Hideo Kojima officially leaves Konami to start his own studio and possibly develop a PlayStation-exclusive title

Posted on December 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

hideokojimaA mountain of evidence has accumulated over the last six months about Hideo Kojima’s pending split from Konami, and now it looks like it’s official.

According to the Nikkei (via Wired), Japan’s largest financial newspaper, Kojima finally left Konami on December 15. The newspaper also learned that the veteran developer plans to start his own studio with several of his colleagues from Kojima Productions. The name of Kojima’s next venture is currently under wraps, but the Nikkei report said the team is in “final negotiations” to produce a game for Sony’s PlayStation platform (presumably the PS4). Though it’s important to note that this doesn’t rule out a PC or Xbox One release for Kojima’s next game.

Kojima began his illustrious career at Konami in the mid 80s, quickly rising to a lead developer on the original Metal Gear. Over the next three decades, he directed nearly a dozen sequels, as well as branching out to other projects like Zone of the Enders, Snatcher, and Policenauts. Kojima was set to produce his next side project, Silent Hills, alongside film director Guillermo Del Toro, but it was canceled by Konami in the Spring.

We don’t know what Kojima has planned for his new studio, but I’m sure many would like to see him continue the ideas found in Silent Hills in some form.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: December 15, 2015 – So many shirts!

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Nicole Kline

Tonight I think we’re going to see the latest movie in the Hunger Games series, since we’re a bit behind on films. But I won’t lie – I think I’d rather go home and play more Fallout 4. It’s a problem, and I’m acknowledging it, but I still want to do it.

You don’t have much time left to get the Total War Encore at the Humble Weekly Bundle. Pay what you want for Medieval II: Total War Collection, Viking: Battle for Asgard, Shogun: Total War Collection, and a bunch of in-game resources and books. Beat the average to unlock Total War: Arena Premium Spartan Hoplite Unit, Medieval: Total War Collection, Empire: Total War Collection, Total War: Shogun 2 Collection, and Napoleon: Total War Collection, as well as 66% Total War: Attila in the Humble Store. But wait – there’s more! Pay $15 or more to unlock Total War: Rome II Emperor Edition and a bunch of campaign packs. Finally, pay $30 or more to unlock a Humble Total War Bundle t-shirt!

Over at Steam, the Midweek Madness is Grand Theft Auto V, which is on sale for $35.99. The Daily Deal is the King Arthur Collection (March 2012), which is just $7.49. It includes King Arthur – The Role-playing Wargame, King Arthur II: Dead Legions, and King Arthur: Fallen Champions, among others.

There are a ton of t-shirts today. Hit the jump to check them out!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Otherside Entertainment officially announces System Shock 3

Posted on December 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

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It’s hard to get too excited over the official announcement for Otherside’s System Shock 3 project after “hackers” outed the game a week ago. But any news is good news, and here’s what we know now that the game is officially in the works:

  • Paul Neurath, a lead developer on System Shock and System Shock 2, is a key member of the Otherside team.
  • Nate Wells, a senior artist on System Shock 2, will return for the three-quel.
  • Robb Waters, the lead concept artist on both System Shock games, will create a “next generation” look for antagonist AI SHODAN.
  • Speaking of SHODAN, Terri Brosius will once again give a voice to the character in System Shock 3.
  • Finally, System Shock 3 is currently “in the early concept stages” and we don’t yet know when it’ll be released or what platforms it’s in development for.

It’s pretty bare bones at the moment, but fans are encouraged to visit OthersideTease.com to learn more about System Shock 3 and to hear a special message from SHODAN herself.

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Harmonix adds new songs from The Weeknd, Elle King, Fall Out Boy, more to Rock Band 4 Music Store today

Posted on December 15, 2015 by John Scalzo

Harmonix is bringing more of 2015’s most popular musicians to Rock Band 4 with another “Off the Charts” song pack. Elle King, Fall Out Boy, Shawn Mendes, Walk The Moon, and The Weeknd will all appear in the Off the Charts 02 Pack, and you can preview each song in the trailer embedded above. And speaking of songs, here’s a list of exactly what the Off the Charts 02 Pack will contain:

  • Elle King – “Ex’s & Oh’s”
  • Fall Out Boy – “Irresistible”
  • Shawn Mendes – “Stitches”
  • Walk The Moon – “Different Colors”
  • The Weeknd – “Can’t Feel My Face”

The Off the Charts 02 Pack has been priced at $8.49, a 15% discount versus buying each song individually for $1.99 apiece.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Unravel will yarn bomb your heart on February 9, 2016

Posted on December 14, 2015 by John Scalzo

Watch Yarny save a baby bird!
Watch Yarny use a crane to smash through a stone wall!
Watch Yarny ride a bicycle like a pro!

The latest trailer for Coldwood’s Unravel is packed with adorable imagery starring gaming’s newest star, Yarny. But it’s the final title card that’ll likely garner the most excitement from gamers, and that’s because it includes Unravel’s official release date: February 9, 2016. But in case you’ve missed all the Unravel excitement, here’s how Coldwood is trying to sell their game to the public:

Unravel is a game all about overcoming obstacles, both big and small. Using Yarny’s small thread and big heart, players will traverse through the breath-taking, lush environments of Northern Scandinavia in this unique physics-based puzzle platformer. Some challenges are simple, like using Yarny’s thread to swing across a gap, or rappel down a tree. But others are more complex, and players will need to use Yarny’s thread in clever and creative ways to find the path forward. Whatever the case, no feat is too big for Yarny. Along the way, unlock a heartfelt story about love and longing, and the ties that bind, with Yarny as the red thread that runs through it all.

“Gaming is a powerful platform, able to inspire players and touch their hearts. With Unravel, we’re hoping to do just that,” says Martin Sahlin, Creative Director at Coldwood. “Yarny’s quest is to mend broken bonds and the yarn represents the love and connection between people. Along the way, we’ll test your cleverness with environment-based puzzles inspired by our home in Northern Sweden.”

Unravel will be priced at $19.99 when it’s released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One next year.

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

Daily Scoop: December 14, 2015 – Good sales need to stop happening

Posted on December 14, 2015 by Nicole Kline

I had an amazing weekend playing tons of games! I spent way too much time in both Fallout 4 and Persona 4, but also played so many great board games, including Pandemic Legacy, Deep Sea Adventure, and Schrödinger’s Cats. It was a blast!

I’ve been having so much fun in the Commonwealth that I did something unprecedented this year: I didn’t buy a single video game during any of the onlines sales. But today, Amazon’s Gold Box Deal is Destiny: The Taken King – Legendary Edition for just $29.99, and that is mighty tempting. Even worse is that Bloodborne is $19.99. I don’t know if I’m going to make it through this day!

Steam has a bunch of brand new Weeklong Deals if you’re looking for some PC games to play. Secret Ponchos is $7.49, Particle Mace is $0.99, and They Bleed Pixels is $2.49, just to name a few. The Daily Deal is Lethal League. You can get one copy for $4.75, two for $7.47, or a four pack for $13.59.

Just one t-shirt today!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Lionhead has pushed the Fable Legends open beta back to Spring 2016

Posted on December 14, 2015 by John Scalzo

Microsoft first announced Fable Legends all the way back in 2013. The 4v1 adventure has been slowly creeping towards completion ever since and the publisher’s current plan was to release an open beta for the game before the end of the year. However, development difficulties have forced a change to that plan as it looks like the Fable Legends open beta will now be released in Spring 2016.

Creative Director David Eckelberry explained some of the challenges his team has faced in a post on the game’s official website:

Fable Legends is coming together well and it’s a lot of fun. But we think that we can make it even better. So we’ve decided to extend our closed beta to continue to listen to feedback from our players and add features and polish that will make a real difference. This means Fable Legends won’t release into open beta this holiday as previously announced. We realise this may be disappointing for those of you not currently playing, so we wanted to tell you why.

To be honest, we didn’t anticipate just how big Fable Legends is becoming. It’s simply the most ambitious game we’ve ever created at Lionhead. We’ve built a unique and innovative multiplayer experience combining RPG and RTS gameplay which allows you to play, and use your gear seamlessly, across Xbox One and Windows 10. On top of this, we’ve built a beautiful new world full of grand stories and adventures. And it’s taking more time than we thought.

Fable fans interested in joining the closed beta on the PC or Xbox One can submit an application at FableLegends.com. According to Eckelberry, more than 100,000 new invitations will be sent out over the next few weeks.

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Splatoon’s next Splatfest knows if you’ve been Naughty or Nice

Posted on December 14, 2015 by John Scalzo

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The Squid Sisters see you when you’re sleeping… they know when you’re awake… and they know how you vote for each Splatfest. So I suppose it only makes sense to put this knowledge to good use as Splatoon‘s upcoming North American Splatfest will ask participants to pledge their support for Team Naughty or Team Nice.

The Naughty versus Nice Splatfest will kick off on Friday, December 18 at midnight (Eastern Time) and continue all day Saturday. Nintendo will be competing with the opening weekend of Star Wars: The Force Awakens for the attention of gamers everywhere, but perhaps this little ditty (courtesy of the Squid Research Lab) will convince more people to join up…

You better spray ink,
You better really try.
If your team loses,
You might cry:

Splatfest is coming to town!
Splatfest is coming to town!
Splatfest is coming to town!

We’re making a list,
We’re checking it twice.
Visit the plaza and vote
Who’s naughty or nice.

Splatfest is coming to town!
Splatfest is coming to town!
Splatfest is coming to town!

Splatoon players can pledge your support to Team Naughty or Team Nice right now at the voting kiosk in the game’s Inkopolis Plaza area.

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