The Nintendo Switch’s surprising battle royale-like Tetris 99 is getting some competition. A new Tetris battle royale game, Tetris Royale, is now in development for iOS and Android.
The Verge reports that the game is a mobile version of Tetris 99. It will feature a Solo Marathon mode and daily reward challenges, alongside its 100-player competitive mode. Though no release date has been announced, beta testing for the game will start sometime later this year.
Tetris 99 was announced during and released after a February 2019 Nintendo Direct. It’s free to download and play for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers and pits you against 98 other Tetris players around the world. Tetris 99 also recently added paid DLC that includes offline modes (CPU Battle and Marathon) for $10 USD / $14 AUD / £8 GBP.
In our Tetris 99 review, we said, “Tetris 99 may not be a proper battle royale game, but it taps into the same emotional well, where a large number of players vying for supremacy creates an ever-present intensity that’s difficult to shake. Add that layer to a game that’s plenty capable of instilling tension on its own, and you’ve got a riveting experience that even at its worst is still a game very much worth playing.”
Super Mario Maker 2 is now available on Nintendo Switch. Not only does the game feature nearly all of the tools available in its Wii U predecessor, it adds a ton of new features and items to tinker around with as well, such as some classic Mario enemies like the Angry Sun. But while the game makes most of its tools available from the outset this time around, there are still a couple of things to unlock, including an obscure power-up from the series’ past.
Spoilers follow for Super Mario Maker 2’s story mode.
Clearing Super Mario Maker 2’s new story mode will unlock a handful of goodies, including Game Boy graphic items for your Mii. The best rewards, however, are two new power-ups, one of which is the Superball Flower from the original Super Mario Land. This item can only be used in the Super Mario Bros. style and looks and functions similarly to the standard Fire Flower, except it allows you to lob “Superballs,” which will bounce around the level and ricochet off walls.
The other new power-up you receive for clearing story mode is the Super Hammer. This one can only be placed in the Super Mario 3D World game style, and it’ll transform Mario into his Builder form. It works somewhat like the hammer from the original Donkey Kong arcade game, allowing you to smash enemies and even break through hard blocks. Builder Mario is also able to conjure up boxes that you can then stand on.
Story mode is one of the many new features in Super Mario Maker 2. In this mode, Mario is tasked with helping rebuild Princess Peach’s castle. To do so, he’ll need to earn coins by taking on jobs, which come in the form of 100 Nintendo-made levels to complete. Mario Maker 2 also introduces local and online multiplayer. At launch, you’ll only be able to play online with strangers, but Nintendo will release an update that adds the option to play online with friends as well.
Super Mario Maker 2 has been received very positively by critics. GameSpot awarded it an 8/10 in our Super Mario Maker 2 review-in-progress. Critic Peter Brown wrote, “With the story mode and dozens of custom-built stages under my belt, I’m anxiously waiting for the floodgates to open upon Mario Maker’s 2 release. What I’ve played so far has proven, once again, that the Mario series is worth all the admiration it gets, and Mario Maker 2 is an excellent tool for picking it apart by pushing its enemies, mechanisms, and Mario, to their limit.”
Iconoclasts is the metroidvania-inspired breakout hit by Joakim Sandberg, who developed the game completely on his own. The game puts you in the shoes of Robin, a woman who works as a mechanic without a license, dooming herself and those she knows to be labeled as sinners and killed. Robin manages to survive the attempt, however, and vows to put an end to the totalitarian government that rules the planet.
The story that follows is intricately layered, with themes of faith, human kindness, overconsumption of natural resources, good vs. evil, friendship, and personal purpose all explored through multiple lenses, symbols, and plotlines. There is no traditional conclusion to Iconoclasts, as the narrative is left open to personal interpretation. Even if you don’t understand what the ending is trying to say, the journey is a fascinating one, with hours of world-building to dissect and theorize about.
