Month: March 2019

Freddy Funko As Jamie Lannister

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Pokemon Sword and Shield were revealed this week as the next Pokemon games for Nintendo Switch. However, it seems the games were teased in 2018–just nobody noticed at the time.

Pokemon director Junichi Masuda tweeted an image of himself back in October holding everyday objects posing as a sword and shield. Of course, it was unlikely anyone could have figured out at the time he was referring to the new Pokemon games, but it’s still amusing to look back on this now-obvious clue.

Pokemon Sword and Shield are to be released in “late 2019.” The games are set in a new region named Galar, which looks to be similar in appearance to Britain. The three starter creatures were shown off in Nintendo’s Pokemon Direct presentation; they are a grass monkey named Grookey, a fire bunny named Scorbunny, and a sad water lizard, Sobble. Gameplay was shown in the Direct but was not detailed extensively, though it seems like the new games will bring back random encounters, among other things. We’ve rounded up the big takeaways from what we’ve seen so far to help you get a handle on what to expect.

For more on the generation eight Pokemon games, check out our thoughts on the strange symbols seen in the trailer. Alternatively, take a look at our list of all the Pokemon seen in Sword and Shield so far.

This weekend’s free Steam deals include two space-inspired adventures. The first is Space Engineers, an open-world game where you explore the galaxy and build spaceships, outposts, space stations, and more, all while gathering resources to survive. The game left Steam Early Access yesterday after more than five years, and not only is it 20% off on Steam, you can play it for free this weekend.

Space Engineers combines engineering and construction gameplay with themes of survival and exploration. The developers created a “realistic, volumetric-based physics engine,” which basically means this game is similar to Minecraft in that everything you see can be used, altered, or destroyed.

“Space Engineers is inspired by reality and by how things work,” the developers shared on the game’s official website. “Think about modern-day NASA technology extrapolated 60 years into the future. Space Engineers strives to follow the laws of physics and doesn’t use technologies that wouldn’t be feasible in the near future.”

Both single and multiplayer modes are available, and a four-pack of the game is 20% off as well if you want to explore the galaxy with friends.

Buy Space Engineers on Steam — $16 (20% off until March 4; free to play for the next two days)

Offworld Trading Company is another game to check out this weekend, as its multiplayer mode is now permanently free. The game is about space economic warfare, where you strategize around supply and demand to ultimately gain dominance over every other player’s trading company. From resource management to black market sabotage, the game requires you to make quick, difficult decisions that can make or break your strategy.

In our review, we gave Offworld Trading Company a 9/10, and it also made our list of the top games of 2016 as one of the best strategy games of the year. Even though direct combat plays no role, the gameplay is far from boring, with real-time multiplayer matches that are intense.

“Matches are vicious, and the scales often tip dramatically,” wrote GameSpot’s Edmond Tran. “Nobody would have ever thought a game centered around capitalism could get your heartrate up so high, but Offworld Trading Company succeeds with its truly unique, wonderfully-executed concept.”

As a plus, the core game is also 70% for the next week, so if you decide you’re a fan after trying free multiplayer mode, you can snag the game for just $6 until March 7.

Buy Offworld Trading Company — $6 (70% off until March 7; free multiplayer mode)

Nintendo is releasing a new set of playable characters for Mario Tennis Aces. Beginning today, March 1, the mayor of New Donk City, Pauline, is making her debut in the Switch tennis games, while two classic Mario villains will join the roster in the next couple of months.

As with Aces’ previous DLC characters, players can unlock Pauline by playing at least one match in the game’s Online Tournament mode this month, while everyone else will automatically get her after April 1. As you can see in the trailer above, Pauline is a speedy character, and her Special Shot has her delivering a powerful smash from atop New Donk City Hall.

Pauline arrives alongside Aces’ 2.3.0 update, which also kicks off a new Co-op Challenge called Shy Guy Train Tussle. Following Pauline, two more classic Mario enemies will be added to the game’s roster: Magikoopa and Dry Bones. The former will be available in April, while the latter is set to arrive in May.

This marks Pauline’s first appearance in a Mario sports game, but she’s actually one of the earliest characters in the Mario series. She’s best known for being the damsel-in-distress in the original arcade Donkey Kong game, a role she’d later reprise in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. Most recently, she made an appearance in Super Mario Odyssey and even canonically sings that game’s theme song, “Jump Up, Super Star!“

Nintendo has introduced a number of new characters to Mario Tennis Aces since its launch last June, including Shy Guy, Diddy Kong, Petey Piranha, and Luma. The most recent addition was the classic Super Mario 3 mid-boss Boom Boom, who joined the roster in February.

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The Walking Dead might not be the immense ratings hit it once was, but it’s still popular enough for AMC to be developing further spin-offs and movies alongside the main series. Last year, it was announced that a series of Walking Dead movies were in the works, and now it has been confirmed that a new spin-off show is being developed.

As reported by to Deadline, AMC revealed the news via its quarterly earnings call. While AMC CEO Josh Sapan didn’t provide any specific details about the new show, he did state that a new Walking Dead spin-off was in “active development.”

“We’re not at a stage where we’ll be announcing its plans to premiere,” he said “But we have hired creative people that have pitched story outlines. We feel very good about the development of that series.”

If a new Walking Dead spin-off happens, it will join Fear the Walking Dead, which is set during the early months of the zombie apocalypse and premiered in 2015. The fifth season is due later this year.

In terms of the Walking Dead movies, they were announced in November last year and are expected to focus on the character of Rick Grimes, played by Andrew Lincoln. Lincoln left the main show at the start of the current ninth season, but Walking Dead chief content officer Scott Gimple confirmed that he will return for the films, along with co-star Pollyanna McIntosh, who plays Jadis. It is unknown when they are likely to be released, but the first movie is expected to start filming in 2019.

Current audience numbers for The Walking Dead are nowhere near the numbers it enjoyed in 2014, when the Season 5 premiere became the most watched cable show of all time. Nevertheless, it is still the most popular drama on cable, and as The Wrap notes, its audience decline is in line with a fall in cable viewers across the board.

Dead or Alive 6‘s release date has finally arrived, and the fighting game is available now for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. All the talk in the lead up to launch was about how developer Team Ninja was toning down the series’ traditional oversexualized look to help ease newcomers in to the franchise. But has Team Ninja followed up on that claim and, crucially, is the game any good?

GameSpot’s Dead or Alive 6 review-in-progress says it’s a mixed bag but ultimately a good choice for those looking to get into fighting games. To help you get a wider view of critical opinion, we’ve roundup up a bunch of reviews for you below. You can also check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic for the full picture on Dead or Alive 6’s critical reception.

• Game: Dead or Alive 6
• Developer / Publisher: Team Ninja / Koei Tecmo
• Release date: out now
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Price: $60 / £55 / AU $100

GameSpot — 7/10 (Review-In-Progress)

“DoA6 is a fun, engaging fighter with great-feeling, easy-to-pick-up combat, a strong sense of visual style, and a lot of personality. If you’re looking for a new fighting game to learn the ins and outs of–or perhaps a nice entry into the 3D side of fighting games–DoA6 is a fighter of choice.” — Heidi Kemps [Full review]

Eurogamer — No Score

“Accessibility and tutorials cannot compensate for what is, ultimately, a fighting game that feels out of the loop and out of time. Dead or Alive 6 won’t make a dent on the competitive fighting game community, and I can’t see it expanding its modest fanbase, either. I can’t help but struggle to understand those who get horny from this game when the internet in all its glory is a mobile phone tap away. I mean, there’s sexier stuff made out of Source Filmmaker – probably involving the Dead or Alive girls – than is in this game. Dead or Alive 6 stumbles into 2019 like a drunken uncle staggers onto the dancefloor at a wedding: past it and likely to embarrass.” — Wesley Yin-Poole [Full review]

IGN — 8.0/10 (Review-In-Progress)

“Dead or Alive 6 makes a strong case for the franchise’s fundamental combat by making it easier to understand what sets it apart from other fighters, other than its infamous ‘jiggle physics.’ The story campaign is disjointed but it and the other training modes serve as effective instruction for getting new players up to speed for online combat quickly, and the new Break Hold and Break Blow moves give you a way out even when you seem locked into an endless juggle of doom.” — Mike Epstein [Full review]

Trusted Reviews — 3.5/5

“Dead or Alive 6 is an enjoyable fighter, with a lot going for it. Koei Tecmo has looked back on the series’ somewhat juvenile history and decided it’s time to grow up. Well, sort of. Sexualised fan-service is still here if you’re willing to dig for it, and some of the character designs might rub you the wrong way, but it’s far from a deal-breaker and no longer defines what DOA is all about. A robust combat system, plentiful characters and a meaningful progression system combine to create a worthwhile fighter that I’d recommend checking out. It certainly isn’t the finest the genre has to offer, but it does more than enough to stand out.” — Jade King [Full review]

US Gamer — 3/5

“Dead or Alive 6 carries much of the franchise’s risque DNA, but shows a bit more initial restraint. The more revealing costumes are unlockable and the jiggle physics tend towards a bit more realism now. Combat remains accessible, but new moves like the Break Blow and evasion add new layers for DOA vets. Dead or Alive 6 could use a little more graphical polish and its netcode needs to be better, but it’s a pretty good fighter all around.” — Mike Williams [Full review]