Tag: Video games

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Valve’s Steam Deck portable should start shipping at the end of February

Those disappointed when Valve revealed back in November that the Steam Deck’s release would be delayed until 2022 will be pleased to know that the gaming giant has confirmed that shipments will start in February.

Early pre-orders will likely ship in the February release window, with later orders arriving a few months later. Of course, given we’re still in a pandemic and chip shortage/manufacturing delays are common, there’s a possibility this shipping date could shift.

Valve also says that it shipped “hundreds” of Steam Decks to developers last month to ensure their titles are compatible with the handheld’s controls and AMD chip. Valve’s gaming retail platform Steam will also display a green checkmark on titles that have been tested and are compatible with the Steam Deck. As someone that was skeptical about game compatibility when the Steam Deck was first revealed, this is a good sign.

While it’s great to see Steam revealing more information about the Switch-like Steam Deck, it’s still unclear how much its dock that allows titles to be played on larger displays will cost.

Source: Valve

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Mobile Syrup

CES 2022, Halo Infinite and another year of tech [SyrupCast 250]

This week on the SyrupCast, the crew returns after an extended hiatus to talk about how low-key CES 2022 was.

To kick off the pod, Brad Bennett regales Patrick O’Rourke and Jon Lamont with news regarding Rogers’ new CEO, the  Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and the latest software update for the OnePlus Buds Pro. Finally, Brad wraps up by talking about his smart water bottle review.

Next, Patrick steers the team towards recapping CES 2022. While this year’s show was pretty dull, cool gadgets and several electric vehicle (EV) concept cars were still shown off.

Finally, the team talks about some of the games they’ve been playing over the holidays, with Patrick shining a light on Halo Infinite and Brad talking about finally catching up on The Last of Us Part II. If you’ve been a long-time SyrupCast listener, you already know that Jon spent time with Destiny 2, but he also started playing Stardew Valley again.

As always, you can listen to the show on your favourite podcast platform or watch the video version on our YouTube channel.

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Mobile Syrup

Bandai Namco is making a ‘My Hero Academia’ battle royale game

Bandai Namco has revealed a new game called My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble that’s based on the popular series, My Hero Academia.

Ultra Rumble is a free-to-play battle royale title coming to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC via Steam.

Bandai Namco revealed the game in its latest issue of Weekly Jump, according to Gemastu. There’s no information available yet regarding its release date, but the publication says it will allow players to “team up to win a 24-player rumble in multiplayer action!”

Prior to its release, My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble will be available in a closed beta test.

This isn’t the first game focused on the anime series. Back in 2016, Bandai Namco released a Nintendo 3DS game called My Hero Academia: Battle for All, and in 2018, the developer followed that title up with My Hero: One’s Justice, a sequel called My Hero One’s Justice 2.

My Hero Academia is a Japanese comic book series (manga) based on a world filled with superheroes. The series has been adapted into an anime and three films that have earned $40 million USD (roughly $50 million CAD) worldwide. 

Source: Gemastu

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Mobile Syrup

Nintendo releases Pokémon Legends: Arceus extended gameplay trailer

Nintendo has released a 13-minute extended gameplay trailer ahead Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ launch, offering the best look at the anticipated game yet.

The video features additional detail about crafting, catching Noble Pokémon and more.

In the gameplay preview, we see how trainers sneak up on Pokémon to catch them and learn that they’ll have to throw out their own Pocket Monster to initiate a battle if they fail.

As shown before, techniques called ‘Agile Style’ and ‘Strong Style’ are used in these battles. Agile Style change the turn order and often let you make two moves, while Strong Style attacks are stronger but allow the opposing Pokémon to attack multiple times. Catching a Noble Pokémon seems to be rather difficult, with players needing to throw balms to calm them down and engage in numerous battles.

Crafting seems to be an essential part of Arceus and allows players to make Pokéballs, potions, smoke bombs and lures. Your Pokémon will be able to attack trees and other items to turn them into craftable materials.

The trailer also shows off Trade Posts that allow you to trade Pokémon and ‘Merit Points’ for items. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, you’ll need to earn points by completing missions. As you earn more points and progress through the game, your Research Level increases. The gameplay clip outlines another feature called ‘Requests’ that seems to be a side mission system.

Finally, more information about customizing gear is outlined in the gameplay preview.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus launches on January 28th for the Nintendo Switch. MobileSyrup will have more on the game in the coming weeks.

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Mobile Syrup

Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases on March 25

Kirby will set out on his next adventure on March 25th, when Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases.

Alongside the release date, Nintendo has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming title.

Like other Kirby games, you’ll be able to copy enemy abilities as you travel across an unknown world. The game also features couch co-op that lets a second player take control as Bandana Waddle Dee.

The game is available on Nintendo Switch for $79.99.

This year is also the 30th anniversary of the Kirby series, and for that, you can download a new wallpaper.

Source: Nintendo

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Mobile Syrup

Court rejects appeal from former police officers who played Pokémon Go on duty

The Pokémon Go mania between 2016 and 2017 was extraordinary.

I remember skipping classes in school and sneaking out at night because I just had to ‘catch em’ all.’ Sure, cutting classes to play a viral game wasn’t the best decision, but it did no real harm. However, what these two former LAPD officers did in 2017 shows a clear lapse in judgment and priority.

Former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell have been fired for ignoring a radio call asking for backup for a robbery that took place on April 15th, 2017. Why? They were busy trying to catch a Snorlax and a Togetic. 

According to the court documents, courtesy of Axios‘ Stephen Totilo, the in-car recording proves that the officers ignored the radio call and drove around to different locations for about 20 minutes to catch the virtual creatures.

“On their way to the Snorlax location, former Officer Mitchell alerted former Officer Lozano that ‘a Togetic just popped up,’” reads the court document.

Once taken to court, former Officer Lozano and Mitchell filed a petition, arguing that the use of in-car camera footage as evidence against them was unfair and breached their privacy. The news, in this case, is that the former officers’ appeal was rejected on January 7th, 2022 and is now available for the whole world to read.

Below is an excerpt:

After Mitchell apparently caught the Snorlax—exclaiming, “Got ‘em”—petitioners agreed to “[g]o get the Togetic” and drove off. When their car stopped again, the DICVS recorded Mitchell saying, “Don’t run away. Don’t run away,” while Lozano described how he “buried it and ultra-balled” the Togetic before announcing, “Got him.” Mitchell advised he was “[s]till trying to catch it,” adding, “Holy crap, man. This thing is fighting the crap out of me.” Eventually, Mitchell exclaimed, “Holy Crap. Finally,” apparently in reference to capturing the Togetic, and he remarked, “The[ ] guys are going to be so jealous.” Petitioners then agreed to return to the 7-Eleven (where Sergeant Gomez later met them) to end their watch. On the way, Mitchell remarked, “I got you a new Pokémon today, dude.”

There’s more where that came from. Read the complete court document here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: @stephentotilo

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Mobile Syrup

Check out the cool Arceus emoji in celebration of Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Pokémon Legends: Arceus is almost here, and there’s a new emoji to celebrate.

With new trailers hitting YouTube over the past few days, Nintendo has decided this was the time to release a cute new emoji of the god of Pokémon, Arceus.

To access the new emoji on Twitter, you have to use the hashtag #PokemonLegendsArceus, #LegendsArceus, #Arceus and #PokemonLegends.

Here’s the emoji:

Pokémon Legends: Arceus launches on January 28th. Nintendo released a new trailer earlier today, giving us another look at the Sinnoh region.

Source: Pokémon

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft has sold more Xbox Series X/S units than any previous Xbox in the same time period

Despite seemingly performing well behind Sony’s PlayStation 5 (PS5) and still not releasing official statistics, Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S seems to be selling exceedingly well.

In an interview with The New York Times, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, said that “At this point, we’ve sold more of Xbox Series X|S than we had any previous version of Xbox.” Unfortunately, Spencer did not go into additional detail in the interview, but this certainly bodes well for the brand’s future. Though sales numbers are unofficial, several sources point to the Series X/S selling in the range of 11 million consoles since their launch.

It seems Xbox Game Pass’ attractive package of hundreds of games, including notable first-party titles like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, has struck a chord with the gaming world.

Microsoft hasn’t published official Xbox sales statistics since the early days of the Xbox One generation. On the other hand, Sony’s most recent sales figures from back in July 2021 revealed that the PS5 sold 10 million consoles since its release. Given the busy holiday season that just passed, that number is likely even higher despite ongoing console shortages.

Considering how rare the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are right now, it will be interesting to see how well the consoles sell once Microsoft and Sony are finally able to meet the demand from consumers.

Source: The New York Times 

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Mobile Syrup

Here’s another look at Pokémon Legends Arceus

The Pokémon Company’s upcoming title, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, is almost here, and just ahead of its official release, Nintendo has dropped new trailer for the game.

The trailer doesn’t reveal anything we didn’t already know about the game, but it does offer a great look at Arceus’ open world.

In the trailer, we get another look at riding Pokémon, a variety of Pocket Monsters, crafting, and a reminder that the game focuses on building the world’s very first Pokédex.

Pokémon Legends Arceus is an open-world title that’s more similar to the Monster Hunter series than a traditional Pokémon game. In Arceus, the player explores Sinnoh region before the world of Pokémon Gyms. The game is set to include new fighting styles and several never-seen-before Pokémon.

Legends Arceus launches on January 28th for the Switch.

Source: Nintendo

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft is reportedly testing Age of Empires IV on Xbox consoles

It looks like Age of Empires IV (Age IV) could make its way to Xbox consoles in the future.

According to the Twitter account @ALumia_Italia, a Twitter account that often digs through the Microsoft Insider Hub for product code names, ‘XIP_CAR_JANUARY_2022’ recently appeared in the Xbox version of the app.

According to Video Games Chronicle (VGC), “CAR’ is the internal code name at Microsoft for Age of Empires IV. While an Xbox version of the real-time strategy game has never officially been confirmed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Age IV make its way to console.

Prior to Age IV’s release, I spoke to Michael Mann, the executive producer at World’s Edge, about the possibility of the title releasing on Xbox consoles. To my surprise, Mann didn’t outright deny the possibility and instead emphasized that the team was, at the time, focused on getting the PC version of the title ready for release.

“Our focus right now is the PC and we want to make sure the game is good. We have eight diverse civilizations, the graphics; we want to make sure that we deliver to a spectrum of PC machines and hardware first and land that this year,” said Mann.

Of course, Age of Empires IV would likely need a gamepad-focused control scheme to work well on Xbox, which could prove difficult. That said, Halo Wars 2 was able to pull it off quite well. It’s also worth mentioning that Xbox consoles also support mouse and keyboard controls.

As someone who at one point considered buying a new gaming PC specifically to be able to play Age of Empires IV on max settings, this is good news. The prospect of playing the game in glorious 4K on my Xbox Series X with mouse and keyboard definitely appeals to me.

For more on Age IV, check out my story about the game from back in October.

Source: @ALumia_Italia