Most Recent: Articles

Fire Emblem If will be Fire Emblem Fates in US; Two separate versions confirmed

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

The next Fire Emblem game, which is known in Japan as Fire Emblem If, will go by a different name when its released in North America in 2016: Fire Emblem Fates…

Two kingdoms at war – the peace-loving Hoshido and the glory-seeking Nohr – It’s up to the player to decide which side to take. As the prince/princess of Hoshido, who was raised by Nohr royal family, you will be torn between two families you love. Whichever path you take, you will face different types of challenges.

Your choice of which path to follow will actually be made at the store as Fire Emblem Fates will be released in two separate versions. Birthright will follow the story down the Hoshido path, while Conquest will track the Nohr campaign:

  • Each path will offer a completely different storyline with a different set of characters to recruit as allies.
  • The Hoshido path is a more traditional path as you work together with your allies to fend off Nohrian invaders.
  • The Nohr path will force you to revolutionize an unruly kingdom from the inside – this path offers a slightly more complex story and will be more challenging.

In Japan, Nintendo also plans to release a third option as downloadable content where players can forge a neutral path by siding with neither family. A North American release for the neutral option hasn’t been announced, but it seems likely that it too will cross the Pacific in 2016.

If you’re itching to see Fire Emblem Fates in action, then you’re in luck. An E3 trailer has been embedded above and a video recap of Nintendo Treehouse Live’s extended playthrough is available after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged ,

Castle Crashers Remastered will be released for the Xbox One this Summer

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

While The Behemoth continues to toil away at Game 4, the developer found the time to announce they’re going back to the past with the release of Castle Crashers Remastered for the Xbox One this Summer.

Castle Crashers Remastered will bring the highly-acclaimed game to the Xbox One for the first time with an improved framerate (60FPS), more detailed textures, improved matchmaking, and a few engine tweaks for better performance. The Remastered version will also come packed with a brand new minigame, Back Off Barbarian:

Back Off Barbarian
Jump. Dart. Move and groove to the music. Whatever you do, just stay away from the enemies!

Back Off Barbarian is a simple but addicting mini-game where players move quickly using the D-Pad to avoid the enemies. As time passes, more enemies are added into the level and the players will find it harder to get around in the environment. Up to four players can be supported online or offline.

Castle Crashers Remastered will also be available for the PC, but according to The Behemoth Blog, development on the Steam update won’t begin until “later this year,” likely sometime after the remake’s Xbox One release. For now, the E3 trailer embedded above will have to satisfy our Castle Crashers hunger.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Hyrule Warriors comes to 3DS early next year as Hyrule Warriors Legends

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

The rumor mill spoiled this one a few weeks ago, but Nintendo officially announced that the excellent Hyrule Warriors will be coming to the 3DS in early 2016 as Hyrule Warriors Legends.

Once again development at Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force studio, the portable version of Hyrule Warriors will include a cool cel-shaded art style and the ability to switch between Hero characters on the fly. The game will also include at least one new stage inspired by The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, along with two never-before-seen playable characters, Tetra and the King of Hyrule, from Link’s recently remastered adventure.

Hyrule Warriors Legends will also come packed with every piece of downloadable content Nintendo has released for the Wii U version over the past year. It’s currently unknown if the Wind Waker content will make the reverse trip to the Wii U, but fingers crossed. The game’s E3 2015 trailer has been embedded above for your viewing pleasure.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: June 17, 2015 – Making games

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Nicole Kline

E3 is always a wonderful reminder of why we are all here in this industry, writing about games, making games, and participating in this beautiful conversation. I love seeing the fruits of labor of some of my favorite creative heroes. I say this every year, but it keeps being true: it’s a great time to be a gamer!

Today’s deals at the Humble Store include Kerbal Space Program for $29.99, a pre-order of the Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition for $89.98, and Grey Goo for $29.99. You can also get Freaking Meatbags for $6.69, Ethan: Meteor Hunter for $1.99, and so many more!

