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Warner Bros. plans more layoffs through early 2015
The rocky situation for Warner Bros. is far from over. Game Informer is reporting that the conglomerate is planning more layoffs through "most business groups" starting this week and going through early 2015. Variety says that up to 1,000 employees from TV, film, and other divisions will be let go from the cuts. This report stems from a staff memo that discusses this internal, company-wide restructuring. While Turbine was not specifically mentioned, there is concern following the recent bout of layoffs that hit the Lord of the Rings Online developer.
Shadow of Mordor is the ultimate Beastmaster in new DLC screens
Monolith detailed the first expansion to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor today, Lord of the Hunt. The upcoming DLC introduces "more tales from Torvin, the Dwarven Hunter, as you work together to tame the beasts of Mordor and fight Sauron's minions." Lord of the Hunt also features new monsters and nemeses to face off against, as well as new missions and beast-hunting challenges to take on. The DLC adds a "Test of the Wild" skill challenge mode and a character skin that turns Talion into the "ultimate Beastmaster." Lord of the Hunt will be available for purchase later this year and will be part of the game's $25 season pass program. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor launched in late September for PS4, Xbox One and PC, and the game's Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will arrive on November 18 after being delayed last month. The game's season pass also includes an exclusive Guardians of the Flaming Eye mission as well as another piece of story DLC, The Bright Lord. [Image: WBIE]
Infinite Crisis reveals creepy alien starfish Starro
Crowd-control fans, listen up: Turbine MOBA Infinite Crisis has today announced Starro, a new playable controller champion going live on November 5th. For those not up on their DC lore, the short version is "creepy alien starfish." Long version? Starro is a Star Conqueror. These nomadic and parasitic creatures roam the cosmos in two forms: motherstars and parasites. Motherstars are sentient, while parasites are extensions of the motherstar's consciousness. A parasite attaches itself to other sentient creatures, allowing the motherstar to control that creature's mind. Once controlled, the victims work toward growing more motherstars to go out and bring universal harmony to other planets-by conquering them. Little did the Star Conqueror who came to be known as Starro know how difficult carrying that plan out on Earth would be! Starro has little concern for what happens to the individuals it controls. They're a tiny part of the whole. When Starro speaks to creatures it doesn't control, it does so telepathically, urging them to join in universal harmony. We've got some pics and a video below to finish out Starro's reveal.
No one man should have all that Power of Shadow Middle-earth DLC
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor received a free DLC pack today that adds three new runes and a playable character skin to the game. The Power of Shadow add-on introduces the Black Hand of Sauron skin for protagonist Talion. Players can also toy with the One with Nature, Ascendant and Elven Grace runes. One with Nature grants players immunity to poison attacks from Uruk captains and Ghuls. Likewise, players get double focus time for ranged combat with the Ascendant rune. Finally, Elven Grace increases players' defense, cutting the damage taken by enemy strikes in half. Monolith recently introduced a new photo mode to the game via an update. Shadow of Mordor will get a few other content packs as part of its season pass program that add new story missions. [Image: WBIE]
Lego Batman 3 trailer casts Arrow's Amell, Conan O'Brien
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment issued a new trailer for Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham today, which shows a few of the big-name voice actors talking about their involvement in the Lego superhero game. As previously announced, Conan O'Brien will be a playable character in the game, joining the likes of film director Kevin Smith and Arrow's Stephen Amell, the latter reprising his role as Green Arrow. Lego Batman 3 will launch on November 11 for a whole mess of platforms: PS4, PS3, Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U and 3DS. Players will be able to pick up the game's $14.99 season pass that guarantees access to six DLC add-ons. It will also be packed in to its own $270 PS3 bundle at launch. Head past the break to see the game's new trailer and check out the new heroic screens in the gallery below. [Image: WBIE]
Infinite Crisis reveals Stargirl, complete with pink stars
Turbine has today previewed Infinite Crisis' latest playable MOBA hero, the youthful Stargirl, who fell into her sidekick role after discovering and donning her stepfather's old costume. In her heroic form, she's a blaster who wields a glowing staff to damage and crowd control enemies. Her skills include a cutesy buff called Family Heirlooms and a even-more-cutesy nuke that beams pink stars at her enemies; her ultimate, however, is a powerful nuke, slow, debuff, and shield all in one. Stargirl goes live on October 15th. We've included new screenies and her intro video below.
How Shadow of Mordor PS4 stacks up to PC's huge textures
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a great action game, and a pretty (gruesome) one at that. Those playing on consoles will get a good sense of Monolith's interpretation of the Tolkien universe, but high-end PC players have access to an even more detailed version of Middle-earth. Players with beefy computers can download the HD content pack on Steam, which patches Shadow of Mordor with the "highest resolution textures available." The content pack requires a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or Windows 8 as well as a minimum of 8 GB of system RAM and a video card with at least 6 GB of RAM. Digital Foundry put together a comparison video with the PC version's ultra textures and a PS4 copy of the game, found after the break. For more footage of Shadow of Mordor in action, check out Tuesday's hour-long archived Joystiq Streams. [Image: WBIE]
Shadow of Mordor season pass trailer tastes a little Sauron
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment may have revealed its $25 season pass for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor last month, but it's now offering a closer look at the add-ons that pass holders are guaranteed access to. The DLC includes an exclusive Guardians of the Flaming Eye mission and two story missions, Lord of the Hunt and The Bright Lord. The latter quest has players controlling Celebrimbor, "the great Elven smith of the Second Age," eventually encountering the Tolkien universe's primary antagonist, Sauron. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor will launch tomorrow for PS4, Xbox One and PC. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game were delayed to November 18 earlier this month. It received good marks critically, including our five-star review that praised the Mordor's Nemesis system. Head past the break to see the game's season pass trailer. [Image: WBIE]
Metareview: Middle-earth Shadow of Mordor
Our five-star review of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor reassured players that an appreciation for J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe isn't necessary to enjoy the deep action game. "What would have otherwise been a competent sandbox game with solid combat mechanics and an interesting twist on a known fantasy world is elevated by the Nemesis System," which greatly personalizes your experience. The game's unique systems means our Nemesis in Shadow of Mordor differed from that of other critics, yet reviews around the web are mostly positive about the game. Head past the break to get a better sense of the collective opinion on the game, which launches next Tuesday, September 30 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were delayed to November 18 earlier this month.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor review: My precioussss
Prerequisite for enjoying Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor: appreciation for a well-crafted action game. A distant second requirement is a basic awareness of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings fantasy world. I'm not talking Tom Bombadil slash fiction. I mean, you know that there are some rings and something-something one rules them all, right? Awesome! You're good to go. You don't have to like Tolkien's Middle-earth to appreciate this game, but there's plenty of lore trinkets in there for the initiated. Taking place in the timeline between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, Shadow of Mordor has the player fighting back against the Dark Lord Sauron's Black Captains as Talion, a Gondorian Ranger ritually sacrificed, resurrected and now possessed by an unknown force to change Mordor for the better. This spiritual force is Talion's dark passenger, guiding him through the harsh realities of taking on Sauron's forces. Within the first ten minutes, it's clear that this isn't a family-friendly PG-13 experience. Shadow of Mordor is darker than any of the movies or licensed games based on Middle-earth that have come before. It also introduces one of the freshest game mechanics in years with the Nemesis System, a tug of war for power among the game's Uruk (Orc) captains and warchiefs.
Infinite Crisis recruits Nightmare Robin and Atomic Joker
An absolutely massive update for Infinite Crisis has landed, boasting over 6,000 changes and tweaks, not to mention the addition of a pair of new champions: Nightmare Robin and Atomic Joker. Nightmare Robin is actually Bruce Wayne's son Damian, who got infected with the vampiric curse and is a little miffed at being one of the undead. At least he has two large knives and a lot of bleeding-edge training to compensate. Atomic Joker is a bit more lighthearted, what with being a head in a jar who is trying to rebuild civilization in his image. The September release overhauled the launcher, improved the new player experience, polished many of the map visuals, tweaked animations, and added a Crime Alley map where champions can test out skills against the computer. You can check out Atomic Joker and Nightmare Robin in the gallery below and in the videos after the break.
Joystiq Streams: New Gauntlet needs a workout badly
All these space wizards and Dinklages and space balls telling us about our Destiny as conqueror of the darkness have exhausted us. Now we thirst for simpler pleasures. No more moon wizards! Just regular wizards, who are mightily hungry and may or may not need food in the immediate future. The Joystiq crew is going old school today, diving into an early build of the newly resurrected Gauntlet! Joystiq.com/Twitch will be broadcast a piping hot plate of Gauntlet one week before its release, starting today at 4:00PM EST. Jess Conditt (@JessConditt), Alexander Sliwinski (@Sliwinski), and Anthony John Agnello (@ajohnagnello) will dive into the game blind with absolutely no clue how to succeed! Come and talk to us as we wonder what the hell we're supposed to do with all these arrows. That's Joystiq.com/Twitch at 4:00PM EST, just like we broadcast every Tuesday and Thursday. Want to catch our irregular streams like last week's all-staff Destiny roundtable? Make sure to follow us on Twitch, Facebook, and Twitter! [Images: WBIE]
Dying Light to rise in January 2015
Dying Light, the free-roaming zombie apocalypse survival game from Call of Juarez and Dead Island developer Techland, will launch January 27, 2015. The game was delayed to February back in May, and was previously expected to arrive on March 31 of this year for PC, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, the game splits players' activities among day and night cycles, the latter featuring much more dangerous and aggressive zombies. The best options for survival during the noctural hours is usually to run, encouraging players to partake heavily in Dying Light's parkour-like urban traversal mechanics. Players will also hunt for supplies to dig into a weapon crafting system and take out the undead enemies when the opportunity arises. [Image: WBIE]
Lego Batman 3 goes beyond Gotham with DLC, season pass
When Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham launches in November, players will have three pieces of DLC to pick up, each part of a season pass for the game. The season pass costs $14.99 and promises access to six add-ons in total, three of which will be announced at a later time. It will be available to PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC owners, but not Wii U, 3DS and Vita. The DLC packs set to arrive alongside the game are The Dark Knight Pack, the Man of Steel Pack and the Batman 75th Pack, each with themed missions with story elements and free play modes. The latter has players following the exploits of the Joker and Harley Quinn as they set up "a variety of celebration set pieces," then play as the varying Batmans (Batmen?) through the hero's many years of existence. Future packs will include new playable characters, vehicles and levels. Each piece of DLC can be purchased individually for $2.99. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will launch November 11 for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Vita, Wii U and 3DS. The game will also be featured in a PS3 bundle, slated to launch with the game. [Image: WBIE]
Batman: Arkham Knight leaves the cave in June 2015
Batman: Arkham Knight is due out worldwide on June 2, 2015, Warner Bros. and DC announced today. In June this year, Arkham Knight was delayed into 2015. The launch date announcement comes with descriptions of two special editions, the Limited Edition and the Batmobile Edition. Both will be available in limited quantities in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Limited Edition comes with an art book, SteelBook case and game disc, the Arkham Knight #0 comic, an exclusive skin pack with three The New 52 skins, and a Batman memorial statue. It's $100 (€120, £90) for PS4 and Xbox One. It's available for PC in Europe, Australia and New Zealand only, for €100 or £75. The Batmobile Edition is for consoles and comes with everything in the Limited Edition, except that memorial statue. Instead, this deal comes with a transforming Batmobile statue (now the name makes sense). The Batmobile Edition runs $200 (€200, £170).
