Daily Scoop – May 14, 2013 – Daft Punk edition

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Nicole Kline

Well, it’s not really a Daft Punk edition, per se, as it is a day brought to you by Daft Punk. Their new album, Random Access Memories, is available to stream via iTunes, and I’ve been listening to it all day. They’re so catchy it’s stupid! Stupid, I say.

Amazon has some digital deals up right now. 1000 Suba Points: Mission Against Terror is free, while Hitman: Absolution is $4.99, and the Professional Edition is just $4 more. The main deal page says that Sleeping Dogs is just $9.99 until tomorrow, but the page says $29.99, so I’m not sure what’s up with that. There also having a big Rockstar sale, with 50% off PC downloads and a $5 credit. Scoop ’em up!

As always, there are some t-shirts for sale today that are related to video gaming:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Borderlands 2’s Krieg the Psycho DLC is now available to download

Posted on May 14, 2013 by John Scalzo

Gearbox has added Krieg the Psycho, the second downloadable character, and the first focused on melee combat, to Borderlands 2 today. Krieg is available to download from the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and PC download services for $9.99 (or 800 Microsoft Points). If you previously purchased the Borderlands 2 Season Pass, Krieg will be a free download.

“On behalf of the development team at Gearbox Software, I want to thank the fans of Borderlands 2 for the love and engagement that allows us to invest our hearts and time into supporting the game with an entirely new player character, Kreig the Psycho,” said Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox Software. “Our fans now get the opportunity to step into the shoes of one of the most iconic characters in the Borderlands franchise as they slice their way through Pandora on the hunt for new loot!”

If the launch trailer isn’t enough to satisfy your clamoring for Krieg carnage, Creative Director Paul Helquist has posted a 15-minute walkthrough with the character at Game Trailers.

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

Ken Levine begins writing his next project

Posted on May 14, 2013 by John Scalzo

irrationalgames-logoIt’s a good day to be Ken Levine, the Creative Director at Irrational Games. First, Take Two announced that his most recent creation, BioShock Infinite, has sold 3.7 million copies since being released on March 26. And then, Levine revealed (via Twitter) that he’s begun writing his next project.

“This is something else,” he writes, a phrase which will surely lead the Internet to run wild with claims that Levine is working on BioShock 4 and that it’s better than the preceding three… or… that it’s something totally new and not related to BioShock in any way.

In a followup tweet, Levine revealed that he’s currently finding inspiration in Mad Men, P.T. Anderson, the Coen brothers, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Soderbergh, Tom Stoppard, Stephen Sondheim, and “games.” Whether or not any of these inspirations will make it into Irrational’s next game remains to be seen.

And no mention was made of BioShock Vita, which is a bad sign for the constantly delayed project’s future survival.

UPDATE: In June, it was confirmed that Ken Levine’s next project is actually the screenplay to a Logan’s Run remake.

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

Take Two announces release dates for WWE 2K14 and NBA 2K14

Posted on May 14, 2013 by John Scalzo

wwe2kTake Two Interactive had a very good year. The publisher’s 2013 fiscal year ended in March, so yesterday they presented their financial fortunes to shareholders and the press. Take Two also wants you to know that they’ve pinned down release dates for WWE 2K14 and NBA 2K14.

According to the press release, the first WWE game published by 2K Games will be released on October 29 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. As of today, a version of the game for the Wii U or an appearance on next-generation systems from Sony or Microsoft looks to be out of the question.

The future of NBA 2K14 is even more mysterious. We know it’ll be available on October 1, but Take Two has listed the supported platforms as “TBA.” Typically, the NBA 2K series is released for every conceivable platform, so the “TBA” is probably just a placeholder for “PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and the (currently unnamed) Xbox 720/Durango.”

But I guess we’ll find out for sure in October.

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Motocross Madness Review: Avatars Racing Motorcycles

Posted on May 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Microsoft has used their Avatar Famestar program to promote a wide variety of game’s starring the system’s cartoony (but not too cartoony) Avatars. Last month, the energetic virtual characters vroom vroomed their way onto the professional dirt bike racing circuit in a Motocross Madness reboot. Originally released for the PC in 1998, this new version of Motocross Madness provides plenty of MX thrills for a budget price (800 Microsoft Points/$10).

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Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Shadow of the Eternals crowdfunding campaign is now on Kickstarter

Posted on May 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Precursor Games is no longer going it alone for their Shadow of the Eternals crowdfunding campaign. “Due to popular demand,” the developer is now seeking additional funding through Kickstarter. Even with a Kickstarter campaign in full force, the fundraising campaign on their own site (and the PayPal payment option not available through Kickstarter to go with it) is still available. Precursor had collected about 10% of the $1.5 million goal through the campaign on their own site. So the goal for their Kickstarter campaign has been adjusted downwards to $1.35 million (as of this writing, 115 backers have pledged $7,397 towards it). Everything else about the two campaigns are identical.

The “spiritual sequel” to Eternal Darkness has fans of the GameCube title excited, but many were wary of Precursor’s ties to Silicon Knights (specifically Denis Dyack’s involvement in both companies), which had a history of monetary problems. The jump to Kickstarter (and it’s strict backer protection policy) is, at least in part, likely a response to their concerns.

The Shadow of the Eternals Kickstarter campaign will conclude on Wednesday, June 19.

Posted in News, PC, Wii U | Tagged

Daily Scoop: May 13, 2013 – It’s Monday again

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Nicole Kline

Welcome to yet another Monday! I hope that you had a great weekend. We were busy running around a lot – we spent Saturday in Maryland at a Dungeons & Dragons Battle Interactive, and then yesterday was a mix of spending time with my family and moving boxes into our new apartment. I’m exhausted but I’m glad we got everything started! Now just a million more boxes left to go…

There are some great new deals going on at Amazon today. Injustice: Gods Among Us is $49.99 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and $48.92 on the Wii U. The Collector’s Edition is $20 off, marking it down to $79.99. The latest Atelier game, Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk, is on sale as well for $34.99. Scoop ’em up!

There are a few great t-shirts today!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Capcom confirms Ace Attorney 5 will be available in US this Fall

Posted on May 13, 2013 by John Scalzo

Capcom has announced that the fifth Ace Attorney game will be released in North America and Europe this Fall. The game will be known as Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies and the debut English-language trailer can be found above.

Set eight years since his last appearance in the courts, the first case in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies sees the action start in a destroyed court room. It’s down to Phoenix Wright and his team at the Wright Anything Agency to discover the cause of the destruction. Players will have to battle it out in court against Gaspen Payne, the younger brother of Winston Payne from previous Ace Attorney titles, as they defend the accused.

In a first for the series, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies will only be available for download from the 3DS eShop. No retail version is planned. I hope no one objects.

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