Most Recent: PC

Game Awards 2016 Trailer: Death Stranding

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Mike Ryan

The 2016 Game Awards kicked off with a belated round of applause for Hideo Kojima, who was unable to attend last year’s event due to his falling out with Konami. Geoff Keighley introduced Mr. Kojima on stage to present him with the Industry Icon Award, and after delivering his acceptance speech, the developer showed off the next trailer for his highly-anticipated title, Death Stranding.

This trailer gave us a better idea of the game’s world. There is literally an army of the undead causing destruction… skeletons decked out in army fatigues patrol a dystopian world. One man (who resembles director Guillermo Del Toro) appears to be hiding from the army, and tries to take refuge in a viaduct. He uses an embryo in a jar, possibly to keep the evil army at bay, when a platoon of skeletons approach, being led by a living person (played by Mads Mikkelsen).

The trailer raises more questions than it answers, but it looks amazing. Keighley also confirmed that the trailer is running in 4K, realtime, on a PS4 Pro. No release date was given, but knowing Kojima’s talent, it’ll probably be worth the wait.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged ,

Shakedown Hawaii will be playable at PS Experience 2016… and here’s a new trailer

Posted on December 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

Vblank Entertainment initially debuted Shakedown Hawaii, their 16-bit sequel to Retro City Rampage, ahead of last year’s PlayStation Experience. Earlier this week, the developer revealed that the open world game, which will also be available for the PC (via Steam) and at least one Nintendo platform, will make a return engagement at this year’s PlayStation Experience.

In addition to confirming that attendees of Sony’s annual showcase will get to try out Shakedown Hawaii this weekend, Vblank also announced a 2017 release date for the game and unveiled a brand new trailer, which is embedded above.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita | Tagged ,

First Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment trailer will premiere tonight during The Game Awards

Posted on December 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

shovelknightspecteroftorment-header

Host Geoff Keighley has promised plenty of surprises for this year’s Game Awards, but another eager developer has spilled the beans on a World Premiere trailer we’ll get a peak at tonight. In a short tweet, Yacht Club Games confirmed they’ll debut a new trailer for their next project during the show:

While it’s possible that Yacht Club will unveil something brand new, the pun-loving developers are most likely referring to Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment with that “reap what we show” line. Specter of Torment will be the second (of three) planned expansions for Shovel Knight, and it’s currently on track for a Spring 2017 launch on the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.

The 2016 Game Awards will be held tonight at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), and you can watch the show at TheGameAwards.com.

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

Red Dead Redemption will be added to PlayStation Now next week

Posted on December 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

reddead-header

It’s been a “Good” year for fans of Red Dead Redemption. The wildly popular western was originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2010, and Rockstar announced that a sequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, will be available next year. But the publisher has also kept the original in the spotlight thanks to its addition to the Xbox One Backwards Compatibility list in July, and its pending launch on Sony’s PlayStation Now service.

According to Rockstar, Red Dead Redemption (and its zombie-themed expansion, Undead Nightmare) will be available to stream through the PlayStation Now service on the PS4 and PC beginning on December 6. Believe it or not, but this will be the first time that PC players will have the chance to try out Red Dead Redemption.

Sony’s PlayStation Now service currently offers more than 450 titles to stream on the PS4 and PC. Subscription plans start at $19.99 (for one month) and discounts are available when signing up for a multi-month subscription.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4 | Tagged

Lego Worlds will be available for PC, PS4, Xbox One on February 21

Posted on November 30, 2016 by John Scalzo

Lego Worlds is currently available in Early Access for the PC, but WB Games recently announced that the full version of the game will launch on February 21, 2017.

Console players will be happy to learn the open world adventure game will also be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on the same day. In addition to its console debut, a special Agents DLC Pack (featuring new characters, vehicles, weapons, and more from the Agents line) will be available exclusively on the PS4 for a limited time.

In Lego Worlds, players uncover hidden treasures in environments that range from fun to the fantastical, where worlds come to life with a dizzying variety of vehicles and creatures – from cowboys riding giraffes to vampires scaring Yetis, to steamrollers, racing cars, and colossal digging machines. Gamers can embark on a quest to become a Master Builder by helping other Lego characters along the way – find a sword for a king, protect a farmer from a zombie invasion, or build a home for a caveman.

Environments and creations are brought to life in any way fans can imagine, either by building brick by brick, placing down enormous pre-built Lego structures, or by using wondrous tools that let you paint and shape the landscape. Lego Worlds’ online multiplayer functionality allows players to explore each other’s worlds together, create together, and engage in cooperative and competitive play experiences that players can build themselves.

Lego Worlds is in development at TT Games, and the developer’s Jonathan Smith has promised that players will have “the freedom to create anything imaginable” in the game. A new trailer showcasing the many ways players can experience Lego Worlds has been embedded above.

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

Gigantic’s Open Beta will begin on December 8 on Xbox One and Windows 10

Posted on November 29, 2016 by John Scalzo

gigantic-header

Motiga and Perfect World have announced that an Open Beta for their free-to-play MOBA, Gigantic, will begin on December 8 for Xbox One and Windows 10 players.

Gigantic is a 5v5 game where players attack their opponent’s massive Guardian while attempting to defend their own. The Open Beta will offer cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows 10 players, as well as three maps (“Siren’s Stand,” “Ghost Reef,” and “Sanctum Falls”) and a weekly rotation of six heroes (out of 16).

“With Gigantic, we are trying to create an entirely new competitive experience. Throughout development, Gigantic has gotten attention for its unique art style, whimsical setting and fast-paced gameplay, but our goal has always been something more,” said James Phinney, the Vice President of Product Development at Motiga. “We’ve sought to build a game full of intense moments and meaningful strategic choices, where there are many paths to victory and it’s always possible to come back and win.”

One final Closed Beta test will be held this weekend, and participants can join a match from Thursday, December 1 at 12:00 PM (Eastern Time) through Monday, December 5 at 3:00 AM (Eastern Time).

Users of Perfect World’s Arc Games platform will be able to join the Open Beta at a “to-be determined date” sometime after December 8.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

New footage from Nintendo’s Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 2K’s Prey will debut during the 2016 Game Awards

Posted on November 29, 2016 by John Scalzo

thelegendofzeldabreathofthewild-header

The 2016 Game Awards are just a few days away, and in addition to crowning this year’s “Game of the Year,” host Geoff Keighley will also introduce a handful of World Premiere trailers featuring some of 2017’s biggest games.

Yesterday, we learned the names of two more games that’ll get a few minutes in the spotlight courtesy of the awards show… Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and 2K’s Prey:

The 2016 Game Awards will kick off at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time) on Thursday, December 1. Keighley has promised the night will be full of surprises and the host previously confirmed that BioWare will also take the stage this year to debut the first gameplay footage from Mass Effect: Andromeda.

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

Kickstart This! Ariel

Posted on November 28, 2016 by Andrew Rainnie

If you didn’t notice, there hasn’t been a new Kickstart This! in over a month, mostly because John works us all far too hard (joke), but largely because the column was becoming a bit hum-drum. Kickstarter has started to feel less like a creative space for games that could not find life with a traditional publisher, and more like a graveyard for great ideas poorly sold, or a junkyard for half-baked ideas that had not been given time to mature.

I had heard Kickstarter was also going to be updating the crowdfunding platform in a “major” way. This turned out to be more than a lick of paint, which, as an aside, the site has received – it runs a lot smoother and the and the options are much clearer now.

The big change turned out to be Kickstarter Live, which launched on the 1st of November. It allows creators to host a live broadcast, and to field questions from potential backers in the comments section. The benefits of this should not be underplayed. Audience engagement is one of the toughest nuts to crack when raising funds via crowdfunding. While project updates offer people news, being able to interact with backers on the same platform, instead of hosting an AMA on Reddit or a Facebook Live broadcast, especially in the early days of a campaign, means that you can rally your troops and harness that momentum more easily.

kickstarterhomepageSpeaking of rallying the troops, the world has change quite a bit over the last few weeks, and Kickstarter is no different. With a wave of protests and a renewed sense of charity sweeping the globe in response to recent world events, Kickstarter temporarily changed their front page in support.

And in honor of Kickstarter’s expansion into Mexico, we’re looking at Ariel, a video game developed south of the border, this week. (more…)

Posted in Features, PC, PS4, Top Story |