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'Genital Jousting' brings a new level of silliness to Steam
As Goat Simulator and Surgery Simulator prove, many folks don't take their gaming too seriously. And what could possibly be less serious than dueling penises? That's pretty much the premise of Genital Jousting, a game where you control a "wiggly anus" and (flaccid) penis, complete with testicles. First conceived at a game jam, the title has finally got a full release, as it were, to Steam Early Access.
'Evolve' is dying after its free-to-play transition failed
Evolve managed to bump its online player count from 300 to a million by going free-to-play, but developer Turtle Rock says it can no longer support the shooter. "We were hungry for more but unfortunately today is the last day that Turtle Rock Studios can work on Evolve," studio Co-Founder Chris Ashton wrote. In a statement, publisher 2K Games said that it will take over day-to-day operation and that the servers will stay online "for the foreseeable future." There will be no more updates, however.
Put your little Guardians to sleep with the 'Destiny' children's book
Days ago, Bungie released its third expansion, Rise of Iron, for its popular MMO shooter Destiny. A new short single-player campaign, multiplayer mode and six-person raid should keep players busy killing enemy aliens, and each other, for months. Undoubtedly, some of those gamers are parents, and while they pummel and gun down foes in-game, they might look wistfully at their kids sitting on the couch next to them. How can my progeny engage in this rich, bloody, grim universe with me, they'll ask? The answer, obviously, is a children's book.
Next 'Call of Duty' lets you craft guns and call down guard bots
Activision is raising the bar for its annual miniconvention celebrating its Call of Duty shooter franchise, Call of Duty XP. This year's has panels, eSports championships and performances by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, but the real attention is on news for the next entry in the franchise, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which launches on November 4th. Here's all the new details of the modern shooter that studio executives shared this afternoon.
Russia's free, PC multiplayer Halo game has been cancelled
Remember that Halo game you heard about that wasn't launching in North America? Well, now it's not launching anywhere. Halo Online was originally intended to be a free, multiplayer game designed exclusively for the Russian market. Despite launching a closed beta in its target market, the project's staff has announced that Halo Online is no more. The game has been cancelled.
'Titanfall 2' multiplayer will be tweaked after fan feedback
Last weekend Titanfall 2 opened its doors for the first of two multiplayer test weekends, allowing fans to play an alpha version of the game for free on Xbox One and PS4. While it achieved a goal of testing out some of Respawn Entertainment's revamped cloud-based server technology (and will be followed by the second test this weekend running Friday through Sunday), players also had a lot of feedback about how the game plays.
'Titanfall 2' multiplayer tech test is now open to all
Jon Shiring, the lead engineer for Titanfall 2 at Respawn Entertainment, announced via Twitter on Friday that the game's first "Multiplayer Tech Test" session is now live. The open event (no pre-orders or game codes necessary) which runs through the weekend will give players the chance to try out the game's first two mechs (Ion and Scorch). Players will also be treated to five new competition styles: Bounty Hunt, 5v5, Pilots vs. Pilots and 8v8.
'Chambara,' the split-screen samurai game born in a dorm
College dorms are a strange microcosm of adult life, offering close-quarters friendship, intellectual stimulation and the kind of freedom that comes with a prepaid meal card. Dorm life fosters in-person interaction, usually in tight spaces and on a limited budget. Basically, it's ideal for long multiplayer gaming sessions with a room full of good friends, loud music and fast food. It's no wonder, then, that the idea for Chambara, a samurai-infused local-multiplayer slash-fest, was spawned in the dorms at the University of Southern California.
'Splatoon' isn't dead, but it's still saying goodbye
Today at 5 AM EDT, the final Splatfest commenced for players of Nintendo's squid-kid shooter Splatoon. Players were asked to choose one of two teams representing the in-game hosts, Callie and Marie. At the end of the festival, members of the team with the highest score will get a prize, the losing team will get slightly less, and so will end Nintendo's active promotion of the game. It was inevitable, of course, as the game came out over a year ago. But Splatfests were one of the biggest ways for the company to foster community among Splatoon players, and their discontinuation is likely to bring about a sharp decline among active users. It's been a great run, but this is the end of an era for the game.
'Team Fortress 2' adding competitive multiplayer mode
A big change is coming to a longtime favorite in the form of Team Fortress 2's competitive matchmaking mode. The Meet Your Match update, which has yet to secure release date just yet, has finally, officially been announced.
There was gonna be a 'Guitar Hero' MMO
In the five years following the first Guitar Hero, Activision sought to flood the market with variations on the theme. But if the company hadn't swung the axe in 2011, we were even going to get a massively multiplayer online version of the title. Unseen 64 has unearthed footage from the early stages of Hero World, a planned replacement for DJ Hero 3 that was designed to unify the entire World series in one place. It should come as no surprise that, as the bottom fell out of the plastic-musical-instrument genre, the idea was axed, even if it did have some pretty exciting ideas.
