Raiden joins Mortal Kombat X… watch the gameplay trailer here

Posted on July 12, 2014 by John Scalzo

As promised, NetherRealm Studios revealed a new character from Mortal Kombat X during today’s Injustice: Gods Among Us final at Evo 2014. Or rather, they revealed an old character who will be playable in a new way… the Thunder God himself, Raiden.

Like all of the previously revealed characters, Raiden will have three distinct variations in Mortal Kombat X. “Thunder God Raiden” will be a combo-heavy take on the character that delivers powerful attacks with an emphasis on electrocution blasts. Meanwhile, “Displacer Raiden” uses a more defensive stance that, not surprisingly, relies on Raiden’s teleportation abilities. The final stance, “Storm Lord Raiden,” is the most unique. This version of Raiden creates lightning traps that merge to form a barrier between the Elder God and his opponent.

And stick around for Raiden’s Fatality, it’ll make your eyes pop out of your head.

Mortal Kombat X will be available sometime next year for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Presumably, we can expect many more of these reveal trailers to appear between now and then.

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Ignorance Is Strength: Gaming’s Permanent War With Nazis, Terrorists, and PMCs

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Dan Hobbs

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In the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduced us to a profusion of concepts that are especially relavant in today’s culture. Terms like Big Brother, thoughtcrime, doublethink, and Room 101 have all spread through modern society, but there is one line that resonates strongly in the world of video games: “War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.”

In the novel, it’s a prime example of doublethink, where people can simultaneously agree with two contradicting points of view. While doublethink is all over video game punditry in a thousand different forms, it’s this last part that I feel needs to be focused on. “Ignorance is strength” is the idea that the masses can live in blissful and perpetual incomprehension of the truth, and somehow gain a sense of power from this.

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Posted in Opinions, Top Story |

Daily Scoop: July 11, 2014 – Friday!

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Nicole Kline

Woohoo, it’s Friday! I can’t wait to head home and dive into some gaming. I bought a copy of Pokemon Platinum when I was at Too Many Games, and I’ve been looking for a moment to hop into it. I think this weekend might just be that time!

There are some terrific games discounted over at the Humble Store today! You can get Project Zomboid for $9.99, the You Don’t Know Jack Classic Bundle for $4.99, and the incredible Risk of Rain for just $3.32. Scoop ’em up!

But wait, there’s more! The Weekend Deal at Steam is Goat Simulator, which is marked down to $5.99, and their Daily Deal is Sir, You Are Being Hunted for just $5. With so many great games to choose from, which ones will you buy?

Let’s end this with some t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Wii U version of Project CARS skids into 2015

Posted on July 11, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Lee Kirton, Bandai Namco UK’S Marketing and PR Director, has confirmed that the Wii U version of Slightly Mad’s Project CARS will miss its originally planned November release date. The racing simulation will now be available for Nintendo’s console sometime in 2015:

While this is disappointing news for Wii U owners, Project CARS on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One will be released this November as previously announced.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged

Don’t scream… Alien: Isolation pre-order DLC will be available to all at a later date

Posted on July 11, 2014 by John Scalzo

A few days ago, Sega revealed an awesome pair of pre-order bonus missions for Alien: Isolation that recreate key scenes from Alien, the 1979 film that started it all. The first mission, “Crew Expendable,” will be available to everyone who pre-orders the game. But the second mission, “Last Survivor,” was announced as a GameStop exclusive.

But developer Creative Assembly wants to assure everyone that both missions will be available to all Alien: Isolation owners in due time. Even if you don’t have any plans to pre-order Alien: Isolation, both missions will be available to download sometime after the game’s release. Creative Assembly’s Community Manager, Nee, confirmed the good news on Facebook yesterday:

I can confirm today that we do plan to release both “Crew Expendable” and “Last Survivor” at a later date and we’ll have more details for you guys on that shortly.

Alien: Isolation will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 7.

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Ubisoft: New Assassin’s Creed game for PS3/Xbox 360 will be revealed “soon”

Posted on July 10, 2014 by John Scalzo

assassinscreed-logoUbisoft CEO Yves Guillemot spoke to investors today as part of the comapny’s quarterly financial presentation. Guillemot talked up the success of Watch Dogs and the publisher’s strong E3 showing, but he also revealed that news on another Assassin’s Creed game would be released “soon.”

Responding to a question about the status of the next Assassin’s Creed game for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Guillemot said: “We said that we were going to give more info soon on [an Assassin’s Creed game for the PS3 and Xbox 360], and it will come soon.” Ubisoft previously confirmed that an original Assassin’s Creed game would be released for current-generation consoles this Fall.

Rumor has it this game will be titled Assassin’s Creed: Comet and that it will serve as a direct sequel to last year’s Black Flag. I guess we’ll find out for sure “soon.”

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Another Mortal Kombat X character will be unveiled at Evo 2014

Posted on July 10, 2014 by John Scalzo

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NetherRealm Studios has confirmed (via their Facebook page) that another character from Mortal Kombat X will be unveiled this weekend during the finals of the Injustice: Gods Among Us tournament at Evo 2014. The finals will take place on Saturday, July 12 at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time) and they’ll be streamed on Evo 2014’s official Twitch TV channel.

The only clue we have to the identity of this mystery fighter is the cryptic phrase, “I Stand Watch For Eternity.” This could be referring to one of the many Elder Gods that have appeared in the Mortal Kombat series over the years including Raiden, Fujin, or Shinnock. But it could just as easily be an original character, continuing the precedent set by NetherRealm at this year’s E3 Expo. Of the six characters revealed so far, four are brand new (Cassie Cage, Kotal Kahn, Ferra/Torr, and D’Vorah). Speculation is easy, but we’ll find out for sure in less than two days.

Mortal Kombat X will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in 2015.

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

Skullgirls Encore will be released for PS4, Vita this year

Posted on July 10, 2014 by John Scalzo

Lab Zero Games has announced that they plan to bring Skullgirls Encore‘s unique brand of cartoony 2D fighting to the PS4 and Vita this year. According to Lab Zero, Skullgirls Encore on the PS4 and Vita will be a “complete” version of the game and include every previously released DLC character and bonus stage. The Vita version will also be compatible with Sony’s upcoming PlayStation TV setup box.

If you’re interested in even more Skullgirls Encore news (an encore of Encore, if you will), then check out the work-in-progress trailer above featuring Eliza, the next downloadable character planned for the game. Then head over to the PlayStation Blog for a look at Beowulf the Wrestler and Robo-Fortune, two characters that are in the very early planning stages at Lab Zero.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita, Xbox 360 | Tagged