Additionally, if you have any comments or suggestions feel free to let us know in the comments section below.

ITF Gaming Podcast Episode 1

ITF Gaming Podcast Episode 1 – June 2013 (0)

“We are limiting your escape options and you really have to think about consequences of the enemy,” lead level designer Daniel Windfeld Schmidt told media in a Q&A.

“There are hiding spots where you can go where guards are less likely to search. We have a lot of these mechanics where you can get away, but it takes a while to teach. In the demos we have shown, there are a lot of things going on at the same time. You don’t have to be perfect. Guards will give up after a while if they can’t find you. You can also use focus combat to take out a guard or two as needed.”

As you’d expect from Thief, stealth isn’t a matter of standing in a shadow and turning invisible, but an analog state with no real “safe” setting.

“There is this middle state as well where you are kind of exposed. There are several states and the analog value comes from how the eye works. Are you moving, are you standing up, are you crouching. A lot of this matters in how we detect you,”

“And peripheral vision is involved. If a guard sees something move out there, he is going to look in that direction. It is a much more slow reaction if they aren’t sure, but if you are right in front of them, they will react much faster.”

Garrett has access to a short burst of speed to get out of danger if a guard has partially spotted him, but this will only be available in small amounts; it won’t allow you to run around in the open or zoom away if you’ve caused an alert.

Of course, old school fans know the best tactic is not to get spotted in the first place, and Schmidt confirmed the game can be fully ghosted, which will reward skilled players with achievements.

“You can complete the game without killing anybody, or without knocking anybody out, or without causing an alert. In the demo we are showing, at the end there is a tally screen that show you completed the mission without knocking anyone out or killing anyone – and a second one: completed without causing any alerts,” he said.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Thief is due on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014.

Zampella said that this is due to the studio’s desire to ensure a fair playing field across all platforms.

When asked specifically about whether or not the game will feature cross-platform play, Zampella was quick to respond, “Most likely not.” Zampella felt that there’s no advantage or disadvantage by having such a feature “I don’t think it’s locked yet, but to me, I’d like to keep it segregated so there’s no advantage or disadvantage.”

Titanfall is set to release in spring 2014 exclusive for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

Gran Turismo 6 (GT6) was recently announced by creator Kazunori Yamauchi at an event held to celebrate 15 years of the 70-million-selling series in Japan and you get to experience what to look forward to. GT6 for PlayStation will bring new levels of authenticity to ‘the Real Driving Simulator’ as well as introducing stunning new tracks, cars and a revised user interface.

PlayStation driving simulators, IDU’s will be available on the Ster-Kinekor Entertainment and PlayStation stand for you to test your driving skill against. The most promising weekend for motoring fans is upon us and PlayStation is going to be displaying what some of the best racing has to offer. You do not want to miss it!

The time has come for a competition once more, and this time we’re not rewarding one lucky fan – we’re rewarding two! Thanks to the awesome folks at Megarom Games the prize on offer is a copy of Grid 2 each for you and a friend, on the platform of your choice.

Grid 2 is the latest racing title from racing veterans Codemasters, and the sequel to the critically acclaimed Race Driver Grid. With its mix of arcade and strict simulation racing styles, Grid 2 has raced onto our consoles to critical acclaim, although our driving hasn’t always been too great (or even good, in many cases).

Facebook Entry:
Entry on Facebook will require you to refer a friend to our Facebook Page, get them to like it and post on our wall that you referred them. One entry is allowed per pairing, although multiple entries are allowed if you refer multiple friends (i.e one entry per friend referred)

Twitter Entry:
Entry on Twitter will require you to refer a friend to our Twitter account, make sure we are followed and tweet the following:

“@ITFGaming – Entry for Grid 2 competition via (friend’s Twitter ID). #WinWithITFGaming http://bit.ly/12IQlCQ”

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ITFGaming
Twitter: @ITFGaming

The competition will run from now until the last week of June, so spread the word and get as many entries in as possible!

Be sure to give Megarom Games a like or a follow for making this awesome competition possible!

Terms and Conditions:

• Competition results are final, winners will be chosen via randomiser and validity of entry will be judged by ITF Gaming.
• You and your friend have to have liked ITF Gaming, or have followed the ITF Gaming Twitter account. Failure to do so will result in an invalid entry.
• Tweet or Wall Post must be properly completed, otherwise we cannot document your entry.
• Competition is only open to residents of South Africa.

Check out the official ITF Gaming review of Grid 2 here!
If that doesn’t convince you to enter, check out Darryl’s opinion piece on the title.
And if that still isn’t enough, look at the Mindless Meanderings piece where the branding in-game is analysed a bit here!

Good luck!

During an interview with GameTrailers, he said, “We appreciate the passion. It’s important that people share their ideas, but people are imagining outcomes that we believe are worse than what it’s going to be like in the real world.

“When we designed the box we paid attention to what it means to connect to the internet. The average internet connection is working the majority of the day. People are imagining that it isn’t, but I don’t feel that’s the world we live in.”

Elsewhere in the discussion Mattrick confirmed that Microsoft did expect some backlash for its decision to authenticate Xbox One consoles once every 24-hours via online check-in, but he argued that people will see the benefit once they start using the console. He then added, “It’s something that when people experience it, it’s easier than having someone like me describe it.”

Mattrick also stated that said if you don’t have an internet connection then you should just get an Xbox 360.

“We have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity; it’s called Xbox 360,” he said.

“If you have zero access to the Internet, that is an offline device.”

Mattrick said that Xbox One has been “created for gamers, by gamers” and that commentators need to see how the always-on requirement works before they judge it.

“I think in the long run, we’ll build a global leading product that people are going to love and embrace,” he said.

“It’s very important to them and they’re opinionated. And they’re smart. So they look at all those things and say ‘Hey, is this going to impact me in a negative way?’ And until you use it, it’s really hard to understand what all the advantages are.”

Give us your thoughts.

During the course of this week, I had the opportunity to get a little hands-on time with High Moon Studios’ Deadpool. Yip, that’s right! I got to slice up a few bad guys with Deadpool’s rather large sword as well as use his favourite bullet, which for some reason he wanted back… Awkward!

Now for those of you who have never heard of Deadpool, or “The Merc with a Mouth”, you will be glad to know that he, and the voices inside his head, is a part of the Marvel universe. Originally known as Wade Winston Wilson, Deadpool is the product of the Canadian government’s paramilitary Weapon X program. After Weapon X cured his terminal cancer, by implementing a regenerative “healing factor” extracted from Wolverine, Deadpool was left disfigured and mentally unstable.

“Some of you may know me as the Merc with the Mouth. And it’s true…I’m a mouthful. Not to mention, one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe these days – not that I’m bragging or anything. OK, I’m totally bragging, but to be fair, I’m also totally awesome. And if you want to know what gets me going in the mornings? Chimichangas! (Mmmmm…chimichangas…)” Deadpool.

The story, which had some help from former Deadpool writer Daniel Way, begins in Deadpool’s apartment and involves the anti-hero wanting a game made about him; however, the developers reject his idea, which leads to Deadpool resorting to some rather extreme, yet comical, measures. While I won’t spoil this for you, Deadpool’s rather explosive personality seems to convince the folks over at High Moon Studios to simply make it happen.

When kicking off the preview, the first thing I noticed about Deadpool is the fact that he has a tendency to “break the fourth wall”, which means that he is aware of his audience, and can interrupt the story at any time for a rather humorous effect. While this happened quite often, I could not help but smile, like a weirdo, every time he cracked a rather hilarious one-liner.

When it comes to voice acting, what made me worry about Deadpool was the fact that most games in this genre tend to feature an overly repetitive script, which ultimately kills the entire experience. Fortunately, for the hour or so that I spent with this game, I can honestly say that I never heard the same dialogue twice.

Thankfully though, Deadpool is voiced by the very talented Nolan North, Uncharted’s Nathan Drake, who has done a brilliant job of giving Deadpool charm, character and the dark sense of humour we all know and love (This also includes Deadpool’s overwhelming love for Chimichangas).

Top 5 reasons why Deadpool loves Chimichangas!

1. they taste like victory!

2. they don’t talk back!

3. he gets to use his mouth!

4. they won’t give him an STD!

5. they love him back!

While Deadpool has a mouth on him, he also has a variety of authentic moves, stealth kills and weapons that he can be use in order to dispose of enemies. I will admit that I was slightly concerned about the transition between melee and firearms; however, this transition was smooth and well implemented within the game. Furthermore, all those combo chains won’t go to waste as the game features a unique upgrade system as well as a large environment in which the player can explore. Truth be told, combat can feel all too familiar after a while; however, mixing up gunplay with hand-to-hand combat tends to make things a little more interesting.

Players will also have the opportunity to wield non-standard weapons such as rocket launchers throughout the game, as well as blast through enemies with a machine gun while hitching a ride on a helicopter. It is all good, crazy fun at the end of the day.

Along the way Deadpool will introduce you to some rather interesting characters. While I won’t spoil all of them for you, I will however introduce you to two of them.

Cable:
According to Deadpool: Mutant badass anti-hero from the future, my boy Nate, AKA Cable, AKA past-partner in crime, AKA total BFF, is the time-traveling son of Cyclops and Madelyne Pryor (total MILF). Cable likes weapons almost as much as me. He’s seen the future and now he’s all about making the world a better place and stuff… whatever.

Domino:
According to Deadpool: Scientific fact: Only one videogame possesses the capacity for awesomeness large enough to hold both me and Domino – mine. She’s easily the deadliest person named Neena I know. And this is her first major videogame appearance ever. That’s right. I’m her first. In addition to immeasurable hotness, her exceptional markswomanship (never accuse Deadpool of being politically incorrect!) combines with hand-to-hand skills that will totally blow you… away. And then there are those mutant probability-altering powers. She’s lucky. She’s hot. She’s bothered. She’s DTF.

Overall, my experience with Deadpool was a fun one. Granted, I was only able to experience a few levels of code; however, it still had all the charm and vibrance that one would expect from High Moon Studios. While Deadpool may have slipped under the radar for some, it is definitely a title to keep an eye out for. Now, Chimichangas anyone?

Deadpool is set to release on June 28, 2013.

Last, but not least, thanks to Megarom Games for letting us check out Deadpool.

Catch it live, at 4PM local time, along with a Live Chat, right here on ITF Gaming.

Video streaming by Ustream

The design of PS4 made its public debut at the PlayStation press conference on June 10, 2013, which kicked off the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles.  PS4 will also be displayed this week at the Sony Computer Entertainment America booth at E3, one of the world’s largest video game exhibitions.

The internal design architecture of the PS4 system, from the optical drive and power supply unit to the cooling mechanism, has been pursed to keep the body as slim and light as possible to dramatically enhance the flexibility of the design.

The PS4 features a simple but modern design accentuated by its linear flat form factors.  The surface of the PS4 body is subdivided into four sections, as if four blocks are stacked together making one figure, with disc slot, buttons, power indicator and vent placed within the slim interspace created between the sections.  The power indicator designed atop the body will glow in a PlayStation blue colour when the power button is turned on.  The foreside and backside of the body is slightly angled; it not only gives users easy access to the power button and disc slot when placed either horizontally or vertically but also helps conceal the connected cables.  The black-themed colour along with the matte and gloss finish adds a sophisticated look to the PS4 system as the next generation entertainment system and will fit perfectly wherever it is placed.

PS4 peripherals include the stand-alone Wireless Controller for PlayStation 4 (DUALSHOCK 4) and PlayStation Camera. Both accessories will come in “Jet Black” color.

The upcoming software lineup for PS4 from software developers and publishers will include Destiny from Bungie, Inc., in partnership with Activision Publishers, Inc., Diablo III from Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., KINGDOM HEARTS III and FINAL FANTASY  XV from SQUARE ENIX, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Watch_Dogs from Ubisoft Entertainment, NBA 2K14 from 2K Sports, The Elder Scrolls Online from Bethesda Games Studios and Mad Max  from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, totaling more than 110 titles. PS4 has earned great support from a wide variety of game publishers, including many indie developers. Since February 2013, the number of developers joining has increased from 126 to 505.

Furthermore, from SCE Worldwide Studios, more than 30 titles, including 12 brand new IP, are under development, including Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack, inFAMOUS: Second Son, #DRIVECLUB and The Order: 1886.Out of over the 30 titles under development, 20 titles will be available within a year from the PS4 launch.

SCE will vigorously promote PS4 towards the launch as the next generation computer entertainment platform through further introduction of peripherals and attractive software lineup.

Let us know what you think of Sony’s latest console below.