King of Fighters XIV ver. 2 has been released today. It’s an update that includes 4 characters (3 returning characters and 1 debuting character) and 2 new stages: a remake of Monaco from KOF 97 and a remake of Terry Bogard’s iconic Fatal Fury train stage. The new stages, along with the balance updates are available free on Playstation Network Store, and the characters can be bought for $5.99 each or in a 4 pack for $19.99. Check out the new character trailers after the jump.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Metroid 2 is an often overlooked part of the franchise, however, the events in the game have repercussions throughout the franchises’ later entries. ProjectAMR2 has put together an amazing remake of the Gameboy classic, which you download at http://metroid2remake.blogspot.nl/p/about-project.html. The remake features updated graphics, a remixed soundtrack, gameplay similar to Metroid: Zero Mission, and a log system. The PC version is available now, a linux version is coming soon. Grab it now before the inevitable cease and desist from the big N.

Although Nintendo’s presentation was brief, one of the few games they showed off, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild easily stole the show. Although details on the plot itself were scarce, it’s clear that there are a number of changes to the game, not the least of which is that the game takes place in an open world similar to western RPGS like Skyrim, Gothic, and Kingdoms of Amalur. According to Nintendo, the game’s world is at least 10 times bigger than that of Twilight Princess. Link can use a horse to get around, and will have to rely on food and clothing, so it appears there is a survival mechanic built into the game. Also for the first time in the series (not counting the CD-I entries), there is actual voice acting and dialogue! Sadly, the game won’t be out until next year on both the Wii U and the upcoming NX. In the meantime, check out Gamespot’s 25 reasons why Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild may be the coolest, craziest Zelda yet.

Several games in the recent past have used Africa as a backdrop. Far Cry 2 had you stepping in a war between 2 warring African powers, Far Cry 3 had you trying to escape an island near Africa that was ran by a homicidal cartel of human traffickers, Resident Evil 5 had you gunning down infected villagers in war torn shanty towns, while Call of Duty (along with other military FPS games) had you gunning down enemy insurgents in similarly war-torn villages. All of these games of course have something in common; you’re basically the one-man army out to kill every bad guy in sight in decrepit war-torn lands. Then again there are Cabela’s hunting games, but who plays any of those? Africa has a rich mythological and spiritual history that makes it ripe for gaming. Not only that, the continent itself has a vibrant gaming scene full of young and hungry developers eager to make their mark upon the world. Kiro’o Games, one of these developers, has tapped into Africa’s rich culture with its debut action rpg, Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

If you had a Super Nintendo, you might vaguely remember Konami’s sleeper hit, Cybernator. In that game, players took control of a mech as they bought untold amounts of destruction upon the enemy. Gigantic Army, developed by Astro Port, seems to be a spiritual successor to Konami’s classic. Once again, players take control of a mech as they bring untold amounts of destitution upon an enemy. Before you begin the game, you select a basic loadout for your mech. You also have a shield, jetpack, and a melee weapon. While most of the game’s enemies are pushovers, the real challenge comes in conserving HP as you battle the game’s larger-than-life bosses. Also, a timer constantly counts down, forcing players to always be on the move. This insures that the action is chaotic and frantic at all times. The story (not that there is much of one) is told through diary entries in between levels. If you’re a fan of 16-bit gaming, you’ll want to check this game out. It’s on sale on steam for only $2.99, so check it out.

While it doesn’t have half as many entries as Mario, Pokemon, or Legend of Zelda, Metroid is one of Nintendo’s most prolific franchises, at least in North America. Along with introducing one of gaming’s strongest female characters, it helped pioneer a new style of gameplay that developers frequently revisit in everything from open world titles to indie retro throwbacks. Even today, Super Metroid is regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time and it’s Virtual Console appearance is a top seller. However, the franchise’s success isn’t as widespread in Japan, Nintendo’s home base. This probably explains why we haven’t received a new title in the series since 2010’s lukewarmly received “The Other M”. It also possibly explains why Nintendo decided to make the series then-next gen debut (it was on GameCube, and it was the first game in the series since Super Metroid 8 years prior) as a FPS. While many players were unsure of the new direction, Metroid Prime, developed by Retro Studios, managed to hit it out of the park. Two sequels followed, both managing to be good in their own right. Despite the first person gameplay, Metroid Prime retains everything that fans loved about the Metroid series. It’s still exploration heavy, and there were loads of gadgets to collect. Metroid Prime Trilogy was previously a Wii-only disc title. It received a limited print run, and copies of the disc would be sold for as much as $50 used. Thankfully, Nintendo announced plans to include Wii games on Wii U’s virtual Console, Metroid Prime Trilogy being one of them. It’s only $20 now, so if you have yet to expereince these games, now is the time. Since this is the Wii version, you’ll need a Wiimote and nunchuck for it.

The Ouya isn’t exactly taking the world by storm, but I still gotta show it some love. Yes I know its launch wasn’t exactly perfect and not that many people are buying the software, but it’s not a triple A console, it’s an independently developed project funded via kickstarter. It’s $99, it can run your favorite retro games via emulator, it has a library of games already available for it (for better or worse), and you can develop software for it. That last part is especially important, because with the indie development scene exploding, you’ll wind up with experimental entries like American Dream that you won’t see on Steam any time soon.
[Read the rest of this entry…]

Age of Empires 2 is one of the most influential entries in the real time strategy genre. Combining Civilization-style world building with traditional 4X strategy gameplay, AOE 2’s game mechanics still help it remain popular among gamers to this day, even more so than it’s HD remake.
[Read the rest of this entry…]