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Content Crash #4: Indie Studios Versus AAA Games

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Dan Hartnack

Welcome everyone to the Content Crash podcast. I’m your host, Dan Hartnack, and as always, joining me is Keno Eastmond.

Today, I’d like to talk about indie studios versus AAA studios. What do indie studios bring to gaming that’s different from AAA? What defines the AAA space? And what indie studios are doing to push the industry to new levels?

Let’s go!

You can subscribe to the Content Crash podcast on YouTube or SoundCloud.

Posted in PC, Podcast, PS4, Switch, Top Story, Xbox One |

Yacht Club continues to joke about Shovel Knight 64… and talks seriously about King Knight expansion

Posted on July 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Developers from Yacht Club Games have joked about creating Shovel Knight 64 for a few years now. But the company’s “Pixel Artmancer,” Nick Wozniak, revealed that their fanciful daydreaming about a Shovel Knight sequel that uses the blocky polygonal style made famous by the N64 might be real during an E3 2017 interview with App Trigger:

App Trigger: I’ve seen a little bit of Yacht Club talking about working on more Shovel Knight, or more things besides Shovel Knight after all this is done. What would your personal preference be? If you could work on anything, what would it be?

Nick Wozniak: Anything? I think one of the things we want to work on in the far future is definitely like a Shovel Knight 64, a 3D platformer. We would all love that. We all love Mario 64 to pieces and would just love to be able to jump into that.

Of course, this wasn’t an official announcement for Shovel Knight 64. Wozniak said that Yacht Club doesn’t just want to be known as “the Shovel Knight company,” and that they’re currently hard at work on “something new.”

However, the developer is also putting the finishing touches on Shovel Knight’s King Knight expansion, and Wozniak also had a bit to say about the game’s final add-on:

App Trigger: [King Knight is] great. He’s the light-hearted guy. Even though you guys gave us choices at the beginning of Shovel Knight, your eye is drawn more toward King Knight, so I think that’s the one a lot of people start with.

Nick Wozniak: He’s great. He’s the first guy you probably encounter, and he sets the tone of the rest of the game. You know what to expect, kind of, when you see King Knight. He’s a joke, even in his name. He’s not a king, he’s a knight who’s kingly, and that’s ridiculous and stupid and it sets the bar for your expectations of what the game is and what the knights are. His campaign is going to be a big departure from the very tragic story that Specter Knight was, but it will be interesting and focused on his journey to becoming King Knight. I’m not sure what the timeline is now, we’re still working through what it is, but it’ll be goofy.

Yacht Club has previously said they want to release the King Knight campaign before the end of the year, so it shouldn’t be too long before we can all be royals.

Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

Kickstart This! Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Space Odyssey

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Andrew Rainnie

E3 2017 has come and gone, but there was actually very few indie titles on display at the big show this year. While the Nintendo Switch is gaining traction with indie developers for its ease of use, Sony showed no love for smaller games. Only Microsoft made a case for the indie scene, surprising given the volume of paperwork small developers have to sign before any agreement is sealed for the Xbox platform.

But there is a wealth of amazing video game ideas on Kickstarter. Though some are a little rough around the edges, and could use the input of a publisher or producer to guide them to greatness. This month I’ve chosen a project that not only speaks to topics close to my heart, but one that seeks to involve its backers at a more basic level, to create a community that will be part of every step of this odyssey. And it is presented by the one and only Neil deGrasse Tyson! (more…)

Posted in Features, PC, Top Story |

StarCraft Remastered will be available on August 14

Posted on June 30, 2017 by John Scalzo

Blizzard has announced that gamers will get the chance to look at StarCraft in a new way this Summer with the launch of StarCraft Remastered on August 14. Featuring rebuilt visuals that support up to 4K resolution, StarCraft Remastered will feature the same gameplay that RTS fans fell in love with almost 20 years ago. It’ll also come bundled with the Brood War expansion, as well as an option to revert to the original graphics at the press of a button:

StarCraft Remastered Features

  • Full graphical upgrade of the original StarCraft and the StarCraft: Brood War expansion
  • Widescreen UHD support for up to 4K resolution
  • New matchmaking and leaderboards
  • Player profiles that track individual statistics
  • Cloud saving for campaign progress, hotkeys, and replays
  • Higher fidelity music and sound
  • Switch between Remastered and the original StarCraft with the click of a button!

StarCraft Remastered will be priced at $14.99, and players who pre-order it will receive three unique Building Skins (Char Hive, Korhal Command Center, and Aiur Nexus), and several other in-game bonuses for StarCraft II (Alexei Stukov Co-Op Commander and three unique Portraits).

“Nearly 20 years ago, StarCraft welcomed millions of gamers to an epic sci-fi universe—and also helped form the foundation for esports as we know it today,” said Mike Morhaime, the CEO and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Passionate gamers around the world are still playing Brood War, both with friends and competitively, so we’re modernizing the technology behind StarCraft so that they can continue to enjoy the game for many years to come.”

A new trailer for StarCraft Remastered can be found after the break, and if you just want to see what all the fuss is about, you can download the original game for free from StarCraft.com. (more…)

Posted in News, PC | Tagged ,

CoD: Infinite Warfare Absolution DLC Pack will be released for PS4 on July 6

Posted on June 30, 2017 by John Scalzo

Activision and Infinity Ward have announced the Absolution DLC Pack, the next expansion pack for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, will be available to download for the PS4 on July 6. Like the previous expansions for the game, the Absolution DLC Pack will include four new multiplayer maps, which were detailed earlier this week on the Activision Games Blog:

Multiplayer Maps in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Absolution DLC Pack

  • Bermuda: A shantytown created around the remnants of a crashed ship, Bermuda allows players to duck, dive, and wall ride from the fish market to the lighthouse in this small to medium sized map that’s been water-wasted and sandblasted.
  • Permafrost: Set within the chill of a frozen city skyline, Permafrost lets players stick to the ground and pick their plan of attack in one of three main lanes. They will traverse the map, moving from street side to train station, and hobo village to wrecked theater house in this small, tight-quarters map.
  • Fore: In Fore, the only thing miniature about this large map is the golf courses players will be fighting in. Fore features great visual variety as players swing around the sights and sounds of areas that brandish magical forests, giant creamsicles, and elevated castle walls.
  • Ember: Located near an old town castle, Ember is a remake of Resistance from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 featuring old world aesthetics retrofitted with modern technology. The surroundings include lava, gallows and a torture room, where players will want to stick close to their teammates.

The new maps will be joined by another episode from Infinite Warfare’s time-travelling Zombies saga. This time, players will travel back to the Atomic Age for the 1950s-set “Attack of the Radioactive Thing!” But you can’t have retro horror without Elvira, “Mistress of the Dark,” and she’ll appear in the new episode to lend players a hand:

The twisted and enigmatic film director Willard Wyler is up to his shenanigans once again, and this time he’s zapped our fearless foursome of heroes into the 1950s with a campy horror experience titled “Attack of the Radioactive Thing!” The plot of this film follows a clumsy government science experiment gone wrong, turning an unsuspecting suburban populace into flesh devouring zombies, while a newly spawned biological menace moves into the ravaged town.

This action-packed chapter comes in the style of the Creature Feature movies of the era, and is headlined by none other than horror movie icon Elvira, played with voice and likeness by Cassandra Peterson. She will help players (hopefully) survive by giving them tips and side quests, all in her unique Elvira style, as they attempt to make it through this science experiment from hell.

Stepping into brand-new roles, our four intrepid cast of characters will become The Scientist, The Rebel, The Soldier, and The School Girl as they battle all-new zombies while sporting classically cool 1950s attire. If you’re hip to that jive, then just try to stay alive in “Attack of the Radioactive Thing!”

The Absolution DLC Pack is also in development for the PC and Xbox One, and should launch on those platforms in August.

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

WB Games will release The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game in September

Posted on June 29, 2017 by John Scalzo

It looks like WB Games and TT Games have another Lego game planned for this Fall, and the two companies will release The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game to go along with this September’s premiere of The Lego Ninjago Movie.

In the game, players battle their way through waves of enemies with honor and skill as their favorite ninjas Lloyd, Nya, Jay, Kai, Cole, Zane, and Master Wu to defend their home island of Ninjago from the evil Lord Garmadon and his Shark Army. To do so, they must master the art of Ninjagility which allows them to traverse Ninjago by wall-running, high-jumping and battling the foes of Ninjago to rank up and upgrade the ninja’s combat skills. Players can harness the power of Spinjitzu combat to defend Ninjago together.

Players will fight their way through eight locations from the film and compete in Challenge Dojos against a neverending stream of increasingly tougher enemies. The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game will also include a variety of Battle Maps for competitive splitscreen for up to four players.

The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on September 22. Be sure to check out the Announcement Trailer embedded above.

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

Super Mario Odyssey wins “E3 2017 Best of Show” from Game Critics Awards

Posted on June 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

A marquee upcoming release for the Nintendo Switch has once again claimed “Best of Show” from the Game Critics Awards at the E3 Expo. Super Mario Odyssey took home the big prize this year, along with additional wins for “Best Console Game” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.”

Altogether, Nintendo took home top honors in six categories. Super Mario Odyssey’s trio of statues were joined by “Best Handheld Game” for Metroid: Samus Returns, and “Best Original Game” and “Best Strategy Game” for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

The editors that make up the Game Critics Awards panel made a lot of obvious picks in the rest of the categories, but they also threw in a few surprises. Strong debuts from Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (“Best Action Game”), Destiny 2 (“Best PC Game”), and Forza Motorsport 7 (“Best Racing Game”) lead to a few big wins, but I’m not anyone was expecting Arc System Works to surprise the crowd with Dragon Ball Fighter Z.

All of this year’s winners can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Find out where the bodies are buried when Serial Cleaner launches for PC and consoles in July

Posted on June 27, 2017 by John Scalzo

Harvey Keitel really helped popularize the idea of a “Cleaner,” someone who disposes of blood and bodies after a murder-for-hire, when he portrayed “The Wolf” in 1994’s Pulp Fiction. Curve Digital and iFun4All really ran with this idea when they created Serial Cleaner, a crime scene cleanup that’ll make its debut on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in July.

Serial Cleaner is set in the swingin’ 70s, and it’ll ask players to hide evidence in a lengthy Story Mode and a tricky Challenge Mode:

Set in the 1970s, Serial Cleaner has players sneak around bloody crime scenes to clean up incriminating evidence by disposing of bodies, covering up bloodstains and hiding murder weapons all while avoiding the police. To succeed players must explore, experiment, and make swift decisions in order to avoid police detection. Get caught and players earn a black mark on their protagonist’s career.

Players must also be wary of their environment as the game uses real-world data to modify levels accordingly with the current time of day in a player’s whereabouts. Noise detection and “sneakability” will vary between night and day, and mean the difference between freedom and jail.

Serial Cleaner will be available for the PS4 on July 11, with a PC and Xbox One launch to follow on July 14. A gameplay trailer has been embedded after the break. (more…)

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