New Games |
- Beat Hazard Ultra has made over $2 million since release
- Volition debuts first Saints Row IV dev diary episode
- Everquest Next, Arkham Multiplayer & Xbox GPU Upgrade
- Mysterious Gone Home dated for August 15, gets its 90s on
- Mega Man Unlimited has been ported to Mac
- SOE Live: How to make real-world money in PlanetSide 2
- ESRB ratings receive a slight design change
- SOE Live: Tour PlanetSide 2's Hossin in a video interview
- The Legend of Zelda was almost a CGI movie
- Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R is almost ready
- Bethesda: Arkane Studios isn't working on Prey 2
- Sega interested in Atlus, could be sold by September
- SOE Live: Three things about DCUO's new DLC 8 (video)
- Good Friends Bundle now available on Steam
- SOE Live: DC Universe Online: Sons of Trigon gets sinful
- Dragon's Crown had a strong opening week in Japan
- Review: Bloodmasque
- BioShock Infinite is coming to Macs on August 29
- CD Projekt RED opens new studio in Cracow, Poland
- A Ride into the Mountains is a great mobile experience
- Friday Night Fights: Win a code for Rise of the Triad!
- Australians rejoice: You're allowed to play Saints Row IV
- Microsoft increases Xbox One GPU clock speed
- Everquest Next lives up to the hype, is frickin' insane
- Official Guilty Gear Xrd site updated, Millia confirmed
- Contest: Win a four-day pass to PAX Prime!
- Konami survey asks about potential sequel to Revengeance
- First footage of Team Bondi's Whore of the Orient appears
- Wargaming set to open a new branch in Austin, Texas
- Ken Levine hasn't stopped pushing for BioShock Vita
- SOE Live: Here's what EverQuest Next sounds like
- PixelJunk Monsters headed to Steam with online co-op
- SOE Live: Watch the EverQuest Next keynote hurr
- SOE Live: What fans want from EverQuest Next (video)
- Square Enix not giving up on AAA PC and console games
- Tropes vs Women in Video Games: Damsel in Distress part 3
- Get lost in this Rain developer diary
- Ace Combat Infinity teaser looks like proper Ace Combat
- Cliff Bleszinski blase, teases cliffy new project
- Everyday Is Play is a love letter to videogames
- Ms. Splosion Man iOS is on sale, also drops an update
- Burn heal? Breath of Fire II coming to Wii U
- The Daily Hotness: What summer gaming drought?
- The original Oregon Trail was made in just two weeks
| Beat Hazard Ultra has made over $2 million since release Posted: 02 Aug 2013 03:30 PM PDT
Beat Hazard Ultra is an arcade shooter that uses your own music library to create a pretty addictive experience. It's been three years since the original release of Beat Hazard on the Xbox Live Indie Game channel. So after releasing on six other platforms (PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation 3), Beat Hazard Ultra has come full circle by returning on the Xbox indie channel for 400 MS Points. The latest version adds co-op and versus online and local multiplayer, a boss rush and survival mode, two new bosses, ten new enemy ships, 24 new perks, and three new tactical weapons. To celebrate the release, creator Steve Hunt shared with us that the game has sold in excess of 700,000 copies, grossing over $2.2 million. Development costs where in the region of $70,000, so Steve has seen a return on investment of 3000%. Congrats, Steve! |
| Volition debuts first Saints Row IV dev diary episode Posted: 02 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT The crew over at Volition have put together the first entry of a Saints Row IV developer diary series, which should give you a pretty good look at what the game is all about (hint: superhero wackiness). A few of the participants also briefly go over the history of the Saints Row series starting from the very first game, including how fans have influenced the newest entry. You'll see plenty of Saints Row-related info coming soon, so stay tuned for Jim Sterling's full view in a few weeks, in addition to a launch-day tips guide by yours truly! |
| Everquest Next, Arkham Multiplayer & Xbox GPU Upgrade Posted: 02 Aug 2013 02:30 PM PDT Hey everybody! I'm wearing a really stupid shirt, it must be Friday! Suddenly, there are two new Everquest Next games on the horizon, and they look really cool. Quakecon is happening right now, and there's some Bethesda news out of that, including Wolfenstein: The New Order being delayed and The Elder Scrolls anthology. In spite of underwhelming sales, Square Enix is still gonna keep making AAA video games, and another Tomb Raider is in development for next gen. Batman: Arkham Origins has multiplayer, but it won't be coming to Wii U. Player reputation and behavior will factor into Xbox One's matchmaking system, and the GPU's being tweaked a bit, for whatever reason. Finally, Obsidian talks about the Star Wars: KOTOR III that could've been, and we've got a release window for Star Wars Battlefront. |
| Mysterious Gone Home dated for August 15, gets its 90s on Posted: 02 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT We need more games like Gone Home. The exploration-based Gone Home comes from The Fullbright Company, which is composed of three ex-BioShock developers. From the looks of it, the ambiance and environmental story-telling that make Bioshock so good are in full effect here. You return home after several years abroad to find your house empty and your family gone. Because the game takes place in the 90's, it's a bit more reasonable to suggest you wouldn't have known about this earlier when your mom wouldn't answer your Facebook pokes from the in-plane wi-fi. True to the 90's spirit, Gone Home also features some edgy 90's music. No Elastica, no buy. Kidding. Would be rad, though. Your task is to explore the house and analyze clues in order to find out just what happened. As a Myst fan, it's nice to see a proper exploration and detection game releasing. It's a style that is woefully underutilized. I still need to play the point-and-click Blade Runner game, which I hear is one of too few examples of proper detective work in a game. Hopefully Gone Home adds itself to that shortlist. It certainly looks like a contender. Gone Home is coming out on August 15 for PC, Mac, and Linux. You can purchase it through Steam or directly through the game's website for $20. |
| Mega Man Unlimited has been ported to Mac Posted: 02 Aug 2013 01:30 PM PDT I don't think I need to repeat how amazing Mega Man Unlimited is. Here's my review again. The original game is only available on Windows, but the wizards at OneWeakness have ported it to Mac so that no one is left out in the cold. Get downloading and start dying about a million times. Something else I'd like to address is the game's high level of difficulty. I personally thought it was tough yet fair, but others have found the challenge much too severe. To address those problems, MMU dev Philippe "MegaPhilX" Poulin has been working on an Easy mode that will appear in a future game-wide balance update. The new mode will add safety blocks over some pits and spikes (like in Mega Man 10), add extra checkpoints in the castle levels, and alter the speeds of certain obstacles like the laser traps in Rainbow Man's stage. There will also be a one-hit death mode. Yeah. Mega Man Unlimited Mac [OneWeakness] |
| SOE Live: How to make real-world money in PlanetSide 2 Posted: 02 Aug 2013 01:15 PM PDT Matt Higby doesn't know what the future of his game may hold, and he's frankly OK with that. We prodded him with questions about Player Studio, the new marketplace we've blogged about before where gamers can upload and sell their own creations (similar to Valve's strategy). Mr. Higby wants more of it in there: "People are doing a great job on camos, but there are almost no decals -- which is shocking despite being the easiest to create." You can make some real world loot by submitting helmets, decals, camo patterns, cockpit decals, hood ornaments. "Eventually, you'll also be able to submit vehicle cosmetics and even weapons," he added. When we asked him what the company does with ugly submissions he smiled and admitted that "Some stuff frankly sucks, but the community is great about telling people (in the forums) about what's good and not good. We can't let everything through, but some really great stuff has come in." Has anyone made a Sgt. Slaughter Warthog yet? Seems like a no-brainer for Hossin -- my billion dollar idea to is waiting for you in the gallery below. |
| ESRB ratings receive a slight design change Posted: 02 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT The Entertainment Software Rating Board's iconic black-and-white ratings are getting a new design this year, Polygon reports. They're actually effective as of now, but these things can take time to roll out properly. Why the ever-so-slight change? "The goal is really to ensure that our symbols are displaying as clearly and legibly as possible in the increasing variety of environments that they're being displayed [in], including online and [on] mobile devices," according to ESRB president Patricia Vance. "The old icons were originally designed to appear in prominent locations on game boxes and in trailers and advertisements, and for the new style, the ESRB wanted a design that would be just as clear at a lower resolution." Not exactly the day's most action-packed news, I'll admit. But now we won't be left with the lingering feeling that something feels off about the symbols. ESRB tweaks rating icons for digital and mobile future [Polygon] |
| SOE Live: Tour PlanetSide 2's Hossin in a video interview Posted: 02 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT PlanetSide 2 is, without question, a labor of love. Free-to-Play shooters shouldn't look this good or function this well, and yet every time I see these hundred-man battles play out in front of me I'm somehow always still surprised. I'm not alone -- PC Gamer also recently celebrated them in the top ten best shooters of all time, a title not given lightly. It hasn't been all roses though: the game was recently under critical fire for its controversial implants -- a pay-to-win strategy SOE has since pulled from the shop. I'm looking forward to the team addressing all of these issues in today's keynote, along with any new details on their PS4 release plans. Their SOE Live presentation kicks off at 6pm PDT, and you can watch it on Twitch.tv. More details and screens below: |
| The Legend of Zelda was almost a CGI movie Posted: 02 Aug 2013 12:30 PM PDT The Legend of Zelda is a series that's ripe for a movie adaptation, but aside from the odd fan film here and there, we'll likely never see an official project materialize. That doesn't mean attempts haven't been made, however! Back in 2007, Imagi Studios, the animation house responsible for the CGI TMNT and Astro Boy films, pitched the above snippet in the hopes of greenlighting a proper Zelda movie. As history has shown, the company wasn't successful. I was personally excited for both TMNT and Astro Boy only to be underwhelmed when they finally saw release. From the strange character proportions, weak scripts, and terrible pacing, the amount of missed potential was vast. But I do appreciate the attempts at bringing the Ninja Turtles back to the big screen as well as reviving Astro Boy. Imagi also had a Gatchaman movie deep in development before it got the ax. If nothing else, these guys were some serious old-school geeks. I wonder how Zelda would have turned out. Couldn't have been any worse than the average videogame movie (which isn't saying much, I admit). "Zelda" teaser [Vimeo via All Games Beta] |
| Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R is almost ready Posted: 02 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT The saga of the latest Guilty Gear console release is complicated. To make a long story short, fans have been waiting a very long time for the newest console iteration, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus, to be updated into the arcade version, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R. Controversy arose when Arc System Works was accused of re-selling the Plus R version on the Vita months ago, before giving out any confirmation of the promised free update for people who already bought the console version. Well, now we have confirmation -- the PS3 is getting the update this month, with the 360 to follow at some point. To re-iterate, this update will be free, so if you own the console game already, take advantage of it! Guilty Gear [Arc System Works via Shoryuken] |
| Bethesda: Arkane Studios isn't working on Prey 2 Posted: 02 Aug 2013 11:45 AM PDT Prey 2 was announced a bit more than two years ago, and its existence has been nothing short of tumultuous. It's gone from highly anticipated to pronounced dead to on life-support, and no one's really sure what its status is anymore. A rumor surfaced this summer that Bethesda shifted responsibility for the game from Human Head to Arkane Studios. Bethesda's Pete Hines swiftly debunked this while speaking with Rock, Paper, Shotgun at QuakeCon. "No, all of that stuff, I have no idea where it came from. The Human Head Prey 2 thing is the Human Head Prey 2 thing. Arkane is over here, and they’re doing their thing, and that’s for them to work on," Hines stated. He didn't elaborate on what the Dishonored developers were working on, just that it'd be talked about closer to release. As for Prey 2, Hines reiterated that it isn't where it needs to be yet, which Bethesda has had no qualms admitting in the past. He said that while it wasn't a "fun" decision to delay Prey 2, the company has no interest in releasing a game that doesn't hit the level of quality that it expects from its titles. Bethesda Talks Prey 2, Denies Arkane Involvement [Rock, Paper, Shotgun] |
| Sega interested in Atlus, could be sold by September Posted: 02 Aug 2013 11:30 AM PDT Atlus will have a new home by month's end, it seems. Bloomberg Japan reports around twenty companies have expressed interest in acquiring the Persona publisher following the demise of its embattled parent company, Index Corporation. Sega Sammy is among those interested in acquiring the studio and localization house. According to officials familiar with the process, the winning bidder could ultimately spend more than 20 billion yen. Candidates are expected to be narrowed down by this time next week with the final transfer likely to occur within the month. In June word broke that Index was under investigation for fraud. Shortly thereafter the group filed for "civil rehabilitation proceedings." Index stock was delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange earlier this week. The hullabaloo isn't expected to effect Atlus' immediate plans, which include the forthcoming release of Dragon's Crown. 民事再生のインデックス 事業譲渡でセガなど20社から打診 月内選定 [Bloomberg Japan] |
| SOE Live: Three things about DCUO's new DLC 8 (video) Posted: 02 Aug 2013 11:15 AM PDT There's so much coming to DC Universe Online -- check out these huge environments just announced minutes ago. One of my favorite parts of the job is meeting the people behind these incredible games face to face. Its one thing to hear about the games from game critics and the super fans, but its an entirely different point of passion to listen to people that sometimes sleep at their desks to make these games possible. Creative director Jens Andersen shares his three favorite additions to the upcoming fall expansion, one of the more polished titles headed to your PS4. Did I mention this is a free game, as in beer? |
| Good Friends Bundle now available on Steam Posted: 02 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Steam now has the Good Friends Bundle on sale for $24.99, and if you've been living under a rock, you may want to get in on it. Some of my favorite PC games of all time are a part of the bundle, including Bit.Trip Runner 2 (with DLC), Cave Story+, Machinarium, Portal 2, Psychonauts, and Super Meat Boy. Individually (at market price) these games will run you $82.93, so if you don't have any of these, it's a pretty great deal. Honestly, I'd recommend every game here, including Runner 2, which is still one my favorite titles of 2013. Good Friends Bundle [Steam] |
| SOE Live: DC Universe Online: Sons of Trigon gets sinful Posted: 02 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT The DC Universe Online keynote is streaming right now, so go catch it! Members of the press spent some time with the new content yesterday, an effort described by creative director Jens Anderson as "their best-looking DLC yet". Tweaks to the art direction and shiny new PS4 glitter aside, Sons of Trigon brings a meaty amount of new content to the cross-platform MMO with large detailed zones, new lore, new characters, and convenient plot twists that allow dudes you thought were dead to cause more trouble. My ears perked up when the PS4 version was said to be "probably the best experience", citing that the game would boot faster, have more available memory than the average PC build, would carry comfortable controller gameplay, and by design would purr in 1080 anti-aliased glory. The build we were shown was running on a sturdy-looking Alienware PC with no FSAA and still looked pretty great, with no frame rate or troublesome clipping issues. |
| Dragon's Crown had a strong opening week in Japan Posted: 02 Aug 2013 10:45 AM PDT The marvelous Dragon's Crown hit shelves in Japan last week and sold more than 175,000 physical units. The PlayStation 3 and Vita title appears to be a hot commodity, with Atlus apologizing for shortages at retail. Meanwhile, the publisher's parent company reports Dragon's Crown has shipped 300,000 units. That figure includes digital sales, mind you, indicating many opted to download the game via the PlayStation Store. Those numbers should rise dramatically in the coming weeks and months as Atlus brings the lovely action game to Western shores and satisfies demand at home. ドラゴンズクラウン 出荷販売本数３０万本突破のお知らせ [Index] 逆転裁判5 25万本 ドラゴンズクラウン 合計17万5000本 魔女と百騎兵 4万9000本など 新作多数の ゲームソフト週間販売ランキング [4Gamer] |
| Posted: 02 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT Bloodmasque is a mobile RPG by Square Enix that allows you to scan your face into the game and hunt vampires with it. Yep, you can walk around showing off your mug for all the world to see through the game's online party share system, complete with multiple emotions, and utter campiness all around. As you might have guessed, this gimmick can only go so far. |
| BioShock Infinite is coming to Macs on August 29 Posted: 02 Aug 2013 09:45 AM PDT Although console and PC fans are getting giddy for BioShock Infinite's new DLC, Burial at Sea, Mac users are pretty much left in the dust -- until August 29 that is, which is when the Mac version is hitting the market. This new release will include Steam Play support and will also be released on the Mac App Store. The bad news is the announced price is $60, which is considerably higher than picking up the game through pretty much any other avenue. So as always, make sure you comparison shop! If you want to see if the game will run on your machine, you can use the Mac Match tool here. BioShock Infinite [Aspyr] |
| CD Projekt RED opens new studio in Cracow, Poland Posted: 02 Aug 2013 09:30 AM PDT CD Projekt RED is opening a studio in Cracow, Poland to "bolster" the development of Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Both titles will see a multiplatform release and, I don't know if you've been keeping track, but they're also pretty damn ambitious. Sounds about right. "A new studio, new people and new energy -- we're growing and we’re extremely excited that we can tap into the potential that Cracow has to offer," commented studio head Adam Badowski. "We want to continue to make better and better RPGs and the new studio is another big step in that direction. Cracow, one of the cultural and scientific centers of Europe, is a really special place that will leave a significant mark on our games." This has been one of my favorite companies to watch grow these past few years, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. In the immediate pipeline, CD Projekt RED has got the aforementioned titles, plus two 20-hour games and a cross-platform mobile game. These guys are machines, clearly. Machines designed to make videogames we want to play. CD Projekt RED opens new studio in Cracow [CD Projekt RED] |
| A Ride into the Mountains is a great mobile experience Posted: 02 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT We're back with another round of mobile titles you should take a look at. It's no easy task finding actual good mobile titles as we get a couple of dozen requests A DAY, from indies to major companies. It's no wonder many dedicated mobile game review sites charge the developers for reviews. True story. Anyway, we have another round of five mobile titles that peaked my interest the most. Four of the titles just came out this week, while one is a bit of an older release but it deserves some attention. |
| Friday Night Fights: Win a code for Rise of the Triad! Posted: 02 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT Welcome to another exciting edition of Dtoid's Friday Night Fights! Have you played Rise of the Triad yet? You should. It's awesome. It's everything an HD remake should be and then some, and I haven't had this much mindless fun since the '90s. Don't believe me? Why not see for yourself! We're giving away some Steam codes right here, right now! That's right, our buddies at Interceptor Entertainment have given us eight codes for their remake of the Apogee classic to hand out to the Dtoid community, and all you have to do to win is leave a comment below telling me how excited you are to play it! Limit one entry per person, and the drawing will take place around 11 PM Pacific tonight. (Hey, that's just in time to join in my FNF match!) Good luck! Oh, and go sign up to be on our new FNF banner if you haven't already. Only one week left! |
| Australians rejoice: You're allowed to play Saints Row IV Posted: 02 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT After a ridiculous amount of faffing about, Saints Row IV has finally been deemed appropriate for adults to buy. Until now, Australian men and women were considered responsible enough to get jobs, buy homes, and get married, but not responsible enough to play an over-the-top video game. The offending feature in Saints Row IV was one particular mission, where The Boss uses alien drugs to acquire superpowers. Like a good nanny state, the Australian powers that be rightly assumed that such a feature would lead to countless grown men and women taking to the streets in an effort to score fictional drugs and develop fictional abilities. The damage would have been impossible to measure. Deep Silver has revealed that this mission has been cut from the game, removing about 20 minutes of gameplay. It will not, the publisher assures Australian consumers, impact the story or change any of the gameplay. Now Australian gamers will be able to enjoy the digital mayhem and murder without the constant looming threat of being pressured into taking made-up drugs. It's another victory in mankind's never-ending battle against extra-terrestrial narcotics. Slightly modified edition of Saints Row IV rated MA15+ in Australia [All Games Beta] |
| Microsoft increases Xbox One GPU clock speed Posted: 02 Aug 2013 07:30 AM PDT In the new episode of the Major Nelson podcast, chief product officer Marc Whitten brings word of a higher GPU clock speed for the Xbox One. Since E3, the team has increased the speed from 800 MHz to 853 MHz, which sounds like a nice little bump. The main takeaway from the appearance was that we should expect good things from gamescom later this month as plans finally come together. "This is the time when you've gone from all of these specs and all of these arguments over the last several years to having the product, and really starting to try it internally," said Whitten. "We're running our internal beta and using it at home and starting to see the product really come together." Brand New Xbox One Details from Xbox’s Major Nelson and Marc Whitten [Xbox] |
| Everquest Next lives up to the hype, is frickin' insane Posted: 02 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT In a move nobody could have predicted, Sony Online Entertainment is showcasing not one but two new EverQuest properties today: EverQuest Next and EverQuest Next Landmark -- and the latter may be arriving as early as this winter. EverQuest Next is a re-imagining of the original 1999 classic, while Landmark is essentially a free-to-play sandbox with rich voxel modeling tools that will usher some of the community's penis-free creations into the future world of EverQuest Next. Crafting and digging deep into the earth's crust only scratch the surface of what's new. The new games are a radical departure in three other ways: multi-classed characters can mix and match abilities, there's an "Emergent AI" that does not rely on static spawn points, and permanent changes to the world are dictated by the outcomes of wars. These four pillars prop up what, if my eyes don't deceive me, is an otherwise gorgeous-looking next-gen game that absolutely deserves all the whispers and hype since its E3 stealth debut. Kids, hold on to your hats. This is not your dad's Dungeons and Dragons. |
| Official Guilty Gear Xrd site updated, Millia confirmed Posted: 02 Aug 2013 06:45 AM PDT It appears as if the official Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- website has been updated, and we now have official confirmation of a playable Millia Rage -- a classic Guilty Gear character and fan favorite. A few other details have been confirmed, such as the return of the classic button layout of punch/kick/slash/heavy slash/dust, and high maneuverability options like air-dashing. In the game's first location test, seven characters will be playable, and four more will be revealed on August 6, 2013. Here's hoping for Faust confirmation -- he'll look amazing with that new engine. Guilty Gear [GGXrd via Event Hubs] |
| Contest: Win a four-day pass to PAX Prime! Posted: 02 Aug 2013 06:30 AM PDT [Update: Today's the last day to enter!] To help celebrate the impending launch of their badass brawler Charlie Murder, our friends at Ska Studios have given us three four-day passes to PAX Prime to hand out to the Destructoid community! For a chance at one of these highly sought after badges, you need to create your own fictional band for the Charlie Murder-verse. Think up a cool name for the band, pick a style, tell us the band members' names and instruments, and give us the title of their first hit single. Here's an example:
You get the idea. You have until next Friday, August 2 at 11:59 PM Pacific to enter, and the contest is open to anyone who can make the trek to Seattle this Labor Day weekend. (Contest does not cover travel expenses.) Limit one entry per person. Good luck, and have fun! |
| Konami survey asks about potential sequel to Revengeance Posted: 02 Aug 2013 06:15 AM PDT Not to get our hopes up too much, but Konami is currently hosting a survey about Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance that, after going through a bunch of highly specific questions, gauges interest in a follow-up game. You'd like one of those, wouldn't you? Me too. Specifically, the survey asks: "If the sequel to Metal Gear Rising were available, what would you expect from the game?" Options include a longer running time, more of a connection to Metal Gear Solid, sci-fi and stealth elements, and more cutting, to name a few. While we daydream the possibilities, there's still the upcoming PC version of Revengeance to anticipate. |
| First footage of Team Bondi's Whore of the Orient appears Posted: 02 Aug 2013 05:45 AM PDT Leaked footage of Team Bondi's Whore of the Orient recently surfaced on VideoGamer.com, courtesy of a "trusted source." The gameplay video reveals some awkward fighting, some brisk running, and a lot of hiding behind boxes. Whore of the Orient, described by Team Bondi founder Brendan McNamara as "one of the great untold stories of the 20th century," was first announced way back through the mists of time, or November 2011, to be more specific. This was after the bankrupt developer was picked up by Kennedy Miller Mitchell, a production company from Sydney. The new IP was dropped by publisher Warner Bros. last year, but before it was ditched, rumors pointed to a 2015 release. No publisher has been attached to the struggling title, though KMM are believed to still be looking for one. Despite the bad press, bankruptcy, loss of a publisher, and the recent alleged lay-offs, the Australian government awarded the project $200,000 from the New South Wales' Interactive Media Fund. Whore of the Orient is being developed for next-gen consoles and PC, but of course no release date has been set. Whore of the Orient leaked gameplay footage revealed [VideoGamer.com] |
| Wargaming set to open a new branch in Austin, Texas Posted: 02 Aug 2013 05:15 AM PDT One of the worldwide leaders in the free-to-play market is poised to get a bit bigger in the near future. Wargaming announced today that it's opening an office in Austin, Texas. According to the company, the new branch will serve as home to the "Producing Center, Central Technology, and Global Business Intelligence Groups." That wasn't the only news that Wargaming had to share in celebration of its 15th anniversary. It's recently acquired the Total Annihilation and Master of Orion properties. CEO Victor Kislyi said "Total Annihilation and Master of Orion are strategy game classics. We are more than willing to give a new lease of life to these games most of us grew up playing. It's exactly where our major focus will be." Wargaming also revealed that World of Warplanes' offering will be a bit more robust, as it's adding British aircrafts to the mix. The Spitfire, the Blenheim F, and the Javelin are among the planes that are being added to the roster. |
| Ken Levine hasn't stopped pushing for BioShock Vita Posted: 02 Aug 2013 04:45 AM PDT Years. It's been years since we first heard talk of a possible BioShock port to PlayStation Vita. Has any progress been made on that front? Irrational Games creative director Ken Levine tells Kotaku that he's still fighting for the game but "can't personally greenlight the thing myself." Levine is "literally" trying to match Sony and Take Two in an effort to get this project going. "They have to agree and it has to be a business deal," he said. "I've been trying to do that for a very long time. I've still very much engaged in that." These discussions have taken place as recently as in the past couple weeks, according to the creative director. Yeah. I'm just going to continue working under the assumption that BioShock Vita won't happen and if it does somehow pull through, well, great. That'll be a lovely surprise. Ken Levine Is Still Trying to Bring a BioShock Game to the Vita [Kotaku] |
| SOE Live: Here's what EverQuest Next sounds like Posted: 02 Aug 2013 04:16 AM PDT During last night's SOE Live keynote, president John Smedley gave the gossip-starved EverQuest fans one dangling carrot: an early taste of the game's musical score and some face time with legendary musical composer Jeremy Soule. Mr. Soule sheepishly warned us that what we were listening to was but a rough sketch, assembled only on synth and missing parts and instruments. Both men then stood there above us on stage looking at the mystified crowd as the sounds washed over us. Its no surprise a bold clap of 2,000 people shortly followed. Earlier that day I spoke to Mr. Soule about his process and he said he usually is influenced by the color palette of the game, but that EverQuest Next had to be approached differently. An angry Red Hulk in the media room will crush me if I say any more, so look for that full video interview in the coming days as we kick off a week of SOE developer diaries following the oncoming announcements. I'm looking forward to Jayson Napolitano's thoughts on this. Today, my job literally rocks. |
| PixelJunk Monsters headed to Steam with online co-op Posted: 02 Aug 2013 04:15 AM PDT Even though I'd rather get my hands on PixelJunk Inc. than double dip on yet another Q-Games title, PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate is tempting. It's coming to Steam on August 26, 2013 with local and online cooperative play, gamepad support, an island that spits out randomly-generated levels, and other miscellaneous extras. Now, here's the thing. It's $19.99 regularly, or $16.99 right now during pre-release pricing. That's not an unfair price to pay for what is a terrific tower defense game but, in the land of Steam sales -- especially so soon after the summer promotion -- I can see it being a tough sell. |
| SOE Live: Watch the EverQuest Next keynote hurr Posted: 02 Aug 2013 04:00 AM PDT
