Universal will return to Jurrasic Park with the release of a new Pokemon GO-style mobile game called Jurrasic World Alive. 

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Jurassic World Alivewill allow players to collect one of 100 different types of roaming dinosaurs and design their own by using a DNA system. It's clear from the initial information released about the game that Alive will function very similarly to Pokemon GO in that respect. That is to say that it lets players roam the streets and find AR- projected wild dinosaurs that can be captured via an undisclosed gameplay method. 

However, Alive will distinguish itself from Pokemon GO by catering to the laziest among us. Instead of always having to leave the house when you want to capture dinosaurs, the game will offer the option to deploy a digital drone and patrol a small area around your house for any T-Rex types that may or may not be in your neighborhood. Ironically, the developers are touting the appeal of this system by praising its "flexibility" even though the decidedly unflexible will get the most - or fewest - miles out of the mechanic. 

So what do you do with your dinosaurs besides collect them? Well, it appears that you'll be able to do battle with other players in some form or fashion. However, development studio Ludia - who has been tasked with pulling a Hammond - haven't yet disclosed how, exactly, that mechanic will work. 

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What we can tell you about Jurassic World is that it likely won't let you be able to capture a wild Jeff Goldblum and that it will be released for Android and iOS devices sometime soon. 

We're quite surprised the wave of Pokemon GO...homages have taken this long to arrive, but between this and the Harry PotterAR game that's supposedly in the works, it appears that you'll soon have many more opportunities to replace the real world with the fantasy one of your choice. 

There's a new patch for League of Legends that the developers describe as a "small patch" meant to serve as a companion to the recent major 8.4 update. 

Patch 8.5 doesn't feature any sweeping changes, but it does focus on a few of the game's "problem children" heroes who have been causing some issues for the game's professional scene. 

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"We're also revisiting Zoe after heavy nerfs last patch, giving her power back in places we think should be healthier in the long run," reads the official update on the League of Legends page. "Then, we've given a couple of juggernauts (Skarner/Volibear) more utility since preseason, but those changes have left them overly dominant. We're dialing back to a middle ground in between their old state and their current state. Finally, League of Legends newest marksman, Kai'Sa, is setting foot on the Rift. Bring an umbrella: the forecast calls for Icathian Rain."

The debut of a new hero in League of Legends is always a big deal, but it seems that there's a pretty good reason that the developers lead this particular announcement by name dropping Zoe. The full patch notes reveal that they've made some sweeping changes to the hero that increase her attack range and the power of her spell thief ability but decrease the damage of her Paddle Star AOE attack. Swain, Ryze, Rengar, and Nocturne also went through quite a few changes, while other heroes enjoyed some minor tweaks. 

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Aside from hero additions and alterations, this patch introduces some item changes and increases the damage turrets do to minions. There are also some rune alterations, loot changes, and a host of bugfixes designed to address a series of various issues. 

This might not be described as a major patch, but there's quite a bit to unpack from these notes. 

In theory, it sounded like a recipe for sure-fire success: a space opera in the vein of Star Wars, but for the '80s video game generation. The Last Starfighter told the story of an ordinary American teenager whose shooting game prowess saw him whisked away by aliens to fight an interstellar war on the other side of the galaxy.

With some of its effects sequences using the latest in cutting edge computer graphics, The Last Starfighter was positioned as the big summer movie of 1984. Except things didn’t quite work out that way; while The Last Starfighter made money, it wasn’t quite the George Lucas-level blockbuster its producers had expected. As a result, the arcade game promised in the film’s end credits failed to emerge - even though Atari had almost finished it by the time of The Last Starfighter’s release. So what happened?

In the early part of the '80s, Atari dominated just about every facet of the videogame scene. Its Atari 2600 console had been a phenomenon for years, its range of 8-bit computers were selling relatively well, and thanks to the innovative ideas flowing out of Atari’s arcade division, games such as Asteroids, Missile Command, and Centipede were also a familiar sight in bars and arcades.

From both a technical and commercial standpoint, Atari’s most effective games were its 3D vector machines, which included Battlezone, Star Wars, and its sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. At the time, they offered a sense of speed and immersion that was unparalleled; Battlezone placed the player at the helm of a tank, with a first-person view of the battlefield. Star Wars went one further and placed a generation of young arcade-goers in the cockpit of an X-wing. The action may have been depicted with little more than a few lines,but thanks to their innovative cabinet designs and booming speakers, they really made you feel as though you were in the midst of an exciting pitched battle. 

Atari’s Last Starfighter game was envisioned as a successor to the 3D shooting experiences of the company’s earlier Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back cabinets. Like those games, The Last Star Fighter was a shooting game where the player moved an aiming reticule around and shot alien craft out of a star-filled void. The difference this time, however, was that the enemy ships were built out of solid, shaded polygons, giving them a solid presence Atari’s earlier games could only hint at.

