Gaming

Fans of the vine-swinging, barrel-bashing, chest-thumping Wii favourite will be glad to hear that Donkey Kong Country Returns…returns? This time in 3D. On your 3DS, naturally. DKCR was a blast from the past in 2010 as Nintendo revitalised the SNES classic with travel between foreground and background, rich and vibrant level graphics, and a fun, vibrant style that collided retro sensibilities with modern production values. Now the update has been updated, with 3D graphics and new content for mobile gamers on the 3DS platform. The aptly named New Mode is…well, new, but aimed at first-time gamers to the platform genre, giving Donkey and Diddy an extra life heart each making the ease in a little better for newbies. Other helpful items include the ability to constantly switch between the two apes, Green Balloons to protect against falling off a cliff or a ledge, and Crash Guards, which render the cheeky chimps invulnerable during mine cart and rocket barrel areas. Veterans will be able to play the game as it was originally released. DKCR:3D also includes a whole new “Cloud” world complete with eight new stages available after players complete the main game, along with the facility for two local players to team up as Donkey and Diddy over wifi. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is released tomorrow on May 24th for 3DS, so go bananas! Check out the official site for more information.

A new trailer for Destinybrings Bungie's new world into the live-action realm - with plenty of CG and story time with Breaking Bad's infamous villain. In the video, we learn about the law of the land in the upcoming, online-focused shooter, thanks to a passage from Rudyard Kipling's The Second Jungle Book. Earlier this morning, Bungie sent Joystiq a copy of the classic story, featuring a highlighted passage detailing "The Law of the Jungle" and a note promising to see us at E3 2013. The video promises a "worldwide gameplay reveal" during Sony's E3 2013 press conference on June 10, 2013. The passage from the book - as spoken in the trailer - reads: "Now this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky, And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack." A fitting passage, considering Destiny's focus as an "always-on, persistent world adventure." According to Variety, the ad - starring Giancarlo Esposito - was directed by Jon Favreau and produced by the ad shop 72 and Sunny, with visual effects from Digital Domain. Esposito and Favreau had previously worked together on the pilot of NBC's Revolution, which stars the standout boss figure from Breaking Bad. The ad will also be broadcast during Game 3 of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 25. Destiny is launching on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2014.Continue reading Destiny live-action trailer explores the law of the land Destiny live-action trailer explores the law of the land originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments More...

At Bungie, we?re all hard at work gearing up for the big show in June, but we didn't want to leave you empty-handed heading into E3. To whet your appetite for Destiny?s gameplay reveal on June 10th, we?re releasing a CG/live action trailer that features three Guardians in action. This spot, titled ?Law of the Jungle,? was created in collaboration with director Jon Favreau, actor Giancarlo Esposito, and visual effects house Digital Domain. More...

You know Nintendo Direct - now meet Square Enix Presents. That's the name of the company's live-at-E3 video series, which it'll be broadcasting via YouTube. Square Enix Presents promises coverage on the company's E3 line-up, which is expected to include the new Final Fantasy for PS4. It'll also feature dev interviews, game demos, and presentations on upcoming content. And, apparently, lots of chocobo music. The shows will run across all three main days of the conference, which are June 11-13.Square Enix announces 'live' E3 video shows originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments More...

Square Enix America CEO Mike Fischer left the company this month and is now vice president of digital music and video for Amazon in Japan, Polygon reports. This follows news in April that Square Enix America eliminated "a number of positions" and Fischer was expected to leave in May. Those same reports said the head of marketing should be gone after E3, along with other employees in public relations. In March, Square Enix President Yoichi Wada stepped down and the company announced widespread restructuring that it expected to cost $106 million. Square Enix posted a net loss of $134 million for fiscal year 2013, citing "weak" sales of major console games, including Sleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider, the last of which sold 3.4 million in its first month.Report: Square Enix America CEO leaves, joins Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments More...

Simon Roth (VVVVVV) suggests that game programmers' obsession with coding "to the metal" is counterproductive in the current multiplatform era -- writing "it's not the '90s anymore." ... More...

Square Enix America CEO Mike Fischer left the company this month and is now vice president of digital music and video for Amazon in Japan, Polygon reports. This follows news in April that Square Enix America eliminated "a number of positions" and Fischer was expected to leave in May. Those same reports said the head of marketing should be gone after E3, along with other employees in public relations. In March, Square Enix President Yoichi Wada stepped down and the company announced widespread restructuring that it expected to cost $106 million. Square Enix posted a net loss of $134 million for fiscal year 2013, citing "weak" sales of major console games, including Sleeping Dogs, Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider, the last of which sold 3.4 million in its first month.Report: Square Enix America CEO leaves, joins Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

The SimCity Blog has details on a new patch Maxis has released for SimCity to update the urban-planning game to version 4.0. This re-enables some of the features shut down when the game was put on...

Here's a new trailer teasing an upcoming web-series that will promote Payday 2, the upcoming sequel to PAYDAY: The Heist, the crime-themed first-person shooter. We haven't heard much about this game...

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Dying Light, a first-person, action survival/horror video game in development at and Techland for release next year for Windows and consoles (both...