Final Gamescom 2014 teaser from Sony promises to “Reinvent Horror” on PS4

Posted on August 12, 2014 by John Scalzo

Sony’s Gamescom 2014 presentation begins in just a few short hours, 1:00 PM (Eastern Time) to be exact, but a final teaser trailer has confirmed one of their big announcements: Until Dawn.

Originally announced at Gamescom 2012, Until Dawn is a first-person adventure game inspired by 80s horror films, especially those of the “cabin in the woods” variety. And this new teaser features a faceless killer slicing and dicing someone while framed within the window of a cabin. Because this is a teaser, the words “Until Dawn” are never said, but the cabin imagery and the “Horror Reinvented” tagline point pretty strongly towards the return of Supermassive’s ode to 80s horror.

Oh, and apparently its moving to the PS4 as well. Groovy.

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Pre-loading and more new Xbox One system features announced

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Dan Hobbs

xboxone-logoBoth before, and during, their Xbox Media Briefing at Gamescom 2014, Microsoft executives announced a whole host of new features coming soon to the Xbox One.

Firstly, announced during the media briefing itself, the Xbox One Games Store will offer pre-ordering and pre-downloading, which will allow gamers to pay for and download digital copies of games before they release. The first games to feature the pre-loading option will be Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15.

But before the show, the Xbox Wire revealed several new features coming to the system, first through the Preview program, and then to the general public. The features are not incredibly groundbreaking, but they either fix some annoying issues or add some niche functionality:

New “Friends” section – The new Friends section has been available for a few early access Preview members and we’re expanding it to everyone enrolled in the Preview program. The new Friends section enables users to see at a glance what’s going on with their friends. They can stay up-to-date with their current activities, the most popular games their friends are playing, and a Gamerscore leaderboard to see who has improved their Gamerscore over the last 30 days.

Snap Center – Some of gamers’ favorite features in the Xbox 360 guide, are coming to Xbox One in a way that’s now truly be side-by-side with games. Messages, friends, parties, and achievements will all be available in the new Snap Center, providing a seamless way to switch back and forth without having to leave a game.

Threaded Messages – Keeping gamers in their games while they multitask has been a huge focus. The new Messages app features threaded messages with the full conversation history – including embedded links to Game DVR clips – that can be viewed without interrupting gameplay.

Media Player – A new app will be available soon that enables users to play media files from either an attached USB device or from a network connected home media server that supports DLNA protocols. The preview version of the Media Player app will initially only support USB devices, with DLNA support coming soon. Xbox One will support more formats than Xbox 360, including support for dozens of new file formats like mpeg 2 TS, animated gifs and mkv which will be added by the end of the year. See below for additional file formKats.

Xbox One Digital TV Tuner – Announced last week, this new accessory will enter a limited preview program in Europe (UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), in advance of its retail launch beginning in October.

Stream TV to SmartGlass – Launching first in markets receiving the Xbox Digital TV Tuner, Xbox One owners will be able to stream their TV across their home network to their smartphones and tablets using the Xbox SmartGlass app. They can also pause, play and rewind as well as change channels, without interrupting gameplay on the Xbox One. This will work for SmartGlass apps on Windows, iOS, and Android.

Boot to TV – Now Xbox One owners will be able to set their console to boot directly to television when coming out of connected standby.

Live TV mini guide – For markets where OneGuide is available, a new mini guide on the bottom of the screen will display details about the TV content that is currently playing. Users can quickly change channels and see what’s on other channels, while still watching TV.

According to Microsoft, these features will be available on your Xbox One in the “coming months”

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Rise of the Tomb Raider is an Xbox One exclusive

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Dan Hobbs

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Today, during Microsoft’s Gamescom media breifing, a new trailer for Square Enix’s Rise of the Tomb Raider ended with the words “Coming Exclusivly to Xbox.” It was also announced that the game will be released at the end of 2015 – right up next to Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

This is huge coup for Microsoft, especially based on how well the 2013 reboot was received by critics and players. Crystal Dynamics needed a partner to push Rise to the next level, and struck a deal with Microsoft to make that happen. With Square Enix not liking the sales of the original so much, a cash injection from Microsoft may have helped insure the game’s development. However, it’s unknown if this deal represents a short-term exclusive window or something more permanent (like with TitanFall). And as an “Xbox Exclusive,” does that mean an Xbox 360 version could be in development? Surely, there must be a PC version in the works, right? Only time will tell for all of these questions.

Darrell Gallagher, Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio, took to the official Tomb Raider Tumblr to discuss the Xbox exclusivity of Rise of the Tomb Raider (which was actually hinted at during its E3 2014 reveal):

This doesn’t mean that we’re walking away from our fans who only play on PlayStation or on PC. Those are great systems, with great partners, and amazing communities. We have Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris coming to those platforms this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4.

