Daily Scoop: January 30, 2014 – Headache edition

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Nicole Kline

Some days, you wake up and you just want to party all day. Other days, you wake up with a massive headache and can’t quite shake it, no matter what you do. Sadly, today is one of those days. I’ve been home all day trying to fight it, and it’s finally starting to break. I can even look at a computer screen now, which is an improvement over this morning.

There are some great deals happening right now. If you’re not familiar with Insert Coin Clothing, then their Epic Sale is the best way for you to get acclimated with them. They have some of the best video game-themed clothing and accessories on the entire Internet, and I strongly encourage you to check them out!

Other than that, there isn’t much else going on. Steam’s latest weekend deal is all about Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, which has tons of great sales. The Humble Store has a few great new sales happening – you can get The Floor is Jelly for $8.99, Octodad: Dadliest Catch for $11.99, or rymdkapsel for $7.19.

As always, I’ve got a few good shirts for you:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

LocoCycle wheelies onto XBLA and PC on February 14

Posted on January 30, 2014 by John Scalzo

twistedpixellogoThe reviews were unkind to Twisted Pixel’s LocoCycle when it launched for the Xbox One in November. But perhaps time, and a jump to the Xbox Live Arcade and PC, will encourage gamers to revisit the story of a sentient battle motorcycle named I.R.I.S., her Mexican mechanic, and the evil government agents that are after both of them. I guess we’ll find out for sure when LocoCycle is released on the XBLA and Steam platforms on February 14.

To celebrate this news, Twisted Pixel has decided to give away a custom Xbox 360 console that refer to as “Knight Ridery.” Full details (and a picture of one of the coolest 360s I’ve ever seen) about the contest are available at PlayXBLA Blog, but it looks like you’ll have to purchase LocoCycle sometime between February 14 and February 28 to enter.

To that end, Twisted Pixel has also announced that LocoCycle will be priced at $9.99 on the Xbox Live Arcade and Steam.

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Nintendo Download: Zelda: Link to the Past, Mario Bros., Wii Fit U, more

Posted on January 30, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Another pair of classic titles are now available to download thanks to this week’s Nintendo Download. The Wii U eShop is now home to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past while the 3DS eShop has been invaded by the crabs from the original and non-super Mario Bros.

If you’re looking for something original, a trio of new games have also been added to the 3DS eShop…

  • Castle Clout 3D is a physics-based smasher that’s reminiscent of Angry Birds.
  • Arc Style: Solitaire is a solitaire compilation from the people who make the Guilty Gear series of fighting games.
  • Touch Battle Tank 3D 2 is an overhead shooter featuring… you guessed it… tanks.

Finally, tomorrow is the last day to download the free 30-day trial of Wii Fit U. Beginning February 1, the exercise program will revert to its regular $29.99 price on the Wii U eShop.

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

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Nintendo’s Plan: Mario Kart 8 in May, DS games on Wii U, more third party development deals

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Dan Hobbs

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In an investor’s briefing over night, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata outlined the company’s plan to come back from an incredibly poor performance in 2013. Nintendo plans on improving the Wii U, nailing down a launch window for one of their biggest 2014 releases, and pushing their business into other areas. However, I don’t know if the Big N is heading in quite the right direction.

First off – and most importantly for those who already own a Wii U – Mario Kart 8 is finding its way to shelves this May. That’s not just a Japanese release date either; that is worldwide. This newest entry in the series introduces anti-gravity courses, allowing races to move to the walls and ceilings.

In other Wii U news, DS titles are coming to the system’s Virtual Console service. Iwata said that the firm had “overcome technical hurdles” to allow the portable games to work on the big screen. “The dual-screen Nintendo DS, one of which is a touch screen, has a very strong software lineup, and so we plan to add the Virtual Console titles from Nintendo DS software to the future Virtual Console lineup for Wii U,” confirmed the boss. No titles or launch dates have been offered up so far. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t Nintendo also bring DS titles to 3DS and not the other way around. Anyway…

The Wii U is going to get a “Quick Start” menu this Summer. Iwata stated that the 20-30 second boot time for the Wii U impairs the system’s simplicity of use. To solve this – because system firmware updates have not in the past – another firmware update will patch in a new, faster start-up menu that will enable instant game access.

The new boot-up sequence, which is featured in a video on Nintendo’s site, will immediately display a simple menu of recently played icons on the GamePad screen. Tap the game you wish to play, then select your Mii, and the system bypasses the slow main menu and directly loads the game.

Nintendo wasn’t done yet.

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Capcom will release Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for 3DS in early 2015

Posted on January 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

Capcom has announced that they will bring Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate to the 3DS in early 2015. MH4 Ultimate is an enhanced and expanded re-release of Monster Hunter 4, which was released in Japan in September. The Japanese version of Ultimate, which is known as Monster Hunter 4G, will be released in its home country this Fall.

To help get western fans excited for MH4 Ultimate, Producer Ryozo Tsujimoto has created the above video and revealed a few details about the game. With MH4 Ultimate, Capcom wants to “evolve the series in a new direction” by including more vertical movement and “more multiplayer options than ever before.” In a first for the series, those options will include local wireless play and online muliplayer.

Capcom has promised more details about Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will be revealed soon.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

Daily Scoop: January 29, 2014 – So many t-shirts today!

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Nicole Kline

Hey everyone! There are a ton of t-shirts today, so I hope you’re in need of a few more! You might not be able to resist some of these.

There are a few digital deals happening today. If you head over to the Humble Store, you can get Gnomoria for $1.99 and Retro/Grade for $2.49, as well as Steam Marines for $4.99. Over at Steam, you can get Game Dev Tycoon for $4.99.

But I know why you’re really here… for the shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Nintendo President cuts salary in wake of poor Wii U sales

Posted on January 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

Nintendo’s President, Satoru Iwata, has already apologized to shareholders for the poor sales performance of the Wii U in 2013. But now the beleaguered executive is going one step further and slashing his salary to atone for Nintendo’s overly optimistic Wii U sales forecast.

Iwata will take a 50% reduction in his salary for the next six months. At that time, if Nintendo is still hurting financially, Iwata said he may continue to discount his salary through the Summer and beyond. Other members of Nintendo’s Board of Directors, including legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, will also reduce their salaries by 20 to 30 percent.

This isn’t the first time Iwata has cut his salary to save face in front of investors. In 2011, poor sales of the 3DS also forced Iwata to take a 50% pay cut.

[Source: AFP]

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

XBL Store Today: Tomb Raider Xbox One, Rekoil, Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver

Posted on January 29, 2014 by John Scalzo

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After taking a few weeks off for Christmas and New Year’s, Microsoft is back with another Xbox Live Game Store update.

Today, Xbox One owners can download Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, the ultimate version of Lara Croft’s latest adventure. Also available today is Rekoil: Liberator, an arena shooter for the Xbox Live Arcade, and Hot Wheels: World’s Best Driver, a new Hot Wheels racing game downloadable through the Xbox 360 Games on Demand service.

More details on this trio of games can be found after the break.

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Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged