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Just Played Dirty Bomb

Andrea Rene goes hands on with the new objective-based shooter from Splash Damage, detailing her thoughts on character abilities, the free to play model, and more.

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Armello Engines Of Fate Update Adds New Quest System, Cards, And More

Digital board game Armello has been enchanting gamers in Early Access since January. Today, developer League of Geeks is pushing an update that adds a significant new feature: quests.

The Engines of Fate update gives players more agency, with choices of three different quests to pursue. Partaking in these offers rewards in the form of stat boosts and earn treasure, followers, and spirit stones. The first two of these can give players bonus story actions that help them accomplish their goals.

Click to enlarge.

Since Armello carries a storybook aesthetic, League of Geeks has woven that concept into the Engines of Fate. Throughout the game, quest steps are added to a game storybook that creates a narrative thread for each player.

The update also includes eleven new cards, nine of which are in the “trickery” category. The King also has nine new declarations, which will diversify games a bit more.

Click to enlarge.

Alongside this update, League of Geeks announced that Dust: An Elysian Tail writer Alex Kain is co-writing Armello. For more on Armello, you can check out a preview. If you’re interested in purchasing it in Early Access, it’s discounted to $ 19.99 (from a regular price of $ 24.99) for a limited time. 

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Evolve – Behemoth and New Hunters Gameplay Video

2K sent over some more details on the upcoming DLC for Evolve, Check out the details and video below.

The Evolve experience is expanding on March 31st with the launch of the fourth playable Monster, Behemoth, four new playable Hunters, and more. Those who own Evolve but do not purchase Behemoth or the four new Hunters can still play against or alongside these new characters online and against them offline, adding depth and replayability for the entire Evolve community without dividing players based on what additional content they own.

Evolve’s new Monster and Hunters are unique in appearance and abilities. Behemoth is a tank of a Monster that becomes a giant, destructive boulder and rolls through the environment for quick traversal. Four new Hunters also join the Evolve lineup: Torvald, a cyborg Assault character with a mortar cannon for an arm; Crow, a Trapper with a pet Batray for tracking Monsters; Slim, a genetically modified combat Medic; and Sunny, a Support character equipped with a mininuke grenade launcher. Each new Hunter expands the Evolve experience with new weapons, equipment, and abilities.

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Waiting For The Punchline

After nearly four months since the first entry, the next installment of Telltale's narrative take on Borderlands is finally here. While the series' debut started slow and gradually built up to an enticing finale, the second episode struggles between its exciting opening and cliffhanger ending.

Telltale talked up several Borderlands-specific elements that it would focus on in this series: combat and loot. The second episode promptly downgrades both of them. The loot system has been limited to picking up cash in a couple of places, and you can only spend it on pointless paint job variations for Fiona and Sasha's vehicle. As for combat, Atlas Mugged's action sequences are back to the simplest of quick-time events; I lost track of how many times I had to spam the interact button to fill an arbitrary meter. I wish Telltale could keep players engaged between conversations with more than an activity a novelty drinking bird could accomplish.

As an interactive story Atlas Mugged is only so-so. My favorite moments happen in the first twenty minutes; Fiona's attempts to outwit a retinal scanner and the unforeseen aftermath provides the biggest chuckles, and the chase that leads up to the opening credits is the most stylish action sequence. After that, the plot gets mired down in endless conversations where the majority of your decisions are more superfluous than ever. Rhys' exchanges with a holographic Handsome Jack feel particularly forced and disjointed, and most of the jokes fall flat. Any moment of danger or suspense is almost immediately negated (usually by a deus ex machina in the form of a Loaderbot), and I rarely feel like any of my choices are having a meaningful impact on the story. The unreliable narrator angle – one of the most intriguing aspects of the first episode – is also underused, though I did get a laugh out of Fiona's bro-filled take on a conversation between Rhys and Vaughn.

Character development is also a mixed bag. Surprisingly, Vaughn emerges as the most interesting of the protagonists, as he oscillates between his inherent cowardice and a newfound love of danger, all while shrugging off his freakishly ripped abs. On the other hand, Sasha spends most of the episode nursing her grudge against Felix, while Rhys and Fiona continue to be cyphers for whatever choices you hoist upon them. The quartet still has good chemistry, and I'm interested to see where they end up, but they spend most of Atlas Mugged just getting there; many of the conversations and interactions feel like filler.

Altas Mugged ends on a huge cliffhanger, with the fate of all four protagonists hanging in the balance. However, the emotional moments of the finale (and the rest of the episode) are undermined by some unnatural facial expressions and stiff animations – at times it feels like you're watching ventriloquist dummies trying to emote. I also doubt Telltale would kill off any of the main characters, so it's not so much will they survive as it is how they survive – and I doubt player choice will be much of a factor in the upcoming solution. I'm still interested in seeing the next chapter of the story, but the reasons I play Telltale games – the intriguing characters and meaningful choices – are still not hitting the mark.

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Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures Dated For Release On Wii U Next Month

Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, the retro platformer based on the popular web series of the same name, is moving beyond PC.

The game originally released on PC in 2013, but hasn't released on any other platforms since then. Last year, however, it was announced for Wii U and 3DS, but without release dates. A listing appeared recently on Nintendo's website pointing to a Wii U release on April 2.

For our review of the game's PC release, head here.

[Source: Nintendo, via NeoGAF]

  Our Take I'm surprised the game has taken this long to explore outside of PC. In any case, glad to hear it's on the way.

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Watch Us Play Through Bloodborne's Opening Hours With Our Live Stream Archive

The night before Bloodborne released, we streamed the game for six hours straight – and now you can watch the archive of the Twitch stream on our YouTube channel.

Join Andrew Reiner, Tim Turi, Wade Wojcik, and our resident From Software/Dark Souls/Bloodborne expert, Dan Tack. Whether you're just looking to see the game played, or get some tips on the game from Dan Tack, you can take a look at the video below.

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If, even after watching us play the game for six hours, you still want more Bloodborne coverage, we've got you covered. You can find our review here, find some spoiler-free tips here, some later game spoiler-y tips here, a guide on how to beat Father Gascoigne here, and finally, some advice to Bloodborne newcomers – don't be scared.

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Son of Nor Focus Trailer #1: Terraforming and Telekinesis

In the first of the Focus trailer series, see how the powers of the mind allow you to control the environment in Son of Nor.

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It’s Dangerous to be Home Alone in Absention

Dream Wave Games recently debuted a trailer for their upcoming horror-survival mystery titled Absention. In it, the player character inherits a lake house from their father who apparently disappears. After a long day of travel to get to the house, the player falls asleep, only to be disturbed by the chiming of the grandfather clock […]

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Another Chance To Experience JRPG Greatness

Xenoblade Chronicles reminds me of why I fell in love with RPGs in the first place. From the thrill of stepping into a vast land with endless possibilities to the surge of a hard-fought battle against larger-than-life creatures, Xenoblade holds plenty of excitement. Even now, three years after the original release on Wii, the journey is as fun as I remember. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D is your chance to find out what you missed, or remind yourself why you hold the game in high regard.

If you are a returning player, that desire to experience the adventure again has to be your primary motivation for delving into this version; don't expect to see an array of new features or additional content here. This is a great game, but it remains largely unchanged. The jump to handheld works well, and the controls feel like a natural fit. The only enhancements are minor, like StreetPass and Amiibo support, helping you earn tokens faster to unlock extra music and 3D models. The lack of ambition in the rerelease might be disappointing for some fans, but it doesn't change the fantastic game at the core.

Xenoblade is an imaginative fusion of RPG traditions and new ideas. From the combat to the setting, you encounter a mix of the familiar and surprising at every turn. You're journeying across colonies that rest upon the backs of warring giants. Grasslands, flowing rivers, and waterfalls surround you, and I had fun exploring the map. The world has its own story to uncover, and finding out the history of the warring giants and even the mysterious Monado is exciting.

The cast isn't particularly memorable – Shulk is a typical "boy with a destiny" – but their interactions can be compelling. I love how harmonious everything feels between your party members; tracking down special places to have heart-to-heart chats levels up your relationship, and encouraging party members or reviving them on the battlefield raises your friendship. This builds a sense of connection among your party, and also earns you extra skills and permanent buffs that pay off in combat.

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Xenoblade has one of the best battle systems in recent years. It's a cross between action and tactical combat, something more akin to an MMORPG. You have characters that fit the tank, helper, and DPS roles, and victory comes through allies performing their tasks well. You control one person in a party of three; your character automatically attacks while you manage special abilities on cooldowns. Not having to constantly tap a button is a nice change of pace, and keeps you focused on more strategic matters. Positioning is important – land a special attack from behind and reap the damage rewards. This is all wrapped up in a fun upgrade system that allows you to pick which skills you want to pack the biggest punch.

One of my favorite parts of Xenoblade is how it uses a plot device to enhance its gameplay. Shulk has the ability to see the future, which plays into battle. Before an enemy is going to deliver a deadly hit, Shulk is able to see that fatal moment, allowing him to prepare for it by warning his teammates and putting up shields. This mechanic adds tension and urgency; I loved knowing when a big attack was coming and rushing to thwart it.

Xenoblade Chronicles remains a must-play RPG. While this version doesn't do anything special to entice old fans to return, it still holds the same fun it did the first time around. Don't let it pass you by again if it did previously; this world captivates and takes hold of you like a great game should. 

Only On The New 3DS

If you want to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, you must own the New 3DS. Unfortunately, any previous version won't be able to run it. Make sure you own the latest hardware before you purchase this exclusive for the New 3DS.  

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Cast Magical Spells With Your Mind In Stillalive's Action Adventure Game

Being able to lift large boulders to crush enemies and shooting fire from your palms may sound like abilities from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but Son of Nor takes these powers a step further. With top-tier peripherals, the game empowers the player by blending fantasy with realism.

Players can cast spells with their mind by wearing the brainwave-reading headset – a concept normally seen in science fiction. Similarly, large hills of sand can be maneuvered just by shifting your gaze with an eye-tracking tool, and the Oculus Rift brings virtual reality into the mix as well.

Son of Nor's supported peripherals are what’s most intriguing. The Emotiv EPOC, for example, reads the player's brain activity and translates it into in-game actions. When the device is active, the game progresses the player through a tutorial, teaching them up to three cognitive spells that react to thoughts and facial muscle tensions. Lifting heavy boulders on-screen is achieved by mentally visualizing the command, and a twitch of the eyebrows shoots the rocks into the air. While being a tad finicky and at times hard to believe, when it works it proves to be incredibly engaging.

Additionally, the Tobii Eye X tracks eye movement, allowing the player to target objects just by looking at them, or to shift sand to new directions by glancing left to right. Both the Emotiv EPOC and the Tobii Eye X can be used simultaneously, while the Oculus Rift can only be used alone. 

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Tech aside, Son of Nor can be played without any peripherals.

Set in a vast desert, this action adventure title from Stillalive studios tells the tale of a power struggle between reptilian beasts, called the Sarahul, and the human race. As a mage, the player must defend their human colony and defeat the Sarahul, with the use of powerful elemental magic, telekinesis, and terraforming, to keep a 400-year-old war from resurfacing.

Son of Nor's campaign features around 10-12 hours of gameplay, with several levels varying from puzzle-solving temples to action-oriented combat. It supports up to four player co-op and competitive PvP through split-screen and online multiplayer. The proving grounds, an open sandbox playground, is an area to test out new spells, spawn enemies on command, and battle friends.

Starting out, players are given two base powers: telekinesis and terraforming. Telekinesis can be used to pick up and hurl enemies across the desert, launch rocks into the air, and create platforms to reach higher areas. Terraforming, on the other hand, has the player manipulating sand by raising it to use as a shield from oncoming attacks, or lowering it to bury enemies alive. Secret passages and hidden collectibles can be found using these abilities, such as digging through sand to discover lost tunnels. These are just a few examples of how abilities can be used, and part of what makes Son of Nor entertaining is discovering these tricks on your own.

Additional powers are obtained when beating the three temples in the main missions. Upon completion, the player is granted the ability to cast elemental magic with wind, essence, and fire. Wind shoots powerful gusts to topple enemies over, essence creates an impenetrable force field, acting as a shield or a trap for foes, and fire incinerates the Sarahul in an effective blast.

Fusing powers is among Son of Nor's most satisfying concepts, allowing the player to merge learned abilities to create new, stronger ones. For example, a fiery tornado is created when combining fire and wind. Mixing sand and fire creates glass, which is used to shield attacks and mirror enemy fire back towards the opponent.

Son of Nor introduces some interesting game mechanics when they’re mixed with high-end technology, but on its own, the game is less groundbreaking. Son of Nor is available via Steam Early Access, and its full release is expected March 31 on PC, Mac, and Linux.

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Hideo Kojima Missing? ‘Metal Gear Solid 5’ Director Seemingly Vanishes From Social Media

It seems Hideo Kojima has gone missing, a mysterious move after the announcement that Metal Gear Solid 5 will be his last game in the series. This video game maker was responsible for some of the biggest franchises Konami has ever known, and as of March 19, he even stopped tweeting.

The possibility that Kojima’s been kidnapped and forced to continue making games for a terrorist organization under the radar would be silly and is probably the subject of fan fiction as I write this. The more likely explanation is that he’s taking a break from the public eye, much like Iggy Azalea.

Unlike Azalea, Hideo Kojima has been a loved personality in the video game industry, having made one of the arguably best military stealth game series in history, giving Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell serious competition.

Ex-Snake actor David Hayter was asked for details on what happened to have Hideo Kojima missing, and his reply was rather clever.

In 2013 it was rumored that Kojima had recast Kiefer Sutherland (24, The Lost Boys) for the role of Solid and Liquid Snake, and Hayter was “accused” of using “voodoo” to get his role back. This was completely false of course, as Gaming Bolt reported on Monday, but Hayter’s reply about Kojima played with the idea.

“In answer to your many questions on the subject … No, I do not own any voodoo dolls.”

The most persistent rumor is that Kojima and Konami had a serious disagreement, and the Metal Gear Solid 5 director is distancing himself from the company. This doesn’t mean he’s finished with the latest game though, in a statement reported by Movie Pilot.

“I want to reassure fans that I am 100 [percent] involved and will continue working on METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN; I’m determined to make it the greatest game I’ve directed to date. Don’t miss it!”

If the Konami director is staying to see the completion of Metal Gear Solid 5, then why is Hideo Kojima missing?

War has changed: Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima is said to no longer be part of Konami http://t.co/6iYnej320N pic.twitter.com/l9e5X2655j

— Joystiq (@joystiq) March 21, 2015

Other fans are also wondering if Kojima’s collaboration is in jeopardy regarding Silent Hills, which appears to be an HD reboot to the classic horror series. The director was supposed to be working with a notorious combination of talents on that game, including Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim) and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), whose previous collaboration brought us the Wesley Snipes hit Blade II.

What do you think happened? Why is Hideo Kojima missing from social media?

[Image via Gawker]

Hideo Kojima Missing? ‘Metal Gear Solid 5’ Director Seemingly Vanishes From Social Media is an article from: The Inquisitr News

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PlayStation 4 Finally Getting Promised Suspend/Resume Feature Tomorrow

Sony has announced that PlayStation 4 firmware update 2.5 (codenamed “Yukimura”), will arrive tomorrow, March 26. The update includes a number of anticipated features, chief among them the long awaited “suspend/resume.”

Suspend/resume allows players to pick up exactly where they stopped in most PlayStation 4 games when waking the system from rest mode. The update also allows players to back up their entire hard drive to a USB-connected external storage device.

New social features are also included in the 2.5 update. You’ll be able to search for friends using their Facebook profiles, join friends from the “What’s New” section, and share automatically captured screenshots taken when you earn trophies.

Yukimura also includes accessibility options for those with visual impairments or limited dexterity. Controller functions can now be remapped, text-to-speech and larger text are available for the interface and messaging.

Those that use Share Play or Vita remote play will notice an improvement, as games that support 60 frames-per-second will now be streamed as such. Finally, Dailymotion users can now upload clips to that service.

The Vita and the PlayStation smartphone app will also be getting upgrades. Those will roll out tomorrow, also.

  Our Take The most notable feature here is suspend/resume, and it’s great that it’s finally here. That said, this was something promised in 2013 and only being delivered now. 

While we’re years away from the next console launch, we would do well to remember that both Microsoft and Sony sold hardware based on promises it wasn’t ready to fulfill. And it’s not the first time, either (I still can’t scan my skateboard into my Xbox with the Kinect or use my retail Xbox One as a devkit).

These things remind us that we need to be critical and realistic about platform-holder promises. Remember these things and use them to cut through the hype in the future. 

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Splatoon Maps Trailer

Get a peek at the battlefields of Splatoon that are begging for fresh coats of paint on the Wii U.

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Playing With Fire

In the opening moments of The Sword in the Darkness, the third episode in Telltale’s six-part Game of Thrones series, Malcolm Branfield grimly eyes a rockslide blocking the only escape route for his traveling companions Asher Forrester and Beskha, and says “One wrong move and the whole thing could collapse on us.” That line amplifies the feeling of hopelessness for the scene, but more accurately sums up the state of the Forresters in this episode. All across Westeros, situations turn from bad to worse for the family, and the noose tightens around their necks. Nothing I said or did brought reprieve for any of them, just more despair.

It hasn’t been a fun ride for the Forresters up until this point. They’ve lost loved ones, had enemies invade their homes, and are on the brink of losing their ironwood business. Any attempts at righting the wrongs or defending themselves have failed and put other family members and people in the kingdom in danger. This episode carries the bad omen that we may be looking at the last days of this family.

The Forresters’ sad state of being bleeds into excitement for the player, and is often the subject of teeth-clenching decision making. You frequently make choices knowing that they could lead to a sword sliding across Rodrik’s throat, or Mira being taken away to the dungeon. Almost every choice Rodrik makes in this episode carries significant weight, and it's all wonderfully captivating.

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The episode is at its best when the focus is on the Forresters, but falls apart whenever a familiar plot point from the HBO show is interjected. The biggest misstep is the handling of King Joffrey’s wedding; the events of this joyous day are important to Mira’s development, but we don’t get to see the wedding unfold firsthand. Through a flimsy plot point that feels like it was cobbled together as a reason to either not show the wedding or to explain why Mira wasn’t a part of it in the HBO show, she instead stands just outside the festivities, close enough to hear what happens – an awkward way to incorporate such a pivotal sequence. Mira’s story gets on track again afterwards, but seeing her story make weird leaps to maneuver around the show is disheartening.

Gared’s thread (which nearly grounded to a halt in the previous episode) finds new life, offering a tease of world-building that could give Game of Thrones fans something they won’t learn in the show or books. His story is starting to have a fun adventure vibe to it, almost like an Indiana Jones movie. We learn that his destiny lies far beyond the wall in wildling territory. The problem for him: He just swore his allegiance to the Night’s Watch. To help the Forrester family, he’ll likely have to betray his oath and his brothers at the Wall. The decisions tied to doing what's best for the Forresters or the Night's Watch are already tough to make, and he still hasn't left the Wall.

Asher doesn’t get much screen time in this episode, and is used mostly to set up cameo appearances of famed faces from the show. He's part of a crazy battle, and once again proves to be a fun character, even if he conforms to the familiar scoundrel archetype. Gryff Whitehill, who we get to see plenty of as he makes Rodrik’s life as uncomfortable as he can, is also a finely penned character. However, he comes across more like a J.K. Rowling villain along the lines of Malfoy than an unpredictable George R. R. Martin foe.

This episode mostly consists of conversations, but moves along at a nice pace, thanks in large to the tough choices tied to most of the conflicts at hand. Given that I often chose to poke the hornet’s nest (repeatedly in one sequence), I leave this episode unconvinced my characters will survive another day. With three episodes remaining, Telltale’s scribes have a tall challenge in front of them, as it feels like the end is seconds away from unfurling.

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The Longest Turn Ever in Hearthstone Is Happening Right Now

Right now, a potential world record is being set in Hearthstone, and you can watch it as it takes place.

The post The Longest Turn Ever in Hearthstone Is Happening Right Now appeared first on WIRED.

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Jigglypuff's Famous Rest Attack Put To The Test

One of the key things that makes Jigglypuff an absolute terror in the Smash Bros. ring is her "rest" move. If you’ve ever gone against the Puff, you know what I’m talking about: it’s when she falls asleep and then beats you into a pulp. But just how powerful is it, exactly? Numbers to the rescue!

Read more…

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New 3DS Update Makes It Easier To Customize Your Home Menu

Nintendo has released the latest system update for its 3DS handhelds. The new version, which has the catchy name 9.6.0-24U, makes it easier for users to customize and manage their home-menu layouts.

If you're the type of 3DS user who enjoys fiddling around with the way your home menu is organized and how it looks, this one's for you. After installing the update, you can save and load up to eight configurations. Finding new themes is a bit easier now, too, with additional options popping up under the "view more" menu on the theme store. There, themes are filtered according to characters and games, such as Mario, Kirby, and The Legend of Zelda, as well as the option to just view it all.

System update  9.6.0-24U also adds "improvements to system stability and usability," and lays the foundation for Amiibo support for the 3DS, 3DS XL, and 2DS in advance of an upcoming peripheral.

[Source: Nintendo]

  Our Take I spend an unreasonable amount of time messing with my phone's layout, but my 3DS remains completely vanilla. Maybe it's because I don't want to foul anything up. With this update, I can at least save my initial setup and then dive in. Once I inevitably ruin how it looks, I can go back to the original configuration.