Nintendo Land will live forever After getting off the plane on the way home from BlizzCon, one thought was in my mind when I heard the robotic voice that’s part of the shuttle from terminal to terminal — “Monita.” Indeed, the AI at my airport sounds like an uncanny replica of theNintendo Landhost, and my wife and I laugh every time we hear it. For all 10 of us that owned a Wii U, we probably don’t have a united front when it comes to this monotone tutorial bot....

Atomfallis one of the few new video game releases during the last week of March, and we now know the exact launch time for both the standard launch and early access. The upcoming survival title will be available in two different editions:StandardandDigital Deluxe. The latter includes a set of bonus goodies and allows you to play three days in advance. Let’s take a look at the release timings for both editions....

The twoBayonettaSwitch games just got a version 1.1.0 patch (1,2), mostly to shore things up language-wise (Korean, and traditional/simplified Chinese) ahead of the release ofBayonetta 3in October — as well as the debut of the firstBayonettaon Switch in physical form. Due out on September 30 (mine already shipped!), a$30 physical edition of the original game will be released, said to be “limited in number” by Nintendo directly. Interestingly enough, the Masquerade Edition ofBayonetta 3will have three sleeves, which will allow you to store the first entry in it....

Despite boxed copies of PC games being largely irrelevant to many of us for years now, someone is still buying these things. We know thatAlan Wakewill see a release on Steamsometime next month, and now Nordic Games has stepped in to help bring it to retail. There’s no word on a specific date for this one either, but it is set to include add-on content “The Signal” and “The Writer.” Nordic CEO Lars Wingefors comments: “We are really looking forward to the PC version ofAlan Wake, especially as we are talking about a fantastic PC adaptation thereof, rather than a mere porting of the code....

Along with Facebook and Google accounts In the minds of most gamers,Bungieis still synonymous with Microsoft and the Xbox. But the studio appears to be broadening its audience with the recent update to its website. Bungie.net now gives players the option to log in through the use of a Facebook, Google, or evenPlayStation Network account. The new site is still in beta, but the current services available to players are the forums with revised tag searching and private group threads....

Switch tax? The Switch tax is one of the only major problems developers and publishers seem to have with Nintendo’s new Switch console. While it seems much easier to develop for, the idea that games won’t evenfiton a standard SD retail card or require 15GB downloadsafterpopping in the card,orthat they cost $10 more than other versions, keeps coming up. Capcom, it seems, isn’t even going to bother in Europe for theResident Evil Revelations Collection....

Studio shakeup BioWare Canada is going through some major personnel changes in the immediate future. The role of general manager is getting a shakeup as the studio’s de facto head is leaving and a familiar face is returning. In two separate posts on BioWare’s blog today, it was announced that current GMAaryn Flynn is leavingand that former BioWare executive producerCasey Hudson is coming backto take over. Flynn has spent 17 years at the Edmonton studio, which is essentially the entirety of his professional career....

I’ve been patiently anticipatingChicken Police: Into the Hivesince its announcement last June. I loved 2020’sChicken Police:Paint it RED, and was hopeful for a continuation. I got an early lookat the demo, and it’s a pretty bland taste, but it’s not necessarily indicative of a problem. I think it’s difficult to build a demo of any narrative-centric game. Usually, these sorts of titles have a slow build with character introductions, and they may not begin any meaty twisting until later in the game....

Nioh filled a void in my figurative gaming soul Crafting a personal Game of the Year list is one of my favorite holiday traditions. It’s my chance to get weird and profess my love for several projects that might not be all that popular, and give people a window into how I spend my time. Much of my schedule is dedicated to working on assignments and sifting through new releases each week, but there’s a handful of games I keep going back to — whether it’s by myself, with friends, or with my lovely wife....

So maybe you’re aware by now thatHalo 4‘ssoundtrack is being composed by Neil Davidge of Massive Attack. I was admittedly surprised by this — theHaloseries had always fallen more on the orchestral side than the electronic one in my mind — but that’s not to say that electronic elements haven’t been a big part of the series as well. During our time withHalo 4here at E3, however, we had the chance to hear some of the music in action, and I was pleasantly surprised to find Davidge’s contributions reminding me of something out ofMetroid....

Nintendo spent the bulk of itsE3 2012 press briefingon the Wii U, focusing on a glossy black version of the hardware in addition to the white console and GamePad that were unveiled a year ago. We still don’t have more precise hardware specifications for the console than theinformationNintendogave outlast year, but the company released some details on the GamePad today. The GamePad weighs in at about 1.10 pounds (500 g), a bit lighter than any of Apple’s various iPad models, and measures — protrusions aside — approximately 10....

EA Sports has started a surprise maintenance forEA FC 25that’s currently live as of writing, and it has disrupted all kinds of online matchmaking. Unlike the usual patterns, EA Sports didn’t make a prior announcement about the maintenance. Players only learned about the timings from an in-game message that didn’t pop up for everyone. Thankfully, we have confirmed information about when the servers will be back. EA FC 25 server maintenance schedule (May 7) The maintenance began as expected on May 7....

From the creators of Beyond Black Mesa… As a fan ofKillzone, this live-action short is just about the greatest thing ever. Set between the events of the second and third game, the story follows a small team of Vektan soldiers on a mission to head off a Helghast battalion, thereby securing their ISA comrades’ retreat. While watchingKillzone: Interceptthe cinematography triggered a memory ofBeyond Black Mesa, a comperableHalf-Lifeproject that released early last year....