News:: NIS America is bringing Ys VIII and 18 other games to North America this year

2017 may be the biggest year in NIS America's history. Friday night at a press event in San Francisco, the publisher announced the 19 games it will be localizing in North America this year, including Danganronpa V3 and Culdcept Revolt.

The event, hosted by the most exhaustive person to talk about games since Mr. Caffeine, only gave us brief glimpses of the games, and most of them we already knew were coming. Capping off the short presentation was video of Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, which will release this fall.

Spreading the love around, NIS America will publish games for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and the system that just won't die no matter how many times Sony tries to kill it, the PlayStation Vita.

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News:: Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony comes west in September

At the NIS America event in San Francisco, Danganronpa director Kazutaka Kodaka joked that he was jealous of how well Ace Attorney and Persona sell, but I bet there's some truth behind that. His latest Saw meets. Ace Attorney adventure, Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony, now has concrete release dates for the west: September 26, 2017 for America and September 29, 2017 for Europe.

The game released on January 12, 2017 in Japan, separating the releases by over eight months. That's a bit longer than those Ace Attorney games as well as Persona 5 have taken to be localized but not by a significant amount. At least this gives people like me a chance to get caught up on the series I suppose.

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News:: Another Culdcept game is finally getting localized

For the past few years, I've seen trailers of wonderful looking Culdcept games for the Nintendo 3DS with only a glimmer of hope in my eye that they might be localized. Last year, Nintendo itself published Culdcept Revolt for the system in Japan, but there was no word of a localization.

That changed at NIS America's press conference Friday night when it was revealed Culdcept Revolt would be published in North America this summer.

If you don't know what Culdcept is, this trailer of the Japanese announcement from last year might give you a clue.

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News:: Now Microsoft's Twitch competitor has an Xbox One app

Microsoft bought livestreaming service Beam last August to fold its advanced viewer interactions with its gaming services on Windows 10 and Xbox. They finally opened testing up to select users at the end of January, but today, they're taking the next step in competing against Twitch by launching the Beam app for Xbox One. As with the previous trials, only certain members of the Xbox Insider Program get first crack at it, but you'll now be able to watch our favorite streamers right from your console.

Source: Xbox Newsroom

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News:: PlayStation Network is holding an action-themed Flash Sale

When I think of "action games," the first thing to pop into my mind is not La-Mulana EX. But that beast of a platforming adventure title is among this weekend's PlayStation Network Flash Sale listings in North America, and it's good. If you'd like to play it on Vita, you can grab it for $3.99 (that's 80% off).

There's also an assortment of more expected picks for this themed sale, like a Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition bundle ($10.79), Bloodborne Complete Edition ($17.49), and Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin ($11.99). I'm not seeing anything too terribly compelling, but you might have better luck.

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News:: DiRT Rally's PSVR update lands on the PSN store

The more simulation-based DiRT Rally spin-off now has its official PlayStation VR update as of today. The bad news: it costs $13. Owners of the base game will need to pony up an additional $12.99 (£9.99) to experience Rally with more "realism." If you don't already own the title, you can grab it in a bundle for $43.39 (£39.99) with one additional DLC pack.

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News:: Take a peek at skeleton combat in Sea of Thieves

I'm torn on this latest Sea of Thieves video.

On the one hand, skeletons. Ask any scientist, and they'll confirm what you already know to be true -- that skeletons rule, particularly when they're sentient enough to aim a gun at treasure-nabbing pirates.

On the other hand, this video serves as a bitter reminder that most of us aren't allowed in the Sea of Thieves technical alpha, even as Rare adds more names to its list. No skeletal combat for us, I'm afraid. For the lucky few, though, the game world has grown and there's now fall damage to keep in mind.

Far too many months from now, I'll enjoy playing this game.

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News:: Erik Wolpaw has departed Valve

It's been confirmed that Erik Wolpaw, one of the writers behind games like Portal and Left 4 Dead, is no longer working for Valve. Wolpaw and his writing partner, Chet Faliszek, joined Valve after their hugely influential Old Man Murray website was noticed by founder Gabe Newell, and they've helped give Valve's characters much of their humor and personality ever since.  Before joining Valve, Wolpaw had written for Double Fine's Psychonauts, and it appears as though he'll continue working on the sequel. Wolpaw had been given permission to work on Psychonauts 2 while still at Valve, but will now be able to devote full time to the project.

The departure was confirmed on Twitter by one of Wolpaw's fellow writers at Valve, Marc Laidlaw. Additionally, Wolpaw's FaceBook page has been updated to show that he's no longer a Valve employee.

