Category Archives: Game News

Niantic’s Next Augmented Reality Game is Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

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Niantic’s Pokemon Go turned the mobile gaming world upside down last year, as millions of players tried to “catch ’em all,” and escape to the wilderness to chase Pokemon hiding out in the real world. Yesterday, the developer announced their next augment reality game for mobile devices, and I think it’ll likely make an even bigger splash with the gaming public.

In Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, players will get the chance to “go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters as they explore real-world neighborhoods and cities across the globe.”

“At Niantic, our goal is to leverage technology to create real world experiences that help people to discover the wonderful, and often magical parts of the world around them,” said Niantic’s CEO, John Hanke. “The beloved Harry Potter stories have captured imaginations worldwide for more than 20 years and soon we’ll turn the fantasy into augmented reality, allowing fans and their friends to become wizards and witches.”

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be the first title published by Portkey Games, a new division within WB Games devoted to creating video games based on characters and locations from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. So you can expect more Harry Potter games to be announced in the not-too-distant future.

More information on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will be announced in 2018.

Best of Gamescom 2017 Winners Selected by Gamescom Committee

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gamescomEvery year, Germany’s Digital Gaming Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) supervises the Gamescom Committee, a small group of journalists who choose the best games that were present at the Gamescom expo. The Gamescom expo is held in the Summer, and serves as the European equivalent to the Los Angeles-based E3 Expo.

While most of these titles are still in development, you should keep them in mind when you add games to your collection this Fall and into 2018.

Super Mario Odyssey was named “Best of Gamescom,” and the full list of winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →

Best of E3 2017 Winners Selected by Game Critics Awards

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e3Every year, the Game Critics Awards, a collection of editors from more than 40 major publications that cover the video game industry, get together to choose the best games at the E3 Expo.

While all of these titles are still in development, you should keep them in mind when you add games to your collection this Fall and into 2018.

Super Mario Odyssey was named “Best of Show,” and the full list of winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →

This Week’s New Releases + Game News: May 22 – May 28, 2017

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week includes a trio of re-releases and a beautiful puzzle platformer.

Leading things off, Capcom released Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers for the Switch on Friday, May 26. The publisher is hoping that this re-release will introduce the arcade classic to an entirely new generation, but it also includes a brand new first-person minigame, new color variations for all characters, and two new fighters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken).

Another re-release that made its way to the Switch this week was courtesy of NIS America. The import house launched Disgaea 5 Complete on Nintendo’s console, which includes the original strategy RPG and all of its downloadable content.

THQ Nordic also brought the original Darksiders to the Wii U as Darksiders: Warmastered Edition. This new version of the action/adventure game include enhanced visuals and redone graphical effects, and was previously released for the PS4 and Xbox One.

But if you’re looking for new and never-before-seen games this week, Tequila Works brought their puzzle platformer Rime to the PS4 and Xbox One. Featuring a unique and moody graphical style, the exploration game should offer an interesting change of pace.

More “New Retail Releases” can be found at Warp Zoned, and this week’s “News Headlines” are available after the break. Continue reading →

2016’s Game of the Year Winners

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The following games received “Game of the Year” honors from the five major industry award shows in 2016:

    The Game Awards: Overwatch
    GDC Awards: Overwatch
    DICE Awards: Overwatch
    SXSW Gaming Awards: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
    BAFTA Games Awards: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

A complete list of all winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →

This Week’s New Releases + Game News: October 3, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is filled with soccer players, racecar drivers, invisible Japanese spirits, a sneaker-wearing hedgehog, bloodthirsty aliens, and even bloodthirstier zombies

FIFA 17 is new in stores this week for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. In addition to a series of graphical upgrades and gameplay tweaks, the latest soccer simulation from EA Sports adds “The Journey,” a story-based single-player mode where players take control a teenager trying to make it in the Premier League. Soccer fans will definitely like the deep simulation options offered by FIFA 17.

Also new this week is Microsoft’s latest racing sim, Forza Horizon 3. The PC and Xbox One game recreates the Australian countryside as a playground for open-world racing, which players can dive into with more than 350 cars. Forza Horizon 3 is highly recommended for fans of racing games.

Away from the fast cars and furious footballers, Nintendo and Level-5 released Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls for the 3DS. The creature-collecting games includes hundreds of new Yo-Kai, invisible spirits believed to exist out in the world. But with the game’s Yo-Kai Watch, players can see these supernatural creatures, and capture them. Fans of Pokemon, and other similar games, will enjoy either version of Yo-Kai Watch 2.

Keeping with the otherworldly theme, 2K Games brought XCOM 2 to the PS4 and Xbox One this week. After debuting on the PC earlier this year, the publisher is expanding the strategy game’s reach to new-generation consoles… and not a moment too soon. The alien invaders have enslaved humanity in the sequel and it’s up to players to guide the XCOM to victory against a foe that’s taken control of the Earth. Fans of strategic games and sci-fi themes will flock to XCOM 2.

While the enemies of Dead Rising 2 are a bit dumber than a race of hyper-advanced aliens, they’re no less dangerous. Available this week for the PS4 and Xbox One, Dead Rising 2 was originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010, but the re-release still puts a ravenous horde of undead between motocross racer Chuck Greene and the anti-zombie cure he needs for his daughter. The Dead Rising franchise appeals many different types of gamers, but especially those who like horror and action titles.

Hopefully, Chuck can avoid those zombies using Sonic-like speed, but the Blue Blur himself will be busy with Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, which was released this week for the 3DS. Sonic fans will definitely be interested in checking it out.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

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This Week’s New Releases + Game News: September 26, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is yet another three-way tie.

Believe it or not, Bungie released the original version of Destiny nearly two years ago. After building up a devoted fanbase that continues to obsessively play the shooter to the this day, the developer launched the game’s final expansion this week. The Rise of Iron expansion will be exclusively available to download from the PlayStation Store and Xbox Games Store, but players who haven’t yet jumped into Destiny’s universe should pick up Destiny: The Collection this week for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. In addition to the original game and Rise of Iron, The Collection will also include all of Destiny’s previously released expansion content… Expansion I: The Dark Below, Expansion II: House of Wolves, and The Taken King. Destiny: The Collection is highly recommended for all your patrons who love shooters.

Also recommended this week is Killer Instinct: Definitive Edition, which technically made its debut during the Xbox One’s launch period. The Definitive Edition is a collected edition that includes all 26 characters and 20 stages from the game’s first three seasons, as well as a pair of bonus games (Killer Instinct Classic and Killer Instinct 2 Classic). Fans of fighting games will definitely enjoy seeing it on the shelf.

Finally this week, Atlus published Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, a side-story to the original Shin Megami Tensei IV, for the 3DS. Fans of the weird world of Japanese RPGs will enjoy the chance to check this one out.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

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This Week’s New Releases + Game News: September 19, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is expanding this week thanks to the beginning of the “Fall Gaming Season.” With more than a dozen new titles this week, there’s something to recommend for everybody.

The NFL season kicked off two Sundays ago, so let’s start with some new sports games. EA Sports released Madden NFL 17 a month ago, but the publisher was back this week with NHL 17 for the PS4 and Xbox One. If you’re more of a basketball fan, 2K Games released NBA 2K17 this week for the PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Soccer supporters will also get a new simulation this week with the release of Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. And the checkered flag goes to NASCAR Heat: Evolution, which was released for the PS4 and Xbox One this week. All four games always score very well with gamers and would make a good addition to any collection.

Far away from Earth’s athletic fields is the planet of Far Eden, an interstellar colony that’s been overrun by villainous robots in Microsoft’s ReCore. Developed by Armature Studio, with additional idea work by Keiji Inafune, ReCore lets players fight back as Joule Adams, a resourceful woman who has her own team of robotic helpers. ReCore is available for the Xbox One.

Finally this week, a trio of re-releases will reintroduce gamers to a few beloved franchises. BioShock: The Collection will bring BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite together in a single package for the PS4 and Xbox One with improved graphics and exclusive commentary by Ken Levine and other developers from Irrational. Meanwhile, Capcom’s Dead Rising also makes the leap to the PS4 and Xbox One with improved graphics. And Square Enix and Nintendo collaborated on a brand new localization for the 3DS release of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past, an absolutely massive RPG that was originally released in 2001.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

New Release Round-Up

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