It has been a long and difficult time for the many thousands of gamers who have been patiently waiting for the hugely-popular Minecraft franchise to finally make its debut on Sony's PS Vita handheld.
Mini Gamers first bought you news of Minecraft: PS Vitaedition back inJune, when the game was first revealed to the public during Sony's press conference atE3 2014. The game was originally given a release date of 'August 2014', but various game glitches and bugs meant that the PS Vita edition was delayed.
Today, 4J Studios, the team behind the Minecraft: PS Vita edition, announced that the game is in its final testing at Sony. Whilst there is still no official release date for the game, the fact that the game is undergoing its final checks prior to release is still something to feel excited about.
Keep checking in with the Mini Gamers blogsite for further Minecraft: PS Vita edition news as it occurs!
Nintendo has consistently promised its fans that there would be a brand new 3DS title unveiled at E3 2014. Well, that game has finally been announced as Code Name: S.T.E.A.M (originally included in the leaked Nintendo E3 games list as Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace). So, what is this game actually about?
The game has been described as a " one-player, turn-based strategy game with lots of unique elements from action games," according to its designer, Hitoshi Yamagami. The game is being developed by Intelligent Systems, who are best known for their Fire Emblem series of games, which utilise various turn-based tactics and centre on moving units through a map grid in order to defeat the opposition. Thus, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M is expected to function in quite a similar way.
The game will be played from a third person viewpoint rather than a first person viewpoint. This helps players to stay close to the action. There will be no mini-map displayed on screen, so players will have to use their various characters to explore the area in order to gain knowledge of the battlefield terrain.
The game will also feature 'shooter' action type elements during attacking or movements, and touchscreen controls will be used heavily. Movement in the game is powered by steam backpacks, (hence the game's title).
Each of the in-game characters wears a backpack boiler that needs to be used carefully as the steam supply is limited. All backpack boilers, weapons and characters will slowly gain level-ups as the game progresses.
Characters will each have a unique special ability and will also be given the option of equipping themselves with a secondary weapon. Each sub-weapon will only be permitted once per map environment however, so they must be used very tactically.
Although the game is essentially going to be a one-player experience, Online Play has been hinted at for the game, although the exact details of what this might be remain a little bit sketchy at present. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M has been scheduled for general release in 2015, so it will be an agonising wait for those players who are just itching to try the game out for themselves.
More footage of the game is expected to be shown tomorrow, during the final day of Nintendo's Treehouse at E3 2014.We here atMini Gamers look forward to bringing you more news about the game as it develops.
It was a disappointing start to Nintendo's Digital Event at E3 2014 yesterday, with the news that the highly-anticipated 3DS debut of Super Smash Bros. will now miss its planned Summerrelease date and will instead be delayed until the 3rd of October 2014. Nintendo merely said that the delay was important in order to work on 'debugging' issues, but gave no further information.
Nevertheless, the mood brightened somewhat with the announcement that Professor Layton VS. Phoenix Wright will finally be released in North America in August 2014. The game was released in Europe earlier in March this year, and has proven hugely-popular with 3DS fans.
Furthermore, a Level-5 inc 3DS RPG game called Fantasy Life is set to be released in North America on the 24th October 2014. A European release for Fantasy Life 3DS is expected some time in October 2014 as well, but no specific date has been given as yet.
Fantasy Life allows players to take on a virtual life where they can have different jobs and make a life for their character. In the game, players can set out on adventures to save the world, or take up more leisurely activities like cooking or fishing.
There was more good news for fans of the Nintendo eShop, with an impressive array of new 3DS and Wii titles being announced, including sequels to some already popular games. Among those titles announced for the 3DS were:
Thorium Wars: Attack of the Space Fighter
Shovel Knight
Moon Chronicles: Episode 2
Siesta Fiesta
Tappingo 2
Woah Dave!
Gunman Clive 2
Blast 'em Bunnies
PersonaQ: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy
Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal World Duel Carnival
Further details of some of these games and details of the Wii U titles can be found HERE.
As an extra bonus, Nintendo have also declared that they will be offering a massive thirty percent discount off some selected eShop titles in celebration of E3 2014. This offer includes some of the popular Mario and Super Mario games, amongst others.
The discount only lasts for a limited time however, so anyone wishing to take advantage of the discount must purchase their chosen games by the 16th of June 2014. For more information on the discount or to view the selected titles, please CLICK HERE.
Nintendo also added a touch of mystery yesterday when the company announced that it would be revealing a brand new 3DS title, the details of which have been a very closely-guarded secret, but which is expected to be announced later today during one of the developers conferences. Check back with Mini Gamers for more details.
Overall, it seems that Nintendo's Digital Event has been very impressive. Nintendo's announcement of the new Amiibo NFC figurine collection and the news about upcoming releases is most definitely exciting. The future of Nintendo is definitely an interesting one.
HAVE YOUR SAY...
What did you think of the event? Did it meet your expectations? Which Nintendo announcement was your favourite? Please feel free to leave us a comment and let us know.
Nintendo has exclusively unveiled its special range of Near-Field CommunicationFigurines, which are to be known as Amiibo. These special figurines work with the Wii U Gamepad in the same way the Skylanders figures interact with the 'Portal of Power'.
Touching any Amiibo figurine to the Wii U Gamepad will instantly bring your chosen character to life in your games. All Amiibo characters work with Wii U compatible games, so friends and family can add their Amiibo figures to your game and vice versa.
Better still, your Amiibo figure and its game data develops over time, so as your character progresses through a game, the Amiibo figure gains more experience and more skills which will help you to advance through the game.
The Amiibo figurine range will launch alongside the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros, which will be released in America in December 2014. Super Smash Bros. is not the only Wii U software that will have Amiibo compatibility, other 2014-2015 Wii U releases such as Yoshi's Woolly Adventure and Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Mario Kart 8 and Mario Party 10 have also been cited as having Amiibo compatible features.
The figures announced so far include:
◦Mario ◦Peach ◦Samus ◦Yoshi ◦Kirby ◦Wii Fit Trainer ◦Link ◦Donkey Kong ◦Pikachu ◦Animal Crossing Villager
Now, you might well question why we at Mini Gamers HQ seem so excited about a gaming accessory that is only out on the Wii U? However, Nintendo have also announced that they are planning on bringing out a 3DS peripheral that will sync the 3DS handheld with its own range of Amiibo figures.
As you can see from the list above, there are already a lot of Amiibo figures in production, with more planned for the future. It is unclear yet how much the yet-unnamed 3DS peripheral is likely to cost, but Nintendo are apparently aiming to release it some time in 2015, so watch this space!
Unsurprisingly, Sony's PS4 led the way during the company's annual press conference at E3 2014 last night, with many big-named PlayStation games being revealed for the system in 2014-2015, including: Little Big Planet 3, Far Cry 4, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and even Mortal Kombat X, amongst others.
Nevertheless, there was more than a few surprises for fans of Sony's PS Vita handheld as well, with well-loved older titles like Tetris and the ever-popular Minecraft franchisegetting their own PS Vita versions in 2014.
Tetris Ultimate was originally announced for the PlayStation 4 and PC markets, but now the PS Vita version will also be released alongside the other formats some time in Winter 2014.
The game will allow for up to four players to take part in six different gameplaymodes: Marathon, Endless, Ultra, Sprint, Battle and Power-Up Battle. Players will also be able to engage in some exciting co-op play with friends, and even create their own 'battle teams' to compete with others online.
Meanwhile, the first ever Minecraft game for PS Vita consoles is set to make its debut in August 2014. Essentially, Minecraft is a block-building game, but it has been increasingly popular in recent years due to its capacity for independent, creative gameplay.
The PS Vita version of the game is based on the PS3 version, and as a result, the game's developers, Mojang, have announced that Minecraft PS3 Edition and Minecraft PS Vita Edition will be subject to PlayStation's Cross-Buy functionality.
This means that anyone who buys Minecraft: Playstation 3 Edition from the PlayStation Network store will also get to download it on the PS Vita for free. It doesn't matter if players buy the game for PS3 or PS Vita first, they will automatically own the game for both platforms.
Furthermore, all of the game-saves will be directly transferrable between the Playstation 3 and Vita versions of Minecraft. Players can begin their craft at home on their Playstation 3, and then continue to build their creations outside the home by swapping to the PS Vita. Moreover, all of the downloadable content that has be purchased for Minecraft: Playstation 3 Edition will work on the PS Vita edition as well.
Thus, The PS Vita version will include all the features from the most recent Playstation 3 version, including online play. Minecraft: PS Vita Edition is very good value for money and is set to retail for around £12.99, making it one of the most affordable new PS Vita titles to emerge in 2014.
Sony actually announced that more than one hundred PS Vita titles were currently in development, such as Tales from the Borderlands, which is an upcoming adventure game based on the Borderlands series, with a planned release starting in mid-2014 for various platforms including the PS Vita.
The game will follow a similar episodic format that its developers, Telltale Games, have used for their other titles such as The Walking Dead, where player choices and actions will have significant affects on later story elements.
Ubisoft'sChild of Light will also be coming to the PS Vita in July 2014. The game centres around Aurora, a girl from Austria in 1895 who contracts a mysterious sleeping sickness that causes her to fall into a deep slumber.
Aurora awakes to find herself in the mythical world of Lemuria which has had all of its natural sources of light, such as its sun, moon and stars stolen by the Dark Queen, Umbra. Aurora is tasked with recovering the celestial bodies and ultimately reuniting with her father.
Another surprise for PS Vita owners was Grim Fandango, which is an old-style adventure game from LucasArts, made popular by its dark comic humour and neo-noir style. The game was originally designed by Tim Schafer, whose new production studio, Double Fine, will be responsible for bringing a newly-remastered and modernised version of the game to the PS Vita almost fifteen years after the original game was first released.
Another interesting announcement was that the second video game installment of the popular NFC franchise, Disney Infinity, entitled Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Superheroes, would be making its debut on the PS Vita some time in 2015.
It is thought that the game may indeed be released in conjunction with Sony's Playstation TV device, which will enable users to stream their Playstation games (especially PS4 games) from their console to a second TV anywhere in the house, but this is yet to be confirmed.
One of the most exciting announcements of the night was that Sony's Playstation Now streaming service will definitely be coming to the PS Vita in Late 2014.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Playstation Now, The service allows users to pay for access to a selection of original PSOne, PS2, and PS3 titles on either a per-game basis or via an annual subscription. There are plans to offer PS4 titles in the future.
A video of Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us PS3 game being streamed to a PS Vita console via PlayStation Now has been developed byIGN:
(Having trouble viewing this trailer? Please CLICK HERE)
As well as showing new releases for the PS4 and PS Vita consoles, Sony reiterated its commitment to create various Free-To-playtitles across its various platforms. The new CEO of Sony Corporation Entertainment America [SCEA], Shawn Layden said that PlayStation is: "Committed to making Playstation the best destination for Free-To-Play games" Some of the Free-To-Play PS Vita titles that have been announced are Reaper, which is an action-adventure RPG, Big Fest, which is a music festival promotion game and My Singing Monsters, which is a port of an original iOS game for the Apple iPad and iPhones.
In conclusion, although it is clear that the PS4 is set to dominate the majority of the video gaming market over the coming months, Sony has not forgotten about its handheld gaming device, which it yesterday described as: " a key pillar for us."[sourced from: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/sony-over-100-vita-titles-in-development/0133744]
Given the various popular titles, Free-To-Play games and services set to debut on the PS Vita by the end of 2014, it would seem that Sony's handheld fans have a lot to look forward to this year.
There is only three days to go before one of the biggest events in the gaming calendar gets underway in Los Angeles, and already the rumors have been circulating. E3 2014 (AKA The Electronic Entertainment Expo), promises an exciting line-up of games and news of future releases for almost every games console in existence, so what does this mean for the Nintendo 3DS and Sony's PS Vita handheld gaming devices?
As well as the usualE3 conference, which this year takes place at 6pm on Monday the 9th June 2014 Pacific Time (or a very early 2 a.m. BST on Tuesday 10th June 2014 for UK fans who wish to watch the live-stream of the event), Sony has also decided that it will show a total of seventy different games in its gaming booths, including several PS Vita titles such as:
(click on each link for more information about the game or trailers)
Meanwhile, Nintendo has opted for the second year in a row to not participate in an official E3 Press conference. Instead, they have chosen to stream their own special Nintendo Directbroadcast at 9pm on Tuesday the 10th June 2014 Pacific Time (that's 5 p.m. BST for UK fans).
Furthermore, Nintendo have already announced that the presentation will reveal a brand new NFP (AKA Nintendo Figurine Platform/NFC Featured Platform)range of toys. For those of you who have never heard of NFP, these are special figurines that have Near Field Communicationbuilt into them, which allow them to interact within virtual games in the same way that Skylanders or Disney Infinity figurines do.
This year's E3 is shaping up to be quite exciting. If you wish to watch the Press Conferences for yourself, both the Playstation.blog and officialNintendo websites will be streaming the relevant conferences live as they happen in Los Angeles.
Alternatively, PS4 owners may wish to watch the Sony Conference on the PS4's UStream app, or those of you with Youtubeaccounts will be able to gain access to the Ustream website by clicking the link in the E3 trailer video. Please note, that an age restriction does apply to the Ustream site and viewers will be required to give their birthday details before being allowed to view any of the live footage. Lastly, GameSpot will be offering its readers the chance to watch all the E3 conferences live, so there really is no excuse to miss out on the action.
Just a little reminder for UK fans:
The Nintendo broadcast won't be taking place at E3, but will be streamed live from the Nintendo HUB (on the Nintendo website) at 5 p.m. on Tuesday the 10th June 2014, British Standard Time.
Meanwhile, Sony's Press conference will be streamed live on any of the various channels listed above at 2 a.m. (early morning) on Tuesday the 10th June 2014.
HAVE YOUR SAY...
Which shows/announcements are you most looking forward to at this year's E3 conference?
If you have any comments, suggestions or wishlists for the E3 conference, then why not leave a comment in the box below? Mini Gamers loves to hear from you.
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