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Sniper Elite 3 primed for some sharpshooting in the summer
Sniper Elite 3 is coming to North America in a few months' time, starting June 27 on PC, and July 1 on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PS3. Rebellion's summer of sniping kicks off outside of North America on June 27, and that date is for all platforms. The game's summer release aligns with the baking hot sands of its North African setting, where OSS Agent Karl Fairburne is searching for secret German tech that could help the Allies win World War 2. Sniper Elite 3 is Rebellion's first game for the new consoles, so that means it's aiming to include plenty of technical improvements, including even more bone-shattering gruesomeness in the X-ray Kill Cam. If you're interested in a pre-order, you may be swayed by a bonus mission that speculates on the death of one Adolf Hitler. Fairburne is sent to investigate the Libyan town of Tobruk with orders to take down the Fuhrer - but is it Hitler, or just a double? That's the question posed by the pre-order "Hunt the Grey Wolf" content, but whatever happens, we'd prefer not to have the murder of Charlie Chaplin on our conscience.
Takedown: Red Sabre successfully infiltrates Xbox 360 after delay
After a delayed raid, squad-based first-person shooter Takedown: Red Sabre is out now on the Xbox Games Store, priced $15 in North America and £12/15 euros across the ocean. The Kickstarted shooter from Washington-based indie Serellan was originally due to hit both Windows PC and Xbox 360 last year, but the developer had to delay the console version because it didn't pass certification requirements. That was fixed, but Serellan chose to hold the XBLA game back to add in post-launch improvements made to the PC version. The newly released XBLA version also features the free DLC that was added post-launch, and that includes a range of new maps as well as some additional weaponry to mow one another down with. [Image: 505 Games]
Payday 2 'Infamy' DLC gives career criminals a fresh start
For all career criminals, there reaches a point where you've robbed all you can rob and learned all you can learn on the job. Overkill is offering a chance to start anew in its heist simulator Payday 2 through the free Infamy DLC update. Here's how it works: If you've reached level 100 in Payday 2, you can pay $200,000,000 from your in-game offshore bank account to essentially trade in your rank. You'll go back to level one, lose all of your spending money, level progress and skill points, but you'll gain an Infamy level – which yields a point you can spend in the new Infamy skill tree. There are 14 levels of Infamy in all, each split into four tiers. You won't lose all your guns, nor will you lose your mods and masks, but as a lowly level one criminal, you'll be forced to climb the criminal ladder once more to unlock the ability to wield all your good gear. In layman's terms, Infamy is essentially Payday 2's version of the popular Prestige system seen in the Call of Duty series. The Infamy DLC is available right now as a free update, which will trigger the next time you boot up the game.
Rekoil launching on Jan. 28 for PC, Jan. 29 for XBLA as Rekoil: Liberator
Team-based first-person-shooter Rekoil is set for a late January release on PC and Xbox Live Arcade for $14.99, publisher 505 Games confirmed with Polygon this week. Steam users will be able to load up and aim for each other's vital organs on January 28, with Xbox Live Arcade players following suit on January 29 with Rekoil: Liberator. Aside from their names, 505 Games explained that Liberator will be different "in that it does not support mod tools and/or eSports the way the PC version does." The XBLA listing notes multiplayer for up to 10 players, which sounds like a decent-sized group to leverage the game's five classes and 40 weapons against each other. Rekoil will also launch with 10 maps and seven game modes.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2013: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
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. At first glance, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons isn't a particularly novel game. It offers an emotional rollercoaster of an adventure without the need for actual dialog. Big deal, right? Journey was a clear favorite last year, Limbo before that, and both had some stylistic similarities. And yet, Brothers is a true rarity, as it places the gravity of its compact story right in your hands. Brothers places you at the feet of a journey in which two boys set out to retrieve a cure for their father's illness from a mystical tree. The game never bothers you with trivial details like names of the characters, the town, or just where the hell you're going the whole while. That information, often window dressing used to bring some sense of reality and purpose to any story, is discarded in favor of the game's stripped-down, puzzle-platformer design: See obstacle, get through it. More specifically, get through it together.
PSA: Terraria lays claim to PS Vita today
Publisher 505 Games has announced that indie sandbox game Terraria is now available on PS Vita. In Terraria, players explore procedurally generated environments and combat enemies, mine for materials and create structures. The art style is punctuated by colorful 2D tile-based sprites. The PS Vita version of Terraria offers some interesting features, including touch-based controls for crafting and item combining, as well as digging and building. The PS Vita port, which supports cross-platform play and save file transfer with the PS3 version, also supports competitive and co-operative multiplayer for up to eight players. Terraria will be available for download on PS Vita later today, when the PlayStation Store update rolls out.
How to Survive still in the works for Wii U, set for 2014 launch
While Eko Software's third-person zombie slayer How to Survive launched in October and November on Steam, XBLA and PSN, the game has yet to find its way to Wii U as it originally planned. A 505 Games representative confirmed to Joystiq that the game is still slated to hit the Wii U eShop, but has been delayed to 2014. Prior to today, the developer's last update regarding the eShop port was in a tweet from November, in which it last stated that it is working to get approval from Nintendo. The spokesperson noted that "the [exact] launch window is up in the air as we are still going through testing." How to Survive strands players on one of four islands, forcing them to gather items to stave off the threat of undead enemies. The game includes an item combination system, used to benefit the health and well-being of characters, solve puzzles and beat baddies. Players have the option of choosing between three playable characters with different strengths and weaknesses.
PSA: Tiny Brains out now on Steam, 30 percent off until December 18 [Update]
Spearhead Games' Tiny Brains is now available on Steam for PC. The co-op action puzzler is 30 percent off until December 18 ($13.99). Those looking to take advantage of the "cooperative" part of the game may want to pick up the Tiny Brains 2 Pack for $24.99, granting them an extra copy to give to a friend. Our review of the game found it "accessible and adorably illustrated," though its puzzles seemed increasingly repetitive and predictable as the game wore on. Tiny Brains already made an appearance on PSN for both PS3 and PS4 last week. Update: As a clarification, Tiny Brains only launched on PS4 last week, but it will arrive on PS3 early next year.
Terraria digs a hole, discovers Vita launch trailer
Thanks to the Vita debut of Terraria you can now mine gold on the subway, construct an elaborate castle while waiting for Chinese takeout or battle flying eyeball demons during your cousin's excruciatingly dull wedding.
Terraria launches Christmas update on iOS, Android
505 Games has released an update for the iOS and Android versions of its 2D sandbox action-adventure game Terraria, adding a new holiday-themed world and a variety of Christmas cheer-infused customization options. Starting this month, Terraria players might pick up a Christmas ornament while chopping down trees. Use this ornament and you'll summon Elfa, a new pet. Afterward, any new world you create will be a winter wonderland filled with more pets to collect, and enemy mobs will have a chance of dropping Christmas presents. The PC version of Terraria hosts its own unique variation on the holiday, allowing players to meet up with Santa Claus and earn presents during gameplay.
Get Payday 2, Dead or Alive 5 Plus for a steal in Europe's PSN sale
PlayStation Europe's seasonal savings continue this week with Dead or Alive 5 Plus and Payday 2, with the Vita beat-em-up down to £15 (€20/AU$25) and the PS3 heist-em-up at £12 (€15/AU$18). PlayStation Plus members can put that subscription to further use by chopping a further 10 percent off both offers. Finally, as with all games in PlayStation's 12 Deals of Christmas Euro-promo, the offers last for 48 hours starting today.
Terraria digging into US Vitas on Dec. 17, Dec. 11 in Europe
Now that Sony has approved Terraria's Vita version for release, 505 Games has crafted the port's early December launch window into specific dates. Terraria's procedurally-generated caverns and fields will load up on European Vitas on December 11, with the US release following on December 17. Cross-play enthusiasts can get ready for the release by downloading the next update for Terraria on PS3. 505 Games announcement's encouragement to "keep an eye on the PlayStation Blog" suggests we'll be getting some meatier details soon.
Ashes Cricket 2013 pulled from Steam, publisher issuing refunds
505 Games has removed Ashes Cricket 2013 from its Steam catalog following widespread reports of bugs and other technical issues. The publisher later announced that it has no plans to issue a fixed version, effectively canceling the game post-release. 505 Games blames the faulty release on "misplaced" assurances from developer Trickstar Games, who experienced persistent engine issues over an extended development period. "The net result of the challenges we have faced was a game which, despite our best efforts over the course of a 2 year development, couldn't meet the quality benchmarks of either us, our licensors or our customers," the publisher said in a statement to Rock Paper Shotgun. 505 Games announced that it will contact players who purchased Ashes Cricket 2013 on Steam, and will begin issuing refunds shortly. No word has been issued regarding planned ports for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U.
Terraria to burrow into the Vita in early December
If you've harbored a distinct craving for a 2D sandbox craftathon on the Vita, you're in luck - after VideoGamer spotted an ad for a Vita version of Terraria in an issue of MCV, publisher 505 Games has confirmed to Eurogamer that the port will reach the Vita in early December. News of the port initially stemmed from the same image that suggests a PlayStation 4 and Vita bundle is coming to the UK in December. If the bundle actually exists, it would be a great way for newcomers to take advantage of the handheld device's Remote Play capabilities, the support of which is mandatory with PS4 games that don't require specific hardware to be played.
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.
Armored transport heists are fair game in Payday 2 DLC tomorrow on Steam
Payday 2 will receive its first DLC pack on PC tomorrow, 505 Games announced. The downloadable content offers players new two armored transport heists, which occur across six locations in Washington D.C leading to a train robbery of a "valuable military prototype." Players will also receive three new weapons in the Payday 2 DLC pack, namely the Gruber Kurz pistol, Commando 553 assault rifle and Swedish K SMG, as well as masks of four United States Presidents: Reagan, Clinton, Bush and Obama. The add-on content, which offers a dozen new achievements for players to reach, will cost $6.99.
Peek inside Payday 2's Lootbag DLC on Xbox 360, PS3 today
Both Xbox 360 and PS3 can pick up Payday 2's Lootbag DLC, previously a pre-order exclusive, for $5 today. Inside the Lootbag, players will find some extra in-game cash, a red dot sight compatible with all rifles and shotguns, a skull mask, black and red mask customization color scheme and an "I Love Overkill!" mask emblem. Developer Overkill Software has also announced a Payday 2 demo has infiltrated Xbox Live today. The demo is coming to PS3, Overkill says, though timing has yet to be determined. Payday 2, a game where four crooks band together to pull off heists and other illegal jobs for wealthy drug lords and psychopaths, launched back in August for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. In our review, we lauded the game's co-operative play and "nonstop series of little stories and moments of surprise" that happen every time the four embark on a job.
Sniper Elite 3 debut trailer has magic bullet, crashing culprits
Did you know that it only takes a single well-placed bullet to explode even the nimblest of military vehicles? Well, that's how things work in Sniper Elite 3 at least, which is slated to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC sometime next year. Sniper Elite 3 takes series protagonist/OSS operative Karl Fairburne's World War 2-era adventures to North Africa, where the hunt is on for secret German technology that could turn the tide of the war. This hunt will, presumably, involve shooting tons of dudes/jeeps/tanks from varying distances with high-powered rifles.
Tiny Brains mixes Pinky and the Brain with Quantum Conundrum on Nov. 15
Spearhead Games' action puzzler Tiny Brains will be a PS4 launch title, 505 Games has announced. The game will simultaneously launch November 15 on PS4, PS3 and PC, though the publisher didn't mention a release date for Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions. Tiny Brains has players controlling one of four super-charged rodents: a mouse, gerbil, rabbit and not-quite-naked mole rat, solving puzzles with friends to escape a mad scientist's experiments. The co-op campaign features drop-in, drop-out multiplayer and the game includes competitive and challenge modes. In our time with Tiny Brains at E3, we likened it to Pinky and the Brain in Quantum Conundrum's world.
Payouts restructured in latest Payday 2 update
A new patch has been issued in Payday 2. The highlight of this latest update is a retooled economy system: Now players will receive a smaller amount for completing the basic parameters of a mission, but be greatly rewarded for any loot or additional merchandise they secure during the mission. Overkill hopes this will force players to fight their own greed on every map. Outside of the restructured payouts, you can now choose whether you want XP, cash or some mixture of both when taking on a job through Crime.net, the game's mission delivery system. Another heist has also been added, as have more masks. Enemy and teammate behavior has been improved and various weapons have been tweaked. For the full patch notes, check out Overkill's outline through the source link below. Happy heisting!
