Most Recent: PS4

Doom’s Open Beta will be held next week; Post-Launch DLC plans announcd

Posted on April 6, 2016 by John Scalzo

doom-alternatecoverBAfter a successful Closed Beta, Bethesda and id Software are ready to open up Doom to a wider audience. Beginning Friday, April 15, an Open Beta for the shooter sequel will be available for everyone who owns a PC, PS4, or Xbox One. Players will get three days to test out the Open Beta, which will include two maps (“Heatwave” and “Infernal”) and two game modes (Team Deathmatch and Warpath).

Bethesda also announced their plan for Doom’s post-launch downloadable content. In addition to bonus content for the SnapMap creation tool and additional multiplayer modes, the publisher will release three multiplayer map packs for Doom. The three packs will be priced at $14.99 apiece, and the first will launch this Summer. According to Bethesda, each pack will include a number of new maps, Hack Modules, playable demons, weapons and more, but if you want more specifics, the first pack will include three new maps, a new weapon, a new playable demon, a new armor set, a new piece of equipment, new Hack Modules and Taunts, and new customization colors and Patterns. A Season Pass, which includes access to all three packs, will also be available for $39.99.

Doom will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 13. And definitely be sure to check out the Open Beta, we absolutely loved this past weekend’s Closed Beta.

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

Enter the Gungeon, Mega Man Legends 2, Dirt Rally, more added to PS Store

Posted on April 6, 2016 by John Scalzo

Sony’s Launch Party promotion continues to disco deep into the night as Enter the Gungeon is now available to download for the PS4 through the PlayStation Store. The twin-stick shooter takes place in the legendary Gungeon (that’s Gun Dungeon for those who are blind to puns) and asks Gungeoneers to search the many hallways and catacombs for “a gun that can kill the past.” I have no idea what that means, but the animated Launch Trailer (embedded above) is a hoot.

Speaking of the past, Capcom will reach back into days gone by this week to release Mega Man Legends 2 on the PS3. The PSone Classic is the final game in the Legends series and a cult following has developed around the title over the years. If you’ve spent the last 15 years wondering what all the fuss is about… now’s your chance.

And in keeping with the indie theme of the Launch Party promotion, a quartet of popular indies are also available to download this week. This list includes Armature’s 10v10 multiplayer shooters, Dead Star (PS4); Quicktequila’s speedy and colorful shooter, Lovely Planet (PS4); Harmonix’s rhythm shooter, Amplitude (PS3); and Lab Zero’s cartoony fighter, Skullgirls 2nd Encore (Vita).

Finally this week, Codemasters will bring Dirt Rally to the PS4, while Ubisoft will launch the complete Assassin’s Creed Chronicles trilogy on the Vita.

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

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

Doom Beta Impressions: Hell Yes!

Posted on April 5, 2016 by John Scalzo

doom-header

The Doom franchise has spent the last decade going through Hell, but the recent Closed Beta for Doom has given me hope that a heavenly ascent is just around the corner. The game’s multiplayer battles are fast-paced and filled with wall-to-wall action. And being able to turn into a demon is just the kind of twist that all modern shooters need. (more…)

Posted in PC, Previews, PS4, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged

Creepy new Outlast II trailer hints at PAX East 2016 reveal

Posted on April 5, 2016 by John Scalzo

Red Barrels recently released a creepy new trailer for Outlast II that gives a strong hint as to when we’ll learn more about the game.

Similar to the satanic backmasking panic of the 70s and 80s, a secret message is hidden within the trailer’s rhythmic chanting when played backwards. However, in this case, the secret message is actually a fiery sermon delivered by a preacher. Helpfully decoded by YouTube user Ege Dora Kulaç (and embedded after the break), the message also hints at a special PAX East 2016 reveal for Outlast II:

Children! You lovers of God and defenders of his paradise. All our years of suffering come together now in this glorious day of peace. Peace!

Even in the corrupt and filthy tongue of the Romans in The Puritan City on the fourth month and 22nd day in the 16th year of the third millennium our reckoning begins. The spider-eyed lamb waits at the harlot’s breast hungry for this world. Ready or not, the good earth thirsts for blood and we, like the angels, must show no mercy. God loves you.

The reference to April 22 (the first day of PAX East) is clear enough, but the inclusion of “The Puritan City” (an old nickname for Boston) certainly seals the deal. And in case you were curious, here’s the full text of the Bible verse cited in the trailer’s title:

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones.

15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

I don’t know what any of it means, but it certainly is spooky. Outlast II is expected to be released this Fall for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One (more…)

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

Watch every Fatality from all ten Mortal Kombat games right here

Posted on April 5, 2016 by John Scalzo

What are you doing for the next two hours? Wait, don’t answer that yet. First, I want to draw your attention to the video embedded above, which features a replay of every Fatality ever performed in a Mortal Kombat game.

Compiled by YouTube user IZUNIY, the video includes hundreds of blood-soaked finishers, like Sub-Zero’s controversial “Spine Rip” from 1992’s Mortal Kombat, from the very beginning. From there, we jump through the many sequels, and all the Stage Fatalities, Animalities, Friendships, and Brutalities that were added to the franchise over the years. The compilation even includes the much gorier Fatalities from the four newest kombatants from the Mortal Kombat XL re-release.

So I ask again, what are you doing for the next two hours?

Posted in News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Retro, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

Pre-production on The Last of Us 2 will begin after release of Uncharted 4 DLC

Posted on April 4, 2016 by John Scalzo

thelastofus-logoIt’s no secret that Naughty Dog wants to make a sequel to The Last of Us, but development on The Last of Us 2 was put on the back burner as the studio completed their next adventure with Nathan Drake. But now that Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is finished, Naughty Dog is ready to start pre-production work on a sequel to Joel and Ellie’s cross-country trek. But first, the team will have to complete work on Uncharted 4’s single-player downloadable content.

Naughty Dog’s Creative Director, Neil Druckmann, told GamesRadar about the studio’s current timetable earlier today:

“Before my partner, Bruce [Straley] and I, my directing partner, came on to Uncharted 4 we were working on prototypes for different ideas within The Last of Us universe,” says Druckmann. He also teases that “without going into specific genres [there were] ideas outside the The Last of Us,” as well.

However, according to Druckmann, “all those things were left on hold when we had to come onto Uncharted 4 to direct the project.” Which obviously leaves the question: when will he and Bruce get back to thinking about clickers? “Our next focus is the single player [Uncharted 4] DLC and then, once we have enough resources, resurrect all those prototypes; see where we’re at, see where the teams at, what they’re excited for and go from there.”

Because of the nature of prototypes, it’s important to remember that Druckmann and his team might never give the green light to The Last of Us 2. And as he eludes to above, the developer could move on to a brand new intellectual property after the completion of Uncharted 4’s DLC. Whatever happens, I’m sure we’re all eager to find out what Naughty Dog is up to next.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged ,

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness will be released on June 28 in a Day One Edition and a Collector’s Edition

Posted on April 4, 2016 by John Scalzo

Square Enix has announced that Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness will make its PS4 debut on June 28. According to Square Enix, the latest entry in the Star Ocean franchise will be released “just in time for the Summer Blockbuster Season.” While I’m not sure the video game industry has anything close to a “Summer Blockbuster Season,” the new Story Trailer embedded above gives us a closer look into the lives of Fidel and his crew.

Players who are interested in purchasing Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness on June 28 will be able to choose from two different packages. The Day One Edition, priced at $59.99, will be available at retailers everywhere and include a copy of the game, two bonus background battle themes (from Valkyrie Profile and Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria), and several downloadable bonus items (The Ring of the Valkyries, Gold Bunny Statue, Bushybrume Cincture, Wristlet of the Stars, and Secret Sthalian Tome).

Meanwhile, the Collector’s Edition will sold exclusively through the Square Enix Online Store (for $109.99) and it’ll include a copy of the game and quite a bit of bonus content:

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness Collector’s Edition

  • Collector’s Edition Steelbook Case containing the game and The Sounds of Star Ocean, a CD sampler soundtrack featuring 16 tracks from famed composer Motoi Sakuraba.
  • The Art of Star Oceana an 80-page hardcover art book featuring art from the Star Ocean series.
  • Eight exclusive Art Cards featuring illustrations from character designer “Akiman.”
  • Pangalactic Federation ID Card
  • Six Background Battle Music Themes from Valkyrie Profile, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, and previous Star Ocean titles that fans can play during battle
  • Download Code for In-Game Items (The Ring of the Valkyries, Gold Bunny Statue, Bushybrume Cincture, Wristlet of the Stars and, Secret Sthalian Tome) that will aid Fidel and the crew on their journey

A closer look at the Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness Collector’s Edition is available after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Shadow of the Beast remake will be released for PS4 on May 17

Posted on April 3, 2016 by John Scalzo

Sony’s Shadow of the Beast remake has flown pretty far under the radar since its unveiling at Gamescom 2013. That could be because the original game, which was released for the Amiga in 1989, never found much success in North America. Whatever the reason, Sony announced earlier this week that the brutally difficult side-scroller will be released for the PS4 on May 17.

The consolemaker also uploaded a behind-the-scenes video for the game starring Matt Birch, the founder of Heavy Spectrum Games. Birch dives into the history of the franchise and story at the center of the game as he details the reasons behind Aarbron’s quest for revenge against the beast lord.

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