This post contains The Shawshank Redemption spoilers.
The latest 8-Bit Cinema video from YouTube channelcame online this week, this one presenting 1994's The Shawshank Redemption as a retro adventure game. Prison may be no fairytale world, but it does make a pretty decent setting for a point-and-click video game.
Watch as the six-minute video re-tells the movie's story, beginning with Andy Dufresne's incarceration and leading up to his unlikely escape from the Maine penitentiary.
Most of the major plot points in between are covered, including the rooftop beer scene, Tommy's tests, and Andy getting sent to solitary confinement for calling the warden "obtuse."
There isn't much in the way of action, outside of a section where you must tunnel through the walls as fast as you can before the guards return. Instead, you go around talking to other inmates, collecting items, and giving the maggot you found in your food to Brooks so he can feed his bird.
Would you play this game? Let us know in the comments below.
[UPDATE] A Nordic Games representative told GameSpot that the PS4 Darksiders II "Death-initive Edition" retail listing is indeed legitimate. More details are coming "soon."
With just a few more weeks to go before Jurassic World's release in theaters on June 12, Universal Studios has launched a new featurette for the movie, complete with new footage and insight from Steven Spielberg.
His 1993 adaption of Michael Crichton's novel is a classic, and he doesn't hold back in talking up the new movie. "To see Jurassic World come to life is like seeing Jurassic Park come true," he says in the video.
Jurassic World "goes down an original road and it's a breathtaking adventure," Spielberg adds.
Check out the full video below, which also includes insight from lead actor Chris Pratt and director Colin Trevorrow. Also on display is some new footage, including a reference to the goat scene from Jurassic Park.
Nearly a year after the release of , Carbine Studios will also give players the option to purchase a monthly membership that will provide various additional perks. These include convenience bonuses and enhancements as well as additional character, costume, bank, supply, and decor items. But unlike Bethesda's MMO, WildStar won't require you to put down money on a physical or digital copy of the game to play; that means the MMO will be 100% free once the transition takes place.
To flesh out the details on the announcement, I recently sat down with Carbine Studios product director Mike Donatelli to discuss what the free-to-play model means for WildStar.
What main factors led to the decision for WildStar's free-to-play model?
Mike Donatelli: Back at the beginning of the year I shared Carbine’s plan of action for WildStar in 2015, which centered on listening to player feedback to make the game more fun and less grindy, creating content for a variety of different types of players and play styles, and focusing on growing and enhancing WildStar. Our past three content updates have all focused on making the game more fun and providing a variety of content for all types of players. WildStar is now a much better game than it was when it launched nearly a year ago. We're at the point where it's time to really focus on growing the game, and we as a team feel that the best way to do that is to make it so that everyone who wants to play can do so with as few hurdles as possible. This means removing the two biggest barriers of entry to the game -- the cost of the box and the required subscription.
What sort of research did you do when coming to the decision to go free-to-play? What sort of things did you learn from other recent MMOs that started with subscriptions before eventually switching models?
We definitely looked at other games in the industry that have made similar transitions and paid close attention to what worked and what didn't in those situations. One big thing we are doing differently is announcing our plan early (months ahead of time). Part of the reason is that we plan to put a lot of this stuff up on the PTR (public test realm) before the fall transition and actually get player feedback about how things will work. We think that being transparent with current and future players is absolutely essential.
Another key point is that with this transition, we are not putting any of the core game content behind a paywall. The WildStar that players have been able to enjoy as paying subscribers will be the same WildStar that everyone will experience when we go free-to-play. What we are doing is adding more content, like convenience items, on top of WildStar for those players who do choose to pay for these items.
Can you describe how monetisation will work? What sort of items will be purchasable with real-world money?
The items that players can purchase with real-world money will be cosmetic or convenience items [dyes, fast travel, etc.] and will not provide any competitive advantages over non-paying players. Players who pay with real money will be purchasing Carbine Coins, which can be used to buy these convenience items in our MTX (microtransaction) store. For players who don't want to spend money, a sweat currency called Omnibits will drop in-game as they play. These will allow players to purchase the same types of convenience items.
What things do you think will help WildStar stand out among other free-to-play titles?
Since its launch last year, WildStar has always stood out as a game with a unique style, interesting world and characters, engaging combat system, and so much more. It was a critically acclaimed game that's only got better over time as we've listened to our player feedback and improved the overall experience. This fall, players will be able to experience the very best version of WildStar yet, and they’ll be able to do it completely free. We're looking forward to it!
It's been a long time coming, but EA's FIFA series is finally putting female players into the game.
FIFA 16 will include 12 of the top women's international teams--including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the USA--and will be playable across multiple modes. Whilst those modes are yet to be confirmed, EA has stated that women's teams will not be able to be played against men's teams in order to remain "authentic" to real-world football.
The inclusion isn't a mere reskinning of existing players, however. According to FIFA 16 producer Nick Shannon, new technology--including animations, body types, and even hair physics--had to be retooled or created from scratch to accommodate the introduction of female players.
Why is now a good time to introduce female players?
It's the right time because we're able to get the technology in place to do it properly. It's as simple as that.
Is this something that you're looking to expand in future features?
We'll see. I mean we obviously don't really talk about the future--we're still focused on what we're doing this year. Beyond that we'll have to wait and see. We'll again listen to feedback and what people liked and didn't like about it. Then we'll go from there. We're just really excited to be bringing it to players.
Take to the skies for an aerial tour of the beautiful world of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Exclusive Scarecrow Nightmare Missions and a Justice League 3000 Batsuit are coming to Batman: Arkham Knight on PlayStation 4.
This year's edition of FIFA 16 will finally include female players in the game.
