Most Recent: News

Community channels Mario, Earthbound for third season finale

Posted on May 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

Community is a show I don’t watch regularly, but I really should… especially after seeing the two awesome images above!

Those are screenshots from a video game the Greendale College study group will be zapped into for the first part of the third season finale, “Digital Estate Planning.” Pierce (Chevy Chase) may lose his inheritance unless he does battle with his father’s former assistant (Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito). But the battlefield turns out to be a 16-bit video game. Kinda sounds a bit like Ready Player One doesn’t it?

The screenshot on the left is clearly an homage to the Super Mario Bros. franchise. That waterfall (and the jumping fish above it) are ripped right out of Super Mario Bros. 2 and the hilly platforms are very Mario-esque.

And the image on the right looks exactly like a screenshot from Earthbound. All of the Community characters even bear more than a passing resemblance to Ness and company.

Head on over to The AV Club to get a full-sized look at the images.

Posted in Etcetera, News | Tagged

THQ is looking to sell publishing rights to Devil’s Third

Posted on May 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

Tomonobu Itagaki made a name for himself many years ago at Tecmo’s Team Ninja by creating the Dead or Alive series. He was also responsible for resurrecting the Ninja Gaiden series and being an outspoken critic of the industry. Since leaving the developer in 2008, Itagaki has started Valhalla Game Studios with several former Team Ninja teammates, as well as begun work on Devil’s Third, which made a big splash at E3 2010.

THQ happily snapped up the publishing rights to Devil’s Third back then, but now the cash-strapped company is looking to unload the game due to development difficulties. According to THQ CEO Brian Farrell, the third-party developer who was creating the game engine for Valhalla Game Studios has closed down:

“Two ‘unforeseen’ events reduced Devil’s Third’s profitability. The company Valhalla was using for the engine went out of business, so we had to assist Itagaki-san and the team with a new engine. It took a fair amount of time and cost a fair amount of money. There has also been a substantial appreciation of the yen against the dollar.”

Who knows, maybe Itagaki’s next creation will end up at Tecmo Koei. Wouldn’t that be wild?

[Source: Destructoid]

Posted in News, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Darksiders II continues the apocalypse on August 14

Posted on May 16, 2012 by John Scalzo

THQ has used their quarterly financial report to give Darksiders II an August 14 release ate. Originally set for a June 26 release, the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game was pushed back two months to allow for more polishing.

“We look forward to launching Darksiders [II] beginning on August 14 in North America,” CEO Brian Farrell told investors. Let’s hope he’s equally looking forward to the release of the Wii U version, which will be a launch title for Nintendo’s next system.

[Source: Joystiq]

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

Naughty Dog releases “The Truck Ambush,” a new trailer for The Last of Us

Posted on May 15, 2012 by John Scalzo

Naughty Dog has released a new trailer for The Last of Us. Titled “The Truck Ambush,” it features Joel and Ellie escaping from a band of outsiders after a truck ambush. Hmm.

As this trailer, The Last of Us continues to look amazing and will no doubt be a big hit on the PS3 when its released. Whenever that is.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Screw you guys… the South Park RPG is coming home in early 2013

Posted on May 15, 2012 by John Scalzo

THQ has announced that the Obsidian-developed South Park RPG (which may, or may not, be titled South Park: The Stick of Truth) has been delayed.

The PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 game, which was previously scheduled for a Fall launch, will now be released in early 2013. No reason was given for the delay, but it likely has something to do with THQ’s continuing money woes.

THQ plans to release the South Park RPG in a very crowded quarter for the company. Metro: Last Light and Company of Heroes 2 are both already scheduled for an early 2013 launch.

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

PSN Today: Sonic 4 Episode II, PixelJunk 4AM, a lot more

Posted on May 15, 2012 by John Scalzo

Sony has pushed out another massive week of updates for the PlayStation Store. So if you’re in the market for a new downloadable game, be sure to read on.

  • There’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, Sega’s continuation of the blue hedgehog’s 2D rebirth.
  • There’s PixelJunk 4AM, Q-Games’ music mixing game.
  • There’s GoldenEye 007: Reloaded for all the “Bond, James Bond” fans out there.
  • There’s Prototype 2, Activision’s new open-world game.
  • There’s a pair of classics in Myst (PSone) and Red Faction II (PS2).

There’s also a few more titles after the break (along with more details on all of these games). And if you’re looking for a list of the new game add-ons that were added to the PlayStation Store today, check out the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

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Nintendo bringing two new Pokemon games to 3DS eShop this year

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

In an effort to help enhance people’s experience when playing Pokémon Black Version 2 or Pokémon White Version 2 on the 3DS, which was developed for the DS family of systems, and can only be played in 2D, Nintendo has announced two companion titles that can be downloaded from the 3DS eShop this Autumn.

Pokémon Dream Radar allows players to discover and catch hidden Pokémon using the Nintendo 3DS camera, motion control, and augmented reality technology. Pokémon caught in this way can be transferred into Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2. Pokémon Dream Radar includes some hard to get Pokémon, so downloading this title can help you build your roster.

Pokédex 3D Pro includes detailed information about all of the Pokémon featured in the history of the series, tools for sorting, comparison, and ranking, and details on what abilities each Pokémon can learn and how it evolves. All Pokémon are unlocked from the start, and you can take photos of Pokémon in the real world using the 3DS camera.

For more information about any of these games, visit the official Pokémon website.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News | Tagged ,

Another delay for Silent Hill: Book of Memories… this time to October

Posted on May 15, 2012 by John Scalzo

Konami’s Silent Hill: Book of Memories has gone through several different release dates this year. The Vita game was initially given a February release date alongside the handheld’s launch. When that date came and went, it was pushed back to March and then delayed a third time into May.

Now, with half the days of May gone by, it’s been delayed again.

Speaking to Game Informer, Konami has confirmed that Silent Hill: Book of Memories will now be released in October. So update your calendars accordingly.

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