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10 CommentsMarvel teases Avengers in Disney Infinity '2.0 Edition' (update)
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 08, 2014 04.08.14
Marvel's Avengers appear to be on their way to Disney Interactive's Disney Infinity, according to a teaser trailer released today by Marvel Entertainment.
The 27-second clip, named "Get Ready to Assemble," shows Captain America's shield flying through the world of Disney Infinity, zooming past characters like Dash from The Incredibles, Sully from Monsters, Inc. and Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. A Disney Infinity logo pops up at the end of the video, along with a label mentioning a "2.0 Edition." We're reaching out to Disney Interactive for more details, and will update this article with any information we receive.
The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment in August 2009 for $4 billion. John Blackburn, CEO of Disney Infinity developer...
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43 CommentsGameSpy Technology shutting down May 31 (update)
By Samit Sarkar on Apr 03, 2014 04.03.14
GameSpy Technology, the Glu Mobile-owned service that provides multiplayer functionality for dozens of games on consoles, computers and mobile devices, will shut down as of May 31, according to the company's website.
"Effective May 31, 2014, GameSpy will cease providing all hosting services for all games still using GameSpy," the statement reads. "Thanks for a great ride!" The company had already stopped licensing out its services to publishers as of Jan. 1, 2013.
GameSpy Technology has existed in some form since 1997, when it debuted as a listing service for Quake server IP addresses. It is a separate entity from the gaming site GameSpy, which was shut down by its parent company, Ziff Davis, in February 2013.
The service offers features such as multiplayer matchmaking,...
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31 CommentsAmazon displays Metacritic scores on video game listings
By Jenna Pitcher on Apr 02, 2014 04.02.14
Online retailer Amazon has begun rolling out scores from the popular game review aggregation site Metacritic alongside select video game listings.
The Metacritic score can either be displayed below and to the right of the game's box art graphic or above the game's price next to Amazon customer reviews. The Metacritic ratings can be found on games across all platforms, although not all games and versions have a rating attached. We have reached out to Metacritic representatives and Amazon for comment.
Valve's distribution platform Steam has long offered Metacritic ratings alongside its game listings. The company recently set a feature live where Steam users can rate, recommend and review the titles they've played through the Steam Community. The Steam Reviews data displays below games...
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14 CommentsCheck out First 4 Figures' Twilight Princess Zelda statue, available for pre-order
By Dave Tach on Apr 01, 2014 04.01.14
First 4 Figures revealed Princess Zelda today, a 17-inch "Master Arts" statue available for pre-order and based on her highness' Twilight Princess incarnation.
Today's reveal of the quarter scale, hand-painted statue will be limited to 2,500 worldwide. It's scheduled for a Q4 2014 release at $349.99, and those interested can reserve theirs for $10 at the product's official page.
Twilight Princess Zelda is the latest in First 4 Figures' series from the game. Others include Link on Epona, Wolf Link and Midna and Zant. You can also browse First 4 Figures official site to see statues based on Assassin's Creed, Doctor Who, Metroid and more.
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29 CommentsMinor Wii U system software 4.1.0 update introduces system stability improvements
By Jenna Pitcher on Apr 01, 2014 04.01.14
The latest release of the Wii U system software, version 4.1.0 U, is now live and introduces improvements to the console's usability and overall system stability, Nintendo announced on its support page.
According to the minor update's release notes, the latest increases general system stability and "other minor adjustments have been made to enhance the user experience."
Nintendo's last system software update for the Wii U, version 4.0.O U, went live last September. It added numerous new features, such as the ability to output the display of original Wii software to the Wii U GamePad's touchscreen and the option to automatically download demos of software through SpotPass.
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22 CommentsAnimal Crossing's creators on new console versions, mobile connectivity and fatigue
By Michael McWhertor on Mar 28, 2014 03.28.14
The creators of Animal Crossing see the game as more than just a cheerful life simulator, they consider it a communication tool, where players share experiences with in-game characters and other real-life players.That may be why the producer and co-director of the series latest entry see Animal Crossing as a good fit for Nintendo's plans to complement its traditional games with smaller — sometimes promotional — smartphone and mobile experiences.
In an interview with Animal Crossing producer Katsuya Eguchi and Animal Crossing: New Leaf co-director Aya Kyogoku, we discussed the future of the franchise, including smartphone interactivity, the series' future on home consoles and keeping the experience fresh.
When we asked how well suited Animal Crossing might be for smartphones,...
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Spelunky
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Saints Row 4
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Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time
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Gone Home
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Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn
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1 CommentMcDonald's Happy Meals getting exclusive Skylanders Swap Force figures
By Samit Sarkar on Mar 24, 2014 03.24.14
Skylanders Swap Force publisher Activision is bringing eight exclusive Skylanders figures to McDonald's Happy Meals starting this Friday, Activision announced today.
For one week, from March 28 through April 4, participating McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. and Puerto Rico will offer a new Skylanders-themed Happy Meal, and each one will come with one of the eight toys. The eight characters in question are Chompy, Eruptor, Free Ranger, Freeze Blade, Magna Charge, Prism Break, Rattle Shake and Wash Buckler. (The figures are just plastic toys inspired by the characters, not actual Skylanders that can be used with the video games.)
Each of the Skylanders Happy Meals will also include two coupons: one for $10 off the Swap Force Starter Pack, and the other for $1 off a Skylanders...
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10 CommentsRedbox online rental service to begin offering Wii U, PS4 and Xbox One games by April
By Emily Gera on Mar 24, 2014 03.24.14
Online rental service Redbox will begin offering PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U games in the coming months, according to a recent update to the website as caught by NeoGAF.
Starting March 25, Wii U releases Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Super Luigi Bros. U and Lego City Undercover will become available through the website. Versions of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag and Thief will later be made available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems on April 1.
Redbox has since deleted these next-gen updates from its website; However, images of the service's PS4, Xbox One and Wii U plans, as seen above, remain available online. We've contacted the service for details of its full schedule of next-gen rental releases and will update if more...
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11 CommentsNintendo working towards 3DS support for Unity, more than 60 Unity games coming to the Wii U
By Jenna Pitcher on Mar 24, 2014 03.24.14
Unity Technologies and Nintendo are looking at adding Nintendo 3DS support to cross-platform development software Unity, Nintendo of America's licensing department senior manager Damon Baker told Siliconera.
"We've had those discussions and we are definitely looking at that," Baker said. "Our priority was to get the Wii U build [of Unity] up and done and ready. Because we need a test environment for it, it's taken a while for Unity to get finalized on Wii U, so that we can actually test against it. So that has been made available now and that is why we've got all of these [game] candidates waiting in the wings that are just going through the submission process at this point."
Nintendo offers Wii U developers a free license to develop in the Unity engine. The toolkit gives developers...
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13 CommentsReport: 'Bourne Identity' director in final negotiations for Splinter Cell film
By Jenna Pitcher on Mar 20, 2014 03.20.14
Doug Liman (Go, Swingers, The Bourne Identity) is in final negotiations to direct the feature film based on Ubisoft's Splinter Cell, which, The Hollywood Reporter writes, may enter production in August with a tentative 2015 release window.
The Dark Knight Rises' Bane actor Tom Hardy is rumored to star as protagonist Sam Fisher and The International writer Eric Warren Singer is tapped to write the script, according to previous reports.
Basil Iwanyk of Thunder Road Pictures and Jean-Julien Baronnet of Ubisoft Motion Pictures, an arm of Ubisoft overlooking its franchises' film and television productions, are collaborating with New Regency to develop the movie. The project, The Hollywood Reporter writes, was formally being developed by DreamWorks and Paramount with Peter Berg attached...
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18 CommentsWatch Epic's just-released Unreal Engine 4 in action
By Dave Tach on Mar 19, 2014 03.19.14
Epic Games released a series of videos today showing off Unreal Engine 4, its just-released graphics engine.
Press play above for a five-minute trailer that highlights the bullet point features of Unreal Engine 4. You'll see rendered examples of full scene HDR reflections and the engine's ability to put thousands of dynamics lights into each scene. In-program features like surface editors and cascade effects that can turn fire from orange to purple are also on display.
Epic revealed Unreal Engine 4's business model earlier today alongside its release. Developers get "access to everything" with a $19 monthly subscription. Epic will also collect a flat, 5 percent royalty fee on UE4 games.
Head over to the official Unreal Engine YouTube page to see dozens of tutorial videos that cover...
News
4 CommentsAnimal Crossing: New Leaf director says team diversity, communication core to its success
By Michael McWhertor on Mar 19, 2014 03.19.14
Diversity on the development team behind Animal Crossing: New Leaf — and drawing upon the ideas of men and women from a variety of ages and backgrounds — was important to the game's appeal to a broad range of players, New Leaf project leader Aya Kyogoku said at her GDC panel today.Her colleague at Nintendo, Animal Crossing producer Katsuya Eguchi, echoed that opinion, saying diversity on the New Leaf team contributed not only to the diversity of content in the game, it better represented the game's target audience.
"When I was starting in the game industry, it wasn't uncommon to be the only woman on the entire team," Kyogoku said. "I always felt welcome and I never felt awkward. In my years at Nintendo, I have come to discover that when there are women in a variety of roles on the...
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16 CommentsBand, DJ and Guitar Hero DLC sales ending April 1
By Dave Tach on Mar 19, 2014 03.19.14
Downloadable content for the Band Hero, DJ Hero and Guitar Hero franchises will no longer be offered for sale as of April 1, 2014, according to a post on the official Guitar Hero Facebook page.
Guitar Hero for iOS will also be pulled from sale April 1. It's available for $0.99 in the iOS App Store.
Game servers will remain online, and the announcement won't affect any DLC previously purchased. Through March 31, "selected songs and tracks" will be discounted up to 50 percent on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Details and songs are available in each console's store.
The franchise of rhythm games that blended plastic instruments with rock songs began in 2005 with Harmonix's Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero 2 followed in 2006 and the franchise expand over the next few years with games like G...
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1 CommentTalk isn't cheap when it comes to Affordable Space Adventures' multiplayer
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 18, 2014 03.18.14
"Sorry for blowing up our ship."
My partner and I traded sheepish apologies more than once during my multiplayer experience with Affordable Space Adventures. With me navigating the ship's engines and him in the captain's chair, we quickly learned that surviving the game's clouded, dark world takes a little talk and a lot of working together.
Like its multiplayer, Affordable Space Adventures is a collaboration — a joint effort between Knytt Underground creator Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren and Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party developer KnapNok Games. The Wii U title is loosely inspired by Henry Smith's Spaceteam, a mobile game in which players have to verbally communicate (mostly through shouting) to accomplish their goals.
In Affordable Space Adventures, one player steers with the remote,...
News
11 CommentsNew 'n Tasty sales of more than 500K will ensure Abe's Exoddus remake and new Oddworld game
By Jenna Pitcher on Mar 18, 2014 03.18.14
A remake of Abe's Exoddus will be developed if 250,000 copies of New 'n' Tasty are sold, Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning told Eurogamer at GDC, adding half a million units will ensure the development of an all new Oddworld game after that.
"If I'm doing a new Oddworld game, I'm not going to do it for $2 million. I might do it for five or six," he told Eurogamer. "People keep asking me, 'Why don't you Kickstart Oddworld? You could get at least $1 or $2 million.' And I'm like 'What would I do with a couple million on Kickstarter? On a new Oddworld title?' Not much. I could redo Exoddus for a couple million. I could do that. But a new title, which means new characters doing new things and controls that are great — that's where the real time and expenses come from."
Lanning used the T...
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6 CommentsWii Sports Club gets another free weekend on the Wii U
By Owen S. Good on Mar 14, 2014 03.14.14
Wii Sports Club will be a free download for Wii U owners for two days beginning on March 21, with its individual sports available afterward with a single-day pass or permanent access for $1.99 or $9.99 respectively, Nintendo said this morning.
The free promotion starts from 9 a.m. PDT on March 21 (next Friday) and lasts until March 23 (Sunday) at 11:59 p.m. PDT. The promotion will include free access to Wii Sports Club's Golf, Bowling and Tennis games. Additionally, the nine-hole Resort Course, originally featured in Wii Sports Resort, will be added to Wii Sports Club through an update available right now.
The free trial is available to all Wii U owners, even if they've previously tried or downloaded Wii Sports Club. The download is available through the Nintendo eShop.
This is...
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6 CommentsDisney Infinity's Phineas and Agent P arrive first at GameStop March 15
By Dave Tach on Mar 12, 2014 03.12.14
Disney Infinity's Phineas and Agent P/Ferb, the latest expansion to Avalanche Software's action figure/video game hybrid, will be available at GameStop March 15, two weeks before their April 1 release elsewhere, the retailer announced today.
GameStop customers will be able to purchase a two-pack that includes both characters for $29.99. A Phineas figure and an Agent P/Ferb figure are also listed on GameStop's website for $13.99 with release dates of April 29.
March 15 will also be Disney Infinity Day at the retailer, which will offer the following discounts:
Buy two get one free on all individual game characters
Get a free Power Disc when you spend $20 on Disney Infinity products
50 percent off all play sets
50 percent off all Disney Infinity accessories
30 percent extra...
News
13 CommentsSuper Smash Bros. Melee joins Evo 2014 roster with Nintendo's approval
By Alexa Ray Corriea on Mar 12, 2014 03.12.14
Super Smash Bros. Melee will be part of the 2014 Evo fighting games tournament, according to an announcement from Evo co-founder Tom "inkblot" Cannon.
Melee will be joining a roster of six other fighting games, including BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Killer Instinct, The King of Fighters 13, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Ultra Street Fighter 4. Cannon confirmed with Polygon that Evo has clearance from Nintendo to include the title this year.
"The fact that Super Smash Bros. Melee is being used to help determine champion status for competitive gamers so many years after it was released is a testament to the strong fan passion for both this individual game and the Super Smash Bros. franchise overall," a representative for Nintendo told Polygon. "Nintendo...
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14 CommentsGuacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition 'coming soon'
By Megan Farokhmanesh on Mar 05, 2014 03.05.14
Drinkbox Studios will release a digital version of its acclaimed action platformer, Guacamelee, with additional content "soon" for PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Wii U, the studio announced.
Guacamelee, released last year for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, is the story of Juan — an agave farmer resurrected as a luchador. In December 2013, a leaked article suggested that the game would launch for PS4 and Xbox One will additional content. The Super Turbo Championship Edition will include the game's previously released downloadable content and add new bosses and levels.
New areas will allow players to ride boats through the Canal of Flowers and avoid lava scaling the fiery Volcano. The content will feature The Trio of Death, a three-headed skeleton boss who lives in the...
Nintendo aims to improve your quality of life over the next 10 years
By Emily Gera on Mar 03, 2014 03.03.14
Nintendo will continue its policy of producing first-party hardware and integrated software as part of a 10-year plan that aims to boost the quality of life of its users, company president Satoru Iwata announced in a statement released to the official Nintendo website (via Nintendo Everything).
The company is establishing a new business area away from its dedicated games business which will focus on health, Iwata confirmed. Nintendo's new quality of life-improving "platform" will be developed alongside the company's plans to expand its user base and promote overall health-consciousness.
"As the business environment around us has shifted with the times, we have decided to redefine entertainment as something that improves people's quality of life ("QOL") in enjoyable ways and expand...
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