The voice actors behind the male and female leads were revealedhere.

The male lead is being voiced by Brian T. Delaney and the female lead is being voiced by Courtenay Taylor.

Brian T. Delaney is a voice actor with games like inFamous: Second Son, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and Evolve, but he is most known for his work in Star Trek Into Darkness, Total Recall (2012) and Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Whereas, Courtenay Taylor's is morepredominately a voice actor. Courtenay has most notably voiced JackfromMass Effect 2 and 3, Juhani from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Ada Wong from Resident Evil: OperationRaccoon City and 6, and even Gloria Van Graff from Fallout: New Vegas.

The 3D is actually good now.

If you're like me, not needing weird 3D glasses to experience Link beating your ass all over Final Destination in 3D was like living in the future. Then you realize it's pretty bad, you have to keep your face directly in front of the screen to see the 3D, which makes it not so much fun to play games in 3D. So why is it good now? Because you can face the screen from all the angles, and still get that sweet 3D. 3D for days son.

C-stick, It's back baby.

If you played on ye old Nintendo console's you'll know what the C stick is, and what it does. Otherwise its just another joystick, that'll do new stuff. Get that vitamin C-stick.

Aren't there enough buttons?

No. Two shoulder buttons? Does 4 sound good? Because you'll get 4.

But first let me take a 3D selfie.

If you have a 3D then you'll know that the camera is pretty weak, your phone probably has a better camera. But with the new 3Ds Nintendo promises that it'll be better much better, muuuuuuuch better. So get ready for some sweet 3D photos. (inb4 3D nsfw)

It'll play new things.

The new 3Ds boasts increased power, with newer and faster CPU's and GPU's. Which means it'll play old games smoother (I'm looking at you Pokemon X/Y in 3D mode), and it'll play newer more power Intensive games. Like Monster hunter 4, and other titles. However that also means that these new power intensive games won't run well on the older system. Which means new games for the new 3Ds won't play on the 3Ds. It's annoying, especially for everyone who still think the 3Ds is a newish system, and don't exactly have the dosh to get another. 

More bang for the same amount of buck.

Unless you bought the first 3Ds then that statement is true. The price for the new 3Ds is about the same with the first iteration, the compact $151 and the XL for $174 .So for the same price you get a butt load more, and if you do wanna shell out for the new system regardless, I'd say worth. Unfortunately for the US only the XL will be available, and the systems will still be region locked.

D-Day, when's it gonna drop?

It already has... in Japan and Australia. In the Eu and the US you'll have to wait till February 13th, 2015.  

All in all, its annoying as hell that they bring a new system so soon. But for what it brings, i'm looking forward to it, most definitely.

One of the\r significant updates added to this new legislation is giving consumer\r rights when purchasing digital content which was previously considered to be a legal grey area when customers had issues with\r online music, digital films, video games and electronic books that\r they purchased and sought refunds or repairs due to faults\r discovered. Now all digital content sold in the UK will be treat on\r equal level with physical goods in the eyes of the law of consumer\r protection.

The UK charity\r Citizens Advice Bureaux has posted information and advice for\r consumers about the new law. In their Practical Examples document,\r they offer a scenario of what would be considered “Faulty Content“\r with a video game.

“You\r download a free game (for example, a virtual world) and build up some\r virtual currency in the game through your normal game play. You then\r buy some additional virtual currency in order to make an in-app\r purchase (for example, an item for their world). The item is faulty\r and doesn’t appear in your virtual world.

Under\r the Act, as the game is free, the provider does not have to provide a\r remedy for any faults in the game. However, once you paid a price for\r some content then, if the you can show that that content is faulty\r (that is, does not meet the quality rights), the provider will be\r liable to provide a remedy. The provider is only liable for faults\r affecting the chargeable elements of the game.“

The\r three major digital distribution services, Steam, GOG and Origin, all\r have refund polices with the aim of keeping in line with the European\r Union's Consumer Rights Directive 2014 for simplicity due to their international reach. The new UK legislation\r demands that refunds, repairs or replacements of goods be offered within the\r first 30 days of purchase, however the EU directive states the\r following when it comes to digital goods.

“You\r also enjoy the right of withdrawal within 14 days from concluding the\r contract for online digital content. However, once you start\r downloading or streaming the content you may no longer withdraw from\r the purchase, provided that the trader has complied with his\r obligations. Specifically, the trader must first obtain your explicit\r agreement to the immediate download or streaming, and you must\r explicitly acknowledge that you lose your right to withdraw once the\r performance has started.“

With the exception of GOG, whose policy seems to match that of the UK legislation, there is a potential conflict between which law digital distribution companies will need to follow if they are based outside of the UK.

EU member states\r have no restrictions on making their own laws concerning working\r conditions, social policy, consumer protection and the environment if\r they are seen to be compliant with The Lisbon Treaty. If however a\r national law and EU law come up as a conflict in court, the case\r Costa v E.N.E.L set the precedence that EU law has\r supremacy over national law.

At this time all companies, ether UK based or international, selling video games to UK customers will have to adhere to\r the new UK legalisation. Whether an international company will challenge this at a\r European Court or not remains to be seen.

YouTube sensation Brent Black, who is better known as Brentalfloss from his video game songs with lyrics videos, has announced that he launched a Kickstarter for a brand new comedy-based party game that he and one of his friends, Julian Spillane, have been working on.

Much in the same vein as The Jackbox Party Pack and QuipLash, Use Your Words! will display the game on a main screen or monitor and input will be through a compatible device's web browser like a smart phone, tablet, console, or PC. The Kickstarter only needs $35,000 to reach its minimum goal and judging by the video it looks extremely promising; I hope that the stretch goals are reached as well. You can pledge whatever amount you want here, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

DISCLAIMER:

I have not been paid for this article, but I have donated some of my own money to the Kickstarter.

Fans anxiously await confirmation on what this latest version will bring, as rumors and conjecture have been wild. The original Switch was released six years ago, and the OLED model debuted two years ago. It would be an understatement to say that Nintendo fans are eager for a new system, and this enthusiasm is primarily due to the nonstop rush of speculations regarding the Switch 2.

This article will cover everything, from the anticipated release date to the technical details that might push gaming to new heights. Come along as we discover the fascinating Nintendo Switch 2 universe and its implications for video game development in the future.

Nintendo Switch 2 Expected Release Date

We will know the exact release date of this game once the company makes an official launch date announcement. Nevertheless, current speculation suggests a likely fall 2024 release date, which coincides with our anticipated launch of the PS5 Pro.

Due to a mix of leaks from an Altec Lansing news statement and a leaker SoldierDelta, we can estimate the release date of Switch 2 as best we can. As part of a GameShark AI declaration, the press release mentioned September 2024 as the Nintendo Switch 2 release date. The latter arrived through Discord, where SoldierDelta revealed that September 24, 2024, is possible for the arrival of the Switch 2. A backup release is also rumored to be scheduled for November 2024 in case the September 24 date proves overly ambitious.

Some assumptions indicate an early 2024 release for the Switch 2. However, most speculations and informants agree that fall 2024 is the most probable release timeframe. A March or April 2024 release date seems believable, according to a TechInsights research study, while a MoneyDJ story from China indicates that the Switch successor's first-quarter 2024 arrival might enhance sales.

Analyst research published in January suggests that the Nintendo Switch 2 will be more accessible than previous console launches. At least 10 million devices will be produced in the first year of release. However, The same source implied that the anticipated Switch 2 Pro will not be released until 2025.

What is the Expected Price of the Nintendo Switch 2?

Price rumors for the Nintendo Switch 2 take a lot of work to come by. Nintendo may adhere to the initial launch pricing of the Nintendo Switch. The price is approximately $299.99 in the US and ¥29,980 in Japan. However, it is £279.99 and A$469.95 in the UK and Australia, respectively.

Although an OLED panel seems improbable, you may anticipate a $50–$100 price increase if the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 did come with one, similar to the subsequent model, the original Switch.

Dr. Serkan Toto, the CEO of Kantan Games, put his estimate and predicted that games would cost as much as $70 in an interview with GamesIndustry. He even proposed a $400 price range. He joyfully dropped leaks and said: “The time is finally here for a Switch successor, even though I can say a ‘Pro’ model actually did exist, and certain developers were already working with the dev kit. I believe the next hardware will drop for $400 [in 2024]. There is a high chance that games will cost more, too: $70.”

SoldierDelta also disclosed potential release prices. They claimed this next-generation console would come with a $449 standard model and a $400 (or, most likely, $399) digital version. If the report is accurate, Nintendo will make this next-generation system available only digitally, marking it as the first of its kind by the company.

With the selling price of the OLED model being $349 and the original switch being $299, this pricing prediction appears all that implausible. 

Nintendo Switch 2: Display And Other Specs

Rumors suggest that the Nintendo Switch 2 will feature an 8-inch screen with 1080p resolution and a magnetic Joy-Con design. They predict it will be backward compatible with accessories and support 8K resolution when paired with a next-generation dock.

Initial internal correspondence on the FTC v. Microsoft case revealed efficiency levels similar to those of the PS4 and Xbox One gaming systems. There are rumors that Switch 2 will come with specialized Nvidia T239 graphics chips. According to reports, Nintendo’s upcoming console may include a co-processor chip. This chip could increase efficiency and video performance. Especially when connected and linked to a 4K TV.

Furthermore, it is anticipated that Switch 2 will be backward and compatible with the available Switch games. It will be fascinating to see if the latest design can hold more cartridge data, supposing we anticipate the same layout.

The Switch and Switch OLED currently have 32GB and 64GB of internal storage, respectively. According to recent reports, the Switch 2 may contain 512GB of onboard storage.

Nintendo Switch 2: Features

There are a few speculations regarding potential Switch 2 features like design, battery life, speakers, or integrated sensors. Here is a conservative estimate of what we might see, though.

The Switch and the Switch OLED are estimated to have an average battery life of 4.5 to 9 hours. Even at the lowest display brightness, longer games, like Breath of the Wild, can frequently run for up to 4.5 hours on a one-time charge. We expect larger batteries with improved internals.

We would prefer to see a move from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 for speedier gaming downloads or streaming. However, no reports have mentioned that. Comparably, the Switch models that are currently available support Bluetooth 4.1; a future-generation console might support Bluetooth 5.1.

Bloodborne is the latest upcoming game from FROM soft, the developers of Dark Souls and Demon Souls. Dark Souls is my favourite game of all time so it's no surprise that I am super hyped for Bloodborne. And I think you should be too!

YOU MAY BE THINKING-

• I was disappointed by Dark Souls 2, how can I trust FROM soft to deliver a good game?
• There are two different teams in FROM soft, the A team and the B team. The A team has the genius Hidetaka Myazaki, who is working on Bloodborne. The B team does not have Myazaki :/
• Dark Souls was hard, I don't want to be punished for playing a game!
• Suprise! Myazaki has said that he wants to make it more open to casual players. Man up and grab the game by it's balls
• But I haven't played any of the previous games, how will I know what's going on?!
• This game isn't even a part of the Souls series! (Though recent theories on r/Bloodbornethegame would tell you otherwise). The lore will all be fresh and groovy, dive in!

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT GAMEPLAY-

Listen, this game is faced paced and bloody. It's risk and reward. It's a lot more forgiving than the previous games but no less hard. New weapons that have multiple different set-ups (We're talking swords that transform into even longer swords, hammers turning into swords and one knife, into two knives! This means you can changing your weapon setup while in combat! No more shields but you get a gun now. Time your shots right and you'll stun an enemy, leaving him open for a brutal counter attack. Character customisation has been hinted at but not confirmed (I have high hopes though).

THE WORLD-

Souls games have always been rich in lore. Bloodborne should be no exception. A world filled with mystery and misery. Beautiful Gothic architecture and bright dancing flames adorn every alley and plaza. The enemies that inhabit it are frightening and dangerous, very spooky and will keep you edge.

FINAL WORDS-

Look these kinds of games aren't for everyone, but seriously if you like the look of any of the screenshots and like the look of it,, check out some gameplay!

While looking for new games on Google Play I came across the Early Access category. What I found was a little PvP/strategy game called Titan Brawl. The game comes from Omnidrone, a video game development company that was established by ex-Digital Chocolate colleagues, and later formed by developers from other companies (like King, Gameloft, Playfish, Social Point and Wooga). Omnidrone's first endeavor was a real-time strategy mobile game for iOS called Dwarfs and Dragons.

With most MOBA games, there are big areas that are hard too keep up with, and characters that have too many abilities to keeps track of. I am not very good at MOBA games like League of Legends, or Vainglory, yet I find myself feeling like a MOBA veteran playing Titan Brawl which was Omnidrone's vision for the game; that anyone who plays the game, from a casual mobile gamer to the most hardcore MOBA PC gamer will feel challenged and a winner at the same time. Even if you lose, you'll still want to play the game until you have gotten your team to the level you want them to be at to challenge the next top dog.

"We did not want to simply build a MOBA that is playable on mobile, we wanted a MOBA that is carefully crafted for mobile devices. We want to prove that you do not need a gaming PC to compete in eSports and your phone is just enough."- Omnidrone.

Titan Brawl is a real-time PvP game with intense 4-minute matches and awesome collectable heroes that blends action and strategy to test your combat skills to the limit. In the game you assemble a team of four comprising of intergalactic brawlers; from ex-military mercs to ancient gods. Tanks, healers, damage dealers... And one titular Titan. They have one mission - protect their Totem and destroy enemies’ one which are flanked by two towers. Opposing territories are connected with two lanes, where most of the brawling happens. You play the game by deploying your troops and using power-ups.

In the short time I have played the game it has become one of my new favorite games to live stream on Mobcrush. If you ever played a MOBA game and felt like a total noob that could never master the genre, Titan Brawl is the game that will give you your confidence back.

Features Include:

• Real-time games, with real players;
• Quick paced, 4 minute long matches;
• Easily connect with friends;
• Awesome heroes to collect;
• Co-op with friends.

Original Post

Mercy Covington is 41 years old and a mother of 3, so it is exceptionally important that she is brought home safe. A Facebook profile was also created in hopes of finding Mercy called Findmercy Covington. This profile hosts as much information possible on the mother of 3 for anyone who may have seen her and a number you can call if you have any information regarding her disappearance. So, if you have ANY information regarding the disappearance of Mercy Covington, please call (214) 200-5693 (you can even remain anonymous, if you would like to be). Please help bring Mercy Covington home.

Developer Frogwares and publisher Bigben Interactive have unveiled their new entry in the Sherlock Holmes game series entitled Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter.

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter is a detective crime thriller set for release in Spring 2016 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The following comes directly from Frogwares and Bigben Interactive's announcement:

"Featuring taut action and investigative work, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter, the eighth and latest entry in the franchise, will push your abilities to the limit in a one-of-a-kind interactive experience.

With numerous suspects in each investigation, every choice you make could drive the story in unexpected – and possibly deadly – directions.

• Take on five thrilling and confounding cases.
• Freely roam an expansive landscape of playable terrain.
• Maneuver fast-paced action sequences to challenge your every gaming skill.
• Play a unique blend of game mechanics that lead to an unprecedented experience.
• State-of-the-art graphics bring the streets of Victorian London to life.
• For the first time in his storied career, Sherlock Holmes’ ruthless logic is overwhelmed by family stories, irresistible emotions and an occult revenge."

Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter will be shown exclusively to the press during Paris Game Week from October 28th, to November 1st.

Guitar Hero was put on an indefinite hiatus back in 2009 when sales weren't meeting expected goals. Guitar Hero was also beginning to leave the eyes of gamers until February 2015 when rumors of a new Rock Band and Guitar Hero game surfaced. As of today, April 14th 2015, Activision has officially announced the reboot of the Guitar Hero series.

Many aspects of the familiar Guitar Hero formula have been changed for better or for worse depending on your opinion. Most notably are the changes to the guitar controller and the game's visuals. 

The crowd is live action as well and their reaction is determined by your guitar playing abilities. If you're good, then they will rock out. If you aren't, then they will make that known and begin to boo. 

Your band mates will also let you know if you need to start preforming better by doing things like glaring at you for hitting the wrong notes.

Now the controller has six buttons on the fret board. Three on top and Three on the bottom. The three on the top are all black and the three on the button are all white. 

The new fret board is actual a much better representation of an actual guitar than the previous Guitar Hero controllers. It seems the new developers are going for a more authentic and personal experience in the music world through Guitar Hero Live.

Guitar Hero Live will be coming to PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3, and Xbox 360 Fall 2015. 

There has been much speculation that these decisions by developers are to avoid negative editorials from western gaming press. However at this point it is only speculation as there has only been one statement made by a developer for DOAX3 on a Facebook post, and any other individual statements from other developers on different projects are coming from unverified anonymous sources.

The games that have been altered in question have been Xenoblade Chronicles X, Blade & Soul, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water and Street Fighter V and all have been altered due to the depiction of female characters.

Official company statements such as from Koei Tecmo appear to want to distance themselves from any speculation concerning their decision not to release in the West saying,

Capcom’s Yoshinori Ono gave more details than most as to why they have made changes, in their case, to censor R.Mika’s pre-match “butt slap“ taunt in an interview with website Jogos (Translated),

Regarding the discussion about feminism in videogames and the way the heroines are portrayed in them, “Street Fighter V“ has been criticized because of two characters seen as extremely sexualized √¢‚Ǩ‚Äú including the Brazilian Laura.

In an interview for UOL Jogos, the producer of the fighting game series Yoshinori Ono guaranteed that Capcom wants to erase that notion so that their game doesn’t disturb the female audience.
“Our objective with √¢‚ǨÀúStreet Fighter V’ is to start over from zero“, explains Ono. “We want the professional players and the casual fans of the series to return, but we also want to reach those who have never even touched a fighting game. So we can’t have something in the game that makes people think, √¢‚ǨÀúThis is not acceptable’“.

Originally, the fighter Rainbow Mika slapped her butt during one attack sequence, but the action was removed. That led some fans to question if some kind of √¢‚ǨÀúcensorship’ had occurred.
“We didn’t make any change because of external influences“, reassures Ono. “Those changes came up internally. We decided to remove that because we want the biggest possible number of people to play, and we don’t want to have something in the game that might make someone uncomfortable“.

The objective, according the producer, is to have characters that people like, and not put them off the game. “Probably we won’t be able to remove everything that could offend someone. But our goal is, at least, to reduce that number as much as possible so that they think √¢‚ǨÀúOk, there is this issue here, but it is within the limits’. We want that everyone can play and enjoy without worrying about anything else“, he says.

It is a fact that Japanese games have been the subject of many negative opinion pieces from gaming press sites over the last few years as they have chosen to promote and champion alleged “Progressive“ ideals, agreeing with the Objectification Theory proposed by Feminist Frequency and other proponents of Third Wave Feminism.

The Dead or Alive franchise has been attacked by commentators in the media for quite some time. Street Fighter has been the subject of criticism by media outlet over the years as well mostly centered on Chun-Li and Cammy. R.Mika who is central to this recent controversy involving Street Fighter V was condemned following the character’s debut trailer. In a moment of hypocrisy however, the same outlets greatly appreciated a shirtless, bearded Ryu.

Although Japanese developers and publishers have not given details for their design decisions some gamers are convinced that it is due to Japan giving too much stock to a media that does not represent the majority of customers.

They have started a petition and have encouraged others to get word around using #1MillionGamersStrong hoping to get developers and publishers to revert changes made as there are more loyal customers than those swayed by the words of a few western press organisations.

After YEARS of waiting, Fallout 4 has finally been officially announced and WILL BE shown at E3 2015. Get hyped Fallout fans!

Original article is as follows:

With E3 2015 just around the corner, novoGamer has compiled this list of confirmed games that will make an appearance. This year's E3 looks to be one of the best in some time. Hopefully it will live up to our expectations and we can have a year of fantastic games. 

Confirmed Games:

Rumored and Unconfirmed Games:

Have a lovely day :)

ATTENTION!

The contest has officially ended, but unfortunately nobody entered. However, if you still want to fill out the crossword, I'll leave this article up so you can still do so. The answer key can be found on Fractyl here. I wish you all the best of luck with next year's contest!

After all this time... could it finally be happening?

THE ANSWER IS YES. IT'S FUCKING HAPPENING. BETHESDA GAME STUDIOS HAS FINALLY OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED FALLOUT 4.

On June 2nd of 2014 Bethesda Game Studios posted a link on their Twitter that led to a very familiar screen with a timer.

Now, for fans of the series this was an obvious hint at something Fallout related.

When I saw it I had my doubts. I mean we all remember thesurvivor2077 hoax that raised our hopes and dashed them so extravagantly. But this was the real deal.

When the timer on the site reached zero, this time God smiled upon the fans. An official teaser trailer featuring game play was released and by god. It was beautiful. Being an avid Fallout fan, it was like pure concentrated Viagra and every other stimuli to me. I immediately went into an insane babble and started throwing things on the floor when I saw the amazing graphics, bustling cities, and prewar cinematics that I've been wishing for as long as I've been playing the game.

For now there isn't much information on the game except for the minor script leaks pictured above, and that the location of the game will be set in Boston after Fallout 3 takes place. But rest assured when more info is released, my fellow novoGamer pals or me will continue to keep everyone updated. Till then I'm gonna go watch the trailer fifty more times.

How The Know obtained this information was not revealed. All they stated was that it came form an "anonymous source".  From Software also has yet to comment on this supposed leak.

Until official confirmation from From Software themselves, this information should be taken with a grain of salt (though it seems very likely).

 The alleged release window for Dark Souls III is 2016 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. A PC port has been stated as being "negotiable".  According to the leak, the player count will be 1 - 4. Though whether or not this player count is for co-op or PVP has yet to be revealed.

It is also said that there will be 10 playable classes, all of which will be available from the start. There will also be 45 new enemies and 15 new bosses. The Know go on further to state that characters and enemies from the previous games are not counted in those numbers. The same goes for weapons and armor. 

Bosses in the game will also "Heat Up" due to "undescribed factors". This will more than likely make the boss even harder to beat.

To join another player's game you will have to drag a body around and perform a "sacrificial ceremony", but this will mark you and make you a target for other players in that game. These "sacrificial ceremonies" can also create a new bonfire to rest at or have other players join your game. 

Dark Souls III is also said to feature around 12 areas, The Know state that this is to make it more akin to the original Dark Souls. The game will also feature "Sword Fighting Arts".  Not much is said on this feature, but it sounds to be special fighting moves your character will be able to do after you choose them. Two other features will be "Rush in" and "Circle". Rush in will allow the player to dive into a fight and take damage, but deal a tremendous blow to the enemy. Circle sounds to be a dodge move, but it also said to be a retreating move to get away from a fight. 

The final piece of information from this anonymous source is that Dark Souls III will debut at E3 2015. So keep your eyes peeled.

Have a lovely day :).

Xbox had a big week thanks to Forza Horizon 6 launching on May 19, and honestly, Japan still feels like the dream setting for this series.

The new Horizon map leans into Tokyo streets, mountain roads, temples, cherry blossoms, snowy routes, and over 550 cars. Xbox also published a nice behind-the-scenes look at how Playground Games recreated Japanese landmarks, including how the team handled cultural detail and tourist-style exploration through the new Journal system.

My opinion: this is exactly where Forza Horizon should be right now. The series is at its best when the map feels like a vacation you can drift through, and Japan gives it the perfect excuse to be beautiful, fast, and a little bit dramatic.

2. Game Pass is having a stacked second half of May

Alongside Forza, Xbox confirmed the next Game Pass wave, and there is a lot in here Remnant II, Luna Abyss, Escape Simulator, Echo Generation 2, Final Fantasy VI, Jurassic World Evolution 3, and more are either landing now or very soon.

The best bit is the variety. You can race around Japan, jump into co-op shooting, solve escape rooms, revisit a classic Final Fantasy, or build dinosaur parks. That is the kind of subscription month that makes Game Pass feel like a proper buffet instead of just a backlog trap.

Luna Abyss is the one I’d keep an eye on. First-person action, platforming, bullet-hell combat, and cosmic horror sounds like a very specific mix, but when that kind of thing works, it really works.

3. Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is here, and it looks delightful

The game sends Yoshi into the pages of a magical book, with quirky creatures, colorful worlds, and that softer Nintendo energy that makes a game easy to recommend to basically anyone. It may not be the loudest release of the month, but sometimes that is exactly what makes a game stand out.

My take: I like when Nintendo lets Yoshi be strange and gentle. Not every platformer needs to be a huge mechanical flex. Sometimes you just want a pretty little adventure that makes you smile and gives you a reason to explore every corner.

4. LEGO Batman returns with co-op, suits, Batmobiles, and deep-cut fan service

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight launches May 22, with Deluxe Edition early access already live. LEGO’s press release says the game includes 100 outfits, a packed Batcave, local two-player co-op, multiple difficulty options, and a September DLC update with Joker and Harley Quinn content.

That sounds like a very confident LEGO game. The older LEGO Batman games already had a lot of personality, but this one seems to be leaning harder into the full history of Batman, from suits to vehicles to references.

I’m always happy when LEGO games remember that they work best as playful tribute acts. Give fans the jokes, give them the unlockables, give them a couch co-op option, and let the chaos happen.

5. 007 First Light is almost ready for mission start

IO Interactive’s Bond game is nearly here. The official PlayStation page list 007 First Light for release on May 27, 2026, with pre-order bonuses and 24-hour early access for the Deluxe Edition.

This one still has my attention because IO Interactive is such a good match for Bond. Hitman already proved the studio knows stealth, disguises, gadgets, elegant locations, and player choice. If 007 First Light can mix that with blockbuster action without losing the cleverness, this could be the most interesting Bond game in a very long time.

Also, the cast list is surprisingly fun, with Patrick Gibson as Bond, Gemma Chan, Lennie James, and Lenny Kravitz all involved. That is not a bad way to make the project feel bigger than just “Hitman but spy.”

6. PlayStation is bringing back State of Play in June

Sony confirmed that State of Play returns on June 2, and this one sounds bigger than the usual quick update show. It is planned for over an hour and will include a closer look at Marvel’s Wolverine.

That alone makes it worth watching. Wolverine has been one of those games people have been waiting to properly see for a long time, and Insomniac usually knows how to make superhero games feel fast, readable, and stylish.

Even better, Sony is doing some theater watch parties in the US through Alamo Drafthouse. That is a fun touch. More game showcases should feel like events instead of just another stream you half-watch with one eye on chat.

7. PlayStation Plus May is a strong catalog month

PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium got a nice May lineup, with Star Wars Outlaws, Red Dead Redemption 2, Bramble: The Mountain King, The Thaumaturge, Time Crisis, and more available from May 19.

This is a strong “try something you missed” month. Star Wars Outlaws is the obvious headline if you skipped it at launch, while Red Dead Redemption 2 returning is always a win because, well, it is Red Dead Redemption 2. Bramble and The Thaumaturge also make the list feel less predictable, which I appreciate.

If you have Extra or Premium and somehow still have not played Red Dead Redemption 2, now is probably the time. Clear some space in your life first though. That game does not do “quick weekend project.”

8. Warhammer Skulls brought new reveals and demos

Warhammer fans had their own showcase this week, with the 10th anniversary Warhammer Skulls festival going live on May 21. The event brought sales, updates, demos, and new game announcements.

The big reveals included Warhammer 40K: Chaos Gate - Deathwatch and Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Deathmaster, plus demos for Warhammer Survivors and Warhammer 40K: Boltgun 2.

I like that Warhammer games are not all trying to be the same thing. Tactical RPGs, action platformers, retro shooters, survivor-likes, strategy games - the universe is big enough to support all of it, and Skulls is a good reminder that the franchise is in a healthy place.

Final thoughts

This was one of those weeks where the industry felt busy in a good way. We got major releases, cozy exclusives, subscription wins, showcase dates, and some nice fan-service-heavy announcements.

The biggest story is probably Forza Horizon 6, just because a new Forza Horizon set in Japan is the kind of thing people have wanted for years. But personally, I like the overall spread this week. There is something for racing fans, Nintendo fans, PlayStation fans, LEGO fans, Warhammer fans, and anyone who just wants a good excuse to play something different.

That is a pretty good week.

1. Ghost of Yōtei Legends’ Raid gets a proper post-game spotlight

PlayStation and Sucker Punch gave us a lovely behind-the-scenes look at the endgame Raid for Ghost of Yōtei Legends, and it sounds like the studio learned a lot from Ghost of Tsushima Legends.

The Raid is built around four-player coordination, supernatural boss battles, and puzzle-style teamwork, but the interesting bit is how Sucker Punch tried to make it less punishing to return to. Teams can replay boss sections rather than committing to one huge session, which feels like a very sensible improvement.

My take: this is exactly the kind of support multiplayer modes need. Keep the challenge, but respect people’s time.

2. Subnautica 2 has had a monster Early Access launch

Subnautica 2 entered Early Access this week and, according to Unknown Worlds, sold 2 million copies in 12 hours, with a huge concurrent player peak across PC and Xbox.

That is a ridiculous start for an Early Access survival game, but not a surprising one. The original Subnautica built up years of goodwill, and the sequel’s promise of co-op exploration on a new alien world is clearly landing with players.

There are some Early Access caveats, of course, but the overall energy around this launch feels very positive. People wanted more Subnautica. They got more Subnautica. They immediately dived in.

3. Forza Horizon 6 is nearly here, and Game Pass is stacked

Xbox’s latest Game Pass wave is a busy one, with Forza Horizon 6, DOOM: The Dark Ages, Subnautica 2, Mixtape, Outbound, and more either live or imminent. The big one, obviously, is Forza Horizon 6, which starts early access today for Premium Upgrade players before its wider Game Pass arrival on May 19.

Source: Xbox Wire

A Japan-set Forza Horizon is such an easy win on paper that it almost feels unfair. If Playground gets the roads, cities, mountains, and night-time atmosphere right, this could be the “clear your weekend” game of the month.

4. Nintendo Switch 2 is getting a better-value bundle this summer

Nintendo announced a Switch 2: Choose Your Game Bundle launching in early June at participating retailers. It includes the console plus a download code for one of three games: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia.

Source: Nintendo

This is a smart bundle because it does not force everyone into the same pack-in. Mario Kart is the obvious crowd-pleaser, Donkey Kong is the big platforming pick, and Pokémon Pokopia gives cozy players something more relaxed. More choice at checkout is always welcome.

5. PlayStation Plus gets Star Wars Outlaws, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Time Crisis

May’s PlayStation Plus Game Catalog is a strong one. Star Wars Outlaws, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Thaumaturge, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, Broken Sword: Reforged, and more arrive on May 19, while Premium players also get Time Crisis.

Time Crisis being back is the kind of thing that makes me instantly nostalgic. Star Wars Outlaws and Red Dead 2 are the headline names, but that arcade inclusion is a lovely little extra for anyone who still misses light-gun games.

6. Saros is showing more of its story side

Housemarque shared a new behind-the-scenes look at Saros, focusing on lead character Arjun Devraj and actor Rahul Kohli’s performance capture work.

Saros already had attention because it is Housemarque following up Returnal, but this update is a nice reminder that the studio is not just chasing bullet patterns and spectacle. It wants a stronger character-driven hook too.

I’m very into that. Returnal’s atmosphere was already incredible; if Saros can pair that level of action with a more front-facing cast, it could be something special.

7. Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 is officially coming this summer

Daybreak and Cold Iron Studios announced Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, due this summer for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Epic Games Store, and Steam.

The sequel expands the squad size from three to four players and promises deeper customization, including mix-and-match weapons, abilities, and classes.

That already sounds like the right direction. The first game had a solid “squad vs xenomorph chaos” foundation, and a four-player sequel with more build depth could turn it into a proper co-op regular.

8. Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II finally has a date

Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus II launches on May 21 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, timed alongside the Warhammer Skulls showcase.

The sequel has two playable factions, two campaigns, and a much bigger strategic layer around controlling territory. More importantly, the first Mechanicus had one of the most memorable Warhammer game soundtracks ever, and composer Guillaume David is back.

That alone is enough to get tactical fans listening.

Bonus: Nintendo is still making the Virtual Boy weirdly relevant

Nintendo also added more Virtual Boy classics to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, including V-Tetris, Jack Bros., Space Invaders Virtual Collection, Virtual Bowling, and Vertical Force.

Source: Nintendo

I still cannot quite believe Virtual Boy support is a real part of the Switch 2 era, but I love that Nintendo is preserving odd corners of its history rather than pretending they never happened.

Now a year later cre-ture has rebranded the name simply to Session, and has launched a kickstarter that has succeeded it's goal of $62,935. At the time of the submission of this article the campaign has reached $118,019 and has completed 7 of its stretch goals. Though the campaign is being funded daily through the support it is receiving through all forms of social media, including gamers YouTube videos of them playing the game.

The great classic thing about how cre-ture is going about promoting the game is a free prototype demo. I remember playing that first Tony Hawk Pro Skater demo at my neighbor's house before the game was out when I was in highschool. It was just one level, but we played it like it was a fully developed game. You can spend the holidays mastering your skills and playing Skate with your friends, just like us old farts did back in the day.

You may be asking yourself. Why is this game the evolution of skateboard games? Well cre-ture posted on the campaign that:

Session focuses on the authenticity of skating, both in the way the game feels and is presented to the player. Based on this philosophy, each feature makes the game even more innovative, fun and respectful to the skateboarding culture. The main purpose of the game is to live the sport in its entirety. Feel what it is to be a talented street skater. Explore and tame the concrete, film yourself, your friends and share your footage on the internet with the worldwide skateboarding community.

So the game seems to give you the tools you need to become the best skateboarder in a virtual community of skaters. Though there is no point system so that means there is no ranking, this is all about earning respect in the streets.

Today is the last day to donate. This is a great gift for you or your Skateboard gaming friend. Along with supporting a great up and coming independent game company, and the next great skateboard game.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/100195109/ses...

The Pip-Boy app allows you to sort your inventory from anywhere, both in and out of the game. The release date for the app was not revealed.

Todd Howard said that he was not a fan of collector's editions, but referred to the Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition as the "best fucking one I've ever seen."

The price for the Pip-Boy Edition is set at $119.99. You can watch the Bethesda E3 Conference stream with commentary from halomike, Jolgier, and myself here:http://www.twitch.tv/halomike/b/669190029

New DLC characters in the form of Street Fighter's Ryu, Fire Emblem's Roy and Mother 3's Lucas were released for Super Smash Bros for 3DS/Wii U along side two new stages (Dreamland N64 and Suzaku Castle) and a handful of new costumes for the Mii fighters. In addition to this, several new compatible amiibo were also confirmed for the game:

• R.O.B.
• Duck Hunt
• Mr. Game & Watch (Customizable)
• Falco
• Mii Brawler
• Mii Gunner
• Mii Swordfighter
• Ryu (In development)
• Roy (In development)

Also released along side the new Super Smash Bros content was EarthBound Beginnings for the Wii U Virtual Console. This game is actually the finished, yet unreleased NES prequel to the cult classic SNES title EarthBound. You can buy it now from the Wii U eShop for $6.99USD.

A new Chibi Robo game called Chibi Robo: Zip Lash has been confirmed and was shown to be a 2.5D platformer with an emphasis on action and puzzle solving. In addition to this, it will be packaged with a special Chibi Robo amiibo that can be used with the game. This game will be released this October for the 3DS.

I'm sure Skylanders: SuperChargers is no surprise to anyone that knows of the series, but what is certainly shocking is that the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game have exclusive content coming to them in the form of special Skylanders that double as amiibo. These new characters come in the form of Turbo Charged Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser, and both have a unique base that doubles as a switch allowing it to be used as both a skylander for those games, and as an amiibo for other compatible games. They will come packaged in the game's starter sets in the Nintendo versions of the game and will be released September 20.

Nintendo and Sega have confirmed that Mario & Sonic would return once again for the 2016 summer Olympics at Rio De Janeiro and different sports would be in different versions of the game with American Gridiron Football being in the Wii U version and Golf being in the 3DS version. As of now, the release date is still unconfirmed.

Now I don't know much about this series other than the fact that Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water is a survival horror game in which you defeat hostile ghosts by taking pictures, but from what I've seen, it looks to be a very interesting entry in the series as the Gamepad is used as your camera for this installment in the franchise. A release date hasn't been announced yet, but expect it by the end of the year.

Genei Ibun Roku #FE is the official Japanese name of the crossover title featuring the Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem franchises. With a lot of heavy influence from Japanese music and pop culture, this is probably going to be a very unusual game, especially when you add characters from the Fire Emblem series into the mix. It is currently unknown if the Japanese title will be changed when it is localized, but expect it to be released some time in 2016.

Speaking of Fire Emblem, the newest installment on the 3DS has gotten an official English subtitle under the name Fire Emblem: Fates. You can expect this title around 2016 as well.

New info for Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer had been announced with a new video showcasing new gameplay features in the form of outdoor decorating and being able to put a villager's house where ever you want on the map, assuming it's on solid ground. Amiibo cards will be made to go along with this game and may be needed to fully enjoy it. This title will be released late September this year.

While we're on the subject of Animal Crossing, a new gameboard party game featuring Animal Crossing characters has been announced for the Wii U and will use the eight new Animal Crossing amiibo figures (Mabel, K.K. Slider, Tom Nook, Isabelle, Digby, Cyrus, Reese and the new character Lottie from Happy Home Designer) as your game pieces in the same fashion as in Mario Party 10's amiibo Party game mode. Expect Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival to be released by the end of the year.

A new Zelda title that I'm sure no-one was expecting was announced in a multiplayer compatible game in the form of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. Unlike the Four Swords games which were more competitive in design, this title appears to be more focused around co-operative play and the number of Links is reduced from four to three. There is also a single player mode for those that like to play alone, and online multiplayer for those that aren't near anyone that own the game. Expect this game for the 3DS in the third quarter of this year.

While we're on the subject of Zelda, Hyrule Warriors is also coming to the 3DS as Hyrule Warriors: Legends. This version of the game will include all the DLC that was in the Wii U version plus two new characters in the form of Tetra and The King of Hyrule from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.  This game will likely be released early next year.

Yo-Kai Watch had been hinted at for quite a long time, but now it appears that it is finally getting localized outside of Japan. Expect this Pokemon-like RPG to be released by the end of 2015.

I'm sure all of you wanted a new Metroid game to be announced at this year's E3, but how many of you were expecting THIS of all things? From the information I've gathered, Metroid Prime: Federation Force is MULTIPLAYER ONLY and will have gameplay elements similar to Metroid Prime: Hunters. In addition, it will also include a mini game called Metroid Prime: Blast Ball which is like a futuristic take on Soccer, but with mech suits and power-ups. While I mostly agree that this is not what anyone wanted when we wanted a new Metroid game, I for one will be giving this game a chance when it is released next year. Hopefully the negative reactions were unjustified.

There were a few new Mario games announced during E3 and one of them was Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash for the Wii U. A new addition to this series appears to be the ability to grow to gigantic size with the help of a Mega Mushroom. Expect it to be released by the end of the year.

Now THIS was a nice surprise. This new entry in the Mario & Luigi series titled Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam has Mario & Luigi teaming up with Paper Mario in a rather unique crossover experience. This will likely be much better than Paper Mario: Sticker Star. Expect this game to be released sometime in the first half of 2016.

Yoshi's Woolly World has been on everyone's minds since was announced two years ago. No new info has been announced for the American release dates for the Yarn Yoshi amiibo, but I'm assuming that they'll be released along side the game on October 16.

Super Mario Maker is the new name for Mario Maker that was announced for the Wii U and more details have also been shown. The game is apparently going to be compatible with many different amiibo and a special 30th Anniversay amiibo of 8Bit Mario will be released along side the game. It will be released on September 11 of this year.

No new info was announced for this game other than a release date. Xenoblade Chronicles X will be released on December 4 of this year.

Now for the game that everyone was hoping to see footage of, Star Fox Zero. Shown in the footage is a ton of new gameplay elements like the ability to see from the cockpit of the ship on the Gamepad and the ability to change the shape of the ship your piloting. Co-developed by Platinum Games, this title will be released some time late this year.

Many indie titles will also be released periodically throughout the year like Shantae: Half-Genie Hero and nine specific ones will also be available as special limited time demos on the Wii U eShop:

• Forma.8
• Lovely Planet
• Runbow
• Typoman
• Extreme Exorcism
• RIVE
• Mutant Mudds Super Challenge
• Soul Axiom
• Freedom Planet

I will be trying every single one of these demos, and if you own a Wii U, I encourage you try them out too. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

Although the news of the existence of a System Shock remake isn't exactly new, this is the first video that has been shown to the public. Built on the Unity Engine, System Shock: Remastered Edition is Night Dive Studio's attempt at both a 1:1 remake and a re-imagining of the original System Shock. Some features, such as the user interface and graphics, are getting a completely overhauled redesign in order to feel fresh for fans of the original game and to be more viable to a new generation of players.

Stick with us as news of System Shock: Remastered Edition and System Shock 3 develop further.

Now set in 1968 New Orleans, Mafia puts you in the shoes of a new protagonist, Lincoln Clay. Clay is half black and half white, which is incredibly important to the story due to the events of Mafia III taking place in 1960's New Orleans, where violent racism is part of everyday life. Clay had a tough upbringing by being raised in a poverty stricken orphanage. He didn't find family until joining the Army during the Vietnam war. The violent events that Clay was involved with in Vietnam forever changed him.

Upon returning home, Clay, again finds family with the "Black Mob." Though, this is short lived as the Italian mob massacres the Black Mob and shoot Clay in the head, leaving him for dead. Wanting vengeance, Clay, builds back up his family to sufficient numbers and plans to go to war with all those who destroyed the Black Mob.

There are many groups and families looking to gain total control of New Orleans. As well as being skilled with killing, Clay, also has a knack for bringing together people, no matter the circumstances. In Mafia III, you will be able to bring in several gang leaders to act as your lieutenants in your growing criminal empire. This includes; Cassandra and her Haitian family, Burke and his Irish family, and Mafia II's Vito Scaletta and his Italian family. All these components create an unconventional family.

It's clear that Mafia III tackles some heavy themes like racism and war. Mafia III also seems to craft it's own story rather than serving as a direct sequel to Mafia II. Regardless, if you think Mafia III will be anywhere near as good as Mafia II then we will have 2016 game of the year material on our hands.

It's been 6 years, hombres. 6 long years since Red Dead Redemption was released into our hearts. Since then we've had L.A. Noire, Grand Theft Auto V, and entered an entirely new console generation. Now Rockstar have officially christened their announcement of a third Red Dead game with a trailer. Ladies and Gentlemen: Red Dead Redemption 2.

Rockstar's current official description for Red Dead Redemption 2 is as follows:

Developed by the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2 is an epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland. The game’s vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.

However if you're like me and don't usually have the time to watch forty-five minutes of news, here's a quick recap for you.

• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD was officially confirmed and is available to pre-order in a special bundle edition that includes a Wolf Link & Midna amiibo. A bonus soundtrack pre-order bonus will also be included at some retailers.
• The Legend of Zelda: TriForce Heroes will be receiving a major update that adds a massive brand new dungeon and two new costumes.
• Super Mario Maker will now have a portal site that will make it easier to find specific stages and makers.
• Fire Emblem Fates will be released in two versions with a third DLC pack along the way, and also as a special collector's edition that has all three versions plus an art book and a 3DS pouch.
• Splatoon will be receiving yet another major update that will add two more stages and many more clothes and accessories. A special site for the game will also be launched for it soon that will allow you to track the stats of yourself and other players.
• Hyrule Warriors Legends confirmed a new character in the form of Linkle, who was originally a piece of concept art for a gender-swapped Link.
• Nintendo Badge Arcade was shown off in minor detail.
• Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow versions will be coming to the 3DS Virtual Console early 2016.
• Mega Man Legacy Collection will be coming to the 3DS as well and will be compatible with the Mega Man amiibo and the special Gold Mega Man amiibo only included in the collector's edition version of the game.
• Pokemon Picross was announced and will be released as a free-to-play title.
• Pokken Tournament was confirmed to include a special Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card in first run production copies of the game.
• Star Fox Zero has a new release date of April 22, 2016.
• Final Fantasy Explorers, Dragon Quest VII, and Dragon Quest VIII (all for the 3DS) have been confirmed to be coming westward. A collector's edition of Final Fantasy Explorers will also be available for pre-order.
• Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival has a confirmed release date of November 13, 2015
• The currently unnamed Zelda title for the Wii U now has a 2016 release date.
• Many new details for various indie and big name titles that have already been announced earlier in the year.
• And last, but not least, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII has been confirmed to be the next DLC character for Super Smash Bros for 3DS/Wii U

I hope that'll slake your collective thirsts for new Nintendo info for the next few weeks. I know I'm good, but maybe Nintendo will announce something special for the holidays if this wasn't enough for you. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

Even though this video was a little shorter than the last one, there was a lot more interesting details shown off. Here's a quick recap.

• Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife and his stage, Midgar, were both released a couple of hours after the Direct ended. Their cost is $5.99 for one version and $6.99 for both in a bundle.
• Corrin from the as of yet to be released Fire Emblem Fates was announced as a future DLC character. He/she will be worth $4.99 for one version and $5.99 for the two version bundle and will include two brand new songs that will be added to the Castle Siege and Coliseum stages. It is scheduled to be released around February 2016.
• A bunch of new Mii Fighter costumes were revealed for future release. They are a Chocobo Hat from Final Fantasy, Tails and Knuckles costumes from the Sonic series, a Takamaru costume from The Mysterious Murasame Castle, an Ashley costume from Wario Ware, a Gil costume from Tower of Druaga, some cool Bionic Armor made specifically for the Mii Brawler, and a costume based on Geno from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The Geno costume and the Chocobo Hat were released at the same time as the Cloud Strife DLC. QR Codes of the characters using the costumes were also made available on the Smash Bros official site.
• As always, amiibo of the new characters will be made and released some time in the future. It has also been confirmed that the Roy, Ryu, and Famicom version of R.O.B. will be released on March 18, 2016.
• And last but certainly not least, Bayonetta was announced to be the final DLC character and was also confirmed to be the winner of the Smash Bros Character Ballot. She will be released at the same time as Corrin and will cost the same as Cloud. She will also come package with a stage based on the game she is from called Umbra Clock Tower.

I was certainly surprised about this Direct as I was only expecting one new character. I am definitely looking forward to playing as both Corrin and Bayonetta when they are released next year, and I JUST CAN'T WAIT for the Bayonetta amiibo to be released. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

To celebrate the Pokemon series 20th Anniversary in Japan, Nintendo announced that the 7th generation Pokemon games, titled Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon, were in development and would be released by the holiday season of 2016. In addition to this, they also revealed that the eShop versions of Pokemon Red Version, Pokemon Blue Version, and Pokemon Yellow Version would be compatible with Pokemon Bank so you could transfer the pokemon you trained in those games to Sun and Moon when they're released. Here's hoping for a great new addition to the Pokemon series, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

With the new generation of video game consoles comes change, do you appreciate the changes to old characters, such as Reptile's "bone man" look? Or does a traditional, green-ninja look suit the series better?

The game appears to run far better than MK9, now with a steady 60 frames per second. As fans, do you appreciate NetherRealm's moving of Mortal Kombat towards a more traditional fighting game feel? Or will the clunky, block-button fighter always be the way to go?

2k Games have officially announced Mafia III and will be releasing an official reveal trailer at Gamescom 2015.

"We’re revealing #Mafia3 next week! See the announcement trailer on 5/8/15 at 1PM BST. https://twitter.com/2K_UK/status/62599911035778662.."

√¢‚Ǩ‚ 2K United Kingdom (@2K_UK) July 28, 2015

Not only will a reveal trailer for Mafia III be shown to the public, but a gameplay demo will be shown to the press behind closed doors.

Fans of the series who have been paying close attention over the last few years shouldn't be too shocked at this announcement ever since 2K trademarked the name "Mafia 3" and "Mafia III" and Rick Pasqualone (voice of Vito Scaletta in Mafia II) made this tweet. If the rumored casting call back in 2014 is true, then the game will take place in and around Louisiana/New Orleans.

Gamescom 2015 will be from Thursday, August 6th 2015 to Sunday, August 9th 2015.

For more Mafia news, stay with us at novoGamer.

This app will allow you to be the overseer over your very own custom vault. You can manage the Vault Dwellers to keep them in high spirits and send them out to scavenge for supplies. You can also breed them and defend your vault from internal and external threats like, radroach attacks, vault malfunctions, and raider attacks. You can collect special lunch boxes to win prizes and items to supply your vault. This app is FREE to download and there is no "freemium" elements. The only thing you'd need to sink your money into is the special lunchboxes to get a little extra supplies every once in a while. 

Once again this is free to play and download, and available now on iOS. The Android release is sadly a bit late, but hopefully they release it soon. 

The stream became GT’s staff moment to thank viewers and fans of the site over the last 13 years for their viewership and support.

Founded by Geoffrey Grotz and Brandon Jones in August 2002, it could be argued that Gametrailers was ahead of its time. When the gaming press was still largely focused on written long form sites, GT bucked the trend and focused mostly on video content, the irony here being that video streamers today are the major factor in traditional gaming sites losing popularity. Along with the expected previews, game reviews and general industry news, GT would create popular features such as GT Countdown long before the popularity of Top 10 lists in media. Features such as Pop Fiction, which would explore some gaming’s greatest myths such as if Luigi was really in the original Mario 64 and could you get to the island across the The Dam without hacks in Goldeneye.

GT would also bring in third party features such as ScrewAttack and Cinemassacre’s popular character The Angry Video Game Nerd. While James Rolfe’s creation was already gaining popularity on YouTube, it is unclear if ScrewAttack would gain its mass audience without exposure from GT. ScrewAttack co-founder Craig Skistimas tweeted the following statements:

"What a horrible thing to here. So many good people and amazing memories from @ScrewAttack's time w GameTrailers.

It's safe to say that without GameTrailers ScrewAttack surely would have never been exposed to a mass audience.

We owe a lot to GameTrailers & I know I personally will never forget that. My hearts w @GameTrailersVO & his talented team"

GT would also promote user created content, ether in the form of blogs or video content. In 2007 GT highlighted the late Monty Oum’s animated video Haliod. The popularity of his video via GT no doubt led him to working as one of the lead animators for Rooster Teeth, creators of the popular Red vs Blue series.

In 2005 the site was acquired by Viacom for an undisclosed fee. In 2007 GT became the focus for video game related content as part of MTV’s rebranding of Spike.com. GT’s E3 coverage and end of year game awards show would be integrated into Spike’s TV broadcasting, however the results are only now remembered for some arguably cringe moments with celebrities in what was an attempt to garner mass appeal with new audiences, but would only overshadow the reason why the shows existed, to focus on games and the gaming industry.

With the site failing to meet Viacom’s expectation the site was sold to Defy Media in June 2014, again for an undisclosed fee and immediately let go two thirds of GT’s full time staff after the E3 event of that year ended.

Despite the popularity of personalities of Kyle Bosman, the site continued to decline in hits with complaints of the site’s functionality failing and popular features not updating regularly or ceasing entirely.

Today’s news has been met with sadness but given the current climate in gaming news media sites losing popularity it has also not been met with any shock or surprise.

Brief comment:

If you will indulge me with some thoughts to end this article:

There was a period of time in my life when I was out of work and was not able to gain employment again for over a year and a half. Two game related things that helped keep my sanity for that year and a half was City of Heroes and ScrewAttack. It was however down to Gametrailers that I would discover ScrewAttack and most of their content that I would watch and be entertained by was what was posted on GT’s site. So for that, GT has my gratitude.

As I have written, this news is not entirely surprising given the state of the gaming news industry but the staff that avoided the savage cull in June 2014 should be given enormous credit for keeping the site going for almost another 2 years in what was clearly a no win scenario through no fault of their own given the sudden lack of resources following Defy Media's acquisition.

At a time where trust in gaming news site is at an all-time low, GT appeared to be one of the few sites around that wasn't subject to ethical concerns from consumers and unlike many who write about the games industry but also harbour disdain for video games in general, the passion for gaming has never been under question with any of the staff at GT.

In a move that completely blindsided me personally, the company that we all know for exceptional service for purchasing goods has created their own game engine. That's right, a (beta) game engine made for making games.

It isn't the fact that Amazon is deviating away from the usual selling of goods; after all, they're sprouting out revolutionary ideas like delivery drones and one-button orders, but never have they dropped into the gaming community like this. There had been hints that Amazon planned to dabble in gaming since 2015, but I doubt many people expected this.

Lumberyard itself and the source code is completely free, firstly, so it seems like a great method for creating games, much like Unreal Engine 4, Unity, or other similar game engines. According to Amazon's website fees only apply for when a developer wishes to purchase Amazon's services such as for multiplayer.

Additionally, two of the highly marketed additions to Lumberyard is the heavy integration of Twitch, the popular gaming broadcasting service, and AWS Cloud, which stands for Amazon Web Services (mentioned previously for providing multiplayer). Such an integration seems ideal for developers, as the entire package for a game to be readily published comes with the game engine, albeit with a fee for the AWS (of which you can pick and choose which ones you want to use).

Other notes that Amazon brings is that it is cross platform, uses C++ as code, that there are technologies like GameLift, and heavy emphasis on visual aspects of the engine such as scripting. Sorry, but I have no idea what I'm actually talking about. However, I'm absolutely sure the people over at Amazon do, so check out the website for the Lumberyard beta right here!

Also, note that there is a clause in the code that nullifies the restrictions of Amazon Lumberyard in case of zombie outbreak.

"57.10 Acceptable Use; Safety-Critical Systems. Your use of the Lumberyard Materials must comply with the AWS Acceptable Use Policy. The Lumberyard Materials are not intended for use with life-critical or safety-critical systems, such as use in operation of medical equipment, automated transportation systems, autonomous vehicles, aircraft or air traffic control, nuclear facilities, manned spacecraft, or military use in connection with live combat. However, this restriction will not apply in the event of the occurrence (certified by the United States Centers for Disease Control or successor body) of a widespread viral infection transmitted via bites or contact with bodily fluids that causes human corpses to reanimate and seek to consume living human flesh, blood, brain or nerve tissue and is likely to result in the fall of organized civilization."

Now because the last direct was exclusively Pokemon themed and announced the new Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon games, this one had no Pokemon related news to speak of. Instead a bunch of equally exciting information was shown off.

• Star Fox Zero was shown off again and was officially announced that it would be released in tandem on April 22 with a secondary game called Star Fox Guard. The Fox amiibo was also shown off in the game to show that it would unlock the Retro Arwing for play.
• Splatoon will be receiving a balancing patch on March 8 along with some new weapon sets that will be released in two separate updates in the near future.
• Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was shown off a bit with the addition of a release date for both versions. Wii U is June 24 and 3DS is March 18.
• New construction features in the form of Pink Coins, Keys, Locked Doors and Skewers will be added to Super Mario Maker in its next update (Still no sloped platforms though...). In addition to these, a new Super Expert 100-Mario Challenge game mode will also be added which can be played to try and earn new Mystery Mushroom costumes.
• The Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem crossover game for Wii U now has an official English name and a release date. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE will be released June 24.
• Paper Mario: Color Splash was unexpectedly revealed for the Wii U and will be released some time in 2016. No other specifics such as amiibo support or a demo were announced for it.
• Pokken Tournament recapped some if its features and reconfirmed its March 18 release date.
• Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge was revealed and would be released as an early access title, with the purchase of a compatible amiibo, on March 25 and with a free public release on both Wii U and 3DS on April 28.
• Super NES titles were announced for Virtual Console on the New 3DS and will be incompatible with the older hardware.
• Hyrule Warriors Legends was announced to be getting a Season Pass of DLC and a free downloadable character in the form of Medli from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The Season Pass will be released on the same day as the game on March 25.
• Monster Hunter X was revealed to be coming stateside with the name Monster Hunter Generations and was shown to have Fire Emblem DLC as well. It should be released some time in the summer.
• Metroid Prime: Federation Force showed off some new gameplay and some details about the game's story was explained. It has a projected release of late spring.
• Fire Emblem Fates had some DLC shown off in addition to the final downloable story line, Revelation.
• Dragon Quest VII was announced for a stateside release some time in 2016.
• Bravely Second: End Layer was announced for an April release with the addition of a rather impressive collector's edition to pre-order.
• The Free-to-Play Lost Reavers was announced to be released as an open beta on April 14 with the full version being released two weeks later.
• A rather unusual new game called Pocket Card Jockey by Game Freak was announced for the 3DS and will be released in May.
• Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 was announced for a summer release on the 3DS eShop.
• In addition, Disney Art Academy was also announced for the 3DS. It will be released on May 13.
• Rhythm Heaven Megamix was announced to finally getting released overseas after being in Japan for nearly a year. It will be released some time in 2016. I'm estimating a summer launch.
• A brand new Kirby game for the 3DS called Kirby: Planet Robobot was announced for the 3DS and will include amiibo support and a brand new sub-game called Team Kirby Clash. In addition to this, a brand new series of amiibo based on the Kirby series was announced. The game will be released on June 10, but the release date of the amiibo has yet to be confirmed.
• And finally, the My Nintendo loyalty program was officially launched and will also allow you to preregister Nintendo's first smartphone app, Miitomo.

Being the Nintendo fan that I am, I will most definitely be trying to get most of these games and I am extremely excited for the new Kirby game that will soon be released. I wish I didn't have to repurchase all of those SNES games though, but I'm sure My Nintendo will be able to remedy this in the future. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

The most striking change lies in the sheer variety planets will now exhibit. New technology facilitates a vast spectrum of biomes, encompassing everything from frigid wastelands to verdant paradises and scorching deserts. Oceans receive a significant overhaul as well, boasting dynamic waves, realistic reflections, and a wider range of colors and environmental conditions. Underwater exploration is further enhanced by improved water physics and jetpack effects, while the ability to land directly on water opens entirely new avenues for discovery.

But the update goes far beyond aesthetics. A vibrant tapestry of new flora and fauna populates these transformed worlds. The developers hint at encountering nightmarish "biological horrors" and fascinating plant-animal hybrids alongside more familiar creatures. Adventurers will have a broader array of tools at their disposal, including the ability to craft new starships for deeper exploration, enhanced armor for tougher encounters, and even the chance to concoct new culinary delights to fuel their cosmic journeys.

Planetary environments now pulsate with life thanks to the implementation of dynamic weather effects. Wind patterns and intense storms create a truly immersive experience, with colossal waves reacting in real-time to the weather conditions raging above. Cloud formations are rendered in stunning detail thanks to new cloud technology, further enhancing the visual spectacle and accurately reflecting weather patterns."Worlds Part I" also introduces a brand new Expedition mode, offering a community-driven experience inspired by the classic sci-fi film Starship Troopers. This mode functions as a guided tour of the update's highlights, allowing players to experience the breadth of new content and gameplay possibilities offered by "Worlds Part I."

With this landmark update, No Man's Sky continues its remarkable evolution, presenting players with a universe reborn. Both veteran explorers and newcomers alike have a compelling reason to return and lose themselves in the limitless possibilities of this revitalized cosmos.

Find out more about the update at https://www.nomanssky.com/worlds-part-i-update/

or watch the Deep Dive:

Prey for the Gods is a game where the scale is you=ants. Action is fast paced, and the world is brutal and unforgiving. Your survival hinges on killing the gods that you pray to.

Prey for the Gods is currently in Kickstarter and is being developed by No Matter studios, a team consisting of only 3 developers and composer Ian Dorsch. So far the game looks absolutely stunning, and promises to play with the tight controls of Bloodborne, the scale of Shadow of the Colossus, and an open world several times bigger than the bosses (I jest of course).

Brought to my attention by the Gods over at Indieformer, Prey for the Gods may very well be the next BIG game (heh). Currently 6k from the 300k goal with 19 days to go and a whole host of stretch goals we might get to see this game get made.

This has been a public service announcement, thank you for your time.

Links:

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/802508750/pre...

and for more games in the works;

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHFDtPdTc-ymerPwh...

Game Director Jeff Kaplan replied to a post on the Overwatch Battle Net forums about highlights and had this to say: "The game will temporarily archive 5 highlights from your last play session. Playing only one game will only result in one highlight. Highlights are not currently saved if you close the game and come back. Our hope (and what we're working toward) is to allow players to save highlights or export them to a video format someday."

And this one on D.Va : "Yes she gets taken down quickly if she is fighting multiple targets, unlike Winston/Reinhardt because of their barriers. When I say she is difficult to kill its speaking from a smaller skirmish standpoint, which she can usually set up due to her Flight ability. There was a time, when she was first implemented, where she had more damage than she does now. The way that played out is that she would fly into someone's face, destroy them, and fly away. There was little that person could do because her mobility. As I said I think she can use some help in other areas, but I don't have anything concrete yet. The goal is that she should be a viable aggressive initiation tank, much like Winston can be right now, rather than some sort of beefy flying assassin. So any changes will likely be helping her in that direction."

Principal Designer Geoff Goodman replied to a post as well asking McCree to nerfed : "I've been watching McCree carefully since we've released. McCree's flashbang plays an important role in being a strong option against very fast/agile teams (tracers/genjis/etc)....That said, its probably a bit too good at dealing damage to higher health targets such as Tanks and barriers. I don't have any concrete changes yet, but I'm going to be testing some things internally to see how he plays....Right. I think I wasn't clear enough. By saying 'its probably a bit too good at dealing damage to higher health targets' I mean his flash/fan combo, not the flash itself. Fan is more likely to see changes than flash at this point."

All of these were from yesterday, May 31st. Overwatch's Principal Designer and the Game Director himself are already working with gamers to make their experience better. All at no extra cost to the consumer. What really makes my controller vibrate though, is this sentence from Mr. Goodman right here: "I've been watching McCree carefully since we've released."

Now I've never been a part of a game development team but since when has a Principal Designer ever only focused on one character? Which means you can reasonably assume that he has been closely monitoring all 21 heroes. What else are they thinking about updating and patching?

Blizzard is saying all the right things, hopefully we will see their ideas blossom with Overwatch for years to come.

Which hero do you think should get the nerf hammer?

We've done it! With the help of our thousands of dedicated, passionate, and generous backers we've raised over $1.3 million dollars to bring System Shock back to life!

These last 30 days have been a wild ride but we've enjoyed every moment of it. From reading your comments, answering your questions, and interacting with you on Discord and Twitch it's been an experience we've enjoyed more than anything else. It's clear from the overwhelming outpouring of support that System Shock means so much to so many people and we're extremely honored that you've chosen us - and entrusted us with the monumental task of remaking one of, if not the greatest game of all time. No
pressure!

From everyone here at Nightdive...Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We couldn't have done it without you and look forward to having you join us as we embark on our return voyage to Citadel Station!

Again...from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

Stephen Kick CEO - Nightdive Studios

After over 20 years of waiting, perhaps this is the System Shock remake fans deserve. System Shock is expected to launch by December 2017 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Stay with us for future news on System Shock.

This new gameplay mechanic for Arkham Knight is called "Dual Play." Dual Play will allow the player to seamlessly switch between Batman, Catwoman, Robin, and Nightwing in free-flow combat. It has not yet been confirmed if this feature will be usable anytime other than specific moments in the game. 

With his back against the wall, Batman turns to his closest allies to help him save Gotham City from the clutches of Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight’s army. A familiar face also returns to give The Dark Knight a message he cannot ignore

Batman: Arkham Knight will be released on June 23, 2015 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. 

Following these patches which are announced to be released quote, "We expect these updates to be ready at the end of October", the company plans to re-release the PC version to the general public.

The PC version of the game was originally removed from sale due to many user reports of performance issues to the point that the game was unplayable resulting in Steam's biggest high profile use of its refund policy since the introduction of the service earlier this year.

The majority of the comments responding to WB's Steam post, understandably perhaps, have not been kind.

Brief commentary:

I am curious on people's views on the two main debates that came from this indecent. First over the culture of Pre-ordering and whether it has as place in the digital age and is it just an early cash grab for publisher's?

Second, is the debate of whether PC players were being screwed over or not based on the expected quality for their choice of version and if developers should develop on PC first then scale for consoles, or remain as is it which is most of the time console first then scale for PC.

Debate away in the comments.

Following losing their trial against former Pro Wrestler Hulk Hogan (Real name Terry Bollea) and also losing their appeal to pay Hogan $140 Million in damages, Gawker has today announced that they are filling for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.

Unlike a Chapter 7, which declares insolvency for a corporation or organisation and the likelihood of operations ceasing, a Chapter 11 allows a company to continue operating while creditors seek to resolve credit issues if possible with restructuring used as a potential method and also makes the company available for takeover bids following a court's approval. However a court can rule that debts are denied becoming void and will convert the bankruptcy to Chapter 7.

Gawker is the owner of video game website Kotaku. It also runs Jezebel, Vallywag, Deadspin, Gizmodo and io9.

Publishing company Ziff Davis has been touted as a likely buyer of Gawker and sent out the following memo today:

I wanted to share some news about a potential acquisition for Ziff Davis. Earlier today, Gawker Media Group (GMG) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As part of that process, GMG plans to sell its media properties Gizmodo, Lifehacker, Kotaku, Jalopnik, Deadspin, Jezebel and Gawker.

Ziff Davis has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire all of these properties (free of GMG's liabilities), subject to the outcome of a Court-supervised auction. Under the Chapter 11 process, the Bankruptcy Court will soon set a schedule for other potential bidders to enter the sale process. There will then be an auction, which will likely take place at the end of July.

In the event we become the acquirer, the additions of Gizmodo, Lifehacker and Kotaku would fortify our position in consumer tech and gaming. With the addition of Jalopnik, Deadspin and Jezebel, we would broaden our position as a lifestyle publisher. Much like us, GMG is heavily active in driving commerce-based revenues and has an impressive publishing and commerce platform with Kinja.

As you can see, there’s a tremendous fit between the two organizations, from brands to audience to monetization. We look forward to the possibility of adding these great brands √¢‚Ǩ‚Äú and the talented people who support them √¢‚Ǩ‚Äú to the Ziff Davis family.

Ziff Davis currently owns and operates video game website mainstay IGN. There is no indication at this time that should Ziff Davis acquire Kotaku if it will continue to operate as a separate website, or merged with the existing IGN website.

Kotaku was at the center of the GamerGate hashtag controversy in 2014 when following The Zoe Post from Eron Gjoni, it was discovered that Kotaku writer Nathan Grayson had given positive coverage to Zoe Quinn's Depression Quest game without disclosing he financially supported the games development. Editor Stephen Totillo decided to take no further action and Kotaku, along with other video game websites, begun attacking gaming culture claiming it to be sexist and racists. However they have yet answered any calls to prove that is the case.

Kotaku was also famously blacklisted by Bethesda Games and Ubisoft for posting spoilers of stories after acquiring development materials while Fallout 4, Assassin's Creed Unity and Rogue were still under development.

Kotaku, along with Gawker and its sister publications, do not hold a great reputation among the public and are seen as the web equivalent of gutter press. Whoever possibly takes over Gawker won't just have to worry about the financial issues involving the company but also how it will build a positive reputation for the brand, if it can, heading into the future.

Disclosure:

In March 2015 I tweeted two responses to the hashtag I am on Board 2015 which I saw as a way to show appreciation for voice talent in video games. However afterwards I learnt that, along with the replacement hashtag Performance Matters, that it was being used to build support for workers in a dispute with the video games industry. I ceased further interactions knowing that I had to remain an objective observer of the story as I would likely have to write about this in the future but since I maintain my support for news transparency, I felt you should know about this.

Industrial action in the entertainment sector is not unheard of but for the first time in the near 40 year history of the video games industry, a section of its workforce is hours away from going on strike over a dispute on residual pay and worker’s well being.

Voice actors and other performers who are members of US unions The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) will walk out on midnight, Friday 21^st October on any game development project that started after February 17^th 2015, as a result of no agreement being made between SAG-AFTRA and representatives of some of the video gaming industries biggest publishers during meetings held on Monday 17^th October and ending Wednesday 19^th.

Negotiations for a new deal following the 2014 expiry of the original 1994 Interactive Media Agreement between the gaming industry and SAG-AFTRA began back on February 4^th 2015 with four other meetings over the course of 19 months leading to strike action beginning this week.

SAG-AFTRA’s core demand is seeking Contingent Compensation for their members which is commonly known as residual pay. Members have an existing agreement with Movie and Television producers that they receive bonus pay based on ether as an example a successful gate at cinemas or T.V. shows getting reruns on syndication. SAG-AFTRA is seeking the same deal for performers working on video games with members receiving bonuses if game sales reach 2 Million, with additional bonuses as 4 and 6 Million before capping at 8 Million.

This would also extend to Downloadable Content sales and unique subscribers for subscription based online games. Representatives of the Gaming Industry argue that voice actor’s are overstating their position as their performance makes up only 20% at most in the overall production of video games and that actors are very rarely the focus in the promotion of video games unlike in movies and television. Reports suggest the industry offered a 9% increase in pay from the current open agreement but SAG-AFTRA have remained determined to acquire residual pay for their members.

The dispute does not just cover financial compensation. Concerns over performer’s safety is also under contention. SAG-AFTRA claims that more needs to be done by the video games industry to protect its members from physical harm as they allege that some voice actors have had undue strain placed on them during sessions which led to vocal cords becoming temporally damaged causing loss of work and motion capture artists physically injured at shoots. SAG-AFTRA suggests that most video game productions that have motion capture rarely use stunt coordinators in comparison to movie and television productions which would reduce risks of injuries during shoots.

Lawyers representing the games industry say that SAG-AFTRA is misleading its members by not updating their website to mention increased working benefits and working condition improvements that have been offered in negotiation meetings for over a year.

The strike will only be limited to work for certain companies and listed projects from said companies that began after February 17^th 2015. The companies that have been struck are:

• Activision Publishing Inc
• Blindlight, LLC
• Corps of Discovery Films
• Disney Character Voices, Inc.
• Electronic Arts Productions, Inc
• Formosa Interactive, LLC
• Insomniac Games, Inc.
• Interactive Associates, Inc.
• Take 2 Interactive Software
• VoiceWorks Productions, Inc
• WB Games

Members of the Union will be allowed to work on video game projects from other companies not involved in the dispute and continue to work on projects from the listed companies that started before the February 2015 cut off date.

While other North American actor unions have voiced support of SAG-AFTRA’s proposed strike they are not joining in with any solidarity strikes themselves. Here in the UK the biggest actors union is aware of the strike but are not taking any action other than offering advice to members that may have taken contracts in the US to respect the strike.

Martin Brown, the Assistant General Secretary for Communications and Member Support for Equity contacted me and said quote:

“The SAG-AFTRA strike is about contractual conditions for video games contracted in the United States. It will not impact on work taking place in the United Kingdom unless that work has been contracted in the United States under the jurisdiction of SAG-AFTRA.

Equity members will continue to work normally in UK contracted video games. However if any Equity member in the USA or elsewhere in the world that has been contracted under the SAG-AFTRA video game contract we would urge them to get in touch with SAG-AFTRA as soon as possible for advice and to support SAG-AFTRA’s dispute.“

Both parties appear to be resolute in their demands and arguments so it is unlikely baring any surprising and sudden concessions, that this dispute will be resolved quickly. We will have to wait to see which side blinks first.

Although, this isn't an announcement of a sequel (Alan Wake's American Nightmare excluded), it's worth noting that in the DLC for the original Alan Wake entitled "The Writer", Alan Wake writes a book named "Return."

A sequel to Alan Wake has never been out of the question. In fact, the creative director at Remedy Entertainment, Sam Lake, had this to say about a potential sequel in April 2015:

"For Alan Wake, from the get-go, we assumed there was going to be a sequel and we mapped things further out when it came to character, story, details and focus changes," said Lake. "We knew we would have to iterate and refine, but there was always a rough road map there.“

Stay tuned as the story develops further...

As always, if you are pressed for time, I will give you all of the juicy details and recap all of the news regarding the presentation to the best of my ability. So let's get started.

• The system will launch globally and simultaneously on March 3, 2017 with a price of 29,980 Yen in Japan, $299.99 in North America, and a varying price in Europe depending on the retailer.
• A new paid online service was revealed with a free trial period lasting until Autumn.
• Switch software WILL be region free.
• The system's battery life will vary by the game that's being played, but the general range is anywhere between 2.5 and 6 hours of continuous play. It will also come with a USB Type-C cable for recharging purposes.
• The screen is a capacitive touch screen.
• Up to 8 Switches can connect wirelessly to each other during local play.
• The Left Joy-Con was shown to have a "Capture" button which is used for taking screenshots (and eventually video footage) of the game you are currently playing.
• Two buttons on the interior of each Joy-Con were shown to be how the controllers lock into the console and also double as the L & R buttons for each player.
• Joy-Cons will also be available in other colors with the first 2 being neon blue and neon red.
• Each Joy-Con also has an IR camera at their bottom half which apparently is sensitive enough to detect the difference between rock, paper, and scissor hand gestures or varying distances from the screen.
• The brand new HD Rumble feature was shown off that somehow has the ability to mimic changes in shifting weight making for a more immersive experience.
• Two new games were shown off for showcasing the Joy-Con's features, one being 1-2-Switch which is a multiplayer party type game, and the other being Arms, a strange boxing game featuring characters with long spring-loaded boxing gloves. 1-2-Switch will launch along side the console and Arms will launch in spring.
• Splatoon 2 was announced which showed off many new features such as duel-wielding, dodging, and a bunch of new special weapons. It is planned to launch this summer.
• Super Mario Odyssey was revealed and showed Mario in a plethora of new areas all based around different parts of the world and showed of a new gameplay mechanic revolving around throwing his hat. It unfortunately won't be released until the holiday season.
• Two new games were then revealed after the reveal of Super Mario Odyssey. These games were Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Fire Emblem Warriors.
• Dragon Quest X, Dragon Quest XI, and Dragon Quest Heros I & II were announced for the system, but currently only for Japan.
• A new Shin Megami Tensei game and a new Square Enix game tentatively called Project Octopath Traveler were shown off in addition to Skyrim Remastered.
• What possibly might be a brand new No More Heroes game was revealed to be in development by Suda51.
• A brand new Fifa game was revealed to be coming to Switch with a 2017 release window.
• The complete package for the Switch was shown which includes the console and Switch Dock, a Left and a Right Joy-Con (either both gray or one of each neon color) with matching wrist straps, the Joy-Con controller dock, an HDMI cable, and an AC Adapter. The Pro Controller will be sold separately.
• And finally, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was revealed to launch along side the Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017 with both Special Edition and Master Edition bundles also available at $99.99USD and $129.99USD respectively.
• Now outside of the presentation many other games were shown off such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which has new items, new racers, and a PROPER battle mode in addition to the possibility of having all DLC pre-installed on the cartridge.
• Super Bomberman R and Puyo Puyo Tetris were shown off in addition to the reveal that Sonic Mania would also be coming to the Switch.

I tell ya, this was one helluva presentation. While they didn't show off what the system's specs were, I still can't wait for the system to launch. March 3rd can't come soon enough. And as for the games, I am truly excited for many of the new games that are coming out for it (especially for Zelda, Mario, and Splatoon 2), and the fact that the system is only $300 is just icing on the cake. Granted the lack of launch games for the system is a bit of a letdown, but I'm sure the Switch is bound to thrive after the unfortunate failure of the Wii U. Only time will tell if it will last long-term, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

But as always, if you're pressed for time, I'm here to condense all of that information into bite-sized chunks for easy digestion. Here's what they showed off.

• They started with 3DS games first and showed off Hey! Pikmin which will launch on July 28 along with a band new Pikmin amiibo.
• More light was shown on Ever Oasis. It will launch June 23.
• Monster Hunter Stories was confirmed to be coming stateside this autumn.
• A definitive version of Yo-Kai Watch 2 was announced with the subtitle Psychic Specters. It will also launch this autumn.
• Culdcept Revolt was announced for the series 20th anniversary. It will be released August 29.
• RPG Maker Fes was shown off and will be released June 27.
• Miitopia, an unusual Mii-based RPG, was shown to be getting a localization this year.
• Fire Emblem Echoes was revealed to be getting DLC with some of it being free and some of it being paid. A season pass was also shown as an option.
• Kirby was shown to be getting a lot of love this year to celebrate the series 25 anniversary with the games Team Kirby Clash Deluxe (out now), Kirby's Blowout Blast (summer), and a currently unnamed multiplayer action game (holiday season).
• The final installment of the Boxboy series called Bye-Bye Boxboy! and is out now.
• 3 new 30th anniversary Zelda series amiibo (Majora's Mask Link, Twilight Princess Link, Skyward Sword Link) were revealed for a June 23 release.
• The Smash Bros amiibo series finally revealed amiibo for Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta and each character will have a retailer exclusive variant. They will launch July 21.
• A ton of info was revealed for Nintendo's new IP ARMS for the Switch. Character customization is a big feature of the game's main combat mode. A new character, Min Min, was revealed who's left arm is a powerful dragon. Character specific abilities were shown like Spring Man's ability to stay permacharged when his health drops below 25%. ARMS will launch June 16.
• A new Joy-Con color was revealed to launch alongside ARMS; Neon Yellow. Joy-Con battery extenders were also revealed.
• Nintendo showed off some of the online features for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe which will launch April 28.
• Ultra Street Fighter II was shown off and will have both classic and HD graphics and two new characters: Evil Ryu and Violent Ken; along with a brand new game mode where you throw Hadokens with the Joy-Cons. It will launch May 26.
• Minecraft will becoming to the Nintendo Switch on May 11 and will include the Mario Mashup texture pack.
• More Neo Geo arcade classics are on the way to the Switch's eShop with Samurai Showdown IV being release on April 13.
• Sonic Forces showed off some of Classic Sonic's gameplay and teased a potential third character to play as. The game will launch this holiday season.
• In addition, Sonic Mania will launch this summer.
• A new competitive action party game tentatively called Project Mekuru was revealed where you stomp on tiles to claim them for your color. This eShop exclusive will launch this summer.
• Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star was shown off a bit and will launch on July 25.
• The definitive version of Disgaea 5 will launch on the Switch May 23.
• Puyo Puyo Tetris's release date inches closer and to prepare fans for the release in the coming weeks released a demo of the game on the eShop.
• The famous board game Monopoly was shown to be coming to the Switch this fall.
• A definitive edition version of Rayman Legends was announced for the Switch and will launch later this year.
• A shooter game called Sine Mora EX, which is being developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, was shown off and will be released this summer.
• A Battlechasers game based on the comics of the same name was announced for the Switch and will launch later summer.
• PayDay 2 is being ported to the Switch later this year.
• Namco Museum will be coming to the Switch's eShop this summer.
• You will be able to purchase additional Nintendo Switch docks starting on May 19.
• A Nintendo sponsored tournament for Splatoon was announced for the original Splatoon on the Wii U for a limited time.
• New Splatoon 2 info was revealed such as a new game mode called Salmon Run, a co-op survival mode where you and a team of three other individuals go to a run down island and fight a hoard of hostile salmon-like monsters to collect power-eggs en mass. Three new Splatoon amiibo were also announced which can be used to save outfit data and can be summoned in Inkopolis Square to have a companion for your character. Both the game and the amiibo will launch on July 21.

Well that's it for today. Needless to say, my wallet is going to be bled dry this year. I'm particularly excited for the new Smash Bros series amiibo. Getting cheap Bayonetta figurines have not been easy for me. So until then, I'll be seeing you.

But as always, if you're pressed for time I'll recap the news to the best of my ability. So let's get started.

• First they showed off that the arms that the player can equip have different weights that affect how they work in battle. I.E. heavier arms move more slowly, but pack more of a wallop whereas lighter arms are weak, but travel quickly. In addition each arm also have different attributes that activate when fully charged like Fire, Ice, or Electricity.
• Next they showed off the ten fighters that will be in the game revealing three new fighters in the process: Kid Cobra, an athletic snake-like fighter; Byte & Barq, a robotic cop with a robodog teammate; and Twintelle, a movie star who's hair does the fighting for her.
• The Versus game modes were shown off being a standard Fight, a 2-on-2 mode where you're tethered to your teammate, V-Ball which is volleyball with a twist, Hoops in which you grab your opponent and dunk them into the basketball hoop for points, Skillshot which is basically a shooting range type affair, and an arcade-like 1-on-100 mode where you're pitted against an army of weaker opponents one after the other.
• In order to get more arms to use in battle, you spend your fight winnings on the Arms Getter which is like a sideways crane game mixed in with the Skillshot game that was mentioned before. Duplicate arms collected are greater in strength than the previous ones you collected.
• The other modes were shown off next being Grand Prix, a single-player ladder climb that is a staple to many fighting games, Party Match an online mode for the game for up to 20 players per lobby (or 8 per lobby for local multiplayer), and Ranked Matches where you fight 1-on-1 online for glory.
• In addition to the content that was revealed right now, it was also confirmed that the game would be getting new fighters, stages, and arms as free updates throughout the life of the game.
• And finally, from May 26-28 and June 2-4 a free demo of the game will be available to try from the Switch eShop called the ARMS Global Testpunch.

That was all the info that was announced for ARMS, but the video didn't end there. As a surprise addition to the end of the Direct, brand new info for the single-player campaign for Splatoon 2 was revealed. Marie of The Squid Sisters appears to be the person you talk to do the missions and it appears that Sheldon of Ammo Knights from the first game supplies you with new weapons to be used against some of the new enemy types. Not much else was shown off besides a piece of art promoting the single player story. So until then, I'll be seeing you.

Now while this isn't especially long for presenting new games, I'm sure a lot of you just want to skim this article for the key bullet points. So let's get started.

• First up was the unexpected surprise that Super Meat Boy would be getting an official sequel in the form of an auto runner platforming game called Super Meat Boy Forever. It will release some time in 2018.
• The King Knight campaign for Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove was officially revealed and would feature a brand new card battling minigame as half of its story. Shovel Knigh: King of Cards will release early 2018.
• An unusual puzzle game called Mom Hid My Game was announced and will launch later this year.
• A golf themed RPG called Golf Story was revealed and will launch exclusively on the Switch this September.
• A new rhythm game called Floor Kids was announced where the main focus is break-dancing. It will launch this holiday season.
• A beat-em-up game inspired by medieval history called Wulver Blade was announced and will launch this September.
• The popular Steam game Poly Bridge was revealed to be coming to the Switch and would release this holiday season.
• Kentucky Route Zero was revealed to be getting a Switch port and will be released early in 2018.
  
• An unusual underwater shoot-em-up game called Earth Atlantis will be coming out on the Switch first this Autumn.
• A community driven action game called Next Up Hero was announced and will launch early next year.
• We finally get a launch date for Steamworld Dig 2 being September 21 of this year.
• A new adventure game inspired by the culture of the Tarahumara tribes called Mulaka was announced and will be released early next year.
• A very cute looking action/puzzle game called Yono and the Celestial Elephants was announced. It will launch exclusively on the Switch on October 12.
• A very arcadey action RPG called Dragon Marked for Death was revealed and will launch this winter.
• Adult Swim Games announced a new game they would be publishing called Battle Chef Brigade which is part combo-heavy action game and part match-3 puzzle game. It will launch this holiday season.
• A brand new team-based shooter was revealed called Morphies Law in which shooting your opponents steals their mass and adds it to your own. It will launch this winter.
• Sausage Sports Club, a game where you duke it out as one of 4 floppy animal friends, will launch this Autumn.
  
• A procedurally generated action board game called Light Fingers was announced and will be coming out early in 2018.
• A fantasy action RPG, not unlike Diablo, called Nine Parchments was revealed and will launch this holiday season.
• And finally, a brand new game in the No More Heroes series was officially revealed called Travis Strikes Again and it appears to be a collaborative effort between Suda51 and potential indie devs. It will be coming out some time in 2018.

Now while that was the last of the direct, there were some other games shown off on Nintendo's official YouTube channel that weren't shown in the main video. You can see them in the sizzle reel here. I am especially excited for the new No More Heroes game and I'm sure it's going to be one helluva ride once its released, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

As you can see not a lot of news can be announced in an 8 minute long video, but what can be said is certainly dense enough for a recap. That being said, let's begin.

• First of all, the first half of the Direct was presented in a blog/documentary style which showed a man on his way to visit his brother and give a few gifts to his nephews, but all of this was just a framing device for presenting the news in question.
• Pokken Tournament DX was confirmed to be coming to the Nintendo Switch. It was shown to have all of the content from the previous version of the game on the Wii U plus all 4 characters that were added to the arcade version after the Wii U's release and a brand new character in the form of Decidueye. A new pair of support Pokemon (Popplio and Litten) were also confirmed as well as Team Battles (3-on-3 matches), Ranked, Group and Friendly matches (when playing online), and daily challenges. Battles were shown to work in split screen when not playing wirelessly, but it is still unconfirmed if the official Pokken Tournament controller will work with it when in TV mode. The game will launch this year on September 22.
• Shortly after that, they showed off the new 3DS Pokemon game that was in the works being Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon. The story this time around is much different that what would be expected. Instead of it being a third version of the game or a sequel like what they did with Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2, the plot is said to be an alternate take on the events of the original games; much like an alternate timeline. The game will launch November 17.
• And finally, the Game Boy games Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver were confirmed to be coming to the 3DS via Virtual Console and will be compatible with Pokemon Bank. The games will launch on the same day as Pokken Tournament DX, but it is uncertain whether or not Pokemon Crystal will eventually be released on Virtual Console in the future.

Well that's the skinny folks. I for one am certainly happy as I said in a previous article that I wanted Pokken Tournament DX for the Switch, although I'm also a bit confused on the premise for Pokemon Ultra Sun and Pokemon Ultra Moon. All in all though I'm excited all the same. So until then, I'll be seeing you.

This Direct was a mix of both 3DS and Switch news this time around and I don't think anyone was expecting anything like this.

• First off, it was revealed that a compilation of WarioWare games would be coming to the 3DS in the form of WarioWare Gold which will contain over 300 microgames. No information if it will be released as digital only or as physical copy, but it will launch on August 3.
• The third entry in the "Dillon" series was announced and it appears to have a bit of a street racing theme this time around. Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers will be available May 24 with a demo becoming available on May 10.
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was revealed to be getting a remake and will include a new game mode similar to the Bowser's Minions mode in the Super Star Saga remake. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey will launch sometime in 2019.
• Detective Pikachu was reconfirmed to be getting a March 23 release date with a jumbo Detective Pikachu amiibo being released along side it.
  
• The Game Cube classic Luigi's Mansion was revealed to be getting a remake for the 3DS and would include a new Boss Rush mode. It will be available sometime later this year.
• Moving on to Switch news, Kirby Star Allies was revealed that other characters besides the many other partners in the game would be playable such as King DeDeDe and Meta Knight. In addition to this, other Kirby legacy characters like Marx and Gooey would be playable later in a future update.
  
• Okami HD was revealed to be getting a Switch port and would have both touch screen and Joy-Con motion support. It will launch this Summer.
  
• The new IP Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido was revealed to be coming to the Switch and will launch simultaneously with the 3DS version on June 8.
• Project Octopath Travelers had some new gameplay footage shown off in the form of 2 new characters (a merchant and an apothecary), the ability to have characters combine job classes to offer new strategies for battle and an official name. Octopath Traveler will launch on July 13 alongside a collector's edition that will include a pop-up diorama, a map, a sound selection CD, and a coin modeled after the in-game currency.
  
• Gameplay was finally shown off for Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes and it appears that the gameplay is mostly a top-down hack'n'slash that has different gameplay mechanics dependent on the world. It will also have a 2-player co-op mode where player 2 plays as Badman. It will launch later this year.
• Dark Souls Remastered was shown off and was revealed that a network test would be available allowing for players to try the game before it launches. In addition to this, it was revealed that an amiibo of Solaire of Astora would be available as well. They will both launch on May 25.
  
• News about My Nintendo was shown off regarding the gold points that you earn from purchases. Digital purchases on the Switch eShop will now give a number of gold points equal to 5% of the price of the software purchased (rounded). These gold points can also now be used to purchase games on the Switch eShop with each point being worth 1 cent.
• New info and gameplay features for Mario Tennis Aces was shown off. Players now will have a set number of tennis racquets for use in each match and you can perform super moves to that can give you the ability to break the opponent's racquet. Online tournaments and motion controls would also be a part of the experience among other things. It will launch June 22 with a pre-launch online tournament being announced some time later.
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was revealed to be getting a port to both Switch and the 3DS and would include brand new stages based on Super Mario Odyssey and a co-op mode exclusive to the Switch version. Both versions will launch June 13.
• The critically acclaimed indie title Undertale was revealed to be coming to the Nintendo Switch...eventually.
  
• Crash Bandicoot The N.Sane Trilogy was also revealed to be getting a Switch port on July 10.
  
• A definitive version of the game Little Nightmares was revealed to be coming to the Switch and was shown to be compatible with the Pac-Man amiibo in order to unlock the paku mask. Little Nightmares: Complete Edition will be available on May 18.
  
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole is surprisingly enough also coming to the Switch with the DLC packs being available to purchase soon after. The game plus DLC Packs 1 and 2 will launch on April 24 and DLC Pack 3 will launch later this year.
  
• Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition now has a release date of May 18.
  
• Nintendo will be hosting an official ARMS tournament with the qualifier beginning in the game's ranked matches on March 8 at 5pm PT and ending March 18 at 4:59pm PT with the online finals being on March 31. Another ARMS Testpunch will also be available for 3 more days starting on March 31.
  
• Splatoon 2 is getting a 3.0 update which will include over 100 new pieces of gear, a handful of new stages a brand new X rank for online ranked matches. It was also revealed that the game will be getting its first paid premium DLC in the form of the Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion which will introduce a brand new story campaign where you play as an amnesiac octoling assisting Cap'n Cuttlefish in a new subway themed overworld area, and once this game mode is finished you will be able to play as an octoling in the online matches. It will launch this summer with a price of $19.99USD, but you can pre-purchase it now and it will include special octo gear as a thank you.
  
• And as a special surprise announcement, it was revealed that what appears to be a brand new Super Smash Bros game, not a port of the Wii U or 3DS games, will be coming to the Switch sometime this year and will have the Inklings from Splatoon as playable characters.

Well that's it, and I must say it was one helluva Direct. Not only did we get confirmation of paid DLC for Splatoon 2 and ports of both Crash Bandicoot and Undertale, but the fact that we're getting a brand new Smash this year is newsworthy enough in my book. I just hope that the roster is even bigger this time around, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

Despite the video being less than 15 minutes long, they managed to show off a lot of new info for games we already knew about, and some brand new Switch games to be released on the horizon. Here's the info below.

• First off, there was a rather surprising reveal that The World Ends With You for the Nintendo DS will be receiving a port with some new content. The World Ends With You: Final Remix will be launching some time this year.
• Pokken Tournament DX will be receiving DLC in the form a 2 wave pass called the Battle Pack which will contain the playable pokemon Aegislash and Blastoise and the support pokemon pairs of Mega Rayquaza & Mimikyu and Mew & Celebi. The Battle Pack can be pre-order for $14.99USD right now, which will also contain some new Avatar equipment, with wave 1 being released on January 31 and wave 2 being released on March 23.
  
• New abilities were shown off in Kirby: Star Allies being the Artist and Spider abilities and team abilities that allow access to new areas. This game will launch on March 16 of this year.
  
• The demo for Dragon Quest Builders was released on the Switch eShop after the direct.
• Hyrule Warriors Definitive Edition was confirmed to exist and would have all of the content from both the Wii U and 3DS version of the game and two additional costumes for both Link and Zelda based on their appearances in Breath of the Wild. It will launch some time this Spring.
  
• A new entry in the Mario Tennis series is being developed for the Switch under the title Mario Tennis Aces and would be the first Mario Tennis game to feature a story mode since Mario Tennis Power Tour on the GBA. It will also launch this Spring.
• Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana was revealed to be getting a port on the Switch and will be released this Summer.
  
• A free update for Super Mario Odyssey was revealed and would add a new distraction to the main game called Luigi's Balloon World which is pretty much a glorified game of hide & seek. The update will also add new costumes for Mario and filters for snapshot mode. The update will be available in February.
• Another fighting game by SNK was revealed featuring an all female roster of charactes from past SNK games, all of which can be customized with different outfits. SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy will be available this Summer.
• Neo Geo's Art of Fighting 2 was also released on the Switch eShop as well.
  
• The new character that was said to be coming to Mario & Rabbids: Kingdom Battle was officially confirmed to be Donkey Kong and will be available some time this Spring.
• The Switch version of Payday 2 will have some timed exclusive content in the form of a hacker-themed character named Joy. The game will launch on February 27.
• The unusual new platforming game inspired by Nordic mythology called Fe by Zoink was revealed to be coming to Switch on February 16.
• Another game by the name Celeste was also confirmed to be coming to the Switch on January 25 and seems to focus heavily on precision platforming and dashing through the air.
• Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze was revealed that it was being ported to the Switch with the addition of a brand new game mode where you play as Donkey Kong's surfer mechanic brother, Funky Kong who seems to be geared mostly toward speed runners. It will launch on May 4.
  
• And finally, it was revealed that Dark Souls Remastered will be coming to the Switch on May 25 of this year.

Now I would say this was a pretty good direct overall. Not too bad, but had just enough new info to keep me satisfied. No info on the newly revealed Bayonetta 3, a possible Switch port of Smash Bros, or even any new amiibo though. One step at a time I guess, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

I love waves. Give me waves of anything and I will destroy it. Especially rats. The Vermin are here and I have been given badass medieval tools to slice dice or blow them apart?!

CAN YOU SAY GAME OF THE FREAKIN' YEAR?

Okay, I may be a little hyped for Warhammer: Verminitde. It's obviously not out yet but this game is shaping up to be a cross between Diablo 3, Left For Dead and Chivalry. And it is about goddamn time.

While Killing Floor 2 has done more than enough (and its still not done!) to satisfy my need for waves of enemies to blow apart, the Warhammer universe brings a new angle and even more craziness to experience whilst slaughtering Skaven.

With multiple classes and loads of weapons both melee and ranged this game takes what Killing Floor does so well and (hopefully) turns it up a notch.

Warhammer: The End Times - Vermintide comes out October 23rd.
Here's to hoping it doesn't suck.

please