News:: Overwatch's competitive season 3 is ending soon

Overwatch's third competitive season is drawing to a close, meaning players have just a few days left to work on their rank and earn points towards unlocking golden weapon skins. The season will end on February 21 at 4:00 PM Pacific time, or Wednesday February 22 at Midnight UTC. The fourth season is scheduled to begin exactly one week later, on February 28/March 1. Helpfully, the forum post that has the details contains a link to a time zone converter so you can figure out when the season will end for yourself. 

Heads up, heroes: Season 3 of Competitive Play ends February 21 @ 4PM PT (February 22 @ 00:00 UTC)!

Learn more: https://t.co/YiRt9u772I http://pic.twitter.com/yam3kLMUkW

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) February 16, 2017

Anyone who participated in Season three by completing at least their ten placement matches will receive a spray and player icon, a stylized logo that depicts the onion-domed background of Volskaya Industries. If you managed to get into the top 500 players on your system of choice, you'll also receive a top 500 icon and an animated version of the spray to commemorate your achievement.

Speaking of ranking, there are rewards in the form of competitive points for every rank level a player achieved during the season. The points awarded are based on the highest rank achieved during the season, even if you've fallen below the rank threshold since then. Bronze players will receive 100 competitive points at the end of the season, Silver will get 200, Gold 400, Platinum 800, Diamond 1200, Masters 2000, and Grandmasters will get 3000. It takes 3000 of these points to bling out one of your character's weapons, so the end of season bonus can be of tremendous help.

Season three was shaken up by the arrival of Sombra, as well as the big changes to Symmetra. If what's currently being tested on the Public Test Realm goes live at the same time Season four starts, we can expect Bastion to become a much more frequent pick, while Roadhog may see a slight decline. There's rumors floating around that we may soon see information about the elusive Doomfist as well.

Season 3 Ending Soon [Blizzard Forums]
PlayOverwatch [Twitter] 

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News:: Admire the world killing itself in DEFCON VR

Spectating a multi-player match can be a lot of fun. Sometimes you pick up on new skills and other times you just need to take a break and watch others crack under pressure. It can fulfill multiple needs, but it does lack something. I guess that something is a room-scale war room, since Introversion Software has just released DEFCON VR to simulate just such a sensation.

With DEFCON VR, you spectate matches going on in the regular DEFCON game from the comfort of your armchair and VR headset of choice. To be clear, there is no real gameplay in this free download, just a neat way to spectate. It does feature multi-player support in the form of other people occupying your war room, which is also kind of fun.

If you need anymore convincing, here is a 13-minute video of Introversion joking around in its creation.

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News:: 'Watch Dogs 2' patch adds a mystery to the game's ending

Watch Dogs 2 has a new ending, and it might be teasing the location of the game's sequel. Ubisoft updated the hacker-themed action game last week, adding new emotes, dances and clothing. It also added this little hint:

Via: GamesRadar

Source: Reddit

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News:: Video series The Game Makers now online and free to watch

It's been a week! As promised, the digital interview series The Game Makers: Inside Story is now online, watchable right here on YouTube. Look no further for lunch-break or late-night-snack material.

This 10-part video series from director Jennie Kong covers topics including storytelling, narrative design, and performance directing with appearances by creators who have worked on games like Until Dawn, Journey, Ratchet & Clank, Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear Solid, and Firewatch. You'll know these faces.

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News:: RAGE goes digital on Xbox One

Id's RAGE was sort of a cross between Fallout and Borderlands, and there was plenty to do in the post-apocalyptic wasteland caused by an enormous meteor smashing into the earth. It had a pretty good driving engine for the Mad Max inspired vehicles you'd come across, and the voice work was excellent, featuring a major character played by John Goodman. RAGE was fairly successful when it released in 2011, but those who missed it now have a new way to play.

RAGE was already backwards compatible on the Xbox One, but it had never been available digitally before, requiring a physical copy to play on a console. Starting today, the title can be downloaded from Xbox LIVE for about $15.

RAGE is somewhat significant since it was the last game John Carmack programmed as an employee of id software before jumping ship to join Oculus. If you should happen to find the fellow up in the header image, ask him how he feels about having two knives.

Major Nelson [Twitter]

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News:: A much better look at Ultra Street Fighter II's first-person mode

Capcom is bringing Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers to Nintendo Switch and it'll surely draw in some players simply as an early game for the system with nostalgia and multiplayer also going for it. One of the title's most curious features is an eyebrow-raising bonus mode, "Way of the Hado," in which you duke it out as Ryu from a first-person perspective. What's up with that? Here's what's up with that.

We've heard about the mode and seen snippets, but this archived stream offers an extended look:

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News:: Former Sony Online Entertainment CEO to lead a new Amazon Games studio

Amazon's intent to prove that its move into game development is a serious one. At last September's TwitchCon, the first three titles under the Amazon Games Studios banner were revealed. Now, it's adding to its pedigree by bringing on one of the industry's more notable names.

John Smedley, the former CEO of Sony Online Entertainment, has been recruited to open and lead a new branch of Amazon Games Studios in San Diego. This studio is working on its own game that is said to already be in development. Not much is known about it yet, but a press release says that it "taps into the power of the AWS Cloud and Twitch to connect players."

Smedley's background has primarily been in MMOs, so it wouldn't be surprising to see this new venture lean that way. Smedley was a part of the team that created the original EverQuest. Eventually he became CEO of SOE. When SOE was bought from Sony in 2015, he led the newly named Daybreak Game Company as its president. He stepped down from that position shortly thereafter and founded indie startup Pixelmage Games; Pixelmage shut down while its debut title was still in Early Access.

It'll likely be a while before we know anything about this San Diego branch's game. In an interview with GamesIndustry International, Smedley alluded to this being "really big and ambitious" thanks to the Amazon Lumberyard infrastructure. Big and ambitious is certainly in Smedley's wheelhouse. Let's hope "quality" is an adjective we can use to describe it too.

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News:: Spooky Adventures in Babysitting with 2Dark

Two things I'm very weary of in life: kids and developers mostly remembered for big hits from 25+ years ago. Look, if you've ever played Amy, you'll understand where I'm coming from. Even so, someone thought I was the ideal person to play 2Dark; a new indie game by Frédérick Raynal, creator of Alone in the Dark and Little Big Adventure, in which you rescue a bunch of little brats from psychotic kidnappers.

Thankfully, by the time I wrapped up 2Dark's preview build, I felt far more confident in Raynal's latest effort; a twisted stealthy take on survival horror that tries to avoid the usual irritations of escort missions. I still don't care much for kids, though.

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News:: GameStop's Tax Refund Sale: Cheap Bandai Namco titles and more

Another year, another tax form to fill out. If you have a big refund check coming in the mail for you, GameStop is itching to take some of last year's hard-earned bucks from you in its new "Re-fun your Refund" sale.

Now through March 3, GameStop has discounts on a variety of console games and accessories, some of which are nearing holiday-like prices. We'll list the best of the sale below.

Speaking of the best, some really decent Bandai Namco titles are on tap at GameStop this week with GameStop grouping them as an "Anime" sale. Choice picks include Sword Art Online: Lost Song, which is now cheaper on the PS4 than it was during Black Friday 2016. In fact other titles such as J-STARS Victory Vs+ and Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth are also at the ten-dollar mark and at their historic low prices.

