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New Releases: Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, Mario Party 10, Battlefield Hardline, More

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If you don’t count Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (and I don’t think I do), Square Enix will bring the Final Fantasy series to the PS4 and Xbox One for the first time this week with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. The action RPG was first released for the PSP in 2011, but it never escaped Japan. Now available in English for the first time, the game will also include access to a playable demo of Final Fantasy XV.

In another first this week, Nintendo’s Mario Party 10 is the first Mario Party game available for the Wii U. The popular party game will also bring with it a new wave of Amiibo figures, so I hope you’re prepared for the thrill of the chase. And speaking of chases, Visceral Games will release their cops-and-robbers action game Battlefield Hardline this week. The game will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Finally this week, Capcom will collect their episodic game, Resident Evil Revelations 2, into a retail release for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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Dragon Age: Inquisition wins “Game of the Year” at 2015 SXSW Gaming Awards

sxsw-logoBioWare’s Dragon Age: Inquisition won “Game of the Year” at the 2015 SXSW Gaming Awards, but 2014’s other big releases walked away with the rest of the categories.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor and The Last of Us: Left Behind were the only multi-award winners. Shadow of Mordor collected trophies for “Excellence in Gameplay,” “Excellence in Animation,” and “Excellence in Design and Direction,” while Naughty Dog’s expansion to The Last of Us was awarded with the “Most Valuable Add-On Content” trophy as well as “Most Valuable Character” (for Ellie).

The full list of winners (which also includes Destiny, Far Cry 4, Alien: Isolation, Transistor, Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, and many others) can be found after the break. (more…)

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NetherRealm reveals first chapter of Mortal Kombat X’s Story Mode

NetherRealm Studios hosted their latest Kombat Kast for Mortal Kombat X and this time the developers have chosen to focus on Story Mode. Story Mode was one of the best parts from 2011’s Mortal Kombat, and it changed the way we think about fighting games. I don’t think Mortal Kombat X will be that groundbreaking, but there is some interesting stuff here if you’re a fan of Mortal Kombat’s mythology.

The Story Mode reveal flickers to life at 14:30 in the video above. According to NetherRealm, the video above is taken from the middle of “Chapter 1,” so its not the exact start of the game. If you prefer not to be spoiled even a little bit, I’d skip the video entirely. But pushing Play will give you a decent taste of how the Mortal Kombat X story begins and it includes a look at the Quick Time Events that propel the narrative forward and a pair of one-on-one fights.

Other highlights of Kombat Kast #5 include a look at the motion capture process that went into the creation of “Chapter 1” as well as a look at Johnny Cage’s variations (the damage-heavy combos of “Fisticuffs,” the multi-Cage shenanigans of “Stunt Double,” and the extra-powerful specials of “A-List”).

Mortal Kombat X will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on April 14, exactly one month from today. The game will also be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360, but previous-gen owners will have to wait until the Summer.

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Xbox Store Today: LA Cops, Jet Car Stunts, Snipers

Microsoft closes out the week with three new additions to the Xbox Games Store. Xbox One owners will be able to choose from two new titles today while Xbox 360 owners will receive a single new option on the digital storefront.

LA Cops leads the way on the Xbox One as one of the first games from Team17’s new publishing initiative. Using a minimalist art style, LA Cops is an overhead tactical shooter that follows a squad of 70s era cops as they tangle with drug dealers, pimps, and the donut salesman. Also available on the Xbox One this week is Jet Car Stunts, a futuristic racing game that copies the polygonal art style used for PlayStation/Nintendo 64 games.

And Xbox 360 owners will be able to purchase Snipers, the “first online multiplayer first person shooter exclusively developed for snipers.”

More details on all three of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

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Destiny wins “Best Game” at 2015 BAFTA Game Awards

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) handed out their Game Awards last night and Bungie’s Destiny was awarded “Best Game.” The top prize was Destiny’s only win at the ceremony as the British Academy decided to spread the Game Awards around to many different deserving titles.

However, that didn’t stop Monument Valley from winning big. The mobile title from Ustwo captured the “British Game” award as well as the “Mobile & Handheld” award. Other only other multi-winner last night was Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us: Left Behind, which took home the “Story” award and the “Performer” award for Ashley Johnson’s portrayal of Ellie.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which won “Game of the Year” at the GDC Awards only managed to come away with the “Game Design” award at the BAFTAs. Dragon Age: Inquisition, which won “Game of the Year” at both Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards and the DICE Awards, went home empty-handed at the BAFTAs.

The complete list of winners can be found after the break. (more…)

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Jason Voorhees will join Mortal Kombat X as part of Kombat Pack Season Pass

Happy Friday the 13th everybody! In what is practically the definition of “good timing,” NetherRealm Studios has announced that Jason Voorhees will join Mortal Kombat X as the game’s first downloadable character, though Jason won’t the first horror icon to perform a Fatality in the Mortal Kombat franchise. His Freddy vs Jason sparring partner got there first as a DLC character for 2011’s Mortal Kombat.

Jason will be available to download after the game’s release as part of the Kombat Pack Season Pass, which will include four add-on characters. The machete-wielding maniac will be joined by a second guest character (fingers crossed for Freddy’s return or possibly the Predator) and two “Klassic Kombatants.” Players who pre-order the game will also be able to play as Goro. Presumably, all the characters from the Kombat Pack and Goro will be available to download individually as well.

Players who purchase the Kombat Pack will also receive access to the Samurai Pack, which will add special skins for Kenshi (“Ronin”), Shinnok (“Samurai”), and Kitana (“Jingu”) to the game. Wait, Kenshi and Shinnok? I guess this means Kenshi and Shinnok will both be playable characters even though they’ve yet to be officially announced by NetherRealm.

In other Mortal Kombat news, VideoGamer.com received word from WB Games that the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions of Mortal Kombat X have been delayed. The High Voltage-developed previous-generation port will now launch in the Summer. But don’t worry, the PC, PS4, and Xbox One versions will be released as scheduled on April 14.

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Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D shoots the moon as the top-selling game in February 2015

legendofzeldamajorasmask-limitededitionThis just in… people really love the New 3DS XL. According to Nintendo, the consolemaker sold almost twice as many 3DS handhelds last month than in February of 2014. Though I guess that was probably going to be a given as people love every Nintendo handheld.

More surprising is the fact that people really love The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D. Long thought of as the black sheep of the Zelda franchise, it took the top spot in the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games from February 2015. The handheld’s other major launch title, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, checked in at #10. When you add in digital sales, the game sold more than 290,000 copies in February, making it the best debut for any game in the entire series.

Majora’s Mask 3D beat out February’s other big release, Evolve, which managed to shoot its way to the #2 spot. Other new releases appearing in the February top ten include Dragon Ball Xenoverse (#7) and The Order: 1886 (#9), which only had a few days to rack up sales due to its February 20 release date.

The remainder of the top ten includes plenty of holdovers from January including the former #1, Dying Light. Techland’s zombie game drops to #3 and it’s followed by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (#4), Grand Theft Auto V (#5), and NBA 2K15 (#6). Another strong showing by Minecraft keeps it in the top ten for another month, this time at #8.

Overall, Game Informer is reporting that sales of hardware, software, and accessories all saw major improvement last month versus February 2014. And while Nintendo may have dominated with the New 3DS XL, Sony has once again claimed the top-selling console with the PS4.

If you’d prefer to read the full top ten from February 2015 in list form, you can find it after the break. (more…)

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Nintendo Download: Code Name: STEAM, 3D Out Run, F-Zero: GP Legend, more

codenamesteam-boxNintendo’s alien-busting team led by Abraham Lincoln himself, Code Name: STEAM, will be available for the 3DS tomorrow. The colorful strategy game is a bit of a departure for Nintendo, but we should probably be used to that by now. Since the 3DS launched in 2011, the publisher has often zigged when everyone else thought they would zag.

One of their earlier sharp turns, F-Zero: GP Legend, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. The final game in the F-Zero series was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004 alongside a companion anime series. The Wii U eShop is also home to Trine: Enchanted Edition this week. Trine 2 is already available for the Wii U, but its predecessor is also considered a classic by the puzzle platformer crowd.

And speaking of classics, another classic racing game will be available on the 3DS eShop this week as Sega has recreated and re-released the 80s arcade staple Out Run as 3D Out Run.

More information on all of these games (and a few others) can be found after the break. (more…)

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