Steam starts dropping Mysterious Cards, likely pointing to incoming Summer Sale
Steam cares not for your E3, mortals. Steam cares only for financial supplication. Like a vengeful, twisted god, it can only be sated by the monetary sacrifice of PC gamers. This fervent display is none more evident than during their sale events—in which we cheer, shriek, and commit terrible acts of economic undoing, all in the name of placating an indifferent grey distribution network. It's a pretty good time.
So when's the next one happening? All signs point to 'soon'. The latest hint comes in the form of set of Mysterious Cards that have appeared on the Steam Marketplace. No, really. In addition to being mysterious cards, they're also called Mysterious Cards. Given Steam's predilection for running strange events during their biggest sales, it's a strong sign that the discounts will soon be flowing.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare preview: can laser rifles and stealth mines refresh the CoD formula?
Call of Duty has a laser gun. And a jetpack (okay, okay: jump-pack. Semantics.). And grenades that you don’t have to throw. And a cloaking device. And a landmine that cancels sound? Activision toured me through this new futuretech after inviting me to watch more than 30 minutes of Advanced Warfare that wasn’t shown at Microsoft’s E3 press conference earlier this week.
First: a recap on Advanced Warfare if you haven’t been following along. It’s developed by Sledgehammer Games, a relatively new Activision studio that contributed to Modern Warfare 3. It has the distinction, among Call of Duty games, of being developed over a three-year period. It’s set in 2085 in America and other parts of the world, with a focus on (you guessed it) warfare with hovertanks, drones, and high-technology based on Sledgehammer’s real-world research and imagination. Its campaign has a single protagonist, it’ll be out in November, and Activision is saying absolutely nothing about multiplayer yet.
Tales from the Borderlands preview: Telltale's storytelling is worth a return trip to Pandora
Borderlands' Pandora is a weird place, filled with slag-spewing skags, cyborg ninjas, sarcastic robots and psychotic midgets. After watching the first 30 minutes of Telltale Games' next series Tales from the Borderlands in an E3 demo, I think Pandora's about to get even weirder. But not because Telltale is introducing an alien zoo of new creatures—rather, because the combination of Telltale storytelling and Gearbox insanity is 100% as bizarre as everyone thought it would be.
Hot Rods And Vroom Sticks: Project CARS
By Adam Smith on June 11th, 2014 at 6:00 pm.
Project CARS may not have the open America and sightseeing adventures of The Crew, but it’s a supremely attractive game. With a variety of motorsports and historic goals, the game sees your driver attempting to take a place in the hall of fame. To do that, you’ll have to drive really really really really fast. Make sure not to crash as well, I guess, but definitely concentrate on going fast. I’ve analysed the E3 trailer, which arrives with a reiteration of the November release window, and you’ll find a complete breakdown below.
Princess Metroidononoke: Ori And The Blind Forest
By Alice O'Connor on June 11th, 2014 at 4:00 pm.
Do you struggle to form tears within your eyes and release them from your body to express sorrow, joy, or other related emotions? Good news! A video game may help you. Moon Studios’ Metroidvania-y platformer Ori and the Blind Forest “is going to be one of those games that might make you cry,” publishers Microsoft say, “we can feel that much already.” Big deal; people cry at the John Lewis Christmas advert. Join in the chant: no more tears! No more tears!
The game does look jolly nice though, with a little forest spirit leaping about verdant glades. As well as Metroid and Castlevania and all those, it’s looking to Princess Mononoke and perhaps Rayman Legends and My Neighbor Totoro as influences.
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