New Games |
- The PS4's emulated PS2 games run worse in Europe
- You'll need friends to earn this cool Heroes of the Storm mount
- Nuclear Throne is finally out of Early Access
- The Turok remaster gets new screenshots, missing the fog
- The Tomorrow Children is holding a beta soon
- An expansion for The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth is already in the works
- Destiny's SRL Sparrow Racing is a middling and shallow diversion
- The HTC Vive will be launching in April 2016
- Linkle might be coming to future Zelda titles
- Square Enix is selling a $10 mystery box
- This Humble Neo Geo Bundle is real tempting
- Kinect finally makes good on a feature from the reveal demo
- Red Bull with the sickest of burns
- Gross mobile Final Fantasy VI port hits Steam next week
- Review: Rayman Adventures
- The Witcher 3's second expansion looks lovely
- Starbound's combat update should make fighting more interesting
- Destiny moving to a more 'event-based model,' no more 'monolithic DLC packs'
- Review: Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair
- Resident Evil Zero will launch on January 19, 360 owners don't get cheerleader outfit
- Garou: Mark of the Wolves seems to be coming to Steam
- Assassin's Creed Chronicles India and Russia aren't dead, slated for 2016
- You Must Build a Boat is getting a daily challenge mode
- This week's Destiny raid challenge forces every player to participate
- The final Archie Mega Man comic has a release date
- Fallout 4 looks right at home with an isometric camera
- System Shock 3 officially on its way
- Review: Fast Racing Neo
- Review: Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders from Planet Space
- Beyond: Two Souls is very much the same game on PS4
| The PS4's emulated PS2 games run worse in Europe Posted: 08 Dec 2015 06:00 PM PST If you’re in Europe and have been tempted to pick up some of the PS2 games recently rereleased for the PS4, such as Dark Cloud and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you might want to think again. Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry has discovered that the European releases have framerate issues the North American ones do not. The problems are due to a difference in which version of the game is being emulated in each region. In North America, the games are running off of NTSC code, which naturally runs at 30 FPS. The versions available on the European store are emulating PAL code instead, which runs at 25 FPS. The PAL version is then boosted from 25 FPS to 30 through frame blending. While this does technically make the games 30 FPS like their NTSC counterparts, it also means they suffer from frequent stuttering not found in the North American versions. The video up above gives a comparison between the two versions of San Andreas, and at times the stuttering is pretty noticeable. The video also states that Dark Cloud has the same problem. For those in Europe who’re wanting to play the best version of their chosen PS2 game, I heavily recommend buying and downloading them off of the North American storefront instead. Face-Off: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas [Eurogamer] |
| You'll need friends to earn this cool Heroes of the Storm mount Posted: 08 Dec 2015 01:00 PM PST Blizzard has begun its "Recruit a Friend" program for Heroes of the Storm in which players can share a unique sign-up link with their pals to unlock in-game rewards. Notably, you can earn a Vulture Hover Bike mount, shown above, by recruiting four players and having them reach level ten. On the other side, newly recruited players will start off with Raynor and a five-day Stimpack, and can then earn Sylvanas if they hit level ten. Understandably, long-time players aren't happy about potentially missing out on this mount. But life, uh, finds a way. There's some good news, though! The weekly free hero rotation now offers a maximum of ten slots. New players will only have access to six free characters, but as they level up their account, more slots will become available. Blizzard has also changed talent gating -- it's gone! Everyone can now choose between all hero talents regardless of their player level. While all of this is happening, there's also a double XP bonus in effect from today until Wednesday, December 16 at 10:00am Pacific. Lastly, that 50 percent off sale on heroes, mounts, and skins has been extended. It's now going to last through the end of this year. Heroes of the Storm Patch Notes – December 8, 2015 [Battle.net] |
| Nuclear Throne is finally out of Early Access Posted: 08 Dec 2015 12:00 PM PST It feels like Vlambeer's Nuclear Throne has been in Early Access limbo for ages, but the punishing roguelike shooter has finally reached its official release date. You can now purchase the finished version of Nuclear Throne on PS4, PS Vita, PC, Mac, and Linux for $11.99. It's also coming soon to PS3. I played this a lot while it was still in Early Access, and found it to be exceedingly difficult but absolutely addicting. I don't think I ever even made it past the second area, the sewer with all those pesky rats, but I kept wanting to go back and try again and again. Maybe I'll finally make it a bit further now that the game is finished. Someday I will reach the nuclear throne if I just believe in it hard enough, right? |
| The Turok remaster gets new screenshots, missing the fog Posted: 08 Dec 2015 11:30 AM PST Night Dive Studios has released new screenshots of the Turok remaster it has been working on and in the spirit of the original game, it looks pretty ugly. Notably, the thick fog from the original release is missing and honestly, I kind of miss it. Hopefully the devs add an option to turn it on to get that authentic Turok feel. Currently only Turok and Turok 2 are being remastered for PC, but here is hoping they get around to Turok: Rage Wars, the arena-based shooter that is arguably the best multiplayer shooter on Nintendo 64. I know you all love GoldenEye, but I've always been about that dino-life and feel like Rage Wars never got the recognition it deserved. Just look at the cerebral bore weapon! That alone makes it cooler than any other shooter on the N64. |
| The Tomorrow Children is holding a beta soon Posted: 08 Dec 2015 11:00 AM PST Q-Games has opened sign-ups for The Tomorrow Children's closed beta, which will run from January 21 - 23. North American players can register here, and European players can sign up here. You'll just need to provide your name, email address, and PSN ID, so it won't take long. |
| An expansion for The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth is already in the works Posted: 08 Dec 2015 10:30 AM PST Afterbirth, the expansion to The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, which was just released last month, already has some DLC being planned. This expansion of an expansion is tentatively being called Afterbirth+. Afterbirth+ will of course feature some new bosses, new items, and new transformations. But the coolest new features include a bestiary and mod support. The bestiary will provide information about all the enemies Isaac comes across in the game, letting players know how many of them have been killed and how many times they have killed the player. I fully anticipate my spider-related deaths to reach triple digits. The modification update will include a room editor, an animation editor to import your own art into the game, and Lua support. I don't see myself using this personally, but it will be fun to see what other players can come up with! More information can be found on the Binding of Isaac blog. Just how much bigger can this game get? |
| Destiny's SRL Sparrow Racing is a middling and shallow diversion Posted: 08 Dec 2015 10:00 AM PST Bungie laid out its plans going forward for Destiny today. Instead of providing full expansion-like experiences, they're going to be focusing on micro-events, like the Festival of the Lost Halloween activity at the Tower a few months back. The newest addition is Sparrow Racing (SRL), which is available today to play for three weeks, until it's shelved again. It's...fun to play once or twice, that's about it. |
| The HTC Vive will be launching in April 2016 Posted: 08 Dec 2015 09:30 AM PST Valve and HTC's VR headset, the HTC Vive, finally has an official release date: April 2016. As made clear by the blog post announcing the launch window, this isn’t a second wave of dev kits (those are coming in the New Year). This is the date that real and finalised consumer models of the Vive will hit the market and be available for all to buy. Right now HTC’s website is unsurprisingly getting absolutely hammered and is unavailable. Thanks to the magic of website caches, this is what the announcement says:
At the moment, no prices have been announced. Considering April is only five months away, we should hopefully hear some more information about the consumer launch very soon. |
| Linkle might be coming to future Zelda titles Posted: 08 Dec 2015 09:00 AM PST "I'm sure we will keep [Linkle] in mind when thinking about future titles," Nintendo producer Eiji Aonuma told IGN. "I had a chance to give feedback on Linkle during development, but the satisfying action of using a crossbow, which we developed for the spinoff title Link's Crossbow Training, was implemented this time completely by Koei Tecmo." Aonuma went on to all but confirm that Linkle is considered canon, saying, "It may feel a little different from other titles in the franchise, but she doesn't feel out of place at all in the world of the Zelda games." Linkle will be available for the first time when Hyrule Warriors Legends launches on the 3DS in the US on March 25, 2016. She will also be exportable to the Wii U's Hyrule Warriors. Nintendo keeping Linkle in mind for future Zelda games [IGN] |
| Square Enix is selling a $10 mystery box Posted: 08 Dec 2015 08:30 AM PST It's hard for me to talk about mystery boxes without thinking of this Family Guy clip. "A mystery box could be anything! It could even be a boat!" Square Enix has a new mystery box, but the publisher's pretty up-front about the fact that it won't contain a boat. Instead, it has some combination of five digital PC games for $10. Supposedly, the contents are worth over $80 (although that was probably upon initial release, and nowhere near what they're worth now). Really, this investment isn't about potentially getting good games at a cheap price. No, you're buying the thrill of being a badass who sinks their money into the unknown. Whatever Square gives out is just a consolation. You're on your way to Wall Street, but this mystery box is just the first step. The 2015 Holiday Surprise Box [Square Enix] |
| This Humble Neo Geo Bundle is real tempting Posted: 08 Dec 2015 08:00 AM PST This week's Humble Bundle woke me right the hell up. It's a smorgasbord of great SNK titles! Pay what you want:
Pay more than the average:
Pay $10 or more:
There are in-browser demos for most of these games, though you're only allotted two minutes per title. (And for whatever reason, everything ran at mind-melting double speed for me. Weird!) Also worth noting: several games include Steam keys, but most of them don't. Humble Neo Geo 25th Anniversary Bundle [Humble Bundle] |
| Kinect finally makes good on a feature from the reveal demo Posted: 08 Dec 2015 07:30 AM PST At E3 2009, Microsoft introduced Project Natal, the motion control peripheral that would go on to become Kinect. Most people remember it mostly for Peter Molyneux's kind of creepy "Milo" demo. But, there was also a snazzy sizzle reel of a happy family brought together by the unifying power of the device. The problem is that Kinect never delivered on a single experience in those videos apart from swiping to select. That changes today. Now, there's a new application out on Xbox One where you can virtually shop and try on clothes. In this couple's perfectly demographic-targeted apartment (guitars and wakeboards!), we see how The Mall app uses Kinect to turn a living room into a fitting room. Just select the outfit you want and watch it envelop your body. Not weird at all! For those comfortable with Kinect's possibly accurate projections, you can immediately purchase the clothes with a second app. Given that Kinect is becoming less and less integral to Xbox One, this is probably the closest we'll get to that original vision. Your skateboard will go unscanned and Milo will go unloved. But those clothes don't have to go unbought. Use your Xbox One to try on clothes at home [Engadget] |
| Red Bull with the sickest of burns Posted: 08 Dec 2015 07:00 AM PST Now you have to close your account, Monster Gaming. Those are the rules. @RedBullESPORTS [Twitter] |
| Gross mobile Final Fantasy VI port hits Steam next week Posted: 08 Dec 2015 06:30 AM PST Final Fantasy VI is coming to PC, but it's the mobile port with the new art I hate (and some people don't! That's fine!) so Final Fantasy VI GBA port it remains, for me. The latest port was telegraphed last month and supported by its appearance among all those leaked Steam releases. Now it's got a proper page on Steam and a December 16 release date. The mobile version goes for $16 and so does Final Fantasy V on Steam, so expect to pay that. |
| Posted: 08 Dec 2015 06:00 AM PST Rayman has had a good run of it as of late. The last two console games -- Origins and Legends -- were fantastic platformers worthy of the highest praise. Now Ubisoft is testing the franchise's viability in the mobile waters with Rayman Adventures, and while it works, it doesn't as well as you'd hope, given how high the bar has been set. The two defining features of Rayman games in the recent past have been vibrant, feel-good aesthetics and rock-solid controls. Mobile has no problem accommodating for the former; it's the latter that causes issues. |
| The Witcher 3's second expansion looks lovely Posted: 08 Dec 2015 05:30 AM PST There's no snow where I live, thank goodness, but it is cold and rainy. Gloomy vibes all around with no end in sight. I don't want to think about it, so excuse me for a moment while I get distracted by these warm screenshots from the next Witcher 3 expansion, Blood & Wine. The new locale is Toussaint, "a land untainted by war, where an atmosphere of carefree indulgence and knightly ritual masks an ancient, bloody secret." Sounds like the place to be! Blood & Wine will release in the "first half of 2016." If you're down for more adventures, be prepared to set aside around 20 hours. I wouldn't be surprised if that's a conservative estimate. |
| Starbound's combat update should make fighting more interesting Posted: 08 Dec 2015 05:00 AM PST I'll admit: my hype for Starbound is nowhere near the level where it was two years ago. Being in beta for that long can do that. After my group exhausted the quest lines for the first iteration, we never really went back, despite a big update releasing early this year. Still, if this latest trailer is any indication, Starbound is making its way to becoming something I can sink another hundred hours into if I ever jump back in. This update is mostly focused on making combat more than the old click-to-swing slog. Weapons now can have secondary abilities like target marking, homing projectiles, a juggle combo-starting uppercut, and placed barriers. Also included are unique alien creatures designed for specific biomes, new weapons like boomerangs and claws, and a hoverbike built for two. I'm not sure if I'll get back to it soon or if I'll just continue waiting for a "final" release, but the new stuff does look pretty neat. |
| Destiny moving to a more 'event-based model,' no more 'monolithic DLC packs' Posted: 08 Dec 2015 04:21 AM PST Once again Bungie has flip-flopped on how it's handling Destiny going forward. In the past, it was rumored the developer was giving up on large-scale DLC packs, which was shot down, noting that it was going to focus on both. Now it sounds like the big DLCs are out again, as Bungie's Derek Carroll has stated to Eurogamer that they are "moving to a more event-based model." Sharing this news with my raid group, the consensus was that they were going to move onto other games, since the only reason they log on weekly is to tackle major pieces of content, which are now going stale. We'll see how this more casual approach serves Bungie in the end, when a portion of their hardcore userbase abandons the game. What Activision told us recently when asked for comment is interesting. We were told, "We don't have any expansions planned for this year. We've yet to announce plans for 2016." No expansions for Destiny makes sense, but will we see a Destiny 2 announcement at E3? Bungie talks Destiny: The Taken King's event-focused future [Eurogamer] |
| Review: Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair Posted: 08 Dec 2015 04:00 AM PST I'm happy Earth Defense Force continues to exist. There's no shortage of modern video games in which your primary interaction with the world is shooting things, but so few of them are lighthearted, charming, or funny. I don't need every game to strive for photorealism or masterful storytelling, you know? Sometimes I just want to fire guns at hundreds of bugs, robots, and dragons until they explode, or knock down entire cities, building by building, with zero consequences. Sometimes I want to chant "EDF! EDF! EDF!" while somersaulting to victory. Going into EDF 4.1, I wasn't sure what to expect other than 1080p and 60 frames per second. This is an enhanced version of Earth Defense Force 2025 (known as Earth Defense Force 4 in Japan) with new content, gameplay tweaks, and improved visuals. It's not as much of an upgrade as I would have hoped -- particularly when it comes to the frame rate -- but it is my favorite title to date. |
| Resident Evil Zero will launch on January 19, 360 owners don't get cheerleader outfit Posted: 08 Dec 2015 03:40 AM PST Resident Evil Zero will arrive on January 19, 2016, Capcom has announced. It will be priced at $19.99, and at launch, will drop on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The package will include Wesker Mode and updated modern controls, as previously reported. There seems to be one snag though. Capcom specifically notes that by pre-ordering, you'll be able to pick up the Wolf Force Billy and cheerleader Rebecca costume pack, on every platform but the Xbox 360. As long as it's as stable as the Resident Evil HD Remaster, I'll be happy. |
| Garou: Mark of the Wolves seems to be coming to Steam Posted: 08 Dec 2015 03:30 AM PST Among fighting game fans, Garou: Mark of the Wolves remains a classic. I first played it on the Dreamcast many years back, and along with Last Blade 2, it was a staple among my friends. Although Garou has been widely available on Xbox 360 for some time, it looks like a Steam version is coming at some point, based on a database entry. Though what I'm really interested in is the "sequel" that SNK has been talking about for roughly 10 years now, which has been pushed to the backburner many times in the past. Garou: Mark of the Wolves [Steamdb via Shoryuken] |
| Assassin's Creed Chronicles India and Russia aren't dead, slated for 2016 Posted: 08 Dec 2015 03:08 AM PST After months of going without any sort of real news on Assassin's Creed Chronicles' last two entries, we now have confirmation straight from Ubisoft that they will be released in "early 2016." Following up China, India and Russia are arriving in 2016, with January 12 and February 9 dates respectively. They will arrive on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and on Vita on April 5. India will take place in 1841, and Russia will take place in 1918. They will debut at $9.99 per episode, or in a pack for $30 -- said pack will be available physically on PS4 and Xbox One. Note that the Season Pass "apology bonus" for Unity only covered China. I'm not shuddering with anticipation, but China was fun enough. |
| You Must Build a Boat is getting a daily challenge mode Posted: 08 Dec 2015 03:00 AM PST You Must Build a Boat, like 10000000 before it, has taken up a lot of my mobile gaming time, and it seems like it's going to take up a lot more. The developer has informed Destructoid that the game will be getting a free update with a new mode in tow. It's a daily challenge gametype, which allows you to unlock skins, and seems equally addictive as the main mode. Apparently it's set to go live on Android on Thursday, but was pushed prematurely to iOS, so it's available now on that platform. |
| This week's Destiny raid challenge forces every player to participate Posted: 08 Dec 2015 02:45 AM PST Bungie has cycled in the new raid challenge this week for Destiny, as part of an effort to deliver a few pieces of guaranteed 320 loot to hardcore players, and keep them interested in the game. Instead of focusing on the War Priest, this time Golgoroth is in the spotlight for the King's Fall raid. The gist is that each player now needs to hold his gaze consecutively in a given cycle. What I mean by that is, that all six players are required to "hold gaze" in a single run, switching said gaze before it drops (read: the timer runs out). For those who aren't aware, you have to shoot the fleshy back portion of the boss to grab his attention, or, his "gaze" -- when you're holding it, the boss will fire homing orbs at you, which you're required to shoot to prevent your death, while the remaining five members fire at Golgoroth's chest to do damage. In essence, this is a slightly more difficult, but more tedious version of the fight. Previously, most groups opted to go for a "single orb" strategy, where they would have one player hold gaze the entire time in waves, making the battle relatively easy as long as one person knew what they were doing (Shadestep or Bladedancer makes this even easier for dedicated Hunters). To be clear, you can still do a single orb strat this week, but you'll have to pass around the gaze a total of six times. The way our group did it for hard mode three times is to drop an orb as normal, and have the first gazer pick it up as normal. All five remaining players blast away at his chest, and at eight seconds left on the gaze timer, the second person jumps out and grabs it. From there, we all jump out, and assign numbers to every player -- cycling the gaze in sequential order, and passing it immediately -- then on the last cycle, we meet back in the middle, drop an orb, and fire at his chest for the last gaze. Then we jump out and repeat that two or three times, depending on the damage. It's not difficult, but every raid member needs to participate and have at least some form of raid awareness. As a result, I've heard of numerous friends giving up today because one or two people kept messing up the mechanics. It's interesting for sure that every person needs to do something (very few fights require this, as you can mostly get away with half the group doing the majority of the mechanics), but it's still a relatively dull way to approach challenges. I thought there would be something more to it, to be frank, like an extra mini-boss, or an actual brand new concept, not just an alteration of an existing one. But recycled content is the name of the game for Destiny, so I should have known better. For your troubles, you'll get a 320 Artifact, 320 piece of armor, an emblem, and a Calcified Fragment. |
| The final Archie Mega Man comic has a release date Posted: 08 Dec 2015 02:30 AM PST Once Mega Man #55 drops, Archie will be putting the series on an indefinite hiatus. This is a stark contrast to their Sonic line of comics, which has not one, but three unique series to its name. It also started in 1992, as opposed to Mega Man, which has only been running since 2011. It's a sad state of affairs, but at the very least, you'll be able to pick up the 55th issue on December 23, following a series of delays. Archie Comics [Twitter] |
| Fallout 4 looks right at home with an isometric camera Posted: 08 Dec 2015 02:00 AM PST Although Bethesda has done a fine enough job with the new Fallout games, they pale in comparison to the older games, done by Black Isle Studios under Interplay (except for Obsidian's amazing Fallout: New Vegas, of course). The writing was stronger, the actual role-playing element was broader, and if you haven't played them before, I suggest you do so. Either way, this camera mod for Fallout 4 looks pretty rad, bringing back the old isometric view. I really wish this was a legitimate option just like Dragon Age. If Black Isle Made Fallout 4 [Reddit] |
| System Shock 3 officially on its way Posted: 08 Dec 2015 01:30 AM PST As recent as last month we heard rumblings about the possibility of a new game in the System Shock series, and now it's even closer to being a reality. The curious bit is that while Night Dive Studios claims the rights to the series and is working on a remake of the original, System Shock 3 in the works at OtherSide Entertainment (Adele says "hello," by the way). Right now there are only a few teaser sites to go on. One features a countdown clock set for this Sunday. The other just has the image above. It's not too ambiguous. OtherSide Entertainment's Lead Designer is Tim Stellmach, who is credited as a designer on the original System Shock. OtherSide describes itself as "a studio focused on rebooting classic franchises." |
| Posted: 08 Dec 2015 01:00 AM PST In the three years since the launch of the Wii U, one of the most notably absent Nintendo properties on the console has been F-Zero. The series, which focused on futuristic fast-paced track racing, has been dormant for over a decade with very little in the way of competition threatening its dominance in the genre. Fast Racing Neo isn't an F-Zero game, but it's going to sure as hell fill the void left on Nintendo consoles. Neo takes the fast racing action of that classic series and puts some intelligent spins on the core gameplay loop. |
| Review: Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders from Planet Space Posted: 08 Dec 2015 12:00 AM PST Two words. Giant. Bugs. Also giant spaceships, giant kaiju, and giant explosions. If you're looking for campy sci-fi action on your Vita look no further than Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders from Planet Space. |
| Beyond: Two Souls is very much the same game on PS4 Posted: 07 Dec 2015 10:00 PM PST
When Beyond: Two Souls released at the end of 2013, it epitomised not just the lofty ambitions of creator David Cage, but also the capability still lurking in the PlayStation 3’s ageing infrastructure. But whilst it’s difficult not to be mesmerised by the state-of-the-art facial and motion capture and that ambitious, cinematic storyline, as the credits rolled that first time around, I laid down my controller and felt nothing but a nagging sense of fulfillment. Despite the glossy polish and Hollywood glamour, it was as though Beyond: Two Souls was a richly painted optical illusion, a beautiful but achingly - frustratingly - two-dimensional experience lacking any meaningful depth. And now, it's on PS4 too. |
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