Daddy issues go way back in human culture. It is something we all have seen in stories. It dates all the way back to Greek mythology when Zeus’ father ate his own children so that they would never rise up against him (and guess what? they did anyway!). These days, video games take a lot of notes out of art, culture, and history. So of course there are a lot of bad dads in video games....
Reaction to the Angry Birds: Star Wars announcement has followed in the footsteps of other Lucas Arts tie-ins - serving up divisive pre-release debate. Despite numerous gamers who are eagerly awaiting the franchise mash-up, others have already written-off the tie-in as little more than a shallow cash grab from studios that have already turned their souls over to the Dark Side for mega-profits. The first teaser trailers for Angry Birds: Star Wars didn’t exactly help matters - showing plenty of familiar Galaxy Far, Far Away imagery (with an Angry Birds twist) but no gameplay....
Whenever a video game is set among as politically-charged or patriotic a backdrop as the formation of the United States of America, several assumptions can usually be made. The founding fathers will likely be revered, treated with utmost respect, and the basic liberties that defined the new country are placed alongside the opposites embodied in their enemies. That’s all set to change with Assassin’s Creed 3, as the game’s lead writer explains that the development team isn’t interested in telling a ‘red, white and blue’ narrative....
Few fictional villains are able to terrify through downright madness as well as the Joker, the iconic nemesis of DC Comics’ Batman. In Rocksteady’s Arkham series, the villain took his torment of Bruce Wayne from the confines of Arkham Asylum to a city-sized prison that threatened to terrorize the citizens of Gotham City. But in Batman: Arkham Knight, things have changed. Surprisingly, the city has actually managed to rebuild itself one year after the events of Arkham City, recovering under the watchful gaze of its winged protector....
Now that Warner Bros. has announced their next superhero game in Batman: Arkham Origins, the studio founded to bring it to life - Warner Bros. Montreal - aren’t keeping their excitement quiet any longer. And considering the pressure and expectations on any game bearing the Batman name these days, enthusiasm is more than welcome. The story of Arkham Origins is simple enough: eight of the world’s deadliest assassins descend on Gotham City on Christmas Eve, all gathered to kill the Batman....
With the PS4 and the Xbox One both promising huge graphical leaps over their predecessors, the topic of frame rates and resolutions has been highly talked about since even before the two consoles launched. Some people say that frame rates and resolution don’t matter since most gamers can’t tell the difference, but for others the PS4’s higher graphical output has been the very reason that they bought Sony’s console instead of the Xbox One....
While some nostalgic Call of Duty fans are still crossing their fingers and wishing for a Modern Warfare 2 current-generation remake, a larger group of first-person military shooter fans are still queueing up for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare matches. The game didn’t sell quite as well as previous entries in the franchise, but the community is still active enough to warrant a series of competitive multiplayer-themed DLC packs. The first DLC pack, Havoc, had a bit of a bumpy launch, with a delay that left PC players waiting for the game while console players mastered the new maps....
When Nintendo finally launches the Wii U sometime this Fall, Darksiders II will be there. Yes, the game will have debuted months earlier on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, but as one of the first multiplatform titles bound for Nintendo’s next console, Darksiders II should offer some idea of how Wii U compares to its current-gen competition. Rumors about how much power the Wii U actually packs have been all over the map, but according to Darksiders II Game Director Marvin Donald, the system is “on par” with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3....
Bungie initially warned us all that Destiny’s first raid, ‘The Vault of Glass,’ would be fairly difficult, even for the lower 20 level characters. It’s doubtful, however, that anyone expected the new content to take an absurd amount of time to beat. But the game’s first raid (which debuted early on September 16) took one team nearly half a day to finish. The clan that conquered the Vault of Glass first was a group by the name of ‘PrimeGuard,’ made up of 3 Titans, 2 Hunters, and 1 Warlock....
Although Dragon Age II was largely considered a disappointment by fans, developer BioWare has been proactive by trying to assure fans they will do right by them with Dragon Age: Inquisition. The developers want fans to know they are listening and will incorporate their ideas into what will hopefully be the best franchise entry yet. Part of that proactive approach has included detailing any and every facet of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s story and gameplay, be it new companion characters or how romances will work....
FIFA 15 is already poised to offer the most realistic and emotional experience the series has ever seen, with new gameplay being based off of player emotions, realistic pitch environments with a complete overhaul for the Barclay’s Premier League. EA Sports has now announced an update for goalkeepers in FIFA 15, which should impact the gameplay in a big way. As part of their realism update, gamers will now see goalkeepers interact a lot more with their squad....
Well before we even knew what Grand Theft Auto 5 would look like or how it would play, most figured that Rockstar Games’ forthcoming release would be huge. However, what we didn’t expect was just how well this particular franchise entry would sell. So far, Grand Theft Auto 5 has broken records left and right, from best selling game of 2013 to one of the top selling games ever, and today it has hit another milestone....
What can be said that hasn’t already been said about Grand Theft Auto 5? The series has now delivered the highest rated game ever and become one of the most financially successful franchises in any medium. It’s a series so expansive and rich in detail but also base and vapid in its nature. It is also technical marvel - an experience that pushes the boundaries of what we can expect in a game, by providing a densely populated and massive world full to the brim with things to see and activities to partake in....
While San Diego Comic-Con tends to be dominated by the entertainment industry’s biggest films and TV shows there is still a strong video game presence as well. Among the list of confirmed games on display for the show include the likes of Assassin’s Creed 3, Guardians of Middle-Earth, and The Last of Us, all of who are set to unveil something pretty substantial. Perhaps the biggest reveal, though, will come by way of 343 Industries, who will be bringing something pretty exciting for hopeful Halo 4 fans....
Blizzard is making a big push for Heroes of the Storm, the developers’ upcoming entry in the immensely popular multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) genre. ESPN 2 broadcast Blizzard’s Heroes of the Dorm tournament, in which teams of students duked it out in Heroes of the Storm to win tuition money. Heroes of the Storm television ads are popping up on prime time television. Quite simply, the game is everywhere, and it’s easy to forget that - despite all the hype - it’s not actually out yet....
Minecraft Pocket Edition hit the Android Market last September, followed by a chart-topping debut as an iOS App last month. While the mobile version of everyone’s favorite mining and crafting game comes up short on features compared to its PC sibling, a post on the Mojang Blog promises tons of new features are on the way. Meanwhile, Android owners who have yet to dive in to Minecraft Pocket Edition have no excuses today....
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: NaissanceE from developer Limass Five. At a glance, it would be easy to dismiss NaissanceE as a Portal or Antichamber clone, only without the guns. And while those comparisons are certainly valid, the first person puzzle genre is so narrow that a lot of games will “seem” alike....
The casual mobile market is massive, becoming of ever increasing importance to the video game industry. Unlocking games to a huge new audience, ‘app’ gaming has changed the landscape of how publishers, developers and audiences interact with games on all levels. The evidence of the market’s influence on the industry isn’t hard to see, from AAA games that have started to experiment with free-to-play and micro-transaction pay models, to the fact that parents, and even grandparents, are picking up and playing hours worth of games....
There is no small amount of credit tied to one’s name after crafting a gameplay experience as groundbreaking and unique as the original Portal (originally titled ‘Narbacular Drop’). Kim Swift has moved on from her headline-grabbing senior project and its remarkable sequel, and taken a lead role at Airtight Games to bring fans of physics puzzles and platforming a brand new adventure, Quantum Conundrum. The odds are stacked against Swift’s newest game standing up against the genius of her previous work, but there is sure to be a horde of gamers eager to see what other puzzlers can be spawned from the same imagination....
Those who have been following game news as of late will know that the worst kept secret in gaming is the resurgence of popular music rhythm series Rock Band. While developer Harmonix has always seemed interested in bringing back their peripheral-crazy franchise, they’ve only just now started to genuinely tease the possibility. It started with a short survey that asked fans what they wanted to see in a new Rock Band game, and the anticipation and expectation only grew more fervent when Harmonix released new Rock Band 3 DLC (the first in almost two years) with a resurrection theme....
