games news

• New York Times publishes U.S. voter suppression op-ed in video game form

  04-11-2016 23:57
  
  The U.S. presidential election is happening next week, and the New York Times concluded a series of short, op-ed documentaries with a browser-based game: The Voter Suppression Trail. ...
  
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• Justice League casts Dumbledore's brother as the villain Steppenwolf

  04-11-2016 23:52 via gamesradar.com
  
  It's no secret that Justice League's villain is Steppenwolf
  
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• 2 weeks after launch, Civilization VI surpasses 1M copies sold

  04-11-2016 23:21
  
  Today the folks at Firaxis Games took to Twitter to confirm that Civilization VI has passed the 1 million players mark....
  
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• What's the human element of designing for VR?

  04-11-2016 23:13
  
  We talked with virtual reality designers Robin Hunicke and Ben Vance about considering the human element in designing for VR...
  
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• PS3 & Wii: A Tale of 2 Console Launches

  04-11-2016 23:00
  
  Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN's weekly video game talk show. This week we're discussing the PS3 and Wii launches, Tomb Raider, Titanfall 2, and more. Watch the video above or download the podcast below.
  Download Game Scoop! Episode 412
  Or subscribe in iTunes and never miss an episode.
  OR subscribe to the NEW Game Scoop! YouTube channel and never miss a video.
  
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• Twitter reacts to Overwatch's Sombra reveal - *boop!*

  04-11-2016 22:49 via gamesradar.com
  
  The addition of a new character to a game is usually not a huge deal, but considering all the leaks and months of waiting that Overwatch fans put up with before they got to finally meet her, I can understand why they might freak out over the Sombra reveal trailer
  
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• Single-Hero Limit Coming to Overwatch Quick Play

  04-11-2016 22:26
  
  Overwatch's Quick Play mode will have a single-hero limit, Blizzard announced today during its Overwatch panel at BlizzCon 2016.
  In addition, the Overwatch development team shed light on the game's upcoming Arcade mode, which will feature a no-limits option when selecting heroes.
  Blizzard didn't provide a specific release date for these new additions, but said fans can expect Arcade mode—along with the brand-new character Sombra—to launch on the Public Test Realm next week. Mean
  
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• Hands-On With Diablo III's Necromancer

  04-11-2016 22:09
  At BlizzCon 2016, I polished off my bone shield and got into the mix with the upcoming Necromancer class. The good news is, a lot of the iconic spells and abilities that made the Diablo II Necromancer a blast to play still appear in some form. During the demo, our abilities were preset and locked, but they do give the indication of what's to come alongside a classic suite of skills.
  The Necromancer can Siphon Life from opponents, which also fills the "essence" resource used to fuel more powerfu
  
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• 6 gifs from the Lego Batman Movie trailer that prove it's the Lego Movie sequel we need

  04-11-2016 22:04 via gamesradar.com
  
  There are two ways to look at The Lego Batman Movie: 1) as a Batman movie made out of Lego, or 2) as a sequel/spinoff of The Lego Movie that just happens to star Batman
  
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• DeepMind and Blizzard team up to release API aimed at AI enhancement

  04-11-2016 21:25
  
  What's next for Google's DeepMind AI system after mastering Atari 2600 games and defeating expert level Go players? The APM-driven and sometimes chaotic multiplayer of StarCraft II. ...
  
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• Diablo 3 will see the return of Diablo 2's Necromancer in 2017

  04-11-2016 21:22 via gamesradar.com
  
  Blizzard is trudging up the bones of its past. The Necromancer, a fan-favorite class from Diablo 2,...
  
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• Blog: Tactics for the video game composer, part 3

  04-11-2016 21:03
  
  Game composer Winifred Phillips breaks down the popular vertical layering interactive music technique, with music examples and a video tutorial showcasing techniques from one of her game projects....
  
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• Get a job: Telltale Games is hiring a Senior Full-Stack Developer

  04-11-2016 20:54
  Telltale Games is seeking a Senior Full-Stack Developer who can translate complex business and functional requirements into elegant, high-performance web/mobile applications and service in San Rafael, CA....
  
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• New Diablo 3 Character Class Revealed

  04-11-2016 20:27
  
  The Necromancer class is coming to Diablo III, Blizzard announced today during its BlizzCon 2016 keynote.
  The class is coming to the game as part of the "Rise of the Necromancer" character pack featuring "other great features" in 2017.  The pack includes a new in-game pet, "two additional character slots, two additional stash tabs (on PC)," along with a "portrait frame, pennant, banner, and banner sigil."
  Blizzard half-jokingly said the addition of the Necromancer class was part of a "
  
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• Activision Blizzard to Create eSports League for 'Overwatch' Video Game

  04-11-2016 20:26 via news.yahoo.com
  
  According to SuperData, 214 million people will watch competitive eSports gaming this year, and the industry will grow its revenue 19 percent to $892.8 million.
  
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• WoW Lead Designer Allen Adham Returns to Blizzard

  04-11-2016 20:22
  
  After departing Blizzard back in 2004, co-founder Allen Adham has returned to the company.
  Blizzard shared the news of Adham's return today during its opening ceremony at BlizzCon 2016. In addition to being the lead designer on World of Warcraft, Adham worked on several of Blizzard's earlier titles, including the first two Warcraft games, as well as the original StarCraft.
  Adham has been back at the studio for just under three months, and is currently at work on new
  
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• Original Diablo Is Playable in Diablo 3 Next Week

  04-11-2016 20:21
  
  In celebration of Diablo's 20th anniversary, the original Diablo is coming to Diablo III, Blizzard's Chief Development Officer Frank Pearce announced at BlizzCon 2016.
  The original Diablo is playable in the Darkening of Tristrom Diablo anniversary patch. The area features the four main bosses from the first game, the original music, and graphics filters to make Diablo III look like the original. The dungeon is 16 levels deep, and player character movement is limited to eight directions like it w
  
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• Two New Heroes And A Brawl Mode Are Coming

  04-11-2016 20:16
  During the Heroes of the Storm presentation production of this year's Blizzcon, Heroes of the Storm director Kaeo Milker showed off two new heroes and brawl coming to Heroes of the Storm. The latest brawl is called Blackheart's Revenge and will have teams of heroes fighting for different objectives, either helping Blackheart take the harbor or defending it from his onslaught.
  (Please visit the site to view this media)The first up for the new heroes is Varian, the first multi class hero. There w
  
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• New Hearthstone Expansion Announced

  04-11-2016 20:16
  
  During its BlizzCon 2016 keynote this morning, Blizzard announced a new Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft expansion.
  Called Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, the expansion is themed around the bustling port town of Gadgetzan. In keeping with the theme, it features three city factions: The Grimy Goons for Hunters, Paladins, and Warriors, the Kabal for Mages, Priests, and Warlocks, and the Jade Lotus for Druids, Rogues, and Shamans.
  Most notable in this new expansion is the introduction of tri-class cards,
  
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• Blizzard co-founder Allen Adham returns to the company after 12 years

  04-11-2016 20:08
  
  Adham rejoins Blizzard after leaving game development entirely in 2004. His new role as senior vice president places him in charge of incubating new projects and ideas at Blizzard. ...
  
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• Heroes of the Storm's Newest Heroes Revealed

  04-11-2016 19:52
  
  Varian Wrynn and Ragnaros will be the newest playable characters added to Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard announced at the Blizzcon 2016 opening ceremony today.
  Kaeo Milker, production director of Heroes of the Storm, was on stage to announce the inclusion of the World of Warcraft characters. Varian comes to the test realm next week and then officially during the week of November 15, while Ragnaros will be introduced to the game in December.
  Varian is the game's first multi-class hero, able to fig
  
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• New Map And Modes Coming Soon

  04-11-2016 19:50
  At this year's Blizzcon opening ceremonies, Blizzard quickly showed off a new Overwatch map after revealing that Sombra will finally be making her way to the game soon. The map will be called Oasis and it'll be set in Arabia.
  There will also be an additional map, Eco Point, which will be playable in Overwatch's new arcade mode, which will allow for 1v1 and 3v3 matches. Oasis will be hitting the Public Test Realm in December, and the Eco Point map and new modes will be available for testing (alo
  
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• StarCraft 2's Final Set of Nova Missions Coming This Month

  04-11-2016 19:46
  
  The final set of Nova missions for StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void will release on November 22, Blizzard announced today during its opening ceremony for BlizzCon 2016.
  In addition, Blizzard announced that Alexi Stukov is the next co-op commander who will soon join the fray. Check out the preview video below for an early look at the commander in action.
  During the opening ceremony, Blizzard also confirmed that Sombra is indeed headed to Overwatch, along with a new map called Oasis.
  For
  
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• Overwatch finally reveals new character Sombra with an action-packed, nose-booping short

  04-11-2016 19:30 via gamesradar.com
  
  After months of leaks and alternate-reality games, Overwatch's next hero has finally been confirmed
  
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• Overwatch’s Sombra Finally Confirmed

  04-11-2016 19:22
  
  After a long series of teases, countdowns, and leaks, Blizzard finally made Overwatch’s new hero, Sombra, official on stage at BlizzCon today.
  On its official site,  Blizzard describes Sombra as a "powerful infiltrator." Her abilities include a Machine Pistol, the ability to hack enemies so they temporarily can't use their abilities, and Thermoptic Camo that makes her invisible for a short period of time.
  Continue reading…
  
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• Don't Miss: The making of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

  04-11-2016 19:13
  
  With the latest Call of Duty game and a remaster of the original Modern Warfare launching today, take a look back at this postmortem for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, nearly 9 years after the game's release....
  
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• IGF 2017 welcomes a remarkable lineup of over 650 entrants!

  04-11-2016 19:02
  
  The Independent Games Festival -- the longest-running and largest showcase for independent developers -- festival has seen more than 650 entries for its 19th annual competition....
  
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• Talks from Steam Dev Days 2016 are now watchable online

  04-11-2016 19:01
  
  Videos and slides for more than 20 talks given at Steam Dev Days 2016 last month have been released, covering topics like VR development, tips for publishing to Steam, and the future of game dev. ...
  
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• US Game Deals: Save $200 on a 65" 4K/HDR TV and get Dark Souls 3 CE for $30 off

  04-11-2016 18:36 via gamesradar.com
  
  Still on the hunt for a good 4K TV to tag along with your next console of choice? Today we have two prime candidates for both lower-end and mid-range budgets, on top of some nice deals on gaming hardware and online subscriptions
  
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• At GDC 2017 you'll hear how Final Fantasy XV's interactive music was made

  04-11-2016 18:27
  
  At GDC 2017 Square Enix's Sho Iwamoto will break down how Final Fantasy XV's interactive music was made using the team's proprietary "MAGI" music system and toolset. Don't miss it! ...
  
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• Come talk VR development with Robin Hunicke and Ben Vance today at 3PM EST

  04-11-2016 18:24
  
  We'll be streaming VR gameplay and talking about the future of VR today at 3PM EST!...
  
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• VRDC successfully wraps its sold-out inaugural event, will return next year

  04-11-2016 18:11
  
  "We could not be more pleased with the outcome of VRDC and are thrilled to grow the events in 2017 on the heels of such successful launches," said GDC and VRDC general manager Meggan Scavio. ...
  
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• Kim Kardashian: Hollywood dev buys fashion game specialist for $45.5M

  04-11-2016 18:03
  
  San Francisco-based mobile developer-publisher Glu Mobile has acquired a controlling stake in fashion game specialist, Crowdstar, for $45.5 million.  ...
  
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• Ghost Recon: Wildlands to Get Multiple Betas

  04-11-2016 17:44
  
  Ghost Recon: Wildlands will get multiple betas before its release on March 7, 2017, Ubisoft has announced.
  The open world third-person shooter will get both open and closed betas coming "next quarter," according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, via VG24/7. No other specific timeframes were given other than "next quarter," but Ubisoft is currently in a October-December quarter, so next quarter would mean sometime between January and March 2017.
  The goal of the betas will be to help players get to "
  
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• Critical round up: what does the world think of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare?

  04-11-2016 17:34 via gamesradar.com
  
  Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare gained a bit of a reputation when it debuted, becoming one of the most-disliked videos on YouTube
  
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• GTA: Vice City Intro Gets Fan Reimagining

  04-11-2016 17:25
  
  It's been fourteen years since the launch of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and to celebrate, a fan has created a reimagining of the game's intro to showcase how a remastered version of the game might look.
  Check out the fan-made video, courtesy of YouTube user Majami Hiroz (via GamesRadar) below.
  Grand Theft Auto: Vice City launched for PlayStation 2 on October 29, 2002, and has since been rereleased on a number of digital platforms, including PlayStation Network, iOS and Android.
  Conti
  
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• Win! 10 copies of Independence Day: Resurgence for UK readers!

  04-11-2016 17:02 via gamesradar.com
  
  Twenty years on from the '90s-defining widescreen spectacle of Independence Day, the aliens returned to pummel our landmarks all over again in Independence Day: Resurgence (honestly, fellers, an anniversary card would have done
  
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• Let Netflix convince you that The Walking Dead is a sequel to Breaking Bad

  04-11-2016 16:52 via gamesradar.com
  
  Netflix has gotten into the "mind-bending fan theory" market, and its latest hypothesis is a doozy: Breaking Bad is actually a prequel to The Walking Dead
  
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• Halo 5 does its best Battlefield 1 impression with this delightful map

  04-11-2016 16:21 via gamesradar.com
  
  Itching to jump into some WW1-era combat, but don't have a copy of Battlefield 1? That's okay, Halo 5 has you covered
  
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• Supergiant Games announces ‘Bastion’ re-release for the Xbox One

  04-11-2016 16:02 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Supergiant Games has detailed its upcoming re-release of Bastion for the Xbox One, confirming that anyone who owned the game for the Xbox 360 will be entitled to a free download for a limited time.
  
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• Finally beat ‘Castlevania’ and other classic games with the Nintendo Power Line

  04-11-2016 15:52 via news.yahoo.com
  
  Nintendo's NES Classic Edition is just a week away, and the company is opening up its helpful "Power Line" to give players some tips. The service is automated, however, so don't go asking for help with 'Battletoads.'
  
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• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's intro gets a fan remaster, it's the raddest thing you'll see all week

  04-11-2016 15:17 via gamesradar.com
  
  Some too-good-for-this-world angel has taken Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's intro and remastered it into a stylish, VHS-artifacted nostalgia bomb
  
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• Netflix’s first trailer for A Series of Unfortunate Events introduces Neil Patrick Harris’ terrifying Count Olaf

  04-11-2016 14:38 via gamesradar.com
  
  A Series of Unfortunate Events is coming to Netflix and, if the first trailer is anything to go by, Neil Patrick Harris will creep everyone out with his portrayal of Count Olaf
  
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• UK Game Deals: Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Xbox One S and PS4 bundles, save £400 on a 55 inch 4K TV and more

  04-11-2016 13:34 via gamesradar.com
  
  Call of duty Infinite Warfare arrives today and if you're thinking about picking it up then we've got two great Xbox and PS4 bundles to check out
  
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• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare - No Cross-Network Play Between Steam and Windows Store Versions

  04-11-2016 13:24
  
  Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and Modern Warfare Remastered will not offer cross-platform multiplayer support, even between PC versions of the game bought from different services.
  According to a recent FAQ by Activision (via RockPaperShotgun.com), not only will PC players not be able to take on console gamers, those purchasing the game via different agencies on PC will also be unable to play together. This means players who have purchased the game through the Windows Store will not be able
  
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• New Game of Thrones season 7 set photos tease a big finish and who might be involved

  04-11-2016 13:01 via gamesradar.com
  
  Filming for Game of Thrones season 7 is well underway and there are rumours that the season finale, being filmed in Seville, will include several shock meetings and battles
  
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• Destiny: Xur weapons, gear, and location, Nov 4 - 6. Red Death!

  04-11-2016 12:11 via gamesradar.com
  
  Xur's back in Destiny, wafting about the tower again trying to get people to look at his transdimensional holiday snaps
  
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• Deadly Premonition Creator Swery Leaves Access Games,

  04-11-2016 11:50
  
  Deadly Premonition and D4 creator, Hidetaka "Swery" Suehiro, has resigned from his position at developer Access Games, but has hinted at further projects to come.
  The cult game director - who recently took a break from development for health reasons - spoke to IGN Japan, explaining that he had resigned from Access Games' board of directors in August, but had stayed quiet until now.
  "2016 marked my 20th year working in the game industry", he explained in characteristically odd style. "Then w
  
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• What do you want to see in the next James Bond film?

  04-11-2016 10:52 via gamesradar.com
  
  In this week's SFX Wishlist... Despite the best efforts of our undercover agents and monitoring stat ...
  
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• Gran Turismo Sport Won’t Support VR Across the Whole Game

  04-11-2016 08:19
  
  Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi has clarified that PlayStation VR support for Gran Turismo Sport will be restricted to a dedicated VR mode baked into the game.
  “It will be one part of the game,” explained Yamauchi, speaking to Eurogamer. “One thing we discovered in developing and doing the VR, to do the whole game playable in VR is going to be a strain on the players. You can see in the demo downstairs, there’ll be a VR Tour mode that’ll be included in the ga
  
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