How weird is it that in today’s video game climate, a beta is seen as motivation to purchase said title on a specific platform? By design, betas exist to check for unknown bugs and issues. Who had the idea to turn being a guinea pig into an incentive? It’s a genius way of preying on our need to be the first to play something–just some food for thought. Now, onto the latest news, which includes: Fallout Shelter seeing the birth of 81.9 dweller babies, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy getting their own LEGOÂ Dimensions trailer, the Xbox One doing more than the other gaming platforms, the Friends intro recreated in GTA V, and the option to sign up for the upcoming PS4 firmware beta.
Fallout Shelter is extremely popular, plus more.
What is there to do when you live in a post-apocalyptic wasteland with only busy work and free time at your disposal? Get busy, of course! According to an infographic provided by Bethesda, 81.9 million babies have been born in Fallout Shelter. The spiffy infographic below also provides other information, none of which compares to the Vault dwellers’ impressive baby-making output.
Most alarming of all, over 100 million fires have been started. That can’t be good for the vaults of the world. It also seems like roaches are a huge problem.
Obviously, this mobile title has been a huge hit, and if it wasn’t clear enough, over 1 billion game sessions have been played. Now that’s impressive. Let this be a lesson to other publishers: the mobile platform can be fruitful when a quality experience is provided, without the main aim being to nickel-and-dime the consumer.
HT: Bethesda
Scooby-Doo & Shaggy get their own LEGO Dimensions trailer.
Lego Dimensions is turning into a pretty impressive project that’s allowed LEGO to flex its licensing  muscle. Seriously, this game will feature the likes of Doctor Who, Batman, Gandalf, Chel, and even the dynamic duo of Scooby-Doo & Shaggy. It’s filled to the brim with iconic characters spanning across all sorts of worlds. TT Games decided to give a better glimpse of the talking dog and his goofy best friend in action. Peep the video above. Like the rest of the cast, these two are sucked into the adventure unwillingly. We’ve gone hands-on with the title several times, and it’s looking good. It’s silly, but in the best possible way.
HT: Nerdist
Xbox’s Kudo Sanada says their console does things other platforms can’t.
There’s no doubt that the Xbox One is on the up-and-up, thanks to a strong exclusive AAA software roster, backwards compatibility, and cross-pollination with the PC. Microsoft knows that they have some aces on their side. According to Xbox exec, Kudo Tsunoda, their console is able to do things their competitors’ platforms just aren’t able to match.
Tsunoda said the following in an interview with Gamesindustry International:
“For a long time we’ve had PC gamers and console gamers who weren’t really able to play together, that’s why cross-play is still such a powerful idea.” He continued, “you should be able to play what you love, and play together, regardless of what device you’re playing on. It’s about connecting people.”
“It’s a really unique value that only we can offer. You still need very gamer-focused values, but there’s lots of things you can do with our technology. We’ve really got a lot more going on. We’re doing things that can’t be done on any other console.”
He’s both right, and somewhat wrong. The Wii U has included backwards compatibility with Wii games since day one, but Sony has already stated that no plans of implementing backwards compatibility are in place. Though the PS4 can’t cross-play on every game with PC, Street Fighter V will be able to, so there is a possibility that it will be introduced on a larger level at some point. But, I understand what Mr. Tsunoda is getting at. Microsoft is implementing all of these features in a much more meaningful, robust and successful manner than their competitors.
HT: GamespotÂ
The Friends intro was recreated in GTA V.
Where would we be without the Rockstar Editor in Grand Theft Auto V? This little feature has yielded so many spectacular videos, and today we take a look at the recreation of the Friends intro, featuring Los Santo’s greatest characters. Created by Merfish, this short video is almost identical to the actual intro credit scene of the phenomenon television show. I say “almost” because some creative choices were made for it to have that GTA feel to it. For one, the umbrellas are ditched for rocket launchers, adult toys subsitute rubber duckies, and the “friends” are a bit violent towards each other. Enjoy.
HT: NerdistÂ
Sign up now for major Playstation 4 firmware beta test.
Want to be one of the first to delve into the upcoming PS4 software update? Sony has announced that you can now sign up to partake in the beta test for the next firmware. Signing up is simple enough–all you’ll need is a master account on your PS4. The test is set to begin early September. There’s no word on the specific features that’ll be included, but they must be important ones if they are being tested to this degree before public release.
PSN doesn’t have a great track record as far as stability is concerned, and has a cruddy reputation to go along with it. Sony simply needs to find a way to supply a steadier service. By testing out important features in real life situations, they ensure themselves of providing a more refined product. Just be prepared to deal with any snafu if you plan on signing up. That is what a beta test is for, after all.
There’s an option to be notified about future beta tests, so expect this to become a norm. Microsoft already has their very own preview program that rolls out the biggest features, so it’d be great if the Japanese mega-company followed suit.
HT: PlaystationÂ
—
We’ve survived yet another day of games, folks. I guess you can say today was a good day. You should also check out the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 beta, it’s a good time. Will you be playing LEGO Dimensions later this year? Let us know what you thought of today’s news in the comments below.
