Xbox Store Today: Tom Clancy’s The Division, Powell Lacrosse 16, Teslagrad, more

Posted on March 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Four new Xbox One games have been added to the Xbox Games Store as part of today’s update…

Black Friday gets a deadly new meaning in Tom Clancy’s The Division, which is now available to download through the Xbox Games Store today. In the game, a terrorist organization has somehow managed to unleash a smallpox outbreak by contaminating a batch of dollar bills on the busiest shopping day of the year. Players will join the titular government agency to track them down and restore order to the city. Ubisoft is planning to release a series of new content for The Division this year, and Xbox One owners will be able to play it a month earlier than everyone else.

The sport of lacrosse gets the video game treatment, possibly for the first time, in Powell Lacrosse 16. Casey Powell, one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time, lent his name to the game, which promises the “player movement and passing of basketball with the stick skills, shooting, and hitting of hockey.”

Also available this week is Teslagrad, a steampunk-inspired puzzle platformer where players will have to discover the secrets of Tesla Tower using their Teslamancer; and Tetraminos, a puzzle that looks a lot like Tetris.

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

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Daily Scoop: March 9, 2016 – So much on sale today

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Nicole Kline

Yesterday was an awesome day! I got treated to some awesome meals, then played video games and watched television all night. It was wonderful!

And today I’m excited to announce the games that are on sale this week at the Humble Store. I’ll start with one that I’ve been really excited about – Enter the Gungeon! It doesn’t come out until April 5, but if you pre-order it now, you can get it for just $13.49. They’ve also got Silence of the Sleep for $3.39, Please, Don’t Touch Anything for $1.49, and Knee Deep Season Ticket for $9.99.

The Midweek Madness at Steam is on the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise. Get Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth1 for $5.99, Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sisters Generation for $8.99, and Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth3 V Generation for $11.99. The Daily Deal is early access to ShellShock Live, which is $4.68 for one copy or $13.39 for four copies.

There are some great shirts today! Hit the jump to check them out.

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Today’s Super Mario Maker update adds Keys, Skewers, Super Expert Mode, more

Posted on March 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

Nintendo updated Super Mario Maker again today and added three new items to Create Mode, a new difficulty mode, more Character Costumes, and an update to the official website. Ready, here we go…

  • Skewers – Those ridiculously crazy columns from Super Mario World, are now available by shaking a Thwomp.
  • Keys and Key Doors – Available by shaking a P-Switch, Keys and Key Doors can now hide parts of a level behind a lock.
  • Pink Coins – Much like Yoshi Coins in Super Mario World, shaking a Coin will now give players access to Pink Coins, which turn into a Key after all of them have been collected in a level.
  • Character Costumes – A dozen new Character Costumes have been added to Super Mario Maker including Tetra from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
  • Super Expert Mode – After completing the 100 Mario Challenge on Expert, players will be able to tackle another random assortment of courses dubbed “Super Expert” by the community.
  • Super Mario Maker Bookmark – Nintendo will make a number of changes to the site, including adding a World Records search.

You can get a glimpse at all the changes made to Super Mario Maker today in the trailer embedded above.

Posted in News, Wii U | Tagged

Doom’s Closed Beta begins on March 31… watch the new Multiplayer Trailer now

Posted on March 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

If you pre-ordered Wolfenstein: The New Order back in 2014, it’s finally going to pay off, as Bethesda has announced that’s Doom‘s multiplayer beta will begin on Thursday, March 31, at 10:00 PM (Eastern Time). Players will get to strap themselves in for a four-day fragfest of epic proportions as the beta is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, April 3, at midnight (Eastern Time).

Bethesda also released a new Multiplayer Trailer today to prepare players for the brutal and bloody beta. Further intel is available at the Beta FAQ page.

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

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

Hitman, Tom Clancy’s The Division, Kholat, more added to PlayStation Store

Posted on March 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Assassins, terrorists, and a snowy void of death and despair highlight this week’s chipper PlayStation Store update.

Agent 47 goes back to work this week in IO Interactive’s brand new entry in the Hitman franchise. But the game, simply known as Hitman (PS4), will be delivered quite differently than your typical AAA title. Publisher Square Enix plans to release the game in chunks throughout the year and players will be able to kick back with the Intro Pack (a pair of missions, Contracts Mode, Escalation Mode, and other content) beginning March 11. New content for Hitman should arrive monthly.

Also available this week is Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4), a multiplayer shooter in the Destiny vein that takes place in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on New York City. Players will search the city’s famous streets and avenues looking for the perpetrators of a smallpox outbreak, while also avoiding rioters and other players bent on causing havoc.

A trio of smaller titles that will surely appeal to players of all persuasions are also now available to download through the PlayStation Store. Kholat (PS4) is a first-person survival/exploration game where players will attempt to investigate the supernatural origins of the Dyatlov Pass Incident. PS4 owners are also be able to download Assault Android Cactus, a colorful twin-stick shooter starring an adorable squad of androids. Finally, Rise of the Kasai is a well-liked PS2 brawler that and the latest PS2-On-PS4 game from Sony.

More information on all of these games can be found after the break. And a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts can be found at the PlayStation Blog.

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Insert Quarter: Should Microsoft Have Gotten Rid of Retail Discs on the Xbox One?

Posted on March 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

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Insert Quarter is our showcase for some of the best and most interesting writing about video games on the Internet.

We’re three years into the latest console generation, and retail game discs seem to be becoming less and less important every day. While it was a nice surprise to learn that No Man’s Sky would receive a retail release, something like The Witness is still trapped within the walled garden of the PlayStation Store. But maybe that’s not so bad?

Paul Tassi of Forbes argues that Microsoft was wrong to give up their original plan for the Xbox One, which would rendered a game disc as little more than a shiny coaster that proved you owned the rights to an otherwise completely digital title. Microsoft eventually flip-flopped on this position, but should they have?

Yesterday, I got my hard copy of The Division. Two and a half hours after putting the disc in, I was playing the game.

With discs taking almost as long to install as digital downloads, taking up just as much hard drive space, and being much more inconvenient to acquire, I just don’t see the point anymore. In short, I’m Microsoft in 2013.

The full article is available for your perusal at Forbes.

Posted in Insert Quarter, Xbox One |

Coleco removes their name from the cartridge-based Coleco Chameleon console

Posted on March 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

colecochameleonBack in December, Coleco and Retro VGS announced a partnership to bring the cartridge-based Retro VGS console to market as the Coleco Chameleon. Today, the two companies officially parted ways after rumors began to swirl that the Chameleon prototype wasn’t ready for primetime.

Coleco explained their reasoning for wanting a split on Facebook:

Retro VGS has decided that the work that they have created is not sufficient to demonstrate at this time. Consequently, we can no longer proceed with the project and the Chameleon project will be terminated. This separation is amicable. We wish them luck in the future. We thank the gaming community for their continued support, input, vigilance and trust.

A pretty good overview of the controversy is available at Polygon, but the key takeaway is that Retro VGS likely used recycled parts from a Super NES and an old PCI Capture Card to fill out the Caleco Chameleon’s shell during a recent demonstration at the 2016 New York Toy Fair. It’s believed, and Coleco’s statement backs this up, that the company doesn’t currently have a working prototype of the system.

Where Retro VGS goes from here is a mystery, but presumably they’ll continue working to finish their cartridge-based console.

Posted in News, Retro |

Daily Scoop: March 8, 2016 – It’s my birthday!

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Nicole Kline

Today is my birthday! It’s been a really exciting one, full of gifts, text messages, Facebook posts, cookies, and even a wonderful lunch with a special friend. Tonight, Anthony and I are going to dinner, then I hope to just play games for the rest of the evening. A perfect birthday indeed!

The new bundle at Humble is the Humble Jumbo Bundle 6! And it certainly is a jumbo one. Pay what you want for Oceanhorn: Monster of the Uncharted Seas, Shadowrun Chronicles – Boston Lockdown, and Warmachine Tactics – Standard Edition. Beat the average to unlock Shadowrun: Dragonfall – Director’s Cut, Dreamfall Chapters, and Magicka 2. Pay $12 or more and also get the Definitive Edition of Grey Goo.

The Midweek Madness at Steam is Punch Club, which is $6.99. The Daily Deal is StarDrive 2, which is on sale for $7.49.

I love today’s shirts!

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