BioWare reveals the game “You’ve Been Chosen” for is called Shadow Realms

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BioWare has been teasing out new trailers for their “You’ve Been Chosen” project for a few weeks now. We knew that the game was set in the modern day and centered on superpowers in some way, but the developer was saving the full reveal for Germany’s Gamescom event. Today, BioWare’s Austin team unveiled Shadow Realms, their new 4v1 RPG.

With its 4v1 structure, BioWare wants to make Shadow Realms resemble the pen-and-paper RPGs that many gamers grew up on. Four players will battle hordes of monsters as Hero characters while the fifth will control the Shadowlord, a evil mastermind who can set traps, possess monsters, and cast spells in opposition to the Heroes:

In Shadow Realms, Modern Heroes on Earth are being awakened and recruited, because of magical powers they never knew they had, to fight in a new and dangerous war against the Shadow Legions of Embra. The Shadow Legions, who have been battling on Embra for years against the members of the Radiant Empires, have gained new strength with the coming of a powerful, unknown force that we call the Shadowlords. And, they have just figured out how to leave Embra and invade Earth.

BioWare will release Shadow Realms episodically through EA’s Origin service, though a release date for the first episode wasn’t announced. Prospective players are encouraged to visit the game’s official website to sign up for a closed alpha test. Once you’re there, you can also read up on some behind-the-scenes secrets courtesy of the BioWare team.

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Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro team up for Silent Hill reboot

If Hideo Kojima wasn’t already considered the Clown Prince of Game Development, he’s certainly earned that title now. Yesterday, Sony uploaded P.T., an “interactive teaser” for a horror game from unknown developer 7780s Studio, to the PlayStation Store. But once players reached the end of the demo, they were in for a massive surprise… P.T. is actually a teaser for Silent Hills, a reboot of the long-running horror franchise produced by Hideo Kojima at his Kojima Productions studio with director Guillermo Del Toro serving as a consultant.

Whoa!

Silent Hills will star Norman Reedus (Daryl from The Walking Dead) and it’s in development for the PS4 (and possibly other platforms). That’s about all we know at this point, but hopefully an official announcement from Sony or Konami will clear things up a little more.

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Akiba’s Trip, Hohokum, Risen 3, more added to PS Store

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The real highlight of yesterday’s PlayStation Store update was the “interactive teaser” for PT, but a few interesting games are now available as well…

  • Hohokum (PS3/PS4/Vita Cross-Buy) is this week’s PS Store Play selection and it asks players to guide a “curious kite” through a colorful world.
  • Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed (PS3 and Vita) puts players in the middle of Tokyo’s “Electric Town” to battle semi-naked vampires.
  • Surgeon Simulator: A&E Anniversary Edition (PS4) is a surgery simulation. Yay for accurate titles.
  • Risen 3: Titan Lords (PS3) brings the popular RPG series back to its medieval roots.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And, as always, a rundown of this week’s new game add-ons can be found at the PlayStation Blog.

Press Start to Continue

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KillAllZombies makes zombie hunting a spectator sport on PS4

Ukrainian studio Beatshapers is bringing zombie mayhem to the PS4 with its twin-stick slaughter title KillAllZombies (officially stylized as #killallzombies, but come on). Akin to Smash TV, the game sees players thrust into a televised arena swarming with zombies. Viewers at home determine when the hordes are released, and how many are in each batch [Ed. Note: a group of zombies is better described as a “murder”].

The arena itself is made up of hundreds of hexagonal tiles, upon which items and objects can appear to help the player survive. The tiles can also disintegrate, revealing deadly traps or blocking players/zombies in their path. The hapless contestant will have a large selection of weaponry and ammo, from standard guns such as revolvers and sawed-off shotguns to futuristic X-Bows and Plasma Guns. As well as typical bullets and arrows, players will be able to win armour-piercing rounds to help stave off the zombies quicker, and freezing bullets to stop them in their tracks.

The game is being designed for the world of social media, with spectators being able to interact with the game as well as watching streams via PS4 and Twitch channels. In a move not unfamiliar to fans of The Hunger Games, viewers can vote every 80 seconds between two types of encounter options – will they unleash more zombies, or offer a timed bonus or permanent perk to aid the player? Players will also be rewarded for trusting the audience, and if they wait for decisions about which perk they are to be gifted, they will also gain additional health and XP.

For the voyeurs in the audience, they will be able to alter the camera angle to disadvantage the player. The truly evil spectators will also be able to interfere with the control scheme, all of which can be done over chat commands in realtime. Beatshapers has also promised that there will be plenty of hidden commands to discover.

The frantic KillAllZombies is expected to be available next month and more information is available at the PlayStation Blog.

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WWE 2K15 campaign will focus on rivalries with 2K Showcase mode

wwe2k15-boxThe past few iterations of the WWE games have featured a very rich story mode, and WWE 2K15 will be no different. 2K Games announced that the upcoming title’s 2K Showcase mode will feature two of the greatest rivalries in WWE history: the HHH / Shawn Michaels feud from 2002 to 2004, and John Cena’s rivalry with former WWE star CM Punk, which lasted from 2011 to 2013.

Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing at 2K Games, had this to say about the Showcase Mode: “No fan can deny the fierce competition marking the notorious battles waged between Cena and Punk. These two rivalries are firmly etched in WWE history, and 2K Showcase enables fans to take part in those memorable experiences.”

The 2K Showcase mode will span 33 matches, and will be presented documentary-style, complete with classic footage and sampled audio from the matches. Furthermore, additional famous rivalries will be available as DLC after the game launches on October 28th.

For those of you who just can’t wait to relive these feuds, here’s a picture of CM Punk and John Cena after the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins for the Stanley Cup.

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Three new Xbox One bundles announced

Microsoft is already gearing up for the upcoming holiday season, unveiling a whopping three Xbox One console bundles. Each bundle is sure to scratch the many itches of gamers, whether you’re a sports fan, a FPS freak, or a zombie fanatic.

xboxone-codadvancedwarfareThe Xbox One Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare bundle releases on November 3rd, and includes a digital copy of the “Day Zero” version of COD, which gives you early access to the game as well as double XP on November 3rd. The bundle also includes a 1TB hard drive, chat headset, in-game content, and a really sweet-looking console and controller. Retail price is $499.

xboxone-sunsetoverdriveThe Xbox One Sunset Overdrive bundle includes the oh-so-sexy white console (and a controller to match), a standard size 500GB hard drive, a chat headset, a digital copy of Sunset Overdrive, and all the bonus content included with the “Day One” edition of the game. This bundle will release alongside Insomnaic’s wild-looking game on October 28, and will be priced at $399.

xboxone-fifa15Finally, the Xbox One FIFA 15 bundle includes a digital copy of the game, a chat headset, 14-day Xbox Live trial, and the Ultimate Team Legends Gold Pack. This bundle is set to release on September 25, but will only be available in Europe (for €399.99).

Don’t worry American sports fans – you can still get your Madden NFL 15 bundle on August 26th. And interestingly enough, it appears that none of these bundles will include a Kinect sensor. Hmm…

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Tearaway Unfolded will enfold the PS4 soon

Another in the slew of games Sony announced during Gamescom this week is a PlayStation 4 version of Media Molecule’s Tearaway. Originally released for the Vita, the PS4 version will be known as Tearaway Unfolded. While it is technically a remake of the portable title (which heavily incorporated many of the Vita’s unique features), Tearaway Unfolded will take advantage of the DualShock 4 in the same unique way to bring the immersive experience to a home console.

Players will be able to swipe the touchpad to create wind gusts, use the light bar as a flashlight, and listen to items rattle around inside the controller. No release date has been announced. Stay tuned to Warp Zoned for more info as it becomes available.

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Journey and The Unfinished Swan to hit PS4 in 2014

Today, Sony confirmed that PS3 classics The Unfinished Swan and Journey – no, not that Journey – are being updated for the PlayStation 4. Even better, both titles are planned for release before the end of the year!

Minimal information has been released on the games, other than that they will both run in gorgeous 1080p and that they will be both be Cross-Buy compatible. So if you’ve already purchased the PS3 originals, you’ll be able to upgrade to the PS4 versions for free. As the titles get closer to release, more info will surely become available. Until then, enjoy the fancy “Announce Trailer” for Journey above.

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