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The Witcher 3 delayed to May 2015
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has been delayed to May 19, 2015, CD Projekt RED announced. The game was previously expected to launch in February 2015, but the studio said it sees "many details that need to be corrected" as the game nears the end of its development. "When we release the most important game in our studio's history, we must be absolutely sure that we did everything we could to limit any bugs to a level that will allow you to enjoy the game thoroughly," the developer added. CD Projekt said it "set the release date too hastily," and that it owes its fans an apology for the delay. "It's a hard lesson, one to take to heart for the future. We know what we want to do to make Wild Hunt one of the best RPGs you will ever play. And we continue to work hard to achieve just that," the developer said. The Witcher 3 is in development for PC, Xbox One and PS4. [Image: WBIE]
The Banner Saga 2 confirms trek to PS4, Xbox One, PC
The Banner Saga 2 further unraveled today to reveal PS4, Xbox One (via ID@Xbox) and PC as its platforms, along with a 2015 release window. Following its succinct reveal at last week's Game Awards there's not much more to go on than that, we're afraid. More details are due in early 2015, publisher Versus Evil says, but for now you can watch the trailer below the break. Meanwhile, true to its name, the first Banner Saga continues to make news with the recent announcement of a Vita port. That's in addition to the previously confirmed voyage to PS4, which itself is due in early 2015. [Update: According to an ESRB rating published last week, The Banner Saga is also on the way to Xbox One]
Say cheese and die - Watch Metal Gear Online's premiere
Selfies, cardboard boxes, cuddly toys, balloons, robots, Kiefer Sutherland and tons of violence. No, it's not the 24 Christmas party but in fact the video premiere for the new Metal Gear Online, as showcased during last week's Game Awards. If you missed it over the weekend, you can check it out now below the break. And yes, that is who you think it is in the photo above. Konami also released a bundle of new screens this morning which you view in the gallery, along with some info about MGO. As per last generation's edition and Metal Gear Solid 4, MGO is Konami's name for the online multiplayer mode in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. While it gets its own fancy title like Grand Theft Auto Online, like Rockstar's offering it's included with The Phantom Pain at no additional cost. Konami also revealed players can expect a class system in the new multiplayer mode, along with appearances from familiar faces like, yup, Ocelot. Also, it's confirmed MGO is going live and online with the launch of The Phantom Pain, which remains due for sometime in 2015.
Code Name: STEAM hits 3DS on March 13, 2015
Nintendo revealed that its 3DS tactical strategy game Code Name: STEAM will premiere on March 13, 2015 in North America. Boasting gameplay similar to Sega's Valkyria Chronicles, Code Name: STEAM features an alternate-history steampunk aesthetic and boasts a competitive head-to-head multiplayer mode. It also, uh, stars Abe Lincoln. Cool.
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round to hit PC, but online play's in limbo
The Dead or Alive series is coming to Windows PC for the first time, with DoA 5 Last Round confirmed for a Steam launch alongside console versions on February 17, 2015. However, much like the fighter's array of characters, not everything will be covered by launch time. According to its Steam page, Last Round will arrive on PC without online modes, and it will take up to three months for them to be patched in. Publisher Koei Tecmo didn't offer any explanation for the belated online play in this week's press release or on the Steam page. The listing simply states that "online modes for Dead or Alive 5 Last Round will be added in a patch within three months of release."
Etrian Mystery Dungeon plots odyssey to Americas in 2015
The Etrian Odyssey and Mystery Dungeon crossover is confirmed for the Americas, with Atlus publishing in spring 2015. Titled Etrian Mystery Dungeon, the 3DS mesh of RPG questing and roguelike dungeons is due on retail shelves and the eShop with a $40 price tag. Along with today's announcement, Atlus revealed some details on what to expect from its latest marriage of series. Etrian Odyssey fans can level up heroes through familiar skill trees and "up to 10 classes" that include Landsknecht and Runemaster, before taking on dungeons in four-man parties. Meanwhile, Mystery Dungeon aficionados will be accustomed to the series' randomly generated, loot-stuffed dungeon crawl. As for the perspective, the roguelike wins out on that count; Etrian Mystery Dungeon goes with Spike Chunsoft's top-down, third-person perspective rather than Etrian Odyssey's traditional first-person view.
Hearthstone launches Goblins vs. Gnomes on December 8th
It seems as if it was only a month ago that Hearthstone players learned the title of the game's first expansion, Goblins vs. Gnomes. Probably because it was a month ago. That expansion is launching on December 8th, adding 120 new cards into the card pool and displaying an alacrity that other Blizzard titles could only dream of achieving. The new expansion cards can be crafted, purchased, or earned via the Arena, just like the existing packs except with new cards. If you're interested in having a launch party, Blizzard is also interested in your launch party. If you plan your event, have it registered as a proper gathering by notifying the community team, and then submit pictures and stories about the event by December 22nd, you could win a little Hearthstone care package. Or you could just kick back and enjoy the new expansion by playing. Your call.
Xbox One gets cozy with Threes and Limbo this week
Xbox One welcomes all moods on December 5 with Limbo and Threes, the next two ID@Xbox entries. Microsoft gifted early Xbox One adopters with Playdead's monochrome misadventure last month, but everyone can purchase the platformer starting Friday. As for numeric puzzler Threes, you can flirt with its figures on the big screen for $7, also on Friday. Limbo is dark, disturbing and more than a bit hostile, but it still earned the full five stars in our 2010 review. If you're after something perkier, Threes combines an esoteric brand of tile-matching with the jazzy, bubbly atmosphere of a lounge party. That may sound like a bizarre mixture, so it's worth reading our Portabliss column to see just why it intoxicated us.
Gear up with Hearthstone expansion Goblins vs. Gnomes next week
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft bolsters its hand with Goblins vs. Gnomes starting December 8 in the Americas, Southeast Asia and Oceania, and December 9 in Europe, Korea, Taiwan and China. While next week sees the diminutive buy inventive creatures grace cards on iPad, PC and Mac, Blizzard previously said Hearthstone hits Android tablets sometime this month. The 120 Goblins vs. Gnomes cards are purchasable in packs, either using real-life cash or in-game gold, and you can craft them and win them in the arena. More importantly, Blizzard concocted a lovely little ditty to welcome the collectible card game's expansion, which you can check out below the break.
20th Anniversary Edition PS4 pays homage to original PlayStation
On the morning of the PlayStation's 20th birthday, Sony's gone full time-warp by unveiling the limited edition 20th Anniversary PS4. There are just 12,300 units worldwide of the commemorative console, and Sony warns there's "very limited" supply in the US & Canada. The "Original Grey" PS4 echoes the clean hue and colorful logo of the first PlayStation, along with the iconic grey and black design of the DualShock. The system and controller are both embossed with a special pattern of the four PlayStation face buttons, with 2s in front of the circles to make 20s in honor of the anniversary. Also, each system is numbered with a plate in the bottom-right corner of the front, showing which of the 12,300 it is. In addition to standard extras and special packaging, the birthday boy PS4 comes with the PlayStation Camera, vertical stand and mono headset, all in the same Original Grey color. If you fancy Sony's link to the past, you'll need $499 (499 euros) and you'll want to watch the PlayStation Experience event on Saturday, December 6 at 10AM PT (1PM ET). Sony says pre-orders open on December 6, and it'll reveal more details in the Experience keynote.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 out just after Jill Valentine's Day
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 reveals some but not all when its first episode launches on February 17, 2015 for PS4 and PS3 in North America. The debut of the four-part series hits Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Steam the following day, as well as the PlayStation Store in Europe and other EMEA territories. The series concludes on March 10 and 11. If you missed the memo on the transition into episodic content, Capcom's sequel spans four weekly episodes priced $6 each (£5/6 euros). In addition to Raid mode content, each episode includes two "playable scenarios" across two campaigns. One campaign is for Claire Redfield and Moira Burton as previously announced, and the other for Moira's pop Barry and new character Natalia Korda. We already suspected a Barry sandwich was on the menu, but you can see his confirmed return in a shiny new trailer below the break.
RTS Grey Goo sends units to January 23 Steam release date
Petroglyph Games' combat-focused real-time strategy, Grey Goo, will deploy units for battle on Steam on January 23, 2015. Community Manager Mathew "Berek" Anderson shared the release date on the official Grey Goo forums, explaining that the team's alpha testing supplied enough information to allow them to create a full development schedule, negating the need for a future beta. More information will be released over the coming weeks, including background details on Grey Goo's tri-faction fight on Ecosystem Nine between the Goo, the Morra and the human race. [Image: Petroglyph Games]
Winter is coming - Telltale's Game of Thrones releases December 2
Telltale Games has revealed that Game of Thrones: A Telltale Game Series, its adaptation of/contribution to HBO's Game of Thrones universe (which is itself based on the A Song of Ice and Fire books by George R.R. Martin) will arrive on PC, Mac and American PS4s on December 2. The following day, it will release for Xbox 360, Xbox One and European region PS4s. Finally, on December 4, the citizens of Westeros will come to iOS devices. In case you haven't been keeping up with the Targaryens, the first episode, titled "Iron From Ice," will introduce House Forrester, an ally of House Stark. The Forresters, appropriately enough, rule over the largest forest of ironwood in Westeros. Ironwood, you see, is a very tough, dark type of tree that grows in northern Westeros, including the wolfswood. Judging by last week's teaser, House Lannister is watching the Forresters with keen interest. Um. You may want to wiki some of this before next week. [Image: Telltale Games]
'Haystack issues' - AC: Unity's third patch rolls out 300+ fixes
November's revolving door of patchwork continues unabated, with Assassin's Creed Unity's third band-aid promising "over three hundred fixes." The not-so-stealthy-sounding patch is due to hit PS4 and Xbox One today, while PC players have to wait until later this week. You can see the full or abridged patch notes on Ubisoft's site, including the wonderfully succinct note of "fixed various haystack issues." While some of the game's technical woes have been as hilarious as they were disturbing, other performance concerns have included framerate drops and frequent crashes. According to Ubisoft, this week's patch addresses both of those issues, but the publisher added there's still more work to be done.
Dark Souls' Steam migration delayed, prepare to die next month
Dark Souls PC owners can throw another log on the bonfire, because they have to wait until December for the game to transition over to Steam. Namco Bandai says it's finalizing the nuts and bolts of moving the action-RPG from Games for Windows Live to Steam, and more testing means the company's targeting the transition for next month rather than this one. In its original announcement, Namco said owners will be able to redeem Dark Souls on Steam by using their GFWL tokens at no extra cost. Saves and achievements can survive the journey during a short migration period, but GFWL rankings will be flattened by a figurative cannonball rolling down a metaphorical staircase.
Etrian Odyssey's next crossover maps out Mystery Dungeon
Just as Persona Q hits the West, Atlus revealed that another Etrian Odyssey crossover is speeding rather than crawling its way onto 3DS. Etrian Odyssey and the Mystery Dungeon sees the map-making dungeon crawler series mix it up with Spike Chunsoft's long-running roguelike, best known in the West for the recent Pokemon spinoffs. The portable mash-up will be in Japanese hands in just a few months' time, starting March 5, 2015 to be specific. As Tiny Cartridge notes, the last time Mystery Dungeon broke out of its Pokeball was some six years ago, when Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon trotted onto Wii. As per the recently-unveiled Etrian Odyssey 5, details are scant at the moment beyond a new trailer, which you can check out below the break. That includes word of a Western release, but both series have traditionally found their way abroad in recent years. Plus, there's some English text right at the end of the video: "Dungeon RPG is forever. This is the new origin."
Tales from the Borderlands rollin', rollin', rollin' out today
The first episode of Telltale's Tales from the Borderlands hits Steam across the globe later today, as well as PS4 and PS3 in North America. Next up are the Xbox One and Xbox 360, with worldwide releases due tomorrow, November 26, and December 3 respectively. Last but not least, PS owners in Europe also join the episodic party on December 3. As for prices, on PlayStations and Xboxen each individual episode is $5. On PSN there's the option to purchase all five episodes in a $20 season pass, while on Xbox Live you can get Episodes 2-5 in a $15 season pass upgrade. On Steam the asking price for the season is $25, which you can bring down to $22.49 with a pre-purchase. Finally, Telltale's previously said the first episode should hit iOS and Android before the end of the year. To see the launch trailer in action, move 'em on and head 'em out past the break. Also, that title is not referencing Limp Bizkit - you guys are just the Durst.
Everyone can hang out with The Crew in next week's open beta
Well, not quite everyone; PS4 and Xbox One owners can test-drive The Crew's open beta between Tuesday, November 25 and Thursday, November 27. Then, five days later on December 2, Ubisoft Reflections' and Ivory Tower's persistent-world racer launches worldwide for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC - perhaps with its own live updates blog. Beta players can roam free across the entire open world of Americana, condensed into the five major regions of the Midwest, East Coast, South, Mountain States and West Coast. In the beta, challenges and player vs. player lobbies are limited to the first two of those regions, and Ubisoft notes "some online features" - i.e. multiplayer - require a Xbox Live Gold or PS Plus membership.
Bladestorm: Nightmare carves a path through history in March
Omega Force's history-based brawler Bladestorm: Nightmare is coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PS3 in North America on March 3, publisher Koei Tecmo revealed this week. Taking place in Europe during the Hundred Years' War, Bladestorm: Nightmare recreates a series of 14th and 15th century battles in the context of a hack-and-slash story mode similar to Koei Tecmo's Dynasty Warriors series. In addition to a port of Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War's campaign, the game boasts an alternate-history Nightmare mode in which players fight off armies of dragons and giants, helmed by a demonically possessed Joan of Arc. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Bladestorm: Nightmare will launch digitally and at retail in North America and Europe the week of March 3. The PlayStation 3 edition is available exclusively as a PlayStation Store download. [Video: Koei Tecmo]
Disgaea team lets loose Firefly Diary in February 2015
The Firefly Diary, a new game from the developers behind Disgaea and The Guided Fate Paradox, is due out on Vita on February 24, 2015, published by NIS America. The standard edition is $20, while a limited edition runs $30 with pre-orders directly from NIS America. The limited edition includes the game, a collector's box, softcover artbook and the original soundtrack CD. The Firefly Diary is a dreamy, fairytale-style platformer about a young girl named Mion and her two fireflies, one that thrives on darkness and the other one full of light. Players shift between the two fireflies to guide Mion among beast-filled ruins, uncovering her lost memories along the way. See the second official trailer for The Firefly Diary below. [Image: NIS America]
