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Video Game Canon- Angry Birds, Dragon Quest, FIFA Soccer, and Silent Hill are the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026
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- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
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- Boss Fight Books to Get a New Look for Richard Moss’s “Age of Empires”
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- Video Game Research Library
- How a Second-Grade Teacher Revived a Beloved Video Game – The New York Times (2026)
- Spore: An oral history – Design Room (2026)
- We Pitched a Museum a 1993 Game Hint Line (And They Actually Said Yes) – Yarn Spinner (2026)
- The History Of The Word “Metroidvania” And How It Spread – A Critical Hit (2025)
- Creator of Hit Game Shovel Knight Is at a ‘Make or Break’ Moment – Bloomberg (2025)
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Ghost Recon series returns with reveal of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands
The Ghost Recon series will soon make its return as Ubisoft announced Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands during this year’s E3 Expo. Wildlands will take place in an open world environment, a first for the series, and tasks players with dismantling the Santa Blanca drug cartel:
Set a few years from now, Ghost Recon: Wildlands lets players lead a team of Ghosts, a four-player U.S. Elite Special Operations unit, on a covert mission to eliminate the Santa Blanca drug cartel, an underworld power and growing global threat within Ubisoft’s imagining of an incredibly beautiful, yet dangerous Bolivia. Ghost Recon: Wildlands takes place in the largest and most diverse action-adventure open world Ubisoft has created to date. With hundreds of villages and well-known landmarks, local legends and various factions and regions, players venture into a vast world with which to interact and explore. The Ghosts’ upgradable skills, along with a vast arsenal of weapons, vehicles and drones, will help them take down their almighty enemy.
The trailer embedded above gives you a good idea how the game’s open world will work. The four members of the team (solo players will get AI companions) can approach the hideout of “White Hat” in many different ways. They can do it quietly with a long range sniper shot, get in close and take him hostage, or go in guns blazing. Other options will surely be available as Ubisoft is promising “complete flexibility” in how players execute missions and complete objectives.
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands is in development at Ubisoft Paris for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A release date wasn’t announced, but the publisher recently gave us a quick peek at the inner workings of the game’s open world on the UbiBlog.
New Releases: Batman Arkham Knight, Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward, Ride
“As a man, I’m flesh and blood, I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol… as a symbol I can be incorruptible, I can be everlasting.”
Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Knight, the final chapter in the Arkham saga, is finally here and if the rumors are true, it might be the final chapter of The Dark Knight’s crimefighting career. But Batman is a symbol and Batman is forever. He will live on. He will return.
Batman: Arkham Knight will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And in case you haven’t upgraded to a current-generation system yet, a PS4 + Batman: Arkham Knight Console Bundle is also available this week.
In non-Batman new release news, Square Enix is finally ready to release the first major expansion for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Titled Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, the MMO will recruit players to fight in the thousand-year Dragonsong War on the PC, PS4, and PS3. If you’re new to the Final Fantasy XIV universe, Square Enix will also release the Final Fantasy XIV: The Complete Experience package, which includes A Realm Reborn and Heavensward, on the PC, PS4, and PS3.
Finally this week, Bandai Namco and Milestone will release the motorcycle racer Ride for the PS4 and Xbox One.
But you know who loves to ride a motorcycle? Batman, that’s who.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Batman: Arkham Knight, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Ride
Activision thinks “a lot” about developing Call of Duty remasters
Remasters are all the rage these days, but one of the world’s biggest game publishers, Activision, has mostly stayed away from their back catalog. Activision has dabbled in the remaster market (producing Call of Duty Classic in 2009, GoldenEye 007/GoldenEye 007: Reloaded in 2010/2011, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD in 2012), but they haven’t made that big push into their past like Capcom, Sony, Square Enix, and several others.
However, that attitude might be up for a reevaluation as fans have begun to request remasters of Call of Duty titles from the PS3/Xbox 360 era. Rather than shut down such speculation, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg is encouraging it, and confirmed that the company thinks about doing a Call of Duty remaster “a lot.” Speaking to Game Informer, the executive specifically cited Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Black Ops as two games he’d like to see remade:
“If done well, I think [remasters] can be great,” Hirshberg says. “You talk about nostalgia, and people have such connection to the games they love from the last cycle. They want to see what it would look like if someone did it right for this cycle. It’s always the opportunity cost, meaning we need every body we can get to make the content we’re already committed to for our new games. It’s always a matter of finding great people to do that work. I would love to play Modern Warfare 1 or the original Black Ops. There’s certainly a deep well there. No announcements, but it’s something we talk about and think about a lot.”
Activision has aggressively expanded the Call of Duty franchise over the last decade, building it up into one of the biggest franchises of all time. If I had to guess, I think Hirshberg sees a Call of Duty remaster as a matter of “when,” not “if.”
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops, E3 2015
Rock Band 4 will be released on October 6; Pre-order to receive 30-song DLC pack
Earlier this week, Activision announced that Guitar Hero Live will be released on October 20 for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Rock Band 4 won’t be appearing on as many platforms (just the PS4 and Xbox One), but Harmonix plans to push it out the door a few weeks earlier on October 6.
Unlike Guitar Hero Live, Harmonix plans to make your previous-generation instruments compatible with the latest entry in the Rock Band franchise. But it’s not just the same old game as players will be able to pull off Freestyle Guitar Solos, Drum Fills, and Freestyle Vocals during songs. And speaking of songs, over 60 songs will be available on the game disc with more than 1,500 songs available to download through the revamped Rock Band Music Store.
And even more songs will be available to those who pre-order the game as Harmonix will gift a special set of Bonus Tracks (30 in all) to players who put their money down before October 6. However, this won’t come cheap. Rock Band 4’s “Band-In-A-Box” Bundle carries a $249.99 price tag, while the Guitar Bundle will be priced at $129.99.
The full list of Bonus Tracks is available after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged E3 2015, Rock Band 4
Technical problems have forced Nintendo to postpone Splatoon’s first Splatfest
Bad news for Splatoon fans, technical problems have forced Nintendo to postpone the game’s first Slatfest event in North America.
The “Cats Versus Dogs” Splatfest was originally scheduled to take place tomorrow, June 20, but Nintendo has revealed that a “matchmaking issue” during the first Splatfest in Japan resulted in lengthy wait times and restricted players from joining matches. The consolemaker said they are “working on a solution,” but a little more time is needed to get it working perfectly. The Splatfest will be rescheduled for a later date, which will be announced “soon”:
We have decided to postpone the first North American Splatfest. We’ll have details on a new date soon!
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 19, 2015
Even though tomorrow’s Splatfest has been postponed, Nintendo still plans to add the Bluefin Depot map to the game at 10:00 PM (Eastern Time).
Iwata is Listening: 5 Things Nintendo Needs to Hear After Negative E3 Reaction
In a year when big hitters like Microsoft, Sony, and Bethesda gave exciting, extraordinary E3 presentations that included a smooth blend of new tech, surprise reveals, and gorgeous gameplay videos, the reverse is true for Nintendo. The company, who gave up on live E3 presentations two years ago, delivered a lackluster Digital Event that sought to highlight games due out this year or early next year. This effectively ruled out showing any new footage from the still untitled Legend of Zelda Wii U, despite the fact it was revealed at last year’s E3. Not content with backing itself into a corner with this decision, we were told that the company’s new platform, the NX, would also not be touched upon. Yet, given how meager-looking the titles were for the Wii U, it has led to rampant speculation that the company is holding upcoming games back for its next console.
In summary, Xenoblade Chronicles X was shown. Again. Super Mario Maker was shown. Again, and not just from E3 2014, but also from the Nintendo World Championships. Yoshi’s Woolly World was shown. Again.
3DS owners fared far better, with the announcement of new games such as The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes and Hyrule Warriors Legends, a port of the underrated Wii U game. There was also a new Paper Mario-esque title, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and an odd Samus-lite Metroid game, Metroid Prime: Federation Force.
There were a few surprises for the Wii U, but not the good kind, and certainly not the ones fans wanted or expected, such as Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash or Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (which is, essentially, Mario Party with Animal Crossing characters). The initial reaction to the presentation was best summed up by our good friends over at Nintendo Life:
As a Wii U owner and general advocate for Nintendo, I was not as angered as many who chose to vent their anger on social media, but after Sony and Microsoft made pitch-perfect presentations, to say I was disappointed in Nintendo’s efforts would be an understatement. Nintendo President (and part-time puppet) Satoru Iwata seemed equally aware of the reaction from gamers and fans around the world, taking to Twitter to reassure them the company was listening: “Thank you for watching until midnight. We take the various opinions for this year’s Digital Event very seriously. I would like to continue our efforts to be able to meet more and more of your expectations in the future.”
Unlike many armchair CEOs calling for his resignation, I personally think Iwata has steered Nintendo through a stormy chapter in its history, and is obviously aware that more change may be needed. With that in mind, here are five suggestions on how Nintendo can improve for next year. (more…)
Daily Scoop: June 19, 2015 – Just like that, it’s over
E3 is over, but there’s plenty of news to catch up on. I absorbed as much of it as I possibly could, and now I’m going to spend some time trying to forget about certain games so that I don’t pine over them for months!
The E3 bundle is over at Humble, but there are still some good sales to be had! Pick up Napoleon: Total War for $2, Killing Floor 2 for $23.99, and Homesick for $13.49, among many others.
And, of course, there are tons of great deals in the Steam sale today. Get Goat Simulator for $2.49, The Stanley Parable for $3.74, Among the Sleep for $4.99, and The Escapists for $12.05. There are only two more days left in the sale, so keep checking!
There are some really great shirts for sale today! (more…)
Posted in Daily Scoop
Nintendo announces Samus-less Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Another announcement you might have missed during Nintendo’s E3 Digital Event was Metroid Prime: Federation Force. The game, which retains the Prime series’ first-person adventure style, places a heavy emphasis on co-op missions. You and up to three teammates will work to eliminate enemies and complete missions.
When you’re done with your alien genocide, you can relax and play a game of “Blast Ball,” a three-on-three competitive game that requires players to blast balls into each others’ goals. Kind of like soccer with a giant ball. And arm cannons.
Metroid Prime: Federation Force is set to invade 3DS systems in 2016.
Posted in 3DS, News
Tagged E3 2015, Metroid Prime: Federation Force