Destiny 2.0 Changes Outlined in This New Overview

David Dague A.K.A DeeJ from Bungie has taken to the PlayStation blog to provide more details about the upcoming new expansion The Taken King and the Crucible Preview Event.
Check out the official Destiny The Taken King Crucible Preview Event trailer below, together with the official Destiny The Taken King Launch gameplay trailer that has already been released to whet your appetite further.


DeeJ from Bungie here, paying you a visit with previews of Destiny Year Two. We’re about to launch The Taken King, and things are about to get a lot more interesting in our shared world. I’m at your service to bring you up to speed.

First up, you’re invited back into the Crucible next week to sample some new combat modes using the weapons and abilities you come to master over the first year of maneuvers in Destiny. Check it out! If you’re wondering how to spend your last weekend before Update 2.0 changes the way we all play, check out the Bungie Weekly Update for some recommendations for this weekend. It’s also full of repeat performances of live reveals and gameplay trailers.

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5 things we hope to see in Dark Soul 3

Anyone who knows me finds it to be no big surprise that I’m a huge fan of From Software’s Soulsborne games, which includes downright classics like Dark Souls and the recent Bloodborne. With Dark Souls 3 a few months away, and the new gameplay footage out from PAX over the weekend, I thought it would be a good time to talk about what I want to see in Dark Souls 3.

Level Design

So far, with all the Souls games and Bloodborne, From Software has been the absolute master of level design, and I hope to see the trend continue. While Dark Souls and Bloodborne had some amazing level design, with most of the environments we explored feeling like real places that could actually exist, Dark Souls 2 dropped the ball on it before its DLC came out. Hopefully, From will take what it has learned from Bloodborne and expand on giving us an epic world that feels real to fight through.

Multiplayer

The Souls games have had some incredibly well-done multiplayer systems, including the player messaging system and the invasions and co-op mechanics. Sadly, except for the messaging system, Bloodborne used a vastly inferior method of ringing bells for multiplayer instead of the traditional summon signs. While Dark Souls 3 is set to go back to the summoning sign system, I hope that it also takes into account the improvements to the multiplayer covenants and networking brought along by Dark Souls 2.

Story

The Dark Souls franchise has traditionally been a bit light on the storytelling, choosing to let players decide their own level of involvement with the going-ons of the world. While I hope Dark Souls 3 uses the same method for storytelling as its predecessors, I do hope that it makes the fates of the older settings, namely Lordran and Drangleic, clearer. Considering a big theme of Dark Souls 3 is going to be ashes and the Lords of Cinder, it looks like we’ll be seeing some of our older acquaintances as well.

Combat

The Dark Souls franchise has some of the best combat mechanics to ever grace an RPG, despite it being deceptively simple. Dark Souls 3 will undoubtedly use the same mechanics from the earlier games, but I also hope it uses some of the improvements Bloodborne had. While I hope Dark Souls 3 maintains the series-tradition of having an unimaginable number of weapons at your disposal, I hope From takes Bloodborne’s trick weapon system and incorporates it into the combat mechanics of Dark Souls 3.

Magic

Magic may have been pretty boring in the original Dark Souls, but Dark Souls 2 expanded the magic system by a tonne, even bringing in new mechanics involving hexes. Hopefully, Dark Souls 3 will carry forward this tradition of massive improvements on the magic system. I also hope to see some of the lesser-used abilities from Bloodborne make their way into Dark Souls 3, including Augur of Ebrietas, which essentially lets you smack an opponent with tentacles, and A Call Beyond, which lets you carpet-bomb an area with magic missiles.

5 superhero games that should be brought over to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

Who doesn't love superheroes? Who doesn't love video games? If you don't like either, you might just be in the wrong website pal. But if you do, and if you own a current-gen console, you might want some superhero games on it. Apart from Batman: Arkham Knight, the Prototype remasters and the upcoming Deadpool remaster, there aren't very many on the horizon. So here are some games from last gen or so that absolutely deserve a second chance on current-gen hardware.

The Darkness series

 

Based on the dark and gritty comic series of the same name by Top Cow, The Darkness and its sequel were first person shooters starring Jackie Estacado, amoral hit man and host of the titular force of nature. The Darkness abilities were more or less faithful to the comic but the story was retold and differs greatly from canon. And each game has its own identity, in the sense that while the first was semi realistic noir grime, the sequel went for a Borderlands style look, and both would look fantastic on up to date hardware.

Crackdown

We all know that Crackdown 3 is coming to the Xbox One in a year or so, but I still say there's a place for the original Crackdown on current gen. To give us a taste of superpowered cops versus criminals action, Crackdown 1 could be spruced up a bit and ported over to current gen. The game looked good then and still looks good now. A bit of polish is all that's needed. But a remaster isn't even needed, because as a Microsoft 1st party game, it should be a no brainier to give it place on the Xbox One's backwards compatibility program,

Marvel Ultimate Alliance

On paper, a four player co-op brawler featuring all your favourite Marvel comic book characters would seem like a licence to print obscene amounts of money. And it was with Marvel Ultimate Alliance being a well-received game that sold well enough to justify a sequel which was much less well received. Maybe because it was too simplified or maybe the new developers missed the trick, but there is potential yet. A current gen port of the titles would get interest back in the series as well as bring the kind of fun that the LEGO games now provide.

Batman: Arkham Trilogy

Back in 2009, Arkham Asylum exploded onto the mainstream nailing Game of the Year awards left and right while simultaneously raising the bar for superhero video games and cementing Rocksteady as a true AAA level developer. Arkham City took its predecessors formula open world letting us truly be Batman. Both these games set the stage for greatness which Arkham Knight capped off/ran over with the Batmobile, and so a polished up port of the two to current gen is somewhat overdue. Arkham Origins, while not exactly the best of the series, can also be thrown in to sweeten the deal.

Infamous 1 and 2

Infamous is what happens when you try to craft a superhero/villain saga from scratch. Cole McGrath grew in character as his lightning powers went from "sparkler" to "wrath of Zeus" across two games. The two games form a complete arc with a fitting narrative end that tried to ensure no more sequels. An arc which Second Son broke to introduce better graphics but have less missions and a smaller map. So, I recommend that the Infamous series on the PS3, including the vampire based spinoff Festival of Blood be brought to new gen to revive the Infamous name.

5 video games that would make for amazing TV shows

Those of us who game on consoles use our massive TVs for the purpose God intended: playing video games. But a lot of us also use it to watch TV shows. Considering the fact that Konami wants to combine these two things together with the recent announcement of a supposedly R-rated Castlevania miniseries, we started thinking about what other games would make for great TV shows. Here are some games we hope some producer notices and turns into a great TV show.

 

Mass Effect

 

A multi-species crew aboard humanity's greatest space-faring vessel commanded over by a charismatic, yet prone to extreme mood swings human captain who has a habit of making out with aliens. If this sounds familiar, that's because I just as easily could be describing Star Trek, which Mass Effect bears more than a passing resemblance to. Commander Shepard and the Normandy's adventures are a perfect fit for television, which has already been shown to love sci-fi, and the game series’ great story, background information received from the codec and an endearing cast of characters would make sure that a Mass Effect TV show is a definite treat.

 

Max Payne

A failed cinematic debut notwithstanding, Max Payne is somewhat under-utilised outside his games and the tie-in comics. His story is essentially that of a rogue cop with an alcohol problem who has nothing left to lose and decides that exercising his death wish is the best course of action. This formula is perfect for a dark, gritty noir crime series that can show Max's fall, badly thought out romance with a femme fatale, and subsequent redemption. Considering how few badass action shows we seem to have, Max Payne would be a great way to fill that niche.

 

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

 

If Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead are any indication, killing off established characters seems to resonate with audiences these days. Of all the games that tend to kill off main characters, none come close to XCOM: Enemy Unknown, where nobody is safe from imminent death to plasma rifles, no matter how important to the world. A season-long war of attrition against the aliens will provide many moments of heroism, close escapes and superb drama, possibly even related to many characters dying when you least expect it after weeks of character-building.

 

Infamous

Superhero shows like Arrow, Flash and Daredevil are currently some of the most-watched programmes on TV, and who better to represent gaming that its own homegrown lightning-wielder, Cole McGrath. The first two games centred on the brewing conflict between the super-powered conduits and the majority normal humans. This would be a nice plot element where the rise of such people is met with fear, disgust and hatred and how Cole himself tries to balance out his dedication to his human friends while living as a conduit and having to make difficult choices about his own survival and doing the right thing.

 

Sleeping Dogs

An underrated gem from United Front Games, Sleeping Dogs put us in the shoes of Wei Shen, a young man caught between his job as an undercover cop and his family and hometown roots with the underbelly of Hong Kong’s organised crime families. A TV show based on this with some excellent writing could be a really good morally ambiguous crime drama. And if the show can force itself to deviate from the plot of the game, we could have a much more interesting plot than the forgone "good guy" conclusion than the game gave us.

Top 5 Gaming Gadgets to Look Out for in 2015

 Gaming  

From Oculus Rift to the newest Sony Playstation, it has never been a better time to be a gamer.  Here are some of the most anticipated gaming gadgets set to arrive this year.

The technological 'boom' that started in the mid 20th century turned into an unstoppable force. It spread like a plague and it evolved without even allowing us to get used to it. Now we’re enjoying the 21st century, which is packed with incredible technologies. The gaming industry has changed a lot in the last 10 years as well. Thanks to the internet, we can now play our favorite games from any corner of the world, and on numerous types of devices. Here’s an interesting list with 5 of the coolest gaming gadgets to look after this 2015.

Ozobot

Ozobot (pictued at top)is an interactive robotic playmate. It is often called a “game piece with a brain”. The tiny USB-charged robot is in charge of tracking lines and following a specific path. It can also read different colors on a line, and it even adjusts its behavior, thus switching direction and speed. The gaming gadget is excellent for kids who want to have fun.

Ozobot is also a fun way of developing deductive reasoning, achieving understanding of robotic behavior and learning about code language through various games comprising mazes and tracks. It can be used in multiple environments and it instills creativity and strategic skills in children.


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The best PC games of 2015 and 2014

2015 has been an astonishingly good year for PC games. Whether you’ve been looking for a top-notch RPG to sink a hundred hours into, or a quick lunchtime blast of multiplayer brawling, PC games have offered something for every taste on a silver platter this year. And there’s still more to come. 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of great games out there, let PCGamesN help out. This is our guide to the best new and upcoming games on PC. What's more, we’ve even rounded up the best games that came out in 2014, too. 

The Best Released Games of 2015

Heroes of the Storm

It wasn’t going to be long until Blizzard entered the MOBA fray, and Heroes of the Storm is their stab at taking on Dota and League of Legends. Yet this 5v5 arena game isn’t just another Dota clone. Instead Blizzard have made a game that is vastly more accessible than your regular MOBA, whilst still tightly holding on to the core characteristics of the genre such as complex heroes and memorising skill sets. 

The heroes in question are favourites chosen from Blizzard’s IPs - Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft - and bring their unique approaches to battle arenas that not only ask teams to defeat each other, but also complete side-quests. Heroes of the Storm has multiple maps, each with unique themes and quests built in to divide up your attention. One requires you to power up a golem that can rampage through your enemy’s base, whilst another allows you to transform into an unstoppable Dragon Knight if you capture a shrine. Not only does this provide variety, but it’s intensely fun. 

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Hearthstone

Blizzard’s incredibly popular card game took itself to another level in 2015 thanks to the impact of last year’s Goblins vs Gnomes expansion pack and the new Black Rock Spire adventure. With a meta-game that’s constantly evolving and a buzzing community of over 30 million players, Hearthstone is the liveliest game on PC.

Hearthstone isn’t interested in your capacity for trash talking opponents, or flipping tables, or building card pyramids. It’s only interested in your brain, and what it does when presented with part of a deck at the start of a new turn. As a result, you know when you sit down to play 15 minutes of Hearthstone that you’ll get a proper game in - because it only does proper games. And that when you win, it’ll be a real, cerebral victory. Your brain will have championed over somebody else’s, simple as - and you’ll get to feel quietly smug for at least an hour. Hearthstone is the best of you.

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