Nintendo Download: Mario Vs Donkey Kong, Azure Striker Gunvolt: The Anime, more

Posted on February 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

Even though the Switch will be available in slightly more than three weeks, Nintendo continues to fill out the Virtual Console offerings on the Wii U. This week, Wii U owners will be able to download Mario Vs Donkey Kong, which was originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004. Like their first meeting, Mario Vs Donkey Kong is a puzzle platformer that pits the two mascots against one another in a battle of wits, this time involving locked doors and runaway Mini-Mario toys.

Gamers who enjoy the Azure Striker Gunvolt series will find a very interesting new offering over on the handheld side of Nintendo’s digital storefront. Azure Striker Gunvolt: The Anime is a standalone OVA created by LandQ Studios and Touhoku Shinkai. The Anime promises a deeper look into the world of Azure Striker Gunvolt, and includes two audio options for viewers… the original Japanese voice cast or a brand new English dub.

Several other new games have also made their way to the Nintendo eShop today, and more information about all of them can be found after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U |

Enroll in Switch 101 and learn the basics of the console with this new video from Nintendo

Posted on February 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

Is there someone in your life who wants to learn more about the Nintendo Switch? If so, then you should definitely direct them towards this new Hardware Overview video from Nintendo.

Even if you consider yourself a Switch expert, the video offers a nice refresher on exactly what the console’s capable of. Topics discussed include the console’s three output styles (TV Mode, Handheld Mode, and Tabletop Mode), as well as local multiplayer options, wi-fi connectivity, and the ins-and-outs of both Joy-Con controllers.

The Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3… which is just 22 days from today.

Posted in News, Switch |

Daily Scoop: February 9, 2017 – RPG Sale at Humble

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Nicole Kline

It’s a snowy day here in Philadelphia, and I’m out of commission home sick. This sore throat finally took me out of commission, but at least the snow is nice to look at. It’s been a day of mostly sleeping and drinking tea, and being tired. What great fun!

Let’s talk about today’s deals. There are lots of great sales happening at the RPG Weekend at the Humble Store. Fallout 4 is $29.99, Grim Dawn is $12.49, and Torchlight II is $4.99, among others.

Over at Steam, Firewatch is 50% off. Get the game for $9.99 or the game with the soundtrack for $12.49. The Daily Deal is Titan Quest Anniversary Edition, which is on sale for $3.99.

There are just two shirts today, but they’re both super cute!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

The icy Kolin will be second character available as part of Street Fighter V’s Season Pass 2

Posted on February 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

As promised, Capcom has announced the next character that’ll be available to download as part of Street Fighter V‘s Season Pass 2. Kolin, a “Phantasm of Snow and Ice,” first appeared in Street Fighter III as a background character, and fans will be able to select her as a playable character for the first time on February 28.

In addition to the trailer embedded above, the publisher also shared a few details about Kolin’s arctic abilities on the Capcom-Unity blog:

Character Overview
Kolin excels in the Russian martial art of Systema, utilizing the opponent’s momentum against them and executing various slash-like attacks and knife hand strikes. Gill has bestowed upon her the power of ice, allowing her to augment her fight style with frigid blasts and deadly icicles. She is often heard speaking condescendingly towards her opponents, knowing they don’t stand a chance before her, let alone Gill.

V-Skill: Inside Slash
Kolin’s unique counter allows her to deflect and automatically punish incoming moves with ease.

V-Trigger: Diamond Dust
With a full V-Meter, Kolin can slam the ground twice with her foot, each time shooting out a path of sharp icicles across the floor. In addition to damage and stun, this move freezes the opponent’s stun gauge. While in this special state, the stun gauge will not deplete and if Kolin is successful in stunning the opponent, they will be frozen in place.

Critical Art: Frost Tower
Kolin dashes forward with a slice of her hand. If the attack connects, she’ll continue summoning large icicles from the ground, throwing the opponent into the air and shattering the ice to drop them to the ground.

In addition to Kolin’s debut, Capcom also confirmed today that Street Fighter V’s third new character of 2017 will be unveiled in April.

Posted in News, PC, PS4 | Tagged

South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be released sometime between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018

Posted on February 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

Ubisoft has quietly delayed South Park: The Fractured But Whole for a second time.

Originally scheduled to launch on December 6, 2016, the game was later pushed back to Early 2017 before being delayed again as part of their quarterly financial report. The publisher confirmed the comedic RPG will now launch on some to be determined date during their next fiscal year (April 1, 2017 – March 31, 2018).

According to a short post on the UbiBlog, the delay is designed to give the development team more time “to deliver the best experience possible”:

The teams at South Park and Ubisoft San Francisco are committed to pushing the envelope during development to deliver the best experience possible, and this additional time will allow them to do so.

Presumably, a final release date for South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be announced soon.

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

At long last, the E3 Expo will be open to the public for the first time ever in 2017

Posted on February 9, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Entertainment Software Association first opened the doors to the annual E3 Expo in 1995, and gamers have been clamoring to get a glimpse at the industry-only event ever since. This year, they’ll finally get a chance as the ESA announced (via GameSpot) that a limited number of tickets will be sold to the public beginning this Monday, February 13, at noon (Eastern Time).

A total of 15,000 tickets will be available, and they’ll be priced at $250 apiece (though early bird buyers on the 13th will be able to buy them at a discount). The tickets will include access to the show floor, panel discussions, and other events for the duration of this year’s expo. Ticketholders will also be able to sit in on Geoff Keighley’s live studio show during the expo, which will include interviews with game developers and executives.

One major part of E3 that fans will miss out on is the various Press Conferences that take place in the days preceding the expo. These tickets won’t act as an invitation to those presentations.

“The feedback we heard was clear… they wanted to play the games inside the convention center. In addition, exhibitors inside the convention center wanted to have access to the fans. So this year we’re bringing the two together,” Rich Taylor, the ESA’s Senior Vice President of Communications, told GameSpot.

Taylor later said the ESA is always looking for ways to make the E3 Expo more relevant and useful for game industry professionals, journalists, and the public:

“I think asking, ‘How can we improve?’ ‘Where are video games headed?’ ‘How do we connect with fans?’ are all healthy questions, and that helps ensure E3 stays current and meets exhibitors’ needs,” he said.

“It’s a changing industry, and E3 has always evolved to meet industry needs and anticipate where we’re heading together–as an event, as an industry, and as fans. The decision to open our doors to 15,000 fans was a strategic decision. It is thanks to our members and their vision and leadership that made this possible. We have a model that allows the business of the industry to continue for our business and media attendees and provides an opportunity for video games’ biggest fans to experience the latest in innovative, immersive entertainment.”

The 2017 E3 Expo will kick off on June 13.

Posted in News | Tagged

Metrico+ Review: This Visually Unique Puzzle Platformer Charts Its Own Course

Posted on February 8, 2017 by John Scalzo

Graphic designers who spend their days translating statistical findings into a series of colorful bars and charts are working in the interesting new field of infographics. And if you’ve opened an Internet browser at all in the last five years, you’ve more than likely seen dozens of them.

Companies love infographics because they’re able to distill complex statistical studies down into an image that is easily shareable across Facebook and Twitter. Audiences love them because they provide easily digestible primers on subjects as frivolous as the many on-screen deaths of Sean Bean to serious societal problems like income inequality.

Dutch development studio Digital Dreams used this same philosophy to create Metrico, a puzzle platformer that was released for the Vita in 2014. The team expanded on their original concept, and launched Metrico+, a remake/sequel, for the Xbox One last month.

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Posted in PC, PS4, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged

Xbox Store Today: Fallout Shelter, 8Days, Adventure Pop, more

Posted on February 8, 2017 by John Scalzo

Today’s Xbox Games Store update is brought to you by dangerous dystopias…

While some players venture out into the irradiated aboveground to battle Deathclaws and Ghouls, others are content to spend their time in the Fallout universe managing their own Vault. If that sounds appealing, then you’ll be happy to know that Fallout Shelter is now available as a free download for the Xbox One. Vault-Tec will provide players with their own state-of-the-art Vault, but it’ll take a good manager to survive underneath The Wasteland.

Also available to download for the Xbox One today is 8Days, a retro-themed twin-stick shooter that takes place in a dystopian future of corrupt mercenaries and even more corrupt mass media.

Finally today, players looking for their next bubble shooter obsession will be able to download Adventure Pop, which is also now available for the Xbox One. It might not be a dystopia per se, but their are pirates and puzzles galore.

You can learn more about all of today’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break.

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Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged