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Dev diaries often fall somewhere between "mildly interesting" and "total fluff," but you might be interested in this behind-the-scenes clip from Naughty Dog for The Last of Us. Little is shown in the way of new gameplay, but the three-minute short takes a closer look at the origin of the game's infected.
The Last of Us is set in a post-apocalyptic world that's been torn apart by a global plague triggered by a deadly fungus. It spreads via spores released by the infected at their most advanced stage, a point at which the human form has become little more than a shell that houses the plague. Cheerful stuff, right?
The Last of Us comes to PlayStation 3 consoles on May 7, 2013.
The rumors are true: Ubisoft's next Assassin's Creed game is called Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. The publisher confirmed the title and offered a first official look at title art on its Facebook page, promising a more complete reveal on Monday, March 4, 2013, at 12pm ET.
The art jives with leaked materials that were shared by Kotaku earlier this week. One poster offered a look at an Assassin-hooded fellow fighting with what appear to be pirates (a Jolly Roger flag is clearly visible in the background). The reverse side of the poster shows what appears to be a map of the game's world. In related news, All Games Beta shared a trio of box art images that suggest the game is headed to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U; the PS3 version apparently includes 60 minutes of exclusive content as well.
Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed that the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 versions of Diablo 3 won't link up with Battle.net, which means no cross-platform play using your profile on the PC side. Word comes from Blizzard community manager 'Vaeflare' speaking on the Battle.net forums, as spotted by Shacknews.
lso confirms that there's no plan either to add gamepad support to the PC version of the game. Similarly, the console versions will not support USB-connected mouse/keyboard controls. ShackNews rightly notes that this console take on Diablo 3 is clearly a different game, with new elements such as a dodge move. It's unfortunate that the console and PC versions of the game aren't part of the same, unified network, but it's not all together surprising.
It looked very much like Naughty Dog was going to serve up Uncharted 3's multiplayer for the free-to-play crowd earlier this week, and now we can call it official. Multiplayer content in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception has been carved out into its own free-to-play framework, offering fans limited progression and unlimited play.
It's a pretty straigthforward setup: download the multiplayer client at no charge from the PS Store and play all you want up to level 15. While you can continue playing with no problem after that point, profile progression remains locked until you pay to remove the level cap.
Those who already own Uncharted 3 can just keep playing unhindered, and those who don't also now have the option of purchasing a DLC-packed Game of the Year Edition from the PS Store, for $39.99. If you already have an existing Uncharted 3 profile, you'll also receive a free Naughty Dog Paw rank icon and Naughty Dog Paw t-shirt for your online characters as a thank you gift.
It the wait for Telltale Games' second season of The Walking Dead is already feeling a little unbearable, then you'll be happy to hear that more is coming before the story proper picks up again. Story consultant Gary Whitta said as much in a recent chat with IGN, though he stopped short of offering any specific details.
"You won't have to wait for season two to play more Walking Dead," he said. He goes on to say that the second season is "way off," but that "there may very well be more Walking Dead from Telltale before season two." He also suggested that news on this front could be coming soon. Check out the video appearance on IGN for a more complete picture.
The final multiplayer DLC pack for Mass Effect 3, called Reckoning, arrives today, February 26, 2013, and a new trailer is here to celebrate the occasion. BioWare livestreamed a look at the content a few days in advance of the release, and one NeoGAF poster took the time to hammer out all of the details, for those who are curious (via Destructoid).
The pack adds six new characters to the game, including a Collector Adept and an oversized Geth Juggernaut Soldier (think Geth Primes). There's also an equally massive hammer-wielding Krogan. The pack also adds six new weapons to the multiplayer mode and an assortment of new equipment that you can use to power up your gear. Check out that NeoGAF post for a full tally of what's been added to ME3's multiplayer for free since launch. It's pretty impressive.
If you're still playing Criterion Games' Need for Speed: Most Wanted and you love DLC, then today is going to be your FAVORITE. Electronic Arts just dropped three content packs on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, amounting to a pair of car five-packs and a chunky, new location to decimate in your supercharged automobile of choice.
The two car packs focus on Movie Legends and Need for Speed Heroes, respectively. The latter brings in rides from Smokey and the Bandit, Fast & Furious, Gone in 60 Seconds, and the James Bond-verse. Legends gathers together whips from various NFS games of old, including NFS3: Hot Pursuit, NFS: Underground, NFS: Underground 2, NFS: Undercover, and the original NFS: Most Wanted from 2005.
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Conan O'Brien's latest Clueless Gamer review for Tomb Raider might have just single-handedly set back the "sexism in games" conversation by 20 years. Watch the entire segment as if it's satire (since it is) and it hurts a little bit less.
Conan seems to like Lara Croft's latest adventure. He's terrible at PLAYING it, and manages to impale the shipwrecked explorer through the throat numerous times on an unfortunately positioned tree branch. But his review score is... positive? I think? See for yourself.
A now-edited PlayStation Blog post suggests that the multiplayer mode in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will be offered up as free-to-play content (via GamingEverything). pecifically mentioned "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Multiplayer (Free To Play)," though the fact that the post was later updated to remove that detail puts this news squarely in the "credible rumor" category until we hear otherwise from Sony.
Naughty Dog promised "some very exciting information about [Uncharted 3] multiplayer around the start of next year" in a late-2012 blog post, as Joystiq notes. There's been no confirmation from Sony, though if things are far enough along that a mention made its way into a PlayStation Blog post, then you can likely expect to hear more soon. Assuming, of course, that the information is accurate to begin with.
Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX is confirmed for release in North America on an unspecified date in fall 2013, according to a morning press release from Square Enix. The deceptively named release is actually a two-pack collection, packing together Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories.
Final Mix is a former Japan-only release, so it should be the star of the show for Kingdom Hearts fans in North America. The HD remake of Chain of Memories came to the U.S. for PlayStation 2 in 2008, though a subsequent Japan-only release for PS3 added enhanced visuals and story videos synopsizing Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
The now-confirmed North America release packs both of these games together onto one disc, adding in "enhanced gameplay mechanics" and PS3 Trophies this fall.
We haven't heard a whole lot about the upcoming story DLC for Dishonored, but a newly updated list of PlayStation 3 Trophies for the game offers some details (via PS3Trophies.org). Bethesda Softworks and Arkane Studios haven't confirmed anything beyond the initial announcement, which spoke of a Daud-focused pack called "The Whalers," pegged for a spring 2013 release.
The updated PS3 Trophy list offers up a different name for what is presumably the first of the two planned story-expanded DLC releases: "The Other Side of the Coin." No spoilers here, but it seems that the DLC will offer two or three story missions, and it will bring back the main game's High/Low Chaos scenarios. The Trophy list offers up a few other details, though nothing that suggests this is (or isn't) the Daud-focused DLC that was previously teased under a new name.
Queasy Games will release DLC for Sound Shapes on March 12, 2013, along with a patch that, among other things, allows players to play through community-created levels offline. Sony confirmed its plans to issue the patch -- out the same day as the DLC -- to PSNStores.com when asked for comment on the DLC (via Joystiq).
The content of the DLC is something of a mystery at the moment for Queasy's Cross-Buy-enabled PlayStation 3/PlayStation Vita game. The music-driven platformer unfolds in a series of multi-level stages, each of which is built around the music of one particular artist. Both Beck and Deadmau5 contribute their own work to the game, which makes many wonder which musical artist will be the focus of the upcoming content pack.
Crysis 3, the 3rd installment of CrytekÄ‚Ë€â„Ës always visually impressive, yet narratively murky, first person shooter series is out now and the game is getting favorable marks across the board.
WeÄ‚Ë€â„Ëre playing it here (on the Xbox 360) and it looks fantastic. So-so enemy AI seems to be the only thing really holding the single player experience back (although it never ruins the experience). Crysis 3 introduces a lethal compound bow to your arsenal. The bow can kill just about anything in one shot, and it allows you to remain cloaked when firing, so thereÄ‚Ë€â„Ës never really any reason to use another weapon. For some, thatÄ‚Ë€â„Ës making the game less enjoyable. Me? I feel like the Predator and isnÄ‚Ë€â„Ët that sorta what Crysis is all about? The multiplayer experience, in particular Hunter Mode, is a lot of fun and plays a lot better than the demo did.
We're really enjoying the game and if youÄ‚Ë€â„Ëre an FPS fan thatÄ‚Ë€â„Ës looking for something to play, this might be the game for you - but donÄ‚Ë€â„Ët just take our word for it:
IGN: "The biggest reason that Crysis 3 is such a consistent joy to play is because its control system is near flawless. The fact that you can quickly augment your weapons with different sights and grips without retreating into menu screens, or the ability to quickly pull out a grenade by double-tapping the weapon-switching button; it all works wonderfully and means thereÄ‚Ë€â„Ës never any kind of artificial interface standing in the way of your natural instincts."
Game Informer: "From the gorgeous water effects and global illumination to the detailed character animations and photo-realistic environments, Crysis 3 is one of the best-looking games on the planet. I often found myself activating the cloaking device while in the presence of enemies just to watch a frog hop along the jungle floor or to regard the wind effects on a canvased shipping container."
Game Spot: "Crysis 3 is neither a pure linear shooter in the way popularized by Call of Duty, nor an open-world romp like Far Cry 3. Instead, its levels are sometimes large but always manageable, giving you freedom to put as much room between you and your foes as you like. The nanosuit encourages further experimentation, once again allowing you to activate the aforementioned cloak mode (which renders you invisible) and armor mode (which lets you soak up more damage). And once again, you can leap a good distance should you wish to reach higher ground in a hurry."
Destructoid: "While Crysis 3 boasts the usual offering of deathmatch and capture-and-hold modes, the Hunter gametype by far stands as its jewel in the crown. This mode pits two nanosuited players against a larger squad of Cell operatives, armed only with their basic weapons and innate wit. Hunters are perpetually cloaked and armed with deadly bows, and any Cell player they eliminate will respawn as a Hunter. The goal for the hunters is to wipe out Cell, while all Cell has to do is survive for the allotted timeframe. While such elimination modes have been present in other games, it's an absolute blast here."
Have you had a chance to play Crysis 3? What do you think?
We've reached the end of all things (for Mass Effect 3). BioWare and Electronic Arts announced the final DLC blast for the 2012 RPG in a press release, with the multiplayer-focused Reckoning set to arrive on February 26, 2013 and the campaign-focused Citadel to follow one week later, on March 5.
Reckoning is yet another free Galaxy At War add-on, bringing an assortment of unspecified "new firepower and character kits" into the co-op survival mode. BioWare will offer a peek at the content on February 25 via its Twitch channel at 9:30am PT. Citadel is a $14.99 / 1,200 MS Points add-on that returns Shepard and his crew to the Citadel for one last hurrah.
BioShock Infinite fans will have a chance to continue their adventures in the floating city of Columbia thanks to a newly announced BioShock Infinite Season Pass. Irrational Games and 2K Games are planning three DLC drops that "will provide hours of additional gameplay and continue the playerÄ‚Ë€â„Ës journey in the sky-city of Columbia with new stories, characters, abilities and weapons."
Remember that BioShock Infinite has no multiplayer or co-op modes, so any add-on content will likely be purely story-driven. Season Pass holders will also receive the Early Bird Special Pack, containing four pieces of exclusive gear, Machine Gun and Pistol damage upgrades, a gold skin for both of those weapons, and five Infusion bottles that offer players the choice between boosting their health, shield, or Salt (used to power Vigors) capacity.
BioShock Infinite launches on March 26, 2013, and the Season Pass will be available that day as well for $19.99 / 1,600 MS Points.
Sony's ongoing series of PlayStation Evolution videos appears to be complete, with one last video that considers the publishers attitude toward the games you can play on its systems. There may well be one more video to add to this collection come tomorrow, after today's highly anticipated PlayStation Meeting brings the reveal of the company's next gaming console (probably).
The event kicks off this evening at 6pm ET. Expect a flood of news and commentary to follow it, though you'll be able to watch everything as it happens in any number of livestreams (including Sony's own). For now, hit play, sit back, and reflect on how the PlayStation brand has evolved over the past decade-plus. Mostly because it's more constructive than beating your head against the wall while you wait.
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Square Enix hasn't even shown Murdered: Soul Suspect publicly yet, but the mystery game now has a release window set for early 2014, the publisher confirms. The game is coming to PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC platforms, and there's no hint in the press release that it might also be headed to other home consoles, perhaps unannounced home consoles.
The hook in Murdered is that you're trying to solve a murder mystery in which you yourself are the victim. It's not an entirely original idea, but it's a neat one with a lot of potential for cool ideas to emerge. Find out more about the game at its official website, on Twitter, and on Facebook.
There's been a flurry of unconfirmed news about Ubisoft's E3 2012 charmer Watch Dogs in recent days, including some indication that the game is coming in fall 2013 and news of a possible Wii U release. First came the release window, via marketing materials that were leaked to Kotaku. They even make reference to my own Watch Dogs preview for G4 from E3 last year.
The promo materials suggest that the game is heading to "all home consoles," a rather vague description when you remember that Ubi previously confirmed plans to release Watch Dogs on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. In related news, newly discovered product listings at GameStop, Amazon, and Best Buy suggest that a Wii U version of the game is coming as well (via All Games Beta).
Ubisoft confirms none of this, though a statement released to Kotaku offers more than your usual "no comment," as you can see right here: "Ubisoft is pleased with the response for Watch Dogs from media and fans. The game is an original IP that has been created from the ground up at Ubisoft Montreal with inspiration from many titles and ideas the studio has worked on throughout the years."
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Today sees the release of The Tyranny of King Washington: The Infamy, the first of three episodes in a solo play-focused DLC campaign for Assassin's Creed 3. Ubisoft's alternate history story -- because, you know, that stuff with Connor Kenway is TOTALLY true -- posits that George Washington establishes himself as a monarch in the post-Revolutionary War America.
Two more episodes -- The Betrayal and The Redemption -- will follow on March 19 and April 23, 2013, respectively. They'll be available individually for $9.99 / 800 MS Points or as part of the $29.99 / 2,400 MS Point Season Pass. Get a peek at the first DLC episode in the launch trailer up top.
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Irrational Games has its marketing machine cranked up to 11 now on BioShock Infinite, with a new trailer to greet you today only days after the latest 'Truth From Legend' mockudoc appeared. This 'Lamb of Columbia' trailer is all about Elizabeth and her unique role in the floating city of Columbia.
This trailer is much more straightforward than the neat Truth From Legend shorts have been, but there's not much to complain about. BioShock Infinite is in stores on March 26, 2013 -- delayed a full month from the release that had been previously set -- and any fresh look helps to cut down on the pain of waiting.
