This isn’t an April Fool’s joke everyone! It’s been a good and busy first few months of 2019 and April is going to deliver even more. As I do every month, we’re taking a closer look at all of the major games coming this month. Make sure to hit the jump to see the full list below.
The biggest name this month comes from NetherRealm Studios and the legendary Mortal Kombat franchise. We’ve been getting new details and trailers for weeks now and it’s finally time to go hands-on with Mortal Kombat 11. Featuring impressive graphics, a mix of new and old characters, and an interesting story that incorporates time travelling, Mortal Kombat 11 is likely going to be the best entry in the long-running series.
Not a fan of the violence and gore? Days Gone, one of Sony’s first-party exclusives for the PlayStation 4, finally launches this month. While this is another open world game with zombies freakers, Bend Studio is infusing the gameplay with a bigger focus on story, which could be a key to help this game stand out from the recent influx of open world games.
Naturally, April has plenty more in store. Some titles include Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition, Final Fantasy X-X2 HD Remaster, and much more. Continue reading for a look at the full April release schedule. Enjoy!
I may sound like a broken record this week, but it was another busy week in the games industry. Outside of a new, 3 character Kombat Kast for Mortal Kombat 11, the big news was dropping from Boston, Massachusetts where the annual PAX East event was taking place. Plus, Sony got in on the fun earlier in the week with an online event that gave us plenty of new trailers. So let’s not waste any more time and dive right in, shall we?
I mentioned it a few days ago, but Borderlands 3 was officially revealed at PAX East during the Gearbox panel. If you’re a fan of the franchise or just love looter-shooters, there’s a lot to take in with this reveal trailer. Stay tuned for more details next week.
After a pretty entertaining CG trailer for its newest mode called Firestorm, DICE returns with an actual gameplay focused trailer this week. Come get a peek at how DICE is adding its own flavor to the Battle Royale genre for Battlefield V in Firestorm.
I’ve also got new videos for Mortal Kombat 11,CTR: Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled, Days Gone,and so much more after the break! The full list of videos awaits you after the jump…
It feels good to say that as it seems like the series hasn’t had an actual new release in a very long time. In fact, The Handsome Collection (Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel) has been released (and continues to be released) on nearly every platform under the sun. It was time for a new game and Gearbox finally delivered…well, a trailer at least.
The official news came at PAX East, an event held annually in Boston, Massachusetts and one that I regularly attend. Knowing that Gearbox had a lot to share, I made it a priority to be in the crowd that day. For my troubles and everyone else’s, we all got a pretty cool Borderlands psycho mask. It was like a badge of honor and for the rest of the day, this would be how we recognized each other out on the show floor.
With about 3,000 people stuffed into the main theatre, Randy Pitchford took to the stage to kick things off. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Pitchford is super charismatic and really knows how to work the crowd. He set the stage for what was to come and eventually gave way to Steve Gibson who runs the Gearbox Publishing arm.
We got some pretty cool announcements and reveals like Bulletstorm coming to the Switch, an impressive looking Risk of Rain 2, a new game from the TinyBuild team, new DLC for We Happy Few, and more.
Honestly, though, Gearbox knew why everyone was there so the scene shifted back to the Borderlands franchise. The VR game was up first, and while I’m not into VR at all, I’m impressed with how much the team listens and responds to feedback. Not only did they just add support for the PS Aim device(a community request) , but the team is also in the process of reworking all of the DLC from the core game and will be added to the VR version this summer for free. Not bad!
With a slightly older Tiny Tina confirmed for the next Borderlands, Pitchford came out to introduce a new tabletop game called Tiny Tina’s Robot Tea Party through a magic trick. Again, Pitchford oozes charm on stage, especially when doing magic, so I didn’t mind this segment one bit. He invited two members of the audience up on stage, and each gave them a sealed package of the game. He also had a wrapped gift for one of them as well as it was their birthday, but that was put away for the time being. Opening one of the game boxes, he had the first person sign their name on a random card they picked form the deck, then had the second person open the other box and count 47 cards out. Unfortunately, that deck did not have the signed card as we all expected. However, he brought back the wrapped gift and had the second person open it, with the signed card inside. Pretty nifty trick. Oh, and the tabletop game sounds interesting as well, having players try to be the first person to assemble a CL4P-TP robot before others can.
From there they confirmed the original Borderlands was getting the long-awaited Remaster/Game of the Year edition, though the trailer they prepared for it completely borked out each time they attempted to play it. Hilariously, the trailer broke each time Marcus began saying “So you want to hear a story…”
Instead, developers at Gearbox took to the stage to discuss some of the improvements like 4K support, quality of life changes, a remade lost boss fight, etc etc. The Handsome Collection is also getting an Ultra HD update for free on April 3.
With all of that out of the way, it was time. Pitchford hyped the crowd then dropped the new trailer on us. Unfortunately, technical glitches again reared up with a few stutters at the beginning. It didn’t matter, the crowd went nuts. Pitchford came out after and tried to play the trailer again, only to see the same stuttering issues. You could tell he wasn’t pleased, especially considering that the team had been plugging away on this for 5 years only to not be able to reveal it in the way the studio had hoped. Thankfully, the issues were eventually resolved and the trailer played again in all its glory.
While no information was given about the game or even a release date, the trailer was still very impressive. Borderlands 3 is like the melting pot for every game in the franchise so far. Yes, that even includes the excellent spin-off series Tales from the Borderlands. So many characters are being pulled into this game from Rhys and Vaugh, Sir Hammerlock, Ellie, Lilith, Mordecai, Brick, Tiny Tina, Moxxi, Tannis, and more. The trailer also introduced the four new vault hunters and the villain which is actually a pair of twins this time around. Either way, seeing Borderlands back is enough for me.
Word on the streets is that more news will be available in a few days on April 3. I don’t think that’ll include an actual release date, probably more of a release window. My guess is we’ll get to see the 4 vault hunters in action, their skills, and perhaps learn a bit more about the twins. Either way, I’m excited to see what’s new. I’m thrilled this series is back. It’s been way too long.
It’s that time of year when Penny Arcade rolls up to my neck of the woods for PAX. While the past few years I’ve only been attending on Sunday, this year I decided to take advantage of the newly added Thursday show as well. Shockingly, I think this is my 10th trip to the show. What can I say, I can’t get enough of it each year.
Just like year’s past, I’m planning on making it out to the Gearbox panel on Thursday, which after their latest teaser trailer, should be pretty exciting if you’re a fan of the studio or the Borderlands franchise. Soon, it’ll be time to CATCH A RIDE once more!
There’s always a ton of things to see and do at the show, so I’m kind of glad to have that extra day packed in there.
Ultimately, I’m going in with no expectations. I generally don’t know what’s going to be there, but my hope is that I can soak it all in on Thursday and then on Sunday. I know I’ve been away from Twitter for quite a while now, but I’m considering posting on there again. Head on over in case I throw up some pictures or quick impressions. I’ll have plenty more for you right here later in the week, so stay tuned!
Well, my friends, it was quite a busy week in the games industry. Not only was GDC going on, but companies were holding live streams showing off things, we had a ton of new games launching, and there was even major news at a comic book convention. Thankfully, the Video Round Up is back again with all the best trailers and videos from this past week. Enough talking, let’s have a look at some of the stuff waiting for you below!
To make up for last week and the lack of new video content, NetherRealm Studios went nuts and released a ton of new Mortal Kombat 11 trailers. Earlier this week, a Kombat Kast was held and revealed two previously unconfirmed characters. Following that on Friday, the studio held a panel at the local Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo and wouldn’t you know it, they gave us even more reveals and video content. Finish Him!
Not to be outdone in the trailers department, Nintendo held a sort of spring showcase for all of the indie titles launching on the Nintendo Switch (and some elsewhere). Needless to say, they had a number of surprises and great looking games coming headlined by a unique Zelda title called Cadence of Hyrule. Shockingly, Nintendo partnered with the indie studio behind Crypt of the NecroDancer to create a sort of mashup that not only takes place in Hyrule but makes Cadence, Link, and Zelda all playable.
I’ve also got new videos for Apex Legends,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Tom Clancy’s The Division,and so much more after the break! The full list of videos awaits you after the jump…
I can’t put my finger on exactly why, but I always felt that The Division 2 was going to be good to go on launch day. Part of that is likely due to how I watched the first game stumble out of the gate, but continue to evolve over the course of two years. I was impressed by the dedication and passion that the studio put into it, eventually morphing it into what many people hoped it would be on day 1.
Those lessons, while hard at times, certainly helped focus the sequel. It absolutely shows in nearly every aspect. You won’t find the game retreading similar mistakes. I assumed The Division 2 would be strong, but how strong it actually kinda blew me away.
I’m still nowhere near the level cap, but I’ve sunk enough hours into it to form a general opinion. Here are some quick thoughts:
Welcome to an all-new edition of the Sunday Video Round Up! No Kombat Kast this week means we need to look elsewhere for our weekly trailer and gameplay content. Thankfully, there’s plenty to pick from! Here’s a small taste of everything waiting for you below the jump.
While it may not be selling quite as well as EA had hoped, Battlefield V may be able to entice players back with it’s upcoming Firestorm Battle Royale. Details are still slim, but DICE has put together a super stylish and fun CG trailer showing off some moments from the mode.
The Division 2 officially launched last week and Ubisoft wants to make sure everyone entering Washington D.C. is prepared. A lengthy What Is The Division 2 trailer is available to showcase everything you need to know. If you’re a PC player, there’s a features trailer to show you all the ways you can customize your experience.
I’ve also got new videos for Fallout 76,Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, For Honor,and so much more after the break! The full list of videos awaits you after the jump…
