Joystiq

Borderlands 2 baddies are smarter than you think

Jessica Conditt — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:30:00 EST

Well, at least the AI programming behind each enemy in Borderlands 2 is smarter than anything in the first Borderlands - the baddies themselves are victims of the rancid planet Pandora and probably wouldn't pass a first-grade spelling test. They will, however, blow your brains out.

Jasper Foreman, lead AI programmer at Gearbox Software, sat down with us (on the floor in a hallway of the Hard Rock Hotel, right outside of San Diego Comic-Con central), to describe a handful of enemies we can expect to see in the new Borderlands and the tech that makes them smarter than ever.

There are 15-20 separate enemies in Borderlands 2, but each type has numerous variants, bringing the total number of foes somewhere between 200-300. Foreman once tried to count them all by running a script, but with the complex descriptors composing each enemy it was impossible to locate every one. Suffice it to say, there are a lot.

Gallery: Borderlands 2 (Enemies)

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Borderlands 2 baddies are smarter than you think originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sam Raimi off World of Warcraft film in light of Oz: The Great and Powerful

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 09:40:00 EST

Camp director extraordinaire Sam Raimi is no longer in charge of the World of Warcraft film, he tells Crave Online. "They don't have me directing World of Warcraft anymore," he told the site. "Because when I took the Oz job, they had to move on to another director. They had to start making it."

Given that Oz: The Great and Powerful is due out next March, it stands to reason that Raimi's been off the WoW film for some time - and that the film may actually be in production. Blizzard has yet to comment publicly on the news, or to say who is replacing Raimi, but we've reached out for more info.

News arose that Raimi was out as early as October 2010, when Deadline reported that Raimi was out (due to his Oz gig) and the WoW film was on hold. It appears that the information was accurate, though it's still unclear whether or not the WoW film has begun production.

Sam Raimi off World of Warcraft film in light of Oz: The Great and Powerful originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meet Bill, the grizzled elderly gentleman in The Last of Us

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:30:00 EST

Bill's doing fine on his own ... then Ellie and Joel come busting through his boobytraps, calling on old favors for him to piece together a workable vehicle. Like so many characters we've seen in The Last of Us, Bill isn't what we'd call "all there." The end of society will do that to a man, it seems.

Meet Bill, the grizzled elderly gentleman in The Last of Us originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Konami calls Metal Gear Solid 5 Comic-Con screens 'fake rumours,' denies secret reveal

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:23:00 EST

Screens depicting a logo for Metal Gear Solid 5 tie the game to Hideo Kojima's mysterious "Project Ogre;" the screens were allegedly leaked out of this weekend's San Diego Comic-Con, from a behind-closed-doors presentation given by Kojima to developers, showing off the Fox Engine. At least, that'd be a reasonable story to believe - but Konami's saying it's all bunk.

After (irresponsibly) tweeting ambiguous notes like, "Fake or real, we love a bit of speculation! ‪#ogre‬ ‪#mgs5," Konami's UK account directly clarified that, "Seriously, just in case the ‪#pinch‬ ‪#salt‬ hashtags weren't enough - the chap who claims to have set up the fake rumours has been in touch," as spotted by Kotaku's Jason Schreier.

Project Ogre is Kojima's current in-development game, though few details are known about its theme, or gameplay, or ... well, much of anything regarding it. Kojima has also spoken of a fifth Metal Gear Solid game, though its unclear if development of that game is already underway.

Whether or not the game was shown behind closed doors, Kojima was definitely at Comic-Con this past weekend, and he appeared to be showing something secret. Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski tweeted, "Just got pulled into a back room at Comic Con by @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN and showed some crazy new secret stuff. Wow." We're doing pretty much everything we can right here to not make a lurid joke.

Konami calls Metal Gear Solid 5 Comic-Con screens 'fake rumours,' denies secret reveal originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Baird explains the finer details of Gears of War: Judgment's 'OverRun' mode

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST

When Gears of War: Judgment is launched next March, its "OverRun" mode will add a new wrinkle to the multiplayer you've grown accustomed to in Gears titles. For instance, you can totally ride a blood mount! See what we mean above.

Gallery: Gears of War: Judgment (7/16/12)

Baird explains the finer details of Gears of War: Judgment's 'OverRun' mode originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Injustice's two newest fighters pulverize (and get pulverized) in Comic-Con trailer

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:50:00 EST

Wondering what Nightwing and ... uh ... that Cyborg dude will play like in NetherRealms' next big game, Injustice: Gods Among Us? Well too bad! Er, rather, you can find out above. Sorry about making you feel bad.

Injustice's two newest fighters pulverize (and get pulverized) in Comic-Con trailer originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 hitting NA in Spring 2013

Ludwig Kietzmann — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:00:00 EST

Come Spring 2013, North America will find itself directly in the path of another ninja-infused meteorological phenomenon. Namco Bandai has confirmed an English version of Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and has set up the first playable version at this week's San Diego Comic-Con.

Once again developed by the world's biggest Naruto fans at CyberConnect 2, this latest installment in the over-the-top fighting series pushes further into the story laid down by the popular manga, its sequel, and approximately 9,856 anime episodes.

Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 is the first in the series to pair the gorgeous cel-shaded art with 3D display support - "for the ultimate Ninja immersion experience," it says here. If you've been following the franchise for a while, however, you're probably wondering how 3D could happen before anti-aliasing.

Gallery: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 (Comic Con 2012)

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Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3 hitting NA in Spring 2013 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bleszinski: Fortnite on PC 'primary and first,' other platforms not ruled out

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST

Having announced Fortnite as Epic Games' first Unreal Engine 4 game, "exclusively for the PC," Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski took to Twitter this afternoon to make some breathing room. "We wouldn't rule out the possibility of other platforms later," he wrote. That is, while Fortnite will be "primary and first" on PC, it may not be exclusive to the platform forever.

Given that Fortnite is built using UE4, it stands to reason that those "other platforms" won't be of the current generation (none of Microsoft's, Sony's, or Nintendo's current hardware can run UE4-based games). What might they be, then? We'll have to wait until the next console generation to find out, it sounds like.

Gallery: Fortnite (San Diego Comic Con 2012)

Bleszinski: Fortnite on PC 'primary and first,' other platforms not ruled out originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fortnite is Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game, heading exclusively to PC

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST

Fortnite is Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game and it'll ship "exclusively for the PC," Epic Games' Cliff Bleszinksi said today during a San Diego Comic-Con 2012 panel. "We're here and we're announcing that this is a PC-designed game, it's shipping exclusively for the PC," he told a crowd of attendees.

"Next-gen's here. It's been here. It's a high-end PC," Bleszinski said. He added that the dudebro-free Fortnite didn't "make sense" for Unreal Engine 3, and cheered PCs as being part of Epic's "heritage."

Fortnite, which sees characters building bunkers and emplacements to defend against the monsters of the night, was suspected of being a PC exclusive earlier this year when it popped up on a LinkedIn listing for PC. The listing was quickly changed after we brought it to the attention of Epic Games.

We'll have more from Epic's SDCC panel as soon as we can (it's still going on!).

Fortnite is Epic's first Unreal Engine 4 game, heading exclusively to PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transformers: Fall of Cybertron multiplayer rolls out at San Diego Comic-Con 2012

David Hinkle — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:30:00 EST

Activision has a whole mess of stuff planned for this year's San Diego Comic-Con, starting with the first taste of multiplayer in Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.

High Moon Studios will announce a new Marvel game (likely Hit Monkey) during a panel on Saturday, and Activision will also show off new footage of both 007 Legends and the recently announced FPS tie-in for The Walking Dead. For Activision's full San Diego Comic-Con 2012 schedule, hit up the source link below.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron multiplayer rolls out at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Raid, Ruin, Sleep, and Dream with Square Enix at Comic-Con

JC Fletcher — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST

Square Enix is going to be basically everywhere at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, with playable demos in multiple locations, panels, and various other events. The booth (number 3829) will host demos of Hitman Absolution, Kingdom Hearts 3D, Sleeping Dogs, and Tomb Raider.

In addition, Kingdom Hearts and Heroes of Ruin will be at the "Nintendo Lounge" at the Marriott Marquis & Marina. Square games will also be on display at the GameSpot Gameroom, Spike booth, and the Xbox Lounge.

In addition to all that, Square Enix will sponsor the "Nerd HQ" event and show off its games there, including over 20 playable Tomb Raider demo stations. There will also be a Tomb Raider panel on Saturday, a Hitman "photo sniping contest," a cosplay event, and several other ways to spend your whole Comic-Con only looking at one publisher's video game lineup.

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Raid, Ruin, Sleep, and Dream with Square Enix at Comic-Con originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Walking Dead FPS's Comic-Con swag is all ears

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:30:00 EST

Like, literally. As in, "Here's a necklace of zombie ears," which might be a bit less disgusting if it weren't a necklace of human ears. San Diego Comic-Con attendees can snag the gruesome jewelry by rushing over to Activision's booth and (ugh) pre-ordering the upcoming Terminal Reality-developed Walking Dead FPS.

Only the first 100 on-site pre-orders get the "extremely limited edition version of Daryl's 'walker ears' necklace," so, uh, don't rush if you don't want the super creepy necklace. We're kinda leaning toward that option, actually.

The Walking Dead first-person shooter is getting its first big showing at SDCC 2012, but it won't be playable. Take a look at the 2013 title in a new trailer below the break.

Gallery: The Walking Dead: Video Game (Box Art)

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The Walking Dead FPS's Comic-Con swag is all ears originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get an extra large hands-on with the 3DS XL at San Diego Comic-Con 2012

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST

You and your buddy Peter always go to San Diego Comic Con, sure, but do you always get a chance to be the first people in North America to touch Nintendo's next handheld? The answer is no, because you don't. But this year, you totally will, as Nintendo's bringing the 3DS XL.

The Japanese game publisher's also bringing a variety of games for you to play, including New Super Mario Bros. 2, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate, and ... uh, Kid Icarus. Okay, okay - outside of those three and a couple others, the rest of the games are kinda not so new. But hey, Just Dance 4 on Wii will also be there! Yeah!

Head past the break for the full list.

Continue reading Get an extra large hands-on with the 3DS XL at San Diego Comic-Con 2012

Get an extra large hands-on with the 3DS XL at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last Catwoman Riddler trophy is exclusively at Comic-Con

Richard Mitchell — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:30:00 EST

You might think you've collected all of Catwoman's Riddler trophies in Arkham City, but you're wrong! It turns out the Riddler has crafted one more puzzle, hiding one last trophy at the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con. There's only one way to unlock these 8-pound, LED-lit replicas, and that's to put down a $100 pre-order at the TriForce booth. Granted, that's not really much of a riddle, but there's certainly an element of challenge associated with opening your wallet.

Only 100 of these puppies (kittens?) will be manufactured and, to make them even rarer, Comic-Con will be the only opportunity to place a pre-order. The full price to throw one of these real trophies onto the pile of digital trophies you've already collected? $400. Me-yow.

Check out a high-resolution image of the trophy in the gallery below.

Gallery: Batman: Arkham City (Pink Catwoman Riddler Trophy Replica)

Continue reading The last Catwoman Riddler trophy is exclusively at Comic-Con

The last Catwoman Riddler trophy is exclusively at Comic-Con originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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