Batman: Arkham Origins multiplayer trailer

If you are a fan of Batman you are probably aware that later this year at October 25 the game Batman: Arkham Origins will be released. Unlike the first two Batman games the third one will be getting multiplayer content, as Warner Bros announced today with a few details and a trailer.

Splash Damage (from Brink and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars) is responsible for the multiplayer content, while Warner Bros is the developer for the single player content. While Brink was definitely not the hit the studio was waiting on, this looks pretty cool!

The trailer shows that there will be three different teams you can play as: The Joker thugs, the Bane thugs or a team that consists of Batman and Robin. This results in matches with a total of 8 players, with a 3 v 3 v 2 player base. It seems that the thug player will have to capture objectives and try to kill each other, while Batman and Robin seem to be using more stealth with drop-down kills and gadgets such as the batarang. The gameplay itself looks pretty brutal, with all teams having some sweet finishing moves and different kind of gadgets. The thug players will mainly be using all different kind of guns such as pistols, machine guns and even RPGs to kill their opponents, but some hand to hand combat is also shown in the trailer.

Multiplayer being added to single-player games seems rather popular lately, with both The Last of Us and Tomb Raider having multiplayer content, while they are both mainly single-player games. The Last of Us received positive feedback, while the multiplayer of Tomb Raider was a bit of a letdown to most people. The multiplayer of Arkham Origins looks pretty cool so far, so let’s hope that it will be fun addition to the single-player content.

Bioshock Infinite releases DLC and trailers

Today Irrational Games has finally released their first DLC for Bioshock Infinite, together with a trailer of the released DLC and a trailer for future DLC. You would expect everyone to be excited that the game finally has got the DLC that has been promised since the game’s release, but most people aren’t very pleased with todays released DLC.

Most fans of the Bioshock series were waiting on story DLC, but what they got today is a lot but it definitely isn’t a story. Clash in the Clouds, the name the DLC has been given, is a mode where the player will have to fight 15 waves of enemies and features four new maps where the player can slaughter using all the abilities that were in the original game. Sadly, this is not what most fans have been waiting on and it has received a lot of negative feedback on forums and in the YouTube comment section. The DLC can be downloaded now and costs $4.99 / £3.69 or 400 MS Points.

A trailer for the upcoming story DLC has been released today as well, and it has received a lot more positive feedback in comparison to the combat-aimed mode that was released today. Burial at Sea is a two-part campaign that holds a whole new story for both Elizabeth and Booker, and as the name of the DLC suggests you will be going back to Rapture, the underwater city that was the environment of both Bioshock 1 and 2. You will be playing in a city that is still filled with an ongoing society, but as the trailer suggests that is soon to come to an end. Oh, and you will be able to play with both Elizabeth and Booker and they should both have a very different playing style, maybe Elizabeth will be more stealth centered than Booker who is mainly shoot and destroy. Excited yet?

PlayStation 4 Q&A

Sony has released an official Q&A where they answer the ten most asked questions about the PlayStation 4 and below this post you can find the video, which will be the first Q&A of more to come.

One of the things a lot of people were eager to know is what would be possible without a PlayStation Plus subscription, and what was already known is that you will need a subscription to play online multiplayer. We now know that you can still use services such as Netflix or party chat if you don't own a subscription to PlayStation Plus, which is very pleasant for those that don't aim to use their console for online multiplayer gaming.

The video also shows that the new console will be a bit smaller than its original predecessor, the first 'fat' PlayStation 3. The new console will include a 500GB HDD and just like the PlayStation 3 this will be swappable with another HDD.

Just as the PlayStation 3 the new console will feature some way of 3D functionality in games, but more details will be released at a later time. It will still be able to play 3D Blu-Ray disks, which is a welcoming feature for those with a 3D TV. The PlayStation camera is also capable of filming 3D as well as it can generate AR content in your living room. The camera will also have four microphones built in for both in- and output audio, so you might be able to use it as a microphone for online play.

The following was to be expected but still a bit of a downer; you won't be able to use your DualShock 3 controllers on the PlayStation 4. This is pretty logical since the new DualShock 4 controller has a different layout and more buttons, as well as the motion sensor that can be used together with the PlayStation camera. Luckily PlayStation Vita owners will be able to use their handheld for most games on the console if the developer implements that feature into his game. Oh, and Move controllers will be compatible with the console as well.

Since the console also focuses on being a 'social console', you will now be able to add up to 2000 of your friends. It's a bit much, but at least you won't be running out of space in your friend list. But just check out the video below to hear all about the features of the PlayStation 4.

PS Vita as a PS4 controller

If you own both a PlayStation 4 and a PlayStation Vita that you will be able to use your Vita as a second controller for the PlayStation 4. This is a great addition if you own both devices, but there is a catch: the developer will have to implement this feature into the game themself, or it won’t work. Sony promises that this will almost be a mandatory requirement for the games on the PlayStation 4, so we are expecting it to be available within most titles for the console and definitely Sony’s own games. Since it depends on the developers, not every game will have this feature.Sony promises that nearly every PlayStation 4 title will have Remote-Play; this means you can use your Vita to play your PlayStation 4 games with your TV being turned off.

Since the layout of the DualShock 4 controller is different than the layout on the Vita, for example the lack of L3/R3 or L2/R2 buttons and I can also imagine it will be hard to use the Vita for games that need to use a camera in order for the game to work properly. Luckily the Vita has the rear touch pad, so it would be possible to assign the missing buttons on the backside of the handheld.

Let’s hope that this feature won’t be forgotten, it will be a nice addition to all the PlayStation Vita owners. Even if you don’t own a PlayStation 4 but you do own a Vita, you could bring your Vita over to a friend to use it as a controller on their console. It could become a very handy feature if it works out and developers don’t forget about it.

Cancelled: FEZ II & Phil Fish

After some internet drama taking place on Twitter, Phil Fish, the creator of FEZ, announced his departure from the gaming industry. This also resulted in the cancellation of the upcoming game FEZ II. There was a lot of guessing around why Fish has cancelled FEZ II, and one of the theories was because of the internet-argument with journalist Marcus Beer, who called Fish a hipster (and some words we shouldn't be mentioning) on a recent Gametrailers podcast. However, Fish clarified in two tweets that he did not cancel FEZ II because of that case, but he did it to get out of the gaming industry and that he is choosing not to put up with the abuse anymore.

On Polytron’s official website the following statement was posted:

After the post on the Polytron website, a tweet appeared on Polytron’s Twitter where they were apologizing for the disappointment. The internet has reacted with different opinions on the cancellation of FEZ II; some find it a shame while others couldn’t care less. But we will have to wait to see what the future holds for both FEZ and Phil Fish.

Assassin's Creed IV Gameplay video & more

Ubisoft has released a 13 minute gameplay video of the upcoming game Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. The game that will be released on October 29 features a new main protagonist, a whole new area and a different time setting. The game will be released on both current gen consoles as well as the next gen consoles.

The trailer shows us the main protagonist Edward Kenway in an earlier stage of the story. As we know from the Assassin’s Creed series it involves a lot of jumping and climbing around. Add a few targets that have to be eliminated, and you could say that is one of the main things you do in the series. The gameplay video shows us that the Black Flag is going to change that, with your ship called the Jackdaw becoming a very important part of the game since a large area of the game consists out of ocean.

The game will also feature over 75 uncharted locations, which are called playas. Every playa will have something valuable for Edward or for the Jackdaw, such as upgrades or new gear. These playas can also contain maps, which will allow you to do a small mission in order to get your reward. To move around across the ocean, you will be using the Jackdaw. To make the ocean feel alive, the ocean will have fish swimming around and when you are in a harpooning zone there is a chance that huge whales are jumping out of the water. But the ocean itself is also alive, as you can get stuck in a storm with the Jackdaw and you might have to dodge tornados that can tear your ship apart.

The game feels very much alive with a lot movement in the nature itself and the ocean as well. Just as in Assassin’s Creed III you will be using the natural environment together with buildings to maneuver through the game. The game looks both refreshing and promising as the gameplay video mainly looks like a pirate game, but that might be because the video takes place in an earlier part of the story where Edward hasn’t joined the Creed yet.

RuneScape 3: A New Beginning?

There is quite a big chance that you know the game, played it or that it even was your first MMO that you ever played. You might have guessed that I am talking about RuneScape, and today Jagex released a massive update for the game. If you can remember the switch from RuneScape 1 to RuneScape 2, you can compare the update to this scale.

The major noticeable change is the graphics, they have been polished and the game now is fully 3D. When you start the game you get to choose if you want to play the Java version or the new HTML5 version. The new graphics give the game a very fresh feel, especially for those that haven't played the game for quite a while. This also means Java isnt a requirement anymore and you can just play the game from any HTML5 compatible browser, no need to download anything else.

The world should also be more player driven, and will adapt to the players choices. This starts with the first event that is called The Battle of Lumbridge. Everything that happens in these player-events will be of influence on the game and the future lore.

And since it is so easy to try the game out, why not? You can still log-in with your old account or just simply connect your Facebook to RuneScape and you're ready to go. If you haven't played RuneScape for some years, the game will feel very different as a lot of the core mechanics in the game have changed such as combat. Just check out the trailer below and if you are amazed by what Jagex has managed to do with an in-browser game, you might want to give it a try!

Europe: PS+ August

It's that time of the month again: Playstation announced the games that will be free in August for Playstation Plus members. Everyone that has a subscription to PS+ gets access to five games, three of these are Playstation 3 games and two are Vita games. And just like the free games in July, it looks like August will be a pretty sweet month as well. But here is the list of games that will be free to download for all PS+ members.

Spec Ops: The Line
This is not your standard shooter, since first of all it's an over-the-shoulder third person shooter. The story takes place in the abandoned city of Dubai, which is a refreshing setting from a lot of other shooters and together with the immersive story it's a very interesting game!

Mafia II
Ready to get sucked into the world of organised crime? In Mafia II you are taking the role of Vito, a criminal that gets the chance to work his way up to the top and escape his old life. The game has an immersive world that is based on several real cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Although the game wasn't as popular as it's predecessor, you can always give it a shot.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

A decent street-racing game that could've been more. It still is fun to play, and it's easy to just play a few races. It might disappoint the fans of the NFS franchise, but it can be a fun play for those who just want to race around a bit in the open world.

Lego Lord of the Rings (PS Vita)

Get back to Middle Earth in this Vita game. You will play the whole story of Lord of the Rings filled with the goofy jokes that we know from the Lego games. Although this port certainly isn't as good as the console version, it's worth a try if you can enjoy these type of games. Otherwise it might be a huge letdown for you.

When Vikings Attack (PS Vita)

This cute game is fun and innovative. As your town suddenly is getting raided by Vikings, it is up to you to defend it. In this adventure-fighting game you will take the role of several local citizens such as a butcher or the pastor. And the fun doesn't end after you've finished the single-player. Lots of challenges that can be done and there always is multiplayer for even more fun!

Kinect 2 a gamechanger?

If something has received a lot of questioning and critism about the Xbox One, it is probably the Kinect. And let's just be honest, the PRISM scandal did not really help the Kinect, to put it gently. But that is not what this post will be about, it will be about the good things of the Kinect (yes, there are enough good things to write a post about.)

The main reason the Kinect is a good thing, is because it is bundled with every shipped Xbox One and this means that all the game-developers know that you got Kinect. In the end this leads to games that make full use of the Kinect, no longer will developers have to guess if it is worth to add Kinect features to their games since not that many people have a Kinect anyway. And with the new Kinect being a lot more power- and resourceful, I am sure the developers will find ways to amaze us!

For most games the power of the Kinect may lay in the simple things: natural movements and voice commands. When I am playing a game I rather keep my controller in both hands, I don't want to wave at the camera to make weird movements. If I have to move my body left or right to dodge a rocket or laserbeam that feels pretty natural, as far as laserbeams and rockets feel natural though. The voice commands might feel a bit silly since you will be basically talking to your console, but it can add a whole new dimension together with the natural movements.

When a new generation of consoles arrives, I expect some innovation. The Kinect is one of the interesting new features that the Xbox One has to offer. The original controller only has a certain amount of buttons we can use, and with the Kinect that can amount can be unlimited (fine, not unlimited - but a lot!). We should not stop the original controller from using and experiencing new experiences, and I think the Kinect can be a good experience if it is used right. We can only hope!

Surviving the Summer Sale

Finally the time has come and the Steam Summer Sale has started. Every year Valve has a massive sale on a lot of the games they sell, games such as Tomb Raider, The Witcher 2, Resident Evil 6 and many more. But with so many good games on sale, the temptation might be a little too much for you to not open your wallet and start spending like a maniac. So, to make sure you (and your wallet) survive the Steam Summer Sale here are some handy tips on choosing what games you are willing to spend your money on.

Write it down

Yes, you should just grab a pen or paper (okey, your keyboard will suffice as well) and just write down what games you really want to buy. Don't even look at what games are on sale, just think about the games you really want. This way you can focus on the games you really want and you won't immediately buy a bunch of games that seem 'fun'.

Budget up!

Unless you are a millionaire (do those people even wait on the Summer Sale?) you might want to set a limit to how much you are going to spend. You can easily add money to your Steam Wallet, and when you have spent everything in your Steam Wallet you just need the willpower not to add more money.

Patience

Every day there are new daily sales and flash sales every 8 hours. These games will go for an even cheaper price than during the Summer Sale. If you have made a list of the games you want to buy, you can wait till the end of the Summer Sale and then buy all these games. In the meanwhile you can check Steam every day to see if one of these games is the Daily Deal or a Flash Deal. It is an easy way to save even more money.

Don't be stupid

Already bought games in past Summer Sales? You should check your library and see how many of these games you have actually played. Don't buy things you will never play, just because they are so cheap. Buy games you are legitimately interested in and that you won't regret buying. 

World of Warcraft: Going Pay2Win?

Paying a monthly subscription for a game, and then also having the option to buy items with real money to boost your gameplay? Sounds a bit weird, but Blizzard is testing it with their MMO World of Warcraft with a potion called Enduring Elixer of Wisdom. This new item will boost the experience that players are granted by a 100%, and it is currently only available on the Private Test Realms.

On the World of Warcraft forums there are a lot of discussions going on about the whole thing. A lot of people are calling it unfair and unnecessary, while others think an experience boost won't bother other players anyway. Some players are afraid this is just the beginning of an in-game cash-shop, and they think it could lead to powerful paid boosts and purchasable armour.

A Gamemaster on the forums responded on the ongoing discussions with the following post: 'For players who are already interested in the in-game items we offer, such as Pet Store pets and mounts, the benefits of an in-game store are pretty clear. We think everyone would appreciate the convenience of being able to make such purchases without having to leave the game.' It does make sense, but we won't know what will eventually happen with the in-game store.

What we do know is that more and more people are quitting the game. Since the game primarily is making money with paid subscriptions, Blizzard is trying to find other ways to make sure profit is not going down. But only time can tell what will happen with these in-game items and what the future holds for the most popular MMO ever.

GTA V Trailer & More

A lot of people have been waiting and now Rockstar has finally released it: real gameplay footage from GTA V. The gameplay video shows a lot of new features and it went it into detail on a few things that we already knew.

A big change in GTA V is the fact that there are now three playable characters - Franklin, Trevor and Michael. Already known was that the player can switch between the characters almost at any time, and this adds a whole new experience to the game such as quickly swapping from close combat to sniper ranged combat. But not only the swapping is new, each of the three characters will have their own set of skills that should give a different feeling when playing the three different characters.

As the game always had more to offer than just a main storyline, in GTA V there will be a lot things to do when you are not doing missions. Next to the main missions, the video also hints that there will be side missions just like in other GTA games. I presume that each character will have their own side stories, and that these will go deeper into the background of the characters.

The video shows a lot of activities such as playing a game of tennis or golf, or doing some relaxing yoga. If these activities don't float your boat, don't worry since you can still drive fast cars, and the video also shows us a few seconds of hunting, diving and skydiving. Since this is the biggest world Rockstar has ever created (even bigger than three of their games together) there will be a lot of exploring to do, and if the world looks as good as the video shows I am sure that won't get boring quickly.

But what am I talking about, go watch the trailer and get hyped yourself!