Neverwinter Open Beta Live

April 30, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, PC, Videogames and tagged beta tests, Cryptic, D&D, Dungeons & Dragons, Forgotten Realms, Gaming, Neverwinter, Neverwinter Beta, Wizards of the Coast | 2 Comments

After several weeks of on-again-off-again weekend beta tests, Neverwinter is now officially in open beta. Players can download the game client for free from the game’s website and join the armies of eager gamers in the action-oriented MMO world. Players accessing the beta will have unrestricted access to the game’s content including the ability to reach the level cap of 60, complete access to the game world ” past The Chasm including Mount Hotenow for only the bravest and most experienced adventurers,” and access to user-created content in The Foundry.

It is worth noting that there is no planned character wipe now that the game is in open beta and all characters and items will be carried over into the game’s official release.

Sources: Cryptic (1), (2)

Rumor: Respawn Entertainment’s First Game to be Xbox-Exclusive

April 29, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, Videogames, Xbox and tagged Activision, Call of Duty, david and goliath, EA, Gaming, Infinity Ward, Microsoft, Microsoft Studios, next generation xbox, Next Xbox, Nextbox, Respawn Entertainment, XBOX, Xbox 720 | 1 Comment

Respawn Entertainment, the product of a long-winded battle between Infinity Ward creators & staff and Activision, has been rather quiet regarding their debut title since the studio’s founding. Rumors are now circulating that their first game will be an Xbox-exclusive. Sources are stating the next Xbox as the primary system with a focus on online gameplay requiring an always-on connection. An Xbox 360 version is possible, but ports for Nintendo and Sony consoles are not being considered.

The game is said to be set in the future and will have players facing off in David and Goliath battles. “Davids are heavily armed foot soldiers. The Goliaths are giant exoskeletons–Titans–that these soldiers can pilot.” It’s worth noting that Respawn recently filed a trademark for Titan.

According to these sources, Respawn is working on the Xbox 720 version which will utilize a modified Source engine with the developer outsourcing for the Xbox 360 port.

Microsoft will unveil its next-generation Xbox on May 21 with E3 following shortly thereafter, so the legitimacy of this rumor will likely be sorted out in the near future.

Sources: Kotaku, Gamespot

Techland Announces New First-Person Slasher

April 29, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, PC, PlayStation, Videogames, Xbox and tagged Dead Island, Dead Island: Riptide, Hellraid, PC, PlayStation, PS3, Riptide, Techland, XBOX, Xbox 360 | Leave a comment

Dead Island developer Techland has announced Hellraid, an upcoming first-person action game featuring a single-player campaign and multiplayer offerings. The single-player experience will let players “fight, develop skills, collect loot and craft weapons while exploring a world devastated by demons.” A four-player co-op mode and “system-generated online challenges, loot and enemy spawn points make the game playable for hundreds of hours!”

Hellraid is currently in development for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 for a late 2013 release.

Source: Destructoid, Techland

Kevin Conroy Absent as Batman in “Arkham Origins”

April 29, 2013 by Andy in Comics, News Snippets, PC, PlayStation, Videogames, Xbox and tagged Arkham Origins, Batman, Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman: The Animated Series, Bruce Wayne, caped crusader, Comics, DC, DC Comics, Gaming, Mark Hamill, Rocksteady, Superheroes, The Joker, Videogames, WB, WB Montreal | 4 Comments

Arkham Origins developer WB Montreal has passed on casting Kevin Conroy, who has voiced Batman in multiple titles since Batman: The Animated Series, as Batman in the upcoming videogame. WB Montreal stated that since Arkham Origins is an origin story featuring Bruce Wayne in his younger years, they’re looking for someone younger to fill the role. While fans of Conroy’s voice work as the caped crusader will be disappointed, it is understandable that they’d cast an actor with a younger sounding voice to portray Batman in his earlier years. No news as to whether or not Mark Hamill will reprise his role as The Joker.

Source: Kotaku

Michael Bay’s Ninja Turtles Are NOT Aliens

April 28, 2013 by Andy in Comics, Film, News Snippets and tagged Alien Ninja Turtles, Alien Turtles, Michael Bay, New TMNT, Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014, TMNT, TMNT 2014 | Leave a comment

In an interview about his most recent film, Pain & Gain, Michael Bay addressed concerns regarding his upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot. Rumors have been circulating since the film’s announcement that the Teenage, Mutant, and Turtles part of the title were misleading as it was believed the beloved characters were aliens and not mutated turtles; the film’s original title, Ninja Turtles, was further indication that the titular characters may be aliens.

However, Michael Bay has clarified that the crime fighting reptiles remain true to their roots as turtles mutated by the ooze:

There was that quote saying that we’re making [the Ninja Turtles as] aliens. We’re not. It’s the ooze! It’s from the original source material. These are from the original writers, and I never went out to correct myself in the press. I do listen to the fans and I do want this to be authentic. I think they’re going to be really happy with this movie.

The film’s title has officially been changed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Sources: Moviefone, TMNT Lair

Halo Gets New Comic Series & Director of Global Marketing

April 28, 2013 by Andy in Comics, News Snippets, Videogames, Xbox and tagged 343, 343 Industries, Comics, Dark Horse, Dark Horse Comics, Epic, Epic Games, Halo, Halo: Initiation, Microsoft, Microsoft Studios, ODST, Spartan IV | Leave a comment

Dark Horse Comics will be releasing a new Halo comic miniseries. Titled Halo: Initiation, the series will follow Spartan IV Sarah Palmer in her ODST days and will chronicle her service in becoming the first Spartan IV commander; her character was first introduced in Halo 4. Halo: Initiation is being written by Brian Reed who previously worked on the comic book adaptation of Halo: Fall of Reach as well as the screenplay for Halo 4.

In other Halo news, Epic Games’ global marketing lead Kendall Boyd has parted with Epic in order to work at Microsoft Studios as the Director of Halo Global Marketing. He has shipped over 35 games at Epic as well as EA Sports and THQ.

Sources: Major Spoilers, Destructiod (1), (2)

River City Ransom Sequel Announced

April 28, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, PC, Videogames and tagged Combit Studios, Million Co., NES, RCR, RCR 2, RCR Sequel, River City Ransom, River City Ransom 2, River City Ransom Sequel | Leave a comment

A sequel to the classic NES brawler River City Ransom has been officially announced by Combit Studios. The announcement states that the sequel will not be River City Ransom 2, but they are working closely with Million Co., RCR trademark holder and property licenser, to ensure that the sequel will be true to the spirit of the original and provide fans with the best experience.

The River City Ransom sequel is planned for an August 2014 release with crowd-funding launching for the game this summer. It is currently planned for release on Windows, but other platforms are being considered (likely depending on how much money is generated with their crowd-funding campaign).

Source: Combit Studios

Next Xbox Reveal Coming May 21

April 24, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, Technology, Videogames, Xbox and tagged Durango, Microsoft, Next Xbox, Nextbox, XBOX, Xbox 360, Xbox 720, Xbox Durango | 1 Comment

Microsoft has confirmed that it will be unveiling its next-generation videogame console in nearly a month. With the date set for May 21, we still have quite the wait to find out what they have in store for the future of Xbox, but it’s nice that they’ve finally said something about the inevitable Xbox 360 successor.

The reveal is set to take place just 19 days before E3, so hopefully their E3 conference will focus more on the games and less on the system’s new features (it’d also be refreshing to have a conference that doesn’t flaunt Kinect and all the terrible games that have been made for it).

According to Major Nelson’s blog, the conference will focus on the future of Xbox and give us a “real taste of the future.” The conference will stream on Xbox Live, xbox.com, and be broadcast on Spike.

Sources: Facebook, Major Nelson

Zombieland: The Series Trailer–Pilot on Amazon

April 19, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, Television and tagged Amazon, Amazon Prime, Amazon Video, Horror, Horror-Comedy, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombieland, Zombieland 2, Zombieland: The Series, Zombies | Leave a comment

While it’s disappointing that we may never get that much desired sequel to 2009’s fantastic horror comedy Zombieland, we can be further disappointed by Amazon’s attempts to continue the adventures of our survivors in their serialized continuation: Zombieland: The Series. The first episode is currently available on Amazon for free, but it looks terrible. I can’t speak certainly whether it actually is or not, since I haven’t taken advantage of the free video, but the trailer below doesn’t really make me feel comforted that the property is in able hands. The cast of characters is the same, supposedly, as those in the films, but the new actors portraying them seem to have lost a lot of what gave those characters their appeal, if this trailer is representative of the final product.

Bethesda Reveals Shinji Mikami’s “The Evil Within”

April 19, 2013 by Andy in News Snippets, PC, PlayStation, Videogames, Xbox and tagged Gaming, horror game, Microsoft, Next Gen, Next Generation Consoles, Nextbox, PC, PlayStation, PS3, PS4, Resident Evil, Shinji Mikami, Sony, Survival Horror, The Evil Within, Windows, XBOX, Xbox 360, Xbox 720 | Leave a comment

Bethesda’s been teasing a new game for a while now and while many speculated that the teases were for a new Fallout title, those rumors were quickly denied and have now been proven wrong. Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami has been working on a new horror game for Bethesda and we now have a teaser trailer (featuring shots from Bethesda’s teaser teasers) for this new game. The Evil Within was originally announced as Zwei and is being developed by Shinji Mikami’s studio Tango Gameworks. The game has been given a vague 2014 release and is headed to current and next gen consoles as well as PC.

The teaser doesn’t reveal much, but it’s twisted, disturbing, and intriguing. Have a look for yourself:

From the official website:

EVIL TAKES HOLD 2014

Shinji Mikami, the father of survival horror, is back to direct The Evil Within™ – a game embodying the meaning of pure survival horror. Highly-crafted environments, horrifying anxiety, and an intricate story weave together to create an immersive world that will bring players to the height of tension. The Evil Within is in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PC and next generation consoles and is slated for release in 2014.