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

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Video games are a diverse and long-lasting medium, with something to offer everybody. From those obsessed with scores and bragging rights, to more relaxed individuals looking for an enthralling story with limited interaction, to gamers who spend upwards of 100 hours in open worlds with random battles. Then there are oddballs like me, who just want to get the crap scared out of us.

With horror games currently experiencing a much-needed boost in popularity, now is the perfect time to glance back at the genre’s rich history. In Part One, we took a look at the infancy of horror in gaming… from 3D Monster Maze to the much derided Friday the 13th adaptation. Today, we’ll be shining a spotlight on the titles that helped mold the genre into what it is today. (more…)

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

Fallout 4’s Survival Mode is now available for PC, PS4, Xbox One

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Bethesda announced last week that Fallout 4‘s 1.5 Update will add the ultra-difficult Survival Mode to the PS4 and Xbox One version of the game.

Survival Mode has been available in open beta on the PC since March 29, and it offers a new challenge to Fallout 4 players by forcing a new set of restrictive rules on the game: “No fast travel, saving only when you sleep, increased lethality, diseases, fatigue, danger and more.”

If that sounds intimidating to you, designers Josh Hamrick and Jon Paul Duvall have put together a Survival Guide to Survival Mode that you can now find on Bethesda.net. Good luck… you’re going to need it.

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New Retail Releases: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Doom, Disney Art Academy, More

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We’ve waited and waited, but what might be Nathan Drake’s last adventure will finally arrive on the PlayStation 4 this week. Developer Naughty Dog is stepping away from the franchise after Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but they want to test Drake like never before. These challenges include brand new dialogue options, and the return of his presumed-dead brother. And if you still haven’t upgraded to a PS4 yet, Sony will also begin selling an ultra-slick 500 GB PS4 + Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End Bundle on Tuesday as well.

Another game that has been long time coming is id Software’s Doom, and it’ll be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Friday, May 13. Players will return to Mars and do battle with Imps, Cacodemons, and Barons of Hell in a first person shooter that emulates the classic Doom way of doing things.

Also available this week is Disney Art Academy, a drawing tool for the 3DS that lets players create artwork featuring Disney and Pixar characters on their handheld.

Finally, Battle Worlds: Kronos is a turn-based strategy game for the PS4 and Xbox One that “stays true to its hexagonal-roots.”

That’s it for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at the new downloadable titles coming to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Doom’s system requirements released by Bethesda ahead of May 13 launch

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Way back in 1993, the original Doom was playable on PCs with a 386 processor, which was seven-year-old tech at the time. The next game in the series, also known as Doom, will require a little bit more horsepower under the hood.

Released by id Software earlier this week on Bethesda.net, the minimum and recommended specifications for Doom can be found right here:

Minimum System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-Bit Versions)
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-2400/AMD FX-8320 or better
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Hard Drive: 55 GB
  • GPU: Nvidia GTX 670 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or better
  • Internet: Download of additional files from Steam (total amount 45 GB) is required to run the game. Requires Steam activation and broadband internet connection for Multiplayer and SnapMap.

Recommended System Requirements

  • OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-Bit Versions)
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-3770/AMD FX-8350 or better
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Hard Drive: 55 GB
  • GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 4GB/AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB or better
  • Internet: Download of additional files from Steam (total amount 45 GB) is required to run the game. Requires Steam activation and broadband internet connection for Multiplayer and SnapMap.

Doom will be available for the PC on May 13, but players who wish to pre-order through Steam can begin pre-loading it on May 11 at midnight (Eastern Time). PS4 and Xbox One owners will also be able to “Fight Like Hell” on May 13, and they’ll want to ensure they have 50 GB of hard drive space available to properly play Doom.

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Get Battlefield 1 before anybody else with the Early Enlister Edition or Amazon-exclusive Collector’s Edition

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As is the norm nowadays, Electronic Arts will release Battlefield 1 in three different editions this October. However, two of those packages will be available to players three days before the standard edition. But we’ll get to them in a minute.

If you opt for the standard edition, it’ll set you back $59.99 and be available on October 21 for the PC, PS4, or Xbox One. Players who pre-order the standard edition will receive the Hellfighters Pack, which will include several in-game bonus items (Hellfighters Trench Shotgun, Hellfighters M1911, Hellfighters Bolo Knife, Hellfighters Insignia) inspired by the famed regiment.

Going up a tier, players who purchase the Early Enlister Deluxe Edition for the PC, PS4, or Xbox One will receive the game on October 18, three days before anybody else. You’ll have to pay $79.99 for this privilege, but you’ll also receive the Hellfighters Pack and two additional sets of in-game items. The Red Baron Pack will take to the skies with a Red Baron P08 Sidearm, a Red Baron Flyer Pin, and his famous Triplane. Meanwhile, the Lawrence of Arabia Pack will include T.E. Lawrence’s Black Stallion, as well as an SMLE Rifle, Jambiya Sidearm, and Emblem.

But to get everything, you’ll need to drop $219.99 on the Amazon-exclusive Collector’s Edition, which will include everything from the Early Enlister Deluxe Edition (including its October 18 release date) and a foot locker full of cool stuff:

Battlefield 1: Early Enlister Deluxe Edition

  • Exclusive Steelbook
  • Collector’s Edition Statue (14″ Tall)
  • Exclusive Cloth Propaganda Poster
  • Deck of Concept Art Playing Cards
  • Messenger Pigeon Tube with Exclusive DLC Content
  • Exclusive Patch

The Collector’s Edition will only be available for the PS4 and Xbox One, but you can get a closer look at it after the break. (more…)

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Battlefield 1 takes the franchise back in time to World War I this October

While the Call of Duty franchise continues to push further and further into the future, EA and DICE are taking the Battlefield series back to the dawn of modern warfare. Battlefield 1 was announced in a blowout reveal yesterday and it’ll be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 21.

Battlefield 1 takes you across multiple and varied locations in a bid to fight your way through immersive battles. From tight urban fights in a besieged French city, to big open spaces in the Italian Alps and frantic combats in the deserts of Arabia, discover a world at war through an adventure-filled campaign.

Set against the backdrop of World War 1, witness the birth of modern warfare, as the Great War saw a furious arms race with new machines and weapons created to get the upper hand during the most technologically divergent war of all time. Feel the intensity and immersion as Battlefield 1 takes advantage of this modern arsenal to deliver the experience fans love, but with a fresh and modern twist.

Battlefield 1’s single-player campaign will follow the 369th Infantry Regiment, better known as the “Harlem Hellfighters,” the first entirely African-American regiment to fight overseas. A fictionalized version of the Hellfighters’s story was also recently recounted in a graphic novel by Max Brooks. The debut trailer embedded above hits on plenty of other well-known moments from the Great War including biplane dogfights, zeppelins, Lawrence of Arabia’s desert battles, and a certain German tank that should be very familiar to fans of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

On the multiplayer front, Battlefield 1 will offer 64-player battles within a “sandbox experience” of land, sea, and air options. Alongside traditional ground fighting, players will be able to pilot a fighter plane in “high-octane dogfights” or command a battleship and a deliver a ship-to-shore bombardment of bombs.

EA and DICE will offer a public beta for Battlefield 1 later this year and prospective players are encouraged to sign up for the Battlefield Insider to receive early access to the beta, along with in-game rewards and other exclusive content.

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PC, Xbox One owners will be able to buy CoD: Black Ops III Eclipse DLC Pack on May 19

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As expected, Activision and Treyarch will bring the Eclipse DLC Pack to the PC and Xbox One exactly 30 days after its PS4 debut. The Call of Duty: Black Ops III expansion will add four new competetive multiplayer maps to the game, along with the next episode in the cooperative Zombies saga:

  • Spire: Spire takes Multiplayer combat to a futuristic sub-orbital airport terminal set high in the clouds. Multiple levels and open areas promote intense, mid-range combat around a clean, high-tech civilian environment. Watch your step, because one wrong move could send you plummeting back through the stratosphere.
  • Rift: Head to the core of a harsh futuristic military complex, set high above an active caldera. Rift funnels and forces tight, intense engagements, where the only way through is forward. Utilize the unique core movement opportunities to outsmart and outplay enemies as you traverse the suspended rail system.
  • Knockout: Housed in a traditional Shaolin Temple with a retro twist, Knockout sets the stage for a bloody Kung Fu tournament. This mid-sized map showcases a sharp contrast between the mid-range engagements of the traditional exterior architecture and the tight close-quarters of an eclectic 1970’s styled interior.
  • Verge: In this re-imagination of the classic Call of Duty: World At War map, “Banzai,” Verge drops Multiplayer combat into the center of a distant post-apocalyptic future, where two warring factions are entrenched in constant battle. Take control of the key bridge, fortresses, tunnel systems and waterfalls as you engage in high-speed action through this medium-sized map.

Eclipse also sets the stage for “Zetsubou No Shima,” the highly-anticipated, all-new entry in the Call of Duty: Black Ops III Zombies storyline that spans the four DLC Map Packs for Black Ops III this year. The Origins characters continue on their mission to stop the zombie apocalypse not only in this universe but in all universes. Our heroes find themselves stranded on a remote Pacific island which is home to the Division 9 facility: a secret biological research lab whose experiments with Element 115 and its effects on human, animal, and plant biology has created horrors beyond belief. “Zetsubou No Shima” features a foliage rich island map including new terrifying zombie enemies, a variety of innovative transport mechanics, more devastating traps and classic Zombies side quests.

The Eclipse DLC Pack will be available to download as part of Black Ops III’s Season Pass (for $49.99) or as a standalone purchase (for $14.99). Two more DLC Packs will be released over the Summer ahead of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s launch this November.

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Turtle Rock Studios is developing an original narrative-driven game

turtlerocklogoTurtle Rock Studios is moving on from Evolve. The 4v1 shooter definitely has its fans, but the developer has announced their next project will be an original property unconnected to Evolve or Left 4 Dead (which is owned by Valve, anyway). While the big details of the game are being kept under wraps for now, Turtle Rock divulged a few small tidbits of information about the title through several job listings on their Careers page.

First, and most important, we know it’s in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And according to a job description for a Narrative Director, it’ll be heavily “narrative-driven”:

We are searching for a Narrative Director to help shape the entire narrative structure of our upcoming new AAA game for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. The Narrative Director will work closely with our Creative Director and Head Writer to create and oversee compelling stories, characters, and content that form the backbone of the game’s story.

And thanks to the listing for an Animation Programmer, we know that it’ll also include “unique and stunning characters”:

We are searching for an exceptional programmer to help us in developing unique and stunning characters for an unannounced, cutting edge game targeting next generation hardware. Join us and be a part of an incredible studio and project!

So let’s recap… Turtle Rock’s next game isn’t going to be Evolve 2, but it will feature characters and a story. Yup, that’s what we know so far.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One |