Need for Speed coming to PC in March

EA has confirmed that the most recent Need for Speed is ready for launch on PC and will see a release on March 17. Those who pay subscription fees for Origin and EA Access will be able to pick up the game a week early on March 10.

The PC port of Need for Speed was delayed for visual performance reasons after it released on consoles last fall. EA claims that on top of fixing the performance issues, it has also added other improvements detailed in the reveal trailer above.

These improvements, like manual transmission, will eventually be making their way to the console versions. You know, just because we don’t want people feeling left out.

Need for Speed will release for the PC on March 17. Get low, EA!

source: technobuffalo

New World War 2 Xbox/PS4/PC Game Passes Funding Milestone

 With more than two weeks still to go in its Kickstarter funding campaign, new console and PC World War 2 shooter Battalion 1944 has passed $300,000 in funding. The game was a quick success on Kickstarter, having raised its initial target of £100,000 ($142,000) after just two days.

At press time, funding stands at around £215,728 ($307,579) from more than 7,000 backers. Developer Bulkhead Interactive already spent £100,000 ($145,000) of its own money to get the game off the ground

With Battalion 1944 now well above its initial funding target, fans may be wondering about stretch goals. None were announced when the campaign began, and though Bulkhead has teased they will be "awesome," we still don't know anything more specific--but that could change soon.

"Stretch goals are just around the corner," the developer said in a Kickstarter update. "We've had them planned for a while, and we're sticking to our original plan. We don't do empty promises at Bulkhead; which is why we are working on in-game assets to show you all exactly what we're working towards before we announce all of Battalion 1944's stretch goals."

You can guarantee yourself a copy of the game, which is expected to launch in May 2017 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC, by pledging at least £15 ($21). Head to the Kickstarter page to see all of the other pledge tiers and rewards.

The multiplayer shooter aims to capture the "core of classic multiplayer shooters" while using the "most advanced industry technology." You can see some early gameplay footage here or check out some images in the gallery below.

source: gamespot

Ubisoft confirms a new Watch_Dogs and South Park game in 2017

Watch_Dogs 2 is no longer mere speculation. It might seem like it had already done so a long time ago, but today marks the first time Ubisoft has officially confirmed the game for a release in 2017.

In its official financial report for the year, Ubisoft confirmed an entire fiscal 2017 line-up with”the next installment of Watch_Dogs” as the obvious big fish. South Park is another stand out, announced last year at E3 2015.

“For Honor, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: WildLands, the next installment of Watch Dogs, and a new high-potential AAA brand with strong digital live services.”

There is little question that the official presence of a new Watch_Dogs played into the decision to back off Assassin’s Creed for a year. Open-world Ubisoft fans need that fix.

Watch_Dogs was one of the first games announced for the most recent console generation. It rode the hype train for several years, but response to the final product proved to be underwhelming and controversial. What can Ubisoft do to make sure the sequel doesn’t fall into the same trap?

source:  EUROGAMER

[UPDATE] Quantum Break is heading for PC

[UPDATE]: Our original story indicated that most of Xbox’s biggest exclusives were coming to PC. Scalebound and Gears of War have not been announced for PC, which was an error in our source article. Quantum Break will be making the leap to PC with cross-platform saves. Whether the other games are hitting PC is still up in the air. As I mentioned below, this seems like a good way to pull up the Xbox platform overall and make sure that third parties want to keep making Xbox games despite the console’s performance.

Original story:

With the Xbox One trailing behind the PlayStation 4, Microsoft had to do something to make sure its exclusives had a good reason to stay that way. That something also brings a long-unfulfilled promise to fruition.

In addition to releasing on Xbox One, games like Gears of War 4, Scalebound, ReCoreand Quantum Break will see the light of day on PC in addition to Xbox One.

While Rise of the Tomb Raider took a couple extra months, Quantum Break will hit PC on the same day that it hits Xbox One.

While Xbox One owners may be disappointed to see exclusives heading to PC, this is great news for the titles in question and for gamers in general. More gamers will have access to what looks like a stable of awesome games this year and next.

Xbox head Phil Spencer had been paying lip service to PC gaming for some time, but now it looks like those promises are starting to come true thanks to the Xbox One’s difficulty in its competition with the PlayStation 4. Regardless of the reason, we’re happy to see these games getting the exposure they deserve.

SOURCE:  GAMESPOT

Sony might be teasing a new Crash Bandicoot for PlayStation 4

Crash Bandicoot, where are you? The last time the franchise was in the hands of its original creator, Naughty Dog, was in 1999 with Crash Team Racing.

It’s been in a few other hands since then, published by Activision and developed by companies like Radical Entertainment.

Now, Sony seems to be teasing some sort of return for the anthropomorphic bandicoot.

PlayStation’s Middle Eastern arm posted that image. The phrase with it loosely translates to “Most Wanted: Where Are You Crash?”

Come on, now. Don’t play with our hearts.

Is this little more than a community manager gone rogue? Or, is Sony really starting to hype the world for the return of Crash Bandicoot? Since Crash is currently published by Activision, maybe we’re looking at some sort of remaster for the originals before a proper new entry.

If Naughty Dog is set to take a break from the likes of Uncharted and The Last of Us in favor of making a brand new Crash game, I might lose my mind.

SOURCE:  GAMEZONE

Final Fantasy IX available now for iOS and Android in surprise-launch

 

Square Enix has just stealth-launched an iOS and Android version of Final Fantasy IX. The mobile build of the PlayStation Classic will be available for 20 percent off the normal asking price, sitting at $16.99 until Feb. 21.

Buyers might have to clear out their phones, though, because this is one hefty file, taking up 4GB of space after additional downloads upon opening the game. My guess is at least two of those gigabytes are swallowed up by Quina’s fantastic girth.

Zidane and the Tantalus Theater Troupe have kidnapped Princess Garnet, the heir of Alexandria. To their surprise, however, the princess herself yearned to escape the castle. Through a series of unusual circumstances, she and her personal guard, Steiner, fall in with Zidane and set out on an incredible journey. Meeting unforgettable characters like Vivi and Quina along the way, they learn about themselves, the secrets of the Crystal, and a malevolent force that threatens to destroy their world.

Final Fantasy IX is the entry I’ve played most recently in the series. I’d like to give it another spin on mobile, but I only have the option for Japanese text on my tablet in Japan.

Plus, I’m getting ready for a push through Breath of Fire III, finally on PSN at long last. Decisions, decisions.

SOURCE:  APP STORE, GOOGLE PLAY

Bloodborne’s brutal Saw Cleaver gets the Man at Arms blacksmith treatment

Bloodborne was an amazing game. It wasn’t just the best thing to hit PlayStation 4 last year, it was one of the best games last year, period. I couldn’t help but be entranced by Youtube channel Man at Arms’ recreation of Bloodborne‘s iconic Saw Cleaver.

We’ve highlighted their work before. Pyramid Head’s Great Knife from Silent Hill was awesome, and so was their take on the Legend of Zelda Hylian Shield. That doesn’t even start to climb the list of swords and other game and anime-centric hardware they’ve built.

The Saw Cleaver, though, might be my favorite. The team starts from the usual starting point of picking some unique source for the blade’s steel. In this case, a piece of railroad track. Then they not only meticulously re-created the look of the blade in a level of detail beyond impressive for a group that generally doesn’t have a lot of familiarity with the properties they tackle, they built a sturdy mechanism for the weapon’s coolest feature: the transforming trick blade. With the flick of a switch, it turns from a brutal saw to a razor-sharp cleaver (which is, for some reason, covered in cloth. What’s that about, Bloodborne?)

While I don’t cosplay at all myself, I’m always impressed to see people recreate these things that otherwise only exist digitally or, at best, as toys, and this is no exception.

source: technobuffalo

The PC version of The Division is not being held back by consoles, according to Ubisoft

Earlier this morning, we ran the news that one of Ubisoft’s developers had essentially said that the console versions of The Division were keeping the PC edition from hitting its full potential. Ubisoft has officially denied that notion.

The full quote for those interested? Here it is.

“We do have to keep it in check with the consoles; it would be unfair to push it so far away from them. But it’s been good having a dedicated PC build for this game. I’m really happy that we’re pushing the PC build as much as we are. There’s a lot more customized options than the console.”

Ubisoft’s response? Succinct.

It has come to our attention that a comment from one of our team members has been perceived by some members of the community to imply the PC version of The Division was ‘held back’ and this is simply not true. From the beginning, the PC version of The Division was developed from the ground up and we’re confident players will enjoy the game and the features this version has to offer. And the feedback from PC players who participated in the recent closed beta supports this.

They sent that statement to PCGamesN today.

They’re adamant about the fact that the earlier implication is “simply not true.” I can state, though, that I played the game on both the Xbox One at a preview event and on PC during the recent beta. It looks miles and miles better on PC, for what it’s worth.

Was it held back? That’s hard to say. Ubisoft would never officially admit that fact.

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SOURCE:  PCGAMESN

Breath of Fire III is out this week on PlayStation Network – Pick it up!

Capcom is delivering a much needed slice of retro to the PlayStation Network this week, and it comes in the form of the lost classic, Breath of Fire III. Capcom announced late in January that it would put the decade-old PSP port on the PlayStation Store in early February, and now, more specifically, it will do so this week.

Breath of Fire III will be available for $9.99 when the PlayStation Store updates Tuesday, Feb. 9, according to PlayStation Blog.

The legendary RPG series Breath of Fire returns with tales of long forgotten worlds, intrepid heroes, and ancient, mystical powers. A destiny awaits you. A small boy on the run. A dragon reborn in flames… The last of an extinct race, with mighty powers.

Breath of Fire III follows a human incarnation of the dragon god Ryu from his days as a childish whippersnapper all the way up into adulthood. Along the way, he bumps into a huge cast of anthropomorphic heroes like the tiger-man Rei, the lizard-man Garr, and the onion-thing Peco. Somehow, Momo fits into this too, but I have no idea what animal she is modeled after.

Most consider this to be the ultimate embodiment of the series with Breath of Fire IV tiptoeing a little too far into dark fantasy territory and Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter throwing out the series’ mythology altogether.

It was my first entry into the series as well, and I recommend it if you are a stranger. It’s a long, meandering game, but it grows on you by the end once its story starts to pull together.

Thanks again for the retro push, Capcom. These crowd pleasing releases look good on you. Hey, Square Enix! How about some Star Ocean 2 love? I know that has a PS Vita and PlayStation 4 port just waiting for a similar retro release.

SOURCE:  PLAYSTATION BLOG

Logitech’s latest keyboard comes with The Division

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that the only thing better than getting new stuff is getting new stuff with other new stuff included for free. If you’re in the market for a new gaming keyboard, Logitech might have the answer for you.

Logitech announced the G810 Orion Spectrum and G910 Orion Spark mechanical gaming keyboards. Set to retail for $159.99 and $179.99 respectively, these keyboards are RGB-backlit keyboards with all the customizable lighting you could ask for. The Spark features tons of macro keys and an ARX dock for a smartphone using the Logitech ARX software.

The keyboards, which go on sale on February 8, come with a code for Tom Clancy’s The Division, which comes out a month later. Considering these keyboards are priced pretty competitively compared with offerings from Corsair and Razer, this seems like a pretty good deal.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is set to hit PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on March 8.

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source: technobuffalo

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