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Gearbox Teasing an Announcement for Next Week[teaser]What could it be?[/teaser] Gearbox Software, who are best known for their work on the beloved 'Borderlands' series (and the not-so beloved 'Aliens: Colonial Marines' and 'Duke Nukem Forever') are getting ready to announce their next game. The news comes from Gearbox President Randy Pitchford who spilled the beans that the studio was going to announce a game in early December. It'll cap off a busy 2016 for the company as they released 'Battleborn' earlier this year and 'Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour' (check out our review). The news comes from Randy Pitchford responding to a fan joking about a 'Duke Nukem' and 'Gears of War' crossover. Pitchford said that the studio is "announcing something you might really enjoy" on December 1st. Pitchford wasn't willing to offer up any further hints about what the mystery title could be, but Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards does take place that night, which would be a likely announcement place. Early speculation points to the title being a remastered version of 'Bulletstorm,' which was rated for consoles and PC earlier this year. @Alex_Everatt On December 1st, we are announcing something you might really enjoy :) — Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) November 24, 2016 Gearbox's latest game, 'Battleborn,' is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Source: Randy Pitchford via PlayStation LifeStylePosted Thu Nov 24, 2016 at 03:32 PM PST by: -
Today's Nintendo eShop Update Features 'Dragon Ball Fusions' and 'Majora's Mask'[teaser]Celebrate Thanksgiving with a mix of new and old.[/teaser] Every Thursday brings new content to the Nintendo eShop, and this week (despite being a holiday) is no exception. The November 24th update to the Nintendo's virtual store is highlighted by a brand new retail release, as 'Dragon Ball Fusions' is now available. The role-playing game is a must-buy for fans of 'Dragon Ball,' and you can read more about it in our review. Also hitting the store this week is 'Octocopter: Super Sub Squid Escape,' and 'Citadale' on Wii U. Other highlights come from the Virtual Console, as Wii U owners can now purchase 'The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask' for $9.99. If that N64 classic isn't up your alley, know that New Nintendo 3DS owners can now play the classic SNES RPG 'Breath of Fire II' for $7.99. There are also several sales happening this weekend including 50% off select games (full list here), and 60% off select Sonic titles including '3D Sonic The Hedgehog' and 'Sonic Lost World.'. Source: NintendoPosted Thu Nov 24, 2016 at 12:02 PM PST by: -
'Dark Souls III's New Accolades Trailer Focuses on Black Friday[teaser]Will you pick it up tomorrow?[/teaser] Considering the first expansion for FromSoftware's 'Dark Souls III' is now available, there's no better time to pick up the action game. That's why publisher Bandai Namco is making a push for the game to be an essential Black Friday purchase. They released a brand new trailer showing off the accolades the game has received, and it's accompanied by the song "Leave It All" by SAFEHAUS. The expansion for the game, which is called 'Ashes of Ariandel,' added a multiplayer mode called 'Undead Matches.' This mode has players testing their skills against other humans as payers can choose to participate in either one-on-one duels, or battle in larger matches that go up to six players. These larger battles will be available to play in both team-based modes and in free-for-alls where there is no allegiance. Check out the Black Friday-themed below: 'Dark Souls III' released earlier this year (check out High-Def Digest's review) for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Source: Bandai NamcoPosted Thu Nov 24, 2016 at 11:34 AM PST by: -
'The Collider 2' Now Available on iOS[teaser]Watch the launch trailer.[/teaser] 'The Collider 2,' a fast-paced game where players pilot a ship through dangerous environments, released on PC earlier this year. It received a mixed reception (check out our review of the PC version), largely due to the game being one-note and not really earning it's price tag of $9.99. Now the game is available on iOS, which seems like a more natural fit for a game built around short bursts of gameplay. iOS players can now purchase the Unreal Engine 4 powered for $1.99, which is a fifth of the price on PC. Like the PC version, players can pilot six different ships through 54 missions in the game's campaign. There's also an endless mode for those looking for a high score rush. 'The Collider 2' is now available on iOS and PC. Source: TechlandPosted Thu Nov 24, 2016 at 11:09 AM PST by: -
Take on the Holidays with 'Skylanders Imaginators' Which is Half Off Now[teaser]Find joy now.[/teaser] Right now, 'Skylanders Imaginators' starter packs are being offered for roughly half off. (That's $39.99 for the PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U, see here). And with it being the holiday time, it's a perfect opportunity to create a holiday themed Imaginator character. Of course, as is often the case when dabbling with creating Imaginators, I started off making one kind of character, only to go in a very different direction. Observe, I start with a kind of holiday man: And I wound up charging strong into the area of holiday Sasquatch: My Polar Knight isn't really finished, but I like him just the same. I like to think that he emerges around this time of year from the coldest corners of the earth to dispense (and perhaps dispense with) holiday cheer. When he's ready, I'm going to try to get a playable 3D figure version of him made. Granted, I might be a bit restrained with embracing what the holidays have to offer. I'm sure that there are some really amazing holiday themed Imaginators out there. I'm equally sure, however, that the best holiday Imaginators have yet to be created by players. (The end of 2016 ought to see some great things.) Update: By hopping on to the PS4 (or in this case, PS4 Pro), I was able to get a lot closer to the holiday design I wanted. He's now called "Mr Sasquatch," and among his other holiday yeti qualities, he has a little green and red stocking cap. I especially like the little snowman that he carries on his back. I think I'll refine Mr Sasquatch a little more, but even just right now, he would make a really cool holiday 3D figure. Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Order from AmazonPosted Thu Nov 24, 2016 at 06:15 AM PST by: -
'Shantae: Half-Genie Hero' Development Completed, Release Date Coming Soon[teaser]Wayforward's biggest game yet has gone gold.[/teaser] WayForward has announced that 'Shantae: Half-Genie Hero', first Kickstarted in September 2013 has now wrapped up development. That all said, what seems to be the studio's most ambitious game to date isn't quite ready to be released yet, and still needs to be submitted for QA purposes to all digital storefronts. Once that's complete, the studio will work to set a global release date for the game. In a message to fans and backers, the studio said the following: We’re excited beyond human comprehension to tell you the news... Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is done! Did you hear that correctly?! We know, right? It’s crazy! Wow!!! What an incredible experience this has been! As you know, this was a very long development cycle, and we’re grateful for your support and patience. This project was always about working together to create a product that was shaped by fans, for fans, and now that work is complete! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!! The game has been submitted to Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Steam, and digital storefronts are being created. Because this is a global release, we’re working with teams in each territory to establish a unified release date. We’ll let you know the INSTANT we find out when the game will be live! And this probably goes without saying, but of course we’ll do everything in our power to get the game released to backers early. I'm really glad to see this finally wrap development, it's been years and I'm genuinely very excited to see what the studio does with the game on a larger budget than the series is typically given. 'Shantae: Half-Genie Hero' will be released on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Wii U, and PS Vita. Source: WayforwardPosted Wed Nov 23, 2016 at 07:15 AM PST by: -
December Lineup for Xbox Games With Gold Includes 'Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition', 'Outlast', & More[teaser]One of the best mmonths for Games With Gold yet.[/teaser] Microsoft has detailed the selection of games players can expect in the December lineup for Games With Gold. As is almost a given these days, all four titles are playable on Xbox One. For all of December, Xbox One Gold members can get 'Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition' for free, and then from December 16th to January 15th, indie horror hit 'Outlast' will be free. On Xbox 360, Housemarque's innovative platformer 'Outland' will be free from December 1st to December 15th. From thee 16th to the 31st Criterion's 'Burnout Paradise' will be free to download. Overall, a very strong month for Games With Gold. 'Sleeping Dogs' is a terrific open-world game, and 'Burnout Paradise' is my favorite entry in the series. 'Outland' is a lovely time overall, and while I personally didn't care for 'Outlast', it's a nice freebie with the sequel just a few months away. Source: MicrosoftPosted Wed Nov 23, 2016 at 07:02 AM PST by: -
The PlayStation Store's Black Friday Sale Features Massive Discounts[teaser]Plus a code to get 10% off your purchase![/teaser] The PlayStation Store is starting their Black Friday sale early. Sony has updated their store with 100 PS4 deals including major discounts on games including some of the year's biggest games. Included in the sale are 2016 AAA titles such as 'Destiny – The Collection,' 'DiRT Rally' and 'Hitman – The Complete First Season.' While a full list of discounts can be found over at the PlayStation Blog, here are a few of the highlights. 'Batman: Arkham Knight' – $9.99 'Bound' – $9.99 'Destiny – The Collection' – $39.59 'Far Cry Primal' – $14.99 'Game of Thrones - Season Pass' – $4.99 'Hitman – The Complete First Season' – $29.99 'Mega Man Legacy Collection' – $5.99 'Street Fighter V' – $19.79 'Tales From the Borderlands – Season Pass' – $1.49 'The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition' – $29.99 On top of the sales, players can also get 10% off their total purchase by entering the code "D9GJ7NF3L." It's only good for a single purchase, though, so it might be smart to wait to see if any additional sales happen before purchasing. Source: PlayStation BlogPosted Tue Nov 22, 2016 at 07:26 PM PST by: -
Eddie Gurrero and Other Legends Join 'WWE 2K17's Roster as DLC[teaser]Watch the trailer.[/teaser] 'WWE 2K17' released on October 11th for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, but the game's roster is still growing. The 'Legends Pack' DLC adds five new characters from wrestling's past into the game including Eddie Guerrero. $8.99 will get owners "Latino Heat," Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Sycho Sid and Tatanka. The 'Legends Pack' is the third wave of character DLC as the 'NXT Enhancement Pack' (available for $9.99) and 'Goldberg Pack' ($4.99) launched alongside the game. Those packages add in Shinsuke Nakamura, Nia Jax, Apollo Crews and Goldberg, respectively. More characters are on the way as the 'Future Stars Pack' will add Austin Aries, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Mojo Rawley and Tye Dillinger to the game later this year. A brand new trailer showing off the new additions can be seen below: 'WWE 2K17' released October 11th for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can find the latest info on 'WWE 2K17' linked from our Video Game Release Schedule. Order from Amazon Order from Amazon Source: 2KPosted Tue Nov 22, 2016 at 07:08 PM PST by: -
Days of Glory: Impressions on Having Nintendo's Hot Holiday Hardware in the Home Theater[teaser]Nintendomania.[/teaser] Editor's Notes: The below impressions are based off of the Nintendo Classic Mini as it is sold in Europe. For comparison's sake, I've included a few shots of my North American NES Classic Edition and one of the rare extra controllers. I acquired the console by way of the very rare Target preorder offering and the extra controller by way of the very limited (10 seconds maybe) Amazon release day offering. The extra controller was shipped in a soft pack, and thereby the box was damaged. As noted below, the European version does not include a power supply. (Both versions are USB powered at any rate.) Finally, I picked up an Insignia controller extension cable at Best Buy. (Console was $60 minus some Target deals, the extra controller was $10, as was the controller extension.) NES Classic Edition NES Controller (NES Classic Edition) NES Classic Mini Flashpoint: On November 11, 2016, Nintendo unleashed its first official retro/throwback console to the general public. Not only did this come on the heels of Sony's much more expensive new hardware offering, but as luck (or bad fortune) would have it, 11 November is a holiday in Belgium. Worse, I forgot to preorder. The gods of classic gaming were kind, though: a quick call to a local toy store on 10 November proved fruitful enough to procure a NES Classic Edition on 12 November. Many eager fans were left in the dust, however, and prices on eBay quickly quadrupled amidst fears of the item being produced as a one-off batch. Those fears were quickly squandered when Nintendo promised more consoles on the horizon for January 2017, and beyond. Still, allocation could have been better. In a repeat of amiibo scenarios, artificial scarcity seems to have been implemented. Naughty Nintendo still at large. The European edition of the 'NES Classic Edition' is identical to the American one, right down to the selection of the games. The only difference is the name, and the lack of AC adapter for the USB-based power lead. Over here, the tiny console is officially called the 'Nintendo Classic Mini.' Meanwhile, the Japanese version has been branded 'Nintendo Mini Classic: Family Computer,' and offers different games and different hardware, obviously in an effort to mimic the Famicom of yore. Here's a full list of what is included in the Nintendo Classic Mini box: -The Nintendo Classic Mini console -One Nintendo Classic Mini controller -One high speed HDMI cable -One USB cable -Operations manual, and 300 MyNintendo rewards points The USB cable can be plugged into just about any USB-compatible device (I used the one in my TV, for instance). There is no output AC adapter supplied, which is a bit of a cheap move by Nintendo. I tried to use the adapter from the PSP Go, but that one has differing internal knobs. Pity. It would have been cool to power a NES with Sony hardware, as if one was to recreate the failed 'SNES CD' collaboration effort between Nintendo and Sony that eventually resulted in the first PlayStation. The console is tiny compared to the original Nintendo Entertainment System from 1985. Though the shape is the same, the footprints are dramatically different. While many aspects of the console are attractive, (such as the price), the inclusion of proper HDMI really makes the new hardware an attractive option. In Nintendo's long history (and recent production), this is really only the second HDMI offering to speak of. As has been well-documented by now, the length of the new controller cord is abysmal. The controller ports are proprietary and are the same as the port used in the bottom of a Wii Remote. The player needs to invest in a very long HDMI cable to game from the couch, or else just sit very close to the TV as in those early 90s/late 80s days. We may never know whatever Nintendo was thinking when they made the design gaffe, but it's a painful and obvious flaw. Other than that, however, the console is an absolute winner. Starting up, a splash screen with 8 language choices pops up. While I opted for English, my native Dutch is available. This was next to impossible in the 80's and 90's. I remember many a GameBoy game offering the exotic lingo flavours of French, German, Spanish and Italian, but Dutch was almost always out of the question. A pleasant surprise to find it on the NES Classic Edition for sure. Display options are super sweet. Take your pick between 'CRT filter', '4:3' or 'Pixel Perfect.' 'CRT filter' adds a thin, hazy gauze over a HD television screen, and whisks the player back to 1985 with blurry definition and muddy colors. I loved it, and I have sampled all games with this display option. Less nostalgic gamers will be most pleased with Pixel Perfect, which provides, well, a pixel perfect rendition of the games on offer. The reset button has been made an essential part of using the console. It's really the player's best friend when it comes to hopping from game to game. There is no in-game menu or selection screen. The reset button is also the highway to saving the games (a bonus, considering very few 8-bit titles had a save ability back then), and the method is very easy: each game has four slots, and overwriting a slot is executed by pushing the A-button for a few second - with a cute animation to boot, in which the new save literally kicks the old save away. And the games? While I eventually bought a second-hand system in 2012, I never owned a Nintendo Entertainment System back in the day. My gaming adventures started in 1992, with the GameBoy and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. As such, a lot of so-called classics escaped my gaming clutches. Good luck trying to find an affordable copy of 'Mega Man 2' or 'Ninja Gaiden' today, with the retro gaming scene having exploded and expanded to obscene levels. Prior to playing on this new retro NES, I had never played 'Kirby's Adventures,' 'Final Fantasy,' 'Castlevania' (and its sequel), 'Ninja Gaiden,' 'Tecmo Bowl,' 'Bubble Bobble,' 'Ice Climber,' 'Balloon Fight,' 'Punch-Out!!,' 'Galaga,' 'Dr. Mario,' 'Gradius,' 'Startropics' or 'Double Dragon II: The Revenge.' Playing the 30 classics reminded me of how far we've come in the world of gaming. It's easy to forget how difficult some games were (hence the 'Nintendo Hard' trope), and how newer gamers have no right to complain about dying in 'Uncharted' or 'The Last of Us.' Even 'Dr. Mario' was brutal (yet fun). I spent a solid two hours before I finally scored my first victory. Either a bout of color blindness acted up, or the game's simple gameplay mechanics were beyond my understanding. My hands were clenched in fists of rage (to quote Don McLean), yet no solution lay anywhere on the horizon. 'Ninja Gaiden' was – true to its reputation – hard as fuark. Die once in 'Stage 1-2,' and it's back to 'Stage 1-1' for you. And there's a time limit, to add extra spice to the proceedings. Or 'Super C' with its one-hit kills. 'Donkey Kong' (and 'Donkey Kong Jr.'), in which the protagonist (Mario/Jumpman, or Donkey Kong Jr.) can't jump from great heights. Or 'Super Mario Bros. 2,' with super slippery controls that require perfect timing. Great stuff, but I had to warn the neighbors that my incessant screaming-at-the-screen did not require 911 attention. The 'NES Classic Edition' is a joy, and a wonderful throwback to the classic games of yesteryear. Graphics, sounds, and emulation are eerily good. The only downside is the lack of expansion (say, a SD-slot with Virtual Console support would have been a nice touch) and the absurd short length of the controller's cable. But for $60, at $2 per game, it's a sweet bargain and a joyous celebration of why we love Nintendo. Long live the boys from Kyoto. Now bring on the Switch. Check AmazonPosted Tue Nov 22, 2016 at 05:30 PM PST by:
