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Nintendo Download: Pokemon Ranger, Buddy and Me, Wind-Up Knight 2, more

Posted on July 21, 2016 by John Scalzo

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It’s time to recatch another classic Pokemon game as Nintendo has added Pokemon Ranger to the Wii U eShop this week. Originally released for the DS in 2006, Pokemon Ranger is an action RPG where players work as a… Pokemon Ranger… and attempt to preserve nature and protect Pokemon in the wild.

Also available to download on the Wii U eShop this week is Buddy and Me: Dream Edition, a side-scrolling platformer where players become a young boy and race through the forest with their “magical flying companion” named Buddy.

Over on the 3DS, a different kind of side-scroller asks players to take control of the Wind-Up Knight in Wind-Up Knight 2. Players who download Wind-Up Knight 2 will unload the springy Sir Sprint and help guide him as he “rockets through the kingdom dodging traps, pits and mythical creatures.”

More details about all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

Daily Scoop: July 21, 2016 – Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is 50% off at Steam!

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Nicole Kline

We had a delightful board game night last night, in which we opened up with Nevermore, then had a main course of Dead of Winter, and finished with my favorite dessert: Deep Sea Adventure! Then I passed out while playing a little Fallout 4. It was a wonderful night!

Speaking of wonderful, how about some deals? Over at the Humble Store, there are some really good ones! You can get DreamBreak for $5.59, 10 Second Ninja X for $5.99, early access to Gang Beasts for $13.99, or pre-order Inversus for $13.49. Oh, and if you don’t have it yet, Surgeon Simulator 2013 is 80% off at just $1.99.

The Weekend Deal over at Steam is on Team 17 games. Get Worms for $1.99, The Escapists for $6.11, Light for $1.29, Schrödinger’s Cat And The Raiders Of The Lost Quark for $2.49, and many others. The Daily Deal is 50% off one of my favorites: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime! Get it for just $7.49.

And now, it’s t-shirt time! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Dragon Quest Builders Day One Edition includes bonus downloadable content

Posted on July 21, 2016 by John Scalzo

dragonquestbuilders-dayoneListen now to my words, Square Enix has officially narrowed down the release date for Dragon Quest Builders from October 2016 to October 11, 2016… so be sure and update your calendar accordingly.

The publisher also confirmed that prospective players will be able to pre-order a special Day One Edition for the PS4 that includes bonus downloadable content for the game’s Terra Incognita (Free Build) Mode. This content will include exclusive in-game building materials, including a Slimy Block Recipe, Springtide Sprinkles Recipe, and Gold Block Recipe.

And don’t forget, if you’re in San Diego this weekend for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, you’ll be able to swing by Square Enix’s booth or the Square Enix Experience on Saturday and Sunday to give Dragon Quest Builders a try.

Dragon Quest Builders is also in the works for the Vita, and it’ll be available to download through the PlayStation Store on October 11 as well.

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged ,

Life Is Strange’s first episode is now available to download for free

Posted on July 21, 2016 by John Scalzo

Dontnod Entertainment has announced that players who have yet to try out Life Is Strange can now download the first episode for free on the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

In case you missed it last year, Life Is Strange follows Max Caulfield, a teenage photographer who finds out she can reverse time after saving her best friend from a school shooter. But that one act could have apocalyptic consequences for everyone in her small town…

“Although our team set out to create an award-winning narrative we still cannot believe the response we’ve had from players of Life is Strange” said Oskar Guilbert, the CEO of Dontnod Entertainment. “We’re really glad that Square Enix have decided to give the first episode away for free so more players can begin their journey and see why people have fallen in love with the game for themselves.”

Life Is Strange’s near-universal critical acclaim, highlighted in the new trailer embedded above, eventually lead to several year-end awards including a Peabody Award, the “Games For Change” trophy at The Game Awards, the “Audience Award” at the GDC Awards, and “Best Story” at the BAFTAs.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

World of Final Fantasy Collector’s Edition will be housed in a pop-up book this October

Posted on July 21, 2016 by John Scalzo

worldoffinalfantasy-collectorsSquare Enix has announced that World of Final Fantasy will be released in three different packages this October.

PS4 owners will be able to purchase a Collector’s Edition of the game exclusively through the Square Enix Online Store for $119.99. Owing to the game’s storybook nature, the entire package will be house in a case that folds out into a pop-up book which reveals the rest of the bonus content:

World of Final Fantasy Collector’s Edition

  • Presented as a physical pop-up book, World of Final Fantasy comes to life through striking 3D paper cutouts. As the pop-up book is opened, fantastic physical content concealed in the book is revealed.
  • Physical game disc
  • A special 80-page hardback artbook showing off the fresh toy-like visuals
  • The original soundtrack of the game’s enchanting score
  • A set of three mini-figurines including the legendary Cloud, Lightning, and Squall
  • Extra digital content, including White Chocobo, Glow Moogle and Red Bonnetberry mirages, a Sephiroth summon, and a Japanese voice-over option add-on

Those seeking to spend a bit less money can opt for the PS4 Limited Edition, which includes the game, a mini artbook, and the extra digital content, all for $59.99. A Day One Edition containing just the game and the extra digital content, and also priced at $59.99, will be available for the PS4 and Vita.

To further sell you on the game, Square Enix has produced a new trailer for World of Final Fantasy that debuted at the San Diego Comic-Con today. You can view the “Welcome to Grymoire” video after the break.

And don’t forget, World of Final Fantasy will be released for the PS4 and Vita on October 25. (more…)

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged ,

Inversus will be released for the PC and PS4 on August 16

Posted on July 21, 2016 by John Scalzo

Inversus is an overhead shooter that mixes the color-switching mechanics of Othello and Ikaruga to create one of the most inventive shooters in recent memory. For that reason, the game easily found a place in our Best of PAX East list earlier this year.

And now, developer Hypersect has announced that Inversus will be released for the PC and PS4 on August 16.

“One of the key things I’ve taken from working as the lead sandbox engineer on the multiplayer shooter, Destiny, is the critical attention to feel and feedback in gameplay,” said Hypersect’s Ryan Juckett. “It’s what players will notice right away in Inversus, and something I’ve consistently seen people enjoy.”

A new trailer showcasing Inversus’s single-player Arcade Mode has been embedded above, and another focusing on the multiplayer-only Versus Mode can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

Bandai Namco officially announces Pac-Man Championship Edition 2

Posted on July 21, 2016 by John Scalzo

Lace up those sneakers and get ready to compete for the Championship Edition once more, because Bandai Namco has announced that Pac-Man’s hypersonic spinoff series will receive a new entry this September.

Players will be able to use portals to zip around the mazes even faster in Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, and the massive Giant Ghost will add boss fights to the series for the first time. Even more new features are visible in the trailer embedded above, and in this short blurb direct from Bandai Namco:

Currently under development at Bandai Namco Studios Inc. in Tokyo, Japan; Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 features new eye-popping 3D mazes with unique visuals, a wide variety of dynamic mazes, the new ability to bump ghosts, and the addition of intense giant sized ghost boss battles. Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 will also build upon Pac-Man Championship Edition DX’s “Chain Eating” mechanics by enabling fans to build up to four ghost trains before chowing down for maximum chompage points. Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 returns with the fan favorite Score Attack mode where players need to gather as many points within a specified time and a new Adventure mode that will have players chasing fast moving fruit, battling big bad bosses, and experiencing fun new ways of playing Pac-Man.

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and it’ll be available sometime this September. In the meantime, fans can visit the Bandai Namco booth (#129 in Hall A) at this weekend’s Comic-Con for their first chance to play the game before it launches.

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

Live-action Pokemon movie starring “Detective Pikachu” officially announced

Posted on July 21, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Remember all those rumors about a “bidding war” between movie studios over a live-action Pokemon movie? Turns out, it really happened, and Legendary Entertainment has emerged as the winner.

We’ll probably never know if Pokemon Go‘s phenomenal success had any influence on their desire to create a Pokemon movie, but Legendary has announced plans to produce a live-action movie based on Great Detective Pikachu, a game where a (very talkative) Pikachu in a deerstalker cap helps a young boy solve crimes. Even stranger, Great Detective Pikachu is currently only available in Japan, and many Pokemon fans don’t even know it exists. However, after this announcement (which was first reported by Deadline), I have a feeling that’ll change very soon.

With Comic-Con just hours away, you’d think Legendary would have to more to say about their ambitions for the first live-action Pokemon film. Unfortunately, besides confirming that Universal will distribute the movie outside of Japan and that production might begin next year, we don’t know anything else about it.

If nothing else, I guess it’s time to revive that “Danny DeVito as Pikachu” petition.

Posted in 3DS, Etcetera, News | Tagged