This Week In Gaming 7-19-16

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This week in gaming; PewDiePie responds to sites using his name and image as what he feels is clickbait and why I use or don't use (or try not to use) certain articles or sites in news posts, Xbox One S release date, look into Naughty Dog creator Neil Druckmann's creative process, Overwatch director talks about characters/maps design/competitive mode changes/skin designs/porn, EVO 2016, tournament Super Smash Bros player Cristian "Hyuga" Medina fired after groping sleeping Smash 4 caster, Ubisoft says Nintendo NX has potential to draw in casual gamers, famous developers from the 80s and 90s and what they have done since then, Twitch begins beta for HTML5 player, Obsidian CEO talks about success and survival in AAA development and independence, Bethesda accused of ripping off New Vegas mod with Fallout 4 DLC, a look at the Famicom Disk System, and more.

 

 

Xbox One S "launch edition" to ship August 2 for $399

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After unveiling the Xbox One S at this year's E3, Microsoft today confirmed that the newly designed Xbox console would begin hitting select markets on August 2. The company is starting with the $399 2TB version, arriving in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and much of Europe, bundled with the the new Xbox Wireless Controller, which offers a textured grip and Bluetooth support.

 

Twitch Begins Closed Beta for HTML5 Player

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Twitch has kicked off a Closed Beta for an all-new HTML5 video player. The beta is available to Twitch Turbo subscribers today and will be rolling out to more users later this summer. Currently, the site uses Adobe Flash Player, which is a closed, proprietary system that uses system resources like nobody's business and has a number of security flaws.

Twitch Tells Counter-Strike Gamblers To Go Away

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Twitch is following in Valve’s footsteps, and will shut down streamers using Counter-Strike gambling sites. Those sites may not be long for this world.

Twitch researcher confirms that livestreams help boost game sales

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Okay, yes, it's obvious, but now there are numbers—and some of the conclusions are surprising.

Twitch Bans Top Counter-Strike Gambling Streamer

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Just a few days after Twitch announced it would be cracking down on folks streaming Counter-Strike gambling sites, one of the most popular streamers, PhantomL0rd, had their account closed by Twitch.

 

Battlefield 1 Beta to Begin “Shortly After” Gamescom; Rush Gamemode Returning

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During a recent interview with Sebastian Moritz, Battlefield community manager in Germany, revealed that the Battlefield 1 beta will start “shortly after” gamescom.

 

THE HEX, A NEW MYSTERY FROM ONE OF VIDEOGAMES’ GREATEST TRICKSTERS

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At its core, one could shave down a detective story to three basic questions: who, why, and how. Who was the victim, who was the perpetrator? Why and how they did commit the crime? From Sam Barlow’s FMV mystery in Her Story (2015) and Cole Phelps’ investigations across the seedy streets of 1940s Los Angeles in LA Noire (2011), to the forensics of CSI and the mental deductions of Sherlock, those questions drive players and fictional sleuths alike. Often the answers to the “how?” and “why?” are easy to fathom—jealousy, revenge, greed, and so on—but what happens when victim and perpetrator aren’t bound by the logic and conventions of reality? What if they were videogame characters? The Hex hopes to answer that question.

 

Drugs, masks, and randomness: The moral gray areas of We Happy Few

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With We Happy Few, Compulsion creative director Guillaume Provost is looking to create  a place where we can witness the moral gray area of what people do to survive in difficult situations. It is up to the player to find that balance between acting out and behaving themselves that will be key to staying alive. Do you take the drug joy to fit in? Do you spit in the face of your oppressors as they take your down?

 

For Honor - New Campaign: Knight Campaign Mission (Women Knight)

This video was actually posted at the end of last month on two different Youtube channels but I didn't see any sites show it, so I just found it, so I'll post it now for anyone interested in the game.

 

South Park: The Fractured But Whole Is Full Of Surprises

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I’ve been a fan of South Park for nearly 20 years. I’ve watched every episode, played every game, and at one point even dug up a copy of series co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s first movie, Cannibal: The Musical (unexpectedly good!). In other words, you’d think they wouldn’t be able to keep surprising me.

Yet South Park: The Fractured But Whole, which comes out this December for PS4/XB1/PC, has already pulled it off.

 

Civilization 6 shows off China’s leader Qin Shi Huang and The Great Wall

 

Amy Hennig Discusses New Star Wars Game, It Sounds Like Uncharted

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Amy Hennig, writer of the first three Uncharted games and currently creative director on EA and Visceral Games' Star Wars title, has discussed her process for creating a brand new story set in the beloved sci-fi universe.

 

ALONE WITH YOU BRINGS INCLUSIVE ROMANCE TO THE DEAD OF SPACE

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Alone With You is an adventure game that focuses on relationships—particularly, relationships with four fellow colonists. (Four fellow colonists who are actually dead, and appearing as holograms.) As the last member of an ill-fated space colony, the player is desperately trying to escape the planet. But the player can’t do that without getting to know the folks around them.

 

LONG GONE DAYS IMAGINES THE WORLD OF WAR THAT’S COMING FOR US

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If a dystopian novel was written about the world that we live in right now, what would it look like? Chilean game maker Camila Gormaz wants to explore that in her upcoming game Long Gone Days. Unlike dead-Earth dystopias, where human society has overreached to such an extent that what remains of our planet is barely recognizable as the remains of what we see today, Long Gone Days takes place… soon. Say, the next 10 years. Rourke, the protagonist, abandons his post as a military sniper and ventures out into the world. He’s in an isolated area and the war proves inescapable, so what that means for the ruins of 2016 to 2026 remains to be seen. Rourke, whose story is described as “looking at mundane things […] through the eyes of a child” will discover it right along with us.

A thread about this was created here.

 

Double Fine's sci-fi side-scroller Headlander gets a release date and a trailer

 

Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality revealed, coming to the HTC Vive

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Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland told us last year that he has never been “more energized, enthusiastic, excited, and motivated” about anything in his life—including his “TV show stuff”—than he is about VR games.

 

Persona 5 ‘Take the Treasure’ Event Liveblog

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The Persona 5 “Take the Treasure” live stream will be starting on July 18—the latest promotional event for the upcoming RPG—and you’ll be able to follow updates of the event as they happen through our liveblog.

 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered gets a lengthy gameplay video

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered is launching alongside Infinite Warfare later this year, and judging by the video embedded below, the graphical enhancements are quite impressive. The footage shows a playthrough of the Crew Expendable mission, the second chapter in the original 2007 game.

 

RimWorld updates with new scenario system, Steam Early Access release

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That thing I mentioned a couple of months ago has come to pass. No, I hadn't predicted Brexit or Pokemon GO, unfortunately; I mentioned that Ludeon Studios' ambitious, complex colony sim RimWorld was heading to Steam Early Access, along with a new update that would add a scenario system to the game.

Fraudsters force RimWorld dev to stop giving out Steam keys

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Tynan Sylvester, the indie developer behind sci-fi colony sim RimWorld, said he had to shut down Steam key distribution from developer Ludeon Studios' website in order to avoid "thousands of dollars" in chargeback fees and lost sales.

 

Exploring Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's Open World, Side Quests, and More

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That finally changed last week when I sat down with a new six-hour chunk of the game, which contained two open world sections, several side missions, and nearly a dozen decision-driven conversations. I also got an early look at the game's added crafting system, as well as antihero Adam Jensen's new augments. Here's what I learned about all five features.

 

Titanfall 2 Dev Teases Multiplayer and Network Changes

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"We're changing a lot of our matchmaking systems so you can find better games quicker," he said. "We've added this awesome new thing called Networks that lets you make groups of friends and play together a lot easier."

 

Here's When Nioh's Beta Demo Will Be Available on PS4

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Team Ninja has announced the beta for Nioh will be available to download and play on the PlayStation 4 from August 23. The demo will be available until September 6.

 

Blade Arcus from Shining EX coming west for PC via Steam on July 28

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Blade Arcus from Shining EX, Sega’s fighting game featuring characters from the Shining series, is coming west for PC via Steam from Studio Saisenzen. It will be called Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena.

 

New Mafia 3 Trailer Tells You All About the Main Character and His Troubled Past

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2K today released a new trailer for crime game Mafia III, spotlighting main character Lincoln Clay's story. This trailer, titled "The Soldier," is the first in a series of videos that will focus on an important character.

 

Lantern - Story Trailer

 

Gail Simone To Help F84 Create A Red Sonja Video Game

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F84 Games, Dynamite Entertainment, and Red Sonja, LLC have announced a new partnership that will see Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, brought to life as a playable character in a dedicated, action-packed, and narrative-driven game ready for release this upcoming winter 2016/2017.

The game will be based on the comic book published by Dynamite, with the series’ writer Gail Simone confirmed to spearhead the plotlines, characters, and world.

Gail Simone is great, hope it turns out well.

 

Tekken 7 adds Bob and Master Raven to roster

 

IAN’S EYES WILL HAVE YOU PLAY AS A GUIDE DOG FOR A BLIND KID

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The reasoning behind setting Ian’s Eyes in a school came from Sindie Games being a smaller team and this being their first game. Exteriors are harder to create so the three person team decided to set the game somewhere that would be small and consist mostly of interiors. Setting the game in a school also led to the decision to set Ian’s Eyes during Ian’s first day of school. Unfortunately for Ian, his first day of school is filled with deadly zombies. And it’s up to you the player to help guide Ian through this nightmarish schoolhouse.

 

Gears of War 4 Microtransactions Don't Let You Pay to Win

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Like so many other games, Gears of War 4 will offer microtransactions for multiplayer. Now, developer The Coalition has published a blog post explaining how these work and more.

 

LawBreakers Trailer Shows Off Enforcer Action

 

Samurai Warriors: Sanada Maru first details, screenshots

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Koei Tecmo released the first details, direct-feed screenshots, and opened the official website for its newly announced Samurai Warriors: Sanada Maru, due out for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PS Vita in Japan in 2016.

 

Cossacks 3 launches this September in stores and on Steam

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The team at GSC Game World, makers of the STALKER franchise, have announced a release date for the reboot of Cossacks, their hit real-time strategy series.

 

Rise of the Tomb Raider PS4 includes a PSVR chapter when it launches

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Rise of the Tomb Raider will include a new chapter featuring PlayStation VR support when it finally launches for PS4 on 11th October.

 

Bam! Biff! Hi! Meet Telltale’s Batman In New Trailer

Batman: The Telltale Series coming to retail the month after season premiere

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Batman: The Telltale Series, the upcoming adventure game starring the Dark Knight, will be available in a physical disc version at retail starting Sept. 13, distributor Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced today.

 

TAHIRA, A SCI-FI EPIC THAT WILL QUESTION OUR VIOLENT HISTORIES THIS AUGUST

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Tahira: Echoes of the Astral Empire is an upcoming tactics game that isn’t about the Crusades directly, but the influence is clear. Inspired by the writer’s time spent in nations like Turkey, Syria, Jordan, and Israel, the game places the player in control of Tahira, the last heir of a small kingdom that is on the verge of invasion from the “genocidal Astral Empire.” While the architecture and fashion of Tahira’s people are influenced by the history of the locales visited by the writer—loose-fitting robes and turbans, etc—the Astral Empire is clad in gear more resembling medieval European armies, such as red-and-white plate armor, crosses, and massive shields. The imagery is there, if a bit stereotypical, but more important is the message: this is an invasion from an outside force bent on either absorbing another culture into its ideology entirely, or killing it in the process.

 

Gravity Rush 2 drops in December

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Gravity Rush 2 launches on PlayStation 4 in the UK on 2nd December 2016, Sony has announced.

 

Dead Rising 1 and 2 Officially Headed to PS4, Xbox One, and PC

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Following a leak that suggested the original Dead Rising was on its way to PS4, Capcom has confirmed that and much more.

 

Pokémon Sun and Moon lets you train monsters past the level 100 cap

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The upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon lets you train your Pokémon further, beyond the usual level cap of 100, via a new mechanic.

 

Sex Game Cancelled After Taking In Five Figures A Month On Patreon

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Breeding Season, a sex game that billed itself as “Harvest Moon meets Hentai,” was one of the biggest projects funded on Patreon: according to tracking website Pledge Society, the title was raking in a whopping $42.3k a month. But as of yesterday, development on Breeding Season has ceased completely.

If they were making that much money they should have hired a better artist.

 

CLOCKER BRINGS A STORYBOOK LOOK TO TIME-TRAVELLING PUZZLES

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The story follows two characters, a watchmaker named John and his daughter, Alice. After gaining possession of a seemingly broken pocket watch, John finds he is able to freeze time and then selectively unfreeze participants at will for a few seconds at a time. Puzzles are situational, determined by the characters and the locations, and how their stilted movements can affect them.

 

New Total War: Warhammer DLC Trailer Reveals Beastmen

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Although details on how the Beastmen will play wasn't provided, in the trailer one of them makes their objectives pretty clear: "Gather Warherds. Hunt man filth. Kill man."

From their Steam announcement

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Our new pack will give you the Beastmen as a new playable race and further expands the game with a brand new Story Campaign. A feral, Chaos-tainted horde race, they move like a plague across The Old World, wielding the deadly Lore of the Wild and fielding half-human aberrations and colossal beasts in battle. The Beastmen are playable in the Grand Campaign, custom and multiplayer battles, and in their very own custom Story Campaign, ‘An Eye for an Eye’.

With a uniquely aggressive horde-style campaign game, the Beastmen are masters of unconventional warfare both on and off the battlefield. They feature an array of unique gameplay mechanics, including the ability to travel through overgrown Beastpaths to outmanoeuvre unsuspecting foes and, through a dark bond with Morrslieb, the Chaos Moon, perform twisted acts of faith to gain its favour.

As well as that, we’ve also got a Free-LC update! The free update will introduce a brand new Lore of Magic and an accompanying Hero unit for the Empire. Perhaps the most rarely seen of all Wizards, the solitary Amber Wizards are no less powerful than their more prevalent counterparts. Wielding the deadly Lore of Beasts they are able to perform unique feats of magical power, from enchanting their allies with impenetrable pelts to summoning a manticore from the bowels of the earth.

Like the focus on ambushes and having a new campaign, I bought it, it's 21% off on Greenmangaming.
 

Total War: Warhammer’s Call of the Beastmen expansion introduces Minotaurs

Total War: Warhammer - Lore of the Wild

Total War WARHAMMER - Beastmen Campaign Gameplay Walkthrough

 

Teaser and leak hint at new Hearthstone adventure, with Karazhan the likely theme

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For those who don’t play regularly, these are the snack-sized expansions, like Curse of Naxxramas and League of Explorers, which appear between the big card sets.

 

Star Wars Battlefront Will Have Rogue One Tie-in Expansion

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DICE has announced the fourth expansion for Star Wars Battlefront is called Rogue One: Scariff and is a tie-in with the upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie Rogue One.

Star Wars Battlefront Death Star DLC's Two New Characters Revealed

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DICE has revealed the two new characters that will be included in the upcoming Death Star expansion for Star Wars Battlefront. The first is Bossk, the Trandoshan bounty hunter, while the second is everyone's favourite Wookie, Chewbacca.

 

Star Wars: The Old Republic’s next expansion teased

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In the teasiest of teases, Bioware has revealed Star Wars: The Old Republic will expand in the coming months, courtesy of its incoming Knights of the Eternal Throne expansion. Following on from the story-driven Knights of the Fallen Empire, the latest entry will apparently feature “more of BioWare’s trademark cinematic storytelling, as well as exciting new game features.”

 

Satellite Reign now has a four-player co-op multiplayer mode

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One of the stretch goals in the 2013 Kickstarter for the cyberpunk RTS Satellite Reign was co-op multiplayer. Sadly, it didn't happen: The goal was $1 million, and the campaign raised only $610,000. But developer 5 Lives Studios decided to go ahead and do it anyway, and online player is now in open beta and will soon go into full release.

 

A peek into Naughty Dog game creator Neil Druckmann's creative process

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The creative director behind both titles is Neil Druckmann. He and his team oversees all elements of production, from writing the script to directing the actors who record the game’s dialogue and give their characters a physical performance, which is then animated.

His work has been recognized with lots of awards in the gaming world, but he’s also been honored by the Writers Guild of America, which has twice singled him out for outstanding achievement in video game writing.

Druckmann sat down with The Frame earlier this week, and began by talking about his creative process, the difference between writing for games and film/TV and how becoming a parent has changed his perspective on the games he creates.

 

Obsidian Entertainment: Survival, success and independence

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CEO Feargus Urquhart on 13 years in AAA development - "We just want to be in a financial situation where we're not worried all the time"

 

Hideo Kojima: It'll soon be 'easier to get emotions through games than actual people'

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Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima says emerging technologies such as virtual reality mean video games will soon be better at conveying emotions than our own real-world interactions.

Hideo Kojima on Leaving Metal Gear Behind and Starting Anew

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Hideo Kojima has spent the majority of his 30-year career designing, directing, and producing Metal Gear titles. Having left the series behind, the revered Japanese auteur has more autonomy than ever before. For fans, this is incredibly exciting, but for Kojima it's also a period of uncertainty.

 

Overwatch's Director On Competitive Mode, Controversies, And The Future

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Overwatch has been out for a couple months now, and the honeymoon period is over. Competitive mode is a divisive subject, and game balance has been a rollercoaster. Meanwhile, there’s been controversy around things like hero skins and, er, porn. I quizzed game director Jeff Kaplan about all of it.

Hindu Leader Wants Blizzard To Drop Symmetra's Devi Skin From Overwatch

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Religious statesman and president of the Universal Society of Hinduism Rajan Zed released a statement today, urging Blizzard and Activision to remove an Overwatch skin he said “trivialized Hinduism’s highly revered goddesses.”

Players are getting more toxic in Overwatch, but Blizzard is on it

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Now that the game has been out for a while, and with the recent launch of Competitive Mode, Overwatch players are noticing an uptick in negative behavior. While it's still not as bad as many other online multiplayer games, player aggression and toxicity remains a concern for developer Blizzard, which is continuing to tweak its systems in order to counter the problem.

The new Overwatch hero Ana is now live

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Ana Amari, the Overwatch support sniper who was revealed last week, is now live and playable on PC.

 

MONUMENT VALLEY DESIGNER’S NEXT PROJECT STARTS BY PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

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“I think starting a studio in 2016 means putting people first,” he told me. “We’ve been working hard together to create a company culture where we’re challenged to do our best work, while knowing when to take time off or ask for help.” In an industry notorious for crunch and plagued with toxic work environments, large developers often flake on one or both of these. But, unfortunately, these elements can be vital to any company that wants to put out good work consistently. “My goal is to find a balance between boundless creativity, disciplined process, and a healthy support system,” Wong said. Easier said than done, but he’s confident in his efforts.

 

Dragon Age: Origins, Dead Space, SimCity 3000 now available on GOG

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Dead Space, Dragon Age: Origins—Ultimate Edition, and SimCity 3000 Unlimited are the latest games EA has let slip from the grips of its digital distribution platform Origin. Now featured on the DRM-free GOG.com, the trio of classics has also been discounted to mark the occasion.

 

Why Some People Have Accused Bethesda Of Ripping Off A Mod For Fallout 4

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The tensions between the modding community and Bethesda continue to rise this week, with a prominent modder claiming that the developers took heavy inspiration from his Fallout: New Vegas mod without giving him any credit.

 

Sadly, Metal Gear Pachinko Has Beautiful Cutscenes

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Look at these cutscenes! They feel wasted. Just imagine a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake that looks like this and then start feeling slightly glum.

 

Nintendo Classic Mini: Nintendo Entertainment System

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Bring back memories and make brand new ones with Nintendo's ultimate retro gaming experience, launching 11th November!

Mini NES Classic Edition FAQ

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No, you can’t add more games to it :-(

Without being able to add more games and with so many of the included titles getting updated versions on the SNES or being in compilations, I don't see much of a point. You would think that they would have some advantage over cheaper and more feature complete third party options but they can probably sell well on nostalgia alone.

A thread about this was created here.

Nintendo becomes most traded Japanese stock in any one day this century

Nintendo's NX Is "Really Great" and Has Potential to Draw in Casual Gamers, Ubisoft Says

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"On the NX, what we have seen is really great," Guillemot said. "We think having a new machine coming is going to help the industry to continue to grow and to take a lot more casual players back to the industry."

 

Microsoft Says It Didn't Need Crackdown 3 This Year Because It Has So Many Other Games

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At E3 2016 last month, Microsoft revealed that Crackdown 3--a no-show at the event--had been delayed to 2017. Now, Xbox marketing manager Aaron Greenberg has shed more light on the subject. Appearing on the TXR Podcast today, Greenberg said Microsoft has so many other great games coming this year (not to mention third-party games) that he's happy to see the game land in 2017 rather than be "crammed" into 2016.

Windows 10 Won't Reach 1 Billion Downloads as Fast as Expected, Microsoft Admits

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In Apil 2015, Microsoft said it was aiming to have 1 billion devices running Windows 10 by 2018. Now, the company is walking back that projection, saying that it needs more time to reach that major milestone.

 

Half-Life 2's City-17 creator, Viktor Antonov, joins Darewise Entertainment

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Viktor Antonov, art director and conceptual artist for Half-Life 2, designed most of City 17's style as well as the Combine architecture and technology. You may have seen Antonov's work more recently, though, as he was also visual design director on Dishonored, responsible for the steampunk design of Dunwall's world. The 20-year veteran is one of the best environmental artists in the industry and he's now joining Darewise Entertainment as chief creative officer.

 

Playdead co-founder Dino Patti leaves Limbo & Inside studio

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After almost 10 years at Danish independent studio Playdead, co-founder Dino Patti has left to seek new challenges, he announced on Twitter this morning.

 

King of Fighters team wants to bring back Samurai Shodown, World Heroes and more

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The King of Fighters team wants to revisit some of SNK’s dormant franchises, like Samurai Shodown, Metal Slug and Ikari Warriors, once work on The King of Fighters 14 is complete, developers told Polygon in an interview at Evo today.

 

Some Real Talk On Piracy From A Witcher 3 Dev

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Speaking late last month at infoShare 2016, Iwiński dove into great detail regarding how CD Projekt Red gained a “legendary” reputation among customers. As you probably already know, The Witcher 3 had a string of free DLC offerings that earned the company a lot of good will last year. According to Iwiński, that DLC was a key part of CD Projekt Red’s strategy to fight piracy with a good product.

 

Valve Says They'll Start Cracking Down On Gambling Sites That Use Steam

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During last week’s big Counter-Strike gambling scandal (and really just in general, where gambling is concerned), Valve remained conspicuously silent. Now, though, they’ve said they’re gonna start telling gambling sites to cease operations entirely.

What happened to CS:GO skin prices after Valve's gambling ban

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Valve’s announcement implied that Steam users should retrieve item skins from gambling websites, and some members of the community began to wonder: would Valve’s action trigger a crash of CS:GO’s skin market? Some Steam users own hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of CS:GO skins. How would their fortunes, and the inventory value of CS:GO’s other 10 million active players, be affected by this announcement?

 

Fallout 1.5: Resurrection promises a new, old-school Fallout RPG

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Bethesda has done some great things with the Fallout franchise, but no matter how much you may like modern Fallout, there's no denying that it is not the Fallout of old. For those of you who miss that old isometric experience, Fallout 1.5: Resurrection, a Fallout 2 mod set between the events of Fallout 1 and 2—hence the name—might be just the thing.

A thread about this was created here.

 

Another Day, Another Alarmist Warning Against Violent Games

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Villanova psychology professor Patrick Markey studies video games and mental health. His research has concluded that games do not promote violent crime, but his real issue with the AAP report is its flawed portrayal of scientific consensus. “My biggest concern about the statement is that is presents a false picture of what scientists think,” he said. “Most researchers don’t think there’s any link between real-world violence and games.”

That's an odd title, as that really isn't something that comes up that often anymore, seems more accurate to say something like, "Well, been about two years since we mentioned this.". ...Does their logo look like they are about to sacrifice a child?

 

In esports news

 

EVO 2016 MIGHT BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE SMASH TOURNAMENT EVER

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The Trojan War was a great story, but I’ve always thought the parts with Achilles were lame. I never liked the way the nigh-invincible demigod was ankle-cheesed out of contention by a camper with a bow and arrow. Also, Hector was my favorite character, and we all know how that turned out. Even though Achilles ultimately gave him the business, Hector still defeated tens of thousands of Greek soldiers without the crutch of River Styx-granted immortality. In other words, it was Hector’s very fragility—the fact that he could be defeated at any time—that made him more interesting than Achilles. 

EVO screwed up Smash 4

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I can already hear the voices of dubious family members and coworkers: “Justin, if esports are so big and successful, how come you only ever write about tournaments that are Fukushima-grade disasters?” Well, Grandma/Mom/Mr. Bossman, have you ever read a news article about a plane that made it to its destination with all its parts intact, on time and according to schedule? Of course not. What makes the news is when the plane’s wing falls off, or its engines gargle half a gaggle of geese. And that, essentially, is what the Smash 4 tournament at EVO 2016 was: a gruesome and gory goose gaggle gargling.

 

Hungrybox Wins EVO 2016's Smash Tournament

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Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma has finally taken out top prize at EVO, winning 2016's Smash tournament after beating Sweden’s Adam “Armada” Lindgren in the Grand Final.

 

VGBootCamp drop Hyuga following groping accusations

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“Starting immediately, Hyuga will no longer be a representative of the VGBC pro team. We want to set a precedent for all teams and sponsored players in the smash community to say that these actions will not be glossed over and ignored. To be absolutely clear, as of right now, we have dropped Hyuga from our team completely.”

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After talking to many people, I want to prioritize my dream, hobby, and potential career above this situation. I filed a report with the hotel security and was given the option to take it even further. My goal within the Smash community is to grow not only as competitor but as a professional caster as well. I do not want this situation to dwell above my head for a long period of time. I made a tweet about the situation to spread AWARENESS. I do not want this to happen to ANYONE ELSE. The judgement of the community will take it’s turn with this situation and hopefully bring more awareness to tournament safety. If I go through with further legal action, I will never be allowed to go to another out of state tournament, again. Coming from a Hispanic family, they will never let me travel out of fear for my safety and I do not want to bring them any worry. Thank you to everyone sending me your support, I appreciate it so much more than you can imagine. Again, I’m still trying to recollect my thoughts and proper emotions about the situation but I believe I will be fine thanks to the support from the community.

 

Evo’s first Street Fighter 5 champ is Infiltration

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Korean player Infiltration is Evo’s first Street Fighter 5 champion. Infiltration, playing as Nash and FANG in Street Fighter 5, emerged victorious at today’s grand finals, besting Japanese player Fuudo’s R. Mika.

 

Shirtless Guy Tries To Challenge Evo Champion, Gets Thrown Out

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Maybe wait until after the award ceremony. Failing that, at least wear a shirt. The rando who took the stage and got in the face of newly-crowned Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 champion Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez followed neither of these suggestions, and was escorted out by security for his trouble.

 

Evo Japan announced, more details at Tokyo Game Show

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The Evolution Championship Series is heading to Japan, organizers announced at Evo today. More details on Evo Japan will be revealed at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Evo’s Mark "MarkMan" Julio said.

 

Two Filipino Dota 2 teams are facing visa issues ahead of The International 2016

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Filipino Dota 2 teams Execration and TNC Pro Team presumably can’t attend The International 2016—Dota‘s biggest and most important annual tournament. Both teams reportedly filed for B1-B2 visas (business-tourist visas) in early to mid-July, under the advisement of Dota 2 developer Valve. According to to Esports Inquirer, Valve said that many teams have used B1-B2 visas to attend The International in the past.

 

In crowdfunding news

 

Star Citizen Backer Gets $2550 Refund

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A backer of the infamously expansive space shooter Star Citizen has argued for, and won, a sizeable refund on his $2550 pledge to the game on the grounds that “the product remains unfulfilled and no longer constitutes the product(s) I originally purchased.”

 

Long Gone Days - A 2D Modern-Day Military RPG

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Take the role as a deserter from an unofficial country, located below the surface of the Earth, and assemble a team of experts from different parts of the world to prevent the imminent war your homeland is trying to start, dealing with language barriers, working as a leader and learning to trust others.

A thread about this was created here.

 

Other content I found interesting this week

 

THE PEWDIEPIE "SCANDAL"!!

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Can we hate him now?

I noticed that the NicheGamer editor with the "can we hate him now" quote is the same guy who was recently going on a homophobic and transphobic rant about not wanting to support No Man's Sky last week, while also talking about his ban dodging (if anyone wanted to know why I don't use sites like that for the news post, that would mostly be the reason why). That aside, I was worried I linked to some badly written clickbait last week, thankfully I didn't. I read the FCC and Polygon article (which is the one I linked to) which actually just says that he was one of the people paid, Polygon's mention of him just said

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In the fall of 2014, Warner Bros. enlisted YouTube stars, including PewDiePie, to promote Shadow of Mordor in a positive light, according to the FTC. These influencers were paid thousands of dollars for their work and were provided with advance copies of the game. Although they were paid to do so, video creators contracted by the publisher were not required by Warner Bros. to include conspicuous language alerting viewers that they were paid endorsements. Instead, disclosures were buried deep within the video's description box, the FTC said in a statement about the settlement.

Which is correct, even PewDiePie says he now puts disclosures in a place where they are immediately visible, they also weren't one of the ones to use his image for their article or even mention him in the headline. You really can't call the Polygon article clickbait when he wasn't even mentioned in the preview part of the article on their homepage. The Verge article being the opposite with him as the first word of the title, his image being attached, saying he is a reviewer, and saying he didn't disclose it. The ones saying he didn't disclose at all, using his picture for the headline, and saying he reviewed it, that would typically be something that I look more into, but he was such a minor inclusion to the FCC and Polygon write up that it didn't even cross my mind to think about him.

 

Japanese Video Game History Is Disappearing

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It really is. We better do something about it, because bits of Japanese video game history have already vanished forever. This weekend at BitSummit, game preservation was in my mind as I sat down to talk with Grasshopper Manufacture’s Goichi Suda.

 

Classroom Metrics - Real World Case Study for Games in Schools - Extra Credits

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We teamed up with Filament Games, a company that creates educational games for the classroom, to share the results of a study they did about using games in the classroom. The current educational environment begs for tools like games, which help students develop the 21st Century skills and can be easily integrated in 1-on-1 programs, the Maker movement, project-based learning, and personalized learning environments. Games prepare students for a working world that needs teamwork, understanding of technology and self-motivation. But when we think about games in class, we have to think about teachers first, because they're the ones who develop the curriculum and interact with students. Filament Games implemented metrics programs that allowed teachers to see what parts of the lesson plan students left which students struggling. That set the stage perfectly for them to conduct a study on the impact of games in the classroom. They partnered with the Sun Praisie School District in Wisconsin and worked directly with a teacher named Mary Headington who used their game Planet Mechanic, a sandbox system that allows students to play with planets and solar systems, in her classroom. Mary had all her students take a pre-assessment test on the subject, then split them into three sections: 1) only play the game, 2) only receive traditional teaching from Mary, and 3) play the game and receive teaching from Mary. When they took their post-assessment test, students in the third group showed by far the greatest improvement, with a 10% grade increase on average. Meanwhile, students in the first group barely showed any improvement at all. Guidance from a skilled teacher makes all the difference, for while a learning game can amplify engagement, investment, and retention, it's the teacher who guides the learning process and acts as a force multiplier to increase the effectiveness of the lesson.

 

TIMING: The Animation of Shadow of the Colossus - Extra Frames

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What makes the animation in Shadow of the Colossus feel so majestic? Professional game animator Daniel Floyd analyzes the game and introduces one of the 12 Principles of Animation: timing.

 

Nostalgia and greatness meet at California Extreme

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The Hyatt Regency's ballroom in Santa Clara is normally reserved for weddings, business conventions and awards ceremonies. But this weekend the cavernous hall hosted California Extreme, a portal through time to a lost era when shooting things on screens was an entirely fresh notion.

 

Designing for Adaptation in Games: An Early Analysis

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One recent trend in games, particularly in the open-world genre, focuses on personalizing game experiences through adapting the game’s rules and values to a particular player. Monolith Production’s Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor famously did it in 2014 with its nemesis system, through which enemy Orcs remember encounters with players so that they can remark on them or show the scars of later on in the game. More subtly, Kojima Productions’ Metal Gear Solid V (2015) adapts enemy behavior and equipment to what the player does best – for example, hitting a lot of headshots will make the enemies wear helmets all over the world.

Both games give the experience to players that the game is somewhat listening to input, rather than merely responding to it based on a given set of rules. While this is executed on more of a thematic level, the idea of the mechanics listening and adapting to what a specific player does is interesting. Given current technological advancements, these types of systems could very well become an addition to a broader variety of games to make them resonate more with individual players.

 

Watch an engineer tear down this Nintendo PlayStation prototype

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Video game history buffs will recall that last year a piece of old game hardware, believed to be a prototype of the never-released "Nintendo PlayStation" CD drive add-on for the Super Nintendo, was dug out of an attic in Philadelphia.

 

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Game Designers

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In this video we take a look at some of my favorite game designers. What have they accomplished in the past and where are they now? Let's find out.

 

Bit Bash indie game festival is back for another year showcasing Chicago game devs

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The Chicago game development community is back for another year of Bit Bash, the festival celebrating everything weird and wonderful about indie games. Scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 13th tickets are on sale now for $25.00.

 

Famicom Disk System - Gaming Historian

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Gaming Historian tells you everything you need to know about the Famicom Disk System. Nintendo considered the Disk System the future of the Famicom, and promised bigger, cheaper games. Did it live up to the hype?

 

THERE’S SOMETHING OFF ABOUT THE OVERWATCH ALTERNATE SKINS

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The identifiable features of the Devi/Goddess skin include an ornate “mukut” crown with a peacock feather pattern, and a revealing dress most resembling statues in South India, but not quite one-to-one. The garland of skulls around Symmetra’s waist denotes Kali, who often wears a necklace of skulls or freshly decapitated heads around her neck. The blue skin tones also denote Rama, Krishna and Shiva, and various depictions of Kali with blue skin. Kali is the likeliest influence to the Devi/Goddess skins. The problem is Kali’s role as a vicious slayer seems out of character for Symmetra’s lore as an architect and her in-game role as support, with abilities such as shielding teammates and building teleporters.

Traits are thrown together without regard for their origins.

 

The Unexpected Joy Of Repetition In Video Games

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Video games send us to exotic locales, charging us to do countless tasks. Amidst what can feel like a jumbled mess of quests, goals, and waypoints, finding something consistent can be a treat. Let’s look at the ways in which finding something we can do repeatedly in a game can provide a welcome relief from day to day confusion. It can involve patrolling the Martian wasteland or even serving booze to ghosts.

 

Guest Column: How They Got Good: Tips on Learning Fighting Games from the Pros

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Guest columnist Patrick Miller talks to pro fighting game players about how they work to up their game.

 

Farewell & Thanks Chris Watters - The Lobby

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After nine years, Chris Watters is moving on from GameSpot to face a new challenge. Hear about his past, present, and future in this farewell segment and how much we'll miss him.

Farewell & Thanks Ty Root - The Lobby

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Master of Video Ty Root departs GameSpot after three years. In this farewell segment, he reflects on his great time here and the great things to come. He'll be missed!

With Chris gone that will be the last of the familiar staff faces back from the 11 years I used the community.

 

How one pro CS:GO player profited from gambling, and how it all went terribly wrong

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During the week of E3, nearly a month ago, a small scandal broke out in the Counter-Strike: Go community. Before popular personalities were found to actually be the owners of a gambling site they promoted, and before Valve made efforts to ban the industry entirely another high-profile pro player and CS:GO streamer was being put through the ringer. His story, and his alleged interactions with the gambling site called CSGO Diamonds, reveals more about the shady world of online gambling in games.

 

How I failed making my dream-game 2 times in 4 years

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Back in 2012 without even noticing, I started building my dream! My name is Gonzalo, and here is my story.

 

The Struggle To Bring More Women Into Game Development

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Gary Gygax, biological determinist and creator of Dungeons & Dragons, once told a reporter for Icon magazine that “gaming in general is a male thing... Everybody who’s tried to design a game to interest a large female audience has failed. And I think that has to do with the different thinking processes of men and women.”

He’s wrong, and on several levels. But his absurd pronouncement has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, at least at face value. The women who contributed to the new essay compilation Women in Game Development, out July 1st by CRC Press, heard Gygax’s sentiments echoed both in their heads and in game publishes’ conference rooms. Many felt first-hand the effects of big gaming companies pushing their games to boys, a marketing tactic popularized around the mid-80s. But despite all the Gary Gygaxes who told them No, get out, they did it, and they’re helping others do it, too. Their book is an attempt to break the ouroboros-like cycle of toxicity that pushes women out of the game industry.

 

INSIDE: The Best Game Ever

 

The History of Quake

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With the news that iD's beloved arena shooter is returning in the form of Quake Champions, Danny looks back at two decades or incredible first person action.

 

Downwell's Dual Purpose Design | Game Maker's Toolkit

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In this video, I'll explain why I think Downwell is one of the most elegant games made in a long time.

 

How Free DLC Helped Turn A Small Steam Game Into A Hit

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Keeping DLC mostly free has worked well for big developers like CD Projekt with The Witcher 3, who can garner reams of publicity from players used to being nickled-and-dimed to death by other big-budget releases. What happens, though, when a Steam indie takes a similar approach?

 

Game Theory: FNAF Sister Location DECODED! (FNAF 5)

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Since the day FNAF Sister Location was announced, you've asked for theories about it! At first I didn't think there could be anything to say before the game actually came out, but I did my homework, dug into everything we know about the game...and found a few surprises. The result is today's theory, where I make my predictions for the latest iteration of FNAF...months before it even comes out! Am I right? Only time will tell...

 

Things I found entertaining throughout the week relating to video games

 

OVERWATCH IN REAL LIFE!

 

Fan crushes Dark Souls 3 using only dance pads

 

Assassin's Creed Ghost Murder

Throwing him over the table is what makes it.

 

Suspected Censorship

Shared some fake screenshots that account was sharing a week or two ago but that's pretty funny to me that they were worried about a game that actually has different pairs of panties put on every day of the week and thinks censorship happened when they change.

[Laserrifle125 590]

About the whole Autumn Leaves "controversy", the author wasn't accusing Bethesda of stealing his mod, what he said is that there were similarities between the Autumn Leaves mod and the Brain dead quest from Far Harbor and that the development team at Bethesda might have seen his mod and took some inspiration from it. If you want to read the full article, here's a link to it: http://www.moddb.com/mods/autumn-leaves/news/big-publishers-and-a-small-mod

[Legolas_Katarn 1,812]

10 hours ago, Laserrifle125 said:

About the whole Autumn Leaves "controversy", the author wasn't accusing Bethesda of stealing his mod, what he said is that there were similarities between the Autumn Leaves mod and the Brain dead quest from Far Harbor and that the development team at Bethesda might have seen his mod and took some inspiration from it. If you want to read the full article, here's a link to it: http://www.moddb.com/mods/autumn-leaves/news/big-publishers-and-a-small-mod

I think that's what the article I linked to was saying, that there were some similarities but not enough where it was likely to be more of a coincidence, his blog post was also linked to in that article twice. Some comments were saying that Bethesda ripped off his mod though which is where the titles likely come from rather than what the mod creator was saying.

[The Red Mark 2]

this is awersome