Sony Unveils Uncharted: Fight For Fortune For PS Vita

A strange piece of news was revealed just a couple of weeks ago. It appeared that a new Uncharted game called Fight For Fortune would be coming to PlayStation Vita. The thing is, it was listed as an E-for-Everyone equivalent card game from a random developer, not a core Uncharted game from the likes of Sony first party studios Naughty Dog and Bend.

Today, we have confirmation that the game exists, is in fact called Uncharted: Fight For Fortune, will indeed be exclusive to PlayStation Vita, and, perhaps most interestingly of all, will be out in only a few weeks. Stranger yet, it seems Sony Bend is involved with the game’s development, even if the original leak of the game from Brazil had the developer listed as One Loop Games.

According to Sony Bend’s Chris Reese, “Uncharted: Fight For Fortune is an action-adventure turn-based card game featuring the heroes and villains from the Uncharted universe… The core gameplay in Uncharted: Fight For Fortune involves creating a team of Faction cards featuring heroes, villains, and mercenaries from the Uncharted universe, then using that team to defeat your opponent while defending yourself from their attacks.”

Interestingly, Fight For Fortune ties in directly with Sony Bend’s launch PlayStation Vita game, Uncharted: Golden Abyss. “Along with the release of Uncharted: Fight For Fortune,” Reese explains, “we will also release a new patch for Uncharted: Golden Abyss that will power up the artifacts that you’ve collected for immediate use within Fight For Fortune. Using the artifacts found within Golden Abyss, you can go to battle with other players as well as AI opponents.” The game can also be played sans Golden Abyss, should you choose (though Golden Abyss is about to be free for PlayStation Plus users).

The game launches on December 4th in North America and will cost $4.99. Its release date in other territories is still unknown.

Keep it tuned to IGN for a full review in the coming weeks.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Countdown to Wii U: What Excites Us About Wii U's eShop

Lucas' Note: I originally wrote this piece in the wake of September's Wii U release date confirmation, to help me sort through my thoughts on just which games I wanted to buy alongside my new Wii U on Launch Day. Now that we're 10 days away, I still haven't fully decided. But this list may help remind you all to factor the download-only eShop games into your decision-making, so we're bringing it back for an encore appearance as part of our Countdown to Wii U article series. We kicked off this set of features two days ago with The Platformers We Can't Wait to Play, then kept things rolling yesterday with The Excellent Wii U Action Lineup. Now, once again, please enjoy What Excites Us About Wii U's eShop:

I'm in a classic conundrum. I've got my Wii U pre-order taken care of, so I'm assured that the system itself will be mine as soon as it launches – no problem there. But now I've got to decide which of the many launch titles I'm going to get too. ZombiU? Scribblenauts Unlimited? Tank! Tank! Tank!? The options are already overwhelming my mind and wallet, and I'm worried that I might miss out on beating the crowd and bringing home a critical game if I don't decide soon and get those pre-orders in place as well.

In the middle of this mental chaos, though, I am experiencing some comfort – because not every Wii U launch title will be available in those brick-and-mortar stores. I won't have to fight off any other gamers or put any pre-order money down for these games, because inventory never runs out for them. And I won't even have to go outside to get them.

I speak, of course, of the Wii U's eShop games.

These download-only options have been overshadowed in the talk about Wii U's launch so far, and that's understandable – most people, like me, are still focused on the physical and what they need to do to get their hands tangibly on the games they want to play. But Nintendo is positioning the new console's new eShop to be live and active on Day 1, right alongside all that real-world chaos. And there should be enough digital goodness immediately available that, if you wanted to, you could ignore those discs entirely and just enjoy the eShop-only choices.

(Nintendo has also announced a plan to offer retail titles like New Super Mario Bros. U in eShop download form as well, so it's possible that all those same disc-media games will be available digitally too. But for the purpose of this article, we're focused on just eShop exclusives – games that will only be available by download alone.)

All set? Alright, let's dive in. Here are 10 Wii U eShop titles to be looking out for in the new system's "launch window."

Mutant Mudds Deluxe

Just announced this past Thursday during the Wii U Preview Event, Mutant Mudds Deluxe is an upgraded port of the 3DS eShop hit, Mutant Mudds. Developed and published by Renegade Kid (the makers of Dementium: The Ward, Moon and ATV Wild Ride, among others), Mutant Mudds is a retro-styled platforming challenge that demands an exacting degree of precision – you've got to be nearly pixel-perfect if you're going to earn a 100% completion rate in this quest to rid the Earth of an army of invading mud monsters.

Fans of this game are suckers for a challenge, though, so even after finishing the tough-as-nails set of stages found in the original 3DS download, they demanded more. Renegade Kid delivered, developing a new set of 20 extra-challenging "Grannie Edition" levels where our hero Max sits on the sidelines and his energetic grandma grabs the jetpack and water cannon to blast the Mudds herself. Those new levels are set to be delivered to the 3DS game as a free update in the near future, and they'll be integrated from the beginning in Wii U's Mutant Mudds Deluxe.

But Deluxe won't stop there. Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham has confirmed that this new edition of the game will include even more new content that will be unique to Wii U, and that anyone concerned about how the portable game's visuals will translate to the big screen shouldn't be worried. "We're paying special attention to making sure the 16:9 display of the Wii U is taken advantage of while making sure the pixels are super crisp and delicious for those who have HDTVs," he said. Sounds good to us.

Mighty Switch Force! HD

Another 3DS eShop hit that will be making the transition to the new home console is WayForward's Mighty Switch Force! – though it's taking the opposite approach in adapting its visuals for the big screen. Whereas Mutant Mudds will focus on preserving pixel precision in its translation, Mighty Switch Force! is having each and every one of its visual elements redrawn by hand. It will arrive on Wii U as Mighty Switch Force! HD.

The new graphics promise to make intergalactic police officer Patricia Wagon look more like she's a comic book character come to life, making her – and her enemies, the Hooligan Sisters – appear as more in line with their original concept art. Anyone who played the magical A Boy & His Blob remake on the Wii already knows what wonders WayForward can work with 2D art on a home console, and it's great that the Nintendo canvas they'll be painting on now finally supports high-definition resolutions.

The original Mighty Switch Force! had some extra levels added as a free update after its launch in the 3DS eShop too, and this new Wii U version will include those – along with some Wii U GamePad functionality, like seeing a map displayed in your hands or being able to play the game entirely on the Pad, if you choose. There may also be some extra Wii U-only content added as well, but we'll have to wait until a little bit closer to launch to know that for sure.

Little Inferno

Now that we're at the end of the road for the original Wii, it's probably safe to say that its original download games service, WiiWare, didn't exactly set the world on fire. There were a handful of must-have hits spread out over the years, but most of the time it was safe to ignore the Wii Shop's wares. The biggest exception to that rule? World of Goo, a download-only Wii title that was so good we awarded it the overall Game of the Year award back in 2008.

Now, World of Goo's spiritual successor is on the way. Little Inferno is being developed by one of Goo's creators in partnership with one of the creators of Henry Hatsworth & The Puzzling Adventure, and that new combination of indie talent is setting out to set the world on fire – literally, this time. Little Inferno builds its gameplay on a mechanic of burning objects and interacting with them as the flames engulf them, all the way echoing the same kind of darkly comedic tone that defined World of Goo's world gone bad.

Few specifics are known about Little Inferno beyond that general description, though, as Tomorrow Corporation is hoping to keep as many details about it obscured as possible in order to preserve the mystery and sense of discovery for players' first playthroughs of it. (So it sounds like there will be much more to it than just burning things.) Check out its teaser trailer below and start trying to solve the mystery yourself:

Toki Tori 2

Speaking of excellent games of Nintendo systems past, we can never miss the opportunity to trot Two Tribes' Toki Tori back out into the spotlight. This brilliant little platformer/puzzler was cursed with a release on the Game Boy Color so late into the life cycle of that portable that almost no one paid attention to it – the Game Boy Advance had already been released months earlier, and most Nintendo gamers had moved on.

The game then had a second chance to shine thanks to a WiiWare port a couple of years ago, but we've already established that WiiWare never really did a great job of drawing attention to itself either.

Which is why we're so excited about the potential for Toki Tori 2. We encourage you to go back and check out the original if you missed it – it just got an encore release through the 3DS eShop, making it easier to find than ever before – but even gamers who've still been unable to introduce themselves to the little yellow chick's original adventure can get in on the ground floor with his second. Toki Tori 2 has the best release date possible for getting itself noticed on Wii U – Day 1 – and as an all-new adventure with all-new puzzles, every fan new and old should be planning an instant purchase the minute their new Wii U machines grab onto the nearest Wi-Fi signal.

Trine 2: Director's Cut

Nintendo has offered a lot of great options for gamers looking for engaging local co-op experiences these past several years, and the Wii U will keep that trend moving forward with titles like Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U and Rayman Legends. If you happen to be looking for a specifically three-player adventure, though, and would like something a little more mature in tone than those other, more cartoony options, you've got to check out Trine 2: Director's Cut.

Trine 2 brings together three classic fantasy characters types – a wizard, a thief and a fighter – and forces them to work as one cohesive unit. If you play it alone, you'll swap between the three characters on the fly and use their unique abilities – like the fighter's power to bash through walls – to progress through the game world. If you toss a couple of Wiimotes to two of your buddies and take on the game as a trio, though, all three of you will have defined, individual roles to play.

Trine 2 first launched late last year and earned huge praise in our review of its PC and Xbox Live Arcade versions – 9s out of 10s. The "Director's Cut" subtitle and a extra year of polish promise an even better experience than that on Wii U too, so stay tuned for more on this one.

Source : ign[dot]com

Next Borderlands 2 DLC Outed?

Captain Scarlett and Her Pirates' Booty just came out but already details have potentially emerged about the next piece of DLC for Borderlands 2.

It's called Mr. Torgue's Campaign of Carnage, and it looks like it might be the second of the four Season Pass packs planned. The information was unearthed by a user on Neogaf who spotted trophies for the expansion after a recent PS3 update.

As with the Captain Scarlett DLC, three trophies are up for grabs:

• Bronze: Explosive – Complete the mission “Long Way To The Top”.
• Silver: Motorhead – Completed all Campaign of Carnage side missions.
• Gold: Obsessed – Collected 10 pictures of Moxxi in Campaign of Carnage.

Nothing's been confirmed, but this was the exact same way in which news of the Captain Scarlett DLC was found. We contacted 2K but they had no comment at this time.

Daniel is IGN's UK Staff Writer, and you can be part of the world's worst cult by following him on IGN and Twitter (or not).

Source : ign[dot]com

Check Out This Very Cool New Hobbit Banner

Another day, another sweet new piece of artwork from this winter's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. This banner helps you know who's who among the dwarves in case you weren't sure.

Click for the hi-res version! The Hobbit opens December 14.

Source : ign[dot]com

Secret Avengers #31 Review

Secret Avengers #30 offered readers a nice little swerve by making Taskmaster, rather than Max Fury, become the wielder of the three-piece crown the Shadow Council have been lusting after all this time. Either way, the outcome is bad for the Secret Avengers, as the malignant force known as Abyss is threatening to spread across the globe and consume everything. And only Venom and Ant-Man are left standing in the field. Much like Uncanny X-Force, Rick Remender is a master of pitting his heroes against insurmountable odds.

The Venom/Ant-Man dynamic proves to be one of the highlights of this arc. They're easily the most psychologically damaged of the various team members, and their mutual lack of trust in each other adds a fun edge to their retaliatory attack. The fact that the reader has no idea when Ant-Man might suddenly give up his facade and betray the team adds an extra tinge of drama.

But as has always been the case with this story, it's the pencils of Matteo Scalera that are the main draw. Scalera has really exploded onto the superhero scene with this series. His pencils offer all the gritty darkness one would expect from the seedy underbelly of the Marvel Universe, but he balances that with a sense of style and energy that give the book a distinctly different feel from the past two years' worth of stories.

If there are any complaints to be had with the series right now, it's that it doesn't seem overly interested in functioning as a team book. Many of the Avengers are out of the picture and/or brainwashed, leaving only a handful with any significant screen time. The new Masters of Evil are a disappointment as well. They've become nothing more than recognizable vessels for Abyss to speak through. Still, there's enough drama and intriguing character dynamics, as well as fantastic art, to keep the arc humming along.

Jesse is a writer for IGN Comics and IGN Movies. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following Jesse on Twitter, or on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

The Comics Run: August 20, 2012

Wait, what’s this? Text? For the Comics Run?

With my video producer on vacation (lucky!) for the next few weeks, I’ll be doing the Comics Run as a written piece. So before you get too excited/angry, know that the show will indeed be returning. If you want a comprehensive list of everything that’s coming out this week and not just my picks for what’s hot, check out Diamond’s shipping list.

Onto my picks:

Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1 - $3.99

By J. Michael Straczynski & Adam Hughes | DC

There’s one reason and one reason only that I’m excited for this Before Watchmen title. Adam Hughes is doing interior artwork for the first time in a very, very long time. I’ve adored his cover work quite a bit over the last few years (particularly his work on Catwoman), but it’s going to be a joy to see him work his magic inside of a comic. Hopefully, the story by JMS will be able to explore interesting territory with one of the more surreal characters of the Watchmen cast that puts Hughes’ abilities to good use.

Scalped #60 - #2.99

By Jason Aaron & R. M. Guera | Vertigo

If ever there was a comic that could rival the best of TV dramas, Scalped is it. Described as “Sopranos on an Indian Reservation” way back when it launched in 2006, Scalped has lived up to that lofty premise and then some. Issue #60 marks the conclusion to Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera’s crime epic, and I’m pretty sure the tears will be flowing and our insides will be torn violently from us. I mean that in the best way possible, of course. The end of Scalped is sure to be a bloody one, but then, I can’t imagine it any other way.

The Punisher #14 - $2.99

By Greg Rucka & Mico Suayan | Marvel

Now that we know Greg Rucka’s time with Frank Castle is coming to an end, it adds a whole new weight to the next few issues of the series as it builds toward October’s Punisher: War Zone. With Rucka’s bloody epic seemingly constructed around Frank’s “sidekick” Rachel Cole-Alves, it certainly feels as though something huge is in store for the character. If the history of the Punisher is any indication, it’s probably not anything good.

Star Wars: Darth and Vader and the Ghost Prison #4 - $3.50

By Haden Blackman & Agustin Alessio | Dark Horse

It’s quite a feeling to know that there’s a legitimately great Star Wars comic that we can consume month in and month out. At least, until this five-issue mini-series reaches its end. This is the penultimate chapter, as Darth Vader leads a newly minted Imperial Officer in a battle against some guerilla-like Rebels. This series has excelled in showing the formation of a devoted Imperial Officer, and how Vader’s ruthlessness helped to shape the Empire as we would come to know it. If you love Star Wars, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be reading this book.

The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #1 - $3.99

By Mark Waid & Chris Samnee | IDW Publishing

As if more Rocketeer from IDW Publishing wasn’t enough, the fact that it’s the remarkable creative team of Daredevil, Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, handling this mini-series should be enough to drive you out of your mind. Foregoing the anthology format we’ve seen the character in as of late, Waid and Samnee are giving Cliff Secord his first lengthy adventure at IDW while keeping the continuity-free appeal of this Golden Age throwback intact. I love me some Rocketeer, I love me some Waid/Samnee, and I love me some superhero comics without the continuity garbage. Bring on Cargo of Doom.

Rachel Rising #10 - $3.99

By Terry Moore | Abstract Studios

If Saga is my favorite ongoing book at the moment, Rachel Rising is a close second. Terry Moore’s gorgeous black and white work has adapted with ease to the horror genre, creating a sprawling and mysterious character-centric yarn that slowly creeps up behind you only to give you the shivers at the most unexpected of occasions. It’s delightfully creepy in all the best ways, and with the huge revelations of issue #9, issue #10 is obviously a must-buy. If you’re a horror fan that’s been avoiding this book for some reason, it’s time to rectify that mistake.

Joey is IGN's Comics Editor and a comic book creator himself. Follow Joey on Twitter, or find him on IGN. He loves superhero pets so hard.

Source : ign[dot]com

Arrested Development: Season 4 Begins Filming Today - Bateman Tweets First Photo

This is less a news piece than a place to celebrate... Because Arrested Development is back in production! Yes, today is the first day of shooting on the miraculously resurrected comedy series, which will return with ten new episodes next year, debuting on Netflix.

Jason Bateman (who already provided us with some pics of TV son Michael Cera visiting the newly rebuilt Bluth home set) has tweeted the first photo from the midst of actual production on the show, with the words, "First Day. Here we go..." No, it's not much to go on, but we'll take what we can get. Just imagine the funny things being said as they film!

Update: Yep, we agree - those looks like some Workaholics cast members (Adam DeVine and Anders Holm) in the photo.

Source : ign[dot]com

Vegas: A New Kind of CBS Crime Series

The new CBS series Vegas is a change of pace for the network – a period piece, set in the 1960s, with more of an overreaching plotline than most of their procedural dramas.

Dennis Quaid stars as Sheriff Ralph Lamb, a real life person who Vegas co-creator Nicholas Pileggi (Goodfellas, Casino) originally had written a feature film script about, after executive producer Arthur Sarkissian met Lamb and agreed his story was incredibly compelling. Speaking at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour this week, Executive producer Cathy Konrad said she felt that as a feature, they were trying to cram so much of this man’s life into two and a half hours and she suggested it might be better as a TV Series instead.

Vegas centers on the ongoing struggle between Lamb and mobster Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis). Discussing their dynamic, Walker said, “Lamb is trying to preserve what he believes the values of the Old West are in this area while not being against progress, per se, and Vincent Savino is trying to change the culture of Vegas as well - not necessarily as a mobster, but also as a man who has a quest for legitimacy. They find themselves on the same side of the law – not often, but often enough because there are worse people out there that are coming into vogue. So in order to kind of preserve this delicate balance, both of them move. It's a shifting target. So they are not always against each other. We certainly don't want Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner every week. We found enough tension so far to keep them going after each other.”

While certainly back into darker terrain, following No Ordinary Family, Chiklis said he felt Savino was very different from his memorable role as Vic Mackey on The Shield. “I just think that the potential of this character is fascinating and exciting to me.”

As for what drew Quaid to his first ongoing TV series, the movie star said, “I came in because a lot of exciting things are happening on television now, I think. A lot of the best writers have come to television. I think they feel like they have more control, and the storylines get continued. And when I was offered this, it was really about the team more than anything else, and the story really interested me. But, you know, Nick Pileggi and Greg and Jim Mangold and everybody that was in it, it just seemed really authentic and a chance to really play a character and let him unfold over a long period of time.”

Quaid noted that Lamb, “had quite a life, you know, and that was certainly part of the attraction, to be the sheriff of Las Vegas for 20 years, and especially this period of time because this is really when Vegas became Vegas as we know it today. And Ralph had a lot to do with shaping that, and he was also part of the landscape before all of this happened. He’s a fourth generation rancher, I think, going back to the Indian wars. And so I think we all have kind of a fascination with Las Vegas, and I thought the idea of playing this era would be a lot of fun.”

Quaid added, “Ralph also represents the people who really lived in the area of Las Vegas and had been around for generations. And to have these outside forces coming in vis a vis the mob -- really kind of coming in, in their minds, to take over in their town is sort of an invasion. Ralph and the locals really want to keep as much control as they can over their own town.”

Walker admitted it was always a challenge using real people on a TV show, mixed in with fictional characters. “That’s always the challenge. As my partner Cathy says, we don't want to let the truth get in the way of a good story, but the amazing thing about Vegas in 1960 in these men's stories is that the truth is the best story. Nick Pileggi showed that in the way that he portrayed Casino - that these stories are vibrant. These are larger than life characters who pop off the screen. So as a writer, it's a gift. It's literally the chest you keep on opening and find the glittering coins because there's so much value and depth and meat in those stories, we just try to use as much as we can.”

Vegas -- which also stars Jason O'Mara, Carrie-Anne Moss and Sarah Jones -- will mix weekly investigations for Lamb with an overreaching story. When it came to CBS tackling this series, Konrad said, “I think that the interest was to paint a broader palette, to make a bigger world, and I think that the networks were seeing the savvy [audience] and how cable has been playing in that arena. And I think that this fit in a really nice basket for them, and it's been energizing for everybody to be able to have that freedom as filmmakers to make something, to not be put in the procedural bucket and have to live there, to know that you can get that story across but to have continuing stories for our cast that can grow I think that's the reason why we have this amazing cast, because they see that potential as well.”

Vegas premieres Tuesday, September 25th on CBS.

Source : ign[dot]com

Bethesda Exec: “We Have Not Announced Dawnguard For Any Other Platform…”

Earlier today, we reported on news that PlayStation 3 will finally get a new Skyrim patch. But it appears that news of Skyrim’s first piece of DLC – Dawnguard – may be a ways off for Sony’s console, as well as for PC.

On his Twitter account, Bethesda’s VP of PR and Marketing Pete Hines Tweeted that “We have not announced Dawnguard for any other platform, nor given a timeline for any such news.” He continued, stating that “If we have news, I promise I’d tell you.”

Such news (or lack thereof) doesn’t bode well for PlayStation 3 and PC gamers hoping to get their hands on Dawnguard sometime soon. While it’s well-known that Microsoft secured exclusivity for Skyrim DLC on Xbox 360, the exclusive window was a mere 30 days long. Dawnguard launched on Xbox 360 exactly a month ago today, so that 30 day period has now passed. Thus, the DLC could conceivably come out on PS3 and PC as of today.

Hopefully, we’ll hear more about Dawnguard for PS3 and PC soon. In the meantime, it appears we’ll have to be patient, something PS3 gamers in particular have been with Skyrim since the game launched.

Colin Moriarty is an IGN PlayStation editor. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN and learn just how sad the life of a New York Islanders and New York Jets fan can be.

Source : ign[dot]com

Studio Moves Gangster Squad to January

Warner Bros. has shifted Gangster Squad from its original September 7 slot to January 11, 2013 in order to re-shoot and re-edit a key set-piece in the wake of last week's theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado.

The period film -- which stars Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Josh Brolin -- featured a bloody gangland shootout in a movie theater in which several patrons are gunned down. The filmmakers will now re-conceive and re-shoot the sequence, a move that could not have been done with just six weeks until its original release.

Warner Bros. pulled the movie's trailers from domestic theaters following Friday's tragedy.

Source : ign[dot]com

Left 4 Dead 2: Cold Stream DLC Delayed for Xbox

The Xbox 360 version of Cold Stream, the latest piece of downloadable content for Valve Corporation's popular 2009 co-op shooter Left 4 Dead 2, has missed its July 24 release date. "We are working with MS on a release schedule," Valve wrote on their official Left 4 Dead Developer Twitter feed. "We don't have an ETA yet but we hope to have it out soon. It will be 560 [Microsoft Points, or $7]." Later, they added, "We have no news on an [ETA] yet."

The DLC should be a welcome one for Left 4 Dead fans, as it contains not only the brand-new Cold Stream campaign, but also imports four of the five campaigns from the original game as well: Blood Harvest, Crash Course, Dead Air, and Death Toll (the fifth, No Mercy, was previously brought to L4D2 via The Sacrifice DLC -- see the video below).

The PC version is available now on Steam for free.

Ryan McCaffrey is the Executive Editor at IGN Xbox. He used to own a DeLorean, which is weird. Follow him on Twitter, on IGN, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.

Source : ign[dot]com