Monthly Archives: February 2018

Dark Horse will publish Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia this October

Posted on February 19, 2018 by John Scalzo

Do you know everything about Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom? Would you like to?

If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, then you’re in luck. Dark Horse has announced (via their official website) that they’ll publish the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia this October. Weighing in at 256 pages, this reference work will cover the first 30 years of “Super” Mario’s career, beginning with 1985’s Super Mario Bros.:

The Super Mario Encyclopedia is jam-packed with content from 17 Super Mario games and spans more than 30 years of the franchise’s history—from the original Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World. Track the evolution of the Goomba, witness the introduction of Yoshi, and relive your favorite levels.

This tome also contains an interview with producer Takashi Tezuka, tips to help you find every Coin, Star, Sun, and Mushroom… even explanations of glitches! With information on enemies, items, obstacles, and worlds from over 30 years of Mario, Super Mario Encyclopedia is the definitive resource for everything Super Mario!

The Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia will be released on October 23.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Etcetera, News, Retro, Wii, Wii U |

Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2 will be released for Switch on May 22

Posted on February 19, 2018 by John Scalzo

Capcom has announced that Mega Man Legacy Collection and Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 will make their way to the Nintendo Switch on May 22.

The two compilations will be available to download separately through the Nintendo eShop ($14.99 for MMLC and $19.99 for MMLC2), but a retail release with the same launch date is also in the works. Unfortunately, only the six NES games from Mega Man Legacy Collection will be included on the Game Card. Players who purchase the retail edition will have to redeem a download code to receive the four games and bonus features from Mega Man Legacy Collection 2.

Capcom didn’t explain their rationale for this baffling release strategy on the Capcom-Unity blog, but they did unveil a new trailer for both compilations, and its been embedded above.

The publisher also said that that the first Legacy Collection will include a Rewind option to turn back time on a poorly-executed jump and access to a batch of 3DS-exclusive Challenges with a Mega Man Amiibo figure. Legacy Collection 2 will also include a batch of Amiibo-locked Challenges that weren’t available on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged ,

New Retail Releases: Metal Gear Survive, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, More

Posted on February 19, 2018 by John Scalzo

Just a handful of new games will be available on store shelves this week…

Konami will bring back the Metal Gear franchise (sort of) this week without Hideo Kojima in Metal Gear Survive for the PS4 and Xbox One. Snake is taking the day off, and instead, players will have to build up their defenses and attempt to survive an onslaught from a horde of interdimensional monsters.

Also set to launch this week is Bandai Namco’s Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet. The action RPG will be available for the PS4 and (for the first time) the Xbox One, and this time players will be able to engage in gunplay against the giant bosses.

Finally this week, PS4 and Xbox One owners will get to chance to purchase Rad Rodgers, a side-scrolling shooter about a 90s kid and a foul-mouthed game console, and Past Cure, a “dark psychological thriller that blurs the lines between dreams and reality.”

That’s it for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at every new addition to the digital storefronts on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Get ready to farm like you’ve never farmed before… Farming Simulator 19 announced

Posted on February 18, 2018 by John Scalzo

Focus Home Interactive wants players to “Farm Like Never Before” in Farming Simulator 19. Set to launch this Fall for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, the game will feature a “completely overhauled” graphics engine, new animals, and the biggest vehicle roster ever:

Farming Simulator 19 will feature, at launch, three distinct open worlds in which to develop and expand your farm, in solo or with friends: two entirely new environments will soon be revealed, as well as an all-improved version of the South American environment, which has been overhauled to take advantage of the new engine’s capabilities.

Farming Simulator 19 takes the biggest step forward yet for the franchise, and will bring great improvements to nearly every aspect of the game, not just greatly enhanced graphics. Its content will be richer than ever. With the addition of new big brands, Farming Simulator 19’s garage will feature the franchise’s most extensive vehicle roster ever. The game will also introduce new farming activities, new animals including horses, brand new mechanics, as well as new crops – all of which we will be revealed in great detail over the coming months and future events.

Farming Simulator 19 is in development at Giants Interactive, and the first trailer has been embedded above.

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

Nightdive puts development of System Shock Remastered on hold

Posted on February 18, 2018 by John Scalzo

The development of System Shock Remastered is going on a bit of a break. According to a Kickstarter update from CEO Stephen Kick, Nightdive Studios has put development of the game “on hiatus” to “reassess our path so that we can return to our vision.”

Kick went on to say that the scope of the project had drifted too far away from what they had originally envisioned, and that this hiatus will hopefully allow them to get back to that point:

Maybe we were too successful. Maybe we lost our focus. The vision began to change. We moved from a Remaster to a completely new game. We shifted engines from Unity to Unreal, a choice that we don’t regret and one that has worked out for us. With the switch we began envisioning doing more, but straying from the core concepts of the original title.

As our concept grew and as our team changed, so did the scope of what we were doing and with that the budget for the game. As the budget grew, we began a long series of conversations with potential publishing partners. The more that we worked on the game, the more that we wanted to do, and the further we got from the original concepts that made System Shock so great.

Backers pledged a total of $1.3 million towards System Shock Remastered’s crowdfunding campaign in June 2016. The game was in development for the for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and originally scheduled to launch sometime in 2018, but it’s possible that timetable will have to change after the hiatus.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Xbox One |

Fe, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Claybook, more added to Xbox Store

Posted on February 16, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s time for your Friday Xbox Games Store update, and today’s update includes three Xbox One games with very unique visual styles.

First up is Fe, a “wordless platformer” from Zoink and Electronic Arts that wants to allow players to make discoveries “without handholding.” Also available to download today is South Park: The Stick of Truth, an Xbox One re-release of the popular RPG. Finally today, Claybook takes place in “a unique world made entirely of clay” and it’s now available for the Xbox One through the Xbox Game Preview program.

You can learn more about the rest of today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Swery’s next game, The Missing, will be published by Arc System Works in 2018

Posted on February 16, 2018 by John Scalzo

Hidetaka “Swery” Suehiro, the creator of Deadly Premonition, a divisive horror title from 2010, has announced that his next game will be released sometime this year. The Missing is currently in development at Swery’s White Owls development studio, and it’ll be published by Arc System Works.

“I can say with confidence that Swery is one of the industry’s most unique game developers,” said Minoru Kidooka, the President and CEO of Arc System Works. “We share his vision for creating innovative, genre-bending games and look forward to working with Swery and his team at White Owls on The Missing.”

Like everything Swery does, The Missing is currently wrapped in riddles, and the short video message embedded above is all we have to go on. While holding a stuffed bear, Swery talked about how Arc System Works has been “very supportive,” and that the publisher has given him the chance to create “something entirely new.” He also promised that The Missing will “blow your mind” and offhandedly remarked, “I think it’s sick!”

Finally, a rapid-fire series of images might give us our first clue as to what The Missing is all about. There’s a clock, a satellite dish, a cow skull, a drop of blood, a tunnel, some flames, and a few others obscured by static. OK, I’m still lost.

But I’m sure it’ll all make sense when The Missing launches later this year.

Posted in News |

Hideki Kamiya is already thinking about Bayonetta 4

Posted on February 16, 2018 by John Scalzo

Bayonetta 3 was officially announced during this year’s Game Awards ceremony, but we don’t know much about it, and Platinum Games hasn’t even hinted at possible a release date. But that hasn’t stopped Hideki Kamiya, the game’s Director, from thinking about where to take the series in Bayonetta 4.

Writing on Twitter this morning, Kamiya mused that he already “has a plan” for the fourth game in the franchise:

Obviously, any talk about Bayonetta 4 (even from the game’s director) is pure speculation when we hardly know anything about Bayonetta 3. But it’s nice to know that Platinum has a road map for where the franchise will go in the future.

Posted in News, Switch |