Can you believe it’s already Friday? It was relatively quiet on the virtual reality scene, but Nintendo certainly made some waves with all of their Pokémon-related announcements. You can definitely expect more pocket monster news in the coming months. I predict a brand new 3DS installment to be released by the end of 2016.
Now, let’s get into the news of the day. In today’s Gaming Daily, Pokémon‘s Kanto region gets recreated in Unreal Engine 4, Pokkén Tournament is coming in March, new Hyrule Warriors Legends showcase clip surfaces, the beta for The Division is soon approaching, and December’s NPD numbers are here.
Pokémon‘s Kanto region remade in Unreal Engine 4.
Oh, the Kanto region. I have so many fond memories of this location. For those that don’t know, the Kanto region is the first location introduced in the Pokémon role-playing titles. It’s the home to the first generation of pocket monsters, so of course it holds a special place in every Pokémaster’s heart. This is why a fan-remake of the Kanto region done in Unreal Engine 4 is a bit more special. It took Preston Dunagan 7 months to recreate Kanto. It’s still a bit rough around the edges, but still rad. Peep the clip above.
Kanto is still my favorite location of all the Pokémon games, with Johto coming in at a close second. I’m not trying to sound too dramatic, but these games really changed my life, so it’s cool to get a recreation with new tech. I hope Nintendo recreates the region again (they did so in Fire Red and Leaf Green) as part of the Pokémon 20th anniversary.
HT: Nintendolife
Image: Nintendo
Pokkén Tournament coming in March.
Nintendo announced today that Pokkén Tournament will be launching in North America on March 18. Many believed it would be launching here at least a few months after it hit Japan, but it looks like the game will be launching worldwide, simultaneously. Day one edition buyers will get a Mewtwo card with their physical version of the game. But the best news has to be that the limbless Chandelure will be one of the playable characters. That’s awesome! I’m still waiting on the limbless ice-cream cone Pokémon, Vinilluxe. New modes were also leaked, including: single battle and local battle. They’re nothing too special, but this game has the potential to be a great fighting alternative to Super Smash Bros. Wii U.
HT: Nerdist
Image: Nintendo
A new look at Hyrule Warriors Legends on 3DS.
New clips from Japan Koei Tecmo have surfaced on web showing off new features from the upcoming Hyrule Warriors Legends. The clip above shows off quite a bit of the Adventure Mode, and even gives us a better look at Tetra and Toon Link. Furthermore, there’s a good look at the “Fairy Mode.” It’s all in Japanese, but is still fun to look at. See for yourself in the video above.
I was fairly skeptical about this game being on the smaller 3DS screen, but the recently showcased footage has changed my mind. The action also seems to have translated nicely — there doesn’t appear to be any lag.
The game looks like a total blast in spurts, which works well for a handheld. Including all the new characters also makes it a worthy purchase for those that already own the original on the Wii U. Will you guys be purchasing this?
HT: Nintendolife
Image: Nintendo
The Division‘s beta opening January 29.
The highly-anticipated beta for The Division will begin January 29 on the Xbox One, while PS4 and PC users will have to wait an extra day. The beta will run through January 31, so get in on the fun while you can. Those who pre-ordered the game will have a guaranteed spot, and those that didn’t take this route can still register on the game’s official site. The game will launch on March 8.
HT: Nerdist
Image: Ubisoft
NPD numbers for December 2015 reveal more of the same.
Would you look at that, it’s already time to peep the NPD numbers. December numbers are usually pretty interesting because, well, it’s the holiday season. Parents are out buying their kids consoles, and gamers in general are more likely to spend some of that extra cash. First, both the Xbox One and PS4 are doing fantastic. The consoles are outpacing their predecessors by 47%. We sometimes forget how well the Xbox One is doing because of how absurdly well the PS4 is doing. We can’t comment on how many consoles Microsoft sold, since they no longer share those numbers, but we do know the Sony sold 5 million PS4s over the holiday season for a grand total of 35 million consoles sold.
Digital sales are not included in the software sales, but it seems like Call of Duty: Black Ops III and Star Wars: Battlefront had a nice holiday. Call of Duty is a game that most people like, so it makes for a good gift for kids, and then Battlefront used Episode VII‘s momentum.
Here are the top ten titles for the month:
December 2015
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (XBO, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
- Star Wars: Battlefront (XBO, PS4, PC)
- Fallout 4 (PS4, XBO, PC)
- Madden NFL 16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
- NBA 2K16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (XBO, PS4, PC)
- Minecraft (360, XBO, PS4, PS3)
- Minecraft: Story Mode (360, XBO, PS4, PS3)
- FIFA 16 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3)
Yeah, this list looks oddly familiar. As much as times change, the same franchises keep selling. How in the world is Grand Theft Auto V still on this list? It’s a testament to these companies and their talent to make games that don’t wane in popularity. We’ll see if some of these games can be dethroned in 2016.
HT: Gameinformer
Image: Rockstar
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That’s it for the week, folks. Make sure to keep up with all of our gaming coverage, and enjoy your extended weekend. I’ll be catching up on a couple of games, and hopefully celebrating a Steelers playoff victory [Editor’s note: Boo]. Are you guys going to purchase Pokkén Tournament? Does it have a chance to become the go-to fighting title on the Wii U? Let us know in the comments below.
