Feb 18, 2018 | Game ON news

Sunday, February 18, 2018

News:: The next Power Rangers season is adapting an old Super Sentai series

For a good while, I was certain that the next Power Rangers series will Americanize the 2017 Sentai series, Uchu Sentai Kyuranger. Considering that Bandai of America gave their input on the show's designs, the signs were there. That, and its constellation and space themes could take advantage of the Star Wars trend. Lo and behold, Saban pulled an unexpected move for the upcoming season.

In a surprising announcement at Hasbro's New York Toy Fair 2018 panel, 2019's Power Rangers season shall be known as Beast Morphers and it'll borrow stuff from the 2012 spy-themed series, Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. My guess is that the reason behind Saban going for an old show is due to them switching from Bandai of America to Hasbro as the franchise's toymaker. For now, I betting my money on this speculation since it might be odd for them to use footage from a title that their former partner was involved in. On top of that, their other options were trains and a show with animal-themed Minecraft-like robots, so the current theme sounds more profitable in America than the other two choices.

The show will focus on the new team going up against a computer virus that's attempting to conquer the Morphin Grid. Then the animal theme comes into play through its DNA being mixed with a new energy source called Morph-X, which may power the gang's arsenal. That being said, I wonder if they'll retain the idea of the Rangers being spies with super powers. Interestingly, American kids will get to see the one time when the gang wore leather suits, instead of the usual spandex outfits.

Since the source material had the cast use a Morphin Brace that shouts "It's Morphin Time" before they change, I wonder if the Power Rangers Beast Morphers will keep the sequence. For now, it's neat that we have the first series that adapts an old Super Sentai show. With Go-Busters having the least amount of toys out of the modern installments in Japan, it'll be interesting to see how Hasbro will handle the merchandising angle.

26th Power Rangers Season "Power Rangers Beast Morphers" Announced [The Tokusatsu Network]

The next Power Rangers season is adapting an old Super Sentai series screenshot

News:: Here's our first look at Mattel's Tomb Raider Barbie

Mattel is releasing a new Barbie based on Alicia Vikander's portrayal of Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider film.

IGN had the exclusive first look before Mattel unveiled her to the world at the New York Toy Fair. Tomb Raider Barbie will retail for $29.99 and you can preorder her over at Barbie.com starting February 19, 2018.

Here's our first look at Mattel's Tomb Raider Barbie screenshot

News:: How should Bayonetta look in Bayonetta 3?

Bayonetta 1 & 2 were just released on Switch, which means that soon enough, Sega, Nintendo and Platinum will start rolling out more information on Cezera's next big adventure. As for right now everything we know about the game comes from a brief announcement trailer from late last year. In my analysis of the video for Nintendo Force, I speculated that the teaser alluded to not only how the game would look, but how it would play. It shows an apparent Bayonetta doppelganger get split in half, all before seeing her iconic emblem being split down the middle in the shape of a "3".

This imagery could be hinting at a story where two different Bayonettas (maybe from alternate timelines?), one modeled after Bayo's red-themed outfit from her first game, and the other after her blue-tinted look from her second game, are literally and/or spiritually split in two. These split witches would mirror the Switch's split Joy Con controllers, allowing for color coordinated co-op play right out of the box. I also speculated that my two dads Bayonettas could fuse together to form one powered-up purple super sorceress, not unlike what you might see in modern day cartoon classics like Dragonball Z and Stephen Universe.

What might this totally unofficial, probably-not-actually-going-to-happen super-version of Bayonetta look like? With a collection of unused designs from the team at Platinum games, along with a bevy of fan art from across the internet, we're here to make our best guesses.

How should Bayonetta look in Bayonetta 3? screenshot

News:: Why Pokemon's evil teams rarely take over the whole story

Pokémon players want to be the very best, like no one ever was. To catch them is their real test, and to train them is their cause. I mean, if you buy a Pokémon game, you can probably assume that’s why you wanted to buy it. That’s what the series pushes most. Yet because it’s an RPG series, it’s inevitable that people will demand for the story to take the front stage. I often hear that some would rather place more emphasis on the conflict against the likes of Team Rocket than the Pokémon League. Today, I want to challenge that idea by taking a look at various narrative elements in these games, the antagonists who move them forward, and how they fit together.

Oh, and just as a heads up, I will discuss spoilers from the main series Pokémon games, especially the newer ones. I’ll try to avoid revealing too many specifics from Sun, Moon, and their Ultra counterparts, but those games are especially important to this subject, so I’m going to mention some big details. Granted, these games are so popular it’s hard to not already know such spoilers. But if by some chance you’re still waiting to play and are still blind on spoilers, this is your warning.

Why Pokemon's evil teams rarely take over the whole story screenshot

News:: The Switch is still scheduled to be skewered by 1001 Spikes

When people argue about game difficulty, most of the time what they're really arguing about is if said game was properly marketed to the same people who would end up enjoying it. Cuphead looks like a cute, simple 2D platformer, but it's actually a tough as nails gauntlet of constant peril. People who bought the game thinking it would be a lighthearted Rayman sort of deal were sorely disappointed. People who hoped the game would push their limits were not. The fact that the game had the kind of surface level charms that would bring in players on both sides of that fence is why conflicts erupted around it.

Aban Hawkins and the 1001 Spikes didn't suffer from that "problem" when it was first released in 2014, though sadly, it also didn't get much attention in general. It looks like a super hard 2D platformer, and that's exactly what it is. Therefore, it drew in a crowd who was looking for a super hard platformer, and just about no one else. That's a shame, because regardless of difficulty, the game is one of the most intelligently designed action games I've ever played. It's also the only crossover where a Simon Belmont parody can battle it out with Curly Brace from Cave Story, CommanderVideo from Bit.Trip and the world's first Black videogame President.

Maybe the game will be better received when it arrives on Switch later this year. It was announced a while ago, so some were worried that it had gone by the wayside, but a recent tweet from publisher Nicalis confirms that it's still in the works. It also looks like the game will get some visual embellishments like heatwave effects, dynamic lighting, and some coins and torches for extra flair. This even more recent Tweet about the game carries the hashtag #1001SpikesEX, implying that it could be getting a name change as well.

I just hope that this means that the long rumored update for the game, featuring all new characters, will also make the jump to Switch. I'm betting we'll hear more about it at E3, if not sooner.

The Switch is still scheduled to be skewered by 1001 Spikes screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/the-switch-is-still-scheduled-to-be-skewered-by-1001-spikes-490256.phtml

News:: These are a few of my favourite things...in my games collection

I'll be the first to admit that my video game collection is quite modest. It only fits into three shelves on an IKEA BILLY, and most of it taken up by mediocre PS2 platformers and GTA games I will probably never get round to playing. It's a host of what-ifs, "what-if-I-took-a-sabbatical-to-'find myself'-for-a-year"s and weekends lost to life admin and cleaning. You could say it's actually really rather sad. But I'm working on it, and there are still some items in there for which I have real stories to tell.

I'm aiming to build up a solid collection of PlayStation games, though I've branched out to DS games as well. One thing I don't put much emphasis on is how expensive a game is, or how rare it is. None of the games in my collection cost over €20 each, and while I wouldn't be against spending more, I don't think splashing out on more makes you a better collector. Instead, for me, it's about finding games I'm genuinely interested in or that have a history behind them, and most importantly, games that I will want to play at some point in time.

So, enough jabbering away – what are my proudest acquisitions? Note, this isn't a list of my favourite games, since some admittedly mediocre games have more than earned a place in my collection because of how oddly lovable they are. Let's go!

These are a few of my favourite things...in my games collection screenshot

News:: Bayonetta 2's depiction of Hell is the greatest in all of gaming

Hell. It’s not just a children’s soccer game that takes up an entire Saturday morning, but a possibly real place a lot of us might end up if we accidentally choose the wrong religion (I’m putting all my eggs in the snake handling Pentecostal basket). Since Dante wrote that divine comedy, Hell or some variation of it has found itself represented in all forms of media. In film, we’ve seen it in classics like L inferno and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. In literature, it’s the setting for books like Eric of the Discworld series and C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters. On television, it’s 9JKL. Rather, I’m in Hell when I’m stuck watching 9JKL.

In video games, we’ll perhaps get our most vivid interpretation of it when Agony launches next month on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. But long before that, my favorite depiction of Hell was created in a little-known game called Bayonetta 2.

Technically called Inferno, we were given slight glimpses of this nightmare realm in the first Bayonetta anytime one of those defeated angels were dragged down to it. In the sequel, Kamiya and company brought their interpretation of the underworld to life in the most skin-crawlingly way possible. Hell here isn't jagged rocks and pits of lava where the souls of the unworthy are tortured for eternity. Inferno is alive, a connectable series of living landmasses crawling with neon-tinged flora and moving, creeping, crawling fauna.

It's grotesque. We run along giant centipedes as they connect the floating landmasses that can change without notice. The land throws a fit and suddenly the path we're on changes. It's alive, and it doesn't want me there. Our journey to save Jeanne is littered with battles against insect-inspired demons that would make entomophobics throw the Wii U tablet to the ground and run out of the room screaming.

But that's just chapter 10. Chapter 11 is an awesome boss battle where Madama Butterfly gets her due and after that is an AMAZING horserace/battle against the Lumen Sage. The entirety is an amazing setpiece in a game made up entirely of amazing setpieces and is easily the best production of Hell the medium has ever seen.

Bayonetta 2's depiction of Hell is the greatest in all of gaming screenshot

News:: PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List

_{[It's the middle of February, which apparently means there's not a whole lot for me to shove into this prompt. I'm personally prety excited for the massive Stellaris expansion coming on the 22nd, and I'm considering jumping downt the rabbit hole of Final Fantasy XIV. What have you been filling your dull dredges of Winter with?}

_{The List will continue being updated as long as there is a use and demand for it. -Panda]}

Good morning/afteroon/tomorrow, my Friends/Robots/Gardevoir/-Current Dtoid Meme Here-

It has been made aware to me that, just perhaps, you all enjoy video games. It might even be said that you... like to game with others? Now now, don't be that way, I don't mean to lump you into some sort of box. You're all just such lovely folks, it pains me to watch you, struggling in vain to connect with each other, striving to engage in...

PREPARE TO FRIENDSHIP: Dtoid's Master Gaming Contact List screenshot

News:: Darkest Dungeon to terrorize Xbox One owners this month

After launching two years ago for Windows and Mac, Darkest Dungeon has slowly made its way to other systems including the PlayStation 4, Vita, iPad and Switch just a month ago. Left out of the fun has been Xbox One, but that changes at the end of the month.

In a blog post on its website, developer Red Hook confirmed the tough-as-nails RPG is coming to Xbox One on February 28 as Darkest Dungeon: Crimson Edition. Preorders open on February 21. It will be priced at $24.99 for 60 days and will include the Crimson Court DLC for free for a limited time. The Shieldbreaker DLC will also be available day one for $3.99.

On April 29, Crimson Edition will be removed from the Xbox store and replaced with the base game. Crimson Court will then be available separately for $9.99, or you can buy everything with the Ancestral Edition for $34.99.

I have the game on iPad and I absolutely hate-love it. It's so good and so fucking frustrating too. As a reminder, Darkest Dungeon is getting a physical edition for the PS4 and Switch next month.

Darkest Dungeon XBOX ONE Release Details! [Red Hook]

Darkest Dungeon to terrorize Xbox One owners this month screenshot

via destructoid https://www.destructoid.com/darkest-dungeon-to-terrorize-xbox-one-owners-this-month-490181.phtml

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Sunday, February 18, 2018