Feb 3, 2018 | Game ON news

Saturday, February 3, 2018

News:: There's a badass weasel in the next Gundam Build series

It looks 2018 will bring us more Gundam Build shows. So why am I leaving the "Fighters" part out of the title? Well, it turns out that the next anime about Gunpla battles shall be known as Gundam Build Divers. Based on its prologue episode on GundamInfo, the fights take place in virtual reality.

With this new setting, we get treated to a group of characters fighting a team lead by a manly weasel who resembles a high-ranking Zeon soldier. Compare to the previous Build Fighters stuff, Gundam AGE got some love in Build Diver's prologue as we see a custom variant of the AGE II called Gundam AGE II Magnum. Interestingly, the unit will make an appearance in New Gundam Breaker, which serves as a second way to promote the kit.

If the series turns out to be good, then AGE's cool units will get redeemed. Gundam Build Diver premieres this Spring and the show's protagonist, Riku, uses a kit called Gundam 00 Diver. As we wait for it to air, you can check out the 15-minute episode below, along with the information on the staff and voice actors.

There's a badass weasel in the next Gundam Build series screenshot

News:: Bloggers wanted: The heel-turn

Last week, in the quick posts of Destructoid's community, we saw the rise and fall of community manager Wesley J. Russow. He rose to prominence with his immutable power, only to see it come crashing down as the working class clambered beneath him and tore him down. Truly, the life and times of Westopher G. Raggamuffins was a lesson in live fast, burn hot, crash spectacularly.

Bloggers wanted: The heel-turn screenshot

News:: It's Big Football Weekend, so we have some Mutant Football League codes to give away

The Super Bowl is tomorrow, and a lot of people are apparently afraid of saying that. The NFL is supposedly aggressively litigious about folks infringing on its trademark for "Super Bowl." So, cowards across the world call it "The Big Game." I'll still call it the Super Bowl though, right here on this webpage. See you in court, Goodell!

Because it's nearly Super Bowl Sunday, we thought it might be synergy-tastic if we held a football-themed giveaway. There aren't many games about nachos and beer, or about politely excusing yourself so you can coolly walk outside and ralph in a snowbank. But there are video games about football.

We have a handful of copies of Mutant Football League for you wonderful people. It's a game that has all the arcade sensibilities of NFL Blitz combined with the undeniable charm of hobgoblins and phlegm. Three Xbox codes and one PC code is the bounty.

Here's what I want from you. Just leave a comment predicting the Super Bowl winner. A valid entry would look like "Patriots" or "New England" or "New England Patriots" or "Tom Brady is a fancy dog." Another valid entry might look like "Eagles" (but it'd also be a losing entry so this is not advisable).

Get your pigskin picks in by tomorrow afternoon and we'll randomly pick a winner on Monday. You don't even need to like football to win! I won't tell a soul.

It's Big Football Weekend, so we have some Mutant Football League codes to give away screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/it-s-big-football-weekend-so-we-have-some-mutant-football-league-codes-to-give-away-486134.phtml

News:: Monster Hunter: World knows just when to give you a kick in the ass

I've been loving every minute of Monster Hunter: World since it released last week. After ducking the beta, staying clear of a lot of pre-game footage, and generally going in as an unprepared schmuck, I've had a wonderful time getting acquainted with this strange new world.

One thing that was apparent right off the bat is Monster Hunter is extremely complex. There are tons of different weapons (many of which incorporate alternate modes or special tricks), endless items to horde, and all kinds of crafting craziness that, frankly, seemed like nonsense the first time I looked at the upgrade tree at the smithy.

So to be completely honest, I kind of ignored a lot of those things starting out. I got in, picked a fun dumb looking weapon, and got straight to hunting and slaying monsters. Turns out you can get pretty far just relying on traditional gaming basics. Dodge and swing, chug a potion when you get hurt, that sort of thing. I was doing just fine.

Until I was tasked to take on the Anjanath that is.

Monster Hunter: World knows just when to give you a kick in the ass screenshot

News:: Celeste and TowerFall creator talks Switch performance, personal influences, and advice for indies

Matt Thorson got his start making "small indie games in Game Maker and Flash," only to one day craft critically acclaimed titles like TowerFall and Celeste for multiple major platforms. Life can move pretty quickly, and for Matt, things have been accelerating to top speed since he launched TowerFall in 2013 on the ill-fated Ouya.

A week from the launch of Celeste we decided to catch up with him and see how it went, and find out what he's got planned for the future.

Celeste and TowerFall creator talks Switch performance, personal influences, and advice for indies screenshot

News:: Fire Emblem series arranged soundtrack releasing in Japan

This Spring, Japan will see the release of an Arranged Soundtrack collection featuring classic tunes from the long-running RPG series, Fire Emblem.

The CD, titled Flower of Enchantment, will see memorable tunes from the series recreated inn a symphonic-metal style. This is in contrast to the previously released Faith & Engagement album, which featured many of FE's themes re-imagined for piano.

The new soundtrack will include 15 tracks, taken from series entries such as Gaiden, Echoes, Radiant Dawn and mobile title Heroes. The CD will go on sale March 28 in Japan, priced at ¥3,200, or around $30. You can check out samples of the new tracks in the video below.

Fire Emblem Flower of Enchantment Soundtrack [Siliconera]

Fire Emblem series arranged soundtrack releasing in Japan screenshot

News:: Review: Tesla vs Lovecraft

The creators of the insanely awesome twin-stick shooter Crimsonland are back with a new title with an undeniably weird concept.

You play as inventor Nikola Tesla whose experiments have somehow evoked the wrath of a few Lovecraftian horrors. Tesla comes equipped with a static powered mech, a slew of other inventions and an entire arsenal of guns. which you can use to put down the hordes of Shoggoth and pals.

Review: Tesla vs Lovecraft screenshot

News:: Rick Lash's 10 best films of 2017

[Ed. Note: We do awards a bit different at Flixist. Most of our writers do not get early screenings or award screeners of movies, which means it isn't easy to see some of the films that only get limited releases in December for many of us. As such we wait a few weeks into January so that we can see everything before we choose our favorites, and then vote in February for the site's awards.]

Rick Lash's 10 best films of 2017 screenshot

News:: Here’s what it would take to make Overwatch’s ‘Blizzard World’ IRL

Last week, the Overwatch team released a new map: Blizzard World. The multiplayer arena is a colorful amusement park filled with attractions and rides themed after Blizzard's stable of games. It's a delightful backdrop for the team-based shooter, filled with in-jokes and puns that make it look like a rapturous place for a gamer to visit. But what would it take to bring Blizzard World to life?

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/03/overwatch-blizzard-world-real-world-theme-park/

News:: It's a treat catching up with influential Capcom illustrator Akira Yasuda

Illustrator and character designer Akira "Akiman" Yasuda had a remarkable career at Capcom working on games like Final Fight, Captain Commando, the Street Fighter series, and Darkstalkers. He's the focus of the latest episode of the documentary series toco toco and, as always, it's a joy to watch.

"At the time, the most outstanding people in the company were the game planners, so one day as [game designer Yoshiki Okamoto] was in the bathroom next to me, I asked him to let me become one," recounts Yasuda. "He told me I could become a planner, but first I would need to build more experience in video games, so I was asked to support [Akira Nishitani], who would later become the creator of Street Fighter II." The rest is history. Yasuda helped bring some of gaming's biggest icons to life.

I particularly like his explanation of how Street Fighter characters came to fruition.

"When I start drawing, the character becomes different from the one I originally had in mind," he says. "For example, when I first designed Chun-Li, I figured pants were appropriate for kung fu. However when we started programming, it just didn't feel right. It was lacking intensity."

"In character design, even when a visual looks good, if it lacks impact once translated into pixels, it becomes meaningless. So after several tries, we figured that changing the pants into tights, and adding in shoes was the best choice once in pixels." It probably goes without saying, but the episode isn't just about Street Fighter -- and you don't need to be a fan of the series to get something out of it.

"Honestly, being praised from others is also important, but I feel that being able to accept oneself is essential," says Yasuda. "If I can manage this, the rest is secondary. [...] This is what I am looking to the most, being comfortable with myself. I keep working in order to achieve this." It's reassuring to hear someone as talented and successful as him express that sentiment about his work.

It's a treat catching up with influential Capcom illustrator Akira Yasuda screenshot

News:: Review: Before We Vanish

If you were to ask me years ago what I thought about modern day science fiction movies I could have gone on at length about how the genre that once made us look in on ourselves and think about who we are as a person had given up on telling human stories to make way for the CGI blockbuster. Thankfully though the genre has been going through a bit of a renaissance over the past few years to bring back films that tell a thought-provoking story while also entertaining the viewer. I can easily say that Kiyoshi Kurosawa's latest film Before We Vanish continues that trend and while the subject matter deals with aliens, the movie tells a purely human story.

Review: Before We Vanish screenshot

News:: What we're playing: 'Yakuza 0' and 'Reigns: Her Majesty'

Welcome back to Gaming IRL, a monthly segment where several editors talk about what they've been playing in their downtime. This month, we spend too much time taking photos in Assassin's Creed Origins, lose ourselves in Yakuza 0's side stories, and ask the important question: "Tinder or Reigns?"

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/03/gaming-irl-yakuza-0-reigns-her-majesty/

News:: Celeste sold best on Switch according to its creator

A lot of games seem to be doing extremely well on the Switch; impressive for a system that's barely even a year old that followed up the under-performing Wii U. So impressive in fact that Switch versions are outselling PC, PS4, and Xbox One editions in some cases for multi-platform projects.

Speaking to Matt Thorson, creator of Celeste (which just dropped last week), that release knocked it out of the park on the eShop. Although exact figures weren't disclosed, Thorson did tell us that it sold best on Switch: "The Switch version of Celeste has sold the most, and that's what we were expecting. We feel like Celeste and the Switch are a perfect fit for each other. We are glad we launched on all consoles though, and we really appreciate the support we've seen across the board."

Our full interview with Thorson where we talk about everything from Celeste postmortem to its influences, will run later today.

Celeste sold best on Switch according to its creator screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/celeste-sold-best-on-switch-according-to-its-creator-486075.phtml

News:: The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to the weekend. Between Strava's potentially catastrophic heatmaps, cheaper Surface laptops and another iPhone issue, you could almost forget about the big game.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://www.engadget.com/2018/02/03/the-morning-after-weekend-edition/

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Saturday, February 3, 2018