One big point of contention for House of Wolves when it was announced was the lack of a new raid. But one thing that Bungie will be adding to help ease the pain of that omission will be The Trials of Osiris. This new end-game PvP activity will run every week from Friday to Tuesday. Trials of Osiris will be based on a new 3v3 mode called Elimination where two teams of three face off in a deathmatch. You'll be able to revive your teammates in this mode, and the first team to win five rounds wins the match. In order to help players focus their strategies, there will only be one map available per week.
In order to enter the Trials of Osiris you will need a Trials Passage. You'll be able to earn some by accepting quests that involve talking to NPCs on the Reef. But after that's completed, Trials Passages will cost 100 Glimmer each. In addition to earning you admittance into Osiris, the Trials Passage tracks your wins and losses. Once you lose three times, that specific Trials Passage is done and you can turn it in. Your package rewards are based on the total number of wins you accumulate.
Here are the rewards in Trials of Osiris:
Two to three wins -- A blue package that can contain Motes of Light, Passage Coins, and other items
Five wins -- Ability to purchase the weekly armor
Six wins -- A legendary package
Seven wins -- Ability to purchase the weekly weapon
Eight wins -- Ability to buy a legendary package (Bungie did not disclose the packages rewards, but they did mention that it will not contain Exotics or Trials of Osiris armor)
The rewards are cumulative. So, for example, if you garner seven wins, you'll be able to purchase the weekly weapon and you'll also earn every lesser reward.
If you start off poorly or if you just want to begin a fresh card with a new team, you can discard your Trials Passage at any time. Brother Vance sells consumables that will help you get more wins and negate some losses. These items cost Passage Coins that you will receive as rewards from the Crucible and other places. Passage Coins are a new currency coming to the game that can be used to buy consumables from Trials of Osiris NPC Brother Vance.
Trials of Osiris will contain two sets of armor. The better set will be gated through Crucible wins, whereas the other set will be randomly dropped after matches.
As a sidenote, you'll want to make sure to do Iron Banner when its available, because at Rank 3 and Rank 5 you can earn an Etheric Light to Ascend your gear.
The Dark Below Crucible maps will become free for everyone once House of Wolves releases on May 19. A Bungie representative at the preview event said, "All the Dark Below maps are going into the regular playlist for everybody. If you just have Destiny with no expansion packs, you'll be able to play."
The four new Crucible maps coming to the expansion are all small- to medium-sized maps with no vehicles. However, only three of the maps will come to both Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Thieves Den -- Fallen hideout located on Venus. It has a broken down walker, a docked ship, and multiple caves to run through.
Widow's Court -- An asymmetrical map with both long lines of sight and tight interiors. Set in a European Dead Zone on Earth.
Black Shield -- A decommissioned Firebase believed to be used by the Cabal on Mars as a war base.
The only PlayStation exclusive for House of Wolves will be a Crucible map called Time Keeper. Focused around a mysterious, clockwork-like structure on Mars built by the Vex, this map has the most verticality and the most open space to run around in.
To encourage all players to spend more time in the Crucible on Xbox One and PS4, Bungie is going to increase the rewards you get for participating in the mode:
Earn double Marks
Earn double reputation
Increased number of Engrams rewarded after each match
Completing the daily Crucible missions will net you a reward pack containing Motes of Light, Passage Coins, or other items
On May 6 we'll have more information about the upcoming PvE additions for House of Wolves when Bungie hosts its final livestream prior to the expansion's release. House of Wolves will cost $20 as standalone content, but it's also included with Destiny's $35 Expansion Pass.
Far Cry 4 developer Ubisoft Montreal has launched a new campaign to help support the ongoing relief effort in Nepal. Earlier this week, a 7.8 magnitude earth struck in the country, killing thousands of people and leaving many more injured or facing other types of hardships as a result of the natural disaster.
Ubisoft is currently asking for donations as part of the Nepal Region Earthquake Fund, which is managed by the Canadian Red Cross.
The company has a close connection to Nepal, as the developer researched the country, its people, and its culture as part of the work that went into Far Cry 4. The game is set in the fictional Himalayan region of Kyrat.
"Having spent the last few years working on Far Cry 4, a game heavily inspired by Nepal and its people, it is with heavy hearts that the Far Cry family pulls together to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross, who are mobilizing their traveling hospital team to Kathmandu to offer support and medical assistance," Ubisoft writes on the campaign's website.
So far, people have donated more than $4,600 to the initiative. Ubisoft Montreal will match donations up to the first $100,000.
During a special Destiny livetsream on Twitch today, Bungie will share new information and show off a live gameplay demo for the new Trials of Osiris multiplayer event, which is part of the new House of Wolves expansion. The video broadcast begins today at 11 AM PDT / 2 PM EDT / 7 PM UK, and you'll be able to watch the entire event through the Twitch video played embedded below.
Ahead of the event, Bungie community manager David "Deej" Dague spoke out on Reddit to let viewers know what to expect from the stream.
"This show will be less inquisition and more competitive event," he explained. "Our aim is to showcase the special breed of action and suspense that Trials of Osiris delivers. Our goal is to introduce you to this new activity and let you know how it will change your game. Should be fun."
Dague will host the event live from Bungie's headquarters, while design leads Larks Bakken and Derek Carroll will also speak during it. Community member tripleWRECK is also going to appear.
House of Wolves launches May 19 for all platforms. It's included with Destiny's $35 Expansion Pass--which also comes with the previously released Dark Below add-on--or can be purchased by itself for $20.
Microsoft today announced the free games that will be available to Xbox Live Gold members on Xbox 360 and Xbox One in May.
After a month in which it offered twice as many free games as usual, May takes us back to the usual arrangement: two Xbox One games (one of which, Pool Nation FX, is a carryover from April) and two new Xbox 360 games.
As usual, the Xbox One games will be free all month, while the Xbox 360 games will each be available for half the month. The new One game, CastleStorm: Definitive Edition, and the first 360 game, Mafia II, should be available starting this Friday, May 1.
Sony on Wednesday announced the list of games that PlayStation Plus members can download free in May 2015. PlayStation 4 owners get a total of five free games, while four freebies are up for grabs on PlayStation Vita, followed by three for PlayStation 3.
The games listed below will be available for subscribers when the PlayStation Store refreshes next week on May 5. If you haven't already done so, now is a good time to download April's free games.
16 Materials, 4 Objects, 25 Decorations, 81 Stickers to design with
2 Original Music tracks ("A Blip and a Bubble," "Manlorette Party"), 1 Interactive Music track ("Zombie Loop"). and 3 Cinematic Stingers ("Tragedy of Jake," "Level 1,″ and "Distortion Dirge") by original Adventure Time composer, Tim Kiefer.
Land of Ooo Level Background
A Bonus Fionna Costume
In addition, Sony has released five new Adventure Time costumes for Sackboy: Finn, Jake, Ice King, Gunter, and The Cosmic Owl. You can buy all five together for $6, or individually for $2 each.
The Adventure Time Level Kit, meanwhile, costs $5.
Finally, Sony has released new LittleBigPlanet 3 Adventure Time PlayStation Network avatars for the five characters mentioned above. Head to the PlayStation Blog for a full set of instructions for how to download them an apply them to your profile.
When GameSpot named P.T. as its Game of the Month in August, the most frequent response in the comments section went along the lines of: Seriously? It's not even a game.
"Demo" turned out to be the prevalent description for P.T., among others such as "marketing ploy" and (per the acronym) "Playable Teaser," because people appeared unwilling to bestow Kojima Productions' grand experiment with that four-letter word that draws us all together here.
There's an irony to this, because P.T. would not have been a dazzlingly inventive, bold, and haunting creation had it been bound by the conventions of a modern "game." It is a journey of overbearing anxiety and overbearing paranoia, and uniquely so, because it doesn't follow the trajectory that its peers take.
