Most Recent: Switch

PAX East 2018 attendees will be able to play Dark Souls, No More Heroes, The Messenger, many more at Nintendo’s booth

Posted on March 31, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo always has a big presence at PAX East, and this year’s show will be no different. The consolemaker has announced plans to bring several highly-anticipated games to Boston, including Dark Souls Remastered, No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again, and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition…

Playable Demos at Nintendo’s PAX East 2018 Booth

  • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo)
  • Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Nintendo)
  • Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido* (Nintendo)
  • Dark Souls Remastered* (Bandai Namco Entertainment)
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus* (Bethesda Softworks)
  • No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again* (Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda51)
  • SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy* (NIS America)
  • Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy* (Activision)

* Playable by the Public for the First Time

Nintendo will also play host to a Nindies Arcade at its booth, giving players their first chance to try out a few games that debuted during the Nindie Showcas on March 20. The full Nindies Arcade lineup includes…

Playable Demos in Nindies Arcade at Nintendo’s PAX East 2018 Booth

  • Just Shapes & Beats* (Berzerk Studio)
  • Dead Cells* (Motion Twin)
  • The Messenger* (Sabotage and Devolver Digital)
  • Lumines Remastered* (Enhance Games)
  • Runner 3 (Choice Provisions)
  • West of Loathing* (Asymmetric)
  • Pool Panic (Adult Swim Games)
  • Pode (Henchman & Goon)
  • Garage* (TinyBuild Games)
  • Next Up Hero (Aspyr Media and Digital Continue)

* Playable by the Public for the First Time

PAX East 2018 takes place next week, April 5th through the 8th, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

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Original arcade release of Punch-Out!! is now available to download for Switch

Posted on March 30, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo released the original Punch-Out!! to the delight of arcade gamers everywhere long before Mike Tyson ever stepped into a digital ring. Featuring a familiar lineup of boxers, a wireframe Little Mac, and a unique two-screen design, Punch-Out!! was a smash hit that later inspired the Tyson-led console conversion, as well as a Super NES sequel and a Wii reboot.

But we can talk about the followups later, because earlier today, Hamster Corporation surprised us all by adding the arcade edition of Punch-Out!! to the Nintendo eShop. Priced at $7.99, Punch-Out!! for the Switch includes the option to display the game’s two monitors side-by-side or in their arcade-authentic vertical orientation.

You can learn more about Punch-Out!! right here…

Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch

Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! is a sports-action game released by Nintendo in 1984. Watch your opponents’ expressions and moves as you use a variety of punches and defensive moves on your path to become the boxing champion. The game became extremely popular with the double monitor setup, introducing intense boxing with dynamic graphics.

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Penny-Punching Princess, Toki Tori, Clusterpuck 99, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on March 29, 2018 by John Scalzo

It’s Thursday, so it’s time for another Nintendo eShop update…

This week, NIS America will bring Penny-Punching Princess, an isometric brawler with a capitalist streak, to the Nintendo Switch on Tuesday, April 3.

If you’re a Switch owner who’s also a fan of JRPGs, you’ll be able to download Koei Tecmo’s Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings right now. And Coatsink Software’s Clusterpuck 99, an insane spin on air hockey (with spikes, speed boosts, and more), is also available to download for the platform now.

Finally, one of Two Tribes’s earliest side-scrolling platformers, Toki Tori, will launch for the Switch on March 30 (AKA, tomorrow).

You can learn more about all of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

WB Games officially announces Lego The Incredibles

Posted on March 28, 2018 by John Scalzo

After a leak earlier this month, it looks like WB Games and TT Games are ready to officially announce Lego The Incredibles.

The action-adventure game will include scenes from both The Incredibles and the upcoming Incredibles 2, and according to WB Games, “players [will] work together by combining the Parr family’s abilities and unique powers to conquer crime and family life.” Like all Lego games, Lego The Incredible will also include drop-in/drop-out multiplayer for up to two players.

“The Incredibles franchise, full of super-powered characters, adventures and teamwork, combined with all of the humor, puzzle-solving elements and unexpected surprises of LEGO games makes for the perfect combination for players,” said Tom Stone, the Managing Director of TT Games. “With Lego The Incredibles, fans can experience the non-stop action from both movies while fighting crime together as a super hero family.”

Lego The Incredibles will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on June 15 (the same day the movie opens in theaters). The “Announce Trailer” has been embedded above.

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Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age will be released in North America for PC and PS4 on September 4

Posted on March 28, 2018 by John Scalzo

Dragon Quest fans have been patiently waiting for any information about the North American launch of the eleventh game in the series since its release in Japan last year. This morning, Square Enix finally gave us an official release date to add to our calendars.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age will be released for the PC and PS4 on September 4. Sadly, the 3DS version of the game won’t be released in North America, and the Switch version still has a long way to go. The publisher clarified the business reasons behind this decision in a statement made to IGN:

In a statement, Square Enix told IGN: “Our aim with Dragon Quest XI and the Dragon Quest brand is to grow the audience in the West. From a business point of view, it made strategic sense to release the 3DS version in Japan in 2017. For the West in 2018, it made the most sense to focus on the PlayStation 4 and PC (Steam) platforms.”

As for the Switch version, things are slightly less clear. “We are also developing the Switch version for Europe and North America,” reads Square Enix’s statement, “but development is expected to take a long time from a technological standpoint as well, so we still have a long way to go until its release”.

But on a happier note, we received a new gameplay trailer this morning (which has been embedded above), and the Dragon Quest franchise’s creative team (Series Creator Yuji Horii, Character Designer Akira Toriyama, and Composer Koichi Sugiyama) all returned for Dragon Quest XI. And Square Enix also confirmed the turn-based RPG will include several new features exclusive to North America/Europe:

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age – North American Features

  • English Voiceover
  • Draconian Quest – A hard mode that offers additional challenges for more experienced players.
  • Overhauled Menus & UI – With graphical enhancements and more intuitive navigation.
  • Camera Mode – Allowing players to take in views of the beautiful landscape, character renders and ferocious monsters in detail.
  • A New Dash Function and many other system enhancements such as improved character and camera movement

Finally, you can get a look at the Opening Movie for Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, which can be found after the break. (more…)

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World Video Game Hall of Fame announces finalists for Class of 2018

Posted on March 27, 2018 by John Scalzo

Curators at the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and the Strong Museum have announced the finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. Eight games will get their first chance to be inducted into gaming’s inner circle, including Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King’s Quest, Metroid, Ms. Pac-Man, and Spacewar!.

Two other games, Final Fantasy VII and Tomb Raider, were previously in the finalist pool for the Class of 2017. They’ll get another chance this year alongside John Madden Football and Minecraft, which were previously on the ballot in 2016.

The World Video Game Hall of Fame will announce the inductees for the Class of 2018 on Thursday, May 3, at 10:30 AM. But this year, fans will get a vote in the first-ever Player’s Choice ballot. According to the rules, “the three games that receive the most public votes will form one “Player’s Choice” ballot, which will join the 27 other ballots submitted by members of the International Selection Advisory Committee, a supporting group composed of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.” Fans can make their voice heard through the Player’s Choice ballot once a day until April 4th. So vote early and vote often!

And if, for some reason, you’re unfamiliar with this year’s finalists, the World Video Game Hall of Fame has put together a helpful cheat sheet that can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged , , , ,

New Retail Releases: Far Cry 5, MLB The Show 18, The Alliance Alive, More

Posted on March 26, 2018 by John Scalzo

A nonet of new releases will be available to purchase from your favorite gaming establishment this week…

Ubisoft is leading the way this week with the launch of Far Cry 5, the latest game in their open-world shooter franchise. This time, players will have to infiltrate a doomsday cult and rescue the citizens of Hope County, Montana from the violent followers of “The Father.” As you might expect, Far Cry 5 will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Far Cry 5 includes a nice variety of vehicles, and racing fans will get to explore an even bigger garage in THQ Nordic’s MX Vs ATV: All Out for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. MX Vs ATV: All Out will include several different race types (Supercross, Nationals, Opencross, Waypoint, Tag, and more), as well as stunt tracks, and online multiplayer.

Baseball fans will also get the chance to play ball this week with Sony’s annual entry in the MLB The Show series, MLB The Show 18, for the PS4.

If you’re looking for something a little off the beaten path, a big batch of JRPGs will also make their way to North America this week. Atlus will launch The Alliance Alive for the 3DS; Koei Tecmo’s Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings closes out the “Mysterious” saga on the PS4 and Switch; NIS America will release The Witch and the Hundred Knight 2 for the PS4; and Aksys will pull double duty with Code Realize: Bouquet of Flowers for the PS4 and Code Realize: Future Blessings for the Vita.

Finally this week, WB Games and NetherRealm Studios will launch the Injustice 2: Legendary Edition for the PS4 and Xbox One. The Legendary Edition will package together the original game, as well as every extra character from the Fighter Packs, and exclusive new content.

That’s it for this week’s New Retail Releases report, but we’ll be back in a few days with a look at all the upcoming additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

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Nintendo will host Super Smash Bros. Switch and Splatoon 2 tournaments at E3 2018

Posted on March 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo first pulled back the curtain on Super Smash Bros. Switch during a Nintendo Direct presentation a few weeks ago. And naturally, fans are curious when they’ll learn more about the next entry in the popular fighting franchise. (For example, is it a remaster of Super Smash Bros. For Wii U or Super Smash Bros. 5? We honestly don’t know yet.)

Today, the consolemaker confirmed that we’ll all get our first look at Super Smash Bros. Switch during a Super Smash Bros. Invitational tournament at this year’s E3 Expo. The Invitational will showcase “high-level gameplay” from “an invited group of players,” and it’ll take place on June 11th and 12th.

Nintendo is also planning to host a massive Splatoon 2 tournament during the E3 Expo, but this competition will be open to the entire world. Players from the US and Canada will be able to win a spot in the Splatoon 2 World Championship by competing in the Inkling Open online qualifying round on April 21. Each team of four (plus one alternate) will need to register at Nintendo’s official E3 website, and compete in Turf War during the open qualifiers and in Ranked Battle during the finals.

The winners will move on to the Splatoon 2 World Championship, where they’ll do inky battle with the winners from Japan (Splatoon Koshien 2018), Europe (Splatoon European Championship), and Australia (AUNZ Splatoon Cup).

More details about Nintendo’s E3 2018 festivities (including a “Nintendo Switch Event”) will be announced soon.

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