Most Recent: PC

Burnout Paradise Remastered will be available for the PC on August 21

After racing onto the PS4 and Xbox One back in March, Electronic Arts and Criterion Games have announced that Burnout Paradise Remastered will make its way to the PC (via Origin) on August 21. However, if you’re a subscriber to EA’s Origin Access Premier service, you can download it right now:

EA and Criterion also confirmed that players who previously purchased the original version of Burnout Paradise through the Origin Store will receive a 75% discount if they choose to upgrade to the Remastered re-release.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

THQ Nordic acquires rights to the TimeSplitters franchise

THQ Nordic is doing that thing again where they buy up the rights to an old franchise. This time, the publisher has purchased the right to the TimeSplitters trilogy from Crytek.

All three games in the franchise (TimeSplitters, TimeSplitters 2, and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect) were originally developed by Free Radical Design, and THQ Nordic’s purchase is a homecoming of sorts for the series. Crytek originally acquired the rights to the franchise after purchasing the developer in 2009. They were then shut down by Crytek in 2014, and the majority of the staff went on to form the core of THQ Nordic’s Dambuster Studios.

Now that you’re all caught up, it’s tempting to wonder if this means that TimeSplitters 4 is on the way. THQ Nordic wasn’t ready to talk about the future, but they do have a habit of re-releasing classic games (like the Re-Mars-tered Edition of Red Faction: Guerrilla) and commissioning sequels (like Darksiders III) from the franchises they acquire:

TimeSplitters was largely considered as one of the most influential console games of the early 2000s. The three game series earned a large and passionate fan base thanks to its unique humour, art style, and pop culture references while encouraging customization and modification to give each person their own individual experience. TimeSplitters was originally created by the development studio Free Radical Design that later become Deep Silver Dambuster, part of the THQ Nordic group.

Finally, THQ Nordic also announced they’ve acquired the rights to Second Sight, another shooter produced by Free Radical in the early 2000s.

UPDATE: THQ Nordic’s Deep Silver label has confirmed that “forthcoming products” based on TimeSplitters and Second Sight are both currently in development. We don’t yet know if they’re sequels or remasters (or both), but hopefully we’ll learn more soon.

Posted in News, PC, Retro |

Capcom will bring Devil May Cry 5 demo to Gamescom 2018

Capcom’s Hideaki Itsuno has confirmed (via Twitter) that the first playable demo of Devil May Cry 5 will be available for fans during this year’s Gamescom event.

Presumably, we’ll learn more about the rest of Capcom’s presence at the big European showcase sometime this week, because the 2018 edition of Gamescom will throw open its doors on Tuesday, August 21st…

Devil May Cry 5 is a direct sequel to 2008’s Devil May Cry 4, and it’s set to be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Early 2019.

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

New Retail Releases: World of Warcraft: Battle For Azeroth, Runbow Deluxe Edition, More

The war between the Alliance and the Horde continues to rage in World of Warcraft‘s seventh expansion, World of Warcraft: Battle For Azeroth. This time around, Blizzard will add two new continents, four allied races, and the Warfronts PvE mode to the game. The level cap will also increase to 120.

Runbow: Deluxe Edition, 13AM’s competitive runner, is also available on retail shelves this week for the PS4 and Switch. The Deluxe Edition includes several Costume and Music Packs for the game, as well as an original soundtrack.

A handful of other games will make their way to retail stores this week, and you can find them after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch | Tagged ,

Id Software already planning a single-player expansion for Doom Eternal

Even though we still don’t know when it’ll be released, we got our first taste of Doom Eternal with a gameplay demonstration during QuakeCon 2018 yesterday, and it was glorious. Promising to be bigger and bloodier than its predecessor, I am extremely excited where id Software is taking the franchise next.

But according to Game Director Marty Stratton, the developer has already started planning for life after the game’s launch. Speaking to Polygon, Stratton revealed that id Software is already planning a single-player expansion for Doom Eternal:

“Honestly, if there’s one thing thing that I would like to go back and do different is to give people more of the [Doom] campaign post-launch,” Stratton said. “You know, more follow-up DLC from a campaign perspective. So we’re already planning that and I’m looking forward to it. We’ll talk about our whole plan.”

Stratton followed that up by saying any Doom Eternal expansion would likely tie with the new Invasion Mode:

“It’s fun, too, because when we when we look at doing campaign DLC, and then we [can] have something like Invasion play a part in it, you know, it just, it kind of makes it even more valuable to have that,” he said. “We really love the replayability of the game — we love playing the game over and over and over. We love that people are still playing the game, and on their 20th time through the campaign or doing a speedrun or, you know, maxing out all of their guns or whatever. And [we want to give] people more reasons to come back, whether it’s Invasion, or DLC, it’s really important to us.”

It’s likely much too early to worry about Doom Eternal’s single-player expansion, but we do know the game is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Hopefully, a release date will be announced soon.

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

Quake Champions is now free-to-play; Death Knight now available to download

More than 20 years after it was first released, the Quake franchise still plays a big part in Bethesda’s annual QuakeCon event. This year, Quake Champions was in the spotlight once again, as id Software announced that the multiplayer shooter is now available as a free-to-play download on the PC.

The Launch Trailer for Quake Champions also introduced players to a brand new character, the Death Knight:

Death Knight
When the blood rage abates, his desiccated mind asks again: Who were you? How many battles? When will it end? The answers mattered once, before the blessing of the seethe-monks relieved him of mortality, long before the Trespasser debased his master and took her Dire Orb for himself. The tungsten “heart” that pumps molten lead through his veins serves as a constant reminder of his plea to the Great Black Goat a dozen centuries ago—the only plea he has ever made: “Let me be forever at war.”

While the free-to-play version of Quake Champions is ready for primetime, the game will remain in Early Access as there is still “additional polish, improvements, and new content” that id would like to add to the game. They discussed their rationale for this decision in a new post on Bethesda.net:

Is This the Full Release of Quake Champions?
With several new Champions, modes and features that we’ve built upon throughout Early Access with community feedback, we feel like now is the perfect time to open the doors to Quake Champions. However, there is still additional polish, improvements, and new content – like the upcoming Capture the Flag mode – that we want to get into the game before we declare it “fully released.”

Quake Champions will remain in Early Access for the time being, but now we’re opening up feedback and input to everyone. Play the game, tell us what you think, and help shape Quake Champions into the best FPS it can be!

What Do I Get With F2P Access?
Free-to-play players get access to all Quickplay, Ranked, and Arcade game modes and maps currently available in Early Access, plus two free Champions: Ranger and Scalebearer. New players can unlock more Champions by completing the in-game tutorial and by earning Favor — in-game currency used to unlock Champions and Backpacks — just by playing matches!

Additionally, there’s one free Champion on rotation every week. Try them all out and see which ones fit your playstyle. Once you’ve found a new favorite, you can purchase Champions to own using Platinum, Quake Champions’ premium currency.

For players interested in getting more out of Quake Champions, the Champions Pack is currently being discounted for the rest of QuakeCon. If you purchase the add-on pack during the convention, you’ll receive to all current and future Champions for just $19.79. The Champions Pack is regularly priced at $39.99, but if you miss out on it during QuakeCon, you’ll still be able to pick it up for $29.99 between August 13 and September 4.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Indie Megabooth’s PAX West 2018 installation will include 78 games from 17 countries

The Indie Megabooth is slimming down slightly for their PAX West 2018 installation, but they’ve scoured the globe to bring playable demos for 78 games from 17 different countries to the Seattle-based show.

Among the highlights this time around are a handful of games we’ve had our eye on including Chainsawesome Games’s Aftercharge, Lab Zero Games’s Indivisible, and Wonderful Lasers’s Super Impossible Road (which will be part of the Minibooth). The Indie Megabooth’s Minibooth will also be home to Vertex Pop’s super-colorful Super Crush KO, which was announced earlier today.

You can find the Indie Megabooth’s complete PAX West 2018 lineup after the break. (more…)

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged , , , ,

Bethesda fully unveils Doom Eternal at QuakeCon 2018

Executives and developers from Bethesda delivered the keynote address to QuakeCon 2018 attendees earlier this morning, but the centerpiece of the presentation was definitely when the stage was turned over to id Software’s Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin. Together, they unveiled the first gameplay demonstration for Doom Eternal, and it promises to be a bigger and bloodier game than its predecessor.

First, they gave viewers a taste of the Doom Slayer’s new Armor, which includes a wrist-mounted blade, a shoulder-mounted flamethrower, and a brand new Dash ability. But if you really want to fly through the game’s hellish landscapes, you’ll need the Super Shotgun’s Meat Hook attachment. Players will be able to latch onto nearby enemies and rush towards them at lightning-fast speeds. Eat your heart out Scorpion.

Id is also looking to the past for Doom Eternal and bringing back the “Ludicrous Gibs.” That’s thanks to the new “Destructible Demons” system, which creates showers of blood and gore with every shotgun blast. Classic demons from Doom II: Hell On Earth, including the Pain Elemental, Archvile, and Arachnotron, will also return in Doom Eternal.

Finally, Stratton and Martin showcased Invasion Mode, an optional new piece of the Doom Eternal puzzle that allows other players to invade your Campaign as demons. Your friends can even join up with a hunting party to give someone “a true taste of Hell.”

And in case you missed anything during the nearly 30-minute demonstration, id Software distilled it all down for us:

Slayer 2.0
Unleash the overwhelming power of the Doom Slayer. With updated armor and an arsenal of new and improved equipment, including a shoulder-mounted cannon with flamethrower, extendable blade, and a new dash ability, you’re faster and deadlier than ever. Destroy every demon in your path with an upgraded array of guns and mods, including the Super Shotgun’s new Meat Hook attachment to pull yourself point blank with the faces of hell.

Rip More, Tear More
Obliterate more demons than ever before, each with their own attacks and abilities. Fan-favorite classics such as the Pain Elemental, Archvile, and Arachnotron make their return, while a horde of totally-new demons join the roster including the Doom Hunter and corrupted Marauders. Doom Eternal’s “Destructible Demons” system takes your power fantasy to new levels by ensuring that every trigger pull has never felt better.

All-New Invasion
As the Slayer, allow real players to invade your campaign as demons for a dramatic and unpredictable twist anytime you’re playing the campaign. Or join the ranks of the damned yourself as you become a demon and invade a friend or other player’s campaign. Invade others either by yourself or with another player, as part of a hunting party, to give the Slayer a true taste of Hell.

We’re Not on Mars Anymore
Rip and tear across epic, never-before-seen worlds. Witness the tumbling skyscrapers of Hell on Earth; battle through an invasion of the mammoth BFG 10,000 on Phobos; and discover the ancient secrets of the Doom universe. With idTech7, every environment is brought to life in unprecedented detail.

Doom Eternal doesn’t currently have a release date, but it is currently in development at id Software for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

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