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Superheroic avengers are on call for this midday update.
Kevin Conroy is likely the most beloved actor ever to take on the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne, and he had some things to say this weekend about the future of the Batman: Arkham series. Also, Bungie is very happy with the first-week response to Destiny 2.
Both stories can be found after the break.
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Morning! Nintendo will host their next Nintendo Direct presentation this week, 2K Games has unveiled the new Cavs-less cover for NBA 2K18, and the Switch might be getting an Achievement/Trophy system in a future update.
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Are you ready for some… video games? September is here, and so is the Fall gaming rush. Here’s what game publishers have lined up for release this week…
New entries in a big batch of sports franchises lead the way. EA Sports and 2K Games will square off on the basketball court with NBA Live 18 (PS4, Xbox One) and NBA 2K18: Early Tip-Off Edition (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One). Elsewhere on retail shelves this week, Konami goes for the goal with Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One), EA Sports comes around again with NHL 18 (PS4, Xbox One), and the checkered flag goes to NASCAR Heat 2 (PS4, Xbox One).
Samus Aran isn’t a sports star, but she can contort herself into a tight ball. The intergalactic bounty hunter will have to employ that trick, and many more, to defeat the Metroid menace in Metroid: Samus Returns. Originally released as Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Game Boy, this 3DS re-release boasts a beautiful new art style and revamped combat options.
Speaking of combat, Bethesda and Arkane return with another chapter in the Dishonored saga this week. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (PC, PS4, Xbox One) introduces players to a new protagonist, and asks them to kill a god. A big adventure also awaits players who take on NIS America’s Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, which will be available this week for the PS4 and Vita.
Finally this week, things take a turn to 2D with Ubisoft’s launch of Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition for the Switch.
A complete list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break.
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The NFL kicked off its 2017-2018 season last night, and the first full slate of games will take place this Sunday… so today’s Xbox Games Store update is a little light. But fans of side-scrolling puzzle platformers (Walk the Light) and retro re-releases (Blue’s Journey) will find something new to play.
You can learn more about both games right here:
Xbox One Games
Walk the Light
A unique puzzle game where you control a mysterious light source to help Charlie escape the caverns he’s been trapped in. Use an assortment of light shapes to tackle each puzzle set before you! Overcome traps and pits to reach the exit of each stage!Blue’s Journey
Blue’s Journey is a side-scrolling action game released by SNK in 1991. In order to save the planet Raguy from the invasion of the Daruma tribe, the hero Blue must fight using leaves, boomerangs, and a variety of other weapons along with his special ability to change his body size. The branching stages allow you to enjoy the game again and again.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was a divisive entry in the Call of Duty canon, and Infinity Ward has announced plans to close the book on the futuristic shooter next week with the release of the Retribution DLC Pack. As always, players who purchase the expansion will get to add four new multiplayer maps to the game:
Multiplayer Maps in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Retribution DLC Pack
- Carnage – A post-apocalyptic race track along the California coast, Carnage features long sightlines and environmental hazards including a fire trap players can activate on command to roast their enemies.
- Heartland – In Heartland, teams will go head-to-head in a simulation of small town America that is a re-imagining of the classic Call of Duty: Ghosts map, Warhawk. Players can pop into the local ice cream shop for a treat, and then take out enemies down the street with a Black Hole Generator.
- Altitude – Set in a high-end, sky high shopping mall located on the edges of the universe, Altitude pushes teams around a chaotic center where quick flank routes are key to victory. Additional features include floating lush waterfalls that border the map.
- Depot 22 – Depot 22 is a watering hole at the end of civilization that focuses on mid-ranged encounters waged in a medium-sized, three-lane map. Players can battle in the cantina for close-quarter combat or engage with enemies wall-running off of a moving train.
The Retribution DLC Pack will also include “The Beast from Beyond,” a Zombies episode that riffs on Alien:
The Beast from Beyond, the final chapter of the five-part Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies experience, features the return of Willard Wyler, the enigmatic movie director villain. Wyler has once again trapped the four protagonists inside an all-new horror film, now set in a desolate military station on a distant ice planet.
As players begin to discover more and more infected crew members, they’ll need to battle hordes of the undead to uncover the truth and escape Wyler’s films once and for all. The Beast from Beyond also features new weapons, traps and more, in addition to the hallmark Call of Duty action, in a setting that is sure to include pulse-pounding moments.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare’s Retribution DLC Pack will be available to download for the PS4 on September 12. PC and Xbox One owners will get the chance to purchase it a month later, but for now, everyone can watch two new trailers for the expansion after the break.
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Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at how Super Mario Kart strengthened and shattered friendships after it debuted in 1992. Here’s a teaser…
Even from its earliest days, the personalities behind the video game industry looked to pro wrestling’s combination of spectacle and soap opera for tips on how to behave. This dedication to competition came to a head in the early 90s when Nintendo and Sega engaged in the first “Console War.”
Beginning with the “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” campaign in 1990, Sega began mercilessly picking at their rival over a variety of claims, some provable and some not. But that was just a warm-up for the infamous “Blast Processing” campaign and Nintendo’s eventual reply of asking their fans to “Play It Loud.” The Genesis and Super NES used these advertisements to compete in a head-to-head contest for the love and support of gamers everywhere, but the heaviest fighting actually took place on playgrounds and lunch tables between kids that weren’t even old enough to shave.
No game better symbolized this battleground of friend-versus-friend than Super Mario Kart.
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L.A. Noire‘s focus on detective work has made it one of the most unique games of the last decade, and fans who missed it the first time around will get the chance to try it out this November, as Rockstar has announced plans to re-release it for the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch this November.
Owing to the different strengths of the Switch and the PS4/Xbox One, Rockstar is producing two relatively unique versions of the game. Both versions will include the full game and all previously-release downloadable content, but players on the PS4/Xbox One will be able to experience L.A. Noire in 1080p with “enhanced lighting and clouds, new cinematic camera angles, high resolution textures, and more.” And those who’ve upgraded to the PS4 Pro or Xbox One X will be able to play the game in 4K resolution.
Meanwhile, the Switch version of the game will include a special “Joy-Con Mode” with gesture-based controls, as well as HD Rumble support, new wide and over-the-shoulder camera angles, and “contextual touch screen controls for portable detective work.”
Rockstar will also launch a special mini-version of L.A. Noire for the HTC Vive known as L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files. “Rebuilt specifically for virtual reality,” players will be able to slip on a headset and play through seven self-contained cases from L.A. Noire in virtual reality.
“We’re excited to bring L.A. Noire’s unique mix of real detective work, classic Hollywood atmosphere and thrilling action to these new platforms,” said Sam Houser, the Founder of Rockstar Games. “Now with a choice of spectacular virtual reality, stunning 4K, or the freedom of portable play, these enhanced versions are a perfect opportunity for players to experience this richly detailed world in a whole new way.”
L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files and L.A. Noire for the PS4, Xbox One, and Switch will be released on November 14.
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