Best of Gamescom 2018 Winners Selected by Gamescom Committee

gamescomEvery year, Germany’s Digital Gaming Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) supervises the Gamescom Committee, a small group of journalists who choose the best games that were present at the Gamescom expo. The Gamescom expo is held in the Summer, and serves as the European equivalent to the Los Angeles-based E3 Expo.

While most of these titles are still in development, you should keep them in mind when you add games to your collection this Fall and into 2019.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was named “Best of Gamescom,” and the full list of winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading

Dark Horse Will Release a God of War Comic Miniseries in November

Sony and Dark Horse Comics are planning to give fans another God of War adaptation to add to their bookshelves this Fall.

The first issue of the God of War miniseries will be available on November 14 (with a collected edition to follow sometime in the future), and it’ll be written by Chris Roberson (iZombie, Witchfinder). The art team will include artist Tony Parker (Mayday, This Damned Band), colorist Dan Jackson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and letterer John Roshell of Comicraft. E.M. Gist (The Strain, Will Save The Galaxy for Food) will provide cover art for Issue #1.

According to Dark Horse, the miniseries will serve as a prequel to this Spring’s critically-acclaimed sequel for the PS4:

The God of War comic series finds Kratos living in the remote Norse wilds after his war on the gods of Olympus. Seeking to put the rage that defined most of his life behind him, Kratos inadvertently sparks a feud with a mysterious cult of berserkers after attempting to save a stranger being mauled by a monstrous bear. But for the former Ghost of Sparta, no good deed goes unpunished.

In case you missed it, Titan Books will publish a God of War novelization later this month, and it’ll be written by J.M. Barlog (the father of Game Director Cory Barlog).

Fortnite Overview @ Games In Libraries

Another library-centric overview of Fortnite, the new “Battle Royale” shooter from Epic Games, has popped up on the Games In Libraries blog:

Everyone and their brother (and sister) lately has been on about Fortnite, the new free-to-play “battle royale” game from Epic Games. Originally launched as a “survival” game akin to Minecraft with a heavy building component in 2017, Fortnite added a “battle royale” mode that September based on the model created by “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” – one hundred players parachute onto a battlefield, with the last one standing the winner. Since then, it has grown into a billion-dollar juggernaut due to the profits it rakes in over optional elements like skins, outfits and dance moves.

Whether you’re looking at the Games In Libraries blog (or Teen Services Underground or School Library Journal), they all agree that Fortnite is extremely popular with younger players, and that it’s colorful (and downright wacky) presentation makes it the perfect addition to your game programming lineup.

Games in Libraries Conference Will Be Held at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in Spring 2019

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will be hosting a one-day Games in Libraries Conference sometime in the Spring of 2019:

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s McIntyre Library is planning on holding a one-day conference on the use of games (video, board, card, etc.) in libraries. The conference will be open to all librarians – public, academic, special – and there will be no registration fee.

You can help the organizers shape this event by answering a few short questions now.

Titan Books Will Publish a God of War Novelization on August 28

Sony Santa Monica jettisoned the over-the-top gore and gratuitous minigames from the newest entry in the God of War franchise, and they were rewarded with huge sales and stellar reviews. This time, the developers chose to focus on a (relatively) kinder and gentler Kratos to tell a more grounded story about fatherhood and responsibility.

So it’s only fitting that Titan Books has selected J.M. Barlog (the father of Game Director Cory Barlog) to pen an official novelization of God of War:

His vengeance against the Gods of Olympus years behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the realm of Norse gods and monsters. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive… and teach his son to do the same. This startling reimagining of God of War deconstructs the core elements that defined the series—satisfying combat; breathtaking scale; and a powerful narrative—and fuses them anew.

The God of War novelization will be available in bookstores on August 28.

August 2018’s Free Games With Gold for Xbox One/Xbox 360

Next month’s additions to the Games With Gold service are brought to you by the letters F, O, and R. Microsoft announced the monthly freebies on the Xbox Wire blog yesterday, and Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be able to download Forza Horizon 2: 10th Anniversary Edition (Xbox One), For Honor (Xbox One), Dead Space 3 (Xbox 360), and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Xbox 360) during the next 30 days.

Click here for more information about all four selections from the Games With Gold program this month… Continue reading

Blizzard Will Team Up With Titan Comics to Release Diablo Comic Miniseries Later This Year

In case you missed this one during Comic-Con last week, it looks like Blizzard and Titan Comics will team up to produce a brand new miniseries based on the Diablo franchise.

Set to launch this Fall, the four-part comic saga will be written by Marv Wolfman (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and illustrated by Piotr Kowalski (Wolfenstein):

The [Diablo] comics will follow a group of zealous scholars and crusaders as they discover the true origins of humanity. Will their faith survive these shocking revelations?

For those keeping score at home, Titan’s untitled Diablo series will actually be the third comic adaptation of Blizzard’s battle between the angelic Nephalem and the hordes of Hell. The developer worked with Dark Horse to publish Diablo: Tales of Sanctuary in 2001, and partnered with DC Comics ten years later to produce Diablo: Sword of Justice in 2011.

More information about the Diablo miniseries (and presumably, a collected edition) will be announced soon.

Sega Unveils Team Sonic Racing Comic at Comic-Con 2018

Earlier this week, we were promised that Sega had several Sonic-related announcements to make at the mascot’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, “Sonic the Hedgehog’s Way Past Cool Panel.”

In addition to releasing the final mini-episode of Sonic Mania Adventures, Sega and IDW Publishing announced that a special Team Sonic Racing comic will be released this October. According to IDW’s official website, the one-shot story will be written by Caleb Goellner (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), with art by longtime Sonic the Hedgehog artist Adam Bryce Thomas:

Sonic and his teammates Knuckles and Tails journey to a new planet and enter a race unlike any other! With a little help from friends like Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and a few other familiar faces, Sonic must race to prevent an old foe from obtaining a powerful new technology in this story by writer Caleb Goellner (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and longtime Sonic The Hedgehog artist Adam Bryce Thomas.

“I’m so stoked to write Sonic! It’s been a dream of mine ever since my dad surprised me with my first Sonic comic in ’92, so I can’t wait for fans to take this issue for a Spin Dash,” said Caleb Goellner. “It’s been an honor to be on a team working to deliver an issue that’s as fun to read as Team Sonic Racing is to play.”

The Team Sonic Racing game will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One sometime this Fall/Winter. And Sonic Mania Plus is available now for the same four platforms.