Author: The_acz

Geekscape Interview: Talking ‘Octogeddon’ And Popcap With Rich Werner!

by The_acz

Early Monday morning, I had the honor of talking to Ex-Popcap employee Rich Werner. Rich was the character designer for the runaway Popcap hit Plants Vs. Zombies, and is now working on a brand new game with Plants Vs. Zombies co-creator George Fan. The game seems to have that same zany and off the wall tone as most of PopCaps games are. I got to talk with Rich for about an hour and got to find out more about his past working for PopCap, and a little of what we can expect from Octogeddon.

Acz: What inspired you and the team at All Yes Good to form this studio and make Octogeddon?

Rich: Well basically, George had made this Ludem Dare entry “48 hour game jam”. That was the beginning of Octogeddon and he had gotten a lot of positive feedback. He reached out to me and asked if I would like to help make it a real game. I couldn’t say no. I left EA and we started on it. Then I reached out to Kurt because I had known him for many years at PopCap and he jumped on board. We saw the success of PVZ and thought it would be so cool to keep making games like that with a small team, but also be our own boss and own it!octogeddon-1

Acz: That’s great! Always nice to get a fresh new start

Rich: Totally. Seemed like time to take the reins you know?

Acz: Definitely! How was it like working at PopCap at that time?

Rich: PopCap was great. Probably the best job I have ever had other than working for myself. When I was hired there was 20 some people there. A very tight group of people. As time went on though, it got bigger and bigger. It just wasn’t quite the same, but I think that’s totally natural though. It was so awesome being there from the beginning.

Acz: Growing up with Popcap when I was younger, I always loved and appreciated how weird and fresh your guys games were. I remember countless hours spent playing games Like Typer Shark, and Insaniquarium

Rich: It was basically try anything. If it sticks. Cool. If not, then toss it and try something else. Insaniquarium was George’s game before he even joined PopCap if I remember correctly. PopCap wasn’t afraid to fail. If things were going south on a game it was ok to let it go.insaniquarium2

Acz: That’s really awesome. Kind of reminds me of the try anything attitude that Rare also employs. Preferences aside, what would you say your favorite Popcap game is?

Rich: Ours! LOL. Joking haha. I actually really liked Peggle. It was very satisfying to play. There was a Facebook game for a minute that I loved but it didn’t get legs. It was Pig Up! You were a flying pig and it controlled by clicking so he wouldn’t fall out of the sky. Haha.

Acz: I’d have to agree. Peggle is such a simple ,but engaging game.

Rich: Something so nice when you pull off a really cool trick shot. That was the last thing I worked on before leaving. I made some of the characters for Peggle for XBLA.

Acz: You were also a character designer for Peggle 2 right? How did you guys go about updating some of the old masters while also coming up with the new ones?

Rich: Oh man, that was a massive project. There were stacks and stacks of concept art everywhere. Haha. I think that just from me there were at least 20 different Bjorns. And everyone was in on it so hundreds all together I bet. Eventually, the new ones I had done were sort of combining a bunch of designs together and adding my own twist to them. I think they turned out cool in the end.peggle-2

 Acz: So, what are your guys plans for All Yes Good moving forward after Octogeddon?

Rich: I think what we want to do is just make cool games that we love and share them with everyone. That’s why I think George and I work well together. He has such amazing ideas and designs. I get pumped up whenever he tells me about them. I instantly want to make his ideas come to life. Sometimes we’ll be on the phone just riffing ideas and it always ends with us cracking up, and I’ll hang up and totally start drawing stuff haha.

Acz:  Is there anything you can tell us about the game that you’re really excited to show people

Rich: No. JK. As an artist, making cut scenes is super intense, especially doing them solo. I’m really stoked on what people will see. I spared no expense!! So to speak. But honestly, the whole thing is great. I’m really excited to get peoples reactions to the game. I don’t think people can comprehend the amount of work it takes to make a game with a team as small as ours. When I step back and look at it I’m like “woah” haha.

Acz: Well, I’m pretty excited about the game. Last question. What is the craziest or strangest thing you’ve designed for the game so far?

Rich: Oh man. If I told you I’d have to kill you. Haha. Trust me, You’ll know it when ya see it.octogeddon-2

It was extremely fun conducting this interview with Rich, and I hope all of you reading are just as excited for the new game as they are now. Octogeddon is scheduled for release in early 2017 for PC.

‘Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon’ Roars its Way Into Xbox GWG For November!

by The_acz

After a somewhat ok month, Xbox Games with Gold seems to be heating up a bit again.

From November 1st through the 30th, Xbox One users will be able to download the upcoming go-op dungeon crawling game Super Dungeon Bros.  After that, from November 16th to December 15th you’ll be able to download the 2014 adventure mystery game Murdered: Soul Suspect. Xbox 360 fans are also in for some nice treats. From November 1st through 15th, 360 users can download the point and click classic The Secret of Monkey Island. Then, from November 16th through 30th, you’ll be able to download the crazy, 80’s neon induced, downloadable title Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.  What do you think about this months games? Which one is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below!

gwg-november

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘The Jackbox Party Pack 3.’

by The_acz

Reviewed On: Xbox One
Also Available For: PS4, PC, Amazon Fire TV

MSRP: $24.99

In the past 2 years, Jackbox Games has made a name for themselves by breathing new life into the party game genre. Introduced back in 2015, The jackbox Party Pack was a compilation of 5 random party games with completely different rules and play styles that could easily be played with your phone ad even easily streamed online. Because of this, Every year since then we have gotten a compilation pack, and this year is no exception, but is this third trip worth playing another round, or should you just drop out?jackbox-titleParty Pack 3 is split up into 5 separate games just like the last 2. You’ve got at least one returning fan favorite game, but the other 4 are completely new. This review will go into all 5 games in the order of how often our play group played them. Keep in mind that just because we didn’t play a specific game a lot, doesn’t mean it was bad. With that in mind, let’s get started.

Trivia Murder Party

the-jackbox-party-pack-3-6Trivia Murder Party is all about getting kidnapped by a psychotic trivia obsessed serial killer and trying to escape from him alive. players are asked easy to very obscure trivia based questions much like You Don’t Know Jack, but instead of just getting harassed by the host for getting a question wrong, you’re instead taken to a place called the killing floor, where you must fight for your survival, or you will be killed on the spot. Players are slowly killed off one by one until only one remains. The final round is a race to the exit where the only person alive must escape the house of horrors before any of the ghosts catch them, or else they will die and someone else will come back to life.tmp-1

The mystery hosts insane personality can be downright hilarious throughout the whole game. Things get especially tense when you’ve only got a couple of live players left being sent to the killing floor as you’re not sure who’ll be the next to go. Even the audience serves a big role in the game. They are tasked with working together to gain more money than the current player winning so that they can escape the killer alive. They can also bet on who they think will die during a killing floor round, which adds an extra competitive element. With over 1000 questions, and plenty of fun and different torture mini games, Trivia Murder Party is a breakout title you’ll be DYING to play over and over again.tmp-2

Quiplash 2

the-jackbox-party-pack-3-3Quiplash 2 is a sequel to last years runaway hit Quiplash, and is the only returning veteran game this time around. The game plays exactly like the first one, but with some major and much welcome changes. There are now multiple different final rounds that you can now get so that you’re not just getting a regular static question that everyone answers. Instead, you either get comic lash, where you have to fill in the blank to a comic book panel, word lash, where you have to use a specific word in your answer, and acronym lash, where you have to create a clever anagram with a specific set of given letters.quiplash-2-1The end round changes are very welcome and varied as the final round means much more as someone who has fallen way behind could easily take the game from behind with one good quip. The audience has also received another boost. While waiting between rounds, audience members can now answers random prompts just for them. Of course they’re all completely brand new prompts also, but other than that, the gameplay is largely unchanged. Much like Drawful 2 earlier this year, Quiplash 2 expands upon its predecessor enough that the game is completely worth playing again. For more on Quiplash, check out our review of it in last years Party Pack 2.quiplash-2-2

Tee K.O

the-jackbox-party-pack-3-5Tee K.O is about creating and battling custom made t-shirts in order to be crowned king of the island. The start of the game has you creating 3 drawings of whatever you want to draw. Afterwards, you’ll be told to type in as many catchphrases and quotes as you can. Then, you’ll be taken to the t-shirt creation tool where you’ll have the chance of creating one t-shirt out of 3 possible designs and 4 random phrases. Finally, you’ll go face to face with your opponents t-shirts as you try and take them down.  tko-1The art style in this game is gorgeous and very reminiscent of many japanese culture games such as Taiko Drum Master. The gameplay is also incredibly fun and addicting. It’s so much fun to battle against a really well put together shirt, but also a very random one. Out of all the games, my group got the biggest laughs out of just making fun of everyone’s shirts. The best part is that you can even buy the shirts you made. The audience also has fun as they can suggest drawings, sayings and vote on their favorite shirts also akin to Quiplash. In the end, Tee K.O expertly fills the drawing game void that Drawful or Bidiots would have done, but has such a new and amazing twist to it that it ends up coming off as one of my favorite games in party pack history! In terms of battles, this game wins the title belt.tko-2

Guesspionagethe-jackbox-party-pack-3-4

Guesspionage is a game all about percentages.You take take the role of a government agent as you are asked questions correlating to a certain percentage of something. The game is very similar to Family Feud as the answers are taken from a group of people surveyed online. Now I’ll admit, while the game does sound a bit boring, it really isn’t. The host is humorous enough to give you some good laughs, and the questions are actually very well varied and funny like what percentage of people pee in the shower, or how many people have been injured by trampolines.guess-1 The game has 3 rounds. Each round one player gets the chance to try and guess what the percentage of that question is. After that, the other players get to vote on if they think the real percentage is higher or lower than the one the current player guessed. You can even double down by choosing much higher or much lower, but you’ll need to be within 15% of the answer to get your points doubled, so it’s risky. Once again the audience gets another time to shine. If you have at least 7-10 people in your audience the poll results in the questions will be taken from the audience instead of the global poll. This adds a whole new layer to the game as now you’re trying to get into the mind of your audience. Quirky, weird, and fun, Guesspionage is 100% fun to play.guess-2

Fakin’ Itthe-jackbox-party-pack-3-2

Fakin’ It is an odd game to review. Not because it’s hard or confusing to understand, but because this is the only game in the entire collection that is very much not stream friendly. Fakin’ It is for 3-6 players and is very much inspired by the game Werewolf. In this game you and your friends will be given random prompts to do such as pointing your finger at something or holding up a certain amount of hands. The only problem is that one person will not get a prompt and so they have to fake knowing it. This is where you won’t be able to correctly play this online as to really experience the game as its meant to be, you’ll have to get your actual local group of friends over to play, but once you do it’s a riot.fakin

Trying to spot the faker blend in or constantly trying to out them with a good poker face can be super fun. The audience is also back, and they can try and decide who they think the faker is. They don’t have as much influence as in the other games, but it’s still welcome. Overall, how much you play it will depend on if you prefer streaming these games or playing them locally. Either way, you should give the game a shot at least once, but it really can be a magical experience.the-jackbox-party-pack-3

Negatives and Final Thoughts

While I’ve already logged many fun hours with this game, it isn’t perfect. During every round of Tee K.O there’d be a specific part where the announcers voice always overlapped for some strange reason. The game also has a decent amount of loading time when exiting back to the main pack from any of the games. While they were odd, they hindered our experience very little. Although I do hope to see these resolved soon. In conclusion, The Jackbox Party Pack 3 is a perfect example of yearly installments done right. Each year these games get progressively more and more fun and original. It was a tough undertaking to make another one of these, especially after the 2nd one still manages to consume a large amount of time spent during parties, but they really outdid themselves with this collection. If you have an upcoming party of any kind this is a MUST OWN.

Final Verdict: ★★★★★!

The Era Of Wii U Is Over! Say Hello To ‘Nintendo Switch’!

by The_acz

We’ve been waiting for this day a very long time.

https://youtu.be/f5uik5fgIaI

What was originally referred to as Nintendo NX has now evolved into something else. This is the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s next home console that is a hybrid between a console and a handheld. Using the new Switch controller, you can initially play all of your games on a gamepad looking device, but if you choose to, you can easily plug the screen and unhook the side controllers to attach it to a docking station for use on your TV. That’s not where it ends though. The controller screen can als be used as a mini TV while you play the game using only the 2 detachable Joycon analog sticks, just a single Joycon analog , or just get rid of the screen and turn it into a psuedo pro controller for your TV.nintendoswitch_hardware-0-0

Don’t fret though! You can still find a regular controller with the Switch Pro controller which is even more reminiscent of the Wii U pro controller. Afraid about 3rd party support not being there? Not a problem! The Nintendo Switch will have the following Developers on board. Take Two, Capcom, Ubisoft, Bethesda, From Software, Activision, an much much more. No need to worry about drought game months anymore. nintendo-switch-devs-1024x678

And what would a Nintendo console be without first party support. During the video, Nintendo teased fans with quick glimpses of a new Mario Kart, Splatoon, and even a 3D Mario. All of these seem to be hinting at a possibility that all these games could be availble at launch when the system comes out in March 2017, and if that’s true, we’ll be in for one doozy of a line-up.mario-nintendo-switchSo, what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Nintendo Announcing NX TOMORROW!

by The_acz

Oh yeah, you read that right.

No more fooling around. Nintendo has officially announced that they are revealing the highly anticipated NX console tomorrow, October 20th at 7am PST/10am EST. Is it a console? A handheld maybe? A secret alien robot weapon developed by skynet to overthrow our human existence? All this and more will be revealed tomorrow, but until then, all we can do is continue to wait.

The ‘Pokemon Sun & Moon’ Demo Is Out Now!

by The_acz

The long wait is over! Kinda.

This morning, Nintendo released a special demo for Pokemon Sun & Moon for 3DS owners to cut their teeth on while (im)patiently waiting for the game to fully release next month. The demo includes a seperate story different from what the real one will be in the final release and allows you to transfer Ash’s special Greninja to the full game upon demo completion. I’m not even sure if you’re reading this right now. You probably aren’t, and are just playing through the demo. (it’s ok. My feelings are only midly hurt.) ash-greninja

Have you played the demo yet? What are your favorite parts of it so far? Tell us in the comments below! Pokemon Sun & Moon will release for Nintendo 3DS on November 18th.

 

Rockstar Confirms! ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ Announced! 2017 Release!

by The_acz

After a couple of days of teasing, Rockstar has finally announced their next big venture.

As people expected, It looks as though the developer will be heading back to the old west for some unfinished business as Red Dead Redemption 2 was finally announced. Very little is known about the game at this time, but what we do know is that the game is releasing in fall of 2017 and will be premiering a trailer on October 20th.Honestly, while this is cool, we all know that everyone was secretly hoping this would be a sequel to everyone’s favorite Rockstar series of all time. State of Emergency.state-of-emergency-coverAre you excited for RDR2? What are your hopes for a sequel? Tell us in the comments below.rdr2

Long Lost SNES Game ‘Socks The Cat’ Claws Its Way To Kickstarter!

by The_acz

If you remember growing up with Nintendo Power magazine in the 90’s, you might remember seeing ads for an odd looking SNES starring former president Bill Clinton’s cat, Socks.socks-gameplayThe game was completed, being bug tested, and was set to take the Super Nintendo by storm for the fall video game season of 1993. Everything was going fine until the game suffered multiple delays, and never got released due to publisher Kaneko closing down shop. The game is often regarded as one of the biggest pieces of lost media due to the fact that the only copy in existence was owned by a collector who refused to dump the game online.socks_the_cat_continue_screenAll seemed lost, until another collector ended up buying the prototype from him, and this time, the current owner was on a quest to make this game see the light of day. He assembled a group of people and began work, fixing bugs, improving graphics, and obtaining the rights to legally release it.(don’t worry about the bug fixes and graphical upgrades, the original game is still being preserved.) Now the devs ask for your help. With enough support (and $30,000), not only will they be able to release the game digitally, but also provide collectors with physical boxed version! Cartridge, manual,etc.  Check out the link below if  you’re interested.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/481884736/socks-the-cat-the-video-game-based-on-the-clintons?ref=nav_search

Fighting For Fun! ‘Pit People’ Closed Beta Impressions

by The_acz

Pit People is an ambitious project.

The developers at The Behemoth are working their hardest to make one of their weirdest, and best games to date. I got the amazing chance to try out the Xbox One closed beta of the game, and from that, have gathered some thoughts on it. One thing to note before jumping into impressions. The game I played, in its current stage, is unfinished and nowhere near done. Some cutscenes are still in animatic form, and at one point in the game, the main story line just stops. With that in mind, let’s go.pp-bearThe story of Pit People is just as weird of a story as you’d expect coming from The Behemoth. In short, the world was once peaceful, until the giant bear crashed into the planet, causing mass chaos. The game centers around a humble blueberry farmer named Horatio, who is hated by the games narrator and wants him dead. Refusing to die, and very frustrated, the narrator kills Horatio’s family, and now Horatio seeks revenge. Along his journey he meets other members of what will be his crew including the Princess Pipistrella, Yosef the cyclops, and more! Of course, the thing that ties everything together in the story is the delightfully hilarious narrator played by the very talented Will Stamper. (same narrator from Battleblock Theater.)

Pit People is a bit different than other behemoth games. While their other games usually focus on platforming and combat, this game is entirely focused on turn based battles and party management. The game plays very similar to games like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics.  Players move their characters a certain distance on a grid based board to attack enemies, and each weapons and armor have different strengths and weaknesses against each other. There are some things that PP does differently.pp-3One of my favorite things is that you can actually move all your characters in one turn if you want, and while it’s very nice to be able to do this, it doesn’t compensate the difficulty and can still give you a challenge. You can also recruit enemies by buying cages in town and killing everyone but one person in an encounter. You even get a very humorous character entry when catching a new member for your party.pp-2Now, you might be wondering to yourself if there’s anything else that this game has to offer outside of the main story mode, and the answer is yes! As the title of the game implies, you can test your strength in the arena where you have two options. You can play through an endurance type mode where you face off against 3 groups of AI teams in one life in order to score new weapons, armor, money, etc. The other mode is a team vs. team PVP mode against other players. You can even spectate battles and bet on individual players.While I do love this mode, I feel like it’d be fun if they added a bit more to do in spectator mode such as being able to throw insults at other teams, or maybe even throwing objects into the arena. Other than that, it’s a very addicting mode and tons of fun to play.pp-1In conclusion, Pit People really stands out form developer Behemoths other ventures. The scale of this game is a bit beyond what they’ve done with their previous games while still maintaining what makes their games so special. I can’t wait to check out more and jump back into the game when it officially launches. No solid release date is planned yet, but is planning on launching for Xbox One and PC.

The ‘Overwatch’ Halloween Update Is Live!

by The_acz

The Halloween update for Overwatch is finally here! While there have been a few ghostly updates to some existing maps to help set the mod, there’s plenty of new things that this update has. The new brawl is now a special mode known as the revenge of Dr. Junkenstein, which consists of 4 players as McCree, Ana, Soldier 76, and Hanzo battling against Dr. Junkenstein’s evil creations while also defending their castle from him getting in.

You can now also earn and buy Halloween loot boxes which can include special skins and more ranging from a witch outfit for Mercy, to a Headless Horseman costume for Reaper. (Halloween boxes can be earned on console, but not bought until October 12th. The event will run from today until November 1st, so get playing! Are you enjoying your update? What’s your favorite part of it? Tell us in the comments below!

Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘Paper Mario: Color Splash’

by The_acz

Frustration. That is the word that comes to mind when talking about Paper Mario Color Splash. While the game is easily an improvement from the embarrassment that was 2012’s Paper Mario Sticker Star, the game still struggles with a lot of the issues that plagued the previous title, which results in slow paced, boring, and overall disappointing experience.color-splashThe game starts off promisingly enough. Beautiful visuals and a very catchy soundtrack help get you in a good mood. Even the trademark humor that was completely absent in the 3DS predecessor seems to be back in some form, and the initial opening is very reminiscent of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. All seems to be fine and dandy.color-splash-1That is until the gameplay is introduced. Once again, the series has forgone its traditional turn based RPG roots, in favor of a more gimmicky based battle system. Throughout the game you can find, buy, and sell special cards which you use in battle. These are used by selecting a card in your hand via the Wii U gamepad, coloring it in, and then flicking it. While it was amusing the first couple of times, it quickly wore out its welcome. Now, I’m not opposed to changing up how encounters work. In fact, I very much enjoyed the real time battle system in Super Paper Mario, but what the game fails to do with its battle system is find ways to properly incentivize fighting.color-splash-2The game tries to fix this problem by adding hammer scraps. Every time you defeat enemies, you’ll collect scraps of a cardboard hammer, and of you collect enough, you’ll be able to increase your max paint you can use. This however, still does not really work out as the game often forces you into battles rather than the originals which made you want to battle in order to level up. Add to the fact that enemies are already ridiculously easy, and there’s really no joy to the combat at all. I often found myself constantly running away from battles just to preserve my cards for the impending boss fights.  Sadly, those are also very flawed. All main bosses will need a specific set of cards in order for you to beat them. If you lack the proper cards in battle. you’ll never beat them. This makes them feel more like extended and tedious puzzles than actual showdowns.
color-splash-bossSadly, the rest of the gameplay also fails to provide anything resembling fun. Most of your time will be spent running back and forth between different levels in order to find specific items and collect paint stars to open up new areas. Progress is often slow, and tedious. I’m not kidding when I’m telling you that you’ll be spending a good 5-7 hours at the start of the game just trying to get to the first boss. This is the main part of the game, and it’s really frustrating that it artificially extends itself out. Not only that, but the game can be very cryptic at times, so you might spend a good hour or 2 mindlessly wandering a level because you missed a small piece of paper sticking out of a bridge that’s integral to beating that level. After a while, not even the music or visuals can keep you going.color-splash-mapIn conclusion, Paper Mario Color Splash may seem like a step in the right direction, but is still a ways off from the original 3 entries. The biggest problem is that developer Intelligent System seemingly ignored all criticism leveled at Sticker Star and simply just tried using a handheld style approach for a console. It seems like this new team just doesn’t understand what made the series so beloved in the first place. What does the future hold for our paper mache plumber? Who knows? Hopefully, it’s better than this.color-splash-final

Final Rating: ★★/5 Stars

Unleash The Kraken! The Jackbox Party Pack 3 Has A Release Date!

by The_acz

After months of game reveals, and a lot of strenuous testing, the highly anticipated Jackbox Party Pack 3 finally has a release date!

The game is set to release on October 18th For PS4, PC, and Amazon Fire TV, with the Xbox One version coming out 3 days later on October 21st. Are you excited for the new party pack? Which of the 5 new games are you planning on playing first? Tell us in the comments below!jbpp3

*Sigh* ‘Suicide Squad’ Is Getting An Extended Edition.

by The_acz

While it pleased fans, many people (such as me) were frustrated and dissapointed with WB and DC’S second DCEU film Suicide Squad.

It seemed like there was a great film wanting to break out of there, but it was completely torn to pieces in post production as the film had sparatic cutting which resulted in scenes not making sense, characters not getting enough screen time, and many plot elements not properly explained well. Add to the fact that joker actor Jared Leto revealed that about 90% + of his joker was cut out, and many more things, there weren’t many people happy about the film.

Of course there really wasn’t anything else playing in theaters in august so the film was basically king of the box office for the entire month. Now, as multiple people predicted, it seems that this may have been intentional. This morning it was announced that Suicide Squad would be getting an extended edition. This extended cut aims to re insert a lot of the darker elements and a lot more of the Joker and Harley and origin stories. The question remains though, can an extended cut really save this movie? Guess we’ll find out?

Check out the the announcement trailer below and tell us what you think in the comments! Suicide Squad: Extended Edition will release November 15th on digital, and December 13th on Blu-Ray.

 

‘Pokemon Sun & Moon’ Demo Heading To Nintendo E-shop!

by The_acz

We’re just about a month out from Pokemon Sun & Moon, so anticipation for the game is building fast.

Today, Nintendo just announced that there’ll be a free self contained demo for the game on October 18th. Users will be able to download the demo on the E-shop, catch and discover some of the Alola formed Pokemon, and even capture Ash’s Greninja which can be transferred into the full game! Pretty awesome that we’re getting this demo in the first place to help level out anticipation. That or it’ll just make people more impatient.

Are you excited for the demo? What kind of Alola Pokemon are you hoping to find? Tell us in the comments below!

It’s Official! Jon Favreau Will Direct The Live Action ‘Lion King’!

by The_acz

Fresh off the heels of  the highly successful Jungle Book adaptation this year, Disney is giving Iron Man and Jungle Book 2016 director Jon Favreau, the keys to the Disney kingdom. Today the company announced that Favreau will be heading up the live action Lion King movie. No solid release date is planned, but it’s assumed that the film will take advantage of The Jungle Book 2016’s mouth watering visuals, so that’s something to be excited for.

Are you excited for this live action adaption, or do you think that animated Disney films just don’t work out well in live action. Tell us in the comments below!

Shovel Knight Digs His Way Into ‘Yooka Laylee’!

by The_acz

During this past week, Playtonic Games attended EGX 2016 in Birmingham (somewhere in the U.K) to finally showcase their highly anticipated 3D collect-a-thon revival Yooka Laylee to the masses, and with great success! Not only that, but there were a couple of more surprises that were revealed. On top of a very nice Character Parade trailer, they also dropped a massive bomb by confirming that Shovel Knight (yes, that Shovel Knight) will be digging his way into the game. Not much is known how big his appearance will be, but it’ll probably be for a mission or two. Still, this opens up the game for plenty of other crossovers and possibilities (Banjo Kazooie in Xbox version and DK & Diddy in the Wii U version maybe?)

What are our thoughts on this odd, but awesome crossover? What kind of crossover do you want to see? Tell us in the comments below! Yooka Laylee is scheduled to be released in Q1 of 2017 for Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Wii U.

 

This Collector’s Edition Trailer For ‘Sonic Mania’ Is Corny & Amazing!

by The_acz

Announced about a week ago, Sega revealed that the upcoming and highly anticipated Sonic Mania will be releasing with a boxed Collectors Edition that includes a digital download for the game, a Sonic Mania genesis cartridge with a gold ring inside it, and a 12″ Statue of Genesis Sonic on top of a Sega Genesis itself. What you may not have seen is the amazing commercial for it. Just a couple of days ago Sega released this “Rare” 1996 infomercial for the game that they dug up from their archives.  The video is exactly something you’d expect from Sonic the Hedgehog (especially if you keep up to date on his social media shenanigans.)

What do you think of the commercial? Will you be picking up the collectors edition? DO YOU EVEN LIKE SONIC? Tell us in the comments below! Sonic Mania releases for Xbox One, PS4, and PC sometime around Spring of 2017.

“The Escapists”, & More Escape Into Games With Gold For October!

by The_acz

Next Month’s Games with Gold for Xbox has been decided!

From October 1 – 31st, and October 16th – November 15th, Xbox One owners can get their hands on the popular sports game Mega Baseball and also the hit indie breakout (literally) game, The Escapists. Don’t worry 360 owners, You’ve still got games coming to ya. From October 1st – 15th and October 16th – 31st, Xbox 360 (and backwards compatible One users) can add MX Vs. ATV Reflex and Ubisoft’s Action Adventure Survival I Am Alive.  All in all, seems like another solid month of titles, but what do you think? What do you want to see one of these months for Games with Gold? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Geekscape Games Reviews “Pac-Man Championship Edition 2”!

by The_acz

Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 feels familiar, but plays completely different to it’s  DX and original counterparts released 9 years ago. While some core mechanics have changed, it still results in an incredibly fun and addicting game that you won’t be putting down any time soon. Championship Edition 2 changes up some things to appeal to newcomers, but still retains what makes it so loved by gaming veterans.

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Championship 2 is split into 2 modes. Score attack mode is as you remember it from the original. It’s fast paced, heart pumping and dangerously addicting. Bandai Namco did however make a few tweaks to the formula so that there’s still a bit of a learning curve even for vets of the series. Ghosts aren’t an instant kill anymore, instead, depending on what difficulty you’re on, you can bump into them as many as 3 times before enraging them to chase you. Not only that, but ghosts will also flee in a certain pattern when you collect a power pellet. These changes allow for more risk taking, and while it may be harder to catch ghosts with the pellet now, it feels much more satisfying.

 

There are also other new additions such as Jump pads appearing on some courses that can shoot you horizontally or vertically across the field, or Fruit and Power Pellets that start running away from you at higher difficulties. This adds a great new layer of strategy for people already familiar with the Championship Edition formula as it gives them something new to learn

 

The other mode is Adventure Mode. While this may sound new, it’s nothing more than a name change as these are simply the time trial mazes now separated into their own mode. All you have to do is collect the required fruit before the time runs out. While fun and easy on lower settings, get ready to sweat bullets if you crank up the difficulty to pro mode, as you’ll have only seconds to beat the levels on top of trying to chase the aforementioned moving fruit and pellets.While t

 

Now, while this is just a fancy re-skin of the time trial mode, Adventure does add something new in the form of boss battles. At the end of worlds, if you’ve collected enough stars, you will be granted access to a boss fight in which you’ll go up against a giant ghost where the only way to defeat it is by collecting 1-ups and eating the runaway fruit. I found these levels very enjoyable and a nice change of pace as I continually planned out my strategy every time I’d have to try again.

Graphics in the game are very nice. Just like the original Championship games, you’re allowed to tweak the look of Pac-man, the ghosts, the mazes, and even the background and music. Everything from classic arcade to Pac Mania and even a few non Pac-Man surprises (some of them you might DIG.) Music is also superb as the game gives you some really nice techno remixes including a great remix of the main arcade theme that would perfectly fit right at home during a rave party.

If there’s really anything to complain about I guess it’d have to be that when you first boot up the game, it forces you into a mandatory tutorial to teach you the basics before it even lets you play. I can understand having it for newcomers and to introduce new mechanics, but it could have been handled better for people who just want to jump into the game. Maybe give them an option to skip it next time. Other than that, there’s not a lot to hate about the game.

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In conclusion, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 successfully brings new players into the series while also giving long lasting fans something new to learn. The visuals and music are nice and crisp, while the level layouts are very expertly crafted. If this is your first time coming into the world of Championship Edition, then welcome to madness. For those returning though, Welcome back.

Final Verdict: 5/5 buy it!

They’ve Gone Mad! Check Out The Trailer For ‘The Jackbox Party Pack 3’!

by The_acz

Just when you thought it was safe to play party games with your friends again.. ..  ..  .YOU. . . . . .WERE. . .  ..  . .WRONG!

Jackbox Games has just released a trailer for their highly anticipated fall release of The Jackbox Party Pack 3! The new pack contains the highly anticipated Quiplash 2, which will allow for custom prompts as well as new censor options just like the previous Drawful 2. That’s not the only game you should get excited for, as they have their own twisted take on game shows in the form of the very funny but creepy Trivia Murder Party. The pack contains 5 games as a whole, and while there is no price and release date for it yet, it’s pretty safe to assume it’ll fall in line with the other packs at about $25. (although the ape in the trailer is sold separately.)

The Jackbox Party Pack 3 will release this fall for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Which game out of the 5 is your favorite? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Are We Getting The Nintendo NX Reveal Tomorrow? Let’s Take A Look.

by The_acz

Well folks, this week might be the fabled week we’ve all been waiting for. For what?, you may ask?

According to analysts these past couple of months, tomorrow, September 13th, 2016, is apparently the fabled date where Nintendo will finally reveal their secret NX console to the world. While it might seem like a stretch, there are some recent events that have happened today that might just hint at something big for tomorrow. Let’s take a look shall we?

It all started this morning with a simple Snapchat message from Hack My Life host Kevin Pereira snapchatted a photo of Nintendo’s booth at Gamestop Expo with the following.

pereira-nintendo

Now, by itself, this doesn’t mean much. This could easily not be NX related and just be a tease of their booth or a possible new game announcement, however, he did make some suspicious tweets afterwards. The tweets were later deleted, but fast enough people like @Nibellion and @Mattrio23 were able to screen grab the tweets before they disappeared.

pereira-nx-twitter

For those who aren’t able to break the twitter code, it reads: “NX NEWS TOMORROW. MOBILE CONSOLE TWO IN ONE.” Now again, you could take this with a grain of salt and say that he’s just having a laugh by trolling everyone, but it could also hold ground. Remember the Nintendo World Championships from last year? Well, the host was none other than Pereira himself.

https://twitter.com/Attack/status/610178630426058752

Another piece of evidence I was pointed to was a post on Neogaf by user ggx2ac that shows that nintendo will be presenting at Gamestop conference tomorrow around 8-9AM. What date have most analysts and rumors predicted the NX for? September 13th. If you’re interested in seeing the post, check it out here. 

The last piece of evidence is very interesting. According to twitter user @NWPlayer123 Nintendo has updated their NX SDK. (Software Development Kit.) This shows that Nintendo is getting ready to make NX development public as well as a possible general reveal.

nx-sdk

So, with all this info we’ve gotten today, Will we finally be seeing Nintendo’s big NX reveal tomorrow? Who knows. At this point it’s really impossible to predict what Nintendo is planning or when they’re planning it. Only time will tell, but for now, we wait. What do you think? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

 

The Last Guardian Gets Delayed To December.

by The_acz

Being a fan of Sony’s upcoming PS4 game The Last Guardian is suffering.

Announced way back in 2009 for the PS3, the project was revealed at that years E3, only to go dead silent for 6 years until being re-revealed at Sony’s now amazingly infamous E3 2015 of dreams. This year we got another trailer for the stunning game with a release date of October 25th 2016, a mere 6 weeks away. Suffice to say, fans were happy to finally play the game so soon. At least that’s what they thought.

In a post this morning on the official PlayStation Blog, Shuhei Yoshida posted that the development team needs just an extra month or two to make it the best game it can be. The game is now penned for a December 6th 2016 release. (Happy birthday to me!) You can read the update right here. Fans seem to be taking the delay pretty well as people have been more accepting of the delay than No Man’s Sky gate just a couple of months ago. What are your thoughts on the delay? Tell us in the comments below!

 

Apple Partners With Nintendo! ‘Super Mario Run’, ‘Pokemon GO’ On Apple Watch, & More!

by The_acz

Nintendo dropped an unexpected bombshell this morning.

No, not the NX (although 9-13 is fastly approaching.) No, what Nintendo announced today wasn’t a new 3DS, or Wii U, or even NX related, but instead, a partnership with Apple. YES! That Apple. Today, during this mornings Apple event, Shigeru Miyamoto and Bill Trinen took to the stage to announce Super Mario Run for IOS. The game uses the New Super Mario Bros. art style, but is not what you think it is.

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Super Mario Run is not an endless runner, but instead an auto runner with a set number of levels, like a normal Mario game would. The game will be free, but will also include additional things to download for a set fee (perhaps extra levels.) The game will also include other modes such as being able to race against other friends and more! While the game will be coming to Android later on, IOS will be getting the game first starting in December.

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That wasn’t the only Nintendo related thing though. They also announced that starting later this year that Pokemon GO will be making it’s way to the Apple Watch. Not much will different from the normal version, but hey!, now you have Pokemon right on your wrist!

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One more small point. Nintendo also announced that a set of Super Mario stickers will be coming to iMessage sometime soon as well. You can find out more about Super Mario Run by checking out it’s website right here. 

What do you think about these new announcements? Are you excited for Nintendo’s partnership? Sound off in the comments below!

‘The Game Awards’ Return To L.A This December!

by The_acz

Earlier this year, Geoff Keighley confirmed that his love letter to the gaming community, The Game Awards will be returning for another year, but not much was said about it.

Well, now we have a bit more info. Earlier today on Twitter, the official game awards twitter confirmed that the highly anticipated awards show is scheduled to be broadcasted live from L.A on December 1st, 2016. No time or venue has been announced yet, but it’s safe to assume that after the success of last year, they’d hold the event at the Microsoft Theater again. Last year had some great live musical performances, world premiere game announcements, and even a touching tribute to the late great Satoru Iwata. Are you excited for The Game Awards? Tell us in the comments below!

Dwayne Johnson Reveals First Image For Upcoming ‘Jumanji’ Movie!

by The_acz

Not much has been said or shown about the new Jumanji coming in 2017, but today we finally have a bit of news about it.

Yesterday, Dwayne Johnson revealed an exclusive first look of his character Dr. Bravestone on Instagram for all of his followers to bask in his oddly pecless glory. While this is just a piece of concept art right now, the picture does give us a good feel of what his character will look like (hopefully with his glorious pecs in the final product.) Check out the picture below and tell us what you think about it in the comments below!

Jumanji is set to release July 28th, 2017 and stars Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and more.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJ0j40XDw00/?hl=en

‘Super Mario Maker’ Jumps Its Way Onto 3DS!

by The_acz

Looks like the trend of Wii U games making their way to the 3DS isn’t ending any time soon.

Announced this morning during the newest Nintendo Direct, we learned that the super popular Super Mario Maker will be getting its own 3DS port. The handheld version is set to include all tools from the console version and even a brand new tutorial mode to help inspire you to create levels! Sadly, some of the online features from the Wii U version had to be neutered, but in its place, one of the new ways to play peoples levels will be through street pass and local wireless connection. Not only that, but you’ll still be able to play recommended courses and the super popular 100 Mario challenge!

SMM 3DS

That’s still not even everything! Also included will be around 100 or so pre made courses by Nintendo that will have you trying to accomplish many different challenges such as defeating all enemies or collecting all coins within the time limit.  The best part is that you don’t have to wait much longer because the game launches on December 2nd! Are you excited for this port, or are you just going to stick with the Wii U version? Tell us in the comments below!

Nintendo 3DS Direct Coming This Week!

by The_acz

A Nintendo Direct is on its way later this week!

While we don’t know yet if Nintendo might still be secretly planning an NX reveal for later this month, this direct won’t be that. The live stream will be on Thursday September 1st at 7am PST and will solely be focused on upcoming 3DS games and nothing else, however, there is a small chance we could get a reveal date for an NX focused direct for later in the month. This is probably a stretch, but hey!, Nintendo has done stuff like that before. Are you excited for the direct? What 3DS are you hoping to see? Comment below and tell us!

Doug Liman To Direct ‘Justice League Dark’!

by The_acz

While DC and Warner Bros continue to struggle with launching a critical and profitable DCEU film, that’s not stopping them from green lighting more films.

Announced today in a Variety exclusive, WB has hired Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Liman to direct a a Justice League Dark movie for DC’s upcoming cinematic universe slate. Along with Liman, Scott Rudin will be producing. Justice League Dark features lesser known, but still loved characters like John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, and more as it’s intended to be a darker (obviously) version of the Justice League. While this sounds like a great way to get back on track, the question remains whether or not DC and WB can really bounce back after 3 mis-fires.

According to a recent open letter to WB president Kevin Tsujihara, not only has Suicide Squad been a mess from the start, but Wonder Woman is also having troubles of its own. Only time will tell if they can get back on track with WW & JL, or if they should just jump straight to a standalone Affleck Batman film and soft reboot the universe (it’s never too late.) Tell us what you think in the comments below!

Director Doug Liman on the set of JUMPER.

‘Mirror’s Edge’, ‘Assassins Creed Chronicles’, And More Parkour Their Way Onto Games With Gold!

by The_acz

September is shaping up to be another strong month for Xbox’s games with gold.

From September 1st-31th Xbox One owners can grab Earthlock: Festival of Magic, an upcoming turn based RPG from Snowcastle  Games, while 360 owners can race (get it?) their way through Forza Horizon from September 1st-15th. After that, 360 users will also be able to parkour their way through Mirror’s Edge starting from September 16th-30th, while One owners will get the chance to get their thieving hands on Assassins Creed Chronicles: China from September 16th- October 15th. Are you excited for any of these games? Tell us in the comments below!

GWG September

 

Check Out 30 Minutes Of The Unreleased XBLA Port Of ‘GoldenEye 007’!!

by The_acz

Woah! This was pretty unexpected.

Thanks to the website Rare Thief, they somehow managed to get their hands on what seems to be the first 30 minutes of a GoldenEye remake for XBLA. It seems as though at one point in time that the game was legitimately in development, but was sadly scrapped halfway through development. If you’re interested in watching the gameplay, check out the video below. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about GoldenEye XBLA, Check out Rare Thief right here! What do you think about the port? Would you buy this if it still came out. Comment below!