Borderlands 2: Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep is coming; Here's a Preview

The fine folks from VG247 got some hands-on time with the upcoming Borderlands 2 DLC, Tina's Assault on Dragon's Keep, which is essentially the game's take on Dungeons and Dragons. Gearbox has been showing it off to different outlets, and so far it's looking to be the most content-heavy of the four that have been released. And thank Primus for that, because Captain Scarlett was easy, and Big Game Hunt felt like I was shooting at bulletproof glass half the time. Said glass in the form of witch doctor tornadoes. Both still very fun, mind you.

In the DLC, Tiny Tina is running a game called Bunkers and Badasses along the lines of a Dungeon Master and has invited the Old Vault Hunters. Destructoid's preview states that over the course of the game, you'll see Tina's running of B&B [SPOILERS] as way to cope after Roland was killed. As far as I know, we've only seen Tina upset twice over the course of the main game, so it'll be something to see her nature of survival tuned down. She's still a kid after all.

The DLC is coming to all platforms on June 25th, and it is a part of the Season Pass. Note: the DLC character in the vid, Krieg, is not. Seriously, they said new characters won't be a part of the Pass when they announced it - why are people still complaining?!

Sources: [VG247, Destructoid]

So... About the AI System of the CoD's Next-Gen Engine

I don't know if I should laugh or be disappointed about it. LOL

The video was uploaded by SUPERMARIOGALAXY13, explaining the new AI system in the Call of Duty: Ghost . The clip in the video is from the CoD preview in Xbox One announcement. 

Tearaway: Go On a Papercraft Adventure

Aww... This is the first thing in my head when I saw the trailer.

Media Molecule has presented this Third person adventure game - Tearaway. You will play as a messenger on a mission to deliver a unique message to the player.You can play as a male character, Iota, or the female character, Atoi. Iota/Atoi's head is an envelop, in order to figure out the message in its head  you'll have to travel through this papercraft world filled with Wendigos. 

Tearaway totally utilizes PS Vita's features. In this papercraft based world, you can swipe on the touchscreen to cut-out a paper, use the rear touch panel to push their fingers up through the ground etc.  

According to Media Molecule, all the monsters or environment in the game was actually made in real life first. Also, in the game, they will show you the papers you need and the step-by-step direction to create the shapes and monsters in real life. Therefore, you can have a physical trophy of the monster after you beat it. I think that's a brilliant idea. 

Tearaway will be release in October 22, 2013. I don't have a PS Vita, but now I wish I do. 

Here's a Trailer for Forza Motorsport 5

I'm not a big fan of the sim racers (give me Burnout or San Francisco Rush any day), but I do want to dabble around with this. No release date set, but it is due at launch, according to the press event earlier today.

Xbox One Not Backwards Compatible with 360 Titles

Gamers that hold impressive libraries of 360 games may want to hold on the (old?) console. The Verge reports that backwards compatibility with the new Xbox One won't be possible due to an upgrade in infrastructure.

This isn't any surprise, as the new design is sporting an x86 CPU, a step up from the 360's Xenon processor. Hence, anything made for the 360 would have to be redesigned and rebuilt. The same goes for Xbox Arcade titles as well.

The PlayStation 4 made the jump to Xenon as well, but they are making a compromise by streaming PlayStation 3 games from the cloud. When asked about cloud services for the Xbox One, Microsoft CPO Mark Whitten shut it down, stating it wasn't in the works. But he did say that the company does plan to continue selling the 360 with the One as long as possible. "This isn't getting rid of the 360," he told The Verge.

Thank the Force for that.

Source: [The Verge]

New Xbox Is Not "Always On" (Sorta), But Used Games Might be a Problem. Also, Installations.

Don't know how they did it, but the folks at Wired managed to get some hands-on time with the new Xbox One, and ask some pressing questions about the console. The results are...kinda troubling.

One bit from their piece states that the console seemingly requires a mandatory installation for each game. "On the new Xbox, all game discs are installed to the HDD to play," Microsoft said in an email.  Alright, how about used games? The hard drive, of course, connects to player profiles on the console and Xbox Live accounts. So, one account, one game? Wired asked this, and that seems to be the case.

"Microsoft did say that if a disc was used with a second account, that owner would be given the option to pay a fee and install the game from the disc, which would then mean that the new account would also own the game and could play it without the disc."

                        - Chris Kohler, Wired

They had no word on if games could be played without installation, thus saving the used games problem and letting renters and buddies not have to pay a price just to trade and play games. Joystiq, however, reported via Xbox.com's Q&A that the console is designed, "...to enable customers to trade in and resell games." 

Microsoft was also asked about the "always online" rumors that circulated the console before the reveal, and the answer isn't as terrible as once thought. One will give developers access to the company's Azure cloud computing service, meaning that certain features and jobs could be offloaded there, thus requiring the console to remain online for that particular game. Marc Whitten, Microsoft's Chief Product Officer, told Wired that developers are not forced to use the Azure service, however, "I hope they do."

Am I the only one getting a "one step forward, two steps back" vibe from all this? For all the amazing tech behind the console, the cumbersome features in the name of piracy combat don't make any sense. In my opinion, there are more people willing to pay than there are pirates, and these features are making things more difficult than they need to be. Hopefully, a few things will change at E3 or after.

Sources: [Wired, Joystiq]

Xbox One: New Remedy Title, "Quantum Break" Announced; Console to have 15 Exclusives in First Year

Photo from Ariel Zambelich - WIRED

At the Xbox One event, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Studios, Phil Spencer, introduced a trailer for Quantum Break, a new IP from Remedy Studios -  the guys behind Max Payne. The cryptic trailer showed off a live-action bit featuring a mysterious girl with what seemed like psychic powers. This precluded a CGI bit featuring a ship crashing into a bridge, and two cops moving in a detonated room slowed by time. Hm.

Spencer also showed off a trailer for Forza Motorsport 5, which has been confirmed for launch. He also announced that the console will have 15 exclusive games within its first year, eight of those being new franchises.

UPDATE: Have a Quantum Break...trailer.

New Xbox Dubbed "Xbox One"

It's official. Not Infinity, not 720, simply One.

...Little confusing, isn't it?

The new console, according to Microsoft's President of Interactive Entertainment Don Mattrick, touts itself as an, "...all in one system, with hardware, software, and services that put you at the center."

On the livestream, Senior Vice President of Online Audience Yusef Medhi has shown off some impressive quick-switching from TV channels to the internet, and back to ESPN and his fantasy team on a sidebar, which utilizes the new Kinect device. And Vice President of Xbox Live, Marc Witten, has said the new Kinect will come with each One. Interesting stuff, though we haven't heard a single thing about the games just yet (wait, EA Sports just came on).

You'll get a full roundup of the new console here on Penguin and Eevee Games, so check back in after the livestream.

Horn: An Artistry Adventure

Horn is a 3D action/adventure game developed by Phosphor Games. You will play as Horn, a young blacksmith apprentice, who wakes up in a ruined tower. He then found out that all the other living things in the village were cursed and turned into robotic monsters. So Horn started an adventure to free them from the curse.

The most prominent part of the game is its graphic. Sunlight filtered through the thick leaves, as it sway slowly, how artistry. Not to mention the music and the voice acting of the game. They really intensify the beauty of the game.

Combat and puzzle solving is the main component of the game. In combat mode, you swipe the screen to strike an attack, tap left or right to roll and dodge an incoming attack. For puzzle solving, they were only  jumping puzzles, flipping switches and shooting arrows, not challenging at all. It was really entertaining in the beginning, but they soon become repetitive and dull. You will soon figure out the attack pattern of the monsters, as well as the puzzles.

I was first intrigued by the its combat system, as it kind of resembles another stunning ios game Infinity Blade. If you have played Infinity Blade and you loved it, you might find Horn stimulating. But its repetitive nature is a big turn off for me.

There's a Fuse Demo Available and I Like It...Sort Of.

Here's the thing - Fuse used to be OverStrike - a cartoony and comical third person shooter that looked absolutely fun, and not something that would take itself too seriously. The personalities between the four characters were distinct and one of the main draws for a lot of folks that wanted to dive in.

Fuse is what happens when marketing and 12-year olds beat up OverStrike with the need for grittiness because that's what the kids love. Far be it from other gamers that might want something different. And I'm not joking about the 12-year-old bit.

When it officially arrived, there was a lot of understandable pessimism tossed around. I mean - look at the trailers.

OverStrike


Fuse


See the difference? You can't help but wonder what sort of game OverStrike was going to be if it was finished and sent out into the wild.

But that's gone, so now we have Fuse. There's a demo out for the 360 and PS3, and despite my hesitations, it's not all bad. Each character wields a different weapon that contains the titular alien material, and as such is used in different ways. Main character and squad leader Dalton Brooks uses the MagShield, which can drop cover and repel stopped bullets in a shock wave. Isabella Sinclair is the team sniper, and uses the Shattergun to lift enemies up off the ground for kill assists.

You're able to jump between the four squadmembers when the situation calls for it, which didn't feel forced. I did hop over to other members if I needed a sniper or someone with a cloak ability for stealth kills. And the shooting, if basic, is still pretty solid. The Fuse weapons are fun to play around with, and work as intended. I should mention that you can hop online with friends or random folk to play through the 15-minute build, and team kills can ramp up a score against the same target. You also have limited skill upgrades to take you through the fights as well.

As I ran through this though, I couldn't take my mind off how despite these features, it felt like it wass just...there. It's by the numbers; something that wouldn't have too much longevity when finished. The character skills and Fuse weapons, while fun, still felt like novelties - as if they wouldn't keep me entertained against the enemy. Additionally,  the characters are toned down considerably from their first show in the OS trailer. It's so easy to say that one girl can go invisible, then that one dude has a crossbow. There's no individuality present.

I'm keeping up my optimism that this might turn out into something great and entertaining. Insomniac is a great team who have made some stalwart stuff. Let's hope that this won't signal some sort of turnaround.

EA Kills the Online Pass

Image from Joystiq

The Online Pass. It was EA's form of rebellion against the used game market, enabled for the sole purpose of forcing gamers to buy their games new. In short, EA would ship a code with certain new games that would unlock features such as multiplayer (among others) in that game. If a player wanted to save a few bucks and buy the title used, you could still have those features - provided you pay a fee for the online pass. This fee also applied if you moved the game over to a new console. No pay = no full game.

It was (and still is), a cash grab dedicated to squeezing every last cent out of a game even after they've gained the profits from it [opinion]. But, thanks to consumer feedback, they're finally getting rid of it.

In speaking to GamesBeat, EA's Senior Director of Corporate Communications John Reseburg confirmed the news. "Yes, we're discontinuing Online Pass," he said, "None of our new titles will include that feature." He went on to say they are, "...still committed to creating content and services that enhance the game experience well beyond the day you first start playing."

After almost three years, that's that. Other big publishers such as Acitivision and Ubisoft are still using the online pass, and there's no word on whether or not they will follow EA's lead.

Source: [VentureBeat]

Have Some Free Breakout from Google

'Tis the 34th anniversary of that eternal time-eater, Breakout, and Google is celebrating by doing one of the things it does best: an Easter Egg. Simply punch in Atari Breakout in to Google image search and have your fingers on the arrow keys to hit up some "Image" Breakout. I'll post a quick link at the bottom if you just want to hop directly to it. Have fun, folks.

[Image Breakout] - Google

The Last of Us: Meet the Infected

Are you excited? I am!!!!! It's been so long for me to be really excited and thrilled about a game. 

The Last of Us is not just any zombie games. it's a blend of exploration, scavenging, and brutal hide-and-seek combat. The director of the game Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley shared how they build up the characters and their relationship of them, also how they get inspired to create the infected. 

Star Wars Games Now Belong to Electronic Arts

....Yeap.

Electronic Arts recently announced that they are in possession of the Star Wars game license, in a multi-year deal signed with Disney for an undisclosed amount. In a press release, EA Labels President Frank Gibeau said, "Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe. Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. DICE and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay."

To give a quick background on this deal - When Disney purchased Lucasfilm (to the tune of $4.05 billion), they went on to shutter LucasArts, the company's game development arm. The reason being was to move the name to a "licensing model" rather than continue be a full development house. Games that were in the making, such as Star Wars 1313 (recently revealed to be about Boba Fett) were put into limbo where they stand now. Neither Disney nor EA have stated whether or not they'll pick up any of those leftover titles.

I was reading the comments on a post about this the other day, and one in particular stood out to me. Simply, "$3 for a new lightsaber color." I sincerely hope that this doesn't come to that. No matter where you go, EA is getting called on something, and being named the worst company in America (again) isn't really helping the image. Nevertheless, they've got a hand in one of the biggest franchises in the world, and have some talented studios that could do well. Set phasers to cautiously optimistic, people.

Yes, I know that's the wrong series.