The virtual reality “watch party” for the first Trump-Clinton debate was a bust. It was presented by VR hangout app Altspace and NBC News, and just amounted to glorified Second Life, basically. Avatars of people from around the world watching a flat video stream. Not a great experience.
Pikmin might look and feel a little dated compared to its stellar sequel, but heck yes I'd be down to play it again with those well-matched Wii Remote controls. Nintendo is bringing the Wii version of its precious 2001 real-time strategy game to the Wii U eShop this Thursday, September 29.
This digital re-release is going to cost $20, which isn't bad at all given how well even pre-owned copies of the Pikmin games have retained their value. You'll be able to command your armies to beat down alien wildlife and collect trinkets with either the Wii U GamePad or the Wii Remote and Nunchuck.
This is what the game looks like, if you've yet to try it. You really ought to!
It wasn't until I reached the end of writing this post that I recalled that we are getting a new Pikmin out of Nintendo (it just happens to be for the 3DS, something I wasn't expecting in the slightest). Still feeling somewhat bummed about that surprise, but in time I should be able to enjoy it on its own merits.
Pikmin [Nintendo]
Remember when you could play video games while being offline? Pepperidge Farm remembers, and GameStop is hoping the public at large wants to relive their old experiences because there's a big Blast from the Past sale going on.
Pre-owned Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo 3DS consoles are bundled with a ton of games and selling for decently discounted prices. You can pick up a Wii, for example, with both Super Mario Galaxy and Wii Sports for only $50. Not a bad deal all things considered.
Also notable are two different three-console bundles GameStop is offering. First up is a bundle with PS4, Xbox One, and Wii U eighth-generation consoles for $680 (do the math, it's actually an okay price). But perhaps more impressive, discount-wise, is all three seventh-gen consoles: the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii for only $160.
Pre-owned Console Bundle Deals:
Multi-console
Nintendo Wii and Wii U
Nintendo 3DS
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
PlayStation 4
This used-console sale promo from GameStop will run until Saturday, October 1. The deals are online only, unfortunately. The good thing is all deals listed above come with free shipping.
Waqas Malik is a concept artist from Pakistan who has worked on games like Satellite Reign, as well as on stuff like board games.
It’s like somebody always says, probably: If you can’t beat ‘em, convince them to join you.
Header image by Satoakiamatatsu on DeviantArt.
While Konami works on... whatever this is (link possibly NSFW), the Castlevania series quietly turned 30 years old today. Akumajo Dracula (Devil's Castle Dracula) was released in Japan on the Family Computer Disk System (FamiCom) on September 26, 1986. It was ported to several other consoles and computers at the time, but it took another eight months before we got it in the U.S. as Castlevania in May of 1987.
The name Castlevania doesn't make a lot of sense if you break it down. Castle is clear enough, but Vania means "trees" or "Forest." It's meant to evoke Transylvania, the traditional home of Dracula, but Transylvania just means "through the trees." Accuracy probably wasn't high on the original localization team's list of priorities, however, with monsters like "Fred Askare" and "Paula AbGhoul" showing up in the U.S. manual.
Castlevania wallpaper by Cavevoice on DeviantArt.
Anyway, Konami isn't doing anything to celebrate the anniversary, but that doesn't mean that nobody is. The Castlevania series has always been praised for its music, and so I was happy to see that the Bloodstained Kickstarter posted some new songs, reminiscent of the tunes from what's arguably the series' high point, Symphony of the Night.
As long as you're checking out music from the series, you may want to check out the A.V. club's retrospective on the best track from most of the mainline games. It's hard to argue with their choices, though it's difficult to choose just one song from each of these games. If you'd like to hear a more nuanced retrospective on Castlevania's music, one of my favorite podcasts, VGMpire, did an entire rock block of four episodes devoted to Castlevania's tunes in October of 2012.
With Halloween just around the corner, this might be the perfect excuse to dust off Symphony of the Night and give it another playthrough. S'cuse me while I whip this out.
The meta of a competitive game is a curious thing. As balance and tactics evolve, so do the prescribed best practices for coming out on top no matter what your foes (and the greatest foe of all, life) throw at you. That’s natural. It keeps the game interesting. When one strategy becomes too dominant, however, you’ve got a problem.
It's time: Netflix is back with the next entry in its line of Marvel-character TV series with Luke Cage, starring Mike Colter and produced by Cheo Hodari Coker. Be quick with your binge, since on Sunday night, HBO kicks off its highly-anticipated android-populated TV series Westworld. We're also ready for the wide release of Forza Horizon 3 -- I've been playing it and it's not only my favorite Forza, it could've been my favorite entry in the PGR or Midnight Club series.
Tonight is the first presidential debate, and if you need another reason to watch, don't forget that you can use it to compare the HD feeds from different networks. New movie releases on on Blu-ray include Ultra HD versions of Warcraft, Everest, Central Intelligence and The Shallows, and on TV don't forget about a new season of Drunk History. There's also a Final Fantasy XV side-scrolling prequel, and XCOM 2 on consoles. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Here's another big one for you guys, and just in time for screwing off homework! The awesome folks at ConsoleTuner.com are again, letting you pick your choice of console (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 or Xbox One S), an opposing controller (If you get the Xbone S, you pick a DualShock and vice versa), and of course, the Titan One. Now some of you may be asking, "What's a Titan One?" Fair enough, let's check the blurb:
Modeling a console after a car doesn't sound like a bad idea. Lopping off the front section of the car and modeling the console after that sounds like a significantly worse idea. But, someone did it anyway.
Meet the Xbox One S Audi R8 edition. It's a promotional thing for the upcoming release of Forza Horizon 3. Xbox Germany is giving away three on its Facebook page. Apart from that, this won't ever see the light of day. This is not a machine that's fit for retail.
I don't think that the word "abomination" is too strong here. In fact, that's the exact word Jordan used when linking me to this story. I sincerely hope these go to appreciative homes, because I would just be bummed to have this sitting underneath my television.
The Philadelphia 76ers' ownership group announced on Monday that it has acquired two eSports teams, Team Apex and Team Dignatas, and will merge them into a single organization under the Dignatas banner. The team will compete in League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm while the 76ers will handle the day-to-day operations including player recruitment, marketing and sales.
Via: The Verge
Source: NBA
After selling over 40 million consoles, Sony is refreshing the PlayStation 4. That starts with the PlayStation 4 Slim, available now for $299, along with the PlayStation VR headset (out next month) and the higher-powered PS4 Pro, which comes out in November. Sony has said that the PlayStation 4 Slim will become the new standard PS4, replacing the tried-and-true model that launched in 2013. So how does it compare?
With Microsoft's billions behind it, Minecraft's momentum is showing no signs of slowing. The game now supports VR and has lets players fine-tune their worlds with Add-Ons, the movie has a release date (although it is in 2019) and soon it's going to have its very own official novel. Mojang has confirmed that the new book, titled Minecraft: The Island, is being written by none other than Max Brooks, the scribe behind the apocalyptic zombie novel World War Z.
Source: Mojang
GOG is extending its efforts to liberate your games from Steam's copyright protection. Alongside a back-to-school sale, the online game store is expanding its GOG Connect effort to cover 17 more games, including Hotline Miami, the 2013 Shadow Warrior remake and the space exploration title X Rebirth. It's the same drill as before: connect your Steam account and you can grab DRM-free copies of those games at no charge, helping you back them up or move them without hassles. The focus remains on indie games, but it's still good news if you're worried that you've put too many eggs in Steam's basket.
Source: GOG Connect
