343 Industries clarifies: Halo Wars 2 for Windows 10 "retail plans have shifted", will not be sold outside Europe

As we heard last month from the folks at THQ Nordic, the upcoming real-time strategy title Halo Wars 2’s Windows 10 version would be coming to brick-and-mortar stores worldwide upon the games release. At the time, we saw both the Ultimate and Standard Edition boxes, and had confirmation that the hard-copy disc version of Halo Wars 2 for Windows 10 would include a code to redeem digitally that would enable the game’s Xbox Play Anywhere functionality. While the game will still be available in-store and include the aforementioned digital redemption code, a member on the Halo Waypoint forums specified the regions that will see the game’s physical release later this month. The forum member, going by the name ske7ch, wrote that “our retail partners and Microsoft has made the decision to focus the release of the physical retail version to Europe only.” The post continues, saying that THQ Nordic are working to make the necessary changes to the retail copy’s launch “smooth for our customers,” and that they “apologize to any customers affected by the change in our retail plans, and thank everyone for their continued support.” While it’s likely that many worldwide Windows 10 users will be disappointed to not have the chance to purchase the game in its special hard-copy packaging, it’s good to see the physical release continuing for Europe rather than being nixed entirely. Should details change, we’ll keep you updated. Source: Waypoint Forums

Nintendo Switch developer info leaked

Some new information that developers of the Nintendo Switch have received has managed to leak and is currently making rounds around the internet. Keep in mind this information is from documents that were published in July, so anything could have changed by this point. This list is copied from the post over on reddit by user dreamsomebody, and you can find a list of specs from Dystify on NeoGAF. An imgur gallery has been uploaded with some of the images of the UI from these documents as well, all of which you can find in the source links listed at the bottom of this article. HD Rumble’s technical name is a Linear resonant actuator When in handheld mode, the Switch will have an unlock screen like a smartphone to prevent accidental waking. The Switch features a Quick Menu. Press and hold the HOME Button for at least one second to display the Quick Settings screen on top of all other screens, including the HOME Menu and any applications. Unlike the 3DS, the active software will not be suspended when this menu is invoked The Switch’s keyboard will feature predictive text such as those on iOS and Android System Settings will allow the user to edit the following settings: Flight Mode Toggle Enable/Disable Bluetooth Manage Wi-fi Manage NFC Manage screen brightness Screen lock User Settings Create/Edit Mii Theme management Controller management System Update Miis will have more options for hair, eyebrows, eyes, facial hair, glasses, mouths, and skin. Miis will not store the creator’s name, their favorites, and their birthday anymore. Anyone can edit Mii characters Developers can create and sell Season Passes for their games This document confirms an X1 like SoC using Maxwell on the final retail version There are NO plans to provide an Internet Browser at this stage but developers are able to access a web applet to display specific websites within their game/app A maximum of 8 users can be registered on a system Friend requests and game invites CAN be sent from the console. “Friend Presence is a feature that uses the Internet to convey information in real time about the online status of friends and the applications they are playing. Among possibilities, we see this being used in the application to check whether friends are in the joinable state, and to use the Friend List system feature screen to show what applications friends are playing.” A Nintendo Account can be linked to multiple Switches BUT save data is not automatically synchronised There are TWO dev kit devices: SDEV and EDEV SDEV – Has built-in ports; no built-in battery EDEV – Resembles the retail product exactly but is black color Game cards come in 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, or 32 GB variations. Nintendo is expanding its online network and offers a library called Network Extension (NEX). Matchmaking: This feature matches players for multiplayer games. It can be used to bring players together based on matching criteria from among unspecified numbers of users, or to create groups among friends only. Groups can be created temporarily for a multiplayer game, or they can be created as lasting entities usable as communities. Ranking: This feature uploads scores so users can get the relative rankings. Rankings can be calculated for only a certain period of time, or for only the scores of players registered in a certain group, and the score information can be periodically reset. Data Store: This is a network storage feature. Any data can be optionally saved to the game server. This saved data can be tagged, searched, and appended with ratings and the like. Subscriber: This is a messaging feature based on the publish-subscribe pattern. It can be used to post messages on certain topics, poll for posts on certain topic, and otherwise share information within the application. This is likely the primary reason we’re being asked to pay for online services now REDDIT SOURCE NeoGAF SOURCE IMGUR GALLERY

Forza franchise tops $1 billion in retail sales

December 2016 marked the billion-dollar milestone for one of Microsoft’s most-played franchises. As of December 2016, the Forza franchise has topped $1 billion USD in retail sales. Turn 10 Studio Head Alan Hartman discussed the franchise’s recent progress on Xbox Wire. Hartman remarks that “[a]s of December, more than 14 million unique players were involved in the Forza community on Xbox One and Windows 10.” He continues, noting that at the same time, Forza Horizon 3 has sold 2.5 million units, when combining digital and hard-copy product. This, along with the studio launching both the first and second seasons of the Forza Racing Championship eSports competition , made 2016 the biggest year for the franchise to date. Phil Spencer also spoke on Forza’s success both as a games franchise and as a community of players: “Since the beginning, Forza has combined stunning graphics, racing’s leading simulation engine, and an emphasis on fun and accessibility. With the Forza series, Turn 10 has built the world’s largest racing community [and we] couldn’t be more proud of their success.” We have yet to hear any remarks of hints of an upcoming Forza Motorsport entry into the franchise, which is expected but not confirmed to be coming later this year. In the meantime, however, Turn 10 is running various events in Forza Horizon 3 to celebrate the shortest month of the year, so stay tuned to Rectify Gaming for our coverage for details regarding any upcoming events, as well as the latest developments on any upcoming titles this year. Source: Xbox Wire

X-Morph: Defense combines top-down shooters and tower defense and adds fully destructible environments

The top down shooter and tower defense genre are getting a new addition to their repertoire as Exor studios announced X-Morph Defense today. It’s a hybrid shooter featuring elements of both genres, as well as including fully destructible environments for the first time.  Most of these games have us controlling the humans on Earth in an attempt to defend froma takeover. In this game, however, we control the X-Morph, an alien species that invades Earth to harvest its resources and terraform the surface. You’ll be able to strategize in the build mode by carefully selecting various types of alien towers or throw yourself right into heat of the battle. Build mazes for incoming enemies in an environment that provides exceptional planning freedom. Tear down buildings and collapse bridges to support your defense or to simply indulge in a spectacle of unprecedented destruction. In addition to the destructible environments, you’ll notice that X-Morph also features great use of depth realization. If you’re in a flying ship and shoot your ammo, it won’t automatically hit enemies on the ground as it recognizes the different heights. This is often a problem for top down shooters, and it looks like X-Morph will be avoiding it. X-Morph: Defense will be available later this year on Xbox One, PS4 and PC with no exact date yet. Take a look at the trailer below and let us know what you think. With so many different areas of Earth to play in, X-Morph: Defense looks like a game to keep an eye on for later this year.

Preview: Halo Wars 2 is A World of Chaos

Title – Halo Wars 2 Developer – Creative Assembly / 343 Industries Publisher – Microsoft Release Date – February 17 for Ultimate Edition owners, February 21 for everyone Real-time strategy is back on Xbox One with Halo Wars 2 and its full of chaos from multiplayer to the campaign. First off I want to talk about Blitz mode – and especially Firefight Blitz – because these are some of the best game-types I’ve played in this game so far, and if there is a reason to continue playing, those are it. As a casual gamer you want to cause chaos and nonsense, so you really don’t care about winning or losing, you just care about having a great time. Well Halo Wars 2’s Blitz Mode is the perfect fit for you, because depending on which leader you have and the cards you unlock and if you are good enough to collect the energies you will be able to cause tons of chaos and frustrate the enemy. Now Blitz Firefight mode is fun at first but then gets even worse as the rounds get further every wave new enemies come in and of course the first few waves are set to easy. You have to make sure they don’t capture any of the bases and this is where team work and communication can be helpful. Whiplash and I were playing Firefight and we made it to about Round 12 and that was already in Hard mode we got taken over massively just because we weren’t thinking about what we were putting down and looking at the energies. I am not going to talk too much about the campaign so do not worry about spoilers. The first three missions basically gets you comfortable with the controls and makes you a better strategic gamer because coming into Halo Wars 2 I probably wasn’t the best, but after all the tutorials I became a lot better. You’ll encounter so annoying enemies throughout the first few missions and you’ll be in frustration at some parts. The campaign is pretty difficult compared to other Halo games to us and we have been playing Normal and Heroic; there is a huge difference in the difficulties when it comes to this game and we could only imagine how hard legendary solo is. One of the great features in the campaign is the Blur cutscenes. Once again they did not disappoint you will get to experience them right off the bat when you hit play on the campaign and you will be blown away right away. The visuals are also great in this game you can really tell how great the art is once you play a mission on the beach because the lighting on the sand shows and the water is crystal clear; very good by Creative Assembly/343i     When it comes to the multiplayer maps they are a very good size for either 1 v 1’s or with multiple players that is something they did right in my opinion. Halo Wars 2’s UI is very clean and probably one of the best UI’s I have seen in a while when it comes to Halo games, it is not too cluttered. The controls are easy once you get the hang of it especially if you are on Xbox One it will take a little time getting used to. Halo Wars 2 looks like it is going to be a better game than most people thought and it may shock some people how the multiplayer gets such as Blitz Firefight that has to be one of my favorite modes like I said above. The campaign is great so far and the blur cutscenes are a favorite. Stay tuned for our full review this week.

