Focus Home Interactive and Spiders Studios are releasing what they are describing as “the most ambitious RPG yet” for Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC this year. Exploring the world of Vertiel will allow you to interact with hundreds of characters find, craft, and utilize stacks of items, and of course, play through a legendary story. The next trailer will show the combat system which looks to be phenomenal! Trailer below, and press release after the jump.

 

BOUND BY FLAME – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IN ONE VIDEO

 

A new trailer for everyone who’s dying to know more!

Bound by Flame, the most ambitious RPG to date from Spiders studios due for release on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and PC in Q2 2014, is revealed today in meticulous detail in a new video! After a thrilling Epic Story Trailer that described the universe and the back story of the title, this trailer focuses on the game mechanics, the hero’s human/demon duality, combat, the bestiary, the “craft” system and much more.

In this overview of the many possibilities Bound by Flame has to offer, we discover the great freedom of action given to the player, where the various decisions and different choices he makes during his quest or his attitude to the other characters will affect his experience in the game and the world around him. The player’s reaction to the flame demon that possesses him and his tendency to reject its influence or allow it to consume his soul to gain more power will also significantly affect his experience during the adventure and exert a strong influence on his relationships with his companions and his approach to combat.

This latest video also uses numerous gameplay sequences to reveal a little more of the spectacular and tactically complex combat in Bound by Flame. The battles will also be the focus of the next Bound by Flame video trailer to be released in the coming weeks!

Bound by Flame will be available on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox 360® and PC in Q2 2014.

About Bound By Flame
Bound by Flame lets you play a mercenary possessed by a flame demon. As a victim of this demonic influence, players will have to choose between the powers offered by their host, or to keep their humanity, developing heroic talents instead. Dangers and enemies, becoming more terrifying and fearsome in battle, will be temptations to acquire more power by giving up part of the hero’s soul to the demon. Progression of the demonic influence will be reflected by the transformation of the hero’s body.

Depending on the choices made by the player and the influence of the demon, some chapters will offer different scenarios and a different experience, adding important replayability to the game. Real-time battles are impressive and dynamic. If the player begins the game knowing only the basics of combat, fire magic and assassination, he will be able to specialize by unlocking and improving many skills and powers through 3 different skill trees.

Bound by Flame lets the players customize their character. During the creation of their hero, players will be able to choose their gender and facial characteristics. This will of course have an influence on the demon’s appearance. Bound by Flame also includes a crafting system, allowing players to create and improve equipment, including their armor and weapons. Several companions will join the player during his quest, and will, depending on the player’s actions, develop friendship, romance or rivalry.

Finally, the bestiary of Bound by Flame is rich and spectacular. Players will get to fight many impressive creatures: shadow dragons, liches, undead, ice creatures… epic confrontations abound. Which path will the players take? Will they lust after the demon’s power and magic to annihilate their foes, or will they favor their combat skills and their bravery?

About Focus Home Interactive
Founded in 1996, Focus Home Interactive is an independent French publisher based near Paris, France. Known for the quality, diversity and originality of its catalogue, Focus has published and distributed original titles that have become benchmark titles worldwide – such as Blood Bowl, the strategy games Wargame, Sherlock Holmes, TrackMania, Runaway, Cities XL and also Cycling Manager and Farming Simulator.
http://www.focus-home.com

About Spiders Games
Spiders is an independent video game development studio based in Paris, France. Founded in 2008 by several industry veterans who worked most notably on the Silverfall game and its add-on, the studio is mainly specialized in the creation of action/RPG games on PC and next gen consoles, but also has the capacity to realize or participate in the realization of PC ports on consoles. To date, Spiders developed and released Faery: Legends of Avalon, an enchanting RPG on PC, Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, as well as the console ports of the Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper (Xbox 360) and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes (PS3, Xbox 360) adventure games. Spiders has also developed Of Orcs and Men, an RPG for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 designed and produced by Cyanide, and Mars War Logs (PC, XBLA, PSN). Spiders is currently developing Bound by Flame for PC, PS3, PS4 and Xbox360.
http://www.spiders-games.com

 

The NPD group has released sales results from January 2014. While both next gen consoles have seen a considerable drive with the Xbox One outpacing the launch of its predecessor, we have seen a few things, which are not too unexpected for the bots here.

