Call of Duty Online Hits China, Activision Says It's A Game-Changer

Call of Duty Online, a free-to-play PC spinoff of Activision's blockbuster shooter series, is now available in China through a partnership with Chinese Internet giant Tencent. Chinese gamers can play the title today through its open beta. You can also watch a trailer for it featuring Captain America actor Chris Evans.

American studio Raven Software, which is owned by Activision, led development on Call of Duty Online, which is inspired by the Modern Warfare and Black Ops universes.

"Millions of gamers in the West have come to appreciate that white-knuckled, epic thrill-ride that only Call of Duty delivers. And now an entire new audience of gamers will experience this for the first time. We believe Call of Duty Online is going to be a game-changer for Chinese gamers," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said.

Call of Duty Online has been tailored specifically for the Chinese market, and Hirshberg said feedback from the game's closed beta tests has been "tremendous."

"We couldn't be more excited and we look forward to winning the hearts and minds of a new community in China," Hirshberg said.

Call of Duty Online may be free-to-play, but players will be able to spend real-world money to buy or even rent in-game items. In addition to a multiplayer mode, the game will offer a single-player mode called Hero Ops, as well as a co-op Survival Mode. There will also be a new PVE Cyborgs mode never before seen in the Call of Duty franchise and exclusive to Call of Duty Online.

Why is Activision bringing Call of Duty to China? In short, it's a huge market. One recent study found that the number of Chinese gamers was greater than the entire US population.

Call of Duty Online has been announced only for PC.

China recently lifted its decade-long console ban, but Activision has not announced plans to bring Call of Duty Online to consoles in the country. The company might have a hard time doing so, too, as China's heavy censorship rules could prove tricky to overcome.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Filed under:

Call of Duty Online

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

One-Day Razer Sale Offers Deep Discounts On Almost Everything

Looking to pick up some PC gaming accessories? Here's a deal you may want to consider.

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan has announced that the company will hold a mega-sale that will discount almost everything in the Razer Store by 50 percent

Starting January 12 at 6 PM PDT, all Razer gaming gear will be 50 percent off, except for systems, which will be 30 percent off. The deal will only last 24 hours, coming to a close January 13 at 6 PM PDT.

There are a couple of catches, however, as shoppers will be limited to buying one item only. Razer also warns that the company's online store may suffer from issues like slowdown, as an "intense of amount of traffic" is expected.

In addition, this Razer sale will be held through RazerStore codes available only to Razer Inside members. You can sign up for a free Razer Insider account here. After doing so, you'll be sent a coupon code for the 50 percent discount offer.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Filed under:

PC

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Here's Nearly Everything You Didn't Know About the Dreamcast

Those industrious video game historians at 'Did You Know Gaming?' have released another brilliant mini-documentary, this time enumerating the most obscure and fascinating Dreamcast facts.

The nine-minute video, above, is an enlightening showpiece on the innovations Sega's final console brought to the market, as well as some pioneering concepts that never made it past R&D. It's also a showcase of some of the system's most treasured games, from Lack of Love to Jet Set Radio to Shenmue to Ikaruga.

So if you want to know more about Sega's insistence on creating an internet-native games console, as well as how it prototyped a motion controller (yes, that's several years prior to the Wii's release), do indulge yourself in the video above.

Filed under:

Dreamcast

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Super-Rare NES Game Bidding Hits $100,000

[UPDATE 2] Now, after more than 80 individual bids from collectors, the eBay price has reached $100,000.

[UPDATE 1] After 19 bids from 14 different bidders, the eBay auction for ultra-rare NES game Stadium Events has now reached $40,300. We also spoke with the seller, who answered some of our questions.

You've had Stadium Events since the '90s, so why sell now?

"Felt it was the right time to sell this item."

Did you consider donating it to Nintendo for their archival purposes?

"I worked for Nintendo for 22 years and do not believe they have any interest in having this game.....they are welcome to bid on it if they do want it!"

How did you come to own this copy of Stadium Events?

"While working at Nintendo games are often available to employees at end of life cycles.

I did not realize the value until 2011, when a story came out about this game being sold on eBay for $44,000. I told my wife 'I know I have that game.' I collect a lot of different items, so after looking through several boxes I found it! Since I was still working for Nintendo I could not sell this item for profit, which is a smart company policy. When I left in 2012, it was possible for me to sell this game."

The original story is below.

Just days after it came online, an eBay auction for ultra-rare NES game Stadium Events has reached about the price of a new car. Bidding opened on January 5 at $5,000 and quickly rose to where it sits today at $22,100. A total of nine people have submitted bids so far.

The game, which saw a very limited release in 1987 and was paired with the short-lived Family Fun Fitness pad, is considered one of the first exercise games. It's incredibly rare on its own, but adding to the appeal of this auction is the fact that the copy remains factory sealed.

On top of that, the seller says the game--which is in excellent condition--has been verified by the Video Game Authority, a group that grades and authenticates older games. It's also housed in an "archival" case that protects it from UV rays, ensuring its preservation for years to come.

Writing on the auction page, the seller says they used to work at Nintendo and have had the game since the 1990s. We've reached out to the seller, asking for more details about the auction, which officially ends January 15.

This isn't the first time Stadium Events has showed up on eBay. In 2010, a factory sealed copy of the game sold for an incredible $41,300, according to a report from Kotaku. It's also not the only Stadium Events game now on eBay, though it appears to be the only factory sealed copy.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Super Smash Bros Tournament Endorsed by Nintendo

Nintendo has signed a sponsorship deal with the games tournament group Apex, endorsing the event's quartet of Smash Bros competitions.

Apex 2015, a three-day pro-games tournament which starts on January 30, will include individual competitions on all four games in the Nintendo series; Super Smash Bros for the N64, Super Smash Bros Melee for the GameCube, Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii, and the recently released Super Smash Bros for Wii U.

First details of the partnership were announced via Apex's official twitter feed. "We are pleased to announce that Apex 2015 is partnering with Nintendo of America to bring an incredible Smash Bros event," the team wrote.

The deal represents a turnaround in policy for Nintendo, with the corporation drawing criticism in July 2013 for trying to prohibit Smash Bros Melee from being played at the Evo 2013 tournament.

Apex 2015, held in the New Jersey town of Secaucus, also features other fighting games such as Ultra Street Fighter 4, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, and Guilty Gear Xrd. The event will close on the Sunday with the Melee Finals, according to its schedule.

Further details of the event can be found here.

Filed under:

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Valve: Steam Machines Will Be "Front And Center" At GDC

Steam Machines will be "front and center" at the 2015 Game Developers Conference in March. That's according to a Valve representative, who told Game Informer that, after skipping last week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company has major plans for this year's GDC.

"We're planning a very large presence at GDC with Steam Machines being front and center," a Valve representative said.

Valve officially revealed its Steam Machines hardware initiative in September 2013, and a number of third-party manufacturers showed off their designs at 2014's CES. Most recently, Origin PC's top executive told GameSpot last week that the term "Steam Machine" no longer means much of anything.

"I think that's kind of pretty much dead," he said of the term Steam Machine. "It's like a living room PC--is now the new term. Living room PCs have been around forever. That's not anything new either. But it seems like there's a legitimate demand and push for living room PCs."

In addition to Steam Machines, Valve may use its GDC 2015 showing to talk more about its brand new operating system, Steam OS, and possibly the unique Steam Controller. The Steam Controller design was recently finalized, according to Origin PC CEO Kevin Wasielewski.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Filed under:

Valve Software

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

First It Was GTA 5, Now Metal Gear Solid 5 Goes First-Person Via Mod

Grand Theft Auto V isn't the only big-name game to get a first-person mode. One enterprising PC gamer has created a first-person mod for Konami's Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, turning the third-person stealth game into something of a first-person shooter.

As discovered by Eurogamer, the modder, "Pao," was able to create a first-person mod for the game without the use of official modding tools. The mod is not without its troubles (vanishing elements), however, but Pao says updates are coming through frequently to improve the experience.

YouTuber BenBlatcher says the Ground Zeroes first-person mod ramps up the tension.

"Not being able to see what's round corners makes things much more tense, and you've gotta be really careful and try and get a good view on things beforehand," he says. "You've got to rely on your senses a lot more, and it's obvious I wasn't [For example not hearing a truck coming at one point.]"

"One last thing, as noted, is that you can't see character models if you're right next to them; as with the third-person camera, things disappear when you get too close. Of course it makes picking up items a little awkward, but altogether it's nowhere near enough to turn me off of the mod. Oh and certain weapons look funny."

You can read more about the Ground Zeroes first-person mod at Nexus Mods.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Filed under:

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More

Evolve PC Requirements Revealed

2K Games and Turtle Rock Studios on Monday announced the PC requirements for the upcoming 4v1 monster-hunting game, Evolve, which launches in early February. Via the game's website:

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• OS: Windows 7 64-bit
• INTEL CPU: Core 2 Duo E6600
• AMD CPU: Athlon 64 X2 6400
• SYSTEM RAM: 4GB
• NVIDIA VIDEO CARD: GeForce GTX 560
• ATI VIDEO CARD: Radeon HD 5770
• VIDEO MEMORY: 1GB
• HARD DRIVE: 50GB

RECOMMENDED REQUIREMENTS:

• OS: Windows 7 64-bit
• INTEL CPU: Core i7-920
• AMD CPU: A8-3870K
• SYSTEM RAM: 6GB
• NVIDIA VIDEO CARD: GeForce GTX 670 or GTX 760
• ATI VIDEO CARD: Radeon R9 280
• VIDEO MEMORY: 2GB
• HARD DRIVE: 50GB

Turtle Rock adds that PC players can adjust a number of settings through the menu, including texture details, shader detail, shadow quality, anti-aliasing, tessellation, VSYNC, and more (see above). In addition, Evolve on PC supports 4K resolution, but there won't be SLI support out of the box.

"Our teams are working on that and hope to get SLI support into Evolve as soon as possible," the studio said.

Turtle Rock adds that you can check out NVIDIA's GPU Analyzer here to determine if your PC rig can handle Evolve.

The Evolve release date is February 10 for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. For more, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com

Filed under:

Evolve

23.07 | 0 komentar | Read More