That was probably expected The first few games born out ofNintendo and DeNA’s partnershipto create mobile titles will follow the ever-so-popular free-to-play model. As these things go, the games will be free to download, and they’ll depend on in-app microtransactions to pull in revenue. This confirmation comes out of aWall Street Journalreport. It had been widely expected that Nintendo would dip its toes into the free-to-play waters, but nothing had been explicitly stated....

Yikes, Wave 3, this you? Hello? Is it amiibo nightmare buying experiences you’re looking for? Because you’re in one! Two references, I’m on fire today. Ah man it feels like forever since I’ve written something like this, but the Loftwing & Zelda amiibo situation is unlike anything I’ve experienced in years as an amiibo collector. So it came out recently that the figure would interface withZelda: Skyward Sword HDand add a feature that basically should have come standard as a quality of life upgrade....

Update 8.0 for the free-to-playWorld of Tankswill be adding realistic physics to the experience. This means tanks will catch air when jumping over hills, and tanks can even push each other around now. In fact, you can push tanks off of cliffs, which I’m going to go ahead and say that’s like the equivalent of tea-bagging someone in a first-person shooter. The update will also introduce a ton of other updates that improves the overall gameplay, plus a handful of new playable tanks....

Not long now Chucklefish previously said that thebeta forStarboundwould arrive this year and with November nearly upon us, we’re getting close. We must be! Indeed, the studio is now saying “it’s really not very far off now.” In a blog post, the three-stage beta was detailed. Stage 1 will be the messiest of the bunch, with constant updates and the possibility of losing character or universe data. In other words, it’s meant for folks who like providing feedback or simply can’t wait to playStarboundalready....

Welp, I’m sold Blizzard is transplanting Tracer fromOverwatchtoHeroes of the Stormsoon and after watching this video summing up her play style and abilities, I have a pile of gold with her name on it. She’s a rapid-fire ranged assassin who can attack while moving, blink short distances to get in or out of trouble, perform a single-target melee strike, and “bound backward” a few seconds in time to clear up”almost all” negative effects....

Studio broke ground for unionization in the industry Independent developer Vodeo Games has revealed that it will be closing its doors in the near future. The sad news was announced on Twitter just yesterday and comes less than a year after the studio’s debut release, anthropomorphic adventureBeast Breaker. “The story is unfortunately a familiar one for small studios,”explained the studio. “Despite a year of avid efforts, we’ve been unable to secure funding for our next project from publishers and investors....

As part of the Triple-i Showcase stream, Poncle has announced that their mega-hit move-’em-upVampire Survivorswill be crossing over with Konami’s classic run-and-gunContra. Vampire Survivors: Operation Gunsis releasing all current platforms on May 9th, with the PlayStation version arriving this Summer. “The President’s cousin’s sister’s dog has been kidnapped by Red Falcon. Are you bad enough to come to the rescue?”asks the presser. Yes, sir, I am pretty bad. Sufficiently bad, I must claim....

As part of Blizzard’s Warcraft Direct celebrating 30 years ofWarcraft, the developer has announced remastered versions of the originalWarcraftRTS,Warcraft: Orcs and Humansas well as the sequelWarcraft 2: Tides of Darkness. The remastered version of both games allows you to switch between the classic graphics and a remastered look with improved visuals. Both games are available now on Battle.net and also in a returnedWarcraft Battlechestthat includes both games andWarcraft 3 Reforged....

There are dozens of mechanics to consider in anyMagic: The Gatheringgame. These have been built upon over more than three decades to include so many that it’s difficult to keep track. Some are applicable in all forms of play, while others are restricted to specific types of games. One that you’ll always need to know how to use and work around is Vigilance. It can be devastating to your board and a powerful asset all at once, but only if you know how to play with it....

This guide will run you throughwhere to find the Dawnshore Cartographer in Avowed, so you can complete the ‘Mapping the Lands: Dawnshore’ side quest. One of the early side quests you can pick up in Avowed is called ‘Mapping the Lands.’ This tasks you with finding the assistant cartographers the excitable Sanza sent out to each of the known regions of the Living Lands in the hopes of making a proper map of the world....

The back half of this month is EA Play-heavy Some of us sunk time into Xbox Game Pass inclusions likeContrast,Skul: The Hero Slayer, andInfernaxearlier this month, and next up, Game Pass is addingLawn Mowing Simulator,Madden NFL 22, andSuper Mega Baseball 3, to name a few. Again, I feel like we’ve often been spoiled by Game Pass, so anything less than “oh hell yeah!” stands out. What’s new on Game Pass in mid/late February As a refresher, especially since some of the best stuff on this list is gated: if you’re subbed to Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass,then you’ve got EA Play access packed-in....

Tilt your head to the sky, all you true believers out there: Marvel Studios rang in the new year with the first trailer forYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, a new animated series set to put a new spin on Peter Parker’s rise to heroism. Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manhas already crossed many boxes off the standard “Spider-Man origin story” checklist: a do-it-yourself superhero suit, high school drama, and a variation of Spidey’s age-old mantra about power and responsibility....

Smoothies are a key part ofZelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Not only do they give you health and energy back, which is reason enough to make as many of them as you may, but they’re also needed to unlock the Survey Scope and Binoculars. The Survey Scope and Binoculars are unlocked through completing the ‘Recipes, Please!’side quest. To complete it, you need to make a total of 30 unique Smoothies, with 10 complete recipes rewarding you with the Survey Scope and 30 awarding the Survey Binoculars....