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Castlevania Anniversary Collection’s Launch Trailer is here to whip your retro gaming memories into shape
Konami has released more than 30 titles in the sprawling Castlevania franchise beginning with the Akumajo Dracula in Japan in 1986, and fans will get the chance to relive some of the earliest adventures of the Belmonts (and their allies) in the newly-launched Castlevania Anniversary Collection.
Available to download now for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, the Castlevania Anniversary Collection includes eight games from the first eight years of the franchise. That lineup includes three games that originally appeared on the NES (1987’s Castlevania, 1988’s Castlevania: Simon’s Quest, and 1990’s Castlevania: Dracula’s Curse), two Game Boy spinoffs (1989’s Castlevania: The Adventure and 1991’s Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge), the first two 16-bit adventures (1991’s Super Castlevania IV and 1994’s Castlevania: Bloodlines), and Kid Dracula, a comedic reworking of the franchise that had never been released outside of Japan until now.
If those titles are stirring up a few nostalgic memories of pixelated vampire hunting, then you’ll definitely want to take a look at Castlevania Anniversary Collection’s Launch Trailer, which has been embedded above.
The Castlevania Anniversary Collection is part of Konami’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. An Arcade Classics Anniversary Collection was released back in April and the publisher will continue their retro rewind with the Contra Anniversary Collection later this Summer.
John Romero’s Sigil “MegaWAD” for Doom has been delayed
As the co-creator of Doom, John Romero will always have a special connection to the first person shooter masterpiece. In celebration of the game’s 25th anniversary, Romero decided to venture back to one of his earliest triumphs and create a brand new “MegaWAD” for Doom known as Sigil. In Romero’s eyes, this free update would serve as the unofficial fifth episode to the game.
Sigil was originally expected to be available in February, but it’s unfortunately hit a handful of snags along the way. Delays seem to be inevitable with Romero’s projects, but put away your Daikatana jokes, as the developer has admitted (via Twitter) that the most recent problem lies with the production of the limited Beast Box at Limited Run Games:
Sigil has been done for quite a while at this point. There were two production issues at Limited Run — the [pewter statue of John Romero’s head on a spike] and the [soundtrack] disk. The head is now heading through production.
All units are crafted and finished by an individual artist. The second is the disk which is expected in shortly. There was also an issue with that. These are beyond the control of Romero Games, and we desperately wish that we could release it right now. We regret the delay, and have expressed your frustration to Limited Run.
Romero would go on to say that while he isn’t happy with the delay, it’s required because he and Limited Run want to ensure the components in Sigil’s Beast Box are built with the highest quality parts:
We’re sorry. We want Sigil in your hands more than you know. We have to wait until Beast Box players get it before we release the free version. For their part, Limited Run isn’t happy with the delays either, and looks forward to releasing the game.
The Limited Run team has been doing everything it can to resolve the delays and are as frustrated as we are. We all want the game in our hands. The delays are due to making these items higher quality, because we and Limited Run believe you deserve the best possible product. They could have accepted earlier revisions and shipped an inferior product, but we both believe that you deserve better.
A new release date for Sigil wasn’t announced, but it should be available soon.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged Doom (1993)
Ubisoft has three unannounced games coming in Early 2020 but they’ve delayed Skull and Bones yet again
Is Ubisoft hard at work on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 7? Nobody’s entirely sure, but the publisher has confirmed that they’ve got three unannounced “AAA” games in the hopper, all set to launch sometime between January 1 and March 31 in 2020.
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot spoke a bit about these games, calling them “very distinct gaming experiences,” during the company’s most recent quarterly financial report:
We are coming with three very distinct gaming experiences. We wanted to give those games the development they needed because we know they’re long-term sellers, so it’s important that they come with the best opportunity.
We won’t say anything more today. You’ll know more soon.
Sadly, the publisher also said that players hoping to sail the high seas in Skull and Bones will have to wait a bit longer. The pirate-themed multiplayer was penciled in to launch this year, but now it won’t be released until sometime after April 1, 2020. This is the second major delay for the game (it was originally scheduled to be out in 2018), but the development team provided a short update via Twitter, promising that “[their] focus remains on quality”:
We’re going to batten down the hatches and push back on the game’s arrival—this is a challenging news for us all, but it’s what’s needed to make Skull & Bones as awesome as it can be!
Our focus remains on quality first and we’re grateful for your undying support ☠️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/ZCt85tY3TG
— Skull & Bones (@skullnbonesgame) May 15, 2019
Skull and Bones will not be on display during Ubisoft’s presentation at E3 2019, but presumably the three unannounced games will be.
Konami will add Japanese variants to Castlevania Anniversary Collection in a free update after launch
Konami will make the Castlevania Anniversary Collection available to download for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One beginning tomorrow, May 16, for $19.99. The compilation will include the North American versions of eight games from the early days of the franchise, as well as The History of Castlevania: Book of the Crescent Moon, a behind-the-scenes look at the franchise in an ebook-styled format.
The publisher famously released different variants of their games in each region during the NES era, and they typically offered different difficulty options (Japanese gamers often got an easier version to play) and graphical styles. Though sometimes the changes were made to comply with Nintendo’s discomfort for religious imagery and references at the time.
Fans hoping to test out these different versions with the Castlevania Anniversary Collection were originally out of luck, but Konami has apparently had a change of heart. Writing on the PlayStation Blog, Brand Manager Benjamin Kinney said that these Japanese will be available in a free update “shortly after launch”:
Lastly, important news: we heard your calls and Konami will add Japanese title variants as a free update shortly after launch. Keep your eyes peeled for more details!
The Castlevania Anniversary Collection will include Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, Super Castlevania IV, Castlevania: The Adventure, Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge, Castlevania: Bloodlines, and the never-before-released-in-the-US Kid Dracula. It’s currently unknown which games in the compilation will receive Japanese variants in the future.
Blizzard will open the doors to World of Warcraft Classic on August 27
World of Warcraft is set to celebrate its 15th anniversary later this year, and Blizzard plans to kick off the festivities with the launch of World of Warcraft Classic, which will be available for free to all subscribers, on August 27.
This authentic re-creation takes players back to the beginnings of Blizzard Entertainment’s groundbreaking massively multiplayer online role-playing game, a time when Onyxia spread terror from her lair in Duskwallow Marsh, Leeroy Jenkins became a sensation after some ill-advised heroics in Upper Blackrock Spire, and only the bravest or most foolhardy quested alone in Stranglethorn Vale.
With World of Warcraft Classic, Blizzard has rebuilt the original WoW in its most polished and complete state—as it was at the time of the “Drums of War” update (patch 1.12.0), originally released August 22, 2006.
“Building and launching World of Warcraft back in 2004 was immensely challenging,” said J. Allen Brack, the President of Blizzard Entertainment. “A tornado literally tore the roof off one of the game’s data centers during the early days of testing—but Blizzard was fortunate to have hundreds, and then thousands, and then millions of people around the world cheering our developers on.”
Current World of Warcraft subscribers will get the chance to test out World of Warcraft Classic a few months early beginning tomorrow. According to Blizzard, a Closed Beta will begin on May 15th, and it’ll be followed by a series of stress tests over the Summer.
In addition to the impending launch of World of Warcraft Classic, Blizzard is also getting ready to release a special 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition for the MMORPG that’ll come packed with a “treasure trove of collectibles and in-game bonus items”:
This treasure trove of collectibles and in-game bonus items comes with 30 days of game time for World of Warcraft and includes an imposing statue of Ragnaros the Firelord that stands over 10 inches tall; a pin depicting the head of Onyxia, Broodmother of the Black Dragonflight; a mousepad adorned with a map of Azeroth; a set of fine art prints that illustrate Azeroth’s storied past; and a pair of mounts… the Alabaster Stormtalon, and the Alabaster Thunderwing… in honor of the moment WoW players first took to the skies.
The World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition will be available on October 8, and it’ll be priced at $99.99.
Posted in News, PC
Tagged World of Warcraft
Take-Two executives discuss big sales for GTA5 and Red Dead 2 while looking ahead to 2019 lineup
Take-Two Interactive delivered another celebratory quarterly financial report last night as the publisher’s latest releases have proven very popular with players.
Leading the charge is Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. More than 24 million copies of the game have been shipped to stores since its launch last October. Take-Two executives also revealed that they’ve shipped more than nine million copies of NBA 2K19 in a similar timeframe.
But the most surprising reveal from yesterday’s report might be the news that Take-Two shipped more than ten million copies of Grand Theft Auto V during the quarter, bringing its lifetime total to 110 million copies after six years on the market.
While the company was happy with their retail performance in 2018, they’re also looking ahead to 2019 with gusto.
According to CEO Strauss Zelnick, 2K Games has already committed to launching NBA 2K20 and WWE 2K20 this Fall:
Also this Fall, 2K will launch new installments of our highly successful annual sports franchises with the releases of NBA 2K20 and WWE 2K20. As always, the development teams behind these games are hard at work to deliver our trademark array of exciting new features and innovations that keep players coming back year after year. 2K will have more to share about these titles in the coming months.
Zelnick later confirmed that Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds and Patrice Desilets’s Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey will be available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One sometime this year through their Private Division label:
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the Outer Worlds marks the reunion of Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky, the original creators of Fallout, who are introducing an entirely new single player sci-fi RPG experience. The Outer Worlds will be showcased behind closed doors at E3 to select media and influencers, and more details about the game will be revealed over time. Last month, Private Division hosted press events for Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, where attendees got to play the game and meet its creators at Panache Digital Games, including the studio’s co-founder, Patrice Desilets, who was the original creative director of Assassin’s Creed.
More information about Take-Two Interactive’s full lineup for 2019 (including the previously-announced Borderlands 3) will be announced at this year’s E3 Expo in June.
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Borderlands 3, E3 2019, Grand Theft Auto V, NBA 2K19, NBA 2K20, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Outer Worlds
Nightdive’s Blood re-release is now available for the PC through Steam, GOG, Humble Store, and Discord
There were a lot of strange shooters released throughout the 1990s in the wake of Doom, but Monolith Productions’s Blood definitely qualifies as one of the strangest. Originally released in 1997, the game allowed players to take control of an undead gunslinger who does battle with an army of demons and monsters. And at one point, he even takes down the decaying denizens of Hell with a voodoo doll.
Today, publisher Atari and developer Nightdive Studios brought Blood back with an updated re-release for the PC known as Blood: Fresh Supply…
Originally released in 1997, Blood is a First-Person Shooter that helped redefine the genre and introduced many elements now accepted as commonplace. In the original and the updated Blood: Fresh Supply, players jump into the boots of undead gunslinger Caleb as he seeks revenge against the dark god Chernobog. Caleb’s arsenal features a mix of standard and occult weaponry, which he uses to devastating and gore-filled effect. In the game, players visit a terrifying world populated by hordes of bloodthirsty fiends – including cultists, gargoyles, zombies, hellhounds, and an unholy host of other terrors.
The Fresh Supply re-release includes the original game, as well as both expansions (Cryptic Passage and The Plasma Pak), and it’s now available to download through Steam, GOG, the Humble Store, and Discord. Fans will be able to play through the game once more with enhanced visuals (including support for 4K monitors), controller support, completely rewritten netcode for up to eight players, and a new 3D View option.
Blood: Fresh Supply is priced at $9.99 and its Launch Trailer has been embedded above.
Bithell Games announces the “fight-choreographed chess” of John Wick Hex
John Wick will return to theaters on May 17th in the highly-anticipated John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, but Keanu Reeves’s third most-popular character is also thinking of coming back to the world of video games in the not-too-distant future as well.
Mike Bithell, the creator of Thomas Was Alone and Subsurface Circular, will bring John Wick Hex to the PC/Mac (exclusively via the Epic Games Store) and consoles. No release date was announced, but the developer describes the game as “fight-choreographed chess,” and players will need to tap into their strategic side if they hope to survive each encounter:
Created in close cooperation with the creative teams behind the films, John Wick Hex is fight-choreographed chess brought to life as a video game, capturing the series’ signature gun fu style while expanding its story universe. Players must choose every action and attack they make, while considering their immediate cost and consequences. Every move in John Wick Hex feels like a scene from the movies, and every fight contributes to your progress on the job and requires precise strategic thinking.
Perform well and progress in the main story mode (which features an original story created for the game) to unlock new weapons, suit options, and locations. Each weapon changes up the tactics you’ll use and the manner in which you’ll play. Ammo is finite and realistically simulated, so time your reloads and make the most of weapons you scavenge on the job.
Ian McShane and Lance Reddick will reprise their roles from the film series in the game, and publisher Good Shepherd Entertainment plans to show off a playable version of John Wick Hex at this year’s E3 Expo.
Employing a “unique graphic noir art design,” the first trailer for John Wick Hex has been embedded above.