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Capcom is going on a hiring spree to “awaken dormant IPs” in the future
Capcom is a publisher that’s always been highly in tune with their own past. This year alone they’ve produced a full remake of Resident Evil 2 and brought back the original Dante (after an 11-year hiatus) in Devil May Cry 5. But they’ve got even bigger plans for their past in the future.
Earlier this week, Capcom executives published the company’s 2019 Annual Report, and one very interesting initiative for the next fiscal year was repeated multiple times throughout the document… Capcom wants to “awaken dormant intellectual properties.”
Obviously, it’s much too early to talk about which properties Capcom might resurrect in 2020 (and beyond). But the publisher did say that they plan to “[increase] the number of our developers” to meet the demand for new entries in some of their older franchises.
But if anyone from Capcom is out there taking requests for which dormant franchise to bring back, I’d love to see a new adventure starring Maximo. How about you?
Posted in News
NBA 2K20 is the best-selling game from September 2019
It long ago become an annual tradition, but the latest entry in 2K’s NBA 2K franchise absolutely dominated the sales charts in September. According to The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter), NBA 2K20 was not only the best-selling game from last month, but it also currently sits atop the list as the best-selling game for all of 2019 (dethroning Mortal Kombat 11).
But it’ll face some stiff competition throughout the rest of the year as a big batch of new releases took over the Top 10 including Borderlands 3 (#2), FIFA 20 (#3), The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (#4), Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint (#6), Code Vein (#8), and NHL 20 (#9). Microsoft’s Gears 5, which was also available to download through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, managed to make its way onto the list at #7.
However, the most surprising addition to this month’s list might be EA’s Plants Vs Zombies: Battle For Neighborville, which is currently only available as an Early Access download on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. We can expect it’s profile to rise next month as the game will make its retail debut on store shelves tomorrow.
You can find a full list of best-selling games from last month after the break. (more…)
More than 2,500 playable MS-DOS games have been added to the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive has made it their mission to safeguard as much of the Internet as they can, but the group is also heavily involved in preserving classic video games and making them playable for a new generation of players through in-browser emulation.
Earlier this week, they massively expanded the number of retro video games available in their collection thanks to the addition of more than 2,500 MS-DOS games from the 1980s and 1990s.
It wasn’t easy getting all of those titles to work in a browser, and Curator Jason Scott had a bit to say about the process on the Internet Archive Blog:
The update of these MS-DOS games comes from a project called eXoDOS, which has expanded over the years in the realm of collecting DOS games for easy playability on modern systems to tracking down and capturing, as best as can be done, the full context of DOS games – from the earliest simple games in the first couple years of the IBM PC to recently created independent productions that still work in the MS-DOS environment.
What makes the collection more than just a pile of old, now-playable games, is how it has to take head-on the problems of software preservation and history. Having an old executable and a scanned copy of the manual represents only the first few steps. DOS has remained consistent in some ways over the last (nearly) 40 years, but a lot has changed under the hood and programs were sometimes only written to work on very specific hardware and a very specific setup. They were released, sold some amount of copies, and then disappeared off the shelves, if not everyone’s memories.
It is all these extra steps, under the hood, of acquisition and configuration, that represents the hardest work by the eXoDOS project, and I recognize that long-time and Herculean effort. As a result, the eXoDOS project has over 7,000 titles they’ve made work dependably and consistently.
Even with 2,500 new additions, you’re not going to find every MS-DOS game ever released in the Internet Archive’s collection. But you will find a wide variety of beloved games, including id Software’s The Ultimate Doom, Psygnosis’s Wipeout, EA’s original The Need For Speed, LucasArts’s The Secret of Monkey Island, and many more.
Google Stadia will launch on November 19
Google has announced (via the official Google Blog) that the Founder’s Edition Bundle for their Stadia game streaming service will be available on November 19. Stadia’s online storefront will open its doors on the same day and all users will receive a free copy of Destiny 2 as part of the deal:
Stadia Founder’s Edition will start arriving on gamers’ doorsteps on November 19, 2019. If you were one of the first gamers who pre-ordered and have received your Founder’s Editions, you’ll be able to buy and play your favorite games beginning at 9AM PST/5PM BST/6PM CET on November 19.
Whether you ordered Stadia Founder’s Edition or Premiere Edition, you’ll have three months of Stadia Pro, with access to Destiny 2: The Collection. Using the included Chromecast Ultra and Stadia Controller, you’ll be gaming in up to 4K HDR with 5.1 surround sound when playing on your TV.
Stadia Founder’s Editions and Stadia Premiere Editions will begin shipping in the same order that pre-orders were received. You’ll get an email when your package ships, and soon after, will receive a code to activate your Stadia account and Stadia Pro.
According to Google, Stadia will offer instantaneous game streaming with no downloads required. However, players will also need to subscribe to the Stadia Pro service (priced at $9.99 per month) to receive access to the the Stadia storefront. Prices for individual games have yet to be announced, but they will likely be comparable to competing digital game merchants. A free Stadia Base tier will be available in 2020… but you’ll still have to purchase individual games through the service.
If you still have questions about Google Stadia, the search giant has uploaded a brand new “What is Stadia and How It Works” video that answers most of them, and it’s been embedded above.
League of Legends will come to consoles and mobile devices in 2020 as League of Legends: Wild Rift
League of Legends helped kickstart the frenzy for free-to-play gaming after its launch in 2009. But for the past decade, Riot Games has kept it locked up tight on the PC… until now.
Earlier today, the developer announced League of Legends: Wild Rift, a new version of the 5v5 MOBA rebuilt and redesigned specifically for consoles and mobile devices. Wild Rift will feature a brand new map designed for “faster games and revamped controls,” and it’ll include roughly 40 Champions at launch (with more on the way):
Features
- Welcome to Wild Rift – Skillful outplays. Brilliant maneuvers. The occasional throw. League of Legends is coming to mobile and console!
- Real-Life Roaming – Keep your winstreak alive wherever you go. Jump into a match with your Wild Rift party in seconds, even when you’re away from your PC.
- The Rift, Rebuilt – Team up to take down the enemy Nexus on a new 5v5 map designed for new platforms, with faster games and revamped controls.
- Familiar Faces – Blast the bad guys with Lux’s laser or outplay the opposition with a pixel-perfect windwall. Champions play authentically to League, with slight changes for more thumb-friendly casting. League of Legends: Wild Rift will launch with around 40 Champions. More will follow over time.
Like the original game, Wild Rift will be available as a free-to-play download. As of right now, Riot expects to make the game available for Android and iOS devices by the end of 2020, with a console debut sometime after that (and no, they’re not ready to announce which consoles Wild Rift is in development for).
In the meantime, an Announcement Trailer for League of Legends: Wild Rift has been embedded above.
Play as Sonic the Hedgehog in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD
Sonic the Hedgehog is strapping on his red sneakers and heading out for a new destination later this month.
Sega has announced that their beloved Blue Blur will make an appearance in the upcoming Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD as an unlockable character. And don’t worry, you’ll be collecting Rings, not bananas, when you play as Sonic:
Playing as the world’s fastest hedgehog comes with some unique effects. In addition to boasting incredible speed (obviously), selecting Sonic automatically changes all stages’ bananas to golden rings, complete with nostalgic, classic SFX!
You can check out Sonic’s slick moves in the trailer embedded above, but if you’d prefer to stick with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD’s original rollers, the re-release will also include a selection of unlockable costumes for every monkey in the base cast.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD will be released for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on October 29. The game will also be available for the PC (through Steam) later this Winter.
Fortnite relaunches with a new map and new features as Fortnite: Chapter 2
Fortnite blipped out of existence on Sunday, as Epic Games closed out Season X of the battle royale shooter with a barrage of missiles that sucked players (and the entire game world) into a black hole. But this fiery end also gave players the chance at a new beginning, and Fortnite returned this morning after a 36-hour maintenance period as Fortnite: Chapter 2.
The world of Fortnite has changed in Chpater 2, thanks to a new map with 13 new locations to explore (including a power plant and a dam), and new features to play with.
Players interested in getting wet and wild in Chapter 2 can go fishing, pilot a motoboat, or swim for shore. Teams can also interact like never before as players can carry fallen teammates to safety, celebrate with a group high five, or get healthy with the new Bandage Bazooka. But players looking to cause a little mayhem will also get their shot in Fortnite: Chapter 2. Hiding places (like haystacks) now dot the map and Epic Games remembered their 90s-era roots with the addition of exploding barrels and gas tanks.
Fortnite: Chapter 2 is now available to download for the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and mobile devices. A trailer showcasing many of the new features and locales has been embedded above.
Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain invades your PC (via Steam) beginning today
The bugs are back! Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is the first game in the long-running series developed by Yuke’s, and it’s now available to download for the PC through Steam.
Originally released for the PS4 in April, Iron Rain is a spinoff that features a slightly more serious tone than the games in the main series. But don’t worry, you’re still taking control of a lone soldier that does battle against an entire alien invasion force:
About Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain
Twelve years have passed since mankind’s first encounter with the alien Aggressor invasion that devastated planet Earth. In this time of great despair, the battle to free mankind from the Aggressor’s extended assault continues in Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain.Features
- First EDF in Unreal Engine 4: Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain is the best-looking EDF to date. Players will see and feel the difference with an overwhelming number of on-screen alien invaders as well as gigantic kaiju monsters raining down from the sky
- Over 50 Intense, Story Driven Missions: Five levels of difficulty to select from where players can unlock new weapons and items by clearing missions and levels as well as spending Energy Gems currently earned from mission playthroughs
- Master Four Soldier Classes: Recent advancements in PA Gear research has resulted in a variety of updated soldier classes, each with their own critical Over Drive ability to change the tide of battle, including the Trooper whose E-Dodge ability and versatility makes it a strong choice for a variety of situations, the Jet Lifter, whose E-Flight ability and mobility helps maintain control over the skies, the Heavy Striker whose E-Field barrier shields players from damage on the frontlines, and the Prowl Rider whose E-Needle ability let’s players zip across the battlefield
- Co-Op and PvPvE Multiplayer: Staying true to the series’ roots in arcade action, both online and local multiplayer split-screen modes are available. Online supports up to six player co-op – and the new Mercenary mode, which finds two teams competing for Energy Gems gained by defeating enemy waves, which hosts up to 8 players
- Character Customization: For the first time in the EDF series, players will step into the boots of Closer, a decorated war hero who awakens from a seven-year coma. Players can fully customize his or her appearances with vast options including facial expressions, hair styles, body figures, voice types, clothing style, before diving into the game’s character driven campaign
A Launch Trailer for Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain’s PC debut has been embedded above.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain