E3 2014 Closing Ceremony/Awards

Written By: Tyler

 

Well, this is it, ladies and gentlemen. There's only one more E3-related post to be made and it's one to celebrate the whole event. I will not be doing individual awards like, "Best Action Game" or awarding games for being the best game on a particular system. Unfortunately, since I'm not there, there are a lot of games I never got to see because I had to rely on feeds.

I appreciate anybody who tuned in and read my numerous articles throughout this entire thing. Now let's get on with this.


Game Of The Show

Winner: Evolve

Before I talk about the winner, I have to explain that I had a hard time choosing this. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go with the game that I am most excited for, because then Metal Gear Solid V would have gotten the nod because I've been excited for that since before it was even announced. Or maybe I wanted to go with the game that had the best presentation... not necessarily the game that I think will be the best, but the game that had the best video. Battlefield: Hardline might have won that because the one video where we actually watch a heist was so intense I couldn't wait. Games like Super Smash Bros. didn't get the nod because I know I'll love it but E3 did nothing to further that... Smash Bros. is Smash Bros. and it will be glorious. So, to get my winner, I kind of put the two elements together and came up with Evolve.

Evolve was not a game that I was super into before E3. I watched the videos, saw the gameplay, but it was during E3 that I came to love it. It just finally clicked with me how original, daring and exciting it is. It's still not the game I anticipate most, because there are a bunch of games in the honourable mentions that I'd rather play, but Evolve totally won me over, and that's reason enough to make it Game of the Show in my eyes.


Honourable Mentions
Sunset Overdrive
Battlefield: Hardline
The Witcher 3
Batman: Arkham Knight
Rainbow Six: Siege
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
Super Smash Bros.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Far Cry 4



Surprise Of The Show

Winner: Let It Die

My logic for why this won is more simplistic than my logic for Game of the Show. I love Suda51 and I didn't know this game was being made. So thus, I am excited to see what the crazy bastard does. It beats out the announcement of Star Fox because I had read articles about it beforehand, and I didn't mention the Zelda announcement because that was pretty much a guarantee. Mursaki Baby looked lovely, and #IDARB has one of the neatest concepts of the entire show. Splatoon is also an interesting concept and the fact it's a cool Wii U game made me care more.


Honourable Mentions
Murasaki Baby
#IDARB
Splatoon
The Star Fox Announcement




Press Conference of The Show

Winner: Nintendo followed by Sony, then Ubisoft, then Microsoft... then a distant EA

When I first wrote about the Nintendo Digital Event (yes I know it isn't technically a press conference), I was more warm about it than hot. But then I have thought about it since and it was an excellent mixture of games and theatrics. It was funny, but all about the games, and Nintendo did a great job.

Sony is my primary system so I was emotionally invested in it, but it lost some momentum throughout, until it eventually came back in a big way.

Ubisoft is a great company with interesting games and their presentation was extremely theatrical. It was kind of a nerdy concert.

Microsoft did a great job and made it all about the games.

EA was boring and they didn't focus enough on actual gameplay.



Disappointment of the Show

Winner: No Metroid

Nintendo killed it anyway, and announced two big franchises, but damn it Ninty, where is my Metroid?


Honourable Mention
No mention of The Last Guardian



Unrealistic Desires For E3

Announcements for Timesplitters 4, The World Ends With You 2 and a new installment of The Last Vikings. I knew none of this would happen but I hoped that they would be announced.


As a closing statement, I would just like to say that I noticed a lot of co-op games, whether it was new IPs, or old IPs that are now implementing co-op, it seemed like there was more of a focus on it, which is thrilling for me because I'm a huge fan of that. I also noticed that they're bringing a lot of "old" games to new systems. In cases such as Grand Theft Auto 5, that's exciting, but what do you think about it? Will you re-buy games you already own just because they're now next-gen? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @ArtBathednCrime.

With that, I close down my last remaining feed (a Gamespot wrap-up show) and bid you farewell, and goodbye to E3 until next year. Now it's time to go outside. Well, maybe I'll sleep first.

E3 Day 0 (Part 3) -- The Sony Press Conference

Written By: Tyler

Here we are... the last press conference of the day/night. I don't have to remind you, but remember when Sony came out and Ether'd Microsoft? Can they do it again? What does Sony have to say for themselves? Read below.

We see the blue, we hear the calming, pretty music... and then there is black. When images and light return the stage, we see Mars. It looks exactly like Mars and I would know because I've been there. But what does this all mean? It's your destiny to know. It's um, Destiny, and spoiler alert, it still looks really cool, even if the opening video didn't really give us much in the way of gameplay footage.

Andrew House takes the stage and uh, rocks the house (okay I'll stop) by talking about understanding what it takes to be the best in the world. Then, he announces that Playstation gamers will get their grubby little hands on the Destiny beta first on July 17th. Also, starting on Thursday Playstation owners can play the first-look alpha of the game. If you act now you can actually help develop the game. One of these things is a lie made by me, I'll let you guess which.

There's also a white PS4 coming, with an exclusive Destiny bundle.

Next comes a new exclusive IP: The Order: 1886. It is a dark, third-person shooter and in the footage there's a lot of walking through the dark with only your flashlight. But wait, there's more, because you are not alone. I can't imagine. At least now we've seen some gameplay.

Jumping from dark, scary and depressing to light and beautiful, we have two bird-things flying through the air. It's Entwined, and it's apparently about two souls that are in love and can't be together. You have to guide two things at once using the dual sticks, and when you bring them together they'll transform into a dragon. Could be neat, but I wish my soul could merge with something and become a dragon. It is available right now for $9.99 so I think I may have to check it out tomorrow.

Infamous: Second Son is getting standalone DLC. You get exclusive content if you own Second Son but you don't need it. It's called Infamous: First Light.

Then Little Big Planet 3 hits the stage. I'm not real familiar with the previous two, despite buying the first (and not playing it yet) but it appears there are new characters. It looks charming like the first two did and this co-op play looks entertaining. I know they're slightly different but I feel like Little Big Planet 3 will be a better game than Project Spark.

Next on the agenda is the new game from From Software, Bloodborne. They appear to be trying something new by making a dark, gruesome game. You can get it in 2015.

Then Far Cry 4 flashes on the screen. We saw the first five minutes of the game earlier during the Ubisoft press conference, but now we see some gameplay. The video involves the player walking around, where he then picks up some equipment and starts grappling. Then he walks through the trees a little and after that the fun starts. In an unexpected twist, it looks like it's going to play like other Far Cry games, but that isn't even a criticism. Trust me, this looks like it's a lot of fun.

But they're not done, because this one seems to have co-op or at least some form of multiplayer. You can invite your friends to play with you even if they don't own the game... but only on Playstation. What?

What don't we see much of? Zombies. So we better make a game about zombies. We get to see go jogging while people get molested by zombies, things crash and an upbeat song plays. But then he transforms into a zombie himself. The video is silly fun. It's Dead Island 2.

Battlefield Hardline makes another appearance. I'm already sold, I didn't need this, but it's more of a mixture video of gameplay and cinematic. I'm more impressed with what EA showed us in their press conference.

There's an exclusive Disney Infinity collectors edition for PS3 and 4.

They talk about Destiny some more, talking about how Playstation owners will get stuff for owning it on a Sony system. Hulk also smashed during that, which made me chuckle.

They have a new partnership with Paradox Interactive. The first game they're working on is the new Magicka game, appropriately titled Magicka 2.

Grim Fandango is getting a remastering. I suck at Adventure games but I dig this one. It will be exclusive to PS4 and Vita.

After the biggest cheer of the night, we get a montage of a bunch of games who make their debut on Playstation platforms. I won't list them all because I've already forgotten the titles as I write this, but a lot of them look really cool. Some of them are Not A Hero, Hotline Miami 2, and The talos Principle. Wait I can do this... Titan Souls and Broforce as well. I may have missed some.

Oh god yes, here we go. The new Suda51 one game, that's only coming to PS4... I'm a huge Suda51 fan and up until now we only got a brief teaser that told us nothing about his new game. Only this is called Let It Die and it's not the game I thought he was making. What a confusing guy.

Then there's an awkward transition to Journey. Then we get to see the Giant Squid game, Abzu, and I'm not really sure what the point is. I don't think that's a criticism because it's intriguing and beautiful. It's another exclusive console debut for Sony.

No Man's Sky then shows up and it's even more gorgeous than I remember it being the first time I saw it. It's got the visuals and the scope is incredible, especially when you consider it's an indie game. It's a procedural universe, and every player will start on a different planet where the universe is supposedly infinite. Whether it'll be fun to explore these worlds or not remains to be seen, but I'm optimistic and anticipate this game.

After being inspired by No Man's Sky, Andrew House comes back to talk about the Playstation Camera and starts discussing Project Morpheus.

House introduces Shawn Layden, the new President and CEO of SCE. He starts talking about the PSN and statistics. Youtube will be coming to PS4 later this year. In the summer, their broadcasting will be enhanced. He also thinks that free-to-play is important, and there are a bunch of games coming in the next year, then we're treated to a montage of some of these games. Some look cool, some look crappy, but all will annoy a large portion of gamers who hate F2P.

Playstation Now is going to be available in beta on July 31st on PS4. Shortly after it will be on Vita
and PS3. I'm excited for this.

Layden then went on to talk about PS Vita. There are over a hundred games in development for the platform.

Playstation TV is a thing too. You can pair it with your PS4, and play your games via remote play on another TV. When it's released it will cost $99 but there's a bundle for $139 that includes a Dual Shock 3, a game, and an HDMI cable.

After that, we get the world premiere of gameplay footage of Mortal Kombat X, and guess what? That teaser trailer we saw a while back was not gameplay footage, to those who debated how much of it was. When did Mortal Kombat get gory?

After Mortal Kombat, Andrew House comes back and starts talking about movies and television on Playstation. Their first original program is a show called Powers, which is about superheroes.

If you didn't know, there's an animated Ratchet & Clank movie in the works. We got to see a little bit of it. 

Finally we get back to games... with the remastered version of The Last of Us. If you haven't played The Last of Us and you only own a PS4, you definitely have to check this out when it releases on July 29th because it definitely lives up to the hype. The footage presented also has a cover of a Nirvana song so that's a plus in my eyes.

I love Metal Gear, and Sony knows this, so they chose to show us a new trailer of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Not that I need a new trailer, but of course it looks awesome. The trailers for this game have been incredible.

Next comes Grand Theft Auto 5 for PS4. I'm really happy about this because the online aspect of the game seems really interesting and my PS3 broke a while back so I haven't gotten a chance to play it.

After stroking the audience with next-gen GTA5, we get to see the next Batman game, Arkham Knight. This was a must-buy before I knew anything about it. The video that they showed made me happy because now there is no doubt in my mind at all that the game is going to be awesome.

The press conference ends with Uncharted 4. If I'm being honest, I'm not real excited because I'm not a fan of the series, but it's nice to see that the game hasn't imploded with all the people leaving over the past year. It's just a short cinematic, but it says that it's coming out in 2015. There is a big applause at the beginning of the video and at the end.


Closing Statement: Sony suffered from some technical issues on occasion during their presser, but for the most part it was good. It's interesting that they were more like Microsoft last year than Sony of last year... focusing a bunch on their non-game features. Some of this is really interesting, but I felt like it went on a little too long and started clamoring for more game talk. After the talk about all their hardware and services, they came back in a huge way though, which I think kept Microsoft from edging out a victory here. The games that Sony showed are, for the most part, just more interesting.

Weekly News Round-Up, March 16 - 22: Peter Molyneux Has Lots To Say And TITANFALL Is Still Talked About Too Much

Written By: Tyler

If you haven't, Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is out this week (review here: ), sut if you haven't played it, you should be playing it. Go, it's okay, I'll forgive you.


Unless You're Australia And New Zealand, Because Yeah
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-gear-solid-v-ground-zeroes-release-is-delayed-in-australia-report/1100-6418345/

If you live in Ausland and New Zealand, Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes comes out a week later so you have to wait until March 27th. Sorry, I contacted Konami (I didn't) and I couldn't do anything to help you out.

check to see if its retail or digital as well


And Phantom Pain Doesn't Come Out To Early 2015
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/17/metal-gear-solid-5-the-phantom-pain-may-release-early-2015

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain was originally going to be released later this year, but now it seems like it may release early next year. That doesn't do me any good, I could be dead next year!




TITANFALL Anti-Cheating Measures Are In Place But Not Activated
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/17/titanfall-anti-cheat-measures-coming-soon

There is cheating going on in TITANFALL, even though it's hard to imagine a world where people cheat, especially in online games. Respawn has the technology to stop it, but they just haven't activated them yet. They've caught a bunch of cheaters, but just haven't punished them yet.

So there's cheating huh? Well that must be why I die so much.

Watch Dogs Will Take At Least 100 Hours To Fully Complete
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/17/watch-dogs-takes-40-hours-to-complete-on-average

The story will take around forty hours, whereas the full game will take more than double that. The game is allegedly going to drop in May, so once May comes, Watch Dogs will take over the world (along with Mario Kart).


Ultra Street Fighter 4 Gets The Final Character Reveal
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/capcom-saves-the-least-exciting-ultra-street-fighter-iv-character-reveal-for-last/1100-6418349/

The last character to be revealed is a disappointment to fans, because a lot of them are mad that it seems like Capcom just reskinned Cammy. Her name is Decapre and she is based on charge attacks.

Am I the only one who thinks that the world is only balanced when Capcom keeps re-releasing the same Street Fighter games over and over again? I can't even hate, I kept playing every version of Street Fighter 2 back in the day. Damn you Capcom.


TITANFALL Sells Xbox Ones
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-launch-sees-xbox-one-sales-almost-double-in-the-uk/1100-6418348/

In news that surprises exactly no one, TITANFALL was a system seller. It also has the biggest launch week of the year, with Dark Souls 2 (WHY ARE PEOPLE SUCH MASOCHISTS?) coming in second.


Pikachu Is the Japanese Soccer/Football Team Mascot
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pikachu-is-japan-s-awesome-mascot-for-fifa-world-cup-2014/1100-6418347/

Sweet! Pikachu is the mascot for Japan. The Pokemon Squad will include Meowth, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Chespin, Froakie, Fennekin, Pancham, Helioptile, and Litleo.


Rare Says The Kinect Is Awesome, Basically
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/a-kinect-less-xbox-one-would-be-a-real-shame-says-rare/1100-6418350/

Rare has said that it would be a "real shame" if the Xbox One came without the Kinect. Danny Isaac, producer of Kinect Sports Rivals, said that it makes game development much more diverse.

Kinect Sports Rivals... Rare's the company that made games like Blast Corps, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Killer Instinct, Battletoads, and many more. Now they focus mostly on Kinect Sports Rivals and other Kinect Sports games.

How the mighty have fallen.

"Plot Is Highly Overrated"
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/17/gdc-plot-is-highly-overrated-in-games-says-devs

No, your face is overrated!

Way to keep it classy Tyler.

At GDC there was a speech called 'Death To The Three Act-Structure" where Riot Games’ Tom Abernathy and Microsoft Game Studios’ Richard Rouse III talked about how plot doesn't matter... but characters do.

They basically stated that research informed them that when people are asked about the plot of a movie, they will go on at great lengths about it. With video games... not so much. They said that people do remember the characters, though not so much in context of the plot.

Speak for yourself, when I'm asked about the plot in anything I can't remember because I can't remember five minutes ago.

Now what was I saying?


There's An Xbox One April Update Coming
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/18/xbox-one-april-update-to-improve-friend-notifications-dvr-and-more

What the title says... just click that linky-link above and all the details will be there. I think the update involves transforming your Xbox One into a helicopter, solving world hunger and effectively collapsing Capitalism, but I'm not really sure.


Home Is Coming To PS4 And Vita
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/18/indie-horror-game-home-coming-to-ps4-ps-vita

Indie horror game Home is coming... into... your... home....

Developer Benjamin Rivers has this to say about his own game. "It’s a game that’s meant to be played alone, in the darkest room (or alley, or barn, or deep, dank forest) you can find." That's what strangers used to tell me when I was a child.

Expect it sometime later this year.


CD Projeckt Red Is Making A Mobile Game
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/18/witcher-dev-cd-projekt-red-making-mobile-game

There's no information on it yet, just that it's happening. Should be more powerful than The Witcher 3.


New Brawler Named Aztez Looks Great And Is Even Coming To The Wii U
http://www.destructoid.com/brawler-aztez-is-like-patapon-x-madworld-coming-to-all-consoles-272075.phtml

After it gets released on Steam first, it will see a release on Xbox One, PS4, Vita and even the Wii U! And as far as we know it won't be missing features once it arrives on the Wii U!

It looks awesome. You'll see it mentioned a lot, but the comparisons to Madworld (a game I've meant to buy at least five thousand times) seem fitting.


A Bunch of AAA Developers Are Forming Like Voltron And Making Their Own Game
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-call-of-duty-tomb-raider-devs-jumping-aaa-ship-to-make-their-own-next-gen-title/1100-6418326/

In a move that we've been seeing more often as of late, a bunch of developers known for games like Call of Duty, Tomb Raider and that new Ninja Gaiden game people are concerned over, are coming together for the common good and creating their own game. The working title is Daedalus, and it's described as "an existential horror trip into a surreal, half-forgotten dream."

Crap, that's my life.

Ghost Recon Online Is Now Called And Has Gotten A Makeover
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-recon-online-gets-a-new-name-and-a-makeover/1100-6418360/

The free-to-play (HEY DON'T LEAVE) game Ghost Recon Online is going to be released on April 10 on PC. However, it will be called Ghost Recon Phantoms and has officially gotten a...

Only problem with gifs is the lack of sound.

Guess What? Diablo 3 Auction House Has Officially Shut Down
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/18/diablo-3-auction-house-shuts-down-for-good

Except it's still up. Don't get mad because it seems like they're just waiting for the current auctions to time-out. This is one small step for gamers, and a giant leap for Anti-Bullshitism.



Do You Need Food Badly? No, You Need A New Gauntlet
http://www.destructoid.com/a-new-gauntlet-game-is-coming-from-the-makers-of-magicka-272042.phtml

It's looking like the developers of Magicka are doing us a solid and are creating a new Gauntlet for SteamOS and PC. So... thanks for that.


Sacred 3 Is Comin' In August
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/19/sacred-3-gets-release-date-and-gameplay-footage

Sacred 3 is going to blow my mind August 26th. That's the North American release date... if you live in Europe you get it on the 22nd. Damn you Europe! I thought North America was the best place ever!


We're Just Going To Go Ahead And Jam More Assassin's Creed Into Your Eyeballs
http://www.destructoid.com/screenshots-of-next-assassin-s-creed-game-leak-272178.phtml

Leaked Assassin's Creed images have shown up online. Allegedly there's going to be two released this year... one for last-gen, one for next-gen (what's current-gen! I can't take this!).

In one of the images, it shows the main character looking over the city. It's important to note that it's still an early screenshot. Here's the picture:

The real image is in the link above, but I think it's pretty close.

Look in the link for the images.

So if you're not tired of Assassin's Creed, I think it's safe to say you will be.


Mojang Is Poor!
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/minecraft-maker-mojang-made-a-whopping-326m-last-year/1100-6418397/

Mojang only made $326m last year. You can donate to them on their website to help them out.


Geoffry Zatkin Predicts That This Gen Of Hardware Will Be The Last
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-ps4-wii-u-could-be-the-last-generation-of-gaming-hardware-says-research-firm/1100-6418410/

It seems to happen every year, and this year it's Geoffry Zatkin doing it. During GDC, during a panel titled "Awesome Video Game Data," he made the claim. Is the future in services rather than hardware?

I can't wait until the day I can't do anything because the internet went down.


Wanna Make The Best Games Ever?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/epic-opens-up-their-unreal-development-tools-to-everyone-with-a-19-subscription-service/1100-6418407/

For as little as $19 a month, you can gain access to the Unreal engine and start making your masterpieces. No longer do you have to keep your unoriginal game ideas to yourself!


Or You Could Pay $10 For Crytek
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/crytek-undercuts-unreal-engine-4-with-10-cryengine-subscription/1100-6418427/

Yes! You can buy all of Crytek for 10 dollars a month. No, but you can get their engine for that much. Plus, unlike the Unreal engine, you don't have to give Crytek royalties.


A PS4 Firmware Update Is Coming And You Are Not Ready
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/future-ps4-firmware-update-will-let-you-dim-dualshock-4-s-lightbar/1100-6418436/

You can dim the lightbar on the controller! Holy crap!


Speaking Of Sony, They're Making A TV Show Called Powers
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/following-xbox-sony-announces-first-original-tv-show-for-playstation/1100-6418431/

They're creating a TV show called Powers that is part police procedural, part crime noir, and part "holy crap that guy has superpowers." It is going to be on Playstation only, so if you want to watch it, you'll have to pick one up.

Or download it. If that's your thing. You know. Yeah. Whatever.


EA Could Be The Worst Company In America... 3 Years In A Row
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/electronic-arts-is-again-in-the-running-for-worst-company-in-america/1100-6418386/

EA is in the running again for that title, and I certainly hope it gets it. It'd be an accomplishment. It's always funny how a gaming company wins this over companies that have probably done worse. But screw it, I'm all for it.


EA Secures Rights To TITANFALL 2
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-ea-secures-rights-to-titanfall-2/1100-6418404/

Just when I thought that maybe I could stop talking about TITANFALL in the Weekly News Round-Up, this drops on me. Sure, it's only been reported, but we all knew it was coming anyway. I guess people bought TITANFALL. Who knew?


Speaking of TITANFALL... The 360 Version Is Delayed Until April 8
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/19/titanfall-delayed-on-xbox-360-to-april

To those with the Xbox 360, you're crap outta luck again. If you wanted to play TITANFALL -- the same game everyone else is playing -- then you have to wait until April 8.

TITANFALL 2 Won't Be Exclusive To Microsoft Platforms
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-titanfall-2-won-t-be-exclusive-to-microsoft-platforms/1100-6418429/

Sources -- hey don't look at me, I don't know anything -- have stated that TITANFALL 2 will be for multiple platforms. Well then, that's one less reason to buy an Xbox One.

Peter Molyneux Says Stuff (Shocking) About Nintendo
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/peter-molyneux-never-underestimate-nintendo/1100-6418434/

Legendary and outspoken game dev Peter Molyneux says that while he's not a fan of the "clunky" design of the Wii U, the people at Nintendo are super smart people.

He also said "never underestimate Nintendo" even if they have "lost their way a bit." Yeah! I can get behind all of this, and I will because I actually paid money for the Wii U. This was the plan all along... it's a slow build like Daniel Bryan winning the title in WWE. Nintendo definitely knows what it's doing, that's why they've announced a new Metroid. And Zelda.


He Also Said That EA Is Not An Evil Empire
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-is-not-an-evil-empire-peter-molyneux-says/1100-6418442/

Well that's just crazy talk.

He also said that they've done a lot for the video game industry. In all honesty, it's hard to deny the impact that they've had on the industry, but that isn't going to stop me from making jokes at their expense... and it shouldn't stop you either. I'd even go so far as to say it's your civic duty to tease and belittle EA.


He Also Stroked Himself Concerning Godus
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fate-of-god-game-genre-depends-on-success-of-godus-molyneux-says/1100-6418462/

Molyneux said that the "God" genre depends upon Godus, and said that Godus will give us something nobody has seen before. Just like God himself! Zing!

What are you talking about? I'm right here.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf Had An Equal Amount Of Women And Men Developing It
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/animal-crossing-new-leaf-was-developed-by-an-even-mix-of-men-and-women/1100-6418423/

Like the headline states, the development was 50/50 on the sex front. If another man or woman tried to upset the balance by being bastards and trying to get hired, they were taken out to a dark alley and shot... all in the name of fair.

The Year Of Luigi Ended On March 18
http://www.destructoid.com/the-year-of-luigi-has-ended-272261.phtml

It's official... Nintendo will no longer include Luigi in anything and are going to come out with new IPs.

What? That's not what it means? Oh, they just aren't going to focus on Luigi anymore, but you know you'll see him again.

That's A Good Boooooy
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/20/gdc-xbox-live-members-may-be-rewarded-for-good-behaviour

Microsoft is trying to make the world a better place... and they're doing this by actively encouraging people to be good. They're working on a way to reward Xbox Live players for not being disrespectful douchebags.


Epic Games Not Working On A New Unreal Because That's What People Want
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/20/gdc-epic-games-not-working-on-new-unreal-tournament-title

They simply stated that there isn't a new Unreal being made. I made up the reason why because I'm snarky.

There Are New Screens For Batman: Arkham Knight That Show Some Of The Villains
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/21/batman-arkham-knight-screens-reveal-riddler-penguin-and-two-face

I'll just leave this here.
Game Informer has others: http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/03/19/inside-batman-arkham-knight-s-rogue-s-gallery.aspx


Obsidian Wants To Try A New Genre -- The MMORPG
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/21/obsidian-announces-involvement-in-new-mmo-skyforge

Obsidian is helping Allods Team develop Skyforge, a Sci Fi/Fantasy MMORPG that already has beta sign-ups. They also are making a tank game, because why not go from South Park to a tank game. They're so similar!


Bulletstorm Disappears From Steam
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/21/bulletstorm-vanishes-from-steam

Bulletstorm has disappeared from Steam but it's speculated that it's just because of patching for the Games For Windows Live shutdown.

But what if it isn't? What if it's been a conspiracy all along to keep Bulletstorm down?

 #BulletstormMovement


Sony Having Problems Keeping Up With PS4s and The PS4 Camera
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/20/ps4-demand-to-outstrip-supply-until-the-summer

People want the PS4s and they're having a hard time keeping them stocked. Same with the PS4 camera, but that boggles my mind. Anyway, I have some advice for anybody who wants a PS4 and can't get one. Just wait... there aren't any games for it yet. That's what we call The Wii U Problem.


Sony Wants To Compete With The Oculus Rift
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps4-virtual-reality-initiative-project-morpheus/1100-6418391/

At GDC Sony announced Project Morpheus, a virtual reality device that is being developed. There is more info about it in the link above, but that's the gist of it.


Microsoft Doesn't Know What "Literally" Means -- Talks Selling Xbox Ones And TITANFALL
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-discusses-the-xbox-one-sales-marathon/1100-6418451/

Phil Harrison has said that the console race is a "marathon, not a sprint." Which is true, and has been said before by Microsoft. Then he went on to say that TITANFALL is blowing the doors off both literally and figuratively.

If you buy TITANFALL, this can happen to you.

I'm not so sure that's how it works, Phil.


Sledgehammer Games Says The 2014 Call of Duty Is Ambitious And Creative
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/call-of-duty-2014-is-ambitious-and-creative-sledgehammer-says/1100-6418444/

"Ambitious" and "creative" are two words that shouldn't be used to describe Call of Duty (anymore), but that didn't stop Sledgehammer Games from using them. But you know what? I'll believe them when they say that the 2014 CoD is going to be awesome... because after all, being the creator of a famous blog has afforded me certain opportunities. I actually know what's going to make it so amazing, and it may or may not be having two dogs instead of one.


This Just In -- The Internet Is Hateful
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ex-microsoft-creative-director-discusses-the-internet-hate-phenomenon/1100-6418465/

Adam Orth -- the guy who told the internet to #dealwithit before Bootista even got the idea -- opened up at GDC about the toxicity of the internet and all the bad things people say. To anybody who has spent even five minutes on the internet, this isn't big news, but I'll just save the internet some time and do what they're inevitably going to do anything... post a meme:

Microsoft Says That They Won't Have Many Execs At E3 Because It Should Be All About The Games
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-e3-presentation-this-year-won-t-feature-many-execs/1100-6418463/

Microsoft isn't going to have many execs at E3 because they feel that E3 should be all about the games. They also apparently have way too much content to show off and have had to cut some things out of their 90 minute presentation.

It's sad that something like this has to be news, but props to Microsoft for doing exactly the opposite of what they did last year. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?


There Are Rumors That Far Cry 4 Will Allow You To Ride Elephants
http://www.destructoid.com/ridable-elephants-in-the-himalayas-rumored-for-far-cry-4-272297.phtml

It's been reported that Far Cry 4 will allow you to ride elephants. That's it, that's the news.

We've had home video game consoles that can be connected to a TV since 1972, but finally we can ride elephants.

Spend Some Time With Your Family Now Because You Won't Have Them After March 26th
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/everquest-next-landmark-closed-beta-starts-march-26/1100-6418476/

Why are you going to be alone after March 26th? Because the Everquest Next beta starts then... and if history has told us anything, Everquest ruins lives. As of the day this article was published, you have four days to make love to your wife and play with your kids, because after those four days the only love you will be getting is from Brutus the Ogre.


At Walmart, Bests Buy and Amazon... The TITANFALL Bundle Is $450
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-titanfall-bundle-drops-to-450-at-wal-mart-best-buy/1100-6418457/

What the headline says... go there now and you can get a deal on the TITANFALL Xbox One bundle. If you're getting it from Amazon, make sure to type in X1AMAZON to get the deal. And while you're at Amazon, make sure to check out my Wish List and buy me stuff that I don't need!


Koji Igarashi Leaves Konami
http://www.destructoid.com/legendary-castlevania-developer-koji-igarashi-leaves-konami-272052.phtml

Castlevania developer Koji Igarashi has left Konami to make the kinds of games that he wants to make.


Marc Whitten Leaves Microsoft
http://www.destructoid.com/14-year-xbox-veteran-marc-whitten-leaves-microsoft-272082.phtml

He came, he saw, he conquered. He helped create the original Xbox, Xbox Live, the Xbox 360 and now the Xbox One-Three... now he left to do something else. As long as it's not Zynga, he should be okay.


I Leave On The Gamely
Well guys, I'm out. Cya.

Weekly News Round-Up, March 2 - 8: Twas The Week Before TITANFALL... Plus Other Things Happen In the Gaming World

Written By: Tyler

Twas the week before TITANFALL... which means that after next week I'll have significantly less news to report on! Or maybe I'm tired of talking about TITANFALL and just want it to come. Regardless, here is some of the news of the past week that interests me enough to make fun of it.


Speaking Of Which, Here's Some More TITANFALL Crap
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/leaked-titanfall-screenshots-show-ziplines-and-heavy-turrets-in-multiplayer-report/1100-6418054/

The internet did what the internet does and it leaked some screenshots of the wildly popular and hyped FPS. The screens allegedly show things like monsters, the Generations feature, and most amazingly ziplines so people can travel across the map on them. But don't they have jetpacks or something?

Season Pass For TITANFALL Is 25 Buckaroos
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-season-pass-is-25-contains-3-packs/1100-6418133/

Give TITANFALL your money.

Before We Go Any Further, Let's Talk South Park

The South Park RPG has been delayed too long, and all I can say is that it was finally released this week so while you can expect a review for it at some point on here, just go pick it up. Now. Stop reading this garbage and go do something useful with your life.


Mass Effect Trilogy May Show Up On PS4 and Xbone
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-and-ps4-versions-of-mass-effect-trilogy-discussed-at-bioware/1100-6418055/

Like the title says, it's very possible that Mass Effect is going to show up on the next-gen consoles, which is great except for the fact that unless they release ME3 with the modified ending we're going to have to listen to the internet bitch about the ending all over again.

Why Does Nintendo Want To Improve Your Quality Of Life?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-explains-why-it-wants-to-improve-your-quality-of-life/1100-6418059/

Because they're nice people. They believe in individuality and giving products that people of all ages can enjoy. Novel concept.

Plus, if people die then Nintendo won't make any money, because Lord (Vader) knows that the Wii U isn't doing it for them.

They also said that video game hardware is still their core focus. Cue Nintendo-hater complaing in 3, 2, 1...


Oculus Rift Is Not Going To Be A "Rich Person's Toy"(Damn You IGN For Stealing My Headline!)
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-rift-will-be-affordable-says-creator/1100-6418068/

No, because society is a rich person's toy. Oh snap!

They're looking at a $300 dollar price tag for the thing, and that seems reasonable. Especially when you run a successful video game blog.


Fez Is Coming To PS4, Will Run At 1080p And 60fps
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/indie-hit-fez-comes-to-ps4-march-25-runs-in-1080p-60fps/1100-6418067/

And not a moment to soon because if Fish doesn't make more money he may just kill himself. He didn't say this, I'm just scared for him.

I'm also happy that it's going to be in 1080p because Fez is the type of game that will really put into perspective just how important it is.

Left: Before 1080p. Right: After 1080p.

Like Super Smash Bros. But Own An Xbox One And Not A Wii U?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/don-t-expect-a-smash-bros-style-fighting-game-from-microsoft-for-xbox-one/1100-6418061/

Phil Spencer enjoys the popular Nintendo brawler, but says that Smash Bros. only works because Nintendo has a ballin' cast of characters. Those are my words, but that's what he meant anyway. So that's bad news for anybody who was holding out hope that Microsoft would pull a Sony and rip off Smash Bros. too.


If You Think The Ouya Is Ass But Still Want To Play Some Ouya Games, Then Read Below
http://www.destructoid.com/soon-you-won-t-need-an-ouya-to-play-ouya-games-271393.phtml

Apparently the marketing strategy for the Ouya is to offer the Ouya games on other platforms as well. Solid work guys. And I'm leaving it at that because I was either extremely sarcastic or giving them praise... since I know jack-shiz about marketing and finance, I feel this is the best option.


If You're One Of The Few People That Love Marvel Heroes, Moon Knight Has Joined The Fight
http://www.destructoid.com/marvel-heroes-update-2-31-brings-moon-knight-271369.phtml

I actually enjoy Marvel Heroes. I like playing as my favourite Marvel characters, I like that it's a hack n'slash RPG. It's not without flaws, but it's nice to know that they keep adding stuff to it.

Zynga Releasing More Games
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/03/new-farmville-words-with-friends-coming-to-mobile-devices

There are three to be exact... Farmville 2: Country Escape, New Zynga Poker and New Words With Friends. Great, now I can get even more game requests on Facebook. If I had as many friends as I do game requests then I'd actually be popular on Facebook.



