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First Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment trailer will premiere tonight during The Game Awards
Host Geoff Keighley has promised plenty of surprises for this year’s Game Awards, but another eager developer has spilled the beans on a World Premiere trailer we’ll get a peak at tonight. In a short tweet, Yacht Club Games confirmed they’ll debut a new trailer for their next project during the show:
Want to see the latest on what we've been making here at Yacht Club Games?
Watch @thegameawards
12/1 at 5:30pm PT and reap what we show!— Yacht Club Games (@YachtClubGames) November 30, 2016
While it’s possible that Yacht Club will unveil something brand new, the pun-loving developers are most likely referring to Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment with that “reap what we show” line. Specter of Torment will be the second (of three) planned expansions for Shovel Knight, and it’s currently on track for a Spring 2017 launch on the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.
The 2016 Game Awards will be held tonight at 8:30 PM (Eastern Time), and you can watch the show at TheGameAwards.com.
First episode of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier will be released on December 20
It looks like Telltale fans will have to shamble into December to get their next Walking Dead fix. Today, the developer announced that the (currently untitled) first episode of The Walking Dead: A New Frontier will premiere on December 20.
Like with Telltale’s previous games, fans will be able to download it for a large number of platforms including the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices. Telltale also announced that everyone who pre-orders A New Frontier on the PS4 will also receive The Walking Dead Season 2 and The Walking Dead: Michonne for free.
The digital downloads will be followed by the release of a Season Pass Disc for the PS4 and Xbox One on February 7. The Season Pass Disc will include the first episode of the season, along with downloadable access to all subsequent episodes as they become available.
When family is all you have left… how far will you go to protect it? Four years after society was ripped apart by undead hands, pockets of civilization emerge from the chaos. But at what cost? Can the living be trusted on this new frontier? As Javier, a young man determined to find the family taken from him, you meet a young girl who has experienced her own unimaginable loss. Her name is Clementine, and your fates are bound together in a story where every choice you make could be your last.
Telltale debuted A New Frontier’s first trailer this past Summer at the E3 Expo, but they plan to give fans a closer look at the game during this year’s Game Awards on December 1.
2K Games will release NBA 2K VR Experience on November 22
2K Games has announced that NBA 2K VR Experience, a standalone collection of basketball-themed minigames, will be released tomorrow for the Vive HTC (PC), PlayStation VR (PS4), and Gear VR (Android).
In the NBA 2K VR Experience, players will join NBA 2K17 cover athlete and All-Star Paul George, as they step onto the court at the Indiana Pacers’ stadium, Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Paul George will also provide commentary and guide the player by offering tips to help improve their skills in mini-games, which include three-point shootout, a speed and accuracy skills challenge, and the buzzer beater countdown. Players can earn a variety of Gatorade fuel boosts that will aide their shooting acumen, speed, recovery, and more to help reach the top of the leaderboards.
“Our team consistently looks for new ways to deliver unique, fun experiences for the gamer,” said Greg Thomas, the President of Visual Concepts. “NBA 2KVR will give fans even more access to our franchise and test new skills across entertaining VR challenges.”
The NBA 2K VR Experience will available to download for $14.99. It’s also in development for the Oculus Rift (PC), and it’ll be available for Facebook’s virtual reality headset at a later date.
Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 4 gets the last laugh on November 22
Ladies and gentlemen, The Joker has arrived. The Clown of Crime will make his Batman: The Telltale Series debut in Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham, which asks players to help Bruce Wayne attempt to escape from Arkham Asylum:
In Episode 4, Penguin has taken control of Wayne Enterprises, and the Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane has a new guest – you – Bruce Wayne. With the Batman removed from the streets of Gotham City, Harvey Dent’s forces and the Children of Arkham are at war, with innocent citizens caught in the crossfire. To escape the “comforts” of your padded cell, you must choose allies to aid in your escape, even if they aren’t the sort to put a smile on your face. How far are you willing to go for justice? For vengeance? What now, Dark Knight?
Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 4: Guardian of Gotham will be available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices on November 22. You can get a sneak peek at Episode 4 in the embedded above, but beware of spoilers if you’re not caught up to the latest chapter.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End leads the way at 2016 Game Awards with eight nominations
We’re rapidly approaching the end of the year, and that means the 2016 Game Awards are right around the corner. The Game Awards will once again be produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, who will honor this year’s best games and look to the future with a number of huge World Premieres, including the first gameplay footage from BioWare’s Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Before we blast off to a far away galaxy, let’s stop and recognize Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, which received eight nominations this year from the Game Awards Advisory Board. In addition to “Game of the Year,” Nathan Drake’s final adventure is also up for “Best Game Direction,” “Best Art Direction,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Action/Adventure Game,” along with a “Best Performance” nomination for all three of the game’s main performers.
Uncharted 4 will compete with some of 2016’s biggest titles for “Game of the Year” at the 2016 Game Awards including Doom, Inside, Overwatch, and Titanfall 2.
“The Game Awards is all about celebrating the state of video game art,” said Keighley. “In just a few short weeks we will recognize the most outstanding games of 2016 in unexpected ways, and preview the most anticipated games of 2017 and beyond with the longest, most in-depth world premieres we’ve ever attempted… including surprises and new game announcements.”
The Game Awards will be held on December 1 at 9:00 PM (Eastern Time), and fans can watch the show through their favorite video streaming service or at TheGameAwards.com. The full list of nominees can be found after the break. (more…)
Super Mario Run will be available for all iOS devices on December 15
Nintendo fans are waiting patiently to learn more about the Nintendo Switch, which will be available sometime in March. But today, the consolemaker gave fans an update on their other highly-anticipated upcoming project… Super Mario Run.
Nintendo announced this morning that Super Mario Run will be available to download from the iOS App Store on December 15. The game will be playable on all iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices running iOS 8.0 (or later), and players who want to try before they buy can access a free-to-play demo as well. Players looking to get the complete Super Mario Run experience (the main game, the Toad Rally battle mode, and Kingdom Builder) will be able to purchase it for $9.99.
“The wait is almost over for a Super Mario game that can be played on mobile devices,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Developed under the direction of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario Run brings a new take on the series’ beloved action-platforming gameplay to iPhone and iPad for the first time.”
Super Mario Run will also be released for Android devices sometime in 2017.
Black Friday Game Deals 2016: Toys R Us
It’s possible that Toys R Us leaked the final retail price of the Nintendo Switch this morning, and now we’ve also got our hands on the retailer’s Black Friday deals for this year.
Toys R Us will open at 5:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day, and if you’re looking for bargains on games and accessories for “Toys-To-Life” franchises like Lego Dimensions, Skylanders, and Disney Infinity, they’re definitely the place to go. All three Disney Infinity Starter Packs are just $9.99, and the figures will be available in a “Buy 1 Get 3 Free” deal. There’s also a 50% discount on all Team Packs and Level Packs for Lego Dimensions, as well as a $50 price reduction on the Starter Pack itself.
Toys R Us is slashing prices on a lot of this year’s biggest games for Black Friday including a $20 discount for BioShock: The Collection, Dark Souls III, Doom, Fallout 4, Just Dance 2017, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Mafia III, Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience, Mortal Kombat XL, Pro Evolution Soccer 2017, ReCore, Super Mario Maker, Titanfall 2, and XCOM 2. And shoppers will get $25 off Destiny: The Collection, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, The Elder Scrolls Online: Gold Edition, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Special Edition, Far Cry: Primal, Gears of War 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Guitar Hero Live, NBA 2K17, Overwatch, and more.
Like most other retailers this year, Toys R Us will also be selling PS4 Slim and Xbox One S system bundles for $250.
The complete list of Toys R Us’s Black Friday Game Deals for this year can be found after the break. (more…)
SAG-AFTRA Strike: Is Telltale working on a Guardians of the Galaxy game? And Call of Duty 2017 might be titled Lethal Combat
SAG-AFTRA, the largest union for voice actors and stunt performers in Hollywood, authorized a strike against some game developers and production studios nearly two weeks ago. Because of the strike, all work ceased on a number of in-development projects, including a few unannounced games, such as Madden NFL 18 and Brothers in Arms 4.
Today, the union updated their list of projects that aren’t being struck, and it too includes a large number of unannounced projects.
Perhaps the biggest inclusion in the non-struck list is Guardians of the Galaxy: The Video Game (AKA “Blue Harvest”). It’s easy to assume that Marvel is developing a tie-in mobile game for the film sequel, but it interestingly shares a production house with Telltale’s The Walking Dead: A New Frontier. So it’s not too far of a leap to assume that Telltale’s mysterious Marvel project might star the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which launches this Friday, is also on the list, presumably because of the voice work needed for its Season Pass content. But the 2017 Edition of the long-running franchise, which is in the works at Sledgehammer Games, is included as well. The game is currently known as Call of Duty: Stronghold, though an additional codename, Call of Duty: Lethal Combat, is also included. Unfortunately, neither of these names gives us any idea where Sledgehammer is taking the Call of Duty franchise next.
Electronic Arts has four titles on the list, including Mass Effect: Andromeda. The other three are all listed under codenames, so all we can do is speculate as to what “Project X” (AKA “Delta”), “Walrus,” and “Yuma” refer to.
WB Games also has four titles on the list, all under codenames: “Lego Zeus,” “Metallica,” “Sabbath,” and “Kraken.” I know it’s just following the naming convention established by the others, but I would love a Lego retelling of the Greek myths.
Another mystery game is in the works at Take-Two, and it has three codenames. Dust (AKA “Dark Future & Aces High”) could be literally anything. However, the references to gambling and deserts might lead some to make the leap to Red Dead Redemption 2.
Insomniac has a single game in the non-struck list and it goes by the codename “Sleepless.” It’s possible that “Sleepless” is a stand-in for their Spider-Man game, which does take place in “The City That Never Sleeps.” I’d also wager that Final Fantasy Black is actually a codename for Final Fantasy XV, which has previously been referred to by Square Enix executives as the “dark side” to Final Fantasy XIII‘s “light side.”
Finally, a listing for Project Atlas (AKA “Saints Row”) is no doubt referring to Volition’s recently announced Agents of Mayhem, which is said to take place in the same universe as Saints Row.
The SAG-AFTRA union plans to hold a second picket this Thursday, November 3, in front of the offices of WB Games in Burbank.