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Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 26, 2014 in Videogames 
Despite Microsoft’s original content being shuttered, a few things escaped the flames, mainly Halo: Nightfall. It’s produced by Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions and 343 Industries. It stars Mike Colter, and will be the lead-in to Halo 5: Guardians. Taking place on a fragment of the original Halo ring that has collided with a colony planet, Colter will play Locke (an ONI agent) as he encounters an ancient artifact. Evil, horror, strange biological attacks, you get the gist. It’ll be more Halo, but in a live-action format. The trailer looks cool enough! Check it out below. Read more…
Tags: Halo, San Diego Comic-Con 2014
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 25, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
Legendary Pictures’ booth at SDCC is all about Guillermo del Toro. On one side is a section devoted to his upcoming haunted house film, Crimson Peak, and on the other, they’ve got a big Pacific Rim section. Featuring what, you might ask? An Oculus Rift experience! You can put on the headset and see through the eyes of a Jaeger pilot right alongside Charlie Hunnam as Raleigh. It’s non-interactive, so you’re just along for the ride, but you can look in every direction and watch the action happen as if you were really there. This uses the new DK2 Rifts, which are being sent out to developers as we speak, so we should see more Rift content in the near future! Read more…
Tags: oculus rift, Pacific Rim, San Diego Comic-Con 2014
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 24, 2014 in Videogames 
Back in 2010, when the Tomb Raider franchise wasn’t doing so hot, Square Enix put out Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, a twin-stick co-op game. Though not bearing the Tomb Raider name, it was very well-received and quite fun. There’s a new sequel coming out, this time with four-player co-op; the two new characters are the Egyptian gods Isis and Horus, which seems a bit over-powered, but I’ll go with it. We now know that this game is coming out December 9 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It’s looking good, but I’ll be honest: I completely missed this announcement during the chaos of E3 2014. So join me in watching the trailer below, because I’m sure many others also missed it. Read more…
Tags: square enix, Tomb Raider
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 24, 2014 in Comic Books, Videogames 
When Sunsoft released Batman on NES — perhaps the only truly good Batman game until Batman: Arkham Asylum — they obviously had to work within the limits of the hardware. Though Batman normally wore varying shades of blue, gray, and black, he was rendered in a bright purple. As they’ve done with previous licensed NES games, collectible company NECA is releasing an action figure of this Batman, complete with mock videogame box. The figure will only receive one production run, so I’d pay attention to NECA for your first chance to preorder this purple Batman. Something about this makes me really happy that someone is reviving these weird color palette versions of popular characters. Read more…
Tags: Batman, NES, Toys
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 23, 2014 in Videogames 
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is coming out September 16 in North America and September 19 in Europe, which is right around the corner. To help promote this music-focused game, Square Enix is holding a contest for musicians to arrange and perform Final Fantasy‘s Main Theme that has appeared in almost every Final Fantasy game. If you’re selected by original Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, you’ll win a grand prize: a round trip for two to a Distant Worlds: Final Fantasy concert, a limited edition Nintendo 3DS LL released for Curtain Call, the official soundtracks of all fourteen main Final Fantasy games, a collector’s edition copy of Curtain Call (signed by Uematsu), and a Final Fantasy Static Arts mini figure. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Final Fantasy, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 23, 2014 in Videogames 
I just don’t “get” League of Legends. I understand why it’s popular and that it can be both fun and competitive, but every time I sat down to play it, nothing clicked with me (which isn’t the game’s fault). But what I can get is why this video, “A New Dawn,” is awesome. Riot Games released this cool trailer for League of Legends; the game has been playable since 2009, so this is likely just to draw more attention to the game. It also serves the function of letting players watch several characters duke it out in fancy graphics instead of the in-game engine. Look, I couldn’t tell you why Fox Girl is fighting Axe Man or what any of their special attacks are. But I can safely say that it’s well-animated and offers a cool fight scene, regardless of your investment in the game. Why not take a moment to watch it? Read more…
Tags: League of Legends
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 20, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
After all this time, Space Invaders is finally getting adapted. Yup, Warner Bros. and producers Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, and Tory Tunnell will produce a Space Invaders film, presumably having only the barest resemblance to the original game. It’s not like there’s a rich lore to dig into anyway! Then again, good movies have been made out of stranger things… take Pirates of the Caribbean for example! That was pretty good (the first movie, at least). I don’t know: I think I’ve become too cynical to be interested or excited for this. I think I’ll just ignore it and if it ends up good, then I can bother with it. That’s way more sensible, right? Read more…
Tags: Space Invaders
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 17, 2014 in Videogames 
When American Nintendo fans heard they were getting Club Nintendo way back in 2008, we had good reason to be excited. The customer loyalty program offered Japanese players tons of rare Nintendo collectibles that could only be earned by spending coins gained with every Nintendo purchase. But while some interesting products were announced, it never lived up to its promise. Over time, the focus became less on physical items and more on downloadable games. It’s not that the games were bad, but it seemed pointless to spend the equivalent of $200 worth of coins on a digital download you could buy yourself for $5-10; physical items were actually worth it, but they’ve become deemphasized, culminating in this year’s elite prize. Read more…
Tags: Nintendo
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 15, 2014 in Videogames 
Masahiro Sakurai has said we’re nearing the end of new character announcements for Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U (or at least new characters they feel like announcing that aren’t a surprise unlockable). The latest trailer adds two more Fire Emblem characters from Fire Emblem Awakening, joining previous fighters Marth and Ike. For the first time, you’ll be able to play as Robin (the main character) and choose whether the character is male or female, just like in the game. Lucina is also joining the fray. Meanwhile, Captain Falcon will be a returning character, having appeared in every previous Smash Bros. game. It’s all looking good, but I wouldn’t mind even more new character announcements by the time the game is out! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Super Smash Bros., Wii U
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 14, 2014 in Videogames 
EVO is wrapping up but it looks like Tekken 7 leaked a bit early. Again. Tekken 7 hasn’t been much of a secret (it also showed up on a projector that was being tested at EVO), but this IGN video that was accidentally posted early by AOL confirmed the game earlier (but sadly no gameplay footage). It also will reportedly be powered by Unreal Engine 4 and will release on current gen consoles… so it seems it may not be cross-gen. I’m not much of a Tekken fan, but Tekken-lovers should be very excited about this news, as it should allow for more ease of porting to other systems. Thankfully, a short teaser confirmation trailer has been released. I’ve embedded it below. Read more…
Tags: Tekken
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 10, 2014 in Cinema, Videogames 
Sega is putting fans of Alien in a very awkward position right now. They’re publishing Alien: Isolation, a game that promises to emulate the first movie’s horror and tension instead of taking its cues from Aliens. Now, you can pre-order anywhere and get upgraded to the Nostromo Edition, which includes a bonus mission, “Crew Expendable.” The mission will feature Sigourney Weever and other original cast from the film and let you play as Ellen Ripley, Dallas, or Parker as they try to lure the xenomorph to the airlock after Brett’s death. If you preorder from Gamestop, you also get “Last Survivor,” which has Ripley trying to escape on the Narcissus during the film’s climax. Those missions sound great, but that’s not the problem. Read more…
Tags: Alien, Alien: Isolation, Sega
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 9, 2014 in Videogames 
Gearbox isn’t just working on more Borderlands games. Their latest announcement is Battleborn, an FPS that mixes MOBA elements (think DOTA or League of Legends) into its co-op campaign. Battleborn has a science fantasy style with lots of colorful visuals, taking a page from Borderlands‘ avoidance of the usual FPS grittiness. The game is releasing for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, but the date is unknown; the only estimate we have is sometime before the end of Take Two’s next fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2016. Read more…
Tags: Gearbox, MOBA
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 8, 2014 in Videogames 
