All Articles: PC

Dishonored 2 debut trailer shows a return to the clockwork world of Corvo and Emily

Gamers flocked to Dishonored for its combination of stealth gameplay and a visually amazing steampunk aesthetic. After three long years, we’ll finally get to return to the world of Corvo Attano and Emily Kaldwin in Dishonored 2.

Taking place several years after the end of Dishonored, Princess Emily is all grown up and decides to join Corvo in his mission to help the people and stop the plague. Players will take control of both characters, who each have their own unique powers, weapons, and tools. In development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One at Arkane Studios, Dishonored 2 will be released in Spring 2016.

But first, the publisher used their E3 Press Conference to unveil the great-looking trailer embedded above. Take a look, it’s worth it.

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Insert Quarter: Why Bethesda’s E3 Showcase Means More Than a Fallout 4 Announcement

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

Bethesda will present a Press Conference during this year’s E3 Expo for the first time in the company’s history. This is a momentous occasion for many reasons, but first and foremost, because Bethesda will surely use the event to announce Fallout 4. But Bethesda’s E3 Press Conference is also much bigger than that… and not just because it’ll probably also include more substantive reveals of Doom 4, BattleCry, and possibly even Dishonored 2. Bethesda’s E3 Press Conference also signals the publisher’s entry into the upper echelon of third-party publishers.

VG247’s Matt Martin recently delved into exactly what this means for Bethesda and the wider gaming industry:

Elder Scrolls publisher Bethesda announced it would be hosting its own event at E3 this year. For a brief second everyone paused… and then immediately lost their minds over a Fallout 4 announcement.

While that’s likely, there’s a lot more to Bethesda going big at E3 than a new take on 50s sci-fi. It’s worth looking at what this says about the publisher, the two main consoles and E3 itself, as much as the games we can expect to be on show.

The full article is available for your perusal at VG247.

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Thief 4 confirmed for PC, PS4, other next-generation consoles

Thief 4 is dead… but say hello to Thief. Game Informer has revealed that the rebranded reboot of the stealth series will grace the cover of its April 2013 issue. The magazine also confirmed the Eidos Montreal-developed game will be released for the PC, PS4, and “other next-generation platforms” (such as the unannounced Xbox 720) in 2014.

Our April cover story is a world-exclusive look at this next-generation stealth title. Series hero Garrett returns to the Gothic, industrial metropolis known simply as the City to steal any and everything that will make him richer. Unfortunately, the City is broiling with social tension as it is ravaged by a plague and lorded over by a political tyrant known as the Baron. In order to survive his adventures, Garrett will have to pay attention to his environment and make use of the many possible paths through each of the game’s levels.

We’ll have to ask Square Enix to be sure, but it sounds like the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Thief 4 have gone up in smoke.

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The Witness coming to PC/iOS… but probably not Xbox 720 or Wii U

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One of the highlights of Sony’s PS4 announcement was the whimsical, Myst-like trailer for Jonathan Blow’s upcoming puzzler The Witness. The developer has since expanded on its unveiling to Kotaku, and confirmed what other platforms it will appear on.

“Our deal with Sony is a limited-time exclusivity that applies only to competing console platforms. Basically it is that you will see the game on the PlayStation 4 before you will see it on the Wii U or the next Microsoft console, if the game ever appears on either of those.”

In other words, he is free to launch it on the PC and iOS regardless of his deal with Sony. In fact, Blow states that if he and his team were able to develop those versions in time for the PS4 launch, “The ideal situation for us is to release everything simultaneously or close to simultaneously.” The outspoken developer was very forthcoming when discussing why he had chosen the Playstation 4 as the right console for The Witness, and revealed that Sony did not give him money for the exclusivity.

“The real situation is that, because we are a small developer, we only have the ability to launch on a small number of platforms at once. We liked the idea of being on a console, and originally we thought we might be on the PS3 or Xbox 360, but eventually we decided not to target either of those due to the relatively low system specs… The Wii U still has pretty low system specs, so it came down to a choice between the next Microsoft console or the next Sony console.”

In typical Jonathan Blow fashion, he had a lot more to say about The Witness. (more…)

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Watch Dogs is coming to every platform ever this holiday season

Well, not quite every platform, but it will be one of Ubisoft’s most widely released titles to date. Ubisoft’s CEO Yves Guillemot was at the New York launch event for Sony’s new console, the PlayStation 4. There, he was singing the console’s praises, and revealed that Watch Dogs will be available during the system’s launch this holiday season.

“Ubisoft has a strong history of supporting new technologies with unique and creative offerings. The power and capability of the PS4 allows the Watch Dogs team to further push the boundaries of what was previously thought possible in interactive entertainment.”

Bold words, but Ubisoft are not hedging their bets on Sony’s new box alone. With the company showing the same strategy that has lead it to become one of the most successful developers during the current generation, the futuristic open world third-person thriller will also be released on the console’s predecessor, the PS3, as well as the Xbox 360, PC, and the Wii U. There has been no word on if Watch Dogs is a timed exclusive for Sony’s next-generation system, but given the recent debacle surrounding the delay of Rayman Legends so it could also be released on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it would be reasonable to assume that Watch Dogs will hit all consoles simultaneously.

And while it has not been mentioned thus far, we can only assume this wide umbrella will also ensnare Microsoft’s Xbox 720, whenever it is announced.

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The Essential Guide to Next-Generation Games: Version 1.0

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With the Wii U already in stores and Sony set to announce the first details of the PlayStation 4/Orbis tomorrow, I think it’s safe to say that the next generation of consoles is upon us. But what games will this brave new world bring us? For now, most of the titles that will be available for the PS4 and Xbox 720/Durango are shrouded in mystery. Even the majority of the Wii U’s 2013 lineup is one big question mark.

Thankfully, your friendly neighborhood Warp Zoned editors have compiled a status report on 67 next-generation games known to be in existence. You can read all about our findings, after the break. (more…)

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Arkane Studios is working on a next-generation FPS/RPG

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Arkane Studios, the developers behind last year’s critically-acclaimed Dishonored, are working on a next-generation first person shooter/RPG hybrid. The news comes via a job listing on their Careers page:

Senior Engine Programmer
Answering to the Technical Director, you will adapt, maintain and optimize the code for PC and next gen consoles. Multipurpose, you will deal with technology issues that will come up during production (animation, IO, audio, physics….)

You know, Dishonored was a bit of an FPS/RPG hybrid. And Bethesda Vice President Pete Hines has mentioned his desire to see development begin on Dishonored 2 before. Hmm…

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Bethesda VP hints at Dishonored sequel

Pete Hines, Bethesda’s Vice President, recently spoke to Destructoid about the unsurprising sales success of Dishonored. Hines didn’t reveal specific sales numbers, but he did confirm that the game is selling “far [above] expectations.”

How well is it selling? Well enough that Bethesda has begun to think of Dishonored as their next big franchise. Here’s what Hines had to say:

“I can tell you that Dishonored is far exceeding our sales expectations, which is especially cool considering it’s new IP facing a host of well-established franchises this quarter. We did terrific numbers again this past weekend, both in stores and on Steam, where Dishonored was listed as the #1 selling title over the holiday weekend. And Dishonored has really sold well overseas.

So, we’re very pleased and appreciate all the fans that have supported Dishonored and Arkane. We clearly have a new franchise.”

While it’s too early to go around claiming that Dishonored 2 is in development, the game is clearly coming. Hopefully, we’ll get an official announcement soon.

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