EA Sports UFC taps PS4, Xbox One in Spring 2014

Posted on June 14, 2013 by John Scalzo

The 2013 E3 Expo has closed down, but there’s still plenty of news to post, such as this trailer for EA Sports UFC, and confirmation that it’ll be released in Spring 2014 for the PS4 and Xbox One.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the work that the team at EA Sports has done on the upcoming UFC game,” said Dana White, UFC’s President. “It’s been a great partnership and even though it is still early in development, the game looks amazing. It will be groundbreaking! Fans of all combat sports will love it and have a lot to look forward to in the Spring of 2014.”

EA Sports UFC is being built with EA’s new sports engine, EA Sports Ignite. You can find a list of the game’s new gameplay features after the break.

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This is how Achievements will work on the Xbox One

Posted on June 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

xboxone-logoThe Xbox One was battered and beaten during its first E3 Expo, but some good news did emerge from Big Redmond today as Microsoft’s Major Nelson has confirmed how the new Achievements system will work on the Xbox One.

First of all, everyone can relax, Microsoft won’t be handing out Achievements for watching TV. Well, they will, but any Achievements tied to video and music apps will be worth 0 Gamerscore.

Another worry of Xbox gamers was Microsoft’s reveal of time-specific Achievements. According to Major Nelson, the consolemaker agrees that limited-time Achievements would be frustrating and has shifted them to a new tier of Achievements known as Challenges. Challenges will include the (usually) clever name and neat icon of an Achievements, but they will also be worth 0 Gamerscore. More good news, all cross-game and community Achievements will be included under the Challenges banner.

There’s a lot more information at Major Nelson’s blog. If you’re interested in Achievements on the Xbox One, it’s worth a read.

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Nintendo Download: Mighty Switch Force! 2, Mutant Mudds Deluxe, Game Gear titles, more

Posted on June 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

mightyswitchforcehdThere is lots of new additions to Nintendo’s download services today, such as…

  • Mighty Switch Force! 2 sees the return of Patricia Wagon and her crimebusting ways in the 3DS eShop puzzle platformer.
  • Mutant Mudds Deluxe is an enhanced version of the “12-bit” platformer, now available for the Wii U eShop.
  • Picross E for the 3DS eShop is an easier version of the popular puzzle series.
  • It’s joined by Big Bass Arcade: No Limit, a fishing game.
  • Finally, the 3DS eShop has received a quartet of Sega Game Gear titles including Sonic the Hedgehog, Columns, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, and Shining Force: Sword of Hajya.

    More information on all of these games can be found after the break.

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Shinji Mikami wants to scare you with The Evil Within’s gameplay

Posted on June 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

The PlayStation Blog hung out with Bethesda’s Pete Hines during this year’s E3 Expo and he proudly showed off Shinji Mikami’s The Evil Within. The Resident Evil creator is returning to survival horror in a big way and this quote from Hines sums up why that’s a very good thing:

“[Shinji Mikami’s] got some pretty twisted, warped ideas on how to scare people. And you know, that’s one of the things that he’s talked about. What used to scare people, like back when he created Resident Evil 1, doesn’t really work today. Things like blood and guts and gore… that stuff is in all kinds of games now. […] So you have to think of new ways to shake people up and some of the creations that he and his team have come up with are going to be introduced along the way so that just when you feel like you wrapped your head around it… OK, I can’t possibly see anything more horrifying than that last thing, here comes something else.”

I highly recommend watching the gameplay walkthrough/interview above. But be sure the lights are on.

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Killer Instinct will be Free-To-Play and available on launch day

Posted on June 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Killer Instinct will look very different from what fans remember when it’s released for the Xbox One later this year.

The fighter isn’t being developed at Rare. Instead, the game’s next-generation debut will be handled by Double Helix Games (probably best known for Silent Hill Homecoming). It will also be… brace yourself… free-to-play.

The “base game” will consist of a single character, Jago, and all other characters (including Sabrewulf and Glacius, along with other returning and new characters) will be available to download for a to-be-determined charge. It’s definitely an odd offer, and it’s unknown if there will be a “full game” charge or if each character will have to purchased piecemeal.

Killer Instinct will be available to download for the Xbox One on the system’s launch date in November.

[Source: Destructoid]

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Square Enix: Kingdom Hearts III is very early in development

Posted on June 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

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It may be a very long time before we get a chance to purchase Kingdom Hearts III. Speaking to Famitsu, Director Tetsuya Nomura revealed that the game is still very early in development and was only announced to keep fans from wondering if the game would ever come out.

“There have been a lot of spin-off games since Kingdom Hearts II and a lot of fans were probably getting anxious, so we made the announcement together with Final Fantasy XV.” Nomura stated, adding, “Considering where we are in development, it may have been a little early.”

Nomura also found the time to speak to Dengeki and discuss the game’s plot. According to the Director, Kingdom Hearts III will complete the “Dark Seeker Saga” last seen in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

While it’ll be a long time before Kingdom Hearts III is released, Nomura also said that more details about the game would be revealed at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.

[Source: Kotaku]

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Watch Quantic Dream’s PS4 tech demo The Dark Sorcerer

Posted on June 12, 2013 by John Scalzo

You’ve got to hand it to Quantic Dream, their short film-style tech demos are awesome. Last year, they treated us to Kara, a haunting mini-movie that showed what happens to robots who are a bit too free-thinking.

David Cage’s company wanted to create another tech demo for Sony’s E3 Press Conference, but this time using PlayStation 4 technology. The result is The Dark Sorcerer, an amusing comedy showing what happens when video game development gets a bit too real. David Gant plays the titular sorcerer, and he’s joined by Maurice the Troll Goblin (played by Martin‘s Carl Payne), a very dedicated devil (played by Christian Eriksen), and the world’s most patient director (voiced by David Gasman). Eagle-eyed viewers will note that Gant’s head appeared during Quantic Dream’s portion of the PS4 reveal back in February.

You should definitely check out The Dark Sorcerer, and we should all shed a tear that this isn’t Quantic Dream’s first PS4 project. I think a video game mocap session that’s actually putting the actors in danger (and stars a real goblin) has real potential as a real game. I’m sure Willem Dafoe (star of Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls and the similarly themed film Shadow of the Vampire) has plenty of insight into how it could work.

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Pac-Man Battle Royale finally comes home in Pac-Man Museum collection

Posted on June 12, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Namco Bandai created Pac-Man Battle Royale specifically for arcades in 2010. The (up to) four-player Pac-Man title made each player compete for a limited supply of Super Power Pellets that would increase Pac-Man’s size and allow the player to eat the other Pac-Men. Using the graphics engine from the excellent Pac-Man Championship Edition, it was an interesting new take on the Pac-Man formula that was only available in arcades.

Until now. Battle Royale will come home this Winter as part of the Pac-Man Museum collection.

The game will be released for the PC, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, Wii U eShop, and 3DS eShop. In addition to Battle Royale and Championship Edition, the collection will also include the 1980 arcade original and several other Pac-Man games from the character’s 33-year history. Sadly, the PS3/Xbox 360 version of Pac-Man Museum won’t include Championship Edition, as that game is already available as a separate download on the PSN and XBLA.

I’m not sure I like that, Namco Bandai. However, I’m thrilled that Battle Royale is finally coming home and I’m willing to overlook it (especially since any obsessive Pac-Man fan already owns Championship Edition).

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