Walmart-exclusive Star Wars: Battlefront Deluxe Edition comes with a mini fridge depicting Han Solo frozen in Carbonite

Posted on September 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

starwarsbattlefront-minifridge“They’ve encased him in Carbonite. He should be quite well protected. If he survived the freezing process, that is.”

Star Wars: Battlefront is exactly two months away, and I’m sure that more than a few people will spend a number of all-nighters partaking in its multiplayer battles. But how are you planning to stay alert after Darth Vader cuts you down with his Lightsaber at three in the morning? Are you going to march down to your kitchen for a store brand cola like some scruffy-looking nerf herder? Or are you going to reach over and pull out a genuine can of Coca-Cola from this beautiful Han Solo Mini Fridge? Don’t you love it? What am I saying… I know you love it.

The Mini Fridge will be available at Walmart exclusively as part of their Star Wars: Battlefront Deluxe Edition for the PS4 or Xbox One. It’s priced at $129.98 and can hold six cans of soda. For some reason, the Mini Fridge also includes a warming function… so insert your own “I’ll bet Han wishes his Carbonite fridge had a warming function” joke right here.

Star Wars: Battlefront is in development at DICE LA and it’ll be released on November 17. And if the game doesn’t interest you for some reason, but you’re now in the market for a “Han Solo Frozen in Carbonite” fridge, ThinkGeek currently offers one with an 18-can capacity for $149.99.

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Nintendo Download: Year Walk, Skylanders SuperChargers, Senran Kagura 2, more

Posted on September 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

skylanderssuperchargers

I’m dedicating this story about this week’s Nintendo Download update to all the Skylanders fans out there, as Activision is almost ready to release the next entry in the popular franchise. Beginning September 20, Skylanders SuperChargers will be available to download for the Wii U through the Wii U eShop. Players will need to own a Portal of Power, but as long as they do, they’ll gain access to the full game and digital versions of the Instant Spitfire and Instant Hot Streak. Also available this week for the Wii U is Year Walk, Simogo’s artistic and dreamy adventure game that was originally a smash hit on iOS devices in 2013.

There’s only one new release this week over on the 3DS half of the store, and it’s Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson. The latest Senran Kagura game is a 2.5D side-scrolling brawler that features all the “high-flying, clothes-ripping battle mechanics” the series is known for. In a first for the franchise, Deep Crimson will also include two-player co-op.

More information about all of these games (and a few other new releases such as overhead racer Rock ‘N Racing Off Road DX and RTS/tower defense hybrid Zombie Defense can be found after the break.

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Daily Scoop: September 17, 2015 – Great game dev bundle at Humble!

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Nicole Kline

The brand new Weekly Bundle from Humble is Play and Create with GameMaker. Pay what you want for YoYo RPG with Foliage Pack and Items Pack, Another Perspective, WizardWizard with source code and documentation, Spoiler Alert, and Death Ray Manta. Pay $6 or more to unlock GameMaker: Studio Pro, Stealth Bastard Deluxe, Savant – Ascent, Detective Case and the Clown Bot in: Murder in the Hotel Lisbon, 10 Second Ninja, and Super Crate Box, along with the source code for Another Perspective, Death Ray Manta, Spoiler Alert, and Super Crate Box.

But wait – there’s more! For $12, you can unlock GameMaker Studio: Android Expert Module, Wasteland Kings, and the source code for Stealth Bastard Deluxe, Savant – Ascent, Detective Case and the Clown Bot in: Murder in the Hotel Lisbon, 10 Second Ninja, and Wasteland Kings. Oh, and they’ve got two free games, with access to their source code as well – L’Abbaye des Morts and Spelunky Classic.

The Weekend Deal at Steam is a big sale on the Call of Duty franchise. Get Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Gold Edition for $29.99, Call of Duty: Black Ops II for $19.79, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for $13.59, among others. The Daily Deal is Dust: An Elysian Tale, which is on sale for $2.99.

Just two t-shirts today!

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Dark Souls III will be released in April 2016

Posted on September 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

darksouls3-teaser-header

Bandai Namco and From Software have narrowed down that “Early 2016” release window for Dark Souls III… but it might not be as early as you’d hoped.

As part of this year’s Tokyo Game Show, the publisher and developer announced that Dark Souls III will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in North America in April 2016. They also confirmed that the game will have a “deeper sense of role-playing” than previous games in the series:

Dark Souls III pushes a deeper sense of role-playing than previous iterations of the series with key additions that provide players with a set of tools and in-game options to customize their gameplay experience. Skills, a new addition to the Dark Souls combat mechanics, adds attack modifiers to each weapon type, allowing players an increased tactical advantage in combat. Increase an axe’s attack power with War Cry or break an enemy’s guard with a quick upward swing from Ready Stance. The choice of if and when players use these added abilities is up to them. Players will also be able to equip their character with a wide variety of armor sets, medieval weaponry, as well as come across powerful sorceries and miracles as they develop their own personal style of play.

From Software must really love the Springtime as the developer will launch a major new title during the season for the third year in a row after this year’s Bloodborne and last year’s Dark Souls II.

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Street Fighter V: Karin joins the fight + Capcom Fighters Network community tool revealed

Posted on September 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

And then there were 12 (well, 13 if count Blanka’s unofficial reveal). During this week’s Tokyo Game Show, Capcom revealed that Karin Kanzuki (who was last seen in Street Fighter Alpha 3) will be joining the cast of Street Fighter V.

Karin is held in high regard by the Street Fighter community and actually came in seventh in a Popularity Poll held in 2013. And believe or not, but she was also the most popular character among Japanese respondents. Capcom considers Karen a “well-rounded” fighter with a wide variety of attacks at her disposal:

About Karin
Behind Karin’s golden locks and razer-sharp wit lies a true martial artist trained in the unique “Kanzuki” style of fighting. Utilizing her new dash move allows her to close distances quickly with her opponents and go in for quick high-low attacks or throws. Her well-rounded skills allow her to possess a full set of tools and deploy a wide array of strikes and maneuvers that will have opponents feeling the pressure. For fans who’ve longed for her return, or for those just looking for a quick fighter with lots of versatility, Karin is a welcome addition to Street Fighter V!

V-Skill: Meioken
Karin lunges forward with a devastating palm strike that dissipates projectiles and knocks down the opponent if it connects, all while helping to build her V-Trigger gauge. By holding down the buttons, players can charge the move for a split second, giving it better hit and block properties.

V-Trigger: Kanzuki-Ryu Guren No Kata
Karin channels her inner Ki to unlock the true potential of the Kanzuki fighting style, giving her access to the Guren Ken attack, which in itself possesses over half a dozen different follow ups and variations. After the initial Guren Ken, she is able to transition immediately into an overhead attack, a low sweep, a flying throw, another quick set of strikes, or even a backdash to bait out counterattacks. This gives her immense flexibility in controlling the flow of the fight, ensuring that she comes out on top.

The Capcom Fighters Network (CFN), a community management tool for Street Fighter V, was also unveiled at the 2015 Tokyo Game Show. According to the Capcom-Unity blog, players will be able to use CFN to see where battles are happening with a “heat map,” view player profiles and detailed match statistics, designate another player as a “rival” and monitor their performance, and search for match replays. A few screenshots showing CFN in action are available at the publisher’s community site and it looks like it could be a great way to analyze your Street Fighter V performance.

Street Fighter V will be released for the PC and PS4 in Spring 2016.

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P (for Perception) is the second video in Fallout 4’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. series

Posted on September 17, 2015 by John Scalzo

“Following total atomic annihilation, the rebuilding of this great nation of ours may fall to you. Study these materials carefully to ensure your survival and to discover what makes you S.P.E.C.I.A.L.”

Fallout 4 is just around the corner and Bethesda Softworks wants to continue their education of prospective vault dwellers with the second entry in their S.P.E.C.I.A.L. video series… Perception. By focusing on the importance of Perception, players will be able to master the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System (VATS), which helps them analyze their opponents and pinpoint areas of weakness. It’s a powerful tool, but like the announcer man says, don’t get too cocky!

Fallout 4 will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 10.

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Bloodborne: The Old Hunters expansion will be released on November 24

Posted on September 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

Bloodborne has proven to be quite successful for Sony Computer Entertainment and From Software. As of late August, the PS4 game has sold more than two million copies throughout the world. So naturally, now’s a great time to announce more details about the promised expansion.

Unveiled as part of Sony’s Tokyo Game Show presentation yesterday, Bloodborne: The Old Hunters will be released on November 24. Priced at $19.99, the expansion will give players the opportunity to “experience the nightmare of the hunters who once guarded Byrgenwerth’s darkest secrets.”

Set in a nightmare world where hunters from the past are trapped forever, explore brand new stages full of dangers, rewards, and deadly beasts to overcome. You’ll find multiple new outfits and weapons to add to your arsenal as well as additional magic to wield and add more variety to your combat strategy.

With new story details, learn the tale of hunters who once made Yharnam their hunting grounds, meet new NPCs, and discover another side of the history and world of Bloodborne.

A new trailer for Bloodborne: The Old Hunters was also revealed through the PlayStation Blog, giving players their first glimpse at the spinning buzzsaw that is Simon’s Bowblade, and a new boss named Ludwig.

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Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice release date spin dashes into 2016

Posted on September 16, 2015 by John Scalzo

sonicboomfireandiceSega has released new games in the Sonic series at a pretty steady clip over the last 25 years. But it looks like 2015 will be the year without a hedgehog as the publisher cconfirmed that Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice has been pushed into 2016.

Writing on the Sega Blog, a representative from the publisher said the 3DS title is in need of additional time and polish. They also added, “it’ll be ready when it’s ready,” a time-tested statement for public relations folks everywhere. While it’s easy to be cynical about this announcement, Sega believes that it will result in the creation of a “stronger, more enjoyable” game:

In the grand scheme of things, while the downside is that you won’t be playing the game this year, the upside is that what you’ll play next year, and what fans will continue to play for years after they pick up the game, will be a stronger, more enjoyable experience.

We think that’s important, not just for this one game, but for all future Sonic titles.

Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is in development at Sanzaru Games and, once again, it’ll be ready when it’s ready.

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