Bandai Namco Might Be Releasing Existing Physical Games With Download Codes
If there is one thing a good amount of video game collectors don’t particularly appreciate, it’s finding a paper code instead of a cartridge inside a plastic case. Since Nintendo’s hybrid device has taken off, this has become an increasingly common practice. Now, six peculiar listings have popped up on Amazon Spain, suggesting the Japanese publisher Bandai Namco will be selling a number of its existing Switch titles in physical form, without a game card.
At this point in time, it’s unknown if this offer will remain limited to this location (assuming it is an accurate listing), or if Bamco will eventually roll out the same deal across Europe and perhaps even beyond this region. One of the main reasons publishers remove cards from cases is to reduce manufacturing costs. The cost of a Switch card also depends on the size of a game.
What are your thoughts about this? Have you ever bought a physical release with a paper code inside? Tell us below.
Unreal Engine Free Marketplace Assets For June 2019
Every month for the last several months, Epic Games have made several assets available free on the Unreal Engine marketplace, and June 1st, 2019 is no exception. You need to purchase the assets during the month to be able to keep them forever, but the purchase cost is zero. Additionally, a few assets are made available each month permanently free on the market place. Let’s take a look at the free marketplace assets for June…
June Free Assets:
Permanently Free Assets:
You can also find all of the above assets in the marketplace in the Epic Game Launcher. Learn more about the June giveaway on the Unreal Engine blog available here.
Square Enix Has Just Filed A Trademark For Collection Of Mana In Europe
Square Enix has been busy filing Final Fantasy and Mana trademarks for almost half of the year now and this latest one seems to be yet another sign the collection will be released here in the west. Following on from the “Collection of Mana” trademark in Japan in February, the company has now trademarked the same title for Europe.
This trademark has been previously linked to the Japan-exclusive, Seiken Densetsu Collection. This Switch release includes Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Final Fantasy Adventure / Mystic Quest), the sequel Seiken Densetsu 2 (Secret of Mana) and the third game Seiken Densetsu 3, which has never been localised. Perhaps we’ll hear more about this recently trademarked title at this year’s E3.
Video: See How The Digimon Games Have Evolved In This Developer Diary
Nintendo fans might be more familiar with pocket monsters, but digital monsters have also been quite popular in certain parts of the world for many years now. To be more precise, we’re talking about the Digimon series.
These video games started out life exclusively on the PlayStation in 1999 and eventually became accessible on more systems as time passed. The Nintendo DS, in particular, got a handful of Digimon titles and this year the Switch will receive the strategy RPG, Digimon Survive.
To help promote the upcoming release of this title and the 20th anniversary of the Digimon series, Bandai Namco has uploaded a 15-minute developer diary to its official YouTube channel. It features the producers, Habu Kazumasa and Tsuzuki Katsuaki of the new game, reflecting on series and talking about how they’re applying all of their previous knowledge to the latest entry.
Are you interested in playing a new Digimon game on the Switch? Tell us below.
iTunes social media blackout hints at app break-up at WWDC
By Malcolm Owen Saturday, June 01, 2019, 03:07 pm PT (06:07 pm ET)
Apple may have confirmed the breakup of iTunes into a collection of separate apps is in the works, by taking time in the days before WWDC to remove content from view on the main social media accounts associated with iTunes.
Rumors and leaks have hinted at Apple splitting apart its long-standing iTunes app into multiple separate elements, but outside of data mining finding evidence, there have been relatively few clues from Apple itself. Ahead of the WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple seems to have let slip something in its renovation.
As spotted on the Apple subreddit by u/MalteseAppleFan, posts on some of Apple’s social media pages for iTunes have started to disappear. While the post says “all” posts have gone, this is not quite true, but the changes strongly suggest some major renovations to its social media strategy are on the way.
The Facebook and Instagram pages for iTunes no longer include any posts for the service or its content at all. While basic social media images, like the profile logo and headers, exist, the Instagram profile also points users towards the AppleTV account for “more entertainment updates.”
The official iTunes Twitter account is in a mixed state, as it bears the same profile photo and header as the Facebook account, but it still has many posts. The last post made on the account was on May 22, but it has retweeted a few messages from the AppleTV account.
Apple is currently believed to be separating out its Music and Podcasts elements from iTunes on macOS, with an app for TV also touted, taking them out of the all-in-one iTunes app completely.
AppleInsider will be reporting live throughout WWDC 2019, starting with the keynote on Monday, June 3. Get every announcement as it happens by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and by making sure to follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider, Facebook and Instagram.
In a world ravaged by war and dominated by magic, you must rise up to face the Chaos hordes. Playing solo or with up to four players in local or online co-op, choose a hero from four character classes and prepare for epic battles wielding some of the most powerful artefacts of the Old World.
Fortnite Downtown Drop: Where To Find Every Jonesy Location
We're still in the early days of Fortnite Season 9, but it's already proven to be quite different from previous seasons. In addition to the standard array of weekly and Utopia challenges, Epic has introduced a new collectible to the game called Fortbytes, which can only be obtained by completing certain tasks. On top of that is the ongoing Downtown Drop limited-time mode, which features its own unique set of challenges to complete and rewards to unlock.
Unlike a standard game of Fortnite, Downtown Drop takes place in a self-contained area and is all about momentum. The mode has players sliding around as though they were on a pair of skates, and the map is littered with boost pads and ramps to send you rocketing around. This also makes your character much trickier to handle, however, which can be a pain when you're searching for specific items hidden around the map, as many of the Downtown Drop challenges have you do. If you find yourself having a hard time completing these, we're here to make your life a little easier.
A handful of the Downtown Drop challenges are to find Jonesy--one of the original Fortnite characters--in various places around the map. There are three separate challenges of this nature. The first is to find Jonesy hidden behind a fence. That's an awfully vague hint, but if you hug the north side of the map, you'll eventually come upon a drop that'll dump you behind a curved wooden fence, changing your momentum. Head to the end of that alleyway and you'll see Jonesy behind a chain-link fence.
The second challenge is to find Jonesy in the sewers. This one is fairly easy to spot. On the eastern side of the map is a secret tunnel--you'll see a trail of coins leading you into it. Head into the tunnel and you'll be dropped onto a boost pad, which will send you hurtling along other pads into the sewers, where you'll come across the Jonesy cutout before trampolining back up to the surface.
The final challenge has you finding Jonesy in three different locations: near the basketball court, near the rooftops, and in the back of a truck. The basketball court can be found at the end of the first slope down at the beginning of the map; head inside and you'll spot Jonesy against the back wall. The rooftop is a bit trickier. Find the crane that's dangling a car and use an Impulse Grenade to send yourself up onto the building that is still being constructed, where you'll see the Jonesy cutout. The truck is also easy to miss, as it's located at the end of an alley near the beginning of the map. If you need more help finding them, we walk you through where every Jonesy is located in the video above.
New Trailer And Release Date For Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX
Inti Creates has revealed more info on its upcoming entry in the Gunvolt series at Bitsummit 2019. Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX was revealed at the Kyoto-based indie game festival last year and it is now confirmed to be launching on 26th September.
The first game in the series since Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 in 2016, Copen is the mysterious protagonist this time around and he’s searching for a MacGuffin known as the ‘Butterfly Effect’. He has support in the form of his robot companion Lola, a ‘reliable partner’ with the ability to scan enemy weapons and create ‘mock’ versions of them for Copen to use. Handy!
The trailer above gives a good idea of the action and characters you’ll encounter on your journey, and the pixel art in these shots appears to uphold the series’ retro aesthetic:
It’ll cost $14.99 when it launches on 26th September, which sounds like ages away, but summer has a habit of flying by, so we look forward to trying this one out soon on Switch.
Are you a fan of the series? Do you like the look of the additions in this entry? Share your thoughts in the usual place.
Sure, Mario Kart Tour is coming to mobile devices later this year, but right now, we’re still technically playing the same Mario Kart game we were on the Wii U five years ago. Yep, on 30th May 2014, Mario Kart 8 was released in North America and Europe on a Nintendo system that was at the time struggling to appeal to the masses.
The particular entry set itself apart from previous outings in the Mario Kart series with an all-new anti-gravity feature. The DLC was also a first for the series, adding in free Mercedes-Benz karts and two paid DLC packs later down the line – featuring more characters, vehicles and tracks. The 200cc was an added bonus. All of this paid off in the long-run, with Mario Kart 8 becoming the Wii U’s best-selling title and shifting more than eight million copies worldwide.
This followed with Nintendo releasing an enhanced version, titled Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, on the Switch in 2017. The main selling point this time around was the inclusion of a classic battle mode, which was oddly missing from the original version of the game. Since the arrival of Deluxe, we’ve received a number of unique updates such as Link’s bike from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and even Nintendo Labo compatibility. This Switch release has also become a critical and commercial success, selling more than sixteen million copies globally to make it the hybrid platform’s best-selling title.
Celebrate Mario Kart 8’s fifth anniversary in the comments and tell us if you’re ready for a completely new entry in the series.
Google Play’s new dev policies aim to improve child privacy and safety
Google has rolled out changes to its Android Google Play storefront that require devs to declare their target audience and abide by additional rules if that audience includes children.
The new rules are the subject of a post over on the Google Developer Blog and are an evolution of existing policies that deal with content and advertising guidelines for kids’ apps.
A full rundown of the new policies in effect can be found on Google’s developer policy center, but, in short, all devs on the Google Play Store are required to list the target age group for their game or app in the dev console’s new target audience and content section.
Games and apps aimed at kids, or that may appeal to children, are required to meet policy requirements regarding content and personal information and use ads from a network with certified compliance to Google Play’s families policies. The new section is live in the Google Play developer console as of today, but developers that already have apps on the store have until September 1 to fill the form out and comply with the new policies.
This move comes after Google has been called out multiple times for inappropriate content aimed at children in the Google Play Store. Last December, 22 child advocacy groups urged the FTC to launch an investigation into the storefront, alleging that numerous apps in its Family section collect, use, or share personal information from children without providing notice to parents, target kids with in-app purchases or advertising, or feature content not appropriate for young audiences. A separate Wired investigation from this April came to a similar conclusion, finding a number of games with inappropriate content and “dubious content and permissions” hosted on the storefront.
