RipTen Videogame Blog » Beta

Ghost Recon Online Closed Beta Begins March

Sam Naylor — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:00:27 +0000

The closed beta for Ghost Recon Online will begin this March, and signups are already open.

You can apply for the closed beta of Ubisoft‘s new free-to-play Ghost Recon here, and it is due to start on the 5th of March this year.

Ubisoft have released a new trailer showing off the class system in the game:

I must admit I do find it kind of funny to see such an ugly-looking game being advertised in this way. It’s like being back in the PS2 days. I realise the browser-based nature of the game limits it but it still makes me laugh.

Amazing Spider-Man The Game Goes Beta, Teases ‘Something Big’ for Next Week

Drake Hess — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:00:38 +0000

The Official Facebook page for The Amazing Spider-Man The Game issued an update about 20 minutes ago, asking fans if their “spider-sense was tingling” in anticipation of a “big” announcement.

“Is your Spider sense tingling? Something BIG is coming next week…What could it be?”

My guess is that this is finally some sort of in-depth gameplay footage. The timing would be perfect considering the statement that preceeded this yesterday.

“We’re delivering our Beta this week! The team has been working hard to deliver the best spidey game ever. Let’s cheer them on!”

There seemed to be some confusion on various message boards as to what the “BETA” statement was referring to, so we reached out to Activision PR for clarification. As suspected, Beenox is referring to an internal BETA status and not some sort of external release version of the game. Sit tight for more information on The Amazing Spider-Man The Game as it becomes available.

TERA Shifts into First Gear – Pre-Order Details and Closed Beta Plans Announced

Jensen Walker — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:30:22 +0000

On the back of En Masse Entertainment’s recent announcement of a May 1st launch date for upcoming action MMO TERA, the publisher today confirmed that TERA is now available for pre-order from the company’s website and retailers throughout North America for $49.99.

In even better news, everyone who pre-orders will gain access to all of the game’s Closed Beta Tests, scheduled to take place from February through April, as well as an exclusive Head Start play period over the weekend prior to the game’s launch.

TERA will be available in a traditional boxed format or as a digital download, with both version granting players unique in-game items, including a Regal Frostlion Mount for in-game mounted travel, and two equippable items: the level 15 Velik’s Bloodstone Necklace and the level 40 Shakan’s Bloodstone Necklace.

A limited physical Collectors Edition will also be purchasable and contains collectable items such as a Letter of Marque, a canvas world map, a field guide, a Valkyon Federation-issued compass, and a game soundtrack, at a price of $79.99. A digital Collectors Edition will also be available at $59.99. Both these editions contain 30 days of game time.

The full schedule of beta testing and the Head Start period is as follows:

Closed Beta Test 1: February 10 – 12

·         Closed Beta Test 2: February 24 – 26

·         Closed Beta Test 3: March 9 – 11

·         Closed Beta Test 4: March 23 – 25

·         Closed Beta Test 5: April 6 – 8

·         Open Beta Test: April 19 – 22

·         Head Start: April 28 – May 1

You can pre-order TERA and ensure your chance to Beta Test the game by clicking this link.

While you’re waiting for the beta, here’s a little something from the TERA team to whet your appetite.

Diablo III Undergoes Further Beta Changes – Companion Pets Cut From Release

Jensen Walker — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:30:29 +0000

The latest beta patch deploy for Diablo III has resulted in a few more changes to the much anticipated action RPG, with Scrolls of Companion and Scrolls of Reforging being removed from the game.

Blizzard Community Manager Nethaera took to the Diablo III forums today to explain the features were cut due to the development team feeling they were undeveloped, and unsuitable for a live release. Additionally, companion pets were considered too cute and cuddly for the dark and gritty world of Sanctuary.

According to Nethaera, “Neither of those are issues we felt like we could solve without a lot of additional work, and we’re trying to close in on a solid release date for the game, not move further away. When weighing these systems against releasing the game, we decided to cut these scrolls and stay on track for the game’s release.”

Blizzard intends to redesign and evolve companion pets and reforging scrolls into a more meaningful and enjoyable system at some point in the future.

New Gotham City Impostors Simple Math Trailer and Public Beta

Drake Hess — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:26 +0000

Super heroes and super villains need vacations too, and Gotham City Impostors gives us all a 12 on 12 First Person Shooter style look at what happens when Gotham’s finest caped crusader and his freakishly face painted foe are replaced with Kick-Ass style fill-ins.

The public beta starts today on PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE Marketplace, however the XBL version requires gamers to visit the official website beta page to register for a chance to receive a key, while the PSN version can be downloaded without one.

Check out the trailer below.

The over-the-top gadgets like the Bear Traps, Spring Boots, and Grappling Hook make this at the very least worth a beta download. Give it a shot and let us know what you think.

Guild Wars 2 Beta Testing to Ramp Up in Preparation for 2012 Release

Jensen Walker — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:00:36 +0000

Earlier today, ArenaNet Founder and President Mike O’Brien confirmed that Guild Wars 2 is scheduled for release later this year. While this this may not necessarily come as much of a revelation, it’s the first concrete statement regarding a release date for the eagerly awaited MMO.

To herald its coming, Arenanet will begin larger closed beta tests from February onwards, beginning with select members of the press. In March and April, members of the general public will have the chance to explore the world of Tyria and provide their feedback.

Guild Wars 2 does away with traditional MMO combat and questing, and requires no monthly fee to play, all of which adds up to make the game a highly anticipated title. Not to mention the beautiful visuals.

You can read the blog entry in full here, or visit the official Guild Wars 2 site for more details.

StarHawk Beta Begins Today for PS Plus Members – Checkout New Gameplay Trailer

Garrett Hartman — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:31:59 +0000

The Starhawk Beta begins today for PS Plus members and Sony has sent out a Welcome trailer that shows gameplay and explains what you can expect from the public beta.

Some of the features mentioned in the trailer include: Classic Arcade Flight-Mode, Host Migration, Language Support, Skills, PSN Friend Integration. As the video makes clear this is a true Beta and Lightbox will take all feedback into account in making the best game they can. The beta will also include continued updates and bug fixes.

For the full beta schedule check here. Check out the trailer below.

StarHawk is scheduled to hit retailers on May 8th.

Sign Ups for TERA’s Beta Now Available

Jensen Walker — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:30:30 +0000

If you’ve been waiting for the chance to beta test En Masse Entertainment’s upcoming fantasy MMO TERA, the time is at hand.

Beta sign ups are now open to one and all and will begin with several closed phases before wrapping up with an open beta test prior to launch.

To sign up, you’ll need to head over to the official TERA website and enter your email address in the box provided. If you already receive TERA’s newsletter, or have completed the TERA alpha test application survey, your email address is already signed up.

The following caveats apply to all beta applications:

• TERA‘s closed beta tests each require a unique invitation. Each invitation will indicate which closed beta test it is valid for. Submitting your email address more than once won’t increase your chances of receiving an invitation.

• Invitations to TERA‘s closed beta test will be distributed before each event based on random selection.

• Invitations to TERA‘s open beta test will be distributed to everyone who signs up to be a TERA beta tester.

• If you participated in TERA‘s alpha test, Community Play Event, or any Focus Group Test, or if you won one of our past contests, you will be invited to all TERA beta tests.

• We will introduce additional methods of securing an invitation to TERA‘s closed beta tests such as official contests and giveaways.

You can find further information about the beta over on the TERA forums.

Gotham City Impostors Is Not Your Average FPS (Hands On)

Chris Carlson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:00:06 +0000

The last thing that comes to your mind when thinking of Batman and The Joker is a FPS. So, Gotham City Impostors is a very interesting game to say the least. At first sight, Gotham City Impostors may looks like just another FPS, but rest assured, it’s far more than that. In fact, I was quite surprised at just how damn fun this game really was. Best part of it all, it’s an XBLA/PSN title and it packs some serious punch.

What sets Gotham City Impostors apart from every other FPS in the over crowded market, is how much variety and customization is offered. No matter how you choose to play a FPS, there’s something here for you. So let me break down just how much customization is packed into this massive downloadable title, which is known as your “Secret Identity”.

First off is editing your loadouts. You have your standard primary weapon, back up weapon, support item and what every super hero can’t do without; a gadget. You’re primary and back up weapons include; assault rifles, submachine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, etc. You also get a mod for each one.

The Dawn Patrol assault rifle for example has a wide selection of mods such as a silencer, red dot sight, extended mags, or even a body odor sniffer that reveals the positions of nearby enemies as wavy yellow “stink clouds”. Last but not least is your camo. FPS these days can’t have an awesome arsenal and no camo, that’s just crazy talk!

The support items and gadgets are what really make Gotham City Impostors stand out. Your support items would be your grenades or flashbangs in other games. In Gotham City, shit gets real. Who needs grenades when you can use bear traps, shurikens, or even a boomerang that can target multiple enemies and stun them all within a matter of a seconds.

The gadgets on the other hand, are where the real fun comes into play. Not only are these reusable, there’s also objects within the maps that benefit some gadgets. Equip a pair of roller skates to move quicker and you can jump off ramps sending you soaring through the air. If you’re more of a flying type of guy, just equip a glider rig and you’ll be flying like Batman in no time.

This isn’t useful on the ground, but it can be if you’re in the right place at the right time. Vents will blow air up sending you into the sky if you have the glider equiped. From here, you can perform “Dive Bombs” on unsuspecting enemies. Yeah, it’s bad ass.

If you’re like me though, you’ll enjoy the grapple gun which can hook on to virtually anything pulling you straight in. Feeling lazy and don’t want to walk to the other side of the map? No problem. Pull out your grapple gun, aim, fire, and before you know it, you’re behind the enemy.

All of these mentioned above can be selected in your loadout giving you whatever experience you choose to have. There are pre-sets for starting out, but once you level up you’re free to use what ever you like, when you like. It doesn’t stop there either. Even though this is an FPS, you can even customize your character. Based on your performance in game, you’ll earn “Costume Coins”. These can be used to purchase new: hats, logos, capes, shirts, pants, shoes, etc.

There’s also clan support which is called “Gangs” in-game, and two other customization options set as “Classified”. So prepare on spending quite some time perfecting your hero. While all this is great, it’s the gameplay that really matters right? Rest assured because Gotham City Impostors is a fucking blast. The beta currently supports two maps and two game modes. Psych Warfare is where you grab a battery and plug it in to demoralize your enemies with propaganda. Unfortunately, due to the lack of participants currently in the beta, I was unable to ever find a match in this game mode.

Fumigation is the other game mode which is essentially Domination from Call of Duty, except better. There’s three control points placed on the map in which you capture and defend. However, you’re not working to a set score. You’re working towards 100%. What this means is, you could be at 99% and the other team could start dominating you bringing you down to 10%. What’s great is if you start picking up your slack, you always have a chance to come back and win without worrying about the team having a higher “score” than you.

At the same time, this can be really bad for newcomers. I’ve been in games that lasted just a few minutes because my team was unable to overpower the enemy resulting in a very quick and unpleasant match. When you have two good teams and all these different weapons and gadgets being used at once, it creates a really chaotic, yet satisfying experience.

The controls are easy to pick up and jump straight into you, if you played just about any other arcade style FPS, you’ll feel right at home. The only real problem I’ve encountered with Gotham City Impostors is lag spikes. They don’t necessarily happen every few seconds, but they do happen often enough to make it somewhat annoying. I’ve also had a few instances where the countdown would reach 1 second, but the game would never start. Thankfully, this is a beta! So hopefully these minor issues will be ironed out before release.

From the mass amount of customization and variety, to the easy pick up and play controls, Gotham City Impostors brings one hell of a great time. I’m not going to lie, when I saw the trailers for the game, I thought it was going to be really lame. However, after playing multiple hours with my friends, this is definitely a game I’m going to be picking up once it’s released in January. Oh, and did I mention this was an arcade title? Yes, yes I did. But I feel as if I should remind you seeing how this could easily pass as a full downloadable title with a similar pricing model to games such as Resident Evil 4 HD.

Definitely keep your eyes on Gotham, my friends.

Command & Conquer Goes Free to Play

Justin Carter — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:00:17 +0000

It seems that, in addition to Bioware working on Command & Conquer: Generals 2, EA’s continuing their famous RTS franchise with a free to play MMO. Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances will be developed by Phenomic Games, and have cross functionality between browsers and mobile devices. What exactly does this mean? EA says:

“It uses live status streams and newsfeeds are updated in real time, forcing players to strategize, react, and adapt on the spot.”

Vague, right? If I had to wager a guess, I’d say it’s like Battlefield 3′s Battlelog, only it shows up on screen and is addressed to you in the game. You can find out for yourself tomorrow by signing up for the game’s beta, which starts tomorrow.

Here’s the rundown from EA:

Only the strong survive. Phenomic™, an Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) studio, today announced Command & Conquer™ Tiberium Alliances, an all new free-to-play, massively multiplayer online (MMO) strategy game set in the Command & Conquer Tiberium universe. In the quest for world domination, players must choose their friends wisely and foster strategic alliances as they fight against each other and hordes of mutant enemies.Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances is the first truly portable MMO game with cross-platform accessibility on web browsers and mobile devices. Gamers can get in on the epic battle for world supremacy by signing up for the closed beta atwww.tiberiumalliances.com. The closed beta starts on December 15, 2011.

“Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances is the first MMO and first free-to-play game for the long-running Command & Conquer series. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to forge new ground with this acclaimed franchise,” said Martin Löhlein, Senior Producer, Phenomic. “We’re hoping to deliver an experience that will allow our loyal fans to play their favorite franchise anywhere they go, while introducing the exciting world of Tiberium to new players.”

By integrating revolutionary in-game social and news update feeds, Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances plunges players into a completely interactive and dynamic gameplay experience. Live status streams and newsfeeds are updated in real time, forcing players to strategize, react, and adapt on the spot. MMO Strategy has never been faster or more critical to winning.

Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances is the second of two upcoming additions to the Command & Conquer franchise.Command & Conquer Generals 2 was announced on December 10, 2011 and is being developed by BioWare.

How and Why I Spent 36 Hours Playing Star Wars: The Old Republic

Jensen Walker — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:00:50 +0000

Like many, I recently spent a weekend exploring the Star Wars: The Old Republic beta. All of Fri/Sat and most of Sunday were devoted to the MMO I intend to play come December 20^th.

The official SWTOR forums have since exploded with multiple threads praising or criticizing the game, with many being particularly negative. Impressions are, of course subjective, and what one person finds to be an absolute mess is another’s paradise.

What many of these forum threads lack is the ability to present an opinion which isn’t argumentative, accusatory or downright hostile, and unfortunately they drown out the more measured criticisms of those who enjoyed the game, but found certain areas lacking. Today, I’m going to present my own critique of BioWare’s much hyped MMO in what is hopefully a considered and thoughtful manner. This also means this is going to be a long article, so you might want to get yourself a refreshing beverage before you continue.

To begin with, I should say I only leveled two characters, a Smuggler to 18 and a Consular to 11. I have no personal experience with mid, late, or end-game content, although I do know people who have been a part of the Game Testing Program for quite some time. Therefore, these impressions are largely based around pre-20 Republic content. With typical style and flair, I was so engrossed in the game that I forgot to take screenshots, so nearly all screens in this article come courtesy of Reddit user bic_lighter, who had more presence of mind than me.

Without further ado, let’s launch into the first point of discussion, that being:

Graphics and Visuals

If you read the official forums, the loudest contributors of the opinion that SWTOR’s graphics are awful for a game which is to all extents and purposes a 2012 MMO. The truth is, the visuals are fine for an MMO.

No, they’re not Skyrim standard, but they couldn’t possibly be to that standard without sacrificing hundreds of thousands of potential players. Skyrim is a beautiful game and my GTX 570 is capable of realising that beauty, but for every one of us with the latest generation graphics cards, there are ten more PC users who are still running on a card and processor that are much, much older.

Time for an upgrade, you might say! Unfortunately, your ‘average’ MMO player has little inclination to upgrade and in many cases also lacks the funds. MMO’s succeed because they can tap into a base that games like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim cannot. As much as they may be maligned by certain quarters, casual players provide the bulk of subscriptions for paid MMO’s, and the bulk of microtransactions for F2P’s.

That being said, SWTOR’s stylised graphics provide a significant upgrade on World of Warcraft’s. There are plenty of players who found their old rigs struggling to run the beta efficiently even given that SWTOR’s visuals aren’t cutting edge. For the most part, environments seemed to be rich enough, cutscenes were nicely rendered and the game certainly has a sense of scale which prior MMO’s have lacked.

Stormwind’s Cathedral seems positively mundane once you’ve wandered around inside the gigantic Jedi temple on Tython, or the halls of the senate on Coruscant. Comparably, Rift’s city hubs are more like tiny settlements compared to the Republic Fleet.

Anti-aliasing was also disabled for the beta, so users can expect some graphical improvements and smoothing of jagged edges come launch.

UPDATE - A bug in the graphical settings resulted in high resolution textures not being available during the beta. The game looks much better with those higher settings enabled. Observe the below screenshot.

If there is an area where the graphics are obviously lacking, it’s the textures. Some textures are fairly low resolution (pazaak tables, for example), and your PC’s armor and weapons aren’t always particularly crisp if you zoom in closely. Speaking of PC’s, that leads us nicely in to…

Counter-Strike Global Offensive Closed Beta Starts November 30th

Sam Naylor — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:12:54 +0000

For those lucky enough to get hold of beta keys, the Counter-Strike Global Offensive closed beta will begin at the end of the month.

The keys were handed out at PAX and the Eurogamer Expo, but expect to see more pop up on various sites. The beta will include both Dust and Dust 2 (this time, it’s dusty).

According to the developer’s twitter feed the beta ““will start small and grow until eventually everyone is in.” So don’t worry if you don’t manage to get a code, since it will go public at some point. In the meantime, why not play more Counter-Strike? It’s not like there’s a lack of players.

Via PC Gamer

Mega64 and Mojang Unveil Minecraft 1.0 (Insert Silly Nonsense Here)

Dave Oshry — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:55:43 +0000

MineCon is a go go in Vegas, baby! And with it comes the official release of Minecraft 1.0!

Better yet, everyone’s favorite silly bitches, Mega 64 have released a video to celebrate the occasion!

Hey… that’s not Notch…

What happens at Minecon… stays at Minecon… or ends up on the internet.

You can now go back to playing Minecraft.

SWTOR NDA is Lifted; BioWare Previews Hammer Station Flashpoint

Jensen Walker — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:00:25 +0000

The time has finally come. Today’s big news from BioWare is that the NDA on Star Wars: The Old Republic has been lifted, meaning beta testers are free to discuss any and all aspects of the game to their heart’s content. Gameplay videos and screenshots are also now able to be posted without fear of breaking the non disclosure agreement.

There are a few caveats: players may not talk about nor reprint posts from the SWTOR testing forums as they are still fully covered by the confidentiality portions of the Game Testing Agreement. Further more, all players who want to participate in the upcoming Beta Test Weekends still have to accept all terms of the Game Testing Agreement.

To facilitate the removal of the NDA, BioWare has created a Spoilers Forum at swtor.com which allows players to discuss the MMO’s story aspects. All plot related mentions must be posted there. Posts made outside this new forum will either be moved there or marked with a spoiler tag if they focus on other aspects of the game, so you might as well add the tag to the thread title yourself. Feedback and bug reports from your personal gameplay impressions should be left in the official Game Testing Forums where developers can monitor and respond to it directly.

You can read the posts relating to the NDA lift and Spoilers Forum here and here.

In addition to this huge announcement, BioWare has released a 2 minute trailer featuring the Hammer Station Flashpoint, a powerful prototype battle station believed to have been destroyed during the war. Now in the possession of the expansionist Advozsec, the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire must act before the Advosec can utilize the weapon to conquer further worlds in the Outer Rim. You can find the trailer below, and head over to swtor.com for further details.

SWTOR’s Final Beta Weekend Scheduled for November 25th – 28th

Jensen Walker — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:38:48 +0000

In what will be heralded as wonderful news by many and bemoaned by some, the final beta weekend for Star Wars: The Old Republic is currently scheduled to be held over the US Thanksgiving long weekend.

For most people, this will mean plenty of time to jump into the game and get a feel for the game mechanics and the class they’d most like to play. For some, there will be the wailing and gnashing of teeth as they travel home for Thanksgiving, leaving their precious PC behind.

Regardless of which camp you find yourself in, it will be your last chance to experience the game before it goes live on December 20th (unless of course you pre-ordered – then you’ll have early access).

The beta weekend will no doubt be designed to stress test BioWare’s servers, so expect some initial delays, issues and long queues once the testing kicks off. Anyone who registered for beta testing prior to November 11th automatically qualifies for entry into the final beta, although you will need to enter a code BioWare will send you before 11:59pm on Friday November 18th in order to be eligible.

If you haven’t pre-ordered, you still have the chance to participate by visiting swtor.com and attempting to secure an invite through a series of promotions.

For more info, take a look at the official FAQ.

Minecraft Has Finally Gone Gold

Catherine Cai — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:50:44 +0000

After what may be the longest freakin’ beta ever, Notch announced today via his Twitter feed that Minecraft is a finished product. At last, Minecraft can proudly consider itself a complete game.

Notch also added that if,

If any game reviewers want to review MInecraft before the release on Friday, feel free to review the RC2. There might be VERY minor tweaks.

I don’t know Notch, I feel like even after almost a year of beta, I don’t think anyone’s going to be able to make that review deadline.

Missed Out on SWTOR Beta Weekends? BioWare Has You Covered

Jensen Walker — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 23:37:43 +0000

Have you signed up for Star Wars: The Old Republic’s game testing program? Have you yet to receive a beta invite? Worry no longer, because BioWare is inviting everyone who signed up for the game testing program prior to November 11th to participate in a future beta testing weekend. You don’t have to do anything but wait for your invite to arrive some time over the next few weeks.

The upcoming beta weekend is designed to stress test the servers as multitudes of players act on the opportunity to get a feel for the new MMO. It is also likely to be the final best test before launch.

For those haven’t signed up prior to November 11th, you can also get into the beta through a series of promotions. For more details, read this post at the official SWTOR website.

Funcom Clarifies Speculation About The Secret World Open Beta and Business Model

Jensen Walker — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:26:48 +0000

Upcoming MMO The Secret World has been garnering a lot of attention lately, with multiple mentions by the gaming media. Conflicting reports have generated some confusion regarding when the open beta will begin and what the subscription cost will be. To settle the waters, Funcom has posted the following at The Secret World’s website:

The Secret World is currently in closed beta testing and has been so for several months. Participants in the closed beta range from Funcom quality assurance personnel to external testers who have been selected from our pool of over 500,000 beta registrations.

Open beta will not be initiated before Christmas, but will be a part of our strategy next year prior to our April 2012 launch.

Funcom has not yet made any official announcements regarding the business model or price points for The Secret World. This is still being discussed and evaluated internally, and we will make an official announcement when this has been finalized.

You can still sign up for the open beta at the official site.

Mass Effect 3 Beta Leaks Onto XBL, Bioware Responds

Chris Carlson — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:00:48 +0000

If you happen to be apart of Microsoft‘s Xbox Live Preview Program for the new dashboard launching this holiday, you may have noticed an added tab under the “Pre-Release” section. A picture of nothing but Mass Effect 3, and upon clicking it granted you access to a 1.8GB Private Beta. This was actually a human error on Microsoft’s part and was not intended for public release.

Since the leak, the beta has been removed and deactivated in which case Bioware has responded:

Hello everyone!

As most of you know by now, this evening an accidental leak occurred of some early Mass Effect 3 beta code. Microsoft has advised us that through human error at their end, content which was meant for internal beta testing was flagged incorrectly and released to individuals who had signed up for the beta of the Xbox Live dashboard update. It has since been taken down and deactivated.

We’d like to stress that the leaked code is in a rough, unfinished state and was not meant for public release. The content is not final, and is not reflective of the quality of the finished, polished game due for release on March 6, 2012 (March 9 in Europe).

One feature that was present in this early build is a set of game play modes that are in development. In the beta code they are referred to as “action mode”, “story mode” and “RPG mode”. We want to stress that these features are still in the early stages of development and will receive considerable iteration and refinement. These modes are designed to give players an even finer degree of control over their game experience than ever before. Whether it be someone who finds the combat difficult but wants to experience the amazing story, someone who wants to focus on the action and combat game play, or fans who want the rich, story-driven RPG Mass Effect experience they’ve come to love – Mass Effect 3 will support all of these options. We’ll have more info in the days ahead!

I was lucky enough to download the beta before it was removed. After playing some of it myself, it definitely isn’t ready for public release. I don’t care what anyone says though, seeing Anderson float in mid-air doing summersaults was cool as shit.

Mass Effect 3 launches on March 6th, 2012 for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Sign Up For The WildStar Beta Now

Jensen Walker — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:28:56 +0000

If you’ve been waiting for the chance to experience Carbine Studios upcoming sci-fi/steampunk MMO, the time is upon you. WildStar‘s official site has recently been updated with the ability to opt in for beta testing.

If you’re wondering what you can expect from Wildstar, the game utilizes a striking visual style and new ‘momentum mechanics’ to encourage immersion in a deep world stacked with content, challenges and rewards that respond to each player’s individual choice. Depending on a combination of faction, race, class, and path, WildStar will offer players a multitude of surprises, mini-quests and challenges. Add to that a quirky sense of humor and the game looks like it is going to be a lot of fun.

You can sign up here to ensure your chance at being selected for beta testing. Take a look at the video below as well for a further glimpse into WildStar’s world.