Deals
9 CommentsHalo 4 and Tomb Raider discounted by at least 55 percent
By Tracey Lien on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Halo 4 for Xbox 360 and Tomb Raider for Windows PC are currently being heavily discounted on Amazon and Greenman Gaming, with both games having price reductions of at least 55 percent.
Tomb Raider for PC is currently available from Greenman gaming for $16.99, which is a saving of 66 percent off. Amazon has Halo 4 for $17.99, which is a saving of 55 percent off.
Polygon's reviews of Tomb Raider and Halo 4 are linked respectively.
Speed Run
22 CommentsXbox One, EA, Watch Dogs, Resident Evil: Revelations, Human Angle: Speed Run
By Samit Sarkar on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Microsoft's Xbox One will offer remote play, and its second-generation Kinect will respond to users like iPhone's Siri, according to Polygon's sources. Electronic Arts will likely release most of its future games on two game engines. We now know what the box art for Xbox One games will look like. Watch Dogs fans can become in-game pedestrians through a Ubisoft contest. We reviewed the console and PC port of Resident Evil: Revelations. And our second Human Angle feature this week focuses on the queer games scene.
The Xbox One can talk to you, will feature remote play
EA moves toward a two game engine future
Xbox One box art style unveiled with Forza Motorsport 5
Watch Dogs gives players the chance to become in-game pedestrians
Resident Evil: Revelations review: secret weapon
Just...
News
49 CommentsDestiny could come to PC if it doesn't 'compromise the core experience,' senior writer says
By Dave Tach on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Destiny, Halo developer Bungie's upcoming cross-platform sci-fi shooter, could make its way to PC, senior writer Eric Osborne told IGN.
Destiny was announced earlier this year, and is headed to the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles. Bungie co-founder Jason Jones described the game as a "console shooter" at the game's reveal earlier this year, but the developer hasn't ruled out a PC version.
"We haven't said yes, and we haven't said no," Osborne said. "The more platforms we take on, the more work it ultimately becomes, and what we don't want is to compromise the core experience on any platforms. We have a lot of people who play on PCs. We have a lot of appetite to build that experience. We haven't announced it yet, but we're looking forward to talking more...
News
3 CommentsThe Yawhg set for May 30 release
By Dave Tach on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
The Yawhg, an indie role-playing game from artist Emily Carroll and developer Damian Sommer, is scheduled for release on May 30.
The game supports up to four players and randomizes the story every time you play. The narrative concerns a town bracing for the return of the dredded Yawhg, and players' decisions and actions will decide the fate of the community. The randomly generated story includes 50 endings, with ambiance courtesy of sound designer Ryan Roth, who also worked on Starseed Pilgrim. Artist Emily Carroll's previous work includes the mysterious comic His Face All Red.
The Yawhg will be available on Windows PC for $10 at release, but you can pre-order the game from the official website for $5. For more on the game and those behind it, check out our interview from last year.
News
15 CommentsCall of Duty: Ghosts dev discusses challenges of motion capture work with dogs
By Samit Sarkar on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
One of the stars of Call of Duty: Ghosts is the player character's canine companion, and Zach Volker of developer Infinity Ward told Eurogamer that one of the studio's biggest challenges was figuring out how to motion-capture dogs for the game.
The Call of Duty Dog, Colin, stole the show during Ghosts' unveiling at the Xbox One reveal event this week, and was quickly immortalized on the web with a (non-official) Twitter account, a GIF featuring some of Infinity Ward's detailed work on him and some fan-made ideas for doggie DLC.
"We'd never mo-capped a dog before! Working with two-legged characters is hard enough. The session was crazy," said Volker, lead animator on Ghosts.
Infinity Ward initially tried the typical mo-cap outfit, a spandex suit with markers glued onto it, but the...
News
3 CommentsMinimalist platformer Still Time turns time into an illusion
By Samit Sarkar on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Still Time, an upcoming Flash game from indie developer Alan Zucconi, is a platformer that messes with time, and Zucconi told PC Gamer that he designed it with a minimalist aesthetic so players could focus on the game's puzzles.
"In the last years there have been incredible improvements in the level of realism that games can achieve, but so few breakthrough in their actual gameplay," said Zucconi. "I wanted to create something experimental to realize exactly the opposite." When time is paused, the screen takes on a CRT-esque filter, and players must utilize copies of themselves at different points in time to get through Still Time's puzzles.
You can watch a trailer for Still Time above. A rough alpha version of the title is playable on Zucconi's website.
News
2 CommentsSir, You Are Being Hunted gameplay trailer introduces the mountain biome
By Emily Gera on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
The latest gameplay video for upcoming tweed-punk shooter Sir, You Are Being Hunted shows off the latest environment in the game, the mountain biome.
While previous videos introduced its English countryside-styled setting, the mountain biome region which includes environmental features such as ruined villages and wooded areas, and allowing for more hunting and wilderness scavenging.
The game can now be pre-ordered from the Humble Store right here.
News
1 CommentJoe Danger and Joe Danger 2: The Movie coming to PC
By Emily Gera on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Joe Danger and sequel Joe Danger 2: The Movie are coming to Steam for Windows PC, Hello Games announced today.
Both titles will feature new content, including additional levels, different graphics settings and controller, mouse and keyboard support. Both titles will support full Steam Big Picture mode, in addition to ghost recording allowing players to compete with other users right in the game. Finally, the PC version is complete with a fully-featured level editor and is integrated with Steamworks which will let you browse levels through Steam Workshop.
"It's weird, PC is actually Joe Danger's birthplace," said managing director Sean Murray in a statement to Polygon. "We couldn't get hold of devkits when we started out, so I coded my first ever PC engine for the original Joe Danger,...
News
5 CommentsBioWare apologizes for accidentally banning over 100 Star Wars: The Old Republic players
By Emily Gera on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
BioWare took to its official forums today to apologize for accidentally banning between 100 and 150 players of its MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Yesterday a number of players were emailed a notification for a week-long ban from the game due to an apparent violation of terms of service.
Community Manager Eric Musco has since written an official apology on the game's forums, stating:
"What occurred, and what you folks reported, is that there was a small subset of players who were incorrectly caught in this tracking and subsequently actioned. Just to give you a bit of perspective, there were less than 150 people in total who were incorrectly actioned as a part of what happened yesterday. If you were one of those players who had not been exploiting and were wrongly flagged, you should...
Review
26 Comments
7.5
Resident Evil: Revelations review: secret weapon
By Philip Kollar on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Resident Evil: Revelations is a survivor. Three different Resident Evil-branded games launched in 2012, and Revelations' handheld take seemed the least likely suspect to succeed. But episodic structure and blurry graphics aside, there's very little that marked it as a handheld game.
It's hard to believe that something as cool-headed and confident as Resident Evil: Revelations has come from the same company that published the messy, uneven Resident Evil 6. In its transition to consoles and PC, it's even clearer that Revelations surpasses most recent efforts in the series, despite the portable roots apparent in some of its production values. Amidst similar ambitions — a globe-trotting story, multiple playable characters, etc. — Revelations keeps its limitations in sight and...
Video
3 CommentsCivilization 5's Brave New World expansion trailer details the new ideology and policy system
By Jenna Pitcher on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
A new trailer for Civilization 5's next expansion, Brave New World, details the game's new ideology system and several new policy trees.
Players can choose ideology for their nation, which range between "Freedom," "Order," and "Autocratic." Each individual ideology grants access to different abilities and will affect diplomatic relationships with other civilizations.
It was recently revealed that Indonesia and Morocco will be playable civilizations. Indonesia's leader is Gajah Mada, a military leader and the prime minister of the Majapahit Empire. Morocco is lead by Ahmad al-Mansur sultan of the Saadi dynasty in the second half of the 1600s.
The expansion will add other new features, such as eight new wonders, new trade systems, nine new playable civilizations, such as Poland with...
News
12 CommentsRe-Logic reveals Terraria's new game mechanics for Windows PC
By Jenna Pitcher on May 24, 2013 05.24.13
Re-Logic released a video preview outlining the new game mechanics featured in Terraria's 1.2 update for Windows PC.
The sandbox adventure game first launched on Windows PC in May, 2011. In early 2012, Re-Logic announced that it would cease rolling updates for the PC version beginning February that year; however, a year later, developer Andrew Spinks asked the Terraria community what features they would like in future PC updates.
Around the same time in January, 505 Games announced that the game will launch on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 in March. The console version included new maps, weapons, armor, enemies, the ability to play in split-screen mode and online multiplayer. On March 28, it was announced that Terraria will also be ported to the PS...
News
3 CommentsCounter-Strike: Global Offensive introduces community regulators with Overwatch
By Jenna Pitcher on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
Valve is introducing a community regulated scheme called the Overwatch into Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, giving experienced community members the power to review and decide on disruptive behavior reports, according the official Counter-Strike blog.
Via the Overwatch button, Investigators will able to view reports of disruptive behavior and give a verdict accordingly. Verdicts are Postpone; Majorly Disruptive, which is applied to cheaters; griefing falls under Minorly Disruptive; and Insufficient Evidence.
A ban will be issued if investigators collectively agree that the offending player is guilty; however, a high-scoring investigator's decision has more weight than a lower-scoring investigator. Ban durations range given the "severity of the offense and the suspect's history of...
News
10 CommentsDivekick adds Seth 'S-Kill' Killian to roster as its final boss
By Michael McWhertor on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
Seth "S-Kill" Killian, fighting game expert, former special advisor at Capcom and now producer at Sony Santa Monica Studio, has joined the increasingly bizarre cast of parody fighting game Divekick.
Featuring Killian's signature cross handed style, S-Kill will appear as the final boss of the game's story mode. He's also playable, with a unique set of moves. S-Kill can teleport — much like the Seth of Street Fighter 4 — instead of jumping before his divekicks and has the ability to parry.
S-Kill is a challenging character to play, as we learned during some hands-on time with Divekick last week (while playing against the real-life Seth Killian). While we'd never beat Killian in a fair fight in any other game, Killian seemed to be at something of a disadvantage while playing as...
News
8 CommentsContrast shadow-shifting onto XBLA, PSN and Windows PC in Q3 2013
By Jenna Pitcher on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
Focus Home Entertainment will publish Compulsion Games' 2D/3D puzzle platformer, Contrast, on Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Windows PC in Q3 2013.
Inspired by Pan's Labyrinth and Valve's Portal games, Contrast is set in a surreal 1920s dreamscape filled with cabaret singers, illusionists and circus performers. Gamers take on the role of Dawn, who must help a strange girl called Didi and uncover the secrets surrounding her family. Contrast lets players move in-between the 2D shadow world and the tangible 3D landscape, and manipulate shadows using light sources to uncover new story elements.
Contrast was Greenlit for Steam distribution in October last year and was originally slated to launch this month for Windows PC via Steam. For more information about Contrast, be sure...
News
37 CommentsFinal Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn to release Aug. 27, pre-order bonus detailed
By Tracey Lien on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
Final fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn will release on PlayStation 3 and Windows PC on August 27, and retailers are now accepting pre-orders for the massively-multiplayer online game, PlayStation Blog announced.
Both the PS3 and PC versions of the game will share servers and players on both platforms will be able to play together when the game releases. Those who pre-order the game will earn early access to A Realm Reborn before the game's official launch, and they will also receive in-game items like a Mog Cap and Cait Sith Doll minion.
The blog post also detailed the game's collector's edition which comes with the following items:
A box featuring art was Final Fantasy illustrator Yoshitaka Amano
The Art of Eorzea: A Realm Reimagined — a hardbound artbook featuring concept art
T...
Speed Run
13 CommentsSony, Xbox One, Square Enix, Need for Speed Rivals, Dying Light: Speed Run
By Alexa Ray Corriea on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
Sony is considering a proposal to split its entertainment and electronics divisions. Xbox designers are still trying to hammer out the details for parental controls on the Xbox One. Square Enix USA president and CEO Mike Fischer has left the company. Need for Speed Rivals is coming to current consoles this November and will eventually hit PS4 and Xbox One as well. Techland, the studio behind Dead Island, announced its free-running first-person zombie survival title, Dying Light. We've also revamped the design of our article pages.
Sony considering split of entertainment and electronic divisions
Parental controls need an overhaul for Xbox One, Microsoft official says
President of Square Enix of America leaves company
Need for Speed Rivals brings cops and racers to an open world,...
News
7 CommentsFIFA 14 launching Sept. 24 in North America on PS3, Xbox 360, PC
By Samit Sarkar on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
FIFA 14 will be released Sept. 24 in North America and Sept. 27 in Europe on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC, publisher Electronic Arts announced today.
EA said earlier this week that FIFA 14 will also be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but the company has yet to provide a more specific release window for those versions than "within the next 12 months." Both consoles are scheduled to launch later this year. The PS4 and Xbox One versions will run on Electronic Arts' new Ignite engine, which will power all of the publisher's sports titles on next-generation consoles, and the Xbox One version will include exclusive content for the popular FIFA Ultimate Team mode.
Ignite won't run on PC or Wii U — in fact, FIFA 14 won't be released on Nintendo's console at all. In...
News
17 CommentsNew-generation Kinect for Windows coming next year
By Tracey Lien on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
Microsoft is currently developing a new-generation Kinect sensor for Windows that is set to release next year, according to the director of Kinect for Windows, Bob Heddle.
Posting to the official Kinect for Windows Blog, Heddle announced that a new Kinect for Windows sensor and software development kit are in the works and are set to release in 2014. Both the new Kinect sensor for the Xbox One and the new Kinect for Windows sensor are being built on a shared set of technologies.
"Just as the new Kinect sensor will bring opportunities for revolutionizing gaming and entertainment, the new Kinect for Windows sensor will revolutionize computing experiences," Heddle wrote.
Some of the capabilities of the new sensor include: higher fidelity with an HD color camera, a noise-isolating...
News
2 CommentsSuper Splatters headed to Steam in late June
By Dave Tach on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
Super Splatters, a physics-based puzzle game from developer SpikySnail, is headed to Steam in late June, according to the developer.
The game tasks players with slinging the titular goo-filled Splatters, earning combos and covering each stage with their juices as the goo balls compete for fame and fortune on "the nationwide all-popular channel Splatter TV." Super Splatters is the follow up to the developer's 2012 XBLA title The Splatters.
Check out the video above to get a feel of the sticky platforming coming to Windows PC, Mac and Linux next moth. You can also pre-order the game on SpikySnail's official website for $7, a 30 percent discount off of the regular price of $10.
News
2 CommentsSplinter Cell: Blacklist co-op missions offer different play styles for different characters
By Samit Sarkar on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
The co-op component of Splinter Cell: Blacklist ties specific play styles to certain characters, so co-op players will need to be versatile, said Ubisoft Toronto's Zack Cooper on the PlayStation Blog.
Blacklist co-op features 14 missions split up according to the member of Fourth Echelon that gives them to you. Cooper, community developer at Ubisoft Toronto, revealed two of the characters and their respective game types today: Isaac Briggs and Anna Grimsdottir.
Briggs plays alongside protagonist Sam Fisher in story-based missions that focus on the interplay between the grizzled Fisher and the relative neophyte Briggs. The story ties in with Blacklist's overall narrative, and the missions are more free-form, with support for the Ghost (non-lethal stealth), Panther (lethal stealth) or...
Deals
13 CommentsDefiance Steam sale knocks 30 percent off price, free weekend incoming
By Samit Sarkar on May 23, 2013 05.23.13
The Windows PC version of Trion Worlds' Defiance is discounted by 30 percent on Steam right now, and Steam players can also try out the game for free this weekend, the studio announced today.
The sale drops the game's Standard Edition from $59.99 to $41.99, and the Deluxe Edition from $99.99 to $69.99. Along with the deal comes a discount on Bits, Defiance's in-game currency. Trion is also running a 72-hour free trial on Steam, from 4 p.m. ET today through 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 26.
The second part of the promotion is on the TV side, with Syfy putting up the series' first six episodes for on-demand viewing as well as on its website all weekend long. On Memorial Day, May 27, the network will air those episodes from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. in a marathon session.
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