July seemed to blast by as summer kicked into high-gear and big name game releases seemed to slow down. No worries, though, there was plenty of news throughout July that kept the intensity high and the heat burning within the gaming news circles, including a brand new game console that was 100% funded by the gaming community and will launch at a $99.99 price point. Talk about gaming on a budget. What's more is that this new console, called Ouya, will support a number of different functions including hacking, mods and easy mobile-to-console game porting. Hi-Rez Studios also comes under fire for their “porno-style” depiction of Hindu goddess Kali, and EA lets us in on a not-so-well-kept secret that last year's Battlefield 3 will be receiving a sequel much sooner than expected. All these stories and much, much, more in this Gaming Blend Monthly Recap.
July 1st – July 7th: Sir, You Are Being Hunted, Battlefront 3 Footage, ACTA Dies This was a very important week. The first week of July ushered in another mild victory for any and everyone who enjoys some moderate freedom on the internet, as ACTA was effectively killed in a very lopsided vote that fell down hard on the side of freedom of speech. More than an hour of Star Wars: Battlefront 3 footage was released to the public, but of course it was footage of a game that NO ONE will be able to play at all since LucasArts scrapped the whole thing years ago. Great way to tease us, jerks. And Rock, Paper, Shotgun shares highlights of a game they're working on called Sir, You Are Being Hunted. The name alone deserves a click-through and I can't wait to see what the game turns out like in its final form.
July 8th – July 14th: Rambo At GamesCom, EA In Trouble, Ouya Game Console Rambo: The Video Game goes to GamesCom ultimately we only ended up with screenshots and a debut trailer for the month of July. The graphics look good but we've still yet to see a 3D Sylvester Stallone. EA gets hit hard with their stock along with their arch-rival Zynga, who also loses quite a bit of share price on the market. During this second week of July the Ouya console also manages to make its appearance and get funded on Kickstarter. Despite all the naysaying circling the industry for the $99 Android-based home console, a ton of small and medium-sized developers have pledged support for the console with a number of new and recent game announcements and ports.
July 15th – July 21st: Battlefield 4 Beta, Steam Summer Sale, Diablo 3 Gamer Dies Even though Battlefield 3 is still a fresh memory in the minds of many gamers, it's already being superseded by its sequel with a multiplayer beta due for release next year. EA received a bit of flak for this seemingly rushed sequel so shortly after the launch of Battlefield 3 last year. During this third week of July the Steam summer sale officially got underway, giving gamers all sorts of amazing 75% off sales for 10 straight days. The damage was done and people like myself spent way more than we should have on a ton of different games. A Taiwanese gamer also met his end at the hands of Diablo. The poor chap managed 40 hours straight of Diablo III gaming and found himself dead at the end of the run due to heart problems. Who knew that a game could kill?
July 22nd – July 28th: Final Fantasy XIV Reborn, Path of Exile Beta, Diablo III Exploits July basically wrapped up on the plus side of things. Despite several months full of negative news regarding Diablo III, the lesser of the game's evils boiled down to a few invincibility exploits, enabling gamers to garner some mad loot and gold using wizards and barbarians for a short period of time. Blizzard hopped to the hotfix train and then effectively moved back to silence mode. Square on the other hand has extended an olive branch to the gaming community by reviving Final Fantasy XIV under the “Reborn” moniker, giving gamers brand new gaming experiences in a complete redo of one of the most putrid MMO launches of all time. And, to top it all off, small-time indie company Grinding Gear Games managed to show the big boys how it's done, launching stress test beta weekends for Path of Exile and giving MMO and ARPG fans a lot to talk about and much to anticipate.
That wraps up this edition of the Gaming Blend Monthly Recap. Be sure to stay tuned in for more news and information regarding the latest and hottest games.
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