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All Articles: Gamescom 2014
Ninja Theory reveals Hellblade as a PS4 exclusive
Ninja Theory has announced that they’re going it alone with their next game, Hellblade. The developer plans to self-publish the PS4 exclusive, which was announced today during Sony’s Gamescom Press Conference, sometime in the not-so-near future.
Hellblade will be released digitally through the PlayStation Store (Ninja Theory is calling it “Independent AAA”) and will be a sword-based combat game starring a young woman named Senua. Her battles will take place within a mythical world based on Celtic myth and, as you can see from the teaser trailer above, Hellblade definitely looks unique.
Hellblade is still very far out, but Ninja Theory wants to share the development process with their fans. To that end, they’ve launched an official website which includes concept art and a behind-the-scenes video discussing the game.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Gamescom 2014, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
Activision reveals Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s multiplayer mode in new trailer
Activision’s decision to switch to a three-team development cycle for the Call of Duty franchise was to give each of the teams more room to shake things up. Sledgehammer Games is attempting to do their part by massively revamping the multiplayer experience in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. And by “revamping,” I mean that they’re adding in a ton of sci-fi touches like mech suits, invisibility devices, and jetpack jumps:
With the all-new exoskeleton, players can boost jump, dodge, dash, slide, slam and more as the action goes vertical, while using future-tech, cutting-edge capabilities and a brand-new weapon class as part of nearly 350 custom weapons. Offering a new reward system, including more than 1,000 in-game player rewards, and nearly limitless customization options that create more than two billion unique player combinations and more, the title offers the most in-depth, robust and advanced Call of Duty multiplayer experience ever on both next generation and current generation systems.
Also, the much loved Pick 10 create-a-class is back with even more customizable options than before with Pick 13. Gamers can now choose their favorite scorestreaks, which are fully customizable, and include them in their preferred class, raising the bar on personalization from top to bottom. The introduction of co-operative scorestreaks also allows friends to experience Call of Duty multiplayer together in a new way, as for the first time ever, two players can now join a scorestreak and work co-operatively.
The technology of the future in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare wouldn’t be complete without advancement in weapon technology, beginning with the debut of a directed energy class of weapons. This all-new weapon class for Call of Duty uses the power of focused energy to overcome enemies and relies on tactical heat management instead of reloads. Players can test out this new class, along with all their weapons, on the new Virtual Firing Range, a brand new feature that allows players to instantly test-drive their favorite weapon loadout with the click of a button before the next match starts.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will also include a comprehensive create-a-character mode known as Create-An-Operator that will allow players to “personalize their soldier however they want.”
Finally, Activision has announced that a special “Day Zero Edition” will be available to those who pre-order the game. Available one day early, on November 3, the package will include the game itself, two custom weapons, and double XP on “Day Zero.” For the rest of us plebes, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will be available on November 4 for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Gamescom 2014
More than 10 million PS4 systems have been sold
Microsoft stopped reporting Xbox One sales totals in the Spring, but Sony has gleefully continued to count every PS4 sale. During their Gamescom presentation today, the consolemaker revealed that more than 10 million PlayStation 4 consoles have been sold since the system’s launch last year.
Shawn Layden, SCEA’s President and CEO, said: “On behalf of our entire team, I want to thank you for your support and passion. You’re the reason that PS4 is the #1 next generation console in the world and we’re grateful for your continued enthusiasm and for always pushing us to new heights.”
Sony announced more than a dozen new titles during their Gamescom Press Conference, so there’s plenty of upcoming games for present and future PS4 owners to look forward to.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Gamescom 2014
Killer Instinct: Season 2 premieres on October 15
Microsoft has announced that Killer Instinct‘s second season will begin on October 15. On that date, new fighters Maya and TJ Combo will go on sale for $4.99 each. Six more characters will follow at a rate of one new fighter per month. But a pair of package deals will also be available to get all eight characters (and other goodies) at a discounted rate.
The “Ultra Edition” will be priced at $39.99 and it’ll include:
- All eight Season 2 fighters
- Select fighter costumes and accessory packs
- Content Early Access to characters and customization items before anyone else
- Killer Instinct 2 Classic – A perfect port of the arcade game with full multiplayer support for intense fighting over Xbox Live
Microsoft will open up pre-orders for Killer Instinct: Season 2 beginning on September 23. Gamers who pre-buy the “Ultra Edition” will instantly be able to download TJ Combo and Killer Instinct 2 Classic.
Meanwhile, the “Combo Breaker” pack will be half the price ($19.99), but it’ll only include access to the eight fighters from Season 2. Still, it’s a pretty significant discount.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2014, Killer Instinct
Sierra returns with Geometry Wars 3 and King’s Quest
We knew that Activision had plans to revive the Sierra publishing label as their indie games arm, but I don’t think anybody quite expected this. As part of their announcement revealing Sierra’s return, the publisher confirmed that Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions and a King’s Quest remake are in the works.
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions will be available this Fall and its currently in development at Lucid Games, which is a team comprised mostly of former employees of Bizarre Creations. If you remember, Bizarre Creations was the original developer behind the first two Geometry Wars games:
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is an exciting new evolution of the fast-paced, frenetic Geometry Wars gameplay fans love, and will introduce full 3D action and both cooperative and competitive multiplayer for the first time in the franchise. In addition to a full single-player campaign with 50 unique challenges and over 10 battle modes – five of which are brand new to the series – Geometry Wars3: Dimensions features dynamic and persistent progression, offering players a consistently new experience each time they play.
As for King’s Quest, it will be developed by The Odd Gentlemen (The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom) for a 2015 release:
King’s Quest is a fully reimagined version of the fan-favorite Sierra game fit for both the old and new generation of King’s Quest players. Huge fans of the original King’s Quest series, The Odd Gentlemen are crafting a charming new adventure with an awe-inspiring art style, engaging puzzles, and a wondrous interactive narrative brimming with humor. In the new story, King Graham – revered as the greatest adventurer to ever live – shares his life’s adventures with his curious granddaughter, Gwendolyn. It is through these tales that Gwendolyn discovers the true greatness of her grandfather.
It’s unknown exactly where Geometry Wars 3 or King’s Quest will land, but Pete Wallace, the Studio Head at Lucid Games, said that their game will launch on “more platforms than ever before.” And with Sierra’s plan to release games through Xbox Live, the PlayStation Store, and Steam, that could be a lot of platforms.
Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2014, Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, King's Quest
Halo 5: Guardians beta starts in December
As announced by 343 Industries during the Xbox Gamescom Media Briefing, the multiplayer beta for Halo 5: Guardians will begin on December 29 and run for three weeks.
The beta, which is available to buyers of the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Collection, will focus on 4v4 arena-based fights. All players in the beta will start with the same loadout to “ensure matches are balanced and competitive” and seven maps, three gametypes, and a variety of different armour sets will be included. We’ve also learned that the beta will run at a respectable 60 frames per second.
“It’s celebrating the legacy of competitive gameplay that’s always been at the heart of Halo’s multiplayer,” said Josh Holmes, Executive Producer on Halo 5: Guardians. “Having a beta this early in development is crucial because it gives us as developers the opportunity to react to the feedback we get from fans and take it into account as we complete the multiplayer experience for Halo 5: Guardians”
Halo 5: Guardians will be released sometime next Fall.
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Gamescom 2014, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Final Gamescom 2014 teaser from Sony promises to “Reinvent Horror” on PS4
Sony’s Gamescom 2014 presentation begins in just a few short hours, 1:00 PM (Eastern Time) to be exact, but a final teaser trailer has confirmed one of their big announcements: Until Dawn.
Originally announced at Gamescom 2012, Until Dawn is a first-person adventure game inspired by 80s horror films, especially those of the “cabin in the woods” variety. And this new teaser features a faceless killer slicing and dicing someone while framed within the window of a cabin. Because this is a teaser, the words “Until Dawn” are never said, but the cabin imagery and the “Horror Reinvented” tagline point pretty strongly towards the return of Supermassive’s ode to 80s horror.
Oh, and apparently its moving to the PS4 as well. Groovy.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Gamescom 2014, Until Dawn
Pre-loading and more new Xbox One system features announced
Both before, and during, their Xbox Media Briefing at Gamescom 2014, Microsoft executives announced a whole host of new features coming soon to the Xbox One.
Firstly, announced during the media briefing itself, the Xbox One Games Store will offer pre-ordering and pre-downloading, which will allow gamers to pay for and download digital copies of games before they release. The first games to feature the pre-loading option will be Forza Horizon 2 and FIFA 15.
But before the show, the Xbox Wire revealed several new features coming to the system, first through the Preview program, and then to the general public. The features are not incredibly groundbreaking, but they either fix some annoying issues or add some niche functionality:
New “Friends” section – The new Friends section has been available for a few early access Preview members and we’re expanding it to everyone enrolled in the Preview program. The new Friends section enables users to see at a glance what’s going on with their friends. They can stay up-to-date with their current activities, the most popular games their friends are playing, and a Gamerscore leaderboard to see who has improved their Gamerscore over the last 30 days.
Snap Center – Some of gamers’ favorite features in the Xbox 360 guide, are coming to Xbox One in a way that’s now truly be side-by-side with games. Messages, friends, parties, and achievements will all be available in the new Snap Center, providing a seamless way to switch back and forth without having to leave a game.
Threaded Messages – Keeping gamers in their games while they multitask has been a huge focus. The new Messages app features threaded messages with the full conversation history – including embedded links to Game DVR clips – that can be viewed without interrupting gameplay.
Media Player – A new app will be available soon that enables users to play media files from either an attached USB device or from a network connected home media server that supports DLNA protocols. The preview version of the Media Player app will initially only support USB devices, with DLNA support coming soon. Xbox One will support more formats than Xbox 360, including support for dozens of new file formats like mpeg 2 TS, animated gifs and mkv which will be added by the end of the year. See below for additional file formKats.
Xbox One Digital TV Tuner – Announced last week, this new accessory will enter a limited preview program in Europe (UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain), in advance of its retail launch beginning in October.
Stream TV to SmartGlass – Launching first in markets receiving the Xbox Digital TV Tuner, Xbox One owners will be able to stream their TV across their home network to their smartphones and tablets using the Xbox SmartGlass app. They can also pause, play and rewind as well as change channels, without interrupting gameplay on the Xbox One. This will work for SmartGlass apps on Windows, iOS, and Android.
Boot to TV – Now Xbox One owners will be able to set their console to boot directly to television when coming out of connected standby.
Live TV mini guide – For markets where OneGuide is available, a new mini guide on the bottom of the screen will display details about the TV content that is currently playing. Users can quickly change channels and see what’s on other channels, while still watching TV.
According to Microsoft, these features will be available on your Xbox One in the “coming months”
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged FIFA 15, Forza Horizon 2, Gamescom 2014