The shooting action was made a little more strategic, too, with the player’s controller armed with two laser buttons. Firing both at the same time unleashed a third, even deadlier bolt of energy; the disadvantage of this being that the guns would soon overheat. The best tactic, therefore, was to alternate between light blasts of each laser gun, and only firing both at the same time for larger, better-armoured enemy craft.

Although relatively little footage of Atari’s The Last Starfighter game exists today, what little that remains hints at an unusually fast and smooth piece of programming. It’s certainly much smoother than I, Robot, Atari’s groundbreaking (but little played) arcade game released in 1984, though that had far more polygons to handle on screen at any one time.

To bring all these graphics to life, The Last Starfighter used a Motorola 68000 processor - a piece of hardware that would become ubiquitous later in the decade (it powered such machines as the Commodore Amiga and the Sega Mega Drive), but was still expensive nearer the start of the '80s. According to arcade-history.com, it was the expense, as well as The Last Starfighter movie’s faltering box-office, that ultimately led to the game’s downfall. With the price of the completed cabinet estimated at $10,000, an unusually high figure for the time, Atari’s higher-ups deemed it too expensive for most arcade owners of the era to stomach.

And so it was that, with The Last Starfighterarcade game around 75 percent finished, the plug was abruptly pulled. Interestingly, the arcade machine wasn’t the only videogame tie-in affected by the movie’s sub-par performance. Atari’s 8-bit home computer was originally set to get a Last Starfighter game, but it was reworked and released as Star Raiders II in 1986.

While The Last Starfighter movie wasn’t a huge hit at the time, its cult success has continued to grow since its release in the summer of 1984, and it’s now regarded as a cult classic. At one point, there was even talk of a TV spin-off, The Starfighter Chronicles.

Nor has Atari’s ill-fated arcade machine quite gone away. While the original never emerged, a studio called Rogue Synapse has created a faithful remake of The Last Starfighter’s laser-blazing action - and best of all, you can download it for free. Unfortunately, you’ll have to build your own futuristic-looking arcade cabinet.

Stardew Valley publisher Chucklefish has confirmed they are working on a new game called Spellbound that combines elements of Harry Potter and Stardew Valley.

Chucklefish CEO Finn Brice told Red Bull that that Spellbound will be a "wizard-school sim" that is heavily influenced by various fantasy works dealing with schools of magic as well as the works of Studio Ghibli and others. Naturally, those influences include the Harry Potter series, but Brice stated that Spellboundwill feature a much more "practical" magic system than the one practiced at Hogwarts. 

Gameplay-wise, Spellbound can easily - and somewhat accurately - be described as a school of magic mod for Stardew Valley. Players will be required to work their way through a school of magic and deal with the daily tasks that go along with such an activity. Said tasks include managing crops used for magical potions, battling creatures in an old-school Zelda-like combat system, and socializing with your classmates. 

Chucklefish has made it clear that while they will be borrowing heavily from games likeStardew and Harvest Moon, they will also be working to ensure that their game is loaded with surprises that even genre fans won't see coming. Brice stated that one of the ways they hope to accomplish this is by emphasizing player relationships and many interactions you can have with those around you. 

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Sadly, there's no word on when we'll actually be able to play Spellbound. Whenever it does get released, it will be available for PC, but Chucklefish has already stated that they're interested in exploring the possibility of a Switch port. 

In a previous interview, Chucklefish artist Abi Cooke Hunt expanded on some of the game's artistic influences. 

"Our inspiration for the game world and art comes from a lot of places," said Hunt. "People have picked up on the influence of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, but some of our biggest inspirations have been things like Studio Ghibli’s rendition of Kiki’s Delivery Service, Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series and Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching books."

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Hunt also noted that "Contrary to popular belief, we were well into development before Little Witch Academia appeared on our radar." That said, she confirmed that it has obviously inspired the members of the team who consider themselves fans of that series.

Given that the Stardew style of gameplay is pretty airtight and that we've never really had a proper Harry Potter video game that lets us live our Hogwarts dreams, we're incredibly excited to see if Spellbound can live up to the promise of its premise. 

Quake Champions is the latest installment in the classic FPS series. This title appears to be a follow-up to the infamous Quake III: Arena as it attempts to revive the arena shooter genre that classic game helped to popularize. Bethesda is promising a pure Arena-style shooter experience with a special emphasis on interesting characters and creating an equal playing field for all levels of fraggers. 

From the trailers released thus far, it is clear that this new Quake is focused on providing the same brand of lightning-fueled rapid chaos that made Arena one of the most popular games of its generation. While Bethesda's presentation suggests that the team will be taking cues from the open, character-driven style of Overwatch, gameplay footage showcases an arena battleground that is unmistakably worthy of the Quake name. 

Here's everything else we know:

Quake Champions News

Bethesda is preparing to roll out a new update for Quake Champions that will introduce quite a few new things to the game. 

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First off, Instagib is finally returning to the fold. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, Instagib is a classic Quake option that allows for players to one-hit kill their opposition. The trade-off is that you only start with two weapons - the Rail Gun and the Gauntlet - and you're not able to pick-up any weapons or items. However, Champions will still let each character use their abilities. 

There will also be a new 2v2 TDM Ranked Mode that aims to recreate the intensity of duels with an added element of strategy. On top of that, players will now have access to a "No Abilities" mode that brings Champions more in-line with classic Quake experiences. Sadly, it is only available on custom game modes.

All of this, and some new cosmetics, will be available on March 15th. This update will be free for all Quake Champions users. 

Quake Champions Release Date

Quake Champions doesn't have a release date as of yet.

Speaking with GameSpot, studio director Tim Willits revealed that id hasn't ruled out a console release for Quake Champions, which is currently only slated for PC. Said Willits, "It's a PC game. No excuses. No limitations. We're going to focus on one platform," but he added that he "love[s] [his] console fans. "We're not totally shutting the door on consoles." 

Willits teased the game won't officially launch until after it's gone through a long beta period. Willits clarified, "It's going to come out after a really, really long closed beta. I'm telling people now, it's going to be a long beta."

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Quake Champions Trailer

Bethesda revealed at E3 2017 that Wolfenstein protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz will join the Quake Champions' roster. The studio also announced that they plan to host a $1 million Quake World Championship tournament at QuakeCon starting on August 26th. 

You can check out all the new footage from Quake Champions - including previews of some of the game's new maps - via the game's latest trailer:

Just in case you weren't convinced that Quake Champions will provide the same essential Quake multiplayer experience you know and love, Bethesda has released what they call a raw gameplay trailer which simply shows player footage from a match in progress. The speed is intoxicating.

Quake fans get to enjoy a double dosage of good news today as there is not only a gameplay trailer for Quake Champions out in the wild, but it includes an announcement that there will be a Quake Champions closed beta starting in the near future. 

You can sign-up for the Quake Champions closed beta by going to the beta section of the Quake website. According to the official closed beta announcement, the beta is expected to begin in the "coming weeks." Furthermore, the full announcement reveals that there will be more Quake Champions trailers coming this week and confirms that those attending PAX East will be able to experience the game themselves at the Bethesda Booth. 

As always, closed beta means that not everyone who signs up for access will actually be able to play the beta upon its release. 

Quakecon finally gave us a look at Quake Champions in action and...well, let's just say that those fears that some had that Quake will somehow not retain the insanity of Quake IIIshould be put to rest by this gameplay trailer that showcases Champions' incredible speed, absurd weaponry, and loveable affection for ultraviolence. In any case, it might be our best look at the game for some time until the game enters closed beta in 2017. 

Check it out:

Bethesda uploaded a video to their YouTube page in which Studio Director Tim Willits breaks down the design process of Quake Champions and explains how the game is both a classic Quake shooter and an attempt to modernize some of the title's trademark elements by incorporating some recent advancements in the genre. Of particular note are the heroes and skills he reveals that give us a better idea of how Quake Champions' characters will differ from one another. 

Take a look: 

Well, scratch one entry off of our E3 prediction list as Bethesda has just confirmed that Quake is making its long-awaited comeback.

It's called Quake Champions, and you can check out the game's first trailer below:

Quake Champions Details

Creative director Tim Willits has informed Polygon that Quake Champions will be a free-to-play game. 

Well...kind of.

"At its core, it’s a free-to-play game,” says Willits "with the option to buy the Champion Pack and just get in and play with all the Champions. There are a number of Quake players that just want to play their Quake, right? And they are familiar with the business model of our previous games, and they are totally fine. ‘I want to buy the game. I want to start playing. I want to have access to all the Champions.’

What that means is that players who purchase the game will gain access to all of Quake Champions' characters while those free-to-play players will be able to use in-game currency to gain access to new Champions for a limited period of time. It's not clear how long you will be able to access purchased Champions via the latter method, but Willits did say that he doesn't want to use the word "rent" in regards to the nature of the transaction.

Players on both sides will have the chance to use in-game currency on other unlockables such as rune challenges and skins. Additionally, free-to-play and paid players will compete in the same brackets on the same maps using the same weapons. At this time, it appears the only potentially meaningful gameplay concept that requires currency are the characters themselves. 

The first season of Telltale's Batman adventure proved to be one of the studio's most exciting adaptations yet. It told an unexpected, but welcome, version of the classic Batmanmythology which saw Bruce Wayne come to terms with the fact that his father wasn't exactly the bastion of decency that he was led to believe he was. Instead, Thomas Wayne's ties to the mob and other dark doings have come back to haunt him.

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This latest season of Telltale's Batman adventure continues to warp everything we know about Batman. From the introduction of the very Joker-like John Doe to the arrival of Amanda Waller, this new season of Batman deals with what happens when Bruce Wayne is expected to determine just who he is and how Batman fits into a world that he no longer seems to understand. So far, he's not doing the greatest job of it. Of course, that might have something to do with the fact that most of his important decisions are determined by the player. 

Here's everything we know about Telltale's Batman Season 2: The Enemy Within...

Telltale's Batman Season 2: Episode 5 

The finale of Telltale's Batman Season 2 will be released on Tuesday, March 27th for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, and mobile devices. 

Telltale's Batman Season 2: Episode 5 Description

The final episode of Batman Season 2, called Same Stitch, will actually play out completely differently based on the choices of the player. 

"What would you choose: a friend whose unhinged approach to justice turns your allies against you, or a sworn enemy who will stop at nothing to see you suffer as your city burns?" reads the official description. "Based on the relationship you've built with John Doe, you'll see one of two very different stories play out. So what'll it be, Bruce: friend...or foe?"

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It seems that the game will register the choices that players have made thus far in order to determine which version of the finale they actually play. Telltale boasts that the finale will run over three hours and will only feature a few overlapping scenes that players of both versions will experience. They go so far as to state that it's their "branchiest" episode ever and that the script for this episode is larger than Christopher Nolan's entire Dark Knight trilogy. 

Batman's second season has been absolutely incredible thus far, so it's great to hear that the season finale is such an ambitious attempt to provide an experience that feels unique to the choices that players have made throughout their adventures. Telltale is keeping the full details of each version of the finale close to the chest, but here are a couple of teaser shots from episode five that should give you an idea of what is coming: 

Nintendo has announced the date and time for the next Nintendo Direct presentation. 

On March 8th at 2 PM PT/ 5 PM ET, Nintendo will host what figures to be its last Nintendo Direct presentation before E3 2018. This presentation will last about 30 minutes and should focus on Nintendo Switch and 3DS games.

To make sure you catch all the news from Nintendo, be sure to tune into the Nintendo Direct live stream below:

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The company also stated that it will have more information on Mario Tennis Aces. While those details will likely be little more than a breakdown of how the game's single-player mode will work or perhaps a fashion show of the various characters, we're hoping that the studio will reveal the game's release date during this presentation. 

Aside from that, there's really no information on what we can expect from this presentation at this time. The Nintendo Switch announcements may contain one "stinger" reveal at the end focused on some major game, but we find it difficult to believe that Nintendo will show off all their plans ahead of their annual major E3 announcement. It's possible, though, that we'll get some kind of update on Metroid Prime 4. As for the 3DS, it's far more likely that Nintendo will reveal some kind of major game for that system ahead of the biggest show of the years. 

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Whether this Direct contains nothing more exciting than Mario's short pants options in Aces (which is to say "very exciting"), you won't want to miss a second of the action as these Direct announcements are becoming more and more famous for the quality of their previously unannounced reveals. Who knows...we might even actually get an update on that still mysterious Pokemon Switch title or some kind of indication that a new Smash Bros. game is coming. 

More on Nintendo as we learn it!

Ubisoft has confirmed they are working on a sequel to The Division. 

"We're thrilled to announce that we are working on Tom Clancy's The Division 2, and that development will be led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with Ubisoft Reflections, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Annecy, Ubisoft Shanghai and Ubisoft Bucharest," reads a statement on the Ubisoft website. "The Division 2 will be powered by an updated version of the Snowdrop engine that enables us to realize our ambitions for the sequel, but more importantly, we're also taking everything we learned over the past two years and applying it towards the sequel to make sure we get it right."

Ubisoft has also stated that they are adding a new type of achievement to The Division which, when unlocked, will enable players to access special items in The Division 2. 

Beyond that, the company isn't confirming any information about the sequel. There are no screenshots, no trailers, and no release date. However, Ubisoft has stated that they will have more information about the game available at E3 2018. 

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If you can't wait that long, then you might want to take a look at some of the previous statements that The Division's developers have made regarding a possible sequel.  

“I think it's a wonderful, wonderful brand that has so many potential stories in it. There are a lot of things that we didn't do in The Division1 that are interesting to look at for that brand,” said Polfeldt in an interview with IGN. "I definitely think there's lots of space for continuation which is beyond just keeping The Division online. But...I can't talk about that too much right now.”

Polfeldt also feels that the studio still has quite a bit to contribute to the current Division experience.

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“I think of [supporting the game and players] as kind of a relationship," said Polfeldt. "As long as you go to another date with your gamers and you feel pretty excited about it, and they seem to be excited too, that's not when you stop dating."

That oddly specific comparison aside, Polfeldt believes that The Division's best days really are ahead of it. 

“The way we see it is that our first obligation is to make The Division awesome. That's not something that ended on launch day," said Polfeldt. "If it ever ends, who knows when, right?...I do think we are much closer today, especially after [Update] 1.8, to the game that we wanted to create, and also to the game that gamers were expecting at launch already."

The PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds development team have released a roadmap of the major updates they plan on introducing in 2018. 

"Today, I finally get to talk to you about our vision and roadmap for 2018," reads a statement on the PUBG website. "We have come a long way over the past 2 years and have learned so much. We’ve done a lot of planning over the last two months, and today we reveal how we want PUBG to evolve in 2018. We’ve worked hard over the past 2 years to build a good foundation for the most realistic Battle Royale experience out there. This year we plan to build on that foundation and really start to polish our features, squash the remaining bugs and expand the game even further."

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The immediate highlight of this roadmap is the reveal of a new 4x4km island map that the team will be putting on PUBG's experimental servers sometime next month. This is by far the smallest map that PUBG has ever received, which is very much an intentional design choice. The team is trying to create a high player density situation that might lead to some shorter matches.

PUBG's test servers will also receive a new emote wheel "very soon." Just as it sounds, this interface wheel will allow players to choose one of many emotes that they can use to interact with their opponents and teammates in various - and quick - ways. The team intends to add more emotes throughout the year and possibly beyond. 

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Beyond that, all mentions of impending content are a bit vague. For instance, the team is working on new game modes, new vehicles, and new weapons, but they aren't able to share the specifics of any of these additions quite yet. They're also working on things like better bullet penetration, achievements, an entirely new animation system, a new parachuting mechanic, and better melee combat. 

The full list of planned updates is well-worth reading if you're a PUBG player. Even though Fortnite is certainly cutting into PUBG's numbers as of late, these updates make it clear that the team has a game plan that may very well help them become the undisputed Battle Royale king once more. 

Nintendo may be closing the shutters on its first ever mobile experiment, Miitomo, but that doesn't mean its plans for the smartphone arena are going to change any time soon. 

The company has announced via Twitter that another of its recognizable properties is going mobile. "The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near," the firm wrote. "A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour!"

Mario Kart Tour continues Nintendo's theme of releasing some of its best-known properties on mobile - albeit in modified form. Mario emerged as the paid-for infinite runner, Super Mario Run, while Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp offer free-to-play experiences for touch-enabled devices.

It'll be fascinating to see how Nintendo can offer a satisfying racing experience on a smartphone without cannibalizing sales on one of its most successful console titles.

Here's everything we know about this upcoming mobile game:

Mario Kart Tour Release Date

Beyond the title, Nintendo hasn't given us much else - the app isn't due to launch until "the fiscal year ending in March 2019," which could mean it's over 12 months away. Nintendo is currently handling the development of the game while DeNA will manage the server, online infrastructure, and backend issues.

Mario Kart Tour Price

In a recent interview, DeNA exec Isao Moriyasu revealed that the game will be "free to start," which pretty much means that it'll be free to play like most of Nintendo's other mobile offerings thus far. 

Th new Yoshi game is simply being referred to as Yoshi. The game is based on a fairly fascinating gimmick involving the depth of stages. Basically, Yoshi is able to move in-between and interact with background and foreground elements that would usually be considered static in many such platforming titles. There are numerous instances of this mechanic being utilized during the trailer, but some of the most fascinating examples of this dynamic mechanic involved Yoshi attacking enemies in the foreground and flipping a stage at will to reveal brand new paths that simply looked like background objects before. 

It certainly doesn't hurt that the game's vibrant art style contributes to the storybook nature of the level design and the use of this flip mechanic. The Switch may not be a technical powerhouse, but games like this showcase why a bright color palette and creative design will sometimes best pure processing power.

Indeed, Yoshi may very well be the game for Switch fans who still harbor a deep love for classic platformers. While Super Mario Odyssey promotes a more open-world take on the platformer genre, Yoshi looks like the kind of classic platforming experience that we might have dreamed of as kids if we could dream quite as big as game's clearly imaginative development team. 

Yoshi Switch Release Date

Yoshi is due in 2018. The game is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch.

Yoshi Switch Trailer

While not the most high-profile reveal of Nintendo's E3 2017 showcase, this trailer for an upcoming Nintendo Switch Yoshi game was certainly one of the most interesting previews of the show.

The wave of Nintendo character returns continues to roll in with the reveal of a new Kirby game for the Nintendo Switch. The game is called Kirby Star Allies. It will feature both single-player and cooperative play. 

While there are quite a few Kirby games in development for the 3DS, it's nice to know that Nintendo is still showing love to one of their longest running mascot platformers by giving him a fully-fledged console experience of his very own. 

Hopefully, Nintendo will expand upon how the multiplayer aspects of this game will work as the power combinations shown in the trailer certainly look to build upon traditional Kirby gameplay in many clever ways.

Here's everything else you need to know:

Kirby Star Allies Release Date

Kirby Star Allies arrives on March 16. The game is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. 

Kirby Star Allies Trailer

Here's a new trailer that was released during January's Nintendo Direct Mini:

Here's the first trailer:

After years of Nintendo dancing around fans' pleas for a new Metroid game, the studio finally decided to drop a humble reveal for one of the most anticipated games of the last ten years right in the middle of their E3 2017 showcase. What a truly Nintendo way to make such an announcement.  

Since the announcement of this project, Nintendo has confirmed that Retro Studios will not be handling the development of this new Metroid title. Instead, they have stated that the development is being handled by a "talented new development team.”

According to Eurogamer, that studio is none other than Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, which is collaborating with Nintendo on the new game. However, Metroid producer Kensuke Tanabe will be overseeing the development of this new title.

Here's everything else we know about the game:

Metroid Prime 4 Release Date

There is currently no release date for Metroid Prime 4. The game is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch.

Metroid Prime 4 Trailer

On the list of games that could possibly show up at E3 2017, Metroid Prime4 ranked somewhere alongside Half-Life 3. Nevertheless, here is the first preview for Metroid Prime 4.

Unfortunately, the reveal of Metroid Prime 4 doesn't actually tell us anything about the game itself aside from the fact that it is being worked on. However, given that most people had already given up hope that a new Metroid game would ever be released for the Nintendo Switch, we're going to go ahead and name this one of the best announcements of E3 2017. 

Nintendo's legendary game developer Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed that Pikmin 4 was in development back in 2015, but we've not yet seen much of the game or know when it's coming out.

"I've been told not to share anything about this from PR," Miyamoto told Eurogamer at E3 2017 regarding the status of Pikmin 4, "but I can tell you it is progressing."

Miyamoto appeased the PR gods by limiting the specifics of the game's development to his assurance that the game is "actually very close to completion" and that "Pikmin teams are always working on the next one." 

Nintendo confirmed Miyamoto's assertions in a separate statement by claiming that "Pikmin 4 is in development but that is all we can confirm at present." 

It's been a few years since Pikmin 3 released for Wii U in 2013. The game received overwhelmingly positive reviews for its innovative use of the Wii U tablet and general advancement of the Pikmin mechanics. By all accounts, Pikmin 3 also sold extremely well with some reports suggesting that it sold over 200,000 units before the end of 2013. 

The lack of a Pikmin sequel in all that time seems to speak more to Nintendo's unique release strategy than it does their faith in the franchise as a whole. Now that the Nintendo Switch is selling extremely well, it seems that Nintendo is a touch more eager to bring back some of their most popular series as well as re-introduce some of the Wii U's best games to the switch audience.  

Here's everything else we know:

Pikmin 4 Release Date

Pikmin 4 doesn't have a release date as of yet. The game is coming to the Nintendo Switch.

Pikmin 4 Details

Some suspected that Shigeru Miyamoto had finally lost his mind when he announced that he was working on a strategy game based on his gardening experiences, but it wasn't long before the quirky little title known as Pikmin became a beloved Nintendo franchise. As popular as the franchise is, though, it has remained suspiciously off the radar since Pikmin 3 released to wide acclaim in 2013. Aside from Miyamoto mentioning that Pikmin 4was nearing completion in 2015, fans have been left to speculate when, exactly, they will be able to get their hands on this anticipated sequel. 

Sadly, Miyamoto's latest update doesn't offer much hope that they can expect that day to come anytime soon. 

In an interview with Game Rant, Miyamoto had this to say on the subject of Pikmin 4:

"We're working on (Pikmin 4). So, you know, when we’re in development we have to create a list of priorities and it has been hard to kind of fit that into that list, but we’re hopefully starting to see that on the list now.”

While Miyamoto does not explicitly say so during the course of the interview, given that he had previously suggested that the game was nearing completion around this time last year, it certainly does sound like Pikmin 4 has been delayed. Though this may be due to the usual complications that can arise during the development process, the popular theory at the moment is that Pikmin 4 has been shuffled to the side while Nintendo focuses on the release of the Switch as well as their ever-expanding list of new ventures. 

Given that Breath of the Wild is shaping up to be the last major Wii U release, it certainly does appear that Pikmin 4 may end up becoming a Switch title. It would be a bit of a shame if that came to pass considering how well the Pikmin games translate to the Wii U controller, but it's looking like Pikmin fans may be waiting until 2017 to experience more of this franchise's bizarre adventures.

Activision has confirmed that the next Call of Duty game will be Black Ops 4.

"Black Ops is back!" reads a press release from the publisher. "In what represents a game-changing experience, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4will revolutionize the top-selling series in Call of Duty history when it launches worldwide on Friday, October 12 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC."

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Activision has promised to reveal more information about the game on May 17 during a live stream event. Given that they noted that developer Treyarch will be attending said event, it seems safe to confirm they are the ones working on the fourth Black Ops title. Beyond that, Activision has not shared any additional official information at this time. 

A report by Eurogamer actually kickstarted the talk regarding Black Ops 4's 2018 release. That report named Treyarch as the game's developer and indicated that Black Ops 4 will utilize a slightly more grounded style than we've seen in some of the recent, sci-fi Call of Duty titles. Whether that is the case or not remains to be seen.  

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All other information surrounding the development of this game is a bit up in the air at the moment. However, some reports suggest that Treyarch is even working on a Switch version of Black Ops 4. Whether or not that version of the game will launch alongside the other versions of Black Ops 4 has not been confirmed at this time. There are also reports that Black Ops 4 might be available via Battle.net. 

It makes sense that the next Call of Duty title would be Black Ops 4 considering the previous release schedule of recent Call of Duty games. Recently, Black Ops games have arrived on a three-year release schedule and it has been three years since the last Black Ops title. Furthermore, the Black Opsgames have historically sold quite well in comparison to even the "main" games in the Call of Dutyfranchise.

What is somewhat surprising is the rumored notion that Black Ops 4's setting may be impacted by the negative reception to recent Call of Duty titles. Historically, the Black Opsgames have kind of marched to their own beat. As such, it's admittedly odd to consider that the next installment in the franchise may adopt a more crowd-pleasing setting and tone. Of course, we have no doubt that some of the trademark weirdness of Black Opsseries will live on regardless of the era this game happens to take place in. 

Platinum Games are developing Bayonetta 3 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The reveal trailer showcased during the 2017 Game Awards didn't show much more than same vague visual cues and the reveal of the official logo. As such, drawing any substantial information from it - such as its release date or plot details - is especially difficult and somewhat irresponsible at this early date. 

If you still haven't had the honor of being a first-time Bayonetta player, you should first know that Platinum Games' franchise is arguably the best action experience of its kind since the glory days of the Devil May Cry series. The second game in the series was released exclusively for Wii U in 2014. It was one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year and is widely considered to be among the finest action titles ever made. 

Here's everything we know about Bayonetta 3:

Bayonetta 3 Release Date

Bayonetta 3 doesn't have a release date at this time. The game is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch.

Bayonetta 3 Trailer

Here's the first trailer for Bayonetta 2:

Fortnite's next major mode will see five large teams do battle within the confines of the game's battle royale mode. Epic has even released a new trailer that gives you a glimpse of how crazy this mode will be:

Previously, Epic experimented with the concept of large team battles by doing a 50 player vs. 50 player mode that was certainly wild but perhaps didn't capture the feel of working together as a unit. This next mode might help address that issue by scaling back the size of each team to 20. Just as before, these five teams of 20 are ultimately trying to be the last squad standing. 

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Given that the reveal of this mode came courtesy of a screenshot that a Reddit user noted on the game's update page, we're sadly a little short on details at this time. However, we imagine that this mode might utilize an area specifically designed for it and could, perhaps, even incorporate a few new rules designed to spice up the gameplay. All in all, though, you can probably expect these five team battles to feel like a pretty standard game of Fortnite Battle Royale with the big difference being that you might actually have to work with people and not shoot them on-sight. 

Epic has hinted that they're working on a variety of such modes that will be implemented into the game at some point. They've already mentioned a "Floor is Lava" mode that sounds like a lot of fun as well as a Blitz mode designed to make the game's action a bit faster. However, there are no release dates available for any additional modes at this time. 

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It's entirely possible that these regular updates are part of the reason why Fortnite has begun to surpass PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds in terms of active players and streaming popularity. Epic has made good on their word to constantly update the game and have also managed to stave off many major technical issues aside from the occasional server problems. 

The turnaround Epic has made with Fortnite is incredibly impressive and we look forward to seeing what they deliver next. 

The developers of the hit 3DS JRPG Bravely Default are teaming up once more to create a new JRPG for the Nintendo Switch called Octopath Traveler.

First off, that...unique name is a reference to the game's eight main characters and eight explorable worlds. For the moment, though, it is being referred to as a working title. Given that Nintendo showcased the game via a four-minute trailer, however, we're guessing that this game is fairly far along in development. 

In terms of narrative and certain gameplay conventions, Octopath Traveler is very much a classic Square Enix-style JRPG. There are colorful characters, grand evils, and turn-based combat as far as the eye can see.

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That said, it wouldn't be fair to call this project a throwback. For instance, Octopath Traveler will allow players to utilize characters special abilities outside of combat. This means that your warrior will be able to challenge most NPCs to a duel which may allow him to complete sidequests or access previously inaccessible areas. A dancer hero, meanwhile, can allure friendly and enemy characters. That last example is particularly hilarious as it means you'll be able to lead certain foes to cleverly placed traps and avoid combat altogether.

Elsewhere, Octopath Traveler's visuals benefit from a style the developers are referring to as "HD 2D." The benefits of this new approach are immediately apparent. Octopath Traveler brilliantly maintains the basic visual style of classic JRPGs but greatly benefits from a noticeable increase in environmental details and lighting effects. It's a stunning visual design approach that we already want to see more of. 

Here's everything else we know about the game:

Octopath Traveler Release Date

Octopath Traveler is coming on July 13. It will arrive exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Octopath Traveler Trailer

Here's the first trailer for Octopath Traveler:

And here's almost an hour of gameplay:

During Nintendo Direct announcement back in January 2018, the studio revealed Mario Tennis Aces for Nintendo Switch. 

Mario Tennis Aces will be the first Mario Tennis game since the Game Boy Advance Tennis titles to incorporate a story mode. As anyone who played those games - or the brilliant Switch title Golf Story - knows, these sports story modes tend to be incredibly entertaining detours from the competitive play that are loaded with creative minigames. That seems to be what this new story mode is going for, but it also seems that this particular plot might abandon the tennis academy setting of previous Mario Tennis stories in favor of something a little wackier. 

Thankfully, the story mode is expected to include those wonderful boss battles from previous titles.

Regardless of the story's setting, we're just happy to see it return. We're also quite thrilled to see Nintendo return to Mario Tennis so quickly after 2015's Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash was met with an overwhelmingly negative reaction. Considering that the primary criticisms of that game revolved around its lack of content and innovations, we'd say that the quick reveal of Mario Tennis Ace's story mode suggests that Nintendo is aware of what went wrong and is willing to fix it.

Here's what we know about the game:

Mario Tennis Aces Release Date

Mario Tennis Aces is coming on June 22. It will arrive exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Mario Tennis Aces Trailer

The March 2018 Nintendo Direct arrived with an in-depth look at the new gameplay mechanics in Mario Tennis Aces. Check out all the fun below:

Here's the announcement trailer:

During the latest Nintendo Direct, Nintendo seemed to tease the first Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch. 

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What appeared to be an update for Splatoon 2 took a bit of a turn when the Super Smash Bros. logo appeared on-screen and brought the ink-based battles to a halt. In the distance, we could see the outline of what appeared to be the Smash Bros. Switch roster. However, the video only focused on Mario and a very Breath of the Wild looking Link. Add in the featured Splatoon characters, and it looks like we've got our first confirmed fighters for the game. 

That wasn't the big news, though. No, the big news is that Super Smash Bros. is coming sometime in 2018. That seems to answer the question "What big game is Nintendo preparing to bring to Switch in late 2018?" Other popular theories included Metroid Prime 4, which is certainly still a possibility. 

For now, though, we can only speculate as to the exact release date of Super Smash Bros., who will join the new roster of fighters, and whether or not this will be a fully-fledged sequel or a port/remaster of the Wii U Smash Bros. game.

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That last one is the big question at the moment. While we don't think that Nintendo would go to the effort to introduce Smash Bros. through a subtle teaser if it was just going to be a remaster of the Wii U title, they also haven't confirmed this will be an entirely new entry for the franchise. It's possible that this will be something in-between. A remaster of Super Smash Bros. Wii U with just enough new content to make it feel like a new game. 

For now, though, we're going to treat this like an entirely new Smash Bros. game and assume that Nintendo will continue the good work they did with Smash Bros. Wii U by finding a way to advance this timeless fighting series yet again.