funding through Kickstarter for their latest game; OpenWheel.

Laurence joins the company as a full time employee to help develop OpenWheel and the company are requesting further support from the Train2Game community to make the game a reality. Laurence joined Brain in a Jar in February of 2011 on a Train2Game work placement scheme and he is now happily in full time employment as a 3D artist in the studio.

Brain in a Jar, has been developing racing games since 1998 and are based right next to Oulton Park race track in Cheshire. Racing is built in to the very foundation of the company. The company has worked on big games like Indycar and NASCAR, independent games of its own and has worked with some great developers on AAA games like: Driver: San Francisco and Need For Speed.

OpenWheel is an online multiplayer racing game which is fully customisable. There are no static 2D lobby screens to sit in waiting for a race to start. Once you have chosen your chassis and the track you want to race on you are taken straight into the action, you can even join mid-race. You can define, create and run your own global championships, or join existing ones. Become your own FIA and create a world championship for your friends and the best racers to come and compete in.

This is truly an immersive, passion filled racing game created by fans of high speed racing. The game is a fantastic concept with hours of playability and Brain in a Jar deserve all the pledges they can get on Kickstarter.

If you would like to pledge and view there great video, you can do so by going to www.kickstarter.com/projects/braininajar/openwheel

If you want to found out more about the studio go to www.braininajar.co.uk

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 21.06.13

Posted on by

PS4It’s Friday which, of course, means it is time for the games industry news round up.

Mark Cerny, the lead system architect on Sony’s PlayStation 4 console, will deliver the conference keynote at Develop in Brighton, which takes place at the city’s Hilton Metropole from 9-11 July 2013. Cerny’s keynote, Changing the Game: Developing into the Next Generation, will see the industry legend take delegates through the journey he has been on to bring the console to reality, looking at the lessons learnt from previous console generations, the future vision for PS4 and how embracing the Indie community will have a key role in fulfilling that vision. To find out more about the event, go to http://www.developconference.com/

Gamers competing via the Xbox Tournaments with Virgin Gaming app on Xbox 360, now have a new way to win cash and show off their gaming skills. With the new update, available today, players can now enter buy-in tournaments and head-to-head challenges using their own money. Since launching nearly two months ago, Virgin Gaming has awarded Xbox 360 gamers nearly $100,000 in cash prizes, while also allowing players to seamlessly browse, enter, challenge, play in and track tournaments for their favourite games directly from Xbox Live. Gamers that are not already using the app can register for an account at http://virgingaming.com/xbox and download the app from Xbox Live.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey will be available for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita handheld systems in Europe on 21st June. A Nintendo DS version will follow this Autumn, as will a free-to-play online world, LEGO Legends of Chima Online. The new games all complement a line of branded products and TV content based on the LEGO Legends of Chima action packed world ruled by eight animal tribes that tells the classic story of good and evil, friendship and family.

Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 will be releasing on Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC/Steam, PlayStation Network, iPad, and for the first time on Android tablets next week. As with previous years Wizards of the Coast are rolling out the release of the game over two days across the myriad of platforms. The game will be released on June 25 for iTunes, Google Play and Amazon App Store. The following day will see the release on PC, Xbox Live and PSN. Associate Community Manager Sean Gibbons gives the community a first look at the new Sealed Campaign and deck editor in the upcoming Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers, which you can enjoy here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEQVZf8qxYo

Finally, some good news for those of you who are looking forward to the new Thief game. You won’t have to buy a next generation console for the game. Eidios Montreal has confirmed that the game will also be coming to Xbox360 and PS3. No word yet on a WiiU release. Senior Producer Stephane Roy acknowledges that the developers “have to be smart” in transferring the demands of the software to consoles at the end of their life cycle – suggesting that the breadth of the world may be scaled down to accommodate present-day hardware.

Train2Game News: Something Money Can’t Buy

Posted on by

NicolaHi guys, I’m Nicola, the winner of the Rapid2D competition that you can see on the front page of the Train2game site.

Nicolas chequeThis article is partially to share a world of thanks to the people at Train2game that helped me and continue to support me to reach my dream, partially for all the people that write on the forum asking questions like “is this real or is it a scam?” , “should I start this course?” and “will I gain success?”…

Nicola Modern JagoBut, above all, this article is for you, students that, like me, are inside Train2Game to follow your dreams.

On June 18, thanks to Eric Wiltsher and Harry Cole, I spent a wonderful, amazing, unforgettable day meeting famous people inside the game industry.

Andrew Webber (Microsoft), Nicola, Andy Payne

Andrew Webber (Microsoft), Nicola, Andy Payne

I had a tour in the Microsoft Lift London Studios (Soho, London) and I saw a real team working on a game. I shook the hands of people like Andrew Webber, Ian Livingstone, Andy Payne, Lee Schuneman, and I received more than 6 hours of mentoring about how to become someone inside the games industry. Precious information that certainly will help me.

Nicola and Philip Oliver

Nicola and Philip Oliver

When, 8 months ago, I started the course never, if someone said “Nicola, prepare yourself because the next year you will meet the life president of Eidos” I wouldn’t have believed it and never would have I felt so close to changing my life for the better.

Ian Livingstone

Ian Livingstone

So, for all of you that sometimes feel bad and think that nothing will change, keep focused on your dreams, take ALL the opportunities that Train2Game gives you and you’ll find that surely you’ll be rewarded.

Great Future, my friends.

Nicola Valcasara

Train2Game News: Microsoft Reverse Xbox One Policies

Posted on by

Xbox OneMicrosoft have listened to their fans and have backtracked on some of the more controversial Xbox One policies.

Since Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would need to connect to the internet once every 24 hours, you can only sell used games to certain retailers and that sharing games would be different, the console has come under attack from many people.

Consumers felt like there choices were being taken away from them.

Microsoft have now heard these attacks and have changed their policies to one that should appeal more to the wider market.

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console – there will be no regional restrictions on the console.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios that previously announced for Xbox One, such as when swapping from one game to another will of course require a change of disc and features such as the “Driveatar” for Forza 5 will still require a constant connection.

The Kinect will still have to be always connected to the console as Microsoft believe that is a key part of gaming in the future and want Developers to be able to use it without worry.

The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

In the article from Don Mattrick detailing the changes, it finishes saying “We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.”

Train2Game News: Oculus Rift gets huge funding

Posted on by

Oculus RiftOculus VR, maker of the anticipated Oculus Rift VR gaming headset, has secured $16 million in Series A funding.

The round was co-led by Spark Capital and Matrix Partners. Santo Politi, founder and general partner at Spark, and Antonio Rodriguez, serial entrepreneur and general partner at Matrix, have joined the company’s board of directors. Founders Fund as well as Formation 8 also participated in the round.

Oculus plans to use the funds to accelerate the development of its virtual reality hardware, software and services, and ultimately create a virtual reality platform for consumers.

“Oculus began with a single mission: to put players inside the game,” said Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR and inventor of the Oculus Rift.

“This investment allows us to deliver immersive and affordable virtual reality to players everywhere.”

Oculus garnered lots of attention when it debut at last year’s E3. Oculus has since manufactured and shipped the Rift development kits purchased in its Kickstarter campaign, allowing game developers to create Oculus-ready applications and interactive content.

Spark Capital has previous backed other forward-thinking tech ventures, which have subsequently gained massive popularity, including Twitter and Tumblr. Matrix Partners’ achievements include early investments in some of the world’s most successful technology companies, such as Apple, SanDisk and others.

“What better way to mark our first anniversary than to announce our next phase of growth,” said Brendan Iribe, CEO of Oculus VR.

“There are still many challenging problems to solve, but with the support of these great investment partners, and our passionate community, we will continue to hire the brightest minds and stay laser focused on delivering the very best virtual reality platform possible.”

Oculus VR originally raised over $2.4 million through its Kickstarter campaign – almost ten times its fundraising goal.

Development kits are currently doing the rounds, but no commercial release date has been set for the product.

Train2Game News: Fastest selling XBLA Game

Posted on by

State of DecayThe official Xbox blog has specified that State of Decay is the “fastest selling original game ever” on Xbox Live Arcade.

The open world Zombie game from Undead Labs has sold over five hundred thousand copies on the Xbox Live arcade store to date.

Taking you beyond the initial panic of a Zombie apocalypse, and beyond the first weeks of the crisis, State of Decay is the embodiment of the “What if?” zombie apocalypse scenario. The world is now your oyster…a shiny oyster that happens to be filled with zombies. This game lets you fulfil your plans of what would I do if the worst happened?

According to Undead Labs founder Jeff Strain, there is a future for the series. “We’re laying plans for the future of State of Decay right now,” he said.

“There’s an incredibly sophisticated simulation engine driving the world of State of Decay – we call it FateEngine – and it gives s a platform to do much more with the game. For a start, I can tell you we’re working on a sandbox mode designed to be a pure survival simulation.”

The game is currently 1600 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live Arcade store but the game is currently in development for PC.

State of Decay, The Last Of Us and The Walking Dead proves that Zombie games are still popular but, for how much longer?

Train2Game News: Cliffy B comments on used games

Posted on by

Cliff Bleszinski Cliff Bleszinski says the public reaction to the Sony and Microsoft press conferences at E3 are premature, arguing that the former was simply playing a PR game.

Many who watched the show claimed that Sony had “won” E3 due to its declaration that the PlayStation 4 would not have any restrictions on used games.

Bleszinski not only doubts that Sony doesn’t have some anti-used tricks tucked away, but says the used game market is undermining the $60 triple-A model.

“I’d bet Sony has some similar stuff up their sleeves they’re just playing on the internet outrage for free PR,” said Bleszinski over Twitter.

“You cannot have game and marketing budgets this high while also having used and rental games existing. The numbers do NOT work people.”

Bleszinski started his career at Epic Games, where he rose through the ranks to become one of the industry’s most recognisable faces and as the creator of Gears of War, Bleszinski knows the cost of modern triple-A games are astronomical.

“The visual fidelity and feature sets we expect from games now come with sky high costs,” he explained.

“Assassin’s Creed games are made by thousands of devs.”

According to Bleszinski, this means consumers should be prepared for more than just the death of used games, but should expect physical media to be replaced by new distribution and business models.

“This is why you’re seeing free-to-play and microtransactions everywhere,” he concluded.

“The disc based day one $60 model is crumbling.”

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 Games – 17.06.13

Posted on by

The Last Of UsThere is a brand new number one this week with the PlayStation exclusive, The Last Of Us which was released on Friday. Animal Crossing: New Leaf came in at number two, unable to beat the popularity of The Last Of Us. Rugby Challenge 2: Lions Tour Edition also came out this week and debuted at number twelve. Finally, with the announcement of the DLC at E3 last week, The Walking Dead by Telltale Games also made a welcome return to the top 20, coming back in at number seventeen.

All formats

Week ending 15 June 2013

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 THE LAST OF US SONY COMPUTER ENT. –
2 ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF NINTENDO –
3 GRID 2 CODEMASTERS 1
4 TOMB RAIDER SQUARE ENIX 7
5 FIFA 13 EA SPORTS 2
6 INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 11
7 FAR CRY 3 UBISOFT 5
8 THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM – LEGENDARY BETHESDA SOFTWORKS 4
9 LUIGI’S MANSION 2 NINTENDO 8
10 – ASSASSIN’S CREED III XBOX 360 CLASSICS 10
11 DEAD ISLAND: RIPTIDE DEEP SILVER 6
12 RUGBY CHALLENGE 2: LIONS TOUR EDITION ALTERNATIVE –
13 – LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 13
14 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II ACTIVISION 15
15 DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS NINTENDO 9
16 BIOSHOCK INFINITE 2K GAMES 14
17 THE WALKING DEAD TELLTALE GAMES –
18 GRAND THEFT AUTO IV XBOX 360 CLASSICS 20
19 LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 18
20 REMEMBER ME CAPCOM 3
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2013 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.