Monthly Archives: December 2016

Fans decide to give Steam Awards to Doom 2016, GTA5, Portal 2, and many more

Posted on December 31, 2016 by John Scalzo

With just hours to go before we celebrate the end of 2016, Valve has announced the winners of the first-ever Steam Awards.

Rather than ask Steam shoppers to select a traditional “Best of 2016” slate, Valve offered up a rather unique class of categories and let community members nominate any game from the digital storefront’s catalog. This freeform approach even gave voters the chance to create a few additional categories out of thin air.

After casting votes for the past two weeks (and browsing bargains during the digital storefront’s Winter Sale, which continues through January 2), the winners of the first-ever Steam Awards include Doom (“The “Boom Boom” Award”), Portal 2 (“The “Villain Most In Need Of A Hug” Award”), Grand Theft Auto V (“The “Game Within A Game” Award” and “The “Whoooaaaaaaa, Dude” Award”), and many more.

You can find the complete list of winners after the break, and let’s hope Valve does this again next year. (more…)

Posted in News, PC | Tagged , , , , ,

See the newest trailer for Cube Life: Island Survival, which is coming to Nintendo Switch and PS4 in Late Spring 2017

Posted on December 30, 2016 by John Scalzo

Cypronia previously announced that their Minecraft-like sandbox game, Cube Life: Island Survival, was on its way to the Nintendo Switch and PS4 in 2017. Today, the developer confirmed the game will be available in “Late Spring” and unveiled a new trailer.

While we don’t exactly when Cube Life: Island Survival will be released for the Switch and PS4, we do know how much it’ll cost… $4.99. But players who have previously purchased the game for the Wii U will be able to download it for free during the first four days after launch.

Posted in News, PS4, Switch | Tagged

Gravity Rush 2 Hands-On Preview: Stylishly Falling Under the Spell of Sony Japan’s Sequel

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Chris Cobb

I have no real familiarity with Gravity Rush, a gravity-defying action game first released for the PS Vita in 2012, and later remastered for the PlayStation 4 in 2015. I had heard it was a Japanese superhero game with a unique style, but never took the time to look into it further. With the Gravity Rush 2 demo now available on the PlayStation Network, I decided to jump in blind and see what awaited. (more…)

Posted in Previews, PS4, Top Story | Tagged

Xbox Store Today: World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap

Posted on December 30, 2016 by John Scalzo

Let’s close the book on 2016 with one last addition to the Xbox Games Store.

World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap is a mashup of the tower defense and action RPG genres, and it’s now available to download for the Xbox One. Developed by NeoCore as a spinoff to their Adventures of Van Helsing franchise, World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap includes a single-player campaign, PvP Mode, and a Co-Op Mode for up to four players. It’ll also be available as a free download during these last two days of December and throughout the month of January as part of Microsoft’s Games With Gold program.

More information on World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap can be found right here:

Xbox One Games

World of Van Helsing: Deathtrap ($19.99)
Let us take you beyond the veil of the gothic-noir world of the Van Helsing games, straight into the timeless depths of the twisted otherworld. There is a chain of strongholds in the mists that were once built to keep the horrors of the void at bay. And now these monsters are returning to conquer and kill: only you can stop them before they break through to the everyday world of Borgovia. Choose your hero and defend the Silent Forts: use, rebuild and improve those ancient traps and magical machines.

Posted in News, Xbox One |

For Honor Collector’s Edition will be available exclusively at GameStop

Posted on December 29, 2016 by John Scalzo

GameStop has revealed that they’re all set to be the exclusive retailer for the Collector’s Edition of Ubisoft’s multiplayer Knights-Vikings-Samurai mashup For Honor.

Priced at a wallet-busting $219.99, the Collector’s Edition will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One who want everything the game has to offer. The package includes a copy of For Honor’s Gold Edition, along with a statue, and other goodies:

For Honor Collector’s Edition

  • For Honor Gold Edition – Includes Base Game, Deluxe Pack, and Season Pass.
  • 14″ Apollyon Statue – Standing at over a foot tall, this highly-detailed statue features an accurate reproduction of Apollyon, For Honor’s main Warlord.
  • Exclusive Apollyon Lithograph – The Warlord of the Blackstone Legion seeks to bring war to her enemies in this exclusive Limited Edition Lithograph.
  • Origins Note – Go deeper into the battlefields of For Honor as you uncover Apollyon’s previously untold origins. What secrets lie in the past of the Blackstone Legion’s mysterious leader?
  • Premium Collector’s Edition Packaging

Both the For Honor Collector’s Edition and the game-only Standard Edition will be released on February 14.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Mario Kart 64, Castlevania Dracula X

Posted on December 29, 2016 by John Scalzo

Even though it’s Thursday, only two new games were added to the Nintendo eShop today. But Nintendo is definitely going with quality over quantity this week, as both can rightly be called stone-cold classics, and one would make an excellent party game for your New Year’s Eve bash this weekend.

Originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, Mario Kart 64 was the second game in the Mario Kart franchise and the first time it achieved perfection. Now available to download through the Wii U eShop, Mario Kart 64 featured the debut of four-player Battle Mode, as well as the infamous Blue Shell.

New 3DS owners will be able download Castlevania: Dracula X beginning today. Serving as a precursor to Symphony of the Night, Dracula X was released in extremely limited quantities for the Super NES back in 1995, but that won’t be a problem with the 3DS eShop edition.

More information on both games can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

Home Alone gets the 8-Bit Cinema treatment in their latest video

Posted on December 29, 2016 by John Scalzo

Maybe it’s just me, but the “set traps to capture bad guys” genre of games seems like it should be bigger. There’s Night Trap and Tecmo’s Deception series, but I’m having trouble coming up with any others.

Even though Christmas was a few days ago, it’s still a great time for Christmas movies, and 8-Bit Cinema has gifted us their latest video… Home Alone. This time, the “What If It Was A Game?” troupe has transformed Kevin McAllister’s battle against the Wet Bandits into an overhead action RPG similar to The Legend of Zelda (naturally, The Old Man is portrayed by Old Man Marley).

While 8-Bit Cinema normally gives new and classic movies the game adaptations they never had, several different games based on the Home Alone franchise have been released over the years, including one for the NES. The real game is a side-scroller, but it’s functionally identical to 8-Bit Cinema’s adaptation.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro |

Rob Gronkowski mocks Madden Curse in new video for Madden NFL 17

Posted on December 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

The 2016-2017 NFL regular season comes to an end this weekend, but Rob Gronkowski won’t be part of it. The freakishly good tight end for the New England Patriots suffered a back injury a few weeks ago and was placed on Injured Reserve on December 3.

Gronk started this season as the “Cover Athlete” for Madden NFL 17, and some would place his bad luck at the feet of the infamous Madden Curse. But you won’t hear that argument from him. Instead, you’ll get this gloriously ridiculous new video of his daily routine… which includes a pep talk for his rubber ducky, a hearty breakfast of Gronk Flakes (they really exist, by the way), and a little Madden NFL 17. It might not be the Super Bowl, but Gronk’s sense of humor hasn’t skipped a beat.

Maybe he can even give Conan O’Brien a call and play some more Mortal Kombat X after the talk show host’s kids go to bed.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged