MTV Multiplayer

Photos From the Opening And First Day Of The 'League Of Legends' All-Stars In Shanghai

Charles Webb — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:14:54 +0000

Riot Games flew me out to cover the first Shanghai "League of Legends" All-Star weekend and all I brought back are these out of focus photos.

It's a good gig if you can get it.

I promise a full write up when I'm back on American soil with a more stable Internet connection, but I couldn't let the first day of the All-Star event pass without sharing some images of the venue and competitors who converged on Shanghai's Olympic Theater to show which region was the best at "League of Legends."

The five-team matchup started with a pair of doubles rounds before really getting going in earnest with a pair of pitched 5v5 matches between China and the soundly defeated North American team, while Korea had a solid tug-of-war with the European Union team, ultimately besting them in both the first and second rounds. It's 4 AM local time of the second day (Saturday), and the match everyone (well, the English-speaking press) is watching will be the EU/NA matchup to determine which of these two teams stays in the event.

The Chinese team responds to press questions after defeating the North Americans

The Korean team represents at the opening day press conference

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'Resident Evil: Revelations HD' Review (Wii U) -- Looking Into The Abyss

Clint Mize — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:57:26 +0000

"Resident Evil" as a series has been on the ropes for last couple of years. With a main numbered entry that was an affront to humanity, a smaller portable title overshadowed by its bigger brother, and a 3DS launch game that skimped on content, it was surprising to see that some fans were shouting for an HD port of the admittedly overlooked and somewhat meandering "Resident Evil: Revelations." Whie Charles was thoroughly unimpressed, I decided to dive in the HD rerelease to see if maybe the few additions would make it worth another trip.

I'm surprised, given the amount of bashing, that "Resident Evil: Revelations HD" is actually pretty OK -- threatening to even be good at times.

"Resident Evil: Revelations" follows two well tread RE veterans, Jill and Chris, who are each partnered with fellow BSAA agents investigating a new biological threat originating from an abandoned cruise ship. The narrative shifts between Chris and Jill's story with the occasional flashback or side mission to flesh out what's going on, though all the characters fundamentally play the same. I found this to be somewhat refreshing, as it mixed up some of the plot threads and help you get a sense of the full story. The actual plot, however, is a missed opportunity to really take the RE franchise into a new direction -- especially after the fan wanking ending of RE5. Instead, you'll plot all the familiar points and the "revelations" twist is seen from a mile away. But as smaller title, the story is serviceable if bland.

Gameplay mostly consists of walking and shooting. Yep, walking and shooting -- "Revelations" boldly leaps into the third person shooter genre by allowing a choice better shooter and classic controls. I played though using shooter and found them to be intuitive and smooth. However, sometimes its difficult finding a happy medium between aim speed as the cross hair's acceleration quickly ramps making you miss shots as the camera swings wildly. Playing on the Wii U's GamePad felt natural and you could use the touch controls to quick select if you wanted but was never really needed. General, the combat controls well enough but the touchy dodge mechanic was especially terrible. I could never manually pull off a dodge with success and resulting in wasted healing supplies. Coupled with a overly sensitive camera, you could find yourself in trouble when facing several monsters.

Additionally, there are c few underwater swimming missions that really just shouldn't be in any game. Seriously, let's just stop already with confusing and difficult swimming sections. Thankfully, they are pretty short.

Outside of combat, you'll explore the vast ship-- finding keys and solving simple puzzles -- searching for who or what is behind the big bad. You also have access to a scanning device that you can pull out and search rooms for extra supplies. It's a sorta neat at first but it doesn't offer any extra info about the ship or its missing crew. You can scan enemies to fill up a percentage meter, which when full will give you a bonus gran herb for healing. But to get the most points, you'll need to scan the creature while it's still alive, so often it's not worth it. If Capcom had just added a little more to this device and what you could discover, it would be a neat way to fill in the narrative for Resident Evil superfans.

