Most Recent: Articles

An Interview With PizWiz, the Developer Behind Warp’s Hand-Drawn World

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Andrew Rainnie

Although there have been many games over the years that use a hand-drawn style, none have managed to encapsulate the sheer sense of creative doodleness of Warp. The game’s developer, PizWiz, is currently seeking $7,000 on Kickstarter, and you can read a bit more about it in our latest edition of Kickstart This!

We chatted with the New Orleans-based developer and artist to find out more about the project, what he has in store for the future, and how to “become cow.” (more…)

Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, Top Story | Tagged

Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime will retire on April 15

Posted on February 21, 2019 by John Scalzo

While he may not be as instantly recognizable as Howard Phillips and his trademark bowties, fans have enthusiastically embraced Reggie Fils-Aime in his role as Nintendo of America’s President for more than a decade. But all good things must come to an end, and Fils-Aime has announced his intention to retire on April 15.

“Nintendo owns a part of my heart forever,” Fils-Aime said. “It’s a part that is filled with gratitude – for the incredibly talented people I’ve worked with, for the opportunity to represent such a wonderful brand, and most of all, to feel like a member of the world’s most positive and enduring gamer community. As I look forward to departing in both good health and good humor, this is not ‘game over’ for me, but instead ‘leveling up’ to more time with my wife, family, and friends.”

As the public face of Nintendo of America since 2006, Fils-Aime is well known for his lively presentation style and commanding stage presence. If nothing else, everyone out there has surely seen his larger-than-life persona on display announcing Wii Fit at E3 2007, and which spawned one of the Internet’s truly great memes (“My body is ready!”).

“I really appreciate everything Reggie has done for Nintendo,” said Shuntaro Furukawa, the President of Nintendo. “Inside and outside our company, Reggie is known as an exceptional leader. We are grateful that he is leaving the business in good shape with strong momentum. While we will miss him and we wish him the very best in his retirement, we are also pleased to have such an able successor ready to step into that role.”

Doug Bowser, Nintendo’s appropriately-named Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, will succeed Fils-Aime as President in April.

Posted in News, Switch |

Kingdom Hearts III, Resident Evil 2, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe unsurprisingly lead NPD’s list of best-selling games from January 2019

Posted on February 21, 2019 by John Scalzo

Kingdom Hearts fans were kept waiting more than a decade for the third game in the franchise, but Square Enix finally rewarded their patience with the launch of Kingdom Hearts III last month. As you might have guessed, fans purchased the game in droves, pushing it all the way to the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games from January 2019.

Two highly-anticipated re-releases, Resident Evil 2 (#2) and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#3) were close behind, and Bandai Namco’s Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (#7) and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (#12) also cracked the top 20.

However, while several games had strong starts on the sales chart, the industry overall suffered a decline last month versus January 2018. All together, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that total sales (hardware, software, and accessories) were down 19% to $893 million.

You can find a full list of best-selling games from January 2019 after the break. (more…)

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

Tetris 99 Review – Nintendo Transforms the King of Puzzle Games Into Battle Royale-ity

Posted on February 20, 2019 by John Scalzo

How do you talk about video games in 2019 without mentioning the “Battle Royale” genre? While players have been fighting to be the last one standing since the early 90s, it’s obvious that games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite have transformed how people play multiplayer games.

But it was only a matter of time until Nintendo entered the fray and shook up the “Battle Royale” genre with their own take. The consolemaker has never been quick to react to gaming’s biggest trends, but their unique style has been moving the conversation around games in wildly divergent directions for decades. They zig where others zag, and we’re all better off for it.

Which brings us to Tetris 99, a 99-player variant of the popular puzzle game that’s now available to download through the Nintendo eShop. (more…)

Posted in Reviews | Tagged ,

Darkest Dungeon 2 announced by Red Hook Studios

Posted on February 20, 2019 by John Scalzo

“In the howling darkness of the end men will become monsters. But hope will ride with those courageous enough to carry the flame.”

Red Hook Studios has announced that Darkest Dungeon 2 is currently in development, and the first Teaser Trailer has been embedded above. Details are currently scarce, but Red Hook’s Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa sat down with PC Gamer to talk a bit more about the RPG sequel:

PC Gamer: What’s interesting to you about making a direct sequel to Darkest Dungeon?

Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa, Red Hook Studios: We love our dysfunctional cast of characters, our atmosphere, and our world. Horror is a fantastic space to explore interesting and unconventional ideas, and we have a lot more story we want to tell. Mechanically, we also think we have some valuable nuggets (e.g. combat) and there is more there that we’d like to explore and build on. Above all, we are committed to crafting Darkest Dungeon 2 to be its own experience; it will have its own creative and thematic identity.

PC Gamer: What gameplay and other changes are you able to talk to us about at this time?

Tyler Sigman and Chris Bourassa, Red Hook Studios: We’re playing this pretty close to the chest! Our combat system is making a return, but we’re giving it a significant tune-up—mechanically, and in terms of presentation. Most significantly, however, we are working with a completely different metagame structure. Darkest Dungeon 2 is a game about enduring a gruelling journey, not cleaning up your backyard.

The pair also confirmed that six character classes will return in Darkest Dungeon 2 (Grave Robber, Leper, Man-at-Arms, Plague Doctor, Highwayman, and Hellion), and hinted that Darkest Dungeon 2 will likely receive an Early Access release so fans can “kick the tires of the systems.”

After debuting on the PC in 2016, the original Darkest Dungeon eventually made its way to the PS4, Vita, Switch, and Xbox One. Presumably the sequel will land on the same platforms, but that announcement will have to wait for another day.

Posted in News, PC |

Negan and Julia Chang will be available to download in Tekken 7 on February 28

Posted on February 19, 2019 by John Scalzo

Bandai Namco has announced they will add the final two characters from Tekken 7‘s Season Pass 2 expansion to the game later this month.

Negan, from AMC’s The Walking Dead, and Julia Chang, who made her first appearance in the franchise in Tekken 3, will be available to download on February 28. A new trailer featuring both fighters has been embedded above.

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

Yacht Club delays Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown

Posted on February 19, 2019 by John Scalzo

Yacht Club Games originally planned to close the book on the Shovel Knight saga on April 9 with the release of Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown. But plans change, and late last night the developer confirmed (via their official website) that both titles would be delayed by “several months… at most!”

Naturally, this delay will also apply to the upcoming retail release of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (a compilation containing all five Shovel Knight games), as well as the Amiibo 3-Pack featuring Specter Knight, Plague Knight, and King Knight.

This is not a major delay so much as more space to bring everything together for a polished and complete finale. As always, these last steps require coordination with many teams beyond our own.

We realize the delay is disappointing. To communicate better with everyone moving forward, we will not be announcing a new date until we know one for sure, from all partners involved. All builds shipped out, updates ready to launch, for everybody and everyone. We will announce it for good once it is 100% all across the board!

The final two games in the Shovel Knight saga are currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, but other platforms will also get in on the fun. King of Cards will be available as a free expansion on the 3DS, PS3, Vita, and Wii U for owners of the original Shovel Knight, while Showdown will receive a similar release on the PS3 and Wii U.

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Retail Releases: Anthem, SteinsGate Elite, More

Posted on February 18, 2019 by John Scalzo

BioWare is back in the spotlight this week thanks to the launch of Anthem, their latest co-op sci-fi adventure. Anthem will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, and players will take control of exosuit-wearing Freelancers in a fight against “a shadowy faction threatens all of humankind.”

Microsoft will also team up with BioWare to produce a 1 TB Xbox One S + Anthem Bundle.

Elsewhere on store shelves this week, Spike Chunsoft will expand the SteinsGate saga on the PS4 and Switch with SteinsGate Elite, a remastered re-release of the first game in the franchise. Players will be able to experience a more “immersive” version of the time-travelling adventure in SteinsGate Elite, which will also include “animated scenes from the anime.”

PS4 owners looking a different kind of turn-based RPG this week might want to look at Idea Factory’s Death End ReQuest. According to the developer, players will be able to change the game’s genre, and switch the action to a fighting game, a shooter, or even a slot machine.

Finally this week, Switch owners will be able to take their console of choice off-road in V-Rally 4, a new racer from BigBen Interactive.

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

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