Most Recent: Xbox One

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment is finished; Coming to Switch in March and other platforms in April

Posted on February 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

Yacht Club Games has announced (via Twitter) that they’ve completed development on Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment, the latest expansion to their NES-inspired platformer, Shovel Knight. The developer expects to launch Specter of Torment first for the Nintendo Switch in March. It’ll later be available as a free update on all other platforms (3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One) in April.

The Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove compilation (as well as the Shovel of Hope and Plague of Shadows standalone campaigns) should also be available for the Switch in March, with additional platforms to follow a month later.

Specter Knight’s campaign will actually take place before the events of Shovel Knight, and will depict how The Enchantress was able to recruit the evil Order of No Quarter. If you’re interested in learning how it all went down, Yacht Club Games will be attending this year’s PAX East expo to give fans a taste of Specter of Torment before it launches. The Boston-based convention kicks off on March 10.

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

Xbox Store Today: Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition, Typoman, Vertical Drop Heroes HD

Posted on February 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Halo franchise returns as Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition is now available to download for the Xbox One. This special edition of the real-time strategy game includes the base game, a Halo Wars 2 Season Pass, and access to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition. Play five days early and get a head start on the single-player Campaign, online multiplayer battles, and the card-based Blitz Mode.

If you’re looking for something a little slower paced, the 2D puzzle platformer Typoman might be just your speed. Also now available to download for the Xbox One, Typoman asks players to struggle through “a dark and hostile world.” Thankfully, they’ll have a cache of letters available to create solutions to the puzzles blocking their way.

Finally today, Vertical Drop Heroes HD has also been released for the Xbox One. The “procedural platformer RPG hybrid with roguelike elements” drops players into a world of randomly generated stages and asks them to survive for as long as they can.

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

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands Open Beta begins on February 23

Posted on February 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

Players itching to try out Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands will get their chance beginning next week, as Ubisoft has confirmed an Open Beta for the game will be available on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The Open Beta will begin on Thursday, February 23, and players will get all weekend to battle the cartels:

Learning how to use all of the tools in your arsenal is key for taking on the Santa Blanca. First and foremost, use your fellow Ghosts. Whether you’re playing in co-op with up to three other players or going solo with cooperative AI, the other Ghosts can provide valuable distractions and cover fire when things start to heat up. And don’t forget transportation – jeeps, helicopters, APCs, and a large assortment of other vehicles can all become part of your strategy when infiltrating a Santa Blanca base (or escaping from it).

Your environment can also be used to your advantage in Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Itacua is a lush region with plenty of vegetation to hide you from enemy view when scouting for enemies. Meanwhile, the cover of night or a strong storm may be what keeps you from being spotted around Montuyoc’s lakes and sparse terrain.

If you’re concerned your PC won’t be able to handle Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, then you should head over to the UbiBlog and have a look at the game’s Recommended and Minimum System Requirements.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands will be released on March 7. (more…)

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

Bethesda will bring Quake Champions, Prey, Elder Scrolls Legends, and ESO Morrowind to PAX East 2017

Posted on February 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

This year’s PAX East expo is just three weeks away, and Bethesda has announced they’ll have four games available on the show floor for attendees to try out including The Elder Scrolls: Legends, The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind, Prey, and Quake Champions:

The Elder Scrolls: Legends
PAX-goers will be able to test their mettle on the go in The Elder Scrolls: Legends, offered for hands-on play on iPad. The free-to-play strategy card game based on the award-winning Elder Scrolls series launches onto Apple’s tablet later this Spring.

The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind
The recently announced new Chapter in The Elder Scrolls Online will be available for the first time for hands-on play, showcasing the game’s new 4v4v4, small-scale PvP mode, Battlegrounds. Attendees will be among the first in the world to try their hands at The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind fast-paced new mode, and will even get a first crack at flexing the powers of the new Warden class.

Prey
Join the team from Arkane Studios for an inside peak at Prey’s exciting sci-fi action gameplay live from the Bethesda Booth stage each day of PAX. Plus, be sure to check the other interactive experiences featured in the booth to prepare for the alien invasion when Prey launches worldwide on May 5, 2017.

Quake Champions
This wait is over – PAX East will be the first opportunity for fans to play Quake Champions, id Software’s latest entry in the Quake franchise, the granddaddy of all eSports shooters. Attendees will test their reflexes – and rocket jumping skills – in fast and frantic 5v5 Team Deathmatch battles. PAX-goers will also be able to sign-up for the game’s exclusive Closed Beta test, coming soon in 2017.

The 2017 PAX East expo will kick off March 10 and take over the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center all weekend.

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

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard shambles to the top of January 2017’s best-selling games report

Posted on February 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

It looks like there’s still some life left in the Resident Evil franchise. The latest game in the series, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, topped the NPD Group’s report on the best-selling games in January 2017. The only other new release to crack the top ten was Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, which camein at #6.

“With only five days in the market, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was the best-selling game in January. The last time Capcom had the best-selling game of the month (in dollar sales) was in March 2009 with Resident Evil 5,” NPD Analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz.

Overall spending on game titles was up 14% last month over January 2016, thanks mostly to continued demand for 2016’s biggest releases including Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (#2), Battlfield 1 (#4), and NBA 2K17 (#5). And Grand Theft Auto V (#3) continues to burn up the charts more than four years after it was first released.

The complete list of best-selling games from January 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Farom Studio unveils Lost Region, their upcoming survival action game

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Brittney Williams

What is Lost Region? There’s a good chance you asked yourself that as you read the headline. Am I right? Good, because that’s the whole point of this news update.

Lost Region is currently in development by Ukraine-based Farom Studio, the team behind Bad Day, a mobile title released in 2013.

The game initially started off as a Bad Day sequel running on Unreal Engine 4, however due to the loss of one of the team members, production of any and all additional Bad Day titles had to cease, likely for legal reasons. However, this hurdle didn’t stop the other developers at Farom Studio. Instead they chose to push forward, in the process creating what we now know as Lost Region.

Okay, so now you know some of the backstory. But that still doesn’t really answer the question does it? So, what is Lost Region?

As you’ve probably guessed from some of the screenshots, Lost Region is an action game, a third-person survival action game to be exact. Lost Region features a fully explorable world, spanning a massive 64 sq/km (that’s over six feet of map) Players can visit any building in the game, and travel to any portion of the map, in order to loot tools and additional supplies.

But wait, there’s more. Not only are players capable of explore all of the in-game buildings, but said buildings also differ in size, from tiny houses to large bases. A key component of the game is setting up a base. According to Farom Studio, you absolutely cannot survive in Lost Region as a homeless player. Therefore setting up camp is extremely important, but layers will have the ability to choose the path of a bandit, mechanic, or soldier. Players can opt for none of the aforementioned titles, and simply play as an adventurer.

Lost Region also features multiplayer, sporting the ability to team up with your friends and create clans, becoming a bandit group, mercenary, or research team.

Currently, Lost Region has no definitive release date set, however the game is expected to release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows platforms. Farom Studio will showcase an alpha version of the game on their social media channels next Monday, February 20.

More screenshots from Lost Region are available after the break. (more…)

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

Kickstart This! Apocalypse Now

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Andrew Rainnie

I ummed and awwed over whether to cover Apocalypse Now as part of Kickstart This! I try to steer the column towards games that may be overlooked and are desperately seeking funds, but the film, and by close association this game, feel more relevant than ever.

All is fair in love and war, but crowdfunding campaigns are the perfect analogy for Vietnam. And in its day, re-imagining Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness served as a masterful allegory for the souls of the men sent to fight in a war that history has shown to be a massive mistake. Though this is not the first time Heart of Darkness has graced the gaming world. 2K’s third person shooter, Spec Ops: The Line, also used the book as a basis for its story, and is worth checking out.

Apocalypse Now seemed to strike a chord with many backers, but with each passing day it looked less and less likely that development studio Erebus was going to reach its lofty target of $900,000. And then what happened? The developer cancelled the Kickstarter campaign after reaching less than 20% of their goal.

This is the message they delivered to fans as the last Update on their now defunct Kickstarter page:

When we launched this campaign, we made a mistake. We forgot that many of you have been disappointed by overreaching games and overreaching promises. We had stopped paying attention to the Kickstarter world, when we put our heads down and went to work on this full-steam about 18 months ago — first with documents and then with prototypes. Because we went upriver, we did not remember that those of you who love games and those of you who love Apocalypse Now would immediately treat the announcement not with excitement, but with concern.

But the men and women behind the game have not given up. No sir. They have relocated the crowdfunding campaign to the official Apocalypse Now website, and issued a rallying call to all those who want to see this game happen. It will be done on their terms… and with a much larger funding target.

Queue Ride of the Valkyries… (more…)

Posted in Features, PC, PS4, Top Story, Xbox One |

Cities: Skylines will be released for Xbox One and Windows 10 this Spring

Posted on February 16, 2017 by John Scalzo

Last month, Paradox Interactive teased that Cities: Skylines would soon be available for the Xbox One and Windows 10, and that it would be playable at this year’s Game Developers Conference. This morning, the publisher confirmed that the city builder will make its console debut this Spring.

Tantalus Media is in charge of the port, and they’ve optimized Cities: Skylines for use with a controller. In addition to providing a new way to play Cities: Skylines, both the Xbox One Edition and the Windows 10 Edition will come packed with the After Dark expansion.

Other features players can expect to find in Cities: Skylines include:

  • Build the City of Your Dreams: Plan road networks, bus lines and parks. Bring on a smog-filled industrial revolution or create a quiet beach town ideal for tourists powered by renewable energy. Bring education, healthcare and safety to your citizens. Build it your way!
  • Multi-Tiered and Challenging Simulation: Playing as the mayor of your city, you’ll be faced with balancing essential requirements such as education, water electricity, police, firefighting, healthcare and much more, along with your city’s economy. Citizens within your city react fluidly, keeping you on your toes with ever-evolving demands.
  • Extensive Local Traffic Simulation: Managing traffic and the needs of your citizens to work and play will require the use of several interactive transport systems… use careful road planning alongside buses, trains, subways, and much more.
  • Districts and Policies: Be more than just another city hall official! Create a car-free downtown area, assign free public transport to your waterfront, or ban pets in suburbia.

Paradox also released a new trailer for Cities: Skylines, and its been embedded above.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged ,