We had quite the weekend, what with the Oscars (Yay Leo!) last night and Pokémon Day on Saturday. We hope you all got a chance to celebrate these two milestones because we have a lot of news to get to. In today’s Gaming Daily, Activision teamed up with Autism Speaks to release special Skylanders toys, we celebrated Pokémon Day by sharing some of our favorite memories, Capcom is going punish Street Fighter V “rage-quitters,” Shenmue 3 is looking gorgeous, and the PSP PlayStation store is shutting down at the end of March.

Activision teams up with Autism Speaks on new Skylanders toys.

When gaming and mental health topics intersect in the media, its not always for a positive reason. But, there are other times (like the 24-hour Extra Life Stream we did back in October) when the they unite for a great cause. Today, Activision announced that they teamed up with the folks at Autism Speaks for a brand new Skylanders-based initiative to raise awareness for autism. With Austism Awareness month (April) fast approaching, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

The new line of “Power Blue” SuperChargers toys will be blue and white–which represents Autism Speaks’ official colors–and includes the characters Splat and Trigger Happy and their respective vehicles: Splatter Splasher and Gold Rusher.

“Since the debut of the franchise, we’ve heard from parents that Skylanders plays a special role in the lives of their kids on the autism spectrum,” Skylanders executive Josh Taub said in a statement. “The entire Skylanders team was deeply committed and proud to bring these special toys to life. If they can put a smile on a child’s face, then we know we’ve done our job right.”

On top of releasing the toys (which are currently available in the US and Europe, and set to release April 1 for Canada) the Activision team is launching an employee education and donation matching program for Autism Awareness Month, giving employees the opportunity to participate in the Autism Speaks Walk on April 2, and making donations to non-profit charities.

HT: GameSpot

Image Credit: Activision

We celebrated Pokémon Day by sharing some of our favorite memories!

Just in case you’re out of the loop, this past Saturday, February 27 was the 20th anniversary of the launch of Pokémon Red and Blue! In honor of the franchise’s fantastic achievement, my fellow Nerdist writer Edwin Garcia and I decided to share some of our favorite memories, which games we played first, our ideal pocket-monster team, and more! To indulge in some serious nostalgia, and catch some feels, head on over to our full post (linked below).

Also, if you’re thinking about picking up Red, Blue, or Yellow (or all three!) make sure to check out our latest feature!

HT: Nerdist

Image Credit: The Pokémon Company

Capcom is preparing to punish Street Fighter V “rage-quitters.”

Depending on your experience with Street Fighter V, this new is either going to relieve you, or bum you out. Aside from being plagued with match-making issues, and bugs galore, one of the most annoying things about playing Street Fighter V online, has been folks who rage quit. In contrast to fighting games of the past, SFV doesn’t penalize players who drop out before a match is finished. Capcom has apparently noticed the trend (and heard our cries) and is already working on a fix.

“Yes, we are well aware of the problem of players disconnecting before the match ends to retain their League Points and their win streaks. Thanks to all of the players who have brought this to our attention,” the official blog states. “We are working on a permanent solution to this problem, though we don’t have an exact date to share with you at the moment. That said, we are going to take direct action starting next week to punish those players who are abusing the system.”

The interesting thing is that in addition to fixing the problem, Capcom is also going to punish the so-called rage-quitters, with the  “worst offenders” facing the most “severe” punishments. The publisher is reaching out to the community for help, promising to follow up with more details in the future. For now, they ask that fans take advantage of the SHARE functionality on the PS4 (or any video recording tech) to catch the rage-quitters” in the act.

HT: Capcom 

Image Credit: Capcom

Shenmue 3 is looking gorgeous in new game footage.

Ah, Shenmue 3. Remember when that game was a myth, and then one day (during Sony’s E3 press conference) it became a reality? It was quite the saga. But, the curious thing is since that fateful day, we haven’t seen or heard much about the game. That is, until Game Director Yu Suzuki shared some stunning new screens and gameplay videos with fans at the Monaco Anime Game International Conferences (MAGIC) over the weekend! To see what was shown off, check out the video above. For more information, read our full post (linked below)

HT: Nerdist

PSP’s native PlayStation Store slated to close March 31.

Another bit of news that was making the rounds today was Sony’s announcement regarding the PSP. According to the company’s official announcement, the PlayStation store for PlayStation Portable (PSP) in the SCEA region will be closed on March 31st. The news came just a few days after the company  revealed that they would no longer be selling the PlayStation TV accessory in Japan.

It’s not all bad news for folks who’re still using the handheld. Following March 31st, you’ll still be able to purchase titles from the web-based store: store.playstation.com, and will have access to previous purchases, as well as in-game purchases directly from the device.

HT: PlayStation.com

Image Credit: PlayStation.com

—

That’s it for today’s Gaming Daily. Keep Nerdist tabbed for upcoming gaming news, reviews, and features. In the mood to discuss what you read? Join the conversation on Facebook, or start one up with me on Twitter: @Samantha_Sofka