Category Archives: Game News

This Week’s New Releases + Game News: September 12, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II, a turn-based RPG for the PS3 and Vita.

Published by XSEED and developed by Falcom, Trails of Cold Steel II is a tactical turn-based title where the fate of the kingdom is at stake and only a plucky band of outsiders can save the day. Players interested in obscure Japanese RPGs will definitely be interested in this one.

Also of note this week is Just Sing, Ubisoft’s singing spinoff of the Just Dance franchise. Available for the PS4 and Xbox One, players will be able to sing (or lip sync) along with songs from Britney Spears, Sia, Justin Bieber, and others. Best of all, Just Sing can easily be used during an open gaming program because it doesn’t require a microphone peripheral. Ubisoft has released a companion app that’ll turn any smartphone into a microphone.

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New Release Round-Up

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This Week’s New Releases + Game News: September 5, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is a tie between two monster-hunting titles… Bandai Namco’s God Eater 2: Rage Burst and Koei Tecmo’s Attack On Titan.

Japanese developers love pitting a single player (or a small co-op team) against a giant monster. Ever since the success of Monster Hunter back in the PS2 days, “monster hunting” games have almost become their own genre. And this week, players might be interested in trying out God Eater 2: Rage Burst, a PS4 game where players use “God Arcs” to battle demonic entities known as Aragami. The Aragami like to chow down on lowly humans, much like the Titans at the center of Koei Tecmo’s Attack On Titan, which is another adaptation of the popular anime for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Also of note this week is a trio of re-releases. Let’s start things off with Assetto Corsa, a racing simulation that was originally released for the PC and is now available for the PS4 and Xbox One. Your patrons might also be interested in slaying more giant monsters in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Game of the Year Edition, which collects all of the game’s downloadable expansions in a single package for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Finally, Capcom added improved graphics to Resident Evil 4, which is a bona fide classic, and re-released it for the PS4 and Xbox One.

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: August 29, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is a tie between Madden NFL 17 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

The release of Madden NFL 17 on the PS4, Xbox One, PS3, and Xbox 360 means that it’s time for FOOTBALL, and for this year’s entry in their annual sports franchise, EA Sports focused on improving Madden’s famed Franchise Mode. That should make the hardcore statheads very happy, but Madden appeals to almost everybody, so most patrons will be happy to see it on the shelves.

Many gamers are excited for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided as well, though it’s a very different kind of game… a science fiction story that has many parallels to our world including civil rights, terrorism, and government surveillance. Its heady themes make it one of the smarter games out there, and one that many PC, PS4, and Xbox One owners are very interested in.

Also of note this week is The King of Fighters XIV, a one-on-one fighter for the PS4. Players familiar with the long-running King of Fighters franchise will want to check it out, as will fans of one-on-one fighting games like Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat X.

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: August 22, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is F1 2016, the latest open wheel racing simulation from Codemasters. Available now for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, F1 2016 will feature an enhanced Career Mode, as well as the complete 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship schedule with 21 tracks and 22 drivers.

Also of note this week is a pair of 3DS titles from Nintendo. Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a co-op-focused spinoff from the main Metroid series that doesn’t star intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran. Instead, players will join up with a squad of Galactic Federation Marines as they do battle with Metroids and Space Pirates on a distant planet.

Meanwhile, Style Savvy: Fashion Forward is the third game in Nintendo’s fashion franchise, and it’ll give budding business owners the chance to stock thousands of items in their boutique or “design clothes fit for a fashionista, style some wicked hair, master the art of make-up, and even become the next top model.”

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New Release Round-Up

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Best of Gamescom 2016 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 2017.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was named “Best of Gamescom,” and the full list of winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →

This Week’s New Releases + Game News: August 15, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is No Man’s Sky, a space exploration simulator for the PC and PS4.

Developed by Hello Games, an ultra-tiny developer from the United Kingdom, No Man’s Sky gives players a procedurally-generated playground with billions and billions of planets to play in. Exploring the universe and naming your discoveries is an important part of the game, as is discovering the secret that lies at the very center of the map. No Man’s Sky is one of those games that should appeal to everybody, and might even pull in patrons who just want to see what all the fuss is about.

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New Release Round-Up

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This Week’s New Releases + Game News: August 8, 2016

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A handful of new games were released on retail shelves this week, but the Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is once again taking the week off because none of them stand out too strongly. But a complete look at industry news from the last seven days and this week’s digital releases can be found below.

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

New Release Round-Up

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Old Issues of Nintendo Power Have Been Added to the Internet Archive

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nintendopowerUPDATE: All issues of Nintendo Power have been removed from the Internet Archive.

If you’ve got patrons interested in the history of video games, you may want to point them towards the Internet Archive and their collection of back issues of Nintendo Power. The magazine got its start in the late 80s, and quickly became a very popular publication for readers who wanted to learn more about Nintendo consoles and handhelds.

As of today, the Internet Archive has digitized more than 100 issues of Nintendo Power, which covers more than half of the magazine’s complete 24-year run. So there’s still a few holes, but every issue from Nintendo’s NES-Super NES-Nintendo 64 heyday is just a click away.