Most Recent: Wii U

This “Fan Animation” of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is amazing

It’s been several decades since Nintendo tried their hand at an animated series based on The Legend of Zelda, but several fans recently made a very compelling case for why they should try again.

The “Fan Animation” embedded above was recently uploaded by Qianya Yin and Youyang Kong. Based on a short scene from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the dialogue-free film features Link doing battle with a pair of Guardians and rescuing an adorable Korok. It’s impressive, very slick, and the perfect way to spend two minutes on a lazy holiday afternoon.

Those rumors of a live-action series from Netflix may have turned out to be a bust, but I would very happily sit down to watch an entire series of animated episodes created by this duo.

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Battle Princess Madelyn will be released on December 6

Causal Bit Games has announced that Battle Princess Madelyn, their side-scrolling platformer that was partially designed by the Creative Director’s daughter, will be released on December 6.

Battle Princess Madelyn is a modern-day homage to Capcom’s Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, and will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. The game is also in the works for the Wii U and Vita, and both of those versions will launch sometime in 2019.

Causal Bit’s Christopher Obritsch is incredibly proud that Battle Princess Madelyn has reached this point and can’t wait for the public to play it:

“It’s been an exciting, exhaustive, stressful, enjoyable, [and] frustrating period over the last two years developing Battle Princess Madelyn and I would do it all over again. The feedback that has been given in the creation of the game, the positive remarks, the way social media [and] the specialist gaming press have supported the game throughout this long period has been nothing short of remarkable. The end result is a game the team are all proud of and went beyond what was envisioned. Within a very short time gamers will be able to play Battle Princess Madelyn. I hope it will give them as much enjoyment as it has to the team that created it!”

In case you missed it, Casual Bit unveiled a new trailer for Battle Princess Madelyn a few weeks ago.

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Stan Lee, the legendary co-creator of many of Marvel’s superheroes, has died

From behind his typewriter, Marvel’s Stan Lee used to answer fan mail with that authoritative declaration when he really wanted to drive home a point in his “Stan’s Soapbox” column. But there’s never enough that can be said about the man who helped define pop culture as we know it today.

Along with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Lee created many of Marvel’s most famous characters… The Spectacular Spider-Man… The Mighty Thor… The Incredible Hulk… The Fantastic Four… “Stan the Man” had a way with adjectives. Sadly, he passed away this morning at the age of 95.

After shepherding his comic creations towards the silver screen in the 80s and 90s, Lee lent his voice to more than a dozen video game adaptations starring Marvel’s mightiest heroes. Most often playing himself (starting with 2000’s Spider-Man), Lee closed the book on his voiceover career with an appearance in Insomniac’s Spider-Man earlier this year as a Short Order Cook.

Lee was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2008 for “his groundbreaking work as one of America’s most prolific storytellers.” The National Endowment for the Arts’s advisory committee also recognized Lee’s fight against injustice in his comics, adding, “His complex plots and humane super heroes celebrate courage, honesty, and the importance of helping the less fortunate, reflecting America’s inherent goodness.”

As Lee would say, “Nuff said!”

Posted in 3DS, Etcetera, Mobile, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Battle Princess Madelyn will officially launch sometime this Fall

Casual Bit Games has announced that Battle Princess Madelyn has completed development and is now awaiting certification from the three consolemakers. That also means that the game is currently on track for a Fall 2018 launch on the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Wii U, and Vita.

Heavily inspired by Super Ghouls N Ghosts and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, Battle Princess Madelyn was built using design ideas from Creative Director Christopher Obritsch’s daughter, and he’s thrilled with how the final product came together:

From its initial concept days, right through the successful Kickstarter campaign which reached over $212,665 CAD, until its imminent release, Battle Princess Madelyn has developed and grown from inspiration from feedback from my daughter, who inspired the original idea, gamers and ideals from the very best of classic retro games fused with modern presentation complete with gameplay and fun. I believe all our goals have been achieved with much much more added ingredients, features and elements that will have gamers engaged in a game that has been crafted with real planning, dedication and, a lot of love.

A new trailer for Battle Princess Madelyn has been embedded above, and an exact release date will be announced “very shortly.”

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New Retail Releases: Red Dead Redemption 2, Just Dance 2019, More

After almost a decade of waiting, it’s finally time to hop on your horse and ride along the dusty trails and gleaming train tracks of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. The Wild West prequel will be available in stores for the PS4 and Xbox One later this week, and while you might think that most game publishers would avoid going head-to-head with the highly-anticipated new entry in the famed franchise… you’d be wrong.

Well, sort of.

Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2019 serves as a perfect bit of counterprogramming to Rockstar’s cowboy epic, and the latest addition to the series will be available on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, as well as the PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360.

But the rest of this week’s new retail releases are mostly a smattering of smaller games from smaller publishers. Nickelodeon Kart Racers will let fans drive for the finish line as their Nickelodeon characters. A different kind of driving skill is required for Spintires: Mudrunner – American Wilds Edition. And Bandai Namco will launch My Hero One’s Justice, the first game based on the My Hero Academia anime. All three games will be available for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

A complete look at this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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Casual Bit Games shares a new trailer from Battle Princess Madelyn’s Arcade Mode

Casual Bit Games delivered the “August 2018 Development Update” for Battle Princess Madelyn to Kickstarter backers over the weekend, and they also gave fans their first look at the game’s Arcade Mode:

There are seven levels in arcade mode, and 11 boss fights – two of them being end-of-the-game gauntlet fights. These levels come at you like you would expect – relentlessly but in a fair sorta way. They’re definitely not a walk in the park, but those o you who have good reflexes will find themselves right at home with this more demanding version of the gameplay.

The levels are a mash-up of the three main stages in story mode. We’ve picked our favorite levels and turned them into the levels contained within this mode. In Arcade Mode there are less hidden items and no puzzles to get around, so it’s straight up Ghouls ‘n Ghosts style action, presented in our own way.

The bosses have been tweaked to be harder, but with less hit points in order to balance out the play time in these levels. Enemies have been tuned differently to be a little more spot-on with their abilities compared to how they behave in Story Mode.

Battle Princess Madelyn doesn’t have a final release date just yet, but the game will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Vita, and Xbox One.

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Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released on April 9, 2019

Yacht Club Games originally wanted to release Shovel Knight: King of Cards a few years ago, but the expansion kept getting pushed back as they dug deeper into Shovel Knight’s world. Today, the developer is finally ready to confirm that Shovel Knight: King of Cards will be released for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One on April 9, 2019.

The developer is also bundling together the original Shovel Knight and all of its expansions (including Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, King of Cards, and the recently-announced Shovel Knight Showdown) in a new retail release for the PS4 and Switch. This Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will also launch on April 9.

But wait, there’s more. The Amiibo 3-Pack featuring King Knight, Specter Knight, and Plague Knight will also make its debut in stores on April 9. The figures will unlock “exclusive armor sets, new Challenge stages, and the ability to summon fairy companions to accompany players on quests” in the games for the 3DS, Switch, and Wii U.

Finally, attendees at this weekend’s PAX West show in Seattle will get the chance to try out a playable demo of Shovel Knight: King of Cards at Yacht Club’s booth.

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Shovel Knight’s Battle Mode will be known as Shovel Knight Showdown

All the way back in 2013, Yacht Club Games closed out Shovel Knight‘s Kickstarter campaign with the promise of three additional story expansions and a Battle Mode. More than five years later, we’ve almost reached the end of this bounty of post-launch content, and the developer has confirmed that Battle Mode will actually be known as Shovel Knight Showdown.

Like the previous expansions, Shovel Knight Showdown will be available as a free update to the Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, as well as a standalone download. Players will be able to choose from more than 16 characters (including Shovel Knight, Shield Knight, Black Knight, The Enchantress, and every member of the Order of No Quarter) as they battle it out in four-player modes like Gem Clash and Showdown. A single-player Story Mode for every character is also in the works.

Those attending PAX West 2018 this weekend will be able to meet the developers and try out Shovel Knight Showdown at Yacht Club’s booth.

Shovel Knight Showdown will launch for the PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, and Xbox One on April 9, 2019, and a few more details about the game can be found at Yacht Club’s official website. The developer also produced an extended gameplay trailer for IGN, and it’s been embedded after the break. (more…)

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