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'Overwatch' deathmatch modes are live
For over a year since it launched in May 2016, Blizzard's Overwatch only let teams of players compete against each other in completing objectives -- none of that kill-more-than-the-other-team hogwash. Then the studio about-faced early this month when it announced that those Deathmatch modes would really be coming to the hero shooter. Today, both team-based and free-for-all modes go live -- along with a few balance tweaks to some heroes.
Cyberpunk shooter 'Ruiner' hits PC and consoles September 26th
When we played Ruiner during the Xbox showcase at GDC back in February, we compared it to a 3D, highly polished version of Hotline Miami. The cyberpunk-themed, top-down action game sets you up to kill the boss while taking out enemies who swarm in from doorways and narrow hallways. Ruiner is now ready to launch on September 26th on PC, Xbox and PlayStation. The team has also released a teaser trailer to whet your appetite and show off the rapid-fire gameplay and dystopian setting.
‘Quake Champions’ isn’t finished, but you can play it August 22nd
Been green with envy over your pals playing the Quake Champions closed beta? Time to stop being jealous and start working on your rocket jumping because the classic shooter's revival is moving to Steam's Early Access on August 22nd, where everyone can play. Now, there was an open beta during E3, but that was a limited-time deal. To celebrate, publisher Bethesda is knocking 25 percent off the Champions Pack, bringing the price down to $29.99.
'LawBreakers' open beta runs all weekend on PC and PS4
We've had a few cracks at LawBreakers, the futuristic cops vs. robbers game from Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions, but now anyone can play on PC and PS4. An open beta test runs until 10 AM ET Monday morning, which should be plenty of time to see if it's a worthy competitor to the likes of Overwatch. There are some new wrinkles in this beta test like direct integration with Twitch and the PS4 version is tweaked for better play on the console, so go ahead and dive in (after checking out a few tutorials) before the game officially launches on August 8th.
'Descent'-inspired 'Sublevel Zero Redux' coming to PS4
If you're interested in some Descent-like shooter action, you could wait for Descent Underground, the crowdfunded game from from a developer behind Star Citizen. However, it's not expected to arrive until next year, and when it does, there are no plans for a console release. There is another option, though: Sublevel Zero: Redux. Based on the well-received original that launched on Steam in 2015, the console version for Xbox One and PS4 brings new content, campaigns and more.
Bungie will reset everyone's 'Destiny' characters for the sequel
As the sun sets on Bungie's shooter MMO Destiny, its fans look ahead to a new dawn, when the old game hands its reign (and playerbase) over to its sequel coming sometime this year, currently called Destiny 2. Unfortunately, its loyal constituency had a bit of a rude awakening this morning when Bungie announced that every player character would be reset going into the new game. That's right, folks: All your Gjallarhorns, No Land Beyonds and skill points won't be coming along for the ride.
'Overwatch' rings in the Lunar New Year with capture the flag
Shortly after the hit hero shooter Overwatch launched last May, fans were treated to a slew of new character models themed for the upcoming 2016 Brazil Summer Olympics. That was just the beginning of Blizzard's extra content train, as they released more for Halloween and Christmas. Last week, they teased new stuff to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, which all goes live today. Players will be excited for the new skins, but the real win is the addition of a long-awaited capture the flag mode to the game.
The next 'Overwatch' holiday event celebrates Chinese New Year
It doesn't look like Overwatch's holiday celebrations are over just because Christmas is in the rearview mirror. Next up? Chinese New Year. The game's Twitter account sent the news out along with a quick video, proclaiming that the event, Year of the Rooster, will begin January 24th -- a few days before the actual holiday this year. Given that previous installments have included special gametypes and character skins, it stands to reason we can expect the same here too -- especially given Mei's garb in the 11 second clip.
'Overwatch' finally makes playing with randoms easier
Overwatch is great, but, unless you're carousing with people on your friends list, it's been almost impossible to keep playing with the same people in matchmade multiplayer. Thankfully the developers at Blizzard have recognized the error in their ways and come up with a common sense feature that should make staying with last game's players a lot easier. It's called "Stay as Team" and it's exactly what it sounds like. Simply press a button at the end of a match to perform the eponymous task. It's available to sample on the PC version's Public Test Realm as you read this. In the video below, game director Jeff Kaplan says that the team will keep making additions like these to help folks find new friends and keep you playing longer.
'Battlefield 1' open beta starts August 31st
Eager to play Battlefield 1 but can't wait until the game's October 21st release date? Well, good news. Electronic Arts has announced that a 64-player open beta for the first-person shooter will begin August 31st on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
'Quake' is coming back to the PC with a modern twist or two
Bethesda kicked off its big E3 2016 showcase with a old favorite: Quake. Big guns, team battles, gore. Quake Champions is coming -- at the moment to PCs and will be arena-style shooter "designed for people at all skill levels". The most impressive technical part? The team is promising 120Hz with unlocked framerates. That's seriously smooth -- and sounds so very ready for VR. Of course, it's also perfectly timed in a current = boom in competitive shooters, especially with the mention of "characters with unique abilities" -- like this thing. Gaze at the trailer below, but be warned it's a bit graphic in that Quake kinda way.
The creators of 'Doom' and 'Quake' reveal a new sci-fi shooter
John Romero and Adrian Carmack helped found id Software in 1991, and by 1993 the studio had changed the video game world forever. That's when id released Doom, a genre-defining first-person shooter, and it was followed by Quake, another classic FPS, in 1996. Today, Romero and Carmack are back with Blackroom, a new FPS set in a future where lifelike holographic reality is the norm, but it's being overrun with sinister visions. The game stars Dr. Santiago Sonora, an engineer at the massive holographic company, Hoxar, as he investigates irregularities in the Blackroom military training system.
Coder brings 'Counter-Strike' to Android
To be successful at Counter-Strike, you need tremendous reflexes and hand-eye coordination. That's why the shooter has always thrived on PC, where players can use tricked out monitors, keyboards and mice. On the flip side, if there's one platform that's ill-suited for the game, it has to be Android. Still, that hasn't stopped one plucky developer from making a port anyway. It's based on Counter-Strike 1.6 -- Global Offensive will have to wait -- and requires not only a copy of the original game, but also some technical trickery. If you're up to the challenge, you can grab the APK here.
Epic Games' new PC shooter is called 'Paragon'
Thought the new Unreal Tournament was Epic Games' only upcoming PC shooter? Think again: today the company quietly announced Paragon -- but truth be told, we know almost nothing about the new title. Epic is giving the game a slow reveal, teasing a new playable "hero" character for the game each week until December 3rd. Unfortunately, the game's reveal doesn't explain what the what kind of game Paragon actually is.
Epic Games' new shooter is virtual reality's killer gaming app
"Everybody wants to be Neo." That's how Nick Whiting, lead programmer at Epic Games, describes the main thrust behind Bullet Train, the developer's recently announced virtual reality shooter for the Oculus Rift. What Whiting's referring to, of course, is "bullet time" -- that slow-motion technique made famous by the Matrix films. It's a core part of the gameplay in Bullet Train, which has the player madly teleporting (in slo-mo) around a train station and assassinating wave after wave of masked enemies with an assortment of available weapons. That I greatly enjoyed the demo, playable at Oculus' Connect 2 conference in Los Angeles, is a testament not only to how transformative Oculus' Touch controllers will be to VR, but also to how well Whiting and his partner Nick Donaldson understand VR design. It's also a major coup when it comes to winning over a certain segment of the gaming population: I simply don't like shooters; I like this shooter very much.
Playdate: taking on The Taken King in 'Destiny'
We're officially in "year two" of Bungie's connected shooter Destiny and what better way to celebrate than by streaming its first big expansion pack, "The Taken King" ? Both Sean Buckley and myself are lapsed Destiny players who've largely stepped away from the game in pursuit of other, not-grindy experiences. But Bungie's been touting the changes it's made as being more welcoming to new folks and those who've been overwhelmed by what it took to get the best gear and weapons previously. So join us at 6 pm ET / 3 pm PT for two hours of hot new Guardian action as we discover how accurate the developer's claims are. As always, you can check out the broadcast right here on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage, and, if you want to join us in chat, head over to Twitch.tv/joystiq.
New game from 'Gears of War' creator breaks the moon
LawBreakers is not a post-apocalyptic shooter. It is a shooter. It does star a group of Marine-like soldiers out to gun down people in the name of justice and it does take place in the future. But creator Cliff Bleszinski is adamant that this isn't a standard futuristic, kill-streak kind of game. As the mastermind behind Gears of War and Unreal Tournament, he knows all about those. Instead, LawBreakers takes place in a post-catastrophe world: Human experiments on the moon cause it to shatter, which triggers devastating earthquakes and breaks gravity in certain spots. Humanity rebuilds, bigger and better than ever, and then violent gangs begin to attack the new world. The LawBreakers are deployed to fight the gangs, using super-human supplements and special maneuvers made possible by the low-gravity zones.
The 1998 'Battlezone' remake is getting remastered
The trends of remaking and remastering classic games just kicked into overdrive. Rebellion (best known for its Sniper Elite games) has revealed that it's developing not just a virtual reality version of the original Battlezone, but a refresh of the 1998 Battlezone title for PCs -- yes, it's a remake getting a remaster. It's too soon to know what this new version will entail, although it'll probably be fun if it maintains the 'original' mix of tank-based action, real-time strategy and an alternate-history space race. Let's just hope that someone doesn't try to re-do the remaster a decade from now... that would be a bit much.
'Evolve' simplifies the hunt with free deathmatch arena mode
Evolve isn't a typical multiplayer shooter. The game pits four hunters against a quickly mutating monster, with the first task usually being to find and trap the player-controlled goliath. The experience can be a little bewildering for newcomers, so developer Turtle Rock Studios is throwing in a free Arena Mode that keeps everything simple. In a best-of-three match, the hunters and monster are dropped in a small, pre-determined dome with only one goal; take down your opponent(s). The monster starts at stage two with 50 percent armour, reducing the need to devour local wildlife, and when a hunter dies they're out until the next round. It's a bare-bones take on the Evolve formula, stripping away some of what makes the game unique. Still, if you're interested in shorter rounds where you can easily hone your combat skills, Arena Mode could be a welcome change on planet Shear.
Wii U 'Splatoon' bundle lands at Best Buy on May 29th
Nintendo must be really, really confident that you'll want Splatoon. It's launching a Best Buy-exclusive Wii U bundle that includes the ink-drenched, kid-friendly shooter, Nintendoland and a 32GB Deluxe console for $300. That's a good deal, but a bit of a gamble for a brand new game series -- normally, Nintendo thrives on bundling familiar titles that lure you in based on the name alone. If you're new to the Wii U and don't mind trying something genuinely new, though, you can snag this bundle on May 29th.
