Daily Scoop: May 13, 2016 – Call of Duty: Black Ops III free weekend at Steam

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Nicole Kline

Well, you can probably guess what I’ve been up to for the last few days – playing Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, of course! It’s been such a wonderful journey so far. I adore it! I’m also playing a lot of Risk of Rain on my Vita, which has been soul-crushingly hard but so much fun. Hopefully I get some time this weekend to play!

There’s still a big Spring Sale happening at the Humble Store! Door Kickers is $2.99, Guns of Icarus Online is $2.49, and Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power is $5.49, among so many other great deals.

The Weekend Deal at Steam is a free weekend of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. If you decide you want to buy the game, it’s $35.99, or $74.99 for the Digital Deluxe. The Daily Deal is Volume, which is on sale for $4.99.

Let’s check out today’s t-shirts!

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Xbox Store Today: Doom, Grand Prix Rock N Racing, GunWorld II

Posted on May 13, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Today’s Xbox Games Store update has a certain retro charm to it, and we don’t just mean id Software’s Doom revival.

just a year after practically creating the genre with Wolfenstein 3D, John Carmack, John Romero, and the rest of id Software rewrote the book on first person shooters with the original Doom. Neither Carmack or Romero are involved with the latest incarnation of id Software, but the developer doesn’t seem to have forgotten what makes an excellent first person shooter. And we can all find out together as its now available to download through the Xbox Games Store for the Xbox One.

Two other retro-inspired games are also available to download for the Xbox One beginning today… Grand Prix Rock N Racing is an overhead racing game from EnjoyUp Games. And GunWorld II is a side-scrolling shooter, though the developers have taken to calling it “The sequel no one asked for, to the game that nobody liked!”

More information on all of these titles can be found after the break.

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Dark Souls III envelops your very being in darkness and despair… it was also the best-selling game of April 2016

Posted on May 13, 2016 by John Scalzo

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I’m sure this is a surprise to no one, but people really love the Dark Souls franchise. And according to The NPD Group (as reported by GamesIndustry.biz), Dark Souls III was the best-selling retail game in April 2016.

The finale to From Software’s brutally difficult trilogy beat out some stiff competition in April including the Ratchet & Clank reboot (#2), Quantum Break (#7), and Star Fox Zero (#10). MLB The Show 16 also got a boost from the opening of this year’s baseball season (#3), but it wasn’t enough to unseat the Babe Ruth of gothic action RPGs.

But even with a handful of big new releases, the retail sector as a whole suffered a huge decline from the year before, when Mortal Kombat X obliterated all expectations. “In April 2016, overall trends (hardware, new physical software, and accessories) were down 15% (or $88.5 million) compared to April 2015 due to a $41.6 million decline in hardware and a $52.8 million decline in software, with the $5.9 million growth in accessories unable to offset these losses,” said The NPD Group’s Liam Callahan.

However, Callahan added, “Despite these declines, keep in mind that Xbox One and PS4 are trending over 40% higher in cumulative sales after 30 months in the market compared to their predecessors.”

A complete look at last month’s best-selling retail games can be found after the break.

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Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst’s theme song is “Warning Call” from Chvrches

Posted on May 13, 2016 by John Scalzo

“You can run for this skyline / Your eyes open wide.”

Getting a famous musician to do your game’s theme song is all the rage nowadays, which is why Karen O recently contributed “I Shall Rise” to Rise of the Tomb Raider and Florence + The Machine covered Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” for Final Fantasy XV.

Yesterday, we were treated to “Warning Call” from Chvrches, a brand new song from the Scottish band, and the theme song to the upcoming Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst.

“We were honored to be asked to contribute to the soundtrack for Mirror’s Edge Catalyst,” said Iain Cook, the band’s guitarist. “The sound of Chvrches’ music resonates with the minimalist sci-fi dystopia of the Mirror’s Edge world, and we feel that the song complements the drama, emotion and empowering themes of Faith’s story.”

Developed by DICE and published by EA, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on June 7.

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Rob Gronkowski is the Madden NFL 17 Cover Athlete

Posted on May 12, 2016 by John Scalzo

Rob Gronkowski is a better football player than everyone reading this, there’s no question about that. But he’s also one of the toughest Mortal Kombat X combatants you could ever face, and now he can add “Madden Cover Athlete” to his resume.

After “Gronk” secured second place in last year’s Cover Vote, EA Sports went ahead and named him the official Cover Athlete for Madden NFL 17 earlier today. The New England Patriots star is the first tight end to receive the honor, as well as a four-time Pro Bowler and the owner of a Super Bowl Ring. He’s a good choice, is what I’m getting at.

“It’s a really special honor to appear on the cover of Madden NFL 17,” said Gronkowski. “It’s one of those things that pretty much every guy in the league secretly dreams of, so to actually be the one on the cover, it’s a really big deal.”

EA Sports released a short “First Look” trailer to give fans a glimpse at Madden NFL 17, and the publisher also revealed some of the features present in this year’s game. The Franchise Mode is getting an overhaul and, according to EA, it’ll be “deeper than ever.” A new Presentation Mode will also focus on camera better on the player, and “Madden 365” will provide daily updates to the game. Finally, more creative ball carriers will be present on the offensive side thanks to Ball Carrier UI Prompts and Path Assist, but defensive-minded players will receive some help from a new “Defensive AI System.” More details on the offensive and defensive changes are available at Madden NFL 17’s official website.

Madden NFL 17 will be available for the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 on August 23.

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See all four Turtles in action in these new TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan character trailers

Posted on May 12, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Activision and Platinum Games recently revealed four new trailers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan, each one focusing of the fighting style of an individual Turtle.

Leonardo uses speed to stomp the Foot, and he can even stop time to deliver a lethal strike. Donatello has an extended reach with his bo, as well as a bunch of gadgets. Raphael leads with brute strength, but he also mixes sneak attacks into his fighting style. And Michelangelo is a tad unpredictable… which is why he carries explosives in addition to his nunchucks.

You can check out all four trailers after the break, and don’t forget that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan will launch for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on May 24.

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Nintendo Download: Super Meat Boy, Minecraft Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, Zelda Phantom Hourglass, more

Posted on May 12, 2016 by John Scalzo

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The Nintendo eShop is about to get a meaty update as the brutally hard (and monumentally weird) platformer Super Meat Boy is now available to download for the Wii U.

Also available for the Wii U this week is The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, a game that was originally released for the DS in 2007. Borrowing Wind Waker’s cel-shaded visual style, Phantom Hourglass also brought touchscreen puzzles to the Zelda franchise for the first time.

Minecraft: Wii U Edition is getting a “super” update later this week (on May 17), though more specifically, it’s the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack. The update will include new Character Skins for Mario and all his friends, a Super Mario-themed pre-made world, and a set of Super Mario-themed music and item textures.

Finally this week, the budding artist in all of us can pick up Disney Art Academy for the 3DS to learn how to draw all the characters from Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and dozens of other Disney characters.

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

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The first trailer for the Assassin’s Creed movie sneaks into view

Posted on May 12, 2016 by John Scalzo

Last year, Michael Fassbender (as Callum Lynch, the descendant of an Assassin know as Aguilar) and Marion Cotillard (as Sophia Rikkin, the leader of the Animus Project) lent their talents to Ubisoft as part of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed film adaptation. And now, Jimmy Kimmel has pulled back the curtain on the film’s first trailer. Eager viewers of Jimmy Kimmel Live! saw it yesterday, but the rest of us can watch right here.

Unlike most game-to-movie adaptations, Ubisoft was heavily involved in bringing Assassin’s Creed to the silver screen. Set during the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century, Ubisoft is even planning to integrate Fassbender’s Aguilar (and the events of the film) into the franchise’s sprawling story.

Assassin’s Creed will open in theaters on December 21.

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