Call of Duty: Modern Warfare blows away the competition as the best-selling game of October 2019

Posted on November 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

According to The NPD Group (via Twitter), yet another Call of Duty game has debuted as the best-selling game in the US during its first month on sale for the 12th straight year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare blew away the competition in October, and it has also settled in as the best-selling of 2019 (so far). And if history is any guide, it will likely remain in that spot throughout November and December.

But there were plenty of other titles that debuted last month that also managed to resonate with gamers.

Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds debuted at #2, and it was followed closely by Nintendo’s Luigi’s Mansion 3 at #3. Rounding out the top ten (at #10) was Nintendo’s exercise RPG, Ring Fit Adventure. Going further down the list, Overwatch‘s Switch debut helped push it back into the spotlight (and the #16 slot).

Overall, the game industry has tallied $9.3 billion in sales through the first ten months of the year, a roughly 10% drop from 2018.

You can find the full list of best-selling games from October 2019 after the break.

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Minecraft Dungeons will launch in April 2020

Posted on November 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

Microsoft very briefly turned the spotlight on Minecraft Dungeons at their X019 event today, but it was a big moment for everyone wondering when we’ll finally get the chance to play Mojang’s multiplayer dungeon-crawling spinoff.

According to Microsoft, Minecraft Dungeons will be released for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One in April 2020, which is right smack in the middle of the game’s previous “Spring 2020” launch window.

A (very) short Release Date Trailer for Minecraft Dungeons has been embedded above.

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Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 and Kingdom Hearts 2.8 compilations will come to Xbox One in 2020

Posted on November 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

The long-awaited Kingdom Hearts III launched earlier this year to rapturous applause on both the PS4 and Xbox One. But Xbox One owners wanting to try out the rest of the series have so far been out of luck. That all changes in 2020 as Microsoft and Square Enix will bring two massive Kingdom Hearts to the console sometime in the near future.

Announced today at Microsoft’s X019 event in London, both Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue are currently in development for the Xbox One. Here’s what players can expect from each compilation:

Kingdom Hearts: HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix

  • Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix
  • Kingdom Hearts: ReChain of Memories
  • Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (Cinematics Only)
  • Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix
  • Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep – Final Mix
  • Kingdom Hearts: ReCoded (Cinematics Only)

Kingdom Hearts: HD 2.8: Final Chapter Prologue

  • Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD
  • Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage
  • Kingdom Hearts X: Back Cover (Cinematics Only)

To celebrate this new partnership, Square Enix has slashed the price of Kingdom Hearts III on both the Xbox Games Store and the PlayStation Store. Until November 22, the RPG will be available to purchase for just $19.79 (that’s a 67% discount off the regular price).

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Sindel will be added to Mortal Kombat 11 later this month

Posted on November 14, 2019 by John Scalzo

Sindel will strut her way into Mortal Kombat 11 later this month, but a Queen requires a proper entrance, and so NetherRealm Studios unveiled a brand new Gameplay Trailer for the character earlier today.

Sindel still serves Quan Chi as one of his revenants in Mortal Kombat 11, and as you might have guessed, her moveset features plenty of hair-raising attacks, as well as her debilitating Banshee Scream. You can see her in action in the video embedded above (be sure to stick around for a pretty gruesome Fatality at the end).

Mortal Kombat 11 players who have purchased the Kombat Pack will receive access to Sindel (as well as the Gothic Horror Skin Pack and a Klassic Cassie Cage Skin) on November 26. All other players will be able to purchase the character as a standalone download beginning a week later on December 3.

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Shovel Knight’s King of Cards and Showdown expansions will be released on December 10

Posted on November 13, 2019 by John Scalzo

Yacht Club Games has announced that the first chapter of the Shovel Knight saga is finally coming to a close after four expansions and five glorious years (though you’ll need to tack on an additional year if you want to go all the way back to the Kickstarter campaign). Yesterday, the developer confirmed that Shovel Knight: King of Cards and Shovel Knight Showdown will both be released on December 10.

King of Cards is a followup to Plague of Shadows and Specter of Torment, and it’ll be the final side-story starring a member of the villainous Order of No Quarter. Meanwhile, Showdown breaks from tradition and isn’t a platformer at all. Instead, it’s a multiplayer fighting game that features the franchise’s entire cast, along with a huge single-player adventure.

Fans who originally backed the Kickstarter campaign for Shovel Knight, or who own the Treasure Trove bundle, will receive both expansions for free. The King of Cards expansion will be available for the 3DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One, while Showdown will be available for the PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, and Xbox One.

Yacht Club will also release King of Cards and Showdown as standalone downloads for fans who are digging into the franchise for the first for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

Finally, the developer will try to also take over your favorite game store on December 10th with the release of a pair of Amiibo sets (a Treasure Trove 3-Pack and a Gold Edition Shovel Knight), as well as a Physical Edition of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (which includes the original game and all four expansions) for the Switch and Xbox One. A PS4 version of the Physical Edition will follow in 2020.

Whew, that’s a lot of Shovel Knight. But don’t forget, Yacht Club is also hard at work on a 16-bit-styled sequel/spin-off known as Shovel Knight Dig.

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Only 12 games will be available to buy through Google Stadia at launch

Posted on November 12, 2019 by John Scalzo

Back in June, Google said they were expecting to launch their Google Stadia game streaming service with at least 25 games, but it looks like the search giant has had to cut that number as we get closer to the service’s November 19th launch.

All Stadia Pro subscribers will still receive a free copy of Destiny 2: The Collection as part of their subscription, but according to the official Google Blog, the Stadia Store will only include 11 other games for purchase on “Day One” (on top of the $10 per month subscription cost). This launch lineup will include a Stadia-exclusive horror game from Tequila Works, Gylt, as well as Mortal Kombat 11, Red Dead Redemption 2, and a handful of other titles:

Games Available at Launch for Google Stadia

  • Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
  • Destiny 2: The Collection
  • Gylt
  • Just Dance 2020
  • Kine
  • Mortal Kombat 11
  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Rise of the Tomb Raider
  • Samurai Showdown
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider
  • Thumper
  • Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition

While they won’t be available on launch day, Google has promised that an additional 14 titles will be added to the Stadia Store before the end of the year:

Games Set to Launch Before the End of 2019 for Google Stadia

  • Attack On Titan 2: Final Battle
  • Borderlands 3
  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
  • Farming Simulator 19
  • Final Fantasy XV
  • Football Manager 2020
  • Grid
  • Metro Exodus
  • NBA 2K20
  • Rage 2
  • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint
  • Trials Rising
  • Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Google Stadia’s “free” tier, Google Base, will be available sometime in 2020. However, users will still need to purchase titles on an individual basis before they can stream them.

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Paramount debuts Sonic’s redesign in a new trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie

Posted on November 12, 2019 by John Scalzo

Paramount has been plugging away on a Sonic the Hedgehog movie for a few years now, and they gave us our first look at the Blue Blur’s cinematic debut back in April. While the clip was “endearingly goofy,” Sonic just didn’t look like Sonic… and the response from fans was brutal.

But rather than take their lumps and release the movie as is, Paramount delayed the theatrical release of Sonic the Hedgehog into next year and promised to rework the character’s design. This morning, the production company unleashed the first trailer featuring the redesigned Sonic… and it’s actually pretty great.

Sonic’s redesign gave the character his gloves back, and he now looks much closer to his Genesis counterpart in every way. Paramount even winked at their earlier misfire in the opening seconds of the clip (“I’m Sonic, a little ball of super-energy in an extremely handsome package.”). But best of all, the same goofy energy that pervaded the first trailer is still there in the new trailer, and Jim Carrey is still doing his crazy Jim Carrey thing as Robotnik.

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie will be out in theaters on February 14, 2020. I’m cautiously optimistic.

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Square Enix’s Romancing Saga 3 is now available in English for the first time

Posted on November 11, 2019 by John Scalzo

It’s been a struggle for RPG fans in North America and Europe to experience Square Enix’s long-running Saga franchise over the years. While the earliest Saga games were brought West under the Final Fantasy Legend banner, many of the later entries were only released in Japan by the publisher.

Thankfully, Square Enix has recently begun filling in those missing piece with a handful of Saga-related re-releases, including today’s launch of Romancing Saga 3.

Originally released for the Super NES in 1995, Romancing Saga 3 follows eight different protagonists, “each with their own motives and unique personalities.” This HD remaster of the game will give players outside of Japan their first chance to try out the turn-based RPG, which will include upgraded graphics, new areas to explore, and a New Game+ option:

Romancing Saga 3 gives players the freedom to forge their own path, choosing to play through eight different narratives led by eight protagonists, each with their own motives and unique personalities. Developed by industry veterans, including renowned developer Akitoshi Kawazu (Final Fantasy, Romancing SaGa, SaGa Frontier), this HD remaster will feature optimized graphics, a new dungeon called the Phantom Maze to explore, and a New Game+ function. Romancing Saga 3 adds new storylines to the game original game, making it the perfect time for both new and veteran players to experience the SaGa series.

Romancing Saga 3 is now available to download for the PC, PS4, Switch, Vita, Xbox One, and mobile devices. A Launch Trailer for the RPG re-release has been embedded above.

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