P.T. would not have been a dazzlingly inventive, bold, and haunting creation had it been bound by the conventions of a modern game
While many established developers seem obliged, for example, to stretch a game's landmass out as far as possible, P.T. goes the other way, confining itself to two corridors running through an archetypal suburban home. Aside from the bathroom joined at the intersection, there is little else to explore, a point made abundantly clear when players exit through the door at the furthest end only to find they have curiously entered back to the spot they started at.
Mild claustrophobia is one outcome of this, but what really begins to build as you loop around this L-shaped limbo is a familiarity with your surroundings--a sense that you are becoming as acquainted with this place as much as you would with, say, your own home. Kojima Productions seizes on this, making subtle changes each time you emerge back at the start, and on other occasions, less so subtle changes. On one trip, the corridor's lights dim to the extent that the furthest end is shrouded in darkness. On another, a looping news report on the radio will break from its routine to tell you something that you'll not likely forget in a while. On some occasions when you expect a major alteration, nothing will happen, and at times when you aren't sure what's changed, the difference will be standing behind you.
Click on the thumbnails below to view these images in full-screen
Nothing I've encountered before replicates with such accuracy the distinct anxiety of hearing a strange noise from somewhere inside your own home; that distressing confusion where what you recall bleeds into what you fear. P.T.'s floor plan will show little more than a narrow hallway, but the world it creates from your own imagination has acres of story and possibility. Shadows dance at the periphery of your view, footsteps echo twice, and figures flash across the dark void between a door and its frame. It is your own fears, not Kojima Productions', that fills into these gaps.
(An aside: It's also purposefully constructed so that the first corridor is the longest, maximising the tension as you approach the intersection. Meanwhile, the second corridor is flanked by several entry points--a balcony above, a front door to your left, a bathroom to your right--to ensure you cannot keep everything in your field of view, and thus feel more exposed.)
GIF: Digital Spy
It's worth noting that, had his been a "game" that stretched across twenty hours and three DLC packs, P.T.'s expertly crafted horror chamber would gradually lose its grip on the player (a fate, it hurts to say, that Alien: Isolationcould not avoid). P.T.'s moments of piercing, blood-rushing dread can be counted on one hand, and the total screen-time for Lisa (the ghoul who lives with you, whose gritted smile and guttural sobs will linger in the memory for years) is perhaps less than a hundred seconds. You will have seen most of it within an hour or two. By contrast, a triple-A game is duty-bound to offer at least several hours of content, in a crude-yet-understandable way of justifying its price tag. P.T. is available for free, however, and thus it is free to do things how it wants.
While many games offer glorious fantasies of empowerment, P.T. is a nightmare of disempowerment.
Or perhaps the better description is that it's free to not do things. Many games, by habit, introduce opportunities to upgrade arsenals, collect perks and forge alliances to ultimately overcome the core challenge. These are glorious fantasies of empowerment. P.T. is a nightmare of disempowerment; its sole commands are move and look with the analogue sticks, and gaze at a specific object with the R3 button (pro-tip: never press the R3 button). The stark absence of inputs and actions leaves you with dreadful sense of vulnerability--a kind of nakedness--which jolts into raw terror once the game is ready to pounce on you.
Never, ever, look into a door left ajar.
Some will say the jump scares are a little basic, a little unsophisticated, and that's absolutely true. Although P.T. toys with our imaginations with refined cruelty, it also demonstrates that nothing sends thunderbolts through the nervous system quite as effectively as the word "boo." Basic isn't the right word; these are primal scares. It is no coincidence that the first lingering shot of Lisa depicts her so freakishly tall that she towers above a door frame. It's a fascinating tactic that taps into our inherited evolutionary fear of predators who outsize us.
The argument of whether this pure distillation of unbearable horror is a game or not is, by now, purely academic. Today, Konami will remove it from the PlayStation Store and it will be neither game nor demo nor teaser nor advert. It will be nothing--a haunted space in a digital library, its memory slowly fading like an awful dream.
Initially released for PC in 2013 through Steam Early Access, M2H Game Studio and Blackmill Games this week launched the final version of their World War 1 multiplayer first-person shooter, Verdun.
The game is billed as the "first multiplayer FPS set in a realistic First World War setting." You can buy it now on Steam for $20.69, a 10 percent markdown from the game's normal price--that's good through May 5.
Since the game's initial debut more than a year ago, developers have been able to improve the game's visuals (see the image embedded here) and implement some features fans asked for.
"Over the course of the year, many good suggestions were made and put into the game," the developer said. "Whilst not every good suggestion made it in, we intend to add a few more in the near future."
M2H and Blackmill also announced that Verdun will come with a free bonus map called Aisne. This map takes players to a location in Northern France that saw heavy fighting at on the onset of the war.
The developers also explained that they will add free expansions to Verdun over time, including Belgian and American troops for the Allies, as well as German troops for the other side. A full roadmap for future content releases is available here.
Verdun aims to offer "realistic" and "gritty" gameplay, featuring weapons authentic to the period and a bullet physics system that requires players to lead their targets to hit them. You play as part of a squad, fighting through trenches, and the developers say teamplay is "at the heart" of the overall experience.
Verdun has even enlisted the help of historians to ensure that the game is "as historically accurate" as possible. Player uniforms, gun models, and maps were all designed to be authentic and accurate to the time period, while the game also includes "realistic sounds and accurate native voices."
For more on Verdun, check out the new trailer below.
Konami's P.T., a "playable teaser" for the now-canceled horror game Silent Hills, is scheduled to be removed from the PlayStation Store later today. That means the free PlayStation 4 game is soon to become something of a rarity. Not surprisingly, then, some gamers have turned to eBay in an attempt to cash in.
As reported by VG247, multiple eBay auctions for systems with P.T. on their hard drives have popped up this week. Two are from users in the United Kingdom, who have each specified a £1,000 ($1,500) buy-it-now price (see the listings here and here).
A third listing, from a seller in the United States, comes with a pre-installed copy of P.T. (and five other games) with a current high bid of $319.
Yet another listing offers a PS4 with a pre-installed copy of P.T. with a starting bid price of $1,000. Pay $1,800, however, and it's yours right now.
It's not too late to get P.T. for free, as you can still head to the PlayStation Store here to queue up your download. Konami hasn't specified exactly when it will be removed today, but if you're interested, you may want to download it right away.
Silent Hills was originally revealed at Gamescom 2014 as horror game P.T., which was launched as a free PS4 demo on the PlayStation Store with almost no explanation as to what it was. Developer Hideo Kojima later said he wanted to make Silent Hills so scary that it will "make you sh*t your pants." He was working on the game with The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus and Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo delo Toro.
The forthcoming removal of P.T. from the PlayStation Store is just one of many storylines surrounding Konami. The Japanese publisher is reportedly in the midst of a power struggle with Kojima, who is expected to leave the company later this year after work on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain wraps up. For everything you need to know about the recent news around Konami/Metal Gear Solid/Kojima/Silent Hills, check out GameSpot's timeline of events.
Modder Ruppertle has brought an AT-AT and some Stormtroppers to the military shooter by way of the "ATAT Madness" mod.
Check out the video below to see the impressive mod in action, and watch out for a special entrance by Miley Cyrus about halfway through (no really).
Ruppertle writes in the video's description that he actually made this mod about a year ago but never finished it, only just now publishing a video of it. The developer also says the Imperial Walker animations are "very poor" and that they used the O2 Engine to make the mod.
"I don't think I will ever finish so enjoy the video hope you guys like it," Ruppertle said.
Warner Bros. on Wednesday announced a Game of the Year edition for its Lord of the Rings action-adventure game, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. The new version launches on May 5 for $50.
It will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. There was no mention of last-generation consoles.
The Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition comes with the main game (of course), along with all previously released expansion packs (see below).
After a submission and expert voting process, the New York-based Strong National Museum of Play this week announced the finalists for the first wave of inductees to its World Video Game Hall of Fame.
Games were evaluated by experts based on "icon-status, longevity, geographical reach, and the influence it has had on the design of other games, entertainment, popular culture, and society in general."
Inductees will be announced during a presentation at The Strong Museum in Rochester, NY on Thursday, June 4, at 10:30 AM. They will then be put on display at the museum's eGameRevolution exhibit.
"The 15 finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame span decades, gaming platforms, and geographies--but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on popular culture and society in general," The Strong Museum's Jon-Paul Dyson said in a statement. "Whether it's the groundbreaking game Pong or a more recent viral sensation like Minecraft, all of these games have helped shape the way that people across the globe play and relate to one another."
Do you agree with The Strong's finalists? Let us know in the comments below!
Back in February, GameSpot editors revealed their own picks for games that should be included in the Hall of Fame. My selection, GoldenEye 007, didn't make the cut.
A newly discovered Bloodborne glitch shows off the challenging RPG like we've never seen it before.
YouTube user PaiNz encountered a strange camera bug that locked the game into a top-down view. Bloodborne, of course, is normally played from a third-person perspective.
It's reminiscent of older Grand Theft Auto games or the Diablo series. And it's quite fun to watch.
What do you think? Would you like to play Bloodborne from this perspective? No doubt this new bug would make an already challenging game even tougher. Let us know in the comments.
Warner Bros. has released what it's calling the "final" trailer for upcoming Mad Max movie Fury Road, which hits theaters in just a couple more weeks on May 15. While previous Fury Road trailers focused almost exclusively on the film's incredible action sequences, this one--though it still has those--uncovers more story and plot details. We also get a closer look at the Charlize Theron's character's bionic arm.
Eurogamer compiled the developers' responses, which cover all manner of topics, including lock-on mechanics, camera positioning, frame rate and resolution, and more.
Addressing the complaint that the camera is too close to the character, Tabata said, "We may consider allowing the player to choose from different camera distances." On the subject of the camera feeling "heavy or sluggish," Tabata had a clear answer: "We'll make sure the camera is smoother. Simple as that."
Responding to complaints about Final Fantasy XV's reported frame rate drop issues, Tabata said this is a "serious matter" that Square Enix considers to be a "high priority issue." The issue right now is related to the game's visual effects and UI, but Tabata said he's hopeful it can be improved before launch.
"We are working towards full HD," he said. "But frame rate is more important than resolution."
Also during the presentation, Tabata and Ofuji responded to a complaint that the game's Cindy character (above) was "too sexy."
"She's actually not meant to be an erotic character," Tabata explained. "Her character is very energetic and outgoing, a very active character. With those traits paired with her appearance, we feel it wouldn't be too problematic even if, say, she shows up on screen while your parents are in the living room."
Ofuji added that the concerns might stem from the "amount of skin" she shows being too much for someone whose line of work is fixing cars. "Oh, I see," Tabata replied. "But she is a very cheerful and active character, I don't think we want to change the current concept."
Head to Eurogamer for tons more, including Tabata's response to fans calling for a female party member, concerns about the game's dash system, and issues with battles being too difficult to or too easy, among other things. You can also watch the lengthy video broadcast below.
Controversial shooter Hatred will be released for PC via Steam this June, which developer Destructive Creations claims makes it the first game with the Adults Only rating to appear on the digital distribution service. Speaking to Eurogamer, the developer said that the game's release date of June 1 was chosen so that it would "not interfere with the launch of the biggest game coming out from its native Poland at that time."
Creative director Jaroslaw Zielinski explained, "Initially we were planning to announce the release date for Hatred on May 19th, but... well honestly speaking we will be playing The Witcher 3 then."
Hatred was rated Adults Only in North America by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, meaning that it won't be coming to consoles without the developer making some changes. All three major console manufacturers—Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo—have a policy that forbids the publishing of Adults Only-rated games on their platforms.
The PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops III will get dedicated servers, developer Treyarch has confirmed. Posting on Twitter, Treyarch director of development Cesar 'pcdev' Stastny said that the PC version of the game will "use 100% dedicated servers for all ranked matches."
Black Ops 3 will feature a playable female lead character, a first for the core series. The campaign will support up to four players co-operatively. For lots more on the game, check out GameSpot's in-depth hands-on preview from our recent visit to Treyarch's office in Santa Monica. You can also see some images in the gallery below.
A major new sale to celebrate Golden Week in Japan has kicked off on the North American PlayStation Store, discounting dozens of games for PS4, PS3, Vita, and PSP.
Sale prices are available for everyone, but steeper discounts are offered to PlayStation Plus members. With some games that's a difference of just a dollar, while in other cases being a Plus subscriber will save you as much as $6.
Read on for the full list of deals, as divided by platform, or check them out on the PlayStation Store.
The first downloadable content for Wii U RPG Xenoblade Chronicles X has been detailed, and there's quite a bit of it to be had.
Seven DLC packs in all have been revealed on the official website for the game, which released today in Japan (where it's already April 29). This includes four bundles that each consist of a character, three quests, two combat abilities (Arts, in the game's parlance), and either a weapon or mech blueprint. You can see photos of each of these--which will cost 500 yen (about $4 USD)--in the gallery below.
The other three packs are referred to as "support DLC" and provide you with additional quests where you can earn more money, resources, or experience (depending on which of the three you're playing) than you otherwise would in the main game. Each of these three packs is priced at 300 yen (about $2.50).
Players interested in all of this can save 900 yen by picking up a bundle that includes all seven packs for 2,000 yen (about $17).
This first wave of DLC will be available in Japan on May 8. There's no word yet on whether it will also be available in North America and Europe, though that's hardly a surprise considered we don't know when the game is coming outside the vague release window of "2015."
Xenoblade is being published by Nintendo, which also owns developer Monolith Soft. The company is still feeling its way out in the DLC market, which it's still fairly new to (and which some of its employees--like Masahiro Sakurai--have strong opinions about). This represents one of its first attempts at DLC alongside games like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8.
Nintendo recently showcased the game during a livestream event. You can catch a replay of that here, and check out our latest preview in the video above.
Microsoft on Tuesday published the final cover art for this October's Xbox One shooter Halo 5: Guardians. The company released pieces of the art you see below last week through its social channels, but revealed the full image today. And it's quite striking and different from the art we've seen in the past.
While Master Chief enjoyed the spotlight alone for the Halo 4 and Halo 3 cover art (among others), things are different for his latest outing. As you can see in the image embedded in this post, Chief is joined by newcomer Spartan Locke, who will play a major role in the game; he's even a playable character for some portions.
What's more, we also see mysterious Spartan fireteams supporting both Chief and Locke. Microsoft says in a post on the Xbox Wire that these Spartan soldiers will "play a crucial role in the showdown between the Master Chief and Spartan Locke."
But who are they? Microsoft didn't reveal any details today. Instead, the company says fans can expect information about these new characters to be revealed during Microsoft's E3 presentation in June.
Below is a timeline of major events that have transpired in the past few months.
March 19:
Kojima Expected to Leave Konami After Metal Gear Solid 5
An inside source at Konami told GameSpot last month that esteemed developer Hideo Kojima would be exiting the company after Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ships in September. The decision comes in the midst of a reported power struggle between Kojima and Konami. [Full story]
March 20:
Konami Wants New Staff for Next Metal Gear Game
Just hours after we reported on Kojima's strained relationship with Konami, the publisher announced that it had started early production on the next Metal Gear Solid game. The company also said it was looking for fresh talent to work on this early-in-development game, a follow-up to The Phantom Pain. [Full story]
March 20:
Kojima: I Am 100 Percent Involved in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
In a bid to quell concerns that unrest at Kojima Productions would affect The Phantom Pain, Konami released a statement quoting Hideo Kojima as saying: "I want to reassure fans that I am 100 percent involved and will continue working on Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; I'm determined to make it the greatest game I've directed to date. Don't miss it!" [Full story]
March 25:
Kojima Station Suspended Indefinitely
As many suspected, the broadcast event Kojima Station was put on hiatus. Given Kojima's uncertain future with Konami, it's not surprising that the series was suspended. What remains to be seen is if the broadcast will ever return, with or without Kojima. [Full story]
March 31:
Silent Hills/PT Website Removes Kojima Productions Logo
Konami wiped clean the Kojima Productions logo from the Silent Hills/PT website, leading some to believe the project might be in trouble (more on that later). Konami did the same for the Metal Gear Solid V websites earlier in the month. [Full story]
April 22:
"Meet The Head Transplant Surgeon at the Center of a Metal Gear Solid Conspiracy"
Kotaku UK reporter Gabriel Galliani dove into the very bizarre story of a head transplant neurosurgeon named Sergio Canavero who looks a lot like the doctor from The Phantom Pain's first teaser trailer. It's all very strange, and some have even suggested it's an extensive marketing ploy for the game. [Full story]
April 26:
PS4's PT, a Teaser for Silent Hills, Being Removed Soon
On this day, Konami announced that the "playable teaser" for Silent Hills will officially be removed from the PlayStation Store on Wednesday, April 29. It remains to be seen if the game will remain playable for people who already downloaded the free game, and if its removal is tied to the news that would be announced the next day. [Full story]
April 27:
Silent Hills Canceled, Konami Confirms
Konami made it official on April 27, confirming that the horror game is no longer in development. It was supposed to feature The Walking Dead actor Norman Reedus and was to be directed by Hideo Kojima along with Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro, but it was not to be. Though Silent Hills may be canned, Konami stressed that it will "continue to develop the Silent Hill series." [Full story]
April 27:
Konami Voluntarily Delists Itself From the New York Stock Exchange
On the same day that Konami announced the cancellation of Silent Hills, the publisher also revealed that it was removing its shares from the New York Stock Exchange. But this seems like a practical, cost-saving move more than anything tied to that project. After all, over the past year, 99.71 percent of the company's common stock was traded in Japan and the United Kingdom. [Full story]
May 8:
Konami Will Report Earnings for the Latest Financial Quarter
If Konami has news to share regarding the future of the company, this could be a venue where it might do so. We'll be keeping a close eye, as usual, on this earnings report next week.
September 1:
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Releases
After years of development, The Phantom Pain will launch worldwide on this date for consoles, while the PC version will be released two weeks later. This will be a telling time: Will Hideo Kojima officially announce his departure from Konami? What will he do next? Check back in a few months to find out.
Ouya, the company behind the gaming microconsole of the same name, is seeking a buyer amidst debt issues, according to a new report by Fortune.
The site was able to obtain an email sent by CEO Julie Uhrman to investors and advisors earlier this month. She notes, "Given our debtholder's timeline, the process will be quick. We are looking for expressions of interest by the end of this month."
This move comes in the wake of failed attempts to restructure debt, as well as reports last year that it was seeking a buyer.
"Our focus now is trying to recover as much investor capital as possible," Uhrman said in the email. "We believe we've built something real and valuable. I continue to read the tweets and emails of our fans who play Ouya every day, and our catalog is now over 1,000 apps and 40,000 developers. We have the largest library of Android content for the TV (still more than Amazon)--hells ya!"
It was only three months ago, back in January, that Ouya received a $10 million investment from Chinese company Alibaba.
Zen Studios has released an image teasing some kind of partnership with Valve, presumably entailing either a new pinball game or content for one of its existing games.
The image below is all we have to go on at this point. There don't appear to be any Easter eggs lurking in it, waiting to reveal the details of what the project entails.
Zen has released numerous licensed standalone pinball games in the past, as well as DLC tables for its latest pinball games, Pinball FX 2 and Zen Pinball 2. These collaborations include the likes of South Park, Star Wars, and Marvel.
EA has rotated in a new game to Origin's free On the House promotion, and it's another isometric game from the early '90s: Ultima VIII: Pagan.
Specifically, you'll be getting the Gold Edition of Ultima VIII, which usually sells for $5, for free. It was originally released back in 1994 by Origin Systems, the now-defunct developer co-founded by Richard Garriott and best known for its work on the Ultima and Wing Commander series. Ultima VIII is the second-to-last game in the main Ultima series.
No comments:
Post a Comment