Light Start — Extreme fishing, Minecraft blocks, lasers in space, and tabletop rats

Now THIS is how you advertise a fishing game

We’ve been playing fishing games since the time we had to hold the PSOne controller sideways for SEGA Bass Fishing but we’ve never seen anything like this — an actually exciting fishing game trailer. No, it doesn’t start by giving you a six-pack of beers (the traditional South African way of making fishing extra-exciting) but it does drop in a Call of Duty soundtrack. Which is a tactic that is… strangely effective, for all that it is also tongue-in-cheek. The game itself, Fishing Planet, doesn’t look bad either. The engine is polished, the range of options seems adequate, and it’s going to be free-to-play on PlayStation 4 and PC at launch. If you can’t make it to an actual fishing spot, this might scratch your itch. And no, we don’t think that the music will be a major part of the finished product. Expect it on 29 August.

Source: PlayStation

We don’t recommend punching this Minecraft-themed Xblock One

Microsoft is going to be launching something a little different soon — a Minecraft-themed Xbox One and controller. Make that ‘controllers’. The main console looks remarkably (and attractively) like a Minecraft block of soil, while the default controller looks like you’re holding a Creeper by the ears. Just as long as it doesn’t hiss, we’re okay with that. And there’s another, pink, controller in the works. This one owes more than a little of its appearance to the Minecraft pig. And then there is the Redstone effect on the back of the console… Anyway, despite how it looks please don’t try to punch it. No, not even if you’re playing Dark Souls III.

Source: Kotaku

Star Wars Battlefront II: Come for the blasters, stay for the space combat

It’s a good time to be a Star Wars fan. There are a bunch of (actually good) new films coming out and the Star Wars Battlefront series is looking better by the day. Battlefront II‘s space combat, shown in a new trailer from Electronic Arts, is going to blow players out of the… sky?… when the game launches later this year. And if you’re not keen on waiting till the 17 November launch, there is a beta test coming in early October for those who have pre-ordered the game. Expect 40-player ground combat and a crack at the Starfighter Assault mode seen above from 6 to 9 October. Unless you pre-order, in which case you can start on 4 October.

Source: Electronic Arts

Total War: Warhammer — Meet the little rat-bastards: the Skaven

If you’re familiar with the universe of Warhammer then you’re probably familiar with the rodent-like Skaven, the newly-revealed (and possibly reviled) faction coming to Total War: Warhammer 2. SEGA and Creative Assembly’s detailed fantasy-strategy title will see the greenskins take on all comers, including the Skaven. And if you have 40 minutes to spare (and of course you do, it’s Monday morning and you’re putting off work as long as possible), you can see the little rat-bastards in action in this extended gameplay video. Everything from unit productions, upgrades, map overviews and large-scale combat are yours to experience before the game launches at the end of September this year. Watch it now, or are you some kind of heretic?

Source: Polygon (YouTube)