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Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 have been announced
The finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2020 have been announced… and they’re on fire.
This year’s honorees include titles from every era of gaming, though the Star Power of Guitar Hero looms large over the competition. But that’s OK, because there’s a few other firestarters vying for a spot in this year’s class, including Midway’s NBA Jam, Mojang’s Minecraft, and Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Melee.
There’s also the groundbreaking GoldenEye 007, the unforgettable Nokia Snake, the edutaining Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, and the addicting Bejeweled. Rounding out this year’s crop of finalists is Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and a trio of classics from the early 80s (Centipede, Frogger, and King’s Quest).
This isn’t the first opportunity to join the World Video Game Hall of Fame for some of these games, and fans will have the chance to make their voice heard by submitting a Player’s Choice Ballot. The public can vote once per day now through April 2nd, and the three games that receive the most votes will join the 29 other ballots submitted by members of the Hall of Fame’s International Selection Advisory Committee.
The Strong Museum’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games, the entity that oversees the World Video Game Hall of Fame, will announce the inductees from the Class of 2020 at a date to be determined in a special ceremony. For now, you can learn more about this year’s finalists after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Bejeweled, Centipede, GoldenEye 007, Guitar Hero, King's Quest, Minecraft, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, World Video Game Hall of Fame
Untitled Goose Game wins “Game of the Year” at 2020 GDC Awards
The 2020 Game Developers Conference isn’t happening in San Francisco this year due to global health concerns, but the event’s organizers still put together a a pre-recorded version of the Game Developers Choice Awards, and House House’s Untitled Goose Game won “Game of the Year.”
In addition to The Goose running away with yet another “Game of the Year” award, the rest of the indie world had a pretty good night as well.
Hempuli’s Baba Is You collected statuettes for “Best Design” and the “Innovation Award,” ZA/UM’s Disco Elysium danced away with “Best Debut” and “Best Narrative,” and thatgamecompany’s Sky: Children of the Light claimed the “Audience Award.”
But the most-decorated game of the night was Remedy’s Control, which won in three categories. The mindbending action-adventure game was honored with awards for “Best Visual Art,” “Best Audio,” and “Best Technology.”
A full list of winners, nominees, and Honorable Mentions from this year’s Game Developers Choice Awards at Video Game Canon.
A Short Hike wins the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize” at 2020 IGF Awards
Even though there is no Game Developers Conference this year, the 2020 Independent Games Festival Awards went on as a pre-recorded show last night.
Adam Robinson-Yu’s A Short Hike beat the competition and went home with the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize,” and then he delivered a victory speech from his living room. The bite-sized adventure game also charmed IGF voters, who bestowed the “Audience Award” upon it.
Other winners from last night include Foam Sword’s Knights and Bikes (“Excellence In Visual Art”), Inkle’s Heaven’s Vault (“Excellence In Narrative”), Patrick Traynor’s Patrick’s Parabox (“Excellence In Design”), Die Gute Fabrik’s Mutazione (“Excellence In Audio”), Christoph Frey’s The Space Between (“Nuovo Award”), and Goblin Rage’s Bore Dome (“Best Student Game”).
A complete list of all winners, nominees, and Honorable Mentions from the 2020 Independent Games Festival Awards can be found after the break. (more…)
Activision will launch free-to-play battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone tomorrow
Activision is dropping a new entry in the battle royale genre with Call of Duty: Warzone, which will be available as a free download for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One beginning tomorrow, March 10.
Up to 150 players will be able to compete in a Call of Duty: Warzone match, and more details about how it all works can be found on the Activision Games Blog:
At launch, players can squad up in trios with their friends on Playstation 4, Battle.net for PC, or Xbox One across two game modes: Battle Royale and Plunder.
In Battle Royale, fight to be the last squad standing while escaping the deadly gas in the swiftly closing circle with up to 150 players.
In Plunder, the race is on to collect the most in-match Cash by looting across the map, taking down enemies to steal their Cash, and completing in-match Contracts.
Warzone takes place in Verdansk, an expansive city with multiple named zones and well over 300 points of interest. Each zone features distinct landmarks like the Gorengard Lumber Yard or the Gora Dam; the zones take place across different environment types like cities and rural areas for unique engagements. Change up your drop location in each match to get a better lay of the land and take advantage of what Verdansk has to offer.
Players will be able to move around the map using a wide variety of vehicles (including ATVs, Tactical Rovers, SUVs, Cargo Trucks, and Helicopters), but death isn’t the end if they get caught on the wrong end of an enemy attack. Once eliminated, all players will be able to fight it out in The Gulag 1v1 against another player for a chance to get back into the game.
Call of Duty: Warzone will also share a unified progression system with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and players who own Modern Warfare will be able to bring all unlocked Battle Pass items, Operators, weapons, and customization items into Warzone.
The first trailer for Call of Duty: Warzone has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
See more of the Trials of Mana remake in this new Gameplay Trailer
Trials of Mana, the third game in the Secret of Mana/Seiken Densetsu franchise, was originally released for Japan’s Super Famicom all the way back in 1995. But in a cruel twist of fate, it didn’t make its way to the US until 2019 (as part of the Collection of Mana compilation). Thankfully, we won’t have to wait quite so long to play the upcoming remake, which will be released on April 24 for the PC, PS4, and Switch.
Square Enix recently unveiled a brand new Gameplay Trailer for Trials of Mana that gives prospective players a look at some of the changes made to the game in the last two decades, including a gorgeous visual upgrade, character classes, hundreds of abilities, and its unique branching story structure:
Square Enix today released a brand-new trailer for Trials of Mana, a full, high-definition remake of the third entry in the classic Mana series. Launching on April 24, the game will bring the beloved story and characters to the modern era with real-time combat, beautiful 3D graphics, and updated gameplay.
Originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995, Trials of Mana immerses players in an unforgettable adventure filled with exciting gameplay, memorable heroes, and villains. Players will craft varying experiences by selecting a party of three from six unique characters as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime, upgrading their characters’ classes into more power forms, learning over 300 different abilities, and discovering a world of secrets and mysteries to explore.
Trials of Mana’s new Gameplay Trailer has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch
Tagged Trials of Mana
HBO is turning Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us into a limited series
HBO is one of the many channels that have given new life to the “limited series,” and it looks like they’ve zeroed in on their next project… Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO will partner with PlayStation Productions to produce the post-apocalyptic series alongside Craig Mazin (the creator of HBO’s Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (the Creative Director of The Last of Us):
Mazin, who is said to be an avid player of the game, stated, “Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus. Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I’m so honored to do it in partnership with Neil.”
“From the first time I sat down to talk with Craig I was equally blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us,” said Druckmann in a statement. “With Chernobyl, Craig and HBO created a tense, harrowing, emotional masterpiece. I couldn’t think of better partners to bring the story of The Last of Us to life as a television show.”
The adaptation will cover the events from the first game, but HBO told The Hollywood Reporter that a second season of “additional content based on the forthcoming game sequel” is also a possibility.
Sam Raimi was previously attached to a film adaptation of The Last of Us, but it seems that that version of Joel and Ellie’s story is no longer in development.
Posted in Etcetera, News, PS3, PS4
Tagged The Last of Us
Control and Death Stranding set a BAFTA Games Awards record with 11 nominations apiece
This year’s BAFTA Games Awards are likely to break some records as the nominating process has already yielded two games that can lay claim to the honor of “highest number of nominations in a single year.”
Remedy’s Control and Kojima Productions’s Death Stranding both earned 11 nominations this year, one up on Sony Santa Monica’s God of War, which earned 10 nominations ahead of last year’s ceremony. While both games received a bucketful of nominations, only Control will be competing for the BAFTA’s “Game of the Year” prize, and it’ll be going up against ZA/UM’s Disco Elysium, Nintendo’s Luigi’s Mansion 3, Mobius Digital’s Outer Wilds, From Software’s Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and House House’s Untitled Goose Game.
The 2020 BAFTA Games Awards will be held on April 2. You can find a complete list of the nominees in all categories after the break. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Control, Death Stranding, Disco Elysium, Outer Wilds, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Untitled Goose Game
Supermassive Games teases The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope in new trailer
When Supermassive Games kicked off The Dark Pictures Anthology in 2019, they promised that a new entry in the budget-priced horror series would be available each year.
For the first game in the series, players explored the Man of Medan, a ghost ship that harbored each character’s worst nightmare. But this Summer, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope will trade a jaunt aboard a haunted boat for a stroll through a haunted small town:
Trapped and isolated in the abandoned town of Little Hope, four college students and their professor must escape the nightmarish visions that relentlessly pursue them through an impenetrable fog. As they journey through the town looking for a means of escape, they must understand the meaning of these events, the root of evil, and how it is directly connected to them!
“We’ve been delighted by the reaction from players and the success of Man of Medan as the first installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology,” said Pete Samuels, the CEO of Supermassive Games. “We really appreciate feedback from the community and the team remains committed to the goal of making each new installment deliver further thrilling horror experiences, with the next chapter, Little Hope, bringing an all new and disturbing horror story to the anthology.”
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and you can get your first look at it in the Announcement Trailer embedded above.