Weird Al Yankovic recorded a Pac-Man parody in the 80s… and now we can finally hear it

Posted on February 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

Weird Al Yankovic’s career has spanned more than 40 years, but in all that time, the geeky icon only rarely delves into doing game-themed parodies. Perhaps that’s because of a bad experience he had early in his career with “Pac-Man,” a parody of “Taxman” by The Beatles.

Speaking to Nerdist, Weird Al believes an overzealous lawyer initially rejected the song without ever listening to it: “I’d like to think that none of the Beatles ever actually heard the song back then. It was just some office [clerk] whose whole job is to litigate and prosecute people for copyright infringement.”

However, Weird Al would later become friends with George Harrison’s son Dhani, and he helped work out a deal to include “Pac-Man” on Squeeze Box: The Complete Recordings of “Weird Al” Yankovic, an upcoming retrospective box set. Squeeze Box will be available this Fall on vinyl and CD, and it’ll include every album from Weird Al’s career housed in a replica accordion (of course). A 15th disc, Medium Rarities, will feature several unreleased songs (like “Pac-Man”), as well as alternate takes on more popular parodies.

But if you can’t wait that long, you can listen to “Pac-Man” at Nerdist right now.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro | Tagged

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard shambles to the top of January 2017’s best-selling games report

Posted on February 17, 2017 by John Scalzo

It looks like there’s still some life left in the Resident Evil franchise. The latest game in the series, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, topped the NPD Group’s report on the best-selling games in January 2017. The only other new release to crack the top ten was Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue, which camein at #6.

“With only five days in the market, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard was the best-selling game in January. The last time Capcom had the best-selling game of the month (in dollar sales) was in March 2009 with Resident Evil 5,” NPD Analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz.

Overall spending on game titles was up 14% last month over January 2016, thanks mostly to continued demand for 2016’s biggest releases including Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (#2), Battlfield 1 (#4), and NBA 2K17 (#5). And Grand Theft Auto V (#3) continues to burn up the charts more than four years after it was first released.

The complete list of best-selling games from January 2017 can be found after the break.

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

Farom Studio unveils Lost Region, their upcoming survival action game

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Brittney Williams

What is Lost Region? There’s a good chance you asked yourself that as you read the headline. Am I right? Good, because that’s the whole point of this news update.

Lost Region is currently in development by Ukraine-based Farom Studio, the team behind Bad Day, a mobile title released in 2013.

The game initially started off as a Bad Day sequel running on Unreal Engine 4, however due to the loss of one of the team members, production of any and all additional Bad Day titles had to cease, likely for legal reasons. However, this hurdle didn’t stop the other developers at Farom Studio. Instead they chose to push forward, in the process creating what we now know as Lost Region.

Okay, so now you know some of the backstory. But that still doesn’t really answer the question does it? So, what is Lost Region?

As you’ve probably guessed from some of the screenshots, Lost Region is an action game, a third-person survival action game to be exact. Lost Region features a fully explorable world, spanning a massive 64 sq/km (that’s over six feet of map) Players can visit any building in the game, and travel to any portion of the map, in order to loot tools and additional supplies.

But wait, there’s more. Not only are players capable of explore all of the in-game buildings, but said buildings also differ in size, from tiny houses to large bases. A key component of the game is setting up a base. According to Farom Studio, you absolutely cannot survive in Lost Region as a homeless player. Therefore setting up camp is extremely important, but layers will have the ability to choose the path of a bandit, mechanic, or soldier. Players can opt for none of the aforementioned titles, and simply play as an adventurer.

Lost Region also features multiplayer, sporting the ability to team up with your friends and create clans, becoming a bandit group, mercenary, or research team.

Currently, Lost Region has no definitive release date set, however the game is expected to release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows platforms. Farom Studio will showcase an alpha version of the game on their social media channels next Monday, February 20.

More screenshots from Lost Region are available after the break.

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

Nintendo Download: Tank Troopers, Ogre Battle 64, more

Posted on February 16, 2017 by John Scalzo

It’s war in this week’s Nintendo eShop update!

First up is Tank Troopers, a tank battling game for the 3DS published and developed by Nintendo. Players will choose their tank, customize it, and then go into battle against their friends in six-player local multiplayer battles. But if you’d rather go it alone, Tank Troopers also includes a single-player mode with 30 unique stages.

Also available to download this week is Ogre Battle 64: Person of Lordly Caliber, a tactical RPG originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999. Wii U owners will be able to take control of Magnus Gallant, a nobleman who has to decide whether to desert his kingdom and fight with the rebellion, or “turn a blind eye to the evils of his rotten society.”

More information on both games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

Crash Banidicoot N. Sane Trilogy will be released for PS4 on June 30

Posted on February 16, 2017 by John Scalzo

Activision and Vicarious Visions have announced that the Crash Banidicoot N. Sane Trilogy will be released for the PS4 on June 30.

The publisher, working with Sony, plans to include the first three games from the franchise (Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped) in the compilation, and each game will get a complete makeover with remade graphics and audio:

This is a AAA remaster. We’re giving this the love and attention to detail that we pay to all of our AAA games. We’re building it using the original level geometry so that it plays as close to the original as possible. We’ve also referred to this as a remaster plus, as we are adding new features that we think the fans are going to love!

Members of the Vicarious Visions team also stopped by the PlayStation Blog today to discuss some of the development choices they made with the Crash Banidicoot N. Sane Trilogy.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged , ,

Kickstart This! Apocalypse Now

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Andrew Rainnie

I ummed and awwed over whether to cover Apocalypse Now as part of Kickstart This! I try to steer the column towards games that may be overlooked and are desperately seeking funds, but the film, and by close association this game, feel more relevant than ever.

All is fair in love and war, but crowdfunding campaigns are the perfect analogy for Vietnam. And in its day, re-imagining Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness served as a masterful allegory for the souls of the men sent to fight in a war that history has shown to be a massive mistake. Though this is not the first time Heart of Darkness has graced the gaming world. 2K’s third person shooter, Spec Ops: The Line, also used the book as a basis for its story, and is worth checking out.

Apocalypse Now seemed to strike a chord with many backers, but with each passing day it looked less and less likely that development studio Erebus was going to reach its lofty target of $900,000. And then what happened? The developer cancelled the Kickstarter campaign after reaching less than 20% of their goal.

This is the message they delivered to fans as the last Update on their now defunct Kickstarter page:

When we launched this campaign, we made a mistake. We forgot that many of you have been disappointed by overreaching games and overreaching promises. We had stopped paying attention to the Kickstarter world, when we put our heads down and went to work on this full-steam about 18 months ago — first with documents and then with prototypes. Because we went upriver, we did not remember that those of you who love games and those of you who love Apocalypse Now would immediately treat the announcement not with excitement, but with concern.

But the men and women behind the game have not given up. No sir. They have relocated the crowdfunding campaign to the official Apocalypse Now website, and issued a rallying call to all those who want to see this game happen. It will be done on their terms… and with a much larger funding target.

Queue Ride of the Valkyries…

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Posted in Features, PC, PS4, Top Story, Xbox One |

New I Am Setsuna trailer released today ahead of Switch’s March 3 launch

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Brittney Williams

Today, Square Enix released a new trailer for the upcoming Switch launch of I Am Setsuna.

I Am Setsuna is a JRPG that was inspired by the genre’s 90s-era classics, such as Chrono Trigger. As you can see in the “Accolades Trailer” embedded above, the game was positively received by critics and gamers alike, with both praising it for its atmospheric soundtrack, old school style, and dramatic storytelling.

I Am Setsuna tells the tale of a young lady named… you guessed it, Setsuna. Her journey is one of sacrifice for the sake of others, and we mean that literally. Setsuna has been charged with the burdensome task of delivering herself over to be a ceremonial human sacrifice in order to appease a violent fiend who has oppressed her people for decades. The game also features character customization, a complex combat system that incorporates the use of tech combos, and an in-game strategy guide called the Snow Chronicles.

Currently, I Am Setsuna is available for download on the PlayStation 4 and Steam. The game is also available for the PS Vita in Japan, but its portable counterpart never made it to North America because developer Tokyo RPG Factory wanted to target the larger audience available on the PS4 and PC.

I Am Setsuna will also be available to download through the Nintendo Switch’s eShop on March 3, the same day that Nintendo’s next console will be released to the masses. If you’re a fan of classic-style JRPG titles, and you’re going to pick up a Switch in just a little more than two weeks, then it should probably be on your radar.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Daily Scoop: February 16, 2017 – Devil May Cry 4 Sale at Steam

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Nicole Kline

Well, it’s been nothing but work and homework for me the last two days, which is a huge bummer, especially with the big Pokemon Go update! I just want to catch new Pokemon, people. Is that so wrong?

Anyway, let’s talk about deals, shall we? The Daily Deal at the Humble Store is Darkest Dungeon, which is on sale for $12.49. There’s also the Tales of Bundle, which includes Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Zestiria, and Tales of Berseria for $65.98.

Over at Steam, the Free Weekend is Sunless Sea. Play the game for free all weekend, and if you like it, buy it for just $6.45. The Deal of the Day is Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition. Get it for just $12.49, or grab the Demon Hunter Bundle for $24.87.

Check out today’s t-shirts after the jump!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |