Most Recent: PS4

CoD: Black Ops III, Fallout 4, SW: Battlefront lead November 2015’s best-selling games

Posted on December 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Not surprisingly, a trio of shooters took the top three spots in the NPD Group’s recounting of November 2015’s best-selling games.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III scored another big win for Activision (and the Black Ops sub-series) with its claim on the top spot. It was followed by Fallout 4 at #2 and Star Wars: Battlefront at #3. With shooters holding on to the top of the list, sports games looked in for the next four places… Madden NFL 16 (#4), NBA 2K16 (#5), FIFA 16 (#6), and Need For Speed (#7). What? I’m sure someone, somewhere, thinks of illegal street racing as a sport.

The final three spots in the NPD’s November 2015 list include repeat appearances from Halo 5: Guardians (#8) and Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate (#9), along with a strong Black Firday-assisted performance from Just Dance 2016 (#10).

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD’s Liam Callahan confirmed that the PS4 and Xbox One are having a monster Fall: “After 25 months, the combined sales for the PS4 and the Xbox One are 47% higher than the combined sales for 25 months of PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware sales.”

You can find the NPD’s November 2015 top ten in handy list format after the break. (more…)

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Square Enix: Final Fantasy VII Remake will “go beyond” original game

Posted on December 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Square Enix has been building towards Final Fantasy VII Remake for a long time now, and Producer Yoshinori Kitase has always said that any do-over of the groundbreaking RPG would require a significant amount of time and effort. Kitase chose to expand upon these thoughts today in a post on the Square Enix Blog, stating that a multi-part release is required for the Remake to “go beyond” the original game:

With Final Fantasy VII Remake, we have the opportunity to go beyond the story, world and experience of Final Fantasy VII in ways we’ve always dreamed of – from the depths of Midgar to the skies above the Planet. The multi-part format enables us to expand the original story and turn it into an epic experience for fans and new gamers alike.

Kitase added that, instead of adding content, cuts to the Remake would have been necessary if it were released in a single package:

We’ve seen everyone’s comments and reactions to the news that Final Fantasy VII Remake will be a multi-part series and many have speculated correctly as to the reason why we have made this decision. If we were to try to fit everything from the original into one remake instalment, we would have to cut various parts and create a condensed version of Final Fantasy VII. We knew none of you would have wanted that.

The Final Fantasy Remake is currently in development for the PS4, though it’ll be released on Sony’s system “first,” so expect to eventually make its way to the PC and/or Xbox One.

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Lichdom: Battlemage will be released for PS4, Xbox One on March 22

Posted on December 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

Maximum Games and Xaviant have announced their magic-based first person shooter, Lichdom: Battlemage, will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on March 22, 2016. Now available for the PC through Steam, Lichdom drops the cool downs and mana bars to foster a more action-packed atmosphere:

Lichdom: Battlemage centers on the concept of unbridled power and magic with absolutely no mana bars and zero cool downs. When the wicked overlord known as Shax rips your closest loved one from the world, you set out on a journey to hunt him down. Before you embark on your quest for vengeance, a wizard grants you unlimited magical powers and designates you “Dragon,” the most powerful battlemage on earth.

“The game is classic in its storytelling, yet completely unique in its gameplay,” said Christina Seelye, CEO of Maximum Games. “Like most magic games, there are definite RPG elements, but the game is pure action – through and through.”

The publisher and developer have also released a new trailer for Lichdom: Battlemage to accompany their announcement. You can find it embedded above.

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Bethesda opens studio in Montreal to work on “bleeding-edge of RPG development”

Posted on December 9, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Hot off the monumental success of Fallout 4, Bethesda has founded a new settlement in the wilds of Canada with the opening of a brand new studio in Montreal. Bethesda Game Studios Montreal will be lead by Yves Lachance (Fallout Shelter) and currently has a core team of 40 people. However, Bethesda has announced plans to expand the studio, and is currently recruiting developers to work on “the bleeding-edge of RPG development for the PC and consoles.”

“We’ve worked with some very talented developers in Montreal for a long time, and decided it was time to open a studio there,” said Todd Howard, Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios. “It’s exciting to think about the new games we’ll be building together.”

Bethesda’s many successes definitely give the team a few options for their first project. They could be spearheading one of Fallout 4’s upcoming expansions, working on a New Vegas-style spinoff, or maybe even doing pre-production work on the all-but-confirmed Elder Scrolls VI. Let us know what you think Bethesda Game Studios Montreal is working on in the comments below.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One |

Yakuza 5, Earth Defense Force 4.1, Earth Defense Force 2, more added to PS Store

Posted on December 9, 2015 by John Scalzo

earthdefenseforce-logoYakuza 5 was originally released in Japan in 2012, and three years later it has finally made its way to North America courtesy of the PlayStation Store. Faster than you can say, “just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in,” Kazuma Kiryu has been pulled away from his quiet life as a taxi driver and back into the Japanese underworld in the PS3 game.

Also available to download this week is a pair of bug-hunting games in the Earth Defense Force franchise. Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair brings the series to the PS4 for the first time in an enhanced and expanded remake of Earth Defense Force 2025. Meanwhile, Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders From Planet Space for the Vita brings the second game in the series to North America for the first time. EDF! EDF! EDF!

You won’t find any giant bugs in Among the Sleep for the PS4, but the psychological horror game does feature frightening images from a two year old child’s vivid imagination. And finally this week, there’s nothing imaginary about the zombie outbreak occurring in Guns, Gore, & Cannoli, a cartoony side-scroller set in the gangster’s paradise of the 1930s.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

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Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Russia have been delayed into 2016

Posted on December 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Ubisoft’s side-scrolling Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series has suffered another setback as the release dates of Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia have been pushed back into 2016. Originally scheduled to launch before the end of the year, Ubisoft will now release Chronicles: India on January 12 and Chronicles: Russia on February 9.

Both games, along with Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, will also be packaged together in a special “Trilogy” bundle on February 9. A digital download will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, while a retail disc will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One. Ubisoft also plans to release the “Trilogy” bundle for the Vita on April 5.

If you’re not familiar with the Assassin’s Creed Chronicles series, Ubisoft had this to say about both titles:

The second episode, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India, throws players into the tension between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company in 1841. When a Master Templar arrives with a mysterious item that used to belong to the Assassin Order, Arbaaz Mir must discover why the Templar has come, steal back the item and protect his friends and his lover.

The final episode, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia, takes place in 1918 when Assassin Nikolai Orelov must complete one last mission for the Assassin Order before he can leave with his family. His mission: infiltrate the house where the Tsar’s family is being held by the Bolsheviks and steal an artifact that has been fought over by Assassins and Templars for centuries. While too late to save the Tsar’s entire family, he manages to save the princess, Anastasia, whom he must protect as he escapes the Templars with her and the artifact in tow.

Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: India and Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: Russia will both be priced at $9.99 apiece. Unsurprisingly, the “Trilogy” bundle will be priced at $29.99.

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Harmonix adds three “intense” metal tunes to Rock Band 4 Music Store in today’s DLC Update; Brutal Mode added in a free update

Posted on December 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

Harmonix is getting loud in this week’s Rock Band 4 DLC Update as they’ve added new music from a trio of progressive metal bands to the Music Store. Priced at $1.99 apiece, Between the Buried and Me’s “The Coma Machine,” Opeth’s “Heir Apparent,” and Symphony X’s “Nevermore” can be downloaded now.

The hits keep on coming as the developer also added a brand new gameplay mode to Rock Band 4 today in a special free update. Brutal Mode will “put even the most hardcore players’ skills to the test” as it modifies the note highway to react to how well you’re playing. As your playing improves, Brutal Mode will push the target line further up the note highway until most of it is hidden. Players who complete this ridiculous challenge, which you can see in the trailer embedded above, will earn the coveted Crimson Star.

A preview trailer for this week’s new tracks can be found after the break. (more…)

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New Hot Shots Golf officially announced for PS4

Posted on December 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

Like the gallery at Augusta National, Sony was super quiet about New Hot Shots Golf during this weekend’s PlayStation Experience. But the cartoony golf franchise is most definitely in development for the PS4, and it was even playable on the show floor for fans looking to tee it up.

New Hot Shots Golf doesn’t have a release date yet, but we know that it’ll feature a “deep set” of character customization options (a first for the franchise), as well as local multiplayer, online multiplayer, and a Mission Mode. In development at Clap Hanz and Sony Japan Studio, SCEA’s Tomoyo Kimura recently talked a bit about the character customization options on the PlayStation Blog:

In past Hot Shots Golf games, unlocking new golfer characters and building a lineup of athletes with various strengths and weaknesses was key. However in New Hot Shots Golf, players start by creating and dressing their very own golfer, utilizing a deep set of customization tools. By playing and completing specific tasks, players can level up their personalized golfer and build strength for long drives, precise control for putting on the green, and more.

New Hot Shots Golf will also offer fully explorable courses for the first time. Players will be able to walk from hole-to-hole or hop in a golf cart and tear things up Caddyshack-style. There will be water hazards stocked with fish… turning your golf game into a fishing game!

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