Saturday, June 10, 2017

News:: The Switch version of 'FIFA 18' doesn't have a story mode

If you were wondering how Switch versions of conventional sports games would compare to their PS4 and Xbox One counterparts, you just got your answer. EA has detailed the Switch edition of FIFA 18, and it's evident that you're getting a full-fledged console title... with a notable exception. You'll get modes like FIFA Ultimate Team, a career mode and women's soccer, but there's no mention of a story mode -- sorry, you can't follow Alex Hunter's story while you're on the bus. EA hasn't explained the absence at this point, but we wouldn't rule out storage concerns when all those cutscenes are bound to take up tons of space.

Source: EA Press Room



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News:: The Xbox One S will be $50 cheaper from tomorrow

Microsoft's Xbox One S is getting a $50 price cut in the US tomorrow. That brings the regular, non-bundle price down to $199, which is $50 cheaper than the 1TB, gold PS4 "slim" which Sony announced last week. It's not clear, however, if this is a permanent price cut or a limited-time offer. (We've reached out to the company for clarification.) Clearly, this is a move to push Xbox One S sales ahead of Project Scorpio's launch. The new, high-specced system will be Microsoft's focus this holiday, but the One S could still serve a purpose, and be successful, if it's dramatically cheaper.



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News:: Weekend deals: early PC gaming Summer Sales roundup

The first volley in the PC gaming Summer sales has been fired by GOG in their 2017 Summer Sale. Over 1,500 titles are discounted up to 90% off. Just make one purchase in their sale and you'll get a free copy of Rebel Galaxy which has a street value of around $7. The headliner deal is The Witcher 3 Game of Year Edition for $24.99 which ties its all-time low price.

With E3 on the horizon, other retailers are hesitant to call their weekend deals as "Summer Sales" - having said that, we've rounded up some top pick recent released Triple-As at aggressive pricing.

GMG has fired up an E3 themed gaming sale with the lowest price on Civilization VI Deluxe, GamersGate has the cheapest Resident Evil 7 to date, Bundle Stars is running a Rockstar/2K/Warner Bros. sale, and even Origin is joining in with an "Infinite Sale" with 50% off Andromeda and Titanfall 2. Below you'll find the top picks from each respective sales event.

Summer Sale Deals

GOG PC Gaming Summer Sale

Pre-Summer Sale Top Deals

Gaming Laptop & Desktop Deals

PlayStation Goodies

Recent Releases

Upcoming Releases

Console Game Deals

PS4

Xbox One

HDTV Deals

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Weekend deals: early PC gaming Summer Sales roundup screenshot



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News:: Wonder Woman is the hero the DCEU deserves, and also the one it needs right now

Wonder Woman is just what the DCEU needed. It's been getting very good reviews, and it's also been performing well at the global box office. As of this writing, it's earned $240 million worldwide. It's not stratospheric business (Suicide Squad outgrossed Wonder Woman in its opening weekend--let that sink in), but it's still respectable and the film may have less of a second week drop-off than its fellow DCEU movies.

Box office isn't the only metric that matters anyway. Wonder Woman's status as a game-changing blockbuster has a lot to do with what it means for the industry. It's the first critically and financially successful superhero movie about a female character. It's a major achievement for a female filmmaker, and a chance for Patty Jenkins to finally direct more films. (Jenkins' only other directing credit was 2003's critically acclaimed Monster--seriously, let that sink in.) It's a star-making vehicle for Gal Gadot. It's a movie that'll get young girls into comics and genre fiction and filmmaking.

For the DCEU specifically, Wonder Woman offers what the other films have been lacking: a sense of hope.

Spoilers below.

Wonder Woman is the hero the DCEU deserves, and also the one it needs right now screenshot

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News:: Black Panther teaser trailer drops and it's awesome

We got a brief look at Black Panther last night during game 4 of the NBA Finals and to sum it up, it looks amazing. Set in the technologically advanced but secluded African nation of Wakanda, Black Panther will tell the story of King T'Challa's return to his nation after the events of Civil War and the struggles he will face to retain his throne.

The movie will star an ensemble cast of actors with Chadwick Boseman leading the way returning for the role of T'Challa, with supporting roles from Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis. Ryan Coogler will direct with a script co-written by him and Joe Robert Cole. Unfortunately the movie won't be out until February 16th next year so use whatever coping mechanism you have for the long wait.

Black Panther teaser trailer drops and it's awesome screenshot



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News:: What EA learned from 'Mass Effect' will shape its future

When I spoke to Electronic Arts' executive vice president Patrick Soderlund last week, Kotaku's report about why Mass Effect: Andromeda turned out so poorly hadn't been published yet. Nonetheless, when I asked him about the flawed game's development cycle, he was incredibly candid -- just as he had been in 2013 when I'd interviewed him about his company's move from myriad game design toolkits to just two. Here are his thoughts on several key topics.



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News:: Everything that happened at EA's okay E3 2017 press conference

So, this year's EA conference wasn't filled with as much cringe as we're used to. We got at least one soulless trailer in Need for Speed Payback amidst an underwhelming presentation, but nothing quite on the level of "Hoop Gawd" shenanigans. "Lots of sports and mostly teases" isn't a phrase that inspires confidence, but it could have been a whole lot worse. It's a low bar, folks.

Madden's story mode looks like it could be alright if Mahershala Ali is present throughout the entire narrative, Battlefield 1 is still trucking with a reiterated innocuous DLC announcement, and A Way Out could be really cool given the talent involved and the "only split-screen" conceit.

In all it wasn't a strong conference in the slightest, but it wasn't Ubisoft Laser Tag levels of disastrous.

Everything that happened at EA's okay E3 2017 press conference screenshot

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News:: Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will have a story mode, free updates

Star Wars: Battlefront was by any measure a successful game, but its brevity left many players wanting more. It appears EA was listening to player feedback, and Battlefront 2 looks to fix many of the complaints players had about the first title.

Instead of being a multiplayer-only title, Battlefront 2 will feature a single-player campaign, featuring all three eras of Star Wars' story. The Naboo map was shown off extensively after the trailer, and clone troopers battled droids throughout the capital city. DICE apparently brought in some of the best Battlefield players to their headquarters in Stockholm to help design the new game's upgrades and unlocks.

In addition to split-screen multiplayer, EA announced that all maps and downloads will be free and available to everyone who purchases Battlefield 2. It sounds like the game will have much more longevity than its predecessor after it launches this fall.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 will have a story mode, free updates screenshot



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News:: 'Star Wars Battlefront II' campaign looks like a spin-off movie

Star Wars Battlefront II is definitely much bigger than its predecessor -- but we know that. EA's E3 presentation did its best to balance new multiplayer tid-bits (Chewbacca, the planet Naboo, Yoda, Darth Maul, Rey and more) with the highly-anticipated campaign mode, which appears to centre on the 'good' Imperials fight to beat the upstart Rebel Alliance. The sequel will focus on its story more than pretty much any Star Wars game that's come before it. As Janina Gavankar, who plays Inferno Squad Commander Iden Versio, puts it herself, it's all about "in-depth cinema-caliber stories in a game". Battlefront II will apparently bridge the story gap between Return of the Jedi and the The Force Awakens, similar to how spin-off movie Rogue One connected older Star Wars chapters. And it'll all look a little bit like this:



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News:: EA Access and Origin Access are free this week

Origin may not be as popular as Steam and may have even taken away games I purchased, but it's here to stay nonetheless. People who paid to get access to games early can now save that extra cash, because the services are free beginning this week.

There will be a "bunch of games" available to play, including Plants Versus Zombies, Madden, FIFA, and Star Wars Battlefront. PlayStation 4 players will have lots of free trials during the week.

EA Access and Origin Access are free this week screenshot



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News:: EA is still trying to make basketball games for some reason with NBA Live 18

EA gave us a first-look at NBA Live 18. It was about four seconds of gameplay, in slow-motion (followed by a bit more later). It echoed EA's false start when it debuted NBA Live 14 at E3: the only thing on display was the dribbling system and Kyrie Irving on an empty court. This was after EA shelved the series for four years because the NBA 2K series was so much better.

NBA Live skipped 2017, but EA's trying once again.

There's a free demo coming in August that carries over to the full game. It includes "The One," NBA Live 18's story mode, which includes street leagues along with the NBA, but doesn't seem to have the Spike Lee-directed style story of NBA 2K (or EA's new dramatic FIFA and Madden stories).

At least it featured Kendrick's "DNA!"

EA is still trying to make basketball games for some reason with NBA Live 18 screenshot



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News:: EA unveils gameplay for Need for Speed Payback

Electronic Arts showed off a new trailer for Need For Speed: Payback at their E3 conference today, introducing the characters you'll be playing as and demonstrating one of the game's missions. The title appears to be heavily influenced by the Fast and Furious movie franchise, giving the racing a story and tasking the player with taking down a corrupt casino in between smashing up tons of Detroit steel and outrunning the police.

The three characters are named Tyler, Jess and Mac, and the mission on display had two of them pursuing a semi trailer through a southwestern desert, taking down pursuit vehicles before jumping to the trailer's side to swipe the supercar within. The open world structure looks like it borrows some ideas from the Burnout series, although Need for Speed Payback will use the Frostbite engine, and Ghost Games are behind this title rather than Criterion.  

Before the trailer, one of the game's producers spoke about the premium his team placed on  customization, both visual and performance, and that you'll be able to find junkers in barns throughout the map that can be upgraded into supercars. If you want to play a Fast and the Furious game on your console, this might be as close as you'll be able to get for now. Need for Speed: Payback will launch November 10, 2017.

EA unveils gameplay for Need for Speed Payback screenshot



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News:: EA introduces new BioWare IP, Anthem

Today at the first E3 conference of 2017, EA announced a brand new IP for BioWare called Anthem.

We don't know much, but power suits seemed to be involved as well as a lush jungle setting, a giant wall, Attack on Titan style, and creatures of some kind. This was a teaser for the ages, as "more info will be revealed during Microsoft's conference tomorrow," and the Scorpio was specifically mentioned leading up to it.

Microsoft has the chance to knock it out of the park with a ton of high profile game announcements like this -- but for now, we have this trailer.

EA introduces new BioWare IP, Anthem screenshot

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News:: A Way Out looks set to realize our Shawshank Redemption gaming dreams

Famed writer/director Josef Fares (who helped write Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons) is working with EA to give us A Way Out, a cooperative focused story experience that is made to be splitscreen only. The game stars Vincent and Leo, two guys at the end of their ropes in prison looking for a way out.

While online play will be available, the game is made to take advantage of multiple screens. There will be moments where player one gets a cutscene while player two is focusing on gameplay. I guess this is to capture the feeling of being on a couch, something that Josef is really excited about.

A Way Out looks set to realize our Shawshank Redemption gaming dreams screenshot

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News:: FIFA 18 gameplay and story mode trailer unveiled

We got our first look at FIFA 18 which similar to Madden will run on Frostbite and feature superstars as "icons." Story mode, titled "The Journey" was shown. You can pre-order for 3 days early access.

FIFA 18 gameplay and story mode trailer unveiled screenshot



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News:: 'Anthem' is BioWare's brand-new open world

The team behind Mass Effect has something new up its sleeves. BioWare today revealed Anthem, a new open-world franchise seemingly set in a futuristic, jungle-ridden universe. The teaser shows a mech of some kind and a big beastie screeching into the lush wilderness. It definitely has Destiny, Star Wars and Far Cry vibes.

"It is vast, dangerous, beautiful and unexpected," Executive Vice President Patrick Soderlund said.

BioWare will reveal more details about Anthem tomorrow during the Xbox press conference. We'll be live from the show with all the news then, so stay tuned.



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News:: ‘A Way Out’ is a splitscreen-only prison break game

It's been a while since we heard anything about Hazelight, the Stockholm-based studio led by Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons' director Josef Fares. The team first emerged at The Game Awards in 2014, along with a brief teaser that showed two men travelling on a train by moonlight. Today, at EA's E3 press conference, the project has been re-introduced as A Way Out. It's about two inmates who forge an unlikely alliance to bust out of prison. It's a splitscreen-only cooperative adventure (local and online multiplayer will be supported), meaning you'll need a friend in order to break out and escape the law.



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News:: 'FIFA 18' will continue 'The Journey' of Alex Hunter

One of the best additions to FIFA 17 was 'The Journey', a mode that put players in the shoes of a fictional young star called Alex Hunter. Today at EA's E3 press conference, it was confirmed that FIFA 18 will pick up his story after the events of the last game. A brief trailer teaser shows a wealth of real-life stars including former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand speculating on Hunter's future and a possible transfer. Presumably, you'll be taking the up-and-comer to a new club, in the hope of impressing more managers and earning silverware. We can't wait.



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News:: 'Madden 18' story mode looks a lot like 'Friday Night Lights'

The rumors were true: EA is bringing FIFA 17's story mode to the realm of American football. EA has revealed that Madden 18 will include a Longshot campaign that sees you fill the cleats of Devin Wade, a "forgotten prospect" hoping to make the cut in the NFL draft. From the early glimpse, it's akin to every football movie and TV show you've ever seen, complete with big name actors -- there's fatherly drama (Moonlight's Mahershala Ali), the loyal best friend (appropriately, Friday Night Lights' Scott Porter) and even real-world legend Dan Marino serving as a mentor.

Source: EA Sports, YouTube



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News:: Battlefield 1 is getting nighttime maps, Russian DLC, and a new competitive mode

Battlefield 1's "In the Name of the Tsar" DLC takes the Great War shooter to the "the blistering winter in the east" where it'll introduce six new maps,  "new vehicles and weapons," and the Russian army, including the "the iconic Women's Battalion of Death." If you're frothing for the historical precedent, you can find that explanation here. The "most extensive" DLC yet is coming in September.

EA also showed screenshots of two gorgeous nighttime maps that are coming as well. 

There's also mention of a new competitive mode that is "smaller, tighter... [and] focused on teamplay," in response to fan feedback. However, info on that is being held until gamescom in August.

Battlefield 1 is getting nighttime maps, Russian DLC, and a new competitive mode screenshot

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News:: Madden is getting a story mode with Mahershala Ali

Academy award winning actor Mahershala Ali will be joining the Madden franchise as part of the "Longshot" story mode unveiled today at E3.

It wasn't the most exciting opening announcement overall as the story trailer -- which is another attempt by EA to make their sports career modes more drama-centric -- wasn't all that impressive, but it's something that's coming to Madden NFL 18 on August 25. It's also another extra thing to do if you're sick of buying $60 yearly roster updates.

I hope he does the signature Mahershala Ali smirk, which I can't get enough of.

Madden is getting a story mode with Mahershala Ali screenshot

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News:: Watch EA's E3 2017 event live right here at 3PM ET

The big names aren't waiting until next week to reveal what they have for us at E3 2017. EA is kicking things off today with its event at 3PM ET/12PM PT. We're expecting details on games like Star Wars: Battlefront II, FIFA 18, Madden 18, NBA Live 18, Need for Speed: Payback and much more. We'll be there to bring you all of the breaking news as it happens, but if you want to following along live you can do so via Twitch and YouTube streams. Being the kind folks that we are, we've embedded the stream down below so you can watch right here when the time comes.

Follow all the latest news from E3 2017 here!



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News:: Come watch EA's E3 press conference with us!

You feel that? The excitement in your bones, the shiver down your spine -- it's E3, baby! Welcome to the craziest week of the year for the video game industry!

Batting leadoff is Electronic Arts -- the Madden Moguls, the Pelé Purveyors, the host to both Hoop Gawd and Snoop Dawg. It kicks off 30 minutes from when this post goes live, at 12pm Pacific.

Known quantities for EA's press conference are Star Wars Battlefront II, Need for Speed Payback, and lots of sports games. According to EA, we're also in store for a few "surprises."

Settle in for the 90-minute not-E3 but still totally E3 EA Play presentation. I don't want to tell you your business, but the comments section makes for a great place for both your discussion and your snark.

Come watch EA's E3 press conference with us! screenshot



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News:: You've got character: The Hunchback

When it comes to competitive multiplayer games, we all have our favorite characters and classes. In this series, I'm putting some of mine under the microscope to see what makes them tick, how they fit into their games, and ultimately why I like them! Check out the previous entries - Kotal KahnReaper, Lex Luthor.

From the outside looking in, MechWarrior probably doesn’t seem like a game with a lot of character. There are no stoic karate men to cheer Air Force pilots with improbable air cuts. There are just a bunch of machines. Giant mechs the size of small buildings. These aren’t even unique mechs.

Unlike Gypsy Danger of Pacific Rim or the Tallgeese of Gundam Wing, the machines you pilot in MWO aren’t one-of-a-kind custom machines or obscure prototypes. They’re cannon fodder, stamped out en masse in factories across the galaxy to trample through the mud of some distant planet and, inevitably, be reduced to scrap. Giant metal contraptions with parts lists and model numbers. Choosing a mech is more like browsing through a used car lot than anything else.

Take a closer look though, and you’ll see it. The mechs in MWO might not have individual backstories, but they do have character. Maybe more than any other game I’ve played, a player’s individual choice of battlemech expresses how they see the game. Or maybe more accurately, how they want the game to be. For me, the perfect vision of MechWarrior will always be represented by the pugnacious, stubby, and completely over-gunned Hunchback. 

You've got character: The Hunchback screenshot

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News:: Final Fantasy XV's off-road Regalia and Episode Prompto out by the end of June

No, that's not a warthog from Halo you see in the gallery, it's the Regalia Type-D, a modification to the Regalia which allows you drive off-road and jump. Yes, jump. Yes, it's silly. Ride these spinners in the June update, whenever that is (sometime in June).

Episode Prompto is already releasing this month in "late June." Around the same time the Cup Noodle Star collaboration items will be made available. That just leaves Episode Ignis, Booster Pack, and Comrades DLC until they announce more.

Final Fantasy XV's off-road Regalia and Episode Prompto out by the end of June screenshot

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News:: Review: Star Trek: Bridge Crew

If there's any quintessential Star Trek fantasy, it's probably of being on the bridge of one of the series' iconic starships. Be it the Enterprise, Defiant, or Voyager, Star Trek has long defined itself through command decks and the people sitting on them. 

Star Trek: Bridge Crew promised to use VR tech to put players in that fantasy, but after repeated delays, can Ubisoft and Red Storm bring that 23rd-century Federation experience to life?

Review: Star Trek: Bridge Crew screenshot

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News:: We're live from E3 2017 in Los Angeles!

Oh, how time flies. We are back in Los Angeles to cover the world's biggest gaming event, E3. As ever, you can expect the next week to be full of news about the latest video games and, of course, upcoming consoles like Microsoft's "Project Scorpio." This year though, we're also going beyond that at the show. For the first time, Engadget will have a sleek stage inside the Los Angeles Convention Center, where we'll be interviewing people from the industry, playing game demos and giving you a news roundup so you don't ever miss a beat. It's akin to what we've been doing at CES.



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News:: This new Final Fantasy 3DS game has a symbol in its name I can't recreate on my computer

This year is the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy and Square-Enix is continuing the celebration on the Nintendo 3DS. At its anniversary celebration today, the company revealed its free-to-play mobile game Pictlogica Final Fantasy is coming to the handheld as Pictlogica Final Fantasy ≒ on July 13. That symbol at the end there apparently means “approximately equal” and I had a hell of a time finding out how to make that on my Mac.

Pictlogica takes the nonogram puzzle formula, more commonly known to gamers as Picross, and turns it into an RPG with battles against classic Final Fantasy enemies. After watching the trailer below, I’m really hoping this finds its way west because it looks righteous.

This new Final Fantasy 3DS game has a symbol in its name I can't recreate on my computer screenshot

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News:: Review: 8bitdo controllers (NES30/FC30/SNES30)

Everything old is new again, thanks to 8bitdo's controller collection that looks and feels like authentic NES and SNES controllers. Not only do these controllers work wirelessly (though you can play via USB on supported devices), but they also work on a plethora of devices, including the Nintendo Switch thanks to an all-new firmware.

Now, if only Nintendo would bring the Virtual Console to the Switch.

Review: 8bitdo controllers (NES30/FC30/SNES30) screenshot

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News:: Recommended Reading: Netflix trims its library of original shows

'The Get Down,' 'Sense8'
Cancellations Signal
That Netflix's Originals
Are 'Destructible'

Daniel Holloway,
Variety

In the span of about a week, Netflix cancelled both The Get Down and Sense8 -- two noteworthy series from its slate of original shows. The streaming service seemingly renewed everything, but now a couple of its more anticipated shows won't return. Variety has a look at what this means for the company, including reasons why these two shows in particular won't be coming back. It turns out producing a Baz Luhrmann show is even more expensive than initially anticipated.



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News:: Assassin's Creed Origins details and release date leaked

Scans of an interview with creative director Jean Guesdon from an upcoming issue of Game Informer magazine has leaked online, revealing a handful of significant details including the release date—October 27 2017 on Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4. It will be supported on Scorpio as well, though it isn't clear if that version will also release on the same day or not. Work on Origins began after Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (by the same team), and before Assassin's Creed Unity.

You play as a man in his 30's named Bayek, a former Medjay (sheriff) during the rise and reign of Cleopatra VII. The other playable protagonist is being kept secret for now. The game features brand new fighting and AI systems, mountable camels, and ancient tomb raiding. The compass is relaced with an Elder Scrolls-esque arrow on the top of the screen, the sprint button is replaced with analogue speed depending on how much you push the stick, and everything is climbable (think Breath of the Wild) while free running buttons were removed.

Assassin's Creed Origins details and release date leaked screenshot

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