Borderlands: The Handsome Collection for Xbox One and PS4 is already $50 at Amazon and Best Buy. If you're a Gamers Club Unlocked member, you can get it at Best Buy for just $40.
Microsoft's latest Deals With Gold promotion is on, discounting a handful of Xbox One and Xbox 360 games--almost exclusively from the Call of Duty series. You can check out all the deals here.
Amazon prices are accurate as of publishing, but can fluctuate occasionally throughout the day.
GameSpot's gaming deals posts always highlight the best deals we can find regardless of retailer. We also occasionally use retailer affiliate links, which means that purchasing goods through those links helps support all the great content (including the deals posts) you find for free here on the site.
On the same day that Konami officially confirmed that Silent Hills is no longer in development, the company has announced [PDF link] that it's voluntarily delisted itself from the New York Stock Exchange. The company's American Depositary Shares are no longer listed as of April 24.
Konami has also announced that it's filed a Form 15F with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to terminate its obligation to report quarterly financial earnings in English. However, the company said it will continue to do so in an effort to "ensure that [Konami's] overseas shareholders and investors will continue to have appropriate information."
Konami's deregistration with the SEC will become effective July 12, while reporting obligations will come to an end on July 23 (though as mentioned above, Konami will continue to make this information available in English).
As for why Konami is doing this, the publisher said in its Form 15F that, over the past year, 99.71 percent of the company's common stock was traded in Japan and the United Kingdom. By region, Japan accounted for 97.48 percent, while the UK made up 2.23 percent, leaving just .29 percent for the US.
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter told GameSpot today that Konami's decision to delist itself from the NYSE is a "cost-saving move." He estimated that taking this action will save the company about $5-$10 million per year. "The stock doesn't trade much [in the US], so it probably occurred to them that it wasn't worth being listed [in the US]," Pachter explained.
Konami will report earnings for its latest final period next week on May 8. It's possible that the publisher will shed more light on why it's decided to delist shares from the NYSE during this event.
Following its release back in February for Xbox consoles, Microsoft and Mojang announced today that they will release The Simpsons DLC for the PlayStation versions of Minecraft later this week.
The Simpsons skin pack comes with the entire Simpsons family, along with other figures from the long-running animated TV show, including Seymour Skinner, Otto, Üter, Groundskeeper Willie, and music teacher Dewey Largo, among many others.
It's expected to become available when the PlayStation Store refreshes tomorrow, April 28.
The full list of Simpsons characters available through the $3 pack is below. This expansion is specifically focused on the Simpsons family itself and Springfield Elementary School characters, suggesting further character skin packs could come later.
In other Minecraft news, Mojang has announced that, in an effort to give players more diversity options, all console versions of the game are being updated with a new female character skin called Alex.
"Now, everyone loves Steve--he's probably the most famous minecrafter in the world, and has excellent stubble," Mojang said in a post on its website. "But jolly old Steve doesn't really represent the diversity of our playerbase. For that reason, we're giving all players opportunity to play with an Alex skin instead. She brings thinner arms, redder hair, and a ponytail."
Alex, already available on PC, will come to all console versions of Minecraft this coming Wednesday.
In addition, Mojang has rolled out new achievements for the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft, which--until now--had fewer achievements than the Xbox One edition. "That's a bit silly when you think about it," Mojang said. The new update will add 30 new achievements, which together elevate the game to a total gamerscore of 1,000.
Finally, Mojang has also updated the Xbox 360 version of Minecraft with more music tracks.
Watch as a massive whale escapes from the ocean and wreaks havoc on Los Santos. It interrupts traffic, crashes into helicopters, and invades pool parties. "Truly a majestic creature," Merfish writes.
Following comments from ESPN president John Skipper last year that competitive gaming is not a sport (but rather a competition), the sports giant on Sunday evening aired two hours of gaming programming on ESPN 2. And the response was...enthusiastic to say the least.
ESPN 2 broadcast the championship round of Blizzard's "Heroes of the Dorm" event, a collegiate tournament for the developer's free-to-play MOBA Heroes of the Storm.
The event took place in primetime, competing against the NBA playoffs and Major League Baseball, among other traditional professional sporting events.
The Heroes of the Dorm Grand Finals saw teams from Arizona State University and the University of California at Berkeley compete for a chance to win tuition money. The Golden Bears of UC Berkeley ended up winning.
As you might have guessed, people had a lot of things to say about it--some praised ESPN while others said games have no place on the network. Check out some of the mountains of tweets below, which include comments from fans, and even some ESPN personalities and sports writers.
Although Konami initially declined to comment on the matter when contacted early on Monday, later in the day it issued a statement to GameSpot, putting speculation surrounding the title to rest.
"Konami is committed to new Silent Hill titles, however the embryonic Silent Hills project developed with Guillermo del Toro and featuring the likeness of Norman Reedus will not be continued," it said.
Confirmation of the project's termination comes weeks after it was revealed that Hideo Kojima, a director of the project, is preparing to leave Konami. Power struggles between staff at Kojima Productions and Konami had escalated to the stage where the publisher has begun seeking a new leadership team to work on future Metal Gear games.
Such developments had raised questions about the future for Silent Hills, a game that was supposed to be directed by Kojima and developed in partnership with director del Toro.
On Sunday, del Toro was quoted as saying to fans that his collaboration with Konami "is not gonna happen." Meanwhile, Konami confirmed to GameSpot early on Monday that its partnership with Norman Reedus, the actor initially signed to star in Silent Hills, had "expired."
Such questions were raised when it emerged that P.T., a playable teaser that was essentially a grand marketing initiative to publicize the Silent Hills Project, would be removed from the PlayStation Store in a matter of days.
However, the publisher appears open to the possibility of future collaborations with Kojima and del Toro.
"In terms of Kojima and del Toro being involved, discussions on future Silent Hill projects are currently underway, and please stay tuned for further announcements," the publisher said in a second statement, sent to Kotaku.
"We will continue to develop the Silent Hill series," the publisher added.
Following Activision's official announcement of Call of Duty: Black Ops III on Sunday, video game retailer GameStop today announced the the bonuses players can receive for pre-ordering with them.
First, everyone who pre-orders will gain entry to the Black Ops III multiplayer beta, which will be held on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. More details about the beta, like when it will start, will be announced later.
You don't have to pre-order at GameStop to gain entry to the beta, however, as this bonus is available at other retailers, too.
But GameStop does have an exclusive pre-order bonus for Black Ops III. Anyone who pre-orders with them will receive the two-sided poster you see embedded in this post. One side shows a super-soldier in the trademark Black Ops pose, while the other depicts a man with the phrase "Only The Cursed Survive" printed on top.
For lots more on Black Ops III, check out GameSpot's in-depth hands-on preview from our visit to Treyarch's office in Santa Monica recently. You can also see some images in the gallery at the bottom of this post.
Just days after revealing a new Overlord game that will take the series in a controversial new direction, Codemasters has made another announcement for one of its other major franchises. The UK-based publisher on Monday announced--and released--the next entry in the Dirt racing series, called Dirt Rally.
An unfinished version of the game is available now on Steam Early Access for $31.49. Releasing the game on Early Access "scares the absolute crap out of us, but in a good way," Codemasters said on the game's Steam page. "We want you to feel like part of the development team and help us build a better game."
Though Dirt Rally may not be a finished product, it's not lacking for elements and features. Available now in the game are a total of 36 rally stages (Monte Carlo, Greece, and Wales are three examples) and 17 cars, ranging from "1960s classics" to modern vehicles. In the future, Codemasters will add more cars and environments to Dirt Rally, including some circuits from the 2015 FIA World Rallycross Championship.
This content will be free.
"We won't be charging anything for that new content. Regardless of when you join us, you'll have access to everything we produce for our early access period at no extra cost," Codemasters said. "Over the coming months we'll be adding more cars, more tracks, new game modes, and features we haven't even thought of yet--features that you are going to think of and help us build."
In terms of gameplay, Codemasters says Dirt Rally delivers "simulation handling" by way of a new physics model that "simulates everything from the way the surface of the road behaves to limited slip differentials." Dirt Rally also comes with asynchronous events, including daily, weekly, and monthly challenges.
There's also a Team Management feature that lets players hire (and fire if need be) crew members. Online league support is also included for Dirt Rally; players can join up to six leagues. What's more, anyone who buys Dirt Rally on Steam Early Access will receive a free Dirt Rally livery for the Subaru Impreza 1995 car.
Codemasters went on to say that it hopes players will submit their feedback about Dirt Rally so the developers can make changes as a result.
Finally, the developer said it understands not everyone will like the fact that Codemasters has decided to take the Early Access route with Dirt Rally, but hopes fans will support them all the same.
"We know Steam Early Access isn't for everybody; a lot of you are going to be disappointed that you can't play Dirt Rally right now, but we want you to still feel a part of it and where we're going," Codemasters said. "Join in with everything we're doing, watch other players' YouTube videos and livestreams, talk to the people who are playing it, and tell us what you want. You're not excluded from any of this and your thoughts and ideas about what we're up to are just as important."
Dirt Rally will be in Steam Early Access at least through the end of 2015. An official release date for the full, final version of the game has not been announced, however. Meanwhile, Codemasters said it will consider bringing Dirt Rally to consoles if there is enough demand.
For a closer look at Dirt Rally, check out some images in the gallery at the bottom of this post. The game's system requirements, along with a list of supported racing wheels, are listed below courtesy of Codemasters.
Minimum Specifications
OS: Windows 7 64 bit or Windows 8.1 64 bit
Processor: AMD Athlon x2 Dual Core or Intel Core 2 Duo Processor @ 2.4Ghz
Memory: 4GB RAM
Graphics: AMD HD5450 or Nvidia GT430 or Intel HD4000 with 1GB of VRAM
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 30GB available space
Sound Card: Direct X compatible soundcard
Recommended Specifications
OS: Windows 7 64 bit or Windows 8.1 64 bit
Processor: AMD FX-8150 or Intel Core i5 4670K
Memory: 8GB RAM
Graphics: AMD R9 290 or Nvidia GTX780
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 30GB available space
Sound Card: Direct X compatible soundcard
What wheels and controllers are supported by DiRT Rally?
Official Xbox 360 Wireless Pad
Official Xbox 360 Wired Pad
Logitech G27
Logitech G25
Thrustmaster T500 RS Racing Wheel
Thrustmaster T500 RS F1 Racing Wheel
Fanatec Clubsport Base v1
Fanatec Clubsport Base v2
This is not the final list of supported wheels; others will work, but they are "not officially supported yet," Codemasters said.
"We're aware of and investigating party joinability issues," the company said. "As a result, we'll be canceling HCS Cup #1, and apologize for the inconvenience."
This Halo 2: Anniversary tournament, which was run by Microsoft and eSports gaming company ESL as part of their wider competitive gaming plans, was supposed to be held on Saturday, April 25. It would have featured a $3,000 prize pool.
The Halo Championship Series Cup 1 was not an in-person tournament, but rather it was to be held across Xbox Live. Thus, when players were not able to join parties, it couldn't go on.
It's also worth noting that, although Halo: The Master Chief Collection got off to a brutal start at release in November--some players were not able to connect to servers; and if they could, matches were often unbalanced--those problems have been largely fixed by way of new patches.
The issues that led to the cancellation of the recent Halo tournament were related to parties, and not the game's matchmaking servers. (Ed. Note: I played all weekend and experienced no problems).
Nintendo's iconic platformer Super Mario Bros. had a lot of memorable sound effects that remain popular to this day. But now we're hearing them like never before in a terrifying new video.
YouTube user crysknife007 has collected every sound effect from the original NES game and looped them on top of each other. For 12 hours.
"I'd say it sounds quite a bit like 10 casinos at once," crysknife007 writes. "If you listen carefully you can hear what Mario's nightmares must feel like."
crysknife007 even put forth some ideas for how to best leverage his creation.
"Should be great for driving your roommates and neighbors crazy, noise violations, startling animals, or just driving yourself slowly insane. I really hope nobody tries to go to sleep to this one."
The latest trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight has emerged online, ahead of the game's release date on June 23, revealing a new gameplay feature.
As well as showcasing some of Gotham's most notorious villains, such as Two-Face and Scarecrow, the video also reveals two Batman sidekicks for the first time. Both Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman can be seen fighting alongside the Dark Knight, at times performing tag-team manoeuvres.
Publisher Warner Bros. has revealed that Batman: Arkham Knight's will feature a new gameplay mode, called Dual Play, which lets players "seamlessly switch between The Dark Knight and his allies including Robin, Nightwing, and Catwoman in freeflow combat." This sounds similar to how Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto V allows players to freely switch between the game's three main characters.
Arkham Knight will be the first title in the series given an M rating in North America--roughly the equivalent of an 18 certificate in the UK--which suggests a darker tone for Batman's showdown with his time-worn foes.
In a recent interview, Rocksteady founder and Arkham Knight game director Sefton Hillspoke of the challenges in creating some of the darker content. He said that publisher Warner Bros did a ratings analysis on the game and concluded that certain scenes would be likely to cause "issues." Hill received an email informing him that these scenes--which remain a mystery--might need to be cut.
Losing these scenes, which are reportedly central to the game, could have "destroyed" the project, Hill said. However, the developer later spoke with a DC Comics executive who agreed to allow the scenes to stay, though it's unclear if they were altered in any way.
"We're not including gratuitous blood or swearing," Hill added.
"We want to deliver a true end with no compromises, and it takes us to some dark places."
The site says it has seen a handful of multiplayer screenshots for the new Gears of War remaster, noting that the Xbox One version features better lighting and improved texture quality. The publication adds that multiplayer runs at 60fps.
This frame rate, which previous Gears of War games were not able to achieve, is the staple of Activision's Call of Duty series. This year's Halo 5: Guardians will also run at 60fps.
In addition, the Gears of War HD Remaster will reportedly feature new cinematics.
Another source told Polygon that Splash Damage, the UK-based independent studio behind games like Brink and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, is handling development on the Gears of War HD remaster. Multiple job postings at the developer reference that the studio is currently working on a "very well known and highly popular AAA title with next gen technology."
The original Gears of War was released in 2006 for Xbox 360 and PC. It has since spawned three major follow-ups: Gears of War 2 (2008), Gears of War 3 (2011), and Gears of War: Judgment (2013). A spinoff called Gears of War Exile--rumored to be a Kinect game--was canceled.
Though it certainly sounds like the Gears of War HD Remaster is in development, Microsoft has not offered any kind of statement whatsoever regarding the project.
The $20 game is now available across all storefronts. PlayStation Plus users on PS4 get the best deal, as they can enjoy a 10 percent discount, which marks the game down to $18.
We also now know the file size for The Old Blood. The Xbox One version will be 37.14 GB, while the game's Steam product page mentions that users will need 38 GB of free hard drive space. Meanwhile, The Old Blood's PS4 pre-order page reveals a file size of 10.2 MB, which could be a mistake.
The Old Blood will unlock at 12:01 AM EDT on May 5.
Publisher Warner Bros' latest fighting game, Mortal Kombat X, has retained its position atop the UK all-format chart.
The game, developed by Chicago studio NetherRealm, set a new sales record last week when it debuted at the top. According to UK sales monitor Chart-Track, Mortal Kombat X is the fastest-selling entry in the series' 23-year history.
It managed to hold off Grand Theft Auto V, which retains second place due, in part, to its recent release on PC.
No key new releases means the chart shows a familiar composition, with the likes of FIFA, Battlefield Hardline, and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare featuring in the top ten. Minecraft sales on PS4 jumped 172%, thanks to a PS4 bundle deal.
When the Silent Hills project was first announced, Walking Dead star Norman Reedus was named as its lead actor, lending both his face and voice to the game. But on Monday Konami confirmed to GameSpot that "our contract period with Reedus has expired," following the actor's claims on Twitter that the entire project has been axed.
Regarding those rumours, Konami wouldn't discuss the Silent Hills project specifically, but said: "We will continue to develop the Silent Hill series."
Grave concerns over the Silent Hills game began in March, when GameSpot revealed that Hideo Kojima--Konami's most renowned developer and a director on the project--is preparing to leave the company once work on Metal Gear Solid 5 is completed.
In the weeks that followed, a slow trickle of revelations continued to suggest that Kojima Productions' relationship with Konami has become complicated. In late March, it emerged that Kojima's regular podcast series was put on hiatus. Then on Sunday, players discovered that the PS4 game P.T.--a playable teaser that was essentially a grand marketing initiative to publicise the Silent Hills Project, would be removed from the PlayStation Store in a matter of days.
Director Guillermo del Toro, who was initially signed as a co-director of Silent Hills, was reported to have said on Sunday that his collaboration with Konami "is not gonna happen."
A limited edition Halo 5: Guardians themed Xbox One console is in the works, 343 Industries studio head Josh Holmes has confirmed. Posting on Twitter in response to a fan question, Holmes confirmed that although a Halo 5 themed limited edition Xbox One console hasn't been officially revealed yet, it would be coming soon.
Earlier last month Microsoft revealed the release date for Halo 5: Guardians to be on October 27 exclusively for the Xbox One. It's likely that the new limited edition console that Holmes referred to will have a similar launch date.
Players who pre-order Halo 5: Guardians at GameStop will receive access to the Spartan Locke Armor Set, which cannot otherwise be obtained. The pre-order offer is valid at all GameStop stores in the United States. The Spartan Locke "Hunter-Class" armour will be available to use in the game's multiplayer mode from day one.
Undead Labs' zombie-survival game State of Decay is released at retailers for the Xbox One and PC in the form of the Year-One Survival Edition this week. The game will include the Breakdown and Lifeline add-ons, as well a new mission type, weapons, vehicles, and music. State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition will run in 1080p on the Xbox One and PC.
The Year-One Survival Edition will include the survivor Gurubani Kaur, who was previously an exclusive unlockable character for the Xbox 360 version of the game. Players who already own State of Decay on Xbox 360 and/or PC will be eligible for a 33% discount on the digital version of State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition until June 30.
State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition also features new achievements, offering a total of 1500 Gamerscore to collect. Additionally, the Year-One Survival Edition will come with new monthly timed challenges that players can unlock either by themselves or with the community. Microsoft adds that completing these challenges will unlock secret items in the game. The game was recently reviewed on GameSpot, praised for its ability to create a sense of community but criticized for its game-breaking bugs. For more details on games out at Australian retailers this week, check out the list below.
Now, reported comments from Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro (who is working on the game with Hideo Kojima) and actor Norman Reedus, suggest that the project is undergoing big changes.
According to photojournalist Matt Hackney, del Toro commented on the status of Silent Hills this weekend at the San Francisco Film Festival. He reportedly said of his involvement with Silents Hills: "not gonna happen."
Separately, IGN has heard from a source close to del Toro that the filmmaker was speaking about his collaboration with Kojima; his comments weren't meant to be taken as the game being canceled outright.
In addition, Reedus himself chimed in on the matter on Twitter. Linking to a story referencing Hackney's original tweet, the Walking Dead actor said he was saddened to hear of del Toro's reported departure from Silent Hills.
"Super bummed about this was really looking forward to it," Reedus said this afternoon. "Hopefully it'll come back around. Sorry everyone."
Importantly, Konami has not released any kind of statement regarding Silent Hills; it very well may still be in development, even if Kojima--who is expected to leave Konami after The Phantom Pain ships in September--and del Toro drop out. After all, Silent Hill is one of Konami's most well-known franchises.
Square Enix has created a gameplay video for a Street Fighter-style Final Fantasy XIV fighting game called Ultimate Fight Final Fantasy XIV. But don't get your hopes up. It's not real.
The mock gameplay video was created by Final Fantasy XIV main scenario writer Kazutoyo Maehiro in his spare time just for fun, it seems.
Square Enix also released a benchmark trailer for Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward. You'll be able to download the benchmark tomorrow to see how your PC will handle the expansion when it's released, but if you just want to see what it looks like check out the video below.
Square Enix announced Heavensward last year at the Final Fantasy XIV Fanfest event in Las Vegas, where it revealed the it will raise the level cap to 60, and introduce new Primals, dungeons, high end raids, and jobs. The expansion will release on June 23.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was released in August 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and PC, followed by a PlayStation 4 launch in April last year. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's review.
Would you play a Final Fantasy XIV fighting game? Let us know in the comments below.
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