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Archived News:
EA Maxis announces the release of Outdoor Retreat, the first game pack for
The Sims 4, their lifestyle simulation. This allows your Sims to ease their
cabin fever with a trip to the great outdoors. They offer
this blog post with
details on the new pack, and
this trailer to
show it off. They also take the opportunity to announce the OS X edition will be
released next month, and that owners of the Windows version are entitled to the
OS X edition free of charge. They will announce a specific release date as it
gets nearer. Here's a description of the Outdoor Retreat pack: "Over the
mountains and through the woods to Granite Falls, Sims go! Adventures await in
The Sims 4 Outdoor Retreat, the first game pack to release from The Sims
franchise, filled with new gameplay experiences and fun things for your Sims to
do. Players will take their Sims on a vacation to Granite Falls where they will
explore new land, set up camp, uncover rare collectibles, gather round the
campfire, share spooky stories, stargaze and more." Continue here to read the full story.
Double Damage Games announces additional platforms for
Rebel Galaxy, their
recently announced "swashbuckling space
adventure." Word is the game will be coming to OS X and Xbox One as well as the
previously announced support for Windows and PlayStation 4. "We’ve wanted to
launch Rebel Galaxy on multiple platforms from the beginning, and today it’s a
pleasure to announce to Xbox and Mac communities that Rebel Galaxy will be
coming to the Xbox One and OSX as well. We wanted to wait to announce it until
we had the game up and running on both platforms. That milestone has now been
achieved," said Travis Baldree, co-founder of Double Damage Games. "We’ve had so
much fun developing this, that we can’t wait for players to get their hands on
the game at this year’s PAX South in San Antonio and encourage attendees of the
expo to come and demo the game. We’d also like to extend our thanks to Blitworks
(blitworks.com) for doing the heavy lifting on all of our ports."
Here's a new trailer showing
off the Havoc DLC that's coming later this month to Call of Duty: Advanced
Warfare for Xbox, with the Windows and PlayStation versions of the DLC to
follow. The clip includes commentary from the developers as well as images of
scary stuff like zombies and a virtual John Malkovich. Here's word: "The
definitive DLC offering, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc includes four new,
epic multiplayer maps, access to the versatile AE4 directed energy assault
rifle, the AE4 Widowmaker custom variant, plus an exciting new Zombies
cooperative mode called Exo Zombies, that features a story told through the eyes
of four employees of the Atlas corporation, played by a celebrity cast
consisting of John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, RED, Burn After Reading),
Bill Paxton (Aliens, Titanic, Edge of Tomorrow), Rose McGowan (Planet Terror,
Scream), and Jon Bernthal (Fury, The Walking Dead). The actors provide their
voice over and likeness in a dark and cinematic experience new to Call of Duty:
Advanced Warfare. Players enter a world where a DNA bioweapon unexpectedly
spawns a bloodthirsty, ravenous mutant horde infecting an entire secret Atlas
research facility and sending personnel running for their lives. Following a
failed evacuation, four survivors, un-trained and underprepared, must face the
most vicious mutations ever unleashed. The Exo Zombies co-op mode ushers in a
new breed of Zombies and a truly unique experience, coming first to the Havoc
DLC Pack." Continue here to read the full story.
This new trailer
from Cities: Skylines kicks off a series of three clips revealing the passion
for the city-building games behind this entry in the genre. Word is: "In the
video, Paradox Interactive's Jakob Munthe and Colossal Order’s Mariina
Hallikainen and Karoliina Korppoo share their visions for the game and love for
old school city builders, as well as their charming obsession with traffic."
There's also currently a signup campaign on the
Cities: Skylines website they are
calling a "petition" which will earn all who sign an in-game Japanese Zen
garden, listing a couple of additional reward tiers to follow: a koi pond and
some cherry trees. Continue here to read the full story.
This trailer shows
of a Windows edition of Pix the Cat, as Focus Home Interactive announces plans
to bring Pasta Game's arcade game to PCs this month. Word is: "As showcased in
the trailer below, Pix the Cat has an offbeat retro setting reminiscent of its
famous “highscore” predecessors Snake and Pac-Man, electric aesthetic and tense,
twitchy gameplay… Pix the Cat is sure to melt your keyboard when it launches!"
Here's more: Pix the Cat features many different game modes including single and
multiplayer modes, some changing the theme and aesthetic. Including Arcade,
Nostalgia, Laboratory, and Arena modes, you’ll play as Pix - who plays a Pix –
heading deeper and deeper into levels upon levels in a Snake-meets-Pac-Man
digital world.
Enjoy a kinetic and stylized world within games where, in the arcade mode, your
task is liberate ducklings and trail them to the safe-zones without hitting the
walls, getting stuck, or running into your feathered friends, gaining the
highest score possible and comparing them on the leaderboards. Completing
“achievements” opens up new game modes and unlocks fantastic artwork, hilarious
announcer voices and your favorite tunes from the game’s soundtrack! Among other
surprising surprises...
Finally, Arena mode pits you against 3 friends in local multiplayer! With two
players facing off on the same keyboard, connect additional controllers and blow
your enemies to smithereens in epic battles of cats, ducks and
eggs.
Continue here to read the full story.
FINAL FANTASY XIV is on display in
a new trailer titled
"Before the Fall" which shows off the upcoming version 2.5 update for the
MMORPG, a patch coming in two parts, the first of which is due for a week from
today. Word is: "The trailer offers a glimpse at three new dungeons, as well as
the final chapter of the Crystal Tower storyline that sees adventurers traveling
to the World of Darkness. Additionally, the Manderville Gold Saucer attractions
include chocobo racing and the Triple Triad card mini-game. Adventurers will
also be able to test their mettle against Odin, the elder primal, in a brand-new
challenge built for a full party, and to discover what prompted Gilgamesh to
return." Continue here to read the full story.
Link of the Day:
Lucas Was To Helm "Star Wars" Episode VII. Thanks nin. And thank heavens.
Evolve isn't out until February 10th for PCs, but publisher 2K and
developer Turtle Rock
offer new details on DLC and season passes for the asymmetric shooter,
courting possible confusion by introducing a $24.99 Hunting Season Pass, a
$79.99 Digital Deluxe Edition, and a $99.99 PC Monster Race Edition along with
word on Xbox One pre-loads.
This
accompanying blog post introduces the game's fourth playable monster,
saying: "Get Behemoth for free in the Monster Expansion Pack by pre-ordering
Evolve today, or purchase him separately for $14.99 when he becomes available as
downloadable content this Spring." Here's a breakdown of the various PC
editions: Evolve Hunting Season Pass*
- Includes four new playable Hunter characters
available this spring, one in each class: Assault, Trapper, Medic, and
Support;
- Includes three Monster skins at launch, exclusive
to the Evolve Hunting Season Pass: Magma Goliath, Magma
Kraken, and Magma Wraith;
- The Evolve Hunting Season Pass
contains $29.96 of content for $24.99;
- The four playable Hunter characters will be
available for purchase individually outside of the Evolve Hunting
Season Pass for $7.49 each.
Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition
- The Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition is
available for pre-purchase now as a digital download for Xbox One and
Windows PC, and will be available soon for PlayStation®4 system;
- Includes Evolve main game and the
Evolve Hunting Season Pass;
- The Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition
contains $89.95 of content for $79.99;
- Players who pre-purchase Evolve or
the Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition will also receive the
Monster Expansion Pack free, which includes Behemoth,
the fourth playable Monster character, this spring, and the Savage Goliath
Skin at launch.
Evolve PC Monster Race Edition
- The Evolve PC Monster Race Edition is
available for pre-purchase now as a digital download for Windows PC from
participating retailers;
- Includes Evolve main game, the
Evolve Hunting Season Pass, and additional content when it
becomes available after launch: a fifth playable Monster character, two
additional playable Hunter characters, and four Monster skins that will be
available exclusively to those who purchase the Evolve PC Monster Race
Edition for 30 days;
- The Evolve PC Monster Race Edition contains
$131.88 of content for $99.99;
- Players who pre-purchase the Evolve PC
Monster Race Edition will also receive the Monster Expansion
Pack free, which includes Behemoth, the fourth
playable Monster character, this spring, and the Savage Goliath Skin at
launch.
Additional details about the Evolve Hunting Season Pass,
Digital Deluxe Edition, and PC Monster Race Edition can be
found on the official Evolve blog here:
http://evolvegame.com/news/the-evolve-digital-versions-breakdown.
The
Kickstarter for Shadowrun: Hong Kong is now underway,
as promised, offering the
chance to support development of a new installment in the tactical RPG series
from Harebrained Schemes. This carries a $100,000 initial goal, and here's word
on the plan: The team that brought you the award-winning Shadowrun Returns
and Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director’s Cut is back with an all new, full length
standalone cyberpunk tactical cRPG set in Shadowrun's magically Awakened Hong
Kong of 2056.
HONG KONG. A stable and prosperous port of call in a sea of chaos, warfare, and
political turmoil. The Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone is a land of
contradictions - it is one of the most successful centers of business in the
Sixth World, and home to one of the world’s most dangerous sprawl sites. A land
of bright lights, gleaming towers, and restless spirits where life is cheap and
everything is for sale.
The lure of a quick payday draws you from Seattle into the neon glow of Victoria
Harbor… and into a corporate conspiracy nearly thirty years in the making. A
terrifying threat looms on the horizon - a supernatural force that corrupts and
consumes everything it touches. Dragged into the shadows of Kowloon City, you
will need to forge new connections and gain "face" to survive.
Hong Kong contains fantastic elements for a new Shadowrun setting: an underworld
of triads, tongs, and gangs to navigate, wild magic to harness, and bleeding
edge cybertech to equip. Plus, Hong Kong’s culture is steeped in "guanxi" - a
network of influence and relationships based upon a combination of social
status, and prestige. All of these elements add up to a great new setting for
running the shadows.
Shadowrun: Hong Kong has everything you expect from a Harebrained Schemes
Shadowrun game: strong storytelling and sharp writing, lots of morally gray
choices, a crew of memorable characters with distinct personalities, challenging
tactical turn-based combat, a robust character creation system, and a one of a
kind cyberpunk-meets-magic game setting that’s endured for over 25 years.
Our Backers voted for Hong Kong as the next city for us to bring to life and
we’re excited to be working on it!
The Safe Haven DLC for Alien: Isolation is now available, offering the third
of five such survivor mode packs for Creative Assembly's survival/horror game.
The Windows edition is available
on Steam, and
this page offers all the details. A
new trailer shows off
the "Salvage Mode" this adds, and here's word on that, a new playable character,
and more: SEGA announced today that ‘Safe Haven’, the third of five
Survivor Mode add-on packs for Alien: Isolation™, is now available to download.
‘Safe Haven’ introduces the Salvage Challenge, a new way to play Survivor Mode,
tasking players to complete a series of ten challenges without dying. With the
clock ticking and wave after wave of opponents standing in your way, death has
never felt quite so final.
‘Safe Haven’ also introduces a new playable character in Hughes, Sevastopol
Station’s Communications Manager. Trapped in a safe room on the lower decks of
the Station, his only chance of escape is to take on ten tasks provided to him
through the communications terminal. Each task will require stealth and cunning,
confronting a series of the station’s toughest and most resilient foes as he
works to restore communications and escape his confinement.
‘Safe Haven’ is the third add-on pack for Alien: Isolation’s Survivor Mode, and
sets the bar high with a far larger challenge map and a new game mode to test
the mettle of Sevastopol’s most skillful survivors. With only one life to play
with, each challenge accepted brings with it a new objective and enemy type
where one wrong move can, quite literally, be your last. Completing challenges
unlocks rewards and points, giving access to new items to collect and craft.
Should players score enough points, they can be traded for a save slot at the
expense of their final score and position on Alien: Isolation’s
leaderboards.
Continue here to read the full story.
Keen Software House announces Medieval Engineers, a second "engineering" game
from the developer who already brought us Space Engineers. That game
sold over one million units and now they
are looking to follow that success by taking the series from the future into the
past. The game is currently in the alpha stage, and the plan is to launch this
down the road as an early access title on Steam. Their
announcement video
includes alpha gameplay footage showing off the game's creative mode, castle
building, trebuchet construction, destruction and physics, and more. "We are very curious to see how the Space Engineers community will react to
Medieval Engineers and if other communities will also get interested in our new
title," says Marek Rosa, CEO and Founder of Keen Software House. "We didn’t want
to only keep creating space games. Instead we wanted to have a game where
players can interact with life and nature. By creating a second engineering
game, we are also leveraging our existing technology and experience." Here's
more: Medieval Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction
and the maintenance of architectural works and mechanical equipment using
medieval technology. Players build cities, castles and fortifications; construct
mechanical devices and engines; perform landscaping and underground mining.
Medieval Engineers is inspired by real medieval technology and the way people
built architectural and mechanical works in medieval times. Medieval Engineers
strives to follow the laws of physics and real history and doesn't use
technologies that were not available in 5th to 15th century.
Continue here to read the full story.
Rockstar Games has a new post about the PC Edition of Grand Theft Auto V,
including a new release date of March 24th, just
two weeks after saying "We have not
announced any changes to this date at this time" (to quote Nicolas Cage from The Rock, "Gosh, kind of a lot has happened since then"). One of the reasons gamers
grew suspicious that the PC version of the open world action game was delayed
was that Rockstar hadn't yet released system specifications, which they have now
remedied with a full set of specs as well as the first screenshots from the PC
edition. Here's word: As we head into 2015, we would like to share the
first screens and system specs of Grand
Theft Auto V for PC as well as a new release date of March 24, 2015.
Our apologies for the slight shift in the date but the game requires a few extra
weeks of testing and polish to make it as good as can be. Moving a release date
is never a decision we take lightly and is a choice we make only when we know it
is in the best interests of the game and our fans. Thanks everyone for your
understanding and we assure you these few extra weeks will be worth it when the
game does arrive in March.
GTA Online for PC, which will support up to 30 players, will launch alongside
GTAV for PC and will include GTA Online Heists. Online Heists for consoles will
be launching in the coming weeks ahead of the PC launch.
Click on each new screenshot to see them in full 4K resolution, and read on for
the game's official system specifications and additional info.
GTAV for PC pushes Los Santos and Blaine County to even greater levels of
detail, running at 1080p and 60fps with up to 4K resolution and support for up
to triple monitor configurations, as well as NVidia 3D Vision for up to triple
monitor setups.
GTAV for PC also includes the new Rockstar Editor, which gives players a full
suite of editing tools to create and publish gameplay clips direct to both
Social Club and YouTube.
Below, check out official minimum and recommended specs and stay tuned for more
information on GTAV for PC in the coming weeks.
Minimum specifications:
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack
1, Windows Vista 64 Bit Service Pack 2* (*NVIDIA video card recommended if
running Vista OS)
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD Phenom
9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs) @ 2.5GHz
Memory: 4GB
Video Card: NVIDIA 9800 GT 1GB / AMD HD 4870 1GB (DX 10, 10.1, 11)
Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible
HDD Space: 65GB
DVD Drive
Recommended specifications:
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1
Processor: Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHZ (4 CPUs) / AMD X8 FX-8350 @ 4GHZ
(8 CPUs)
Memory: 8GB
Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB / AMD HD7870 2GB
Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible
HDD Space: 65GB
DVD Drive
A new Universal Combat Twitter account
is online with images and tweets indicating that Derek Smart and 3000AD are
gearing up for a remake of Universal Combat, the space combat series that
followed the company's Battlecruiser series. There is the promise of an
official website soon, and in the meantime, the game now has
a Facebook page that includes
this post
on the news: For a refresher course on the extensive gameplay features in
the series, take a look at the UCCE game manual from 2009.
Our goal with "Universal Combat Advanced", the spiritual successor to our long
running Battlecruiser series, is to retain all features, while completely
overhauling the graphics engine, game world, assets (models, world, terrain,
art) and audio engines. In other words, a modern graphics remake of a classic
game.
http://www.3000ad.com/downloads/ucce/GAME_MANUAL.PDF
Kevin Bruner is taking over the reins at Telltale Games,
reports Gamasutra, saying the company's former President will take over as
CEO as former CEO Dan Connors moves into the role of "executive advisor," while
retaining a spot on the company's board of directors. The article speaks of
Telltale's success creating licensed episodic games, but also speaks of the
growing pains that came along with it, saying the company's developers have had
a "bumpy ride." They have a
follow-up article telling the tale of Telltale's plans, saying they are
putting "a lot of energy" into creating their own original intellectual
property. "We don't have anything to announce specifically right now, but I do
think that when we look at our format -- what we do, and the way we entertain
people -- we spend a lot of time thinking about, 'What if we built a piece of
content that's specifically designed to do everything that's perfect for us?',"
explains Bruner. "And there's been a lot of energy put in that direction. I
think we'll be talking more about what that energy is creating in the relatively
near future. I wouldn't say next week, but it certainly won't be 10 years before
you hear about it."
Over the summer Double Fine
revealed plans for an HD remake of Grim Fandango. Now
GOG.com is
accepting preorders for this remastered edition of the LucasArts adventure game.
The news is accompanied by this preorder trailer
saying the game will be released on January 27th. Here's word: One of the
most acclaimed adventure games of all time is now back, better than ever. Grim
Fandango's epic story of four years in the life (or death) of Manny Calavera,
travel agent to the dead, has been remastered to look, sound, and control even
better than when it won GameSpot's Game of the Year award upon it's original
launch. Grim Fandango still stands as a classic of the genre, with unforgettable
characters and unique combination of film noir and Mexican folklore.
Grim Fandango Remastered includes:
- Repainted, hi-res character textures
- New, dynamic lighting
- Classic score re-recorded with a full live
orchestra
- Over 2 hours of exclusive developer commentary
- Concept art browser
Continue here to read the full story.
Ubisoft announces the release of Escape from Durgesh Prison, a new DLC
pack for Far Cry 4 that adds a time trial to the Windows and console
first-person shooter sequel.
This page
has details on the season pass that includes the DLC, here's
a new trailer, and
here's word on what it offers: Today, Ubisoft® announced that Escape from
Durgesh Prison, a challenging new time trial where players race against the
clock and challenge other players for the top spot on the leaderboards, is now
available on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer
entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system
from Microsoft, Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and
Windows PC.
In this new piece of downloadable content for Far Cry® 4, Ajay and Hurk find
themselves defenseless in the dangerous northern region of Kyrat after being
captured, tortured and stripped of their weapons in Yuma’s prison. On their way
to the extraction point, they will be able to complete a series of challenges
kicked off by the tyrannical Pagan Min to acquire weapons and upgrade their gear
before a final stand-off against Yuma's forces.
Playable in both single -and co-op, Escape from Durgesh Prison is a true test of
players’ survival skills. They will need to arm themselves as quickly as
possible, because in this mode when players die they must restart the mission
and use the knowledge and skills they gained during their previous run-through
to help them reach the extraction point successfully and vie for a top position
on the global leaderboards.
Escape from Durgesh Prison is available as part of the Far Cry 4 Season Pass or
can be purchased separately. The Season Pass includes Escape from Durgesh Prison
as well as The Syringe mission, the Hurk Deluxe Pack, Overrun and Valley of the
Yetis, a unique single-player and co-op experience where players will encounter
the legendary beasts.
Continue here to read the full story.
Ubisoft now offers the
promised release of the
Dead Kings DLC for Assassin's Creed Unity, once planned as a
premium release, but now offered
for free to compensate users for the rough
launch of the stealthy action/adventure sequel. Here's
the launch trailer and
here's the deal: Today,
Ubisoft® announced that Assassin’s Creed® Unity - Dead Kings is now available*
for free for all Assassin’s Creed Unity players on Xbox One, the all-in-one
games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation® 4 computer
entertainment system and Windows PC.
After the events of Assassin’s Creed Unity, Arno’s quest for redemption leads
him to the town of Saint Denis, then known as Franciade. There he is sent on a
mission that will take him to the depths of the city, an intricate network of
catacombs and deep caves that hold the remains and best-kept secrets of past
French kings. To uncover the dark mysteries that lie beneath the Basilica, Arno
is equipped with a lantern to guide his way and will gain access to the
Guillotine Gun, a powerful weapon made for both long-range destruction and
deadly close-quarter combat.
In Assassin’s Creed Unity - Dead Kings, players will encounter familiar faces,
including Napoleon and the Marquis de Sade, as well as a new enemy faction, the
Raiders, a group of merciless foes desecrating the catacombs. Players will also
be able to embark on additional side quests including new Murder Mysteries,
enigmas and co-operative missions where players can join forces for a heist and
a special Brotherhood mission.
Both single-player and cooperative modes enable players to unlock new weapons,
gear and outfits that carry over between Assassin’s Creed Unity and Assassin’s
Creed Unity - Dead Kings.
Continue here to read the full story.
Congrats to
Ohio State and its fans.
When I was a kid I read comic books and drew several of my own, using the
official tools of the home artist, loose-leaf paper and ball-point pen. I had more
than one friend who also dreamed of making their own comics, and all these years later, I
can say that one of us is living the dream, as the first couple of issues of a
comic series written by an old friend of mine is now available. It's called
Nightwasp: The Man Who Is Hardly Ever Afraid, which is totally serious, as
you can tell by the title. Congrats to Keith for publishing his comic, and thank you to Nightwasp for
keeping us safe from the Weatherman and the like.
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