February 2, 2017

Nintendo preps first ever Superbowl commercial


Posted on February 2, 2017 by Jason Nason

For the first time ever, Nintendo will run an ad during the Super Bowl. While last year’s Pokémon commercial was technically for The Pokémon Company, the 30-second spot is intended to build on the excitement for the upcoming new Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game. Both the system and game are set to launch in Canada on March 3rd. The ad also features a new song by Imagine Dragons called “Believer.”

The ad is scheduled to run during the game’s fourth quarter this Sunday, February 5th.

“The most anticipated video game system and video game of the year will be seen on the biggest stage of the year,” said Nicolas Chavez, Nintendo of America’s Vice President of Marketing. “Nintendo Switch will change how, when and where people play games. It’s only fitting that we’re changing how, when and where we advertise those games.”

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Zenimax Buys Doom Co-Developer Escalation Studios


Posted on February 2, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Zenimax, the parent company of publisher Bethesda Softworks, announced recently that they have acquired Dallas-based developers Escalation Studios. If you haven’t heard of the folks at Escalation Studios before I wouldn’t blame you but they have worked on a number of smaller titles as well as collaborated with other studios on AAA titles. Most recently they worked alongside id software on the 2016 DOOM Reboot and prior to that their website states that they’ve collaborated on the Call of Duty franchise as well as past entries in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series.

In the press release announcing the acquisition, it was noted that Escalation Studios is working on a number of projects for Bethesda including console titles, VR titles and other games. According to their website Escalation is currently hiring Software Engineers, UI Designers, 2D artists and web engineers possibly for these unannounced games.

In a statement Co-Director of Escalation Studios, Marc Tardif said:

“Becoming a part of this amazing family of developers is an honor for everyone at our studio.” 

Last year’s DOOM reboot shipped in May and was met with rave reviews – including our own – for its robust single-player and lore offerings.


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Goonies, Lego City, And Hermione Join LEGO Dimensions Soon


Posted on February 2, 2017 by Les Major

Lego Dimensions Goonies

Even more action is coming to the wonder world of LEGO Dimensions! At least two all new sets are on the way for May 9th and those include Goonies and Lego City. The coolest news about these releases? Of course it’s the adventure worlds! We love those and it’s great to see even more characters that will unlock fresh new adventure worlds to explore. Hermione is also getting her own figure that comes with Buckbeak! You know, Hagrid’s hippogriff friend from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of the Azkaban.

Check out the details straight from WB below along with the set images.

The Goonies Level Pack includes a complete level of The Goonies gameplay where players can help Sloth and Chunk escape the Fratelli hideout and join the rest of the Goonies on their search for One Eyed Willy’s treasure. Players can use Sloth’s Super Strength to smash through walls or play as Chunk and use his infamous Truffle Shuffle. The rebuildable One-Eyed Willy’s Pirate Ship will sail on water and can also be built into the Fanged Fortune and the Inferno Cannon; while the rebuildable Skeleton Organ has Sonar Smash abilities and can also be built into the Skeleton Jukebox and Skele-Turkey for added game play capabilities. Sloth provides access to a new The Goonies Battle Arena, and also the Adventure World where players can explore Mikey’s House, Inferno Cove and the Goon Docks. Once the level is complete, players will be able to replay through the game and other levels as any of the seven other Goonies characters to solve additional puzzles and access more collectibles in their journey through the LEGO multiverse.

Players can extend their wizarding adventures in LEGO Dimensions with the Harry Potter Fun Pack which includes a Hermione Granger LEGO minifigure. She can cast magical spells such as Wingardium Leviosa to levitate objects and Lumos to light up dark places. She also allows players to unlock the Harry Potter Battle Arena for a competitive match, along with the Adventure World where they can explore locations in Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Players can build the 3-in-1 rideable Buckbeak the Hippogriff and use its Stomp Attack to smash Silver LEGO bricks, then rebuild it into the Giant Owl and the Fierce Falcon for additional in-game abilities.

Players can help stop crime in the LEGO Dimensions multiverse with the LEGO City Fun Pack featuring a Chase McCain LEGO minifigure. Chase can become a Miner to break Silver LEGO bricks or a Fireman to use his Water Beam to put out fires. Gamers can use his LEGO City Detective Scanner to track down bad guys and change his disguise to unlock more abilities. In the LEGO City Adventure World, there are new areas to explore like Blackwell’s moon base and the LEGO City Police Department. Players can also compete with up to three of their friends in the LEGO City Battle Arena. Additionally, Chase’s 3-in-1 Police Helicopter can be built to fire off bolts, then rebuild it into the Police Hovercraft and Police Plane for additional in-game abilities.

Lego Dimensions Lego City

Lego Dimensions Hermione


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Mortal Kombat X Kombat Cup Tournament Returns on Feb 12th


Posted on February 2, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

The Kombat Cup an annual Mortal Kombat X tournament returns on February 12th offering casual and hardcore fans alike to take on professional players like the MKX EVO champion SonicFox. With $12,000 of cash prizes available to be one there is a lot of cash available for spilling a little bit of blood – or perhaps dismembering an opponent.

Everything kicks off on Feb 12th with a series of weekly events, called the qualifying rounds. The top eight players from the qualifying rounds will make their way into the quarter brackets for a chance to win up to $400 in weekly prizes.

Here is a breakdown of all of the weekly prizes that will be up for grabs until the weekly portions of Kombat Cup close on May 7th:

Weekly Prizes – Kombat Cup

  • First Place – $200 and 150 league points
  • Second Place – $100 and 125 league points
  • Third and Fourth Place – $50 and 75 league points
  • Fifth through Eighth Place – 50 league points
  • Ninth through Sixteenth Place – 25 league points

The finals for the Kombat Cup will take place during the week of May 14th and all of the weekly and final matches will be streamed at 60 FPS on streaming platform Stream.ME which also features content from the Kombat Cup in 4K, if your computer supports it.

Here are the prizes that will be available during the May 14th finale:

Season Finale Prizes

  • First Place – $1,500
  • Second Place – $1,000
  • Third Place – $700
  • Fourth Place – $400
  • Fifth Place Tie – $100 per player

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EA Disappointed With Titanfall 2 Sales But Remains Committed To The Series


Posted on February 2, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

During Electronic Art’s most recent earnings call executives from the company discussed the company’s view on Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall 2. It turns out that despite large amounts of critical acclaim, especially for its’ single player campaign, and high user satisfaction scores this FPS sequel failed to live up to EA’s expectations.

Even in the face of disappointing sales numbers, EA has recommitted itself to the support not only the already released 2016 sequel but also the franchise as a whole. Titanfall 2 will continue to see new maps, modes and cosmetic DLC released throughout its life, it is not known if the next Titanfall title will be developed internally at Respawn but their deal with EA does provide Respawn with the ownership rights to the franchise.

No particular reason for the less than expected sales figures was provided but could it have something to do with the fact that Titanfall 2 was released one week after EA’s other massively successful shooter Battlefield 1 and a week prior to the launch of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare? With so many shooters releasing in such a short time I wouldn’t be surprised if more than a couple of folks decided to only pick up one of the three excellent FPS titles released back-to-back-to-back last Fall.

Here is a quote from the investor’s call:

“Titanfall 2 delivered the next important step in this new franchise we are building with our partners at Respawn – a highly-rated, action-packed experience that has thrilled players in the year’s biggest category. Player satisfaction scores for Titanfall 2 are among the highest in our portfolio, showing just how much fun players are having with this game. Titanfall 2 will be played for a long time to come, with new maps, modes and content updates continuing to expand the experience and engage our players. We’re excited about our long-term plans for the Titanfall franchise.”

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