Most Recent: PS4

Orisa, a robotic Tank, will be the next character added to Overwatch

Posted on March 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

Every good hero needs a name… which is why “OR-15” wasn’t a worthy moniker for the latest creation from robotics prodigy Efi Oladele. Instead, she rechristened her new companion as “Orisa,” and the robotic Tank will be the next playable character added to Overwatch.

Orisa is now available for testing in the game’s Public Test Region, and will be added to the full game at a later date. But in the meantime, you can learn more about the character at PlayOverwatch.com:

Orisa serves as the central anchor of her team, and defends her teammates from the frontline with a protective barrier. She can attack from long range, fortify her own defenses, launch graviton charges to slow and move enemies, and deploy a Supercharger to boost the damage output of multiple allies at once.

Overwatch’s Game Director, Jeff Kaplan, further delved into what makes Orisa tick in a new Developer Update video, which can be found after the break. (more…)

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

NetherRealm adds some magic to Injustice 2 with addition of Doctor Fate to game’s roster

Posted on March 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

NetherRealm Studios continues to dig deep for new additions to Injustice 2, and today’s announcement that Doctor Fate will be joining the roster of playable characters is just further proof of their quest to explore the darker corners of the DC Universe.

Doctor Fate is actually Kent Nelson, a young archaeologist who learned the arcane secrets of sorcery from Nabu the Wise. You can watch him deliver a magical beatdown on Superman in the trailer embedded above.

Injustice 2 will offer a wide variety of character customization options thanks to its brand new Gear System, and NetherRealm showed it off to Sid Shuman of the PlayStation Blog at this week’s Game Developers Conference. If you’ve ever wanted to build Batman’s anti-Superman suit, Injustice 2 might just give you the chance:

Gear revolves around four main body parts — head, chest, arms, and legs — plus an “accessory” (think Harley Quinn’s pistols). Most gear you collect will buff at least one of your four base stats: Strength and Ability determine the offensive power of basic attacks and special moves, while Defense and Health dictate how much damage your superhero can absorb.

More exotic effects — resistance to environmental damage, earning XP more quickly — come via “augmentations” found on some higher-tier items. Full gear sets, such as Batman’s kryptonite-infused outfit, are likely to be especially prized because they can grant dramatic bonuses when fully assembled.

After playing dress-up, you can apply shaders to alter your hero’s color schemes in some striking ways. A purple-clad Superman? Why not! I’m expecting to see some seriously creative designs here come May.

Injustice 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on May 16.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged ,

The biggest Beta in Ubisoft’s history belongs to Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Brittney Williams

Click to Enlarge

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands just made history for Ubisoft, as it recently hosted the largest Beta phase in the company’s history. According to the UbiBlog, over 6.8 million players joined in on the fun during the Closed and Open Betas for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, marking the largest player engagement that Ubisoft has ever seen during a beta phase.

Ubisoft compiled several other staggering statistical records in the infographic embedded to your right. Beta participants played more than two billion minutes of Wildlands, and over 60% of players teamed up with their friends to test out four-player co-op for the first time in the Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon franchise.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands takes place in a future narco-state version of Bolivia, overrun by the Santa Blanca drug cartel. Players must eliminate the drug cartel using deadly force and a combination of playstyles, including four-player co-op or solo play… both of which were playable during the Beta phase. However, Beta participants only scratched the surface of the game, as the Closed and Open Beta allowed players to only explore two of the 21 provinces in the game (Itacua and Montuyoc).

Participants of the Closed Beta, Open Beta, and Technical Test will all be treated to the Unidad Conspiracy Pack. The Unidad Conspiracy Pack will feature three exclusive missions, which will be located in the Media Luna region. Players will also receive one of the Unidad Strongholds. The Unidad Conspiracy Pack will be available for download post launch.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands goes on sale on March 7, 2017 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

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

Horizon Zero Dawn, Torment Tides of Numenera, Suikoden IV, more added to PS Store

Posted on March 1, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s time to venture into a new kind of post-apocalyptic world as Sony and Guerrilla Games will release Horizon: Zero Dawn exclusively for the PS4 this week. Now available to download from the PlayStation Store, join Aloy as she explores an Earth that has left humanity behind. Between the robotic wildlife that roam the remnants of the world and the tribal warfare that threatens to snuff out the last of mankind, there are sure to be many secrets to discover in Horizon: Zero Dawn.

Several other epic adventures are available to download this week through the PlayStation Store, including Torment: Tides of Numenera, a sci-fi RPG for the PS4. Built from the ground up as a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, Tides of Numenera takes place one billion years in the future and asks players to explore a world “built on the bones of extinct, hyper-advanced civilizations.”

Also available this week is Suikoden IV, an RPG that was originally released for the PS2 in 2004. PS3 owners can now purchase Suikoden IV as part of the PS2 Classics program, and discover the origins of the Rune of Punishment.

Finally this week, Square Enix will give PS4 owners the chance to download A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV for free. Previously available as a pre-order bonus for Final Fantasy XV, A King’s Tale is a retro-styled 2D brawler that takes place 30 years before the events of the main game.

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 ,

Video Game History Foundation wants to create a digital record of the industry’s past

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Frank Cifaldi is a developer who has worked on Mega Man Legacy Collection and IDARB, but he is also the founder of the Video Game History Foundation, a new non-profit that seeks to preserve and digitize the history of video games.

The Video Game History Foundation launched their first “Digital Collection” yesterday, focusing on The NES Launch in 1985. Cifaldi is also seeking donations to expand the scope of the Foundation, as detailed on their “What We’re Doing” page:

The heart of the Foundation is its digital library, an online repository of artifacts related to the history of video games and video game culture. The ultimate goal is to create a searchable, organized, always-online archive of verified, high-quality material that is accessible to researchers and historians as a public education resource.

All donations to the Video Game History Foundation are tax deductible, and I can’t wait to see what collections they come up with next.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Etcetera, Mobile, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Ubisoft is developing another game based on James Cameron’s Avatar

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Avatar is nearly ten years old, and practically absent from the current pop culture landscape, but director James Cameron continues to insist that he’ll release the first of four sequels to his Oscar-nominated sci-fi spectacle in 2018. Today, Ubisoft announced it’ll be accompanied by a brand new Avatar game, which is in development at Massive Entertainment.

Massive Entertainment is best known for their work on Tom Clancy’s The Division, and they plan to work closely with Cameron’s Lighstorm Entertainment to bring recreate Pandora for players:

The new game will return PC and console players to the Avatar universe, using Massive’s Snowdrop engine – also used in The Division and the upcoming South Park: The Fractured But Whole – to bring Pandora’s unique terrain and inhabitants to life. It was after seeing a Snowdrop-run game prototype, in fact, that Avatar creator James Cameron and Lightstorm agreed to the partnership.

“With the power of Massive’s Snowdrop engine, and the team’s passion and obsessive focus on detail, we know they’re the right group to bring the beauty and danger of Pandora to life,” Cameron told the UbiBlog.

Representatives from Massive Entertainment are in attendance at this year’s Game Developers Conference, and hope to hire a number of new developers to help them work on this Avatar project. You can find a list of open positions at their official website.

Massive’s Avatar game is currently without a title or a release date, however, we do know it’s in the works for “PC and consoles.”

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

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is getting a $300 Mithril Edition at GameStop

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Yesterday, WB Games announced that Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will be released in August, but the publisher has also partnered with GameStop to produce a wallet-busting special edition of the game for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Priced at $299.99, the Mithril Edition will include a huge statue of a Tar-Goroth Balrog battling against a Carnan Drake, as well as access to “Gold Edition” downloadable content, and lots of other loot:

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Mithril Edition

  • Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Gold Edition in Exclusive Steelcase
    • Nemesis Expansion: Outlaw Tribe
    • Nemesis Expansion: Slaughter Tribe
    • Story Expansion: Blade of Galadriel
    • Story Expansion: Desolation of Mordor
    • In-Game Item: Gold War Chest
  • Limited Edition 12″ Tar-Goroth Balrog Vs Carnan Drake Statue
  • Magnetic Ring of Power in Premium Case
  • Official Game Music Soundtrack
  • Cloth Map of Mordor
  • Collection of Exclusive Lithographs
  • Tribe Sticker Pack
  • In-Game Item: Mithril War Chest (Exclusive)
  • Collector’s Box

If you’re uninterested in yet another towering statue, but are looking forward to more in-game content for Shadow of War, WB Games is selling the Gold Edition of the game by itself for $99.99. A download-only Silver Edition will also be available for $79.99.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will be released on August 22.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Double Dragon IV Review: Still Cyclone Kicking After All These Years

Posted on February 27, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s 2017… How do you review a game like Double Dragon IV?

Designed by Arc System Works as a direct sequel to Double Dragon II: The Revenge (the events of the third game chronologically take place after the first), Double Dragon IV recreates the franchise’s NES-era look down to the last pixel. Even after playing it, if you had told me that Technos (the original developer behind the series) found an unfinished Double Dragon sequel from 1991 and released it last month as a brand new game, I would have believed you. But in a way, that’s exactly what they did.

Though it was only announced in December 2016, Arc System Works recruited a good portion of the original Technos team to help bring their vision for Double Dragon IV to life. Director Yoshihisa Kishimoto, Producer Takaomi Kaneko, Character Designer Koji Ogata, Programmer Kei Oyama, and Composer Kazunaka Yamane all signed on to help bring the sequel to life.

But is it a good game in these early months of 2017? Umm… (more…)

Posted in PC, PS4, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged