Dead Rising Podcast October 31, 2013
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In honor of Halloween, GameXcess.net’s latest podcast is focused on a fantastic video game horror series, Dead Rising. The game has spawned two major titles, two remakes, and two downloadable games. Where many games focus specifically on the fear, Dead Rising is one of the rare franchises that makes you think about the impact we as humans have had, and what the consequences of our actions could bring.Well that, and they’re great open world zombie hack and slash games where everything can become a weapon, and anywhere can be explored.
As usual for any site podcast we talk about the origins of the series, our experiences playing it, and what the future holds for the series. Enjoy!
Playstation 4 Day One Firmware Update Does Not Require Online Activation October 31, 2013
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Those of you who may be lacking broadband internet access and wish to pick up a Playstation 4 with the hope of using most of the console’s announced features can breathe a small sigh of relief today. According to several media sources, the Day One Software Update that Sony is releasing on the PS4’s launch can be installed from multiple different sources, including USB.
This may be a welcome announcement, as many prospective PS4 owners have been concerned that Sony’s update servers may not be able to meet the demand of all the new PS4 users updating their consoles at around the same time. By offering different update solutions, this could lessen the load on Sony’s update server, or provide a workaround in case users do find problems updating online.
Sony has also stated they may be able to provide an alternate activation disc to users unable to update through other means. However, you may need to contact Sony Support in order to have that disc sent to you.
You can read more about this, as well as all of the final technical information Sony is releasing on the PS4, here.
The Playstation 4 is launching November 15th, 2013 for a price of $399 US.
Dead Rising 3 Halloween Trailer October 31, 2013
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We’re less than a month away from the launch of the Xbox One, and the highest anticipated game on my launch radar is without a doubt Dead Rising 3 from Capcom.
One of the staples of the Dead Rising series was that you could pretty much wear any kind of clothes you find in the game’s environment. One of the gameplay enhancements of Dead Rising 2 is that you could fashion your own weapons from other smaller weapons you found in the environment. This new trailer is just here to remind us on Halloween that yes…that’s all still there.
Dead Rising 3 is coming November 22nd, 2013 exclusive to the Xbox One.
Heavenly Sword Movie Announced October 31, 2013
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In 2007, developer Ninja Theory released their first exclusive game to Sony’s Playstation 3, called Heavenly Sword. It had a deep story with fantastic characters, and a similar gameplay style to Sony’s Playstation 2 hit series God of War. Sadly, the game critically suffered as many people complained just how short it was, and after the game’s release Ninja Theory moved on to other projects. Because of this, most people forgot about the series and moved on. This is quite a shame since…well without going too deep into spoilers the original game did end with a pretty big cliffhanger.
I can remember some musings from Ninja Theory shortly after Heavenly Sword’s release that they had the facilities and the expertise to make a dedicated CGI movie, but that really didn’t go any further. They were working with WETA to make the original game, and it looked great. All characters were digitally performance captured from actors including Andy Serkis. A CGI movie would have made a really good fit for the series, but we hadn’t heard anything further about that in years. Imagine my surprise when this trailer hit the web last night.
That’s right, they’re making an Heavenly Sword CGI movie, and it looks to be a direct adaptation of the original game. From what I can see in the the trailer, the movie makers have replicated the game’s art style perfectly. I’m also happy to see that Anna Torv, who was the lead actress in the original game, will be reprising her role for this movie. It looks like Alfred Molina (famous for playing Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2) will be replacing Andy Serkis as the antagonist.
I’m really excited about this development. I was a fan of Heavenly Sword when it was first released, and I have been hoping for quite some time that they would continue the franchise in some form. I’ve extended an invitation for interviews on behalf of this site to the movie’s filmmakers.
Heavenly Sword: The Movie will be coming April 2014.
Video Game Halloween Costume Ideas October 30, 2013
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Tomorrow is Halloween in my neck of the woods, and while many people have already decided what costumes they plan to wear tomorrow, it can be hard for some to pick out just the right costume to wear. There may also be some gamers out there who want to show off their love for video games as well, and want to recreate the costume of a video game character to show their love. I understand that there are tons of video game costumes available to purchase online (some of them are even officially licensed), but there are plenty more that are not. With that in mind, I’ve decided to post up a list of some popular video game characters who have outfits that can be replicated with just a little bit of money, and a long look through a closet. Now get to it!
Pokémon Trainer (Pokémon) – While they deal with fantastical technology and creatures, Nintendo’s Pokémon games have always tried to make their game world and fashion as close to real life as possible. Most of the clothes that the various Pokémon trainers have worn over the years can be readily found in most people’s closets. Their costumes can usually be made up of black shirts, blue vests, fingerless gloves, hoodies, jeans and a backpack. The only problem I’ve seen is trainer hats are custom for the most part, and may be more difficult to obtain. While most of Ash’s hats from the various Pokémon animated series can be found cheaply on sites like Amazon, if you’re a female interested in the hat worn by the Black and White female trainer, you may have to make that yourself. If you’re going for a more recent Pokémon Trainer look, just remember to keep your sunglasses in your hat. If you have any Poke Balls or plush Pokémon around, bring them with you in case someone challenges you to a battle.
Mario and Luigi (Super Mario Bros) – Their costumes can be incredibly simple. Both Mario and Luigi wear jean overalls, which can be found pretty much anywhere. If you’re going to play as Mario, you’ll need a red sweatshirt, and Luigi wears a green sweatshirt. If you have white gloves, they could enhance the look, but they’re not needed. You’re going to need a mustache, so if you’re unable to grow one yourself, make sure to pick one up at a costume shop. While you could always accessorize your costume further, like build a ghost vacuum for Luigi, don’t bother bringing a plunger with you. While the boys are plumbers, we have never seen them carry a plunger in a single one of their video games. What you will need to top it off though is a custom Mario or Luigi hat, and you can find those pretty cheaply online, or at any costume shop. Heck, Nintendo has been giving away custom Luigi hats all year long at most of their major events. You probably have one in a swag bag somewhere you forgot about.
JC Denton (Deus Ex) – Very simple costume for the bionic agent. Black leather trench coat. Blue or gray zip up fleece shirt or vest. Sunglasses. That’s it.
Jackie Estacato (The Darkness) – Take the JC Denton costume (listed above), lose the sunglasses and add a long black wig.
Duke Nukem – Red tank top, blue jeans, black suspenders, and dark sunglasses. The hard part is going to be in replicating his classic flat top blond haircut, or his huge muscles. You may be able to find a wig to match the hair, or just happen to normally sport his classic hairstyle, but the muscles may be harder to replicate. As Duke would say, “Be sure to take your um…vitamins.”
Frank West (Dead Rising) – Frank is a bit more difficult to recreate as he’s got a nearly infinite amount of different costumes that he can wear in the games that he’s appeared in, and many of his outfits can be confusing to anyone unfamiliar with the game series. Here’s an interesting story. I once saw a guy walking around PAX East last year in nothing more than a pair of briefs and suspenders to hold them up. The producer next to me had no idea what he just saw, but was relieved when I told him that it looked like he was cosplaying as Frank West. While It may be a little cold to do an outfit like that outside, you can always go for his default outfit of a white button up shirt and leather jacket. Just don’t forget the camera.
Psychic Camper from Psychonauts – Double Fine actually sells shirts that are an exact replica of the ones that the campers wear while staying at the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, and they have them in both mens and womens style. If you want to show off your psychic skills, you can pick one up here.
Nathan Drake (Uncharted) – Well, anyone who happened to pick up a copy of the Uncharted 3 Collector’s Edition should be able to recreate his costume. While he has changed his clothing on many different occasions depending on the environment he was in, he’s never far away from Sir Francis Drake’s ring. A replica of that ring, plus Drake’s horseshoe belt buckle are included in that collector’s edition, and they should work well enough that you could wear them as part of a costume. While you can’t go wrong with wearing a simple black suit with a white button up shirt and no tie, as he does in the beginning of Uncharted 3, Drake is usually known for his long sleeve beige shirts, blue jeans, and boots. That should be easy enough to obtain. Just keep the ring around your neck to complete to look.
Max Payne – I actually went dressed as him once one Halloween. While the more recent Max Payne game depicted him as a bald, bearded man in a Hawaiian shirt, the original version of him was clean shaven with a full head of hair. Depending on what version you are going for, you may need a leather jacket with an open Hawaiian shirt under it.
So that’s just a small list of how do make some quick video game costumes this Halloween. No matter who you choose to go as I wish you all a very fun and safe time!
Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Maps Free Today October 29, 2013
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In honor of the two year anniversary of the release of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Naughty Dog has made ALL of the Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Map Packs, including a brand new Dry Docks Map Pack, free to download from the Playstation Store. This is a fantastic piece of news as it will get a lot of players who haven’t had the chance to check out Uncharted 3’s multiplayer in a long time to start playing again.
Read all the details about the promotion here on Naughty Dog’s Website. Now head to the Playstation Store and start downloading!
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is out now exclusive to the Playstation 3.
Halo: Spartan Assault Coming to Xbox 360 and Xbox One October 29, 2013
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Up to this point, Halo: Spartan Assault has been considered by many to be the only Windows 8 exclusive program that could entice people to upgrade. Today, gamers everywhere not interested in ever upgrading to Windows 8 can breathe a sigh of relief as Microsoft has announced the game is being ported to the Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms next month.
What is Halo: Spartan Assault? It is a side story which takes place between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4 and tells the story of the SPARTAN-IV unit, one of the major supporting characters from 2012’s Halo 4. Take a look!
The Xbox versions of Halo: Spartan Assault will be redesigned specifically for the Xbox controller’s dual analog sticks. This should be a much more comfortable control option. The Xbox versions will also include 2-player cooperative play, the Operation Hydra expansion, and new levels featuring Halo’s most fearsome foe, The Flood.
Hopefully, both of these new versions of the game will have achievements that are compatible with Halo Waypoint. In fact, there are several achievements in the game that unlock specific Halo Waypoint awards.
Halo: Spartan Assault is coming in December to Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is out now on Windows 8-equipped computers, tablets and smartphones.
UPDATE: While both the Xbox One and Xbox 360 versions of Halo: Spartan Assault will support cooperative play, the game will not support cooperative play across the two platforms. So unfortunately, anyone who is playing the Xbox One version of the game will only be able to play with Xbox One players, and Xbox 360 players will only be able to play with other Xbox 360 players.
Playstation 4 Launch Preparation Video October 29, 2013
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We’re less than a month away from the Playstation 4 launch, and to help anyone interested in picking up a system at launch, Maniac breaks down the most up to the minute information on the system. In this video about what games are coming out, what peripherals will be available, and what you’ll need to do to get the most out of your PS4.
The Playstation 4 is coming November 15th, 2013 for $399 US.
Xbox One Launch Preparation Video October 28, 2013
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Two major consoles will be launching in less than a week. To help you prepare for this, Maniac breaks down the most up to the minute information about each new console to help anyone planning to pick up the consoles on launch day.
First off, we’re going to be talking about the Xbox One from Microsoft, which will be releasing on November 22nd, 2013.
For those of you interested in a Playstation 4 preparation video, we plan to release it later on this week.
Playstation 4 Day One 1.5 Software Update Announced October 25, 2013
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For those of you who complained that the Wii U required a pretty hefty day-one patch to be able to play Wii games, many news organizations are reporting today that Sony is going to offer a Day One Playstation 4 which will unlock most of the console’s announced features. So before you fire up your games, make sure to fire up the PS4’s Software Update.
The 300 MB patch will be released the day of the console’s launch and can be downloaded online. It will enable most of the PS4’s features such as remote play, gameplay spectating, facial and voice recognition, and second screen, but also adds a lot of features that the PS3 already can do out of the box. The patch will enable the PS4’s online multiplayer capabilities, cross game voice party chat, and will also enable the PS3’s Blu-Ray and DVD playback capabilities.
You can read all the details about the system update here on Playstation Blog.
Playstation 4 is launching in North America November 15th, 2013 for a price of $399 US.
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