Most Recent: PS4

New Retail Releases: Injustice 2, Fire Emblem Echoes, The Surge, More

Posted on May 14, 2017 by John Scalzo

The DC Universe will descend into civil war once more with this week’s release of Injustice 2 for the PS4 and Xbox One. But in addition to a new antagonist (Brainiac), the latest one-on-one fighting game from NetherRealm Studios will introduce a special Gear System that allows players to customize their favorite character in interesting new ways.

Speaking of war, Nintendo will also launch Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia for the 3DS this week. Widely expected to be the final Fire Emblem game released for the 3DS, Echoes is an enhanced remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, which was originally released in 1992, and only in Japan.

A wholly different type of RPG will be available from Focus Home and Deck 13, as they’ll release The Surge for the PS4 and Xbox One. An action RPG set in a science fiction setting, The Surge requires players to augment their character with technological enhancements and scavenge additional powerups from dismembered enemies.

Finally this week, the sugary and sweet Cooking Mama franchise returns to the 3DS with Cooking Mama: Sweet Shop. Seems like a rather appropriate choice for Mother’s Day.

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

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Tom Brady gets a “GOAT Edition” as the cover athlete of Madden NFL 18

Posted on May 13, 2017 by John Scalzo

Ever since he helped the New England Patriots win Super Bowl LI in February, the sports world has been debating whether or not Tom Brady is the “Greatest Of All Time” (the “GOAT”). Yesterday, EA Sports delivered their opinion on the matter by announcing that Brady would grace the cover of Madden NFL 18, as well as a special “GOAT Edition” of the game.

“The Madden NFL 18 cover is a great honor for me,” said Brady. “Especially since I have been playing the game since growing up next to EA headquarters in the Bay Area. I’m not one to believe in curses, so I’m ready to take the challenge head on like always! It doesn’t stand a chance!!!”

Madden NFL 18 is once again in development at EA Tiburon and will use EA’s proprietary Frostbite engine for the first time. According to the publisher, the Frostbite engine will provide “a significant visual leap” for the franchise.

EA Sports also unveiled the first teaser trailer for Madden NFL 18, but fans will have to wait until this year’s E3 Expo for a more in-depth look at the game. As part of this presentation, EA Sports will reveal a brand new story mode for Madden NFL 18 patterned after FIFA 17‘s The Journey.

Fans who pre-order Madden NFL 18 will receive a pair of Ultimate Team bonuses including an Elite player from their favorite NFL team and five Squad Packs. Those who opt for the GOAT Edition will also receive the “GOAT Player” of their choice for the popular mode. And in addition to these bonuses, the GOAT Edition will also feature a three-day early access period.

Madden NFL 18 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on August 25.

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Here’s the first gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops III – Zombies Chronicles

Posted on May 11, 2017 by John Scalzo

Activision and Treyarch unveiled the Zombies Chronicles expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III earlier this week, and now they’re back with a brand new gameplay trailer.

The Zombies Chronicles expansion goes back to the beginning of the popular co-op mode with eight rebuilt and remastered maps including “Nacht der Untoten,” “Verruckt,” “Shi No Numa,” “Kino Der Toten,” “Ascension,” “Shangri-La,” “Moon,” and “Origins.” It’ll be available to download for the PS4 on May 16, before coming to the PC and Xbox One later this Spring.

And in case you were wondering… yes, the trailer is soundtracked by a cover of Flock of Seagulls’s “I Ran (So Far Away).”

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EA delays BioWare’s untitled next game and EA Sports UFC 3

Posted on May 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts hosted their quarterly financial report yesterday, and while the publisher was quite proud of their increased revenues, they also chose to delay two upcoming titles.

BioWare is fresh off the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, and the developer was planning to launch a brand new game unconnected to any of their previous franchises in Early 2018. But according to CEO Andrew Wilson, that title has been pushed back to “Fiscal Year 2019” (April 1, 2018 – March 31, 2019) to make it more “disruptive”:

Looking forward, we will continue our aggressive pace of innovation through experiences that capitalize on our technology, network and creativity. We are very pleased with the progress of our new action IP from BioWare. The design is stunning, gameplay mechanics are excellent, and the action will be exhilarating. This game is built around a live service, and through our creative process, we’ve decided to add more to the disruptive new social designs for our players. To accommodate that, we are moving the launch date for this project into Fiscal Year 2019.

Earlier in the same presentation, Wilson also confirmed that EA Sports UFC 3 won’t be released by the end of the year as originally planned. The fighting game is now scheduled to launch in Early 2018.

With the 2017 E3 Expo less than four weeks away, we’ll likely learn more about both of these games soon.

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LocoRoco Remastered, Strafe, NBA Playgrounds, more added to PS Store

Posted on May 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s another throwback day for the PlayStation Store as several classic games receive re-releases on new platforms and long-forgotten genres get another chance with the gaming public.

First up is LocoRoco Remastered, a PS4 re-release of a quirky puzzle platformer originally released for the PSP. Players will need to tilt LocoRoco’s world of “blowing flowers, lively creatures, and pastel scenery” to fight back against a group of evil outer space creatures.

Also available to download this week is Strafe, a retro-styled first person shooter for the PS4 that includes procedurally-generated levels and tons of gore. And speaking of retro style, Saber Interactive has brought back the arcade antics of the NBA Jam franchise in NBA Playgrounds, which also launched yesterday for the PS4.

Fans of the Harvest Moon series will be pleased to learn that Yasuhiro Wada is back with another life simulation, Birthdays the Beginning. It’s launching on the PS4 alongside Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland, which was originally released for the PS2 in 2001. Resident Evil: Code Veronica X was also added to the PS2-On-PS4 section of the PlayStation Store yesterday.

You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged , , ,

New Agents of Mayhem trailer introduces the showboating “Franchise Force”

Posted on May 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

Volition wants to bring back the sugary goodness of Saturday Morning Cartoons this Summer with Agents of Mayhem. That mentality is definitely on display in this new trailer for the game, which introduces viewers to the “Franchise Force,” a trio of agents with big guns and bigger personalities:

As the “Face of MAYHEM,” Hollywood thinks of the agency as a franchise which needs to be marketed. With Fortune and Hardtack making up some of the first recruited agents, it only seemed natural the three of them should be the driving “force” behind that “franchise.” Thus Franchise Force was born! Of course, it also helps their combat capabilities complement each other well since Fortune is swift and damaging, Hardtack is tough and deadly at close range, and Hollywood combines both of the previous two traits with precision skill.

Volition wants to give players plenty of options for superheroics in Agents of Mayhem, and that includes the ability to create three-member Squads with instantaneous swapping, “allowing the best agent for a particular fight or task in your squad of three to replace the currently active one.” Sounds very similar to another “Saturday Morning” game from the NES era… 1989’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Agents of Mayhem will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on August 15.

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Learn “Everything You Need to Know” about Injustice 2 in this trailer

Posted on May 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

NetherRealm Studios has been bombarding the Internet with a near-constant barrage of Injustice 2 trailers over the last few months. In that time, the developer has uploaded more than a dozen new trailers focusing on the game’s story, characters, and unique Gear System. But even if you’ve watched every second of video so far, you should still press Play on the new “Everything You Need to Know” trailer.

Once you do, you’ll become privy to more than five minutes of new gameplay footage, which also includes a first look at Injustice 2’s ladder-style Multiverse, team-based Guilds, and the mobile version. As Batman would say, are you prepared?

Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on May 16, and the mobile version will be available for Android and iOS devices sometime this month.

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Capcom unveils a trailer for Ed, Street Fighter V’s next downloadable fighter

Posted on May 8, 2017 by John Scalzo

Street Fighter V‘s 2017 Season Pass continues to roll on with the reveal of Ed, the young commander of Bison’s Shadaloo forces. Raised by Balrog, Ed’s boxing prowess is augmented by Bison’s Psycho Power, which you can see in his embedded debut trailer.

Introduced to the franchise in Street Fighter IV, Ed is a rather unique character in that his special moves are performed with “simultaneous button presses, repeatedly pressing a button, or holding down a button.” A lengthy rundown of Ed’s fighting style was posted on the Capcom-Unity blog this morning:

Character Overview
At a young age, Ed was kidnapped and experimented on by S.I.N., a division of Shadaloo, in order to become a replacement body for M. Bison. Many of you might remember a young Ed appearing in Rose’s Street Fighter IV story and Balrog’s story in Super Street Fighter IV. Due to the experiments, Ed’s body ages faster than normal humans until they are old enough to be suited for battle. Since Balrog raised Ed, his fighting is centered on boxing but since he carries M. Bison’s genes, his fighting style is enhanced by Psycho Power.

Night after night he is troubled by Bison’s ghost, and struggles desperately to prevent M. Bison from possessing his body.

V-Skill: Psycho Snatcher
Ed releases Psycho Power from his palm, pulling himself or opponents depending on how long he charges it up.

V-Trigger: Psycho Cannon
With a full V-meter, Ed releases an enormous amount of Psycho Power. He can follow alongside it, allowing him to pepper in shots when it connects with the opponent.

Critical Art: Psycho Barrage
Ed lunges forward with a series of punches. If at any point he connects, he’ll continue weaving around the opponent, slipping in quick combinations of Psycho-punches ending with a powerful uppercut.

Street Fighter V fans will get their first chance to go toe-to-toe with Ed this weekend during the next Capcom Fighters Network beta test. The test includes access to all previously-released characters, and it’ll run from Thursday, May 11, through Sunday, May 14, on the PC and PS4.

A final release date for Ed will be announced “in the coming weeks.”

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