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Animal Crossing's App Was Originally a Much Different Game

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The original app was going to serve as a miniature city builder.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 4, 2017

It seems that Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp's long road to development can be partially blamed on a dramatic departure from the game's original concept.

This new video from the YouTube channel Unseen 64 details Nintendo's original plans for an Animal Crossing mobile game called Animal Crossing: Town Planner

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Town Planner endeavored to recreate the Animal Crossingexperience on mobile devices just as Pocket Camp does. The difference is that Town Planner would have emphasized building a community whereas Pocket Camp emphasizes the game's social aspects. 

Actually, it seems that Town Planner had quite a lot in common with the 3DS title, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer. That game primarily focused on designing a home and pleasing its various inhabitants. It all but removed Animal Crossing's town aspects in favor of allowing players to design grand interior spaces. While that was certainly a notable aspect of the original games, designing your home was never considered to be the highlight of the Animal Crossing experience.

Town Planner would have allowed players to interact with their town's inhabitants in minor ways, but it was clearly not the focus of the project. Indeed, Town Plannerwould have gone so far as to simply the mechanics found in Happy Home Designer. What's especially funny about that plan is how poorly Home Designer's already simplified mechanics were received by the game's fanbase. 

Rumor has it that Nintendo was not happy with the direction of Town Planner's development. The supposedly suggested that the app's assets be retained and used towards the development of a new game that tried to emulate more aspects of the full Animal Crossing experience.

Pocket Camp may fall short of that goal, but it's a far more respectable facsimile of a proper Animal Crossing game than what Town Planner would have likely been.

 


EmuVR Allows You To Live in the Ultimate '90s Bedroom

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Video games, magazines, and more nostalgia than the human mind can possibly endure.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 4, 2017

A new project called EmuVR allows players to forever live in the '90s bedroom of their dreams

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EmuVR places players in a small suburban home that is fully-equipped with multiple video game consoles, several arcade cabinets, loads of televisions, and an impressive collection of '90s games. The idea is that it is the home that many children of the '90s would have loved to live in. 

What does that mean, exactly? Well, for instance, EmuVR will scan your computer for any ROM files of old-school games you might have in your folders. It can then create a virtual image of the game's physical disc and an in-game recreation of the title that you can play via VR controllers. You can do the same for arcade games, and the project's developers are even planning to add DOS and Windows 95 emulations to the final experience. You'll even be able to play these games on old-school televisions or a cinema projector. 

That's really just the tip of this project's nostalgic offerings, though. It will also feature a television that will ideally stream nothing but classic '80s and '90s content (films, shows, and cartoons). The EmuVR team even wishes to allow players to watch this stream with their friends in real time. Additionally, you'll be able to flip through old video game magazines, customize your room with posters, and perhaps even make modifications to the home itself. There's a plan in place to develop a recreation of classic E3 venues that the player can explore, as well.

Basically, the EmuVR development team wants to turn this program into the ultimate nostalgic social space. This is an idea that has been presented elsewhere, but few other programs have ever endeavored to recreate this specific experience in such detail.

There is no release date available for EmuVR, but the development team plans on releasing it as a free program. However, they are accepting any donations people wish to make towards its development. 

GoldenEye Player Beats 15-Year-Old Speedrunning Record

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That's impressive, but have you tried unlocking the game's invincibility cheat?

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 4, 2017

Speedrunning records are a lot like the rules enforced by mall security. They're meant to be broken. 

That's why Bryan Bosshardt's speedrunning record on GoldenEye's infamous opening Dam level is so impressive. For 15 years, his 53-second run through that level has stood unbroken but not unchallenged. Indeed, beating that mark is considered to be something of a Holy Grail amongst the GoldenEye speedrunning community. Others considered it an impossible task. 

Those doubters were silenced by speedrunner Karl Jobst who posted a shocking 52-second run through the Dam level. 

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Jobst makes no effort to conceal his emotions at beating the long-standing record, nor should he. You first have to understand that the techniques used to establish the 53-second run really haven't been improved upon over the years. The crux of the run is a "glitch" that makes players run faster when they get shot in the back. This is why Jobst intentionally looks away from nearly every enemy in the level. As he's playing on Agent difficulty, though, there are relatively few guards shooting at him. 

This particular run saw Jobst get unusually lucky with the number of speed boosts he received from shooting guards. Those boosts, combined with perfect technique and a couple of other lucky breaks, allowed Jobst to shave a second off the record that the majority of GoldenEye speedrunners said would never be beaten. 

In a post on Reddit, Jobst states that this run took roughly 250 hours of practice to finally complete. Mind you, that's 250 hours worth of sub-60 seconds runs. During all that time, Jobst only had three runs that he considered being candidates for the record. 

At this point, it's highly doubtful that the record will be beaten by anyone who doesn't pioneer some new techniques or happens to get even luckier with the existing ones.

 

The Game Awards 2017: List of Nominees

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Here's the full list of nominees for The Game Awards 2017!

NewsDen of Geek Staff
Dec 4, 2017

As a particularly great year of games wraps up, it's time to honor the best titles we played this year. The 2017 Game Awards have announced their nominees for this year's most prestigious industry prizes, including the coveted Game of the Year Award.

The nominees will be honored at The Game Awards on Thursday, December 7 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, which will feature the debut of The Game Awards Orchestra, an all-star group of orchestral and rock musicians who will come together to celebrate video game music.

This year, four games received six total nomination for creative and technical excellence from a jury of 51 global media and influencer outlets: Destiny 2 from Bungie and Activision; Horizon Zero Dawn from Guerrilla Games and Sony Interactive Entertainment; and both Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from Nintendo. The Game of the Year category includes Horizon Zero DawnSuper Mario Odyssey and Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as well as Persona 5 from Atlus and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds from PUBG Corp. Nintendo is the most nominated publisher with 23 nominations, followed by Sony Interactive Entertainment with 15 and Activision Publishing with 7.

To select the winners, The Game Awards is teaming up with Facebook, Google and Twitter so fans around the world can vote directly in several categories including Best Esports Player, Best Esports Team, and Most Anticipated Game. Starting today, fans can vote in all categories at TheGameAwards.com and using Google Search (just type “Game awards vote” into the search bar), and select their favorites via Twitter DM and Facebook Messenger interactions with @thegameawards

The nominees are:

Game of the Year

Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Persona 5 (Atlus)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corp.)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Game Direction

Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games)
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD)
Wolfenstein II: The NewColossus (MachineGames / Bethesda)

Best Narrative

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Tameem Antoniades, Elizabeth Ashman-Rowe / Ninja Theory)
Horizon Zero Dawn (John Gonzalez / Ninja Theory)
NieR: Automata (Yoko Taro, Hana Kikuchi, Yoshiho Akabane / Platinum Games)
What Remains of Edith Finch (Ian Dallas / Giant Sparrow)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Jen Matthies, Tommy Tordsson Bjork / MachineGames)

Best Art Direction

Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Persona 5 (Atlus)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Score / Music

Cuphead (Kristofer Maddigan)
Destiny 2 (Mike Salvatori, Skye Lewin, C Paul Johnson)
NieR: Automata (Keiichi Okabe, Keigo Hoashi)
Persona 5 (Shoji Meguro)
Super Mario Odyssey (Naoto Kubo, Shiho Fujii, Koji Kondo)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Manaka Kataoka, Yasuaki Iwata)

Best Audio Design

Destiny 2 (Bungie)
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Best Performance

Ashly Burch, Horizon: Zero Dawn (As Aloy)
Brian Bloom, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (as BJ Blazkowicz)
Claudia Black, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (as Chloe Frazer)
Laura Bailey, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy(as Nadine Ross)
Melina Juergens, Hellblade (as Senua)

Games for Impact

Bury Me, My Love (The Pixel Hunt / Figs / ARTE / Playdius)
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Deck Nine / Square Enix)
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)
Please Knock on My Door (Levall Games AB)
What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow / Annapurna Interactive)

Best Ongoing Game

Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
Grand Theft Auto Online (Rockstar Games)
Overwatch (Blizzard)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG. Corp)
Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)
Warframe (Digital Extremes)

Best Independent Game

Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Ninja Theory)
Night in the Woods (Infinite Fall)
Pyre (Supergiant Games)
What Remains of Edith Finch (Giant Sparrow / Annapurna Interactive)

Best Mobile Game

Fire Emblem Heroes (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)
Hidden Folks (Adriaan de Jongh / Sylvain Tegroeg)
Monument Valley 2 (ustwo games)
Old Man’s Journey (Broken Rules)
Super Mario Run (Nintendo)

Best Handheld Game

Ever Oasis (Grezzo / Nintendo)
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (Intelligent Systems / Nintendo)
Metroid: Samus Returns (MercurySteam / Nintendo)
Monster Hunter Stories (Marvelous / Capcom / Nintendo)
Poochy and Yoshi’s Woolly World (Good-Feel / Nintendo)

Best VR/AR Game

Farpoint (Impulse Gear / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Lone Echo (Ready at Dawn / Oculus Studios)
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (Capcom)
Star Trek: Bridge Crew (Red Storm Entertainment / Ubisoft)
SUPERHOT VR (SUPERHOT Team)

Best Action Game

Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
Nioh (Team Ninja / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Prey (Arkane Studios / Bethesda)
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (MachineGames / Bethesda)

Best Action/Adventure Game

Assassin’s Creed: Origins (Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft)
Horizon Zero Dawn (Guerrilla Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Best Role-Playing Game

Divinity: Original Sin II (Larian Studios)
Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix Business Division 2 / Square Enix)
NieR: Automata (Platinum Games / Square Enix)
Persona 5 (Atlus)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Ubisoft San Francisco / Ubisoft)

Best Fighting Game

ARMS (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Injustice 2 (NetherRealm Studios / Warner Bros. Interactive Ent)
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (Capcom)
Nidhogg 2 (Messhof Games)
Tekken 7 (Bandai Namco Studios / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Best Family Game

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft Paris + Milan / Ubisoft)
Sonic Mania (PagodaWest Games, Headcannon / Sega)
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)

Best Strategy Game

Halo Wars 2 (Creative Assembly, 343 Industries / Microsoft Studios)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Ubisoft Paris + Milan / Ubisoft)
Total War: Warhammer II (Creative Assembly / Sega)
Tooth and Tail (Pocketwatch Games)
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen (Firaxis Games / 2K)

Best Sports/Racing Game

FIFA 18 (EA Vancouver / EA)
Forza Motorsport 7 (Turn 10 Studios / Microsoft Studios)
Gran Turismo Sport (Polyphony Digital / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
NBA 2K18 (Visual Concepts / 2K Sports)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 (PES Productions / Konami)
Project Cars 2 (Slightly Mad Studios / Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Best Multiplayer

Call of Duty: WWII (Sledgehammer Games / Activision)
Destiny 2 (Bungie / Activision)
Fortnite (Epic Games)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo EAD / Nintendo)
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG Corp.)
Splatoon 2 (Nintendo EPD / Nintendo)

Most Anticipated Game

God of War (Santa Monica Studio / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Marvel’s Spider-Man (Insomniac Games / Sony Interactive Entertainment)
Monster Hunter World (Capcom)
Red Dead Redemption II (Rockstar Games)
The Last of Us Part II (Naughty Dog / Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Trending Gamer

Andrea Rene (What’s Good Games)
Clint Lexa (“Halfcoordinated”)
Guy Beahm (“Dr. Disrespect”)
Mike Grzesiek (“Shroud”)
Steven Spohn (AbleGamers)

Best eSports Game

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
DOTA2 (Valve)
League of Legends (Riot)
Overwatch (Blizzard)
Rocket League (Psyonix)

Best eSports Player 

Lee Sang-hyeok “Faker” (SK Telecom 1, League of Legends)
Marcelo “coldzera” David (SK Gaming, Counter-Strike: GO)
Nikola ‘NiKo’ Kovac (FaZe Clan, Counter-Strike: GO)
Je-hong “ryujehong” Ryu (Seoul Dynasty, Overwatch)
Kuro “KuroKy” Salehi Takhasomi (Team Liquid, DOTA 2)

Best eSports Team

Cloud 9
FaZe Clan
Lunatic-Hai
SK Telecom T1
Team Liquid

Student Game Award

Falling Sky (Jonathan Nielssen, Nikolay Savoy, Mohsen Shah / National Film & TV School)
From Light (Alejandro Grossman, Steven Li, Sherveen Uduwana / USC)
Hollowed (Erin Marek, Jerrick Flores, Charley Choucard / University of Central Florida)
Impulsion (Hugo Verger, Remi Bertrand, Maxime Lupinski / IIM)Level Squared (Kip Brennan, Stephen Scoglio, Dane Perry Svendsen / Swinburne University)
Meaning (Hariz Yet / DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore)

Best Debut Indie Game 

Cuphead (Studio MDHR Entertainment)
Golf Story (Sidebar Games)
Hollow Knight (Team Cherry)
Mr. Shifty (Team Shifty)
Slime Rancher (Monomi Park)

Chinese Fan Game Award

Honor of Kings《王者荣耀》 (Timi Studio Group)
ICEY《艾希》(FantaBlade Network)
Gumballs & Dungeons《不思议迷宫》(QcPlay Limited)
jx3 HD《剑网3》重制版 (Kingsoft Corporation)
Monument Valley 2《纪念碑谷2》(ustwo games)

DayZ to Leave Early Access and Come to Consoles in 2018

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The zombie apocalypse simulator will finally receive an official release.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 4, 2017

Revolutionary apocalyptic survival horror game DayZ is finally exiting Early Access and will soon be available to Xbox One owners. 

"As soon as the PC BETA is headed in a way we like, we're still committed to bringing DayZ to Xbox, where we have a large community of gamers patiently (very patiently!) waiting for a truly hardcore online survival game," said developer Bohemia Interactive in a post on the DayZ blog designed to keep DayZ's fans in the loop regarding what's coming next. "All of that will (and must) happen next year - meaning we're just about to start what could possibly be the most exciting year for DayZ so far. In short: DayZwill be out of Early Access next year, and we'll also finally deliver it to console players in 2018."

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For perspective's sake, consider that the original DayZ mod was released in 2012. That same year, DayZ creator Dean Hall announced that DayZ was being developed as a standalone game. At that time, DayZ was hailed as a revolution in game design. The mod used the ultra-realistic military series Arma as the framework for a post-zombie apocalypse multiplayer simulator. DayZ required players to scavenge for supplies and survive a world populated with humans and zombies. The mod is the undisputed inspiration for titles like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

In the years since DayZ's release, it has fallen on some hard times. Development of the game has been painfully slow. Indeed, DayZ has become something of a poster child for the entire Early Access concept. Its flaws have sometimes been written-off by mentions of the notion that it is not a completed project. 

That's what makes this announcement such a big deal. If the DayZ team is serious about bringing the game out of Early Access, they'll need to be able to fix several lingering technical and design issues. In that same blog post, the development team already alludes to the implementation of new features such as more zombies, improved combat, and new animations. Other ideas, such as base building, are being put on the long-term backburner. 

As for the game's console release, it will supposedly come sometime in 2018 near or after the time of the game's exit from Early Access. 

Mega Man 11 Trailer, Release Date, & First Details

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The next Mega Man adventure combines the retro and modern.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 4, 2017

Capcom has confirmed that they are developing Mega Man 11 for the PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The game is expected to be released in "late 2018." Until then, feel free to gawk at the game's debut trailer.

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Mega Man 11will be the first new entry in the main Mega Man series since 2010's Mega Man 10. As you may remember, that game was an 8-bit inspired follow-up to the retro Mega Man games. It didn't receive quite as warm of a reception as the similarly retro Mega Man 9, but it was still seen as a return to form for the aging franchise. 

Since then, we haven't heard anything about a new Mega Man game. In fact, the closest that we've come to such an announcement was the Kickstarter project, Mighty No. 9. That game was intended to be a spiritual successor to classic Mega Man games, but it failed to really replicate those games' classic mechanics and smooth visuals. 

Mega Man 11 seems to combine retro game design and slightly modern looks. It adopts a kind of cel-shaded visual style similar to what we saw in Mighty No. 9, but it's already clear that the game runs far smoother than that much-maligned project. It also does a better job of upgrading the spirit of the old Mega Man titles in terms of their aesthetics. That spirit is evident in this previously leaked concept art for Mega Man's new look. 

So far as Mega Man 11's gameplay goes, Capcom indicated that they are aiming to recreate the classic gameplay of Mega Man titles gone by. While that certainly speaks to the basic gameplay of the series - run, jump, beat bosses, and upgrade your weapons - some fans no doubt hope that it also means the return of Mega Man's punishing style of gameplay. After all, Cuphead became a huge success in 2017 largely off the back of incredibly tough Mega Man-like gameplay (and, of course, that game's art style). 

Unfortunately, additional details regarding this much-anticipated return do elude us at this time. We hope to learn much more about Mega Man 11 in the near future, and we'll be sure to keep you in the loop as that information becomes available. 

Mega Man X Collection Coming in 2018

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Capcom will release a new Mega Man X collection in summer 2018!

NewsJohn Saavedra
Dec 4, 2017

Mega Man, which first arrived as Rockmanon Dec. 17, 1987 in Japan, turns 30 this year, and Capcom is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the game's legacy. During a special 30th anniversary live stream, the publisher announced that it will release a Mega Man X Legacy Collection in summer 2018. 

The new release will compile all eight Mega Man X games for Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. This is the third Legacy Collection released by Capcom, which has already compiled all ten of the original Mega Man games for current-gen consoles. 

If you've never had the pleasure of playing this spinoff series, the Mega Man X games take place 100 years after the events of the main series and stars the titular hero as a member of the Maverick Hunters, an elite group who hunt down rogue Reploids - robots capable of human emotion and thought. These "Maverick" Reploids are led by the villainous Sigma, who will stop at nothing until all humans are destroyed. Luckily, humanity has Mega Man X and his partner, Zero, fighting on their side. 

The first Mega Man Xgame was released in Japan in 1993 and came to North America in 1994 for the SNES. The final installment, Mega Man X8, arrived for the PS2 in 2004. 

Along with the Mega Man X Legacy Collection announcement, Capcom also revealed that it will release a brand new installment in the main series, Mega Man 11, in late 2018 for the Switch, PS4, XBO, and PC. It's going to be a big year for the Blue Bomber!

While we wait for an official trailer, here's some gameplay from the first game:

Nintendo Will Release Console Games on Android in China

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Could this mark the beginning of a new age of Nintendo distribution?

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 5, 2017

Nintendo has partnered with Nvidia to release a select series of GameCube and Nintendo Wii games for the Nvidia Shield. 

The catch is that the games will only be available in China.

According to an industry insider familiar with the Chinese video game market, Nintendo, Nvidia, and Chinese distribution company iQiyi finally agreed to the exact language of a deal that seems to have been talked about for some time. This move is seemingly part of Nvidia's plan to market the Shield as more of a versatile gaming device in China. To accomplish that, they've already courted numerous Western and Eastern media publishers. 

However, this deal is another matter entirely. Nintendo has been historically hesitant in regards to allowing any device they've not manufactured to play host to Nintendo games. Aside from their recent move to smartphones, this is certainly the most significant platform leap they've made in recent years. 

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At present, it seems that Super Mario Galaxy, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Punch-Out will be the first games made available for Shield devices in China. However, it is believed that Nintendo is working on ports of other Nintendo Wii and GameCube games. They could also be working on ports of games from other consoles. 

The reason for this move is rooted in China's odd laws concerning the distribution of video game consoles. For years, the Chinese government blocked many products which did not match the values of the Chinese government. While China has loosened those restrictions in recent years - hence the influx of American movies in China - they're still wary of operating an entirely free market. 

Of course, some speculate that China simply wishes to push content towards devices manufactured or distributed by Chinese companies. 

It's not all bad news for those of us in the West that won't be able to take advantage of this offer. It's entirely possible that this technology is a trial run for the eventual release of the Virtual Console on the Switch. We expect to hear more about that around E3 2018. 


Dragon Ball FighterZ Release Date, Trailer, & Latest News

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The legendary Gohan is all grown up and ready to fight.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 5, 2017

There are two things you need to know about Dragon Ball FighterZ regardless of whether or not you consider yourself to be a fan of the series or not. First off, this is a 2D fighting game with 3D character models and a 3D fighter like recent Dragon Ball combat games. While you may think that might detract from this game's ability to recreate the absolutely wild battles the anime series if famous for, the game's first trailer shows that this may just be the most over-the-top Dragon Ball fighting game yet.

Of course, its possible status as such makes more sense when you consider that this game is being developed by Arc System Works. Yes, the studio behind the incredible Guilty Gear fighting series will be helming the newest Dragon Ball fighting game. In terms of studios best equipped to tackle such a project, there are few developers in the world with the pedigree and talent that Arc System Works can boast. 

The game itself will also utilize a 3 vs. 3 team-based battle system. As such, we expect that the final release will boast quite the sizeable roster of Dragon Ball characters as well as quite a few intriguing team possibilities. Some early footage shown from the game's demo also suggests that Arc System Works focused on ensuring that each character's move set is both unique and true to their role in this world.

Here's everything else you need to know about Dragon Ball FighterZ:

Dragon Ball FighterZ News

Adult Gohan was formally added to the FighterZ roster not long ago, but now, Bandai Namco has released an official trailer for the fighter that showcases what this iconic character cand do. 

Dragon Ball FighterZ Release Date

Dragon Ball FighterZ is set to release in January 26, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. 

Dragon Ball FighterZ Trailers

Bandai Namco has announced that the next three fighters to join the Dragon Ball FighterZ roster are Gotenks, Kid Buu, and adult Gohan.

"Gotenks is the result of Trunks and Goten’s successful use of the Fusion Dance method to create one fused character of greater power and skill," reads the official release. "Gotenks is the first Fusion Dance character to be seen in Dragon Ball. He sports a blue and yellow Metamoran vest, a piece of clothing which all Fusion Dance characters wear. Gotenks is ready to take on all challengers in Dragon Ball FighterZ."

Kidd Buu, meanwhile, is described as a particularly powerful character that packs some devastating abilities. Adult Gohan, meanwhile, is simply the adult version of Gohan. 

You can see Gotenks in action via this recently released trailer. 

This latest trailer doesn't feature any new character, but it does offer a look at the game's multi-arc story mode. The hints of storylines peppered throughout this trailer or great, but it's the animation quality that really catches our eyes. 

To celebrate Gamescom, as well as the announcement of Dragon Ball FighterZ's beta, Bandai Namco have released a new trailer that not only showcases the game's chaotic combat but even hints at the narrative that will accompany the game's single-player mode. 

 

This next trailer introduces Trunks. You can watch the son of Bulma and Vegeta go full Super Saiyan and display the game's wonderful art design in the process by clicking the video below:

How many Dragon Ball Z fighting games does it take to get to the center of why Dragon Ball Z fighting games somehow feel like gaming's longest running genre? The world may never know. 

Nevertheless, there is a new Dragon Ball Zfighting game on the way and it features a few aspects which put it quite a bit ahead of the pack in terms of general intrigue. Here is the debut trailer for Dragon Ball FighterZ:

Dragon Ball FighterZ Details

Two Japanese magazines have confirmed that Super Saiyan Blue Goku, Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta, Android 16, and Android 18 are being added to Dragon Ball FighterZ's roster.

According to Weekly Jump, Super Saiyan Blue Goku will be able to use 10x God Kamehameha as one of his abilities while Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta can utilize Final Flash Attack. V-Jump states that Android 18 can use Accel Dance to summon Android 17. It is not known if Android 17 will appear as an independently playable fighter as well. 

The publications also revealed that Dragon Ball Fighter Z's Story mode will focus on Android 16 and a group of fallen super warriors. DragonBall Fighter Z will also reportedly feature a party mode where 6 players can participate in a 3 vs. 3 mode that will allow players to control their characters when they are tagged into the fight. 

Bandai Namco and developer Arc System Works have confirmed that Piccolo and Krillin are joining the Dragon Ball FighterZ roster. Piccolo is described as a character capable of easily breaking guards and dictating the distance between fighters with his grabs and ranged attacks. Krillin, meanwhile, is able to create illusions which can help make him hard to hit. 

Here are a few photos of each new fighter:

Dragon Ball FighterZ Collector's Edition

Dragon Ball FigherZ will be available in a special collector's edition when the game ships next year. This collector's edition will retail for $139.99 and ship with the following items:

A copy of Dragon Ball FighterZ 7” Goku statue with exclusive “Manga Dimension” coloring
Exclusive STEELBOOK
Three Art Boards
A CollectorZ box to house all the items listed above

Additionally, the FighterZ pre-order bundle will include:

Two early unlockable characters (SSGSS Goku & SSGSS Vegeta)
Two exclusive lobby avatars

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Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition - 200 Different Endings

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Street Fighter's new arcade story mode is going to offer a ton of conclusions.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 5, 2017

Capcom has announced that Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition will feature over 200 arcade endings. 

The extent of this feature is detailed in this new blog post, but the gist of it is that this Arcade Edition will feature story paths from multiple Street Fighter games (Street Fighter, Street Fighter II, Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter III, Street Fighter IV, and Street Fighter V). As such, players will only be able to choose fighters who were in the original Street Fighter titles each story path adheres to. As each of those characters will get to enjoy a unique ending to every story patch...well, you can understand why there are so many of them. 

Furthermore, players will have the opportunity to complete a variety of gameplay challenges that unlock new art and custom character titles. There will also be bonus stages included with every story path. 

In case you missed it, Amazon actually broke the news of Street Fighter: Arcade Edition when they posted a listing for the special edition of the game ahead of Capcom's announcement. 

According to the Amazon listing, it will allow players to "choose from six different paths themed after classic Street Fighter games." We can only speculate regarding what that means, but it sounds like you'll either be choosing from six different plot paths or will be able to take any character of your choosing through six different tournament style story modes. 

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Alongside the new arcade mode, this new edition of the game adds several special edition nicities (including a gallery of illustrations and slightly improved user interface) as well as some more substantial additions. The addition that will probably have the biggest impact on the game is the reported inclusion of extra character v-triggers. Based on the information in the listing, each character will now have two v-triggers. Those moves are on full display in this new trailer that showcases how devastating they are. 

With the release of that preview, Capcom has also teased some holiday costumes set to release soon for the base game. Along with some Christmas-themed costumes, this DLC will add some classic outfits to the game that will allow you to dress some of Street Fighter's veteran combatants in their original duds. There's also mention of an Extra Battle mode which will allow players to "complete timed challenges to obtain exclusive costumes through 2018."

If the listing is to be believed, this new edition of the game will be free for all current Street Fighter V players and is expected to release on January 18, 2018. When it does release, it is expected to ship with cross-play support for PS4 and PC players. 

This sounds like an improvement over vanilla Street Fighter V, but it remains to be seen whether or not the riled Street Fighter fanbase will welcome this update with open arms give that some stiff competition in the fighting genre that is on shelves and in the works. 

Armored Core: From Software Confirms Development of New Game

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A simple tweet gives Armored Core fans hope for a new installment.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 5, 2017

From Software formally acknowledged the continued development of the Armored Core series via a recent tweet. 

“Thank you for watching the Armored Core 20th Anniversary Music Special Broascast!" reads the tweet according to a translation by DualShockers. "There is nothing we can announce now, but we don’t intend to end the AC series as it is, so we’d be happy if you could wait a little longer. Even going forward, thanks for supporting From Software!”

The developer also confirmed that they will be releasing an Armored Core PS4 theme on December 5th.  

Hidetaka Miyazaki previously stated that he believes there is a future for the Dark Souls and Armored Core franchises. Unfortunately for some fans, however, he only plans to be a part of Armored Core's. 

During a round table interview, Miyazaki informed Kotaku's Brian Ashcraft that "For me, Dark Souls III is the end, but that doesn’t mean the end for Dark Souls. If someone other than myself, like another staff member, wants to make a Dark Souls, then I don’t want to deny others from making future installments.”

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This statement is in line with Miyazaki's previous sentiments regarding the future of Dark Souls in which he clarified that he doesn't wish for From Software to become known as the "Dark Souls-only company" and that, while he understands the games are still tremendously popular, that it is best for him to move on to new projects. Additionally, Miyazaki feels that he personally has nothing more to add to the Dark Souls series and that, perhaps, someone else might. 

So what is Miyazaki working on? Well, he did briefly confirm that he is working on a new Armored Core game, but the game is "still in the early stages of development," and Miyazaki is not quite ready to go into details regarding the project as of yet. 

The other project Miyazaki is working on is a little more mysterious. Miyazaki noted during a discussion with IGN Tokyo that his other game is a bit "weird." In an effort to clarify the meaning of this term in relation to the upcoming title, he elaborated that, "So when I say weird, I mean that the genre we're trying to try might be a little bit weird. Not only that, but all the other actual game content might be a little bit weird, yes." 

Again, Miyazaki had said before that he'd like From Software to branch out from dark fantasy and mech titles, meaning that this newest title will, at the very least, be a part of a new genre altogether. 


Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris DLC Trailer & Details

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The Curse of Osiris launch trailer features the briefest of looks at what is to come.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 5, 2017

The first Destiny 2 expansion is called Curse of Osiris and it will be out on December 5, 2017. This story DLC sends players on a quest to find Osiris, "the notorious heretic and most powerful Warlock in the history of the Last City." 

The official launch trailer for Curse of Osiris mostly recaps previously released information, but it does feature a few pieces of footage worth talking about.

Most notably, the trailer gives us a brief look at the upcoming remixed Leviathan Raid. This Eater of Worlds addition looks surprisingly detailed and should occupy those who wish to find raid-related activities to tide them over until the release of the next full raid. 

That trailer also includes the briefest of glimpses of the new exotic weapons, a quick look at some of the new strikes, and what appears to be teases of previously announced gameplay changes. 

During a recent live stream, Bungie gave us a little more information regarding just what this DLC will offer. 

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While there is no raid in the Curse of Osiris DLC, it will offer a couple of new strikes as part of its expanded story mode campaign. These strikes will later be added to the public playlist at an unspecified time. 

If you manage to complete the new campaign content, you'll be able to access 11 quests (referred to as prophecies) that allow you to acquire new weapons upon completion. Said quests will be comprised of combinations of previously completed missions. 

Curse of Osiris also introduces a new public event that takes place at Osiris' Mercury location. The event itself is called "Crossroads" and seems to largely consist of familiar Destiny 2 gameplay with some twists. Bungie promises that this event will offer substantial rewards to participants. There is also a new area that Bungie calls the Infinite Forest. This area is a somewhat randomly generated hub that features various enemies and adventures. Other elements of this area, though, will be designed to offer certain encounters. 

If you didn't catch the reveal trailer for Curse of Osiris you can check it out below:

Bungie also expanded upon how Destiny 2's season program will work and what it will mean for content releases moving forward.

At a TwitchCon panel, the studio explained that each calendar year will be divided into four "seasons" of Destiny 2 content releases. Each of these seasons will likely feature at least one major in-game event. It doesn't seem that there will be another major event added for Destiny 2's inaugural year, but Bungie did tease the return of The Dawning in a future event as well as changes in the season within the game to reflect certain seasons within the real-world. 

For the time being, the current Iron Banner event will remain in-tact. However, it will likely be replaced with other major in-game occurrences once the seasonal release schedule begins in 2018. Furthermore, Bungie hinted that each season will include special items, symbols, and other gear that can be acquired by clans, factions, and individual players sometime during the course of each season. 

There's been no word on whether or not future DLC releases will count as a season event or will be treated separately. 

We've seen competitive online games adopt a similar seasonal format. Overwatch, for instance, requires players to participate in placement matches at the start of its seasons in order to determine their current rank. 

Destiny is a bit different in that this seasonal schedule doesn't necessarily pertain to a player's rank within the game. While the details of this release schedule remain somewhat vague - despite rumors regarding specifics - it's nice to hear that Bungie seems committed to sticking to a content release schedule for Destiny 2. Fans of the original title may remember a generous helping of content being released for the game soon after launch, followed by sporadic releases that rarely followed a set schedule. 

What may make or break this schedule is the amount of content that Bungie releases with each update. So long as each season is designed to give players something to do before the next one begins, we imagine the Destiny 2 fanbase will welcome this new content schedule. 

Holiday Gift Guide 2017: Gifts for Geeks

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The holiday season is here, and with it, the anxiety that comes with finding the perfect Christmas gift for your geeky friends.

FeatureChris Cummins
Dec 5, 2017

Are you doing last minute online Christmas shopping? Is it finally time to start figuring out who we have to shop for and what to possibly get them? Shopping for a nerdy friend can be a daunting task indeed. So if the thought of Ho-Ho-Ho! has you saying "No! No! No!" we can't blame you.

