News:: SuperHyperCube is gearing up for a Vive release

Kokoromi's SuperHyperCube hit the spot as an early standout PlayStation VR title, and now the first-person puzzle game is coming to HTC Vive at an unknown but probably not-very-far-off date.

NOW LOADING... http://pic.twitter.com/oPl3D1BonS

— Polytron (@Polytron) January 30, 2017

The concept of rotating an ever-growing block to narrowly fit inside holes in oncoming walls isn't going to resonate with everyone, but SuperHyperCube is a well-realized game, to be sure. Play it, if ya like!

_{[*I'm sorry. Unrelated: Does apologizing for bad puns make said bad puns okay?]}

Polytron [Twitter]

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News:: Breath of the Wild is a good excuse for another Nendoroid Link

Have we had our fill of lil Links yet? No, not even close!

That's the assumption Nintendo and Nendoroid are operating on, and I can't say I disagree with their verdict. The next figure, based on Link's appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, will be available for pre-order starting tomorrow. You can accessorize the adventurer with a bow, arrow, quiver, shield, sword, sheath, and Sheikah Slate, as well as an alternate "shouting" expression.

Then there's the DX Edition of the toy (pricing TBD). It adds a club, axe, chicken leg, hood (with alternate hair), and an adorable little horse that certain previous Nendoroid Link figures can also ride on.

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News:: Uhh, come check out Conan Exile's big swingin' dicks

In the opening minutes of sandbox survival game Conan Exiles, your character is strung up to a cross before he is fortuitously saved by Conan himself. But, in those precious moments before, you get to customize yourself mid-crucifixion. That's when Conan Exiles unleashes the dick slider.

Although it's tastefully called "Endowment," the dick slider wiggles the wang to and fro as you decide exactly how much to endow yourself. Be warned that the rest of this article is probably NSFW if you work somewhere that frowns upon dumb video game cock and balls GIFs. (Me? I work somewhere that actively encourages me to seek them out.)

Friend of the site Hayden Dingman is playing the Early Access version of Conan Exiles. Here's him showing off that dick slider:

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News:: Earthfall is a fun co-op shooter, if a bit familiar

Earthfall by far had the largest setup at PAX South with giant TVs showcasing trailers of the game as well as projecting each of the player's performances for everyone to see. Since I'm overall terrible at first-person shooters, coupled with the the anxiety I had over potentially letting down my new teammates, I was especially anxious to jump in for fear of embarrassing myself. 

Suffice to say that's exactly what ended up happening. Nevertheless, I had a really fun time. 

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News:: I thought I was prepared, but Ruiner totally cyberpunk'd me

Do you fancy a challenge? Do you long for the thrill of near-death and the subsequent feeling of satisfaction perfectly accentuated by the sinking rag doll of your enemies? Are you like me? If you are, then you want that challenge. You want your enemies to feel the pain you've been dealt and ten-fold. You want to kick their cyber bottoms into submission and make them cry for their cyber mommas. 

However, if you're like me, getting to that point will take precious time. I was psyched for at least a bit of a hillclimb with Ruiner, but my signature underestimatation got the best of me yet again. My aiming needed to be quick, I had to hone my abilities quicker, and I had to "git gud" in the span of just a mere half hour. 

That wasn't happening.

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News:: King of Fighters XIV is coming to arcades with limited testing

King of Fighters XIV initially launched just on PS4, but SNK announced back in 2016 that it was working on an arcade edition that would debut in Japan this year. Well, that work is seemingly completed, as they've given us cold hard dates. Dates for testing that is.

If you head on over to three select Taito Stations (in Machida, Osaka, and Fukuoka Tenjin), you'll be able to test out the game for 100 yen a play, and possibly net a sticker for your troubles after participating in a survey. The tests will run from February 3-5, from 10AM to midnight.

Hopefully the arcade version is smooth and it leads to more PS4 sales. This deserves to be headlining at major tournaments, and a bigger arcade scene could lead to that.

The King of Fighters XIV [Famitsu via Gematsu]

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News:: Razer acquires Nextbit and its 'cloud phone'

In the last couple of years Razer has acquired companies including Ouya and THX, and now it's making a splash in mobile with the purchase of Nextbit. Its latest target introduced the Robin "cloud phone" last year, which we found "beautiful, but flawed."

Developing...

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News:: Humble is giving out X-COM: UFO Defense

The next time you're in the mood for soul-crushing, despair-ridden turn-based tactics, you'll want X-COM handy, and currently, the Humble Store is giving away X-COM: UFO Defense. Done and done!

This 48-hour offer is for a Steam copy, and the deal only went live this morning, so there's plenty of time left to snatch the game. It might look dated, but deep down, it's a keeper.

X-COM: UFO Defense [Humble]

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News:: Trove is the cutesy, blocky MMO kids could get addicted to

I've never been much of an online RPG player, so when I first heard about Trion Worlds' Trove I didn't think I'd be interested. But hearing about it and playing are two completely different things. Standing out among the other offerings around it at PAX South, was this brightly colored game that a lot of kids seemed to really dig. In fact, one little girl didn't want her dad to pull her away from it. 

After getting some hands-on time with Trove, I can definitely see why. 

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News:: Psychonauts returns with Rhombus of Ruin on February 21

Before Psychonauts 2 lands in 2018, we're getting a warmup with Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, a made-for-VR title that'll fill in some of the blanks between the original game and the sequel. As confirmed today, it's set for a February 21, 2017 launch exclusively on PlayStation VR.

As you might expect given the ties to VR, Rhombus of Ruin is a first-person experience, not another platformer. According to Double Fine, "The story picks up exactly where it left off at the end of Psychonauts, with Raz, Lili, Sasha, Milla, and Coach Oleander flying off to rescue Truman Zannotto, the Grand Head of the Psychonauts. Their mission takes them straight into the heart of the Rhombus of Ruin — a mysterious part of the ocean as deadly as two Bermuda Triangles back to back!"

I'm expecting a fun, hopefully laughter-filled afternoon with this. Nothing more, nothing less.

Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin Coming to PS VR on February 21 [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: Fallout 4's PS4 Pro update and high-res PC textures incoming

For those of you still out there keeping the Feral Ghoul hordes in check and smacking around Deathclaws in your unstoppable power armor, Bethesda has new stuff planned for Fallout 4 next week.

On PlayStation 4 Pro, players are getting some visual enhancements, including: native 1440p resolution, a better draw distance for "trees, grass, objects, and NPCs," and improved Godray effects. This is in line with what the studio had promised Pro players, and I'll be curious to hear how it all runs.

On PC, a beefy high-resolution texture pack is on the docket for next week. To partake, you'll want another 58GB of storage space (this game is a beast) and these recommended specifications:

• Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
• Intel Core i7-5820K or better
• GTX 1080 8GB
• 8GB+ Ram

Hah, yeah. I'll go ahead and excuse myself now.

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News:: Review: Nefarious

I’ve often wondered what it’s like to be the final boss in a video game. To live those final moments. To have to endure the sheer cheek of some helmeted twit kicking down the barricades to your secret science city. To watch him kill your royal guard and sneer at you from what is, for all intents and purposes, your living room door. It must be frustrating. To wield such power and watch it all unravel in the face of a pipsqueak 1/15th your size. A bouncy little flea who hops out of the way of your earth-shattering attacks. Who chugs a health potion every time he scrubs his knee, while your wounds seep and fester. Who is essentially killing you by poking your ankle with a toothpick three hundred times.

It must be painful.

This is the killer pitch of Nefarious: to finally see it from the other side. Lots of games have thrust the player into the role of the bad guy, but never with such direct intention. You’re not just any bad guy, you’re an SNES-era platformer boss and your nemesis is a dollar store knock-off Mega Man. You’re the unfair final boss of a turn-based RPG, flaunting your statistically superior to-hit chance and massive HP pool. You’re the stuff of strategy guides and late-night Power Line calls. They built an industry to stop you.

Sadly, this is only the pitch. Nefarious tries hard and there is a lot of heart at the core of this game, but it fundamentally fails to live up to its promise in a way that is hard to forgive.

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News:: Those missing Pokemon Sun and Moon Mega Stones are coming as gifts

It's not ideal, but a lot of those missing Mega Stones from Pokemon Sun and Moon are coming at some point. And take note of that key phrasing "at some point," and through undisclosed means by way of distribution events. Yuck!

Mega Stones have been a contentious part of Sun and Moon's pro scene, as all of the stones aren't actually present in the game, leaving many to the mercy of these upcoming events to actually obtain them. It's not really a new thing for Game Freak though, as some Pokemon are even fully data-mined (with complete models and movesets!) for up to a year and change before they actually get a distribution of some sort.

At least it's not paid DLC I guess? Except for when some GameStops try to scam unsuspecting customers and claim "you have to pre-order the game" to get their distribution codes.

Pokemon [Serebii]

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News:: Yooka-Laylee has gone gold, Wii U owners can change platforms

The golden days of Rareware may be gone, but their memories will forever live on. Soon, the spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie games, Yooka-Laylee, will be hitting digital storefronts. Announced today via Kickstarter and the official website, Yooka-Laylee has gone gold and the discs are being sent out for production. The final release date for the game will be April 11, just one day before my birthday.

The game will initially launch on PC, PS4 and Xbox One with a Switch port coming at some undisclosed time. While Wii U was originally in the cards, that version was cancelled due to "unforeseen consequences." If you happened to fund the Kickstarter and opted for the Wii U port, you now have a few options for recourse.

For one, you can request a full refund of your contribution. You can also change your copy of the game over to any of the other digital versions for no extra charge (along with getting the Toybox Plus DLC on PC) or upgrade to the physical console release (PS4 and Xbox One only) for £20 more. A little confusing, but at least there are options.

I'm not sure if Yooka-Laylee is for me. While I loved the Banjo games as a kid, going back to them when Rare released the 360 ports revealed how much I disliked early 3D platformers. Super Mario 64 got around almost all of its flaws by shifting focus away from timed challenges and honing in on pure platforming. Games after that centered too much on collecting random objects, relegating all challenge to simply poking your nose in every nook and cranny.

Still, I can see why people are so excited for this game. Even I would love if Rare would return to some of their classic franchises, but I don't think Microsoft has that in mind for the company. If the best we can get is some original team members and mega fans working on a spiritual follow-up, I'll take it.

Going Gold [Playtronic]

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News:: Britain's decision to exit European Union raises mobile app prices over 20%

Whether you wanted it or not, Britain's decision to exit the European Union has already had some consequences, and one of them is increased prices for apps.

Colloquially known as "Brexit," the move sprung price hikes that are sweeping all across Europe, and now, it's hit the UK iOS App Store. As of this week there's a 25% price increase for all apps, which naturally includes games. There was some talk that Nintendo would drop the price of Super Mario Run to accommodate this change, but as of today it's now £9.99, up from £7.99.

There's bigger issues afoot with this issue naturally, but since this is a game blog, you can plan your gaming habits accordingly!

[Thanks Jack!]

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News:: 'Fallout 4' visual upgrade demands a monster PC

Fallout 4 is already a good-looking game (insofar as a nuclear wasteland can look good, anyway), but Bethesda is about to kick things up a notch. An update rolling out next week will add a High-Resolution Texture Pack that adds an absurd level of visual detail for PC players -- check out the rust and scratches on the power armor above if you need evidence. To say that this will demand a beefy system is an understatement, though. The developer recommends at least a 2015-era desktop Core i7 chip, 8GB of RAM, and a monster graphics card -- you should have either a GeForce GTX 1080 or (until Bethesda pulled mention of it) the as yet unreleased AMD Radeon RX 490. And did we mention that you need an extra 58GB of storage for all that new art?

Via: Kotaku

Source: Bethesda

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News:: Loot Rascals is endearing and definitely rascally

_{[Everyone welcome Seymour Duncan into the fold, who is doing a little work for us at PAX South.]}

Loot Rascals was a tough PAX South booth to find. Slotted back near the tabletop games, I figured I was venturing a tad too far away from the action during my search. Eventually, though, I was relieved and, upon arriving, was quickly met by one of the developers.

Clearly enthusiastic about his game, he gave me a short rundown of the gist of things, sat me down, then ushered me into the far out (in space), wacky world of Loot Rascals. 

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News:: 'Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin' will launch on February 21st

It's been a long time since the first Psychonauts was released -- more than 10 years, in fact. However, developer Double Fine announced in late 2015 that it was bringing the series back with a pair of game: Psychonauts 2, a proper sequel, and Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, a game for PlayStation VR meant to bridge the two titles. The latter title is just about ready to drop: Sony and Double Fine just announced that it'll be released on February 21st.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News:: Founder of Namco, Masaya Nakamura, passes at 91

Masaya Nakamura, who founded Namco in 1955, has passed, Bandai Namco reports. Nakamura was 91, and was prepared to have the publisher notify the public of his imminent passing this past weekend after a funeral service was held with close relatives.

A lot of people don't necessarily think of Nakamura when they think of Namco (some even erroneously thought he created Pac-Man), but he had an extraordinary career. Namco originally started as a children's ride company, before moving on to the early struggling gaming industry with other titans like Atari and Sega. It survived the great video game crash of 1983, and pioneered a ton of different arcade "firsts," like the multi-cabinet setup. Namco would eventually merge with Bandai in 2006.

Personally, my Namco memories involve some of my first experiences with gaming in general. I distinctly recall the first time I played Dig-Dug, the second video game I ever picked up at a relative's house. I also spent many days holed up in Aladdin's Castle (which Namco bought) in the '90s, playing the latest fighters or shmups. Nakamura certainly left a huge legacy behind, and his family has our condolences.

Masaya Nakamura [Bandai Namco via Gematsu]

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News:: Tony Hawk says new game is in the works, without Activision's involvement

For gamers of the late '90s and early 2000s, the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series was a phenomenon. Not only had we never seen an extreme sports games be so well realized, but each new iteration added so many new elements that it felt like the dawning of a new era of gaming. For many, this series was the first introduction we had to level editing, online play and open world gameplay.

How did these games come together? How was such a simple concept expanded on while maintaining quality? The man himself, Tony Hawk, sent out a tweet telling us that a documentary about the series was in the works. YouTuber Icebears4ever is directing the video, along with input from former Neversoft Producer Ralph D'Amato. Ralph worked on all of the games up to Project 8, so he is well versed in the history of this series.

A THPS documentary is in the works... follow @THPSfilm for updates on "Pretending I'm a Superman"

— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) January 29, 2017

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News:: Motherhood, nature and technology in 'Horizon Zero Dawn'

Horizon Zero Dawn is Guerrilla Games' first original creation since releasing the original Killzone in 2004. Not only is it Guerrilla's first foray into a brand-new universe in 13 years, but it's a completely new genre for the studio: an open-world, action RPG. These are generally massive games with intricate narratives and winding sidequests, as opposed to the constrained, linear nature of most first-person shooters.

In order to make sense of a story in Horizon's vast open world, Guerrilla brought on Fallout: New Vegas lead writer John Gonzalez. Gonzalez helped create Aloy, Horizon's protagonist, and the massive landscape that she inhabits -- robot dinosaurs and all.

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News:: Four hours with 'Horizon Zero Dawn'

Personally, I don't put much stock in video game previews. Pre-release gameplay events for major, AAA titles are generally controlled and precise experiences, with scenes hand-picked by developers to show only the best, most complete parts of a game. They're representative of the studio's goals, but not necessarily the final product.

However, most preview events aren't four hours long. For Horizon Zero Dawn, Guerilla Games and Sony opened up the robot-dinosaur-infested world and set me loose for nearly four hours. I played straight through the very beginning, skipped a section that apparently includes some spoilery story points, and then ran around the game's massive world completing sidequests and following the main narrative. It was a sizable chunk of the game that actually felt representative of a complete experience.

I can't say, definitively, whether Horizon is a good game just yet. But, after playing it for a few hours, I can say one thing wholeheartedly: I'm more excited than ever to play Horizon when it comes out on February 28th.

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News:: Double Dragon IV delayed in Japan on PS4

Don't panic!

If you were waiting on the western release of Double Dragon IV, you're good. In fact, if you're planning on getting the Steam edition of the game worldwide, you're fine today. But if you want it on PS4 in Japan, you'll have to wait.

Due to "unforeseen circumstances," Arc System Works has delayed the PS4 edition in Japan to an undisclosed date. As for me I'm still waiting on a code, so I haven't had the chance to try it out for myself. There's already a lot of polarizing thoughts out there on the art style (which further delineates into an "arcade vs. NES" war), so I'm really curious to see how Arc did with this.

Double Dragon IV [Arc System Works] Thanks Alex!

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News:: Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle

If there’s one big franchise that I’ve had a weird relationship with, it’s the Power Rangers series. I abandoned ship after Power Rangers in Space’s finale since it ended the Mighty Morphin universe on a solid note. Right when I thought I was free from its grasp, I decided to check out the premiere of Power Rangers Samurai. Let’s just say that it wasn’t a heartwarming reunion.

While this resulted in my love and hate relationship with the series, it was one of the factors that lead to me getting into Super Sentai, the franchise that Power Rangers got most of its action footage from. From there, it took me on my quest to become a fan of tokusatsu (live-action special effects shows), and I learned to appreciate Power Rangers in a whole new way.

Aside from making me a fan of the source material, the Power Rangers series was one of the things that made me love giant robots and characters that fight evil with special suits. With the original title getting a beat ‘em up game where we play as the main heroes and their Megazord, it sounded like a nice excuse to go down memory lane and relive the first title’s best moments. Unfortunately, this title is far from Morphenomenal.

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News:: Square Enix allegedly moves away from Deus Ex as it pivots into Marvel

So, Square Enix just landed a coveted multi-game Marvel deal, something that would make a lot of big publishers foam at the mouth. The thing is Square Enix might be big, but it's not that big, especially in terms of its western development reach.

As a clear result of the deal, Square Enix has announced that they are pressing pause on the Deus Ex series for the near future. It's not dead, mind, just not a priority right now., according to Eurogamer. Evidently all of Eidos Montreal is focused on the next Tomb Raider game (followed by a rumored Guardians of the Galaxy game), while Crystal Dynamics works on another core Avengers project, which has its first game slated for 2018.

Don't expect another big Deus Ex game anytime soon [Eurogamer]

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News:: The Morning After: Monday, January 30 2017

Welcome to Monday morning. Needles in eyes, strict immigration orders, and survival horror in virtual reality. Today has some bite.

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