Monthly Archives: February 2015
Amiibo Makes Mario Party 10 Better
It wasn’t apparent at E3 2014, but Mario Party 10 might just be the showcase game for amiibo. See, collecting these figurines has become an obsession for a lot of folks at IGN (and on the internet). Each week, we scramble through emails and physical packages looking for our pre-ordered figurines. IGN editor Brian Altano buys amiibo in bulk as a backup plan. He fears a cancellation will cause him to miss one. But amidst all the amiibo hording, we aren’t using these figures in our games at the office.
Amiibo Party aims to change all that. It’s a dedicated mode in Mario Party 10 that’s built around Nintendo’s figurine platform. And it won’t unlock on the main menu unless you actually have an amiibo. Each one you scan through the GamePad unlocks a character-specific board skin that’s full of little touches like Goombas, Toads, and more. These boards could also be described as a modular takes on Monopoly -- they split into four quadrants and each section can be swapped out with the corresponding piece from another character’s board. There’s only one path to take on the board, but warp pipes will help you get around quickly.
‘Squirt-em-up’ Flame Over Gets a Release Date
Firefighting squirt-‘em-up Flame Over is coming to PS Vita on March 10 in America, and March 11 in Europe.
The game sees players putting out fires and rescuing cats from a top-down perspective in what’s described as a “pyroguelike” twin-stick shooter. It also features randomly generated levels, which we’re told has “Billions of combinations!” and perma-death - although dying can be made more manageable via the game’s upgrade system.
When it releases, you’ll be able to pick up Flame Over for $10 in the States, €10 in Europe, and £8 in the UK.
Fable Legends is a Free-to-Play Game
Microsoft has confirmed it's upcoming four-versus-one title, Fable Legends, will be a free-to-play game on both Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.
Lionhead has been inspired by Riot and its success with League of Legends, with the heroes available rotated over time or able to purchase for permanent use with in-game currency or real cash.
Four heroes will initially be available for free. After a couple of weeks, all four will become unavailable and be replaced by a new quartet. This will continue, eventually looping round and starting again. In-game silver, earned through quests, can be used to add a hero to your stable permanently or you can use real money. Thankfully your hero and equipment progress won't be reset each time they get taken off rotation, so you can start where you left off each time your favourite character returns.
Final Fantasy 15 Director: ‘The End is in Sight’
Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata has promised progress on the game is being made, explaining the team is about 60 percent done with the title.
Speaking to IGN, Tabata reassured anxious players that development was making good progress despite it sounding comparatively slow when you consider it was 55 percent complete last September, and looks set to speed up from here once the Episode Duscae demo arrives.
"It’s about 60 percent now," he says. "People may look at that and say 'well, you’ve only done five more percent!' but it’s actually a lot more complicated than that.
Minecraft Sells a Whopping 500K in Japan
Minecraft on PlayStation has shifted over 500,000 units in Japan.
Sony confirmed the news to GI.Biz, saying that the figure is made up of the digital version of Mojang’s juggernaut across PS4, PS3, and PS Vita.
Interestingly, PS Vita sales account for 200,000 units of the overall figure. As a direct result of the Vita’s success, Mojang is now planning to release a packaged version of the game in March.
Of course, the figure is but a drop in ocean of Minecraft’s overall sales, which now sits at around 30 million downloads worldwide.
If you’re one of the few people still yet to take dive, don’t forget IGN has a complete Minecraft wiki for anyone looking for hints, tips, or crafting recipes.
Austrian Men Replace Paralysed Hands With Robotic Ones
Three Austrian men have had their paralysed hands amputated and replaced with a robotic prostheses.
According to the Lancet medical journal, the trio of men suffered brachial plexus injuries, which can permanently impair and damage hand functionality. The reconstruction was performed between April 2011 and May 2014.
The treatment itself occurred in two stages. The first was to identify and create electromyographic signals which were then used for prosthetic control, and the second, to amputate the hand and replace it with a mechatronic prosthesis.
Payday 2: Crimewave Edition Coming to Consoles in June
505 Games has announced that the Crimewave Edition for Payday 2 will launch, with lots of DLC included, in June for PS4 and Xbox One.
Over a year's worth of DLC and free updates will be included in the box, along with The Big Bank Heist, and Clover; the first female character.
Pre-ordering the Crimewave Edition from participating retailers will unlock the Hard Time Loot Bag, which includes exclusive masks, patterns, a red dot sight and a bundle of in-game cash.
You can find out more information about Payday 2 on the game's website. Or you can check out IGN's review of this "deep, addictive co-op shooter".
Final Fantasy 14 Has Over 4 Million Registered Accounts
Square Enix has announced it's MMO Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has over 4 million registered accounts.
This number, which marks a pretty massive jump from the 2.5 million accounts revealed at the end of last year, doesn't include accounts made for free trials of the game. We don't know how many of these are active, but it's clear interest in the game is growing at a substantial rate.
To celebrate the announcement, Square Enix has revealed a free login period will kick off Friday, February 27 at 8am GMT and finish on Monday, March 9 at 8am GMT. To be eligible, you have to have apparently "previously purchased and registered Final Fantasy XIV and
Gran Turismo 6 Update Adds New Car and Track
Today's Gran Turismo 6 update will add a new car, a new track, a new feature, and a few other small tweaks.
The new car will be the MINI Clubman Vision Gran Turismo, which can be purchased once the update has finished installing. Alternatively, you can get the car by completing a lap in the limited time Season Event.
The Mid-Field Raceway makes a return from previous GT games, with its popular mountainous landscape.
Finally, B-Spec Mode is being added, where you can allow an AI driver to race for you. According to the post on the PS Blog, "You can use B-Spec for those races that you might find difficult to complete such as some of the longer endurance races, or maybe you just want to sit back and enjoy watching the race".
Funeral Service Held for Robotic Dogs at Temple in Japan
Owners of Sony’s artificial intelligence robot dog Aibo held a funeral service for their irreparable devices at the Kofuku-ji Temple in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, last month.
The robot dogs were lined up on the altar wearing tags displaying their origin and family, according to the AFP, as Chief Priest Bungen Oi offered a prayer for the 19 Aibo.
“I was thrilled over the interesting mismatch of giving cutting-edge technology a memorial service in a very conventional manner,” Bungen Oi told the publication, adding that it was “an occasion on which the robots’ souls could pass from their bodies.”