Need For Speed Rivals Announced For Next/Current Gen

Hot off the heels of the Xbox One announcement, Electronic Arts has revealed the latest entry in their long running racing franchise, Need For Speed: Rivals. The game is destined for next generation platforms, like the PS4 and Xbox One, as well as current gen machines.  Developed by Critereon Games (of 2010 Need For Speed and the Burnout Franchise) will be handling development duties targeting a November 19th release for the current generation consoles and “later this year” for next-gen.

Need For Speed: Rivals is powered by D.I.C.E’s impressive Frostbite 3.0 engine, which has allowed Critereon to craft a visually impressive game, complete with roadworthy physics. New to the series is a feature known as “alldrive”, which allows users to join and drop from friend’s game worlds instantly. The developers have already stated there will be differences between the current generation and next-gen versions in terms of alldrive, including the number of simotanous players, with more details expected to be released at E3.

We’ve got a small gallery of screenshots featuring several famous automobiles like Ferrari, Austin Martin and Porsh, as well as a trailer, after the jump. (more…)

Top Reasons Why Pokemon Is Everything Wrong With Modern Gaming

So let’s talk Pokémon. There has been much made of the recent announcement of Pokemon X & Y ,  And I have to say that I’m really excited for the newest generation to come out and breathe new life into to this franchise. But this being said it got me thinking, never a good thing, about gaming in general and more importantly about how the modern games industry and how it relates to Pokémon.

That is when I realized that Pokémon is actually a microcosm of everything that wrong with modern gaming today, seriously, everything people complain about in modern gaming is not only present in Pokémon but are actually a fundamental part of the gameplay. Many of you are currently looking at me like I forgot which was up is, but follow me on this.
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New Pokémon In Latest X and Y Trailer

The continuation of the Pokémon series is looking great, and now it looks like you can ride on at least one Pokémon in this new 3D world. Nintendo is really improving this sequel, making both battles and the world you’ll explore into a seemingly fully 3D experience. Of course this only helps to show off the tech of the 3DS however it really looks like quite a surprising improvement over a series that was already looking better and better. (more…)

Nintendo Snags Exclusive Rights to Sonic the Hedgehog

The next title in SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog franchise will be exclusive to Nintendo’s Wii U home console and Nintendo 3DS portable system. Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata announced the details of a new partnership with SEGA during a new Nintendo Direct video announcement today. Sonic Lost World is a new action platforming game, and more information about it will be announced before the E3 2013 video game trade show begins on June 11.

“These announcements in conjunction with SEGA demonstrate the commitment we have to bringing great games to the Wii U platform, and set the stage for our upcoming announcements at E3.” (more…)

May 16th Nintendo Download

Lots of stuff today in the eShops, including a ton of new titles for the Wii U Virtual Console and the 3DS Virtual Console.

Check them out below!

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Electronic Arts Kisses Online Passes Goodbye

This could quite possibly be some of the best news I’ve heard in quite a while in regards to Electronic Arts (EA). It’s been known for quite a while that EA’s upcoming game Fuse will not require an Online Pass to play the multiplayer component of the game, but who knew that EA was actually listening to its fan base (for lack of a better word) when we say that Online Passes suck!

According to a recent interview with GamesBeat,  EA senior director of corporate communications John Reseburg, told them that, “Yes we’re discontinuing Online Pass. None of our new titles will include that feature.”

I think the question remains is how EA will get around this. It’s not a matter of “if”…just “how” and “when”. This could have something to do with the possible success of micro-transactions through games like Mass Effect 3 and Dead Space 3. But, either way it’s good to see that they are doing away with these Online Passes that were “supposed to extend the server life” of games because the them being bought used. Which we all know that didn’t happen as most of the game servers are still taken down pretty much two years after the games have been released – mostly sports titles though.

Anyways, what are your thoughts on EA getting rid of the Online Passes? Perhaps EA is trying to get back on the right track with consumers…?

Batgirl DLC On Route To Injustice: Gods Among Us

Revealed by an accidental Xbox Live listing as shown here Nether Realm has since revealed that Batgirl will indeed be a DLC character. The Mortal Kombat developer stated “Looks like the bat’s out of the bag. Batgirl is a playable DLC character in Injustice. Catch her gameplay next week!”

This brings us up to two of four DLC characters we know of with Lobo being the first announced who will be released on May 7th. He was announced when the game was released presumably (spoilers) due to his inclusion in one of the characters ending sequences in battle mode. (more…)

May 9th Nintendo Download

Lots of stuff today in the eShops, including brand new Mario and Donkey Kong on the Wii U, a few new Virtual Console titles, new stuff on the 3DS and yet another DSiWare title. Check them out below!

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May Club Nintendo Rewards are Super

The month of May has brought four new downloadable game rewards for Club Nintendo members, including Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars.

The game is one of two that are available for the Nintendo Wii, the other is Maboshi’s Arcade. The two games for the Nintendo 3DS this month are 3DS Classics: Excite Bike and DSiWare title Art Style: Aquia. All four titles are available until June 2nd. (more…)

Disney and EA Announce Multi-Year Star Wars Games Partnership

The House Of Mouse and publishing giant Electronic Arts have agreed to multi-game and multiyear agreement that will put the Star Wars brand in the hands of studios like Visceral, DICE, & Bioware. Of course Bioware is no stranger as they have put out one of the best Star Wars games ever created, in my opinion, Star Wars: The Knights Of The Old Republic. No, I’m not talking about that MMO one either. Unfortunately, I don’t think this means that the impressive and promising Star Wars 1313 game will be resurrected – but one can hope.

Electronic Arts will be handling the ‘core’ Star Wars games, while Disney will focus on the casual games – ranging from phones, tablets, consoles, & PC. Here’s hoping that we will get some quality titles out of this deal. For the official press release, keep reading after the jump. (more…)