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Stan Lee, the legendary co-creator of many of Marvel’s superheroes, has died
From behind his typewriter, Marvel’s Stan Lee used to answer fan mail with that authoritative declaration when he really wanted to drive home a point in his “Stan’s Soapbox” column. But there’s never enough that can be said about the man who helped define pop culture as we know it today.
Along with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, Lee created many of Marvel’s most famous characters… The Spectacular Spider-Man… The Mighty Thor… The Incredible Hulk… The Fantastic Four… “Stan the Man” had a way with adjectives. Sadly, he passed away this morning at the age of 95.
After shepherding his comic creations towards the silver screen in the 80s and 90s, Lee lent his voice to more than a dozen video game adaptations starring Marvel’s mightiest heroes. Most often playing himself (starting with 2000’s Spider-Man), Lee closed the book on his voiceover career with an appearance in Insomniac’s Spider-Man earlier this year as a Short Order Cook.
Lee was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2008 for “his groundbreaking work as one of America’s most prolific storytellers.” The National Endowment for the Arts’s advisory committee also recognized Lee’s fight against injustice in his comics, adding, “His complex plots and humane super heroes celebrate courage, honesty, and the importance of helping the less fortunate, reflecting America’s inherent goodness.”
As Lee would say, “Nuff said!”
The NPD Group shares list of best-selling games on PS4, Xbox One, and Vita… also the Saturn, PS1, N64, GBC, and Dreamcast
The NPD Group has never been too keen on sharing their historical lists of best-selling games, but that might be changing. Using data from the analyst firm’s vast archive, Mat Piscatella recently tried to pull back the curtain a little bit by sharing the list of best-selling games on several legacy consoles (the Saturn, the original PlayStation, the Nintendo 64, the Game Boy Color, and the Dreamcast) and a nearly defunct handheld (the Vita). He also examined the best-selling games through September 2018 on two modern consoles (the PS4 and Xbox One) and published a list of the top-selling titles for each year from 1995 to 2017.
It’s a very interesting collection of information, and the lists provide our best window yet into what games were considered popular in the United States in the 1990s and into today. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Retro, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Crash Bandicoot, Grand Theft Auto V, NPD, Super Mario 64, Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Call of Cthulhu, The Quiet Man, Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum Session, more coming to PS Store this week
“If I say that my somewhat extravagant imagination yielded simultaneous pictures of an octopus, a dragon, and a human caricature, I shall not be unfaithful to the spirit of the thing. A pulpy, tentacled head surmounted a grotesque and scaly body with rudimentary wings; but it was the general outline of the whole which made it most shockingly frightful.”
H.P. Lovecraft’s Call of Cthulhu is now available to download for the PS4, and this adaptation of Chaosism’s tabletop RPG might make a nicely spooky companion for tonight’s Halloween festivities.
For more seasonally-appropriate thrills, Square Enix and Human Head’s The Quiet Man will be available to download for the PS4 beginning tomorrow. Taking place over the course of a single night, players will take control of a deaf man named Dane as he attempts to figure out why a singer was kidnapped by a “mysterious masked man.”
Other new PS4 launches of note this week are Taiko No Tatsujin: Drum Session, the next entry in Bandai Namco’s unique rhythm franchise, and Dream Daddy: Dadrector’s Cut, the dad-dating simulator that took the indie community by storm in 2017.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Call of Cthulhu, The Quiet Man
New Retail Releases: Call of Cthulhu, Diablo III: Eternal Collection, Lego Harry Potter Collection, More
It’s All Hallows Eve Eve Eve, and while you might assume that that’s the perfect time to unleash a terrifying new survival horror game on the populace, you’d be (mostly) wrong. Instead, game publishers are following up last week’s launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 with a slew of re-releases and a smattering of smaller games.
But don’t worry fright fans, a monstrous entity from beyond our human comprehension will also make an appearance on store shelves this week…
H.P. Lovecraft’s greatest creation, the elder god Cthulhu, will return to video games this week with the release of Call of Cthulhu from Cynaide Studio. The PS4 and Xbox One game is based on the popular tabletop RPG, players must infiltrate an island of “unfriendly locals” and thread the needle between “sanity and psychosis” to uncover the truth. Call of Cthulhu will also be available to download for the PC.
Another fictional godlike being drives the story behind Blizzard’s Diablo III: Eternal Collection, which makes its way to the Switch for the first time this week. The Eternal Collection includes the original Action RPG, as well as the Reaper of Souls expansion, the Rise of the Necromancer Pack, and an exclusive Ganondorf Armor Set.
A very different set of magical spells will be cast in the Lego Harry Potter Collection, which will be released for the Switch and Xbox One this week. The compilation includes both Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 and Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7.
And speaking of compilations, Square Enix will package together the entire Kingdom Hearts saga this week for the PS4 with Kingdom Hearts: The Story So Far.
Finally this week, we loop back around to a scary sight with Digital Dreams Entertainment’s Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition, a retail release of the supernatural sports sim for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
A complete look at all of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)
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.”
New Retail Releases: CoD Black Ops 4, WWE 2K19, The World Ends With You Final Remix, More
It’s the second week of October and the New Retail Releases continue to pile up to avoid Rockstar’s upcoming juggernaut…
The Call of Duty franchise ditches its single-player campaign this week with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. With an earlier release date than ever before, and a new focus on its Blackout battle royale experience, Call of Duty fans will definitely be wading into uncharted waters with Black Ops 4.
After its Deluxe Edition launch late last week, 2K Games will roll out the Standard Edition of WWE 2K19 this week for the PS4 and Xbox One (the game will also be available to download for the PC). Players will be able to take control of AJ Styles and dozens of other wrestlers thanks to the biggest roster ever in a WWE game.
Players looking to dive back in to some classics will yesteryear will get their chance on Nintendo platforms this week. Square Enix will revive a beloved RPG originally released for the DS as The World Ends With You: Final Remix for the Nintendo Switch this week. Nintendo themselves will shrink down one of the GameCube’s most surprising launch titles, Luigi’s Mansion, for the 3DS. And NIS America will continue to pump out Disgaea remasters with the release of Disgaea 1 Complete for the PS4 and Switch.
Finally this week, Microsoft will bundle Minecraft into a pair of new packages for those who have yet to purchase it on the Xbox One. Both the Starter Collection and the Master Collection will include the main game, and a unique selection of downloadable content.
A complete list of this week’s new retail releases can be found after the break. (more…)
Posted in 3DS, News, PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Luigi's Mansion, Minecraft, The World Ends With You, WWE 2K19
Mega Man 11, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, WWE 2K19: Digital Deluxe, more coming to PS Store this week
This week’s PlayStation Store update isn’t overflowing with new releases, but a trio of big titles are now (or soon will be) available to download.
Leading things off is the return of one of the greatest franchises from the late 80s/early 90s… Capcom’s Mega Man. The Blue Bomber rides again on the PS4 in Mega Man 11, which includes a new art style and a new group of Robot Masters under the command of Dr. Wily.
Also available to download for the PS4 this week is Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, the latest game in Ubisoft’s centuries-spanning saga of Assassins and Templars. This time around, players will tear up Ancient Greece and become a legendary Spartan hero.
Finally, 2K Games will launch the WWE 2K19: Digital Deluxe Edition a few days before the Standard Edition’s arrival next week. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes access to the game’s Season Pass, as well as the inclusion of Ronda Rousey and Rey Mysterio as playable wrestlers.
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, Mega Man 11, WWE 2K19
FIFA 19, Life Is Strange 2, Hollow Knight, more coming to PS Store this week
“The Beautiful Game” gets updated for a new year as EA Sports is back with their latest soccer simulation, FIFA 19. The game will be available to download for the PS4 this Friday in a Standard Edition, a Champions Edition, and an Ultimate Edition.
Also set to launch later this week for the PS4 is Dontnod’s Life Is Strange 2 – Episode 1: What Doesn’t Kill Us. Leaving Acadia Bay behind, the second Life Is Strange adventure will follow two brothers, Sean and Daniel Diaz, who are on the run from the police.
Elsewhere on the PlayStation Store this week, Team Cherry will launch Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition for the PS4. Originally released for the PC in 2017 and the Switch earlier this Summer, the new Voidheart Edition includes the full game, as well as all previously-released downloadable content.
Finally this week, a pair of strategy RPG sequels for the PS4 will give players two very different viewpoints into the genre from Sega (Valkyria Chronicles 4) and Weappy Studio (This Is the Police II).
You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the PlayStation Store after the break. (more…)
Posted in News, PS4, Vita
Tagged FIFA 19, Hollow Knight, Life Is Strange 2, Valkyria Chronicles 4