Nintendo Download: Mega Man Battle Network, Lego Ninjago: Nindroids, more

Posted on July 31, 2014 by John Scalzo

nintendoeshop-header

After busting up the 3DS eShop during “Mega May,” Capcom’s longtime mascot will take a swipe at the Wii U in August. Every week, a classic Mega Man game will be added to the Wii U eShop. Best of all, they’re kicking things off today, on what is technically the last day of July, with Mega Man Battle Network. Battle Network Mega Man’s first foray into RPGs and it launched an entire series of games as well as multiple spinoffs. Perhaps we’ll see some of them again over the next few weeks.

A different kind of robot warrior stars in this week’s major 3DS release, Lego Ninjago: Nindroids. The latest Lego game from WB Games and TT Games, it’s based on the television show of the same name and transports the Lego Ninjago ninjas into a sci-fi setting.

Other games added to the eShop today include….

  • XType Plus (Wii U), a vertically-scrolling shooter.
  • Frederic: Resurrection of Music (Wii U), a piano-playing game of “musical duels.”
  • IQ Test (Wii U), a puzzling game to challenge your intellect.
  • Tangram Attack (Wii U), a Tangram-type puzzler.
  • Steel Empire (3DS), a portable remake of the Genesis/GBA shooter.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Kickstart This! The Common Creative Wealth Edition

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Andrew Rainnie

For all the sports fans out there who are saddened by the end of the World Cup and Wimbledon, fear not! The Commonwealth Games have kicked off in my backyard in the Scottish city of Glasgow. The royal baton ran right by my house last week, and it was great to see so many people out in the typically wet Glaswegian weather, clapping and cheering the baton bearers on.

Of course, this is what we do with Kickstart This! We pick out projects that we want to see succeed, and cheer them on along with all of our readers around the world. It’s humbling to think that somehow our words have managed to bring just enough extra donations to make the difference between a game being released and a development team drowning their sorrows in a stale pint of beer.

So which games do we have the need to see succeed in this edition? First off is the cartoony tower defense game Fire With Fire, followed by comical point-and-click adventure Kaptain Brawe 2: A Space Travesty. After that, we jump into 2D foodie platformer Bacon Man, cutesy platformer Snot, and, last but not least, Subject 13, a new 3D adventure thriller from Flashback creator Paul Cuisset.

On your mark, get set, go!

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Posted in Features, Mobile, PC, Top Story, Wii U | Tagged

Daily Scoop: July 31, 2014 – I’ve got a new little cousin!

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Nicole Kline

OK, so it’s not breaking video game news, but it’s pretty exciting news to me: I’ve got a brand new baby cousin! He’s a pretty cute little dude and I can’t wait to meet him. I’ll have him playing games on my DS in no time!

There’s a brand new Humble Weekly Bundle, and this one is all about sci Fi! Pay what you want for Velocity Ultra, early access to Cosmic DJ, and Q.U.B.E.. Pay $6 or more to unlock The Fall, Strike Suit Infinity, and Strike Vector. Pay $15 or more to unlock The Last Federation.

There’s some great stuff happening at Steam, too! The Weekend Deal is Transistor for $13.39. You definitely don’t want to miss out on that gorgeous game! The Daily Deal is Red Faction Guerrilla for the ludicrously low price of $1.99. Scoop ’em up!

Let’s check out today’s t-shirts, shall we?

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

F1 2014 will be released on October 21; F1 2015 in the works for next-gen consoles

Posted on July 31, 2014 by John Scalzo

Codemasters has announced that F1 2014 will take the checkered flag on the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on October 21. F1 2014 will be the final Formula 1 sim for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and Codemasters wants to ensure its their best version yet:

F1 2014 will incorporate this season’s seismic rule changes – the most significant in the sport’s 60 year history – including new aerodynamic regulations and turbocharged power units. All but two teams have changed their driver line-ups and new circuits have been added to the roster. Players will experience how 2014’s radically different new cars feel to drive as the season’s cars, circuits and teams are authentically represented.

Codemasters will also add a new difficulty-scaling system to F1 2014 to make it more accessible for new players and more difficult for experts:

A new driver evaluation system quickly identifies player ability and tunes game settings to an appropriate level, whilst re-graded difficulty settings enable players to compete at incrementally higher levels as they become more experienced. Experienced gamers, who enjoy a more serious simulation of the demands placed upon Formula One drivers, can customise their settings to provide a true challenge.

The developer also revealed that they’ll make the next-generation leap beginning next year with the currently untitled F1 2015, which will be available sometime next Spring for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Codemasters plans to release regular digital updates as the season progresses to keep the game updated, “enabling players to compete against the drivers and teams they watch week in and week out.”

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

Retail-ready Killer Instinct: Combo Breaker Pack launching this Fall

Posted on July 31, 2014 by John Scalzo

killerinstinct-retailboxA lot of people were skeptical when Microsoft announced that their Killer Instinct revival would be free-to-play. But the Xbox One launch title has won the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere… so naturally Microsoft is responding with a special retail release.

The “Killer Instinct: Combo Breaker Pack” will be available on September 23 and it’ll include all eight characters from the game’s first season (Jago, Sabrewulf, Glacius, Thunder, Sadira, Orchid, Spinal, and Fulgore) as well as a download code for TJ Combo, one of the characters in line for Season 2.

The “Killer Instinct: Combo Breaker Pack” can be yours for $19.99.

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged

XBL Store Today: AirMech Arena

Posted on July 30, 2014 by John Scalzo

You had me at “transforming mechs,” Ubisoft. You had me at “transforming mechs.”

Ubisoft and developer Carbon Games have brought their free-to-play action strategy game AirMech Arena to the Xbox Live Arcade today. The game offers more than 60 mechs that can transform from flying vehicles to walking robots of death at the push of a button and it looks a little like the Transformers game we’ve always wanted…

AirMech Arena (Free)
AirMech Arena is a highly competitive fast-paced real-time strategy game, where players team up AirMechs to amass unrelenting combat forces and destroy the enemy team’s fortress. In the future, the last survivors of the Great War continue their fight with the ultimate war machine: the AirMech. Created using lost technology, Pilots have found, salvaged, or stolen AirMechs that they use to protect the weak, or to pillage. Which side do you fight for?

Be sure to check out the launch trailer above.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: July 30, 2014 – Just some deals

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Nicole Kline

It’s a pretty typical Wednesday, with some pretty typical deals and shirts. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t click on all these links – it just means, you know, there’s nothing crazy happening.

The Daily Deal at the Humble Store is Darksiders for $4.99, and they’ve also got Final Fantasy III for $7.99, and Thief for $9.99. Over at Steam, the Daily Deal is FTL: Faster Than Light for $3.39.

There’s a brand new bundle at Indie Royale today – the Debut 16 Bundle.

Beat the minimum to get Prelogate, QbQbQb, Mind Dead, Cyberpunk 3776, Elements: Soul of Fire, Intergalactic Bubbles, and Alcarys Complex.

Finally, there’s just one shirt today, but it’s a pretty good one!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Deep Silver acquires rights to Homefront: The Revolution from Crytek

Posted on July 30, 2014 by John Scalzo

homefronttherevolution

Crytek’s money problems just will not go away. Last month, rumors began to swirl that the high-profile developer wasn’t paying their employees and had canceled several major projects. Today, Deep Silver announced that they have acquired all rights to Homefront: The Revolution. The deal also includes 2011’s Homefront, which Crytek obtained at the THQ bankruptcy auction.

The story behind Homefront: The Revolution is one of the more complicated tales in the entire industry. THQ originally announced the shooter sequel a few months after the successful launch of the original Homefront. Crytek was on board as the developer from the beginning and they assigned the game to their Crytek UK team. Then came THQ’s bankruptcy woes and everyone stayed quiet on the Homefront until this year’s E3 Expo, when Homefront: The Revolution was officially unveiled.

Due to Crytek’s inexperience in the self-publishing arena, they recruited Deep Silver to distribute the game and stand in as something like a co-publisher. So this acquisition likely won’t disrupt development too much. However, the game is moving from Crytek UK to Deep Silver Dambuster Studios. Both studios are located in Nottingham, so I’m curious to know how many former Crytek UK employees have jumped ship to Deep Silver’s new endeavor.

Hopefully, Homefront: The Revolution is still on track for a 2015 release.

UPDATE: Crytek has confirmed that all members of the Homefront team will transfer to Deep Silver Dambuster.

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