Steve Anderson : End Game
Steve Anderson
The Video Store Guy
| The video game industry has gone from a mole hill to a mountain in no time flat, Chris DiMarco is your Sherpa as you endeavor to scale Mount “Everquest”

Longview IoT Boosts Energy and Wireless Efficiency

Some of the biggest challenges slowing down the adoption of IoT are security, efficient battery usage and optimized wireless communications.One company has...

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Hallmark's Simple, Inexpensive Way to Boost Customer Satisfaction

In an effort to boost margins, companies often push more users to automated solutions such as FAQs, chatbots, voice bots and anything...

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Huawei Places the World's First 5G VoNR Video Call

Huawei recently completed the world's first voice over NR (VoNR) call. The voice and video call service was made using two Huawei...

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IGEL Advances Future of Work

IGEL is a provider of a next-gen edge OS for cloud workspaces. The company’s software products include IGEL OS, IGEL UD Pocket (UDP) and Universal...

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Tata Communications and Cisco Collaborate on SD-WAN

Tata Communications and Cisco have extended their partnership to enable enterprises to transform their legacy network to a customized and secure multi-cloud...

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How to Win the 50-Year-Old China Trade War

Today and this week in-fact is historic - the left and right in the U.S. agree that we have a major trade...

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Extreme Elements Enables The Autonomous Enterprise

Extreme Networks just announced Extreme Elements which in-turn enables the autonomous network and subsequently the autonomous enterprise. In a dynamic webinar, Dan...

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Things The Division Won't Have at Launch

January 19, 2016

There's some bad news afoot for those who are looking forward to March for reasons other than the likely end of "arctic air" events; new reports suggest that there will be a few things not arriving in The Division when it launches. While there should be more than enough to keep gamers happy for some time, the losses will no doubt be felt.

First thing that won't be arriving? Brooklyn. Yes, one of New York's favorite boroughs won't be making an appearance in the beginning of the game.

Final Fantasy XV Difficulty A New Twist

January 18, 2016

Final Fantasy games have long been known for changing things, such that sequels seldom looked much like their predecessors. The difference between Seven and Eight was about the same as the difference between Eight and Nine, just for an example. Final Fantasy XV, meanwhile, will likewise have a new twist to it: difficulty that can be changed almost on the fly depending on how you fight.

It's all about the battle modes, said designer Takizawa Masashi. Masashi noted that switching between different battle modes was essentially the same as changing difficulty levels, with action gamers given the ability to come out swinging, but those who preferred a slower-paced affair could engage in that kind of slower combat to taste.

That's novel, and in a series that's pretty much been defined by its novelty--for better or for worse--to pull off something particularly unique is not only unusual, it's also noteworthy.



An Early Look at Dying Light's New Expansion

January 13, 2016

While Dying Light was one of those games you can take or leave--at least, as far as I was concerned it was--the upcoming expansion is looking pretty sharp. Out at IGN they had an early look at the new expansion, "The Following", and while it looks fairly similar to the last go-round, it's got enough new to it to catch some eyes.

Crawling around sewers, through jungles and caves, all of this provides a sort of sense of size to things. Word is that this game is actually the same size as the original game, so there won't be any "Horse Armor" regrets with DLC here. It will even come with a new difficulty mode that's got a little extra juice in it, titled appropriately enough, Nightmare Mode.

The plot looks interesting enough, which is good, and when coupled with the size of the game, the good news for Dying Light fans is that this should be more of the same, and that's good news.



What Delayed Scalebound?

January 12, 2016

For those looking forward to Scalebound like I was, there's some bad news afoot, as the plans to release the title in 2016 have gone up in smoke. Word from Platinum Games says that the title is going to take a bit longer than expected, and it should now make its appearance in 2017.

Essentially, the concept is simple; Scalebound wants more time to add all the critical features it wants to bring to the table. The company cited "innovative features" and "thrilling gameplay experiences," though these are the kinds of things that gaming companies always suggest are on hand.

Scalebound won't be keeping things under wraps for 2016, though; reports suggest that the studio's planning to drop fresh information about Scalebound over the course of the year. Given that we really only saw this game emerge starting at last year's E3, a little delay isn't all that out of line.



Homefront: The Revolution Release Tipped For Release

January 11, 2016

The open world gaming revolution carries on in earnest, and new titles like Homefront: The Revolution are slated to hit and give us more to enjoy. A new tip has emerged about a potential release date for this title, and those interested may get it sooner than expected.

The new word came in from Target, of all places, who had set out $1 reservation cards, a kind of pre-order system with a minimal deposit that keeps a copy reserved in advance. This card, in turn, actually lists the game's release date in two separate spots: once just above the graphic, and a second time near the bottom of the card. It also informs buyers that those putting down the dollar get a free $5 gift card with purchase of card and game.

The date on the card, meanwhile, was May 17.

This is actually not too far off from what was heard previously, so the idea of a May rollout isn't out of line.





CES 2016: SteelSeries' Rival 700 Contains Strange New Feature

January 6, 2016

It would be easy to forget that the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) event is taking place, but with this comes not only a flood of magnificent new consumer gadgets, but also a great new set of items for the gamer community. One of the first such items out of the gate is SteelSeries' Rival 700, a gaming mouse with one big--and strange--new feature.

The SteelSeries Rival 700 offers zero hardware acceleration, as well as an optical sensor that allows for one-to-one tracking accuracy, the perfect thing for those who need high precision. Resolution settings are adjustable, going to 16,000 counts per inch, and as little as one millisecond response time for essentially lag-free operations. It can track movement speeds as high as 300 inches per second, and even boasts a removable sensor module, allowing gamers to move to multiple options like a laser sensor later on.

Activision Blizzard Lands Major League Deal Buying Major League Gaming

January 5, 2016

It had been rumored for some time that Activision Blizzard was out to get its hands on Major League Gaming, and the official word arrived on Monday that the deal had been done. With this acquisition, reports suggested, Activision Blizzard was out to create no less than "the ESPN of eSports." Can it pull off such a feat, or is this doomed to disaster from day one?

Activision Blizzard will have plenty to work with, reports note, including as CEO Bobby Kotick put it, "...an incredibly strong and seasoned team and a thriving community."  Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard will be bringing in its "strategic position in competitive gaming," which will likely only be improved by the acquisition of MLG.

Earlier reports suggesting that MLG CEO Sundance DiGiovanni had left the company were proven false, as the Activision Blizzard reports noted that it was "...excited to add Sundance and the entire MLG eSports team," meaning layoffs were few, if any, which is always good news.

We all know that eSports has been on a rapid expansion upward in recent months, with loads of new players, new viewers, new sponsors and big new prize pools. With Activision Blizzard behind it--still holder of the biggest franchise around in World of Warcraft--it should be a great boost to MLG's already impressive fortunes. Just what Activision Blizzard will do with its new property is as yet unclear, but it's a safe bet we'll see a lot more Activision Blizzard games involved in the mix, and even some more promotion.





Ark: Survival Evolved--A Minecraft Killer?

January 4, 2016

The Xbox Game Preview program has brought out some interesting advance looks at some unexpected titles, and one of the most exciting just recently arrived. It's "Ark: Survival Evolved," and console gamers are getting their first taste of a game that may well be a better Minecraft than Minecraft itself.

If you haven't tried this game yet--and console gamers can get a time-defined trial, about an hour, I think, at no charge--you should. Players wake up on an unfamiliar stretch of beach with a strange gem set into their forearms. While the beach itself is beautiful, strewn with stones, trees, rocks, bushes and shrubs aplenty, it's also clearly hazardous, populated with dinosaurs and stranger things.

2016 in Gaming: The Look Ahead

December 30, 2015

Here we are once again, gamers...it's almost the end of the year--hat tip to our boys Sifl and Olly, God rest their insane argyle souls--and as such, it's time to take a look at the games and other developments that have me on the edge of my seat ahead of 2016. It's looking like it'll be a bang-up year in gaming, so settle in, because we're going to check out some exciting stuff to come.

VR

Man, if this wasn't the biggest sack of news to slam into us this year. With the Oculus Rift finally poised for a 2016 first quarter release, it's only a matter of time until all the other biggies like PlayStation VR arrive as well. While we're still not a hundred percent sure on exactly when or for what systems, its arrival on the gaming scene will fundamentally alter gaming as we know it.



2015 Year in Gaming Review

December 29, 2015

Well, this is just about it for 2015, and man, it was quite the year. We had some big name material come out, and some very strange things in general happen. So with 2015 drawing to a close, I figured I'd take a look back at the year and point out some of the nifty, some of the weird, and some of the things I'd rather not have seen this year.

Konami

You can't talk about a year in gaming without talking about Konami, a company that reports suggest is run much in the same way some prisons are run that decided it was a smart business decision to alienate and humiliate its biggest creative force. From its dustup with Hideo Kojima that lasted most of the year--with a crowning point hitting at the 2015 Game Awards show when it refused to let Kojima accept the award for the game he had a huge hand in developing--to the revelation that it didn't have much in the way of titles in the pipeline and were likely to be putting more attention on the pachinko machines and other gaming properties.



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