Most Recent: News

Sega has several Sonic-related announcements planned for San Diego Comic-Con this week

Posted on July 16, 2018 by John Scalzo

Sega is dashing off to San Diego to talk about the future of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise at San Diego Comic-Con this week.

The publisher’s red-sneakered mascot will be front and center for “Sonic the Hedgehog’s Way Past Cool Panel” this Thursday, July 19, at 2:00 (Pacific Time). The writers of Sonic’s brand new comic will talk about his hand-drawn adventures, and Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka will be on hand to make some “surprise announcements”:

Sonic the Hedgehog’s Way Past Cool Panel
Thursday, July 19, at 2:00 PM
Sonic The Hedgehog has raced back into comics, bringing old enemies and new friends along for the ride. IDW editors Joe Hughes and David Mariotte, artist Evan Stanley, Sega licensing specialist Michael Cisneros, director of product development Austin Keys, and head of Sonic team Takashi Iizuka discuss comics and upcoming games, make some surprise announcements, and more!

With Team Sonic Racing set to launch this Fall/Winter, Sega likely has a lot to talk about. But I’m looking forward to a few Sonic-sized surprises as well.

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

New Retail Releases: Sonic Mania Plus, Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion, Tempest 4000, More

Posted on July 16, 2018 by John Scalzo

Gotta go fast… to get your first look at this week’s new retail releases.

Sega is bringing Sonic Mania to retail stores this week as Sonic Mania Plus for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. The side-scrolling homage to Sonic’s 90s heyday is a beautiful mix of new and old, and Sega is enhancing the package with new characters, an Encore Mode, and a 32-page artbook.

Also available to purchase this week for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One is Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion, which sends Finn, Jake, BMO, and Marceline on a pirate-themed adventure across the Land of Ooo.

But speaking of retro resurrections, Atari is bringing the tube shooter to the PS4 and Xbox One this week with the release of Tempest 4000. Original designer Jeff Minter returns to provide more trippy visuals and intense shooting action.

And finally this week, NIS America will launch Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded for the PS4 and Switch. This “definitive edition” of the roguelike dungeon-crawler will include “a ton of new content” for Reimu Hakurei to discover on her adventure.

That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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

Nintendo is planning “further updates” for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Posted on July 13, 2018 by John Scalzo

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe already includes dozens of tracks and characters from across Nintendo’s wide stable of franchises. But it’s about to get even bigger sometime in the near future.

Shinya Takahashi, the General Manager of Nintendo’s Entertainment Planning and Development division, recently sat down to talk about some of his favorite Switch games in a new video on Twitter. Before discussing his love for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 2, the developer confirmed that “further updates” are coming soon to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe:

Now you are able to play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe using the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con Motorbike. So whether you’ve been using bikes in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or not, please try playing with the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con Motorbike. There will be further updates for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so please look forward to it.

Personally, I’d love to see Samus Aran make her Mario Kart debut in a future update (she wouldn’t even need a kart!).

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Octopath Traveler, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Hand of Fate 2, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on July 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

It might be the middle of Summer, but it’s a big week for the Nintendo eShop…

Switch owners have been waiting patiently for another epic RPG to grace the console, and it looks like they might get their wish with tomorrow’s release of Octopath Traveler. The retro-styled RPG was created by Square Enix… and it features 2D sprites, 3D special effects, and eight overlapping stories. RPG fans might also want to be on the lookout for Hand of Fate 2, which drops players into a “living boardgame” and asks them to defeat the enigmatic Dealer. Hand of Fate 2 will be released for the Switch on Tuesday, July 17.

But don’t worry, Nintendo has no plans to sit this week out, as the consolemaker will bring Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker to the 3DS and Switch for the first time on Friday the 13th. Originally released for the Wii U in 2014, Captain Toad is a puzzle-adventure game that’s built up a fervent (but small) fanbase over the years.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion, Let’s Sing 2018, Radio Hammer Station, and more) after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch | Tagged ,

Fortnite Season 5 kicks off with a dimension-hopping trailer (and a new song from Joywave)

Posted on July 12, 2018 by John Scalzo

Epic Games launched the Season 5 update for Fortnite today, giving players the chance to find out what’s going on with all those crazy portals:

Worlds collide in Season 5! A viking ship, desert outpost, and ancient statues have appeared on the island, changing the world of Fortnite as we know it. Hop in an ATK (All Terrain Kart) with your squad and uncover all new mysteries and locations. New Season, New Battle Pass.

Epic also teamed up with Joywave to provide music for the battle royale game’s spacey new trailer, and you can hear a snippet of the band’s new single, “Blastoffff,” in the Launch Trailer embedded above. If you like what you hear, you can also find an “Audio-Only Video” for the full song after the break. (more…)

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

Bandai Namco delays Code Vein’s release to 2019

Posted on July 11, 2018 by John Scalzo

Bandai Namco announced today that the launch date for their anime-styled vampire game, Code Vein, has been pushed back to 2019.

Code Vein was previously expected to be released on September 28, but the publisher decided to devote more time to the game’s development to “ensure that the final product delivers on the expectations set amongst media and fans”:

“Code Vein has received an enormous amount of positive feedback from eager fans who have received hands-on time with in-development versions of the game over the past nine months,” said Eric Hartness, Vice President of Marketing for Bandai Namco Entertainment America. “Armed with knowledge of how well the game has already been received, we made the decision to postpone the release of Code Vein to further refine its gameplay in an effort to exceed the expectations fans already have of the title. It was a difficult decision to make, but we feel it is the correct one.”

Featuring gameplay inspired by the Dark Souls series, Code Vein is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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

20XX, Shining Resonance: Refrain, Earthfall, more coming to Xbox Store this week

Posted on July 11, 2018 by John Scalzo

If you’ve already seen this week’s PlayStation Store update, you’ll also have a pretty good idea of what’s newly available through the Xbox Games Store this week…

Batterystaple Games will start things off for the Xbox One this week with 20XX, their Mega Man-inspired roguelike. Also available this week for the Xbox One is Sega’s Shining Resonance: Refrain, a remaster of an action RPG that was originally released only in Japan in 2014.

Elsewhere on the Xbox Store this week, Xbox One owners will be able to do battle with their friends online in Defiance 2050, The Culling 2, and Earthfall, a trio of new online shooters. But for players who’d prefer to work together, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 includes four-player co-op set within Warhammer’s “Fantasy Battles” world.

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

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged ,

20XX, Lumines Remastered, Shining Resonance: Refrain, more coming to PS Store this week

Posted on July 11, 2018 by John Scalzo

A platforming roguelike, another battle royale game, a new online shooter, and a pair of re-releases lead the way in this week’s PlayStation Store update.

Capcom is bringing back Mega Man in a big way in 2018, but first, Batterystaple Games is here to deliver a roguelike take on the platforming legend with 20XX. Available to download now for the PS4, 20XX includes two-player co-op (local and online) and a neverending stream of stages to scratch that Mega Man itch.

Also available to download for the PS4 this week are a pair of re-releases. Puzzle fans will get to experience the minimalist design (and fantastic music) of Lumines once again in Lumines Remastered. And Sega is bringing the Shining series back to North America with Shining Resonance: Refrain, a remaster of a PS3 game that was never released outside of Japan.

Finally this week, The Culling 2 is another entry in the growing battle royale genre. And Defiance 2050 is an online shooter based on the SyFy series. Both games are available for the PS4 and both are free-to-play.

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 ,