PlayStation
- According to this Digital Foundry video, Sony has gone ahead and actually made two quiet revisions to the PS4 Pro, the latest carrying the model number CUH-7200. The console is pretty much identical to the launch pro with the exception of having a revised internal power supply along with, more importantly, including a much quieter fan than the launch unit.
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The oddly baffling game The Quiet Man came out and it was critically panned across the board. The premise of playing a deaf protagonist was interesting, but the execution was poor with the game having no sound affects, soundtrack, dialogue, or even subtitles. The protagonist in the game could read lips so he knew what was going on, but none of this was relayed to the player in any way. Beating the game left the player with a message stating that questions would be answered a week from release. Now, free DLC titled ‘Answered’ has released which adds voices and sound effects. I doubt anyone is going to play the game again just to understand the story.
Nintendo
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YouTube is now available for Switch if you care.
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Here’s something I wasn’t expecting. Movies based on games notoriously suck, however, early screenings of the new Detective Pikachu movie are positive (even though the movie is still in post-production process).
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Last week we reported on the news that Nintendo secured trademarks for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Mario Vs. Donkey Kong which covered applications such as a ‘program for home video game machine’, ‘downloadable video game program’ and ‘program for smartphone’. Well, Nintendo is at it again, this time with trademarks for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Wii Sports Resort. The applications cover the same three areas as before. As we said previously, this could simply be Nintendo renewing its trademarks to keep them valid, but the inclusion of a smartphone entry gives us enough reason to speculate that the company could be preparing these esteemed classics for the mobile treatment, although we don’t know how the latest two games to be registered would play.
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Pokémon GO managed to catch $73M for the month of October which is down from the $84M the titled pulled int he month before.
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8Bitdo has revealed the Gbros. Wireless Adapter for Switch. The device works with wired GameCube and Classic Edition controllers, and was made with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in mind. Users can connect various wired controllers to Switch including ones from the GameCube, NES, SNES, Super Famicom, and Wii. The 8Bitdo Gbros. Wireless Adapter for Nintendo Switch launches December 7. Pre-orders are open on Amazon here.
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During Nintendo’s Japanese livestream of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it was revealed that one of Mr. Game & Watch’s attacks involves him taking on the silhouette of Native American, complete with a feather on his head. This depiction is seen as offensive, so Nintendo has decided that it will remove it in an update. Here is the company’s official response:
Nintendo has been planning to distribute an update for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate that removes the feather from the silhouette of Mr. Game & Watch. The original game on which this depiction of the character is based was released more than three decades ago and does not represent our company values today.
We sincerely apologize that this change was not noticed in our marketing material and are continuing our work to make Super Smash Bros. Ultimate an experience that is both welcoming and fun for everyone. -
Nintendo Switch Online subscribers are getting Metroid, Mighty Bomb Jack, and TwinBee on November 14 for the NES app.
Xbox
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The original Crackdown title is available on Xbox One thanks to the system’s killer backwards comparability feature. The best part? You can grab the title for free! Just search it in the store, select buy (for free) and download!
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I know I may be in the minority, but I actually like Mass Effect Andromeda (after all it’s patches). Well, I’m personally happy because a new update has released for Xbox One X owners that adds 4K HDR support. Here’s to hoping EA doesn’t push an engine down developers throats that’s not meant for certain gameplay genres like they did with the BIioWare team and Andromeda.
Industry News
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Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age has shipped over 4M copies across all platforms and regions according to Capcom.
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New DLC and a free patch are set to drop for Jurassic World Evolution across all platforms. The paid DLC titled The Secrets of Dr. Wu, will bring new missions, facilities and, of course, dinosaurs to the alternative theme park sim. The free patch will add an optional day-and-night cycle, new behavioral patterns, and new challenge contracts. This patch, along with The Secrets of Dr. Wu DLC, will be made available on November 20.
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Following the success of Octopath Traveler on Switch, the latest financial results for Square Enix have revealed things aren’t as rosy as they might appear to be. The company reported a $33M loss which was primarily linked to the new studio – Luminous Productions – shifting focus to smaller RPG titles. According to Games Industry, the studio’s plan to create “other entertainment content” was dropped with attention returning to large-scale high-quality AAA games. The losses didn’t end there, as the company reported declines across the board over the six month period with net sales, operating income, and ordinary income all suffering significant drops.
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Hot on the heels of the above Square Enix news is more news that all the planned upcoming character-based DLC for FFXV has been canned. One of the add-ons, Final Fantasy 15 Episode Ardyn, will still be released in March 2019, but episodes based on the characters Aranea, Lunafreya and Noctis have been scrapped. All four episodes were previously planned for release in 2019, and would have offered side stories and an alternate finale to Final Fantasy 15. That’s 75% of the announced being
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After half a decade, a game I completely forgot about, DayZ, is now heading into beta. That’s right, DayZ has been in alpha for a stupidly long five years.
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Falcom confirmed they will be releasing multiple new titles by September 2019 in Japan, according to their latest financial briefing. This is reported to include a new Ys title set after the events of Ys VIII as well, in order to celebrate the long-running series’ 30th anniversary. While it is not confirmed if or how many of these new titles might end up on Switch, Falcom has stated that they plan on continuing to develop for multiple platforms. I hope the new Ys title lands on Switch and is localized here in the west because I really enjoyed Ys VIII.
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Red Dead Redemption 2 sales top 17M copies in under two weeks. Considering the company’s previous blockbuster title GTA V has sold over 80M copies, I’m not surprised.
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Ubisoft announced they will be altering some of the maps in Rainbow Six Siege by removing various references to gambling, violence, sex and even skulls. The reasoning is to make sure that Siege complies with rules in all global territories, giving the developer one single, worldwide version of the program to work with. Siege is expected to roll out in Asia soon, with China being noted for its restrictive
Random Fun Fact
- While this isn’t news, I thought it’d be fun to include in the Weekly Retro. This week the NPD revealed a list of the top-selling games in the US since 1995. They are as follows:
2017 – Call of Duty: WWII
2016 – Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
2015 – Call of Duty: Black Ops III
2014 – Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
2013 – Grand Theft Auto V
2012 – Call of Duty: Black Ops II
2011 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2010 – Call of Duty: Black Ops
2009 – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2008 – Rock Band
2007 – Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
2006 – Madden NFL 07
2005 – Madden NFL 06
2004 – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
2003 – Madden NFL 2004
2002 – Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
2001 – Madden NFL 2002
2000 – Pokemon Stadium
1999 – Donkey Kong 64
1998 – Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1997 – Mario Kart 64
1996 – Super Mario 64
