The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games, fresh DLC and discounts galore to an eShop in your region. Have a read down below and you’re bound to find something that’ll get your bank balance shaking with fear. Enjoy!
Nintendo Switch retail
Octopath Traveler (Square Enix) – Eight travelers. Eight adventures. Eight roles to play in a new world brought to life by Square Enix. And now, you can enjoy all of them in the new demo. Step into the shoes and live the stories of each of the eight travelers and freely explore the world of Orsterra. Then, carry your choices and adventure into the main game with save data transfer.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo) – Captain Toad stars in his own puzzling quest on the Nintendo Switch system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Our stubby hero must dodge dangers and track treasures across many trap-filled courses. Survive smoldering volcanoes, hazardous steam engines, haunted houses and even new courses based on the Super Mario Odyssey game. Luckily, in the Nintendo Switch version, a second player can join in to help toss turnips at enemies.
Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion (Outright Games, $39.99) – The Land of Ooo is underwater and it’s up to Finn and Jake to find out why. Join our heroes as they explore the high seas, search for hidden clues, interrogate shady suspects and fight pirates to solve the mystery and save their waterlogged world! Available July 17.
Nintendo Switch eShop
Fortnite (Season 5) (Epic Games, Free) – WORLDS COLLIDE! Drop into Season 5 of the Fortnite game on the Nintendo Switch system, where we’re introducing all kinds of changes to the map! A Viking ship, desert outpost, and ancient statues have appeared on the island, changing the world of Fortnite as we know it. The all-new Battle Pass can help you level up faster by completing Weekly Challenges, and unlock additional rewards like progressive outfits, sprays and exclusive cosmetics. Play the new Season of Fortnite from anywhere. Earn Gold Coins when purchasing V-Bucks in-game on Nintendo Switch. Read our review.
ACA NEO GEO THE SUPER SPY (HAMSTER, $7.99) – “THE SUPER SPY” is an action game released by SNK in 1990. Punch, kick, and use guns to fight off terrorists as you make your way through the building to rescue their captives. Defeating enemies earns experience, which can be used in a Role-Playing Game-like feature to level up.
ASSAULT GUNNERS HD EDITION (Marvelous Entertainment, $9.99) – ASSAULT GUNNERS HD EDITION puts you in control of the Peace Keeping Force known as DAT and along with your three allied Battle Mechs, you must attempt to save Earth’s Migrants and the Mars Colonies as a whole from the threat of the ANTS uprising. Who or what could be leading this threat against Mars, and the new planned perfect utopia for humanity? Read our review.
Darts Up (EnjoyUp Games) – Darts Up is a fun game of darts in which you will have complete control over aiming thanks to the motion sensor. You can play with your friends and family, up to a maximum of 4 Players. Available July 13.
Epic Loon (Ukuza, $14.99) – They were locked away in stasis, hidden from the human world, in an antiquated piece of obsolete entertainment tech known as a VHS cleaner tape. Their restful prison, where they would remain until the end of time, was foolproof. Available July 13.
Fill-a-Pix: Phil’s Epic Adventure (Lightwood Games, $7.99) – Create beautiful pixel art as you reveal 120 amazing photographs from Phil’s epic trip around the world! Fill-a-Pix is a new picture logic puzzle from the makers of Pic-a-Pix Deluxe, but with huge, scrollable puzzles up to 100 squares wide, you’ll reveal pictures much larger and more detailed than ever before!
Hand of Fate 2 (Defiant Development, $29.99) – Hand of Fate 2 is a dungeon crawler set in a world of dark fantasy. Master a living boardgame where every stage of the adventure is drawn from a deck of legendary encounters chosen by you! Choose wisely – your opponent, the enigmatic Dealer, will pull no punches as he shapes you into the instrument of his revenge. Available July 17.
Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?! (Rising Star Games, $14.99) – A hero isn’t a hero at all without the right weapon… or a shop to buy one from! Become the man (sorry, potato) behind the heroes, forging amazing weapons and selling them on for tasty profits in Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!, a hilarious mash-up of management and simulation.
Hunting Simulator (Bigben Interactive, $39.99) – A true simulation of hunting, Hunting Simulator offers players hours and hours of immersion in the open wild with single and multiplayer modes, a multitude of hunting areas, and hundreds of objectives to accomplish. Developed using the Unreal 4 Engine, the game presents some of the most well-known hunting regions such as the mountains of Colorado, the oak forests of France, and the snowy plains of Alaska. Each hunting area is populated by numerous different and realistic looking animals, each possessing an authentic set of behaviours.
Let’s Sing 2018 (Plug In Digital, $39.99) – Warm up those vocal chords, enter the virtual stage and experience the best Let’s Sing ever made! Available July 17.
Mugsters (Team17 Digital) – Mugsters is a physics-based, supercharged, action-packed puzzler with sandbox levels where you must outrun, out-manoeuvre and outsmart your enemies by experimenting with different vehicles, environmental traps and explosives. Available July 17.
Radio Hammer Station (Arc System Works, $6.99) – A popular radio station spreading its love of groove with some the best DJs in the world. Providing tunes to groove to throughout the day. Its true purpose is to serve as the radio station of justice, beating evil down with a ginormous hammer! To ensure peace and harmony, RADIO HAMMER continues to go live with style!
Red Hot Ricochet (Everook, $9.99) – It’s high noon in this barren wasteland, and only one of you is making it out alive. Sure, you could try and shoot them right between the eyes – but where’s the fun in that? Red Hot Ricochet is an intense game of ricochet duels, and you’ll need wise shooting, lucky bounces, and a bit of triggernometry to win.
Super Destronaut DX (Ratalaika Games) – Inspired by an arcade classic, Super Destronaut DX is retro space shooter that pits you against an enemy more dreaded than a UFO, a scoreboard. Available July 13.
Super Volley Blast (Unfinished Pixel, $8.99 normally $9.99) – Are you ready to have a blast and become the best volleyball player in the world? Super Volley Blast is an over the top beach volley game that provides plenty of fun for you and your friends.
Star Story: The Horizon Escape (Forever Entertainment, $9.99) – The archaeological research mission faced some unexpected difficulties. Your spaceship crashed. Can you escape from this planet? But how? No one can help you. You are here all alone. Or not? Do you have a plan? Will you find what it takes to be a hero?
The Mooseman (Sometimes You, $6.29) – You are the Mooseman and you have the ability to see all that is hidden to the mortal eye. Available July 18.
Touhou Genso Wanderer Reloaded (NIS America) – Set out on an all-new adventure with Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, and more of your favorite Touhou characters! The land of Gensokyo once again plunges into darkness as a new mystery unfolds. What mysteries await in the Tower of Desire? Available July 17. Read our review.
VERTICAL STRIKE ENDLESS CHALLENGE (Active Gaming Media, $4.49 normally $4.99) – A flight-based action game designed to be easy to pick up and enjoy right away, and playable over short timeframes. Available July 18.
3DS retail
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo, $39.99) – Captain Toad stars in his own puzzling quest on the Nintendo Switch system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Our stubby hero must dodge dangers and track treasures across many trap-filled courses. Survive smoldering volcanoes, hazardous steam engines, haunted houses and even new courses based on the Super Mario Odyssey game. Luckily, in the Nintendo Switch version, a second player can join in to help toss turnips at enemies. The Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker game will be available for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS on July 13. A free demo version is also available for download now. Read our review.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 07-13-2018, 01:18 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Now Available on Steam – Insane Robots, 10% off!
Insane Robots is Now Available on Steam and is 10% off (20% off the Deluxe Editions)!*
Fight to the DEATH in this unique card battler. Compete in intense one-on-one duels. Lead a riotous robot rebellion through randomly generated survival arenas. Overthrow a malevolent robot despot in the epic 15+ hour single-player campaign. Insane Robots is card battling… HACKED!
Heroic Fighters Arrive in UFC 3 Icon Edition on Xbox One
Hello, fight fans! A fantastic summer of UFC action is upon us with some awesome matchups featuring some of the biggest names in the sport. To celebrate the upcoming schedule, EA Sports UFC 3 is introducing a star-studded digital Icon Edition and complimentary Icon Update, featuring legendary competitors, simplified controls, and multiple additions to gameplay.
Flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson is featured on the cover of this limited-time edition, a true champ who defended the belt 11 times on his way to being considered one of the greatest of all time. The UFC 3 Icon Edition is available digitally July 3 to July 17 for Xbox One. For those who already own UFC 3, the Icon Update will be available with the same features. Here’s everything you need to know about the Icon Edition.
Legends are ready to throw down
The Icon Edition and Update will add five fighters to the roster, available in all your favorite modes like Fight Now, G.O.A.T. Career, and Ultimate Team. Tito Ortiz, Matt Serra, Mirko Cro Cop, Wanderlei Silva, and Kimbo Slice are all set to compete in whatever way you see fit, making their way to UFC 3 so you can make dream matchups a reality. A newly-added simplified controls scheme will be an option for those looking for a rewarding play experience that’s both fun and easy to master.
Take these iconic fighters into an all new environment as T-Mobile Arena is added as a playable venue, or go to an online quick match with Stand N’ Bang or KO Mode for the first time. Your Ultimate Team is also getting a big boost in the Icon Edition, as you’ll receive five Icon Packs, 500 UFC points and the choice of one Champion Fighter to permanently add to your roster. Pick from a list that includes Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, and Icon Edition Cover Athlete Demetrious Johnson.
Past and present collide
The upcoming super fight between Heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic and Light Heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier at UFC 226 promises to be one of the most exciting bouts ever, as kings from opposing weight classes square off for the first time. That’s just one of many amazing upcoming fights scheduled for the summer of 2018, and to celebrate, we’re showcasing the stars of both yesterday and today. Settle the beef between Tito Ortiz and Dana White once and for all, or take UFC Hall of Famer Matt Serra through an all-new career as you play with some of the most recognizable names in the UFC.
You’ll also be able to recreate Demetrious Johnson’s incredible flying armbar submission move that earned him a record-setting 11th title defense, just another way history is at your fingertips in the UFC 3 Icon Edition. If you want Mighty Mouse on the cover of your copy of UFC 3, you’ll have to act fast, as the Icon Edition is available for a limited time from July 3 to July 17. If you already own UFC 3, then the Icon Update will be available to you on July 3.
The UFC 3 Icon Edition is the perfect way to enjoy a Summer full of great fights, so don’t miss out!
The Last Of Us Part 2 Features An NPC Companion For Ellie
The Last of Us Part 2 writer and co-director Neil Druckmann announced that Ellie will be accompanied by an NPC in the upcoming game. So far the only gameplay of Ellie we've seen is of her fighting solo against a murderous group of enemies, but apparently that isn't representative of the full game. The news broke during a Buzzfeed interview.
Druckmann didn't confirm who the NPC would be, saying, "Well, so, Ellie used to be an NPC, but she's the protagonist in this story, so the player is controlling Ellie. It's safe to say with the game that we made in the past that there will be some NPC with you in this story, even though we're not showing [the NPC] in this demo."
Fans are already beginning to hope that Ellie's companion will be Mina, the woman she kissed in the E3 2018 trailer. However, it could also be Jessie, Mina's ex, who spoke to Ellie at the beginning of the same trailer and seems to patrol on the outside of the protective community like Ellie does. We doubt that Part 2 will pull a switch on the original game's dynamic and make Joel the accompanying NPC, but anything's possible at this point. It might be one of the women from that unsettling Paris Games Week trailer we got last year, or someone we haven't even been introduced to yet.
The Last of Us Part 2's release date hasn't been announced, but we know that the game is launching on PS4. Read up on everything we know about Part 2 so far, and check out our pre-order guide if you already know you want to buy the game.
