The gaming world is huge. Between websites, Twitter, Facebook and all other platforms of exchange, keeping up with the ins and out of all things gaming-related is impossible. So we’re going to round-up quirky, interesting and breaking news of the (mostly) gaming persuasion for you to enjoy every week.
Currents
Wasteland 2
The highly anticipated sequel Wasteland 2 has finally been released for all those hankering for a post-apocalyptic fix.
Considered the base upon which the Fallout series has been built, the PC-only game managed to rake up 1.5 million dollars of sales in just 4 days. This is pretty neat considering that the original Wasteland was released back in 1988.
If you’re interested in roaming the countryside after the wake of a post-nuclear holocaust, check out the gameplay trailer below! (Catherine Ashley)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9hQWqtxXPU
Xbox One in China
After finally lifting it’s 14 year ban on gaming consoles this past April, China is set to start selling Xbox One consoles in local retailers as of September 29th 2014. According to Kotaku, the Xbox One will launch with 10 games as of the 29th, the likes of which will be: “Forza Motorsport 5, Kinect Sports Rivals, Powerstar Golf, Zoo Tycoon, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, Dance Central Spotlight, Neverwinter Online, Rayman Legends Trials Fusion, and Naughty Kitties from Chinese developer Coconut Island”
Congrats, China. Now go forth and game! (Catherine Ashley)
Child of Light Creators Become Core Team at Ubisoft Montreal
After the experimental RPG’s success earlier this year, the group of masterminds behind Child of Light have been chosen as the new core group at Ubisoft’s quarters in Montreal. VP of Creative, Lionel Raynaud, had this to say about the team: “This dynamic has incredible value in the industry and it’s what we want to do: we want to create core teams that want to make great games…” making us hope that we’ll continue to see such high quality IPs leave the front doors of Ubisoft MTL. (Alicia Alexandra)
Blizzard’s Titan Cancelled
Blizzard’s incredibly ambitious sci-fi MMO that was 7 years-in-the-making has been cancelled this week, according to Polygon’s chat with co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime. Cancelling the project was both painful and difficult, according to Morhaime, yet it highlighted the importance of understanding one’s limits, and then to quit while you’re ahead: “We were losing perspective and getting lost in the weeds a little. We had to allow ourselves to take that step back and reassess why the hell we were doing that thing in the first place”. While the Titan’s demise assumedly resulted in Blizzard’s refocusing in other areas, the cancellation still cost them upwards of 50 million dollars, according to analysts.
If you’re still lamenting the loss, and want to subject yourself to some good ol’ fashion masochism, check out Kotaku’s anonymous tipsters describe what Titan was, and what will never be. (Catherine Ashley)
Bad, Bungie, Bad!
Welp, the dream is over. Bungie has finally Thor-smashed the ban hammer down on Destiny’s infamous Treasure Cave. The news was borne out of their recent Destiny Dev Notes, where they rationalize their decision that the cave is essentially antithetical to what they want Destiny to be:
“But shooting at a black hole for hours on end isn’t our dream for how Destiny is played. Our hope is that social engagement in public spaces is only one part of the Destiny experience”.
I, for one, have simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief while vehemently shaking my fist at the injustice. My best gear has come from killing Hive-ians repeatedly, yet I had foregone all other aspects of the game in hopes of getting that purple ring pop-esque engram.
At least they were quick about it; kinda like ripping a bandaid off.
Farewell, Acolytes! Farewell, slimey-looking Thralls! (Catherine Ashley)
Side note: Apparently there has been a new loot cave found by YouTube user PS4 Trophies. Check it out here!
EA Starts Patching NHL15 On New Gen Consoles
After some pretty dismal reviews and fan backlash, EA Sports has started to add back in content that was missing from the new gen console version of NHL15. Back on the roster is tournament playoff mode, the Three Stars of the game announcement and the coach in Be A Pro mode, which are currently already available in NHL14 and NHL15 on Xbox 360 and PS3. Expect another update in October that will add more missing content.
Check out our full NHL15 review on CHOM.com and all about our love/hate relationship with the Xbox One/PS4 version of the game on our website!
PS4 Multiplayer Free This Weekend
Got yourself a PS4 but refuse to pay for a yearly subscription to play the (previously free) multiplayer modes of your favourite games. Sony is *cough* generously allowing players to play for free this weekend, starting today through to Monday. If you wanted to try out those Strike playlists in Destiny, or attempt their Vault of Glass raids, get on your PS4 and take advantage! Now, let’s see if Microsoft ups the ante and offers a month of free Xbox Live features. Yeah? No? Okay, I’ll see myself out. (Catherine Ashley)
Games, Games, Games
Fan-made Mother 4 Inbound!
Good news, Earthbound fans! A team of like-minded gamers will soon be releasing a non-official, completely fan-made game: Mother 4. True to the story and feel of the first 3, this project is set to continue where the series let off and will be out later this year for PC, Mac and Linux. (Alicia Alexandra)
Gauntlet
The arcade hack-and-slash is baaack! Gauntlet 2014, which has been developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, reinvents the multiplayer experience in this classic dungeon crawler. Whether you dare to explore on your own, or with a team of 4, always look over your shoulder: your friends can turn into enemies while you battle out for kills, gold and glory.
Check out the trailer below, and you can pick up this up on Steam for PC at $19.99, or wait until to play it on the upcoming Steam Machines. (Catherine Ashley)
New Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Trailer
Check out Activision’s latest trailer for the upcoming Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Set to be released November 4th 2014, this will be the first installment primarily developed by Sledgehammer Games. (Catherine Ashley)
Animal Crossing Meets Monster Hunter: Wha…?
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the worlds of Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter collided? Yeah, neither have we but Nintendo is going to show you anyway! Upon launch, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate players will be able to dress up their Felynes as Isabelle or Mr. Resetti, Animalese included! (Alicia Alexandra)
Welcome to Prifddinas
Surprise! Long-running MMO Runescape is still going strong! In it’s biggest update of 2014, players will finally get to explore Prifddinas: The Lost City of Elves. Visible on the RS map for 10 years, the Crystal City has finally opened it’s doors for business. (Alicia Alexandra)
Culture In Gaming
#GamerGate Marches On
Unless you’ve been hiding beneath the proverbial rock, you may have noticed the latest hot topic within the gaming world: #GamerGate. While its details are way beyond the scope of this article, Bustle wrote a concise and informative piece on how the controversy, and in turn, the movement, came to fruition.
While much of the dialogue is taking place on Twitter, The Escapist decided to publish a series of essays penned by female developers within the gaming industry, on condition that they remain entirely anonymous (which in itself speaks to the problematics surrounding #GamerGate). Regardless of your opinion, it’s definitely a read worth your time. (Catherine Ashley)
(Negatively) Politicizing Video Games
On a slightly way more unsettling note, ISIS has reportedly created a recruitment video using Grand Theft Auto 5. Whether this is modded gameplay or just a video is unclear, but you can check it out below(slight trigger warning), or head over to Forbes for a more detailed discussion. Regardless, this isn’t surprising; there have always been video games that have been used, overtly and covertly, as recruitment tools. (Catherine Ashley)
http://youtu.be/QhbX0Kt9s_I
Funny
Zero Punctuation Reviews Destiny
The video speaks for itself, but i’ll leave you with this little gem: “But in comparison (to Halo), Destiny’s (enemies) are a bunch of dullards hanging around over-designed backdrops like a magic the gathering tournament in the sistine chapel” (Catherine Ashley)
<script src=”http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/embed/9749″></script>
Mario Has His Own Vine!
!!! American voice actor Charles Martinet, the genius behind many of the voices of characters in the Nintendo including Mario and Luigi, has his own vine account. Head over to The Mary Sue to check out a small snippet of his vine collection, or better yet, send him some love directly on his vine account! (Catherine Ashley)
Greatest.Dance.Video.Ever.
This awesomesauce of a Destiny dance compilation was brought to you by YouTube user calloftreyarch, and brought to light yesterday by Kotaku . I must have watched it a million times since. The Awoken moves. The music. The Spider Tank dance off. It’s just too damn good.
And here’s a clip of just the song, Never Surrender, from Halo 2’s soundtrack.
Dem shivers, though. Man, Bungie sure made some wicked music. I think I’d have a seizure if i343 does to the music in The Master Chief Collection what was done to Crazy Taxi in the Xbox Live Arcade. No Offspring = No Play. Anyways, November 11th can’t come quick enough! (Catherine Ashley)