Most Recent: PC

The Switch continues to soar as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was the best-selling game in April 2017

Posted on May 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo continues to dominate the retail charts with another strong showing in April for their Switch console. According to The NPD Group, Nintendo added another 280,000 Switch consoles to its tally last month, and the newly-launched Mario Kart 8 Deluxe sold more than 459,000 copies (in just two days) to take the top spot on the list of best-selling games. The company’s success also seems to be great for the industry as a whole, as the industry generated $636 million in sales in April 2017, a 10% increase over the year before.

The other big news in April is that Persona 5 pushed the franchise and gave the RPG the #2 spot on the best-seller list, just below Mario Kart 8.

“Persona 5 experienced the strongest debut month for any title in Persona franchise history, with packaged dollar sales five times that of the previous best-selling debut, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4,” NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella told GamesIndustry.biz.

Additional new releases were thin on the ground in last month’s Top 20, but Lego Undercover‘s re-release on the PC and current-generation consoles helped it secure a spot (#13). And as expected, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild continued to sell well, landing in the #3 position for the month. But the big retail winners in April all came from the backlist, including Grand Theft Auto V (#6), Overwatch (#9), Call of Duty: Black Ops II (#10), and Minecraft (#20).

The NPD Group’s complete list of best-selling games for April 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)

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CoD: Infinite Warfare’s Continuum DLC Pack is now available to download for PC, Xbox One

Posted on May 18, 2017 by John Scalzo

The latest exclusivity period for a piece of Call of Duty add-on content has expired, and Activision can now launch Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s Continuum DLC Pack on the PC and Xbox One. Like other DLC Packs for Infinite Warfare, the meat of the Continuum DLC Pack is four new maps for the game’s multiplayer modes:

Multiplayer Maps in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Continuum DLC Pack

  • Turista – A plush spa and resort, “Turista” is nestled in the middle of a giant skeleton of an ancient creature. With sniper spots scattered across a majestic, central waterfall, Turista also boasts tight interiors for fans of close-quartered combat and a three-lane design that caters to a variety of play styles.
  • Scrap – Set in an abandoned junkyard on the Moon, “Scrap” features a combination of extended sightlines and tactical pathways that reward players who engage in both long and short range combat.
  • Archive – Fast, frenetic engagements set the pace in “Archive,” a post-futurist art gallery where tight engagements contrast with open exterior battlegrounds in this wide three-lane style map.
  • Excess – Perched atop a gilded penthouse in a sprawling future metropolis, “Excess” is a small, circular map re-imagined from the classic Modern Warfare 2 map, “Rust,” that retains the intense, fast-paced combat from the original.

The Continuum DLC Pack also includes “Shaolin Shuffle,” a new chapter in Infinite Warfare’s Zombies saga. The add-on is set during the 1970s, and Activision released a funk-tastic trailer for “Shaolin Shuffle” a few weeks ago:

“Shaolin Shuffle,” the next thrilling chapter of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies experience, features the return of Willard Wyler, the mysterious movie director villain portrayed with voice and likeness by Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, Gotham). This time, Wyler has trapped the four protagonists inside a new horror film, set in the unforgettable 1970s. Players will face all-new zombie enemies across a variety of disco-era New York locations, including subways, flashy nightclubs and a martial arts dojo headed up by the Shaolin Sister, played with voice and likeness by Pam Grier (Jackie Brown, Foxy Brown). In addition to hallmark Call of Duty action, “Shaolin Shuffle” introduces four unlockable kung fu fighting styles, each with its own set of unique combat moves.

The remaining downloadable expansion packs for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare should launch for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Summer.

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The Walking Dead: A New Frontier will conclude on May 30 with Episode 5: From the Gallows

Posted on May 18, 2017 by John Scalzo

Telltale Games has announced that The Walking Dead: A New Frontier will come to an end on Tuesday, May 30, with the launch of Episode 5: From the Gallows. If you’ve been playing along with the story so far, you know that it could all come crashing down for Javier and the rest of Richmond in this final chapter:

In Telltale’s most tailored episode to date, Richmond teeters on the brink of collapse as chaos reigns from all directions. The lives of its citizens and all those closest to Javier hang in the balance. The decisions you’ve made and bonds you’ve nurtured across the season will determine which characters now trust Javi to safeguard all they hold dear as the crisis pushes every relationship past its breaking point…

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier – Episode 5: From the Gallows will be available to download for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices.

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Mr. Shifty Review: Not Ready to Shift Into the Spotlight

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Dan Hartnack

Mr. Shifty is a top-down brawler from Team Shifty, a new development studio out of Brisbane, Australia. As Mr. Shifty, you are able to shift/teleport your way through walls and bullets, taking down your enemies at lightning speed while trying to break into the world’s most secure facility. There are 18 levels to shift your way across, all with varying difficulty. New enemies help keep the gameplay fresh and exciting, but the replayability of the title is lacking a bit.

So, you’re a teleporting thief who has embarked on his biggest heist yet. What could possibly go wrong? Well, if you are Mr. Shifty, the answer to that is everything. (more…)

Posted in PC, Reviews, Switch, Top Story | Tagged

Public Beta for Gwent: The Witcher Card Game begins on May 24

Posted on May 18, 2017 by John Scalzo

CD Projekt RED has announced that the Public Beta for Gwent: The Witcher Card Game will begin next Wednesday, May 24, on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

“Public Beta is the next step in the game’s development process, one that we’d be honored to continue alongside everyone who’s been with us thus far,” said Benjamin Lee, the Development Director at CD Projekt RED. “It’s also a chance for many new gamers to play Gwent for the first time and we’re looking forward to making the game even better with their help.”

The launch of the Public Beta will mark a complete refresh for the Gwent community. CD Projekt RED will reset all card collections and player progress to ensure that all players begin the Public Beta on equal footing. However, all players who participated in the Closed Beta will receive Card Kegs, as well as other in-game rewards.

To prepare players for the Public Beta, CD Projekt RED hosted an in-depth “Preview” stream, and it’s been embedded above.

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Xbox Store Today: Phantom Dust, Injustice 2, The Surge, more

Posted on May 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

Visitors to the Xbox Games Store today will be greeted by a blast from the past, the latest from NetherRealm Studios, and a new action RPG from Deck 13.

Phantom Dust was originally released for the Xbox in 2004, and was one of Microsoft’s first attempts to cater to the Japanese market. Microsoft’s push didn’t go as planned, but Phantom Dust became a cult hit that is available to download for free on the Xbox One and Windows 10. The re-release features the same gameplay that hooked fans more than a decade ago, as well as cross-device multiplayer, Achievements, and a new 16×9 presentation.

Also available to download today for the Xbox One is Injustice 2, the latest one-on-one fighting game from NetherRealm Studios. With Superman in prison and his Regime in disarray, players will once again be able to jump into its completely unpredictable alternate universe.

Finally today, Focus Home Interactive and Deck 13 will bring The Surge to the Xbox One. This action RPG features a futuristic setting involving augmented soldiers doing battle with dismemberment guns… no, really.

More information on all of these games (and the rest of today’s new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

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South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be released on October 17, 2017

Posted on May 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

As promised, Ubisoft will indeed release South Park: The Fractured But Whole before the end of the year. Today, the megapublisher confirmed that the RPG will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on October 17, 2017.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, Ubisoft has also unveiled a brand new trailer for the game, and offered up a refresher on the game’s satirical take on superheroes:

With crime on the rise in South Park, the streets have never been more dangerous. As the sun sets on the quiet Colorado town, havoc and chaos unleash a reign of terror and the seedy underbelly of the city comes alive. The town needs new heroes to rise! Eric Cartman seizes the opportunity to save the town and create the best superhero franchise ever, his own Coon & Friends with himself as the leader, The Coon.

Every superhero has an origin, and Coon & Friends are no different. Continuing in their role as the New Kid, players will discover their backstory, assemble their unique costumes, and harness their fart-based powers from numerous hero classes to create their own original hero. An all-new combat system offers unique opportunities to master space and time while on the battlefield, and a revamped looting and crafting system gives players the freedom to craft their own equipment to aid them in battle.

Ubisoft also reconfirmed that players who pre-order South Park: The Fractured But Whole will receive a free download of South Park: The Stick of Truth and “Towelie: Your Gaming Bud,” an in-game assistant that’ll provide “helpful and hilarious advice and commentary to players at key locations throughout the game.”

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CoD: Black Ops III’s Zombies Chronicles DLC launches on PS4 with two gameplay trailers

Posted on May 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Zombies Chronicles expansion for Call of Duty: Black Ops III is now available to download through the PlayStation Store, and PS4 players are able to relive eight remastered Zombies maps from World At War, Black Ops, and Black Ops II.

To celebrate, Activision has launched an “8 Days of the Undead” event, which gives players the chance to compete in a Headshot Challenge to unlock new Zombies Calling Cards. Participants will also receive new Weapon Camos and GobbleGums, as well as a week’s worth of Double XP Rewards. A grindhouse-style trailer for the “8 Days of the Undead” event, complete with some new gameplay footage, is embedded above.

Finally, Treyarch partnered with PlayStation Underground to unveil an expanded 16-minute gameplay walkthrough of Zombies Chronicles’s remastered maps. You can find it after the break. (more…)

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