Cluster computers constructed of Raspberry Pi SBCs have been around for years, ranging from supercomputer-like behemoths to simple hobbyist rigs. More recently, we’ve seen cluster designs that use other open-spec hacker boards, many of which offer higher computer power and faster networking at the same or lower price. Farther below, we’ll examine one recent open source design from Paul Smith at Climbers.net that combines 12 octa-core NanoPi-Fire3 SBCs for a 96-core cluster.
SBC-based clusters primarily fill the needs of computer researchers who find it too expensive to book time on a server-based HPC (high performance computing) cluster. Large-scale HPC clusters are in such high demand, that it’s hard to find available cluster time in the first place.
Research centers and universities around the world have developed RPi-based cluster computing for research into parallel computing, deep learning, medical research, weather simulations, cryptocurrency mining, software-defined networks, distributed storage, and more. Clusters have been deployed to provide a high degree of redundancy or to simulate massive IoT networks, such as with Resin.io’s 144-pi Beast v3.
Even the largest of these clusters comes nowhere close to the performance of server-based HPC clusters. Yet, in many research scenarios, top performance is not essential. It’s the combination of separate cores running in parallel that make the difference. The Raspberry Pi based systems typically use the MPI (Messaging Passing Interface) library for exchanging messages between computers to deploy a parallel program across distributed memory.
BitScope, which is a leader in Pi cluster hardware such as its Bitscope Blade, has developed a system with Los Alamos National Laboratory based on its larger BitScope Cluster Module. The Los Alamos hosted system comprises five racks of 150 Raspberry Pi 3 SBCs. Multiply those 750 boards by the four Cortex-A53 cores on each Pi and you get a 3,000-core parallelized supercomputer.
The Los Alamos system is said to be far more affordable and power efficient than building a dedicated testbed of the same size using conventional technology, which would cost a quarter billion dollars and use 25 megawatts of electricity. There are now plans to move to a 4,000-core Pi cluster.
Most clusters are much smaller 5-25 board rigs, and are typically deployed by educators, hobbyists, embedded engineers, and even artists and musicians. These range from open source DIY designs to commercial hardware rack systems designed to power and cool multiple densely packed compute boards.
The 96-core cluster computer recently detailed on Climbers.net is the largest of several cluster designs developed by Nick Smith. These include a 40-core system based on the octa-core NanoPC-T3, and others that use the Pine A64+, the Orange Pi Plus 2E, and various Raspberry Pi models. (All these SBCs can be found in our recently concluded hacker board reader survey.)
The new cluster, which was spotted by Worksonarm and further described on CNXSoft, uses FriendlyElec’s open-spec NanoPi Fire3.
The open source cluster design includes Inkscape code for laser cutter construction. Smith made numerous changes to his earlier clusters intended to increase heat dissipation, improve durability, and reduce space, cost, and power consumption. These include offering two 7W case fans instead of one and moving to a GbE switch. The Bill of Materials ran to just over £543 ($717), with the NanoPi Fire3 boards totaling £383, including shipping. The next biggest shopping item was £62 for microSD cards.
The $35 Fire3 SBC, which measures only 75x40mm, houses a powerful Samsung S5P6818. The SoC features 8x Cortex-A53 cores at up to 1.4GHz and a Mali-400 MP4 GPU, which runs a bit faster than the Raspberry Pi’s VideoCore IV.
Although the Fire3 has only twice the number of -A53 cores as the Raspberry Pi 3, and is clocked only slightly faster, Smith’s benchmarks showed a surprising 6.6x times faster CPU boost over a similar RPi 3 cluster. GPU performance was 7.5x faster.
It turned out that much of the performance improvement was due to the Fire3’s native, PCIe-based Gigabit Ethernet port, which enabled the clustered SBCs to communicate more quickly with one another to run parallel computing applications. By comparison, the Raspberry Pi 3 has a 10/100Mbps port.
Performance would no doubt improve if Smith had used the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, which offers a Gigabit Ethernet port. However, since the B+ port is based on USB 2.0, its Ethernet throughput is only three times faster than the Model B’s 10/100 port instead of about 10 times faster for the Fire3.
Still, that’s a significant throughput boost, and combined with the faster 1.4GHz clock rate, the RPi 3 B+ should quickly replace the RPi 3 Model B in Pi-based cluster designs. BitScope recently posted an enthusiastic review of the B+. In addition to the performance improvements, the review cites the improved heat dissipation from the PCB design and the “flip chip on silicon” BGA package for the Broadcom SoC, which uses heat spreading metal. The upcoming Power-over-Ethernet capability should also open new possibilities for clusters, says the review.
Hacker board community sites are increasingly showcasing cluster designs — here’s a cluster case design for the Orange Pi One on Thingiverse — and some vendors offer cluster hardware of their own. Hardkernel’s Odroid project, for example, came out with a 4-board, 32-core Odroid-MC1 cluster computer based on an Odroid-XU4S SBC, a modified version of the Odroid-XU4, which won third place in our hacker board survey. The board uses the same octa-core -A15 Samsung Exynos5422 SoC. More recently, it released an Odroid-MC1 Solo version that lets you choose precisely how many boards you want to add.
The Odroid-MC1 products are primarily designed to run Docker Swarm. Many of the cluster systems are designed to run Docker or other cloud-based software. Last year Alex Ellis, for example, posted a tutorial on creating a Serverless Raspberry Pi cluster that runs Docker and the OpenFaaS framework. Indeed, as with edge computing devices running modified versions of cloud software, such as AWS Greengrass, cluster computers based on SBCs show another example of how the embedded and enterprise server worlds are interacting in interesting new ways using Linux.
Master Builder: Building Tips for Fortnite (On Mobile)
By Collin MacGregor12 Jul 2018
Fortnite is perhaps the biggest video game in the world right now. Thanks to its addictive take on the battle royale genre, thousands of players drop onto this colorful island in an attempt to be the last man standing. While this formula is nothing new, Fortnite’s unique building mechanic allows users to construct geometrical masterpieces in order to block bullets, gain a height advantage, or just traverse the environment.
However, this can be quite tricky on the mobile port as the controls are not as fluid. Even though building is not as common on this version, it’s still critical that users master this skill when taking the fight on the go. Here are some tips to help improve your building in Fortnite’s mobile version.
How to Build
For the unfamiliar, you are only able to build in Fortnite’s mobile version if the tool button is pressed. This can be found in the middle of the screen to the right of your inventory. The icon is of a hammer and wrench but will swap to one of a gun when you change to the building menu. Once you’re in the building menu just select which of the structure types you want to make. Then all you need to do is tap the screen to build that item of your choice.
Pick the Right Sensitivity
When you start Fortnite the sensitivity will be set to 40. This is a generally good sensitivity, but we don’t recommend going any higher than 45. Playing on a mobile device can be difficult since it’s difficult to precisely aim or place structures. Don’t ratchet up the sensitivity too high otherwise you’ll have a harder time playing. We found that between 35 and 40 is the sweet spot, but you will want to fiddle with it until you’re comfortable. There is no perfect sensitivity, spend some time experimenting with different settings.
Playground Mode is Your Best Friend
The single best mode to learn how to build is the new Playground Mode. Unlike the traditional battle royale modes, you can just run around the entire island by yourself. Resource gathering is increased and all of the loot llamas spawn across the map. This means you can quickly gather resources and just practice building different types of structures. It’s a great way to not only familiarize yourself with the controls but practice constructing cover quickly.
We strongly recommend you go into Playground Mode and just learn to build. It will help commit making certain structures to muscle memory and give you a better chance in battle. This is also a wonderful place to work on your aim, quickly swapping between weapons, or getting a general handle on the movement controls.
Be Practical, Not Fancy
During battles in Fortnite some players get in the habit of trying to produce excessively elaborate structures in order to turn the tide of battle. While there’s nothing wrong with this on other platforms, building on Fortnite mobile is fairly awkward. A lot of this is thanks to users needing to use three fingers at the same time if they want to build, look, and move at the same time. Because of this, sometimes it’s better to just stand still and quickly construct a small base around you.
