Battlefield 4 Open Beta launches October 1

EA just announced the date for Battlefield 4's Open Beta. We'll get to try out the game on October 1 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

The Open Beta will allow us to test out Battlefield 4's Conquest mode on Siege of Shanghai. What's weird is there's still no information about the exclusive early access promised for those that have Pre-ordered the Digital-deluxe version of the game, people that purchased the Medal of Honor Limited Edition, and of course Battlefield 3 Premium members. With the Open Beta hitting on the first day of October, it's most likely going to hit before then so we'll keep an eye out when EA talks about it.

Battlefield 4 will be out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on October 29, with the next-gen version for PS4 and Xbox One to come out on each console's launch date.

Steam Family Sharing announced by Valve

Digital media in video games is moving forward with Valve announcing a new feature to Steam - The ability to share your video game library to close friends and family. They are calling it a game changer, and they could be right. 

This feature allows you to share your whole Steam library with up to 10 Steam members. The owner of the library can set who can access their library, or other Steam members can request access. Once a member's computer gets access to a library, they can download any game and have their own set of achievements and game progress saved in the Steam cloud. Shared library are only available one at a time so if the owner wants to play a game, the one using it will be given the option to exit the game, or buy their own copy to continue playing.

“Our customers have expressed a desire to share their digital games among friends and family members, just as current retail games, books, DVDs, and other physical media can be shared,” explained Anna Sweet of Valve. “Family Sharing was created in direct response to these user requests.”

Not all games though will be able to use this feature. Games with monthly subscriptions and that require a third-party key can't be shared. You will also have access to the shared library's DLC, but you can't purchase any DLC without buying the base game.

The feature will hit limited beta soon and if you want to try it out, join the Steam Family group on Steam. An FAQ is up if you have any more questions regarding the feature.

This is a very ambitious move coming from Valve and if they pull this off and ease the idea smoothly to their community, this could change how we think about digital copies as a whole.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters Free to Play on PSN

You read that right. Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters is free to play on PSN. Core Fighters is essentially the full Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate but without story mode and with only 4 playable characters.

This was actually announced before Tekken Revolution but was just released on September 3rd for North America and September 5th for Japan. I have never played any DoA game before but was always curious as how to how the game played. Pretty big breasted anime girls aside, the counter system always intrigued me and the combat looked solid. For a time, I was considering getting a copy of Dead or Alive 5 not too long ago until they announced Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate which is Team Ninja's version of pulling a Capcom ala Super Street Fighter IV. Unfortunately with this being the start of new releases left and right, I have no budget for DoA5U so this free to play version was right up my alley.

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters lets you play all the modes of DoA5U with the exception of Story Mode, which you have to purchase separately. The free to play game includes four characters, namely Kasumi, Hayabusa, Ayane and Hayate. For a limited time, Jann Lee and Hitomi are also playable. Each character will got for $4.99 while Story Mode will be $14.99. You can unlock all the characters for $34.99 but story mode is not included with that price.

With what I've played of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters, I actually want to get the full game now though I think buying an R3 copy of DoA5U will be cheaper than purchasing the character unlock pack. With Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters, Tekken Revolution and the upcoming Killer Instinct, will these games spark a new trend of free to play fighting games?

Watch Dogs gets a 14-minute gameplay walkthrough video

Lately, Ubisoft has been quiet with regards to their upcoming IP Watch Dogs. I actually lost my excitement for this game thanks to all the E3 buzz and next-gen talk. A new video was released showing a 14-minute gameplay walking through the dynamic events that takes place in the world. But the one aspect of this video that kinda placed Watch Dogs back into my radar has to be their multiplayer beingsomewhat integrated into the single player campaign. You'll know what I mean when you check the video below.

I can already see the many trolls that will show up in this game. Watch Dogs is a launch title for both the Xbox One (November 22) and PS4 (November 15), but it will also be available on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and of course PC on November 19.  I might just pick up the PC version of the game. It does spark my interest, but I have this gut feeling that this won't be as good as everybody is expecting it to be.

Mighty No. 9 - Kickstarter Project by Mega Man Creator Keiji Inafune

Keiji Inafune, father of Rockman/Mega Man finally announced a new game that he and his new company Comcept is working on. What most people and even Inafune himself is saying as the spiritual successor of Mega Man, Might No. 9 looks like something to get excited about.

Announced at PAX this past weekend, Mighty No. 9 is a Kickstarter project by Inafune. With a goal of $900,000, Mighty No. 9 is said to be the classic Japanese side-scrolling acount we all loved but evolved.

From Kickstarter Page:

Classic Japanese side-scrolling action, evolved and transformed by Keiji Inafune, an all-star team of veteran Mega Man devs...and YOU!

Mighty No. 9 is an all-new Japanese side-scrolling action game that takes the best aspects of the 8- and 16-bit era classics you know and love, and transforms them with modern tech, fresh mechanics, and fan input into something fresh and amazing!

You play as Beck, the 9th in a line of powerful robots, and the only one not infected by a mysterious computer virus that has caused mechanized creatures the world over to go berserk. Run, jump, blast, and transform your way through six stages (or more, via stretch goals) you can tackle in any order you choose, using weapons and abilities stolen from your enemies to take down your fellow Mighty Number robots and confront the final evil that threatens the planet!

Every aspect of development—art, level design, music, programming, etc.—is being handled by veteran Japanese game creators with extensive experience in the genre, and with Mega Man in particular, all the way up to and including the project’s leader, Keiji Inafune himself! Backers will have unprecedented access to seeing this team at work through blogs, podcasts, videos, concept art—the works!

Mighty No. 9 is being developed for the PC with gamepad support (of course!), and will be made available through Steam and DRM-free digital distribution methods. Other platforms, including home consoles, Mac, and Linux, are a high priority, but only if we can afford them via stretch goals. Should we reach those goals, anyone funding the project will be allowed to choose which version of the game they would like to receive. The estimated release date is spring 2015.

Crowdfunding is the new thing with developers right now. But even this still falls in with the old tradition of Mega Man game development where in people would send their robot designs to Capcom to be added into the games. In all shapes and forms, from the art design, supposed gameplay style and audience involvement, this could very well be a true spiritual successor to the blue bomber. As of this post, they have reached $981,184 and with 29 days to go. I am very excited for this.