Most Recent: Xbox One

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow developer is working on a strange new adventure

mercurysteam-2Mercury Steam, the developer behind Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 has unveiled a countdown clock for their next game, which is set to expire on April 15 at noon (Eastern Time).

The clock is embedded in an interactive section of their official website, which refers to the game (or perhaps just a portion of it) as the “Lira Expedition.” The developer also revealed a trio of teaser images (a devilish figure, a ruined temple, and the pilot’s cabin of a mecha) that can be found after the break.

Dave Cox, a former Producer at Konami and one of the driving forces behind the Lords of Shadow games, will join Mercury Steam for this project. Besides working on Castlevania, Cox also contributed to recent entries in the Silent Hill and Metal Gear Solid franchises before leaving the company in 2014. But his dream was always to resurrect Contra for a new generation of gamers.

I don’t think that’s happening, but I can dream. (more…)

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt wins “Game of the Year” at 2016 SXSW Gaming Awards

sxsw-logoCD Projekt’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was on target once again as it collected another “Game of the Year” win this weekend at the SXSW Gaming Awards. In addition to its big win, The Witcher 3 won two other awards: “Excellence in Technical Achievement” and “Excellence in Narrative.”

The Witcher 3 faced stiff competition from several of last year’s other big releases, including Bloodborne and Rise of the Tomb Raider, both of which won a pair of 2016 SXSW Gaming Awards. From Software’s gothic RPG was recognized for its gorgeous environments in the “Excellence in Art” and “Excellence in Design” categories. Meanwhile, Lara Croft herself was named “Most Enduring Character” and her tomb raiding skills were honored with an “Excellence in Animation” win.

Finally, Her Story picked up some more hardware this weekend, winning SXSW’s “Mobile Game of the Year” award.

A complete look at all of this year’s winners can be found after the break. (more…)

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Telltale revealed a few details about their Batman series… including that it’ll debut this Summer

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A team from Telltale Games took the Batplane down to Austin this weekend to talk to the crowd at SXSW about their upcoming Batman series. While it’s still too early for a sneak peek at the game, Telltale was able to confirm the first episode will be available sometime this Summer. A quick recap of the presentation was also posted to the Telltale Blog, where the developer revealed that players will spend just as much time with Bruce Wayne as they will with Batman:

Batman is the perfect character for the studio to explore in a Telltale series, giving the team the opportunity to dive deeper into the mind of the man behind the mask. Each night, Bruce Wayne chooses to change Gotham for the better. The team wants to explore what the consequences are of the player’s actions when decisions made as Bruce have a critical impact on his nightly crusade as Batman, and vice versa. Certain key situations will give the player the decision to approach a scene as Bruce or Batman, with consequences for both sides.

They would go on to say that their Batman game won’t be tied to any existing continuity, and that the Bat Family (Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, etc) won’t play a large role in the story. However, they did announce that Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon, GCPD officer Renee Montoya, and reporter Vicki Vale would all appear in the game. Naturally, the game’s villains are currently a closely guarded secret within the halls of Telltale.

Some of these characters will interact with both Bruce Wayne during the day, and Batman at night. And how players handle these interactions could change the outcome for certain characters. Whatever decisions you make, they’ll have serious consequences as Telltale also said that their Batman series will be rated Mature and have a “cinematic approach [that] will feel more akin to an R-rated film.”

Holy bursting anticipation, Batman!

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New Releases: Hyrule Warriors Legends, TrackMania Turbo, Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo, Republique

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Prepare to race into battle with this week’s new releases…

Koei Tecmo and Nintendo are mashing together the massive battles from the Dynasty Warriors franchise with the beloeved characters from The Legend of Zelda once again in Hyrule Warriors Legends, a 3DS re-release of the Wii U blockbuster. Players who opt for the portable version of the game will be able unlock several new characters (including Linkle, a gender-swapped version of Link) and a new level based on The Wind Waker.

A pair of racing games that’ll surely appeal to people who love anything with four wheels are also set to be released this week. First up is TrackMania Turbo, a “fantasy racer” for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One from Ubisoft. Players will be able to put the pedal to the metal on more than 200 tracks and even build their own using the included Tracker Builder. Also available is Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo, a new offroad rally racer from Milestone for the PS4 and Xbox One. Originally released for the PC earlier this year, console players will now get a chance to drive through the mud on the way to victory.

Finally this week, Camouflaj will bring their award-winning mobile game Republique to the PS4. Even with a controller in hand, players will get the same stealthy experience with all five episodes from the game’s first season.

We’ll be back later this week with a look at the new digital-only releases on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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Xbox Store Today: Spareware, 101 Ways To Die, Shred It!

xboxgamesstore-logoThree brand new Xbox One games are now available to download through the Xbox Games Store…

  • Spareware is a multiplayer top-down shooter that takes place in a dystopian version of Helsinki.
  • 101 Ways To Die is a puzzle platformer that stars a mad scientist who wants to dispatch his enemies in a number of creative ways (hence the title).
  • And Shred It! is an endless snowboarder who is shredding his way down a papercraft mountain.

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

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Microsoft “temporarily” drops the price of the Xbox One to $299

xboxone-logoMicrosoft has announced they’re once again dropping the price on all Xbox One console bundles by $50. Beginning this Sunday, March 20, the consolemaker will institute a “temporary” new price of $299 for the Xbox One. But don’t forget, the last time Microsoft “temporarily” dropped the price on the Xbox One, it became a permanent price drop a few months later.

According to Microsoft’s Major Nelson, this limited time sale will be followed by a major Xbox Games Store sale beginning on March 22. More than 150 games will be discounted by 40-60% off including titles such as Fallout 4, Halo 5, Call of Duty; Black Ops III, Far Cry: Primal, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Siege.

The 2016 Spring Sale will extend beyond Xbox One games to also include PC titles and Movies & TV Shows. PC games like Hand of Fate, Leo’s Fortune, and Halo: Spartan Strike will go on sale next week, alongside films and shows such as The Martian, Straight Outta Compton, Sicario, and Better Call Saul.

The 2016 Spring Sale will end on March 29.

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Excelsior! WB Games reveals five Level Packs as part of Lego Avengers Season Pass

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Lego Avengers will explore more of the Marvel universe later this month with the release of the game’s first Character & Level Packs.

WB Games announced plans to release five expansion packs as part of the game’s Season Pass, and on March 29, players will be able to wield the cosmic powers of Captain Marvel in the Classic Captain Marvel Character & Level Pack and re-create a classic Avengers battle with Baron Zemo in Classic Captain Marvel Character & Level Pack.

Later this Spring, three additional packs will be released including a Classic Black Panther Character & Level Pack that retells T’Challa’s origin (soon to be played by Chadwick Boseman on screen), an All-New, All-Different Doctor Strange Character & Level Pack that stars the Sorcerer Supreme (soon to be played by Benedict Cumberbatch on screen), and a Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Character & Level Pack.

The Lego Avengers Season Pass can be purchased for $9.99 on the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Individual Character & Level Packs will be available for $2.99 apiece. A complete breakdown of each pack is available after the break. (more…)

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is “Game of the Year” at 2016 GDC Awards

gdcawardsThe Witcher 3: Wild Hunt might be the last game in CD Projekt’s Witcher saga, but it’s first in the eyes of voters at the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards. The final adventure for Geralt of Rivia was awarded “Game of the Year” honors at the annual ceremony, as well as “Best Technology” for “its complex game engine that combines brilliant visuals with a huge game world.”

However, the big winner of the night was Sam Barlow’s Her Story. After cleaning up earlier in the day at the IGF Awards, Her Story also collected the “Innovation Award,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Handheld/Mobile Game” at the 2016 GDC Awards.

The only other multi-award winner was Ori and the Blind Forest, which shone brightly as the winner of “Best Visual Art” and “Best Debut.”

As they do every year, the Game Developers Choice jury also distributed a trio of special awards at this year’s ceremony. The “Ambassador Award” was given to Tracy Fullerton, professor and Director of the University of Southern California Game Design program. Bethesda’s Todd Howard won a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his work with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises. And finally, Markus “Notch” Persson, the creator of Minecraft, was praised with the “Pioneer Award.”

(more…)

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