Most Recent: Xbox 360
New Retail Releases: Forza Horizon 3, FIFA 17, Yo-Kai Watch 2, More
Soccer players (excuse me, footballers), racecar drivers, invisible Japanese spirits, a sneaker-wearing hedgehog, bloodthirsty aliens, and even bloodthirstier zombies highlight this week’s new release roundup…
FIFA 17 will be available in stores this week for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. In addition to a series of graphical upgrades and gameplay tweaks, the latest soccer simulation from EA Sports adds “The Journey,” a story-based single-player mode where players take control a teenager trying to make it in the Premier League.
Also new this week is Microsoft’s latest racing sim, Forza Horizon 3. The PC and Xbox One game recreates Australia as a playground for open-world racing, which players can dive into with more than 350 cars.
Away from the fast cars and furious footballers, Nintendo and Level-5 will release Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls. The creature-collecting games will include hundreds of new Yo-Kai, invisible spirits believed to exist out in the world. But with the game’s Yo-Kai Watch, players can see these supernatural creatures, and capture them.
Keeping with the otherworldly theme, 2K Games will bring XCOM 2 to the PS4 and Xbox One this week. After debuting on the PC earlier this year, the publisher is expanding the strategy game’s reach to new-generation consoles… and not a moment too soon. The alien invaders have enslaved humanity in the sequel and it’s up to players to guide the XCOM to victory against a foe that’s taken control of the Earth.
While the enemies of Dead Rising 2 are a bit dumber than a race of hyper-advanced aliens, they’re no less dangerous. Available this week for the PS4 and Xbox One, Dead Rising 2 was originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010, but the re-release will still put a ravenous horde of undead between motocross racer Chuck Greene and the anti-zombie cure he needs for his daughter.
Hopefully, Chuck can avoid those zombies using Sonic-like speed, but a Blue Blur will be busy with Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, which will be released this week for the 3DS.
Finally this week, Microsoft is cramming a free copy of Minecraft in with their newest Xbox One S 500GB Console Bundle. So if you’re interested in picking up an Xbox One S, and you love Minecraft, it’s a fairly good deal.
WWE 2K17 downloadable content and Season Pass revealed
We’re a little less than three weeks out from WWE 2K17‘s launch, but 2K Games wants everyone to start thinking about the content that comes after, including an extensive collection of downloadable content and a Season Pass.
All of WWE 2K17’s DLC will be released later this year or during the early weeks of 2017, and most of it will be included in the Season Pass, which will be priced at $29.99. The full contents of each pack, which players also have the option to purchase individually, can be found right here:
Accelerator ($4.99)
- Players will gain access to all unlockable content available at launch in the game’s VC Purchasable section (excluding downloadable content)
- Players can also decide the overall rankings and attribute levels for all playable characters throughout the life of the product
Future Stars Pack ($8.99)
Playable WWE and NXT Superstars: Austin Aries, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Mojo Rawley, and Tye DillingerHall of Fame Showcase ($9.99)
- Cactus Jack and Diamond Dallas Page vs. The Fabulous Freebirds (Jimmy Garvin and Michael “PS” Hayes) (WCW Saturday Night 1992)
- The Fabulous Freebirds (Buddy Roberts and Michael “PS” Hayes) vs. Kerry and Kevin Von Erich (WCCW 1986)
- Ivory vs. Jacqueline (SmackDown 2000)
- Sting (Gold and Black Tights) vs. Ric Flair (Clash of Champions 1988)
- Sting (n.W.o. Wolfpac ring gear) vs. Bret Hart (WCW Halloween Havoc 1998)
- Papa Shango vs. The Godfather (Dream Match)
- Big Boss Man (with Albert) vs. The Big Show (Armageddon 1999)
Legends Pack ($8.99)
Playable WWE Legends: Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Eddie Guerrero, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Sycho Sid, and TatankaNew Moves Pack ($3.99)
Explore a wide variety of new in-game moves, including the Swingout Neckbreaker (made popular by current WWE Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte), the Elbro Drop (made popular by WWE Superstar Zack Ryder), the Face Wash Combo (made popular by NXT Superstar Samoa Joe), and the TJP Clutch (made popular by current WWE Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins)
In addition to the Season Pass content, 2K also plans to offer several other downloadable packs that include even more characters boosts:
MyPlayer Kick Start ($9.99)
- PS4 and Xbox One Exclusive
- Players will gain access to unlock and boost created Superstar ratings and attributes made available at launch as part of the game’s MyCareer mode
- Players can also unlock all clothing made available at launch that provides attribute boosts in MyCareer
NXT Enhancement Pack ($9.99)
- PS4 and Xbox One Exclusive
- Playable NXT Superstars: Apollo Crews, Nia Jax, and Shinsuke Nakamura
- Players will earn a 50 percent boost in points while competing at NXT during MyCareer
NXT Legacy Pack ($4.99)
- PS3 and Xbox 360 Exclusive
- Playable NXT Superstars: Apollo Crews, Nia Jax, and Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE 2K17 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 11.
Xbox Store Today: NBA 2K17, Just Sing, Mount & Blade Warband, more
The 2016-2017 NBA season won’t tip off until next month, but 2K Games wants to get hoops fans ready with today’s release of NBA 2K17, which is now available to download for the Xbox One and Xbox 360 through the Xbox Games Store. In addition to updated rosters and improved graphics, the publisher focused their effort this year on a brand new MyCareer mode, and even recruited Michael B. Jordan (Creed) to lend authenticity to the “immersive new narrative.”
Also available to download today is Ubisoft’s Just Sing, a karaoke-styled spinoff from their popular Just Dance franchise. Players can choose to sing along or lip sync to their favorite songs on the Xbox One with a microphone or the free Just Dance Companion App for their smartphone.
Finally this week, Mount & Blade: Warband brings medieval battlefields and “realistic mounted combat” to the Xbox One. Players can tell their own knight’s tale by becoming anything from a “lonesome adventurer” to the “ruler of a faction.”
More information on all of these games can be found after the break. (more…)
Madden NFL 17 rumbles its way to the end zone as the best-selling game of August 2016
A trio of new releases stood atop the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games of August 2016, but Madden NFL 17 unsurprisingly took the top spot.
EA’s juggernaut is almost always unstoppable during the calendar’s eighth month, but it was equally unsurprising to see No Man’s Sky and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided take up residence at #2 and #3, respectively.
NPD analyst Sam Naji told GamesIndustry.biz: “The release of strong new titles such as Madden NFL 17, No Man’s Sky and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided bolstered console software dollar sales by 8%.”
The remainder of this month’s best-sellers included the usual mix of big titles from 2015 and 2016, with some Grand Theft Auto V (#4) and Minecraft (#9) tossed in for flavor.
A full look at August 2016’s best-selling games can be found after the break. (more…)
Get your first look at Telltale’s Batman: Episode 2 – Children of Arkham right here
Telltale’s five-part Batman tale will continue next week in Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 2: Children of Arkham. Today, the developer unveiled a brand new trailer that seems to be pushing Gotham City even further towards insanity:
With Gotham City’s first family mired in corruption, and an old friend now a dangerous adversary, the life of the Dark Knight is turned upside down. What was Thomas Wayne entangled in, and why was he killed? Determined to learn the truth about his father, Bruce sets out to question those involved in Gotham’s criminal past. But which mask will he wear – The billionaire, or the bat? Huge decisions will forever change the Batman and the lives of those around him, as he meets the Children of Arkham.
Who are the Children of Gotham? Is that really The Penguin behind that bird mask? And could that pale, lanky fellow be The Joker? We’ll all get to find out together on September 20, when Children of Arkham launches for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The second episode in Batman: The Telltale Series will also be available at a later date for the PS3, Xbox 360, and mobile devices.
Xbox Store Today: ReCore, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, The Witness, more
It’s a big day for the Xbox Games Store, as Xbox One owners will be able to choose from more than a dozen new releases this week, as well as the launch of Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere program.
ReCore is a third-person action game for the Xbox One from Armature Studio and Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune. Players will take control of Joule Adams, one of the last remaining humans on Far Eden. As she struggles for survival, she’ll have to fight back against evil robotic foes and create her own army of friendly automatons. As the first Xbox Play Anywhere title, players who purchase it for the Xbox One will also receive access to the game on Windows 10 as well.
Most of this week’s new releases deal with “Survival” in some way or another, but The Witness is in a class of its own. Players wake up on “a strange island full of puzzles” and must work out the solutions if they want to continue in the Xbox One title. A simpler survival story can be found in Pac-Man Championship Edition 2, an Xbox One game that pits the famous Pac-Man against the Ghosts once again.
Frank West’s fight isn’t with any kind of spook or specter, but the living dead. And he’ll need all the help he can get as Capcom will re-release Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2, and Dead Rising 2: Off the Record on the Xbox One this week. The remastered games will feature improved graphics, and you can even grab all three of them at a discount with the Dead Rising Triple Pack.
2K Games and Irrational Games will also re-release a loosely connected trilogy for the Xbox One this week with the launch of BioShock: The Collection. Containing BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite, Xbox One owners will be able to play through visually-enhanced version of the games and listen to developer’s commentary from Ken Levine and others.
And are you ready for some sports? New hockey (NHL 17), racing (NASCAR Heat: Evolution), and soccer games (Pro Evolution Soccer 2017) are available to download for the Xbox One today. Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 was also released for the Xbox 360.
Finally this week, Telltale Games will launch new entries in two of their episodic series. Xbox 360 owners will be able to play as both Batman and Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 1: Realm of Shadows, while Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners will be able to experience the finale of Minecraft: Story Mode in Episode 8: A Journey’s End?
More information about all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 8 is here… and so is the Launch Trailer
Jesse and friends will ride off into the sunset this week with the release of the final episode in Telltale’s Minecraft: Story Mode. Players will be introduced to “The Old Builders” in Episode 8: A Journey’s End?, which might mean a way home for the adventurers:
With Harper leading them to the world of the Old Builders, Jesse and crew finally have their chance to return home… but it won’t be easy, and the stakes are high. You’ll need to take on opponents in a series of gladiatorial games to win your freedom, save your friends, and maybe, just maybe, make it back to your own world!
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 8: A Journey’s End? is now available to download for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and mobile devices. Players can purchase it as part of the Adventure Pass ($14.99) or as a standalone download ($4.99).
First gameplay trailer for WWE 2K17 is here
With less than a month to go before WWE 2K17‘s launch, 2K Games released the wrestling sim’s first gameplay trailer over the weekend.
Puff Daddy provides the soundtrack (“Bad Boys For Life”) as a string of WWE wrestlers fight it out inside (and out of) the squared circle. So be sure to check the trailer embedded above for a quick glimpse at Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, The Undertaker, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and many, many, many, many more.
WWE 2K17 will be released for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One on October 11.