Shovel Knight is the first project from Yacht Club Games

Posted on March 17, 2013 by John Scalzo

Prepare to taste justice, Shovel Justice!

Yacht Club Games has pushed off shore and officially announced their first project, Shovel Knight. The former WayForward team members have cast their newest hero in a game that owes a very large debt to Mega Man and more than a bit to the cane-pogo mechanics of DuckTales:

Shovel Knight is a sweeping classic action adventure game with awesome gameplay, memorable characters, and an 8-bit retro aesthetic. It’s a hot mashup of new and old that may remind you of Mega Man, Castlevania, or Dark Souls! You play as the eponymous Shovel Knight, a small knight with a huge quest. Shovel Knight has come to this valley with two goals: to defeat the evil Enchantress and save his lost beloved. He wields a ShovelBlade: a multipurpose weapon whose techniques have now been lost to the ages. Always honest and helpful, Shovel Knight is a shining example of the code of Shovelry: Slash Mercilessly and Dig Tirelessly!

But, between Shovel Knight and his beloved stands a cadre of villainous knights. These terrible foes, known as The Order of No Quarter, have been dispatched to prevent Shovel Knight from reaching the Enchantress, and will pursue their mission at any cost.

Yacht Club has organized a Kickstarter campaign to help fund development and, as of this writing, they’re a third of the way there with 27 days to go. Provided all goes well, Shovel Knight will be available for the PC in September 2013 and, if all goes really well, Yacht Club hopes to bring the game to the Wii U and 3DS sometime after that.

If you’re attending this year’s PAX East convention, you’ll be able to play Shovel Knight at Yacht Club’s booth all weekend long.

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New Releases: Lego City Undercover, GoW: Judgment, Walking Dead FPS, More

Posted on March 17, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Another week, another highly anticipated prequel. Gears of War: Judgment will be available this week, exclusively for the Xbox 360.

Sidestepping to a shooter of a different kind is The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. This other game based on The Walking Dead used the television show for inspiration and stars the crossbow-wielding fan favorite, Daryl Dixon. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct will be released for the PC (download-only), PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U.

Speaking of the Wii U, this is actually a big week for new releases on Nintendo consoles as Lego City Undercover and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will soon be available for the Wii U. The 3DS will receive a pair of big new releases in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, as well as a portable version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

More new releases can be found after the break.

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

Maxis explains always-on requirement for SimCity: It’s an MMO

Posted on March 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

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When SimCity first launched, Electronic Arts and Maxis were adamant that the game required an “always-on” connection to supplement your PC with server side computing that would handle some of the game’s more demanding simulations.

Apparently, that’s a bigger lie than “I tried it, but I didn’t inhale” and “I did not have sex with that woman… Monica Lewinsky” combined. (Side note: Bill Clinton was a great President, but when you need a “lying politician” joke, he’ll forever be the go-to guy).

In a blog post titled “Straight Answers from Lucy” on EA’s official website, Lucy Bradshaw, the General Manager of Maxis, has admitted that SimCity could have shipped with a single-player option. But it didn’t because the developer’s thought of the game as an MMO:

So, could we have built a subset offline mode? Yes. But we rejected that idea because it didn’t fit with our vision. We did not focus on the “single city in isolation” that we have delivered in past SimCities. We recognize that there are fans – people who love the original SimCity – who want that. But we’re also hearing from thousands of people who are playing across regions, trading, communicating and loving the Always-Connected functionality. The SimCity we delivered captures the magic of its heritage but catches up with ever-improving technology.

This abrupt 180 comes on the heels of a modder discovering an “offline mode” within SimCity’s code. With this new information, I suspect the number of players who demand a refund from EA will continue to grow.

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Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D to launch May 24… so here’s a gorilla holding a 3DS

Posted on March 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

gorilla-3dsNintendo is proud to announce that Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D will be released for the 3DS on May 24.

To pad out the press release, the publisher included this picture of a gorilla holding a 3DS. Um… enjoy?

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

DICE will unveil Battlefield 4 on March 26 at GDC 2013

Posted on March 16, 2013 by John Scalzo

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A little over a week ago, Electronic Arts sent out an email to members of the media inviting them to “Save the Date” for a special announcement during the Game Developers Conference. Yesterday, they sent out a second round of invitations confirming that the event, which will take place on March 26 at 7 PM (Pacific Time), will feature a first look at Battlefield 4.

Back in 2011, Battlefield 3 made its debut during a similar presentation at the Game Developer Conference. And it was available in stores less than a year later. So I think it’s safe to assume that Battlefield 4 will follow a similar schedule and we should all be playing it by Christmas.

Previously, the only we’d received of Battlefield 4 was the promise that Medal of Honor: Warfighter purchasers would be invited to take part in the game’s beta. So it’s assumed that the game will launch on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, with a PS4 port a possibility.

[Source: Game Informer]

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

A World of Keflings comes to Windows 8; Wii U version announced

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Bret Morace

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NinjaBee has announced that A World of Keflings, the popular city-building game that came to the Xbox Live Arcade in 2010, is available in the Windows 8 Store now and will be released on the Wii U later this year.

Brent Fox, Art Director at NinjaBee commented, “Both of these new platforms offered us huge advantages and were ideal marketplaces for a light-hearted city-builder. Windows 8 gave us the chance to make the game mobile and add in very smooth, natural touch controls. The Wii U has allowed us to significantly enhance the game’s visuals and, with the Wii U GamePad, explore new ways to interact with the game and its characters.”

Gamers who sign onto Xbox Live on Windows 8 will be able to experience playing as their own Xbox Avatar, compete with Xbox Live Leaderboards, and be able to unlock 20 all-new Achievements. However, A World of Keflings on Windows 8 does not include multiplayer or support Avatar FameStar functionality.

Posted in Mobile, News, PC, Wii U | Tagged

Just Stop! Hey Kojima, WE KNOW You’re Behind The Phantom Pain

Posted on March 15, 2013 by John Scalzo

When the Internet decides to collectively believe something that’s just not true, we have to cry out… Just Stop! This is what’s making a Warp Zoned editor rip his computer from the wall in frustration today…

It’s not the Internet-at-large that’s bugging me today, but instead it’s one man: Hideo Kojima. Actually, it’s two men, as Joakim Mogren, the CEO of Swedish game developer Moby Dick Studio, is most definitely not Hideo Kojima. But who is he, really? Some say it’s Cliff Bleszinski in disguise. Is the man formerly known as CliffyB really behind Moby Dick’s first game, The Phantom Pain? Or is it just some actor keeping the world in suspense until Kojima reveals his connection to the game at this year’s Game Developers Conference? Whoever’s behind The Phantom Pain, they think they’re being clever.

No! Just Stop! YOU. ARE. WRONG.

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Posted in Opinions, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: March 15, 2013 – The Ides of March

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Nicole Kline

Beware the Ides of March! Or so everyone is saving all over the Internet. I guess just be careful not to get stabbed in the back? Literally, not metaphorically. So maybe don’t go out tonight – or at least, don’t go out with that friend who’s been acting strange lately. Your best bet is to just stay inside and play a video game. It’s too cold outside, anyway!

The good news is: it’s the weekend! What are your big plans? We’re playing some Dungeons & Dragons tonight, then I have family stuff all weekend, interspersed with gaming, writing, and finishing up this class.

No deals going on today! But you can check out the sweet pre-order page for Disney Inifinity. I can’t stand the cuteness!

Let’s round this out with some t-shirts, shall we?

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Posted in Daily Scoop |