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'XCOM 2' infiltrates PCs in November
Prepare for permadeath. XCOM 2, the sequel to 2012's wonderfully rich strategy game XCOM: Enemy Unknown, is due to hit PC in November. XCOM 2 comes from publisher 2K and developer Firaxis Games, the very same team behind Enemy Unknown. They've been teasing a big announcement with a website for the Advent Administration, a futuristic government that advertises gene therapies and other technologies that rid humans of all illness -- but the site has been hacked with messages that suggest all is not as rosy as it seems.
JXE Streams: Boldly exploring space in 'Sid Meier's Starships'
Sid Meier scares the crap out of me. I'm deeply familiar with the famed strategy game creator's resume -- from the history-spanning Civilization series to the high seas simulations in Sid Meier's Pirates! -- but I've only ever played one of his games. The reason I never picked another up after trying Civilization III is that once I started playing I didn't stop for about 36 hours. The man makes a deeply cerebral game but also a deeply addictive one. Let it never be said that I won't try things twice, though! Today on JXE Streams, I'll give into the allure of deep space exploration and play Sid Meier's Starships.
JXE Streams: 'Grand Theft Auto Online,' heists and you
The best laid plans of crooks and thugs lead us to nothing but loot and hugs! At least that's what we're hoping happens when we play the newly released heists in Grand Theft Auto Online on JXE Streams. Nearly 18 months after Rockstar released Grand Theft Auto V, the game's online multiplayer mode finally has heists, new missions in which you and a crew of other players try to execute multi-tiered virtual crimes. Think Ocean's Eleven but with markedly less George Clooney and markedly more video game violence. We'll be playing through the very first of the heists to give an overview of how they work on today's show.
JXE Streams: Life finds a way in 'Evolve'
Steps up to mic. Cues "Muzzle" by Smashing Pumpkins. My name is Anthony John Agnello, onetime Joystiq community manager, host of Joystiq Streams and known scallywag. I've been knighted in three countries, thrown out of the Madame Tussauds wax museum five times (but only once for a good reason) and I've been writing about video games professionally for eight years. My work's appeared in The Onion's The AV Club, The Gameological Society, Edge, Digital Trends, Fast Company and many more.
'Borderlands' on PS4 and Xbox One comes in a $399 edition with a robot
No, the trend of recycling games for modern consoles isn't over yet -- if anything, it's gathering steam. Gearbox and 2K have unveiled Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, a bundle that spruces up both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (along with their downloadable content) for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If you buy the garden variety $60 edition when it arrives on March 24th, you'll get the obligatory improved graphics, cross-platform saved games and four-way split-screen cooperative action. They're nice touches, although it's hard to see a die-hard fan buying this role-playing influenced shooter a second time just for those perks. This is more for first-timers who missed what all the fuss was about.
Sid Meier's next exploration game has you roving the galaxy
Legendary game maker Sid Meier is clearly fond of exploration on a grand scale -- hot on the heels of the alien world colonization of Civilization: Beyond Earth, he's ready to take on an entire galaxy. He and Firaxis have unveiled Starships, a follow-up title that has you establishing your own galactic empire, forging alliances and (naturally) engaging in tactical starship battles with customizable vessels. The developers aren't revealing much about the exact mechanics, but there will be "cross-connectivity" with Beyond Earth that has one game affecting the other. You won't have to wait long to see how it works for yourself, at any rate, since the game will reach iPads, Macs and Windows PCs in early 2015.
'BioShock' arrives on iOS with a heavy price tag
It took 2K Games a little longer than originally expected, but the publisher has finally released its iOS version of the original BioShock. The mobile version of the popular title is compatible with newer iPhones and iPads, which means you're out of luck if you have, say, an aging 4S handset or an older tablet from Apple. Naturally, you can expect a familiar storyline, so be ready to shoot a lot of weird-looking creatures. For those of you looking forward to it, just be prepared to pay a premium -- BioShock for iOS is a whopping $15 on the App Store. There are no in-app purchases in sight, however, meaning that you'll get the full game experience from the get go, rather than having to buy add-ons here and there.
Civilization: Beyond Earth ships October 24th with maps based on real planets
If you're eager to play the first Civilization game set in space (not counting Alpha Centauri), you now have a date to mark on your calendar: Beyond Earth will reach Windows-based PCs on October 24th. That's a long time to wait, although Firaxis is sweetening the pot with astronomy-themed bonus content. If you pre-order the space colonization game from certain stores, you'll get a map pack based loosely on real, potentially inhabitable exoplanets like Kepler 186f and Rigil Khantoris (aka Rigel Kentaurus) Bb. It's hard to say if the extra terrain will be worth plunking down cash in advance, but we suspect that you've already pulled the trigger if you're a die-hard Civ fan -- this is just icing on the extraterrestrial cake.
Now you can play XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Android, too
Android gamers who've been yearning for XCOM's deep, turn-based tactics just got their wish: 2K has released a version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown for Google's mobile platform. Much like last year's iOS edition, you'll get to fight off invading aliens and build your bases in an interface optimized for touch. This is one of the pricier Android games on the market at $10, but our pals at Joystiq are already fans of the mobile version. It's likely worth the cash if you're looking for something engrossing to play on your spring vacation -- especially if you can't get enough of it on your PC or console.
2K Games tries to save Civilization, Borderlands from GameSpy server shutdown
Gamespy's impending server shut-down might be cutting off Wii and DS multiplayer at the head, but not all games have to suffer this fate: PC publishers are starting to migrate their multiplayer servers to new platforms. Three of EA's Battlefield games are already slated for transition, and now, so are two of 2K Games' biggest franchises: Civilization and Borderlands. On May 31st, Civilization III, IV (and their expansions) and the PC version of Borderlands will all begin transitioning to Steamworks, temporarily disrupting online services for a few days.
Bizarrely, the next Borderlands game is for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
The hugely popular first-person shooter series Borderlands is getting a new entry in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, a game set between the story of previous two games. Not exactly shocking, but neat nonetheless. What's shocking is where we'll play Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel when it arrives this fall: Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Despite the Xbox One and PlayStation 4... ya know, existing, the next major Borderlands game apparently isn't headed their way. That said, there's one other platform that fans can snag it on: PC. And given the PC-like architecture of the new consoles, you'll forgive us if we don't feign surprise when the game eventually arrives on newer platforms. The game's development is being handled by both the series creators at Gearbox Software and 2K's Australian arm. Thus far, the only footage available is pre-Alpha (read: early), but, well, it looks an awful lot like the Borderlands games you already know and love. Perhaps you don't already know and love the series? We've got a trailer below the break that'll help get you up to speed.
Details of Civilization-based MMORPG emerge, you may not get to play it
Sure, you've controlled minions and vast armies in the Civilization games, but here's your chance to actually be one of those underlings -- at least if you live in South Korea. Civilization Online, announced late last year, is an in-development MMORPG title set in the Civ universe, and Massively has learned some of its finer details from the folks at XL Games and 2K Games (the companies crafting it in CryEngine 3). At the start, players will join one of four societies, and all will have to work together to expand across the sandbox environment and progress through the ages. Unlike most MMOs, there will come a time when one civilization achieves certain goals and effectively "wins," at which point the world will reset. Although combat is a part of the game, societies will also need to research, build and do various other things to become number one, much like the traditional strategy titles. Head to the source link for more info on the specifics, but don't get too excited -- Civilization Online will be launching first in Korea, and there are currently "no plans for a North American release." Not used to things being out of your control, are you?
Daily iPad App: XCOM: Enemy Unknown is great, if you've got the hardware
Firaxis recently announced that it was bringing a complete version of last year's console title XCOM: Enemy Unknown to iOS. The game is now available, at a premium price of US$20.00. That's costly for a mobile game, but the truth is that this is no "mobile" game as you might think of one. It's a full-featured experience that brings the old classic XCOM tactical, turn-based gameplay into the latest generation of graphics and gameplay design. The premise of the game is that you (yes, you) are the "commander" of XCOM, an internationally funded military research organization dedicated to fighting an alien threat. The game spans the entire organization: During fights, you direct soldiers in battle, and outside of combat, you direct funding and try to place satellites in the sky to protect the countries of the world as best you can. The game's balance is just brilliant. Research you do in the metagame opens up new combat options in the various skirmishes you'll fight, and winning fights (or capturing aliens) can kick your research into gear, which helps secure more tools and more funding. The game's graphics are excellent, and the grid-based combat experience used in the PC version has been translated to the touchscreen with care by 2K China. The one big issue with XCOM, however, is that because of its scope, it's a monster to run on Apple's touchscreen hardware. The iTunes listing says the game is best experienced on the iPad 4 and up, and they aren't kidding. I had some issues with slowdowns and crashes while running it on my iPad 2. Hopefully, future patches will fix optimization issues and the game will run better, but you shouldn't even think about playing this on anything older than an iPad 2 or an iPhone 4S. All of that said, however, XCOM is as premium an experience as they come on the App Store. This is a game designed for PCs and consoles, and we got it on iOS in a feature-full version, for half the price (the title is still $39.99 on Steam, though I expect that price to drop very soon). If you've got the hardware, this game is a must-play, both because it's so excellent, and just to support this kind of quality iOS release.
XCOM: Enemy Unknown invades iOS devices on June 20th
The world is under attack once more, and it's up to your squad of elite, turn-based soldiers to keep humanity safe. We've just gotten word that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is headed to a wide variety of iOS devices come this Thursday, June 20th. Everything from the iPad 2 to the fifth-gen iPod touch is getting a taste of Firaxis' XCOM effort -- should users choose to fork over the $19.99 asking price, that is. Aside from multiplayer (which is coming via free update post-launch), the iOS version is just about the same as its console and PC counterpart -- you build up resources and strike back against the alien menace threatening to tear apart Earth, with the occasional break to torturously study the enemy via "dissection." Whether the enemy is still alive at that point, well, that's a question for your science team. For a full list of supported iOS devices, head below the break. As for Android and Windows Phone 8 support? "We've only announced plans for iOS devices at this time," was all a 2K Games rep would tell us. Not exactly a hard no, but not a confirmation either.
Sid Meier's Ace Patrol now available on the App Store
We've been blessed with not one but two great strategy games from 2K Games recently. The first, the freemium Haunted Hollow, was a Firaxis title that put some board game mechanics around a haunted town. And this latest title, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, is now out today on the App Store, and it's a turn-based flight combat simulator put together by none other than the grandfather of strategy himself, Sid Meier. This one is also free to play, and you can unlock extra nations to play with via in-app purchase. There are over 120 missions to play through, and as you go, you can upgrade your pilots and their maneuvers, giving you more options to take down the opposing team. The whole game seems very fun, and this is an iOS exclusive, straight from Sid Meier and his team. Both this and Haunted Hollow are excellent games, so if you haven't yet, go pick up Ace Patrol for yourself.
Civ Revolution updated, with multiplayer and more
Civ Revolution is one of my favorite apps on my iPad -- I'm a big Civ fan, and I think Civ Rev is a great touchscreen adaptation of the series. And now, it's even better: 2K Games has released an update for the app that adds a number of new in-app purchase packs, giving you the option to pick up new units, new buildings, new wonders and other new content. Each of the packs is available for just US$0.99, or you can get the "Master Bundle" for $3.99. In addition to that new content, there's also a multiplayer mode now available for in-app purchase. For $2.99, you can buy a mode that lets you and up to two other friends jump in and challenge each other for world domination, either in a custom game or a quick game. Yes, it's a little strange that this content is added in with an IAP, rather than offered up for free as it usually is with most other titles. But certainly 2K must have worked hard to port this feature over, so it's a small price to pay if you have friends waiting to play with you. And there's more good news: For a limited time, the app's price has dropped to just 99 cents, so you can save a buck or two there. Civilization Revolution is a great title that's a really fitting adaptation of the popular turn-based strategy series, and this update adds even more value to the app.
GameFly's digital distribution client officially exits beta, celebrates with free copies of Bioshock
After nearly a year of testing, GameFly is ready to pull the beta qualifier off of its PC game distribution client. The desktop software serves not only as a digital storefront for PC games, but also as a queue management program for subscribers to GameFly's game-by-mail service. Active members get free access to a few hundred "Unlimited PC Play" titles as well -- offering subscribers a wide range of games from Diner Dash to Assassin's Creed. The official release doesn't differ from the beta in any significant way, but GameFly and 2K games is celebrating its launch by doling out free copies of Bioshock to anyone willing to give the platform a test drive. Crash on down to the source link below for a free ticket to Rapture, or read on for GameFly's official press release.
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Duke Nukem Forever Soundboard
Bad news if you got your hopes up about that Duke Nukem on iOS rumor a little while back. The game is indeed spreading to our platform of choice, but not in the form you wanted. Instead of a port or a separate game title, we've got a free soundboard app designed to kick up a little excitement for the release of (finally!) Duke Nukem Forever. There are over 25 included audio catchphrases from Duke himself, featuring tamely offensive gems like "Anybody mind if I take off my pants?" and "I've got balls of steel." If you're a Duke Nukem fan, this kind of humor probably appeals to you more than others, and the low price of free should make it easy to pick up. Still, it's too bad we didn't get a real port of Duke Nukem Forever for iOS. The game's gone gold master, but maybe there's still a chance we'll see an actual game (or related tie-in) for this big title coming later this year.
Duke Nukem Forever goes gold, will meet promised June deadline (really!)
Back in January, Gearbox Software released a Duke Nukem Forever trailer, and our inner 13 year-old -- only a lascivious gleam in his father's eye when the game was first announced! -- thrilled to its potty humor, gratuitous violence, and mosaic-obscured lady parts. We were skeptical about the promised May release date, since DNF has long been gaming's answer to Chinese Democracy, and sure enough that got bumped to June 10 (international) and 14 (North America). But now the game has gone gold, meaning real-life physical copies, rather than just one of gaming's longest running vaporware jokes. No confirmation that the game will ship via unicorn, but for more details devour the press release after the break.
Evidence of Duke Nukem Forever's existence continues to mount with new trailer, release date
Gearbox Software promised last fall that they'd finally, really finish and release Duke Nukem Forever, and it's starting to look like they're actually going to come through. The studio has just released a full trailer for the game, and it's announced something that many though they'd never see: a release date. Assuming nothing goes horribly awry in the next few months, you can expect the game to hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on May 3rd in North America, and May 6th worldwide. Still need a bit more convincing? Head on past the break for the trailer. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