That Humble sale is much like the Steam Sale in that it’s just loaded with games. At Steam, you can pick up Planetary Annihilation for $4.49, the Game of Thrones Telltale series for $14.99, Pillars of Eternity for $30.14, South Park: The Stick of Truth for $13.59, and Plague Inc: Evolved for $10.04. The list goes on and on!

Just a few t-shirts today… (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Xbox Store Today: Payday 2 Crimewave Edition, Elite Dangerous, The Long Dark

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

payday2-dudeThis week’s Xbox Games Store update is a big one for Microsoft as the consolemaker has begun offering “Xbox Game Preview” titles for download on the Xbox One. This Steam-like service gives Xbox One owners the chance to support developers by purchasing in-development games. In return, gamers get to play these games before anyone else. Two Xbox Game Preview titles were added to the Xbox storefront earlier this week… Elite: Dangerous and The Long Dark.

Elite: Dangerous, the fourth game in the very influential Elite franchise, is in the works at Frontier Developments. After acquiring a small starship, players will make their way across a “futuristic cutthroat galaxy” in a deep spacefaring simulation. Meanwhile, The Long Dark is bit more earthbound as players will attempt to survive in the frozen wilderness.

Outside of the Xbox Game Preview program, Overkill released Payday 2: Crimewave Edition for the Xbox One this week. Overkill’s cooperative heist simulation was originally released for the Xbox 360 in 2013, but the Crimewave Edition comes bundled with all previously-released downloadable content and an enhanced graphics engine.

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

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

New trailer reveals Xenoblade Chronicles X will launch on December 4

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

As part of their flurry of E3 announcements, Nintendo has announced that Xenoblade Chronicles X will be released in North America on December 4, 2015. A new trailer for Monolith Soft’s science fiction saga is also available, and its been embedded above. If you’re unfamiliar with the RPG franchise, here’s what you can expect, courtesy of Nintendo:

Amid an intergalactic war between aliens and human survivors, players fight for survival while exploring the massive expanses of an unknown planet. Weaponized mechs called “Skells” let players access every location they see. Players also can customize a lethal skill set of combat and defensive skills, called Arts, to strengthen their strategies and defeat enemies efficiently.

Monolith Soft considers Xenoblade Chronicles X a spiritual successor to 2012’s Xenoblade Chronicles, which was released for the Wii in North America after an outpouring of fan requests.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Super Mario Maker will ship with pre-made courses including the four from NWC 2015

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

supermariomaker-header

Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka stopped by the Nintendo Treehouse Live set yesterday to talk about Super Mario Maker and the two legendary developers dropped a few big Bob-Ombs.

First, they said that players won’t be able to upload every course they create. Don’t worry, Nintendo isn’t putting any restrictions on what kinds of courses you can create in Super Mario Maker. But they are requiring that you can beat your own course before you upload it for the world. “It’s only fair,” said Tezuka.

But the big news is that the four ridiculously insane courses created for the 2015 Nintendo World Championships, along with other pre-built courses, will be included in Super Mario Maker:

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

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Guitar Hero Live is coming October 20; Here’s your first look at GHTV

Posted on June 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

Here it is, your first momentous look at Guitar Hero Live‘s GHTV mode. Are you ready? Here it comes…

Wait, it’s just a Guitar Hero note highway overlaid on top of a music video. The list of available music videos will be periodically updated and players can opt to play individual songs or a themed series of videos. That’s exactly how Activision said GHTV would work when the game was announced a few months ago.

OK, Guitar Hero Live’s E3 2015 trailer is a bit of a bust, but we did also learn that the game will be released on October 20 for the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and “select mobile devices.” If you’re thinking of pre-ordering Guitar Hero Live, you might also be interested to know that Activision has partnered with Avenged Sevenfold to create exclusive bonus content for fans of the rhythm game franchise. Prospective pre-order purchasers of the game will receive access to a playable concert performance featuring the heavy metal band in Guitar Hero Live’s GHTV mode. More information is available at GuitarHero.com/bonus.

Guitar Hero Live is in development at FreeStyleGames, the same studio that was responsible for DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2.

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