EA still plans to release Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 3 and a new Need For Speed game later this year

Posted on July 31, 2019 by John Scalzo

Back in February of this year, Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson said that the publisher planned to launch Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 3 and a new Need For Speed game in 2019. And with Summer rapidly coming to an end, the executive made an appearance at Electronic Arts’s quarterly financial presentation yesterday to reconfirm that both games are still on track.

According to Wilson, the currently-untitled Need For Speed game will definitely make its public debut at next month’s Gamescom convention in Germany, and Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 3 shouldn’t be too far behind:

We’ll take the wraps off our new Need For Speed game heading into Gamescom in a few weeks. We have a Plants Vs Zombies shooter title coming to console and PC later this year.

Gamescom will throw open its doors on August 20, so we’ll likely learn more about Need For Speed 2019 and Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 3 then.

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Zombieland: Double Tap – Road Trip is a twin-stick shooter coming this October

Posted on July 30, 2019 by John Scalzo

It took ten long years for a Zombieland sequel to finally make its way to theaters, but fans of the franchise will be able to double up on the further adventures of Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock in Zombieland: Double Tap – Road Trip, an upcoming interquel from GameMill Entertainment and High Voltage Software that picks up right where the first movie ends.

Road Trip will follow the film’s foursome as they romp across the remains of the United States in a top-down twin-stick shooter. In addition to a cooperatively-inclined four-player Campaign Mode, players will also be able to partake in a wave-based Horde Mode and ongoing Daily and Weekly Challenges:

Zombieland: Double Tap – Road Trip is the wild, twin-stick cooperative shooter that tells the story of how the characters you love found their way from Pacific Playland at the end of Zombieland to the start of the sequel. With mayhem, irreverence, and more gore than the ESRB recommends you witness, we’re bringing you an untold chapter in the lives of our heroes. Take the role of one of the classic four heroes, or even one of the new faces, and combat an endless horde of over-the-top zombies!

Zombieland: Double Tap – Road Trip is currently in development for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It’ll launch on October 15, just three days before Zombieland: Double Tap arrives in theaters.

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Blazing Chrome Review – An Excellent Homage to Contra III and an Even Better Side-Scrolling Shooter

Posted on July 29, 2019 by John Scalzo

During this year’s E3 Expo, Konami shared the good news that they plan to resurrect the Contra franchise this Fall with Contra: Rogue Corps. But after eight long years in limbo, the publisher has decided to once again ditch the franchise’s traditional side-scrolling action for an overhead viewpoint and a wildly over-the-top art style. Sometimes, this has worked out well for Contra (2004’s Neo Contra instantly springs to mind), but other times… not so much.

There’s still a few months to go before we get a chance to test out Rogue Corps’s final form, but JoyMasher wants to fill the gap with a game that should please everyone looking for another dose of Contra-fueled nostalgia. The Brazilian developer recently delivered Blazing Chrome on all your favorite digital storefronts, and it’s a side-scrolling shooter that faithfully recreates the grungy post-apocalyptic vibe found in a lot of early 90s shooters (with most of its inspiration coming directly from Contra III: The Alien Wars).

While Blazing Chrome might not be an official new entry in the Contra canon, as an homage it gets almost everything right.

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Obsidian will bring Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition to Switch on August 8

Posted on July 26, 2019 by John Scalzo

The steady drip feed of indie releases on the Switch continues to grow as Obsidian Entertainment and Versus Evil announced today that Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition will be available for the console next month. Originally released for the PC in 2015, the RPG will launch on the Switch alongside its two-part expansion, The White March: Parts I & II…

Take your party on the ultimate role-playing experience, Pillars of Eternity finally comes to Nintendo Switch! Created by the masters at Obsidian Entertainment, Pillars of Eternity released to critical acclaim and dozens of awards on PC. Now the fantastical world, tactical combat, and unforgettable storyline can be taken anywhere you go.

Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition includes all the additional content from the PC version, including the DLC and expansions. The game has been optimized to play comfortably in front of your TV with controllers or in handheld mode. Easily navigate the game’s detailed character creation, real-time-with-pause combat, and party management thanks to thoughtful updates to UI and controls.

Gather your party, venture forth, and embrace adventure as you delve into a realm of wonder, nostalgia, and the excitement of classic RPGs with Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity!

Pillars of Eternity: Complete Edition will be released for the Switch on August 8. An Announcement Trailer has been embedded above.

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Doom, Doom II, and Doom 3 now available for PS4, Switch, and Xbox One

Posted on July 26, 2019 by John Scalzo

Well this is a nice surprise.

Bethesda kicked off this year’s QuakeCon by announcing that Doom (1993), Doom II: Hell On Earth, and Doom 3 are all now available to download for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. Mobile players can also now download the first two games in the series through the iOS App Store or the Google Play Store for the first time.

Doom (1993) and Doom II: Hell On Earth will feature splitscreen deathmatch and co-op on consoles, while all three games will come complete with their expansion packs on all platforms:

Doom (1993)
First released in 1993, Doom introduced millions of gamers to the fast-paced, white-knuckle, demon-slaying action the franchise is known for. The game also includes the expansion, Episode IV: Thy Flesh Consumed, and the console versions will allow players to duke it out in split-screen four-player deathmatch, as well as split-screen co-op.

Doom II: Hell On Earth
This beloved sequel to the groundbreaking Doom gave players the brutal Super Shotgun to bear against deadlier demons, and the infamous boss, the Icon of Sin. The re-release of Doom II includes The Master Levels for Doom II, and the console versions will allow users to play split-screen four-player deathmatch, as well as split-screen co-op.

Doom 3
In this critically acclaimed action-horror re-telling of the original Doom, players must battle their way through a demon-infested facility before entering the abyss to battle Hell’s mightiest warrior… and put an end to the invasion. Doom 3 also includes the Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Missions expansion packs.

Fingers crossed that Doom 64 is next up for a re-release, but it’s complicated development history means I’m not getting my hopes up.

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Open Beta begins for top-down battle royale Watchers

Posted on July 22, 2019 by John Scalzo

If you’re a fan of dystopian sci-fi like The Running Man or The Hunger Games, you know the scene. A group of contestants will be fighting to the death at the behest of some horrible overlord, but the action will constantly cut back to the faceless workers in “The Control Room,” who tirelessly work to add chaos to the arena (usually while some plucky resistance group plots to take them down).

Now, Alawar Premium and Blindfold have taken this pretty established locale and tweaked it for their new top-down battle royale, Watchers.

In Watchers, players will do battle with their friends and neighbors in an “arena” that looks a lot like a suburban housing development. But combatants eliminated from the game will be able to return as “Watchers” who can change the course of a match by deploying anomalies against the remaining players:

Watchers is a free-to-play Battle Royale top-down shooter where killed battlers enter a unique Watcher game mode. Watchers bet on their favorite battlers and influence the course of battle through experiments. The fewer battlers remain on the map, the more Watchers are out there ready to execute different experiments and turning the tide of the battle.

An Open Beta for Watchers is now available to download for the PC through the game’s official website, and interested participants can jump into a match everyday (at specified times) between now and August 4.

The first trailer for Watchers has been embedded above.

Posted in News, PC |

Super Mario Maker 2 builds its way to the top of June 2019’s list of best-selling games

Posted on July 18, 2019 by John Scalzo

It was only available on store shelves for a handful days during the month, but Nintendo’s Super Mario Maker 2 has been crowned the best-selling game of June 2019 by The NPD Group.

According to the analyst firm’s rankings (as posted by NPD’s Mat Piscatella on Twitter), Super Mario Maker 2 fended off a challenge by fellow new release Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled (which took the #2 spot) to come out on top, as well as surging sales from Mortal Kombat 11 (#3), Grand Theft Auto V (#4), and Minecraft (#5). No other new release managed to break into the Top 20, but more mainstays filled out the rest of the list, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (#6), Mario Kart 8 (#9), Red Dead Redemption 2 (#12), and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#13).

However, without a robust new release slate, overall sales for the gaming industry dropped slightly in June 2019 versus a year ago. According to NPD, total sales of hardware, software, and accessories reached $959 million last month, a 13% decline from June 2018.

Unsurprisingly, the Switch was the best-selling hardware platform last month, and that’s unlikely to change throughout the year as the launch of the Switch Lite approaches and as gamers continue to save their pennies for the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett.

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

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Posted in News, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One | Tagged ,

Doom: Annihilation will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 1

Posted on July 16, 2019 by John Scalzo

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has announced they’ll release Doom: Annihilation on Blu-ray and DVD on October 1… just in time for the spooky season.

Doom: Annihilation is a Direct-To-Video reboot for the film franchise, and it won’t have any connection to 2005’s Doom (which, believe it or not, starred The Rock before he became one of the biggest movie stars in the world). Nor is it based on id Software’s excellent Doom 2016 or it’s upcoming sequel, Doom Eternal. However, it is rated R (for “bloody violence and language throughout”), and it has portals to Hell, a bunch of nasty demons, and a platoon of space marines to serve as gory cannon fodder:

Based on the popular original video game, Doom: Annihilation is an explosive, terrifying thrill ride. On the darkest moon of Mars, scientists have found an ancient portal which allows teleportation throughout the universe. Considered to be mankind’s greatest discovery, it’s actually a gateway from Hell, unleashing a swarm of demons looking to steal the souls of everyone who gets in their way. It’s up to Lieutenant Joan Dark and an elite unit of Marines to destroy an ever-growing horde of bloodsucking and soul-stealing beasts and prevent them from taking over planet Earth.

Doom: Annihilation probably won’t be a cinematic masterpiece, but there’s surely worse ways to fill time on a dreary October day.

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