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Playdate: 'Mario Tennis Ultra Smash' and board games with animals
Ah, Thanksgiving -- the perfect time to relax with your family and play something slow, wholesome and casual. Nintendo, it's your time to shine: join us as we check out Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival and Mario Tennis Ultra Smash on Wii U to see which game better compliments a gluttonous holiday meal. We'll be streaming at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific right here in this post, on the Engadget Gaming homepage and, if you want to join us in chat, at Twitch.tv/Joystiq. And yes, it's okay to vent your Amiibo shopping frustrations here. This is a safe space, friends. We understand.
Playdate: Death becomes us in 'Darksiders 2'
When publisher THQ went bankrupt a few years back it was a staggering blow to the game industry. Sure, the company made some flops (oh hi, Homefront), but it also published some killer games like the Saint's Row and Metro franchises. The label also had Darksiders from developer Vigil Games. But unlike the first two series that I mentioned, Darksiders wasn't scooped up by a major publisher during the bankruptcy proceedings and comparatively was kind of left to languish. I'd honestly thought all hope was lost because while the series is great, it just couldn't really find an audience. So I was incredibly surprised when word came down that Darksiders 2 was getting a remastering earlier this year.
Playdate: Answering the 'Call of Duty' in 'Black Ops III"
Another year, another Call of Duty campaign. It's almost comforting -- an annual tradition of unlocking weapons, leveling up and ultimately realizing that we're a lot worse at this game than we remember. Join us on the Engadget Gaming homepage, here in this post or Twitch.tv/Joystiq starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific for two hours of Call of Duty: Black Ops III. We'll be checking out the campaign and spending some time in team deathmatch to see just how bad Sean is at online shooters.
Playdate: Crushing the Rebel scum in 'Star Wars: Battlefront'
Not too long from now, on a Twitch stream in the very near future, Sean Buckley and myself will be blasting Rebel scum in Star Wars: Battlefront. The sci-fi shooter's the topic du jour on the latest edition of Playdate and you can tune in starting at 6 PM ET/ 3 PM Pacific to catch two hours of the hot Empire on Rebel action across Sullust, Hoth, and who even knows where else? And since we streamed the game's beta on PlayStation 4 we're giving the full version a go on PC today. As always, you can tune in here on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or Twitch.tv/Joystiq if you'd like to join us in chat -- it's your destiny.
Playdate: Chilling out in the Mushroom Kingdom
It's been a long week, folks -- and there's only one proper way to unwind: a cool drink, some Twitch friends and your Super Mario Maker levels. That's right, we're returning to our vault of level submissions to torture Sean and have a good time. Join us on Twitch.tv/Joystiq, the Engadget Gaming homepage or right here in this post starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific. Didn't get in on our last Mario Maker event? Drop your level codes into chat, and we'll make sure to give them priority.
Playdate: Giving away a 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' Xbox One bundle
So you want to play the new timed-exclusive Tomb Raider game, but you don't have an Xbox One. We might be able to help with that: today on Engadget Playdate, we're streaming Rise of the Tomb Raider and giving one lucky viewer a chance to win a 1TB Xbox One (with the game, of course). Want in? Simply hit the contest widget after the break. Want to see what we're giving out? Join us on Twitch.tv/Joystiq, the Engadget Gaming homepage or right here in this post starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific. Good luck! Winner: Congratulations to Angelina W. of Chandler, AZ!
Playdate: We're giving away the 'Fallout 4' Pip-Boy Edition!
The Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition proved insanely popular, so much so that developer/publisher Bethesda Softworks had to apologize when it couldn't meet demand for the plastic wrist-computer. You know who isn't saying sorry? Us at Engadget. That's because we're giving away the PlayStation 4 premium edition of this fall's most anticipated game during our Twitch broadcast today. All you need to do is hit the contest widget after the break. Join Sean Buckley and myself as we stream two hours of irradiated galavanting around the Boston Commonwealth starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific. Sean's playing the PC version and you can watch us here on this very post, the Engadget Gaming homepage, or Twitch.tv/Joystiq if you'd like to participate in chat. How many hijinks will we get into? You'll just have to tune in and find out. So go grab a Nuka Cola Quantum and settle in. Oh, and good luck! Winner: Congratulations to Onelson G. of Brooklyn, NY!
Playdate: We've got the 'Need for Speed' on PlayStation 4
It's time to kick some tires and light some fires, folks. The new Need for Speed, out this week, is awesome. More importantly, it shows exactly what can happen when a video game publisher (Electronic Arts, in this case) says that a developer can take a year off to work on a game rather than churn out sub-par sequels on an annual basis. Usually when the word "cinematic" is thrown around to describe a game, that means big explosions and scripted events -- not usually the visual style. The team at Ghost Games doesn't subscribe to that theory and rather than focusing on "water-cooler moments" that only happen once, it instead made Need for Speed look as much like a movie shot on film as possible. Need proof? At 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific Sean and myself are broadcasting two hours of the game on Twitch.
Playdate: Clambering around London in 'Assassin's Creed: Syndicate'
It's autumn, so that means it's time for a new Assassin's Creed game. This time out the franchise has gone back to London's industrial age with Syndicate. A period when kids worked in factories and hooded folks jumped off of tall buildings to kill members of the Knights Templar. That last part might not be historically accurate. Maybe. There are a lot of variables at play here. Regardless, the last few AC releases haven't been great, but I'm determined to give Syndicate the old college try to see if it can recapture the franchise's highpoint, 2009's Assassin's Creed 2. This time you can come along for the ride with Sean and myself as we explore London's seedy underbelly starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific. As always, we'll be playing for two hours and you can tune in either on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or Twitch.tv/Joystiq if you'd like to join us in chat.
Playdate's Halloween Horror Hangover: 'The Park' and 'NOCT'
Thought our week of spooky Twitch streams was over? Not quite: there are just too many deliciously creepy games out there to cram into just two Playdate streams, so we're giving you a bonus -- Engadget's Halloween Horror Hangover. Join us as we explore the terror of losing a child in an seedy amusement park (in the appropriately named The Park), right here at 6PM EST (3PM PST), at Twitch.tv/joystiq or on the Engadget Gaming homepage. Not scary enough? Fine: we'll also be checking out the terrifying, monochrome monsters of NOCT.
Playdate: A (probably terrifying) chat with 'SOMA' dev Ian Thomas
Well, the chat may not be terrifying, but the game certainly will be. Today on Playdate, we're diving into two horrifying, Halloween-worthy games, SOMA and PT. SOMA is the creepy underwater game from Amnesia: The Dark Descent studio Frictional Games, and PT is Konami's once-promising haunted-house exploration teaser for a game that's sadly not going to be made. While we're playing SOMA, we'll conduct a live interview with Ian Thomas, Frictional's level scripter and gameplay programmer. Let's find out what makes a master of digital horror tick. Playdate kicks off at 6PM Eastern/3PM Pacific and you can watch live right in this post, on the Engadget Gaming homepage or on Twitch.tv/Joystiq.
Playdate's Xbox 360 Halloween Horror: 'Dead Space' and 'Condemned'
Today on Playdate, we're facing our fears. Not of things that go bump in the night, but of industrial mining spaceships and rabid hobos. It's all in the name of good fun though! We're taking a trip back to check out some of the Xbox 360's best horror games this Halloween week with Dead Space and Condemned: Criminal Origins. Join myself and Sean Buckley for the scream-fest starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific for two hours of survival horror here on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or Twitch.tv/joystiq if you'd like to make fun of Tim's shrill shouts of terror.
Playdate's Wii U Halloween Horror: 'Fatal Frame' and 'Year Walk'
'Spooky' isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind when one things of the family-friendly Wii U -- but that didn't stop the PlayDate crew from digging up a couple or horror titles to mark the coming of all hallows eve. Join us at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific as we tour Fatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Water's haunted Hikami Mountain and learn the legend of its ghost-wrangling shrine maidens. Then, we'll take a Year Walk and step into the darker side of old Swedish folklore. Join in the fun right here, at twitch.tv/joystiq and on the Engadget Gaming homepage.
Playdate: Kart racing with Disney Princesses and stepping on LEGOs
Just when you think you're done with this whole "toys-to-life" genre of video games, nostalgia is there to pull you back in. Did you play with LEGOs as a kid? Do you like Walt Disney? Have you ever played Mario Kart? Then there's still plenty of expensive, RFID-powered toys to exploit childhood. Today, Tim Seppalla and I are looking at LEGO Dimensions' multi-franchise romp through your toy-chest and Disney Infinity's Toy Box Speedway. Is your wallet ready? Join us at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific right here, on the Engadget Gaming homepage or at Twitch.tv/joystiq to find out.
