First ZombiU Multiplayer Details Surface

A new multiplayer mode titled King of Zombies has been unveiled for upcoming survival horror game ZombiU.

In an interview with ONM, the game's story director Gabrielle Shrager explained that that the mode would have links to the St George's Yard mission that players will encounter in the single-player game, while also being based on a modified version of Capture the Flag.

“

St George's is our hell within hell. Our multiplayer arenas are a spin-off of this mission in the campaign.

"You’ve seen the Tower Of London gameplay footage by now, so you know we are going to have to breach the Traitor’s Gate and penetrate the depths of the Bloody Tower to find the Raven Of Dee’s Secret Bunker," she revealed. "But you’ve never heard of St George’s Yard.

"St George's is our hell within hell. Survivors here are unwilling participants in a twisted game in which they are thrown to the infected. Our multiplayer arenas are a spin-off of this mission in the campaign."

The King of Zombies mode is one such multiplayer arena that sees one player use the Wii U Pro Controller to try and guide their survivor towards the flag. Meanwhile, it's the job of the GamePad wielding player to spawn zombies around the flag using the touchscreen in a bid to keep the flag unclaimed.

ZombiU is planned as an exclusive launch title for the Wii U when it releases in America on November 18 and in Europe on November 30.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and is slowly realising he'd be as useful as a chocolate teapot in a Zombie Apocalypse. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Star Wars: The Old Republic F2P Restrictions Lessened

Bioware has announced that it will slightly loosen the restrictions facing free-to-play accounts due to "community and internal feedback".

In a post on the game's forums, lead designer Damion Schubert explained that changes would be made to the originally announced restrictions after they generated a mixed reaction.

“

It is important conversely that the subscription offers subscribers strong, tangible benefits over the Free-to-Play experience. We value our subscribers greatly, and they are crucial to the success of Star Wars: the Old Republic.

As a result, free-to-play players will now get a second quickslot bar, as well as the ability to run five Warzones each week. Under the original restrictions, there was no second bar for free-to-play accounts and only three Warzone battles could be played every seven days.

Schubert went on to address the worry that the limitations on Warzones will make queues longer, saying that if anything they should get shorter. He explained, "Our subscriber base likely will not shrink much, and for some of our competitors, converting to Free-to-Play has resulted in a subscriber increase! Which means that Warzone queues should likely see improvement from what you experience in game, and at minimum be relatively unchanged in experience.

"That being said, one of our golden rules is that the Free-to-Play experience should not cheapen the experience for paying subscribers. If it turns out that the Free-to-Play conversion results in a degraded Warzone experience once we go live for subscribers, you can rest assured that we will quickly make adjustments to the system to ensure that subscribers have an optimal experience.

"It is important conversely that the subscription offers subscribers strong, tangible benefits over the Free-to-Play experience. We value our subscribers greatly, and they are crucial to the success of Star Wars: the Old Republic."

Also addressed in the post is the potential for accounts to receive preferred status. Any former subscriber whose account has locked will automatically get preferred status, otherwise any F2P player who makes a single purchase through the game's official site will also have their account upgraded to preferred status.

Preferred status offers a range of benefits, ranging from increased server queue priority and an extra crew skill slot to obtaining the sprint ability at level 1 alongside access to your cargo hold.

No official launch date has been unveiled for the free-to-play option for Star Wars: The Old Republic, but it's expected to be available before the year is out.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and former SWTOR player. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Star Wars: The Old Republic F2P Restrictions Lessened

Bioware has announced that it will slightly loosen the restrictions facing free-to-play accounts due to "community and internal feedback".

In a post on the game's forums, lead designer Damion Schubert explained that changes would be made to the originally announced restrictions after they generated a mixed reaction.

“

It is important conversely that the subscription offers subscribers strong, tangible benefits over the Free-to-Play experience. We value our subscribers greatly, and they are crucial to the success of Star Wars: the Old Republic.

As a result, free-to-play players will now get a second quickslot bar, as well as the ability to run five Warzones each week. Under the original restrictions, there was no second bar for free-to-play accounts and only three Warzone battles could be played every seven days.

Schubert went on to address the worry that the limitations on Warzones will make queues longer, saying that if anything they should get shorter. He explained, "Our subscriber base likely will not shrink much, and for some of our competitors, converting to Free-to-Play has resulted in a subscriber increase! Which means that Warzone queues should likely see improvement from what you experience in game, and at minimum be relatively unchanged in experience.

"That being said, one of our golden rules is that the Free-to-Play experience should not cheapen the experience for paying subscribers. If it turns out that the Free-to-Play conversion results in a degraded Warzone experience once we go live for subscribers, you can rest assured that we will quickly make adjustments to the system to ensure that subscribers have an optimal experience.

"It is important conversely that the subscription offers subscribers strong, tangible benefits over the Free-to-Play experience. We value our subscribers greatly, and they are crucial to the success of Star Wars: the Old Republic."

Also addressed in the post is the potential for accounts to receive preferred status. Any former subscriber whose account has locked will automatically get preferred status, otherwise any F2P player who makes a single purchase through the game's official site will also have their account upgraded to preferred status.

Preferred status offers a range of benefits, ranging from increased server queue priority and an extra crew skill slot to obtaining the sprint ability at level 1 alongside access to your cargo hold.

No official launch date has been unveiled for the free-to-play option for Star Wars: The Old Republic, but it's expected to be available before the year is out.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK Editorial Assistant and former SWTOR player. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on IGN and on Twitter.

Source : ign[dot]com

Good Cop/Bad Cop: Buying a Wii U at Launch

As we draw ever closer to the launch of Nintendo’s next console, the inevitable “you gonna buy one?” discussion arises, splintering friends and family apart with accusations of Nintendo fanboydom or, alternatively, predictable cynicism. Indeed, the Wii U isn’t a clear-cut purchase decision for consumers. It’s no PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720, seducing us with promises of graphical grunt and next-gen games, and Nintendo’s vision for the console hasn’t always been clear. Regardless, we’re still standing before the dawn of a new console era, and decisions must be made. Will you Wii U?

IGN Australia's Lucy O'Brien and Cam Shea battle it out in another classic IGN AU Good Cop / Bad Cop debate...

Good Cop Lucy: As you know Cam, I’m buying a Wii U. I do admit to a certain compulsion when it comes to emptying my wallet on new technology, but I’m genuinely excited about Nintendo’s console. I think we – as video game consumers – have become a little too attached to the same old experiences, and tend to raise eyebrows too quickly over new ones. It’s something I’m ever aware of, particularly as I boot up Resident Evil 4 for the five hundredth time of an evening. And I’ve certainly had enough hands-on time with the Wii U to determine that yes, this is a new and pretty damn exciting way to play video games, and I would be a moron to turn my back on it on misguided principle.

Take ZombiU, for example. This is a title that’s been built from the ground up for the Wii U (as are all the games I intend to purchase), and it simply couldn’t translate to any other platform. The implementation of two screens adds a sense of real fear – Ubisoft toying with where you focus your attention – and the implications for future horror titles are enormous. I’ve never played a game in this way before. It’s new.

Or look at what Nintendo is exploring with co-op. Rayman Legends and New Super Mario Bros. U both use the gamepad to bring a new dimension to the co-op experience by introducing god-like control to a single player, who can either prove an ally or a hilariously disruptive force. In Rayman Legends, the player with the gamepad is able to help out Rayman by cutting down ropes, lowering platforms, turning contraptions etc. Alternatively, the player with the gamepad could be a total dick, sending Rayman to his doom. The same goes for New Super Mario Bros. U’s Rush Mode, where the player with the gamepad can create platforms for the others. Or not. Whatever. While not revolutionary, these tweaks created the kind of hilarity and hysteria I haven’t experienced during a co-op session in a long time. How can you deny these experiences, Cam? How can you?

Bad Cop Cam: I'm not denying them in any way. Rayman Legends looks like a heap of fun, and it's certainly an interesting twist for Mario, but are they really enough to justify buying a new console on launch day? No way. Nintendo traditionally creates the killer app for its new systems itself, and I think that's what's missing here. Rayman Legends, New Super Mario Bros. U, ZombiU; they all look solid, but they're strong titles that should be complementing the game that makes the system a must-buy. Nintendo Land will serve as a good illustration of the possibilities for the new gamepad and multiplayer, but no one's going to be frothing at the bit to play it.

In terms of your point about consumers being attached to the same old experiences, that may be true, but I for one genuinely do want new ideas and new experiences. Nintendo has always been ahead of the curve, and systems like the DS and Wii have been driven by innovation. The DS and Wii, however, also show just how much of a lottery new ideas are. The DS is a fine example of giving game designers a whole suite of things to play with - many of which they didn't know they needed - and letting them experiment. The result was some truly novel and compelling games that could only exist on DS. The Wii, on the other hand, did much the same thing, yet for all its commercial success, didn't lead to much variety or gameplay innovation. Third parties, in particular, simply didn't support the system, and when they did they went for the lowest common denominator - i.e. tacky mini-game collections - and gamers were left with very little. I'm worried history may repeat itself.

The industry has changed a whole lot since the Wii launched too. ZombiU could conceivably be done with the Vita and PS3. Mobile phones, tablets and Smartglass are all bringing a second screen into the equation. Nintendo has to bring its own brand of magic to this system to make it stand apart, and I'm not seeing enough of that magic yet.

Good Cop Lucy: I get your point that there’s no first party killer app. But I think ZombiU is Wii U’s killer app, insofar as it’s shaping up to be a superb launch title with mechanics that really show off the system.  Mario, Pikmin et al are shaping up beautifully, but I’m picking up a Wii U on launch day because of a Ubisoft game, no doubt about it.

And I think you’re being a bit dismissive of Nintendo Land. There’s a common misconception that it’s going to be another Wii Sports – a sort of introductory package created so you can teach your grandparents how to virtually bowl – but there’s much more to it. In the team-based Pikmin Adventure – a fantastically fast-paced and surprisingly aggressive game – there are multiple levels, multiple enemy-types, and a (relatively) long campaign. Metroid Blast also has multiple arenas, and can be played in three modes. Even the single-player games included in the package, which feature simpler mechanics, have depth; Balloon Trip Breeze and Donkey Kong Crash Course are both considerably (at times ball-breakingly) challenging. There’s a lot to be gleaned from Nintendo Land, if people are willing to give it a chance.

As for your point about an industry-wide focus on connectivity, sure, you’re right. But it’s a muddied focus for other publishers, not something baked into their very hardware. What other console can so readily offer such unique asynchronous gameplay experiences right out of the box?

Bad Cop Cam: Why you dissing Wii Sports, O’Brien? I think that’s the perfect example of how to introduce what a new system is all about in a succinct and fun way. I had a sore shoulder from Wii Bowling for months. That’s actually what’s needed here. Right now the Wii U’s focus is on playing catch-up. It’s great that we’ll now see simultaneous PS3/360/Wii U releases and everything, but who’s buying a Wii U for the likes of NBA 2K13, FIFA 13, 007 Legends, Black Ops II, Darksiders II, Assassin’s Creed III, etc? You’d have to be a pretty die-hard Nintendo fan to not own a PS3 or 360 at this stage, in which case these releases don’t mean much. And Mass Effect 3? Arkham City? Does anyone need those, now?

The most exciting games in the near future for me are probably The Wonderful 101 and Scribblenauts Unlimited, which are both a blast, but I’m reticent to buy a system just for them. Longer term there’s Bayonetta 2 and, erm, what else? The Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines should be the pick of the bunch (motion tracker on the gamepad and all that), but when I think of the games I’m most excited about next year, there aren’t that many on Wii U. BioShock Infinite, The Last of Us, South Park: The Stick of Truth, DmC, Beyond: Two Souls, SimCity, GTA V, Tearaway… where are the Wii U exclusives?

A system is defined by its games, and Wii U has a long way to go. Final thoughts Lucy?

Good Cop Lucy: Bottom line is, I’m investing in the Wii U because I want a new experience. It's not going to be all that Nintendo's promised straight out of the gate – as you said, the launch line-up could be stronger - but it’s a system that’s going to evolve, and I want to be there for the ride. Once content producers realise the possibilities of the platform, the Wii U has the potential to offer the most unique experiences in console gaming. Just look at some of the new approaches to platforming and horror that we’re already seeing! For a change, it’s not all about Zelda and Mario for me. It’s about the possibilities.

Bad Cop Cam: Well put. As much as I've argued that it may not be a day one purchase if you're strapped for cash, it really does have a stack of potential. Bring on launch day!

Lucy O'Brien and Cam Shea are part of the IGN Australian team. If you like what you're readin', meet the rest of the Aussies by joining the IGN Australia Facebook community or follow us on Twitter @IGN_AU.

Source : ign[dot]com

The 25 Most Disturbing Scenes in Horror

Great horror films ease their way into the deepest, darkest parts of our minds and tend to stay there for a while, occasionally rearing their heads at 3AM to prompt a fevered inner dialogue - is there somebody crouching in the corner? This is a list of moments from such films, moments that don't necessarily shock and appall (although some do that too), but creep and crawl their way into our soft, vulnerable psyches, moments we recall years later as we try - against hope - to fall asleep.

