Monthly Archives: March 2016
First Nova Covert Ops StarCraft II Expansion Coming in March
Nova Covert Ops—the single-player campaign DLC for StarCraft II—is coming earlier than expected. The first mission pack will release March 29 in the United States, and March 30 in Europe.
Fans who pre-order the Nova Covert Ops: Mission Bundle will pay $15 USD for the nine new missions that span the three separate packs. Pre-ordering before launch also guarantees a Covert Ops skin for in-game Ghost units in StarCraft II. The next two mission packs are expected to release on or before December 1, 2016.
Sony Cagey on Xbox-PS4 Cross-Network Play
After Xbox opened the door to cross-network play on Monday, Sony has commented on the question of whether PlayStation Network and Xbox Live users could play together across console barriers in future - but avoided a definitive yes or no, and even refused to name Xbox.
Responding to a direct question about working with Microsoft from Gamespot, a Sony representative said:
"PlayStation has been supporting cross-platform play between PC on several software titles starting with Final Fantasy 11 on PS2 and PC back in 2002. We would be happy to have the conversation with any publishers or developers who are interested in cross platform play."
IGN’s Dark Souls Noob Takes on Dark Souls
We've challenged our very own Rory Powers, who has never touched a Souls game before, to finish the original Dark Souls before Dark Souls 3 comes out. (It seemed like a good idea at the time.)
Episode 2: buoyed after his victory over the Asylum Demon, Rory faces the Undead Burg. Everything that could go wrong sort of goes wrong, quickly. Watch how he gets on in the video up above. And if you missed the first episode, catch up now:
Come back on Friday for the next episode.
Akira Tago, Professor Layton’s “Puzzle Master” Dies Aged 90
Best-selling author, psychologist and puzzle designer for Level-5's Professor Layton series, Akira Tago has died aged 90.
According to the Japan Times, he passed away on March 6, after falling ill to interstitial pneumonia. Tago made his name with a best-selling quiz book, "Atama no Taiso" (Brain Exercises) in 1966, which resulted in 22 sequels and 12 million copies sold by 2001.
In the world of video games, Tago has been credited as "Puzzle Master" - almost certainly one of the all-time great video game job titles - in every Professor Layton game.
Resident Evil Musical Opening in Japan Later This Year
Musical Resident Evil - a stage musical based upon survival horror series Resident Evil - will be coming to Japan later this year.
The adaptation will be directed by playwright G2, overseen by Capcom's Hiroyuki Kobayashi and star Reon Yuzuki, a female actor famed for playing mostly male characters in the all-female show, Takarazuka Revue.
Reon Yuzuki - but what character will she play?
Until Dawn’s VR Spin-Off Gets New Screenshots
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, the PlayStation VR spin-off of Supermassive Games' slasher-adventure, has gotten a raft of new screens, showing off some of its enemy types:
Rush of Blood is an on-rails shooter that aims to break the genre mould by using horror tricks to subvert your expectations - after our first hands-on with the game, we wrote: "In the same way that Until Dawn took instantly-recognisable horror tropes and turned them on their heads, Rush of Blood is attempting to do the same thing with an on-rails shooter."
Pictures not enough? Here are six-minutes of offscreen gameplay.
What the New Hive and Inhuman Changes Mean for Agents of SHIELD
Pretty much everyone is in over their heads when it comes to Hive on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD -- including the ancient Inhuman's seeming allies. That was highlighted in the latest episode, "The Inside Man," which proved to be a transformative one for Brett Dalton's character.
Full spoilers for Agents of SHIELD continue below.
Brett Dalton as Hive on Marvel's Agents of SHIELD
New Photo Could Reveal iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus
A photo of the iPhone 7 or 7 Plus has emerged, possibly giving the public the first look at the actual phone.
The image first appeared on Chinese website Bastille Post (via MacRumors), and shows the phone having a dual-lens camera, though it doesn't sit flush with the rest of the iPhone, as previously rumored.
Daredevil Writers on Not Letting Punisher and Elektra Hijack the Show
Marvel’s Daredevil returns this Friday on Netflix for a big second season that introduces both the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Elektra (Elodie Yung) into the series. Behind the scenes, there has been some changes, as Doug Petrie (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Marco Ramirez (Sons of Anarchy), who both wrote for Season 1, have now taken over as showrunners, now that Stephen DeKnight has exited the series.
Petrie and Ramirez spoke about introducing these iconic Marvel characters this year and making sure they didn’t take over the series from Matt Murdock, while also making sure important supporting characters like Foggy and Karen get their due. The duo also discussed including Marvel Easter eggs and connections and finding the right place to do that in their gritty story.
Chrono Trigger Meets Final Fantasy in I Am Setsuna
This week at GDC developer Tokyo RPG Factory briefly showed off gameplay footage from their first project I am Setsuna for Steam and Playstation 4. Though the game's director Atushi Hashimoto wasn't quite ready to share specific details about the RPG, we were able to gleam some interesting facts about both the story and combat.
I Am Setsuna revolves around the titular character, a girl preparing to make a terrible sacrifice in order to save her people from a monster invasion. Along the way she meets a young man who helps guide her on her journey. This unnamed male character has not yet been revealed in detail, but he will be the main playable character in the story.