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Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures removed from sale following expired agreement
Telltale's Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures disappeared from digital channels last week, and the studio has now confirmed its distribution agreement with Aardman Studios expired. In a post on Telltale's support page, Telltale said, "We currently do not have any plans to renew this agreement at this time." Telltale released the point-and-click series starring the plucky claymation heroes back in 2009, bringing it in four parts to PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and iOS. So it's had its time, we suppose, but if you've been thinking recently about finally picking up Grand Adventures, today's news is gonna leave you cheesed off. Aye up, lad, it's not all bad. For those who have already purchased the games, Telltale put together a cracking guide for how to retain access to them.
Best of the Rest: Sinan's picks of 2013
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon It's still hard to believe that Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon exists, and perhaps that's why this standalone expansion is so great. Who'd have thought Ubisoft had it in them to greenlight a Far Cry 3 reskin that traded the 2012 game's colorful jungle and wicked undertones for 1980s neon, Michael Biehn, and dinosaurs shooting lasers out of their eyes? Not only does it provide a wonderfully excessive version of Far Cry 3's open-island action, but with its dumb humor and loving pastiches Blood Dragon crams an impressive number of standout moments into one bite-sized package; this passage of play (spoiler warning!) is without doubt one of my favorite moments from any game in 2013.
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 delisted from Xbox Live
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has officially disappeared from Xbox Live. The news doesn't come as a surprise, given that the final date to purchase DLC on the platform announced by Capcom is today. The game is still available on PSN for Vita, along with its collection of DLC, but there's no available download for the PS3 version of the game. Conversely, the other game set for delisting, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, is still available on Xbox Live but is nowhere to be found on PSN. It's unknown just how long the game will still be available on Microsoft's service. It arrived on XBLA in late July 2009 and is priced at $14.99.
Xbox end-of-year sale rounds up arcade sportsball deals
It's football, other football, basketball, and hockeyball in today's Xbox Countdown to 2014 sale, with 75 percent deducted from four arcade sportsters. There's FIFA Street 3 down to $5, NFL Blitz and NBA Jam: On Fire Edition both at $3.74, and 3 on 3 NHL Arcade just $1.24. If you just can't take another charade, some of those games are perfect holiday fodder - the original NBA Jam was a seasonal fixture in our house, the ideal platform for inter-familial bragging rights. For less than $4, EA Canada's reworked On Fire Edition looks a steal. Finally, a quick reminder/warning/warming: This is the last day of the week-long sale, and that means it's the last day you can get a whole bunch of games at reduced prices.
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, MVC2 to leave XBLA/PSN, DLC on sale
If you were thinking about taking Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3's DLC for a ride, you might want to decide already - a Capcom Unity post announced a DLC sale and encouraged fans to snatch up content for the crossover fighter, which will be "leaving the PSN and XBLA stores." The post calls for players to pick up UMVC3 and Marvel vs Capcom 2 "before they go away," but the next sentence calls out MVC3 as the game which will depart with its younger, Ultimate brother. With the standard version of MVC3 unavailable on either store however, we're pretty sure that's a typo and that the announcement is related to MVC2. While the entry asks readers to "stay tuned" for sales info concerning XBLA, PSN users can perform a 50 percent off combo on the DLC of their choosing for UMVC3 content. December 17 will be the final day the DLC is available in the US, with the European PSN offering the sale until December 19. While sales for XBLA have yet to be specified, the post does list December 26 as a global final call for DLC for Xbox owners. The games themselves have remained at full price on Xbox Live - UMVC3 is $29.99, while MVC2 is $14.99. PSN users can currently purchase MVC2 at $7.49, or for $3.75 with PlayStation Plus.
Xbox Live Black Friday deals on now through December 2
Microsoft is heavily discounting 52 Xbox 360 games and add-ons this week on Xbox Live. The games on sale separate out into three categories, a full list of which can be found after the break. The week-long deals, which run from today through December 2, include both Skyrim, Fallout 3 and Tomb Raider for half-off as well as Sleeping Dogs (38 percent off) and Mark of the Ninja (66 percent off). Xbox Live will feature two separate one-day sales as well, with games like WWE 2K14 and Diablo 3 being discounted by 33 percent as well as Rayman Legends and the Halo 4 Champions Bundle by 50 percent on November 29 only. Among the games on sale for Cyber Monday (December 2) only are Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, Red Dead Redemption, Dark Souls and The Witcher 2 for 75 percent off each and Battleblock Theater for 67 percent off. We suggest you clear some space on your Xbox 360 hard drive, pronto.
Takedown to get new XBLA launch date following technical issues
Developer Serellan's Takedown: Red Sabre was scheduled to reach both Steam and the Xbox Live Arcade on September 20, but the game has yet to pop up for Xbox 360 owners. Creative Director Christian Allen posted a video update to the game's Kickstarter page this month, explaining that the studio's decision to hold the game back was made to address issues and add improvements. Allen explains that the Xbox 360 version had "technical certification requirements" it did not pass. While Serellan fixed those, it decided to hold the game a little longer to implement the improvements made to the PC version since its initial launch. Allen notes the studio will need to "work with" Microsoft and publisher 505 Games to determine a new launch date for the Xbox 360 version. A general launch window was not offered.
Newton challenges Escher on Xbox Live Nov. 13 in The Bridge
IGF Student Showcase winner and all-around acclaimed puzzle platformer The Bridge leaps to Xbox Live on November 13 for $10, published by Majesco's new indie arm, Midnight City. Suspended platforms in The Bridge may not look like bridges at all – they may be staircases inverted upon themselves in a seemingly infinite loop or chessboards with cut-out walkways. The game is a 2D logic platformer that questions physics and interrogates perspective, "Isaac Newton meets MC Escher," as developer Quantum Astrophysicists Guild says. If you want to get a head start, The Bridge is $15 on Steam and from the Quantum Astrophysicists for PC.
Castlevania: Mirror of Fate HD lands on Xbox Live Arcade early
MercurySteam's exploratory platformer Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate HD will hit Xbox Live Arcade this Friday, October 25, bumping up its previously announced Halloween release date. Released for the Nintendo 3DS earlier this year, Mirror of Fate follows up on the events of the Castlevania series reboot Lords of Shadow with a new side-scrolling quest featuring Castlevania 3 star Trevor Belmont. If you can wait until November 5, Mirror of Fate HD is included as part of the DLC-bundled Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
XBLA's Happy Wars exceeds 6 million downloads, Season 2 coming soon
Microsoft Studios revealed that its free-to-play Xbox Live Arcade multiplayer game Happy Wars has been downloaded more than six million times since its launch in October last year. To mark the occasion, developer Toylogic has dropped the price of in-game item modification and forging by 50 percent. The studio will launch a variety of content updates during this month's Happy Wartober event, starting with the recent introduction of the turret-building Engineer class. Happy Wars is available as a free download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Microsoft Studios additionally notes that Happy Wars: Season 2 is set to premiere in 2014, though no details regarding the update have been announced.
The Wolf Among Us howls a launch trailer
The next graphic adventure series from the studio behind The Walking Dead makes for the streets this week. You can pick up the first episode of The Wolf Among Us, Telltale Games' adaptation of the Fables comics series, starting Friday, October 11. It'll be available then on Xbox 360 and PC, while a North American PS3 version is set to arrive a few days later on October 15. The first episode costs $5, but if you want to go all-in on the five-episode season, it's $20 on PS3 and Xbox 360. A Steam pre-purchase of the season knocks 10 percent off the asking price, taking it down to $22.49.
Free-to-play Ascend: Hand of Kul out tomorrow on XBLA
Free-to-play action RPG Ascend: Hand of Kul will launch on XBLA tomorrow. Developed by Signal Studios, the game was originally known as Ascend: New Gods until being renamed in May. Ascend: Hand of Kul features both single player and asynchronous multiplayer modes, the latter allowing players to invade the worlds of other players. Among the other games being offered on Xbox Live this week is Alpha Protocol, which is now available via Games on Demand along with Viking: Battle for Asgard, Phantom Breaker Extra and Hot Wheels World's Best Driver.
All Behemoth games half off on Xbox Live until September 16
To celebrate its tenth year of making games, The Behemoth is offering up its games for half off on Xbox Live. Alien Hominid HD, Castle Crashers and Battleblock Theater are all on sale until September 16. In addition to the snazzy 10-year anniversary trailer The Behemoth cooked up for the event, it noted that the developer's lead designer, Dan Paladin, has a birthday this week. To properly celebrate both events, might we suggest the gift of Castle Crashers 2 for everyone?
Girl Fight hits XBLA this month
Girl Fight will finally fill the void of games featuring scantily-clad women beating each other up when it comes to Xbox Live Arcade on September 25. Majesco first announced the 3D fighter with a to-the-point press release back in February 2012. Developed by Kung Fu Factory, Girl Fight features local and online multiplayer for two combatants, and online leaderboards, too. It's also coming to PSN sometime this fall.
Assassin's Creed Liberation HD scampers to PS3, Xbox 360, PC
PlayStation Vita game Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation is coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC as Assassin's Creed Liberation HD. The download-only release will not only benefit from updated graphics, but new missions and other enhancements as well. An extensive Q&A from Ubisoft, available past the break, sums the improvements made to Liberation HD, touching on the new tutorial system, new combat (protagonist Aveline can dual-wield weapons now), polished free-running and improved facial animations and cutscenes. In addition to this, each mission has been "reworked" to provide better "pacing and challenge" for players. "And one more thing; we have worked heavily to improve the frame rate. The game will be smooth," says producer Momchil Valentinov Gindyanov. AI and crowd behavior will also behave like Assassin's Creed Liberation HD's console brethren. "Using the AnvilNext engine and existing Assassin's Creed technology has really allowed us to push the crowd and AI behaviour," Gindyanov writes. "Liberation features all the crowd behaviour you've come to expect from an Assassin's Creed game, tailored to our own specific locations, so you can expect to see all sorts of activities unique to New Orleans, including Mardi Gras!" Assassin's Creed Liberation HD is due on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC from developer Ubisoft Sofia. Neither timetable nor price has been announced.
State of Decay to hit Steam Early Access in 'a couple of weeks'
Early Access to the zombifed landscape of State of Decay is coming in a "couple of weeks." Undead Labs Director of Community Samya Weathers said this week that there's no exact date for the keyboard-only Steam Early Access version, while the full keyboard-and-mouse game is still due for the PC portal later this year. If you're wondering what Undead Labs is planning beyond State of Decay, including its posited MMO sequel Class4, the Seattle-based studio is working that all out right now. "Discussions of future games are ongoing," said Weathers. "As in, going on now. Thank you from the bottom of all our hearts here at the Lab for making SoD a success, or these conversations wouldn't be happening!" State of Decay passed 500,000 sales shortly after hitting Xbox Live Arcade, and it looks like it's nearing the million mark; we see 938,000-plus players registered on the leaderboards. That's why those conversations are happening.
Takedown heading to XBLA and Steam on September 20
Takedown: Red Sabre will launch on XBLA and PC via Steam on September 20, Creative Director Christian Allen told Joystiq at PAX Prime. The tactical shooter will cost $14.99, and will see an early release for Kickstarter backers. Takedown developer Serellan received funding on Kickstarter for the game in April 2012, prior to finding a publishing partner in 505 Games in February. Takedown is a squad-based, tactical first-person shooter, billed as a spiritual successor to the original Rainbow Six and SWAT 4. It will feature six-player cooperative and 12-player competitive multiplayer modes, as well as mod support for Steam users looking to create their own battle arenas.
Freefall Racers combines Kinect, squirrels, and skydiving [update]
Freefall Racers looks like most kart games, except that it uses Kinect's motion controls and features skydiving squirrels instead of go-karts. The nutty XBLA game is due sometime next month, according to this video from publisher Deep Silver. This isn't the first we've heard of Freefall Racers. It popped up on our radar back in May, correctly rumored as being developed by Kinect specialist studio Smoking Gun Interactive. You may recognize the Vancouver dev from its work on Kinect games like Home Run Stars, Mars Rover Landing, and Doodle Jump. The video doesn't go into too much detail, but it does reveal some of the game's power-ups including the zapper, smoke-screen, and shield. It also spills the beans on a local two-player mode, featuring some competitive split-screen plummeting. We're waiting for a release date to drop, but a price floats into view: $9.99/£7.99/€9.99. Update: Deep Silver chips in with a release date: September 6.
Flashback review: Identity lost
This isn't the Flashback I want to remember. This isn't the protagonist, Conrad B. Hart, this is some smarmy Nathan Drake wannabe doppelganger with a pocket full of bad one-liners. This is a version of Conrad whose drive to rip the lid off a conspiracy threatening the whole planet is diminished by his overly bro-tastic attitude and complete lack of tact in all things. This update of Flashback takes all of the intrigue and gravitas of an epic sci-fi story and bafflingly bloats it with terrible plot points and half-heartedly tacked-on mechanics that feel out of place and majorly useless.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 hits UK a week ahead of FIFA 14
Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 steals a week's march on FIFA 14 by coming to the UK on September 20, Konami announced today. The proper football sim's release date announcement for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC follows the news its EA-developed rival will be bundled with all Xbox One pre-orders in Europe. For those who just can't wait to score the new PES, a demo will be released via PSN on September 11, and then on Xbox Live the day after. Meanwhile, PES 14 hits the back of American nets on September 24.
