Most Recent: Wii U

Sega reveals Sonic Boom: New game, TV show, and toy line coming soon

Posted on February 10, 2014 by John Scalzo

Sonic: Lost World didn’t set the world on fire when it was released for the 3DS and Wii U last year. But Sega still has at least one more game to release as part of their exclusivity agreement with Nintendo and so they’ve wasted no time in announcing that Sonic Boom will be available for the handheld and home console later this year.

Sonic Boom isn’t just a game. It is also going to be a television series (airing this Fall on Cartoon Network) and a toy line (including plush, action figures, and RC vehicles all created by Tomy). Oh, and it’s not being developed by Sonic Team. Instead, Sega has handed development duties for Sonic Boom to Big Red Button Entertainment (Wii U) and Sanzaru Games (3DS), two American developers. Though Sonic Team will supervise their progress.

Sega was also quick to point out that the Americanized makeover received by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose will represent a “new branch” of the Sonic series. So if Sonic Boom is a bust, you can bet that Sega will hit the big red reset button and restore Sonic the Hedgehog’s classic look in his next game.

Sega will surely reveal more details about Sonic Boom soon, but until then, check out the first screenshots and some concept art at the Sega Blog.

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

New Mighty No. 9 gameplay video released and a live-action adaptation is in development

Posted on February 10, 2014 by John Scalzo

Keiji Inafune, the creator of Mega Man and the development lead behind next year’s Mighty No. 9, is on a mighty roll. After raking in a ridiculous pile of money with one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever, Inafune and his design teams at Comcept and Inti Creates have released a steady flow of Mighty No. 9 details. Now, they’ve released another gameplay video, with Inafune himself holding the controller.

It’s a very brief look at the game, but the developer closes out the clip with a hearty shout of “I’m extremely satisfied!” How can you not love Inafune’s energy?

In other Mighty No. 9 news, Contradiction Films’ Tim Carter recently sat down with EP Daily and revealed that his company has been contracted to produce a live-action adaptation of the game.

“We are at the very beginning stages of creative development on a digital series for Might No. 9. We are building the story right now,” Carter said. “I was a little apprehensive about it at first until I got his notes, and thought ‘Dude, you should be working at Pixar!’ It’s so good. We’re really, really excited about it.”

It’s currently unknown how the Mighty No. 9 adaptation will be released, but Contradiction Films is best known as the producers behind 2011’s excellent Mortal Kombat: Legacy webseries. So perhaps Mighty No. 9 will receive similar treatment.

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

Skylanders 4 is in development and set for release this year

Posted on February 10, 2014 by John Scalzo

skylanders4-infographicActivision is incredibly proud of the financial success of the Skylanders series. Since its debut in 2011, the publisher has released three titles in the franchise (Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, Skylanders Giants, Skylanders: Swap Force) and it appears a fourth is on the way. Toys For Bob, the developer behind Spyro’s Adventure and Giants, will take the reins on the currently untitled Skylanders 4 after allowing Vicarious Visions to handle Swap Force.

This news comes courtesy of a recently released infographic by Activision (click it to see a larger version), which also touts the franchise’s massive revenue stream of more than $2 billion. A release date for Skylanders 4 (or any other information, for that matter) is currently unknown, but an October release seems likely.

Also, allow me to also speculate that Skylanders 4 will likely appear on every platform imaginable including the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us wins ten statues at 2014 DICE Awards

Posted on February 7, 2014 by John Scalzo

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When Santa Claus asks if you’ve been naughty or nice, if you’re a game developer, you might want to answer “naughty.” During last night’s DICE Awards in Las Vegas, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us took home the top prize in ten categories (out of 13 possible nominations). The only other game to win multiple awards was BioShock Infinite, which took home two (Action Game of the Year and Oustanding Achievement in Original Music Composition).

With such a big haul, The Last of Us naturally took home Game of the Year honors. The game also won Adventure Game of the Year, Oustanding Achievement in Game Direction, Oustanding Achievement in Story, Oustanding Achievement in Animation, Oustanding Achievement in Art Direction, Oustanding Achievement in Visual Engineering, Oustanding Achievement in Sound Design, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, and Outstanding Character Performance (for Ashley Johnson’s portrayal of Ellie).

A few other games did manage to wrestle a few awards away from Naughty Dog, but that’s mostly because The Last of Us didn’t qualify for every category. For example, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons won Downloadable Game of the Year, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds won Handheld Game of the Year, and Plants vs Zombies 2 won Casual Game of the Year.

The complete list of winners can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Nintendo Download: Bravely Default, Retro City Rampage, The Lego Movie, More

Posted on February 6, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Welcome to another edition of the Nintendo Download. This week, 3DS owners will be treated to Retro City Rampage: DX, an enhanced and updated version of the PC, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii game that most of us refer to as “8-bit Grand Theft Auto.” Also available today are a pair of Wii U titles: Percy’s Predicament, a family-friendly platformer, and Ninja Gaiden, one of the greatest ninja games to ever grace the NES.

Tomorrow, Nintendo and Square Enix will add Bravely Default, an RPG in the style of classic Final Fantasy titles, to the 3DS eShop and WB Games will do the same for The Lego Movie, a Lego-style game based on the movie of the same name. The Lego Movie will also be available on the Wii U eShop.

Finally, One Piece: Romance Dawn, an RPG based on the popular anime, will be available through the 3DS eShop on Tuesday, February 11.

More details on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)

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

Nintendo is bringing a slew of indie games to the 3DS/Wii U eShop

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Nicole Kline

shovelknightThere are tons of amazing indie games coming to Nintendo’s 3DS and the Wii U through the eShop – and some are even coming out for both. Retro City Rampage: DX is coming to the 3DS tomorrow, with Siesta Fiesta and Moon Chronicles following in March, and Treasurenauts in May. Those titles join Jett Rocket 2 and Edge, which are already available, and Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, which is due out this quarter.

And the Wii U has an even longer list. Unepic, Knytt Underground, and CastleStorm are available now, with Wooden Sen’SeY coming out this month. And, of course, we can’t forget Shovel Knight, which is coming to both systems on March 31.

Hit the jump for a full list of all the available upcoming indie games on the 3DS and Wii U eShop. (more…)

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

Fusty Game’s Hover: Revolt of Gamers aims to be a next-gen Mirror’s Edge

Posted on February 5, 2014 by Andrew Rainnie

Developer Fusty Game and publisher Midgar Studio have released the first trailer for their new project, Hover: Revolt of Gamers. It takes the premise of Mirror’s Edge and gives it a Borderlands-style cel shaded look with dazzling techno-bubblegum colours. Also, the freerunning and grinding is reminiscent of Jet Set Radio or InFamous, but in a first person style.

The action takes place in a futuristic city filled with flying cars, bright neon lights and pumping electronica… just how the future should be! Players score points by jumping, grinding, running and bending their way through the city’s space-age architecture. The characters form part of Gamer Team, using their stunts and tricks to upset the dictatorship currently grasping the city in its iron grip, destroying its propaganda along the way.

Hover: Revolt of Gamers is still in an alpha build at the moment, so while no release date has been set, it is currently planned for a PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U release. Excitingly, the game will also support Oculus Rift, and hopefully Sony’s much rumoured PS4 headset peripheral too.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One |

Rumor: Disney developing Marvel and Star Wars expansions for Disney Infinity

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Nicole Kline

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Nestled into an incredibly depressing Wall Street Journal article about upcoming layoffs at Disney Interactive was this comment:

New versions of [Disney Infinity] featuring characters from Disney’s Marvel superhero unit and the Star Wars universe it acquired along with Lucasfilm in 2012 are being developed.

Disney Interactive – which has about 3,000 employees – will be letting go of several hundred of them. “The cuts at Disney Interactive, which has undergone multiple rounds of layoffs in recent years as it struggled to reach profitability, are expected to begin after the media giant releases its quarterly financial results Wednesday.” Disney Infinity’s success “was considered critical for its continuing videogame efforts after a number of failures.”

While it’s exciting to hear about possible Marvel and Star Wars expansions, it’s difficult to hear about more layoffs in the industry. Hopefully the layoffs are just a rumor.

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