Most Recent: Articles

Bill Nye is back to talk about video games… and Save the World

Posted on February 8, 2017 by John Scalzo

Calling all “90s Kids,” Bill Nye the Science Guy is coming back to TV! His upcoming talk show, Bill Nye Saves the World, will makes its Netflix debut on April 21.

Nye’s show will introduce the amazing world of science to a new generation (or rather, the same generation that grew up idolizing him a few decades later), and he’ll be joined by a ragtag team of correspondents including model Karlie Kloss, Xploration Outer Space host Emily Calandrelli, comedian Joanna Hausmann, science reporter Derek Muller, and actor Nazeem Hussain. Celebrity guests such as Zach Braff, Rachel Bloom, Tim Gunn, Wil Wheaton, Joel McHale, and more will also show up to lend their expertise to the show.

Bill Nye Saves the World will cover a wide variety of topics in its first 13-episode run including sex, alternative medicine, global warming, and video games.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

Nioh, How to Survive 2, 8Days, more added to PS Store

Posted on February 8, 2017 by John Scalzo

Today’s PlayStation Store update is small, but fans of brutally-hard action games should definitely check it out…

Team Ninja is giving Ryu Hayabusa a break to bring Nioh to the PS4 this week. Nioh is an action RPG that takes place in ancient Japan, and players will have to contend with the warring factions of a civil war while also doing battle with an army of rampaging monsters.

Also available to download for the PS4 this week is How to Survive 2, a survival game where players will have to overcome a worldwide zombie pandemic by building a camp, learning skills, and foraging for food and water. You can even be neighborly and meet with other locals, but as George Romero taught us, sometimes the living are more dangerous than the dead.

Finally this week, 8Days is a retro-inspired twin-stick shooter that takes place in a dystopian future where players might not be fighting for the forces of good.

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

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged

Rockstar has shipped more than 75 million copies of GTA5 (and sold most of them)

Posted on February 8, 2017 by John Scalzo

Even though its been available for more than three years, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V is still selling like… [insert your own joke about prostitutes here].

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick delivered the good news during the company’s quarterly financial report yesterday, where he shared that the publisher has shipped more than 75 million copies of the game. It’s unknown exactly how many copies have been sold through to consumers, but it seems likely that fans have scooped up most of them, especially since The NPD Group certified that Grand Theft Auto V was the sixth-best-selling game of 2016.

In other Grand Theft Auto V news, Zelnick confirmed that Rockstar will continue to support the game’s “Grand Theft Auto Online” mode with additional content in 2017.

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

Amnesia Collection Review: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Mike Ryan

As a primarily console-centric gamer, I rarely use my PC to play games. But don’t get me wrong… I know it’s a great platform to play games on. I did download Undertale, and I do intend to play it, but quite frankly, my rig isn’t powerful enough to handle some of the best titles that PC gaming has to offer. This is a bit of a bummer for me, as I know I am missing out on a lot of quality games that are exclusive to the platform, one of which is Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

My interest was piqued in the horror game when I first heard about how terrifying it is, and I started looking into it. Coincidentally, that’s right around the time that “Let’s Play” videos on YouTube began to rise in popularity. There was nothing more fun than seeing someone play a horror game and watching their reactions to the jump-scare moments. And as a fan of all things horror, I was immediately hooked. But unfortunately, I was never able to play Amnesia… that is, until now. (more…)

Posted in PC, PS4, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

FIFA 18 will be “custom built” for Nintendo Switch by EA Canda

Posted on February 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Representatives from Electronic Arts took the stage during Nintendo’s Switch Presentation last month to confirm that the FIFA franchise would make its debut on the company’s next console sometime this year.

Secrecy is nothing new for EA or Nintendo, but earlier this week, EA’s Peter Moore told Gamereactor that the FIFA team at EA Canada is hard at work on a “custom-built” version of FIFA 18, which should launch this Fall alongside the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game:

“Well, as we have said, we are custom-building a FIFA version for the Nintendo Switch,” Moore said of the game. “It will be FIFA 18, and it will obviously be later this year when FIFA 18 comes out.”

We also asked whether FIFA for Nintendo Switch would be a slimmed down version of the game we’re getting on PS4 and Xbox One, closer to the old-gen versions still being made for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Moore answered: “What you have will be a custom built version for the Nintendo Switch from the FIFA development team in Vancouver.”

The annual launch of the FIFA franchise typically takes place in late September, so prospective Switch owners should expect to see it on store shelves around then.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Daily Scoop: February 7, 2017 – Star Wars Bundle III at Humble

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Nicole Kline

I am really fighting hard trying not to buy new games, but it’s a losing battle! I should just give in already. I’m trying! I really am. But with things like today’s Humble Star Wars Bundle III, it’s really tough!

Pay what you want for Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance, Star Wars: X-Wing vs TIE Fighter – Balance of Power Campaigns, and Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Saga. Beat the average to unlock Star Wars: Battlefront II, Star Wars: Jedi Knight II – Jedi Outcast, Star Wars: Starfighter, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, and Star Wars: Rebel Assault I + II. Pay $14 to unlock Star Wars: The Force Unleased – Ultimate Sith Edition, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 3D, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (debut!), and Star Wars: Empire at War – Gold Pack. Finally, if you pay $35 or more, you get an awesome X-Wing vs TIE Fighter t-shirt!

The Midweek Madness over at Steam is Starbound. Get the game for $10.04, or a four pack for $30.14. The Daily Deal is Mordheim: City of the Damned for $11.99.

Hit the jump to check out all of today’s shirts! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Double Fine releases new behind-the-scenes video for Psychonauts 2 as Starbreeze signs on as the publisher

Posted on February 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Double Fine Productions has announced they’ll be teaming up with Starbreeze Studios to publish Psychonauts 2. In their role as publisher, Starbreeze Studios will provide additional financial support for Psychonauts 2, alongside the the funds already contributed by backers and investors on Fig, and Double Fine themselves.

To go along with this announcement, Tim Schafer and Project Lead Zak McClendon gave fans a look at an art test for “The Quarry,” an outdoorsy area that’ll serve as the headquarters for the Psychonauts in the game. Because Psychonauts 2 is still in pre-production, the exact layout and construction of “The Quarry” that you see in the video won’t be included in the final game. But this behind-the-scenes video should provide fans with a general idea of the direction the developer wants to take.

An even more in-depth progress report on Psychonauts 2 is currently available in the latest Fig update:

As we went through early discussions about what was important to Psychonauts, we kept coming back to the idea of open exploration and the cycle of curiosity and discovery that people loved in Whispering Rock — the childlike feeling of going off the beaten path and discovering hidden places for the first time. We knew that we wouldn’t be able to fully capture this with just the Psychonauts Headquarters, so we decided to expand our main hub to include a lot of surrounding wilderness full of mysterious new locations and, well, you’ll see later.

The Psychonauts HQ is now going to be nestled in a secret location meant to evoke the lush, damp forests of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to the high-tech spy HQ, you’ll be able to freely explore areas outside the base as well.

Psychonauts 2 is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and is expected to be released in Summer 2018.

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

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