Good news for those wanting to see more of Star Wars Battlefront 2‘s space battles. EA has announced that it will be taking Star Wars Battlefront 2 on the road, featuring space battles at Gamescom later this month on August 21. The game’s Starfighter Assault mode will make its debut in a new trailer as well as a live gameplay reveal. That live reveal will streamed on August 21 at 9:30 a.m. Pacific, where two teams will face off in a space battle from the original trilogy era. EA says the match will take place on the Fondor: Imperial Shipyard map, which features an Imperial Star Destroyer that ships will have to weave around while dogfighting. While the space battles that were eventually added to the first Battlefront were lacking for many fans, it looks like EA and DICE are making Starfighter Assault a much richer experience in the sequel. Distinct hero ships are still in the mix, but EA also says that Battlefront 2‘s starfighter combat has been improved all around, … [Read more...]

Following the announcement that Shinji Mikami would not be directing The Evil Within 2, the director has spoken up about his part in the upcoming sequel, saying that while his role is smaller he is still nonetheless involved with the game’s development. In a new interview, Mikami stated that Tango Gameworks began development for The Evil Within 2 in March 2015, and the decision to hand the role of director to John Johanas this time around was because he wanted the studio to be a place where “young and talented creators are given the chance to succeed.”  While Mikami has been busy managing Tango Gameworks as a whole in the meantime, he is still creatively involved with the game’s development in a limited capacity. Compared to the original Evil Within, Mikami stated that the creation of The Evil Within 2‘s story can be attributed more to the project’s senior writer Hajime Ishimine, saying that Ishimine had the … [Read more...]

The demo for EA Sports next NBA game, NBA Live 18, has released on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live. You may have to dig for it, but it is there, and it is certainly worth a try. While EA announced that progress in The One mode in the demo will carry over to the full game, there is still the core game of basketball that needs to be experienced. EA Sports took a year off to work on this title, and the initial impression looks to be that the decision paid off. The visuals have their pros and cons, but the player models due look realistic. The arenas offer some life, but having the ESPN presentation really adds to the television feel. The players on the court play with authority. The shot blocking animations are pretty intimidating. The interface is really user friendly on the court. Diagrams show who the defender is supposed to cover and players line up face-to-face with the L2 button. Players can also flick the right stick for moves and shoot with that stick or a face button. The … [Read more...]

Bandai Namco has updated the official Dragon Ball FighterZ website with ratings for the current confirmed roster’s Power, Speed, Technique, and several more attributes. The ratings are provided on a letter grading scale of F through A with exceptional ratings denoted by S or SS. For Dragon Ball Z fans, the list offers a change to debate one character’s strengths versus another, so it’ll be interesting to see how Dragon Ball FighterZ developer Arc System Works responds Nine different characters are currently confirmed for the Dragon Ball FighterZ roster, with Krillin and Piccolo the most recent additions. All nine characters have been ranked in six different categories: Power, Speed, Reach, Technique, Energy, and Ease of Use. Currently, no rankings go below a C and none go above an SS. Perhaps that means there’s room for more specialized characters to be revealed later, which also explains why all nine characters are ranked between A and SS for … [Read more...]

Earlier today, developers from DICE, Criterion, and EA Motive discussed their collaboration and how three studios have been able to come together to work on Star Wars Battlefront II. Sitting down for Playstation Blog, Craig McLeod of DICE, Mark Thompson of Motive, and Matt Webster of Criterion discussed what they’ve learned from Battlefront 1 and what it means to be making an entry in the series that encapsulates the original trilogy, the sequel trilogy, and the prequels. “I think it’s first of all the opportunity. We want to bring the lot and I think it’s something Star Wars Battlefront, you need to bring these centers of excellency together. You’ve got the experts with decades worth of experience making multiplayer experiences, you’ve got these guys that have come forward and building a new studio with that expertise and narrative and character action and my home studio, Criterion, I mean we’ve had a little bit of the speeder bike in … [Read more...]

During the Call of Duty World League Championships in Orlando, Astro Gaming revealed their new Call of Duty Astro A10 Headset. The headset will feature olive-green and black colorway that emulates World War II era gear and uniforms. On one side of the headset, there’s a stars and stripes insignia, on the other there is art of a broken skull. Astro also revealed a new Call of Duty A40 TR Mod Kit that’ll include new ear cushions and a headband. The Astro A10 is compatible with PC, Mac, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, as well as iOS and Android devices. You can check out some new screenshots of the headset below. If you’ve recently missed any Call of Duty: WWII news, Sledgehammer just revealed some new details about WWII’s zombies and multiplayer modes. Also a collector’s edition of the game was just revealed. You can pick up the new Call of Duty headset at Astro’s website right now for $69.99. Call of Duty: … [Read more...]

The next major expansion for Rainbow Six Siege is just a few weeks away. Ubisoft has announced the release date and contents of the shooter's next big update, though we don't yet know many of the specifics. Operation Blood Orchid, as the next update is called, launches on August 29 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It adds a new map and three Operators--one more than these expansions typically include. The map is set in Hong Kong, but Ubisoft hasn't revealed what to expect from the Operators yet. All three Operators will be available to season pass owners on August 29; everyone else will be able to purchase them with in-game currency beginning on September 5. The map unlocks for free to all players on August 29. The map and characters will be fully revealed during a livestream at the Rainbow Six Pro League Finals. The stream is scheduled for August 26 at 10:15 AM PT / 1:15 PM ET / 6:15 PM BST on Twitch. The Finals themselves will be broadcast over that weekend, August 25-26, as part of … [Read more...]

While Destiny 2 is set to have plenty of tie-in promotions like Bungie’s collaboration with Pop-Tarts to dole out XP boosts to Guardians willing to buy boxes of the confectionery pastry delights, as one should expect, the sequel will contain plenty of content all its own. As a matter of fact, the developer recently revealed that the forthcoming science fiction shooter will contain over 80 different missions and PvE activities for players to enjoy. This information comes from coverage in the latest issue of Edge Magazine (Issue #310), with Bungie declaring that each of the various missions and PvE activities in Destiny 2 are substantial in length, challenge, story, and reward. Not to mention, the developer said that there’s so much new content in the game that at one point in development they realized they had more content than progression, which is an aspect that they’ve subsequently fixed. Furthermore, it was revealed that players won’t be able to to take … [Read more...]

If you are eager to know more about the upcoming sci-fi shooter Destiny 2, the latest issue of EDGE magazine has you covered. According to user kapowaz from reddit, which seemed to snag an early copy of the latest issue, the magazine has some new interesting information about the game. The information goes like this: The beta did not contain the final implementation of how Energy weapons work against AI combatants with elemental shields; when the shield is depleted, it explodes, nuking any enemies that happen to be nearby Nightfall strikes now have a time limit (varying by Strike; one example was 13 minutes) so efficiency and settling on a strategy beforehand will be important There are over 80 missions and (PVE) activities, and each is substantial in length, challenge, story and reward There's so much new content that at one point in development they realised they had more content than progression (something they've subsequently fixed) Supers and … [Read more...]

It seems like it was just a matter of time before the seemingly mandatory "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy might be coming to Xbox One" rumor would pop up. As of this writing, the hottest topic on the Xbox subreddit is that of a screenshot of a listing for Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy for Xbox One on yet another European retailer website. This time it's Base.com, and much like the Hungarian retailer listing, it too points to a release date of December 8th, 2017. Here's a screenshot: Activision still has not confirmed whether Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is even coming to other platforms, but given all of the hints and leaks as well as the incredible financial success the game has had since release, it wouldn't make sense not to. Here's a run down of all of those hints and leaks: PlayStation Ireland social media post Booth Rep slip at PAX East 2017 Listing from Hungarian retailer Footage of the game with Xbox UI … [Read more...]

Today, Bandai Namco revealed via its first quarter results for fiscal 2017 that the relatively newly released Tekken 7 has already sold 1.66 million copies, putting it in a great position to hit its 2.1 million copies sold by the end of the year expectations Bandai Namco has placed on it. Notable, Bandai Namco notes in the same results that the customers of the game were primarily either from the United States or Europe. Released on PS4 and Xbox One on June 2, 2017, Tekken 7 is the ninth installment in the iconic fighting game series and notably the first created within Unreal Engine. The name Tekken 7 first appeared via a limited arcade release in Japan in March 2015. Then an updated arcade version — dubbed Tekken 7: Fated Retribution — hit arcades once again in Japan only in July 2016. This release featured expanded content, including new characters, stages, costumes, and items. The same version of this updated arcade release was … [Read more...]

From our community blogs Another E3 has come and gone, and now we play the waiting game. In the meantime, let's discuss one of the big reveals from the show: Monster Hunter: World. Capcom's landmark hunting-gathering series has long been a phenomenon in its native land, but that success hasn't been replicated elsewhere. Capcom believes that a big chunk of the blame rests on the Western handheld market, which is nowhere near as robust as Japan's. With World, bound for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows, the company hopes to change that. I personally am not a huge fan of the franchise. I gave it a fair shot with Tri on Wii, yet it never "clicked" even after dozens of hours of solo and party play. That said, I do understand how Monster Hunter could amass such a die-hard following, in much the same way as I understand that its complex controls and time-investment demands have turned away many others. To find success, World will need to be more inviting to newcomers while retaining the … [Read more...]

Sometimes games shamelessly wear their influence on their sleeve and then it's up to players to determine whether this is a lazy attempt at ripping off a good idea or a heartfelt homage to trying to create their own vision while using something that came before it as a template. After talking to some developers and spending some time playing the game, Path of Exile seems to fall into the category of the latter. Path of Exile is unapologetic in the influence Diablo II had on it. Diablo III was not a bad game by any means, and the debate of DII or DIII being overall better is a matter of personal opinion, but there are some aspects DII did better, and that is character customization, which is something where Path of Exile followed the example set by DII. Path of Exile was released in 2013 as a free to play isometric action RPG that proudly bears the label of Diablo clone. There are six playable classes to choose from, Ranger, Marauder, Shadow, Witch, Templar, and Duelist. Each class has … [Read more...]

Over the next five days, Hardcore Gamer will be revealing its Best of E3 2017 Awards leading up to our Game of Show. Today we present you with the Best Indie, VR, Racing and Sports games. The Last Night is obviously a gorgeous new adventure game, but it also shares a story familiar to so many independent developers. Developer Odd Tales first started working on the concept for a pixelated cyberpunk adventure game back in 2014. Even then, without the polish it now features, people dug the concept. The idea proved strong enough to help it win a cyberpunk game jam on itch.io - but the team kept working. Now a few years later, The Last Night has reemerged from its hibernation from the public as a mindblowing release for PC (Windows and Mac) and Xbox One. Unfortunately, we've got to wait until 2018 to get our hands on it. Runner-Ups Minit Donut County Ashen Last Day of June Virtual reality continues to gain steam both on PC and PS4. So far, however, it feels like the … [Read more...]

Over the last week, Nintendo executives have found themselves scrambling upon the realization that opening up its system to cross-play might actually be a good decision. "We've worked so hard over the last ten years to ensure that our online system would always be the most vintage of the top-three," said one well-placed source. "Now, all of a sudden Sony chooses not to allow cross-play with the other platform holders and we look like the good guy for working with Microsoft?! We always believed our online appeal was that it was still stuck in the 20th century, like a museum. We might lose that magical image!" Another source said he hoped this positive reception would blow over, noting that Nintendo Switch's online features were still archaic. "Listen, Switch is still the place to be if you're looking for the classic online experience you all know and love," said the source. "Our voice chat makes no sense, we still don't have achievements, and our My Nintendo rewards system is literally … [Read more...]

Mafia III's first DLC (Faster, Baby!) was a refreshing change of pace. Putting more of a focus on creating fun and unique gameplay scenarios rather than having you repeat quests to take over sections of a city, the DLC managed to be a weird anti-Mafia III that was successful in entertaining me for its running time. Now the second DLC is here. Does Stones Unturned provide a similar experience, or should we just leave the stone alone? Stones Unturned puts its focus on Lincoln Clay's CIA buddy John Donovan. When a CIA safe house comes under attack one of Donovan's old rivals, Connor Aldridge, shows up. Connor appears to be trying to secure a nuke, for reasons that Lincoln and John are unaware of. Now the two need to figure out what he's doing and how to stop him. The story of the DLC almost feels more like a James Bond film or an Uncharted game than something that belongs in Mafia, albeit with you playing as Bond/Nathan Drake's assistant rather than Bond/Drake himself. However, getting to … [Read more...]

From the community blogs As much as we all love the actual gameplay of various video games, there is no denying that the look and style of a game is becoming all too important. Even with that said, there are still naysayers out there who proclaim that gameplay is the unforgiving king of any good game and that the "artiness" that many games frequently present in modern gaming is unnecessary when such good gameplay is supposed to be the core of the experience. I agree with this to some extent. Gameplay is supposed to be the center of attention when you play a game; otherwise, why call it a game? I once spoke with a very outspoken and clearly disturbed "gamer" (who I am calling Flappy) and listened to him refer to Quantic Dream's 2005 paranormal thriller Indigo Prophecy (Fahrenheit for non-US gamers) as a "Play" rather than a game. He said it wasn't a game because you didn't do anything except push buttons for the time-based sequences. I told him, "Well, yes, because it's supposed to be … [Read more...]

We first caught wind of Milanoir when the crime-flick inspired game landed on Steam Greenlight. It looked darn promising, and it appears that judging a book by its cover turned out to provide a pretty accurate assessment. In fact, actually playing the game reveals it to be tremendously exciting - more so than any trailer or screenshot could accurately convey. This is thanks to the smart melding of twin-stick shooter controls mixed in with a wide variety of gameplay segments. Gameplay alternates often, ensuring that players never have a dull moment. For example, the first level of Milanoir begins with a bit of stealth. Players must make their way up the outside of a 2D brothel in stealthy fashion. Hiding behind boxes and waiting for enemies to turn around is key to getting through this portion. After finding your target, gameplay switches to more traditional top down twin stick shooter action. Some enemies fight back with bullets while others lob grenades or even simply run at you with … [Read more...]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to become a vampire? There's no doubt that a ton of films, books, and TV shows paint it to be tremendously naughty fun. However, in reality things would be quite awful for a vampire - especially if they still had a bit of humanity in them. Vampyr focuses on this concept in its take on 20th century Britain. The Spanish Flu has just broken out and it it's wreaking serious havoc on the city. Death, sickness and a general sense of malaise plague Londoners as they lose friends, family and hope. With that said, death might be preferable when it comes to the fact that vampires now prowl the streets. Players assume the role of Dr. Jonathan Reid. Once a physician, he has since turned into a vampire and must grapple with killing the citizens he had once sworn an oath to protect. He absolutely recognizes this moral quandary - but no amount of distress can stop him from feeding either. The only thing Dr. Reid can really do is choose who he will feed … [Read more...]

Right when we thought we were getting out of the woods of Doomfist speculation, a new discovery by Overwatch data miners hints that the brawler could be in the game's next update, alongside the revival of the Summer Games event. Two teases in the 1.13 PTR update files allude to the coming of Doomfist, thanks to a breakdown by Reddit user ethanciavo (via PvP Live). Firstly, crash log data discovered in the game's code referenced Doomfist by name, and while this could be intentional misdirection by the developers, the second hint comes in the form of metadata that reportedly doesn't match any other hero. The crash logs were also verified by multiple Reddit users, leading the community to only one conclusion: Doomfist is coming. The Summer Games were also mentioned in the crash logs, but fans have already suspected the event's return for a while. Other content teased in the files includes new skins for Orisa and Sombra, potential new maps, and more. It should be noted that the new maps … [Read more...]