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All Articles: GDC 2016
Shadow Complex Remastered will be available for PS4 in May
Shadow Complex Remastered is now available to download through the Xbox Games Store, and looks like it’ll also be released for the PS4 soon.
In a post on their official website, Epic Games confirmed that the modern-day “Metroidvania” will be released for the PS4 in May. The game will also be added to Steam in May, though PC players can purchase it now through ShadowComplex.com.
Shadow Complex Remastered was developed by Chair Entertainment and it was originally released as an Xbox 360-exclusive back in 2009.
Posted in News, PC, PS4
Tagged GDC 2016, Shadow Complex
PlayStation VR will launch in October and it’ll be priced at $399
In case you missed it earlier this week, Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation VR headset will be released this October. This launch window means it’ll be available several months after the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but it’s suggested retail price of $399 is well below that of competing headsets. For your money, you’ll receive a PlayStation VR headset, a pair of earbuds, a number of power and connection cables, and the required processing box.
According to the PlayStation Blog, more than 50 PlayStation VR-compatible games will be released by the end of the year, and more than 230 developers are currently working on PlayStation VR content. This includes Sony’s Japan Studio, which will launch Playroom VR, a free minigame collection, this October. The six activities available in Playroom VR will focus on interaction between multiple players, in an attempt to prove that VR doesn’t have to be a solitary experience.
A new trailer for Playroom VR has been embedded after the break. (more…)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is “Game of the Year” at 2016 GDC Awards
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt might be the last game in CD Projekt’s Witcher saga, but it’s first in the eyes of voters at the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards. The final adventure for Geralt of Rivia was awarded “Game of the Year” honors at the annual ceremony, as well as “Best Technology” for “its complex game engine that combines brilliant visuals with a huge game world.”
However, the big winner of the night was Sam Barlow’s Her Story. After cleaning up earlier in the day at the IGF Awards, Her Story also collected the “Innovation Award,” “Best Narrative,” and “Best Handheld/Mobile Game” at the 2016 GDC Awards.
The only other multi-award winner was Ori and the Blind Forest, which shone brightly as the winner of “Best Visual Art” and “Best Debut.”
As they do every year, the Game Developers Choice jury also distributed a trio of special awards at this year’s ceremony. The “Ambassador Award” was given to Tracy Fullerton, professor and Director of the University of Southern California Game Design program. Bethesda’s Todd Howard won a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his work with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises. And finally, Markus “Notch” Persson, the creator of Minecraft, was praised with the “Pioneer Award.”
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged GDC 2016, Her Story, Life Is Strange, Ori and the Blind Forest, Rocket League, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Her Story wins Seumas McNally Grand Prize at 2016 IGF Awards
Sam Barlow’s Her Story won the “Seumas McNally Grand Prize” at the 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards last night. The game, which resurrected full motion video storytelling to tease out its central mystery, was also the recipient of the “Excellence In Narrative” trophy.
It was a great night for independent gaming as several other games were also honored at this year’s IGF Awards. The spooky Oxenfree won “Excellence In Visual Art,” the ultra-tense Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes won “Excellence in Design,” and the hypnotic and soothing sounds of Mini Metro won “Excellence In Audio.” “The Nuovo Award,” which recognizes “abstract and unconventional games,” was awarded to Cibele for its look at online relationships. And the “Best Student Game” of the year was Jenny Jiao Hsia and Alec Thomson’s Beglitched.
Finally, the “ID@Xbox Rising Star Award” was given to Girls Make Games for The Hole Story and Undertale, developed by Toby Fox, won the “Audience Award.”
Congratulations to everyone who was a winner last night at the 2016 Independent Games Festival Awards. The complete list of winners, in handy list format, can be found after the break. And don’t forget, if you’re in San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference, every nominee from this year’s contest is available to try out at the IGF Pavilion. (more…)
Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged GDC 2016, Her Story, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, Mini Metro
Oculus Rift will launch with 30 games on March 28
The Oculus Rift will officially be available in roughly two weeks, so today at the Game Developers Conference, the hardware maker announced the absolutely massive launch lineup for their virtual reality headset. Beginning March 28, 30 games will be available through the Oculus Store:
- Adrift (Three One Zero)
- Adventure Time (Turbo Button)
- AirMech: Command (Carbon Games)
- Albino Lullaby (Ape Law)
- Audio Arena (Skydome Studios)
- Project CARS (Slightly Mad Studios)
- Chronos (Gunfire Games)
- Darknet (E McNeil)
- Dead Secret (Robot Invader)
- Defense Grid 2 (Hidden Path Entertainment)
- Dreadhalls (White Door Games)
- Elite Dangerous (Frontier Developments)
- Esper 2 (Coatsink)
- Eve Valkyrie (CCP Games)
- Fly to Kuma (COLOPL)
- Eve Gunjack (CCP Games)
- Herobound SC (Gunfire Games)
- Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes (Steel Crate Games)
- Lucky’s Tale (Playful)
- Omega Agent (Fireproof Games)
- Radial G (Tammeka Games)
- Rooms (HandMade Game)
- Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe VR (Agharta Studio)
- Smashing the Battle (One-Man Studios)
- The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts)
- Vektron Revenge (Ludovic Texier)
- VR Tennis Online (COLOPL)
- Pinball FX 2 VR (Zen Studios)
- BlazeRush (Targem Games)
- Windlands (Psytec Games)
If all that weren’t enough, Oculus also revealed the Oculus Home, a virtual living room that you’ll use to explore your library of VR content. More information about the Oculus Rift’s launch lineup and Oculus Home can be found at the Oculus Blog.
The top Game Design programs in 2016 are at University of Utah, University of Central Florida
With the Game Developers Conference in full swing, the Princeton Review recently published their annual evaluation of Game Design programs for 2016. More than 150 schools were examined by the group, which awarded top honors to the University of Utah (undergraduate) and the University of Central Florida (graduate).
“For students aspiring to work in game design, the 58 schools that made one or both of our 2016 lists offer extraordinary opportunities to learn and to hone one’s talents for a successful career in this burgeoning field,” said Robert Franek, The Princeton Review’s Senior Vice President/Publisher. “The faculties at these schools are outstanding. Their facilities are awesome. And their alumni include legions of the industry’s most prominent game designers, developers, artists, and entrepreneurs.”
In addition to earning the top spot on the undergraduate list, the University of Utah also qualified as the third-best graduate program for Game Design this year. A number of other schools appeared in the top ten on both lists, including the University of Southern California, the Rochester Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, Drexel University, and New York University.
The Princeton Review’s complete ranking can be found after the break. And more information about their survey methodology and how to apply to each of these programs can be found at their website. (more…)
Microsoft brought more than three dozen ID@Xbox games to GDC 2016
While Microsoft took their sweet time in embracing independent development on the Xbox One, they’re certainly making up for it now with their ID@Xbox initiative. In addition to yesterday’s news that the consolemaker will be begin offering “Cross-Network Play” on some of their upcoming Xbox One and Windows 10 titles, Microsoft has confirmed that more than three-dozen games will be on display during this week’s Game Developer Conference.
If you’re unable to attend GDC this year, Microsoft has posted the complete list at the Xbox Wire, which gives us a pretty nice glimpse into the future of the ID@Xbox program.
Capy’s Below, Insmniac’s Song of the Deep, and Chair’s Shadow Complex: Remastered are just some of the titles you can try out this week at the Xbox Lobby Bar. The full list is available after the break, and hopefully Microsoft will bring at least some of these titles to next month’s PAX East expo. (more…)
Microsoft says Pit People will be released in 2016
As of right now, The Behemoth’s Pit People doesn’t have an official release date. However, Microsoft may have just spilled the beans in an otherwise unrelated post on the Xbox Wire from ID@Xbox Director Chris Charla. The executive used his pen to tell the world all about the great stuff Microsoft has planned for this year’s Game Developers Conference, including Cross-Network Play, the Game Preview program, and ID@Xbox games on Windows 10.
Charla also highlighted a few Xbox One titles that’ll be released this year including Cuphead, Below, Inside, Superhot, We Happy Few, Worms WMD… and Pit People.
We’ve contacted The Behemoth to find out if Pit People is really set to launch in 2016. In the meantime, we can all continue to wait patiently for the Closed Beta, which will definitely begin this Summer.
Posted in News, PC, Xbox One
Tagged GDC 2016, Pit People