An awful lot of game studios and publishers these days seem to view free-to-play as the holy grail, but finding the sweet spot between giving the store away and taking unfair advantage of your players is a tricky business. League of Legends is one of the few games that really seems to have nailed it, and yet Ubisoft Blue Byte's Teut Weidemann says it's not a game that other publishers should emulate.

The problem, in Weidemann's eyes, is that Riot Games is just too darn generous with its players. Looking at the numbers from 2009 to 2013, he calculated that League of Legends has a conversion rate that is, the portion of people who actually pay to play of just 3.75 percent.

"Usually, conversion rates for client-based games is between 15 and 25 percent," Weidemann told Gamasutra. "World of Tanks has 30 percent. It could afford to have one-third of the customer base and have the same amount of money as League of Legends."

And why does a game as popular as League of Legends have such a low conversion rate? Therein lies the bit that gamers will likely take issue with: According to Weidemann, Riot isn't trying hard enough to actually make money from the game.

"Riot doesn't care. Optimizing monetization is not the top priority," he said. "They monetize purely through their reach. So it only works because of the large user base, and if you don't have that user base or don't expect to, you should not adopt their monetization. It should not be a role model for your monetization system."

In Weidemann's defense, he's coming at the issue strictly from a business perspective, which doesn't always run perfectly parallel with "keeping gamers really happy," and ultimately it's less a criticism of League of Legends than a warning to other studios that they likely won't be able to duplicate its formula for success. But it's interesting that while he he exhorts others to "learn why it works, and where the mistakes are, and why they can afford to let the conversion rate be so low," he never touches on the possibility that Riot is successful precisely because it doesn't focus on monetization. Maybe there's a good reason for that; but maybe it's one of those ideas that just crazy enough to work, too.

Kano always struck me as kind of a punching bag in the original Mortal Kombat, and his performance in the first Mortal Kombat film didn't do anything to improve my opinion. But the Kano of Mortal Kombat X is older, wiser, heavily upgraded and more able than ever to kill you three times before you hit the ground.

Like the other characters in Mortal Kombat X, Kano will come to the party with three variant fighting styles: Cutthroat, which takes advantage of his cybernetic heart and advanced knife-fighting skills; Cybernetic, focusing on long-range grenade and eye-laser attacks; and Commando, a close-range, ground-and-pound style that keeps opponents from putting together an effective offense.

Naturally, the video finishes with a Fatality, which is brutal, grotesque and hilarious, all at the same time; classic Mortal Kombat, in other words. Mortal Kombat X comes out next year.

Five scantily-clad teens arrive for a weekend sleepover at the Martin house. Little do they know that this is more than just an innocent slumber party: Lumbering, vampiric beasts are stalking the guests, and only you, a top-level S.C.A.T. operative with access to security cameras, bizarre traps, and Dana Plato's house, can save them! And not in 1992, either; I'm talking about early 2015. That's when Night Trap ReVamped will be delivered to Kickstarter backers.

Night Trap is commonly looked down upon as one of the worst videogames of all time, but there's no denying its influence. It was a pioneering FMV game when it was released back in the early 90s and remains one of the best-known examples of the genre today. More importantly, it was also one of the games, along with Mortal Kombat and Doom, that drove the creation of the ESRB.

The Kickstarter comes in response to ongoing demand for a high-definition re-release of the game on modern platforms, according to the team behind it, which is headed by many of the key people responsible for the original. "In the early- and mid-nineties, digital video was still in its infancy, and the image quality was frankly terrible: granular and full of artifacts," they wrote in the Kickstarter pitch. "With the aid of the latest in digital technology, the game s video has been transferred directly to an improved high-definition format, providing the opportunity to experience the action at a level of resolution never seen before."

The Kickstarter claims that the biggest part of the job creating the digital HD transfer has already been completed, and an agreement with a developer who will finish the game has been reached as well. Because of that, the new Night Trap is expected to be out the door within six months of the end of the Kickstarter campaign, putting it at mid-March of 2015.

Despite its prurient hype, Night Trap was neither sexy nor violent; it was, at its core, a vaguely embarrassing, exploitative mess capitalizing on the fading fame of Dana Plato, one of the troubled stars of Diff'rent Strokes. The Kickstarter, of course, casts it in a much more positive light, describing it as both "iconic" and "a major hit with fans," but the obvious question remains: Does anybody actually want this?

The Kickstarter goal is $330,000, which is probably optimistic and perhaps even a tad excessive, given that the game's core component the video is already a done deal. The Night Trap team says the money will cover "coding, manufacturing and fulfillment of the rewards we are offering," and that if it manages to raise more than the goal it will pursue the rights to other Digital Pictures games (Digital Pictures being the original Night Trap developer) and, dare to dream, a sequel. The Night Trap ReVamped Kickstarter campaign comes to an end on September 9.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's multiplayer mode was revealed at Gamescom today, with developer Sledgehammer showing how the focus on future technology will change traditional CoD multiplayer with increased verticality, dynamic map elements, and intricate soldier customization.

The exo suit from the single-player campaign carries over to MP, letting players double-jump, dash in mid-air, and execute slam attacks on unsuspecting foes. The suit can also be customized with specific abilities, such as hovering, stealth cloaking, and SWAT-like shields. One notably powerful ability can knock up to two projectiles away, returning grenades to their sender. There's also an overcharge perk to make exo abilities last longer.

Black Ops 2's Pick 10 customization system returns in an expanded form, with what Sledgehammer's calling "Pick 13." You can customize your soldier's loadout, abilties, and scorestreaks (the new name for killstreaks), then test them out in a new virtual firing range. Cooperative scorestreaks have also been added if someone on your team gets a cool ship, for instance, you can join in with them as a second gunner. New vanity customizations add a lot of visual options as well, and the new lobby puts your character front and center.



Four new maps were shown at the event. Biolab focuses on close combat, and includes chemical containers you can destroy when enemies are near. Riot takes place in a Bagdad prison, with chaotic, narrow inner corridors and more tactical outdoor spaces. Ascend takes place in a space elevator terminal and focuses on CTF: its three lanes are defended by player-activated turrets, but you can boost jump out of lanes and cut across.

The most impressive map is Defender, which takes place beside San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. At some point during the patch, a tsunami will hit the map, which means you'll need to use the new exo boost jump and boost hover abilities to get to higher ground. If not, you end up in the water, and the gameplay trailer shows soldiers swimming through the wave.

There are 12 total modes, including CTF, Team Domination, Search and Destroy, and Hardpoint, as well as new modes such as Momentum and Uplink. Momentum is a new take on War mode, factoring in the exo suit's new mobility. Uplink looks like a little like Quidditch from the Harry Potter series: Players will carry a satellite ball, passing between teammembers, and points are scored by throwing the ball through goals or jumping through with it. We didn't see any broomsticks, but there's still hope.

Sledgehammer says it's focusing on e-sports, too, with ranked playlists and a broadcaster mode. Most important for PC players is the announcement of LAN lobbies though it's not clear if local, offline play is truly supported.



The presentation ended with the announcement of early access availability for pre-orders, something Activision is calling "Day Zero." Current and future pre-orders will net you 24 hours of early access to the game, including Double XP, two new bonus weapons, and the additional perks through the Advanced Arsenal package.

We're cautiously positive. The exo suit's mobility naturally reminds us of Titanfall, and that's just fine. We're excited about the tsunami in Defender, though Battlefield's 'levelution' events did lose their novelty after the 15th time the same skyscraper fell over. Uplink could be a nice option for professional e-sports players (or Harry Potter fans), and we're happy to see that LAN support wasn't ignored in the reveal.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is out on November 4. The focus on vertical movement and dynamic maps will certainly distinguish it from previous CoDs, but we expect that core CoD multiplayer formula to remain in tact. Haters will likely continue to hate, and fans have something to look forward to.

Believe it or not, the Pillars of Eternity crowdfunding campaign is still underway. Obsidian raised nearly $4 million for the game on Kickstarter, but while that effort came to an end in October 2012 it's still possible to back the project directly through the developer. But not for much longer.

It all comes to a close on August 22, after which you'll only be able to preorder the game at full price. That's also the date on which Obsidian will "lock down" all backer reward tiers, along with any remaining surveys for in-game credits and memorial stones, so it can get on with the manufacturing process. Physical add-ons to existing Pillars of Eternity orders, like mouse pads or playing cards and yes, you can buy Pillars of Eternity playing cards if that's your thing will also no longer be available after the 22nd.

The studio clarified a few points about the Pillars of Eternity backer beta as well. It will go live on August 18 exclusively through Steam, but the keys will only be good for the beta version of the game, so players who want a DRM-free version of the final release will still be able to get one. The backer beta will initially be exclusive to Windows, but Mac and Linux versions are expected to follow within a few weeks.

A detailed breakdown of the coming changes is up on Obsidian's Pillars of Eternity website. Barring unforeseen delays, Pillars of Eternity will be out in full this winter.

With access to Arena Commander now open to all backers, Star Citizen studio Cloud Imperium Games has begun the process of beefing up the action through the addition of new game modes. First up is Capture the Core, which as the title suggests is basically Capture the Flag, but in space.

That pretty much covers it, really. Capture the Core is "patterned after classic 'Capture the Flag' games," as the studio put it, "but with the additional challenge of operating in three-dimensional space." Your team must take possession of the opposing team's "core," located on their side of space, and return it to your side; if the carrier is destroyed, the core will remain in place for 30 seconds unless it's either picked up or returned by another player, and it cannot be captured if the capturing side's core has also been taken.

This will no doubt sound very familiar to a lot of you, although Cloud Imperium said CTC is "very objective-based," and that simply flying around trying to blow enemy ships into space dust will actually be "detrimental" to the overall effort. "Players will do best to focus on protecting their core, escorting their core-carriers, and taking down anyone who has stolen their core," it wrote. "When choosing a ship, it is not only toughness one should keep in mind, but a ship s respective speed. Different ships can serve different roles."

There are a few technical issues popping up now and then, the worst of which is a "rare" persistence of particle effects that will eventually cause your PC to slow to a crawl, but quitting and restarting should fix things right up. Capture the Core is live now to all Arena Commander players.

Do you remember Remember Me? Its developer DONTNOD certainly does, as the concept for their next game is eerily familiar. In the stylish yet forgettable third-person action game, your character would alter memories to create the illusion of a new timeline. In the newly announced episodic adventure Life Is Strange, your character will cut the metaphysical middleman and directly alter time.

"Max Caulfield has been absent from Arcadia Bay, Oregon for five years now," explains an announcement post on the Square Enix blog. "Upon returning home she discovers that Rachel Amber, a fellow senior at school, has disappeared under mysterious and rather uncomfortable circumstances. While trying to uncover the truth Max reunites with an old friend, Chloe, and makes a startling discovery: Max has the power to rewind time..."

Planned for PC and various consoles, Square Enix haven't announced any form of release date yet. They have, however, promised more info at Gamescom, and released a couple of screenshots, which you'll find below.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the latest game in the cult Call of Duty series. Among its small band of dedicated followers, some will no doubt be mildly interested in the upcoming shooter's online multiplayer offering. Okay, now read that sentence again, this time replacing "cult" with "gargantuan", "small band" with "vast army", "some" with "many", and "mildly interested in" with "positively kicking their way past small animals and children in a rabid attempt to find any information about".

For all its many faults, new information about the series is a Big Deal. It's fitting, then, that Gamescom 2014 is kicking off with a Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer reveal event. It's due start soon, at 6pm BST, 7pm CET, 10am PDT or 1pm EDT. You can see the full thing here.

Yes, men will be shot, but the more vital question is: will there be a robo-dog kill-streak reward? Tune in to find out.

The first two games in the Toy Soldiers series which developer Signal Studios recently re-released as a bundle on Steam Early Access are well-liked action/tower defense hybrids, but remain best-known for their XBLA success. Being published by Microsoft Game Studios will have that effect. For its next game, Signal has found a new home Ubisoft will publish Toy Soldiers: War Chest, and it'll be a little different.

Aside from coming to more platforms, War Chest won't stick to a single war theme. The gritty Kaiser is still around with his WWI artillery and European dioramas, but the second announced hero, Starbright, is the polar opposite. She's a glittery, "whimsical but dangerous heroine" who commands flying pixies and teddy bears who shoot rainbows out of their chests.

There are two other yet-to-be-announced heroes, and War Chest will also include "more turrets and turret upgrades, more barrages, new game modes and expanded multiplayer and cooperative play," according to Ubisoft. More screens below, and more to come later this week, when we'll have hands-on impressions. Toy Soldiers: War Chest will release next year.

Every week, keen screen-grabber Ben Griffin brings you a sumptuous 4K resolution gallery to celebrate PC gaming's prettiest places.

Famously, Gearbox changed Borderlands' visuals at the eleventh hour, completely re-doing the character models and textures to turn it from an ugly caterpillar into a bazooka-firing butterfly dipped in a vat of leaky glowsticks. Gearbox further loosened their belt for the sequel. They continue the first game's cel-shaded mania but notch up the environmental variety, with arctic wastes, gleaming metropolises, bone-dry dust bowls, and green goo-filled mines. It makes for a game that delivers plenty of spectacle.



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