News:: Get jazzed up for Anime NYC's Gundam Thunderbolt events

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Season 2 may have ended last week, but its conflict isn't over. As we wait for a sequel to get announced, Anime NYC, New York City's latest anime convention, is holding two events that involve giant robots and jazz.

The first one is a screening of Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower, the anime's second movie compilation, which is perfect for those who missed out on GundamInfo's limited stream. Also, it's an excuse for us to rewatch the main cast's battles during the events after the One Year War.

Other than that, you'll get to hear Gundam Thunderbolt's music in a live concert, and Naruyoshi Kikuchi (Cowboy Bebop's Saxophone Music, Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine's Music) is leading the show. Since you don't have to pay extra for these events, it looks like we're in for a sweet deal.

Anime NYC will run from November 17 through 19, with both Gundam events happening during the con's final day. All in all, this is a great follow-up to Gundam Versus' Western release, since the units from Gundam Thunderbolt Season 1 are in it. Most importantly, it acts as a great reminder that mecha anime and jazz music go well together.

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News:: Battlefield 1's DLC maps are free to play for the next week

The latest piece of the Battlefield 1 season pass is out today alongside a free update.

You can catch the full patch notes below, including an overview of the new nighttime map Prise de Tahure, but the crucial bit here is the introduction of Premium Trials. With this system, DICE is letting non-pass holders play the DLC maps without having to pay up -- for a limited time, anyway. The Trials are planned as free-play "events," and the current one runs now through Thursday, July 27.

The main caveat is that XP earned during a Premium Trial won't be applied, but it will be stored behind-the-scenes and registered should you ever nab the applicable expansion pack or the full season pass.

"Before Gamescom, there will be another Premium Trials event after this first one," says DICE. "In September, another Premium Trials event will be held, meaning all players will have the opportunity to play on previously released expansion pack maps."

It's disheartening to see communities divided by DLC maps. The Battlefield 1 situation is far from ideal, but between this and the Premium Friends feature (squad up with a pal who paid), it's gotten better.

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News:: Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen looks like you'd expect on PS4 and Xbox One

Whenever the Dragon's Dogma name comes up, I start picturing the game's ridiculous(ly good and goofy) climbing mechanic that lets you latch onto monsters like it's no big deal. Gosh I wish more games adopted something similar. Enough rambling, though! There's new footage of Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One fresh off Capcom's Japanese YouTube channel.

Japan is getting the re-release on October 5, and we shouldn't have to wait much longer after that.

Some of you have undoubtedly had enough Dragon's Dogma by now and are sitting back until Capcom does a sequel, but for me, the PS4 and Xbox One versions are a chance to play Dark Arisen and actually dig in this time. I suspect I'll download this touched-up release eventually. $30 isn't too bad.

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News:: Jigsaw, aka Saw 8, aka Not The Final Chapter has new trailer and poster

In movie sequel news (aka nearly all movie news), the eighth and probably not-final Saw film, Jigsaw, has a new trailer and a new teaser poster to accompany it. If you're unaware of the timeline, allow me to give you a quick recap: Jigsaw, the character behind this title, and the villain of the franchise, died (or not) in Saw 3; then, we got Saw 7, aka Saw: The Final Chapter back in 2009; then, they decided to make another Saw movie anyway: to hell with words and their meanings!

Here's the trailer for Jigsaw, which for an eighth franchise film, offers a lot of exactly what you got in the last seven movies brand spanking new material!

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News:: Trails of Cold Steel S-Crafts its way to PC on August 2

I don't know about you, but summer has been a great season for Nihon Falcom's titles. XSEED's PC port of Ys Seven is on the horizon, and Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection is making its debut in the West. Now we can complete this glorious occasion with The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel hitting Steam, GOG, and the Humble Store on August 2.

Since the game is one of my favorite RPGs of 2015, I'm glad that more people will get to explore Erebonia. While Trails of Cold Steel started off slow, its pacing worked well in getting people acquainted with the setting's culture, conflicts, history, and inhabitants.

When you factor in XSEED's decision to add 5,000 new voiced lines to this release, players are in for Trails of Cold Steel's best version. To top it off, Peter "Durante" Thoman, the modder who fixed Dark Soul's PC port, is adding the finishing touches to the title. Based on his previous work, the game will run well on your machine.

Seeing that the title ended with an emotional cliffhanger, let's hope that people won't have to wait too long for its sequel to hit PC. If it does well, it could increase the chances of Trails to Zero/Zero no Kiseki and Trails to Azure/Ao no Kiseki getting over the barrier. As we wait for August to arrive, you can read Durante's blog about his involvement with the game here.

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News:: New trademark sparks Nintendo 64 Classic speculation

Few if any of us were surprised to see Nintendo follow up the NES Classic Edition with a miniature Super Nintendo, but how far up the console cycle will the company go, and how quickly?

As much as I'd rather not even think about what comes next until I've gotten an order locked in for the SNES, a would-be Nintendo 64 Classic also feels inevitable. There's no way they're not gonna go at least that far, right? (Also, do you think Nintendo will try to revive the Game Boy [for a limited time]?)

Earlier this month but only recently spotted by NeoGAF user Rösti, Nintendo filed four trademarks with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, each one related to a different console. The listings feature art depicting the controllers for the NES, SNES, Switch, and yes, N64. Bonus: that same artwork can be found atop the boxes for the NES Classic and SNES Classic, respectively.

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News:: My gaming future without the 3DS

[The 3DS was a handheld that I never quite grew as attached to as the Game Boy or the DS, despite its great library of games. For NinjaSpped, though, it's a whole different story. - HypnoCoffin]

I love the Nintendo 3DS. I distinctly remember being blown away by the impressive graphics for a handheld when screenshots of Mario Kart 7 and Kid Icarus Uprising were revealed in 2010 alongside the system. Approaching launch and the weeks afterward, I was constantly checking out videos for games or reading articles about the system's 3D effects. Stereoscopic 3D without glasses was a mesmerizing prospect to me!

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News:: Capcom showed off a beefier version of Street Fighter V's Abigail than there really is

Street Fighter V revealed a newer version of Final Fight boss Abigail with mixed results. The response may have skewed more toward negative, but after watching some footage of him I'm kind of won over by how big, dumb, and goofy this guy is. His skin may be a little lighter than his original design, but to me he seems different enough from Hugo to warrant inclusion (RIP Haggar). 

Anyway, Capcom sort of gummed up the works in their reveal trailer for Abigail. While his stature is indeed large, it seems he isn't as gross as he originally looked. Activating Abigail's V-Trigger engorges his muscles with that sweet, sweet juice, and Capcom had him in that mode (without the smoking skin) for the duration of the debut trailer. 

The players who have gotten their hands on Abigail have also confirmed that he won't be immune to throws or mix-ups because of his size. I'm not sure if this new info is going to win over those who don't like his inclusion, but I like his animations at least. Can't wait to see what this new character is capable of, if anything. You can see him in action more below. 

Capcom Showed the Wrong Version (extra large) of Abigail in the Reveal trailer [Spaced Harrier on NeoGAF]

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News:: Sonic Forces' new villain is Infinite, watch him kick Sonic's ass

Sonic doesn't come out of the new Sonic Forces trailer looking too capable. Dr. Robotnik has a new henchman on his side, and that villainous figure spends the one-minute clip kicking Sonic into walls and confusing Tails with his speed. Poor Tails just can't get a good read on this guy (and also poor Sonic for all the times he gets kicked into walls).

What little we know comes via a dialogue exchange where Sonic exclaims "I don't know anything about you, not even your name!" to which the ass-kicker responds "You may call me Infinite." It took very little prompting for Infinite to give up the info. Next, Sonic should try "I know very little about you, I don't even know your weaknesses!"

This isn't the first we've seen of Infinite. Sega's E3 trailer showed him descend from the sky to reign over the other villains. He's probably Robotnik's right-hand man, the equivalent of Mecha Sonic in Sonic 2. You gotta get through him to get to the Big Egg Boy.

Or maybe you won't! Maybe this is the time when evil finally prevails. No one goes undefeated. Life gets ya eventually.

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News:: You can watch a ton of anime next week on Twitch

I still remember the days when Twitch was adamantly not the streaming service for you if you wanted to do something other than stream a game. It wasn't even that long ago, all things considered. But that's all over now, because we're in anime territory, people.

Twitch and Crunchyroll have partnered up to stream 15 anime series for people to see with their eyes and chat about incessantly in the sidebar. The so-called "Crunchyroll Marathon" kicks off on July 27th via Twitch Presents, and promises a ton of recently released anime, though only Mob Psycho 100, Yuri!!! On ICE, and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. That's still a pretty good lineup, though, seeing as Mob Psycho 100 comes from the creator of One Punch Man and was easily one of last year's best anime. Yuri!!! On ICE is a very strong contender as well, and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid is the best anime you'll find about a tired lesbian, her high-energy wyrm of a girlfriend, and their adorable, horned dragon child.

Sadly, I won't be able to join in the fun, as my country will have the stream blocked due to licensing restrictions. VPNs aren't quite fast enough over here to make streaming video a feasible prospect. If you live in Asia, check this list to see if you'll suffer the same fate as me.

Crunchyroll brings more than 15 full seasons of anime hits to Twitch [Twitch Blog via Waypoint]

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News:: Watch Spider-Man dodge pumpkin bombs while Frank West takes a photo in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite hasn't exactly been setting the fighting game world on fire, especially up against some major competition, so each reveal so far has been a mixed bag. It's great to get a look at how Spider-Man, Frank West, Mike Haggar, and Nemesis look on a newly-revealed M.O.D.O.K. inspired stage, but I'm a bit conflicted. 

We've seen all of these characters before in the previous game in the series, but they look really good within Infinite's new assist tag system. Spider-Man's super bleeding into West's combo is pretty sick, I gotta tell you. 

What do you all think? Is Spider-Man's new super enough to draw you in? If not, is there anything Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite can do at this point to win you back? 

For now, watch this off-screen footage of the newest trailer shown at San Diego Comic-Con and we'll update it with the official one as soon as it goes up. 

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News:: Idolmaster breaches the virtual frontier with Viewing Revolution

I'm a little surprised it took this long, but The Idolm@ster is here, folks, and this time, it's virtual. As of yesterday, eager idolaters can get their Move Controller-gripping paws on The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls - Viewing Revolution in the North American and European PSN stores. The experience was previously exclusive to the Japanese and Asian stores, forcing fans outside those territories to pony up in foreign lucre to get their Rin Shibuya fix. Luckily for me, I'm not a huge fan of the Cinderella Girls spinoff, so I can resist the siren call of "Yes! Party Time!!"

But if you can't, and own a PlayStation VR headset, the game can be yours today for a cool $20. It's a bit steep for something that essentially amounts to a simplistic three-song rhythm game (if that), but not too bad for VR. That said, Viewing Revolution does keep in the grand tradition of Bandai Namco treating Idolm@ster fans like a sort of fleshy bank account, seeing as it debuts alongside an obscene amount of paid DLC. One pack of "Extra Live Goods" even commands a $59 asking price. Extra performances go for $8 each. No one ever said devotion to 2D pop stars would be cheap, I guess. 

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News:: Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy gets unreleased level as DLC

When developing most games, some content will inevitably get left on the cutting room floor. This happens either because of time constraints or because the devs couldn't figure out a way to make a concept fun. Sometimes the amount of cut content could fill out an entire sequel and other times it ends up getting lost to obscurity due to no archiving being done on game development.

Crash Bandicoot somehow dodged that bullet. While the level "Stormy Ascent" is actually present on the original PlayStation disc, one of the game's designers (Taylor Kurosaki) had hidden the files since there was no time to properly balance the difficulty curve. It was a decision made late in the process to get the game out on store shelves.

The level was created towards the end of development on the first game. Since Kurosaki was relatively new to designing maps, he didn't understand how to correctly spread out challenges, so the level ended up being quite hard for even him. "Stormy Ascent" is also notorious for being the largest level in the original Crash, clocking in at roughly four times the size of any other level in the game.

Now, though, the level is officially a part of Crash Bandicoot today, albeit as DLC. While there isn't yet a price on the map, if you download it before August 19, you'll can nab it for free!

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News:: Classic motorcycle adventure game 'Full Throttle' hits iOS

It's been a few months since Tim Schafer's classic LucasArts adventure game Full Throttle got an HD remastered release on PS4, PS Vita and PC. Today, it comes out on iOS: For $5, you can take a rowdy ride into gaming history.

Source: Full Throttle Remastered (App Store)

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News:: Here's a superb first look at Call of Duty: WWII's Nazi Zombies

When word broke that this year's Call of Duty would be set during World War II, everyone knew what that meant for Zombies mode. The wave-after-wave horde mode is such a staple of Call of Duty that Activision doesn't dare cut it. And, the setting is ripe for those zombies to also be Nazis. They're twice as evil so you don't have to feel bad about killing them a second time.

Today, Activision released the first official trailer for WWII's Nazi Zombies, and goddamn it looks fantastic. The trailer is light on shooting and heavy on Frankenstein's evil laboratory vibes. As easy as it'd be to take a campy approach to zombies that are also Nazis, developer Sledgehammer seems to have something that's grimdark and serious.

The plot of Nazi Zombies was outlined in a press release that Activision attached to the video:

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News:: Retro City Rampage is getting a surprise release very soon on Switch

Retro City Rampage, which has released on nearly everything under the sun, including the Wii U when the creator said it would probably be a loss, is coming to Switch. VblankEntertainment announced that the DX version, which debuted with the 3DS, should arrive on the Switch eShop as soon as "next week."

The details are still being worked out, and it'll possibly launch "the week after" if issues arise, but it seems like it's basically done. New tweaks include a "slightly more stylish score display," improved controls/lock-on, and alterations to the game's difficulty.

I'm not sure if I need to buy it yet again, but I'll be there for Shakedown Hawaii.

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News:: 'Call of Duty: WWII' takes zombies back to the front lines

Of course zombie mode is back for Call of Duty: WWII, and developer Sledgehammer Games just dropped a trailer for the undead nightmare mode. Of course, you and pals are tasked with eradicating the Nazi zombie scourge. The trailer's YouTube description is as follows:

Source: Call of Duty (YouTube)

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News:: Humble is giving away Shadow Warrior for free right now

Humble is doing its best Lo Wang impression. It's slashing, slashing, slashing -- but instead of chopping apart demonic monsters, it's cutting down the price of Shadow Warrior. Humble's efficient too, getting the price as low as it can possibly go.

For the next 46 hours or so (until 9am Pacific on Saturday), Humble is giving Shadow Warrior: Special Edition away for free. All you have to do is add it to your cart, click the "Get if for free" button, and you'll get sent a Steam code. It's all easy enough.

Certainly the idea here is that people may fall in love with Shadow Warrior and they're compelled to purchase the sequel. Sure. That's perfectly fine. As far as marketing initiatives go, giving us free stuff is probably the most palatable.

Shadow Warrior: Special Edition [Humble]

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News:: Still game on Windows XP or Vista? Blizzard says you're out of luck in October

While Blizzard is known for their tried and true support of their legacy games, even 14 years into some of them, there's a limit.

By way of a forum post a Blizzard official has reminded folks that if you're gaming on Vista or XP machines, support for those two OSes ends in October. The studio previously noted that February was the end date, but that's since been extended and the culling will now take place later this year.

When that happens, Hearthstone, Diablo 3, StarCraft 2, and World of Warcraft will all cease to function (or if they do, won't be supported in their buggy state). Why isn't Overwatch on that list? Well it never worked in the first place.

As someone who has been using PCs since DOS, I know the feeling of clinging to a legacy OS all too well. XP was as solid as a rock for many years, but at this point it's time to move on. For all those collectors or purists out there who are still using CRTs and old OSes, I salute you.

Ending support for Windows XP and Vista [Battle.net]

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News:: Get ready to revisit the streets of Kamurocho in Yakuza Kiwami

Yakuza Kiwami, the complete remake of the original classic, will be releasing next month (August 29, to be exact). To get us hyped for our return to Kamurocho (or first time, for some), Sega has given us a short trailer that shows all of the crazy things you can do. There is a quick look at the four different fighting styles Kiryu will have at his disposal as well as some of the mini-games you can partake in.

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News:: Nintendo's Parental Controls app is the best way to track Switch playtime

Ha, Nintendo.

Not to be outdone by their chat app that requires your phone to have the app in focus, they just updated their Parental Controls app to provide more information on playtime. Note that while this is intended for parents to track how much their kids play, you can also use it to showcase the most detailed reports to date for tracking your own habits. They're even separated by user now for each console, and include breakdowns of the number of days played in addition to time.

I get why this app exists, it's actually pretty useful, but it would be even more useful if it was baked into the Switch itself. What's hilarious about this app is that it logs incorrect PINs -- this would have been the bane of my existence as a kid. As I've said in the past, I used to go through the laborious process of uninstalling games like Duke Nukem 3D to disable the PIN, then reset it to a random PIN that my parents would assume was a bug, that they would have to in turn reset.

Nintendo Switch Parental Controls App Gets a Neat Update [Nintendo Life]

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News:: What is the best RPG of all time? Japanese gamers say Persona 5

Famitsu magazine held a poll at the end of June, asking its readers to vote on what they think are the best role-playing games of all time are. The results are in, and the top 20 answers are on the board. Despite releasing this year, Japanese gamers voted Persona 5 as the best ever, and even Nier: Automata and Final Fantasy XV ranked high.

Not to discredit anyone, but the more I see people claiming X is the best game ever made every three months the more I start to believe in that good ole recency bias. In any case, the Persona games along with Final Fantasy X showing here proves there are still some people with good tastes in RPG's on this Earth. Personally I'd add the first (and only the first) Mass Effect, Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts II.

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News:: All the fun of Das Boot, now in VR form!

Wolfgang Peterson's 1981 epic WWII movie Das Boot, about a disenchanted German U-boat crew fighting pain and mental anguish during a stormy winter, is to be adapted as a VR game.

The combination of an iconic brand like "Das Boot" with an exciting technology like VR has instantly energised and excited a lot of people," says Remote Control Productions CEO Hendrik Lesser. "This is a long-term commitment for RCP. We're looking forward to making Das Boot a global success in the gaming world."

It feels odd, and a tad distasteful, to hear the sombre and upsetting Das Boot referred to as an "iconic brand" but I suppose games such as Medal of Honor and Call of Duty have been adapting real-life war events into video games for years. This isn't even the first time for Das Boot, as the original novel was adapted into an Amiga game way back in 1990.

It would be an absolutely terrifying VR experience, assuming that the game retained the story's strong anti-war message and depicted the suffering and claustrophobia of the crew of U-96 in a thought-provoking way. If it ends up being a Michael Bay-esque stunt-fest with shooter elements, then maybe this project needs to stay 100 fathoms below.

Either way, it's a intriguing choice for a VR game and, done right, could be more unsettling and harrowing than any jump-scare horror game could ever imagine being.

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News:: Nomura talks Kingdom Hearts belts and zippers, says he was teased about it

Kingdom Hearts is an ambitious series, but every so often you hear about the folks who were brought in by the Disney influences, and subsequently turned off by all the belts, zippers, edginess, and non-Disney talk.

Speaking to Mirror Online, Nomura has a pretty good sense of humor about it, explaining: "That was my preference back when I first designed the characters, so 15 years ago. At that time, people teased me about zippers and belts and whatnot and I’m the type of person if somebody eggs me on I’m gonna do it more! Nowadays, I’m not as conscious about adding them in. I’m not the type of person that would shrink down when people tease me about it. I’m gonna fight back! I’m gonna go back at it and do it more. So, if people egg me on saying ‘oh, Kingdom Hearts III is delayed’ well, I might even delay it further! (laughs)"

Alongside of his adorably playful response, Nomura also muses that he doesn't regret announcing Kingdom Hearts III as early as 2013 (because he wanted to get ahead of the leaks), and that although the Xehanort Saga will be completed in III, Nomura has more ideas for where the series could go after that.

Unsurprisingly he refrains from giving us a raw percentage on how far they've progressed on the final build, and that they're still figuring out whether or not to make Sephiroth a secret boss because he might be played out at this point. The entire Q&A is worth reading, especially given the sheer volume of information we've been given about Kingdom Hearts III lately after so much radio silence.

Kingdom Hearts fan questions answered in interview with series creator Tetsuya Nomura [Mirror]

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News:: Smart-looking Nier: Automata figures displayed at SDCC

The Square Enix twitter account has unveiled pics of prototype NieR: Automata action figures coming to their Bring Arts range.

The photos show incomparable android-waifu 2B and Machine Lifeform Small Stubby (stop laughing at the back) in their base-figure form, alongside a small selection of weaponry and accessories. The toys will be on display this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con ahead of their as yet unrevealed release date.

I was once an obsessive collector of film and video game figurines, but I have really dialed that back in the last ten years. Companies like Blizzard, Sideshow and Figma are making it unquestionably harder to keep my shelves empty though. Thank God I'm so perpetually broke.

NieR: Automata prototype figures [Square Enix Twitter]

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News:: Nintendo Download: Splatoon 2

It's a big week for the Switch, as one of its most anticipated games is out tomorrow in Splatoon 2 -- at this point, Mario Odyssey is its biggest yet-to-be-released heavy hitter. Also on Switch is Neo Geo: Samurai Shodown, Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star, and Boost Beast. Nintendo's other console, the Wii U, is getting Galaxy Blaster and Eba & Egg: A Hatch Trip.

On the 3DS side we have Mononoke Forest. No relation to the Miyazaki classic, as the term can be used to refer to spirits.

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