News:: Nintendo Switch lands Little Inferno and friends on Thursday

Tomorrow Corporation is helping to flesh out the early Nintendo Switch library later this week with the release of World of Goo, Little Inferno, and Human Resource Machine on the eShop.

The North American launch date is set for Thursday, March 16, and while the studio is waiting for a final confirmation from Nintendo of Europe, that shouldn't be far off either. (And even if it somehow is, with the Switch eShop, it's no big deal to set up a secondary account from a different region.)

As I mentioned before, I'm thinking I'll download Little Inferno to start, and go from there.

We Have a Switch Release Date...! [Tomorrow Corporation]

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News:: Here's how Diablo III's Necromancer will raise the dead and raze the demons

With blood and bone and a trusty scythe, the Necromancer gets shit done. The best way to prove that to you is with a GIF like this:

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News:: 'Parappa The Rapper Remastered' comes to PS4 on April 4th

Downloading games from digital platforms is one of the great boons of our internet-equipped future, but holiday sales ramp up their value to a whole other level. But they also periodically run small flash sales to highlight overlooked titles. 'Play Collective' is a new promotion giving discounts on a handpicked selection of games coming into the PlayStation Store. PS Plus members knock 20 percent off the sticker price of six titles, including a couple remastered old friends from gaming days past: Parappa The Rapper and the LucasArts classic Full Throttle.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News:: Get a sense of the surreal Pathologic with its free Marble Nest demo

Our dear friend Zack put Pathologic, an otherworldly game about a plague-afflicted town in which "you can't save everyone," on my radar. He had a fascinating journey with it that made for an equally fascinating read, and while I've yet to find the fortitude to try the game myself, I'm inching closer.

There's a remake of Pathologic on the way for PC and consoles, but before that, a few-hours-long playable precursor called The Marble Nest is here to set the mood with "a self-contained short story that uses the same assets and premise and the main game, but works as a spin-off."

The Marble Nest is now something we can all play, not just the folks who backed Pathologic on Kickstarter. Ice-Pick Lodge has tossed the not-quite-a-demo up on Steam, though there are the usual sorts of caveats about this being "generally in [a] pre-alpha state" and "not optmised."

"Obviously, we can't be everyone's cup of tea. We're not trying to. And yet we still believe that there is wisdom to be found in the reactions and criticism (or compliments?) of the people unfamiliar with the original Pathologic and our general style of development. So: please don't hesitate to download The Marble Nest and try it out. Share the link with your friend. Slide it under your enemy’s door. Show your parents that gaming can be cerebral. Show your teacher the desolation of a dying town."

The Marble Nest Demo Now Available to Everyone for Free [Steam]

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News:: Housemarque is bringing twin-stick shooter Nex Machina to PC

Housemarque (Resogun) and Eugene Jarvis (Robotron: 2084) are collaborating on a twin-stick shooter, and that's such a beautiful thought. The new game, Nex Machina, really does look like a fitting fusion. You've got robo-blasting, human saving, invincible dashing, hidden paths, and yes, voxels.

Today's news is short but most definitely sweet: Nex Machina will appear on PC as well as PlayStation 4, as previously announced. To that end, "the game will be controller focused, but we are also fine-tuning a mouse and keyboard control scheme as we speak."

It's unclear when exactly this will all come together, but Housemarque is aiming for a summer release.

Nex Machina [Steam]

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News:: Dead Rising 4 shambles over to Steam today

Something about Dead Rising 4 is dead and it's not all the zombies (because they are actually undead, post-alive). It's Microsoft's timed-exclusivity. Capcom Vancouver's slapstick, Christmas-themed zombie survival game has broken free of its shackles after just three months.

Dead Rising 4 is now available on Steam for PC players. Up until now, Windows 10 was the only option for playing on PC. Xbox One remains the sole console that Dead Rising 4 is available on. Microsoft has confirmed in the past that there's a one-year console exclusivity deal in place, so we'll have to wait significantly longer to know if there's an eventual PS4 port planned.

As for how this version performs, that's probably still up in the air but initial reports are reassuring. According to early Steam reviews (and this is entirely anecdotal), more people are saying it runs great than are having troubles with it. If that holds up, it's quite the Christmas gift in March.

