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Gears of War 4 February Update introduces new maps and much more

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Brittney Williams

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and as a result, Gears of War 4 players will be treated to a slew of updates including new maps, Valentine’s Day-themed events, and general game improvements.

The Gears of War 4 Valentine’s Day event officially begins this Friday, February 10, and will last for over a week. The event will include Torque Bow Tag “with a cupid-style twist,” a new collectible Craftable Character, new Gear Packs, and daily bounties with a Valentine’s Day theme.

Also included in the February update are two new maps that veteran Gears of War fans are sure to appreciate! The first new map on the list is “Impact Dark,” an intense new spin on the original “Impact” map. “Impact Dark” takes close combat to thrilling new levels, putting heavy emphasis on visual impairment by implementing a permanently smoke-covered battlefield! Snipers, Torque/EMBAR, and Incendiaries are gone, now replaced with Boltoks, Dropshot, and Overkill respectively, forcing players to stay alert and take risks in order to stay in the game.

The second map provided in the update is “War Machine,” which veteran Gears of War players may remember for its desolate and decrepit atmosphere. The new take on the “War Machine” map brings players to a gorgeous and lively COG settlement in the once abandoned train station. However, aside from the new aesthetic, everything else about the map remains the same. Season Pass holders will be glad to know that they can play both maps today in the Developer Playlist.

The Coalition highlighted a few additional gameplay improvements from the February Update on the game’s official website:

  • Added a small delay before being able to fire when Wall Cancelling (now balanced with Wall Bounce firing delay)
  • New Guardian Spawn System: Players will now spawn closer to the Leader
  • Added IFF Lights onto Dizzy to bring visual readability of his model in-line with all other characters
  • Torque Bow now rotates with Sniper every round on Blood Drive
  • Resolved an issue that could cause the Kestral to be stuck out of sight on Blood Drive
  • Resolved minor geometry on Blood Drive that could block bullets
  • Improved messaging for Core/Competitive rejoin when trying to rejoin after rejoin window ends
  • Incendiary grenades now kill Down But Not Out players with Execution Rules On
  • Previous map high score will now display on end of round scoreboards in Horde
  • The Trick Shot ribbon is now correctly awarded in Horde
  • The Sniper Strike Horde Skill card no longer counts towards Headshot Bounties

Gears of War 4 is available to purchase now for the PC and Xbox One, and you can get a closer look at both new maps after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

The Halo Wars 2 Launch Trailer is like every alien invasion movie rolled into one

Posted on February 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Developers at 343 Industries love to refer to the Halo franchise as a Star Wars saga for a new generation. I’m not sure if the Master Chief and Cortana will ever be as well known as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, the development certainly knows how to put together a thrilling sci-fi action sequence. Case in point… the new Halo Wars 2 launch trailer.

If you’re not a scholar of Halo lore, don’t worry, Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb offered up a few more details about the trailer, and the real time strategy game’s many feature, on his eponymous blog:

After experiencing a pyrrhic victory following the events of the first Halo Wars, Captain Cutter and the brave crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire wake up after 28 years of cryosleep to discover themselves orbiting a familiar Forerunner construct; Halo 3 fans, you know what it is. After receiving a distress signal and sending down some Spartans to investigate, the crew meets Atriox – an incredibly dangerous Brute who is as intelligent as he is strong. He poses a grave threat to humanity, and it’s up to you to stop him and his Banished.

In addition to the robust campaign, Halo Wars 2 is packed with a full suite of multiplayer modes that are suited to players of all skill levels and familiarity with real time strategy (RTS). Build your base, assemble your army and battle for control of the map in Domination, test your strategies solo or with a friend against AI in Skirmish, fight to hold more bases than your opponent in a timed Strongholds match, duke it out until you’re the last one standing in Deathmatch, or jump straight into the action with the all-new deck building multiplayer experience, Blitz.

Halo Wars 2 will be available for the PC and Xbox One on February 21. As an Xbox Play Anywhere title, players who opt for the digital edition of the game will receive access to it on both platforms for no extra charge.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

Freedom Planet 2 Hands-On Preview: Not Your Parent’s Platformer

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Brittney Williams

Over the last few days, I’ve had the pleasure of playing around with a demo for Freedom Planet 2, which is in development at GalaxyTrail. The demo itself isn’t that long (one stage with a boss battle), however, the game is just that damn fun that I kept coming back to it, trying to beat my time and experimenting with the four characters in an effort to determine whose move set best fit my play style.

Before playing the Freedom Planet 2 demo, I had never heard of GalaxyTrail or the original Freedom Planet game. Though fascinated by indie developers and the masterpieces that they create, I often shy away from playing them, instead opting for AAA titles. Freedom Planet 2 makes me regret that decision.

It’s hard to gather much from a demo that can be finished in a little over two minutes, however, I have drawn the conclusion that Freedom Planet 2 is definitely not your parent’s platformer. What do I mean by that? Despite its obvious similarities to Sonic the Hedgehog, Freedom Planet 2 sets itself apart from traditional platforming games while still holding on to the charming components that define the genre. (more…)

Posted in PC, Previews, Switch, Top Story | Tagged ,

Side-scrolling shooter Graceful Explosion Machine is also in development for the Switch

Posted on February 6, 2017 by John Scalzo

I guess we missed this one a few weeks ago, but Vertex Pop has announced that Graceful Explosion Machine, their colorful side-scrolling shooter that earned a spot on our Best of PAX East 2016 list, is also in development for the Nintendo Switch.

Promising four unique weapons and a bevy of bad guys to blast, Graceful Explosion Machine will also be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Spring 2017. A brand new trailer has been embedded above.

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

Conan plays For Honor with Tom Brady, Dwight Freeney, and a severed head on a stick

Posted on February 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

As much as some people don’t want to admit it, Super Bowl Sunday is an American institution. The cultural behemoth has even birthed its own batch of spinoff traditions (Commercials! The Puppy Bowl! Clogged Pipes at Halftime!), but none is as enjoyable as Conan O’Brien’s annual trip to the Super Bowl for a football-themed episode of Clueless Gamer.

In “Clueless Gamer at the Super Bowl III,” Conan invited Erin Andrews to serve as the sideline reporter in an epic clash between New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dwight Freeney. The two athletes crossed swords in Ubisoft’s For Honor, and the button-mashing brawler was perfect for two guys who clearly don’t play a lot of games. Thankfully, Conan called up a few ringers and got Marshawn Lynch, Rob Gronkowski, and LeGarrette Blount to liven up the action.

So who won this battle of the titans? You’ll have to watch the video to find out, but I’m sure the similarities between For Honor’s “Knights Vs Vikings Vs Samurai” storyline and all the gladiator imagery from Any Given Sunday didn’t go unnoticed by Conan’s crew.

However, who wins the For Honor fight might be in for a disappointment because Conan’s Clueless Gamer has become something of a reverse-predictor of Super Bowl glory. In 2015, Lynch beat Gronkowski in Mortal Kombat X, but the Seahawks went home empty-handed from Super Bowl. A year later, Josh Norman of the Carolina Panthers out-Doomed Von Miller of the Denver Broncos, but it was Miller who won the MVP award and Super Bowl 50.

For Honor will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 14.

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

New Retail Releases: Nioh, Rainbow Six Siege Year 2 Gold Edition, WWE 2K17 for PC

Posted on February 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

Three new games fill out this week’s batch of new retail releases, though only one of them can reasonably be called “new.”

Nioh is a PS4 exclusive that transports its audience to a “fantastical and dark vision of 16th century Japan.” Developed by Team Ninja, players will battle skilled samurai, vile beasts, and demons which are threatening to tear the country apart during the Warring States period.

Also available this week is Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – Year 2 Gold Edition from Ubisoft. The PS4 and Xbox One re-release comprised of the original game and the Year 2 Pass, which includes access to all of the game’s upcoming Year 2 content. However, if you want to add the Year 1 Pass to the team-based shooter, you’ll need to purchase it separately.

Finally this week, 2K Games will bring WWE 2K17 to the PC for the first time. WWE 2K17 features an expanded MyCareer Mode, as well as the largest roster of wrestlers ever included in a WWE game.

That’s it for now, but we’ll back later this week with a look at the latest digital additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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

The Video Game Canon – Madden NFL Football (Series)

Posted on February 3, 2017 by John Scalzo

Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with an examination into the validity (or lack thereof) of the Madden Cover Curse. Here’s a teaser…

A gambler will tell you that they believe Lady Luck will reward them for respecting a streak, and a professional football player will tell you that he doesn’t believe in the Madden Curse. The former is a wishful thinker, and the latter is a liar.

The sports world is filled with superstitions. As a Little Leaguer growing up, I could show you what a “rally cap” was and explain the importance of never touching the baselines. I understood completely why retired Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland refused to change his underwear during a 12-game winning streak in 2011. I’ve even got strong opinions on what you say to a pitcher in the middle of a perfect game. The answer is you don’t say anything, because talking to him at all is bad luck.

For decades, the Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx served as a well-known precursor to the Madden Curse. Those who believe in the Jinx are convinced that any player who appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated will experience some form of terrible luck, even though a handful of high-profile hits have obscured the long list of players who avoided the Jinx over the years. If the sheer number of cover subjects doesn’t dissuade you (more than 3,000 issues have been produced since the magazine’s launch in 1954), the illustrious career of Michael Jordan should. The basketball great has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated a record 50 times, and he’s had the kind of career that other athletes dream about… not counting his detour through Minor League Baseball and Space Jam.

But what of the Madden Curse? Although you’ll find a few executives at Electronic Arts who enjoy hyping up the current year’s game with talk of the Curse, most of them like to downplay it. In 2008, the then-President of EA Sports, Peter Moore, said, “I guess when you look back there’s a grain of truth to the Madden Curse.” At the time, he wasn’t wrong. Five of the last six offensive players on the cover succumbed to some horrible calamity. The publishing giant even considered producing a movie based on the Madden Curse in 2010, though that project seems to have fallen off the radar in the years since.

And that’s probably because the Madden Curse is as mythical as a wild turducken.

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

Posted in 3DS, DS, Features, Mobile, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , , , ,

Nominations now being accepted for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017

Posted on February 3, 2017 by John Scalzo

After inducting Grand Theft Auto III, The Legend of Zelda, The Oregon Trail, The Sims, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Space Invaders into video gaming’s inner circle last year, the World Video Game Hall of Fame is ready to begin accepting nominations for its Class of 2017.

Any game is eligible to be enshrined in the World Video Game Hall of Fame, and gamers of all stripes are encouraged to visit the Nominate A Game page to submit any title for nomination that fits the Selection Criteria:

  • Icon Status: The game is widely recognized and remembered.
  • Longevity: The game is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over time.
  • Geographical Reach: The game meets the above criteria across international boundaries.
  • Influence: The game has exerted significant influence on the design and development of other games, on other forms of entertainment, or on popular culture and society in general. A game may be inducted on the basis of this criterion without necessarily having met all of the first three.

All submissions for nominations must be made by March 6, and this year’s finalists will be announced on March 29.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 will be selected by an internal committee on the advice of an international team of “journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.” This year’s inductees will be announced as part of a special ceremony that’ll be held at The Strong Museum in Rochester, NY on May 4.

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