Author: Shane O'Hare

The northern most Geekscapist. I've been doing the 'scape since before it was cool! Video games are my main prerogative but I can be passionately geeky for many things.

Geekscape Games: ‘Battlefield Hardline’ First Impressions.

by Shane O'Hare

E3 is done and the dust is settling. One of the most interesting practices from this year’s convention was the inclusion of same day access to some of the products being introduced. Sony had a couple of indie games and Microsoft offered up an XBLA game, all available about an hour after they were announced. The most impressive of the bunch was the Battlefield: Hardline Beta going live during EA’s Press Conference.

Most likely pushed up after the major leak, the beta signup was quick and I got a response in a day. I downloaded the game and fired it up over the weekend. If you’re not in the know, Battlefield: Hardline takes the series out of the….Battlefield, and puts it in the streets. Instead of Jarheads and Terrorists duking it out we have Cops and Robbers. The one map we have access to is VERY much Downtown LA, and the beta is showcasing two new game modes.

BFH_DowntownLA

Heist Mode is my particular favorite of the two new ones. The criminal team is tasked with blowing open the doors on two armored trucks and then taking the cases inside to an extraction point. This gametype gets really hectic really fast as both teams rush to get to the trucks. If you have a good squad of criminals, this one can be over a lot sooner than you think. Only downside is the armored trucks are in the same spot everytime. Having them change each round would be a major upgrade.

Blood Money is an interesting take on capture the flag, were as instead of a flag on the map, there is a cart of money. The cart is stationary in the middle of the map and contains $5 Million. Players can snag the money in increments of $100k and hold a max of $500k at a time. The goal is to get that money back to your vault, and whichever side has the most WINS!

Firing up the game for the first time, I joined a server and was tossed on the Police side. The first thing that I notice is the leveling system. You still have to level your character up by winnin’ and killin’, but now equipment is bought from awarded currency. Gone are the days of grinding out with a rifle so you can get a new set of optics for it, just so you can kill faster so you can get the next gun. I picked the Assault class and hopped in, got my bearings from the mini map and jumped into a police cruiser. The first thing I noticed in game was the sound quality/detail. The roar of the engine sounded very substantial, and the shots off in the distance echoed around buildings. I finally got to the first truck and that is when I noticed the next upgrade to the game, the destruction.

BFH_PoliceBarricade

I think this time around, DICE and Visceral turned down the realism. In Battlefield 4, explosions and destruction felt fairly realistic, that is not the case in Hardline. When I arrived at the first truck, it felt like a scene out of The Expendables. Explosions, gunfire, environmental destruction. All felt turned up to 10, and then pushed through the ridiculousometer. Rockets blasting into cars. Helicopters having dog fights while weaving around buildings. Countless rounds of machine gun ammo flying through the air. It all felt, bigger and better than previous titles. Running down the street during this first skirmish, I felt like I was in the movie Heat.

The round quickly ended, as I joined late and we held the criminal scum at bay. Sides were changed. Now embracing my sudden life of crime, I grabbed a street bike and a squad mate hopped on the back. We were first to the truck and quickly planted the C4. After the arbitrary countdown, we had to plant another. Eventually blowing open the truck. All the while it felt like we were in a Michael Bay film. My partner grabbed the case and we found ourselves another motorcycle. This time the drop off point was atop a building. We drove close, hopped in the elevator and rode to the top. “Way too fucking easy” I messaged to him, just as the doors opened I realized I spoke to soon. We had climbed into the WRONG building, and were in fact across the street from our drop off point. Running around in desperation while we figured out what we needed to do, a squad mate spawned on us. Our newly materialized ally was soon to be the savior of the criminal underworld. Returning to the Battlefield series was the zip line crossbow. Like some sort of magician, our new friend shot his bow and birthed our escape. A zip line now hung tightly between the two buildings. We grabbed on and quickly flew down, dodging sniper fire from the roof. We landed, dispatched the near sighted snipers, and won the game.

Final Thoughts

Battlefield: Hardline is currently the topic of contention with the gaming community. Some feel that it is severely overpriced, and is essentially just a reskin of Battlefield 4. The fear is that the Battlefield series is going the way of Call of Duty where they churn out a new title every year. Interesting enough, if you look at the Battlefield release dates there has never been more than 2 years between titles. 

Hardline is fun. The new mechanic of buying weapons and loadouts is very refreshing. The new weapons don’t feel as “Tacticool” as the ones from BF4, and I find that to be more fitting for this game. The new vehicles are a nice change of pace from the same stuff we’ve had to dink around in since Battlefield 2. The new game modes are a blast. The map we have access to is a joy to fight in. The sound design is a step in the right direction.

So I obviously enjoyed myself, and that means I think everyone should go out and pre-order it right now, right? Wrong. For right now anyway. Yeah, everything I’ve had to experience (sans glitches) was all and all an enjoyable experience, I really enjoyed not being an army dude fighting other army dudes in the desert. Hardline, as it stands right now, isn’t bringing enough new content to the table. The two new game modes aren’t enough. The maps aren’t enough, as BF4 has another expansion on the way.

DICE and Visceral need to bring some new, unique gametypes come release day. Because at the end of the day, two new gametypes, a handful of maps, new player and vehicle skins, and some amplified explosions does not equal $70. I had a lot of fun with what I played, but I will not be preordering this title unless we get some more stuff to get excited about.

Are you playing the beta? What are your thoughts?

E3 2014: Crackdown 3 Announced! AND IT LOOKS AWESOME!

by Shane O'Hare

As you may or may not be aware, Microsoft just ended their E3 2014 Press Conference. One of the most exciting announcements from it was the next in the Crackdown series. A trailer has emerged from the conference, so watch with me and get pumped!

http://youtu.be/RQphk81Koo0

The groundbreaking, hyperpowered world of “Crackdown” is back in stunning fashion with an all-new “Crackdown” experience for Xbox One. Developed by original creator Dave Jones, “Crackdown” on Xbox One will deliver unrivaled verticality, cooperative mayhem and destruction. Whether you’re playing the Campaign with friends or enjoying a revolutionary new multiplayer experience powered by Xbox Live, you’ll never look at an open-world game the same way again.

They are really pushing the multiplayer experience in this iteration. Crackdown 1 and 2 had some of the best coop for an open world game out there, and I really hope they can one up them. If we can actually take down a skyscraper with a Semi Truck and a Sniper Rifle, JUST ONCE, I will be a happy gamer come 2016

E3 2014: Laura Croft Becomes A Woman In ‘Rise Of The Tomb Raider’

by Shane O'Hare

Running strong from the Microsoft Press Conference at E3 2014, we got ourselves another huge announcement. The next in the series for the Tomb Raider reboot is here! Well it’ll BE here come holiday 2015. Check out the trailer for The Rise of The Tomb Raider below.

http://youtu.be/rR1JTGjXIyE

 In her first adventure, Lara Croft was forged into a true survivor, but she glimpsed a deeper, secret world. In the next chapter of her journey, Lara must use her survival skills and wits, learn to trust new friends, and ultimately accept her destiny as the Tomb Raider. Featuring epic, high-octane action moments, “Rise of the Tomb Raider” will take gamers to multiple locations around the world filled with exploration spaces that are some of the most beautifully hostile places on earth. In addition, after hearing the cry from fans loud and clear, the game will put the tombs back into “Tomb Raider,” all in the franchise’s gritty Survival-Action style.

The trailer obviously doesn’t feature any gameplay, but I am getting a really good vibe from it. When she walked into that big open cavern and saw the ruins, I got a little goosebumpy. It reminded me of the feeling I got from playing Tomb Raider 2 waaaaay back when.

No specifics about the release have come out yet, besides that it will be on the Xbox One for sure, but I would be surprised if we don’t see PS4 and PC release either.

E3 2014: Microsoft Unveils ‘Halo: The Master Chief Collection’

by Shane O'Hare

The Microsoft E3 Press Conference is minutes over and the news coming out of it is exciting. The biggest one out is that 343 Industries is dropping a HUGE collection of games, in a fancy little bundle called Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This bundle will include, Hal0: Anniversary Edition, Halo 2: Anniversary Edition, Halo 3 and Halo 4. All the games have been remastered to run at 60 FPS and will utilize the FULL POWER of the Xbox One. They will also include over 100 Multiplayer maps, including 6 new maps for Halo 2. Check out the full Press Release below:

Flanked by some of video gaming’s most celebrated creators, Microsoft unveiled an incredible games lineup, including new iterations of its most popular franchises. 343 Industries lifted the curtain on “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” for Xbox One, which includes the complete story of the Master Chief on one console for the first time ever (“Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary,” “Halo 2 Anniversary,” “Halo 3” and “Halo 4”), including an entirely remastered version of the iconic classic that revolutionized online console gaming, “Halo 2 Anniversary.” A massive collection that lets you experience “Halo” in an all-new way, at higher visual fidelity running at 60 frames per second (fps) on dedicated servers, “Halo: The Master Chief Collection” features curated campaign and multiplayer playlists across all four games and features more than 100 multiplayer maps — authentic to their original release. In addition, “Halo 2 Anniversary” will include six all-new maps built from the ground up for Xbox One

Halo 2 will  be getting the most attention it seems in this release. The collection will also feature 4000 gamerscore points, and a series of “Playlists”. The playlists will let players go through a series of levels from each game, like huge battles or levels that are driving central.

You can get your hands on Halo: The Master Chief Collection, this November!

Homefront: The Revolution Announced!

by Shane O'Hare

After the fall of THQ, many of the games went up for sale, and developer Deep Silver (Metro, Dead Island) grabbed up a few. The Homefront franchise being one of them. Today Deep Silver announced their plans for the second game in the series. Teaming up with CryTek, they new duo released a nice little trailer to go alongside their PR.

If you aren’t too familiar with Homefront, let me bring you up to speed. Homefront one was a first person shooter set in the alternate future (or possible future?), a future where North Korea had unified the peninsula and started to expand its empire. Countless countries joined the DPRK as they moved West. The game takes place after a Korean invasion of the United States. You take the role of a freedom fighter trying to take your country back.

It had an amazing premise and the game starts out strong, but the story wasn’t as fleshed out as it should have been and it fell flat.

Homefront 2: The Revolution is set in an open world Philadelphia, where your actions directly affect the world around you. Players have to rely on guerrilla tech, ambushes and tactics all the while the enemy has nice shiny new guns and tanks!

Only a vague 2015 release date has been announced, but the promise of more footy and info at E3 makes us excited!

For a different take on a North Korean video game, check out Glorious Leader.

Yes, You Will Be Able To Drive A Mercedes-GLA In Mario Kart 8

by Shane O'Hare

http://youtu.be/_AkgJZGspCM

What you saw just now, was not a hoax or a prank. Not an actment of internet auteurs. That was an official commercial for Mercedes of Japan featuring a hunk of a Mario.

Details are slim, but Nintendo promises more info will be released soon. The good news is that it will be FREE DLC!

For more info (if you can read Japanese) head on over to Game Watch Impress.

m04

m12

The Newest Update Video For ‘Mighty No. 9’ Has Us MEGA Excited!

by Shane O'Hare

The team over at Comcept have just put out this new update video for their Kickstarter success story, Mighty No. 9. The spiritual successor for Megaman is looking more and more amazing the further the project goes.

http://youtu.be/q1iEFfOBP1o

Amassing over Four Million USD, Mighty No. 9 is the brainchild of Keiji Inafune. He wanted to bring the best of the 16-Bit era side scrollers to today.

You can grab Mighty No. 9 sometime in April 2015, and it’s on pretty much everydamn platform including; PC, MAC, Linux!

 

BREAKING! Edgar Wright Leaves Marvel’s Ant-Man Over Creative Differences

by Shane O'Hare

Just released from Marvel Studios, Edgar Wright will no longer be working on the film adaptation of Ant Man.

Marvel and Edgar Wright jointly announced today that the studio and director have parted ways on Ant-Man due to differences in their vision of the film. The decision to move on is amicable and does not impact the release date on July 17, 2015. A new director will be announced shortly.

This is fairly surprising as Edgar Wright has been on board with this film since it was first conceived way back in 2010, and was even onstage at SDCC 2012 to show off their first test footage of the film.

It would be very interesting to find out what exactly was the hang up between Wright and Marvel. All we know is we’re just gonna grab a pint at the Winchester and wait for this all to blow over.

The Twelfth Doctor Hits Screens This August!

by Shane O'Hare

The BBC Just uploaded this hyper quick teaser trailer for the next season of their hit show Doctor Who. The trailer shows Peter Capaldi silhouetted inside the TARDIS, with the newest news that he will be hitting screens this August!

This season marks the Twelfth iteration of The Doctor as Matt Smith transforms into Peter Capaldi. I, much like a lot of geeks, am very excited to see what direction Capaldi take the role of The Doctor. I got bored of Smiths portrayal after his first season and never bothered to watch any of the others. You could also blame me not returning due to Moffats bland writing, he just followed the same damn formula over and over.

It’s also going to be interesting to see how the fandom reacts to a much OLDER Doctor.

Catch it all in August! We are VERY excited!

Get Ready For ‘Shadow Of Mordor’ With The Newest Trailer!

by Shane O'Hare

Way back in January we peeped you the demo vid from Monoliths upcoming LOTR game, Shadow of Mordor. Since then not much has come out about the game, until now! Check out the official “Story” trailer below!

You can get your hands on Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor October 7th! Available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

All Hail The Glorious Leader! Kim Jong-Un Gets His Own Video Game!

by Shane O'Hare

Our glorious leader, son of Demi-God Kim Jon-Il, is finally being immortalized in a video game!  It accurately shows the true exploits of our leader in battle, from riding on the legendary flaming unicorn, to taking on the entire capitalist army on his own.

The true great allies in the West, Money Horse Games, have released THIS statement on the game.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea commands you to know that the capitalistic pigs at Moneyhorse LLC, are developing Glorious Leader! , an epic tale about the triumph of Kim Jong Un over the entire American army. Battle through 7 unique levels as you defeat waves of imperialists, combat over-the-top bosses, and ride unicorns!

Glorious Leader! is coming soon to PC and something called a mobile device. Finally, you will know why North Korea truly is the best Korea.

No release date has been announced, but we know our savior and glorious leader, will come precisely when he is needed.

‘Alien’ Visual Creator H.R. Giger Dies At 74

by Shane O'Hare

The man who has created some of the most terrifying, yet beautiful, works of art has passed away this morning at the age of 74.

Giger’s arguably most famous work was what he had created for the Alien series of science fiction films. He pioneered an art style that he referred to “biomechanical”, something that makes anything he works on from movies to sculptures to paintings all the way up to furniture, uniquely his.

The sad part of his passing is that it wasn’t directly related to disease. He suffered a fall recently and succumbed to the injuries.

He was a great man and will be missed.

Be sure to check out a great story of his work on the unfinished film adaption of Dune in the documentary of Jodorowsky Dune.

http://youtu.be/OPqh82Dz84Q

‘Sunset Overdrive’ Is The Most Incredible Looking Thing I Have Ever Seen

by Shane O'Hare

We’re no strangers to (love) Insomniac Games. They are responsible for some of the greatest adventure games out there. Does Spyro or Ratch and Clank ring a bell? Well it looks like they’ve pushed the limit again with Sunset Overdrive, because I just watched this gameplay trailer and bout busted out my credit card right here.

I still cannot wrap my head around how fucking good this looks. I am really happy that we are finally starting to see true “next gen” games coming out. That respawn system looks hilarious.

The only downside, for me personally, is that this is an Xbox One exclusive.

No specific release date has been announced, save a vague “2014”.

For more info and some beautiful hi res pics, be sure to hit up the official website.

‘Wolverine Weapon X: Tomorrow Dies Today’ Motion Comic Looks Freaking Awesome

by Shane O'Hare

Marvel Knights Animation has been putting out some incredible content lately. Their motion comics truly are works of art, and Wolverine Weapon X: Tomorrow Dies Today is something to behold. Check out the trailer below!

The future is controlled by a malevolent mega-corporation known as Roxxon — which keeps its tight grip on society through the use of cyborgs, the Deathloks, whose sole purpose is to seek out current and future vigilantes — and neutralize them with extreme prejudice. Now, in order to prevent Roxxon’s rise and the eventual slaughter of the world’s heroes, Wolverine must join forces with a mysterious woman possessing unexplained knowledge of the coming dystopia. He won’t give up until the Deathloks are stopped, but what hope is there to prevent a future that has already come to pass?

The DVD boasts a behind the scenes featurette that goes inside the creation process of a Marvel Knights animation.

You can snag  Wolverine Weapon X: Tomorrow Dies Today on DVD only at Shout! Factory on May 13th!

It’s Little Surprise To Say But ‘My Little Pony’ Has Been Renewed For A Fifth Season!

by Shane O'Hare

Quietly teased on The HUB’s Twitter late last night was some fantastic news, albeit kind of a no brainer.

Season 5 is set to air in 2015 and will consist of 26 episodes! 

That ominous “2015” maybe a bit sooner than that, as Season 4 premiered late November 2013. And that was planned hit screens the following year.

We here at Geekscape absolutely LOVE The HUB network! They consistently bring entertaining and engaging original content that both kids and adults can enjoy equally. I personally am a huge fan of MLP (if you couldn’t guess) and The Aquabats Supershow. I cannot wait for Season 5!

It’s Morphin’ Time! Lionsgate Is Bringing Us A New ‘Power Rangers’ Movie!

by Shane O'Hare

Just hitting the Geeksape news desk is some radical news! Lionsgate and Saban Entertainment are joining forces to bring us a new live action Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie!

Launched in America over 20 years ago, the Power Rangers have been a staple of children’s saturday morning television every week. From dinosaurs to ninjas and from space police to jungle animals, they’ve gone pretty much everywhere.

Details are vague; is this a reboot/re-envisioning of the show from 1993? OR, is this an entirely brand new narrative. The world will have to wait.

Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Announced With This Teaser Trailer

by Shane O'Hare

No fanfare. No lead up. No hilarious vid featuring Reggie Fils A Mech. Just this very innocuous and to the point trailer.

Announcing Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems! Prepare for an epic adventure exploring a world filled with Pokémon!

Pokémon fans first enjoyed Pokémon Ruby Version and Pokémon Sapphire Version when it launched in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. Now, a whole new generation of Pokémon fans will experience the dramatic storyline that unfolds in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire.

Look forward to Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire when the games launch worldwide in November 2014!

They’re really following their formula quite well right here. Make great Pokemon game > Make the third for that generation > Make next generation > Remake last generation.

This isn’t really a “SURPRISE” in anyway, but it is still great news none the less. Sapphire was my last and favorite Pokemon game, and it looks like I am going to be getting Alpha come this November.

Humble Bundle Teams Up With Image Comics!

by Shane O'Hare

Whoa damn! The folks over at Humble Bundle have LITERALLY done it again. This time they are breaking free from the shackles of gaming and are entering the world of comic books! They’ve teamed up with our friends over at Image and are bringing a stack of great books for your digital library! Check out this nice little trailer the team has put out!

If you’re not familiar with The Humble Bundle crew then let me bring you up to speed. Humble Bundle is a site that offers packages (AKA Bundles) of media at a “pay what you want” pricing scheme. Best known for their video game bundles, they’ve also branched into the world of music as well. The best part is you can dictate how much of your money goes to whomever is involved. In this case you can decide between The Humble Bundle crew themselves, Image comics and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

So how does it work? Just head on over to the Humble Bundle official site and enter the amount you wanna spend! Any amount you enter guarantee’s you volume one of  the following books:

East of West

Fatale

Lazarus

Morning Glories

Beat the current average price and you will obtain volume one of these following books:

Saga

Revival

Chew

BUT WHAT! There’s more! If you drop 16 or more Washington’s on this bundle, then you can snag Volume 1 and Volume 20 of The Walking Dead! DAS WASSUP!

So go help out some great charities and expand  your digital comic library while doing it!

Nintendo Gives Us A Sneak Peak At Their E3 2014 Lineup

by Shane O'Hare

Looks like Nintendo finally “gets it” and put out a compelling advert! FEATURING OUT FRIENDS OVER AT MEGA64! Check out their E3 trailer below!

A few weeks ago during their Nintendo Direct, Masahiro Sakurai let loose some details on the upcoming Smash Bros. titles that really piqued the interest of the competitive scene, and with the announcement of their tournament it shows they obviously learned from their mistakes.

Watch live as 16 highly skilled Super Smash Bros. players take each other on in the first-ever Nintendo-sponsored Super Smash Bros. tournament. We’ll share more information soon about the invited participants, the announcers, and how fans can view the tournament in person and via webcast.

The most exciting news from the video is the fact that we all can get our hands on Smash Bros at Best Buy’s around the country! No specifics were announced as to when that will happen, but be sure to stick here at Geekscape and keep an eye on the official Nintendo E3 website!

Red Vs. Blue Season 12 Premieres TONIGHT!

by Shane O'Hare

If you’ve been around the internet as long as I have, then you aren’t a stranger to the crew over at Rooster Teeth. They are responsible for some of the best online content around; from Lets Plays and Podcasts, to original narratives. Their flagship show Red vs. Blue has been running for over 10 years, and Season 12 premieres tonight!  Check out the trailer below!

 

In Season 12 of Red vs. Blue, the hapless and hopeless “heroes” of Blood Gulch find themselves stuck in the middle of a planet-wide civil war. With half of the Reds and Blues captured by the ominous Federal Army, it’s up to Tucker, Grif, Simmons, and Caboose to work with the New Republic rebellion to free their friends. The twelfth season of the longest running, web-based comedy is packed with new friends, new enemies, and is primed and ready to deliver tons of laughs and awesome action.

You can get eyes on Season 12 TONIGHT at 7 PM CT, only at the official Rooster Teeth website!

We here at Geekscape are very excited for the next step in the hilarious Red vs. Blue story, and give all our well wishes to our friends over at Rooster Teeth.

Still on the fence about watching? Why don’t you check out this first look clip!

http://youtu.be/tL3LIZlEZic

 

Capture The Newest Trailer For ‘Monster Hunter 4’!

by Shane O'Hare

Still a year away from a US release, Monster Hunter 4 is poised to be another slam dunk for Capcom. Expanding on the monumental success of Monster Hunter 3 G/Ultimate on the 3DS, 4 just goes bigger and badder. Check out the newest trailer BELOW!

HOT DAMN IS THAT EXCITING! New monsters, weapons and allies make this game look like it’s going to be action packed as all get out. I spotted a giant enemy crab!

Monster Hunter 4 is already out in Japan and Korea, but you can get your hands on an English copy early next year!

Go Inside The World Of Bronies With ‘A Brony Tale’

by Shane O'Hare

We here at Geekscape are no strangers to MLP and Bronies (you should see my Rarity cosplay), so when we saw the trailer for the upcoming documentary on the best fandom out there we just had to share it.

I am always down for people intelligently explaining our passion for this show, and it looks like Brent Hodge as put together a fantastic film.

A Brony Tale is premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival April 26th. It can also be seen at the DOXA Film Festival on May 11th!

Nintendo Direct Wrap Up: Smash Bro. 3DS & Wii U Info Extravaganza

by Shane O'Hare

Nintendo’s latest direct is over, but the excitement hasn’t faded. The father of the Pink Puff Ball, Masahiro Sakurai led the event from his studio, and oh boy did he have a bunch of fantastic news for us!

The biggest, and obviously the most important are the release dates. They’ve narrowed down both the 3DS and Wii U windows. Expect 3DS out this Summer and the Wii U version ships this Winter. Both versions will have the same characters and we can expect the game to run in a solid 60 FPS. What I found very interesting is backgrounds and assist trophies will run in 30 FPS so as not to slow down the gameplay.

It’s obvious Nintendo wants to win back the competitive players with this iteration, as they’ve included two online battle modes. “For Fun” will feature all levels, items and only wins are recorded. “For Glory” will feature no Items and only Final Destination is available as a playable battlefield. Wins AND loses will be recorded on the player profile. The most exciting news for this mode is that most of the new levels will have a “Final Destination Mode”. This is basically a re-skin of the very popular Final Destination level from Melee.

Unique to the 3DS version is the “Smash Run” mode. Players are dumped into a dungeon and have five minutes to scour the level for upgrades. Speed, attack, defense, special and more can be collected. Each powerup stacks and gets added to your overall stats. Then its battle time! Sakurai said he took the idea from Kirby’s Air Ride City Trial mode.

smash3DS_run_2
Example of stat changes in Smash Run

An awesome addition for local play and online with friends is the custom move sets. Players will be able to take their favorite fighter and adjust how they are played. No specific details were released but from the footage shown it looks like speed and power can be tweaked.

Gone are the characters that change during battle due to a trigger. No more Zero Suit Samus after the Final Smash; those characters are all now selectable on their own. Samus, Sheik and Charizard have been confirmed.

Notably the most anticipated news was the inclusion of new characters. New to the franchise is Greninja, the final evolution of Froakie (Seriously, fire the guy who names Pokemon. He peaked with Jigglypuff) from Pokemon X and Y.

smash_greninja_1
A ninjas ass frog. I’m not sure how I feel about this.

Be sure to watch the full Nintendo Direct for all the motion picture goodness, and keep and eye out here for more news as it is released.

Check out the full detail list below:

 

“New Super Smash Bros. games are a major event for video game fans everywhere, and present an experience that only Nintendo can offer,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Fans have two launches to look forward to this year, and they will want to get in plenty of practice with the Nintendo 3DS version so that they can be prepared for the launch of the Wii U game later in the year.”

To view the Nintendo Direct in its entirety, visit http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct. Today’s announcements included:

-Launch windows: The Nintendo 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. is planned to launch this summer. The Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. is planned to launch in winter 2014.

 

–Silky-smooth 3D: Most game-play elements of the Nintendo 3DS version of the game will run at 60 frames per second, all in stereoscopic 3D.

 

-“Smash Run”: Exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version of the game is a new mode called “Smash Run.” In this mode, four players have five minutes to enter a dungeon and explore the surroundings, fight enemies and obtain power-ups to enhance their fighters. Once the five minutes are up, all four fighters enter a battle arena using their newly equipped items and power-ups. Enemies encountered in the Smash Run mode are from a wide range of game series. Multiple Nintendo 3DS systems and games are required for multiplayer modes.

 

-New challenger!: Greninja, the awesome final evolution of Froakie from Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, joins the roster as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.

 

-Oldies but goodies: Many of the classic characters from past Super Smash Bros. games that are returning in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS have new powers and abilities. Four characters that have appeared in previous games, but had yet to be announced before this Nintendo Direct, include:

Zero Suit Samus: That’s right, Zero Suit Samus is back, but this time she is her own fully playable character, separate from suited Samus. In the new game, she is given jet boots to make her even more powerful.

Sheik: As with Zero Suit Samus, Sheik is another character that appeared in previous Super Smash Bros. games, but will be a unique playable character for the first time in the new Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games. Sheik has new moves like Burst Grenade and Bouncing Fish.

Yoshi: In previous games, Yoshi stood on two legs and hunched over, as if Mario were going to jump on top of him at any moment. This new version of Yoshi stands completely upright, making him an even stronger fighter.

Charizard: After appearing from a Poké Ball in Super Smash Bros. Melee and becoming playable by using Pokémon Trainer in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, this fire-breathing Pokémon is now a selectable character.

 

-Online play: Both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of Super Smash Bros. will offer online multiplayer game play with other players on the same platform. Players with broadband Internet access can battle it out with anyone else who is online and also has the game.

-When playing with random players online, two modes are available: “For Fun” and “For Glory.” In “For Glory,” only Final Destination stage variations are available. There are no platforms, elevated areas or items in this mode. It is a nice, clean battle between characters. In “For Fun,” all stages are picked randomly and all items and power-ups are available.

-When playing with friends, full customisation is available – players can set the rules, stages and items however they want.

 

-Variety of stages: While the cast of playable characters is the same in both versions of the new games, the stages where the battles take place are vastly different, depending on which system a player chooses. The Wii U stages are primarily based on past home console games, while the Nintendo 3DS stages draw from hand-held games for inspiration.

 

-Boss characters, such as the Yellow Devil in Dr. Wily’s Base, will make appearances in some stages. When bosses appear, fighters will have to battle the boss, as well as one another. The boss can even be used in strategic ways to damage other fighters.
-Almost all the stages in both versions of the game will have a “Final Destination form,” an alternate form of each stage that is inspired by the relatively simple layout of the much-loved Final Destination stage.

 

-Items, trophies and Pokémon: Items, assist trophies and Poké Balls all return in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. New to the games are Master Balls, special Poké Balls that contain Legendary Pokémon like Arceus and Xerneas.

 

-Get connected: There will be elements in Super Smash Bros. that link both versions of the games. More details about this will be revealed at a later date.

 

-Custom moves: In a series first, players can now customise move sets when playing locally or online with friends. More information about this feature will be announced in the future.

No Words Describe This Trailer For ‘Lucy’ Starring Scarlett Johansson

by Shane O'Hare

Luc Besson always puts together some fantastic films. Even if they aren’t always critically successful (I’m looking at you Hitman), at the end of the day he can direct, write and produce some very enjoyable films. So when I heard the trailer for his next film, Lucy just came out my excitement was palpable. Watch the trailer with me and get excited!

http://youtu.be/VcLERVsu1O8

First off I want to get the fallacy of the whole “10% of your brain” thing aside.  Got it? Good, now back to Lucy (IT’S SCIENCE FICTION PEOPLE!).

The film stars the goddess of internet neckbeards, Scarlett Johansson as Lucy. Woman forced into the role as a drug mule, and one day those drugs start leaking into her system. As you can tell by the trailer  much superhero fun is to be had, and if Luc Besson is behind it you KNOW it will be action packed.

Lucy hits theaters August 8th!

The New ‘Jungle Book’ Adaptation Promises To Show Us The Darker Side Of The Story

by Shane O'Hare

When you hear the name Andy Serkis what do you picture in your head? A little goblin running around in the search for his “precious” ring. Well now you can add Director to that list. That’s right the actor who portrayed Gollum in the Lord of The Rings movies is getting his directorial debut, and he is adapting…the Jungle Book?

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Serkis told a tale of reading the original Jungle Book story as a child living in Baghdad.

I found it mesmerizing, and it transported me into this incredible world. It’s extraordinary that I’m getting a chance to bring it to the screen … The jungle is a Garden of Eden and a wonderful place for Mowgli to grow up in, but also is a place of fear and a place of threat.

Not much has been revealed, but Serkis promises that this version will be faithful to the source material. It most likely won’t have singing bears.

This also marks his directorial debut, though it is important to note he is Peter Jackson’s Second Unit Director on The Hobbit Trilogy.

This news comes months after the announcement that John Favreu was brought on board to direct the new Disney adaptation. You can expect to see singing bears in that one.

Another ‘Gotham’ Character Shot Released This Time The Faithful Butler Alfred

by Shane O'Hare

It felt like last Friday when we showed you the actress Camren Bicondova as the upcoming Selena Kyle. Well today FOX has just let loose another character poster, this time we get eyes on Sean Pertwee as the faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth.

Gotham Alfred Pennyworth

It is really refreshing to see the character not portrayed by a geriatric. The character bio from FOX is short and sweet:

Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee – Elementary, Camelot) is a tough-as-nails ex-marine from East London who has loyally served the Waynes. Now, in the wake of their tragic deaths, he’s fiercely protective of the young Bruce Wayne.

The more they release about this show, the more I am getting excited for it! FOX promises to have another character reveal TOMORROW, so check back!

 

First Concept Images Released For ‘Jurassic World’

by Shane O'Hare

Still over a year away from theaters, Jurassic World is shaping up to be a monster of a film. Not much media has been released of the film, but today we bring you some of the initial designs and concepts for the facility in Jurassic World.

Jurassic World Concept (2)

Jurassic World Concept (1)

Set a few decades after the events in the third film, Jurassic World takes place at a third park. A successful park, that by the time the film starts, has been up and running for some time.

Besides these pretty pictures, and the June 2015 release date, we also have a nice list of actors that will be starring in the film.

  • Chris Pratt
  • Bryce Dallas Howard
  • Vincent D’Onofrio
  • Nick Robinson
  • Ty Simpkins
  • BD Wong
  • Irrfan Khan
  • David Oyelowo
  • Omar Sy

We would love to hear your thoughts on Jurassic World as well as everyone’s opinion on these concept images.

 

Ubisoft Lets Loose A Ton Of Details For The Snowdrop Engine & The Division

by Shane O'Hare

Fresh outta GDC, Ubisoft and their team over at Massive produced this fancy little video expanding on their amazing new game engine, Snowdrop.

The more and more I see about this game the more I want it NOW! The environmental inclusion is on a level that you would only see in Pixar movies, and the ease of working on the engine is astounding.

You and your friends can get your hands on The Division sometime in Q4 of 2014 on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

 

The Next Assassin’s Creed Game Has Been Leaked! Check Out These Screenshots For ‘Unity’

by Shane O'Hare

A few weeks ago, this interesting post came up on the NeoGaf forums. It was posted by a user retailing the events that transpired on a plane with someone who was involved in the Assassin’s Creed Development.

So i was on a flight earlier today and playing liberation on my vita when the guy sitting next to me asked me what i thought about the game. I said it was pretty good to which he said that i will probably love the next one too. I told him that i already played black flag to which he smiled at me and said the one after that. Turns out that the guy was someone close to the series (dev/pr) and although he didn’t disclose what exactly his position was, he did give me a fair bit of info on the upcoming title. My day was literally made when towards the end of our conversation he showed me a short clip about the game on his ipad. Mind you the guy was a not a native english speaker so there might be some errors in what he meant and i what i am posting here.

 

set in paris and england (london?)

 

main characters name is arno/harno something. will be heading the french divison of assassins.

 

looks to be set after the ezio period, character had handgun.

 

looks like victorian era judging by the way npc dressed, architecture, horse carriages parked on the streets.

 

Villa management is back. MC has his own villa (guy says its ezio’s villa from AC:B). dunno if it makes any sense geographically or it might be a mistranslation.

 

codename is AC:unity. Not final title, might be battle/fight something (cant remember). The AC logo is cut in the middle like the beyond/quantum break logo.

 

MC has a blue suit with a tinge of red in the clip(might change). looked similar to the ones worn by the Knights in order 1886.

 

from the clip it looks like a cross gen title. Although the guy tells me its next gen only title.

 

Visually looked quiet decent but it was ver early footage. Had fantastic draw distance and crowd density was much higher than the older games despite them appearing/disappearing from thin air.

Much like most rumors on the internet, this particular one was mostly ignored, until today!

The team over at Kotaku got their hands on some sweet screenshots, and a lot of information mostly corroborating the NeoGaf user’s post.

 

The nitty gritty details Kotaku was able to get from their source are fairly promising. Unity, will be released sometime this fall and will be out on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The other AC title, codenamed Comet, will be out the same time but on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Unity will take place in late 18th century Paris (as you can see in the screenshots) and it brings to the table a new Parkour system. If you peak at the screenshots, you can see that there are buttons assigned to “Parkour Up” and “Parkour Down”. I imagine this little addition will be a huge step in the right direction for the series in terms of navigation.

The feature I a m MOST excited for is the return of the Villa management system. If you remember way back in AC:II, you could upgrade Ezio’s Villa. With shops, vendors, arts and architecture. All these upgrades would bring in money every so often. I LOVED getting my main base all the way upgraded.

No other details have been leaked or released, but expect to hear much more when we get closer to fall 2014.

Watch Out Oculus! Sony Announces VR Headset! Checkout ‘Project Morpheus’

by Shane O'Hare

It’s been rumored, officially teased and now finally unveiled at Sony’s GDC press conference, their foray into the VR Headset field with Project Morpheus. Not to be confused the NASA Project Morpheus, Sony’s Project Morpheus has it’s sights set on the home user.

Speaking of sight, Sony outlined their definitions of what makes a good VR setup. Sight being the driving factor, Project Morpheus relies HEAVILY on the power of the PS4, and promises to give the user total spacial awareness. Second is sound, and Sony has been no slouch when it comes to high quality portable sound. They are focusing a lot of energy into spacial and directional sound. Lastly they want ease of use to perform a vital role in the home VR experience. Project Morpheus mimics the Dual Shock controller and the Move in terms of communication ease.

They listed a group of partners that are already onboard with Project Morpheus, those include:

  • Havok Engine
  • Epic Games
  • Crytek
  • Bitsquad
  • CriWare
  • Autodesk
  • Silicon Studio
  • Unity Engine
  • Fmod
  • Wwise
  • DDD
  • Gigantic

The stats of the device themselves are not to shabby. They include a 1080P screen for each eye, 90 degrees field of view, both an accelerometer and gyroscope and can interface via a USB and HDMI cable.

No release date has been announced.

I personally don’t find VR to be TOO appealing, but Sony really has come out guns blazing. Coupled with the new Move controller and the very power PS4, I don’t think Project Morpheus is going to be a shabby product.

Be sure to check out more GDC coverage right HERE at Geekscape!