E3 – Magic: Duels Origins For The Digital Magic: The Gathering Experience

Magic Origins Set Logo

Magic: Duels Origins is the latest attempt by Wizards of the Coast to give you the Magic: The Gathering experience from the comfort of your own monitor.

This version of Duels will be as truly FTP as a game can while still turning a profit. You buy booster packs with an in-game coin currency which can either be bought or earned. So if you have a compulsive need to buy every new card pack when it comes out, you can still do that. But you can also earn your way through by playing a lot, since the Duels team has spent a lot of time making sure their in-game economy is balanced so that dedicated Magic players can earn every new card in a set before the next set is released. Which is a nice break from the usual “FTP just means pay-to-win” since they do give you the option to earn the new cards. Personally, I like it because I am cheap. Read the rest at BleedingCool.

E3: Flying Mechs To Hit Next Gen Consoles With Strike Vector

SV_03Strike Vector has been on Steam for a year now, but is finally getting a next gen console release later this year- complete with a new campaign mode and updates to the multiplayer.

While the Steam version of Strike Vector is a fun multiplayer third-person shooter where you control a flying mech, Strike Vector on the consoles will include a single-player mode with 15 new campaign missions and some story, both about the world and about the player character. Read the rest at BleedingCool.

The LOOT Interactive Demo at E3 – Back To Bed, Velocibox, and Whispering Willows

Back to Bed_20150605104823

Back to Bed_20150605104823

LOOT Interactive, as part of the IndieCade showcase, was demoing three of their new titles VelociboxBack To Bed, and Whispering Willows all of which are coming to the PS4 and PS Vita this summer. All three games have very distinctive art styles, with Back to Bed being a surrealist dreamscape and Whispering Willows has an almost anime-esque feel. All three are also powered by the Unity engine.

Read the rest at BleedingCool.

505 Games’ ABZÛ And More at E3

ABZU_Keyart_CMYKThe first game from Giant Squid – a new game development studio led by Matt Navawho was the art director on Journey- ABZÛ is a third person adventure game where you control a female diver swimming around an ocean environment. There’s a narrative story, but its entirely non-verbal. The game features over 20 species of marine life and millions of kelp leaves, all of which interact with the player.

Read the rest at BleedingCool.

CI Games’ Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 Displays an Insane Amount of Detail

drone_fly_screenshot_E3_05_with_logoSniper: Ghost Warrior 3 from CI Games is an FPS that takes realism to an almost absurd level. Your character does not level up. You do not have a health bar. You have to adjust your sniper scope to the wind speed, humidity, and distance of your target, which gives you a guideline of where to aim, but doesn’t aim for you. You have multiple sniping positions from completely unsupported to lying down flat on the ground, which affect your accuracy so body awareness is key. You can handle your missions any way you want, and will only fail if the alarm gets raised before you kill your target. And failure does not mean you start over, oh no, you have to move on to another opportunity to kill your target. Read the rest at BleedingCool.

InnoGames’ Elvenar and More At E3

TW_browser_1-600x335InnoGames is a German development company, which started as a hobby but built into a development team. As of now their lineup is entirely comprised of cross-platform (browser and mobile) strategy city-builders. The cool thing about this, however, is that you can play handoff a game from your web browser to your tablet or phone. Which presents a creative challenge, since browser games tend to require a bit more time than mobile, but that’s what makes strategy games perfect for that kind of cross-platform playing. Read the rest at BleedingCool.

The Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Alpha At E3

DXMD-still-logoSquare Enix debuted the latest Deus Ex title at E3 which was still in alpha build, which meant that it crashed. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, for those unaware, is an action RPG which allows you to play one of four ways – combat, stealth, hacking, or social. This installment takes place in the year 2029, which is two years after the previous title Human RevolutionThe humans have split into two factions, where the augmented humans are under watch by the government and its counter-terrorism units thanks to the events of Human Rev; so feel free to insert your own social commentary here. Read the rest at BleedingCool.

Zodiac: The JRPG From a French Company

ZOD_LOGO_ORIGINAL-600x380French game design company Kobojo has teamed up with some key Final Fantasy developers to give us the first JRPG designed by a non-Japanese company. That game is called Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey. While most of the creative team has remained a secret, Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 10 writer Kazushige Nojima and Final FantasyTactics composer Hitoshi Sakimoto have been confirmed. Kobojo CEO Mario Rizzo was content to drop hints that many of the other minds behind Zodiac are FF alums, but was mum on the details as to whom. The goal with Zodiac is to make it a successful JRPG in the Japanese market, which is a pretty lofty goal for a French developer. Read the rest on BleedingCool.

Discussing Transgender Themes at Special Edition: NYC

SENYCThe panelists for this edition of Secret Identities were Charles Battersby, Marjorie Liu, Kristen Enos, and Marguerite Bennett, discussing transgender themes in comics as well as gender change with characters who are not necessarily trans.

Angela: Asgard’s Assassin by Kieron Gillen and Marguerite Bennett brings the continuity from Neil Gaiman‘s Image book into the Marvel U. Most importantly, that continuity relies on a vision of Heaven that is populated mostly by women. In Asgard’s Assassin, there will be a side-story at the end of each issue about Sera, one of Angela’s companions. Sera, who is rescued by Angela, provides a foil for Angela’s rigid dedication. Sera, while being a trans character, is not revealed to be trans until the third issue of Asgard’s Assassin.

Read the rest at BleedingCool.

SE:NYC’15 Brian Bendis on Dating Redheads, Making More TV, and Killing Hawkeye

BendisBrian Michael Bendis dropped hints and brags at Special Edition: NYC at his Spotlight Panel, attended by Bleeding Cool reporter Madeline Ricchiuto. She writes,

On announcing that it is Tony in the post-Secret Wars Iron Man book: “We have so many good things coming after Secret Wars we didn’t need to pretend it’s not Tony.” Read the rest at BleedingCool.