Most Recent: PC

Hyper Light Drifter will be released for the PC (Windows/Mac) on March 31

Hyper Light Drifter, the overhead action RPG from Heart Machine, finally has an officially release date… and it’s next week. The Kickstarter success story will be released for the PC (Windows/Mac) on March 31. A Linux launch will hopefully happen on the same day, though it may slip if the team needs a bit of extra time. To celebrate the release date announcement, Heart Machine has also uploaded a brand new trailer for Hyper Light Drifter that feels suitably epic and looks absolutely gorgeous.

Hyper Light Drifter will also make its way to consoles (PS4, Wii U, Xbox One) and Sony’s Vita handheld sometime this year.

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

Hitman: Intro Pack Review: For Better or Worse, the Same Old Hitman

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As long as I have been playing the Hitman games, I have always been struck by the strange dissonance between the way the series is marketed and the way it actually plays. In adverts, cutscenes, and promotional art, Hitman games are always presented as offering a power fantasy in which you play as a globetrotting, sharply-dressed, dual pistol-wielding assassin. This is strange because, as anyone who has played a Hitman game will tell you, the games are actually much more about dressing as an engineer and rigging an oven to explode, or disguising yourself as a waiter and spiking your target’s drink with a laxative so that you can murder them in the privacy of the bathroom. This pattern holds for IO Interactive’s new entry in the Hitman series, and, for fans at least, this is good news. Even if this game is something of a known quantity, it does still manage to deliver that same incredibly cool feeling that comes with watching a chandelier “accidentally” fall on your target and walking out without anyone suspecting foul play. (more…)

Posted in PC, PS4, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow developer is working on a strange new adventure

mercurysteam-2Mercury Steam, the developer behind Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 has unveiled a countdown clock for their next game, which is set to expire on April 15 at noon (Eastern Time).

The clock is embedded in an interactive section of their official website, which refers to the game (or perhaps just a portion of it) as the “Lira Expedition.” The developer also revealed a trio of teaser images (a devilish figure, a ruined temple, and the pilot’s cabin of a mecha) that can be found after the break.

Dave Cox, a former Producer at Konami and one of the driving forces behind the Lords of Shadow games, will join Mercury Steam for this project. Besides working on Castlevania, Cox also contributed to recent entries in the Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid franchises before leaving the company in 2014. But his dream was always to resurrect Contra for a new generation of gamers.

I don’t think that’s happening, but I can dream. (more…)

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt wins “Game of the Year” at 2016 SXSW Gaming Awards

sxsw-logoCD Projekt’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was on target once again as it collected another “Game of the Year” win this weekend at the SXSW Gaming Awards. In addition to its big win, The Witcher 3 won two other awards: “Excellence in Technical Achievement” and “Excellence in Narrative.”

The Witcher 3 faced stiff competition from several of last year’s other big releases, including Bloodborne and Rise of the Tomb Raider, both of which won a pair of 2016 SXSW Gaming Awards. From Software’s gothic RPG was recognized for its gorgeous environments in the “Excellence in Art” and “Excellence in Design” categories. Meanwhile, Lara Croft herself was named “Most Enduring Character” and her tomb raiding skills were honored with an “Excellence in Animation” win.

Finally, Her Story picked up some more hardware this weekend, winning SXSW’s “Mobile Game of the Year” award.

A complete look at all of this year’s winners can be found after the break. (more…)

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Telltale revealed a few details about their Batman series… including that it’ll debut this Summer

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A team from Telltale Games took the Batplane down to Austin this weekend to talk to the crowd at SXSW about their upcoming Batman series. While it’s still too early for a sneak peek at the game, Telltale was able to confirm the first episode will be available sometime this Summer. A quick recap of the presentation was also posted to the Telltale Blog, where the developer revealed that players will spend just as much time with Bruce Wayne as they will with Batman:

Batman is the perfect character for the studio to explore in a Telltale series, giving the team the opportunity to dive deeper into the mind of the man behind the mask. Each night, Bruce Wayne chooses to change Gotham for the better. The team wants to explore what the consequences are of the player’s actions when decisions made as Bruce have a critical impact on his nightly crusade as Batman, and vice versa. Certain key situations will give the player the decision to approach a scene as Bruce or Batman, with consequences for both sides.

They would go on to say that their Batman game won’t be tied to any existing continuity, and that the Bat Family (Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, etc) won’t play a large role in the story. However, they did announce that Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon, GCPD officer Renee Montoya, and reporter Vicki Vale would all appear in the game. Naturally, the game’s villains are currently a closely guarded secret within the halls of Telltale.

Some of these characters will interact with both Bruce Wayne during the day, and Batman at night. And how players handle these interactions could change the outcome for certain characters. Whatever decisions you make, they’ll have serious consequences as Telltale also said that their Batman series will be rated Mature and have a “cinematic approach [that] will feel more akin to an R-rated film.”

Holy bursting anticipation, Batman!

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New Releases: Hyrule Warriors Legends, TrackMania Turbo, Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo, Republique

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Prepare to race into battle with this week’s new releases…

Koei Tecmo and Nintendo are mashing together the massive battles from the Dynasty Warriors franchise with the beloeved characters from The Legend of Zelda once again in Hyrule Warriors Legends, a 3DS re-release of the Wii U blockbuster. Players who opt for the portable version of the game will be able unlock several new characters (including Linkle, a gender-swapped version of Link) and a new level based on The Wind Waker.

A pair of racing games that’ll surely appeal to people who love anything with four wheels are also set to be released this week. First up is TrackMania Turbo, a “fantasy racer” for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One from Ubisoft. Players will be able to put the pedal to the metal on more than 200 tracks and even build their own using the included Tracker Builder. Also available is Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo, a new offroad rally racer from Milestone for the PS4 and Xbox One. Originally released for the PC earlier this year, console players will now get a chance to drive through the mud on the way to victory.

Finally this week, Camouflaj will bring their award-winning mobile game Republique to the PS4. Even with a controller in hand, players will get the same stealthy experience with all five episodes from the game’s first season.

We’ll be back later this week with a look at the new digital-only releases on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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

Excelsior! WB Games reveals five Level Packs as part of Lego Avengers Season Pass

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Lego Avengers will explore more of the Marvel universe later this month with the release of the game’s first Character & Level Packs.

WB Games announced plans to release five expansion packs as part of the game’s Season Pass, and on March 29, players will be able to wield the cosmic powers of Captain Marvel in the Classic Captain Marvel Character & Level Pack and re-create a classic Avengers battle with Baron Zemo in Classic Captain Marvel Character & Level Pack.

Later this Spring, three additional packs will be released including a Classic Black Panther Character & Level Pack that retells T’Challa’s origin (soon to be played by Chadwick Boseman on screen), an All-New, All-Different Doctor Strange Character & Level Pack that stars the Sorcerer Supreme (soon to be played by Benedict Cumberbatch on screen), and a Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Character & Level Pack.

The Lego Avengers Season Pass can be purchased for $9.99 on the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Individual Character & Level Packs will be available for $2.99 apiece. A complete breakdown of each pack is available after the break. (more…)

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Shadow Complex Remastered will be available for PS4 in May

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Shadow Complex Remastered is now available to download through the Xbox Games Store, and looks like it’ll also be released for the PS4 soon.

In a post on their official website, Epic Games confirmed that the modern-day “Metroidvania” will be released for the PS4 in May. The game will also be added to Steam in May, though PC players can purchase it now through ShadowComplex.com.

Shadow Complex Remastered was developed by Chair Entertainment and it was originally released as an Xbox 360-exclusive back in 2009.

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