gaming – movies – other things
The Cube Command Podcast is coming soon! The official podcast for Cube Command will feature myself, Tommy Savoia, giving my opinion on the latest gaming news and reviews! Each podcast will usually vary from 10 to 20 minutes in length and will feature one topic per episode.
Be sure to check it out once the first episode releases! Episode 1 has already been recorded and is in post0-production. The topic for Episode 1 is the Nintendo Switch!
Back in November of 2015, Microsoft allowed backwards-compatibility for the Xbox One. This meant that you could play your favorite Xbox 360 titles on the One. Below is a list of the 360 games currently backwards compatible with the One:
This list features the most recent additions as of October 31, 2016. Microsoft confirmed that more, including Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Bioshock Infinite, and Skate 3 are headed to the Xbox One. What are your thoughts? Any suggestions for games to add in the future?
With new artwork and commentary by the composers
The popular game Shovel Knight by developer Yacht Club Games has one heck of a soundtrack. That said, it’s no surprise that the full soundtrack to the Indie title is coming to Vinyl and CD, by Brain Wave Productions. It will be called “Shovel Knight The Definitive Soundtrack”.
Not only that, but Shovel Knight The Definitive Soundtrack will also feature new artwork by Pokemon and Mega Man artist Hitoshi Ariga, as you can see below. The soundtrack will feature composer commentary by Jake “virt” Kaufman and Manami Matsumae, the composers for Shovel Knight.
The 2-LP Vinyl version (blue) can be purchased on BigWax for 32.00 euros. The CD version, which includes 2 discs, can be pre-ordered on Brain Wave. The CD version sells for $18.00 and the exclusive artwork features two posters – “For Shovelry” and “Bonfire Blues” – which can be purchased for $20.00 a piece.
Shovel Knight has a bright future ahead of him, with his soundtrack getting released and the announcement that he will be a guest character in Playtonic Games’ upcoming 3D platformer Yooka-Laylee.
Will you be purchasing the official soundtrack?
It’s coming Holiday 2016, but what is it?
Japan is getting a mysterious new 3DS title this holiday, called “Miitopia”. No details have dropped recently as to what it is, though.
First announced by Nintendo during a Japanese Nintendo Direct last month, all that is known about the title is that it will be both digital and physical, and that it obviously includes Miis in one way or another. Perhaps it is a game similar to the Mii minigames in the 3DS Streetpass Mii Plaza app?
President of Nintendo Tatsumi Kimishima mentioned it during a financial meeting for Nintendo in Japan recently. “Miitopia, for which we have only announced the title, will be released by the end of this year,” he said. He went on to describe it as an “exciting title” that will have more press at “a later date”.
Hopefully we’ll get some more news soon enough, seeing as the game is very close to its Holiday 2016 launch date. For those of you not residing in Japan (myself included), there may be a chance that the game will see the light of day in other countries. We’ll just have to be patient.
It seems that Nintendo is definately confident in the game, but is not quite ready to announce anything for the time being. They have a lot on their plate right now, with the recent announcement of the Nintendo Switch sending everyone into an excited frenzy. That and the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon coming November 18, less than a month away. A new trailer just dropped for the game, revealing new characters and ‘mons.
What are your thoughts on the plethora of Nintendo announements recently?
So many new details!
A new trailer for the upcoming Pokemon games Pokemon Sun and Moon just dropped. And boy did it show us some new things.
For starters (Get it?), they finally officially announced the final evolutions for the starters. Rowlet evolves into the dual Grass and Ghost type Decidueye. It has the ability Overgrow. It’s signature move is Spirit Shackle, which prevents the opponent from switching out.
Next, we have Litten’s final form, which is Incineroar – a dual Fire and Dark type. It has the ability Blaze and the signature move Darkest Lariat, which ignores the opponent’s stat changes.
Lastly, we have Popplio’s final form, Primarina, a dual Water and Fairy type. This Pokemon has the ability Torrent and can use its signature move, Sparkling Aria. Sparkling Aria removes a burn from any opponent it hits, which is pretty interesting.
Also shown in the trailer were the Guardians of Alola, which can be caught and have some very flashy signature moves.
The trailer also mentioned on a passing that the Alola region will in fact have a Pokemon League, except that it is still under development. Maybe this time around you can create a League to your own liking… ? That would certainly bring a new meaning to the word “customization” in Pokemon games!
Finally, the trailer shows the player teaming up with famous trainers, such as characters and champions from the previous games, including Cynthia, the Sinnoh champion, and Wally, a character from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (or OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire, if you prefer the updated versions).
But there’s more! Once you think the trailer is about to end, it drops one last piece of info – Red and Blue from Pokemon Red and Blue are back! You can challenge both of them at some point. Plus they’re looking a lot more “Alolan” this time around. I guess it would be pretty uncomfortable wearing a jacket and jeans on a tropical island. For some reason, though, Red looks off. Maybe it’s his eyebrows. Either way, it’s still pretty satisfying to see Red toss out his signature Pikachu.
You can check out the trailer itself below:
As each trailer comes, Pokemon Sun and Moon just keep looking better and better. Are you excited? Tell us in the comments which version you intend on getting!
Phil Spencer, the boss of Xbox, has mentioned how to development of Project Scorpio is coming. After being asked on Twitter, he replied that after having attended a day-long meeting with Scorpio’s development team, he feels good about the console and its release schedule.
“I’m in a day-long review of where the team is on Scorpio right now. Amazing progress and we are feeling good about schedule,” Spencer replied.
Project Scorpio was revealed at Microsoft’s E3 press conference this year. For those who don’t know, it is a “Premium” version of the Xbox One, like how the Playstation 4 Pro is an upgraded model of the PS4. Microsoft refers to it as “the most powerful console ever made”. In an interview with Gamespot, Spencer mentions that Project Scorpio is aiming for PC-level specs, and is intended to “support true 4K [gaming] and a 4K frame buffer”. He also mentions how both the Xbox One S and Project Scorpio will be on shelves at the same time, and “a clear performance difference and obviously there will be a price difference between the two things”. He then reassures fans that, “I’m confident that we’ll be able to deliver a product at a price point that gamers will feel like is worth it.”
He also said that there will more info about pricing once the console nears the launch date.
There has certainly been a lot of news on gaming consoles recently. Are you optimistic about Microsoft’s upcoming console?
Everyone loves the classics
Gamestop, a gaming retail company, will now accept your retro gaming hardware and games. “Retro gaming” includes the NES, SEGA Genesis, Gamecube, among others. Gamestop has a complete list of the systems on their website. What is also interesting is that they have a number of different retro games and consoles for sale on their website as well. After previously dropping the retro business, it seems that the company is jumping back in, which isn’t a bad thing by any means.
This will be apparent in all of Gamestop’s locations. So far, it only looks to be available in their online store, but chances are they might move some of the stock into the retail stores themselves eventually. Perhaps if they receive enough trade-ins to warrant that.
Will you be taking advantage of this new direction for Gamestop?
A game for both classic and modern Sonic fans
Fan games are the result of hard work fueled by the sheer dedication a person or a team of people have toward a specific franchise. Of all the fan games I’ve seen, most never fail to impress. They embody exactly what the fans themselves would like to see, and sometimes with a twist from the creator.
The Sonic franchise has had many, many fan games in the past few years. But this new Sonic fan-game, made by Youtuber The Great Lange, does what few have attempted before. It mixes elements from modern and classic games, making a sort of classic-modern hybrid. Essentially, it’s Classic Sonic in 3-D. The Great Lange recently released the game, called Sonic Utopia, as well as a reveal trailer:
Sonic Utopia includes many different abilities present in past games such as the spin dash, the homing attack, and the fan-favorite super peel-out. From what it looks like, it’s very focused on momentum, being able to scale high walls by picking up speed. Plus, it seems to run as smooth as butter.
Who knows if SEGA will have it taken down or allow it to keep getting support, but one thing is clear – it’s a very high quality project that obviously had a lot of time and effort put into it.
On the subject of official Sonic titles, there are two on the way for next year, with trailers for those games as well. The classic continuation titled Sonic Mania is set to release Spring 2017 and the mysterious modern installment, dubbed Project Sonic 2017, is set for Holiday 2017.
New color for the New 3DS XL
The Lime-Green New 3DS XL is the newest color of Nintendo’s upgraded handheld. It’s an Amazon Exclusive and is currently available in the United States only.
The deal itself includes the lime-colored system and has the SNES classic Super Mario World pre-installed. It is currently selling for $199.99 on Amazon. You can find the deal here, if you’re interested. To me, it seems like an interesting bundle. The color is certainly a fresh look at the system, and one that I have personally been waiting to see. The game included is a favorite among many, so there really is no downside to this deal.
The 3DS family of systems will be getting a hefty amount of support from Nintendo in the coming months, with Super Mario Maker for 3DS comin on December 2 and Mario Party: Star Rush releasing on November 8. Not to mention that Pokemon Sun And Moon are right around the corner, releasing on November 18.
Nintendo has certainly announced a lot in terms of hardware. Are you interested in this version of the New 3DS XL? What are your thoughts on the recently announced Nintendo Switch, which releases sometime in March 2017? Let us know in the comments!
It’s finally here!
After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Nintendo has finally revealed to the public the identity of their new gaming console (previously code named NX) – the Nintendo Switch! The reveal came in the form of a neat little trailer, which you can watch here. At the time that I am writing this article, the video has already amassed over two and a half million views in less than 12 hours!
The Switch is named as such because of its unique feature. It’s a hybrid of a home console and a handheld, so it can be played essentially anywhere. The system itself is very thin, and takes on the form of a tablet. It has two bars on each side housing the buttons and joysticks, just like the Wii U Gamepad. What makes this system different, though, is that you can slide out the bars and put them on a traditional controller that looks similar to the Wii U Pro Controller. On the other hand, you could choose not to connect them at all – just use them as-is, Wiimote style. Personally, I see this as a genius way to accommodate for fans of every controller Nintendo has produced over the years. Other details shown were the inclusion of a stand on the Switch, in case you want to use the sliders separate from the controller, but want to use the tablet as a mini-TV. The Switch appears to have a matte-finish, which will no doubt be much more visually-appealing than the glossy finish of the Wii U. (No thumb prints!)
Just as the rumors suspected, its essentially a portable console that can fit into a dock, so it can be played in the comfort of one’s home as well. The trailer features players simply taking the tablet-like system out on a trip, and then able to smoothly slide it back into place in front of the TV.
Additionally, the trailer also includes short background clips of gameplay from the Switch. People are shown playing Splatoon, Skyrim, and a new 3D Mario title, among others. Confirmation of whether or not these games are actually playable on Nintendo’s new system remains to be seen, but from what it looks like, Nintendo is aware the Switch requires a strong launch-line up of games to be successful.
Without a doubt – if you like the idea or not – the design for the Nintendo Switch certainly seems like it was worth the wait. What do you think? Are you satisfied, or did you expect something different? Let us know in the comments! Check back to Cube Command for future updates!