Launch date for PS4 re-release of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls will be revealed soon

Posted on September 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

heavyrainboxDuring this year’s E3 Expo, Sony quietly confirmed that Quantic Dream’s Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls would be re-released for the PS4 sometime in the near future.

Not much was mentioned about either re-release, though Sony did say that the games would be sold on store shelves (in a two-game bundle) and through the PlayStation Store (as individual downloads). A “Chronological Mode” will be added to Beyond, and both games will also receive a graphical overhaul.

And yesterday, we learned that a release date for the re-releases will be announced soon:

How soon is soon? Nobody’s quite sure. But Quantic Dream is also working on a brand new game for the PS4, which isn’t connected in any way to the brilliant tech demos (Kara and The Dark Sorcerer) they’ve showcased for the public in recent years. I’m sure we’ll hear more about that project “soon” too.

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Nintendo Download: Animal Crossing: Home Designer, Extreme Exorcism, Beatbuddy, more

Posted on September 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

The Animal Crossing crew is back as the highlight of this week’s Nintendo Download is Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, which will be available to download through the 3DS eShop beginning tomorrow.

In Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, you’re the village’s best interior decorator and all your favorite Animal Crossing villagers have asked you to create new looks for the homes. If that’s not enough of a hook for you, Nintendo has also released a set of Amiibo Cards for Happy Home Designer that can be used to add new characters to the game. “Gotta catch ’em all” certainly takes on a new meaning with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.

Over on the Wii U, a number of “Nindies” can now be purchased through the Wii U eShop. Players can dig in to Extreme Exorcism, a supernatural single-screen arena fighter; Beatbuddy, an underwater musical platformer; Starwhal, a multiplayer game starring marine mammals in outer space; and Nova-111, a turn-based strategy game that uses “SCIENCE” as its hook.

More information about 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 , , ,

Daily Scoop: September 24, 2015 – New bundles and new shirts

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Nicole Kline

It’s a gorgeous day here in Philadelphia, and the Pope is on his way! Insanity will begin soon, and I can’t wait to be out of this city. I just heard that Camden has declared a state of emergency. I’m just not sure I can handle this!

Anyway, let’s talk about the great deals going on today! There’s a brand new Humble Weekly Bundle, and it’s called Fantastic Arcade! Pay what you want for Hellmouth, Alea, Hoky, Risky Bison, CRAP! No One Loves Me, and Wheels of Aurelia. Pay $8 or more to unlock Luftrausers, No Brakes Valet, MirrorMoon EP, Fract OSC, and two of my favorite games, Hotline Miami and Fez. The bundle is worth it for those last two games alone!

The Weekend Deal at Steam is on Stardock Entertainment. Get their 2016 bundle for just $49.99, which includes Galactic Civilizations III, Sorceror King, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, Dead Man’s Draw, Galactic Civilizations II: Ultimate Edition, Galactic Civlizations I: Ultimate Edition, and Demigod. The Daily Deal at Steam is Never Alone, which you can buy alone for $4.95, or get the Arctic Collection, which includes the Foxtales DLC and the soundtrack, for $7.20.

There are lots of t-shirts today!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Pre-order Rock Band 4 through Xbox Live to get bonus songs from Weird Al + 11 other acts

Posted on September 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

rockband4-header

A few weeks back, Harmonix and Sony offered PlayStation Plus subscribers the chance to pre-order Rock Band 4 through the PlayStation Store. Everyone who jumped on this offer would receive a special Bonus Pack of ten additional tracks featuring Duran Duran, Janis Joplin, Pantera, and others. Yesterday, Microsoft revealed that a similar deal will be extended to Xbox Live users who pre-order the game through the Xbox Games Store… but their Bonus Pack goes up to 12.

Highlights from the Xbox-exclusive Bonus Pack include songs from Marilyn Manson, Mastodon, and My Morning Jacket. But the biggest coup for Microsoft is the inclusion of Weird Al Yankovic’s “My Own Eyes,” which is a style parody of David Letterman’s favorite band, Foo Fighters (“Wherever they go, they’re fighting foo”).

Here’s the complete list of songs available in the Bonus Pack:

  • All That Remains – “What If I Was Nothing”
  • Babymetal – “Gimme Chocolate!!”
  • Earth, Wind & Fire – “September”
  • Interpol – “All The Rage Back Home”
  • Jefferson Starship – “Jane”
  • Linkin Park (featuring Daron Malakian) – “Rebellion”
  • Marilyn Manson – “The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles”
  • Mastodon – “High Road”
  • My Morning Jacket – “One Big Holiday”
  • Pierce The Veil (featuring Kellin Quinn) – “King For A Day”
  • Weird Al Yankovic – “My Own Eyes”
  • The Wild Feathers – “Backwoods Company”

However, it’s important for Xbox One owners to remember that Rock Band 4 requires a special Legacy Game Controller Adapter to make instruments originally released for the Xbox 360 compatible with Microsoft’s newest console. Harmonix understands the hassle this is for gamers and they’ve partnered with Amazon to offer a $15 discount on the dongle with the “RB4ADAPTER” coupon code. Standalone Xbox One instrument will be available in early 2016.

Rock Band 4 will be available for the Xbox One (and the PS4) on October 6.

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Endure the latest video in Fallout 4’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. series… E for Endurance

Posted on September 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

“Following total atomic annihilation, the rebuilding of this great nation of ours may fall to you. Study these materials carefully to ensure your survival and to discover what makes you S.P.E.C.I.A.L.”

Betehsda is back with another educational look at the traits necessary to survive in Fallout 4‘s harsh Wasteland. This time, the publisher has decided to focus on the benefits of Endurance… which apparently leads to a lot of cannibalism and a few run-ins with rampaging mutant crabs.

Fallout 4 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 10. And tune in next week… Same Vault-Time, Same Vault-Channel… for Charisma, the next entry in the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. video series.

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Explore the extensive timeline of the Call of Duty: Black Ops franchise in this video

Posted on September 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

Beginning with the birth of Victor Reznov in 1913, the Black Ops saga spans more than 100 years of history… most of which has been redacted. Thankfully, developer Treyarch has compiled this primer to help players read through the lines before the upcoming release of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. If you’ve got ten minutes to spare, I highly recommend you spend it reacquainting yourself with the events behind Black Ops and Black Ops II.

And if you skip to the end, you’ll even find out which of Black Ops II’s multiple endings is considered the true ending by Treyarch.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III will be released for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 on November 6.

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

IO Interactive delays Hitman’s debut to March 2016

Posted on September 24, 2015 by John Scalzo

hitman-sizeIt looks like IO Interactive’s ambitious release plan for the next Hitman game, simply titled Hitman, has proven to be a bit too ambitious. The developer confirmed earlier this week (via the Hitman Development Blog) that the game will no longer be released this December as originally planned. Instead, Hitman will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in March 2016.

IO Interactive is positioning Hitman as an episodic game… but with a twist. Instead of giving players the option purchase individual episodes at regular intervals, the developer wants to sell Hitman for full price upfront and release a number of free updates throughout the year. Part of the reason for the game’s delay is to ensure that more content is available at launch:

[W]e’re going for a new release model where we put out a good chunk of the game when it begins and then release the remaining locations over time. We want to make absolutely sure you all get the best possible experience when you join, so we’ve made the difficult decision to move the initial release date to March 2016. These few extra months will mean we can add more to the launch content of the game, more than we had originally planned, and then follow with a tighter frequency of updates, which ultimately will create a better game for everyone. And in the end, that’s what we’re all looking for.

To help fans visualize the scope of their latest project, IO Interactive also created an impressive infographic to better show off the size of Agent 47’s new playground. The gray layer in the infographic represents “Street of Hope,” the largest level in Hitman: Absolution. Meanwhile, the red layer directly underneath shows “Paris: The Showstopper”, a Hitman locale that’s roughly six times larger. This mission will also give players the option of 300 potential Targets (versus 50 in Absolution), and more than 25 unique areas to explore.

IO Interactive will announce more details about how the size of Hitman’s world will affect Agent 47 next week. The team also plans to reveal more details about the game’s episodic release schedule at the same time.

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Xbox Store Today: Skylanders SuperChargers, FIFA 16, Blood Bowl II, more

Posted on September 23, 2015 by John Scalzo

skylanderssuperchargers

Today is the first day of Fall and that means that Activision and Vicarious Visions are back with another entry in the popular Skylanders franchise. This time, the Skylanders will hop into a variety of different vehicles in Skylanders SuperChargers, which is now available to download through the Xbox Games Store on the Xbox One and Xbox 360. “Epic adventures over land, under sea, and through the sky” are promised, but you’ll need to own a Portal of Power from a previous Skylanders game to experience it all.

Also available to download this week is a pair of sports titles that use a football field in two very different ways. EA’s FIFA 16 (Xbox One, Xbox 360) is a traditional soccer simulation that features hundreds of teams from across the world. And in a first for the franchise, it also features 16 women’s teams that were part of this year’s World Cup. However, the other side of the pitch is occupied by Blood Bowl II, a turn-based strategy game that melds American football with the fantastic characters found in the Warhammer universe.

Finally this week, two arena fighters will battle it out for your gaming dollar. In this corner, Golden Ruby Games will release Extreme Exorcism, a supernatural single-screen arena fighter, for the Xbox One. And in this other corner, Self Made Miracle will release Penarium, an arena game set in a sinister circus, for the Xbox One.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break.

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