More powerful “PS4 Neo” is real… but it won’t be available anytime soon

Posted on June 10, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Andrew House recently told The Financial Times that the PS4 Neo, the long-rumored more powerful version of the PS4, is officially in the works. However, contrary to all the rumors out there, the upgraded system won’t make its debut at this year’s E3 Expo.

House confirmed a few details about the proposed system, including the fact that it won’t replace the current PS4: “It is intended to sit alongside and complement the standard PS4. We will be selling both through the life cycle.” The CEO also reassured current PS4 owners that, as of right now, games won’t be designed exclusively for the PS4 Neo, though it will support 4K displays: “All games will support the standard PS4 and we anticipate all or a very large majority of games will also support the high-end PS4.”

While we know it exists, it might be a while before we see the PS4 Neo on store shelves. House said Sony wants to have a wide range of titles available to showcase the Neo’s abilities before they show it to the public. That means we also have no idea how much it’ll cost, but my guess is it’ll be pricey.

Posted in News, PS4 |

Call of Cthulhu’s E3 2016 trailer is appropriately grim and foreboding

Posted on June 10, 2016 by John Scalzo

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – H.P. Lovecraft

This E3 2016 trailer for Cyanide’s Call of Cthulhu adaptation opens with a quote from Lovecraft himself, and it couldn’t be more appropriate for the creepy atmosphere that follows. Based partly on Chaosium’s RPG of the same name, Call of Cthulhu will follow Edward Pierce to Darkwater Island as he investigates the death of Sarah Hawkins:

Call of Cthulhu will offer an RPG-Investigation title, packed with psychological horror and stealth mechanics. Cyanide Studio brings to life a disturbing world that players will have to explore and investigate while Cthulhu, the Great Dreamer, prepares its awakening. Today’s E3 Trailer offers but a glimpse at all that awaits you.

Insanity and the Cthulhu Mythos have long been entwined – as your investigation brings you closer to Cthulhu’s sphere of influence, madness will progressively engulf your senses, leaving you to increasingly question what is real and what is illusory. They say that madness is the only way that can bring you to the truth and you will have to balance your sanity against your determination to discover it!

Focus Home Interactive will publish Call of Cthulhu for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2017… which is also the 100th anniversary of the completion of Lovecraft’s first short stories, The Tomb and Dagon.

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Star Wars: Battlefront Season Pass owners will get Bespin expansion on June 21

Posted on June 10, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Strike up the “Star Wars Main Theme,” EA and DICE have announced that Star Wars: Battlefront‘s Bespin expansion will be available to download (for Season Pass owners) on June 21. All other Star Wars: Battlefront owners will be able to access the DLC two weeks later, on July 5.

Along with a release date, EA and DICE also revealed a bit more about the expansion’s new heroes, weapons, and vehicles on the game’s official website:

Join legendary smuggler Lando Calrissian and cold-blooded bounty hunter Dengar in the Cloud City of Bespin. Take to the skies in the new Cloud Car vehicle and journey through Cloud City and the Administrator’s Palace. The Bespin digital expansion will feature two new blasters to add to your arsenal. No matter your preference of short or long range combat, there will be something new to try out in Cloud City. Hunt enemies within the Bioniip Laboratories or carbon-freezing chambers with the new X-8 Night Sniper and EE-4 blasters.

Lando and Dengar both feature new traits that will give them unique gameplay abilities. Dengar is a villain that thrives on being in a fight. He wields the DLT-19, which makes him the first Hero with a heavy blaster so far. Lando is very skilled with a blaster too, but his greatest talent comes from knowing the odds and using tricks against his enemies.

EA and DICE will release more Star Wars: Battlefront content over the next year including two additional expansions. The Death Star expansion will arrive this Fall, and an untitled expansion will follow in Early 2017.

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Uncharted 4 discovers the top spot on the NPD’s list of best-selling games for May 2016

Posted on June 10, 2016 by John Scalzo

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The NPD Group has revealed their tally of the best-selling games from May 2016, and four new titles were battling it out for the top spot. But ultimately, Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End bested them all for the #1 spot on the list.

The three shooters that made the month of May a very crowded time for fans of the genre slotted in just behind Uncharted 4, and id Software’s Doom claimed the silver medal as the runner-up. And in the duel for the “Hero Shooter” crown, Blizzard took the first round as strong sales for Overwatch ensured a finish in the #3 spot. That means Gearbox had to settle for a bit less of the market thanks to Battleborn‘s fourth place debut.

Overall, the retail side of the industry did very well in May, which NPD’s Liam Callahan explained to GamesIndustry.biz: “Overall trends across new physical software, hardware, and accessories in May 2016 rose by 4%, or $19.3 million, due to 18% growth of new physical software, which offset the 10% decline of hardware, and the 2% decline in accessories”.

A complete look at last month’s best-selling retail games (which also includes Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, Dark Souls III, and others) can be found after the break.

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See one of Cuphead’s “run and gun” levels for the first time

Posted on June 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

Cuphead, Studio MDHR’s deranged side-scrolling shooter, was originally scheduled to be released for the PC and Xbox One last year. But instead, the developer decided to push its release back by nearly a year to make their homage to 1930s animation even grander.

When it was first announced, Cuphead was described as a “Boss Rush” shooter, a game where players would battle a series of increasingly tougher bosses before taking aim at the final boss. However, Studio MDHR’s extra work has added a large number of Contra-esque platforming levels to the game as well, and they’re finally ready to show one off in the E3 2016 trailer embedded above. As you might expect, the animation is beautiful, the soundtrack is jazzy, and the shooting action is intense.

Barring any other delays, Cuphead will be released for the PC and Xbox One sometime this year.

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Nintendo Download… Kirby: Planet Robobot, Wario: Master of Disguise, more

Posted on June 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

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This week’s Nintendo Download is all about battling aliens in a giant mech suit, battling TV monsters with a shape-shifting wand, and going on a grand old fantasy adventure.

Kirby: Planet Robobot will be available to download for the 3DS tomorrow, and it takes Kirby to some strange new places. If you can believe it, Nintendo’s pink puffball is going up against an alien invasion. But don’t worry, he’s stolen a mech suit and is ready to punch those aliens in the face with a pneumatically-powered fist!

Jumping over to the Wii U eShop, we can catch up with one of Wario’s older adventures this week through the Virtual Console. Wario: Master of Disguise was originally released for the DS in 2007, and it’s a side-scrolling platformer where Mario’s on-again/off-again nemesis steals a shape-shifting wand and uses it to battle monsters in his TV. That Wario, he gets around.

Finally this week, the fantasy adventure The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 is now available to download for the Wii U. Filled with the franchise’s “trademark humor that lovingly spoofs your favorite fantasy worlds,” The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 should certainly please adventure game fans.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Superhot Review: A Puzzle-Shooter That Deserves All the Time in the World

Posted on June 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

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“Time Moves Only When You Move.”

The developers behind Superhot know exactly what their minimalist first-person shooter is all about, and this succinct summation of the game’s hook is the perfect way to describe it to anyone unfamiliar with the game. It also tells prospective players that Superhot isn’t just a fast-paced arcade shooter (though it can be). Instead, it’s a deliberately-paced puzzle game where methodically figuring out the correct series of actions to complete each level is the only way to move forward. Even if you’ve never played a first person shooter before, it’s possible to pick up Superhot and understand what the game’s devilish AI has in store for you.

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Posted in PC, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged

Daily Scoop: June 9, 2016 – Pokemon shirts!

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Nicole Kline

There are so many amazing games to choose from right now at Humble in their Build Your Own Adventure Bundle. Get Grim Fandango Remastered for $3.74, Goodbye Deponia for $4.99, and Broken Age for $6.24, among many others. The more you buy, the more you save – get 80% off three games, 83% off four games, and 85% off five games.

At Steam, you can get up to 80% off the Dirt Franchise. Get The Codemasters Dirt Collection for $42.53, or big up individual pieces on the cheap if you already have some and just want to pick up the rest. There’s also a huge Steam Soccer Sale happening right now, including Football Tactics for $11.99, New Star Soccer 5 for $3.74, and Football Manager 2016 for $16.99.

Hit the jump for today’s awesome shirts, which are all Pokemon-themed!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |