Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Prime World: Defenders Pre-order Sale

Today in gaming: Nival is a game developer that has a novel new game coming out on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Prime World: Defenders is a mixture of a tower defense game, a card game, and an RPG. This thing looks really interesting. Between now and then, they have begun taking pre-orders on Steam at 20% off. So you can reserve the game today for $11.99US.

In addition, you get three rare bonus cards: Energy Cannon, Fireball, and Ice Emblem. I have it on good authority that these are top-notch cards that will give you some extra firepower if you're lucky enough to draw them.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Europa Universalis IV Beta

Today in gaming: Paradox Interactive has announced that they are now accepting requests for inclusion in the Europa Universalis 4 beta. EU4 is the on-line sequel to the well-known world-domination strategy series. If you'd like to join the beta or just see what the game is all about, click on the link below.

Announcement - Hellraid

Today in gaming: Poland-based developers Techland -- the house that brought you games like Dead Island and Call of Juarez -- has announced that they are developing a new story-driven hack & slash action adventure and shooter title called Hellraid. To help promote the announcement, they have added some nice screenshots to their Facebook page.

It has been confirmed that they are planning to include a co-op, on-line, multiplayer mode for the game.

GRAVI Review

Today in gaming: I got a copy of GRAVI -- a rolling puzzle game. It turns out that Hashbang Games are trying to rally support for it on Steam's Greenlight community section, and I for one am very excited to add my support.

The game is full of spikes and grinding whirly things. It also has low areas that you can't roll through normally, so you have to shrink yourself by throwing pieces of yourself off into the distance and then collecting them later. It's a hoot!

If you don't care about playing it on Steam and just want a copy to play on your PC, you can purchase the game at Desura.com or through Gamers Gate. It is currently $9.99 US.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Review - Forge

Today in gaming: I take a look at Forge -- a third-person medieval-style arena game that is available for free this weekend on Steam.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

The Best Subreddit You've Never Seen

Today in gaming: I found a really cool subdirectory on Reddit.com called /r/Gamevids. This is a great site that has a steady stream of links to trailers, letsplays, interviews, demos, and other gaming content on YouTube. If you're into Reddit at all, I think you should have a look; if you've never seen Reddit, perhaps you should start here!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Video Review - Eador: Masters of the Broken World

Today, I got a copy of Eador: Masters of the Broken World. This is a non-linear, turn-based strategy game for the PC. If you played the first game -- subtitled Genesis -- you will recognize the interface and game mechanics immediately.

This game is published by Snowbird Games -- and was released on Steam and GOG.com four days ago. This game is very unique and as you explore, your decisions change certain events and future options based on your karma.

In the game, you begin as a lowly peasant who dreams of ascending to greatness when you are found in your village by a mysterious mage who offers to get you on your way to glory.

You must travel from province to province taming the inhabitants who live there and either gently offering friendship and integration -- or demanding their allegiance under pain of death.

This game is actually two games in one -- it's a turn-based warfare game where you must out-maneuver and over power your enemies, yet also a city builder where you have to set up the infrastructure that will support your army and your castle through construction and administration.

You might think that such a game would be quite complex, but the interface and game mechanics make it easy to handle the chores associated with ruling with an iron grip.

Oh, and you have to lash together space rocks. I forgot about the space rock part. Yeah, the whole thing is set in an asteroid field of floating shards in the "Great Nothing".

Yeah, this game is crazy cool.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Divinity: Original Sin Reddit Ask Me

Today in gaming: the development crew behind Divinity: Original Sin will be fielding questions during a special "Reddit Ask Me Anything" with Swen, David, & Jan of Larian Studios tomorrow (Tuesday April 23, 2013) starting at 10AM PST, 1PM EDT. I've got a call in about the URL -- which I'll hopefully post if they get back to me.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Launch - Super Little Acorns on 3DS

Today in gaming: Pixel Tools is a video game development company that incorporated less than six months ago. Well, they have worked their butts off to release their first game, a squirrel-themed platformer for the 3DS called Super Little Acorns. Run, jump, and swing (pitfall style) through ninety levels looking for power-ups and -- as you might expect -- nuts!

I tried to find the page on Nintendo.com where you can buy the game, but they don't do that. You can read all about it, though.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Launch - Mazement

Today in gaming: indie game developer WrongHut has released a brand new third-person 3D rolling game for iDevices called Mazement. It's a Marble-Madness-type of game where you are a feisty little cannon ball that has to battle mazes, traps, enemies, and bosses -- all the while collecting coins and power-ups. Oh, yeah. If you get up enough speed, you can plow through walls. But watch out for the mysterious witch!

The game is now out on the iTunes store for 1.79UK.

Launch - Eador: Masters of the Broken World

Today in gaming: GOG.com announced that starting tomorrow at 9:00 AM EDT, Eador: Masters of the Broken World will be available for purchase. This game is a complex, grand-strategy RPG that allows you to take the role of tyrant or benefactor of the realm of Eador. The plot revolves around the procurement and management of "shards of land" that float through the endless void of space until you lash them together into a united nation. This game is the follow-up to the 2009 game Eador: Genesis -- known to it's fans for its depth of gameplay and humor.

You have until tomorrow at 8:59 EST to pre-order if you would like to also receive Eador: Genesis for free as a bonus.

Open Beta Date for Firefall MMO

Today in gaming: Firefall -- a free-to-play, sci-fi open world shooter -- has announced that they are accepting registrations for their upcoming open beta, set to launch on Tuesday, July 9, 2013.

Anthill Coming to iOS

Today in gaming: Anthill -- an award-winning simulation game with tower-defense elements -- has launched for iOS devices.

In the game, you have to direct your ants in the same way that ants communicate with each other in real life -- via trails of pheromones which you can draw and the ants will follow. You can use your soldiers to slay a monster bug and then have your worker ants carry back bits and pieces to the hill to be used as food. You must defend the hive, provide supplies, and monitor your population. Tons of fun while you're on the go.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Kickstarter: Flowstorm

Today in gaming: Flowstorm is an on-line 2D space-shuttle racing and combat game that you can play right now (link below). However, the duo who brought you the game -- Joachim Holmér and Jenny Nordenborg (aka the Neat Corporation) -- have launched a Kickstarter campaign to add some key features to the game. What do they want to do?

  • Release a stand-alone version of the game (currently in alpha)
  • Release a level editor so you can make your own courses (currently in pre-alpha)
  • Add new kinds of ammo
  • Add an achievement system
  • Multiplayer, including lobby, leaderboards, and team stuffs
  • Get the game ready to go for Steam

This game is crazy addictive, mostly because they have ghost images of people who have done better than you and you spend your time trying to stay in front of those who came before.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Review: Black Ops Uprising DLC

Today in gaming: we've got a little DLC today. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is a ultra-popular first-person shooter on the PC, Playstation 3, and the XBOX 360. Today, they launched a brand new DLC pack and I downloaded it at 5AM my time and have been playing ever since.

If you've never played this game, the multiplayer side of COD allows users to log on and face each other in six-on-six combat -- across the Internet. This second DLC pack adds four new multiplayer maps: magma, studio, encore, and vertigo -- as well as a zombie map called Mob of the Dead.

And I have to say that the maps are absolutely gorgeous.

Studio

This is the map that I was most looking forward to. The guys at Treyarch Studios asked the fans which board from Black Ops 1 they wanted to see make a comeback and we voted for the old Firing Range map.

So they took the old Firing Range map -- which was originally a small compound in the jungles of some awful third-world country -- and turned it into Studio -- a map of identical layout that puts you on the back lot of a Hollywood studio.

They have made changes to the map to eliminate the sniper spots and lightened the inside of the main two-floor compound so now it's a deathtrap. But other than that, the level is a sight for sore eyes and it's as good as I expected it to be.

Encore

Apparently, a rogue element has taken control of a music venue in London, England and you have to take back your blues house. The map is laid out in an amphitheater style, so you'll be weaving in and out of restaurants and bathrooms that dress the perimeter of the arc.

Then, there's also the main stage -- which you can stand on (or under) and attempt to control. However, there are dozens of sight lines, so only the best COD players will be able to survive there.

Magma

After that, I played Magma. The poor Japanese town of Kitakyushu is besieged by a nearby volcano -- yet we still have time to fight each other even though we are literally running over top of red-hot lava.

The town has a train station and that's the location for the fight.

The lava, by the way, is quite hot. If you stand on any of it, you'll instantly erupt into flames. There's a major river of lava running straight down the middle of town -- into which a bridge of rail cars has collapsed, allowing you to traverse the flames.

Visually speaking, this is the map that is most striking. As you might imagine, not only is Japan a beautiful place in general, but the volcano is constantly erupting in the background -- so when you look up into the sky, it's all ash and fire. Really neat.

Vertigo

I have to say, I did not like this particular map. It's the rooftop of a circular tower and everything (I mean everything) has an invisible wall preventing you from jumping on top of it. The helicopter pad has a single chain and a gate that you so clearly could easily hop over -- yet, your well trained expert killer marine just can't figure it out. So the best spot on the level is cordoned off.

The whole level is circular, but there are spots where sniping will occur. This one feels rushed and ill-conceived -- and from a visual standpoint is just a circle. The center of the tower is hollow for some reason, so you can actually jump to your death if you so desire. I'm not sure this level is going to be very popular.

Mob of the Dead

Finally, in addition to the multiplayer game, Black Ops 2 has a mode called Zombies, where you and your friends work together to slaughter wave after wave of undead. It's very popular with others, though I'm not a big zombies guy.

The zombie mode got some extra content today as well -- Mob of the Dead takes players into the prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco during the prohibition-era heyday. It also adds a new game mechanic to the zombies system -- ghosting. You can exit your body and fly around the board as a ghost -- a ghost, mind you, that can't pass through walls or float higher than a jump or anything ghosty like that. However, using spectral vision, you can get clues on how to escape. Also, while as a ghost you can vaporize most zombies.

It's an interesting twist to the zombie games that isn't too disruptive and brings a nice mix of advantages and drawbacks. Mob of the Dead also includes voice acting from several Hollywood actors and takes you through a well-replicated version of the prison. I saw the warden's office and the horrific scene in the showers; cool stuff.

I'm sure the zombies guys are just thrilled to death (that's a pun, people). This pack is aces in my book and I highly recommend it -- even with the one sucky level -- to anyone like me who lives on COD.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Dragon Pals Alpha Starts Today

Today in gaming: Reality Squared Games (developers of Yitien Chronicles) has announced that the alpha testing for it's newest title Dragon Pals will begin at 8AM PST. No word on what percentage of the quests, monsters, and events will be active during the alpha, but it's a great chance to get a first look at the English version of this title -- which has been hugely successful in China, attracting over five million players.

Like most of their games, Dragon Pals is entirely browser based. The storyline asks you to, one by one, reawaken a lounge of dragons that has exiled itself into hiding to keep from falling into the hands of the evil that has befallen your land.

The game is mostly a side-scrolling platformer, but there's also a player-vs-player arena called the Cage Match where players who join are randomly thrown together and forced to do battle. They also have pet dragons that you can customize.

Screenshots - Sequel to Lost Crown

Today in gaming: back in 2008, there was a game called The Lost Crown -- a ghost-hunting adventure game created by indie developer Jonathan Boakes and published by Iceberg Interactive. Since the release of that game, Boakes has been working on the second game of the trilogy -- scheduled for release in October 2013.

There are now some new screenshots available for the upcoming game -- which showcase the eerie nature of this supernatural title. These games have a black and white color pallet that mix in splashes of color at key moments to add dramatic effect. It's pretty cool. You can see more on their Web site.

ManagerLeague Turns 100

Today in gaming: Congratulations are in order. MangerLeague -- a free, on-line, browser-based soccer manager -- is celebrating it's 100th round of play. Having first launched in 2005, the game currently has over 40,000 active players across dozens of countries, each fighting to be crowned champion of his or her league. The game allows you to draft your very own roster of virtual soccer players who play matches based on orders you give them. Each season lasts for four weeks.

If you join today, you can participate in the 100th anniversary season. Just in case you played it, Fifth Season -- developers of ManagerLeague -- are also owners of the upcoming sci-fi MMO game AD 2460.

Friday, April 12, 2013

New Watch_Dogs Wallpaper

Today in gaming: Watch_Dogs released some new in-your-face wallpaper via their Facebook page.

Kickstarter: Theme Park Studio

Today in gaming: I found a simulation game on Kickstarter today that looked awesome.

The game is called Theme Park Studio and it allows you to build your own roller-coaster filled theme park from the ground up. You can choose items from an extensive library of prefabricated templates or design your own.

The Kickstarter is currently active. It has plenty of time -- 37 days left to go. I highly recommend this title and I encourage you to consider donating to their cause.

Trailer - Neverwinter's Great Weapons

Today in gaming: Perfect World Entertainment, the developers of Neverwinter -- the Dungeons & Dragons MMORPG -- have released a new trailer today entitled "Great Weapon Fighter". It showcases some of the amazing damage that you can deal if you use one of the massive "great weapons" during melee combat. Really nice graphics and some cool gameplay footage.

Sci-Fighters for OUYA

Sci-Fighters is a multiplayer science-fictioned themed party game exclusively for the OUYA being developed by Headup Games (the gang that brought you Limbo). It's an arena based game where up to four players are dropped into an area infested by monsters. Your job is to be the last man standing. As you play, you pick up various upgraded weapons like ice rifles.

It also has a single player mode if you want to train before going to your friend's house to clean his clock.

You might remember that when the Wii first came out, Wii Sports was the big exciting party game that gave the new box a great deal of traction in the console market. Some of us also remember that the XBOX launched with a title called Fusion Frenzy that had a series of party games set in a futuristic world.

This new title for the OUYA plans to serve a similar purpose.

One of the developers working on the Sci-Fighters project is FlukeDude -- best known for his on-line smash hit The Impossible Game.

The OUYA has -- at present -- announced only a few titles themselves. However many developers have spoken excitedly about porting titles from their current catalogs to the new box.

Headup Games is one of several developers actively developing new titles.

The OUYA was a kickstarter-funded console that is launching in June -- though units for those people who offered qualifying donations to the project have already begun shipping. The console itself is physically smaller than the controller upon which you play it.

Screenshots

Here are some screenshots that I got from the developer.

Monday, April 8, 2013

COD Replacements Web Site/Trailer

Today in gaming: the guys over at Activision have put together an entire ad campaign featuring some of the actors from the upcoming Call of Duty expansion pack Uprising. The campaign -- titled The Replacements -- contends that you are going to be so busy playing Call of Duty after the next expansion comes out that J.B. Smoove and Peter Stormare will have to show up to fill in for you at your job and life to fill the void.

The campaign consists of a video and the Web site. The video is laugh out loud funny. The Web site is weird and confusing -- consisting of a series of videos of how to explain your departure from normal life to the people you know like your boss and professors.

Warframe Review

So, I just got done playing two hours of Warframe -- the new 3rd person 3D shooter that's up on Steam. This game really isn't for me, but I can see the appeal for people who like to run and gun. I tried it because a) it's free, and b) it surpassed 1 million registered users today. It's currently a beta test, so I'm sure some of these things might change, but here are my impressions so far.

Pros

  • I enjoyed the graphics. I thought they were very nice. Especially when we got outside (playing in the Venus system), things looked really amazing.
  • I thought the gun crafting system was pretty cool.
  • The player models were nice and the textures were interesting.
  • The tutorial was helpful and very clear.
  • The aiming was good, though it would be nice to switch from righty to lefty when taking cover. I was always on target and my shots landed where they were supposed to.
  • The modding of weapons was really interesting. You can "fuse" (combine) mods to make even bigger better mods that you can then apply to your weapons -- provided you have enough room on your gun to accommodate them. This is a really clever way of limiting how buffed a guy can become.

Cons

  • This game was billed as a squad based shooter. I assure you that there was no squad action. Only individual dudes rushing ahead to kill as many people as possible before everyone else could catch up.
  • The level maps are reused -- a lot. I saw the same level three times and I only played eight campaigns. This is helpful for people who have played before because they know where everything is and can beat you to it while you're wondering around looking for stuff.
  • You get griefed a lot if you look in crates because the experienced players are waiting for you at the end and you're really slow because you have no enhancements.
  • You have to roll through certain obstacles but it never teaches you how to roll.
  • My last level said that it was difficulty level 1, but it meant that it was difficulty level 1 in the Venus system -- which was significantly harder than the Mercury system and I died horribly repeatedly.
  • Even if you start them with a crappy level one magic spell, when you tell someone they're going to be able to crush an enemy like a can of beer, you have to let us beercan enemies -- even if it doesn't kill them.

This game isn't really for me, but I'm curious if anyone else played it and, if so, what are your thoughts?

Warframe Reaches 1 Million Players

Today in gaming: The online MMORPG sci-fi game Warframe has reached 1 million players after launching only two weeks ago.

Beta Launch - Yitien Chronicles

Today in gaming: Yitien Chronicles is an online MMORPG from Reality Squared Games -- they guys who brought you Wartune and Broken Realm -- that is supposed to launch it's beta test tomorrow. But I found out that tomorrow is now today! If you're a big fan of leveling up your character, then this might be for you. It's an Asian-inspired theme and you have to go around helping out the villagers with their problems and combat ninja ambushes with your pet panda.

This game is interesting for several reasons. The one that struck me the most was The Grove of Valor -- a PvP event that happens every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8:15 PM -- I think that's EST, but no confirmation. You get 20 lives. Players get together and start attacking one another. A successful victory will earn you two points while a loss will earn you only a single point. Whoever is left standing at the end is declared the winner.

Date - String Theory on iOS

Today in gaming: Southwest Gecko is a brand new game company that is launching a fun little game for iOS called String Theory. It's a word finding game with a twist: there's a micro timer that counts down and collects the words you find all at once every five seconds or so. The more words you find in five seconds, the more bonus points you get. It turns your traditional word seek puzzle into a race against the clock.

The game will kick off at $0.99US on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

New Trailer - Contrast

Today in gaming: Compulsion Games released a new trailer for their 2D/3D platforming title Contrast. It's a teaser trailer with some beta gameplay footage. It's eerie and gritty and drenched in film noir style.

The setting is art deco meets vaudeville. The plot of the game revolves around you helping a girl named Didi find out what happened to her family. You have a special power to meld with shadows, making this a pseudo stealth platforming game. As a result of your shadow ability, you can switch from 3D world to the 2D plain of a shadow-cast wall -- a really interesting game mechanic.

In the trailer, Didi helps you correct a problem with the shadows in order to allow you to pass certain obstacles. These are probably scripted events.

No official date, though it's rumored CONTRAST will be out sometime in May 2013. I will absolutely keep you informed.

Friday, April 5, 2013

IdleThumbs Turns 100

Today in gaming: I found out that Idle Thumbs -- a video games podcast based out of San Fransisco, California -- published their 100th episode this week. It's entirely dedicated to Bioshock: Infinite.

Launch - Sang-Froid: Tales of Warewolves

Today in gaming: a new game Sang-Froid: Tales of the Warewolves was released on Steam. You can get it for $14.99US. This is a really cool combination of tower-defense mechanics, sniper rifle wolf killing, and trap laying. This game was originally on the Greenlight service and was voted into existence, so that speaks to the quality of the game.

The game takes place in 1858 in Canada and is based around the fictitious appearance of warewolves in a logging community and the efforts of you and your fellow loggers to continue logging the local region while defending yourselves from wave after wave of deadly half-man, half-wolf creatures.

theHunter Simulation to Go Multiplayer?

Today in gaming: Starting this Monday, April 8, 2013, registered players of the Expansive Worlds online hunting title theHunter [sic] will have an opportunity to sign up for an alpha test of their new co-op version of the game. This multiplayer feature will allow gamers to go out together in hunting parties to bag deer and such.

Of course, there is also the possibility that theHunt could devolve into the greatest hardcore shooter in the history of gaming, with hunters actively stalking each other through the woods and building hides in trees just trying to keep alive. We'll see how it all plays out. I for one would gladly play this game if could go all Dick Chaney on the hunter next to me for making noise while I'm hunting grouse.

Expansive Worlds is an independent subsidiary of Avalanche Studios.

X360 Black Ops 2 Uprising Date

Today in gaming: mark April 16, 2013 on your calendar XBOX 360 Black Ops fans. Though this information was leaked three days ago, Treyarch and Activision have officially announced the release date for the second DLC expansion to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. Uprising will feature four new maps:

  • Magma is a Japanese town that is undergoing a facelift thanks to the help of a friendly local volcano.
  • Encore is a London-themed music festival map
  • Vertigo is a labyrinth of pathways inside of a highrise tower in India
  • Studio is a remake of the map Firing Range from the original black ops. I... can... not... wait for this one, as Firing Range was my favorite map from the original.

... and a new zombie mode game called Mob of the Dead -- that takes place on Alcatraz between zombies and gangsters from the 1920s. It features voice over acting from Ray Liotta (Billy Handsome), Chazz Palminteri (Salvatore“Sal” DeLuca), Joe Pantoliano (Al“The Weasel” Arlington), and Michael Madsen (Michael“Finn” O’Leary). Really cool stuff.

No word as yet about the release dates for PC. The XBOX release will cost 1200 points ($15US). I'll keep you informed and I plan to promote it on my YouTube channel, the link to which you can find in the nav bar on the right.

Podcasters Launch Game for Atari 2600

Today in gaming: The guys at RetroGamingRoundup.com -- an old-school video game podcast -- have actually developed a game that you can buy and run on an Atari 2600. Let me repeat that... this game comes on a cartridge the fits into and plays on an Atari video game console.

How about that? The game plot revolves around the members of the podcast and the events of CGE 2010 -- which apparently involve a thief who stole some CDs from them.

Farming Simulator 2013 Port to 360, PS3

Today in gaming: Swiss video game development studio Giants Software GmbH shocked a lot of people when their game Farming Simulator exploded on the market in Europe -- selling millions of copies. The company is now expanding into the North American market with new versions of the game for XBOX, 3DS, and Playstation 3 -- slated to come out some time in September 2013. They will include climate conditions specific to North America and new animals.

Trailer - Metro Last Light

Today in gaming: Steam has a trailer for a new game called Metro Last Light -- the much anticipated sequel to the video game Metro 2033. The games are based on the popular novel Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky.

This game is a thematic retelling of the events within the Third Reich reset in a bleak future post-apocalyptic Earth. Apparently, in this game you begin play as a little boy and then grow into a man who must single-handedly destroy the entire infrastructure of the empire and save it's inhabitants from annihilation at the hands of it's sadistic dictators.

The game is rated-"M", but the trailer is sedate in that it only features people being tortured and murdered. No gameplay footage on this one -- I'll keep you up to date on future trailers for this title.

Launch - Evoland

Today in gaming: ever been sitting around thinking to yourself, "Self, I'd like to use the bush-burning mechanic from the original Legend of Zelda and mix it with the 3D platforming aspects of the Ice Cavern from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"? Of course you have. I once wasted eight minutes in the shower thinking of that very thought.

Well, sadly someone beat us to it.

Shiro Games has released its new adventure RPG title Evoland. This game is very much along the lines of an old-school Legend of Zelda title. Except that it's also an old-school JRPG title like Pokemon. Except that it's also a modern adventure RPG. Except that it eventually becomes a 3D-world. So really, it's a trek through the entire history of modern gaming. But with one unifying story and some awesome game mechanics.

It's up on both Steam and GOG, but GOG has it on sale for $8.99US.

Rumored Port - Agarest on Steam

Today in gaming: I found out that the Japanese console game Agarest: Generations of War may be coming to the PC. Ghostlight -- the U.K.-based development house -- has added their popular game to the Steam Greenlight database to see if it can generate enough votes to make the cut.

The game is about good versus evil and the Gods that control both sides waging war using humans. It is incredibly popular in Europe and Japan -- and now Ghostlight is hoping it will play well in the U.S.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Telltale Announces Poker Night 2

Today in gaming: I found out that development house TellTale Games has a new rated-"M" project in the works that they've just announced called Poker Night 2. This game has a little bit of gambling, a little bit of smoking, a little bit of violence... eh -- you know -- the usual fare. Looks like a classic; I can't wait.

The Web site is nice (see link below). All I know is, you can scroll over top of everyone in the room to find out who they are... except the red-hot, awesome, mysterious, steampunk bartender who may or may not have stolen Slash's hat. What the hell is THAT all about? I want to know more about this woman!!!

Anyway... This game is tentatively scheduled for "late April" for the PlayStation Network, PC and the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. It will offer players the opportunity to earn "Bounty Unlocks" -- achievements that unlock stuff in other games. Not really sure how that's going to work, but I'll be coming back to it.

D&D Neverwinter Open Beta Date

Today in gaming: Perfect World Entertainment -- makers of the upcoming MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Neverwinter -- announced that their open beta for the game will begin on Tuesday, April 30, 2013. The beta is being billed as "unrestricted access" to the game world.

However, if you were one of the founders of the game, you actually will receive your beta keys on Friday, April 12th and have exclusive access to four different professions: leadership, leatherworking, mailsmithing, and platesmithing.

I'm guessing mailsmithing is like "postal employee"... but with magic!

NVIDIA's Take on Their Offer for PS4

Today in gaming: according to an article on Gamespot.com, NVIDIA pass the first company that Sony came to when getting ready to design the graphics components for the new PlayStation 4 -- and they passed. It seems that designing hardware for the consoles doesn't pay as well as one might think. The contract eventually went to rival chip manufacturer AMD -- who openly crowed about their new bedfellows at GDC 2013 last week.

You can read the full article via the link below.

Disney Shuts Down Lucas Arts

Today in gaming: Kotaku.com has full coverage on the bombshell news this morning that the Disney Conglomerate has shut down Lucas Arts after purchasing it back in 2012.

As a result of the shutdown, the much anticipated third person shooter Star Wars 1313 has been scrapped. This was a title that many of us saw as a chance for the beleagured game house to return to greatness after it's last two titles -- Kinect Star Wars and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed -- failed miserably.

[LINK] Kotaku.com: The Demise of Lucas Arts

Monday, April 1, 2013

Today in Gaming, Episode #6

[Monday, Apr 1, 2013] This episode of Today in Gaming contains the following news stories:

  • Trailer - The Last of Us (0:35)
  • Statistics - Retro City Rampage (0:55)
  • Calvin and Hobbes Game Cover? (1:22)
  • Football, Old School Style (1:32)
  • Launch - Fallen World (2:29)
  • Announce - Endless Space: WoF (3:01)
  • Kotaku on Ethics in the Marketplace (3:44)
  • Release - Battle Dungeon: Risen (4:25)
  • Release - Bug-o-Rama for iPad (4:54)
  • IndieGoGo Project: Netherworld (5:08)

IndieGoGo Project: Netherworld

[LINK] View the Project Home Page for this Title

Today in gaming: I found this brand new project on IndieGoGo.com that was really cool. The idea behind the game is that there is an imbalance in the netherworld and you have to fix it by crafting spells.

The game creates a unique universe every time you play the game, so it will last you a while. And the game doesn't have one set way to beat it, allowing you to use your creativity and skill to determine your own path to victory.

This looks like a really cool game and I encourage all of you to have a look and contribute if you think so too.

Announce - Endless Space: WoF

[LINK] Endless Space Home Page

Today in gaming: Paris-based developer Amplitude Studios has announced that they will be developing a new title exclusively for the Neo Geo X portable gaming device. Endless Space: Wings of Freedom is a 2D horizontal shooter based in the world of the Endless Space franchise. Players can jump from planet-to-planet, system-to-system unlocking the secrets of the Endless.

The release of this spinoff is an opportunity for Amplitude to bring their franchise to new gamers who may not have experienced the original Endless Space -- a turn-based 4X space sim released in July of 2012 -- on PC or Mac.

No dates have been announced yet.

Launch - Bug-o-Rama for iPad

[LINK] Starch Studio Home Page

Today in gaming: Starch Studios released a bug-squishing game for the iPad. Fight your way through forty levels to defeat the Queen Bug Boss. The game is $1.99US.