All Articles: Gamescom 2016

Snowcastle will launch Earthlock: Festival of Magic on Xbox One for free through Games With Gold and PC on September 1

Snowcastle Games has announced that their turn-based RPG, Earthlock: Festival of Magic, will be available to download for the PC and Xbox One on September 1. But best of all, Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to get the game for free next month through the Games With Gold program.

If you’re unfamiliar with Earthlock: Festival of Magic, head to Xbox Wire to learn more about the game’s Norse inspirations:

This westernized turn-based RPG, which in subtle ways reveals its Scandinavian origin, starts as a simple quest, but develops into a deeper journey. Play as Amon and join several unlikely heroes to save Umbra, a beautiful but harsh world that mysteriously stopped spinning thousands of cycles ago. Mix up your strategy to beat your enemies by crafting ammo and materials, harvesting elemental plants, and customizing your characters’ talent tree.

Earthlock: Festival of Magic is also in development for the PS4 and Wii U, and will likely be released for both platforms sometime this Fall.

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wins 2016 “Best of Gamescom” Award

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After winning a basketful of “Best of E3” awards earlier this year, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has similarly dominated the conversation at Gamescom. Link’s next adventure won two Gamescom Awards this year… “Best Wii U Game” and the coveted “Best of Gamescom.”

Several other games were also big winners at the European gaming convention including For Honor (“Best PlayStation 4 Game” and “Best PC Game”), Sea of Thieves (“Best Xbox One Game” and “Best Multiplayer Game”), and Battlefield 1 (“Best Action Game” and the “Most Wanted Consumer Award”).

The full list of winners and nominees can be found after the break. (more…)

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Square Enix is considering a Nintendo NX port of Dragon Quest Builders

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Square Enix will release Dragon Quest Builders for the PS4 and Vita on October 10, and fans seem very excited about this latest spinoff from the megapopular RPG franchise.

In addition to its Minecraft-like presentation, the game also goes back to the franchise’s roots and tells a story directly connected to the destruction of Alfegard during the original Dragon Quest, which was released for the NES all the way back in 1989. And possibly because of that connection, there’s a real chance that Dragon Quest Builders might make its way back onto a Nintendo console next year.

Speaking to DualShockers at this year’s Gamescom event, Series Producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto said that Square Enix is considering a Nintendo NX port of Dragon Quest Builders. While it’s far from a sure thing, Fujimoto added that the “family-oriented” nature of Dragon Quest Builders would make it a great fit for the console.

The Nintendo NX will be released in March 2017… though we still know very little about Nintendo’s next console.

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Get a box of tissues ready for the latest Overwatch short… “The Last Bastion”

Bastion is a fairly divisive character in the Overwatch community. While the robot has a lot of fans, other players are less than thrilled to be matched up against a character that’s basically just a walking machine gun.

But Blizzard wants to rehabilitate his reputation with the latest animated short, “The Last Bastion.” Taking a few cues from The Iron Giant, “The Last Bastion” shows the robot rebelling against its programming and becoming something more than a living weapon. It’s a little manipulative, but it also totally works.

Overwatch is now available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And in case you missed them, be sure to check out Blizzard’s other animated shorts for Overwatch: “Recall,” “Alive,” “Dragons,” and “Hero.”

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EA VP says a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster is “most likely” in the works at Gamescom

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Believe it or not, but Electronic Arts is the only major publisher yet to release a remaster of one of their games from the PS3/360 era on the PS4 or Xbox One. But that might all change very soon.

Speaking to Game Informer at a pre-Gamescom event, Patrick Soderlund, EA’s Executive Vice President, revealed the company will “most likely” release a Mass Effect Trilogy remaster in the near future:

Game Informer: One of the things I asked you last year when we sat down at E3 was about Mass Effect. At the time, there were two publishers that hadn’t really dipped into the remaster world: you and Activision. Activision has since released a number of remasters or ports, and now they are working on a full-on remaster for MW. Revisiting this as the last man standing on remasters, has anything changed? Like a Mass Effect trilogy remaster?

Soderlund: What’s changed is that there is proof in the market that people want it, maybe more than there was when we spoke. There were some that did it before, but I think there is even more clear evidence that this is something that people really want. The honest answer is that we are absolutely actively looking at it. I can’t announce anything today, but you can expect us most likely to follow our fellow partners in Activision and other companies that have done this successfully.

Obviously, Soderlund didn’t officially announce a remastered re-release of the Mass Effect Trilogy just yet. In an impressive display of verbal gymnastics, he even managed to sidestep the entire franchise by not actually using the words “Mass Effect” in his statement. However, with Mass Effect: Andromeda set to launch in early 2017, now would be a great time to revisit the franchise’s first three chapters.

Mark me down as someone who won’t be surprised if a remastered edition of the Mass Effect Trilogy is released for the PS4 and Xbox One sometime soon.

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Konami resurrects Metal Gear franchise with Metal Gear Survive

After Hideo Kojima and Konami parted ways, the famed developer hooked up with Sony for Death Stranding, an original game that once again explores deep political and intellectual themes within the framework of a video game. Meanwhile, Konami took the Metal Gear franchise and quite literally added zombies to it from thin air.

Announced earlier this week at Gamescom, Metal Gear Survive takes place in the immediate aftermath of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, but instead of following Snake, players will take control of four characters attempting to survive an invasion of Motherbase by interdimensional zombies.

And no, I’m not kidding…

Metal Gear Survive picks up from the ending of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, to an alternate timeline caused by unexplained wormholes forming in the sky. Players find themselves on distorted desert landscapes full of massive half-formed structures, living biological threats, and the remains of a once strong military force now litter the landscape.

In a struggle to stay alive on this harsh terrain filled with deadly creatures, soldiers who were previously on Motherbase now must work cooperatively in order to survive. Metal Gear Survive continues the pedigree of Metal Gear Solid V’s highly praised gameplay design, with a unique blend of stealth and co-op play mechanics. Players can strategically manage massive threats with the help of four-player online cooperative play. New weaponry will also be introduced to combat charging creatures and lethal environments as well.

Metal Gear Survive will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime in 2017.

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Get spooked by the new Resident Evil 7: Biohazard trailer at Gamescom 2016

I couldn’t even begin to tell you how the new Resident Evil 7: Biohazard trailer connects to the rest of the franchise. Released today at Gamescom, the trailer’s definitely spooky, but a ghost chasing a woman through a dingy basement is not where my mind goes when I think of Resident Evil.

That said, the trailer does introduce fans to Marguerite Baker, one of Resident Evil 7’s main characters:

Set within the sinister plantation house in Dulvey, Louisiana, the Baker family, including Jack and Marguerite, were residents but no-one has seen or heard from them in a while. Where could they be? One thing is clear in the latest content to be shown from the game – there’s something not quite right within the plantation. Who is the mysterious girl in the gameplay? What does Marguerite want with her?

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on January 24, 2017.

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NetherRealm adds Suicide Squad members Harley Quinn and Deadshot to Injustice 2

It’s Gamescom week, so NetherRealm Studios decided this was the perfect time to unveil two more combatants from Injustice 2. In a good show of corporate synergy, the latest Injustice 2 trailer re-introduces Harley Quinn to the fighting franchise, while also giving her Suicide Squad teammate Deadshot a chance to shine. However you feel about the Suicide Squad film, Harley Quinn was one of the best parts of Injustice: Gods Among Us, so her return is definitely a welcome one.

Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One sometime in 2017.

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