E3 2015: Fallout 4 Details and Release Date

After the teaser trailer was released a couple weeks ago, gamers have been chomping at the bits for the Bethesda panel at this year’s E3 conference. After last night’s panel, we were blown away with details about the upcoming game – including a November 10th release date. If you have some time to kill and would like to watch Besethda’s entire E3 spiel (which includes news about Fallout 4, a new DOOM game, and more), click here. Otherwise, let us walk you through the specifics:

Character Creation:

• After Funko! revealed to be releasing a line of Fallout Funko Pop! toys (out next month!), pictures showed a male and female Lone Wanderer. This got gears working in fans that maybe there would be a choice to choose the gender of your protagonist. This is confirmed.
• You will be able to choose not only the gender of your hero, but completely customize the way they both looks (features, ethnicity, etc); even the protagonists’ offspring will share its parents’ traits.

Story background

• We already knew Fallout 4 would take place in a time leading up to the Nuclear Winter, but now we know that the Lone Wanderer’s journey starts 200 years after the fallout. That’s, uh… quite a bit of time. Somehow, Vault 111 has preserved the family for two centuries. This should make for some heavily evolved creatures and colonies.
• The player is no longer stuck in long, stupid conversations. Dynamic conversation means you can walk away, interrupt or shoot the other NPCs in the face.

Gameplay Performance/Visuals

• The game will be run on the all-new Creation Engine, their “most dynamic engine ever.” Hopefully that means no more crashes. It features “full physical-based rendering and dynamic volumetric lighting.”
• Your pet dog companion will now be fully-immersed in your adventure. You can point to various things on the map and have him interact with them, from fetching Nuka Colas out of the fridge (I made that up, but it sounds plausible) to picking out enemies for him to engage.
• It looks like you can now throw flares to alert a ship that will take you around the city, acting as fast travel (that might special to that mission, but fast travel is almost necessary in these enormously-built worlds.
• Jetpacks… Yes, heavy duty armor with jetpacks. You can choose from a variety of outfit, meaning you won’t be the dweeb running around in a Vault-Tec jumpsuit.
• One of the signature weapons will be a Laser Musket. Steampunk fans, eat your hearts out. It cranks, then fires a devastating laser shot.

Fallout: Shelter

• This touch-screen game has been in the works since Fallout 3 came out. It will be available for iOS and Android. You get to create your own vault, and be the Overseer of that Vault.
• Your Vault dwellers will go out into the Wasteland, and bring back detailed reports of what they did. The Vault can be attacked by Raiders, or Rad-roaches can infest an area. As Overseer, you have to contain the issues, and train the dwellers to raise certain attributes, just like you would the Lone Wanderer in the console games.
• The game draws inspirations of games like: XCOM, The Sims, Progress Quest. It’s free, with no necessary internet connection, or timed releases (lookin at you, Simpsons Tapped Out). Oh… and it’s available NOW on iOS. Talk about instant gratification.

The Little Things

• The Pip-Boy comes with mini-games. The couple I noticed were: Red Menace (kinda like Donkey Kong) and Atomic Command (Missile Command-inspired)
• V.A.T.S. is back, duh, and it looks better than ever. However, the monsters seem to have special animations to kill you with, too – like the Deathclaws and Bloodbug have in the video below.
• Gamers will now be able to build their own homestead with scraps they find out on their adventure. After enough upgrades, people will begin settling, offering new trade items and allowing users to build infrastructure. This will make for better defense to keep out Raiders.
• Building goes a step further when players find blueprints to build certain weapons and add-ons, much like Dead Rising but more detailed. Now, all those miscellaneous items you find throughout your campaign finally will have purpose. Besethda promises over 50 base weapons, and over 700 modifications for those weapons; the same process goes for power armor.
• Lucky us, console players! Besethda has released that both XBO and PS4 owners will have the ability to “mod” the game, which has been a huge source of enjoyment for both Fallout 3 and GTA V players on the PC.

Release Date Info

• The game will be released on 11/10/15 for PS4, X-Box One, and PC.
• The Collector’s Edition, bear with me now, will have… A MOTHER F*CKIN PIP-BOY. That’s right, you can hook your iPhone or Android into this baby, and BAM!, working Pip-Boy. This edition cames out Day 1 and is only $120. It also comes with a steelbook, poster, manual for said Pip-Boy, and I’m sure some kind of bullshit DLC. Chances are that shit is gonna sell out faster than a Deathclaw can rip off your face, so Pre-Order it, like… meow… annnnd it’s sold out.
• Even if you don’t have a Pipy-Boy, Besethda has designed an app to supplement your experience in the game, likely showing you stats and progress on your smartphone. I can’t wait to see how many grown men will be in their basement, playing Fallout 4 with their Pip-Boy models.

 

Fallout 4 Trailer Debuts

Let’s face it – the video game world has been kind of boring. With nothing to look forward to other than Arkham Knight this month, I was feeling kind of bleh about the upcoming E3, but thanks to Besthesda, Fallout4.com treated us with a countdown to the new trailer for the much anticipated succession to the post-apocalyptic franchise would leak today. One sleepless night thinking about Deathclaws, Radroaches and Pipboys, and here it is.

The Fallout series has redefined the open-world FPS genre with each installation, and was the reason behind many late nights of murder, mayhem, and debauchery. Guiding the nuclear wasteland, your character is faced with not only the challenge of survival against scavengers, mutated people and irradiated animals, but whose progression depended on the style of play. In-game characters remember decisions that the player makes throughout the campaign, and will react accordingly. Are you a negotiator or do you take what you want by force? Do you help those in need or take advantage of their misfortunes? And where do your loyalties lie in the campaign?

The latest iteration of the series, Fallout: New Vegas, debuted five years ago and was much more of a Wild West kind of theme than the series is used to. The game itself was a HUGE campaign with multiple endings/paths to take and countless side missions to complete. That is, however, if you could play the game long enough to keep from over-loading and crashing, or glitching to the point of not being able to play it. Still, by and large, the Fallout series is one of the most fun to play and immersive game franchises on the market; hopefully, with the power of current gen systems, Fallout 4 won’t be a broken game.

Fallout 4 takes place in what seems to be a time period much closer to the nuclear winter that creates the franchises’ time period in the first place. We get a bunch of back and forth between the current wasteland and what is was like all the way up until the blast. Hopefully we’ll get to see some significant building of how to end times came to be. As far as continuity, it seems to be a direct succession/precession to Fallout 3, with more of an evolved civilization than the last game (electrical towers!). We also know that it will follow a completely new set of survivors from Vault 111 (first time this Vault was mentioned in the franchise). Geographically, Fallout 4 takes place in Boston (you can actually see the Paul Revere statue and Bunker Hill monument in the trailer), so guesses are that it will reflect at least the spirit of Fallout 3 closely.

The @Fallout 4 trailer is live. Watch it here! #Fallout4 https://t.co/rgHTJwihZN pic.twitter.com/gd9BX6Kxoj

— Fallout (@Fallout) June 3, 2015

Fallout 4 doesn’t have an official release date yet, but you can expect to find out more about it at this year’s E3 conference.

Mortal Kombat X Review

Genre: Fighter

Released for/Reviewed on: Released on PS4/XBO & reviewed on PS4

Publisher/Developer: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (every DC Comics game)/NetherRealm Studios (2011’s Mortal Kombat, Injustice)

Notable Voice Actors or Writers: Ed Boon, co-creator, remains the creative director

Alluring Element: Mortal Kombat on steroids, unleashing the tower of the PS4 with new characters and variable play

Check it out if you liked: Mortal Kombat series

Rated: M for Mature

 

SCORECARD (each category ranked on a 10-point scale):

Storyline – 9

Gameplay – 9

Animation – 8

Replay Value – 10

Entertainment Value – 10

Captivity – 8

Variety – 9

Originality/Creativity – 10

Soundtrack – 8

Overall awesomeness – 9

Any time a new Mortal Kombat game comes out, a sense of overwhelming nostalgia and excitement fills gamer’s faces. It’s safe to say that the majority of MK‘s fan-base has been down since the beginning, and similar to Smash Bros. or Street Fighter fans, they will go out of their way to learn and perfect each new iteration. All the developers have to do is give the next new thing enough depth and variation to satisfy hardcore and casual gamers alike. Unlike Street Fighter, which has put out multiple iterations of the same game (Super SF IV, Super SF IV 3D, Ultra SF IV), Mortal Kombat has taken the Season Pass approach to keep players engaged. You could throw around the SF vs. MK battle all day long, and nobody would win. What is undeniable, is that while CAPCOM’s target has been a more inclusive audience, something to hand down to the next generation of gamers, it’s quite clear that Netherrealm is going for an adults-only experience. It’s like they still want their now grown up fanbase hiding the game from their parents AND their children.

Mortal Kombat X is disturbingly realistic, perfect for this generation of desensitized knuckleheads. The game is beautifully rendered; there is a realistic approach to the graphics, as opposed to the cartoonish look that 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot had. There is a much higher level of detail put in to not only the character models, but the environments which they fight in. The interactable stage objects from Injustice are back in a big way, and can make a big difference when players’ backs are against the wall. Another noticeable improvement visually is the lack of fanboy fantasy characters. You may remember the hidden Mileena costume from MK9? This time around, all the female characters are highly-detailed works of art, and have some of the best move sets in the game.

Technically, the game plays very well. There is a hierarchy for each skill level of player when it comes to playing the game, but the subtleties are what really set apart the good from the great. Before I started really diving into MKX, phrases like “punishable attacks,” “footsies game,” and “zoning” were completely foreign to me, but they became necessary to learn and master in order to beat any of the online bullies that troll the network, looking to embarrass their opponents. While players with limited fighting know-how can enjoy the game by button-mashing, the good times are short-lived once you level up to a certain point; this means that once you put in enough time, you will be forced to play against opponents much more adept at the game than you. You can try to get into a room with some less-experienced players – if they let you – or you can spend hours in Practice Mode to evolve your Squirtle-like skills into Blastoise-caliber play.

Online play is the main focus of Mortal Kombat X, and it’s been very good at building a community of players, but there is so much else to do when your crappy lagging connection ruins the fun online. Factions, which group you belong to, will grant you perks and quick Faction Kills upon progress. Performing daily tasks (ie – Perform 5 Uppercuts in one round, etc) and battling against “Invading” AI will add to the overall progress of your Faction, and give you Koins to spend in the Krypt. This time around, the Krypt is a labyrinth of unlockable items and puzzles to complete – or you can be a pansy and just pay $20 to unlock items like: music, brutalities, fatalities, concept art, and match modifiers.

Brutalities add a whole new dimension to finishing moves.

My favorite part of the game has to be the amount of modifiers included in it. Returning is the Test Your Luck, slot machine type matches, but there is also Kustom Kombat, where you and a friend can choose which modifiers to use in a match. It can lead to a very interesting match. Also returning to the franchise are Brutalities, a way to finish off your opponent in quick, sometimes unexpected ways that are even more satisfying to pull off than Fatalities. Living Towers, a spin on the classic arcade mode, add a bit of variety to the gameplay, as well – and are always changing. Mortal Kombat X has succeeded the most in making this a game that is constantly engaging players. Playing by yourself is fun, but there is always a reason to keep playing, keep progressing, and keep getting better. Even mastering a character isn’t as easy as it used to be.

New to the game are the character variations; each character has three different “versions” that accentuate certain special abilities and combos for that character. It can be annoying to certain players that depend on a breadth of moves for characters, but it helps even up the match-ups a bit, adding a new level of strategy. Variations aside, the fresh faces in the character selection screen are not just there for novelty. Each of the eight new characters (not including the three new ones in the Kombat Pack) brings something new and unique to the table; they aren’t just there as novelty to fill up space. The game’s clever idea of progressing the storyline forward in time 25 years. The game becomes a more fluid addition to a franchise, and not simply an updated version of the same game. This allows the creators to create, evolve, kill off or completely change characters in the name of continuity.

Concept art for Takeda, unlocked in the Krypt.

Mortal Kombat X will immediately be recognizable to long-time fans of the franchise. There are so many new odds and ends to learn about both how the game plays and content to keep players engaged that the replayability on this is basically “until you break your controller in anger.” Sure, the game’s poor matching system online can make for some flat-out un-fun experiences, but you either learn to improve your skills or enjoy the game in other ways, killing your friends in new, grotesque ways that have become a benchmark in video game history. If MKX could find a way to become a more well-rounded game, not so geared towards elitist players (not to mention the gore porn), then it may have one of the longest lifespans of the entire franchise.

All media credited to Warner Bros. Entertainment and Netherrealm Studios

Best of 2014: Video Games

Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised  us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.

Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage.

This year’s nominations are…

Best Console Game

• Far Cry 4
• LEGO Batman 3
• Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes
• Shadow of Mordor
• Watch Dogs

Results here.

Best DLC/Network Game

• inFamous: First Light
• PixelJunk Shooters
• Strider
• TMNT: Out of the Shadows (PS3)
• Watch Dogs: Bad Blood

Results here.

Onto: Best of 2014 – Collectibles

Yesterday in the Nerd Verse… Jan 01, 2015

We listened and responded! We miss doing news articles as much as you miss reading them, so we will be attempting daily blurbs of random nerd happenings. Feedback is always welcome!

Our January 2015 Movie Previews are up. There are some winners and losers. Which are you most excited for?

Very soon, our comprehensive review of the Best of 2014 will be making its way to you all. Articles of awesomeness, and podcasts to boot. This is all new to us, so stay tuned! When it all goes live, you can find it here.

Tekken has further diversified their cast with the announcement that a new character named Shaheen (Translates roughly to “God of the Falcons” in Arabic) from Saudi Arabia will be added to Tekken 7, debuting in Japan in arcades next month. Source: Twitter

The fighting game we’re all really excited for, Mortal Kombat X, has released some details about characters and gameplay. We now know that the story takes place 25 years after the events of Mortal Kombat (9) and will feature a relatively aged Kung Lao, as well as an online Campaign mode that allows you to forge alliances with different MK factions. The game comes out in April. Source: Pelaaja magazine and AeroGrunt.

PlayStation Plus members, rejoice! Free for PS4 this month is inFamous: First Light. I don’t regret paying for it when it came out, but it’s definitely worth your time now that it is free.

A $50 LEGO set just dropped today that includes a Batman mecha-suit and, get this, a Wonder Woman invisible jet! Grodd does not stand a chance. Source: LEGO.com

I bet you didn’t know that Hawkeye writer Matt Fraction is actually a great guy in real life? If you visit WeLoveFine.com right now, you can purchase Hawkeye gear that supports Futures Without Violence, an organization dedicated to the eradication of violence against women and children (violence against men is still encouraged).

Thanks to 3D printing, is there really stopping anybody with a lot of money from becoming Batman? A collaboration of 3D printing companies say “Hell No!” Check out their prototype of the Arkham Origins Batsuit. Source: 3Dprint.com.

TV season is out to heat up with premieres of Agent Carter (1/6/15), American Horror Story (1/7/15) and Archer within the next week. Get your DVRs ready!

Athletes are modern day super heroes, and Marvel has created a documentary to show why. If you like sports figures as much as you like your comic book characters, check out their new documentary, 1 of 1: Genesis. Source: YouTube.

Phil Noto, artist of Black Widow, has put together a series of throwback, photo-realistic variants for various Marvel books set to come out in February. Source: ComicsAlliance.

The new Daredevil series on Netflix is gonna be bananas; we already knew that. What I didn’t know is that Marvel TV exec Jeph Loeb (yup, the guy that wrote Batman: Hush) is going for a vibe kind of like HBO’s The Wire. I don’t know how that will translate into Matt Murdock’s life, but those words can never be bad. Source: EW.

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Review

Genre: Open world exploration, Multi-player Co-op,

Released for/Reviewed on: Released on PS4/X-Box One, PS3/XB360, Vita/3DS, WiiU, iOS, Mac/PC & reviewed on PS4

Publisher/Developer: Warnes Bros Interactive Entertainment (Mortal Kombat franchise, Batman: Arkham series, Scribblenauts franchise)/Traveller’s Tales (LEGO… everything)

Notable Voice Actors or Writers: Troy Baker (The Joker in Arkham Origins, Delsin Rowe in inFamous: Second Son), Travis Willingham (Reggie Rowe in inFamous: Second Son), Nolan North (Deadpool in Deadpool, Cole McGrath in inFamous, Pagan Min in Far Cry 4), tons of celebrity guest spots like: Kevin Smith (Clerks), Adam West, Conan O’Brien, Gilbert Gottfried, Geoff Johns and Stephen Amell (DLC coming soon)

Alluring Element: The winning formula of a LEGO game, this time expanded to include the scope of the entire DCU

Check it out if you liked: LEGO Batman, LEGO anything

Rated: RP/E

 

SCORECARD (each category ranked on a 10-point scale):

Storyline – 7

Gameplay – 8

Animation – 9

Replay Value – 9

Entertainment Value – 9

Captivity – 7

Variety – 6

Originality/Creativity – 9

Soundtrack – 8

Overall awesomeness – 7

When it comes to games that the whole family can enjoy, there’s nothing quite on the level of LEGO games. From Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings to the recently-released Marvel title, there isn’t any fandom that Telltate won’t touch. Where the franchise has succeeded is in its ability to bridge adults and children together. While the games and their mechanics are fairly simple – two attack buttons, a jump button and two character/costume changes, there is an undeniable level of complexity to the completion of the highly detailed levels. There are tons of characters to unlock, and with a ludicrous amount of goodies to uncover, you’ll find yourself smushing your child in the face to push them out of the way and complete the game 100%. Unlike traditional kids game, there is an added effort in trying to appease to the hardcore fan-base. If you are trying to brainwash your kid into getting into comic books, or you yourself enjoys a thorough Easter Egg hunt, this is the game for you. If you don’t git into either category, though, you might be hard-pressed to find a reason to drop cash on this game. It’s the type of game that really depends on who you play with, or the type of gamer you are altogether. LEGO games are ideal for the treasure-hunting, methodical players who take their time and enjoy unearthing all the well-thought secrets that go into the game. If replaying a game five times over doesn’t appeal to you, then the price of admission isn’t really justifiable. Luckily, as somebody who is still just levels into Diablo III with his loving wife, I am all about 100% completion on my games.

All that in mind, I still want to enjoy the game as I endogenously play through it, and LEGO Batman 3 is noticeably less entertaining than the game that came before it. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes was great in the sense that the story (stopping Lex and Joker from taking over the world) was so dynamic that WB actually re-purposed the cut scenes into a full-length animated movie that was released separately on DVD. LEGO Batman 3, however, did not impress me – and my standards are pretty low as far as LEGO-inspired entertainment goes. The plot, which was some kind of convoluted version of Geoff John’s Brainiac and Green Lantern: Blackest Night, took Batman and Co. around the galaxy to… actually, I have no idea what the purpose was, I just knew that early on, I figured out that I had to travel to each Lantern planet and do stuff before defeating Brainiac with feelings. Yes, the thing that Batman hates more than Robin’s Superman pajamas. It’s a large scope to tackle, and this being a next-gen game, it was expected that we would see an expanded DCU, but I can’t help but feel like time would have been better spent coming up with a more creative way to incorporate different characters into the game. Instead of just boasting a cast of over 150 characters (it will take a WHILE to unlock them all), it would have been nice to actually give each of them a little more attention instead of just skin swaps. Really, only the core cast of Batman, Robin, Cyborg, Lex Luthor and The Joker have multiple uses.

That being said, the fine-tuned attention to detail is as impressive as it is heartwarming. The Danny Elfman-inspired Bat-tunes are still there, and the custom sound bytes add a bit of flavor to each character’s situation. For example, when entering the character selection screen, hovering over certain characters spawn their very own Batman theme song – Na na na na na na na na, CYBORG! Can you guess which hero this one belongs to: Na na na na na na na na, MEEE! Also, along with Superman’s John Williams theme during flight, Wonder Woman also has her classic Linda Carter theme play while she flies. All the way to down to the most obscure characters in the DC Universe , the sheer amount of geek packed into one game is extraordinary, and will keep dedicated fans combing through each level with increased vigor to unlock all their secrets. You can even mix and match parts and powers to create your own weird-looking LEGO superhero. On the other side of the coin, the allure of having Conan O’Brien, the friendly janitor, tour you around the Justice League Watchtower or saving a pleading Adam West is really fun the first time, but can get severely grating after they repeatedly chime in with the same monologue until you run away screaming or mute the television.

With all the high performance games out there, expectations for a LEGO game can be a little skewed. Make no mistake, LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham is just as much fun as Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed, but just like those games, need to be enjoyed by the right person. You can choose to spend hours teaching your kids about each hero’s powers (or learning them yourself), or you can go all Orange Lantern on this bad boy and reap all the buried treasure within the levels. The gameplay won’t blow you away, but it’s as complex as it needs to be, and makes the game accessible for all ages of gamers. The story isn’t all that spectacular, but at the very least, it is a love letter to DC fans; you can really tell that Traveller’s Tales put a lot of thought and research into this game, making it one of the most thoughtful Batman experiences I’ve had in a video game.

 

 

All media credited to Sony Entertainment and Sucker Punch Productions

Best of E3 2014

The E3 conference is the biggest in video-gaming. All the top companies bring out their toys to show the world what they have up their sleeves. Usually this comes in the form of gameplay videos, early-stage rendering or simple announcements if the project is in its earliest developmental stages. With the news giants like GameSpot and IGN flooding content through their outlets, it can get a little overwhelming. To make things a bit easier, we’ve listed out the biggest news, accompanied by a brief summarization – in case you’re at work, or you don’t want to spend time sifting through the content. Enjoy!

The games

Far Cry 4

If this game is anything like Far Cry 3, then you have no excuse what so ever not to buy this. That game was amazing and this game has all that plus you get to ride around on elephants! The story seems a little too similar to the previous game in that they have a villain that seems a little too similar to Vas from Far Cry 3. This game is going to be on older systems but it should look absolutely amazing on next gen consoles.

Mortal Kombat X

The wait for the next project from Netherealm studios is over. There were rumors that it might be Injustice 2 but after comments made by Keifer Sutherland regarding voice over work he did for a new Mortal Kombat game. A few days before the event, Ed Boon tweeted pictures of an X and asked fans what it could be talking about. This game will have new characters along with returning characters and the story will span 25 years into the future directly following the end of the last game. New characters such as Cassie Cage, the daughter of Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, will be joining the cast including a villain that is supposed to be a surprise.

Batman: Arkham Knight

The conclusion to the Arkham Trilogy is finally here and is going to be exclusively for next gen systems. While WB Montreal was busy creating the piece of crap that was Arkham Origins, Rocksteady was using the extra development time to polish this game to perfection. This time around the game world will be fully fleshed out and we will be given the ability to drive the Batmobile.

LEGO Batman 3

Batman goes into outer space in order to stop Brainiac from using the power of the lantern rings to shrink the Earth. there will be 150 unique characters to unlock from both the hero and villain side.

Dead Island 2

This sequel takes place in sunny California after the infection from the island spreads to the mainland. Newly crafted weapons and character classes are really all you can expect from this sequel

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Trailer

The remakes of Ruby and Sapphire for newer consoles with a possible Delta Emerald in the works

Uncharted 4: A Thiefs End

The final game in the Uncharted series has Nathan Drake coming out of retirement to do one last job. the trailer shows Drake waking up in a hostile environment much like the previews for the last two games. If they get the same people to write for this game that did The Last of Us, then this should be an amazing game coupled with next gen graphics.

Project Spark

Project Spark is a game in which players can create their own video game using tools such as Kinect and SmartGlass.

Assassin’s Creed Unity trailer and Collector’s Edition

Assassin’s Creed players are blessed with not one, but two games this year. Unity will be for the people who have bought next-gen systems only. This years model will have graphical as well as game play updates. This time around players will be given a parkour up and parkour down button to help navigate all terrain as quickly as possible. This iteration is said to focus more on the multiplayer aspect in the story and not just the head to head matches. Players will get a new time period in the French Revolution to run through as well as a new character.

Assassin’s Creed: Comet, the current gen Assassin’s Creed

This new version of Assassins Creed is for people that haven’t yet made the jump to next-gen. It is supposed to be a sequel to AC3 and AC4 and taking place in New York will also feature ships as a part of the story. This seems like a cheap cash in and essentially a rehash of last years AC4. Seeing as details have been a little scarce, I’m not sure how much content besides the story will actually be fresh, but i suppose it is nice that they are still thinking of all of the fans this year. It may be the last year that they do so.

LittleBigPlanet 3

Seems like more of the same only this time around there are three new characters besides sackboy. The content creation is even greater and the worlds will be even more detailed than before. If you have been a fan of the last two iterations than you will most likely enjoy this game as well.

No Man’s Sky

This is an MMO that people need to look up and watch the trailer for themselves, there is no good way of explaining things verbally. Even the developers have a hard time explaining things. It seems like it may be an interesting game to play

Alien: Isolation

Set 15 years after the first Alien movie, you set out as Amanda Ripley, the daughter of Ellen Ripley to uncover the disappearance of her mother. This seems like a mix between Dead Space and The Last of Us with the survival horror requiring you to scavenge just to stay alive. Seems like it could be interesting but the Alien franchise hasn’t had a great track record as far as games go.

Sunset: Overdrive

A contaminated energy drink has transformed most of the population into a multitude of toxic mutants. Using unconventional weapons and the ability to run along walls you will fight these mutants and save the city.

The Crew

Ubisofts big MMO racer that has people in different locales around the country racing to take over a gang.

Forza Horizon 2

Another MMO from the makers of one of the most popular race car games since Gran Turismo. Definitely looks better than The Crew but who knows.

Disney Infinity Marvel Heroes

This is a game for kids that is cashing in on the poplularity of the Marvel movies and the Disney infinity series. I don’t think any adult will genuinely enjoy playing this but this is a great one for the kids.

Evolve

A 4v1 game that pits four players against one player who controls a monster that has special powers to hunt down the hunters themselves. This seems an awful lot like Left 4 Dead with a twist.

The Evil Within

Play as a cop that witnesses something supernatural while investigating the scene of a murder. This seems like another survival horror game in a year full of them.

Super Smash Bros.

The sequel to melee and brawl, this time around they add new characters and gameplay mechanics. With the current fanbase being so large and dedicated plus the lack of any major games on the Wii U, this is sure to be a hit Nintendo desperately needs

Homefront 2

Jump into a united states that has been occupied by North Korea for 4 years. This is a living breathing city that changes based on actions you take. I’ve always wanted a game that played like Red Dawn and now it seems we are finally getting it. I just hope it does the story justice.

Kingdom Hearts III

This is the third game in the series and Sora will be on a new adventure with the cast of Disney. This has been a highly anticipated game and I’m sure it will be awesome just like the last two games.

Sonic Boom

This is a prequel to the sonic story created in the television show. This is also the first time that players will get to control sticks, one the new characters created in the show.

Mass Effect 4 (Trilogy coming to PS4)

Not much has been said about the game other than the fact that it has been announced. The developers of the game have stated that they didnt even like calling it Mass Effect 4 during the early stages as it implied being after the third game. This was basically an announcement that it exists and nothing more really, it should however be amazing based solely on the screens they have released.

Star Wars: Battlefront

Another entry into the battlefront series, this promises to be bigger than the last games we had. With the advances in tech since we last got a game and the major shift to online play, this game has the potential to be something quite spectacular.

Inside (from the developers of Limbo)

Not really sure what to make of this game. Graphically it is 3d and much better looking than limbo as well as having a different atmosphere. I enjoyed Limbo and I’m sure i will check this out, but I have no idea what to expect.

Scalebound

Until I see some gameplay footage, this looks like a mix of DMC and Lost Planet while simultaneously being a ripoff of both. This game does look cool but I will reserve judgement until I see some actual gameplay footage.

Crackdown

The next game in the series is finally here and it looks better than ever. If you haven’t played the first two then you owe it to yourself to check those out. This seems to be focused more on multiplayer but that is just what i gathered from the trailer.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

This picks up right after the first game and comic book series and shows the real transformation of Lara Croft into the badass we know today. If they take as much care with this as they did with the last game, this should be mind-blowing. I can’t wait for this game.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris

This is a sequel to the Guardian of Light, this time around there are 4 players as opposed to 2. I didn’t think the first one sold well enough to make a sequel but apparently it did.

Legend of Zelda Wii U

This was the biggest reveal in the show for Nintendo and they didn’t disappoint. This was a major reveal for them and I’m sure that they wont disappoint with this one. Nintendo really needs a game of this caliber on their system.

Yoshi’s Wooly World Wii U

This is another Yoshi game only this time around the catch is you use balls of yarn. I don’t particularly care for things like this and it seems like a lazy first-party game from Nintendo.

Devil’s Third Wii U

This is from the makers of Ninja Gaiden and looks similar to most hack and slash games. Not much was released about this game other than the developer.

Star Fox Wii U

Yet another first party cash in from Nintendo. Since these are the only games people seem to care about on these systems, they are the only ones that developers put any energy into making decent. Because of this, it is pretty much guaranteed this game will at least be decent. This has been a good E3 for Wii U owners and should be a good next few years as well.

Metal Gear Solid 5

This game is going to be one of the greatest games of this generation. After the great yet lackluster experience that was Ground Zeros, we will finally get the true sequel to Metal Gear 4. I cannot wait for this and I can guarantee this will push the limits of any system it is on.

Destiny

The next big thing from Bungie, the makers of Halo, this game promises to be the next big FPS for all systems. People have been waiting to see what is next from the makers of such a historic franchise and this looks very promising.

Abzu

From one of the Developers of Flower and Journey, two critically acclaimed titles, Abzu is the debut project of a new studio. If the other titles are anything to go by, this should be an amazing experience.

Grim Fandango

This is a remastering of the 1998 game that netted a 9.4 score from IGN. If you haven’t played this game yet, this will be the perfect opportunity to check it out.

Tom Clancy’s The Division

The future of the United States always seems so grim in these games. A virus has been released during Black Friday and the country is in shambles. A special unit is dispatched to deal with the fallout. I had heard this was supposed to be an MMO style game but I see no mention of that anymore. Perhaps you can seamlessly join missions with friends instead.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

This is a tactical assault game that has players in a 5v5 match in a completely open environment. The Environment is completely destructible which should open the matches up to complete freedom. This is a game that people should watch the trailer for, it is one of the best ways to describe how this game plays.

GTA 5

The PS4 re-release of one of the biggest games from last year. This looks like an amazing graphical update but I’m sure that the developers have more in mind than just that. The online is supposed to sync up with your account from the last gen so you don’t need to restart from scratch.

Valiant Heroes: The Great War

A World War 1 puzzle game from Ubisoft. I didn’t see much information but based on the price, this looks like a downloadable title.

The Last of Us PS4

If for some reason you haven’t played what was considered one of the greatest games of the last generation, then this is the perfect opportunity to give this game a try. The gameplay and story are nothing short of a masterpiece and you really owe it to yourself to try this game.

Battlefield: Hardline & COD… both rebooting franchise

These are both the obligatory yearly sequels that each franchise wants to put out and then charge another 60 dollars at purchase time to get you for a whole year of DLC. I will probably check out both but I am not sure how excited I am for either.

 

Other Announcements

YouTube to PS4

Twitch PS4

Ratchet and Clank: The movie

Halo: Master Chief Collection

Gamecube adapter for the Wii U

PlayStation TV

PlayStation Now

inFamous: Second Son DLC

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Far This Week… April 30th, 2014

Holy crap! Get ready to have your socks knocked off; this week brings in a lot of great news tidbits.

This Sunday is May the Fourth!  Hush Comics is lucky enough to be running a panel at StarFest to commemorate the holiday.  Come see us at 10 AM!

This Saturday, May 3rd, is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! Head to your local comic book store for free issues of some of the biggest (and smallest, in the case of Mouse Guard) stories in the industry. Many local shops are holding insane sales for books, so it’s an amazing opportunity for new fans to dive in head-first to the comic book world. Don’t believe me? Just take Levar Burton’s word for it.

For more information on which books are available, this is your one-stop shop (figuratively, I mean, you still have to go to the shop to get the books. duh.). Also, Denverites, visit the Mile High Comics’ Jason Street Mega-Store for some awesome festivities on  Saturday.

If you’re like us, you like to occasionally use the ComiXology to supplement the physical copies of comics you buy at your local stores… RIGHT?? Well, since the acquisition by Amazon, there have already been some swift changes to the storefront. If you’re as confused as we are, check out this informational article.

Today marks the return of the Amazing Spider-Man to the comic book world. After over a year of Otto Octavius as Spider-Man (it’s complicated), Peter is back in command and with a new lease on life! And just in time for the movie, Amazing Spider-Man 2, to hit theaters.

Gwen Stacy herself challenged Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon to a lip-sync battle, which is quickly becoming my favorite recurring bit on the show. Emma Stone destroys Fallon – all she does is win, win, win.

Before last week’s episode of Game of Thrones, “Oathkeeper,” a trailer for the upcoming series called Leftovers. I’m still not too sure what it’s about, but I’m interested enough to check it out when it airs June 29th.

Speaking of Game of Thrones, the upcoming video game by Telltale Games is getting some narrative assistance from the story creator’s right hand man, Ty Corey Franck as a story consultant. With games like The Walking Dead and Wolf Among Us, I’m sold with anything Telltale puts out.

Marvel is not just trending, but making it a priority for gender equality in their books. Our article on what Ms. Marvel means to us (and the world) is just the start. Now that Elektra, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, She-Hulk, X-Men (all female cast) and the aforementioned Ms. Marvel have solo titles, it’s time for another leading lady to get her own series; Storm debuts this summer, written by Greg Pak – an interview from C2E2 can be found here.

Not even a year after the series’ Felina, and we’re still mourning the legendary Breaking Bad. Fans should check out this 8 minute-long tribute (seriously, whoever made this should win a freakin’ award) to the Heisenberg; while you’re at it, read our Breaking Bad Week articles. You’re God Damn Right.

Image Comics (The Walking Dead, Saga, Deadly Class, Black Science…..) is trying to get some much-deserved cred with Humble Bundle, a site that lets users choose how much they pay for these works (sorry, there is a minimum payment lol). Here are some more details on the deal.

2014 is the year of the Bat…man 75th Anniversary, and July 23rd has been officially dubbed Batman Day! To celebrate, go to your local shop and pick up a FREE issue of a reimagined Detective Comics #27; Batman Day also coincides with the release of Grayson #1 and Robin Rises: Omega #1. Ah, it’s a good time to be a Bat.

The DC New 52 run of Batman has been arguably the best comic out since it went to print in 2011. A line of Greg Capullo-inspired action figures will be released soon (Batman and Talon coming this month). I want to buy an army of Talons, but I will likely settle for two.

Saturday morning cartoons meets Sunday night slow jams! Check out this awesome rendition of the classic Ducktales theme song.

Spider-Man is definitely the topic of choice this week, but DC and Warner Bros. can’t let Marvel steal all the shine. Zack Synder has been announced as the director to a Justice League movie to be released after Batman vs Superman.

Classic Frank Miller graphic novel, Ronin, is getting picked up by the SyFy channel. Hell yes.

Just in time for Star Wars Day, the initial cast for Star Wars: Episode VII has been released. What do you think?

To continue to expand upon its appeal to fourteen year old boys (just a good ribbing from a PlayStation person), X-Box One has launched WWE Network on consoles.

The Disney-Marvel connection will be in full effect this fall when Disney Infinity brings the big guns to its platform for its second iteration, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes. I haven’t gotten a chance to play the game, but it seems like a great game for kids.

DC’s adult alter-ego game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, is rumored to be getting a sequel out next year. I’m not too sure how a new installment will be justified, but I’m excited, nonetheless. We’ll have more news on that as it develops.

Village idiot Joe Dirt may be getting a sequel. Yeah, that’s where we’re at with comedies…

So Far This Week… April 23rd, 2014

If you didn’t catch it, Season 4 of The Boondocks kicked off Monday night with a hilarious guest spot from Michael B. Jordan. It wasn’t up to par with the Season 1-2 hilarity, but it was good to have it back. It made me realize how many crazy things have happened since The Boondocks were last on the air in August of 2010. Here’s a great read if you want to be in the know.

Happy Birthday to Game Boy! The iconic hand-held console turned 25 on Monday. From Game Boy to Game MAN.

Amazon Prime has made a major move in the bout with Netflix by striking a contract with HBO (sorry Thronies, no luck for you). However, you can still catch classic shows like The Wire and The Sopranos on the streaming service; check the link here for more details. Does this change your view about switching streaming services?

There is news of sequels abound… namely for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Super Troopers and The Goonies.

Ubisoft is currently working on adding a co-op mode to Assassin’s Creed: Unity. This could be the thing that finally gets me into playing the online modes for AC. Unity drops Holiday season 2014.

Months after Quentin Tarantino lost his shit when somebody leaked the script to a film titled The Hateful Eight, he has dropped the suit (for the time being) and plans on continuing progress to create the film. Nobody wins here more than us.

If you thought the Cartoon Network show Beware the Batman was dead, you were almost correct. The poorly received show will be returning to CN, but airing at 3am on Saturday night – so pretty much still dead.

Looks like we should be gearing up for a video-game version of Kick-Ass 2 (check out our review here). I won’t lie – it looks terrible. As much as I love the franchise, it will take a whole lot of convincing to pay for something that looks this bad.

If you like picking apart each episode of Game of Thrones to predict the schemes and plot twists, but haven’t had time to catch up on the books like us, here is a little bit to get you through the weeks. Episode titles and descriptions give away more than I think they should, but it’s still fun to predict.

If I didn’t love Batman so much, I would say that DC Comics is overdoing it for their 75th Anniversary celebration. We can now look forward to Batman stealing the variant cover to almost every major DC book in July to commemorate the Dark Knight.

Oh boy, let the floodgates and scandal commence; whistle-blowers are blowing (poor choice of words) their whistles to uncover a “pedophile ring” among powerful Hollywood execs. If this really is the case, I hope justice gets served to the fullest.

On a lighter note (or maybe not) Chew, the Eisner Award winning comic book series about an FDA agent who uses psychic connection from the things (or people) he eats to solve crime mysteries, will be released in animated form, with The Walking Dead‘s Steve Yeun and Dr. Horrible‘s Felicia Day already down for voice acting.

It would seem the almighty Oprah Winfrey approves of comic books! The one in particular she advocated for on her show was March: Book One. Hush actually reviewed this book in honor of Black History Month; you can check it out here.

 

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Review

Genre: CCG

Released for/Reviewed on: PC, iPad (just released April 16, 2014), coming to iPhone & Android this summer/ Reviewed on

Publisher/Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Notable Voice Actors or Writers: N/A

Alluring Element: CCG based off World of Warcraft, FREE!

Check it out if you liked: World of Warcraft, Magic the Gathering, any CCG

Rated: T 

So earlier this year, Blizzard took an interesting and unexpected turn with their product line. We all know Blizzard as creator of some of the most popular online games ever: World of Warcraft, Diablo III and Defense of the Ancients 2. You probably know someone who actively plays any, if not all three of these games. They are juggernauts. So when Blizzard decided to release Hearthstone, a digital collectible card game – and it’s free to play on top of that – it was kind of shocking. This is like nothing they’ve ever done before.

Now if you haven’t ever played a CCG before, digital or physical, this will be a brand new experience for you. If you have played a CCG, then this game will come very naturally to you. Hearthstone is based off of the WoW universe. Blizzard took usual CCG mechanics and simplified them. There isn’t that much to keep track of and no really confusing rules. It’s an excellent jumping of point for anyone new to CCGs.

So, starting out a you can choose a class to start playing as. There is one set of cards for every class from WoW, and a popular character represents each class. If you choose mage you play as Jaina Proudmoor, if you prefer warlock you’ll be Gul’dan, and so forth. I like the idea of using classes because it allows a WoW player to represent him or herself in Hearthstone the same way they do in the MMO. The classes act in the same way as the color/elemental choices Magic the Gathering players are familiar with. Each class has their own set of cards that only that class can use, and you’ll gain more of these as you level up that class. There is also a large pool of generic cards, which every class can use. Each class also has their own special ability, the warrior, Hellscream, can add armor to defend against attacks, the shaman, Thrall, can summon totems to assist.

The card types are primarily broken up into creatures, spells, and bonuses. Anyone who’s played an CCG before will feel at home with this. There is a cost to play any cards, from 0 to 10 mana per card. With this mechanic, Blizzard keeps an even pace through the game. Your character starts the game with one mana and gains one mana every turn, maxing at 10 mana even if you play for more than 10 turns. So games start out slowly, but when a player gets to the seven or higher mana portion players can start playing many cards at once and brining out extremely powerful creatures. This is all pretty standard but limiting the amount of mana a player can gain and setting a maximum is nice because it doesn’t allow problems that are common with other CCGs, such as mana overload with no creatures and visa versa.

One feature that I’ve not seen in a CCG before is the ability to turn the player, or in this case the WoW character that represents them, into a weapon. Characters can be equipped with weapons, turning them into threats and not just targets. The hunter, Rexxar, actually just has the special ability to shoot arrows and do damage. So there is a chance that even if you don’t have creatures usable you can still potentially remove some of their 30 hit points.

The creatures are well-varied and make the game more interesting. Making a deck of nothing but murlocs is a lot of fun, if you can handle the murloc battle cry every time you play one. Creatures come with their own special qualities, probably the most useful of which is Taunt. Taunt forces your opponents creatures to attack that creature before anything or anyone else. Loading up with creatures with Taunt creates a wall that protects your character while being able to attack back.

Probably the biggest draw for most is going to be the fact that it’s free to play. This is definitely not normal for Blizzard. Now you can pay them if you’d like. You can buy booster backs in order to bolster your ranks. There is a free way to get booster packs but it takes time and there are certain, extremely powerful cards, that only buying packs can get. It gives the game a little bit of that “pay to win” taste. If you are someone that plays for free and your opponent plays one of these exclusive cards in the middle of a game, especially if it’s one you’re currently winning, it can really suck the wind out of your sails.

For me there is nothing really special about Hearthstone. They don’t really mix up or improve on much from the way most CCG are played. It is really helpful the way they help to keep pace in a game so none one can gain a large advantage right away. The classes are fun and each has something small that differentiates one from the next. Although, the majority of creatures are communal; there are a lot of repeated cards and this takes away from the variety a little. Nevertheless, Hearthstone is a well-rounded simple game that has a very shallow learning curve, which is good, and something we expect from Blizzard now. It’s certainly worth the time to try it out. I give it a B+.