PC | Geekscape

The Launch Trailer For Frictional Games’ Terrifying ‘SOMA’ Is Here!

by Derek KraneveldtSeptember 22, 2015

Briefly: Finally, finally, finally, Frictional Games’ SOMA is here.

The game looks like a terrifying mixture of two of gaming’s scariest titles, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Bioshock, and I cannot wait to play if for 20 minutes until I get too scared and have to turn it off. Seriously.

In the game, “The radio is dead, food is running out, and the machines have started to think they are people. Underwater facility PATHOS-II has suffered an intolerable isolation and we’re going to have to make some tough decisions. What can be done? What makes sense? What is left to fight for?”

It’s a sci-fi horror game that questions our concepts of identity, consciousness, and what it means to be human, and it’s available right now for Windows, OS X, Linux, and PS4.

Watch the launch trailer below, and let us know what your favourite survival horror game is!

Rashid Is The Newest World Warrior In ‘Street Fighter V’!

by Josh JacksonSeptember 17, 2015

As we get closer to Street Fighter V‘s 2016 release date, more of the roster has been slowly revealed. Unveiled in Dubai, the latest reveal is the second of four promised original characters with Rashid, a Middle Eastern fighter who uses the power of wind to compliment his nimble attacks.

Using parkour inspired movements to overwhelm his opponents, Rashid is a tech fanatic who is always on the lookout for the newest gadgets. A laid back fighter, this doesn’t mean opponents should take the newcomer lightly. When not lining up for hours outside the Apple Store, he can be found putting the hurt on his opponents pretty easily.

Check out Rashid’s screenshots and trailer below and let us know if you’re excited to try him out! Street Fighter V is headed to the PS4 and PC in early 2016.

Part Two Of Bethesda ‘Do You Know What Makes You S.P.E.C.I.A.L.?’ Campaign Is Here! Check Out ‘Perception’

by Shane O'HareSeptember 16, 2015

If you aren’t in the know, Bethesda launched this kitschy campaign detailing all the different aspects of the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes in Fallout 4. It’s the normal Fallout affair, all done in the style of a 1950’s product overview film.

Checkout Part 1 Strength. Checkout Perception below.

Fallout 4 hits store shelves November 10th on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

‘Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate’ First DLC Trailer Is Here! Check Out ‘Jack The Ripper’

by Shane O'HareSeptember 15, 2015

The first trailer, for the first DLC being offered in the Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate season pass is here. And it looks…pretty damn fun! Check out Jack The Ripper!

Jack the Ripper begins his reign of terror in an all-new campaign, available in the Assassin’s Creed Syndicate Gold Edition.

One of the most appealing things of the Assassin’s Creed series is the integration of fiction with actual historical facts. The Ezio trilogy had the perfect combination of fictional story telling, blended with text book accurate retelling of historical events. Brotherhood was my favorite in the series for this reason, probably due to the fact that I am a HUGE geek for the Renaissance time period. I flipped my shit when I ran into the Medici!

Seeing Ubisoft take the well known tale of Jack The Ripper really has me excited. Reminds me of the Black Dahlia Murders from LA Noire, putting a fictional ending to the unknown.

You can get the Jack The Ripper DLC in the Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate season pass. Syndicate hits store shelves October 23rd on PC, PS4 and Xbox One

‘Amnesia: The Dark Descent’ Is FREE For The Next 24 Hours On Steam!

by Shane O'HareSeptember 15, 2015

Holy crap! The game that helped reinvent the horror genre, and spawned one of the FUNNIEST lets plays I have ever seen, is currently FREE for the next 24 hours on Steam!

Developer/Publisher Frictional Games has given us many a gift, a gift of spooky specters and ghastly goblins (like that grade school alliteration? Yeah you do!). To celebrate the upcoming release of their next game, SOMA, we’re getting the classic for free!

To help you prepare yourself for the imminent release of SOMA, we have decided to have a sale with an 80% discount on all our previous games. Hurry and you’ll get Amnesia: The Dark Descent for free during the next 24 hours and the game will remain in your library forever.

If you pre-order SOMA you’ll get a 10% discount and you’ll be able to preload the game starting tonight.

So head on over to the official Steam page and secure yourself a copy! GOOD LUCK!

Bethesda Launches Fantastic New ‘Do You Know What Makes You S.P.E.C.I.A.L.?’ Campaign!

by Derek KraneveldtSeptember 10, 2015

Briefly: As if Fallout 4 needed any more advertisement, Bethesda today launched a hilarious new campaign called ‘Do You Know What Makes You S.P.E.C.I.A.L.?’.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L., of course, is an acronym that stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, Luck. This makes up the character stat system in the Fallout series, and it’s pretty freaking clever.

The video campaign began today with a video detailing the Strength stat, and just what it can do for you in the game. The video comes in the format of a 1950’s style cartoon, and as with all Fallout marketing, it’s so freaking cool.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know what you think! Fallout 4 hits PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 10th! The company has also just detailed a season pass, which normally wouldn’t interest me at all, but c’mon, it’s Fallout.

PSA: Your ‘Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain’ Save Data Can Get Corrupted; Here’s How To Avoid It!

by Shane O'HareSeptember 9, 2015

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is easily one of the most popular games this year. Even some of the best games can experience bugs, much like the one in MGSV.

Under specific circumstances, the save file of your game can halt and or get corrupted. Konami dishes on their blog today with what is the cause, and how to avoid losing your precious progress.

In “METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN” which was released on September 1st, 2015 there is a possibility that the game stops progress if having Quiet as a buddy while playing “Mission 29” or “Mission 42”. This situation can be avoided by not using Quiet as a buddy while playing either “Mission 29” or “Mission 42”.

We deeply apologize, and appreciate your patience for further announcements regarding this issue.

This issue is known to be present for Xbox360, XboxOne, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Steam.

Seems like an easy thing to avoid, no word on a patch or a hotfix from Konami.

Bethesda Announces ‘Fallout 4’ Season Pass & Post Launch Content

by Shane O'HareSeptember 9, 2015

Looks like we’ve already got our long term Fallout 4 gameplan all sorted. With the announcement that there are no level caps in Fallout 4, we were all pretty happy with the end game content of the game.

Bethesda let loose this great bounty of news on their official blog today. That besides the normally expected hotfixes and free content we’ve come to expect from Bethesda, they’ve announced some SWEET details of their Season Pass,paid DLC releases and their mod support!

The most important thing in our games is the freedom you have to create your own experience, and modding is a big part of that. Like all our previous games, we’ve made sure to keep Fallout 4 open and moddable at every step in development. Early next year we’ll release for free the new Creation Kit for the PC. This is the same tool we use in the studio. You’ll be able to create your own mods and share them with others. We’re especially excited these same mods will then be coming to Xbox One, and then PlayStation 4.

We’ve always done a lot of DLC for our games. We love making them and you always ask us for more. To reward our most loyal fans, this time we’ll be offering a Season Pass that will get you all of the Fallout 4 DLC we ever do for just $30. Since we’re still hard at work on the game, we don’t know what the actual DLC will be yet, but it will start coming early next year. Based on what we did for Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim, we know that it will be worth at least $40, and if we do more, you’ll get it all with the Season Pass.

Thanks again to all of you! The support and excitement you’ve given Fallout 4 has blown us away. It’s energized us even more to do everything we can in these final months to make this our best game yet. We absolutely can’t wait for you to play it, and share your adventures with us and each other.

Usually the term “Season Pass” is met with furrowed brows and furiously angry comments on Reddit, but in the case of Fallout 4, I’m okay with it. The expansions that have come with past “modern” Fallout titles have always at least met their dollar amount in play value. It is refreshing to know that they haven’t event begun to start WORKING on the expansions. FABULOUS!

Fallout 4 hits store shelves November 10th on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

R. Mika Returns To Bring Tag Team Wrestling To ‘Street Fighter V’

by Josh JacksonAugust 31, 2015

Surprise! After a dedicated group of fans pushed for R. Mika, the female wrestler who looked up to Zangief from the Street Fighter Alpha series, to be added to the growing Street Fighter IV roster, they… Ultimately didn’t get what they wanted. But as they say, better late than never. Capcom has announced that R. Mika will make her re-debut as the latest character to be revealed for Street Fighter V, and she’s not alone!

Bringing in her tag team partner, Nadeshiko, (who was formerly only shown during some of Mika’s special attacks,) Mika’s V-Skill allows the pair to bring on some double team action. Allowing easy mix ups, Nadeshiko can attack from above, below or behind while the main player continues their standard assault. Naturally, when all else fails, you can always give them a Stone Cold Stunner.

So far, Capcom has done an amazing job with making each character feel unique compared to their past iterations, and Mika looks to be no exception. Who do you want to see join the cast next? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to watch the video below to see this pair in action.

Dig Into This Awesome New Trailer For ‘Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows’!

by The_aczAugust 25, 2015

Fans eagerly waiting for the highly anticipated Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows DLC can rest easy. Today, the good people at Yacht Club Games have given us a brand new trailer to admire. Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows is a DLC update to the 2014 indie hit Shovel Knight. This additional content allows you to play as one of Shovel Knight’s foes, Plague Knight. Unlike Shovel Knight, Plague Knight will play very differently. While there’s still no concrete release, the video promises that the update will release soon and be FREE for everyone who owns the game. Check out the enchanting trailer below and get hype! Will you be playing Plague of Shadows when it launches?

Meet Ukyo, The Final Bachelor, In These ‘Amnesia: Memories’ Screenshots

by Josh JacksonAugust 20, 2015

Would you cross dimensions for the perfect husbando? Amnesia: Memories is counting on it. This upcoming Otome title, (or story driven game targeted towards girls, which didn’t stop me from enjoying it at E3,) puts you in the role of a protagonist who has lost all of her memories. In order to regain what she lost, she must get close to the people in her life and learn more about herself while hiding the fact that she forgot in the first place. And what’s the best way to do that? Date all of the guys!

The latest batch of screenshots present Ukyo, one of the bachelors featured in Amnesia. Like the rest of the cast, this green haired beau will take different roles depending on which reality you want to pursue. So while he might be a love interest in one play through, he can also be a friend or co worker in another! Only by experiencing every reality will you find the truth behind your existence.

In addition to the previously announced PS Vita and Steam releases, there’s some good news for mobile fans out there! Amnesia will also arrive on Android and iOS at the end of August courtesy of Gloczus. Now you can have all your boyfriends on your phone without any of them finding out!

How boy crazy are you? Check out the screenshots below and get your heart racing. Keep an eye out for our final review as the August 25th release date approaches.

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘Shiftlings’

by The_aczAugust 15, 2015

Sierra is a company near and dear to my heart. Besides Rare, they were my first introduction into the world of videogames. Founded in 1980, by Ken and Roberta Williams, Sierra would go on to create such classic adventure and puzzle games such as The Incredible Machine, Leisure Suit Larry, King’s Quest, and many more. Sadly, the company has been missing for the last 6 years. Fear not though, because just last year, Sierra has re-opened their doors and is ready to start making new memories with a brand new generation of gamers. This brings us to one of their first new outings, Shiftlings.

This Adventure Puzzle game is about 2 alien janitors who are connected together by a cord and can inflate themselves at will. Together, they will travel across 5 different planets and 50 levels to overcome all odds. Oh, did I also mention that they’re being recorded as part of a reality TV show called Shiftlings? Weird, huh? So, can Shiftlings re-capture the fun and quirkiness that Sierra games of old had?

Art Style & Sound

Art style in the game is very nice. All the backgrounds for all the different levels and worlds are nicely textured and extremely bright and colorful. Even in the most basic asteroid space level the colors pop out nicely and really help make the levels and worlds feel different. Sound effects are very animated; making the game feel like it’s straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. To further help with that is the music, which is very ambient and help sets the tone that these 2 janitors are all alone on these planets. There are also cut scenes, which are very well animated and voice acted. They help break up the game in certain sections and provide just enough laughs to keep you going to the next.

Gameplay & Negatives

The gameplay in Shiftlings is easy to learn, but difficult to master. At any point in a level you can switch which characters to move and which one to inflate. You can also move both of them at once in order to bounce across large gaps and collect hidden collectible cola bottles in each level. As you steadily progress, the game starts introducing new mechanics such as doors, rotating platforms, and many more. And what kind of Sierra game would this be if there weren’t a variety of death animations? Everything from getting electrocuted, to being incinerated by flames and you’ll want to die as many times as you can. You also have a narrator voice commenting on each of the levels you play and that really helps cement the fact that this is a reality TV show.

While the game excels in many places mentioned above, there are some problems with it. One of the biggest problems is its difficulty. There are some cases where it can ramp up a little too fast, and that may cause novice players to get a little too frustrated with the game. The controls can also be a bit confusing when first starting the game, but after a while you will settle into them.

Final Thoughts & Rating

Shiftlings is a very smart, if not difficult, puzzle game that really re-captures the magic of what made Sierra such an unusual and fun company. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the game and recommend it to expert puzzle fans, I’m not quite sure if novice players would find it easily accessible. In this case I’d recommend downloading a demo of it since it’s on all major platforms with the exception of Wii U (sorry Nintendo fans the E-shop doesn’t have a demo of it.) If you still like it afterwards, then I whole heartedly recommend picking the game up.

FINAL RATING: 3/5. Try it first, then buy it.

‘Street Fighter V’ Gets Beautiful With The Return Of Vega

by Josh JacksonAugust 3, 2015

Just in time for Gamescom, Capcom has revealed one more world warrior heading to Street Fighter V. Vega, the Spanish ninja who relies on his speed, power and long reaching claws to punish his opponents, returns with plenty of new tricks to keep the masked fighter fresh.

Every previous iteration of the Street Fighter II boss has relied on his claws for attacks, extending his reach and improving his strength while equipped. If he took enough damage, his claws would get knocked off, putting him at a disadvantage until he was able to recover them. This time around, that weakness has the potential to become a strength, since Vega now has two attack stances. His standard claw stance relies on many of the tricks we’ve expected from him for over 20 years, with fast, hard hitting attacks that are designed to confuse opponents. However, losing his claws acts as a second stance, granting him a series of new command grabs to confuse opponents further. Top this off with his V-Trigger, the Bloody Kiss, and Vega can now teleport behind enemies and slice them up with the toss of a rose. Oh, but if you are attached to that claw style, you better be careful, since claws can no longer be picked up once they’re dropped.

Like Ken before him, it’s easy to see that Vega is getting a pretty big overhaul, and not just because his alternate matador costume is now his default. He sounds like he’ll be a completely different beast on the battlefield, which is sure to excite new and old fans alike.

Are you excited to try out Vega’s new tricks? Who else do you want to see join the SFV roster? And why are they still asking you to pre-order for beta access when it didn’t work in the first place? Head down to the comments and start the discussion!

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘Project Spark: Conker Play and Create’

by The_aczAugust 3, 2015

Over one year ago during E3 2014, Microsoft showed off a trailer for one of their upcoming titles called Project Spark. For those who don’t know, Project Spark is a creator driven game along the likes of LittleBigPlanet in which the game’s campaign mode is made entirely from the in game level editor. This makes it possible to perfectly re-create those levels, or even design your own. At the end of the trailer, everyone was greeted to a nice surprise; as it was announced that Conker the squirrel would be a playable character in some form or another. It was also announced that he’d be voiced by the creator of the Conker series himself, Chris Seavor.

Flash forward to about a year later, where it’s now revealed that the Conker content for Project Spark will be an episodic series of games along with creation assets, so fans can make their own Conker games. Now, even though the creation pack has been out for some time, I’ve only now gotten around to it, because Project Spark is celebrating their first successful year after launch. To commemorate this, many expansions and bundles are half priced including the Conker set. I figured I’d check it out since I had $5 in Xbox credit from pre ordering Rare Replay.

So, Is the Conker Play and Create Bundle a steal of a deal, or does it have the makings of another bad fur day? When you buy the Bundle you get 2 things. These include Conker’s Big Reunion Episode 1, and Conker: Hail to the Remix. Let’s start with Conker’s Big Reunion First.

The story of Big Reunion takes place 10 years after the events of bad fur day, but instead of being a direct sequel, it’s just a side story. The plot synopsis is as follows: 10 years have passed since the events of Bad Fur Day, and to celebrate, Conker is hosting a reunion for all of his friends at his favorite bar, The Cock and Plucker. Once he arrives, he is unable to enter because he is told by Birdy the Scarecrow that he has a $300 bar tab he needs to pay off. From there, Conker sets off on a brand new adventure to pay off his tab and join his reunion.

Art style & Sound

To start off with, the art style is very nice. The game takes a bit more inspiration from the original Bad Fur Day instead of Live and Reloaded. Environments are bright, and Conker and co. are very nicely re-designed to look a bit more simplistic, but also very detailed. Everything from Conker’s fur to Birdy’s loose hay, to even the Tediz fluff and hand stitched texture are really welcome and suit the characters very well.

Sound is also pretty top notch. Original BFD composer, Robin Beanland, returns, once again, to score Big Reunion. Most of them are just slight updates of previous Conker tunes but are still as catchy and memorable as ever. The voice acting is also top notch. Once again, Chris Seavor, creator and voice of everyone’s favorite squirrel himself, returns to voice the titular character himself and all of his friends. Seavor is just as sharp witted as ever and never misses a single joke or beat.

Gameplay

Gameplay is identical to Bad Fur Day. Conker can run jump and even use his tail helicopter to double jump and hover across large gaps. He also comes equipped with his trusty Frying Pan which he uses to clobber any Tediz in sight. There are 3 specific areas in this episode that you’ll be exploring; each of which comes with their own gameplay style.

There’s the Tediz secret hideout which consists of a first person shooter segment, and a battle that you could say is very BALLSY. The Tediz brewery, which focuses on platforming, and even getting drunk enough to bypass a wall of beer that is aggressively spraying you off the edge. 3^rd and final, you have the Tediz lumberyard, in which you have to sneak your way through the forest Metal Gear Solid style and even face off against a chainsaw wielding maniac with a twist. There’s some more stuff in there, but I’ll save that for if you decide to play through it. The different gameplay styles are very welcome and help the game from becoming too repetitive and stale.

The only real downsides are that the game is on the very short side. It’ll only take you about 30 minutes – An hour to complete the game, and there really isn’t anything to go back to after you complete the episode. Other than that, Conker’s Big Reunion is a fun, if not short, fun tribute to the series. Hopefully we won’t have to wait much longer for the developers, Team Dakota, to make the 2^nd episode.

Hail to the Remix

The last thing to touch upon is Conker: Hail to the Remix. This is the creation pack that you get when you purchase the play and create bundle. This creation pack comes with everything seen in Big Reunion Episode 1. Everything from Conker, to Birdy, to even Fajo the Money Wad is there. It even comes with the Windy Grasslands Biome used to make the setting for the episode. The creation tools are very extensive and have given way to some very cool community levels. I’d recommend trying out R.T and Conker’s Other Bad Day Tribute just to name a few.

You also get a Conker as a playable champion for some of the other modes in Project Spark including Crossroads Adventure and Champion’s Quest: Void Storm. In these modes, Conker comes equipped with his Baseball Bat that he used in Live and Reloaded and his trusty SMG. He also has a special ability you can activate. When you defeat enemies, they will leave behind a wad of cash which Conker can collect. Once Conker collects at least 4 of those, you can summon a giant Context Sensitive Button out of nowhere and unleash a devastating special attack. Depending on your level, your special attacks can be anything from Deadly farts and throwing flaming cocktails, to turning into a giant lizard monster and calling in poo air strikes.

Final Verdict

All in all, the Conker Play and Create Bundle is a love letter to all things Conker. People who have played Bad Fur Day, wanting desperately for a long awaited sequel won’t find that here. However, they’ll still find enjoyment in it. This is also great for people who need a quick Conker fix before Rare Replay comes out. I was able to snag it for only $5, but even $10 is a steal for this pack and definitely worth picking it up. What’s even better is that Project Spark is FREE on both Xbox One and PC.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and create some awesome new Conker games!

Final Rating: Buy

‘ZombiU’ being ported to PS4, Xbox One, and PC as ‘Zombi’

by The_aczJuly 30, 2015

After 3 years of being an exclusive for the struggling console, the survival horror game ZombiU is now making its way to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC on August 18th as just Zombi. The game received mostly praise with it’s initial Wii U release, most of it which came from the very smooth integration of the Wii U Gamepad. I had the chance to rent the game back when it launched and felt it was a pretty solid experience. It should be noted that Zombi will be released only on digital platforms, so people hoping to snag a physical copy of the game are in for some disappointing news. Here’s the official announce trailer for the game. Will you be picking up Zombi when it launches?

‘Fallout 4: Pip Boy Edition’ 100% Sold-Out; Bethesda ‘Can’t Make More’

by Shane O'HareJuly 28, 2015

Can’t or won’t is the operative question that needs to be asked here. In a recent interview with Gamespot, Bethesda Marketing VP, Pete Hines, said that the factory making the special edition of Fallout 4 has hit their capacity.

They’re being made today, it’s not like they’re done and sitting in a warehouse. [The factories would tell us,] this is what the yields say. I mean, we don’t make [the Pip-Boy Editions], and we’d go back to [the factories] and say, ‘Demand for this is insane, we’ve got to make more.’ And they’d move other projects off or shift stuff to other factories and it just came to [them telling Bethesda], ‘Final answer: sorry, this is as many as we can make.’ And we sold every single one of those that we could.

If you’re NOT in the know, the special edition of Fallout 4 comes with a replica of the in game device of the same name. This plastic shell will house your phone, and run an app that interfaces with the game, so you can go menu diving on your wrist.

I personally find it very Nintendo of them to say they can’t make more. It’s a definite WON’T scenario with Bethesda here, as a second or third printing would yield them a HUGE amount of sales. Ebay listings of the preorder right now are starting at around $300 US! THREE HUNDRED!

Fallout 4 hits store shelves November 10th on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Bethesda Reveals ‘Fallout Anthology’, And It’s Freaking Awesome!

by Derek KraneveldtJuly 23, 2015

Briefly: I don’t even own a PC, and I’m probably going to pick this up.

What? It’ll look awesome with my Pip-Boy Edition of Fallout 4.

During today’s QuakeCon 2015 presentation, Bethesda revealed the limited edition Fallout Anthology collection. The collection, naturally, includes Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas, in freaking phenomenal Fat Man mini-nuke packaging (with audio).

It’s gorgeous, and is priced at just $50. Sadly, at this time it’s also already sold out, so hopefully Bethesda finds more stock sitting somewhere and releases it to us fans.

Sure, all of these games can be had for just a few bucks online, but that packaging is just too good to pass up!

Note that you’ll need to provide your own copy of Fallout 4, as the Fallout Anthology releases on September 29th!

EVO 2015: Necalli Claws His Way Onto The ‘Street Fighter V’ Roster

by Josh JacksonJuly 21, 2015

It looks like Blanka won’t be the only savage fighter this time around.

Remember that tease at the end of Ken’s reveal trailer? Some thought the painted face was E. Honda, while others guessed it could be a new character altogether. It turns out it was the latter.

