Author: trafficblast

Nintendo has announced it will host a Direct event for its mobile Animal Crossing game. The direct will take place on October 25 and the pre-recorded broadcast will stream on YouTube from 12 PM JST (October 24 at 8 PM PT / October 25 at 7 AM BST). According to the Japanese Nintendo Twitter account, it will last 15 minutes.

For those hoping for some news on more Animal Crossing titles, Nintendo says on its website that there will not be any information on Nintendo 3DS or Nintendo Switch versions of Animal Crossing.

The Animal Crossing mobile game was originally scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2017, but was delayed into Nintendo’s next financial year. This means the game’s launch could be anytime up until March 31, 2018.

Nintendo attributed the reason for the delay to the launch of Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run, the first two mobile games released as part of its partnership with DeNA. Fire Emblem Heroes launches February 2, while Super Mario Run launched for iOS on December 15, 2016.

Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto previously said the company will continue to focus on crafting original games to mobile, rather than porting old ones. This has been the case for Mario, which appeared on iOS and Android devices as an auto-runner, and Fire Emblem, which was released as a new free-to-play entry in the series.

In his Super Mario Run review, critic Peter Brown awarded it a 7/10, saying “it’s easy to fault Run for various reasons, but it’s hard to totally lose appreciation for how well it’s brought the series’ core gameplay to smartphones.”

He added: “It’s a shame to find that it’s on the easy side and bereft of a long-lasting platforming adventure, but it’s the sort of game that you’ll be happy to have in your pocket.”

Kallie Plagge’s Fire Emblem Heroes review, meanwhile, awarded it a 6/10. “When the incentive to keep playing is to be able to keep playing, it’s easy to burn out on Fire Emblem Heroes,” she said. “Aside from obtaining your favorite characters–if you even care about that–Fire Emblem Heroes becomes less and less rewarding as time goes on.

“Grinding can only be fun for so long before chasing rare allies becomes a chore, and in that sense it caters to two ends of a wide spectrum while offering little incentive for anyone in between.”

Gran Turismo: Sport debuts at the top of the UK sales chart for the week ending October 21, pushing EA’s FIFA 18 down to No.2. According to sales monitor Chart-Track, Gran Turismo: Sport has had stronger first week sales than the original Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo 6 for PlayStation 3, but “nowhere near the series high of 2010’s Gran Turismo 5.”

Ubisoft’s South Park: The Fractured But Whole makes its debut at No.3, ahead of WWE 2K18, which spends its first week at No.4. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Middle-earth: Shadow of War drops three places down to No.5, followed by Bethesda’s The Evil Within at No.6.

Top 10 mainstay, Grand Theft Auto V, spends its 214th week on the chart at No.8, with Forza Motorsport 7 following it at No.9 and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy at No.10. You can read the full top 10 sales chart below, courtesy of Chart-Track. Note this table does not include digital sales data, and so should not be considered representative of all UK game sales.

1. Gran Turismo: Sport
2. FIFA 18
3. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
4. WWE 2K18
5. Middle-earth: Shadow of War
6. The Evil Within 2
7. Destiny 2
8. Grand Theft Auto V
9. Forza Motorsport 7
10. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

Dave went to see the new Mortal Empires mode for Total War:Warhammer 2, and dragged Tamoor in to talk about it. After a few hours and a few campaigns, here is what Dave thought about Total War: Warhammer 2- Mortal Empires.

Right on schedule, Microsoft today released a new TV commercial for the Xbox One X. Microsoft is going all out with the “Feel True Power” campaign, which kicks off with this spot during the Season 8 premiere of The Walking Dead and Sunday Night Football.

It’s a pretty slick trailer. The idea is that everything you do on your console–games, movies, etc., will look better if you have an Xbox One X. The console is 40 percent more powerful than the PS4 Pro and offers 4K support if you have a compatible TV. So of course, it uses the Kanye West song “Power.”

Microsoft is billing the Xbox One X as the “world’s most powerful console.” Indeed, it is 40 percent more powerful than the PS4 Pro. It doesn’t replace the Xbox One S, which will remain on the market and will sell better than the Xbox One X, according to Microsoft. All Xbox One S games play on Xbox One, and your controllers work as well.

The “Feel True Power” campaign is rolling out globally now. It is “designed to appeal to all gamers, taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster to elicit emotions like awe, excitement, fear, and passion,” Microsoft says.

The Xbox One X launches on November 7, priced at $500 in the US. Keep checking back with GameSpot for lots more on the system in the days and weeks ahead.

Every Sunday, GameSpot takes a look at a handful of the hottest games launching that week, and this Friday is home to three very heavy hitters: Super Mario Odyssey, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Before that, on Tuesday, PlayStation 4 players can check out Hidden Agenda, while the PC crowd finally gets its hands on Destiny 2.

Destiny 2 — October 24

Console players have had over a month to explore Destiny 2’s planets and raids, but it’s finally time for for those on PC to jump in. By this point you probably know everything you want to know about the game, but that doesn’t change the mountain of new guns, gear, and other loot waiting for you in orbit.

Further Reading:

• Destiny 2 PC’s Release Date, Unlock Time, Full Spec Requirements Revealed
• Destiny 2 PC Raid Unlocks One Week After Launch, Hard Mode Coming Later

Hidden Agenda — October 24

From the team behind Until Dawn comes another choice-driven adventure, but instead of getting teens through a haunted mountain lodge, you’re solving murders. Using Sony’s PlayLink app, a group of players can vote on those choices together–but someone is also named the mole, who is tasked with sabotaging the investigation.

Further Reading:

• E3 2017: Murder Mystery Party Game Announced By Until Dawn Developer

Assassin’s Creed: Origins — October 27

Much like a mummy rising from its sarcophagus, Origins is looking to breath new life into the Assassin’s Creed series with a totally new hitbox-based combat system. The ancient Egyptian setting also means lots of tall sphinxes and pyramids to parkour your way around.

Further Reading:

• Assassin’s Creed Origins PC Release Date, Hardware Specs Requirements Detailed

• Assassin’s Creed Origins’ Free DLC And Season Pass Revealed

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus — October 27

Machine Games’ followup isn’t pulling any punches. The Nazis have won WWII and taken over the United States, which means it’s time for BJ Blazkowicz to lead a new revolution. Expanded dual-wielding options and a melee axe mean it’s gonna be a bloody fight. Look for a Nintendo Switch version next year too.

Further Reading:

• Wolfenstein 2 Launch Trailer Showcases More Nazi-Killing, Giant Enemies, And A Surprise
• New Wolfenstein 2 Ad Shows A Nazi Getting Punched In The Face

Super Mario Odyssey — October 27

Mario’s latest adventure is all about free-form exploration. That means you can collect Moons, coins, and special costumes in any order you see fit, while making your way through a whole atlas of massive kingdoms. Also, shirtless Mario. Totally a thing.

Further Reading:

• All The Super Mario Odyssey Costumes So Far: Shirtless Mario, Dr. Mario, And More
• Super Mario Odyssey’s Peach Amiibo Puts Mario In A Wedding Dress, Apparently

The weekend box office numbers are in, and Tyler Perry’s new Halloween movie, Boo 2! A Madea Halloween, pulled in $21.7 million to land at No. 1 in the US and Canada, according to Entertainment Weekly. That’s about 25 percent below last year’s original. The film did not get the best critical reviews but it had an A-minus CinemaScore, meaning audience members generally liked it. This suggests the film could have a strong follow-on due to positive word-of-mouth.

Rounding out the top five movies at the US/Canada box office this weekend were the Gerald Butler disaster movie Geostorm ($13.3 million), Happy Death Day ($9.4 million), Blade Runner 2049 ($7.2 million), and Only The Brave ($6 million).

Notably, Geostorm reportedly had a $120 million budget, so it’s not off to the hottest start (though international receipts will boost the number higher). Additionally, the Michael Fassbender thriller The Snowman made only $3.4 million for its opening.

You can find the full Top 10 list for the October 20-22 weekend below, as rounded up and compiled by Entertainment Weekly.

US/Canada Box Office Estimates For October 20-22:

1. Boo 2! A Madea Halloween — $21.7 million
2. Geostorm — $13.3 million
3. Happy Death Day — $9.4 million
4. Blade Runner 2049 — $7.2 million
5. Only the Brave — $6 million
6. The Foreigner — $5.5 million
7. It — $3.5 million
8. The Snowman — $3.4 million
9. American Made — $3.2 million
10. Kingsman: The Golden Circle — $3 million