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Tetris 99’s next Maximus Cup starts November 8 and it’ll feature a Pokemon Sword and Shield theme
I know what you’re thinking… didn’t Nintendo host a Maximus Cup event for Tetris 99 just a little over a week ago? And guess what, you would be right. The eighth Maximus Cup coincided with the weekend before Halloween and players competed to win a spooky Theme based on Luigi’s Mansion 3.
But here we go again.
A few days ago Nintendo confirmed that the ninth Maximus Cup will kick off on November 8th, and it’s once again centered around a major new release for the Switch. This time, Tetris 99 players will be dropping blocks to earn a brand new Theme based on Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Like last time, players will need to collect 100 Event Points to unlock the new Theme. As always, a 1st Place victory will net you 100 Points, though a smaller cache of Points can be earned for lower finishes: 2nd (50 Points), 3rd (30 Points), 4th–10th (20 Points), 11th–30th (15 Points), 31st–50th (10 Points), 51st–90th (5 Points), and 91st-99th (1 Point).
Tetris 99’s Pokemon-themed Maximus Cup event will begin on Friday, November 8, at 2:00 AM (Eastern Time) and conclude on Tuesday, November 12, at 2:00 AM (also Eastern Time).
Bandai Namco wants you to “Join the Pac” for Pac-Man’s 40th Anniversary with a new theme song
Pac-Man will be celebrating his 40th Anniversary in 2020, and publisher Bandai Namco wants to start getting fans involved now.
Way back in Pac-Man’s heyday, Buckner & Garcia borrowed a few blips and boops from the beloved mascot to rule the music charts with “Pac-Man Fever.” Well put on your dancing shoes, because Bandai Namco has commissioned a new theme song for Pac-Man from Japanese techno artist Ken Ishii. Known as “Join the Pac,” it combines some of Pac-Man’s signature sounds with a nice techno beat, and you can even check out a music video for the song embedded above.
Bandai Namco is also planning to host a series of “engaging events around the globe” in honor of Pac-Man’s anniversary, and you can keep track of all the big news at PacMan.com:
Born on May 22, 1980, Pac-Man immediately rose to meteoric popularity, first in video game arcades, then through an array of branding and entertainment appearances. With a brand recognition rate of 90% around the world, Pac-Man’s image is one of the most recognized on the planet and is as strong as ever as he enters his 40th year of entertaining fans of all ages.
The last time Pac-Man celebrated a milestone anniversary, Bandai Namco released Pac-Man 256 in 2015 for mobile devices… and it was awesome (or righteous or bodacious or any other synonym for “good” you want to pull out of your 80s dictionary). So let’s hope we’re in for another surprising new game launch in 2020, though nothing has been officially announced as of now.
Blizzard provides an updated look at Diablo Immortal at BlizzCon 2019
It might be hard to believe, but Blizzard executives didn’t include a single mention of Diablo Immortal during BlizzCon 2019’s Opening Ceremony.
OK, it might not be that hard to believe, as the RPG franchise’s upcoming mobile spinoff received a very rough reception in 2018. But with Diablo IV taking center stage this year, that gave Blizzard the chance to quietly update fans on Immortal’s progress with a new trailer.
There’s a lot to digest in this video clip, including the introduction of Ultimate Abilities and our first look at the Demon Hunter class, and Blizzard shared a few more details on their official website:
Last year’s demo revealed the Barbarian, Monk, and Wizard, playable in a streamlined dungeon experience. This year, attendees will also be able to take the Demon Hunter for a spin (or Strafe) through a slice of open-world gameplay through the town of Wortham and the outdoor zone of Ashwold Cemetary.
We’ve added a new base game mechanic: Ultimate Abilities. All classes gain charge for their chosen Ultimate by using basic attacks. Once this charge has been built up, players can choose to augment their basic attack for a short time in a face-meltingly powerful display of strength, guile, or raw magical potential.
We’re also sharing a first look at our equipment system, including the first batch of skill-altering Legendary items. Turn your Scorch’s burning fireball into an icy Frozen Orb, change up how Exploding Palm targets foes and dishes out damage, or transform deadly arrows into grenades when using Strafe.
Though it was first unveiled more than a year ago, Blizzard still isn’t ready to talk about a release date for Diablo Immortal, but we do that it’s “currently planned” for iPhone and Android devices.
Posted in Mobile, News
Tagged Diablo Immortal
Overwatch 2 announced with Story Missions and cross-compatibility with original game
Blizzard announced Overwatch 2 today at BlizzCon… but it’s not a sequel in the traditional sense. The game is first and foremost a cooperative shooter where players can team up together to take on narrative-driven Story Missions in a future where the Overwatch has reformed:
In the sequel’s action-packed cooperative Story Missions, players will experience the advent of a new Overwatch as Winston, Tracer, and other members of the original Overwatch join forces with a new generation of heroes. Players will take an active role in the Overwatch saga as a new global crisis unfolds through a series of intense, high-stakes four-player missions. As the story progresses, players will team up as different sets of heroes and fight to defend the world from the omnic forces of Null Sector, uncover the motives behind the robotic armies’ attacks, and come face-to-face with rising new threats around the globe.
Co-op players might also be interested in Overwatch 2’s “highly replayable” Hero Missions:
The battle continues in Hero Missions, where the Overwatch team will be called upon to go beyond their limits as they deploy across the planet, defending cities against robot invasions, taking on elite Talon agents, and battling the villainous forces laying siege to the world. In this highly replayable mode, players can level up their favorite heroes and earn powerful customization options that supercharge their abilities in co-op play—such as altering Reinhardt’s Fire Strike to ignite nearby enemies or modifying Tracer’s Pulse Bomb to cause a devastating chain reaction—granting the extra edge they need against the overwhelming odds.
While this might sound similar to some of the limited events that Blizzard rolls out from time to time, Overwatch 2 will also feature larger maps and “visual enhancements” that give each a new look. And speaking of Heroes, Overwatch 2 will introduce multiple new Heroes to the game’s universe, including an Omnic named Echo and former Overwatch commander known as Sojourn.
Overwatch 2 will also include at least one new gameplay type, Push, which pits two teams against each other as they try to help a robot push an objective to their opponent’s side.
While all of these new features sound like typical sequel things, Overwatch 2 is also cross-compatible with the original Overwatch. Overwatch and Overwatch 2 players will be able to compete against one another in PvP modes. Overwatch players will even be able to play on Overwatch 2’s new maps and every new Hero introduced in Overwatch 2 will also be available in the original Overwatch.
Overwatch 2 is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It doesn’t currently have a release date, but you find two new trailers for the game after the break. (more…)
Blizzard officially announces Diablo IV
Fans were surprised (and more than a little angry) after Blizzard chose not to announce Diablo IV during last year’s BlizzCon. That incident was the start of a rough year for the publisher, as they’ve had to endure layoffs, a plummeting stock price, and public backlash after they disciplined a professional Hearthstone player who supported the protests in Hong Kong.
But as another BlizzCon begins today, the company is attempting to right the ship. And that all starts with an official announcement for Diablo IV.
The RPG will plunge players into a darker and bloodier vision of Sanctuary that exists as a contiguous open world. This “bleak and shattered hellscape” has been overrun by the demonic minions of Lilith, but players will be able to fight back with legendary loot and, for the first time, personalized mounts:
In Diablo IV, players will attempt to bring hope back to the world by vanquishing evil in all its vile incarnations—from cannibalistic demon-worshipping cultists to the all-new drowned undead that emerge from the coastlines to drag their victims to a watery grave. For the first time in the series, Sanctuary will be a contiguous, seamless landmass comprising diverse regions ranging from the burning desert of Kejhistan, to the verdant werewolf-infested forests of Scosglen, to the harsh and rugged wilderness of the Dry Steppes.
So far, three character classes have been revealed for Diablo IV, and players will be able to choose from a brutal Barbarian, a magical Sorceress, and a shapeshifting Druid. Groups of players may even interact in a shared world to “tackle bigger challenges” or partake in some PvP combat:
Character Classes in Diablo IV
- The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat, utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.
- The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.
- The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s fury on the forces of the Burning Hells.
Diablo IV is currently in development for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One… though a release date has yet to be announced. A gruesome Cinematic Trailer for the game can be found after the break, along with the first Gameplay Trailer. (more…)
Rockstar releases a Launch Trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its PC debut
Red Dead Redemption 2 will trot its way onto the PC beginning next week, and Rockstar Games is ready with a brand new Launch Trailer that showcases the “new graphical and technical enhancements” they’ve added to the game:
Watch the official Red Dead Redemption 2 PC Launch Trailer that showcases the all new graphical and technical enhancements on display in the PC version, as Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang desperately try to outrun the law. After being hounded off the mainland, Arthur and the gang find themselves caught in a local conflict on the shores of a remote Caribbean island, disoriented and yearning to find a path back to their hidden fortune – and the dreams of a better future promised by their charming and increasingly erratic leader, Dutch van der Linde.
Red Dead Redemption 2 will be available to download on November 5 through the brand new Rockstar Games Launcher and from a variety of other digital storefronts, but Steam users will have to wait until December to play it.
Players who decide to pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 through the Rockstar Games Launcher will receive in-game goodies for Story Mode (the War Horse, the Outlaw Survival Kit, and the Le Trésor des Morts Treasure Map) and Red Dead Online (50 Gold Bars), as well as a free bonus game from the company’s catalog.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Red Dead Redemption 2
Data from Mortal Kombat 11’s first six months includes more than 205 million hours played
Mortal Kombat 11 was released roughly six months ago, and in that time it’s become one of the most popular games of 2019. To celebrate, NetherRealm Studios decided to share the data they’ve collected to sheds a little more light on how people play the game.
The big number that everyone will probably be talking about is the total number of hours that fans have sunk into the game… which is 205,262,299 hours. That is an astonishing amount of time to kill, and while every character undoubtedly has their fans, the three that have been picked the most are Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Noob Saibot. However, players preferred Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Liu Kang in Ranked Play.
Scorpion has the most wins, and the spectre is likely responsible for a lot of the 346,522,493 Fatalities that have been performed by players (though he’s also the character who’s most often on the receiving end of a “Finish Him!”). And that’s to say nothing of the 65,779,473 Flawless Victories that have been tallied.
You can find even more sanguine statistics for Mortal Kombat 11 in the video embedded above.
Feral Interactive shares first Gameplay Trailer for Alien: Isolation on the Switch
Sega’s Alien: Isolation is coming to the Switch sometime later this year courtesy of developer Feral Interactive. And feeling full of the Halloween spirit, they unveiled the first Gameplay Trailer for the new edition of the game earlier today. Feral Interactive also confirmed that the package will include all seven downloadable updates that were released for Alien: Isolation by original developer Creative Assembly throughout 2014 and 2015.
Alien: Isolation was the first adventure for Amanda Ripley, the previously-little-seen daughter of Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley. Her search for her mother lead her to the Sevastopol Station and a chance run-in with a xenomorph. Since then, she’s starred in an animated retelling of the original game, several comic book sequels from Dark Horse, and a mobile game.
With only two months to go before the end of the year, it likely won’t be long before we learn about a launch date for Alien: Isolation’s Switch debut.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Alien: Isolation