Atlus is free to develop new games in “dormant” Sega franchises after merger

Posted on November 29, 2013 by John Scalzo

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Sega and Atlus officially merged back in September and according to Naoya Tsurumi, Sega Sammy’s Chief Operating Officer, the melding of the two companies has gone swimmingly.

Speaking to Famitsu Magazine (via Siliconera), Tsurumi stated that Atlus will continue to exist as a separate publishing label and that the developers under the Atlus brand will operate independently of Sega, just as they do now. Tsurumi also revealed that Atlus has been given access to Sega’s “dormant” franchises and is free to use them to build new games if they so choose:

Famitsu: It must be reassuring to have added a group capable of making great RPG titles.

Tsurumi: While we have no intention of forcing this, we’d definitely love to have them utilize any of Sega’s dormant IPs.

Tsurumi didn’t specify which franchises he considered “dormant,” but this might be good news for fans of long-forgetten franchises like Space Channel 5, Shenmue, Jet Set Radio (all three of which last saw new entries in 2002), and many others.

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MGS5: The Phantom Pain will be released after gamers adopt next-gen systems in big numbers

Posted on November 29, 2013 by John Scalzo

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It’s hard to believe, but Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was only officially announced a little over a year ago. However, the notoriously chatty Hideo Kojima has been talking about the game for years, so it feels like its release should be just around the corner. That’s apparently not the case.

While it’s true that the game’s prologue, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes will be released next Spring, Kojima has revealed (to Famitsu, via Kotaku) that The Phantom Pain is actually much further away. Kojima was cornered by the weekly Japanese gaming magazine at this month’s PS4 launch event in New York City and told them, “It looks like we’ll be able to release The Phantom Pain around the time that the PlayStation 4 becomes widely [adopted].”

So how wide is “widely adopted”? 10 million consoles? 20 million? Who knows? And don’t forget, The Phantom Pain is also in development for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PS3. Presumably their userbases should be involved in this calculation as well.

This statement really is classic Kojima. He dropped a huge bombshell without actually saying anything specific. Bravo.

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

Nintendo Download: Sega 3D Classics, Contra III, Ninja Gaiden III, more

Posted on November 28, 2013 by John Scalzo

Nintendo rests for no holiday and this week’s Nintendo Download gives us plenty to be thankful. Especially if you’re a fan of retro games.

The Wii U eShop is now home to Contra III: The Alien Wars, the NES update to everyone’s favorite side-scrolling shooter. And over on the 3DS eShop, gamers on the go can now download Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, my favorite of the NES Ninja Gaidens. 3DS owners will also be able to download the first of Sega’s 3D Classics today as 3D Space Harrier and 3D Super Hang-On are both now available through the eShop.

Also available this week is Nintendo’s interactive Lourve app, Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre, Young Justice: Legacy, and a few more games you can read about after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Interview: Stasis Developer Christopher Bischoff Talks Sci-Fi, Scares, and South Africa

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Andrew Rainnie

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In the November edition of our Kickstart This! column, we briefly looked at the dark sci-fi world of Stasis, an isometric adventure game from Johannesburg-based game developer Christopher Bischoff. I recently chatted with the designer to delve further into the belly of the deserted spacecraft named Groomlake, along with old LucasArts titles, South African gaming, and an unheard-of cinematic gem from William Shatner.

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Posted in Features, Interviews, PC, Previews, Top Story | Tagged

Shovel Knight will break ground in 2014

Posted on November 27, 2013 by John Scalzo

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I am very thankful for Shovel Knight, the upcoming NES-styled platformer from Yacht Club Games. You might even say (bad pun incoming) that I dug the time I got to spend with the game at this year’s PAX East expo. But sadly, it looks like the game’s release (on the PC, Wii U, and 3DS) has been pushed into 2014.

Yacht Club’s Sean Velasco has informed us that Shovel Knight will definitely be released in 2014. While he couldn’t pinpoint an exact release date, the development team is hoping to release their first game in the Winter months.

Winter… snow… Shovel Knight. It all makes perfect sense to me.

Posted in 3DS, News, PC, Wii U | Tagged

XBL Store Today: Need For Speed: Rivals, Adventure Time 2

Posted on November 27, 2013 by John Scalzo

needforspeedrivals-boxThere’s no new additions to the Xbox Live Arcade today. Nor is there any new Xbox One games. But two new games have been added to the Xbox 360 Games On Demand storefront. And they are…

Need For Speed: Rivals ($59.99)
Welcome to Redview County, where a street-racing rivalry between cops and racers never stops as both sides compete in an all-out war featuring the fastest cars, mods and technology in a gritty open road environment. Play as either a cop or racer, where each side of the law has its own set of high stakes challenges, rewards and consequences. Risk everything in the ultimate high stakes rivalry.

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW! ($39.99)
Princess Bubblegum summons Finn and Jake to investigate a rash of thefts and kidnappings that have plagued the Candy Kingdom. She thinks the cause lies within her Secret Royal Dungeon, where only the nastiest monsters and criminals are locked up. If they’ve found a way to escape, the Land of Ooo will be in danger! Show creator Pendleton Ward teams up again with developer WayForward in an all-new action game! Select from fan favorite characters from the show, including Finn, Jake, and many more, and team up with your friends in four-player co-operative multiplayer as the Adventure Time world comes to life through beautiful pixel animations, and voiceover from the original cast.

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Daily Scoop: November 27, 2013 – Get ready to get thankful

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Nicole Kline

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and everyone’s been posting on social media networks the last few days about what they’re most thankful for. This morning I realized that one of the things I’m most thankful for has to be when I actually get on the bus and there aren’t crazy people on it. Last night and this morning I sat down near crazy people who just sat and said insanely hostile things loud enough for everyone around them to hear them, for the entire bus ride. I’m thankful for every time that doesn’t happen. What are you thankful for, friendly readers? Fantastic Achievements? Brutal gameplay? Games that lack QTEs?

Speaking of thankfulness, there are tons of sales about to drop in the next few days, and I’m not sure what to look at first. I’m interested in picking up the Zelda 3DS XL special edition at Target for $150, but I don’t really need the game or the system. I would love to have an XL, but I don’t, you know, need it. And, as always, there are more deals at Amazon. Is it bad that I’m amused that no one is picking up Remember Me at $19.99?

And now, the t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Nintendo’s interactive Louvre musuem guide is coming to 3DS eShop

Posted on November 27, 2013 by John Scalzo

3dslouvreNintendo has announced that the interactive museum guide they created for The Louvre (and which was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto himself) will soon be added to the 3DS eShop. The downloadable app, known as Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre, will be released on December 2 with a $19.99 price tag.

The Louvre app includes “more than 600 images of artwork from the famed French museum” as well as 400 3D pictures of famous sculptures. Each images can be zoomed in so users can closely examine works of art that are actually located thousands of miles away. More than 30 hours of commentary will complement the images for a complete learning experience.

An “artwork slide show,” which isn’t available through the 3DS app provided at The Louvre, has been added to the 3DS eShop version. And as the museum’s exhibits change, Nintendo plans to make updates to Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre app available to the app’s users.

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