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Revealed during an AMA on reddit earlier this week, actor Mark Rolston– who played roles in films like The Shawshank Redemption, and games like Halo 4 and Injustice: Gods Among Us— will be voicing the antagonist ‘Deathstroke’ the Terminator’. “”Wow, there have been so many people chasing that one,” mused the game’s creative director Eric Holmes during the chat with fans.

Via Gamespot

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“We take compliance with all industry standards and regulations very seriously. It was extremely disappointing to see a number of competitors break street date over Thursday and Friday on Nintendo products across both online and store environments.”

“We are seeing street date breaches occur on a frequent basis and this undermines the work which goes in to creating exceptional launches. We’ve worked very closely with Nintendo in the run-up to launch in order to make them as successful as possible. We have worked with them on every decision taken.”

– GAME category director Charlotte Knight


This comes in response to multiple retailers allowing folks to purchase Pokémon X/Y early, which greatly upset Nintendo and may have caused fines to be issued in certain cases. GAME has been guilty of breaking street dates before, however– just not with such colossal franchises.

Via MCVUK


Their figures for Watch_Dogs are (a bit) more conservative, but with Assassin’s Creed IV Ubisoft is expecting sales figures to hit the double-digit millions. 10 million would put the game ahead of most this holiday season, but it’s worth noting (thanks, VideoGamer!) that Assassin’s Creed III actually sold even more than that, clocking in at 12.5 million.

Assassin’s Creed IV will be out on October 29th for Wii U.

Via VideoGamer


Understandably, Ubisoft’s stock took a hit this week after they announced the delay of two of their biggest titles this holiday season: Watch_Dogs and The Crew. Both games were pushed into 2014, and shortly thereafter the company’s shares fell by the biggest margin they’ve seen since they debuted on the stock exchange all the way back in 1996. On top of that, we recently reported that the company said Rayman Legends and Splinter Cell: Blacklist sold below expectations, which probably contributed to their troubles.

Via Gamespot


watch_dogs


“In fact, we play-tested the game until the last minute. With the most relevant information in hand, the decision was the most relevant to take. What we saw in the play-tests is that we were very close to the quality we wanted, but not exactly at the level. We thought that with more time we could give it a far bigger potential, so we think the best way to take care of this brand is to make sure it has everything it can be supplied to the customers that are expecting it.”

– Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot


Watch_Dogs was delayed until early 2014 earlier this week.

Via Gamespot


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“There was nothing that you could put in front of everybody that said, ‘This is what the experience is.’ I think one of the things that was a real indicator of that was just, anecdotally, if you went into a retailer and you talked to somebody in the games department, they didn’t even understand what it was. I did the secret shopper kind of thing, and they would say, ‘Well, there’s no difference between the Wii and Wii U.’ I’m standing there, looking at them, going, ‘Wow!’ I think that right there was an anecdotal piece of evidence [showing] that people didn’t get it.

“There should have been a Wii Sports-type game that let everybody get it. Those huge franchises would have gotten the loyal Nintendo person, but it was Wii Sports that got all the people outside the Nintendo world to look and say, ‘This is a really, really neat, fun thing to do.’

“I think there was something really special about the Wii and the way that whole thing happened that they didn’t even know was going to happen. I don’t think there was the possibility that the Wii U was ever going to repeat that. I’m not sure they expected that [either].”

– IHS Electronics & Media’s Senior Games Analyst Christine Arrington


Arrington does not give any details on her research, and the only concrete evidence she brings to the table is anecdotal. This appears to be purely speculative.

Benzinga, Via NintendoLife


System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: September 20th, 2013
Developer: Zeptolab
Price: $9.99

Author: Jack

Ever go to prom? Remember the overwhelming tension and excitement surrounding the build-up to the big day? Rushing to get a last-minute suit vest the same hue as your beloved sweetie pie’s dress, making sure that painful last payment on your limousine rental went through, flipping through your anthology for the optimal Ja Rule record on the way there to set the mood just right… ah, I can almost feel it as though it were yesterday. In fact, my prom was yesterday (I’m in the Navy), and the most vivid memory I have of that fateful eve was getting my mullet trimmed and cut into a bowl cut earlier that afternoon.

While there’s surely no surrogate to be had for a proper trim and cut, with the recent release of Cut the Rope from hitherto unknown Russian developer ZeptoLab, you can now come close to replicating the same pleasurable feeling I experienced at the hands of the barber in the comfort of your home with your 3DS stylus. At a price of $9.99 (compared to the lousy $17 run-around deal I got for a pretty standard bowl shape), Cut the Rope checks off every box a figurative contemporary downloadable game assimilates, and through sheer content and professionalism, releases as one of the most polished and notable puzzle titles to be consumed on the 3DS eShop. Om Nom.

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Gotta go fast!


System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: September 19th, 2013
Developer: QubicGames
Price: $4.99/£4.49/€4.99


Author: Austin

Alas, what is AiRace Speed? Those with a notable collection of DSiWare titles may remember a little game called AiRace Tunnel, and this– if you intend to stop reading here– is like a shinier and (hopefully) better version of that. But why am I trying to describe it to you? Let’s take it from the folks over at Qubic themselves:

“AiRace Speed is a futuristic racing game providing a challenging and unique sense of speed and adrenaline. It is regarded already by many as one of the best racing games on Nintendo 3DS, especially at its low price of $4,99 (or 4,99€ or £4,49).”

Because they are such efficient and helpful people, they also provided a list of what you can expect in the game:

• Fly across 18 adrenaline-fueled tracks

• Take control of 5 high-tech jets

• Enjoy stunning graphics and immersive 3D effects

• Compete in online global leaderboards

• Try to unlock 42 special achievements

If you’re intrigued, read onwards! The most important information is right after the break.


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Making anything never felt so heroic. Sort of.


System: Nintendo Wii U/3DS
Release Date: September 24th, 2013
Developer: 5th Cell
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment


Author: Austin

Scribblenauts had pretty humble beginnings four years ago when it made its first public splash at E3 2009. Back then, the game was known as little more than an ambitious title from a somewhat-proven developer (5th Cell, who were at the time known for Drawn to Life and Lock’s Quest) that promised you the moon and seemed to be delivering on it. The game released to fairly warm reception despite some naysayers, and has since gone on to become something of a household gaming name like LEGO or Skylanders.

With Scribblenauts Unmasked— the latest, DC Comics-infused entry in the series– the spiritual parallels to a franchise like Skylanders have become even more apparent. The game feels unapologetically directed towards younger audiences, and while it’s obvious that any lay-gamer (or D.C. comics fanatic) would have a hayday merely playing around with the object creator, someone looking for real satisfaction on a deeper level probably won’t find it within Unmasked.



Jack came up with a fantastic analogy about toilet seats during this episode.



This is the best I’ve felt about a podcast in a while! We had discussions (as per usual) about game design, we talk about Pokémon X/Y and Wind Waker HD in WWP, we go over news, we tackle yet another belligerent emailer who is very angry at Nintendo, and we talk a bit about “abject” fun vs. “intellectual” video gaming and which types we prefer. This (plus much more!) makes for quite an action-packed show!

This Week’s Podcast Crew: A and J and L.



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