Anime Sale

Bandai Namco titles

• Naruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 Road to Boruto (PS4, Xbox One) — $39.99  (list price $50)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (PS4, Xbox One) — $39.99  (list price $60)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse (PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360) — $19.99  (list price $30)
• Digimon World: Next Order (PS4) — $49.99  (list price $60)
• Tales of Berseria (PS4) — $49.99  (list price $60)
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization (PS4) — $39.99  (list price $60)
• God Eater 2: Rage Burst Day One Edition (PS4) — $29.99  (list price $40)
• One Piece: Burning Blood (PS4, Xbox One) — $19.99  (list price $30)
• J-STARS Victory Vs+ (PS4) — $9.99  (list price $20)
• Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (PS4) — $9.99  (list price $20)
• Sword Art Online: Lost Song (PS4, PS Vita) — $9.99  (list price $20)

Non-Bandai titles

• Attack on Titan (Xbox One, PS4) — $29.99  (list price $40)
• Persona 4: Dancing All Night "Disco Fever Collector's Edition" (PS Vita) — $20.97  (list price $36)
• The Disgaea Triple Play Collection (PS3) — $15.97  (list price $22)

More Deals

• Nintendo Wii System (Refurb) — $59.99  (list price $80)
• Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One) — $39.99  (list price $60)
• Gears of War 4 (Xbox One) — $39.99  (list price $60)
• Quantum Break (Xbox One) — $39.99  (list price $60)
• XCOM 2 (PS4, Xbox One) — $29.99  (list price $40)
• WWE 2K17 (Xbox One, PS4) — $29.99  (list price $60)
• BioShock: The Collection (Xbox One, PS4) — $29.99  (list price $60)
• Mafia III (Xbox One, PS4) — $29.99  (list price $60)
• NBA 2K17 Early Tip-Off Edition (PS4, Xbox One) — $29.99  (list price $60)
• The Sims 4 (Origin) — $19.99  (list price $40)
• Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One) — $19.99  (list price $40)
• UFC 2 (PS4, Xbox One) — $19.99  (list price $40)
• Battlefield 4 (PC DVD, Origin) — $2.97  (list price $6)

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News:: Cool looking puzzle-platformer Snake Pass gets a release date

In our current harsh climate, I've been appreciating gaming's return to the happy-go-lucky days of brightly colored animal mascots getting into shenanigans. Couple this with a studio that's produced tons of great experiences like Sumo Digital, and we could have one of the more delightful titles of 2017. I mean, just look at Snake Pass and try not to smile. 

Snake Pass is launching for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on March 28th in North America and March 29th in Europe. It's also coming with PlayStation Pro and Xbox Play Anywhere support. 

I'm probably going to nab it for the Switch myself, since it definitely looks like it'd be home on a Nintendo console. 

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News:: Sony is shifting PlayStation Now to PS4 and PC only

Have you ever messed with Sony's game-streaming service PlayStation Now?

I've considering it a few times, but always seem to back away once I take a few seconds to think about the pricing model and get out of impulse-buy (or in this case, impulse-rental) mode. If you've wanted to try the service, your time might be limited -- Sony has announced plans to discontinue PlayStation Now support for all currently-supported devices other than PlayStation 4 and Windows PCs.

As of August 15, 2017, these devices will no longer run PlayStation Now:

• PlayStation 3
• PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV
• All 2013, 2014, 2015 Sony Bravia TV models
• All Sony Blu-ray player models
• All Samsung TV models

2016 Sony Bravia TVs aren't safe, either. They'll lose Now support weirdly ahead of everything else on April 1, 2017. If you're currently signed up for the service, make sure auto-renewal is off, because Sony isn't going to disable automated billing here. You'll have to be proactive and take that first step.

Sony's reasoning for the discontinuation isn't all that clear, leaving room for speculation. The official blurb is: "After thoughtful consideration, we decided to shift our focus and resources to PS4 and Windows PC to further develop and improve the user experience on these two devices. This move puts us in the best position to grow the service even further. If you use any of the above devices, we want to give our heartfelt thanks for your support, and we hope you'll continue with us. Remember that all of your PS Now cloud game saves can easily be accessed on both PS4 and Windows PC."

