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'Dark Souls' publisher bets on AI for smarter game foes
Bandai Namco, the games company behind Tekken, Dark Souls and a whole bunch of Dragonball games, has invested in an artificial intelligence startup. The team at Heroz have an algorithm for shogi (Japanese chess) that's bested several professional human players in public matches. Bandai Namco is hoping to tap into that know-how to improve its non-playing character behavior in future titles, although expect to see it in much simpler games long before that eventual Dark Souls successor.
Sony's Project Field brings card games to life
From Skylanders to Amiibo, "Toys to life" have been a pretty lucrative way for video game companies to make money. Sony has been more-or-less absent from the field, but today it's announcing something not too dissimilar: Project Field.
Nintendo tour lets you try 3DS games this summer
If you or your kids are jonesing for something to do this summer but would rather play Super Mario Bros. than go on vacation, Nintendo has your back. It's launching a free Play Nintendo Tour that, as the name implies, gives you a chance to play a range of 3DS games in a kid-friendly environment. On top of getting to try some of Nintendo's better-known titles (ranging from the shiny new Kirby: Planet Robobot to an older title like Mario Kart 7), the 12-stop US tour has contests, photo ops and prizes.
'Yo-Kai Watch 2' invades the US this September
Yo-Kai Watch 2 is on the horizon, and it's headed to the US this September, with a second season of the anime series to follow. Originally launched last November for western audiences, the 3DS title served up decadent and accessible role-playing goodness, with collecting elements for the youngsters and meaty side quests and commentary for adults.
Operation Finish All The Games: January 2016
Lots of people have New Year's resolutions, but I'm throwing mine up here on Engadget for you, dear readers, to gawk at my successes and failures. Back in December I vowed to finish one game a month throughout the entirety of 2016. Now that January's done and over with, how did I do in the first month of 'Operation Finish All the Games?'
Nintendo's 'Yo-Kai Watch' is a love letter to urban life
I was sitting on an eight hour flight back from London, my 3DS the only thing illuminating my little corner of the plane. My boyfriend, bored in the middle seat next to me, had leaned over to look at what I was doing. "That looks like Pokémon." His tone was surprised, and maybe even a little disgusted. Because at first glance, it did look like another entry in Nintendo's kid-friendly RPG franchise. There was the typical tween-aged protagonist, strolling along a disturbingly empty street, followed everywhere by a small unearthly creature. In fact, I had six more creatures at my disposal, all with their own distinct abilities and affiliations. They fought other creatures and, sometimes at the end of a fight, the vanquished would even ask to join my team.
Two popular 3DS games get sequels on smartphones and tablets
New games in two acclaimed 3DS franchises, Professor Layton and Fantasy Life, are heading exclusively to iOS and Android. During an event today, Japanese developer Level-5 announced it will bring Professor Layton and Fantasy Life to smartphones and tablets in Japan only (for now). Siliconera reports the next Professor Layton game is called Layton 7 and it seems to be a departure from the series' puzzle-solving roots, offering a card game with fortune-telling aspects where players attempt to figure out who the "Vampire" is. The new Fantasy Life game, Fantasy Life 2: Two Moons and the Village of God, sticks closely to the franchise's role-playing script but offers more city-building options, Siliconera says.
