Most Recent: Xbox One

New Retail Releases: World of Warcraft Legion, God Eater 2, Attack On Titan, More

Posted on August 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

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August is ending, and with it an historically slow Summer for new releases. But the dog days have one last gasp of gaming to give, and it’ll be a particularly interesting week if you love hunting giant monsters…

Blizzard has decided to expand World of Warcraft once again with World of Warcraft: Legion for the PC. The sixth expansion to the wildly popular MMORPG will boost the level cap to 110 and introduce the Immortal Army of Illidan the Betrayer.

The battlefield will be further littered with giant monsters thanks to Bandai Namco’s God Eater 2: Rage Burst, a PS4 game where players use “God Arcs” to battle demonic entities known as Aragami. The Aragami like to chow down on lowly humans, much like the Titans at the center of Koei Tecmo’s Attack On Titan, another adaptation of the popular anime for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Finally this week, players will be able to battle giant monster that they’ve fought before with the release of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It’ll be joined by another familiar game on a new platform, as Capcom relaunched Resident Evil 4 for the PS4 and Xbox One.

The complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Xbox Store Today: Star Hammer: Vanguard Prophecy, Solar Shifter EX, Obliteracers, more

Posted on August 26, 2016 by John Scalzo

It’s time to close out the week with another Xbox Games Store update. Today, Xbox One owners can choose from a quartet of new titles…

First up is Solar Shifter EX, a side-scrolling “bullet hell” shooter where players can use a special jump drive to phase out of trouble. On the other side of the galaxy we’ve got Star Hammer: The Vanguard Prophecy, a tactical space shooter where players control a fleet of unique space vehicles in all-out war.

Also available this week is Obliteracers, an eight-player kart racer for all ages. And finally, Nightmares From the Deep 2: The Siren’s Call is yet another hidden object game, this time focusing on an “ancient conflict” at the Caribbean Naval Museum.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Lara Croft Will Return… Art Director for Dead Space joins Crystal Dynamics as Game Director of Tomb Raider franchise

Posted on August 26, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Ian Milham, who is probably best known to gamers as the Art Director of the Dead Space franchise, will be joining Crystal Dyamics as the new Game Director of the Tomb Raider franchise. He’ll replace Brian Horton, who left Crystal Dynamics for the neighboring offices of Infinity Ward back in January.

“Ian is one of those rare veterans who combines creativity, artistry, and passion into excellence on-screen. It’s a matching type of DNA that Crystal Dynamics has forged itself upon over these last few years,” said Scot Amos, the Co-Head of Crystal Dynamics. “We’re very excited to welcome Ian as the newest top-tier talent joining our studio. His attitude, aptitude, and aspirations for crafting great game experiences are perfectly aligned with who and what Crystal Dynamics is all about.”

Lara Croft probably won’t battle an oozing space monster anytime soon, but Milham isn’t just known for Dead Space’s deranged and distinctive designs. Immediately prior to his employment at Crystal Dynamics, the developer also served as the Creative Director on Battlefield Hardline.

“Adventure games have always been my first love,” said Milham. “When the opportunity came to join Crystal Dynamics, I had to jump on it. This is the home of Lara Croft, who is a legend in action-adventure gaming and a pillar of the industry. I’ve admired Crystal’s work for a while now, as they continue to deliver top notch narrative and spectacle, coupled with deep systems and player choice. I’m very excited about where the studio is headed and I’m eager to be a part of it.”

While Square Enix didn’t officially announce a third game in the rebooted adventures of Lara Croft today, they may as well have. The recruitment of a new Game Director means the publisher has likely given the green light to yet another entry in the franchise, but it’ll probably be quite some time before we hear anything about it.

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

ESRB Rating Summary for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard revealed… and then removed

Posted on August 26, 2016 by John Scalzo

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For a brief window of time this morning, the Rating Summary for Resident Evil 7: Biohazard could be found on the ESRB’s website. It’s offline now, but the short paragraph did reveal a bit more information about the mysterious game, which Capcom is keeping tightly under wraps.

According to the Rating Summary, Resident Evil 7 will star Ethan, “a man searching for his missing wife.” We first heard Ethan’s name during the recently released Gamescom trailer, and it looks like the character will be knee deep in the dead during his quest:

This is a survival-horror game in which players assume the role of Ethan, a man searching for his missing wife in a derelict mansion. Combat is accompanied by realistic gunfire, screams of pain, and exaggerated blood-splatter effects. As players progress through the story, cutscenes can depict instances of gore and intense acts of violence: a character’s arm dismembered by a chainsaw; a man’s leg taken off at the knee with a shovel; a character impaled through the face with a shovel. Some areas also depict mutilated corpses with exposed organs/viscera. The words “f**k” and “sh*t” are heard in the dialogue.

While this certainly sounds like the Resident Evil we all know and love, Capcom hasn’t even hinted at the level of intense combat that’s supposedly contained within the game. At the very least, fans of Resident Evil 4 should be happy.

But we’ll all find out together when Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on January 24, 2017.

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

Closed Beta for The Behemoth’s Pit People will begin on September 8

Posted on August 25, 2016 by John Scalzo

Behold! The Behemoth has unveiled a brand new trailer for Pit People, and just like the game, it’s narrated by the mellifluous Will Stamper.

Have you soaked it all in? I hope so, because you might also be interested to learn that Pit People’s Closed Beta will begin on September 8. Xbox One players will get a full week, until September 15, to test out The Behemoth’s somewhat bizarre strategy game. A second Closed Beta, this one for PC players, will held at a later date.

And don’t worry, if you haven’t registered for a chance to join the Closed Beta, there’s still time. Head over to the PitPeople.com/beta and sign up today.

Pit People will be released for the PC and Xbox One before the end of the year.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

Experience the end of the Zombies saga with CoD: Black Ops III’s Salvation DLC Pack

Posted on August 25, 2016 by John Scalzo

This is it… Treyarch’s Zombies saga, which began in Call of Duty: World At War, comes to and end in “Revelation.” The final episode in the Call of Duty franchise’s popular co-operative multiplayer mode will be included in Call of Duty: Black Ops III‘s Salvation DLC Pack, which will be available to download for the PS4 on September 6:

In “Revelations,” we meet up with the Origins characters after they’ve taken an epic journey through space and time – all of their struggles lead to this very moment. In this, the final chapter of the Zombies experience, Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai finally come face to face with the mysterious Doctor Monty in The House. Confronted by an ancient evil, our heroes must fight the zombie horde once more in the final battle to save their immortal souls.

“With the release of Zombies as an Easter Egg in 2008’s Call of Duty: World at War, Treyarch set forth on a journey – or, really a conversation – with fans, and Revelations is the final punctuation mark,” said Jason Blundell, Treyarch’s Director of Zombies. “The secrets we laid out years ago will finally make sense – we’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

The Salvation DLC Pack will also include two brand new multiplayer maps and two remade maps:

  • Citadel: Once home to a powerful medieval army, this ancient castle now sits broken and abandoned. Tight corners force close-quarters engagements, while the moat and drawbridge allows for unique player movement opportunities in this mid-sized map. The last trespassers didn’t make it out alive – maybe you’ll have a better shot.
  • Micro: What’s better than a BBQ on a hot summer day? A miniaturized war zone that takes place on a well-stocked family picnic table, that’s what! Navigate this bite-size battlefield for a larger-than-life experience.
  • Outlaw: Gear up for a showdown in Outlaw; a western-style re-imagining of the fan favorite map Standoff from Call of Duty: Black Ops II. This rough-and-tough medium-sized map brings classic engagements, flanking routes and strategic positions for long and medium ranged combat.
  • Rupture: The Call of Duty: World at War classic Outskirts is re-imagined as a high-tech facility, designed by a futuristic society desperate to repair the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Salvation DLC Pack will be available as a free download for owners of the Black Ops III Season Pass, but it will also be available as a standalone download for $15. And don’t worry, Treyarch will likely make the expansion available to PC and Xbox One owners sometime in early October.

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

Mighty No. 9 Review: Mega Meh

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Mike Ryan

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When I was eight years old, there was only one place I wanted to go after school on Fridays: Gas City. Yes, a gas station. Not that I enjoyed the place or anything… rather, it was what was inside the station that intrigued me. See, back in the 80s, movie and game rental stores were everywhere. Pizza places had their own rental corner, grocery stores had theirs, and yes, even gas stations. The reason I kept going back to Gas City was because they had one game that no other rental store had: Mega Man. I remembered the exhilaration of staying up all night playing the game, and the sadness of having to return it on Sunday. I was never able to find the game for sale, so renting it was my only means of playing it.

I also distinctly remember having a meltdown once at the Record Town in the mall. My birthday had just passed, and my grandma gave me a check. To a small child, that was all the cash in the world. I was at the mall with my family, and we stopped so my dad could look at cassettes. But behind the clerk’s counter, stacked up to the ceiling, were Nintendo games for sale. I remember just staring at the games until one caught my eye: Mega Man 2. I had to have that game, and with a fresh $20 check in my pocket, my young mind figured that was all I needed. My mom had to break the news to me that I couldn’t just hand the check over to the cashier and get the game. Oh man, did I lose it. Here I was, about to own one of the greatest NES games ever made, only to be shot down by something as meaningless as financial insolvency? That did not sit well. Luckily, my mom took me out to cool off while my dad got it as a Christmas present, so all was not lost.

Point being, I’ve been a diehard Mega Man fan for as long as I can remember. Thus, when I heard that the Blue Bomber’s creator, Keiji Inafune, was making a spiritual successor to the franchise that I adore so much, I felt like a kid again. I could not wait until I was able to get my hands on another game, even if it was just Mega Man-ish. With the exception of Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10, Capcom has been mind-baffling stingy with releasing proper titles for this game. So even though I wasn’t getting an actual Capcom game, I was happy enough to get something similar. Unfortunately, Mighty No. 9 is not the robot I was looking for. (more…)

Posted in PC, PS3, PS4, Reviews, Top Story, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Xbox Store Today: Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Madden NFL 17, Worms W.M.D., more

Posted on August 24, 2016 by John Scalzo

We’re heading back to the future for today’s Xbox Games Store update, as Square Enix and Eidos Montreal have launched Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on the Xbox One. Take control of Adam Jensen, a cybernetically-enhanced secret agent, once again as he deals with the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the augment community. And for a limited time, players who purchase Mankind Divided through the Xbox Games Store will also receive a free download of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the Xbox 360, along with its expansion, The Missing Link. As you might expect, Human Revolution is on Microsoft’s Backwards Compatibility list, so it’s also playable on the Xbox One as well.

Also new this week is Madden NFL 17, the latest game in EA Sports’s football franchise. Available to download now on the Xbox One and Xbox 360, Madden NFL 17 features and expanded and updated Franchise Mode for players who are serious about their virtual football career.

Finally this week, Team17 brought the Worms franchise to the Xbox One with Worms W.M.D. The 2D strategy game includes a Campaign with 30 levels and more than 80 weapons and utilities to ramp up the chaos.

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

Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,