Archive for May 2014
Kinect-less Xbox One Announced
It looks like Microsoft is finally willing to admit that some gamers just don’t want a camera.
A Kinect-less version of the Xbox One is on the way. It’ll hit stores June 9 and set you back $400, a hundred bucks less than the $500 sticker price of the Kinect version. Microsoft says that this is their way of giving more choices to their fans. The Kinect-less version will do everything that the normal console does, except it obviously won’t support the features that require Kinect.
That’s not the only good news from Microsoft. They’re also offering Xbox 360 and Xbox One owners access to all entertainment apps whether or not they have an Xbox Live Gold membership. About time.
Final Fantasy III Coming to Steam
An “optimized for PC” version of Final Fantasy III is coming to Steam soon, Square Enix has announced.
“Protected by the crystals of light, the once peaceful land has forever been changed by the great tremor,” the publisher explains. “Without warning, the earthquake pulled the crystals into the earth, upsetting the world’s fragile balance. It seems as if all hope is lost, but as the Gulgan prophecy foretold, four souls blessed with the light shall once again restore balance to the world. “Near the small village of Ur, fate guides Luneth to a sentient crystal that changes his life forever. As the light of the crystal fades, Luneth embarks on a journey to seek three others who share his destiny to search for the remaining crystals, and fight the battle of light and darkness.”
The game, first released in Japan in 1990, features new and improved 3D visuals and story sequences, new visual designs for Job Mastery Cards, upgraded graphics, achievements, and support for Steam Trading Cards. Square Enix didn’t offer an official release date, simply stating that it is “coming soon.”
Beverly Hills Cop 4 Slated for 2016
After decades off the beat, Axel Foley is returning to theatres.
Paramount Pictures has announced that the long-in-development Beverly Hills Cop 4 will land in theaters on March 25, 2016, with Eddie Murphy back in the lead role. This means the film has finally been given a green light. It started development years ago, and eventually morphed into a TV series that failed to get picked up, before turning back into a film.
This may not exactly be a Beverly Hills Cop movie, because the story is expected to take place entirely within Foley’s hometown of Detroit. As long as that catchy theme song is back, we’ll be happy.
Super Time Force Arrives May 14
Super Time Force, Capybara’s death-heavy 2D shooter for Xbox 360 and Xbox One, will launch on both consoles on May 14, the developer revealed today with a new trailer.
Born from a three-day game jam from 2011, Capybara’s Contra-on-cocaine shooter, in which players will die, but are resurrected by the wonders of time-travel to fight alongside a carbon copy of their former selves, was originally meant to arrive on Xbox Live Arcade last year, but was delayed in order to allow development time on the Xbox One version.
Dripping pop culture references, Super Time Force characters include Jef Leppard, Zackasaurus, Jean Rambois, Dolphin Lundgren, and boat loads more, all with their own unique special abilities.
Dillon Rolls into Super Smash Bros.
It turns out that Nintendo kept a little something back during its Super Smash Bros. Direct broadcast. Director Masahiro Sakurai has announced that Dillon, protagonist in Dillon’s Rolling Western, will be making an appearance in Super Smash Bros. as an Assist Trophy.
“We didn’t introduce ALL of the Assist Trophies in the Smash Bros. Direct,” Sakurai wrote in a Miiverse post. “Here’s Dillon from Dillon’s Rolling Western!! He may rival Sonic in the art of rolling.
“He may be an animal, and his buckles are definitely on the adorable side, but there’s no denying he looks cool,” he later added. “His Assist Trophy can even do things like a quick charge.”
Dillon’s Rolling Western was released in 2012 for Nintendo 3DS. A sequel is currently in development titled Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger.
Defiance is Going Free-to-Play
Trion Worlds has announced that its sci-fi MMO Defiance is set to go free-to-play on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
The game will be officially free-to-play from June 4 on PC, July 15 on PlayStation 3, and on an as yet unknown date for Xbox 360.
“New players will be able jump in to experience the entire Bay Area storyline, original end-game content and future missions completely for free, so fuel up your roller, load your weapons, and get ready: brand new missions are on the way that will further unfold the unique storyline, coupled with the second season of Defiance, the television series from Syfy,” the developer explained.
Players who already own a copy of Defiance or purchase a boxed copy of the game after the switch will receive the following bonuses:
A grant of 1,000 Arkforge, a currency redeemable for resetting weapon mastery, upgrading your weapon’s power rating, or even bumping an uncommon weapon to epic rarity.
4 Character Slots, 5 Loadouts, up to 75 Ark Keycodes, and a minimum 70 Inventory Slots.
They will also enjoy thirty days of Paradise Patron status when Defiance begins its free-to-play service.
The game will still have a subscription system in the form of Paradise Patron status. Paying for this each month will grant the following:
Boosts to skill, XP, scrip, salvage, and reputation gain rates that stack with the matching boosts available in the store.
10% store-wide discount – boosts, costumes, lock boxes, all of it!
A grab bag of one-hour boosts or Arkforge from Daily and Weekly Ark Hunter Bonus Lock Boxes. (Playing on console, be sure to link your account to get this bonus!)
No price for Paradise Patron was announced, but the developer added that all existing owners of a boxed or digital copy of Defiance will automatically receive these bonuses.
Finally, Trion added that the first of Defiance‘s new crossover storylines will begin in the coming weeks. ” The world of Defiance is rocked when the hope of Tranquility, the first Earthling-Votan hybrid on record, lies dying in Eren’s emergency facility. As players track down the half-human and half-Irathient crossbreed’s medical history, they’ll quickly discover other forces are working to cover them up for a dark purpose.”
Next Call of Duty Reveal on May 4
Publisher Activision and developer Sledgehammer Games will unveil the next Call of Duty game this weekend, on Sunday, May 4, Sledgehammer announced on Twitter today.
The developer’s tweet included a link to the next Call of Duty‘s official website, which, within its source code, contained three links to content regarding PMCs, or private military companies. This, plus a mini-documentary Activision put together about this year’s Call of Duty, points to a game wherein players will either be part of a PMC outfit or dealing with PMC forces in some capacity.
The Simpsons’ Lego Episode Unveiled
Everything is awesome in the first trailer for the Lego-themed episode of The Simpsons!
Known as “Brick Like Me,” the new episode sees the entire world of Springfield mysteriously recreated in Lego form, and the only person who seems to realize something’s wrong is Homer. The episode was created using computer animation, similar to the recent Lego Movie, and it should be interesting to see what happens when you combine the familiar Simpsons characters and humor with the more kid-friendly Lego style.
The Simpsons: Brick Like Me will air on Sunday, May 4. Not coincidentally, the first official Lego Simpsons play sets recently began hitting stores.
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