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?

Last month Starbreeze AB: an independent creator, publisher and distributor of high quality entertainment products; announced their agreement with 505 Games to acquire the full rights to the PAYDAY-franchise. The consideration for the acquisition amounts to 10.9 million B-shares in Starbreeze, equivalent to 30 MUSD.

Along with creating new DLC for PAYDAY 2, Starbreeze partnered up with CMUNE (UberStrike) to create a mobile PvP multiplayer game set in the Payday universe. This 2-8 player game let's you for the first time choose whose side you want to be on, the heisters or cops. Challenging your enemies in iconic locations from the bank to the Golden Grin Casino.

If you where at E3 for the past few days you may have passed by booth #F5A and have had the chance to play OVERKILL's new PAYDAY 2 DLC; The Biker Packs, along with the PAYDAY: Crime Wars demo. Please comment below seeing I was not there unfortunately, so I have no review of the demo Expo goers had a chance to play. Though I do know it will be out on both iOS and Android devices with a release date TBD.

I am very excited that this game is coming out. Like many mobile gamers, I have been waiting a long time to see PAYDAY crossover from a PC to a mobile platform. I hope I can get my hands on it soon, maybe even test drive what looks like to be a very will thought out crossover.

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.

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.

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!

The first DLC pack came out in November, and it was a welcome treat, as well as a good reason to hit the track once again. Now the second DLC pack is fast approaching, releasing on April 23. Just today, Nintendo of Japan released trailers that show off every track in this upcoming pack. Have a look below. Note that this is not the exact order in which these tracks are listed in-game, and some of the new tracks are not named as of yet.

Returning Tracks

Ribbon Road (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)

"Andy's coming! Finish up the race!" This was one of the more memorable tracks from the otherwise forgettable Mario Kart: Super Circuit on the GameBoy Advance. All it really had to its name was its aesthetic, and Nintendo played that aesthetic up to 11, with some extra features that couldn't have been done in the original.

Baby Park (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)

If your friendship survived up to this point after a long session of Mario Kart, then Baby Park is the final gauntlet that tests how much you can take before you tear the plug out of the wall socket. This track is 7 short laps of pure mayhem, blood, sweat and tears. But have fun, y'know?

Neo Boswer City (Mario Kart 7)

It's time to have a race IN THE FUTURE! Take those tight future turns, throw your future items, jump off those future ramps, pull off some future tricks, and win future first place! IN THE FUTURE!

Cheese Land (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)

You'd gouda be kidding me. I feta brieng some extra green shells, in queso emergency. There's no whey I'm not playing this edam track on day one, because it's looking grate!

New Tracks

Animal Crossing

"I gotta win this race. I put down 10,000 bells on myself. If I don't win, I won't be able to pay Tom Nook and he's gonna have the Nooklings adorably break my legs!" In all seriousness, though, this track actually has four variations, one for each season. However, there is not a dynamic clock system, which would be impractical anyway. Who would want to wait a year just to see the winter version of this track?

Subway

Where the hell is my five dollar footlong? Oh, right. This track seems to have an aesthetic based on the London Underground. Expect a lot of tight corners, small corridors, and hectic item battles in this cramped course.

Woods

Wood you kindly not burn the forest down while you have your race? Kay thanks. This track seems to have a Shy Guy theme, which would coincide nicely with previous tribal iterations of the character from games like Paper Mario or Yoshi's Island. It's very vertical, with a lot of high-flying jumps involved. In truth, it reminds me of the wooded tracks from the original Sonic Riders. Am I the only one? ...Yeah? I... I liked that game... Oooh, speaking of futuristic racing games!

Big Blue!

Jiminy Cricket, Nintendo! The only way you could show more love for F-Zero would be for you to actually make a new F-Zero game! This appears to be one more addition to the game's few linear tracks, consisting of three segments rather than three laps. Like Mute City before it, this track takes full advantage of the gravity mechanic, providing some of the sickest jumps and viewpoints in Mario Kart history. I think Nintendo is just laughing at us at this point. Or perhaps they're getting us hyped up for something special in coming times. We'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, see you all on the race track in a week!

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.

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. 

Rejoice Fallout fans! Because Fallout 4 may have been indirectly confirmed through a few sources. But, as always, this should only be seen as a rumor or speculation unless otherwise confirmed by the developer (here; Bethesda Game Studios). So let's start from the beginning:

A freelance 3D artist (who's name will not be revealed because he's probably already in huge trouble) who's previously worked with Mirada Studios, Blur Studios, and Microsoft Games posted his job experience and for what game and studio [As seen on the right]. His experience includes cinematic work on The Avengers, The Elder Scrolls, Forza Motorsport 5, Far Cry 4, and something rather odd... He claims experience on a "Fallout 4 cinematic trailer" which he claims he worked on for 4 months.

Did he actually work on said Fallout 4 cinematic trailer? Let's dig a bit deeper. Soon after people began discovering this bit of information, the Fallout community started getting very excited. Then an unconfirmed party forced the freelance 3D artist to remove the Fallout 4 cinematic trailer from the public view of his experience.

Now the last piece of evidence comes from game journalist site, Destructoid, where they were one of the first to run this story. Mirada Studios (supposed studio behind the Fallout 4 cinematic trailer) reached out to Destructoid and demanded they pull the story due to a break in a non-disclosure agreement. [As seen below].

What are your thoughts on all of this? Is Fallout 4 confirmed? Or is this nothing more than a simple mix up and it isn't confirmed?

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...

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 :)

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 :).

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.

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.

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.

Windows 10, the Next Big Thing for Microsoft

First of all, the release is July 29, next week. Excited yet? You should be. Not only are we getting a complete update for the famous operating system free for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, but also the much anticipated release of the phone assistant, Cortana, for specific phones. Windows 10's release not only offers benefits for PCs, but also for the Xbox, Windows phones and tablets, and other interesting devices like virtual reality headsets.

How To Get It

First off, Microsoft has made Windows 10 more accessible than ever before. The home version can be bought at the price of $119/£99/€135, but that's not the thing that's making people happy. It's the fact that anyone with Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 can update their OS to Windows 10 for absolutely free. Notable, however, is that this offer is only available for one year, so don't slack on that (though I don't expect that many will). Another thing that is absolutely notable is that this is update from Windows is quite special. It's the reason why I've been calling it an update for most of this article: it's more of an update than an entirely new OS. Not only is this slightly different in changing Window's philosophy to versions of Windows, but it's almost an extension of a previous Windows version. You can download and install this Windows without losing any of your data at all, according to Microsoft.

There are in total seven total versions of Windows 10 that cover many different systems, including Home, Mobile, Pro. Though those aren't all, those are the ones eligible for free download under the deal of upgrading from a previous version of Windows. Others include Windows 10 Enterprise, Education, Mobile Enterprise, IoT Core.

New Features

Windows 10 offer many functions that vary depending on the version from a better alt+tab to a better computer search to being able to schedule restarts, but for the sake of discussion, it could be most closely related at an improved Windows 8 in both appearance and functionality. While it's absolutely true that the release of Windows 8 wasn't exactly world-shattering in revolution – in fact, it was more of a step back in usability upon initial release – Microsoft has listened to the pleas and overhauled the entire thing, even skipping the number nine this time around.

Compared with Windows 8, Windows 10 has been stated to offer a more usable interface for multitasking and the return of the start menu verily. From the start (pardon the pun), the start menu employs Cortana, the assistant from Microsoft's Halo series who we all know and love. Stating that her integration will bolster capabilities in multitasking or general use through day to day activities, it's something quite new to see in an OS. While Apple has employed an assistant to some success, they've never spanned into desktop computers or anything larger than a tablet. Cortana will be the next big competitor, facing against already popular assistants like Siri and Google Now. Though I'm not usually one to touch the digital assistant, I'd be pleased to see what potential she has.

Because Microsoft has released their line of more portable devices, we've seen a blend in the styles between tablets and phones to those of down to earth desktops. Though the initial introduction of such a design in Windows 8 led to an experience of staggered usability, Microsoft has tried to learn from their mistakes and implement what are truly the best of both worlds. While there are features like "home" view, we still manage to have the tried and true start button amongst many other details that we might've been missing from Windows 8. As seen, one could imagine Windows 10 being a modernized Windows 7 and use it at that alone.

Another line of usability that might be drawing from tablets or phones that have the ability to directly multitask through separate windows is the fact that Windows 10 allows you to have multiple desktops. No, not multiple windows using the alt+tab, but actually multiple desktops with independent windows and applications open. This might be the most useful when you are doing two significantly different tasks, such as discussing a business plan on Skype and reviewing the Excel spreadsheets on one desktop while reading novoGamer on the other.

Something that is interesting is that, while in recent years security for devices have meant fingerprint scanners, swipe locks, and other neat things, that all changes with this new Windows. Not only does Windows 10 offer support for fingerprint readers like most devices do now, it also is planned to implement infrared face scans, 3D cameras, and iris scans. Yes, it is the future! Now we just have to wait for devices to actually have infrared cameras, 3D cameras, and iris scanners.

You might be reading this and find it underwhelming, the new features, but in total there are way too many to cover in one article. Microsoft has been slowly releasing the features behind their tech quite slowly, but that's only been adding on to the anticipation of it all. I believe we won't have a full grasp of what's to come until we actually use it for the first time – or we find out a year afterwards some amazing feature that would've come super handy had you known about it earlier.

Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge? What's that? You may be scratching your head that you've never heard of one of Microsoft's biggest features for Windows 10, and that's just how they want it: Microsoft Edge is the new Internet Explorer. That's right, Windows 10 will feature the new browser with a new name, no longer associating itself with the shoddy, slow one we love... to hate. Under the name Project Spartan until now, Microsoft Edge is reportedly completely redesigned. This might be your next favorite browser! That's right, favorite! Because the browser will be built into the OS, it will be able to operate at higher speeds, better efficiency to its already substantial performance, and will even feature Cortana. Yep, she's everywhere, even giving tips whenever you pose for a selfie on how to smile... not really, I hope.

One thing of note is that IE is still there, but not as a traditional browser. When certain plugins or third party programs are needed, Internet Explorer still serves a role.

How Windows 10 Is Going To Change Gaming

For gaming, Microsoft 10 is coming with DirectX 12. Yes, you heard me! No more DirectX 11, but a more powerful API with much stronger performance on all aspects. This is expected to expand the limits of PC gaming quite a bit, especially with better 3D modeling and such required games. The new technology is claimed to have better manipulation of graphics cards, "unlocking" their potential, as well as having backwards compatibility to DirectX 11 cards. GameSpot recently provided a test which results can be seen here:

Click on the image to see GameSpot's full article on the matter. Other features that Microsoft claims to be evident in the new DirectX 12 is a 50% power consumption reduction and just general higher performance for a better experience with gaming and more efficient computers. Because of this, it might be possible that this starts a new generation of graphics cards, and Microsoft has already been working with Nvidia to produce promising results.

The DirectX 12 release should also help Xbox users to see a boost in performance, as that console implements it as well for its graphics processing. It should be noted, however, that many Xbox developers have stated that they don't have high hopes for the new technology, in contrast to PC users. Microsoft's Xbox division boss, Phil Spencer himself stated:

"On the DX12 question, I was asked early on by people if DX12 is gonna dramatically change the graphics capabilities of Xbox One and I said it wouldn’t. I’m not trying to rain on anybody’s parade, but the CPU, GPU and memory that are on Xbox One don’t change when you go to DX12. DX12 makes it easier to do some of the things that Xbox One’s good at, which will be nice and you’ll see improvement in games that use DX12, but people ask me if it’s gonna be dramatic and I think I answered no at the time and I’ll say the same thing.“

Even so, we here at novoGamer believe that DirectX 12 will allow for a larger space for game developers to work with and also hardware specifications to expand. As Mr. Spencer said, we may not see a huge difference, but one may appear over time.

Another big thing for Xbox users, Windows 10 offers something pretty huge in the gaming industry. You know what gaming device is also owned by Microsoft? That's right, the Xbox. According to sources, Windows 10 is offering cross platform play between Windows and Xbox. While it's not clear how many games will be supported, Microsoft invited a few developers to create games to get the ball rolling and initial results have been reported to be successful. While it's not clear how usable the games are with the physical limitations of using a keyboard and mouse over a controller, it's certainly the next step with using cross platform play with the PC. Nevertheless, this will make the console/PC war a bit more literal.

Another interesting feature that will be featured in Windows 10 is supposedly Microsoft's Windows Holographic. Debuted earlier this year, Microsoft is trying to literally offer a Window (get it) into the virtual reality world. Very credible names like Oculus have already been invited to try to make games for the new device and, from early reports, it's working out well. What's amazing is that support will come with Windows 10. No downloads from their website, no extra programs.Virtual reality may become the next big thing for gamers at home, surprising many.

To pair with those awesome features, Microsoft will be releasing what they call Hololens: a full PC, packed into a small headset, completely standalone. During Microsoft's presentation of the technology, they featured the someone wearing the virtual reality headset building a small drone with 3D software by Microsoft named Holo Studio, similar to what you might expect from AutoCAD. Afterwards, they actually brought the drone on stage: she had been building it real time with a 3D printer backstage, which only goes to show the detail that can be managed through the 3D view. We can only hope that the same detail provides a crystal gaming experience when that very same headset will be undoubtedly used to stimulate virtual reality. One factor that will probably be necessary is that you may need to connect it to an actual desktop PC if you wish to play beefier games, but we might be able to see implementation of technologies like Steam's broadcasting service for wireless use.

Something interesting, however, is the thought that you have a 3D headset, right? And you also have Microsoft's shining, smart, blue A.I., Cortana. That's right, something you could very well expect is an actual holographic projection of Cortana coming out as your digital assistant. If that doesn't happen, it's almost guaranteed that someone will make one!

Last Windows Version

This will be the last version of Windows. Worried? You really shouldn't be. Because of how this Windows is being written, there won't be any big updates like this one anymore. This is what Microsoft is saying, but I wouldn't be too surprised if something pops up later in life. However, the reason why there doesn't need to be any more updates is because Microsoft is gearing towards smaller updates. Updates a little more like how Apple handle updates. When an Apple computer updates, it's something you do overnight or even just while you're out grabbing lunch; suddenly your computer is running OS X Yosemite and you're good to go for the rest of the day. Compare this to Windows, where every version is a purchase, a new install, and what feels like a new computer. No more of that now, as Microsoft is planning on making itself more of a service, meaning that it will provide small updates and improvements.

Microsoft states that this is all possible by making stuff in the operating system modular. Confused? It's really quite innovative. If you imagine a car, Microsoft has taken the mentality that you replace the outdated things, the parts that have been broken, the parts that can be taken out relatively easily without replacing the car. By using this metaphor, if you imagine that Microsoft would be able to fix the start menu, or maybe the desktop, or maybe Microsoft Edge, without updating any major changes. However, a car is likely to need to be eventually replaced, which is why I say that I wouldn't be too surprised to Microsoft 11 or Microsoft 12 jump out at us within the decade.

Remember to mark the date, everyone, July 29th!

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.

After 16 years of waiting, System Shock 3 has finally been officially announced. Otherside Entertainment are now at the helm of development. Otherside Entertainment are also partnered with Night Dive Studios. Night Dive Studios is a company that are trying to revive old classics. They are also currently working on the System Shock 1 remake.

Otherside Entertainment first launched a teaser site with nothing but an image of a logo that read "System Shock 3. Then, shortly after, the site displayed a countdown timer to what many fans correctly assumed to be an official announcement. After the timer concluded, the site displayed a large green computerized image along with the System Shock 3 logo as well as Otherside Entertainment's logo.

Interesting enough, if you try to save the green image, it will automatically name it to "Shodan." Not much is known so far about System Shock 3 besides that it is in development by Otherside Entertainment.

For more on System Shock 3, stay with us at novoGamer.

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.

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.

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.

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

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. 

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.

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.

In memory of the late David Bowie, Square Enix has decided to give away free Steam keys of Omikron: The Nomad Soul to those who "buy it" through their store.

You can go directly to Omikron: The Nomad Soul's North American store page through this link, and you can go to the European store page through this link. Just remember to use the promo code "omikron" at checkout when asked to, so you can obtain it for free.

We recently wrote an article discussing Omikron: The Nomad Soul after the unfortunate passing of David Bowie. In it, we discussed the good and the bad of Quantic Dream's first outing as a game developer. If you haven't already, check it out. David Bowie also had story input, cameos, and composed the soundtrack for Omikron: The Nomad Soul.

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."

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

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.

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.

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?

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's story is as follows:

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided directly follows the aftermath of the Aug Incident, a day when mechanically augmented citizens all over the world were stripped of control over their minds and bodies, resulting in the deaths of millions of innocents. The year is now 2029, and the golden era of augmentations is over. Mechanically augmented humans have been deemed outcasts and segregated from the rest of society. Crime and acts of terror serve as a thin veil to cover up an overarching conspiracy aimed at controlling the future of mankind

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided will be released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. 

One question raised is whether PlayStation music will operate like the Spotify program for the PC, or if it will act similar to the mobile app. In the mobile app, the service takes similarities to common radio apps, in which you may listen to radio stations based off of songs or artists, or you can listen to your personal playlists on shuffle. Many people may bedisappointed if PlayStation music is simply Pandora radio for your PlayStation. Do you believe the fusion of music and video games will be beneficial? Or will it lead to more price tags andhassle?

View the official announcement here.

I recommend downloading Spotify if you have a stable internet connection, and want free music.

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.

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.

The Technomancer

Actual RPGs are hard to come by these days. Many people mistaking label leveling up a skill in a linear corridor shooter as an RPG, but developer Spiders know the truth. The Technomancer is an open world cyberpunk RPG set on Mars with a heavy emphasis on storytelling and unique melee combat. The Technomancer is also a spiritual successor to the severely underrated Mars: War Logs. Spiders have a proven track record when it comes to developing a proper RPG with compelling story aspects, so we're excited to see if The Technomancer can keep Spiders' track record polished.

We Happy Few

If you thought the underwater city of Rapture from BioShock wasn't fueled by enough fictional drugs, We Happy Few is for you. We Happy Few is a psychological horror game set in an alternate 1960's England where all citizens are required to take a drug called "Joy." More about the game will be known once it is released to Steam early access and Xbox Game Preview July 26th.

Cuphead

Cuphead is a 2D platformer with the artstyle of a 1930's cartoon. At the beginning of the game, the player loses a bet with the devil and spends the rest of the game attempting to repay the lost bet. Recently announced for Cuphead were more platforming areas to compliment its brutal boss fights. One of Cuphead's hooks is its punishing difficulty. See for yourself.

Vampyr

From the developers that brought you Life is Strange... comes Vampyr. Vampyr is a third person RPG that casts you in the role of a doctor turned vampire as he deals with the duality of saving lives and taking them. The video game industry has been absolutely starved for a good vampire game since Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Let's hope that Dontnod Entertainment can revitalize this undead genre.

Yooka-Laylee

Banjo-Kazooie fans rejoice! No longer are you trapped under the mighty boot of Microsoft. After a very successful Kickstarter, many of the original Rare Ware developers were able to fund the Banjo-Threeie that we never got. Yooka-Laylee is a third person platformer that takes more than a few pages from Banjo's playbook. The colorful, cartoony visuals are back, as well as the collect-a-thon gameplay that gamers from the early 2000's know and love.

• On day one they mostly showed off some indie titles that were going to be released on the Wii U's and 3DS's eShop. Some of these games were Jotun: Valhalla Edition, Runbow Pocket, Axiom Verge, and Severed.
• Also, while not shown by Nintendo themselves, Noitu Love: Devolution was confirmed to be coming to the both the Wii U and 3DS eShop this July.
• On day two they started to get out of first gear and showed their more anticipated stuff. Some new pokemon were shown off in Pokemon Sun & Moon and some new gameplay elements were shown off in the form of Battle Royals in which you and three other trainers face each other in a free-for-all battle.
• In the Zelda department, the new Zelda title that had been in development since 2013 now has an official name, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. More info about the game was shown off in great detail during Nintendo's live Treehouse stream during the second day and they talked about many new features about the game such as rock climbing, hunting, weapon and armor crafting, amiibo support, and a world and story that are VERY non-linear. An official release date hasn't been announced yet, but I would estimate that it wouldn't be released until at least late spring of 2017.
• A bunch of new amiibo were shown off as well, three for Zelda (Archer Link, Rider Link, and a Guardian with posable arms) and seven for Mario (Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, Rosalina, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and a glow-in-the-dark Boo).
• Paper Mario: Color Splash now has an official release date of October 27, 2016.
• On day three they decided to wind down with some smaller info in the form of portable titles. Mario Party: Star Rush was announced for the 3DS and features a rather unusual gameplay style in which all players move at the same time on an open board while you recruit other Mario characters to help you in the game.
• A brand new IP was revealed for the 3DS called Ever Oasis and judging by the gameplay video, it looks like it might be an action RPG hybridizing the gameplay styles of Animal Crossing and Monster Hunter.
• Pokemon Go Plus is shooting for a July release with the wrist add-on costing around $34.99USD.
• Both versions of Yokai Watch 2, Dragon Quest VII for the 3DS, and BoxBoxBoy!! were all confirmed for localization.
• And finally, Rhythm Heaven Megamix was released later the same day as an eShop exclusive title on the Nintendo 3DS.

If you wish to watch the recorded Treehouse stream that Nintendo did for E3 in its entirety, you can watch the above video, but until then, I'll be seeing you.

The video is centered almost entirely around the 3DS, but like always here's the short recap for you folks out there that don't have the time to watch the whole thing.

• Two things were revealed in Pokemon Sun & Moon; Alolan Rattata being one and a special Munchlax as an early purchase bonus being the other.
• A slightly watered down version of Super Mario Maker is being ported to the 3DS that lacks the costume mushroom and the ability to upload stages you made to the internet, but you can make collaborative stages with other people and complete special challenges in the pre-installed stages. It is set to be released on December 2.
• Some more info was shown off for Mario Party: Star Rush. It is stated to have 7 game modes, three of which are entirely different board game each with their own unique rules. The game will be released along side the second wave of Mario series amiibo on November 4.
• Animal Crossing New Leaf was stated to be getting a major update after being out for 3 years. This update will add amiibo functionality to the game and 50 new amiibo cards will be released along side it. In addition to this, a special version of the game, called Animal Crossing: New Leaf Welcome amiibo will also be released this holiday season that will include the update on the cart.
• The 3DS's Mii Plaza was given a new update which adds 5 new games (1 free plus $2.99 for each after or $8.99 for the full bundle), a special quick-start plaza, and a new queue for Mii's encountered via streetpass which bumps the total from 10 to a whopping 100. This update is available now.
• A new eShop exclusive title called Tank Troopers was revealed to be in the works which would have up to 6-player versus and customizable tanks where the abilities change depending on who's manning the vehicle. No release date was shown at the time of writing this article.
• Picross 3D: Round 2 was also shown for the eShop and was launched following the Direct.
• The Nindies Summer Jam started on the same day the Direct aired and revealed that 5 anticipated indie titles would be released over the course of 5 weeks with Axiom Verge being the first game on that list followed by Jotun, Noitu Love: Devolution, Severed, and Azure Striker Gunvolt 2.
• To celebrate The Legend of Zelda's 30th anniversary, four new amiibo were announced being 8-bit Link, Ocarina of Time Link, and a 2-pack that has Toon Link and Toon Zelda. They will all be compatible with Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
• Nintendo also teamed up with Darkhorse to make three new Zelda books with the first being an artwork collection with over 2,000 images spanning the 30 year history of the franchise. The first book is also available to pre-order.
• Zelda: Skyward Sword was also released on the Wii U eShop.
• The New 3DS XL now has a new galaxy themed color and the regular New 3DS has a new Mario themed bundle that comes with Super Mario 3D Land and two sets of Mario themed faceplates.
• Hyrule Warriors Legends showed off a new weapon for Toon Link being the Sand Wand and a new playable character being Toon Zelda among other things like a new adventure map based on Phantom Hourglass.
• Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice got a release date of September 8 exclusively for the 3DS eShop.
• Dragon Quest VII for the 3DS release date was revealed as well being September 16.
• Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits/Fleshy Souls showed off some new gameplay elements and a special bonus medal for those that buy the game physically. They will both launch September 30.
• Disney Magical World 2 was also shown off with some Nintendo 3DS themes based around it being shown as well.
• Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice for the 3DS finally got an official release date being September 27 with a special launch edition which also includes a DVD containing 3 episodes of the TV that it's based on.
• Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse for the 3DS got a release date being September 20.
• A special version of Yoshi's Woolly World is being ported to the 3DS that will include a bunch of new stages where you play as Poochy and 30 stop-motion shorts featuring the two. Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World will be released February 3, 2017 along side the new Yarn Poochy amiibo.
• The new IP Ever Oasis had some gameplay shown off and will be released for the 3DS some time in 2017.
• Mario Sports Super Stars for the 3DS was revealed and was shown to include 5 different sports being Soccer, Tennis, Golf, Baseball, and of all things Horseback Riding. It will also have the ability to be played online or in local multiplayer. It will release some time in Spring of 2017.
• In a big surprise, it turns out that the Pikmin series is getting a 2D spin-off game on the 3DS. Judging by the gameplay shown, it looks like it might play similar to Kirby: Mass Attack. No official release date was revealed, but it is scheduled for 2017.

Well that's all of it. Out of all these, I'm probably most excited for the Pikmin spin-off, but only time will tell if it is any good. But until then, I'll be seeing you.

Even though it wasn't a rather lengthy presentation, as always I will recap what was shown off, even if there wasn't much to show off itself.

• The Japanese only SNES game Fire Emblem Gaiden is being remade for the 3DS as Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. Like in the original game, it will feature dungeon crawling in the addition to the normal turn-based strategy the series is known for. It will also feature a voice acted cast and fully animated cutscenes. Shadows of Valentia will release on May 19 of this year along side 2 new amiibo of the game's two main characters, Alm and Celica.
• A brand new Fire Emblem game was revealed to be in production for the Nintendo Switch. It has a planned release of 2018. Nothing else was shown off.
• Fire Emblem Warriors was revealed to have a 2017 Autumn release and it was also shown that it was also in development for the New 3DS as well.
• The rest of the video (which is around 11 minutes) was then used to show off the new game Fire Emblem Heroes for mobile devices. They showed that each battle would consist of a team of four on an 8x16 grid map and feature characters from throughout the history of the franchise. It will launch on February 2 on Google Play first, with iPhone and iPad versions to follow at a currently unannounced later date.

There is certainly going to be a lot of love for Fire Emblem this year. With at least 3 new games coming out in 2017 alone, I'm sure you'll be able to get your fantasy fix regardless of what game you decide to get. I'm personally excited for Fire Emblem Echoes. So until then, I'll be seeing you.

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.

At least six games were teased in the trailer for the system being Skyrim Remastered, an untitled NBA game, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, a currently unnamed Mario title, and what appear to be enhanced ports of Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon. Only time will tell if the remastered games are truly remasterings or are just proof of concept for the system's hardware. Additionally, a rather impressive list of developers (written below) have also signed on for supporting the Switch long term.

• 505 Games
• Activision
• Arc System Works
• Atlus
• AudioKinetic
• Autodesk
• Bandai Namco
• Bethesda
• Capcom
• Codemasters
• CRI Middleware
• DeNA
• Electronic Arts
• Epic Games
• Firelight Technologies
• FromSoftware
• FrozenByte
• GameTrust
• Grasshopper Manufacture
• Gungho Online Entertainment
• Hamster Corporation
• Havok
• Inti Creates
• Koei Tecmo
• Konami Digital Entertainment
• Level-5
• Marvelous
• Maximum Games
• Nippon Ichi Software
• Parity Bit
• Platinum Games
• Rad Game Tools
• RecoChoku
• SEGA Games
• Silicon Studio Corporations
• Spike Chunsoft Co
• Square Enix
• Star Breeze Studios
• Take-Two Interactive Software
• Telltale Games
• THQ Nordic
• Tokyo RPG Factory
• TT Games
• UBbisoft
• Ubitus
• Unity Technologies
• Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Web Technology Corp

I personally can't say if Nintendo knows what they're doing this time around, but the concept of the Switch is certainly promising and quite unique. I just hope that it has a decent battery life. The Nintendo Switch will launch in March of 2017 and I assure you I'll definitely be one of its early adopters, 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.

But as always, I will condense as much as I can so you can read it during your busy schedule.

• First of all, all of the gear will be making a return in the same three categories: Hats, Shoes, and Shirts.
• New weapon variations were shown off like the Clash Blaster, the Flingza Roller, the Goo Tuber, and the Dapple Duelies.
• New sub weapons were also shown off like the Autobombs and Toxic Mist.
• Then the new special weapons were given a proper demonstration.
• You can now skip through Sheldon's long weapon descriptions.
• Turf Wars and all three of the ranked battle modes will be making a comeback, but all of the ranked battle modes will now keep track of separate ranks instead of all sharing the same one.
• A bunch of new arenas were shown off with some updated ones returning from the previous game such as Port Mackerel and Moray Towers.
• All battle maps and ranked modes will now rotate out ever 2 hours instead of every 4 like in the previous game.
• The tower in the Tower Control game will now stop at designated checkpoints throughout the match.
• It is now possible to raise your rank by more than one letter grade if you played exceptionally well in a match.
• Squad battles will be making a return.
• Customizing your gear's ability slots is now much easier and new abilities were shown off.
• The new Salmon Run horde mode of was shown to only be playable during predetermined times.
• New Salmonids were shown off like the Steel Eel and Fly Fish.
• There are some pieces of equipment that can only be won from Salmon Run.
• A new version of Splatnet will be coming to smart devices through Nintendo Switch's online service.
• The new amiibo will be used like memory cards to save your gear and weapon loadouts which can then be used to summon a "friend" you can take pictures with at the in-game Plaza.
• Splatoon 1's graffiti mode will be coming back without the need for Miiverse.
• Lan play is possible for more intense battles with minimal lag.
• A rhythm-based arcade game will be available to play using the music from the game.
• Some info about the Single-Player mode was shown off, but nothing new to report other than the fact that Marie refers to you as Agent 4.
• New content like maps, gear and weapons will be coming to the game over the course of around a year through free updates. One of these updates will include a brand new weapon type called the Splat Brella which is a close range scattershot that doubles as a shield, and another one called the Bubble Blower which makes large floating ink mines.
• With Callie and Marie being designated to the single player mode, two new pop idols named Pearl and Marina will be giving the player the news and will host the new Splat Fests.
• Splat Fests can now be played with players on your friend list.
• And finally, the game's first Splat Fest will go live on July 15 between the hours of 3pm - 7pm PT through a special demo from the Switch eShop. The theme will be cake VS Ice Cream.

So that's all I have to report today. I definitely can't wait for this game as I loved the original Splatoon quite a bit. I just hope I have time to play more Splat Fests this time around, but 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.