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WayForward developing next TMNT game, Danger of the Ooze
Activision will publish a new game based on the iconic Ninja Turtles brand called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze, the publisher announced today. The game will slot in between seasons two and three of the current Nickelodeon television show and use 3D artwork inspired by the show. It will launch later this year for Xbox 360, PS3 and 3DS. Danger of the Ooze is a side-scrolling action-adventure game that allows players to freely switch between the four turtles to use their unique skill sets at their convenience. The city of New York and alternate world Dimension X are non-linear, so the game encourages "exploration and creative thinking" from players. The developer behind Danger of the Ooze is WayForward, known for games like Contra 4, BloodRayne: Betrayal, the Shantae series, and A Boy and His Blob (Wii). [Image: Activision]
Damian Lillard trail-blazes to NBA Live 15's cover
The cover athlete of NBA Live 15 is Portalnd Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, the NBA revealed via Twitter today. Lillard was voted by his peers to play in the NBA All-Star Game this year and led Portland to the playoffs in April before eventually losing to the now-champion San Antonio Spurs. NBA Live 15 will launch October 7 for Xbox One and PS4. It will be the second game since the series' resurgence last year, which underwhelmed at its launch. NBA Live Executive Producer Sean O'Brien even apologized to fans in June, admitting that the first entry in four years "fell short in two major areas" as the first game for PS4 and Xbox One. NBA Live 14 was also the first to launch since NBA Live 10 arrived in October 2009, as both NBA Live 13 and NBA Elite 11 were canceled in September 2012 and November 2010, respectively. [Image: EA Sports]
In the garden of Eden Hazard, don't you know that I love FIFA 15?
Belgium and Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard is the new face-next-to-Messi's-face for FIFA 15, at least in the UK, Ireland, Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Voted the best young player in the English Premier League last year, Hazard is also a less hazardous proposition to have on the cover than last year's choice, Gareth Bale. If you'll remember, Bale left for Real Madrid after appearing on the FIFA 14 cover in a Tottenham shirt, leaving EA Sports in a bit of a pickle. No such fun, sadly, is on the cards for Hazard this year. To see the full box art, dribble below the break and remember to wipe. EA's sportsball sim will once again grace a myriad of platforms starting September 23 in North America. Three days later it'll come to Europe, where Microsoft's once again offering it as part of a Xbox One bundle, priced 400 euros or £350.
Infamous: First Light in the pink on Europe's retail shelves
A physical edition of standalone PS4 entry Infamous: First Light will light up Europe's storefronts on September 10. The Infamous: Second Son prequel is also coming to the region in download form, and according to the PS Store, that hits a smidgen earlier on August 27. That tallies with the listing of August 26 for North America. First Light revisits the story of Abigail "Fetch" Walker, the delinquent Neon-empowered Conduit that you meet early in Second Son. The content - which you don't need Second Son to play - focuses on Fetch's journey to becoming the hardened killer she is in the main game, taking players back in time to a dark past lurking underneath her fuchsia locks. There's no word on how much the physical copies cost, but First Light is priced £12 on the UK PS Store and $15 stateside. Check below the break to see the box art in full.
FIFA 15's global cover star just lost the World Cup
FIFA 15's cover athlete is Barcelona's Lionel Messi, marking the Argentinian footballer's third consecutive year on the series' box (his fourth being 2012's FIFA Street). Messi will be the lone global star on the game's cover, though EA says regional editions will include local heroes alongside him. Messi's cover spot follows Argentina's loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final match yesterday. Joystiq's own Sinan Kubba could be heard across the globe shouting, "I told you so!" to yours truly about the championship results - meaning I must now must pay my side of the bet with an unfortunate selfie in a Messi jersey. Check out large versions of the next-gen and PC cover art in the gallery below and join us after the break for that selfie and some hearty pointing and laughing. FIFA 15 will launch September 23 in North America, September 25 in Europe and one day later in the UK for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. [Image: EA Sports]
Bandai Namco to distribute next-gen racer Project Cars
Slightly Mad Studios' next-gen racing game Project Cars now has the support of Bandai Namco. The publisher agreed to distribute the game globally on Xbox One, PS4, PC for Windows and SteamOS as well as Wii U. Project Cars is slated to launch in November. The realism-fixated racing sim began as a crowdsourced World of Mass Development project in September 2011, two years after Slightly Mad Studios launched Need for Speed: Shift. It was originally planned for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 before the developer added the Wii U to its list of platforms in January 2012, then ditched Xbox 360 and PS3 in favor of their next-gen counterparts and SteamOS in November 2013. One year later, Project Cars will arrive as one of the PS4's first Morpheus games in addition to its support of the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. [Image: Bandai Namco]
John Cena sucks up the spotlight on WWE 2K15's cover
2K Sports revealed the cover art for WWE 2K15 this week, the second game in the series from the publisher. The cover art features the face of the WWE and current champion John Cena, posing in a way that indicates he's contemplating his unwavering commitment to his unchanging "never give up" persona. Fans will have the chance to make Cena give up via submission when WWE 2K15 launches on October 28 in North America and October 31 internationally. The game is in development by Yukes and Visual Concepts for PS4, Xbox One, PS3 and Xbox 360, and will be the first WWE game to step into the next generation's squared circle. [Image: 2K Sports]
EA names Bruins' Bergeron as NHL 15 cover athlete
Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron was named the cover athlete of NHL 15 this week, EA Sports announced. Bergeron's claim to the front of the box was earned after winning a cover vote that started back in early May and eventually garnered 10 million total votes from fans. Bergeron defeated Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban in the contest's final round. The vote, in which fans were able to participate by using hashtags on Twitter, drew ire from the community when it was revealed that small-print language in the contest's terms allowed EA and the NHL to pick an athlete other than the winner of the vote. EA told SB Nation last month that the language in the terms is standard for contests like the NHL 15 vote and used only to protect "the integrity of the fan vote" from those that might auto-generate votes for their favorite player. NHL 15 will launch September 9 for Xbox One, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360. While the game will include some flashy new features for the next-gen consoles, those versions will not receive the 94 Anniversary mode. [Image: EA Sports]
Madden 15 cover art wants a high-five
Madden NFL 15's cover art, which features Seattle Seahawks cornerback and Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman, appeared on Amazon's listing for the game today. EA Sports confirmed to Joystiq that the box art is legitimate, though we're not entirely sure what Sherman's pose is supposed to indicate. As a rare defensive player on the cover of a game that emphasizes an "overhaul" on that side of the ball, perhaps Sherman is posing to tell the offense to stop in their tracks? Or he's about to shout "Jumanji" at a stampeding herd of exotic animals? Maybe Sherman is directing traffic at a crosswalk or is in need of a high-five? The star defender's pose on the cover is lost on us, though one thing is certain: Madden 15 will launch August 26 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Check out larger versions of the box art in our gallery below. [Image: EA Sports]
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire 'fresh takes' heading to 3DS in November [Update: Trailer added]
Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire will arrive on 3DS and 2DS in November, Nintendo announced today. The games are "fresh takes" on Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, which originally launched in 2003 for Game Boy Advance. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were set in the Hoenn region within the series, and featured the monsters Groudon and Kyogre. The box art for the new games, as seen in the announcement trailer, shows off stylized versions of both Pokemon, which may indicate the inclusion of the Mega Evolutions system introduced in Pokemon X and Y. [Image: Nintendo]
Sonic the Hedgehog box art illustrator Greg Martin passes away
Prolific video game cover artist Greg Martin has passed away, a personal friend announced at the NintendoAge forum this week. Martin illustrated many iconic video game covers throughout the 1990s, establishing distinctive looks for Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series characters and Namco's Pac-Man, in particular. Many Sonic the Hedgehog games released stateside during the Sega Genesis and Game Gear era bear Martin's cover art, including Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic CD, and Sonic Spinball, among others. Martin created cover illustrations for several Hanna-Barbera and Looney Tunes-licensed games during his long-running industry stint, and his art also adorned the covers of acclaimed classics like Landstalker, Shining in the Darkness, and Little Nemo: The Dream Master. Several examples of Martin's work can be seen at NintendoAge.
Alexander Gustafsson selected as EA Sports UFC co-cover fighter
Swedish fighter Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson won EA Sports' cover athlete fan vote for EA Sports UFC. As a result, the number one UFC light heavyweight contender will stand next to current reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones on the cover of the game, who is also shown in two new screens for the game issued by EA this week. Gustafsson beat Georges St-Pierre in the final round of the voting process, which accumulated over 11 million votes during the entire campaign, according to EA. The cover athlete vote began in early November with 16 fighters, which included heavy favorites like Ronda Rousey and Johny Hendricks. EA Sports UFC will launch in spring 2014 on Xbox One and PS4.
EA Sports UFC cover vote hits final round
EA Sports UFC's four-round co-cover athlete vote entered its final round today. The last two contestants left are Georges St-Pierre and Alexander Gustafsson, one of which will join reigning light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones on the cover of the PS4 and Xbox One game in 2014. The cover vote began earlier this month with 16 fighters, with heavy favorites like Ronda Rousey and Johny Hendricks exiting the fan vote in the first and second rounds, respectively. St-Pierre may be the new favorite to win a spot on the game's cover following his decision to step away from mixed martial arts for an undisclosed time after his successful welterweight championship defense against Hendricks at the UFC 167 event in Las Vegas. Coincidentally, St-Pierre's fans voted him past Hendricks in the second round of the EA Sports UFC cover athlete vote, which ends on December 1.
Batman Arkham Collection packs three Batmans into one box
The Batman Arkham Collection will arrive on November 22 in the UK, Warner Bros. announced today. The bundle packs the two Rocksteady-developed Arkham games, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City along with WB Games Montreal's Batman: Arkham Origins into one batsuit. Arkham Asylum and Arkham City will both be included as download codes for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the collection, with the PS3 bundle also receiving the Knightfall DLC pack for Arkham Origins. The PC version of the bundle will feature Game of the Year editions of either game, which grants players bonus DLC like Harley Quinn's Revenge for Arkham City and six additional maps for Arkham Asylum. Those two games are in a bundle of their own, which GameStop unveiled in September. We've contacted Warner Bros. to see if the Arkham Collection will arrive in North America as well.
Jon Jones to share EA Sports UFC cover with fan-voted fighter
Falling in line with other sports games, EA Sports UFC will be embroiled in its own cover athlete contest, EA Sports announced. The winner of the four-round cover vote held on UFC's official site, which ends December 1, will share the game's box art with current light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones. The 16 candidates to share the spotlight with Jones are as follows: Demetrious Johnson, Chris Weidman, Dominick Cruz, Junior Dos Santos, Urijah Faber, Chael Sonnen, Jose Aldo, Michael Bisping, Anthony Pettis, Alex Gustafsson, Ben Henderson, Daniel Cormier, Georges St-Pierre, Ronda Rousey, Johny Hendricks and Miesha Tate. We like Rousey's odds at winning the vote as the women's bantamweight champion and the figurehead for the rising popularity of women's MMA, the representation of which is a core part of EA Sports UFC's feature set. We wouldn't be opposed to seeing a cheeky Chael Sonnen sharing the cover with the man he can't seem to overcome, however. EA Sports UFC will launch in spring 2014 on PS4 and Xbox One.
Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving is the cover athlete for NBA Live 14
Kyrie Irving has been named NBA Live 14's cover athlete, EA announced. Irving was the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft and proceeded to become the rookie of the year for the 2012 season. Coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this fall, NBA Live 14 will be the first installment in EA's basketball series in four years, as both NBA Live 13 and NBA Elite 11 were canceled in September 2012 and November 2010, respectively. The last game that actually launched in the series was NBA Live 10, back in October 2009. As point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Irving is an interesting choice, given that former Cavaliers and current Miami Heat forward Lebron James was selected by 2K Sports as the cover star for NBA 2K14. James was also drafted by the Cavaliers as the first overall pick in 2003 and played for the team until 2010, when he infamously announced his departure to join the Heat in his TV special, "The Decision."
FIFA 14 to feature Messi and Chicharito on North American cover
The North American cover for FIFA 14 will feature both Lionel Messi and Manchester United's Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, EA Sports announced. Fans in the US will have the option of the dual-athlete cover or the global cover, which only features Messi. Hernandez will also have his own solo cover art for the game in Mexico. The FIFA cover was announced as part of a multi-year endorsement deal signed by Hernandez with EA Sports. The publisher noted that Hernandez will specifically appear on Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game. EA Sports also recently announced that New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur won the cover vote for NHL 14. The FIFA series has a distinct trend in terms of its cover athletes. Messi seems much more distraught this year compared to the FIFA 13 cover. It's likely that he's fully taken over the "angry shouting guy" duties previously held by Wayne Rooney as recently as FIFA 12. If the trend holds up, we await a ticked-off Chicharito on the box for FIFA 15.
Devils' Martin Brodeur named NHL 14 cover athlete
EA Sports' NHL series will see a goalie on the box for the first time since NHL 97, as Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils won the annual cover vote to become the cover athlete for NHL 14. Brodeur beat out runner-up Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets goalie. Brobrovsky won this year's Vezina Trophy, which is given to the goaltender that is considered the best in the league. The cover vote tallied over 22 million votes, though EA has not revealed how the votes break down. NHL 14 is coming to Xbox 360 and PS3 in North America on September 10, and will launch worldwide on September 13. %Gallery-192736%
Xbox One official game box design unveiled
Microsoft repre-soldier Major Nelson confirmed the box designs for Xbox One games by showing off how copies of the newly announced Forza Motorsport 5 will look. Much like how the Wii U went bold with blue, the Xbox One design is gallant in green. The Forza 5 design also reveals the logo of BBC motorcar show Top Gear. Forza 4 featured Top Gear content, and so will Forza 5, apparently. You can check out the full box art by speeding on past the break.
Xbox One, PS4 game box art appears on Battlefield 4 site
Are these the designs for Xbox One and PS4 game covers? The images come via the official Battlefield 4 site, where they're pictured prominently on a couple of pages. They may just be EA mock-ups - no other companies, including Microsoft and Sony, have released any images - but maybe they are the real deal. We reckon they look elegantly crisp.
