Most Recent: PC

Ubisoft will unveil Watch Dogs Legion at E3 2019

Posted on June 5, 2019 by John Scalzo

Thanks to a new tweet on the official Watch Dogs Twitter account, we now know that Ubisoft will unveil the third game in the franchise at the E3 Expo next week. Featuring the tagline, “God Save the NPCs,” it’s a safe bet that Watch Dogs Legion will be taking the franchise to London.

This mini-announcement jibes with a recent report from Kotaku about Watch Dogs Legion. According to Jason Schreier, the game’s tagline is quite literal, as players will be able to take control of any character they find on the streets of London:

Watch Dogs Legion is set in London, as we confirmed a while ago, and here’s the really interesting gimmick: You can play as any NPC you recruit in the game. From the product description:

“Play as anyone, Every individual you meet in the open world, has a full set of animations, voice over, character traits and visuals that are generated and guided by gameplay systems.”

I’ve heard the same, and also that you’ll see different things at different points in the game depending which NPC you’re playing as.

We’ll learn more about Watch Dogs Legion during Ubisoft’s E3 2019 Press Conference on Monday, June 10.

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Blasphemous is a wild-looking gothic MetroidVania from The Game Kitchen

Posted on June 4, 2019 by John Scalzo

Spanish Developer The Game Kitchen has teamed up with Team17 to unveil Blasphemous, a gothicly-themed MetroidVania that pits a sword-swinging badass against a neverending cavalcade of eldritch abominations.

Showcasing themes and locales that wouldn’t look out of place in Castlevania, Bloodborne, and God of War, Blasphemous’s Reveal Trailer invites viewers to soak in the stylishly grotesque atmosphere of its unique world:

Prepare for a descent into a dark and punishing MetroidVania world where fast-paced, skilled combat combines with a deep and evocative narrative core. You will play as The Penitent One, a sole survivor of the massacre of the Silent Sorrow. Exploring the nightmarish world of Cvstodia and unlocking the hellish secrets within, only you can free it from a twisted fate and reach the origin of your torment.

  • Explore A Non-Linear World: Overcome fearsome enemies and deadly traps as you venture through a variety of different landscapes and search for redemption.
  • Brutal Combat: Release the power of the Mea Culpa, a sword born from guilt, to slaughter your foes. Acquire devastating new combos and special moves as you purge those who stand in your path.
  • Executions: Unleash your wrath and relish in the gory dismemberment of your adversaries – all in beautifully rendered, pixel-perfect animations.
  • Customize Your Build: Discover and equip Relics, Rosary Beads, Prayers, and Sword Hearts to give you new abilities and stat boosts to help you survive. Experiment with different combinations to suit your playstyle.
  • Intense Boss Battles: Hordes of gigantic, twisted creates stand between you and your goal. Learn their attack patterns, strike them down and more importantly, survive.
  • Unlock the Mysteries of Cvstodia: The world is full of tormented souls. Some offer you aid but may ask you for something in return. Uncover their stories to gain rewards and delve into the deep lore of the land.

Blasphemous is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, and it’ll be released “soon.”

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Mortal Kombat 11’s Kombat Pack includes Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, Sindel, Spawn, and two more special guests

Posted on May 31, 2019 by John Scalzo

Since the launch of Mortal Kombat in 2009, NetherRealm Studios has been packing their fighting games with a bevy of post-launch content, and that will not change now that Mortal Kombat 11 is available on store shelves. The developer unveiled the contents of the Kombat Pack today, giving fans a closer look at Shang Tsung, and confirming that Nightwolf, Sindel, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn, and two more guest characters will be added to the game later this year.

Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa memorably portrayed Shang Tsung in 1995’s Mortal Kombat movie (and the Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries), and NetherRealm has given him the chance to reprise the role in Mortal Kombat 11. Hearing Tagawa bellow “Your soul is mine!” at the end of the expansion’s trailer was thrilling.

But before that, we got to see the sorcerer put on quite the show, morphing into multiple ninja characters (Rain, Ermac, Noob Saibot, Reptile, Sub-Zero, and Scorpion) and flinging fireballs with abandon. It appears that Shang Tsung is also able to use his magic to temporarily turn a fight into a mirror match. Oh, and stick around for his Fatality, it’s a good one.

Shang Tsung will be available to download on June 18, and he’ll be followed by Nightwolf, Sindel, and Spawn. The two remaining guest characters are currently a mystery, though SOMEBODY is revving a chainsaw at the end of this trailer and I’d like to believe it’s Bruce Campbell as Ash.

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THQ Nordic will unveil Darksiders 4 at E3 2019

Posted on May 30, 2019 by John Scalzo

The Electronic Software Association has posted the descriptions for this year’s series of E3 Coliseum panel talks at the E3 Expo. Naturally, much of the descriptions are hidden behind “To Be Announced” text, but a few surprises did manage to squeak through.

Darksiders fans will want to tune in on June 13 when Geoff Keighley, E3 Coliseum’s Producer, sits down with the game’s developers and helps them unveil the next game in the franchise. The currently-untitled Darksiders 4 will presumably turn its focus on the only member of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse yet to receive his own game, Strife:

Darksiders: Action Adventure Evolved
A discussion about the inception of the Darksiders universe and where it’s headed next. This panel will coincide with the E3 2019 unveil of a brand new Darksiders game that takes the franchise in a fresh direction. This is a panel discussion about the art and business of creating and maintaining an action adventure franchise rich in-game and corporate lore.

The most recent game in the series, Darksiders III, launched last November, and it was developed by Vigil Games and published by THQ Nordic.

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Activision confirms Call of Duty 2019 will launch on October 25 and that it’ll be known as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

Posted on May 30, 2019 by John Scalzo

With Infinity Ward at the helm, it was widely expected that Call of Duty 2019 would eventually be revealed as a new entry in the Modern Warfare series. Well, today is that day… but with a twist.

Activision has officially announced that the next Call of Duty game is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and it’ll be available on October 25. This new Modern Warfare is a reboot for the sub-series, but things might get confusing as it mostly shares a title with 2016’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered (which was itself a redo of 2007’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare).

OK, it’s probably not that confusing. And rebooted games do have a history of recycling the original title (say hello to Tomb Raider, Doom, God of War, and many others). But Activision and Infinity Ward want to redefine what Modern Warfare means to fans with an immersive new Campaign that, according to the Activision Games Blog, “shines a light on the changing nature of modern war”:

The new Modern Warfare delivers an emotionally charged and intense campaign that shines a light on the changing nature of modern war. Expect a single-player experience that is edgy, culturally relevant, and thought-provoking.

Players will fight alongside a diverse cast of international special forces and freedom fighters working within the grey area of their rules of engagement, in a number of heart-pounding covert operations set throughout iconic European cities and into the volatile expanses of the Middle East.

Missions include close-quarter, stealth operations and long-range combat that puts tactical decision-making to the ultimate test.

Fans of the franchise will also be pleased to hear that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will feature a brand new engine (which supports “the latest advancements in visual engineering”) and offer full cross-play between platforms in online multiplayer and co-op modes. Activision and Infinity Ward are also eliminating the traditional Season Pass to focus on “free maps and content” and “post-launch events” for all players.

“Every design decision has been made with our players in mind,” said Patrick Kelly, the Creative Director of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. “With the launch of Modern Warfare, we’re taking steps to unite the community. First, we plan for Modern Warfare to be played together across PC and console through cross-play support. Second, we’re eliminating the traditional season pass, so that we can deliver more free maps and content as well as post-launch events to all players. This is just the beginning… there’s much more to come.”

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The seriously-minded first trailer has been embedded above.

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Ghostbusters Remastered is coming to PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One this year

Posted on May 30, 2019 by John Scalzo

Dan Aykroyd spent decades trying to produce a third movie in the Ghostbusters franchise, but that dream ended in 2014 with the tragic death of Harold Ramis, Aykroyd’s writing partner on Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. The comedian also anchored the original foursome on-screen with his brilliantly deadpan portrayal of Dr. Egon Spengler.

Aside from the cartoon series (which actually treated the films as fictional recreations of the “Real” story) and the 2016 reboot, Aykroyd came closest with 2009’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game, a collaboration with Atari that allowed him to bring back most of the characters from the film franchise for a new story set two years after Ghostbusters II. He even rounded up Ramis, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, William Atherton, and Annie Potts to provide their voices for the game.

Fast forward to today, and Saber Interactive has announced they will re-release Ghostbusters: The Video Game in celebration of the film franchise’s 35th anniversary as Ghostbusters Remastered for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One:

As the new rookie on the Ghostbusters crew, you’ll team up with your favorite characters from the films, reunited by the voices of Aykroyd, Ramis, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson as Stantz, Spengler, Venkman, and Zeddemore, alongside Annie Potts, Brian Doyle-Murray, William Atherton and Max Von Sydow. Manhattan is overrun once more by ghosts, demons and other paranormal creatures unleashed by a mysterious force, and only the Ghostbusters can drive this evil back to whatever dimension it crawled from and save the Big Apple.

Hunt, fight and trap a variety of new and familiar ghouls and phantasms, all remastered in HD resolution. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered equips you with cool gadgets and upgradeable weapons to play with in huge boss fights and destructible environments. Scan and analyze targets with the P.K.E. Meter and Paragoggles, then strap on your Proton Pack to wear ghosts down with the blast stream before wrangling them with the capture stream.

Ghostbusters Remastered will be released sometime this year, and the first trailer has been embedded above.

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Square Enix’s Avengers Project will make its public debut at E3 2019

Posted on May 29, 2019 by John Scalzo

It’s been more than two years since Marvel and Square Enix first announced their ambitious Avengers Project. Unlike the rapidly expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (eight films have opened since the announcement, including the saga’s temporary finale, Avengers: Endgame), we haven’t learned much of anything about the game as neither the comics giant nor its developers (which include Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal) have felt the need to publicly discuss it in all that time.

Today, Marvel finally broke the silence and confirmed (via Twitter) that The Avengers Project will make its public debut ahead of this year’s E3 Expo. Representatives from Square Enix will reveal the game for the first time during their Square Enix Live presentation on June 10th.

Interestingly, the tweet also referred to the game’s title as Marvel’s Avengers:

The Avengers Project (or Marvel’s Avengers, if you prefer) is believed to be in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The game doesn’t currently have a launch date, but Square Enix has said they plan to release multiple games before the end of the year.

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Konami unveils full game lineup for Contra Anniversary Collection

Posted on May 28, 2019 by John Scalzo

We still aren’t sure when Konami plans to release the Contra Anniversary Collection, but we now know which games made the cut. As revealed on IGN, the compilation will include the first seven games in the series, as well as three regional variants.

Contra on the NES was a completely different game from its earlier arcade incarnation, but the version released in Japan for the Famicom was just as unique, adding between-level cutscenes and updated visuals. Konami will include all three versions as part of the Contra Anniversary Collection.

In Europe, Konami swapped out the Contra name and launched the franchise under the Probotector banner, replacing Bill and Lance with robotic doppelgangers known as RD008 and RC011. Contra III: The Alien Wars is probably the high watermark for the franchise, and it made its European debut as Super Probotector: Alien Rebels. Two years later, Contra: Hard Corps was released across the pond in a much easier version known simply as Probotector. All four games will be included in the Contra Anniversary Collection.

Rounding out the compilation is the arcade-only Super Contra (and it’s NES adaptation, Super C), as well as the portable Operation C:

Games Included in Contra Anniversary Collection

  • Contra (Arcade – North America)
  • Contra (NES – North America)
    • Contra (Famicom – Japan)
  • Super Contra (Arcade – North America)
  • Super C (NES – North America)
  • Contra III: The Alien Wars (Super NES – North America)
    • Super Probotector: Alien Rebels (Super NES – Europe)
  • Contra: Hard Corps (Sega Genesis – North America)
    • Probotector (Sega Mega Drive – Europe)
  • Operation C (Game Boy – North America)

Like the Castlevania Anniversary Collection, Konami will add six Japanese variants to their Contra compilation through a free update. These variants include Contra (Arcade), Super Contra (Arcade), Super C (Famicom), Contra III: The Alien Wars (Super NES), Contra: Hard Corps (Sega Mega Drive), and Operation C (Game Boy).

The Contra Anniversary Collection will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One sometime this Summer.

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