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Gears of War 4 February Update introduces new maps and much more

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Brittney Williams

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and as a result, Gears of War 4 players will be treated to a slew of updates including new maps, Valentine’s Day-themed events, and general game improvements.

The Gears of War 4 Valentine’s Day event officially begins this Friday, February 10, and will last for over a week. The event will include Torque Bow Tag “with a cupid-style twist,” a new collectible Craftable Character, new Gear Packs, and daily bounties with a Valentine’s Day theme.

Also included in the February update are two new maps that veteran Gears of War fans are sure to appreciate! The first new map on the list is “Impact Dark,” an intense new spin on the original “Impact” map. “Impact Dark” takes close combat to thrilling new levels, putting heavy emphasis on visual impairment by implementing a permanently smoke-covered battlefield! Snipers, Torque/EMBAR, and Incendiaries are gone, now replaced with Boltoks, Dropshot, and Overkill respectively, forcing players to stay alert and take risks in order to stay in the game.

The second map provided in the update is “War Machine,” which veteran Gears of War players may remember for its desolate and decrepit atmosphere. The new take on the “War Machine” map brings players to a gorgeous and lively COG settlement in the once abandoned train station. However, aside from the new aesthetic, everything else about the map remains the same. Season Pass holders will be glad to know that they can play both maps today in the Developer Playlist.

The Coalition highlighted a few additional gameplay improvements from the February Update on the game’s official website:

  • Added a small delay before being able to fire when Wall Cancelling (now balanced with Wall Bounce firing delay)
  • New Guardian Spawn System: Players will now spawn closer to the Leader
  • Added IFF Lights onto Dizzy to bring visual readability of his model in-line with all other characters
  • Torque Bow now rotates with Sniper every round on Blood Drive
  • Resolved an issue that could cause the Kestral to be stuck out of sight on Blood Drive
  • Resolved minor geometry on Blood Drive that could block bullets
  • Improved messaging for Core/Competitive rejoin when trying to rejoin after rejoin window ends
  • Incendiary grenades now kill Down But Not Out players with Execution Rules On
  • Previous map high score will now display on end of round scoreboards in Horde
  • The Trick Shot ribbon is now correctly awarded in Horde
  • The Sniper Strike Horde Skill card no longer counts towards Headshot Bounties

Gears of War 4 is available to purchase now for the PC and Xbox One, and you can get a closer look at both new maps after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

The Halo Wars 2 Launch Trailer is like every alien invasion movie rolled into one

Posted on February 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Developers at 343 Industries love to refer to the Halo franchise as a Star Wars saga for a new generation. I’m not sure if the Master Chief and Cortana will ever be as well known as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, the development certainly knows how to put together a thrilling sci-fi action sequence. Case in point… the new Halo Wars 2 launch trailer.

If you’re not a scholar of Halo lore, don’t worry, Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb offered up a few more details about the trailer, and the real time strategy game’s many feature, on his eponymous blog:

After experiencing a pyrrhic victory following the events of the first Halo Wars, Captain Cutter and the brave crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire wake up after 28 years of cryosleep to discover themselves orbiting a familiar Forerunner construct; Halo 3 fans, you know what it is. After receiving a distress signal and sending down some Spartans to investigate, the crew meets Atriox – an incredibly dangerous Brute who is as intelligent as he is strong. He poses a grave threat to humanity, and it’s up to you to stop him and his Banished.

In addition to the robust campaign, Halo Wars 2 is packed with a full suite of multiplayer modes that are suited to players of all skill levels and familiarity with real time strategy (RTS). Build your base, assemble your army and battle for control of the map in Domination, test your strategies solo or with a friend against AI in Skirmish, fight to hold more bases than your opponent in a timed Strongholds match, duke it out until you’re the last one standing in Deathmatch, or jump straight into the action with the all-new deck building multiplayer experience, Blitz.

Halo Wars 2 will be available for the PC and Xbox One on February 21. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, players who opt for the digital edition of the game will receive access to it on both platforms for no extra charge.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

SpellTower creator Zach Gage partners with Merriam-Webster for new word game

Posted on February 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

Mobile developer Zach Gage burst onto the scene in 2011 with SpellTower, a puzzle game that combined concepts from Tetris and Boggle into a new experience. After multiple updates, and an unlikely appearance in Stephen King’s End of Watch, SpellTower is still going strong on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

Even though it was released almost six years, Gage announced last week that SpellTower will receive another major update on February 9. SpellTower’s upcoming update will add an improved dictionary powered by Merriam-Webster, along with Zen Mode (a mode “without those pesky length requirements”), online multiplayer, an update visual design, and a Super Tower mode exclusive to the iPad Pro 12″.

In addition to improving SpellTower, Gage also revealed (via Twitter) that his partnership with Merriam-Webster will include a brand new word game. The developer wasn’t willing to share any additional details on this mystery project, but hopefully we’ll learn more about it soon.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged ,

Side-scrolling shooter Graceful Explosion Machine is also in development for the Switch

Posted on February 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

I guess we missed this one a few weeks ago, but Vertex Pop has announced that Graceful Explosion Machine, their colorful side-scrolling shooter that earned a spot on our Best of PAX East 2016 list, is also in development for the Nintendo Switch.

Promising four unique weapons and a bevy of bad guys to blast, Graceful Explosion Machine will also be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Spring 2017. A brand new trailer has been embedded above.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged

Tom Brady made Madden NFL 17’s Super Bowl LI prediction come true in spectacular fashion

Posted on February 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

After falling behind 21-3, things were looking grim for the New England Patriots last night in Super Bowl LI. However, you can’t count out quarterback Tom Brady, who rallied his team and tied the game 28-28 at the end of regulation. For the first time in history, the winner of the Super Bowl would be decided in sudden-death.

The annual Super Bowl prediction from EA Sports didn’t account for this unprecedented event, but when James White scored a touchdown for the Patriots early in overtime, the Madden NFL 17 simulation was proven correct once more. The final score wasn’t exactly the same (EA predicted a 27-24 win for New England) and Julian Edelman didn’t make a game-winning catch (though his receiving skills did help the Patriots send the game to overtime), but EA Sports correctly surmised that Brady would earn MVP honors for the fourth time.

With yet another correct prediction, Madden’s Super Bowl simulation has correctly picked the Super Bowl winner in ten out of the last 14 years.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Conan plays For Honor with Tom Brady, Dwight Freeney, and a severed head on a stick

Posted on February 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

As much as some people don’t want to admit it, Super Bowl Sunday is an American institution. The cultural behemoth has even birthed its own batch of spinoff traditions (Commercials! The Puppy Bowl! Clogged Pipes at Halftime!), but none is as enjoyable as Conan O’Brien’s annual trip to the Super Bowl for a football-themed episode of Clueless Gamer.

In “Clueless Gamer at the Super Bowl III,” Conan invited Erin Andrews to serve as the sideline reporter in an epic clash between New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dwight Freeney. The two athletes crossed swords in Ubisoft’s For Honor, and the button-mashing brawler was perfect for two guys who clearly don’t play a lot of games. Thankfully, Conan called up a few ringers and got Marshawn Lynch, Rob Gronkowski, and LeGarrette Blount to liven up the action.

So who won this battle of the titans? You’ll have to watch the video to find out, but I’m sure the similarities between For Honor’s “Knights Vs Vikings Vs Samurai” storyline and all the gladiator imagery from Any Given Sunday didn’t go unnoticed by Conan’s crew.

However, who wins the For Honor fight might be in for a disappointment because Conan’s Clueless Gamer has become something of a reverse-predictor of Super Bowl glory. In 2015, Lynch beat Gronkowski in Mortal Kombat X, but the Seahawks went home empty-handed from Super Bowl. A year later, Josh Norman of the Carolina Panthers out-Doomed Von Miller of the Denver Broncos, but it was Miller who won the MVP award and Super Bowl 50.

For Honor will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 14.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Udon will release Bloodborne Official Artworks in May 2017

Posted on February 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

Udon Entertainment has announced that the bone-chilling and blood-curdling monsters of Bloodborne will get their chance to shine in Bloodborne Official Artworks, an artbook scheduled to be released in May 2017.

Bloodborne Official Artworks will be released as an oversized softcover book, and the game’s gothic inspirations will spread out over 256 pages of “creature designs, location illustrations, character concepts, and weapons, as well as an item and Trophy glossary… and more!” This behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the cursed city of Yharnam will also include material from Bloodborne’s expansion, The Old Hunters.

Bloodborne was developed by From Software and originally released in March 2015. Bloodborne Official Artworks will be available at “finer comic book stores, book retailers, and various online retailers” for $44.99.

Posted in Etcetera, News, PS4 | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: Are You Ready For Super Bowl LI?

Posted on February 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

Today’s a big day… Whether you’re preparing to attend a Super Bowl Party or a long night of watching Super Bowl commercials on YouTube. To prepare yourself for the “Big Game,” EA Sports revealed this year’s Madden NFL 17 Super Bowl Prediction, which picked the Patriots to win it all. Also this week, we turned our Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time spotlight on one of the world’s foremost experts on turducken, John Madden Football.

Elsewhere on Warp Zoned this week, Brittney Williams explored the past, present, and future of Women of Color In Video Games, and argued that game developers are much too dependent on stereotypes and tropes.

Finally this week, the Warp Zoned staff got together to talk about What We Played in January 2017 and The Games of February 2017.

Now… spike your mouse on the screen and read all about what else pinged our news radar this week. (more…)

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