Most Recent: News

Square Enix is counting down to a reveal of Shadow of the Tomb Raider on March 15

Posted on March 14, 2018 by John Scalzo

Back in December, Square Enix announced that a new game in the Tomb Raider franchise was in development at Crystal Dynamics, and a promise that we’d learn more about it this year. Today, they’ve updated the game’s official website with a countdown that’s set to expire on Thursday, March 15, at 9:00 AM (Eastern Time).

However, that’s not all Square Enix did. Digging in to the site’s source code, you can find the game’s final title (Shadow of the Tomb Raider), an announcement date for “pre-order incentives” (April 27, 2018), a tagline (“Shadow of The Tomb Raider is the climatic finale of Lara’s origin story.”), and the release date (September 14, 2018).

Whoops doesn’t seem to cover it… but we’ll probably get a nice trailer once the countdown clock reaches zero tomorrow.

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USC and SMU once again top Princeton Review’s ranking of Game Design programs

Posted on March 13, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s a pair of repeats for the schools at the top of the Princeton Review‘s latest ranking of Game Design programs. The University of Southern California notched its second year as the top school for undergraduate programs, while Southern Methodist University held onto its place as the highest-ranked school for graduate programs.

“Game design is an exciting field and for students aspiring to work in this field, the schools on our list offer extraordinary opportunities to launch a career in this industry, said Editor-In-Chief Robert Franek, staying on theme with a nearly word-for-word repeat of last year’s statement. “We want to help students find the best program for their needs and interests. The top schools on our lists have outstanding faculties and great facilities which will give students the skills and experience they need to pursue a career in this dynamic and burgeoning field.

You can find the Princeton Review’s full ranking of Game Design programs for 2018 after the break. (more…)

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Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will be released for the PC on May 8

Posted on March 13, 2018 by John Scalzo

Obsidian Entertainment sent out a short news blast this afternoon to confirm that Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire will be released for the PC on May 8. The isometric RPG was originally expected to launch on April 3, but the developer needed more time to “put those finishing touches on the game”:

We know you’re as excited as we are about the upcoming launch of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire. As you have probably guessed, Deadfire is a huge game — significantly larger than the original Pillars of Eternity. Obsidian has been working harder than Abydon himself to make every inch of it awesome, as well as incorporating all the great feedback we have been getting from everyone playing the Backer Beta.

With this in mind, we are taking just a few extra weeks to polish and put those finishing touches on the game.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is also in development for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It’s on track to make its console debut this Fall.

And if you’re planning to attend PAX East in Boston next month, you’ll be able to play Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire at the Versus Evil booth.

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Video Game Hall of Fame will publish A History of Video Games In 64 Objects book in May

Posted on March 13, 2018 by John Scalzo

The curators from the World Video Game Hall of Fame will offer a peak behind the curtain at some of the historical artifacts found in their collection with A History of Video Games In 64 Objects, an upcoming book from Dey Street Books (a Random House imprint):

Inspired by the groundbreaking A History of the World in 100 Objects, this book draws on the unique collections of The Strong museum in Rochester, New York, to chronicle the evolution of video games, from Pong to first-person shooters, told through the stories of dozens of objects essential to the field’s creation and development.

Drawing on the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s unmatched collection of video game artifacts, this fascinating history offers an expansive look at the development of one of the most popular and influential activities of the modern world: video gaming.

Essays and photographs will provide further insight into how each object contributed to gaming’s history, as well as “the greater culture.”

A History of Video Games In 64 Objects will be available on May 29, and you can get a sneak peek at its Introduction chapter at Unbound Worlds. And don’t forget about the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s 2018 induction ceremony, which will take place a few weeks earlier on May 3.

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Super Daryl Deluxe is a hand-drawn action RPG… and it’ll be available on April 10

Posted on March 13, 2018 by John Scalzo

Dan & Gary Games has announced they’ll release their debut title, Super Daryl Deluxe, for the PC, PS4, and Switch on April 10. Featuring hand-drawn graphics and an original soundtrack, players take control of a hapless high schooler named Daryl in the game, and they’ll need obtain a variety of superpowers if they want to save the day:

Water Falls High School, of course, is a perfectly normal multidimensional high school. Its classrooms literally whisk students away to alternate worlds coinciding with their subjects, where kids can do anything from arguing the value of capitalism with Joseph Stalin in History to offering a fist bump to Oedipus in Literature. You know, just like every other school.

What’s not normal are the missing students, the locked down classrooms, and the shadowy principal that no one has actually seen. Not to mention something about a secret that nearly destroyed the world 40 years ago.

Enter Daryl Whitelaw, the poorly-postured mouth-breather who just wants to make friends that has found himself the unlikely hero of this story. With the aid of a self-help book, Daryl can attain more than 45 powers, from thrashing enemies with an axe three times his weight to cleaning their faces up with a mop. Abilities can be customized and upgraded, making for endless playstyles and combinations.

A new trailer for Super Daryl Deluxe has been embedded above, and it’ll give you a good idea about what to expect with this side-scrolling action RPG in the “MetroidVania” mold.

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Amid Evil’s Early Access Launch Trailer brings back the look of fantasy-style shooters like Hexen and Heretic

Posted on March 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

Resurrecting the medieval style from early 90s fantasy shooters like Hexen and Heretic, Indefatigable’s Amid Evil is now available to download for the PC through Steam Early Access. The development team is probably celebrating with grog and mead right now, but they’ve also unveiled a new Launch Trailer for the game.

Brutal new footage released today introduces the endless mode gameplay, Hordes of Evil, which pits players against insane enemy AI. Hordes of Evil is included in the Early Access version of the game, which grants players three of the final seven campaign episodes. Each episode boasts different environments and enemies, as well as multitudes of in-game options and cheat codes.

The “Full Version” of Amid Evil is expected to be available sometime later this year.

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New Retail Releases: Kirby Star Allies, Surviving Mars, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, More

Posted on March 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

A handful of re-releases and the return of Nintendo’s pink puffball take center stage in this week’s New Retail Releases report…

Kirby will make his Switch debut this week in Kirby Star Allies. The side-scrolling platformer includes drop-in/drop-out multiplayer for up to four players, and Kirby will be able to unleash brand new Friend Abilities against the game’s colorful foes. Speaking of things that are colorful, fans of city-building sims will be able to colonize the Red Planet this week in Haemimont’s Surviving Mars for the PS4 and Xbox One.

And if you’re looking to give a classic game from yesteryear a second chance, you’ll have plenty of opportunities this week. Capcom will bring Devil May Cry HD Collection to the PS4 and Xbox One. Electronic Arts and Criterion will hit the gas on Burnout Paradise Remastered for the PS4 and Xbox One. And NIS America will bring Suda51’s The 25th Ward: The Silver Case to North America for the first time on the PS4.

Finally this week, Nintendo will relaunch Splatoon 2 as the Splatoon 2: Starter Edition. It’ll include the original game for the Switch, as well as guide book, and a sticker sheet.

A complete look at all of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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Ubisoft quietly announces Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

Posted on March 10, 2018 by John Scalzo

Earlier this week, Ubisoft quietly confirmed that Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is in development on their official website. The shooter sequel will once again be developed by Massive Entertainment, and Creative Director Julian Gerighty delivered an early message to fans about the future of the franchise:

That said, we’ve always envisioned the story in the game we launched in 2016 as the beginning chapter in a larger saga, and today we’re excited to share more info about what’s next for The Division universe.

We’re thrilled to announce that we are working on Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, and that development will be led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with Ubisoft Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Bucharest. The Division 2 will be powered by an updated version of the Snowdrop engine that enables us to realize our ambitions for the sequel, but more importantly, we’re also taking everything we learned over the past two years and applying it towards the sequel to make sure we get it right.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will be fully unveiled at this year’s E3 Expo, and Massive wants to help players be prepared for its upcoming launch with the introduction of a new type of achievement, “Shields,” to the original game. Players who collect “Shields” in Tom Clancy’s The Division will unlock special rewards in The Division 2 when it launches.

Hopefully, we’ll find out a release date for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 at E3.

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