Here's a look at 25 of the most disturbing scenes in horror.

Please note, we've omitted a handful of scenes which feature extreme violence and/or explicit nudity, and have replaced them with theatrical trailers. Major spoilers of all films discussed ahead.

25

The Fly: Watch Brundlefly Eat

Released 1986

The first demonstration of ‘eating’ from an insect-gene-spliced-Seth Brundle is arguably more disgusting than disturbing, but it’s his casual manner that unsettles, as if Brundle forgot how gross it might be to his onlooking girlfriend when he pukes acid on a doughnut. It’s the first in a series of foreboding moments where Seth unconsciously leaves his humanity at the door, giving in to his more basic, insect instincts.

24

The Blair Witch Project: Mike Faces the Wall

Released 1999

Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez were master manipulators in their debut, proving that scares can be much more powerful when they’re played out in one's peripherals. Blair Witch’s final shock is a stunning example.  Mike facing the wall is far more chilling seen through Heather’s hysterical - and therefore unreliable - lens, leaving us questioning our perception of the film’s final events once the credits begin to roll.

23

Poltergeist: Marty in the Mirror

Released 1982

The mirror scene in Poltergeist has a lot to answer for - namely the crippling nightmares of every poor kid who watched it thanks to its surprisingly lenient PG rating. The scene is made more pertinent because we’ve moved - for a change - away from the predictable targets, the Freelings, focusing instead on an unremarkable visiting paranormal investigator. Upon reflection, the triviality of Marty's character makes him a prime mark for mischief, but watching him claw chunks of flesh off his face as he peers into the bathroom mirror came out of nowhere on first viewing. Fun fact: Marty’s tearing hands belong to one Stephen Spielberg.

22

Pet Sematary: Zelda

Released 1989

While both of Pet Sematary’s central monsters are wonderfully perverted manifestations of familial anxiety, it says a lot about the wrongness of ‘Zelda’ that she trumps an undead child in the horror stakes. Zelda is the long-dead sister of Rachel Creed, whose guilt over her death manifests itself in nightmares, and, in one relentlessly horrifying scene, a supernatural delusion.  Zelda’s attack on Rachel is terrifying, not only because Zelda was played by a male (Andrew Hubatsek), whose emaciated frame and hardened facial features adds other-worldliness to the character, but because she scuttles, scuttles! right toward the camera as she unleashes her tirade.

21

Sleepaway Camp: Peter Revealed

Released 1983

As is the case for many ‘80s slashers, Sleepaway Camp’s scares can’t quite escape the kitschy kiss of the decade, its shorts just a little too tight and its performances just a little too awful. But while Sleepaway’s slaughter-in-summer-camp formula is mighty familiar, it plays an entertaining guessing game with the audience as to the identity of its killer, which remains genuinely ambiguous to the bitter end. The film's magnificent pièce de résistance?  Not only is our doe-eyed protagonist Angela the killer, she’s also a he! More specifically, he’s Angela’s brother Peter, whose psychosis presumably spawned from his gender identity disorder(!) enforced by his Aunt(!)  On paper it might seem laughable, but Peter’s silent scream during the last minute of the film will stay with you for days.

Source : ign[dot]com

Things We’ll Miss When Retail is Gone

Ask yourself: how much do the staff down at your local video game shop know about you? Is the answer: not much? Not one thing? Thought so.

Don't worry: this isn't magic or mindreading or anything.

When was the last time they recommended a game to you that you'd never heard of – something they thought you'd like because they know what you like? Never?

There was a time, believe it or not, when people had actual relationships with the folks down at their local game shop. Not relationships, but you know, relationships.

You would have recognised each other if you passed in the street and known each other's name. You would have stopped and talked. This was because you were down at that shop not just after school or on your lunch break, but on the weekend too. Holidays? You barely left. Sometimes you'd hang at the counter for hours as you looked at games you couldn't afford and talked about Goldeneye's famous nude mode (that totally exists*). If someone had a girlfriend (almost never) you'd talk about her, too.

Not exactly the Bond nude code we had in mind.

Yes, they were heady days. But they're vanishing.

We all know about the rise of downloadable content, the move to convenience gaming enabled by clever iDevices, other tablets and smartphones, plus the practice of pre-ordering or otherwise buying physical copies of games online. It's all progress, and progress is mainly good.

