Enemy in turns in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. can take awhile, and this has been a gripe that some folks have had with the game. You can speed up those turns just slightly by holding down the select button. It won’t make a massive difference, but it’s better than nothing!
Some – but not all – Walmart locations intend to hold a midnight launch for the gold Mario amiibo. Stores that are open for 24 hours will be able to purchase the figure at midnight. For those that don’t, consumers will need to wait until their local Walmart opens on March 20.
Walmart has also explained how the retailer will be handling the actual release of the gold Mario amiibo. Here’s what Amiibo Inquirer was told:
We will have designated areas set up for lines and associates will be ready to direct customers to those areas. We will also be limiting customers in line to the purchase of 2 per person. We’ll also be letting customer know when/if we run out of product so they aren’t continuing to stand in line. If we still have product left after everyone in line has been served, we will lift the limit on the purchase quantity.
Humanature Studios opened a Kickstarter for Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove towards the end of last month. Ever since the campaign stared, the game’s developers expressed interest in making the game for various platforms.
Humanature has now shown clear interest in developing a Wii U version of Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove. If funds manage to reach $800,000, we’ll be seeing the title on the eShop.
You can check out the Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove Kickstarter here. There’s plenty of information about Humanature’s Toejam and Earl revival on the page. You can also watch a video above.
Update: Bumped to the top, and with good news! The gold Mario figure is not delayed after all. Take a look at this statement from Walmart:
There’s no trouble in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario Amiibo fans will still see Gold on March 20, 2015. Walmart.com pre-order customers may have seen an incorrect availability date in their account, and we’re in the process of correcting that order information to assure fans that there are no delays.
Walmart is sending out emails to some consumers today stating that their gold Mario amiibo pre-order has been delayed. At least in my case, the figure is now releasing on April 8, and is expected to arrive on April 13.
Walmart’s email notes:
Thank you for your Walmart.com preorder. The release date of the item(s) listed below has been delayed. The revised arrival date is shown below.
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Please note that Walmart does not control this release date, which is set by the manufacturer.
I can’t say I understand what’s going on here. Hopefully the gold Mario amiibo still makes it to stores later this month!
Runbow is going to end up supporting a whole bunch of controllers. You’ll be able to use the GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller, Wii Classic Controller, Wiimote, and nunchuck.
13AM Games producer Dave Proctor told Shacknews that the team also looked into GameCube controller support as well. Sadly, it’s unlikely to be supported because it’s being branded as a Smash Bros. peripheral.
Proctor said:
We have looked into it. It is currently only branded as a “Smash Bros. periperal,” so unfortunately, we can’t get access to that. We do have support for Wii U Pro Controllers, we are working on a patch to plug in seven Wii Remotes, we have support for the Wii Classic Controller, as you’ve seen, and we’ve also added support for the Nunchuk. Worst case scenario, someone’s got a Nunchuk, they can use half the controller. It’s got all the buttons you need. We just want everybody to get the biggest experience they can.
Last year we told you about a small indie title known as “Shapes of Gray”. The developer shared a new update today, revealing that quite a bit has changed over the past few months.
The latest from Secret Tunnel Entertainment is below:
The core design is still there, but the interactions between the various enemies are more complex and dynamic. After getting some great feedback from other developers who have worked on similar games (like Alex Neuse, the lead director of the BIT.TRIP series, and Rami Ismail, the producer behind Luftrausers and Nuclear Throne), I also added in more eye candy and visual polish, along with a ton of new sound effects, all of which add up to make the game world feel much more alive.
Probably the biggest criticism of the original PC version of Shapes of Gray was that there was no score-tracking; imagine, an arcade game with no way to see your high score! Having people tell me that my game is fun and that they’d like to play it over and over again, but that they have no incentive to, was pretty disappointing—so one of the biggest additions that I’ve made to the Wii U version of Shapes of Gray is the Arcade Mode. Designing Arcade Mode has been a ton of fun, and there are a few differences in how it plays that make it really interesting to “figure out”—you’ll get more info on that in just a few weeks.
On top of all that, there’s still so much more to the Wii U version of Shapes of Gray that I can’t wait for you all to see. The core game is now doubled in length, with twice as many enemies and bosses, there are new powerups scattered throughout the levels, there are challenges for the best players to take on, and there are even some awesome new surprises that you’ll have to see for yourself. Of course, the fantastic soundtrack (composed by Negative World’s very own Chicago-based indie-punktronic Andrew Nee) is still intact, and sounds better than ever being blared into your ears from the Wii U Gamepad speakers.
Speaking of which, there will be Gamepad-only play too—because what’s a Wii U game without it?
Secret Tunnel Entertainment remains on track for launch sometime this spring.
