Grave Gamer News & Views — beta

Need some Destiny Beta codes? I happen to have two for the PS4. Of course, you’ll have to play my diabolical game to get them!

Here’s what you do: The first two folks to message me the name of Bungie’s first published game get the codes.

Beta codes are good for the Americas, only on PlayStation 4. Hit me up.

Wolfenstein: The New Order Dated, Trailered, and Slapped with Doom 4 Beta

The Bethesda backed, MachineGames developed reboot of id’s famed Nahtzi killin’ vidja game officially has itself a date.

Wolfenstein: The New Order, which sees B.J. “Blast-to-Bits” Blazkowicz launching a counter-offensive against the Nazi force that’s conquered the free world since winning World War II (History 101 Spoiler:...

Destiny Beta Arrives Early 2014, Called a “Massive Undertaking”

It’s starting to hit me. Bungie is back. And what they’re bringing with them is best quantified between “pants tightening” and “mind blowing.” That’s right: it’s pants blowing.

Though, some waiting is required before the world races into Bungie’s MMO-FPS hybrid, Destiny, due out sometime in 2014. But!While supplies hold out, your pre-order at a participating retailer gains you access to Destiny’s beta planned for the Spring. Bungie community honcho, Eric Osborne, labels the beta a “massive undertaking,” and I’m inclined to agree. The beta, which will be available across all platforms the game is on, encompasses way more of Destiny’s open-world than a paltry few disjointed sections.

“The Destiny beta, in many ways, is being treated like a full product launch,” said Osbrone in an interview with GameSpot. “We can’t just carve out three competitive multiplayer maps this time around. We’d only be gathering data on one facet of the overall experience – one that is the least resource intensive and most well understood by our team. Destiny demands more.”

Bungie wants to include rich, sprawling destinations in the beta for you and your friends to explore, introducing players to the core emphasis on discovering unique story elements, treasure, and engaging in “face melting action.” More importantly, Osborne wishes to stress test the game under the harshest conditions imaginable: by slamming Destiny into a wall of human interaction.

We can, and do, perform a lot of small to large-scale testing, but nothing beats a turbulent sea of gamers smashing up against our code, services, and content,“ says Osborne. "No amount of prediction or intuition can account for the delightfully random human element that will ultimately define Destiny.”

Destiny, the first title out of Bungie’s doors since 2010’s Halo: Reach, releases for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One next year, and is the first part of a proposed ten year cycle for the sci-fi franchise.

Check out this absolutely pants blowing trailer for the game called The Moon.

Valve Dreams Up Steam Machines

Following Monday’s reveal of SteamOS, a Linux based operating system built for big screen gaming in the living room, Valve today brought us the announcement of Steam Machines.

I’ve little technical savvy to me, sadly, but far as I can gather, Steam Machines are gaming devices that perform mechanical work using steam as a working fluid. Wait, shit, that’s a steam engine. Wiki screwed me again.

Second attempt: a Steam Machine is living-room hardware that, naturally, runs the newly conceived SteamOS. In 2014, Valve will allow a multitude of different manufacturers to market their own Steam Machines, the logic being that consumers will have a litany of choices at hand to suit their needs – be it size, performance, or price.

Valve is still creating their own line of prototype boxes, however, in order to tune, tighten, and harness user feedback into designing a meaner, leaner Steam Machine. “At Valve we always rely on real-world testing as part of our design process,” said the company. “The specific machine we’re testing is designed for users who want the most control possible over their hardware.”

“Most control possible” is a canyon beneath under-exaggeration. Valve says you’ll be able to hack the box, change the hardware, install your own software to it, or even utilize an altogether different OS. Eventually, you’ll be able to download SteamOS, even its source code (“If you’re into that,” says Valve).

Valve’s own version of the Steam Bo – Er, Steam Machine will be undergoing a very limited beta that could land you, potential participant, with a free machine at your doorstep. How limited of a beta, you ask? Only 300 devices are being made available. Entry rules hereabouts. Go. Run. Now.