Diablo 3 launch stymied by mortal infrastructure, Blizzard apologises

With the launch of one of the most highly anticipated games of the year (if not the last few years) Diablo 3, eager players stormed Blizzard’s servers, only to be met by and stopped dead in their tracks with an Error 75 and rendered unable to play the game. Blizzard issued an apology, stating:

“We sincerely regret that your crusade to bring down the Lord of Terror was thwarted not by mobs of demons, but by mortal infrastructure. As many of you are aware, technical issues occurring within hours after the game's launch led to players experiencing error messages and difficulty logging in. These issues cropped up again last night for the Americas and Europe servers. Despite very aggressive projections, our preparations for the launch of the game did not go far enough.”

The company reassured that it has been “monitoring the game 24/7 and has applied several optimisations to help our systems better weather the global rush.”

It added that it would continue to monitor performance globally and “will be taking further measures as needed to ensure a positive experience for everyone. This includes some maintenance to implement additional improvements for each region.”

One of the casualties of the global demand on the Battle.net service is the delaying of the launch of the real-money auction house beyond the original planned 22 May launch date. The company encouraged players experiencing problems to visit the Battle.net support site or support forums for the latest service-related updates.

New York Crysis not averted  

Electronic Arts (EA) has released new Crysis 3 screenshots and concept art, revealing more details about the next version of its popular FPS. Crysis 3 will only be released in 2013 and like its predecessor, the forthcoming title is also set in New York. Taking place in 2047, Prophet (who actually dies in Crysis 2) returns to the Big Apple, only to find the famous New York skyline a little different to how he remembers it.

The city is encased in a nanodome (Liberty Dome) and has become overgrown with trees, dense swamplands as well as raging rivers, with nasty Ceph of course lurking around every bush. This dangerous new environment creates the opportunity for advanced new weapons and tactics, with Prophet making use of a lethal composite bow, some devastating tech he “borrowed” from the invaders and an enhanced Nanosuit.

We can’t wait to employ some Predator-style ambush tactics in this game. Check out the rotating image block in the top right hand corner for more images.

FIFA 13 gets dribbling

Following Konami's recent PES 2013 announcement, EA revealed some of the new features that will be coming to FIFA 13. The company stated that the latest title in the franchise will feature the most sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) of any previous iteration of FIFA, with attacking AI enabling gamers to analyse space better whilst breaking down the opposition’s defenses. Your AI controlled teammates will be able to create or alter runs that capitalise on openings as these occur, or just position themselves better to allow for that seamless one-touch type of football.

The dribbling system within FIFA 13 has also been improved, with the new complete dribbling functionality allowing you to change direction quicker, accelerate faster whilst running with the ball, and to shield the ball more effectively from defenders for longer periods. Factors that include defensive pressure, the trajectory of the ball, as well as velocity of the pass will impact your player’s first touch, which should make it a bit easier for defenders to win back possession in certain one-on-one situations.

EA Sports also tinkered with the Player Impact Engine introduced in FIFA 12, in order to expand physical play from just collisions between players (and the referee) to off-the-ball battles between players. Defenders will now jostle for position, or force opponents into a poor position from which they can’t make a magical Messi-styled first touch.

In addition, FIFA 13 will also feature:

• Improved career mode

• New features to EA Sports FIFA online, including enhancements to the popular head-to-head seasons mode.

• Various new features for EA Sports Football Club, the live service that sees gamers earning experience points (XP) in support of their favourite real world club.

• Over 500 officially licensed clubs.

• Tactical Free Kicks which provides tools (e.g. dummy runners) to create more dangerous free kick situations.