Lego Batman 3 goes Beyond Gotham on November 11
No longer content with striking fear into the hearts of superstitious criminals in the back alleys of his hometown, Batman is branching out to more exotic climes in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. According to publisher Warner Bros. Interactive, the Dark Knight's latest blocky adventure sees our hero battling Superman villain Brainiac to prevent the destruction of Earth. It seems the hyper-intelligent alien has swiped a handful of Lantern rings and is using their power to shrink worlds for his creepy collection of tiny civilizations. Batman must join forces with the "greatest super heroes and the most cunning villains" to travel through the cosmos, collecting Lantern rings and eventually using their Oan might to topple Brainiac's plot. Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham will debut on November 11. As with all DC Comics/Lego mashups, the game will appear on myriad platforms, including the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PS3, Vita, Wii U, 3DS and PC. [Image: WBIE]
You shall use this season pass for Shadow of Mordor add-ons
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is getting the season pass treatment, giving players bonus content when the game launches on September 30. Season pass holders will receive the exclusive Guardians of the Flaming Eye Orc Warband mission, early access to the Trials of War series of challenges and two story missions: Lord of the Hunt and The Bright Lord. Additionally, those that opt-in to the season pass program will be guaranteed access to future add-on content like runes and skins. Monolith's adventure based in the Tolkien-o-verse was previously expected to launch on October 7 before Warner Bros. moved the game's launch up last month to late September (October 3 in the UK). The publisher did not offer a price for the season pass, though it's not the only method of obtaining extra goodies for Shadow of Mordor; PS4 owners that pre-order the game will receive exclusive "PlayStation Legion Missions." Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is in development for PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. [Image: WBIE]
The Witcher 3's 'Gwent' mini-game is quite a card
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt will feature a card game within the open-world RPG, CD Project Red revealed. "Gwent" is a "fast-paced card game" invented by dwarves that includes four factions. Players duel with other characters using over 150 playing cards with multiple combat styles, heroes and spells. Gwent represents a "clash of two armies locked in mortal struggle on a battlefield," in which players' decks act as their forces. The developer also revealed the inclusion of bonus physical goodies for the Xbox One Collector's Edition of The Witcher 3. In addition to the 200-page artbook, medallion, steelbook and cases, limited edition Xbox One owners will receive a a cloth map of the game's world and two physical Gwent card decks. Best Buy, GameStop and Walmart listings peg the Collector's Edition at roughly $150. The Witcher 3 will launch on February 24, 2015 for PS4, Xbox One and PC. [Image: WBIE]
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor PS4 pre-orders earn exclusive missions
PlayStation 4 owners will be delighted to learn that a pre-order of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor includes exclusive quests dubbed "PlayStation Legion Missions." Though it's unknown how many PlayStation Legion Missions are included with the pre-order, Monolith Productions community manager Andy Salisbury offers more information on what Tolkienian beasts you'll be stalking. "In these exclusive missions, you'll go head-to-head with the deadly Blood Hunters, and the fearsome Flesh Burners, two of the most savage Warbands in all of Mordor (and two groups of hunters determined to personally bring your head to Sauron)," Salisbury wrote in a recent PlayStation.blog entry. According to Salisbury, the Blood Hunters are a pack of assassins sent to kill protagonist Talion. Kill them and you'll walk away with the Stinging Blade Rune. The Flesh Burners, by contrast, are a group of "elite archers" who employ crossbows loaded with burning bolts. Snip their bowstrings with extreme prejudice and you'll earn the Black Arrow Rune. All of these PlayStation exclusives are in addition to the base pre-order bonuses which include the "Test of Power" challenge mode and an additional, darker skin for Talion. Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor launches on September 30. [Image: WBIE]
Have some more lore in new Shadow of Mordor trailer
October 7th's helmeted headbutt between prominent fantasy games is officially over: Dragon Age Inquisition is moving to November, while Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor gets an earlier debut, on September 30. According to developer Monolith Productions, the open-world orc-stalker is progressing well enough to reach PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 a week earlier than first announced, with the PC version coming in on October 2. Warner Bros. has also released a new trailer to coincide with the game's promotion at San Diego Comic-Con. The spectral figure paired with Shadow of Mordor's protagonist, Talion, is revealed to be Celebrimbor, the long-departed Elven smith who forged the Rings of Power. Beyond their connection to Middle-Earth's notorious mind-control jewelry, both Talion and Celebrimbor have reason to venture into Mordor and hijack Sauron's army for their own purposes.
