From the Source: Xbox - Quantum Break... coming to Xbox One & Windows 10 on April 5th + Free Games?

Are you ready for Quantum Break? Want some free games to go with it? How's about a second copy of the game?


Quantum Break Coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 on April 5

Stunning Live-Action Trailer and Pre-Order Bonuses Set the Stage for Remedy Entertainment’s Latest Blockbuster

With less than two months away until the highly anticipated launch of Quantum Break, Remedy Entertainment and Microsoft Studios kicked things into high gear with a number of huge announcements about the upcoming cinematic action blockbuster. The most noteworthy? Quantum Break will also be launching on Windows 10 on April 5…and will be available at no additional cost for those who digitally pre-order the game on Xbox One*.

Alan Wake Included with Quantum Break for Xbox One; American Nightmare Available with Pre-Order 

Two of Remedy Entertainment’s most popular and critically-acclaimed classics – Alan Wake and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare – are now part of the Quantum Break experience. Every copy of Quantum Break for Xbox One will come with a full-game download for Alan Wake for Xbox 360, plus its two add-on packs, The Signal and The Writer, playable on Xbox One via Backward Compatibility. Fans who pre-order Quantum Break for Xbox One at participating retailers or through the Xbox Store will also receive a full-game download of Alan Wake’s American Nightmare for Xbox 360.

Pre-Order Quantum Break for Xbox One to Receive the Windows 10 Version at No Additional Cost

Xbox wants to empower gamers to play the games they want with the people they want on the devices they want, so Microsoft Studios and Remedy Entertainment will launch Quantum Break on Windows 10 simultaneously with the Xbox One version on April 5, 2016. Anyone who pre-orders the Xbox One digital version of Quantum Break through the Xbox Store, purchases an Xbox One digital token at participating retailers, or pre-orders an Xbox One Special Edition Quantum Break bundle, will receive the Windows 10 version of the game downloadable at the Windows Store via redemption code.*

For more details about the Windows 10 version of Quantum Break, including minimum and recommend hardware specs, please visit http://www.quantumbreak.com/windows10

Action-Packed, Live-Action Trailer Shows Jack Joyce’s Desperate Struggle to Survive in a World in Chaos

To celebrate the upcoming launch of Quantum Break, Remedy Entertainment and Microsoft Studios also released a new, live-action trailer titled “The Cemetery.” Watch Quantum Break be brought to life as Jack Joyce (Shawn Ashmore) is hunted by agents from Monarch Solutions while he mourns the loss of his brother. But time isn’t the same anymore. It’s broken. And it’s the only weapon Jack has to survive a world in chaos.

Introducing the Xbox One Quantum Break Bundle

Xbox also announced a new Xbox One Special Edition Quantum Break Bundle featuring a 500GB Cirrus White console and matching wireless controller, a full-game download of Quantum Break and a full-game download of Alan Wake accompanied by The Signal andThe Writer add-on packs. The bundle will be offered worldwide in most regions where Xbox One is available for $349 USD ERP starting March 29, 2016.

Quantum Break is a unique experience; one part hard-hitting video game, one part thrilling live action show, featuring a stellar cast, including Shawn Ashmore (“X-Men”) as the hero Jack Joyce, Aidan Gillen (“Game of Thrones”) as his nemesis Paul Serene and Dominic Monaghan (“Lord of the Rings”) as Jack’s genius brother, William. Quantum Break is full of the vivid storytelling, rich characters and dramatic twists Remedy Entertainment are renowned for. Your choices in-game will affect the outcome of this fast-paced fusion between game and show giving the player a completely unique entertainment experience.

* Free Quantum Break Windows 10 game offer valid with pre-order of digital copy of Quantum Break for Xbox One, by April 4, 2016, from Xbox Store, Xbox.com, participating retailers, or inside Xbox One Special Edition Quantum Break bundles, while supplies last (physical game discs are excluded from this offer). Quantum Break Xbox One codes purchased at retail and inside bundles must be redeemed on the console or at Xbox.com by April 4, 2016. Windows 10 game redemption code will be sent via Xbox system message around the week of April 5, 2016. For Windows 10 game system requirements see www.quantumbreak.com/windows10.  Offer available in all Xbox Live markets except China.

From the Source: EA - UNRAVEL

This could have also been a Wii U eShop release, just saying.

EA AND COLDWOOD INTERACTIVE LAUNCH UNRAVEL TODAY

Join Yarny On A Journey To Mend A Broken Bond

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – February 9, 2016 - Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and Coldwood Interactive today launched Unravel™via digital download on Origin™ for PC, Xbox One®, and PlayStation®4. Unravel is a unique physics-based puzzle platformer centered around a tiny, endearing character named Yarny. Small in size, but big in heart, Yarny is a positive force in a world filled with life’s challenges.

“I wanted to make something more personal, something with more impact. The game didn’t have to change the world, or even try, but it had to be genuine, it had to have a deeper meaning. It had to have heart.” - Martin Sahlin, Creative Director at Coldwood

Yarny begins tethered to something important at the start of the game and goes on an adventure riddled with challenges, attempting to make it to the end without unraveling. Some challenges are simple, like using Yarny’s thread to swing across a gap, or rappel down a tree. But others are more complex, and players will need to use Yarny’s thread in clever and creative ways to find the path forward. Along the way, players will unlock a heartfelt story about love and longing, and the ties that bind, with Yarny as the red thread that runs through it all.

Unravel’s stunning environments are inspired by the nature of northern Sweden, where the game was created. The visuals showcase the beauty in the ordinary - getting down on Yarny’s eye level helps immerse players in the splendor of even the most common things. The environment is more than simply a backdrop though, with clues and hints about the story entrenched throughout, for the player to uncover. In addition to the landscape, players will experience the game’s emotion and story come to life through the original music score. Unravel’s story is told in very few words so music plays a critical role in setting the atmosphere. Composed entirely by local Swedish musicians,Unravel’s soundtrack is inspired by local folk music and traditional instruments and beautifully captures the tone of the game’s environments.

What makes Yarny’s journey and Unravel’s story unique, is that it isn’t there to be told – it’s there to be discovered. This allows for a more personal player journey and a deeper connection instilled throughout the game, because ultimately Unravel is all about connection – physical and emotional. Unravel is a story of love and mending broken bonds; a story of courage and persistence made only more vivid through the perspective of Yarny’s small size in a sometimes big and overwhelming world.

Available worldwide on February 9, Unravel will capture your imagination, test your cleverness, and steal your heart.

Lara Croft Go... reviewed!

A Lara Croft turn-based puzzle game? Count me in!

I have to start this review off by saying… if you think this is… just like “Hitman Go”, you’re sadly mistaken. Both of these franchises were given a turn-based puzzle game, but the delivery is different enough to notice; Square-Enix Montreal gets a well-deserved… thumbs up for both.

I think the way this game was delivered, was smart. You still get the Tomb Raider adventure, but it’s served up in a way that can be appreciated by strategic players in a turn-based way. You aren’t playing through a board game like set up mirrored off of Hitman Go; you maintain what Lara Croft is known to do… raid tombs in hopes of coming out in one piece.

The challenges in this game are presented as a bit more of a successful chain reaction equaling progression (to me). If you mess up something, you will have to go back in a lot of cases and start the area over again, and you don’t just kill enemies of certain areas, you have to be strategic and use them to your advantage.

You also need a good eye in this game, because there are hidden items throughout the various locations that collectively form treasures… so replay value comes into play via that part of the game alone. I think it was cool to have this seek and find element added to the mix, because that’s usually the purpose of raiding the tombs... but you aren't just obtaining a treasure from that point, you're also unlocking clothing like the bomber jacket. So... get to searching!

Visually, I think the game looks nice, and plays smoothly on mobile. The environments have a lot of depth, and they designed it to definitely immerse you as much as they could via this mobile adventure (which hits the mark). I like when Lara is climbing down a rope and you can see her though the holes in the foreground and it’s very fluid (which really caught my eye with this game). The sound quality can also be appreciated in Lara Croft Go, and I even found myself more often than not... playing it with a pair of headphones.

Could you imagine if this were real? Ahhh!

Price wise I’d probably say it should be a little less… than Hitman Go, but… at $4.99 it doesn’t feel like a rip off either (even if $3.99 would be more of a sweet spot). I still found myself getting in a good amount of play time, and would still recommend at this price.

Overall, Lara Croft Go is an enjoyable experience that gives fans of strategy games… a great game worth checking out for a change of pace... whether for the sake of puzzle, adventure, seek and find or all of the above.

Fun factor: 4
Visually: 5
Replay value: 4
Price: 5

"4.5 / 5 Cool Points"

Happy New Year China!

This post is far all of our Chinese fans celebrating the Chinese New Year. Make the most of this year of the Monkey and... game on! Where is the monkey represented here? Take a good look! ;)

Hitman Go... reviewed!

This game is a breath of fresh air.

If you’ve had the pleasure of playing this game… then you may have just sat there and looked at how clean and pretty it looks (yes… pretty).

Hitman Go, doesn’t require much elsewhere regarding graphics, so Square-Enix Montreal was able to really lay in on the visuals nicely for mobile.

Hitman Go is a turn-based puzzle game delivering the feel of the board games some of us would pull off the shelf from time to time back in the day. I enjoyed the time with friends and family, and those board games were a great stepping stone to what I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing here.

The game starts out simple enough… giving you the basic feel of moving Agent 47 from point to point, but as you progress through the maps of the various boards… the duh of the day is that the challenge greatly increases.

This is a game for fans of strategy, and since it’s available on mobile it allows for you to enjoy it on the… Go (pun intended). Your moves are challenged by guards, and even things like rocks that produce sound… requiring you to throw them in a strategic way that doesn’t result in you ending up with the short end of the stick. Some guards move, some stand watch, etc. making you think again and again before you make a move (almost like chess with advantages on some boards if you use them to your advantage). So if you’re up to the challenge of a game that was delivered right… don’t sleep on this one.

Replay value is also there, and believe me when I tell you it’s strong, because there are incentives to completing stages in various forms.

Some stages challenge you to:

•         Complete them with the lowest possible moves
•         Complete them without killing any enemies
•         Collect the Briefcase on the board before completing the level

And… there are also achievements, so you may find yourself coming back again and again to take on challenges that slipped through your hands. So whether you’re trying to get from start to finish without losing, trying to take out the boss character on a game board, complete challenges, or obtain achievements… you get more than enough value with this game at its price point (the music's pretty good too for this type of game).

Overall, Hitman Go is an experience i'd recommend for anyone... even if you aren't big on puzzle games, simply based on the feel of the game because it adds something good to your library (at least for me) via a genre that doesn't usually have this type of delivery. I give props to the puzzle genre though, because the innovation tends to be high... and this game was on target (just like this pun).

Fun factor: 4
Visually: 5
Replay value: 5
Price: 5

"4.75 / 5 Cool Points"

From the Source: EA - Mirror's Edge Catalyst... Closed Beta!

Up for some free running BETA action in this well deserved reboot of a game that... could prove to be one of the better games of the year (if done right)? Check out the details below! It's not so... red now, but that was part of the original charm that won't make or break this reboot.

When I see this reboot, I wonder if it was inspired by the reboot of Tomb Raider. If so... I hope they're inspired to make it just as worthy of going head to head in its own individual way (I feel confident that they'll hit the mark as long as it isn't rushed... because money well invested will pay off)!

Could this be the year of heroines? If so, that's fine by me... bub!

ANNOUNCING THE MIRROR’S EDGE™ CATALYST CLOSED BETA

Watch the new story trailer for Mirror’s Edge Catalyst and sign up for the Closed Beta

THE RISE OF A HEROINE
We’ve been dying to show you more from Mirror’s Edge™ Catalyst - and now’s the time. Discover Faith’s amazing journey with this new trailer - from carefree thrill-seeker to true heroine. You’ll also get a taste of what you’ll experience as a Runner: unique free running and combat in the stunning yet perilous city of Glass.

This is just the beginning. In the upcoming months, you’ll learn more about Faith’s story, the world around her, and the amazing gameplay ofMirror’s Edge Catalyst.

SIGN UP FOR THE MIRROR’S EDGE CATALYST CLOSED BETA*Some of you will be able to step into the shoes of Faith before our run towards the May 24 release is complete. We’re happy to announce that a Closed Beta for Mirror’s Edge Catalyst is coming, and you can now sign up for a chance to be part of it.

The Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Closed Beta will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and on Origin for PC. Stay tuned for more info on the Closed Beta, when it’s coming, and other details.Sign up for a chance to play the Mirror’s Edge Catalyst Closed Beta

*REGISTRATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE ACCESS TO THE CLOSED BETA. PERSISTENT INTERNET CONNECTION, EA ACCOUNT, ACCEPTANCE OF (I) BETA AGREEMENT, (II) TERMS OF SERVICE AND (III) PRIVACY AND COOKIE POLICY REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BETA.  GAMEPLAY PROGRESS, ACHIEVEMENTS, CHARACTERS, CHARACTER DATA AND/OR ANY OTHER VALUE OR STATUS INDICATORS ACHIEVED THROUGH GAMEPLAY IN THE BETA WILL NOT TRANSFER TO MIRRORS EDGE CATALYST. BETA IS PRE-RELEASE SOFTWARE, MAY CONTAIN ERRORS/DEFECTS AND IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY.

*CONDITIONS, LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS APPLY. SEE EA.COM/EAACCESS/TERMS AND EA.COM/EAACCESS FOR DETAILS.

**CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS APPLY. SEE https://www.origin.com/en-us/origin-access/terms FOR DETAILS.

Madden Bowl 2016 Update + Win a Play Session of Madden w/ an NFL Player!

Dizzamn... that trophy is almost the size of one of those old coffee machines! Ummm... I mean, check out the Madden Bowl 2016 update and winner. :p

ERIC BERRY CLAIMS MADDEN BOWL 2016 TROPHY

Zack “Serious Moe” Lane Nabs Madden Challenge Crown and Share of $50,000

February 5, 2016 – Last night in San Francisco, Kansas City Chiefs Safety Eric Berry bested Washington Redskins Tight End Jordan Reed to be named the winner of Madden Bowl XXII, presented by Xbox One. Though Reed had a chance to drive down the field and win the game, Berry’s defense held strong, sealing the victory for the new champ.

Earlier in the evening Madden NFL player Zack “Serious Moe” Lane defeated Michael “Skimbo” to win the Madden Challenge. This year’s tournament has called competitors from around the country to compete online in Draft Champions mode, with “Serious Moe” and “Skimbo” battling for the championship belt and the largest share of the $50,000 prize pool.

After the tournaments, DJ Khaled took the stage to perform some of his greatest hits, which led into a performance by Ludacris. Fall Out Boy took it home, rocking the venue and helping officially usher in Super Bowl weekend.

In addition to all the other excitement, Madden Bowl attendees were able to check out the special superhero mirrors in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice area, and fuel their night with a special pizza delivery by Papa Johns.

Madden Bowl may be over, but for the remainder of Super Bowl weekend fans needing a ride in the San Francisco Bay area can hop in an uberPOOL for the chance to play an EA SPORTS game with a professional football player.

Game on!