Daily Scoop: December 29, 2014 – Last days of 2014

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Nicole Kline

This is the last week of 2014. How are you going to spend it? Right now I’ve got tons of gaming planned, but I’m also cleaning, working on our Kickstarter for RESISTOR_, and experiencing some culture by doing things like going to magic shows. I’m trying to let 2014 go out as radly as possible.

Speaking of stuff that’s rad, let’s talk about deals. At Steam, you can get Don’t Starve for $3.74, The Stanley Parable for $4.49, and Battleblock Theater for $1.49, among many others.

That’s not all. Head to the Humble Store for even more sales. The Tomb Raider Collection is $15.99, and includes 11 games. You can also nab The Escapists for $9.99, early access to Vector Thrust for $9.74, and Sportsfriends for $13.49. That last one isn’t much of a deal, but trust me – that package is well worth it.

There are lots of great shirts today!

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Mario Kart 8: The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack Review: Now With Link

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Andrew Rainnie

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Nintendo has been late to the party with regards to adding DLC to their games, but in Mario Kart 8 they have managed to tackle my biggest gripe since the term “DLC” rose its monstrous head and became an ugly word that meant a new way for developers to rip-off gamers… and that’s the amount of content. The Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack comes with eight new tracks, as well as a few new characters, karts, and customisations. Another DLC pack based around Animal Crossing is due out in May 2015. Both DLC Packs are individually priced at $7.99 each or you can buy both together for $11.99, which means you are getting half the game’s original content at a quarter of the price. Value for the money, indeed!

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Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii U | Tagged

Insert Quarter: Publishers Need to be More Upfront About DLC

Posted on December 29, 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.

Downloadable Content. If you didn’t consider it the scourge of the gaming industry before, you probably do now. With games like Assassin’s Creed: Unity and DriveClub shipping to stores in a less-than-playable state, the downloadable content that publishers have planned begins to lose its luster. But that hasn’t stopped these publishers from asking for your money in the form of season passes. Sometimes, like in the case of 2K’s Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, without detailing exactly what content these passes will include.

Game Informer’s Mike Futter believes that it is time for publishers to be more upfront with their DLC plans in an effort to rebuild a level of trust with the gamers of the world. Even though DLC has become a very important part of the business side of the industry:

I am guilty. I have pre-ordered games. I have purchased season passes without full details of the contents. I have done these things based on my enthusiasm for the medium and faith in the publishers. That time has passed.

The full article is available for your perusal at Game Informer.

Posted in Insert Quarter, PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Check out this six-minute trailer for Disgaea 5 (but be warned, it’s in Japanese)

Posted on December 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

NIS America recently confirmed that Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will be released for the PS4 in Fall 2015. And now the company’s Japanese parent, Nippon Ichi Software, has released this absolutely insane six-minute trailer for the game. I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m sure that Disgaea fans will love it.

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will be available in Japan on March 26.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Halo 5: Guardians special editions announced as beta begins

Posted on December 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

halo5-boxThe Halo 5: Guardians beta test begins today, but Microsoft also wants you to know that the game is now available for pre-order through your favorite (and not so favorite) retailers. To that end, the consolemaker has also announced (via Xbox Wire) that the game will be available in three different pacakges:

Standard Edition ($59.99) – A copy of Halo 5: Guardians plus an exclusive poster, only available to those who pre-order.

Limited Edition ($99.99) – Everything in the Standard Edition plus new digital content to enhance Spartan combat and exclusive items wrapped in a uniquely designed steel book.

Limited Collector’s Edition ($249.99) – Everything in the Limited Edition as well as additional content such as a commemorative numbered statue designed by 343 Industries. More details on the design to be shared at a later date.

Halo 5: Guardians will be released exclusively for the Xbox One this Fall (a final release date has yet to be announced), but you can join the multiplayer beta now through January 18 (as long as you own a copy of Halo: The Master Chief Collection).

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

Weekly Warp-Up: End of 2014 Edition

Posted on December 28, 2014 by John Scalzo

No, that’s not a typo. Welcome to the Weekly Warp-Up, your weekly wrap-up of the biggest and the best articles posted at Warp Zoned this week…

Christmas is over and the end of 2014 is in sight. For a lot of people, that means new games. And in his recent review of review of Hyrule Warriors, Warp Zoned’s Allen Jenkins suggests that the Zelda spinoff should be one of them.

But if you weren’t up to playing games, did you know that the controversial Seth Rogen/James Franco flick The Interview is now available to download through Xbox Live and other streaming services. Well, it is.

What else happened this week? Not much, but you can read all about it after the break.

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Posted in News |

Insert Quarter: 2014’s Interesting Achievements and Trophies

Posted on December 27, 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.

I’m not going to lie, I love Achievements/Trophies. It just makes me giddy to hear that little ding after I’ve completed some endeavor. Especially if it’s a difficult one. Game Informer’s Kyle Hilliard feels the same way and he compiled a list of ten games released this year that include great Achievements/Trophies. He and I also agree that the weird ones are the best:

I fall into the love camp, and these are some of my favorites from 2014. The achievements and trophies I find most interesting aren’t the ones that mark your progress in a storyline or reward you for attaining a certain number of headshots. I like the ones that force you to think outside of the normal functions of the game or reward you for doing something weird.

The full article is available for your perusal at Game Informer.

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

Daily Scoop: December 26, 2014 – Post-Christmas sales

Posted on December 26, 2014 by Nicole Kline

We had a pretty great Christmas yesterday, though I think Anthony is ready to murder me for the six new games I got. I also really want to use my Amazon points to buy a Wii U, which he is adamantly against. I’ll keep you posted, readers!

There are some great deals listed over at Kinja, like this Majora’s Mask for 3DS preorder – use code EMCWHHE53 to get the game for $34 (and a commenter pointed out that you can preorder it for $31.20 at Best Buy right now). They have lots of other game and tech deals there too, so you should check it out!

The PlayStation Network is having a Flash Sale as well, which lasts until 12/29. I think I might pick up the Tales from the Borderlands – Season Pass for $15.99, and The Walking Dead: Season Two for $6.25.

Of course, there are lots of sales at Steam today, like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for $7.49, Kerbal Space Program for $17.99, and Turbo Dismount for $3.39. And don’t forget about the Humble Store, where you can get early access to Nom Nom Galaxy for $4.99, as well as Wildstar for $19.99, and Little Inferno for $4.99.

And now: t-shirt time!

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