Most Recent: PC

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier’s third episode will be released on March 28

Posted on March 12, 2017 by John Scalzo

In addition to discussing their upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy game, Telltale Games used this year’s PAX East convention to confirm The Walking Dead: A New Frontier‘s third episode will be released on March 28.

The episode will be known as “Above the Law,” and it’ll be available to download on the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices. Telltale also premiered a new trailer for “Above the Law,” and it’s embedded above.

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PAX East 2017 gives us our first look at Tom Savini’s “Custom Jason” and a new trailer for Friday the 13th: The Game

Posted on March 12, 2017 by John Scalzo

Friday the 13th: The Game made an encore appearance at this weekend’s PAX East convention during Gun Media and Illfonic’s panel “From Film to Video Games: A Night with Friday the 13th: The Game.” As part of the panel, the developers unveiled a horrific new trailer that shows Jason dispatching another cohort of camp counselors in increasingly brutal fashion.

Gun Media didn’t announce an official launch date for Friday the 13th: The Game at PAX East, but with less than three weeks remaining in their current “Early 2017” release window, another delay for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One game seems likely.

Finally, the developer fully unmasked Tom Savini’s “Custom Jason,” which depicts the character’s damned fate after the end of Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. You can get a closer look at Savini’s work after the break. (more…)

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Sonic Mania gets new gameplay footage at PAX East 2017

Posted on March 11, 2017 by Brittney Williams

Sega just dropped some new gameplay footage for the highly anticipated Sonic Mania at PAX East and it looks great.

If you were “Team Sega” during the great console wars of the 1990s, then you’re likely pretty familiar with the original Sonic games. Sonic Mania captures the charm of those games, and puts a high definition spin on them, bumping the graphics from their original 30 FPS to a whopping 60 FPS.

But that’s not the only new thing Sonic Mania has going for it. The game also introduces new enemies, new levels, new game mechanics, new item boxes, alternate routes, and much more. And in Sonic Mania, players are now immediately transitioned to the brand new “Green Hill Zone Act 2” after “Act 1,” trading in the fade-to-black for uninterrupted gameplay and speedy traversal across the playfield via zip-line.

Sonic Mania is not a remake of any of the original Sonic games from the Sega Genesis era. Instead, it’s an entirely new game that uses prettier, high definition visuals to create a reimagining of the originals. The reimagining attempts to encapsulate all of the things that made the 16-bit versions great, while also refitting them for new and old audiences alike.

Sonic Mania will be available for the PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in Spring 2017. In the meantime, check out the above trailer and some awesome new screenshots after the break. (more…)

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Two new Quake Champions trailers reveal Nyx the Champion and “Blood Covenant” Arena

Posted on March 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

Bethesda always strides into Boston in the Spring to put on a big show at PAX East, and this year is no exception. All this weekend, the publisher will give congoers the chance to try out Quake Champions, their upcoming free-to-play arena shooter from id Software.

For those of us following along, the publisher has also unveiled a pair of new trailers for the game. The first focuses on one of the game’s Champions, the Fathom Agent known as Nyx:

Nyx (Fathom Agent)
Starting Health: 100
Starting Armor: 75
Speed: 270

Active Ability — Ghost Walk: Using the Ghost Walk Active Ability moves Nyx into another dimension, instantly making her invisible and immune to damage. Players can use this ability to escape tough battles, maneuver unseen behind unsuspecting enemies, or even avoid damage from incoming projectiles. Re-materializing in the same spot as an enemy will result in an instant Ability Kill.

Passive Ability — Wall Jump: Nyx’s Passive Ability extends her mobility by allowing her to jump twice – once off the floor and another time off of a nearby wall. Wall Jump can help players traverse wide distances between heights or gain the upper hand in a showdown with foes by creating more space to aim and frag.

The second trailer introduces viewers to “Blood Covenant,” an Arena that’s based on Quake III Arena‘s signature map:

Arena: Blood Covenant
Based on one of the most beloved and played maps from Quake III Arena, The Camping Grounds (Q3DM6), Blood Covenant is a modern re-imagining of the legendary Arena. All the favorite sections remain, including the long Jump Pad to the Rocket Launcher, the Quad Damage spawn, the Railgun ledge, and the tightly spaced battles in the Pillars. However, new tricks and secrets await both veterans and new players alike, offering new ways to fight, move, and use Champions’ Active and Passive abilities.

Both trailers can be found after the break. And don’t forget, earlier this week, Bethesda announced that a Closed Beta for Quake Champions will be available soon. (more…)

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The Video Game Canon – Ms. Pac-Man

Posted on March 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at the accidental creation of Ms. Pac-Man. Here’s a teaser…

It’s easy to forget nowadays, but Ms. Pac-Man was actually created by accident. Like Doc Brown’s invention of time travel after a tumble from the toilet, Ms. Pac-Man was created when a group of game developers from MIT attempted to release an unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man known as “Crazy Otto.”

Before turning their sights on the biggest arcade game of the day, the development team, General Computer, first used their programming skills to create an “enhancement kit” for Atari’s Missile Command. Instead of creating their own game from scratch, the enhancement kit hooked into Atari’s code and altered it to provide a new gameplay experience. Essentially, General Computer created the first expansion pack.

Even though the enhancement kit required an original Missile Command cabinet, Atari later attempted to sue General Computer for copyright infringement. But rather than become mired in a protracted court case, the arcade giant and the enterprising college students reached a settlement. Atari would hire General Computer to design original arcade games so long as they agreed not to create any additional enhancement kits without the permission of the original game publisher. The developers quickly signed on, but first they took a nearly complete version of “Crazy Otto” to Midway, the North American distributor of Pac-Man.

Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.

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Telltale reveals first screenshots, plot details, and cast for Guardians of the Galaxy

Posted on March 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will open the doors to PAX East 2017 in just a few hours, and Telltale Games is using the expo to more fully reveal their episodic series based on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

First, the developer announced a few details about the game’s plot, which won’t tie in to the first Guardians of the Galaxy film or the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2:

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series is a brand new story of the universe’s unlikeliest heroes: Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot. In the wake of an epic battle, the Guardians discover an artifact of unspeakable power. Each of them has a reason to desire this relic, as does a ruthless enemy who is the last of her kind, and who will stop at nothing to tear it from their hands.

From Earth to the Milano to Knowhere and beyond, and set to the beat of awesome music, you wear the rocket-powered boots of Star-Lord in an original Guardians adventure, where your decisions and actions drive the story you experience.

Telltale also confirmed the film franchise’s cast won’t appear in the game, nor will the actors from the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series on Disney XD. Instead, Nolan North… naturally… will replace Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and he’ll be joined by Scott Porter as Star-Lord, Emily O’Brien as Gamora, Brandon Paul Eells as Drax, and Adam Harrington as Groot.

The cast will take the stage at PAX East, alongside several developers from Telltale, as part of the Telltale Games: Interactive Storytelling 2017 panel. The discussion will begin at 6:00 PM (Eastern Time), and if you can’t make it to PAX East, you’ll be able to follow along at home through the convention’s secondary Twitch channel.

Guardians of the Galaxy will also make an appearance at the 2017 SXSW Gaming Expo on Friday, March 17. The game will make its public debut in Austin as Telltale Games plans to host a Crowd Play night for an early version of the first episode. It seems likely that Telltale will release the first trailer for the game shortly after.

In the meantime, you can find the first four screenshots from Guardians of the Galaxy: Episode 1, which will be released this Spring, after the break. (more…)

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Uncharted 4 leads all games at the 2017 BAFTA Games Awards with 8 nominations

Posted on March 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

baftaawards-header

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced the nominees for the 2017 Games Awards, which will be handed out in a special ceremony in London on April 6. Viewers at home will be able to watch a livestream of ceremony through BAFTA’s Twitch channel.

This year’s top nominee is Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which scored eight nominations including “Game of the Year.” Nathan Drake’s final adventure will also compete in the “Artistic Achievement,” “Audio Achievement,” “Music,” and “Narrative” categories, as well as with three separate nominations in the “Performer” category (Troy Baker, Nolan North, and Emily Rose).

Uncharted 4 will fight for BAFTA’s “Game of the Year” honor against five other critically-acclaimed games from 2016 including Campo Santo’s Firewatch, Playdead’s Inside, Blizzard’s Overwatch, Concerned Ape’s Stardew Valley, and Respawn’s Titanfall 2.

The complete list of nominees in all categories can be found after the break. (more…)

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A new trailer confirms World to the West will be released on May 5

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Brittney Williams

World to the West publisher Soedesco announced today that the game will be released on May 5 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, and PC. The company also revealed that World to the West will be available in a special Retail Edition for all platforms except the Wii U.

World to the West is a top-down action-adventure with cartoonish visuals and four unique playable characters. Set in the same universe as Teslagrad, players will meet a few familiar faces from its critically-acclaimed predecessor, along with a multitude of characters with their own helpful (and sometimes, detrimental) agendas.

Each of the game’s four characters are native to different nations, while possessing different skill sets and motivations… but all of them seek to escape the outcome of an evil prophecy. Each character sports a unique style, allowing players to use a combination of force, stealth, and their skills of persuasion to deal with potential enemies.

Another key component of World to the West is exploration, necessary in order to uncover the many mysteries of the in-game world, which will take players to frozen tundras, colonies, and jungle settings. Additionally, World to the West’s will boast diversified gameplay with a seamless transition between puzzle-solving and intense combat.

In the meantime, why not check out World to the West’s brand new trailer above…

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