Sure, Madden NFL is a massively popular video game series that began in 1993 as John Madden Football, but it has never really broken through to the mainstream. The franchise has been making inroads to the eSports space over the last couple of years, though, with a live broadcast last year on ESPN 2. Now the CW is set to air a one-hour primetime special, co-produced by EA and NFL Films called the EA Madden NFL 18 Challenge. The mouthful of a title will air December 27th of this year.
The "Hang in there" kitten became a cultural icon for a reason. Sure, many say they only liked the poster ironically, but whether we want to admit it or not, the image of an innocent, desperate little animal hanging onto life by one paw is something most of us can immediately relate to. Anxiety is everywhere these days. We all feel like something is slipping away from us, and there's not much we can do about it.
It's not all bad though. Anxiety and excitement are two sides of the same coin. Both charge us up and get us to mentally rehearse plans for our immediate future. The difference, of course, is that anxiety is usually intertwined with feeling threatened, uncertain, and pessimistic, while excitement is colored by courage, confidence, and optimism.
There are moments in The End is Nigh that are genuinely exciting, usually when you discover a new secret or are about to collect a new game cartridge, but for the most part, the game is just a series of anxiety-inducing moments stacked on top of each other, with half-second periods of rest and relief in-between. Not only does that keep the game from ever slowing down or letting you become comfortably bored, but it also keep you motivated to keep chipping away at it. You want the things that hurt you to go away, and in this case, the things that hurt you are part of every stage of the game. The way to beat them is to analyze every inch of the world around you, create a plan to get through it, then execute that plan with expert skill and timing.
Sometimes that's possible, but most of the time, it's like picking a scab. You will eventually get it off, only to have a new set of challenges take their place. These new problems will ultimately cause you to fail and die. In fact, this is how the game starts, with a playable cutscene that you are intended to lose. And that's where the fucks start.
Thumper is a special game, one I'm happy to see come to any and all platforms that make sense. The rhythm title is heading to iOS next with Thumper: Pocket Edition on January 24, 2018.
Looking at the initial screenshots, I think this should translate well to tablets and especially phones if you like to play one-handed; everything's readable even on a smaller screen, and the game's main inputs -- tapping and holding -- are a good fit for touch controls. I can already picture it.
Developer Drool recommends wired headphones or integrated speakers for the sake of audio latency, which, yeah. The studio also lists "Smooth 60 FPS in portrait and landscape" on the store page.
inXile Entertainment said it had plans for Nintendo Switch and as we now know, those plans include porting over the post-apocalyptic RPG Wasteland 2: Director's Cut. That might not be the precise game you were hoping to see pop up first, but it'll certainly bolster the Switch's library.
Here's a quick glimpse from inXile CEO Brian Fargo.
In a follow-up tweet, Fargo confirmed that the team behind the mobile ports of The Bard's Tale will handle Wasteland 2 for Switch. "I have to give props to Nintendo owners for your love of the machine," he added. "[The photo] had the quickest traction of most anything I've ever tweeted."
The "complete edition" re-release of Resident Evil 7 is now available for purchase on PS4, Xbox One and PC for $49.99. Along with all previously released DLC, the Gold Edition will include the brand new "End of Zoe" chapter (which is available to season pass owners or as a separate purchase).
The belabored "Not a Hero" DLC is now available for free, as well, if you want to jump into the shoes of a returning series veteran. I've done my best to not directly spoil what that is about, but Capcom doesn't seem bothered by that. If you're looking to dive into any of the new content with no prior knowledge, you might as well skip the trailer below, too.
OVERKILL's co-op bank heist game, PAYDAY 2, will be hitting the Switch on February 23, 2018 for Europe and February 27, 2018 in North and South America. You'll be able to grab the game either digitally or physically or perhaps both if you're crazy. The Switch port will feature local co-op with up to four Switch consoles, so you and your friends can play even when the internet decides to stop cooperating.
For my money, Game of Thrones is one of the best dramas still airing on TV. Sure, I can find things to complain about in anything (and likely will), and for those of you that followed my weekly episode recaps this past season, you know that I did.
I've been a PC fan for a long time. My first shooter was Catacomb 3-D, and my first OS was DOS. And all this time, I've seen the phrases "PC gaming is dying," or "PC gaming is dead" just about every year. Yet time and time again it rises up, hosts some of the most exciting and highest grossing games in the world in the growing eSports scene, and conversely allows indie developers to realize their dreams without dealing with pricey console licenses.
It's a great platform, and once again it had a great year. From refreshing indie releases to new takes on old classics, just about everything you could want came out on PC this year.
The Predator sneaking around in the jungles of Ghost Recon Wildlands? It's more likely than you might think. Ubisoft has uploaded a teaser trailer for a "special event" called The Hunt, which is set to appear on-stream tomorrow at 9:00am Pacific and in-game on Wednesday, December 14.
Bodies strung up in trees, a chopper flying overhead, symbols straight out of the Predator movies, familiar clicking sounds, a skull logo with a thermal vision effect applied... the list goes on.
This isn't the first time the iconic character has showed up in a popular shooter series, either. Remember that DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts a few years back?
With Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory(say that eight times fast) releasing January 19, 2018 in North America and Europe -- and in just two days time in Japan -- it's not a huge surprise to learn that development is already underway for the next game in the popular series.
This news comes from an interview that game producer Kazumasa Haba had with Japanese site 4Gamer, in which he confirmed that a completely new Digimon Story game is also being developed, alongside the aforementioned Hacker’s Memory.
PlayStation Network's multi-week Holiday Sale has begun in North America. While the bulk of the discounts are on PlayStation 4 as per usual, you'll also find deals on PS3 and even PS Vita titles.
What's good? I'm seeing Hitman - Game of the Year Edition for $41.99, Birthdays the Beginning for $19.99, the Battlefield 1 Premium Pass for $14.99, Statik for $13.99, and WipEout Omega Collection for $19.99, just to name a few. You'll save even more if you have PlayStation Plus.
I usually like to list out everything here myself, but there are far too many games. My hands can only take so much punishment! That said, the full list is only a click away on the PlayStation Blog.
This first week of the sale runs until Tuesday, December 19 at 8:00am Pacific.
"Input lag" has become a particularly common phrase thrown around fighting games in recent years. Though I heard it rarely around fighting game folk in the '00s, and barely ever in the '90s, it has become a common complaint referred to when discussing recent fighters.
Input lag refers to the delay in frames from your finger pressing a button, to the move activating on-screen. Though this can be caused by obvious conditions such as bad online connectivity or wireless controller issues, it can also be present in a game's code, even going as far as having different formats having different levels of lag.
Either way, we hear about it a lot these days, but it looks like Namco are at least taking steps to try to reduce the the levels in their own Tekken 7. December 14 will see a patch added to the game which is hoping to reduce lag, currently tested to be around 7.7 frames on PS4, and longer on PS4 Pro.
This patch was originally announced by Tekken and Soulcalibur producer Motohiro Okubo, speaking at the Tekken 7 West Tournament last month. Okubo only mentioned the PS4, whether this was just a slip of the tongue, or whether the fix will also come to the PC and Xbox One is currently unknown.
What is known, is that I just lost another excuse for my fumbling, Lucky Chloe-assisted losses.
In October, Valve announced it was working on an overhaul of the Steam Curator program and for the past few weeks it has been testing some major changes with a small group of Curators. Those changes are now live and they're aimed at improving the system for players, Curators and developers.
Dissidia NT might have a season pass on PS4 with six new characters in tow, but it'll ship with 28 when it arrives on January 11 in Japan, and January 30 in the west.
This new clip will give you a quick look at all 28 of the fighters included in the base game, which involves the recently announced Cloud of Darkness, among a few other villains. The more off-the-wall ones are Ramza from Final Fantasy Tactics, and Ace from Final Fantasy Type-0. As promised, Noctis eventually made it in.
It's been fun to follow these announcements, almost like following a new Smash Bros. game. Now we wait to see if it's any good.
If you haven't had the chance to play 2014's Life is Strange or its recent sequel Before the Storm, now's your chance. The brilliant episodic narrative game revolves around teenaged Max and her ability to rewind time, returning to her hometown only to find it and her previous best friend Chloe in very different straits. Beginning December 14th, a whole new audience will be able to experience their story on iPhone and iPad.
For as much promise as the technology has, mobile gaming is pretty goddamn stagnant. The medium is rife with apps meant to test your patience more than your skills and goad you into opening your wallet for a shot at a little more. It’s no wonder so many Destructoid readers are adamant and vocal in their distaste for the medium and I am right there with you. Every time I see a primetime commercial for Final Fantasy XV: A Realm Reborn or Lineage 2, I shake my head wondering where it all went wrong. What happened to the industry that gave us Rolando? Or Edge? Or Canabalt, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, Crayon Physics Deluxe and 80 Days?
The truth is that industry is still out there, it’s just overshadowed by the giants of mobile and underfunded by a consumer base unwilling to pay even the most meager amounts of money for a game. I log onto Google Play and see a fucking Russian Grand Theft Auto knock-off has more than 100k downloads because it’s free-to-play, but something as beautiful and brilliant as Old Man’s Journey is at a fraction of that. Why? Because the developers had the “gall” to charge a fiver for the culmination of their years’ work?
The mobile market isn’t going anywhere. It’s only going to grow more gargantuan going forward as the top franchises from PC and consoles make the jump. As consumers, we can either sit idle and bitch as our favorite franchises are dumbed down to clickers and “simulators,” or we can do what we always say we do by voting with our wallets to reward those developers who actually give a shit, and who make our commutes, waiting rooms, and break times all that more bearable.
Blizzard has begun its Winter Wonderland 2017 event for Overwatch and that means more skins (oh my goodness, Bastion has an owl! And Ana is an owl!) as well as Mei's Snowball Offensive from last year and a new mode, Yeti Hunt. The latter pits five Mei players against one "Yeti" Winston.
My main takeaway? I need more credits. Sombra is too fabulous to pass up.
If these aren't doing it for you or you're more concerned with nabbing prior Winter Wonderland outfits, note that: "Legendary skins from 2016 are 1000 credits, while Epic, Rare, and Common prices have been lowered to 250, 75, and 25 credits, respectively. Winter Wonderland 2017 Legendary Skins are 3000 credits, while Epic, Rare, and Common Skins are 750, 225, and 75 credits, respectively."
Winter Wonderland 2017 runs until January 2, 2018.
That's right, get ready to hit some gnarly waves and do some sick tricks bruv, because the latest Global Mission in Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon will involve reaching 1,000,000 Beach Points (BP) in Mantine surfing!
Players will have until December 25 to complete the task, so here's hoping we can redeem ourselves, considering the last mission was a complete failure (not to mention all the other cumulative failures from the previous game).
The popular and lauded storytelling series Life is Strange is to be ported to iOS devices this week. The first three episodes of Season One will be available to download on December 14.
The episodic adventure, originally launched back in 2015, tells the story of a young photography student, Max Caulfied, who discovers she has the ability to manipulate time. What seems to be a marvelous blessing at first soon reveals itself to be a double-edged sword, as the butterfly effect of Max's actions start to have far-reaching consequences on those around her.
Life is Strange garnered a huge following on release and received plaudits for its interesting, paradoxical tale, arresting characters and its handling of difficult and upsetting themes. A three-episode prequel; Life is Strange: Before the Storm, is currently underway on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Episode one of Life is Strange will be available to download from iTunes on December 14, priced at $3. Episodes 2 & 3 can then be purchased in-app, with the final two episodes releasing early 2018.
The big VR story this year isn't another headset from Oculus or HTC -- it's Microsoft's entry into the space with Windows 10 Mixed Reality devices. They promise to be cheaper and easier to use than the Rift or Vive, thanks to a bit of help from HoloLens' 3D tracking technology. Acer's was among the first we saw in action, and it was a promising example of what an inexpensive VR headset could look like. Samsung, meanwhile, was late to the party with HMD Odyssey, but it also gave us a glimpse at high-end Mixed Reality headsets. Now that we've spent some time with both (along with HP's headset earlier this week), it's time to decide which handles Mixed Reality best. (Spoiler: It isn't Acer.)
The Uncharted series has been around since 2007, but despite the decade long legacy it's easy to remember how many games it has under its belt (seven -- four major titles and three spinoffs, Lost Legacy, the card game Fight for Fortune, and the Vita title Golden Abyss). That's because proper Uncharted games take a long ass time to make, but that long development cycle has paid off for developer Naughty Dog.
According to a 10th anniversary panel at PSX, the series has sold 41.7 million copies to date, including everything in the mix. And even if Uncharted 4 is the last feather in Drake's cap, I think the series has plenty of room to grow after they already proved that they can make a competent spinoff in Lost Legacy that feels like a proper entry.
We still have many years of Uncharted ahead of us, there's no doubt in my mind.
Bandai Namco have recently announced that RPG sequel Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom will miss its intended January launch date. This is the second delay to hit the Level-5 anime adventure.
Ni no Kuni II was initially expected to launch in November of this year, before being pushed to January 19, 2018. Level-5 President Akihiro Hino made the unfortunate announcement that the game is now scheduled for release March 23, 2018, in order to ensure that the title "meets Level-5 and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.’s high quality standards".
The full statement from Hino can be read on the official Facebook page. While another delay may come as a disappointment to fans, hopefully they can take comfort in the hopes that Level-5 are just trying to deliver the best product that they can.
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom is scheduled for release March 23, 2018 on PS4 and PC.
As tabletop releases continue to move at breakneck speeds, one recently caught my eye due to the recommendation of a friend -- Race for the Galaxy.
I've always been intrigued by the concept of tableau building, but Race for the Galaxy hit all the right notes with its sci-fi theme and deep mechanics. The digital rendition allows for all of that depth to thrive, and adds a few of its own welcome quirks in the process.
Tomorrow sees the start of Overwatch's festive shenanigans, with the Winter Wonderland event bringing new and old yuletide skins and goodies to the popular shooter. To further celebrate the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Blizzard are also running a series of giveaways on Twitter.
Every day will see new sweepstakes, each themed around a specific Overwatch hero, with entrants having the chance to walk off with a bage of great, and pretty expensive, prizes. Various Blizzard goodies, including character statues, are up for grabs, with some of the days offering Razer tech PC components, with a 4K gaming laptop as the grand prize. Nice.
Day One features a D.Va-based bundle, including the gorgeous polystone statue of the mech-riding cutie-pie. All entrants have to do is "RT" (you hip kids) the tweet below. Here's the heart-breaker: the competition is only open to residents of the fifty United States. Well... poo.
Be sure to revisit the Overwatchtwitter every day to see what new goodies are on offer that I can't win.
Square Enix vowed to give us a character swap feature for months in Final Fantasy XV, and now it's here. With a patch that includes several bug fixes, more music, and daily timed quest, comes the ability to swap between party members. Now, you can change characters in battle, so long as you're willing to download the 14GB patch on PS4 (18GB on Xbox One).
The last major planned season pass content drop, Episode Ignis, is out tomorrow, but it's not the end of Final Fantasy XV. Going into 2018 the team will be working on more additions to the game, as well as PC and mobile ports, and they're testing out a potential Switch version as we speak.
GOG.com is kicking off its winter sale with a bang! From now until December 14 at 6am PST (2pm GMT), you'll be able to book your trip to the land of the dead with a free copy of Grim Fandango Remastered. Being this is on GOG, it will be a completely DRM free version of the game with a couple of extras like a behind the scenes documentary and some wallpapers.
Along with that freebie, if you spend $15 or more, you'll receive a gratis copy of Hard West. If that really tickles your fancy and you just have to get it, the standout discount would be 50% off A Hat in Time, which brings the game down to $14.99! You can also grab Master of Orion for spending $40, which will probably net you around 20 different games with these prices!
Here are some of the deals that I found the most appealing:
I really thought I had gotten some Star Wars fatigue. In the build up to the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi I just wasn't feeling that usual excitement, but as the day of my screening got closer it started to swell. As I sat in the theater I couldn't help but feel a little giddy that I was going to watch a new Star Wars movie, and then when the opening crawl kicked in and that iconic John Williams score blasted out I was hooked again. Star Wars did whatever it is that Star Wars does to us as society and I was fully excited.
Of course there was still a movie to actually watch, and, as the prequels showed us, that can put a pretty big damper on things.
(Note: There are no spoilers per se, but I do discuss the plot of the film so if you want to go in blind you've been warned.)