The PlayStation 4 outsold the Xbox One 2 to 1 in January continuing its trend of being the number one selling console in the next generation.  With the extra week in January retailers and developers were hoping for a bump in sales results due to the additional time frame. It is being said, however, that due to lack of software releases during the month, the results were in fact down from expectations.  With the weak releases during January, it isn’t really a surprise. Especially when you consider last January held the release of DMC: Devil May Cry, (which wasn’t hugely successful, but definitely bolstered sales numbers for the month.)

In an interview with the PlayStation Blog, John Koller also describes his shock at the enormous success of PlayStation Plus.

I’ve been a bit taken aback by the explosion of PlayStation Plus memberships, where we’ve seen more than 90% growth since PS4’s launch. Instant Game Collection is a big hit, with gamers sharing their experiences across Resogun, Contrast, Don’t Starve and now Outlast. PS Plus members are not only discovering great games on PS4, they’re also playing together online, logging a total of 172 million hours. It’s a great start, we’re delighted, but clearly we’ll continue to work on making PlayStation Plus the best value in gaming.

With the Japan launch of PS4 just around the corner (Feb. 22), it will be interesting to see the results. The quick start on this generation has been absolutely phenomenal and the chart below from VG Charts, definitely shows how quickly these have taken off. It is also worth noting that the Vita is the bottom dweller in current sales, hopefully the new bundle coming this Spring can help our forgotten handheld friend, and maybe some PS4 owners will dive into the second-screen experience.

Image Via – VGCharts 

Which side did you pick? What games are you waiting for? Did you get a valentines hug? Sound off below!

Yesterday the NPD Group released the sales data for the PS4 and the Xbox One and both manufacturers began announcing the data with loud celebration. Since the launch of the Playstation 4 on November 15, 2013, the console has sold 2.1 million units. On the other side of the coin, the Xbox has sold 2 million units since the launch on November 22, 2013.

As soon as this data was released the Playstation Blog released the following:

It’s now clear that the launch of PS4 is one for the record books. This afternoon we learned from market research firmNPD Group that PS4 was the top-selling console for November and PlayStation was #1 in sales overall for home consoles. This news comes on the heels of yesterday’s confirmation that the PS4 launch is the biggest ever in the history of game consoles. Ever! And it’s all thanks to you.

Not to be outdone, Microsoft released a statement via The Xbox Wire

Xbox has seen record-breaking sales with the recent announcement of Xbox One selling more than 2 million units through to consumers worldwide since its launch. November NPD Group figures released today revealed 909,132 Xbox One units were sold in the U.S. in the console’s first nine days, making it the fastest selling console on the market in the U.S. Xbox One sales averaged a volume of more than 101,000 consoles per day, significantly outpacing the nearest competitor.

Globally, both consoles hit the 2 million point during November, and both announcements are true. Playstation 4 was the most successful console launch in history, and the Xbox One did sell at a faster pace due to the shorter time frame of availability. I guess the biggest news to me is the staggering sales numbers for the next generation launch. The Playstation 3 only sold just over 81,000 units during its first month of availability. The Xbox 360 sold roughly five times that during its debut month. That generation was filled with the cries of victory from Microsoft, and of course, fierce battling between fan boys. This generation has released very differently, while the two manufacturers try to show their victories and reaffirm their consumers purchases, I truly believe we are one step closer to getting every game, on whatever we have.

The news truly states that whichever system you bought, you are a winner. Developers have ample reason to release titles on both platforms due to the staggering numbers. Releasing for both gives them a chance to increase their sales by 100%. Third-party developers would be amiss to develop for one console exclusively without special contracts in place from the manufacturers. Exclusivity will still be something we see continuing in the coming years, but mark my words, it is going to be a lot less common now.

Anything I write would just be fanboy gushing, so we can leave it simply at this. This retelling of the Dracula story supervised by Kojima has been phenomenal. Seeing Trevor become Alucard, Gabriel become Dracula, and viewing the origin of the Belmont clan has been absolutely wonderful. The game may not have a perfect combat system, the story alone has been worth it for me. Lords of Shadow 2 releases February 28, 2014.

Quantic Dream released Beyond Touch today as a way for “non-gamers” or “casual gamers” to experience Beyond: Two Souls. The app in question also contains links to development diaries, as well as links to purchase the game. Instead of using the Dual Shock 3 to control the game, players can use their iOS or Android device exclusively. Since the game is built to utilize two players (one for Aiden and one for Jodie) you are also given the option to run the game using 2 mobile devices, 2 Dualshock 3 controllers, or one of each. The application is completely free on both market places, will you be trying a second run with your mobile?

Steam took to the internet to announce the final piece of their plans yesterday. First we saw the open source SteamOS. Then we were treated to the announcement that Steam Machines are on their way. Finally, Valve let us know on Friday that they have developed a controller meant to do what no controller has ever done. Those opposed may be worried that the Valve fan boys are simply jumping on board with something that won’t deliver on it’s promises. But based on what Valve has shown this controller can do what none other have.

Track Pads: The Steam Pad will use track pads instead of analog sticks. This technology promises to bring the accuracy and speed of a mouse and keyboard to the players thumbs. 

Touch Screen: This is an obvious need whether it help control an RTS better, or give gamers a quick way to manage that dungeon crawler, or play a casual game, touch is basically required at this point.

Support for ALL Games: There are games on Steam that do not have game pad support, this game pad makes those titles think it’s a keyboard, and matches inputs perfectly. Everything can use the pad now.

Haptics: Steam will use haptic feed-back, more advanced than standard “rumble” technology. This will help with accuracy and give users the feeling of touching something more than a pad. 

The Steam Controller is built around a new generation of super-precise haptic feedback, employing dual linear resonant actuators. These small, strong, weighted electro-magnets are attached to each of the dual trackpads. They are capable of delivering a wide range of force and vibration, allowing precise control over frequency, amplitude, and direction of movement.

Photo: Steam Pad Layout

Steam’s pad is using a lot of design pieces that we have seen in other controllers. It has, of course, been tested extensively and has been reviewed by many developers and embraced by most who use it.  The best part is the freedom, this controller requires nothing but Steam. If you have Steam this will work, no Steam Machine required. This is the final announcement from Steam this year, and everything they have mentioned will begin rolling out “soon”. The Steam Pad and Steam Machines will not hit until next year. Now we wait and see what the future holds.

Rat Queens is a new book from Images Shadowline division. The comic is like reading the conversations your RPG characters might have as they slog through yet another adventure – if your characters were surly, drunken wise-asses. The writer behind the hit Peter Panzerfaust, Kurtis Weibe, and relative new comer Roc Upchurch, have created what can only truly be appreciated through experience. The book is a must read if you’re any of the following:  looking for irreverent humor; a Deadpool fan; a gamer of the Dungeons and Dragons variety or even the MMORPG variety; a fan of different ideas in comics; and especially if you like having a good time. This book is so much fun!

The Rat Queens are a small group of female adventurers from various fantasy species. The team line up includes; Dee the human Cleric; Betty the Smidgen theif; Violet the red headed Dwarven fighter; and Hannah, the Elven mage. They’re very feminine but also prove to be fearsome and capable fighters. The Rat Queens can also hold their own in a profanity contest against the worst of drunken sailor. To that point, they’re also not sober for a good portion of the book. There is a great scene where they can’t remember if they were adventuring on mushrooms or if their trip turned into an adventure when the trees they stole the mushrooms from took offense and attacked them.
 
Without giving away too much more, their drunken escapades get them in quite a bit of trouble but it seems to be par for the course in their portion of the fantasy world. The main adventure that these characters will be questing on through the next few books is assigned to them through the local Sherriff. They, along with other adventurers, can either aide the citizenry or spend time in the dungeon.

The art is beautifully done. Pencils are tight and convey all kids of comedic character while maintaining a serious tone. The coloring makes the mood light even when there is a darker scene happening. Weibe proves that he can take an idea and spin it into a well fleshed out world. There is a depth of reality to the story that gives the characters life. If this book were a game, there would be many adventurers spending all their time in its digital world exploring and questing.

Rat Queens is $3.50 for digital or floppy. There is a special Fiona Staples variant that was available by pre-order. If you’re a fan of Staples you’re probably going to have to go out of your way to find that variant because this book is sure to be popular. It takes themes that geeks know and takes them into a fantasy world through a comic. It’s a comic geeks have been waiting for, even if they didn’t know it.

For more on Rat Queens from Weibe himself, go here.
To talk about the comic with me, send me a Tweet @MarkAvo 
Don’t forget to sound off in the comments, we appreciate the love.

Steam Machines are coming in 2014.  These boxes built by various manufacturers all running SteamOS are going to change the way we game.  If you still have a high end rig you prefer to use, then continue living your life as usual. No worries, no changes.  However, Valve will be shipping 300 prototype Steam Machines to a select group of users this year.  Here is how you attempt to get into the Beta. 

• Login to Steam and hit the Quest Page Here
• Agree to their terms and conditions
• Make 10 friends on Steam if you don’t already have them
• Play a game using a controller in Big Picture Mode

Once you’ve become eligible for the Beta they will randomly select members of the community to test these prototype boxes before the years end.  You only have until October 25 to get yourself on the list, after that you’re toast.  If you don’t try you have 0 chance so get to getting!

Pricing on the devices has not been announced, manufacturers have not been announced, and based on the different manufacturers we can only assume they will range from stream only boxes to super computers, all running this free operating system.  The best part about this whole set up is if you don’t want to buy a Steam Machine, you can simply build your own and load the OS onto it.  They are giving the user exactly what they want, total control.  

The FAQ at the bottom of the Steam Machine page discusses any question you can answer. Basically, think to yourself what would I want to do, and Steam pretty much has your back. You can use a mouse and keyboard if you like, but it is built to function well with simply a controller.  At this point I’m rambling, go check this out, the future is coming. Check back Friday where we will give you the info on Valve’s final announcement of the week. 

Steam announced the first of 3 new changes to their “Living Room.” This expansion to the Steam universe begins with SteamOS. This free operating system based on Linux with be “available soon.” The OS will do a few key things for gaming.

The first key feature is you can stream games from your current Steam enabled PC to the device running Steam OS. This isntantly solves my mac gaming problem I use a Macbook for my many BSR related tasks including recording and editing our podcast, the tools for that are absolutely necessary. Therefore I have a gaming PC in my office, and a Macbook with me as I head around. With SteamOS I can dual boot my Macbook and play any game configured for streaming from my PC on my laptop provided I’m on the same network.  The same ability applies to people with PC’s in their living room attached to a television, making the creation of micro-consoles and the like a swift reality.  

The second chunk is the SteamOS all around media integration.   Described as a “collaborative many-to-many platform”, SteamOS and Steam is working on partnerships with large amounts of popular media services, so that it may be in one place.

The final zone is SteamOS’s significant improements in input delay and processing speed that developers will be enabled to use.  Graphics and Audio processing have also been improved so this OS is aimed to be more efficient for gaming on all counts.  

Valve will be announcing to more innovations that we can be a part of in 2014.  If I had to guess a cloud-based subscription service is enroute along with their own hardware to run this beautiful OS, whether it be a full-fledged SteamBox or simply a controller that will integrate with the OS fully, I think Steam is on the verge of crashing the console market in a way we haven’t yet imagined. The next announcement is just 27 hours away, dropping at 11 am Mountain Time. The counter could simply be counting down to the OS launch, or maybe it’s the time before Valve rains money onto its customers, or it could be one of the items mentioned previously. What do you think is coming next? What do you want to come next?

It is finally time for the stream to begin!!  We will be grinding games for 24 hours and asking that you friendly, animal loving folk throw a few dollars our way.  Donations are being accepted during the entire 24 hour period to support Rescue Rovers Adoptions.  The schedule for the stream can be found below the video embed and the donation link.  Thanks for whatever support you can give, even if it’s simply sharing the link.

secondary stream is embedded here!  

The schedule currently is as follows

• 8 pm – 10 pm Street Fighter
• 10 pm- 12 am Starcraft II
• 12 am- 6 am Legend of Zelda Wind Waker HD
• 6 am – 12 pm TBA
• 12pm – 2 pm TBA
• 2pm – 5pm Multiplayer Extravaganza!
• 5pm – 8pm TBA