Daily Scoop: December 18, 2014 – Steam uses sale. It’s super effective!

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Nicole Kline

If there’s one thing our wallets can always rely on, it’s a crippling Steam sale. Right now, State of Decay is $4.99, Dark Souls II is $14.79, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is $13.39, SpeedRunners is $2.49… the list goes on and on. Just head on over to Steam now and check it out. You’ve been both warned and encouraged!

There’s a brand new Humble Weekly Bundle up right now, and it’s the RPG Edition: Book 1. Pay what you want for Skara – The Blade Remains (Early Access Starter Package, Alpha Kimori: Episode One, and Avadon 2: The Corruption. Beat the average to unlock Consortium, Fighting Fantasy: The Forest of Doom, and Deep Dungeons of Doom. Pay $10 or more to unlock Halfway.

Let’s wrap this up with a few cool t-shirts…

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Nintendo Download: Mega Man Zero, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, more

Posted on December 18, 2014 by John Scalzo

nintendoeshop-header

Nintendo is saving the majority of their eShop surprises for Christmas Day, but there are a few interesting odds and ends making their way to the company’s digital storefront today.

For example, Wii U owners can now tackle Mega Man Zero through the Virtual Console. Mega Man Zero was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2002 and is considered by fans to be one of the hardest games in the entire series. Retro gaming fans who own a Wii U might also want to check out Natsume Championship Wrestling, a Super NES game that was also added to the Virtual Console service today.

Elsewhere on the eShop, Konami has finally made Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D available to download. The 3DS port of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was originally released for the handheld in 2012.

More details on all of these games (as well as a few more) can be found after the break.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Telltale Games teases a “super secret surprise announcement”

Posted on December 18, 2014 by John Scalzo

telltale-logoTelltale Games has had a very busy year. They completed development on The Walking Dead Season 2 and The Wolf Among Us over the Spring and Summer before moving on to the launch of Tales From the Borderlands and Game of Thrones this Fall. And both of those episodic titles will be completed in 2015 before the developer rolls right into The Walking Dead Season 3. But they’re not done yet.

According to the Job Stauffer, their Director of Public Relations, the company has plans to make a “super secret surprise announcement” as early as today:

Not only that, but Stauffer later said that the announcement isn’t “directly related” with anything they’ve released this year:

So what does Telltale have up their sleeve? Hopefully we’ll find out soon…

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

The world rejoices… Mario Maker will let players share their levels online

Posted on December 18, 2014 by John Scalzo

When Nintendo unveiled Mario Maker during this year’s E3 Expo, everyone wondered if the slightly Internet-averse company would allow players to share their creations online. Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, recently sat down for an interview with iJustine (embedded above), and it looks like we finally have our answer. It looks like Nintendo has listened to our pleas and will allow online sharing of player-created levels:

Miyamoto: “You’ll be able to see what happens when other people play your course. Or when you play other people’s courses there will be some popularity rankings for the most popular courses. Things like that. There’s a lot on the community side you can do.”

In case we didn’t get it, Miyamoto later added: “Yes, we will have the Internet ability to exchange courses as well.”

Mario Maker will be released sometime in the first half of 2015 exclusively for the Wii U. It will be the first salvo in what will surely be a big year for the Italian plumber as the original Super Mario Bros. will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2015.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Turtle Rock unveils Evolve’s third Monster, Wraith, and beta test details

Posted on December 18, 2014 by John Scalzo

If the Monster you’re unveiling is an invisible she-beast that can kill you without being seen, can it really be called an unveiling? That’s the question we’ll have to grapple with as Turtle Rock Studios has released a trailer showcasing Evolve‘s third monster design, Wraith. Writing on the game’s official website, Turtle Rock laid out the four attacks that make Wraith more of a deadly assassin than an out-and-out brawler:

  • Warp Blast allows Wraith to travel almost instantly to a target and create an explosion wherever she lands, dealing damage to everything around her.
  • Her Decoy ability spawns a dangerous clone of herself that attacks targets while distracting the Hunters. With the Decoy deployed, Wraith becomes invisible and the Decoy can be used strategically to escape from combat or allow the player to re-position themselves for surprise attacks.
  • Abduction steals hunters away from their teammates. During an abduction attack, Wraith travels large distances, grabs the target, and returns to her original location all within the blink of an eye.
  • Supernova creates a large arena for Wraith to fight in. Inside the Supernova, Wraith becomes a frenzied melee beast of pure energy as her scythe-like blades cut down just about anything in their path. If Wraith leaves the Supernova area, she returns to her normal state.

For an even more in-depth look at Wraith, Turtle Rock has released an extended Interactive Trailer featuring a full battle between four Hunters and a Wraith. You can find it after the break.

In other Evolve news, the developer has announced that Xbox One owners will be able to take part in an open beta test on January 15. PC players will be able to jump into the test on January 16 with PS4 players following a day later on the 17th. However, neither of these platforms will have an open test. On the PS4, participants will be limited to those that played Evolve’s “Big Alpha.” “Big Alpha” players will also get in on the beta on the PC and they’ll be joined by owners of Left 4 Dead or BioShock Infinite, who will also receive invites. More details about each platform’s beta test can be found at Evolve’s official website.

Evolve will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on February 10.

Press Start to Continue →

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

Shovel Knight will be available on PlayStation platforms “early next year”

Posted on December 18, 2014 by John Scalzo

shovelknight-header

In a new update to their Kickstarter backers, Yacht Club Games has revealed that Shovel Knight will be released for the PS3, PS4, and Vita in early 2015:

Maybe you haven’t heard the exciting news, but Shovel Knight is branching out on to other platforms for adventure. Early next year, Shovel Knight will make his debut on Playstation platforms: PS3, PS4, and PSVita! Along with this extremely exciting development in the legend of Shovel Knight, a guest character that you are all familiar with will be meeting our stalwart, blue knight: Kratos from the God of War series!

Yes, that’s right. Steel will strike against steel as Shovel Knight’s Shovel Blade challenges Kratos’ Blades of Chaos in a battle for the ages. The team is also hard at work on the Plague Knight campaign, which will be available to all owners of the game as a free downloadable update:

The pedal is to the proverbial metal on Plague Knight! We are working full time on update content (Plague Knight, Body Swap Mode, and Battle Mode!), and it’s shaping up to be amazing. The Plague Knight campaign will be the first content released, and it’s feeling like a whole new adventure already! A new relic system! New characters and bosses! Remixed content! On that subject, we’re going to share a little detail. Mona, who runs the potion minigame in the village, will have a vastly expanded role…

There’s no ETA on when the Plague Knight campaign will be released, but you can head over to Kickstarter for a peek at a few design sketches featuring Mona.

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

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will be released for the PS4 in Fall 2015

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Nicole Kline

16038327282_f4a9021206_z

NIS America has been busy with a lot of announcements! The most recent one, and definitely my favorite, is that Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will be coming to the PlayStation 4 in Fall 2015 in North America and Europe. Here’s what players can expect, according to the PlayStation Blog:

As a new and terrible Overlord named Void Dark seeks to enslave the countless Netherworlds, one young demon has stood to end his reign — Killia. In Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance, you will lead Killia and his tenacious army of rebels in their struggle against Dark Void. Along their dark path to vengeance, you will encounter more hilarious writing, over-the-top animations, and absurd damage numbers than anyone has seen in a Disgaea game. Ever.

It’s a tale of revenge and rebellion that is sure to be chock-full of that trademark Disgaea hilarity. There are some new features, including Alliance Attacks, which depend on relationships between characters; and Revenge Mode, which boosts your character stats based on – you guessed it – revenge. There’s also the ability to explore the Netherworlds in more detail.

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will be out in North America and Europe in the Fall of 2015 for the PlayStation 4.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged

Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse will be released for Wii U on December 25

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Anthony Amato

B5AwfdECUAAPRfqFor those of you who like to spend Christmas Day gaming, if you have a Wii U, you’ll be getting an extra special treat. WayForward Technologies has announced via their Twitter feed that Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse will be available on Christmas Day in North America. The game will cost $19.99 on the Wii U eShop.

I’m sure some of you will agree with the hashtag WayForward added to their tweet: #BestPresentEver!

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged