We’re back with the Top Five Stories of the Week. We have some great stories for you below. There you will find articles about Minecraft, Shadow of Mordor DLC and Nintendo news. As always, for the full article, simple click on the hyperlink. Get in, sit down and hold on because here we go!
Number 5
Valve’s Latest Steam Controller Design Has a D-pad
Those days when Valve’s Steam Machine was but a glimmer in gamers’ eyes are long past, it seems. Last year, we showed you what the designs for the Steam Machine’s earliest prototype looked like; and yes, that controller of Valve’s is still coming along, too. A blue one.
As you’ll see above, the left touch area now appears to have a directional pad in conjunction with the long-rumored analog stick the controller was purported to have added in the past few months to complement its rather, err, “unusual” touch pads.
Additionally, images via Steam have indicated the inclusion of different “modes” of use akin to what Valve had previously stated were customization preferences that players could access for their Steam controller. Hence, there’ll likely be a variety of control-schemes available at launch for how you want to play, but we don’t know much about whether that blue finish is final.
Number 4
Slay Beasts & Beastmasters In Shadow of Mordor’s New DLC
You may have slain a thousand orcs already in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, but the game’s newest DLC proves there’s no rest for the weary – or ghostly. The first major bit of DLC pack for Talion’s continuing adventures is out today for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
“Lord of the Hunt” introduces the rather rude Beastmaster Warchiefs to their somewhat less nasty cousins, the former of which ride Rancor-syle caragors and other nasty creatures into battle. Along with the new enemy type and new (aggressive) creatures, you’ll get a number of other items. New missions and beast challenges will appear in the game to sharpen your blade with.
In addition, you’ll be able to earn new epic runes that are tied to the creature-filled game updates and dress Talion up as a beast master just because you can.
Number 3
Assassin’s Creed Director Intent On New ‘AAA’ Game
It was little over a year ago that game designer Patrice Désilets reunited with long-time employer, Ubisoft , and even less time than that in which the two parted ways it a few months later. It’s been a little over a month since Patrice Désilets, creative director of the original Assassin’s Creed, announced the opening of his new studio Panache Digital Games.
The former Ubisoft developer is still holding most of his cards close to his chest, but he’s revealed the basic details for his game. Before you assume Désilets will follow suit with other developers who’ve split off from big publishers, Panache’s first game is not a small indie title by any means.
“Indeed AAA Games, I believe in them,” Désilets says in a press release. “I believe wholeheartedly that this medium we call “video games” can be a positive force for change in our society and that AAA quality gaming experiences have unmatched strength to achieve this.”
Désilets explains further that the game will be a third-person “historical-action-survival” game in the manner of his former work within the Assassin’s Creed umbrella and is currently codenamed, “1666.”
Number 2
Miyamoto Wants Mario To Launch Nintendo’s Next Console
Nintendo may still be on the rebound from combating struggling hardware sales and scathing criticisms this year, but that hasn’t stopped the company from looking towards its future.
Speaking with The Associated Press, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto spoke about several topics, including sold-out amiibo figures, the future of Mario, and next year’s open-world Zelda .
On missing exclusive in-game content because an amiibo is hard to find, Miyamoto said, “In the future, we have the option, if certain amiibo figures are no longer available in stores, to release an amiibo in card form with the same functionality.” Wonder how much those would cost.
As for Mario’s next solo adventure , it’s likely going to be a while. “I think that maybe when we release the next hardware system, you can look forward to seeing Mario take on a new role or in a new game,” he said. Nintendo is currently “busy working on software for the Wii U,” but the company “[has] production lines that are working on ideas for what the next system might be.”
Number 1
Telltale and Mojang Are Building a Minecraft ‘Story Mode’
When Microsoft bought Minecraft developer Mojang earlier this years, we wondered aloud just what the buyout meant. Now we do. Minecraft is getting a story mode courtesy of Telltale Games, and on almost every system, no less.
The studio, whose fine adventure games span the likes of The Walking Dead, is joining forces with Mojang to “craft” a narrative-driven episodic experience. Yes, they’re working on an original story “set in the world of Minecraft,” they say, and it’s all somehow tied up in those blocks you use to build Starship Enterprises and giant pigs with. There’s no word on whether that episodic experience can be enjoyed with friends or not.
Minecraft: Story Mode is expected to make its debut sometime next year on Xbox consoles, PC, mobile devices, and Mac. It’s also coming to PlayStation systems in spite of Microsoft’s purchasing Mojang for a cool $2.5 billion just months ago.
Honorable Mentions
This week had a lot of big news and the news staff and I found it hard to narrow it down to the usual five stories:
- Grand Theft Auto V’s Heists Are Still Coming…Soon
- Producer Says Lords Of The Fallen 2 Is Happening
- Two Devil May Cries Are Going Next-Gen Next Year
If you have suggestions for future entries, feel free to email me at jeremy.tyler@bagogames.com