Kratos returns in God of War prequel next year

Posted on April 19, 2012 by John Scalzo

First leaked by Amazon late last night, Sony has now officially announced God of War: Ascension for the PS3. The retail giant may have spoiled their surprise, but the publisher still had a bit to say about Kratos next adventure. Since he “died” at the end of God of War III, Ascension is being developed as a prequel to Kratos story, and it’s once again being developed by Sony Santa Monica. The Amazon product page also points towards a 2013 release. Finally, Sony released the awesome teaser trailer above.

“Tease” appears to be the operative word as Sony also confirmed that we won’t learn anything else about the game until Monday, April 30 at 11 AM (Eastern Time). If you’re not stuck at work or in class at that time, you’ll want to point your browser at the PlayStation Facebook page to watch a live streaming event with the game’s director, Todd Papy.

He’ll be answering your questions during the stream and you can begin bombarding him now on Twitter by tweeting @PlayStation. And be sure to tag it with the hashtag #godofwarascension.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

New iPhone app allows anyone to build their own games, no coding required

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

Today, Engineous Games released a free game creation tool for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad called Sketch Nation Studio that allows you to create your own iOS game with no technical background required.

The five “genres” of games you can make currently are Up-Jumping, Down-Jumping, Horizontal Jumping, Horizontal Running, and Horizontal Flying. But who or what will be doing all this jumping or flying?

You can draw your own characters using in-app drawing tools, or take snapshots of drawings on paper with your device’s camera and import them. You can share your art with other players within the game, which allows you to collaborate with friends if you’re into that.

There are three modes, with varying degrees of depth. Simple Mode allows you to quickly create a basic game. Advanced Mode gives more control, and allows you to customize wvery aspect of gameplay. Stand Alone Mode allows you to actually sell your game on the App Store for a small profit.

Sketch Nation Studio is free, but downloading user-generated games and art costs virtual currency called Sketch Bucks. You earn these Sketch Bucks if a game or art you created is downloaded or if you play games. There’s also the option of purchasing them in-app if you don’t want to upload content.

Posted in Mobile, News |

Silent Hill: Downpour Review: That Old-Timey Feeling

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Joshua Wise

It probably goes without saying that Silent Hill 2 is the yardstick for all of the games in the series that have come after. But it’s important to establish that high water mark before attempting to understand Silent Hill: Downpour, a game designed with more than an an eye toward that early achievement in the series.

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Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

THQ hits Darksiders II with a delay

Posted on April 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

After some subtle teasing by the company’s Vice President, THQ has confirmed that Darksiders II will miss its previously announced June 26 release date. The PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game will now be released sometime in August due to a need for “additional time for polish”:

This is great news for the team at Vigil, because it allows additional time for polish and to ensure that all aspects of Darksiders II meet the high-quality bar the team is targeting. In game development, more time is always a good thing for quality and the Vigil team is dedicated to providing the definitive Darksiders experience.

Darksiders II is also in development for the Wii U and is currently scheduled to launch alongside Nintendo’s next system sometime this Fall.

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Daily Scoop: April 18, 2012 – Downloadable Deals

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Nicole Kline

I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about a certain card game (no, they aren’t paying me royalties every time I mention them), but considering last night was the fourth time I’ve played it in five days, I have to at least share one thing, and that is the exquisite haiku my boyfriend played for me last night:

Kanye West
Eating the last known bison
Fancy Feast.

It’s got a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?

So what’s up with deals today? Well, Amazon’s got some downloadable deals going on right now. Battlefield 3 is $29.99, Battlefield Bad Company 2 is $4.99, Battlefield 2 Complete Collection is $4.99, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam is $4.99. They’ve also got a bunch of Battlefield Heroes National Army Starter Packs, ranging from $6.69 to $13.39. All of these deals can be found here.

Just one shirt today, but it’s a good one…

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PC |

XBLA Today: Trials Evolution

Posted on April 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

Microsoft has kicked off their Arcade Next promotion with today’s release of Trials Evolution, a followup to the popular motorcycle racer Trials HD. Naturally, the sequel is full of even more motorcycling action:

It’s survival of the fastest with Trials Evolution! Your favorite physics-based motorcycle racer is back in a brilliant new outdoor setting. Ride in real-time multiplayer with 2-4 players, either locally or through Xbox Live. Enjoy a deep, rich single player career with 50 brilliant tracks, challenging unlocks, and tricky achievements. A massive, powerful track editor lets you build the track of your dreams and easily share it with the world. Or simply download top-rated tracks from around the world, using the all-new Track Central. Customize your bike and rider with awesome gear and unique parts, enjoy unique skill games, try ghost racing, beat your Friends’ scores, and more! Don’t miss the madness!

Trials Evolution is available to download for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Cam Newton, Calvin Johnson duel for Madden NFL 13 cover

Posted on April 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

After several weeks of intense voting, only two players remain. Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson have reached the finals of the Madden NFL 13 cover vote.

Newton defeated Patrick Willis of the 49ers in a squeaker (53%-47%) while Johnson demolished Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers (67%-33%).

The final round of voting is now open at ESPN.com/maddenvote and it’ll continue until Wednesday, April 25. The winner will be announced after the voting closes on April 25 on ESPN2’s SportsNation.

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

Activision bringing 007 Legends to PS3, Xbox 360 this Fall

Posted on April 18, 2012 by John Scalzo

It’s taken a bit longer than expected, but Daniel Craig will slip back into the quick wit and debonair dress of James Bond this November in the Sam Mendes-directed Skyfall. But he won’t be going it alone. In addition to the return of Q, Activision has some gadgeteering of their own in the works with the Eurocom-developed 007 Legends.

007 Legends will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime this Fall. The game will tie together the stories from six classic Bond movies in an overarching plot that concludes with the events of Skyfall.

“To honor 50 years of the world’s top secret agent, 007 Legends offers a collection of his most famed moments in the smartest and most treacherous Bond game yet,” said David Oxford, Executive Vice President at Activision Publishing. “Creating a video game storyline that ties together six popular, yet very different, Bond movie narratives can be challenging, but together with EON Productions, our developer Eurocom, has pulled it off to create an homage that we think will be a unique and highly entertaining Bond video game.”

As you’d expect from a Bond, 007 Legends will include 4-player splitscreen play as well as an online multiplayer mode. The popular Mi6 Ops Missions mode (that was first featured in GoldenEye 007: Reloaded) will also make a return appearance in 007 Legends.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged