Infinite Crisis, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) based on the DC universe, will start its closed beta next week. Turbine sent out the announcement today announcing the start date of May 8, along with some new art (above) highlighting some alternate styles of Wonder Woman.
TT Games and Warner Bros also detailed the pre-order bonuses for Lego Marvel Super Heroes today, capturing the combination of Legos and classic comic characters. These came alongside a new trailer that showed a handful of the already-announced heroes confronted with Galactus.
Guardians of Middle-Earth has continued to add more characters to its roster, but one notable name has been missing. Lead ring-bearer and famed hobbit Frodo Baggins joins the group today, packing his own hobbit-sized abilities.
Wii U may already have a port of a year-old Batman game, so why not another? Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is coming to the system this spring, putting one more brick in the Lego wall of kid-friendly Wii U offerings.
When Lego puts out building sets based on popular franchises, a new licensed video game can't be far behind. The Batman incarnation expanded to include more of the Justice League roster in Lego Batman 2, and with new Marvel sets banking on the popularity of The Avengers the time is ripe for Marvel to get in on the action. Lego Marvel Super Heroes will be coming to PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, DS, 3DS, and Vita this fall.
While you prepare your floppy wigs and furry feet to go see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, you can amuse yourself with some movie-themed downloadable content for the console MOBA Guardians of Middle-Earth. Two new characters have been made available for purchase today, along with a free map skin for all players.
By nature of the games that inspired and evolved it, the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre is inherently obtuse and command-heavy. The game type is naturally suited to PC, so Monolith must have known what it was getting into when it conceived of the console-only Guardians of Middle-earth. Simplifying such a complex genre is a daunting task, and while the game mostly succeeds inside the battlefields, the equipment menus grow more congested as a result.
When Monolith and Warner Bros announced the release plans for Guardians of Middle-Earth, it was oddly vague about Xbox Live Arcade. The game was committed to December 4 on PlayStation Network, and "fall" on XBLA. The developer has now confirmed the game will hit XBLA December 5, as per usual for multiplatform digital releases.
Warner Bros has announced that its upcoming console MOBA, Guardians of Middle Earth, is coming this December.
The game will be available on PlayStation Network on December 4, and Xbox Live Arcade some time this fall. It will cost $14.99 for the digital copies, with plans for "extensive downloadable content" to be purchased individually or with a Season Pass. But if you'd rather support your local brick-and-mortar shop, you can pick it up for $29.99 at retail. This will include the game and the Season Pass.
Guardians of Middle-earth is intentionally a very lean MOBA experience. Developer Monolith Productions has trimmed the fat to tailor the experience to consoles, making it feel like a natural fit for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. The streamlining was a conscious choice, according to producer Bob Roberts.
"I think that in general the entry point is, this is more gentle for new players," Roberts told Shacknews. "My guess is that people will get addicted here and might never leave it, but I could see that definitely being a more enticing option for people who, like some of my friends, know about [MOBAs] and want to get into it but feel like it's intimidating."
Read more: The game is 'a little more intuitive to pick up and play' »
The Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) genre began on the PC and has flourished there, even as some corners of the community grew more insular. The game type is complex by its nature, and since it's all multiplayer-based it can be difficult for a new player to feel comfortable jumping in. Monolith Productions, the studio behind the recent Gotham City Impostors, is taking a stab at a friendlier MOBA experience with Guardians of Middle-earth.
WB Games Seattle, the Washington based studio of Warner Bros Interactive, has suffered layoffs today. Warner Bros has confirmed the layoffs, without specifying a reason or number of employees affected. The studio is currently working on Guardians of Middle-Earth, a MOBA coming to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade.
"Due to shifting business imperatives, WB Games Seattle has made staff reductions," the company said in a statement. "The group will continue to remain an integral part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment."
Traveller's Tales introduced full voice acting to its series of licensed block 'em ups for the first time in LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, and hugely expanded the open world ideas of earlier games. Turns out, TT is pretty pleased with how it's been received, and is looking to "build on" these in future games.
Read more: "Each time in a slightly different way, of course" »
The boy who lived is getting yet another video game adaptation. This time, players will be thrown into the shoes of a Hogwarts student through the magic of Kinect. Appropriately titled Harry Potter for Kinect, the game is being developed by Eurocom and is due out this fall. Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment is publishing, naturally.
Read more: Face-scanning to create an original witch or wizard »
One iconic Batman location missing from Gotham City Impostors has been rectified, with a free update that provides the "Arkham Asylum" map. Monolith is probably aware that this isn't the first time we've visited the famous nut-house, but its take on the subject matter is a bit brighter and more whimsical.
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