Most Recent: Switch

Impress a giant blue man in Slam Land on the PC, PS4, and Switch

Posted on January 25, 2018 by John Scalzo

Players will need to impress a giant blue man with their dunking prowess if they want to succeed in Slam Land, a new competitive brawler from Bread Machine Games. Described by the developer (on Twitter) as a “couch-competitive slam dunking brawler,” Slam Land will feature hand-drawn graphics and local play for up to four players.

Instead of dunking basketballs, players will fight it out for the right to dunk each other, which… again… is supposed to impress a giant blue man looming in the background. You can get your first glimpse at Slam Land’s dunking action in Bread Machine’s recent Twitch stream.

Slam Land will be available for the PC, PS4, and Switch this Summer.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch | Tagged

RBI Baseball 18 will be released this March

Posted on January 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

MLB Advanced Media is stepping up to the plate again this Spring with the upcoming release of RBI Baseball 18.

Francisco Lindor, the All-Star shortstop from the Cleveland Indians, has been drafted as the cover athlete for the retro-styled baseball sim. And the development team will add a Franchise Mode, Home Run Derby Mode, and more than 100 MLB Legends to the series for the first time:

RBI Baseball 18 Features

  • Franchise Mode: Take control of your favorite MLB team! Make trades, pick up free agents or call up rookies through multiple seasons.
  • Brand New Home Run Derby Mode: Challenge a friend or the CPU in the ultimate slugfest!
  • Better Ballparks: Experience enhanced lighting, textures, revamped 3D crowd system, and new dynamic camera angles in all 30 MLB ballparks.
  • Authentic MLB Players: Completely redesigned player models including over 300 digitally modeled likenesses and hundreds of new animations.
  • MLB Legends: Play as the greats with over 100 historic players.
  • Roster Updates: Get the latest rosters throughout the 2018 season and use the new Import Rosters feature to keep your in-progress Franchise current without starting over!

RBI Baseball 18 will be available this March for the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and mobile devices. The game’s first trailer has been embedded above.

Posted in Mobile, News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged

SteamWorld Dig will resurface on the Switch in February 2018

Posted on January 22, 2018 by John Scalzo

Image & Form really loves the Nintendo Switch.

The Swedish developer brought SteamWorld Dig 2 to the platform in September, and followed that up with the Switch launch of SteamWorld Heist just a few weeks ago. Today, Image & Form announced that the original SteamWorld Dig will be released for the Switch in February (February 1st, to be exact):

On top of all this, the hardworking developer has also confirmed plans to release another never-before-seen game for the Switch sometime later this year.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Call of Duty: WWII was the best-selling game for all of 2017

Posted on January 19, 2018 by John Scalzo

Call of Duty: WWII earned a spot at the top of The NPD Group’s list of best-selling games for both November and December, and now the tracking firm has confirmed that Activision’s shooter was also the best-selling game for all of 2017.

It looks like Activision had a pretty good year, especially with Destiny 2 checking in at the #3 spot, but Nintendo was the publisher with the biggest presence on the NPD’s Top 10. The consolemaker can claim three games in the Top 10 including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), Super Mario Odyssey (#9), and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#10).

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, The NPD Group also confirmed an uptick for the industry as a whole. Gamers spent $14.59 billion on their favorite hobby in 2017, an increase of 11% over 2016.

Sony’s PS4 was the best-selling console of the year, but the Switch and Xbox One have also benefited from brisk sales:

“Combined sales of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One continue on a record-setting pace,” [NPD Gaming Analyst Mat] Piscatella said. “Over the first 50 months in market for each console, the combined hardware installed base of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One now exceeds that of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by 18 percent, and that of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox by 4 percent.”

The NPD’s Top 10 best-selling games for 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Call of Duty: WWII repeats as the best-selling game of December 2017

Posted on January 19, 2018 by John Scalzo

Activision’s Call of Duty: WWII has reenlisted for a second tour of duty as the best-selling game of the month. According to The NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz), the shooter was the best-selling game in December 2017, besting Star Wars: Battlefront II (#2) and Super Mario Odyssey (#3).

The holiday season dominated last month’s list, as several games that were tailor-made for gift-giving ranked high in the Top 20 including NBA 2K18 (#4), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#5), Madden NFL 18 (#6), and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#9). But perhaps most surprisingly, the Xbox One debut of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds landed at #7 after just a few weeks on sale (PC sales weren’t included in the NPD Group’s calculations).

You can find The NPD Group’s complete list for the Top 20 best-selling games from December 2017 after the break. (more…)

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

Lost Sphear, Darkest Dungeon, Kirby: Battle Royale, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on January 18, 2018 by John Scalzo

Welcome to a brand new update for the Nintendo eShop… cardboard not included.

Switch owners will be able to download Darkest Dungeon, Red Hook’s turn-based “gothic roguelike,” beginning today. But if you’d prefer to stay aboveground, Rain Games’s colorful 3D adventure, World to the West, will also launch for the Switch today.

Fans of dungeon crawlers may want to pop back into the Nintendo eShop on Tuesday, which is when the latest retro-styled RPG from Square Enix, Lost Sphear, will be available to download for the Switch.

Starting tomorrow, 3DS owners will be able to find Kirby: Battle Royale on the other side of Nintendo’s digital storefront. As you might expect from its name, Kirby: Battle Royale is a multiplayer-focused arena battler that includes ten different minigames… but also a single-player Story Mode.

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

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

Nintendo Labo turns the Switch into a kid-friendly creative construction kit

Posted on January 17, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo is at it again. Today, the consolemaker unveiled Nintendo Labo, a series of kid-friendly software packages that also double as creative construction kits powered by the portability of the Nintendo Switch.

Each Labo kit will come packed with several sheets of modular cardboard that can be molded into objects like a piano, or an RC car, or a (child-sized) wearable robot suit. Inserting a Joy-Con or the Switch console into these contraptions (which are known as Toy-Cons) will bring them to life, and allow players to play a song, race down the road, or do battle with invading aliens.

Nintendo will launch the Variety Kit (which includes the aforementioned piano and RC car, as well as a few other options) and the aptly-named Robot Kit on April 20. More information about the Toy-Con options available in both kits can be found right here:

Nintendo Labo: Variety Kit ($69.99)

  • Toy-Con RC Car: Insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into your newly built RC Car and control its movement using touch screen controls on the Nintendo Switch console. The HD Rumble feature in the Joy-Con controllers will cause vibrations that move the car in the direction you choose. Materials to construct two RC Cars are included.
  • Toy-Con Fishing Rod: Construct the Fishing Rod with an active, rotating reel that is attached by string to a cradle holding the Nintendo Switch console. Catch one of many exotic fish shown swimming on the Nintendo Switch screen by casting your Fishing Rod and unwinding the reel to lower the hook. Once you feel a vibration from the Joy-Con inserted in the reel, you must tug the Fishing Rod upward and crank the reel quickly to try and complete the catch!
  • Toy-Con House: By inserting various assembled blocks into openings in the sides and bottom of the House, you can interact with, play games with and feed a cute creature on the front-facing Nintendo Switch screen. Each differently shaped block is detected by the IR Motion Camera on the Right Joy-Con inserted on top of the House.
  • Toy-Con Motorbike: Insert each Joy-Con into an assembled set of handlebars to drive a motorbike on the Nintendo Switch screen. Pressing the ignition button starts the engine, while twisting the right handle activates the throttle. Leaning your body or turning the handlebars left and right controls the motorbike.
  • Toy-Con Piano: After assembling a beautifully crafted 13-key piano and inserting the Nintendo Switch console and Joy-Con, you can experiment with your own musical creations by pressing different keys. You can even insert different assembled knobs to create new sound effects and tones!

Nintendo Labo: Robot Kit ($79.99)

  • Toy-Con Robot: Create a wearable Robot suit, and insert the Left and Right Joy-Con into the designated slots on the backpack and visor to assume control of the robot, which is shown on the TV when the Nintendo Switch console is docked. Enjoy a variety of fun game-play experiences, including Robot mode, in which you can destroy in-game buildings and UFOs.

Whatever you do, don’t miss the Labo’s debut trailer, which has been embedded above. It should tell you everything you ever wanted to know about Nintendo’s new idea.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged ,

Mark it down… Scribblenauts Showdown will be released on March 6

Posted on January 16, 2018 by John Scalzo

WB Games has announced that Scribblenauts Showdown will be released for the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on March 6. Original developer 5th Cell shut down a few years ago, but fans can get a peek at the first teaser trailer above.

The next game in the Scribblenauts saga will change things up with a new focus on minigames. Up to four players will be able to create objects using the game’s dictionary of more than 35,000 words, and they’ll compete on a board game style map to win:

In the game’s Showdown Mode, up to four players face off and imagine their way to victory through card-based strategy and creative skill. “Wordy” minigames require unleashing the best object or character from the vast Scribblenauts dictionary of over 35,000 words to outsmart an opponent. Action-oriented “Speedy” minigames reward the player who completes a given challenge first. A board game style map displays players’ progress. With multiple ways to make up ground, every player has a chance to win, which keeps the excitement going until the end!

In Versus Mode, two players can go head-to-head in more than 25 minigames that vary in every session.

Scribblenauts Showdown will also include a brand new Sandbox Mode with eight levels for one or two players.

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