Daily Scoop: May 24, 2013 – So tired

What a week it’s been! So many crazy things have happened. I can’t wait to get home later, put on my pajamas, and play Borderlands 2 until I pass out. I’ve got a date with my boyfriend and our two Kriegs – Bebop and Rocksteady. And maybe some ice cream. Who knows! Let’s get crazy.

According to GameZone, you can get a copy of Tomb Raider for PC right now for just $13.60. Follow their directions and do it fast because it’s for today only. The only other deals going on today are over at the Irrational Games store, where a bunch of shirts are 50% off for their Memorial Day sale. Scoop ’em up!

Just one shirt today, kids!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Jonathan Blow’s The Witness is the latest PS4 game on Conversations With Creators

The latest episode of Sony’s “Conversations With Creators” video series stars Jonathan Blow and his game, The Witness. And like any true artiste, Blow is less concerned with making money than he is with making sure The Witness is good:

“We also have the freedom not to have to make a huge profit if we don’t need to. I would definitely like to make our money back on this game and I would like to make a profit on it, but it’s not actually the number one priority. The number one priority is to make the best possible game we can make that brings the most beneficial experience to the players.”

The Witness is expected to be available to download from the PlayStation Store around the system’s launch, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out if he’s serious.

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Guster’s Ryan Miller finds inspiration in classic NES games for Kings of Summer soundtrack

kingsofsummer-soundtrackRyan Miller’s day job is being the lead singer of Guster, one of the greatest bands you will ever hear. When he’s not performing with Guster, Miller likes to spend his time composing film scores. His latest soundtrack is for the coming-of-age story The Kings of Summer.

The Kings of Summer is about a group of teenagers who run away from their parents and camp out in the woods. But rather than get all heartfelt and emotional, Miller saw the courage in it and looked to legendary Nintendo composer Koji Kondo for inspiration, specifically his work on Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. The film’s director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, even acknowledges this debt in the soundtrack album’s liner notes:

“The idea was that if kids from this generation were running away into the woods, the closest experience they could draw upon would be playing an adventurous video game. So the sounds that are guiding an audience should reflect that.”

The Kings of Summer soundtrack is now streaming (for free) at Paste Magazine and I highly recommend giving it a listen. It will be available to purchase on iTunes, Amazon, and other digital stores this Tuesday, May 28. The film will open in theaters next Friday, May 31.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

Techland does zombies again with Dying Light for PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3, Xbox 360

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Techland, the development team behind Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide, will do battle with the undead hordes once again in their next project: Dying Light. The first-person game is set to be published by WB Games on the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, and Xbox One sometime in 2014.

During the day, players will traverse an expansive urban environment overrun by a vicious outbreak, scavenging the world for supplies and crafting weapons to defend against the growing infected population. At night, the hunter becomes the hunted, as the infected become aggressive and more dangerous. Most frightening are the predators which only appear after sundown. Players must use everything in their power to survive until the morning’s first light.

So Dying Light is basically “I Am Legend: The Game.” I can get behind that.

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We’ll get a “first look” at EA’s Star Wars games at E3 2013

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Electronic Arts has a lot planned for this year’s E3 Expo. In addition to a more expansive look at Battlefield 4, the public debut of Need For Speed Rivals, and a rundown of their EA Sports slate, the megapublisher will give gamers a “first look” at their plans for the Star Wars series.

If you recall, Visceral Games is working on one title in the Star Wars universe while DICE’s new Los Angeles team is working on another.

All of this news will be delivered during “The Download,” EA’s 2013 E3 Press Conference. “The Download” is scheduled for Monday, June 10 at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time) and you’ll be able to watch on Spike TV or online at EA.com/e3.

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This is what the box for Forza Motorsport 5 looks like

forzamotorsport5-boxThe Turn 10 Studios Twitter account posted a preview of the Forza Motorsport 5 box design today. It’s also our first look at the box art of any Xbox One game.

The “Xbox Green” box used for Xbox 360 games has been replaced by a darker shade of green and the simple stripe along the top is a nice touch. Gone is all that “Xbox Live” and “Better With Kinect” verbiage because every Xbox One console will include a Kinect sensor and require access to Xbox Live. Those decisions may not be winning Microsoft any friends on the Intertubes, but it certainly makes for nice box art.

Now, let’s hope Microsoft opens up about the Xbox One’s used games situation next…

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Need For Speed Rivals races into stores this November; on PS4, Xbox One later this year

needforspeedrivals-boxCriterion Games is taking the year off, but Electronic Arts will have a new Need For Speed game this Fall when Need For Speed Rivals launches for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on November 19. A PS4 and Xbox One version will also be released before the end of the year.

Rivals is in development at Ghost Games, an internal EA studio in Gothenburg, Sweden that spun off from DICE earlier this year. Using the Frostbite 3 engine, Rivals “captures the adrenaline and intensity of the street’s ultimate rivalry between cops and racers in a stunning open road environment.”

In Need for Speed Rivals, gamers play as either a cop or racer, where each side of the law has its own set of high stakes challenges, rewards and consequences. As a racer, the goal is to become infamous for taking risks behind the wheel and capturing your most intense escapes on video for the world to see. The more cops players evade, the more Speed Points they collect, enabling them to unlock new cars and items. Keep raising the stakes race after race to become an ever-more valuable target to the cops – but risk losing it all if busted. As a cop, players work together as part of a team in pursuit of racers, earning prominence and rising in the ranks of the Police Force with every bust. Achieving higher ranks unlocks new police-only cars and more powerful pursuit tech.

Need For Speed fans will be pleased to know that Ferrari returns to the franchise for the first time since 2006’s Need For Speed Carbon. A hybrid single-player/multiplayer online mode known as AllDrive, which allows players to “seamlessly transition from playing alone to playing with friends.”

EA has also announced that if you pre-order Need For Speed Rivals, you’ll receive the “Ultimate Cop Pack” for free. The pack includes the Nissan GT-R Black Edition police car, “advanced pursuit technology,” and “a custom livery.”

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E3 2013: The Roadmap To Victory for Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony

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Even with the rise of PAX Prime, PAX East, the San Diego Comic-Con, and Gamescom, the annual E3 Expo is still the game industry’s premiere showcase for “what’s next.” And every year, half the fun of the festivities is picking apart the press conferences from Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony and declaring a winner.

I admit, picking press conference winners is more than a little silly. But the three companies are locked in a vicious three-way battle for your video game dollar. Even as the total market has expanded, the opportunities for any individual company have shrunk. So anytime one can wrest control of the headlines away from the other two is a victory. But what can each consolemaker do to ensure a win? Read on and follow our E3 Roadmaps for Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony to find out.

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Posted in 3DS, Opinions, PS3, PS4, Top Story, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged