Super Crush KO Review: A Pretty Great Pastel Puncher

Posted on February 11, 2020 by John Scalzo

Vertex Pop is a developer that first appeared on my radar in 2015 after the release of their debut game, We Are Doomed. The excellent twin-stick shooter used a graphical style reminiscent of paper cutouts to build its unique world, and paired it with the chill soundtrack that helped slow down the often frantic action.

We Are Doomed was followed two years later by Graceful Explosion Machine, a side-scrolling shooter that cemented the papery look and relaxing tunes as something of a house style for the developer, while also breaking out as one of the first big “Nindies” on the Switch.

That house style is once again on full display in Super Crush KO, a classically-styled beat ’em up that’s been drenched in Vertex Pop’s signature pastel palette.

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Activision confirms that Call of Duty 2020 will be released this Fall

Posted on February 7, 2020 by John Scalzo

As he does every year, Punxsutawney Phil ventured out of his den this past weekend to once again deliver his weather forecast for the next six weeks. It’s a ritual that goes back decades, and while most people know the whole thing is just a put-on, there’s something nice about the ritual of it.

A similar sense of ritual surrounds Activision and their first financial report of the year. As they do every year, executives from the megapublisher have confirmed that a new game in the Call of Duty franchise will be released this Fall, but they didn’t have much more to say than that.

Currently codenamed Call of Duty 2020, Chief Operating Officer Coddy Johnson had this to say about the unannounced game:

So across console, PC, mobile and esports, the Call of Duty franchise has never been better positioned for growth and there is more to come, including entirely new experiences within the Modern Warfare universe, and then, of course, in Q4 of this year, a new premium Call of Duty release, which is already generating excitement in our play tests.

And Chief Financial Officer Dennis Durkin added a few words of his own:

In Q4, we plan to launch the next premium release of Call of Duty. We can’t wait to unveil what our teams have been working on, and we feel great about the content.

Though Activision is excited about the next entry in the Call of Duty franchise, there could be trouble on the horizon. It’s widely believed that Sledgehammer Games is behind Call of Duty 2020, but neither executive had anything to say on that subject. And a rumor report from last year hinted at possible problems with the development of the game, which could now be in the hands of Treyarch.

Like Punxsutawney Phil and the weather, our prognostication powers aren’t able to give a definitive answer on that rumor just yet. Hopefully we’ll learn something more concrete about Call of Duty 2020 soon… but for now, it’s nice to know that it exists.

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Switch launch for The Outer Worlds has been delayed due to the coronavirus

Posted on February 6, 2020 by John Scalzo

Private Division has just announced that the upcoming Nintendo Switch debut of The Outer Worlds has been indefinitely delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.

The Outer Worlds was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, and it was originally released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2019. At the same time, Private Division contracted Virtuos, a Chinese developer that specializes in porting games to new platforms, to bring the game to the Switch sometime this year. But the outbreak has forced a temporary closure of their office, and they’ve been unable to continue work on the game, which means it’ll miss its previously-announced March 6 launch date:

According to Private Division, everyone at Virtuos is doing OK, and they plan to announce a new release date soon. In the meantime, the publisher also confirmed that all retail copies of The Outer Worlds for the Switch will ship with a game cartridge in the box instead of the planned download voucher.

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Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle will come to PS4 and Switch on February 20

Posted on February 5, 2020 by John Scalzo

Arc System Works has announced plans to re-release more than a dozen NES classics in a new compilation featuring the Double Dragon and Kunio-Kun (River City Ransom) franchises.

Set to launch later this month, the Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle will contain 18 games in all, including 11 Kunio-Kun games that were never released outside of Japan, as well as all three Double Dragon games (Double Dragon, Double Dragon II: The Revenge, Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones), and four Kunio-Kun games that US fans might be more familiar with (Renegade, Super Dodge Ball, River City Ransom, Crash ‘N the Boys Street Challenge):

Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle, consists of 18 titles including seven Double Dragon and Kunio-kun vintage games from the 80s and 90s, and all 11 Kunio-Kun classic titles from the Family Computer Disk System that have been localized into English for the first time ever. Game genres vary from side-scrolling action, beat ’em up, sports, and action RPG. Online play mode is available for all titles, and a total of 55 in-game missions are waiting for you to obtain nicknames and avatars to show off to your friends! Can you complete all the games?

The Double Dragon & Kunio-Kun Retro Brawler Bundle will be available to download for the PS4 and Switch beginning on February 20, and you can learn more about the games included in the compilation after the break.

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Co-founder Dan Houser will leave Rockstar Games in March

Posted on February 5, 2020 by John Scalzo

Dan Houser co-founded Rockstar Games in 1998 alongside Terry Donovan, Jamie King, and his brother Sam. Currently serving as Vice President of their Creative division, he has lent his writing talents to almost all of the publisher’s most popular and well-received games, including the Grand Theft Auto franchise, Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2, Max Payne 3, and Bully.

But after an illustrious career, Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, has announced that Houser will be leaving the company in March.

This is definitely a huge blow to the creative side of Rockstar Games, which is widely believed to be hard at work on Grand Theft Auto VI. How this news will affect the sequel’s development remains to be seen, but Take-Two said the rest of the development team “remains focused on current and future projects”:

After an extended break beginning in the spring of 2019, Dan Houser, Vice President, Creative at Rockstar Games, will be leaving the company. Dan Houser’s last day will be March 11, 2020. We are extremely grateful for his contributions. Rockstar Games has built some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful game worlds, a global community of passionate fans and an incredibly talented team, which remains focused on current and future projects.

While it’s a few years old now, the most extensive look back at Houser’s career can be found in David Kushner’s excellent behind-the-scenes investigation into Rockstar Games, Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto.

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Daemon X Machina is coming to the PC (via Steam) next week

Posted on February 4, 2020 by John Scalzo

Originally published by Nintendo as a Switch-exclusive in 2019, XSEED Games and Marvelous Entertainment have announced that Daemon X Machina will be making its way to the PC (via Steam) on February 13. If you missed the mech shooter the first time around, a new trailer has been embedded above, and here’s a brief tease at what you can expect from the game:

Daemon X Machina puts players in the cockpit in a fight for the future of humanity. Taking the role of an Outer, a new breed of human that emerged following a global catastrophe, players will suit up and pilot their fully customizable mechs, called Arsenals, on the front line of a desperate war for survival against corrupted AIs known as “Immortals.” Team up with fellow mercenaries in the Orbital organization to turn the tide, but be careful – mercenaries always have their price, and today’s allies can become tomorrow’s enemies.

Daemon X Machina’s PC debut will contain several new features, including “visual upgrades” and new “customization options.” And if you’d rather not use a PC controller to play, the game will also include support for keyboard and mouse controls. XSEED also said that Daemon X Machina will include all content updates from the Switch version (except for some licensed DLC).

Players who pre-order Daemon X Machina before launch will receive a 20% discount and access to bonus weaponry and outfits in the Prototype Arsenal Set and the Metallic Equipment Set.

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Platinum Games turns to Kickstarter to bring The Wonderful 101 Remastered to Switch, PS4, and PC

Posted on February 3, 2020 by John Scalzo

Grand Theft Auto V completely upended the video game industry when it was released in September 2013. It even managed to overshadow the first collaboration between Nintendo and Platinum Games, The Wonderful 101, which launched the same week. While GTA5 continues to smash sales records, the love for The Wonderful 101 has been kept alive thanks to a dedicated cult following that seems to grow larger every year.

And now it’s back!

After multiple rumors that a modern port was in the works, Platinum has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter to bring the game to the Switch this April as The Wonderful 101 Remastered. The modest $50,000 target has already been reached, as have Stretch Goals to eventually bring the game to the PC and PS4. If the developer receives further funds from fans (which is almost a guarantee at this point), they plan to add a series of downloadable content to the game, which will be free for all players.

With the short turnaround time from campaign to release, it’s safe to say that the Switch version of The Wonderful 101 Remastered is already complete and what backers are actually doing is pre-ordering their copy of the game through Kickstarter. Fans can also pledge to receive a wide range of goodies through the campaign, including t-shirts, custom controllers, several soundtrack options, character figures, a comic, and more.

Platinum will self-publish The Wonderful 101 Remastered, though they’re also partnering with Nighthawk Interactive to distribute a Physical Version of the game to backers and through retail stores.

I expect we’re going to learn a lot more about the game as the campaign continues through the end of the month.

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NIS America will bring five playable demos (including one secret game) to PAX East 2020

Posted on February 3, 2020 by John Scalzo

NIS America has announced that they’re bringing five playable demos to this year’s PAX East convention… including one secret game.

The ones that we know about include a pair of compilations coming in March (Langrisser I & II and La-Mulana 1 & 2), a survival adventure set to launch this April (Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories), and the Switch debut of a popular RPG series (The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III).

But because everyone loves a secret, it’s that fifth game that’s sure to get attendees (and everyone else) excited. NIS America isn’t offering any hints as to what else they’re bringing to Boston, but it will be playable at their booth.

This year’s PAX East convention will take place from February 27th through March 1, and you can learn more about NIS America’s game lineup after the break.

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