(Some Of) The Big Stuff:
XBOX ONE PRICE DROP: Microsoft on Thursday announced an Xbox One price drop for the US. From January 16 on, the system will be available for $350, a $50 markdown from the regular price. The deal is valid in the US only. It’s only a timed price drop, but Microsoft won’t say when it will end.
GTA 5 PC DELAYED: Rockstar Games this week announced that the long-awaited PC version of the acclaimed open-world action game has been delayed for a second time. It was originally due to launch in fall 2014 alongside the Xbox One and PS4 editions, but was later pushed to January 27, and then again this week to March 24, 2015.
NEW 3DS DATED: During a Nintendo Direct on Wednesday, Nintendo officially announced that the upcoming New Nintendo 3DS XL (yep, that’s the real name) will launch in the United States on February 13 for $200. The units will come in red and black, but there will also be special, epic-looking bundles for upcoming games Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D.
The Other Stuff (Stories We Like, But Didn’t Cover With a Standalone Post):
Mario Party 10 now has a release date. Nintendo announced this week that the tenth entry in the party game series will launch for Wii U on March 20. The latest entry in the classic party game series includes a number of new features, including an “Amiibo Party Mode” that works with the real-world Amiibo toys you already own.
New DLC is now available for wrestling game WWE 2K15. 2K Sports on Tuesday released the WWE 2K15 Moves Pack, which adds more than 30 new moves to the game. You can read more about the DLC and watch a trailer now at the game’s site.
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End doesn’t launch until later this year, but you need new information right now, don’t you? You’re in luck, as Game Informer has posted an excellent interview with the game’s directors and voice actor, Nolan North. The interview dives into the game’s story, and who Drake is as a person. “Everybody believes that he’s quippy and he’s off the cuff, but over the course of each game, you’ve seen that he’s actually driven by something way deeper than what’s on the surface,” co-director Bruce Straley says. Read the full interview here.
You already know what the best-selling games of 2014 were for the US, but what about the UK? Thankfully, now we know. The top-selling game of the year was, you guessed it, FIFA 15, followed by Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Grand Theft Auto V. See the full list here.
Nickelodeon this week released a new, browser-based Spongebob Squarepants game called SpongeBob QuestPants. It’s a free, episodic game. The first episode, The Legend of Dead Eye Gulch, is available to play right now here.
On Monday, free-to-play publisher Gazillion (Marvel Heroes 2015) announced the hiring of Eric Garay as its new Chief Financial Officer; he’ll oversee the company’s entire global financial and business operations. Garay previously worked at Electronic Arts for more than a decade, holding management positions at Sims studio Maxis.
Social gaming giant Kabam is expanding. The company on Tuesday announced that it had acquired LA-based game studios TapZen and Magix Pixel Games for undisclosed sums. Kabam says: “The move will expand Kabam’s global presence directly into the entertainment capital, bolster the company’s AAA console quality development experience, and add industry luminary Mike Verdu as a new executive on the Kabam team.”
Looking forward to checking out indie developer Poppermost’s upcoming extreme sports game, Snow? You’re in luck, as the developer announced this week that the PC game’s closed beta will begin on March 28. You can sign up here, and you’ll want to do so soon, as invitations will be delivered on the basis of when you signed up. There’s also a new trailer to check out. Watch it above!
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has launched a new mobile app called “Skin and Bones.” It’s a free app (get it here on iTunes) that promises to “reinvent” how museum visitors can experience the specimens on display at the museum’s Bone Hall, which features almost 300 skeletons. Using the app, which uses 3D and AR technology, you can see how the creatures’ skeletons work.
Tropico publisher Kalypso is growing. On Thursday, the company announced the formation of a dedicated mobile studio in Hamburg, Germany. The new office will focus on making mobile games for iOS and Android devices. Kalypso has hired Marcus Behrens, who previously held a senior position at Bigpoint Games, to work as the studio’s new publishing director.
Team Ninja this week announced the latest playable character for upcoming fighting game Dead or Alive 5 Last Round. The new fighter is Honoka, and here’s how Team Ninja, rather excellently, sums her up: “Having been raised all her life by her gentle and loving grandmother, Honoka is a sweet, easygoing kind of girl… but when she sees a fight, she cannot contain her excitement, or the mysterious power surging within her.”
Master modder Ben Heck has revealed his latest creation: an Xbox One laptop. Yeah, he’s not the first one to tackle the job, but Heck’s creation is different in that it features an LCD tablet with a fold-out cover that morphs into a stand. How did he do it? Thankfully, cameras were rolling the entire time.
Independent game developer Hinterland Studio announced Thursday that its “exploration-survival experience” game The Long Dark has now sold more than 250,000 copies since its release through Steam Early Access in September. The developer also teased an upcoming update for the game, due to arrive in January, that will “nearly double” the size of the game world. Exciting times!
Excited for the upcoming release of Grim Fandango Remastered? if you are, you’re probably happy to learn that the $15 game is now available to preorder for PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, and PS Vita. GOG.com will sell a DRM-free version ofo the game that comes with exclusive wallpapers, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Mobile game Summoners War has taken over Los Angeles, at least one part of it. Publisher Com2uS tapped Melbourne street artists Meggs to create an epic-looking, 2,000 square foot Summoners War mural in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. Check out an image of the mural above, which shows Summoners War characters Arch Angel, Dragon, and Angelmon.
Is Ubisoft working on a remastered version of the 2007 original Assassin’s Creed? Probably not, but that’s what we’re led to believe from this image that appeared on Twitter recently. For now, take this with a grain–or maybe a heaping–of salt. Until we hear from Ubisoft, this should be a considered a rumor–and a big one at that.
Looking for a deal on last-generation console hardware? GameStop and coupon site RetailMeNot.com have parterned up for an in-store event where shoppers can buy secondhand Xbox 360 and PS3s for as low as $55. Here’s a rundown of the offers, which are valid through January 31 or while supplies last.
- Pre Owned Xbox 360 Original (Wired Models) for $54.99
- Pre Owned Xbox 360 Original (Wireless Models) for $74.99
- Pre Owned Xbox 360 4GB Slim (any Pre Owned 4GB Slim Models) for $99.99
- ANY Pre Owned PS3 80GB for $134.99
There has been an awakening. Have you felt it? By that I mean, the voice of the narrator in the Star Wars Episode 7 trailer, Andy Serkis, is lending his voice to Mike Bithell’s upcoming stealth title Volume. You can hear a brief snippet of Serkis’ voiceover right here.
The Lego franchise continues to grow, as Asian free-to-play publisher Nexon announced this week that it had signed a licensing agreement with TT Games and The Lego Group to make a new Lego role-playing game for mobile devices. The game will be based on “several” Lego franchises, including Lego Ninjago and others.
The PlayStation 4 (and PlayStation 3!) got another new media app this week in the form of SnagFilms. Users can now watch more than 5,000 movies–comedies, thrillers, horrors, and more–for free. Check out a screenshot of SnagFilms on PS4 above.
A really cool new indie game from Team 17, called The Escapists, will ship on Xbox One from February 13. It’s a 2D strategy game where a group of innamtes must plot their escape from a prison whilst avoiding detection. Looks really fun, here’s a trailer:
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