Once again, Rise of the Tomb Raider will be released as an Xbox One exclusive towards the end of next year.

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Volition’s next project will be revealed at PAX Prime 2014

Posted on August 12, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Volition will kick off this year’s PAX Prime convention with a “Quiz Show Hour” celebrating the Saints Row franchise. Once the questions are done, developers from Volition will give attendees a sneak peek at their next project:

Quiz Show Hour With Volition – Project Reveal & Prizes
Sandworm Theatre | Friday 8/29 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
The developers behind the Saints Row franchise invite you to participate in a quiz show hour with Natalie Lander, the voice of Kinzie! At the end of the panel, we’ll show you exclusive gameplay, art, and details for an upcoming project from Volition.

Right now, we don’t have much of an idea of what Volition is up to. Their collaboration with Guillermo Del Toro, Insane, was canceled by THQ in 2012. And as for the possibility of Saints Row 5, comedian Jay Mohr said he was doing voicework for the game back in December, but Volition never followed it up with any kind of formal announcement.

But wouldn’t it be wild if it turns out to be a new Descent game?

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Focus your eye laser on Kano’s Mortal Kombat X debut trailer

Posted on August 11, 2014 by John Scalzo

Ed Boon’s big Mortal Kombat X reveal for this week’s Gamescom convention got released a tad early, giving us our first look at an older (but still badass) Kano.

Like every character in Mortal Kombat X, Kano will be available in three variations. The “Cutthroat” variation will feature powered-up attacks and knife combos while the “Cybernetic” variation mixes things up with multiple eye laser and grenade attacks. The most unique of Kano’s three variations is clearly the “Commando” variation, which features close-range grappling attacks that bring out the wrestler in the gangster.

Longtime fans are no doubt thrilled that Kano is making a comeback in Mortal Kombat X and his inevitable Story Mode confrontation with Cassie Cage will surely bring the fireworks. Mortal Kombat will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in 2015.

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Daily Scoop: August 11, 2014 – Sleepy Monday

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Nicole Kline

Wow, it’s Monday already? I’m exhausted after a fun-filled weekend in Boston, where I attended GameLoop and met tons of amazing new people! It was a blast, and I wish I had a weekend to recover from it.

But there are deals to bring to you, dear reader! And that’s why I’m here. There’s a new Flash Sale over at Humble Bundle – the Artifex Mundi bundle. Pay what you want for Nightmares from the Deep: The Cursed Heart and Abyss: The Wraiths of Eden. Pay more than the average to unlock 9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek and Nightmares from the Deep: The Siren’s Call. And finally, Pay $6 or more to unlock Enigmatis: The Mists of Ravenwood.

Over at Steam, there’s a brand new Daily Deal handy as well. Pay just $13.59 for Supreme Ruler 1936. That’s 66% off!

And now, t-shirts!

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Daily Scoop |

NextGen Pants launches Kickstarter campaign to complete Tetropolis development

Posted on August 11, 2014 by John Scalzo

Tetropolis was one of our favorite games on display at this year’s PAX East convention. The Metroidvania-style puzzle platformer puts players in the minos of a pair of deformed tetrominos as they attempt to escape the obstacles laid out before them. It’s an interesting new take on the genre and I’m looking forward to the rest of its progress.

However, developer NextGen Pants announced today that they’re need of a bit more money to complete Tetropolis and they have launched a Kickstarter campaign in their quest to complete its development. The team is seeking $50,000 to finish the game and hopefully eager backers won’t be as elusive as one of those line pieces.

In addition to the previously announced PC edition of Tetropolis, the game is in development for Mac and Linux. An Ouya version is also in the works and NextGen Pants is participating in their FreeTheGames Fund, which will provide matching funds up to $250,000.

If all goes well, Tetropolis will be available sometime next Summer. In the meantime, be sure to check out the demo available through the Kickstarter page.

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Square Enix teams up with Dontnod for Life Is Strange

Posted on August 11, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Developer Dontnod has partnered with Square Enix to publish their next project, an episodic game known as Life Is Strange. The downloadable game is Dontnod’s first title for next-generation consoles and will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One, as well as the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Dontnod has given Life Is Strange a hand-drawn look and will ask players to weigh “choice and consequence” throughout the story, as they employ the main character’s ability to rewind time:

The game takes place in the fictional town of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, where senior student Max Caulfield returns after a five year absence. Reunited with her former friend Chloe, the pair will attempt to uncover the uncomfortable truth behind the mysterious disappearance of fellow student Rachel Amber.

In addition to solving Rachel’s disappearance, the developer said that Max’s powers may allow her to “change the course of history.” Say it with me… “This is heavy, Doc!”

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