Most Recent: PC

Supergiant narrates Bastion’s XBLA launch tomorrow

Posted on July 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion on the Xbox Live Arcade is finally here and Supergiant Games’ Bastion is up first. The action RPG looks very reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda and the Warp Zoned staff loved it at this year’s PAX East. If Bastion is new to you, you can check out the launch trailer above to get a taste of the game’s constant narration or there’s a description right here:

Bastion is an action role-playing experience that redefines storytelling in games, with a reactive narrator who marks your every move. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey!

Bastion will be available to download from the XBLA tomorrow for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15). A PC version is also in the works, which will be available later this year.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox 360 | Tagged

New Releases: Captain America, Just Dance Summer Party, Call of Juarez The Cartel

Posted on July 16, 2011 by John Scalzo

I realize that Harry Pottermania has taken over the world, but there are still plenty of new games coming to stores this week.

First, there’s Sega’s tale of the man who punched Hitler in the jaw, Captain America: Super Soldier, for the DS, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. A very different kind of fight is going on in Ubisoft’s Call of Juarez: The Cartel (PC, PS3, Xbox 360) as a cowboy cop takes on the drug cartels. Finally, you can do a little dance with another Ubisoft title, Just Dance: Summer Party for the Wii.

Hmm, while it’s probably too early to pass judgement on all of these games, going to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 again might not be a bad idea.

Check out the full list of the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)

Posted in DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,

Call of Duty Elite beta begins

Posted on July 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

Activision has announced that the Call of Duty Elite beta has begun and a “limited number” of invitations have been sent out.

Call of Duty Elite is the publisher’s new community service for the Call of Duty franchise and it’ll officially launch on November 8 alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. For now, Xbox 360-owning Call of Duty: Black Ops players will serve as guinea pigs during the beta test. Naturally, the service will expand to PC and PS3 owners after the official launch.

The Call of Duty Elite beta will test select features such as “stat tracking, the use of custom player groups, competitive events and video sharing.” The final beta, which Activision calls “a major upgrade,” will feature extensive clan support, a mobile/web app and video content created by top Hollywood talent.

“Call of Duty Elite is all about connecting our amazing fans around the globe in ways never before possible and we are excited to get their feedback so they can help us further develop, tune and test the service, as we head into our launch in November with Modern Warfare 3,” says Chacko Sonny, Studio Head, Beachhead Studio.

Activision will continue to release more Call of Duty Elite beta invites in the coming weeks.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Duke Nukem Forever takes a number two on June bestseller list

Posted on July 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

Duke Nukem Forever gives players the option to fish a turd out of the toilet bowl and smear it all over the walls of the game world. So it seems rather fitting that Duke’s latest adventure has landed in the #2 spot in The NPD Group’s list of bestselling games for the month of June. The Mighty Duke was toppled by Rockstar’s L.A. Noire; the detective yarn is celebrating its second straight month at the top after it lead the May NPD report as well.

A trio of other June releases also earned their way into the top ten. Sony’s InFamous 2 took the #3 spot, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D hookshotted its way into #5 and Cars 2 stopped for gas at #9.

You can find the full top ten after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

EA shutting down more multiplayer servers

Posted on July 14, 2011 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts is planning to perform another of their periodic server shutdowns next month. On August 11th, online play for nearly a dozen games will be retired. Two more shutdowns will follow in October. About half of the titles are EA Sports games that have long since been replaced by newer editions. But if you still play action games like Army of Two or Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, your online time will be coming to an end.

And sadly, any multiplayer Achievements/Trophies associated with these games will be forever unobtainable very soon.

The full list of server shutdowns can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Dead Island shambles into stores September 6; Comic-Con panel includes zombie experts

Posted on July 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

After months of teasing, Deep Silver has finally announced an official release date for Dead Island. The first person zombie game will be available for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 6.

To help celebrate the game’s pending release, Deep Silver plans to hold a master class at Comic-Con to explore “society’s fascination with the Zombie genre as a whole, and demonstrate how creative talent are harnessing medical science to define and explore horror entertainment in more realistic (and therefore more frightening and engaging) ways.” The panelists represent some of the foremost experts in the field of zombology and will surely provide a lively (so to speak) discussion:

  • Max Brooks, universal zombie expert and author of The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks
  • Haris Orkin, writer of the anticipated video game, Dead Island
  • Steve Schlozman, M.D., author of The Zombie Autopsies and assistant professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
  • Bradley Voytek, Ph.D., Post-doctoral Fellow: Neuroscience, University of California, San Francisco
  • Andrew Groen, freelance journalist and editor of GamePro Magazine’s “Real Science” column
  • Bruce Geryk, M.D., Resident Physician, Department of Neurosurgery, University of North Carolina Hospitals

The panel, titled “The Science of Zombies,” will be held at the San Diego Convention Center – Room 8 on July 22 at 7:30 PM.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

EA buys PopCap for $750 million

Posted on July 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

PopCap Games, the casual gaming powerhouse behind such franchises as Bejeweled, Plants vs Zombies and Zuma, has been acquired by Electronic Arts for $750 million ($650 million in cash and $100 million in shares of EA common stock). PopCap had recently been mulling a public IPO, but it looks like EA swooped in and made a better deal.

“We picked EA because they have recast their culture around making great digital games,” said David Roberts, CEO of PopCap. “By working with EA, we’ll scale our games and services to deliver more social, mobile, casual fun to an even bigger, global audience.”

Executives on EA’s end also sound thrilled with the PopCap purchase.

“EA and PopCap are a compelling combination,” said EA CEO John Riccitiello. “PopCap’s great studio talent and powerful IP add to EA’s momentum and accelerate our drive towards a $1 billion digital business. EA’s global studio and publishing network will help PopCap rapidly expand their business to more digital devices, more countries, and more channels.”

I hope the marriage between PopCap and EA works out for the best. Now, can I have a sequel to Heavy Weapon?

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

Deus Ex “Conspiracy” trailer has more to it than it’s letting on

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

In our exclusive interview with the Game Director of Deus Ex, Jean-Francois Dugas let us know how important it was for the team to create a plot where the player is always guessing at who to trust and what’s really going on. In addition the same great visuals and sound we’ve gotten from past trailers, the latest Deus Ex: Human Revolution piece captures that there’s some really shady stuff going on.

We’ll all get a chance to figure out exactly what that is when Deus Ex relases for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 on August 23.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged