Tales From the Borderlands: Episode 4 will launch on August 18

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Telltale Games and Gearbox Software have announced that the fourth episode of Tales From the Borderlands will be available beginning August 18. The penultimate episode will be known as Escape Plan Bravo (screenshots are available at Telltale’s Blog) and it’s sending the game’s pair of anti-heroes to the frickin’ moon:

In this penultimate episode of the season, captured by Vallory and her goons, Rhys and Fiona are forced to continue the search for the Vault beacon – at gunpoint. The beacon is on the Hyperion moon base – Helios – while our heroes are on Pandora… so there’s the pesky cold void of death known as “space” to overcome. Even with assistance from a familiar face, and with a worryingly helpful Handsome Jack hitching a ride in Rhys’ head, getting on board the ominous “H” is going to take every drop of guile, and quite possibly all the spunk you’ve got. Sacrifices will be made – can you make the tough choices needed to succeed?

As with all of Telltale’s other episodic releases, Escape Plan Bravo will receive a staggered release schedule next week:

  • Tuesday, August 18: PC, PS3, and PS4
  • Wednesday, August 19: Xbox One and Xbox 360
  • Thursday, August 20: iOS and Android

Developers from Telltale will make the trip to this year’s PAX Prime expo to host a special “Crowd Play” presentation of Tales From the Borderlands: Escape Plan Bravo on Saturday, August 29 at 8:30 PM. There will be plenty of giveaways and the entire crowd is expected to help steer the events of the episode.

Telltale’s Job Stauffer says, “Come equipped with your shouty voice.”

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Former BioWare devs shut down Kickstarter campaign for Mooncrest

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Josh Griffiths

If the failure of the Red Ash Kickstarter campaign has taught the developers of the world anything, it’s that you should always have something of your game to show besides concept art. Gameplay is ideal, but at least a trailer showcasing the world and it’s characters would be better than nothing.

KnightMayor, the developer behind Mooncrest, did not heed this lesson.

After a week on Kickstarter, the team reached just slightly more than 10% of their intended goal of $400,000. The reason for this slow start is likely because they had nothing but a vague idea, a few pieces of concept art, and one piece of music. According to their latest update, they had a basic pitch video at one point, but took it down because it was “weak.” The entire campaign was halted after this update was posted:

Coming out of the gate things looked great, but a weak project video, coupled with poor messaging, and no in game footage was the death of us.

It seems like the whole campaign was built around the fact the team was composed of several former developers from BioWare, as they proudly boasted in the actual title of their campaign. KnightMayor also seems to have misunderstood where they went wrong, and have promised a more triumphant return to the crowdfunding platform in the future:

Our future plans are to lick our wounds, address all of the criticisms/complaints we received, and move forward with another Kickstarter once we’re ready. Our focus will be on having a pitch video that actually, ya know, pitches the game, having in game footage to show, and just going more in depth on what we have in place to see this game through production and to release.

I appreciate their openness and honesty, but this is a mistake that should never have been made in the first place. It goes to show that despite the fact that they’re proven industry veterans, this is the first time they’re running their own studio, and they’re bound to make mistakes.

Good luck to KnightMayor in the future and we’ll let you know when a refocused Kickstarter campaign for Mooncrest is ready to go.

Posted in News, PC |

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Gauntlet, Toy Soldiers: War Chest, more added to PS Store

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

playstationstorelogoSony’s annual PSN Play promotion comes to the end this week with the release of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, a game from The Chinese Room that depicts “very British apocalypse.” But there are plenty of other new releases available this week as well, including…

  • Gauntlet: Slayer Edition brings an updated version of Arrowhead’s franchise reboot (and all its co-op monster-slaying) to the PS4 for the first time.
  • Toy Soldiers: War Chest (PS4) is the third game in Signal’s strategic toy-battling franchise and the first to include armies based on G.I. Joe, He-Man: The Masters of the Universe, and Assassin’s Creed II.
  • Goat Simulator, and its unique brand of open world insanity, makes its way to the PS4 and PS3 for the first time.
  • Starbreeze’s Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons also makes the jump to the PS4 this week.
  • Finally, the PS4 ports of Prototype and Prototype 2 are now available separately.

More information on all of these titles (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And, as always, a full rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog.

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Treyarch reveals more details about the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

I’m sure you’ve already scoped out the trailer promoting next week’s beta test for Call of Duty: Black Ops III. But late last night, developer Treyarch dropped some additional details about the test on their Community Blog.

Initially, the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta will feature three maps: “Hunted,” “Combine,” and “Evac.” Others will be available during the course of the test, but here’s what we can expect from the first three:

  • Hunted: This big game hunting lodge is situated beneath a waterfall in the lush mountains of Ethiopia, where rugged terrain opens up to long sightlines and a stealthy underwater pathway.
  • Combine: Set in the remote Egyptian Sahara, this vertical farming and sustainability research facility plays fast and frenetic with tight interiors, an open middle and a dangerous flank path.
  • Evac: An abandoned emergency evacuation zone atop an overgrown rooftop in the middle of Singapore’s flooded quarantine zone.

Treyarch also confirmed the test will include “a range of fan favorite game modes,” such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, Demolition, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, Capture the Flag, and Search & Destroy.

Finally, the developer talked a bit about the eight Specialists, characters with their own “look, personality, voice, and battle-hardened weapons and abilities,” who will be available in the beta. Each Specialist will have a unique backstory and they might even add a kind of narrative to Call of Duty’s often chaotic multiplayer mode.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta test will begin on August 19 for players who’ve pre-ordered the game on the PS4. PC and Xbox One owners will be able to join the fun beginning on August 26.

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Leakers have uploaded a video of Fallout 4’s Gamescom demo to Pornhub

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Josh Griffiths

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The exclusive Fallout 4 demo shown off at Gamescom this year hasn’t yet found its way online through Bethesda’s official channels. This has left fans who weren’t able to attend the show justifiably angry. And they’re so angry that they’re willing to go to the most unlikeliest of places to view some of the footage.

It’s not YouTube or Vimeo or Vine… It’s actually Pornhub, so let’s try to keep this somewhat professional.

The seven-minute video, and yes it really is footage from Fallout 4’s Gamescom demo, is titled “Hidden Camera Shows Audience Teased by Big Butt Man in Tights Live.” It’s not great footage, even as far as leaks go. Befitting its title, the person in the audience is clearly holding up their camera to the screen, trying desperately not to be seen. The video that’s been uploaded is grainy, shaky, and most of the time the camera is positioned between two people seated in front of the cameraman, which obscures most of the screen.

What we can see of the video though is a full, unedited playthrough of what appears to be this game’s version of the Super Duper Mart. We also see the dog in action, as well as the new shooting mechanics.

We also see ghouls for the first time, which have been completely redesigned. They now move and act like zombies. You can shoot off their arms and they’ll lunge forward to bite, or you can shoot off their legs and they’ll still crawl after you. Unfortunately, once they do reach you, it seems they still just stand there and swipe at you until you kill them. I would have liked to have seen close quarters combat become more dynamic, maybe have them latch on to you, like the “Blood Bugs” shown off in the E3 trailer.

Also, for better or worse, the lockpicking and terminal hacking minigames haven’t changed in the slightest. They’re still exactly the same as they were in Fallout 3.

That’s about all I can ascertain from this short leak. Apparently, the demo was longer, and (believe it or not) there weren’t two guys blocking most of the video. But those of us who didn’t get to see the demo firsthand might never find out, as Bethesda still hasn’t officially released Fallout 4’s Quakecon demo either.

Here’s the link to the video…

NSFW LinkFallout 4 Gamsecom 2015 Demo (AKA “Hidden Camera Shows Audience Teased by Big Butt Man in Tights Live”) at Pornhub

…but be warned, the site ISN’T SUITABLE IN THE LEAST FOR WORK OR PUBLIC VIEWING. Unless that’s what you’re in to, which is fine. I would have made a porn joke at some point, but I’m afraid it would have sucked.

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Indie Megabooth announces massive PAX Prime 2015 presence

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Nicole Kline

It’s that time gain! Those beautiful, brilliant minds behind the Indie Megabooth have announced the PAX Prime 2015 lineup, and it certainly IS mega! I see a lot of personal favorites in there, including Armello, Death Road to Canada, Hyper Light Drifter, Mushroom 11, Cinelinx: A Card Game For People Who Love Movies, Pleasant Dreams, Skiptrace, and two games I can’t keep my hands off of: Monikers and Mini Metro! And let’s not forget that this might be your best chance to check out Funomena’s Wattam!

If you’re in Seattle the last weekend in August for PAX Prime, trust me: you do not want to miss the Indie Megabooth. These are traditionally some of the best games on the show floor, and I don’t just say that because my own game (Resistor) has been part of the Tabletop Area. OK, maybe that might sway my opinion a little. But the team behind the IMB carefully curates some of the most amazing games, not just for your enjoyment, but as an installation of the best and brightest developers in indie gaming right now.

Enough of my gushing. Watch the trailer and hit the jump for the full list of developers and games (more than 70 in all)!

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Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: August 11, 2015 – Lots more great shirts!

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Nicole Kline

It’s too bad today was a weekday, because it was the perfect rainy day for staying in bed and gaming! Alas, I had to get up and get my butt to work. But I dreamed about gaming all day!

The big deal at Humble right now is the Farm Overload Sale! Farm Expert 2016 is $9.99, Farm Mechanic Simulator 2015 is $9.99, and Agricultural Simulator: Historical Farming is just $1.49.

Over at Steam, there’s a sale to celebrate the Japanese Indie Game Festival. You can pick up Gigantic Army for $2.99, Gundemonium Recollection for $2.67, and Bunny Must Die! Chelsea and the 7 Devils for $6.69.

Of course, there’s also a new Daily Deal at Steam as well. Pay just $4.99 for Lego – The Hobbit. Add on the three DLCs for just $0.49 each.

Check out today’s shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

New CoD: Black Ops III trailer gives us a glimpse at the beta test

Posted on August 11, 2015 by John Scalzo

Activision gave us a sneak peek at what the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta will contain in a new trailer released this afternoon.

Beta participants can expect to test out at least seven multiplayer modes, at least three maps, eight Multiplayer Specialists, and weapon customization with the game’s “Paintshop” tool.

Do you want to be part of the beta? First thing you have to do is pre-order a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops III on the PC, PS4, or Xbox One. Then you’ll get an invite to join the beta on August 19 (PS4) or August 26 (PC and Xbox One).

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is in development at Treyarch and will be released on November 6.

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