Sonic Beats Mario

There have been a lot of takedowns by Nintendo of fanmade content. Namely Pokemon Uranium and AM2R (a full remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus).

On the other end of the spectrum, a fan made a Sonic game called Green Hill Paradise. Instead of making a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act), Sega decided to let it ride. The Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account further punctuated this by posting this:



Sonic has even gone so far as to bring fans on to help develop future games such as Sonic Mania.

Personally, I think that Sega doing things right by letting fans continue to let their creations stay up for others to enjoy. Nintendo is well within their right to take down fan creations for the sake of protecting their properties. However, I, along with many other fans, would like to see these games available for everybody else to take a look at. Especially since there hasn't been a new proper Metroid game since Metroid Fusion. After all, Nintendo is one of the most influential game companies of all time. I think that they should be honored that so many people are paying tribute to them by making these games. While I may be unfamiliar with the laws of copyright and DMCA, I still feel as though Nintendo is being a bit too harsh with these takedowns.

via: Kotaku

Sony Says 'No' to Mods

Bethesda had announced that there will not be mod support for their games on the Playstation 4, but not of their own volition. Sony did not approve of allowing mods for both Fallout 4 and the upcoming Skyrim Remaster. In a post on Bethesda.net, the company revealed that Sony themeselves were responsible for this prevention.

"After months of discussion with Sony, we regret to say that while we have long been ready to offer mod support on PlayStation 4, Sony has informed us they will not approve user mods the way they should work: where users can do anything they want for either Fallout 4 or Skyrim Special Edition.

Like you, we are disappointed by Sony’s decision given the considerable time and effort we have put into this project, and the amount of time our fans have waited for mod support to arrive. We consider this an important initiative and we hope to find other ways user mods can be available for our PlayStation audience. However, until Sony will allow us to offer proper mod support for PS4, that content for Fallout 4 and Skyrim on PlayStation 4 will not be available.

We will provide an update if and when this situation changes."

This seems similar to what happened with the original Skyrim on the PS3. While players on Xbox 360 and PC were enjoying the DLC packs that were released for Skyrim, Playstation 3 users did not get to experience them until the game of the year edition was released on store shelves. However, this is all just personal speculation. I think that Sony is making the wrong move here, especially when Bethesda has made an effort to make sure that the mod support for the PS4 versions of Fallout 4 and Skyrim would work on the console.

via: Kotaku

Neo is Now Pro

Sony held its Playstation Meeting today in New York where they made many announcement. One of those announcements was the official announcements of the rumored Neo, a higher powered version of the Playstation 4. The Playstation 4 Pro is basically what the Neo was, but now with the name of Pro.



With a new look, upgraded specs, and a 1 TB hard drive, the Playstation 4 Pro is a new generation of console generation within the current generation of consoles.



The Playstation 4 Pro will be released November 10th 2016.

via: Eurogamer

Super Mario Makes His Way to iOS

Nintendo is slowly starting to make their presence known on the mobile market. Earlier this year, they released Miitomo. Today, during the Apple conference Nintendo announced Super Mario Run. The app is a simple one touch runner, where players collect coins and make their way to the flag at the end of the stage. Super Mario Run will also have a competitive mode where users can face off against friends and strangers from around the world and set high scores. The game will be released this Holiday 2016.



via: Kotaku

Nintendo Direct: September 2016

Over the weekend, Nintendo released their Nintendo Direct, a video containing new announcements and details of things to come from the company. While many were expecting more details on their upcoming console, the tentatively named "Nintendo NX", there were a lot of surprising announcements for their current handheld console: The 3DS.


source: Techraptor

Of course there was some more information about the new Pokemon Sun and Moon games coming out later this year. A new Mario Party game was announced. A new Picross game, and a few other digital games that will be available in the future. However, some of the more impressive announcements were the ports of some Wii U games to the 3DS.


Source: Kotaku

Titles like Super Mario Maker, Yoshi's Wooly World, and Pikmin. All of these games are available on the Wii U, but now they're available on the go. These aren't special editions, but rather, direct ports of these titles of Nintendo's console.


Source: DualShockers

While I have a 3DS, I don't play it nearly enough. There are tons of great games out there for the handheld, and it looks like Nintendo is doing what they can to ensure that 3DS owners are getting the most out of their console. Having direct ports of Wii U games is great, because not everyone owns both a 3DS and a Wii U. Good on you, Nintendo.

Source: Destructoid

The Art of League Of Legends

Riot Games, creators of League of Legends and nothing else, just released a digital artbook that folks can look at and admire completely free. Entitled "The Art of League of Legends", it is a collection of concept, splash, and alternative designs of the champions of League of Legends. While not a fan of the game, I still really appreciate all of the effort that goes into the design of League of Legends characters. Riot Games is a studio that is driven by passionate people, who care deeply about their community and the game that they are creating. By releasing this art book to the general public for free, that's just one way of showing the fans that they care. So have a look at The Art of League of Legends.







Via: Kotaku

Hail To The King, Baby

This year is the 20th anniversary of Duke Nukem 3D, and to celebrate: Gearbox (developers of Borderlands and Duke Nukem Forever) are releasing a remastered version of the original Duke Nukem 3D along with eight whole new levels. These new levels are created by a team of developers who worked on the original game back in 1996. Allen Blum III and Richard "Levelord" Gray return as level designers for the new chapter, and Lee Jackson returns as well to compose the music. Of course Jon St. John reprises his role as Duke.



Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour will have a swap-able graphics mode between HD and the original, not unlike the Halo: Combat Evolved remaster. Plus, the game will include developer commentary, so players can get a look into what goes on behind the scenes.

Personally, I think that Duke Nukem is old hat, and needs to be thrown out along with the rest of the machismo trash that this game inspired. Duke's portrayal of masculinity is absurd, and most likely intended as a joke, but this kind of humor just doesn't land anymore. I feel as though video games have matured beyond this. Not just with the inclusion of more playable female characters, but in their storytelling and world building. I know that there are a lot of fans of Duke Nukem 3D out there who are probably shaking their heads at me for saying that we need to do away with Duke, but I stand by it.

Duke Nukem 3D: World Tour is released for PS4, Xbox One, and PC October 11

Via: Kotaku