Minecraft-ing with Friends

Last time we checked out Minecraft on XBLA, the most amazing feature was the in-game crafting system and guide. For a game so dependent on wikis and online recipe discovery, this addition was a fantastic way to keep players in-game and not meandering the internet looking for ways to grow a garden.

Here is the coolest Minecraft art you will see all day.

But a new demo revealed that not only does Minecraft have a self-contained crafting system, it also supports four-player splitscreen, letting teams of friends chill out on the couch building entire worlds together. With four people chipping away in the mines, the frame rate stays super-smooth, making it a great way to spend time with the people next to you on the couch without even having to look at them.

This jump-in-jump-out co-op also breaks into additional combinations once taken online. Up to eight people can maneuver around in any given world, meaning that eight people, playing splitscreen in two locations can all team up, or four teams of two, or any combination in between. The connectivity is seamless, and it's hilarious to see your teammates dressed in one of several curious outfits including tuxedoes, Boris Becker's short tennis shorts, or the classic Minecraft guy.

Make a home with friends.

This local connectivity brings Minecraft players together in a way that the PC version never could. If you've still never heard of Minecraft, make sure you check out our PC Minecraft review to see what it's all about.

[source ign.com ]

Assassin's Creed III Confirmed for Wii U

Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin's Creed III will come to Wii U.

In a press release today, Ubisoft noted that "Assassin's Creed III is set to release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Windows PC and is also in development for Wii U from Nintendo."

The Debut Trailer for Assassin's Creed III

Previously, Ubisoft announced that an Assassin's Creed game would come to Wii U during E3, but until now hadn't confirmed that it would be Assassin's Creed III.

Assassin's Creed III is set to hit PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 30th, and Wii U is currently set to be released before the end of 2012. Will the game hit Wii U at the same time as other platforms? We've reached out to Ubisoft for comment and will update with any information that we receive

[source ign.com ]

Top Five Skyrim Mods of the Week - March 3

If you've been playing the PC version of Skyrim, chances are you've at least taken a quick peek at all the terrific mods available on Steam Workshop and Skyrim Nexus. But sifting through all the latest mods can be a tough job. Well, have no fear. GameSpot is back with another video to showcase our favorite user-generated content from the past week (or so). And just because we love you, we've even thrown in a few more exploding chickens.


[source gamespot.com ]

Mass Effect Infiltrator Revealed

Let's get one thing out of the way right from the start: Mass Effect Infiltrator for iOS is not a roleplaying game. Players don't level up, engage in dialogue trees, or pilot a spaceship. Instead, the team at IronMonkey Studios has created a full-featured and action-oriented cover shooter, with hooks into the core Mass Effect trilogy's storyline.

Gamers play as Randall Ezno, a covert Cerberus agent of few words. As will surely come as no surprise to Mass Effect veterans, Ezno discovers early on that Cerberus is not the benevolent company it might first appear to be. The bulk of the action takes place in a sprawling Cerberus base. Ezno must travel deeper into the facility to uncover intel and put a stop to the company's plans.

Aside from a few small concerns, Infiltrator's third person action controls well via the iPad's large touch screen. As is standard, players drag the left side of the screen to move Ezno, and the right side to adjust the camera. The principle innovation is the game's aiming system. To target an enemy, players simply

Doom 4 developer responds to leaked images

The pile of supposed Doom 4 artwork posted earlier this week is not representative of the developer's new shooter, id Software has confirmed.

Today, id Software design director Matthew Hooper took to Twitter to respond to the artwork. He did not directly refute the authenticity of the images but noted they don't represent what gamers will find in Doom 4.

"Those images have nothing to do with what you're gonna see in Doom 4," he said.

Accompanying the images was a rumor that Doom 4 had been cancelled. Parent publisher Bethesda debunked this speculation, saying, "Doom 4 is not cancelled. When we are ready to talk about it, we'll let folks know."

That wasn't the first time Doom 4 was rumored to be shut down. Last October, word spread that Doom 4 was "indefinitely postponed," but Bethesda was quick to quiet that talk, saying, "Games are done when they are done, and no title under development at id has been postponed--indefinitely or otherwise."

As for Doom 4, the game's existence was first acknowledged in May 2008, when the developer sent out a press release stating that production had begun on the game. At the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, id Software head of technology John Carmack said the core team on Rage would move to Doom 4 development following the release of its latest shooter. He also said a sequel to Rage was planned to launch after Doom 4

[source gamespot.com ]

New Details on the Next SimCity

Earlier this week we reported that German magazine GameStar revealed SimCity. While there hasn't been an official world-wide announcement, IGN has translated the GameStar pages and gleaned the following details.

Simply called SimCity, a host of changes are coming to the series. For starters roads can now be curved, making for more organic city layouts than the grid framework the series was known for. The fixed viewpoint is also gone, allowing players to zoom in on specific buildings or move the camera around. Zooming in close to the ground also changes the audio, with close ups providing the cacophony of the city, and zoomed out views providing a much quieter atmosphere.

Visually, there's an increased level of detail (note: the currently leaked screenshots are concept only, not representative of the actual game). Buildings will have tiny pieces of signage, individual citizens will roam around and go about their daily lives, sometimes doing benign things like going to dinner, other times becoming proactive and protesting if jobs get low. The attention to detail actually has gameplay importance too, as you can see if a factory is working effeciently based on how it looks, how it animates.

Buildings also change over time in SimCity. Buildings progress overtime, unlocking new abilities, such as the power to put out fires faster for an upgraded firestation.

And you don't have to worry about trying to decipher the progress of your city via a number of graphs and charts, as these are being replaced with modernized infographics.

Multiplayer has been expanded for SimCity. You and your regional friends can trade resources via land, sea and air, hopefully resulting in collaboration between partners to build more effeciently. Online play also means there leaderboards, where you can see how you rank in fields like finance or production.

What's currently unclear is how the price of raw materials are determined. The article in GameStar alludes that prices in single-player are affected by what goes on in the online world. However, they don't get too specific about whether it's affected by a player-based economy or by actual, real-world events.

We should be seeing SimCity ourselves in the near future.

[source ign.com ]