It may be running on well-worn seven-year-old hardware but Rockstar Games managed to squeeze every last ounce of power out of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for Grand Theft Auto V. As this timelapse video by The Despicable Channel shows, the graphics might still be a bit rough around the edges but it’s still a gorgeous experience.
Your Next-Gen Console is Likely Being Made by Foxconn
Way, way back in May, news broke that the next-gen Xbox One was undergoing production by Chinese electronics manufacturer Foxconn who are best known for making iPhones and iPads. Not only is the Xbox One manufactured by the controversial Chinese manufacturer but this week, we found out that Foxconn is also making the PlayStation 4.
How Much Can You Carry in a Game?
Have you ever wondered what the total weight of items your character can carry is? Sure, you’re limited to a number of slots in your inventory but carrying 25 items isn’t necessarily representative of how much your character is actually carrying. The gang at Vsauce have done some math to determine how much you can haul around in Grand Theft Auto V and Minecraft. After watching this, I kind of wonder if we can really claim that games are more realistic.
Square Enix to Launch an Indie Game Funding & Publishing Platform
In case you thought that Steam Greenlight, The Humble Store, Desura, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo weren’t enough platforms for indie game developers to get their game to the masses, Square Enix is throwing their hat into the ring. The Japanese publisher has announced that they are launching their own platform to fund and distribute indie games called Square Enix Collective.
Your Body May Be Ready but is Your PC Ready for Next-Gen Games?
When we last checked up on the state of next-gen gaming, we found out that PS4 exclusive Killzone: Shadow Fall would be a 50 GB digital download. Now, we have some of the minimum specs for the PC versions of some next-gen games. If you use a slightly dated laptop as your main PC gaming rig, you’re definitely in need of a major upgrade.
Recently, we’ve seen the official announcement of minimum and recommended specs for three major triple-A releases this fall and they’re not going to go easy on your rig.
What if Pokemon Took Place in Arlen, Texas?
I doubt that this ranks very high in life’s great what-if questions but what would the Pokemon cartoon be like if it didn’t take place in Kanto Region but in the small town of Arlen, Texas? What if our hero wasn’t Ash Ketchum but Hank Hill? What if Gary Oak wasn’t our heroes rival but Boomhauer?
Most importantly, what if all of these what-ifs came together in a really funny video?
GOG Has a Special Government Shut Down Promo
Various business around Washington, D.C., and the US capital area are having special promotions for government workers who have been furloughed or are working unpaid while everyone plays chicken with the US and global economies.
Now, GOG.com have gotten in on the US government shut down promotion action. Not only do they have some political themed games on sale but they’re giving away games to furloughed workers.
Building (Critical) Consensus: Beyond: Two Souls
I’m not a big fan of release day review embargoes. That leaves people without an opportunity to cancel a pre-order if the game ends up being terrible. Not only did Quantic Dream and Sony Computer Entertainment set a review embargo on release date for Beyond: Two Souls but the embargo lifted at 11:00 AM EST. That meant that my local EB Games had been open for 90 minutes before the first review came out. That’s just underhanded by the folks making the game and setting the embargo.
The reviews for the latest David Cage creation, Beyond: Two Souls, are definitely mixed. The reviews on Metacritic run from as high as 100% down to a low score of 40% with scores falling everywhere in between. While generally everyone agrees that the facial visuals and animations are fantastic looking (they better be when you hire Willem Dafoe and Ellen Page), there’s disagreement on just about everything else. If you have a reviewer whose tastes are similar to yours, I’d read their review. There is no consensus from the critics on this one. From the looks of it, you’ll either love it or hate it. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground.
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Comic Book Pull List for October 9, 2013
I just realized something as I was writing this week’s pull list post. It’s October. Halloween is in October. Maybe I should promote some horror comics alongside the usual fare when I do the pull list.
So let’s start with The Walking Dead. In addition to The Walking Dead #115 which promises to be the start of the biggest storyline in the series’ history in honour of its tenth anniversary, there’s a special 10th anniversary copy of The Walking Dead #1 which will be printed in full-colour for the first time.
There are three new horror series launching this week. DC and Vertigo are teaming up for the new witchcraft themed comic Coffin Hill #1. IDW has a new miniseries about creatures that feed off of your memories in Memory Collectors #1. And fans of AMC’s Comic Book Men will finally get their hands on the comic pitched last season in the first issue of Cryptozoic Man.
And the big two have interesting issues for you this week. DC launches the much-anticipated Superman and Wonder Woman series with Superman/Wonder Woman #1. Meanwhile, Marvel’s big cross-over event continues in Infinity #4.


