Sony adds 17 games to PS Store including Counter-Strike GO, Dust 514 beta, more

Posted on August 22, 2012 by John Scalzo

Yesterday’s PlayStation Store update marked the final week of Sony’s PSN Play promotion. As promised, the publisher added Counter-Strike: Global Offensive to their download service. But they also added a few other games as well. Exactly how many did they add? How does 17 sound? Oh, and a closed beta too.

Ready? Here goes…

Two PS3 Full Games (Michael Jackson: The Experience and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron)… Nine PSN Games (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Way of the Samurai 4, Metal Gear Solid 2 HD, Metal Gear Solid 3 HD, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure HD, Deep Black, Retro/Grade, Crazy Strike Bowling, and Legasista)… Two PS Vita Games (Metal Gear Solid 2 HD and Metal Gear Solid 3 HD)… One PS2 Classic (GunGrave Overdose)… and Three PS Minis (Top Trumps NBA All Stars, Chopper I, and The Next Space).

And that’s not counting the launch of the Dust 514 closed beta, which began yesterday for PlayStation Plus members.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break. Or you can visit the PlayStation Blog for a rundown of this week’s new game add-ons.

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Posted in News, PS3, PSP, Vita | Tagged , , , ,

Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3 Review: Welcome Back Tycho and Gabe

Posted on August 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

Someday, songs will be written about the development of Penny Arcade’s On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness 3. In the nearly four years since the release of Episode Two, the third game in Penny Arcade’s episodic RPG series underwent both a developer and art-style change in its journey to a download service near you. Gone are the Gabe-inspired character designs and modern graphics of the previous episodes. In their place are the 16-bit stylings of Zeboyd Games and a part three that, at times, feels like both a brand new game and a continuation of the adventure thus far.

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Posted in PC, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: August 21, 2012 – Board games

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Another Tuesday, another board game night. Tonight we’re going to try out Blood Bowl Team Manager again, and possibly play some Bang. I also just got my copy of The Last Story, so we’ll see if that wins out over Sleeping Dogs. Oh, and Ryan Littlefield scored me an extra Gamecube controller, and my dear boyfriend Anthony has been talking a lot of trash about Mario Kart: Double Dash. Decisions, decisions…

Want some deals? Well, I’ve got one – Max Payne 3 is on sale for 46% off. I’m not going to tell you how much that costs. Get a calculator! No, it’s like, $30-something dollars. Or something.

Anyway, check out these awesome t-shirts and stuff! Yeah! Also… PORTAL UNDERWEAR. You heard me.

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Diablo I and II creator has social media fight with Blizzard devs

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Nicole Kline

David Brevik, creator of Diablo and Diablo II, expressed some of his feelings on Diablo III to IncGamers during Gamescom.

“I have very mixed emotions about it. On one hand I am sad that people haven’t enjoyed Diablo because it’s a love, a passion, and it’s obvious people still have a giant love and passion for Diablo… That makes me feel great.

I am sad because people are outraged and… some of the decisions they have made are not the decisions I would make, and there have been changes in philosophy and that hasn’t gone over very well…

I am also a little happy… I hate to say, [but] it shows that the people that were involved in Diablo really did matter, and so I am happy that it has come to light that how talented that group was, how unique and special… when the people leave the game changes, and it shows how critical people are in this industry.”

So basically, to me, what he’s saying is: they made some design choices I wouldn’t have, and people are upset, and while that is a bummer, I am actually sort of pleased, because it means that what I built, and what I made, was important and meant something. Right? General idea?

Well, some of the Diablo III devs were pretty hurt over it, and had a public exchange via Facebook (which was captured by Reddit). Click the image above to enlarge it and cringe a bunch.

Since this argument needed more social media avenues, former Diablo II producer Mark Kern jumped in on Twitter: “Gotta say, that Jay Wilson, never having been at Blizzard for D1 and D2 and never having met Dave Brevik, has no place to say what he did. Dave Brevik created 2 genre-busting, award winning, world-loved Diablo games. Jay Wilson has done ____ with Diablo 3. Fill in the blanks. Blizzard arrogance has reached new heights.”

Facebook and Twitter have made it easier than ever for people to stick their feet directly into their mouths. Do not pass go, do not reach Paragon level.

[Source: IGN]

Posted in News, PC | Tagged

Electronic Arts for sale?

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Electronic Arts is “quietly exploring a sale,” according to the New York Post.

Two private-equity companies, KKR and Providence Equity Partners, have approached EA “about a potential transaction.” According to International Business Times, Providence is already a major shareholder in ZeniMax Media, which has id Software and Bethesda under its umbrella. While this doesn’t mean they’d be a good home for EA, at least they have experience buying up game companies. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, I can’t decide.

EA’s current market price is $13.42 a share, but according to the Post, they’ll do the deal for $20 a share. The article mentions mobile and casual games as the reason for the stock drops, but the real issue in gamer’s hearts is how much EA is raking consumers over the coals for DLC – especially when they’ve rushed a game before it’s finished. Just read these comments over at Slashdot to get an idea of gamer’s gripes. Most of you will be nodding your heads in agreement.

Posted in News |

Plants vs Zombies 2 takes root in Spring 2013

Posted on August 21, 2012 by John Scalzo

PopCap has announced that Spring 2013 will be a time of renewal for one of their biggest franchises, as the developer plans to release Plants vs Zombies 2 next year.

The developer is not ready to dig any deeper into the new game just yet, but they did say that the sequel will include “a bevy of new features, settings, and situations, designed to delight the franchise’s tens of millions of fans around the world.”

PopCap is also keeping quiet on exactly which platforms Plants vs Zombies 2 will be released for. But if history is any guide, I’d look for it on… cue Mr. Stansfield… every one.

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Tokyo Jungle comes to America in September

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Did you watch that trailer for Tokyo Jungle? No? Well, you should.

I’ll wait.

Watch it yet? Ok, good. Then you saw the words “Urban based animal survival genre.” It’s like they took Twelve Monkeys and made only the above-ground part, with the wild animals running around all over Philadelphia, into a video game. There are “over 50 playable animals ranging from Pomeranians to Lions” in the game, according to the PlayStation Blog. There were baby chicks, and some dogs about to get it on, and was that a kangaroo attacking a tiger?

Wait a minute… did they say Pomeranians? I’m not sure what is going on here. All I know is that Tokyo Jungle comes to the PlayStation Network (priced at $14.99) on September 25.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Sports Champions 2 moves into stores on October 30

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Nicole Kline

The sequel to 2010’s Sports Champions will be out on October 30, according to the PlayStation Blog. The team is hard at work “giving the game one final coat of polish and squashing bugs right now,” says Senior Producer, Jeremy Ray. If only bug squashing were a sport!

Sports Champions 2 will have Bowling, Boxing, Golf, Skiing (what???), Tennis, and new Archery, as well as an avatar creator, so you don’t have to use those ludicrous caricatures anymore. There’s something called Party Play as well, and I have no idea what’s going on in that image above, but I’ll bet dollars to donuts those two things are related. Whatever. Just give me a bow and arrow and let me achieve zen and sore upper arms!

Posted in News, PS3 |