Playdate: Giving away the farm with 'Halo 5: Guardians'
Halo 5: Guardians launches next week on Xbox One and we're celebrating the only way we know how on Playdate -- by giving stuff away and playing video games on Twitch. What's the giveaway? A special Xbox One console packing 1TB of storage, Halo 5 stylings and the game itself. And for runners up, a pair of Astro A40 headphones decked out in the sci-fi shooter's livery. Oh, right, we're playing a game too. You can probably guess by now what that'll be, but if not it's Halo 5. Join Sean Buckley, myself and our special guest Richard Lawler as we form a Blue Team of our own and fight through Covenant and Prometheans for two hours starting at 4 PM Eastern / 1PM Pacific. You'll be able to find us in the usual places, too: Here on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage and Twitch.tv/joystiq if you'd like to join us in chat.
Playdate: Surviving the apocalypse in 'Wasteland 2: Director's Cut'
Fallout 4 isn't the only post-apocalyptic role-playing game out this fall. Nope. Also out is a sequel to the game that's pretty much directly responsible for Bethesda's dark vision of the future, Wasteland 2: Director's Cut. The PC version of the game released last year, but a console port featuring a number of new additions including new voice overs and a wealth of new recorded dialogue. If XCOM: Enemy Unknown left an isometric, action-point itch that you haven't scratched in awhile, this might be your ticket on PlayStation 4. Join Sean Buckley and myself at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific as we try to survive the cruel environment for two hours either here on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or Twitch.tv/joystiq if you'd like to chat with us.
Playdate: We're exploring 'Yoshi's Woolly World'
From all of your custom Super Mario Maker levels, to Steam Machines and now to Yoshi's Woolly World on Wii U in one week, you can't say we aren't afraid to switch things up now and again here on Engadget Playdate. When he played the latter back at E3, features editor and gaming overlord Joseph Volpe likened the game to "a warm hug." Neither Sean nor myself has had a chance to get our mitts on it yet, so we're fixing that today live on Twitch just for you. Join us starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific as we make our way through the yarn-spun affair either here on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or Twitch.tv/joystiq if you'd like to chat with us.
Playdate: Trying out Steam Machines and Valve's new controller
For years, Valve's been teasing us with the promise of a new kind of gaming device: a PC that lives in your entertainment center, outperforms traditional consoles and has more games available for it than you can count. Now it's finally here: I have a Steam Machine in my house, and I'm going to share it with you. Join me and Tim Seppala as we put the Alienware Steam Machine, its Linux-based SteamOS and the Valve Steam Controller through their paces. The fun starts right here in this post, on Twitch.tv/joystiq and on the Engadget gaming homepage at 6PM ET (3PM PT).
Playdate: Putting your custom 'Super Mario Maker' levels to the test
When we asked for your Super Mario Maker levels you guys and gals responded in a big way. Don't believe us? We have a Gmail folder with over 300 responses to prove you otherwise, and more keep coming in every day. Sean and myself were absolutely floored by the creativity the Playdate community showed and honestly it was hard to narrow the field down to just 30 or so entires. Sadly we had to do just that because we only have two hours to broadcast. Did your masterpiece make the cut? Tune in starting at 6PM Eastern / 3PM Pacific and find out as we run through nothing but community-built death traps either on this post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or Twitch.tv/joystiq if you want to join in our chat.
Playdate: Giving away Snake's watch with 'Metal Gear Online'
Metal Gear Online hasn't even been active a week and yet and it's dealing with some pretty serious issues. First there's the whole real-money for in-game insurance thing, and as Eurogamer reports, there's a load of balancing and server issues too. But, who needs a game when you could have bitchin' watch modeled after the one Big Boss/Venom Snake/Who Even Knows wears in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain? While you're enjoying today's broadcast you have the distinct chance to win just that: a Seiko watch that's subtle enough to not trigger any alarms, but those in the know will give a hearty smile if they spot it. Winner: Congratulations to Alex B. of Glendale, CA!
