Cloud Imperium Games announced today that their much hyped space game Star-Citizen has essentially exited its closed alpha access. The news comes in Chris Roberts’ most recent Letter From the Chairman update, in which he also announced that Star Citizen has surpassed one million backers.
“Anyone who has pledged for a Star Citizen Package can now play today without worrying they won’t have access to some portion of the ‘Verse in the future. No Star Marine pass, no Alpha 2.0 pass… no additional payment needed for any module in the works, pre-release,” Roberts wrote. “Going forward, should we need to put out some sort of limited release it will be done through the PTU test server. All backers will have access to any live release, the moment it publishes.”
Backers with Alpha access are also being given 10,000 UEC [United Earth Credits, Star Citizen’s in-game currency], with the UEC cap raised to accommodate the boost. Roberts went on to mention that players who have purchased an Arena Commander pass would get 5000 UEC, but that was later clarified by community manager Jared Huckaby in a a forum post where he said that instead it would but 5$ in in store credit for the games store.
Star Citizen has been in closed backed only alpha, for over a year, as modules are added and development continues, this new general release to all of its Kickstarter backers marks a major milestone in its development.
EA’s plant based third person shooter Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare received a huge update today with the release of the free Legends of the Lawn DLC. Sporting a brand new game mode, new character variations and 200 new customization options this latest batch of DLC might just bring players sprouting back to the battlefield.. errr lawn.
The Taco Bandits game mode is a variation on Capture the Flag where the Zombies team must steal the titular taco from Crazy Dave’s taco stand… and bring it back to a UFO. Okay, that is a little more off the wall than I was expecting to be honest.
The seven new character variants available with this update include – Golf Star, Chomp Thing, Jade Cactus, Alien Flower, Sanitation, Centurion and Paleontologist.
Along with the above content players on PlayStation platforms will receive all of the content from the Suburbanite update as well.
Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare was originally released on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PS3 last year and was given away for free during the 2014 PlayStation Experience convention.
A sequel Plants Vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2 was announced at this past June’s E3 conference.
Whether they jumped on for a short time and hated it or loved it and stuck it through the entire beta phase, the game’s senior producer, Sigurlina Ingvarsdottir, revealed the the beta is officially the largest open beta in Electronic Arts history by accruing over nine million active users through the course of its tenure.
Considering that a lot of Star Wars franchise fans have been salivating for a Battlefront game for a very, very long time, now, this isn’t entirely surprising. What is surprising, however, is the mixed responses it’s gotten from those who have played. While there are reports that this game is one of the most anticipated of the last quarter of the year, after playing the beta, there seems to be some hesitation among some of the people I know that are playing the game, hoping, at the very least, that it will improve.
Star Wars: Battlefront is coming on November 17th of this year, putting it in direct competition with another titan of a franchise being release around the same time: Fallout 4, which is coming out a week earlier. The season pass, which will set you back fifty dollars, will give you access to all planned expansion content.
As every Back to the Future fan knows, this year on October 21st, 2015 Marty McFly arrives in the future from 1985. To celebrate this momentous occasion developer Psyonix is releasing a special DeLorian themed car pack for Rocket League. I’m willing to bet that most of you have already guessed whats in the pack, but if you havent ill let you take a look at the image below to confirm what most of us already know. (its a DeLorian)
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A statement from developer Psyonix on the PlayStation blog said “Truth be told, we used to fantasize and joke about having the DeLorean Time Machine in our game months before it even came out. We were all such huge Back to the Future fans here at Psyonix, that it was one of the few ‘Holy Grails’ we had hoped for besides having a hit game. The fact that we’re getting both of those ‘best-case scenarios’ in the same year is an amazing accomplishment for us, they’re things we’ll never forget!”
The post goes on to say “Hopefully you’ll never forget your time with the DeLorean Time Machine either, as we’ve worked meticulously to recreate its look, feel, and folding jet-wheels just as they appeared in the original motion picture trilogy. Best of all, it’s a heck of a lot of fun to play with—and comes complete with its signature ‘Burnt Rubber’ Rocket Trail to boot!”
I love to see this kind of DLC its purely cosmetic, and it really plays to a fan base and if you like Back to the Future, you can buy this car, and if you don’t, then your game play experience is not lessened. The DeLorian DLC pack will be released for both PC and PlayStation for the LOW LOW cost of $2. I personally cant wait to drive around and leave a few flame trails!
Just when we thought we had all the Star Wars news we could handle EA has released the price for their season pass. The price will be 50$ The four map packs that have been announced so far. The Collection of maps is quite expensive but if you calculate the total cost of each DLC to be 15$ you actually get a bit of a discount. EA is sweetening the pot with another added incentive. Players who buy the DLC season pass to Star Wars Battlefront will get two week early access to the maps before the release and an exclusive emote. The emote will say “shoot first” in a reference to the iconic original Cut of Star Wars Episode 4 where Han Solo shot Greedo first.
50$ seems like a lot but its become fairly standard for most season passes that contain this number of map packs. EA is also giving a nod to its player base by giving out the maps early to loyal customers who pre-purchase the season pass. The season pass will also be available to anyone who buys the Star Wars Battlefront Ultimate Edition which clocks in at whopping 140$. Both are currently available on the Origin store for pre-order.
For Old Honest Abe’s 18th birthday, the complete Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty video game soundtrack is being released by German record label Black Screen Records on 180 gram green vinyl!Currently available for pre-order, it will be released and shipped in late November. Coming in a full-coloured gatefold sleeve with RuptureFarms art by Raymond Swanland, with the soundtrack being composed, mixed, and mastered by Michael Bross.
Doesn’t it look amazing?
If that wasn’t enough for die-hard Oddworld fans such as myself, also included is not only an exclusive two-sided A2 poster, or that it includes official DLC downloads for Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty and Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee MP3 soundtracks, all that is shadowed by the fact that it includes Steam codes Oddword: New ‘n’ Tasty on PC, Mac, and Linux!
For anyone that wants to give a listen to the newly mixed version of Abe’s Moon on Oddworld’s Soundcloud channel. After giving it a listein, I feel like it really captures the mood from Oddword after playing the previous games long ago.
As far as pricing goes the regular black vinyl is priced €26, with the limited edition green vinyl is €28 and shipping running €12 additional per vinyl to the USA. A bundle for both will be €50 with €17 additional for shipping to the US. Fair warning though, the green vinyl edition is limited to only 500 copies, so those will most likely go quite fast for anyone who wants to order them!
Dragon Age is another in a strong list of BioWare franchises that has a strong, loyal, and sometimes fierce following; when games in their franchises try to hit a massive audience outside of their core user base things often get kind of messy and, unfortunately, as a result, good standalone games and franchise entries get dragged through the dirt. Inquisition is one of those games and, in an effort to try and re-establish itself with that wider audience and show some loyalty to its core audience, BioWare releases a Game of the Year edition to give those who either haven’t played the game at all or haven’t engaged in any of the extra content that’s available for the game.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Like most AAA role playing games, the first twenty minutes is almost purely exposition and introduction to the setting, the characters, and the gameplay: what you’re getting and what you’re introduced to is a blending of the previous titles in the franchise and looks to wrap everything up. Even if you’re a newcomer to the series, there’s not a noticeable detriment to coming into the franchise as you have options; you can either work with the default world state or you can experiment on Dragon Age Keep, a website that ties into your Origin account and allows you to mess around with world states, which is really cool. Due to circumstances out of my control, Dragon Age Keep allowed me to recreate the world state in saves I had used in previous titles.
Introduction to combat doesn’t happen without too much hand-holding and it’s done within the narrative so it doesn’t feel as though it creates too much of a interruption in the experience. The first bit of this game is exactly what I expected to see from a BioWare title.
In my humble opinion, they took everything that succeeded in both of the former titles in the franchise and blended them together to provide the framework that this game is built around. BioWare knows that if they have a vision they know how to bring it to life and that’s something they’ve done for as long as I’ve known them and their role playing games have been spot-on for this. Inquisition is absolutely no different in this as it provides an experience that feels just as great at being a game as it is a wonderfully presented narrative.
One of the largest things that stand out for this game is that it was made with two ideals in mind: broad appeal and taking advantage of current generation technology. It’s very clear that they’re trying to create a singular type of experience and if you’re a fan of the franchise like I am, this is exactly what you want. I came in with a certain set of expectations and I feel that Inquisition hit every one of them. I feel that one could dive in as any kind of player and feel that you could be immersed relatively quickly.
The graphical and audio presentation is extremely satisfying – on current generation consoles, the game looks, feels, and sounds marvelous. Voice acting is very well done and, surprisingly so, the lip sync is actually done pretty well, most times. There’s rarely any slowdown.
Its greatest strength, however, is also its greatest failings: I feel that the experience does not transfer over in the same way into previous generation’s systems. The appeal is so broad that, at times, it feels watered down. It’s clear to me that Inquisition was tailored for a very specific experience and everyone else that has any different demands from the game gets to suffer.
There are trivial issues that I could list off that are nothing more than just pet peeves but there are enough of them to note that I feel they should not be featured in the game the way that they have been: the worst of all is the removal of mana and healing magics. This means that, between rest stops and reload points, you’re limited to a certain number of healing potions and that is it. That’s creating a false sense of difficulty and that’s a terribly lazy design choice. In previous generation systems, there are a massive amount of pathfinding and collision detection bugs that can break the experience of traveling between locales. Story progression happens in spurts and the spots in between those spurts really only cater to those who greatly enjoy the lore of the franchise.
While this defines me, gameplay and story progression only rewards those who greatly enjoy both. If you feel that one or the two are lacking, it will taint the other experience. This game would be awesome if only it were way more refined, smooth, and immersive.Read More
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is now complete with the addition of its Metal Gear Online feature, the third of its kind in the franchise and it has never felt better. Like previous renditions, this version of MGO uses the engine of the game you have been playing alongside it for so long and turned the scenario on its head. You’re given a series of basic scenarios and it’s up to you to be the best damn infiltrator you can be.
Writers Note: This beta was reviewed using the PlayStation 4 copy of the game.
There was a time when I was actually pretty decent at FPS games: back when graphics on PC games weren’t as demanding so the variety of computers they worked on was greater, back when twitch shooting wasn’t the entire focus of gameplay, back when franchises like Rainbow Six focused on tactical play and thinking outside of the box. You see, I like FPS games when they demand a little more than being the quickest, most accurate trigger on the block. I like when FPS games require a lot of tactical thinking and even the most trigger-happy, balls-out shooter on the team can be taken down by preemptive thinking. Rainbow Six: Siege seems to be a kind of return to form for this franchise in that regard and for that, it makes me feel like the kind of FPS player that can actually grow and become more skillful as I play. That’s the kind of game I like.
Get hyped for the World Championship for Counter Strike: Global Offensive which has been set for October 8th 2015! Some of the top CS: Go players from 16 different countries will be traveling to Belgrade to do battle. The CS: Go World Championship is a major event is a joint venture between Hitbox and E-Frag!
More than 79 teams competed In continental finals which took place this past May.
If you’re going to the festivities in Belgrade they will have a small pavilion with other games like League of Legends, Pro Evolution Soccer and HearthStone for attendees to play while they wait around for matches to begin.
If you can’t be there you can always watch their livestream here on the 8th!
I’ve been eagerly awaiting for my chances to check out EA’s upcoming Star Wars Battlefront reboot since it was announced over two years ago at E3 2013. As a lifelong Star Wars fan it’s always my hope that the next playable Star Wars experience will bring me one step closer to channeling the force. Now we’ll all get our chance to see if EA & DICE will make this dream become reality with the Star Wars Battlefront Open Beta on PS4, Xbox One and PC next weekend – October 8th thru the 12th.
The open beta is meant to stress-test the game’s multiplayer servers ahead of the game’s November release date and includes a lot of the content that was present in the E3 2015 build of the game. That is to say a 40 person VS match set on the iconic ice planet Hoth as well as a co-op survival mode. Making its playable debut in the Open Beta is the brand new Drop Zone mode.
Here’s a quick run-down for all of the open Beta’s content:
Walker Assault on Hoth: Fight in epic 40-player battles as a Rebel to destroy the Empire’s onslaught of AT-AT’s by calling in Y-wing bombers. Or, side with the Empire and protect your walkers while utilizing their mighty weaponry to crush the Rebel objective.
Drop Zone on Sullust: Escape pods are crashing down and you and your team must fight to control them. With its frantic 8v8 matches, Drop Zone is sure to put your combat and strategy skills to the test.
Survival Mission on Tatooine: Play alone or with a friend via co-op or split-screen as you battle to hold off waves of Imperial forces including AT-ST’s, TIE fighters, elite stormtroopers, and more.
The game’s companion app will also be available on iOS and Android and allows you to earn credits via a special “Base Command” mini-game which can be used to purchase new gear in Battlefront.
We’ll have more on Star Wars Battlefront ahead of its November 17th release.
Daily Espada is the newest indie from Pedro Gabriel, pits an ordinary man against Brazil’s most bizarre and exciting fictional game show. Our hero will be given a sword and a gun and forced to fight against hordes of Brazil’s greatest mythological creatures in exchange for fabulous prizes. The sword gives our hero the power to transform in a super-sentai kind of way, donning a black suit with red accents that give you additional more powerful combos and a super ability. The gameshow’s rewards are fantastic, and will ensure our heroes family will be set for life.Read More
Warhammer 40K Regicide marries chess and the turn based combat of the Warhammer table top game. The core game play is chess like, but blended with previous entries in to the Warhammer strategy world it takes the brutal game play of Warhammer 40k Space Hulk and frame it on a chess board, mixing in a variety of fun non-chess mechanics, to get an satisfying Warhammer 40K experience.
Blood flies as my knight takes a pawn with a brutal finishing move that reduced the pawn to gore splattered heap. Bolters spit bullets at orks with that trademark sound, and chaos Magiks fly across the board. This is CHESS! But, chess in a brutal future where there is only warRead More
Metal Gear Solid V has been probably one of the games revealed in the past three years that I have been salivating over and words can hardly express how excited I was leading up to the games early September release. Now that I’ve spent six hours with what could be Hideo Kojima’s last Metal Gear Solid title I’d like to share some impressions with all of our readers. A full review is probably quite some time away due to the sheer scope of The Phantom Pain but grab your iDroid and trustiest sidearm and let’s discuss the opening hours of my most anticipated games.Read More
Do you like going fast? Do you like hitting balls? What about going fast in a car with a rocket engine while hitting a ball towards a goal? Yes I’m talking about soccer, but not soccer like you have ever played it before. This soccer has supersonic acrobatic rocket-powered battle-cars.Read More
