Exactly one week beforethe June 18 Nintendo Direct, I wrote a short piece onClair Obscur: Expedition 33‘s reactive turn-based combatand how it not only reminded me of theMario & Luigigames, but it also made it a perfect substitute due to Nintendo’s series going dormant. I also expressed hopeMario & Luigiwould return someday, but I never thought my prayers would be answered a mere seven days later during Nintendo’s latest showcase....

Xbox One day earlier Early indications are that this will not be your standard fare E3. Even if the quality of the reveals is about the same as usual, the format of the whole show has significantly changed. Last week,the ESA announcedthat it’s selling tickets to the public this year. Now, Microsoft has ventured out of its comfort zone too. Late this morning, we received an email from Microsoft that served as a save the date of sorts (February is too early for this kind of thing)....

Siliconera dug up some fresh pictures of the brand new HD animated opening for theZone of the Enders HDcollection, which is set to hit the 360, PS3, and Vita later this year. The animation is being handled by the hit studio Sunrise, which is responsible for a ton of popular shows such asCowboy Bebop,Gundam, and my favorite of theirs —Escaflowne. Even thoughZOE 1and2ended up being two of my favorite games of all time, initially I remember buying the first iteration solely for theMetal Gear Solid 2demo — I think I played that bite sized bit of the Tanker for at least 50 hours....

A set of three + shipping [Update:The poster reward (with different designs)is now live for the US My Nintendo store, where it’s going for 800 Platinum Points. There’s also a Mario Zipper Case for 800 points, anOrigami Kingorigami set for 400, anOrigami Kingpostcard set for 300 and aMario Kart Live: Home CircuitID holder and lanyard for 800. As a note, three out of four ofthe recentAnimal Crossingrewardsare still in stock. It’s entirely possible that a few of these might sell out, but there’s also a chance a few of these could remain in stock until you can get the points for them....

Where is my camera? One of the most compelling things a game can do in my eyes is have a clear artistic vision and go balls-to-the-wall in order to execute it.American Arcadiais one of those games. From the very first trailer I saw, I knew it was going to be one of those titles that delivers on aesthetic and concept, which can either be spectacular, or flop on its face. After playing a preview ofAmerican Arcadiafor the Tribeca Games Fest, I have a feeling it will be leaning toward the former....

Viral marketing sure is strange In case you missed it, Anamanaguchi’s gameCapsule Silence XXIVwas “leaked” by the band a few days ago after what appeared to be a heated dispute with developer NHX. The game at first seems to be a woefully underdeveloped mess of janky textures and weird bugs, but if you dig a bit deeper, you might be surprised. A hidden level, which feels more like a complete game despite a few lingering glitches, will give curious players access to the band’s new music in the form of MP3s, along with some other neat stuff like fan art and a music video for “Japan Air....

It’s not the most detailed sim, but it’s relaxing After an absurd amount of simulation games for an absurd amount of professions and hobbies, it’s nice to see a game about creating aquariums to meet your clientele’s needs. It’s on the fairly bare-bones side of the sim spectrum, butAquarium Designer—out this week on Steamfor $9 with a 10% off launch-window discount — is certainly relaxing. The gameplay consists of taking emails from paying customers, picking out the right fish and plant species, heater, filter, and substrate, and making sure the pH level isn’t out of whack....

We could always use more of those Bohemia Interactive, the developer behind theArmaseries and the popularDayZmod, have announced that they are working on a Mars Rover sim calledTake On Mars. Players will be able drive around the surface of the red planet exploring and doing scientific missions. The terrain will all be based on satellite images of Mars and built using the same Engine asArma, so it’s going to be crazy detailed....

With the new seasonal reset in full effect, that means we do have to start (mostly) all over in our world progression. This also affects potions, meaning you do have to farm some early-game materials like Biteberry again. So, here is where you can find Biteberry inDiablo 4and some reliable locations. Where to find Biteberry inDiablo 4 This resource can be found in theFractured Peaks area in Sanctuary. To be more specific, this plant is mostly found in snowy areas of this region....

If you thought the intenseBlades of Timesagawas over just because we finally got a copy and were able toreview it, think again. In astounding news, it seems that an honest-to-God Limited Edition version is on its way to PC and Mac. It hasstuffin it! The Limited Edition comes with an art book, original soundtrack, and high quality wallpapers. It’ll also boast a Sky Islands map for Outbreak Mode, and the Dismal Swamp DLC in which players take on the role of supporting character Michelle....

As soon as I found out that I’d be talking to a couple of the guys fromDiablo IIIat BlizzCon this year, I was determined to find out whether or not the highly-anticipated RPG would, in fact, ever make it to consoles, as previousrumorshave suggested. Fortunately, my question answered itself when I learned I’d be interviewing Josh Mosquiera, the game’s Lead Console Designer. When asked if his title was a harbinger of things to come, Mosquiera responded, “We’re not announcing anything because, literally, there’s three of us on the team right now … but that’s what we’re trying to do… We’re trying to build the best console team at Blizzard....

Beep-Burp Hello again! It’s time for your mandatory Comments of the Week session where everyone is required to spend time with me, Gmana. Yes, it’s really me this time. I had to redo my office a little bit after someone trashed it and tarnished my name even more than it already had been. We’re up to 21 entries now, which means that Mr. Cothew is now legally allowed to drink in the US....

Woah and woah. First woah: this newCrimson Dragon(the new name for that Project Draco game) trailer gave me goosebumps. It brought back all the feelings I got from thePanzer Dragoontitles with its music and visuals. With the credits and throwbacks it’s like this trailer is going out of its way to tell us that this is aPanzer Dragoontitle, regardless of what the title says. Second woah: My head was spinning with excitement from all the dragons and lasers and fly-bys, but the slap of reality hit when the Kinect logo popped up at the end of the trailer....