@Wolpaw left Valve so I can now insult him freely without damaging the company's reputation. He's a comic genius and a true original.

— Marc Laidlaw (@marc_laidlaw) February 17, 2017

Valve's writing team for the last decade has been top-notch, and if you've ever repeated a meme about fictional cake, sentient bread, or combustible lemons, it's likely that Wolpaw had a hand in its creation. Wolpaw had thought he would need to leave Valve in the past due to illness, but was given extended leave to recover. It's unknown how his departure will affect any titles Valve is currently working on. 

Erik Wolpaw leaves Valve, for real this time [NeoGAF]

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News:: Gaming because of dad

[It's not every day you come across a parent-child relationship as admirable as Dere's. What dad is cooler than one who argues with you on how to beat the Water Temple? ~Strider]

My dad is cooler than your dad. This is similar to when people say my dad can beat up your dad. I believe though that my dad is the coolest. My dad has always and will always be there for me. No matter what stupid thing I do, whatever I'm going through, or what he's going through, my dad will be there. He is the constant in my life.

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News:: PS4 and PC players are getting Furi's One More Fight DLC soon

Furi is adding another name to its gauntlet of bosses. The Xbox One version launched with an extra, then-exclusive fight packed in -- an encounter with a multi-armed boss named The Flame -- and now he's coming to the PC and PlayStation 4 versions as part of the One More Fight DLC in March.

Here's a video of someone absolutely going to town on the new boss:

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News:: Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash gets a titillating trailer

Marvelous's Senran Kagura has always been a shameful pleasure of mine, and that shame comes to a head with the latest release Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash. This multiplayer water gun shooter may seem like Splatoon with waifus, but this Japanese trailer for the game shows us what Peach Beach Splash has to offer beyond waifu physics. 

Various weapon types, stat boosts, and then, uh, a very distressing minigame where you poke a girl until she cries. There's also quite a bit of, uh, interactivity that I'm sure some of us will get quite a bit out of. Honestly, no one gives the fans what they want like Marvelous. I even have a favorite girl here. 

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash releases in Japan for PlayStation 4 on March 16th. There's a Western release planned at a later date. 

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash second trailer [Gematsu]

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News:: Resogun lands 4K and HDR support

There's nothing quite like returning to a leaderboard-centric game after a long absence only to find out that all of your unstoppable high scores have been trounced by some jabroni. This is how grudges form!

Housemarque is giving Resogun players an excuse to return and assess the damage with a new 4K and high-dynamic range update. Base PS4 owners can take advantage of HDR assuming they have a corresponding TV, while PS4 Pro players are looking at 4K (and, score, there's supersampling).

Besides the visual flourishes, there are "some vfx additions and bug fixes" as well.

Resogun 4K + HDR Patch Now Available! [Housemarque]

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News:: Here's an in-depth look at Mass Effect: Andromeda's combat system

This space conflict isn't getting resolved without a space firefight. Or, more accurately, many space firefights. Mass Effect: Andromeda labels you as the Pathfinder and that sounds peaceful enough, but every path through this game seems to be laden with folks who just want to murder you.

In the interest of self-defense, you will shoot back. You will have to. This new video describes the many facets of the Mass Effect: Andromeda system and it'll be up to you to figure out which combination best suits your style. Maybe you like an assault rifle that shoots good old-fashioned bullets, and a sniper rifle that relies on unlimited ammo but has a cool-down system. Or, maybe you like to cloak yourself and blast fire from your hands. That's on the table too.

Customization's again king in Mass Effect: Andromeda and that will go a long way to determining how you play. But, there's plenty that's ubiquitous to all players regardless of style. For instance, every gun is available to everyone; there are no restrictions based on class. Also, there's a jump jet for dashing that seems like it'll be useful in making movement an integral part of combat.

With about a month until Mass Effect: Andromeda's release, BioWare still has plenty to tell us about the game's intricacies. The combat overview is just the first installment in an official gameplay series. Relative little is still known about Mass Effect: Andromeda's world, but most of the allure comes from finding that stuff out on our own.

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News:: Dawn of War III is looking better and better

Enough of the single-faction drip-fed trailers: this latest video for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War pits the Eldar against the Space Marines and the Orks in large-scale skirmishes, and the end result just plain looks cool. I'm no Eldar player, but that Wraithknight slide at 1:03 is a standout moment.

I'm also reminded that the marketing rollout for this game has been going on for quite a while now -- at least it sure feels that way at the current pace -- and we're still only on for an indeterminate "2017" release on PC. It'll be some time yet before any prophecies come to pass.

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News:: Civic-planning sim 'Cities: Skylines' is coming to Xbox One

The civic-planning simulator Cities: Skylines is making the jump to consoles soon, long after Microsoft teased a port back in August 2015. At an undisclosed date this Spring, Xbox One owners will get their own edition of the game, which comes bundled with the After Dark DLC. Delightful as the title is, how gameplay will make the transition from mouse to console controller is anyone's guess.

Source: Cities: Skylines (Xbox)

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News:: eShop downloads on the Switch won't be console locked

One of the more curious choices Nintendo used to make with downloadale games came in the form of console locking content. On any of its previous systems with some form of storefront (Wii, DSi, 3DS, and Wii U), every download would be associated with the serial number of the hardware it was downloaded from. This meant that should your console die, get stolen, or you trade in the hardware, all of your digitally purchased games would go with it. Finally, Nintendo has joined the (somewhat) modern era and removed this asinine restriction.

One lucky guy received his Switch early and uploaded an unboxing video for the world to see. The video clarifies the biggest point of contention I was having about going digital on the system. According to an FAQ that appears when attempting to format the system, "Your Nintendo Account contains your Nintendo eShop purchase history and current balance. By re-linking your Nintendo Account after initializing the console, it will be possible to redownload any software or DLC purchased using that account. (Software that has been discontinued may not be available to redownload in some cases.)"

While I don't necessarily need to have all of my games for the rest of my human existence, arbitrarily confining them to one specific piece of hardware was always pointless. It was especially ridiculous since Microsoft created a method of account linking purchases back when the Xbox 360 launched in 2005. Even if you want to give Nintendo the benefit of the doubt and say the Wii was developed during a period of unfamiliarity with modern technology, why did its other consoles and handhelds not improve upon the situation?

Still, this is huge news for the Switch. I feel a lot more comfortable going all digital on the device. Then again, Nintendo hardware is pretty famous for never breaking.

Nintendo Switch eShop will finally link purchases to accounts, not consoles [Eurogamer]

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News:: Nintendo Switch eShop purchases will be tied to your account

Rejoice, Nintendo fans! Your eShop purchases on the Switch will be tied to your account and not the hardware, according to a new unboxing video.

Via: Polygon

Source: YouTube

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News:: PS4 Slim bundles down to $219 with extra coupon savings

This week through the 25th of February Sony has authorized select retailers to drop the PS4 Slim bundles back to their holiday lows of $249.99. The $50 discount is a great excuse to pick up a newer PS4, especially if you were eyeing up the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy Bundle (seriously people buy them) - the bundle is seeing a price drop for the first time ever. Two additional retailers are now dangling extra incentives for a PS4 Slim purchase.

Walmart's Jet.com is the hot new deal going on today, where their famous coupon code now qualifies on the PS4. This cuts either the Uncharted 4 or Infinite Warfare console bundles down to only $219 with free shipping. This code has long since been unavailable for console systems, but for today it's working peachy.

Jet.com PS4 Slim Deals

• PlayStation 4 Slim Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy Bundle — $219 at Jet  (list price $300)
• PlayStation 4 Slim Uncharted 4: A Thief's End Bundle — $219 at Jet  (list price $300)
• Use code: TRIPLE15

Dell.com PS4 Slim Deals

• PlayStation 4 Slim Uncharted 4 Bundle + $50 eGift Card — $249.99 at Dell  (list price $300)

The next best alternative discount for the PS4 Slim Uncharted 4 bundle is at Dell.com with a bonus $50 eGift Card. Value-wise the Dell offer is slightly better since effectively with the gift card factored in, you are getting a $199.99 PS4. The eGift Card works on any on Dell.com, which non-coincidentally carries a decent catalog of upcoming PS4 games.

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News:: You don't look so hot, Mega Bloks Pikachu

Everyone loves Pokémon and some everyone loves Mega Bloks, so it was only a matter of time before the two of them formed the beast with the assembly required back. As part of Mattel's new Mega Construx line, Pikachu, Charizard and other Gen 1 Pokémon (the second best gen) are now cruelly assembling their ways toward stores this Summer. 

The Construx line is apparently meant for teen/adult collectors, but I'm not quite sure how they'd appeal to them. Maybe someone would buy this version of Pikachu just to keep him trapped forever in his strange, horrid prison. Hey, you, Pikachu, what happened? Did a wizard trap you in some curse because you ate the pie cooling on his windowsill? Blankly gaze into the abyss if you need help. 

The Pokémon Mega Bloks Are Coming [Kotaku]

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News:: Big Xbox One S price drop this weekend, Halo Wars 2 bundle included

Earlier this week, Sony unleashed an impressive $50 discount at most retailers for its PS4 Slim consoles. We were expecting Microsoft to follow suit a few days after and it appears the time is right to strike back as this weekend the price cut returns for the Xbox One S. The savings are abound on Xbox One S consoles, which are now once again $50 off. Best yet, even the new Halo Wars 2 console which is made available today qualifies for the discount.

There are two retailers we recommend to pick up Xbone system savings: 1) the Microsoft Store, since they are tossing in a free game of your choice on top of the discount, and 2) Jet, because they have a coupon code today that stacks with the savings on select console bundles.

Microsoft Store Deals

Xbox One S

• Xbox One S 1TB Halo Wars 2 Bundle + Free Game — $299  (list price $349)
• Xbox One S 1TB Battlefield 1 Special Edition Bundle + Free Game — $249  (list price $299)
• Xbox One S 1TB Forza Horizon 3 Bundle + Free Game — $299  (list price $349)
• Xbox One S 1TB FIFA 17 Bundle + Free Game — $299  (list price $349)
• Xbox One S Battlefield 1 Storm Grey Bundle + Free Game — $249  (list price $299)
• Xbox One S 500GB Battlefield 1 Bundle + Free Game — $249  (list price $299)
• Xbox One S 500GB Forza Horizon 3 Bundle + Free Game — $249  (list price $299)
• Xbox One S 500GB Gears of War 4 Special Edition Bundle + Free Game — $249  (list price $299)

Xbox One

• Xbox One 1TB The Division Bundle + Free Game — $229  (list price $399)
• Xbox One 500GB Console with Free Game (Refurbished) — $179  (list price $199)

 

Jet.com Xbox One S Deals

Use Code: TRIPLE15

• Xbox One S 2TB Gears of War 4 Limited Edition Bundle — $337.79  (list price $449)
• Xbox One S 1TB Gears of War 4 Bundle — $269.24  (list price $349)
• Xbox One S 500GB Battlefield 1 Bundle + Free Game — $230  (list price $299)
• Xbox One S 500GB Minecraft Bundle — $222.29  (list price $300)

At checkout, you get a choice of one free game. Selections are: Watch Dogs, Just Dance 2016, Hasbro Family Fun Pack, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, or The Crew. Not the greatest variety of Ubisoft titles, but it's a free physical title to add to your collection.

The Jet bundle selections are not as numerous as Microsoft's offers, but Jet does have a handful of console deals at their historic low price. For example, the pricey Xbox One S 2TB Gears of War 4 Limited Edition Bundle is now only $337.79 after coupon at Jet. Even the Xbox One S 500GB Battlefield 1 or Minecraft Bundles are well under the $250 discount price of $230 and $223, respectively.

Finally, for those who just wants the absolutely cheapest Xbox One bundle, the Microsoft Store still has the older Xbox One in stock. The refurbished Xbox One S 500GB bundle is now as little as $179 with free shipping. Not bad for a system straight from the manufacturer with a warranty included.

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News:: Friday Night Fights: Matchmaker Edition

Video games come in and out of our life just like the seasons that flow by. There are games that stick around and fill your life with countless hours of joy. Then there are others that fall by the wayside and make you wonder if it was even worth it to start it up. Especially those games with the oddly numbered early achievement early so you feel slightly obliged to see it through.

This week, of course, was Valentine's week. Lovey dovey couples will be out in droves all week as grand plans are made. After all that is taken care of, it's time to spend the weekend with games you love. Why not challenge a friend to play a lovely game of H.O.R.S.E. in Halo? (the sticky grenade is the ball and your enemy is the goal)

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News:: Disgaea 5 Complete launches in May on Switch, with all PS4 DLC

Disgaea 5 Complete, which Nintendo is helping to showcase on their national pre-launch Switch tour, now has a release date in Europe -- May 26. NIS is expected to launch the US version during the same time period.

As a reminder, the "Complete" Switch version will arrive with all of the DLC from PS4, and will support both tablet and TV play, like the majority of Switch games. However, like all Switch games, you can't use both like the Wii U -- in other words, playing on the TV while using the tablet as a map is right out. I'm really going to miss that bit.

Either way Disgaea 5 is good, and deserves to live on in some form. I hope the Switch version sells enough to warrant more releases on the platform.

Disgaea 5 Complete launching at the end of May [Nintendo Everything]

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News:: Xbox One bundle offers 10 indie games for $20

Xbox One owners who don't own many indie games can now fill that hole on the cheap. For the next few weeks, video game developer Curve Digital has partnered with Microsoft to offer the Instant Indie Hits bundle for $20.

Source: Microsoft Store

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News:: Short doc examines the history of Nintendo's Hanafuda cards and alleged Yakuza ties

As most of you know by now, Nintendo started in 1889 as a playing card company -- specifically, selling Hanafuda cards. They even came full circle and honored this legacy by offering up a Mario themed set on Club Nintendo (RIP) several years back.

Well, Eurogamer has created a short video that helps clear up a little bit of that history, including the role of the Yakuza (the the well known organized crime syndicate) in selling cards. Yep, capitalists had trouble selling people DLC in the 19th century too, and Nintendo found that while they could easily peddle one deck of cards per household, they ran into problems selling them more than that once they reached their limit.

To circumvent this, the Yakuza set up their own Hanafuda parlors, and like Magic the Gathering tournaments, opened a fresh deck for each game. It's important to note that Nintendo didn't directly collude with the Yakuza in this instance, they just benefited in sales.

I still haven't found anyone to play Hanafuda with, but one day, it will happen.

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News:: Taro Yoko's next project is a mobile game titled SINoALICE

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a mobile gamer. While I do enjoy the occasional session of Ridiculous Fishing or Downwell on my phone, I'll usually gravitate towards other platforms whenever I just want to pick up and play something. Even when I'm trying to kill time on public transport, I'll almost always have a handheld console in my bag for such an occasion.

Despite my apparent apathy for mobile gaming, I can't help but find myself intrigued by SINoALICE -- an upcoming title for both iOS and Android that's being published by Square Enix and is currently being developed by Pocket Laboratory. The reason for this is simple; the creative director attached to the game is none other than Taro Yoko, whose more recent works include Drakengard 3, as well as the flawed-but-fantastic NieR and its upcoming sequel.

As of this moment, not too much is known about SINoALICE, other than what's presented in its trailer, which, according to Siliconera, makes mention of a story of some girls who desire to revive their "creator." 

Unfortunately, while Square Enix has announced that SINoALICE will hit both Google Play and the iOS App Store sometime during the Spring of 2017 in Japan, the publisher is yet to confirm the availability (or lack thereof) of a Western release for the game. I can't help but hope that this one does eventually get an English localisation, if only out of sheer curiosity. After all, I'm interested to see how Taro Yoko's often-bizarre and eccentric style of game design would translate over to a mobile format.

One can only hope that SINoALICE contains at least one singing dragon, or something that's equally strange and entertaining. At the very least, I suppose that it'll provide a decent opportunity for some lewd fan art. I'm certain that Taro, himself, would approve of it.

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News:: Review: Circles

One of the defining aspects of old-school games is the ability to teach through gameplay. Since there wasn’t a lot of storage space for text to explain individual moves, games had to organically lead players down the correct path. This took the shape of things like placing a single Goomba in Super Mario Bros. or the introductory sequence of Mega Man X.

Indie games tend to follow that design philosophy, either out of choice for retro aesthetics or due to smaller development teams (sometimes a single person). The goal is to teach solely with gameplay and eschew standardized tutorial levels that most players tend to hate. Circles definitely follows that lead, not relying on simple things like words to teach you everything you need to know to succeed.

It truly is wonderfully designed, even if the game is a bit short.

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News:: Fig's new fund helps indie games get to Steam

Crowdfunding and investment site Fig is offering successful indie developers a little extra cash to finish games and get them on Steam. With the $500,000 Fig Finishing Fund, developers that hit their funding goals and attract at least 1,000 backers will get at least $20,000 from the investor-based fund. They'll be able to use that cash to finish their games, add more languages and get them up on Valve's brand new Steam Direct program coming this spring.

Source: Fig

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News:: This Xbox One bundle of 10 indie hits for $20 is a stupidly good deal

Those who are looking to play some overlooked gems and bolster their Xbox One library can easily do so in one fell swoop. Publisher Curve Digital has a sale on indie games that is among the best you're going to find on consoles.

Called the "Instant Indie Hits Bundle," Curve is offering 10 games for $20. They are:

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