News::Rumor: Mario Kart 8 drifts onto Wii U in April 2014

After Wii Sports, which had the benefit of being bundled with all non-Japanese Wiis for the longest time, Mario Kart Wii is the best-selling game for Nintendo's white wonder -- it's moved over 34 million units as of this past December. If ever there was a title that could kick the flagging Wii U into gear, a new Mario Kart would be it.

We've known since E3 that Mario Kart 8 would miss the holiday season, leaving Wii U in the hands of Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World, and a bounty of others. No definite release date outside of a nebulous "Spring 2014" was given, but a possible slip-up in a recent Nintendo of Europe newsletter pegs the month as April. This tidbit comes from Twitter user DeSero, who uploaded a pic of the email Nintendo supposedly sent out.

MK Wii also released in an April, so this news sounds pretty legit to me. I wonder why Nintendo couldn't get this out in time for Christmas, however. Wii U needs all its big guns out yesterday.

@DeSero [Twitter via NeoGAF]

Read more...



via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/rumor-mario-kart-8-drifts-onto-wii-u-in-april-2014-257263.phtml

News::Company of Heroes 2 Review | DigitalChumps

DigitalChumps write: 'Recently at E3, I spent a few minutes talking with one of the developers of Relic Entertainment and also briefly checked out the multiplayer action of Company of Heroes 2 (CoH2). Relic is known for PC RTS games, with a portfolio that includes Homeworld, the Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War series, and the original Company of Heroes. Recently acquired by Sega, CoH2 is Relic's first RTS release since Dawn of War II in 2009. A typical WWII game it is not, or at least not quite -- this isn't Axis and Allies, it's the Eastern Front, with the Soviets against the invading Nazis.'



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292811/company-of-heroes-2-review-digitalchumps

News::E3 2013: DayZ Standalone Interview | Original-Gamer.com

Original-Gamer.com: "Matt Lightfoot was part of the original team that made the DayZ mod for ArmA II at Bohemia Interactive. He's now part of the team that is creating the new DayZ Standalone that will improve almost every aspect of the original DayZ mod."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292833/e3-2013-dayz-standalone-interview-original-gamer-com

News::E3 2013: Northwest Vista College Time Glitch Team Interview | Original-Gamer.com

Original-Gamer.com: "The team from Northwest Vista College in San Antonio were 1 of 5 finalists for the E3 College Game Competition. They beat out almost 400 different teams with their 3rd person action game, Time Glitch that was show on the floor at E3 2013."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292836/e3-2013-northwest-vista-college-time-glitch-team-interview-original-gamer-com

News::Why People Love Valve And Steam Ten Simple Reasons

There are a lot of comparisons out there between digital distributors on PC and marketplaces on other platforms. We often hear that just because someone has a digital distribution platform it's just like Steam. However, that's not always true and there's a reason why people have grown to like and even love Steam, as well as Valve, the private company that operates the service. Here are some of the basic reasons why people have fallen in love with Jedi Master Gaben and the Steam-powered network.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292851/why-people-love-valve-and-steam-ten-simple-reasons

News::Final Fantasy b-boying is the best thing

No weak Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo jokes here. This is seriously cool.

Dance choreographers Mike Song and Tony Tran whipped up a video in honor of Final Fantasy, breaking to tunes from FFVII and the upcoming Lightning Returns. When they started busting out "magic" and "summons," I nearly flipped.

This isn't the first time Song has danced to videogame music. You may remember him as the genius behind the famous "Wii Dance" from 2009. He's a pretty incredible guy.

FINAL FANTASY DANCE MODE (Final Fantasy VII & XIII Themes) [YouTube via Kotaku]

via destructoid http://www.destructoid.com/final-fantasy-b-boying-is-the-best-thing-257260.phtml

News::Fist Puncher Review | Spiderduck Network

Spiderduck Network's Indie Luchadore, Eric Lee Lewis, tells you what you need to know about Team2Bit's new side scrolling brawler!



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292793/fist-puncher-review-spiderduck-network

News::Minimalism Maximized: Thomas Was Alone Review

I first got interested in writing because I always found it fascinating the ways in which people told stories. Regardless of the form in which the story is told, be it book, film, or game, the act of storytelling is something of an art in of itself. A strong narrative is one of the most important things in keeping a games flow and pace. However, or possibly even as a result, a lot of games fail to play well with narrative. But what kind of tricks can we make our stories do? What kinds of altered perceptions can we create? We all love a good narrative-assisted game, but what about a game-assisted narrative? Thomas Was Alone is a very simple game at its forefront. You start out controlling Thomas, a little red square moving through a series of minimalist platforming levels. Thomas can move, and Thomas can jump. Those are not a lot of things to do, but Thomas can do them well. He is confident in his abilities, and uses them to his fullest in order to explore more and more tests, in...



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292670/minimalism-maximized-thomas-was-alone-review

News::Fantasy Frontier Beta Test Starts July 11th

Fantasy Frontier, the latest title developed by Taiwanese Developer, X-Legend, is scheduled to hit beta test on July 11th.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292737/fantasy-frontier-beta-test-starts-july-11th

News::Preview: 1954 Alcatraz embraces film noir traditions | SnackBarGames

SnackBarGames write: '1954 Alcatraz is more mature and American than most of Daedalics work; the game explores and embraces the social diversity of San Francisco, as well as the brutal, fight-ridden despair of prison. It has its whimsical moments, but it definitely shows its film noir influences.'



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292796/preview-1954-alcatraz-embraces-film-noir-traditions-snackbargames

News::GameNTrain Thunder Wolves Review

Thunder Wolves was developed by Most Wanted Entertainment and puts you, and a friend, into the position of Max, an experienced Helicopter Pilot, and Blister, a new recruit, you dont want to know why he is called that. The game is meant to be played as a co-op game with one player flying an insanely awesome helicopter as the other fires at targets with with machine guns and various rock. Both men work for a Mercenary group called the Thunder Wolves and are mainly assigned to various missions such as destroy in terrorist groups and even blowing up fields of cocaine but, unfortunately, the story behind this one is nothing to get excited over .



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292787/gamentrain-thunder-wolves-review

News::Kickstarter: Project Sweat could come to PS4, PS Vita, Wii U if stretch goal is reached

Humid Games has turned to Kickstarter to fund a new 2D action RPG known as Project Sweat. It features an addictive, challenging & fast pace combat system in a seamless multi-layered environment. This title could be on the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and Wii U, assuming the stretch goal is reached. Project Sweat needs to raise £25,000 in order to be successfully funded. At £80,000, the game will head to the systems mentioned above.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292770/kickstarter-project-sweat-could-come-to-ps4-ps-vita-wii-u-if-stretch-goal-is-reached

News::Star Citizen Drops a Cargo Load of Jaw-Dropping Renders, Artwork, Trailers and Videos

Cloud Imperium Games released ten spectacular videos and a whole lot of renders and artwork, including an extensive first sight on the playable capital ship Idris.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292773/star-citizen-drops-a-cargo-load-of-jaw-dropping-renders-artwork-trailers-and-videos

News::Pro Cycling Manager 2013 Review (Invision Game Community)

Pro Cycling Manager immerses you into the world of professional cycling, allowing you to take on the role of sports director in one of the official World Tour teams. By managing the riders, contracts, equipment, finances, sponsors and training sessions, you get a real taste of what the world of professional cycling is all about as you guide your team in various prestigious competitions throughout the cycling season. From Paris-Nice to La Vuelta, not forgetting the World Championships, you will cover thousands of kilometres of tarmac with amazingly realistic backdrops, thanks to our solid graphic design, more intense races, and more realistic and credible IA.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292654/pro-cycling-manager-2013-review-invision-game-community

News::Magrunner: A Title That Beats Portal at its Own Game

GP writer Marcus Estrada discusses the similarities between Magrunner and Portal and how the former actually surpasses the latter in certain areas.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292646/magrunner-a-title-that-beats-portal-at-its-own-game

News::$443 DIY Cheap Bastard's Gaming PC Build - June, 2013

GamersNexus: "For less than $450, you can build a very capable, cheap gaming HTPC that should also overclock well with the new Richland A10-6800K APU powering it. So if you have a limited budget, and don't intend to play graphics-heavy games like Crysis 3 or Metro: LL on highest settings, this is the build for you."



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292722/443-diy-cheap-bastards-gaming-pc-build-june-2013

News::Company of Heroes 2 focuses on details with a steep learning curve

Eight years later, SEGA and Relic have released the sequel simply titled Company of Heroes 2, as the game looks familiar, but focuses much more on details on micro-managing.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292765/company-of-heroes-2-focuses-on-details-with-a-steep-learning-curve

News::North American Release of Warface Gone From Trion Worlds Site

Announced last year that Trion Worlds would be publishing the North American release of Warface, the page was taken off the Trion Worlds website sometime last night without notice or explanation. Is there more Trion Worlds restructuring at hand?



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292724/north-american-release-of-warface-gone-from-trion-worlds-site

News::Memory Lane: The Biggest June Releases Throughout the Years

GP writer Elizabeth "Gaiages" Henges takes a look at some of June's biggest releases of past years.



via N4G: pc news feed http://n4g.com/news/1292648/memory-lane-the-biggest-june-releases-throughout-the-years