Coldwood teams up with EA once again for Unravel 2

Posted on May 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Coldwood Interactive, the Swedish development team responsible for bringing Unravel to the PC, PS4, and Xbox One earlier this year, will team up with EA once again to produce a second game in the series.

We don’t know much of anything about the currently untitled Unravel 2, but Patrick Soderlund, the Executive Vice President of EA Studios, had some very nice things to say about the people at Coldwood: “The awesomely creative development team at Coldwood Interactive brought tiny, endearing Yarny to life. And since then, it’s been quite incredible to see the community’s love for Yarny, both in the game and beyond.”

Soderlund added, “We could not be more excited to continue working with Martin Sahlin and the great team at Coldwood, and to see the next adventure they bring to life.”

Hopefully, we’ll learn more about Unravel 2 soon.

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SteamWorld Heist is coming to the PS4 and Vita on May 31

Posted on May 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

After debuting on the 3DS late last year, SteamWorld Heist is kicking off the next leg of its intergalactic world tour with an appearance on the PS4 and Vita on May 31. The Outsider, SteamWorld Heist’s first downloadable expansion, will also be available on May 31.

Developed by Image & Form, SteamWorld Heist is a side-scrolling strategy game with a retro-inspired art style. Oh, and the entire universe is also populated by sentient robots!

According to the developer, PS4 and Vita owners will be able to obtain both versions of SteamWorld Heist for $19.99 through Sony’s Cross-Buy program. And if you act fast, you’ll also be able to secure a 15% discount off the regular price during the launch week.

If you’re not a PS4/Vita owner, don’t worry, SteamWorld Heist will also be released for the PC, Wii U, Xbox One, and mobile devices sometime this year.

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged

NIS America will bring Phantom Brave to Steam on July 25

Posted on May 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

Way back in 2004, Phantom Brave was one of the first games released in the States by NIS America. Along with Disgaea, it helped establish the NIS America label and allowed the publisher to spread their unique brand of strategy RPGs throughout the world.

Phantom Brave takes place on Ivoire, the small island that a lonely girl named Marona calls home. An orphan since she was very young, Marona uses her special “Chroma” ability to speak to phantoms and complete tasks for the other islanders. This gift has come in handy over the years, but the optimistic Marona, and her ghostly companion Ash, are about to embark on their biggest adventure yet.

The Steam version of Phantom Brave will be based on the 2009 Wii re-release, but it’ll also include the bonus content created for the 2011 PSP re-release. And don’t worry, support for Steam Trading Cards, Achievements, and Cloud Saves will be also be part of Phantom Brave’s PC debut.

Posted in News, PC |

Hanzo and Genji are the “Dragons” at the center of Blizzard’s latest Overwatch short

Posted on May 17, 2016 by John Scalzo

With Overwatch just a week away, Blizzard has released a new animated short to give players further insight into the lives of Hanzo and Genji. I don’t want to spoil anything, so let me just suggest that if you liked the Winston and Tracer shorts, you should drop everything and watch this one too.

Overwatch, Blizzard’s upcoming MOBA-like arena shooter, will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 24.

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

Kickstart This! Lynn and the Spirits of Inao

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Andrew Rainnie

UPDATE: The Kickstarter campaign for Lynn and the Spirits of Inao has been canceled after allegations that Bloomylight Studio illegally refused to pay a group of interns who helped develop the game. More information is available in this post on Reddit and in an update to the campaign.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Welcome back, potential crowdfunding donors, to the weekly Kickstart This! This week’s focus is on Lynn and the Spirits of Inao, a magical platformer courtesy of Bloomylight Studio. It had some stiff competition, namely from Pirates of the Polygon Sea by Praxia Entertainment, which is a fast-paced, cartoony version of the sailing sections in Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag. There’s also 80s arcade space shooter Dystoria, which piqued my interests with its retro style, but also looked like a retread of The Last Starfighter.

So let’s see why Lynn and the Spirits of Inao won me over…

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

Bethesda commissioned a chainsaw artist to create a sculpture of Doom’s Revenant

Posted on May 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

It’s not uncommon for a publisher to create a life-size statue of a larger-than-life character to show off at fan conventions. I remember Sega being especially proud of the absolutely massive Power Loader they created for Aliens: Colonial Marines when it was on the con circuit. So I guess it’s not really news that Bethesda asked Australian artist Rob Bast to create a similar statue for Doom…

Except they asked him to use a CHAINSAW.

It took Bast more than 130 hours (and eight different CHAINSAWS) to carve the imposing Revenant out of cypress wood, and Bethesda recorded the whole process to give fans a closer look at the incredibly intricate design…

Which, again, was created with a CHAINSAW.

After nearly a decade in development, Doom was released this past Friday for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. And if you live in Australia, Rob Bast’s Revenant sculpture is currently available for viewing at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne.

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

Daily Scoop: May 16, 2016 – Last chance to get the Eye Candy bundle

Posted on May 16, 2016 by Nicole Kline

I didn’t get to play nearly as much Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End as I wanted to, but I did play way more Risk of Rain than I imagined was possible. That game on the Vita is just pure perfection. I can’t get enough of it!

The awesome Eye Candy bundle at Humble has less than a day left, so now’s your last chance to grab it! Pay what you want for Human Resource Machine, Shantae: Risky’s Revenge – Director’s Cut, and A Boy and His Blob. Beat the average to unlock three games that I am absolutely in love with – Mini Metro, Mushroom 11, and the incredible Towerfall Ascension. Finally, pay $10 or more to unlock Evoland 2. You also get a coupon for 10% off Humble Monthly.

Two new games are available through Microsoft’s Games With Gold promotion on the Xbox Games Store today. Xbox Live Gold subscribers can now get free downloads of both Costume Quest on the Xbox One, and Peggle 2 on the Xbox 360.

There are 212 new Weeklong Deals at Steam. The Deadly Tower of Monsters is $7.49, Reign of Kings is $4.99, and Dino Run DX is $4.01. Today’s Daily Deal is early access to Folk Tale, which is $16.74.

Hit the jump to check out today’s t-shirts!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Mario Goes Hollywood (Again): Nintendo wants to get into the filmmaking business

Posted on May 16, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Nintendo disappointed a lot of people last year when they shot down rumors that The Legend of Zelda was being adapted into a gritty Game of Thrones-like series for Netflix. But the dream didn’t totally die, and Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima recently told Asahi Shimbun that the company wants to get into the filmmaking business.

Rather than license their characters out to a third party production company, Kimishima told the Japanese newspaper that Nintendo is looking for a partner and wants to do as much as they can by themselves. It’s likely that Nintendo’s hands-on approach is a direct response to the absolutely bonkers film adaptation of Super Mario Bros. from 1993. I guess turning the Mushroom Kingdom into Blade Runner‘s Los Angeles still stings after all these years.

Nintendo’s President also told Asahi Shimbun that they’d like to release their first movie within two-to-three years, though it’s unknown which of the consolemaker’s many properties will be adapted. What we do know is that it’ll probably be an animated feature, though that’s not set in stone either.

Posted in Etcetera, News |