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Super Mario Maker “Overview Trailer” tells us everything we need to know about the game

Posted on August 13, 2015 by John Scalzo

If you speak Japanese, there’s a very good chance you saw this Super Mario Maker “Overview Trailer” a few weeks ago when it was uploaded by Nintendo Japan. But the newly-released English translation now gives the rest of the world a chance to learn all about one of this Fall’s biggest games.

First things first, Nintendo has confirmed that would-be course creators won’t be overwhelmed with hundreds of options right out of the gate. Super Mario Maker will start players off with “the essentials” (bricks, Question Blocks, Goombas, Super Mushrooms, etc) and unlock new items over a span of nine days.

Super Mario Maker will also double as a music maker as players will be able to drop sound effects on any course they create and even record their own. The new Music Block will even allow players to “compose” their own songs that can be triggered by Mario as he runs past.

Finally, gave us a glimpse at more Amiibo-powered guest characters as Nintendo confirmed that “more than 50” figures will be compatible with Super Mario Maker. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, and Bowser aren’t much of a surprise. But the list also includes Mega Man, Pac-Man, Sonic, Star Fox, Splatoon‘s Inklings, Little Mac, Samus Aran, Pikachu, and many others.

Super Mario Maker will be released exclusively for the Wii U on September 11.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Capcom confirms that a Resident Evil 2 remake is in development

Posted on August 13, 2015 by John Scalzo

Because the fans asked for it, Capcom is finally ready to announce that a remake of Resident Evil 2 is in development at Capcom R&D Division 1.

Shouting the words, “We Do It!” (and wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the same), Producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi has promised to deliver the gameplay experience fans have been waiting for. However, the project is very early in development and we don’t yet know what platforms it’s coming to or even when it’ll be released. Hirabayashi also said it may be long time before we hear anything else about it.

In the meantime, the developer wants everyone to remember that a remaster of Resident Evil 0 is still on track for an early 2016 release for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Posted in News | Tagged

Daily Scoop: August 12, 2015 – Halfway through the week

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Nicole Kline

We’re halfway through the week already, which is great news! We’re having a Game Makers Guild meeting tonight, which is usually a blast. We play prototypes of people’s games and give them feedback. I’ve got a little something I’m hoping to show off tonight. I’m really excited about it!

Anyway, let’s talk about game sales! There are some sales at the Humble Store. Beyond Eyes is $13.49, Olli Olli 2: Welcome to Olliwood is $11.24, and one of my personal favorites, Sentris, is $13.49. You should absolutely check it out!

The Midweek Madness over at Steam is everyone’s favorite Left 4 Dead 2. If, for whatever reason, you somehow don’t own it already, you can get this for $4.99. The Daily Deal is Forward to the Sky, which is on sale for $5.59.

Not many t-shirts today… (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Xbox Store Today: Toy Soldiers: War Chest, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Prototype 1+2

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Four new Xbox One games are available to download through the Xbox Games Store today. Though, to be more accurate, only one of this week’s new releases is brand new. One is actually an Xbox One port of an Xbox 360 game, while the final pair of games are newly standalone titles that were originally part of a bundle that has been available for a few weeks.

Today’s lone new release is Toy Soldiers: War Chest for Signal Studios. The third game in the strategic series includes four original toy armies, which can do battle with forces from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (G.I. Joe and Cobra), He-Man: Masters of the Universe, and Assassin’s Creed II. These bonus armies are available from the start in the Hall of Fame Edition, and can be purchased as DLC if you opt for the standard edition.

Also available today is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons from Starbreeze. Originally released in 2013, the co-op puzzle platformer is now available on the Xbox One.

Finally this week, Prototype and Prototype 2 have been decoupled from the “Biohazard Bundle” and can be purchased individually on the Xbox One for the first time.

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

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged , , ,

Tales From the Borderlands: Episode 4 will launch on August 18

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Telltale Games and Gearbox Software have announced that the fourth episode of Tales From the Borderlands will be available beginning August 18. The penultimate episode will be known as Escape Plan Bravo (screenshots are available at Telltale’s Blog) and it’s sending the game’s pair of anti-heroes to the frickin’ moon:

In this penultimate episode of the season, captured by Vallory and her goons, Rhys and Fiona are forced to continue the search for the Vault beacon – at gunpoint. The beacon is on the Hyperion moon base – Helios – while our heroes are on Pandora… so there’s the pesky cold void of death known as “space” to overcome. Even with assistance from a familiar face, and with a worryingly helpful Handsome Jack hitching a ride in Rhys’ head, getting on board the ominous “H” is going to take every drop of guile, and quite possibly all the spunk you’ve got. Sacrifices will be made – can you make the tough choices needed to succeed?

As with all of Telltale’s other episodic releases, Escape Plan Bravo will receive a staggered release schedule next week:

  • Tuesday, August 18: PC, PS3, and PS4
  • Wednesday, August 19: Xbox One and Xbox 360
  • Thursday, August 20: iOS and Android

Developers from Telltale will make the trip to this year’s PAX Prime expo to host a special “Crowd Play” presentation of Tales From the Borderlands: Escape Plan Bravo on Saturday, August 29 at 8:30 PM. There will be plenty of giveaways and the entire crowd is expected to help steer the events of the episode.

Telltale’s Job Stauffer says, “Come equipped with your shouty voice.”

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

Former BioWare devs shut down Kickstarter campaign for Mooncrest

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Josh Griffiths

If the failure of the Red Ash Kickstarter campaign has taught the developers of the world anything, it’s that you should always have something of your game to show besides concept art. Gameplay is ideal, but at least a trailer showcasing the world and it’s characters would be better than nothing.

KnightMayor, the developer behind Mooncrest, did not heed this lesson.

After a week on Kickstarter, the team reached just slightly more than 10% of their intended goal of $400,000. The reason for this slow start is likely because they had nothing but a vague idea, a few pieces of concept art, and one piece of music. According to their latest update, they had a basic pitch video at one point, but took it down because it was “weak.” The entire campaign was halted after this update was posted:

Coming out of the gate things looked great, but a weak project video, coupled with poor messaging, and no in game footage was the death of us.

It seems like the whole campaign was built around the fact the team was composed of several former developers from BioWare, as they proudly boasted in the actual title of their campaign. KnightMayor also seems to have misunderstood where they went wrong, and have promised a more triumphant return to the crowdfunding platform in the future:

Our future plans are to lick our wounds, address all of the criticisms/complaints we received, and move forward with another Kickstarter once we’re ready. Our focus will be on having a pitch video that actually, ya know, pitches the game, having in game footage to show, and just going more in depth on what we have in place to see this game through production and to release.

I appreciate their openness and honesty, but this is a mistake that should never have been made in the first place. It goes to show that despite the fact that they’re proven industry veterans, this is the first time they’re running their own studio, and they’re bound to make mistakes.

Good luck to KnightMayor in the future and we’ll let you know when a refocused Kickstarter campaign for Mooncrest is ready to go.

Posted in News, PC |

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Gauntlet, Toy Soldiers: War Chest, more added to PS Store

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

playstationstorelogoSony’s annual PSN Play promotion comes to the end this week with the release of Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, a game from The Chinese Room that depicts “very British apocalypse.” But there are plenty of other new releases available this week as well, including…

  • Gauntlet: Slayer Edition brings an updated version of Arrowhead’s franchise reboot (and all its co-op monster-slaying) to the PS4 for the first time.
  • Toy Soldiers: War Chest (PS4) is the third game in Signal’s strategic toy-battling franchise and the first to include armies based on G.I. Joe, He-Man: The Masters of the Universe, and Assassin’s Creed II.
  • Goat Simulator, and its unique brand of open world insanity, makes its way to the PS4 and PS3 for the first time.
  • Starbreeze’s Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons also makes the jump to the PS4 this week.
  • Finally, the PS4 ports of Prototype and Prototype 2 are now available separately.

More information on all of these titles (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And, as always, a full rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged , , , , , ,

Treyarch reveals more details about the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta

Posted on August 12, 2015 by John Scalzo

I’m sure you’ve already scoped out the trailer promoting next week’s beta test for Call of Duty: Black Ops III. But late last night, developer Treyarch dropped some additional details about the test on their Community Blog.

Initially, the Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta will feature three maps: “Hunted,” “Combine,” and “Evac.” Others will be available during the course of the test, but here’s what we can expect from the first three:

  • Hunted: This big game hunting lodge is situated beneath a waterfall in the lush mountains of Ethiopia, where rugged terrain opens up to long sightlines and a stealthy underwater pathway.
  • Combine: Set in the remote Egyptian Sahara, this vertical farming and sustainability research facility plays fast and frenetic with tight interiors, an open middle and a dangerous flank path.
  • Evac: An abandoned emergency evacuation zone atop an overgrown rooftop in the middle of Singapore’s flooded quarantine zone.

Treyarch also confirmed the test will include “a range of fan favorite game modes,” such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, Demolition, Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint, Capture the Flag, and Search & Destroy.

Finally, the developer talked a bit about the eight Specialists, characters with their own “look, personality, voice, and battle-hardened weapons and abilities,” who will be available in the beta. Each Specialist will have a unique backstory and they might even add a kind of narrative to Call of Duty’s often chaotic multiplayer mode.

The Call of Duty: Black Ops III beta test will begin on August 19 for players who’ve pre-ordered the game on the PS4. PC and Xbox One owners will be able to join the fun beginning on August 26.

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