Most Recent: PS3

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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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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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is “Game of the Year” at 2016 GDC Awards

gdcawardsThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt might be the last game in CD Projekt’s Witcher saga, but it’s first in the eyes of voters at the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards. The final adventure for Geralt of Rivia was awarded “Game of the Year” honors at the annual ceremony, as well as “Best Technology” for “its complex game engine that combines brilliant visuals with a huge game world.”

However, the big winner of the night was Sam Barlow’s Her Story. After cleaning up earlier in the day at the IGF Awards, Her Story also collected the “Innovation Award,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Handheld/Mobile Game” at the 2016 GDC Awards.

The only other multi-award winner was Ori and the Blind Forest, which shone brightly as the winner of “Best Visual Art” and “Best Debut.”

As they do every year, the Game Developers Choice jury also distributed a trio of special awards at this year’s ceremony. The “Ambassador Award” was given to Tracy Fullerton, professor and Director of the University of Southern California Game Design program. Bethesda’s Todd Howard won a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his work with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises. And finally, Markus “Notch” Persson, the creator of Minecraft, was praised with the “Pioneer Award.”

(more…)

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EA Sports UFC 2, Salt and Sanctuary, Paragon, more added to PS Store

Sony uploaded a massive number of new titles to the PlayStation Store this week, so let’s get started…

This week’s top release is most likely EA Sports UFC 2 (PS4), the latest mixed martial arts simulation from Electronic Arts. In the sequel, players can take control of more than 250 fighters, or use the Create-A-Fighter mode to enter The Octagon as themselves. EA has also promised that EA Sports UFC 2 will include a deeper Career Mode and a “revolutionary new Knockout Physics system.”

This week also marks the kickoff of Sony’s Launch Party 2016 promotion, and the first game to be released is Salt and Sanctuary from Ska Studios. The PS4 game is a “brutal” side-scrolling adventure with “richly developed RPG mechanics.”

Paragon, Epic’s upcoming MOBA for the PS4, will also be available this week on March 18. The game will eventually be free-to-play, but the $19.99 Founder’s Pack will be the only way to play during the game’s current “Early Access” period.

Finally this week, the arcade classic Bubble Bobble is now available to download on the PS4. If you’ve never had the chance to spit bubbles as Bub and Bob, now’s your chance to fill a major gap in your knowledge of video game history.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And, as always, a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan will be released on May 24

The pizza chefs at Activision and Platinum Games have been hard at work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan for a while now, but they’re finally ready to offer up a delivery guarantee. According to a new trailer posted by IGN, the game will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on May 24.

And speaking of that new trailer, it features a double order of boss battles including Bebop, Rocksteady, Karai, Krang, Shredder, and Super Shredder. You should definitely check it out… and don’t forget to tip your delivery boy.

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The Walking Dead: Michonne Episode 2 will be released on March 29

Telltale has announced that the second episode of The Walking Dead: Michonne will be released on March 29. Titled “Give No Shelter,” Michonne is on the run from the leaders of Monroe while memories of her daughter cloud her thoughts:

In Episode 2, “Give No Shelter,” a daring escape from the floating colony of Monroe sees Michonne, Pete, and Sam running for their lives. An all too brief reprieve is soon shattered; the leaders of Monroe don’t forgive and don’t forget. With memories of her daughters bleeding ever further into Michonne’s blurred reality, her world is becoming increasingly fractured… just at the point when she’ll need all of her skills to survive.

In development for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices, The Walking Dead: Michonne is a three-episode miniseries set within the universe of The Walking Dead comic. A new trailer highlighting some of the choices available in the first episode, “In Too Deep,” has been embedded above.

The miniseries will conclude in April with the final episode, “What We Deserve.”

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New Releases: Pokken Tournament, EA Sports UFC 2, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, More

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Put your dukes up, this week’s new release report is looking for a fight…

Nintendo and Bandai Namco kick things off with Pokken Tournament, a Wii U adaptation of the relatively recent arcade game. If you’ve ever wanted to take control of your favorite Pokemon as they battle it out, now’s your chance.

A bit more down to Earth, but featuring fighters who are equally bizarre (cough Mike Tyson cough), is EA Sports UFC 2. EA’s second trip inside “The Octagon” for the PS4 and Xbox One promises a more realistic fighting experience and deeper Career options.

Also available this week is Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for the 3DS. While the two mascots won’t be trading blows, the Olympics always bring out a strong sense of competition for the whole world. And Mario versus Sonic is a fight that’ll probably never be settled.

Finally this week, Terraria is now available as a retail release for the 3DS, and Need For Speed will race onto the PC.

A full list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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