Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Zackery Cote
Rumor: Far Cry 4 to be set in the Himalayas and release in 2015
Development of the Far Cry franchise shifted to Ubisoft Montreal (the team behind the original Assassin’s Creed) after the first installment, and if there’s one thing we know about Ubisoft, it’s that they know how to keep a franchise going. Names like Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy have become as recognizable in the gaming world as Call of Duty, and each sequel just seems to make each franchise better. So it should come as no surprise that, after the success of Far Cry 3, another installment in the series is well underway. This time, however, the tropical setting will be notably absent.
Eurogamer is reporting that Far Cry 4 will take place among the snowy mountains of the Himalayas. Players will be able to interact with the region in a number of ways, perhaps the most notable of which is the ability to ride an elephant.
Far Cry 4 is expected to be in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, though its possible a version for current-gen consoles is also in the works. According to Eurogamer’s source, Far Cry 4 will make its official debut at the upcoming E3 Expo in June with Ubisoft planning to release the game in early 2015.
Bethesda on possibility of Fallout 4 announcement: “It’s gonna be a while”
It’s been over three years since the last installment in the Fallout franchise was released. Fallout: New Vegas wasn’t a sequel to Fallout 3, per se, but it did expand on the Fallout universe, taking place around the same time on the other side of the post-apocalyptic United States. With the incredible success of the most recent Elder Scrolls game, fans have become increasingly anxious for news on the official sequel to Fallout 3. But a recent interview with Bethesda Game Director Todd Howard via Rock, Paper, Shotgun brings some bad news.
Howard stated that there is no timetable for the announcement, but that it will likely be “a while.” He was pretty tight lipped after that statement, but he did go on to mention that Bethesda has noticed the increased interest in PC gaming. Howard also said that there is potential in the PC (and new consoles that are “very PC-like”) for Bethesda to do things they’ve wanted to try in the past:
“We’ve gotten fairly used to all the questions and curiosity over the years. Everyone wants information. Right now, we’re just trying to figure out which of our ideas are going to stick and finding an appropriate time to talk about it.”
Unfortunately, the current official word is still just vague maybes and “potential.” So it looks like we’ll have to keep waiting “a while” for word on the next Fallout game.
TitanFall’s Xbox 360 release has been delayed two weeks
Those hoping to get their hands on TitanFall without having to purchase a new console will have to be a bit more patient than their next-gen peers. It was reconfirmed yesterday that TitanFall, developed by Respawn Entertainment, will hit the Xbox One and PC on March 11 in North America (March 13 in Europe). The Xbox 360 version, however, is being developed by a different studio, Bluepoint Games, and it has been given a shipping date of March 25 in North America (March 28 in Europe) so that the team can “put the finishing touches on the current-gen version of the game.”
As exciting as it is to hear that TitanFall is so close to release, it’s a bit of a shady business to have two different release dates. It harkens back to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, where the game was released later for the previous generation console as well. Understandably, the Wii version of Twilight Princess vastly outsold its GameCube counterpart. Regardless of the reasoning, it’s sure to be exciting for Xbox 360 owners that they’ll be able to get their hands on TitanFall at all.
Square Enix teaches you how to stay stealthy in “Thief 101” trailer
The Thief series is one of the premier stealth-action game franchises of all time. The first installment, Thief: The Dark Project, revolutionized the genre by adding light and sound mechanics to the stealth elements. The game spawned two sequels, but after Thief: Deadly Shadows was released in 2004, fans began to wonder if the series was gone for good.
Nearly a full decade later, gamers are finally going to get their hands on the next Thief game, which seeks to reboot the franchise and bring it into the next generation of gaming. A trailer was released earlier today that details a number of different gameplay mechanics, including use of the bow, an overview of the stealth aspects, and character progression. While the game is being developed by Eidos Montreal (Deux Ex: Human Revolution), it’s nearly impossible not to compare the upcoming title to Bethesda’s recent release, Dishonored.
Of course this isn’t a bad thing. Dishonored proved that there is still a large market for successful stealth action games, and there is no bigger name in stealth action than Thief. It looks like Eidos is doing a wonderful job with the reebot, and I’m sure gamers everywhere are expecting great things when its released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on February 25.
Borderlands 2: How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day DLC coming tomorrow
It’s great to see that some games are still getting new content over a year after their release. Borderlands 2 was released in September of last year, and has since seen almost a dozen DLC options including full-size expansions like “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt” and “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep” and smaller downloads such as the “Krieg the Beserker” character and this Fall’s bite-sized “Headhunter Packs.”
Speaking of Headhunter Packs, the latest one, “How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day,” was recently revealed by Gearbox.
The downloadable content is the third installment in Gearbox’s Headhunter series, which also includes the Halloween-inspired “T.K. Baha’s Bloody Harvest” and the Thanksgiving-themed “Horrible Hunger of the Ravenous Wattle Gobbler.” The newest Headhunter Pack will take place in a snowy town called Gingerton where players will explore Frost Bottom in an all-new mission, complete with unlockable heads and skins.
Best of all, “How Marcus Saved Mercenary Day” will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC (and Mac) tomorrow, December 17th.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Tagged Borderlands 2
League of Legends: The First 21 Days of Season 4’s Preseason
It’s been three weeks since Riot Games released Patch 3.14 for League of Legends. The patch brought with it all of the changes players have been waiting for since the end of Season 3’s Grand Finals. Included were changes to vision, the jungle, supports, and of course, all of the champion and item balance tweaks that come with any patch. For a quick review of what Riot’s changes were, check out my previous article “What to Expect From Season 4.” As we’d all hoped, Season 4 seems to have made significant changes to the League of Legends world, while still keeping the game true to its core. The meta has seen a bit of a shift, and will likely continue to change as the new season grows into its own. Most notable at the moment, however, is the influx of supports and support players, as well as the champions who have become extremely powerful because of various changes, such as Evelynn and Shyvana. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, Top Story
Tagged League of Legends
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn to be released for PS4 in April 2014
Sony Computer Entertainment Japan recently held the 2013 PlayStation Awards in Tokyo to honor the year’s best PlayStation releases. Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn received the Special Award in recognition of its “originality, buzz-worthiness, influence, and performance.”
After the massive debacle the original version of Final Fantasy XIV was, combined with the financial difficulties of Square Enix’s year-to-date, it’s refreshing to hear some positive news coming from the company. And even more good news is coming thanks to the announcement that the official service start date for the PS4 version of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is scheduled for April 2014.
The April 2014 release will follow a beta test of the game set to begin on February 22, alongside the PS4’s Japanese launch date.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
It looks like EA Canada is assisting Visceral on an “open-world” Star Wars game
It’s no secret that EA Games owns the exclusive license to publish Star Wars games. Whether or not this is a good thing remains to be seen. The Worst Company in America two years running now, EA’s stock has been on a serious decline, as far as gamers are concerned. Maybe a strong franchise like Star Wars is exactly what EA needs to boost sales and prove to people that they can get the job done. With these things in mind, it should put into perspective just how important EA’s newest project, an “open world Star Wars game,” is.
We know that EA has farmed out two Star Wars titles to DICE LA (Star Wars: Battlefront) and Visceral Games (an untitled and rather mysterious Star Wars game). Despite three decades of Star Wars games, gamers have never gotten their hands on an open-world title. With the great success of open world titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, there’s little doubt that such a title could work if done properly. Open world titles are extremely ambitious in and of themselves, but Star Wars titles bring in a whole other list of challenges, the first and foremost of which is making the game feel like a Star Wars game. You can slap the name Star Wars on anything, but if players don’t feel immersed in a world of battling political philosophies, opposing Force powers, and corrupt Hutt lords, then it’s not really a Star Wars game.
To that end, it looks like EA has expanded the scope of Visceral’s Star Wars title and brought EA Canada aboard to help with development duties. Scanning job postings released by EA Canada, it looks like this “open world Star Wars game” is the same one currently in the works at Visceral. So two world class developers… one great license… this can’t fail, right? Right?
[Source: Kotaku]
Posted in News
Tagged Star Wars: Visceral