Most Recent: 3DS

Dishonored 2, Doom, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, Uncharted 4 will compete for “Game of the Year” at 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards

Posted on January 25, 2017 by John Scalzo

The organizers of the SXSW Gaming Conference and Festival have announced the nominees for the 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards. Not surprisingly, Dishonored 2, Doom, Overwatch, Titanfall 2, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End will all be competing for the coveted “Video Game of the Year” award.

Appearing over and over again throughout SXSW 2017’s 23 categories, the nominating committee was very impressed with these five titles. However, Overwatch definitely lead the way with nine total nominations including “Esports Game of the Year,” “Trending Game of the Year,” “Excellence in Design,” “Most Promising New Intellectual Property,” “Most Memorable Character” (for Tracer), “Excellence in Multiplayer,” “Excellence in Art,” and “Excellence in Animation.”

The 2017 SXSW Gaming Awards will be held on Saturday, March 18, and fans are invited to vote for their favorites from now until February 10 at IGN.com. The winners in each category will ultimately be decided by a 50/50 vote between the public and the SXSW Gaming Advisory Board.

The full list of nominees in all categories can be found after the break. (more…)

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Mario Sports Superstars will be released for the 3DS on March 24

Posted on January 24, 2017 by John Scalzo

Even though the Switch’s March 3rd launch is right around the corner, Nintendo has no plans to forget about the 3DS in 2017. The consolemaker announced today that Mario Sports Superstars, the next sports compilation featuring the plumber and his pals, will be released for the 3DS on March 24.

The action-packed game launches on March 24 and offers five full-featured sports like Soccer, Tennis, Golf, Baseball and, for the first time in a Mario sports game, Horse Racing. Each sport stars Mario and his friends (and enemies!) from the Mushroom Kingdom and can be played in local or online multiplayer modes.

Nintendo also revealed that a new series of Amiibo Cards will be released alongside Super Mario Superstars. The randomly-sorted five-card packs will retail for $4.99, and each copy of the game will include one Amiibo Card packed in.

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Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns will be released on February 28

Posted on January 21, 2017 by John Scalzo

XSEED Games has announced that Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns will be released for the 3DS on February 28.

In celebration of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the longest-running farming and life simulation series, the beloved Bokujo Monogatari franchise [Known in the US as Harvest Moon (1997-2013) and Story of Seasons (2014-Today)] returns with its biggest adventure yet in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns. Settled on a homestead in the middle of three distinct and uniquely themed locales, players can explore a diverse landscape as they search for new ways to grow their farms and friendships. Extensive customization and gameplay options are on offer in Trio of Towns, with each village offering its own variety of regional crops, lads and ladies to romance, animals, festivals, furniture, decorations and more. More ways to play sprout up as players connect to one another locally or via the internet to chat, trade, and enhance items on a mysterious multiplayer island.

The publisher has also partnered with Nintendo to include a few signature fashions from the Mushroom Kingdom in the Trio of Towns. Players who discover these items will receive an in-game boost and look stylish to boot:

Mario-Themed Items in Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns

  • Mario’s Outfit and Hat: Mama mia! The iconic plumber’s signature red and blue uniform gives your running speed a boost.
  • Luigi’s Outfit and Hat: Luigi’s costume will improve your luck at fishing. Others will be green with envy!
  • Princess Peach’s Dress and Tiara: This regal dress and tiara will make you better friends with other characters. Sweet!
  • Toad’s Outfit and Hat: The tireless Toad’s outfit causes your stamina to recharge automatically over time.

A new trailer for Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns is also now available and it’s been embedded above.

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The Video Game Canon: Super Mario Bros. 3

Posted on January 20, 2017 by John Scalzo

Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at Mario’s actorly ambitions in Super Mario Bros. 3. Here’s a teaser…

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
– As You Like It, Act II Scene VII

Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom cohorts have held a surprising number of occupations over the years. In addition to his plumbing business and the hero-for-hire game, Mario has been employed as a multi-sport athlete, a race car driver, a referee, a dancer, an artist, a virologist, and a typing tutor. He’s practically done it all, and I think only political office has eluded him. I guess that’s the trouble with monarchies.

Bouncing from genre to genre like that is usually considered a liability for other game characters. As sublimely silly as the idea seems, no one wants to see Kratos squeezed into a go-kart. And yet, fans readily accept Mario’s multitasking, and many of his spinoff adventures are now more popular than some of the franchise’s traditional platformers. There’s a strong possibility this all stems from the fact that Mario’s creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, designed the character this way from the beginning.

Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.

Posted in 3DS, Features, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Wii, Wii U | Tagged

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare repeats as the best-selling game of December 2016

Posted on January 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare launched on November 4, and it easily took the crown as the best-selling game for the whole month. Today, The NPD Group revealed the best-selling games for December, and Infinite Warfare managed to repeat as the top title.

While Activision’s shooter series continued to be a favorite among gift givers at the end of the year, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy XV had an almost equally impressive retail peformance.

“Although a Call of Duty has now topped the December sales chart for the ninth consecutive year, Final Fantasy XV was the best-selling game for the PS4 during the month,” NPD Analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz. “Final Fantasy XV was the second best-selling title for December 2016… Final Fantasy XV experienced the best console launch month in the history of the franchise selling 19% more new physical units than Final Fantasy XIII in its launch month and 54% more in total dollar revenue including digital full game sales.”

The remainder of the top ten should look familiar as it contains several of 2016’s biggest games including Battlefield 1 (#3), Madden NFL 17 (#4), NBA 2K17 (#5), Watch Dogs 2 (#6), FIFA 17 (#8), and Pokemon Sun and Moon (#8 and #10, respectively). 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V also cracked the best-sellers list for December at #7.

You can find the complete top ten in list form after the break. (more…)

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Nintendo Download: Dragon Quest VIII, Punch Club, Star Fox 64, more

Posted on January 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

Nintendo has added an eclectic mix of titles to the Nintendo eShop as part of today’s update. Let’s have a look…

Nintendo and Square Enix have teamed up to bring Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King to the 3DS on Friday, January 20. The epic RPG has received a complete makeover including new dungeons, bosses, items, quests, scenes, and a new possible ending.

3DS owners looking to download something today can try Punch Club from Lazy Bear Games. The “boxing tycoon management game” features multiple storylines for players who want to indulge in their inner pugilist. But will you participate in fair fights or go the “shady” route?

Finally, Wii U owners will have the chance to download Star Fox 64 through the Virtual Console today. Originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, Star Fox 64 popularized the use of the Rumble Pak and is considered by many to be the best entry in the space shooter franchise.

You can learn more about this trio of games (and the rest of today’s new releases) after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment will be released in April

Posted on January 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

Yacht Club Games has confirmed (via the PlayStation Blog) that Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment will be available in April.

The Specter of Torment expansion will serve as a prequel to the entire Shovel Knight saga, and will actually turn the game into an acrobatic platformer reminiscent of Ninja Gaiden. Body Swap Mode, Two-Player Co-Op, and a Sound Test Mode will also be available as part of the free update.

Fans who want to give Specter of Torment a shot before its Spring debut should find a way to travel down to San Antonio next weekend, because the developer is going to demo the expansion at this year’s PAX South expo.

However, if you’ve never played Shovel Knight before, you’ll be able to dig into the series in a new way this April. New fans will be able to pick up Specter of Torment as a standalone game, and Yacht Club also plans to re-release the original campaign (rechristened Shovel of Hope) and the Plague of Shadows expansions separately as well. Current owners of Shovel Knight will be upgraded to the Treasure Trove bundle, which will also be available in April, and will include access to all future Shovel Knight content.

The Specter of Torment expansion will be available in April for all owners of Shovel Knight on the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One.

The standalone re-releases (Shovel Knight: Shovel of Hope, Shovel Knight: Plague of Shadows, and Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment) will also be available in April for the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

Posted in 3DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged , ,

1992’s Fire Emblem Gaiden will be re-released for 3DS as Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia in May

Posted on January 19, 2017 by John Scalzo

The Fire Emblem franchise had a long history in Japan before Fire Emblem made its North American debut in 2003. Later this year, fans outside of Japan will get to experience some of that history.

Announced yesterday during a Fire Emblem Direct presentation, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is an enhanced remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden, which was originally released for the Famicom in 1992. Coming to the 3DS on May 19, Shadows of Valentia will include a completely updated visual style, new cutscenes, and an overall “grander scale”:

In 1992, the second game in the Fire Emblem series, Fire Emblem Gaiden, launched exclusively in Japan. Now, for the first time, fans outside of Japan will get a taste of this classic game on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia is inspired by the 1992 original, reimagined on a grander scale. Every aspect of the Fire Emblem Gaiden game’s presentation has been updated, along with the game being fully voiced. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia recreates classic Fire Emblem gameplay with a modern twist, mixing in exploration of dungeons crawling with enemies.

Nintendo also announced that an Amiibo 2-Pack featuring Shadows of Valentia’s main characters, Alm and Celica, will be available alongside the game’s launch.

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