Train2Game News Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate Review

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Batman AO BlackgateWarner Brothers allowed me to review the Xbox 360 version of Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate: Deluxe Edition.

As some of you may know this was the game that was originally released for the PlayStation Vita alongside the main release of Batman Arkham Origins, developed by Warner Brothers. Instead of the 3D open world adventure it’s big brother is this is what is known as 2.5d adventure.

This game started off feeling like a rail shooter Batman which wasn’t a bad choice as the combat was simplified but engaging and the art style in the cut scenes was very apt with it’s comic book feel. The problem came a bit further in to the game where the game tried to be open in a linear world.

It was the cause of much frustration having to go all the way to one area to discover you didn’t have the right gadget or keycard to progress and having to then walk to a different part of the map to retrieve the needed item. A lot of the game just felt like I was walking around the different zones and getting lost through the map laid out in a confusing manner.

The boss fights and some of the puzzle rooms when you eventually get to them are fun and in a good Dark Knight style though and are almost worth the amount of confused wandering.

My overall conclusion for Arkham Origins Blackgate is that if you have a PSVita certainly give it a try but if you want to play a Batman game on a home console or PC stick with any of the current Arkham games in the series.

Train2Game News Trials Frontier hit huge sales mark

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Trials FrontierUbisoft announced that Trials Frontier, one week after its release, has been downloaded more than 6 million times. The free-to-play mobile title from RedLynx, part of the best-selling and award-winning Trials series, launched on April 10 only on the App Store.

Trials Frontier is currently the number one free app on the App Store in 75 countries and   has been reviewed by more than 10,000 players who have rated the game an average of 4.6 stars.

“We are thrilled with the success Trials Frontier has had in its first week of launch,” said Jean-Michel Detoc, Managing Director of Ubisoft Mobile. “Trials Frontier has the most first week downloads of any Ubisoft mobile title to date, and the thousands of players reviews we received are amazingly positive, an achievement Redlynx and Ubisoft are proud to announce. In order to keep players engaged, we have a robust post-launch content plan including new bikes and multiplayer modes that will allow players to continue exploring and enjoying the world of Trails Frontier.”

Trials Frontier transports players to the distant future where they find themselves the newcomer in a run-down town desperate for a hero. Players practice their skills, learning how to race, flip and cruise through tracks as they earn new gear for their bikes and complete missions for the townsfolk in order to prepare for a face-off with the town villain, Butch. As players progress through the game they unlock new maps, tracks, bikes and fine-tune their racing skills.

Trials Frontier will receive regular post-launch updates that include new bikes, missions and the introduction of infinite multiplayer brawls to keep players competing and racing on the newest bikes. Stay connected with friends through time challenges, leaderboard sharing capabilities and social network integration to prove who has the fastest time.

Players can connect with Trials Fusion, available on consoles since April 16 and coming out on April 24 on Windows PC, to gain access to bonus rider gear and see what some of the tracks looked like in their prime.

Train2Game News Humble Bundle supporting SpecialEffect

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SpecialEffectThis weeks Humble Bundle sale is supporting the great team at SpecialEffect to help advance the great work they do.

This sale is brought to you by Devolver Digital, purveyors of fine digital entertainment wares such as Broforce and Hotline Miami! Each title has been hand selected by the Devolver team as games outside of their roster, save for Dungeon Hearts and Foul Play, that they enjoy playing and want other folks to check out! Pay what you want to enjoy the fast-paced, strategic action-puzzler, Dungeon Hearts, the quirky Western action adventure game, The Real Texas, and a retro-inspired album of games, Cryptic Sea EP.

If you’re feeling generous, pay $6 or more to also receive side-scrolling brawler, Foul Play, get in on the randomly-generated, action RPG beat-’em-up, Legend of Dungeon, and the claustrophobic quick-reflex game, KRUNCH Digital Collector’s Edition. Paying $10 or more will get you all of the titles above plus fast-paced, “rogue-lite,” bullet-hell Tower of Guns.

These games seperately would cost you just under $100 but with the humble bundle paying $10 will get you the lot.

You can purchase the bundle by visiting https://www.humblebundle.com/weekly

The money raised will go to SpecialEffect to helping them with cases like Rob who you can view in the heart warming video below.

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 22.04.14

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TitanfallYet another quiet week in the charts this week with Titanfall holding the top spot with new entry 2014 FIFA world cup Brazil. Further down the charts Ubisofts new Trials Fusion breaches the top ten at number seven.

All formats
Week ending 19 April 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 – TITANFALL EA GAMES 1
2 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP BRAZIL EA SPORTS –
3 LEGO THE HOBBIT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 2
4 FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 3
5 – CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 5
6 SOUTH PARK: THE STICK OF TRUTH UBISOFT 4
7 TRIALS FUSION UBISOFT –
8 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 6
9 THE LEGO MOVIE VIDEOGAME WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 7
10 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES: GARDEN WARFARE EA GAMES 8
11 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 9
12 – BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 12
13 THIEF SQUARE ENIX 11
14 GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 15
15 INFAMOUS: SECOND SON SONY COMPUTER ENT. 13
16 METAL GEAR SOLID V: GROUND ZEROES KONAMI 10
17 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 16
18 DARK SOULS II BANDAI NAMCO GAMES 17
19 KINECT SPORTS: RIVALS MICROSOFT 14
20 FINAL FANTASY XIV: A REALM REBORN SQUARE ENIX –
< previous week

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2014 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News Watch Dogs sequel book

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Watch_Dogs_Dark_Clouds-EBOOK_CoverUbisoft announced the ebook Watch_Dogs  //n/Dark Clouds, inspired by the highly anticipated video game Watch Dogs.

Authored by John Shirley, the ebook is a direct sequel to the events of the game and will allow fans to further explore the world of Watch Dogs with an all new story. The ebook is a first for Ubisoft, as it was conceived inhouse and will be released exclusively via digital channels.

John Shirley, prolific author of over 30 books and short stories such as A Song Called Youth, is a known figure in the hacker community and is a pioneer of the cyberpunk movement, and therefore is a natural fit to author the Watch Dogs ebook. Having unprecedented access to our Montreal studio dev team and writers, he has recreated the atmosphere of Watch Dogs, into his thriller, that combines high-tech crimes with both new and known characters.

“Working on Watch Dogs was enormously interesting to me because its world offers the convergence of cyberpunk and the edgy tech reality of our times; it all plays out with action and energy against the inner city backdrop that I thrive in” said John Shirley. “With hack tech in one hand and gun in the other, Aiden Pearce is a believable fusion of hacker and action hero who deliberately slips between the cracks of society to relentlessly pursue his agenda. The novel introduces Mick Wolfe, an ex-military, who get caught in a dangerous game in Chicago’s hyper connected and violent underground. Working with Thomas Geffroyd and Kevin Shortt at Ubisoft to develop the book was a rocking experience – Ubisoft is right out there on the frontier of videogame development. I couldn’t ask for more inspiration”.

Watch_Dogs //n/Dark Clouds will be available in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish at game’s release on May 27, 2014. It will be available in two digital formats: an upgraded e-book version with interactive elements including videos and image and a classic e-book. For more information, click here www.watchdogs.com/ebook.

Train2Game News Maya LT 2015 on Steam

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Maya LT 2015Maya LT 2015 will be made available through Steam, Autodesk has announced. The feature set will allow Valve’s community of 65m gamers – as well as the developers and artists among them – use the animation and modelling tools to create 3D game assets.

These can then be used to personalise games and import user-created assets into compatible Steam titles, such as the hugely popular Dota 2. Assets created can also be used in any games users are developing.

Purchasing Maya LT through Steam will also give developers and gamers a full commercial Maya LT licence, allowing them to export any assets create with the tool to games for PC, console and mobile.

The licence will available to purchase through Steam on Tuesday, April 22nd.

“The Valve community is unique because it includes a very engaged mix of both gamers and developers working together to mod titles and generate content,” said Autodesk’s director of games solutions Frank Delise.

“We’re engaging with the community on day one by participating in forums, answering questions and offering custom tutorial content for Dota 2 fans. We can’t wait to try new things with the community and see how they push Maya LT to its limit and beyond.”

Train2Game News PlayStation 4 hits huge landmark

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PS4PlayStation 4 has passed seven million units sold worldwide as of April 6th, Sony has confirmed today. Sony’s console is outselling Microsoft’s Xbox One by more than a third.

Microsoft said earlier this year that its console has been selling more quickly than the Xbox 360 and original Xbox when they debuted, but has admitted that it needs to be in more markets. The console will be coming to 26 more countries in September.

The Xbox maker last gave firm sales figures of 3.9 million in January, but with the March release of Titanfall MCV reported a sales spike of 96 per cent.

“The response from the global gaming community for PS4 has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice,” said SCEI president and group CEO Andrew House.

“The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, and surpassing the wildest expectations of gamers by delivering new user experiences that inspire and engage.”

For PS4 owners, of more interest than sales figures will be the 1.70 firmware update that’s coming to consoles next week. Sony said includes a new video editing tool called ShareFactory. The app will allow users to more easily edit their recorded footage, adding transitions, commentary and custom soundtracks.

The update will also let users automatically download games they’ve pre-ordered, a feature that may help relieve server crashes on game launch days.

Train2Game News Stand Up For GamesAid success

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Imran YusufFor the second year running, Stand Up for GamesAid has played host to a completely sold out house at London’s Comedy Store.

GamesAid Patron and emcee for the Monday night event, Imran Yusuf, pulled together a stellar line up of comic talent, all of whom donated their time and talent for free. Although the evening is all about laughs, Stand Up for GamesAid has now become a serious event on the GamesAid calendar  – selling out for two years running, and raising over £9000 this year.

“On behalf of GamesAid and all the charities we support I’d like to offer our heartfelt thanks the amazing performers who made the night so successful” said Imran. “To Susan Calman, Kev Orkian, Ola, Paul Thorne, Holly Walsh, Jarred Christmas, Paul Tonkinson I take my hat off to you all for a top evening’s entertainment!” He went on to add: “Kudos should go to Ellie Gibson, Eurogamer’s Associate Features Editor, who made her debut at the Comedy Store to a fantastic reception from the packed crowd.”

Fundraising efforts were greatly supported by the event’s sponsors – PlayStation UK who signed up to take the role of Premium Event and Exclusive Bar Partner and Bossa Studios who were Event Partner.

Imran Yusuf, thanked both sponsors and added “it’s important to remember that GamesAid is manned wholly by volunteers with all monies raised ploughed back into the charities for the benefit of the kids and young people that they support. As a result, sponsorship is a serious matter on a night of comedy, as it hugely helps GamesAid’s ability to raise more funds.”

GamesAid is a UK-based video games charity which acts as an umbrella to support a number of smaller charities who help disadvantaged and disabled children and young people. It is wholly run by volunteers.

Imran Yusuf and the GamesAid volunteers are now planning a similar event in Manchester’s Comedy Store this autumn, taking the Stand Up tour to a brand new audience.  Further details and line-up will be confirmed closer to the time.

Train2Game News Student Studios work together

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image

Two Train2Game student studios have worked together for a mutually beneficial project.

The student studios studying with Train2Game have joined forces to release game Two Souls on free to play 3D gaming website: Gamonaut. A Lite version of the game developed by Derp Studios is exclusively available on Icey Monty’s popular gaming website.

The partnership has come together as both studios won a Swan PR Train2Game competition to gain free PR for a month.

Gamonaut developed by Icey Monty has around 1/2million plays on its site to date and its numbers are rapidly growing. Two Souls is one of Derp Studio’s many popular gaming releases, the full version of the game is now available to buy on Android and Windows 8 mobile, with planned release on iOS in the near future.

Nick Walker, Director, Icey Monty, said: “Two Souls has an original mechanic that makes it challenging and gives players a new experience. It’s perfect for the web and mobile markets. Derp has been brilliant, both in terms of getting the game ready and with the teams enthusiasm for the cooperation. We’re excited about giving Two Souls more outreach, and that ends up being mutually beneficial.”

Christopher Ledger, CEO, Derp Studios: “With John and Nick’s experience with building web games combined with our knowledge of games, I think we can cover a lot of audiences on both PC and mobile.  We’ve made a totally exclusive version of Two Souls for Gamonaut, dedicated to players using the keyboard. The levels are unique, so when players buy the game on mobile they will have fresh new content.”

These two joining forces is an excellent example of Train2Game students supporting one another to further their careers.

Two Souls is now available Available on Android
Pro:  Here
Lite:  Here

Available now on Windows PHONE 8:
Pro:  Here
Lite:  Here

Train2Game News: Magic The Gathering 2015

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Magic 2015The time has come for gamers to Hunt Bigger Game. Wizards of the Coast today announced Magic 2015—Duels of the Planeswalkers, the latest installment for the popular Duels of the Planeswalkers franchise and the first version to release on the new next-generation gaming console, Xbox One.

Starting this summer, Magic 2015 will put players at the centre of the action as the deadliest hunter in the Magic Multiverse, Garruk Wildspeaker, shifts his hunter’s instinct away from beasts of the wild to the ultimate quarry—you!

Magic 2015—Duels of the Planeswalkers will take the game to a whole new level, deeply engaging fans like never before. With new features including the ability to build customised decks, new booster packs with premium downloadable content, and an even more robust deck builder, players will take on their fiercest opponents culminating in the ultimate battle against Garruk.

Magic 2015 will offer gamers the perfect way to start playing the world’s best strategy trading card game priming them for even more action with the upcoming Magic 2015 Core Set. In addition to the Xbox One, Magic 2015 will be also be available on Xbox Live Arcade, iPad via the App Store, PC via Steam, Android via GooglePlay, and Kindle via Amazon Marketplace.

You can enjoy the teaser trailer for the game below: