Sony has at least 15 PS4 exclusives planned for 2015

Posted on January 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

Yesterday, Sony wished gamers everywhere a Happy New Year by uploading a new video to their YouTube Channel promoting 15 PlayStation 4 exclusives that will be released this year. This “15 For ’15” includes some of the biggest AAA projects (Bloodborne, The Order: 1886, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End) as well as a few independent efforts (Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, The Tomorrow Children, Rime). Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky also makes an appearance and, if I’m not mistake, I think this is the first time we’ve been told that it’ll be out in 2015.

Here’s the complete list of titles featured in Sony’s “15 For ’15”:

  • Alienation
  • Bloodborne (March 24, 2015)
  • Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture
  • Fat Princess Adventures
  • Hollowpoint
  • No Man’s Sky
  • The Order: 1886 (February 20, 2015)
  • Rime
  • Tearaway Unfolded
  • The Tomorrow Children
  • Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  • Until Dawn
  • The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
  • Volume
  • The Witness

If you look closely, you’ll notice that this is definitely not a complete list of the games Sony plans to release for the PS4 in 2015. Just off the top of my head, it’s missing the Ratchet & Clank remake/reboot, The Talos Principle, N++, There Came An Echo, and several others. And who knows what this year’s E3 Expo will bring.

Bottom line, it’s going to be a busy year for PlayStation players.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Square Enix is “making preparations” for Secret of Mana’s 25th anniversary

Posted on January 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

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The Secret of Mana series has received short shrift from Square Enix over the years. While dozens of Final Fantasy games have been released (or re-released) in the last decade, the Mana series has only received a pair of mobile games since 2007. And even then, both games are only available in Japan.

But the Mana series might be making a comeback very soon.

Speaking to 4Gamer (and translated by Siliconera), Rise of Mana Producer Masaru Oyamada has revealed that the publisher is “making preparations” for the franchise’s upcoming 25th anniversary:

“With 2016 being Mana‘s 25th, anniversary, I believe it will be a year of making all kinds of preparations for it,” said Oyamada when asked to comment about 2015. “We’re working our best so we can offer something to everyone that has been waiting in anticipation.”

Obviously, no one yet knows what Square Enix is preparing. But maybe the publisher will finally release the Super NES title Seiken Densetsu 3 (also known as Secret of Mana 2) in North America for the first time. I can dream, can’t I?

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Nintendo Download: Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, Bionic Commando: Elite Forces

Posted on January 1, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Nintendo takes no holiday off! While much of the world is resting after a night of New Year’s Eve festivities, Nintendo has updated their eShop storefront like they do every Thursday. Though it should be noted that only a pair of new titles are available today… and both are Virtual Console re-releases. But first, if you haven’t purchased Shovel Knight yet, now’s the time. The game, which is available for both the Wii U and 3DS, is on sale for $9.99 (a 33% discount off the regular price).

Now, about those new releases. Available on the Wii U eShop, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003 and I think the title says it all… it’s a pinball game with a Pokemon twist. Over on the 3DS eShop, Capcom has released Bionic Commando: Elite Forces, the Game Boy Color sequel to the classic NES side-scroller. More information about both titles can be found right here:

Wii U eShop Games

Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire – Much more than a regular pinball game, Pokemon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire combines fast flipper action with a unique way to catch your favorite Pokemon. Control the flippers to shoot the Poke Ball at targets on one of two PlayFields. Play on either the Ruby or Sapphire Field to rack up as many points as possible. The game lets players catch more than 200 Pokemon and features characters from the Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire games.

3DS eShop Games

Bionic Commando: Elite Forces – You are the perfect combination of man and machine – a Bionic Commando equipped with a Bionic Claw that will be extremely handy when infiltrating the danger zone. Blast through enemy lines as you grapple, swing and scale more than 20 levels of forests, deserts, mountains and futuristic cities. You are the last hope in saving your homeland from utter destruction. Suit up, soldier!

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

Inafune confirms that development on Mighty No. 9 is almost done in this New Year’s video

Posted on January 1, 2015 by John Scalzo

Keiji Inafune has posted a short “New Year’s” video to update fans of Mighty No. 9 on the game’s progress. According to the Mega Man creator, full development on Mighty No. 9 is almost complete and the only step left is porting the game to all the platforms it’ll be available on this Spring. But that’s a pretty important step as Inafune and his team at Comcept (and co-developer Inti Creates) plan to bring Mighty No. 9 to a boatload of platforms including the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, 3DS, and Vita.

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

Hats off to the latest kombatant added to Mortal Kombat X… Kung Lao

Posted on December 31, 2014 by John Scalzo

mortalkombat10-dragonlogoGamesMaster, one of the United Kingdom’s most popular gaming magazines, had promised to reveal a brand new Mortal Kombat X character on or around the first of the year. But it’s very possible that Pelaaja, a Finnish gaming magazine, has scooped them by a single day.

According to Pelaaja (as translated by Test Your Might), the man with the razor-rimmed hat, Kung Lao, will take part in Mortal Kombat X’s far-future fight for the fate of the realm. Owing to the game’s time skip, this Kung Lao will be considerably older than the one that gamers are used to. Though how NetherRealm will explain away Kung Lao’s death during the events of 2011’s Mortal Kombat remains to be seen. But that didn’t stop Perlaaja from discussing Kung Lao’s three variations:

The differences between Kung Lao’s “Tempest,” “Buzz Saw” and “Hat Trick” variations happen to be the biggest ones yet. With “Tempest” Kung Lao uses more spinning attacks and has the ability to set his hat to spin around him as a shield of sorts. In his “Buzz Saw” variation his hat is sharpened with razor blade edges and allows the player to control his hat throws more. “Hat Trick” is the most experimental of the three, because you can throw and call back your hat at any point you want. This keeps the opponent on their toes, because the hat can extend combos.

The article also contains the first details about the game’s online faction system and the return of the Challenge Tower. Players will choose a faction when they first launch the game (Lin Kuei, White Lotus, Brotherhood of Shadows, Special Forces, or Black Dragon) and the system will control how the menus look based on the number Battle Points earned by players. How you earn Battle Points, and if they’ll have any impact on the game beyond the menus, is unknown. And as for the Challenge Tower, Pelaaja reports that “the towers and their challenges change constantly, even by the hour.”

Mortal Kombat X will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on April 14.

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

Insert Quarter: A History of Fan-Made Mario Games

Posted on December 31, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

There’s no reason to hide it, Mario Maker is one of my most anticipated games for 2015. The ability to create my own Mario courses (and play courses created by others) has got me giddy with excitement. Writing for Joystiq, Lawrence Bonk has revealed that he’s just as giddy as I am. He is so giddy that he dove into the shadowy world of unauthorized ROM hacks of Super Mario Bros. and other games in the series. These fan-made creations are sometimes scary, but they’re always interesting:

Of course, long before there were dedicated toolsets, there was the humble game ROM. In addition to allowing people to finally brag about beating Ghosts N’ Goblins, NES game ROMs had/have the added bonus of being fairly easy to manipulate. What better title to screw around with than the original Super Mario Bros.? It didn’t have too many sprites and, oh yeah, there’s that whole “pretty much defined video games for an entire generation” thing.

The full article is available for your perusal at Joystiq.

Posted in Insert Quarter, Retro, Wii U | Tagged ,

Daily Scoop: December 30, 2014 – Last days to nab good sales

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Nicole Kline

As the year comes to a close, the end-of-year sales come to an end as well! So snag them all while you can.

Steam‘s big sales today include The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition for $2.99, Wasteland 2 for $19.99, and Lichdom Battlemage for $9.99. Over at the Humble Store, pick up Endless Legend for $23.32, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris for $9.99, and Life of Pixel for $3.49.

Also over at Humble is a new Humble Weekly Bundle. Pay what you want for Muri, Ittle Dew, Imagine Me, and Bardbarian. Pay $6 or more to unlock Race the Sun, Drunken Robot Pornography, and Tiny Brains. Pay $15 or more to unlock King’s Bounty: Dark Side.

Just one shirt today…

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Behold the adorableness of this Kirby and the Rainbow Curse trailer from Nintendo Japan

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Nicole Kline

This video for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse was so cute I nearly vomited rainbows out of my eyes. I have to be honest – I much prefer the Japanese title, which is Touch! Kirby Super Rainbow. So much more exciting!

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse will be out in North America for Wii U on February 13. Look also for me to cave and get a Wii U around that date.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged