Monday 31 October 2016
The Director Of Deadpool Is Developing Sony's Sonic The Hedgehog Movie
If you're feeling a little confused after reading that headline, well, uh, it's real. It's a thing that's happening, according to The Hollywood Reporter:
Just over a week after stepping away from Deadpool, director Tim Miller has set his sights on a new gig: developing an adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog for Sony Pictures. Miller and his longtime Blur Studio collaborator Jeff Fowler have been tapped to work on the project, on which Fowler would make his feature directorial debut.
The film is apparently intended to be a CGI-animated/live-action hybrid and family-oriented. Just to make sure we're clear here: we're talking about the director of the critically acclaimed and absolutely filthy Marvel comic adaptation suddenly developing a movie around everyone's favorite hedgehog.
[Source: The Hollywood Reporter]
Our Take
I got nothing, y'all.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/the-director-of-deadpool-is-developing-sonys-sonic-the-hedgehog-movie.aspx
Rumor: A Snapshot On A Subway Might Have Revealed The Name Of The Next Tomb Raider Game
Rise of the Tomb Raider was one of our favorite games from last year and tons of players have been eagerly awaiting news of a follow-up. Both Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix has been pretty mum on the subject but a snapshot of a laptop by a traveler on the subway in Montreal might have just let the priceless artifact out of the bag.
Here's the picture:
The text is a bit blurry but you can make out "Shadow Of The Tomb Raider" up there in the top right corner. Could this be the name of Lara's next big adventure? Kotaku claims to have sources telling them that the game title is legitimate.
We reached out for a comment from Square Enix and they wrote back immediately, saying "We don't comment on rumors and speculation."
[Source: Reddit]
Our Take
It's worth noting that this could be the name for anything Tomb Raider related. A mobile title. Tie-in comic or novel. It could also just be a working title. Or it could be someone's idea of a goof. We'll have to wait to find out. Until then it's probably best to take the title with a fair amount of skepticism.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/rumor-a-snapshot-on-a-subway-might-have-revealed-the-name-of-the-next-tomb-raider-game.aspx
Treat Yourself With These Ten Games That Capture The Halloween Spirit
Most Halloween game lists are full of various horror titles. While titles like The Last of Us or Dead Space are certainly worth playing during Halloween, October's holiday is about more than scares. Some Halloween classics have a sense of spooky mystery, while others have a playful atmosphere of childlike wonder. All of these games may not scare your pants off, but they're easily some of the best games to get you into the spirit of Halloween.
Kingdom Hearts
For many people, the classic Halloween movie is The Nightmare Before Christmas. So when an entire world was based on it in the first Kingdom Hearts, the game became a Halloween staple by proxy alone. The location has since appeared in other games, but Kingdom Hearts' was the first rendition that truly explored it the most. The level design is filled with spooky locales as you visit iconic locations from the movie like Spiral Hill or Oogie's Mansion. This level alone makes the Kingdom Hearts series an instant Halloween classic.
Costume Quest
One of the most important things about Halloween is experiencing it with child-like wonder. It's hard to capture that but Double Fine managed to in their aptly named Costume Quest. An amazingly written comedy game with simple but solid RPG elements, even the mechanics follow the Halloween aesthetic. Candy counts as currency, costumes dictate the character's classes and trick or treating is highly encouraged. Since the game takes place on Halloween (with some Christmas DLC) the world is filled with decorations and interactive festivities. Even better still are the gamut of costumes available from robots and unicorns to French fries and a giant eyeball. The over the top battles and cute writing makes this game feel like Halloween through a child's eyes.
Animal Crossing
Decorating is a big part of any Halloween celebration. So what better way to get in the mood than to decorate your whole house in cute pumpkin furniture or like a mad scientist's laboratory? You can also scare other villagers into giving you candy to exchange a special character for more furniture, adding to the cycle of decorating, which is better than dealing with this game's real horror: crushing real estate debt.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Nothing screams Halloween more than a haunted house and anyone who has spent a night alone in a creaky old mansion knows how spooky it can be. Luigi, despite being labeled a coward, manages to do it for two games! While the first Luigi's Mansion set the ground work, its sequel Dark Moon built off that solid foundation. There have been quite a few games set in haunted mansions, but Nintendo's attention to detail makes this series stand out. Luigi jumps out of fear and nervously hums as he combs through each mansion's various puzzles and traps. The playhouse style took advantage of the 3DS' hardware and strengthened the ghost story aspect, which makes playing Dark Moon feel like sitting around a campfire telling tall tales.
Until Dawn
It's a story almost as old as time: a group of teenagers decide to spend a night at a cabin in the woods until their night of debauchery turns into one of horror as they get picked off one by one. It's a perfect Halloween movie trope that Until Dawn nails thanks to its realistic graphics. Actors went through strenuous mo-cap sessions so that everything done in the game felt more lifelike. Each action a player takes has a "butterfly effect" that changes events later in the game. This makes each playthrough horrifically unique, ensuring that even friends who are just watching are also entertained.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Majora's Mask isn't a traditional Halloween game but it's filled with similar themes. The town is putting together a festival to celebrate the passage of time, not knowing they're counting down to their own demise. Link wears masks, which grant him new abilities. Even the antagonist Skull Kid is particularly creepy. The entire game is filled with this looming dread as you constantly go through a Groundhog Day-esque death spiral in order to save the town. This story is still largely up for debate as people try to figure out the true meaning behind Majora's Mask. Considering the game's quality writing and atmosphere, it's no wonder this game is still considered one of the strangest Zelda games to date.
Grim Fandango
Life sucks and then you die, except in Tim Schafer's classic adventure game there's a lot more paperwork. You play as Manuel "Manny" Calavera, an undead travel agent who helps souls reach their final destination. Each year on the Day of the Dead, souls are allowed to come back to visit their living loved ones. This may sound dreary but this classic adventure game has amazing writing thanks to the folks at LucasArts. While it isn't a traditional Halloween game, Grim Fandango is based on the Day of the Dead which is a sort of cultural equivalent. It's a treat to see a film noir style game that has characters which grow during the story's four year arc. The recent Double Fine remaster is your best bet if you want to try out this refreshing take on life after death.
Bully
Pranks are just as much a part of the Halloween spirit as candy or costumes, but no game nails this quite as well as Bully. Since the game takes place over an entire school year, eventually October rolls around with plenty of mischief to cause. Players can smash pumpkins, throw eggs at people or set off fireworks all in an effort to cause trouble. Various authority figures aren't around for this event, so there's no worry about being caught. It's an excellent excuse for a day of debauchery even if people make fun of your lame costume.
Monster Bash
The oldest game on this list, Apogee used to make plenty of shareware games that allowed users to play through the first part for free and then pay for the rest of the game. This meant many of the first levels of those games were easily accessible to kids. While Halloween Harry (unfortunately renamed to Alien Carnage) would seem more in line with the holiday spirit, it doesn't hold a candle to Monster Bash. When the Johhny Dash's dog gets kidnapped by the villain, he grabs his trusty slingshot and enlists the help of a few monsters to get through 28 horror-themed levels. Players have to collect candy for extra points or voodoo dolls for extra lives. This cute platformer was light on scares but was easy enough to pick up and play. It was fairly simplistic but is an interesting history lesson on early Halloween games that were done right.
Darkstalkers
If someone turned a playground argument of who would win in a fight between a vampire, a mummy, and Frankenstein's monster into a video game it would probably look like Darkstalkers. This series was originally built with the same hardware that powered Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 3, which helped give the series its solid mechanics. While some of the characters are a bit sexual, all the classic movie monsters are here: vampires, werewolves, zombies, and even little red riding hood make up the cast of this spooky brawler. Levels keep to the same motif, letting you fight in spooky cemeteries, abandoned towns, and even in front of a giant demon fetus. While the flagship character, Morrigan Aesland, has crossed over to other titles, the majority of the cast for this game are only accessible in a few releases like the most recent Darkstalkers Resurrection. Unfortunately that'll probably be the best way to play the games as Capcom doesn't seem to have plans for the franchise right now.
Scares aren't the only thing a game needs to get people into the Halloween spirit. Mechanics and DLC can help a game be themed for the season, but it takes a little more than that to also be a great game. Still sometimes it's amazing to just sit back and enjoy something particularly eerie, so I hope a few games on this list help you to have a happy Halloween.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/10/31/treat-yourself-with-these-ten-games-that-capture-the-halloween-spirit.aspx
Shadow Warrior 2 Launches Collector's Edition
If you wanted a convenient way to catch up on all the Shadow Warrior games, then Shadow Warrior 2's Special Reserve Collector's Edition has got you covered. For $59.99, this Collector's Edition contains the special editions of the original Shadow Warrior Classic Redux, the 2013 remake Shadow Warrior, and Shadow Warrior 2 along with soundtracks for each game, custom stickers, and a 96-page artbook.
The limited boxed version is available now exclusively on the Devolver Digital store and each of the 5,000 boxes comes with a randomly-generated blood splatter. Current Shadow Warrior 2 and Shadow Warrior 2 Deluxe owners can upgrade to the Collector's Edition for $9.99 or $19.99 respectively.
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For more on Shadow Warrior 2, check out the launch trailer here.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/shadow-warrior-2-launches-collectors-edition.aspx
The Concourse I Asked The World’s Foremost Ethicist If It’s Okay To Have A Revolution | The Slot Don
The Concourse I Asked The World’s Foremost Ethicist If It’s Okay To Have A Revolution | The Slot Donna Brazile Resigns From CNN After Leaked Emails Show Her Giving Clinton Debate Questions in Advance | Gizmodo The Venom From This Snake Will Make Your Life a Living Hell | Jezebel Harvard Women’s Soccer Team Responds to the Men Who Wrote a ‘Report’ on Their Hotness |
from Kotaku http://kinjaroundup.kinja.com/1788418345
The Sports Desk – The Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 Afterwords
Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 is the best iteration of the series to date (click for my review), including captivating gameplay and a full suite of modes, features, and licenses. We had a chance to chat with Andre Bronzoni, the PES brand manager for the Americas about the title, the decisions made during development, and where it may be going after its release.
You announced plans for the first two free updates. Are you fulfilling your update schedule as you originally planned before launch? Have you also been able to make the bug fixes and changes you like with this schedule?
Yes, when we originally planned our data pack schedule we anticipated for improvements and things to fix according to the feedback we received during launch. We're also leveraging our monthly server maintenance to improve things in the game.
You have made fixes to address online stability problems. Currently, is the online as stable as you want it to be?
It's stable and currently running well according to the latest feedback from our fans, but there's still room for improvements in order to run the way we want it to.
For 2017, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund are among your highlighted licenses. Are these multi-year deals? PES 2016 featured a Manchester United license, but that has expired for 2017. In general, in your opinion are licenses that are only in the game for a limited time or for a year valuable?
We can't discuss details into our licenses, but I can tell you we've had Manchester United for the past eight years (PES 2009-PES 2016), while some of our licensing deals have been on a year-to-year basis. We're constantly evaluating what partnerships work best for the game and ultimately for our fans, and player feedback is something that drives much of the decision. We're changing the way we do things, and our first big step has been our premium partnership with FC Barcelona and our deals with Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, alongside deals in South America.
Has Konami's overall reduction of console titles affected the franchise and/or PES Productions as a developer?
Personally, I think it has temporarily shifted the focus and the spotlight to PES. As you can see in this year's release, we are starting to fulfill more and more of our fans' expectations. PES 2017 is one of the best titles the series has seen yet, and we're excited about its reception by fans.
Could a future update for the game address the lack of A.I. teams signing players in Master League and/or address the high amounts of money the A.I. pays for old players?
We spend a lot of time listening to the feedback and surveys from our fans and consumers, as we try to improve and fix those areas in the game. I can't tell you if that will be an update at this time, but we're considering all feedback.
Now that the game's been out for a while and you've gotten user data, what modes are people spending most of their time with? Any surprises?
No big surprises here. As you probably suspect, people are spending their time on myClub, Online Divisions, and Master League.
In MyClub, can you explain why users can't sell their scouts in the Auction House?
For PES 2016, the feedback we received was the ability to acquire the players you want or even players to fill a specific position. Therefore, we created the scout auction house to meet those demands. We still haven't decided on the transfer market for players or scouts, which is why you haven't seen those implemented in the game just yet.
Some of the series' presentation elements (commentary, menu design) have been the same the past few years. Is this a part of the game fans can expect to be updated in the future?
I can't share much about what elements we are currently working on for the future of PES as we don't want to spoil any surprises, but yes, those are some of the things we know our fans expect us to improve in the future.
Can you explain why option files aren't available for Xbox systems and what it would take to possibly change the situation?
Using Sony's USB import-export options has been an easier process for us. The situation is a little different with Microsoft, but we're working with them on trying to address that.
How long do you intend to release PES titles for the last generation of hardware?
Many of our fans, especially in Central and South America, are still playing on PS3 and Xbox 360 so we can't let them down. PES 2017 was the number-one downloaded game on PS3 last September according to Sony, so we plan to support last generation as long as it makes sense.
Missed some of the previous Sports Desk entries? Take a look at the past installments via our Hub page by clicking on the banner below.
Have a suggestion or comment? Put it in the comments section below, send me an email, or reach me on twitter at @mattkato.
RELEASE LIST
Franchise Hockey Manager 3 (PC, Mac) October
Football Manager 17 (PC, Mac, Linux) November 4
Motorsport Manager (PC, Mac) November 10 (check out more about the game in this previous Sports Desk)
Steep (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) December 2
THE TICKER
A quick rundown of some of the sports news from the week.
Ken Griffey Jr. Makes The Cover Of MLB Show 17
For information on the game's various special editions, click here.
Predicting The Season With NBA 2K17
NBA 2K17's First Patch Coming; Enables Roster Updates
The Infinite Air Launch Trailer
Ubisoft Announces the Steep Open Beta
Sega Announces Deal to Make Games For Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/10/31/the-sports-desk-the-pro-evolution-soccer-2017-afterwords.aspx
Head Of Xbox Phil Spencer Talks Scorpio And Beyond
Editor's Note: The following article first appeared in Game Informer Australia and is written by David Milner. You can follow him on Twitter here.
In his two and a half years as head of Xbox, Phil Spencer has overseen a dramatic change in direction for the Xbox One, going a long way towards restoring goodwill amongst the gaming community. Many of the unpopular decisions that saw the console quickly fall into second place behind Sony’s PlayStation 4 – the inability to trade and share games, a heavy emphasis on Kinect and non-gaming content, and the always-online requirements of the console – have been overturned.
Spencer has brought Xbox’s focus back to its core audience, gamers, implementing numerous popular policies like backward compatibility and the new Play Anywhere program. At this year’s EB Expo, I spoke with Spencer about the future of Xbox, his legacy, and what Project Scorpio means for the wider gaming landscape and traditional console cycles.
At E3 2016 you used the phrase “gaming beyond generations” when you revealed Project Scorpio. Does this mean that in the future, console gamers will need to buy hardware more regularly if they want to play the best possible version of a game?
It’s hard to tell. Clearly in the case of Xbox One, Xbox One S and Scorpio, the answer would be, I don’t know if it’s more regularly, but you’re going to want Scorpio to run the game at the highest resolution or framerate – whatever the developers decide to do with that game.
As for the “more regularly” part, to be completely honest, I don’t know what the next console is past Scorpio. We’re thinking about it. We’re looking at consumer trends and what the right performance spec and price would be, and [asking ourselves], “Can we hit something that has a meaningful performance characteristic that a gamer would care about?”
I don’t have this desire to every two years have a new console on the shelf; that’s not part of the console business model, and it doesn’t actually help us. The best customer I have is somebody who buys the original Xbox and just buys all the games. That’s the best customer for us in terms of the pure financials of it. I don’t have a need to get you to go buy the newest console, or I don’t have the need to create an artificial loop of, “Here’s a new console every two years,” in order to get you to go buy.
The reason I hesitate to say yes to your question in terms of the future is, I don’t know what the next thing is past Scorpio right now... I’m not trying to turn consoles into the graphics card market where every so often Nvidia or AMD come out with a new card, and if I want a little bit more performance I’m going to go buy that new card. I think for consoles it’s different. I think you have to hit a spec that actually means something in an ecosystem of televisions and games.
One of the reasons that people choose consoles over PC is because they don’t like that feeling of missing out on the best possible version on their platform. Is there a danger that you’re introducing that into the console space with Xbox Scorpio?
The best-looking version of Battlefield is going to be PC. Somebody’s going to be able to throw enough hardware at Battlefield to get it to outperform what any of the consoles on the market are going to do. I guess you could say, as a console person, that you feel like you don’t get to play the best version of Battlefield so somehow you’re disappointed.
I would say at the broadest sense that I don’t think most of the console players think about it that way. It’s just, “I get to play Battlefield. It’s fun and I’m having a good time playing it on my television.”
Just to be clear, if you really wanted the best version, you’re going to need something beyond the resolution and refresh rate of your TV. This is why for us, with Xbox Play Anywhere – to flip it back in a skilled PR way to something that’s about us [laughs] – we’re saying, “You should play the game where you want to, and you don’t have to buy it twice.”
Take Gears of War, because I’ve seen Gears of War on a high-end PC rig and it’s crazy. I’ve also seen it in HDR on Xbox One S and it looks amazing on my television. I don’t have to go buy it twice, I don’t feel like I’m missing out on something, I just get to choose where I want to play it. I can play with my same friends whether they’re on PC or Xbox and I don’t have to buy the game twice. My controller can work in both scenarios; I can play keyboard and mouse on PC if I want to.
I understand the feeling of, “I miss out because there’s somebody else that can play at a higher resolution,” but I’m not sure the common player out there has less fun because of that. I hope not.
Microsoft is fairly selective about the technologies it backs. It didn’t jump into the 3D television trend quite astutely, but you’re embracing 4K and HDR wholeheartedly. Is that truly the next big leap in video gaming technology?
Big leap is an interesting one... I’ve been around Xbox since the original Xbox and I remember the shift from SD to HD. I remember seeing Gears of War 1, which for us was the first game that I saw on pre-release 360 hardware, and I went, “Wow, that just looks like something new...” The first time you saw a sporting event on live TV in HD, you went, “Okay, that is something different.”
One of the challenges for the generation we’re in now is the jump from 360 to Xbox One, or frankly PS3 to PS4, is visible on screen but not at that same level. It’s not a 2D to 3D transition or an SD to HD transition. You have to be closer to understanding the content and appreciating the content, because those late-gen 360 games look pretty good.
When I see 4K games, they look demonstrably better, but it’s not the same difference that we saw from SD to HD, or from 2D to 3D when gaming went that direction. HDR is the same way: I love the way movies and games look in HDR, but I don’t think it’s that same transformative thing that we saw with [earlier leaps].
Head on over to Page 2 to read about Spencer's thoughts on Oculus and the strength of Xbox's exclusives.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/10/31/phil-spencer-talks-xbox-scorpio-and-beyond.aspx
Game Informer Digital Now Available On Mobile Devices
The digital edition of Game Informer is how many subscribers enjoy our content, but since it launched, you've needed to access it through a tablet or computer. One of the most common requests we've received has been to make our issues available on smartphones. Today, we are proud to announce that we have done just that.
The mobile Game Informer app is available now on Google Play and the iOS App Store. The app is a new way to enjoy our digital issues at no additional cost if you already have a digital subscription. This isn't a PDF of our print magazine or a smaller version of our PC/tablet editions; the issues are rebuilt from the ground up to work on most smartphones. This custom-designed, mobile-friendly version was created to be easy to enjoy on the go. In order to use the app and access the issues, you need to have an internet connection and either an iPhone 5 or later or a phone running Android 4 or newer.
As a part of our final preparations for getting this app ready – an open beta, if you will – you can read our latest issue featuring South Park: The Fractured But Whole without needing a subscription. If you have any problems with this free issue, let us know so that we can fix it for our next issue, which is launching very soon! Going forward, new issues will launch on the mobile app on the same day as the PC and tablet editions.
The app is free to download, though to access new issues, you need a current digital subscription to Game Informer. To start a new subscription, head here. To convert an existing print subscription to digital, head here.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/game-informer-digital-now-available-on-mobile-devices.aspx
Here's What Happens to Your Body When You Die
Welcome to Pipette, a recurring video series that explores big science by women.
I always assumed that when we die, we’re either exploded out of existence, or put on a spaceship and sent to the moon. It turns out that I couldn’t have been more wrong.
For the first episode of Pipette, Jezebel’s new video series exploring science by women, I talked to a number of death experts about what to expect when you’re disintegrating. Dr. Angelique Corthals, a forensic anthropologist at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, permanently scarred me by alerting me to the fact that cremation and traditional American burial practices are not all that great for the environment—because of all the chemicals we use when preserving our loved ones, our water supply is just littered with body sediment (kind of). But, she assured me, there are other options too—like green burial or the fashionable Infinity Burial Suit. Cute!
So, watch the video above, share it with your loved ones, and make sure to specify in your will that you’d like to be buried inside of a mushroom.
Produced by Melissa Murray and Joanna Rothkopf.
DP: Lara Aqel
Camera Operator: Carlos Valdes
2nd Camera: Blaine Dunkley and Anthony Marotta
Additional Camera: Phoenixx Flixx
Sound: Sarah Brady Voll
P.A: Zoe Stahl
Animation GFX: Devin Clark
from Kotaku http://jezebel.com/heres-what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-die-1788409075
Answering South Park: The Fractured But Whole's Lingering Questions
This is it, the tail end of Game Informer's run of exclusive features covering Ubisoft's South Park: The Fractured But Whole. On this special edition podcast, we Skype in Ubisoft San Francisco's senior producer Jason Schroeder and director of design Paul Cross to field questions from the community about the upcoming RPG from the minds of Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Tune in to learn more about the game's fascinating development, how the game compares to The Stick of Truth, and whether or not the new season will change the story.
You can watch the video below, subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes or Google Play, or listen to this episode on SoundCloud.
(Please visit the site to view this media)
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/podcasts/archive/2016/10/31/answering-south-park-the-fractured-but-wholes-lingering-questions.aspx
Zero Escape Bundle To Hit PS4 And Vita Next Year
Escape room puzzlers Zero Escape: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors (999) and Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward will be offered in a two-pack for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita next spring, according to the PlayStation blog.
The package is called Zero Escape: The Nonary Games, as both titles involve nine characters who have to escape from a Saw-style series of deathtraps set by a villain named Zero, by solving puzzles and making choices between rooms.
Initially released on the Nintendo DS, 999 has been upgraded with HD graphics as well as English and Japanese voice acting.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
Our Take
This package includes the first two games in the trilogy that concluded with this year's Zero Time Dilemma. The graphics and VO updates to 999 are certainly welcome additions. If Zero Time Dilemma caught your interest this summer, you can get up to speed on the series with editor Javy Gwaltney's handy explainer here.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/zero-escape-bundle-to-hit-ps4-and-vita-next-year.aspx
Comparing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PS3 To Special Edition On PS4
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition has been out in the wild for a few days now, giving us a chance to experience its snowy fantasy world all over again – but how improved is the game?
One way to try and answer this question is to literally place two versions of the game side by side. We played through the first 25 minutes of the game on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, trying to sync them up to the best of our ability. The framerate is definitely improved, but as the video shows, the visuals were pretty dang good on the previous generation of consoles. There is definitely some improvement there, but it's maybe not as drastic as we hoped it might be.
(Please visit the site to view this media)
For more on Skyrim, head here to learn how to get married in it, and here for our review of the original release. To watch this video on YouTube, head here.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/10/31/comparing-the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-ps3-to-special-edition-on-ps4.aspx
If You Somehow Don't Own GTA V, It's Only $30 For Prime Members Today
GTA V’s campaign is great, and its online mode is still incredibly active, so its no wonder that the game has been relatively immune from downward price pressure, even years after release. Today though, Prime members can get a copy on PS4 or Xbox One for $30, the best deal we’ve seen.
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from Kotaku http://deals.kinja.com/if-you-somehow-dont-own-gta-v-its-only-30-for-prime-m-1788405427
Hitman Season Finale Out Today
Agent 47 is taking a trip to Hokkaido, Japan today for the season finale of Hitman. Players will explore a hospital reserved for the ultra rich to take down a target getting a life-saving surgery.
Missions will follow the same structure as before, so players will explore a vast locale while mapping their target's moves.
(Please visit the site to view this media)
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/games/hitman/b/playstation4/archive/2016/10/31/hitman-season-finale-out-today.aspx
Zombie Adventure Game Jazon And The Dead Punches Its Way To Fig
Fig, the platform that funded both Psychonauts 2 and Wasteland 3, has just posted its latest video game-related project, a top down action adventure game set in the zombie apocalypse called Jazon and the Dead. The game's gorgeous visuals do a good job of making it stand out in what some might call an overcrowded genre.
The developer behind the project, 2nd Studio, also has a list up that details some of the game's proposed features:
- Player-driven story where you must weigh the consequences of your choices. The story is divided into acts, each with bridging cinematic scenes that focus on different aspects of human nature.
- Fight your way through hordes of zombies with a heavy gun or bloody fist. Ammunition is scarce so you need to make every shot count! Dash and push zombies out of your way to survive through close combat.
- Explore a world inspired by 80’s sci-fi B-movies with chunky old technology and lots of blood and gore. Your journey takes you through deserts, abandoned towns, underground caves, surviving cities and military facilities.
- Puzzle your way out of tense situations before the slow, brain devouring creatures reach you. Work cleverly with corpses in the world -- as weights or to stand on to reach your destination.
- Groovy 80's inspired soundtrack. Nothing less will do it.
You can watch the Fig trailer for the game here:
(Please visit the site to view this media)
To meet its funding goal, Jazon and The Dead must raise $65,000 by December 1. As with other Fig projects, those who support the project are considered investors and might stand to make back some money on their investment, though such a notion should be taken with grain of salt.
You can check out the game's campaign here.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/top-down-action-adventure-game-jazon-and-the-dead-punches-its-way-to-fig.aspx
How To Earn Your Flying License In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Earning your flying license in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 is no t a complicated or hidden process, but it is something many will be curious about when they start the game.
When you first start Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, its hub area Conton City is open, but only to the locations you can reach by foot. You can fast-travel where you need to go, but seeing others fly around without a care in the world leads to jealousy quickly.
In the game's opening animated introduction, it warns you about the dangers of flying around in Conton City, alerting you that a flying license is necessary. To get one, you must play through the story and defeat Frieza and his brother Cooler. Once you do that, you are free to fly wherever you please, and can even unlock locations that were previously unreachable. I was about level 30 when I obtained my flying license, and I never looked back.
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For more on Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, head here to see Vegeta's insane bingo dance from Battle of Gods recreated in the game.
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Opinion – Unfriendly Controls Can Make Horror Games Better
It’s a familiar experience: you start up a new game, and something feels weird. Actions aren’t happening at the right time or the right speed. Something’s off with the way your character turns. The controls just feel bad.
"Bad controls" usually mean we’re not getting feedback that matches what we’re seeing or doing. Games have developed an established control language over the years, which most gamers have already internalized. Spacebar means jump, the right trigger means shoot. When a game doesn’t follow these unwritten rules, it’s jarring and difficult to readapt.
Dark Souls felt bizarre and unfriendly in my hands when I first picked it up, and my initial steps through that game were all the more frightening because of how alien the control scheme was. I inched my way forward, in part because I quickly learned that Dark Souls enjoys hiding enemies behind blind corners, but mostly because I wasn’t sure I’d react properly when I got attacked.
The game had made me anxious and unsure of myself, just by mapping my controller inputs in an unfamiliar way. That was, I think, done on purpose. Sometimes feelings of uncertainty and tension are exactly what a game needs.
Take the first Resident Evil game. Originally released in 1996, it featured polygonal characters exploring a blighted mansion with pre-rendered 2D backgrounds. As you moved from scene to scene, the camera angles changed dramatically. This led the developers to use so-called tank controls, which keep you moving forward as long as you press up on the stick, but require you to rotate, rather than strafe, using left and right. Tension is built into this control scheme – if something is chasing you, you have to stop and then watch as your character slowly turns around to face the threat. It evokes that nightmare of running away from something, but finding that your legs don’t work properly.
Resident Evil almost single-handedly created the survival horror genre (the term was coined by Capcom for the game’s marketing), and the army of clones it inspired frequently used the tank control scheme. This made sense while everyone was still using the limited processing power available during the original PlayStation era, but survival horror games continued to use tank controls even when new hardware allowed games to use fully-rendered 3D scenery with cameras that followed the player. Capcom even opted to use an adapted version of these original tank controls for Resident Evil 4, one of the Game Informer's top 25 horror games of all time, even though players had begun to expect the ability to strafe, shoot, and turn on demand.
Why? Because horror is scarier when you have to struggle, and the clunky control scheme means you’ve got to physically struggle (albeit, with your fingertips) to accomplish time-sensitive tasks in-game.
Technical limitations in 1996 led to the development of a control scheme for Resident Evil that enhanced the tension and (arguably) the overall horror experience. Compare this to Ridley Scott’s masterful 1979 film Alien. Because of budget constraints, Scott’s team was unable to make a fully-articulated, working Xenomorph that looked convincing on camera. But by surrounding small, manageable parts of the alien with darkness, they forced viewers’ imaginations to fill in the blanks. What we came up with in our minds was far scarier than anything they could have put on the screen.
By the time Alien: Isolation came out in 2014, the Xenomorph was a well-established pop culture icon. There’s nothing to hide on the creature now that we’ve repeatedly seen the whole thing thanks to modern CG. Creative Assembly had to find other ways to evoke the dread and terror of the original film, and one way they accomplished this was by making some of the player’s important interactions with the game inherently frustrating. Player-character Amanda Ripley must physically reach out and manipulate each button or lever to interact with them, and in the retro-future setting of Sevastopol station this takes in-game time. Even saving your game is done by painstakingly interacting with the environment. That’s time during which you can be horribly killed by the alien that’s stalking you, and it’s excruciating. You’ve been trained to expect instant feedback when interacting with game environments, and Alien: Isolation preys on that expectation. It creates a tension reminiscent of the final moments in Alien, where Ellen Ripley races to disarm her ship’s self-destruct sequence. This is different from what’s usually considered “bad controls;” Alien: Isolation’s controls work fine. But a save system that deliberately creates this kind of player discomfort has a lot in common with Resident Evil 4’s awkward shooting controls. Both games want you to empathize with the character you’re playing on a physiological level.
It certainly worked on me. After one late-night, multi-hour session of Alien: Isolation, I hit a save point and decided to call it a night. As I exited the game and went to stand up from my desk, I became aware of how tense the muscles in my legs were. The color was starting to return to the whitened knuckles of my right hand, which had been clenched around the mouse.
Dying Light is another game that uses its control scheme and feedback in order to create added tension. As Brian Shea wrote in his review, combat at the game’s outset is usually not worth the effort, especially if there are more than a couple zombies around. Clumsy and awkward in the early hours, Dying Light’s combat system evokes the kind of stress and haplessness that characters in Dawn of the Dead or The Walking Dead might actually experience. Getting into scraps in the streets as you start out is usually a terrible idea, as it’s exhausting and likely to attract the attention of the more dangerous "virals." As in classic zombie fiction, you generally want to avoid fighting zombies.
This pushes the player toward the game's parkour system, which has its own weird control scheme. To jump and grab ledges, you press the right bumper. This allows you to always keep your thumbs on the control sticks, but it can be a disorienting button mapping when you start playing the game. My hands felt weird holding the controller like this, almost the way they did with Dark Souls, and that never completely went away. That physical weirdness makes sense in the context of what’s happening in the game. As Kyle Crane, you’re dropped into the foreign country of Harran to help survivors of the zombie outbreak. Unlike Faith in Mirror’s Edge, Crane doesn’t start as a parkour master. You’re learning parkour from the characters you meet and from practice. He’s new to the city and new to parkour, so he can’t see the right paths to take the way Faith can through her vibrant "runner vision." Making a big jump in Dying Light always feels at least a bit risky to me, and in the back of my head I can’t help but wonder "Can I make this?" Here again, "bad" controls are helping communicate something important to the player; in this case, it’s the inherent danger of real parkour.
While each of these games – Resident Evil, Alien: Isolation, and Dying Light – has a tense theme and controls that reinforce it, it’s far from settled whether these control schemes were deliberately designed to accomplish that, or whether it’s the best possible approach in a particular game’s design. Critics and players alike have (justifiably) complained about the control schemes in these titles, and even though I’ve had my own frustrations with them, I think that might have been the point all along. It’s true that countless games have crummy control schemes that make them less fun to play without adding anything meaningful. But it’s also possible to design tension into control schemes well. Grand Theft Auto V’s driving proves that point – imagine how absurd and meaningless the garbage truck mission would feel if the vehicle handled as well as a sports car. Another great non-horror example of this is Papers, Please, which has you shuffling papers around a cramped workspace in order to reinforce the sensation of working under an autocratic bureaucracy.
Building discomfort into entertainment isn’t a new idea. Making audiences feel uncomfortable is something art has been doing for a long time. Ghost stories and horror movies poke at our fears of the unknown and our fight-or-flight instincts just enough to push us out of our comfort zones, and at least for fans of the genre, that’s what keeps us coming back. What games bring to the table is interactivity, and the point of interaction is usually the controller, the joystick, or the keyboard and mouse. Smart designers have recognized that these can be used alongside games’ audio and video, and their stories and characters, to enhance themes of fright and tension by allowing the players themselves share in those experiences.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/10/31/opinion-unfriendly-controls-can-make-horror-games-better.aspx
Place Of Residing Evil: Looking Back At Capcom’s Original Survival Horror
Tokuro Fujiwara didn’t play video games; he didn’t even know that Konami was a game developer when he walked into the studio to apply for a product planner job he’d heard about through a college recruiter. However, Fujiwara excelled at game development. After breaking into the industry at Konami, Fujiwara moved over to Capcom, where he created Ghosts ‘n Goblins and Bionic Commando before working on other 8-bit classics such as Strider, DuckTales, and Mega Man 2.
Fujiwara’s most significant contribution to the gaming industry, however, might be an often-overlooked RPG for Nintendo’s first console that never officially released outside Japan. Entitled Sweet Home, Fujiwara’s project sounds like a game bound for obscurity; it was an adaptation of a low-budget Japanese horror film that served as an early experiment in video game horror. In spite of all this, Sweet Home became a cult hit and went on to inspire the Resident Evil franchise as well as the entire survival horror genre.
Film Fright
At some point in the late ‘80s, Capcom began talking with Japanese film company Itami Productions about making a game based on the then-upcoming film Sweet Home. The gory horror flick centered on a small crew of documentarians who break into the abandoned country home of a famous artist named Ichirō Mamiya. According to legend, 30 years previously Ichirō hid several precious frescos somewhere inside his home, and the fictional film crew hope to uncover these lost treasures for a documentary. Unfortunately, a mysterious ghost traps the crew inside the late artist’s house, kicking off a series of paranormal events ultimately leading to their demise.
Before the film’s theatrical debut, Capcom sent Fujiwara to walk through the set and talk with the film’s director. Fujiwara and his team used reference materials from this visit to create many of the objects and environments in the game. When it came to the script, however, Fujiwara took several liberties, often elaborating on story elements that were only hinted at in the film.
For example, at one point in the movie, the fictional documentarians stumble upon a small grave. The crew then discovers that the grave belonged to Ichirō’s infant son, who had died tragically after accidentally falling into a furnace. Devastated by this event, Ichirō’s wife kills herself and begins haunting their home.
This plot point isn’t developed further in the film, but in the game, Fujiwara added a series of collectable diary entries that expand on the narrative. These diaries explain how Ichirō’s wife was driven crazy after the death of her child, and how she proceeded to lure other young children to their deaths so her son would have playmates in the afterlife. Thronging with premature souls, Ichirō’s house eventually becomes a hotspot of paranormal activity.
It was unprecedented in the late ‘80s for a video game to expand on a film’s narrative in this way. Most games of the era were lucky if they could accurately communicate the main beats of the film they were adapting, let alone embellish the narrative. Fujiwara, on the other hand, knew games were capable of doing more than was expected of them, and this push to explore the limits of the gaming medium can be seen in every element of Sweet Home’s design.
Scared 8-bitless
Since Fujiwara’s game was based on a movie, developing its story was relatively easy. However, Fujiwara had few reference points when it came to designing Sweet Home’s gameplay. A few early PC titles had played around with horror themes, such as Nostromo and 3D Monster Maze, but games rarely delivered the kind of oppressive atmosphere Fujiwara wanted. In 2003, Fujiwara told the Japanese gaming magazine Continue he wanted Sweet Home’s gameplay to be an interesting mix of unconventional concepts and an attempt to do something the industry hadn’t seen before.
| Black Market Release In 2000, two groups of ROM hackers called Gaijin Productions and Suicidal Translations worked to translate all of Sweet Home’s text into English. This translation of the game is still floating around on emulation message boards, and fans can buy copies of the game that have been uploaded onto actual NES carts via various grey-market websites. Gai jin Productions and Suicidal Translations spent more than a year finishing the project, and they were well aware of Sweet Home’s influence on the industry. At one point in the game they took a scene that roughly translates, “You’ll never know the secret to getting out of here,” and translated it as, “You must escape this house of residing evil!” |
Many of Sweet Home’s gameplay concepts still sound fresh even by today’s standards. Players control five different heroes as they explore Ichirō’s mansion and participate in random turn-based RPG encounters. Unlike most RPGs, however, monsters didn’t drop money or items. Instead, Fujiwara thought it would be more interesting if players collected important story items in the world and then used those items to open up new areas – a gameplay system that would later become a staple of the survival horror genre.
Players could also group their heroes into teams of up to three, but that meant one team was always short by at least one member. Characters also had special items that gave them unique abilities. For example, one character had a lighter that could burn away ropes blocking corridors and doorways, while another character had a first-aid pack that could neutralize status ailments. The difficulty ramped up significantly if party members started to die thanks to a permadeath system. However, Sweet Home remembered those who sacrificed themselves for the greater good and delivered one of five different endings based on players’ actions throughout the game.
One of Sweet Home’s most impressive features was successfully selling the horror experience on Nintendo’s 8-bit console. As players explored the mansion, furniture would suddenly move to attack them, ghosts could be seen fluttering down the hall out of the corner of the screen, and distorted animal’s sounds would be heard echoing though the mansion’s blood-scrawled walls. Sweet Home’s graphics seem crude by today’s standards, but when players first got their hands on the game two-and-a-half decades ago, many of them were too scared to play in the dark. Fujiwara had accomplished his goal: No one had ever seen anything like Sweet Home before.
A Reign Of Terror
Sweet Home released in Japan in 1989 for Nintendo’s Famicom, and received generally favorable reviews. The film’s official trailer actually helped promote the game, and many reviewers thought the game was the better product.
Unfortunately, RPGs had an unproven track record in the U.S. at the time, and Nintendo of America’s stringent release guidelines showed preference for kid-friendly content, so Capcom decided against localizing the game for the NES in Western markets. Despite that decision, Sweet Home’s legacy would be felt worldwide.
Years later, after the release of Sony’s first PlayStation console, Fujiwara was still fond of his work on Sweet Home. Now a producer at Capcom, Fujiwara felt like it was time for the company to remake Sweet Home as a new franchise using updated console technology. He handed the project to a creative young director named Shinji Mikami.
Resident Evil – as it would come to be called – was groundbreaking for a lot of reasons and deserves its spot in gaming’s hall of fame. However, many of Resident Evil’s most iconic elements, including the mansion setting, multiple protagonists with specialized items, environmental puzzles, telling a story though scattered notes, item management with a limited inventory, and even the door loading screen are all on display in Sweet Home. Resident Evil – and the entire horror genre – owe a blood debt to this long-forgotten 8-bit game that had no right to be as good as it was.
Looking for more Halloween madness? Check out our list of the Top 25 Horror games of all time or read Matt Miller’s breakdown of some of the best Halloween board games to play this week.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/10/31/place-of-residing-evil-looking-back-at-capcoms-original-survival-horror.aspx
Developer Of Cult Classic Games Swery 65 Has Retired From His Studio
Hidetaka Suehiro (AKA Swery 65) a popular developer associated with cult games like Deadly Premonition and D4: Dark Dreams Don't Die, has announced he's retiring from his studio Access Games. Swery made the announcement on Twitter last night:
Day 360, Unfortunately I retired from Access Games after all. However Don't worry, because my health condition is getting be fine. Love you! pic.twitter.com/xBaLRVApqE
— SWERY (Swery65) (@Swery65) October 31, 2016
Swery took a break last year from developing games due to reactive hypoglycemia. He had hoped to return to games development after a short break. Sadly, it looks like that won't be the case though he reports his health is improving. It's worth noting that the tweet here explicitly says "Access Games," and not the games industry as a whole so there might be a chance he returns to development outside of Access Games one day.
For a look at Swery's work, be sure to check out our Chronicles of Deadly Premonition.
Our Take
Whatever you may think of Swery's games, they are bizarre and their own kinds of beasts, something you can't say about most video games. We hope that Swery's health continues to improve and that maybe we'll see more games spring from his delightful mind one day.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/developer-of-cult-classic-games-swery-65-has-retired-from-access-games.aspx
THQ Nordic Acquires All NovaLogic Properties
THQ Nordic has purchased all of NovaLogic's franchises, and pledges to continue the developer's first-person tactical shooters.
Reinhard Pollice, business and product development director at THQ Nordic said, "NovaLogic pioneered military simulations and military-themed multiplayer shooters with vehicular combat and also clearly targeted at an adult audience. We are extremely satisfied with the new additions to our portfolio, and also very thrilled about how to continue some of said franchises, we are open for talks in this regard if any developer approaches us with a concept for a potential sequel to any IP."
THQ Nordic has not announced any immediate plans for the acquired series.
The acquisition includes:
- Delta Force Series
- Comanche Series
- Joint Operations Series
- Armored Fist Series
- Tachyon: The Fringe
- F-22 Series
- F-16 Series
- NovaLogic Trademark
- and more...
Our Take
Pollice's statement indicates signing new developers for any future NovaLogic projects, but I wonder if re-releases are also in the mix. Any you'd like to see? Also, a slight word of warning: While THQ Nordic – formerly Nordic Games – acquired a number of THQ and other company's properties through the years, many have not been seen releases since being purchased. Hopefully, however, NovaLogic fans get to see their favorite franchises ride again.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/31/thq-nordic-acquires-all-novalogic-properties.aspx
Screengrabber Dildo Thrown On Field [Update] | Jezebel Donald Trump Goes to Colorado, Fusses Some Mo
Screengrabber Dildo Thrown On Field [Update] | Jezebel Donald Trump Goes to Colorado, Fusses Some More About Election Rigging | Gizmodo NASA Absolutely Killed the Halloween Pumpkin Carving Competition | Deadspin Here’s The Moment Brandon Tate’s Day Ended |
from Kotaku http://kinjaroundup.kinja.com/1788397564
Track: Halloween Theme | Artist: John Carpenter | Album: Halloween Original Motion Picture Soundtrac
Track: Halloween Theme | Artist: John Carpenter | Album: Halloween Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.
from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/1788397225
Don’t expect a Level-5 game for the Nintendo Switch’s launch.
Don’t expect a Level-5 game for the Nintendo Switch’s launch. Level-5 honcho Akihiro Hino is quoted (via Siliconera) as saying, “We intend to make games for the Nintendo Switch, but i think that it’s very important to get the most out of the console.”
“For that reason,” Hino continued, “there surely won’t be a title of ours on launch, but when we find the way to take advantage of it, we will work with it.”
from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/1788396545
Sunday 30 October 2016
Track: The Poltergeist | Artist: Fliptrix | Album: Patterns of Escapism
Track: The Poltergeist | Artist: Fliptrix | Album: Patterns of Escapism
Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.
from Kotaku http://kotaku.com/1788393752
Watch The Newest Character Trailer For Persona 4
Persona 5 may have already released in Japan, but fans from the West are still eagerly awaiting this newest entry to the RPG series. As you wait for its February 14 release outside of Japan, you can watch the newest trailer that focuses on the character Ann Takamaki, a playable character who is part of the Phantom Thieves.
Similar to past Persona titles, Persona 5 tells the story of high school students and otherworldly powers. In this entry, our high school cast uncovers the mystery of why society is forced to wear masks. Check out the trailer below.
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Atlus recently unveiled the list of English voice actors, which you can read about here. You can also watch 18 minutes of gameplay here. Persona 5 releases for PlayStation 3 and 4.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/games/persona_5/b/playstation4/archive/2016/10/30/trailer-focuses-on-new-character-ann-takamaki.aspx
YouTuber Pits 100 Dragons Against 1000 Imperial Archers In Epic Skyrim Battle
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition released this past week, and in celebration, YouTuber and modder Cosmic Contrarian has released an impressive video that pits 100 dragons against 1000 imperial archers in a fiery battle.
Dragons fly above while several archers shoot arrows upward and attempt to avoid their foes' scorching fire. You can check out the fight below. This isn't the first of Cosmic Contrarian's series of battle videos. For example, you can check out his previous Fallout 4 video that includes 30,000 automatron robots.
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You can read our in-depth feature about what to expect for the Skyrim Special Edition here. Since its release, players have noted some audio issues which Bethesda is addressing and attempting to fix.
[Source: YouTube]
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/30/youtuber-pits-100-dragons-against-1000-imperial-archers-in-epic-skyrim-battle.aspx
Try Out Upcoming Platformer Little Nightmares In This Online Interactive Demo
Tarsier Studios' Little Nightmares, previously titled Hunger, is an upcoming platformer where you solve puzzles and avoid creepy monsters. Now, you can get a taste of the game by playing an interactive web demo.
By clicking here, you'll be transported to the point-and-click browser demo where you assume the role of a young girl named Six as she attempts to evade a monstrous cook. The controls can be limiting, but it nonetheless gives off the vibe of the game and gives a better idea of what to expect as we near its release. You can view a trailer for the game below.
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Little Nightmares will release next year on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/30/try-out-upcoming-platformer-little-nightmares-in-this-online-interactive-demo.aspx
Visual Novel Steins;Gate 0 Releases In North America Next Month
Fans of Steins;Gate will be pleased to know that the sequel to the popular visual novel, Steins;Gate 0, is releasing in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4 and Vita next month.
In Steins;Gate 0, you'll play an array of characters in a tale surrounding a scientist's fall. Soon, he finds himself entangled in a series of events that could endanger society on a whole. Characters from the original Steins;Gate, including Mayuri, Daru, Moeka, and more will play a part in this new entry, where time travel and artificial intelligence are prominent themes.
You can view the English trailer below. Steins;Gate 0 releases for PlayStation 4 and Vita on November 29 in North America, and on November 25 in Europe.
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Check out our guide to some of the best visual novels, including the original Steins;Gate, by heading here.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/30/visual-novel-steins_3B00_gate-0-releases-in-north-america-next-month.aspx
Shovel Knight Soundtrack Is Coming To Vinyl And CD
Yacht Club Games' hit 2014 platformer Shovel Knight features a stellar soundtrack, and now its heading to vinyl and CD thanks for Brave Wave Productions. As of right now, the definitive version of the soundtrack can be pre-ordered as a physical 2-disc version on BandCamp, or as a double-LP vinyl on BigWax.
The CD version goes for $18, and the vinyl is selling for 32 € (about $35 USD). The Shovel Knight Definitive Soundtrack features custom artwork from Mega Man and Pokémon illustrator Hitoshi Ariga, along with commentary from composers Jake "virt" Kaufman and Manami Matsumae.
Recently, it was announced that the highly anticipated The Last Guardian is also receiving the vinyl treatment. You can also read our review of Shovel Knight here.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/30/shovel-knight-soundtrack-is-coming-to-vinyl-and-cd.aspx
Report: Nintendo President Kimishima Confirms The Switch Won't Replace 3DS
The Nintendo Switch's reveal this month has created a crazy amount of buzz and a lot of questions. Because it's being marketed as a "unified" console that blends on-the-go gaming with console gaming, many have wondered how Nintendo plans to move forward with the 3DS after the Switch's launch.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima confirmed that the company has no plans to discontinue the popular handheld console. "Thanks to our software, the 3DS hardware is still growing," he says. "So that business still has momentum. And certainly rather than being cannibalized by the Switch, we think the 3DS can continue in its own form."
Kimishima further explains that the team "didn't just want a successor to the Wii U or the 3DS," but rather an altogether new experience of its own, which is how they came up with the concept of a unified platform that is "both stationary and one you can take outside to play with anyone you want."
The interview also touched on the subject of virtual reality, which Kimishima says Miyamoto in particular has brought up frequently. "It's not that we’re uninterested. In fact, we have a lot of interest," Kimishima says. "VR offers the experience of playing in a new way. But that depends on the software and how you use it to play."
You can watch the Nintendo Switch reveal, how it works, and more by heading here. You can also read up on what the Game Informer staff hopes to see from Nintendo's new console. On January 12, Nintendo will be revealing more information, including launch date, games, and price, surrounding the Switch. The Nintendo Switch will release in March 2017.
[Source: Bloomberg]
Our Take
The 3DS is one of Nintendo's great successes, so it seems like a safe bet that they will continue to support the handheld device for a while longer despite the launch of the Nintendo Switch. Particularly with big games like Pokémon Sun and Moon releasing next month, the 3DS still carries a lot of weight in terms of profitability for Nintendo.
from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2016/10/30/report-nintendo-president-kimishima-confirms-the-switch-wont-replace-3ds.aspx