Nintendo Download: Final Fantasy Explorers, FF Tactics Advance, Lego Avengers, more

Posted on January 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

finalfantasyexplorersYou’ll find a double shot of Final Fantasy in this week’s Nintendo Download as Final Fantasy Explorers is now available to download for the 3DS and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance has made the jump to the Wii U.

Ditching the turn-based format of most Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy Explorers is an action RPG for the 3DS that asks players to slay massive monsters while taking control of the franchise’s most famous faces. Players will also be able to choose from more than 20 jobs and summon eidolons like Ifrit and Bahamut. Over on the Wii U, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance joins the Virtual Console and reintroduces players to the land of Ivalice in a strategic RPG originally released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003.

Another dynamic duo of games flew onto the Nintendo eShop this week with the release of Lego Avengers for the 3DS and Wii U this week. WB Games and TT Games turned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for their latest Lego game, adapting six of the films from the sprawling saga: Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

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

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Insomniac will partner with GameStop to release Song of the Deep this Summer

Posted on January 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

Insomniac Games is going under the sea for their next game. Song of the Deep is a Metroidvania-style side-scroller that takes place entirely underwater as the young Merryn attempts to save her father from the briny deep. Insomniac isn’t exactly known for side-scrollers, but Song of the Deep is the passion project of Chief Creative Officer Brian Hastings, so come hell or high water, it’s full steam ahead for the developer:

Merryn waits all night for her father to return from his fishing voyage. He never does. After a vivid dream showing her father trapped under the sea, Merryn is determined to save him. This unlikely heroine builds a small submarine from spare parts and sets off to rescue him. Along the way, she’ll make friends, discover lost civilizations and ruins, and upgrade her submarine to explore even deeper. The terrain and monsters of the deep are daunting, but Merryn’s courage, intelligence, and love for her father will help her overcome adversity.

In another amazing first, Insomniac has partnered with GameStop to publish Song of the Deep on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One this Summer. GameStop’s 6,900 retail locations will be the exclusive home of Song of the Deep’s disc release… though the game will also be available through the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Steam.

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2K will continue making WWE games for many more years

Posted on January 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

wwe2k2K Games and the WWE have announced that they’ve reached an agreement to extend 2K’s contract to make games based on the WWE’s patented brand of professional wrestling. The two companies have yet to officially announce that WWE 2K17 will be released this Fall, but it seems like a good bet in the aftermath of this new multi-year deal.

“2K’s partnership with WWE over the past three years has resulted in a successful and important addition to the Company’s portfolio of profitable franchises,” said David Ismailer, 2K’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are thrilled with the positive momentum of the WWE 2K series, including generating year-over-year growth, as well as the success of WWE SuperCard. We are very pleased to extend our partnership with WWE and look forward to many more years of collaboration.”

“2K’s leadership in authenticity, quality and overall brand dedication has been a perfect complement for WWE,” said Casey Collins, the WWE’s Executive Vice President of Consumer Products. “Our continued partnership ensures WWE remains at the forefront of global video game brands as we continue innovating and publishing our offerings on multiple platforms.”

The most recent game in the franchise, last year’s WWE 2K16, was co-developed by Visual Concepts and Yuke’s. While WWE 2K17 still isn’t official, the publisher did say the two teams will continue to co-develop all future entries in the WWE 2K series.

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Rise of the Tomb Raider’s PC launch gets a number of graphical enhancements

Posted on January 28, 2016 by John Scalzo

Now that it’s Xbox exclusivity has ended, Square Enix is happy to announce that Rise of the Tomb Raider is now available to download on the PC (through Steam). But co-developers Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes made sure to include a number of graphical enhancements to the game (including 4K resolution support) to better harness the greater processing power of the PC.

Here’s a list of all the high-end visual tricks that have been added to the PC version of Rise of the Tomb Raider:

  • HBAO+, an ambient occlusion technique which reduces artifacts and produces a richer and more details ambient lighting. Implemented through a partnership with Nvidia.
  • Anisotropic Filtering, which greatly enriches the quality of the textures in the distance when viewed from an angle.
  • Tessellation, which greatly enhances the detail of uneven surfaces in the ground, rocks, and bricks.
  • Dynamic Foliage, which takes previously static foliage and makes it react dynamically to Lara’s movements and weather effects.

Rise of the Tomb Raider players can also expand their game with the Baba Yaga: The Temple of the Witch expansion, which is now available to download on the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC.

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Xbox Store Today: Lego Avengers, Sparkle 2, Roblox

Posted on January 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

legoavengers-header

A trio of titles have been added to the Xbox Games Store today, and fans of superheroes should be very pleased…

…And that’s because Lego Avengers is now available to download for the Xbox One and Xbox 360. Developer TT Games dug deep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to produce a new Lego-ized adaptation based on Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Also available this week is Sparkle 2, a puzzle game for the Xbox One that asks players to match groups of colored marbles by shooting them out of a cannon. Finally this week, Roblox will give Xbox One owners access to the Roblox game creation community. It’s free-to-play, but you’ve got to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription.

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

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Posted in News, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Daily Scoop: January 27, 2016 – Two great shirts today

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Nicole Kline

As I frantically try to prep for PAX South, I’m not sure what video games to bring for the plane ride. Do I start Persona Q, or do I try to get the Platinum in Persona 4 Golden? Or do I take a break from the Persona universe altogether? No, no, that’s absurd. Right?

Anyway, let’s talk about deals! Over at the Humble Sale, they’ve got a lot of great offerings. Tabletop Simulator is $9.99, Rocksmith 2014 Edition is $9.99, and Dying Light is $19.97, among others.

Steam is having a big Games Workshop sale! Load up on games like Space Hulk for $2.49, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine for $7.49, and Blood Bowl 2 for $22.49. The Daily Deal is Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, which is $4.94 alone or $14.84 for a four pack.

Just two t-shirts today!

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RBI Baseball 16 will head for home this Spring

Posted on January 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

MLB Advanced Media is stepping up to the plate once again with the announcement that RBI Baseball 16 will be available this Spring. This year’s RBI Baseball 16 cover athlete will be Mookie Lynn Betts, an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox… and possibly the only “MLB” in Major League Baseball history. For their third trip to the plate, MLBAM has promised to include a number of new features in their retro-styled baseball sim including a “rebuilt defensive artificial intelligence system” and more realism on the field than ever before:

RBI Baseball 16 Features

  • Defense: A redeveloped defensive AI will introduce new fielding capabilities including dives, wall catches, fake throws and more. This system will give users more control than ever before in making defensive plays.
  • Baserunning: Built in part from MLBAM’s award-winning tracking technology, Statcast, baserunners’ abilities will be driven by on-field metrics from the 2015 MLB season.
  • Batting: An improved batting engine will feature variable perfect timing. For the best outcome, swing earlier on inside pitches and later on outside pitches.
  • Pitching: With a reworked pitching strategy AI, pitchers will play to their individual strengths. For example, a pitcher who features a wide range of velocity will mix speeds more often.
  • Season Sim: During season mode play, sim a game or multiple games to quickly advance through the season and into the Postseason – should the team win its division or earn a Wild Card spot.
  • Lineup: Modify a team’s lineup pre-game or in-game, including substitution strategies such as double switches. Lineups can be set from a franchise’s 40-man roster or the game’s classic 16-player rosters.
  • Graphics: All 30 MLB ballparks will feature a new lighting system based on actual geographic locations, field views and additional hi-resolution realistic design elements.

RBI Baseball 16 is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices (iOS and Android).

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Capcom slaps a May 2016 release date on Umbrella Corps and unveils a new trailer

Posted on January 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

Capcom’s Umbrella Corps, a team-based shooter in the Resident Evil universe, finally has a release date. The publisher plans to release the game as a digital download for the PC and PS4 sometime this May.

As part of the announcement, Capcom also unveiled a new Umbrella Corps trailer, giving fans a look at “The Village,” another one of the game’s arenas. “The Village” is based on the unnamed township that Leon Kennedy stumbles across early in Resident Evil 4… and it’s no less terrifying now. The trailer also includes an early peak at “The Experiment,” a single-player Horde Mode that’ll feature more than 20 missions with varying objectives. “The Experiment” will bring players back to “The Village,” but they’ll also be asked to survive in a research facility based on the Tricell Headquarters from Resident Evil 5. The Tricell Headquarters map will also be available for multiplayer matches.

More maps and modes from Umbrella Corps will be announced at a later date.

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