Monthly Archives: May 2016
Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 Announced
Konami has officially announced PES 2017, and it's coming later this year for PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.
Konami is inviting players to "control reality," and the official PES 2017 website has plenty of information regarding areas that will be improved upon in this year's game.
PES 2017.
"Real touch" will have players controlling the ball in different ways depending on where they are, and this will also extend to passing, where timing and situation combine to create the best pass.
Blizzard Rates Our Own Overwatch Character Designs
Perhaps you saw the story the other day about an adorable Overwatch fan having her fan drawing brought close to reality by a Blizzard artist. "So," thought IGN's UK team, "if a child can do it, why can't a bunch of adults actually employed to think about games?"
And so I found myself trembling in front of Overwatch senior game designer Michael Chu, gauging his thoughts on some incredibly questionable drawings. Here's each of our characters, and Michael's thoughts thereon. Sorry mate.
Key Skills: Jacked arms for no recoil, is a massive gun.
DC Introduces Mind-Blowing Joker Twist
Just when you thought Joker's past couldn't be any more mysterious or confusing, DC delivered another huge wrinkle to the iconic Batman villain this week.
Warning: this issue contains spoilers for Justice League #50 and DC Universe Rebirth #1!
We've known for a while that Geoff Johns has big plans in store for the Joker. This past March at WonderCon, DC released this teaser image along with hints that they were about to reveal the villain's origin story for the first time.
New Civilization 6 Changes Add Up to Something Big
As an experienced Civilization fan, playing the first 60 turns of Sid Meier’s Civilization 6 felt familiar. A bit more so than I’d expected, relative to Civilization 5 – this isn’t as dramatic a departure as we saw from Civilization 4 to 5, for example. But even in these early-game moments, there are a large number of crucial differences that already started to make their significance felt.
One of the first you’ll notice – after the impressive hand-drawn map art style that covers undiscovered and fog-of-war-covered territory – is that Workers are now called Builders, and have a limited number of uses before they vanish from the map. Playing as the Chinese in this pre-set scenario, I benefitted from one of their cultural bonuses that causes Builders to have four charges instead of the three other civs have. Another distinguishing feature of Civ 6’s Builders is that their terrain improvements happen instantly, instead of over the course of several turns.
Hitman Episode 3 Release Date Announced
Hitman Episode 3 will see Agent 47 travelling to Marrakesh on May 31.
After Paris and Sapienza, now players will be exploring Moroccan streets. According to the PS Blog, you'll encounter a "maze of alleys, a range of souks that line the medina walls," and you'll also be able to check out Marrakesh's rooftop terraces.
In addition, you can hang out in a shisha bar, or you can find the Swedish consulate building beyond the busy marketplace.
Star Ocean 5 Broadens Its Appeal by Staying True to Its JRPG Roots
One of the major, persistent narrative threads engulfing the games industry since the turn of the century concerns the Japanese game industry's attempts to appeal to Western audiences. From Metal Gear Solid to Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry to Ninja Gaiden, Japanese developers have sought to combat the idea that they fail to see games from a global perspective.
By way of a fix there has been a trend for Japanese games to mimic many of the more cemented and popular ideas typically associated with Western design. Metal Gear Solid's move towards an open-world setting and Final Fantasy's ever more obvious move towards photo-realistic representations of characters, for instance, are two of the more high-profile examples.
Former Uncharted Creative Director to Receive BAFTA Award
Amy Hennig—former writer and creative director behind the Uncharted series—will receive a "special award" from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
The award will be presented in Los Angeles on June 12, just days before E3 2016 begins. The event is part of BAFTA's "renewed commitment" to celebrating the video game industry.
Amy Hennig, lead writer and creative director at EA
"Amy is one of the industry's most successful and respected creative leaders," Harvey Elliott, BAFTA Games Committee chairman said. "Her work in the games industry spans nearly three decades, and throughout this illustrious career she has championed the importance of a game's script, with this creative vision pervading all her work."
The Secret Mastermind of DC’s New 52 Revealed
With the release of Justice League #50 and DC Universe Rebirth #1, surprising secrets have been revealed about the origin of the New 52 universe.
Warning: this article contains spoilers for DC Universe Rebirth #1 and Justice League #50!
If you read our spoiler-filled report on DC Universe Rebirth #1 last week, you know that one of the biggest twists in that issue involves the reveal that Doctor Manhattan was the creator of the New 52 universe. This twist builds on the open-ended status quo in which creators Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons left the character at the end of Watchmen. There Manhattan announced that he was leaving his world behind to explore the universe and hopefully create new life of his own. Somewhere along the way, that process led him to begin performing experiments on the DC Universe.
Overwatch Fan With Cerebral Palsy Praises Blizzard for Accessibility Options
An Overwatch fan with cerebral palsy has written a heartfelt thank you to Blizzard, the game’s developer, as the new game's remappable controls mean he can comfortably play with every character.
“I was born with Cerebral Palsy,” says Zak on Reddit. “I can't walk and have very limited use of my hands. I love video games of all shapes and sizes and have been playing since I was 3 years old. I play them when I'm happy, I play them when I'm sad, and I've started and strengthened some of my best friendships because of them."
Zak explains how certain games can be tough to play due to only being able to use one action per hand at a time. Imagine playing an FPS. You know how you use your thumb to control the camera and your index finger to pull the trigger? That’s not possible for Zak normally, but thanks to Blizzard’s control options…
Former Valve Employee Sues For $3.1m
An ex-Valve employee is suing her former employer for $3.1m.
Polygon reports the litigant, who has not been named, is pursuing $1m for general damages, a further $1m for loss of earnings, another $1m for special damages, and an extra $150k for unpaid wages.
The suit asserts the woman’s supervisor created a “hostile working environment” — which includes referring to her as “it” following gender reassignment surgery — and accuses her boss of “utilizing people who were interested in their products to provide translation services for free”.