'Gears of War 4' multiplayer brings the series back to its roots
Excluding Halo, Gears of War is Microsoft's biggest multiplayer shooter: For many players, multiplayer is far more important than the main story-based campaign. That's what made Gears of War: Judgement a disappointment for many long-time players. The multiplayer experience was changed enough that avid GoW fans were left a bit cold. As such, developer The Coalition looked at Gears of War 4's multiplayer as an opportunity to make the best GoW experience it could while sticking to the formula that previously had made it so popular.
'Battleborn' beta launches April 8th on PlayStation 4
If you haven't noticed, episodic gaming is all the rage these days. The developers at Gearbox have taken notice and are structuring Battleborn's story mode in such a fashion. A press release says that the game's prologue and eight episodes work as a season that tell a collectively bigger narrative, while each episode will focus on a self-contained story about the game's 25 characters.
'Gears of War 4' multiplayer beta starts April 18th
If you've been wondering whether or not Gears of War 4 can live up to the reputation set by (most) of its ancestors, you won't have to wait long to get a good sense of where it's going. Microsoft and The Coalition have revealed that the Gears 4 multiplayer beta for Xbox One starts on April 18th, when existing Gears of War: Ultimate Edition players will get their first shot. An open beta for any Xbox Live Gold member will start a week later, on April 25th, and the whole shebang will wind down on May 1st. Two weeks (at best) isn't a long time to try the game, and there's no single player in the beta, but this test run should let you know whether Gears 4's late-year launch will fill you with hope or dread.
'Street Fighter' cheating means dropped ranks and lost points
Last week Capcom asked for your help catching Street Fighter V rage quitters in the act. Using the evidence the community provided, the publisher/developer was able to cross-reference it with internal data to find the folks with 80 - 90 percent disconnect rates and "unrealistic win rates," and punish the jerks.
Capcom needs your help tracking 'Street Fighter' sore losers
Street Fighter V might not feel entirely complete right now, but that's no reason to abandon good sportsmanship. Developer/publisher Capcom is aware of the problems the community is facing in terms of people rage-quitting when online matches that aren't going their way and it wants you to help. Over the weekend, if someone can't handle the Snake Eyez-level of heat you're bringing with Zangief and they disconnect, the gamemaker is urging you to use the PlayStation 4's "share" button to catch him or her in the act once the match has ended.
'Halo 5' is bringing back the long-missed Firefight mode
Life hasn't been kind to you if you're a fan of the players-versus-AI Firefight mode in Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach. You didn't just lose a direct equivalent to it in Halo 4 or Halo 5 -- you didn't even get it back with the remastered ODST from the Master Chief Collection. However, 343 Industries has finally heard your cries. As part of a content roadmap, the studio has revealed that Firefight is coming to Halo 5 in several months through a new mode, Warzone Firefight. The developer isn't saying much about what's different at this point, but you should get your fix of players-versus-environment gameplay as you fight off "common foes." Riveting! This won't make up for the relatively undercooked initial launch, but it could give you a reason to keep playing well into Halo 5's lifespan.
PS4 owners can play online for free this weekend
If you prefer to play video games solo, there's a chance you haven't bought a PlayStation Plus subscription for your PS4. Sony wants that monthly fee though, so to tempt you it's organised another one of its "free multiplayer weekend" promotions in the US. As the name implies, you'll be able to connect your system and play any game in your library online, all without paying an extra dime. Star Wars Battlefront, Destiny, FIFA 16 -- heck, maybe even Street Fighter V, if Capcom can get its act together.
'Destiny' player matching focuses more on good connections
Destiny's Crucible multiplayer mode can be a blast... up until you're lumped into a match so laggy that you may lose simply because your rivals keep jumping around. That might not be a problem after this week, though. Bungie is trying out a matchmaking update that puts more of an emphasis on connection quality. The move should not only give you a better chance at pulling off that kill streak, but speed up the matchmaking process itself -- you'll spend less time twiddling your thumbs while Destiny finds a final player for that Control game. Skill will still matter in match-ups, but it won't be quite the be-all, end-all factor that it was before.
Playdate: Breaching and clearing with 'Rainbow Six: Siege'
Rainbow Six: Siege hit a few bumps on the road to release, but now it's out in the wild and folks are breaching doors and clearing rooms with a righteous fury. Not us. We're going into the game pretty blind, and that's not because someone tossed a flashbang into the room. How will Sean take to the multiplayer-only tactical shooter? Considering his disdain for tutorials, probably not too well! However, you can find out for yourself starting at 6 PM ET / 3 PM Pacific as we broadcast live on Twitch. Check us out here on this very post, the Engadget Gaming homepage, or, if you want to join us in chat, Twitch.tv/Joystiq.Update: For reasons unknown to us, Rainbow Six: Siege refused to play nice with our streaming setup. Instead, we went down memory lane and played Mario 64, Punch-Out, NES Remix 2 and Ducktales Remastered)
