“Live on all platforms”.
Black Salt’s “sinister fishing adventure” game Dredge has just received its second major update on the Nintendo Switch.
This latest one adds new wildlife events, a “passive mode” – allowing you to swim about the sea in peace, a photo mode, a new character, and new aberrations.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
The Essential Picks promotion is now live on PlayStation Store, bringing with it discounts off up to 75% on a wide variety of titles for a limited time*. That includes 75% off Resident Evil 3, 50% off God of War Digital Deluxe Edition and 67% off Sackboy: A Big Adventure.
Many more games are included in the promotion. Head to PlayStation Store to find out your discount.
*The Essential Picks promotion is live on PlayStation Store from Wednesday July 5 until Wednesday July 19.
Get it while you can.
Ahead of the launch of Pikmin 4 on 21st July, Nintendo has adding a new item to its My Nintendo Store in the US.
If you happen to have 200 Platinum Points, you can now order a Pikmin 4 Sticker Set. It contains two 3″ vinyl stickers featuring the explorer, Pikmin, and the new rescue pup Oatchi. These stickers can be applied to anything and everything, here’s the description:
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
“Get to know your little buds”.
Pikmin 4‘s release is fast approaching, and as part of this, Nintendo has begun marketing the game to both new and returning fans. The latest trailer uploaded to its official YouTube channel is essentially a crash course in all things Pikmin.
You’ll learn how to obtain Pikmin, how exactly they work, what each one specialises in, and also some other details like your new rescue pup Oatchi.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Sega isn’t as all in on blockchain gaming as it was before, now withholding its biggest IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog from being used in third-party blockchain games. This move is to ensure that Sega doesn’t devalue its own content.
Speaking with Bloomberg, Sega co-chief operating officer Shuji Utsumi panned blockchain games as “boring.”
“The action in play-to-earn games is boring. What’s the point if games are no fun?” Utsumi said.
However, Sega will still let external partners use characters from lesser known franchises such as Three Kingdoms and Virtua Fighter as NFTs. Utsumi noted that the technology remains useful in instances where it’s possible to move characters and items between different games.
Sega is also pausing its own blockchain gaming projects for now and being indecisive about implemetning Web3 technology in its upcoming suite of “super games.”
However, Sega is still open to using blockchain techology if it ever does become successful, as Utsumi said that the audience shouldn’t doubt risk-takers.
“For the majority of people in the video game industry, what blockchain advocates say may sound a bit extreme, but that’s how the first penguin has always been,” Utsumi explained. “We should never underestimate them.”
Blockchain gaming has been a controversial topic over the past few years. Many companies jumped onto the trend, including Square Enix and Ubisoft. However, many gamers weren’t fond of this. More companies have also dismissed blockchain gaming after it hadn’t taken off as high as expected. Electronic Arts initially spoke positively about blockchain gaming but then later stated it wasn’t “driving hard” in that direction anymore.
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
The Solidigm P44 Pro 1TB is one of my favourite SSDs, as it offers PCIe 4.0 speeds and excellent power efficiency while also being quite affordable. Recently we covered the drive hitting $65, and now we’ve reached a new milestone at Newegg – $60!
Against The Storm is a fantasy citybuilder in which you’re challenged to construct not a sprawling metropolis, but a series of small settlements scattered across a world map wilderness. Recent updates have focused on making that world map more interesting and dynamic, including another released today.
The straightforwardly-named World Events update adds five new choosy, consequence-rich encounters to stumble across, as well as polishing older events, improving the UI, and more.
NetherRealm Studios has released a new trailer for its upcoming fighting game Mortal Kombat 1, with the latest trailer confirming more characters that will be on the roster at launch.
The latest trailer spotlighted Smoke and Rain, two characters with a long history in the Mortal Kombat series. It also revealed four new Kameo Fighters: Sektor, Cyrax, Frost, and Scorpion. As a quick refresher, Kameo Fighters is a separate roster of characters in Mortal Kombat 1 that can assist players during a match.
Smoke was first introduced back in Mortal Kombat 2 as an unplayable secret character before eventually making a proper debut in Mortal Kombat 3 as a cyborg. His first appearance as a human was in 2011’s Mortal Kombat. He primarily specializes in ability utilizing speed and smoke, which is reflected in the trailer as he strikes his foe with a dagger then reappears in a puff of smoke for the finishing strike.
Rain, meanwhile, first appeared in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 as a gag character intended to mislead players into thinking he was unlockable before eventually appearing for real in the console versions. He was subsequently playable in Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and Mortal Kombat (2011). As a half-god, Rain controls water and lightning, and he’s shown in the trailer abusing Scorpion with his particular brand of water bending.
The rest of the trailer features Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Smoke working together to infiltrate a compound, as a well as a typically gruesome fatality from Smoke. Outside of the new story trailer, NetherRealm Studios released several new gameplay videos, including a high level battle between Scorpion and Johnny Cage.
NetherRealm also offered new deep dives into Scorpion, Johnny Cage, and Kameo Kung Lao.
Mortal Kombat 1 was revealed in May during an earning call held by NetheRealm’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. The game is a sequel to 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11 but will also serve as a reboot, with Netherealm Studios previously noting that the game “will introduce a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe.” Shortly after its reveal, news surfaced that Amazon may have leaked the game’s first DLC Kombat Pack, which included characters such as Quan Chi, Omni Man, and Peacemaker, among others.
Mortal Kombat 1 arrives on September 19 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. For more information on Mortal Kombat 1, check out our interview with series creator Ed Boon on why NetherRealm chose to develop Mortal Kombat 1 over Injustice 3.
Additional reporting by Kat Bailey
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
There must be no games but third-person action games, said Sony. And so it was. Helldivers 2 is the next victim, trading the co-op sci-fi shooter’s from-above camera view for a from-behind perspective that really screams ‘hey it’s every other game’.
A new post and a new trailer from developers Arrowhead explaining how Helldivers 2’s combat and co-op works is, at least, an opportunity to differentiate itself.
Hey everyone!
I’m Niklas Istenes, the CEO of Bitwave Games – a modern retro gaming studio from Gothenburg in Sweden. I started the studio in 2013 with a dream goal: developing and publishing games inspired by my all-time favorite Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom game Gimmick! from legendary developer Sunsoft. Little did I know I would eventually help launch Gimmick! for modern platforms with our friends at City Connection. It feels surreal and beyond exciting!
Gimmick! has a special place in my heart. Released in 1992 and at the end of the NES/Famicom life cycle, it was impressive to see a game that pushed the console to its limits. The graphics, physics, and soundtrack really left their mark on me as a kid. In Scandinavia (where I’m from), it’s known as Mr. Gimmick. It was the only market outside Japan where the original game was ever released. So, to many people, this might be a wholly lost gaming treasure.
Gimmick! Special Edition is a tough-as-nails platforming game with a heavy focus on physics. You’re playing as Yumetaro – a cute green youkai with special star-summoning powers. Through multiple playground-like levels, all with their own environmental twists and exciting creatures, you must creatively use your sparkling star to bounce, jump, take out baddies, and reach hidden areas filled with secrets.
Gimmick! Special Edition has many enhancements that make this challenging game even more accessible to modern players. You can quick-save, rewind, compete against your friends on the online leaderboards, unlock achievements, and stroll through the gorgeous gallery injected with pictures of scanned-in cartridges, the original Japanese and Scandinavian manuals, and more.
Since the original NES and Famicom cartridges are hard to find and expensive to purchase, we’re thrilled to be able to bring this true platforming classic to a broader audience. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more Gimmick! Special Edition content and jump onto our Discord to chat with other retro fans.
See you in the land of Gimmick!
Bitwave
Stellar platform physics with a bouncing star
Explore a physics-based playground that was way ahead of its time. As the cute youkai Yumetaro, use your star-summoning powers to tackle complex challenges with creativity and finesse. Your wonderful star will help you reach hidden spots, traverse cliffs, and pull off trick shots that outwit even the toughest baddies!
Discover a hidden NES™ treasure
Gimmick! was exclusively released on Famicom™/NES™ in Japan and Scandinavia in the early ‘90s. It pushed the console to its limits and the Japanese cartridge featured SunSoft 5B, a custom sound chip that let Masashi Kageyama compose a star-studded soundtrack. Gimmick! remains one of the most valuable (and rarest) NES™ cartridges ever made. The Scandinavian version was called “Mr. Gimmick”.
Uncover secrets in a race against time!
Gimmick! Special Edition features a time attack mode for speedrunners, and completionists can hunt for secrets all throughout the game. Unlock a wonderful surprise by finding everything. For a hard-core challenge, disable all quality-of-life features in “Serious Mode” to crank up the excitement!
Modern enhancements:
* Achievements
* Time Attack Mode
* Online Leaderboards
* Save and Quick Load
* Rewind Function
* Gallery mode
* Sound test
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