Work was hard yesterday and I don’t have the energy for everything I love to do, so I’m quitting video games. There you go, my April Fool’s gag is out there. Work really was hard, and I really am low on energy, but giving up games? Never!.That really is my one and only April Fool’s prank. If anything you read below is false, it’s because someone fooled me. I really hate this “tradition,” especially when doing any kind of work in the media.
“Hand of Fate” has been announced by Defiant Games as coming to PS4 and Vita. I can’t say I’m familiar with this Australian developer, but the game was funded on Kickstarter last year and it does sound interesting. Their announcement on the PlayStation Blog has piqued my interest:
“…a roguelike that blends tabletop card gaming and video game magic. Inspired by tarot and fantasy, all bets are off as you create your own journey by building a collection of cards used to deal out a boardgame-like dungeon teeming with enemies, treasure, and adventure.
Upon entering combat, the cards come to life as the player is propelled into a beautiful 3D environment to brawl it out with foes. Draw your cards, play your hand, and discover your fate.
Being a roguelike, Hand of Fate’s strength is its nearly endless combination of cards and ways to play. The deck builder lets you determine a mix of combat, chance, and equipment cards for your deck before you set out on your quest.
Equipment selection ramps up replayability as the player is introduced to a slew of artifacts, weapons, and armor that modify gameplay. The player has the freedom to choose their cards, but how and when they are dealt out is purely up to The Dealer.”
Also on the topic of PS4 and Vita, not to mention PS3, April’s Instant Game Collection on PS Plus has been announced. PS4 owners will be getting some 2D action with “Mercenary Kings.” The Vita will be welcoming “Velocity Ultra” and “PixelJunk Monsters Ultimate HD.” I’m excited for this one as “PJ Monsters” is a secret shame of mine. I’ve never actually played it on any system. PS3 owners get a pretty ridiculous share of love too. “Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse” should grab your attention more than it probably does. “Stealth Inc. A Clone in the Dark” is also coming. Let’s face it, you probably missed that one, but you wanted to play it and now you can. Then there’s the big name and that’s sort of a two-edged sword. Most of us have already played “Batman: Arkham City” but that doesn’t make it any less awesome of a game. Even if you aren’t into it at the moment, be sure to “buy” it while it’s free. It’ll be nice to go back to it in early Fall, right before “Arkham Knight” releases in October. April starts this week, today in fact. Which is Tuesday. Which means it starts today with “Mercenary Kings” and “Arkham City.”
XBox Games with Gold is also getting new games in April. It starts today with “Hitman: Absolution” added to the service. Tequila Works’ “Deadlight” will be replacing it April 16th.
Square Enix has incidentally announced a new” Deus Ex” project. A trademark registration for “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided” was recently filed, covering the usual suspects of video games, printed materials, and online entertainment. Since this is not an official announcement there are obviously no further details. However, keep reading VGQH. You’ll see it here when it gets a true reveal.
Originally leaked on an Italian website, 4A has kind of confirmed “Metro Redux” for XB1 and PS4. This would likely collect “Metro 2033 Redux” (a remake of the first game), and “Metro: Last Light” with its add-on content. Unfortunately we won’t know for sure until 4A is ready to talk and that doesn’t look like it will happen until E3.
In light of Jack Tretton’s recent departure from Sony, it’s interesting to see that Microsoft has appointed Phil Spencer as the new head of XBox. From the official announcement by Satya Nadella:
“Phil will report to Terry Myerson, allowing us to keep gaming close to the group developing operating systems across devices. In this new job, Phil will lead the Xbox, Xbox Live, Xbox Music and Xbox Video teams, and Microsoft Studios.
Combining all our software, gaming and content assets across the Xbox team under a single leader and aligning with the OSG team will help ensure we continue to do great work across the Xbox business, and bring more of the magic of Xbox to all form factors, including tablets, PCs and phones.
Over the years, Phil’s team at Microsoft Studios has helped build a community of more than 80 million Xbox owners and 48 million Xbox Live members through blockbuster game franchises such as Halo, Gears of War, Kinect Sports, Fable, Forza Motorsport and many others.
He’s helped drive the development of brand-new entertainment offerings like the partnership with the NFL and the formation of Xbox Entertainment Studios”
That handles the early edition. I’m going to wander off and ignore everything I don’t want to hear for the rest of the day. If I don’t want to hear it, I’ll just assume it’s someone’s idea of humor.