Beta News, Beta Features

Creeping through the chaos

The game’s less than a month away from release, but that’s not stopping Crytek from deploying a Crysis 3 multiplayer beta next week. The online test will run for a period of two weeks, and will give you a chance to experience two modes and maps ahead of the title’s 19th February release. Crash Site, the first of the...

Open to everyone

Sony is rounding out God of War: Ascension’s multiplayer beta with an open invitation to all PlayStation Network users. Throughout the course of the holiday weekend, those of you in North America will be able to partake in the goriest battle since the start of Gangs of New York. There’s no need for a PlayStation Plus...

Just the beginning

CCP Games’ ambitious free-to-play first-person shooter DUST 514 will fire into open beta on 22nd January, the developer has announced. The news comes just weeks after the PlayStation 3 exclusive merged servers with its companion PC MMO, Eve Online. It’s all rather exciting stuff. "The launch of the Dust 514 open beta is...

Gift from the Gods

If you’re currently participating in the God of War: Ascension beta, then your efforts will not go unnoticed. Sony Santa Monica has promised to bestow all contributing warriors with a package from the heavens. Rewards include a set of steely championship armour and an exclusive blood-stained sword. We would have preferred a...

Test your might

There may not be emails in Olympus, but it’s a good thing that they exist on Earth. Sony’s just sent us an invitation to participate in the God of War: Ascension beta after registrations opened last month. If you’re successful, you’ll have received a notification on the same email address that your PlayStation Network account...

State your claim

Those of you that have unlocked God of War: Ascension beta vouchers via the title’s online social game Rise of the Warriors will be able to download the client right now. The file weighs in at a whopping 1.4GB, so make sure you’ve got plenty of spare hard drive space. There’s currently no other way to access the trial, but...

Death wish

It’s rare that the Gods seek the support of mortals, but this is one of those exceptional occasions. Sony is appealing for European PlayStation 3 owners to participate in the upcoming God of War: Ascension beta. To be in with a chance, all you need to do is visit this specially prepared sign-up page, login with your PlayStation Network...

Fermenting like a fine wine

Jack Tretton must have got his dates muddled up. CCP Games’ ambitious free-to-play first-person shooter DUST 514 will not launch later this month like the executive stated in an interview in September – instead it will stay in closed beta throughout the rest of 2012. "We'll be in closed beta for the rest of the...

Best served cold

PlayStation Plus subscribers will be invited to follow in the foot-steps of their favourite Greek warriors this winter, when the God of War: Ascension beta finally arrives on the PlayStation Store. The multiplayer test will allow you to sample the competitive side of Sony Santa Monica’s sequel without needing to sacrifice a...

Join the fight

Mascot mash-up madness will come early to PlayStation Plus subscribers this week, when the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale public beta launches on 16th October in North America and 17th October in Europe. Vanilla account holders will be invited to join the crossover chaos on 23rd October in North America and 24th October in...

Don your lab coat

Sony has started inviting European gamers to test out PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. If you volunteered yourself for scientific duties, you should probably check your email inbox right now. Go on – we’ll wait. Unlike the US beta, the European test will span both PS3 and Vita. You’ll be able to sample a handful of...

Social politics

DUST 514 is supposed to offer an easy entry point for those intimidated by sister experience EVE Online – but we’ve got to be honest, we’re not sure it’s going to achieve its aims. We’ve sat pondering this article for over an hour, and we're still struggling to find an easy way to summarise the PS3 exclusive's next big...

Crossover chaos

European gamers will finally get access to the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale beta next month. The limited public test is set to take place from 11th September until 18th September. Unlike the North American trial, it will be playable on both PS3 and Vita. In order to gain access to the beta, you’ll need to register your...

Full frontal assault

If you’re a European PlayStation Plus subscriber, we recommend booting up your PS3 right away. Sony has launched a Ratchet & Clank: QForce beta which will be available to premium members for a “limited time only”. The beta features a single-player tutorial, a ranked competitive mode for up to four players, and...

Extraction point

Those of you yet to get a private invitation to the DUST 514 beta will be given the opportunity to go hands-on tomorrow, when developer CCP Games opens up the multiplayer test to European PlayStation Plus subscribers. Premium members will also get the chance to purchase the recently released Mercenary Pack at a discounted price...

Boom

CCP Games will be hoping nothing explodes when it moves the DUST 514 beta onto a standalone test server with hardcore PC MMO EVE Online later this month. The move – pencilled in for 21st August – will coincide with the beta’s latest update, allowing players of both games to communicate in real-time and exchange messages with each other...

Time sink

Assassin’s Creed III might be one of the biggest games of the year, but Ubisoft has decided against launching a multiplayer beta for it. Speaking with – whisper it – XboxGameZone.co.uk, Ubisoft Annecy’s Damien Kieken explained that preparing betas can take a lot of time and resources away from the main game. He said: A...

Global gladiators

If you weren’t one of the elite PSN members lucky enough to score a beta code to SuperBot Entertainment’s upcoming mascot mash-up, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale: don’t panic. The developer has announced that it’s looking to expand the online multiplayer test soon, with more invites set to be dispatched in the coming...

Settle the score

If you’ve always wondered who would win in a fight between Sweet Tooth and Fat Princess, then you might not have to wait much longer to find out. The eagle-eyed editors over at IGN have discovered that SuperBot Entertainment has kicked off a top-secret beta for upcoming PS3 mascot mash-up, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. The...