Tag: PC

Xbox Game Passengers 026 – ‘Yakuza 6: The Song Of Life’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Welcome to Xbox Game Passengers.

Once a month, host Derek and a guest will dissect and discuss just one game available on Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service, which was chosen for them (usually) completely at random.

Whether the game is a magical or a horrible experience, they’ll force themselves through it, share their thoughts, and let you know whether or not the game is worth your time! At the end of each episode, they’ll also randomly select the game for the following show, so you always know what’s coming up on the next adventure.

Derek downloaded Yakuza 6 thinking it would be an open world GTA clone. He’s possibly never been more wrong. Join Derek and returning guest Shane as they for some reason start with the sixth mainline entry into the series, and don’t really understand what’s going on! A huge apology to Geekscape Games’ Josh and Carlos as we butcher discussing a series that they love.

How far would you go for family? Step into Japan’s criminal underworld with fists swinging in this explosive action brawler starring legendary yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu, who is hellbent on uncovering the truth behind a tragic accident that left his daughter comatose.

Listen to find out how things went, and if you like what you’ve heard, here’s where you can subscribe to the show:

Anchor
Apple Podcasts
Breaker
Castbox
Google Podcasts
iHeartRadio
Overcast
Pocket Casts
PodBean
RadioPublic
Stitcher
Spotify
TuneIn

Thanks for joining us for another episode! We took a long (long) break as the world fell apart, but we’re glad to be back playing games and making new content. We really hope that you enjoy the episode — if you have any feedback for us, we’d love to hear it at derek@geekscape.net. Anything you listeners can do to help spread the word about the podcast would be immensely appreciated — from sharing it on social media like Facebook or Twitter, to leaving us five stars (or even a review) on Apple Podcasts, to sending it to a single friend, it can all make a massive difference! Thanks again for coming along on this ride!

You can also follow us on twitter @XGPPodcast

Theme Song: I Adore My C64 by Nicolai Heidlas from HookSounds.com

E3 2019: Bow Hunting New Monsters In ‘Monster Hunter World: Iceborne’

by Josh Jackson

Last year’s Monster Hunter World went on to become Capcom’s best selling game of all time. It was such a massive hit partially due to the company’s continued support of the game long after release. However, after over a year of free updates that added new monsters, weapons, armor and missions, a full fledged expansion was announced last month. Titled Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, the reveal detailed how new abilities for old weapons, some brand new weapons, an uncharted arctic environment and some debuting monsters would breathe new life into the game. A playable demo was available on the E3 show floor, so we took the chance to try out some new techniques against the giant horned beast, Banbaro.

Hunters who have taken a break from their adventures will find that the game is easy to jump back into. Given the cold environment, hot drinks are a must before setting off to fight in order to stabilize one’s stamina for executing special moves. This is especially important since the new grappling hook will make use of the stamina meter much more frequently compared to the base game. Previously, the only way to get above a monster was to jump from above it or to vault yourself upwards using the Insect Glaive. For bow users like myself, that wasn’t a possibility, so the grappling hook is a much welcomed addition for increased mobility and combat options.

Fighting in a full team of four, we used familiar strategies to track down the moose-like monster, exploring the snow capped map that serves as a stark contrast to the volcanic and forest inspired environments of the main game. Once combat started, it was easy to be caught off guard by Banbaro’s long range thanks to its massive horns. Even when at a safe distance, the monster could pick up boulders with its horns and hit us from afar with the resulting debris coming from its smash. This only became more frequent as it became more aggressive, which was a good time to try out Thousand Dragons, the new bow technique introduced in Iceborne.

In the main game, your Slinger is like a sub-weapon that can shoot various projectiles that are found in the environment. Thousand Dragons acts as a powerful arrow that uses up all of the hunter’s Slinger ammo to deal maximum damage to the target. This gambit can be a risky one, since missing could mean using up useful materials for your fight. On the flip side, it’s a great way to dump useless ammo that you may have picked up by accident. Either way, while I clearly need more time to get used to the new mechanics since 15 minutes isn’t nearly enough time to master them, I have trouble seeing how they will be as effective as the skills from the base game. Once I went back to those, the fight became much easier to manage, even with partners who had never played before.

Once the demo was over, I felt confident that Iceborne will be the shot in the arm that the game needs to continue to grow for another year and beyond. With new monsters, weapons and abilities, we’ll all have the chance to step back into this world with renewed vigor for that next piece of powerful gear. Until then, we still have the main game to sharpen our skills with as we prepare for the tundra that awaits us on September 6.

Game Pass Minute: Xbox Game Pass For PC Launching With Over 100 Games

by Derek Kraneveldt

Xbox Game Pass has brought some incredible value to the Xbox platform since its launch two years ago.

Since its launch, we’ve spent hundreds of hours in dozens of games that we may never have had the opportunity to discover otherwise, but in many of these cases, PC players have felt a little left out.

Subscribers to Xbox Game Pass who also own a PC have been able to enjoy a smattering of ‘Play Anywhere’ titles, like Sea of Thieves, Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 4, and Wargroove, among others, but the service has never been worth subscribing to if you’re only a PC player.

That’s all about to change, as Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has just taken to Xbox Wire to admit that “We’ve not always lived up to our aspiration of keeping gamers at the center of everything we do when it comes to the experience they’ve had on Windows,” and to reveal a few ways that they plan to make the Windows gaming experience even better.

The biggest announcement is a specific Xbox Game Pass for PC, a new subscription service that will launch with a selection of over 100 games, from publishers like Bethesda, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Paradox Interactive, SEGA, and more. Spencer also notes that “it is our intent to include new games from Xbox Game Studios in Xbox Game Pass for PC the same day as their global release, including titles from newly acquired studios like Obsidian and inXile,” so just like Xbox players, Xbox Game Pass for PC subscribers are about to save a lot of money on Microsoft titles. The company is working with over 75 developers and publishers on the service, so I imagine we’ll see a massive variety in the titles offered from day one.

No games were revealed in today’s announcement, but Microsoft notes that more information will be announced during Microsoft’s E3 briefing on June 9th.

On top of the Game Pass for PC announcement, Microsoft has also revealed that they plan to bring more Microsoft Studios published titles, like Gears 5 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection to Steam, giving gamers more choice as to where they play their games, and also that full support for Win32 titles is coming to the Windows store.

In any case, if exciting news like this is being revealed before E3, I cannot wait to see what’s announced during it.

Look for a special E3 recap episode of our newest gaming podcast, Xbox Game Passengers, which focusses on a randomly-selected Xbox Game Pass game each episode shortly following Microsoft’s presentation! For now, you can listen below to our newest episode, in which Horror Movie Night’s Matt Kelly and I discuss the lauded walking simulator, ‘What Remains of Edith Finch’.

