All Articles: Minecraft
The Strong announces finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015
The Strong National Museum of Play and the International Center for the History of Electronic Games have announced the finalists for the inaugural class of the World Video Game Hall of Fame. More than a dozen classic games passed this first test on their way to video game immortality, which were selected from thousands of nominations that poured in from gamers all across the world. Nominations for the Class of 2015 were accepted from February 17 through March 31, but in case you missed out, the Hall of Fame is already accepting games for next year’s class.
This year’s inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be chosen from the finalist pool by an “international selection committee” made up of journalists, scholars, and other individuals. The inaugural class will be announced on June 4 at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time) during a ceremony at The Strong.
The finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 include:
- Angry Birds
- Doom
- FIFA International Soccer
- The Legend of Zelda
- Minecraft
- The Oregon Trail
- Pac-Man
- Pokemon Red/Blue
- Pong
- The Sims
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Space Invaders
- Super Mario Bros.
- Tetris
- World of Warcraft
“The 15 finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame span decades, gaming platforms, and geographies… but what they all have in common is their undeniable impact on popular culture and society in general,” said Jon-Paul Dyson, the Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games.
Inductees into the World Video Game Hall of Fame will be selected based on the following criteria: “Icon Status,” “Longevity,” “Geographical Reach,” and “Influence.” All 15 finalists certainly qualify, but I know I’ll be rooting for Tetris.
Minecraft on consoles gets female character; Sony platforms receive Simpsons Skin Pack
Mojang made three big Minecraft-related announcements today…
First, Mojang has announced that all console players will be able to play as Alex, a female character, beginning Wednesday. According to Mojang’s Owen Hill (writing on the company’s official website), Alex was added to the game because “jolly old Steve doesn’t really represent the diversity of our playerbase.” All eight “Alex” skins will be available as a free update on the PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Alex has been available for PC players since last year.
Today’s second big announcement is that The Simpsons Skin Pack will be available to download on PlayStation platforms this Wednesday. It’ll be priced at $2.99 and include 24 of your favorite Springfieldians.
Finally, Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition will receive 30 additional Achievements that were introduced to the game in Minecraft: Xbox One Edition. A few extra music tracks will also be included in this update.
Battlefield Hardline pulls off a heist to become best-selling game of March 2015
Hey, have you heard of this Bloodborne game? I hear its pretty popular and that Sony’s got a bonafide hit on their hands. It even sold more than a million copies. For all the acclaim Bloodborne has received and all the copies it surely has sold, the game was topped in last month’s NPD rankings by Battlefield Hardline. Developed by Visceral Games, Battlefield Hardline is a cops-and-robbers spin on the Battlefield series and it, not Bloodborne, managed to become the best-selling game of March 2015.
That said, nearly every game of note managed to crash the top ten last month including Mario Party 10 (#4), MLB 15: The Show (#6), Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (#9), and Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (#10). Nintendo’s Code Name: STEAM was the only other March release that seemed like it might have enough juice to reach the top ten, but it was pushed out by Grand Theft Auto V (#3), Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (#5), and other returning heavy hitters.
The NPD Group (via Game Informer) used this new release drought to explain why March 2015’s game sales were down 6% from the same month a year ago. NPD’s Liam Callahan was also quick to point out that March 2014 saw the release of two very well-received games in TitanFall and InFamous: Second Son. Callahan also confirmed that the PS4 outsold the Xbox One for another month.
March 2015’s top ten best-selling titles can be found after the break. (more…)
Minecraft: Mass Effect Mash-Up Pack finally comes to PS4, PS3, Vita
After launching on the Xbox 360 nearly two years ago, Minecraft‘s Mass Effect Mash-Up Pack finally made its way to the PS3, PS4, and Vita yesterday.
Priced at $3.99, the Mass Effect Mash-Up Pack adds 36 Mass Effect Skins, a “Pre-Built Mars Facility” World, a Mass Effect Texture Set, a Mass Effect-themed UI, and 22 music tracks from Mass Effect 3 to your Minecraft experience.
For those looking to further their Minecraft design skills, the Pattern Texture Pack ($0.99) was also released yesterday. The pack will add “bright colors, beautiful patterns, and knitted animals” to the game.
Destiny wins “Best Game” at 2015 BAFTA Game Awards
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) handed out their Game Awards last night and Bungie’s Destiny was awarded “Best Game.” The top prize was Destiny’s only win at the ceremony as the British Academy decided to spread the Game Awards around to many different deserving titles.
However, that didn’t stop Monument Valley from winning big. The mobile title from Ustwo captured the “British Game” award as well as the “Mobile & Handheld” award. Other only other multi-winner last night was Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us: Left Behind, which took home the “Story” award and the “Performer” award for Ashley Johnson’s portrayal of Ellie.
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which won “Game of the Year” at the GDC Awards only managed to come away with the “Game Design” award at the BAFTAs. Dragon Age: Inquisition, which won “Game of the Year” at both Geoff Keighley’s Game Awards and the DICE Awards, went home empty-handed at the BAFTAs.
The complete list of winners can be found after the break. (more…)
The Simpsons Skin Pack now available for Minecraft on Xbox One, Xbox 360
Are you ready to rasta-fy your Minecraft experience by 10%? Microsoft has announced that “Simpsons Skin Pack” is now available to download through Minecraft: Xbox One Edition and Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. The pack includes the five members of the immediate Simpson family (apologies to Grandpa Simpson) and 19 characters you’ll often find roaming the halls of Springfield Elementary School.
The full list of characters included in the “Simpsons Skin Pack” can be found right here:
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You’d think that going for the “Sherri, but not Terri” joke would be pretty obvious. And yet, there they both are at the bottom of the list.