Amazon offering Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale on PlayStation 4 games
The PlayStation 4 is launching this Friday. Have you guys saved up all of your pennies? I've had my pre-order made since the summer, yet I didn't really plan on picking up many games. However, an email I received this morning altered all of those plans. Between 11am CST and 3pm CST (or while supplies last) tomorrow, Amazon will be offering a "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" sale on select PlayStation 4 games to jumpstart gamers' foray into the next generation of console gaming. All customers have to do is simply add the three games to their carts with the coupon code "GR8TNESS" to have the sale applied.
The full list is as follows:
- Angry Birds: Star Wars
- Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag
- Battlefield 4
- Call of Duty: Ghosts
- FIFA 14
- Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
- Just Dance 2014
- Killzone: Shadow Fall
- Knack
- LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
- Madden NFL 25
- NBA 2K14
- Need for Speed Rivals
- Skylanders SWAP Force
Do any of these games catch your fancy? I'm personally picking up LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, NBA 2K14, and Killzone; Shadow Fall, completing the Geoff holy trinity of superheroes, shooters, and basketball. I'll catch you guys online!
Disney princesses re-imagined as Final Fantasy characters
While Kingdom Hearts serves as the official collaboration between Square Enix and Disney, there are many wishing there was more of a direct connection between iconic Disney characters and the Final Fantasy series. Sure, characters like Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy play central roles in the Kingdom Hearts games, but other characters are relegated to minor roles. The Disney princesses are stereotypically portrayed as damsels in distress whose hearts serve as a major plot point in the series. As dynamic as the very concept of Kingdom Hearts is, it's unfortunate that the princesses would be used so poorly.
deviantART member Geryes has addressed the problem by creating vector illustrations of the Disney princesses in classic Final Fantasy roles. He matches the various princesses perfectly with the proper roles. Take, for example, Beauty and the Beast's Belle as a Beastmaster, Snow White as a White Mage, Aladdin's Jasmine as a Summoner, and more.
If only they could play such roles in the next Kingdom Hearts game...
[Geryes' deviantART, via Destructoid]
[Video] Call of Duty: Ghosts live-action trailer
James Mangold, the Oscar-nominated director behind Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, and this summer's The Wolverine, directed a TV spot for the next Call of Duty installment, Call of Duty: Ghosts. The video features a group of four friends (including Community's Charley Koontz) teaming together and shooting stuff a la Call of Duty. However, a well-placed cameo by Megan Fox gives the video an extra shot of testosterone, as well as points out that Ghosts will be the first game in the franchise to feature female characters online.
Watch the video below in preparation for Call of Duty: Ghosts' release tomorrow, November 5th.
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Super Mario Bros. creator won't work on future Super Mario games
Say it ain't so! Super Mario Bros. creator and popular Nintendo icon Shigeru Miyamoto recently told a French outlet that he wants to step away from future Super Mario Bros. games. In Miyamoto's own words, he told Gamekult:
"Creating a Mario of [Super Mario] 3D World's calibre demands enormous energy and there is little chance that I'd be able to take the time necessary to work on the next Mario. Instead, I want to get involved more heavily in the development of new, smaller-scale projects, but that doesn't necessarily mean just modest downloadable titles. It's not impossible that I'll present a new game as principal creator in the future, but even though I'm not directly in charge of a project, I'm always keeping an eye on what the teams are doing in terms of gameplay and I have confidence in them. Don't worry about Mario!"
I've honestly never been a huge Super Mario Bros. fan (my blood is Sonic the Hedgehog blue), but you'd be hard-pressed to find a gamer who can't understand Mario and Miyamoto's legacy and influence on all video games. While it's true that he's found himself in smaller roles over recent years, it's difficult to imagine a Super Mario Bros. game without Miyamoto's direct presence guiding the game. However, it's great to see his interest being drawn to smaller-scale games, especially with the rise of indie games over the current/last generation of gaming.
[via IGN]
Sony releases the ultimate PlayStation 4 FAQ
With the PlayStation 4 a little more than two weeks away from release, Sony has released a huge FAQ detailing everything new PS4 owners can expect when they get their hands on the console on November 15th. The page includes information for everything from prices and peripheral compatibility to hardware differences compared to the PS3. Also of note are some of the "minor" changes that might not be so minor after all.
Those not acute to video game news might be surprised of some of the changes for the PlayStation 4. For instance, PlayStation 3 games will not be backwards compatible with the PlayStation 4; unfortunately, this also includes downloadable games bought in the PlayStation Store. Online play will also only be available to PS+ subscribers, although considering how many free games and discounts PS+ offers, most gamers should already be subscribed to the program.
You can read the full list of PS4 changes on the PlayStation Blog. Are any of these a deal breaker for those thinking about picking a PS4 up at launch? Personally, I'm bummed out about not being able to play the games I bought from the PlayStation Store, but it's nowhere close to a deal breaker for me. I am a bit letdown that I can't change my PlayStation Network ID, though...
[via PlayStation Blog]
[Video] The Walking Dead Season Two gameplay teaser
Riding high off of the show's popularity, as well as their own popularity with the resurgence of adventure games with their previous releases of Sam and Max and Back to the Future, Telltale Games' The Walking Dead not only stayed true to the comic book, it further popularized both the adventure game genre and proved that episodic video games can, in fact, be successful. How successful, you ask? Telltale revealed yesterday that The Walking Dead sold over 21m individual episodes across both the five episodes that made up Season One and the transition episode, 400 Days.
Not a company to simply rest on their laurels, Telltale also released the first gameplay teaser of The Walking Dead: Season Two. Not much is revealed, but the nature of the series relies on the mystery and surprise that each episode offers. However, what has been confirmed is that Clementine, Season One's main minor character, will in fact be playable this season. Considering everything the young girl faced, it'll be interesting to see if she'll be compelling enough to play as in comparison to Season One's protagonist, Lee.
The Walking Dead: Season Two's first episode will be released later this year. Season passes will run for $22.50, while individual episodes will probably run for the standard $4.99.
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[via Destructoid]
Tiger Woods and Electronic Arts break up
Tiger Woods' namesake on EA Sports' PGA Tour franchise won't be returning for future installments. Electronic Arts and Woods both agreed to the "mutual decision" to not have Woods' contract renewed for use on the PGA Tour video game series. Considering the popularity of the PGA Tour series ($771m lifetime sales), both EA Sports and Woods are expected to face some financial loss.
However, the game franchise will still prosper with notable professional golfers like Rory McIlroy and Arnold Palmer still appearing in future sequels. Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, has confirmed that negotiations with another video game studio are taking place, but considering EA Sports' dominance in the sports sphere, any other non-EA Sports Tiger Woods game would face a lot of competition.
[via ESPN]
[Video] The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker meets Kanye West's "Black Skinhead"
Video game music mashup videos are usually hit or miss. Sometimes, the song doesn't fit the scenes or video games chosen. Other times, the editing is abysmal and overshadows the humor in seeing X video game mashed together with Y song. This "Black Hylian" video, however, does everything right. YouTube user Kryptick Bidoof mashed together scenes from the Wii U HD re-release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker with Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" off of Yeezus. Video games and hip hop are in unison once again. Do you think Kanye will use the video as a backdrop during his Yeezus Tour? I think he should.
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