Evolve 4th Monster revealed

Chris Hare
-
0
Evolve 4th Monster revealed

Introducing Behemoth! Evolve’s fourth Monster is practically a tank becoming a giant, destructive boulder and rolling through the environment, dealing massive damage to Hunters. Get Behemoth for free in the Monster Expansion Pack by pre-ordering Evolve today, or purchase him separately when he becomes available as downloadable content this Spring.

Turtle Rock Studio has also explained how DLC will work with EVOLVE with an FAQ on their main site:

There’s nothing that pisses me off more than useless DLC,” says Turtle Rock Studios Creative Director, Phil Robb. “It’s got to mean something – it’s got to add something significant to the game…and that’s what we’re shooting for with our upcoming Hunters and Monsters.” That has been a guiding perspective behind how we are releasing extra content for Evolve. So, let’s take a look at what you get.

In the Game, on day one:
Just so that it’s all in one place, this is what comes with the game on 10th February:

  • 12 Unique Maps – each with a variety of modifiers that can drastically affect each match
  • 12 Hunters (Abe, Bucket, Cabot, Caira, Griffin, Hank, Hyde, Lazarus, Maggie, Markov, Parnell and Val)
  • 3 Monsters (Goliath, Kraken and Wraith)

FREE MAPS, FOREVER

There’s nothing worse than getting left out because you didn’t pony up extra cash for a different bundle. Phil recently vowed on IGN that you will never have to pay for additional maps that get built. “First thing we said was that we can’t break the community up, so all of our maps will be free. We never want anyone to get booted off a server because they haven’t bought something.”

Turtle Rock’s Chris Ashton adds, “We are committed to this game and creating a lot more down the road. We have people on the team looking forward on what’s coming next for Evolve.”

Evolve gets Hunting Season Pass

Chris Hare
-
0
Evolve gets Hunting Season Pass

The Evolve Hunting Season Pass contains four new Hunter characters (one from each class), as well as three new Monster skins (Magma Goliath, Magma Kraken and Magma Wraith.) and will only cost you $24.99. Considering that if you bought them all separately, all of that content will run you about 30 bones, stash that extra $5 in your pocket as a thank you for joining us on the hunt.

hunters_season_passv2

The Monster skins will be available on launch day and the upcoming Hunters will be available as released. (More details on the downloadable Hunter characters will be available as we get closer to their release after the release of Evolve on February 10, 2015. In the meantime, let the inevitable speculation on the new Hunters begin!).

Look below information taken from the EVOLVE Main site FAQ:

MOAR MONSTERS

You’ve been wondering what that new mystery Rock-Lobster-looking silhouette was all about.

It’s about time you guys also meet Behemoth, the fourth Monster in Evolve that comes with the Monster Expansion pack (and FREE if you pre-order) and will be available after Evolve ships. For more info on this monstrosity, check out this story that also posted today.

We recently chatted with Turtle Rock’s Chris Ashton about what goes into creating a Monster. The short version: It takes a lot of time, iteration and careful balancing. The slightly longer version:

“We start with a theme. Then we go through a brainstorm and think about the gameplay style and some abilities we want to emphasize around that theme. We hope to have more than four abilities and refine them down. So, for example, when we started with Goliath, all we knew is that we wanted a brawler. We didn’t know what it’d look like or what its abilities would be – we just wanted a soldier. An all-around Fighter. That design goes to a concept artist and they start to bring that to life. After we have a monster locked down visually, then we think about how its abilities will look and how they will behave. Then that gets concepted.

Then we start prototyping. A lot of times we’ll prototype stuff on the code side at the same time those concepts will start going into production and start to model the character.

An engineer will start to prototype with placeholders – like subbing in Goliath and odd objects. We’ll code up everything and way before the monster’s actually built, we’re playtesting and start testing all the abilities to find the ones working really well…and so much more.”

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, the Monster Expansion Pack for Evolve – gives you two things: At launch, you get an exclusive Savage Goliath skin. After the game ships, you get the fourth Monster (BEHEMOTH). That is a retail value of more than $14.99 and adds a whole different gameplay mechanic to how you’ll fight. If you pre-order, you get this FREE when the Monster is done. If you’re already thinking of buying Evolve, this really is the no-brainer.

Lastly, there’s the Evolve Digital Deluxe Edition, which features $95 worth of content for $79.99. That’s the full game, the Monster Expansion Pack, as well as the aforementioned Hunting Season Pass.

Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk out tomorrow

Chris Hare
-
0
Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk out tomorrow

KOEI TECMO Europe has today announced that Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk has launched in Europe for digital download on the PlayStation Vita.

Ayesha_plus_logo_EU_R

The first part of developer Gust’s finale to the Atelier Dusk storyline in the beloved Alchemy RPG series, is replete with new features tailored to its fans with dual audio, new costumes, gameplay modes and more.

ss01_zoom_034_us

Atelier Ayesha Plus: The Alchemist of Dusk tells the tale of Ayesha Altugle, who after the death of her grandfather and the disappearance of her younger sister Nio, now lives alone blending healing cures to sell in her workshop.

us_ss01_zoom_016

 

Upon seeing a vision of Nio appearing near her empty grave, Ayesha, convinced she is still alive begins her search to save her.

The enhanced PlayStation Vita version brings new features including dual audio, bosses from Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky, new costumes, a hard mode and the Album missions which unlock exclusive costumes and gameplay features and the ability to change party members at any time.

ss01_zoom_035_us

Additionally, almost all content from the original PlayStation 3 version can be carried over.

Havoc DLC for COD: Advanced Warfare on the 27th Jan

Chris Hare
-
0
Havoc DLC for COD: Advanced Warfare on the 27th Jan

The first DLC pack for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Havoc, is on the way.  The new DLC pack from Activision and Sledgehammer Games will be available first, exclusively on Xbox LIVE for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 beginning on 27th January, with other platforms to follow.

COD AW_Havoc_Core Environment

“We’re looking forward to playing the new DLC content with fans. The response to Advanced Warfare has been amazing, and the creativity and gameplay variety of the content coming in Havoc is more exciting than ever,” said Michael Condrey, Co-Founder and Studio Head, Sledgehammer Games. “The entire team at Sledgehammer Games is really excited about the release of the Havoc and we are ready to kick-off a long DLC season filled with new maps, the new Exo Zombies mode and more,” said Glen Schofield, Co-Founder and Studio Head, Sledgehammer Games.

COD AW_Havoc_Drift Environment

The definitive DLC offering, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Havoc includes four new, epic multiplayer maps, access to the versatile AE4 directed energy assault rifle, the AE4 Widowmaker custom variant, plus an exciting new Zombies cooperative mode called Exo Zombies, that features a story told through the eyes of four employees of the Atlas corporation, played by a celebrity cast consisting of John Malkovich (In the Line of Fire, RED, Burn After Reading), Bill Paxton (Aliens, Titanic, Edge of Tomorrow), Rose McGowan (Planet Terror, Scream), and Jon Bernthal (Fury, The Walking Dead). The actors provide their voice over and likeness in a dark and cinematic experience new to Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Players enter a world where a DNA bioweapon unexpectedly spawns a bloodthirsty, ravenous mutant horde infecting an entire secret Atlas research facility and sending personnel running for their lives. Following a failed evacuation, four survivors, un-trained and underprepared, must face the most vicious mutations ever unleashed. The Exo Zombies co-op mode ushers in a new breed of Zombies and a truly unique experience, coming first to the Havoc DLC Pack.

COD AW_Havoc_Sideshow Environment

Havoc delivers four new, exotic and diverse multiplayer maps set around the globe tailor-made for players to unleash their exoskeleton’s abilities, including:

  • Core: Deploy to the Gobi desert where the ravaged ruins of a nuclear fusion plant set the stage for a high-octane warzone. Take down enemies through the wreckage in long-range combat or get up-close and personal in the tunnels surrounding the central turbine. Activate decontamination drones using the map-based scorestreak to help clean out the competition.
  • Urban: Prepare yourself for brutal, high-speed combat in Dallas Ward 3, a future mega structure, funneling players into a close-quarters free-for-all. This modular compound’s verticality unleashes the exoskeleton’s capabilities. Stay focused during the timed event as blast doors alter the map’s flow and sightlines.
  • Sideshow: In the shadow of Devil’s Tower, Wyoming, this abandoned inn’s open layout amplifies its creep factor. Blast your way through the clown inn with close-quarters battles or use long-range site-lines from the mining facilities and natural terrain. Use the map-based scorestreak to activate the lights, music, and magic of the clown marquee and rain down a barrage of rainbow smoke-trailed cannonballs.
  • Drift: An idyllic ski resort high in the Rocky Mountains is transformed into a festive high-altitude playground, perfect for an all-out firefight. Make your way to the highly contested over watch in the glass observation deck or take a ride on the carousel to deliver 360 degrees of carnage. Players can use the map-altering timed event to their advantage as an avalanche of snow and debris disorients players, intensifying the battle.

Review: Warhammer Quest

phillvine
-
0
Review: Warhammer Quest

Fundamentally Warhammer Quest is a classic turn based strategy game. You take your band of heroes into a dungeon to kill it’s inhabitants and steal their stuff. Visiting one of Warhammer Quest’s villages will reveal at least one quest for your team to take part in when you return to the world map. To move things along the story is told through a series of text boxes. They’re well written but it can make quests feel a little dry when the big conclusion is a box of text you get to read.

Screenshot_1

Dungeons are randomly generated but they’re nothing special. There are clear blocks that form simple shapes that fit together nicely. No matter what the quest is or what’s happening in the ‘story’ the gameplay never deviates from its path. Walk through the dungeon to reveal the area and kill everything in sight. There’s absolutely no variation in objectives other than the distinctly missable text boxes.

Unfortunately this is where the fact that Warhammer Quest was originally from iOS starts to become a problem. Sure when you play a mobile game you want 10-15 minutes of uncomplicated fun. A complex story would probably just ruin the pace. But it doesn’t translate to the ‘big screen’. On a mobile you would expect to play for only a short time and keep returning for a similar burst of game time. You expect to be able to sit and play a full PC game for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Warhammer Quest makes it very difficult to stay interested for that length of time given that not a lot changes.

Finding loot is one of the only ways I felt the need to return to Warhammer Quest. Whichever of the four characters you choose to play with will have loads of options for equipment and loot drops are frequent enough that it’s never long before you find yourself reequipping a character. But the loot isn’t particularly imaginative. More often the not it’s a simple case of replacing items for superior ones rather than any complicated compromises or choices.

The combat is another casualty of Warhammer Quest’s mobile origins. There is nothing more to do than move near an enemy and click on them to attack it. If you have a character capable of ranged attack they obviously will have more choice but it still basically comes down to tapping a creature and seeing if you killed it or not. The only sense of strategy involved is making sure everyone in the team gets an attack which is really a case of making sure you move characters with common sense rather than any strategy.

Yet again this gameplay would work if I were tapping away on a mobile screen but on my PC with a mouse and keyboard it’s just too simple. Click to move, reveal map, click to move, attack enemy. That’s really it. There are a few abilities and spells to concern yourself with but that’s basically just one more click. There’s no cover or defence to concern yourself with. There’s no overwatch or strategic positioning to think about. You move and hit the enemy and hopefully it dies first. The miss rate is unbelievable and more often than not you’ll spend your time swinging and missing; until you finally hit something and kill it.

Screenshot_3

Warhammer Quest’s worst sin however has to be the visuals. They haven’t been altered from the mobile version at all. And it shows. At best there is a slight blurring around everything that makes it look like you’ve zoomed in on a low resolution video. At best you have huge patches of unused black space around the edges. Top down strategy games usually don’t focus on high fidelity but Warhammer Quest literally hasn’t been improved from the mobile version to the PC.

One of the most glaring occurrences of this is when you visit a town and a pop-up book opens showing a rough 3D map of the place. It’s a nice way to represent it without rendering an entire town pointlessly but viewing on the PC just makes it look stretched. Which is exactly what it is. It’s pixelated, blurry and just horrible to look at.

But just when you think it can’t get any worse there’s just one more thing that Warhammer Quest has brought with it from the mobile platform – premium currency. I’m not actually so offended by premium currency as a concept these days and some of my favourite games have been free-to-play with currency. But to pay for a game as badly ported as this and then find a premium currency system is just an insult.

Screenshot_4

Unfortunately there’s nothing complicated to Warhammer Quest. You play for 20 minutes and probably get bored and turn it off. Which really is to the games credit considering it’s a mobile game. But to port a game successfully from iOS to PC there needs to be at least some changes. Increasing the resolution on videos rather than just stretching them is one. The same goes for the environments too, stretching low resolution assets is never a good move.

Visuals aside there just isn’t enough complexity in Warhammer Quest to compete with other turn based strategy titles on the PC. That same complexity that would be undesirable in a mobile game is so important to a PC game. Space Hulk offers more strategy in a Warhammer setting and if you’re just looking for turn based strategy there are loads of better games on Steam for this price; and almost all of them don’t have premium currency. If you want Warhammer Quest get it for iOS where it belongs, as a PC game it’s just not worth playing.

The Escapists tries to Escape on Xbox One next month

Chris Hare
-
0
The Escapists tries to Escape on Xbox One next month

Team17 and Mouldy Toof have issued a warning to all inmates. The sandbox prison escape game The Escapists is busting out and heading to Xbox One, via the ID@Xbox self-publishing program. Prisoners are currently being transferred and expected to arrive on the 13th February 2015.

theescapists_keyart

Debbie Bestwick, Team17’s Managing Director said, “The Escapists is a hilarious and truly captivating game that I personally backed on Kickstarter and have followed from the start.

theescapists__5_

Since forming a partnership with Chris, the creator, back in February 2014, the game has gone on to win awards and has received fantastic critical acclaim through its current Early Access release. The work gone in from Mouldy Toof and Team17 on co-developing The Escapists is a great example of how our Indie Partnership Publishing Program works. As a game close to my heart, I absolutely cannot wait for the release and to hear tales of fans’ break out attempts!”

theescapists__6_

A strategy game of captive survival and daring schemes, The Escapists gives you the ‘freedom’ to live the life of a prison inmate, plotting and pulling off a daring escape!

Escaping won’t be easy though. You’ll have to work around the strict prison schedule and avoid the unwanted attention of guards. Craft weapons and tools found (or stolen) from within the prison, but beware of cell shakedowns. Get a job or perform “favours” for your fellow inmates to purchase vital supplies, all while scouting escape routes.

theescapists__1_

All that stands between you and freedom is a perfectly executed escape plan. It’s Make or Break Time.

The Escapists features:
·         6 unique prisons to escape – from the minimal security of Center Perks to the harsh confines of the Stalag Flucht POW camp.
·         6 different methods to bust your way out including digging out and prison takeovers!
·         10 prison jobs to earn you some vital escape funds. Choose from Laundry, Janitor, Mail Man, Metal Shop, Kitchen, Wood Work, Tailor, Deliveries, Gardener and Library work
·         Crafting system. Gather the necessary items you’ll need to craft items for your escape plan. Craft tools such as Cutters, Shovels, Sheet Ropes and weapons such as the Sock Mace, Comb Blade or Cup of Molten Chocolate!
·         Around 200 items to find including 50+ craftable items

LEGO Batman 3: Arrow Pack out tomorrow

Chris Hare
-
0
LEGO Batman 3: Arrow Pack out tomorrow

Look out Bruce Wayne, a new high profile billionaire is coming to LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham! The new Arrow Pack, inspired by the hit TV series and featuring Stephen Amell as Green Arrow stranded on the island, will be available for download tomorrow in the UK for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, for £2.55.

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham players will also soon gain access to the Rainbow Character Pack, a FREE downloadable add-on available starting 20th Jan, for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC, and 21st  Jan, for PS4 and PS3. In the new pack, Batman uses his usual array of Bat-Gadgets and a laser-deflecting Rainbow suit to square off against Rainbow Raider, an artist turned evil who proves to be his most colourful challenge yet.

LB3_DLC_Rainbow_Batman_PS4_Builder-ENG7

The LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham DLC Season Pass, now available for £12.79, allows players to access the Arrow and other add-on content packs, including Man of Steel, Dark Knight, Batman 75th, The Squad and Bizzaro World as they become available.

In LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, the Caped Crusader joins forces with the Super Heroes of the DC Comics universe and blasts off to outer space to stop the evil Brainiac from destroying Earth. Using the power of the Lantern Rings, Brainiac shrinks worlds to add to his twisted collection of miniature cities from across the universe. Now the greatest Super Heroes and the most cunning Super Villains must unite and journey to different Lantern Worlds to collect the Lantern Rings and stop Brainiac before it’s too late. LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham, the ultimate super hero game for the entire family, is now available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Wii U, 3DS and PC.

 

Guild Wars 2 Living World Finale ‘Point of No Return’

Chris Hare
-
0
Guild Wars 2 Living World Finale ‘Point of No Return’

NCSOFT and ArenaNet, is releasing ‘Point of No Return’ for Guild Wars 2’s Living World today.

GW2_01-2015_-_S02E08_-_Vinewrath_Troll

As the conclusion of the Living World’s second season, the episode promises to be a memorable one.Earlier in the season players were warned that, “the road to war is paved with points of no return”.

Now, Tyria stands at that threshold, with the Pact Fleet poised to take the war to the Elder Dragon Mordremoth and his increasingly fierce forces, the Mordrem.

 

Dying Light: Nightmare Row prequel novel out soon

Chris Hare
-
0
Dying Light: Nightmare Row prequel novel out soon

Today Techland has announced that Dying Light: Nightmare Row, a prequel novel set to tie-in with the studio’s upcoming parkour zombie game.

The novel will apparently explore the city of Harran before the outbreak hits, and is written by Raymond Bendon, the man responsible for writing the official follow-up James Bond novels commissioned by the Ian Fleming Estate.

dying-light-book-cover

“Writing the origin story for DYING LIGHT was an exciting adventure for me,” says Benson. “I’d always wanted to try my hand at a zombie-genre tale and this gave me the perfect opportunity. The folks at Techland created a rich and intriguingly bleak setting for the game, so that gave me a wonderful and creepy world in which to play around.  All fans of zombie fiction, gamers and readers alike, are in for a real treat.”

Dying Light: Nightmare Row tells the terrifying story of Mel Wyatt, an 18-year-old American athlete who participated in the Harran 2015 Global Athletic Games two weeks earlier. As one of many Americans stranded in Harran as a result of the outbreak, Mel has been surviving with her little brother, Paul, in an isolated hotel – their parents were killed on the first day of the Infected attacks on the stadium. Thus begins a tense and ticking time bomb thriller of survival.

Dying Light is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC, on the 27th January in the Americas, 28th January in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and 30th January in Europe.

Forza Motorsport 6 announced at Detroit Motorshow

Chris Hare
-
0
Forza Motorsport 6 announced at Detroit Motorshow
Microsoft has announced Forza Motorsport 6, due out exclusively on Xbox One.
The game was announced yesterday during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit , with news that it’ll feature the new Ford GT on the box art.
Forza 6
Also the car will also feature in game alongside the Shelby GT350 Mustang and the F-150 Raptor. All these cars made their real world debut yesterday during the motorshow.
Turn 10 Studios creative director described the game as the studio’s “most technically advanced racing simulation to date, offering a fun and realistic automotive experience for both car lovers and gamers”.Gameplay is set to be shown at E3 in June, although there is no word as to when the game will be released.

Watch the second trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron

Chris Hare
-
0
Watch the second trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron

Last night Marvel Studios released the second trailer for Joss Whedon‘s sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron. You’ll have to wait until 24 April (UK) and the 1st May (North America) to see the full movie.

Far Cry 4 Escape from Durgesh Prison DLC out now

Chris Hare
-
0
Far Cry 4 Escape from Durgesh Prison DLC out now

Ubisoft has today announced that Escape from Durgesh Prison, a challenging new time trial where players race against the clock and challenge other players for the top spot on the leaderboards, is now available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

FC4_DLC_030_CHOPPER

In this new piece of downloadable content for Far Cry 4, Ajay and Hurk find themselves defenceless in the dangerous world of Kyrat after being captured, tortured and stripped of their weapons in Yuma’s prison. To reach the extraction point they will have to complete a series of challenges dictated by the tyrannical Pagan Min to recover their lost weapons and upgrade their gear before a final stand-off with Yuma’s forces.

Playable in both single player and coop, Escape from Durgesh Prison is a true test of players’ survival skills. They will need to arm themselves as quickly as possible because in this mode when players die they must restart the mission and use the knowledge and skills they gained during their previous run through to help them reach the extraction point successfully and vie for a top position on the global leaderboards.

FC4_DLC_030_TOWER

Escape from Durgesh Prison is available as part of the Far Cry 4 Season Pass or can be purchased separately. The Season includes Escape from Durgesh Prison as well as The Syringe mission, the Hurk Deluxe Pack, Overrun and Valley of the Yetis, a unique single-player and co-op experience where players will encounter the legendary beasts.

Watch the new Volume trailer called ‘Enemy Reveal’

Chris Hare
-
0
Watch the new Volume trailer called ‘Enemy Reveal’

Mike Bithell Games have released a new trailer for the game called Volume, it’s the studios latest title which will release on PS4, PS Vita, PC & Mac in 2015.

In the new trailer it shows all the game’s enemies and features the first voice over released of the game’s antagonist, Gisborne, played by Andy Serkis.

Also the intro is from Alan and the AI of the Volume, played by Danny Wallace.

Bang Man! is now out for iOS

Chris Hare
-
0
Bang Man! is now out for iOS

Bang Man! the insanely difficult, minimalist platform game which has been keeping Android users entertained since release just before Christmas is now available in the App Store, for free and the Android version is out aswell

capture4

The game sees players attempt to defend Earth from an infinite wave of alien scumbags, high above the planet. Players must use ammo dropped from above to destroy each alien – but every time they fire their gun, they will recoil by the number shown on the box they collected. Avoid aliens whilst without falling off the platform – one wrong move and it’s instant game over.

Once the mechanic clicks, Bang Man! proves deliciously compulsive – the instant restart offering some compensation for the (many) times players will die. The key to success is speed – aliens will speed up if not despatched quickly, so players must act immediately or face an even more difficult challenge as they compete to top the global leaderboard of ‘Best Bangers’.

capture2

Pocket Gamer described the Android release as a “ludicrously tough, super fast platform blaster” and that “it all gels together brilliantly to create a stripped back, intensely clever shooter that’s far, far more than the sum of its parts.” It awarded the game an 8/10 score, bestowing it a Silver Award.

“I’ve been really enjoying the battles taking place at the top of the global leaderboard and I’m absolutely thrilled that iOS owners can now join in,” says Simon Byron, developer of Bang Man! “It’s tough, and certainly not for everyone – but those that it clicks will often begin playing for a few minutes, only to lose hours.”

Bang Man! has been designed and developed by Simon Byron, with graphics by Chris O’Toole and music by Mat Stevens. It is free to download and play, with one in-app purchase disabling the adverts.

1...795796797...1,616Page 796 of 1,616