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2K asks players to 'contact local government' about Belgian loot box banSep 3, 2018 - PC GamerLate last year, Sam Horti wrote about how the loot box controversy shaped gaming in 2017. The same furore has inevitably rolled into this year, and a number of politicians, universities and gaming authorities have since expressed dismay with premium videogame consumables. Now, publisher 2K has responded to the Belgian Gaming Commission's decision that loot boxes violate the country's gambling laws, with a number of changes to NBA 2K's in-game currency and purchases tied to its MyTeam packs. It has also asked NBA 2K players who reckon the publisher's practice now "comply with local laws" to "contact local government representative to communicate opinion." Here's the publisher's statement in full: In May, the ESA president defended loot boxes, and warned against government regulation. Blizzard, however, has since removed paid loot boxes from Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm in Belgium—and Belgian and Dutch CS:GO players can no longer open loot cases. Read our full coverage of loot boxes this way. Cheers, PCGN. 2K makes changes to NBA 2K microtransactions to comply with Belgium and Dutch gambling lawsAug 26, 2018 - Eurogamer2K has removed some elements of microtransactions from its basketball franchise, NBA 2K, in a bid to comply with gambling laws in Belgium and the Netherlands. According to Rock, Paper, Shotgun, two undated statements on the basketball arcade game's website detail how the developer has had to strip the option to buy MyTeam packs - the NBA 2K equivalent of loot crates - from the title in Belgium, whereas in the Netherlands, players will not be able to access Auction House, a feature that permits you to buy and sell your players. In Belgium, MyTeam packs can remain on the premise that players may only use their in-game currency to purchase them, but given the law in the Netherlands prohibits "games which include 'loot box' style mechanics if the items they contain are transferable", Auction House has been removed in its entirety while 2K works on a solution. Read more… How game sizes got so huge, and why they'll get even biggerFeb 9, 2018 - PC Gamer'Crunch,' in modern parlance, is a period of unhealthy overwork during the lead up to a game's release. But in the not-too-distant past it could have also described the nature of the work itself: a crunching and culling of excess data, enough to squeeze the whole game onto a DVD or two and comfortably onto a 100GB (or smaller) hard drive. Game sizes have always been limited by their delivery medium—Myst was famously made possible by the introduction of the CD-ROM drive—but in 2004, when dual-layer DVDs were introduced, it was already too late for the PC game shelves at retailers. Steam launched around the same time, and as broadband snaked further into the suburbs and beyond, no physical medium could keep up with downloading. Games were allowed to grow, and grow, constrained only by users' bandwidth and hard drive space. That's resulted in 100GB-plus games that wouldn't even fit on a Blu-ray disc, never mind a dual-layer DVD. That's causing grief for players who don't have access to speedy internet connections, or who haven't recently upgraded their storage in a pricey SSD market. It's especially bad for those stuck with data caps, a maximum data allotment per month that, if exceeded, results in extra charges. Broadband Now has catalogued 210 internet service providers that impose data caps. For PC gaming to get better for those with poor internet service, either games will have to get smaller (or at least stop growing), or our selection of ISPs will have to get better, providing quality, uncapped service to more customers. After speaking to a few game developers, I can say confidently that the former isn't going to happen. The upper limit of game sizes is only going to increase. What's taking up all the space? Audio contributes a great deal to file size, but it hasn't been the primary contributor to the growth of game sizes in general. The resolution (sample rate) of audio will depend on what sounds the developer is reproducing—Tripwire, for instance, uses 44kHz audio for weapon sounds, and 22kHz audio for speech—but that was already the case back when it released Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, one of the first third-party games to release on Steam. The use of 5.1 surround sound audio over mono or stereo audio has been one reason games are getting bigger, but the simple inclusion of more audio has probably had a greater effect. We expect voiced characters and high fidelity audio far more than we once did. Video, on the other hand, has broadly increased in resolution—from 640x480 cutscenes way back when all the way up to 4K—which has notably increased its footprint on game sizes. Video can be heavily compressed, though. "1500x compression factors are not unheard of," says Stardock lead developer Nathan Hanish, pointing to the H.264 codec. So while high-quality audio and high-resolution video have helped bu...These are the top 100 Steam games of 2017Jan 2, 2018 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunAnother year over, a new one just begun, which means, impossibly, even more games. But what about last year? Which were the games that most people were buying and, more importantly, playing? As is now something of a tradition, Valve have let slip a big ol’ breakdown of the most successful titles released on Steam over the past twelve months. Below is the full, hundred-strong roster, complete with links to our coverage if you want to find out more about any of the games, or simply to marvel at how much seemed to happen in the space of 52 short weeks. (more…) The best sports games on PCDec 11, 2017 - PC GamerSports games come in many shapes and sizes. Football Manager and Rocket League have almost nothing in common, but they’re both undeniably sports games. Meanwhile Fifa has added a story driven campaign, and Pyre is a fantasy RPG that plays like a sport. To try and help, I’ve broken this list down into four broad categories. Sports Simulations, which attempt to realistically depict a sport, Sports Management games (self explanatory), Arcade Sports, which depict a stylised version of a real sport, and Fantasy Sports, which are wholly invented. There’s obviously a lot of crossover, since even Rocket League is loosely based on football, but hopefully this will help you tell your QWOPs from your Fifas. SPORTS SIMS Fifa 2018 Developer: EA Sports Release Date: Sep 2017 Link: Official site EA's annual football series is on a high right now, with the addition of a surprisingly compelling single player story mode. Unlike PES, Fifa's strength is in a Xavi-esque short, quick passing game. If you’re looking to play online, Fifa will be your football sim of choice, as a strong and healthy online community ensures it's always easy to find a game. PES 2018 Developer: Konami Release Date: Sep 2017 Link: Official site While Fifa will draw in those interested in the single player story or online multiplayer, PES is my preference for local multiplayer, or when I want to sink into the signature Master League. The two games also play slightly differently, with PES leaning more towards long passes and lofted through balls for a faster paced, more frenetic game. NBA 2K18 Developer: Visual Concepts Release Date: Sep 2017 Link: Steam Basketball is one of the few annual sports franchises not dominated by EA, and 2K's NBA series is one of the few that releases on PC. 2018's installment confused people by adding a strange MMO-esque hub called The Neighbourhood, but what really matters is that the slamming and jamming is as strong as ever. MANAGEMENT GAMES Football Manager 2018 Developer: Sports Interactive Release Date: Nov 2017 Link: Official site It’s hard to overrstate the enormity of Football Manager. It is consistently one of the most popular games on Steam, its scouting network rivals real life clubs and once a player received an international call up from the wrong country because of it. It's also incredibly absorbing and fun, even more so since they added the streamlined variant Football Manager Touch. Play it with care: it is all-consuming. Out of the Park Baseball 18 Developer: Out of the Park Developments Release Date: Mar 2017 Link: Official site It's strange how few other sports have a Football Manager equivalent, but understandable that the highly stat-driven baseball is one of those that does. Out of the Park Baseball doesn't seem to change that much from year to year, but the underlying game remains an engrossing way to live out your Moneyball ...NBA esports investment 'a long-term play' that will be 'around for decades'Oct 16, 2017 - PC GamerNext year, the National Basketball Association will officially enter the world of esports by way of its NBA 2K League . Managing director Brendan Donohue has now billed the association's esports involvement as "a long-term play" that he reckons will span multiple decades. In conversation with Gamesindustry.biz, Donohue suggests the NBA is confident of its place in esports and that the success of the NBA 2K series makes the jump a "logical" step. "We have great data on NBA fans, and that's a massive audience," says Donohue. "We see that NBA fans are more likely to play video games, and actually more likely to engage in esports than fans of other sports. We think there's a pretty nice marriage here. "I don't think you have to be a fan of 2K to enjoy watching. That's one of our advantages: the NBA 2K game, and basketball more broadly, are globally recognisable. You can watch having never played the 2K game before and understand what's going on. That gives an advantage with that more casual audience. are awesome games, but they can be intimidating of you've never played them." Donohue points to the fact League of Legends finals have pulled bigger audiences than the Oscars, and that awareness isn't something he or his team consider an issue. That said, Donohue also describes revenues as "a secondary goal right now", and that building scale is their current focus. He continues: "There's a significant appetite for the game in the US, but more importantly globally. We have a free version of the game in China that has 34 million registered users. That suggests there's a global appetite for the game; in fact, I don't think people understand how big the 2K game is globally. "This is a long-term play for us. We expect this to be around for decades, so the primary goal is building an audience, doing that in the right way, and creating an environment where our players can be successful. We're confident the revenues will follow if we do that right." The NBA 2K League is set to kick off next year. Gamesindustry.biz's interview with Donohue in full can be read in this direction. Daily Deal - NBA 2K17, 75% OffAug 8, 2017 - AnnouncementToday's Deal: Save 75% on NBA 2K17!* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Thursday at 10AM Pacific Time NBA 2K17 - On Sale This Weekend, 40% OffApr 13, 2017 - AnnouncementSave 40% on NBA 2K17 this weekend*! *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time Free Weekend - NBA 2K17Feb 16, 2017 - AnnouncementPlay NBA 2K17 for FREE starting now through Sunday at 1PM Pacific Time. You can also pickup NBA 2K17 at 35% off the regular price!* If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play NBA 2K17. If you don't have Steam, you can download it here. *Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time Patch 4 ReleasedOct 12, 2016 - Community AnnouncementsGENERAL - Corrected an issue where some postrelease uniform colors would clash with the opposing team’s uniform in certain matchups. - After a made basket, the score will no longer update on the scoreboard until after the animation has completed; this should be much less confusing. - Fixed a case where your friends list in the Who’s Online menu would disappear while viewing it. - Contact Dunk animations should now properly stay equipped on your MyPLAYER. GAMEPLAY - The Relentless Finisher badge should now give the proper bonuses on contact layups when leveling it up. - Fixed an extremely rare hang that could occur when a player was attempting to grab a rebound. MyPARK/2K PRO-AM - Fixed a case where certain jump shot animations would result in the shot meter reporting an incorrect very late timing during high-latency situations. - Addressed an issue where you would not be granted a win if your opponent disconnected during a Pro-Am Walk-On/Team game under certain conditions. - Users in Ante-Up will now always be presented with the correct ante-up amount prior to joining the Got Next queue. MyCAREER/MyCOURT - Corrected a case that would result in loading into a black screen heading into a game. - Connection events will now always appear on the schedule once you agree to them/set them up. - Addressed a hang that could occur when attempting to enter the 3PT/Dunk Contest when your MyPLAYER was injured. - Fixed a hang that could occur when loading into a Live Practice when a number of players on your team were simultaneously injured. NOTE: All patch fixes will work in your existing game mode saves.Patch 4 ReleasedOct 12, 2016 - Community AnnouncementsGENERAL - Corrected an issue where some postrelease uniform colors would clash with the opposing team’s uniform in certain matchups. - After a made basket, the score will no longer update on the scoreboard until after the animation has completed; this should be much less confusing. - Fixed a case where your friends list in the Who’s Online menu would disappear while viewing it. - Contact Dunk animations should now properly stay equipped on your MyPLAYER. GAMEPLAY - The Relentless Finisher badge should now give the proper bonuses on contact layups when leveling it up. - Fixed an extremely rare hang that could occur when a player was attempting to grab a rebound. MyPARK/2K PRO-AM - Fixed a case where certain jump shot animations would result in the shot meter reporting an incorrect very late timing during high-latency situations. - Addressed an issue where you would not be granted a win if your opponent disconnected during a Pro-Am Walk-On/Team game under certain conditions. - Users in Ante-Up will now always be presented with the correct ante-up amount prior to joining the Got Next queue. MyCAREER/MyCOURT - Corrected a case that would result in loading into a black screen heading into a game. - Connection events will now always appear on the schedule once you agree to them/set them up. - Addressed a hang that could occur when attempting to enter the 3PT/Dunk Contest when your MyPLAYER was injured. - Fixed a hang that could occur when loading into a Live Practice when a number of players on your team were simultaneously injured. NOTE: All patch fixes will work in your existing game mode saves.Newest Patch ReleasedOct 5, 2016 - Community AnnouncementsGENERAL - Updated court floors for both the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks. - Uniform improvements including the addition of a number of patches (e.g. Pacers 50th anniversary patch) and changes to more accurately represent uniforms for a number of teams. - Addressed an issue where some pre-order users were unable to see the ’92 Dream Team on the Play Now team select menu. GAMEPLAY - Substitutions made during a timeout will now immediately apply, rather than waiting for the next dead ball. - Reduced the frequency of lob passes and increased pass speeds across the board. - Fixed the 5-Second Closely Guarded rule in Euroleague-rules games such that the violation is only called when the ball carrier is holding the ball (as opposed to dribbling the ball). MyPARK/2K PRO-AM - Voice chatting has been added to the Pro-Am Team Arena. - As your Pro-Am Team levels up, you will now begin to see your Sponsors’ logos appearing on your custom arena walls! - Pro-Am teams of Elite 4 (and higher) will now see big heads in the crowd of their players during games. - The “On The Rise” and “Get Your Feet Wet” achievements should now unlock when the proper criteria has been met. - Injuries in MyCAREER will no longer carry over into MyPARK/Pro-Am games. Regardless of your injury status in your career, your player will now always be fully healthy in MyPARK/Pro-Am. - The Turbo meter will now flash red when depleted in MyPARK/Pro-Am games. - Travelling as a team to Parks and Pro-Am games should now be a lot smoother and more reliable. - Once earned, Grand Badges should now properly appear on your player in Pro-Am games. - A large number of improvements to the camera system used during Pro-Am games. The entire experience should now look and feel much cleaner. - Custom Wall progress will no longer disappear when changing basket types while editing a Pro-Am Team arena. - Made a change such that the only whistles you will hear in MyPARK are those from your current game (unless you are walking around). - Your Gamertag/Online ID will now correctly show on the back of your team’s Pro-Am jersey. - More reliable search capabilities when searching for players in the Free Agency feature of Pro-Am. - Corrected a number of animation upgrades for Pro-Am that had incorrect team level requirements. - Fixed an issue where the overall rating of another player would display as 55 when viewing their player card during a shootaround. - MyPARK intro animations will now be shown with a greater variety when more than one is equipped. MyCAREER/MyCOURT - Corrected a case where users would have an optional practice and a game overlapping on a single day, resulting in the user being forced to simulate to the next game. - Proper controls for “Orange Juice” are now shown in the Controls menu in the in-game pause menu. - The Ankle Breaker badge should now properly unlock when the appropriate conditions are met. - Attributes earned exclusively through off-court events (e.g. free throw shooting, s...Newest Patch ReleasedOct 5, 2016 - Community AnnouncementsGENERAL - Updated court floors for both the New York Knicks and the Milwaukee Bucks. - Uniform improvements including the addition of a number of patches (e.g. Pacers 50th anniversary patch) and changes to more accurately represent uniforms for a number of teams. - Addressed an issue where some pre-order users were unable to see the ’92 Dream Team on the Play Now team select menu. GAMEPLAY - Substitutions made during a timeout will now immediately apply, rather than waiting for the next dead ball. - Reduced the frequency of lob passes and increased pass speeds across the board. - Fixed the 5-Second Closely Guarded rule in Euroleague-rules games such that the violation is only called when the ball carrier is holding the ball (as opposed to dribbling the ball). MyPARK/2K PRO-AM - Voice chatting has been added to the Pro-Am Team Arena. - As your Pro-Am Team levels up, you will now begin to see your Sponsors’ logos appearing on your custom arena walls! - Pro-Am teams of Elite 4 (and higher) will now see big heads in the crowd of their players during games. - The “On The Rise” and “Get Your Feet Wet” achievements should now unlock when the proper criteria has been met. - Injuries in MyCAREER will no longer carry over into MyPARK/Pro-Am games. Regardless of your injury status in your career, your player will now always be fully healthy in MyPARK/Pro-Am. - The Turbo meter will now flash red when depleted in MyPARK/Pro-Am games. - Travelling as a team to Parks and Pro-Am games should now be a lot smoother and more reliable. - Once earned, Grand Badges should now properly appear on your player in Pro-Am games. - A large number of improvements to the camera system used during Pro-Am games. The entire experience should now look and feel much cleaner. - Custom Wall progress will no longer disappear when changing basket types while editing a Pro-Am Team arena. - Made a change such that the only whistles you will hear in MyPARK are those from your current game (unless you are walking around). - Your Gamertag/Online ID will now correctly show on the back of your team’s Pro-Am jersey. - More reliable search capabilities when searching for players in the Free Agency feature of Pro-Am. - Corrected a number of animation upgrades for Pro-Am that had incorrect team level requirements. - Fixed an issue where the overall rating of another player would display as 55 when viewing their player card during a shootaround. - MyPARK intro animations will now be shown with a greater variety when more than one is equipped. MyCAREER/MyCOURT - Corrected a case where users would have an optional practice and a game overlapping on a single day, resulting in the user being forced to simulate to the next game. - Proper controls for “Orange Juice” are now shown in the Controls menu in the in-game pause menu. - The Ankle Breaker badge should now properly unlock when the appropriate conditions are met. - Attributes earned exclusively through off-court events (e.g. free throw shooting, s...The RPG Scrollbars: A Questline Of SportOct 3, 2016 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunGod, I hate sport. In other news, let’s talk sport! The fate of any successful game or genre is to be picked apart for reusable pieces, until it’s hard to remember a time when they owned it. Adventure games for instance began as one of the few genres with interesting stories and conversations and characters, before slowly being absorbed into RPGs, which now routinely offer much of the same experience minus the puzzles but with the option to shoot people in the face if they annoy you. In turn, sports games – FIFA 17 most recently – are increasingly turning their attention to RPGs to see what they might be able to add. Sadly, no sign of frost mages and dragon-based pitch invasions. Yet. … Steam Charts: Happiness Is Just Around The CornerSep 27, 2016 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunI’m trying to think who it could be. I don’t really have enemies any more, or not knowingly so. Some forgotten bully from school who never left our hometown and is still obsessed with tormenting me? A fellow journalist whose article I might have drunkenly tweeted something rude about in 2009? Someone I unfollowed or unfriended because they were tiresome or awful? You Know, Those Guys? Or: all of them, working together. Pooling their life savings to buy as many copies of a certain game as they can. Make no mistake: someone’s out to get me. It’s the only possible explanation. … The story of the worst basketball player ever in NBA 2K17's MyCareer modeSep 20, 2016 - PC GamerI decided to play NBA 2K17 s MyCareer mode as myself, except athletic and much taller. That s me in the screen above, via NBA 2K17 s face scan feature. That s also someone who will one day be wanted for a string of Burger King robberies in the Jacksonville area, but for now, he s the best high school basketball player in the country. I guess the MyCareer story doesn't really align with the face of a balding 31-year-old or, say, anyone who isn t an 18-year-old man, but I ll give NBA 2K17 this: the scan worked pretty well. You can even see the scar under my right eye (drunk laser tag accident) and the evidence of other mistakes everywhere else on my mug. But what you can t see is that I know nothing about basketball or how to play NBA 2K17. This man is an idiot and will destroy your team. A career begins I like basketball, and I watch basketball, but the main thing I know about playing basketball is that you need grit. I think. Or hustle maybe. You ve gotta want it. And if you don t want it (or have the hustle), you might blow a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Well, I want it. But because I suck at NBA 2K17 so extraordinarily, I probably won t make it anywhere near the Finals, even in a videogame some fantasy. (By the way, I tried to name myself The Warriors Blew A 3-1 Lead In The NBA Finals but it didn t give me enough characters so my first name is 'The Warriors Ble' and my last name is 'W A Three-One Le.' I chose number 69.) NBA 2K17 s MyCareer mode tells the story of your career starting after high school, and so we open on a chat with my old coach, who doesn t mind at all that I look like Paul Giamatti found a Zoltar Speaks machine and wished to be big. I get some good advice remember your fundamentals, that kind of thing and from there I have to choose a college to grace with my talents. I pick Louisville because that was my Kentuckian stepfather s team and I always loved how he said Loovulle. Sadly, as I think coach 'Matt Walsh wearing a rubber Matt Walsh mask' can tell, I am about to let Loovulle down. Everything I do during my college career which MyCareer represents as a public practice and a few games counts toward a scouting grade that s going to determine how early in the draft I m picked. I ve got to take good shots, make good passes, and demonstrate what some basketball writers call basketball IQ, which translates to, being good at basketball. I don t know how to do any of that. I thought MyCareer would be a tutorial mode the campaign that prepares you to play for real but I was wrong. It didn't tell me anything! So I just go out there do the best I can. I m a center and I don t know what a center does, for instance, so I decide to stand directly under the net (it s in the center) as much as possible so that I can dunk dunks obviously being the most important part of basketball, and what the scouts want to see. I m called on three-second violations three times. Then I take and miss four shots and get dunked on twice. So, not a great star...Now Available on Steam - NBA 2K17Sep 20, 2016 - Product ReleaseNBA 2K17 is Now Available on Steam! Following the record-breaking launch of NBA 2K16, the NBA 2K franchise continues to stake its claim as the most authentic sports video game with NBA 2K17. As the franchise that “all sports video games should aspire to be” (GamesRadar), NBA 2K17 will take the game to new heights and continue to blur the lines between video game and reality. Steam Game Charts: U Mad?Sep 20, 2016 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunThis is some kind of sick joke, isn’t it? … NBA 2K17 Career Stars Michael Jordan (The Other One)Sep 2, 2016 - Rock, Paper, ShotgunLike a thespian Bo Jackson, Michael B. Jordan is acting all the sports. After mastering boxing in Creed and handegg in Friday Night Lights, he’ll now tread the boards of the balltobasket stage in NBA 2K17 . He’ll play your custom character’s best ballbuddy in the game’s MyCareer story mode, where players guide a character of their own creation through life on and off the pitch. The story’s written and directed by Creed co-writer Aaron Covington too. If this seems extravagant for a sports game, pssh, this is nothing: last year’s story was a Spike Lee joint. …
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