Thursday, May 22, 2014

News::Fistful of Frags Relaunches on Steam as a Free To Play Game

SteamFirst: Those who move from the Steam store may already may know Fistfull of Frags, a mod for Half Life 2 setting in the western and a mechanical shooter that was first developed in 2007.



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News::Wolfenstein: The New Order - PS4, Xbox One, and PC Graphics Comparison

Compare the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in this graphics comparison of Wolfenstein: The New Order.



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News::The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II review (HG)

Hooked Gamers Writes "Van Helsing II eclipses its predecessor in almost every way. Where the original game depended on fast, action-packed combat to entertain the player, Van Helsing II is a much more refined game and successfully leans onto a better story. "



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News::Treading the bloody world of Orcish politics in Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor | ARS

ARS: Video games based on The Lord of the Rings book and film franchise have had a middling critical reputation at best, with most releases leaning more toward awful than decent. So I went into the recent first ever, hands-on press demonstration of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor with my expectations set appropriately low for a quick, uninspired licensed cash-in. Imagine my surprise, then, to find a game that instantly drew me in with a well-realized open world, engaging combat, and an innovative system for handling the internecine politics of the enemy hordes.



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News::Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a Tolkien game with shades of gray, not good or evil

VB: If you try to slaughter the captains of the orcs head-on, youll find out how tough they can be. Youll also discover that every orc is unique, with its own personality and physical qualities. And as you kill these characters, you may feel some moral ambiguity. This isnt just about good and evil, as it is an original story set in Middle-earth and inspired by Tolkiens writings. While it is true to the canon of Tolkien, it doesnt copy any of the tales in the books. The story of Talion and his quest for vengeance reveals the gray areas in between black and white, according to Michael de Plater, the design director at WBIE for Shadow of Mordor, in an interview with GamesBeat. That was really important to us, de Plater said in our interview. We really do want to show shades of gray. Find out why in our edited transcript below.



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News::Atlus Gets In On Amazon's Mayhem Sales Event With Four Titles

Twinfinite writes: Not satisfied with just giving fans good game deals on the PSN store, Atlus is putting up four games up for discount in Amazon's Mayhem sales event.



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News::Final Fantasy Art Aids Unicef Typhoon Haiyan Relief Efforts

The proceeds came from a week-long (March 15-26) online auction of limited edition and one-of-a-kind artwork from the popular Final Fantasy X / X-2 HD Remaster title. The art pieces were also on display at Gallery Nucleus of Alhambra, California. The auction included more than 50 pieces of limited edition concept art, illustrations and sketches from Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.



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News::Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations Expansion Now Available for Pre-order

In order to keep pre-orders free of the trade conflicts and questionable market practices featured in the game, Paradox is taking pre-orders through its newly revamped website and digital storefront.



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News::Interview with Shadowgate Design Director Karl Roelofs

Gaming Trend Editor Ron Burke sat down with Design Director Karl Roelofs of Zoijoi about their PC/Mac/iOS/Android-slated NES resurrection, Shadowgate.



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News::Indie Developers Open Up About Their Failures

Everyone hears about the successes in the indie community, but what about the failures? I found out, and it was fascinating.



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News::Landmark: Why it's Worth Your Time

Landmark is the foundation for EverQuest Next. It is a great game in its own right, but it also serves a higher purpose. When you embark on the journey on which Landmark strives to take you, you are building the MMO of tomorrow.



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News::Zotac Announces OI520 4K ZBOX: Ultra-Small Spherical HTPC

GamersNexus: "The new Zotac ZBOX Sphere OI520 series SFF HTPCs ship in two models -- the OI520 and OI520 Plus (both of which have awfully annoying names to remember). Here are the relevant specs."



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News::A beautiful and brutal Shadow of Mordor lets your turn orc chiefs against each other | VentureBeat

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor represents a new direction for games based on the fantasy universe of J.R.R. Tolkien, with an original story that takes it in the direction of stealth combat, mind control, moral ambiguity and Batman. Our hands-on preview with this game, which will debut on multiple platforms on Oct. 7, shows just how far Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is going toward providing Tolkien fans with something theyve never seen before.



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News::4 Reasons Why Wolfenstein: The New Order Isn't Another Mindless Shooter

Jess covers off on what makes Wolfenstein: The New Order more interesting than your run-of-the-mill Call of Duty-esque shooter.



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News::Tropico 5 Review (PC)-JPS

El Presidente has had some time off since his last adventure and it seems he has learned a few new tricks. The progression that Haemimont Games has made since Tropico 4 is simply impressive. Tropico 5 stands as a new direction for a franchise that can possibly move out of its niche and become a force to be reckoned with in the strategy/simulation genre.-JPS



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News::Sabotage economies in the next Europa Universalis IV expansion


Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations will be out on May 29. This is the second expansion for the strategy title, and the main focus is all trade. There's going to be new trade and diplomacy features, and plenty of things for those that like to really research routes.


The new video from Paradox here details the Wealth of Nations expansion more, as project lead Thomas Johansson details stuff like privateering, shipping companies, and covert economic sabotaging.


Wealth of Nations is up for pre-order on Windows, Linux, and Mac for $9.99.


Sabotage economies in the next Europa Universalis IV expansion screenshot






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News::EA Is Ruining Peggle

EA Is Ruining Peggle


There used to be a cool Peggle game on the New Zealand App Store. The same Peggle you could get everywhere else in the world. That game is now gone. In its place is a new Peggle game that is just the worst.


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News::The Problem With Far Cry 4's Box Art

News::He's Using Da Trees - AusGamers Goes Hands-On with New Evolve Hunters

AusGamers went hands-on with Evolve's four newly-announced hunters and writes: "We played several rounds throughout our time with the game, and on top of looking better than ever (monster animations now are incredible), its a far smoother experience. Traversing through the world feels more natural and you wont find yourself hung up on the environment as often. Moreover, the systems balancing and overall pacing feel like theyve been tweaked to build more productive and enjoyable 4V1 matches -- this could also just be the process of having had my hands on the game a few times now, but based on feedback from 2K and Turtle Rock, it seems like it was a priority component to level out. In short, its currently one of the most engaging and rewarding gameplay experiences Ive had, even in failed rounds."



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News::Tropico 5 Review Rule By Any Means Necessary | CraveOnline

CraveOnline: "It feels strange to say the name Tropico 5. Only 13 years ago the first Tropico debuted. During that short length of time the series would accumulate five total releases. SimCity? That had threeremember SimCity Societies? Even Anno was only able to rack up a total of four installments during that time. So yes, Tropico knows how to pack in the releases. As a result of the short spacing, some fans were disappointed by Tropico 4. Don't take that the wrong way, it was a good game, but its minor additions to the previous iteration weren't substantial enough for a lot city building experts. Haemimont Games took note, and thought of some clever ways to make 2014's release, Tropico 5, a proper evolution of its premier construction and management game."



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News::Watch the Hulk struggle with parallel parking


The latest look at Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes shows off the main Avengers fighting against Loki and his evil minions. I was enjoying the footage until we started seeing Hawkeye in action. I just couldn't help but wonder who would waste money on getting his figurine.


Anyway, we also get a quick look at Toy Box 2.0, the mode that lets you design whatever kind of stage you want. There will be hundreds of Marvel-themed items, locations, props, and vehicles players can use to create their own little Marvel story.


Watch the Hulk struggle with parallel parking screenshot






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News::Your Childhood Coloring Books, Now With Nightmares

Your Childhood Coloring Books, Now With Nightmares


You can mutilate any innocent coloring book, with the right artistic inspiration.


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News::Kaz Hirai states the PS4 is 'already profitable'

After a corporate strategy meeting in Tokyo today, Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai announced that the PS4 is indeed recording a profit with "hardware alone," and in that fact it's "different from the model of previous platforms." In short, Sony appears to be in good shape, at least as far as the PS4 goes. But then, we probably could have guessed that.


Hirai's statement is in line with reports via Japanese site AV Watch, and if sales continue to trend upward, Sony will be sitting pretty. I mean, prettier than being Sony. That's a massive amount of money we're talking, anyway.


Kaz Hirai: The PS4 is Already Profitable With Hardware Alone [DualShockers]


Kaz Hirai states the PS4 is 'already profitable' screenshot






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News::Tropico 5 Review | CheatCC

CCC Says: "Ah, life on a tropical island, with its wonderful pleasures, laid back attitudes, and dictators with a firm grasp on every aspect of society. In Tropico 5 you are the one in control, deciding which crops to grow, how many people get the luxury of living in houses, and how to cheat your way to electoral victory. There are more than enough activities to keep you busy, and more than enough problems that you'll need to keep the rum bottle close. You are El Presidente! Well... almost."



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News::Tropico 5 Review | Hardcore Gamer

Its difficult being the 5th installment of a game like Tropico. It's hard to find the right compromise between satisfying fans of the series by expanding the amount of content in interesting ways and making the game accessible to new players. Tropico 5 opts completely for the latter.



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News::Japan's Left 4 Dead Characters Include Schoolgirl, Bartender

Japan's Left 4 Dead Characters Include Schoolgirl, Bartender


Left 4 Dead is being released as an arcade game in Japan. None of the eight existing characters, however, are making the trip (despite featuring in the local releases of the console titles). Instead, publishers Taito have swapped in an all-new cast.


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News::Amplitude Pulls Off Mighty Kickstarter Comeback

News::Get ready 2 rokk: Amplitude's Kickstarter successfully funded

After a tense will-they-or-won't-they run, Harmonix's Kickstarter for a revival of cult classic music game Amplitude has been funded. At the time of this post, the current amount raised by backers is $777,219, with a funding goal of $775,000.


After a last-ditch effort and plans to ramp up the campaign considerably, Harmonix finally broke through with help from studios like Insomniac Games and hundreds of dedicated fans clamoring for more of the excellence that is Amplitude. It's time for the hard part now: sitting back and waiting for the game to come to fruition. It's going to be excruciating. With bands like Freezepop and Anamanaguchi on board, I think this iteration of Amplitude is really gonna rock. Let's just hope we're not in for too long of a wait.


Get ready 2 rokk: Amplitude's Kickstarter successfully funded screenshot






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News::Minecraft coming to PS4 and PS Vita this August

Along with the Xbox One details comes some news of the PlayStation releases for Minecraft. The PlayStation Vita version launches in August for $19.99, going under the name of Minecraft: PlayStation 3 + Vita Edition. Those who already own Minecraft for PS3 will be given the PS Vita version through cross-buy. There's cross-save too, and all of the DLC that's been purchased on the PS3 version will work with the Vita version.


Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition will also launch in August, and retail for $19.99. Those that already own the PS3 version can upgrade over to this new version for $4.99, and that upgrade window will be open for at least a year after release. Saves from the PS3 and Vita version can be imported to the PS4 version, but you won't be able to transfer saves from new-gen to the last-gen. There won't be cross-platform play either, and only some of the DLC will transfer over.


Now let's take a moment to appreciate that Mojang referred to the Xbox One as the Xbone in the header image.


Minecraft on Xbox One, PS4, and PS Vita soon! [Mojang]


Minecraft coming to PS4 and PS Vita this August screenshot






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News::Multiplayer Watch Dogs Looks Like GTA Online Plus Hackers


Ubisoft recently had a press event for Watch Dogs and invited YouTubers to get hands on the game. The "Capture the File" multiplayer mode looks like it mixes all the madness of a GTA Online deathmatch with magic hacking superpowers.


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News::Former Games Journo Writing New Star Wars Movie

Former Games Journo Writing New Star Wars Movie


Disney aren't just going to squeeze millions from a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. They're going to make stand-alone flicks too, and the first of those is due for release in December 2016.


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News::Tropico 5 Review | Saving Content

Excerpt: "The French novelist Alphonse Karr wrote, The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is true for Tropico 5. For as feature-rich, improved, beautiful it is, the new additions that make it different from its predecessors, still ends up feeling awfully similar when you actually sit down to play it. Tropico 5s list of changes are many. The first thing youll notice upon starting a new game is there arent any prefabricated personas to take on. No longer are you able to play as Fidel Castro, Eva Peron, Che Guevara, etc. You may think this takes away from the personality or charm of the series, but its those who surround you during your rule that fill in that gap. You now create your own character, with many zany clothing and hair options. This creates the beginnings of your dynasty. As you progress, you can purchase levels using your Swiss bank account to enhance them, let them retire, have children to be heirs who can be added to your dynasty that maxes o...



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News::Ascend: Hand of Kul Review - A Decent Hack and Slash Game | Crash Wiki

A thorough review of Ascend: Hand of Kul, recently released on Steam for the PC.



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News::Hearthstone: Your First Deck Classy Building Blocks Part I

So you want to build a Druid Deck? Somethings to consider. The second article in the Dale "Pand3m0nia" Pon's help guide series. Pand3m0nia is an upcoming South African Hearthstone Player and fanatic with a rich Magic the Gathering history.



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News::Win a trip to E3 in the Super Smash Bros. People's Challenger Contest

Top players will come together on June 10 in Los Angeles to compete in the Super Smash Bros. Invitational. The event will be streamed online, but if you're willing to wait in line, you'll possibly be able to watch the tournament in-person at the Nokia Theatre. Or better yet: win the chance to play against one of the competitors and attend E3 2014 with a friend, expenses paid!


Full instructions for the Super Smash Bros. People's Challenger Contest can be found here, but the gist is you'll need to upload a video making the case for why you're worthy of this prize package, live in the U.S. or Canada (excluding Quebec), and be at least 18 years old. There are mandatory hashtags involved, but you can use your own fun hashtags, too. #pooryoshi


I'm counting on one of you to win this contest, by the way.


Win a trip to E3 in the Super Smash Bros. People's Challenger Contest screenshot


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