Gameplay-wise, Iconoclasts wears its Metroid influences on its sleeve, featuring challenging bosses, platforming puzzles, and environmental hazards that can only be overcome by unlocking certain abilities. Robin’s Stun Gun even evolves in a similar manner to Samus’ Arm Cannon. If you like playing action platformers or unraveling symbolic stories, then you’ll probably love Iconoclasts. — Jordan Ramée, associate news editor
Sony has announced it’s setting a big PSVR exclusive free this weekend. Firewall Zero Hour will be free for PS Plus members from June 28 through July 1. In addition, all players will receive double XP for the duration of the free-play weekend.
The PS4 game launched in August 2018 to a positive reception. The tactical shooter is multiplayer-based, pitting squads of four against each other. It ordinarily costs US $40 / £25 / AU $40–though it is currently discounted to £16 / AU $25 if you want to own it permanently.
Firewall has also received a number of updates in the past few months, from new missions and rewards to a completely revamped user interface. Two new maps have also been released for free just recently. We said the game “showed that tactical multiplayer FPS games can work on PSVR” in our 2018 VR gaming review.
EA Access was recently announced for PS4, ending its Xbox One exclusivity. Now, EA has finally confirmed the date its subscription service will come to Sony’s flagship console: July 24.
EA Access costs $30 / £20 / AU $40 for a year or $5 / £4 / AU $40 per month. A subscription grants you access to a vault of free EA titles, such as Titanfall 2, Star Wars: Battlefront II, and FIFA 18. Subscribers also get a 10% discount on all digital EA games, as well as their respective expansions and in-game purchases. Members can also take advantage of EA Access’ Play First Trials, which typically give you 10 hours of early access to new EA titles prior to their official release. Battlefield V also made its way to the EA Access Vault recently.
Sony allowing EA Access on to PS4 represents quite a change in stance. The company blocked EA from launching the service on PlayStation in 2014, saying it had “evaluated the EA Access subscription offering and decided that it does not bring the kind of value PlayStation customers have come to expect.” The company has not explained its recent change of heart.
Welcome back to Game Scoop!, IGN’s weekly video game podcast. This week we’re discussing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. We’ll also try to pick the five games everyone should be required to play and pick the best 2DS games for a casual gamer. Watch the video above or hit the link below to your favorite podcast service.
Welcome to IGN’s Daily Deals, your source for the best deals on the stuff you actually want to buy. If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, read our Terms of Use.
We bring you the best deals we’ve found today on video games, hardware, electronics, and a bunch of random stuff too. Check them out here or like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get the latest deals.
Groudon has returned once again in Pokemon Go, but that isn’t the only Legendary Pokemon making an encore appearance this week. As a reward for completing enough Global Challenges during the recent Pokemon Go Fest event in Chicago, Niantic is also bringing Raikou, one of the three Legendary dogs from Pokemon Gold and Silver, back to Raids for a limited time tomorrow, June 29.
Raikou is a rare sight in Pokemon Go, making tomorrow’s Raid Day a good opportunity to add one to your collection if you had previously missed it. To help you get ready, we’ve rounded up all the most important details about the Raikou Raid Day below, from its start times to your chances of finding a Shiny Raikou and more.
Start Times
Much like Niantic’s monthly Community Day events, this weekend’s Raikou Raid Day will only run for three hours, from 4-7 PM local time. During that window, Raikou will appear as a Raid Boss at Gyms, giving you a few hours to battle and capture the Legendary again.
Shiny Raikou
During the Raikou Raid Day, you’ll have a chance of encountering a Shiny Raikou when you battle the Legendary at Raids. Shiny Pokemon are quite rare, so your chances of coming across one are down to luck, but it’s worth going out during the event hours and participating in a few Raids.
How Do I Participate In Raids?
To take part in a Raid, you’ll first need an item called a Raid Pass. You can obtain one of these from the first Photo Disc you spin at a Gym each day. While you can typically only receive one for free per day, Niantic is giving out up to five free Raid Passes during the Raikou Raid event as an added bonus, giving everyone a chance to participate.
Once you have some Raid Passes, head to a Gym where a Raikou Raid is taking place and team up with other players in-person to battle the Legendary. If you defeat it, you’ll earn a handful of Premier Balls along with the opportunity to capture it. Raikou is a pure Electric-type, which makes it especially vulnerable to Ground Pokemon such as Groudon (which is also currently available as a Raid Boss), Rhyperior, and Golem.
There’s plenty more to do in Pokemon Go besides the Raikou Raid event. To commemorate the game’s third anniversary, Shiny Alolan forms are appearing in the wild, and trading Pokemon requires a quarter less Stardust than normal for a limited time. As previously mentioned, Groudon is back in Raids until July 10, and the next Pokemon Go Community Day takes place on July 21. The featured Pokemon this time will be Mudkip, the Water starter from Ruby and Sapphire.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is the return of a series that had largely been left to lie dormant for 10 years. At the height of its popularity, Ultimate Alliance represented the rare superhero game that was both fun to play and offered die-hard fans of Marvel enough meat to sink their teeth into. But in 2019, what Marvel is and who it appeals to has changed drastically.
Alongside the longstanding comic book fanatics, there are now devotees of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and those who have been enjoying games such as Marvel Vs. Capcom, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, the Lego Marvel series, and the now defunct Marvel Heroes (RIP). On the one hand, this means developer Team Ninja–best known for the Ninja Gaiden series–and Marvel stand to capture an audience much larger than ever before. But on the other, expectations are greater, and with so many tastes to account for, the challenge in meeting expectations is bigger.
We spoke to Bill Rosemann, VP and creative director of Marvel Games, writer Marc Sumerak, and head of Team Ninja Yosuke Hayashi about these challenges. In the interview below the trio discuss bringing the series back and working together to create a game that fans can enjoy. We also try and squeeze a few new character reveals out of them.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance as a series has been revered by gamers and also Marvel fans. How did you get to the point where you decided to bring this back, and how did the studio get involved in that?
Bill Rosemann: So five years ago is when we reassembled Marvel Games, and we sat down and talked about what kind of games we wanted to do. We said, “Number one, who are we going to partner with? Who are we going to collaborate with?” We started brainstorming and dreaming and we said, “What matters most?” We want to make sure there is an awesome level of talent, big ambition, [we want the developer to have the] vision to own their game, and most of all passion. [We want them to] pour their heart and souls [into it]. In addition, we said, “Are there any games we want to bring back?”
Top of the list: Ultimate Alliance. The first couple of years when we were on the road at conventions talking about other games, we would be asked, “What about Ultimate Alliance?” We wanted to wait [until we had] all those components, and it was a magic moment of planets aligning where we were shown the Switch. We got our hands on it and then we were told Team Ninja might be available. We said, “That’s it.” Now we can bring back Ultimate Alliance. Perfect studio, with the action and the love that they have for Marvel, and the Switch, all about playing together, bringing your team together. You add all that up and we said, “Now we’re going to do it.”
Team Ninja is known for precision action, whereas Ultimate Alliance 3 is more arcadey, you’re doing large sweeping attacks that take care of a lot of enemies at once–it’s perhaps less focused. So, what is it about Ultimate Alliance 3 that has Team Ninja’s fingerprints on it? What part of your studio are you putting into this game and where can we see it?
Yosuke Hayashi: So, when we first heard about working on this game our first reaction was, “We love Marvel, and we’re really excited to work on the game.” In terms of experience we had with previous games, there’s, of course, Ninja Gaiden. We had characters in there, they had claws, and, to tell the truth, those kinds of characters are inspired by Wolverine.
We had a lot of hardcore fans on our team, and the first thing we wanted to do was play the previous two to see what we could bring to it. Marvel, of course, provided the roster and great story and we thought that we could add feel-good action to the game. We knew that this was something that Marvel wanted. So, our first priority was to make it feel really good playing these characters and we just really felt proud of the work that we did.
As a writer working on this, how do you even find the starting point? How do you begin? Is it primarily coming first from the Marvel side or the development side or is it a little bit of both?
Marc Sumerak: I think it was a collaborative effort. We knew we wanted to tell a broad-scope, original story for this game. We didn’t want to rehash a story that had already been told. We wanted to draw inspiration from the history of the Marvel Universe–from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, other games that we’ve played–we wanted that all to be synthesized into something brand-new.
But there are a lot of moving parts for something this big: there’s what we already revealed, over 30 playable characters. There are dozens of villains, there are lots of NPCs, a slew of locations across the Marvel Universe, and putting all those puzzle pieces together can be very complicated. So it was a matter of working with Team Ninja and Marvel to pick the best pieces, from playable characters to locations, and then finding the right story that connected all of those elements; building the puzzle out of the best pieces. So, for us, it was starting small and bringing the characters in on a ground level of the story and building and building and building into something grand and cosmic.
When you first start the game, it’s with the Guardians of the Galaxy. You’re a small crew, and you’re exploring this mystery, and then things suddenly go worldwide or universe-wide, and you’re back on Earth and you build and build and build towards something new and exciting as the action gets more intense.
Rosemann: Part of the reason why we chose Marc to write the story is, years ago, I worked with Marc. We worked in Marvel New York in publishing, and Marc worked in one of the editorial offices that worked on some of the top hero books like Avengers and Fantastic Four. We knew at the very beginning, as Marc said, we knew the game was going to span the entire universe and unite the Ultimate Alliance. It’s all the characters from across the Marvel Universe, and we needed someone who had that knowledge–and I knew Marc would have that–and be able to understand their voice, introduce them in a very accessible way but then sprinkle it with Easter eggs that long-time fans would appreciate at the same time.
From a story perspective, it’s very different now. Back in the day the series was treated like an arcade game where you could almost turn up and play, and the story stuff was nice but it was on the side. In a post-MCU world, in a post-Insomniac Spider-Man world, in a post-everything happening in the actual comics world, every Marvel product has this incredible weight on it. How do you approach a game like this where it’s an arcadey experience but everyone is going into it wanting an arc for every single one of these characters?
Sumerak: That’s a really good question. As Bill will tell you, at Marvel, the story is first. The story is at the heart of everything we do. So, for us, it was really important not just to tell a good story progression and have the events be unique, but also to have a reason that each character fits into the story. Every character is someone’s favorite. From Captain America all the way to Elsa Bloodstone. They make vastly different characters across the roster but everybody appeals to someone out there, and we certainly never want anyone to feel like their favorite character’s being slighted in the story and not focused on.
Our goal was to find situations where each member of this roster could shine, where their personality could come through and where their talents would be useful. So, it was about building around these characters and finding ways to let them step into the limelight and to really be on the big stage.
Masks and powers are great, special abilities and combo moves are wonderful, but at Marvel, it’s all about what’s underneath the powers
Is Gambit in the game?
Rosemann: No comment.
Because I want my favorite characters to be represented and if Gambit’s not around…
Rosemann: He certainly hasn’t been announced as a character that I’ve seen.
I want Gambit back in everything. I wanted him in Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite as well and he didn’t appear and I was very sad about that.
Rosemann: [Laughs] I’m glad you’re educated. But Marc is right, if you just have two characters fighting, then on the surface it’s fun and interesting, but then after a while, it doesn’t hold your attention. Marvel fans are smart and they want to know, “Why are they fighting?” So that’s what we worked very hard to set up. What are the motivations and goals of the heroes and the villains? So we clearly understand what they’re trying to do and why they’re trying to do it. When you add that, then you get a true, authentic Marvel experience.
