Brainiac does his best Doctor Octopus impression in this new Injustice 2 trailer

Posted on April 24, 2017 by John Scalzo

After appearing in comic books for more than 50 years, and with a headlining role in 2004’s Spider-Man 2, Marvel’s Doctor Octopus and his metal tentacles are inseparable in the minds of most comics fans. But DC’s Brainiac will borrow the handy appendages for his appearance in Injustice 2:

Brainiac is a megalomaniacal genius who roams the universe, collecting knowledge to increase his intellectual and scientific prowess. Obsessed with establishing his superiority, Brainiac captured Krypton’s greatest cities, then eradicated what remained…or so he thought. Tales of the “Last Son of Krypton” have reached far into the stars. Now, the Collector of Worlds comes to Earth to finish his accumulation of Krypton — and discovers a new world worthy of his collection.

Set to serve as the final boss in Injustice 2, Brainiac was first spotted laying waste to Earth in last week’s “Shattered Alliances Part 5” trailer. His new “Introducing Brainiac” trailer, which includes almost two minutes of gameplay, has been embedded above.

NetherRealm Studios plans to reveal 11 more characters for Injustice 2, but they better hurry, the game will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on May 16.

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Bluepoint Games is remaking “a classic” game for current-gen consoles

Posted on April 24, 2017 by John Scalzo

Bluepoint Games is best known as the development team behind remakes such as Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, God of War Collection, and The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection. They’ve built quite a niche for themselves over the years, and it looks like they’re going to revisit another game from yesteryear in the very near future.

Several listings on their Employment Opportunities page have confirmed that Bluepoint is working on a remake of “a classic” game for current-generation consoles:

We are passionately at work remaking a classic for current-gen game systems, growing our capabilities as a team and raising the bar for what fans anticipate from us.

Unfortunately, that small bit of text is our only hint at what the Austin-based developer is working on next. We’ll just have to wait and see which “classic” game will receive the remake treatment next.

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the NES fangame transforms Breath of the Wild into an 8-bit adventure

Posted on April 24, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo famously created an 8-bit prototype of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to help the development team get acclimated to working with its many interlocking systems. Fans have been clamoring for a chance to play this prototype since its reveal, but Nintendo doesn’t appear to be in any rush to make it available for public use.

Naturally, a dedicated Nintendo fan, Winter Drake, has decided to create a playable version of the prototype in his spare time.

The fangame is known as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the NES, and a demo is currently available as a free download through Itch.io. Nintendo is usually quick to ask their lawyers to issue a “Cease and Desist” order when their characters are used in a fan-created game, but the developer of Breath of the NES has vowed to finish at any costs. Specifically, they told Kotaku that he plans to swap out Link and his Hyrulian enemies with original characters when the time comes:

“When a lot of people hear about this project, they jump to worrying about a cease and desist from Nintendo,” Winter Drake told Kotaku. “While I’m going to stay hardworking on Breath of the NES for as long as I can, if Nintendo asks me to stop using their IP, I do plan to continue development with my own original characters. I’m having way too much fun creating this world to just give up.”

Winter Drake also said they’re not creating a direct conversion of Breath of the Wild, but want to “capture the spirit” of the game:

“This project is still in its early stages… I’ll be adding more areas with distinct elements and atmospheres, puzzle elements for dungeons, and lots of ways to creatively kill enemies,” Winter Drake, the developer behind Breath of the NES, told Kotaku.

“I have a lot of plans for original features in the game, and although I’d like to capture the spirit of BotW and NES Zelda, I’m not restricting myself to be perfectly faithful.”

Winter Drake will be providing additional updates on Breath of the NES’s development on Twitter.

Posted in News, PC, Retro, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

Splatoon manga coming to North America in Fall 2017

Posted on April 24, 2017 by John Scalzo

CoroCoro Comics published a manga series based on Nintendo’s Splatoon in Japan after the game’s launch in 2015. Serialized in CoroCoro magazine, the series, which was written and illustrated by Sankichi Hinodeya, was eventually compiled in two volumes.

This weekend, Viz Media announced (via Twitter) that they’re translating it into English for a North American release this Fall.

We don’t currently have any more details than that, but fans will get the chance to dive back into the world of Splatoon this July when Splatoon 2 launches for the Nintendo Switch.

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Daily Scoop: April 24, 2017 – Nicole is on top secret assignment

Posted on April 24, 2017 by Holly Scalzo

Hi, Scoopers! I’m not Nicole. Sorry about that. Nicole is on top secret assignment in the Amazon, or possibly she’s just using Amazon.com, and will be away for a bit. But, fear! I am here! Yes, I did mean that rather than “never fear,” because she has set really high standards for the Scoop (plus she scares me a little) and I do not want those angry Hogwarts-esque Howlers delivered by toucan when I screw this up! Now, to the sales!

There are several eye-gougingly great sales (as in, if you were trying to buy these games in a store, the deals are so good that you’d all be trying to gouge other shoppers’ eyes out to get them? Okay, I need to work on my adjectives, noted). Amazon has a good sale today on Lego Dimensions and its expansions, including 25% off the Starter Pack and 25-50% off Level Packs including Portal 2, Doctor Who, Sonic the Hedgehog, Back to the Future, and Scooby Doo.

Steam has Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 for 25% off until noon (Eastern Time), as well as an all-day deal on The Flame in the Flood for $7.49.

GOG is doing Full Throttle Remastered for $11.99. Also at GOG, Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell is $3.74, plus you can get the Full Series Bundle (which also includes the Devil’s Workshop Pack add-on, Saints Row 2, Saints Row: The Third, and Saints Row IV) for only $24.45. Not too shabby!

Now for shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Jackbox Party Pack 4 will include “Fibbage 3” and launch this Fall

Posted on April 24, 2017 by John Scalzo

Jackbox Games has announced (via their official website) that The Jackbox Party Pack 4 is in development and will be released this Fall.

The developer didn’t say what platforms The Jackbox Party Pack 4 will be available on, but the third game in the series debuted on the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Amazon Fire in 2016, and a Nintendo Switch port for The Jackbox Party Pack 3 launched less than two weeks ago. I think it’s easy to assume the fourquel will make a repeat appearance on all five platforms.

However, one thing we do know is that Jackbox Party Pack 4 will include “Fibbage 3,” a new version of the developer’s less-than-truthful trivia game:

If you’ve played the prequels, you’ll know the joy of fooling your friends with your clever lies, while hunting for the real answers to ridiculous trivia questions. And if you haven’t, there’s plenty of time! The new one won’t be out for months!

Especially eagle-eyed fans might notice that there are 10 choices in that screenshot, rather than the traditional max of nine. That’s because this time around, the audience gets to join the fun by voting on their own decoy lies, and guessing the truth along with the players. Now, fooling the audience can really boost your score, so make sure to get as many gullible people as possible to join!

Jackbox Games will reveal more details about Jackbox Party Pack 4 as its release date gets closer.

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Rock out to these screenshots from “Starfish Mainstage,” another new stage coming to Splatoon 2

Posted on April 23, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo recently announced that fans will be able to return to the world of Splatoon 2 on July 21, and Nintendo UK pitched in with a quick look at “Starfish Mainstage,” a new stage set to appear in the Switch sequel:

This is Starfish Mainstage. It’s an outdoor music venue that hosts concerts for all types of music acts. The now legendary “Squid Squad” played here once, and it’s considered a bit of a holy site for devotees of rock music. It’s a wonder that all the ink spray doesn’t cause the equipment to short circuit, but we suppose they’ve got it all figured out.

“Starfish Mainstage” seems to feature a fairly wide open design, which you can see for yourself in a pair of screenshots available after the break.

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Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

New Retail Releases: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Dragon Quest Heroes II, More

Posted on April 23, 2017 by John Scalzo

Spring has sprung, flowers are in bloom, and a huge batch of new releases will be sprouting on the shelves at your local game store this week.

Nintendo Switch owners have the biggest reasons to celebrate this week as Nintendo will bring Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to the console, while Sega will release Puyo Puyo Tetris. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes all of the downloadable content from Mario Kart 8’s original release, as well as several new racers, a brand new Battle Mode, and improved graphics. Meanwhile, Puyo Puyo Tetris mashes together the two puzzle game franchises to create a multiplayer title that features nearly a dozen different ways to play.

Also available this week is a pair of terrifying new titles, including Red Barrels’s first-person horror compilation, Outlast Trinity (which contains Outlast, its expansion, and the brand new Outlast II) for the PS4 and Xbox One. Bandai Namco will also release their creepy puzzle platformer, Little Nightmares, for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Elsewhere on store shelves, fans of big swords and big guns will be able to get your fix with the Square Enix/Koei Tecmo collaboration, Dragon Quest Heroes II (PS4), and CI Games’s shooter sequel, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3 (PC, PS4, and Xbox One).

Finally this week, the Syberia franchise comes in from the cold with Syberia 3, which will launch for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

You can find a complete list of this week’s new retail releases after the break.

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