Derek Strickland, Author at VR World

Gaming, VR World

Gamescom 2014: Sony to Bring Virtualized Local Co-Op to the PS4 With Share Play

During its Gamescom 2014 presentation, Sony revealed that Share Play will finally make its way to the PS4 in via a new firmware 2.0 update this Fall. Share Play introduces a “virtual couch” that allows you to invite online friends and take turns in singleplayer games just as if they were in the same room. On the other hand users can enjoy local co-op with online friends through Share Play, effectively reviving the classic couch co-op experience for the modern age. You do need to be a PlayStation Plus subscriber to reap the benefits of Share Play, however. “…Share Play is like a “virtual couch”. [PS4] will create an online local co-op

Gaming, VR World

Sierra Returns as Activision Indie label, new 'King's Quest' Incoming

As promised, Activision today revealed the mysteries behind Sierra Entertainment’s resurrection at Gamescom 2014. The previously defunct label will be returning to foster indie games development for the industry giant, and to start Sierra is help create a new entry in the fan-favorite King’s Quest franchise with indie crew The Odd Gentlemen at the helm. Queue the triumphant fanfare! The new King’s Quest, which is due out in 2015, features a “wondrous interactive narrative brimming with humor”. It centers around King Graham, a legendary adventurer, who regails his tales of heroic derring-do with his grand-daughter Gwendolyn, who is enamored by magic of storytelling. Sierra Entertainment plans to have a key presence

Gaming, VR World

Sierra Returns as Activision Indie label, new 'King's Quest' Incoming

Gaming, VR World

High-Tech Chaos Ensues in the New 'Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare' Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer

Today Activision unveiled world premiere multiplayer footage for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare that left quite an impression. The trailer showcased key elements of the multiplayer experience, highlighting the blisteringly frenetic pace of combat and satisfying array of high-tech gadgets and guns. The arsenal includes some innovative new toys such as a wrist-mounted grenade launcher, a concussion rifle and even a heat-laser that is startlingly similar to Halo 3‘s Sentinel Beam. Other goodies include fanciful space-age war-toys like machine-gun toting drones and turrets that rain a hell of bullets on enemies to tried-and-true SMG’s. There was also this thing, which looks like it delivers terrible death on anyone that

Gaming, VR World

Bungie Wipes 'Destiny' Beta Characters and Vaults

If you were one of the many beta-testers who hoped your Guardian(s) would bask in the Light of the Traveler on launch day, we have some bad news for you: Bungie has announced that Destiny‘s beta characters won’t transfer over to the full release. And the vaults have been wiped too. Ouch. We’ll Miss You, Gjallarhorn Over 4.6 million gamers played the Destiny beta, and most of us expected that a wipe would be imminent. Our Titans, Hunters and Warlocks would be flushed away, and having met the Level 8 cap with speed, it wasn’t such a big deal. But our vaults were another story. Every piece

Gaming, VR World

Voice Actor's Impromptu Wit Rescues Live 'Witcher 3' Demo Blunder

Doug Cockle may not be a super hero by trade, but by rescuing CD Projekt Red in their hour of need he’d certainly earn a nod from Man of Steel himself. In the tradeshow where caped crusaders are venerated–San Diego’s infamous Comic-Con–Polish game devs CD Projekt Red prepared to showcase a live demo The Witcher 3 to a public audience for the very first time. Firing up the demo, Geralt of Rivia slowly made his way into an atmospheric countryside pub that displayed the true dynamism and authenticity of the game’s NPCs. The renown Witcher then sat down to talk shop with a devilish-looking NPC informant named Diijkstra, but his gravelly voice went

Gaming, VR World

Voice Actor's Impromptu Wit Rescues Live 'Witcher 3' Demo Blunder

Analysis, Gaming

What AAA-Devs Can Learn From Indies and F2P

The playing field of the gaming industry is changing. In a market dominated by reboots and sequels, more and more gamers are turning to indie and free-to-play games (commonly abbreviated as F2P) — and as a result the industry is making a paradigm shift. Key companies like Activision and EA are finding F2P and indies as major competitors to their streams of AAA releases, and in order to stay on top, they’ll need to embrace these sectors. But why move to indies when AAA is still reigning the charts ? What are the benefits of diversifying to incorporate indie-like titles and free-to-play franchises? AAA games are

Gaming, VR World

Sierra Entertainment Is Reborn

Many gamers grew up playing Sierra Entertainment classics. By delivering memorable franchises like the immortal PC shooter Half-Life, the publisher had a hand at shaping that age of gaming. But like many industry greats, Sierra went defunct. Activision snapped them up back in 2008 and ever since it has been a subsidiary of the AAA-giant. Now it appears the label may be making a triumphant return. A new website for Sierra Entertainment teases that the landmark label may be coming back to our modern age of gaming. A brief video clip is seen on the page, along with hints that an official announcement is coming at this

Gaming, VR World

Growth of Titans: Activision's Q2 Earnings Surpass Predictions

Activision-Blizzard surprised investors and analysts with a better than expected earnings report for its second quarter. In Activision-Blizzard’s newly released second-quarter earnings report, the gaming giant reveals that its revenue for the second quarter has surpassed original projections by $60 million. The company managed to top $970 million in revenue for the second quarter ending on June 30, 2014, pulling in a profit of $204 million citing continued growth in digital market as a major source of profits. However, while these better-than-expected figures pleasantly surprised analysts and investors when put in a broader context it shows that Activision-Blizzard’s revenue and profits are on an overall decline. Compared to

Gaming, Hardware, Mobile Computing, VR World

Master Chief Lends his Visage to Microsoft's Limited Edition Mobile Mouse 3500

Let’s face it: Master Chief makes everything better. It’s no secret that Sierra 117 is one of the most iconic figures in gaming, and the larger-than-life Spartan remains the bannerman for Microsoft’s flagship Halo franchise. When we see his visage emblazoned on, say, a mobile mouse from Microsoft it’s not exactly a surprise–but to many of us it’s a welcomed addition. Microsoft has introduced a special limited edition Halo-themed Mobile Mouse 3500 with the Master Chief fanatic in mind: featuring a stylized rendition of the stoic interstellar hero of yore, the mouse is a perfect fit for any Halo fan who needs to take their mouse-clicking on-the-go. Matching

Analysis, Gaming

Ryse and Fall: How Crytek Went From AAA Games Developer to Self-Publisher

Over the past year, Crytek has undergone many radical changes. Looking at the company now it’d be hard to recognize the developer of one of the most powerful graphics engines in the industry, or the creators of multiple big-name franchises like Far Cry and Crysis. Fractured by financial woes, Crytek was forced to adapt to a brand new business model or risk going kaput. In a few short months they went from renown games developer to in-house self-publisher, crafting smaller-scale free-to-play projects like Warface to stay afloat. But how did it come to this? In many ways Crytek’s story is a telling tale of the industry as a

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