Cuphead Hands-On Preview: A Shoot-Shoot-A-Hoot

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

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There was no Cartoon Network when I was a little kid. Instead, a sugary haze of Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and G.I. Joe filtered into my home via regular broadcast channels on Saturday mornings. And after they turned the day over to programming for adults, I’d turn my attention to nearly six hours of non-stop Looney Tunes on TNT.

I loved the Looney Tunes, but occasionally, TNT programmers would slip in an older 20s or 30s short that didn’t have anything to do with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, or Foghorn Leghorn. I never knew what to make of those earlier attempts at animation, but I always felt like there was something unsettling about them. Brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, of Studio MDHR, saw the same sinister edge in these cartoons, and they tapped directly into it for their upcoming side-scrolling shooter, Cuphead.

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Posted in PC, Previews, Top Story, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Alienation, Hitman: Episode 2, Walking Dead Michonne: Episode 3, more added to PS Store

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

Sony’s Launch Party promotion reached the end with yesterday’s addition of Alienation to the PlayStation Store. Developed by marquee game developer Housemarque, the PS4 game is a twin-stick shooter where up to four players can try to save Earth from a huge alien invasion.

Also available to download today is Severed from DrinkBox Studios (quasi-related side note… Ecto Cooler is coming back). The Vita game makes extensive use of the handheld’s touchscreen and asks players to solve puzzles, find secrets, and do battle with a host of disturbing monsters. Speaking of disturbing monsters, annoying partygoers have sealed their fate in Party Hard, a stealth game for the PS4 where players permanently evict the worst noise polluters.

There’s also an episodic bounty of riches on the PlayStation Store this week as three titles received new entries. Episode 2 of Hitman (PS4) takes the story to the fictional Italian coastal island of Sapienza, while Sierra’s King’s Quest (PS3, PS4) reaches new heights in its third episode, Once Upon A Climb. And Telltale closes the book on The Walking Dead: Michonne (PS3, PS4) with the third, and final, episode: What We Deserve.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. And a visit to the PlayStation Blog will reveal this week’s new game add-ons and discounts.

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Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged , , ,

Nintendo is working on Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile games

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Good news, everyone! Nintendo has announced that new Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem apps will soon be available for mobile platforms:


Best of all, it sounds like both will be full-fledged games, instead of communication apps like Miitomo:

For [Fire Emblem], while making it more accessible in comparison to the Fire Emblem games for Nintendo’s dedicated gaming systems, Nintendo aims to offer the great value of a role-playing strategy game. Nintendo will design [Animal Crossing] so that it will be connected with the world of Animal Crossing for dedicated gaming systems. By playing both Animal Crossing games, users will find increased enjoyment.

Both of these are pure game applications. Compared to Miitomo, they have more prominent game elements, and the game content will tie closely into Nintendo’s dedicated games business.

The currently untitled Animal Crossing Mobile and Fire Emblem Mobile should launch sometime this Fall.

Posted in Mobile, News | Tagged ,

Nintendo NX will launch in March 2017; Zelda Wii U delayed again to receive a simultaneous release on Wii U, NX

Posted on April 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

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The Nintendo NX is coming… not as soon as some hoped, but much sooner than most of us expected. The consolemaker held their yearly financial briefing a few hours ago, and confirmed the NX will receive a global launch in March 2017.

The console, which is around 315 days away from release and described by Nintendo as “a brand-new concept,” is still a big mystery to fans. However, a Q&A session with executives did shed some more light on the NX’s future.

According to a post on Nintendo’s Twitter account, The Legend of Zelda Wii U will be delayed once again, so it can receive a simultaneous launch on the Wii U and NX. The additional development time was also granted to make “quality improvements” to the game.

Unfortunately, the NX is expected to skip this year’s E3 Expo, so it might be a while before we learn anything else about Nintendo’s “brand-new concept.”

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

Daily Scoop: April 26, 2016 – Back from PAX East!

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Nicole Kline

Hello, readers! We are finally back from PAX East! It was an exciting adventure full of board games, video games, wonderful friends, and a lot of water and cough drops. This was the fastest and most wonderful PAX East I’ve ever experienced. It flew by! And now I’m home, and I’m ready to bring you today’s best deals.

The Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle is live at Humble! It’s all games for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Pay $1 or more to unlock Retro City Rampage: DX, Affordable Space Adventures, and Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse. Beat the average to unlock Freedom Planet, Rhythm Thief and the Emperor’s Treasure, Citizens of Earth, and a Home Menu theme from Retro City Rampage: DX. Pay $13 more to unlock Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition and Darksiders II.

The Midweek Madness at Steam is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Ultimate Edition, which is on sale for $7.50. The Daily Deal is on Alien Isolation, which is on sale for $12.49, or you can get the collection for $14.99. Add the Season Pass for $7.49.

Not too many shirts today! Hit the jump to see what I found!

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Posted in Daily Scoop |

Dear Diary: Saturday and Sunday at PAX East 2016 I Played…

Posted on April 26, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Another PAX East has come to an end, but Mike “Gabe” Krahulik, Jerry “Tycho” Holkins, and game developers from around the world will return to Boston next year for more shenanigans. In the meantime, I’ve got an overflowing notebook and thoughts on more than a dozen titles from the final days of the expo.

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

An open beta for Fallout 4’s modding tools is now available on the PC

Posted on April 26, 2016 by John Scalzo

Fallout 4 is about to get a whole lot crazier on the PC as Bethesda has announced Creation Kit is now available. Using the included modding tools, players will be able to craft new “quests, environments, characters, dialogue, outfits, weapons, and more” for other Fallout 4 players.

Players can search for new mods from within Fallout 4 by selecting “Mods” from the Main Menu. There, they’ll be able to select a mod, download it, offer feedback, and rate it all from the same spot.

Bethesda is still tweaking the Creation Kit tools, so the framework is currently available to download as an open beta through the Bethesda.net launcher. But eventually, Bethesda wants to make the Creation Kit available for the PS4 and Xbox One in June, and cross-platform compatibility for mods looks likely.

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

King of Fighters XIV will be released on August 23 in a special Day One Edition

Posted on April 26, 2016 by John Scalzo

Two weeks after confirming plans for a North American launch, SNK and Atlus have announced they will release The King of Fighters XIV for the PS4 on August 23.

The two companies also confirmed that a special Day One Edition of The King of Fighters XIV will be available to everyone who pre-orders and for a limited time on store shelves. The Day One Edition will include the game disc packaged in a Steelbook case and… well, that’s it. But a “Classic Kyo” costume will also be available for free through the PlayStation Store for a week after the launch.

An expanded Overview Trailer, embedded above, offers a look at the game’s many modes, including The King of Fighters XIV’s unique 3-on-3 battle system. And a similarly new Character Trailer, available after the break, will introduce players to dozens of the game’s 50 fighters.

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