Most Recent: News

Yacht Club is bringing “something new” to PAX East 2019… and it looks like a post-apocalyptic ninja game

Posted on March 16, 2019 by John Scalzo

Yacht Club Games originally released Shovel Knight in 2013, and the developer has spent the half-decade since producing multiple expansions for the game to fulfill promises made during its Kickstarter campaign. The final two expansions, King of Cards and Showdown, will be available later this year, and now it looks like Yacht Club is getting ready to move on to their next project.

Yesterday, the developer uploaded a stunning bit of artwork to their Twitter account, while also confirming that they’re bringing “something new” to PAX East 2019:

Unlike the medieval aesthetic found in Shovel Knight, this new project looks to feature a more post-apocalyptic vibe as a ninja stands amongst the rubble of a modern skyline.

Yacht Club’s new game is obviously a bit of a mystery, but we’ll all find out what they’re cooking up in just a few weeks. PAX East 2019 kicks off later this month in Boston on Thursday, March 28.

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Turtle Rock will develop zombie-focused co-op shooter Back 4 Blood for WB Games

Posted on March 15, 2019 by John Scalzo

Turtle Rock Studios is best known as the driving creative force behind 2008’s Left 4 Dead and 2009’s Left 4 Dead 2, and fans have been clamoring for a threequel in the co-op zombie shooting series ever since.

While Valve retains the rights to the Left 4 Dead name, Turtle Rock is back in the news with the announcement of a brand new zombie-focused co-op shooter known as Back 4 Blood. Set to be published by WB Games, Back 4 Blood will use the foundation of the Left 4 Dead franchise and marry it to “new features and state-of-the-art technology.”

“It’s hard to overstate what an awesome opportunity this is. We get to return to a genre that was born in our studio with over ten years of additional experience and zombie ideas racked up in our brains,” said Chris Ashton, the Design Director at Turtle Rock Studios. “We also have some of the best teammates in the business at WBIE who understand our development process and are equally committed to our player-first mentality. We love being able to announce, so we can start working with the community right away.”

Details pertaining to Back 4 Blood are still pretty scarce, but a short FAQ on Turtle Rock’s official website confirms that the game will feature a Campaign Mode and PVP. The document also confirms that the developer’s previous partnership with Perfect World has been canceled.

Back 4 Blood is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and according to Turtle Rock, we’ll learn more about it at a much later date.

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The Behemoth is probably bringing Castle Crashers to the Switch, PS4

Posted on March 15, 2019 by John Scalzo

The Behemoth recently uploaded a mysterious new image to their Twitter account that is most likely pointing to an upcoming launch of Castle Crashers for the Switch. The tease is very subtle, but see if you can spot it…

All joking aside, linking the Castle Crashers’s color scheme with a quartet of Joy-Con Controllers was an absolute stroke of genius. The image is instantly recognizable and it says everything that The Behemoth wants to say without actually saying anything at all.

We don’t know when Castle Crashers will be released for the Switch (or even when it’ll be officially announced), but PAX East is coming up in two weeks and The Behemoth plans to have a big presence at the Boston-based show. I’d wager we’ll learn more about the developer’s future plans for Castle Crashers there.

UPDATE: A further tweet from The Behemoth is now hinting at a PS4 launch for Castle Crashers as well.

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Princeton Review names University of Southern California the Best Game Design School for 2019

Posted on March 15, 2019 by John Scalzo

The 2019 Game Developers Conference kicks off in just a few days, and like clockwork, The Princeton Review has used this opportunity to roll out their ranking of the Top Schools For Game Design in 2019.

Once again, the University of Southern California topped all undergraduate programs and was ranked #3 on the list of graduate programs. Meanwhile, New York University climbed atop the list of graduate programs for the first time ever and held onto its #2 ranking among undergraduate programs.

“The schools that made our lists this year have stellar programs for aspiring game designers and developers,” said Robert Franek, the Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review. “Their faculties are outstanding and their facilities are awesome. Just as impressive: their alumni include many of the video game industry’s most prominent artists, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs.”

A large number of schools retained their place among the top Game Design programs for 2019 including Becker College in Worcester (#3 in undergraduate and #11 in graduate), DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond (#4 and #6), Drexel University in Philadelphia (#6 and #10), and the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester (#8 and #7).

You can find the Princeton Review’s full ranking of Game Design programs for 2019 after the break. (more…)

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God of War receives ten nominations and leads the way at 2019 BAFTA Games Awards

Posted on March 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominees for this year’s BAFTA Game Awards and Sony Santa Monica’s God of War lead the way with ten nominations, including an unprecedented four nominations in the “Performer” category (one each for the actors behind Kratos, Atreus, Freya, and The Stranger). Boy!

Naturally, God of War is also in running for the “Best Game” Award, and it’ll be competing against Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Sony’s Astro Bot: Rescue Mission, Matt Makes Games’s Celeste, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2, and Lucas Pope’s Return of the Obra Dinn

The BAFTA Game Awards will be held at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on April 4, and the ceremony will once again be hosted by comedian Dara O’Briain. Fans across the globe are encouraged to tune in to a livestream of the ceremony at BAFTA.org.

The complete list of nominees in all categories can be found after the break. (more…)

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Hyper Light Drifter developer Heart Machine unveils Solar Ash Kingdom

Posted on March 13, 2019 by John Scalzo

Heart Machine, the team behind the blockbuster sensation that is Hyper Light Drifter, announced their second game this afternoon. Annapurna Interactive will serve as the game’s publisher, which is known as Solar Ash Kingdom, and it’s set to include “wild high-speed traversal, endearing characters, and massive enemy encounters”:

Solar Ash Kingdom is the second game from Heart Machine, the studio lead by director Alx Preston and the creators of the award winning 2016 game Hyper Light Drifter. Players will find a surreal, vivid, and highly stylized world filled with wild high-speed traversal, endearing characters, and massive enemy encounters. Don’t let the void consume you…

The first trailer for Solar Ash Kingdom has been embedded above, and that short (though very stylish) teaser is all we know about it right now. Though Creative Director Alx Preston did say that the team is using “new technologies and innovations” to create “a unique experience that will set their work apart.”

Solar Ash Kingdom is currently in development for the PC, and will eventually be released exclusively through the Epic Games Store.

UPDATE: Heart Machine just shared a few more details about Solar Ash Kingdom on their Twitter account.

First, we learned that Disasterpeace will once again be producing the soundtrack for the developer, which should give the game a similar aural vibe to Hyper Light Drifter. We also learned that while it won’t be a direct sequel, it does take place in the same universe as Heart Machine’s first game. Finally, a console release for Solar Ash Kingdom is “in the cards,” but they’re not going to talk about it because “it’s still a bit off.”

Posted in News, PC |

Gearbox will most likely reveal Borderlands 3 at PAX East 2019

Posted on March 13, 2019 by John Scalzo

It looks like the time has finally come. Gearbox Software is strongly hinting that they plan to reveal Borderlands 3 at this year’s PAX East convention… and they’re not even being subtle about it.

The image to your right was added to Gearbox’s official website late last night and it bears several telltale markings linking it with the Borderlands series. The franchise’s signature cel-shaded visuals are instantly recognizable, as is a partially-obscured “3” along the top of the sign. And while Boston might not be everyone’s favorite town, it definitely isn’t surrounded by a dusty wasteland. You’re much more likely to find that kind of terrain on Pandora, the alien world that’s home to Handsome Jack and the rest of the Borderlands crew.

Developers from Gearbox will host the “Gearbox Main Theater Show” on Thursday, March 28, and they previously promised that fans would get to hear “never-before-seen reveals, exclusives, and surprises” from the team. Borderlands 3 certainly qualifies, even if it’s still officially just speculation on my part for now.

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Microsoft is bringing Halo: Master Chief Collection to PC and will add Halo: Reach to compilation as DLC

Posted on March 12, 2019 by John Scalzo

The first four games in the Halo saga, as well as spinoff Halo 3: ODST, are currently available for the Xbox One through Halo: The Master Chief Collection. But Microsoft is planning to “Finish the Fight” with the addition of Halo: Reach to the compilation. Master Chief Collection owners will be receive Reach’s multiplayer content (including The Forge and The Theater) for free, with the game’s Campaign and Firefight Mode available as paid expansions.

But wait, there’s more.

Microsoft also confirmed that The Master Chief Collection is also in development for the PC and will be released through the Windows Store and Steam. Because development is just starting, and Microsoft doesn’t want fans to wait any longer than they have to, the publisher will give purchasers the option to download each game as it’s ready, starting with Halo: Reach. The entire plan was explained in more detail over at Xbox Wire:

The Master Chief’s arrival on PC will happen in stages with each title releasing one by one over time -– giving the development teams the ability to ensure each one is right, while giving players a chance to jump in right away, rather than having to wait for the entire suite of games to be completed. Our current plan is for this journey to begin with the launch of Halo: Reach – the fictional beginnings of Master Chief’s saga – with the rest of the titles following in chronological order thereafter. Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST (Campaign), and Halo 4 will each be available for individual purchase within MCC as they become available. And each game will evolve and grow over time with community input.

It’s currently unknown when Halo: Reach will be available for the Xbox One or the PC. But in the meantime, the Announcement Trailer embedded above will have to do.

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