The first poster for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie is WEIRD

Posted on December 10, 2018 by John Scalzo

The idea of a live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie has always seemed a little weird, but knowing that the “Blue Blur” would be voiced by Parks and Rec‘s Ben Schwartz eased the worry somewhat.

Then Paramount Pictures had to go and release the first poster for Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic himself is shown in silhouette, but you can clearly make out his extremely muscular arms and legs. The character also seems to be impossibly tall, and his head is freakishly large compared to the rest of his body (which, again, includes an extremely muscular pair of arms and legs).

The movie also has a new tagline, and I’m not ashamed to admit that it took me a very long time to realize that “A Whole New Speed of Hero” is just a particularly bad pun and not some random gibberish.

Sonic the Hedgehog, which also stars Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, will open in theaters on November 15, 2019. I honestly can’t wait.

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Skybound will launch Episode 3 of The Walking Dead: The Final Season on January 15

Posted on December 8, 2018 by John Scalzo

There’s not much that’s funny about an undead apocalypse (unless Bill Murray or Simon Pegg is involved, I suppose), but Skybound Games took the stage during the Kinda Funny Games Showcase earlier today and announced a release date for The Walking Dead: The Final Season – Episode 3: Broken Toys anyway.

According to the developer (and the semi-new trailer embedded above), Episode 3: Broken Toys will be available to download for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on January 15.

In addition to completing work on The Final Season after Telltale’s unexpected closure, Skybound also announced that they’ve restored previous seasons of The Walking Dead to the digital storefronts for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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Nintendo will launch Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order on the Switch in 2019

Posted on December 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

The crossover potential of the Marvel Ultimate Alliance franchise has always felt like the closest analogue to playing through the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a controller in your hand… even though the series was stopped (after two games) before the MCU really got going. But fresh off of launching the universe-spanning Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Nintendo will bring the series back in 2019 with Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order.

Set to launch exclusively for the Switch, and revealed during last night’s Game Awards, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is in development at Team Ninja and will once again offer fans of multiplayer-focused Action RPGs a chance to play in Marvel’s giant sandbox:

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order brings together Super Heroes and Super Villains from across the Marvel Universe to battle for the limitless power of the Infinity Gauntlet, one Stone at a time. This unprecedented team of characters must use their unique superpowers to defeat the mad cosmic tyrant Thanos and his ruthless warmasters, The Black Order. The game will feature an original story and a playable cast of dozens of Marvel Super Heroes, including the Avengers, the X-Men, and—for the first time in series history—the Guardians of the Galaxy.

“The Marvel Ultimate Alliance games have been beloved by fans for more than a decade, and this new installment on Nintendo Switch will deliver even more of the thrills and heroics that the franchise is known for,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Thanks to our partnership with Marvel, the fate of the Marvel Universe will literally be in the hands of Nintendo Switch players, whether they’re at home or on the go.”

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order will include a variety of multiplayer options for up to four players. In addition to online multiplayer, couch co-op will be available for single-system play or local wireless play.

If you’ll recall, The Black Order shared the screen with The Avengers during this Summer’s Avengers: Infinity War. You can see how they’ll once again take the fight to the Marvel Universe in the Announcement Trailer embedded above.

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Persona 5’s Joker will join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2019

Posted on December 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has always been happy to add third-party characters to the Smash series, but the first character announced for the game’s upcoming Fighters Pass goes far beyond the likes of Sonic, Pac-Man, and Bayonetta. Revealed last night during the Game Awards, Persona 5‘s Joker will be coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sometime in 2019.

Nintendo, and Director Masahiro Sakurai, proudly declared that “Everyone is Here!” during 25-minute mega-trailer that introduced Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s roster to the world. But Joker’s inclusion in the Fighters Pass (and the earlier announcement of Piranha Plant), definitely proves that the theme for Ultimate’s DLC is probably “Anyone Could be Added!”

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Fighters Pass is now available to purchase for $24.99. All DLC characters will also be sold individually for $5.99 apiece.

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Supergiant’s Hades is now available in Early Access through the Epic Games Store

Posted on December 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

Supergiant Games unveiled the first trailer for their next game, Hades, during last night’s Game Awards. The indie developer also didn’t waste anytime making it available to fans… and that’s because Hades is now available in Early Access through the Epic Games Store.

Building on the developer’s history (which includes Bastion and Transistor), Hades is an isometric dungeon crawler that asks players to escape from the darkest depths of the Underworld. But according to the developer’s official website, Hades also carves out some new territory as Supergiant’s first procedurally-generated title. This stylistic choice is a new direction for the developer, but Hades will feature a strong focus on story, as well as almost two dozen “fully voiced characters”:

Hades is a rogue-like dungeon crawler where you defy the god of death as you hack and slash your way out of the Underworld of Greek myth. It’s never the same experience twice: Each time you play, you’ll combine the divine might of various Olympian gods with your own, brave nefarious new challenges, and unravel more of the story featuring our award-winning art, audio, and narrative.

Hades is currently available to download exclusively through the Epic Games Store, and will remain that way for at least a year and a half as Supergiant fine-tunes “every aspect of the experience.” This includes several free updates (and a handful of minor ones) that will add new “features, events, characters, weapons, powers, environments, and more” to the game over the coming weeks and months.

And don’t worry console gamers, once the Early Access period is complete, Hades is expected to launch on “a variety of platforms.”

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Mortal Kombat 11 will be released for PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One on April 23

Posted on December 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

NetherRealm Studios has worked on a pretty steady schedule since the release of Mortal Kombat in 2011. Thankfully, they’re not breaking the pattern in 2019.

Last night at the Game Awards, the developer confirmed that Mortal Kombat 11 will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on April 23. The launch will be preceded by a “Community Reveal Event” on January 17, and fans who pre-order the game will receive a bonus fighter (Shao Kahn) and access to Mortal Kombat 11’s upcoming Beta.

NetherRealm will also meld the Character Variations mechanic from Mortal Kombat X with Injustice 2‘s Gear System to allow players to create Custom Character Variations in Mortal Kombat 11:

The all new Custom Character Variations give you unprecedented control to customize the fighters and make them your own. The new graphics engine showcasing every skull-shattering, eye-popping moment, brings you so close to the fight you can feel it. And featuring a roster of new and returning Klassic Fighters, Mortal Kombat’s best in class cinematic story mode continues the epic saga over 25 years in the making.

The goretastic first trailer for Mortal Kombat 11 has been embedded above.

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Sony Santa Monica’s God of War wins “Game of the Year” at 2018 Game Awards

Posted on December 7, 2018 by John Scalzo

In what is surely to be the first of many accolades, Sony Santa Monica’s God of War won “Game of the Year” at the 2018 Game Awards. Kratos’s latest adventure also picked up statuettes for “Best Game Direction” and “Best Action/Adventure Game.”

But the biggest winner of the night was Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2, which picked up four wins last night. The publisher’s “Cowboy Game” collected some shiny hardware for “Best Narrative,” “Best Score/Music,” “Best Audio Design,” and “Best Performance” (for Roger Clark’s work as Arthur Morgan).

The all-mighty Fortnite picked up two awards, “Best Ongoing Game” and “Best Multiplayer,” but the most surprising news of the night might be that Insomniac’s Spider-Man was completely shut out. Best of luck next time to the ol’ webhead.

More than a dozen different games went home as winners at the 2018 Game Awards, and you can find them all after the break.

Press Start to Continue →

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Gone Home will be added to the iOS App Store on December 11

Posted on December 6, 2018 by John Scalzo

Annapurna Interactive and The Fullbright Company have announced that Gone Home will be available to download for iOS devices through the iOS App Store beginning on December 11.

June 7th, 1995. 1:15 AM

You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something’s not right. Where is everyone? And what’s happened here? Unravel the mystery for yourself in Gone Home, a story exploration game from The Fullbright Company.

Gone Home is an interactive exploration simulator. Interrogate every detail of a seemingly normal house to discover the story of the people who live there. Open any drawer and door. Pick up objects and examine them to discover clues. Uncover the events of one family’s lives by investigating what they’ve left behind.

The award-winning narrative adventure will be priced at $4.99 on Apple’s platform, and Gone Home’s new iOS-centric trailer has been embedded above.

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