By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 11:30 pm
After showing off its more traditional Batman redesign back in June, Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix has now released more images of its dramatically different "Spartan Batman" figure. The Batman Timeless Spartan figure comes from the company's Play Arts Kai variants line and depicts the Caped Crusader as if he were a spartan warrior, complete with a spear and sword. He's even shown wearing open-toe sandals.          The intricately designed figure sports a pretty fierce-looking overall design. It comes with interchangeable hands, four daggers, a spear, and a shield emblazoned with the Batman sign. For a closer look, be sure to click through the images in the gallery above. ToyArk reports the figure will be released in March 2016, priced at ¥14,800 (around $123 USD). This is just the latest third-party character that Square Enix has created a figure for, some of which were created by Final Fantasy designer Tetsuya Nomura. You can check out some of the others through the links below. What do you make of the Spartan Batman figure? Let us know in the comments below.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 11:30 pm
This is part one of a three-part story about Fortress, the canceled Final Fantasy XII spin-off that was in development with now-defunct studio Grin in the late 2000s. Come back to GameSpot tomorrow for a detailed breakdown of how Fortress played, including a complete look at the game's storyboard and a rundown of its narrative. On August 12, 2009, Swedish game developer Grin filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors. After a little more than six months of work on its latest project, founders Bo and Ulf Andersson announced that, due to an "unbearable cashflow situation," the company was ending its 12-year run. In a final farewell posted to Grin's website, the Anderssons mentioned "an unreleased masterpiece" they could not finish. One week later, a former employee outed the project, referencing an "unreleased Final Fantasy project" on his LinkedIn profile. Final Fantasy is owned by and developed under Square Enix, and it has always been produced in Japan. No Final Fantasy game has been developed outside of Square Enix's ring of Japanese studios and affiliates. Even most Final Fantasy spin-off mobile games have been developed internally or in collaboration with other Japan-based studios. It was unheard of for the company to lend its crown jewel property to a Western studio. In the months following Grin's closure, details began to leak about this Western-developed Final Fantasy. It would have been a second spin-off to Final Fantasy XII, the first being the 2007 DS title Revenant Wings by small Japanese developer Think & Feel. Grin's game was codenamed "Fortress" and was an action role-playing game with events centered on the titular structure. Some outlets reported on sources claiming Fortress began its life as an entirely different game, only becoming a Final Fantasy title after Square Enix's involvement, and that it was a lack of funding from the publisher that caused Grin to cancel the project and shut its doors. But how did all of that happen, and what could have been if Fortress had succeeded in becoming the first Western-developed Final Fantasy title? An early sketch of the titular fortress from above, from the online portfolio of artist Peter Johannson.In the second half of 2008, Square Enix paid a visit to Grin, which was one year into development on action platformer Bionic Commando Rearmed, a sequel to the 1988 NES title of the same name. According to Ulf Andersson, who spoke with GameSpot at length about Grin, Bionic Commando was in fair shape when Square decided to drop by, and the game impressed the touring company. From this visit, Square invited Grin to pitch a game based on one of its existing IPs, an obscure card game by the name of Lords of Vermilion. It is unknown whether other studios received the same invitation pitch as well. Ulf Andersson was tasked with writing the pitch, and after sending it along to Square Enix, was invited to present his ideas in person. Prepared to run down his pitch for Square Enix's IP in front of the company's board of directors, he was surprised when Square Enix revealed it had other plans for Grin instead. Concept art of a desert area in Fortress featuring the protagonist, from the online portfolio of artist Martin Bergquist.Square Enix was going to give Andersson and his team Final Fantasy. But not just any Final Fantasy; Grin would be tasked with making a spin-off for Final Fantasy XII. It's not hard to imagine why Square wanted another Final Fantasy XII title. The game shipped 5.2 million copies worldwide in the year after its March 2006 release, with more than 1.7 million copies shipped in Japan during its launch week alone. It garnered near-unanimous critical acclaim in the West as well, with critics praising its combat and story in particular. Its sequel, Revenant Wings on DS, broke one million units sold just over one year following its release. When Square Enix had contacted Grin, Final Fantasy was already beloved worldwide, but other high-grossing series such as Dragon Quest still couldn't find footing in the West. Square seemed interested in seeing if a Western studio's take on one of its core franchises could be the key to unlocking unanimous international success. "It was a test," Andersson told me. "Square's problem at the time was trying to understand the Western market. They wanted to see how we did." Another piece from Bergquist's portfolio featuring the protagonist in a tundra setting.In early 2009, Grin's Final Fantasy began to take shape. The project, codenamed Fortress, would have been an action RPG with a distinctly Scandinavian art style. The developer invented an entirely new area of Ivalice, the world in which Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy Tactics, and their sequels and spin-offs including Vagrant Story, were set. Buildings and characters would have an ancient Viking-esque aesthetic, while landscapes would feature a variety of exotic environments. Players would walk through grassy green meadows in the shadow of rocky crags; chilly snow-laden, wind-whipped mountain peaks; and dusty brown deserts. The game would be groundbreaking for the studio, whose pedigree included mostly PC shooters and racing games such as Ballistics and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 1 and 2. One source, another former Grin employee, described the game to me as strictly following Nordic aesthetics, with deep, dark forests reminiscent of fantasy illustrator John Bauer's works, along with inhabitants resembling fantasy ideals of Vikings. Several sources previously connected to Grin, all of whom asked to not be named, claimed that Fortress did not begin its life as a Final Fantasy game. Andersson said that the idea of a game that took place entirely in one location was on his development bucket list, and he used this idea as a springboard for his pitch to Square Enix. Grin was excited to take on Final Fantasy--up until that time, no Western studio, not even Square Enix's international subsidiaries, had made its own game in the classic JRPG series. "We didn't want to reinvent or remake too much of [Final Fantasy XII], but create a fresh piece," Andersson said. "If we were to make a straight Final Fantasy, I don't see the point in us making it. It would be better if Square just kept on making those themselves." 3D modeling of the Fortress gates with the outer courtyard and main halls in the background, courtesy the online portfolio of designer Timoslav Spajic.According to several people connected to the matter, a few months into production in spring 2009, a mandate came down from Square Enix that the art style of Fortress had to be completely altered. The Nordic aesthetic was to be changed, and more obvious Final Fantasy influences had to be implemented. Fortress wasn't set in a representation of Ivalice that players were familiar with; and yet, that was Grin's idea, to make a whole new part of Ivalice for players to discover. Several sources said that the design overhaul required to do this was so "massive" that it significantly disrupted development. Most assets had to be redone and whole environments were scrapped. The team working on Fortress soon ballooned as Grin shuffled its ranks, assigning more developers to the Fortress project. At this time most of the studio was dedicated to Fortress, with only a handful of designers working on other projects. According to Andersson, Grin was, at this time, completely reliant on Fortress and the money coming from Square Enix. There were no other big projects in the pipeline, and no other funding. In 2009 alone, the company released three poorly-reviewed action games--Bionic Commando, Wanted: Weapons of Fate, and Terminator Salvation. A forest environment, courtesy of designer Andrew Hamilton.Spring became summer, and according to some sources, all Grin heard was positive feedback on the project. But the Nordic art style, which the team did not want to totally scrap, was still not well received by the publisher. It wasn't Final Fantasy XII enough, they were told; it didn't look like Ivalice. But Grin continued to work on the title, dedicated to creating something fresh and new, something they thought Final Fantasy fans would love. The Nordic aesthetic continued to be a problem for Square Enix. Grin maintained it could pull it off by making it a new region of Ivalice. The developer thought the potential brought on by a Nordic part of Ivalice was intriguing, and it tried desperately to make the aesthetic work within the universe. Grin argued that the concept could work because other parts of Ivalice were already based on real-world Middle Eastern countries and cultures, like Egypt and Syria. According to Andersson, Grin would communicate with Square Enix's headquarters through its London office, sending all content through the European branch for review. There were problems with this communication he said, and wires were often crossed or answers wouldn't come at all. Another piece from Johansson's portfolio featuring a wet tundra."I don't believe in blaming people, but there was a broken process between the UK office of Square Enix, which was merging with Eidos at the time, and it was a bit of a mess," he said. "We were working with them and they were supposed to communicate with the Japanese headquarters, which in my opinion I don't think they did enough. So all this stuff they wanted to change we changed as much as we could or wanted to, but that drifted further and further away from what we agreed on making with the Japanese studio. So when the Japanese guys saw it, it was completely different, because they weren't as much a part of the dev process as they should have been." Some people associated with the project claimed that around several months into the project, Square Enix hadn't paid Grin what had been agreed upon for that time frame. The company laid off large numbers of staff from its Barcelona, Gothenburg, and Stockholm offices, before shuttering the former two altogether. Some said that at this time they had received no overwhelming negative feedback from their work on Fortress, but Square Enix was still not keen on the game's art direction. "We did some combat stuff that was okay in the beginning and got feedback from Square UK and had to change it, but we never got to the point where it was fun," Andersson explained. "At the same time we spent two to three months on the gameplay stuff alone. We didn't really get to develop it much, we did a bunch of story and concept for it, but really never got into any heavy development." A piece from Hamilton's portfolio featuring tombs in a desert.In August 2009, Square Enix told Grin it would no longer be funding the project and pulled support for Fortress. A week later, with no way to pay its employees, Grin filed for bankruptcy and closed the doors on its sole remaining Stockholm studio. When reached for comment for this story, Bo Andersson--Grin's former co-founder and head alongside Ulf--did not want to discuss Grin or Fortress. But in speaking with Ulf Andersson, it appears that the story of Fortress' cancellation and Grin's closure is much more complicated than a disagreement over art style. Ulf Andersson said that it was probably a business move, suggesting that Square Enix examined the project's milestones, determined that Grin wouldn't be able to deliver, and decided that Square's investment would be lost. "They didn't truly dump us over the art style," Andersson explained. "The concept guys, they were doing an awesome job. All the stuff they made was really, really cool. I think it's a shame if they think that at any point they did a bad job. It's sad, because they did a great job, and I don't think Square thought they did a bad job either. Enemy concept art from the portfolio of Joakim Hellstedt."I sat down with a guy [recently] and he had basically talked to someone high up at Square Enix--considering who the guy I am talking about is, it's probably very true--and he said that the reason they canceled the project is because they were looking at the economics of our studio and said, okay, they only have our project, and they have three times the amount of people, and they aren't going to survive on the money we gave them. If they don't sign a new project, they will eat our project and go bankrupt, and we've spent tons of cash on Fortress. It's better to quit early." When asked about the cancellation of Fortress and the reasoning behind it, a representative from Square Enix declined to comment. During our conversations, Andersson's tone was nothing but reverential towards Square Enix and his time working on a Final Fantasy game. He feels the accomplishments of the Fortress project outweigh the drama, and he spoke of his time working on the project and with Square Enix with no negativity. Games get canceled, he said. This one just happens to have gotten a lot of attention because it was attached to a widely beloved series. "It's not on Square, I would say it's just how lawyers work. I don't think Square is an evil company, I think they're awesome, and in my mind, their reputation should stay intact. I don't think they made something really bad, I think it's just how business works. When you have to cancel something, it's always going to be a bit nasty, and when you hand something over to lawyers it'll be even nastier. I understand why they canceled. I would have done the same thing." Artwork from Spajic featuring more modeling of the fotress.So what happened to Fortress after Grin closed its doors? In the years since the closure, concept art has surfaced in the online portfolios of many former Grin designers. Composer Erik Thunberg released a track for Fortress, called "Crystal Theme," on his SoundCloud page. A tech demo for Fortress surfaced along with a curious image containing a summary for a game called Valiant Saga and referencing Final Fantasy XII directly, as well as several locations from the world of Ivalice. The logos for Square Enix and Eidos Montreal were stamped on the image, suggesting that Eidos was developing its own Final Fantasy XII spin-off. The "promotional image" for Valiant Saga, never confirmed as official.According to the summary, Valiant Saga would take place 10 years after the events of Final Fantasy XII and center around the Fortress of Faram, a stronghold in the Ivalice country of Nabradia. The Queen of Dalmasca--Ashe--hires a "lone mercenary" to vacate the Fortress's resident, an evil cult leader who wants to use the structure's ancient magics to destroy Ivalice. A snowy environment from Bergquist's portfolio.But at E3 2011, Square Enix director Motomu Toriyama told VideoGamer that Fortress "won't be released," adding that it was "suspended." Producer Yoshinori Kitase added that having a Western studio develop a Final Fantasy game was also very much off the table, saying, "Quite honestly, we can't really see it happening." As of today, no Western games studio has finished a Final Fantasy project. In 2013, Square Enix designer Yuji Abe told OXM that a Western studio could one day steward the Final Fantasy franchise, though to date no more has been said on the subject. "Obviously, Square Enix bought out Eidos a number of years ago, and now we have direct access to American development teams," Abe said at the time. "That's certainly been discussed within the company, the possibility of say, Eidos or maybe someone else to look after or maybe take on the Final Fantasy series." An Eidos Montreal spokesperson denied that the studio had ever worked on Fortress; it seems that the project died with Grin. Andersson, however, sees the game everywhere--specifically in games former Grin developers have lent their talents to. "I do know that parts of it has seeped into other projects, because everybody from Grin is working on other games," he said. "I can see certain patterns in art, or people tell me they took it from Fortress. It still sort of lives to this day." Artwork above taken from the online portfolios of Andrew Hamilton, Bjorn Albihn, Joakim Hellstedt, Martin Bergquist, Peter Johansson, and Timoslav Spajic.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 11:00 pm
As part of its campaign against genetically modified ingredients, restaurant Chipotle has launched a new game modeled after the iconic Space Invaders. Chipotle's game is called "Taste Invaders." In the game, you control a burrito instead of ship, shooting missiles at artificial ingredients such as Sodium Alginate and Polysorbate 80. There are even "Additive Mother Ships" in the form of pizza and hamburgers.  "A galactic battle against artificial ingredients," is the game's tagline. You can play it right now in your browser. This isn't the first time a restaurant has made its own video game. Earlier this year, KFC released an 8-bit-style game called Colonel Quest, challenging players to complete a series of mini-games based on Colonel Sanders' (totally fake) life. Before that, Denny's partnered with Atari, while Burger King made a number of games, including Sneak King. For more on why Chipotle does not use genetically modified ingredients, check out this landing page. What's your Taste Invaders high score? Let us know in the comments below.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 10:30 pm
 Watch extended gameplay footage from Stasis featuring the Giant Bomb crew.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 10:30 pm
The first big holiday since Rocket League's release is coming up later this month. Developer Psyonix plans to celebrate by offering special Halloween-themed customization items, but only for a limited time.    Beginning on October 18, six new items will be available as post-game rewards: the calavera, fuzzy brute, and fuzzy vampire antennas; pumpkin topper; carriage wheels; and candy corn rocket trail. You'll earn these as you would standard items, by simply playing the game. Whether you win or lose, you'll have a shot at unlocking these items after completing a match. You'll only have a limited time to do so, however--they'll only be available until November 2. If you aren't able to get your hands on something by then, you'll have to wait until next year's Halloween event for another shot at unlocking it. These Halloween items are coming as part of a free update for the game. Rocket League's next DLC, the Revenge of the Battle-Cars pack, is due out on October 13 for $4, but you won't need to have purchased it to get these new Halloween items.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 10:30 pm
Microsoft has published a new video for its $150 Xbox One Elite wireless controller, showing off the pad in greater detail than what we've seen before. Specifically, Xbox engineer Navin Kumar appears in this video to talk about and show off the app that lets you create custom button profiles and more. This is the first time we're seeing the app. You can assign any of the 14 inputs to the ABXY buttons, paddles, D-pad, triggers, and thumbsticks. In all, you can create up to 255 different controller configurations and load two onto the controller at any one time. Toggling between the two profiles is as simple as pressing a button. In addition to button-mapping, the controller lets you tweak values for thumbstick and trigger sensitivity, using either pre-built sensitivity curves or your own. You can also change the brightness of the Xbox button and adjust rumble sensitivity in the controller's grips and triggers. Customization for this first-of-its-kind controller also extends to its physical components, as the pad comes with interchangeable rear paddles and hair trigger locks. The Xbox One Elite controller, which was announced at E3 in June, goes on sale on October 27, the same day that Halo 5: Guardians is released. Button-mapping will eventually extend to all Xbox One controllers, not just the Elite model, Microsoft's Mike Ybarra recently announced. Xbox One controllers with buttons on the back are proving popular, as both Razer and PowerA have announced their own high-end Xbox One pads with increased functionality.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 09:46 pm
Ubisoft is teasing a new game announcement by streaming a mysterious video of a cave painting depicting a man holding a bow in one hand and a large spear in the other. The embers of a fire can be seen flitting in front of the image. In addition to this, eerie music, the sounds of growling beasts, and ritualistic chanting can be heard in the background. There is also what sounds like normal speech, but there's a layered echo effect on the audio, which makes it difficult to make out what's being said. The video is slowly zooming out to reveal more of the painting, so keep an eye on it. It is unclear what this project may be, but the most obvious guess would be a new entry in the Far Cry series, which has prominently featured both hunting gameplay and the bow and arrow weapon. The video description also says "survival is timeless" and survival has been a core theme of the Far Cry franchise. In November 2014, Ubisoft addressed whether it will do a spin-off for Far Cry 4 akin to Far Cry 3's 80's action movies inspired Blood Dragon. Alex Hutchinson, creative director at Ubisoft Montreal, indicated while Blood Dragon 2 wasn't on the cards, it would consider another unique setting to spin-off into. "That's was what was cool about [Blood Dragon], it was surprising," he said. "It was a great use of the Far Cry 3 base, and had an awesome soundtrack. But no, you won't get another one of those. But hopefully we'll be able to surprise you with something just as much." The teaser may be related to this new spin-off. Of course, it could also be a brand new property, or something tied to For Honor, an action game that pits warriors from different civilizations against each other. Another teaser image can be seen below.  In February 2015, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot said the Far Cry would be one of the company's tentpole franchises for years to come. "The Far Cry franchise is here for the long-run and is a stronger contender in the shooter genre," he said during a conference call. According to Guillemot, Far Cry 4 outperformed expectations for Ubisoft and interest in the game was the strongest in franchise history. The game has sold substantially more than Far Cry 3. The open-world shooter managed strong sales despite launching on the same date as other high-profile blockbusters such as Dragon Age: Inquisition and Grand Theft Auto V for Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 09:42 pm
 Buy an Xbox One at Best Buy this week, and you'll get a free copy of NBA 2K16 (and 50 percent off three months of Xbox Live Gold, if you so choose). This includes system bundles like the new FIFA 16, Forza 6, and Gears of War: Ultimate Edition ones. Similarly, Amazon is offering a 1 TB Xbox One bundle with Madden 16 and NBA 2K16 for $399. Target is offering 25 percent off any Xbox or PlayStation game when you reserve a game for $1. The exception is Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, though if you buy that and put $1 on Uncharted 4, you'll receive a $10 gift card. Buy a PS4 at Target and receive a $50 gift card. This includes the Destiny: The Taken King and The Last of Us Remastered bundles. Target Cartwheel has a coupon taking 15 percent off the price of an Xbox One. Save $50 when you buy two select EA Sports games at Toys R Us, including NHL 16 (PS4/Xbox One), Madden NFL 16 (PS4/Xbox One), FIFA 16 (PS4/Xbox One), and Rory McIlroy PGA Tour (PS4/Xbox One). With all of these games costing $60, that brings the total price down to $70 ($35 each). The Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition is $100 at Best Buy for the Galaxy S6/S6 Edge and Galaxy Note 4. You can get the Xbox One's Halo: Master Chief Collection bundle for $310 on eBay. Below you'll find the rest of today's best deals divided by platform. PlayStation 4The 1 TB PS4 is finally coming to the US on November 6 in the form of a Call of Duty: Black Ops III Limited Edition bundle; it's now up for preorder on Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy for $450. You can also still preorder the limited-edition Darth Vader-themed PS4--which comes with a custom system and controller, Star Wars Battlefront's Deluxe Edition, and four classic Star Wars games--at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and Walmart for $450. You can check out all of this week's deals on the PlayStation Store here, and all of the PlayStation Plus member-only deals here. Other PS4 game deals: The free PlayStation Plus games for September are available for one more day and include Grow Home and Super Time Force Ultra. October's games have been announced and will be released tomorrow, October 6. Xbox OneAmazon Prime members can get a 3.5mm jack-equipped Xbox One controller with a Play & Charge Kit for $58. Just add the bundle to your cart (make sure it's the one sold by Amazon, not a third party) and proceed to checkout to see the discount. You can buy a year of Xbox Live Gold on eBay for $35. Last week's Deals With Gold are still available and include sales on Mortal Kombat X, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Toy Soldiers: War Chest, and more. Other Xbox One game deals: The first of October's free Games With Gold games, Valiant Hearts, is now available. You can also still get Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for free. PCThe newest Humble Indie Bundle is a good one. It includes games like Skullgirls, Planetary Annihilation: Titans, Xenonauts, and more. You can get everything for $10, or only select games by beating the average (currently $7.07) or paying any price you want. Humble Bundle last week introduced its new Humble Monthly Bundle, a LootCrate-style subscription service that delivers mystery games on the first Friday of the month for $12. If you subscribe before the first one launches in November, you'll get a free copy of Legend of Grimrock II right away. GOG has a sale on classic Activision/Sierra games, offering the likes of Police Quest, King's Quest, and Gabriel Knight for a few bucks each. Preordering a Steam Machine, Steam Controller, or Steam Link right now will get you free copies of Rocket League and Portal 2. Buy select Nvidia GPUs (or Nvidia-equipped laptops) and get a free copy of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Other select cards come with a Heroes of the Storm bundle. If you have a free Green Man Gaming account, you can access the VIP area, where you'll find deals like South Park: The Stick of Truth for $10, Skyshine's Bedlam for $15, and Killing Floor 2 for $22.49. You can save 23 percent at Green Man Gaming using the voucher 23PERC-AUTUMN-SAVING. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is Origin's next free On the House game. Other PC game deals: - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt -- $40 (Amazon - Prime only) / $50 (Best Buy)
- Crypt of the NecroDancer -- $7.49 (Steam)
- Titanfall -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Diablo III -- $20 (GameStop) / $18 (Walmart)
- Civilization: Beyond Earth -- $20 (Best Buy)
- The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited -- $48 (Amazon) / $37.69 (Walmart)
- The Evil Within -- $10 (Amazon)
- Batman: Arkham Origins -- $10 (Amazon)
- Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel -- $24 (Best Buy)
- SimCity -- $7 (Best Buy)
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls -- $32 (Amazon) / $20 (Amazon digital)
- StarCraft II: Battle Chest -- $19 (Amazon)
- StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty -- $10 (Amazon digital)
- StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm -- $10 (Amazon digital)
- Evolve -- $20 (Amazon)
- Watch Dogs -- $10 (Amazon) / $10 (Best Buy)
- Dragon Age: Inquisition -- $25 (Amazon)
Wii UIf you don't mind buying a refurbished system, Nintendo's online store has a Wii U bundle with Nintendo Land for $200, Nintendo Land and Super Mario 3D World for $225, or The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD and Nintendo Land for $235. - Just Dance 2015 -- $20 (Amazon) / $20 (Best Buy)
- Yoshi's Woolly World -- $43 (Amazon - Prime only)
- Lego Jurassic World -- $39 (Amazon)
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge -- $11 (Amazon)
- The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD -- $39 (Walmart)
- Wii Fit U + Fit Meter + Balance Board -- $25 (Nintendo Store)
- The Wonderful 101 -- $30 (Nintendo Store)
- Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate -- $18 (Amazon)
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut -- $14.50 (Amazon)
- Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two -- $11 (Amazon)
- Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition -- $17 (Amazon)
- Watch Dogs -- $18 (Amazon) / $12 (Best Buy)
- Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $19 (Amazon)
- Scribblenauts Unlimited -- $16 (Amazon)
- Transformers Prime: The Game -- $15 (Amazon)
3DSNintendo's online store is offering refurbished 2DSes for $60. - Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate -- $30 (GameStop)
- Mario Party: Island Tour -- $25.54 (Amazon) / $20 (Walmart)
- Super Smash Bros. for 3DS -- $33 (Amazon)
- Code Name: Steam -- $20 (Amazon)
- Animal Crossing: New Leaf -- $21 (Walmart)
- Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth -- $30 (Amazon)
- Angry Birds Star Wars -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Etrian Mystery Dungeon -- $25 (Amazon)
- Disney Infinity Starter Pack -- $15 (Amazon)
- Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance -- $20 (Walmart)
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 - Record Breaker -- $37.40 (Amazon)
- Steel Diver -- $5 (Best Buy)
- Tetris Ultimate -- $12 (Amazon)
- Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate -- $11 (Walmart)
- Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion -- $12.47 (Amazon) / $5.36 (Walmart)
- Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars -- $22 (Amazon)
- Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $19.45 (Amazon)
- Hometown Story -- $11.26 (Amazon)
PlayStation Vita- Metal Gear Solid HD Collection -- $20.39 (Amazon)
- LittleBigPlanet -- $15 (Amazon)
- Persona 4: Golden -- $19.49 (Amazon)
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz -- $14 (Amazon)
- PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale -- $11.34 (Amazon)
- Gravity Rush -- $23 (Amazon)
- The Wolf Among Us -- $14 (Amazon) / $7 (Best Buy)
- The Walking Dead: Season Two -- $7 (Best Buy)
- Mind Zero -- $26 (Amazon)
- Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed -- $18 (Amazon)
- Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd -- $19.49 (Amazon)
- Xblaze Code: Embryo -- $30 (Amazon)
- Arcana Heart 3: Love Max -- $29.50 (Amazon)
- Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars -- $22 (Amazon)
- 16GB Memory Card -- $38 (Amazon)
- 32GB Memory Card -- $67 (Amazon)
The free PlayStation Plus games for September are available for one more day and include La Mulana EX and Xeodrifter. October's games have been announced and will be released tomorrow, October 6. Hardware- Xbox One Limited Edition Halo 5 Spartan Locke Controller -- $60 (Amazon - Prime only)
- Used Xbox One Kinect -- $80 (GameStop)
- PDP Xbox One Kinect Mount -- $8 (Walmart)
- PlayStation 4 Camera -- $40 (GameStop) / $45 (Walmart)
- Wireless Xbox 360 Controller for Windows -- $42 (Amazon)
- Wired Xbox 360 Controller for Windows -- $32 (Amazon)
- DualShock 4 PlayStation 4 Wireless Controller -- black $45 (Amazon - Prime only) / blue $50 (Amazon)
- Xbox One Wireless Controller -- $53 (Amazon)
- PlayStation Gold Wireless Stereo Headset -- $75 (Amazon)
- PlayStation Silver Wired Stereo Headset -- $22 (Amazon)
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.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 09:30 pm
 A montage of both Imperials and Rebels in Walker Assault mode.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 09:30 pm
 Check out this Beta gameplay of Star Wars Battlefront's Co-Op mode, played on PC.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 09:30 pm
 Watch our hands-on impressions of the newly revealed Drop Zone multiplayer mode, along with new Walker Assault and co-op Missions gameplay.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 09:30 pm
 Check out the game mode Drop Zone in this Star Wars Battlefront Beta gameplay clip.
By Anonymous on Oct 05, 2015 07:30 pm
I can't stop listening to The Protomen. I've known about this band and their Mega Man-inspired tunes for years now, but I never really gave them a chance until ''Light Up the Night'' popped up during a Rock Band 4 set. Turns out that song is perfect: triumphant sing-along vocals, driving synths straight out of an '80s training montage, pounding drums that subtly ramp up the song's unstoppable intensity. It's an absolute blast both to hear and to play, and without experiencing the song through the immediacy of Rock Band, I may never have fallen in love with it. That, in essence, is the power of Rock Band. It harnesses the intrinsic joy of music and presents it in a way that we can not only play but share as well. The pure euphoria that washes over you when a song begins to build and you're nailing every note and you finally hit that pinnacle and the crowd erupts in cheers and applause... Not many games can elicit that feeling so frequently, consistently, and authentically. It's a rare and laudable accomplishment, one that propelled the franchise to great heights in the late 2000s and that lives on in Rock Band 4. Still got your cymbals? Mad Catz add-ons worked for us!While this fourth installment ditches Rock Band 3's button-heavy Pro Guitar and superfluous keyboard controller, the core gameplay remains almost entirely unchanged. You (and ideally a few of your friends) can grab a classic five-button guitar controller, plastic drum kit, or USB microphone to match scrolling, color-coded notes in time with a variety of licensed tracks from rock gods like Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, and, uh, Bruno Mars. As before, your instrument's audio drops out when you start missing notes, but maintaining an unbroken streak increases your combo multiplier, Overdrive meter, and number of stars earned. So yes, it's exactly the gameplay you already know and love. Unfortunately, therein lies the problem. Great as that gameplay may be, Rock Band 4 does little to distinguish itself from its predecessors outside of a handful of hit-or-miss ideas and, in some cases, even takes a small step backwards. For example, the game's loosely story-driven campaign mode follows the same rote formula employed by several previous music games: select multi-song ''shows'' from a world map, earn stars and fans to unlock new shows, and so on. Rock Band 2 handled this same subject matter in a far more elegant way. Remember those loading screens that showed your band casually hanging around a heavily lived-in practice space or riding the subway with all their instruments in tow? Simple as they were, those scenes subtly relayed a story in a very universal way. This game? Nothing but expositional menu text, which made any feelings of immersion or investment nearly impossible. Unfortunately, therein lies the problem. Great as that gameplay may be, Rock Band 4 does little to distinguish itself from its predecessors outside of a handful of hit-or-miss ideas and, in some cases, even takes a small step backwards.
Even the game's opening cutscene--which were generally massive, over-the-top spectacles bursting with personality in previous games--just shows your band tuning up on stage for a few seconds. It's disappointingly predictable and boring, and while none of this detracts from your ability to rock out with Ozzy, it does feel like a missed opportunity. Character customization doesn't fare much better. Where previous games provided a respectably deep well of options, Rock Band 4 doesn't even let you adjust a character's body type. You can eventually unlock an entire wardrobe of wacky outfits, but because the vast majority of those options must be gradually earned through campaign progression, I found it difficult to develop a sense of ownership over my band. Compounding this lack of ownership: the game forces you to use pre-created ''stand in'' characters anytime your friends aren't present to play as your custom characters, which means it's literally impossible to maintain a consistent lineup. Given that a band is, by definition, a set group of people, that's a pretty frustrating betrayal of the rock-n-roll fantasy the campaign is designed to fulfill. Sure these characters look cool, but the customization options are actually pretty limited. Outside of the campaign, Rock Band 4 also offers a new, slightly richer Quickplay mode appropriately named ''Play A Show.'' When a track ends, Play A Show presents players with a selection of songs and lets band members vote on what to play next the same way some shooters let lobby members vote on the next map. It's a novel idea that occasionally proved convenient, but it's also kind of pointless when you're standing in the same room as the rest of your band. Rock Band 4 eliminates synchronous online multiplayer, and while that's not a huge loss, it does mean anytime you're playing with other people you can just turn to one another and ask, ''Okay, what's next?'' Like the campaign's story elements, this mode doesn't diminish your ability to enjoy the gameplay, but it also doesn't add much to the overall experience. Beyond those modes, Rock Band 4 feels a bit content light. Bafflingly, you won't find a practice mode, for instance, or anything resembling, say, Rocksmith 2014's collection of Guitarcade mini-games. You will, however, find a couple of crucial tutorials for Rock Band 4's one truly original and truly exceptional idea: Freestyle Solos. In the past, the team at Harmonix painstakingly authored each and every note of a song's recorded solo. That style is still an option, but Freestyle Solos are now on by default. Beyond those modes, Rock Band 4 feels a bit content light. Bafflingly, you won't find a practice mode, for instance, or anything resembling, say, Rocksmith 2014's collection of Guitarcade mini-games.
Accordingly, sections that were previously populated with colorful notes now give way to less cluttered runways filled with subtler visual cues. If you want to maintain your combo multiplier, you might be asked to hold notes on the high frets or strum 16th notes on the lower buttons depending on the pattern displayed on the track. Regardless of whether you follow along or just totally do your own thing, the game will produce a unique new solo that matches your inputs. Like the old drum fill sections, mashing buttons at random creates a disruptive cacophony that momentarily ruins the song, but once I took the time to really internalize those tutorials, I started to understand how sophisticated this mechanic really is. It uses logical abstractions of several real-life guitar techniques--from finger tapping to feedback--to equip players with a whole palette of sonic tools. If you implement these techniques thoughtfully, you can actually create some really cool sounding stuff. Like, surprisingly cool. And it's weirdly addictive. It's not the same adrenaline-fueled, fist-pumping thrill of nailing every note in a really technical section, but there is an unexpected sense of discovery and reward. Just fire up Endless Solo Mode and riff over entire songs until you're comfortable.            Guitarists aren't the only ones who get a little added room for creativity. In addition to the inclusion of three part harmonies, singers can now earn points for singing basically anything in the right key. Similarly, drummers now have three options when it comes to solo sections: Static Fills, which mirror the actual recorded fill; Classic Fills, which let you just go nuts; and Dynamic Fills, which pull a random, pre-authored fill from a library, providing a welcome compromise between the chaos of Classic Fills and the predictability of Static Fills. Of course, all of this--the solos, the modes, the story--means nothing without the right soundtrack. Sadly, Rock Band 4 contains the weakest selection of songs of any Rock Band game to date: lesser known tracks from big name artists, songs from smaller acts many of us aren't familiar with, and only a handful of genuinely exciting bangers. That doesn't mean the whole game's a lost cause, though. Sure, the tracklist looks a little underwhelming at first, but the on-disc songs still provide enough variety to keep repetition at bay for a solid few hours. Plus, I guarantee you'll find a few new favorites among the bunch. There are some seriously inspired choices here, Protomen being a prime example. I was consistently pleasantly surprised by the tracks I didn't know beforehand, and when it comes to the classics, I have one word for you: PANAMA. PANAMA-AH. There are some seriously inspired choices here, Protomen being a prime example
There's one other factor to consider here as well: DLC. According to Harmonix, you'll eventually be able to re-download nearly every song you already own, with over 900 legacy tracks available at launch and roughly 800 more coming in the next few months. Basically, if you own a song, the system will recognize it and let you download the track to your new console for free. Even better, all those classic tracks have been re-worked to include new Rock Band 4 functionality like Freestyle Solos. We were unable to test this functionality because it was not available prior to launch but, suffice it to say a larger song library would dramatically improve Rock Band 4's appeal. If you have a ton of songs languishing on an old account, this is your chance to give them new life and to grow your Rock Band 4 library with hand-picked personal favorites from among the wealth of excellent songs available in Rock Band's robust, feature-rich store. It's disappointing Rock Band 4's on-disc offerings aren't stronger, but at least the Rock Band platform remains as strong as ever. As always, Harmonix's authored note tracks prove exceptionally inventive, capitalizing on each song's unique rhythms and arrangements. Even songs I wouldn't necessarily listen to in real life ended up being a blast to play. The various difficulty levels felt well balanced, rarely dragging into boredom or spiking into impossibility. I even experimented with the always challenging Breakneck Speed option, which accelerates note tracks to a comically fast pace.  Rock Band 4's new hardware looks and feels almost identical to previous models, so there's no need to upgrade if your old gear is still collecting dust in a closet. According to Harmonix, a substantial majority of that old equipment will be compatible with Rock Band 4. We were unable able to gather all the gear and test it ourselves, but Mad Catz created a chart that outlines exactly what they believe works and doesn't work. Backwards-compatibility would make Rock Band 4 more accessible and appealing, but if you sold off all your instruments years ago, don't worry: the new gear works just fine. Every now and then the game failed to register a note I swear I hit, but it wasn't frequent or consistent enough to really raise any red flags. Rock Band 4 recaptures the unadulterated gratification that made the series such a hit half a decade ago, but mainly because it's a relatively unchanged, repackaged Rock Band 2. A lack of content and general stagnation hold this particular iteration of Rock Band back, but new ideas like Freestyle Solos genuinely enhance the core experience, which remains a sincere and joyful celebration of music.
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