Most Recent: Switch

NetherRealm konfirms that Kano will appear in Mortal Kombat 11

Posted on February 1, 2019 by John Scalzo

Mortal Kombat fans, lend me your ears…

Kano, the leader of the Black Dragon Clan and nemesis to Sonya Blade, will be joining Mortal Kombat 11 as a playable character. NetherRealm Studios delivered the news yesterday via Twitter, likely in lieu of Wednesday’s canceled Kombat Kast stream. The polar vortex hit Chicago particularly hard and the developer moved the broadcast for the “safety of [their] team.”

Mortal Kombat 11’s first Kombat Kast will now be held on Tuesday, February 5, at 4:00 PM (Eastern Time), and we’ll likely learn more about the game’s roster then.

And don’t forget, Mortal Kombat 11’s launch is coming up very soon after that. It’ll be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on April 23.

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Ed Boon responds (in typical Ed Boon fashion) to a fan petition asking to add Scooby Doo’s Shaggy to Mortal Kombat 11

Posted on January 29, 2019 by John Scalzo

Did you know that Scooby Doo’s pal Shaggy has godlike powers? It’s one of the stranger memes currently circulating around the Internet (even Matthew Lilliard is somehow involved), and Mortal Kombat fans recently took it one step further by asking NetherRealm Studios to add the mystery-solving teen to the upcoming Mortal Kombat 11.

The Change.org petition has more than 165,000 signatures as of this writing, and it even prompted a response from Ed Boon, NetherRealm’s Creative Director. But in typical fashion for Boon, the developer spent the day teasing his fans about Shaggy’s possible inclusion in Mortal Kombat 11 on Twitter.

First, he sarcastically told his followers that it wasn’t happening (“Let me know how that works out for you…“). But he followed that up a few hours later with a second tweet that hinted Shaggy might make it into the game after all.

Mortal Kombat and Scooby Doo both live under the vast corporate umbrella of Warner Bros., so Shaggy could easily be added to the blood-soaked series if the right executives signed off on it. But while it’s unlikely that Warner Bros. would want one of their family-friendly characters fighting for his life in the game, it wouldn’t be first time Shaggy was involved in a more adult adventure. DC Comics’s Scooby Apocalypse series is absolutely drenched in blood and gore, so that version of Shaggy would be right at home in Mortal Kombat 11.

The comic also features a cybernetically-enhanced Scrappy Doo and a dream sequence where Velma becomes the bikini-clad “Monster Queen”… it’s a weird book.

Mortal Kombat 11 will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on April 23. I have my doubts that Shaggy will make the cut, but nothing seems to be impossible for NetherRealm Studios.

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New Retail Releases: Kingdom Hearts III, More

Posted on January 28, 2019 by John Scalzo

It’s been a little more than a decade since Square Enix released Kingdom Hearts II for the PS2 back in 2005, but they’ve been very busy producing spinoffs and compilations in the years since.

That all changes this week, as the publisher is finally ready to launch Kingdom Hearts III for the PS4 and Xbox One. The threequel is the first game in the franchise produced exclusively for current-generation consoles, and it will finally give fans a conclusion to the “Dark Seeker Saga”.

A handful of other games will be available on retail shelves this week, but they don’t pack quite the punch as Square Enix’s RPG does.

The Council is an investigative adventure game for the PS4 and Xbox One that gives players the chance to explore an English secret society in the 1790s. Genesis Alpha One will also launch for the PS4 and Xbox One, and it’s a futuristic adventure that’ll allow players to explore and build a space habitat.

PQube’s Song of Memories will be available exclusively for the PS4 this week, and it’s a romantic RPG that also includes an apocalyptic virus.

Finally this week, THQ Nordic will resurrect PS2-era platformer Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy for the Switch. And PM Studios will bring their musical adventure, Deemo, to the Switch… and it also includes support for the Piano Toy-Con from Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit.

That’s it for this week’s new retail releases. But we’ll be back soon with updates for the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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Nintendo is restarting development of Metroid Prime 4 with Retro Studios’s assistance

Posted on January 25, 2019 by John Scalzo

While we haven’t heard anything about Metroid Prime 4 since the game’s reveal at E3 2017, fans were hopeful that the game’s development was on the track. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed this morning as Nitnendo’s Shinya Takahashi has confirmed that the consolemaker is restarting development on Metroid Prime 4 with the help of Retro Studios.

According to Takahashi, Nintendo was unhappy with the current state of the game and didn’t believe that Metroid Prime fans would be happy with it:

We must let you know that the current development progress has not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series.

If we’re not satisfied with the quality, we aren’t able to deliver it to our customers with confidence, and the game will not live up to our fans’ expectations. From this perspective, we have determined that the current development status of the game is very challenged, and we had to make a difficult decision as a development team. We have decided to reexamine the development structure itself and change it.

To remedy this problem, Nintendo has decided to scrap everything and “restart development from the beginning.” Moving forward, Producer Kensuke Tanabe will collaborate closely with Retro Studios, the original creators of the Metroid Prime sub-series. This bump in the road means that Metroid Prime 4 has been indefinitely delayed, and Takahashi said that it will be “a long road” until Nintendo can update us on the game’s development progress.

You can view Nintendo’s full statement in the video embedded above.

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SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech is a turn-based RPG from Image & Form… and it’s coming to the Switch in 2019

Posted on January 24, 2019 by John Scalzo

Swedish developer Image & Form is bringing the SteamWorld series back in 2019… but prepare yourself for a major twist to the formula. After exploring this world through a pair of side-scrolling MetroidVanias and a strategic shooter, the developer will next tackle turn-based RPGs in SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. Currently in development for the Switch, SteamWorld Quest will be released sometime in 2019:

SteamWorld Quest is the roleplaying card game you’ve been waiting for! Lead a party of heroic steambots through a beautifully hand-drawn world and intense battles, using only your wits and a handful of cards. Take on whatever threat comes your way by crafting your own deck, choosing from over 100 unique punch cards!

What awaits you is a luscious treasure chest filled with gold, dragons, vivid worlds, magic, knights in shining armor as well as XP, turn-based battles and all that good RPG stuff! The humorous mix of traditional fantasy and steampunk robots makes for an unforgettable experience with lots of laughs.

Image & Form’s Brjann Sigurgeirsson is very excited about the chance to build an RPG for SteamWorld’s fans, who have been asking for the genre switch for quite a while:

“For years, the SteamWorld community has asked us to create an RPG. In fact, on multiple occasions we’ve asked our followers what they’d like us to make next, and so far an RPG has been the number one request. So we took it upon ourselves to create a new kind of game, to surprise and delight both fans of the genre as well as existing SteamWorld fans.”

The first trailer for SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech has been embedded above.

Posted in News, Switch |

Red Dead Redemption 2 cowboys up as the best-selling game of 2018

Posted on January 23, 2019 by John Scalzo

A wise man once said, “When you have to shoot, shoot. Don’t talk.” And that’s exactly what Rockstar Games did with Red Dead Redemption 2.

The publisher’s western epic has been nine years in the making, and it blew away all expectations (and chased every other big release away from its October 26 launch date) as the best-selling game in November. Now, The NPD Group has revealed that it’s also the best-selling game for all of 2018.

Activision’s mighty Call of Duty franchise claimed the #2 spot with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and many of the other usual suspects can be found throughout the top ten including NBA 2K19 (#3), Madden NFL 19 (#4), Far Cry 5 (#7), and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (#10).

It was also a good year all around for single-player games as Spider-Man (#6) and God of War both cracked the top ten. Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was also able to break into the top five (at #5) after only being on sale for a few weeks. Finally, the surprising success of Capcom’s Monster Hunter: World helped the latest entry in the franchise come in at #9.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the NPD Group said that the entire game industry generated $16.7 billion in sales in 2018, a 13% increase over 2017. That includes a 33% increase for accessories, as a 7% increase for software, and 8% for hardware. On that note, the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console of 2018.

The NPD’s Top 10 best-selling games for 2018 (in handy list format) can be found after the break. (more…)

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate beats up the competition as the best-selling game from December 2018

Posted on January 23, 2019 by John Scalzo

Even though it’s one of Nintendo’s marquee properties, the Smash Bros. series has always drifted a bit below the radar of the average gamer. That is definitely no longer the case, as The NPD Group revealed the best-selling games from December 2018 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate absolutely blew away the competition.

In fact, the tracking firm told GamesIndustry.biz that Smash Bros. Ultimate had a record-setting debut, and set a new “Launch Month” sales record for a platform exclusive. More impressive, it set this record even though Nintendo doesn’t share digital sales data with The NPD Group.

With the gift-giving season in full swing, some of 2018’s biggest games populated the rest of the list. Red Dead Redemption II slid down to #2, and it was followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (#3), Battlefield V (#4), and NBA 2K19 (#5).

Nintendo dominated the back half of the top ten, with three more titles on the list… Mario Kart 8 (#6), Super Mario Party (#8), and Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu (#9). Madden NFL 19 (#7) and Insomniac’s Spider-Man (#10) rounded out the top ten.

A complete look at The NPD Group’s list of the best-selling games from last month (in handy list format) can be found after the break. (more…)

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New Retail Releases: Resident Evil 2, More

Posted on January 21, 2019 by John Scalzo

The Resident Evil franchise will rise again this week with the launch of Resident Evil 2 for the PS4 and Xbox One (it’ll also be available as a digital download for the PC). More than a simple re-release, Capcom has taken the already-popular second entry in the series and given it the full remake treatment. Players will be able to play through Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield’s fight for survival with a new “over-the-shoulder” camera and a modernized control scheme.

Also available this week is a pair of smaller re-releases that are bound for new platforms. Senran Kagura Burst ReNewal is a new Director’s Cut of the 2012 beat ’em up for the PS4. And The Raven Remastered is a point-and-click adventure game from 2013 that’ll be making its way to the Switch after a re-release on other platforms last year.

That’s it for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at every new game coming to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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