Social Gaming

Arcade-action brawlers like Gauntlet are a nearly forgotten relic of gaming’s past. Games like Guantlet Legends, a four-player mindless button mashing adventure, don’t make a lot of sense on consoles or PC anymore — and arcades barely exist. Enter Zynga Mobile with Battlestone. This new title looks to capture the feel of those arcade classics on mobile devices. It’s available for free now on the iOS App Store. Zynga will also release it soon on Google Play for Android. In Battlestone, players take control of an archer, a warrior, or a number of other iconic range and melee characters. Gamers must then see grind and level those heroes throughout a fantasy adventure. While Battlestone is taking inspiration from arcade games, the developer built its controls from the ground up for mobile. That means intuitive touch controls. “With Battlestone, we set out to create a truly awesome arcade action combat experience on mobile, and we believe we’ve achieved just that,” reads a post on Zynga’s blog. “It’s the type of game that anyone can pick up and try their hand at with controls that feel intuitive and responsive. Players can defeat enemies and bosses with a simple swipe of the finger. Selecting multiple targets strings together over-the-top attack combinations to fend off hordes of enemies.” As with Gauntlet, Battlestone is probably more fun with friends. For that, Zynga is offering a player-versus-player multiplayer mode that will let gamers show off against one another. Filed under: Games GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Microsoft officially unveiled its next generation console, the Xbox One, on Tuesday. The company is billing it as an all-in-one entertainment box, capable of switching between games and multimedia applications quickly and seamlessly. Although Microsoft hasn’t release date and price, we do know that the console doesn’t feature backward compatibility, requires an Internet connection in some form, and comes with a Kinect motion sensor that apparently never turns off. GamesBeat’s Jeff Grubb has a nice roundup of information on the device here. We don’t have all the details yet (and some of the details we do know are downright confusing), but this hasn’t stopped people on the Internet from voicing their opinions on the Xbox One. And since this is the Internet, many of those opinions are in snarky meme and animated GIF form. Here are some of the best we’ve seen so far: Filed under: Games GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here! .blurb-cat-games hr { margin: 10px 0 10px 0; }

Ubisoft is certainly one of the strongest supporters of Nintendo's Wii U and it seems that EA's backing down on the platform isn't changing that anytime soon. Responding to the news that EA has found Wii U software sales too weak, a Ubisoft spokesman pointed out that "As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base." "Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist," he added. "We're confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market." Find more current gaming news at MegaGames > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

You can't have a next-gen console release without a Need for Speed title to go along with it. The new development team, Ghost Studios, comprised of talented individuals from studios like Criterion, Rockstar, Turn10, Bizarre and Playground, are at the helm of the upcoming Need for Speed Rivals, which will be coming out on Xbox One and PS4, as well as Xbox 360 and PS3. Aside from the truly open, and large open-world racers will be able to drive around in, Ghost Studios is merging the single and multiplayer experience with an all new feature called AllDrive. Thanks to AllDrive, players will be able to seamless connect to other players and populate their world. Since this connection is done seamlessly, players don't even have to be in the same area, and can experience races completely separate from one another. However, since the game will once again feature racers vs. cops, those in cop cars can try to take down other racers mid race, or team up with others on the police force and lay down the law. Ghost Studios have stated that there is no dedicated single player mode or multiplayer mode, instead, as soon as you jump in the game, other players will be able to populate each others worlds instantly. For those that prefer to play alone though, the ability to set the game world to private is still available. Read more about Need for Speed Rivals at GameZone Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Game of Thrones Ascent, the popular Facebook game based on the works of George R.R. Martin and the award-winning television show, is now playable on DisruptorBeam.com. Head to their site, sign up and you'll be playing in no time. Fans of Game of Thrones will love this game. You can choose which Great House you'll swear your allegiance to, develop you lands and assign soldiers to different tasks. Running alongside the show, the game releases new content every week, perfect for that unbearable week gap between episodes. "We're thrilled with how well fans have reacted to Game of Thrones Ascent, with close to a million installs since February," said Jon Radoff, CEO and Founder of Disruptor Beam. "Players have told us that they are looking for social game experiences beyond Facebook, so we're excited to now provide the game on our website. This is just the beginning for DisruptorBeam.com, which we plan to transform into a go-to portal for story-based social game experiences in the future." Check out a trailer for Game of Thrones Ascent below. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Despite the impending arrival of next-gen consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One, publisher/developer conglomerate Electronic Arts is not quite ready to abandon the current generation systems. Speaking at the Stifel 2013 Technology Conference, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen said the company will continue to develop and release titles for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 until at least 2017. Given the large and active install base for both systems, it's easy to understand why EA isn't so hot on the idea of completely abandoning them and moving to a new generation -- with a smaller install base early on -- entirely. EA is still making games for the Xbox One and PS4, and will likely focus on the new consoles moving forward, but it's comforting to know that the older generation won't be forgotten. Read more at GameZone > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Hideo Kojima announced that Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance will be ported to PC. A PC version of Metal Gear Rising was announced then cancelled a few months ago. This decision didn't sit well with the series' fans who wanted to experience it in the highest graphics quality achievable today. No release date was given for the PC version, but we expect it to launch later this year. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in February 2013. Check out MegaGames for more great news > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

PlayStation 3 owners who buy the digital download version of The Last of Us won't have to wait for the game to finish downloading before they are able to play it. Instead, the game is playable as soon as its download has reached 50%. This feature is borrowed from PlayStation 4 where it should be available for all digital download games thanks to the availability of hardware dedicated to background downloading and processing. The Last of Us will launch on June 14th, 2013 on PlayStation 3. The game will be available on Blu-Ray and digital download on launch day. Read more about The Last of Us at MegaGames > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

MMO Attack is proud to present the Top 10 F2P Racing MMO games! To review a full text version of the list as well as expanded information and links for each game, check out our article HERE. For more news, updates and information on these games and all of the top Free MMORPGs, be sure to keep it here at MMO Attack! Get more in-depth and play with the Top 10 at MMO Attack > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Nexon announced that the second episode of Vindictus Season 2 is set to launch on May 29th, titled The Secret of Twilight Desert. The update will bring a bevy of new features to the game as well as new story content for players to explore. Tasked with uncovering the secrets of the Twilight Desert, it is up to the player to find a mysterious item that will help them make contact with the Mistress of the Twilight Desert. One of the most notable changes that will influence gameplay is the addition of an all new day and night cycle. Caution must be taken after the sun sets as new enemies rise from the ground to search for victims. Amongst the new enemies are the Grim Reaper and the Guardian Soldiers. Promising to provide significant challenge, players with the time and skill to defeat these new enemies will reap the rewards of lost technology that will help them on their way. Read more about Vindictus at MMOattack > Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments