Play Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Multiplayer Beta for Free If You Own Previous Games

The Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer beta is underway for Xbox One and PC users from 12:30pm IST on August 26 to 12:30pm IST on August 31. While Xbox One owners have had a few hiccups what with codes not redeeming, it seems that PC gamers are in for a pleasant surprise.
According to VG247, you own Call of Duty: Ghosts, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on Steam, you already have access to the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer beta on PC. All you have to do is check the Games section of your Steam client.
And if you purchased Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 for PC on Steam, you can download the beta from the Games section as well.
Much like the PlayStation 4 beta that saw it open on the final two days to everyone on Sony's console regardless of pre-ordering the game or not, you can safely expect the same for Xbox One and PC owners. The multiplayer beta for PS4 owners took place last week and was met with an overwhelming response. Whether the beta will extend past its August 31 date remains to be seen.
If you plan to take part in the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta, be prepared to download around 15GB of data on your PC or Xbox One. And be prepared for performance that doesn't seem too stellar if early impressions from NeoGAF are anything to go by.

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FIFA 16 Could Make It to India on Time

Electronic Arts (EA), publisher of popular franchises like FIFA, Battlefield, and Need for Speed, has changed its distributor for India, NDTV Gadgets has learned.
An email was sent out to game stores and sub-distributors from the incumbent distributor Milestone stating that it would no longer distribute EA's games and would soon send a close out list of pending stock.
This follows a report posted earlier this week on local gaming site, IndianVideoGamer suggesting a new distributor would be appointed shortly.
While the identity of the new distributor is unknown at this point in time, retailers can breathe a sigh of relief. The last game that EA's previous distributor Milestone imported in any significant quantity was FIFA 15.
Even then, barring the initial stock of the game at release last September, copies of the game were few and far between, leaving many a consumer with buying the game via the grey market. This was odd considering that FIFA is one of the few games that sells extremely well in the country. Speculation amongst industry insiders claim this is a result of cash flow issues within the company.
"Our only order from them was FIFA 15. We didn't take stock of Battlefield: Hardline due to the fact that we were stuck paying the full VAT amount for FIFA," an independent game store owner said, adding that he stopped doing business with the company due to non-availability of stock and issues with value added tax (VAT).

We've been given to understand that the VAT to be paid to the government for game sales is five percent and the split of payment between retailer and distributor decided by the percentage of margin on a game. In case the full amount cannot be collected from the distributor, it is then collected from the final point of sale, i.e. the retailer.
What does this mean? On a game like FIFA where sales are brisk, the retailer can end up losing money due to the distributor failing to pay it's amount of VAT.
"When you talk about FIFA and have a Rs. 50,00,000 to Rs. 60,00,000 billing, You're talking a good Rs. 2,00,000 to Rs. 3,00,000 right there. And if you look at the entire year, it's really huge. Lot of people are having issues with this," a buyer for a leading chain of game stores explained.
Considering that margins are wafer thin for game retailers, falling in the range of 18 to 20 percent, losing an additional five percent due to distributor negligence is an issue a lot of them were looking to sidestep with the upcoming EA roster that includes FIFA 16. To the point where more than a few were looking at parallel imports as a solution. The game, along with other upcoming EA titles have not been listed for pre-order in India yet.

"We were ready to import FIFA 16 from other markets in the event Milestone cannot supply us, but since they're not distributing the game, hopefully the new distributor will bring in the quantity the market needs," said a product executive at an online store.
And while no new distributor has been named, one could surmise that it may be Sunder Electronics. The company is a sub-distributor for Sony's first-party lineup and consoles and EA traditionally aligns itself with the distributor of Sony's games in markets like India. Nonetheless, EA did not reply to a request for comment.

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Final Fantasy VII Now Available for iOS

For the longest time, Final Fantasy VII has been only on PlayStation consoles and PC. Today that's changed. Square Enix, the company behind the game, has finally brought it to iOS. Costing a rather steep Rs. 990 you can check out what made this Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) such a massive success when it first graced the original PlayStation in 1997.
However if you were expecting graphical upgrades, prepare to be disappointed. The iOS version of the game is based on the PC code of Final Fantasy VII. It's not going to look any better despite the horsepower the latest iOS devices possess.
Nonetheless, the iOS version has some interesting tweaks. You can turn off enemy battles barring boss and event battles and max out your warriors' stats with a max stats command - essentially, it comes with inbuilt cheat codes for the impatient mobile gamer.
Keep in mind that you'll need at least 4GB free on your iPad or iPhone to download this and that the game occupies around 1.63GB of space when fully downloaded. Oh, and you'll need at least an iPhone 5s, an iPad 3, or an iPad mini 2 to run it. You could use an iPod touch, but as per the description on the game page, it's "not suited to playing this game" despite being listed as a compatible device. For now, there are no details about when the game will hit Android smartphones.
While hardcore fans of the game might be enraged seeing a beloved classic hit mobile devices, this was anticipated for a while now. With regular frequency, Square Enix has been porting its classics to iOS and Android. It's inevitable that Final Fantasy VIII and IX will follow. But will it do the same for other single-player entries after that remains to be seen considering that they're more technically complex.

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Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Cannot Be Preloaded on PC

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will not get the preload feature on Steam. It's a peculiar move given that the console versions of the game support it. In some cases, like the Xbox One, you can already preload the game right now.
The online community manager for the Metal Gear franchise, Robert Allen Peeler while replying to a fan on Twitter confirmed this.
"Unfortunately PC Steam will not have a preload option, however players will be able to preload on console," he tweeted, later stating that he had no "specific reason" as to why but would check nonetheless.
He went on to tweet that people who pre-order can start downloading and playing the game from September 1 midnight New Zealand time. For Indian gamers that's 5:30pm IST on the day prior. With a decent connection you should be able to get through most of the game's 28GB file size in time for September 1, right in time for the official release date.
It's shameful that Konami is denying the PC audience what is considered as a mandatory feature across platforms. While no official comment as to why this is the case, one can speculate that Konami is fearful of consumers going through the preloaded files and spoiling the game for others prior to release. The company may also be addressing the fear of piracy, with the preload giving pirates some time to get cracking on the game files.
Nonetheless, if the download size is too much for you to handle, you can pick up a PC physical copy of the game via Games The Shop for Rs. 999, four times cheaper than the version on Steam albeit region locked for India.

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Now, Stream Xbox One Games to Windows 10 at 1080p and 60fps

With Microsoft pushing Xbox One game streaming for Windows 10 PCs and tablets in a big way, it's but obvious that the Redmond-based company would not stop there.
While the Xbox One can do 1080p and 60 frames per second in a precious few games, that hasn't stopped Microsoft from bringing 1080p/60fps game streaming from the console to Windows 10 tablets and PCs with the August update to the Xbox app on Windows 10.
"You can now stream games from your Xbox One to Windows 10 devices in high-res HD quality at 1080p/60fps. The new streaming capability works best for gamers who have home networks with adequate bandwidth," a post on Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb, Director of Programming for Xbox Live, blog reads.
To do this, you need to access the Settings menu in the Xbox app on Windows 10 and select Game Streaming. Here you need to set the video encoding level to Very High. This will allow you to stream games from Xbox One at 1080p and 60fps. Notably, the same 'Very High Quality' setting feature was enabled unofficially by a developer last week, and Microsoft's move to offer the feature to users seems to be a response to that.
Other additions part of the Xbox app update for Windows 10 include the ability to enable or disable notifications, an animated display of your recently played games, comparing achievements with friends, and manual addition of games to the app.
In addition to this, issues revolving around sign-in, localisation, and game streaming reported by a subset of Windows 10 users have been resolved as well. On obtaining the update, the version number should be 8.8.6000.00000 or higher.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Beta Is a 15GB Download

With Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 hitting consoles and Windows on November 6, series publisher Activision has announced file sizes, download times and what to expect during the multiplayer beta for the game on its blog.
PlayStation 4 owners who have pre-ordered the game can start playing the multiplayer from August 19 to August 23 while those with an Xbox One or Windows who have pre-ordered the game can access the multiplayer beta from August 26 to August 30.
The download size of the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer beta is around 15GB. And player progress will not carry over from the beta to the full game when it hits. During the beta, periodic maintenance will take place, making the game unplayable.
Those who have pre-ordered the game at retail outlets will have to use the beta code given by the retailer on this site to get a beta token which you can redeem on your console or PC. These tokens will be emailed from 12 AM PST (12:30 PM IST) on August 19 for the PS4 beta, and 12 AM PST (12:30 PM IST) on August 26 for Windows and Xbox One. If pre-ordered digitally from Steam, PSN, or Xbox Live you can simply download the beta when it goes live.
While pre-orders for the game have yet to go live in India, safe to say that anyone in the country for a hankering to check out the next in Activision's popular military first-person shooter franchise would be best served pre-ordering digitally. That is of course, if you have the bandwidth necessary to download a 15GB beta file.

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Facebook Hackathon Gives Super Mario Millennial Touch

Amanda Maler wasn't even born yet when Nintendo's beloved Super Mario made his debut 30 years ago.
But, the playfully heroic video game character became fodder for fierce rivalry between Maler and her brother as children and she pounced on a chance to create a Facebook-infused level during a two-day hackathon at the social network's headquarters in the Silicon Valley city of Menlo Park.
Maler and fellow 20-somethings named their team "Move Fast and Brick Things" in a merging of a Facebook hacker-mindset motto "move fast and break things," with a reference to brick blocks that are well-known obstacles in Mario games.
"We are millennials and we grew up playing Mario," 23-year-old Facebook employee Maler said at the hackathon on Wednesday.
"We thought, 'Let's bring Facebook to Nintendo. Be bold.'"
More than 100 Facebook employees took part in a hackathon that sprang out of an invitation by Nintendo to create a level for a new "Super Mario Maker" game set for release on September 11.
The event sprang from a partnership in which the Japanese video game veteran gave Facebook early access to the game so the social network could create its own level of play.
Nintendo will mark the 30th anniversary of its iconic "Super Mario" franchise this year with the new game, which will let people create and share levels for play.
'Diabolical' minds
"Facebook has attracted some of the brightest minds in the tech industry who can come up with some of the most diabolical puzzles and who also like to push boundaries about what is possible," AJ Glasser, manager of the social network's games partnerships team, told AFP at the event.
"Pushing everything to the maximum fits well with what Mario Maker is trying to accomplish, which is re-imagining a game that is 30 years old."
Game levels created by competing teams featured tricky challenges, daring leaps, daunting adversaries, and, of course, cleverly incorporated Facebook or Instagram logos along with "thumbs up" icons.
Players have to be able to beat levels they create because "you can't just make people crazy," Krysta Yang of Nintendo of America told AFP at the hackathon.
"A game that lets you showcase your creativity is a perfect fit with the culture at Facebook," Yang said.
Some teams drew diagrams on graph paper, others worked on white boards, and there were those who opted to use sticky notes they frequently re-arranged.
The winning level will be available at Nintendo's online Miiverse social network for Wii U consoles.
"Super Mario Maker" will let any player create and share game levels.
Mario for millennials
"Mario kind of went away a little bit, and to bring it back to the next generation is pretty awesome," Maler said.
"For most of us, it is like being a little kid again," chimed 24-year-old teammate Lola Alli.
"Being able to make something you enjoyed where you were a kid is super exciting."
Yang noted that making the winning Facebook level also promises bragging rights among tech-savvy Mario lovers at the social network.
"I certainly plan to Facebook about it; post a few Instagram pictures," Glasser said.
Nintendo played to "Super Mario" fans during a premier Electronic Entertainment Expo video game gathering that took place in Los Angeles in June.
"If there is a secret to the longevity of Nintendo franchises, it is transformation," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said during an E3 presentation.
Xbox and PlayStation consoles from Microsoft and Sony, respectively, are known for immersive, action-packed games nearing film quality while Nintendo has built a devoted following for closely-protected franchises such as Mario and Legend of Zelda.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Multiplayer Beta Dates Announced

In what seems to be a popular trend among AAA games, Call of Duty Black Ops 3 will be having a multiplayer beta from August 19 to August 23 for PlayStation 4 owners and August 26 to August 30 for Xbox One and PC owners. The news comes via the blog of series publisher Activision.
"We're now turning our focus to the launch of the multiplayer beta next month. For the first time since Call of Duty: World at War, Treyarch is giving fans all over the globe an opportunity to get their hands on Black Ops 3 multiplayer, months ahead of its release on November 6," the post on Activision's blog reads.
"During the beta, fans will have an opportunity to try the new momentum-based, chained movement system, find the perfect Specialist to fit their play style, get a feel for the new multiplayer maps, and more."
In recent memory, FIFA and Call of Duty are perhaps the most consistent video game franchises around. While the former has announced a slew of covers with local athletes for each region, the latter has drip fed us a host of information regarding Call of Duty: Black Ops 3. From an elaborate tease to divulging a release date and PC specifications, not a month has gone by without news of Activision's latest military shooter.
Whether it shows up in India or not is also a point of concern. Activision's Indian distributor, World Wide CD ROM, has not made the game available for pre-order in the country. This means anyone in India looking to get in on the multiplayer beta have to pre-order the game digitally via PlayStation Network, Steam, or Xbox Live.

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Angry Birds 2 Announced, Will Release on July 30

It's taken just 15 games starring Angry Birds to actually see creator Rovio announce a true sequel. Surprisingly, the details are scant.
"Back in December 2009, when we were just a small games studio, we released our 52nd game featuring colourful birds, green pigs, a slingshot and a super catchy theme tune. Fast forward to 2015 and Angry Birds has taken the world by storm.
With 3 billion game downloads, millions of fans across the globe, multiple mashups and spin-offs, collaborations with A-list celebrities and much more, we're really proud that Angry Birds is the mother of all mobile game apps. And now we're proud to announce the mother of all sequels - Angry Birds 2!" an announcement on the company's blog reads.
Finnish developer Rovio was recently in the news for partnering with Sega on its Sonic Dash game and releasing Angry Birds Fight!. Its profits also fell 73 percent in 2014, what with increased competition in the mobile games space.
In the past, the company has looked at developers in countries like India and China to to utilise the Angry Birds IP in their games. While the idea was met with some success in China, there's been little to no headway made with Indian game studios. Coupled with the muted success in trying to mimic match-3 giants like King Games' Candy Crush Saga make this move a dire one.
Releasing Angry Birds 2 seems like a last ditch attempt to maintain some sustainability amidst falling revenue. But will an increasingly fickle mobile audience bother? We'll have to wait till July 30 to find out.

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Rayman Adventures Announced for Mobile by Ubisoft

If there is one game that has made a smooth transition from consoles to mobile despite the constraints of using a touchscreen for playing, it has to be Rayman. Both Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Fiesta Run were endless runners yet had a fluid characteristic made popular by the franchise.
The limbless Rayman is now coming back to mobile for another adventure in the form of Rayman Adventure. It is being developed by Ubisoft Montpellier and according to the developer is coming to a smartphone/ tablet screen this fall. Ubisoft hasn't revealed the price for the game yet.
In a press release, the company stated, "Rayman Adventures bring players on an odyssey where they will explore legendary worlds, from whimsical castles to the mythical islands of Olympus. They will enjoy an exciting mix of action and exploration in which they will be able to freely move around as they like through stunning environments." The point to note here is 'freely move around' because this indicates that the game might move away from being an endless runner.
The gameplay in the announcement trailer above, shows that Ubisoft Montpellier is going back to its roots by including a lot of the classic moves from earlier games. It also a new playable character called Barbara who is a Viking. The game uses the same UbiArt framework that it does for most of its 2D side scrollers.
The game's website only lists iOS as the platform on which the game will be available but if the past is any indication it will definitely be available on Android and Windows Phone eventually.

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Best Apps And Games Of The Week

Here are some of the best apps and games that came out this week.

Best Apps

Free

Free is an interesting new app that lets you make plans with people you want to hang out with. Just make a plan in the app by specifying the time and place and your friends can then join in and leave comments to say whether or not they are coming. The app lets you find places and attach them with the plan in the app so people know exactly where to show up. People can announce their availability by selecting the Join, Maybe, or Leave buttons.
iOS
Last.fm

Last.fm app for Android has finally been updated. The older app was still rocking the design from Android Froyo days but the new app brings in fancy new Material Design elements. Other than the design, the app also supports scribbling from other sources, including Soundcloud, Spotify, Rdio, and more.
Android

Best Games

Transistor

Popular indie game Transistor, from the makers of Bastion, is now on iPhone and iPad. The game brings the same gorgeous levels, gameplay, and wonderful soundtrack to the small screen. If you missed it on the PC or console, or want to play it on the move, it’s now on the App Store.
iOS
Threes! Free

If you have played 2048 then you should know it’s basically a rip-off of Threes! Unfortunately, being a free game, 2048 ended up being way more popular than Threes! Now Threes! has also announced a separate ad-supported version of the game for people who don’t or can’t pay for quality content.

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Need for Speed’ teaser trailer surfaces

It’s been almost two years since the last NFS game out and just in case you thought EA has given up on the series, a new one is coming this year.

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Nintendo to release five smartphone games in next two years

Back in March this year, Japanese gaming company Nintendo announced that it will finally start making games for smartphones, and now the company has revealed that it plans to release five such games by 2017, with the first one coming by this year’s end.

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GTA V PC's Exclusive Rockstar Editor Coming to PS4, Xbox One

It appears that Rockstar Games, creator of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, has a different definition of the term "exclusive".

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Original Snake game maker to release Snake Rewind for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone

Before the Angry Birds and Candy Crush Saga, the most popular mobile game was Snake that came preloaded on the Nokia’s monochrome era phones. Taneli Armento, created the original Snake game for Nokia phones and has now teamed up with Rumilus Design to release the iconic Snake game for smartphones.

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PC Gamer will host E3's first-ever event all about PC gaming

Year in and year out, our friends at PC Gamer would look on at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3) in Los Angeles Calif. with wanting eyes.

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Just Cause 3 Announced for Holiday 2015 Release on PC, PS4, and Xbox One

One of the more underrated open world action games of last generation, Just Cause 2, is finally seeing a sequel. The appropriately titled Just Cause 3 will see a release in "holiday 2015" as per its first gameplay trailer.

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How to Take a Backup of Your PS4 Games and Data

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The PlayStation 4 (PS4) got the hotly anticipated Yukimura update, also known as firmware 2.50, on Sunday. It was crucial for a host of reasons, the most important of which is the ability to back up the entire contents of your PS4, including game installs.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Release Date, Minimum PC Specifications Revealed

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Treyarch, the game development studio behind Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, has announced a release date for the game. This year you can get your fix of near-future first-person shooting goodness on November 6 the world over.

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Mortal Kombat X now available on Android

Warner Bros. Interactive has kept its promise to bring the Mortal Kombat X for mobile devices. Now the visceral fighting game is made available for the Android 4.0 or higher devices with freemium model.

The NetherRealm Studios developed Mortal Kombat X was already available for the iOS platform so now both major platforms are covered. For mobile devices, the game includes the usual brutal fights along with card-collecting to unlock special features.

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