Update: Looks like there is indeed a new WWE game coming. Click below the jump for details.

As of now, WWE and 2K games has confirmed that there will be no new installment of the WWE 2k franchise this year. This is no surprise as the future of the series was in the air even before the COVID-19 outbreak. WWE 2k20, the most recent installment, was the first developed solely by Visual Concepts, as opposed to co-developing alongside longtime franchise developer Yukes. As such, it launched with sub par graphics, several bugs, and missing features. Things got so bad that at one point Sony issued refunds to anyone who bought the digital version of the game from the PlayStation Network Store, and a bug caused the game to be unplayable on New Years day of this year. Even now, several months later, and after several patches, the game still has unresolved issues that have yet to be addressed. The rumor floating around was that WWE 2k21 will be canceled in favor of a new non-simulation WWE title. At least half of this rumor is true. As for the other half, WWE CFO Frank Riddick announced that they will be sharing details of the franchise’s future this coming Monday at 10 am EST. For now, we’ll see what this will entail. This rumor was confirmed this morning by WWE and 2K games. So while WWE2k will get a year off, we will be getting a new WWE game this year. For now, if 2k wishes to continue working with the WWE license, it’s clear that they will have to go back to the drawing board if and when they produce the next entry in the WWE 2k franchise. In the meantime, fans looking for some non-WWE squared circle gaming can check out Fire Pro Wrestling World on Steam and PS4, Chikara Action Arcade on Steam, and the upcoming Retromania Wrestling coming to Switch, Steam, PS4, and Xbox One this July.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Battleborn is a multiplayer shooter developed by Gearbox (Borderlands, Duke Nukem Forever) and released by 2K games this past way. It received rave reviews thanks to its quirky cast of characters, varied hero mechanics, and kick ass 80s-cartoon style intro as seen above. Unfortunately Blizzard’s Overwatch hit later that month, and now Battleborn is known as that “Other new multiplayer shooter”. Even so, Gearbox has been releasing new content for the game, such as new maps, heroes, and single player missions. However, an anonymous source reported to Kotaku that Gearbox is considering making Battleborn free to play. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchfork denied these claims, instead saying that the company plans to release a ‘trial version’ which will allow players to purchase the full game and DLC (which kinda sounds like f2p to me). If it did, it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. This past summer, 2k’s Evolve went f2p and saw its Steam user base increase by the thousands. Battleborn is a great shooter which would use a similar shot in the arm, even if it isn’t free to play.

When Firaxis announced that they were getting ready to do a remake of the classic strategy title X-Com, it came at a rather peculiar time, as 2k Marin was working on its own reboot of the series, X-Com Declassified. Declassified was going to be a re-imagining of the game as a third-person squad based shooter set in the 1950s. Naturally this didn’t sit well with longtime fans of the franchise. They hit a snag in the project, and it was unknown if the project would be released at all. All of a sudden, Firaxis (Civilization, Alpha Centurai) announced that they would be doing a turn-based strategy-style reboot, and X-Com fans the world over rejoiced. Even after Declassified was released (to mediocre ratings), Enemy Unknown became a classic title in its own right, worthy of the X-Com name. Now that the sequel is here, now is a good time to look at this masterpiece.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Bioshock is the third (and likely final) entry in 2K/Irrational’s genre-bending FPS series. Infinite leaves the sunken dystopia of Rapture behind for the beautiful sky-island of Columbia. Players take control of former Pinkerton agent turned Private investigator Booker Dewitt as he infiltrates the island in search of a young woman with mysterious abilities. Of course the mission is anything but easy, as the island’s inhabitants and ruler Comstock exhibit the worst of early 20th century racism, sexism, and xenophobia. That’s not even mentioning the civil war taking place on the island and the nightmarish human/robotic amalgamations you’ll be doing battle with.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Remember when the Spec Ops series was just a poor man’s Delta Force/Rainbow Six? Ever since its 1998 debut, it was little more than a series of fairly solid, if forgettable, budget-priced Playstation, PC, and Dreamcast tactical military shooter games. That all changed with 2012’s Spec Ops: The Line, which was the first game in the series since 2002’s Spec Ops: Airborne Commando. You would be forgiven for dismissing it as another Call of Duty-esque military blastfest, however, if you do, you’d be missing out on one of the smartest games of this past console generation. While on the surface it’s no different from other cover-based military shooters on the market, Spec Ops is a deconstruction of the military shooter genre, a commentary of violence in video games, a look at the effects of PTSD on soldiers, and even a take on American interventionist policy.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Borderlands is a synthesis of first person shooting action and RPG-style level grinding and looting. Playing as one of four survivors in a post-apocalyptic landscape, you search for what is called “The Vault”. According to legend, the Vault contains vast amounts of treasure. Since no one has ever made it there, you’re going to trek through miles of desert, battling enemies, and collecting weapons. You’ll complete several quests and meet several NPCs. The guns are a huge part of the experience. You’ll collect certain guns, fall in love with them, using them every chance you get, only to discard them when you find something even cooler and you’re nowhere near a shop where you can sell it. Each of their four characters have their own upgradable abilities, and you can team up with another player for online co-op. The sequel is on its way, so now is a good time to check out the original. If you got a little extra, you can buy the complete edition which contains all the downloadable content released for the game.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s what 2k Interactive (standing in for Irrational) must have been thinking when making this follow up to one of 2007’s most beloved new IPs. Bioshock 2 is more of the same, but when the original was as good as it was, fans won’t mind.
[Read the rest of this entry…]