The very first episode of the very first Life is Strange was titled Chrysalis. Through that name, we're supposed to infer that its characters are vulnerable and wrapped in cocoons, but that they'll eventually metamorph into beautiful butterflies. Without question, Life is Strange has always been about adolescent struggles and heartbreakingly tough circumstances.
Calling that episode Chrysalis had another effect, though. It set in motion one of Life is Strange's most consistent themes: Protecting what you hold dear. Time and time again, these characters have gone to extremes to shield whomever they value most. Max defended Chloe right until the bitter end. David does whatever he can to protect Joyce's fragile family life. Chloe, whose only real care is for Rachel, has dropped everything to help her friend cope.
Capcom is sneaking in one last beta test for Monster Hunter: World before the game's January 26 launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One (with the PC release set to follow this autumn). It'll run from January 18 - 22 on PS4 and, like last time, you won't need a PlayStation Plus membership to take part.
In this final beta, players can take a crack at the Elder Dragon Nergigante, the game's flagship monster, as well as run through the returning Great Jagras, Anjanath, and Barroth quests.
Gosh this game looks nice.
The company is also pledging post-release support in the form of "regular content updates" and "major title updates for free," the first of which will mark the return of Deviljho this spring.
[UPDATE: Show's over, folks! Winners have been selected, responded to in the comments below, and emailed with further info, so check your emails and get out there to PAX!]
'Twas the day after Christmas, and all through the South, Mr. Dtoid had PAX badges to give away, and also never learned how to rhyme
That's our special holiday song we like to sing when we have 15 badges for PAX South to give away. And since we're singing it, that means we have 15 badges for PAX South to give away!
PAX South is going down January 12-14, 2018 in San Antonio, TX. The super special 3-day badges are all sold out, but guess what - we have a bunch to give out as late Christmas/Hanukkah/non-religious-festive-holiday prezzies. Everyone likes a nice prezzie.
Sony has broken down 2017's most-downloaded games on PlayStation Network.
While the list doesn't include PlayStation 3 this year, we've got a rundown of the most popular PS4, PlayStation VR, and Vita games, as well as PS Classics, PS4 add-ons, and oh yes, PS4 themes.
I'm happy to report that one of the console's dancing skeleton themes, "Skeleton Dance HiQ Dynamic Theme," just barely made the charts at #10 on the most-downloaded themes list.
The fact that the lone YouTube video demoing this particular theme uses off-screen footage only adds to the charm. "Cud not find anything on YouTube giving a little Preview before purchase so I decided 2 bite the bullet and purchase it anyway to give u peeps a peek enjoy this Groovy beat!!!," notes uploader VIIIVILLAINIX. Good shit. That said, I'm more of a Tropical Skeleton Dance man myself.
PS4
1) Call of Duty: WWII
2) Destiny 2
3) Friday the 13th: The Game
4) Horizon Zero Dawn
5) Grand Theft Auto V
6) NBA 2K18
7) Rocket League
8) Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition
9) Madden NFL 18
10) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands
PS4 Add-Ons
1) Call of Duty Black Ops III: Zombies Chronicles
2) Destiny 2 – Expansion Pass
3) Call of Duty: WWII – Season Pass
4) Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds
5) Battlefield 1 Premium Pass
6) Black Ops III – The Giant Zombies Map
7) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Year 2 Pass
8) Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare – DLC1 Sabotage
9) Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer
10) Call of Duty: MWR Variety Map Pack
PS4 Themes
1) Legacy Dashboard Theme
2) Friday the 13th: The Game Theme
3) For Honor Dynamic Theme
4) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege Ops Theme
5) Assassin’s Creed Origins – Dynamic Theme
6) The Last of Us Part II Stop Sign Theme
7) The Last of Us Outbreak Day Theme
8) Blue-eyed Wolf Theme
9) Rasta Reggae Skull HiQ Dynamic Theme
10) Skeleton Dance HiQ Dynamic Theme
PSVR Games
1) Job Simulator
2) Superhot VR
3) PlayStation VR Worlds
4) I Expect You To Die
5) Batman: Arkham VR
6) The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
7) Fruit Ninja VR
8) Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
9) Until Dawn: Rush of Blood
10 Driveclub VR
PS Vita Games
1) God of War: Collection PS Vita
2) Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom
3) Jak and Daxter Collection
4) Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition
5) Persona 4 Golden
6) Salt and Sanctuary
7) Need for Speed Most Wanted
8) Ratchet & Clank Collection
9) Star Wars: Battlefront II
10 PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
PS Classics
1) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
2) Bully
3) Twisted Metal: Black
4) Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
5) Destroy All Humans! 2
6) The Warriors
7) Destroy All Humans!
8) Psychonauts
9) Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
10 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Worth noting: these lists are based on "the number of downloads from PlayStation Store," not revenue.
There’s a fatal flaw that’s lodged in every good horror franchise: sooner or later, their quality begins to drop exponentially. Saw was a great film, but Saw IV? What about Paranormal Activity, and each entry into that after the first? And who could forget John Carpenter's classic Halloween, but hey…did you see Halloween III: Season of the Witch? Walking into Insidious: The Last Key, I couldn’t stop thinking about this trend. I was almost certain that I was going to experience two hours of boredom, and leave wishing I’d drank bourbon instead.
I was wrong. Sort of. Insidious: The Last Key isn’t a great movie, but it’s better – and scarier – than most horror films would be as the fourth movie in a franchise.
Love the Nintendo Switch controllers but tired of only having them in gray? The company will broaden the Joy-Con color palette in the US market when it releases them in neon pink and neon green later this month. While these hues have been out in Europe and Japan for awhile, they were previously available in America only as part of a Walmart-exclusive Splatoon 2 console bundle that launched last summer.
I think about The Vanishing of Ethan Carter every once in a while. It was one of my favorite games in 2014; a sober mix of imaginative storytelling and beautiful scenery that managed to do a lot in a short amount of time. I don't think it's perfect, but it's an enjoyable example of how narrative-driven games can evoke a genuine sense of mystery.
Now a few years after its initial release, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is coming to Xbox One on January 19. According to an accompanying press release, it will include "everything from the game's PC and PS4 versions," as well as full support for Xbox One X's 4K HD output.
Lab Zero, developers of the excellent animated fighting game SkullGirls, have closed crowdfunding and pre-orders on their up-and-coming action-RPG Indivisible, raising a huge $2,216,972.
Indivisible, which has been in pre-production since 2015, will tell the story of Anja, a young girl who goes on a dangerous quest to learn the secrets behind her mystical powers. Along the way, she will meet new friends and enemies, who will help and hinder Anja on her journey for the truth.
The game smashed its initial funding goals, and multiple stretch goals, but sadly fell short of the final goal, which would have ensured a bonus "hardcore" dungeon and extra endings. Still, there is much reason to celebrate, and Lab Zero promises that every dollar will be put into making Indivisible the best title it can be.
Indivisible is currently scheduled for launch in 2018 on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
If you remember from last year, Walmart had an exclusive Splatoon 2 Switch bundle in the US that included a Neon Pink and Green Joy-Con. While it was released in other territories to coincide with the fresh sequel, the US never got a standalone release. That is soon to change!
Nintendo of America has taken to Twitter to announce that us yanks will be getting the super awesome Joy-Con bundle at the end of the month. Since I have one of the launch consoles with the desyncing left Joy-Con, I might actually pick this up to replace my controllers.
Digital Dreams Entertainment have announced that their retro-revamp Mutant Football League will be coming to PS4 and Xbox One on January 16.
The game is an indie-driven remake of the '90s classic Mutant League Football, which featured teams of fantasy creatures crushing skulls and turning quarterbacks into brokenbacks (Note: remember to remove this shitty joke when editing, Chris.) Mutant Football League brings the classic format to modern platforms, while retaining all violence, guts and gore of the original.
The game features 18 blood-thirsty teams and 18 deathtrap-filled stadiums, as well as exhibition play and a full Season mode. Up to four players can rip each other to shreds locally, or two players can go head to head online. Foul-mouthed commentary is provided by Tim Kitzrow of NBA JAM fame (although there is an option to turn-off the swears).
Mutant Football League is available now on PC and on January 19 on PS4 and Xbox One.
It's the Consumer Electronic Show next week, and from the look of it, HTC will use the venue to announce a new-and-improved Vive. The company posted this "new year's resolution" tease today:
I'm personally expecting a revision rather than a second-generation Vive, though I'm curious where the pricing will fall and how the current model will be affected. We'll find out soon enough.
Zangoose had been exclusive to North America and Africa while Seviper occupied Europe, Asia and Australia. Now they have flipped, so trainers on opposite sides of the globe will get a chance a catch the opposite beast. That sounds fun and I'm happy that Niantic seems to be loosening up on exclusive creatures. Maybe one day I can actually see a Kangaskhan without going to Australia.
One of SNK's best-remembered franchises is King of the Monsters. The brawler/wrestling titles were regularly spotted in MVS cabinets in the early '90s arcade scene, and the original title in the series is available to revisit right now on Nintendo Switch.
1991's King of the Monsters has players choose from one of six mammoth creatures before laying waste to each other in clunky, joystick-snapping mayhem, which sees the monsters smash it out while causing untold destruction to the cities and landscapes around them. The fight ends when one of the behemoths performs that all important ritual of... pinning their opponent for a 3-count.
Although the game's legacy is fondly remembered, it has to be said that behind the rose-tinted specs, they're very basic games, with little in the way of strategy, just a lot of button-pounding. The game does have some fun visuals though, and the concept is, of course, excellent. We're long overdue a truly awesome spiritual successor.
Regardless, It's great to see HAMSTER continue to push this huge catalogue of retro games out on Nintendo's hybrid-console, as they certainly make for quality time-killers when on a lengthy commute, or a lengthier, work-based, bathroom break.
King of the Monsters is available for download now on Switch, priced at $8
God of War, a series about taking revenge on the gods, really only hinges on one thing: It needs to take place within a polytheistic culture. Kratos (or whomever a future protagonist might be) must have a conflict with the gods and then he must try to kill the gods. That's the formula and more gods makes for a grander time.
While God of War has temporarily shifted from Greek to Nordic mythology, it's not necessarily settling there. Speaking with Game Informer (and as reported by GameSpot; accessing the interview requires a Game Informer subscription), God of War director Cory Barlog has a couple ideas for other civilizations that might nicely suit the series.
"The Greek games were the Greek era of God of War. Moving on, the next mythological belief system he interacts with became the Norse era of God of War. But we may end up going on to the Egyptian era and the Mayan era and so on and so forth," Barlog said.
Those could very well be fascinating settings but it's a lot of stargazing and conjecture at this point. Barlog confesses that Sony Santa Monica had to convince Sony that another God of War was a good idea after Ascension failed to garner the same success that its predecessors saw. It sounds like Norse God of War has to earn back Sony's confidence before we start seriously fantasizing about what other cultures might be a good fit.
Japan loves Monster Hunter, so Capcom is taking a chance to capitalize on that popularity with some neato goodies. If you somehow haven't gotten a PS4 yet, there will be two bundles that come with a copy of World called "Starter Packs." Sporting Jet Black and Glaicer White color schemes, these consoles are oddly 500 GB PS4 slims, but that is better than nothing. The packs will retail for 35,980 yen.
The next goodie is a themed PS4 controller for World. Sporting a very stylish red color and some silhouettes of Rathalos, the controller will be available on January 26 for 6,480 yen. This controller is also the one included in the PS4 Pro bundle that is basically sold out everywhere.
If you fancy having an actual keyboard to communicate with friends, you can also get an ELECOM Monster Hunter: World branded keyboard (2,080 yen) to accompany you on your travels. You can also grab two different headsets from ELECOM, one with mono (1,580 yen) chat support and the other with stereo (2,580 yen) support for proper game audio.
The final two have a little less use. Starting on launch day, Capcom will have branded VISA credit cards that you can get. I wouldn't recommend Capcom's credit card, but I suppose any credit is kind of a gamble. The final product is a pair of protective glasses from Alook. The glasses will be available in the summer and will feature an Elder Dragon design supervised by art designer Kaname Fujioka.
Honestly, the only thing that looks awesome to me is the controller. I may end up getting it, too, since I've had my PS4 gamepads since launch. Then again, they still work exceptionally well, so I don't really need new ones. I just like the design.
As part of the promotion for Capcom's upcoming release, Monster Hunter: World, a temporary eatery will be popping up in London, where fans can gorge on free burgers and steaks while checking out the open-world adventure.
The Monster Hunter Meat Shack will offer huge platters of meat, gratis, for parties of up to four carnivores. Opening for just a few nights at the end of January, fans will be able to play the game and stuff their stomachs for ninety minutes, in a ritual that already sounds too excessive by my delicate intestinal standards.
The shack itself will set the mood, adorned in maps and memorabilia from the anticipated title, with a huge Rathalos head completing the romantic setting. Anyone wishing to partake in the feast should visit London's Flat Iron Square between Thursday January 25 and Sunday January 28. Attendees must be over 16 and, surprisingly enough, there are no vegetarian alternatives on the menu.
Monster Hunter: World launches on PS4 and Xbox One January 26, with a PC port to follow this Fall.
Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Vegeta and Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku will be early unlocks for those who pre-order the game, but seeing this trailer for Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Vegeta has me feeling a little blue.
Not a complete clone of base Vegeta, but this does open up the possibility of getting other characters in different forms as DBZ games have seen in the past. While we're definitely going to see a lot of online teams with Goku, Goku Blue, and Goku Black, this sets up at least a Vegeta, Vegeta Blue combo that could be fun. At least his level 3 looks dope. Either way, it's not like it kills the hype for the game at all.
Dragon Ball FighterZ hits PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC January 26.
NetherRealm Studios will be holding a live stream later today, featuring gameplay of Enchantress; the latest character to be added to DC Comics' fighter Injustice 2.
Enchantress recently rose in public perception after her appearance in the Oscar-winning movie (never forget) Suicide Squad, where she was quirkily portrayed by Cara Delevingne. The third DLC character to arrive in Injustice 2 from Fighter Pack #3, Enchantress follows the addition of The Atom and precedes the super-hyped Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, arriving sometime later.
The Watchtower live stream is scheduled for broadcast today at 15:00 CST/21:00 GMT on the NetherRealm twitch channel. Earlier today, NetherRealm dropped the trailer for the bewitching villain, prepping fans for her showcase appearance in just a few hours.
Injustice 2 is available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Overwatch's support character Mercy has, once again, received tweaks on the PTR for Blizzard's team-based arena shooter, as the studio constantly juggles the Germanic GP to find her sweet spot in battle.
Mercy received a pretty severe overhaul last year, controversially changing her Resurrect ability from an Ultimate to a regular skill, increasing the power of her hand-blaster, and giving her a new Ultimate, Valkyrie, that had her flying around and popping resurrections like a necromancing maniac.
Shortly thereafter, she was re-tweaked, as her new ability to completely undermine successful assaults with a mere click of a button, every 30 seconds, made Mercy an instant must-pick. This was borne out by multiple pro-players who ditched their usual supports in favour of goddess-level powers bestowed on our girl. Mercy would go on to garner a high pick rate across all platforms and leagues. No Mercy, No Victory.
In November, she was nerfed again, adding an increased charge time to her resurrection abilities, which proved to have zero impact in her dominance, both in popularity and on the battlefield. A team without Mercy became a team simply choosing to make life harder on themselves.
It's Friday, so that means another weapon returns to Nintendo shooter Splatoon 2. Fans have been spoiled lately, with a bonus weapon arriving for the new year, alongside this regular weekly update.
Today sees the arrival of the L-3 Nozzlenose D, which is not only the light equivalent of the original Nozzlenose, but is also a variant of the L-3 Nozzlenose. Don't ask, just accept. I do.
The L-3 Nozzlenose D has decent range and fires in staccato, three-round bursts. This variant comes equipped with a Burst Bomb sub and an Inkjet special. As always, it is expected to go live this evening in North America, with Europe. and Japan following tomorrow morning. Brrrrp!
Google's search engine might be banned in China, but it's been finding more and more ways to establish its presence in the country. Its latest effort is leading a $120 million investment in Chushou, a Chinese online e-sports platform that specializes in mobile game livestreams. The website is already pretty big, with 8 million users and as many as 250,000 livestreams a day, and it's unclear what percentage of total funding came from Google. According to CNBC, though, the big G will help the platform grow even bigger, more international, in order to make it look more inviting to potential users outside China.
Come this Spring, Electronic Arts will release a remastered version of Criterion's Burnout Paradise for the PS4. This announcement confirms rumours of said remake, which began after a supplier date was spotted by Brazilian site GamePress.
The open-world racer originally launched on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2008, before re-releasing the following year as The Ultimate Box, which also received a PC port. Paradise was praised by critics and fans for its high-speed action, large array of two and four-wheeled vehicles, and satisfying feeling of freedom gained from the "open road" mentality of the game.
The Burnout Paradise remaster (which is yet to receive a confirmed name) is scheduled for launch in Japan March 16, though it seems doubtless that a worldwide release will follow. Whether this re-release is prey to EA's current mindset regarding microtransactions and loot boxes remains to be seen
Adam Isgreen, Creative Director for Microsoft Studios, put out a pretty random tweet asking Killer Instinct fans which ten characters they'd like to see return if, hypothetically, a new KI title were to be developed.
Although Isgreen very specifically states he's asking "just for fun", while linking to the game's official forums. It does come at a time when Iron Galaxy's fantastic one-on-one fighter is now, generally, played only by its more dedicated fanbase. If there was a time to start even talking about a sequel, even hypothetically, right now would be pretty snug.
Killer Instinct launched on Xbox One back in 2013, before eventually receiving an excellent Windows 10 port in 2016 and ultimately arriving on Steam late last year. Despite its comeback announcement receiving some sarcastic snorts from some in the fighting game community (including myself, I'm sad to admit), it was actually really fucking good.
The replication of this fan poll, might lead to absolutely nothing. Regardless, it is at least worth noting that Microsoft brass is still interested on hearing fans' views on the series. It may just be a fan thread on a forum, but, to be fair, that was also the method chosen by the KI team to plot and confirm the PC port.
Oh, and for what it's worth, as long as they brought back Orchid, Hisako and Sadira, everything would be copacetic with me.
Killer Instinct is available now on Xbox One and PC.
Enchantress, part of the last Fighter Pack which includes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is officially confirmed for Injustice 2 InJanuary 9. Her full gameplay trailer reveals some interesting tricks like her focus on counters, teleports, her Shang Tsung and Shao Khan like shadow clone, and the fact that she's wearing a ton more clothes than the Suicide Squad version of her.
Her super is pretty neat as well, but it's just not as cinematic as the others. Either way, this means yet another fighter for Injustice 2 and one step closer to seeing how the TMNT will play.
Yesterday, an entire list of patch notes pertaining to the entire roster of Capcom's Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition were uploaded to Japan's CFN page. These were quickly followed up by a Tweet noting that the notes were not final, before the whole list eventually vanished completely.
Fortunately, the balance tweaks, buffs, nerfs and everything in-between were live long enough to be translated by Event Hubs' MajinTenshinhan, who put up a whole laundry list of character changes, for better or worse.
Although it bears repeating that we were told these changes were "not final", that's a helluva lot of balancing going on, so there's a pretty good chance the list is at least somewhat accurate to what we'll see when Arcade Edition drops this month.
The entire list of supposed changes can be found right here. While every character has sen numerous frame tweaks and hit-and-hurt box alterations, I'm sure its no surprise to hear that characters such as Alex and Juri have received some benefits, while headhunters Balrog and Laura have been tamed a little (just a little, mind, they still look pretty monstrous).
Balance changes in general should be taken with salt. Ultimately, it all comes down to how the stuff is implemented in play by the community. Sometimes, supposedly buffed characters are still left floundering, while characters who have had their legs cut off merely adapt slightly and continue to steamroller the opposition. I guess we'll find out throughout 2017.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition launches on PS4 and PC January 19.
CES 2018 is nearly upon us. As members of our team make the trek to Las Vegas, you can sort through yesterday's news highlights, like a device from U of M that could effectively treat tinnitus.
