Tag Archives: Video games

Microsoft dominates gamescom in Germany with Xbox One games lineup, software enhancements & welcome hardware additions

This week Microsoft took over gamescom, the world’s biggest video games expo (even better than E3!) in Cologne, Germany. The Xbox maker hosted a media briefing, while the competition–namely, Sony and Nintendo–sat on the sidelines this go-around. The briefing played mostly like a reiteration of Microsoft’s E3 presentation, highlighting Xbox’s “greatest games lineup in history.” Numerous upcoming titles were previewed. Among the most prominent are these Xbox One exclusives: Remedy Games’ Quantum Leap, a “cinematic, story-driven action game” with a live action show baked inside is to Xbox One on April 5, 2016. Actors Shawn Ashmore (X-MenThe Following), Dominic Monaghan (Lost), Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones), and Lance Reddick (Fringe) are among the talent lending their likeness to the game. ReAgent’s cooking up Crackdown 3, the next installment in the third-person open world shooter, and it lands on Xbox One in summer 2016. It supports a 4-person co-operative campaign mode. Befriend a dragon in PlatinumGames’ Scalebound, an action-adventure RPG from renowned game director Hideki Kamiya, coming fall 2016. Killer Instinct Season 3 arrives in March with cross-platform functionality across Xbox One and Windows 10. From Mojang (the makers of Mincraft) and Oxeye Game Studio comes Cobalt, a new 2D platformer with multiplayer support. This one is coming to Xbox One and the 360 in October; the alpha version is out now for PC and Mac today. KickStarted game We Happy Few, from Compulsion Games, is a first-person stealth game that looks to be as unsettling as it does fun; it’s due out sometime next year for Xbox One and Windows 10. Halo Wars 2, from 343 Industries and Creative Assembly (Total WarAlien: Isolation), capped the briefing and received big applause from the press in the audience. The sequel to the 2009 real-time strategy game is coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 in fall 2016.

For more from Xbox at gamescom, including software updates and new hardware announcements, jump after the break. Continue reading Microsoft dominates gamescom in Germany with Xbox One games lineup, software enhancements & welcome hardware additions

Nintendo pioneer Satoru Iwata rides the rainbow road into the sky

The passing of Nintendo President & CEO Satoru Iwata affected me greatly the moment I learned about it. I was casually scrolling my Twitter feed when the news broke: Iwata, at age 55, passed away due to a bile duct tumor. And just like that, the video games community lost an innovator and an icon.

It was Iwata who pioneered Nintendo’s journey into the future of gaming, leading the development of the game-changing Nintendo DS handheld and the motion-controlled Nintendo Wii console. These devices went on to shape the current state of the industry. The DS eventually evolved into the 3DS, dominating the games portability market and rivaling what iPhones and Android sets have to offer. The Wii’s successor, the Wii U, continues to pump out grade-A first-party games that finally bring Mario and friends into the world of high definition. The motion control input which first debuted in the original Wii spawned intense competition from the likes of Microsoft and its hands-free motion capture camera, Kinect. Sony also offers a camera of its own, and soon it will take advantage of a virtual reality headset codenamed Project Morpheus. In sum, Iwata was the brains behind an originally outlandish concept that would soon take the industry by storm. Kinect, Morpheus, and even VR startup Oculus have Iwata to thank for his ability to properly gauge and cater to gamers with new modes of gameplay.

In addition to running Nintendo and coming up with brilliant innovations, Iwata knew how to connect with his company’s fanbase on a number of levels. He came up with “Iwata Asks,” a series of in-depth interviews he hosted alongside creators of major titles coming to Nintendo’s systems. He also put a spotlight on his incredible sense of humor, having fun when making big announcements at E3 and during Nintendo Direct web videos. All in all, he was a CEO with heart and a true passion for video games. And with that, I leave you with a powerful quote:

“On my business card, I am a corporate president. In my mind, I am a game developer. But in my heart, I am a gamer.” – Satoru Iwata, RIP.

[Image via PeachBunni]

E3 2015: Nintendo wields nostalgia factor to celebrate 30 years of Mario (also, Star Fox is coming!)

As is tradition for Nintendo now, the house that built Mario did not commit to a stage for its E3 briefing but instead hosted its very own “Digital Event” on YouTube. Every year Nintendo has an obscene amount of fun with their E3 events, and this year’s hour-long showcase was no different. The theme this go-around was puppets. That’s right–company President and CEO Satoru Iwata, Nintendo of America’s President and COO Reggie Fils-Amie, and influencial Ninty game producer Shigeru Miyamoto all took the form of puppets for the 2015 Digital Event. If you fancy yourself a Nintendo fanboy or fangirl, you cracked up along with me when Fils-Amie was introduced by performing (Nintendo) 64 push-ups and proclaiming, “My puppet body is ready!”

The entirety of Ninty’s Digital Event was comprised of game unveilings and the introduction of some new amiibo figures. Fils-Amie let loose pretty early on that the company would not be discussing its next console codenamed NX; expect more information regarding it next year. 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of the original Super Mario Bros., so there’s more pressing game-related announcements at hand! For the full breakdown of games coming soon to Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, jump after the break. Continue reading E3 2015: Nintendo wields nostalgia factor to celebrate 30 years of Mario (also, Star Fox is coming!)

E3 2015: Sony relies on classic franchises to invigorate the PS4

Sony is second to show off its latest wares at E3 2015. Following Microsoft’s impressive lineup of first and third party games coming to Xbox One this year and beyond, was Sony about to keep up and keep the hits coming? Jump after the break for the full rundown. Continue reading E3 2015: Sony relies on classic franchises to invigorate the PS4

E3 2015: Microsoft kicks Xbox One into high gear with exciting games lineup and backwards compatibility

Microsoft kicked off E3 2015 with a media briefing that mostly included first-looks at anticipated game sequels and new IPs, and also a dash of exciting software and hardware announcements. It’s all for you after the break. Continue reading E3 2015: Microsoft kicks Xbox One into high gear with exciting games lineup and backwards compatibility

‘Grand Theft Auto’ gets the “real life” treatment

It’s always fun when gamers attempt to recreate their favorite games in real life. But I haven’t ever stumbled across something like this before: special effects production house Digital Corridor has imagined what Grand Theft Auto would look like if that crazy happenings from the game went down in the real world. From stealing bikes and cars to a bloody gunfight in the street, “Real GTA” makes the game a surreal reality, tongue-in-cheek the entire time. Enjoyed the clip? Click here to see how they made it.

Hideo Kojima/Guillermo del Toro/Norman Reedus ‘Silent Hills’ game is dead

It’s with a heavy heart that I must report that Silent Hills, the highly anticipated next chapter in the classic horror video game franchise, is dead.

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth), and actor Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead) were all set to collaborate on the game that was first announced last summer at Gamescon. The title’s unveiling was a memorable one: Sony announced a mysterious new horror game from unknown developer 7780s Studio called P.T. Gamers would go on to download the “playable teaser” on PS4 and upon completing the haunting demo they’d discover it was actually a conceptual first-look at Silent Hills, a new installment in the long-running franchise from Kojima Productions, with del Toro producing and Reedus starring.

del Toro first broke the unfortunate news at the San Francisco International Film Festival. “It’s not gonna happen and that breaks my greasy heart,” he told a crowd. Reedus would soon comment on it as well. “Super bummed about this was really looking forward to it. Hopefully it’ll come back around. Sorry everyone,” he tweeted.

Kojima, on the other hand, has not shared public remarks on the matter. That’s likely because he and Silent Hill publisher Konami are no longer on good terms following a certain falling out. It’s been reported that Kojima is parting ways with Konami following the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The publisher has stated that it will continue to make MGS titles without the franchise’s coveted creator; this fact, mind you, does not sit well with me. Though there is no direct evidence connecting the demise of Silent Hills with Kojima’s exit from Konami, it’s easy to lay blame here.

Konami confirmed the sour news with this: “Konami is committed to new Silent Hill titles, however the embryonic ‘Silent Hills’ project developed with Guillermo del Toro and featuring the likeness of Norman Reedus will not be continued. In terms of Kojima and Del Toro being involved, discussions on future Silent Hill projects are currently underway, and please stay tuned for further announcements.”

As of April 29, the Silent Hills demo P.T. is no longer available for download on the PlayStation Network. Konami was forced to pull it since its contract period with actor Reedus had expired. Hope you had the right mind to scoop it up while you had the chance. Though it was billed as a demo, it will go down in history as one of my favorite games. Stunning graphics, intense puzzles, and effective scare tactics make it one to remember. A damn shame that’s all we’re going to get.

Update: I’m back to make your depressive slump a little less, erm, excruciating. After playing through P.T., again, for the fourth time, because it’s bloody awesome, I got stuck (like always) during the final puzzle where you have to get “the second baby laugh” and the telephone to ring. So I took to the ‘Net to see if anyone has, at long last, figured out a solid solution to complete the demo. Lucky me, I stumbled upon TheGrateDebate, a YouTube channel hosted by a couple gamers solely dedicated to Silent Hill lore. Not only do they provide a solution to the final P.T. puzzle (whisper “Jareth” into a connected mic to trigger the second baby laugh)–they also explain in a 10-minute video how they discovered the ingenious ticket to the Silent Hills teaser. Additionally, they intelligently deduce that Silent Hills may have been a virtual reality title headed to Sony’s Project Morpheus. And then there’s the sprawling 40-minute clip “The Story of P.T.” where they piece together all the clues featured in the demo to try and tell the haunting narrative in a compelling way. Perhaps our collective obsession over all things P.T. and Silents Hills might will the game back into existence. If that doesn’t happen, we’ll always have the addicting demo to replay over and over again. Just make sure that you never delete it from your PS4’s HDD; Konami has removed it from the PlayStation Store.

[Via BloodyDisgusting; Eurogamer]

Star Wars stand-alone pic ‘Rogue One’ details surface; ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ game trailer inside

The Star Wars Celebration convention continues. Mere days after unveiling the universally enjoyable second teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a second panel packed with franchise fans would parcel fresh intel regarding one of the two upcoming Star Wars stand-alone films. Today’s panel was originally supposed to feature Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank, but the latter director was a no-show due to an illness. So, only Edwards’ Rogue One spinoff film was discussed, and Trank’s still untitled Star Wars pic wasn’t brought up. Moving on!

Godzilla director Edwards was joined on stage by Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and Kiri Hart. First and foremost, we’ve got a description for Rogue One: “A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans,” spills Star Wars’ official Twitter feed. At the panel, it was confirmed that The Theory of Everything‘s Felicity Jones will star as a Rebel soldier.

A brief teaser was screened at the panel; Lucasfilms has yet to post a clean copy of it online, but that never stopped the Internet before. You can search YouTube for cell phone recordings but be quick about it–they’ll be pulled before long. In case you can’t find it, here’s a quick description of the action. It opens with narration from Alec Guinness who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars film. The dialogue pulled from A New Hope went like this: “For more than a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.” The visuals start on a planet teeming with lush forestry. As the camera starts panning towards a bright sky, a TIE Fighter zooms by heading for what appears to be the planet’s nearby moon. As we follow it fly away, we realize that’s no moon–it’s the original Death Star hanging beyond the clouds. The teaser goes black, and just as solider radio coms chatter starts to get hectic, the Star Wars Rogue One title card appears.

Be mindful that this footage was made in collaboration with the folks at Industrial Light & Magic specially for this reveal. Edwards and his team are currently in pre-production with shooting set to begin this summer. The clip is a mere taste of what’s to come. In addition to the footage, concept art was also displayed for the rabid crowd; it depicts soldiers storming onto a rainy, muddy planet.

Edwards briefly expanded on Rogue One. “It’s the reality of war. Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good. It’s complicated, layered; a very rich scenario in which to set a movie,” he said. Don’t expect the film’s main set of characters to bring down their enemies with The Force or other mythological powers, because they won’t. Edwards says, “It comes down to a group of individuals who don’t have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy.” Sounds like a much more grounded, realistic approach to the franchise, one we haven’t yet seen. Edwards’ spinoff is very much a war movie; the director cited Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down as inspirations. “It’s called Star … Wars,” he reminded the crowd. In terms of where it fits in the Star Wars timeline: Edwards confirmed Rogue One takes place after Revenge of the Sith and before A New Hope.

Expanding Star Wars‘ inherently sci-fi tendencies and pushing the franchise’s genre in new directions is, in fact, the point here. “The idea behind these movies is that Star Wars, as much as it is a set of stories and characters we know, it’s also a place–a place we can explore in terms of character and time,” said Hart. Edwards’ Rogue One will showcase a heist story set in a gritty, war-torn environment with relatable soldiers who wield no magic. Though we don’t have information to go on yet about Trank’s spinoff, his film is also set to play with the genre and inject new storytelling elements into the franchise.

We should stop using the term “spinoff films” at this point, since Kennedy and Hart introduced a new branding term for all non-trilogy franchise films. All spinoff/standalone movies set in the Star Wars universe are to be referred to as films in the “Star Wars Anthology Series.”

Star Wars Rogue One, the first Star Wars Anthology Series film, is slated to hit theatres December 16, 2016.

An incredible look at Electronic Arts’ video game Star Wars: Battlefront waits after the break. Continue reading Star Wars stand-alone pic ‘Rogue One’ details surface; ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ game trailer inside

Rock on: ‘Guitar Hero’ returns with all new ways to play

Guitar Hero is dead. Long live Guitar Hero! More, long live the rhythm-based video game genre!

In March, Harmonix–the developers behind Guitar Hero (2005), its 2006 sequel, and spinoff Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (2007)–announced the revival of Rock Band with the fourth iteration in that long-running game franchise. Today, Activision followed suit by unveiling an unapologetically bold take on Rock Band‘s competitor, Guitar Hero. That’s right–the title that started the rhythm-based revolution is coming to current-gen consoles and it’s packed with fresh songs, a retooled guitar peripheral, and most exciting, new forms of gameplay.

Jump after the break for all the juicy details. Continue reading Rock on: ‘Guitar Hero’ returns with all new ways to play

Sony teases Batman-themed limited-edition PS4 ahead of ‘Arkham Knight’ release

Sony’s got a new PS4 SKU in the works. No, it’s not quite as fancy (or incredibly rare) as the previously released 20th Anniversary console, but it’s something! Especially if you’re a fan of the Caped Crusader. To celebrate the upcoming summer release of the third and final entry in the Batman: Arkham video game trilogy, Sony is producing limited edition hardware featuring custom artwork. For $449.99, you can get the steel grey PS4 with a custom Batman: Arkham Knight faceplate, a matching steel grey DualShock 4 wireless controller, and of course a copy of Arkham Knight. Sony will also be selling an Arkham Knight bundle that includes the title and a standard jet black console and matching controller for $399.99. Both bundles will launch alongside the game on June 23. Preorder today.

[Via PS Blog]

Discover the Master Chief’s origins in ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ exploratory marketing campaign [Update: Two new trailers inside]

Microsoft’s expansive marketing campaign for Halo 5: Guardians begins now. Watch the helmet-shattering teaser trailer above and at the end you’ll notice the hashtag #HuntTheTruth. Shortly after the televised teaser launch, MSFT opened up a “Hunt the Truth” Tumbler that further explores the mystery behind the shrouded plot of the upcoming game. Fictional journalist and war photographer Benjamin Giraud hosts a weekly podcast that promises an in-depth profile of the Master Chief with an aim to uncover the truth behind his origins and motives. Fans of the Xbox franchise (myself included) are going to eat this up.

Halo 5: Guardians is expected to release this fall on Xbox One.

Update (3/29): Microsoft unleashed two extended trailers for Halo 5: Guardians tonight during the season finale of The Walking Dead on AMC. The first features Spartan Locke threatening Master Chief: “All hail the conquering hero. The one who was supposed to save us all. But now I must save us from you.” The second spot reverses the roles, with Master Chief pointing his weapon and saying, “You’ve completed your mission, Spartan Locke.” What’s happening?! See for yourself after the break. Also confirmed: the next Halo comes exclusively to Xbox One on October 27. Continue reading Discover the Master Chief’s origins in ‘Halo 5: Guardians’ exploratory marketing campaign [Update: Two new trailers inside]

Nintendo wants to be on smart devices, still committed to home-brewed hardware

It won’t be long before you can find Mario on your smartphone. After years of denying the importance of the smart device app space (read: games for phones, tablets, laptop PCs), Nintendo is changing its stance by debuting a new partnership and initiative to bring new games to consumers based on Nintendo intellectual property. Ninty has partnered with Tokyo-based developer DeNA (pronounced “D-N-A”) to make apps. “The alliance is intended to complement Nintendo’s dedicated video game systems business and extend Nintendo’s reach into the vast market of smart device users worldwide,” reads a press release. The PR also notes that “only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created;” what this means is that you should not expect ports of classic Nintendo titles such as Super Mario 64 and Donkey Kong Country to land on your iPhone. In addition, the video game companies are collaborating on an online membership service that will tie together consumers playing these new apps across devices including the Wii U home console and the 3DS handheld.

With Nintendo entering the highly lucrative app arena, does this mark the beginning of the end for Nintendo-made home consoles? Shortly after announcing its initiative with DeNA–on the same day, even–the house that build Mario made it abundantly clear that it is not ditching its core consumer base. In fact, they went on to confirm a followup to the Wii U and it’s codenamed “NX.” Here’s all the company revealed about it during a press conference: “Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated games platform with a brand new concept under the development codename NX.” Nintendo fanboys and fangirls, you can breathe a little bit easier now! Still, I’m certainly excited to see how Nintendo will go about making its mark in the crowded mobile app space.