You can’t have a new, big-budget IP without also offering a collector’s edition for all those hardcore fans of a game they’ve never played! I kid, but as expected, Bungie’s Destiny will have a collector’s edition and a more expensive collector’s edition, if paying $60 for the base game is too cheap for you. The Ghost Edition will run you $150 and includes the following: the game in a steelbook case, a field manual with “handwritten” notes, an “antique” star chart, a Guardian folio, four “Golden Age” postcards, the Destiny expansion pass (worth $35; gives you the first two expansions), some Collector’s Edition skin DLC, and a life-size replica of the Ghost robot (including lights and voice clips by Peter Dinklage). This version will supposedly be very limited. Read more…
Tags: Bungie, Destiny
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 7, 2014 in Videogames 
The game isn’t even out yet, and Mighty No. 9 is already making waves. Keiji Inafune’s Kickstarter success isn’t out until Spring 2015 but they’re already doing some neat stuff: first, they announced that a CGI animated series would be coming out in the future, done by Digital Frontier. This is definitely aimed at kids, but it’s neat to the Beck character take off so quickly. Comcept also revealed that they began taking PayPal funding as well, for a second round of supporting funds. These new pledge will go towards stretch goals and and other extra features. Not too shabby for a Kickstarter game! Check out the teaser video below. Read more…
Tags: Mighty No. 9
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 6, 2014 in Videogames 
You may have heard of Neotokyo before — it’s a Half-Life 2 Source mod that has been around since 2009. It was a really unique multiplayer shooter that combined cyberpunk aesthetics with team-based play. You had to be a bit more careful and cerebral in your play, as going in guns blazing wouldn’t always work. Now, a whole new crowd can try the game, as it’s been added to Steam. Instead of installing various mod files, now you can just click the install button and jump right in! Granted, the game only has a small dedicated player base, but hopefully this will reignite interest in this compelling little mod. I highly recommend checking it out! Read more…
Tags: Mod, Steam
Posted by Ben Huber on Jul 5, 2014 in Videogames 
There’s always something new a creative coming out of the indie games scene, and Virginia really caught my eye. Just announced, this first-person interactive drama takes hints from Gone Home and Thirty Flights of Loving, combines it with Twin Peaks and a dash of the X-Files, and comes out feeling fresh and unique. It follows a recently graduated FBI agent and her partner as they investigate the disappearance of a young boy. The developers, Variable State, come from bigger developers in the past, but wanted to strike out and do their own thing, inspired by 90s TV dramas. I love the concept and the art design, so I’m sold already! The game isn’t releasing until 2015, but till then, check out the art and screenshot. Read more…
Tags: Indie Games, Virginia
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 3, 2014 in Videogames 
Just how much of a difference does an HD remaster make? Take a look at this video for Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, the second of two compilations that collect all but one of the currently-released Kingdom Hearts games. While you won’t see much improvement in textures, everything looks very crisp in a higher, widescreen resolution, with some models having much more “pop.” One of the bigger draws is the additional content in the previous Japan-only “Final Mix” versions of Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Note that Sora is wearing a Tim Burton-esque Santa outfit in The Nightmare Before Christmas‘s Christmas Town, as opposed to continuing to wear his Halloween Town outfit like he did in the original North American release. All in all, looking good, but it’s a shame the game’s not coming out until this fall. Read more…
Tags: Disney, Kingdom Hearts, PS3, square enix
Posted by Bob Muir on Jul 2, 2014 in Videogames 
As long as the characters are balanced, offering additional characters as DLC for a fighting game can be a good way to extend playability. It’s a bit weird when that DLC is available at the launch of a new version (with new characters) of a previous fighting game, though. Perhaps to head off any complaints about money-grubbing, Atlus USA has announced in their newsletter that the Adachi DLC character for the upcoming Persona 4 Arena Ultimax will be free for a week after launch. You don’t even need to own the game yet, as you can download Adachi from Xbox Live or PSN during the free period. I’ll spare any further discussion which could spoil Persona 4‘s story and say that not only is this good, but that I also approve of Adachi’s alt-color that’s shown above. He belongs to the Jester arcana, so a Joker palette seems appropriate.
Tags: Atlus, Persona 4
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 26, 2014 in Videogames 
Valiant Hearts: The Great War is out now, and Ubisoft has put out one last trailer to persuade you to download the game. The game is set during World War I and features hand-drawn 2D graphics, so there’s lots of war-torn battlefields to explore while you’re getting hit in the feels over and over again. I bet that dog in the trailer is going to die, because that’s just the sort of thing these games do. Don’t get me wrong, Valiant Hearts looks great, but it’s a little strange the way games have been ramping up the canine companions to add more emotional content to a story. Read more…
Tags: Ubisoft
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 26, 2014 in Animation, Videogames 
The Legend of Korra is often compared to its anime influences, so it makes sense that Japanese developer Platinum Games has announced a game based on the popular cartoon. Platinum is known for its action games, and that’s what they’re delivering with this downloadable game published by Activision. The game is set between the second and third seasons, so Korra has access to all four elements in combat. The game is releasing this fall for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. (A turn-based strategy game made by Webfoot Technologies will release on 3DS.) The teaser shows that the graphics maintain the colorful look the show, so it looks great.
Read more…
Tags: avatar: the last airbender, Platinum Games, The Legend of Korra
Posted by Bob Muir on Jun 24, 2014 in Videogames 
While I’m happy with my PS4, I don’t think anyone would say it’s worth buying for its amount of unique exclusives right now. There’s plenty coming up, and I’ve been preferring to buy my third-party games on the system due to the controller and slight graphical boost. But for now, one of the best exclusives is the downloadable indie game Resogun. The Defender-like game just got a big update, adding the ability to play the game in local co-op with your friends. You can now also edit your ship to look however you want (provided it can be put together with voxels). The developers even added the ability to share and download ships online. Read more…
Tags: PS4
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 23, 2014 in Videogames 
If you’ve been clamoring to start playing Orcs Must Die! Unchained, I have good news. A closed beta will begin on June 27th. The new free-to-play game has been in development for a bit, and they’re going to slowly start opening up the gates to players. You can sign up on their website to be entered in the beta. They’ll be rolling it out over time, and will feature new heroes every week to try. If you’re impatient? Well, you can pay to get in early if you really want. But I’d advise just waiting for the beta. The new trappings sound a lot like MOBA games, but with an OMD twist. Watch the old trailer below for a look at some gameplay or check out their site here to register. Read more…
Tags: Orcs Must Die!
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 22, 2014 in Videogames 
Out of all the games at E3 last week, one of the most interesting games that caught my eye was Cuphead. It’s a run-and-gun platformer that can be played single player or co-op — and it has some amazing art direction. Reminiscent of classic cartoons from the 30s and 40s (while still being its own thing), Cuphead hits a niche I didn’t even know I wanted to see. The art is all hand-drawn, and the jazz soundtrack is completely original as well. Really impressive! I can’t wait to see more of it. The game sadly doesn’t come out until 2015, and will arrive on Xbox One and PC. Check out the trailer below. Read more…
Tags: Indie Games, Steam, Xbox One
Posted by Ben Huber on Jun 20, 2014 in Videogames 
I don’t know if there’s anything I can add to that headline. It’s Angry Birds mixed with Transformers, and it’s a game/app coming very soon. Comic-con features a lot of new stuff, but some of the news is a little weirder and oddball than your typical movie announcement. What else can Angry Birds cross over with next? Harry Potter? Doctor Who? Star Trek? Minecraft? All of those sound like licenses to print absurd amounts of money. I imagine they’ll all have very punny names like Optimus Prawk and… Laserbeak. Wait. Hang on a second! Read more…
Tags: Angry Birds, Transformers
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