But it doesn't have to be that way. What if there was a guide to gifts, a gift guide if you will, that could make it easy to find the perfect present for anyone on your list? Relax, your friends at Den of Geek have got this.

Here's our 2017 run-down of what nerd-centric items will bring a smile to the face of anyone in your life. Click the links to get taken to where you can buy them. We've saved you a whole bunch of trouble!

To make things even easier, we've broken them up by category. Just hit the dropdown menu to get where you need to go.

Ready? Alright. Down the chimney we go...

Why Cave Story Is a Timeless Indie Classic

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It’s freely available on the web, yet indie platformer Cave Story remains a must-purchase on consoles. And here’s why...

FeatureRyan Lambie
Dec 6, 2017

This articles comes from Den of Geek UK.

As the Joker himself once observed, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” Japanese indie developer Daisuke ‘Pixel’ Amaya clearly never got that memo because, back in 2004, he uploaded his PC game Cave Story to the web - in essence, he gave his magnum opus away for nothing.

Amaya was still in his 20s when he completed Cave Story, and the game was evidently a labor of love. For five years, he slaved away on its design in his spare time, drawing all the 16 bit-style pixel graphics, laying out the interlocking maze of levels, and even writing the music. The gameplay was informed by the classics from Amaya’s childhood like Metroid, Mega Man, and Castlevania. Before long, word spread about Cave Story, and an English patch meant that it could be enjoyed by players all over the world.

In many respects, Amaya was years ahead of his time. Cave Story pre-dated the western indie revolution that would soon be hastened by such platforms as Steam and Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade (Steam launched in September 2003, by which time Amaya was already four long years into development on Cave Story). The game also came before such gems as Braid, Fez, and Super Meat Boy - hit retro-themed titles that reintroduced the 2D action and graphics of '80s and early '90s video games while adding their own modern mechanics. Like those games, Cave Story offers more than a shot of nostalgia - it’s also a stunning platformer in its own right.

Amaya may not have made much money from Cave Storyat first, but its growing cult following has seen it ported to a number of other platforms besides its native PC. Publisher-developer Nicalis brought the title to the Wii in 2010, the 3DS in 2011, and finally Nintendo Switch in the summer of 2017.

Aside from the slightly awkward-looking Cave Story 3D, which exchanged pixels for polygons and lost some of the charm and precision in the process, Amaya’s game shines in every format. Right now, though, the Nintendo Switch version might be its definitive release. Not just because the physical version comes with some downright fabulous packaging (including a color manual - something Nintendo’s now abandoned in its first-party titles) but because this edition of Cave Story + feels so at home on the Switch. Like Nicalis’ other releases of Cave Story, it subtly updates and polishes the backgrounds and music while leaving its mechanics otherwise intact. The Switch version also adds a nifty multiplayer version that works so well, it could have been planned as a bonus mode right from the start.

Above all, though, Cave Story feels like a classic Nintendo game: inventive, imaginative, and subtly off-kilter. Although it might be now lumped into the catch-all Metroidvania sub-genre, Cave Story doesn’t exactly resemble anything that came before it. Its controls are tight yet the floatiness of its jumping physics are initially disconcerting. Its apparently simple shooting mechanics belie a quite complex system of varied weapons that gradually level up as you collect the bouncing energy jewels left behind by dead enemies. Collect enough of them, and the weapon currently equipped will become hugely powerful; take a hit, and you'll get a downgrade in firepower as well as health. It's an idea that, believe it or not, adds a bit of strategy to the mix of platforms and puzzles. Not only is it advisable to keep switching weapons depending on the enemies you're fighting, but it's also handy to switch to weapons you use less often while jumping through difficult areas - all the better to "protect" the guns you use most. 

Then there’s the story, which seems as influenced by classic anime as the staples of JRPGs. You play as Quote, a little amnesiac robot who wakes up in a cavern with no recollection of how he got there. As the game unfolds, it emerges that you’re traversing a huge flying island populated by a race of rabbit-like creatures called the Mimigas. An evil scientist known simply as the Doctor wants to harvest a type of red flower capable of turning the Mimigas into an army of vicious monsters. Initially, your job is to simply figure out how and why you’re on the island. As you explore and meet more characters, you become so engaged in the struggle between the Mimigas, the scientist, and his various underlings - including a bullying yet oddly likeable giant toaster named Balrog - that defeating the bad guys becomes a more urgent objective. In fact, some of the friends you make in Cave Storyare given such a hard time that getting to the end of the game can begin to feel like a revenge mission.

Admittedly, there are moments in Cave Story that give away its indie origins. Some of the puzzles are incredibly obscure, and it’s frustrating to encounter an area where it’s impossible to move forward without talking to the exact NPC at exactly the right time in order to unblock a barrier. Rough edges like these may have been polished off by a larger team of developers. All the same, the scale and ambition of Amaya’s game remains extraordinary: it’ll likely take around eight hours to get to the final boss, and fulfilling all the objectives (some of which are again obscure) required to unlock an extra hidden stage at the end will take even longer. 

For the most part, the journey’s an absolute pleasure, too: from a simple 2D environment, Amaya crafts a convincing sci-fi fantasy world that feels at once hazardous and beguiling. One minute you’re engaging in battles against tiny monsters that leave power ups splashing all over the screen, and the next you’re rescuing lost puppies for a sweet old lady. Some scenes are thoroughly disarming, in that quintessentially Japanese, kawaii sort of way; others are unexpectedly moving. All of it’s underpinned by a difficulty level best described as harsh yet fair - you’ll need precise reflexes and timing to get through Cave Story’s most challenging areas, but the feel of the weapons and movement makes these challenges feel surmountable.

At the start of the game, Quote seems woefully vulnerable to just about everything he encounters. Spikes and enemies sap his energy, and even dropping into shallow water will drown him after a few seconds. As the game progresses, though, the little hero amasses a pretty hefty arsenal of guns and rocket launchers. Taking its cue from Quake, the fully powered-up machine gun allows Quote to briefly launch himself into the air. Once you’ve located a rocket pack, it’s possible to switch between bursts of machine gun fire and rocket boosts to fly between platforms with ease. 

Since 2004, we’ve seen a huge number of retro-themed platformers, including the aforementioned Braid and Fez. It’s a testament to Amaya’s skill that Cave Story compares so well to the best of them. Over the past decade or so, major developers, perhaps following the example of Amaya and other indie designers, have also begun to look back at their own legacy for ideas. This year’s Super Mario Odyssey made repeated and playful references to the original Donkey Kong and other 8-bit Mario games; Capcom’s finally returning to a much-loved franchise with next year’s Mega Man 11. There’s the growing sense that the industry as a whole, from small teams like Yacht Club and WayForward to larger firms like Nintendo and Capcom, is beginning to fully appreciate the richness of a relatively new medium’s history.

All of which brings us to a final, not unreasonable question: why pay for a 13 year-old game that’s freely available on the web? In this case, the answer’s simple: Cave Story is a small yet vital part of video game history. Just as we’d happily recommend buying an Arrow Films Blu-ray of an '80s film like Videodrome, or an even older classic like The Third Man on the Criterion label, Cave Story’s one of those titles that belongs in a video game fan’s collection.

Although its visuals and catchy chip-tune music shake hands with the past, Cave Story's action and storytelling are nothing less than timeless.

Portal is Coming to Bridge Constructor

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It's not Portal 3, but this crossover is pretty interesting.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 6, 2017

Headup Games and Clockstone Software are teaming with Valve to release a new edition of Bridge Constructor themed around Valve's classic narrative-based puzzle game, Portal. It is set to release for Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS on December 20th. 

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Bridge Constructor Portal seems to be more "Bridge Constructor" than "Portal." The official description states that it "blends the laws of structural engineering and technology straight from Aperture Laboratories into an exciting new game experience, all under the demanding gaze of GLaDOS." What that seems to translate to in terms of gameplay is a familiar Bridge Constructor game peppered with references to the Portal titles. 

However, the inclusion of actual portals in Bridge Constructor Portal is actually a fascinating mechanic for that game. For those that never played it, Bridge Constructoris a pretty wacky game that requires you to construct some insane bridges over hostile terrains. The game really shines in its later stages when you must make the most of limited resources to complete some pretty absurd bridges. 

In theory, portals will open up an entirely new dimension of absurdity for the game. The small teaser screenshot released alongside this announcement hints at some very Portal-like puzzles reconfigured to fit within the confines of Bridge Constructor's design space. 

"For the last year we've been secretly working in our underground labs on the next iteration of the million-selling Bridge Constructor series," said developer Headup. "This new stand-alone title will release on PC, MacOS, Linux, mobile devices, and console, and fully embraces the Portal license, one of the most beloved video game franchises of the last decade."

Not, this isn't Portal 3, but it's actually a fairly amusing use of the Portal license that we're eager to try out. 



Pokemon GO: 50 New Pokemon on the Way

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Pokemon GO continues to grow with Generation 3 Pokemon and a dynamic weather system!

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 6, 2017

As part of their recent effort to truly expand Pokemon GO's content offerings, Niantic has announced that they are adding dynamic weather and 50 new Generation 3 Pokemon to the mobile app. 

Dynamic weather will use your phone's information to accurately read the weather in your area. It will then add snow, rain, or whatever to the map as needed. Of course, playing Pokemon GO in the snow or rain may not necessarily always be advisable, it is nice to know that the in-game map will now match the world your camera sees when you're playing the game. 

Interestingly, the weather additions are not limited to aesthetics. For instance, playing in the rain will give you a higher chance of encountering more water-type Pokemon in the wild. The same goes for snow and ice-types. While Niantic states that they don't intend to have those Pokemon only appear in certain weather conditions, they do want to make the game feel a bit more organic in that respect. That said, certain Pokemon will be granted additional bonus effects if you catch them in ideal weather conditions. 

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The real news here, though, is the upcoming addition of 50 new Pokemon to the game's current roster. The Pokemon will all be drawn from the Hoenn region of Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. The full roster hasn't been revealed as of yet, but we do know that Pokemon like Torchic, Treecko, Mudkip, and other big names from those games will make the initial cut. 

It can't be a coincidence that Niantic is choosing to add dynamic weather to Pokemon GO at the same time that they are adding Pokemon from Ruby and Sapphire. After all, those game introduced an entirely new weather system to the game that drastically changed the functionality of Pokemon's worlds. 

These updates are set to roll out in batches over the next few weeks. The additional Pokemon should be available later this week while the weather additions will likely be ready to go by the end of the month. 

Where and How to Watch the Overwatch League Preseason Live Stream

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This potential eSports game changer begins tonight! Here's how to watch the Overwatch League preseason matches...

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 6, 2017

Blizzard's Overwatch League is arguably a developer's most ambitious attempt to organize and curate a game's competitive scene.

Essentially, Blizzard wants to give major cities in the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and South Korea their own Overwatch teams. The city approach conjures images of the formats used by sports organizations like the NBA and the NFL, but the Overwatch League's competitive format is actually structurally closer to the system used by the World Cup. 

Every Overwatch team will compete in a series of pre-season and regular season matches. Every team will play 20 games within their division and 20 games outside of their division. The top team from each division will move on to the postseason. Joining them will be the four remaining teams with the best record (regardless of division). From there, the teams will compete in a multi-week series of matches for a variety of prizes. The championship team gets a cool $1 million in prize money (plus bonuses). 

Be sure to check out our full breakdown of how the Overwatch League's format and prize money system will work.

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As for the games themselves, the Overwatch League preseason starts on December 6th and runs through December 9th. The opening day of the official season is January 10th. You can check out the full schedule (as it currently stands) here

If you'd like to watch tonight's preseason games, which kick off at 7 pm ET, you can do so via the MLG or Overwatch League websites. You won't be able to watch tonight's matches on Twitch or YouTube.

Can Blizzard's ambitious plan succeed? Will the Overwatch League be the future of eSports? How will the competitive matches shape the game's online meta? Which stars will rise from the competition and single themselves out as some of the best players in the world?

Most importantly, who will win it all? 

How the 2018 Overwatch League Will Work: Schedule, Format, & Prize Money

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The Overwatch League preseason begins today! Here's everything you need to know about the inaugural competition...

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 6, 2017

At Blizzcon 2017, Blizzard detailed their ambitious plan to create an international competitive Overwatch League. 

The Overwatch League is set to start on January 10, 2018. From there, matches between the league's 12 teams are expected to occur four times a week, Wednesday through Saturday. This inaugural season will divide teams into two divisions. The Atlantic Division includes the Boston Uprising, Florida Mayhem, Houston Outlaws, London Spitfire, New York Excelsior, and Philadelphia Fusion. The Pacific Division includes the Dallas Fuel, Los Angeles Gladiators, Los Angeles Valiant, San Francisco Shock, Seoul Dynasty, and Shanghai Dragons. 

The current plan is for each team to play 20 division matches per season and 20 non-division matches. The highest-ranked team in each division at the end of the season will receive an automatic playoff berth and a first-round playoff bye. The remaining four playoff teams will be determined by who has the best overall record. That's in contrast to leagues like the NBA and NFL that require a certain amount of representatives from each division. 

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In order to ensure that teams remain competitive, the Overwatch League will also feature mini-tournaments throughout the season featuring the best performing teams from the past five weeks. This way, teams with overall bad records can still theoretically win five-week bonuses. 

Overwatch's playoff season will run from July 11 to July 28. It's not clear what the playoff structure will be, but it will likely adopt a best of five formats for the initial games before moving to a possible best of seven for the Championship. The winners of that championship will earn a $1,000,000 team bonus and the Overwatch League championship trophy. The runner-ups will receive $400,000, third and fourth place teams will take home $100,000, and fifth and sixth place squads will walk away with $50,000. 

There are also bonuses for regular season records which tops out with a $300,000 bonus to the team with the best overall record. All told, $3 million in bonuses will be awarded throughout the year. On top of that, players will receive a salary and benefits. 

Blizzard already demonstrated their improved broadcasting features during the Overwatch World Cup and certainly seem ready to pull off their plans to turn competitive Overwatch into a pastime. 

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds: Desert Map Breakdown

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It looks great, but when will we actually be able to play this map?

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 6, 2017

The PUBG development team have finally revealed the full version of the game's upcoming desert map. 

The full rundown of every new location on the map can be found via this post on the Steam Community forums. Generally speaking, though, the PUBGdevelopment team intend for this map to function differently from the existing map. They emphasize that you will need to employ different strategies that take advantage of this area's unique locations. 

Said locations include a dense urban area, ghost towns, a rail yard, and tons of desert area that offers little cover outside of cliffs and similar structures. 

There's still no word on when this map will actually be released on the PUBG servers. Here are a few new shots to tide you over, though. 

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' creator Brandon Greene has tweeted out a few more shots of the game's upcoming desert map. 

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Greene and the PUBG development team noted that they intend to release the game's desert map before the end of the year, but we've seen relatively little of the new area since then. A few people have been invited to play a beta build of the new area, but the ins and outs of the new world remain a mystery. 

Even still, it's surprising to see just how busy certain areas of the map appear to be. When some players heard "desert," they envisioned large areas of sand with relatively few places to hide. These screens suggest that this desert will feature some rather dense urban areas that offer plenty of places to hide and plenty of places to run to when you start getting shot at from an unknown source. 

It's not all buildings and roads, though, as some of these shots do confirm that there will be plenty of vast areas available that may be sparse in resources but should offer a momentary safe haven from the chaos that typically surrounds more populated structures. Greene himself accurate pointed out how intense a final battle in some of the game's rockier areas will be. 

The map checks in at 8x8 km in size, meaning that it is just as large as the existing Erangel map. If you're really desperate for more information, you can check out this "recreation" of the desert map that fans have put together using mined data.

It's currently believed that their version of the new world is at least partially accurate, meaning that this new area will likely be bordered by unclimbable mountains rather than an ocean. It also seems that there may be comparatively fewer urban areas, but they appear to be larger than the most popular sprawls in the game's current map. We're especially interested to see how those large craters factor into the strategy and what goodies might be found in the mysterious cartel mansion (assuming that makes the final version). 

There also seem to be at least a couple small bodies of water in this desert map, but it's obvious that those are going to be few and far between. 

Sadly, there's still no word on when this desert map will be made available to the public. Currently, the team is fine-tuing the game's long-awaited vaulting function on test servers, meaning that it might be some time before we actually get to play the game's second map.

It's possible it might be available in time for the game's Xbox One release date, but we could end up waiting until 2018 for a chance to explore this new region. It also hasn't been confirmed when the game's third map - an arctic tundra environment - will be released or even if the development of that map has begun in earnest. 

 

Injustice 2 DLC: Atom Trailer

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This might just be one of Injustice 2's most entertaining fighters.

NewsMatthew Byrd
Dec 6, 2017

Injustice 2 may have gotten lost in the shuffle of 2017's steady stream of great games, but this fighter is really one of the best in recent memory. Like Injustice before it, Injustice 2 utilizes the deep mythology of the DC universe to craft a rich story starring DC's best. Of course, that story is just the appetizer for Injustice 2's surprisingly great fighting system and customization mechanics. 

Whether you're still playing Injustice 2 or are looking to get into it, you'll be happy to know that there is a ton of DLC in the pipeline for 2017's best fighting game. Most of this DLC will add new fighters to the game's sizable roster. Other releases will feature new levels, costumes, and modes. In order to be sure that you don't miss out on any of the game's incredible content, we're keeping up with all the Injustice 2 DLC information as it becomes available. 

Here's everything we know about Injustice 2's DLC. 

Atom DLC 

Injustice 2's next DLC character is certainly going to be one of the roster's strangest competitors. 

The shrinking Atom will join Injustice 2's roster and bring some unique moves with him. Watching Atom change his size to fight some of Injustice 2's best characters is not only visually satisfying, but figures to be mechanically interesting as well. We have a feeling this is going to be a tough character to master. 

Justice League DLC

The Justice League has always been available in Injustice 2 - they're kind of a big deal so far as DC-related properties go - but soon, Injustice 2 players can fully embrace the aesthetics of the upcoming film via a new DLC costume pack. 

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The most recent update for Injustice 2 adds Justice League movie-themed content to the fighting game. Players will be able to snag Batman's Injustice League outfit, Aquaman's Justice League outfit, and Cyborg's Justice League outfit. Injustice 2 players already know that Wonder Woman's DCEU outfit is already in the game. 

The Aquaman and Batman outfits can be snagged via Arena Event rewards which include a special Justice League Chest designed to make acquiring these duds just a tad easier. As for Cyborg, the only way to acquire his custom outfit is to beat him in combat. You should find that Cyborg takes the place of one of your opponent's fighters in the Arena. If you manage to beat Cyborg, you can unlock his new outfit. 

Of course, you can always just straight up buy these outfits in the store, but recent events with other games may may you understandably trigger shy about going that route.

The timing of this move should be obvious to anyone who pays attention to the DCEU movie release schedule. With Justice League set to hit theaters this weekend, it makes sense that one of the best DC games on the market would celebrate this event with a few nods to the major motion picture. Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not the Justice League film is going to be quite as captivating as Injustice 2 has proven to be. Early reviews - including our own - are decidely mixed. 

In case the official Justice League costumes aren't your thing, you may want to consider downloading the most recent Injustice 2 character pack. That DLC adds the Ninja Turtles to the game alongside previously revealed heroes Atom and Enchantress. That gives us the chance to settle the age-old question, "Could the Ninja Turtles beat Superman if they ganged up on him?"

Without getting into spoilers related to Injustice 2's surprisingly great story, we're going to go ahead and answer that with a fairly definitive, "no." 

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