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Bubble Bobble 4 Friends will also include Bubble Bobble arcade game from 1986
Bubble Bobble, the quintessentially 80s bubble-busting platformer, found most of its fame thanks to an excellent NES adaptation. But did you know that the game originally got its start as an arcade cabinet in 1986? It’s true, and it looks this version of the game will be included with Bubble Bobble 4 Friends, a new sequel that’s currently in development for the Switch.
Developer Taito said that all 100 stages will be included in this “arcade-perfect” recreation, as well as the “original music, sound, and visuals”:
Bubble Bobble is an iconic cult game and is considered the most popular and innovative platformer of the ’80s. The twins Bub and Bob set out to free their girlfriends from the hands of the nasty baron, who also enchanted them into bubble dragons. As such, the brothers hop through the differently arranged platforms of the 100 colorful levels and shoot bubbles at numerous enemies. In the ’80s and ’90s, players jumped solo or in two-player co-op mode through the levels. Bubble Bobble’s success has seen it ported to more than 20 different platforms in recent decades, including the Commodore 64, Sega Genesis, and NES Classic Mini.
Bubble Bobble 4 Friends will be released exclusively for the Switch in Europe, Australia, and Asia on November 19. A North American launch will follow in Early 2020.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Bubble Bobble 4 Friends
Sony confirms the next PlayStation will be known as the PlayStation 5
It’s just a random day in October, but Sony just went and announced a slew of details about the next PlayStation.
Even though everyone has been referring to it as the PlayStation 5 since the consolemaker first started to discuss their “PlayStation Next-Gen” project earlier this year, they confirmed it once and for all on the PlayStation Blog this morning. Oh, and Sony also announced that the newly-christened PS5 will be available on store shelves “in time for Holiday 2020” (probably sometime around November if you’re looking for my guess):
Since we originally unveiled our next-generation console in April, we know that there’s been a lot of excitement and interest in hearing more about what the future of games will bring. Today I’m proud to share that our next-generation console will be called PlayStation 5, and we’ll be launching in time for Holiday 2020.
Not only does it now have a name and a launch window, but Sony’s executives further expounded on the PS5’s under-the-hood capabilities in an exclusive report by Wired.
First, it looks like Sony will attempt to challenge the Switch’s HD Rumble with the advanced “haptic feedback” found in the PS5’s new controller:
First, we’re adopting haptic feedback to replace the “rumble” technology found in controllers since the 5th generation of consoles. With haptics, you truly feel a broader range of feedback, so crashing into a wall in a race car feels much different than making a tackle on the football field. You can even get a sense for a variety of textures when running through fields of grass or plodding through mud.
And second, Sony will add “adaptive triggers” to the controller to better simulate the “tactile sensation” of various actions such as “drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain”:
The second innovation is something we call adaptive triggers, which have been incorporated into the trigger buttons (L2/R2). Developers can program the resistance of the triggers so that you feel the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain. In combination with the haptics, this can produce a powerful experience that better simulates various actions. Game creators have started to receive early versions of the new controller, and we can’t wait to see where their imagination goes with these new features at their disposal.
Sony also confirmed that the PlayStation 5 will ship with a 4K Ultra HD Disc Drive for games and movies, and reconfirmed that it’ll include a Solid State Drive for faster loading times.
And a well-hidden part of the Wired report even hinted at a huge new title from Bluepoint Games (“We’re working on a big one right now,” said President Marco Thrush). But the entire article is definitely worth a read, even if it doesn’t answer the most important question about the PlayStation 5… how much it’ll cost.
Bethesda delays Doom Eternal and Doom 64 to March 20, 2020
Bethesda has dropped a BFG-sized blast on Doom Eternal‘s release date, as the publisher has announced that it’ll no longer be available this November.
Instead, the sequel to 2016’s Doom will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on March 20, 2020. Doom Eternal is also in development for the Switch, but it’ll make its debut on Nintendo’s console “after the other platforms.” As you might expect, Bethesda cited a need for more “polish” as the reason for the delay:
Throughout the development of Doom Eternal, our goal has been to deliver a game that exceeds your greatest expectations across the board.
To make sure we’re delivering the best experience — for Doom Eternal to live up to our standards of speed and polish — we’ve made the decision to extend our launch date by a few months to March 20, 2020. We know many fans will be disappointed by this delay, but we are confident that Doom Eternal will deliver a gaming experience that is worth the wait.
Sadly, this delay also applies to the digital debut of Doom 64, which will now launch on March 20, 2020 as well. But fans will be happy to know that the re-release won’t be limited to the Switch, as Bethesda has confirmed that Doom 64 is in the works for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
And on note, the publisher also announced that everyone who pre-orders Doom Eternal on the platform of their choice will also receive a free download code for Doom 64.
Red Dead Redemption 2 officially coming to PC and Google Stadia this November
Though it’s been available on consoles for more than ten years, the original Red Dead Redemption never managed to mosey its way onto the PC. However, the same cannot be said about the sequel, as Rockstar Games has announced that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released for the PC on November 5.
According to Rockstar, the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2 will feature a number of improvements over the PS4/Xbox One release, including “a range of graphical and technical enhancements for increased immersion,” as well as new Bounty Hunting Missions, Gang Hideouts, Weapons, and more.
Players who purchase Red Dead Redemption 2 through the new Rockstar Games Launcher will be given the opportunity to download a bonus game from the company’s catalog (including Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Bully: Scholarship Edition, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, and Max Payne 3: The Complete Edition) for free. However, the western epic will also be available through the Epic Games Store, Greenman Gaming, the Humble Store, and GameStop in November. A Steam release is planned for sometime in December.
Rockstar also revealed that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be available to download this Fall as a launch title for Google’s Stadia streaming service.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Red Dead Redemption 2
Nintendo finally adds “Play With Friends” option to Super Mario Maker 2
Ever since its launch back in June, fans of Super Mario Maker 2 have been clamoring for a way to play online with their friends. Well, now here we are three months later, and it looks like it finally happened.
As part of the Super Mario Maker 2’s new 1.1.0 Update, Nintendo has added a “Play With Friends” option to the Network Play screen for both Multiplayer Versus and Multiplayer Co-Op. This new feature also extends to Nearby Play users who want to tackle one of the game’s many courses together locally.
Nintendo has detailed more features coming to Super Mario Maker 2 in the 1.1.0 Update on the game’s official website, including support for voice chat through the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app, an Official Makers list for courses made by Nintendo, and Joy-Con support for all game modes.
Posted in News, Switch
Tagged Super Mario Maker 2
Bandai Namco will bring Pac-Man Party Royale to Apple Arcade before the end of the year
Bandai Namco has announced that the Pac is coming back later this year. Today, the publisher confirmed that they’ll launch Pac-Man Party Royale for iOS devices before the end of the year.
As you might expect, the multiplayer muncher will be available as part of Apple’s Apple Arcade subscription service:
Players will be able to challenge their friends in this brand-new Pac-Man experience, mixing the instant fun of retro arcade fun and modern multiplayer gameplay. In Pac-Man Party Roayle, four players will battle to determine who’s the best Pac-Man left chomping at the end of the stage.
The rules are simple, players eat pellets to gain speed or munch on the Super Pellet that will turn them into an unstoppable chomping machine, eating foes and friends alike. Eaten players will turn into ghosts, but they can come back to life by catching other players. The most famous video game bug of all time will also make its way to the new game, so beware of the 256 Glitch! If a winner isn’t crowned within a certain time, the maze will start to collapse until there is only one Pac-Man left!
It’s unknown if Pac-Man Party Royale will eventually make its way to other platforms, but Bandai Namco did promise that the game will expand after its release with “more mazes and game modes.”
See The Terminator deliver a cybernetic smackdown in Mortal Kombat 11
The Mortal Kombat franchise is just rife with cyborgs (and humans with cybernetic enhancements), but it’ll soon welcome the original killer cyborg into the fold as Kombat Pack owners will be able to download Arnold Schwarzenegger’s The Terminator in Mortal Kombat 11 on October 8.
This new trailer gives us a glimpse at The Terminator’s powerful punches, as well as his personal Time Displacement Sphere (that acts as a teleporter), and the exploding power pack from Terminator 3. But this T-800 pulls most of his moves from The Terminator and Terminator 2, including a preference for a shotgun and the ability to keep fighting as just an endoskeleton after being exposed to fire.
All Mortal Kombat 11 players will be able to purchase the standalone version of The Terminator beginning on October 15, and don’t forget, Terminator: Dark Fate (starring Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Edward Furlong) opens in theaters on November 1.
An animator is making a game based on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show with his kids
Jesus Lopez is a game animator with an extensive resume of impressive titles, including DuckTales Remastered, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. But the projects he works on in his spare time (with his kids) are equally impressive, as YouTube user SwankyBox recently discovered.
In the video embedded above, SwankyBox delves into Lopez’s hobby of remaking World 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. in the hand-drawn art style of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. The late 80s/early 90s cartoon was well-loved partly because of each episode’s live-action introduction from Captain Lou Albano (as Mario) and Danny Wells (as Luigi). But the weird and wild animation of the main story segments also created new corners of the Mushroom Kingdom that the games would never explore, such as the Pasta Land that Mario and friends visit in the first episode.
It’s this locale (with its “trees” made of forks and spaghetti) that Lopez is attempting to recreate, and he’s been documenting his progress sporadically over the years in a five-part video series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5). While the game hasn’t progressed beyond World 1-1 just yet, Lopez would like to create a series of original levels after he perfects the animation.
Lopez has been working on this project (again, with his kids as co-developers) for the past three years and he has no plans to release it for public consumption. But I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Posted in Etcetera, News, Retro
Tagged Super Mario Bros.