All Articles: PAX East 2013
The Last of Us Hands-On Preview: Tension and Fear Win the Day
I wasn’t sure what to think when I first saw trailers for The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s first non-Nathan Drake game in six years. It certainly looked like a Naughty Dog game, with the same style and graphics, but this was set in a post-apocalyptic world, one in which humans had been infected by a strange fungus, which left the victims zombified. The remaining survivors of humanity lived in terror in a wasteland. While the Uncharted games had dabbled in science fiction (remember those crazy mutants from the second game?), this was the studio’s first real deviation from reality. I was doubtful that they could pull it off, mainly because the market is so saturated with these types of games, and in the end, not many of them are that great. But from what I saw in the half hour demo at PAX East this past weekend, Naughty Dog just might succeed. (more…)
Shovel Knight Hands-On Preview: I’m Diggin’ It
Being in the vicinity of Shovel Knight, the first project from Yacht Club Games, seems to make horrible puns just emerge from the ether. During my PAX East playtime, a nearby developer assured me that while the current build was only ten percent complete, the team was beginning to “dig in” towards the game’s full potential. The developer actually hadn’t realized the double meaning of his words until someone else pointed them out to him. He apologized for the terrible wordplay and admitted that it had been happening all morning.
But a game like Shovel Knight requires this kind of pun-tastic sense of humor. (more…)
Shovel Knight Interview: Sailing the PAX East Seas With Sean Velasco
Sean Velasco knows retro games. As the former Director of WayForward Technologies, he was the driving force behind Contra 4, A Boy and His Blob, and Double Dragon: Neon. And as the “Captain” of Yacht Club Games, Velasco is sailing off into the uncharted waters of an original property, Shovel Knight.
You can read all about Shovel Knight in our PAX East playthrough, which will be posted later today (UPDATE: Here it is!). But for now, let Captain Velasco guide you through his love of classic games, his thoughts on Kickstarter, Shovel Knight’s future, and the possibility of a PSN/XBLA version of the game. (more…)
First Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD trailer confirms 2013 release date
Square Enix has officially announced that the high definition remake of Final Fantasy X will be released in North America and Europe sometime this year. They have also confirmed that the game will be bundled with an HD remake of its sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, on the PS3. The combined package will carry the rather wordy title Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster.
The remakes will also be available on the Vita, but as separate games: Final Fantasy X HD Remaster and Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster.
Best of all, the HD remakes on both platforms will include the “International Special Edition” content, which was previously unavailable in America.
The PAXpocalypse List: The Best of PAX East 2013
We don’t have the PAX pox, but what if the entire convention center was put under quarantine because of some mystery illness? What would you do? What would you see? We’d endure the PAXpocalypse by spending all of our time with the 13 games (nine playable, three developer-guided demos, and one board game) below. Though it would have to be after pushing the hordes of undead off our doorstep. Because any pox affecting PAXgoers would almost certainly have to lead to a zombie uprising. (more…)
Insomniac’s Fuse will detonate store shelves on May 28
During the blur that is PAX East, it’s easy to miss some stuff. Even some big things. Like the announcement that Electronic Arts and Insomniac will release Fuse on the PS3 and Xbox 360 on May 28. Insomniac’s futuristic co-op shooter is their first multiplatform game and their first game not to be published by Sony since 1996’s Disruptor.
Fuse has been through a ton of changes since it was first announced under its original title, Overstrike. But the core story has remained the same: “Fuse thrusts players into the roles of four elite, covert agents – Dalton Brooks, Izzy Sinclair, Jacob Kimble and Naya Deveraux – each with their own Xenotech weapon and set of unique skills used to fight to protect mankind from a deadly alien energy source known as Fuse.”
In keeping with Insomniac’s philosophy to create the coolest weapons ever for their games, players who pre-order Fuse will receive a variety of exclusive weapon and armor downloads to enhance the game. You can check those out out after the break. (more…)
Second Borderlands 2 Limited Edition Loot Chest coming in May
One more bit of news from the Gearbox panel, a second Borderlands 2 “Loot Chest” will be available in May. Like the first one, this special edition will be super-limited. How limited? There’s only going to be 5,000 of them and you’ll be able to get it exclusively at Think Geek for $99.99.
It’ll include a variety of neat Borderlands-themed stuff (see below) and it’ll be available in May. Sadly, it doesn’t come with the game. But you already own it, right?
Borderlands 2 Diamond Plate Loot Chest
- Diamond Plate Loot Chest
- Loot Chest Certificate of Authenticity
- Vault Hunters Wanted Poster
- Goliath Replica Mask (Plus SHiFT Code to Unlock In-Game)
- Legendary Item Cards (Plus SHiFT Codes to Unlock In-Game)
- Window Decals for Hyperion, Jakobs, Maliwan, and more
Krieg the Psycho is new Borderlands 2 character; Ultimate Vault Hunter’s Pack in April
The Gearbox panel is currently underway at PAX East 2013 and the beleaguered developer has announced that the newest Borderlands 2 vault hunter will be known as Krieg the Psycho. Krieg, which is German for “war,” is a crazed berserker that is focused on melee combat. Krieg will be available in May for $10 (or 800 Microsoft Points for you Xbox 360 owners).
But sooner than that will be a new DLC content drop known as “The Ultimate Vault Hunter’s Pack.” Set for release on April 2, the pack will include a new gear tier, Pearlescent, an increase to the level cap (you can go to 61 now), and a third playthrough mode, the titular “Ultimate Vault Hunter’s” mode. The pack has been priced at $5 (or 400 points worth of Microsoft funny money). But if you’re a Season Pass holder, you’ll get it for free.