Sumerak: Masks and powers are great, special abilities and combo moves are wonderful, but at Marvel, it’s all about what’s underneath the powers and we wanted to make sure that that came through as well.
From a development and design standpoint, how do you approach making sure each character feels unique and different from every other? Something like 30 characters punch stuff, so how do you make that interesting and then how do you balance that with every other character that’s available?
Hayashi: First of all, we thought the Switch was a great match with the Marvel Ultimate Alliance [series], and we pictured families and friends sitting on a couch together, playing and enjoying the interaction between various characters. That’s why we wanted to create functions like the synergy and the alliance exchange so that players can work together to defeat villains. We really wanted to create an action game where people could use these characters to interact with each other on the Switch.
Rosemann: You bring up a great point that many of the characters punch, but we really approach from a character point-of-view: Luke Cage punches, Captain America punches, Captain Marvel punches, but they all have levels of strength, and they all fight differently based on how they trained. It’s a true mixture of gameplay and character together. So, if you don’t know the characters, you’re interested to see how they play; if you do know them you’re like, “Yeah, this feels right.” That’s exactly how Luke Cage would come in and brawl differently from how he interacts with Hulk.
Sumerak: A great example of that are the spider characters. You’ve got Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, and Spider-Gwen. Many people might look at that and say, “Other than the fact that they’re popular and exciting characters, why do we need three Spider characters?” And in terms of gameplay, Team Ninja was able to take them and bring out their unique aspects. Their abilities and their fighting styles are so different that as you’re playing them you barely realize they’re the same fighters, the same Spider fighters style.
They’re really unique in their gameplay. Miles has unique bio-electric abilities that he can use and he can camouflage himself, so those are attributes that Peter Parker doesn’t have at all. Gwen has this ability to use dimensional portals because she comes from an alternate universe. So, you really get this unique twist on a classic Spider-Man fighting style with these other two characters that you couldn’t have with Peter Parker. They shine on their own, and as much as I loved playing Spidey in the original Ultimate Alliance games, I’m hooked on Miles now because he has so many cool little twists on the classic Spidey fighting.
Is Moon Knight in the game?
Rosemann: Well, we all have our favorite characters, don’t we? That does bring up the idea of, how do we choose?
Yes, it does.
Rosemann: And to start with the roster, number one we were like, “If we’re going to bring Ultimate Alliance back, the fans deserve bigger.” How can we deliver more? So our number one goal was, “How many can we pack into the game?” Based on other considerations such as gameplay, family, and who are the characters we want to know about. W began this many moons ago, and we looked ahead and knew Miles would rise, Spider-Woman would rise, Ms. Marvel would rise, and Captain Marvel would rise. So it was a combination of looking ahead at what people would want and then we talked about the true Ultimate Alliance.
We looked across the Marvel universe and in our heads, we created these invisible families. There are the Avengers, Guardians, there’s the Spider-Verse, there’s the X-Men, there’s the Inhumans, and we create these groups and say, “Hey, it’s going to be a true alliance so let’s have all these groups together.” And then [we look at] gameplay, and personalities, how characters interact with each other, and then how can we surprise them with, say, an Elsa Bloodstone, where some people may say, “Who is that?” And then later, “Oh my gosh she’s my new favorite character.” And that continues the tradition of what Ultimate Alliance has done, it’s delivered really popular characters and introduced people to new characters.
And then looking ahead, we have the expansion. Same thing there, we began thinking there was so much we could do. We thought about who isn’t in the game yet that people might want, and who isn’t in the game that may have been in previous games that aren’t playable yet? And then on top of that introduce characters they didn’t know they were going to love.
With that in mind, what’s the process for the development studio making new characters?
Hayashi: [There are] many, many discussions.
Rosemann: That’s what it comes down to. When you have the right people working together and you’re lined up then it all comes down to simple talking and fanning up and being nerds and talking about what would be awesome. A lot of times there will be a request where it’s, “We’d like to have this sort of mechanic.” As Hayashi-san said, they’re great Marvel fans, they’re just like can we get this character, and we go straight for that. And that’s the discussion back and forth, “Okay, yeah let’s do that character.” When it’s like, “Well, what version? What should their costumes look like, what should they look like?”
So, with that in mind, is Black Bolt in the game?
Rosemann: He is mentioned. Yes, he’s mentioned.
Is Cable in the game?
Rosemann: That has not been revealed yet.
I’m going to keep trying.
Rosemann: I know [he laughs].
What makes the Switch unique or more interesting for Marvel’s Ultimate Alliance? The natural thought is that you can play with a bunch of people together, but you can do that on any console. What is it about the Switch specifically that appealed to you?
Hayashi: We talked to Marvel a little bit about this as well but, you can imagine a father playing on his Switch at home, and then one of his kids is like, “Hey, can I join?” And they can easily do that because they can pick up one of the Joy-Cons and play the game. So it’s just an aspect of being able to join the game right away. That really appeals to us. And also the playable characters, you can just switch them at various points in the game. Some of the stuff Marvel had talked to us about the Switch and also, of course, we have, four-player online multiplayer, but there’s something in these kinds of situations where you can just get home and share playing with people who are right there with you.
Rosemann: The versatility in Switch’s co-op is great for this game, because you can play online, you can play at home with multiple Joy-Cons, you can play on multiple Switches that are linked together, you can take it to a party where your gamer friends are hanging out and set in on a table, pop off the Joy-Con and play it together there. There are so many options to how you can play co-op with the Switch. Whereas with other consoles, it would be either online or on the couch. Here you could take it on the go and then when you’re done playing co-op you can click it back on and play it on the airplane on the way back from E3–you can play it any way you want to. That’s what’s really exciting to me about the co-op–the broad range of possibilities to how I can play with other people.
I’ve got loads of family and friends who are huge Marvel fans and huge gamers, so I think I probably have to ask on their behalf … is Toxin in the game?
Rosemann: [Laughs] Wow, that’s a deep cut!
Sumerak: Toxin was–we were just talking about this the other day–Toxin was the offspring of Carnage?
And Venom.
Sumerak: Yeah! Well, there is a symbiote character in the game named Venom.
Rosemann: That’s the only symbiote character in the game that we can confirm.
My family and friends will have to make do with that, I guess. Do you have any plans to bring Ultimate Alliance 3 to other platforms in the future or is it specifically a Switch game?
Rosemann: We are proud that the Ultimate Alliance is explicitly for the Switch and, in all seriousness, it was created for that. We really thought about it, everything from the gameplay to the art style, [and] it was really handcrafted for the Switch. And that’s why we waited so long, until we had the right platform. And I think you will get it when you see the artwork, oh, of course, it’s perfect.
It does look very vibrant and really colorful. I’d love it if I was able to see Taskmaster in that style.
Rosemann: Oh Taskmaster, I love Taskmaster too, I love him.
Is Taskmaster in the game?
Rosemann: I love Taskmaster. I think he’s a great character.
Hmmmmm…
Rosemann: I can confirm that Bova, the cow woman, is not in the game, sadly. I argued for her. She would be utterly cool.
That was going to be my next question. I am very sad to hear that she’s not in it, she would have been great. How far into the future have you planned to support Ultimate Alliance 3 for and how much do you expect players to keep hold of the game and keep playing for?
Rosemann: We do want people to play this game for years to come, and we’ll say we’ve announced expansion packs and we’ll leave it at that. But you’re right we do want people to play this for a long, long time.
Will I be able to play as the Watcher?
Rosemann: [Laughs] Well, Uatu knows all and watches all…
Sumerak: It would be very boring to play as he Watcher. His superpower would be to stand there and not get involved.
Sounds like a good tank if you ask me…
Rosemann: [Laughs] He’s not much of a puncher though. No, no.
