- follows a warrior trying to piece together a mystery
- she wakes up missing part of her arm
- explore an open world
- attack enemies through gesture-based controls in first-person
- gain new powers by severing and attaching your enemies' body parts to yourself
- dungeon-crawler adventure
- take control over the upgrade paths
- due out 2015
- game world is completely open from the start with multiple branching paths
- big emphasis on exploration
- revisit locations you've been to before after gaining new abilities in order to access areas you couldn't before
- swipe via touch screen to take out enemies
- enemies have tells that show you when/how to attack
- use magic spells along with physical attacks
- you can use magic to blind enemies
- also use magic as a tool for exploration (being able to unlock doors)
- considering 3DS and Wii U
- aiming for an eight-hour experience
- music from the trailer is by the band Yamantaka // Sonic Titan
During Gearbox Software's PAX East 2014 panel this morning, fans got a quick peek at the incredibly limited starship that's coming in the equally limited collector's edition of the Homeworld Remastered. So pretty. Read more...
No one expected ninja tongue Pokémon Greninja
to show up in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS. I'm guessing there are many other places no one would expect him to show up. I'm thinking our Photoshop Gym Leaders can demonstrate. Read more...
Welcome to Kotaku's Sunday Comics, your weekly roundup of the best webcomics. The images enlarge if you click on the magnifying glass icon.Read more...
A world of adventure and death-defying stunts await PlayStation players this week thanks to a tremendous lineup of new games. Quest through enchanting vistas in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, or skim the clouds atop a motorbike in Trials Fusion.
The critically acclaimed MMO Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn formally launches on PS4 this week, opening Eorzea to the gaming masses. The massive adventure, rife with blades, spells, and quests, arrives on PS4 with enhanced visuals compared to its PS3 counterpart. Travel alone or with well-armed company in an effort to purge Eorzea of its evils and win fame and fortune.
Adrenaline addicts can look forward to Trials Fusion, which also lands on PS4 this week with high-flying tricks, outrageous courses, and a global leaderboard to climb. Race through the latest entry in this fan-favorite series and prepare for a few broken bones along the way — it’s not a walk in the park, people.
And the PS Vita shares some of the spotlight this week with No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either! Chain together combos, collect power-ups, and vanquish those pesky heroes that dare invade! Or forge relationships in Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars, and fashion a team of heroes with the power of… classmating.
Read on for a complete list, and enjoy the Drop!
New PlayStation Releases This Week
Backgammon BlitzPS3, PS4, PS Vita — Digital
Experience a game played for centuries, realized with cutting-edge visuals and new ways to play. Challenge a friend or play online. Learn the rich strategy and rhythm of backgammon and graduate from pupil to master.
Beyond: Two SoulsPS3 — Digital (Already Available at Retail)
Witness the latest thriller from the experienced storytellers at Quantic Dream. A supernatural tale following the haunting and difficult life of Jodie Holmes as she deals with her life-long connection to the spirit world.
Conception II: Children of the Seven StarsPS Vita — Digital, Retail
Monsters have invaded the world, and only those imbued with the power of the Star God can face them. But with so few warriors and so little time, the heroes must fuse their star power together to make magical Star Children.
EA Sports 2014 FIFA World Cup BrazilPS3 — Digital, Retail
Live the fun, drama, and thrill of football’s greatest event. Experience the renowned play of FIFA 14 with a plethora of improvements, including 100 new animations. Compete in authentic Brazilian stadiums and feel the energy of the World Cup at every play.
Ethan: Meteor HunterPS Vita — Digital (Already Available on PS3)
Navigate deadly puzzles as a super-powered rat, manipulating the environment to unravel physics-based challenges. Play through more than 50 levels across three different worlds. Instant respawns encourage “just one more try” play, even after repeated (and grisly) deaths.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornPS4 — Digital, Retail (Already Available on PS3)
Explore a land embraced by gods and forged by heroes. A robust MMO boasting a flexible class system that enables players to switch roles on a whim. Partake in bountiful quests and seek glory on the fields of battle in the continuation of the Final Fantasy legacy.
Hyper Crazy ClimberPSone Import — Digital
Released in Japan in 1996, this arcade classic tasks players with climbing up dizzying heights, dodging dangerous obstacles along the way. Choose between three characters and get climbing up clock towers, bean stalks, and haunted skyscrapers.
No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either!PS Vita — Digital
A free-to-play puzzle game with a devious sense of humor. Master the puzzle system, build up devastating combos, and defeat a train of obnoxious heroes. Because no heroes allowed, obviously.
Pure ChessPS4 — Digital
Experience one of the oldest board games in the world with realistic visuals, stunning backdrops, and varying sets. Learn the immense strategy of chess and climb ever closer to the coveted rank of grandmaster.
That Trivia GamePS4 — Digital
Face the AI or up to three friends in That Trivia Game. Featuring more than 1,000 questions spread across 20 different categories. Match wits at every round with 24 character combinations.
Trials FusionPS4 — Digital, Retail
Soar through the air and take on a jaw-dropping array of platform-racing challenges. Traverse obstacles and hunt for the top spot on global leaderboards with incredible tricks, and keep searching for the next insane track to tackle.
Demos and Betas
Backgammon Blitz — PS3, PS4, PS Vita Demo Trials Fusion — PS4 Demo
The information above is subject to change without notice.
For all of the technical wizardry going on behind the scenes, Left 4 Dead was a simple game: four players versus seemingly endless hordes of zombies, peppered with the occasional, amped-up special zombie. Evolve, the latest game from Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock Studios, trims down the number of bodies on screen while simultaneously introducing new layers of complexity. Evolve ditches the undead hordes for a single, player-controlled monster pitted against four player-controlled hunters. On the surface, it's a much simpler formula, until you realize that each hunter has their own individual set of weapons, items and abilities, and the monster is constantly evolving, steadily becoming stronger and more deadly as the round progresses. (You'll find our video preview from February after the break, if you want a better idea of how it all works.)
After trying my hand as the monster at PAX East - and losing, sadly - my first question to Executive Producer Denby Grace was obvious: How do you balance this? How do you make sure it's both fair and fun?
"There's just a bazillion little dials that we can twist," he says. "The biggest thing we do is we playtest a lot. We have a huge telemetry system built into it." Every match that Turtle Rock plays internally, whether by the development team or QA, brings with it lots of data, he says. "Every ability, every item, every weapon has its counter as well, on the opposing team. In that respect, we're very careful about not giving people a bunch of overpowered stuff. It's a real precision exercise, and it only comes out with playtesting, so we do a lot of it." Everyone in the studio, he says, plays around two hours of Evolve every day.
Sundays are for whatever you please. Don’t let me tell you what you can and can’t do. You’re free and the world is your lobster.
Richard Cobbett’s Patreon work is getting into swing. This past week he posted a video review of Heroine’s Quest, before doing something a little more unusual and writing a personal piece in Hearthstone, Anxiety And Me.
Man, Mom Brain is out of control in this show. She had a bit too much caffeine before we started, so she's bouncing off the walls a bit. Kirby and I try to control her, but we can only do so much!
- being considered for Wii, 3DS, or Wii U
- main character was Darth Maul
- Red Fly began handling prototype work in 2010 under the code name “Damage”
- project became a multiplatform release and shifted development to the Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC
- this was “due largely to Nintendo not meeting financial demands to make it a first-party project”
- game would explore the origin story of Maul’s transformation into a Sith Lord
- the game would center on stealth and action
- George Lucas also stepped in at one point and changed the project’s direction
- changed things to make Darth Maul and Darth Talon face off against Darth Krayt and his Sith army
- LucasArts also considered the possibility of purchasing Red Fly
- in June 2011, LucasArts ceased its communications for unspecified reasons
- they eventually sent out a letter stating that the game had been terminated
- Red Fly Studios did manage to continue on despite Darth Maul’s cancellation
- this cancellation lead to Red Fly having to lay off about 70 percent of its staffers
The Steam listing for Watch Dogs told us what we'll need to make the game function properly on PC, but Ubisoft's recent trailer offers a glimpse of Nvidia's visual effects, which we'll see firsthand on May 27. Check out the damp, shadowy, breezy scenery from the Windy City above.
[Image: Ubisoft]
Record Run, Harmonix's free-to-play, rhythmic runner that builds stages from the music library on a player's device, was announced yesterday at PAX East 2014. According to Polygon, project director John Drake announced today that the mobile game will reach Australia and Canada within a few weeks, with a wider launch on Android and iOS devices following in May.
As a song progresses, players will switch between lanes of pavement to snatch up levitating discs of vinyl. Aside from accumulating a massive record collection, Record Run-ners can take on missions with more specific objectives, like collecting a certain amount of records or points. Weekly leaderboards are planned as well, but all-time scores will also be viewable.
[Image: Harmonix]
Oh the times, they are a-changin'. Or rather, the times, they are a-stayin' the same, because once again, Rocksmith 2014 has new DLC for all aspiring guitarists on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. This time, it's rockabilly legend Bob Dylan's songs up for grabs. You can get "Like A Rolling Stone," "Just Like A Woman" and "Subterranean Homesick Blues" for $2.99 each or $7.99 for the three-song pack on Xbox Live, PSN or Steam.
As hard as some of Dylan's songs might be for your fingers, they'd be a whole lot harder if Rocksmith 2014 also required you to sing along in Dylan's voice.
[Image: Ubisoft]
Windows Phone and Windows RT, the Microsoft operating systems for the company's smartphones and tablets respectively, could be getting a little more ... epic in the future. Epic Games co-founder and CEO Tim Sweeney told forum-goers that the company is working on implementing its Unreal Engine 4 on mobile Microsoft platforms.
"We have been doing some work in this direction (implementing various levels of WinRT API support) and we want to have Windows Phone support eventually, but we're a very long way from having a ship-quality implementation," Sweeney wrote on the Epic forums. "Right now our mobile efforts are really focused on iOS and Android based on their huge market sizes. We have a lot of work to do on these platforms before expanding to other mobile platforms such as WP."
In other words, while we might see Unreal Engine 4 support on Windows Phone and Windows RT in the future, for now it's still more likely to hear or read "coming soon to iOS and Android" than it is "coming soon to Windows Phone."
[Image: Epic Games]
Last week I tasked our image manipulation experts with hiding am enormous prehistoric shark from the vengeful players
of Battlefield 4. Judging by the volume of entries we received, there isn't a single visible megalodon left in all of creation. Read more...
Titanfall developer Respawn announced at their PAX East panel today that they'll be bringing new modes, among various other tweaks, to their heartwarming game about soldiers and the robots they so dearly love. One such mode will be a 2v2 variant of Last Titan Standing, where all players begin with their walking deathmachines. Considering how well that went for us, maybe we'll stay away. But then, we're masochists, so ...
Respawn said that they'll also be introducing new ways to make the titular Titans more tantalizing: Titan-themed burn cards and Titan insignias are on the to-do list, as is a new matchmaking system that will let players use hashtags to filter through private games until they find one they like. Lastly, Respawn will also be introducing "rifts," which will introduce various tweaks to already-existing modes.
All these micro-updates will be free, while Titanfall's first DLC, Expedition, will cost $10.
[Image: EA]
Reminder - today's the last day to take advantage of Target's Buy 2, Get 1 Free Video Game sale!
As per the usual, Gamestop is quick to the draw with pre-order offers - this time, for the upcoming Tomodachi Life for 3DS. I expect we'll see this title available for pre-order from many popular retailers eventually - I'll try and keep everyone updated with the latest offers!
Walmart has a number of 3DS XL system deals at the moment, with a few worth mentioning. Each of these offers include free shipping and handling - bonus.
First up is the Walmart exclusive Disney Magical World Limited Edition 3DS XL, available now for $199.16. Unfortunately, no software is bundled along with, but I can see the appeal for system collectors and diehard Disney fans.
If you'd like a game or two with your hardware purchase, Walmart is bundling the Dream Team Special Edition 3DS XL - with digital Mario & Luigi: Dream Team pre-installed - along with Paper Mario: Sticker Star and a Mario themed travel case for $194.97. Not a bad deal, considering the Dream Team Special Edition actually costs a bit more when unbundled.
Finally, Walmart is also offering Mario Party: Island Tour free with the purchase of a 3DS XL Blue/Black or Red/Black system. No fancy special edition with this bundle, but the game + system for $199.96 isn't bad. Certainly a better deal than paying two hundred for a system solo.
And that's a wrap! Be sure to hit the jump for all of today's Wii, Wii U, 3DS and DS game deals, plus the latest 3DS and Wii U pre-order offers & bonuses. Thanks for reading!
Phil Spencer is the new head of Xbox, and as he said multiple times last month, he's all about the games. But what does that mean? Where did Phil "Gaming" Spencer get his start at Microsoft? What's his favorite game? Gamer game gaming. Games? Games. Xbox spokesman Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb recently gamed spoke with Spencer about his new position, giving us all a little more insight into the man now running Xbox. You can watch the interview above.
In the interview, Hryb asks Spencer to recollect his history with Microsoft and asks why he's stuck around with the company for so long. Spencer says it's because he believes in the people there and their enthusiasm. Hryb also asks Spencer to choose his favorite game that he worked on. We'll give you a couple guesses to see if you can figure it out.
Nope. Sorry, not that either. Give up? Voodoo Vince. "You think about all that I've worked on: I've worked on Halos, I've worked on Gears of War, I've worked on Forzas, games that are just amazing, fantastic games," Spencer told Hryb. "But to me, it's really about the memories that are created and the fun that you have when you play games. And I'll always remember Voodoo Vince and finishing it with my daughters."
New PlayStation Releases This Week
Backgammon Blitz
PS3, PS4, PS Vita — Digital
Experience a game played for centuries, realized with cutting-edge visuals and new ways to play. Challenge a friend or play online. Learn the rich strategy and rhythm of backgammon and graduate from pupil to master.
Beyond: Two Souls
PS3 — Digital (Already Available at Retail)
Witness the latest thriller from the experienced storytellers at Quantic Dream. A supernatural tale following the haunting and difficult life of Jodie Holmes as she deals with her life-long connection to the spirit world.
Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars
PS Vita — Digital, Retail
Monsters have invaded the world, and only those imbued with the power of the Star God can face them. But with so few warriors and so little time, the heroes must fuse their star power together to make magical Star Children.
EA Sports 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
PS3 — Digital, Retail
Live the fun, drama, and thrill of football’s greatest event. Experience the renowned play of FIFA 14 with a plethora of improvements, including 100 new animations. Compete in authentic Brazilian stadiums and feel the energy of the World Cup at every play.
Ethan: Meteor Hunter
PS Vita — Digital (Already Available on PS3)
Navigate deadly puzzles as a super-powered rat, manipulating the environment to unravel physics-based challenges. Play through more than 50 levels across three different worlds. Instant respawns encourage “just one more try” play, even after repeated (and grisly) deaths.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
PS4 — Digital, Retail (Already Available on PS3)
Explore a land embraced by gods and forged by heroes. A robust MMO boasting a flexible class system that enables players to switch roles on a whim. Partake in bountiful quests and seek glory on the fields of battle in the continuation of the Final Fantasy legacy.
Hyper Crazy Climber
PSone Import — Digital
Released in Japan in 1996, this arcade classic tasks players with climbing up dizzying heights, dodging dangerous obstacles along the way. Choose between three characters and get climbing up clock towers, bean stalks, and haunted skyscrapers.
No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either!
PS Vita — Digital
A free-to-play puzzle game with a devious sense of humor. Master the puzzle system, build up devastating combos, and defeat a train of obnoxious heroes. Because no heroes allowed, obviously.
Pure Chess
PS4 — Digital
Experience one of the oldest board games in the world with realistic visuals, stunning backdrops, and varying sets. Learn the immense strategy of chess and climb ever closer to the coveted rank of grandmaster.
That Trivia Game
PS4 — Digital
Face the AI or up to three friends in That Trivia Game. Featuring more than 1,000 questions spread across 20 different categories. Match wits at every round with 24 character combinations.
Trials Fusion
PS4 — Digital, Retail
Soar through the air and take on a jaw-dropping array of platform-racing challenges. Traverse obstacles and hunt for the top spot on global leaderboards with incredible tricks, and keep searching for the next insane track to tackle.
Demos and Betas
Backgammon Blitz — PS3, PS4, PS Vita Demo
