Fans in the U.S. and Canada will soon have a chance to play one of the biggest games of 2014 before it launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on May 30. Mario Kart 8 for Wii U will be playable at more than 2,700 GameStop stores around the U.S. from 12 to 4 p.m. local time during the weekend of May 17-18 as part of “Mario Kart 8 Test Drive Days.” An action-packed demo version of the Mario Kart 8 game for Wii U will be the highlight of the event, plus anyone who pre-orders or who has already pre-ordered Mario Kart 8 at GameStop will receive an exclusive double-sided poster.

For more information about the demo event, and to find a participating GameStop location near you, visit http://www.gamestop.com/gs/landing/events/Mario_Kart_8_TestDrive/default.aspx. Fans who want a chance to win more Mario Kart 8 and GameStop prizes can visit http://mariokartmemories.com to learn about GameStop’s “#MarioKartMemories” program. The program lets fans enter for a chance to win by posting their favorite Mario Kart memories to Twitter using the #MarioKartMemories hashtag.

Montreal and Toronto Events:
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, start your engines! Nintendo of Canada will celebrate the launch of the Mario Kart 8 game by giving Canadian fans the chance to play the game at Best Buy stores across Canada on Saturday, May 24 before it’s officially released on May 30. The celebration will continue with special karting events in Toronto and Montreal on Saturday, May 31.

“Mario Kart 8 will drive players wild with fun, challenging tracks, new playable characters and its anti-gravity feature which will flip kart racing on its head,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “Nintendo of Canada is sharing in the excitement of Mario Kart 8 by giving fans a chance to play the game before it launches at select Best Buy stores and at Mario’s Canadian Karting Day events hosted in Toronto and Montreal on launch weekend.”

Play Mario Kart 8 before launch at Best Buy: To give fans a sneak peek at the game’s highly anticipated on-track action, select Best Buy locations across Canada will allow fans to be some of the first to play Mario Kart 8 in-store. On Saturday, May 24, these locations will kick Mario Kart 8 into high gear with hands-on demonstrations from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. (local time), during which the first 50 players will receive a voucher to a local karting track for a free race. Additional giveaways will be available for the duration of the retail events, while supplies last. For a list of locations, please visit www.nintendo.ca/ijustkarted.

The Elder Scrolls Online has been as hotly debated by critics as it’s been hotly anticipated by the series’ fans, making a verdict on its worthiness an automatic point of contention. Complicating matters is the fact that MMORPGs are a tricky breed to review, because you never really have the finished product in your hand, since in the days down the line patches and expansions will invariably come out which can change how the game plays in significant ways. How much do you factor in the game as it is now versus its potential? Whether you should pick up the game probably depends on how you answer that question.
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Today, Codemasters revealed an all new trailer for GRID Autosport, showcasing the Touring Car discipline – one of the five unique styles of racing set to star in the game’s new world of professional motorsport.

In the video, gameplay footage of GRID Autosport’s Touring Car discipline shows how this famously competitive style of racing will be experienced in-game. Cars go head-to-head in robust packs, with drivers trading paint and crashing out as no quarter is asked, nor given, out on the track. The video also features Touring Car racing drivers explaining what players need to succeed in this discipline, including 2013 BTCC Champion Andrew Jordan from Pirtek Racing, Team Dynamics’ Matt Neal, and Motorbase Performance’s eight-time touring car title winner Fabrizio Giovanardi who comments, “You need to be fast, you need to be clever – it’s a fighting race, not just a speed race.”

GRID Autosport Aggressive Touring Car Game Mode Trailer:

GRID Autosport Screenshots:

GRID Autosport is set to ship on June 24th for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

Looks like the E3 2014 announcements have already started. Microsoft has announced that starting on June 9th 2014 (the first day of E3 2014), there will be a new Xbox One that does not include the Kinect sensor for $399. Also of note in the annoucement, Netflix and other entertainment apps will no longer require a Xbox Live Gold membership!

First, beginning on June 9th, in all markets where Xbox One is sold, we will offer Xbox One starting at $399*. This is a new console option that does not include Kinect. For $399, our new Xbox One offering will continue to deliver access to the best blockbuster games like “Titanfall,” “Call of Duty: Ghosts,” “Forza Motorsport 5,” “Dead Rising 3,” and the upcoming “Watch Dogs,” “Destiny” and “Sunset Overdrive.” You will also be able to access popular entertainment apps, such as Twitch, YouTube, and Netflix, as well as watch live TV and use OneGuide. Finally, you will continue to be able to use many of the unique features of Xbox One including the ability to get game invites while you watch TV, switch between games and entertainment apps, enjoy Twitch broadcasts, and upload your favorite gaming moments.

Coming in June, anyone with an Xbox will be able to access popular entertainment experiences – whether or not you have an Xbox Live Gold membership. This includes great gaming apps like Machinima, Twitch and Upload, popular video services like Netflix, Univision Deportes, GoPro, Red Bull TV and HBO GO, sports experiences like the NFL app for Xbox One, MLB.TV, NBA Game Time, NHL Game Center and more.

Read more at the Microsoft Xbox blog.

The Watch Dogs 101 trailer gives gamers a preview of what to look forward to when the game launches later this month.

Watch Dogs will be available worldwide on May 27, 2014, for PlayStation 4 system, PlayStation 3 system, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

In Watch Dogs, players will assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a brilliant hacker whose criminal past led to a violent family tragedy. Now on the hunt for those who hurt his family, players will be able to monitor and hack their enemies by manipulating everything connected to the city’s Central Operating System (ctOS). The ctOS controls almost every piece of the city’s technology and holds key information on all of the city’s residents. Access omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate targets, control traffic lights and public transportation to stop enemies and more. Watch Dogs allows the player to use Chicago as their ultimate weapon and exact their own style of revenge.

BANDAI NAMCO Games America Inc. today announced a new playable character for NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION. Kushina Uzumaki, mother of Naruto Uzumaki, will be bringing her unique brand of fighting to the battlefield for the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and STEAM for PC this September throughout the Americas.

Kushina Uzumaki, second jinchuriki of Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, is known to hold a temper to match her striking red hair. This quick red-hot temper makes her a formidable opponent against anyone foolish enough to cross her or her family. Kushina’s appearance in NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION will also detail a brand new storyline “The Far Reaches of Hope” between herself and Team Minato members Rin, Kakashi, and Obito.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION combines stunning anime visuals and fluid 3D ninja fighting action once more for the largest and most explosive Ultimate Ninja STORM game yet! NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION features brand new gameplay mechanics including devastating Combination Ultimate Jutsu attacks, allowing characters to combine their honed powers to create powerful techniques to bring opponents to their knees. With a roster reaching 100 playable characters spanning the entire NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN anime arcs, there are sure to be characters that fit everyone’s play style.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM REVOLUTION Kushina Uzumaki Screenshots:

The Last Tinker: City of Colors nearly passed me up, as I had not heard about it until several weeks ago. But I’m glad I did, as The Last Tinker: City of Colors is a cute little 3D platformer. There’s just a couple of issues that keep it from being awesome and ends up just being a good game.

The game’s plot is about a young boy named Koru who lives in a city where the inhabitants are all based on the different primary colors. The city itself is also similarly sectioned off into colored districts. The city is falling apart though, with inhabitants distrusting or hating each other, or even themselves. Although things seem fine on the outside, after a few incidents the game reveals the city’s troubles and its inhabitants unknowingly unleash the Bleakness. The Bleakness seeks to destroy the city and build a new one in its place so that people can start over. So it’s Koru’s mission to fix the city and get rid of the bleakness, but first he needs to get the residents to stop their segregation from themselves.
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SEGA of America Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today released the first gameplay trailer for Company of Heroes 2’s upcoming standalone multiplayer offering The Western Front Armies, revealing a June 24, 2014, release date. SEGA also announced that customers who preorder The Western Front Armies will receive two unique vehicle skins (one for each faction) with matching faceplates.

Company of Heroes 2: The Western Front Armies brings players back to the Western Front first introduced in the original award-winning Company of Heroes. The Western Front Armies introduces two unique collections of new content – the US Forces and the German Oberkommando West. Each army has distinctive tactical gameplay options, new infantry, team weapons, vehicles, abilities and upgrades on a total of eight seasonal multiplayer maps set on the Western Front. The Western Front Armies also includes an extended progression system that introduces other unique content into the game and enables players to dive deeper into the tactical and strategic aspects of the game than ever before.

The Western Front Armies will launch on June 24, 2014, for $19.99. Each individual army will also be available as a standalone purchase for $12.99 via digital download, providing new players with a minimal entry point into the massive Company of Heroes 2 multiplayer community.

For more information, please see www.companyofheroes.com

Bethesda Softworks has been working hard to make The Elder Scrolls Online the best it can be for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. They have now official announced a delay and released a statement with a special bonus for gamers who are already playing on the PC/Mac version:

We’ve been grateful to our fans for the wonderful response to our recent launch of The Elder Scrolls Online for PC/Mac, but we know many of you are eagerly waiting to play the game on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Thank you for your patience and loyal support.

Finesse. Force. Function: All these words and more spring to mind when describing the black-cowled superhero who has spawned billion dollar movies and hundred-million dollar games.

Clumsy. Clunky. Clod: These words were probably the kindest that spilled out of my mouth as I was playing developer Armature Studios’ Metroidvania-inspired (and Capcom fighter title-inspired, apparently) Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate Deluxe Edition, an improved home port of last year’s 3DS and Vita Arkham Origins spinoffs.

There’s just very little redeeming value here. On paper, the game sounds great. Take the combat and exploration that the Batman Arkham games are renowned for and place them in a 2.5D-styled Metroidvania game. You should have a smash hit on your hands, or at least a worthwhile experience. Though the world of Batman may be dark, the characters and writing have proven more than colorful enough to carry the home console Batman games.

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