Most Recent: PC

Ubisoft offers a first look at Far Cry 5’s sinister Montana setting

Posted on May 22, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Far Cry franchise is best known for its exotic locales, but a new teaser trailer for Far Cry 5 has revealed the next game in the series will be set in the fictional Hope County, Montana. Popularly known as the state where people go to live “off the grid,” the publisher introduced Far Cry 5’s Montana in a series of brochure-worthy snapshots that were sadly interrupted by scenes of grisly violence:

A man screaming in pain in the middle of a peaceful mountain forest… A dead body floating down an idyllic stream… Another man running through an open field as a gunshot rings out… and a quiet church where one man is brutally beating another in the belltower…

We don’t yet know how all of these images are connected, but Ubisoft has promised to fully unveil Far Cry 5 with a “Worldwide Announcement Trailer” this Friday, May 26.

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Cliff Bleszinski’s LawBreakers is also in the works for the PS4

Posted on May 22, 2017 by John Scalzo

Cliff Bleszinski has revealed (via the PlayStation Blog) that his upcoming first person shooter, LawBreakers, is also in development for the PS4.

LawBreakers is currently in the works at Bleszinski’s studio, Boss Key Productions, and it’s expected to launch for the PC and PS4 later this year. After his “retirement” from the Gears of War franchise, the developer decided to create a multiplayer shooter with a variety of characters, wide open “omni-directional” environments, and an interesting anti-gravity mechanic:

During my “retirement”, honestly, I was bored as hell. My waifu and I were ready to strangle each other. I was getting fat. Ultimately, I couldn’t ignore the creative need to make something new. During this time, I was inspired by a childhood dream about gravity being disrupted in a BIG way. I also took a Zero G flight once. That was pretty crazy. So, LawBreakers is the culmination of my dreams as a kid, my career in this industry and my lifelong passion for games. So there we have the inception (HORN SOUND) of LawBreakers. A new futuristic world where the Moon mysteriously exploded, an event known as The Shattering, that devastated Earth. Afterward society recovered, using new gravity anomalies to rebuild and advance.

Like Overwatch, Quake Champions, Battleborn, and a number of other shooters currently on the market, each character in LawBreakers will have access to a unique set of abilities and weapons:

The setting is the perfect backdrop for a super fast, omni-directional team-based FPS where we challenge players to get the hell off the ground. The floor is lava, bruh. It’s the skill-based competitive shooter made by shooter fans for shooter players that my team and I have always wanted to play. It honors the old and embraces the new. Old being the feeling of soaring through the air at mach-speed and rocket-jumping and such. The new as offering a variety of characters each with different movement abilities, multiple weapons, combos and more.

Our “healer” in LawBreakers can be an offensive powerhouse. In the hands of a skilled player, this role can simultaneously heal two teammates at once, all while lobbing grenades from high above like some flying human artillery cannon. Stuff like that is what LawBreakers is all about. Also we’ve added a few new things too, like being able to blind-fire behind you with any ranged weapon. Yep.

Finally, a brand new Cinematic Trailer, “Rise or Fall,” should give you a good idea of how combat will work in LawBreakers.

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Housemarque will release Nex Machina on June 20

Posted on May 22, 2017 by John Scalzo

Housemarque has announced that Nex Machina, their upcoming twin-stick shooter, will be released for the PC and PS4 on June 20. The developer also unveiled a new trailer for the game, which confirms that two-player local co-op will be included in Nex Machina.

In Nex Machina, humans have become deeply dependent on technology, while around them, machines have reached consciousness and surpassed human intelligence ten-fold. The machines turn on their creators and make it their mission to eradicate human life. Nex Machina features explosive classic arcade gameplay, while making full use of today’s technology to complement highly developed twin-stick play.

While Nex Machina is being promoted as an homage to the arcade classics of the 80s and 90s, Housemarque actually went out and recruited one of the genre’s pioneers. Eugene Jarvis, the creator of Robotron 2084 and Smash TV, has been collaborating with the team on the game’s development.

“I’d buy that for a dollar!”

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Destiny 2’s Story Campaign, and more, unveiled by Bungie

Posted on May 21, 2017 by John Scalzo

Bungie’s Destiny 2 is less than four months away, and earlier this week the developer revealed more details about their upcoming game in an hour-long livestream.

The biggest change coming to the Destiny universe is the brand new Story Campaign, which will include a dramatic and cinematic narrative structure that can be played solo or with friends:

In the story of Destiny 2, the last safe city on Earth has fallen and lay in ruins, occupied by a powerful new enemy and his elite army, the Red Legion. Every player creates their own character called a “Guardian,” humanity’s chosen protectors. As a Guardian in Destiny 2, players must master new abilities and weapons to reunite the city’s forces, stand together and fight back to reclaim their home.

The livestream also offered the first details on new game types (“Countdown,” a competitive multiplayer mode), new subclasses (“Sentinel Titan,” “Dawnblade Warlock,” and “Arcstrider Hunter”), and an online matchmaking service that Bungie is referring to as “Guided Games.”

Destiny 2 will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One on September 8, and a release date for the game’s PC launch will be announced at a later date. A closer look at the Story Campaign, and a playthrough of the first Story Campaign mission, can be found after the break. (more…)

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Blizzard announces Overwatch Anniversary event, an upcoming Free Weekend, and Game of the Year Edition

Posted on May 21, 2017 by John Scalzo

In case you missed it, Blizzard has announced that Overwatch will play host to a special Anniversary in-game event beginning on May 23. The Overwatch Anniversary festivities will continue until June 12, and Blizzard kicked things off earlier this week with a “Year One” video thanking their fans for a great launch.

And if you’re someone who hasn’t joined the Overwatch community yet, Blizzard wants to entice you with an upcoming Free Weekend, scheduled for May 26-29, and a brand new Game of the Year Edition. The Game of the Year Edition will be available to download on May 23, and it’ll offer a range of goodies for all of Blizzard’s games:

Overwatch: Game of the Year Edition Contents

  • Overwatch – 10 Bonus Loot Boxes — Enjoy 10 bonus Loot Boxes, which each contain random items that can be used to personalize your heroes. Loot Boxes may include skins, emotes, victory poses, voice lines, sprays, and highlight intros, as well as credits you can use to acquire many different customization options.
  • Overwatch – Hero Skins — Pay homage to the original Overwatch strike force by wearing the vintage Blackwatch Reyes or Strike-Commander Morrison skins. Explore other heroes’ origins with Overgrown Bastion, Security Chief Pharah, and even Slipstream Tracer.
  • Heroes of the Storm – Tracer Hero — Jump into the Nexus with Tracer and surprise your enemies in the blink of an eye.
  • World of Warcraft – Baby Winston Pet — Adorably cuddly and highly intellectual, the Baby Winston pet will be at your side as you fight your way through Azeroth.
  • Diablo III – Mercy’s Wings — Slay demonic forces throughout the High Heavens and Burning Hells as you don Mercy’s wings. All of Sanctuary will know of your allegiance to Overwatch!
  • StarCraft II – In-Game Portraits — With portraits of Tracer, Reaper, Pharah, Winston, Bastion, and Soldier: 76, you’re sure to become a champion of the Koprulu Sector.
  • Hearthstone – Card Back – You can also battle it out in Hearthstone with an Overwatch-themed card back fit for a hero!

Blizzard likely has big plans for Overwatch’s second year, and hopefully we’ll hear more about them soon.

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New Retail Releases: Ultra Street Fighter II, Disgaea 5 Complete, Rime, More

Posted on May 21, 2017 by John Scalzo

After recording a huge retail victory in April, Nintendo and its third-party partners are storming back this week with another batch of fresh Switch software.

Leading things off, Capcom will release Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers for the Switch on Friday, May 26. The publisher is hoping that this re-release will introduce the arcade classic to an entirely new generation, but it also includes a brand new first-person minigame, new color variations for all characters, and two new fighters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken). Another re-release will make its way to the Switch this week courtesy of NIS America. The import house will launch Disgaea 5 Complete on Nintendo’s console, which will include the original strategy RPG and all of its downloadable content.

If you’re looking for new and never-before-seen games this week, Tequila Works will bring their puzzle platformer Rime to the PS4 and Xbox One. Featuring a unique and moody graphical style, the exploration game should offer an interesting change of pace.

Finally this week, THQ Nordic will bring the original Darksiders to the Wii U as Darksiders: Warmastered Edition. This new version of the action/adventure game include enhanced visuals and redone graphical effects.

A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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The Switch continues to soar as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the best-selling game in April 2017

Posted on May 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo continues to dominate the retail charts with another strong showing in April for their Switch console. According to The NPD Group, Nintendo added another 280,000 Switch consoles to its tally last month, and the newly-launched Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold more than 459,000 copies (in just two days) to take the top spot on the list of best-selling games. The company’s success also seems to be great for the industry as a whole, as the industry generated $636 million in sales in April 2017, a 10% increase over the year before.

The other big news in April is that Persona 5 pushed the franchise and gave the RPG the #2 spot on the best-seller list, just below Mario Kart 8.

“Persona 5 experienced the strongest debut month for any title in Persona franchise history, with packaged dollar sales five times that of the previous best-selling debut, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4,” NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella told GamesIndustry.biz.

Additional new releases were thin on the ground in last month’s Top 20, but Lego Undercover‘s re-release on the PC and current-generation consoles helped it secure a spot (#13). And as expected, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continued to sell well, landing in the #3 position for the month. But the big retail winners in April all came from the backlist, including Grand Theft Auto V (#6), Overwatch (#9), Call of Duty: Black Ops II (#10), and Minecraft (#20).

The NPD Group’s complete list of best-selling games for April 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)

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CoD: Infinite Warfare’s Continuum DLC Pack is now available to download for PC, Xbox One

Posted on May 18, 2017 by John Scalzo

The latest exclusivity period for a piece of Call of Duty add-on content has expired, and Activision can now launch Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Continuum DLC Pack on the PC and Xbox One. Like other DLC Packs for Infinite Warfare, the meat of the Continuum DLC Pack is four new maps for the game’s multiplayer modes:

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

  • Turista – A plush spa and resort, “Turista” is nestled in the middle of a giant skeleton of an ancient creature. With sniper spots scattered across a majestic, central waterfall, Turista also boasts tight interiors for fans of close-quartered combat and a three-lane design that caters to a variety of play styles.
  • Scrap – Set in an abandoned junkyard on the Moon, “Scrap” features a combination of extended sightlines and tactical pathways that reward players who engage in both long and short range combat.
  • Archive – Fast, frenetic engagements set the pace in “Archive,” a post-futurist art gallery where tight engagements contrast with open exterior battlegrounds in this wide three-lane style map.
  • Excess – Perched atop a gilded penthouse in a sprawling future metropolis, “Excess” is a small, circular map re-imagined from the classic Modern Warfare 2 map, “Rust,” that retains the intense, fast-paced combat from the original.

The Continuum DLC Pack also includes “Shaolin Shuffle,” a new chapter in Infinite Warfare’s Zombies saga. The add-on is set during the 1970s, and Activision released a funk-tastic trailer for “Shaolin Shuffle” a few weeks ago:

“Shaolin Shuffle,” the next thrilling chapter of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies experience, features the return of Willard Wyler, the mysterious movie director villain portrayed with voice and likeness by Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, Gotham). This time, Wyler has trapped the four protagonists inside a new horror film, set in the unforgettable 1970s. Players will face all-new zombie enemies across a variety of disco-era New York locations, including subways, flashy nightclubs and a martial arts dojo headed up by the Shaolin Sister, played with voice and likeness by Pam Grier (Jackie Brown, Foxy Brown). In addition to hallmark Call of Duty action, “Shaolin Shuffle” introduces four unlockable kung fu fighting styles, each with its own set of unique combat moves.

The remaining downloadable expansion packs for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare should launch for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Summer.

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