Pictured: Frank West as he appears in Dead Rising 4.
Today at San Diego Comic Con, Capcom confirmed four additions to Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite's roster.
Spider-Man, who needs to introduction, Frank West from the Dead Rising series, Haggar of Final Fight fame, and finally Nemesis most famously from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis will all be playable fighters in the game. The new fighters were revealed during the Marvel Games panel. A trailer was shown during the panel to attendees, but it should be available online tomorrow morning.
For more on Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite, specifically our thoughts on the game's single-player campaign from our time with the game at E3, head here.
Supergiant Games, the developer behind Bastion and Transistor, has released a new launch trailer detailing the exiles, Rites, and more, in the mystical purgatory called the Downside.
In Pyre, you are responsible for leading a group of exiles across the Downside, taking on other exiles in an ancient competition called the Rites (that looks a lot like a game of NBA Jam) as you fight to extinguish your enemies' pyre while defending your own. A single orb is the primary tool of destruction in the Rites, and opposing players must take control of the orb and launch it at the opposing team's pyre to cause damage. Each character possesses different innate abilities with unique benefits for combat and traversing the arena, although a general skill tree is also available for leveling up.
The game offers a two-player local multiplayer mode as well as a single-player mode which, upon defeat, adapts the story instead of giving a Game Over.
Check out the launch trailer below.
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Pyre releases July 25 for PlayStation 4 and PC. For more, check out another trailer here and watch us take on the Downside in our Test Chamber.
It seems like this Call of Duty's attack on the zombie horde will feel more like a terrifying zombie movie than a goofy 80s romp.
You can watch the trailer for the Nazi Zombie mode below, which is filled with grisly visuals and voice over from a scary man who takes himself very seriously.
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Along with the trailer, Activision also revealed the mode's celebrity cast. David Tennant, Elodie Yung, Katheryn Winnick, Udo Kier, and Ving Rhames will all be part of the game.
Nazi Zombies, as part of the Call of Duty: WWII package, releases November 3. For more on the game, head here.
The latest trailer for Yakuza Kiwami shows off the both the mundane of Yakuza, like playing crane games and singing karaoke, and the absurd, like punching someone with a motorcycle.
Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the original Yakuza game that found a lot of success on Japan in 2005, but didn't find a huge audience in North America when it released for PlayStation 2 in 2006. Kiwami represents another chance for the series' origins to find its audience, which should be a lot easier this time around thanks to the new fandom generated from Yakuza 0 earlier this year,
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For more on Yakuza Kiwami, head here for its E3 2017 trailer, and here for for a hands-on preview. The game will be available on PlayStation 4 for $29.99 on August 29.
The future is indeed a scary place. Observer, which takes place in the definite dystopia of Poland 2084, puts you in the shoes of detective Dan Lazarski as he hacks into suspects' minds and invades their fears.
The game's new story trailer sheds a little more light on the game's context as well as Lazarski – played by Rutger Hauer from the original Blade Runner, among other films.
Detective Sebastian Castellanos returns to fight the STEM project in The Evil Within 2, and this time he's also looking for his daughter, presumed dead in a house fire.
Castellanos returns to his nightmares in an attempt to save his daughter, and you can do so as well when the game comes out on October 13 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Today sees the launch of the Destiny 2 beta for everyone who pre-ordered the game on PS4. Xbox One pre-orderers can look forward to diving in tomorrow, and the beta will go completely open this weekend for all console players.
Andy McNamara and I have both been dedicated players of the original Destiny since its launch in 2014, and after many months of waiting, we sat down today for a first look at the beta. As we show off sections of the story, strike, and competitive action that the beta offers, we also took the time to discuss some of the changes coming to the game, how the game appeals to newcomers and lapsed players, and also the numerous aspects of gameplay that we have yet to learn about for the big sequel.
Splatoon 2 is easy to love. It's colorful and quirky and unafraid to be different, and it's consistently a blast to play. As far as shooters go, its unique movement mechanics stand out and make each match exciting. And while the logistics of its multiplayer aren't perfect, Splatoon 2 is a vibrant and exuberant sequel with enough fresh additions and changes to set it apart from the original.
Like the first game, Splatoon 2 stars human-squid hybrids called Inklings. Their world is bright and filled with nautical puns both spoken and implied, and even just walking around and picking out new clothes is delightful. The shoe store is called Shella Fresh, for example, and cute fish-themed decor peppers the hub area. That extends to the gameplay, of course; your weapons shoot (or sometimes fling) ink, and you can instantly change into your squid form and swim through ink puddles to reload. Swimming also has a stealth element to it, since you're harder to see and faster, and therefore better equipped for surprise attacks. You can also ink walls and swim up them in squid form, which adds to your verticality in matches. In the standard multiplayer mode Turf War, you're tasked with inking more of the map than your opponents while also "splatting" them to limit their progress.
Multiplayer is undoubtedly the main draw of Splatoon 2, but both new and returning players should absolutely try the new-and-improved single player mode before jumping into any matches. Unlike in the first game, where you could only use the standard Splattershot gun in the campaign, Splatoon 2's serves as a fantastic introduction to all the basic weapon types you'll have access to--and it's much more robust, with collectibles that require a sharp eye to find and creative platforming challenges that really showcase how unique Splatoon 2's movement is for the shooter genre. And while it starts out a bit basic, each level builds on the last and requires clever application of your knowledge to complete. Grinding on rails while shooting targets, then switching to your squid form and successfully landing a tricky jump is satisfying not just because it's fun and cool but because it really feels like you've mastered Splatoon 2's new mechanics.
Unfortunately, not all of the single player campaign's lessons make it into the multiplayer. Most notably, rail grinding, which is the standout from single player, isn't possible on Moray Towers' rails. That in particular feels like a missed opportunity, especially since that map is returning from the first game. However, getting to use a wide variety of weapons in single player makes the transition to multiplayer easier, and subtle tweaks to weapons and gear, like faster movement with the roller, add a layer of new strategy for veteran players. On top of that, the majority of the maps are new, and favorites include Inkblot Art Academy and The Reef, both of which have several vertical levels that result in intense struggles for control of the higher ground.
The only multiplayer mode for non-ranked matches is Turf War, which is consistently so much fun that only having one casual mode isn't really a problem. Covering the most ground with your ink is a simple enough concept, but skillful movement, well-timed inking, and the right strategy for your weapon all work together to give each match more depth. There are some wrinkles with the logistics of these regular battles: there's no way to change your weapon once you're in a lobby, so you're stuck with whatever team composition you get, and you can't guarantee you'll be on the same team as any friends who join your lobby. But, as the most laid-back of the multiplayer options, Turf Wars' quick games and random team assignments make it easy to jump in and out and have fun without too much pressure. It might be frustrating when your team of randoms doesn't seem to know what they're doing, but the fast-paced struggle to cover turf with your team's ink is as exhilarating as ever.
Ranked battles return with Tower Control, Rainmaker, and Splat Zones. Each mode is similar to game types you might be familiar with in other team shooters; Tower Control consists of escorting a tower to a goal, Rainmaker is like reverse capture the flag, and Splat Zones requires you to "control" specific areas for a certain amount of time by covering them with your team's ink. Unfortunately, the lobbies for ranked matches haven't been populated enough for us to play them ahead of launch, but based on our experience with the first game, we can expect these modes to work essentially the same way. Splatoon's ink mechanics make these modes feel different from other games, and the focus on specific objectives is great for competitive players who want something more than the informal structure of Turf War.
There's also a new co-op mode called Salmon Run that lets you play alongside one to three friends in a horde environment. It's surprisingly challenging and requires more strategy and finesse than Turf War by far. Even on lower difficulties, my groups struggled against minibosses that require specific strategies to take out--they're less threatening than the single-player bosses but hard to deal with in high volumes. Successfully clearing the waves was satisfying knowing that we had to have worked well as a team in order to survive. In addition to the updated single-player campaign, this is another mode that shows off what's so great about Splatoon 2's unique gameplay in ways that PvP multiplayer doesn't.
The biggest problems with the original Splatoon's multiplayer were limited matchmaking and a lack of voice chat, which made team strategy extremely cumbersome and difficult. While regular battles still lack shooter matchmaking mainstays like parties, there's a new mode called League Battle that lets you group up with either one or three other friends and play together in a more competitive environment. League battles include the same modes as ranked but don't affect your solo rank, which is a great option if your skills aren't quite in line with your friends'. That said, voice chat is still a problem--you have to use a phone app to communicate, which is inelegant at best and ridiculous for a modern team-based game. There's no good reason it couldn't have been included in-game.
At first glance, Splatoon 2 seems very similar to the first game. But all the small changes, and even the bigger ones in single player and League Battles, make for a fresh take on the already unique shooter. If you played a lot of the original, the sequel has enough to keep you coming back, and if you're new to the game, it's a fantastic place to jump in.
Life is Strange: Before the Storm centers on Chloe Price in Arcadia Bay before the events of the previous 2015 title. The first episode, entitled Awake, comes out on August 31 (PS4, Xbox One, and PC), and today developer Deck Nine Games (taking over for Dontnod for this prequel) released a video centering on Chloe and how this is a different time for the character both on the screen and off.
Ashly Burch, who voiced Chloe in the original Life is Strange isn't reprising her role for Before the Storm, but she's integral to the process this time around. Rhianna Devries is voicing Chloe for this game, and the video below shows how she's approaching the challenge.
The profile also features lead writer Zak Gariss, who delves into the core of who Chloe is and her relationship with Rachel Amber.
It's
another "Mayhem Monday" which means it's time for some more news from
Volition's Agents of Mayhem. This week, there's a new trailer that introduces
us to the Firing Squad, a group described as "morally flexible and
occasionally reliable."
First up is Oni, a former Yakuza
assassin who uses a silenced pistol and can weaken enemies with his aura of
fear. Next up is a familiar face, Pierce Washington from the Saints Row
franchise. He's a wannabe hip-hop star who was recruited to the team after unifying
the gangs in Stilwater. His special power allows him to hypnotize enemies into
dancing. Finally, we have the Iranian assassin Scheherazade who moves fast and
vanishes into thin air before destroying L.E.G.I.O.N. soldiers with her sword and
knives.
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Agents of Mayhem comes out on
Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC on August 15. You can read our hands on
impressions here,
and check out the Magnum and Bombshell trailers here and here.
