Beyond the veil of this world, deep in the whirling mists of the otherworld there are islands in the void. They give home to a chain of strongholds that were once built to keep the horrors of the void at bay. And now the monsters are returning to conquer and kill. Legendary beasts are waking up from their slumber, creatures of mad science flee from the secret laboratories and the eternal night breeds living shadows once more. |
Breaking: Lizard Squad contacted American Airlines over bomb hoax on SOE Presidents flight.24/8/2014
By Matt Taylor A little under two hours ago the hacking group Lizard Squad, who have taken credit for the DDoS attacks on the Playstation Network, have contacted American Airlines over a possible bomb on the President of Sony Online Entertainment’s flight. Through their Twitter account, Lizard Squad direct tweeted to @AmericanAir and tagged John Smedley, current SOE President. In the tweet they mention the flight number Smedley was travelling on and reported that there may be “explosives on-board”. As with all bomb threats, it appears that the airline has taken serious steps, with Smedley tweeting that his flight has been redirected and grounded. From cyber crime to real life, national security threats; Lizard Squad are kicking a pretty big hornets nest.
by Matt Taylor If you can’t logon to Sony’s Playstation Network today, you may not be the only one, with multiple server’s apparently on the receiving end of a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack) attack. The attacks started earlier today, by a group of hackers going by the name of Lizard Squad. Since the attacks multiplayer gaming and access to the Playstation Store has been affected. The group have kept everyone updated with updates from their Twitter feed, which fifteen minutes (at the time of writing this) ago wrote “THE FEDS ARE HERE SHIT”. If Federal Agents are involved, it may be a short time before service is resumed. Sony are not immune to cyber attacks, with the company landing in hot water in 2011 after their security was breached and the details of 77 million accounts were stolen. At the time this was one of the largest cyber security breaches history.
![]() With three weeks until release, Bungie are teasing more gameplay of the Destiny missions. In this latest trailer we see a fire team on a mission to Venus. The action comes thick and fast and, despite some rather nice looking outfits from the players, not much is given away apart from more gorgeous environments. Obviously Bungie are keen to show that there is more to offer since worries were raised that the recent Beta felt a bit underweight in terms of new and fresh content. We wait with bated breath... Independent developer Forge Reply, today announced that In Space We Brawl, will be coming soon exclusively to the Sony PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 platforms. In Space We Brawl combines the best of classic arcade “beat ‘em up’s” with the competitive nature of a local multiplayer twin stick shooter. Players face off across different intergalactic battlegrounds, selecting from 11 spaceships and 11 weapon attachments, unleashing true cosmic mayhem. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to be launching In Space We Brawl, exclusively on the PlayStation platforms,” said Alessandro Mazzega, head of PR and Marketing for Forge Reply. “In Space We Brawl brings back the classic couch multiplayer that we think players will really identify with. We’ve been testing the game in the streets all over Europe and the feedback has been incredible. We look forward to releasing more details soon and getting In Space We Brawl into the hands of players all over the world.” In Space We Brawl features a local multiplayer setting with the gameplay mechanics of a fast paced space shooter. Players can select a ship and a weapon choosing among 100+ different combinations, looking for the best mix for their combat style. When battling in one of the eight different locations, they will also face environmental space hazards such as solar winds, black holes and alien nests that they must carefully navigate or use to their advantage when fighting against other players. NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe have announced that Tales of Xillia 2 will be released on 22nd August exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Building on 2013’s Tales of Xillia gameplay and world, Tales of Xillia 2 is introducing two new protagonists, Alvin and Elize.
Once a spy, the confident and brash Alvin has turned over a new leaf and struggles to lead a simple, honest life as a salesman. With his friend Yurgen, they forge a partnership in a business enterprise together… but as Alvin soon learns, there’s nothing easy about living an honest life. Will he remain true to the straight and narrow path he has chosen? Or will his shady past inevitably catch up with him? Once painfully shy, Elize has warmed up considerably after the events of the first game and is more willing to trust others. However, she still looks for her own place in society, and yearns for companionship and acceptance from her peers. She eventually finds it in the form of her pen pal, Luna, but there may be more to her newfound friend than meets the eye. Tales of Xillia 2 focuses on the events a year after the climactic end of Tales of Xillia. Players assume the role of Ludger Kresnik, a young man with a zest of cooking who lives with his older brother and his cat, named Rollo. On his way to his first day at work for a local cafeteria he runs into a young girl named Elle Marta and the two soon become involved in an accident that will change both of their lives forever. The game focuses its story theme around the concept of “choice”, which is also expressed heavily in the game’s overall gameplay mechanics. Throughout Ludger’s journey the player will be able to decide how he reacts to various characters and situations. These choices can cause the story to branch out into different paths depending on the player’s decisions. Choice also extends to the battle system by enhancing the TALES OF series’ trademark gameplay. Players will be able to initiate “Weapon Swap” in real-time during battles while controlling Ludger, allowing him to switch between three main weapons: dual blades, a sledgehammer and dual pistols, allowing for fast and strategic movements as he rushes across the battlefield. Building on the base from the previous battle system, the new Cross Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System will let players link to any selectable character in battle to serve as a support character and perform linked artes against targeted enemies. Different party members have different support characteristics and linked artes, allowing players to strategically decide which characters are linked to whom as various battle situations arise. Activision have released their lineup of games that are playable at Gamescom 2014. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny and Skylanders Trap Team will all be available to play at the Activision stand. “This September, October and November, we’re releasing three of the most talked about games in the industry and perhaps our best slate ever. Destiny is the most pre-ordered new IP in history. Skylanders Trap Team is yet another breakthrough innovation for the biggest kids’ video game in the world*. And Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is a creative leap forward for the biggest franchise in the industry,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “With all of the hours of great games to be played, we apologise to spouses, bosses and significant others of every stripe in advance.” Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare![]() Published by Activision and developed by Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty multiplayer enters a new era for the popular award-winning franchise. Gamescom 2014 will see the global reveal of the multiplayer with fans getting the very first hands on anywhere in the world. It is primed to deliver a thrilling blockbuster experience, packed with cutting-edge technology such as the exoskeleton, which changes the way gamers will play the game, and a brand-new weapon class, load-out system, endless customization and more, creating an in-depth, robust and advanced Call of Duty multiplayer experience. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is being developed by Sledgehammer Games specifically for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and PC. Versions for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system are also in development. The game is expected to release on November 4, 2014. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is rated M for Mature. Destiny![]() Gamescom 2014 will showcase Destiny’s competitive multiplayer, The Crucible, with announcements of the modes, maps and playlists that will be available at launch. Multiplayer playlists will mix up the gameplay with special rotating events, such as the Iron Banner, which allows players to enter battle against one another with no combat level restrictions. Destiny will also feature an exclusive map called Exodus Blue for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 owners, which will remain exclusive until at least autumn of 2015. Fans visiting the SONY Computer Entertainment Deutschland booth in Hall 7.1 will be able to compete head-to-head in the intense action of competitive multiplayer in The Crucible and on Saturday and Sunday top scorers in each gameplay session will be awarded a limited edition Destiny T-Shirt. The booth will also feature a custom-built ‘Sparrow’ statue, offering visitors a chance to create and upload their very own Destiny photo moment. With four weeks to go before Destiny’s launch, global retailer GameStop Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Bob Puzon, said “With the launch of Activision’s Destiny just around the corner, our GameStop associates are working diligently to prepare for what is currently our highest pre-ordered new IP in history. Based on the consumer excitement we are encountering in our stores every day, Destiny is on track to deliver a tremendous gaming experience.” Destiny will be available on September 9 for the PlayStation 4 system, PlayStation 3 system, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Skylanders Trap Team![]() Fans attending Gamescom will get a special Skylanders treat -- the first hands-on opportunity to play Skylanders Trap Team with a new line of cute, pocket-sized Skylanders characters, called Skylanders Minis. Sixteen of the smallest but surprisingly powerful Skylanders are now joining the fight against Skylands’ most nefarious villains. Diminutive in stature but mighty in battle, Skylanders Minis will deliver a full Skylanders wallop as completely playable characters with upgrades and abilities, just like any other Skylanders, including the ability to trap villains. At Gamescom, visitors in the Gamescom Family Area ((Hall 10.2) -- who are “mini” enough to enter the smallest booth Activision has ever built -- will be able to play with the new Minis. Only those that meet the Skylanders Mini booth’s required height restrictions will get the chance to be the first in the world to play with five of the new Minis: Spry, Mini Jini, Drobit, Trigger Snappy and Hijinx. Visitors to the Family area will also have the chance to visit the Skylanders photo booth, where fans can be photographed as if they’ve been ‘trapped’ in TraptaniumTM, just like the infamous villains in the game. Ahead of Gamescom, Activision also announced that it is bringing the complete Skylanders Trap Team videogame to tablets at launch, marking the first time a full Skylanders game will be available on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire tablet devices day-and-date with the console version. The tablet version of the game delivers the same experience, with console-quality graphicsi[i] and high performance game controls as its console counterpart, delivering yet another significant technological leap to the Skylanders franchise. It is playable with touch controls or a Bluetooth® enabled controller that comes with the tablet Starter Pack. Skylanders Trap Team will be available on October 10 in Europe, October 5 in North America and October 2 in Australia/New Zealand on the following platforms: a variety of iOS, Android and Kindle Fire tablets; Xbox One and Xbox 360 games and entertainment systems from Microsoft; PlayStation 4 system; PlayStation 3 system; Nintendo's Wii system and Nintendo's Wii U system. A different, unique adventure also will be available on the Nintendo 3DS hand-held system. Microsoft reveals special Xbox One bundles for “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare,” “Sunset Overdrive” and “EA SPORTS FIFA15,”
Unveiled today, three new console bundles are launching later this year: Available for pre-order today, the Xbox One Limited Edition “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” Bundle launches starting 3rd November for £429.99 ERP1 at select retailers, featuring a massive 1TB hard drive, custom console, controller and Limited Edition exoskeleton, plus a digital copy of the “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare” Day Zero Edition. Insomniac’s Ted Price unveiled the Xbox One Special Edition “Sunset Overdrive” Bundle, featuring a sleek white console and wireless controller, a digital copy of the game, and special Day One edition in-game items – all for £349.99 ERP1 starting 28th October, available for pre-order today. An exclusive “FIFA15” bundle for fans in Europe was also announced including an Xbox One Console, Xbox One Controller, 14 Day Live Trial, HDMI Cable, Chat Headset, a digital token for “FIFA 15” and an Ultimate Team Legends Gold Pack, available for pre-order today, launching from 25th September for £349.99 ERP1 while stocks last. Ultimate Team Legends are available only on Xbox, and the Legends Gold Pack offers an increased chance in finding an ultra-rare Legendary player for your Ultimate Team. An Xbox 360 console bundle including “FIFA 15” will also be available in Europe starting 25th September while stocks last. “We're excited to offer fans more choice and value than ever before,” said Head of Xbox Phil Spencer. “These bundles offer a great opportunity to enjoy Xbox One alongside an incredible line-up of first and third party games, making Xbox the best place to play this holiday and beyond.” Today during the gamescom 2014 Xbox news briefing, Hi-Rez Studios announced that SMITE, the acclaimed free-to-play 3rd Person Action MOBA for the PC, will arrive on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, via the ID@Xbox self-publishing program in 2015. “SMITE's high-action gameplay makes it unique among leading MOBAs in that it is incredibly fun and engaging to play on a console controller,” said Todd Harris, Chief Operating Officer of Hi-Rez Studios. “The Xbox One provides the perfect platform for us to bring the Battleground of the Gods to console gamers around the world.” “As a third-person action game, SMITE is perfectly suited for the Xbox One controller”, said Chris Charla, Director of ID@Xbox for Microsoft. “We’re excited to feature a MOBA that fits our console audience in gameplay and look forward to Xbox gamers around the globe battling for dominance.” Since launching on the PC in Europe and North America in March, 2014, SMITE has quickly established itself as one of the top games in the rapidly growing MOBA genre, with over 5 million players. Themed around gods of mythology, and offering a third-person camera and more game modes than any other leading game in its genre, the game provides a unique, action-packed experience that puts the player in the thick of the action. Today Codemasters® released the first hot lap video for F1 2014. The hot lap is the first chance for fans to hear how this year’s radically different turbocharged cars are brought to life in the game, including the distinctive deeper growl produced by this year’s new power units. The 2014 FORMULA 1 GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX was run as a night race for the first time this year, and the hot lap video shows Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari taking on the 15 corner, 10 year-old Bahrain International Circuit dramatically lit up by hundreds of floodlights and against a striking backdrop of fireworks. Featuring all of the circuits from the 2014 calendar, Bahrain’s debut as a night race, featuring its full day / night transition, is just one of the circuit changes for this year’s game, alongside the return of the Hockenheimring and the debut of two new circuits – Russia’s Sochi Autodrom and Austria’s Spielberg circuit. F1 2014 will arrive on October 17th for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, Windows PC and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system. Codemasters will then introduce a new FORMULA 1TM title in 2015 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Windows PC and the Xbox One all-in- one games and entertainment system from Microsoft. With more to be announced through production for both titles, follow Codemasters F1 games blog and social channels on Twitter and Facebook for updates. RedBedlam has unveiled the new trailer for its upcoming genre-hopping FPS Bedlam. Visitors to Gamescom will be able to get their hands on Bedlam on the UKIE stand. Replay Events have confirmed the first fourteen indie studios that will be exhibiting at their Manchester based video games event, Play Expo, this coming October. The number represents a considerable increase in developers exhibiting at their annual gaming show.
Andy Brown, Director at Replay Events said “We are overwhelmed by the support the indie game community has shown our expo this year. The indie zone was a very popular feature at our Play Blackpool show in May as well as at Play Expo last year so we wanted to build on that momentum for this October’s show which is shaping up to be our best yet!” Play Expo is now in its fifth year and has established itself as a firm favourite amongst gamers. The event saw close to 16,000 attendees in 2013 and the organisers have increased the show space to accommodate up to 25,000 gaming fans this year. As well as an indie zone, the expo features esports, current gen gaming, a retro zone, cosplay, industry speakers and special guests. Fully Illustrated owner Michael Heald who is exhibiting at the show said “Wulverblade is a HD 2D side scrolling beat-em-up that aims to revive this lost genre and bring the classic arcade gameplay to the next generation on Xbox One - we’re proud to say that Wulverblade was selected as one of the first 25 ID@Xbox titles to appear on the new system! We’re hoping to be able to bring both a taster of the campaign itself as well as a ‘survive as long as you can’ arena mode to Play Expo and we can’t wait to get people’s feedback!” James Woodrow, Utopian World of Sandwiches Director added “We came to Play Expo in 2012 and had a great time playing Chompies with everyone. This year it's going to be even bigger and better, with even more of our fellow indies joining in the fun. We're really looking forward to showing everyone in Manchester our nine-player sequel Chompy Chomp Chomp Party on the Wii U. We want to get the whole crowd involved!” The organisers are offering indies special low rates for space and power on the main show floor and there are a variety of packages available to suit small studios as well as individual developers. Anyone interested in exhibiting should email Replay Events directly - exhibit@playexpo.net. The studios and games confirmed to date are:- Boneloaf - Gang Beasts Fully Illustrated - Wulverblade Lamplight Studios - A Pixel Story Mechabit - Kaiju Panic Payload Studios - TerraTech Hidden Armada - Mutiny! Utopian World of Sandwiches – Chompy Chomp Chomp Party Leda Entertainment - Bopscotch Application Systems - Ghost Control Application Systems - Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet Cinemaware - Wings: Remastered Edition Dojo Arcade - Creature Battle Lab Tall Studios - Shoot 'Em Up Kit ProjectorGames - Dungeon Crawler ProjectorGames - Fortress Craft: Evolved Strategic Designs - Starters Orders Replay Events have already announced GameSeek as their retail partner, have revealed several industry speakers including Charles Cecil MBE and have also released details of a number of high profile film and TV guests including Star Wars, Dr Who and Red Dwarf actors. Play Expo returns to EventCity (next to the Trafford Centre) in Manchester on 11/12 October 2014. Tickets are available from http://www.playexpo.net.
Up until now, players could form up to three member platoons in the game and still play within the normal 15 vs. 15 matchmaker. The brand new Platoon Battles system now adds a second matchmaking pool available only to platoons.
Throughout the month of August, gamers can begin purchasing the World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition Combat Ready Starter Pack at participating retailers worldwide for a valued price of $19.99. The bundle, containing exclusive items such as the coveted premium Panzer 38H tier II German light tank, three days of premium account time, in-game silver and gold, and a 30-day voucher code for Xbox Live Gold status, will be available starting on August 12, 2014 in North and South America. Street dates in additional regions are as follows: August 14 in Asia-Pacific, August 21 in Japan and August 29 in Europe. Sledgehammer Games have revealed more information about the new multiplayer features for Advanced Warfare. We are all hoping for a radical change on the current style of multiplayer which, while popular among the hardcore among us, needs a fresh update in the overcrowded FPS genre. Feast your eyes on the the details below:
Get ready for Team Racing in World of Speed. To win the team race you need to be not only fast, but be smart and cooperate with your teammates. Today, Deep Silver reveals the first gameplay trailer for Dead Island 2, the next instalment in the multi-million-selling Dead Island franchise. The video shows Pre-Alpha in-game footage and gives a first impression on how beautiful sunshine and bloody melee violence meet once again – this time in the sunny realms of California. Dead Island 2 is scheduled for release in Spring 2015 from development studio YAGER and will be available on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as Windows PC. Since launch, it’s been our vision to bring more entertainment features and enable live TV through Xbox One to more markets around the world. We know our fans in Europe have been asking for this functionality on Xbox Feedback and today, we’re pleased to announce that Xbox One users in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain will be able to experience premium live TV features on Xbox One, such as the ability to access your favourite shows and channels with the sound of your voice* through the OneGuide, with the new Xbox One Digital TV Tuner. By Matt Taylor Gaijin Entertainment have announced a new initiative aimed at rewarding players who create content shared in War Thunder with a portion of the revenue generated by their creations. Why this has piqued our interest When we originally reviewed Metro Last Light it got a 4.5/5. Now the game has been improved in terms of graphics and AI meaning this is more than just a re-skin this is a true Redux. Discover how 4A Games have made Metro Redux one of the most complete and ambitious 'remasters' of modern times. Crytek’s breathtaking Xbox One Launch title will be released on PC later this year ready for 4K resolution
Ryse: Son of Rome, is coming to PC this Fall. While Crytek will publish the game on digital channels, they will collaborate with the co-publishing partner Deep Silver for the boxed version distribution to retail stores. In addition, all of the Ryse: Son of Rome DLC packages that have been created and released since launch will be included in the PC version.
Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and NetherRealm Studios released a new Mortal Kombat X gameplay video showing off series veteran, Raiden, as he pummels sun god, Kotal Kahn in a battle of epic proportions. Character VariationsBy Matt Taylor Toren is a puzzle/adventure game made by Brazilian independent developer Swordtales and will be available on Windows PC, Mac and Playstation 4, through a partnership with publisher Versus Evil. The game looks incredible, with the developer promising that the story “takes the audience in a torrent of discoveries about the greatest myth of all, the meaning of life”. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more about Toren in the upcoming months. The game is one of the first Brazilian video game that is being sponsored by the Brazilian Cultural Incentive Law, which sees Brazilian businesses use what they owe in corporate taxes to sponsor cultural projects within Brazil. Pretty interesting concept and a great way to help the local game industry. Toren will be available in the early part of 2015. Visit the games website hereBy Matt Taylor Brighton based developer FuturLab, the team behind the award winning Velocity and Velocity Ultra have announced a release date for the sequel, Velocity 2X. Returning to the seat of the Quarp Jet, a space fighter capable of teleporting, players can expect to blast their way through hundreds of enemies at break neck speeds, fighting against the clock as well as the evil alien Zetachron. In addition to the normal gameplay styles, Futurlab have also added some new flavour to the game, with boss battles against large enemy ships and side-scrolling platform elements. Shown in their recent trailer, the player is seen to battling a boss structure before teleporting inside of it. Inside, the player is then able to run through the halls of the damaged ship, blasting and destroying as she goes. My main issue with Velocity Ultra stemmed from the lack of gameplay changes in the later part of the game and both of these additions should add depth to the Velocity series. Velocity 2X will be available on the Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita from the 2nd of September in North America and from the 3rd in the United Kingdom. You can read some of my impressions of Velocity Ultra here My.com has released five new screenshots for the McLaren MP4-12C in their upcoming AAA online racing game, World of Speed. |
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