All the major tropes that make up a Resident Evil game are present -- except zombies. Well, classic zombies, that is. Instead, the evil not-Umbrella biotech company have created a kind of weird off X-brand T-Virus called T-Abyss that turns victims into an amalgam of human and mollusk. I actually liked the enemy designs and was a bit refreshing to move away from the tried and tired zombie formula. Of course, you'll run into a familiar enemy or two and the bosses look more or less like slimier Tyrant, but the overall designs looked slick and gross and creepy.

Though "Revelations" started on the small screen, Capcom managed to up-res the graphics for your HDTV. The 3DS version already pushed that little device to its limit but on the Wii U it looks just great with completely new renders and textures. It's not exactly a graphic powerhouse but it's not ugly and the pre-rendered scenes looked nice, too. Occasionally, you'll find a blurry, muddy texture and, at some points, the framerate would stutter to below 30 making some monster encounters jittery. It's not the most amazing but it's certainly pleasing to look at, and unless you can have your day completely ruined by a the wayward pixel, you'll not even notice some of the uglier parts.

Rounding out the content is Raid Mode, which lets two players team up in a kind of mix between a normal mission and the arcadey Mercenaries minigame. You're awarded a score based on completion time, accuracy, kills, etc. It's simple and pretty fun. There are a few new characters to unlock with the HD rerelease but that's about it.

"Resident Evil: Revelations" is not a great game but it's actually pretty fun in a lot of ways. Yes, shooting can be twitchy at times and the story is beyond silly and dumb. And maybe that's what's missing in RE game now, a silly, dumb plot that pits you face to shell with aquatic monsters because some biotech firm CEO wants to rule the world through fear. The summer lulls are often short on consent and if you're a Wii U owner and horror/shooter fan then "Resident Evil: Revelations" might be worth your time.

3/5 Stars

"Resident Evil: Revelations HD" is available now for $49.99 on PC, PS3, Wii U, and Xbox 360. Review copy provided by Capcom. Reviewed on Wii U.

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Art Attack: This Gallery of Animated Fighting Game Backgrounds is a Treat

MTV Video Games — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:30:03 +0000

by Joseph Leray

To ease the interminable workday keeping us from a long weekend of cheap beer, cheaper hotdogs, and too much exposure to the sun, Reddit user RudeBootie has kindly uploaded a collection of animated fighting game backgrounds, sans fighters.

My eye is admittedly untrained, but I'm spotting a lot of SNK-published titles from the "King of Fighters," "Art of Fighting," "Mark of the Wolves," and "Samurai Showdown" franchises, with a perfunctory nod to Capcom with E. Honda's bathhouse from "Street Fighter II" at the bottom.

If nothing else, the collection is a shrine to pixel art craftsmanship and a reminder that these iconic arenas defined an entire genre during the formative and prolific mid-90's. The backgrounds on display run the gamut from melodramatic, to surreal, to pedestrian, featuring everything from ruined castles to beached oil tankers, monkeys bathing in an onsen to a cheering mermaid in a clamshell, idyllic landscapes to crowded street markets.

Whether you want to take a trip down memory lane or a connoisseur of pixel art, I'm sure there's something titillating in the bowels of the 125-.gif collection. As for me, I just want to watch little pixels move around, looping endlessly, until my eyes glaze over and the weekend arrives.

I've embedded a few of my favorites below, but you can find the entire collection here.

[Reddit via Visual News]

'Watch Dogs' Sweeps Puts Players In The Game

Don Hatfield — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:11:25 +0000

From May 23rd to June 7th Ubisoft will be running the "Watch Dogs" In-Game Profile Sweepstakes, a promotion that gives fans title a chance to literally become a part of the highly-anticipated game, by becoming one of the virtual city's pedestrians.

Ubisoft says the In-Game Profile Sweepstakes is designed to bring fans closer to the games they love, and what better wy to do that than by actually putting a lucky few into the game itself? 30 winners, from various countries will be chosen at random and be immortalized as their face joins one of the many roaming the streets of Chicago.

To enter the sweepstakes you'll need to have a Ubisoft Uplay account and a Facebook account. For all the details on entering the sweepstakes, head over to the official "Watch Dogs" Facebook page.

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'Payday 2' Live-Action Web Series Commits Grand Theft Crime Flick Tropes

Charles Webb — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:55:05 +0000

The web series follows the action as masked crooks "Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains descend on Washington D.C. for an epic crime spree," according to developer 505 Games. The series of shorts is from director Demian Lichtenstein who was responsible for the Elvis-themed crime flick "3,000 Miles to Graceland" and is directing the big screen adaptation of "Payday: The Heist."

Meanwhile, the retail sequel for the PS3-exclusive "Payday: The Heist," "Payday 2," is coming to the PC, 360, and PS3 in August.

Watch: Payday 2 Webseries Teaser Trailer

Surprise! Xbox One Game Boxes Are Green

Don Hatfield — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:15:35 +0000

Microsoft didn't waste any time giving us a look at the new Xbox One console and controller, and the new Kinect sensor. But what the boxes all those next-gen games will be packaged in? Well, thanks to Major Nelson, we're getting a look. Head past the break for a full shot of the "Forza 5" box art.

In all its glory...

So, now we know what to look for when head out to buy our next-gen games. Xbox One will be in the green, while PlayStation 4 and Wii U stick to different shades of blue. Which do you like better?

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10 Things I Learned From Playing 'The Last of Us'

Clint Mize — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:45:42 +0000

By Miguel Concepcion

Ok, for some reason I forgot about the zombies in "The Last of Us" until last week. Were there zombies at Sony's E3 press conference last year? I suppose the consumer in me, having thoroughly enjoyed Naughty Dog's Uncharted series, imposed an unconscious media blackout for the last year. Yet, Sony had other ideas as they recently sent over a preview code that featured two of the game's settings. Aside from this reintroduction of zombies, here 9 other things I learned from playing "The Last of Us".

10. Ellie really hasn't been out a lot
One area, titled 'Lincoln' started in a tiny wood and Ellie's never seen anything like it. Where has she been cooped up all these years? It's endearing to hear her greet a bunny, interact with fireflies for the first time, and even marvel at the sight of a garden gnome.

9. Replay incentives through dialogue
When marveling at a broken-down arcade machine, Ellie had something different to say with each of my two playthroughs. It's reminiscent of the multiple dialogue tracks in "Gears of War: Judgment", through I suspect this feature won't be as expansive in "The Last of Us".

8. Rewarding scavengers
If you're a game completionist by nature, you get to kill two birds. Weapon crafting plays a major role in "The Last of Us" which is enough of a motivator to search every accessible building. Even something as harmful as a shiv can serve purposes beyond stabbing someone, like opening door.

Watch: The Last of Us VGA 2012 Trailer

7. Naughty Dog grit
Every since I had Nathan Drake kick his first bottle in the trash-laded buildings of "Uncharted 2", I've had a profound appreciation for the extra work Naughty Dog puts into the dirt and garbage of their games. Much of the world of "The Last of Us" looks old, worn out and lived in, like the stacks of office boxes and half-filled open suitcases.

6. Puzzling ladders
If there is an element of puzzle solving, it's very much grounded in urban obstacles. The level in Lincoln featured some rooftop platforming, aided by moving ladders and long planks. Hardly brain-teasing stuff, though I wouldn't put it past "The Last of Us" to have slightly more complex puzzles.

5. Upside-down shootouts
If you played this year's "Tomb Raider", then you know this scripted event. Main character gets caught in a classic rope trap, is flipped and engages in an upside down shootout. "The Last of Us" takes it up a notch with more aggressive villains and Ellie to protect.

4. Who cares about Ellie's voice?
Some folks take minor issue with Ellie's low pitched voice. Are these the same people who find high pitched voices among Japanese women appealing? It's much easier to care how she kicks ass, despite her age, size and voice. If you thought she displayed backbone during the E3 2012 demo, wait until you hang out with her through a full chapter.

3. Enough character to care
The voice work and the fleshed-out script results in some of the best game dialogue I've ever heard, making this pair of survivors sound natural and realistic. Ellie's endearing with her spontaneous humming and Joel sounds convincingly over protective.

2. Uncharted comparisons are valid
Even if Naughty Dog and Sony discourages Uncharted comparisons, I find that comparisons can only complement "The Last of Us". Headshots feel more effective as opposed to the sponge-like bullet impacts in "Uncharted 3". You can also sense Nathan Drake's melee DNA in Joel's mechanics and animation. Joel swings his fists very deliberately and there's a weightiness to those movements of desperate survival.

1. Combat is a puzzling playground
What got my heart pumping were the moments I used the levels as combat playgrounds. Some of Uncharted's best moments came when I felt surrounded and escaped to another cover point to get a better offensive position. There's was a taste of that in this preview build, where you want to have the Jason Bourne-like sense of knowing where all the escape routes are while reacting and improvising based on how the enemies are attacking.

Look for "The Last of Us" June 14 on the PS3.

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See The War From The Red Army's Perspective In This Cinematic 'Company Of Heroes 2' Trailer

Charles Webb — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:36:25 +0000

It sucked being a soldier in Russia's Red Army during WWII. In spite of its impressive size, the Soviet Union's fighting force was made up disproportionately of the tired, the poor, the uneducated, and the hungry who had to rely on dwindling supplies (one apocryphal story claims that it was one bullet to a rifle at one point) in order to repel Germany's northward assault.

And this is the perspective you get to see in Relic's trailer for "Company of Heroes 2," their RTS sequel out this summer from publisher SEGA for the PC.

From the official synopsis:

It is 1941 and the beginning of what will become the most brutal conflict of World War II, as Germany launches a full-scale invasion of the frozen tundra of the Soviet Union which would result in over 14 million military casualties. Take command of the iconic Soviet Red Army in brutal frontline warfare to free Mother Russia from the invading Nazis. Your strategic skills and tactical expertise hold the power to tip the very balance of this conflict in the sequel to the critically acclaimed and multi award-winning Company of Heroes. Engage in visceral tactical combat that will define you as a military leader and challenge you to wield the might of the Soviet Empire as you smash your way to Berlin.

Pixel Metropolises: The Daily Robot Creates 8-Bit Skylines From Real Cities

Charles Webb — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:17 +0000

Pixel artist The Daily Robot (AKA W. Miles Donovan) welcomes you to his 8-bit skylines for Boston, Seattle, and Chicago, in a project he says was inspired by NES/Famicom games.

Oh, and look at that: they switch back and forth between day and dusk.

After the jump, check out the rest of Donovan's images and wonder what he could do with the Tokyo or Dubai skylines.

[Source: The Daily Robot]

Stealthy Mother Badger Beats Up Fox in new 'Shelter' Trailer

MTV Video Games — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:00:48 +0000

by Joseph Leray

The last time I wrote about "Shelter," the new stealth game about baby badgers from Swedish outfit Might & Delight, I mentioned that I would have a full-on come-apart if any of my cubs were harmed. This is, predictably, exactly what happens in this new gameplay trailer.

"Behold," Might & Magic seem to say. "Behold the dangers that await your precious cete of badgers: starvation, fox attacks, forest fires, the talons of a swooping eagle!" The ESRB warns that this "Shelter" trailer "may contain content inappropriate for children," which is true: watching a badger cub be snatched up by some hungry raptor is the worst thing I've seen all day. Zombies notwithstanding, this is survival horror.

Luckily, our mustelid matriarch has a mean headbutt: smash a tree to make fruit fall out; smash a fox to make him leave your cubs alone.

In any case, nature's cruel indifference to the suffering of cute, squeaky things is the kind of gutpunch that I look for in games, so you better believe I Greenlighted "Shelter" with all deliberate speed.

"Shelter" will be available on Windows and Mac sometime this summer.

[Shelter on Steam Greenlight]