Videogame Choice Network

The new game announcements keep rolling in. Electronic Arts today announced the latest entry in the Need for Speed franchise, Need for Speed Rivals. It's set to release on 'current generation platforms on November 19, 2013 and will also be released on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 later this year'.

The press release describes the game as:

"A white-knuckle action/racing game created by an inspired new development team, using a powerful engine and delivering next-generation gameplay... In Need for Speed Rivals, gamers play as either a cop or racer, where each side of the law has its own set of high stakes challenges, rewards and consequences. As a racer, the goal is to become infamous for taking risks behind the wheel and capturing your most intense escapes on video for the world to see.

The more cops players evade, the more Speedpoints they collect, enabling them to unlock new cars and items. Keep raising the stakes race after race, earning more and more Speedpoints along the way and becoming a more valuable target to the cops – but risk losing it all if busted. As a cop, players work together as part of a team in pursuit of racers, earning prominence and rising in the ranks of the Police Force with every bust. Achieving higher ranks unlocks new police only cars and more powerful pursuit tech."

The first batch of screenshots for the game were also released:

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Need for Speed Rivals Announced for Current and Next Gen Platforms - News

The Jon Favereau directed live action trailer for Bungie's next sci-fi epic has been released upon the world. The trailer reflects the core themes of Destiny, specifically reinforcing that teamwork will be key to success. Whilst undeniably epic, the trailer still fails to show us any actual gameplay. We can only assume that the gameplay reveal will come at Sony's E3 conference in a few weeks time. 

Check out the trailer, and let us know if you're excited for Destiny in the comments below. 

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Live Action Destiny Trailer Unveiled - News

Warner Bros. and Techland announced a new IP today. The game, called Dying Light, is a first person action survival horror title with a "portentous day-night cycle set in a vast open world". It's set for a 2014 release on the following platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Techland are perhaps best known for their work on the Dead Island franchise in recent years, and sure enough Dying Light looks remarkably similar in the following screenshots:

"During the day, players will traverse an expansive urban environment overrun by a vicious outbreak, scavenging the world for supplies and crafting weapons to defend against the growing infected population. At night, the hunter becomes the hunted, as the infected become aggressive and more dangerous. Most frightening are the predators which only appear after sundown. Players must use everything in their power to survive until the morning's first light."

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Dying Light Announced for Current and Next Gen Platforms - News

Housemarque, the independent development team behind Super Stardust HD for the PlayStation 3 and, more recently, Super Stardust Delta for the PlayStation Vita have announced that they're developing a spiritual successor to the franchise, exclusively for the PlayStation 4:

"We are super excited to be working on Sony’s next-gen hardware," said Housemarque’s CEO Ilari Kuittinen. “The platform’s performances are enabling us to do things that wouldn’t be possible otherwise and we truly believe that better technology can lead to better gameplay. The more tools and resources we have at our disposal, the better. Think of Super Stardust HD: at the time, PlayStation 3 gave us the opportunity to populate the game with thousands of interactive objects and implement the game’s famous ‘spherical gameplay’. Today, we can take advantage of the architecture of PlayStation 4 to create incredible visuals with direct impact on the way the new game feels."

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Spiritual Successor to Super Stardust set for PlayStation 4 - News

Atari is said to be selling off their game assets in an auction this July to help offset their bankruptcy losses. This move is coming after the company failed to find a buyer for its entire catalogue since filing for bankruptcy back in January.

The auction will be taking place over a span of 4 days in July, and comes after meetings broke down with 180 potential buyers. Atari says it received 15 offers, none of which were satisfactory. The company is hoping an auction format will enable them to yield maximum returns. 

Several of Atari's franchises have been confirmed to be up for sale. This list includes, but may not be limited to, Rollercoaster Tycoon (minimum asking bid of $3.5 million), Total Annihilation (minimum asking bid off $250,000), and Test Drive (minimum asking bid of $1.5 million).

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Atari Auctioning Off Assets in July - News

...Possibly. EA Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen spoke at the Stifel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, Media and Communications Conference yesterday and during his speech, he discussed EA's plans for the next generation consoles, during which he mentioned Nintendo:

"I'll let the consumers ultimately vote on PS versus Xbox. I think Nintendo's business was more [an] extension of their last console. We are building titles for the Nintendo consoles but not anywhere near as many as we are for PS or Xbox."

This appears to contradict EA spokesperson Jeff Brown, who stated last week that EA has no Wii U games in development. So which is it? Has EA given up on the Wii U, or will their unprecedented partnership with Nintendo continue to bear fruit? One thing is for sure - this week has given us plenty of evidence that it's a bad thing to not have the entire company on the same page.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - EA Might Be Developing Wii U Games After All - News

We've not heard much about Ryse since its reveal at E3 2011 for the Xbox 360, back when it was known as Codename Kingdoms. We still don't know much about it, but it has been confirmed as an Xbox One exclusive that is controller-based but 'enhanced by Kinect':

The countdown timer on the Ryse website hints at a full-blooded re-reveal at E3 2013.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Ryse Confirmed for Xbox One - News

Now that both Sony and Microsoft have officially announced their next generation consoles, it comes as no surprise that a number of third party titles are being confirmed for both platforms. Battlefield 4 is one such title. EA and Dice released a statement today saying that Battlefield 4 would be releasing on both new consoles this holiday season, as well as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC (unfortunately for Wii U owners, as we reported back in March, Battlefield 4 will not be releasing on Wii U)

Those who pre-order the game will be given the recently-announced Battlefield 4: China Rising DLC pack for free. The China Rising pack includes four new multiplayer maps, "all-new vehicles and high-tech military equipment".

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Battlefield 4 Confirmed for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One - News

Microsoft has suggested that a Rare property deemed as "historic" may make an appearance at this year's E3.

In a conversation with Polygon, Phil Spencer of Microsoft Studios stated that “fans of Rare and Rare IP I think will be pleased with what we're going to show at E3. We had a limited amount of time today and a lot of story to tell. But Rare remains an incredibly important part of our development capability. That historic IP that they've built I think can play a real important role on Xbox One."

Rare, once a lead developer for Nintendo consoles, was purchased by Microsoft in 2002. Since then several classic Rare franchises such as Perfect Dark and Banjo-Kazooie has appeared on the Xbox 360. Perhaps a new entry to one of those series is on the way.

Microsoft will hold their E3 press conference on Monday, June 10, at 9:30 AM PST.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Rare to Show Historic' Franchise for Xbox One at E3 - News

Information about the Xbox One continues to trickle in after its official unveiling earlier today. The constant stream of rumors stating that the next Xbox would require an always online connection appear to have been off-base, but according to Kotaku, the console will need to access the internet at least once every 24 hours (for singleplayer titles) and an undetermined amount of time for other features.

Microsoft vice president Phil Harrison spoke to Kotaku after the presentation and responded to their questions about the subject:

"There are many devices in your life that require the Internet to function," he said. "Xbox One is no different in that it requires, at some point in the beginning and at various times through its on state, to connect to our cloud and to our Internet. That is to deliver Xbox Live functionality, that is to deliver download content to you, that is to deliver some of the innovations around TV and entertainment that we showed today. But it doesn’t require it to be online all the time."

"For single-player games that don’t require connectivity to Xbox Live, you should be able to play those without interruption should your Internet connection go down. Blu-ray movies and other downloaded entertainment should be accessible when your Internet connection may be interrupted. But the device is fundamentally designed to be expanded and extended by the Internet as many devices are today."

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Xbox One Requires Internet Connection Every 24 Hours in Singleplayer - News

Information about the Xbox One continues to trickle in after its official unveiling earlier today. The constant stream of rumors stating that the next Xbox would require an always online connection appear to have been off-base, but according to Kotaku, the console will need to access the internet at least once every 24 hours (for singleplayer titles) and an undetermined amount of time for other features.

Microsoft vice president Phil Harrison spoke to Kotaku after the presentation and responded to their questions about the subject:

"There are many devices in your life that require the Internet to function," he said. "Xbox One is no different in that it requires, at some point in the beginning and at various times through its on state, to connect to our cloud and to our Internet. That is to deliver Xbox Live functionality, that is to deliver download content to you, that is to deliver some of the innovations around TV and entertainment that we showed today. But it doesn’t require it to be online all the time."

"For single-player games that don’t require connectivity to Xbox Live, you should be able to play those without interruption should your Internet connection go down. Blu-ray movies and other downloaded entertainment should be accessible when your Internet connection may be interrupted. But the device is fundamentally designed to be expanded and extended by the Internet as many devices are today."

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - [UPDATE] Xbox One Needs Internet Connection In Various Scenarios - News

Although lacking in game reveals, Microsoft's Xbox One announcement presentation was nonetheless host to a couple of game announcements. Phil Spencer took to the stage to announce that there were 15 exclusive titles in works that would be released in the first year of the console's life. Two of those were revealed then and there:

Forza 5, the latest entry in Turn 10 Studio's hit racing franchise was one of the two, and looks sets to be a launch title for the console.

The other was a brand new IP, called Quantum Break, which is being developed by Remedy (the team behind Alan Wake, for those who can't be bothered to Google).

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Forza 5 and Quantum Break Announced - News

Today's conference may not have been everything one could ask for, but it's important to remember that this was extremely close to Microsoft's E3 press conference so it makes sense that some things were left for that event in three weeks' time.  

One announcement that leads me to believe that Microsoft's E3 press conference could be one of the best is the announcement from Phil Spencer today that Microsoft Games Studios is hard at work on 15 exclusives which will be released for the newly announced Xbox One within its first year on the market.  Today's conference only showed two of those exclusives so we still have 13 games that Microsoft has to give more details on come E3.  Sure, these won't all be blockbusters, but it's a promising sign that the upcoming conference will be more games and less TV than today's.  

For reference, here's a link to all the studios in Microsoft Game Studios that these 15 exclusives will be coming from.  

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Xbox One to have 15 exclusives from Microsoft Game Studios - News

Among the announcements in Microsoft's Xbox One reveal was the creation of a new Halo TV series, headed by Stephen Spielberg. The show will be titled “Halo: The Television Series,” and appears to only be available for viewing on the Xbox One. Details of the series are scarce, but given the widely positive reception to the “Forward Unto Dawn” miniseries, fans have a lot to be excited about.  

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Live Action Halo TV Series with Spielberg Announced - News

Not mentioned at Microsoft's Xbox One presentation was the fate of used games. There had been much speculation whether Microsoft would cut used games out of the picture on their new console. Wired is reporting that they haven't, but there will be a fee.

Microsoft confirmed to Wired that all games will have a "pre-owned fee". The games themselves will be installed into the first Xbox One they are inserted into. The game will then be connected to the player's Xbox Live gamertag. When another player tries to put the disc into a different Xbox One, they will be required to pay the pre-owned fee in order to install the game onto their Xbox One. The fee amount has not been disclosed. Effectively, this means sharing games with your friends is now impossible to do without ponying up some extra cash.

Also briefly mentioned in the Wired article is that the Xbox One will not be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games, though purchased licenses for other content (such as movies and music) will transfer to Xbox One.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - [UPDATE] Xbox One Has "Pre-Owned Fee" For Used Games, No BC - News

Not mentioned at Microsoft's Xbox One presentation was the fate of used games. There had been much speculation whether Microsoft would cut used games out of the picture on their new console. Wired is reporting that they haven't, but there will be a fee.

Microsoft confirmed to Wired that all games will have a "pre-owned fee". The games themselves will be installed into the first Xbox One they are inserted into. The game will then be connected to the player's Xbox Live gamertag. When another player tries to put the disc into a different Xbox One, they will be required to pay the pre-owned fee in order to install the game onto their Xbox One. The fee amount has not been disclosed. Effectively, this means sharing games with your friends is now impossible to do without ponying up some extra cash.

Also briefly mentioned in the Wired article is that the Xbox One will not be backwards compatible with Xbox 360 games, though purchased licenses for other content (such as movies and music) will transfer to Xbox One.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Xbox One Has "Pre-Owned Fee" For Used Games, Not Backwards Compatible - News

It's a pleasant surprise to see Guilty Gear return. After all, it isn't too long ago that series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari expressed his concerns that the fanbase had gotten too old for games and stated a desire to focus on the new generation of gamers that BlazBlue was bringing in.

Well, clearly he realised that you're never too old to pull off an Instant Kill, because the series is making a return with Guilty Gear Xrd SIGN.

There's no word on what consoles it will be available on yet but, given how Arc System Works' other fighting series seems to favour the PlayStation 3, it's a good bet that it will appear on Sony's consoles.

There's similarly not much information about the roster. The trailer reveals that series protagonist Sol Badguy and his eternal rival, Ky Kiske, are present and correct, while Millia Rage makes a cameo later on, with her arch-enemy Eddie reflected in her eye at the very end.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Guilty Gear returns with Xrd SIGN - News

It was widely reported yesterday that veteran voice actor Kevin Conroy, who has been voicing Batman across various media including Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Batman: Arkham City, would be returning to the role of the Caped Crusader for this fall's Batman: Arkham Origins.

However, this appears to not be the case. Today, Warner Bros. revealed that Roger Craig Smith (best known for his performances as Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed  and Chris Redfield in Resident Evil) would be taking on the iconic role. Perhaps even more interesting, it was also announced that Troy Baker (Booker DeWitt in BioShock Infinite, Jake Muller in Resident Evil 6) will be portraying the Joker.

This announcement seems contradictory to Conroy's statements yesterday at Dallas Comic-Con that he was working on the "next Arkham game." So, which is it? Many speculate that Conroy will be portraying an older Batman (Arkham Origins is a prequel to the first two games in the series). It's also worth noting that Conroy never explicitly stated that he was working on Origins, just the "next Arkham game." Is it possible that Conroy just inadvertently revealed the existence of a future Batman: Arkham title?

In any case, it remains to be seen what Conroy's involvement will be in Arkham Origins. Conroy, who most recently portrayed Batman in last month's Injustice: Gods Among Us, is considered by most to be THE definitive Batman, so I'm sure he'll return to this series in some capacity.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Kevin Conroy Will NOT Return to Voice Batman in Arkham Origins - News

Nippon Ichi Software, the Japanese developer behind such titles as Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics, and the Disgaea series, have done a civic duty for their base of operations, the Gifu Prefecture of Japan. They announced that they have become the official sponsor of the local soccer team, F.C. Gifu.

Gooooal, dood!

F.C. Gifu finished 21st in J. League Division 2 this season, second to last, and currently sits in last place this season. The last place team at the end of the season will be relegated to Division 3. J. League Division 2 is the second of three divisions in the Japanese professional soccer system.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Nippon Ichi Sponsors Local Soccer Team - News

Gamers have tomorrow circled on their calendars, awaiting the reveal of the next generation of Xbox.  But Sony is also releasing a new console this year, called the PlayStation 4, and they don't want you to forget about that! So with the next Xbox presentation imminent, Sony released this little teaser video of what the PlayStation 4 will look like:

Well, sort of. It's safe to assume it will look nicer than a blurry black box. Oh, look at all those really quick shots of various parts of the console!

The PlayStation 4 will release this holiday season. Exact release dates and prices are not yet known.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - PlayStation 4 Teaser Video (Sort of) Shows Off the Console - News

If this E3 2013 promotional poster that leaked today is real then it looks like Resident Evil 7 is about to be announced:

Naturally, it's not much to go on at this stage, and VG 24/7, who are reporting on the supposed leak, are urging caution; after all, it's not that difficult for anyone to design a semi-decent promotional poster. Still, it wouldn't come as a great shock for Capcom to announce it at E3.

The last mainline numbered entry in the series, Resident Evil 6, released last October on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to a somewhat mixed reception.

This is an excerpt from the full story which was originally featured on gamrReview, read the full version here - Rumour: Resident Evil 7 Set for E3 Reveal - News