Daily Scoop: February 15, 2016 – Last chance to get the Humble Bundle

Posted on February 15, 2016 by Nicole Kline

Hello, dear readers! It’s been a while. I had some personal matters that had to be taken care of, and that were exhausting. I filled in the time with video games, and I’m well on my way to getting some Platinum Trophies. And, of course, I spent a lot of time thinking about Fire Emblem Fates, which comes out this week. Which one are you getting?

Anyway, let’s talk about deals. The Humble Ubisoft Bundle has less than a day left. Pay $1 or more for Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Grow Home, and Rayman Origins. Beat the average to unlock Far Cry 3, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Pay $15 or more to unlock Assassin’s Creed: Rogue and The Crew. Finally, pay $75 or more to unlock a pre-order of Tom Clancy’s The Division, an exclusive t-shirt from the game, and a coupon for 66% off up to three Ubisoft titles in the Humble Store.

Over at Steam, there’s Make War not Love 3, which includes the Total War Master Collection Sept 2014 for $29.99 and the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II – Master Collection for $13.74. The Daily Deal is the amazing Sentinels of the Multiverse for $5.99.

There are lots of great t-shirts today!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Insert Quarter: The Legend of Zelda’s Most Interesting One-Off Items

Posted on February 15, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

With more than a dozen games under his tunic, Link has accumulated quite the arsenal of one-off items and weapons. Sure, everyone loves the Ladder and the Whistle, but those appeared all the way back in the original Legend of Zelda. What have you done for me lately, Link?

Thankfully, the writers at The AV Club have put their “Inventory” skills to good use and cataloged all these weird and wacky inventions for future generations as part of “Zelda Week.” That’s such a great idea that I’ll even give them a pass after whiffing on the Ball And Chain (it appeared in Twilight Princess and Hyrule Warriors):

So much of The Legend Of Zelda’s identity hangs on that “legend” conceit. It’s a tale that’s always being retold, often with the same characters, locations, and plot points. That’s also why Link’s ever-growing collection of weapons and gadgetry tends to stay so similar from game to game. But when you look past the utilitarian adventuring necessities—your bombs and bows and boomerangs—the series is full of tools that have only ever made their way into a single Zelda game. Some are powerful items with deep ties to the stories in which they appear, and others are idiosyncratic novelties that have no place outside the ruined temples in which they’ve been hidden away. Whatever their role, some of these one-legend wonders are among the most memorable tools Link has ever used.

The full article is available for your perusal at The AV Club.

Posted in 3DS, News, Retro, Wii, Wii U | Tagged , , , , ,

Doom’s single-player campaign will take 13 hours to complete

Posted on February 15, 2016 by John Scalzo

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It’s hard to explain just how much of a vice grip the original Doom had on gamers back in 1993. The game’s grueling single-player campaign was 36 levels of blood and horror, but it’s still fondly remembered by those of us who fought all the way to the gates of Hell.

More than 22 years have passed since the release of the original Doom, but the id Software of 2016 is just as concerned with creating something epic. Responding to a fan on Twitter, the developer said that this Spring’s Doom will feature a single-player campaign that clocks in at over 13 hours:

Obviously, this kind of pronouncement should be taken with a grain of salt. But it is a good sign that we’ll all be knee-deep in the dead on May 13.

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Hardcore Henry is a first-person action film that was probably inspired by video games

Posted on February 15, 2016 by John Scalzo

I think we can all agree the best part of Doom‘s 2005 film adaptation was the short first-person scene towards the end. Don’t believe me? By all means, watch it again.

This sequence lasts just a few minutes, but could a feature-length film be shot entirely in a first-person perspective? First-time director Ilya Naishuller accepted that challenge in 2014, ultimately raising over $250,000 as part of a successful Indiegogo campaign, and premiering his completed film to rapturous applause at last year’s Toronoto International Film Festvial. Over the weekend, distributor STX Entertainment unveiled a new theatrical trailer and announced that Hardcore Henry will open in theaters on April 8.

Following in the proud tradition of Link, Samus Aran, and Doomguy, the Hardcore Henry of the title is completely mute. Thankfully, his mysterious sidekick, Jimmy (played by Sharlto Copley), is always quick with a quip. And it just gets crazier from there:

You remember nothing. Mainly because you’ve just been brought back from the dead by your wife (Haley Bennett). She tells you that your name is Henry. Five minutes later, you are being shot at, your wife has been kidnapped, and you should probably go get her back. Who’s got her? His name’s Akan (Danila Kozlovsky); he’s a powerful warlord with an army of mercenaries, and a plan for world domination. You’re also in the unfamiliar city of Moscow, and everyone wants you dead. Everyone except for a mysterious British fellow called Jimmy (Sharlto Copley). He may be on your side, but you aren’t sure. If you can survive the insanity, and solve the mystery, you might just discover your purpose and the truth behind your identity. Good luck, Henry. You’re likely going to need it…

A robotic resurrection… a hero with amnesia… a kidnapped wife… … Hardcore Henry hits all the familiar story beats from some of your favorite games. It also looks ridiculously entertaining. We’ll find out for sure when it opens on April 8.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

2016 Writers Guild Award for Videogame Writing goes to Rise of the Tomb Raider

Posted on February 15, 2016 by John Scalzo

wgaThe Writers Guild of America announced the winners of the 2016 Writers Guild Awards this weekend, and Square Enix’s Rise of the Tomb Raider took home the prize for “Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing.”

Lara Croft’s latest adventure was written by Rhianna Pratchett, with Narrative Design by John Stafford and Cameron Suey, and additional writing by Philip Gelatt. Pratchett is one of the gaming industry’s premiere storytellers, but this is her first win at the Writers Guild Awards. She previously wrote 2013’s Tomb Raider, as well as Heavenly Sword, Mirror’s Edge, and Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians.

The writing team beat out some strong competition this year including Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity, and CD Projekt’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Rise of the Tomb Raider was released last year for the Xbox One and Xbox 360, and is now also available for the PC. It’ll launch for the PS4 sometime this Fall.

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Watch the first six minutes of The Walking Dead: Michonne right here

Posted on February 15, 2016 by John Scalzo

Telltale gave their fans a bloody Valentine yesterday in the form of a video preview of the first six minutes from the upcoming The Walking Dead: Michonne. The three-episode miniseries will dive into the backstory of one of the comic’s most popular characters and reveal the reasons behind her self-imposed exile from Rick’s group in issues #126 through #139 of the comic book series.

The Walking Dead: Michonne’s first episode, “In Too Deep,” will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on February 23 (followed by an iOS/Android release on the 25th). Future episodes will be available in March and April.

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

Weekly Warp-Up: Activision and Ubisoft Want You to Play More Games in 2016…

Posted on February 14, 2016 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

The second part of our Day-By-Day Guide to All of 2016’s New Video Games (April through September) is now live and we got to talk about the surprising number of big releases that’ll be available throughout the Spring and Summer. But two of the biggest game publishers have revealed their 2016 plans to eager shareholders.

Ubisoft said Watch Dogs 2, For Honor, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, and South Park: The Fractured But Whole will all be released sometime this year, while Activision confirmed that An Infinity Ward-developed Call of Duty 2016, Skylanders 6, and another Destiny expansion will be out this Fall. Activision also revealed that Destiny 2 will be released in 2017.

But if you’re looking for a game that’s currently available, you want to dive into our review of action RPG Victor Vran.

And finally, Madden NFL 16‘s Super Bowl 50 prediction turned out to be a tad inaccurate. Better luck next year, EA!

More news from the past seven days can be found after the break.

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Posted in News |

New Releases: Street Fighter V, Fire Emblem Fates, Project X Zone 2, More

Posted on February 14, 2016 by John Scalzo

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This week’s new release report has “Made in Japan” written all over it.

After upgrading and enhancing Street Fighter IV nearly half-a-dozen times, Capcom is finally ready to move on to Street Fighter V this week. The PC and PS4 fighting game will include 16 characters, and the publisher plans to add new characters to the roster every few months as downloadable content. Fans have been waiting for this one for a while, but I’m very interested to see how the Street Fighter franchise will change without the promise of a “Super” or “Ultra” expansion in the future.

Nintendo brings back another long-awaited sequel this week with the release Fire Emblem Fates on the 3DS. To give players a choice in how the story proceeds, the massive game was actually split into two parts, Birthright and Conquest, so players lead a rebellion or smash it. A third path, pitting both sides against an even greater evil, will be available as a downloadable expansion later this Spring. A beautifully-rendered New 3DS XL: Fire Emblem Fates Edition can also be picked up on store shelves, but it won’t include a copy of either Fire Emblem Fates game.

Speaking of complex strategy games on the 3DS, Fire Emblem Fates will get some competition this week from Project X Zone 2, Monolith Soft’s ridiculous quad-company crossover. Beloved characters from games published by Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega, and Nintendo are joining forces to battle a dimension-hopping foe.

Finally this week, Nintendo will re-release Bayonetta 2 in a single-disc version that drops the Bayonetta bonus disc. If you’ve been waiting to pick up one of the best action games the Wii U has to offer, now’s your chance.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Wii U | Tagged , , ,