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Mario Party 10 throws an amiibo get-together on March 20
Mario Party 10 will launch on March 20, Nintendo revealed today. The publisher showed off the new "amiibo Party Mode" for the game during its Nintendo Direct presentation this morning, adding compatibility for Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario series figures. Nintendo noted that the mode requires at least one amiibo, though other players can link their own figures to the game to use their respective characters as game pieces and access game boards inspired by the characters. Nintendo also announced that a limited edition version of Mario Party 10 will arrive on Wii U that same day, packing in a Mario amiibo figure with the party game. The game's latest trailer shows off both the amiibo Party Mode and the game's Bowser Party mode. [Image: Nintendo]
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse slides to February 20
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse will launch on February 20, Nintendo confirmed today. The latest in the platforming series was previously expected to launch on February 13. Additionally, the publisher offered a new gameplay trailer for Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, seen above. Nintendo first unveiled the game during its E3 2014 Nintendo Direct presentation. In it, players trace colorful lines on the Game Pad to guide Kirby and transform the fluffy pink character into a tank, submarine and rocket. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse will receive amiibo support, as Nintendo revealed in December. Players that link up a Kirby, King Dedede or Meta Knight amiibo with the Wii U game will unlock special powers for Kirby. [Image: Nintendo]
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, limited edition 3DS launches next month [Update]
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will launch on February 13 worldwide, Capcom announced during this morning's Nintendo Direct livestream. The game will be accompanied by its own themed (new) 3DS XL, featuring a brushed silver cover and blue logo. The latest Monster Hunter game launches on the same day as the standard, red and black versions of the new 3DS. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Monster Hunter 4G in Japan) is the updated version of Monster Hunter 4, which first launched in September 2013 in Japan. 4G reached Japan in October 2014. Update: Nintendo offered a new trailer for the game, found after the break. Additionally, GameStop announced that the Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate 3DS XL will be exclusive to the retailer, and is available for pre-order today. The system will come with the game pre-loaded on it for $230, and customers will have to pay for the bundle in full upon pre-ordering it. [Image: Nintendo]
The Escapists cracks open Xbox One next month
Mouldy Toof Studios' prison-breaking game The Escapists will launch on Xbox One on February 13, the developer announced today. Additionally, the game will launch in full on Steam on that day after nearly six months on Early Access. In it, players plot an extravagant prison escape while abiding by the prison's schedule, crafting weapons and tools while not raising suspicion from guards. The Escapists' full version will feature six unique prisons and six different methods to escape from them, such as digging your way out or taking over the whole facility. The game also includes ten prison jobs that players can perform in order to learn useful skills relevant to their escape strategies. The game is currently $15 on Steam Early Access. Worms series developer Team 17 signed on as The Escapists' publisher in February 2014. [Image: Mouldy Toof Studios]
Alien: Isolation's third DLC adds one-life-only Salvage Mode
Are you a survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse or delusions of morality? If that sounds like you then maybe let's not do coffee... but you may want to check out Alien: Isolation's new Safe Haven DLC. The add-on's new Salvage Mode tasks you with completing ten challenges in a large map as you try to escape from You-Know-Who (not Voldermort) within the time limit. The catch? You've got one life. While dying does take you back to your last saved challenge, it'll cost your final score. So to really do the business on the leaderboards, you'll need to make it through all ten challenges without perishing. On the flipside, if you collect enough points you can trade them in to save your progress. Like the previous DLC, you get to play another new character in Safe Haven. This time around it's Hughes, Sevastopol's communications manager and one of the first unfortunate souls you encounter in the main game. The last bit of intel is that Safe Haven introduces another new mode, Marathon, letting you play Survivor Mode maps in the order of your choosing. For a glimpse at the seemingly misnamed Safe Haven, check out Sega's teaser trailer below the break. If you still want in, the DLC is due to hit all platforms today, except in Europe where PS4 and PS3 players are on standby 'til tomorrow. If you've got the $30 season pass then you have already paid for the pleasure, otherwise the asking price is $8.
Grand Theft Auto 5 PC due on March 24, rig requirements
Grand Theft Auto 5 is due out for PC on March 24, Rockstar announced today in a blog post. The PC edition was originally scheduled to drop on January 27. "Our apologies for the slight shift in the date but the game requires a few extra weeks of testing and polish to make it as good as can be," Rockstar writes. "Moving a release date is never a decision we take lightly and is a choice we make only when we know it is in the best interests of the game and our fans. Thanks everyone for your understanding and we assure you these few extra weeks will be worth it when the game does arrive in March." Rockstar promises the PC version will run at 1080p and 60fps, with up to 4K resolution and support for three monitors, including Nvidia 3D Vision. Minimum PC requirements include a quad-core processor, 4GB memory and 65GB hard drive space. Recommended specs include an i5 processor, 8GB memory and 65GB hard drive space. See the full system requirements below. Grand Theft Auto Online for PC supports up to 30 players and will launch – with Heists – alongside Grand Theft Auto 5 on March 24.
Voice-controlled RTS There Came an Echo speaks up in Feb.
There Came an Echo, the voice-controlled real-time strategy game from Iridium Studios starring nerd royalty Wil Wheaton, is due out on February 24 for $20 via Steam for PC. The release date comes courtesy of a new trailer (below), featuring players that Iridium "totally found on Craigslist." These uninitiated few try out There Came an Echo's voice controls, including the ability to change characters' names to things like "Sweetie Pie" and something naughty that appears to rhyme with "Duckface." There Came an Echo was successfully funded on Kickstarter in March 2013, raising $115,000 of a $90,000 goal. It's Iridium's second successful Kickstarter game, following Sequence. There Came an Echo stars Wil Wheaton and Ashly Burch, and puts players in charge of a small, gun-wielding squad in a near-future sci-fi environment. "Corrin (played by Wil Wheaton) is a 31-year-old cryptographer and inventor of a very particular encryption algorithm ... one that currently holds safe a shocking secret," the game's Kickstarter reads. "His comfortable existence is interrupted by the enigmatic Val, who informs him that his life is in very imminent danger. His desperate attempts to uncover the truth are aided by a mercenary, Miranda; a vengeful young woman, Grace; and a mysterious British gentleman named Syll." Players are able to customize the voice controls in There Came an Echo, and Iridium promises that it's possible to play the game without speech at all. It's also coming to Xbox One and PS4, eventually.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse delayed to late February in Europe
Bandai Namco's self-insert fanfiction brawler Dragon Ball Xenoverse has shifted to a late February release date in Europe in an effort "to ensure the highest possible gameplay experience for our fans," the publisher states. In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, players guide a custom-created character through the Dragon Ball timeline, righting past wrongs and experiencing alternate takes on landmark series events. By fighting alongside familiar series characters, you'll unlock their moves and outfits for use in Xenoverse's campaign, and the characters themselves are playable in other included gameplay modes. Xenoverse is still on track to launch for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PS3, and PC platforms via Steam in North America on February 17. A European release will follow on February 27. [Video: Bandai Namco]
Double Dragon Trilogy gettin' Bimmy wit it on Steam, GOG
By the dragon! Retro-revivalist DotEmu is bringing Double Dragon Trilogy to Steam, with the beat-em-up triforce penciled in for January 15. The collection of late 80s arcade is also coming to GOG and Amazon on the same day, but there's no word yet on prices. Double Dragon Trilogy stars the titular co-op classic and its two immediate sequels, DD2: The Revenge and DD3: The Rosetta Stone. It's already been raging the streets of iOS and Android for about a year, as well as Ouya since June 2014.
Kingdom Hearts 3 launch window revealed, refuted
Bill Farmer, the voice actor who plays Goofy in Kingdom Hearts 3, has completed recording for the game and he says in a tweet that it's due out in 2015. Square Enix, however, doesn't agree – about a week after Farmer's quiet bombshell, the company tweeted that there is no release date for Kingdom Hearts 3. There was a Goof! The release date for @KINGDOMHEARTS III remains unannounced. - SQUARE ENIX USA (@SquareEnixUSA) January 8, 2015 Why must you mess with our hearts this way, Farmer? Et tu, Square Enix? Reports have it that Kingdom Hearts 3 is being built in Unreal Engine 4, and series Director Tetsuya Nomura says, "The battles that the characters have been fighting for the past 10 years will come to a conclusion." Kingdom Hearts 3 is due out on PS4 and Xbox One ... eventually. [Image: Square Enix]
Sony delays PS4 in China
Sony put the brakes on the PlayStation 4's date with China, after delaying sales of the system just days ahead of its scheduled January 11 launch. In a statement provided to Reuters, the company said it was holding the PS4 back due to "various factors," and that a new date was yet to be decided. Additionally, Sony Computer Entertainment spokeswoman Kaede Bun told Bloomberg, "The [Chinese] government asked us for final adjustments, which will take some time, so we decided to delay the launch date." The PS4 was due to finally launch in China this week, after the country lifted its 14-year ban on consoles just over a year to the day. It's unclear from this morning's reports if the Vita, which was also due to launch on January 11, is to receive a similar delay.
Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition announced [update]
Do not adjust your monitors, do not wipe your glasses clean. You're 100 percent looking at a Super Mario-glossed entry in GungHo's incredibly popular Puzzle & Dragons series, and it's coming to 3DS in Japan this April. GungHo America also notes an "overseas release" of the thus-titled Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition through Nintendo. [Update: A Nintendo spokesperson told Digital Spy that currently Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition is a "Japanese-only announcement." So it's unclear what exactly GungHo America's referring to by "overseas release." We've reached out to GungHo for clarification.] Details are limited at the moment - according to Gematsu the match-3 game features both local multiplayer and StreetPass functionality. From another angle, the most important details lie in the numbers. GungHo just revealed that the original mobile Puzzle & Dragons surpassed 6 million downloads in North America, taking the free-to-play game's worldwide tally to more than a staggering 41 million. To put that in perspective, in April 2013 Puzzle & Dragons raked in $3.76 million per day. Furthermore, it's well established that Mario likes gold coins. If you still puzzled, check out GungHo's announcement trailer below the break.
Broken Age gets physical with simultaneous retail release
Broken Age Act 2 is due to arrive this spring, and when it does you'll be able to buy the full Double Fine adventure on disc. The developer is once again teaming up with Nordic Games to get PC, Mac and Linux copies of Broken Age onto shelves, and that's "simultaneously" with the release of the concluding act. Simultaneously is the watchword for Broken Age this year. As Double Fine's Greg Rice put it last month, the studio aims "to launch on PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, PS Vita, iOS, Ouya and Android next spring as close to simultaneously as human possible." That now includes a retail release on three platforms (at least), so springtime will be a busy time for the Californian studio.
3D After Burner 2 locked-on to hit 3DS eshop next week
Sega's next wave of 3D-enhanced Classics looks set to begin January 15 with After Burner 2, going by new eShop listings. Nintendo's storefronts in North America and Europe have the arcade air fighter down for that date, though Sega's yet to make any announcements. We've reached out to the publisher to confirm the ETA for some top-gunning action. According to its eShop description After Burner 2 includes 23 stages and comes with a selection of "real arcade cabinets," new difficulty settings, new graphical options, and the standard Classics addition of stereoscopic 3D. Also, if you beat all 23 stages you unlock an extra mode that features "even more gameplay enhancements."
New 3DS 'Ambassador Bundle' revealed for EU, shipping early
Nintendo of Europe is offering the New 3DS early to its "most loyal customers," as revealed by emails sent out this morning. The company invited a limited selection of Club Nintendo users (and only them) to buy the "Ambassador Edition" bundle, priced $180/€200 and only available to order until January 12. The New 3DS only has a "2015" release window in Europe, like North America, but screencaps sent to Joystiq show the Ambassador Bundle is ready to be delivered within three to five days. That tallies with Nintendo's terms of sale, which indicate delivery should be made by January 23. We've reached out to the company to confirm the details. As attested to by multiple reports, Nintendo's outline of the bundle notes the system itself has a value of £156/€170 (in USD that's $237/$202). That may prove to be the baseline price when the New 3DS hits Europe's store shelves. In Japan the system costs 16,000 yen ($134).
Full PlayStation Plus line-up for January revealed [update]
Update: Sony's confirmed North America's PS Plus line-up for January is the same as Europe's. We've updated the post to reflect that and other details. We already knew Infamous: First Light and The Swapper were coming to the Instant Game Collection next month, but now we've got the full January PlayStation Plus line-up. The two PS3 freebies headed to the continent are Prototype 2 and DuckTales: Remastered, while the Vita duo is Whoa Dave and Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition. The line-up hits the PS Store stateside on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. As ever, Europe joins the PS Plus party the day after.
Sonic Team's Sonic Runners announced for smartphones
The next game from the hedgehog hive mind of Sonic Team is Sonic Runners, and it's coming to smartphones next year. Sega producer Takashi Iizuka announced the game at a Sonic fan event in Tokyo, and Famitsu says more details will spill next month. For now we just have the name, dev, platform and 2015 window - and no word either way on a Western release. Sonic Team's last hog roast was Sonic: Lost World back in 2013, and since then the venerable studio's pumped out Puyo Puyo Tetris in Japan. It did supervise work on 2014's Sonic Booms, but they were chiefly developed by American teams Big Red Button and Sanzaru Games. We may yet see something more sizable starring Sonic next year. Earlier this year a German toy fair promo seemed to let the hedgehog out of the bag, noting a new Sonic game for PS4, Xbox One and Wii U in 2015. Sega quickly stepped in to denounce the info as "incorrect."
PlayStation Now hits Samsung Smart TVs in first half of 2015
Game-streaming service PlayStation Now is coming to select Samsung Smart TVs in the first half of 2015, meaning you'll be able to enjoy PS3 games without owning a Sony system or even a Sony TV. The Smart TV-based form of Sony's cloud-based service will roll out in the United States and Canada, according to this week's announcement. Sony says Samsung Smart TVs will support "all functionality" of PlayStation Now, including trophies, cloud saves and online multiplayer.
Theatrhythm Curtain Call gets Bravely Default DLC? Unacceptable!
Ignore Agnes' protestations in the title: We'll accept Square Enix is bringing the Bravely Default DLC to Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call in North America and Europe, finally. Four of the 3DS JRPG's songs, namely "He of the Name," "Evil Wings," "The Serpent That Devours the Horizon" and "Horizon of Light and Shadow," go on sale starting tomorrow, December 24. Square Enix also confirmed the DLC it recently revealed for Japan - that includes songs from Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana - also hits the West tomorrow. Each track has a 99 cents asking price (£0.89/€0.99), and you can check out full Christmas Eve song list below the break.
Red hot PS4 coming to Japan with Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
It's not exactly red-nosed, but we'd say Japan's new PS4 glows. The red-and-black system is coming to the country on March 19, 2015 alongside HD-ified action-RPG Final Fantasy Type 0. Sony unveiled the new livery over the weekend, and today it became available for pre-order in limited quantities. The asking price is 46,980 yen (around $392) plus tax, and for that you get the special system, a matching DualShock 4 and 15 days of PS Plus. It also comes with codes for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, the Episode Duscae demo of FF 15 and a unique PS4 theme.