Goat Simulator (Part 2)
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/04/goat-simulator-release-date-revealed

If you remember, though I don't know why you would, I posted the trailer for Goat Simulator something like two weeks ago. I was super high on it, because it looks silly and fun, and now... we have a release date: April 1.

It doesn't matter how often I see this gif, it is always awesome.

Batman: Arkham Knight Is Confirmed For October 14, 2014 (That's This Year!)
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/04/the-new-batman-game-is-batman-arkham-knight

As you can see, there is a new Batman game, and this time it is a direct sequel to Arkham City. A new Batman game this year?

Let's go for three...


Square Enix Lets 27 People Go
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/thief-dev-cuts-27-jobs-one-week-after-release/1100-6418106/

Wait, what?

They said that unfortunately it's something that major studios have to do sometimes. It sucks because it was only a week after Thief came out. 


Start Playing Project Spark This Week
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ambitious-xbox-one-game-builder-project-spark-hits-open-beta-today/1100-6418095/

The game builder Project Spark for Xbox One hit open beta this week. In it you can create your own games or movies, and it does seem quite awesome. I love having to create my own games to play! Thanks!


Battlefield 4 Still Has Issues, More Updates Coming
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/dice-details-the-netcode-issues-disrupting-battlefield-4-promises-more-updates/1100-6418087/

Move along, I'm tired of talking about it.

Fine, fine, fine... I'll do it because I love you. Yes, you. You are the only person who reads this.

Apparently some people are receiving the reward of instant death (via being catapulted through the air) when they are trying to spring. DICE knows this, so they're going to try to fix it.


Microsoft Trying To Get Realistic Up In Herrrr
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-could-get-photorealistic-rendering-system-for-amazing-visuals/1100-6418060/

Phil Spencer says that internal testing for photorealistic lighting effects is currently underway, further blurring the lines between reality and video games. My reality is video games so this doesn't change anything for me anyway.

Aw...


Nintendo Won't Bring Mario To iPhone Because Of The Controls
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-on-why-bringing-mario-to-iphones-is-problematic/1100-6418105/

Thank Nintendo. Kensuke Tanabe stated that it would be a "really, really difficult task." Translation since he's foreign: touch-screen controls suck ass. You're welcome, please give me a job?

Amy Hennig, Writer On Uncharted 4, Has "Left" Naughty Dog
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/uncharted-ps4-writer-leaves-naughty-dog/1100-6418113/

Amy Hennig has left the series that she has worked on for years, and according to the reports she was forced out. I sense something naughty happening in Naughty Dog. Oh, that was bad, I'm sorry.

Update: Now they're saying that she wasn't forced out. Who do I believe? How will I handle this? How do I go on?


Remember DirectX? Microsoft Does
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-will-unveil-directx-12-later-this-month-at-gdc-hints-at-pc-tablet-phone-and-console-support/1100-6418137/

It looks like an update for DirectX is coming... the first since 2008. Supposedly DirectX 12 will be revealed at GDC, but who knows with Microsoft really.

85p Microtransaction? Get Killzone: Shadow Fall
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-pricing-blunder-lets-customers-buy-killzone-shadow-fall-for-85p/1100-6418136/

In the UK there was a blunder (can't imagine that... I'm just playing UK) this week where if you spend 85p, you get an entire game. That entire game is Killzone: Shadow Fall, the launch title FPS that I adore. 

The sad thing is, there are so few players playing that game -- because they were dumb enough to release the game in the middle of Call Of Money and Battlebroke 4 -- that even with this mistake there's still probably only 2000 people playing at any given time.

There has gotta be players out there somewhere.

Speaking Of KZ, MAPS! FREE!
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4-exclusive-killzone-shadow-fall-gets-free-multiplayer-maps/1100-6418134/

So this week they released two free maps, so you know, if you're one of the few people who have the game -- and coincidentally have good taste -- then download that shiz. Also, the Insurgent DLC will be available soon which sounds pretty awesome: new class with new abilities and new guns are the selling points for me but there are other smaller things as well. Pumped to try a new class.

Killzone, you have no idea how bad it gets... I wish I knew how to quit you.


The Return Of...

EA Says No More PS3, Xbox 360 Price Drops
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-says-don-t-expect-an-xbox-360-or-ps3-price-drop-any-time-soon/1100-6418135/

Thanks EA for apparently having your nose in everybody's business.

They Also Say That Free-To-Play Is Great
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-says-don-t-expect-an-xbox-360-or-ps3-price-drop-any-time-soon/1100-6418135/

Yeah because that worked out really well for Plants vs Zombies 2 and Dungeon Keeper.

Battlefield 4's Rocky Launch Didn't Hurt Shit, Okay?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-battlefield-s-rocky-launch-did-not-damage-the-franchise/1100-6418131/

EA stated that fans have been "very responsive" and that the brand hasn't been hurt. No, because pissing off your fan base by releasing a broken game that people can't play doesn't hurt anything.

Oh who am I kidding? I can make fun all I want but people are such silly little creatures that they'll still flock to Battlefield 5.


They Clone Flappy Bird More Than Big Boss
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-new-flappy-bird-clone-hits-app-store-every-24-minutes/1100-6418126/

Every 24 minutes a Flappy Bird clone hits the app store. At first I thought it was 24 hours but 24 minutes? Oh sweet jesus, we're all doomed.


A Couple Screenshots For The Division Showed Up
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/05/new-the-division-screens-show-rooftops-and-ui

In case you were unaware of what The Division is... it is awesome in disc format. The game looks so mind blowing that I am dead now. It is so awe-inspiring that it is the new Pandora (from Avatar) and people will kill themselves because they can't be the game in real life.

Or it'll be a flop because it has so much hype.

Either way, they released some new screenshots and here's one:

EA CEO Thinking About Virtual Reality, Not Necessarily Oculus Rift
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-ceo-thinking-about-virtual-reality-experiences-but-not-necessarily-for-the-oculus-rift/1100-6418183/

Like the title says, the EA CEO is pondering some virtual reality ideas, but doesn't know if the maker of the Oculus Rift will be a partner. People love when EA doesn't use an established platform (if you can call Oculus Rift that at this point) and instead does their own thing.

Thank you EA for your time. Now, moving on...


Zeno Clash Developer Is Bringing Old School Back With A 2D Side-Scrolling Fighter
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/06/zeno-clash-dev-to-release-a-side-scrolling-fighting-title

Abyss Odyssey is the name, and they're promising that due to the fact that levels are procedurally generated that no playthrough will be the same. I love Zeno Clash but feel that fighting belongs in a different genre, so sign me up anyway.

I just hope that the story is as easy to understand as Zeno Clash is.


Child Of Light Has Co-Op, And Uh, You Can Be A Ball of Light
http://www.destructoid.com/apparently-child-of-light-has-co-op-watch-this-beautiful-trailer-271519.phtml

From what I can gather, one player controls the main character and the other person helps by controlling a ball of light. It... let's be honest, it doesn't seem like much. I'm looking forward to playing the game, a lot, but I don't think I'll be doing co-op because I can't see me or my brother exactly fighting over who gets to be the stupid ball of light.

The trailer is in the link above... your body is not ready.


Gabe Newell Did An AMA and Half-Life 3 Is Confirmed
http://www.destructoid.com/valve-s-gabe-newell-did-an-ask-me-anything-271513.phtml

Come back when you realize I'm lying. 


I Can't Believe I'm About To Say This
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/03/06/call-of-duty-ghosts-dlc-to-include-the-kraken 


I can't believe I'm about to praise Call of Duty but the DLC coming up has a 100-foot alien and that's pretty cool. So, uh, well played, mmkay?

By the way, it'll be available April 3 on Xbox 360 and Xbone.


Year Walk Arrives On Steam
http://www.destructoid.com/hit-ios-game-year-walk-arrives-on-steam-271563.phtml

So you can be a little creeped out if you missed it on iOS. 


The Last Of Us Movie Is A-Go
http://www.destructoid.com/start-your-dream-casting-they-re-making-a-last-of-us-movie-271570.phtml

It looks like the movie for The Last of Us is getting made, and just like the article says, start your dream casting now.

Cue Ellen Page remarks.

DID YOU KNOW THAT SHE'S GAY TOO?

Watch Dogs May Be Delayed (Again) For The Wii U, But...
http://www.destructoid.com/watch-dogs-will-be-late-on-wii-u-to-make-full-use-of-the-platform--271565.phtml

Once again proving why Ubisoft are cool, they are concentrating on making use of the Gamepad, which would mean that Watch Dogs is the first game to do that. Burn!

Yes, it sucks that Wii U will see it later, but at least this excuse seems genuine and understandable.

Okay who am I kidding? It's not understandable for anybody who wants to play this game and only owns a Wii U.

You can pick up Watch Dogs for any system that it's on (sorry retro gamers) on May 27. That's of this year! Holy crap!


Here's Something You Probably Didn't Think You'd Ever Hear/See -- Shaq Fu Sequel
http://www.destructoid.com/crowdfunding-campaign-starts-for-shaq-fu-sequel-271557.phtml 

Further proving that in this day and age you can crowdfund everything, they are trying to make a sequel to the terrible 1994 game Shaq Fu. That game as so bad that 9 year old me hated it. 9 year old me didn't hate anything besides pizza (in which I've come around, thankfully). 

So what does this all mean? I'm pullin' a George Carlin on Voting here, if you pay for this, you have no right to complain. And you should be ashamed of yourself.

But I'm kind of curious about it. Dammit, that's how they get you.

Jack Tretton Is Not the SCEA CEO Anymore
http://www.destructoid.com/scea-ceo-jack-tretton-is-leaving-at-the-end-of-this-month-271573.phtml 

I'm just going to leave this here, we will miss you Jack:

A replacement was already announced, but if he doesn't lay the smack down Rock-style on something then I don't really care.


You Won't Be Banned For Playing TITANFALL Early
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-won-t-ban-you-for-playing-early-on-xbox-one-or-pc/1100-6418163/

If you receive a legit copy of TITANFALL before it takes over the world next week, go ahead and play it! Respawn won't even ban you from playing the game that you bought with your own money... but be prepared to deal with interruption of services as they prep everything.

I feel like at this point DICE and EA should follow this train of thought and retcon the Battlefield 4 release. "No guys, Battlefield 4 is actually going to be released in April 2014 and you have all just gotten the game early so we won't ban you."


Watch Dogs Has An 8-Person Freeroam Online Mode
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-dogs-has-8-player-online-freeroam-multiplayer-mode/1100-6418176/

There goes Ubisoft, just teasing people again and again. It's all we know, but I'm sure people are excited for this.


Microsoft Wants Political Ads All Over Xbox Live Dashboard 
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-wants-targeted-political-ads-on-xbox-live-dashboard-courting-conservatives/1100-6418181/

Politicans can pay for ads on their service. That's pretty much all you need to know. I'm disgusted by this, because it's blatantly trying to plant empty political rhetoric into our brains as we play our games, and I would vote for me never vote for me do that vote for me in the voting booth where you vote.


I'll End This With TITANFALL, Because The World Changes Forever Next Week
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-preload-now-live-on-pc/1100-6418174/

You can preload TITANFALL on PC right now... just download the 20gb file, and when it unpacks and installs it will be about 50gb. This isn't possible on Xbox One, so join the master race now.

Well that's it folks, another long week has gone by and we are all a little bit older and closer to death. Make sure to check back next Saturday for more of the same, or check back on the blog daily because you never know when an article is going to pop up. 

Have fun and be safe.