Most Recent: PC

Lionhead has pushed the Fable Legends open beta back to Spring 2016

Posted on December 14, 2015 by John Scalzo

Microsoft first announced Fable Legends all the way back in 2013. The 4v1 adventure has been slowly creeping towards completion ever since and the publisher’s current plan was to release an open beta for the game before the end of the year. However, development difficulties have forced a change to that plan as it looks like the Fable Legends open beta will now be released in Spring 2016.

Creative Director David Eckelberry explained some of the challenges his team has faced in a post on the game’s official website:

Fable Legends is coming together well and it’s a lot of fun. But we think that we can make it even better. So we’ve decided to extend our closed beta to continue to listen to feedback from our players and add features and polish that will make a real difference. This means Fable Legends won’t release into open beta this holiday as previously announced. We realise this may be disappointing for those of you not currently playing, so we wanted to tell you why.

To be honest, we didn’t anticipate just how big Fable Legends is becoming. It’s simply the most ambitious game we’ve ever created at Lionhead. We’ve built a unique and innovative multiplayer experience combining RPG and RTS gameplay which allows you to play, and use your gear seamlessly, across Xbox One and Windows 10. On top of this, we’ve built a beautiful new world full of grand stories and adventures. And it’s taking more time than we thought.

Fable fans interested in joining the closed beta on the PC or Xbox One can submit an application at FableLegends.com. According to Eckelberry, more than 100,000 new invitations will be sent out over the next few weeks.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

Minecraft: Story Mode’s fourth episode will be released on December 22

Posted on December 11, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Get ready to put some cookies and milk, Telltale Games has announced they’ll be dropping down your chimney to deliver the fourth episode of Minecraft: Story Mode for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices on December 22 (Vita and Wii U versions are also in the works). If you’ve been playing along with the first three episodes, here’s what shenanigans you can expect to get up to in A Block and a Hard Place:

In Episode Four, with the fearsome Wither Storm more dangerous than ever, Jesse, Reuben, and the crew discover there is one thing that can destroy the command block at the heart of the monster – but they’ll need to brave the perils of the Farlands to find it. As uneasy allies and ailing friends threaten to tear the group apart, can they defeat the Wither Storm in their final battle? And what sacrifices must be made to succeed? Find out in Episode Four’s epic “Wither Storm Finale” that will turn the page on one chapter, before adventures may begin anew…

According to Telltale, Minecraft: Story Mode’s fifth episode will be released sometime in early 2016.

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CoD: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, SW: Battlefront lead November 2015’s best-selling games

Posted on December 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Not surprisingly, a trio of shooters took the top three spots in the NPD Group’s recounting of November 2015’s best-selling games.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III scored another big win for Activision (and the Black Ops sub-series) with its claim on the top spot. It was followed by Fallout 4 at #2 and Star Wars: Battlefront at #3. With shooters holding on to the top of the list, sports games looked in for the next four places… Madden NFL 16 (#4), NBA 2K16 (#5), FIFA 16 (#6), and Need For Speed (#7). What? I’m sure someone, somewhere, thinks of illegal street racing as a sport.

The final three spots in the NPD’s November 2015 list include repeat appearances from Halo 5: Guardians (#8) and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (#9), along with a strong Black Firday-assisted performance from Just Dance 2016 (#10).

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD’s Liam Callahan confirmed that the PS4 and Xbox One are having a monster Fall: “After 25 months, the combined sales for the PS4 and the Xbox One are 47% higher than the combined sales for 25 months of PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware sales.”

You can find the NPD’s November 2015 top ten in handy list format after the break. (more…)

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Final Fantasy VI coming to Steam next week

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Nicole Kline

I was just lamenting how there were so many remakes and ports of games in the Final Fantasy series, but how I didn’t have a good way to play Final Fantasy VI. But now I can’t complain anymore, because on December 16th, Final Fantasy VI will be launching on Steam! “Veteran character designer Kazuko Shibuya has painstakingly recreated the graphics, bringing the world of Final Fantasy VI to your PC for the very first time!” exclaims the YouTube page.

Not only that, but the remake of the 1994 classic will even have Steam Achievements as well as those Trading Cards everyone loves. So clear your calendar for next Wednesday – it’s time to fight the Empire again. (Not that Empire – you’ll be able to get reacquainted with them the next day at 7:00 PM.)

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Bethesda opens studio in Montreal to work on “bleeding-edge of RPG development”

Posted on December 9, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Hot off the monumental success of Fallout 4, Bethesda has founded a new settlement in the wilds of Canada with the opening of a brand new studio in Montreal. Bethesda Game Studios Montreal will be lead by Yves Lachance (Fallout Shelter) and currently has a core team of 40 people. However, Bethesda has announced plans to expand the studio, and is currently recruiting developers to work on “the bleeding-edge of RPG development for the PC and consoles.”

“We’ve worked with some very talented developers in Montreal for a long time, and decided it was time to open a studio there,” said Todd Howard, Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios. “It’s exciting to think about the new games we’ll be building together.”

Bethesda’s many successes definitely give the team a few options for their first project. They could be spearheading one of Fallout 4’s upcoming expansions, working on a New Vegas-style spinoff, or maybe even doing pre-production work on the all-but-confirmed Elder Scrolls VI. Let us know what you think Bethesda Game Studios Montreal is working on in the comments below.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One |

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Russia have been delayed into 2016

Posted on December 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Ubisoft’s side-scrolling Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series has suffered another setback as the release dates of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia have been pushed back into 2016. Originally scheduled to launch before the end of the year, Ubisoft will now release Chronicles: India on January 12 and Chronicles: Russia on February 9.

Both games, along with Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, will also be packaged together in a special “Trilogy” bundle on February 9. A digital download will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, while a retail disc will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One. Ubisoft also plans to release the “Trilogy” bundle for the Vita on April 5.

If you’re not familiar with the Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series, Ubisoft had this to say about both titles:

The second episode, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India, throws players into the tension between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company in 1841. When a Master Templar arrives with a mysterious item that used to belong to the Assassin Order, Arbaaz Mir must discover why the Templar has come, steal back the item and protect his friends and his lover.

The final episode, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia, takes place in 1918 when Assassin Nikolai Orelov must complete one last mission for the Assassin Order before he can leave with his family. His mission: infiltrate the house where the Tsar’s family is being held by the Bolsheviks and steal an artifact that has been fought over by Assassins and Templars for centuries. While too late to save the Tsar’s entire family, he manages to save the princess, Anastasia, whom he must protect as he escapes the Templars with her and the artifact in tow.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia will both be priced at $9.99 apiece. Unsurprisingly, the “Trilogy” bundle will be priced at $29.99.

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

Otherside Entertainment is working on System Shock 3… but technically it’s a secret

Posted on December 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Otherside Entertainment is a small team founded by Paul Neurath, one of the lead developers at Looking Glass Studios. You might remember Looking Glass as the former home of famed developers Warren Spector and Ken Levine, as well as the creator of System Shock. Oh, and speaking of System Shock, Otherside is apparently hard at work on System Shock 3 for rightsholder Night Dive Studios.

The System Shock franchise had been stuck in a state of legal limbo for more than a decade after the release of System Shock 2 in 1999, but Night Dive was able to obtain the rights to the series earlier this year. Night Dive and Otherside even launched a Countdown Page to celebrate their System Shock 3 announcement, but someone discovered the grand finale announcement and a mailing list signup form a tad early.

So that’s about all we know right now. Hopefully, more details about System Shock 3 will be revealed when the countdown ends in five days.

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First Day of the Tentacle Remastered trailer released

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Nicole Kline

Double Fine Productions has been killing it lately, especially with this new trailer for Day of the Tentacle Remastered. Community Manager James Spafford had a lot to say on the PlayStation Blog about the game as well.

For those of you who don’t know, the game was “originally released by LucasArts in 1993 as a sequel to Ron Gilbert’s ground breaking Maniac Mansion,” and it’s a mind-bending, time travel, cartoon puzzle adventure game in which three unlikely friends work together to prevent an evil, mutated purple tentacle from taking over the world!” The remaster will have new artwork and remastered audio, “which the original 90’s marketing blurb described as ‘zany!'”

That’s not all. Players will be “able to switch back and forth between classic and remastered modes, and mix and match audio, graphics, and UI to their heart’s desire,” which sounds incredible. Not only that, they’ve “also included a concept art browser, and recorded a commentary track with the game’s original creators Tim Schafer, Dave Grossman, Larry Ahern, Peter Chan, Peter McConnell, and Clint Bajakian.” How righteous!

Day of the Tentacle Remastered is due out in March 2016 on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC.

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