Perception Is Now Coming To Xbox One

Perception takes horror-survival to a different level with the game’s new take on exploring the world they created by former Dead Space and Bioshock developers who formed The Deepend Games. You play as a girl only known as Cassie with the disability of being blind. Only equipped with a smart phone and a walking stick you must use your sense of hearing to explore the New England mansion. Cassie uses echolocation to “see”, every sound that’s made draws out your visuals. Using that Cassie must hide from what’s inside including what’s known as The Presence. And unfold mysteries of the mansion as you progress through the game. With no word on yet this game will be available, best bet would be somewhere in 2017 as it just being uploaded to Xbox’s YouTube Channel recently. Perception will be available for Playstation 4 and PC as announced prior.

Rumor: Nintendo is ending production of the NES Mini

UPDATE: Nintendo have since given a reply, NES Mini is still in production. A Nintendo UK representative has said that the NES Mini is still in production, following a rumour that it was halting. — Ryan T. Brown 🎮🩷🔜 Gamescom (@Toadsanime) February 14, 2017 The NES Mini has for sure been a hit with fans and retro gaming enthusiasts but it has certainly been hard to get hold of. NeoGAF member Roarer works for a large Scandinavian retailer and has heard from Nintendo and their distributor Bergsala that the system is no longer being produced and will be phased out by the Kyoto based company. Roarer says that whilst production has ended they will still be getting a few more shipments. The last shipment should arrive in April or May and then that’s it. It seems a bit weird how they would just end production, but as always take this with a grain of salt. We will update once we get some kind of confirmation. Source

New Project Sonic 2017 and Sonic Mania Information coming March 16th

There will be two new Sonic titles coming to the Nintendo Switch this year, Project Sonic 2017 and Sonic Mania. Both of which are causing excitement amongst fans. The official Sonic SXSW panel which will taking place on March 16th should hold some details for both upcoming games. The Nintendo Switch launches in just a few weeks and some fans are getting impatient on some titles so this will be good to help the hype. Dive into the world of Sonic the Hedgehog in this exclusive behind-the-scenes look at both Sonic Mania and the upcoming Sonic 2017! With presenters from SEGA and Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka, this panel will answer questions about both games, showcase a new reveal for each title, and will discuss Sonic’s resurgence in the world of gaming Source

GTA V comes first in top 10 UK sales chart

Grand Theft Auto V has beaten off competition from new release Nioh to top the physical chart once again in the UK. Nioh, PlayStation 4 exclusive only finished at number 2, while Resident Evil 7: Biohazard slips to No. 3 for the week ending February 10. It was recently announced during Take-Two’s earning call that Grand Theft Auto V had shipped 75 million copies worldwide. Hitman: The Complete First Season drops two places to No. 8 in its second week on sale, while Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham re-enters the chart at No. 37 FIFA 17 and Call of Duty Infinite Warfare finish in the top 5 as well. Check the Top 10 below: Grand Theft Auto V Nioh Resident Evil 7: Biohazard FIFA 17 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Battlefield 1 Rocket League Hitman: The Complete First Season Overwatch Watch Dogs 2