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Frictional announces Soma for PC, PS4

Frictional Games found a worldwide audience and a loyal legion of fans after the release of their PC-exclusive horror title Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Now, the Swedish development team is back with a first look at their next project, a horrific sci-fi tale known as Soma.

The radio has gone silent on PATHOS-2. As isolation bears down on the staff of the remote research facility, strange things are happening.

Machines are taking on human traits and alien constructions have started to interfere with routine. The world around them is turning into a nightmare.

The only way out is to do something unimaginable.

If you’re a fan of body horror, Soma’s first trailer (embedded above) should be mandatory viewing. Thomas Grip, the Creative Director at Frictional Games, told the PlayStation Blog that thought and consciousness will play a big part in the finished product: “Personally, I find it the most profound questions that it is possible to ask. “How can the feeling of subjective experience arise from a chunk of flesh?” Exploring this further takes us to questions such as “Can machines be conscious?” and “Do we have free will?” It quickly gets very disturbing, and is ideal for a futuristic horror setting. It is the kind of sci-fi that we want to make.”

Soma is in the development for the PC and PS4 and it will be released sometime in 2015.

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Daily Scoop: October 11, 2013 – It’s raining, it’s pouring

Wow, it’s absolutely pouring today! Yet another perfect day for staying inside, having some tea or soup, and playing video games. It’s actually a perfect day for a new Pokemon game… but that will just have to wait for tomorrow! I’m so excited!

To keep my mind off of it, I’ll bring you a great deal for today – it’s Retro City Rampage for $3.65! But hurry, the sale won’t last long.

Oh, and you can get the BioShock Infinite board game at ThinkGeek now, so if you were looking for a way to rack up more Geek Points, look no further!

Other than that, all I’ve got are more t-shirts! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Square Enix to accept crowdfunding pitches through Collective program

squareenixcollectiveSquare Enix is hopping on-board the crowdfunding bandwagon by announcing the Square Enix Collective, an online community that will allow game designers to pitch future ideas for their projects to Square Enix. These pitches will be judged by the gaming public, and after a 28 day incubation period, those that prove popular will be shepherded by Square Enix into a crowdfunding stage on Indiegogo.

It is a smart move for the developer, as it will allow them to nurture small indie developers from the ground up. Through the Collective program, the company will even allow developers to create pitches based on older franchises from their Eidos label. And in light of recent negative stories about crowdfunding where successful projects never see the light of day, Square Enix has also added a “due diligence” requirement. This will provide potential donors with reassurance that any game they back will ultimately be released.

The best news is that the pitching process is absolutely free, although there are terms and conditions attached, which have yet to be revealed. More information on the pitching process and IP selection will be made available at GDC Next, which will be held November 5-7 at the LA Convention Center. Presumably it will be some form of equity share or stake in the IP, although Square Enix may be planning to distribute the games in return. If you are a developer and think you would be interesting in submitting your ideas to The Collective, you can email the group with questions or feedback at collective AT square-enix DOT com.

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Assassin’s Creed IV: Freedom Cry expansion announced; DLC not setting sail for Wii U

Despite the recent sales surge and more positive outlook of Nintendo’s home console thanks to the likes of Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101 and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will not receive any post-release downloadable content on the Wii U.

The company has revealed there will be a number of post-launch releases for all other versions (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One), including multiplayer characters and customisable items. Not only that, but the publisher is working on a massive expansion to the single-player campaign that takes the story in a new direction. Entitled Freedom Cry, it focuses on Adewale, a former slave serving as a crew member under Edward Kenway on his ship, the Jackdaw. Freedom Cry will allow players to control Adewale as he gathers his own crew with the goal of freeing the slaves from the Dominican Republic port of Saint Dominique as it further pushes the Assassin’s Creed series forward in dealing with major historical events and themes in human history that others shy away from. The trailer for Freedom Cry, which mixes real footage and gameplay, can be viewed above.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will be released for current-gen consoles on October 29 with next-generation and PC editions of the game available in November.

[Source: Venture Beat]

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Daily Scoop – October 10, 2013 – New Humble Weekly Sale

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another rainy edition of the Daily Scoop! It’s a perfect day to sit around and drink tea and play video games in your pajamas. If only every day were so lovely!

So, what’s going on today? Well, there’s a brand new Humble Weekly Sale, this one featuring Focus Home Interactive. Pay just a dollar and get Cities XL Platinum, Blood Bowl: Legendary Edition, Divinity II: Developer’s Cut, R.A.W. Realms of Ancient War, Game of Thrones, and Confrontation. Pay $6 or more and get Wargame: European Escalation and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. Take my advice and buy this one – it’s worth it for Blood Bowl alone!

And now… t-shirts! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Nintendo Download: Tennis, Golf, Pokemon X/Y (Saturday), more

pokemonxy-header

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y are coming. Not only will they be available on store shelves this Saturday, October 12, but they will also be available to download on day one from the 3DS eShop.

However, if you’d rather know what’s available in this week’s Nintendo Download that you can play today, I’m happy to oblige. Sticking with the 3DS eShop, Nintendo will add Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked, a well-liked RPG from Atlus, to their online store today. And skipping over to the Wii U eShop, Golf and Tennis, two Virtual Console titles, are now available to download.

More information on these games, and a few other new releases, can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Apparently, the kid who snuck on a plane was inspired by Grand Theft Auto

grandtheftautologoHey, did you hear about that 9-year-old boy who snuck onto a plane in Minnesota and flew to Las Vegas? According to the kid, he did it because he thought he was “playing” Grand Theft Auto. MSN/Reuters has posted a video interview with the boy’s father where he admits that he thought his son was at a friend’s house during his cross-country trip and that he told police he did what he did because of Grand Theft Auto.

As it turns out, in addition to sneaking past a TSA agent and boarding a plane, the boy in question was actually arrested for committing grand theft auto after he took a car for a joy ride. He was also recently caught sneaking into a water park.

Who knows why the kid actually did what he did, but if he’s smart enough to fool airport security, he probably also knows that “video games made me do it” is a popular excuse.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

The Wolf Among Us huffs and puffs on PC, Xbox 360 on October 11

Telltale’s non-zombie, episodic, story-heavy game The Wolf Among Us has been announced to hit Xbox 360 and PC this Friday, October 11th. PlayStation fans need not worry – they’re trying to get the PS3 version released shortly thereafter.

In The Wolf Among Us (which is based on the popular Fables comic series), characters from classic fairy tales live in hiding in the real world, trying to make ends meet. You play as Sheriff Bigby Wolf (Little Red Riding Hood‘s Big Bad Wolf), who is now reformed, and is in charge of keeping the peace in a small borough of New York City called Fabletown.

The episodes will run you $4.99 each. Players can also save $5.00 by purchasing a Season Pass (for $19.99) which includes all five episodes.

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