‘The Banner Saga 2’ is making its PS4 debut earlier than expected
The Banner Saga was a gorgeous tactical role-playing game with some of the most attractive art around, akin to that of a great-looking animated movie. Its sequel The Banner Saga 2 was planned originally for a July 26th release, but porting team Shiny Shoe is ahead of schedule, so instead it’s actually coming out next Tuesday, July 5th.
According to Sony, you can jump into The Banner Saga 2 even if you haven’t played the original game, as there will be two special default characters you can play with if you don’t have any original Banner Saga save game data to import for this game.
If you play on PlayStation 4, you also get a special in-game item called the “Playful Hilt of Arnr,” which is automatically added to your inventory at the beginning of the game.
Check out the trailer below and get ready to dive in after the long holiday weekend.
Source: PlayStation Blog
The new ‘Doom’ gets its first update on June 30th
The new Doom is on the cusp of getting its first major update, and it appears to be worth checking out — especially if you have fond memories of the original games. The upgrade arrives on June 30th with the option of a classic dead-center weapon view, regardless of the mode you’re playing. It’s there to evoke nostalgia, of course, but it’ll also be helpful if you want more of a visual aid when aiming.
Other additions? Aside from the usual fixes, there’s a photo mode to capture those brutal battles for posterity, and the SnapMap creator has useful extras like sky backdrops and an auto-rollback feature to mend corrupted maps. This is just the start of Doom’s expansion plans (more maps and game modes are on the way), but hey, it’s free — there’s no harm to checking it out.
Source: Bethesda
Nintendo didn’t show the NX at E3 over copycat concerns
Away from the media’s prying eyes, Nintendo’s investor meeting allowed some people to ask some surprisingly frank questions — and glean a few more insights into where the company is going — whether that’s smartphones, new consoles, VR, theme parks, movies… or all the above. If you were surprised that Nintendo wasn’t showing its incoming NX console (currently pegged to launch in March 2017) at E3, the world’s biggest gameshow, earlier this month, there was at least a reason. According to Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, the company didn’t because it feared copycats if it revealed the console so far in advance of the launch.
宮本：通常はNXをE3で展示するべきだが、出さなかった。発売前に情報を出すと真似される心配がある。今年はゼルダだけを展示した。短時間では楽しめないソフトなので30分遊べるようにした。ゲーム雑誌からE3でNo.1の評価を受けた。
— あれっくす/6月29日 任天堂株主総会 (@NStyles) June 29, 2016
(Miyamoto had also said in a recent interview with AP that when it came to the new console, “there’s an idea that we’re working on. That’s why we can’t share anything at this point, and I don’t want to comment on the other companies. If it was just a matter of following advancements in technology, things would be coming out a lot quicker.”)
The legendary games director also got to take another look at VR at this year’s E3, but it “wasn’t what I expected.” The main challenge for Nintendo, apparently, is to ensure it’s comfortable to play for extended periods. According to (translated) tweets from the meeting: “We have the core technology…. We want to release something that can be played for long periods, carries value, and is affordable. We want parents to feel at ease.”
The company also highlighted a shift during its slide presentation. The recorded voice of Nintendo president Kimishima narrated: “Up until now, the goal was to expand the gaming population irregardless of age, gender, or experience. Now, we’re focusing on increasing exposure to Nintendo’s [characters and game titles].”
Then the investors got to the real-talk: “The Wii U is essentially being retired and the 3DS is past its peak; aren’t your business forecasts unrealistic?” President Kimishima responded by highlighting that sales of the portable have now passed 58 million, and that the company believed it could certainly make a profit by selling games to this install base. “We believe Pokemon will do so.” He also believes that its smart device titles (with Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing both on their way), will help the company make a profit.
Source: NStyles (Twitter), Cheesemeister3k (Twitter, translations)
Valve’s mobile version of Steam finally hits Windows Phone
Steam hasn’t forgotten about the remaining Windows Phone faithful. It just seemed that way, with folks on Android and iOS getting a mobile app way back in 2012. The Windows Store listing says that you’ll be able to use Stream Guard’s authentication system, trade and sell items, keep an eye on the game marketplace and remote download and install games to your PC via the application. Just in time for this year’s summer sale; how about that?
Windows Central noticed a bit of a peculiarity here, though: This pocket version of Steam apparently isn’t a Windows 10 Mobile app — it’s actually a Windows Phone 8.1 deal. At any rate, you can grab the app for yourself and see what other mobile platforms have been using for the past four years.
Via: Steam Community
Source: Windows Store
‘System Shock’ remake is now live on Kickstarter with free demo
Welcome back to Citadel station. We hope your somnolent healing stage went well. We also hope you’ve ventured over to the official Kickstarter for Nightdive Studios’ reboot of the seminal FPS/RPG hybrid System Shock, because it looks like one hell of a ride.
Nightdive Studios has a full-fledged reboot in store for the classic game released in 1994, including members from the original game’s team and recruiting Chris Avellone (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Fallout 2) and other talented folks to bring it to life once more.
As the Kickstarter page attests, this isn’t the System Shock as it was, but “as you remember it.” It’s seeking to capture the spirit of the original game bring it to modern gamers today with re-imagined enemies, weapons and locations, a new musical score, and updated game mechanics. Most importantly, Terri Brosius will be reprising her role as SHODAN with new voiceover recordings to spice things up.
There are several backer tiers for those interested, including in-game rewards such as being added to the game itself with your own portrait, private parties, and even a custom Razer gaming laptop with unique System Shock artwork. The System Shock Big Box Collector’s Edition is especially gorgeous, featuring a slipcover box, what looks to be an art book and special figure, and more.
The Kickstarter aims to collect $900,000, and is currently well on its way to meeting that goal. If it all comes together it looks to be a juicy, delicious reinvention of a classic shooter that’s been in dire need of attention for quite some time.
You don’t have to wait for the project to get funded to get a taste of the action, though. There’s a free alpha demo up for grabs right now via the Kickstarter page. Get out there and get your System Shock on now.
‘Batman: Return to Arkham’ delayed indefinitely
The cheery news that Batman: Arkham Knight players get a weird new costume has been overshadowed by an update that Batman: Return to Arkham, a remastered collection of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, would be delayed. A post by a WB staff member on the game’s forums announced that the game wouldn’t come out on its planned release day of July 29th in order to keep refining it. In fact, they don’t even have a new release date, leading cynics to wonder if it’s all a ploy to release it alongside Batman VR in October. Or if it will be released at all.
Anyway, if you’re a member of the forums on the WB Games site, you can get a bonus Zur-En-Arrh costume to play with in Arkham Knight. It’s based on that time Batman got mindwiped and a backup personality with a gaudy fashion sense stepped in (comics!). While it’s certainly one of the more niche outfits from the hero’s sartorial arsenal, the Arkham games have released so many alternate costumes that we were bound to be driven into the weirder corners of Batman apocrypha.
The reward was probably intended for the dogged fans who have long kept the Arkham buzz going in the forums, but you don’t actually need to have posted anything to collect the in-game item. To get the skin, just log in to the forums with your WB Play ID, fire up Return To Arkham and log in at the main menu screen, and poof: New costume. Any existing account (including one you just made for the costume) will work as long as you surf around the forums at least once while signed in.
Hopefully some new duds for the caped crusader will tide you over until we get a solid release date for Return To Arkham. But for dark knight fans who are tired of getting burned by WB Games, take heart in the highly-anticipated first episode of Telltale’s Batman game, which is set to be released this summer.
Source: WB Games
‘Overwatch’ Competitive Play mode launches on PCs today
Want to prove to the world that you’re a top-notch Overwatch player? You now have your chance. After a quick public beta test, Blizzard is launching the team shooter’s Competitive Play mode on PCs. As before, this isn’t just about participating in seasonal play. The mode invokes sudden death rounds for tie games, modifies the point system and stiffens penalties for bad behavior (such as ragequitting a match before it’s over). In essence, it’s all about keeping the game and its players as fair as possible.
Unfortunately, console gamers will have to be patient. Competitive Play won’t reach the PS4 or Xbox One until sometime next week (that is, the first full week of July). Blizzard is vowing to close the gap between PC and console updates in the future, but that’s not much solace if you’re determined to earn some bragging rights as quickly as possible.
Update: The PC patch is live now, check here for the full list of changes here, including bug fixes, gameplay tweaks and the removal of “avoid this player.”
Source: Battle.net
Sony ends Ustream game broadcasts on PlayStation 4
When Sony released details about the PlayStation 4 ahead of its 2013 launch, it promoted a feature letting gamers broadcast their playing on the streaming service Ustream. Today, Sony announced that that partnership was over: On August 1st, PS4 players will only be able to livestream their gaming on Twitch, YouTube, and DailyMotion.
It’s not clear yet what prompted the end of Ustream on Sony devices, but it’s essentially a blackout on all of them. In addition to ending livestreaming from the PS4, users will no longer be able to view Ustream videos from the “Live from PlayStation” portal on the console, the PS Vita and the mobile PS app.
Support for Ustream on PlayStation is ending. Click here for more info: https://t.co/rcEAAetcxt
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 28, 2016
In the years since Sony launched the PS4, there’s no doubt that Twitch has become the dominant platform for game streaming. It has only grown in that role since getting acquired by Amazon in 2014, creating a new eSports league and pushing game developers to bake streaming into their games from the outset. On the other hand, we haven’t heard much about Ustream since it was bought by IBM back in January to power its enterprise broadcast services.
Source: PlayStation Blog
The free story mode for ‘Street Fighter V’ arrives this Friday
Earlier this month, we had a chance to try the first story mode Capcom has ever put into a Street Fighter game. It’s a free update for Street Fighter V owners, but there was one detail missing: a release date. Now, we know that the update will arrive on July 1st — it’s a little later than the “late June” timeframe Capcom promised, but we can’t quibble too much here.
It’s a pretty big update, with the story mode consisting of about four to five hours of new content. And two new characters are coming along for the ride, as well. Ibuki was previously announced, but the classic Street Fighter II character Balrog will also be playable in this update as well. Two more characters, Juri and Urien, will be playable in Story Mode, but they won’t make their way to the main game just yet. There’s also a handful of new stages and costumes available. but Story Mode is the clear big attraction in this update, and it’ll be ready to download as of this Friday.
Source: Capcom
G2A attempts to appease game publishers with royalty payments
After coming under fire for how it handles sales of illegal video game keys, reselling website G2A has introduced a number of new policies that it hopes will appease developers affected by the practice. The company announced that it will let game makers apply for royalty payments for any titles that appear on its marketplace. It comes after SpeedRunners publisher TinyBuild accused G2A of failing to act on $450,000 in potential lost sales, after scammers used stolen credit cards to buy legitimate keys and auction them off for profit.
G2A says that when the Game Developer Support System goes live on July 29th, registered developers will receive up to 10 percent on third-party sales, allowing them to monetize third-party transactions, whether they’re legitimate or downright shady. The company has also committed to prioritizing developer-managed auctions, ensuring that publishers will be ranked above third-party resellers, and will offer free chargeback protection as well as access to its game key database to identify dodgy keys.
“As a leader in the digital gaming marketplace, we recognize our responsibility to serve the greater good for the entire gaming industry,” the company said in a statement. “Recent events have demonstrated that we need to move faster to introduce new benefits designed with developers in mind, and invite them to play an even bigger role in creating the marketplace of the future.”
While G2A profits from sales of stolen keys, which customers get for significantly lower prices than at retail, it is keen to repair its image with the game community. Before TinyBuild took up the issue, the reseller did take steps to suspend keys that it believed were obtained via illegal means. With the introduction of royalties and a clear route for developers to check the status of keys on the site, G2A’s willingness to increase its transparency may help it in its quest. However, a 10 percent share of sales might not appease the companies upset with the company’s business model.
AIVAnet 