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Video Game Canon- BAFTA Games Awards: All the Winners from 2003 to Today
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Most Recent: PS4
CoD Black Ops 4 Reveal: Treyarch ditches the Campaign Mode to “go deeper into the fiction of multiplayer”
Activision and Treyarch hosted their “Community Reveal” for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 earlier today, and they delivered a massive amount of information during the livestream.
First things first, the two companies confirmed the rumors that have been dogging Black Ops 4 for a few months now… the game won’t ship with a Campaign Mode. But Treyarch also said that this newfound focus on multiplayer will give them a chance to “[go] deeper than ever before into the fiction of multiplayer” with the game’s Specialists:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 features gritty, grounded combat, along with new levels of customization and tactical gameplay, and a variety of new weaponry, maps and modes for the ultimate Black Ops multiplayer experience. The game features the return of the iconic Pick 10 system, along with a series of innovations in weapon controls, combat flow, health regeneration, and player movement.
Black Ops 4 goes deeper than ever before into the fiction of multiplayer, where players will explore the world of Specialists… who they are, why they exist, and what battles they fight together… while mastering their gameplay through solo and multiplayer combat experiences. Black Ops 4 features a combination of new and returning Specialists, each with their own unique weapons, equipment, and playstyles. Players will be powerful alone, but devastating as a team working together.
A quick glimpse at some of the Specialists that’ll take part in Black Ops 4 can be found in the “Power In Numbers” Cinematic Trailer, which has been embedded above.
“Black Ops 4 is by far the most ambitious title our team has ever created,” said Dan Bunting, the Co-Studio Head, Treyarch. “At its core Black Ops has always been about challenging convention and boldly taking our gameplay in new directions. With Black Ops 4, we’ve designed an experience for all play styles and skill levels from casual to competitive. It brings a layer of tactical depth that rewards players for mastery, and just feels so good to play.”
Players who prefer to experience Call of Duty on the PC will be in for even more surprises. Treyarch has recruited Beenox and Blizzard to assist with development, which means Black Ops 4’s multiplayer will be playable on the PC through Battle.net (a first for the franchise). The game will also feature a wealth of control options, as well as support for an uncapped framerate, 4K resolution and HDR, ultra-wide monitors, and performance and visual quality customization.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 12. In the meantime, the first Gameplay Trailer can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
Dragon’s Crown Pro, Walden: A Game, Wizard of Legend, more coming to PS Store this week
Another batch of brand new PS4 games are coming to the PlayStation Store this week…
Leading the way is Dragon’s Crown Pro, a remastered re-release of Atlus’s PS3/Vita brawler. This new version of the game will feature English and Japanese audio options, as well as a newly recorded soundtrack, support for 4K visuals, and all previously-released downloadable content. Also available to download this week for the PS4 is Contingent99’s roguelike dungeon crawler, Wizard of Legend.
Finally, PS4 owners will be able to download Walden: A Game, an exploratory adventure that transforms Henry David Thoreau’s life at Walden Pond into a video game.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Dragon's Crown
Bethesda reveals first Gameplay Trailer for Rage 2 and confirms Spring 2019 launch date
As promised, Bethesda has pulled back the curtain on the first Gameplay Trailer for Rage 2. Bringing players back to the wild wasteland of the first game, Bethesda also confirmed that Rage 2 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in Spring 2019.
In addition, the publisher unveiled a bevy of gameplay and story details in a new post on Bethesda.net (and slipped in a few Walker: Texas Ranger jokes):
Mankind is in peril. In the decades following an asteroid’s devastation, most of the earth has become an unforgiving wildland where bloodthirsty factions vie for control of precious resources. Pockets of civilization have emerged to claim their space in the world, but the tentative peace they’ve established is being threatened. Rage 2 follows Walker, the last Ranger of Vineland, as he fights to survive the chaos of the dystopian world into which he was born. With a wide array of weapons, vehicles and strange powers, Walker sets off to take down the tyrannical Authority.
It’s the perfect mix: id Software’s first-person shooter pedigree, Avalanche Studios’ mastery of the open world sandbox, with a healthy dose of pedal-to-the-metal vehicle combat. From the swamplands and jungles where enemies lurk among the dense foliage, to the open deserts where a passing car is more likely to mow you down than offer you a ride, the world of Rage 2 is not a gentle, nurturing place. The people who have survived in this landscape have had to learn to protect themselves and keep their heads on a swivel, especially with the reemergence of a familiar menace.
Players will have other opportunities for mayhem in Rage 2’s open world by equipping special Nanotrite abilities:
Among the arrows he can choose from his Nanotrite ability quiver are the power to crush enemies into paste from above in a devastating slam attack or send them flying away from him with a lethal energy push. Walker will also learn to channel these Nanotrites into his weapons, pushing them into an awe-inspiring Overdrive, a unique skill that lets him push his guns beyond their limits and unleash absolute hell on his foes. Chain these abilities together to make Walker a powerhouse of destruction, quickly refilling his Overdrive meter. While in Overdrive, Walker’s guns do more damage, they gain new attributes, enemies drop better rewards and Walker’s health starts to regenerate. When timed correctly, Overdrive is more than enough to tip the scales in a tricky fight.
If you’re still hungry for more information about Rage 2, you’ll have to wait until this year’s E3 Expo to really dig in. Bethesda has said they’ll reveal a second Gameplay Trailer and even more details about Rage 2 during their BE3 Showcase on Sunday, June 10.
Cliff Bleszinski is shutting down Boss Key Productions to focus on his family
Cliff Bleszinski, gaming’s original “DudeBro” and the creator of the Gears of War franchise, has announced (via Twitter) that he is stepping away from game development to spend more time with his family.
The legendary developer got his start in the early 90s at Epic Games, and he would use his time at the company to produce a variety of hits, including Jazz Jackrabbit, Unreal, and Unreal Tournament. “CliffyB” would eventually take the reins to Gears of War, and he served as Lead Designer on the first three games in the franchise before leaving Epic in 2012.
Bleszinski would return as the face of Boss Key Productions in 2014. His team took a stab at the “Hero Shooter” genre in 2017 with LawBreakers, and they followed it up with Radical Heights, a free-to-play “Battle Royale” game, earlier this year. Both games “failed to gain traction” with players, and this likely lead to Bleszinski’s current sabbatical from the industry.
According to his statement, Bleszinski hopes to “someday” return to game development, but Boss Key Productions as an entity is “effectively no more”:
A statement: pic.twitter.com/LwJD54bCwL
— Cliff Bleszinski (@therealcliffyb) May 14, 2018
In a final message to his fans, Bleszinski thanked them for all their support over the years and said that the servers for Radical Heights will remain available for the near future.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged LawBreakers, Radical Heights
Bethesda officially announces Rage 2
After a spate of rumors pointed to an impending announcement for Rage 2, Bethesda has thrown up their hands and officially announced that the game is in development at id Software for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A short Teaser Trailer has been embedded above, and a longer Gameplay Trailer will be unveiled tomorrow. If the Teaser Trailer is any indication, the next Rage will be considerably sillier than its predecessor.
Rage ended on a huge cliffhanger, and while it wasn’t as well-loved as Doom or Quake, fans have been hoping that the developer would return to the game’s post-apocalyptic world in a sequel. Bethesda has also recruited Avalanche Studios, the team responsible for 2015’s Mad Max game, to assist in the creation of Rage 2.
The announcement of Rage 2 also ups the possibility that the rest of the games included in the recent Walmart Canada leak (as reported by Polygon) are real. So don’t be surprised when game publishers start announcing Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 6, Lego DC Supervillains, Gears of War 5, Assassin’s Creed 2018, and Just Cause 4 over the next few weeks.
A release date for Rage 2 has yet to be announced.
New Retail Releases: State of Decay 2 Ultimate Edition, Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition, Dragon’s Crown Pro, More

We’re coming around again on a lot of great new games this week, but first, Microsoft and Undead Labs have teamed up for a second time to bring us State of Decay 2 for the Xbox One. The zombie survival simulation includes cooperative multiplayer for up to four players, and the “Ultimate Edition” comes bundled with its predecessor, State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition.
But if you’re looking to replay an old favorite, or try it out for the first time in a spiffy new edition, there’s plenty of choices to be had…
Nintendo will re-release Hyrule Warriors for the Switch in a special Definitive Edition that includes everything from the action-packed Wii U game (Hyrule Warriors), as well as the bonus contest from the subsequent 3DS re-release (Hyrule Warriors Legends), and a pair of new costumes for Link and Zelda from Breath of the Wild.
Atlus is also upgrading one of their biggest titles from the previous generation, and the publisher will bring Dragon’s Crown Pro to the PS4 this week. The updated side-scrolling brawler will include English and Japanese audio options, as well as a newly recorded soundtrack, support for 4K visuals, and all previously-released downloadable content.
Atlus is also pulling the same trick on the 3DS this week with the launch of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux. The DS RPG has been upgraded with new story content, additional endings, and a new dungeon to explore.
Other games with new homes this week include THQ Nordic’s Battle Chasers: Nightwar (the RPG moving to the Switch), Red Star’s Hello Kitty Kruisers (the kart racer is also coming to the Switch), and IO Interactive’s Hitman: Definitive Edition (all previously-released content is now available in a single package for the PS4 and Xbox One.
Posted in 3DS, News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Dragon's Crown, Hitman, Hyrule Warriors, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, State of Decay 2
Square Enix once again reiterates that Kingdom Hearts III will be released in 2018

Square Enix hosted another quarterly financial briefing for investors this week, and the Japanese publisher once again reiterated that Kingdom Hearts III is on track to be released in 2018.
Kingdom Hearts III was first announced all the way back in 2013, and Square Enix has been slow to share more information about the RPG in the years since. However, several new trailers for the company’s latest Disneyfied crossover were released earlier this year, including one that revealed a world based on Monsters Inc and another that showcaseed the LCD-inspired Classic Kingdom.
If Kingdom Hearts III really is launching for the PS4 and Xbox One in 2018, we’ll likely learn more about it during this year’s E3 Expo.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Kingdom Hearts III
Blizzard adds “Pink Mercy” Skin to Overwatch until May 21 to support Breast Cancer research
For the next two weeks, the Heroes from Overwatch will do battle against Breast Cancer thanks to a new partnership between Blizzard and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
A brand new “Pink Mercy” Skin is now available to download for $14.99 on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. All proceeds from sales of the Skin will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, as will 50% of all proceeds from sales of a “Pink Mercy” T-Shirt at the Blizzard Gear Store. Both the in-game Skin and the real-world T-Shirt will be available until May 21.
You can hear Game Director Jeff Kaplan talk a bit more about the “Pink Mercy” campaign in the new Developer Update episode embedded above.







