Nintendo Download: Xenoblade Chronicles, Mini Mario & Friends, Sega 3D Classics, more

Posted on April 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

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It’s a big day for the Nintendo eShop and it’s an especially big day for Wii U owners who may have missed out on Xenoblade Chronicles. Originally released as a GameStop exclusive for the Wii in 2012, Xenoblade Chronicles is a JRPG from Monolith Soft that features mechs, mystical weapons, and malevolent gods… basically everything you could ever want from a JRPG. People went so crazy for Xenoblade Chronicles that a group of dedicated fans even embarked on a multi-year campaign to get Nintendo to release it in North America. Which of course lead directly to last year’s launch of Xenoblade Chronicles X.

But if you’re not in the market for a sprawling JRPG today, Nintendo has a few other games ready for release. First up is Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge, a free-to-play title now available for the Wii U and the 3DS. As the latest entry in the popular Mario vs Donkey Kong series players will have to tap any Amiibo figure they own to get the Minis marching… and some even have special powers. And speaking of free-to-play games, Bandai Namco is ready to release the full version of Lost Reavers (Wii U), their four-player cooperative treasure hunter.

Finally this week, Sega will bundle together nine games from their “3D Classics” line in the Sega 3D Classics Collection. Just some of the Genesis and Master System favorites included in the package are Sonic The Hedgehog, Altered Beast, Galaxy Force II, Thunder Blade, Fantasy Zone II, Fantasy Zone II W, Power Drift, Puyo Puyo 2, and Maze Walker.

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

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Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Daily Scoop: April 28, 2016 – Another great bundle at Shirt Punch

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Nicole Kline

Last night, I finally did it – I got the Platinum Trophy in Persona 4 Golden! It felt amazing. I had just one boss fight left, and it was harrowing. But now it’s done and I never have to play it again! Wait… actually, that’s kind of sad. I guess now I have to figure out other ways to not think about Persona 5!

The Humble Store is currently having a Lost in Space sale! Get Space Engineers for $8.49, Grav for $4.99, and Universe Sandbox 2 for $18.74, among others.

The Weekend Deal at Steam is early access to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – First Assault Online. You can play the game for free this weekend only, and if you decide you want to buy it, you can get it for just $7.49. The Deal of the Day is Hard West, which is on sale for $11.99. You can instead get the Collector’s Edition for $14.99.

There are some great t-shirts today!

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Developers from id Software showcased Doom’s single-player campaign in this 60-minute video

Posted on April 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

“This isn’t Doom 4. This is actually Doom, straight up, from the beginning.”

The developers at id Software have always said the upcoming Doom reboot was about getting back to their roots. Even when id co-founder John Carmarck was involved with the project, he often discussed his desire to locate “the DNA of Doom.” Yesterday, Creative Director Hugo Martin and Executive Producer Marty Stratton walked us through 60 minutes of Doom’s single-player campaign in a brand new video, and I have to admit, I think they found it.

Players who watch the whole video will be introduced to Doom’s “Glory Kill” system, as well as a massive amount of weaponry and some of the lore that’s sprinkled throughout the game. Naturally, it all ends with a trip to Hell.

Doom will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 13.

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

EA announces NHL 17 and they want your help picking a cover athlete

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

The NHL playoffs are in full swing, but EA Sports is already thinking about next season. The megapublisher recently announced that NHL 17 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One this Fall and they’re asking fans to once again select the cover athlete. Here’s what the first round of voting looks like:

Jamie Benn (#NHL17Benn) VS Aleksander Barkov (#NHL17Barkov)
Joe Pavelski (#NHL17Pavelski) VS Anze Kopitar (#NHL17Kopitar)
Connor McDavid (#NHL17McDavid) VS Jakub Voracek (#NHL17Voracek)
Victor Hedman (#NHL17Hedman) VS Vladimir Tarasenko (#NHL17Tarasenko)

The contest is now open at NHL.com, or you can cast your vote through Twitter using the hashtags above. Fans can vote as many times as they like, and tweets count double on “Twitter Vote Thursdays.”

In addition to the cover athlete vote, EA also released their “Vision Trailer” for NHL 17, which shows “how the team [at EA Canada] is working directly with fans to build the biggest and most exciting hockey game to date.”

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

You’re Out! Nintendo plans to sell their majority stake in the Seattle Mariners

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Back in 1992, the Seattle Mariners were in trouble. While they weren’t quite as bad as the fictional Cleveland Indians team from Major League, Seattle’s dismal performance on the field caused a similar meltdown from their ownership. Mariners owner Jeff Smulyan constantly threatened to relocate the franchise, but he relented in the middle of the season, ultimately selling the team to Nintendo. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Nintendo’s Chairman and President, wasn’t a fan of the sport, but he made sure the team stayed in Seattle to thank the city for their years-long support of Nintendo’s North American headquarters.

Today, Nintendo decided to walk off the field by selling the majority of their stake in the Mariners to the other members of First Avenue Entertainment, the team’s minority ownership group. Famed bowtie enthusiast Howard Lincoln will be replaced as the team’s CEO by John Stanton, though Lincoln will continue to have a seat on the team’s Board of Directors.

“From the first day of our involvement nearly 24 years ago, Nintendo has had two goals for its investment in the Mariners,” said Howard Lincoln. “First, we wanted to assure the permanence of the team in this great city. And on that count, I am proud and gratified that this agreement further solidifies that goal. On the other hand, I’m equally disappointed that we have not been able to host a World Series game for our fans.”

A rather unique entity among Major League Baseball’s 32 owners, Nintendo leveraged their position as a video game producer to develop a series of games starring Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle’s Hall of Fame outfielder, in the 90s. The last game in the series, Ken Griffey Jr.’s Slugfest, was released in 1999 and helped put developer Angel Studios on the map. You might know them better as Rockstar San Diego, the creators of Red Dead Redemption.

The sale of the Mariners likely has something to do with Nintendo’s gloomy financial outlook. But their investment in Seattle baseball will pay off handsomely. The consolemaker reportedly purchased the Mariners for $100 million back in 1992 and the team is worth $1.4 billion today.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro |

Xbox Store Today: Hitman Ep 2, Walking Dead Michonne Ep 3, Elite Dangerous Arena, more

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

Today’s Xbox Games Store update is making it a good time to be a fan of episodic gaming.

Players who wished for more entries in Sierra’s King’s Quest (Xbox One, Xbox 360) series will be able to continue the adventures of King Graham today in the third episode, Once Upon A Climb. A much bloodier type of adventure can be found in IO Interactive’s Hitman (Xbox One), but that’s not going to stop Agent 47 from meeting his target on the fictional Italian coastal town of Sapienza.

Also this week, Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Michonne (Xbox One, Xbox 360) will come to an end with the third episode, What We Deserve. “Michonne tries to protect an innocent family, but Norma and the vengeful Monroe crew are closing in,” reads the episode’s description. Sounds intense.

Elsewhere on the Xbox Games Store, annoying partygoers will meet their doom in Party Hard, a stealth game for the Xbox One where players permanently evict the worst noise polluters. And Elite Dangerous: Arena adds head-to-head dogfighting to the Elite: Dangerous universe as both a standalone expansion or a free add-on for the main game.

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

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The Walking Dead Season 3 tease from Robert Kirkman reveals an older Clementine

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

Robert Kirkman is the creator of the Walking Dead comic book and the guiding hand behind the megafranchise’s expansion into television, novels, and video games. So Telltale Games recently gave him the chance to talk about his thoughts on The Walking Dead: Michonne, which came to a conclusion yesterday.

In the video, Kirkman praises the Telltale team for their fine work, and reveals that several of the game’s plot points came directly from his notes for Michonne’s absence in issue #126. The writer also couldn’t resist teasing The Walking Dead Season 3, and confirmed that fans of the series are in store for another time jump:

“Season 3 of the Telltale series is really exciting to me. The way that the timeline works, Season 3 will actually be getting pretty close to where we are in the comics concurrently,” said Kirkman. “We’ll be checking in on Clementine again, so we’ll be seeing her, seeing where she’s at and what’s going on with her which is going to be great. But also similar to the Michonne series there will probably be some more comic book elements that we’ll be working into it in some interesting ways. I don’t want to spoil too much…”

The first episode of The Walking Dead Season 3 will be released sometime this year.

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

Daily Scoop: April 27, 2016 – Boss Fight Books back on Kickstarter!

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Nicole Kline

For those of you who love reading about video games, I’ve got some awesome news! The amazing Boss Fight Books have a new Kickstarter going for Season 3, which includes Super Mario Bros. 3, Mega Man 3, and one of my personal favorites, Katamari Damacy! To celebrate, they’re offering digital versions of the first ten books in the series for just $15 over at Story Bundle. This is an incredible deal!

There are lots of great sales happening at the Humble Store this week. Nab Kerbal Space Program for $23.99, Starbound for $10.04, and The Swapper for $2.99, as well as Starwhal: Just the Tip, which is also just $2.99.

Grab Depth from Steam as part of their Midweek Madness deals for $6.24. Got a group of friends who want to join you for underwater team deathmatch? Get a four-pack for just $18.74. Today’s Daily Deal is Battlestation: Harbinger, which is on sale for $5.99.

Hit the jump to see today’s t-shirts!

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