New Releases: WRC 5, Let’s Sing 2016

Posted on November 22, 2015 by John Scalzo

wrc5-letssing2016The Fall gaming rush is coming to an end. Just two new titles will be available on store shelves this week and neither is likely to set the world on fire.

First up is WRC 5 from Bigben Interactive. Set to be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, WRC 5 is billed as “the only rally game this year” on consoles. The developer also promises a “new physics and rendering system,” as well as an “entirely overhauled Career Mode.”

Also available this week is Let’s Sing 2016 for the PS4 and Wii. Published by Maximum Games, Let’s Sing 2016 is yet another karaoke game that features 35 hit songs from some of today’s biggest artists including Laday Gaga, John Legend, Avicii, Sam Smith, Sia, Ariana Grande, Lorde, and Meghan Trainor.

That’s it for this week’s retail releases, but more details on this week’s digital releases will be available in a few days.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox One |

Earth Defense Force 4.1 and Earth Defense Force 2 will be released on December 8

Posted on November 20, 2015 by John Scalzo

earthdefenseforce-logoXSEED Games has announced that the Earth Defense Force will make its glorious return on December 8, 2015 with the re-release of two games in the cult favorite series.

Earth Defense Force 4.1: The Shadow of New Despair will be available for the PS4 and its an enhanced and expanded remake of 2013’s Earth Defense Force 2025. In addition to improved graphics, players will get to battle the alien menace in a series of brand new levels and control a squad of NPC soldiers that respond to commands.

The publisher will also release Earth Defense Force 2: Invaders from Planet Space on December 8 for the Vita. Originally released in Europe in 2007 as Global Defense Force, this re-release will mark the first time the second game in the series is available in North America.

Would you like to know more? XSEED recently launched a new website for both games at TheEDFDeploys.com.

Posted in News, PS4, Vita | Tagged ,

Knight Squad Review: Bomberman Goes Medieval

Posted on November 20, 2015 by John Scalzo

knightsquad-header

Let me tell you a story…

It’s 1993. You dust off an old Gauntlet cartridge and proceed to spend a few weeks marvelling at its overhead style and bashing monsters with your big barbarian’s sword. After that, someone hands you a copy of Super Bomberman and a Super Multitap, a small plastic brick with four controller ports. Gathering together three of your buddies, you blow each other up with bombs while laughing yourselves silly.

Now jump back to the present. Chainsawesome’s Knight Squad, which was released earlier this week on the PC and Xbox One, perfectly fuses those two games into a medieval-themed party game that drops up to eight players into its single-screen arena at the same time.

If it had been released in 1993, Knight Squad would have gone down as one of gaming’s classics. It doesn’t have the same impact 22 years later, but it’s still a ridiculously enjoyable romp.

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

Atlus will also release Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir in a special Storybook Edition

Posted on November 20, 2015 by John Scalzo

odispherestorybookOdin Sphere: Leifthrasir is a side-scrolling RPG with a tale that unfolds through chapters in a magical storybook. So it seems rather fitting that Atlus will also release a special Storybook Edition of the remake. Available exclusively for the PS4, Leifthrasir’s Storybook Edition will be available in Spring 2016 for $79.99.

The Storybook Edition will include:

  • Premium Outer Box – All the contents in the premium edition will be packaged in a large, sturdy outer box.
  • Collector’s Metal Slipcase – The PS4 game will come nestled in a special metal slipcase with the game’s key art on the front, and a not-yet-revealed image on the reverse.
  • 64-Page Hardcover Art Book – Filled with the original drawings from the legendary George Kamitani and Vanillaware.
  • Potion Recipe T-Shirt – This large-size t-shirt is emblazoned with a helpful reminder of one of the more common uses of Alchemy in Odin Sphere Leifthrasir: turning the living Mandragora plant creatures (Habaneristos, in this case) into potions vital for survival.
  • Art Print – Also included with the game will be a high-quality art print with another not-yet-revealed (but different) design.

A softcover version of the Art Book will be bundled with the PS3 and Vita editions of Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir, which will also be available next Spring.

Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Vita | Tagged

Brett Ratner is making a movie about Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov’s life

Posted on November 20, 2015 by John Scalzo

metatop100-tetrisAlexey Pajitnov’s creation of Tetris is going to get the Social Network treatment courtesy of Brett Ratner’s RatPac Entertainment.

According to Tracking Board, the film will portray Pajitnov’s early days at the Soviet Academy of Sciences and his programming work with Dmitry Pavlovsky and Vadim Gerasimov. The film will also focus on the court case that eventually awarded a publishing license for the game to Nintendo. The Tracking Board article even hints at the possibility of some international intrigue as the court case is said to have “threatened to destabilize relationships between governments.”

RatPac Entertainment is currently seeking a screenwriter for the film.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro | Tagged

Beyond: Two Souls will be released for PS4 next week; Heavy Rain delayed to March 1, 2016

Posted on November 20, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Sony has announced (via the PlayStation Blog) that Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls will make its PS4 debut on the PlayStation Store next Tuesday, November 24. The supernatural adventure game, which stars Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe, was originally released for the PS3 in 2013.

Quantic Dream has made a number of changes to the PS4 re-release, including:

  • Enhanced 1080p graphics including motion blur, bloom, and depth of field effects, as well as improved lighting and shadows. The game also makes use of the DualShock 4 speaker to improve immersion when playing as the Entity.
  • Decisions are highlighted at the end of each scene and compared with those made by other players.
  • You can now play the game in chronological order right from the start.
  • Increased difficulty in certain fight scenes, combined with improved controls for action sequences.
  • Includes the “Enhanced Experiments” downloadable expansion.

In the same post, Sony confirmed that Heavy Rain‘s PS4 re-release has suffered a slight delay. Originally expected to be available by the end of the year, Heavy Rain will now be released through the PlayStation Store on March 1, 2016. A retail release containing both titles will be available in the European region on the same day, but it’s currently unknown if Sony will make the same deal available to North American PS4 owners.

Posted in News, PS4 | Tagged ,

Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 3 will be released on November 24

Posted on November 19, 2015 by John Scalzo

Telltale and Mojang are putting the pedal to the metal on Minecraft: Story Mode. Today, they announced that Episode 3, “The Last Place You Look,” will be available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices on November 24. The search for the legendary Order of the Stone continues for Jesse and his/her friends in Episode 3, but is it too late…

Trapped and running out of time, Jesse and crew must discover a means to locate Soren, the final member of the Order of the Stone. They’ll see sights and wonders beyond belief, including the horrors lurking beneath the starless sky of The End. Only Soren’s knowledge can help push back the all-consuming Witherstorm, but will it be enough to save the world?

A new trailer for Minecraft: Story Mode – The Last Place You Look has been embedded above. Watch out for those Endermen!

Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, Typoman, more

Posted on November 19, 2015 by John Scalzo

nintendodownload

Two games from Nintendo themselves highlight this week’s Nintendo Download.

Tennis anyone? Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash will be available to download tomorrow through the Wii U eShop. Players will be able to serve it up with Mario and all his pals once more with brand new moves (the Jump Shot), new powerups (the Mega Mushroom), and new modes (the randomness of Mega Battle).

Over on the 3DS eShop, players will be able to download Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, a new entry in the dungeon-crawling franchise, beginning tomorrow. The roguelike game will include 20 playable Pokemon, and all 720 Pokemon will play a role in the story.

Finally this week, two other interesting retro-style games are now available to download on the Wii U. Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival is a Virtual Console re-release of the Game Boy Advance remake of the Super NES port of the arcade classic. That’s a mouthful, but it’s also a pretty good version of one of the best one-on-one fighting games of all time. Also available today is Typoman, a side-scrolling adventure that requires players to lift and shift letters to advance.

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

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged , ,