Daily Scoop: February 28, 2017 – ArmA Sale at Humble

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Nicole Kline

My birthday is next week, so I finally got a wish list together. People kept asking me what I wanted, so I organized my “Save for Later” cart on Amazon and made it into a nice little wish list full of games, Funko Pops, and some great reading material. And hey, in a few weeks, I’ll be able to enjoy all of those things. Woo!

Speaking of enjoyable things, let’s talk about all the games that are on sale today! There’s a brand new bundle at Humble – it’s the Humble ArmA Bundle. Pay $1 or more to unlock ArmA: Cold War Assault, ArmA: Gold Edition, and ArmA Tactics. Beat the average to unlock ArmA 2, ArmA 2: Operation Arrowhead, and three add-ons to ArmA 2. Pay $15 or more to also unlock ArmA 3 and the Karts add-on.

There are some great deals happening at Steam as well. The Midweek Madness is Battlefleet Gothic: ArmAda, which is on sale for $19.99. The Daily Deal is Aragami. Get the regular edition for $11.99 or the Collector’s Edition bundle for $16.17.

There are lots of shirts today. Hit the jump to see them all!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Digital Eclipse is working on another Legacy Collection for Capcom

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Capcom and Digital Eclipse teamed up to produce the Mega Man Legacy Collection in 2015, and it was everything that fans of the Blue Bomber could hope for. In addition to perfect recreations of the first six Mega Man games, the Legacy Collection also included a brand new Challenge Mode that remixed the games into a series of bite-sized chunks.

Mega Man Legacy Collection’s Director, Frank Cifaldi, recently appeared on The Ringer’s “Channel 33” podcast, and he revealed that Digital Eclipse is currently putting the finishing touches on another Legacy Collection for Capcom, which should be announced “any day now”:

I shipped a collection called Mega Man Legacy Collection the year before last. I guess, it’s been a while. And we’ve got another one coming out soon that they’re gonna announce any day now. I don’t know when… I wish I could talk about it, but it’s really cool.

So time to place your bets… which of Capcom’s famed franchises do you think Digital Eclipse is working to resurrect? The frontrunner is likely Mega Man X Legacy Collection, but there’s always the possibility the publisher might want to give fans a second Mega Man Legacy Collection featuring the five remaining “Mega Man Classic” games. But there’s always the chance for a Final Fight Collection, or a Ghosts N Goblins Collection, or maybe even something really wild like the 194X games.

If Cifaldi is right, hopefully we’ll find out soon.

Posted in News |

Video Game History Foundation wants to create a digital record of the industry’s past

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Frank Cifaldi is a developer who has worked on Mega Man Legacy Collection and IDARB, but he is also the founder of the Video Game History Foundation, a new non-profit that seeks to preserve and digitize the history of video games.

The Video Game History Foundation launched their first “Digital Collection” yesterday, focusing on The NES Launch in 1985. Cifaldi is also seeking donations to expand the scope of the Foundation, as detailed on their “What We’re Doing” page:

The heart of the Foundation is its digital library, an online repository of artifacts related to the history of video games and video game culture. The ultimate goal is to create a searchable, organized, always-online archive of verified, high-quality material that is accessible to researchers and historians as a public education resource.

All donations to the Video Game History Foundation are tax deductible, and I can’t wait to see what collections they come up with next.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Etcetera, Mobile, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, Retro, Switch, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Ubisoft is developing another game based on James Cameron’s Avatar

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Avatar is nearly ten years old, and practically absent from the current pop culture landscape, but director James Cameron continues to insist that he’ll release the first of four sequels to his Oscar-nominated sci-fi spectacle in 2018. Today, Ubisoft announced it’ll be accompanied by a brand new Avatar game, which is in development at Massive Entertainment.

Massive Entertainment is best known for their work on Tom Clancy’s The Division, and they plan to work closely with Cameron’s Lighstorm Entertainment to bring recreate Pandora for players:

The new game will return PC and console players to the Avatar universe, using Massive’s Snowdrop engine – also used in The Division and the upcoming South Park: The Fractured But Whole – to bring Pandora’s unique terrain and inhabitants to life. It was after seeing a Snowdrop-run game prototype, in fact, that Avatar creator James Cameron and Lightstorm agreed to the partnership.

“With the power of Massive’s Snowdrop engine, and the team’s passion and obsessive focus on detail, we know they’re the right group to bring the beauty and danger of Pandora to life,” Cameron told the UbiBlog.

Representatives from Massive Entertainment are in attendance at this year’s Game Developers Conference, and hope to hire a number of new developers to help them work on this Avatar project. You can find a list of open positions at their official website.

Massive’s Avatar game is currently without a title or a release date, however, we do know it’s in the works for “PC and consoles.”

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

Here’s the first trailer for SteamWorld Dig 2… launching this Summer on the Nintendo Switch

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Developer Image & Form has been talking up their Nintendo Switch debut and a new entry in the SteamWorld series for a few months now. But… surprise, surprise… the two games are actually one and the same.

SteamWorld Dig 2 will pick up right where the first game left off and launch for the Switch this Summer. According to an FAQ on their official website, Image & Form also plans to bring the game to other platforms later in the year:

Grab your pickaxe and dig into the sequel to the award-winning SteamWorld Dig! A platform mining adventure forged in MetroidVania flames. In search of her lost friend, a lone steambot and her unlikely companion must dig deep, gain riches, and explore an underworld riddled with danger. But time is running short…

In addition to viewing the debut trailer, fans will get a chance to go hands-on with SteamWorld Dig 2 at a number of conventions and conferences this Spring including the Game Developers Conference (which kicked off on Monday in San Francisco) and PAX East (which opens its doors in Boston on March 10).

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged , ,

More than 60 “Nindies” are in development for Nintendo Switch including SteamWorld Dig 2, Runner 3, Yooka-Laylee, and more

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo presented their first-ever Nindies Showcase for the Nintendo Switch today, and promised that more than 60 games from independent developers will be available for the console in 2017. This includes a staggering number of exclusives and timed exclusives such as…

  • Image & Form’s SteamWorld Dig 2, which will be available first on the Switch this Summer.
  • Choice Provisions’s Runner 3, which is in development exclusively for the Switch, and will be released this Fall.
  • Vertex Pop’s Graceful Explosion Machine, a side-scrolling shooter that’ll be released for the Switch first this April.
  • Team Shifty’s Mr. Shifty, an overhead action game that’ll also be available first for the Switch this April.
  • Cardboard Robot’s Pocket Rumble, a retro-styled fighting game that’ll only be available to console owners on the Switch this March.

Other highlights from the Nindies Showcase include confirmation that Yooka-Laylee will be available for the Switch “soon” and that Blaster Master Zero will be released simultaneously for the 3DS and Switch on March 9.

Nintendo’s complete Nindies Showcase presentation has been embedded above, and you can learn more about all the games featured in the video after the break.

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

Microsoft will launch Xbox Game Pass subscription service this Spring

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

It looks like Microsoft will challenge Sony’s PlayStation Now subscription service in a big way with the Spring, because the consolemaker announced their own Xbox Game Pass this morning.

Unlike Sony’s service, the Xbox Game Pass does not stream games to your console. Instead, subscribers will gain access to full-game downloads of more than 100 titles for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. But like Netflix, new games will be cycled into the service every month, while older titles will be cycled out.

However, subscribers interested in purchasing any game offered through the Xbox Game Pass will be able to do so at a hefty discount.

Naturally, Microsoft themselves will supply many of the games available to download through the Xbox Game Pass. But the consolemaker has also recruited a huge number of third-party publishers to participate including 2K Games, 505 Games, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Deep Silver, Focus Home Interactive, Sega, SNK, THQ Nordic, and WB Games. And the first wave of available titles will include Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16, and Soul Calibur II.

The Xbox Game Pass will be available later this Spring and Xbox One owners will be able to subscribe to the service for $9.99 a month.

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

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is getting a $300 Mithril Edition at GameStop

Posted on February 28, 2017 by John Scalzo

Yesterday, WB Games announced that Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will be released in August, but the publisher has also partnered with GameStop to produce a wallet-busting special edition of the game for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Priced at $299.99, the Mithril Edition will include a huge statue of a Tar-Goroth Balrog battling against a Carnan Drake, as well as access to “Gold Edition” downloadable content, and lots of other loot:

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Mithril Edition

  • Middle-Earth: Shadow of War Gold Edition in Exclusive Steelcase
    • Nemesis Expansion: Outlaw Tribe
    • Nemesis Expansion: Slaughter Tribe
    • Story Expansion: Blade of Galadriel
    • Story Expansion: Desolation of Mordor
    • In-Game Item: Gold War Chest
  • Limited Edition 12″ Tar-Goroth Balrog Vs Carnan Drake Statue
  • Magnetic Ring of Power in Premium Case
  • Official Game Music Soundtrack
  • Cloth Map of Mordor
  • Collection of Exclusive Lithographs
  • Tribe Sticker Pack
  • In-Game Item: Mithril War Chest (Exclusive)
  • Collector’s Box

If you’re uninterested in yet another towering statue, but are looking forward to more in-game content for Shadow of War, WB Games is selling the Gold Edition of the game by itself for $99.99. A download-only Silver Edition will also be available for $79.99.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War will be released on August 22.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged