/// EPISODE 146
Below are the news stories that may not have made the headlines today but are worth reading!
Gamers never die…..
Just like the Games of Our Lives…
/// GAMES FEATURED
►Bombshell
►Dark Souls
►LEGO Dimensions
►The Witness
►Minecraft: Education Edition
►Life is Strange
►Final Fantasy Explorers
►Rise of the Tomb Raider
►Dying Light: The Following
/// Bombshell | The First 3D Realms Game Gone Gold in a Decade!
Gone Gold!3D Realms and Interceptor Entertainment are proud to announce that after over two years of blood sweat and tears, Bombshell has finally gone gold!
As a reminder, Bombshell will be launching for $34.99 USD standard, and $39.99 Digital Deluxe, which includes our 42-track official soundtrack, early beta access to the Bombshell Build Engine retro prequel, and digital artbooks and world map overviews.
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/// Nintendo Provides New Details About Upcoming RPGs for Nintendo 3DS!
This included the announcement of a special Fire Emblem Fates Edition New Nintendo 3DS XL system launching Feb. 19 and the reveal of a Collector’s Edition for Bravely Second: End Layer, which includes the upcoming sequel to the acclaimed Bravely Default game that launches on April 15.
The Fire Emblem Fates Edition New Nintendo 3DS XL system (game sold separately) launches on Feb. 19 at a suggested retail price of $199.99 and features gorgeous art inspired by the game on the front of the hardware. Players can choose to purchase one of two versions when the Fire Emblem Fates games launch on Feb. 19 at a suggested retail price of $39.99 each.
When Bravely Second: End Layer launches exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on April 15, a Collector’s Edition will also launch alongside it at a suggested retail price of $69.99. The Collector’s Edition includes the massive game, a 10-song original soundtrack and gorgeous 250-page deluxe art book.
In addition to Fire Emblem Fates and Bravely Second: End Layer, role-playing fans are in for an absolute treat in the first part of the year, as a wide variety of RPGs will soon launch for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. These games include FINAL FANTASY Fantasy Explorers from Square Enix on Jan. 26, Project X Zone 2 from Bandai Namco Entertainment America, Inc. on Feb. 16 and the original Pokémon games (Pokémon Red Version, Pokémon Blue Version, as well as Pokémon Yellow Version: Special Pikachu Edition) in the Nintendo eShop on Feb. 27. Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past will launch this summer, with Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King launching later this year.
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/// Dark Souls Franchise Getting Comic Books Starting April 2016!
Titan Comics has acquired the rights to this moody, brutally difficult Bandai Namco franchise and will be launching a Dark Souls comic book in April, just in time for Dark Souls 3.
The comic is simply titled “Dark Souls” and will offer new stories set within the universe rather than adapting the stories of the games. It’ll be written by George Mann (Doctor Who: The 8th Doctor) and drawn by Alan Quah (Godzilla: Awakening).
Dark Souls #1 will ship with five different covers, including two game covers, a blank sketch cover and two variant covers by artists Joshua Cassara and Marco Turini. | Source
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/// LEGO Dimensions Adds 5 New Expansion Packs!
/// Square Enix Publishing Milestone Games in North America!
Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX interactive entertainment products in the Americas, today announced a publishing partnership with Milestone S.r.l, one of the world’s leading developers and publishers specializing in the racing genre, to bring titles to North America and Latin America.
The multi-title agreement with the Italian studio starts with the March 15 release of Milestone’s rally simulator Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO, a game that launches players into the life of Sébastien Loeb, one of the most iconic figures in the history of rally. Sébastien Loeb Rally EVO will be available for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC/Steam.
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/// The Witness Priced at $39!
A lot of people have been asking about the price, so: The price of the game on both Steam and PSN will be $39.99 / €36.99 / £29.99.
A lot of people have been asking about preorders too. Preorders will go live on Steam and the Humble Store (and on this web site) today at noon PST. Unfortunately we won’t have preorders on PSN, because apparently developers have to set those up months in advance and we didn’t know that!
The preorders are regular price! They contain an amazing bonus pack-in: the warm fuzzy feeling that you have pre-ordered the game. (And that’s all). So it’s exactly the same as buying the game at launch, except earlier. | Source
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/// Mojang Announces Minecraft: Education Edition!
Over the past few years, educators around the world have been using Minecraft to explore subjects that might not spring to mind when you think of our block-based game. Since 2011, MinecraftEdu – a version of Minecraft built for the classroom – has been used in over 40 countries. Lots of people have learned loads of things since then.
Microsoft has acquired MinecraftEdu and is building upon its proven success to create a new version of Minecraft that’s dedicated to learning. The new title will be available as a free trial this summer. All existing MinecraftEdu customers will get the first year of Minecraft: Education Edition free of charge. | Source
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SECOND HALF
/// Life is Strange Boxed Limited Edition Out Now in North America!
The Limited Edition boxed version of Dontnod’s multi award-winning episodic adventure Life is Strange is available today in the US and on Friday, January 22 in EU and other PAL territories for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
The standard boxed edition includes all 5 episodes spanning Max and Chloe’s story. The Limited Edition also includes a directors’ commentary, a physical 32-page art book, and 14 licensed tracks from the game’s official soundtrack as well as 8 tracks from the game’s composer Jonathan Morali. You can find out more information on the contents of the box here.
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/// Final Fantasy Explorers | 11 Legacy Characters Detailed!
/// Analyst: Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox Exclusivity Period Could Result in 40% Less Sales on PS4!
In an article on Gamasutra, Pachter says the timed exclusivity “probably cost only $20 million or so,” with Microsoft spending another $20 million to advertise Rise of the Tomb Raider over the holidays. It seems to have paid off, with Microsoft announcing earlier this month that RotTR sold “well over” one million in 2015, thanks to a big December.
As Cole explained though, the money Microsoft paid might not have been enough to offset the lost PS4 revenue, which he estimates could be around $150 million in the short term:
Unfortunately I think it was probably not enough to make up for the lost opportunity. Anything under $100 million is probably a bad deal for Square Enix, and I doubt Microsoft paid anywhere near that amount.
Weighing in on the effects of platform exclusives, Cole says Square Enix missed out on a major opportunity with the Microsoft deal:
The problem with exclusives in today’s market is you have a clear market leader. So if you are not on that platform, you lose a major market opportunity and it would take a lot for Microsoft or another competitor to reimburse you for lost opportunities.
| Source
/// PS3 & PS Vita Facebook Support Ending Tomorrow With New Firmware Updates!
Revealed in an update on the Japanese PlayStation site, PS3 firmware update 4.78 and PS Vita/PS TV firmware update 3.57 tomorrow will remove Facebook link support and end support for the Facebook app.
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