Forza 5 Top Gear pack now available, race The Stig’s ‘digital cousin’ in online event

Forza Motorsport 5 and Top Gear have teamed-up for a new car pack which features 10 vehicles for players to collect, race, and customize.

The Top Gear Car Pack which is included as part of the Forza Motorsport 5 Car Pass, is available for $9.99 and includes the bonus 2013 Holden #10 Xbox Racing Team Commodore VF. The cars can be purchased individually through the Xbox Live marketplace

As reported yesterday, all cars can be added to the Forza Motorsport 5 garage for no additional cost.

Beginning April 1, players can go up against The Stig in a new Rivals event set on the Bathurst Circuit at Mount Panorama, Australia.

Upon successful completion of the Rivals event, all participants will receive an in-game credit reward with additional prizes awarded to those who finish in the Top 10. This includes a Stig Prize Pack from Top Gear for the top winner.

The Stig, or his digital cousin in this case, be racing under the Gamertag “Stigs Digi Cuz”. To enter this Rivals event you must own the Forza 5 Top Gear Car Pack DLC.

Here’s what’s included in the car pack:

• 1966 Chaparral #66 2E
• 2013 Holden #10 Xbox Racing Team Commodore VF
• 2013 Audi RS4 Avant
• 1980 Renault 5 Turbo
• 1999 Lotus Elise Sport
• 2011 Ford Transit SuperSportVan
• 1998 Nissan R390
• 2006 HUMMER H1 Alpha
• 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
• 2013 Lexus GS350 F Sport

Shots of the new cars and two videos are below.

UK game charts: inFamous holds at first, Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls debuts at six – full chart

inFamous: Second Son has held firm at top of the UK game charts for a second week running, holding off competition from newcomer Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls.

It follows claims that PS4 sales jumped 106% since the launch of inFamous: Second Son. The game’s sales have dropped 67% since last week’s debut however.

If you were one of the people who bought it, we’ve posted a full inFamous: Second Son walkthrough guide here to help you hit that 100% completion stat.

1. inFamous: Second Son
2. Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes
3. Titanfall
4. FIFA 14
5. The LEGO Movie Videogame
6. Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls
7. South Park: The Stick of Truth
8. Call of Duty: Ghosts
9. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
10. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
11. Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare
12. Dark Souls 2
13. Battlefield 4
14. Thief
15. Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright
16. LEGO Marvel Superheroes
17. Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
18. GTA 5
19. MXGP
20. Need for Speed: Rivals

This company will buy your used video games, no matter what you think they're worth

If you've tried to unload your used game collection at retailers like GameStop or Wal-Mart, you know that those retailers will pay almost nothing, if anything, for certain games. But the same is not true for new company Decluttr, which will buy any CD, DVD, or video game from anyone.
Fast Company profiled Decluttr recently and reports that the company pulled in revenue of $150 million globally last year from buying and selling media that no one seems to want.

The secret to Decluttr's success appears to be in the fact that they won't turn anything away. President Brett Lauter says that by accepting everything--including items that probably won't sell--they are bound to eventually hit upon something that will.

"The first CD you scan in may be another [Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill]. If we say we’re not going to buy it, you may give up. We just lost you," Lauter said. "So we’re going to give you the minimum, 50 cents, because maybe your second one is Green Day’sInsomniac, and oh my gosh, this will sell quickly.”

Of course, you could sell your old games, movies, and CDs on eBay, but anyone who's gone through that process knows it can sometimes be a hassle. Decluttr aims to streamline the process, Lauter says. The amount Decluttr pays is based on a proprietary algorithm that factors in how many copies of an item are already in its warehouse, what the item sells for on Amazon or eBay, and how quickly it sells.

Decluttr hasn't done much marketing, but the company is already buying 10,000 items per day and Lauter said he expects the company will become profitable by the end of the year.

You can sell your games to Decluttr through the company's website or by downloading theiOS and Android mobile app that scans the barcode on the back of your game, DVD, or CD. The catch? All media needs to come with original artwork and you need to sell a minimum of 10 items per batch.

Decluttr currently accepts PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, PSP, and PlayStation Vita games. The company does not accept PC games. You can read more about Decluttr on its website.

Respawn Begins Banning Titanfall Cheaters

Respawn Entertainment announced it has flipped the anti-cheat switch for the PC version of Titanfall.

In a post on the official site, the developer outlined measures taken to remove those who would play less than fairly from the general population, rather than completely shutting down their ability to play the game.

"Since the launch of Titanfall, we've been collecting data on people who are cheating on PC but not immediately enforcing bans," the statement reads. "As of Friday, March 21st, that has changed and we have started banning cheaters in Titanfall."

Using FairFight, Respawn will detect cheaters and take them out of the general matchmaking, only allowing cheaters to play matches populated with other designated cheaters.

Players who are partied with a banned player will also be treated as banned and roped into the all-cheater matchmaking, allowing your cheater friend to introduce you to their nightmarish hellscape of aimbots and wall hackers.

However, that stain isn't permanent, and once you drop the party you will be free to return to the law-abiding player base. Of course, Respawn will continue tinkering with the formula to cast a wider net in the future.

The Last of Us Complete Edition for PS4 Spotted

While Sony are chosing to remain in denial, others, it seems, are too eager to confirm existence of The Last of Us for PS4.

Only a few days after PlayStation Turkey VP Sercan Sulun said that Naughty Dog's acclaimed action adventure will indeed release for the PlayStation 4, a Spanish retailer XtraLife has gone ahead and began pre-orders for The Last of Us Complete Edition for PS4, which comes with the Left Behind DLC and a one-strap backpack.

XtraLife has priced the game at €65 (suggesting it's a full priced release), and listed the release date as June 19.

You can find the screenshot of the lisiting below just in case it gets taken down. And in case you are wondering, the screenshots used in the listing are from the PS3 version unforutnately. 

What are your thoughts about The Last of Us on PS4? Are looking forward to buying the game? Sound off in the comments below!

Forza 5 makes “fundamental improvements” to its criticized in-game economy

A Forza Motorsport 5 update released yesterday makes “fundamental improvements” to its in-game economy, giving players faster, easier access to more cars, developer Turn 10 Studios has said.

With the new update, players who purchase DLC cars can add them to their garage immediately. Previously, players would have to pay in-game currency or more real money to add cars to their garage, even after buying the DLC. This applies to all current and future DLC.

In addition, the update makes all of the initial 200 cars that launched with Forza Motorsport 5 available as rental cars, meaning you can use them in the game’s Free Play mode.

Back in December 2013, after a lot of complaints from players, Turn 10 made anothersignificant change to the game’s economy, slashing car prices by 45 percent and doubling the income rate.

“I look at the game we launched on November 22, 2013 and the game that I play today, and I see something that has changed dramatically over the past four months,” Turn 10 Creative Director Dan Greenawalt said in an open letter yesterday. “We’ve made some significant changes to the game’s economy, we’ve added new features, and we’ve continued a steady stream of new content, including track add-ons like February’s free addition of Road America.”

Greenawalt also said that Turn 10 will announce another free add-on in April. For more on Forza Motorsport 5,

Alien: Isolation launches Oct. 7

Alien: Isolation will launch on Oct. 7 this year, developer Creative Assembly has announced.

The release date was revealed by the Total War developer today during a panel at EGX Rezzed 2014, a gaming event in the United Kingdom.

“We couldn’t be happier to finally announce a date for Alien: Isolation,” Creative Lead at Creative Assembly Alistair Hope said in a statement. “The reaction we have seen so far has been simply incredible, from the screams and shrieks to the cold sweats and racing hearts. It’s the Alien game that we’ve always wanted to play and we can’t wait to let everyone get their hands on it this fall.”

Published by Sega, Alien: Isolation is a survival horror sci-fi game starring Ellen Ripley's daughter, Amanda. While working for Weyland-Yutani, she arrives on remote station Sevastopol in an attempt to recover the flight recorder of the Nostromo. There's a xenomorph on the station, too, as you might expect, and Creative Assembly is absolutely adamant that the game will never arm players with an assault rifle and have them square off with hordes of aliens.

Alien: Isolation will release on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. For more on the game.

PlayStation Store EA Flash Sale discounts Battlefield 4, Crysis 3, Madden NFL 25 and more

The PlayStation Store is currently holding a sale on a number of Electronic Arts games for the PlayStation 3.

Highlights include Battlefield 4, down from $50 to $25, Crysis 3, down from $44 to $22, and Madden NFL 25, down from $50 to $25.

Here is the full lineup:
Alice: Madness Returns - $10 (original price: $20)
Battlefield 4 - $25 (original price: $50)
Battlefield 1943 - $5 (original price: $10)
Crysis - $10 (original price: $20)
Crysis 2 Maximum Edition - $15 (original price: $30)
Crysis 3 Ultimate Bundle - $22 (original price: $44)
Dead Space Ultimate Edition - $12.49 (original price: $24)
Dead Space 2 Ultimate Edition - $20 (original price: $40)
Dead Space 3 Ultimate Edition - $31.49 (original price: $62.49)
EA Sports FIFA 14 - $30 (original price: $60)
EA Sports FIFA Street - $5 (original price: $20)
Hasbro Family Game Night 3 - $20 (original price: $30)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - $10 (original price: $20)

Madden NFL 25 - $25 (original price: $50)
Monopoly Streets - $20 (original price: $30)
NBA JAM: On Fire Edition - $4 (original price: $15)
NCAA Football 14 - $25 (original price: $50)
Need for Speed Rivals - $30 (original price: $60)
NFL Blitz - $7.49 (original price: $15)
NHL 14 - $30 (original price: $50)
Shank 2 - $5 (original price: $10)

The EA Flash Sale will end on Monday, March 31, 12:00 p.m. Pacific.

Yesterday, Sony also unveiled the list of games it will be dishing out for free to users with a PlayStation Plus subscription this April.

Call of Duty mobile studio shuttered by Activision

Call of Duty mobile game developer The Blast Furnace will close by the end of the month, publisher Activision has announced.

"Having explored a range of options, including a potential sale of the business, and consulted with the staff about the options, we have not been able to find a suitable alternative for the talented team in the timescales set by the consultation exercise and have agreed to close The Blast Furnace," Activision told MCV.

Overall, 47 developers will lose their jobs, though Activision said that it’s looking at moving some employees to other places within the company.

The studio, located in Leeds, England, developed Call of Duty: Strike Team for iOS and Android, as well as mobile versions of other Activision games like Pitfall and Wipeout.

UK game tax breaks approved by European Commission

The European Commission has lifted its block on tax incentives for UK game companies. It comes a year after the block was set in place by the Commission.

Develop reports that the EC confirmed that the 25% tax rate now also applies to game developers based in the UK, provided they pass a cultural test, which was first unveiled in December 2012.

The body stated, “The European Commission has concluded that UK plans to grant certain tax relief to producers of video games are in line with EU state aid rules. The Commission has found in particular that the measure provides incentives to developers to produce games meeting certain cultural criteria, in line with EU objectives.”

To become eligible for tax breaks, a company must reach 16 points in the test, which will appraise games and their creators on several criteria. For example, four points are awarded if 75% of a game is set in the UK, and depending on how many characters are British. The EC estimates that 25% of British games will be eligible.

Commenting on the news, the EC’s VP in charge of competition policy Joaquin Almunia said, “Our initial doubts have been dispelled. The proposed aid for video games is indeed focusing on a small number of distinctive, culturally British games which have increasing difficulties to find private financing.”

Then, in a statement sent to VG247, UKIE CEO Dr Jo Twist said, “This is a huge boost to the UK games and interactive entertainment sector and the start of a great new era of games production in the UK. We are delighted the European Commission recognised the clear market failure for the production of games with a British and European flavour, using UK-based creative and highly skilled talent.

“We are extremely happy to have played a part, as a strong collective voice for the industry, to get the scheme over the finishing line. We have been in constant contact with government throughout the process and have applied pressure and evidence for the scheme to be introduced at every opportunity.

“I’d like to thank all the hundreds of games companies and individuals across the country who have worked so hard collectively and who have played such a crucial role in getting to this point. The next strategic priority for us now is in applying pressure in different ways so that games businesses can access more programmes which support access to international markets, training and finance so we can be fully recognised as a sector that can lead the world again.”

The tax break announcement follows years of lobbying from UK developers, industry figures and groups UKIE and TIGA. Campaigning began in 2008, after several industry bodies took the matter to Westminster, only to see the incentives approved and then scrapped twice for various reasons.

After George Osborne expressed his support of the incentives in May 2013, the campaign began anew, and with new conviction. However, after tax breaks werenotably absent from the recent UK budget, hopes were cooled until today’s announcement saw the motion passed.

According to TIGA – via CVG – the decision will see £188 million investment for Britain’s games development sector.

Call of Duty: Ghosts – Devastation tease hints at Predator inclusion

Call of Duty: Ghosts could include Predator in a future update if a tease posted by the official CoD Instagram account is any indication. Looking over the hashtags posted along with the clip are Devastation and Devastation Day, along with the line “if it bleeds…” from the first Predator film. Devastation is slated for Xbox 360 and Xbox One first and releases on April 3.

Halo 2 Anniversary: “I think the multiplayer would have to be fantastic,” Spencer teases

Halo 2 Anniversary is rumoured to hit Xbox One this November, and while Microsoft is staying tight-lipped on the project, Phil Spencer has dropped a potential tease in his latest interview.

While the game hasn’t been confirmed, IGN asked the Microsoft Studios Boss what – if it did exist – would be its key feature.

With a smile he replied, “In this fictitious world where that game existed, it’s an easy answer: it has to be just the multiplayer experience that we all found in that first Halo 2 game. If you think about what happened in the franchise and what were the hallmark moments – when did duel wielding come in, when did another playable character that wasn’t Master Chief come in?

“All the things that you and I know about the evolution of the franchise, if you’re going to say one thing about Halo 2, you’re going to talk about real multiplayer. I think you just have to nail that in just such a fundamentally core way.

“Frankly [we'd have to do it] probably better than we did with Halo 1 Anniversary. I thought the multiplayer in Halo 1 Anniversary was good, but Halo 1 never had multiplayer in the truest sense, so it always was going to be something different.”

“If there were something called Halo 2 Anniversary. I think the multiplayer would have to be fantastic.”

Battlefield 4: Naval Strike hits Xbox One after delay, new patch notes here

Battlefield 4: Naval Strike was confirmed as delayed earlier this week with no new release date, however, DICE has released it now. We’ve also got the full patch notes for today’s update.

The PC version is still delayed, unfortunately.

Now, DICE has confirmed that the Xbox One was delayed to, “address issues in the animation system that hinder players from engaging targets in set circumstances using popular weapon configurations.”

It’s out now on Xbox Live along with the following patch:

Xbox One general fixes

General stability improvements

• Fix for a crash that could occur when players were customizing vehicles.
• Fix for an issue in the Rush game mode where end-of-round screen would always indicate that there were 60 minutes left of the game.
• Fix for an issue where the splash damage for IFV shells, Helicopter rockets, and Mortar rounds was unable to destroy deployed equipment.
• Fix for an issue that could cause the quad bike to explode when it hit indestructible objects.
• Fix for an issue that would cause sniper rifles to display too much bloom when aiming in snowy conditions, especially the outside areas of Operation Locker.
• Fix for an issue where the ECM would sometimes fail to jam incoming missiles.
• Shortened the take-off distances for jets to match the length of the runways in Second Assault maps.
• Fix for going above ceiling exploits in Operation Metro.
• Fix for a new MAV riding exploit.
• Fix for kill camera jittering/strobing sometimes if colliding with other world objects or terrain.
• Fix for soldiers getting catapulted when walking on steep surfaces.

Netcode

• Fix for an issue where the kill camera would display the incorrect killer.
• Fix for an issue where the kill card won’t show up when playing on servers which have the kill camera turned off.
• Fixed an issue where other soldiers would appear to fire in the wrong direction when turning quickly.
• Fix for weapons firing twice, or not at all in some instances.
• Fix for an issue where explosions didn’t do any damage to infantry and vehicles that were outside of the combat area.
• Fix for an issue where late-joining players wouldn’t correctly experience Levolution events on Paracel Storm and Flood Zone.
• Fix for an issue that could cause packet loss.

Progression

• Added Gold Battlepacks as rewards for Class Service Stars, allowing players that have reached the max Rank to continue earning new Battlepacks.

Weapons / Gadgets tweaks

• Increased the damage of the normal buckshot against targets with Body Armor.
• Reduced the vertical recoil of the M4 and M16A4 to give these burst fire weapons a tighter burst accuracy in their mid- to long range role.
• Reduced the side-to-side and first shot recoil of the G36C. This weapon now has the lowest side-to-side recoil of the carbines, giving it a clear controllable low rate of fire role, especially when compared to the AK5C, Type-95B-1 and the AKU-12.
• Tweaked the detonation time of the 40mm LVG so it bounces less before going off. The maximum damage has however been reduced to 80 like the RGO.
• Reduced the number of how many 40mm HE and LVG rounds players can carry, from 4 to 3.
• Increased the time it takes to get new 40mm round from ammo boxes. The time is longer for HE and LVG grenades and shorter for utility grenades like SMK and FLASH.

Grenade tweaks

• Increased the time it takes to get new RGO IMPACT, V40 MINI, M84 FLASHBANG and M18 SMOKE grenades from ammo boxes. Since the player now carries more of these grenades, the resupply delay needed to be longer to prevent grenade spamming.

Vehicle tweaks

• Significantly improved the suppression from mounted vehicle weapons, including miniguns, HMGs, LMGs, and all shells types for all armored vehicles.

Aircraft tweaks

• Further reduced the repair rate for the Scout Helicopters and the Transport Helicopters.
• Significantly increased the damage of Transport Helicopter miniguns.
• Changed the flight ceilings on Gulf of Oman, Caspian Border and Operation Firestorm to better match the height of the structures in those levels.
• Adjusted the damage of the 25mm and 30mm cannons for both Stealth Jets and Mobile AA to be equal in Damage Per Second to the 20mm default weapons. These weapons were clearly poorer choices in all circumstances, and their different rates of fire are intended to be the player’s choice factor for these weapon systems.

AC-130 Gunship tweaks

• Increased the splash damage and the range at which the JDAM bombs can achieve max splash damage. The JDAM’s power was not properly balanced with its difficulty to use. The JDAM remains a primarily anti-vehicle weapon, though this change will increase the effectiveness against all targets.
• Increased the accuracy and direct hit damage of the AC130 40mm cannons. 40mm cannons can now be used to fire pinpoint shots in 2-3 round bursts, enabling them to provide accurate fire on infantry and vehicle targets. Their velocity has also been marginally increased to aid their accuracy.
• Increased the splash damage and range of the AC130 25mm cannons. These cannons now do approximately 50% more damage, in a slightly increased area of impact. The increased damage as well as increased suppression effects will allow the 25mm cannon to fill its role as an area of effect weapon against infantry.

Call of Duty World Championship 2014: Date, Venue, Where to Watch, Live Streaming, Teams

The Call of Duty Championship is set for Friday, March 28 to Sunday, March 30, in Los Angeles, California.


Live stream for the games is available on MLG.tv, Call of Duty e Sports, and Xbox Live.


The Final Match is set for Sunday, 6:00 p.m. ET, and will be screened on Xbox Live.


31 teams from around the world will compete playing Call of Duty: Ghostson Xbox One for the tournament’s $1 million prize pool. The winning team will be crowned “Call of Duty World Champions.”


8 teams will represent the United States. They are Complexity, OpTic Gaming, EnVyUs, Faze, Team Kaliber, Strictly Business, Rise, and Xfinity Gaming.

The Call of Duty Championship is set for Friday, March 28 to Sunday, March 30, in Los Angeles, California.

Live stream for the games is available on MLG.tv, Call of Duty e Sports, and Xbox Live.

The Final Match is set for Sunday, 6:00 p.m. ET, and will be screened on Xbox Live.

31 teams from around the world will compete playing Call of Duty: Ghostson Xbox One for the tournament’s $1 million prize pool. The winning team will be crowned “Call of Duty World Champions.”

8 teams will represent the United States. They are Complexity, OpTic Gaming, EnVyUs, Faze, Team Kaliber, Strictly Business, Rise, and Xfinity Gaming.

Here’s a list of the 31 teams:


Complexity (US)


OpTic Gaming (US)


EnVyUs (US)


Faze (US)


Team Kaliber (US)


Strictly Business (US)


Rise (US)


Xfinity Gaming (US)


TCM Gaming (UK)


Epsilon Esports (UK)


TEC Intensity (UK)


Team Orbit (UK)


Vitality Rises (France)


Vitality Returns (France)


Killerfish (Germany)


SK Gaming (Germany)


Reign Mix (Sweden)


AllStars (Netherlands)


Wizards (Spain)


Sublime (Italy)


Lightning Pandas (EU)


Team Rize ZA (South Africa)


Klarity Gaming (UAE)


Brazil 5 Stars (Brazil)


Aztek Gaming (Mexico)


Nsp (South Korea)


Trident T1dotters (Australia)


Immunity (Australia)


VexX Revenge (Canada)


WiLD Gaming (Canada)


Echelon (Singapore)

GTA V: Rockstar Says There’s ‘45 Years of Ideas,’ But No Word on ‘Grand Theft Auto 5’ for PC, Xbox One, PS4

Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies said there’s “45 years worth of ideas” that the company can draw upon for the “Grand Theft Auto” franchise.


The website Develop-Online interviewed Benzies, asking him about “GTA VI,” which hasn’t been announced at all.


“We’ve got about 45 years worth of ideas we want to do,” Benzies said with a laugh.


“We don’t know what GTA VI will be, but we’ve got some ideas. GTA Online is the focus right now. There ain’t no rest between finishing V and then Online. Plus we have some other things – stuff, DLC, I don’t know how to describe it exactly – that we’d like to do, and we’ll pick the right ones.”


Benzies didn’t mention a PC, Xbox One, or PS4 version of “GTA V.”


“But really… we’ll make what we want. No, wait, don’t print that: we’ll make what people want, and that’s the truth,” said Benzies. “The game always comes first,” he added.


“GTA V” is currently available only for the Xbox 360 and PS3.


A Change.org petition has gathered more than 670,000 signatures to bring the game to the PC.


There’s been a number of unconfirmed and sketchy rumors about a PC version of the game. Reports a few weeks ago said that Gamestop posted a listing for “GTA V” for the PC before it was taken down. It had a release date in June.