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Justin Carmical, a games writer and entertainer known for his You Can Play This series and "JewWario" persona, has passed away. Carmical's wife, Jenny Valentine, posted on Facebook that she was with Carmical when he took his own life on January ...

Virtual currency for physical goodies

TigerDirect is now accepting BitCoin as payment on its website. The retailer revealed that BitCoin adopters can use the virtual currency to purchase anything excluding gift cards.

The value of BitCoins will be based on US Dollars with the exchange rate provided by a TigerDirect partner, BitPay, and be valid for up to 15 minutes at the time of purchase. BitCoin, as of now, will only be accepted on the US version of TigerDirect.com and not at any of its retail stores or call centers. However, the website will accept worldwide orders from customers living outside of the US. 

TigerDirect has warned consumers that all transactions paid with the virtual currency will be final and that its acceptance of this particular form of payment can be changed at any time at its discretion without any advanced notice.

BitCoin has continued to increase in value and popularity since its launch in 2009.  Recently Xidax, a custom PC company, became one of the latest businesses, and the first system builder, to accept BitCoin as payment. And while the crypto-currency hasn’t been recognized in the US as a legitimate form of legal tender, it hasn’t stopped BitCoin miners from purchasing AMD’s Radeon R9 290X, causing a shortage of supply, and other GPUs to mine for the virtual gold.

The value of BitCoin is currently around $800 as of the publishing of this article.

The original creators of the 1984 puzzle adventure game Boulder Dash have reunited under a new studio to create a sequel to the arcade classic, Boulder Dash: 30th Anniversary.

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Court victory could lead to more legal challenges

A software developer who received a citation for wearing Google Glass while driving was found not guilty by San Diego County Traffic Court Commissioner John Blair. The ticket was issued to Cecilia Abadie on October 29 after being pulled over for speeding while driving along Interstate 15. In addition to speeding, she was cited for "Driving with monitor visible to driver (Google Glass)."

It's illegal in California to drive with a video or TV screen turned on and visible to the driver. However, Blair ruled that there was no evidence to prove Glass was operating while Abadie was driving, the Associated Press reports. What he did not do, however, is rule that it's legal to drive with Glass turned on, adding that the device does indeed fall under California Vehicle Code 27602, explained above.

The decision is an interesting one as some say the lower court ruling avoids setting a precedent, but does open the door to future challenges. Abadie is believed to be the first person to receive a ticket for wearing Glass while driving.

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Jen Taylor, the voice actress of Halo's A.I. companion Cortana, will reportedly lend her talents to Microsoft's voice feature of the same name, according to MSFTnerd.

According to the site, Cortana, Microsoft's answer to Apple's Siri, will launch first in beta this April in the U.S. for Lumia devices. The feature will hit the iPhone Bing app this fall, also in the U.S. The report also says Cortana will come to the Xbox One and Windows users in North America in 2015, and the feature is expected to launch internationally in 2015 and 2016.

Rumors about Cortana began circulating last fall, touting it as a feature first headed to Windows Phone 8.1. Cortana will feature improved voice command capabilities over Windows Phone's current...

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Final Fantasy 6 is now available on Android. The mobile port was originally announced in October by Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita, who expected the game to arrive on both Android and iOS by the end of 2013. While it just missed the mark on its ...

The latest trailer for Bravely Default features a look at the game's job classes, including monks, whites mages and more.

A "high-HP fighter," Monks use fist attacks as their primary skills. White Mages serve as healers and offer support magic, while Black Mages attack with dark magic. Also included in the trailer are summoners — a job that can call otherworldly beings — and the thief. Bravely Default will include 24 jobs for players to customize their party.

Bravely Default launches for Nintendo 3DS Feb. 7 in North America. A demo was released earlier this month.

The Banner Saga has the looks of an animated Disney film from the 40s or 50s. It's full of rich colors and expressive, exaggerated characters. But its beauty goes beyond its appearance and presentation.

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Yasumi Matsuno, the designer behind Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, and publisher Playdek are turning to Kickstarter to fund the development of Unsung Story: Tale of the Guardians in an effort to bring the tactical role-playing game to PC.

Unsung Story, a planned series of games designed and overseen by Matsuno, was first announced at Tokyo Game Show last year. Two games are already confirmed, the first being a digital card game — simply titled Unsung Story —planned for release this year and the second, Tale of the Guardians, a more traditional, tactics-style RPG in the vein of Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics.

Originally, the plan was to bring Unsung Story games to mobile platforms. Playdek's newly launched...

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Runic Games' action role-playing game Torchlight 2 is free-to-play for Windows PC through Steam this weekend, according to the title's listing.

Steam users can download and play the sequel to 2009's Torchlight for free starting now. The event will last until Sunday, Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. ET.

Additionally, the full version of Torchlight 2 is available for $4.99, 75 percent off it's original price of $19.99. A four-pack of Torchlight 2 copies for sharing with friends is also available at 75 percent off for $14.99, and the original Torchlight for Windows PC and Mac is also discounted to $3.74.

Torchlight 2 launched in September 2012. The title lets players explore randomly generated dungeons and fight monsters for loot, both in a...

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What's this? A SECOND COMIC TODAY POSTED EXCLUSIVELY AT THE NIB?

Ecco the Dolphin has been a silent franchise for years, but not by choice. Creator Ed Annunziata fights day-in and day-out to revive his dormant dolphin.

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An update to the official page for Breath of Fire 6: Guardians of the White Dragons offers new story and gameplay details. Pixelitis' translation of Inside-Games' report notes the presence of some Breath of Fire series staples. In BoF6, a force ...

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Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Classes, Game Mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Races, First Impressions, Events (Massively's Coverage), Subscription, MMORPG

What do you get when you throw a bunch of Massively writers into the WildStar beta for a week and tell them they can roll a million characters, play the new classes, and muck around with floating houses in the sky? You get today's embargo-lift extravaganza, that's what, and a whole bunch of bunnygirls. Massively's Eliot Lefebvre, Justin Olivetti, and Gavin Townsley trekked to the planet Nexus and back to relate their deep-dive hands-on experience with the upcoming sci-fi MMO's character creation, Medic, and Engineer, as well as a take fresh look at the updated housing system. Enjoy our complete coverage!

	Massively's hands-on with WildStar's character creation Eliot tinkers with character customization, judging WildStar's somewhere between the extremes of World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. Expect an expert opinion on hair styles and body sliders.
	Massively's hands-on with WildStar's housing system In the wake of the latest housing demo, Gavin explains the differences between sockets, plugs, and buff boards, and then repeats rumors of a strip club for small stuffed animals.
	Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Engineer Justin is a sucker for Engineers: "This is my rifle and this is my gun; this is for fighting and this is for statistical improvements that help my gearscore for the inevitable raid gating."
	Massively's hands-on with WildStar's Medic Eliot covers the feel of WildStar's hard-to-master melee healer and his role in the overall environment: "Sure, I had moments of frustration, but I certainly wasn't ever bored."

Massively previews WildStar's character creation, housing, Engineer, and Medic originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Secret of Mana developer Square Enix has hinted at a new unannounced title in the series following the release of a recently released Christmas Album featuring a song from an as-of-yet unreleased game.

The official page for X'mas Collections 2 includes a mention of Seiken Densetsu, the series' Japanese name, labelled as "future project." The most recently released title in the series, Circle of Mana, launched only in Japan on iOS and Android devices.

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Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, PvP, The Elder Scrolls Online

Bethesda and ZeniMax Online Studios have announced today that The Elder Scrolls Online is set for worldwide launch on April 4, 2014 for both PC and Mac, while a June 2014 date is set for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One release.

In addition to this news, the developers have released a new announcement trailer, entitled War in Cyrodiil, that spotlights the fantasy MMO's massive PvP system that allows hundreds of players to fight together on the same battlefield. The video shows off in-game footage of a castle siege from multiple perspectives, as well as what could potentially be some interesting combat skills and weapons.

You'll find the video just after the cut below, as well as more information on the game's official site.

[Source: Bethesda press release]

Continue reading The Elder Scrolls Online to launch April 4, 2014

The Elder Scrolls Online to launch April 4, 2014 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 11 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new video for Pillars of Eternity, also known as Obsidian Entertainment's Kickstarter-funded Project Eternity, offers a glimpse at gameplay and character art.

Pillars of Eternity is an isometric, party-based role-playing game. In the video above, you can watch as characters explore dungeons in groups and solo runs. In addition to enemy encounters, the trailer also features a brief look at attack abilities.

The backer website for Pillars of Eternity is also now available with updates on the game's progress, media and more.

Project Eternity ended its Kickstarter campaign in October 2012 as one of the most-funded games; the title raised $3.9 million, overshooting its $1.1 million goal.

Pillars of Eternity is expected to launch in 2014...

OH MAN

Hey, cats and kittens: It’s Bob again with another brand-new episode. Just so you know, this one was the first we recorded with Jeremy Skyping in from his new East Coast digs, so things might not go as smoothly as you’d expect from the well-oiled machine known as Retronauts. On the bright side — if you could call it that — most of the difficulties came in the editing process, since I had to paste in Jeremy’s locally recorded audio every time he spoke, while simultaneously cutting out the rest of our dumb voices. Because of this issue, I stumbled into a little SNAFU that would take too much time to correct, so you may notice that one of our musical breaks lasts just a little too long — but it probably won’t kill you.

To close the book on this extremely inside baseball, just know that we’ve since come up with a much more efficient process, so the episodes following next week’s should be back to normal. Then again, no one complained about the audio quality on previously posted Jeremy Skype-ins, so this paragraph could only serve to waste your valuable time. (Sorry.)

Anyhow, this episode covers an extremely broad topic we’ve touched upon plenty of times on Retronauts, but never fully delved into. That said, as I explained in the intro to this episode, we couldn’t possibly cover everything, so I did my best to track the evolution of voice acting using some very notable (and at times, infamous) examples. Special thanks go out to backer Chris Doucette, who donated to make this episode happen, and volunteered his time to help us talk about a very fruitful subject. Enjoy, and please leave us comments about anything we might have missed!

Libsyn (1:30:55 | MP3 | 65.7 MB) | SoundCloud

This episode’s description:

“From Berzerk’s creepy robot barks to Metal Gear Solid’s overwrought death monologues, voice acting has been a major element of video games — but just how did we get to where we are today? Join Bob Mackey, Jeremy Parish, Ray Barnholt and special backer guest Chris Doucette as they dine on Jill sandwiches, sit in rocket lawn chairs, and explore the mysteries of video game voice acting.”

This episode’s musical breakdown:

• 17:38 | Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions “Main Menu”
• 28:24 | Metal Gear Solid “Rex’s Lair”
• 50:16 | Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions “Ninja”
• 1:16:41 | Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions “Weapon Mode”
• 1:27:14 | Metal Gear Solid “Metal Gear Solid Control Mix” (From the Metal Gear Solid OST)

Relevant Links:

Audio Atrocities

Metal Gear localization interview on Hardcore Gaming 101

I Know that Voice

NEXT TIME: We head to the Silicon Valley of the Midwest — yes, that’s a real thing. And maybe before Christmas, a little something extra in your stocking? Only if you’re good. And the best way to do this might involve leaving us a review on the iTunes Music Store…

Rune Factory, Lufia developer Neverland Co. to file for bankruptcy originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Nov 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Enthusiast PC brand bites the dust

It's the end of an era, folks. If you've been around the PC building block awhile, you'll recall how OCZ Technology started off as an enthusiast memory maker over a decade ago. OCZ ducked out of the struggling DRAM business in January 2011 to focus on the more profitable solid state drive (SSD) market, but even that proved difficult to navigate. With no other recourse in sight, OCZ is filing for bankruptcy.

According to Reuters, OCZ said it "substantially completed" negotiations with Toshiba to sell the company's assets. Once the paperwork with Toshiba (and Hercules Technology Growth Capital Inc., one of its lenders) is completed, OCZ will file a petition for bankruptcy.

It's been a rough road for OCZ since the DRAM's glory days when a stick a high performance RAM commanded a king's ransom. OCZ made a series of moves to keep itself in the game, such as acquiring former boutique system builder Hypersonic PC only to shut down the venture three years later. The company also purchased PC Power and Cooling, a maker of super reliable power supplies (a number of which we picked to power various Dream Machine configurations throughout the years), and continued to sell power supplies under that brand up until the end. Also on the list of acquisitions is Indlinix, which builds controller chipsets for SSDs.

Despite all the moves OCZ made, the company hasn't posted an annual profit in five years. Stripped of cash, OCZ would have had to file for bankruptcy immediately and liquidate its assets had Toshiba not stepped in with an offer.

The writing was the wall for a long time now. Back in August, OCZ retained Deutsche Bank AG to help it evaluate strategic options, serving as an indication that things had gone from bad to worse. And in November of last year, OCZ had slashed 28 percent of its staff and dropped 150 of its product lines after having hired a new CEO to address a growing credibility problem.

While we're not particulary stunned by the news, we're bummed that it had to end this way for OCZ, especially right before the holidays. Our best wishes go out to OCZ's staff, some of which will hopefully find employment at Toshiba.

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Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser

If you thought the one thing missing to make your Thanksgiving perfect this year was an almost-MMO re-imagining of SEGA's Shining Force franchise, you are in luck! Retro game developer unFun Games is launching the beta of Shining Force Online this Thursday night, November 28th, putting familiar characters in an alternate universe. At launch, there will be more than 100 maps and a number of quests, with new worlds and more content added on a daily basis.

Described by unFun as a free fan-made MMO, Shining Force Online is a story-driven game that can, according to the official site, "be played almost as if it's a completely single player title," but you "can also interact with other players (if [you] should choose to)." If you do want to interact with others, it will actually cost you; although the game's store won't sell any items or experience, players must purchase the ability to chat with others. Interested players can head to Arcade Country and create an account in order to play the game via browser or download.

[Source: unFun Games press release]

SEGA-inspired Shining Force Online launches beta Thursday originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 25 Nov 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get all your missing games from the series for just half the normal price!

With the recent addition of Wing Commander 5: Prophecy, and Wing Commander: Armada today, the Wing Commander Series is now complete on GOG.com. To celebrate that classic gaming milestone, we offer you the chance to get the complete collection (or complete your existing collection) of Wing Commander games for just half of what you'd normally pay. Grabbing all the games from the series or all the ones you've been missing unlocks a special limited-time 50% off discount! Hurry up, though, because this exclusive offer lasts only for 48 hours. That's until Saturday, November 23, at 10:59AM GMT.



That's not all! Our friends at The Escapist Magazine are taking a look back at this all-time favorite classic space combat sim series in their regular Good Old Reviews column. You can head out and check Stew Shearer's insights on Wing Commander 1&2 and Wing Commander 5: Prophecy. Makes for an interesting and nostalgic read! Feeling peckish for some fried Kilrathi tails after the read? Take advantage of our promo! Again, the complete Wing Commander series 50% off on GOG.com until Saturday, November 23, at 10:59AM GMT.

New WHQL-certified GPU drivers from Nvidia now available

Want to speed up your Nvidia graphics card without overclocking? Lucky for you, Nvidia today released new WHQL-certified drivers -- GeForce 331.82 -- that the GPU maker claims will increase performance by up to 50 percent for GeForce 400, 500, 600, and 700 Series graphics cards in "several PC games." One of those titles is Metro: Last Light, though beyond that specific game, Nvidia didn't say which others receive such a generous boost.

Other examples Nvidia provided include up to 26 percent better performance in Crysis 3 and up to an 18 percent boost in Battlefield 4 after installing the new driver (versus GeForce 327.23).

In addition to performance gains, GeForce 331.82 also introduces new and updated SLI profiles, it enables GameStream technology, and it enables ShadowPlay technology. Other than those tidbits, you can expect the usual round of tweaks that result in better performance and bug fixes.

You can grab the new driver from Nvidia. It's also bundled with GeForce Experience v1.7.1.

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Twice the speed, two times the density, and 20 percent less voltage

It’s been six years since DDR3 memory was adopted and it’s just about time to start moving over to DDR4. A  Crucial promo page for the company’s DDR4 memory lists “late 2013” as a release date which means that we should be seeing the new modules by December.

Don’t get too excited yet. It’s probably been a while since you’ve switched from DDR2 to DDR3, but just like previous changes, DDR4 will require new motherboards compatible with its different architecture. The incentive to upgrade is definitely there. Crucial lists a base memory speed of 2133MHz running at only 1.2V. The DDR4 memory will also have a smaller die which means that DDR4 can hold up to 16GB per stick over the 8GB limitation of DDR3. That translates to a 20 percent decrease in voltage, 100 percent increase in speed, and a 300 percent increase in density.

There aren’t any DDR4-compatible motherboards yet, but with Crucial announcing the first DDR4 memory—and other memory manufacturers sure to follow—they shouldn't be too far off.

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Filed under: Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Patches, Opinion, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log, Housing, Subscription

I can't promise to anyone that this column will not mostly be about housing. I'd like to, but I just can't make that promise.

Yes, it's time to analyze Final Fantasy XIV's upcoming patch 2.1 with an eye toward something other than the various direct endgame changes. Truth be told, I think all of these features will still have a pretty big impact on the endgame landscape, but they're not going to have the direct impact of new dungeons or the like. They're going to add money, they're going to offer story, and they're going to offer a place to congregate.

Worth noting is that the Lightning event currently running in Final Fantasy XIV is running until December 9th. Does that mean that patch 2.1 is dropping then? I can't say that for sure, but it would make a certain amount of logical sense. So let's turn our eyes to the patch and start speculating.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Everything but the endgame in Final Fantasy XIV's 2.1

The Mog Log: Everything but the endgame in Final Fantasy XIV's 2.1 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 16 Nov 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, Previews, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play

While WildStar kicked off its class re-reveals with the most physical class possible, the Esper is the exact opposite. It's all about mind games. Of course, when you're talking about a powerful telekinetic and telepathic dynamo of illusions and mental weaponry, "mind games" still involves blowing things to pieces with remarkable alacrity. So perhaps it's not quite as much of an opposite as you might think from a quick glance.

The Esper isn't just about creating various telekinetic blades to slice apart foes from afar, of course -- the class can also heal, crowd control, and even move around quickly through various mental abilities. It's a good thing, too, since the class is also limited to light armor and doesn't do well under pressure from a concentrated physical assault. Take a look at the new video past the cut for a better picture of this mental dynamo in action, complete with that golden armor buff you've seen from several screenshots in the past.

Continue reading WildStar unveils the Esper again

WildStar unveils the Esper again originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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