Most Recent: Articles

Xbox Store Today: White Night, Zombie Army Trilogy, OlliOlli

Posted on March 6, 2015 by John Scalzo

You’ll have a scary good time with today’s Xbox Games Store update as two horror titles (and one skateboarding game) are newly available for the Xbox One.

First up is White Night, a striking black and white exploration game that will force players to face their fear of the dark (it’s OK, you can admit it, we’re all scared of the dark). White Night will tap into another universal fear, creaky 1930s mansions, as it throws puzzles and survival horror scenarios at you. I really hope there’s not a creepy clown…

Also available on this fine Friday is Zombie Army Trilogy, Rebellion’s bloody spinoff of their Sniper Elite series. Hitler’s a zombie and his army of genetically modified undead hordes are overrunning Europe. And guess what, it’s up to you to stop him. Preferably by socking zombie Hitler right in his zombie jaw.

Finally, side-scrolling skateboarding sim OlliOlli kickflips onto the Xbox One this week. After debuting on the PS4 and Wii U, OlliOlli’s final stop completes the new-generation trifecta.

More information on all three of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

Kickstart This! Deadwood: The Forgotten Curse, Glitch Hunter, Sneaky Ninja

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Andrew Rainnie

Recently in the UK, pressure has been building against HSBC Bank after the shoddy dealings and tax evasion tactics of their Swiss subsidiary. The US Government has previously brought the bank to account for its association with Mexican drug cartels, but so far the British government has only charged one person with tax evasion.

What has this to do with gaming? On the surface, nothing. But if all these ultra-rich people were paying their taxes instead of working so hard to avoid them, our fragile economy may have recovered quicker, wages may have risen, and more people would have spare money to spend on things they want, like funding games. It’s hard not to be bitter when developers work so hard to try and get a project off the ground, while some shady businessmen and shadier criminals pay dodgy banks to hide their money.

I digress. This week’s Kickstart This! features a trio of smashing titles, starting with action adventure game Deadwood: The Forgotten Curse, digital cyberpunk collectible card game Glitch Hunter, and stealth 2D platformer Sneaky Ninja.

Let’s sneak right in. (more…)

Posted in Features, PC, Top Story, Wii U |

Harmonix will officially release Rock Band 4 for the PS4, Xbox One in 2015

Posted on March 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

Keep holding those lighters aloft, Harmonix has officially announced that the Rock Band franchise will play an encore on the PS4 and Xbox One sometime this year. The developer will partner with Mad Catz to produce an all-new range of plastic instruments for Rock Band 4, though Harmonix wants your old controllers to work with the new game. Not only that, but many of the downloadable tracks you’ve accumulated over the years (more than 2,000 in total) will work with Rock Band 4 as well. Harmonix is currently hard at work finalizing which tracks will be forward compatible for Rock Band 4, but rest assured, the game will have an extensive soundtrack of new songs as well.

“With Rock Band 4, we’re doubling down on the energy and excitement of playing music live with your friends,” said Harmonix CEO Steve Janiak. “Focusing on the core experience that our fans have told us they love allows us to evolve established gameplay in meaningful ways that we can’t wait to share with everyone later this year.”

To get long-time Rock Band fans ready to rock once more, Harmonix has added Frank Turner’s “I Still Believe” to the Rock Band Music Store today as a free download for Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz. And if you’re attending this weekend’s PAX East expo, you can pre-order an exclusive Penny Arcade-themed guitar in person at Harmonix’s booth (#4224).

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

Outer Wilds wins “Seumas McNally Grand Prize” at 2015 IGF Awards

Posted on March 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

independentgamesfestival-header

Outer Wilds, the first-person space exploration game from Team Outer Wilds, took home the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize” during last night’s Independent Games Festival Awards presentation. The game also won the “Excellence In Design” award.

Other winners last night include Patrick Smith’s Metamorphabet (“Excellence In Visual Art”), Inkle Studios’ 80 Days (“Excellence In Narrative”), SuperChop Games’ Ephemerid: A Musical Adventure (“Excellence In Audio”), and Nathalie Lawhead’s Tetrageddon Games (the “Nuovo Award”). 11 Bit Studios’ This War of Mine was given the “Audience Award” while a team from the University of Southern California won the “Student Showcase” with Close Your.

You can find the complete list of winners in handy list format after the break. (more…)

Posted in News | Tagged

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor wins “Game of the Year” at 2015 GDC Awards

Posted on March 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

gdcawardsMonolith’s Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor won “Game of the Year” at this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards, but it looks like Monument Valley took home the most hardware. The mobile game, which recently had a memorable cameo in the third season of House of Cards, won all three awards it was nominated for including “Best Handheld/Mobile Game,” “Best Visual Art,” and the “Innovation Award.”

Other winners at night’s ceremony include The Banner Saga (a “Best Debut” award for Stoic Studio), Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft (“Best Design”), Kentucky Route Zero: Episode 3 (“Best Narrative”), Alien: Isolation (“Best Audio”), and Destiny (“Best Technology”). The “Audience Award” was given to Elite: Dangerous.

The full list of winners can be found in handy list format after the break. (more…)

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

Nintendo Download: Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars, OlliOlli, more

Posted on March 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

nintendoeshop-header

Nintendo tries its had at a Cross-Buy program this week with two titles that are available on both the 3DS and Wii U with a single purchase.

Purchasing Nintendo’s Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars on the 3DS will entitle you to the Wii U version (and vice versa) while the same deal is in place for Roll7’s OlliOlli. Tipping Stars is the latest Mario vs Donkey Kong game, where the plumber in the red overalls must contain a marching army of “Mini” toy Marios. In the wake of Amiibo fever, this series was just begging for a return. And OlliOlli is a side-scrolling skateboarding game that first found success on PlayStation platforms last year. It’s jump to the 3DS and Wii U will surely tweak memories of Skate or Die in long-time Nintendo fans.

It’s unknown if Nintendo plans to continue their Cross-Buy program beyond these two games. But I’ve got my fingers crossed that any future expansion will include the Virtual Console.

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

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Shovel Knight will dig into the Xbox One in April with the Battletoads

Posted on March 4, 2015 by John Scalzo

Shovel Knight won’t just be debuting on PlayStation platforms this April. The paladin who wields a gardening instrument of justice will also make his way to the Xbox One next month. And he’s not coming alone.

Microsoft and Yacht Club Games have confirmed that the Xbox One (and Windows 10) version of Shovel Knight will include a cameo appearance from the Battletoads. Zitz, Pimple, and Rash have taken a hiatus from the game world for too long, and it’s great to see them back in the spotlight. It’s unknown how they’ll feature in the game, but if it’s anything like Kratos’ planned cameo, they’ll likely challenge Shovel Knight to a miniboss fight.

The new-generation version of Shovel Knight is currently playable at this week’s Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and will also be available at this weekend’s PAX East expo in Boston.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

MS opens up Windows 10 Store to ID@Xbox program with 17 games including Shovel Knight/Battletoads crossover

Posted on March 4, 2015 by John Scalzo

Microsoft wants to make Windows 10 a platform for gaming, and to do that, they plan to open the Windows 10 Store up to independent game developers through their ID@Xbox program. The first batch of ID@Xbox games through the Windows 10 Store will include 17 titles. Some of these games are currently available (or will be available soon) for the PC through Steam or other download services, but many of them will be brand new to the platform when Windows 10 launches later this year.

However, the biggest news to come out of this announcement is that the Battletoads will return in one of these ID@Xbox games. Zitz, Pimple, and Rash won’t be starring in their own adventure (yet), but they will provide assistance to Yacht Club’s Shovel Knight when his eponymous game appears on the Windows 10 Store. The Behemoth confirmed that their next project, Game 4, will also appear on the Windows 10 platform, which makes sense given its previously announced Xbox One exclusivity.

Many ID@Xbox titles on Windows 10 will provide cross-platform multiplayer with their Xbox One counterpart (if they have an Xbox One counterpart) and the developers interviewed in the Microsoft-produced video above seem very happy with the ease of the development environment.

The rest of the games that comprise ID@Xbox’s “tip of the iceberg” on Windows 10 can be found after the break. (more…)

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