Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, a role-playing game released for mobile platforms last fall, initially struck me as a game I could skip without a second thought. It had the appearance of a cheap cash-in meant to capitalize on the launch of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Although I'm not generally not the sort of person to write off a game for being free-to-play (some of my favorite games don't cost a dime to start playing), there's something about the combination of that business model, mobile, and a major franchise that made me assume it was not worth so much as a download.

I was wrong.

Continue reading Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes Is a Surprisingly Great Mobile Game

Somehow, 10 years have already passed since the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas--arguably the most innovative game in the series. To coincide with the recent anniversary, Rockstar re-released the game on Xbox 360, replacing the Games on Demand version with a slightly improved version. And while the game itself remains an enjoyable experience, this may not be the best way of revisiting it.

I find myself occasionally in the mood to play one of the classic GTA III-era games (GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas), which are among my all-time favorite games. I typically ignore this compulsion or simply spend a few minutes with the iPhone version of GTA III; I get my small dose of nostalgia but invariably stop playing because, despite Rockstar's best efforts, these are not games that work well on a touchscreen.

An improved re-release of San Andreas was exciting news for me--while a release on Xbox One or PS4 would have been ideal, a cheap Xbox 360 version with improved graphics, better draw distance, and achievements sounds like a great way to revisit the game.

Continue reading Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is fun, but Xbox 360 HD remaster is rough

Humble Bundles are nothing new; for several years now, they've let you pay whatever you want to get a handful of DRM-free PC games. The frequency with which these bundles are offered has made them less of a must-buy than they used to be, but the latest bundle is too intriguing to pass up.

The Humble Mozilla Bundle available now offers a selection of excellent PC games, five of which you can get at any price you wish. (Three others require you to beat the current average--$5.64--and one asks that you pay $8 or more.) But as the Mozilla in the name suggests, this bundle involves your browser. More specifically, each of the games has been designed to be playable without leaving your browser.

Provided you pay over $1, you'll get copies of these games on Steam, but it's the ability to play them in a browser that makes the bundle especially interesting. Despite this being a Mozilla bundle, I've found Chrome works just as well as Firefox. And while it's not the first time I've ever played a non-Flash game in a browser, I can't help but be impressed--as well as worried about having instant access to a game like FTL in a browser tab right alongside the work I'm supposed to be doing.

Continue reading Humble Mozilla Bundle lets you play awesome games without leaving your browser

2K Games has announced details of the WWE 2K15 Season Pass, which will offer additional downloadable content that will add characters and story mode content to the game. In addition, buyers of the Season Pass will get exclusive access to WWE Diva Paige. Of course, the rest of the DLC content will be available for separate purchase while Season Pass buyers get all of it.

As previously reported, other exclusive characters include two generations of Sting, and Hulk Hogan.

WWE 2K15 is scheduled for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 28, 2014. The series will also make its debut on next-generation consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 18, 2014 in North America, and November 21, 2014 internationally.

You can pre-order WWE 2K15 now.

There were any number of reasons to be excited for Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which launched earlier this week. For myself and many others, it was the Nemesis system--which promises unique enemies and emergent gameplay--that was the most exciting aspect of all. And while it's certainly an intriguing feature, I can't help but feel I've been missing out on it for basically being too good at the game.

Until reviews started to hit the web, I was very cautious in being optimistic about Monolith's first-ever Lord of the Rings game. For being such a major franchise, quality games based on it have been few and far between--something that's especially surprising considering its renewed popularity following the release of Peter Jackson's movies. Once I heard the almost-unanimous praise from the reviewers I trust, I was onboard. I was ready to finally play a LotR game that was a genuinely good game, not another passable one that I accepted because it happened to make use of one of my favorite franchises.

Continue reading Is being too good at Shadow of Mordor robbing me of a better experience?

Bungie has just announced a stellar deal for Destiny buyers--if you pick up the digital version of Destiny for the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3, you get to download the next-gen digital version for Xbox One or Playstation 4 for free. That's two copies of Destiny for the price of one.

The deal applies to all Destiny content, too, so if you buy the Guardian edition of the game, or the Expansion Pass on Xbox 360 or PS3, you'll also get that same content on Xbox One or PS4 as well.

To be clear, those who take advantage of the promotion get to keep and use both versions of Destiny. The downloads will be tied to the same Xbox Live or PSN account, and as a result, you'll have to choose one ecosystem (Xbox or Playstation) for both copies of the game--you can't get it for PS3 and then get the Xbox One version, or vice versa. This is a great deal for those who still have an older console in a spare room and want to have Destiny playable on both.

If the above doesn't apply to you, you can still get a free copy of Destiny (or any other Xbox One game) this week!

Continue reading Get free copy of Destiny for Xbox One or PS4 with last-gen purchase

Forza Motorsport 5 is going free this weekend for all Xbox Live Gold subscribers. You’ll also need an Xbox One to get in on the action, which starts at 12:01am on Friday and ends on Sunday night. During that timeframe, you’ll be able to download Forza Motorsport 5 and play it to your hearts content for the weekend, including all single-player and multiplayer content. DLC add-ons don’t come as part of the deal, but still, this is basically like a free rental.

All US residents who spend time playing Forza Motorsport 5 during the free weekend are entered to win a three-day trip to the Forza Motorsport Grand Prix Road Racing Class to be held at the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.

So, who jumping in to Forza to help pass the time until Destiny arrives next week?

For a peek behind-the-scenes of Forza Motorsport 5, check out our video after the break.

Continue reading Xbox Live Gold members get Forza 5 free all weekend long

When Microsoft removed Kinect from the lower-end Xbox One bundle (making the promise of what Kinect would be go up in smoke,) it also announced that it would make the Kinect sensor for Xbox One available as a standalone purchase for anyone who might want to add it to their console after purchasing one without it, but never announced a date. Now we know that the Kinect for Xbox One will be available in stores in October, and will cost $150.

It makes sense that Microsoft would offer Kinect separately, but the extra $50 that it's taking on to the price may made it a dud out of the gate, but hey, at least now the fact that you can get an Xbox One with Kinect for $100 more appears to be a $50 savings. For what it's worth, the Kinect will be packed in with a copy of Dance Central Spotlight, which is probably the main Kinect game that people really care about in the first place.

That said--who's planning on buying one?

EA Access, the new subscription gaming service from EA, is now available to Xbox One console owners. Just log in and download the EA Access app, and you'll have unlimited access to a select grouping of EA titles for $4.99 per month, or $29.99 per year. The service launches with FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, Battlefield 4, and Peggle 2. The company says there is more to come, and that one a game is added to the Vault, it stays there. So, for your money, you get unlimited access to a growing list of EA games. Additionally, EA Access members get 10% off on EA digital purchases on Xbox One. PlayStation 4 gamers are left out here, as Sony doesn't think its gamers want to pay a $5 per month all-you-can-eat subscription fee for EA content.

We recently gave you a look at John Cena in WWE 2K15, and now 2K Games has released two shots of Randy Orton from the upcoming next-gen version of the wrestling game series. The first image features Orton staring down John Cena from across the ring, while the second sees Orton performing his signature pose (likely an in-game taunt.) As with the original Cena screenshot, it's obvious that a lot of work went into improving the character models for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 console editions.

As a reminder, if you pre-order WWE 2K15 now, you get two playable Sting characters for free on launch day. 2K also announced the exclusive WWE 2K15 Hulkamania Edition, which includes a bunch of Hulk Hogan-themed extras and playable characters.

We've got one more screenshot, featuring Orton doing his signature pose, after the jump.

Continue reading 2 new WWE 2K15 next-gen Randy Orton screenshots released

Yesterday we gave you a look at the first WWE 2K15 screenshot as posted by John Cena on Twitter, and today we have news on the WWE 2K15 Hulkamania Edition. This one will be exclusive to next-gen consoles (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One,) and will feature a bunch of extra limited edition content when it goes on sale on October 28th here in North America. Aside from a copy of the WWE 2K15 game, the package also includes:

• Exclusive premium packaging
• Collectible art card autographed by Hulk Hogan
• A Funko Hollywood Hulk Hogan vinyle figure
• A piece of authentic canvas taken from the ring where Hulk Hogan returned to Monday Night Raw on March 10, 2014
• Two pre-order launch exlusive Hulk Hogan characters (Hulkamania & Hollywood)
• Two pre-order launch exclusive playable Sting characters (Surfer & Crow)

2K Games will only be making 25,000 of these, so if you definitely want to get in on the $99 Hulkamania Edition, you should probably go ahead and pre-order it now.

This year, E3 had one of those showing that only happens once every 8-10 years. E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the biggest video game conference in the world, and it's where game publishers show off what they're working on. E3 2014 was unique because it was the first one after the release of two major consoles--the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. Developers got to show for the first time full portfolios dedicated to the new hardware, and it was glorious. There was a lot to see during both the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation media briefings, and Nintendo surprised many with game announcements of its own. I figured I'd whittle things down and share the ten games I was most excited about, in no particular order.

Continue reading 10 upcoming games I can’t wait to play

2K Games has released the first in-game screenshot of WWE 2K15. Initially tweeted by John Cena, the image shows WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Cena, staring down Randy Orton in the ring. As you can see, the visuals (at least here,) have been vastly improved. Not only are the character models sporting a more realistic look, but the focus blur is on-point as well. WWE 2K15 will be the first WWE title available for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and will also be available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 when it's released on October 28 in North America (and October 31 internationally.) If you pre-order WWE 2K15 now, you get two playable Sting characters for free on launch day.

Update: 2K just announced the exclusive WWE 2k15 Hulkamania Edition!

Continue reading First next-gen screenshot of WWE 2K15 revealed

Update: 2K Games has revealed the limited exclusive WWE 2K15 Hulkamania edition!

During the last episode of Monday Night Raw, it was revealed that the pre-order bonus for WWE 2K15 will be a double-dose of Sting. Wrestling fans in the 1980s and 1990s will remember Sting as both a blonde, spiky-haired grappler with colorful face paint, and later, the mysterious black-and-white character reminiscent of "The Crow."

When WWE 2K15 launches in North America on October 28th (and October 31st internationally,) those who pre-ordered will get both incarnations of the Sting character right off the bat, similar to what happened last year with The Ultimate Warrior in WWE 2K14. This will be the first WWE title available for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. You can order WWE 2K15 now.

The summer months can bring drought conditions in many areas across the world, but as any hardcore gamer will tell you, the gaming industry suffers the same condition each year. It's even tougher in years like 2014, where two major consoles just launched and early adopters are clamoring for new software for their pricey investments.

While I can't do anything about the lack of new games that are set to drop this summer, I can certainly help you get through it. Over the next two months, right before summer hits, we are going to see a few high profile games released that we think will dull the summer gaming blues. Some are old favorites, while a couple are brand new IP that look to offer unique gaming experiences. Here's my list of the five games to pick up this summer, in order of release date:

Continue reading 5 big game releases to get you through the coming summer drought

2KGames has announced that WWE 2K15 is set to launch on October 28, 2014 here in North America, and on October 31 in international markets. No other game details have been released just yet, but we do know that it'll be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. For those keeping score at home, this will be the first time that the WWE franchise appears on the next-generation Xbox One and PS4 consoles, so it'll be interesting to see that 2K is able to do with the beefier hardware in the graphics department.

What do you think? Are you excited to get your hands on WWE 2K15?

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a hardcore gamer. Ok, that's false, many people have said that first, but the point stands. I can never keep track of the differences between core and hardcore and pro gamer and who is playing what. But when I look at my steam account and see that I managed to log triple digit hours in some of those things I don't know if I can say I'm casual either. In fact, there is only one thing I can say with certainty about video games:

I like the free ones.

The majority of the games in my steam library were free. Metro 2033? Free promotional. Red Orchestra? Free steam weekend. And now another, Path of Exile. Another freebie, and at 132 hours it takes second place for play time in my library next to Civilization 5. That one I bought the hard way.

Its one of the expanding genre of free to play MMOs on the market these days and it ranks at the fifth most popular freebie on steam with a pretty solid community rating. Metascore 85/100 is nothing to sneeze at. It got glowing reviews from Gamespot and IGN. It has five million players. I'm willing to bet some of you reading this have that icon on your desktop right now.

Now I'm going to tell you about my experiences with it after 132 hours.

Continue reading Path of Exile review

Microsoft has officially announced the next entry in the Halo series in Halo 5: Guardians. Exclusive to the Xbox One, Halo 5: Guardians will star Master Chief as he begins a new journey, which was previously teased at E3 2013.

"Halo 5: Guardians" is a bigger effort than "Halo 4." That applies to the content and scope of the game, as well as the technology in what’s now a brand new and more powerful engine. Certainly there are some core elements carried over from prior games, but we’ve invested a huge effort in retooling our tech to take full advantage of the Xbox One’s hardware and ecosystem to create worlds and experiences worthy of next-gen.

You can bet that 343 Industries will take full advantage of Microsoft's Xbox Live cloud infrastructure--but probably not too much Kinect integration. I'm sure we'll know much more at E3.

As we mentioned earlier, Microsoft has decided to do an about-face, now offering the Xbox One without Kinect for $399. The move continues Microsoft's seemingly cowardly backtracking trend that it's been doing with the Xbox One for about a year now. While many see this simply as a price drop and a way to get the Xbox One without an accessory that they may now want, for all intents and purposes, this kills Kinect dead. Right where it stands.

Allow me to explain. When the original Kinect launched for the Xbox 360, there was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding its release. For the first time, you could use your body as the controller for a new type of gaming experience. It was cool, and about as novel as the original Wii. It was a toy and a gimmick, and soon many folks stopped playing Kinect games, and none really took off at retail. However, Microsoft was getting good data and feedback for what we realized the "real" Kinect would be. The one that launched with the next Microsoft console.

Continue reading Why Microsoft unbundling Kinect is a broken promise to all Xbox One owners

Curious about what, exactly, the "ultra" in Ultra Street Fighter 4 is supposed to imply? Capcom has released a new trailer detailing all the new characters, stages, game modes, gameplay balancing tweaks, and other features that are set to make this the biggest and best incarnation of Street Fighter 4 yet. If it's not enough for you, then you're gonna have to tell us what Capcom forgot to include, because we're having a hard time finding it.

Ultra Street Fighter 4 will launch this summer (you can pre-order USF4 now!) and will be available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. You can peep the trailer after the jump.

Continue reading Ultra Street Fighter 4 trailer shows off new characters, features, stages, and more

If you've been waiting for Titanfall to drop in price before getting in on the action, well, it's time to stand by for Titanfall. Amazon is featuring the game as a Gold Box special today, selling it for just $37 (a 38% discount!) That price applies to all platforms, including PC, Xbox One, and even the newly-released Xbox 360 version.

Head over to Amazon to take advantage of this deal now!

Hey Wii U owners, if you're looking to round out your Mario-themed Wii Remote collection, the new Princess Peach Wii Remote Plus is set to hit stores next week. As you can see, the Peach Wiimote is pink on the front, with a darker pink on back, with a gold D-pad, white A button, and blue accents with the Peach logo. It matches up nicely with the Mario and Luigi Wii Remotes that were previously released, and has us wondering where the heck the Toad version is. You can grab the Peach Wii Remote Plus on April 24th for $40.

Nintendo has announced the Super Smash Bros. is coming to the Nintendo 3DS this summer, and Wii U later this winter. Both versions will heavily promote online play with friends through Nintendo's Miiverse, as well as through random matches with other players.

Nintendo also says it will monitor the behavior of online players, and will punish those who are a hindrance to others, including those who leave matches early, bully others, cheat, etc. Skill-based matchmaking will also be incorporated to keep things fair and fun.

The Nintendo 3DS version in particular will feature a new mode called Smash Run where up to four players get five minutes to team up and beat up enemies in exchange for power-ups. After five minutes is up, those power-ups are put into play, as the players engage in a battle against each other.

No specific release dates were given for either version of the game, but we'll likely get that information in a couple of months at E3.

On the heels of the recent February Xbox One update, Microsoft is now rolling out the big March Xbox One Dashboard update that brings with is a ton of new features and optimizations. Most are focused on the multiplayer and party chat features, but there's a lot more to it than that. If you've got your eyes peeled looking for that Twitch.tv live streaming feature, that one's not ready quite yet. You'll have to wait until March 11th, when the feature launches alongside the release of Titanfall. We're also still waiting on the external hard drive support, which Microsoft says is coming, but has yet to give any solid release date for.

To see the list of what's in the March Xbox One Dashboard update, hit the jump to see the video and feature play-by-play. Also, don't miss our look at the elusive white Xbox One console!

