Ubisoft believes the newest entry in the Rainbow Six series has the potential to become the best-selling shooter in the company's history, even surpassing , Ubisoft reaffirmed a 2015 launch for Siege. A specific release date was not announced, but the company said it expects the game out sometime between October and the end of the year.
In The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, the sacred is always at war with the profane, and beauty is always at war with blood. The series has always contrasted its world's physical glamor with its intrinsic violence, but never has that contrast been this uneasy, this convulsive. That The Witcher 3 depicts the immediate brutality of battle in great detail is not a surprise; many games fill the screen with decapitated heads and gory entrails. It's the way this incredible adventure portrays the personal tragedies and underhanded opportunities that such battles provide that makes it so extraordinary.
It is more than its thematic turbulence that makes The Witcher 3 extraordinary, actually. Excellence abounds at every turn in this open-world role-playing game: excellent exploration, excellent creature design, excellent combat mechanics, excellent character progression. But the moments that linger are those that reveal the deep ache in the world's inhabitants. In one quest, you reunite two lovers, one of which is now a rotting hag, its tongue lasciviously lolling from its mouth. In another, a corpulent spouse-abuser must find a way to love two different lost souls, each of which test the limits of his affection. Don't worry that these vague descriptions spoil important events: they are simple examples of the obstacles every resident faces. On the isles of Skellige and in the city of Novigrad, there is no joy without parallel sorrow. Every triumph demands a sacrifice.
Every horse Geralt has owned is called Roach. Talk about an identity crisis.
As returning protagonist Geralt of Rivia, you, too, face the anguish of mere existence, sometimes in unexpected, unscripted ways. The central story, which sees you seeking your ward and daughter figure Ciri, as well as contending with the otherworldly force known as the wild hunt, often forces this anguish upon you. But it was my natural exploration of the game's vast expanses that proved most affecting. At one point, I witnessed a woman sentenced to death, doomed to starve after being chained to a rock. It's a chilling sentence, of course, but it was only later, when I accidentally sailed past the tiny island where her corpse still rested, that the horror of her punishment sunk into my heart. The Witcher 3's story did not script this moment; it was merely a passing detail that might have been lost in the waves or overlooked in favor of the harpies circling overhead. Yet there she was, a reminder that my actions--actions that felt righteous and reasonable as I made them--allowed this woman to rot in this faraway place.
Loot has a huge role to play in the game, thanks to the high degree of armor and weapon customization. Different armor sets in particular are a joy to uncover, making Geralt look more and more hardened as you progress. In many role-playing games, hunting for treasure is more of a chore to be marked off of the to-do list than a pressing adventure of its own. In The Witcher 3, discovering a diagram of new and improved chest armor is a cause for celebration. Geralt can get a shave and a haircut (and delightfully, his beard grows back over time), but otherwise, you cannot customize his physical appearance; new armor means a new look, and with it, a new visual attitude. Geralt's look evolves from that of a battered soldier, to robed battle wizard, to wisened commander, all on the basis of the game's exquisite armor designs.
The Witcher 3 also benefits from its hugely expanded potions system, which allows you to quaff potions during combat--though as always, witcher potions are dangerous, and Geralt can only have so many in effect due to their rising toxicity. Between gear diagrams and potion ingredients, I became a digital hoarder, a trap I typically avoid in role-playing games. Again, it comes down to balance: your inventory fills rapidly, but for the most part, this is not just "stuff" for the sake of "stuff." I knew that the ingredients I collected would allow me to create a potion that in turn let me dive for treasure without being annoyed by pesky sea-dwelling drowners. I knew that I could break down those horse hides I collected into armor components the local smith needed to make me look even mightier.
In Velen, the wind blows particularly violently.
From one hour to the next, the compulsion to examine the landscape grows. Some of the joys that arise in the wilds are quiet ones: you mount your horse Roach and trot over the hill in time to see a rich sunset, always a treat in The Witcher 3, whose saturated reds and oranges make the sky look as beautiful and as blood-sodden as the meadows beneath them. You discover a boat and embark on an impromptu voyage through the islands of Skellige, taking note of the ship wreckage that mars the beaches and cliffs. The music swells, and a soprano intones a euphoric melody that accentuates the peacefulness. The peacefulness is always broken, however--perhaps by a journey into a dark dungeon where your torch lights the pockmarked walls and a snarling fiend waits to devour you, or by the shout of a boy crying out for your assistance.
At the time of this writing, I have only played the PlayStation 4 version, as it was the only version provided for advance review, but it is undoubtedly beautiful, though prone to occasional bugs and visual glitches. Solving a quest's subtasks in a particular order caused the game to stick at a perpetual loading screen. Roach decided to stop galloping and lurch ahead in a weird way for minutes on end until I quick-traveled away and returned. Geralt's hair blew in the wind, even when he was indoors. It's jarring should you enter an area after quick-traveling and the citizens have yet to pop in, including quest-givers.
Silence, creature of the sky! I am here to slaughter you!
These distractions stand out in part because The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is otherwise incredible and sumptuous; the little quirks are pronounced when they are surrounded by stellar details. And make no mistake: this is one of the best role-playing games ever crafted, a titan among giants and the standard-setter for all such games going forward. Where the Witcher 2 sputtered to a halt, The Witcher 3 is always in a crescendo, crafting battle scenarios that constantly one-up the last, until you reach the explosive finale and recover in the glow of the game's quiet denouement. But while the grand clashes are captivating, it is the moments between conflicts, when you drink with the local clans and bask in a trobairitz's song, that are truly inspiring.
Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider publisher Square Enix on Tuesday announced financial performance for its fiscal year ended March 31, 2015--and the results were strong.
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Overall, Square Enix--which also runs various non-gaming business units--posted revenue of ¥167.9 billion ($1.4 billion) for the year. That's up 8.3 percent. Profit, meanwhile, rose a healthy 49 percent from ¥6.6 billion ($55 million) to ¥9.8 billion ($81.6 million).
CD Projekt Red's highly anticipated role-playing game version will be ready to pre-load "soon," the Polish developer explained in its announcement today.
Check back soon for lots more on The Witcher 3, as we'll post our review at 7 AM PDT / 10 AM EDT today.
When you're reflecting on a recently completed game, hating it is just as helpful a feeling as loving it. Whether your opinions are glowing or scathing, strong feelings in either direction mean that you'll have plenty to share with others when the topic comes up. It's the middling game--inoffensive but unremarkable--that really haunts you. I don't feel any regret about the time I expended playing Toren, but that's the problem. I don't really feel much about that time at all.
In you direct a small girl known as Moonchild to the top of a crumbling tower. Like the tower of Babel, it was built by people seeking great power who were punished severely for their hubris. Mankind's last hope is a girl trapped inside the tower, doomed to die and be reborn endlessly until she can scale it and slay the dragon that shares her prison. It's a web of myth and mysticism where each individual thread is vaguely familiar but has been woven into something distinct and original.
Dragons never breathe nice things, do they?
Moonchild starts as a toddler stumbling around the overgrown lower level, but the endearingly uncoordinated flopping of her limbs gives way to composure and poise the farther she progresses up the tower. The enchanted sword that takes all her strength to first lift is soon wielded with ease. Aspects of Moonchild's maturation are handled very well, including her evolving design, with one notable exception. In her awkward preteen stage, her childhood dress tears into a convenient deep V-neckline with straps slipping away from her shoulders and three large round gaps in the cloth exposing the majority of her back. This is not what happens when someone outgrows a piece of clothing, and considering that the player saw this same character toddling around in baby bloomers about thirty minutes prior, this phase of her costume evolution comes off as somewhat creepy.
The actual act of climbing the tower involves solving relatively simple environmental puzzles, fending off assorted enemies, and exploring optional dream sequences where Moonchild's mentor explains her situation and some broader philosophical musings about the nature of mankind. This is where the your experience can be seriously derailed; if you skip these optional (and easily missed) sequences, it becomes quite hard to follow the plot. You'll never want for those lofty chin-stroking tidbits, though, even though they're some of the least interesting things the game has to say.
Kind of a Princess Mononoke meets Frozen thing going on here (and I'm into it.)
Storytelling gripes aside, the hands-on feel of playing isn't great either. The best illustration of this comes in the form of the shapes that Moonchild must fill with sand during her dreams. Each dream has at least one of these to complete, and to do so, you hold down the interact button and direct her around the shape's outline. The game very weakly snaps her to the path, but it's incredibly easy to stray. It's even easier if you disregard the warnings and elect to play with a mouse and keyboard instead. (Don't do this. Seriously.) These sand tracings are the most annoying part of the game; even when you perform well (controller and all), it looks like Moonchild has spread the sacred sand with as much care as a toddler spilling cereal all over the kitchen floor.
I wish my problems with Toren ended there, but I can't leave out the times that I somehow managed to wedge Moonchild in places where the camera steadfastly refused to follow, the times when she simply slipped through the floor geometry and fell into oblivion, the times when Moonchild's arms froze in place while her legs continued to animate normally, the times that her sword hit foes with so little effect that I kept attacking, not realizing that they were already dead, the times that I took a jump too early but the game graciously floated me over to the destination platform as though I'd triggered some sort of moon gravity mode, the time that I fought the dragon, fudged the timing, and darted back to regroup before it could perform its “you're too slow” instant kill... only for the game to snap Moonchild back into its talons anyway.
Disclaimer: Your sword may vary.
And yet Toren is not without its charms. In spite of some conspicuously low-quality models, it's a delightful thing to look at: its colors are vivid, its world is small but detailed, and it doesn't shy away from dramatic use of its camera and lighting effects. A couple of the dream sequences elicited quiet gasps as I proceeded through them, and even the credits (which feature painted illustrations unfurled to a vocal version of the game's beautiful theme) are worth watching.
For all the problems, it's easy to recognize the flashes of something special in Toren. It's a loaf of homemade bread, proofed and kneaded, laid in a pan, and sprinkled tenderly with rosemary but unfortunately pulled from the oven a few minutes before it could pass the toothpick test. However complex the recipe, Toren just feels undercooked.
The face of masked murderer Jason Voorhees has never been revealed in fighting game , praised for its solid fighting mechanics and the challenges offered, but criticized for its monetization model.
Nintendo's Amiibo toy figurines have become quite the rage in the collectible market. While the typical retail price for an Amiibo is only $12.99, their relative scarcity has caused prices to skyrocket. For example, this legless Princess Peach, the result of a manufacturing defect, sold for $25,100 on eBay.
2. Dual Cannon Samus
Metroid's famous bounty hunter, Samus, gets a serious price upgrade when she dual-wields her iconic arm cannon. For thrifty shoppers, two-can Sam can be found for a mere $2,500–ten percent of the cost of her compatriot, legless Peach.
3. No-Lefty Luigi
Rounding out the collection of top-tier manufacturing defects, this Luigi Amiibo showed up on eBay missing his left hand. The auction winner is now out $500. Beyond Peach, Samus and Luigi, though, most defects don't seem to positively impact the value of Amiibo figures.
4. Villager
If you're not into factory mistakes and want to focus on collecting intact Amiibo, finding the Villager from Animal Crossing is a quest in itself. Unless you spot one in the wild, expect to pay upwards of $70 on auction sites to grab the little guy.
5. Greninja
Good luck grabbing a pre-order for the elusive Pokemon ninja. As is often the case with Amiibo figures, Greninja sold out long before he even hit store shelves.
6. Little Mac
Little Mac became one of the most popular Nintendo fighters after his inclusion in the new Super Smash Bros. That new stardom led to his Amiibo becoming a hot commodity, too. Pro tip for winning him in an auction: Dance like a fly, bite like a mosquito.
7. Gold Mario
He's not quite worth his weight in gold, but if you manage to find a Gold Mario Amiibo, he's currently valued at around around $60. Mama mia.
8. Marth
Marth's come a long way. He flummoxed many players in his first Smash Bros. appearance, but after the surprising success of Fire Emblem in the West, Marth has received a huge popularity boost. Acquiring his coveted Amiibo will cost you more than $50.
9. Pit
After languishing on the sidelines for more than a decade, Kid Icarus has officially made a comeback, thanks to the tireless efforts of Nintendo designer Masahiro Sakurai. Some Amiibo figures are rare because they're relatively unknown. Other characters, like Pit, are rare because they're so loved.
10. Wii Fit Trainer
That's it, feel the burn ... in your wallet, that is. Considered a rare unicorn by serious Amiibo collectors, the Wii Fit Trainer still goes for more than three times her retail price.
11. Ness
In a more just universe, the words "rare" and "Earthbound" would never appear together, but sadly, this is the timeline we inhabit. The consummate yo-yo artist Ness is an upcoming GameSpot exclusive. If you didn't pre-order, though, you'll need to cast PSI Hypnosis to persuade someone else to fork him over.
12. Meta Knight
Meta Knight got an avalanche of nerfs in the recent Smash Bros. game, but his weaker range didn't affect his popularity as a toy. Rumors abound that he'll be restocked in stores, but expect to pay close to $40 until then.
13. Ike
If you've kept your ear close to the ground, then you know the mercenary Ike is rumored for a summer restock. The smart bet would be to wait out his current price spike–$40–until then, just in case this royal bodyguard becomes a mere commoner.
14. Shulk
Behold the power of the Monado! Thanks to his rabid fanbase, Shulk's Xenoblade title became a bonafide hit in the West, and his Amiibo proved just as popular. Unfortunately, like the Wii game from which he hails, Shulk is a difficult man to track down.
15. Captain Falcon
Winning isn't about being lucky. It's about being bold. And you'll need to be bold to hunt down your very own Captain Falcon figure. Once you do, he'll cost you close to $35.
16. Rosalina
Who knew Rosalina would become such a lightning rod for controversy? One collector managed to frustrate the entire Amiibo collecting community by purchasing huge numbers of Rosalinas simply to keep her off store shelves. Luckily, the truly committed can still find her for around $30.
17. King Dedede
For the longest time, Dreamland's king has been unfairly maligned. Maybe Nintendo fans are finally celebrating his heroic nature, because his Amiibo has been one of the most popular.
18. Lucario
A well-trained Lucario can identify creatures more than half a mile away. We wish we had the same telepathic ability to spot which Toys "R" Us has the fabled Amiibo in stock. Expect to pay twice his retail price for a Lucario in the wild.
19. Fox
Fox McCloud may have what it takes to save the Lylat Galaxy, but you'll have to find him first. He's not impossible to discover, but he still remains one of the less common Amiibo originals.
20. Dankey Kang
What's a collector to do after tracking down the rarest and most valuable Amiibo figures? Well, there's a cool niche market of custom painted Amiibo characters to explore. Creators offer unique spins on classic characters, like the famous Jeopardy-themed meme "Dankey Kang," pictured above. While not officially produced by Nintendo, a custom painted work can be truly one of a kind.
It's not so outlandish as other vehicles in Mad Max: Fury Road, but this beat-up Ford Falcon with a classical rust patina is one of the most iconic cars in the Mad Max series, appearing in all four of the films.
14. The Nux Car
Nicholas Hoult stars as the psychopath Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road, but his ancient, turbo-charged Chevrolet may steal the show. The prominent front grill looks convenient for catching roadkill.
13. The Big Foot
It's only natural that the WWA World Heavyweight Champ Nathan Jones would drive this massive, reconfigured Dodge pickup for his role as Rictus Erectus. When you need to cross the desert after catastrophic worldwide calamities, this beast is your top choice.
12. The Dodge
The Dodge is a junkyard attack dog: a modified hot rod that spews flames across the citadel.
11. The Mack
The Mack is an R-series wrecker with mounted harpoons. It's tasked with bringing up the rear of the Australian armada, scooping up the spoils of war left behind.
10. Buggy #9
Buggy #9 looks like a Corvette that's been to hell and back. It's got a custom gunner seat mounted to the rear for fending off all the maniacal death gangs of the desert.
9. The War Rig
The War Rig strikes a formidable pose. A semi-truck with precious cargo needs an Apocalypse-Now-esque number of skull trophies to scare off plundering bandits.
8. Prince Valiant
This muscle car comes equipped with an outlaw arsenal of molotov grenades and a rear-mounted flamethrower. Those fierce licks of fire across the hood aren't just for decoration.
7. The Cranky Frank
The Cranky Frank is a chopped-top rat rod with a mean tower of carburetors. This vehicle also serves as the trailblazer in the main villain's military entourage, a predatory gang known as the War Boys.
6. Elvis
With nitrous injection and twin GMC V6 engines to power it, Elvis boasts the top acceleration of the war rig convoy. Not bad for the ghost of a three-window coupe.
5. The Ploughboy
The Holden EH Station Wagon was a popular Australian car in the 1960s, but after the apocalypse, it was necessary to outfit it with a hydraulic plough and an off-road frame.
4. FDK
Punch buggy brown! The first thing that jumps out about this rugged Volkswagen monstrosity is those fuel barrels attached to the side, perfectly engineered to spew flames into the face of any bloodthirsty fugitive daft enough to come near.
3. The Peacemaker
The Peacemaker belongs to the Bullet Farmer, and it's another piece of classic Mad Max iconography. This vicious vehicle looks like a roadster mashed up with some makeshift tank tracks.
2. The Gigahorse
The Gigahorse is like the conjoined twins of Cadillac Coupe DeVilles. They're both carried aloft on the chassis of a giant monster truck with two massive V-8 engines spilling forth from its intestines. It's truly the stuff of nightmares.
1. The Plymouth Rock
If Beetlejuice drove a Plymouth sedan through a field of sand worms, we imagine it might look close to this. This nasty piece of work scavenges the desert hunting for the decaying flesh of dead animals, and it's officially the wildest we've seen so far from Fury Road.
You knew this one would be on here. Mortal Kombat tops our list with official bans in Brazil, Germany, South Korea, and Australia. With this year's new release easily earning the distinction of the most violent game in the series, we wouldn't be surprised if even more bans followed.
2. Red Dead Redemption
John Marston's gritty adventure through the Wild West was banned in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for scenes containing nudity. The UAE ultimately repealed the ban two months later, presumably because officials actually played the game and realized how great it was.
3. Left 4 Dead 2
A German court outlawed the original version of L4D2, saying it "trivializes violence due to its high killing rate and explicit graphical representation of mutilation." Australia also refused to classify the game for commercial sale, citing "copious amounts of blood spray and splatter."
4. Sonic Blast Man
America has a strong tradition of free speech, but it doesn't tolerate safety hazards. The unique arcade game Sonic Blast Man was recalled because of injuries and safety concerns about its punching pad. It was never redistributed. (Image via Arcade Flyer Archive)
5. South Park: The Stick of Truth
South Park is known for pushing buttons, and The Stick of Truth is no exception. Ubisoft censored the European, Russian, and Australian releases of the game, while Lebanon and Saudi Arabia banned the game outright. Turns out the world's just not ready for that level of alien probing.
6. Injustice: Gods Among Us
Injustice itself is pretty tame for a fighting game, considering it was designed by the creators of Mortal Kombat. However, it still received a ban in Kuwait for including the word "gods" in the title.
7. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2
GRAW 2 was banned in the Mexican state of Chihuahua after Juarez Mayor Héctor Murguía Lardizábal labeled the game "a crime against the intellectual capacity of Juarez residents." The problem originated with a mission in the game depicting a battle with Mexican rebels.
8. Pokémon
Pokémon seems like the least controversial game, but that didn't stop Saudi Arabia from banning it for promoting gambling and for featuring religious iconography and Freemasonry symbols. This may be a case of looking for something that was never there.
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Call of Duty: Black Ops II sold more than 24 million copies worldwide, but very few of those purchases were made in Pakistan, where the game was banned. A local manufacturers association recommended the injunction for showing "the country in a very poor light."
10. EA Sports MMA
Denmark has a law restricting the use of energy drink product placements in games. Rather than sacrifice the game's "authentic recreation" of MMA corporate sponsorship, EA refused to alter the game and did not ship it to that region.
11. Mass Effect
BioWare's space opera epic was initially banned in Singapore for featuring a cross-species alien love scene. Who knows what the government would do if they watched an episode of Farscape?
12. Battlefield 3
Iranians were upset with a plotline involving an invasion of Tehran, leading the deputy police chief to prohibit stores them from selling the game. The Global Islamic Media Front later reskinned an anti-US version of the game titled "Night of Bush Capturing."
13. Bully
Anti-video-game attorney Jack Thompson isn't the only one with a grudge against Bully. The country of Brazil banned the game because its violence takes place within a school setting. A Brazilian state prosecutor called the milieu "unacceptable."
14. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift
BlazBlue is a victim of the United Arab Emirates' restrictive National Media Council, which proclaimed the fighting game's sexy costumes too raunchy. The artsy relationship puzzle game Catherine was also banned in the UAE because of its sexual themes.
15. Football Manager 2005
FM05 was prohibited in China because "Taipei of Taiwan, the Hong Kong-Macao region, and China's Tibet are represented as independent countries," instead of Chinese territories, according to China Daily.
I like to think of Action Henk as a retired action hero on the fast road to retaking the spotlight. A distended beer belly hanging far over his belt, Henk is a small action figure sporting a wide, yet determined grin separating an impressive set of 1980s sideburns. It’s hard not to root for him as he slides down ramps and over obstacles at a relentless velocity. This side-scrolling, speed-running platformer has the rush of a classic
There is still some stress involved. At the end of most sections, you face a tough boss challenge. These races can require a lot of patience and restarts as they test your speed-running skills. The final section missions, however, are the most difficult. Some of them can be downright sadistic in their challenges. Earning a gold medal in every level of a section unlocks a touch bonus mission to collect coins. The medal also unlocks the rainbow medal ghost, as well as the ghost for the top player of the level--both of which are the hardest challenges you can face. Beyond that, the game does suffer from some minor issues. A few levels tend to lag in spots, while the level select menu sticks on occasion.
Though reaching the final "Hard as Henk" levels is possible in only a few hours, there is still a lot of extra content to experience and discover. Completing challenges such as boss battles unlocks new characters and skins--the Sonic costume for Henk with his belly bursting through the front is an easy favorite. Action Henk is a community-focused game, and includes tools to build and share your own custom level and download other users’ levels from its Steam page. I tried a few of the higher rated tracks, many of which are great. Some send you through enough loops to make your head spin, while others are designed for pure speed. Action Henk also has an online racing mode, but I wasn’t able to give it a whirl, as the developer kept it offline for advance review copies.
Getting too close to the floor causes it to turn to lava.
Completing Action Henk will set you back only several hours, but you will be at the edge of your seat for most of that time. The speed is immensely satisfying, and earning those precious gold medals after replaying levels feels good. It’s a heart-pumping adventure starring action figures and toy tracks, so give yourself a break and come play.
Kevin and Alexa chat about their initial impressions of Assassin's Creed Syndicate after the reveal this morning.
Embody the new Assassin Jacob Frye in Assassin's Creed Syndicate and become a gang leader to break the corrupt stranglehold on London.
Before Duke Nukem there was… a crapload of other games! Dan and Ed revisit their 90’s PC gaming childhoods by racing through the 3D Realms Anthology!
