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Nintendo will kick off 2016 with the release of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam for the 3DS on January 22. Paper Jam is the latest “Mario RPG,” but it’ll go above and beyond that moniker by merging the handheld-exclusive Mario & Luigi series with the Paper Mario series for the first time. And, according to the launch trailer embedded above, it’ll also feature… GIANT PAPERCRAFT BATTLES.
I’m not sure it gets said enough, but I kind of love how goofy Nintendo can be.
Sony has delivered the first PlayStation Store update of the new year and fans of Harmonix’s brand of music-based button-mashing should be very pleased, as the developer released Amplitude for the PS4 today. And in case you were wondering, the trippy visuals support an even trippier story… “Take a trip through the expansive human mind as you seek to awaken your comatose patient and expand her perceptions.”
Also available this week for the PS4 is Rebel Galaxy, Double Damage’s “swashbuckling space adventure” that’s filled with space combat, extraterrestrial exploration, and a bounty of space pirates.
Finally this week, Vita owners can look forward to Mike Bithell’s Volume. If you’ve already purchased the stealth game on the PS4, the Vita version can be yours for free.
More information on all of these games (and a few other new release) can be found after the break. And, as always, a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons and discounts are available at the PlayStation Blog.
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EA Sports announced today that EA Sports UFC 2 will be available for the PS4 and Xbox One on March 15. With a release date in place, the publisher is also ready to open pre-orders for EA Sports UFC 2. Players who purchase the game before March 15 will receive access to a trio of additional fighters including Bas Rutten, “The Gracie Hunter” Kazushi Sakuraba, and a “Mystery Fighter” to be named later. A Deluxe Edition, priced at $69.99, that includes up to $60 of UFC Ultimate Team Premium Packs will also be available.
“Whether fans want to play upcoming cards, recreate the outcome of recent fights, or go back to fight with MMA legends, we’ll help them do that in the most authentic and exciting way ever in an MMA simulation,” said Brian Hayes, the Creative Director at EA Canada. “Our first two pre-order fighters, Bas Rutten and Kazushi Sakuraba are perfect additions to what is already the biggest roster ever for an official UFC game. Adding them is huge, and fans are going to go nuts when we reveal who the mystery fighter is. I can’t wait.”
EA Sports also released a new gameplay trailer to get gamers excited to step into the Octagon once more this Spring. It’s been embedded above.
It’s freezing here in Philadelphia, and I want nothing more than to sit at home under a heated blanket and finish up Persona 4 Golden. I’m just so close to finishing it! And then I can move onto… oh wait, I think I’m just going to start Persona Q when I’m done. Listen, I know I have a problem, OK? I know.
Of course, I could just hit up some sales and grab some other games, too. The Humble Store has some good games on sale this week, like Burly Men at Sea for $7.99, 8 Days for $4.99, Militia for $4.01, and MechaNika is $1.59.
The Midweek Madness at Steam is Dungeons 2, which is on sale for $9.99. They’re also offering 50% off The Fruit of Grisaia for $19.99 for their Daily Deal.
Hit the jump to check out today’s awesome t-shirts!
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Scalebound, an action RPG in development at Platinum Games, was noticeably absent from the “snapshot” of 2016 Xbox One exclusives that Microsoft released yesterday. And now we know why. A post on the developer’s official website has revealed that the game has been delayed into 2017:
Development on the game is going well and we’re really happy with how it’s coming together. Scalebound is one of the biggest games PlatinumGames has ever created: an epic adventure filled with exploration and fantasy gameplay, inventive multiplayer, and action-packed battles on an unbelievable scale – all set in a beautiful and evolving world. It’s the game our team has always dreamed of making.
In order to deliver on our ambitious vision and ensure that Scalebound lives up to expectations, we will be launching the game in 2017. This will give us the time needed to bring to life all the innovative features and thrilling gameplay experiences that we have planned.
Microsoft originally announced Scalebound during their E3 2014 Press Conference and unveiled the first gameplay trailer this past August during their Gamescom Briefing.
Square Enix has finally made it official after Steam leaked the news a week ago… Rise of the Tomb Raider will officially be available for the PC on January 28. Lara Croft’s latest will make the jump to the PC with a number of improvements over the Xbox version released in November, including Windows 10 support and a 4K resolution display option.
Players interested in purchasing Rise of Tomb Raider for the PC will get three different bundles to choose from:
In other Rise of the Tomb Raider news, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg has confirmed (via Twitter) that “well over” one million copies of the game have been sold on the Xbox One and Xbox 360 to date.
Microsoft loved to promote their 2015 release schedule as the “Greatest Games Line-Up in Xbox History,” but the publisher plans to continue to use that tagline in 2016. Mike Nichols, the Xbox Division’s Corporate Vice President of Marketing, has posted a look back at some of Microsoft’s achievements from the previous year on the Xbox Wire, but the executive also gave us a “snapshot” of Big Redmond’s 2016 lineup of Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusives.
Most of these release dates are well known, but it’s nice to learn that the Windows 10 version of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition will be released this Spring. And it looks like Keiji Inafune’s ReCore will also be released for the PC in addition to the Xbox One, though its release date has been changed from “Spring 2016” to “TBA 2016”:
Greatest Games Line-Up in Xbox History Extends to 2016
- Cobalt (Xbox One / Xbox 360 / Steam) – February 2
- Killer Instinct: Season 3 (Xbox One / Windows 10) – March
- Quantum Break (Xbox One) – April 5
- Fable Legends (Xbox One / Windows 10) – Spring (Open Beta)
- Gears of War: Ultimate Edition (Windows 10) – Spring
- Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (Xbox One / Windows 10) – Spring
- Crackdown 3 (Xbox One) – Summer (Multiplayer)
- Gears of War 4 (Xbox One) – Fall (Launch) / Spring (Multiplayer Beta)
- Halo Wars 2 (Xbox One / Windows 10) – Fall
- Gigantic (Xbox One / Windows 10) – TBA 2016
- ReCore (Xbox One / Windows 10) – TBA 2016
- Sea of Thieves (Xbox One / Windows 10) – TBA 2016
Microsoft has several other unannounced titles on track for 2016 and will make further “new title reveals” in the coming months.
It’s been an amazing 11 days off from work and school! I did so much gaming and it was a blast. I also slept, ate, and tried to catch up on some movies I hadn’t seen. All in all, it was wonderful, and I’m going to miss all that free time!
Anyway, it’s also great to be back! Let’s jump right into the deals. You have less than a day to get the Humble Square Enix Bundle 3. Pay $1 or more for The Last Remnant, Life is Strange Episode 1, Murdered: Soul Suspect, and Tomb Raider I, II, and III. Beat the average to unlock Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Just Cause Collection, Front Mission Evolved, Gyromancer, and Yosumin. Pay $8.99 or more to unlock Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Tomb Raider GOTY Edition, and Hitman Absolution: Elite Edition.
There are 177 new Weeklong Deals at Steam. Yet Another Zombie Defense is $0.49, Anna’s Quest is $9.99, and Metal Dead is $2.49, among others. The Daily Deal is the Jackbox Party Pack 2 for $18.74, which is sure to be a blast!
There are lots of t-shirts today, so hit the jump to check them out!
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