Dead Rising 4 [Steam]

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News:: 'Zelda' concert tour to celebrate 'Breath of the Wild'

If you love The Legend of Zelda, or appreciate top video game tunes, there's nothing like a Symphony of the Goddesses performance. The live, orchestral concert series has dazzled fans of Link and Hyrule for the past five years, with epic renditions of classic tracks from A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time and more. Today, concert organiser Jason Michael Paul Entertainment has announced the dates for the 2017 Tour. It's also teased some set list changes, including a new piece from Breath of the Wild, an "all-new movement" from Skyward Sword and an updated overture.

Source: Zelda Symhony of the Goddesses

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News:: Mass Effect Andromeda's multiplayer gives me Mass Effect 3 flashbacks

As much as many of us weren't on board with the idea of multiplayer in a Mass Effect game, that aspect of Mass Effect 3 (aside from its oft-maligned integration with a certain "readiness" rating in the story) turned out surprisingly well. So well, in fact, that I'm happy to report Mass Effect Andromeda's is doing something in a very similar vein for its four-player, wave-based co-op survival mode.

Of special note: the game will launch with five maps, with more content to come later, and you can dispatch a crew within the single-player story to complete missions for you, level up, and bring back rewards while you're busy in your bunk. I love that a just-take-care-of-it option exists.

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News:: Snake Pass is a relaxing, legless take on 3D platformers

It took me a few minutes to wrap my head around Snake Pass. The 3D platformer seems to have all the trappings of a golden era Rare joint. From enchanting environments, right down to a duo of goofy-looking animal heroes, almost every part of Sumo Digital's upcoming game is reminiscent of a genre that's not only admired, but also poised to make a big comeback in 2017.

But Snake Pass' defining feature isn't just that it looks like a modern-day Nintendo 64 platformer. Instead, it's the lack of a proper jump button that makes it stand out. By leaning into the game's serpentine inspiration, Sumo Digital has created a platformer that excels by mechanical subtraction, not by relying on genre familiarity and nostalgia.

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News:: Love on winning her first IGF award - 'I guess I proved sex is maybe real after all'

PAX East is an event of extremes. Either you're in the midst of an overstimulating herd on the show floor, in a special, one-of-a-kind event room, or lying on a beanbag chair half dead on the floor. This year, Christine Love, creator of Ladykiller in a Bind, managed to combine all three of these experiences into one. Her Visual Novel Reading Room allowed players to feel the excitement of playing a new game, meeting with a game developer face-to-face, and landing in a soft and relaxing hideaway all at once.

Love has shown off visual novels and other fun projects at PAX for years now, but this was by far the most comfortable I've ever seen her. I got the sense that she finally felt at home at the show, now that she's displaying her work there on her own terms. The recent IGF win for Excellence in Narrative probably didn't hurt either. That said, she was by no means confident that she was going to win the award. "My bet was on Orwell," she said. "It's really well done, and a perfect game for what's going on in the world. I prepared an acceptance speech, but I didn't think I'd be needing it." 

So why did Love win? My guess is that it's because she was able to express the complications of real life sex with affection, accuracy, and excitement in all new ways for the medium. Sex as a game mechanic often comes off like a mechanical exchange of affection and/or loyalty. Worse still, it's often so desperate to be genuinely erotic that it falls flat on its face. Ladykiller doesn't suffer from these issues. It expresses the awkward anxiety, comedy, and multi-layered power dynamics typical of real life sexual relationships with a vulnerability that's hard to resist.

I think that's what Love may have meant when she half-jokingly claimed that her game "...proved that sex is maybe real after all," though knowing her, she may not be 100% sure of that herself. Love works from passion first, and thought second. It's her ability to channel that passion through a lens of intense emotional sensitivity that has allowed her to get to where she is today. I just hope we don't have to wait another three years until her next game comes out. 

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News:: They're unstoppable! DOA's Marie Rose and Honoka to join Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash

Dead or Alive's Marie Rose and Honoka are just not satisfied with being in their own game. Originally DLC fighters in Dead or Alive 5, they were titular characters in Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. They have since continued to amass popularity and thus have began invading other games, starting with Musou Stars. This time they will be playable in Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash via DLC.

They will be available on March 30, 2017 in Japan, where the main game releases March 16. Peach Beach Splash is coming west, even if we don't have an official release date yet (patiently waiting). In the meantime we have a video of the first 35 minutes to tide us over.

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News:: Oh yeah, Bravely Default has a mobile game coming

I'm glad the Bravely Default series is still alive, even if it's in the form of a mobile game. Square Enix has showed off Fairy's Effect in earnest this week, showcasing some beautiful artwork and music in the trailer below.

Unlike the vast majority of mobile trailers however, which conceal gameplay to almost trick people into thinking it's a console release, there's a bit at the end. It looks close enough with RPG style combat and menus (the "Brave" and "Default" mechanics are confirmed), but that UI looks like it's going to be rife with microtransactions.

We don't have a whole lot of 3DS projects on the horizon, so maybe Square Enix shifted their efforts to the Switch for a potential Bravely Default follow-up? I'll take anything I can get, as long as they improve upon some of the flaws in the second.

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News:: Starbreeze is makin' some moves, now publishing System Shock 3

After more than a decade developing games, Starbreeze Studios finally had a runaway hit on its hands in 2013 with Payday 2. It's seemingly that influx of Payday cash that has allowed Starbreeze to open a publishing arm of its business. That arm is making some aggressive moves.

In what will be its fourth signed game, Starbreeze has agreed to publish System Shock 3. The terms of the agreement involve a $12 million investment. Developer OtherSide will pay back an additional 20 percent, totaling $14.4 million. After the investment sum is repaid, the two companies will split revenue equally. OtherSide retains complete control of the System Shock property.

This is the second major publishing deal Starbreeze has struck in as many months. In February, it was announced that Starbreeze had signed Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 for additional funding on top of what was raised in its crowdfunding campaign. That investment was for $8 million.

Between the two projects, Starbreeze has found a quick way to float $20 million. Gotta spend money to make money; gotta crack some eggs to make an omelette; nothing ventured, nothing gained. Somewhere along the way, Starbreeze figured out that you don't have to rob banks to get another pay day.

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News:: Overwatch on the Switch? Game's director says it would be 'very challenging'

Overwatch's director Jeff Kaplan has a penchant for being very open with the game's community from the start. He might not say everything you want him to (especially in regards to balancing), but he typically fields questions all over, from official venues like BlizzCon, to Battle.net's forums, to Reddit.

This time when asked about being "up to the challenge" of putting out a Switch port, Kaplan replied "I'm loving the Switch! My second favorite gaming platform of all time is the 3DS. Getting OW on the Switch is very challenging for us. But we're always open minded about exploring possible platforms."

It's PR speak for sure, but it's a recent development in the saga of "will Blizzard put anything on a Nintendo platform anytime soon." He didn't outright deny it, but since it's not actively in development it may not happen anytime soon. I bet Blizzard is already having a  hell of a time balancing three versions of the game on PC, PS4, and Xbox One (especially since consoles are tweaked differently than PC).

Overwatch [Reddit]

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News:: PaRappa, Cosmic Star Heroine, Edith Finch, and more coming soon to PlayStation Network

Sony is holding another one of those PlayStation Network promotions that'll give us some good new games, one after another, for several weeks straight. This one, Play Collective, starts next Tuesday.

• March 21: David OReilly's play-as-anything sim Everything
• March 28: The game that gave the world slugcats, Rain World
• April 4: The needs-no-introduction rhythm classic PaRappa the Rapper Remastered
• April 11: New Zeboyd Games RPG Cosmic Star Heroine
• April 18: The still-great LucasArts adventure Full Throttle Remastered
• April 25: Surreal family adventure What Remains of Edith Finch

PlayStation Plus-having folks who pre-order can save 20 percent on any and all of these games.

Out of this lot, I'm most curious about Edith Finch. That's my biggest question mark. The developers at Giant Sparrow (The Unfinished Swan) describe it as "a collection of strange tales about a family in Washington State." If you remember Brett trying to unpack the game's mysteries a couple years back in a preview, I was right there with him at that event, also confused and intrigued as hell.

Play Collective: Six New Games Launching with PS Plus Discounts [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: The 24th 'Overwatch' character arrives next week

Orisa, the latest character to enter the Overwatch fray, will be widely available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 21st. Orisa is an "anchor tank," as Blizzard calls it -- this means she's the kind of massive, damage-absorbing hero that an entire team can rally behind and use as a home base, even in the middle of hectic fights. Reinhardt is another example of an "anchor tank" in Overwatch.

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News:: Microsoft Pi Day sale cuts $31 off Watch Dogs 2 and Steep

It's Pi Day in America and capitalism compels us to bring forth any random sales to ya. The Microsoft Store has launched a mini Pi Day sale with discounts on select Ubisoft Xbox One games and Xbox One console bundles.

While only three titles are on the price chop block -- Watch Dogs 2, Steep, and Just Dance 2017 -- they are all at historic low prices. To add some fun to the sale (YES FUN), the games are discounted by $31.41 while select laptops are on sale for 31.41% off. See how much fun we're having? Joyous.

In the Xbox One console department, only three bundles are on tap, and while they're not mind-blowing amazing, this is another chance to pick up Xbox One S bundles for $50 off. The games are on sale for today only, while the Xbox One bundles last through March 18 and finally the computers are through March 28.

Today-Only Game Deals

• Watch Dogs 2 (Xbox One) — $28.58  (list price $60)
• Steep (Xbox One) — $28.58  (list price $60)
• Just Dance 2017 (Xbox One) — $18.58  (list price $60)

Xbox One Bundle Deals

• Xbox One S 500GB Minecraft Bundle + Free Game — $249.99  (list price $300)
• Xbox One 1TB The Division Bundle + Free Game — $249  (list price $399)
• Xbox One 500GB Console with Free Game (Refurbished) — $179  (list price $199)

Laptop/Tablet Deals

• Dell Inspiron 13 2-in-1 i7-7500U, 1080p Touch, 8GB, 256GB SSD — $616.71  (list price $899)
• Dell Inspiron 5000, AMD A12-9700P, 1080p Touch, R7 M445, 12GB, 1TB HDD — $513.81  (list price $749)
• Lenovo Z50-75 AMD FX-7500, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD — $314  (list price $599)
• NuVision Solo 10 Draw Atom x5-Z8300, 2GB, 32GB, 1200p Tablet — $170.81  (list price $249)

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News:: It's Waifu x Waifu with this Guilty Gear/BlazBlue costume DLC for Dead or Alive 5: Last Round

The Dead or Alive series loves its DLC. The latest release, Dead or Alive: Last Round, offers all its DLC costumes together for a $93 USD lump sum. This may definitely be one of the worst aspects of the fighting game genre, but even I succumb to costume DLC from time to time. Especially when it involves my boo Nyotengu. 

Team NINJA revealed a collaborative effort with Arc System Works in which Dead or Alive 5's ladies don outfits from the Guilty Gear and BlazBlue series. Highlights include the aforementioned Nyotengu as Guilty Gear's Dizzy, Momiji as GG's Baiken, and Marie Rose as BlazBlue's Platinum the Trinity.

The 16 costumes are currently only available for purchase in Japan and Europe. 

[via Siliconera]

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News:: Lose your sight and possibly your mind in Perception

There’s something unsettling about not being able to fully grasp your surroundings, especially when you’re playing a survival horror game. Perception is a game that throws the player into shaky visual ground, mixes in some creepy fiends, and tosses a shape-shifting haunted house on top of it. You play a blind woman named Cassie who is afflicted with reoccurring dreams which take place inside a haunted house. She travels to the estate in person to discover why her dreams are taunting her, and finds a lot more than she initially bargained for.

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News:: Developer claims that Wi-Fi glitch is blame for some Switch framerate drops

According to several sources at Nintendo Life, you might be getting some framerate drops on the Switch because of a flaw with the system's Wi-Fi feature.

While I have not been able to verify these claims (I haven't noticed a difference in anything), an anonymous third-party Switch developer spoke to Nintendo Life, and stated that they have researched and confirmed the issue, and Nintendo is reportedly working on a firmware fix. Allegedly, if you go in and turn the "auto connect" feature off in the options menu, you'll have a smoother framerate across most of the Switch's lineup.

Supposedly the fix isn't fullproof, and in highly intensive areas in Breath of the Wild, you'll still get inherent framerate issues. Since I never had any major problems to date, I'm just going to wait on the fix that may or may not be in the works. In the meantime you can safely test out this theory on your own with the non-risky menu option.

Nintendo Switch Wi-Fi Issue Could Be Why Your Games Keep Dropping Frames [Nintendo Life]

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News:: Full Throttle Remastered is out in April on PC, PS4, and Vita

Double Fine has been teasing Full Throttle Remastered for a while, but now we have some concrete release and pricing info.

Just this morning, the publisher announced that it'll launch on April 18 on PC, PS4, and Vita for $14.99, with its hand-drawn and 3D art/remastered audio in tow. If you so choose, you can swap between both the retro and remastered modes at any time (I love that they're able to preserve the original on modern platforms).

Having played this as a kid and vividly remember most of the puzzles, I'm psyched to play it again. While some adventure games are little to pixel hunty to hold up, this one definitely does.

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News:: A look at why some Nintendo Switch carts cost more than their multiplatform counterparts

So we're starting to get to the point where there are multiplatform releases on the Switch, and its prospects aren't looking good in the price department. As one of the first third-party developers to announce its physical pricepoint, Tequila Works recently confirmed that the price of a Switch cart will be $10 above a disc on PS4 or Xbox One. For prospective Switch buyers that kind of sucks, especially since the eShop is priced for parity (to not piss off retailers) and doesn't offset the cost of manufacturing.

Tequila Works, when questioned, and likely held by Nintendo NDA, simply stated, "We set prices for our products based on the costs of development and publishing for each specific platform." According to sources at Eurogamer, at the moment, the wide array of Switch carts (1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB) are to blame, especially the high capacity ones. Allegedly they cost more than a Blu-ray (it makes sense, but we don't have hard numbers).

It also makes sense why so many developers are then going with digital-only releases on the Switch, to keep their prices inline with other platforms -- see Snake Pass, which is hitting the Switch and several other marketplaces. Pundits expect this trend to end over time as the carts go down in price and development/manufacturing is more manageable, but for now, it's a thing to be aware of if you're choosing Switch over other platforms for specific games.

Why Nintendo Switch games are ending up more expensive [Eurogamer]

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News:: Orisa will arrive in Overwatch on March 21 on all platforms

After stating that Orisa needed a little more time in the Overwatch PTR to test out, she now has a date -- March 21. She'll hit all platforms at the same time, so you won't need to wait longer on PS4 or Xbox One. That level of parity is pretty crazy for a cross-platform shooter, as some games (read: Awesomenauts) don't get PC content until weeks, or even months later.

The below video is a lot of retreading on what has already been discussed these past few weeks -- but at just over three minutes it's definitely more truncated and easier to watch than some of the longer development vlogs. Having played Orisa quite a bit in PTR I'm happy enough with her and I think she'll mix up the meta when she arrives (maybe not on the top-end quite as much), but I doubt I'll pick her that often in her current state.

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News:: New data claims that Nintendo Switch has sold 1.5 million worldwide

We had cold hard sales data from Japan, but now Switch estimates from the rest of the world are pouring in.

According to the firm SuperData, Nintendo has sold 1.5 million Switch systems worldwide. That number basically lines up with their estimates, which hope to push two million units by the end of March. Breaking that down further, roughly one third of the sales came from the US, 360,000 were from Japan, and Europe was a close third.

In a non-shocking tidbit of extra news, the Zelda attach rate is estimated at a whopping 89%, meaning nearly every Switch owner bought the game. These are just estimates, but since Nintendo has stated repeatedly that they're happy with how the Switch is selling worldwide, you can probably bet a "we achieved our two million goal" announcement by the end of the month.

Nintendo Switch has sold 1.5m worldwide - SuperData [Gamesindustry.biz]

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News:: Watch Nintendo's 'The Making of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'

Most of you Zelda fans are probably still faking sick at work since you took off to play Breath of the Wild last week. Now watch Nintendo's three-part documentary on how they made the game, featuring developers such as Eiji Aonuma. The three parts are "The Beginning," "Story and Characters," and "Open-Air Concept," the last of which sounds weird in English to me; how does it come off to you guys?

These videos will remain on my "Watch Later" list until I complete the game. Though who knows how much it can spoil when the mainstream game media has already plastered in headlines and images everything you could possibly discover in this adventure game focused on exploration and discovery? Since I respect those of you who haven't played the game yet, I won't mention any specifics in case you haven't been exposed yet.

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News:: Download the Splatoon 2 demo now, even if it's now live yet

Having played Splatoon 2, I think that people are really going to take to it -- perhaps more so than the original now that it's on a shiny new system that's portable.

But you don't have to go in blind, as you'll get a chance to try out the Global Testfire event (read: beta) later this month on March 24. Of course, you could just download it now for just 408MB of space, and be ready when it actually drops. Just head on over to the eShop, grab it, and wait.

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News:: The Morning After: Tuesday, March 14 2017

Welcome to Tuesday. Intel has just spent over $15 billion shoring up its self-driving car tech, you'll be playing PS4 games, officially and legally, on your PC and we explain how a microwave works. Because it certainly isn't a camera.

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