But, eventually, it has to mean the total decline of the physical game shop. No more bricks and mortar, as they say. And won't there be some things we'll miss?

Yes. Here are some of them.

Pre-orders

Having a game on pre-order is the incidental result of paying money for something before it is actually for sale. Yes, you can do that online. It's easy, too. You only have to minimise your Sims 3 window for a second, and it achieves the same practical result as dropping money in store.

But pre-orders used to be bigger picture. They were a rich and productive means: months of hype, weeks of chatting to staff and comparing rumours or notes on the games that went before. Most of all, it meant hassling shop staff (I mean aggressively, obnoxiously hassling them) days before the game dropped to see if it had miraculously arrived early – or to accuse them of hiding it “out back”.

Download your pre-order bonus now!

Ah, the rumours you'd hear. The last few days before release was a revolving disappointment until you finally got the thing in your hand. You'd assess every image on the box, flick through - and perhaps even smell - the instruction manual, watch it boot up on a demo unit. You'd enjoy each other's excitement and conjecture. Then you'd go home to get stuck in.

Today's equivalent? Online communities. Hmm.

Trade-ins and bargain bins

A thriving second hand market will always exist online, but the demise of physical shops will mean the same of trade-ins: a monumental suckfest for collectors, people with smaller incomes and those who like to paw through stacks of people's cast-offs looking for rare gems.

There'll also be no place for bargain bins. An online store is no barrier to special deals and marked down stock, but that feeling of rooting through a cylindrical mess of games (often while the shop is festooned with bright SALE ribbons) while always on the cusp of finding exactly what you want without knowing you want it will be a thing of the past.

Wouldn't want to miss out on Fighting Angels. How is that even a thing?

It's the absence of discovery. Discovering a bargain or a traded game that no one else has managed to nab first usually means uncovering a one-off. That model doesn't translate well to the online space: if in a distributor's warehouse somewhere, someone finds one loose copy of a popular title and decides to flog it off on the web, it will be put up in plain sight.

No modern-day archeological buzz there, right?

Midnight launches

In the new world, it's going to be up to you to initiate your own lame midnight launches (so long as the title is available by download). You're going to need some Pink Floyd for a sense of the epic, some Red Bull so you don't fall asleep without the bracing midnight air, and, oh yeah – some mates.

That all sounds like a lot of hard work. When stores vanish, there's no more lining up, dressing up, talking to bedraggled game journos who drew the short straw and need your quote (which will be “Awesome!” by the way) and certainly no more camaraderie. The loss will be felt by many.

"It's got a 3D display that I'll permanently have turned off. Woo!"

Perhaps it will mean game companies throw awesome parties instead, inviting people to blacklit locations that remain secret until you get the password via a Twitter hashtag and handing out goodies in shiny branded satchels draped on promo girls dressed like referees.

But probably not.

So what about it? If your local game shop goes tomorrow, will you shed a tear? Or will you read about it on Facebook and get right back online to buy the next game on your list?

Do you have any cool stories from the days the game shop was king? Share them with us.

*Actually, it doesn’t.

Sam Prescott is a freelance gaming journalist based in New Zealand. He writes for IGN as a form of catharsis. Why not follow him on IGN and Twitter? Oh, and come hang with IGN Australia on Facebook while you're at it.

Source : ign[dot]com

Hey guys, Eric Goldman here with what you can consider a “lost” episode of Channel Surfing. Recorded during New York Comic Con with former IGN TV writer Jonah Krakow, numerous technical issues with both the entire process of how we post podcasts and with the equipment in IGN’s LA office stopped me from being able to post this until now. So more than two weeks later, we can now call it retro!

From Ed Brubaker’s two new TV series in development, to Made in Jersey being cancelled (man, remember Made in Jersey?!) to Community getting delayed, we’ve got our finger on the pulse of the news everyone was talking about… On October 12th, when we recorded this sucker. We also discuss a couple new J.J. Abrams projects, Mockingbird Lane's unusual one-off airing, The Mindy Project and Ben and Kate getting full season orders and more.

Take a journey back in time with us by clicking the lovely red type below (right click to download)!

Channel Surfing Podcast, Episode 183

Hey, why not follow us on Twitter?

Eric Goldman: @EricIGN

Jonah Krakow: @JonahKrakow

Subscribe to Channel Surfing on iTunes

Join the Channel Surfing Facebook Group

Have a question or comment for a future episode? Email us at ChannelSurfing@ign.com.

Source : ign[dot]com