Telltale Games has taken the covers off The Walking Dead: Season Two and this time, you can play as Clementine from the first game. As with previous Telltale adventures, Season Two will be released as five episodes over the course of a few months, with the first episode scheduled to launch later this year. If you have a saved game from Season One, decisions you made during the course of the game will influence events in this game.
Assuming the role of an orphaned young girl left to her own devices in the undead apocalypse, this is a season that will challenge your expectations of how to find safety and survive in a world where no one can be trusted.
Remember when you [REDACTED] the guy in the [REDACTED] in Season One? Or the time [REDACTED] had to [REDACTED] the [REDACTED]? Good times!
Remember how the botched messaging and double-speak from Microsoft regarding the Xbox One after the unveiling and the disasterous E3 showing caused a lot of confusion? Microsoft worked hard to counteract all of that with clear updates via Xbox Wire detailing the policy changes known collectively as the “Xbox 180.” Unfortunately, it appears the Xbox PR machine is stumbling again with a chain of new errors.
After the jump, let’s rubberneck at the slow-motion wreck! Continue reading →
Halo: Spartan Assault, the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 touch-enabled game, is coming to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One in December. The console version of Spartan Assault will come with the free Operation Hydra DLC that was released for the game in August. The Halo Waypoint announcement regarding the twin-stick shooter also revealed that the game will come with a new online co-op mode as well as new weapons and abilities.
Spartan Assault was developed by Vanguard Games and produced by Microsoft’s 343 Industries. The game is set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4 and depicts early Spartan Ops missions against the alien Covenant. It’s unknown at this time if the console version will include the microtransactions that allowed players to purchase Spartan upgrades for real money, but I’m willing to bet that Microsoft won’t say no to more money coming their way.
So far, I can report that the doo-dad physics in Battlefield 4 are top notch. As you’ll see in the above screenshot, the van that opens the second of seven single-player missions that constitute the campaign — basically, an extended tech demo for the Frostbite engine’s latest ooh-la-la incarnation — has a tiny T-Rex dangling from the rearview mirror. In the PC version, on an Nvidia GTX 770 using the just-released 331.65 drivers in Windows 7, the little T-Rex bounces and twirls exactly as you’d expect while the cutscene drives you through Shanghai. We haven’t yet run our T-Rex dangling diagnostics on the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, but we’ll keep you updated.
Chris: It’s all here, really. In 30 minutes, Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist script creates the archetype for anyone wanting to follow him along with making horror films in suburban settings for the modern age. He establishes the normal familiarity of the setting, the relatability of the characters, and the mundanity that’s part and parcel of a middle-class suburban family and neighborhood. And then like a little kid making sandcastles on the beach, he gleefully, almost joyfully kicks it all over by introducing menacing evil spirits from beyond the grave.
But, after the jump, just how menacing are they? Continue reading →
The Internet Archive has announced their Historical Software Collection which includes classics like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Pitfall, and Akalabeth.
Unlike previous attempts to catalog and distribute so-called “abandonware” titles, Internet Archive’s collection allows people to run the software in their browser through an emulator. No more hunting for obscure procedures and compatibility files to get old software running! Jason Scott, the Internet Archive Software Curator, explained why this was an important feature of the project.
Turning computer history into a one-click experience bridges the gap between understanding these older programs and making them available in a universal fashion. Acquisition, for a library, is not enough – accessibility is where knowledge and lives change for the better.
Games aren’t the only kind of software offered to the curious. Historically significant productivity programs like WordStar are also included in the collection. Hey, kids! This is what we old-timers used before the Googles and the Apples.
Bear with me for a bit, because this is going to get ugly. I have some serious reservations about Skylanders: Swap Force. Serious enough that I think they belong at the beginning of any conversation about this game, or “game”, or business model for selling figures. In fact, my reservations have at times coalesced into loathing. But, like many important reservations, they aren’t the full story. And they’re far from the last word.
So, after the jump, let me tell you why you might want to steer clear of Skylanders. Continue reading →
Microsoft’s Major Nelson announced that Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason will be available for free to early adopters of the Xbox One console. It’s an “early access” version of the Kinect Sports Rivals game from Rare that was originally supposed to launch with the console, but has been delayed until 2014. The Preseason version of the game will allow players to wiggle, jump, and bounce around their living rooms to earn points, unlock special cosmetic items for the full game, and get early bragging rights on multiplayer challenges.
In keeping with the Halloween week scares, Major Nelson added this frightening bit of news.
“Enjoy an all-new track by rising musical group Youngblood Hawke. They recorded ‘Collide’ just for ‘Kinect Sports Rivals.'”
Scary! Kinect Sports Rivals Preseason will be available from November 22nd until March 2014.
