Daily Scoop: March 30, 2015 – A new week begins

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Nicole Kline

It’s nearly April, when it should be warm and wonderful, but it’s still freezing here in Philadelphia! In fact, it was even snowing this morning. But don’t worry – this month is almost over, and hopefully when it ends, so will this seemingly endless Winter.

In the meantime, let’s discuss deals! There’s less than a day left on the Humble PC & Android Bundle 12! Pay what you want for Tetrobot and Co., Titan Attacks!, The Inner World, and VVVVVV. Beat the average to get Costume Quest, Ironclad Tactics, Eufloria HD, Solar Flux, and Toast Time. Pay $10 or more to unlock Shadowrun Returns.

There are 131 new Weeklong Deals at Steam! Worms Armageddon is $3.74, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is $2.99, and TinyKeep is $2.49. Check out the full list! Today’s Daily Deal is Mark of the Ninja, which is on sale for $3.74 and is worth every single penny.

There aren’t many shirts today, but let’s check them out anyway!

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Ubisoft unveils Operator System in Rainbow Six: Siege with new trailer, dev diary

Posted on March 30, 2015 by John Scalzo

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege has mostly kept to the shadows since its debut at the 2014 E3 Expo. But today, Ubisoft was ready to reveal a bit more about the game’s “Operator” character selection system.

Each of the game’s 20 Operators will serve as unique classes during multiplayer matches. Some are designed for offensive maneuvers while others are better at holding defensive positions. Each character will have their own individual style, including a variety of different skills and weapons. Players will have to figure out which Operators will work best together for Siege’s heavily team-based play.

PC players will be able to get a crack at the first ten Operators by registering for the PC-exclusive Closed Alpha at the official Rainbow Six site. The rest of us will have to read up on each Operator at the UbiBlog, watch an Operator-focused developer diary embedded after the break, or join the Closed Beta, which is scheduled for later this year. Every PC, PS4, and Xbox One player who pre-orders Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege will be able to take part in the Closed Beta.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege is expected to launch in late 2015.

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Dragon Age: Inquisition’s Jaws of Hakkon add-on coming to PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 in May

Posted on March 30, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Dragon Age: Inquisition‘s first downloadable expansion, Jaws of Hakkon, made a surprise appearance on the PC and Xbox One last week. But BioWare stayed mum on when the add-on would launch on the PS3, PS4, and Xbox 360. Until now.

Today, BioWare confirmed that Jaws of Hakkon will be available on all other platforms beginning in May:

An exclusivity contract between Microsoft and Electronic Arts ensured that the DLC would launch on the Xbox One first, but a nearly two-month delay for the other consoles is a bit on the ridiculous side.

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Project Root flies onto PS4, Vita, Xbox One on April 28

Posted on March 30, 2015 by John Scalzo

OPQAM has announced their overhead shooter, Project Root, will be released for the PS4, Xbox One, and Vita on April 28. If you’re a PlayStation gamer, you’ll be able to pick it up on both the PS4 and Vita with one purchase through Sony’s Cross-Buy program.

In Project Root, gamers will take on the role of rebel ace Lance Rockport who pilots the advanced F-72 Zonda hover fighter against the ruthless Prometheus Corporation. Taking place across eight different, huge and open levels, Project Root has players taking on enemies both in the air and on the ground, progressing with upgrades in firepower, armor and maneuverability. Gamers will utilize special weapon drops during battle, constantly evade a hell-storm of bullets and other projectiles, engage in frenetic boss battles, and strike at the root of the evil Prometheus Corporation bent on world domination.

Pablo Testa, the Technical Director at OPQAM, is ready to bring the formerly PC-exclusive game to console players: “We are extremely proud of our first game, and think that SHMUP fans, and anyone who enjoys a fast-paced and action-packed videogame, will have a lot of fun with Project Root.”

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We Are Doomed will blow up PS4 on April 14, Xbox One on April 17

Posted on March 30, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Vertex Pop has announced that hyper-colorful twin-stick shooter We Are Doomed will be available for the PS4 on April 14. The Xbox One release will follow three days later on April 17.

Vertex Pop’s Mobeen Fikree wishes more games were as colorful as We Are Doomed: “What’s with the lack of color in video games? It bummed me out, so I added all the colors to We Are Doomed.”

We Are Doomed will be priced at $9.99 (€9.99 in Europe) when its released.

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Axiom Verge Review: Hack to the Future

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Mike Ryan

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Each generation of video game consoles has that one defining characteristic, that one aspect that changes the paradigm of gaming as we know it. The Nintendo 64 / PlayStation era introduced us to the analog stick and disc-based media. The joys of online play were introduced in the Xbox / PS2 era. And the Xbox 360 / PS3 generation expanded on what it meant to be an “entertainment system.” That, and we were subjected to microtransactions galore. Well, some distinctions are better than others.

I believe it’s fair to say that the significant shift in this current generation is the quality of indie titles, games made by small groups of talented developers who understand that a game doesn’t have to be a Michael Bay-esque explosion-fest in order to be enjoyed. Granted, there were a lot of fantastic indie games last gen, but the scene has grown tremendously over the past few years. These dedicated folks make games that they themselves want to play. And we love them for it, because the love and enthusiasm poured into these games are evident in both the art and quality. Additionally, they offer a breath of fresh air to otherwise stagnant genres. And every so often, a game is released that’s pieced together so lovingly it reminds even the most jaded gamer why they got into this hobby in the first place. Axiom Verge is one of those games; a true masterpiece.

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Live-action Halo 5: Guardians trailer reveals October 27 launch date

Posted on March 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

After all the recent delays, it’s nice to see a publisher push a stake in the ground and say, “This release date is mine!” Microsoft did that tonight with a pair of new live-action trailers for Halo 5: Guardians. Each trailer ended with confirmation that the Xbox One exclusive will be released on October 27.

In the first trailer, a very angry Agent Locke strides towards an injured Master Chief and prepares the execute the famed war hero over some kind of betrayal. Is the Master Chief guilty of some horrible crime against humanity? Maybe… but maybe not. The second trailer, which is embedded after the break, shows the Master Chief as the aggressor, and in a position to murder Locke. Which one is the truth? Maybe Microsoft can help.

The publisher wants fans to dig deeper tonight into the lore of Halo 5 with a new episode in the Hunt the Truth podcast. War journalist Benjamin Giraud (Key & Peele‘s Keegan-Michael Key) attempts to go back to the very beginning with the first official episode, “A Hairline Fracture”:

The second episode of the podcast will be available next week.

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Bruce Campbell joins CoD Advanced Warfare as world’s grooviest pilot in Exo Zombies Ep2

Posted on March 29, 2015 by John Scalzo

John Malkovich, Bill Paxton, Rose McGowan, and Jon Bernthal aren’t loud-mouth braggarts, but they are back to kill more zombies in Exo Zombies: Infection, which is part of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare‘s second expansion pack. This time out, they’ve got air support from the world’s greatest helicopter pilot… who’s played by Bruce Campbell! And until I’m told otherwise, I’m just going to assume he’s playing himself.

Campbell gets in a few nice words while mowing down zombies with a minigun, but this is John Malkovich’s show as he narrates the new trailer, which was released today by Activision as part of the Call of Duty Championship. In case you were curious, the winning team at this year’s competition is Denial eSports. Congratulations.

The Ascendance Pack, and Exo Zombies: Infection, will be available to download this Tuesday, March 31, for Advanced Warfare owners with an Xbox One or Xbox 360. Aside from the mighty Bruce Campbell, Infection will feature the debut of a new zombie type (a heavily-armored ghoul), a new weapon (some kind of microwave gun), and a new trap (looks like a giant crocodile). The expansion will be available for PC, PS3, and PS4 players in about a month.

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