Monthly Archives: January 2017

Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns will be released on February 28

Posted on January 21, 2017 by John Scalzo

XSEED Games has announced that Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns will be released for the 3DS on February 28.

In celebration of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the longest-running farming and life simulation series, the beloved Bokujo Monogatari franchise [Known in the US as Harvest Moon (1997-2013) and Story of Seasons (2014-Today)] returns with its biggest adventure yet in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. Settled on a homestead in the middle of three distinct and uniquely themed locales, players can explore a diverse landscape as they search for new ways to grow their farms and friendships. Extensive customization and gameplay options are on offer in Trio of Towns, with each village offering its own variety of regional crops, lads and ladies to romance, animals, festivals, furniture, decorations and more. More ways to play sprout up as players connect to one another locally or via the internet to chat, trade, and enhance items on a mysterious multiplayer island.

The publisher has also partnered with Nintendo to include a few signature fashions from the Mushroom Kingdom in the Trio of Towns. Players who discover these items will receive an in-game boost and look stylish to boot:

Mario-Themed Items in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns

  • Mario’s Outfit and Hat: Mama mia! The iconic plumber’s signature red and blue uniform gives your running speed a boost.
  • Luigi’s Outfit and Hat: Luigi’s costume will improve your luck at fishing. Others will be green with envy!
  • Princess Peach’s Dress and Tiara: This regal dress and tiara will make you better friends with other characters. Sweet!
  • Toad’s Outfit and Hat: The tireless Toad’s outfit causes your stamina to recharge automatically over time.

A new trailer for Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is also now available and it’s been embedded above.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

Strafe will be released for the PC on March 28

Posted on January 20, 2017 by John Scalzo

Publisher Devolver Digital has announced that Strafe, Pixel Titans’s retro-inspired first person shooter, will be released for the PC on March 28.

Strafe is a roguelike first-person shooter pushing the limits of computer-generated photorealism and hardcore sci-fi action into unimaginable territory.

As a Scrapper on a impossibly dangerous mission at the edge of the galaxy, you only have one life to navigate all the nightmarish terrains of Strafe. When you die, nothing will ever be the same again.

Strafe is also in development for the PS4, and it’ll be available for Sony’s console at a later date. In the meantime, I suggest visiting the game’s official website, which will definitely make you nostalgic for 1996-era web design.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Gigantic: Exile in the North update adds winter-themed skins and a goofy yeti named Pakko

Posted on January 20, 2017 by John Scalzo

Gigantic is currently available in Open Beta on Windows 10 and the Xbox One, and developer Motiga has now delivered the MOBA’s first major update: Exile in the North.

The wintry update will include new character skins and weapon skins for Wu and Tripp. But Exile in the North’s major addition to the game is a brand new character named Pakko. Pakko is a happy-go-lucky yeti who slides into battle on his butt and can hurl exploding snowballs at enemy squads. He can also deliver a painful barrage of melee attacks and exhale icy breath to stop the competition cold.

New Hero: Pakko
A huggable, playful giant who has no problem keeping cool in the heat of battle. The happy-go-lucky Pakko slides into action, pummeling foes with powerful paws while maneuvering around opponents with surprising agility.

New Winter Themed Skins

  • Pakko – “I’m Tido!”
  • Wu – “Mercy Gi”
  • Wu – “Shadow’s Chill”
  • Tripp – “Citadel of Frost”
  • Tripp – “Shock Therapy”

New Winter Themed Weapon Skins

  • Wu – “Mark of Corruption”
  • Tripp – “Icicle Shards”

A trailer starring Pakko has been embedded above, and the complete Patch Notes for Exile in the North can be found on Gigantic’s official website.

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged

You can sign up for an Injustice 2 Beta right now

Posted on January 20, 2017 by John Scalzo

WB Games and NetherRealm Studios have announced plans to hold a Beta to test the online capabilities of the upcoming Injustice 2.

We don’t yet know when the Beta will go live, but you can register now to possibly receive an invite at the game’s official website. Both PS4 and Xbox One owners have been asked to participate, so it doesn’t look like the Beta will be exclusively tied to a single platform or a pre-order bundle.

Injustice 2 will be released on May 16. And in case you missed it, you can learn what happened in the aftermath of Superman’s imprisonment by watching the recently-released Story Trailer.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Xbox Store Today: Metrico+, I Am Bread, Toby The Secret Mine, more

Posted on January 20, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s Friday, and Microsoft has added another batch of games to the Xbox Games Store today…

Digital Dreams will finally bring Metrico+, their minimalist infographics-themed puzzle platformer, to the Xbox One today. It’ll be joined on the Xbox One by I Am Bread, Bossa’s engaging tale about a sentient piece of bread who longs to become toast.

Finally today, Toby: The Secret Mine is another minimalist platformer, and it asks players to help little Toby rescue his friends from the foreboding deep forest.

More information about all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged ,

The Video Game Canon – Super Mario Bros. 3

Posted on January 20, 2017 by John Scalzo

Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at Mario’s actorly ambitions in Super Mario Bros. 3. Here’s a teaser…

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
– As You Like It, Act II Scene VII

Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom cohorts have held a surprising number of occupations over the years. In addition to his plumbing business and the hero-for-hire game, Mario has been employed as a multi-sport athlete, a race car driver, a referee, a dancer, an artist, a virologist, and a typing tutor. He’s practically done it all, and I think only political office has eluded him. I guess that’s the trouble with monarchies.

Bouncing from genre to genre like that is usually considered a liability for other game characters. As sublimely silly as the idea seems, no one wants to see Kratos squeezed into a go-kart. And yet, fans readily accept Mario’s multitasking, and many of his spinoff adventures are now more popular than some of the franchise’s traditional platformers. There’s a strong possibility this all stems from the fact that Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, designed the character this way from the beginning.

Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.

Posted in 3DS, Features, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Wii, Wii U | Tagged

Daily Scoop: January 20, 2017 – Endless Grand Master Collection Sale at Steam

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Nicole Kline

I’m excited that we finally hit the weekend! But unfortunately, I won’t have much time for gaming. That’s not totally true – I am playing Dungeons & Dragons on Sunday – but other than that, it’s going to be a ton of work. Exciting!

The Winter Sale is still going strong in the Humble Store! Street Fighter V is $19.79, Valkyria Chronicles is $4.99, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition is $8.99, Broforce is $3.74, and Tabletop Simulator – a must for board game designers! – is $9.99.

The Weekend Deal at Steam is Endless Grand Master Collection, which is a whopping 85% off. For just $17.99, get Dungeon of the Endless, Endless Legend, and much more! The Daily Deal is the Zombie Army Trilogy. Get it alone for $8.99 or get a four-pack for $26.99.

Hit the jump to see today’s shirts! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop |

CoD: Infinite Warfare, Battlefield 1, The Division are the best-selling games of 2016

Posted on January 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

The video game industry should definitely be celebrating right now, as The NPD Group has announced that consumers spent $30.4 billion on hardware, software, peripherals, and in-game purchases in 2016. This is a slight increase over 2015 revenues, which totaled a measly $30.2 billion.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella attributed some of this growth to the emergence of virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and PlayStation VR. He also cited the “cultural phenomenon” that was Pokemon Go and the subsequent release of Pokemon Sun and Moon on the 3DS.

“Growth in entertainment software consumer spend was seen across the mobile, PC, virtual reality, subscription, portable, and digital console segments,” Piscatella said. “Consumers have more options to purchase and enjoy entertainment software than ever before, while developers have more and easier ways of delivering that content. No matter the delivery platform, entertainment software has never been more engaging, diverse or accessible.”

However, none of those games managed to crack the top ten for 2016, which was once again dominated by Activision’s Call of Duty franchise. Even though it launched to less-than-stellar reviews and a negative fan reaction, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was still the best-selling game in 2016. Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III was also represented in the top ten, at #8.

Tom Clancy’s The Division (#3) and Overwatch (#7) proved that new franchises can still make some noise in the NPD’s annual ranking, but perennial best-sellers like NBA 2K17 (#4), Madden NFL 17 (#5), and FIFA 17 (#9) also sold well in 2016, as did strong sequels such as Battlefield 1 (#2) and Final Fantasy XV (#10).

You can find the NPD’s list of best-selling games throughout all of 2016 after the break. (more…)

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