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Most Recent: PS4
Battle Princess Madelyn will officially launch sometime this Fall
Casual Bit Games has announced that Battle Princess Madelyn has completed development and is now awaiting certification from the three consolemakers. That also means that the game is currently on track for a Fall 2018 launch on the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Wii U, and Vita.
Heavily inspired by Super Ghouls N Ghosts and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, Battle Princess Madelyn was built using design ideas from Creative Director Christopher Obritsch’s daughter, and he’s thrilled with how the final product came together:
From its initial concept days, right through the successful Kickstarter campaign which reached over $212,665 CAD, until its imminent release, Battle Princess Madelyn has developed and grown from inspiration from feedback from my daughter, who inspired the original idea, gamers and ideals from the very best of classic retro games fused with modern presentation complete with gameplay and fun. I believe all our goals have been achieved with much much more added ingredients, features and elements that will have gamers engaged in a game that has been crafted with real planning, dedication and, a lot of love.
A new trailer for Battle Princess Madelyn has been embedded above, and an exact release date will be announced “very shortly.”
Spider-Man swings into view as the best-selling game from September 2018 (and the biggest PlayStation-exclusive launch ever)
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, sells much better than 2K can… Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man!
Insomniac’s Spider-Man was already swinging pretty high prior to its September 7th launch, but according to The NPD Group (via GamesIndustry.biz) the superhero game is also the best-selling game of last month and the biggest PlayStation-exclusive launch ever. Oh, and it also performed 37% better than “the combined launch month sales for all other Spider-Man games released since 1995.”
Wow.
Spider-Man trounced the competition in September, beating out a ton of new releases in the top ten including NBA 2K19 (#2), Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (#3), FIFA 19 (#4), Shadow of the Tomb Raider (#5), Forza Horizon 4 (#7), Super Mario Party (#9), and NHL 19 (#10).
Below the top ten, several popular titles continued to prove their resiliency. Grand Theft Auto V (#13), Mario Kart 8 (#14), and Minecraft (#20) have all been hanging around the top of the charts for the last four years, and their new-generation re-releases have likely cemented their spot among the best-sellers for another four.
But you can find the full list of last month’s best-selling games after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Crash Bandicoot, Destiny 2, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, FIFA 19, Forza Horizon 4, Grand Theft Auto V, Madden NFL 19, Mario Kart 8, Minecraft, Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker, NBA 2K19, NHL 19, NPD, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Spider-Man, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Party, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, WWE 2K19
Epic delays free-to-play version of Fortnite: Save the World into 2019
Fortnite was a very different game when it was first released in July 2017. Originally, the game was developed as a team-based shooter where players would battle zombies and rescue survivors (not unlike Left 4 Dead) while also crafting and building weapons and defensive fortifications.
That all changed when Epic Games launch the Fortnite: Battle Royale expansion. Very quickly, the 100-player free-for-all was all anyone was talking about, and the main game (which was retroactively retitled as Fortnite: Save the World) was moved to the back burner.
But Epic always planned to offer a free-to-play version of Fortnite’s Save the World mode, and it was expected to launch before the end of this year. However, the developer has now confirmed (via their official website) that it won’t be available sometime in 2019:
We decided to move the free-to-play launch of Save the World out of this year. We’re working on a broad set of features, reworks, and backend system scaling we believe are needed to go free-to-play. Save the World has grown consistently since our launch in July 2017 and Fortnite overall has experienced unprecedented growth. Scaling up for the legions of player heroes who will be joining the fight is key to providing an excellent experience. This applies to all of our players, old and new, so we’re taking the time to get this right.
To make amends for this delay, Epic also announced that players will be able to pick up Fortnite: Save the World for 50% off beginning this week when they buy one of the game’s four Founder’s Packs.
New Retail Releases: Red Dead Redemption 2, Just Dance 2019, More
After almost a decade of waiting, it’s finally time to hop on your horse and ride along the dusty trails and gleaming train tracks of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2. The Wild West prequel will be available in stores for the PS4 and Xbox One later this week, and while you might think that most game publishers would avoid going head-to-head with the highly-anticipated new entry in the famed franchise… you’d be wrong.
Well, sort of.
Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2019 serves as a perfect bit of counterprogramming to Rockstar’s cowboy epic, and the latest addition to the series will be available on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, as well as the PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360.
But the rest of this week’s new retail releases are mostly a smattering of smaller games from smaller publishers. Nickelodeon Kart Racers will let fans drive for the finish line as their Nickelodeon characters. A different kind of driving skill is required for Spintires: Mudrunner – American Wilds Edition. And Bandai Namco will launch My Hero One’s Justice, the first game based on the My Hero Academia anime. All three games will be available for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
A complete look at this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Nickelodeon Kart Racers, Red Dead Redemption 2
Bot Gaiden Is A Side-Scrolling Platformer With Style: An Interview With Doug Pohl of SwordSwipe Studios
MetroidVanias rose to fame in the 80s and 90s thanks to the popularity of the Metroid and Castlevania franchises, but the genre went dormant in the 2000s as developers pushed pixels aside for polygons and aspired to create sprawling 3D worlds. After being rediscovered and remixed by the indie community, the MetroidVania is finally having its moment here in 2018.
But what if you’re looking for something else from a side-scroller? What if you want the fast action and self-contained levels that characterized the Ninja Gaiden and Contra franchises? Enter SwordSwipe Studios, and their upcoming game, Bot Gaiden.
The gameplay style and artistic inspirations for Bot Gaiden came to us straight from the 80s, but unlike most side-scrollers now on the market, SwordSwipe’s platformer doesn’t look like it came from the 80s. We sat down with Doug Pohl, one of the developer’s co-founders, to find out exactly how he’s bringing back the fast action and precision platforming of those classics in a new package. (more…)
The Heist is Spider-Man’s first expansion… and it’ll be available next week
Insomniac’s Spider-Man has been flying high since its launch last month, and now the developer has announced that the game’s first post-release chapter will be available to download beginning next week.
Scheduled to be released on October 23, The Heist will feature an appearance from the Black Cat, the criminal alter-ego of Felicia Hardy. According to the PlayStation Blog, our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will team up with the Black Cat as the pair get sucked into a brand new storyline that also ties in to the next two DLC chapters:
As you play Marvel’s Spider-Man: The Heist, you’ll encounter the beginning of a new, interconnected story taking place over the three chapters of Marvel’s Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps. A robbery at an art museum entangles Spider-Man and MJ with an old flame from Peter Parker’s past, Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat. Beyond new story missions, there’s a whole new faction of enemies, new crimes, new challenges, new trophies, and of course, three brand new suits.
The Heist will be available to download as part of The City That Never Sleeps bundle (which contains all three DLC expansions) for $24.99, though it’ll also be available as a standalone download for $9.99. Players who purchase The Heist will also be able to unlock three new suits for Spider-Man, including the never-before-seen Resilient Suit (created by artist Gabriele Dell’Otto), as well as the Scarlet Spider II suit, and the Spider UK suit.
And in case you missed it, a short Teaser Trailer for The Heist can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Spider-Man
New Retail Releases: Starlink: Battle For Atlas, Soul Calibur VI, Lego DC Super-Villains, More
Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 is finally moseying up to its release date, so game publishers are rushing to launch their latest projects ahead of the Wild West prequel. And that means several big releases will make their way onto store shelves this week, including new games from Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, WB Games, and 2K Games.
Ubisoft will attempt to revive the toys-to-life genre with Starlink: Battle For Atlas for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Players can customize the space shooter by purchasing additional Starship Packs and Weapon Packs, and Switch owners will even be able to pilot an Arwing from Star Fox right out of the box.
Several other long-running franchises will also receive new entries this week, including Bandai Namco’s one-on-one fighter Soul Calibur VI (PS4, Xbox One, and download-only on the PC) and WB Games’s family-friendly action title Lego DC Super-Villains (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and download-only on the PC). Saber Interactive is also charging the hoop for their second arcade-style basketball game, teaming up with 2K Games for NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 (PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and download-only on the PC).
Finally this week, Dark Souls Remastered will finally make its way to the Switch, and Bandai Namco will also bundle together all three games in the Dark Souls Trilogy for the PS4 and Xbox One. For Honor: Marching Fire Edition from Ubisoft will also bundle together the original game and a big batch of new content for the PS4 and Xbox One.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s new releases after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Tagged Dark Souls, Dark Souls II, Dark Souls III, For Honor, NBA Playgrounds 2, Owlboy, Soul Calibur VI, Starlink: Battle For Atlas
Borderlands 2 VR is coming to the PS4 on December 14
Gearbox Software struck gold with the Borderlands franchise, and while we’re still waiting patiently for Borderlands 3, the developer has been busy pumping out spinoffs and remakes at a pretty steady clip. And now it looks like PS4 owners will be able to get their hands on yet another re-release this Fall with the upcoming launch of Borderlands 2 VR.
Borderlands 2 VR is being designed as a single-player experience, but the developer are planning to add a number of new features to the game beyond support for the PlayStation VR headset, including a new slow-mo ability that gives players time to “set up their next attack”:
Features
Virtually Step onto Pandora: Step into the boots of a treasure-seeking Vault Hunter armed with 87 bazillion possible guns on a quest to line your pockets with loot and free Pandora from Handsome Jack’s clutches. Blast bandits with real-world aiming, punch bullymongs in the mouth, find the perfect gun inside a life-sized treasure chest and inspect it from every angle. Catch-a-Ride and race across Pandora in first-person view and experience the thrill of a psycho running toward you with grenade in-hand yelling, “Boom time!”Virtually Slow Time: Borderlands 2 VR includes new features unique to the VR experience to empower Vault Hunters in their fight against Handsome Jack. With Bad Ass Mega Fun Time (aka BAMF Time), players can use this new slow-mo ability to literally slow the speed of the game temporarily to set up their next attack. In addition, with the option to Teleport, players can glide across Pandora as gracefully as Claptrap (if he had grace).
Become a Virtual Vault Hunter: Take on the role of one of four playable classes – Siren, Commando, Gunzerker and Assassin – each with unique combat styles and updated skills that leverage the new VR functionality, including the new BAMF Time ability. Whether crushing enemies with Maya’s Siren powers, calling in Sabre Turret reinforcements as Axton, feeling the heft of dual-wielded machine guns as Salvador, or the satisfying swing of Zer0’s sword in an enemy’s back, Borderlands 2 VR immerses players like never before.
Experience Virtual Improvements: For the first time ever, players can experience the sublime exhilaration of driving around the Borderlands in first-person perspective – accelerating and steering with the joystick and aiming the vehicle’s weapons with their headset. With the use of the motion controllers and headset, players can interact with the menu systems in a new and intuitive way for the platform, easily navigating through the menus by pointing, clicking, dragging and dropping. Players will also have the choice of preferred movement styles. Whether that’s the VR popular pointed-teleportation, or the classic direct movement style with joysticks – your experience should feel good for VR and true to form of classic Borderlands.
Get Virtually Rich: Borderlands VR brings shoot-and-loot mechanics to VR with bazillions of procedurally-generated guns and gear, each with their own capabilities and modifiers. Procedurally-generated shields, grenades, relics, class mods and more round out your Vault Hunter’s arsenal for maximum power and mayhem.
The first trailer for Borderlands 2 VR has been embedded above, and the game will be released exclusively for the PS4 on December 14.
Posted in News, PS4
Tagged Borderlands 2