I have to assume the numbers for those other devices just didn't make sense for Sony relative to the larger PS4 and PC audience of Now users, but still, poor Vita. Guy can't catch a break! It'd be nice if, given the shift in focus, more games -- say the PS1 and PS2 libraries -- became available.

PlayStation Now Service Update [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: 'Street Fighter' on Nintendo Switch flings first-person hadokens

News keeps trickling in for the Switch as we await its public release next month. Befitting a Nintendo console, they range from exciting to bizarre, often taking the system's novel points and running into unpredictable territory. Such is the case with the upcoming Ultra Street Fighter II, as a new video emerged confirming rumors that we will, at last, get a first-person hadoken-throwing experience.

Via: Nintendo Life

Source: Capcom TV

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News:: Capcom says Resident Evil 7 recouped its development costs

Resident Evil 7, an excellent game that's full of spooks and scares, surely has developer/publisher Capcom on pins and needles for different reasons. This installment is a significant departure from the classic take on Resident Evil, and that's quite the gamble when you consider that Capcom had to front a lot of money to create this game. Without the safety net of continuing narrative arcs and known protagonists, it's really only the franchise name that could guarantee some sales.

That gamble has seemingly paid off. As part of an investors Q&A session, Capcom revealed that Resident Evil 7 has recovered its development costs. The exact figure wasn't disclosed, but its 3 million units shipped has canceled out whatever it took to make the game.

But that isn't all that Capcom expects to squeeze out of Resident Evil 7. There's still a projection that it'll hit 4 million units shipped, as this is cited as an example of a game that has a "continuous long tail." Also, DLC sales will contribute to the overall revenue, even though the bulk of it will be generated from the base game.

However, this isn't to say that Resident Evil 7 is actually profitable yet. Capcom stopped short of saying that. Resident Evil 7 was anchored by a fairly significant marketing campaign, and we don't know if that has been offset. Still, sales appear to be right in line with projections at this point, so it doesn't seem like anyone is disappointed with its performance thus far.

Third-Quarter Consolidated Financial Results Conference Call for the Fiscal Year ending March 31, 2017: Q&A Summary (February 1, 2017) [Capcom]

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News:: New Simon memory game looks like a cheap VR headset

Last year, Hasbro revealed an updated version of its classic Simon game that didn't require you to press multi-color buttons. With Simon Air, you just put your hand close to the color and it device would detect your motion. For this year's New York Toy Fair, the company is taking hands-free play a step further with Simon Optix. This new model is a wearable headset that looks something like HoloLens or some other AR/VR headset but it doesn't do any of that.

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News:: PS4 Slim Bundle deal brings an effective price of $200

Last week Sony announced a $50 discount bonanza for all participating retailers on the PlayStation 4 Slim console bundles. This week that means she's back to her old $250 holiday price point, but one retailer is going the extra mile to incentivize you to buy through it: Dell.

The mostly computing retailer does sell plenty of gaming equipment, and much to our surprise you can head over to Dell and see the discount to $249.99 with a note that you'll receive a bonus $50 gift card. The card will arrive 10-20 days after your order ships and will be redeemable on almost everything sold at Dell (save for a Dell gift cards).

If you were looking into buying a PS4 this post-holiday season, this is the best offer of the new year. While this works for the Uncharted 4 PS4 bundle, Dell is not extending the bonus gift card to the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy bundle, presumably because the CoD bundle is only about a month and a half old, while the Uncharted 4 bundle has been around since September of last year.

Dell is not telling us exactly when this offer ends. If you dig a little deeper than surface level at checkout, you'll notice Dell says it's a limited-time offer. This could mean it runs now through the Sony $50 price break offer of February 25 or the more likely scenario is that this runs until Dell's sold enough of its Uncharted 4 bundle stock so it can rescind the deal.

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News:: Build big guns and dodge bullets in Mothergunship

Mothergunship looks like the digital equivalent of a heart attack. The upcoming first-person shooter from Terrible Posture Games is fast, furious, and full of explosions. 