Are you Assassins Creeded out? Are you too fatigued to climb any more towers or parkour along one more historical city’s skyline? Who can blame you? It’s time for a vacation. At sea. I can assure you that if you’ve got Assassin’s Creed burnout, this week’s Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is the Assassin’s Creed for you. It’s a cross between the freesailing of Sid Meier’s Pirates, the handcrafted seascape adventure of Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, and the lush production values of an Assassin’s Creed game. And at long last it has a modern-day section that isn’t terrible! Consider this a threat to your wallet.
Also, Battlefield 4 is out this week if you want to pop off some ammunition.
It’s the week of Halloween! You know what that means. There’s plenty of cheesy content being added to games to get you in the trick-or-treating mood. Here’s the rundown on all the pumpkin flavored goodness.
Redigit has added a Pumpkin Moon event, themed tiles and walls, special pets, costumes, and other treats to the PC version of Terraria. The goodies will be in the game until November 10th at which time the update will revert to the normal content.
Champions Online is bringing back its Bloodmoon event. Takofanes the Undying will spawn every two hours in the game to wreak havoc in Millenium City. Players can collect special Halloween-themed rewards by teaming up to defeat him, or just trick-or-treat around town. It’s like an undead pinata party!
Guild Wars 2 is currently running its Blood and Madness Living World update that will last until the end of the month. The Mad King and his son are invading the world again and it’s up to the players to collect candy corn, navigate a labyrinth, and battle against the Lunatic Inquisition. On October 28th, the Tower of Nightmares event begins, offering more spooktacular sights!
Hallow’s End is World of Warcraft’s annual Halloween event. It features an Headless Horseman, special treats, spooky quests, and a way to trade candy for rare items. Raid group needs healer! Boo!
Marvel Heroes, Tom’s current fave, has Halloween-themed costumes for sale for a limited time. So far, Brood is available for Wolverine, and Franken-Castle is being offered for The Punisher.
EverQuest II is hosting the Nights of the Dead. Ghost-hunting, candy treats, an haunted mansion, and creepy new mobs will be in the game until November 11th for players to experience.
Halloween round-up continued here!
A cast of Hollywood celebrities in a movie written by Cormac “No Country for Old Men” McCarthy and directed by Ridley “Prometheus” Scott? What could go right? At the 46-minute mark, you’ll get yours on this week’s 3×3 when we talk about our favorite moments of movie comeuppance.
Next week: Ender’s Game
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Tom: The Thing was the pinnacle of horror special effects before CG came along. Even if your latter days eyes can’t see past the latex and syrup, there’s no denying the imagination that went into these effects. I’ve seen things in The Thing that I have never seen before or since, except for when they’re aping The Thing. Never were the words “you have got to be fucking kidding” so appropriate.
After the jump, John Carpenter is not kidding. Continue reading →
Tom: This is goofball Larry Cohen’s early New York guerrilla filmmaking at his best (i.e. it’s better than God Told Me To). Not to say Q is good filmmaking. It’s not. I can’t help but guffaw at the wings drawn over the helicopter shadow as this movie’s excuse for special effect. But Q has something unique. It has an absolutely fascinating performance by Michael Moriarity, who demonstrates that when an actor is really invested in a role, he can transcend writing, direction, and claymation. I would love to adapt Q as a stage play. I promise I am not joking about that, because at the heart of this movie is the stuff of good drama: a character making decisions. All it needs is an actor as talented and committed as Moriarty.
After the jump, that’s one hell of an omelet. Continue reading →
Tom: Could this be the last great werewolf movie? Or even the last non-awful werewolf movie? Because since then, I can’t think of any decent werewolf movies. I can, however, think of some real howlers (get it?). Jack Nicholson peeing on James Spader’s shoes in Mike Nichols’ Wolf. CG Anthony Hopkins dog vs. CG Benecio del Toro dog in a CG burning building at the end of The Wolfman. Lichens in the Underworld series. Taylor Lautner.
Chris: It’s literally been 20 years since I’ve seen it, but isn’t there some sort of widespread underground affection for The Howling? I saw that before I was old enough to really appreciate anything other than the coolness of werewolves ripping people up. Does that movie pre-date this? I’m having trouble thinking of any werewolf movies before or after this one I’d rather see. I think this could be the only great werewolf movie.
After the jump, have you ever talked to a corpse before? Continue reading →
Almost exactly ten years ago, I happened to find an amazing demo on the Internet. It was for what looked like a fantasy strategy game. It was crude, even by the standards of 2003. It was completely inscrutable. You clicked on things and seemingly nothing happened. It had a lot of lore in it, but it didn’t explain many of the mechanics. It was almost like the lore was supposed to give you clues as to how the game worked. Except for selecting units and giving orders. You were on your own for those things. It was akin to being immersed in a foreign language by traveling to that country, but without knowing the first thing you needed to do was learn how to find the restroom.
After the jump, finding the restroom in Dominions. Continue reading →
