All Articles: Minecraft
New Retail Releases: Mario Tennis Aces, Minecraft Switch Edition, New Gundam Breaker, More
It’s another week for new releases and Nintendo is leading the way with two new Switch games (and other publishers are getting in on the fun as well)…
Mario returns to the tennis court this week in Mario Tennis Aces for the Switch. Aces includes local and online multplayer, as well as a brand new Story Mode.
Nintendo is also teaming up with Mojang to release a Retail Edition of Minecraft for the Switch this week. Already available to download through the Nintendo eShop, Minecraft’s Retail Edition includes the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack expansion and cross-platform play.
Sliding over to the PS4 side of the store, Bandai Namco will launch New Gundam Breaker this week. Based on the Gunpla series of collectibles, players will build their own toy Gundam and do battle with other toy Gundams in a single-player Story Mode or a 3v3 Co-Op Mode.
Coming to the PS4 and the Switch this week is NIS America’s latest RPG, The Lost Child. Developed by Kadokawa Games, The Lost Child follows “occult journalist” Hayato Ibuki as he uses a mysterious device to capture horrific monsters and arcane creatures in Tokyo.
Finally this week, Image & Form will release a Retail Edition for the PS4 and Switch of their acclaimed “MetroidVania,” SteamWorld Dig 2. And Villa Gorilla will do the same on the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One for their “pinball platformer,” Yoku’s Island Express.
That’s all for now, but we’ll be back later this week with a look at all the new additions to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.
World Video Game Hall of Fame announces finalists for Class of 2018
Curators at the International Center for the History of Electronic Games and the Strong Museum have announced the finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. Eight games will get their first chance to be inducted into gaming’s inner circle, including Asteroids, Call of Duty, Dance Dance Revolution, Half-Life, King’s Quest, Metroid, Ms. Pac-Man, and Spacewar!.
Two other games, Final Fantasy VII and Tomb Raider, were previously in the finalist pool for the Class of 2017. They’ll get another chance this year alongside John Madden Football and Minecraft, which were previously on the ballot in 2016.
The World Video Game Hall of Fame will announce the inductees for the Class of 2018 on Thursday, May 3, at 10:30 AM. But this year, fans will get a vote in the first-ever Player’s Choice ballot. According to the rules, “the three games that receive the most public votes will form one “Player’s Choice” ballot, which will join the 27 other ballots submitted by members of the International Selection Advisory Committee, a supporting group composed of journalists, scholars, and other individuals familiar with the history of video games and their role in society.” Fans can make their voice heard through the Player’s Choice ballot once a day until April 4th. So vote early and vote often!
And if, for some reason, you’re unfamiliar with this year’s finalists, the World Video Game Hall of Fame has put together a helpful cheat sheet that can be found after the break. (more…)
New Retail Releases: Xbox One X, Sonic Forces, Need For Speed Payback, More
Microsoft will launch their massively-powerful Xbox One X console this week, and Sony will counter with a brand new hardware bundle of their own with the PlayStation VR + Gran Turismo Sport Bundle.
But this week truly belongs to Nintendo, as Doom, Farming Simulator: Nintendo Switch Edition, and a new boxed edition of Snipperclips Plus: Cut It Out Together! will all make their retail debut this week. The consolemaker will shine a spotlight on the 3DS with the release of Mario Party: The Top 100 and a boxed edition of Minecraft: New 3DS Edition.
Elsewhere on store shelves this week, Sega will release Sonic Forces for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, while Electronic Arts will also put the pedal to the metal in Need For Speed Payback on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Finally, Microsoft will usher their new console with Super Lucky’s Tale, a throwback platformer for players of all ages.
A complete rundown of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will launch on the Xbox One on December 12… Stranger Things Skin Pack now available in Minecraft
A hundred players parachute onto the island, but the game is almost ready to parachute onto the Xbox One. That’s right, PUBG Corp has announced a release date for the Xbox One launch of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds at Paris Games Week.
Also today, Mojang is adding the potent fanbase of Stranger Things to Minecraft with a new Skin Pack.
You can read more about both stories after the break. (more…)
No surprise there… Madden NFL 18 was the best-selling game in August 2017
It gets harder and harder every year to interpret the NFL rulebook, but one thing is always certain… the latest entry in the Madden NFL series will be the best-selling game in August.
That axiom held true once again this year, as The NPD Group declared that Madden NFL 18 was the best-selling game of last month. August 2017’s other big sellers include Grand Theft Auto V (#2), Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (#3), Splatoon 2 (#4), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), and the newly-launched Agents of Mayhem (#16).
You can read more about last month’s best-sellers and view the monthly Top 20 after the break. (more…)
Minecraft: New 3DS Edition, Metroid: Samus Returns, NBA 2K18, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week
Are you ready for more Minecraft? Nintendo and Mojang teamed up to surprise launch Minecraft: New 3DS Edition on the Nintendo eShop earlier this week. The sandbox game is available to download exclusively for the New 3DS and comes bundled with five Skin Packs and two Texture Packs.
Other games available to download this week include Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS), an enhanced remake of 1991’s Metroid II: Return of Samus; NBA 2K18 (Switch), the latest basketball sim from 2K Games; and Earthlock: Festival of Magic, an RPG from Snowcastle Games.
You can learn more about all of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop after the break. (more…)
Splatoon 2 is swimming in green ink as the best-selling game from July 2017
The first year for Nintendo’s Switch continues to go swimmingly, and another exclusive release for the console has claimed the top spot in The NPD Group’s monthly tally of best-selling games.
Splatoon 2 was the top-selling game in July, beating out Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (#2) and a resurgent Grand Theft Auto V (#3). Three other Switch games managed to crack the Top 20, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#5), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#7), and Arms (#17).
According to GamesIndustry.biz, the Switch was also the best-selling console in July. Nintendo’s new device is so popular that it helped push monthly sales to $588 million, a 19% increase over July 2016.
The remainder of the Top 20 was made up of the usual suspects, including Tom Clancy games (Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege at #9 and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands at #11) and three Call of Duty games (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered at #12, Call of Duty: Black Ops III at #13, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare at #15).
The NPD’s complete “Top 20 Best-Selling Games” from July 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)
The 1-2 punch of Tekken 7 and Injustice 2 sit atop the best-selling games list for June 2017
Fighting game fans have proven, once again, that the genre is alive and well. According to the NPD Group’s recounting of the best-selling games in June, Tekken 7 (#1) and Injustice 2 (#2) took the top two spots. Nintendo’s bizarro take on the genre, Arms, also made a strong debut in the #5 spot.
Speaking of the Switch, Nintendo’s newest console continued to push the game industry to new heights in June, as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (#6) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#7) stayed in the top ten.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, NPD Analyst Mat Piscatella said: “The Nintendo Switch has been the catalyst for year-to-date growth. Year-to-date, hardware spending has grown 19% versus 2016 to $1.4 billion.”
However, older titles also performed well in June, including Grand Theft Auto V (#3), Overwatch (#9), and Minecraft (#17). 2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III (#12) even managed to outsell 2016’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (#15).
A complete look at the Top 20 for June 2017 can be found after the break. (more…)