PS Store Today: Shovel Knight, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, more

Posted on April 21, 2015 by John Scalzo

shovelknight-header

Prepare thee, future Knights of Shovelry, for Yacht Club Games has added Shovel Knight to the PlayStation Store today. Shovel Knight is the final selection in Sony’s 2015 Spring Fever promotion, and it’ll be available for the PS3, PS4, and PS Vita as a Cross-Buy title. The game will also offer Cross-Save support across all three platforms and a special battle with God of War‘s Kratos that is sure to be epic.

Also available this week on the PS4 is Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, Ubisoft’s first entry in the “Chronicles” sub-series of side-scrollers. In China, players will have to make good on the vendetta of Shao Jun, the last remaining Assassin of the Chinese Brotherhood, before venturing to India and Russia in two additional games scheduled to be released this Fall. The PS4 is also now home to LA Cops this week. LA Cops doesn’t take place in a foreign land, but its setting is no less different as this overhead two-man (but not two-player) shooter is set in a stylized version of the 1970s.

More information on all of these titles (along with a few additional new releases) can be found after the break. And a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: April 21, 2015 – I’m a sucker for Pokemon shirts

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Nicole Kline

As you all know, I’m a sucker for t-shirts, and lately, there have been some really great ones. Today is no exception! But first, let’s discuss the deals!

There are loads of sales happening at the Humble Store! You can get early access to Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power for $17.99, Westerado: Double Barreled for $11.99, and Heavy Bullets for $1.99. There’s also a big Shooter Midweek Sale, which includes Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition for $1.99.

Steam’s Midweek Madness is Don’t Starve, which is on sale for $5.09. You can also choose to get the game with the Reign of Giants DLC for $6.45 or the MEGA Pack for $18.39. The DLC and soundtrack can also be purchased separately for $1.69 each. Today’s Daily Deal is the Evil Within Bundle, which includes the game and the season pass for $39.99.

And now let’s get down to these terrific shirts!

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Borderlands creator and Franchise Director Matthew Armstrong has left Gearbox

Posted on April 21, 2015 by John Scalzo

borderlands-11Matthew Armstrong, the creator and Franchise Director of all things Borderlands at Gearbox Software, has decided to leave the company. This news comes just a week after 2K confirmed the closure of 2K Australia, the development team behind Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.

Announcing his departure on Twitter, Armstrong said it was time for new adventures:

Armstrong elaborated on his reasons for leaving to Game Informer. The developer said he was an inventor who was “ready to make something new.” There was no anger in Armstrong’s resignation, but with all of Gearbox’s Borderlands projects complete, he was able to leave “without damaging Borderland or Gearbox too much.”

Gearbox announced a desire to begin development on Borderlands 3 at the first-ever PAX South expo in January. At the time, CEO Randy Pitchford said the company wanted to “look outside Gearbox to find fresh ideas for the future of the franchise.”

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

Shovel Knight will be available for Xbox One next week

Posted on April 21, 2015 by John Scalzo

shovelknight-header

Shovel Knight will make his PlayStation debut today (and he’s bringing Kratos with him), but Xbox One owners will have to wait just a bit longer. According to a tweet by Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb, the Xbox One version of Shovel Knight will be released sometime next week:

Updates to the Xbox Games Store are typically made on Wednesday and Friday, so Xbox One owners should expect to dig up a download of Shovel Knight on April 29 or May 1. And remember, he’ll entertain some exclusive special guests on Microsoft’s console as well. Zitz, Pimple, and Rash (AKA The Battletoads) will make their Xbox debut in Shovel Knight.

UPDATE: Yacht Club Games has confirmed Shovel Knight will launch on April 29 for the Xbox One.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Remedy “in talks” to bring Alan Wake remake to Xbox One; Alan Wake 2 also a possibility

Posted on April 21, 2015 by John Scalzo

alanwakelogoRemedy Entertainment opened their doors to Polygon this week, and in addition to pulling back the curtain on an aborted prototype for Alan Wake 2, the studio also confirmed they’re “in talks” with Microsoft to produce a remake of Alan Wake for the Xbox One.

Remedy’s Chief Creative Officer, Sam Lake, said: “I would love that to happen. Nothing has happened yet, but we are discussing this possibility with Microsoft. I hope it happens, we’ll see.”

And for those interested in Alan Wake 2, don’t be scared off by the words “aborted prototype.” Lake also said that Remedy wants to return to the world of Alan Wake and may do so after development is completed on Quantum Break. The developer holds the rights to any sequel, so even if Microsoft isn’t interested, they could pitch it to other publishers or even take the game to Kickstarter:

“Ultimately, these things are business decisions,” Lake told Polygon. “We are definitely not ruling anything out and looking at different opportunities, but nothing is set in stone at the moment.”

Alan Wake was originally released for the Xbox 360 in 2010. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, an Xbox Live Arcade spinoff, was released in 2012.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Video Game Release Calendar Changelog #4: The 2015 Calendar is Taking Shape

Posted on April 20, 2015 by John Scalzo

releasecalendarupdate-header

Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find with a 2015, 2016, or unannounced release date.

The 2015 E3 Expo is slightly less than two months away, and that means gamemakers have decided that now is the time to lock down those all-important Fall release dates while pushing some games to 2016. But first, some of this Spring’s biggest titles finally have confirmed dates including Project CARS (May 6 on PC and May 12 on PS4/Xbox One), Splatoon (May 29), and the full release of Heroes of the Storm (June 2)

But, I’m sure you’re going to ask next, what about the Fall? It kicks off in appropriate fashion with the launch of Madden NFL 16 on August 25 before moving into the crossover-craziness of Lego Dimensions on September 27. Nintendo’s Mario creation kit, Mario Maker, will also debut sometime in September.

No no, you say, Fall really begins in October and November. What’s on tap for then? Glad you asked, my overly pushy imaginary friend. On October 27, Microsoft will release Halo 5: Guardians on October 27. Electronic Arts will follow that up with another major sci-fi shooter, Star Wars: Battlefront, on November 17. In between, Activision will likely release Call of Duty: Black Ops III in early November, though that date is tentative for now.

Other Fall highlights this year include Guitar Hero Live and the North American release of Fatal Frame 5 on the Wii U. Both will set down roots on a specific date soon, but both are coming out in 2015.

However, two highly-anticipated games won’t be coming out in 2015 as previously thought. Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda Wii U and Remedy’s Quantum Break have both been pushed back to the nebulous “TBA 2016.” They’ve been joined by newly-announced entries from two well-liked franchises… Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.

The full list of games included in our fourth Video Game Release Calendar Changelog can be found after the break.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Daily Scoop: April 20, 2015 – Another awesome event finished!

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Nicole Kline

Anthony Amato and I had an amazing time at Philly GamesCon this weekend! We saw so many great friends, met lots of awesome people, and played tons of games. It was a blast!

Of course, right now, it’s time for deals. There’s a brand new Mobile Bundle over at Humble, and this one’s called the Humble Tin Man Games Mobile Bundle. Pay what you want for Judge Dredd: Countdown Sector 106, Slaves of Rema, Siege of the Necromancer, and An Assassin in Orlandes. Beat the average to get Trial of the Clone, Curse of the Assassin, Fighting Fantasy: Caverns of the Snow Witch, and Sultans of Rema. Finally, pay $9 or more to unlock Ryan North’s To Be Or Not To Be and Fighting Fantasy: Starship Traveller. That’s a lot of games!

There are 119 new Weeklong Deals at Steam. This includes The Cat Lady for $2.99, The Secret World for $10.19, and Rochard for $1.49. They’ve also got a brand new Daily Deal. It’s Desktop Dungeons, and it’s just $5.09. Or, if you’re feeling it, you can get the special edition for $8.49.

Just a few shirts today. Let’s check them out!

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Pre-order Halo 5: Guardians from GameStop and get a special Spartan Locke Armor Set

Posted on April 20, 2015 by John Scalzo

Microsoft has teamed up with GameStop to help introduce Spartan Locke, the Halo franchise’s newest character, to gamers everywhere. Players who pre-order Halo 5: Guardians from GameStop will receive the Spartan Locke Armor Set, which comes complete with a special suit of armor and a helmet that can be used exclusively in the game’s multiplayer mode (via Xbox Wire):

  • HUNTER-Class Armor: Sophisticated and lethal, HUNTER-class armor incorporates Watershed Division’s latest warfighting technology.
  • HUNTER-Class Helmet: Though still considered a prototype implementation, the HUNTER’s sensor suite enhances situational and threat awareness.

You can check out Spartan Locke and his snazzy threads in the trailer above. And if you’ve been following Microsoft’s “Hunt the Truth” blog, you might want to know that a new episode of the podcast is now available.

Halo 5: Guardians will be released for the Xbox One on October 27.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged