Most Recent: Switch

Max Brooks’s Minecraft: The Island novel is now available at bookstores everywhere

Posted on July 18, 2017 by John Scalzo

Mojang teamed up with Max Brooks (the author of World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide) to create the first official tie-in novel based on Minecraft. Titled Minecraft: The Island, the book is targeted at a younger audience and it’s available on store shelves today.

When writing Minecraft: The Island, Brooks found inspiration in classics like Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe to tell his own tale of survival and mystery:

Washed up on a beach, the lone castaway looks around the shore. Where am I? Who am I? And why is everything made of blocks? But there isn’t much time to soak up the sun. It’s getting dark, and there’s a strange new world to explore!

The top priority is finding food. The next is not becoming food. Because there are others out there on the island… like the horde of zombies that appear after night falls. Crafting a way out of this mess is a challenge like no other. Who could build a home while running from exploding creepers, armed skeletons, and an unstoppable tide of hot lava? Especially with no help except for a few makeshift tools and sage advice from an unlikely friend: a cow.

In this world, the rules don’t always make sense, but courage and creativity go a long way. There are forests to explore, hidden underground tunnels to loot, and undead mobs to defeat. Only then will the secrets of the island be revealed.

You can read the first chapter right now at the novel’s official website.

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

New Retail Releases: Splatoon 2, Fortnite, Aerea

Posted on July 16, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Squid Kids will make their Nintendo Switch debut this week, as Nintendo will release Splatoon 2 for their console/handheld hybrid this Friday. The sequel will feature the return of Turf War, as well as a brand new single-player Campaign, and the wave-based Salmon Run cooperative mode.

Also set to launch this week is Fortnite, a survival simulation from Epic Games for the PS4 and Xbox One. Players will be able to craft crazy weaponry for attack missions and build their own “extravagant” forts to keep the monsters at bay.

Finally this week, Triangle Studios and Soedesco will release Aerea: Collector’s Edition for the PS4. The music-themed action RPG includes four different character and a hand-drawn graphical style.

That’s it for this the Retail Releases Report, but we’ll be back with an update on the latest additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop later this week.

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

Nintendo Download: Hey! Pikmin demo, Miitopia demo, five new Switch games, more

Posted on July 13, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo is planning to release several big games this Summer for the 3DS, but they’re giving handheld players a chance to try out these upcoming games titles with the launch of two special demos on the Nintendo eShop.

Hey! Pikmin will be released on July 28, and the demo asks players to “use the touch screen to throw Pikmin into action, solve environmental puzzles and survive hostile wildlife.” Miitopia will also be available on July 28, and its “Casting Call Demo” lets players add Mii characters to three different in-game video trailers for the RPG.

A quartet of new games for the Switch are also available to download today including Fatal Fury Special, a NeoGeo classic; I and Me, a puzzle platformer that stars two cats; De Mambo, a multiplayer arena game with one-button attacks; Death Squared, a puzzle game about “cooperation, communication, and robot explosions”; and Levels Plus, a puzzler with sliding tiles.

You can learn more about all of these games (and a few other new releases) after the break. (more…)

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

Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma is “gathering ideas” for next Legend of Zelda game but it will require a “long period” of development

Posted on July 12, 2017 by John Scalzo

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been a massive hit for Nintendo. It’s garnered rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and it instantly solidified the Switch as piece of must-have tech for a consolemaker in desperate need of a win. But if you were hoping that Nintendo was secretly working on the next game in franchise, I’ve got some bad news for you.

Franchise Producer Eiji Aonuma recently sat down with Gamereactor, and he confirmed that Nintendo is currently in the “gathering ideas” phase for a new entry in the Zelda series, but he also said that the game is still “far” off and will require a “long period” of development:

Gamereactor: Regarding the next Zelda, is there a schedule settled on yet? Could you give us any exclusive insights into that?

Eiji Aonuma: No, you will not get a scoop! Sorry, my dear friend [laughs]. We have no plans for a future Zelda, we are still far from all this unfortunately for you. Today, I’m at a stage where I’m trying to gather a number of ideas for a sequel, but I cannot do it alone. It’s a lot of work that will have to be done over a long period of time, and we’re still far from having planned anything. Leave us a little time…

For now, it looks like Zelda fans will have to make do with Breath of the Wild’s Expansion Pass. The first add-on, The Master Trials, was released two weeks ago. The second, The Champion’s Ballad, will be available this Fall.

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

Next Up Hero is a community brawler from the creator of Scribblenauts

Posted on July 11, 2017 by John Scalzo

5th Cell opened its doors in 2003, and the development house quickly established a reputation for creating quality quirky titles such as Drawn To Life and Scribblenauts. Over the weekend, co-founder Joe Tringali revealed his new home at Digital Continue, and his first project, Next Up Hero.

Next Up Hero is a “community brawler” that asks players to team up to defeat bigger and bigger foes. The twist is that only one player enters the game world at a time, though they’ll be accompanied by the ghosts of all the players that died before them to form the ultimate army:

Choose from nine heroes with an assortment of weapons and abilities to suit your playstyle, from swords and rocket launchers to laser turrets, bongo drums, and boomerangs.

When you die, you’ll leave behind an Echo of your hero on the battlefield. The next in the line of heroes will be able to resurrect your Echo as an AI battle companion. Take turns continuing friends’ games, fighting and dying until you have an entire army of Echoes by your side, and enough strength to finally defeat those jerk monsters. Everyone dies. Heroes continue.

Next Up Hero will be released through Steam’s Early Access program later this year, with a full launch for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One scheduled for Early 2018. The game’s first trailer has been embedded above.

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

The Escapists 2 will be released for PC, PS4, Xbox One on August 22

Posted on July 11, 2017 by John Scalzo

Team17 has announced that The Escapists 2 will be available for the PC, PS4, Xbox One on August 22. The top-down prison break simulator is also in development for the Switch, and will be released for Nintendo’s console at a later date.

The publisher has also confirmed that players who pre-order The Escapists 2 will get the chance to escape from another prison, “The Glorious Regime.” Other planned features for the game include:

Features

  • A dedicated tutorial for new players to learn the basics of prison life
  • 10 unique themed prisons to escape from including the frosty Fort Tundra, a train hurtling through the desert, and even a trip to the final frontier!
  • Play each prison solo or multiplayer with both local and online co-op and versus modes for up to four players
  • Drop-in, drop-out online multiplayer experience. Carefully plan and execute an intricate escape from your initial incarceration with your fellow inmates either online or locally, or simply hop into an existing game already in progress to help pull off the final touches of the escape!
  • A brand new combat system to make every prison brawl even more bruising
  • Create your con with over 300 customisations to create your perfect prisoner
  • New ways to escape
  • New items to craft… Build yourself a homemade Taser to knock out guards plus many more!

A brand new trailer for The Escapists 2 has been embedded above.

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

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will be available for Switch on September 22

Posted on July 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

Bandai Namco has announced that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 will make its Nintendo Switch debut on September 22… nearly a year after the game launched for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One:

The Dragon Ball Xenoverse series of games has taken Dragon Ball fans on new adventures, new heights of action & excitement, and now Nintendo fans will have their chance to experience the biggest most detailed Dragon Ball game ever when Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 launches for the Nintendo Switch.

Featuring Nintendo Switch specific controls and functionality, players will be able to execute famous moves such as the Kamehameha and the Spirit Bomb with the Joy-Con Motion Controls. Players will also be able to join friends for grand Dragon Ball adventures through a six-player local play mode, exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.

Since Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2’s launch last October, Bandai Namco has released four downloadable add-ons for the game. We don’t yet know if these expansions will be included on the Game Card when it launches for the Switch, but let’s hope so.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Thimbleweed Park is coming soon to the PS4 and Switch

Posted on July 10, 2017 by John Scalzo

Ron Gilbert has announced Thimbleweed Park, a point-and-click adventure game that he and his team launched for the PC and Xbox one earlier this year, will be released for the PS4 and Switch in the very near future.

Using a retro-inspired graphical style, Thimbleweed Park follows a group of characters tasked with solving a murder at the titular amusement destination… but things don’t go smoothly. Here’s what Gilbert himself had to say about the game’s gonzo story on the PlayStation Blog:

When we say “In a town like Thimbleweed Park, a dead body is the least of your problems,” we mean it. Take a trip down a rabbit hole of murder and mystery inspired by some other modern classics — Twin Peaks, Stephen King, and the X-Files.

The game initially follows agents Ray and Reyes as they investigate a body found in the river just outside the town of Thimbleweed Park. Players can freely switch between the two of them and solve puzzles to try and find out who murdered the poor guy under the bridge.

But then things get weird.

In a second announcement, Gilbert uploaded a video to YouTube that shows Thimbleweed Park running on the Nintendo Switch. Aside from the “vague, cryptic, [and] puzzling” clip, no further information was announced about the game’s Switch debut.

But don’t worry, Gilbert was able to share that Thimbleweed Park will be available for the PS4 on August 22.

Posted in News, PS4, Switch | Tagged