THE 2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

"The Year in Review is a time for us to reflect on the events of the year. Join us from December 1 to December 8 as we take a look back at our Games of the Month for 2015, we discuss how each of the major platforms did this year in our Report Cards, and we examine the biggest news stories and events that took place!"

gamespot.com

http://www.gamespot.com/game-of-the-year/year-in-review/

Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Games for January 2016 Coming Soon

January 2016's lineup of Xbox One backwards-compatible games will be announced soon, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer. He says on Twitter that Xbox engineers are making the final pass on a few of the Xbox 360 games and will share the final, complete list for January 2016 in "not too much" time.

The Xbox One backwards compatibility program debuted in November as part of the New Xbox One Experience update. 104 games were supported at launch, with 16 additional titles added in December.

Microsoft has given no indication yet as to which games will be added in January.

With close to 141,000 votes, Call of Duty: Black Ops II is the most-requested Xbox 360 games for Xbox One backward compatibility on the Xbox Feedback website. Rounding out the top five are The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Red Dead Redemption,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Black Ops is confirmed to be coming to the Xbox One backwards compatibility lineup, but none of the other top-requested games have been delivered yet.

What games would you like to see added to the lineup in January? Let us know in the comments below!

The Best Guns in PC Gaming

Introduction

Whenever a new first-person shooter releases, we pick up our conversation around PC Gamer HQ about what video game guns we love most. How did Far Cry 3’s bow compare to Crysis 3’s? Which game has the best Magnum-style revolver in a game? We’re continually interested in the design of the ballistic and energy weapons we bring into shooters—the mechanics they’re imbued with and the particle effects and animations that express their personalities.

As celebration of the inventive designs and as a representation of our collective tastes, we’ve assembled a list of the best video game guns. See the criteria list below to get a sense of how we judged; if your favorite rifle or SMG isn’t here, lobby for it in the comments. We’ll update this list over time as we encounter guns we like in new FPSes, or as we revisit old games that spark new opinions.

Criteria

• How fun the gun is to use today is weighted higher than its historical impact (both of which are weighted higher than nostalgia). Rocket jumping grew popular in Quake, but if we were to recognize Quake’s rocket launcher as one of the best guns ever, are we celebrating how fun the gun is to use or just its cultural significance?

• Aesthetic considerations: firing animation, reload animation, death animations, muzzle flash, texture quality, sound design• Must be a weapon: the Gravity Gun (Half-Life 2) and the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (Portal) are gun-shaped devices that we love, but in the interest comparing apples to apples we’ve excluded them from consideration  

Star Wars Battlefront "Survival Mode" revealed at Sony's E3 event

Star Wars Battlefront "Survival Mode" revealed at Sony's E3 event

More Star Wars Battlefront gameplay went on display at tonight's Sony E3 presser, in the form of a trailer that showcased a previously-unseen gameplay mode called simply "Survival."

Survival is essentially a Horde Mode that pits players against increasingly difficult waves of enemies. In the video shown during the press event (and playing above), a pair of crashed rebel troopers have to defend themselves against what appears to be an entire Imperial army, beginning with simple stormtroopers and eventually leading to shocktroopers, AT-STs, TIE Fighters, and a Star Destroyer. In between waves, the Rebellion does its part in the fight against tyranny by dropping supply pods to help keep our intrepid duo in the fight. It's silly, but it looks like the fun kind of silly, and so that's okay.

This is actually the second Star Wars Battlefront trailer to turn up at E3 today; the first, a 40-player battle for the planet Hoth, was rolled out earlier this afternoon during the Electronic Arts event. Watch it here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 multiplayer has robots, teleportation

Well, it wouldn't be E3 without some Call of Duty, right? Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, developed by Treyarch, is set in the year 2065, and we got a look at some of its futuristic multiplayer combat. The gameplay footage showcased drones, wall-running, someone's arm transforming into a machinegun, and even teleportation.

Unfortunately for PC gamers, PlayStation owners get first crack at both the beta and new map packs. Fine, Sony. Be that way.Have a look at the multiplayer trailer below.

Best YouTube Gaming Channels

Best YouTube Gaming Channels

The best channels on YouTube that are based around gaming

1.PewDiePie

Comments from youtubers:

• He makes scary horror games as funny as can be, and pewdie, if your playing amnesia right now, I hope you find stephano. BROFIST FROM SOCAL

• He is awesome. Very very awesome. As soon as I discovered him, I'm totally addicted to his videos.

• :D He's funny, and love his sense of humor! BROFIST.

• He is very entertaining and extremely funny. The fastest growing channel on youtube! BROFIST FROM AUSTRALIA!

2.markiplierGAME

Comments from youtubers:

• Mark is a great person, I'm not the one of the first fans to watch his lets plays but I love how he comments about the game as a whole and keep his character open to all us fans. people say that he's getting like some other YouTubers where he's just doing silly voices and screams all the time. while its true that his scream and shouting frequency has increases over time. he doesn't just scream but actually shout out some fairly hilarious things from time to time.

• And the random shouting... don't we all do so too? Like when I play games or watch/read things, I just feel like shouting out random stuff that don't really make sense. talking to myself is kinda like a hobby to me now.

• I just think he's gotten more confident on front of the camera, like if I'm watching something by myself, I speak a whole load of random rubbish

• Mark is extremely funny and is very kind and generous because of his charity live streams. He doesn't pose for people and doesn't think his fans or subscribers are just numbers. Plus, he can actually finish a game, even if it is terrifying. Mark should totally be in the top tens. When I'm having a rough day, I watch his videos, then I'm in a fit of giggling. Even though he is not number one on the list, he is in my book.

• Great guy with a big heart and the kind of level head a gamer is expected to have. Go check him out if you haven't already.

• I can't stop watching his videos! This is coming from a person who doesn't even own nor play video games :D

3.RoosterTeeth

Comments from youtubers:

• I think they are the best. Reason one. They are all friends having fun playing games. Two. They are more than just a letsplay channel. They also have a weekly podcast and a various info about games. Five facts, This is... , Achievment hunter weekly update. They even have their own site dedicated to having achievement checklists and forums. I watched pewdie before he was cool but now he feels like he sold out a bit. Yogscast are just plain stupid. I get so pissed off when I see them make retarded mistakes and wonder "oh what happened? Why did I just walk off a cliff" Roosterteeth isn"t great at miecraft but at least they are better than them.

• Also the biggest part of rooster teeth is Red vs Blue which EVERYONE online has seen. Everybody has at least seen the first episode. Its even in halo. I have yet to seen a person/group from

• They have the best variety of videos, every day new content is being uploaded and the best of all is the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Let's play. Never get tired of watching these guys laugh their ass off and the community is such a tear jerker. Just watch the video on how Red vs. Blue is started and how all the original members had to sacrifice to become what they are today. Pure AWESOME!

• Red vs Blue, Rage Quit, Achievement hunter, FOTW, Achievement Horse, RT Shorts, how can you not love these dudes?

• RoosterTeeth is one of my favourite YouTube channels of all time, if not my favourite. I spend countless hours watching Achievement Hunter. My favourite gaming channel on YouTube. I'm so glad to have been introduced to them.

4. OfficialNerdCubed

Comments from youtubers:

• My favorite channel. He is very funny and edits some of his videos so it isn't boring. He is very under rated and deserves more views.

• Nerdcubed is my favourite youtuber in the whole world! He is hilarious and just cool! I don't know why he is not in the top ten or even the top five. This guy deserves it all. He puts out videos daily which I love too. Let's make Nerdcubed higher here!

• This fantastically humorous man is capable of beautifully editing videos, only swearing when it is appropriate, and having an overall very relateable personality. He is by far the single best youtuber of all time. Ever.

• Procrastinators for the win

5. UberHaxorNova

Comments from youtubers:

• He is hilarious. He is very down to earth and very funny and charismatic. He is fun to watch. His crazy personality and his hilarious freak outs are well worth the subscription. My favorite gaming channel.

• Nova(James) was the guy that made me addicted to you tube gaming. He is funniest of all the creatures. I love most the creatures. I also watch Achievement hunter, ssohpkc, and other gamers, but he will always be my favorite!

• Nova and sp00n are definitely my favorite of the Creatures. Why has Nova reached 1 million subscribers and none of the others have? Because Nova is just that cool and hilarious.

• He is so funny when ever I'm having a bad day I watch his videos at it makes me happy

6.VanossGaming

Comments from youtubers:

• Came across his channel one day by accident, automatically fell in love with the humor of the Call of Duty videos. Reminded me of playing with my friends and all our good times and now he has moved on to computer gaming and the videos keep getting better and better. I haven't been able to find another gaming channel that I like because none compare to VanossGaming

• I been watching his videos sense his first mw3 video and I enjoyed every video sense with a big laugh before I go to school been subscribed for long time

• I absolutely love him! His videos have made me smile on the worst days, him and his friends are so funny and deserve so much credit for what they do! If you don't know who he is please check out him channel it's definitely worth it!

• Funniest guy ever! And also shout out to all of his friends as well

7.CaptainSparklez

Comments from youtubers:

• His music videos are the greatest! His most viewed video has around 45 MILLION views! That is incredible for a gaming channel and a lot more than any other gaming channel in history! He also has over a million loyal subscribers! Truly the best.

• He never fails to keep me entertained, his music videos are very good and is something I'll recommend to anyone who is looking for a good parody. Also, his modded survival is the best, starting out as a simple survival map that risen to be the most popular thing on his channel. Which is something, because 2.8 million subscribers watches his videos. In other words, he's a very funny guy and I'll recommend it to anyone who likes a good laugh.

• He is the best because he is never annoying, he is funny, all of his videos are great and he must be rank #1

• One of his videos has 150 million views!

8. BlueXephos

Comments from youtubers:

• Simon and Lewis are the greatest. They have over 2 million subscribers and they get around 6k subscribers a day! They are hilarious and put a lot of effort into their videos. Deserve to be first.

• You will die with laughter every day when subscribed to these guys. Their videos are not just funny but high quality and there range of other channels like sips, sjin and duncan are sure to keep you entertained for hours.

• These guys are like the funniest people I've Evah seen! 2 Million thumbs up :D!

• Funniest people ever super nice and awesome

9.TobyGames

Comments from youtubers:

• This gut is all around funny. I love watching his Games, his Lazy Vlogs, and his other videos that he post out. Toby has a really great sense of humor and that makes you want to watch his videos at places you shouldn't; like school for one. If you haven't seen his channel or any of his channels you should give him a look see, you'll love him.

• Toby is the funniest youtuber I have ever seen. When I first saw him on Happy Wheels I got addicted to his videos and started watching more of his videos. For people who don't know who Tobuscus is, you guys should really check out his videos.

• Toby is one of the funniest guys on youtube! He can take any serious game and make it totally hilarious. The way he tells fake little stories while he is playing is so funny!

• This Guy is awesome

10.machinima

Comments from youtubers:

• These guys just do it right.. The latest.though I think IGN has a better game review and rating

• i personally haven't seen the machinima reviews

• Wouldn't say Machinima as a whole, but Inside Gaming definitely.

• Machinima all the way everyday thanks

• I thought these guys were evil.

If you would like to add someone, PLEASE coment out their YouTube name and not what people call them. Thanks

Star Wars Battlefront: The Fight For Endor

This article was originally published in PC Gamer issue 279 For more quality articles about all things PC gaming, subscribe now in the UK and the US.

It’s day one of Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, and I’m standing in the briefing room from Return of the Jedi, where Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar laid out the plans for the Rebel Alliance’s assault on the second Death Star. Barely an hour ago, Star Wars Episode VII director JJ Abrams revealed the second teaser trailer for The Force Awakens. Everyone in the room is starry-eyed, riding high on the rush of seeing Han Solo for the first time in 32 years.


We’re not standing in the real briefing room from Return of the Jedi, of course, but a recreation built to showcase the public’s first real look at EA and DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront. The three-tier risers encircling the room are filled with journalists, not Rebel pilots. And when the presentation begins, it’s disappointingly on a large screen built into the wall, not a hologram projected up from the circular console in the middle of the floor. Someone in the room lets out a squeak of delight just the same, when the forest moon of Endor appears on the screen.

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing as sunlight streams through the canopy, I’d swear the ferns and towering space redwoods of Endor rendered in DICE’s Frostbite engine were the real deal. It looks incredible. Then the action starts: a blaster and minimalist HUD appear on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes and blasting other stormtroopers right in the face. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to leap into the air and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher. It all looks far better than any Star Wars game before it, and DICE swears it’s in-engine, captured from a live session.

We’ve seen Frostbite flex its graphical muscle before, most recently in Battlefield 4 and Dragon Age: Inquisition. But seeing it applied to the Star Wars universe, and such familiar locations as Endor, is something else again. As blaster bolts pepper the screen and speeder bikes jet through the forest, exploding into oversaturated orange fireballs, Battlefront makes me think of the vivid digital effects of the Star Wars prequel films meshed with the used, worn-down aesthetic of the original trilogy.

That latter bit is key, as the DICE team will repeat again and again as they talk about their new Battlefront, due in November 2015. Authenticity is their overriding goal.

“When we started the process of creating the concept for the game, we already knew that we wanted to go really classic original trilogy,” says Sigurlína Ingvarsdottir, senior producer on Battlefront. “These fantastical planets of Endor, Tatooine, and Hoth, that’s where we wanted to go. We wanted to really bring you to that world in a way that no one had before.”

Ingvarsdottir runs the Battlefront development team out of DICE’s office in Stockholm, Sweden, coordinating with the other producers, design director Niklas Fegraeus, EA, and Lucasfilm.

Like most of her team, Ingvarsdottir is a diehard Star Wars fan. “You know, I cannot remember not knowing what Star Wars was,” she says. “One of my first memories as a kid is being really really scared of a dark, ominous being in a movie. I can’t place it in time, but it’s when I first saw Darth Vader.”

Ingvarsdottir has years of history in the games industry as a producer at EVE Online developer CCP, but she never worked on Battlefield. To make Star Wars Battlefront, DICE built a new team, combining Battlefield veterans with newcomers. It’s hard to tell, so far, exactly how much Battlefront will feel like Battlefield with a very pretty coat of Star Wars paint (and some original trilogy weathering)—even though it’s been two years, EA is still keeping most of the game’s details tightly under wraps.

The Endor demo is of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support up to 40 players online—Battlefront’s maximum player count. As players zip by on speeder bikes, a trio of Rebel troopers advance down a creek towards stormtroopers, their bodies ensphered in effervescent blue energy shields. Then a towering AT-AT comes lumbering through the forest. Rebel troops scramble to avoid its blaster fire, while the trooper our demo is following walks between its legs, narrowly avoiding one foot as it crashes to the ground.

He dashes up a hill towards a satellite uplink and interacts with it while a bar quickly fills up—the interaction seems comparable to capturing a control point in Battlefield—and after a few seconds, the uplink calls in a flight of Y-Wings to take out the looming AT-AT. We hear the Y-Wing pilots over the radio as they make a quick flyover, barely visible through Endor’s thick canopy. Then they’re back, raining down pulsating pink proton bombs onto the AT-AT. One erupts on the cockpit, and the walker elicits a metallic death groan before topping forward onto its front knees and collapsing to the ground.

By: pcgamer.com