This Week In Games, September 7 - 13: A Little Game Called Destiny Gets Released, Plus NHL 15, Velocibiox, Teslagrad, Fable Anniversary, The Keep, Worlds of Magic and A Weird 90s Bible Game Called Uriel's Chasm

Written By: Tyler

Hello everybody and welcome to another addition of This Week In Games: a weekly feature I do where I tell you why "indie" is not a genre.

Every week I go onto Gamespot and find out what games are coming out this week. Then I do a little write-up about the ones of interest, and ta-da, I get lots of money (or none at all). All release dates are North American because that's where I'm from. Sorry rest of the world.


September 8

Velocibox

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Action
Gameplay: http://store.steampowered.com/app/317710/

Strap yourself in for this game. It is supposed to be incredibly difficult and the gameplay, from what I understand, is essentially running through corridors, dodging things and collecting items. It is fast and it does look hard.


September 9

Destiny

Coming Out For: Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4
Genre: Greatest Game Ever, MMORPG/FPS
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUHCO-qyA1A

There's this little game that finally sees a release this week: It's called Destiny, and it's developed by Bungie. You may know Bungie from their other small franchise, Halo. If you follow games I probably don't need to sell you on Destiny but that's kind of the point of this part, so here goes:

It's a first-person shooter/MMO/RPG hybrid, that is supposed to be epic in scope. You play as one of three different classes, and there is competitive multiplayer that goes along with the normal campaign. It feels nice to shoot, it looks gorgeous, and it's Bungie... they have a good track record. Just get Destiny.



NHL 15

Coming Out For: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Sport
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbskn16gpQE

I haven't played an NHL game since '12, but hey... hockey games have come a long way since I started playing them. This looks more realistic, feels more realistic and I'm sure any hockey fan will be able to appreciate the depth of the experience. There was a time when hockey games didn't really feel like hockey games, but now you have to use the same kind of strategy that real players would use.


September 10

Nothing on this day.


September 11

Worlds of Magic

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Strategy
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=magRrO535gY

Worlds of Magic is hitting Steam Early Access on September 11. It is a 4X strategy game with randomly generated maps and big heroes. You have to kill enemies and expand your empire. There are over 300 spells as well!


Teslagrad

Coming Out For: Wii U
Genre: Platformer
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYKEtHHyvgA

Teslagrad is a platformer coming to the Wii U. It was originally released on PC. The basic premise is that you have to explore a tower and you use things like a Teslastaff or Magnet Glove to solve the puzzles and defeat the enemies. It has a charming art style, and it looks like a lot of fun so if you're hankering for a game on Wii U -- which most Wii U owners are -- then maybe check this one out.


The Keep

Coming Out For: 3DS
Genre: First-Person Dungeon Explorer
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puDJWHvcpVQ

The Keep is a first-person dungeon crawler, and although the footage above is only Alpha, it gives you an idea of what the game has in store. It's influenced by the classic games in this genre. Explore and defeat enemies on your 3DS.


September 12

Fable Anniversary

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: RPG
Gameplay: http://store.steampowered.com/app/288470/

Are you like me and missed out on Fable? Well, if you're a PC owner, here's your chance to catch up on the first installment in the series. Everything is upgraded here, so if you want a good RPG to play, I've heard good things about the first Fable.



Uriel's Chasm

Coming Out For: PC
Genre: Platformer/Action/Adventure
Gameplay: http://store.steampowered.com/app/292630/

So.

I guess there was an unlicensed Bible game released in the 90s that I've never heard of, and Uriel's Chasm is it. It's... something. In this game you go on a quest that features the metaphysics of the KJV Bible, and you explore what God and Death means. The game seems to blend a couple genres, and the gameplay that I linked above makes it look kind of terrible and awesome at the same time. It's surely one of those games that may not actually be good but it's so insane it might be entertaining. Without getting too religious here, the Bible is pretty twisted and weird, so it needs a twisted and weird game to properly represent it.


That's it for this week people. If there was a game I missed, and you are able to pull yourself away from Destiny, then make sure to let me know in the comments below or tweet me @ArtBathednCrime. Or you could just write in the comments and say hi because it gets lonely over here. Peace out.

Everyone Is Out Playing Sims 4, Getting Ready For Destiny... And I'm Just Sitting Here Playing Hatoful Boyfriend (A Review)

Written By: Tyler
Platform Played On: PC

Visual novel games aren't something I'm entirely sold on most of the time. I'd rather just read a comic book more often than not, which I know means I miss out on some really good examples of the genre. If a visual novel offers me a lot of choices and I feel like I'm truly impacting the story, then it's fine. If I'm just sitting here clicking to read, that's more of a chore than anything.

Hatoful Boyfriend is a visual novel that has gotten a lot of attention since its original release in 2011, and even more now in its 2014 remake, because of its premise: You are a human girl in a school full of pigeons and you try to date them. Originally I thought you were pigeons dating pigeons, but no, the game has to make you question your own sexuality by slowly revealing your hidden desire to date birds.

I'm not different than a lot of other people. I know a weird concept is enough to draw me in. I'll buy into the hype, I'll eagerly anticipate something that's different than other things you see. That's the kind of person I am. I'm not entirely sure if I expected to like Hatoful Boyfriend or not, but it didn't really end up grabbing my attention when I finally sat down to play it.

Ignore the fact that you're dating pigeons and it becomes just like other dating sims. You make choices to try to date the pigeon that you've decided you like. This may or may not succeed. There are stats to manage like Wisdom, Vitality and Charisma but it's pretty unimportant and is more of an illusion to gameplay rather than truly being gameplay. I know it affects the game in a very miniscule way, but don't spend much time really thinking about that.

Hatoful Boyfriend consists mostly of putting you in places and making you decide what the best course of action is. Your choices do impact the game somewhat, and there are multiple endings to uncover, but was the plot really interesting enough to indulge in it numerous times?

That's the thing about Hatoful Boyfriend: Its narrative is deeper and more rich than one might think when looking at the game. The stock photos of birds and amateurish art work do a lot to try to hide the darker themes behind the cutesy visual style. This is not just a game about dating pigeons, after all.

You have to play through the game a bunch of times in order to unlock the true story. You may notice, even if you only play through once, that some things are odd and out of place, such as destroyed buildings or the fact you're a human (the only human by the way) and you live in a cave. Maybe you chalk these up to just being silly elements in a silly Japanese game, but they aren't, and once you unlock the final branch of the storyline, the game will clear up these issues and it becomes more intriguing than just being an adorable pigeon dating simulator that may or may not make you feel comfortable with your beastiality.

I also secretly want to be a girl so this game satisfies me.

I can give props to a game that takes a concept and then completely changes it around and gives us something we didn't expect. The plot does get more interesting and does show some good writing, and the parody leads into a legit complex plot about the school you're going to.

But if you're like me, then getting to the point that the plot unloads itself onto you is more of a chore than anything. It's simply not that much fun to play. You spend most of your time watching, and since you're expected to cover all the branching storylines, you end up slogging through it just to get to the good stuff. Why could they not just give us a way to unlock the story without doing this? It's lazy and and it's a poor excuse to force us to put more hours into the game than we might want to. Though I said above that you have choices, it's more superficial than a game like The Witcher 2 where your choices have impact... you do have choices but you have to end up making certain choices in order to progress in the game, ultimately. If I don't feel like I have real control in a game like this, it's simply not amusing to play.

It's not that Hatoful Boyfriend is terrible, it just seems more like a game you could get the same amount out of by simply reading a detailed plot synopsis on Wikipedia or something. I give respect for setting it up like a dating sim and then ripping the carpet out from underneath us to showcase something more expansive, but it's not a fun game. Defenders of the genre may take offense to that, but there are really good examples of this type of game out there.


Rating: 4/10
Verdict:  Has a plot that is darker and deeper than you may originally think, but it isn't an entertaining Visual Novel to play.

August 12, Gamescom 2014: The Sony Press Conference: There's A Game Called Destiny Coming, Plus Some Awesome Boxes From MGS5! Oh Yeah... Some Indie Games Too

Written By: Tyler

Even though the Microsoft Press Conference was earlier today, I was at work so I didn't get a chance to watch it. After I post this article I will do so and do an article for it, so don't think that I'm only picking and choosing. I am trying to give the most comprehensive coverage of Gamescom that one man can do from his bedroom.

Keep in mind that a lot of this article is just me taking the notes I made and cleaning them up a little bit. That's why you're not exactly getting Cormac McCarthy in any of these Gamescom articles, because I am just watching the videos, taking quick notes and then tidying them up before posting. That, and I don't have half the talent that Cormac does.

Let's get to this.



When the Sony press conference officially begins, after showing us some clips from games like Little Big Planet 3, The Order: 1886 and Bloodborne, we get some eerie music and some different colours flash up on the screen. This, of course, is simply to introduce Playstation by showing us the classic square, x, triangle and circle. After those pop up on the screen, "This is for the players" flashes and then we're off to the races. We are shown clips from various games, interspersed with images of players enjoying the games on top of the clips... which is beyond cheesy.

Jim Ryan rolls up on screen, saying that the PS4 sales have exceeded 10 million units globally. You're welcome, Sony.

Then it cuts to showing us games that are "just a little bit different."

Q-Games has a new game that isn't Pixel Junk, and it's called The Tomorrow Children. The video shows some people digging then a girl shooting some robot things, while some definite nationalist music plays. "We will be comrades" flashes on the screen. There appears to be a jetpack as well. The video ends with a creepy dude and looking at us.

Then a more realistic looking game, visually, joins the fight. It is called The Vanishing Of Ethan Carter and in a nutshell there's a dead guy in a tomb and it looks like his spirit leaves his body and we watch a bunch of ghosts do stuff.

When we come back, the guy who made Thomas Was Alone is on the stage. He talked about how Thomas Was Alone changed his life. He announced Volume, which is a stealth game based on creativity. It is coming to PS4 and Vita first next year. It starts with sad music and I'm already into it because I loved Thomas Was Alone... then there's a narrator. It has an interesting visual style and seems to be going for something a little different in the genre.

Next we have a game where you play as a mercenary, and it's up to 4 player co-op. Lots of bullets fly, and it's called Hollowpoint. It's probably pretty okay, and inoffensive. Nothing awe-inspiring. It will come first to Playstation.

Runemaster will be talked about in the future.

My internet messed up and when I came back I was being told that PS4 owners could get into DayZ. In my estimate it'll probably never get out of Alpha on PC anyway, so don't bother looking forward to this one PS4 owners.

Next I'm told that the abyss stares into me if I stare into it, and that creeps me out because it's too metaphorical for me. We see a girl kneeling down holding a sword and there's some really atmospheric music. From the makers of Enslaved, DMC and Heavenly Sword comes Hellblade. The trailer was entertaining and mysterious but since there's no gameplay, who really knows? These types of reveals do very little for me.

Next we see a guy sitting with his feet int he water, then he sets out on his quest. We see him running, jumping, climbing, and seemingly going through a lot. It looks like it's a pretty interesting world.  The game looks beautiful and is called Rime. Think along the lines of "Journey" in ways, and less cryptic, and you have an idea of what's going on. It will also be a Playstation exclusive. Go Playstation!

Then we get a monstage of a bunch of indie games that will be showing up on Playstation.

 It was only a matter of time before we got to Destiny and here it is...  in 4 weeks nobody will be doing anything else. The economy will collapse, and the terrorists will win, because Destiny will be released then. Thanks for the reminder! It's the most pre-ordered new IP in history.

We got more details on the multiplayer, and the world premiere of the multiplayer trailer. We saw the different modes, and I think I missed one of them, but we get Skirmish, Rumble, Salvage, Clash, Combined Arms, and Control. There are timed exclusive maps for Playstation owners, with two expansions coming. The first expansion, The Dark Below, will be in December. Nothing makes the internet happier than announcing content that you have to buy before the game is even out.

Far Cry 4 shows up next and it basically just shows off a variety of environments and they talk about how you can invite your friend to join you in the open-world. Exclusive to Playstation, you can send up to ten free trials and your friends (if you have ten... I don't) can play the game with you for two hours.

There's a Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor trailer but meh, whatever. I'm already sold and this didn't show any gameplay.

Hideo Kojima pimps onto the stage, and shows off the different functions of the classic box. You can stand up with the box on you and there will be a variety of pictures to distract enemies or fool them, such as a saluting soldier or a hot chick. You can get different pictures like a hot chick (of course) laying in some roses. Use these realistic tactics to escape enemies. It ended with Big Boss putting a PS4 box on his head, and I laughed.

Then we get the "worlds first interactive teaser" called P.T. It's a little eerie and shows actual reactions from players playing it. I don't know if I believe these things, but whatever. It's available now on Playstation so I may have to check it out.

Then we get into the more technical aspects like System Software 2.0. It will have a better friend finder, you can see recommendations of players, upload shared videos to Youtube. You can share play where any PS Plus member can invite any friend, anywhere, to play your games with you. Or you can invite another PS Plus member to play with you and your friend doesn't need to own or download the game. 

There is then brief conversation about a bunch of things like Project Morpheus but nothing comes from it. Same with Playstation Now except for the fact that it is coming to Europe in 2015. The Playstation TV can pair your PS4 with a second TV and will be released in PAL territory for 99 Euros, and you get three digital games.

Until Dawn is rebuilt and is no longer a PS3 game. It's now on PS4 and and it's "a horror game unlike any other."  It's eight friends trying to survive a night from hell. You're stranded on a mountain like most horror movies. You decide who will survive. I don't really know if this will be any good or not. It will be arriving next year.

Next we have Driveclub. You can collaborate with your club and get the benefits together. You can use an app to keep up to speed with your club. You can live stream with the app to watch your friends. You can do anything besides actually race on it and conquer the world. We got to see a new element which is dynamic weather.

Driveclub is seeing a release on October 8th of this year, until it gets delayed.

Tearaway is now Tearaway Unfolded... reworked for ps4. The light bar will shine into the world. The touch pad will allow you to push down onto the surface of the world and when you release it, it will bounce back up. Swiping the touch pad will cause wind. There's also something to do with using the directional pad and shaking the controller to put things into the world. This will also come out next year.

The makers of Dead Nation and Resogun have another shooter where you have to survive at all costs. It is called Alienation and while it doesn't seem to promise anything new, Dead Nation was good and Resogun was awesome so count me in. By the way, it is also exclusive.

Then we have another exclusive game: Wild. It has a unique weather system, and you can play as humans or any living creature in the game. It doesn't show much besides the various creatures running around and doing shit, but I actually kinda dug it and am curious to see where this goes.



That's it. I'm sure there are disappointed people because they didn't show a ton of AAA titles, but they did show a good selection of smaller games. If you don't look forward to any indie games at this point, you're missing out on a lot.

My Destiny Beta Impressions -- MMOHalo? Or Is It Something More? Find Out Here!

Written By: Tyler
Platform Played On: PS4

If you own a PS3 or a PS4 and have pre-ordered Destiny, you have the ability to play the beta. Many people have jumped in to see for themselves what Bungie has in store for us after they left the Halo franchise -- the series that evolved the first-person shooter on consoles. It's their first game since Halo: Reach in 2010, so is it any good so far? Obviously it's not the full version, but the point of this post is to give my impressions of the beta.

I don't normally play betas because I generally just like to experience the full game on day one of its official retail release, but Destiny feels special so I thought it'd be a good time to do this. I won't make a habit of it, but here we are. I originally had gameplay footage of the first level, but I was having a hard time uploading it so unfortunately I can only have pictures.

Finally the Destiny beta is live!

I, like many others, are excited to play Destiny. It's one of the big releases of the year, and it's getting the kind of hype that only Watch Dogs can claim. Many people waited with bated breath to play it so there was some real excitement once the title screen, in all its simplicity, showed up for the first time. Finally, let's do this!

And this happened for hours.

Let's skip ahead until I could finally play it because I'm not one of these people who are going to complain that I can't connect to a beta... you know, the thing that is meant for this kind of problem. It annoys me when people rant about not being able to connect when a game is in beta because doing a stress test is literally the point of the beta.

Yay I connected! Dammit now there's the long installation.

Once the installation was complete, I was able to choose one of three classes. I went with Warlock, but as is in most games, each class plays different. I can't comment on the other two, but Warlock has a neat melee ability where you basically blast them with a bunch of energy. It looks like we'll be able to customize their abilities quite a bit so you won't be tied into one framework. Mind you, I wish there were more classes, but I guess this is the norm.

The leveling up isn't incredibly deep, but it's serviceable. You put points into your abilities, and you do have some statistics like defense, strength and whatnot, but don't expect to put points into attributes unless it's with your equipment. With that said, there is a fair bit of armor that you can wear, so it does have lite-RPG elements down.

This is the first time I see other players. They leave me... just like everyone else in my life.

As I stated at the beginning of this article, I couldn't upload the gameplay footage of the first level. I didn't take any pics of it either so we fast-forward a little bit. This is the game in action, and this is what matters the most. Once you see all the bells and whistles, a game is only as strong as its core mechanics.

I'm happy to say that Destiny plays well. Guns feel great to shoot, and the glide mechanic -- where you can essentially double jump and hover through the air -- is a nice touch. I'm surprised it has taken me this long to say it, but the game feels like Halo in a lot of ways. It's not a carbon copy by any means, but it's clear that Bungie hasn't abandoned what took them away from making games like Oni and thrust them into the big leagues of gaming. Anybody who likes Halo should enjoy Destiny because the guns shoot like it, you move like it, the atmosphere is similar and even jumping takes influence from it.

All this excitement made me tired so I sat down.

Before I played Destiny, I wondered how the online mechanics would operate. Bungie insisted that their MMOFPS -- massively multiplayer online first-person shooter to the uninitiated -- wasn't really an MMOFPS... but in my experience it's an MMOFPS.

You can play the game by yourself. There are public events where you'll need people to ease the burden, but there are always other players running around. There weren't many, but they existed and occasionally I'd be in a firefight only to have another like-minded player swoop in and aid me in laying waist to the enemies. Then, more often than not, said person would leave and go off to complete their own objective.

Destiny is social in the same way Journey was social, but Journey was truly something special and meaningful in the way it handled the social aspects. You can communicate with other players by pressing the directional pad; you can wave, for example, or sit if you're lazy like me. At one point I stood on top of a high ledge and waved at a player below me. It made me feel good about myself.

Ultimately though, it's your fight, and the thrill is going to be other players randomly dropping into your battles. This isn't revolutionary in any way, but it is solid.

This is the Tower.

The Tower is the hub. You turn in quests, get rewards, shop, etc. It's typical stuff.

Then I went back to battle.

In order to proceed to the next area, it's as easy as holding triangle and going up to orbit. This is pretty straight-forward stuff; you unlock areas and they are of a certain level. You click on them and you go there. As you progress, it unlocks different types of areas. If you don't want to play the story missions, there are areas that you can explore and do bonus missions.

Speaking of story missions, as of now I don't care about what's going on in the plot. It seems like pretty generic Sci-Fi stuff, but that doesn't necessarily mean its bad. I seem to be one of the few that don't think Halo had a great story, so take what I say with a grain of salt. Obviously its early yet and the plot could open up and become something memorable so I don't want to down on it too much yet.

I do like that you essentially are dead at the beginning and a little machine, called a Ghost, revives you and off you go. It was a nice little touch, being raised from the dead, and the game does a good job with its visuals to engulf you in its world.

I got in my vehicle and I zoomed away.

One thing I love is that the game allows you a certain degree of freedom from the very beginning. Early on, you are able to summon a vehicle at will -- with a few exceptions -- so traveling is easy. You won't have to grind for hours in order to unlock this feature. That's definitely welcome.

Another thing I noticed was the music. The title screen theme sounds so much like Halo, but in a good way. The music in-game often kicks in and is mixed quite loudly. While there weren't any truly exciting moments in the beta, I am lead to believe that there will be moments -- like in Halo -- where music and action blend together to create a thrill ride that we will remember forever. 


Overall, the way that Destiny handles single-player and integrates it with the online aspects is well done so far. I'm going a little easier on it then I would an MMORPG because the MMOFPS is not as common, so even doing quests that are familiar to people who play MMOs doesn't seem like a drag because the genre is somewhat fresh. At the same time, there is nothing here that we haven't seen before. Take Halo, throw in a little bit of Borderlands (though without the excessive amount of loot) and you have Destiny single-player thus far.


The Multiplayer

Halo has always had a solid campaign, but it arguably is more known for its multiplayer. That's a lot of hype to live up to, as many people will flock to the multiplayer mode -- the Crucible -- once it's unlocked at level five. But can we gather from the one mode that's available whether it will be the next Halo or just another solid shooter? Or could it be a terrible experience?

Here we go, my first ever multiplayer match.

The PvP is directly influenced by the story mode. You keep the equipment, abilities and levels that you have attained elsewhere. You literally keep things like your grenades, or even your special power. This will undoubtedly lead to some frustration as some people will just have more fire power than you and balance, like in any competitive game, is going to be key in the full release.

The beta only offers one game mode -- Control. It is a mode we've played a million times before. You and your team have to capture one of the three areas while shooting down your opponents. I only played a few games but they were fun. Things got intense, especially with vehicles driving around, but even though I saw other sites venting about how imbalanced it is with vehicle play, I didn't really run into it. Obviously vehicles can be an advantage, but they weren't a problem for me in the few games I participated in.

And this happened to me. A lot. Because I suck.

When you're choosing multiplayer, you can see there are numerous modes locked, but it doesn't look like there's going to be a lot of variety. Certainly not as much as there ended up being in games like Halo, Call of Duty or Battlefield. Only time will tell what these are going to be, but I hope that there are some interesting ones.


The Verdict

Though the beta only goes to level eight, we can gather a few things from it. It plays and handles well and the foundation of a good shooter is there. Yes, it does feel like Halo, but that's not a bad thing. It does enough with the genre that it can't be seen as copying Halo, which would be silly anyway considering Bungie's history.

The online aspects aren't a big deal to me. I saw someone from either Gamespot or IGN gushing about how amazing it is -- indeed, I did like the Journey comparison that I used above -- but I don't see it. To me it's just another MMO in that regard. People will show up and help you, then they'll often disappear.

Destiny looks beautiful, and a lot of care has been taken to craft a fantastic looking universe where we can travel to the Moon, to Earth, and beyond. There's a lot of attention to detail, and the different environments and maps look wonderful. It should be a joy traversing the different places that Destiny takes us to.

The multiplayer should suck some hours from my life, but I don't know at this point if it'll be the next shooter that I dedicate a good chunk of my life to. It's fun and there's no denying that, but the beta hasn't shown us anything that we haven't seen a thousand times before. Ultimately though, like any shooter, it's going to come down to what you prefer. If you prefer games like Call of Duty, this won't appeal. If you're into Battlefield, this won't cut it. I'm a Killzone guy, but my back-up shooters are games like Halo or even Titanfall. It's all going to come down to what kind of feeling you like, and if you're into Halo, I stress that you should like it.

I think Destiny will be a great game. I predict that I'll end up giving it an 8.5 or a 9, but that's basically because it's just really good at what it does... even if it's mostly been done before. It does enough to keep you coming back, and the gameplay works. I look forward to September, when we can finally sink our teeth into the full thing.



So what did you think of the Destiny beta? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Mildly dislike it? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @ArtBathednCrime. Thank you for reading.

E3 Day 1 (Part 2): The Other Stuff Of The Day

Written By: Tyler

Image from http://e3expo.com

Now that the main press conferences are over, it's down to whatever news trickles out and gameplay impressions. It's time to open up multiple Firefox windows and watch a few different live streams at a time. I will use this post to sum up some of the news and whatnot of the day that caught my attention, and I will divide the post into "News" and "Impressions."


News

Devil's Third Is A Wii U Exclusive
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/e3-2014-devils-third-is-a-wii-u-exclusive

It looks like Nintendo has picked up another exclusive game, and this one is a more adult-oriented third person shooter, with gore and dismemberment. Whether it'll be something special or a dud will only become clear in time, but it's a good thing for Nintendo that they're getting this.


Star Fox Exists!
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/e3-2014-star-fox-coming-to-wii-u-miyamoto-reveals-new-projects

I didn't catch the tease in the Nintendo Digital Event because I must have been asleep or something, but this is huge news for Nintendo.


Mario Party 10 Is Coming To The Wii U
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/e3-2014-mario-party-10-coming-to-wii-u

I haven't actually played a Mario Party in years but a new one always has the potential for fun. This one will have a new "Bowser Mode" that allows the person using the Gamepad to become Bowser and give trouble to the other players.


Fantasy Life Is The Next RPG By Level 5... And It's For The 3DS
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/e3-2014-level-5-announces-fantasy-life-for-nintendo-3ds

So far, for me, the 3DS has been a combination RPG/Life Simulator machine, and Level 5 is continuing that for me... literally releasing a game that is both. From IGN:

Fantasy Life is a RPG where you'll be able to have different jobs and make a life for your character. You'll be able to set out on adventures to save the world, or take up more leisurely activities like cooking or fishing.

Mario vs Donkey Kong Is Coming To The Wii U
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/mario-vs-donkey-kong-coming-to-wii-u

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/art-academy-on-wii-u-gets-october-release-window

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Is Coming To The PS4 And Xbox One
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/10/final-fantasy-type-0-hd-announced-for-xbox-one-and-ps4

There's a remastered version of the Japan only, Playstation Portable RPG, Final Fantasy Type-0 coming to next-gen consoles. There's no release date yet, but it looks cool and it'll be nice to see it localized for the first time ever. Yeah, America rocks!


Impressions
These are the games that I got to see more of today.

Sunset Overdrive -- It still looks like one of the funnest games that was at E3. Just pure craziness, colourful and fast.

Fable Legends -- I think it looks okay, and the co-op should be fun. I still feel the same way as I did when I saw it during the press conference. It's probably going to be solid but I'm not unbelievably hyped for it by any means.


The Division -- Even though all I saw was the same video that we saw at the press conferences, it had developer commentary over it. I'm really excited for it still and love how it has RPG elements like loot drops and whatnot. They explained the multiplayer a little bit more, and it sounds like it's going to be fluid and not be a typical, generic MMO.

Heavy Bullets -- I had never heard of this game before so I was curious about it. In my mind, I expected a grim cover-based shooter or a really silly shooter, but it's a lot different. The first time I saw the visuals I was caught off guard, but not really in a good way. It's colourful, and the concept of the game -- very limited bullets so you have to aim well -- is interesting but from the video I've seen, I'm just not feeling it.

Xenoblade Chronicles X -- It looks like an evolution of the first Xenoblade Chronicles, which isn't a bad thing. The combat looks deeper, the variety in weapons is nice, the world still looks huge and oh yeah, giant robots. I can't see anybody who loved the first one hating this.

Homefront: The Revolution -- I'm sure it'll be decent, but it honestly just looks like another shooter to me.

Driveclub -- The video I saw was not the most exciting thing ever, since it didn't have online connectivity. All they did was drive, but everything looked pretty already. I am not a big racing game fan but I hope this ends up being good, especially considering all the delays.

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor -- This still looks like one of the best games coming up, mostly because of the way relationships and the world changes based on your actions. If this game lives up to what they're promising, this will be truly special, and seeing the demo of it just confirms the potential.

Destiny -- I saw some multiplayer footage of Destiny, and the mechanics look solid. It looks and feels like Halo in a lot of ways to me, at least looking at the video. I can't wait to try this bad boy out.

Some footage I wanted to see but missed: The Order: 1886, No Man's Sky



Okay, I have work early in the morning and I've already stayed up too late. I know that the day isn't over yet, but I will have to catch up on the rest of Day 1 tomorrow and maybe do a quick little shout-out to today in my Day 2 post.

What have you liked about Day 1 of E3? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @ArtBathednCrime.

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, May 4 - 10: New Unreal Tournament! Call of Duty Is Game Of Thrones! The Shaq-Fu 2 Apocalypse! The Gameboy Is Still Direct Competition! Exclamation Marks!

Written By: Tyler


Remember That Call of Duty Series? Here Are Some Details On The New Game, Advanced Warfare
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/tons-of-call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-details-emerge/1100-6419415/

Try not to pass out from this news, but it appears that there's a new Call of Duty coming. I know, I know... craziness.

Here are some details about the new game, stolen from Gamespot:

• In development at Sledgehammer Games for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. A separate studio to be named later is working on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. There's no word on Wii U.
• The game runs on a new and unspecified game engine.
• The story opens with a catastrophic event that Sledgehammer Games cofounder Michael Condrey describes as "like a global 9/11." There's little more to go on, but major cities on multiple continents are affected by some kind of terrorism perpetrated by a terrorist organization called KVA.
• It is set in 2054.
• You play a character named Private Mitchell, who is voiced by prolific voice actor Troy Baker. You may know Baker for his recent roles in The Last of Us (Joel), BioShock Infinite (Booker), and Batman: Arkham Origins (The Joker). Mitchell only speaks during cutscenes; never during gameplay.
• Mitchell starts Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare as a Marine, who is squadmates with Will Irons, the son of Private Military Company Atlas Corporation CEO Jonathan Irons (played by Kevin Spacey). After their tour of duty is done, the elder Irons asks Mitchell if he wants to leave the Marines to join his company. Mitchell says yes and is outfitted with an "EXO" suit for his new job.
• Unlike past Call of Duty games, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has only one protagonist.
• Kevin Spacey says he was "very excited" about joining the game when he was originally approached.
• You'll earn points every mission that can be used to upgrade your EXO suit. Using the EXO suit, you can climb walls with magnetic gloves, boost-dodge toward cover, perform super-jumps that let you get to higher ground, use optic camouflage for cloaking, and hover in mid-air.
• Your arsenal includes "variable grenades," which can be switched from concussion to threat detection while they cook. The threat detection grenade reveals enemy locations and makes this information available via an augmented reality system visible in your visor.
• Some of your guns are energy-based, and do not use traditional ammunition.
• There is a rideable vehicle called a Pitbull, which is based on the real world Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle.
• There's no official word on Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer yet, but Condrey teases, "You can probably imagine the possibilities of a lot of the stuff you saw in single-player and how it would apply online." Activision also says it is "absolutely committed" to supporting eSports.
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will have some kind of co-op mode.
• Veteran Metal Gear Solid composer Harry Gregson-Williams is working on the game's soundtrack. Audio director Don Veca says, "I think Advanced Warfare is going to be the best-sounding and certainly the best-mixed game ever."
• In an effort to create a believable world, Activision consulted with "experts from production design in movies to experts in the military to scientists and futurists," according to Sledgehammer cofounder Glen Schofield.

Somebody took some influence from TITANFALL.


Guns Up! And Everything's Game Trademarked By Sony
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-sony-trademarks-discovered-before-e3-include-guns-up/1100-6419427/

Continuing their pursuit of trademarking stupid and silly names, Sony recently trademarked Guns Up! and Everything's Game. I can only assume that Guns Up! includes guns.


The Best Kept Secret Since Area 51 -- What Is The Dualshock 4 Light Bar Really For?
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/05/08/dualshock-4-light-bar-created-for-project-morpheus

What is the Dualshock 4 light bar for? When did it come here? Is it friendly or foe? Does it prove the existence of life outside of Earth? Is it alien technology? Does it make sandwiches?

I can answer one of those questions. The Dualshock 4 has annoyed a lot of people apparently, and they released an update that allowed you to dim it. But why is it here? Well... it is on the controller because it has to do with the construction of Project Morpheus, the VR system that Sony is working on.

http://thepsdualshock4disclosureproject.com/notarealurl.html


Phil Spencer Is Talking Again
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-boss-promises-new-ip-and-sequel-announcements-at-e3/1100-6419419/

Phil Spencer recently said that there will be new IPs and sequel announcements at E3, but he also said some other stuff. Again, from Gamespot:

• Microsoft is focusing on hardcore gamers for the show.
• Some announcements will be made in May, ahead of E3. "Yea, you'll get a couple of things before. May should be a good month for news. Took me a month to get plans set," Spencer said.
• Microsoft will announce new studios it's working with.
• Spencer is not allowed to talk about anything related to what Halo studio 343 Industries is working on.
• Microsoft's overall goal for 2014: "I feel like what we will show this year is stuff we are committed to, from top studios, for this year and future."
• Don't expect a Microsoft-made gaming handheld anytime soon. "I don't think we'll do a dedicated handheld gaming device, rather just focus on [Windows Phone], tablets, maybe with controller support someday," Spencer said.
• Spencer wants Microsoft's E3 2014 showing to be more "fan focused."
• Microsoft thought about using the voice of Cortana for their E3 show, but Spencer did not like this. Asked if the Cortana voice search functionality could come to Xbox One someday, Spencer said, "I like [Windows Phone] feature but don't want to overdo it."
• Gamers won't need to wait until the Tokyo Game Show (September) to learn about new Japanese Xbox One games.
• Microsoft is close to finalizing a release date for the Xbox One version of Minecraft.
• The Lost Odyssey rights are "a bit complicated," but Spencer would like to see the 2008 role-playing game come to Games on Demand some day.
• Details about external storage support for Xbox One are coming later.
• Why there hasn't been a Battletoads sequel: "Just time, lot's of things we want to build, all the teams are full right now and a long list of what they'd want to do next. You want to spend time because you want things to be as good as they can be, I don't want to do cheap ports," Spencer said.

Their E3 presentation will be titled "Xbox: Game On" and it will take place Monday, June 9 at  9:30 a.m. PDT.


First Screenshot From Tales From The Borderlands Has Shown Up
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-images-of-walking-dead-developer-s-borderlands-game-emerge-what-do-you-think/1100-6419425/

The game is told from the perspective of Rhys and Fiona, and is told through flashbacks. The loot that you can collect will be usable in other games in the Borderlands universe. 



NHL '15 Announced, Nobody Is Surprised
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nhl-15-announced-for-xbox-360-xbox-one-ps3-and-ps4-check-out-a-teaser-trailer/1100-6419423/

If you thought a new Call of Duty was a big surprise, then I have a whopper -- not to be confused with the delicious burger -- for you: there's a new NHL game from EA. There's a teaser trailer in the link above, but I can tell you exactly what it'll look like. I bet there's going to be two teams full of people with bad hockey hair, hitting each other and pucks. I know, I'm psychic. 


Mortal Kombat Will Not Show Up On The Wii U Virtual Konsole
http://www.destructoid.com/ed-boon-shuts-down-possibility-of-mortal-kombat-wii-u-virtual-console-releases-274268.phtml

It's important to know that this was called, "If video games were real."

Ed Boon said that the first few Mortal Kombat games will not show up on the Wii U Virtual Console. That's it, seriously. That's pretty much all he said.


Marek Okan Is A Tease
http://www.destructoid.com/the-last-of-us-concept-artist-teases-something-with-artwork-274281.phtml

He posted this picture and said, ""let me tease you something... Its coming."

It looks like a grown-up version of Ellie from The Last Of Us. After he realized people gave a crap, he said this:

Lol. This is how you know you are teasing your stuff the right way
So before its gonna get blown out of proportions - its gonna be strictly personal image.
Is it about TLOU2? Not really... Maybe... Its classified ;P
But seriously its gonna be just a fan art ;]

Oops I did it again, I played with your heart...

From Software Has A New Game?
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/05/05/from-softwares-rumored-to-be-working-on-project-beast

There are images in the link above, and if it is true, the game is titled "Project Beast" as of right now. Is this legit or is it fake? I don't know, but I will call From Software tomorrow.



People Are Going To Jail For Stealing In-Game Items
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/thieves-going-to-jail-for-stealing-in-game-items/1100-6419443/

Two people realized that they could make money by taking in-game items and selling them for real money in the game Dungeon Fighter Online. They were unemployed and dedicated so they got someones login information and cleaned him. And now they're going to jail.



The Danish Government Created The Entire Country In Minecraft
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/danish-government-creates-entire-country-in-minecraft-users-promptly-blow-it-up-and-plant-american-flag/1100-6419412/

The Danish Geodata Agency created the entire country on a 1:1 scale as a teaching tool. Then, because they forgot to disable the minecart with dynamite item, users started blowing stuff up... replacing things with American flags and tanks.

Ah yes, just like the good ol' days.


Microsoft Released Its Second ID@Xbox Game: Nutjitsu
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-one-s-first-sub-10-game-launching-this-week/1100-6419461/

On May 8th, Nutjitsu was released. This is big news because it's the second game released under the ID@Xbox program, but it's also the first Xbox One game to be under $10. $6.49 to be exact.



Get In On The WildStar Open Beta Between May 8 - 18
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/upcoming-pc-mmo-wildstar-gets-an-open-beta-this-week/1100-6419450/

Go to this linky right here in order to request a key so you can play the open beta of WildStar. If you are unaware of what the game is, it's an MMO because the market is getting a little shallow in MMOs right now. In the beta, you can advance to level 30.


The Shaq-Fu Sequel Has Reached Its Funding Goal
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/shaq-is-back-new-shaq-fu-fighting-game-reaches-funding-goal/1100-6419447/

Activision Is Giving Bungie $500 Million For Destiny
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/activision-investing-500-million-for-bungie-s-destiny/1100-6419444/

It appears that it is their destiny (I'm sorry) to get lots of money, as Activision is giving Bungie $500 million to make Destiny. This is just pocket change to me, but I'll let Activision handle this one.



Here Comes The Doom And Gloom Again -- Nintendo Posted A $457 Million Loss
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/wii-u-sales-slow-to-a-crawl-as-nintendo-posts-457-million-loss/1100-6419475/

Speaking of pocket change, Nintendo posted a loss of $457 million. Here's the article in a nutshell: The Wii U isn't selling (shocking), but the 3DS is doing better. Nintendo is still expecting to post a profit though.

If you want specific numbers of sales and whatnot, they're in the link above.


EA Will Announce 6 Games At E3, 1 Will Work At Launch
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-will-announce-a-major-frostbite-3-game-at-e3-what-do-you-think-it-is/1100-6419476/

EA's presentation at E3 is going to be called "EA World Premiere: E3 2014 Preview," and it takes place June 9 at 12 p.m. PDT. They are expected to show off six games and announce a "major" Frostbite 3 game. 


Nintendo Is Low On Money... Re-Releasing Pokemon Ruby And Sapphire In November
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-ruby-sapphire-remakes-coming-to-3ds-this-year/1100-6419483/

3DS owners will see the re-release of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire this November. They will be titled Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, and they will make a lot of money.


Don't Start Is Going To Have Multiplayer
http://www.destructoid.com/multiplayer-is-coming-to-don-t-starve-274469.phtml

Entitled "Don't Starve Together," Don't Starve will be receiving multiplayer in alpha form in summer of this year. I look forward to maybe eating my friends. I also look forward to playing Don't Starve Together.


The Second Towns Developer Has Left... And You Probably Shouldn't Pay Attention To This Game Anymore
http://www.destructoid.com/towns-left-in-limbo-as-second-developer-quits-the-project-274462.phtml

"I'm putting this whole fucking town in my rear view."

Florian Frankenberger is making like Ben Affleck in The Town and putting Towns in his rear view. After the original developer left, he tried to do what he could, but he's not making money and has bills to pay and people to feed so he's out. And you should be out of Towns. Go to a nice village or something, avoid the city.


Stephan Frost Says That WildStar Is One Of The Most Feature-Complete MMO In The Last 10 Years
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/upcoming-pc-game-wildstar-is-one-of-the-most-feature-complete-mmos-of-the-past-10-years/1100-6419508/

From Gamespot:

"We decided to go with the subscription fee because we are a triple-A game," Frost said. "We are one of the most feature-complete MMOs to be coming out in the past 10 years. HBO, for example, is premium content. It has great shows like Game of Thrones and True Detective. They don't charge extra for those things, they're just charging that sub fee and people gladly pay it because it's good. If it wasn't good, they wouldn’t pay for it."

Except HBO is a channel that offers TV shows of various types... you're a single game that offers the same experiences all the time, because you're just one game. But besides that, yeah, you're right.



The Elder Scrolls Online Delayed For Consoles
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/elder-scrolls-online-xbox-one-ps4-delay-confirmed-bethesda-explains-why-it-was-necessary/1100-6419504/

If you're a console gamer and are waiting to be bored like the rest of us, you'll have to wait. It looks like The Elder Scrolls Online is delayed for consoles. They cited "unique problems," but they're trying to make us a deal: if you buy the game on PC now, you can transfer your characters from PC to Xbone/PS4 and get the game for consoles for $20. Why not... buy it twice?

Go PC Master Race!


Activision Is Comparing Call Of Duty To Game Of Thrones... Nobody Buys It
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/activision-wants-call-of-duty-to-be-talked-about-as-much-as-game-of-thrones/1100-6419503/

Yup, another masterpiece by yours truly.

They want CoD to be discussed like people do with Game of Thrones. They are planning to make Advanced Warfare story heavy, hoping to hit emotional moments that resonate with players for years to come.

But people do talk about Call of Duty. It just... usually isn't nice anymore, it seems.


Nintendo Abandons The Wii U To Develop "New Consoles" In Other Markets
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-to-launch-new-console-not-the-wii-u-or-3ds-in-emerging-markets/1100-6419501/

I'm just kidding... Nintendo didn't abandon the Wii U. But they are developing different consoles for countries like China in order to get their foot in the door.


Nintendo Explains Why Mario Won't Be On iPhones Anytime Soon
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-explains-why-you-won-t-play-mario-on-your-iphone-anytime-soon/1100-6419502/

The President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, said, "Our games such as Mario and Zelda are designed for our game machines so if we transfer them into smartphones as they are, customers won't be satisfied. If customers aren't satisfied with the experience, it will decrease the value of our content."

To be fair, I won't be satisfied with the experience just because touch screen controls are the devil.


Nintendo Feels Responsible For Their Problems
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-president-i-feel-deeply-responsible-for-poor-performance/1100-6419499/

Satoru Iwata also said, "Posting an operating loss for the fourth fiscal year running is something unacceptable. I feel deeply responsible for this and I need to fulfill my responsibility by recovering the momentum of our business."

I guess the first step is admitting you have a problem.


Nintendo To Get Into Figurine Games
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/update-nintendo-to-integrate-skylanders-like-figurines-with-wii-u-and-3ds/1100-6419497/

Like Skylanders, Nintendo is looking to integrate figurines into their games. They're going to call it NFP-nfc. They also announced Mario Kart TV, which will tie into Mario Kart 8 and let you watch Nintendo videos, replays and see rankings.


Nintendo Plans To Quit Hardware Business At The End of 2015 And Focus Solely On Making Games For Microsoft


Gimme Gimme Gimme -- Monolith Soft's X Is Destined For 2014
http://www.destructoid.com/monolith-s-x-is-still-on-track-for-2014-for-both-japan-and-the-west-274523.phtml

X is going to rule the world. Seriously, after Xenoblade: Chronicles I have so much faith in them that I'd buy Farmville if they were making it. Good news for fans who are looking forward to X, because it should be released in Japan and North America in 2014.

They also gave a brief list of some other games and their release dates:

• Bayonetta 2 -- 2014
• Hyrule Warriors (temp.) -- 2014
• Yarn Yoshi (temp.) -- TBD
• Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem (temp.) -- TBD
• The Legend of Zelda (temp.) -- TBD

Dying Light Is Delayed Until February 2015
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/05/08/hopes-of-dying-light-in-2014-flicker-out-as-title-is-delayed.aspx

Techland said this week that Dying Light will be delayed until February 2015, so they don't have to compromise on any of their ideas. This is good news for quality, I'm sure, but I wanted to play it!


Here's A Doozy -- Epic Games Revealed The Free Unreal Tournament
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/05/08/epic-games-reveals-free-to-play-unreal-tournament

The next Unreal Tournament is coming in the not-so-near future, but it's going to be free and co-developed with the community so their mods and whatnot will be important post-launch. Free Unreal Tournament, and they stress it's "not free to play, just free."
 

Oh Yes, Sunset Overdrive Gets Its First In-Game Footage
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/462820/video-watch-sunset-overdrives-first-in-game-footage/

Ladies and gentlemen, our cherries have been popped, because we got some footage for Sunset Overdrive, that you can find in the link above. I'd post the video here but blogger is stupid and sometimes it just deletes the videos I post.

If you can't watch the video, basically it's crazy. It's an open world game but you can run across walls and movement seems to be really fluid. There are a lot of crazy guns because it's Insomniac Games, and it just looks like it's going to be ridiculous.

Anybody want to start funding my Xbox One purchase?


Harmonix Released The Free-To-Play Rhythm Runner "Record Run"
http://www.destructoid.com/harmonix-releases-free-to-play-record-run-for-ios-devices-274557.phtml

If you got an apple device, you can grab the new Harmonix game for free now. It's a rhythm runner where you avoid obstacles and whatnot, and you can import your own playlist. So finally you can use that grindcore-laptop-death-pop-jazz fusion-jelly-fishcake-thrash-rap song that you really like.

It's going to be coming to Android as well.



Believe In The Shield Because Portal Is Coming To The Nvidia Shield Next Week
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/valve-s-beloved-portal-comes-to-nvidia-shield-next-week/1100-6419520/

On May 12, you can pick up Portal on the Nvidia Shield. So... do that.


Oculus VR To Create The Largest MMO Ever?
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/oculus-vr-aspires-to-create-an-mmo-world-with-1-billion-people-in-it/1100-6419518/

The Oculus CEO stated this week that he wants to create the largest MMO ever, using the Oculus Rift. He is planning on a billion people. He also had this to say, which I want to make fun of:

"Do we want to be Game Boy, or do we want to be iPhone or Android? I think Game Boy is an awesome platform, but I think you'll see that handheld gaming device largely disrupted by the mobile market. For VR, where we want to go, connecting a billion people, do you want to be building a platform that has a billion users on it, or 10 or 20 or 50 million?"

Released last century, still on competition today... apparently.

 It's fun that he mentioned the Game Boy since we're at the Nintendo 3DS. I know this is just semantics, but like I said I want to make fun of him. For someone so forward thinking, it's great that he chose such an old handheld.


Games I Kind Of Wish I Could Stop "Reporting" On -- TITANFALL and Battlefield 4

New TITANFALL DLC Is Called Swampland, Here's A Picture Of It
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/titanfall-dlc-map-swampland-screenshots-and-details-released/1100-6419517/

DICE Give Up, Turn To The Community
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/battlefield-4-dev-turns-to-fans-for-help-testing-new-improvements/1100-6419516/

It appears that DICE themselves realize that they can't fix Battlefield 4, because they have created the "Community Test Environment" that allows PC users to help them test out things.

You've spent your money on it, now you can help fix it. That seems... fair.

I kid Battlefield 4, I kid. I actually enjoy you.


GLAAD Is  Not ?Glaad? That Tomodachi Life Doesn't Have Same-Sex Relationships
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-responds-to-criticism-regarding-same-sex-relationships-in-tomodachi-life-update/1100-6419530/

It appears that GLAAD -- the LGBT group -- is not happy about Nintendo not including same-sex relationships in their odd, life simulator (that doesn't fully simulate life) game Tomodachi Life.

Wilson Cruz cruz'd to a criticism of Nintendo, stating, "In purposefully limiting players' relationship options, Nintendo is not only sending a hurtful message to many of its fans and consumers by excluding them, but also setting itself way behind the times."

The Big N had this to say in response, "We apologize for disappointing many people by failing to include same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to change this game’s design, and such a significant development change can’t be accomplished with a post-ship patch. At Nintendo, dedication has always meant going beyond the games to promote a sense of community, and to share a spirit of fun and joy. We are committed to advancing our longtime company values of fun and entertainment for everyone. We pledge that if we create a next installment in the Tomodachi series, we will strive to design a game-play experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players."

In my humble opinion, it would have been nice if Nintendo had included homosexuality in Tomodachi Life so I could finally come out of the closet in a safe environment (with myself?), but it's likely that a lot of people will just see this as silly, thus hurting GLAAD's crusade.

Can't we all just get along? #Ihatehashtags


Sony's E3 Press Conference Is June 9 At 6 p.m. PDT
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-playstation-e3-2014-press-conference-dated-for-june-9-6pm/1100-6419546/

Sony last year.

On June 9 at 6 p.m. PDT, Sony will be doing their press conference. If you remember, which if you're a gamer you probably do, Sony came in like a wrecking ball last E3. Will they do what they did last year and become the Heavyweight Champion of the World while they slap down the competition? Or will it be more normal? I can't wait to find out.




Well folks, that is it for the Weekly News Round-Up. We've had United States terrorism/imperialism, free Unreal Tournaments, DICE throwing in the towel, and lots of Nintendo saying things. We've had some good times, we've had some bad times, we've had some grey times because LIFE ISN'T BLACK AND WHITE MAN. Until next week -- or whenever I write another article that you will subsequently ignore -- I am Tyler, and you can tell me what you think on my pretentious Twitter account @ArtBathednCrime or in the comments below. You can even send a carrier pigeon to my house if that's what tickles your fancy. See ya!