Most Recent: PC

Now Blizzard is hiring a Game Director for their “Unannounced Diablo Project”

Posted on July 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

blizzardlogoBlizzard first mentioned their “Unannounced Diablo Project” back in August in an employment listing for an Art Director.

Today, the developer is once again looking for applicants to join its ranks. More specifically, they want to hire a Game Director for a project that is starting to look more and more like Diablo 4. Blizzard is seeking candidates who are “knowledgeable and passionate about Diablo games” for the position, and they want a person who will “lead the Diablo series into the future.”

Further fueling the Diablo 4 fire is a separate job opening for a Senior Character Artist that refers to the project as “[Blizzard’s] next hit game.”

Blizzard is a developer who works on their own schedule, so it might be quite a while before we see anything connected to Diablo 4. But there’s always this November’s BlizzCon to look forward to.

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Shenmue III is “coming together” on the first anniversary of its Kickstarter campaign

Posted on July 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

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The Kickstarter campaign for Shenmue III was one of a kind. And I mean that literally, as it eventually became the most-funded video game project of all time after 69,320 backers pledged $6,333,295 towards the development of the sequel.

That was a year ago, and now Yu Suzuki has offered an update on Shenmue III in a new video he recently posted to Kickstarter.

According to the developer, Ys Net started building a prototype of the game in January, and “battles and facial expressions are coming together.” Suzuki also confirmed that backer surveys are “still a ways off.” It’s not much, but it’s good to know that progress is being made.

Shenmue III is expected to be released for the PC and PS4 in December 2017.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Energy Hook will swing onto the PC and PS4 next week

Posted on June 30, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Jamie Fristrom, the “Chief Scientist” at Happion Laboratories, has announced that Energy Hook will be released for the PC and PS4 on July 5.

Fristrom was responsible for the swinging mechanic from 2004’s Spider-Man 2, and he’s expanded on that mode of transportation for his latest project. Writing on the PlayStation Blog yesterday, the developer described Energy Hook as “the extreme sport of the future” and compares its trick system to Tony Hawk Pro Skater:

Energy Hook is the extreme sport of the future. You swing from a grapple beam, run on walls, jump and boost with your jetpack, and do flips and poses midair, all to earn style points. Chain your tricks to get multipliers for massive scores.

There are also race challenges where you’ll swing through the levels as quickly as possible. Doing tricks earns you boost and keeps you in the air longer; use this to your advantage and get the best time possible!

Like the early Tony Hawk games there’s no story — it’s all about the gameplay!

If you don’t want to wait, Energy Hook is also now available on Steam through their Early Access program.

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BioShock: The Collection will be released for PC, PS4, Xbox One on September 13

Posted on June 30, 2016 by John Scalzo

I can’t remember the first time I heard a rumor that 2K was looking to remaster the BioShock series for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One… but it was definitely a long time ago. Well, the time for rumors has ended, and 2K has chosen to officially re-release the acclaimed trilogy for the PC and new-generation consoles, as BioShock: The Collection, on September 13.

Development on BioShock: The Collection will be handled by Blind Squirrel Games, and the compilation will package BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite together for the first time. Not only will each game in The Collection feature remastered graphics, but it’ll also include every piece of single-player DLC for all three titles and a brand new video series, Director’s Commentary: Imagining BioShock, with new insights from Director Ken Levine and Lead Artist Shawn Robertson.

Here’s a rundown of everything BioShock: The Collection will contain:

BioShock

  • Museum of Orphaned Concepts: Walk through a Rapture-inspired virtual museum that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at discarded concepts that never made it into the original game.
  • Challenge Rooms: Outside the story of BioShock, tackle puzzles, splicers and Big Daddies. And Achievements, of course.

BioShock 2

  • Minerva’s Den: A self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you’ve never seen before. Use expanded combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva’s Den, as you face off against the Lancer Big Daddy.
  • Protector Trials: Take control of an Alpha Series Big Daddy woken out of hibernation just before the events of BioShock 2.

BioShock Infinite

  • Burial at Sea – Episode 1 + 2 Add-On Packs: This major two-part DLC pack completes the BioShock trilogy by taking the series back to where it all began. Return to Rapture just before the events of the original BioShock!
  • Clash in the Clouds Add-On Pack: Face 60 waves of challenges across four additional maps for leaderboard glory and unlock areas to explore in The Columbian Archaeological Society hub museum.
  • Columbia’s Finest Pack: Combines the contents of the Industrial Revolution Pack and the Upgrade Pack and includes 500 Silver Eagles, five Lock Picks, six unique Gear items, and two weapon upgrades: Comstock’s China Broom Shotgun and Comstock’s Eagle Eye Sniper Rifle.

Unfortunately, there’s one thing the compilation is leaving out… the multiplayer options from BioShock 2 won’t be included in BioShock: The Collection.

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Get a sneak peek at Street Fighter V’s Story Mode DLC before it launches tomorrow

Posted on June 30, 2016 by John Scalzo

Street Fighter V‘s Story Mode DLC, “A Shadow Falls,” will be available as a free download beginning tomorrow, July 1. But first, Capcom wants to give fans a sneak peek at the cinematic campaign with a brand new Launch Trailer.

As you might expect from Street Fighter, the plotting and dialogue are a bit on the goofy side, but it’s always entertaining to see the game’s colorful characters mixing it up like this. Taking place between Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter III, “A Shadow Falls” will check in with the 16 characters from the main game and all six downloadable characters.

And speaking of downloadable characters, don’t forget, Ibuki and Balrog will both be added to the game tomorrow. Players who previously purchased the Season Pass can download them for free, while the rest of us will be able to buy them for $5.99 apiece. Street Fighter V’s in-game Fight Money currency can also be used to unlock the fighters, but remember that you’ll need 100,000 Credits per character.

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It’s In Your Blood: A History of Horror Games (Part Three)

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Chris Cobb

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If you’re anything like me, you like to be scared. Horror movies accomplish this nicely from time to time, but for a truly memorable experience, horror games are unmatched. They drop you into terrifying situations, leaving you no choice but to wade through unforgiving environments and do battle with grotesque creatures… but when did this genre begin? How did it evolve? If you find yourself asking these questions, take a seat. Welcome to our domain!

We recently covered the birth of horror games, and then waxed poetic about the genre’s evolution. This time around, you’ll be reading about a far more stable period for this type of game. As certain horror titles began to stand out from the crowd, developers and publishers quickly took notice. This leads us directly into… (more…)

Posted in Features, PC, Retro, Top Story | Tagged

CoD: Black Ops III Descent DLC Pack includes four multiplayer maps, zombies, dragons

Posted on June 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

Treyarch is back with another expansion pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops III. The Descent DLC Pack will be available to download for the PS4 on July 12 and, as always, it’ll contain four multiplayer maps and a new Zombies episode.

Descent’s multiplayer maps will feature a favorite from Black Ops II, an isolated lab, a Viking village, and a modern-day coliseum:

  • Empire: Treyarch adapts its Black Ops III movement system to the Call of Duty: Black Ops II fan favorite map Raid. The re-imagining of this classic, medium-sized map features an authentic Roman villa that has been “recreated by a modern-day eccentric billionaire,” where a classic map structure mixes with the new gameplay mechanics of Black Ops III.
  • Cryogen: Located far off the coast in the Dead Sea, an isolated compound holds some of the world’s most dangerous criminals in frozen isolation. Sentry towers keep watch over the small map’s circular design as frenetic combat is funneled around the prison’s cryogenic tubes, where opportunities for wall running attacks abound.
  • Berserk: Ancient sentinels from a lost civilization guard the entrance to Berserk, a Viking village frozen in time. Players will fight through blizzards, and control the center bridge as they navigate this medium-sized map’s wooden buildings, deadly rocky outcroppings, and tight chokepoints.
  • Rumble: Gamers battle amongst larger-than-life mechanized warriors in Rumble, a stadium where giant robots battle to the roar of the crowd. This medium-sized map funnels high-speed combat to the central arena, where players battle their way through fallen mechs and pyrotechnics.

But things really get crazy when you dig into the new Zombies Mode map, “Gorod Krovi.” Not only will players be forced to push back an assault from a “mechanized zombie infantry,” but they’ll also have to watch out for flying fireballs from a squadron of dragons:

Descent also thrusts players to an alternate universe of Nikolai’s motherland, the 1940s Soviet Union, in the next highly-anticipated chapter of the Origins Zombies saga, Gorod Krovi. Players face-off against a swarm of mechanized zombie infantry and dodge hell-fire from aerial dragon assaults, all in the middle of a raging battle within the remnants of Stalingrad. Gorod Krovi delivers the most exciting Zombies experience yet, filled with horrifying new enemies, exciting new gameplay mechanics and an epic set of Zombie annihilating weapons.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III’s Descent DLC Pack will also be available to download for the PC and Xbox One sometime in August.

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Han and Chewie finally star in a Lego Star Wars: Force Awakens Character Trailer

Posted on June 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

As expected, WB Games saved the best for last and released one more Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Character Trailer today, this time focusing on Han Solo and Chewbacca. There’s probably no deeper meaning behind a scene showing everyone’s favorite smuggler picking off a pair of Stormtroopers with a blaster, but it sure does look cool, doesn’t it?

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens is available today for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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