Tag Archives: Warner Bros.

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 21.06.13

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PS4It’s Friday which, of course, means it is time for the games industry news round up.

Mark Cerny, the lead system architect on Sony’s PlayStation 4 console, will deliver the conference keynote at Develop in Brighton, which takes place at the city’s Hilton Metropole from 9-11 July 2013. Cerny’s keynote, Changing the Game: Developing into the Next Generation, will see the industry legend take delegates through the journey he has been on to bring the console to reality, looking at the lessons learnt from previous console generations, the future vision for PS4 and how embracing the Indie community will have a key role in fulfilling that vision. To find out more about the event, go to http://www.developconference.com/

Gamers competing via the Xbox Tournaments with Virgin Gaming app on Xbox 360, now have a new way to win cash and show off their gaming skills. With the new update, available today, players can now enter buy-in tournaments and head-to-head challenges using their own money. Since launching nearly two months ago, Virgin Gaming has awarded Xbox 360 gamers nearly $100,000 in cash prizes, while also allowing players to seamlessly browse, enter, challenge, play in and track tournaments for their favourite games directly from Xbox Live. Gamers that are not already using the app can register for an account at http://virgingaming.com/xbox and download the app from Xbox Live.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced LEGO Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey will be available for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita handheld systems in Europe on 21st June. A Nintendo DS version will follow this Autumn, as will a free-to-play online world, LEGO Legends of Chima Online. The new games all complement a line of branded products and TV content based on the LEGO Legends of Chima action packed world ruled by eight animal tribes that tells the classic story of good and evil, friendship and family.

Magic The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 will be releasing on Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC/Steam, PlayStation Network, iPad, and for the first time on Android tablets next week. As with previous years Wizards of the Coast are rolling out the release of the game over two days across the myriad of platforms. The game will be released on June 25 for iTunes, Google Play and Amazon App Store. The following day will see the release on PC, Xbox Live and PSN. Associate Community Manager Sean Gibbons gives the community a first look at the new Sealed Campaign and deck editor in the upcoming Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers, which you can enjoy here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEQVZf8qxYo

Finally, some good news for those of you who are looking forward to the new Thief game. You won’t have to buy a next generation console for the game. Eidios Montreal has confirmed that the game will also be coming to Xbox360 and PS3. No word yet on a WiiU release. Senior Producer Stephane Roy acknowledges that the developers “have to be smart” in transferring the demands of the software to consoles at the end of their life cycle – suggesting that the breadth of the world may be scaled down to accommodate present-day hardware.

Train2Game News: Batman Arkham Origins full trailer

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Batman Arkham OriginsThe full trailer has been released for Batman Arkham Origins following the little tease we received last week.

As regular readers probably know, I am a big Bat Fan so when I heard of the move to Warner Bros from Rocksteady I was cautious but hopeful. After watching this trailer, story wise, it seems my hope was well placed.

The trailer depicts the Cowled hero and his universe, from what I can tell, as good as the previous Arkham Games.

There is also a nice little nod to another DC character in the trailer that has got me wondering if the character will be in the game in any way.

The trailer also reveals that if you pre-order the game you will get to play as Deathstroke in the challenge mode for the game.

You can enjoy the gorgeously crafted trailer below:

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 10.05.13

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WolfensteinIt is the end of the week so it is the time for the Train2Game industry news round up.

Bethesda Softworks announced a new title, Wolfenstein: The New Order, an action-adventure shooter slated for release in Q4 2013. The game is being developed by MachineGames, a studio comprised of seasoned developers known for creating compelling, critically-acclaimed story-driven games. Wolfenstein has been widely credited for helping establish and popularise the first-person shooter genre, and Wolfenstein: The New Order is a reimagining of this franchise – offering players a gripping and dramatic experience. The official announcement trailer can be seen at GameSpot.com. The game will be released on PlayStation 3, Xbox360 and next generation consoles.

Another new game release, Maxis and Electronic Arts have announced that The Sims 4 is currently in development at The Sims Studio for release on PC and Mac in 2014. The Sims 4 celebrates the heart and soul of the Sims themselves, giving players a deeper connection with the most expressive, surprising and charming Sims ever in this single-player offline experience. The Sims 4 encourages players to personalize their world with new and intuitive tools while offering them the ability to effortlessly share their creativity with friends and fans. To stay up to date with the latest information you can visit www.thesims.com/thesims4

The Closed Beta phase for Infinite Crisis began on Wednesday. Select players chosen from the pool of registrants will get their first chance to dive into the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) PC game from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Turbine. You can still sign-up for the beta if you want to be part of the fun.

Until May 31, Pokémon Trainers across the country can look to the sky as not one, but two strains of the Mythical DNA Pokémon Deoxys make a rare return trip from outer space to players of both the Pokémon video games and official Trading Card Game (TCG). Players of Pokémon Black 2 or Pokémon White 2 can add Deoxys to their Pokédex in a special distribution event via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service, while TCG players and collectors can find the new Pokémon TCG: Black & White — Plasma Freeze expansion, which includes the powerful Deoxys-EX card, at retail stores nationwide.

Finally, Warner Bros. and NetherRealm have unleashed a trailer showing Batgirl pummeling the Joker. This is for the announcement that Batgirl will be the next DLC character for Injustice: Gods Among Us. While there are a lot of Batman characters in Injustice already, if they’re going to include another “Bat” character, it’s only fitting they include Batgirl. Batgirl is available to buy as a standalone character for 400 MS points and £3.99 on PSN. No release date has been announced yet. You can view Batgirls beating on the Man that crippled her in the following trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq719Rp17B8

Train2Game News: Batman: Arkham Origins details and screenshots

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Batman Arkham OriginsIn the new issue of Games Master magazine speak to WB Montreal, the studio behind the Arkham prequel. They discuss the approach to crafting a different Dark Knight and offers some insight into features that didn’t make the cut.

Warner has confirmed the Batman: Arkham Origins release date as October 25 for consoles and PC. There is also a few new screens from the game which can be seen in the gallery at the bottom of this article.

According to a recent report, Arkham Origins will have a multiplayer mode, making it the first in the series to include it.

Here are the new details as reported in Games Master:

  • Batman: Arkham Origins is the story behind “how the unrefined, rough-around-the-edges, early career Batman” becomes Dark Knight
  • Batman and Captain Gordon meet for the first time during the events of Arkham Origins
  • Senior producer Ben Mattes says there are elements to the story that they will never discuss before the game has shipped
  • Batman in Arkham Origins has the moves and the abilities, but hasn’t faced the challenges that shape him into the Batman we know. Arkham City Batman is described as Batman 5.0, while Arkham Origins Batman is 0.9.
  • It’s “year two” of Batman’s career, roughly speaking
  • WB Montreal has been given everything Rocksteady had, from engine tweaks to concept art.
  • It plays exactly like Arkham City
  • At one point the HUD included a storm indicator. Since Origins takes place during a snowstorm, it provided warning of incoming wind blasts. However, it negatively impacted the freeflow combat as “enemies stand around waiting for you to punch them” and “you’re swinging wildly because you don’t know where they are.” The feature was cut.
  • Another cut feature is the enemy quad-rotor drone which would patrol rooms in search of Bats. The drone “broke the richness of the predator room, which is in giving the player the power to play the way they want.”
  • Detective mode has been overhauled, as has the gadget upgrade progression tree.
  • Goons will be able to “take advantage of the verticality” of New Gotham
  • Legends of the Dark Knight was the “single most inspirational piece of media”
  • “Making Batman scary again is important”
  • WB Montreal believes it has made “the coolest version of Deathstroke. He’s a wonderful counterpart to Batman”
  • Northern Gotham is the area that became Arkham City, it is a mix of low-rent residential and industrial buildings. Referred to as the Brooklyn of Gotham.
  • New Gotham is described as the ‘Soho’ or ‘East Village’ of the city. It is a brand new, upmarket area, borderline financial zone of the city. Focus is tall buildings, catwalks and walkways here.
  • The GCPD is corrupt, so Gotham’s swat teams are out to get Batman too
  • No mention of Joker yet.
  • A ‘Most Wanted’ mechanic offers a selection of mini-campaign side-stories centered around other major villains.

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Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 26.04.13

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THQ logoIt is the end of the week which means it is time for the Train2Game industry news round up!

Nordic Games announced earlier this week that it was one of the successful bidders in THQ´s auction process, which ended on April 15. Nordic Games will acquire more than 150 intellectual properties for a purchasing price of USD 4.9 million spanned across PC, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony platforms. The company has acquired the rights to Darksiders, Red Faction, MX vs. ATV, Titan Quest, Supreme Commander, Frontlines, Stuntman, Juiced, Full Spectrum Warrior, Destroy All Humans and much more. I look forward to seeing what the developer does with their new products.

Annelid aficionados Mastertronic announced Worms Revolution Collection, the latest in anarchic action, will explode into stores on May 3rd for Xbox 360. Worms Revolution Collection, contains the latest OTT outing in the best-selling turn-based series, plus all three DLC packs and, as an added bonus, Worms 2 Armageddon and all five DLC packs all wrapped up in a mystery crate and sealed with a loving poke! You can enjoy the trailer, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPNMoUFw3_0&feature=youtu.be

Another game collection. You will be able to experience the complete Skyrim collection with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition, arriving in retail stores throughout Europe and Australia on June 7, 2013. The Legendary Edition will be available on Xbox 360 and PS3 for £39.99. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Legendary Edition includes the original critically-acclaimed game, official add-ons – Dawnguard, Hearthfire, and Dragonborn – and added features like combat cameras, mounted combat, Legendary difficulty mode for hardcore players, and Legendary skills – enabling you to master every perk and level up your skills infinitely.

Independent developer Wired Productions has confirmed plans to bring popular music creation software eJay to the touchscreen generation – despite not reaching its initial Kickstarter campaign target. As the campaign closed this morning, over £50,000 had been pledged – short of the hoped £150,000, but enough support to make Wired Productions more determined than ever to revive the program which inspired a generation of DJs. “It has been a hell of a ride,” explains Leo Zullo, managing director, Wired Productions, “but ultimately we fell short of our initial target. That said, it’s been an invaluable process. We’ve learnt loads about what the community wants and feel able to continue our journey towards a revived eJay with renewed confidence.

Finally, a bit of news for you Bat-fans, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games announced the release of LEGO Batman: DC Super Heroes for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, available now on the App Store. Delivering action-adventure gameplay to touchscreen devices, this latest caper is based on LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, the game which released to critical acclaim in June 2012 and was one of the best-selling videogames of the year.

Train2Game News: A visit to Special Effect

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Kirsty Payne from SpecialEffectI had the great pleasure of going to visit SpecialEffect at its headquarters in Oxford on Wednesday. The charity held a get together to thank supporters for their work during the Art Charity Auction back in December.

As I arrived at the building I was struck by how incredible it looked. I drove up a long road, flanked by trees all the way up to a Manor building where SpecialEffect is housed. I parked around the back and entered the easily accessible building where I was met by Hannah Whittaker, who works at SpeciaEffect.

As I entered the office I was greeted by Gavin Tan, who is a developer for the charity. I chatted with Gavin for a bit about games, that is the reason we are in this industry, and he then showed me some of the controllers they use to help disabled people to be able to play games.

The first controller I tried was the “EyeGaze”. This is a device which tracks your eye movements and lets you do all the things you want on a computer using nothing but your eye movement. Following a quick calibration I got to play racing game, Dirt. To control the vehicle you moved your eyes to the top of the screen to go faster, to the bottom of the screen to brake and reverse and direct your eyes left or right to turn. I am normally terrible at racing games but using the EyeGaze I managed an average time which pleased me!

Following on from the EyeGaze I got to experience voice activated controls in Street Fighter. A control was set up which is used for movement and can be controlled by your chin with a sensitive microphone for the voice commands. The commands were simple like “Punch” for an uppercut, “Kick” for a spinning kick and “Move” to do a Hadouken.

Seeing and experiencing these controllers for myself really showed me how helpful these can be for people trying to get back in to gaming and back playing games on a level playing field. It truly is an amazing thing that the people at SpecialEffect do.

Over the next half an hour several games industry people turned up to the office for the event. There were people there from Sega, Warner Bros, and Take-two. Once everyone had arrived it was time for the main event.

Everyone was welcomed to the event by Kirsty Payne, a Vice President of SpecialEffect, who can be seen in the picture above. She gave a quick run down of the event in December. The art auction featured games art from across the industry and was held at the London City Hall and was visited by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. The auction managed to raise over £30,000!

The floor was then given over to Dr Mick Donegan, founder of SpecialEffect, who showed where the money will be going and who is being helped.

After the presentation SpecialEffect offered us drink and food. It was lovely just being able to talk with some of the games industry people who do so much for our industry and hearing their opinions on the games industry at the moment.

It was an incredible day and I will continue to do what I can for this amazing Charity! I will leave you with this amazing video of a young man called Alex who has been able to play games again and has used Special Effects help to be able to become a Train2Game student!

Enjoy!

Train2Game News: Games Industry News – 19.04.13

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Connor AdamsIt is the end of the week so it is time for the Train2Game end of week round up!

The first bit of news this weeks come with the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us, the new DC Universe fighting game. Train2Game student Connor Adams did some of the concept art for the game at the company he works at Atomhawk in Newcastle. Congratulations Connor! You can view some of his art work, which I highly suggest, in the following link: http://crayonmechanic.deviantart.com/

The Pokémon Company International recently revealed a mysterious new Pokémon that looks strangely familiar to Legendary Pokémon Mewtwo. Nintendo have now confirmed that this new Pokémon is connect to Mewtwo! How this connection will play out when Pokémon X and Pokémon Y launch in October is still to be confirmed. You can enjoy a short clip, that makes the connection clear, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tSVBVQzNMg&feature=player_embedded

Bethesda have recently uploaded a couple of six second long clips to the video sharing site, Vine. These little teaser clips had the internet buzzing about what could be coming. It has now been announced that it is the new game from Resident Evil creator, Shinji Mikami. Mikami’s studio Tango Gameworks will reveal ‘project Zwei’ via a debut trailer set for release at 5:00 a.m. Pacific / 8:00 a.m Eastern. Mikami has previously described Zwei as “a true survival horror” in which the player “confronts and overcomes fear”. Mikami has also said this will be his last game as director.

Activision social media manager Dan Amrich has said he expects 2013’s entry in the Call of Duty series, which is most likely going to be Modern Warfare 4, to be revealed no later than E3 in early June. Amrich noted that the last two Call of Duty games were revealed in May 2011 and May 2012. It has been rumoured that Microsoft are revealing their next Xbox on May 21 so it is likely the new COD will be announced around the same time.

Finally, Microsoft reports that Xbox Live now has around 46 million members worldwide. This, is according to the firm’s Earnings Release for FY13 Q3. It represents an 18 per cent increase from the prior year period. Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division posted revenue of $2.53 billion, an increase of 56 per cent from the prior year period. Microsoft sold 1.3 million Xbox 360s during the quarter, which is down 9 percent from the same period but it is still impressive that so many consoles are still being sold, even at the end of this generations cycle.

Train2Game News: Injustice: Gods Among Us Heroes

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With the release of Injustice: Gods Among Us, Warner Bros and DC Comics have released a couple of infographics to make sure you know the characters in the DC Universe.

First up is a collection of all the Heroes in the DCUDC Heroes

 

Train2Game News: New Batman Arkham game announced

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Batman Arkham OriginsGood news for Train2Game Bat-Fans! WB Games have announced the next game in the Batman Arkham Universe.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today announced Batman: Arkham Origins and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, the next instalments of the blockbuster Batman: Arkham videogame franchise. Batman: Arkham Origins will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 system, the Wii U system, and Windows PC.  Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will be available for the Nintendo 3DS handheld system, and PlayStation Vita handheld entertainment system.  Both titles are scheduled to release worldwide 25 October, 2013.

Developed by WB Games Montréal, Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline set several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, the first two critically acclaimed games of the franchise.  Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous criminals, the game showcases a young and unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, players will meet many important characters for the first time and forge key relationships.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate is a 2.5-D game developed by Armature Studio that brings the Batman Arkham experience for the first time to Nintendo and Sony handheld systems.  A companion game to Batman: Arkham Origins, players can continue the storyline of the console version and discover more details of the Dark Knight’s past.

“Batman: Arkham is a huge triple-A videogame franchise and we are delighted to expand the experience with Batman: Arkham Origins,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.  “WB Games Montréal has an incredibly talented team building upon Rocksteady’s award-winning gameplay and technology to deliver a deep, immersive, quality experience fans will love.”

“WB Games Montréal is honoured to have the opportunity to create Batman: Arkham Origins, a new chapter in this amazing franchise” said Reid Schneider, Vice President and Executive Producer, WB Games Montréal.  “We are huge fans of the franchise and are committed to creating an experience that offers players more of what they love, as well as the chance to play as a younger Batman within a fresh storyline and expanded world.”

Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamorigins.com for more information about the game.