Gaming: War of the Vikings Due in Early 2014

Paradox Interactive and Fatshark have announced War of the Vikings, a new multiplayer close quarters combat game in the spirit of War of the Roses.

VG 24/7 - A standalone entry in the new War series, War of the Vikings is built on a refined version of the engine that powers War of the Roses.

Players choose between Saxon and Viking factions, customise their warrior and weapons, and battle it out on 9th and 10th Century English soil in up to 64-player battles.

“We’ve been inspired many times over by the possibilities of the close-combat genre. It’s clear to us that that there are many more experiences we can share with our players, and War of the Vikings is our next step in establishing Paradox and Fatshark as leaders in the art of online war,” War franchise executive producer Gordon Van Dyke said in a statement.

Speaking to VG247 at a closed doors event in Sydney today, Van Dyke confirmed that female warriors will be available in both factions; after consulting with an archaeological expert in viking warfare, Fatshark was delighted to learn that women fighters are historically justifiable.

The producer stressed that War of the Vikings will continue the franchise’s traditions of emphasising skill over unlocks, but there will be plenty for veterans to collect, including more elaborate beard and hair styles and symbols of wealth. Although some interpretative allowances have been made, Van Dyke said he’s aiming for historical accuracy and a realistic portrayal of the viking profession, which has had some pretty poor PR for the last millennium.   More

Grand Theft Auto V: Official Gameplay Video

PS4 Gamers Can Play All Their Digital Games From Any System

Thanks to the PS4′s ability to play games that are being downloaded in the background, you can play your digital titles on any machine.

Forbes - Thanks to the PlayStation 4′s Play As You Download feature, PS4 gamers will be able to play any of their digital games from any system without having to wait hours for a game to download.

“You can visit your friends house you can log into your account and play any game from your digital library, which is good,” said Neil Brown, Sony’s R&D senior team leader, speaking at Develop. “But how useful is that if it takes half a day to download the game you want to play? With Play As You Download you get much quicker access to at least the first section of the game so you can start playing quicker. So this makes a digital library a practical option in the real world.”   More

Gaming: New Releases - CoD: Black Ops 2, Dark, Scourge, Brothers

GameSpot - This week we have Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Scourge: Outbreak, Dark, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Vengeance.

E3 2013: Day Two Wrap Up

E3 2013 via PCWorld

Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World: fun but what's new?techhive.com

Shiny cars! Zombies! Cosplay! All this and much more on display at E3techhive.com

No Internet access? Microsoft advises you to skip Xbox One, stay with aging Xbox 360techhive.com

The Evil Within aims to make horror games scary againtechhive.com

Touring Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online

Keep your eye on these three great PlayStation 4 indie gamestechhive.com

Hands on with ARMA III and DayZ, PC gaming’s E3 vanguards

Drifting down memory lane with Mario Kart 8 techhive.com

How Sony won E3's kickofftechhive.com

No surprises from Nintendo at E3 2013techhive.com

PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One: What you'll really spendtechhive.com

12 PC gaming gems hidden among the consoles at E3

Alienware shows off its all-new gaming notebook lineup at E3

Tom Clancy's The Division may be the best Ubisoft game announced at E3

Ubisoft delivers a meaty game lineup at E3

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E3 2013: Day One Wrap Up

A handy guide to everything you need to know from E3

IGN - Day one of E3 2013 has finished, and quite a few announcements were made. Here's all the biggest announcements in one handy location.

Microsoft

Xbox One is coming to shops this November, and will cost the princely sum of $499/£429/€499. Xbox One preorders are now available.


View the Rest of the Coverage!

The Road to E3 2013 - A look at the games IGN is most excited to hear about at this year's show

IGN - E3 2013 is almost here, and with it comes an entirely new generation of consoles, games - and much, much more. But of everything we think and know is coming, what has us excited? Though publishers and developers are still working on confirming and discussing what will be coming to E3 2013, in the IGN offices we're still chatting about what we hope we'll see and play from June 11 to June 13.

Just to be clear, we don't entirely know every single game that we're going to discuss will definitely be at the show. Some of them will. Some won't. Some games that ought to have a presence won't make it. Regardless, we're hopeful we see all of this and plenty more that we don't expect.

Are you ready to take a tour through the madness that is E3 2013? Join us as we walk through 30 of the biggest games we want to see at E3 - two per day over the span of 15 days. And tune in as our coverage fires up on June 10 - and perhaps even in these final days and weeks leading up to the event.

LAST UPDATED: Wednesday - May 29, 2013



Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Quantic Dream
Platforms: PlayStation 3
Release Date: October 8, 2013

Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls excites me so much because it promises to tackle themes that other games won’t, or can’t. We already know that Jodie Holmes’ life-spanning story arc covers periods of homelessness and helplessness, culminating in a suicide attempt. Love, loss, family... these are easy ideas to sketch down on paper, but Beyond: Two Souls seems to make a much more earnest attempt at actually portraying them effectively than most video games.

I have my doubts about Beyond’s ability to straddle these and other all-too-real examples of human drama with more outlandish elements like CIA training and angry ghosts. But in Quantic Dream and heavy-hitting actors Ellen Page and William Dafoe I trust. I hope a strong E3 showing will put my fears at ease and prepare me for ambitious, emotional storytelling.

-Justin Davis

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'Call Of Duty: Ghosts' Officially Announced, Big Reveal Coming At Xbox Event May 21st - View the Trailer

 

Activision and developer Infinity Ward have officially revealed ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ with a gameplay debut scheduled for the Xbox next-gen event May 21st.

Forbes - An official teaser trailer for Activision’s 2013 Call of Duty: Ghosts has launched, as well as an official webpage.

You can watch the teaser below. It features a bunch of masked warriors from different epochs, all the way up to the Ghosts featured in the upcoming shooter.

What’s perhaps more interesting than this is the fact that the game will be debuted at the May 21st Xbox event, in which Microsoft MSFT -0.85% plans to announce its next-gen console.    More

Gaming: Leviathan Warships - Awesome Trailer & Info

About

Leviathan: Warships is a strategic action game where players can build and customize their own fleet of warships to play with or against their friends. Play together in the co-op campaign missions against the growing Marauder threat or fight through special Challenge Missions with your friends. If you rather want to test your admiral capabilities, you can fight against your friends or foes in skirmishes across multiple maps. 

The fleet editor features multiple ship and weapon types which can be combined in almost any possible way, allowing players to try out a vast amount of strategic possibilities.

Features

• Tactical Action: Plot out your turn in advance and watch your plans come to fruition alongside your foes’ moves
• Form Your Fleet: Customize your fleet choosing from multiple ship types and arm them with a vast set of both offensive and defensive weaponry.
• Sink Your Devices: Cross-platform play between PC, Mac, iOS and Android, together with the games built-in cloud saving functionality, allows you to continue your sessions from any computer, tablet or location 
• Enlist Your Shipmates: Bring along up to 3 other players for five individual challenge missions, or a full co-op campaign spanning nine levels. 
• Own the Oceans: Prove your dominance of the sea by saving replays of your battles
• Support for Marooned Sailors: Offline mode available for campaign and challenges

For more information, visit the official website.

Seven most exciting games of the Spring

BioShock Infinite (360, PS3, PC)

Price: $60
Availability: March 26
The outlook: Easily the most anticipated title of the year, BioShock Infinite takes players to an alternate 1912 where a floating city in the sky called Columbia has seceded from the United States. Forced to recover a girl from the airborne metropolis, you'll learn of Columbia's mysterious secrets and shattered past.
Read the GameSpot review.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)

Price: $40
Availability: March 24
The outlook: It's been quite some time since Mario's brother, Luigi, has had his own game, but the sequel to the GameCube launch title is finally making its way to the Nintendo 3DS.
Read the GameSpot review.


See the Rest!

Game Review: Gears of War: Judgment

Military.Com - Blockbuster game franchises like Epic Games' "Gears of War" don't just fade away - even if the primary antagonist, the voracious Locust Horde, was obliterated at the end of the initial trilogy.

Not to worry. With "Gears of War: Judgment" (for Xbox 360, $59.99), Microsoft takes players back in time to the beginning of the war between humans and Locusts. It's a hit-or-miss affair - but those few hits manage to leave some bruises.

The story begins shortly after Emergence Day, when the Locusts surfaced from underground and attacked the humans on the planet Sera. The war is still in its early stages and humanity has yet to fully grasp the danger. Veteran characters Damon Baird and Augustus Cole, along with two other members of their squad, stand before a military tribunal accused of treason.

The four soldiers each get a chance to tell their version of events, and though it's no "Rashomon," you do get to play as each squad member. Spending some time with our old friends Baird and Cole sounds enticing, but they are not the lovable wisecrackers they were in the trilogy. The typically sarcastic Baird is dryly serious through most of the game, and former "thrashball" player Cole never invites anyone to ride the "Cole Train" - a colossal disappointment for both characters.  More

'Black Ops 2' introduces microtransactions on Xbox 360

 

Activision will introduce in-game purchases to Black Ops 2 beginning on March 13.

Digital Spy -
Dubbed "Micro-Items", the optional "luxury" items will be rolled out to Xbox 360 customers, alongside free access to the Nuketown 2025 map.

Each pack will contain different items aimed at "enhancing the online experience", according to Activision's Dan Amrich.

Personalisation Packs, for example, contain a weapon camo, three targeting reticles and a custom player Calling Card.

Costing 160 Microsoft Points each (£1.36 / $2), one of the Personalisation Packs wraps your weapon in bacon.

Read more, view pics & watch video

Ubisoft man tells us tales of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

PCWorld - Ubisoft has taken the lid off its latest Assassin’s Creed game. Due out on PC and other platforms beginning October 29, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag will send gamers into the heart of the Caribbean during the violent 18th Century. Gamers will live the life of a pirate, but with an Assassin’s twist. 
 
This game won’t take a fantasy approach like Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean films and games. Instead, real-life pirates and stories will be blended into this fiction, which has become a part of the Assassin’s prescription for success. Ashraf Ismail, game director for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, talks about what’s in store for gamers as they set sail to explore the seven seas in this exclusive interview.
 
Game On: Can you talk about the story and the new protagonist in Assassin’s Creed IV?
 
Ashraf: With Assassin’s Creed IV, we are telling the story of Captain Edward Kenway. He is the father of Haytham Kenway and the grandfather of Connor, so we’re telling the Kenway family saga.

Edward is a British guy coming from poor stock, so he had a poor upraising. He’s a character who is very charismatic and very charming, but at the same time because of the poor life he had he’s very selfish and very reckless. This leads him to become a sailor and eventually a pirate; the lure of glory and gold was something that he was attracted to. 

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New Batman Arkham game confirmed for 2013

GameSpot - Warner Bros. says its "strong games release" for 2013 includes next entry in Arkham series; source say Rocksteady not developing.

Warner Bros. has confirmed a third entry in the Batman Arkham series will launch in 2013. As part of parent company Time Warner's latest earnings report last week, CFO John Martin said the company's "strong" games release for the year includes a new entry in the series.

"And we also have a strong games release this year, which will include the next release in the Batman Arkham franchise," Martin said. "So all in all, we expect Warners to post another very strong year in 2013. And with a little luck, the year should be as good or maybe even a little bit better than 2012." 

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Rumor Has It: Signs point to PlayStation 4 at E3

Sony's vice president of home entertainment hints that an announcement about the next-generation console will be made at or before E3 in June.

CNET - We're back from CES, and getting right back into the swing of the rumor mill.

This week, rumors of a 4.8-inch iPhone "Math" (say, what?) have been swirling, but we're blaming it on a bad translation. Also, Microsoft might be desperate to save the PC, YouTube might be eyeing music video site Vevo, and Sony's vice president of home entertainment hints at something that really made Karyne's day. We bet you can guess what it is (hint: read the headline of this post).

Watch the Video

New 3D Mario announced for Wii U

Gamespot - The latest 3D Mario game will be playable at E3 2013, with new Mario Kart and Yoshi games also announced by Nintendo. 

Nintendo will unveil its successor to Super Mario Galaxy 2 at this year's E3.

Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata announced the Wii U game's existence today as part of Nintendo Direct, but did not go into any more specifics other than to say it would be playable at E3 2013, which will be held this year June 11-13.

Iwata did mention that it would be Nintendo EAD Tokyo--the team who made Mario Galaxy, Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 3D Land--handling development of the new 3D Mario.

During the Nintendo Direct presentation Iwata confirmed that Nintendo would also be showing new Mario Kart and Smash Bros. titles at E3 2013, and that Nintendo was already hard at work on a new Wii U Zelda. 

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IGN - Best of 2012

                         




 Selecting IGN's Best of 2012 nominees and awards represents the culmination of a year's worth of observation, discussion and debate, along with countless hours spent in front of games, movies, comic books, and television shows. With a year marked by giant blockbuster highlights like Marvel's The Avengers, Halo 4, Breaking Bad, and the Mac Book Pro with Retina, to smaller but still fantastic high points like Journey, Dredd 3D, Community, and the new Saga comic series, 2012 represents some truly memorable entertainment.

Help us celebrate IGN's nominees and tune in on Dec. 19 to see the category and genre winners announced. And on December 21, check back to find out the overall winners, including IGN's 2012 Game of the Year. In the meantime, pick your own winners and vote now in IGN's People's Choice Awards.

Game of the Year Nominees

IGN's official nominees for 2012 Game of the Year are...

• Mass Effect 3
• Guild Wars 2
• The Unfinished Swan
• Borderlands 2
• Hotline Miami
• FTL
• Halo 4
• The Walking Dead: The Game
• Journey
• Dishonored

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Gaming Holiday Gift Guide 2012

IGN - Gamers and geeks are notoriously hard to shop for. Our tastes are...particular. Hundreds of new games, movies and gadgets come out every year, but we're only interested in the cream of the crop, the best handful of products that scratch our fanatic itch. At IGN, we want to remove the mystery of shopping for gamers. So we've assembled this collection of the absolute best gifts for 2012, in categories spanning the hottest video game consoles, and our favorite movies and comics. No more bad gifts. Just the most coveted goods for the online generation.

The Redemption of New Super Mario Bros. U

IGN - Five months ago, I felt optimistic about one of Nintendo’s two New Super Mario Bros. titles. The other seemed far less impressive, lacking truly original ideas or execution. But that’s always been the challenge of this particular retro-themed series – can it simultaneously balance old school platforming while adding something we haven’t seen before?

If you asked me around E3 2012, I would have said New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the Nintendo 3DS would accomplish that. New Super Mario Bros. U seemed to lack those qualities. True, it was the first HD Mario title, but its level design seemed uninspired, and allowing a fifth player to place blocks in the world through the GamePad was hardly something that seemed noteworthy.

Times have changed. Drastically.

Keep in mind New Super Mario Bros. 2 is not a bad game. But it’s fair to say it’s underwhelming and unremarkable. It squandered its ‘million coin’ gimmick, to the point where gamers had to effectively "grind for coins" to reach the lofty goal. That's a terrible thing to have to do in a platformer. The game simply wasn’t bold or brave enough with its unique angle. The entirety of the experience felt safe. And that’s not something this series can afford.

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Assassin's Creed III - October 30 Release Date

 

IGN - Cloaked, armed, and interwoven into the fabric of history. Desmond Miles will once again dive into the past and experience the memories of his ancestors. This time, the renowned Assassin's Creed series will take us to the American Revolution and a cunning assassin named Connor Kenway. Assassin's Creed III cuts through the colonial frontier, its snow-bitten forests and remote settlements, as well as decades of Connor's life. Expect a breathtaking journey with more than a few assassinations along the way. 

Ubisoft has been promising a reassessment of everything Assassin's Creed this time around, and so far it seems like they're poised to deliver. No element of the franchise has been untouched. Animations have been retooled. Combat is not only two-handed, but faster than ever. Even the way Connor navigates his environment is different, as Ubisoft has simplified its control scheme to make tree climbing simple and intuitive. Even things like gradual banks to rivers or allowing combat to take place on uneven surfaces add to the overall experience. In many ways this will likely prove to be the major leap the AC franchise has needed since its second installment.

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