Mac gaming receives a boost from GOG.com, Japanese Vita sales lag, The Old Republic details free-to-play, and more.
Click through for the biggest gaming news stories for the week of October 15:
The upgraded support is accompanied by a few other relevant tweaks.
In addition to introducing Cross Buy, Sony dropped some other relevant Vita information. Version 1.80 of the system firmware will bring with it support for PSone Classics. Though the feature was planned and announced before the release of the system, it wasn't ready for the release or in the months following. On August 28 that will change as the company begins incrementally rolling out full support for the hefty catalog.
So a scientist, a reporter, a doctor, and a detective walk into a bar...
The point and click adventure game—such a prolific part of PC gaming in the ‘90s—has seen a renaissance in recent years. A large part of that is thanks to the episodic releases of Telltale Games, as well as the proliferation of Kickstarter breathing new life into old IPs. But by and large these games are trading in on gamer nostalgia. You remember Leisure Suit Larry, don’t you? How about Escape From Monkey Island? While revisiting those classic games can be fun, there’s something to be said about having an original title that hits the same beats as those old adventure games. That’s exactly what XII Games has done with Resonance—a new adventure game that could have easily occupied shelf space right next to Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle.
All this game is missing is an inspirational speech by Bill Pullman.
If you read my review for Avernum, you know that I missed out on most of the major PC hits of the 90s. So it should go without saying that I did not partake in the white-hot popularity of the XCOM series. I was one of those people who thought the upcoming first person take on the franchise looked pretty good, and I avoided all of the rage surrounding the departure of the game from its strategy roots. Taking that into consideration, I find myself extremely intrigued by the game that Firaxis is working on—XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
An NES gem from 1987 gets the 3D treatment. Bonus: it's also easier to play.
With a fantastic 3DS entry now under his belt, the star of Kid Icarus, Pit, is now back in the limelight after many years of being stuck in limbo following a 1991 Game Boy game. As a celebration of Pit’s return, Nintendo saw fit to release a 3D Classics revision of Pit’s first adventure on the 3DS eShop. Out of all the 3D Classics it contains the most changes, and makes a frustrating platformer more accessible to new players.
Some parts of this game may be considered violent or cruel.
Considering the slow decline that the Silent Hill series has seen in recent years—including the new and disappointing Downpour—it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that Silent Hill was once the pinnacle of video game horror. For an entire generation of gamers, the franchise has been nothing more than a blip on the radar, but there was a time when a new Silent Hill was something to be anticipated. Now with the release of Silent Hill HD Collection, those gamers can finally see where all the praise came from, and give veterans a fresh look at the saga of James Sunderland and Heather Mason.
New “Retro Game Vault” section lists new PowerUp rewards for members.
Visitors to GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards website may have noticed a new section called the Retro Game Vault. It would appear GameStop is getting into the business of selling classic games for reward points for systems dating all the way back to the Atari 2600. There are even some accessories listed for future availability such as the Nintendo Power Pad and the infamous NES Power glove, which come with World Class Track Meet and Super Gloveball respectively.
Classic action-platforming with a 3D twist.
While not many have had the opportunity to play the Virtual Boy, Renegade Kid’s latest work is oddly reminiscent of Nintendo’s misfit system. Back when the Virtual Boy launched, it touted its special 3D capabilities; these boiled down to little more than multiple viewing planes, which gave the illusion of 3D. The most memorable games used these multiple planes to create deeper platforming experiences. Taking a cue from these experiences, Mutant Mudds allows players to jump between the current plane, background, and foreground.
Once upon a time, one of the toughest games got its rightful sequel. It’s now.
Out of all the 3DS titles released this year, Shinobi is the most likely to become a hard-to-find cult classic. Even with all of its faults, hardcore fans will find more than enough content to feel fulfilled. The developers at Griptonite have reinvigorated a dormant series that has stayed true to its roots as an unforgiving, relentless, combat-based platformer.
PS2 games won't work either at first.
It was unclear if the PlayStation Vita would be compatible with PSone Classics purchases on your PlayStation account, though it was assumed it would be possible given the fact that it would share the same account.Today, the truth is still shrouded, but it was announced that they won't be compatible at least at launch