Introducing Necalli, the animalistic fighter who looks and fights like the love child of Iori Yagami and Heavenly Sword‘s Nariko. Serving as an in your face rush down character, Necalli uses aggressive clawing and grab attacks to pressure his opponents into submission. When his V-Skill and V-Trigger come into play, he’s able to attack from afar with a controlled ground explosion, or will channel a powerful energy that changes his appearance respectively, with the latter altering his move set, frame data and Critical Art! With what could be considered two different move sets, opponents will have to be on their toes when going against this new threat.

As one of 16 characters debuting at launch, four of which will be brand new, it’ll be interesting to see how players take to Necalli when Street Fighter V launches next year. If these aren’t enough, all future DLC will be potentially free as well! Make sure to sign up for the PS4 beta by pre ordering before July 23rd, and let us know what you think of the game’s progress below.

SDCC 2015: We Go Hands-On With ‘Cuphead’!

by The_aczJuly 20, 2015

Throughout all their successes with first and third party titles for the 360 and One, Microsoft has never been able to fully embrace indie gaming. Sure, they own and heavily support Minecraft, one of gaming’s most popular indie titles of all time, but can that still be classified as an indie game; knowing how big of a development team actually works on it now?

Fear not indie fans, because for the past two years Phil Spencer and company have been trying to make it up to fans with their new indie service simply titled ID @ Xbox. This year at E3, Microsoft showed off many new and interesting ID @ Xbox titles, but one of them stood out more than the others.

Enter Cuphead, a quirky platforming shooter game that’s stylized as if it was a cartoon that came straight out of the 1930’s. Developed by just two brothers, Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, Cuphead is the brother’s first venture into the indie games scene with their studio, Studio MDHR. I had the honor of being able to try the game out at the Xbox Lounge at Comic-Con (When the insanely long line allowed it.) It seems like Microsoft has a lot of faith and confidence in Cuphead, but is there more to the game than just its old timey art style? Thankfully, I can say without a doubt, Cuphead not only has a lot more charm than just its art style, but it’s sincerely one of the most fun indie games I’ve ever played.

Story and Gameplay

The story is very simple, but kind of twisted. Two anthropomorphic characters, Cuphead and Mugman, decided to play a game of dice with the Devil. They end up gambling their lives, and in a cruel twist of fate – lose. The Devil agrees to let them live; on one condition. They must do his bidding from now on. So, now it’s up to our ‘heroes’ to destroy whoever the Devil tells them to in order to gain their freedom back.

From there, you’re given the chance to access a quick tutorial level and then about 3 actual levels. For the sake of keeping the line moving, I decided to play with a second player and only play one level which was the garden. In this level, you must defeat both a giant potato that shoots dirt clods and worms at you and a giant psychic carrot with three eyes that shoots carrot missiles at you. If that sounds crazy to you, that’s because it is. The controls are super simple and very responsive. You have your standard jump and attack buttons, but you also have a dash button and a change weapon button so you can experiment and see what kind of projectile works best on that enemy.

It should be said that Cuphead might not be what some people are expecting it to be. For starters, yes it’s a platforming shooter, but there aren’t really any “levels” per say. This game is more akin to what you would find in a boss rush mode of a game. While that may sound intimidating to some newcomers, don’t let that dampen your experience. Even if you aren’t the best at modes like that, the developers have made it very accessible for newcomers. One way they do this is by making the attack patterns of the first couple of bosses you play very repetitive, so that it’s easier to remember their attacks.

Closing thoughts

At the end of the day, I can’t say enough good things about how amazing Cuphead is. From an amazing art style to its very easy pick up and play controls, Cuphead is looking to be one of my all-time favorite indie titles right next to Shovel Knight and The Binding of Isaac. Cuphead will be released on Xbox One and PC sometime in 2016.

RUMOR: Arkham Knight PC Won’t Be Fixed Until This Fall

by Shane O'HareJuly 16, 2015

According to internal emails from EB Games Australia, Warner Bros. doesn’t plan on putting the PC edition of Batman: Arkham Knight back on sale until the fall. This also coincides with any perceived hot fixes from Warner.

As previously advised,we have stopped sales of Batman: Arkham Knight PC while Warner and Rocksteady work on addressing performance issues with the game. The latest information from Warner is that the updates won’t be available until Spring. Due to this we have made the difficult decision to recall all PC stock from stores to return to the vendor until an acceptable solution is released.

Spring refers to Australian Spring, so don’t get overly excited that the game isn’t going to be seen again until 2016. According to Kotaku, the timeframe for a re-release is so far out that EB Games has felt the need to return all stock of the PC edition to Warner.

This whole debacle has been very out of character for both Warner and Rocksteady. It really shows that this game was created for the consoles, most likely the PS4, and hastily ported to the PC.

The problems don’t affect every installation of the game, in fact the numbers of affected users are fairly low.

We will be sure to update you as more information is released.

SDCC 2015: A Brand New Ken Fights His Way Into ‘Street Fighter V’!

by Josh JacksonJuly 14, 2015

In one of the least surprising announcements imaginable, Ken was revealed as the next fighter joining the cast of the upcoming Street Fighter V. As the only character aside from Ryu who has appeared in ever main line game, Ken is essentially known as American Karate guy, who gains a flaming uppercut and a few technical changes from his Japanese counterpart. Once the cocky martial artist actually appeared on screen though, dare I say something was actually different about the fighting game veteran!

At the Street Fighter V Comic Con panel, the Capcom-Unity team, (as well as SFIV’s project manager and SFV‘s executive producer, Yoshinori Ono,) promised us that Ken’s drastic change in appearance wasn’t the only aspect of the character that was getting an overhaul. For the first time in series history, the team promised that the fighter we affectionately know as “red Ryu” will be a completely unique character who uses powerful, “showstopping” attacks that helps players fight aggressively, (and look good doing it!) His unique V-Skill would further separate him from the rest of the shotokan fighters by adding flaming properties to all of his moves, allowing him to extend combos while gaining a quicker back step when it’s time to play defensively.

From the trailer alone, we can see that his Hurricane Kick has been retooled to go in a diagonal arc, and can even be converted into a type of dive kick from the air. While some of his old moves carry over, it’s easy to see that Ken stands out much more now than he has in the past, but does this promise carry over to the main game?

Watch the trailer for yourself and see what changes you can spot? And who is that mystery character at the end of the video? Let the speculation begin in the comments!

<cite class="_Rm">www.youtube.com/watch?<b>v</b>=8lwOe5y8gIk</cite>

Telltale’s ‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ Just Got This Swanky New Trailer!

by Shane O'HareJuly 4, 2015

Way back at the end of 2014 Telltale and Mojang announced a brand new partnership. Telltale would be putting their own creative spin on the Minecraft universe. Today we finally have a look at what we can expect with Minecraft: Story Mode.

Players will control protagonist Jesse throughout the season, as portrayed by actor Patton Oswalt. Jesse and his group of friends revere the legendary Order of the Stone; four adventurers who slayed an Ender Dragon. The Order are the very best at what they do: Warrior, Redstone Engineer, Griefer, and Architect. While at EnderCon, Jesse and his friends discover that something is wrong… something dreadful. Terror is unleashed, and they must set out on a journey to find The Order of the Stone if they are to save their world from oblivion.

The season will feature Patton Oswalt, Brian Posehn, Ashley Johnson, Scott Porter, Martha Plimpton, Dave Fennoy, Corey Feldman, Billy West, and Paul Reubens. Additional casting details for the season are yet to be announced.

Though a bit on the cheesy side, I find the trailer to be endearing. Each of the characters obviously are embodying the different kinds of players you’d run into playing Minecraft online.

It will be very interesting to see what Telltale does with a property that is fairly thin with existing narrative.

Minecraft: Story Mode will be released sometime in 2015 on ALL platforms.

Check Out This Amazing Leaked Alpha Footage Of ‘Star Wars Battlefront III’

by Shane O'HareJuly 2, 2015

DICE and EA are gonna be PISSED that this stuff leaked, or it is all a clever ruse to pump out some Alpha Test footage and get the hype train going at full steam. Check out what our friends over at All Games Beta have curated.

۞ by AGB-Videos

It is really comforting to see the quality in game matches what we saw at E3 this year, and that even though the game size has been nerfed (20 vs 20), the battles seem to be very intense.

Star Wars Battlefront III hits stores this November 17th on PC, PS4, Xbox One

E3 2015: We Throw Down With ‘Street Fighter V’

by Josh JacksonJune 23, 2015

The Street Fighter franchise holds a special place in my heart, as the first arcade game I played. As the series progresses and evolves, it’s a must for me to learn the ins and outs of how it grows, which is why playing Street Fighter V on the E3 show floor was a must. After playing IV and its multiple versions for so long, I thought jumping into Capcom’s newest fighter would be easy. As I would soon learn though, everything unique to the last game is thrown out the window.

Featuring every character announced so far, including Ryu, Chun Li, Cammy, M. Bison, and Street Fighter Alpha veterans, Charlie and Birdie, the first change that I noticed was the pacing of the game. Using my familiar attacks with Chun Li were just a step off, or would miss by a fraction of a second, which can make all the difference in a match. It was soon clear that despite IV being considered a slow paced fighter, V is slightly slower, which forces different timing on attacks. Aside from this, most of the returning characters played similarly to how they have in the past, with some moves being changed, (Chun’s Lightning Kick is a quarter circle motion with a set amount of kicks as opposed to rapidly tapping,) removed, (her Hazanshuu split-legged overhead,) or added, like most of Charlie’s move set.

But while the foundation may be the same, V adds some features that make it stand out from its predecessors. Removing the Ultra Meter and Focus Attack that became vital parts of the last game, this new version replaces them with the V-Gauge. The V-Gauge builds as each character lands hits or gets damaged, with three different functions. For instance, the V-Skill gives each character a unique move, like parrying for Ryu or teleporting for Charlie, the V-Reversal, which activates a counter attack when being hit by an opponent, or the V-Trigger, which costs both segments of the two tiered meter. Similar to an Ultra, V-Triggers are meant to turn the tides of battle, with each fighter having unique boosts. For example, Ryu hits harder while Chun-Li gets an extra hit added to each attack. These attacks change the dynamic quite a bit, but I would imagine that it would be even harder to balance the game with such drastic differences between the cast. The people at Capcom have been the leaders when it comes to fighting games for so long however, that if anyone can pull it off, it’s them.

On the subject of changes however, if you’re expecting to jump in as Charlie or Birdie, both have gone through huge changes since their last appearances, with Charlie especially playing completely differently. For Birdie fans, (all five of you,) you’ll be happy to know that his massive weight gain has come with more long range options. Finally putting that chain to good use, he’ll be able to command throw with it as both an anti air and a long range option. Charlie on the other hand, has discarded all of his charge attacks with the good old quarter circle. Using variations of the Sonic Boom and Flash Kick that he taught to Guile, the new Charlie plays much more aggressively, being able to control space with his projectile, while teleporting in close and overwhelming them with his scythe kicks. Assuming Guile will be in the game, it makes sense that Charlie gets an overhaul, and while we joke about how fighting game stories don’t matter, I’m excited to see where his new attitude takes him.

Want to play Street Fighter V for yourself? Make sure to pre-order in time to experience the open beta, which will launch for PS4 on July 23rd! Until then, keep an eye out for our future impressions, and share your PSN ID’s below so we can get some games in! Just don’t beat me up too bad.

Street Fighter V will launch exclusively for PS4 and PC in early 2016.

E3 2015: Changing The Game With ‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops III’

by Josh JacksonJune 23, 2015

Is it safe to say we can add one thing to the things that are guaranteed in life? Along with death and taxes, an annual Call Of Duty is essentially a given at this point. When approaching an annual franchise such as this, the question that surely comes up is how to make it different from its predecessors while keeping the foundation of the wildly popular title intact. In Call Of Duty: Black Ops III, Treyarch seems up to the challenge, integrating some futuristic tech and insane, new abilities to the battlefield. At E3, we checked out the combat in the campaign to find out how much war has changed this year.

While the Black Ops sub series has typically focused on past wars like Vietnam while the main series shifted from WWII to more futuristic settings, this third game decided to play catch up. Taking place in a ruined future, your squad consists of a cybernetic team of enhanced soldiers with some powerful abilities to combat the army you’re up against. Featuring both split screen and online co-op play, each character can be fully customizable, including character creation options in campaign. Once the appearance is set, the load outs and abilities determine their offensive capabilities, which obviously affect how you approach battles.

On that subject, battle felt so much different compared to past games, Most COD games revolve around shooting, taking cover for about five seconds until your bullet wounds self heal, then pop out of cover to do it all again, with the occasional gadget or heavy weapon to mix things up. In Black Ops III, the team is looking to change that mentality, thanks to what’s being called the Cyber Core. This function allows players to change their abilities, tools and attacks on the fly, some of which are so crazy, you’ll wonder if you’re still playing Call Of Duty! From what we saw, soldiers will be able to remotely hack turrets and drones, point at enemies and make them explode Frieza style, ride mechs, destroy mechs, summon insects to tear enemies apart, sprint across the map to punch people out at high speed, and even drop a spiked disc on foes to rip them to shreds! What game is this again?

With friends being able to join your story combined with all of these new powers, the game had to evolve to compensate as well. One of the most noticeable changes was how big the campaign map on display was. Enemies were pouring out from all sides, making it easy to become overwhelmed. Abusing your new tools is a must, since the fights just seemed to flow so much better when the entire team was pulling their weight. Much more preferable over the typically useless AI, Black Ops III has a real chance of being the game to play with all your friends.

While this is one of the last things I expected coming in, I left feeling like this year’s Call Of Duty has a chance to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. It’s not every day that a long standing franchise changes its features up to such an extent, but I’m hoping that the risk pays off for the folks at Treyarch. Combining the campaign with the return of Zombie Mode and the online multiplayer that we’ve come to expect, and it looks like even the most seasoned soldiers will have to stay on their toes when Black Ops III releases this holiday.

E3 2015: We Bro Up With ‘Super Dungeon Bros.’

by Josh JacksonJune 23, 2015

Any game that allows four player couch co-op is always welcome. Say what you will about online gaming, but there’s nothing like being able to settle in with your bros, (and bro-ettes?), grab a bunch of controllers, and go crazy. With local team ups becoming more and more rare, it’s always exciting to see a game get the full, team up treatment. In Super Dungeon Bros., both online and local “bro-op” are supported, allowing four players to rock out in this rock-and-roll inspired hack and slash. We sat down with the game at E3 to check in on how the game is coming along so far.

Tasked as choosing between Axl, Lars, Ozzie or Freddie, four knights with distinct personalities to match with their bright colored armor, game play relies less on who you choose, and more on what you choose! Each bro can choose a variety of weapons, including swords, bows and hammers. Aside from the typical differences between attacks, such as speed, damage and range, each one also has their own, unique abilities that help the team clear enemies from each room. For example, the sword unlocks what’s called the “Bronado,” where its user activates a prolonged spin attack, while stacking the partners he makes contact with on top of him, resulting in a spinning tower of pain for their enemies.

On that subject, stacking is important when progressing through the dungeons. A co-op game in every sense of the word, progression often requires partners to team up. Whether that means stacking and throwing bros over gaps, activating multi person switches, or opening distant doors for the rest of the team to go through, working together is key to advancing. With that in mind, the team has to make sure to be on the same page, since taking too long results in larger waves of enemies respawning. Taking too long to enjoy the scenery can result in a tougher dungeon, so you’ll always want to be moving. Then again, don’t move TOO much, since dodge rolling consecutively leads to your bro getting dizzy. It’s all a balance, you see.

Like a Call Of Duty E3 presentation, Super Dungeon Bros is bro from head to toe. Including plenty of co-op abilities, four player local and online modes, awesome music, unique abilities and characters with their own sets of wisecracks, and a fast paced play style, and you get what’s shaping up to be a very enjoyable multiplayer experience. With cross play between the Xbox One and Windows 10, or PS4 to PC, you’ll have plenty of ways to team up with your friends and rock out when the game is released late this year.

E3 2015: We Check Out Lady’s Playable Debut In ‘Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition’

by Josh JacksonJune 22, 2015

One of the most exciting aspects of the upcoming Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition when it was announced was the expanded list of playable characters. Joining Dante and Nero are Trish, Dante’s original partner and unlockable protagonist in the first and second games, Virgil, Dante’s brother and antagonist of Devil May Cry 3, who made his playable debut in that game’s special edition as well as returning in DmC: Devil May Cry, and Lady, the explosive bayonet wielding demon hunter who Dante befriended in the third game. Yet, despite appearing in two games, Lady has never appeared in a playable role. You would think being a demon killing human with a giant gun in a world filled with monsters would be the perfect character to play with. Apparently, the people at Capcom agreed, since she is finally making her playable debut, which is why we couldn’t help but try her out at E3 to see if the wait is worth it.

Usable in both the main campaign and the Bloody Palace survival mode, it’s immediately clear that Lady requires players to be much more methodical in their approach to building combos. With her main weapon, she is able to fire off explosives at long range, while using the bayonet blade to cut up opponents up close. With three different firearms as sub weapons, switching to each one at key points is vital to keep the combos flowing, especially since her main attacks are relatively slow.

Lacking any kind of dash makes it harder for her to close in on faraway enemies, Lady makes up for it with her grappling hook. With a quick tap, she can latch onto enemies and pull herself towards them, pull them to her, or launch into the air by using her foes as a target. Being able to master this grappling technique in combination with her firearms, melee attacks and special moves make getting high stylish scores much different compared to the rest of the cast, but when you start seeing those S ranks pop up in battle, the effort is definitely worth it.

While completely unique compared to the rest of the cast, Lady’s learning curve might put off some at first. With that said, her unique approach to battles separates her from the existing cast, adding more variety to an already deep action game. Want to play with Lady, Dante, Nero, and the rest of the cast? PS4, Xbox One and PC owners will get to try them for themselves when Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition releases digitally on June 23rd.

E3 2015: ‘Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 3: V Generation’ Delivers A Faster, Stronger CPU!

by Josh JacksonJune 18, 2015

It may have taken three games, but when Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory released in 2012, it’s safe to say that the series finally hit its stride. So much so, that the game play improvements introduced would carry into remakes of the original titles, both of which were great additions to the PS Vita library when we reviewed them over the last few months. While there was plenty to improve on, I went into Re;Birth 3 a little conflicted. At this point, I’m completely absorbed in anything the series can offer, but does the game that the remakes are based off of need its own remake? What can be changed for V Generation to feel different?

Based on the time I spent with the E3 build, this version looks to be aiming for the definitive way to experience Neptune’s most recent adventure. Taking place in an alternate Gamindustri that’s based on the console wars of the early 90’s, past characters will look and act different while new ones, namely this alternate Planeptune’s CPU, Plutia. From a game play standpoint, small tweaks have been added to change up the way the game is approached. The returning Remake System will allow the party to add an extra attack slot into their list of commands after finding the appropriate plan for each, while finding treasure through scanning the environment is replaced by an invisible question mark that Nep hits with her head. Added cutscenes, new scenarios, items to help progress in the Stella Dungeon scouting mini game from Re;Birth 2, the return of Victory‘s stat boosts for performing certain actions and other surprises round out all the new features, while the turn based combat system remains intact.

But more than anything, what’s immediately noticeable is the improved frame rate, which never skipped a beat during battle. While the previous remakes would be bogged down with some harsh dips when the flashiest attacks would take place, the comparible moves that I tried in the demo had no such issue. In addition to an upgraded interface with colorful effects during attacks, reworked menus and a rewritten script, it’s clear that the presentation went through as much polishing as the game play, which I can’t wait to experience with the full game!

So if anything, Re;Birth 3 feels less like a remake and more like a remastered version, adding in what worked about its prequels while improving on what didn’t. With the trilogy nearly complete on both the Vita and PC through Steam, there’s no excuse for when the next main sequel is finally released. Luckily for us, the Vita release is right around the corner, coming on June 30th! Keep an eye out for our full review, and tell us what your favorite moments of the series have been in the comments below!

E3 2015: ‘Battleborn’ Revolutionizes The First Person Shooter Like Only Gearbox Can

by Josh JacksonJune 18, 2015

When Borderlands took the gaming world by storm, the developers at Gearbox showed that blending the tried and true FPS genre with the progression and growth of an RPG was a winning formula. Rather than be satisfied with the mega franchise that it’s become, the team is hoping to push the envelope even further with their latest title, Battleborn. As big fans of their previous work, we made sure to get some hands on time with it on the show floor and see if they could recreate the magic.

One of the first things that we noticed with Battleborn is how much character variety the title will offer. Promising up to about 50 characters to choose from with five player co-op, each character is so wildly different from each other that it’s likely to ensure that no two playthroughs will be the same. Sure, if you want to take the more traditional road, there are characters that specialize in automatic weapons, heavy artillery or sniper rifles. If you’re like me and want something with a little more class, maybe the rapier wielding Phoebe is more your style, who joins characters such as a dwarf in specializing in up close melee strikes. If swinging blades in a shooter sounds strange to you, that has nothing on the ninja mushroom that uses its head as a healing spore when he’s not throwing his deadly blades, or the four armed magic user who can speed in and out of the battlefield and away from danger.

If you were able to follow along with all of that, it’s clear that Battleborn is insane. To think that these are just a sample of the characters that will be available when the game launches at the end of the year makes it hard to imagine what else will be waiting for us. Either way, it’s fortunate that there are so many options, because as you and up to four other friends fight to extend the life of the last star in the universe, you’re going to want to have multiple ways to achieve such a task. Just because the galaxy is about to come to an end doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, right?

The brief time we spend in the campaign mode felt instantly familiar for anyone who played Borderlands. Each character has their own skill trees, that can be expanded on as each character levels up. Every team member gets equal EXP when anyone defeats an enemy, so even terrible team members will get stronger and hopefully improve… Right? As we fought through hordes of enemies in between abusing special abilities and hacking away at the huge foes, it became clear that the bright, cartoony art style hid a deceptively challenging game, with large areas that get full quick. If Borderlands felt like an RPG, then Battleborn feels like a hack and slash in the same vein as games past, with a more stage focused setup as opposed to the big, open world from before. It feels similar enough to know you’ll love it while being different enough to stand out on its own. What more can you ask for in a new IP?

Battleborn is one of my biggest surprises coming out of E3 so far. What are your thoughts on what could be the next big co-op shooter? Let us know in the comments, and take a guess as to who your character is going to be!

E3 2015: Trackmania Turbo!

by jake108June 15, 2015

Trackmania Turbo is exactly as it sounds: an 0ver-the-top fun racing game that finds the balance between cartoony physics and die-hard racing fans. It’s no secret that gamers who don’t own a Nintendo console have been missing out on fun racing games. Trackmania Turbo looks to satisfy our needs.

Trackmania offers you the ultimate arcade racing universe where everything is about reaching the perfect racing time. Test your skills in over 200 tracks, experience immediate fun by challenging your friends at home (offline splitscreen) or online.The competition lasts forever: design and share your own tracks with other players in the Trackbuilder!

Trackmania Turbo will feature four different locations and four different gameplay modes. This most interesting of these modes is called Double-Driver. It’s a mode in which two people take control of one car on either one or two controllers. Should be a breeze for you Jaeger pilots out there.

Trackmania Turbo is set to release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC December 1, 2015!