If you haven't already joined Premier Club and taken advantage of the ultimate membership package, now's the time to do so.
After 23:59 UTC on 5th February, it will no longer be possible to purchase a new Premier Club package, so act now and don't miss out!
Premier Club members get access to everything RuneScape has to offer at an unbeatable price, plus great swathes of extra goodies. Gold membership gets you:
A hearty discount on membership
Desert Pantheon aura
Menaphite Ancient outfit
+1 Treasure Hunter Key per day
150,000 loyalty points
50% discount on RuneMetrics
VIP world access
VIP forum access
Forum badge
Chat badge
Premier Club-exclusive Q&As
Pre-paid card promotional items
Access to Old School members' content
Not sure about committing to Gold? Go for a Bronze (3 month) or Silver (6 month) membership. You can upgrade an existing Premier Club membership at any point in its duration � even after the 5th of February. Just access the billing page or redeem Bonds in-game.
See You In-Game!
With Menaphos, Shattered Worlds and much, much more on the horizon, it's never been a better time to be a RuneScape member. Ensure you're there for every release with Premier Club.
Guerrilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn is a step in a new direction for the Killzone developer. The shift from a long-standing first-person shooter focus to an open-world action game isn't without its hiccups, but it's also a risk that seems to pay off--especially in combat.
Horizon is set 1,000 years in the future, and humanity has essentially returned to a hunter-gatherer society, though they mostly hunt mechanical beasts and gather the resulting parts. The story setup--which comprised the first of two sections of our extended gameplay demo--is admittedly a little cliche. Protagonist Aloy is motherless in a matriarchal, matrilineal tribe, and as a result, she has been marked as an outcast. It works in that it provides motivation for an interesting, relatable character. But I'm far more interested in the history of Horizon’s world than in her background in particular.
My hope for Horizon’s story stems from a scene during Aloy’s childhood in which you explore the underground “metal world.” The six-year-old falls into a cave area littered with ancient (meaning today’s near-future) technology and finds a wearable device that lets her scan the environment. Among other things, I scanned the remnants of a holographic message from a father to his son: “Happy birthday, Isaac.” Aloy’s reaction--which is to immediately replay the message and repeat its loving words--is so pure and childlike that I immediately connected with her, and her desire to know more about the past fell in line with my own and gave her more depth.
Playing 30 minutes of her childhood also serves as a combat tutorial mainly focused on hunting and stealth, and the second part of the demo skipped past some story details to allow for combat and exploration. Horizon’s format and combat are sort of Far Cry-esque (in third person, of course), but its exploration reminded me a lot of Skyrim, down to the style of its waypoints and the eye icon used to measure visibility in stealthy situations. I stumbled upon quite a few strange and beautiful spots and didn’t want for something to do (or hunt). From what I saw, it's a polished open world, but I didn’t see enough of it to get a full sense of what it has to offer.
I could tell, though, that Horizon’s neo-tribal world is one worth exploring. I missed some of the details when skipping ahead, but there’s a clear setup for both organic and mechanical threats, and taking down enemies seems to quite often lead to more information or at least some useful resources. The hints I did get toward what could be going on with Aloy, the tribe, and what’s hiding in the ancient past grabbed me even when dialogue didn’t.
Of all Horizon’s promising aspects, its combat captured me most. Weapons that feel decidedly ancient, like her bow and spear, surprisingly don’t feel out of place when hunting machines. Aloy’s scanning device--which can highlight machines’ weak spots, among other things--also didn’t feel cheap and instead justified the strength of attacks with her arrows and spear. That balance was probably my biggest concern going in, but a skill tree geared more toward greater stealth, foraging, and precision melee attacks rather than simply increased attack power helps keep Horizon’s combat grounded.
Slaying machines and harvesting their parts for upgrades is also a satisfying combat loop thanks to variety from the skill tree options and Aloy’s arsenal. During my time with Horizon, I continued to look for and find new, clever ways to take down its machine beasts. Even as I began to favor stealth, there were still options: you can track a machine’s movements with the scanner to sneak past it undetected, get close and take it down with an unlockable silent kill, or plant a trap along its tracks with an upgradeable weapon. There’s enough flexibility in attacks, weapons, and skills from what I saw to potentially keep me engrossed for quite a while.
My main frustration was a finicky camera. Combat controls well, but the camera sometimes doesn’t cooperate, getting essentially stuck in the leaves on trees or in stone walls. It didn’t happen enough to be a big deal, but it’s one thing I want to see ironed out before launch.
I’ve been excited about Horizon for a while, and I’m glad that excitement wasn’t wasted. I can’t wait to learn more about Aloy and her world, and I’m most excited to keep refining my combat style when the final game is out.
Horizon Zero Dawn is launching exclusively for PlayStation 4 on February 28. See the benefits of playing on the PS4 Pro and watch a few minutes of 4K gameplay.
Fallout 4's PC and PlayStation 4 versions are getting new updates next week, Bethesda has announced.
Starting with PC, Bethesda announced today that it's releasing a high resolution texture pack as a "love letter" to fans. The download is free but you will need an additional 58 GB of available space to install the texture pack.
"If your system can handle it, the Commonwealth will look better than ever," Bethesda said. "Give it a shot and if you need to return to the original textures, you can disable them within the game's launcher menu."
As for PS4, the new update will add support for PS4 Pro. This includes features such as native 1440p resolution, enhanced draw distance (for trees, grass, objects, and NPCs), and enhanced God ray effects.
Bethesda did not announce specific dates for the new Fallout 4 PC and PS4 updates. We'll report back with the specifics when they are confirmed.
In other news, Bethesda said it will release a new update for Skyrim Special Edition on all platforms next week to add more features for mods. Bethesda did not provide any details but said it will make announcements sometime next week.
[UPDATE] Jason Schreier of Kotaku said today on Twitter that he has also heard that Eidos is working on a Guardians of the Galaxy game and that the "future of Deus Ex is murky."
"From what we hear, Square Enix doesn't plan to greenlight another Deus Ex game at Eidos Montreal for quite some time, unless Mankind Divided suddenly becomes more profitable," Kotaku reported. "Mankind Divided was a large investment for the Japanese publisher, taking nearly five years to make."
The original story is below.
Last week, Square Enix announced that Deus Ex developer Eidos Montreal was working on a new Avengers game with Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics. Some wondered what that might mean for the future of Deus Ex. The series is now reportedly "on hiatus," with Eidos working on a new Guardians of the Galaxy title. This is all according to Eurogamer's sources.
The untitled Guardians of the Galaxy game is reportedly "in the early stages of production," according to Eurogamer.
When Square Enix announced its partnership with Marvel, the companies said it was for multiple games, so Guardians of the Galaxy could be one of the other ones. When the news of the Square Enix-Marvel deal broke last week, Kotaku editor Jason Schreier tweeted that Eidos was working on the Avengers game and "another" title based on a Marvel franchise.
A Guardians of the Galaxy game from Telltale is currently in development and is scheduled to come out this year. A release date hasn't been announced, but launching close to the new movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is coming out in May, so a release close to then would seem to make sense.
The new Avengers game from Eidos and Crystal Dynamics is still a long time off, it seems, as Square Enix has said it won't even talk more about it until 2018. That's also the year that the new Avengers film, Infinity War, comes out. Presumably the new, unannounced Guardians of the Galaxy game would come out later.
GameSpot has contacted Square Enix in an attempt to get more details. We'll update this post with anything we hear back.
Would you be interested in another Guardians of the Galaxy title? Let us know in the comments below!
[UPDATE] Today, January 30, is the last day of the Halo Wars 2 beta. We're not exactly sure when servers will come down, but you can still download the beta and play. Grab it on your console or PC or via these Xbox.com links: Xbox One, PC.
The original story is below.
The Halo Wars 2 open beta is coming to an end soon. The free beta, available on Xbox One and PC, started on January 20 and wraps up tomorrow, January 30, so now is your last chance to play.
It is free and open to everyone--download it via these Xbox.com links: Xbox One, PC.
Unlike the first Halo Wars 2 beta from June 2016, this second one lets you try the card-based mode, Blitz. You build a deck and then deploy units in an attempt to capture and hold control points to score points. There are 1v1, 2v2, and 3v3 options, and the beta supports matchmaking.
Progress from the Halo Wars 2 Blitz beta does not carry forward to the full game, but you can earn two card packs, one for logging in and the second for completing your first match (win or lose).
Watch the video above and read this in-depth blog post from 343 to get an incredibly detailed breakdown of how Blitz works.
The players who rack up the highest scores across Xbox One and PC in various playlists will earn card packs--you can see the current rankings here.
The first Halo Wars 2 beta from last year was extended, so it's possible that will happen with this one, but that is no confirmed.
Halo Wars 2 launches in full on February 21, though people who buy the $80 Ultimate Edition can start playing on February 17. It is an Xbox __play Anywhere title, so buying it digitally on one platform gets you access to the other for free. All progress, including saves and achievements, is available on each platform.
Bethesda will make a major announcement about The Elder Scrolls Online tomorrow, the company has confirmed. The studio will reveal the game's "next chapter" tomorrow, January 31, during a livestream event that begins at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET / 7 PM GMT.
The event will be broadcast live on Twitch and we'll have all the news for you as it's announced.
"We're revealing something big tomorrow that you won't want to miss," Bethesda said in a blog post. "We'll be unveiling a bunch of new, exciting information."
It sounds like this is going to be a dramatic announcement. Bethesda said it wants fans to record themselves watching the reveal and encouraged them to send in their reaction videos and GIFs.
Bethesda's surprise may have already been spoiled. Earlier this month, files were discovered that point to the addition of Vvardenfell, the main landmass in The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. It would be a natural choice, given the popularity of Morrowind. Its distinctive environments and unique architecture would make for a strong addition to the MMO, which is coming off a year in which it launched a major, well-received update that removed many restrictions on players.
The Elder Scrolls Online is available for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
Capcom's Resident Evil 7 debuts at the top of the UK sales chart for the week ending January 28. According to sales monitor Chart-Track, it had the third-best week one sales performance in the series' history.
Grand Theft Auto V continues to be a chart mainstay, finishing the week at No. 2. Following it is Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue at No. 3, and FIFA 17 at No. 4.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare moves down to No. 5, while Rocket League maintains its position at No.6. Further down the chart, Sega's Yakuza 0 makes its top 10 debut at No. 8, while Ubisoft's Steep rounds off the chart at No. 10.
Take a look at the full top 10 below. This table does not include digital sales data, and thus should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.
Fallout 3 launched in 2008 as a 3D open-world game, and it has since spawned two similar sprawling RPGs in Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 4. These have proved incredibly popular, but the series could have been very different if two canceled Fallout 3 projects had seen the light of day.
Feargus Urquhart, CEO of Fallout: New Vegas developer Obsidian Entertainment, told IGN that the company worked on multiple Fallout 3 projects in its previous guise as Black Isle Studios. Urquhart recalls one project that went on to become Icewind Dale.
"Now 3D was the cool stuff. So we were going to move from being a 2D engine and be a 3D engine, and so we actually started working with this 3D technology called NDL," he said.
"What happened was, we were moving forward but we were really learning, and it was where Interplay [publisher of Fallout at the time] started to run into financial trouble--and that was where Icewind Dale came from."
"The Fallout 3 team became the Icewind Dale team," Urquhart said. He went on to say the company wanted to make Icewind Dale as a dungeon-crawling "counterpoint" to Baldur's Gate's more story-driven elements.
This wasn't the only Fallout 3 project, however. The CEO said another version, codenamed Van Buren, "was the second Fallout 3," after the first one became Icewind Dale. Van Buren has been more widely reported, and you can see more of it on YouTube.
Eventually, Black Isle studios--which developed both the original Fallout and Fallout 2--was shut down by Interplay, and Bethesda took over the Fallout franchise. Many of Black Isle's staff went on to work for Obsidian, which has since developed Fallout: New Vegas.
2017 is a big year for Xbox hardware, as Microsoft will release the mega-powerful Project Scorpio console during the holiday period. Now, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has assured fans that Microsoft will continue to support Xbox One and Xbox One S for a long time to come.
Someone on Twitter said they read somewhere that Scorpio will make Xbox One obsolete. That is absolutely not going to be the case, Spencer assures.
@ahbenitez86 Xbox One and S will be supported consoles for many years.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 30, 2017
Scorpio plays Xbox One and Xbox One games, and it also supports peripherals for those systems. Scorpio is intended to be a higher-end option that complements Xbox One. This is basically the same setup as the relationship between PS4 and PS4 Pro.
In other news, Spencer recently said fans may want to wait to preorder the console until they see games running for it. Spencer said he played games for the first time on Scorpio and said they "played great." Overall, development on Scorpio is coming along great, Spencer said.
In other news, a developer recently said that Scorpio is a "full blown next-gen machine," compared to the "half-assed" PS4 Pro.
On January 27, Capcom announced that Resident Evil 7 shipped 2.5 million copies to retailers following the game's launch on January 24. The publisher said the horror game was off to a "solid start," but it appears not everyone is impressed with the game's commercial results so far.
As you can see in the image below from Bloomberg's Gearoid Reidy (via PCGamesN), Capcom's share value has fallen since the 2.5 million figure was announced. Shares of Capcom on the Tokyo Stock Exchange ended today, January 30, down by more than 3 percent.
Resident Evil 7 shipment numbers have put the chills up Capcom investors - shares continue to drop today pic.twitter.com/PIMHjBQx5W
— Gearoid Reidy (@GearoidReidy) January 30, 2017
The downward trend might be the result of investors being spooked by the 2.5 million figure, specifically, how it compares to past games in the series. Resident Evil 5 shipped 4 million copies in its first week, with Resident Evil 6 shipping 4.5 million during its first week.
Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6 are Capcom's best-selling games ever, with 7.1 million and 6.6 million sales respectively. These games of course have been on the market for a long time longer than Resident Evil 7, which is not even a week old.
Capcom forecasted Resident Evil 7 to sell 4 million copies before the end of its financial year, which ends March 31, 2017. Capcom has not announced a sales number for Resident Evil 7, only a shipment figure. We may know more soon, as Capcom reports earnings next on Wednesday, February 1.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.
For more on Resident Evil 7, check out GameSpot's review and what other critics are saying.
We've got a real treat in store for PvMers this week. Get ready to fight Nex with the full power of the ancient elements at her disposal and claim some fantastic new rewards.
Are you ready to face the Angel of Death?
Nex: Angel of Death
How to Start
Use the Frozen Key to enter the Ancient Prison in the God Wars Dungeon.
Enter the bank/lobby area with a Zarosian killcount of at least 40, or wearing ancient ceremonial robes.
Enter the hidden door on the south wall of the bank/lobby area.
Requirements
RuneScape membership
60 Agility
60 Strength
High combat levels and your best gear are recommended
Tool up, gather your friends and head over to the Ancient Prison to face Nex in this all-new boss encounter.
We wanted this to feel like the classic boss fights you remember, so there's no 10-player cap or kill chaining here. Create or join an instance with your tight-knit bossing group, or a full-on mass � your choice.
From then on, you're on your own. Have fun discovering what Nex is capable of now that her power is fully unleashed.
Rewards
New curses, battle robe overrides and swathes of ancient lore are all up for grabs should you succeed. There's more to discover, too, so take down the Angel of Death and load up on rich rewards.
Enjoy!
Big thanks to Mod Ramen, who led the design and development of today's update in his personal-projects time.
Have fun conquering the latest brutal boss encounter!
The RuneScape Team
In Other News
Read the patch notes for further details of today's updates.
Live Streams this Week
Each week we live stream Q&As, in-game events and more. Watch our streams and find a full streaming schedule over on our Twitch channel. Check our YouTube channel, too, for previous streams.
Tuesday, January 31st| 17:00 __game Time | February: the Month Ahead
Nex: Angel of Death is the start of a series of interesting, dev-led projects coming your way in the next few months.
Tune into the Q&A on Tuesday to find out more about what we�ve got planned (including information about the 15-year veteran�s cape, Double XP Weekend, Game Jam and loads of other good stuff)!
Want your question asked? Use the #RSQA hashtag on Twitter, head to our forums, or to Reddit to post it.
Watch from 17:00 Game Time.
Friday, February 3rd | 21:00 Game Time | Community time with Mod Shauny
Mod Shauny will be back and showcasing some of the updates you�ve got to look forward to next week.
Sunday February 5th | 19:00 Game Time | PvM with Mod Lee
Get your weekly dose of PvM goodness with Mod Lee � don�t miss it!
Snapchat takeover � Mod Wolf � Thursday 2nd February
Mod Wolf is taking over the RuneScape Snapchat account for the day � check out a day in his life working at Jagex, and all about life in our QA team this Thursday!
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, ZombiePie, am once again honored to be your host this week. As the first month of the already chaotic year we call 2017 comes to a close, a number of you managed to start the year off with a bang. Many of you fastidiously tackled your gaming backlogs, and others are participating in community events which tap into your creative skills. If anything, this all warms the heart of this respective cantankerous moderator rather personally. With this heart-to-heart complete, let's move on to the site related housekeeping:
Friend of the site Dave Lang has been having a blast running through the Giant Bomb community contracts in Hitman. Unfortunately, he's close to running out of new ones and has let out an all call to the entire community to create more.
Community Activities
Giant ROM 4 - The Giant Bomb __game Jam Encore (By: ZandraVandra)
The Giant Bomb Game Jam, Giant ROM 4, is the "true" highlight this week. If you are not aware, community leader ZandraVandra organizes a Giant Bomb user led Game Jam every year for the past four years. The themes for this year are "East Versus West" and "One Big Chomp." Support and participate in the community effort NOW!
The Giant Bomb unOFFICIAL Classic Wing (By: embryo69)
Are you still having fun with Elite: Dangerous? Learn how to join the Giant Bomb Community (un)Official Private Group for Elite: Dangerous by clicking the link above!
Now picture this image with ten or so Giant Bomb users faffing about!
Clips Of The Week
HITMAN - Featured Contract - The Caravella Conundrum (By: Forthe Seven)
We will talk more about the "Caravella Conundrum" later, but right now I wanted to showcase how this Hitman "expert" managed to speedrun the contract in around four minutes. That is a level of savagery Shiek Zanzibar could respect!
Giant Bomb Galleria
Banner - Today's This Is the Run (By: ZandraVandra)
The most recent batch of episodes for "This Is the Run" have certainly proven Vinny's boldness in fighting the alien menace. As such, ZandraVandra felt inspired to illustrate this FACT!
Nintendo's Stinky Brick (By: Mathey)
Giant Bomb user Mathey had fun illustrating Jeff's "Stinky Brick Console" conversation from the 01.17.2017 Bombcast.
Best Of Blogs
Skullgirls helping out in making positive life choices? Read more about it on PerfidiousSinn's blog!
I Suck At Fighting Games: Skullgirls 2nd Encore+ (By: PerfidiousSinn)
PerfidiousSinn shares how he built his patience and confidence playing Skullgirls, and how enriching it was in his overall life.
An Impossible Start to the New Year (January Progress Report) (By: morecowbell24)
In the first month of 2017, morecowbell24 managed to complete seventeen games. Learn what they were and what he thought of them!
Beautiful Apocalypse: Thoughts on Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture (By: Darth_Navster)
Darth_Navster comments on his disappointment with game developer The Chinese Room’s Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, especially as a follow up to Dear Esther.
Read more about Darth_Navsters anemic reaction to Everybody's Gone to Rapture
I Dislike The Emphasis On 1080p And 60FPS & The Voice Actor Strike. How Do You Feel About It? (By: D-Man123)
D-Man123's latest blogging offerings tackle two enormous dragons facing the gaming industry. First, he question's the industry's emphasis of higher resolution graphics rather than other pressing issues. Second, he looks at the continuation of the voice actors strike.
Playing The Witcher Again After Reading The Books (Spoilers) (By: ll_Exile_ll)
ll_Exile_ll recently replayed The Witcher after reading the books the game is based on. Check out his blog to see where the book and game compliment and clash.
Looks like Psylocke is "Top Tier" in Marvel Heroes!
An Overview Of Marvel Heroes' "Biggest Update Ever" (By: Wemibelle)
If you enjoy playing Marvel Heroes 2016 check out Wemibelle's post on the myriad of changes that hit the game last week, and what they mean for players.
The Backlogbook - Week Three & Pokémon Sun Nuzlocke Challenge - Chapter Five (By: danielkempster)
danielkempster continues to chip away at his gaming backlog with the likes of Grandia and Borderlands this week. Read all about his progress with his gaming backlog this month. danielkempster also published the latest chapter of his Pokémon Sun/Moon Nuzlocke Challenge blog series for your viewing pleasure!
I had honestly never heard of King's Field until now! Many thanks to JasonR86 for that!
My Favorite Games! 8: King's Field II (By: JasonR86)
JasonR86 defends King's Field II as one of his all-time favorite video games, and spends a fair amount of time detailing why the game is still emotionally resonant to him to this day.
All-New Saturday Summaries 2017-01-28 (By: MENTO)
Mento's weekly round-up includes links to regular installments of the PS2-focused "The Top Shelf" and backlog-clearing "Indie Game of the Week". He also elaborates on Xenoblade Chronicles X's assortment of sapient alien races.
Join The Discussion
Sometimes there aren't any words to properly describe your excitement.
The Caravella Conundrum Discussion Thread (By: Yabico)
Right then, let's unpack the "Caravella Conundrum!" It is a community creation which the fine men and women at IO Interactive decided to showcase for all the world to see. Speaking of which, how did you fare in your attempt to tackle the Caravella Conundrum "Featured Contract" in Hitman? Whether it went as smoothly as a knife through butter, or so difficult that you have an axe to grind, be sure to tell the community how you did.
Professional Difficulty Level And Jan 31st Hitman Update Discussion Thread (By: w00master)
Are you excited for the "Professional Difficulty" in Hitman? Join our discussion for the Jan. 31st update with the rest of our wetwork enthusiast sub-community.
What are your two-cents related to the Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire crowdfunding campaign? Whether it be positive or negative feel free to share it over here.
Injustice 2 Online Beta Impressions and Feedback Thread (By: inevpatoria)
Do you have any major takeaways related to the online beta for Injustice 2? Feel free to articulate what you think the future looks like for NetherRealm Studios's latest fighting game offering.
How has the latest Resident Evil been treating you?
Resident Evil 7 Impressions (By: IVDAMKE)
Do any of you have early impressions related to Resident Evil 7 biohazard? Is the most recent entry in the series a franchise savior, or a step in the wrong direction?
Lovable Lists
Most Anticipated Games of 2017 (By: Siphillis)
User Siphillis lists and annotates the games he is most looking forward to playing, and they run the gamut when it comes to platforms and genres.
Useful User Reviews
redbullet685's Resident Evil 7 biohazard review details how it manages to capably breathe life back into the series.
Wonderful Wiki
I'm just going to post this image without context.
Kingdom Hearts HD II.8: Final Chapter Prologue
There's a lot to "unpack" in Kingdom Hearts HD II.8: Final Chapter Prologue. Our wiki page is a major help for any of you "heartless" types.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
It has been re-released on the 3DS recently, so check out our MASSIVE wiki page for Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King to learn everything there is to know about the game.
Mod Proto's here to take us through NXT's past, present and future in today's Dev Blog.
After years of internal development, 2016 saw our NXT client released into the world.
In many ways, this was just the beginning. The client was built and delivered to you, but it's still very much part of our day. The great thing about working on an MMO like RuneScape is that you live with the same __game that your players do every day. We use the __game to test and build new content, to do events with you, and as our tool to tell the many stories of RuneScape. We work on the client every day and will do as long as you keep playing.
Previously, we have talked about some of the technical challenges involved in releasing NXT. We always knew that � despite our best efforts to make a perfect client - only testing in house would fall short. That's why we looked at ways we could get your eyes on it as soon as possible.
You may recall sneak previews at RuneFest and beta weekends. Using the data from these, we carefully selected what tweaks and changes we needed so that we could have a release that was stable and fully featured, but still timely. With over half a year of live play behind us I'm pretty happy with the level we launched at.
Who's Using NXT?
Early player behaviour showed us that many people loved it, with 50% of the player base adopting the client almost immediately and never looking back.
We work really hard of talking with and listening to our players. It's like having hundreds of thousands of mates in the internet, and sometimes we forget just how many players are out there and that not everyone is engaged in the conversation - they just play. That meant that a surprising number of players hadn't heard we had a new client, even months after release.
Our Analytics team put together a report for me to track the uptake of the client. A red line on it showed me who was playing day by day and had never tried NXT.
I'm happy to be a position now where that number is in single-digit percentage and dropping every day. We have also added a purple line representing players who have never played the Java client. Each day, thousands of players show up in game from that category.
For the rest, there were those who would use the new client for regular use but go back to the Java client for specific activities. Some we could see would do a bit of play in both clients on each day most would pick a client for the day and show up on my chart as a Java user. We're now in a position that on any given day over 70% of the player base is using NXT as their only client.
So What Next?
We've mentioned it before, but it's worth saying again: the Java client served us well but has been holding us back in several areas for a while.
NXT is our ticket to be able to push the game further than ever before. Even in the halfway house where both clients are in use, we can push on with some things. You will have noticed draw distance, shadows and higher resolution textures as examples.
However, there are things we would like to do with a number of systems where the difference between the two clients is too great � things we can't do while the Java client is still supported. That means that � eventually � we will need to retire the Java client entirely.
There is no fixed date for this, and we don't intend to surprise you all one morning at breakfast � when it happens, you'll have notice.
A day will come, though, where we have to change something that the Java client won't be able to keep up with. At that point, we want to have already made sure that we have catered to the concerns and reasons that might prevent a player from come along for the ride.
On the Horizon
As we push on in 2017 with fixes, tweaks, optimisations and improvements there are few things to look out for.
It's come to our attention that somewhere in the desert there is a mysterious city. The content teams tell us there is a wealth of lore, stories and activity hidden behind the walls. We told them you can also find some new graphical features to showcase the secrets.
You may remember a teaser trailer offering a peek at the Golden City of Menaphos. What you might not have noticed is a stunning new lighting effect. This screenshot is a great example of our new volumetric light (sometimes called god rays). It's not just a cool thing we use in videos - it is a real-time, in-game effect that you will start seeing much more of as 2017 rolls on.
The NXT team are also knee-deep in the material system, offering up tools to our artists to make a city that looks and feels better than ever before. I've been to some of the early sprint reviews and I'm getting excited already. Hopefully I won't wear myself out before the gates swing open.
In Conclusion
NXT - as a project - finished last year. However, the work never stopped, and its maintenance and ongoing development is everyday business in the team.
The client is an integral part of the game that we update every week, that we work with every day and - most importantly - it's the window you adventure through every waking moment of the week. We will be tending to its many features for as long as there is a RuneScape. We will be keeping up with all the driver changes, hardware variations and operating system enhancements the world can throw out. We will be looking to improve the performance so that you can get more with less, and expand the options you can have if you have power to spare. You aren't stopping playing, so we aren't stopping working and talking.
The Community Team will be watching and keep making sure that we can get your answers from the tech side. There is even a risk we might do some Dev Diary videos if you have any questions.
Invention is coming to Treasure Hunter! From 00:00 UTC on 26th January until 23:59 UTC on 30th January, aspiring inventors will be able find protean cogs in Alice's chests.
Much like other protean items, simply use these stackable beauties from your inventory for a steady stream of XP.
Note that only those who have unlocked the Invention skill by completing the tutorial will be able to use the cogs.
Other protean items will be available, too, and it will be possible to convert other proteans to cogs at the usual 3:2 exchange rate.
Enjoy!
Have fun, get inspired, and get levelling. See you in game!
The RuneScape Team
What is Treasure Hunter?
Treasure Hunter is playable from within RuneScape, allowing players to use Keys to claim in-game items as prizes. These range from useful resources to rare weapons and exclusive gear.
Playing Treasure Hunter is simple - click the treasure chest icon that pops up when you log in. If you've not played before, just follow the on-screen guide.
Everyone gets at least one Key per day, and RuneScape members get two. You can earn more Keys while playing the game, or stock up by redeeming Bonds.
If you'd like more, you can also buy Keys on the website, or by clicking 'Buy Keys' within the Treasure Hunter interface in-game.
By most accounts, 2016 was a pretty darn good year for games, and that apparently even includes your own account! Late last year we opened up the voting for our Community 2016 Games of the Year, let people vote through early January, then tallied the results and, well...here we are.
This year, 5,795 of our readers submitted a list of up to 10 games. Not everyone put ten games on their list, so the total number of votes totaled up to 48,506 votes on a total of 1,061 different games. Any __game in the database could be submitted, so some of those games were no doubt not actually released in 2016, but most of the games on the lists below do indeed seem to be valid votes. We allowed the inclusion of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, as many of you seemed jazzed by the Blood and Wine expansion pack for the game.
The top of the top results aren't so far off from our editor's results (for reference, you can find those Games of the Year right over here.) The main difference is obviously that DOOM managed to take the first slot in both pure votes and weighted votes, edging out the editors' pick of Hitman in both categories. Of the editors' top 10 games, Superhot, Thumper, and Hyper Light Drifter didn't quite manage to pick up the groundswell of community support needed to get them onto the top 10 community lists, to the benefit of Uncharted 4, Dark Souls III, and Firewatch. Also note that it looks like more than a few voters were confused by a search result for a __game called Inside from 2012, but not to the point where Inside from 2016 would've been bumped up more than a spot or so on the lists.
This first list is a simple count of the times that each game received a single vote:
Game
Number of Votes
1.
Doom
1891
2.
Overwatch
1431
3.
Hitman
1391
4.
Titanfall 2
801
5.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
694
6.
Stardew Valley
682
7.
The Witness
672
8.
Dark Souls III
653
9.
Firewatch
347
10.
Inside
346
11.
Final Fantasy XV
338
12.
Pokémon Sun/Moon
265
13.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
231
14.
Dishonored 2
224
15.
Forza Horizon 3
205
16.
Superhot
197
17.
Battlefield 1
190
18.
XCOM 2
183
19.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI
176
20.
Hyper Light Drifter
163
21.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
146
22.
The Last Guardian
137
23.
Gears of War 4
121
24.
Darkest Dungeon
116
25.
World of Warcraft: Legion
109
26.
Watch Dogs 2
105
27.
Tom Clancy's The Division
99
27(t).
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
99
29.
Ratchet & Clank
97
30.
Stellaris
91
31.
Mafia III
90
32.
Inside
87
33.
Oxenfree
78
34.
Overcooked!
76
35.
Total War: Warhammer
72
35(t).
Thumper
72
37.
Fire Emblem Fates
68
38.
Street Fighter V
61
38(t).
Picross 3D: Round 2
61
38(t).
Let It Die
61
41.
No Man's Sky
57
42.
Rise of the Tomb Raider
55
43.
Enter the Gungeon
53
44.
Abzû
51
45.
Furi
49
45(t).
Factorio
49
45(t).
Devil Daggers
49
45(t).
Salt and Sanctuary
49
49.
Pokémon Go
47
50.
Planet Coaster
47
The second list here is weighted. Games that were ranked in the first slot of a Top Ten list would be weighted much more heavily than games in the #10 spot, for example. The numbers might not make sense when compared to the vote totals above, but I'm told they're based on fractions instead of whole numbers! Hope that makes sense! Math!
Today's update brings a batch of macabre new rewards for Soul Reaper fans, plus an awe-inspiring, player-named Shadow Gorilla pet and matching cosmetic armour set, available for a limited time to RuneCoin buyers.
Soul Reaper Rewards
Death has cast his desolate gaze over the Soul Reaper rewards, and the last thing we'd want to do is disappoint him. Taking on board ideas from Redditor Fowdraco, Mod Ryan and Mod Daze have filled out the list with some sweet new unlocks.
Among these is a brand-new Book of Death, a pocket-slot item that grants combat stats and a small chance to insta-kill your enemies (or do an extra chunk of damage to bosses). As well as the unlock at Death's Store, it requires 80 Crafting to make, and is untradeable.
Here's the full list:
Book of Death | 500 RP � Permanently unlocks the ability to craft the Book of Death.
Death Notes | 40 RP � Materials used to craft the Book of Death.
Reaper's Choice | 250 RP � Passive. 1/10 chance you may choose your task on assignment.
Gravestone loot beam | 75 RP/750 SP � See your loot drops in a macabre light.
Reaper Scroll | 250 RP � Passive. Permanently gives 50% extra XP for Soul Reaper tasks.
Death's Support | 250 RP � Passive. Doubles the health regained from signs and portents of life and death.
There are also two new cosmetic rewards that unlock automatically on completing a set number of Soul Reaper assignments. Note that these are unlocked retroactively, so seasoned reapers can get these right away:
Tiny Death Pet | 200 assignments - Less statuesque than his namesake, but cuter.
We've also rebalanced the pricing of aura refreshes and the Death's Deal unlock to better reflect their usage.
Big thanks go out to Mods Harrison and Wolf, who chipped in to help Ryan and Daze with testing and design.
So gear up and make a beeline for a boss � Soul Reaper just got more rewarding!
Solomon's Store | Shadow Gorilla Pet and Cosmetic Armour
The shelves of Solomon's Store are creaking under the weight of some truly mighty new stock.
First up is an new legendary pet. The Jungle Gorilla's just the sidekick you need for a jaunt to Gielinor's farthest reaches.
For a limited time, there's also the ability to buy a shadowy variant of the pet � named Titus in our community competition.
Also for a limited time, those who buy a 2400 RuneCoins package will get the Shadow Gorilla armour set.
These are perfect for every delver into dark dungeons. Get it while you can!
You can purchase RuneCoins via the website, or redeem Bonds in-game.
Enjoy!
Have a superbly shadowy week of 'Scaping, all. Look out for an awesome Nex video later this week!
The RuneScape Team
In Other News
Read the patch notes for further details of today's updates.
Live Streams this Week
Each week we live stream Q&As, in-game events and more. Watch our streams and find a full streaming schedule over on our Twitch channel.
Check our YouTube channel, too, for all of our previous streams, including the latest Mining and Smithing Dev Diary � your one-stop shop for all our Smithing plans with this year's rework.
Tomorrow's stream is based on the epic plans we have for the first couple of months this year � based on the 'Year Ahead' video. Read on to find out more!
Tuesday, January 24th| 17:00 __game Time | Nex: Angel of Death and Passion Projects
The next few weeks will see a glut of smaller, interesting projects that our developers have invested their own time into creating: starting with Nex: Angel of Death, out next week. This will culminate in an epic Game Jam weekend, which we'll be streaming for your viewing pleasure over February 18th-19th.
So we'll be on the sofas discussing Nex*, as well as the concept of passion projects and why we think they're the perfect addition to the RuneScape content calendar.
Want your question asked? Use the #RSQA hashtag on Twitter, head to our forums, or to Reddit to post it.
*Note: we'll only be giving away a limited amount of information about Nex (we want there to be some surprises!), but please don't let that stop you asking questions!
Watch from 17:00 Game Time to check it out!
Friday, January 27th | 21:00 Game Time | Community time with Mod Shauny
Mod Shauny will be back and showcasing some of the updates you've got to look forward to next week, as well as going through some of the Soul Reaper updates!
Sunday, January 29th | 19:00 Game Time | PvM with Mod Lee!
Get your weekly dose of PvM goodness with Mod Lee � don't miss it!
Hey, you know Jeff Bakalar. He's an extraordinarily good-looking CNET host by day, but co-host of your very own Giant Beastcast by night--err, Thursday afternoons. You can always find him on CNET TV, CBSN and other streamable things, but your best bet is to just follow him on Twitter.
Stacie Blair Bakalar is an amazing talent who spent most of her early production career at Comedy Central and Spike TV. She's currently the Post Production Supervisor on the second season of Master of None. Her first console was a NES, which she played religiously, but did not return to the world of gaming until she and Jeff began dating in 2003.
My wife's the best. Every day I look at her and say to myself, "Yeah, you don't deserve her in your life." She's my best friend and has given me the most special thing in my entire life, our spectacularly handsome and lovable son, Dylan.
I often overlook how much of my shit she's put up with since we started dating 14 years ago. A lot of that shit is my obsession with video games.
Growing up, Stacie played a sizable number of NES games but never made it beyond that generation because of saving limitations and what she calls "insane difficulty." In college, Stacie and I took film and production courses together and even made a mockumentary which she wrote and I directed. Perhaps it's our shared love of film that opened the door to her rediscovery of games when we eventually started dating.
More often than not, Stacie consumes games through watching me play them, but will often request the controller when she's seen enough to know she'd like to try whatever I'm playing.
So to celebrate Stacie, here are her favorite games that she's watched me play, or stolen the controller and played herself.
10. Bound
Thinking back on her few hours with Bound, Stacie recalls, "Bound was a beautifully rhythmic ribbon dancer game. I appreciated how well they captured such grace and form in the character's choreography. The setup was very powerful and then it just transforms you into this weird and unexpected world."
9. Abzû
"Abzû was like being on vacation. It's a serene, relaxing, zen-like feeling of weightlessness in the vast sea. Swimming with beautiful fish and riding the fins of dolphins was surreal. It's everything I want to do in real life. So yeah, I'd really want to play Abzu in VR."
8. The Witness
Braid was probably the first indie __game that Stacie experienced with me, so we were psyched to jump into The Witness, even if there wasn't a connection between the two games.
Stacie adds, "I loved being on that big, beautiful island, and how the puzzles fit naturally into the scenery. The __game is deceptively difficult and I liked that we needed a pen and paper to make it through a few of the mazes. For some reason that weird stock archival footage stuck with me--it felt like it didn't belong there and that was awesome."
7. Thumper (VR)
I still maintain that Thumper's aesthetic influence is specifically the time travel warp scenes from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, but for Stacie, Thumper VR is "a trippy, beetle rhythmic rollercoaster that was hypnotic and addictive. The feeling of getting lost in that game was scary and thrilling, but I liked it."
6. Virginia
"Virginia was engaging from the get-go. You think you have a handle on it but then it immediately goes in a very different direction. I liked that it had a female lead and the score moved it along, keeping you on the edge of your seat. I watched every second of Virginia, but I'm still not sure of who, what, why or how."
5. Batman: Arkham VR
I really dug Arkham VR even if it felt limiting at times. Rocksteady did a great job with the tech on the table, especially given the circumstances of being a launch title.
Batman was the first game I had Stacie play in VR. "It was the first immersive VR experience I ever had. If we could just fast-forward through that horrific opening scene--I loved the feeling of opulence once you're in Wayne Manor with Alfred. I had the best time being transported down into the Batcave, there's nothing better. I could stare at myself wearing the Batman outfit all day."
4. The Last Guardian
We've been together since Shadow of the Colossus came out so that's reason enough to include The Last Guardian in our list. I loved that game for reasons shared here, but Stacie liked it for its "adorable depiction of a boy and his dragon-dog-bird. I wasn't keyed into the puzzles that much but the slow-motion sequences were really impressive. The Last Guardian did a great job with making it feel like we were hanging off the edge of the earth and there is nothing cuter than Trico being scared of the stained glass eyes."
3. Firewatch
I loved Firewatch for its engaging story and authentic performances. For Stacie, "the suspense they created in that open natural setting was palpable. Firewatch worked for me because it wasn't aggressive and its episodic format give me that 'must-binge' Netflix feeling. I've never been, but I feel like I know Yellowstone Park now."
2. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
"I've seen the entire Uncharted series and every time I'm astonished at the game's cinematography and the epic action scenes. What keeps me watching are the breathtaking views of the world. It's like watching a vacation, aside from all the killing and explosions. I can't deny that I have a crush on Nathan Drake. His shirt is always so perfectly tucked, and that hair... But seriously, I thought the relationship cutscenes were very relatable. That's something I don't see a lot in the games Jeff plays."
No argument from me here. I think Uncharted 4 is a technical masterpiece.
1. Inside
Stacie really liked Limbo because of how much it reminded her of a Tim Burton fever dream. Naturally, she fell in love with Inside because of its "brooding environment and beautiful monochrome art. I like that it's not a shooter and together as a team we were able to solve a lot of the puzzles. My favorite parts were the swimming demon with long black hair, the synchronized zombies and it's not everyday you get to roll around a gigantic ball of human flesh."
Happy holidays and a big ol' kiss on the cheek from all of us in the Bakalar clan. And hey, if you'd like to see my very official Top 10 Games of 2016, head over to CNET and enjoy the slideshow.
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight and I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host this week. With the tomfoolery of __game of the Year entirely behind us the community and staff have been in a perpetual buzz about the prospects of 2017. Vast swaths of the community shared their excitement for the new year by sharing their most anticipated releases, and initial impressions of the Switch. Beyond this two major talking points much of the community used the doldrums of Winter to tackle their gaming backlog. With that, let's get on with the site related housekeeping:
The 5th Annual Giant Bomb Anime Discussion for AOTY results are up! Check out which anime took the Giant Bomb community's top prize, and total rankings for the endeavor.
Join the rest of the Giant Bomb Community in wishing Mary Kish the best in her future endeavors after her announcement she will be leaving GameSpot.
Because Jason Oestreicher doesn't want any of us to sleep anymore, he went ahead and posted this on Twitter:
Clips Of The Week
Metal Gear Scanlon Rising - So Nice You Said it Twice (By: @mepsipax)
Did you have a feeling of déjà vu while watching Metal Gear Scanlon Rising? Mepsipax's latest compilation video backs you up and annotates why.
Giant Bomb Galleria
BANNER - The East Coast Version Of The Giant Bomb Logo (By: @humanity)
Giant Bomb user Humanity tried to envision what the Giant Bomb logo would look like if it were born in the boroughs of New York City. This is what he came up with and it is PERFECT!
Contra - This Is The Run CRT Art (By: @fobwashed)
Perpetual friend of the site, Fobwashed, thoroughly enjoyed Giant Bomb East's "This Is The Run" video series so much he felt inspired to create this artwork.
Best Of Blogs
Is Overwatch "casual?" meteora3255 thinks so!
Overwatch Is Casual And That's OK & Trade Season Fun With NBA 2K17 (By: @meteora3255)
Despite being a competitive online multiplayer shooter, meteora3255 articulates why he envisages Overwatch as a "casual" game. meteora3255 also tinkered around with NBA 2K17's trading system. Read how he had a romp exploiting the game's A.I. incompetent use of the system.
Why I Only Play Sly Cooper Anymore (By: @sonatar)
Giant Bomb user sonatar surfaces his absolute love for the Sly Cooper franchise, and what continues to draw him to it to this day.
What The Hell Has Nintendo Been Up To? (Lack Of Software For Switch) (By: @bigsocrates)
After mulling over the launch window for the Switch BigSocrates highlights his major concern of software support for Nintendo's next console.
sonatar shares his absolute love for everything Sly Cooper.
Old Trouble in New Bordeaux: Thoughts on Mafia III (By: @darth_navster)
Darth_Navster shares his extensive thoughts on Mafia III, its many cathartic showdowns, and the game's personal convictions throughout its story.
Some Thoughts After Playing Dragon Quest 7 3DS Remake (By: @kogx)
Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past on the 3DS is the first Dragon Quest __game KogX has ever played. Check out his formative opinions regarding the game and franchise.
GB-1-15-2017: Stars Are Never Sleeping (By: @ohagan)
From Unravel to LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, OHagan shares his impressions of every game he played in the last two weeks. Check it out and feel free to discus any of the games he played.
Many of you continue to be flummoxed by the Nintendo Switch.
I'm Boarding The Nintendo Switch Train & Gaming Sequels Never To Come (By: @d-man123)
D-Man123 is entirely on-board with Nintendo's Switch after deliberating over the consoles' presentation this past week. Additionally, D-Man123 started an extensive community discussion about highly desired video game sequels on a blog highlighting sequels which will never happen.
The Backlogbook - Week Two (By: @danielkempster)
danielkempster shares week two of his attempt to knock off games from his backlog. This week was all about knocking Grandia and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga from his dubious list.
We had two users in complete isolation of one another write backlog blogs about LEGO Star Wars... that is a weird thing.
The Longest Grind 09 - Myself and Fighting Games, An Introspective (By: @infinitespark)
InfiniteSpark shares a highly introspective look at his relationship with fighting games, as well as the culture surrounding the fighting game community in general
Fighting Final Fantasy IX Part 102-114: If A Game Gives Me An Aneurysm, Can I Sue The Developers? (By: @zombiepie)
ZombiePie wrote a 20-page blog on how the third disc of Final Fantasy IX almost killed him. Feel free to read the ramblings of a madman if you dare.
Join The Discussion
Once and for all, where do you stand?
The Mass Effect Franchise Poll And Pre-Andromeda Discussion Thread (By: @spaceinsomniac)
Before the next chapter in Mass Effect comes out, Mass Effect: Andromeda, feel free to participate in this community poll about your final thoughts on the original trilogy.
New Nioh Demo Impressions Sharing Thread (By: @memonk)
Nioh unleashed a new visceral demo/trial full of samurai and yokai action. Talk about your impressions of it, especially regarding its difficulty, over here.
The Verdict in 2017 - Mario Sunshine (By: @liquiddragon)
It has been a divisive point of contention between the staff, but where do you rank and rate Super Mario Sunshine? Participate in this poll to throw in your lot.
XCOM 2 Long War 2 Mod Discussion Thread (By: @zevvion)
The Long War 2 mod for XCOM 2 is out now! How have the extra mission types and a new world map been treating you?
The Backlog Game You're Definitely Going To Finally Get To, For Real This Time (By: @joe_mccallister)
Is this the best or worst thing to happen to Mario? You tell me!
During the doldrums of January to March, which game in your backlog do you especially wish to play and complete? Feel free to share the targets on your backlog you really want to get rid of.
Lovable Lists
GOTY 2014 (Adjusted) (By: @mento)
The master of lists, Mento, "re-ranked" his 2014 GOTY list. Trust me, it makes more sense after you check it out.
Useful User Reviews
@jeffrud's Crayon Physics Deluxe (PC) review explains why he thinks the game barely avoids being a runaway disaster.
