Think your Rogue One: A Star Wars Story toy shopping adventure is over? Have you been to Kohl’s yet? How about Walgreens? Entertainment Earth? Here are six sets of retailer-exclusive Hasbro Star Wars toys to add to your shopping list.
ESPN choosing to air DOTA 2 for the first time was a pretty big moment in 2014, but in this era of NBA clubs buying up eSports teams, it's commonplace. That doesn't make it any less mesmerizing watching a big event for Overwatch on TBS -- I can just imagine people tuning in for a late night comedy romp only to find a screen full of apes, cowboys, and Russian bodybuilders.
It's the Grand Finals tonight featuring Team EnVyUs versus Misfits, by way of ELeague. You can catch the tail end of the tourney now on your TV (or Twitch, you savage), which is wrapping up now with a best of five finale. EnVyUs is the favorite having tanked through some top-ranked teams (like Cloud9), but they're down right now by one match with a sort of underdog run by Misfits. Personally I'm loving the Zarya and Reaper play I'm seeing, and there's a good spread in terms of character pickrates -- Overwatch is a fun game to watch.
I'm also impressed by the production values (and the calling) especially for a game as new as Overwatch, but Blizzard is continuing to lean heavily into the eSports scene with built-in streaming, Twitch partnerships, and year-long tournaments for nearly all of its games (even World of Warcraft's arenas get some play). There's a lot of money being pumped into eSports right now, and while I see a potentially popped bubble forming, there's no shortage of cash at the moment.
The game-streaming service Twitch will no longer offer $9/month Twitch Turbo subscriptions in the U.S. and other parts of the world where Amazon Prime is available, the company announced today. That’s because the Amazon-owned Twitch is now offering ad-free Twitch subscriptions as one of the many perks customers will get for $11/month Amazon Prime subscriptions.
Google's Tilt Brush debuted in September 2014 as a virtual reality painting experience -- immersion with the creative simplicity of MS Paint, as The Verge put it. They've added more in-game tools and hosted the odd art exhibit in the two-year interim. But as more VR headsets filter into players' hands, the game will soon get a big feature: Multiplayer. There's no release date yet, but here's a few things to look forward to while we wait.
Via: The Verge
Source: Google blog
Track: Bring Da Ruckus | Artist: Wu-Tang Clan | Album: Enter the 36 Chambers
[Despite killing time sometimes literally being a big theme in Persona 4, TurboJasper proves to us that it is far more important in the grand scheme of things then you'd normally think it would be. ~Strider]
It's a rainy Friday night. The bus to my part-time job isn't coming and I am soaking myself to the bone waiting. I decide to treat my self to a meal at Aiya and call it a night.
I had a great Shiba Inu friend for about two years.
Also, guess who I'm hanging with all weekend? http://pic.twitter.com/o9qApWIbEF
— steven hansen (@poverotti) October 24, 2014
He was a troubled dog. Skin allergies. Didn't get along with other dogs. He even bit my lawyer once! But we'd been fast friends; he loved me and I loved him. Unfortunately he moved to Arizona and I don't have the kind of money required to pick up an obscure, purebred pup (or the luck to have a rare adoption chance pop up), so Shiba ownership is not something I can count on anytime soon.
Especially with my new friend of a couple weeks needing quite a bit of attention herself. Support your local animal shelters!
pobrecita tiene tanto mocos http://pic.twitter.com/t2tK1cNFAX
— steven hansen (@poverotti) September 21, 2016
Shibas, beyond being a beloved internet meme dog, need a lot of work. They're stubborn, smart, and not recommended for first-time dog owners. And that's what Year of the Dog, "a slice-of-life game about living with a Shiba Inu in San Francisco," is about.
"You are placed in the role of a reluctant rookie dog owner, tasked with taking care of a Shiba while his real owner (your partner) is abroad for a year. Each chapter of the game recounts a snapshot from a month of that year, as your bond with the dog grows as you learn how and what it means to care for another living being."
Of course, you are free to abdicate responsibility and just enjoy adorable gifs instead.
the dogs of summer are here #screenshotsaturday http://pic.twitter.com/qAWwDuD8fv
— Keane Ng (@keanerie) June 25, 2016
learning new tricks for #screenshotsaturday http://pic.twitter.com/iKc737j5Om
— Keane Ng (@keanerie) June 4, 2016
i added a button to the game that lets you get a closeup of the dog any time you want #screenshotsaturday http://pic.twitter.com/tDheAjEqZE
— Keane Ng (@keanerie) April 30, 2016
every dog owner's worst nightmare http://pic.twitter.com/UMhXmB0rkJ
— Keane Ng (@keanerie) April 8, 2016
TwitchCon 2016 kicked off in San Diego today, and several announcements were made during the keynote address about Twitch's partnership with online retailer Amazon. Among these, Twitch announced that it'll be offering a new service called "Twitch Prime," and that all members of Amazon's existing Prime service will be included.
Benefits of the service include a free monthly Twitch channel subscription as well as access to some free digital games and in-game bonuses. Current Prime members can access the bonuses by linking their existing Twitch and Amazon accounts at the Twitch Prime website.
Starting today, Twitch Prime members are eligible for a new Hearthstone character, the Night Elf Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind. Redeeming the code also grants a new card back. They can also download Streamline for free and gain access to 24 pieces of gear, equip the Bomb King weapon skin in Paladins, and reskin the Ymir boss character in over-the-shoulder MOBA SMITE.
The current bonuses will be available until November 6, and Twitch has promised a constantly updated slate of goodies in addition to the 20% off new releases that Amazon Prime members already receive.
Once your Amazon and Twitch accounts are linked, you can check what's being offered by following this link.
While Amazon-linked Prime features are the big news out of TwitchCon, the livestreaming service is bringing some long-promised new features to users. Starting today, users can upload videos directly to Twitch. That means streamers can apply their video editing and production skills to archived clips for their audiences, without having to take them somewhere else, like YouTube. The feature was announced at TwitchCon last year, but at least it's here now in beta form.
Source: Twitch Blog (1)
The Korean dating simulator Mystic Messenger has become somewhat of a sensation among over a million women worldwide. It’s an “otome” game (literally, “maiden game”) that offers female players a harem of anime boys to court. These suitors are all charming in their own ways and all have their particular emotional needs. And, goddamn, are they needy.
RPG lovers unite. This weekend you're graced with a giant sale on all things RPG PC games, from the excellent port of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, to the spiritual successor Wasteland 2, and even old triple-A titles like Dragon Age: Inquisition are on tap for under $10.
In fact, take a look at Tropico 5 Complete. It is now only $8.72 for the Steam copy which, hmm, alright... not quite an RPG there. Alright, so a few other titles are also a bit of a stretch to fit into the genre, but everything listed in the Top Picks section below is at a new historic low.
Conversely, games in the "More Picks" section are tying or approaching new lows (i.e. we don't have enough accurate historic data to consider these "new" lows). If none of the deals below strikes your fancy, you can browse the full list of 85 games here.
Must use coupon: VIP3
Top Picks:
More Picks:
The NES Classic Edition has begun its initial manufacturing run, and some folks in Madrid got hands on with one of the first ones off the assembly line. Spanish-language site GameReactor posted some high-quality images of the upcoming console, including comparison shots with the 1985 original.
The NES Classic Edition is less than a quarter the size of the original NES.
The console itself takes up less space than a single game for the original console.
The controllers are approximately the size of the console, not tiny like the Famicom Mini.
As you can see, the controllers are virtually identical to a vintage controller from 1985. Without seeing the plug end, there's no easy way to tell them apart.
The ports on the front match up with those you'll find on the bottom of a Wii Remote. The new controllers can also be plugged into a Wiimote to control Virtual Console games on the Wii or Wii U.
The back of the console shows an HDMI port and a mini-USB, presumably the power source.
Unfortunately, we've also learned that those controller cords are only three feet long. I, for one, do not miss the days of tripping over wired controllers, but it looks like that's the future we're in for. If you're planning on picking up a NES Mini, you may want to invest in a nice, long HDMI cable.
We've already listed the games that will be appearing on this console, but a video from Nintendo UK let us know that the mini console will also offer some different display modes. In addition to pixel-perfect mode, the console will also have an optional CRT filter that adds blur, as well as a 4 by 3 mode that slightly distorts the picture, the way it might look on a vintage Panaphonics, Magnetbox, or Sorny. Each game will also allow you to create four suspend points to help get past difficult sections.
The NES Classic Edition comes out November 11 in the US, and it's probably going to be huge. This is one situation where pre-ordering might be a good idea; it certainly beats wading into a melee at Walmart on Black Friday, snatching one out of a 300 lb. woman's Rascal Scooter when she isn't looking.
Photo Gallery: Mini NES compared to the original [GameReactor]
NES Classic Edition controllers are roughly 3 feet in length [GoNintendo]
It’s the weekend! I have so many chores to do: laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning the bathroom—which means I’m going to think about doing those things and then just play some video games instead.
A lot of games have let us dispense of nazis with hot-leaded-justice, but what about groups that have since perpetuated the Nazi's occult-lunacy-derived racial superiority? Sure, the KKK existed before the Nazis, but Mafia 3 is set in 1968, which is already third-wave Ku Klux Klan.
These are the folks that planted 15 sticks of dynamite at a black church in Bimingham, Alabama in 1963, killing 4 girls and injuring 22 others. They also kinda of got away with it. None of the four men responsible were even tried until one, Robert Chambliss, was tried and convicted in 1977, 14 years later. Another died before he could be charged, and the other two didn't receive their life sentences until 2001 and 2002. After Y2K and everything!
They're terrorists with really high opinions of themselves and, as you can see in the brief segment at 2 minutes into the video on Mafia 3's combat in general, you can fuck 'em up next week when Mafia 3 comes out.
Today at Twitch Con 2016 in San Diego, Amazon and the world's biggest livestreaming platform announced a new perk of their deepening relationship. It's called Twitch Prime and starting today Amazon Prime members get ad-free viewing on Twitch, plus exclusive deals on new releases and "free loot" like skins, characters, boosts and even free games.
In this week’s episode of The Save Files, we look at the ridiculous ways people have tried to exorcise ghosts in The Sims 4, a mystery within Binding of Issac, and the latest on Resident Evil 7's finger.
Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel is a PlayStation exclusive no longer. XSEED is bringing the Examu-developed 2D fighter to Steam this winter, and that's sure to make some of you happy.
In his review of the PS4 version, Kyle noted that he wasn't familiar with most of the roster given its visual-novel origins (a feeling I can definitely relate to), but it didn't end up mattering too much.
"Nitroplus Blasterz is a fast, smooth, strategic, and generally entertaining fighting game that has found a happy medium between accessibility and depth," he wrote. "Provided a decent-sized community builds around the game, this is a fighter I could see myself enjoying for a long time to come."
What's new for PC? At the very least, "new victory animations for some fighters, animated stage backgrounds, and menu settings in training mode which are now saved from the player's last play session."
Forza Horizon 3 has as pretty fired up over its photorealistic graphics and extensive list of cars. But to get a really direct comparison of how it visually stacks up to other driving games, you’ve got to try the same car and conditions in each virtual world back-to-back-to-back.
The Samsung Gear VR is one of the easiest ways to experience virtual reality, but some users are learning that convenience comes with its costs. Owners of Samsung phones such as the S6, S6 Edge, S7, and S7 Edge are reporting that Oculus app is destroying their phone’s battery life.
To go along with that decked-out Gears of War-themed crimson Xbox One S, Microsoft has a couple of other, more affordable system bundles on the way.
Nobody ever said life was easy. Mike is busy, Pixie is busy, and Occams is currently away in another dimension (I assume). Seeing as how I finished packing to go to my in-laws' place today, I could spare a moment to get FNF up. It's too bad Mike probably won't be able to join us though due to said circumstances taking him away from FNF, because he just got Monster Hunter Generations too. I even advised him on how to fight Amatsu because nobody online really knows how to hunt Amatsu.
In these uncertain times of difficulty with life and questionable American elections, it's important to think of what gets you through the day. Like Rem, who is clearly best girl. I mean, it's a fact at this point. She ran away with a victory in character polls at nearly 49%. I refuse to acknowledge any other contenders. Just play games with the community with knowledge that Rem is best girl.
These Mackie CR4 reference speakers sell for $150 on Amazon, where they carry a 4.4 star review average, but Adorama will sell you the pair for $115 today, which is a match for the best price we’ve ever seen. Plus, a $20 mail-in rebate is available to effectively take them down to $95.
With its open beta newly available on Steam Early Access, Paladins: Champions of the Realm has stepped into the spotlight. This is a team-based shooter from Hi-Rez, the studio behind SMITE and Tribes: Ascend, and I don't think it's unfair to say the game's main draw is its free-to-play nature.
That'll be especially important on consoles where this specific kind of multiplayer experience can, at the right price, do very well for itself. Hi-Rez has announced PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Paladins and is now offering closed beta signups for both platforms (PS4 here, Xbox here).
"From day one of development, Paladins was designed with console in mind. We've enlisted some big-name console gamers to make sure the control scheme feels just right. Name any big-time multiplayer shooter that you enjoy most on console and Paladins stands right there alongside them."
Paladins is Coming to Console! [Paladins]
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If you can't wait for Black Friday to pick up a new PlayStation 4 Slim, there are discounts out already. Today you can use a $30 off coupon code at Jet.com (recently acquired by Walmart). This is a coupon limited to "new customers" only and will slash $30 off the PS4 Slim. It's the lowest price to date for the Slim that we've seen.
For those who have bought things in the past from Jet, you'll need to at the very least make a new account to get the code to work. Interestingly enough, Jet doesn't typically allow promo codes like this to work on console deals so this was a pleasant find this morning (e.g., the same code won't work on the new Xbox One S consoles).
While code SHOP10 isn't valid for most video game systems at Jet, another notable console deal the code qualifies on is a Wii U Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Console (dropping it also to $269.99). The Wii U deal isn't exactly the greatest sale price for a system this "old," but we haven't seen a discount on the Mario Kart 8 bundle in over six months so we figure a mention wouldn't hurt.
This is a solid deal for a PS4 this fall. It's not quite the fire sale those in the UK received just a day ago on the older PS4 model, but 10% off an already margin-thin machine is always a good bet.
It’s always a pleasure when I get to showcase the work of an entire team on Fine Art, and doubly so when it’s a game that I really, really like.
When people talk about the current golden age of TV, they’re usually referring to big, serious dramas like Breaking Bad or The Wire. I am here today to tell you that Avatar: The Last Airbender, an animated show about a group of magical kids who ride around on a flying buffalo, deserves to be counted among them.
Come to think of it, I've never before tried to guess Mario's age specifically. Have you?
I've always considered him to be in some vague late-30s or early-40s gray area, if not older, going off the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film. That's a wide range! So you can imagine, then, that word from creator Shigeru Miyamoto about Mario being firmly in his mid-20s comes as a huge shock.
This uncomfortable detail has bubbled up out of a 2005 interview with Miyamoto, recently and horrifyingly shared again, in which the designer states: "Normally when you create a character and present him to the world, all the details get filed in: what's his favorite color? What kind of food does he like to eat? But aside from the fact that he's about 24-25 years old, we didn't define anything else."
So, Mario is younger than me. I am not okay with this.
Mario is only 24 years old, according to creator Shigeru Miyamoto [Ars Technica via NeoGAF]
With eSports shaping up to be a half-a-billion dollar industry this year, now would be a good time to step up your livestreaming game if you're hoping to get noticed among the packs of Twitch streamers and YouTubers. Enter Logitech's latest webcam: the C922 Pro Stream, designed specifically for gamers with 1080p streaming at 30 frames per second and dynamic background replacement to make your face streams really pop.
Source: Logitech Blog
Timed exclusives are pretty stupid, particularly when you try your best to keep the rest of the gamers on a major platform from picking up a copy of a decent title. Quantum Break has made its way onto Steam today and off the Windows Store (and Windows 10). The Games for Windows Live déjà vu aside, the game is quite good and garnering positive reception from users on Steam.
If you're a PC gamer who has been eying it since earlier this year, you can now pick the game up for your Windows 7 or 8 machine on Steam. Yay. With its move to the Steam platform, Quantum Break has cropped up at various digital retailers and this translates to some nice savings.
Quantum Break Steam Deals
GMG's deal should last until tomorrow (the small 3% off coupon anyways) while DLGamer's deal has an unknown expiration date. Both copies are of course Steam keys and sourced straight from THQ Nordic.
The Steam Controller is a thing that exists and has a fanbase. I didn't care for it when I used it at PAX 2015, but I may eventually come around. A nice sale is going on and you can finally customize the look of the remote with some pretty cool skins.
While only Portal and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are represented, I'm sure this will open the floodgates for other publishers to license out their brands. I really dig those Steam Link skins, mostly because I'm tired of small, black boxes hanging around my home theater setup.
If cosmetic changes aren't your thing, you can also grab a carrying case for the controller along with a wireless dongle and battery door. I guess Valve will do anything to avoid making a game, including jumping into the overpriced cellphone-style accessory market.
All of these items are on sale for the next week, but I have a feeling that the regular Steam sales will routinely see them drop in price.
Steam Hardware Accessories [Steam]
We're a couple of weeks away from the debut of the PlayStation VR, but you can prepare with this new unboxing video from Sony. The hardware inside the $400 core bundle box (headset, processing unit, headphones and demo disc -- but not the Move controllers and required-for-use PlayStation camera) is all ready and accounted for, but the real trick may be getting your hands on one quickly if you haven't already preordered. We got a closer look at some of the new experiences during the recent Tokyo Game Show, but everyone else will have to wait until it arrives October 13th.
Source: PlayStation Blog
