Posts

Proving that good things come to those who wait - hopefully - the PS4 exclusive The Order: 1886 has become one of the most intriguing games in Sony’s upcoming library, despite a development schedule that has hit some speedbumps. After stunning gamers with its blend of history and fantasy horror, the developers at Ready of Dawn made the difficult call of delaying the game into 2015. Having played the game for ourselves, it was clear that the studio was crafting something special (at least visually), even if its delayed release will put it up against plenty of other similarly-delayed powerhouses....

What makes a good game? There’s the conventional wisdom to go off, of course. A game is supposed to be fun to play and pretty to look at, and if there’s a great story, that’s an added bonus. For years, these standards have dictated how we perceive standout games, and for years, those focuses have reduced the artform down to impersonal consumer-grade products. If it plays good, looks good, and has lots to do, it’s a good game, right?...

After less than a year online, Jagex has announced the closure of Transformers Universe, their MOBA-esque online experience based within the Hasbro toy property. Current players of the game will be able to keep going until January 31, 2015, when the servers will be shut down for good. The good news is that those who invested in Transformers Universe will have all or part of their money refunded. Those who purchased a Founders Pack, relic bundles, or a starter pack will see some or part of their money returned within 30 days, and those who don’t are urged to contact the Jagex team....

Wasteland 2, the popular crowdfunded RPG by InXile Entertainment, is getting set to receive even more post-release updates. Not satisfied with sitting idle even after the game’s huge success when it first launched on Kickstarter, InXile has announced that their title is getting a visual facelift in addition to a few other enhancements. After releasing the sixth patch for Wasteland 2, which added items like Steam achievements to Mac and Linux machines, project lead Chris Keenan took to the game’s Kickstarter page to update fans and backers alike with InXile’s plans on how they’re looking to keep Wasteland 2 fresh with post-release updates and content....

Nintendo’s popular remaster of renowned Mario titles, Super Mario 3D All-stars, is brimming with fun gameplay and nostalgic charm. Even at a price tag of $60, this celestial trip back in time offers plenty of fun content, with a trio of top-tier Mario platformers. Still, the game has received criticism for being a rather “bare-bones” package. Outside the boost in visuals and performance as well as the included soundtrack, there’s really nothing new to speak of....

Welcome to the Fallout universe. It’s a nasty place out here, with nuclear destruction and all. There’s monsters to hunt (or run away from) and settlements that desperately need your help. While Fallout 4was a definitive game in the series, Bethesda’s online excursion into the Fallout world, Fallout 76was… less than well-received (even though it’s still getting updates). The player base was pretty united against Bethesda: they were upset about a game with loads of bugs, downgraded graphics, annoying players, and a boatload of Bethesda’s infamous glitches....

When you’re stuck at home, it can be a frustrating process to keep both yourself and your kids entertained. It can also be difficult to find something that everyone is ok with doing together. Luckily, video games are a media platform that promotes healthy sportsmanship and cooperative activities. Video games are more interactive than watching movies and can be a great way to teach your kids the importance of teamwork. Even families with older children can find common ground in the video game world....

The ability of memes to get across points in a single image is something that probably won’t be matched for many years, if ever. They just relate to so many real-life things that we see every day, not just appropriately, but in an incredibly funny way. That being said, there have been memes about everything, and that includes video game franchises. The massive Halo franchise isn’t an exception to this; in fact, in recent months we have seen an uptake in Halo memes....

The God of War series is one of the biggest franchises on the PlayStation, but it was clear that the series needed to be rebooted after a long hiatus to make it relevant for the current generation of consoles. So, it was pretty evident that Cody Barlog and Santa Monica Studios had a massive task on their hand when it came to the God of War reboot. Not only did they need to modernize the combat for a new era of gaming, but they also needed to work extensively on the graphics and performances present in the game to make them even remotely comparable to the standards of new-age titles that had wowed fans on the PlayStation 4....

The next Dragon Age game seems a long way off, but there is plenty of information to go on if one knows where to look. One of those places is in Tevinter Nights, the collection of short stories set in the aftermath of Trespasser. The short stories are written by the Dragon Age writers, and encompass a diverse group of tales. Most of the characters are new, though there are a couple of familiar faces....

After Nintendo’s misstep with the Wii U, the company came back stronger than ever with the Nintendo Switch, an innovative hybrid console owners can either play in the living room or on the go. With the release almost four years behind us, it feels like it is time for a successor, whether that be a new console or an upgraded version. Whatever the case, several aspects of the Nintendo Switch seriously need fixing....

For those who are unaware, Raid: Shadow Legends is a freemium mobile game that’s reportedly been downloaded more than 250 million times over the last two years. The game has fairly impressive user scores on both the App Store and the Google Play store, but to many, it is better known for its aggressive marketing tactics. Given the eye-watering amounts generated by mobile games in recent years, it’s perhaps no surprise that publishers are willing to spend big in order to attract new players....

It’s amazing how video games have been able to become such immersive experiences that are able to not just cater towards many different genres, but also the contrasting interests of groups of gamers. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an exceptional title that’s able to indulge in storytelling and gameplay that harkens back to the medieval era of time and the events of the Holy Roman Empire. Kingdom Come: Deliverance confidently explores this material, but it also adds an open-world element to it all....

For a series that was founded on a core set of mechanics that were then repeated over and over with each iteration, the Angry Birds franchise has certainly been branching out in the past months. At first, the mischievous birds found their way onto the kart racing circuit with Angry Birds Go!. Now, those same birds are trading their soapboxes for swords and wizard hats in Angry Birds Epic. Following the game’s somewhat cryptic teaser, gamers can finally get their first look at the latest title from Rovio....

Despite a rocky launch, for all intents and purposes, Battlefield Hardline has been a success. While it has reportedly not been able to maintain the same online player count as its predecessor, Battlefield 4, it has still sold well, as it was the best-selling game of March. Overcoming a lukewarm critical reception, Battlefield Hardline managed to beat out the highly anticipated PS4 exclusive Bloodborne in that month, to the surprise of many....

Last week’s announcement of the Video Game BAFTA nominees included a respectable four nominations for Irrational Games’ skybound shooter BioShock Infinite, which was included in the categories for Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Original Music and Best Performer. At the time however, we speculated that the notable lack of nominations for Best Game or Best Story might have had something to do with the critical backlash that began a few months after the initial praise that followed the game’s release....

It’s no big secret that tons of gamers have had Borderlands 2 on their mind. While rumors, and then concrete news, pointed to the game’s existence, nothing feels quite as concrete as an official trailer revealing the title. And so, we have just that for you. Released today this Borderlands 2 trailer isn’t exactly chalked full of content, nor is it particularly revelatory, but what it lacks in juicy details it more than makes up for by showing that the general blueprint of Gearbox Software’s open-world shooter remains in tact....

Welcome to our regular gameplay impressions and video post where we record our first 10-30 minutes with a new game, and provide some general impressions on that early playthrough. Today’s game is: Broken Age from developer Double Fine Studios. One of the first breakout success stories to come from Kickstarter, Broken Age’s existence is proof that with the right audience any project can get made. Double Fine Studios, a developer that found success in the adventure game genre, set out to head back to their roots, but what they ended up with was a cultural phenomenon....

Pre-release leaks are nothing new for the Call of Duty franchise. Dating several years back, tons of information has leaked out about nearly every release to the point gamers almost expect it. From map lists to killstreaks to campaign lengths – we’ve seen it all. However, for newly minted Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare developer Sledgehammer Games these leaks are still something new. Having only just taken over the franchise as a third developer, Sledgehammer has not yet learned to expect, let alone accept, that these leaks happen....

Given the indelible mark that the original Deus Ex made on the action RPG genre, and the critical success of the 2011 installment Deus Ex: Human Revolution, there was a great deal of excitement surrounding Eidos Montréal’s recent Twitter teases that they were planning to release a new title called Deus Ex: The Fall, the domain names for which were registered this year. At the time, it was unclear whether Deus Ex: The Fall would be a new major sequel to the PC and console series, it whether it would simply be a piece of DLC for Deus Ex: Human Revolution....