TONS of new Nintendo Switch indies revealed

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 10, 2019 5:35 PM CST

Nintendo's latest Indie World stream showcased some really interesting games coming to the Switch next year, including Axiom Verge 2, a game about skateboarding birds, and some awesome-looking hack-and-slash titles.

TONS of new Nintendo Switch indies revealed

Indies are massively important to the Switch: Not only do they give gamers nice bite-sized chunks to chew on while waiting on the next big first-party Switch exclusive (Metroid 4, where are you??), but they give massive exposure for little-known devs and boost revenues to boot. It's a win-win for everyone. In today's Indie World presentation, Nintendo underlines its commitment for Nindies with an eclectic slew of unique games.

There's something for everyone here, and the games that really stood out to me are Supermash, Skatebird, and Dreamscaper.

Continue reading: TONS of new Nintendo Switch indies revealed (full post)

Analyst: Switch could sell 5 million units in China in first year

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 10, 2019 3:12 PM CST

Nintendo Switch's launch in China, the globe's biggest billion-dollar market, is absolutely huge for Nintendo. But how many systems will they sell? Will the Switch be a hit in a region dominated by free-to-play mobile games? One analyst makes some steep predictions.

Analyst: Switch could sell 5 million units in China in first year

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter predicts the Nintendo Switch could sell as much as 5 million units from now until December 2020, which admittedly seems rather exorbitant. The prediction swing the other way too. Analyst firm UBS say the Switch will only move 50,000 units in China, which is way, way too low, especially with Tencent's massive advertisement campaigns and native WeChat integration into the platform. Japanese games analyst Serkan Toto call these figures "complete insanity".

The 5 million prediction is obviously based on past historical first-year Switch sales when it launched in 2017. Here's a breakdown of first-year sales of the Switch by region:

Continue reading: Analyst: Switch could sell 5 million units in China in first year (full post)

Capcom is really happy with Jill Valentine's new look in RE3 Remake

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 10, 2019 1:17 PM CST

It's official: Resident Evil 3 Remake is happening, and it's coming out in April. Like the RE2 REmake before it, the new chapter has some re-imagined character designs, and Capcom is really proud how Jill looks this time around.

Capcom is really happy with Jill Valentine's new look in RE3 Remake

Jill Valentine's face has changed quite a bit from the PlayStation 1 era, and rightly so. Her design has been completely revamped thanks to the powerful RE Engine, allowing for realistic facial animations and movement physics. She has more of an adventurer-survivor type of look and reminds me more of Lara Croft instead of a highly-trained STARS operative. This is all by design, and Capcom loves Jill's new look (and so do I).

"Jill's outfit has changed somewhat from her original design. We're really happy with how her new design came out. If you compare Resident Evil 3 to the second installment, it leans more towards action. So we remade everything based on that premise. Her new design very much takes this into account as well," said Resident Evil 3 producer Masachika Kawata in a recent developer clip.

Continue reading: Capcom is really happy with Jill Valentine's new look in RE3 Remake (full post)

Resident Evil 3 Remake coming April 2020 to PC, PS4, and Xbox One

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 10, 2019 11:07 AM CST

Resident Evil 3 Remake is official, and it's coming out sooner than you think.

Resident Evil 3 Remake coming April 2020 to PC, PS4, and Xbox One

During today's State of Play, Capcom announced Resident Evil 3 Remake will release on April 3, 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The late 90's cult classic has been reborn in the high-end RE Engine, bringing all-new enhanced visuals, amazing lighting and atmospheric effects, and superb animations. In fact, Resident Evil 3 looks better than this year's excellent RE2 Remake.

Capcom says Resident Evil 3 has been "completely reimagined" this time around, and Jill's new look certain shows as much.

Continue reading: Resident Evil 3 Remake coming April 2020 to PC, PS4, and Xbox One (full post)

Final Fantasy 7 Remake PS4 timed exclusivity ends in 2021

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Dec 10, 2019 10:17 AM CST

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a timed exclusive on PS4 after all, and will release on other systems like PC and Xbox One a year after release.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake PS4 timed exclusivity ends in 2021

New box art from the Square Enix press site officially confirms Final Fantasy 7 Remake isn't a full PlayStation 4 exclusive. The first episode of the hugely anticipated Remake will be available on other platforms as early as March 2021, and by then Square Enix will already be knee-deep in making the second episode.

We can also expect a re-release or enhancement patches for next-gen consoles like PlayStation 5 and Project Scarlett to enable native 4K 60FPS gaming, higher frame rates, and new visual effects like ray tracing.

Continue reading: Final Fantasy 7 Remake PS4 timed exclusivity ends in 2021 (full post)

Core completed for rocket that astronauts will take to Moon in 2024

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Dec 10, 2019 2:49 AM CST

NASA announced this past Monday that they had completed the massive rocket that will be taking US astronauts back to the Moon sometime in 2024.

Core completed for rocket that astronauts will take to Moon in 2024

NASA's huge rocket called the Space Launch System is the tallest rocket ever built, measuring in at 212 feet or 65 meters tall. That's equivalent to a 20-story building. NASA's administrator Jim Bridenstine stood in front of the humongous rocket and officially announced that the core stage had been completed by engineers. Here's what he had to say, "[Today is a]very important day. When we get to announce core stage complete for in fact the SLS rocket."

He continued and said, "We are making significant progress towards achieving that Artemis 3 mission and getting our first woman, and next man to the south pole of the Moon in 2024." NASA's Artemis 1 mission is planned to launch an uncrewed flight in June 2020, but as delays are expected with these kinds of things, it's hard to know any specifics until the date is closer.

Continue reading: Core completed for rocket that astronauts will take to Moon in 2024 (full post)

Amazon slash 30% off one of the best portable speakers you can buy

Jak Connor | Deals | Dec 10, 2019 2:05 AM CST

Maybe you missed the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and now you want to snap up a great Christmas present for a friend or perhaps even yourself.

Amazon slash 30% off one of the best portable speakers you can buy

Amazon is here to help, with a great deal on the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker. Originally this portable Bluetooth speaker is priced at $99.99, but Amazon has decided to slash its price by 30%, bringing it down to just $69.99.

If you have never heard of the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2, it's a fantastic little speaker that comes with 13-hour battery life, 360 degrees sound, and bass. It's also water/dust proof and can pair with other WONDERBOOM 2's for combination sound. I personally own one these, and I couldn't recommend it more to anyone who doesn't have a portable speaker and is in need of one.

Continue reading: Amazon slash 30% off one of the best portable speakers you can buy (full post)

Nintendo will re-release the Smash Bros. Ultimate GameCube controller

Jak Connor | Gaming | Dec 10, 2019 1:32 AM CST

Nintendo is planning on doing a re-release of their Super Smash Bros. Edition GameCube Controller, keep an eye out soon.

Nintendo will re-release the Smash Bros. Ultimate GameCube controller

If you bought an official Nintendo GameCube Controller when you bought Super Smash Bros. Ultimate back in December of 2018, you might want to consider grabbing another one to future proof yourself in-case the first one you bought breaks. Luckily, Nintendo is deciding to do a second batch of the controllers, so buyers won't have to pick up some ridiculously priced second-hand ones.

According to official Nintendo UK website, "new stock will be due to dispatch" sometime in January, 2020. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate just rolled past its one year anniversary, so it makes sense that Nintendo is going to do another batch of hardware for both new and old players. The Nintendo UK website lists the controller for 24.99 pounds, which is equivalent to $32 US.

Continue reading: Nintendo will re-release the Smash Bros. Ultimate GameCube controller (full post)

Rick and Morty Season 4 Episode 4 - Top 10 Easter Eggs you missed

Jak Connor | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Dec 10, 2019 1:13 AM CST

Episode four of Rick and Morty has just wrapped up, and what better way to enjoy the episode all over again than jumping into some Easter eggs you may or may not have missed?

Rick and Morty Season 4 Episode 4 - Top 10 Easter Eggs you missed

Before we list off the best Easter eggs from episode 4, a huge spoiler warning to anyone who hasn't seen the episode yet. Continuing to read this post beyond this point will most certainly spoil the episode for you. If you want to catch up with the news about the fourth episode, the beginning of it was released here and a teaser was released here.

Moving on, the top 10 Easter eggs for this week's episode come from Emergency Awesome, who has done an absolutely fantastic job compiling everything we might have missed into a short 12-minute video. In the entirety of this post, you will find the top 10 Easter eggs listed in order.

Continue reading: Rick and Morty Season 4 Episode 4 - Top 10 Easter Eggs you missed (full post)

Rick and Morty Season 4 Episode 4 HD wallpaper screenshots

Jak Connor | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Dec 10, 2019 12:33 AM CST

The fourth episode of season four of Rick and Morty just aired and to celebrate the return of the crazy show we have some screenshots to look at.

Rick and Morty Season 4 Episode 4 HD wallpaper screenshots

Now, before I jump into the events of the fourth episode, please beware that these images are spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the full episode yet. View at your own risk. Before the episode dropped, Adult Swim were teasing fans with the release of the beginning of the episode (found here), and also a hint that episode four would feature Morty somehow getting a dragon.

In the screenshots provided in the entirety of this article we can see some of the most important/funniest parts of the episode. First off, Rick actually gets Morty a dragon to keep. Next, Rick denounces that dragons are cool in anyway and then proceeds to get absolutely smashed drunk with it. Rick then soul bonds to Morty's dragon, right in front of Morty. Jerry's randomly talking cat makes it to Florida, gets aboard a yacht and then gets a rude awakening.

Continue reading: Rick and Morty Season 4 Episode 4 HD wallpaper screenshots (full post)