Most Recent: Xbox One

NBA 2K18 Legend Edition will feature Shaquille O’Neal

Posted on May 8, 2017 by John Scalzo

Shaquille O’Neal will crash NBA 2K’s “Legend Edition” fraternity this Fall, joining previous honorees Michael Jordan (NBA 2K16) and Kobe Bryant (NBA 2K17). Scottie Pippen continues to wonder when it’ll be his time to shine.

“Shaq” was a larger-than-life player for the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, but O’Neal’s post-basketball life has seen him transform into an even bigger pitchman and NBA commentator. Naturally, 2K Games is creating a Legend Edition and a Gold Legend Edition for NBA 2K18 that befits his stature.

Set to launch on September 15, the Legend Edition ($99.99) will include a limited-edition poster, five Panini trading cards, exclusive stickers, and a variety of in-game content. The Gold Legend Edition ($149.99) will add five more trading cards, a lenticular poster, and more in-game content.

2K Games will release the Legend Edition and the Gold Legend Edition for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The Legend Edition will be available at a wide array of retailers, but fans will need to visit their local GameStop if they’re interested in purchasing the Gold Legend Edition.

“I want to thank NBA 2K for their continuous support of my basketball and broadcast career,” O’Neal said. “I’m excited to be on the cover of the NBA 2K18 Legend Edition and I hope my fans have a blast playing it up big man style and re-creating my most legendary in-game moments!”

The Standard Edition of NBA 2K18 will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on September 19. A closer look at the contents from the Legend Edition and the Gold Legend Edition can be seen after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

The launch date for Overkill’s The Walking Dead shambles into 2018

Posted on May 7, 2017 by John Scalzo

Starbreeze announced that Overkill’s The Walking Dead, a team-based shooter based on Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic, won’t be released in the second half of 2017 as orginally planned. The publisher has pushed the game’s launch date back a year, and it’ll now make its PC, PS4, and Xbox One debut in the Summer/Fall of 2018.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first delay for Overkill’s The Walking Dead. The game was originally announced more than two years ago and, at the time, Starbreeze expected to release it in 2016. In a statement, CEO Bo Andersson Klint said this most recent delay is needed so the game can reach its “full potential”:

“We, together with the developer of Overkill’s The Walking Dead, decided to extend the production schedule to pursue our original vision a step further and so that the title will reach its full potential. Together with Skybound Entertainment, we are fully dedicated to releasing an unforgettable experience for fans throughout the world and then continuing to support it with high quality content in the coming years.”

Starbreeze plans give fans their first real look at Overkill’s The Walking Dead next week during StarStream, a livestreamed showcase of the company’s upcoming titles. StarStream will broadcast this coming Wednesday, May 10, at 12:00 noon (Eastern Time), and you can view it on Twitch.

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

Xbox Store Today: Prey, Dreamfall Chapters, AFL Evolution, more

Posted on May 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s almost time for the weekend, which means it’s also time for today’s Xbox Games Store update.

Bethesda and Arkane lead things off with Prey, their new first person shooter that doesn’t have anything to do with the 2006 shooter of the same name. Now available to download for the Xbox One, players will awaken on a space station overrun by hostile aliens who have a penchant for human experimentation.

Also available today is AFL Evolution, an Australian rules football sim; World to the West, Rain Games’s followup to the well-received Teslagrad; and Dreamfall Chapters, a brand new entry in the Longest Journey series.

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

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Injustice 2’s Fighter Pack 1 will include Sub-Zero, Starfire, and Red Hood

Posted on May 5, 2017 by John Scalzo

Injustice 2 will launch in less than two weeks on the PS4 and Xbox One, but NetherRealm Studios decided to reveal the first three post-launch downloadable characters this morning.

Fans of the Teen Titans will be thrilled to learn that Starfire will join the fighting game as part of Fighter Pack 1. She’ll fight alongside Red Hood, the rather violent alterego of Jason Todd, and originally a Robin that was killed by The Joker in the famous A Death in the Family storyline (he was later resurrected because… comic books).

These hot-headed characters will have a chance to chill out with Fighter Pack 1’s third character, Sub-Zero. The Mortal Kombat mainstay will be added to Injustice 2 as the game’s first guest character, and his monstrous new appearance fits in well with the DC Universe.

Injustice 2 owners will have the chance to purchase Fighter Pack 1 as a standalone download, or they can receive access to it for free through the game’s Digital Deluxe Edition ($79.99). Fighter Pack 1 will also be included with the Ultimate Edition ($99.99), which will come packed with a download code to unlock an additional six characters (presumably as part of Fighter Pack 2 and Fighter Pack 3).

And speaking of future Fighter Packs, the very end of the Fighter Pack 1 trailer includes silhouettes of the remaining downloadable characters and eagle-eyed viewers will easily be able to make out Black Manta (on the left) and Raiden (on the right).

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

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

I Couldn’t Give Two Loots About Destiny 2

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Andrew Rainnie

Destiny 2 will probably be upon us this year, assuming there are no delays like most AAA game these days. Bungie recently released the first teaser trailer alongside a rather naff logo. Seriously, the new logo looks like it was thrown together in Photoshop by a bored cat. I even managed to cook up some alternate designs while thinking about this opinion piece. The “2” just seems totally out of place. It could be more flush, using Roman numerals to match the Destiny font, or behind it, using a destroyed font to convey that war is coming, or is here already.

The trailer reveals very little about the game itself, beyond the fact that the Guardian Tower has fallen. It’s a clever story device, similar to Shepherd being resurrected at the start of Mass Effect 2, and it allows the game to shirk off aspects of the original, starting afresh with new adventures not constrained by the previous generation.

One issue Destiny fans never had to deal with was its graphics, as it is one of the prettiest first person shooters to grace the a console. The game’s problems lay in what was promised, or what fans hoped for, versus what was actually delivered. Even with The Taken King expansion, which is where I was introduced to the series, the game failed to truly dig into its own mythology, worlds, and threats, and became more of a slog, forcing players to revisit locations for the hundredth time all in the name of loot.

Yet, I don’t want to rant about failed promises of the original game. There is already an excellent post on Bungie’s Community Forums by “TrueMadnessNinja” that delves into the unfulfilled promises of the first entry. This is more of a wish list of things I wish had been in the first game, and I hope Bungie takes a look and can change my mind about picking up the sequel. (more…)

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

Sledgehammer Games reveals their “Vision” for Call of Duty: WWII in new trailer

Posted on May 4, 2017 by John Scalzo

Sledgehammer Games is taking Call of Duty back to World War II this Fall in the less-than-imaginatively titled Call of Duty: WWII. After giving the world their first look at the game late last week, the developer is back with a new trailer discussing their “Vision” for the project.

For Sledgehammer, the key word appears to be “authenticity,” as they’ve recruited World War II historian and author Martin K.A. Morgan to help with the game’s story, which will be based on real-life events. They’re also closely modeling WWII-era vehicles and weapons, and testing those weapons on a firing range to ensure they sound the same in the game as they would on the battlefield.

The development team is also working with something of a mantra for Call of Duty: WWII… “Dark and Beautiful.” They want to game feel “emotionally dark” while also looking “visually beautiful.”

You can see if they’re on the right track in the new “Vision” trailer, which has been embedded above. And don’t forget, Call of Duty: WWII will launch for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 3.

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

Xbox Store Today: Paladins, FlatOut 4, Samurai Shodown, more

Posted on May 3, 2017 by John Scalzo

There’s a nice variety of new titles now available to download through the Xbox Games Store today…

First up is Paladins, a free-to-play team-based shooter from for the Xbox One Hi-Rez Studios (who are also the creators of Smite). Paladins features a “unique collectible card system” and players can use it to customize the abilities of their favorite in-game character.

Also available to download today is FlatOut 4: Total Insanity, a new entry in the stunt racing franchise for the Xbox One. This time around, players will get to experience “bigger, louder, better, and more outrageous stunts” while also recreating some of the most popular stunts from the franchise’s past.

A two-fer of NeoGeo games were also added to the Xbox Games Store for the Xbox One today including one-on-one fighter Samurai Shodown and side-scrolling shooter Last Resort.

Finally today, Planetbase, “a strategy game where you guide a group of space settlers trying to establish an outpost on a remote planet,” is now available to download for the Xbox One.

You can learn more about all of these titles after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One |

First trailer for Bandai Namco’s Code Vein shows off its post-apocalyptic world

Posted on May 2, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Dark Souls trilogy may have come to a close, but Bandai Namco is back with Code Vein, an action RPG that looks to carry on its legacy. After an official announcement last week, the publisher unveiled its first trailer earlier today.

In Code Vein, players will take control of vampire-like creatures known as Revenants. These monsters have traded their memories in exchange for “Gifts of power” and “a thirst for blood,” but they’ll need to use both to unlock the secrets at the center of the game’s story:

In the not too distant future, a mysterious disaster has brought collapse to the world as we know it. Towering skyscrapers, once symbols of prosperity, are now lifeless graves of humanity’s past pierced by the Thorns of Judgment. At the center of the destruction lies a hidden society of Revenants called Vein. This final stronghold is where the remaining few fight to survive, blessed with Gifts of power in exchange for their memories and a thirst for blood. Give into the bloodlust fully and risk becoming one of the Lost, fiendish ghouls devoid of any remaining humanity.

Code Vein will be released in 2018 for “major home consoles.”

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