Most Recent: Xbox One

Yacht Club Games is bringing Shovel Knight, Cyber Shadow, and an all new game to PAX West 2019

The good folks at Yacht Club Games have been very busy over the last two years. The developer is currently hard at work putting the finishing touches on Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown, and earlier this year, Yacht Club signed on to published Mekaskull’s Cyber Shadow.

All three of these retro-styled titles will be playable at the developer’s booth at this year’s PAX West convention, which will be held next week in Seattle (August 30th through September 2nd). But Yacht Club has also promised that a surprise will be waiting for fans who visit their booth… demo stations for a brand new never-before-seen game.

As of now, all we know about this unannounced game is that it’s currently in development for the Nintendo Switch. But even if you’re not attending PAX West this year, you’ll be able to learn more about it during the first ever Yacht Club Presents livestream on Wednesday, August 28, at 2:00 PM (Eastern Time). The livestream will be broadcast on YouTube and Twitch, and will also include “tons” of new information about Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown.

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The Terminator and The Joker are the final two additions to Mortal Kombat 11’s Kombat Pack

We already knew that Bruce Campbell’s Ash wasn’t going to be invited to the party, but that didn’t stop NetherRealm Studios from confirming the final two guest characters for Mortal Kombat 11‘s Kombat Pack this morning. As expected, both The Terminator and The Joker will be joining the fight in the coming months.

If you’d like a more exact release schedule than that for Mortal Kombat 11’s remaining DLC, then you’re in luck, because NetherRealm’s got you covered. The Terminator will be available to download on October 8, and he’ll be followed by Sindel on November 26, The Joker on January 28, and Spawn on March 17. A short trailer introducing each guest character has been embedded above.

While NetherRealm has yet to announce any additional DLC for Mortal Kombat 11 beyond the six characters featured in the Kombat Pack, there might be plans for more. The roster page on the game’s official website currently shows two extra slots. We don’t know who will fill them, but maybe Ash isn’t quite as out as we thought.

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Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will be released on September 3

Germany’s Gamescom convention opened its doors this morning, and Square Enix has opened the big show by announcing that Final Fantasy VIII Remastered will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on September 3.

it looks like fans will be able to play this enhanced and updated remake of the classic RPG sooner than expected, but Square Enix was also quick to offer a refresher for players who might not be as familiar with Squall’s world:

About Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered celebrates its 20th anniversary by bringing the cherished RPG to modern platforms, featuring newly rendered visuals that bring the game’s beloved characters to life like never before. Players step into the shoes of SeeD recruit Squall Leonhart and resistance fighter Rinoa Heartilly as they work together to save the world from the military nation of Galbadia.

Final Fantasy VIII Remastered’s Enhancements

  • Battle Assist: The ability to always have maxed out HP and ATB, and trigger Limit Breaks at any time.
  • No Encounters: An enemy encounter option that allows players to enjoy the storyline uninterrupted. While enemy encounters are turned off, players can still enjoy the story event battles.
  • 3x Speed Boost: Play through the game with three times the speed.

A new trailer for Final Fantasy VIII Remastered has been embedded above.

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Mighty Madden NFL 20 was the best-selling game in July 2019

The NPD Group’s Mat Piscatella (via Twitter) has delivered the analyst company’s report on the best-selling games from July 2019, and unsurprisingly, EA Sports’s Madden NFL 20 took the top spot.

A sales juggernaut for nearly three decades now, the latest entry in the Madden franchise was able to fend off a major offensive from Nintendo that included two new games and several holdovers from earlier this year. Fire Emblem: Three Houses topped Nintendo’s July output, coming in at #2. It was followed two spots later at #4 by fellow new release Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. June’s Super Mario Maker 2 was sandwiched in between at #3.

Several other Nintendo-published titles populated the Top 20, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (#7), Mario Kart 8 (#9), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#10), and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe (#18). In addition to its software supremacy, the Nintendo Switch was also the best-selling console platform last month.

The entire game industry (hardware, software, and accessories) recorded $762 million in sales last month, a slight increase over July 2018’s total of $759 million.

You can find a full list of best-selling games from July 2019 after the break. (more…)

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THQ Nordic announces 2 studio acquisitions, a new developer for Dead Island 2, and Saints Row 5 during a recent financial report

THQ Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors had a lot to share during his company’s most recent quarterly financial report, including a pair of new studio acquisitions, a new developer for Dead Island 2, and the existence of Saints Row 5.

The publisher already owns an extensive portfolio of internal developers, and it recently added two more to its stable: Gunfire Games (developer of Darksiders III) and Milestone (developer of racing titles such as MotoGP and Ride). According to THQ Nordic, Milestone has “five current games under development” while Gunfire is hard at work on Remnant: From the Ashes.

Wingefors also revealed that Dead Island 2 is still in the works within THQ Nordic, however it’s development is no longer being lead by Sump Digital. Instead, Dambuster Studios (the developer behind Homefront: The Revolution) has been assigned to work on the game. No release date was announced, so we’re probably still in for a long wait before we learn more about the sequel.

Finally, the executive confirmed that Volition has begun development on the fifth game in the Saints Row franchise. Again, it might be a while before we learn more about this one.

All told, Wingefors reported that THQ Nordic currently has 81 games in development, 47 of which have yet to announced.

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Need For Speed Heat heads down to the Miami-like Palm City on November 8

Electronic Arts and Ghost Games unveiled the latest addition to the Need For Speed franchise this morning… Need For Speed Heat.

Need For Speed Heat takes place in the sun-drenched Palm City, an open world locale where players will be able to participate in the Speedhunters Showdown competition during the day. But at night, they can stake their Rep (and their bankroll) on the streets in a series of illegal underground races.

Soak in the same neon vibes that you might find in Miami Vice and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with the Reveal Trailer embedded above, and learn more about the game direct from the publisher:

Need For Speed Heat sends fans to Palm City, a brand-new open world where street racers have gathered to make their names known. By day, players compete in the Speedhunters Showdown, a sanctioned competition where they earn Bank to customize and upgrade their garage of high-performance cars. At night, players risk it all to build their Rep in underground races where a rogue police task force roams the streets, ready to take racers down and swipe all their earnings. The roads, the risks, and the rides never end in this street racer where a player can roll deep with their crew, build their garage full of hot cars, and make the city their nonstop playground.

“We’re delivering more options than ever before for players to be unique and make themselves known,” said Riley Cooper, the Creative Director at Ghost Games. “Our fans have been clear that they want more cars, more customization, and more challenges, and we’re tuning up on every aspect. From your character’s style to your car’s performance and your driving style, we’re fuelling everyone’s creativity with this new game.”

Electronic Arts will offer up an extensive Gameplay Reveal for Need For Speed Heat during the Geoff Keighley-hosted Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 19. Fans not in attendance at this year’s Gamescom will be able to tune in to a livestream of the reveal through their favorite streaming platform.

Need For Speed Heat will be released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One on November 8.

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New trailer introduces Threaks’s top-down shooter Battle Planet: Judgement Day

Threaks is hard at work on a twin-stick shooter known as Battle Planet: Judgement Day, and the developer shared a closer look at the game today in a new trailer. Similar to Geometry Wars 3, Battle Planet: Judgement Day drops players down onto small planetoids and asks them to survive against a seemingly neverending alien force:

Your goal in Battle Planet: Judgement Day is simple: survive! Touch down on planets infested with deadly aliens intent on cutting your life short and blast your way around its rotating surface, taking out anything in your path quickly… or suffer a devastating demise. Team up with comrades-in-arms for some local-co-op split-screen action to make fast work of foes. Finish all the planets in a star system and jump to another with ever-more deadly foes. Lucky for you, your ship receives a steady stream of upgrades, making it more devastating and durable.

Battle Planet: Judgement Day will be released for the PC this September, with a PS4 and Switch launch to follow sometime this Fall.

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2K is adding all 12 WNBA teams to NBA 2K20

2K Games has announced that all 12 teams from the WNBA will suit up in the NBA 2K franchise for the first time this year in NBA 2K20. WNBA matchups will be available in Play Now and Season modes, and players will be able to experience “gameplay animations, play styles, and visuals built exclusively around the women’s game.”

“Growing up, I always remembered watching male athletes on TV and playing as them in video games. Now, to have the WNBA be in the position we are and to have women featured prominently in NBA 2K20, we are allowing young girls and boys to have female athletes as role models,” said Candace Parker, a player for the Los Angeles Sparks. “The 2K team has done an amazing job of making sure to not just put women into the game playing men’s basketball, but I’ve seen first-hand the hard work they’re doing to make this as real and authentic as possible to women’s basketball. I’m proud to be a part of this team paving the way for the future.”

“For years, fans have requested the ability to play as some of their favorite WNBA stars,” said Jeff Thomas, the Senior Vice President of Development at Visual Concepts. “We’ve been working with the WNBA and their top players to modify our basketball simulation engine to replicate the WNBA on-court experience. We’re excited to roll out this new feature in NBA 2K20 because we know how important the WNBA is to the world of basketball.”

NBA 2K20 is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, and it’ll be released on September 6. The first trailer for the game featuring WNBA players has been embedded above.

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