Recap 12.4.15 & The Game Awards

Hey everybody! This week\’s Recap is JAM PACKED thanks to the 2015 Game Awards as well as the every day news. Let’s dive in!


PlayStation

  • According to new release notes for FMOD Studio, a piece of game development audio middleware, Sony has unlocked a seventh core for developers to utilize similar to what Microsoft did with Xbox One a while back. PS4 previously reserved two cores for the system OS while granting game devs access to the remaining six. Don\’t expect it to help boost current game performance however, as games would have to be patched to take advantage of the extra power.

  • A new trailer for PS Vita exclusive title Severed by the talented folks at DrinkBox Studios has been released showing off more of the game’s killer art style and gesture-based gameplay.

  • Sony Santa Monica teased an unannounced game over the past few days that ended up being Bound. I’m not sure what to make of it yet other than it’s pretty.


Xbox

  • Microsoft is kicking off a 12 Days of Deals event including some great deals for Xbox lovers.

Nintendo

  • The team at Digital Foundry have picked apart Wii U’s ucoming Xenoblade Chronicles X and deemed it an impressive technical achievement for the system. The world of Mira is vast with no loading screens and once you’re in the world you’re free to explore. It sounds like it will be a deeply immersive experience and unlike most modern titles launching on rival consoles PS4 and Xbox One Xenoblade manages a rather consistent framerate albeit at 720p. They do recommend installing the game on an external hard drive rather than the Wii U’s internal memory for optimal performance.

  • While Mario Kart 8 might not see much screen time coming from your Wii U lately it will get some screen time on Disney XD this week. Taken from Nintendo’s press release:
    In a new show called Clash of Karts: Mario Kart 8, eight of America\’s best young gamers get the opportunity to team up with the hottest YouTube personalities like Strawburry 17, Andre (Black Nerd Comedy), AtomicMari and SethBling to compete in a one-hour multi-round Mario Kart 8 competition.

  • In a rare but interesting interview with TIME magazine Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima painted a hopeful picture of the future for the company. He stressed the significance of Nintendo Account along with My Nintendo as well as stating that the Nintendo NX will not be a Wii U 2 but rather it will be unique and unlike anything we’ve seen before. I’m optimistic and I can’t wait to see what the device actually is.

  • Speaking of Nintendo Accounts, they’re live in Japan as of writing and are expected to roll out to other territories by March 2016.


Misc Game Announcements

  • Just Cause 3 released for Xbox One, PS4, and Steam with mostly positive reviews. The game does have it’s share of performance issues and Square Enix has confirmed a patch is coming for all platforms, but no date has been issued. Our review will be up in the coming weeks.

  • Renegade Kid’s horror title Dementium Remastered released on Nintendo 3DS. Our review will be up in the coming weeks. You can buy it on the eShop.

  • Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below is now available for PC via Steam.

  • A game I really loved this year The Fall has an update for part two of the game you can read about here on their blog post on OverTheMoonGames. Also if you haven’t checked it out yet we have a great interview with The Fall’s creator John Warner here

  • Announced at The Game Awards long time XBLA favorite Shadow Complex will be remastered for Xbox One, PS4, and Steam. You can grab a free copy for PC here.

  • Also announced at The Game Awards is a new Batman series from Telltale Games. Their press release can be read here.

  • Telltale games announced both a new Batman game along with The Walking Dead: Michonne

  • Double Fine announced Psychonauts 2 will be made if their lofty 3.3 million dollar goal is reached. The upside is each backer gets money back, so the more the game sells the more each backer earns. This is made possible thanks to a new service called Fig. Check it out here

  • DONTNOD dropped a trailer for a new IP called Vampyr which looks like the furthest thing I can imagine from Life is Strange. If you haven’t played LIS please please please do. It’s amazing. Also check out the concept trailer for Vampyr.

  • Big Deez Productions released a teaser trailer for Shaq-fu: A Legend Reborn

  • Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics released a trailer for Rise of the Tomb Raider\’s first DLC pack titled  Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch


2015 Game Award Winners

  • Best Mutiplayer – Splatoon
  • Best Family Game – Super Mario Maker
  • Best Fighting Game – Mortal Kombat X
  • Esports Winner – Optic Gaming
  • Esports Player of the Year – Kenny \”KennyS\” Schrub
  • Esports Game of the Year – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  • Most Anticipated Game – No Man\’s Sky
  • Best Narrative – Her Story
  • Best Indie Game – Rocket League
  • Best Mobile/Handheld Game – Lara Croft Go
  • Best Shooter – Splatoon
  • Best Sports/Racing Game – Rocket League
  • Best Role Playing Game – The Witcher 3
  • Games for Impact Winner – Life is Strange
  • Best Fan Creation – Portal Stories: Mel
  • Developer of the Year – CD Projekt Red
  • Best Art Direction – Ori and the Blind Forest
  • Best Action Adventure Game – Metal Gear Solid V Phantom Pain
  • Best Score/Soundtrack – Metal Gear Solid V Phantom Pain
  • Best Performance – Viva Seifert (Her Story)
  • Game of the Year – The Witcher 3

There was also a very touching tribute for Satoru Iwata with kind words spoken by Reggie Fils-AimĂ© which got a bit emotional and when Greg Miller accepted his trophy for Trending Gamer he gave a wonderfully heartfelt speech thanking everyone involved for making the games that we all love and play every day. And to finish off the night Ben Kingsley shed some light on why Hideo Kojima couldn\’t attend The Game Awards. Hint: it had to do with Konami and their lawyers to which the crowd collectively booed. Overall I\’d have to say it was a much more focused and much more enjoyable show compard to last year\’s and I can\’t wait for the awards show in 2016!

Antonio Worrall
Antonio Worrallhttps://antonioworrall.com
I'm a Senior IT Support Engineer, every day tech geek, gaming enthusiast, world traveler, and foodie living with my wife and cat in the NY/NJ area.
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