Most Recent: Vita

Journey on PS4, Tembo the Badass Elephant, F1 2015, more added to PS Store

Posted on July 22, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Sony kicked off their PSN Play promotion for 2015 this week with the release of Journey on the PS4. The lyrical adventure from thatgamecompany has enchanted gamers all over the world with its wordless story and its even downloadable for free if you already own the PS3 edition.

Also available this week is a whole slew of wacky and weird games that are sure to find their niche:

  • Tembo the Badass Elephant is a colorful side-scroller for the PS4 from Game Freak (the creators of Pokemon) and Sega. If that’s not enough for you, need I remind you that this is a BADASS elephant?
  • F1 2015 is the latest Formula One simulation from Codemasters and the first for the PS4.
  • Game of Thrones: A Nest of Vipers, available for the PS3 and PS4, is the fifth episode in Telltale’s episodic adaptation of the wildly popular HBO series.
  • Hatoful Boyfriend is a “pigeon dating simulator” that’s available as a Cross-Buy title for the PS4 and Vita.
  • Onechanbara Z2: Chaos is the latest game in the “bikini girls versus zombies” franchise and the first to be released in the US in more than five years.

More information on all of these new releases (and a few others) can be found after the break. And don’t forget, a complete rundown of this week’s discounts and new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

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Double Fine’s documentary chronicling Broken Age’s development has reached its last episode

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Josh Griffiths

In early 2012, Double Fine nearly broke the game industry when they introduced the words “Crowdfunding” and “Kickstarter” to many gamers for the first time. The crowdfunding model has become a fixture of the gaming landscape in the years since, and while Double Fine’s campaign may not have been the first, they certainly made it a viable option that developers such as Brian Fargo and Keiji Inafune would eventually use.

Along with the game that would eventually become Broken Age, Double Fine also produced a behind-the-scenes documentary series with 2 Player Productions known as Double Fine Adventure. In Schafer’s words, he wanted to “show us how the sausage was made.”

After more than three years of filming, and twenty main episodes (along with countless extra “Sidequest” episodes), the documentary reached it’s grand conclusion over the weekend. Originally, the series was an exclusive for Kickstarter backers, but as the game neared completion, Schafer decided to unleash the series to the public early.

Regardless of what you thought of the game, the documentary series has made the whole ordeal more than worth it. As someone who backed the Kickstarter campaign all those years ago, I can’t tell you how inspiring and informative these episodes are. Before this, the world of game development always happened behind closed doors, but no longer.

This series has been different. It’s showcased game development from the very start of the creative process to the release of the game, and it’s aftermath, and it did it with a relatively large studio as well. We like to think game development is all sunshine and lollipops and that everything is all fun all the time, but this series goes to show that isn’t the case. I heartily recommend it, even if you’re not interested in game development because it’s so much more than a behind the scenes, how-to documentary, it’s a captivating look into the creative process.

2 Player Productions recently began work on a Blu-ray release for Double Fine Adventure and you can pre-order it at adventure.DoubleFine.com.

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Classic JRPG Odin Sphere getting an HD remaster in Japan on PS4, PS3, Vita

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Josh Griffiths

Atlus and Vanillaware, the publisher and developer of cult classic PS2 RPG Odin Sphere, announced today that a high defintion remaster is in development for the PS3, PS4, and PS Vita.

According to Siliconera, this will be more than the typical paint job that many remasters from the PS2 era receive. In addition to the expected HD visual makeover, Vanillaware will add “new battle actions, maps, enemies, [and] animations” to game, along with with “an enhanced fighting system and additional features to make the overall gameplay smoother and faster than before.”

The remaster will be known as Odin Sphere: Leifdrasir, a title I’m sure many of us won’t be able to properly pronounce for some time. And we don’t have much time to figure it out as the remaster is scheduled for a January 14, 2016 release in Japan. There has been no word yet on an overseas release, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted when that changes.

The original Odin Sphere was released on the PS2 in 2007. The game was well received, and beat sales expectations in Japan. To date, Odin Sphere has never received a sequel or spinoff, making Leifdrasir a welcome return for players who have missed out on it the first time.

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Batman: Arkham Knight stands watch atop the best-selling games list for June 2015

Posted on July 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Rocksteady’s Arkham trilogy went out with a bang last month, and it looks like a lot of fans went along for the ride, as The NPD Group has confirmed Batman: Arkham Knight was the best-selling game for June 2015.

Aside from the problems with the PC version, WB Games had a pretty good month as four of the publisher’s titles placed in the top ten. Newcomer Lego Jurassic World joined Arkham Knight near the top of the list in the #3 spot, while The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (#4) and Mortal Kombat X (#8) held over from May. NPD’s Liam Callahan told GamesIndustry.biz, “Warner Bros. Interactive is the top corporate publisher so far in 2015, with dollar sales growing 217% versus the first half of 2014.”

But WB Games wasn’t the only company having a nice Summer as Bethesda has a hit on their hands with The Elder Scrolls Online. It was also a good month to be a squid as Nintendo’s Splatoon held strong at #5, and became the only platform exclusive to crack the top ten.

The industry as a whole should be very happy about last month’s sales as consumers spent a lot more than they did last year. Overall sales were up 18%, $869 million versus $734 million, over June 2014. And that includes increases in hardware (+8%), software (+21%), and accessories (+34%).

The complete top ten list of best-selling games for June 2015 can be found after the break. (more…)

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GoW3 Remastered, Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Rory McIlroy PGA, more added to PS Store

Posted on July 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

It’s a big day for the PlayStation Store as some of this Summer’s biggest releases are now available to download on the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, and the PSP (yes, really).

Let’s start with the PS4 first as its now home to a remastered version Kratos’s final assault on the Pantheon of Gods (God of War III Remastered), the first PGA Tour game not to star Tiger Woods in more than a decade (Rory McIlroy PGA Tour), a moody first-person mystery (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter), and a surprise remake of a pair of PS3-era open world games from Activision (Prototype: Biohazard Bundle).

On the PS3, Godzilla will roar to life on the video game stage and do battle with other kaiju in Bandai Namco’s latest adaptation of the radioactive beast. The game is also available on the PS4.

Meanwhile, the Vita welcomes Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess, an updated and enhanced version of Deception IV: Blood Ties. Deception IV: The Nightmare Princess is also available for the PS4 and PS3.

Finally, the PSP comes back to life with Angus Hates Aliens, a tactical shooter starring a redneck shooting aliens. Angus Hates Aliens is also playable on the Vita.

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

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Here’s the video game deals for Amazon Prime Day 2015

Posted on July 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

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UPDATE (8:15 PM): We’re in the final stretch of Amazon’s Prime Day 2015 festivities and another PS4 bundle is available to purchase. More deals will surely go live before midnight, but here’s what Prime members can pick up at a steep discount right now…

UPDATE (7:10 PM): Prime Day 2015 is beginning to wind down (and some people aren’t entirely happy about what’s been offered), but Amazon is still posting new deals…

UPDATE (3:55 PM): Are you in the market for a 3DS? If you act fast, you can grab one as part of Amazon’s latest update to the Prime Day 2015 page. There’s a few other new deals of note too…

Previous Prime Day deals, many still available by joining a waitlist, can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

PS Store Today: Rocket League, Geometry Wars 3 Vita, Skullgirls 2nd Encore, more

Posted on July 7, 2015 by John Scalzo

The PS3 is being left behind in this week’s PlayStation Store update. But if you own a PS4 or a Vita, you’ll have a handful of new titles to play… especially if you’re a PlayStation Plus subscriber.

PS4 players will get to go for the goooooaaaaaalllllll this week in Rocket League, a car combat game that adds a giant soccer ball to the arena. If you prefer to do your gaming on the go, one of 2014’s best games, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved, is now available for the Vita. Best of all, both these games are free for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Also available this week is Skullgirls 2nd Encore, the second update (and first to appear on the PS4) to the popular fighting game from Lab Zero Games. It’s joined by another updated re-release today, Ar Nosurge Plus: Ode to an Unborn Star, which expands Koei Tecmo’s RPG for the Vita.

More information on these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And, as always, a full rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts is available at the PlayStation Blog

(more…)

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Mighty No. 9 live-action adaptation will be a feature-length film

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Josh Griffiths

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Over a year after it was first confirmed, Legendary Digital Media, Contradiction Films, and video game developer Comcept announced today that Kickstarter success Mighty No. 9 will be getting its own live-action adaptation. The feature-kength film will be released on “digital platforms,” with no word on a theatrical or physical release.

The Keiji Inafune-developed vehicle already has a cartoon series in the works slated for 2016. In the past, Inafune has spoken at length about how he wants the game to be turned into a multimedia mega-franchise with “comic book, manga, anime, movie, TV drama series” and more.

This is the second time Inafune has worked with Legendary Digital and Contradiction, the first coming in the form of Dead Rising: Watchtower, a mediocre film based on Inafune’s Dead Rising series.

For a game that hasn’t been released yet, the creators and investors of Mighty No. 9 seem to have high expectations for it. Inafune recently launched a pair of Kickstarter campaigns for Red Ash, a Mighty No. 9 spinoff franchise that will include a third-person action game and a companion anime short.

Inafune is certainly promising a lot before he’s delivered anything. Mighty No. 9 will be released on September 15 (and it’ll be playable at this weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con), but his creator has already seemingly moved on to a feature film, a cartoon series, and two other crowdfunding campaigns. That’s a lot for any developer.

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