All Articles: PAX East 2015

Here’s the PAX East 2015 teaser for Boss Key’s Project BlueStreak

Posted on March 11, 2015 by John Scalzo

As promised, Cliff Bleszinski brought an early look at his next game, Project BlueStreak, to PAX East 2015 this past weekend. The former Gears of War helmer showed about a minute’s worth of footage of a work-in-progress multipayer map that includes a futuristic space station and a tranquil Japanese garden. Bleszinski, and the rest of the development team at Boss Key Productions, also confirmed that Project BlueStreak will be created using Unreal Engine 4, marking something of a homecoming for the developer.

“We considered several options regarding what technology we’d use to build Project BlueStreak. Ultimately, we found ourselves coming full circle to my friends at Epic Games and the elegant solution for rapid and quality game development that is Unreal Engine 4,” Bleszinski said. “We look forward to making a top-tier product through this partnership.”

While it’s a bit hard to tell from the teaser trailer above, Project BlueStreak will be a free-to-play arena shooter for the PC that takes place in a “recovered apocalyptic sci-fi setting.” Hopefully, Bleszinski will explain what that means soon.

Posted in News, PC | Tagged ,

Video Game Release Calendar Changelog #2: Post GDC/PAX East Edition

Posted on March 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Don’t Forget! This is just a changelog of recently announced release dates. Warp Zoned’s complete Video Game Release Calendar includes every title we could find with a 2015, 2016, or unannounced release date.

Even though there’s still a lot of snow on the ground in most places, both of video gaming’s Spring showcases came and went last week. New release dates aplenty were announced at the Game Developers Conference and PAX East, along with a few dozen more since our last Video Game Release Calendar Changelog. Players with a love for AAA blockbuster will want to pay close attention to September 1, as WB Games staked out that spot on the calendar for Mad Max on the same day that Konami attempted to reserve it for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

If you’re looking for games about to be released in the more immediate timeframe, Sony’s Spring Fever promotion has locked in eight of indie gaming’s most interesting titles over the next two months culminating with Shovel Knight‘s April 21 launch on the PS3, PS4, and Vita (it’ll also be available for the Xbox One). Working backwards, April 14’s Titan Souls, April 7’s Bastion, and March 31’s Axiom Verge should also be on your radar if you enjoy retro-styled games.

Moving forward, other big games with confirmed release dates include the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V (now scheduled to launch on April 14), Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (May 5), and the PS4 version of Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster (May 12). Microsoft and Square Enix also confirmed that, respectively, Forza Motorsport 6 and Just Cause 3 will be out by the end of the year.

Finally, a few games slid into “TBA” slots after not being announced at all. Harmonix announced that Rock Band 4 will be released sometime this year while Square Enix did the same for the North American launch of Dragon Quest Heroes. Capcom strongly hinted that Street Fighter V will be in Spring 2016, but wouldn’t officially commit to any specific date. It’ll be joined in 2016 by Level-5’s Yo-Kai Watch, which will definitely cross the Pacific next year.

The full list of games from the Video Game Release Calendar Changelog Update #2 can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Giant monsters battle it out in Gigantic’s PAX East 2015 trailer

Posted on March 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

Motiga erected a massive installation to promote Gigantic at this past weekend’s PAX East expo and it paid off. The 5v5 third-person MOBA was the hit of the show, especially after the developer partnered with Microsoft an Xbox One edition of the game earlier in the week at the Game Developers Conference. For those who weren’t able to attend the show, Motiga has released a brand new trailer highlighting the player-versus-player combat as well as the monster-versus-monster carnage that these too factions are trying to trigger.

A closed alpha of Gigantic is currently underway and a beta test of the free-to-play game will take place sometime in the near future. The final version of Gigantic should be released for the PC and Xbox One by the end of the year.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged ,

The Sonic-like Freedom Planet will be available on the Wii U this year

Posted on March 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

“It’s what you’d get if Treasure made a Sonic game.”

That’s how creator Stephen DiDuro described Freedom Planet to me as I was playing it this past weekend at the PAX East expo. And it’s obvious that he’s not just blowing smoke. The game’s art style is very reminiscent of Sega’s red-sneakered mascot and the sense of speed will feel very familiar to gamers who grew up with the Genesis. But there is also a heavy focus on platforming and exploration, with a little shooting thrown in for good measure. It’s like Sonic, but it is also it’s own thing.

DiDuro also wanted everyone to know that the game will be out for the Wii U by the end of the year. And in case you couldn’t make it to Boston this year, he shared the good news with the world through Twitter on Sunday:

Freedom Planet was originally released for the PC last year, and currently available through Steam.

Posted in News, PC, Wii U | Tagged ,

Killer Instinct’s “ghost girl” makes her debut at PAX East 2015

Posted on March 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

Representatives from Iron Galaxy attended this weekend’s PAX East expo to unveil the next downloadable character from Killer Instinct. Hisako is a Japanese “ghost girl” who will surely invite comparisons to The Ring‘s Samara. But there’s much more to her than that. Creative Director Kraig Kujawa, Director of Production Derek Neal, and QA Lead Isaac Torres joined forces with Microsoft’s James Goddard and Adam Isgreen to discuss the character at a panel dedicated to Killer Instinct. The quintet also screened an extensive gameplay walkthrough showcasing the character and posted 20 minutes of unused footage on the Killer Instinct YouTube Channel afterwards.

Owners of the Xbox One fighting game will be able to download Hisako sometime this month.

The panelists also discussed their future plans for Killer Instinct and confirmed that “Shadows,” a CPU-controlled sparring partner that learns your fighting technique and uses it against you, will be available in April alongside the “Story Mode” update. Season 2 will come to a close over the next few months with the addition of two other playable characters: Cinder, the living flame, and Aria, the villainous head of Ultratech.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel will get Claptastic Voyage expansion on March 24

Posted on March 10, 2015 by John Scalzo

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At PAX East 2015 this past weekend, Gearbox Software announced that the fourth (and final) downloadable add-on for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel will be available on March 24. Claptastic Voyage will be a full expansion to the game’s campaign and include a second Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade Pack, which raise the level cap for each character to 70.

Claptastic Voyage is a riff on the classic sci-fi book/film Fantastic Voyage and will finally reveal exactly why Claptrap is the way he is:

In Claptastic Voyage, Handsome Jack has found something ludicrously powerful within Claptrap’s mind. Never one to turn down a chance at more power, Handsome Jack digitizes the vault hunters and sends them inside! Their goal is simple: find the mysterious “H-Source” code and get out of Claptrap’s consciousness without going completely insane. These anti-heroes will have to deal with Claptrap’s personal insecurities, his malware, and digital representations of his crushing loneliness!

In a post on their official website, Gearbox has promised that players will learn “why Claptrap loves dubstep so much” and get to play with a new “glitched weapons system.” We’ll also be able to battle through a new Mutator Arena “that lets you choose your own gravity settings, enemy mixes, and more.”

Claptastic Voyage is part of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel’s Season Pass, but it can be purchased separately for $9.99. The expansion will also be included in Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, a PS4/Xbox One upgrade of Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel which will be released on… wait for it… March 24.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Street Fighter V is “tentatively” scheduled for a Spring 2016 release on the PC and PS4

Posted on March 8, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Were you at PAX East this weekend? If so, I hope you had a great time and that you’re using your immediate post-PAX hours to recover. If you were there, you might have seen Capcom’s booth at the show, which was selling a wide variety of merchandise in addition to hosting demos of several of the company’s newest games. The Capcom-Unity blog cataloged all the sale items, including a Street Fighter V shirt that was tagged with a description that read “Everyone is fired up for Street Fighter V coming to the PS4 and PC next Spring.” The offending text was quickly edited out of the blog post.

So did Capcom just accidentally announce Street Fighter V’s launch windows? Well, not exactly…

According to IGN, a response from Capcom stated that Spring 2016 is the “tentative release time” for the game. The publisher also stressed they have yet to make an official announcement for Street Fighter V’s release.

While we might have to wait a little longer for confirmation from Capcom, Spring 2016 sounds like a reasonable release date for Street Fighter V to me.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged ,

Harmonix will officially release Rock Band 4 for the PS4, Xbox One in 2015

Posted on March 5, 2015 by John Scalzo

Keep holding those lighters aloft, Harmonix has officially announced that the Rock Band franchise will play an encore on the PS4 and Xbox One sometime this year. The developer will partner with Mad Catz to produce an all-new range of plastic instruments for Rock Band 4, though Harmonix wants your old controllers to work with the new game. Not only that, but many of the downloadable tracks you’ve accumulated over the years (more than 2,000 in total) will work with Rock Band 4 as well. Harmonix is currently hard at work finalizing which tracks will be forward compatible for Rock Band 4, but rest assured, the game will have an extensive soundtrack of new songs as well.

“With Rock Band 4, we’re doubling down on the energy and excitement of playing music live with your friends,” said Harmonix CEO Steve Janiak. “Focusing on the core experience that our fans have told us they love allows us to evolve established gameplay in meaningful ways that we can’t wait to share with everyone later this year.”

To get long-time Rock Band fans ready to rock once more, Harmonix has added Frank Turner’s “I Still Believe” to the Rock Band Music Store today as a free download for Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz. And if you’re attending this weekend’s PAX East expo, you can pre-order an exclusive Penny Arcade-themed guitar in person at Harmonix’s booth (#4224).

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