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Most Recent: News
Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider, Spacewar!, and John Madden Football are the newest inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame
Earlier this morning, The Strong Museum and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games announced this year’s inductees to the World Video Gamed Hall of Fame. The Class of 2018 includes Final Fantasy VII, Square Enix’s beloved RPG; Tomb Raider, Eidos Interactive’s introduction to Lara Croft; John Madden Football, EA Sports’s first football simulation; and Spacewar!, an early game created by the Tech Model Railroad Club at MIT in 1962.
“Spacewar! was not a commercial game, but it helped to launch the multi-billion-dollar video game industry,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, the Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games. “It also spurred computer users of all types to think about creative new uses for computers and helped turn the computer into the most powerful plaything ever created.”
“John Madden Football’s action-oriented gameplay has changed the way we play and consume sports video games… and even the way actual sports games are broadcast,” said Jeremy Saucier, The Strong’s Assistant Vice President for Interpretation and Electronic Games. “It’s yearly, updated release of the game has modeled the path to success for franchises in other sports such as soccer, hockey, baseball, and basketball.”
“The Guinness Book of World Records cites Lara Croft as the ‘Most Recognizable Female in a Video Game’ of all time,” said Curator Shannon Symonds. “The character is not without controversy for her early status as a sex symbol, but she’s evolved with the franchise to become the epitome of a strong female hero.”
“Final Fantasy VII is widely acclaimed as the game that broke Japanese role-playing games into mainstream popularity across the globe,” Symonds added. “In addition to its technical achievements, it also introduced the world to memorable characters… such as protagonist Cloud and villain Sephiroth… who have appeared in other game franchises and myriad media.”
Eight other games were finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, including Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King’s Quest, Metroid, Minecraft, and Ms. Pac-Man. I’m sure they’ll all get a chance next year, as Nominations for the Class of 2019 are already open.
Posted in News, PC, Retro
Tagged Final Fantasy VII, Tomb Raider (1996), World Video Game Hall of Fame
Super Mega Baseball 2, Battlezone: Gold Edition, more added to Xbox Store
Xbox Live Gold subscribers will get to “Play Ball!” for free thanks to today’s Xbox Games Store update.
Metalhead Software’s Super Mega Baseball 2 is now available to download for the Xbox One, and it’s also available as a free download all month long through Microsoft’s Games With Gold program. Xbox One owners will get a baseball sim that offers “accessible mechanics, a deep skill curve, visceral pacing, and a light-hearted vibe.”
Also available to download today is Battlezone: Gold Edition, an Xbox One reboot of the classic tank combat franchise.
You can learn more about the rest of today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, Xbox One
Tagged Super Mega Baseball 2
Super Mega Baseball 2, City of Brass, Guns of Icarus Alliance, more coming to PS Store this week
It’s time for another PlayStation Store update and Sony slides into home…
Batting leadoff is Super Mega Baseball 2, a “serious simulation” of America’s pastime for the PS4. But Metalhead Software’s sports sequel is also aiming for a “light-hearted vibe” with colorful characters and “visceral pacing.”
Guns of Icarus Alliance, a steampunk airship combat game with PvP and PvE multiplayer options, will also be available to download this week for the PS4. And it’ll be joined by City of Brass, a first-person action-adventure that takes place in an Arabian Nights-themed metropolis.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Super Mega Baseball 2
Rockstar releases third trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2
As promised, Rockstar Games has released the third trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2, as well as a few more details about the game’s story:
America, 1899.
The end of the wild west era has begun as lawmen hunt down the last remaining outlaw gangs. Those who will not surrender or succumb are killed.
After a robbery goes badly wrong in the western town of Blackwater, Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang are forced to flee. With federal agents and the best bounty hunters in the nation massing on their heels, the gang must rob, steal and fight their way across the rugged heartland of America in order to survive. As deepening internal divisions threaten to tear the gang apart, Arthur must make a choice between his own ideals and loyalty to the gang who raised him.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on October 26. And hopefully, we’ll learn quite a bit more about it as the 2018 E3 Expo approaches.
Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One
Tagged Red Dead Redemption 2
Just Shapes and Beats will be released for PC and Switch on May 31
Berzerk Studio recently updated the official website for Just Shapes and Beats, and they’ve announced that their “trippy/couch co-op/musical/bullet hell” game will be released for the PC and Switch on Thursday, May 31.
Just Shapes and Beats was originally in development for solely for the PC, but Nintendo’s most recent Nindies Showcase revealed that it would also be sliding over to the Switch. Berzerk described the game’s Switch launch as a “timed exclusive,” so it’ll likely also make an appearance on the PS4 and/or Xbox One later this year.
Posted in News, PC, Switch
Tagged Just Shapes and Beats
Oculus launches standalone VR headset that doesn’t require a PC or wires for $200
The Oculus Rift’s hefty price tag caused more than a few gamers to pass on the virtual reality headset, but it looks the company’s newest offering is going after those budget-conscious players in a big way. Offering a standalone (and wireless) VR experience for as low as $199, the Oculus Go headset was unveiled today at the F8 conference, and on Oculus’s official website:
Our first standalone VR headset, Oculus Go is the easiest way to jump into VR. With a 538ppi 2560 x 1440 WQHD, fast-switch LCD display, we’re able to offer the best optics of any VR system we’ve built at our most affordable price point yet. Starting at $199 USD for 32 GB of storage (or $249 USD for the 64 GB model), Oculus Go was designed with comfort in mind.
Built-in spatial audio and an integrated microphone allow for maximum immersion straight out of the box, while headset weight, support straps, and the facial interface have all been optimized for the best fit and feel possible. And with no need to drop in a phone or power up a PC, it’s never been easier to share VR with friends.
Oculus Go will be cross-compatible with more than 1,000 Gear VR apps, so early adopters will have plenty of options on the Oculus Store. More than 100 Go-exclusive games and apps will also be available to download through the headset’s digital storefront.
A trailer for the Oculus Go has been embedded above.
Nicalis and Treasure will bring Ikaruga to the Switch on May 29
Way back in 2003, Treasure’s Ikaruga redefined the vertically-scrolling shooter with a strategic style that required players to quickly switch the polarity of their ship to survive (and ultimately, fight back against) an unending wave of enemy gunfire. And now, a decade-and-a-half later, it’s coming to the Switch.
Nicalis has announced (via their official website) that Ikaruga will make its Switch debut with a Nintendo eShop release on May 29. The frantic arcade action will remain intact, and Switch owners will even be able to tilt their screen and play the game vertically (AKA TATE Mode) when in Tabletop Mode:
Playing as the rebel freedom fighter Shinra, pilot of the advanced Ikaruga aircraft, you must defeat the relentless forces of a conquering nation not only by dodging and shooting, but also by switching between two polarities—black or white—to absorb enemy bullets of matching color. The ability to switch polarities at the press of a button adds a tactical, puzzle-like element to the action, and as you absorb bullets you’ll power-up your ship’s homing laser to dish out up to 10 times more punishment. Additionally, blasting enemies of opposite polarity allows you to inflict double damage on your foes. But beware: One hit from an opposite-polarity bullet will mean the destruction of your ship.
Ikaruga will be priced at $14.99 on the Nintendo eShop and the first trailer has been embedded above.
Capcom partners with iam8bit to re-release Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X cartridges
It looks like Capcom has a few more “Mega” surprises for 2018…
The publisher announced today that they’re teaming up with iam8bit to release 30th Anniversary Classic Cartridges for Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X. Each cartridge will be fully playable on the NES (MM2) or Super NES (MMX), and each will be limited to a very small print run of just 8,500 cartridges.
Both 30th Anniversary Classic Cartridges will be produced in two distinct colors… Opaque Light Blue (limited to 7,500) and Glow-In-The-Dark Blue (limited to 1,000) for Mega Man 2… and Opaque White (limited to 7,500) and Glow-In-The-Dark Blue (limited to 1,000) for Mega Man X. To make it more fun, iam8bit has said collectors won’t know which color they’re getting until they open the box. The games will also come packaged in a foldout box with “Foil, Gloss, and Embossments,” and include a Premium Instruction Booklet, and other “Retro Pack-In Surprises.”
The 30th Anniversary Classic Cartridges for Mega Man 2 and Mega Man X are now available to order from iam8bit (for $100 apiece), and shipping is expected to begin in late September.
Posted in News, Retro
Tagged Mega Man 2, Mega Man X