Most Recent: News

Madden NFL 20 goes back-to-back as the best-selling game of August 2019

Posted on September 13, 2019 by John Scalzo

The month of August was fairly light on new releases, so naturally, it looks like the game industry went through a lighter period on the business side of things as well.

According to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), EA Sports’s Madden NFL 20 topped the list the best-selling titles for the month, repeating its victory from July (I guess you could say the developer went for two). The rest of the Top 20 was littered with repeat entries, but most surprisingly of all is that Minecraft earned the #2 spot, more than seven years after its retail debut.

The other big story to come out of the Top 20 was Nintendo’s continued dominance of the Summer. The consolemaker placed nine Switch games in the Top 20, including Platinum’s latest project, Astral Chain, at #10. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (#4), Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (#5), Super Mario Maker 2 (#6), Mario Kart 8 (#7), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#12), Super Mario Party (#16), Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (#17), and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#18) were the other Nintendo titles to crack the list.

However, the overall industry felt a bit of a dip in August 2019, totaling $666 million in sales, an 18% drop versus August 2018.

You can find a full list of best-selling games from last month after the break. (more…)

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

Say hello to Ring Fit Adventure… Nintendo’s latest wacky peripheral for the Switch

Posted on September 12, 2019 by John Scalzo

Most of their fans would be happy to tell you that they never want Nintendo to stop being Nintendo. Thankfully, the consolemaker added another notch to their wacky bedpost today with the announcement of Ring Fit Adventure, an RPG that hands players a plastic ring known as a Ring-Con (as well as a Leg Strap) and asks them to do daily exercises to defeat “Dragaux the Bodybuilding Dragon.” And no, I’m not kidding:

In the Ring Fit Adventure game, players explore an expansive world, battling enemies along the way using real-life exercises to perform in-game attacks. The new Ring-Con and Leg Strap accessories that are included with the game respond to the player’s real-world movements, allowing the game to turn them into in-game actions, like jogging in place to move your character through the world using the attached Leg Strap, or squeezing the Ring-Con and turning that strength exercise into powerful attacks. By playing the game daily, players can regularly work out various parts of their bodies. With additional mini-games and workout routines, Ring Fit Adventure is a fun experience for players of various skill levels and lifestyles.

The Adventure mode featured in Ring Fit Adventure takes place across 20 different colorful worlds in a quest to take down Dragaux, a giant, chiseled dragon with an ego to match his oversized muscles. Jog, sprint, and do knee-highs in real life to travel through the world, and use the Ring-Con accessory to perform different in-game actions, like jumping, hovering in mid-air or steering a raft on a river.

To play Ring Fit Adventure, players attach a Joy-Con controller to both the Ring-Con and Leg Strap, which then translate your movements (known as Fit Skills) into attacks within the game world. A wildly upbeat Announcement Trailer, which has been embedded above, provides a pretty good overview of how it all works.

If you’re just in it for the exercise, players can compete in a series of minigames by dropping in to Quick Play, Simple Mode, or Set Mode. A Silent Mode with quieter exercises is also available for players who “live in an upstairs apartment or don’t want to make a lot of noise.”

Ring Fit Adventure will be released for the Nintendo Switch on October 18… which gives you plenty of time to watch that mesmerizing Announcement Trailer over and over and over again.

Posted in News, Switch |

Exit the Gungeon is a side-scrolling spinoff of Enter the Gungeon… and it’s coming to iOS devices

Posted on September 11, 2019 by John Scalzo

Apple has signed up a few high-profile developers to deliver content for their upcoming Apple Arcade subscription service, and today they locked up another one as Dodge Roll Games has announced that Exit the Gungeon will be available to download for Mac, Apple TV, and iOS devices soon.

Exit the Gungeon is a side-scrolling spinoff of Enter the Gungeon that eschews the overhead dungeon crawling of its predecessor and embraces a new focus on vertical combat as the world’s first “dungeon climber”:

Exit the Gungeon is a bullet hell dungeon climber immediately following the adventures of the misfit “Gungeoneers” and their journey for personal absolution in Enter the Gungeon.

Spoilers: The Gungeon has become a paradox and is collapsing. Armed with an ever-changing weapon, an insatiable need to loot, and a signature trusty dodge roll, each of our heroes must ascend and escape via their own unique route of increasingly perilous elevators. Battle against the last and most bitter of the Gundead at a frantic pace, slowing down just long enough to chat with some familiar faces… and a few new ones. Shifting rooms, enemies, bosses, bizarre weapons, and items all combine to ensure that no two attempts to finish Exit the Gungeon play out the same.

Devolver Digital will publish Exit the Gungeon, which will be co-developed by Singlecore Games. Presumably, it’ll make it’s way to other platforms after some period of exclusivity on Apple Arcade.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC | Tagged

Capcom reveals first teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Project Resistance

Posted on September 10, 2019 by John Scalzo

As promised, Capcom rolled out the first full teaser trailer for Resident Evil: Project Resistance yesterday, and as we all suspected from the leaked footage, it appears to be another crack at creating a team-based spinoff akin to 2003’s Outbreak, 2012’s Operation Raccoon City, and 2016’s Umbrella Corps.

Capcom will reveal more details about Resident Evil: Project Resistance later this week at the Tokyo Game Show, and the game is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Square Enix will release Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition on January 23, 2020

Posted on September 10, 2019 by John Scalzo

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition will be released for the PS4, Switch, and iOS and Android mobile devices on January 23, 2020.

Originally released for the GameCube back in 2004, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles is a multiplayer action RPG for up to four players. The Remastered Edition will add online multiplayer to give far-flung friends a chance to play together, and the game also supports cross-play functionality on all platforms. Upgraded graphics and a series of audio updates (including new character voiceovers) will bring the game’s presentation into the 21st century, and new dungeons and bosses will add an additional challenge to the adventure.

Square Enix will bring a playable demo of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – Remastered Edition to this week’s Tokyo Game Show, and a brand new trailer for the game has been embedded above.

Posted in Mobile, News, PS4, Switch | Tagged

Mini Metro arrives for the PlayStation 4 on September 10

Posted on September 9, 2019 by John Scalzo

Dinosaur Polo Club has announced that their minimalist subway simulator, Mini Metro, will arrive on the PS4 (via the PlayStation Store) on September 10th.

Designer Robert Curry recently stopped by the PlayStation Blog to share a few details about the game, which was a big hit on the convention circuit, and during previous stops for the PC, Switch, and mobile devices:

Now you too can design subway systems from the comfort of your couch. Now I know what you’re thinking. Designing a metro map? Surely this is someone’s job? But haven’t you ever, while waiting for a bus or a train, though you could organize things better? Here’s your chance.

It starts simply — a handful of stations, some passengers wanting to move between them, and you have to draw the lines to set the whole thing in motion. Trains travel the lines and passengers hop on and off automatically to get to where they need to go. So far so good.

Then a few more stations pop up.

Mini Metro will include more than 20 real-world maps (such as London, Paris, Mumbai, and Shanghai) when it pulls into the PlayStation 4 station tomorrow.

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Nintendo adds Super NES game collection to Nintendo Switch Online

Posted on September 4, 2019 by John Scalzo

We’re nearing the first anniversary of Nintendo’s Switch Online subscription service, and the consolemaker wants players to celebrate the big day in style… Super NES games will soon be available to play through a new app. Beginning this Friday, September 5, Nintendo Switch Online will be able to download a selection of 20 Super NES games, with more to come in the future.

As you might expect, the list is littered with some of Nintendo’s greatest triumphs (such as Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past), as well as a few more surprising inclusions (Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics is a deep cut even among deep cuts). Nintendo was also quick to point out that a trio of titles in the initial collection (Stunt Race FX, Super Soccer, and Super Tennis) will be available again for the first time since their original release back in the 90s.

Here’s the full list:

Super NES Games Available to Download Through Nintendo Switch Online

  • Brawl Brothers
  • Breath of Fire
  • Demon’s Crest
  • F-Zero
  • Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics
  • Kirby’s Dream Course
  • Kirby’s Dream Land 3
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • Pilotwings
  • Star Fox
  • Stunt Race FX
  • Super Ghouls ’n Ghosts
  • Super EDF: Earth Defense Force
  • Super Mario Kart
  • Super Mario World
  • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
  • Super Metroid
  • Super Puyo Puyo 2
  • Super Soccer
  • Super Tennis

Nintendo also announced that Nintendo Switch Online subscribers interested in purchasing up to four replica Super NES controllers for their Switch can do so through the consolemaker’s Online Store for $29.99 apiece. There’s no ETA on when the controllers will be available, but it should be soon.

Posted in News, Switch |

Tetris 99’s Big Block DLC 2 and Version 2.0 update coming soon

Posted on September 4, 2019 by John Scalzo

Tetris 99 is set to take another quantum leap forward tomorrow, as Nintendo has announced a slew of updates for the popular multiplayer puzzler.

First, the consolemaker will unleash Tetris 99’s free Version 2.0 update, which features a brand new Invictus Mode that’s only available to players who have previously won an online match against the 99-player field. New Daily Missions will also be available, and completing these challenges will let players earn Tickets to unlock new Themes and Player Icons.

Nintendo will also release the second half of Tetris 99’s Big Block DLC tomorrow, which will add two new modes to the game. The paid expansion will include 2P Share Battle Mode, which allows two players to compete in Tetris 99’s battle royale mode on the same screen against CPU-controlled opponents, and Local Arena Mode, which gives up to eight players a way to battle via local wireless multiplayer.

If you’re interested in trying out Tetris 99, but you’re not yet a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber, Nintendo will also release a physical version of the game this Friday, September 6. The package will be priced at $29.99 and come bundled with a 12-Month Subscription to Nintendo Switch Online and all the new content from both Big Block DLC expansions.

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