If you like what you’ve heard, here’s where you can subscribe to the show:

Anchor
Apple Podcasts
Breaker
Castbox
Google Podcasts
Overcast
Pocket Casts
PodBean
RadioPublic
Stitcher
Spotify
TuneIn

Anthem Shows That It’s Not Always the Publisher’s Fault

by The_acz

On Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019, Kotaku’s Jason Schreier posted an article detailing just how much of a trainwreck EA and Bioware’s newest AAA live service Anthem actually was behind the scenes. In the past couple of years, it’s been the norm to usually blame the publisher for when most things in AAA development go awry (as seen with both Star Wars Battlefront debacles and Destiny.) Usually, the higher-ups in the publishing company will try and shift the core focus of the game to match modern gaming trends or even try and disrupt it via additional monetization or cutting out integral story content to use it later on down the line as additional content. With Anthem though, it’s not so black and white.

It turns out that Bioware had much more freedom to do what they wanted to do with the project. Due to upper leadership problems, and not having a clear direction, the project ended up suffering. I’ll be covering some key points, but not everything mentioned by Kotaku. The article itself goes into incredible depth, so check it out here. It’s definitely worth a read. With that being said, let’s take a look at this mess.

1. Pre-Production

Remember that beautiful and dynamic demo that EA showed of Anthem back at Microsoft’s E3 2017 conference? It turns out the version we saw wasn’t real. It didn’t really exist. Anthem started pre-production back in 2012 and only entered full-on production in October of 2017. around October 2017. This means the game only started full-time development 5 ½ into its 7-year development cycle!

This comes down to the project leaders constantly changing what the game would be. Everything from a more bitter survival game to its current state as a mech-based looter shooter. The fact that these leads constantly kept poor communication with their team is stressing as all hell for the team. Imagine you’re creature or character designer for this game and are constantly afraid that everything you’ve been designing for a couple of months can be thrown away at any moment because it no longer matches what the leads want for the game. The kind of un-needed stress that this caused many employees during the 7-year dev cycle of Anthem is frankly disgusting and makes those in charge of it look incredibly unprofessional and inept to the mental damage they’re causing their employees.

By this point, EA had become upset with Bioware’s failure to get any part of Anthem off the ground that they forced the release date of February 22nd, 2019. This resulted in bringing on Dragon Age Producer Mark Darrah, who along with EA, was responsible for getting the Anthem team in gear.

EA’s frustration is pretty justified. They had put a tremendous amount of time, money, and faith into Bioware, only to find out that 5 ½ years into development that they still have barely anything to show for it. Usually taking a year or 2 to plan a big project isn’t too unheard of, but once that time is more than half of its cycle, I think it might be time to switch gears to a different project.

2. Gameplay
Can you Imagine Anthem without its trademark flying mechanic? One of the sole things most reviews could agree on was the thrill of choosing the Javelin of your choice and flying wherever you wanted to. Well, turns out Bioware could, and they almost completely abandoned it! This wasn’t a one-time thing either, as Bioware constantly struggled internally to keep and drop the much-loved mechanic due to control concerns. It also didn’t help that every time they’d drop or bring back flying that the design team would have to constantly re-design the world so that it could feel more seamless to have it in the game.

The result of this ends up being a game where it’s fun to fly around, but disappointing due to there not being much that takes advantage of the mechanic. The fact that the leads of the project could never fully come to an agreement on a very integral part of the game is incredibly alarming. It shouldn’t take 5 ½ years to decide on something like this, especially if they want it as one of the foundation pillars of their game.

On the other hand, it’s no secret that the tomb trials are one of the most heavily criticized aspects of Anthem. They’re said to be nothing more than monotonous and unnecessary padding for a game that already felt light on content. Was this intended by Bioware or perhaps one of their many oversights during the project’s hell induced cycle?

To no surprise, they weren’t a mistake. Knowing about the lack of content and short length of the game and the release approaching, the team chose to add the trials, but not without an internal fight. It’s absolutely ridiculous that because they wasted so much time into what they wanted this game to be, that they fundamentally failed at really putting anything substantial into it. Even worse, there was infrastructure in place to also have time gates in which the player would have to wait days to get past. Here’s a question: If they realized that players would grow tired of the tombs repetition, why anger them further with a time gate? At that point, you’re just asking for your player base to hard quit.

Repetition isn’t always a bad thing. Rare’s Sea of Thieves is a personal favorite of mine, and the game released light on content as well. Where Rare was able to succeed, however, was that even though the voyage missions were relatively the same, the fun and excitement came from what happened on the trip to our destinations. Whether it was getting attacked by an enemy ship, finding shipwrecks underwater, or even fighting a Kraken, there was always something new. The area where Sea of Thieves draws the line though is that nothing is ever forced on you. Anthem, on the other hand, constantly has you doing busy work to distract you from a game and world that is mostly barren.

3. Destiny
Destiny is a game similar to Anthem. Both are incredibly ambitious projects that each company has spent several years developing. They’ve each had incredibly rocky starts and mismanagement, but they do diverge. Bungie has been steadily learning from all of their mistakes with Destiny to help shape it into a better game. You’d think that after its release that Bioware would be closely paying attention to what was going on and constantly tweak and learn how to craft a better Anthem from Destiny’s faults. If only it were that easy.

Turns out that Destiny was the biggest no-no word for the project leads as they would constantly become angered anytime the live service was brought up. The leads were so convinced that what they were doing was so far removed from Bungie’s looter shooter they wouldn’t hear a thing about it.

There’s so much in Anthem that could easily have been improved if they’d been able to learn from Destiny. These things may not have been solved overnight, but seeing as the game was in production long enough to see 2 Destiny titles released, I’d say there was plenty of chance to right Anthem’s wrongs. Some things include but are not limited to; gun variety, mission structure, general online stability, engaging NPCs, and of course, loot drops.

Imagine you’re a gameplay designer and not satisfied with the loot drops in Anthem or how the guns feel. Trying to bring these problems up to the higher-ups and trying to build off of Destiny would get you the cold shoulder and sent off back to your cubicle. Now with no real leads on where to take these elements, it all comes down to crossed fingers and hoping for the best.

At the end of the day, Schrier’s article is eye-opening in many ways. So often these days when a game doesn’t turn out as planned, it’s easy for everyone to point fingers at the publisher and scream foul. Rarely do we realize that a lot of times it can also result from a directionless leader within the developer instead. All that was asked was for Bioware to admit responsibility and promise to learn from their mistakes. I guess it’s sad that they didn’t then.

Only a couple of hours post-Kotaku article, Bioware posted their own response to the tale of tragedy with deflection. Instead of taking responsibility for their actions, they tried to take the article’s call for change within the company as a toxic attack on the company as a whole. This is incredibly discouraging as the 19 employees re-telling their tale of terror and anxiety were attempted to be made light of or dismissed.

It’s never fun to watch a respected developer lose their way, but that is sadly what is happening with Bioware. I never want to say that something is damaged beyond repair, but for now, the “Bioware Magic” that the company insists carries them, is no more. I don’t think Anthem is completely lost though. Just like Sea of Thieves, No Man’s Sky and more, If Bioware really listens to fan feedback then they can improve the game in future updates. Hopefully, someone high within the company finds a way to address the problems plaguing them. Only then can they rekindle that magic.

PAX West 2018: ‘With Friends Like These’ Is Weird, Adorable, and Super Cooperative

by Derek Kraneveldt

I’ve just barely begun to walk the expansive show floor at this year’s PAX West (my first time at the expo, aside from that time I borrowed a badge for like 30 minutes), and it’s freaking tough not to be immediately overwhelmed.

There are incredible, unreleased games everywhere. As far as the eye can see, in absolutely any direction, you’ll see a myriad of titles that you’ve never heard of that look like the coolest things that have ever existed in your entire freaking life.

Seriously, this place is amazing, and I’m so excited to peruse the floor, to play more games, and to buy buy buy buy buy (or pre-order).

But today, I fell in love with a beautiful, simple, weird co-op game called With Friends Like These.

The game comes from Shy Kids Club (which I accidentally labelled as simply Shy Kids Games in my still to come audio interview, so apologies for that), the husband and wife duo of Nicole Lawson and Craig Brown from Canberra, Australia. With Friends Like These is set to be their first retail release after finding some success with game jams in the past, and I think that it’s pretty clear that they’ve come across something special with the mechanics at work here.

See, With Friends Like These is a co-op title (there is also single player, so if you’re all alone, don’t worry) where two players control parts of the same ship. One player can move the ship, while the other controls the ship’s single gun. It sounds really simple, but can get complicated really quickly, as who is doing what changes depending on whether the ship is in the air, or in the water.

To start, it’s pretty hard to get used to. In many instances I had just been controlling the ship, and it took way too freaking long for me to figure out that this was no longer the case. As time goes on, however, your brain gets used to it, and you begin to better anticipate and prepare for just when these switches will happen. The game does a phenomenal job of forcing verbal communication between you and your gaming partner, as timing is crucial – near the end of our demo, a giant, angry monster was chasing us and frequently shooting different coloured projectiles (one player is blue, one is pink, and each can only destroy enemies or projectiles of their respective colour), we had to time just when our controls would switch (again, the players have no control over this, it happens automatically when you switch between moving through water and air) so that we could keep our momentum, and so that the player who would become the gun could immediately shoot the already incoming projectiles.

I just made it sound way more complicated than it is. As I said, after a few minutes of play, you’ll get used to the mechanics, and it becomes all about timing, teamwork, and communication, and it’s so much fun.

Naturally, it’s beautiful too. Nicole does all of the gorgeous art for the title, and Craig says that she’s pretty weird, so, for instance, in an area that needed a gate, she added a slug that was vomiting rainbows instead. Even during the short demo, there were a lot of interesting, hilarious moments that you could easily miss if you weren’t paying attention.

Also, that story tho. Here’s the synopsis:

Everyone on your home planet is super bored and over worked! So you and your bestie have decide to take everyone on a trip to crazy time planet where everyone can let off some steam. Unfortunately, things go wrong and you crash into Super Chill world, your friends don’t realise they’re on the wrong planet and start to cause chaos. It’s up to you to collect up all your friends before they cause too much damage and drive the super chill residents insane.

Super Chill planet is made up of water and air floating around everywhere. Players have to work together to navigate their way around and find their crazy friends. While the blue player flies the ship in water, the pink player will zap pink ‘bullets’ that teleport your friends back to the bus. When the ship flies into air, the roles will swap, the pink player will then fly and the blue player will zap blue bullets. You also have to match the colour bullets to the colour of your friends eyes.

Yeah. I love it (and you can hear me gushing over it on today’s Geekscape Games episode).

With Friends Like These will launch in 2019 for PC and Switch. Take a look at the trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think! Look for my audio interview with Craig on Geekscape Games later this week!

Geekscape Games Podcast: Level 141 – “OverGeek League Games’

by Courtney Dossett

Join Courtney, Derek, Josh and Shane as they discuss the last week in video games with special guests Maridon and A Toxic Fatality from the Overleague Podcast!

Subscribe to us in iTunes!

Subscribe with another app!

Join our public Facebook group!

This Week:

We have our friends from The OverLeague Podcast on to talk all about eSports! This episode is action packed!

Check them out on SoundCloud Here: @user-796995002

Geekscape Games Theme Song: Winter Frosts – MmcM

Subscribe to us in iTunes!

Follow us on Sound Cloud!

Subscribe to us on Google Play!

Follow us on Stitcher!

Subscribe with another program!

Subscribe to our Twitch Channel!

Follow us on Twitter!

@AKGeekyGirl

@dkraneveldt

@InuJoshua

@shaneohare

Nintendo Direct Mini: ‘Dark Souls Remastered’ Finally Reveals Itself For The Switch!

by The_acz

A remastering of Dark Souls for the Nintendo Switch has been one of the worst-kept secrets in about the last year of gaming.

As early as the original announcement trailer for the console, rumors started that From Software had their hands on early dev kits for the console and were very impressed at how well their games could run on the system. Flash forward finally to this month with Nintendo’s mini direct, and the cat has finally been let out of the bag. Dark Souls Remastered is officially making its way to the Xbox One, PS4, PC, and of course, the Nintendo Switch on May 25th. The game will run at 720P undocked, and 1080P docked. Both modes will also include a 30FPS as well. Well worth a couple of frames shaved off to have a souls game on a portable console essentially.  Are you excited to pick up Dark Souls Remastered on the Switch?  Tell us in the comments below, and check out the teaser trailer to help entice you until the release.

 

 

Megaman 30th Anniversary News: Capcom Announces ‘Megaman 11’, ‘Megaman X’ 1-8, & More!

by The_acz

Yesterday was a big day for Capcom.

Monday, December 4, 2017, marked a special 30th-anniversary stream for the Megaman where Capcom dropped some big bombs about the future of our beloved robot hero. The first news was that all 8 Megaman X games are coming to current-gen consoles, PC, and even the Nintendo Switch. The second piece of news was that the recent Megaman Legacy games will finally be arriving on the Switch with Amiibo support sometime in 2018. No exact date was given, but it can be safely assumed that it’ll release sometime in the first half of the year.

The last big bombshell of the celebration stream was none other than the announcement that Megaman 11 is real and is officially in development for all current-gen consoles and PC. The game is expected sometime late 2018. With the announcement also came with a pretty sweet trailer that gives us a taste of what the art and gameplay will look like. The game is what you’d traditionally expect out of the first 10 games, but the art style is a bit different. instead of using pixel art, the game instead is trying something new and using a more 3D hand-drawn style for the game. Check out the trailer below and enjoy the reunion.

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘The Jackbox Party pack 4’!

by The_acz

Reviewed On: Xbox One
Also Available For: Nintendo Switch, PS4, AppleTV (4th Gen), PC, Mac, Amazon Fire TV, Android, 

MSRP: $24.99

Review Copy Provided By Publisher 

The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is the 4th installment in what has become the yearly Jackbox series. This time around, Jackbox Games has brought only 1 familiar game, and 4 brand new ones revealed over the course of this summer, and while they all aren’t perfect, There are still plenty of great laughs and moments to be had with the game 4 iterations in.

Fibbage 3 is the first and only returning veteran game this time around. Nothing has changed other than new questions and the removal of the deFIBrillator.  The best new addition to Fibbage 3 comes in a new mode titled Fibbage: Enough About You. This mode is where you write out truths about yourself and see if you’re closest friends can get them right. It can be incredibly satisfying when you’ve perfectly guessed one of your friends, and even more surprising when you find out things you never knew about them.  

Survive the Internet is the first new game of the pack and is also a contender for one of the pack’s best offerings. Players are asked pretty tame and tepid questions about their thoughts on medial and trivial things. Afterwards, those words are given to another player and are told to twist them into something vile and untrue in order to slander their reputation. Much like Quiplash before it, this game is not for the faint of heart, but you’ll find plenty of gut-busting and chuckle-worthy moments that make the game worth coming back to constantly.

Monster Seeking Monster is a mystery dating game where you play the role of a monster in disguise trying to date other monsters. Each of you has a hidden ability that’s only revealed if you are the highest placing player. You must attempt to date and gain hearts for 6 nights while trying to avoid having your ability revealed. It can take at least 1 full game to really understand the game which goes against the easy pick-up-and-play nature of Jackbox, but it can be very rewarding the second time around, as play styles can slightly change depending on which monster you are. The only thing weighing the game down a bit is that the usual 8th spot in the game is exclusively reserved for the audience this time around. It can be fun to watch it choose random pickup lines in hopes of dating someone, but it would have been nice to have an option to turn them off and replace them with a proper 8th person.

The 4th game on the list is Bracketeering, this pack’s answer to Quiplash. Players answer one prompt and duke it out in a tournament sized bracket to see who’s answer is the best. Players can also bet on which answer they think will make it out on top before, and during the start of a new bracket for extra points.The big draw of the game is the ability to play with up to 16 people at once, but sadly this ends up hurting the game in the long run. There are no options to readjust brackets for games with less than 16 people, so the game automatically fills in answers. The computer prompts aren’t especially enticing or fun, and more often than not, just draw the game out too long. There’s also the fact that ties are settled by quickly tapping the answer you want to win. In a group f 16+ this probably wouldn’t be a big problem, but when you have a group of 6-8 people, it can become unbalanced if someone is faster at tapping than others. While a great idea on paper, Bracketeering is ultimately undone by its ambitious scope.  

The 5th and final game is Civic Doodle. In the game, the mayor of Doodle Valley tasks you with drawing murals and pictures of citizens in order to make the town a nicer place. Players will take turns competing against each other as they draw different murals on the same wall. Once a winning mural is chosen, the next players will be tasked to modify or add more to the drawing. once everyone has had 2 turns to draw, everyone must name the mural. Much like Survive the Internet, Civic Doodle is one of the top contenders for this year’s pack. It’s tons of fun seeing odd and hilarious modifications being made to previous paintings. the only downside is that 2 rounds in an 8 player game can drag out just a bit as 8 phases to one round is already a lot. 

Overall, The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is still a great time with friends on or off the internet.  Expanded audience features are nice, such as being able to choose a collective lie for Fibbage 3, but others such as being the only 8th player in Monster Seeking Monster impede on some of the local aspects of the game.

FINAL VERDICT: ★★★★☆ 

‘The Jackbox Party Pack 4’ Consumes Your Life On October 17th!!

by The_acz

The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is on its way to steal your social life!

Earlier this week, Jackbox Games announced that their upcoming addictive party game will be stealing your life on October 17th, just a couple of weeks away from Halloween. Even if you are told that you’re too old for trick or treating you can scare up a good time. A couple of weeks ago, we compiled a list of all the games in this year’s pack. Check it out right here to catch up on any of the announcements you may have missed.

So grab your family and friends and play a rousing game of Monster Seeking Monster or Fibbage 3. No need to worry about it not coming to your favorite console, the game will be landing on  PS4 on October 17th, followed by followed by 4th generation Apple TV, with Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC finally landing on October 19th. What’s your most anticipated game for the pack? Tell us in the comments below!

 

‘Overwatch’ Officially Adding A Deathmatch Mode, And It’s Availble Now On PC!!

by The_acz

Gear up! It’s finally happening!

This morning Jeff Kaplan from the Overwatch team made a big announcement that the game will finally be receiving a Deathmatch mode via the Arcade. The mode will be split into 2 modes. Regular Deathmatch (up to 20 points) and Team Deathmatch (up to 30 points). Maps in the mode have been tweaked from their original versions to properly fit in, and there’ll even be a new map based off of Widowmaker titled Chateau Guillard.

Also being added are token points. These are usually rewarded to the top 4 players in the match and will help count towards earning your weekly Lootboxes in Arcade. The best part? The mode is available on the PTR for PC right now! Get the rest of the info as well as a more in depth talk about the game tokens in the video below!

 

‘Sonic Mania’ Shows Off Special & Bonus Stages In New Gameplay Trailer!

by The_acz

About a week ago, I discussed the Sonic Mania Panel that was held this year at Comic-Con.

During the showcase, Sega showed us the first screenshot and music for the brand new special stages. Now we finally have gameplay of the aforementioned stages as well as a peak at the returning orb stages from Sonic 3 & Knuckles!  It only seems like the hype is rising as Sonic Mania is only about 2 weeks away from release. Check out the trailer below! Sonic Mania releases for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC on August 15th.

SDCC 2017: A Blast From The Past! ‘Sonic Mania’ Panel Recap!

by The_acz

Even though 2016 marked Sonic’s 25th anniversary, it’s 2017 that’s really the year of Sonic.

We’re not only getting one, but TWO Sonic games this year. One of them is the next 3D entry titled Sonic Forces, but the other has much more people talking. It’s a brand new 2D pixel art tribute to the blue blur’s early days. I’m of course talking about Sonic Mania. I got the chance to play Mania at E3 this year and really enjoyed. Now just 3 weeks out from release, Sonic Mania is speeding toward the finish line with one final stop to make in the form of San Diego Comic-Con. I was lucky enough to get invited to the panel, and it didn’t disappoint. 

Moderated by everyone’s favorite video game Social Media, Aaron Webber took to the stage to introduce the panel for the evening which included Takashi Iizuka (Head of Sonic Team), Christian Whitehead (Lead Dev & Programmer), Tee Lopes (Composer), Tom Fry (Art Director), and Simon Thomley (Programmer). After everyone was introduced, they went on to talk about the origins of the game. Sonic Mania began development in early 2016 and was code-named Sonic Discovery.

They were very nervous about initially presenting the game to Iizuka, but after they showed him Studiopolis Zone, Iizuka absolutely  loved it. He had always wanted to make another 2D Sonic game, and after seeing what was presented to him, he had great faith that the team would do it justice. He even went as far as to pull out a whiteboard and write it’s name right besides the original 3, and Knuckles. And so, Sonic Mania was born!

Next, the team moved onto programming. They talked about how they loved chronicling their favorite glitches as they made the game. They started making a top 10 list, but that quickly expanded to 20, and then 30, etc. They even showcased some of them. One was of Tails stuck in the ground, and another one called to mind the infinite Knuckles jump from Sonic Boom. Then Webber presented his favorite of all the glitches, and that was this.

 Next, Tom and Tee talked for a bit about their contributions and history with Sonic. Tom talked about how Mania was his first time spiriting for a game. He stated that even though the game is meant to be a send-up to the Genesis era of Sonic, the game is a bit beefier than that and would need something more along the lines of the Sega Saturn to run it. Tom had always wanted a Sonic game for the Saturn, and said that the designs for the characters are what he’d think they’d look like on that console.

Tee also commented about how he wanted the Saturn, but had to keep his good grades in school according to his dad. He ended up maintaining the grades, but found out that his dad accidentally bought him a Sega Master System instead. No need for disappointment, this sparked his love for the hedgehog! 

Finally, they decided to end the panel with 3 big bangs! The first was our first look at the special stages! No longer will fans have to suffer through the dreaded half pipe, but instead a revised version of the UFO from Sonic CD. There’s now only one UFO, and to catch him, you must collect blue orbs to increase your speed. Once you reach Mach 3, you’ll be able to catch him. Rings are also very important as they extend the time that you can be in the area. 

The next 2 things were also big surprises for fans. Remember that awesome Pre-order trailer  a couple of months back? Turns out that the same guy who made that trailer also made an intro for the game in the same Sonic CD style! Finally, the 3rd and final reveal was that the dev crew created a special introduction manual for the game, and everyone at the panel got a copy of it! What a great way to celebrate 26 years of everyone’s favorite blue Hedgehog. The best part is that this is only a pit stop. We’re still 3 weeks out from the main course. Sonic Mania will release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC on August 15th.

SDCC 2017: Smashing Through ‘Rivals Of Aether’!

by The_acz

Out of all the games shown at Comic-Con this year, it wasn’t Super Mario Odyssey, Sonic Mania, or Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite that captured my attention, but Rivals of Aether that did.

Located at The Behemoth booth and Made by a group of 9 people, Rivals of Aether is Smash Bros if the entire roster was filled with killer animals, and it’s just as amazing as it sounds. There are currently 8 playable characters with 2 guest characters scheduled for release. One of them has already been announced as Ori and Sein from the Xbox One hit Ori and the Blind Forest, and the other to be announced at Super Smash Con, which runs from August 10th-13th. 

 

Going back to gameplay, it plays exactly how you’d expect a Smash Bros. like game to play. All characters have their own A and B moves that differ depending on where you tilt the left stick when you attack. You can charge up attacks by using the C stick and even dodge roll. The game doesn’t seem to have any sort of Ultimate or Smash Ball move, but that’s not a problem as all the characters are incredibly fun to play. Each character has a different feel and weight to them so no one feels like just a re-skin of another character. My favorite character had to be Ori, and while he isn’t officially out, this was his first public playable appearance. 

One area that I think Rivals of Aether excels at better than Smash Bros, is in the diverse and fun stages. Of course the stages in Smash are fun and diverse, but all too often a lot of them are created with annoying hazards that end up ruining the entire stage *COUGH Magicant COUGH*. Aether finds a great middle ground where all the stages can be enjoyed from both a competitive and casual perspective. It’s nice being able to play through a wide variety of stages knowing that a lot of these are still viable if you decide to pick up the game competitively.

Overall, Rivals of Aether is a highly addicting fighting game that both casual and competitive fans of the genre enjoy. The game is fully available on Steam for $15, and can also be purchase on Xbox One game preview for the same price. If you’re a fan of the Smash series and are looking for something new, this is defintley a game to RIVAL that.

 

 

Adventurer Log: ‘Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood’ Introduces Old Allies, New Threats And An Ixion Stampede

by Josh Jackson

In our first Adventurer Log, Cheres Highwind was reintroduced to the world of Eorzea after a long time away from the warring world. With a sudden burst of strength and a new land to discover as her fight against The Garlean Empire, we took the time to get the hang of our new abilities, finding some useful new skills in the transition from level 50 to 60. With the kinks out of the way, it was time to fully explore the continent of Othard, starting with the rebel encampment where most of our allies find themselves putting together a plan of attack.

Lyse, or as I knew her, Yda, led us to the hidden locale after catching me up to the trials and tribulations she faced up to this point. Having missed the fight against Ultima Weapon and the battle at the Singularity Reactor in Heavensward’s conclusion, I was surprised to learn that Papalymo, her Lalafell companion, had been killed in the previous conflict, losing a valuable ally in the process. Once we arrived at the village, we were greeted by Conrad, the leader of the rebel encampment. Here, I was given the tour of the facility while I was given new armor in the process. Finally wearing gear suitable for a powerful Dragoon, it was time to take the fight to the Garleans with the rebels at our back.

Stylin’ and Profilin’

Only, it wouldn’t be that simple. Conrad explains that despite being a group of rebels, each section is splintered with their own leadership. Fighting at full power meant we would have to go around and convince the other sects to join our cause, many of which might not be too keen on the idea considering how many losses they took in the previous conflict. That’s not to say that we were lacking when it came to allies, since we were asked to assist a few old friends with some tasks. M’naago and Meffrie both needed our help, but deciding to follow M’naago first, (mostly because of the promise of more armor), we left to track down Raubahn, The Bull of Ala Mhigo.

But not before we ran into a herd of Ixion that jumped uncontrollably at the request of their riders. Clearly some adventurers weren’t taking this threat as seriously as others.

Sometimes you need to just shrug and move on.

After assisting some travelers with an escort FATE by helping fight off some fearsome new monsters, we got into our first clash with the Garleans. Thanks to ambushing them before they realized we were at their throats, we made quick work of their solders and their newest Magitek gear. Once we arrived, Raubahn was happy to join the fight, yet his companion, Pipin, was the first to hesitate in the way Conrad warned us. Due to our heavy losses, the Lalafell argued that we need to focus on rebuilding hope before we could clash with the full might of The Empire. Many of the people didn’t feel like we had a chance, so we needed to prove that they could be beaten before they could realistically rally at our side. How will we accomplish that? That will be a story for another day.

Next time, we’ll tackle this problem, as well as learning the new Samurai job. A new region calls for some new combat skills, so what better way to do that than by learning the ancient Eastern art of combat? We might get some cool new clothes out of it in the process!

So until next time, feel free to share your names with us in the comments and join in on the adventure!

Monday Music: Mr. Mister – Broken Wings

by Shane O'Hare

This week on Monday Music we go back to the 80’s with Mr. Mister’s lilting ballad Broken Wings.

When I first came up with the idea of Monday Music, I wanted it to be an outlet for new songs I’ve discovered or old songs I’ve rediscovered. Sharing a tune that our readers might not have thought about in a while, or something they will love.

Let me weave you a tale about how Broken Wings entered my universe a few months ago, and how a sign from the universal dream we all occupy, returned.

It was many months ago. Snow still fell in Alaska, and the Birchwood Airpark was covered in a foot of soft fluffy powder. The hangar apartment I called my domicile was frigid. The cold steel walls towered over me, while the biting concrete floor sat below me, a constant reminder of how quickly life can fade. The thick, frozen air hung heavily in my lungs. Each breath carved a little glimmer of heat from my core. I sat there, fully dressed in winter attire, at my computer. The only thing keeping me warm was the light from my computer monitor. That and the space heater below my desk, but let’s forget about that, it’s less artistic.

The time of day (or night) is lost. The sun only visits me for a short few hours a day. Like a petulant drug dealer handing out samples, giving only small morsels of light and warmth, just enough to keep life going, but never thriving. Was it day? Or night? Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter. I spent my time sitting at my computer, playing video games. A short escape into a fantastical worlds. A brief escape. This time I was playing Overwatch. I was enjoying solo queue. Rounds won, and rounds lost even each other out. No progress being made in either direction. New friends came and went, each round had different entities. Everyone had their own world. Their own dream. Each digital character, directly attached to a physical, corporeal being. Dozens, if not hundreds came in and out of my dream. Some were great allies, while others were fucking salty scrubs. All memorable, but none as memorable as one ally. One singular creature came into my world, and he will forever be ingrained into my memories. That was a man, who went by the name: Brokenwings.

It was a round like any other. New friends thrown into a server. This particular group was full of vocal and jovial players – voice chat was running strong. Planning and tactics were the topic of conversation, as the timer ticked closer to zero. Zero. A poignant number. Normally reserved to represent the LACK of something. An emptiness. A void. The same emptiness we all have inside ourselves. The same void we frantically try to fill. In Overwatch, zero is a fickle mistress. Typically it carries the same real world representation. Empty. Health reserves: empty. Ammunition: empty. Progress: empty. But for one brief moment, at the beginning of the round, zero means something else. It means we are beginning! We are born again into the round. A whole new world of possibilities were thrust into our arms, and we got to choose which ones we consumed. My teammates and I were ready to go. We were ready to fight. We weren’t going to die for our country, but we were going to make the other team die for theirs. Me and my four teammates… and one Brokenwings.

First round was over, the score is lost to me in this moment, but at the half, I finally took inventory of the identities of my crew. Four other names lost to the cold void, but one I will forever remember. Brokenwings. Brokenwings. Brokenwings. He was a beacon of hope in the dark. Upon noticing this, I quickly took control of the voice chat. I shouted into the server “BROKENWINGS! LIKE THAT MR. MISTER SONG!”. The four others laughing, Brokenwings mic button remained unpressed. I could sense his laughter though. His utter silence was enough to tell me he understood. We were now best friends. Our souls connected. Our dreams entwined. Then: ZERO.

The round started. We all began to rush the point. Now the team was no longer strangers in a strange land, but brothers. Brothers in arms. Brokenwings at my side. We ran onto the point, and in normal fashion I was the first to fall in battle. As the respawn timer counted down to ZERO, I quickly pulled out my phone. 6: I scoured the desk for my phone. 5: I grabbed the device and unlocked the screen. 4: I closed the copy of the Desiderata I was reading. 3: Opened YouTube. 2:Typed in Brokenwings. 1: Pressed play on the song. When my character came back to life, the hissing cymbal of the tune came on across my speakers. As soon as I was given control of my character, I knew what must be done. I ran into battle… with my mic button pressed. The elegant melodies of Mr. Mister rang out into the server.

By the time I made it to the point, Richard Page’s angelic voice belted out the titular lyrics. TAKE! THESE BROKENWINGS! AND LEARN TO FLY AGAIN!

The server voice chat was a castrophony. Anger. Sorrow. Happiness. Laughter. All fed into a whirlwind of Mr. Mister. My teammates began singing along with me. A group of 5 men all belting out the same lyrics. All except the man himself. Brokenwings. I could tell by his silence that he was flattered, and honored that we all could be singing a tune in his honor. He was the man of the hour, but was humble. Said nothing. My bard like abilities filled everyone with vigor. We pushed harder and harder. Harder and harder. Faster and faster. Throwing ourselves at the point. A constant action over and over and over again. Live. Die. Repeat. We teetered on the definition of insanity. Constantly trying to do the same thing over and over again, hoping for different results. This time though, things WERE different. Mr. Mister was on a loop. We all singing the song for a third and fourth time. Laughter peppered throughout each chorus and verse. This magical concoction we created could only spell one outcome. And when the timer finally ran out, hit ZERO we knew what we had created. VICTORY!

The post game results came in. We had won! The final screen appeared and we all saw the actual man of the hour. Brokenwings was up for vote, as he was the game’s best healer. Of course the man who went under the title of Brokenwings would play as Mercy. The winged healer – so fitting, because his name itself caused us to win. Without his name, and his connection to 80’s pop rock group Mr. Mister, we would never have won. We all said our goodbyes, as we all exited the round and returned to the start menu. Laughter and happiness still flowed out of my mouth. For a brief moment, lost in the frozen desolate darkness, I found happiness. We found happiness. I stood up and took inventory of myself. I looked around and noticed that the room I once occupied was no longer frigid and dark, but was feeling full. Full of warmth and light. I noticed the Sun had started to shine into the windows of my hangar. I smiled as the warm rays enveloped my face. I felt loved. I felt whole. I felt content. Was it the silent powers of a random stranger on Overwatch that brought out the Sun? Or just the normal rotation of the earth? We will never be able to tell. And, what came over us in that game? Was it really just the machinations of a lonely Alaskan gamer trying to get attention by playing an 80’s ballad for a room a strangers? Or was it possible carbon monoxide poisoning from a potentially faulty Modine heater? No one will ever know. What we will know, is that for a brief moment. Six random heroes came together as brothers. As family. As ohana. All because of a single man, and the name he chose for his Blizzard account. We all salute you, Brokenwings.

E3 2017: Blast Processing Through ‘Sonic Mania’!

by The_acz

After a delay or 2, Sega’s highly anticipated Sonic Mania will finally be releasing on August 15th, 2017.

Developed by a highly respected Sonic fan game community member Christian Whitehead, the game is a celebration of everything Classic Sonic. This week at E3 I got the chance to play the game and can easily say that this game has shot up my most anticipated list for 2017. Not only is this a great tribute and celebration to Classic Sonic, but just Sonic as a character in general. Let’s quit stalling and get into it!

The demo allows you to choose any of the 3 characters in the game: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. You also get the choice between Green Hill Zone Act 2 and the new Mirage Saloon Zone Act 2. I was able to try out both levels and loved both of them! The characters feel exactly how they felt in Sonic 3 + Knuckles. It’s as if they were ripped right out of the classic genesis games and placed directly into this new iteration. Of course the sprite work and animation for the characters look better than ever!

 

Mirage Saloon is the new zone in the demo and is really fun. You’ll be racing through sand loops that disintegrate when you run over them, jumping off swivel chairs in bar that propel you across the screen, and get shot out of a gun at high speed. There’s tons of alternate routes to take, and there are even some references cameos that are sprinkled throughout the level that reference some forgotten Sonic characters (see image above). Green Hill Zone 2 is also a great stage.

You don’t expect much since by now people have played through Green Hill Zone, but the difference here is that the layout is completely different! This is not the same Green Hill Zone from the Original Sonic. It’s completely different  and feels great to re-experience an old zone with new life.  even the music is different. The theme has a bit more synthetic/techno feel to it now and sounds wonderful still. The zone ends with a boss fight against Dr. Eggman in the Death Egg Robot. All you need to do is hit the top of the robot a couple of times, but it’s not exactly a walk in the park. Not only do you need to hit the top of his head, but you only have limited space to run away. Once you reach the ledge, you better hope you have one hit left because you might die the first couple of times trying to take him down.

At the end of the day, I can’t recommend Sonic Mania enough. This is the Sonic game that fans were hoping they’d get when Sonic 4 was originally announced. Everything from the physics, to the speed, and the sprites just feel right. both Modern and classic fans will find a good challenge with this game. Hopefully the game does well enough that maybe we can get a sequel? Only time will tell.

E3 2017: Switch Version Of ‘Rocket League’ Plays At 60FPS, 720P

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I’m freaking stoked that Rocket League is coming to the Nintendo Switch.

During the hours and hours and hours that I spent with the title, there have been numerous places that I’ve wished that I could keep on playing, but simply couldn’t for logistical reasons. These include (but are not limited to):

-On the toilet
-On the train to work
-At work
-On a plane
-In a hotel
-In bed
-In the living room while my fiancé is watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix

I knew that the Nintendo Switch version would become the definitive version of the game for me once I saw those sweet, sweet Mario and Luigi hats, and I became even more excited once I realized all of the new locales where I’d now be able to hone my skills (see above).

One thing that I was curious about, however, was just how well this version of the game would perform. What would the framerate be like? Would it include split screen multiplayer?

Gamespot learned all of the answers earlier today at E3. In both docked and undocked modes, the Switch version of Rocket League will run at 720P at a silky smooth 60FPS. It sounds as though they’re aiming to retain this framerate for the game’s two player undocked mode, as well as a four-player on TV split screen.

Psyonix VP Jeremy Dunham did note that the Switch version of the game will see some graphical compromises in order to hit those numbers (while the upcoming Xbox One X version will play in 4K HDR, for instance), but this version is also freaking portable and has Mario hats, so who cares, am I right?

As previously announced, the Switch version will also see cross platform multiplayer with PC and Xbox gamers. Sony, unfortunately, gave a pretty bogus reason on why they’re sitting this one out.

Are you looking forward to the Switch version of the game? Be sure to sound out in the comments below!

Fury Rises! Darksiders 3 Has Been Announced!

by The_acz

5 years ago THQ released Darksiders 2, and shortly after closed their doors for good. It was a sad time not only for THQ, but for fans of the Darksiders series. Now THQ has risen from the ashes, and along with that, so has Darksiders. This morning, IGN exclusively revealed that the newly formed Gunfire Games which is mostly made up of Vigil Games employees, will be releasing Darksiders 3 with the help of the also newly formed THQ Nordic. The story centers on Fury and her quest to kill the seven deadly sins. The game is set for a 2018 release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Check out the trailer below, and get ready to rise again!

‘What Remains Of Edith Finch’ Gets A Beautiful Launch Trailer

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Somehow this one completely slipped my radar until the glowing reviews began to hit the web this morning.

The game officially launches for PS4 and PC tomorrow, and is already being hailed as the next Gone Home (meaning that Shane O’Hare is definitely going to love it).

The game is a self proclaimed “collection of strange tales about a family in Washington state.”

Yeah, that doesn’t sound all that interesting, but the synopsis continues to reveal what sounds like an incredibly unique experience:

As Edith, you’ll explore the colossal Finch house, searching for stories as she explores her family history and tries to figure out why she’s the last one in her family left alive. Each story you find lets you experience the life of a new family member on the day of their death, with stories ranging from the distant past to the present day.

 

The gameplay and tone of the stories are as varied as the Finches themselves. The only constants are that each is played from a first-person perspective and that each story ends with that family member’s death.

 

Ultimately, it’s a game about what it feels like to be humbled and astonished by the vast and unknowable world around us.

This is also a game by the team behind the wonderful and heart wrenching The Unfinished Swan, so you better believe I’ll be picking this one up when it releases tomorrow.

For now, you can watch the game’s beautiful launch trailer below, and be sure to let us know if you plan to pick this one up. Gah, Outlast 2 and this in one day, and Prey in barely a week? Talk about too many games, and too little time.

https://youtu.be/WtScfS0eVqM

Miss ‘NBA Jam’? Check Out ‘NBA Playgrounds’!!

by The_acz

It seems like within the past couple of years that sports games have become more popular.

While there are still fun sports games like the NBA 2K series and FIFA, it all but seems like the more light hearted days of arcade sports games like NBA Jam and NFL Blitz. There was a brief resurgence of these games in the early 2010’s, but they were more toned down from their original versions (except NBA Jam for Wii. That was pretty faithful.) Enter NBA Playgrounds. What seems a pseudo spiritual successor to the jam series. There’s not much to the trailer, but the game will be launching in May for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, and PC for $20. Check out the trailer below and tell us in the comments what your favorite arcade style sports game is!

‘Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night’ Canceled For Wii U. Coming To Switch Instead.

by The_acz

2 years ago, a disgruntled Koji Igarashi left Konami to make the Castlevania game of his dreams that Konami didn’t want to make. He launched the mega popular Kickstarter for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and has been hard at work on the game ever since then. They hit tons of stretch goals, including one that would get the game on the Wii U. Well, we all know that the Wii U essentially kicked the bucket back in late 2015, and with the recent success of the Nintendo Switch, there have been some major changes.

Just like Yooka Laylee a couple of months back, Igarashi announced today in the newest update that Bloodstained is no longer coming out for Nintendo’s red headed gamepad forcing step child. Instead, the game will launch on the Switch, and backers who once backed the Wii U version can now change to the Switch with ease, as well as other platforms. While sad for Wii U owners, this is another great game heading to the Switch via 3rd party support, and we couldn’t be happier for it.

What do you think? Which version of Bloodstained will you be getting? Check out the announcement right here.

 

 

Capcom Announces The Disney Afternoon Collection!

by The_acz

Back in the late 80’s/early 90’s, Capcom used to be the king when it came to making licensed video games. More specifically, games based off of the insanely popular Disney Afternoon. 4 years ago we were treated to a great DuckTales remake, but since then, not much else has happened with those beloved classics.

This morning, Capcom has announced that they’ll be keeping the classics alive as they’ll be releasing The Disney Afternoon Collection later this year. The game will release for $20 on April 18th, and will include both DuckTales,  both Chip and Dale: Rescue Rangers, Tailspin, and Darkwing Duck, but there’s more to the collection than just the initial 6 games. Much akin to 2015’s Rare Replay, the collection will add additional features such as behind the scenes art, a rewind feature, and snapshot challenges including time attacks and boss rushes.

As of right now, the collections biggest downside is that it will not be releasing on the Nintendo Switch. It’s quite a head scratcher seeing as how all of these games originated on the NES. Perhaps if demand is high enough, then Capcom might consider a Switch release. Check out the trailer below, and bask in the glorious Disney nostalgia!

 

Return To Middle-Earth!: ‘Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War’ Announced!

by The_acz

Potentially leaked just a couple of days ago, today, WB Games has announced that they are indeed working on a sequel to the 2014 hit Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

Titled Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Not much has been said or revealed about the game, but the trailer shows the ring of power being crafted and a great war for Mordor about to begin. No specific systems have been named, but we can assume it’ll be on PC, Xbox One, and PS4 (and maybe Switch.) The game will release on August 22nd 2017, with a gameplay reveal coming March 8th which is next week! What did you think about the original Middle-earth game? Tell us in the comments below!

‘Yooka Laylee’ Gets A Jolly Soundtrack Release!

by The_acz

Yooka Laylee is still around 2 months away from release, but there’s still plenty to say about the game before it launches on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on April 11th.

Today, Playtonic Games announced that the Soundtrack to the game will be available via CD, vinyl, and digital 4 days prior to the games release on April 7th. The soundtrack will include all music from the game and their composers such as DKC Veteran David Wise, Kameo composer Steve Burke, and Banjo/Viva Pinata composer himself Grant Kirkhope. If you’re interested in pre-ordering the soundtrack, check it out right here! What’s your favorite composition from the game? Tell us in the comments below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9X_VGRpw8U&t=243s

 

Celebrate The Lunar New Year With Overwatch’s Latest Event! Check Out ‘The Year Of The Rooster’

by Shane O'Hare

The best thing that Blizzard is doing with Overwatch (that is going to contribute greatly to it’s longevity), are their Seasonal Events. Summer games, Halloween, and Christmas were all a hoot to play. Players get access to awesome character skins, emotes and game-modes; while some levels got a nice makeover. All have been well received by the community and really show that Blizzard cares about the quality of life for Overwatch. Valve, take note. Santa hats on the CS:GO chickens aren’t enough.

A few weeks ago we got teased for their newest event celebrating the Lunar New Year, and today we finally get the full list of details! Check out the trailer below.

We got ourselves a HUGE series of goodies to track down and fight for. Over 100 different cosmetic items can be had from Lunar New Year Loot Boxes. As always, players can earn them from play or buy them for real cash.

The event starts TODAY and goes until February 13th. You can find me frantically searching for that Mei skin. Mei is bae.

Mass Effect Andromeda Gets A Release Date!

by The_acz

After about 2 years of waiting and multiple gameplay teases like at N7 day and The Game Awards, EA has finally given Mass Effect Andromeda a release date. Coming straight from the official Mass Effect blog, they revealed that North America will get the chance to explore Andromeda when the game launches for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on March 21st, shortly followed by a worldwide release on March 23rd. Are you excited for Mass Effect Andromeda? What’s your favorite Mass Effect game? Tell us in the comments below!

Double Dragon IV Has Been Announced For PC & PS4! Launching Next Month!

by The_acz

This week has been pretty awful. there’s really no way around it, but there is some cool news that makes things a bit better. Earlier this week, developer Arc Systems Works revealed that in honor of Double Dragons upcoming 30th anniversary, that a brand new DD game is in development for PS4, and PC for next year. The game boasts classic 8 bit sprites similar to Megaman 9 & 10, and is intended for release on January 30th! That’s only about a month away. Check out the trailer below and tell us in the comments what your favorite Double Dragon game is and if you’re excited for this.

‘Yooka Laylee’ News: Wii U Version Canceled For Nintendo Switch, Official Release Date, And More!

by The_acz

Playtonic Games just dropped a bombshell of Yooka Laylee news onto the world today, so without any further hesitation, let’s dig into this info.

Let’s just get the bad news out of the way. As of today, Tuesday December 13th 2016, the Wii U version of Yooka Laylee has officially been canceled due to technical problems with the console. In their newest update, Playtonic stressed that this decision was very hard for them, and right up until today they had been constantly searching for work arounds to the issue, but sadly could not find any. Don’t fret just yet though! While Wii U is officially off the table, Playtonic also dropped that development on Nintendo will continue with a Switch version now set to release!nintendoswitch_hardware-0-0

Now, even though Yooka will be arriving on the switch in 2017, it will not be launching alongside the other versions, but that does bring us to our next piece of news which is far cooler, the game has an official release date! That’s right, get ready to go bat ship crazy because Yooka Laylee will be launching on April 11th 2017 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC! Not only that, but Playtonic also released a look at a brand new world coming to the game titled Capital Cashino. Check out the video below and tell us what you think about this update!

PSX 2016: Rumours Confirmed! ‘Marvel VS. Capcom: Infinite’ Is Everything We’ve Been Told It Is

by Shane O'Hare

Well color me surprised. After a series of unsubstantiated rumours, and a serious argument from yours truly AGAINST those rumours, the truth comes out!

We are getting a new Marvel VS. Capcom game. Check out the trailer for Infinite below!

What rumours have come true you ask? Well it looks like gone are the 3 VS. 3 battles of previous titles. Now we have a 2 VS. 2 system, and most likely will have third “assist” character option available.

It also appears that Marvel is pushing for using IP’s that it has more control over. This one appears to be heavily influenced by the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe. So say bye bye to The X-Men!

Thats pretty much it! The biggest shock was that the damn game was actually announced.

No specific release date has been given, but we are looking for a “2017” release window. It will be launched on PS4, PC and Xbox One.