Continue reading Xbox One March Update is live, here’s what’s new!

Twitch streaming is finally coming to the Xbox One. Exclusive to the Playstation 4 since launch, Twitch allows live broadcasting of your video game session for others to watch in real-time. Now, on March 11th (the same day as the launch of Titanfall,) Xbox One owners will be able to get in on the action. Speak a simple command to Kinect to make it happen--"Xbox, broadcast"--and your stream is live.

Twitch says that the Xbox One version will offer enhanced features that support chat, following, and picture-in-picture in any corner so that you can interact with broadcasters.

Continue reading Twitch streaming coming to Xbox One on March 11

I'm a big fan NBA 2K14, and have been raining threes and dunking in faces since the day the game launched on Xbox 360, and continuing to the Xbox One version when the console launched. One challenge is trying to unlock the Diamond players in the MyTeam mode, with much of the process remaining a mystery. Now, though, it seems that the method to unlock Diamond Lebron James may have been uncovered. Basically, you need to collect the player from each modern team with the highest overall ranking. Check the video after the jump for the full explanation, and let us know if it works for you!

If you haven't yet, you can pick up NBA 2K14 now on Amazon.

Continue reading How to get Diamond Lebron James in NBA 2K14 [Video]

If you can't wait to get in on the Titanfall action, you might wanna rush over and apply for the Titanfall beta. Available on both Xbox One and PC, the beta will allow you to play near-final code prior to the launch of the game next month. If you are selected, you'll receive an email from RA with instructions on how to access the game by noon on February 17th. Good luck!

You can pre-order Titanfall now.

Today was supposed to be the day that Microsoft released the first major Xbox One dashboard update, but unfortunately, it was pulled at the last minute. Larry Hryb (Major Nelson) announced on Twitter that the "team is working on finalizing," and didn't give a solid date other than to say that it is now on track to be released later this week.

FYI: The February #XboxOne System Update will ship this week, but not today. The team is working on finalizing. More details when I get them

— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) February 11, 2014

As previously reported, the February update will bring battery life indicators for the Xbox One controllers, storage management for the Xbox One, and will split up My Games and My Apps into separate sections in order to more easily handle larger libraries. Additionally, the update will bring USB keyboard support.

We know, the Wii U has been taking a beating in recent weeks in the press--but Mario Kart 8 is fast approaching, arguably just the second AAA title that will be available for the struggling console (with the first being the magnificent Super Mario 3D World.) While the release date isn't as close as we'd like it to be--we really enjoy throwing those red shells, after all--it's close enough. You'll be able to get your hands on the next home console installment of Mario Kart in May.

That's as solid a date as we've been given from Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, but once we get the exact date, we'll update you guys to let you know when you can get your Mario Kart 8 on. Now, if only Nintendo would finally fix their jumbled online multiplayer...

You can pre-order Mario Kart 8 now.

Continue reading Mario Kart 8 races onto Wii U this May

The first significant Xbox One update is set for release on Tuesday, February 11th. Microsoft gave a few details on what gamers can expect from the new software, without going into too much detail on what all it entails. Here are three features you can look forward to on February 11th as an Xbox One owner:

• The ability to see and manage your storage space. With this update, you will find it easy to find how much space your content takes up and better manage your content. You can also control your install lineup and more easily manage your download queue. We’ve separated My Games and My Apps into separate lists, so you can easily create separate queues for both. Now you can pick the order in which you want your content to load and we’ve added a boot progress indicator so you can better track updates while they load.
• The battery power indicator is back! You can see it right on the home screen, so you can easily track how much battery life is left on your controller.
• And, you will be able to use your USB keyboard with your Xbox One.

While we haven't been waiting with bated breath for USB keyboard support ourselves, we're sure there's many a gamer out there excited to see that update. For us, being able to view and manage storage is a big deal--especially for a console that prides itself on selling all titles on demand with a paltry 500 GB hard drive. Speaking of which, we're still waiting on the update that enables external USB storage.

After the February 11th update, there will be another one released on March 4th in anticipation for the release of Titanfall. That one will be focused on multiplayer matchmaking and the party system, making sure it's in top shape for the release of the big-name title. You can pre-order Titanfall now.