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News:: Watch Dogs 2 gets a surprise update to its ending

This article will contain some spoilers for the ending of Watch Dogs 2. You have been warned!

Watch Dogs 2 just received a new (rather large) update today. Along with some new emotes, clothing options, and a few little areas to explore, the game has received a longer ending. Now when you finish the game, an extra conversation will run after the credits roll. A lot of fans are speculating that this is a setup for the inevitable Watch Dogs 3, which may very well be the case.

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News:: Sony plans to make PlayStation Now exclusive to PC and PS4

If you're a PlayStation Now user that doesn't actually own a PS4, get ready to cancel your subscription -- Sony just announced that its cloud gaming service is going to drop support for everything but its flagship console and Windows PC users later this year. On August 15th 2017, PlayStation Now will stop functioning on PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation TV as well as all Sony Bravia TVs, every Sony Blu-ray player and all Samsung smart TVs with access to the service. That's a lot of devices to drop, but Sony is optimistic about the choice, explaining in a blog post that it will help it build a better user experience on the remaining two platforms.

Source: PlayStation

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News:: Xbox's E3 press conference won't be the same day and time that it always is

Early indications are that this will not be your standard fare E3. Even if the quality of the reveals is about the same as usual, the format of the whole show has significantly changed. Last week, the ESA announced that it's selling tickets to the public this year. Now, Microsoft has ventured out of its comfort zone too.

Late this morning, we received an email from Microsoft that served as a save the date of sorts (February is too early for this kind of thing). It tells us that the Xbox E3 briefing will be on Sunday afternoon at 2pm this year. Here's the graphic that was attached:

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News:: Mario Sports Superstars' approach to amiibo cards seems iffy

Mario Sports Superstars now has an official Japanese site detailing each of the five sports along with amiibo card function information. Breakdowns on how each sport is played are provided and are also shown off in the six-minute gameplay video that was simultaneously released. "Horse Racing" in particular seems to have more to it than mere racing. On top of feeding, grooming, and petting your horse, you can wander around and collect accessories such as wizard hats.

The training mini-games consist of Superman 64 flashback-inducing rings you must ride, bat, or kick balls through. At first glance it seemed like there'd be a variety of mini-games to beef up the content like in other Mario-related sports titles such as the Dream Events in the Mario & Sonic Olympic Games series. However, this ring training games appear to be all there is. 

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News:: Microsoft will unveil Xbox Project Scorpio on June 11th

If you're an Xbox fan who's been anxiously awaiting more news on Microsoft's Project Scorpio ever since it was unveiled at E3 last year, you now know exactly when you'll get the full scoop. Microsoft has revealed that its customary E3 briefing will take place on June 11th at 5PM Eastern, and the teaser graphic makes it patently clear that the 4K-capable Scorpio will be the center of attention. There are no fresh clues, to no one's surprise, but it's safe to say this is a big deal when the Redmond crew is shaking up its usual E3 schedule to garner maximum attention. One thing's for sure: we'll be there to give you our first-hand impressions.

Source: Xbox (Twitter)

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News:: Nintendo is changing the way experience works in Fire Emblem Heroes

With Super Mario Run Nintendo has adopted a "set it and forget it" strategy, where they aren't altering the game that much outside of some sparing events and tweaks. But Fire Emblem Heroes is following the exact opposite beat, and will likely win out monetarily in the long run for it.

Nintendo has announced that they're altering the way experience works in Heroes sometime in the next several weeks, as high level characters will now earn more experience in low level skirmishes. It seems like a small thing, but it was a major problem in the endgame previously, as it turned late-game teambuilding into a grind, funneling back into the energy system.

Beyond that they're also extending all of the launch festivities until March 14. I'm not thrilled with Heroes so far (it's alright), but they're doing a more admirable job of keeping me playing than Super Mario Run. It's so odd to me that they kind of left that game to die after all that hype -- they could probably put one developer on free level DLC and call it a day.

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News:: Dragon Quest spin-off outperforms Nioh in first week

The long-awaited Dark Souls-esque Nioh has arrived but its thunder has perhaps been stolen by Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 Professional, which sold nearly 50,000 more copies than the newcomer. The Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series is differentiated from the main series by its Pokémon-inspired monster catching and battling. The new Neptune game, Four Goddesses Online: Cyber Dimension Neptune, rounds out the top three.

Maybe I am alone in being a little surprised by it's success, but it is Dragon Quest after all; a series loved by the Japanese like Star Wars is in the west. On top of brand recognition and being a portable game, the cute family-friendly nature of the game is more attractive to the broader mainstream audience than a relatively more niche title featuring a mature rating,

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News:: Twitch's in-chat tipping program generated $6 million in 2016

In June 2016, Twitch introduced Cheering, a system that allows viewers to pay their favorite partnered streamers simply by typing an emote into the chat -- and it appears to have paid off. Participating streamers get one cent for every Bit pledged in their chat rooms, and last year, Twitch saw a total of 590 million Bits Cheered. That means these streamers took home $5.9 million in Bits alone throughout the second half of 2016.

Source: Twitch

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News:: This Overwatch and Goldeneye 64 mashup is just what I needed

There was a time where nearly every PC FPS had some form of a Goldeneye type mod, or some effort was made to create it. Before Halo swept the nation and gave us MLG, Goldeneye 64 was the gateway drug into the FPS genre for folks who didn't play on PC, augmented by an amazing four-player mode.

Youtuber Noilleber decided to create a mashup on Overwatch's Dorado, which, now that I think about it, looks like a level that could have came from a retro shooter. There's also a few more subtle nods, like the weaponry of some of the characters resembling the more iconic gear in the Rare classic, and Torbjörn doubling as Oddjob.

Oh, and the sound effects are there too. There's nothing more maddening than dying, hearing that little James Bond jingle, and seeing the blood rush over your screen.

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News:: Is Nintendo hinting at a GameCube VC on Switch, or just more remakes?

Nintendo has been embracing modern console gaming sensibilities -- and that includes season passes, paying for online play, and remakes. The former two are a relatively new development, but Nintendo has been in the remake game for a while, which only helps the case that they're prepping more projects like that on the Switch.

Speaking to French outlet Melty, Nintendo producer Yoshiaki Koizumi confirmed that they are working on something related to a GameCube Virtual Console. Specifically, he said: "We cannot give a concrete answer, because we have nothing to announce at the moment. But there’s something I can tell you: we are working on some things along those lines."

Now, that doesn't necessarily confirm that there will be a VC for GameCube, but "some things along those lines" could very well imply cherry-picked re-releases for games like Super Mario Sunshine. Naturally, that means more $50-$60 pricepoints than say, what's on the Virtual Console. Nintendo needs to make a new category if they do go VC, and we can probably expect it to be pricier than the Nintendo 64 baseline of $9.99.

Nintendo Switch [Melty]

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News:: Japan's 1-2 Switch commercials look more fun than the game

It's going to be interesting to see how 1-2 Switch fares at launch. We all know that Zelda is going to have an insane attach rate -- I wouldn't be surprised if nearly everyone picked it up. But are people going to drop $50 on a minigame collection? The US commercials aren't going a good job of peddling it, but this latest batch from Japan look a lot more fun.

Really, the main dude that's in all the clips sells it -- it's like watching a Japanese game show. I think the first time we play any given minigame (there are 28) it'll probably be this fun, then quickly dry up. But based on my experiences (and many others) with it in a hands-on fashion, it might not even last that long.

As another tidbit of info, 1-2 Switch is confirmed to have a shuffle mode, as well as a team mode. Anyone else love that little "click" noise?

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