Author: Thomas Ortsik

Founder and Kinda-Editor-In-Chief at Twinstiq.
Also known as Dr. Strangethumb

Podcast, the second.

Yes it's true ladies and gentlemen, the second episode of the Twinstiq podcast is live! It's a different group of people this time including me, the amazingly talented Greywolf, and the ever enjoyable John Rausch! Join us as we have a mostly coherent talk about what we're playing, what's on our minds, what video games have touched us (some in good ways, some in bad), and even some great glitches! It's all a learning experience and we think you'll really enjoy it.

Author: Billy C
Podcasters: Greywolf, Billy C, John Rausch

Billy C on twitter: www.twitter.com/amuntoth
Google +:  https://plus.google.com/116094295218009515073/posts

No More Battlefield Heroes

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I hope you had your fill of Battlefield Heroes, Battlefield Play4Free, FIFA World and Need for Speed World, because EA announced their shutdown today. If you want to get back into them though, you have until July 14.
To be fair, most of those games are already quite old by now and EA closing multiplayer servers is nothing too shocking by now, but there is one exception: FIFA World.
The f2p offshoot of that game you usually find atop the UK sales charts, had its worldwide launch less than a year ago, so its shutdown is a bit unexpected and should serve as a reminder on the risks of investing into a multiplayer only free2play.

The other big EA f2p game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, is still going “strong” however (whatever that means for a failed WoW killer) and EA plans to “introduce more story-driven game updates”.
Picture: PCGames.de

F1 2015 will be 1080p on PS4, 900p on XBO and 0p on last gen.

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Ok, it’s hardly a surprise, but still interesting if you own both consoles: The Xbox One will again only get a 900p release, while the Playstation 4 gets the full 1080p. But don’t fret Xbox gamers, both versions will run at 60fps and who cares about 633.000 pixels anyway.
Still not happy? Then how about the news that last gen plebeians won’t get any more F1 games in the future? See, it’s not all bad: 900p are better than none.
In other news, Codemasters will have the F1 license for one more year, so F1 2016 is pretty much confirmed already and according to Steven Embling, game designer for the series, the Codies are interested in renewing the licensing agreement with the Formula One Group.

F1 2015 is supposed to be released on June 12 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. Looking forward to it? Leave us a comment.
Source: Videogamer
Picture: Codemasters

Codemasters Starts Its Own Digital Store, Celebrates It With 50% Off

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Let’s make this quick:
Yes, they only sell Codemasters games. No, Rock Star Ate My Hamster is not on offer. Yes, their list of games isn’t great. No, you only get a Steam key.
Yes, they half-assed it.

Full list of games available on the Codemasters Digital Store and recommendations, after the break.
F1 2013 Classic Edition: $32.49
F1 2013 Standard Edition: $24.99
F1 2014 & F1 Race Stars Bundle: $24.99
Grid 2 Reloaded: $24.99
Grid 2: $14.99
Grid Autosport: $24.99
Dirt 3 Complete Edition: $14.99
Dirt Showdown: $14.99
Toybox Turbos: $7.49
F1 Race Stars: $7.49

Toybox Turbo is great if you were a Micro Machines fan back in the day. Never heard of Micro Machines, but like arcade racing and playing with friends? Get it!
With the release of F1 2015 getting closer, I can’t really recommend any of the F1 games, although they aren’t bad. If you want to get one, F1 2013 Classic Edition offers some cars from the 70s and 80s, which are great fun to drive. F1 2014 is more or less the same game, but comes with F1 Race Stars, which is a somewhat mediocre Mario Kart clone.
Both Grid 2 and Grid Autosport are bad (Autosport a little less so), Dirt 3 is in reality Dirt 2.5 and Showdown? We don’t talk about Showdown here.

So, yeah… get Toybox Turbo.

Bill Paxton to Play Infamous Lawyer in GTA Film

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Before he was disbarred as a result of his antagonistic techniques, Jack Thompson was very active against explicit violence and sexuality in video games. Manhunt, Mortal Kombat, Bully, and Grand Theft Auto were among the games he opposed in court.
Referring to games as "murder simulators," he quickly built a reputation among the industry's fans and critics. Bill Paxton will be portraying the lawyer in a BBC Two documentary/drama based on GTA, along with Daniel Radcliffe as lead developer Sam Houser.
Filming starts next week, and the release is scheduled for 2016.
Source: Deadline.com

Star Ocean 5 announced as PS4, PS3 exclusive

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This week’s issue of Famitsu magazine revealed Square Enix and tri-Ace are working together again on the latest installment of the Star Ocean series. In addition to details on the main characters and battle system, Famitsu also obtained some info from the game’s developers.

“With the thought of putting my life into Star Ocean, I decided to change my position to producer (having previously been in charge of advertisement until now),” said producer Suichi Kobayashi. “I want to color Star Ocean 5 with the essence of Star Ocean 3.”

Check out the trailer after the break.
Lead programmer Yoshiharu Gotonda said that the subtitle of “Integrity and Faithlessness” has multiple meanings, and you’ll get a better understanding of it by playing it until the very end.

Kobayashi added, “This time around, we wanted to give the longtime fans of the series a sense of reassurance, so we had the title logo designed similarly to that of Star Ocean 3.”

“The basics of the battles will be similar to those of past titles, where you’ll control a character and aim for a target for a one-on-one battle,” said director Hiroshi Ogawa. “On the other hand, boss fights will be a little different from the regular battles, where all the party members will fight the boss in a different way.”

When asked about the future of the series, Kobayashi stated that he’d like to see the series keep going. In addition to making more for the fans of the series, he’s aiming to make a complete title that newer fans can enjoy, too.

During the interview, it was revealed that Star Ocean 5 is in development using the PlayStation 3 version as a base, while development on the PlayStation 4 version progresses alongside. The team is considering  using the PS4′s Share function in some capacity.

“We’re not thinking about DLC that concerns the game’s story, or anything along the lines of having a ‘complete version’,” said Kobayashi. “Our true intention is the least amount possible, when it comes to things that might upset fans.”

Star Ocean 5 is in development for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. Its progress is currently at about 30%. It currently does not have a scheduled release date.

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-William Sierra
[Source: Famitsu]

Hearthstone Is Now On Mobile Platforms.  Productivity Plummets Everywhere.

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Hearthstone, Blizzard's deceptively simple Collectible Card Game has been ported to mobile platforms. So that basically means that no one will get any work done from this point on. Great.

To slash your productivity time in half, hop past the break and we'll divulge all the details you need to know.

You can grab the game for either IOS or Android mobile devices. Once downloaded, if it is your first time playing them on that platform, you will get a free classic card pack.

What's better still?  Your card collection moves with you regardless of what device you're on. So, if you're a PC enthusiast and you want to take the game with you, but were worried about losing your legendary Deathwing, worry no more. Deathwing goes where you go.

So in your next meeting, when you're glued to your 'phone and your boss asks what you're doing, just tell him you're taking notes while you blast your opponent to bits with a fireball.  He'll totally appreciate your work ethic.

Or maybe not.