The show won't start until 12pm PDT, but there are already a thousand rabid fans squatting the chat room (myself amongst them) and people here in Las Vegas seem to have camped the convention center floor overnight for prime seating once the doors open. So yeah, today's kind of a big deal. While we wait I've been chatting with some of the members of the gaming press to find the exact words on how to describe EverQuest Next. We have different opinions amongst us, but all agreed to feather and tar the first person to compare it to Citizen Kane. Have you read the Tumblr? Who are these people, anyway? I bet they all wear bowties and hate their mothers. |
| SOE Live: What fans want from EverQuest Next (video) Posted: 02 Aug 2013 03:00 AM PDT How do you follow up a game that has captivated so many people for 15 for completely different reasons? Its not a task Sony Online Entertainment has taken to lightly: EverQuest Next has been scrapped twice since 2008 and is about to finally see its day with the public at noon today (PDT). We'll have the live stream for you shortly so you can catch all the action. As you can imagine, the fans are literally going bat-shit, including those of us whom have seen it and have to hold the embargoed grenade for just a few more hours. In the meantime, I found some smiling faces in the crowd and asked them to share their thoughts on video. What do you guys at home hope to see this afternoon? |
| Square Enix not giving up on AAA PC and console games Posted: 02 Aug 2013 02:30 AM PDT Square Enix has been a bit of a Negative Nancy this year, specifically when it's come to sales. Although it shifted quite a few copies of Sleeping Dogs, Hitman Absolution, and Tomb Raider, as well as garnering quite a bit of critical success to boot, it's been in the doldrums thanks to the company's ludicrous expectations. Despite Square Enix's moping in regards to sales, and its continuing expansion into the mobile gaming market, US and Europe CEO Phil Rogers is attempting to allay fears that the company will cut its PC and console losses and run in a blog post clarifying the future of the company. |
| Tropes vs Women in Video Games: Damsel in Distress part 3 Posted: 02 Aug 2013 01:00 AM PDT In the third "Damsel in Distress" portion of Tropes vs Women in Video Games, Anita Sarkeesian looks at the "ironic sexism" that has accompanied retro sensibilities being in vogue and looks at the reversal of the "damsel" trope, explaining why its not problematic in the same manner. The video makes pretty straight forward and non-controversial claims in its 25 minutes, but I'll leave the seething internet community to nitpick the minute bits that offend it and then extrapolate from there the series' cogency and validity. You can find a list of the video's references, among other information, here. I was glad to see Sarkeesian shine some positive light on a few excellent titles in her discourse, including Where is my Heart?, which I reviewed and loved two years ago, Thomas Was Alone, Beyond Good and Evil, and more. Full list of games used, including a spoiler list, below. The wait between part two and part three of Tropes vs Women in Video Games was about a month less than the wait between part one and part two. I wonder if these will start coming in a bit more feminist frequently. I would say it's hard for a series to pick up steam if it doesn't have a regular enough release schedule, but, then again, this series doesn't seem to be lacking for publicity what with all the fervor it invokes. Maybe the cooling off period is useful. |
| Get lost in this Rain developer diary Posted: 01 Aug 2013 11:00 PM PDT Rain is a neat, affective collaboration between PlayStation C.A.M.P. (Tokyo Jungle) and Acquire (Tenchu). I liked what I saw of the PSN title when I previewed it during GDC and Dale North seemed equally impressed sitting down with the small, moody title amidst the pomp, circumstance and hullabaloo of E3. Check them out if this video whets your appetite. I recommend putting the video on replay while you do so you can set the mood with that lovely piano accompaniment. This first developer diary delves into the central theme of the game, the mix of wonderment and terror that you might have experience getting lost as a youth, and discusses how the creators try to achieve that affect. Not only is Rain's protagonist lost, however, but he is invisible (even to the player), except when moistly silhouetted in the rain. Of course, in the rain there are terrifying monsters trying to eat you. Yep, just like my childhood. Will you be able to refrain from picking this one up? I know I won't. I'm a sucker for rain-soaked cityscapes, especially ones with posters for Casablanca and Metamorphoses. Rain drops this fall. |
| Ace Combat Infinity teaser looks like proper Ace Combat Posted: 01 Aug 2013 10:00 PM PDT Namco Bandai's just dropped a new teaser for Ace Combat Infinity, and I'll be damned if what's shown doesn't look like proper Ace Combat. Let's go down the checklist of "Ace Combat-y Things", shall we? Vaguely awkward-sounding fighter jet unit names? Check. Ridiculous superweapons? Check. Experimental-looking jet fighters? Check for Shinden. Dramatic music? Angelic choir check. Endearingly wooden radio banter? Check, rookie! Single-player story campaign? AWACS "Press Release" tells me "Check". Free-to-play? Check...if you give me some Idolm@ster skins. Now all we need is a sermon about how much war sucks, and we'll be ready to dance with the angels! Ace Combat Infinity is due this year on the PlayStation 3. |
| Cliff Bleszinski blase, teases cliffy new project Posted: 01 Aug 2013 09:00 PM PDT Cliff Bleszinski has been quiet since leaving Gears of War developer Epic Games. Well, not quiet. He's been chiming in about all sorts of things and playing a lot of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. But we don't know how he's been spending his time creatively. That could change soon. Bleszinski tweeted a "cropped" picture of "something [he's] working on." It offers little beyond a guy with a gun, a boat with a gun, and a lot of brown cliffs, but there it is. Not much to go on. Maybe we'll get more soon. Until then, however, it's time to wildly speculate. My guess is this is an adaptation of the 1993 horror film/Maximum Overdrive rip off that made me scared of garbage disposals, Ghost in the Machine, and that you'll be able to hack into and play as Gunboat. It would be like an even more free form Driver: San Francisco because you could posses someone's curling iron and burn the crap out of their locks. What do you think? |
| Everyday Is Play is a love letter to videogames Posted: 01 Aug 2013 08:00 PM PDT Backing videogame projects on Kickstarter is pretty commonplace these days but it's rarer to back a physical, videogame-related product. Everyday is Play is a book designed by Matthew Kenyon, a graphic designer from West Yorkshire in the UK, featuring a contributions from a variety of artists, spanning photography, illustration, ceramics, sculpture, hardware mods and even song lyrics. The plan is to create a 200+ page, cloth-covered hardback book that will showcase works from the like of Fangamer, Insert Coin, Indie Game The Movie, Iam8Bit and a variety of independent artists and designers like Cory Schmitz, Ian Anderson and personal online acquaintance Daniel Grey. A pledge of £30 will get you the book, plus an ebook version and wallpapers. The next tier is the eye-watering £120, dubbed the Console Pack which will include some snazzy packaging as well as an A2 lithograph print and a t-shirt. Pricier even still is the Gold Edition which is £250 but limited number of those are left. The Kickstarter has just launched and has already pass 10% of it's £26,000 target. |
| Ms. Splosion Man iOS is on sale, also drops an update Posted: 01 Aug 2013 07:00 PM PDT Twisted Pixel has announced that an update is live for Ms. Splosion Man on iOS, offering up cross-device save support, an improved in-game economy, an updated UI, and bug fixes. Additionally, the game will be on sale for $0.99 for a limited time. If you were wondering whether or not to pick this up, it's actually not a horrible deal for $0.99 if you can cope with the fairly horrid mictrotransaction system that's in place. If they were eliminated entirely it would be an instant recommendation, because the controls actually work quite well -- which is a bit of a shame. |
| Burn heal? Breath of Fire II coming to Wii U Posted: 01 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT Still reeling from Capcom's announcement of Breath of Fire 6 for browsers/tablets/smart phones? Well, here's a mild salve: SNES classic Breath of Fire II is coming to the Wii U's virtual console, "in the coming months," according to Capcom. Another salve? Breath of Fire 6, as sad as it looks, is only confirmed for a Japanese release thus far. Out of sight out of mind. If you need more Breath of Fire to wipe the sixth entry from your mind, remember that UDON Entertainment will be releasing the Breath of Fire Complete Works artbook in 2014. This confirmation could also mean that the grumblings from early in the year that Breath of Fire III's PSP port that only released in Japan and Europe might also make it stateside. Would be nice. Especially after Breath of Fire 6. |
| The Daily Hotness: What summer gaming drought? Posted: 01 Aug 2013 04:59 PM PDT Even today, people talk about the fabled summer gaming drought. I don't see it, and I haven't seen it for a few years now. Each of the last five reviews we have done has been above eight out of ten, including today's review of Rise of the Triad. That's not even to mention the glut of games provided by the Steam sale. Are you feeling a drought? I'm certainly not. On Destructoid, the Podtoid crew released a new episode, Tony took a look at a Sonic/Mega Man crossover comic, Foom played the absurdly awesome Savant on Mash Tactics, and so much more happened on this fine day. Destructoid Original: |
| The original Oregon Trail was made in just two weeks Posted: 01 Aug 2013 04:30 PM PDT For as great of an impact as The Oregon Trail had on me as a kid, I know so very little about the circumstances surrounding its development. As it turns out, they're fairly remarkable. A Mental Floss profile of the game recounts the story of three student teachers who wanted to bring the subject matter to life in their classrooms. The original version of the wildly successful educational software was played using a teletype, which involved physical rolls of paper. This was 1971, after all. "Despite the lack of graphics, students who played weren't students anymore," said co-creator Don Rawitsch. "They were settlers crossing a wasteland. Their decisions were a question of life or death." The game continued to evolve from there, but this basic version, it should be pointed out, was created in a mere two weeks. Two weeks. Rawitsch and his roommates were so desperate for a teletype to develop on -- again, this was the early '70s -- that they resorted to programming in a former janitor's closet at Bryant Junior High School. What am I doing with my life, again? The Legend of The Oregon Trail [Mental Floss] |
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