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After going toe-to-toe with Call of Duty for the title of “Most Over-the-Top Simulation of Modern Warfare” for the past decade or so, this year the Battlefield franchise decided to shake things up a bit. Switching from the front lines of combat to the war on crime, Battlefield Hardline drops players into a good old-fashioned game of cops and crooks. Gamers jumped at the chance to play both sides of the law, making Hardline the top-selling game in March 2015....

While the Call of Duty franchise has always juggled the realistic with the bombastic and over-the-top, in recent years the series has also taken on a completely new personality. With the advent of features like Riley the Dog and plenty of clever downloadable content, the latest COD entry, Call of Duty: Ghosts, has proven that the billion dollar franchise still has a sense of humor. It started with the addition of Michael Myers to the Onslaught DLC, continued with the Predator crossover for the Devastation DLC, and now things are getting even crazier with the introduction of voice packs....

Taking place earlier this year, Gamescom 2014 was a massive boon to the gaming industry. Coming off the back of an incredibly strong E3, the European event still managed to hold its own with big announcements from Sony including the reveal of Tearaway Unfolded for PS4 and Microsoft’s showcase of the indie titles they would be bringing to Xbox One. What both companies also had is the announcement that some games from Steam’s Early Access program (which lets developers release games that are still in progress) would be releasing on their consoles....

Like it or not, Destiny’s House of Wolves DLC expansion is a huge success. Last week, fans battled it out during almost 3.8 million matches of House of Wolves’ player versus player multiplayer combat mode (and arguably the best part of the expansion), the Trials of Osiris. Quite frankly, that’s an incredible number, especially given that Trials of Osiris didn’t even begin until May 22 - three days after House of Wolves launched....

The old adage “you’ve got to spend money to make money” has probably sent a lot of people spiraling into bankruptcy, but in the video game industry there are certainly times when it seems to hold true. Rockstar Games recently claimed the world record for the most expensive video game ever made with $265 million spent on developing and marketing Grand Theft Auto V, but any fears of not breaking even were defeated when GTA V made $800 million within 24 hours of its release....

A few weeks back, IO Interactive released the “Attack of the Saints” trailer for its upcoming title Hitman: Absolution. The trailer’s content caused an uproar from gamers, though the game’s director Tore Blystad says the studio meant no offense. The trailer consisted of Agent 47 - returning protagonist for Hitman: Absolution - fighting an assassin group called The Saints. What sparked the controversy was The Saint’s choice of clothing. The group is comprised of female assassin’s that dress like nuns, only to reveal dominatrix-style outfits and an array of fire arms....

While the release of Modern Warfare 3 has shattered just about every gaming record there is, that doesn’t mean the development team at Infinity Ward is taking it easy these days. Today, thos who spend a good amount of time online with the game will notice a few new additions and changes being made, most noticeably the addition of new community playlists, as well as some tweaks to existing modes....

Over the decades, there have been many Internet videos and memes that have caught fire among a wide variety of people. Rick Astley’s video for ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ has stood the test of time because of its utility in tricking people and its “meme-worthiness.” Looking to build on the popularity of the Rick Roll, creator Domy13 has delivered a LEGO version of the popular Rick Astley music video....

Someone has recreated Fall Guys’ See Saw round in Dreams and has come incredibly close to replicating the real thing. The battle royale genre is the biggest money-spinner in gaming right now. Developers are not only trying to figure out ways to create new versions of BR games but also adding BR modes to already-existing titles. Take Call of Duty, for example. Earlier this year, Infinity Ward introduced the world to Warzone, and it made its already very popular CoD franchise available to more players than ever before....

About a month ago we reported that the development costs of the space sim Star Citizen would be fully covered by the game’s crowdfunding campaign a year before the game’s scheduled release date. It was an easy prediction and we were correct, but that was only the beginning - a new beginning of sorts as we approach tomorrow’s one-year anniversary of the game’s announcement. Cloud Imperium Games Corporation, spearheaded by Wing Commander developer Chris Roberts, hit the $20 million crowdfunding milestone two weeks ago (the expected budget of the game) and in the two weeks since it’s raised another $1 million, unlocking another stretch goal feature and revealing the next goal on the list....

By now most gamers have seen plenty of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. With dozens of gameplay trailers, live demos, and screenshots released regularly, this game wants to ensure people don’t forget it come February. However, for those who still relish the silky smooth beauty of The Witcher 3, we have another gameplay teaser to show. It features a brief portion of a full in-game quest, and focuses on both the combat of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and some of the branching dialogue options....

When discussing the Uncharted franchise it’s natural to mentally think about the games that it borrows from and tries to emulate. Saying that Uncharted at its core is what would happen if Dr. Jones had married Lady Croft is not a far fetched conclusion to draw from the game’s varied environments across the globe that are coupled to Nathan Drake’s pursuit of treasure and riches. Unfortunately, saying that these concepts are what provided the basis for Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is an incorrect assumption....

The popular miniature gaming franchise Warhammer 40,000 has spawned a rich variety of products beyond its standard table top game. Despite franchise growth through books, a movie, and games like the Dawn of War series, a quality full fledged non-strategy game has been sorely missing. Warhammer 40000: Space Marine, from developer Relic Entertainment and publisher THQ, promises a fun and proper Warhammer 40k game on the console and PC, combining both shooter and hack and slash elements....

Heading into the latter part of last year you’d be hard pressed to find a title, especially a next-gen title, more highly anticipated than Watch Dogs. After surprising us at E3 2012, Watch Dogs quickly skyrocketed towards the top of our must-play list due in large part to its unique approach to open world gameplay. However, after a delay into 2014, we soon began to wonder whether the title might not deliver on its initial promises....

There’s nothing quite like a good scare, especially when you’re with friends. It’s why co-op horror gaming has become such a big genre within the industry. As co-operative horror continues to branch out in new and terrifying directions, many survival-type games have been released that need you to place trust in your friends. Because let’s face it, everything’s less scary in numbers…Isn’t it? For those looking for inspiration for their group’s next fright night, there’s plenty to choose from....

In the past few years, we’ve had a LEGO Incredibles, Jurassic World, DC Super-Villains, and even two movies with coinciding games to boot with a brand new LEGO Star Wars underway, but Traveller’s Tales library of digital Lego experiences spans back as far as the 90s. These vary from Knights’ Kingdom to Soccer Mania and Rock Raiders; if Metacritic is anything to go by, they improved from these experimental early days and found their niche at the beginning of the 2000s with their comedic adaptations, even if they have dipped score-wise recently....

Video games have come a long way since the days of two paddles hitting a square ball back and forth. Today, free-to-play games dominate the fast-growing market. More of these free games release from major developers every week, a lot of them with the same trappings. The so-called “gameplay loop” of these free games doesn’t usually lend itself well to the plot. While many free games do have stories, as we’ll see throughout this list, many don’t require you to pay much attention to the story....

Square Enix has been around so long, many gamers reaching adulthood might not even realize that it used to be two different companies; SquareSoft and Enix. The two merged in 2003, bringing their forces together to create one of the strongest gaming publishers. One should not forget the history both of them forged prior to the merger, however. The games below were all done by SquareSoft and are worth remembering. To make things more interesting, none of them are RPGs, an especially unique feat, considering the company is most well known for creating the legendary Final Fantasy franchise in 1987....

Found in almost every side quest, storyline, and hidden Easter egg, there’s an overabundance of Datashards in Cyberpunk 2077. It’s easy to ignore or even miss out on each one and players can miss out on some surprisingly fascinating details about the game. Cracking Datashards grants some hidden access to eddies and some can even add extra layers to the overall plotlines and history of Night City. Here are a few missable Datashard gems players may have missed....

Most everyone is familiar with the art of Super Mario from the 2D worlds that began it all to the present day, elaborate 3D worlds. Super Mario is cute, funny, entertaining, and wholesome. There are those, however, who have put their art skills to use in order to turn the beloved Super Mario world into that of a sick, twisted, horror show. These artists showcase their talents at the expense of our childhood memories, leaving us confused and likely vulnerable to nightmares....