February 16, 2016

Fallout 4 DLC detailed!

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Tamsin Heineman

 

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Bethesda revealed today on their official site details on the upcoming expansion packs for Fallout 4.  The first DLC, titled “Automatron” arriving at $9.99 USD offers a new story line and the ability to build and repair your own robotic companions just as you would with a set of power armor. Here’s the official description. “The mysterious Mechanist has unleashed a horde of evil robots into the Commonwealth, including the devious Robobrain. Hunt them down and harvest their parts to build and mod your own custom robot companions. Choose from hundreds of mods; mixing limbs, armor, abilities, and weapons like the all-new lightning chain gun. Even customize their paint schemes and choose their voices!”

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The second bit of DLC is named “Wasteland Workshop” coming in at a mere $4.99 USD. This DLC adds a slew of new build-able items to your settlement workshop as well as cool new “cages” that allow you to trap everything from raiders to deathclaws. Build your own arena! Here’s the official description. “With the Wasteland Workshop, design and set cages to capture live creatures – from raiders to Deathclaws! Tame them or have them face off in battle, even against your fellow settlers. The Wasteland Workshop also includes a suite of new design options for your settlements like nixie tube lighting, letter kits, taxidermy and more!”

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The third and most meaty DLC so far is “Far Harbor” listed at $24.99 USD.  A case comes in at the Valentine detective agency and of course your character has to check it out for themselves. The DLC leads you on a quest to find some woman among an island full of synthetics named “Far Harbor” off the coast of Maine. The official description is as thus. “A new case from Valentine’s Detective Agency leads you on a search for a young woman and a secret colony of synths. Travel off the coast of Maine to the mysterious island of Far Harbor, where higher levels of radiation have created a more feral world. Navigate through the growing conflict between the synths, the Children of Atom, and the local townspeople. Will you work towards bringing peace to Far Harbor, and at what cost? Far Harbor features the largest landmass for an add-on that we’ve ever created, filled with new faction quests, settlements, lethal creatures and dungeons. Become more powerful with new, higher-level armor and weapons. The choices are all yours.”

It is of note that the season pass will increase in price from the current $29.99 to $49.99 USD on March 1, 2016. Of course if you have already purchased the season pass for $29.99 nothing changes.

All of it looks very exciting and I certainly hope they offer all the fans have been asking for, which looks like it might be the case.

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New Mythical Pokémon will appear in next Film

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Jason Nason

The Pokémon Company released information about a new mythical Pokémon which will be featured in the next feature film. The newly discovered Mythical Pokémon Magearna will appear in the next Pokémon movie, expected for release later this year. Known as the Artificial Pokémon, Magearna has a metallic body and was created by humans 500 years ago.

In this latest Pokémon full-length feature film, a mysterious force binds Ash to the Mythical Pokémon Volcanion when it falls from the sky. Volcanion can’t get away, and Ash is dragged along as it continues on its mission. They arrive in a city of cogs and gears, where a corrupt minister has stolen the ultimate invention: the Artificial Pokémon Magearna, created 500 years ago. The minister plans to use Magearna’s mysterious power to take control of the mechanical kingdom. Can Ash and Volcanion work together to rescue Magearna? One of the greatest battles in Pokémon history is about to unfold!Read More

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Minecraft Creator Notch To Receive Pioneer Award At GDC 2016

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Minecraft Wii U

This year at the Game Developers Choice Awards Marcus “Notch” Persson will be receiving the Pioneer Award for 2016. The Pioneer Award is given tho individuals who help develop breakthrough technologies and game design that set a new standard for the industry.

If you’re not aware of Notch’s multi billion dollar success story Minecraft then perhaps you’ve been living in one of the many caves dug by its players. Blending together survival elements, a rich crafting system, resource management and combat Minecraft helped pave the way for Early Access titles and the survival genre as a whole. With over 70 million copies sold between consoles (Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Vita), mobile and Windows PC it is no wonder that Microsoft decided to shell out $2.5 billion USD for the franchise in 2014.

Alongside Persson receiving his award – among the other great teams & individuals recognized at the GDC Awards, comedy duo Ashley & Anthony Burch will be presenting new original material created specifically for the show. The longtime games based comedy troupe Mega 64 will also be presenting an original video created spefically for the awards.

Festivities kick off at 6:30 PM PST on March 16th – if you can’t make it to the show in person the whole affair will be livestreamed over Twitch.TV as well. Staff from Broken Joysticks plan to be in attendance during the awards to bring you full coverage. More information about the awards can be found on their official website.

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Source: GDC Press Release

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Circle Entertainment Bringing Toy Defense to 3DS on February 25th

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Jason Nason

Circle Entertainment’s latest game is headed to the Nintendo 3DS eShop next week. Originally developed by Melesta Games and released for mobile platforms, Circle first announced the port of Toy Defense last month. The game is now listed on Nintendo.com and will be released in the 3DS eShop on February 25th.

Toy Defense is a tower defense game, which tests your courage and skills as a military leader at the height of World War I. The goal of the game is to not let enemies get to your base! You will help toy soldiers survive through attacks, protect your base from enemy airplanes, tanks, airships and overcome unexpected traps. You earn stars, strengthen your towers, improve soldiers and buy upgrades. Read More

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Layoffs Rock Activision’s Guitar Hero & Skylanders Franchises

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Yesterday was no party for the folks who work hard on Activision’s long running Guitar Hero and Skylanders franchises. As first reported by game informer via an anonymous source, it appears that the layoffs have specifically affected the development staff based in Minneapolis Minnesota.

The first entry in the Guitar Hero franchise in a number of years, Guitar Hero Live, was developed by Freestyle Games based in the United Kingdom. GH: Live was well received by critics, including us, especially for its Guitar Hero TV Mode which allows players to try out specially curated playlists, limited-time special events and downloadable content without spending any real world cash. GH: Live was a re-invention of sorts for the franchise with a revised guitar controller.

Skylanders saw the release of Skylanders Superchargers almost every major platform including mobile. With a focus on vehicles and a special partnership with Nintendo that ended up in the creation of two hybrid Skylanders / Amiibo figures it is a little surprsing that this entry developed by Vicarious Visions and Beenox under performed.

Both franchises were singled out as under performing during Activision’s recent earnings call. Although they did not confirm the layoffs to major gaming press they did issue a statement which in part read:

“We are refocusing to better align with Activision’s long-term priorities because, as always, our strategy evolves to keep us ahead of a rapidly-changing industry. We are working with those impacted by the changes to offer outplacement services and support.”

Our sympathies to everyone affected by these recent round of lay offs. The games industry can be a cruel sector to work in and turn over is never easy.

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Musicverse: Electronic Keyboard Comes to 3DS on Thursday

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Jason Nason

Prepare to jam out on your Nintendo 3DS. Abylight is bringing a virtual keyboard to the 3DS eShop, with Musicverse: Electronic Keyboard launching this Thursday.

The app will allow you to share your musical creations to Miiverse in the form of a QR code, which others can then scan to hear the song right in the app. You’ll also be able to export the music you create to the SD card in your 3DS in AAC format. You can share your creation via Facebook and Twitter. As well, you can listen and play the creations of Miko in Japan, John in Canada and Magnus in Europe.

Both if you are an expert or the first time playing, Musicverse guides you easily through all the possibilities just at your fingertips in your Nintendo 3DS.Read More

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The 12th annual International Mobile Gaming Awards nominees announced

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

The 12 annual International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) nominees have been announced. Gamers and nominees’ fans are now invited to vote for their favorite game to determine the People Choice’s Award at www.imgawards.com . Winners will be revealed at the annual IMGA ceremony held in San Francisco on March 15, 2016 at the 111 Minna Gallery. The 12th annual IMGA today has announced 102 nominations, so there is no shortage of choices to vote on.

Daniel Gray, 2016 jury member and Grand Prix Winner (Monument Valley) of the 11th IMGA, commented, “We had everything from arcade-experience games to big titles with very polished design. The breadth of the entire spectrum from front to back was amazing!” This year will also feature a VR category and there are 10 nominees.  According to Maarten Noyons, the IMGA’s founder, “the new category for VR games was a big success. We had a lot more entries than anticipated. The games were built using different devices and controllers and explored different genres such as arcade, shooters and racing games. It illustrated once again the creativity and endless possibilities in mobile gaming”. 

Hit the jump for the full list of nominees.Read More

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Street Fighter V | Review

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Street Fighter V

Review by special guest editor: Robyn Robo

Almost exactly 7 years since Street Fighter IV came out for PS3, Xbox and Windows, Street Fighter V has released. With support for only two platforms at launch, PS4 and Windows, this is a more limited release. SteamOS support is coming “this spring” apparently. Sorry Xbox gamers, I don’t see anything planned yet for you. Unlike the version heck of the last release with Super, Ultra and Arcade Editions, this is going to be a unified online platform with players on any system able to match anyone. Considering the time between releases, and with that feature alone, this is an exciting event for fighting games. Street Fighter is the longest running fighter out there as far as I can figure, and created many of the ubiquitous tropes of the genre’s gameplay, including accidentally inventing combos in Street Fighter 2. In other words, if you’re into fighters at all, this game is big news. I played the game on Steam, where everything is already active and running. This release is well put together, as expected from Capcom.Read More

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