EA unveils first Star Wars: Battlefront II trailer, the single-player campaign, and November 17 release date

Posted on April 15, 2017 by John Scalzo

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Electronic Arts unveiled Star Wars: Battlefront II during today’s festivities at the Star Wars Celebration, and the game’s first trailer gave us our first look at its Empire-centric single-player campaign.

Iden Versio is an Imperial special forces officer who was on the forest moon of Endor when the second Death Star was destroyed. As the commander of Inferno Squad, Versio escapes from custody and vows to avenge her Emperor. Players will follow Versio from Return of the Jedi to The Force Awakens as she battles the Rebels over a span of 30 years.

In addition to the single-player campaign, EA has major ambitions for Battlefront II’s multiplayer modes, which will include “intense dogfights in space” for the first time. The game’s “galactic-scale space combat” will be developed by Criterion, and they are adding “refined handling, weapons, and customization options” to every ship in the game.

Battlefront II will also include ground-based maps from all three eras of Star Wars including “Yavin 4’s jungle canopies, the spaceport town of Mos Eisley, and Starkiller Base.” And players will be able to play as iconic characters like Yoda and Darth Maul (or regular ground troopers) in these 40-player skirmishes.

Star Wars: Battlefront II will be jointly developed by DICE, Criterion, and Motive Studios, and will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 17. Fans who pre-order the Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition will be able to get the game three days earlier, and unlock upgraded versions of all four trooper classes, bonus weapons and modifications, and exclusive skins for Rey and Kylo Ren based on their costumes from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

EA has also opened the doors to Star Wars: Battlefront II’s official website, which includes a glimpse at more concept art from the game.

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

The Video Game Canon – The Sims

Posted on April 15, 2017 by John Scalzo

Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon as we contemplate the futility of determining the best-selling video game of all time and The Sims. Here’s a teaser…

What is the best-selling video game of all time? It’s a surprisingly hard question to answer as game publishers, unlike Hollywood film studios, refuse to release sales figures for their games on a title-by-title basis. But for years now, the conventional narrative has been that The Sims became the best-selling PC game of all time in 2002 after dethroning Myst, the graphical adventure game that sold more CD-ROM drives than every other piece of “multimedia” software combined.

Developed by Maxis, The Sims delivered a smaller, more personal, simulation that differed greatly from the macro scale of designer Will Wright’s previous games, SimCity and SimCity 2000. Instead of pulling the camera back, giving the “mayor” control of an entire city, The Sims moved the camera in close, allowing the player to interact with the day-to-day minutiae of a single family. Part Real World, part Demon Seed, and part Barbie Dream House, this approach allowed players to bypass the mayoral office and step right into the shoes of a god. However, it was a literal “Act of God” that encouraged developer Will Wright to create The Sims in the first place.

Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.

Posted in Features, PC, PS2, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon |

Xbox Store Today: Sengoku 2

Posted on April 14, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Xbox Games Store grew by one today as SNK and Hamster Corporation launched another NeoGeo re-release through their “Arcade Archives” banner.

Sengoku 2 is the game in the spotlight this time, and it’s a side-scrolling beat ’em up that was originally released in 1993. Players control of a pair of time-travelling warriors who will punch and kick their way through history to save the world from an evil warlord.

Coming straight from SNK and Hamster Corporation, more information about Sengoku 2 is available right here:

Xbox One Games

Sengoku 2
Sengoku 2 is a side scrolling action game released by SNK in 1993. Take on the role of a warrior summoned by a shrine princess, and fight over various historical periods in order to defeat the dark monarch. Players can enjoy new tactical features such as charge attacks and defensive abilities.

Posted in News, Xbox One |

Nintendo of America sold 906,000 Switch consoles and 1.3 million copies of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in March

Posted on April 14, 2017 by John Scalzo

There’s been an electric feeling in the air since Nintendo’s launch of the Switch on March 3. Come on, I’m sure you can feel it too. Nintendo is back… and now we have the sales figures to prove it.

Yesterday afternoon, Nintendo of America announced that more than 906,000 Switch consoles were sold in the United States during the month of March. If that weren’t impressive enough, the consolemaker added that more Switch consoles were sold during its first month of availability than any other game system in Nintendo’s history.

Nintendo also revealed that they sold even more copies of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild during the month. Zelda fans purchased more than 925,000 copies of the game on the Switch, as well as nearly 460,000 copies for the Wii U. With total sales of 1.3 million, Breath of the Wild is the “fastest-selling Nintendo launch game of all time, as well as the fastest-selling game ever in The Legend of Zelda series.”

But what about Breath of the Wild’s insane 102% attach rate on the Switch? Nintendo attributed the unprecedented sales success for Breath of the Wild to fans who purchased two copies of the game… a limited edition to keep sealed and a standard edition to play.

“Nintendo always strives to offer consumers something fun, new and different,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s President and COO. “With its various play modes and the innovative features of the Joy-Con controllers, Nintendo Switch provides unique experiences that people can take with them anywhere and share with anyone.”

Worldwide sales figures for the Nintendo Switch will be announced on April 27 during Nintendo’s annual financial report.

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

Weekend Pipeline: 4/14/17 – Free Vacation in Elder Scrolls Online’s Tamriel

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Brittney Williams

It’s Friday again, which means it’s time to start planning for the weekend. Sadly, this weekend is looking a little dull. Events are few and far between, and the convention pickings are rather slim. However, depending on your interests and location, there’s still something to do.

Let’s dive in, shall we.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in News |

Culdcept Revolt will be released for 3DS on August 29

Posted on April 13, 2017 by John Scalzo

NIS America got a few minutes to talk about their upcoming 3DS and Switch releases during Nintendo’s most recent Nintendo Direct presentation. Skipping right to the point, the niche publisher confirmed that Culdcept Revolt, a card-battling RPG that mixes concepts from Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly, will be released for the 3DS on August 29.

In case you missed it, NIS America unveiled an Announcement Trailer for Culdcept Revolt back in February.

Posted in 3DS, News | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, Mr. Shifty, Bye-Bye BoxBoy!, more

Posted on April 13, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo added two surprising new 3DS games to the Nintendo eShop this morning…

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe is a standalone expansion of the “Team Kirby Clash” minigame included with Kirby: Planet Robobot. The game is free-to-start and features four different Kirbys battling it out with a series of giant boss monsters.

Also available to download for the 3DS today is Bye-Bye BoxBoy!, the conclusion to the black-and-white BoxBoy trilogy. This time around, Qbby has to overcome obstacles and rescue the Qbabies in this new side-scrolling platformer from developer HAL Laboratory.

Switch owners will get the chance to purchase several new games this week as well, and TinyBuild and Team Shifty added Mr. Shifty to their side of the eShop today. The overhead action game mixes will look familiar to fans of Hotline Miami, but Mr. Shifty is a thief with superheroic teleportation abilities and a penchant for “distraction and trickery.”

Finally today, Jackbox launched The Jackbox Party Pack 3 for the Switch, and it includes five new party-friendly games… “Quiplash,” “Trivia Murder Party,” “Guesspionage,” “Tee K.O.,” and “Fakin’ It.”

You can learn more about all of these games (and a few more new additions to the Nintendo eShop) after the break.

Press Start to Continue →

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

Nintendo is discontinuing the NES Classic Edition

Posted on April 13, 2017 by John Scalzo

This is surprising…

In a statement provided to IGN, Nintendo has confirmed that production of the NES Classic Edition will soon be discontinued:

“Throughout April, NOA territories will receive the last shipments of Nintendo Entertainment System: NES Classic Edition systems for this year. We encourage anyone interested in obtaining this system to check with retail outlets regarding availability. We understand that it has been difficult for many consumers to find a system, and for that we apologize. We have paid close attention to consumer feedback, and we greatly appreciate the incredible level of consumer interest and support for this product.”

“NES Classic Edition wasn’t intended to be an ongoing, long-term product. However, due to high demand, we did add extra shipments to our original plans.”

The NES Classic Edition was originally released on November 11, and came packed with 30 well-known titles from the Nintendo Entertainment System’s heyday. Fans fell in love with the microconsole and supply quickly exceeded demand. Even today, the NES Classic Edition is next-to-impossible to find on store shelves. So it’s a bit baffling that Nintendo is already doing away with such a successful product.

However, Nintendo also launched the Switch this past March, and the consolemaker has likely decided to pour their considerable marketing muscle towards this new platform.

You can currently purchase an NES Classic Edition from a third-party seller on Amazon for $220. I wouldn’t expect that price to drop any lower anytime soon.

Posted in News, Retro |