New Games |
- Atlus parent company Index to begin selling operations
- First-look footage of Magicka: Wizard Wars
- These winning community-made Dark Souls II shields rock
- You need to destroy the world in Halfbrick's new game
- Halo: Spartan Assault now available for Windows 8 devices
- Oculus Rift targeting 2014 release, next-gen cellphones
- You asked for it: Capcom announces new Strider
- Movie Defense Force: Brainscan
- Ubisoft is focusing on games that are always online
- Copperhead joins the assassins of Batman: Arkham Origins
- Remedy needed a company like Microsoft for Quantum Break
- Firefall beta: Post-apocalyptic pina coladas
- Mega Man II, III, IV, V, and Xtreme are coming to the 3DS
- Ubisoft is investing big in regular open-world games
- Aim to misbehave: Firefly Online announced at Comic-Con
- Rover simulator Take On Mars headed to Steam Early Access
- Adventure Time skips PS Vita, Namco trolls system fans
- Here's how the 3DS StreetPass enhancement will work
- Nintendo debuts two mini-Directs today
- Steam sale: Torchlight II, XCOM, The Binding of Isaac
- Nintendo Download: EARTHBOUND?!
- Who wants to pay taxes in Grand Theft Auto V?
- inFAMOUS: Second Son developers dig the DualShock 4
- Podtoid 261: The Artistic Integrity of Aqua
- Reminder: Donkey Kong NES is $0.30 on the Wii U VC
- Ouya launching a Kickstarter matcher to get games made
- Nintendo has listed EarthBound's Wii U release for today
- Dragon's Crown confirmed for European release
- Tactical shooter Breach and Clear out now on iOS
- Angry Birds Star Wars is coming to consoles
- Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut on Steam Greenlight
- More info on the fifth Ultra Street Fighter IV character
- Map-making tools in the works for Tribes: Ascend
- Gunner Z for the iOS looks pretty damn amazing
- Scale the Himalayas in DuckTales Remastered
- Mega Man joins the brawl... Brawl in the Family, that is!
- Metro: Last Light's first downloadable content is now out
- Awesome Plants vs. Zombies 18" Munny auction for charity
- New screenshots of End of Nations as a MOBA
- Udon brings a Mega load of new books to SDCC
- Lots of next-gen games are playable at Comic-Con
- The impressive cosplay of London Comic-Con 2013
- The Daily Hotness: Aw Yea-uh!
| Atlus parent company Index to begin selling operations Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:45 PM PDT Last month we learned that Atlus parent company Index Corporation was in a fiscal mess due to a debt of 2.45 billion yen and fraud investigations and had entered "civil rehabilitation proceedings," akin to American bankruptc. According to Bloomberg, with some help in translation from Mad Man's Cafe, it seems Index will begin selling off its subsidiary operations. Bidding could start as early as next week and finish as quickly as September. As we guessed last month, it seems Index wants to get things done before any of its operations devalue amidst the turmoil -- production could be impacted, employees could jump ship, etc. Settlements could reach as high as 15 billion yen, according to experts. Index stock will be delisted on July 28. Atlus Japan recently issued a statement on its website noting, "the development and sales of the Atlus brand as well as the consumer business will continue." It also confirmed that regularly planned releases of various upcoming titles, like Dragon's Crown, would be unaffected by the proceedings. Even next month's Persona music festival in Japan is going as planned. Hopefully things keep moving smoothly. Index corp. selling off its businesses [Mad Man's Cafe, Bloomberg] |
| First-look footage of Magicka: Wizard Wars Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:00 PM PDT Paradox North's team-based, player-versus-player game Magicka: Wizard Wars has shown itself off previously, but never in motion like this. The real-time spellcasting of Magicka was already deadly in so-called "cooperative" play, so one can imagine how disastrous things can get here. If you've got the skills necessary to cast that spell you actually intended to cast or are otherwise interested in checking out Wizard Wars, Paradox has opened up alpha sign-ups on this website. The more of you that register, the better rewards we all get. |
| These winning community-made Dark Souls II shields rock Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT From Software has narrowed down the fan-made shields for the Dark Souls II design contest and a few of them are spectacular. The six winning artists will get their design put into the game, their name in the credits, and a signed copy of Dark Souls II. The winners of the Asia and United States categories -- the lion and the tally-mark one, respectively -- are my favorite, but these along with the green eye shield aren't going to be in the game. The artists who designed them are getting a signed copy, however, so that's something. After looking over some of the losing entries, I'm hopeful a gracious modder will once again come through to allow for custom shields. Dark Souls II Shield Design Contest Winners! [Facebook] |
| You need to destroy the world in Halfbrick's new game Posted: 18 Jul 2013 01:00 PM PDT Halfbrick, makers of hits such as Fruit Ninja, Jetpack Joyride, and more, have just announced Colossatron: Massive World Threat. The game sees you taking control of a giant robot snake alien thing and your goal is simple: BLOW UP EVERYTHING! Part of the gameplay sees you needing to extend your Colossatron by attaching red, yellow, and blue colored Powernodes. Each color represents a different weapon or ability, and nodes can be combined to form new colors for stronger tiered powers. From there you just need to destroy everything in your path. Success is measured in dollars of destruction caused, so the more powerful you are the more you'll be able to destroy, thus achieving higher scores. No release date or price has been given, but Halfbrick did mention that there will be competitive and cooperative social features. No platforms were given either, but Halfbrick's bread and butter has always been the mobile scene so expect this to at least come to iOS and Google Play stores. Needless to say, I am pretty excited for this one. |
| Halo: Spartan Assault now available for Windows 8 devices Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:30 PM PDT Halo: Spartan Assault, the top down twin-stick shooter, is now available for Windows 8 based phones, tablets, and PCs. In the U.S., Halo: Spartan Assault is available for Windows 8 phones only to customers on Verizon Wireless through August 16. Yes, limit your potential install base on a Windows 8 device. Great idea. The game sees you as Commander Sarah Palmer and Spartan Davis aboard the UNSC as they relive battles against the Covenant.There's 25 missions, leaderboards, weekly challenges, and Achievements to earn here. Spartan Assault can be yours for $6.99. The soundtrack is also available now, and that will run you $9.99. I played the game a little while back and had fun with it. I'd personally pick it up if I actually had anything Windows 8 based. |
| Oculus Rift targeting 2014 release, next-gen cellphones Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:00 PM PDT While the company's virtual-reality headsets have been out in the wild for developers, it's going to be some time yet before consumer-grade builds are ready. Oculus Rift CEO Brendan Iribe tells Edge that "Consumer release-wise we haven't set a date yet -- it's not going to be this year but we would love it to be next year -- we want it to be right. "We don't want to announce any dates because frankly we just don't know when it's going to be really ready for the consumer market where everything is tied together -- you have the form factor, HD, motion blur eliminated ... so we don't know how long that will take, but it's close -- we have internal prototypes which have a lot of each thing solved and it's such a magical experience when you see it all together." Looking ahead, Iribe commented that his team isn't focusing on applying the Oculus tech to game consoles. "I love consoles but internally we're a lot more excited about where mobile's going to go, and being able to plug it right into a next gen cellphone," he explained. "It's the innovation, and how fast cellphones are now improving -- where we'll be with the next Galaxy or the next iPhone compared to where consoles are. Those things are almost doubling every year, compared to a console that's just stuck it out for eight years -- it just makes us very excited." As much as I'd like to see the promise of VR come true on all platforms, I think he's correct in thinking that consoles should not be the priority right now. Oculus Rift aiming for 2014 release, CEO touts potential on 'next gen cellphones' [Edge] |
| You asked for it: Capcom announces new Strider Posted: 18 Jul 2013 11:25 AM PDT [Update: Seven minute gameplay video added below, showing off Strider's new moves and upgrades like exploding cipher, projectile reflection and a lot more] Capcom's San Diego Comic-Con announcement turned out to be an honest-to-goodness surprise. An all-new Strider has been announced for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 and it's in development at Killer Instinct studio Double Helix. That's some cause for concern, I agree, but I'm willing to have some faith in this. It's all I've got! "Part of Strider's enduring appeal has been blazing fast gameplay, married with deep environment traversal options," reads the announcement. "For the new game, Double Helix and our partner team in Osaka, Japan, concentrated on an ultra-responsive control system, with incredibly satisfying combat options in every traversal context -- standing, running, wall climbing, hanging, aerial and more." Double Felix is said to be working alongside some of the "original Strider creative leaders," for what it's worth. Either way, it's been such a long wait that it'll be hard to meet expectations. Fingers crossed. This game also opts for a "massive interconnected world" over traditional, linear levels and has a "deep" system for ability upgrades. Sounds good to me. |
| Movie Defense Force: Brainscan Posted: 18 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT Movies based on videogames sucked. Movies about videogames suck harder. That seems to be the way of the world. However, I cannot find it in my heart to dislike Brainscan, a movie in which Ed Furlong goes on a psychotic rampage thanks to an evil game. Amusingly, T. Ryder Smith, who plays the game's monstrous herald Trickster, went on to do a number of videogame voices, including that of BioShock's Sander Cohen. Neat! Anyway, this is a game-related episode of my regular movie review show, so I figured you might like it. Enjoy! |
| Ubisoft is focusing on games that are always online Posted: 18 Jul 2013 10:30 AM PDT Next-generation consoles may have already abandoned their plans for required online connections, but Ubisoft hasn't necessarily. Its short-term strategy gravitates toward open-world games, and with that comes the supposed need for constant Internet connections. Julian Gerighty, a creative director at Ubisoft, told Polygon about the company's creative process. According to Gerighty, every Ubisoft title has a meeting with the editorial department, which helps to highlight systems that may work best for the game. Right now, this department is deeply passionate about open-world experiences. It's the reason that the likes of Assassin's Creed IV, Watch Dogs, and Tom Clancy's The Division will all share similar open-world characteristics. Alongside the enthusiastic drive toward open-world games comes the company's aspiration of blending the single- and multiplayer experiences, which more or less will require a constant Internet connection. Gerighty believes that this is the way to achieve "open, living worlds," and that the entire industry will move in this direction soon enough. Maybe Ubisoft genuinely believes that players want always online games. Regardless of if that's true or not, it's increasingly obvious that even if Sony and Microsoft won't enforce requiring a constant Internet connection, the publishers will. Why Ubisoft thinks gamers will want always-online games [Polygon] |
| Copperhead joins the assassins of Batman: Arkham Origins Posted: 18 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT WB Games Montréal's big San Diego Comic-Con reveal for Batman: Arkham Origins is the inclusion of Copperhead as yet another would-be assassin out to hunt down the Bat. The skilled contortionist is, in this take on the character, a woman. And there's also the whole lack of a ridiculous snake outfit, too. You know the one. As someone who isn't particularly familiar with Copperhead, this seems like a decent enough choice for Arkham Origins given what's left to choose from and the prequel nature of the title. |
| Remedy needed a company like Microsoft for Quantum Break Posted: 18 Jul 2013 09:30 AM PDT Quantum Break looks to be one of the more compelling exclusives from the next generation of consoles. The game is attempting to be an ambitious blend of TV show and videogame and such ambition doesn't always pay dividends. In an interview with GamesIndustry International, Remedy CEO Matias Myllyrinne admits that "the industry is going through tremendous change. The bets are getting bigger and bigger. For us, it's better to set out and do something very ambitious and hard rather than not." The concept of the mixing a TV series with a videogame might not be totally new (see Defiance) but it seems like the type of thing that would be right up Remedy's alley, after Max Payne's comic book stylings and Alan Wake's riffs on Stephen King and The Twilight Zone. Matias says that the TV show part of Quantum Break has only been made possible thanks to Microsoft's involvement: "...we need to fall back and let the full force of a company like Microsoft see it through. There's no way on God's green Earth that we would take on a venture like this on our own." This makes Quantum Break's Xbox One exclusivity more understandable, and it makes me think that we will see more more platform exclusives this time around, especially if developers feel the cost of their game is too much to take on alone. "We serve a strategic purpose for them in delivering unique content for their platform with a unique twist," concludes Matias. "And for us that allows us [to] follow the creative passion that the team needs to fulfil through a project like this." Remedy: Bringing the box set binge to Xbox One [GamesIndustry International] |
| Firefall beta: Post-apocalyptic pina coladas Posted: 18 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT Red5's sci-fi MMO Firefall has been in beta for a very long time, recently hitting that open-beta milestone. So long, in fact, that when I started playing the closed beta in earnest last month, it had transformed into an entirely different game since my initial glimpse of it a year ago. This substantial overhaul reflects the changes within the MMO genre itself. Static quests, classes, and progressing by leveling up and unlocking new abilities have become, dare I say it, passé. People now clamour for dynamism and more non-linear progression, and this is exactly what Firefall attempts to provide. But I'm not here to dissect the evolution of a genre. I'm here to tell you the story of Colonel Grumbler, the moustached adventurer, avid miner, turret-obsessed engineer, and piña colada fanatic. What awaits you is a tale of flying through a Brazilian paradise, getting in fights with tornadoes, and unrepentant ravaging of the planet's mineral wealth. Excitement abound. |
| Mega Man II, III, IV, V, and Xtreme are coming to the 3DS Posted: 18 Jul 2013 08:30 AM PDT While the first six NES Mega Man games are currently residing on the 3DS Virtual Console, there's one odd man out sitting there all by his lonesome -- Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge -- the first and only Mega Man Game Boy title currently available. But that's about to change, as Capcom has announced that Mega Man II-V are coming "soon," to the US and EU, as well as the Game Boy Color games Xtreme and Xtreme 2, which are based on the Mega Man X series. If you want to read about any given game listed above, you can check them out in my lengthy Carter's Quest retrospective on the Classic series. The standout recommendation here is clearly Mega Man V, which is one of the best in the series -- feel free to check out Tony's thoughts on it. There are no dates currently set for anything, but at least we have some sort of confirmation to go on. Can we get info on Mega Man 5 and 6 on the Wii U VC next, Capcom? |
| Ubisoft is investing big in regular open-world games Posted: 18 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT Ubisoft's sales for the fiscal quarter ending June 30, 2013 were fueled by a 56 percent increase in back-catalog sales with games like Rayman Origins, Far Cry 3, and Just Dance 4 as well as by the publisher's digital line-up, which had sales up 27 percent and included Call of Juarez: The Gunslinger and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. First-quarter sales came to €76 million -- down from €131 million in sales during the same period last year, but still higher than expected. "After years of investing in the technologies, expertise and production capacity required for regularly releasing open-world titles and for integrating online and social innovations, Ubisoft is now ideally positioned to continue on its path of winning market share and enhancing its financial performance," said CEO Yves Guillemot. Speaking of which, Ubisoft's ambitious racing game The Crew has been locked down for Q1 2014 and an unannounced franchise originally scheduled for 2013-14 has been pushed into 2014-15. Second-quarter sales are expected to be €200 million, up approximately 35 percent from the same period last year. |
| Aim to misbehave: Firefly Online announced at Comic-Con Posted: 18 Jul 2013 07:30 AM PDT At San Diego Comic-Con, Fox Digital Entertainment has announced Firefly Online, coupling it with the teaser video above. It is being described as a "multi-user, social online roleplaying game," and will be available for Android and iOS devices. This isn't the first time that fans of the short-lived Firefly series have received news of a game set within the space western universe. An MMO was announced in 2006, but was later abandoned. Then in 2011, DarkCryo announced that they were working on a game in the franchise, despite not having rights to it. Now, Quantum Mechanix Interactive is at the development helm, with a release that feels a bit more likely to actually see the light of day. Fans have already expressed some distaste in the project, having only the teaser and the description to judge from. Admittedly, I went through my own miniature emotional roller coaster upon hearing about a Firefly game and then reading "social" in the description, but I will keep an eye on this nevertheless. File me under "cautious but hopeful" for this one. |
| Rover simulator Take On Mars headed to Steam Early Access Posted: 18 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT Arma and DayZ Standalone studio Bohemia Interactive is working on a new simulation game called Take On Mars that looks like a perfect example of what makes PC gaming so appealing. The fact that it exists and will in all likelihood go on to be successful just warms my heart. I had somehow completely missed the original announcement, but that's okay -- this new video has the debut gameplay footage, so I'm not too far behind here. Take On Mars has been confirmed for an initial release on Steam Early Access starting August 1, 2013. Bohemia also has the price locked down -- it'll be $12.99 / €9.99 for this work-in-progress version. Gameplay is broken down into three components: a mode in which you're operating from a space agency, one with direct, on-the-ground control of rovers, and an editor with full mod support. Oh, that's the magic phrase right there. |
| Adventure Time skips PS Vita, Namco trolls system fans Posted: 18 Jul 2013 06:30 AM PDT The new Adventure Time game is coming to Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, and Wii U, noticeably omitting the long-suffering PlayStation Vita from its lineup. As you might expect, Vita owners are a bit upset at the snub, and have taken to the game's YouTube trailer to express dejected comments. Responding to one particular comment calling the company out, Namco Bandai EU decided to actively respond, liberally dousing PS Vita owners in flammable sarcasm. Yep, that's a thing that happened on the Internet today. "Yeah, bad Namco," said the company account. "Who has a PS Vita by the way? Oh wait I DON'T KNOW!" The response, of course, was a play on the game's full title -- Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON'T KNOW! A number of commenters did not, however, appreciate the attempt at wordplay. |
| Here's how the 3DS StreetPass enhancement will work Posted: 18 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT In just a few weeks, everyone with a 3DS will be able to reap the benefits of the enhanced StreetPass program, which utilizes Nintendo Zone locations to allow your portable to "relay" StreetPasses. What this basically means is that you can beam your StreetPass to a hub location, and if anyone happens to walk by it, they'll acquire it -- rather than forcing you to be in the same location at the same time. Nintendo notes that over "29,000" locations across North America will have this functionality, including Best Buy, Simon Malls, Future Shop, Starbucks, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, and other locations that have AT&T Wi-fi Hotspots. This update should be incredibly useful for those who live in more rural areas and can't find any StreetPass buddies -- especially given the new Plaza games that were released recently. |
| Nintendo debuts two mini-Directs today Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:45 AM PDT Today, Nintendo dropped a pair of stealthy mini-Direct presentations that mostly went over information we already knew. Specifically, both videos address the success of Animal Crossing, and talk a bit about Pikmin 3 and Wonderful 101. The US Direct (featured above) demos the new 3DS Streetpass DLC, and talks more about upcoming Wii U games (exclusive or otherwise), including these two lists right here, Cloudberry Kingdom, and DuckTales Remastered. Besides EarthBound, the only real announcements are the StreetPass enhancement news, and the fact that you have the opportunity to play Pikmin 3 a day early if you reserve a digital copy at GameStop. So that's a thing, while Europeans can get 30% off The Wonderful 101 by buying Pikmin 3 digitally. Also, Nintendo's Bill Trinen lovingly ate some fruit -- I think I see a theme here. |
| Steam sale: Torchlight II, XCOM, The Binding of Isaac Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:30 AM PDT It's gotten to that point of the Steam summer sale where I'm scared that there are still somehow several days left in the promotion. Can I be trusted to not buy games I'll realistically barely touch? It's unlikely. How have you been holding up? Daily deals:
Flash sales:
What do y'all think about Risen 2? Seems worth picking up because pirates. I can say with utter confidence that you need to get The Binding of Isaac, Torchlight II, and XCOM at those prices. |
| Nintendo Download: EARTHBOUND?! Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:15 AM PDT Defying all logic, Nintendo has randomly released EarthBound for the Wii U Virtual Console for $9.99 today. This classic RPG by developers HAL Laboratory and Ape was extremely hard to find legitimately, and cart prices skyrocketed into the $200 range for a used copy. But starting today, you can just download it for a cool ten bucks and utilize remote play, save state functionality, and all the other Wii U fix-ins. As a side note to completely new players, please note that while the game may be dated in some ways, EarthBound has a sense of charm that's completely unique to the Mother series (its title in Japan is Mother 2), and marks its mark on the gaming industry in it's own way -- you'll want to experience it if you can remotely stomach old RPGs. Oh, and Smurfs 2 for the Wii U is out on July 23rd, and Puddle is on sale ($4.49) until August 1st. In case you missed it, Donkey Kong (NES) is still $0.30 on the Wii U Virtual Console. On the 3DS side, the long awaited Game Boy Color classic Shantae is hitting the Virtual Console, as is Robot Rescue 3D and Undead Bowling, as well as the brand new Guild02 Collection title Attack of the Friday Monsters. Finally, Denpa Men 2: Beyond the Waves and Undead Bowling are getting demos. |
| Who wants to pay taxes in Grand Theft Auto V? Posted: 18 Jul 2013 05:00 AM PDT Grand Theft Auto may place players in a large, expansive, living world, but one couldn't ever accuse it of being realistic. Death and punishment are slaps on the wrist, you can enjoy life in the city without paying bills, or needing to eat to survive, and you never go the toilet. Some fans wish that easy lifestyle to end. Over on the GTA forums (thanks, Racecarlock!), a number of fans express some surprising wishes for a crazy realistic Grand Theft Auto V experience. From having to pay taxes to serving full jail sentences, there are all sorts of wacky suggestions for turning GTA from sandbox nuttiness to full-on life simulator. Take a look at some of these community suggestions (along with responses for and against), and decide for yourself whether they're fun ideas or millstones that would make the experience less fun. Can realism be too realistic? Is the freedom to live a full life ironically limiting? You decide! All posts are quotes with their original grammar and potentially offensive turns of phrase. |
| inFAMOUS: Second Son developers dig the DualShock 4 Posted: 18 Jul 2013 04:30 AM PDT In another one of its behind-the-scenes PlayStation 4 developer videos, Sony has rounded up developers at Sucker Punch Productions to talk about one of the more promising games, inFAMOUS: Second Son, and the improved feel of the DualShock 4. "You have to rethink how everything works when you jump generations and that was a great time for us to also rethink the character and the power set because you already proverbially have all of the parts on the floor," said Sucker Punch founder Brian Fleming. "It's a great time to think about how you want to put them back together. And it gives us a lot of energy around doing another game in this universe because there's so much for us to go build and go build what's possible." The control scheme has been revised going into Second Son to help streamline combat. I haven't been able to get any hands-on time with the title yet, but from what I've seen demonstrated, that looks to be the case -- actions flow together nicely when the player knows what they're doing. |
| Podtoid 261: The Artistic Integrity of Aqua Posted: 18 Jul 2013 04:00 AM PDT It's a shorter Podtoid this week, but we pack a lot of those ca-RAZY belly laffs into the party. We get not one, but TWO Gordon Ramsay television pitches. We get not one, but TWO Willem Dafoe movie pitches. We get to hear about how Jonathan Holmes saved a man from jail. We get to hear criticism of the 1985 Transformers movie far too long after the fact. We get to hear about fans sending in dick pics. It's amazing! There's also some chat regarding Dynasty Warriors 8, and why the ladies love themselves some Sengoku Basara. Oh God, it's ALL TOO GOOD! As ever, you can subscribe to us on iTunes and RSS, buy our Android App or download directly! |
| Reminder: Donkey Kong NES is $0.30 on the Wii U VC Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:15 AM PDT As a reminder, Donkey Kong (NES) is $0.30 on the Wii U Virtual Console. It's the last game in the Wii U Virtual Console Anniversary Sale, and the deal will continue until August 13th. Sadly, Nintendo hasn't announced whether or not they're going to continue the $0.30 promotion after this, but I think they would be missing out on a huge opportunity if they didn't. Given their gigantic stable of first party games, some of which have aged worse than others, it would be extremely beneficial to make a big deal out of offering, say, Urban Champion for $0.30, to hype up the Virtual Console. Even if these games aren't top shelf material, nearly everyone is going to at least go to the store and look at the front page, which is all Nintendo really needs to suggestively sell other content. |
| Ouya launching a Kickstarter matcher to get games made Posted: 18 Jul 2013 03:00 AM PDT [Note: I absolutely totally bollocks'd up the original story on this, saying Ouya itself was launching a new Kickstarter project, when instead it was matching the money made by other Kickstarter projects. No excuse. Utter nincompoopery on my part. I apologize for my total lack of reading comprehension in this instance. An actual story that makes sense now follows.] The Ouya team has announced a Kickstarter matching scheme for its mildly acclaimed Android console. The new funding effort will launch in August, and this time, Ouya plans to give something back. The company is offering to match the amount of money any successful Kickstarter game project makes (if it gets between $50,000 and $250,000), with a $100,000 bonus to the studio netting the highest. The condition is, however, that any games made using the money must be Ouya-exclusive for six months. This new move seems like a real acknowledgement of one of the system's biggest current drawbacks -- the lack of compelling exclusive content. Most of Ouya's best games are available on systems most users will likely already own, and there's a good chance those games will run better on such devices. Ouya clearly knows it needs to fix this, but whether it can by now is up in the air. Ouya launches fund-matching Kickstarter project for games [Engadget] |
| Nintendo has listed EarthBound's Wii U release for today Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:45 AM PDT [Update: Nintendo has confirmed today's release date and the $9.99 price point. You can find the official Player's Guide here, and the trailer above.] In a bizarre turn of events, Nintendo may be gearing up to release EarthBound on the Wii U Virtual Console today for $9.99. Thanks to a listing spotted on Nintendo's official website, it appears as if the game will be dropping in multiple regions. Why Nintendo would release the game with zero fanfare is unknown, but stand by for official word from the Big N anytime now, as I prepare today's issue of Nintendo Download. Either way, I'm officially freaking out. EarthBound [Nintendo] |
| Dragon's Crown confirmed for European release Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:30 AM PDT Dragon's Crown is officially coming to Europe, NIS America has announced. The Prinny overlords will handle distribution duties for the PlayStation 3 and Vita title across the pond, as with other Atlus properties like Etrian Odyssey IV and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. The proclamation follows the discovery of an Australian rating for the Vanillaware-developed brawler, which served as the initial indicator that the game would see a release in PAL territories. NIS America plan to bring Dragon's Crown to Europe sometime this autumn. |
| Tactical shooter Breach and Clear out now on iOS Posted: 18 Jul 2013 02:00 AM PDT Tactical combat shooter Breach and Clear is now available on the App Store. The game will be going for $3.99, but you can grab it for $1.99 during the limited time launch promotion. As for the game, well, it's exactly what it sounds like. The game focuses on strategic planning and tactical combat as you bust down the doors of terrorists as Special Operations Forces. Looks neat! |
| Angry Birds Star Wars is coming to consoles Posted: 18 Jul 2013 01:30 AM PDT Since I know everyone here asked for it, Angry Birds Star Wars is heading to pretty much every system under the sun on October 29, 2013. Specifically, it'll hit the Xbox 360, PS3, PS Vita, Wii U, Wii and 3DS. It'll come with 20 exclusive levels, alongside of two player co-op and four player multiplayer. While I actually enjoy Angry Birds for what it is, I don't think I enjoy the idea of dishing out for a fully fledged console release. There's nothing wrong with having a bite sized puzzle experience on a mobile device, and I think any other platform is over-extending a bit. But for kids, the extra multiplayer additions are perfect. |
| Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut on Steam Greenlight Posted: 18 Jul 2013 01:00 AM PDT Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut is eyeing a PC release via the wondrous passage of Steam Greenlight. At last, computer gamers can experience the delirious delights of Agent York Morgan and his hunt for the Raincoat Killer. Excited? You better be, you wasp's dick! The Steam version of the game promises exclusive, PC-only downloadable content, along with all the enhancements found on the PlayStation 3 version of the game. One hopes the framerate issues that marred the console Director's Cut will be sorted out, though. Achievements and Steam Trading Cards are also included. Exciting stuff, and I'll always be happy to see Premonition on more platforms. The more people get to expose their brains to this beautiful madness, the better! Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut [Greenlight] |
| More info on the fifth Ultra Street Fighter IV character Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:30 AM PDT We already knew that Mega Man and Asura were shot down as the fifth secret character in Ultra Street Fighter IV, but now we have more information to clarify the situation a bit -- this new character has never been in a fighting game before...ever. Capcom's David Hinds also confirms that the character is "very much related to Street Fighter." While this rules out Batsu (or any perfect-fit Rivals Schools characters), on the other hand, I'm excited to see who exactly this mystery fighter is. I think given the heavy relation of Final Fight to the Street Fighter series as a whole, we may see a beat 'em up character make their fighting debut (since the franchise doesn't technically consist of "fighting games"), but we'll know soon enough as Ultra SFIV gears up for an early 2014 release. Personally, I have my suspicions about Carlos, since his companion Maki was technically in Capcom vs. SNK 2, but Final Fight 3's Lucia and Dean are viable options as well. Or maybe Goutetsu? In other news, Capcom revealed that they've obtained over "18,000" responses from North America and Europe, and "12,000" responses from Japan in terms of what fans want out of the Ultra update, so the good news is they're listening. Capcom has confirmed that they're not nerfing top tier characters for the Ultra update, but rather re-balancing lower ones to make them viable (Cody in particular is confirmed for an overhaul). So while your favorite character may not be drastically altered, be prepared to learn a ton of new match-ups beyond the five new Ultra characters. Capcom's Matt Dahlgren [The Jace Hall Show via Shoryuken] |
| Map-making tools in the works for Tribes: Ascend Posted: 18 Jul 2013 12:00 AM PDT The team behind Tribes: Ascend have no more major updates planned for the game in the foreseeable future as they focus development on their MOBA, Smite. All is not doomed for the frantic first-person shooter community though as High-Rez Studio is looking to bring in map-making tools to the game. "The one thing we’re going to be working on next is a path for users to basically add their own maps,” CEO Todd Harris told Rock, Paper, Shotgun. “We just feel like it’s at a good point to have users maintain it. We feel that it’s a complete experience, and we want to give users the tools to add their own maps – versus, say, us adding more guns that wouldn’t benefit [the experience].” The exact specifics of how and what these tools would entail weren't given, but Todd did mention in his interview that work has started toward an SDK. Todd also hopes to have these tools released within the next six months. Not Dead Yet: Tribes Ascend To Get Map-Making Tools [Rock, Paper, Shotgun] |
| Gunner Z for the iOS looks pretty damn amazing Posted: 17 Jul 2013 11:00 PM PDT Oh great, yet another zombie shooter. Wait, what's this? This looks pretty badass! That was pretty much my thought process as I watched the Gunner Z trailer. The Unreal powered game is the latest from developers BitMonster, and I'm genuinely impressed by how fluid the game is looking. Gunner Z sees you creating and modding numerous vehicles that have been equipped with a extendable crane boom arm. It's with this crane that you equip an assortment of firepower to that you will use to clear out hordes of zombies and monsters. No release date was given, but we'll let you know as soon as we find out. I should also note this is the same developer that came out with Lili, a game that was voted a Best of 2012 by the App Store. I expect good things with Gunner Z. |
| Scale the Himalayas in DuckTales Remastered Posted: 17 Jul 2013 10:00 PM PDT The next DuckTales Remastered stage to be unveiled is the Moon! ... ... is what I'd like to say, but it's actually the Himalayas. In addition to the new trailer above, there are some screens and enemy art below. Don't get in the way of the Mighty Ducks and their off-season practice regiment. Also be on the lookout for Thumper; he's a vicious murder machine. And let's not forget about everyone's favorite cave duck, Bubba! He is everyone's favorite, right? Bubba clubba? No? Alrighty then. DuckTales Remastered flocks to eShop, PSN, and Steam on August 13. You Xbox Live Arcade punks will be forced to count duck feathers until September 11. Ducktales: Remastered Himalayas Trailer, Screens & Artworks [All Games Beta] |
| Mega Man joins the brawl... Brawl in the Family, that is! Posted: 17 Jul 2013 09:00 PM PDT Matthew Taranto, webcomic artist and my comrade-in-arms over on Nintendo Force, has just celebrated a whopping 500 strips of his Smash Bros.-themed Brawl in the Family. It's been five years of squishy adorableness, filled with plenty of highs and lows, but Matt is still going strong. The big 5-0-0 is another of his famous animated tributes, welcoming the newest member to the Smash family: Mega Man! Along with some appropriately melancholic music, arranged by Matt himself, we follow the Blue Bomber's career from his early NES days to his spirited homecoming. And if you enjoyed the song as much as I did, you can download it here. 500 - Prodigal Robot [Brawl in the Family] |
| Metro: Last Light's first downloadable content is now out Posted: 17 Jul 2013 08:00 PM PDT Faction Pack, the new story based add-on content for Metro: Last Light is now available. This pack features three new single-player missions, with each mission focusing on a different faction from the game. So you'll be on the side of the Red Line, the Reich, and the Polis Rangers. This is the first of four piece of add-on content. The next packs will give you a challenge based mode with online leaderboards. After that is the pack featuring a shooting gallery, AI arena, Metro Museum, and a new solo mission. The last DLC will feature original single-player missions that will have you exploring the side-stories of Pavel, Khan, and Anna. The Faction Pack is going for $4.99 on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Grabbing the season pass will net you all this for $14.99, saving you $5 if the rest of the packs are priced the same as Faction. |
| Awesome Plants vs. Zombies 18" Munny auction for charity Posted: 17 Jul 2013 07:01 PM PDT PopCap and EA had many of these really funky 18-inch Mega Munny custom pieces on display at their booth here at San Diego Comic-Con today. Many folks from the game development community took one of Kidrobot's big-headed blank canvases and went to town with their creative abilities for this charity auction, set to go down this weekend. The vinyls are on display for the show at booth #129, and right after they'll be put up for auction with proceeds to benefit the Child's Play charity. These aren't just some quick paint jobs, mind you. Some are straight up mods, fitted with textures, hardware, clothing, and more. Jay Stuckwisch's flowerbrained creation is one of the best. Bioworld's "Oh, Snapz!" is also pretty good, and there's a video that talks about its creation. But my favorite is "Ground Control to Major Zom," by Karin Madan (pictured above). Great work! You can find out more about these creations and their upcoming auction here. |
| New screenshots of End of Nations as a MOBA Posted: 17 Jul 2013 07:00 PM PDT End of Nations has returned as the game's Alpha servers are back up. Only invited fans can test out the newborn game, and those of you interested can register for more of the Alpha taking place this Summer. Players will notice a streamlined UI, cleaner graphics, smaller teams of two to four players, more emphasis on commander abilities, four new classes to pick from, and more focused objectives. That, and it's also a MOBA now. “We received a tremendous amount of positive feedback from our last round of Alpha and Beta testing – and applied those learnings to the game, boiling it down to the strongest core game elements –tactical combat, session-based gameplay, and vastly improved hero units,” said Scot Lane, Executive Producer of End of Nations. “Our core fans have been tremendous during this stage of early development. We are now confident we have the game the fans have been waiting for: a tremendously powerful tactical game that fans of war games and strategy will love.” So yeah, that happened. Look, I'm willing to give the MOBA version a chance but my heart was so set on a gigantic large scale real time strategy. I ... I just need some space Trion Worlds. |
| Udon brings a Mega load of new books to SDCC Posted: 17 Jul 2013 06:41 PM PDT The blue beauty pictured above? That's the Comic-Con exclusive blue laser foil hardcover edition of MM25: Mega Man & Mega Man X Official Complete Works. This thing is heavy, packed with over 400 pages of content -- everything from official sketches to tribute art can be found between its hardcovers. These things were flying off the shelves here at SDCC's preview night, even at its $100 price. Udon Entertainment (booth #4529) has a ton of good stuff for Comic-Con lined up; Street Fighter is here in a big way. We checked out the collection of shiny new graphic novels tonight. The Street Fighter Origins: Akuma one is a Comic-Con exclusive, too. It's priced at $40. The Super Street Fighter Vol. 1 and Street Fighter Classic Vol. 1 are also show exclusives. Finally, Udon has a $100 World of Warcraft Tribute hardcover on sale here. The Art of Brutal Legend is $80 and comes in an awesome slipcase. If you're Mr. Moneybags, Udon tells us that you can pick up ALL of these show exclusives at once and they'll knock $100 off the total price. |
| Lots of next-gen games are playable at Comic-Con Posted: 17 Jul 2013 06:20 PM PDT We've just finished fighting the crowds of San Diego Comic-Con's preview night to get a lay of the land for this long weekend we have coming up. We noticed that the convention has decided to move the videogame booths to the opposite side of the hall from the movie and television booths, spreading out the foot traffic a bit. Nice move, Comic-Con. We also noticed that there are lots of first-time opportunities for the public to play next-gen games here at SDCC 2013. If you're planning on coming to the event this weekend, here's what you can expect. Sony has the PS4 behind glass for the public to check out, and they've brought a few next-gen games to go with it. Platformer Knack and racing title Driveclub are open for play, giving attendees their first taste of PS4's power. Octadad is already drawing nice crowds tonight. And though it's not next-gen, they have some slick Gran Turismo 6 setups on the floor to try out. Microsoft has a large presence opposite Sony's booth. Ryse: Son of Rome and Killer Instinct already have lines forming in front of them. And I hear that at the Grand Hyatt other games will be available, like Dead Rising 3. Ubisoft has a huge ship at dock right outside the convention center. On this Jackdaw you'll be able to try out Assassin's Creed 4 -- we plan to set sail this weekend, so stay tuned for that. Landlubbers will get to see Watch Dogs back inside. |
| The impressive cosplay of London Comic-Con 2013 Posted: 17 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT San Diego Comic-Con is happening this week! So to celebrate here's a montage of cosplayers and even celebrities rocking it at London Comic-Con. Okay, I would have posted this regardless of SDCC happening right now. Expect way more cosplay goodness as the week goes by. [Via The Awesomer] |
| Posted: 17 Jul 2013 04:59 PM PDT Regular Show is one of my favorite cartoons on now. To say I'm excited about the 8-bit adventure they have coming up is an understatement. Steven's preview has me even more excited. Steven also gave us previews of the WiiU version of Rayman Legends and the new Adventure Time title, while Abel gave us a look at the upcoming Bureau: XCOM title, and more stuff occurred today, July 17th, 2013. Community: Previews: |
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