One of the best structures to get into the habit of quickly assembling is made up of four walls and a ramp. Despite seeming quite basic, it offers a decent amount of protection and gives a height advantage in a battle. If you use the Turbo Building feature, then you’ll be able to quickly spin in a circle to produce four walls. Then place down a ramp and jump at the same time. If done correctly you’ll land on top of the ramp as it’s building.
As your confidence in building increases, you’ll be able to quickly assemble a tower like this. Just remember if someone blows up the bottom then the entire structure will collapse. Keep this in mind so you don’t fall to your death if the base is blown up.
Use the Environment
Another great way to turn the tide of a battle is by building up to or extending a structure already in the environment. Quickly constructing a ramp up to a roof and then throwing down several walls can reinforce your position. This is especially true for dropping into suburban locations like Pleasant Park or Retail Row, where getting onto a roof will let you see around the entire area. In places like Tilted Towers, you can use floors to quickly build bridges between structures. Use this to close the gap in fights or shift locations if you are getting pushed.
In firefights try to make use of natural boundaries to block a foe’s sightlines. Building isn’t always reliable on mobile, so use the world around you to take cover. Once this happens you can quickly construct some cover or a small base so when you enemy pushes they will be at a disadvantage. A single ramp and a wall to connect it to can make a big difference in a fight. It will reduce your visible hitbox and let you fire down at your opponent.
Use Turbo Building
Turbo Building is a unique feature that allows players to quickly construct a structure without needing to tap for each piece. To enable Turbo Building go to the settings and then make sure that Turbo Building is switched to ‘On.’ After this, all you have to do is double tap and hold down to continuously build the structure of your choosing. This is essential for quickly assembling a building if someone jumps you or if a person is destroying your building. Being able to just hold down your thumb and spin to build four walls will give you a needed speed advantage in a fight.
However, the Turbo Building mechanic is also great for just traversing the environment. It’s easy to make a mistake and tap the screen at the wrong time when building a tall ramp or bridge. This can not only mess up your rhythm but kill you via fall damage. Always use the Turbo Building mechanic when constructing multiple structures of the same type. It may take a bit of time to get into the habit of using this mechanic, but make sure to practice during every match.
What would your building tips on mobile be? Let us know in the comments!
Hot on the heals of the tier 2 source release, a new version of AppGameKit was just released, V2018.07.12. This release contains many new fixes, as well as updated HTTP functionality, a bump to Google Play Services version and a change from Google Cloud Messaging to Firebase Cloud Messaging, due to the upcoming discontinuation. If you are interested in learning more about AppGameKit, be sure to check out our review.
The second week of July has arrived, and so have some new titles. We're here to give you the skinny on everything new coming to Netflix this week, spanning both movies and TV shows (including some Netflix Originals).
There are a ton of Netflix originals coming out in July, and this week is no exception. For movies, a new film called How It Ends which follows a man trying to survive a mysterious apocalyptic event, so that he can travel to Seattle and save his girlfriend.
As far as shows, Drug Lords is getting a second season, and The Epic Tales Of Captain Underpants is coming out. There are also a few stand-up specials, like Keven Hart's Let Me Explain, and a new special from Jim Jeffries called This Is Me Now, coming to Netflix this week.
Stay tuned or check out our complete July list to hear about even more movies, TV shows, and originals coming to Netflix. If you'd like to know about everything coming to Netflix this week, check out the full list below.
Arriving to Netflix the week of July 8
July 9
Lockup: Extended Stay: Collection 1
July 10
Drug Lords: Season 2-- Netflix Original
July 12
Gone Baby Gone
July 13
How It Ends--Netflix Original Film
Jim Jefferies: This Is Me Now-- Netflix Original
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
Sugar Rush-- Netflix Original
The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants-- Netflix Original
July 15
Bonusfamiljen: Season 2-- Netflix Original
Going for Gold
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale: Part 2-- Netflix Original
