Hello, everyone, I’m Shawn Hitchcock, the guy that made Emily Wants to Play. I am here with another game in an attempt to excite and scare the heck out of you: Emily Wants to Play Too. Inspired by fans and my own fears, this sequel is bigger, has more story, more games, more monsters, and new scares.

I’m a big advocate of listening to fans. I watch videos, live streams, look at fan art, read the wikis, read reviews and comments about Emily Wants to Play all over the Internet. I don’t say much though; I just silently pay attention. Fans have mentioned how fun it would be if the first game was bigger, had more story, and more characters. I made sure Emily Wants to Play Too included all of that. The original cast is here, plus new monsters with new mechanics. It has new fun games within itself like freezie tags, hide and seek in the dark, and a Chester marathon. There ‘s even a speed run function programmed into the game, for those times you want to play as fast as possible.

Emily Wants to Play Too is also built to scare you and your friends without violence or gore. I use special lighting, subtle sounds, and creepy visuals to create an ominous atmosphere. Walking around an area like an apartment or office should feel safe, but in Emily Wants to Play Too you will be continuously on edge. Sometimes you will be standing in the pitch dark, in complete silence, wondering what that loud thumping noise is that keeps getting closer and closer.

In Emily Wants to Play Too, the characters are scarier with more personality. I had envisioned them physically running around in the original game instead of “poofing” away, but I couldn’t pull it off. Now in the second game, the characters have the freedom to move anywhere, interacting with doors and lights. You can see them running around and hear their squeaky shoes or tiny doll footsteps.

How did Emily get this way? Where did the dolls come from? How are the dolls alive? I’ve got a big story to tell, and I’m telling it piece by piece through the eyes of the characters you play in each game. In Emily Wants to Play Too, you play as a sandwich delivery guy. He heard about the pizza guy being trapped by dolls, and like everyone else thought the story must be fake. He will get stuck in an office with the dolls and find out for himself that they are alive. And after a while, Emily will also join in on the fun because Emily wants to play too! You need to play their games and stay alive throughout the night. Along the way, you can find information about Emily and the new characters. If you look hard enough, you may even find details about the original dolls and more.

Oh, let me warn you. As far as games go, you can’t trust me! It isn’t very fun for me to make a game where you give the player exact goals to follow. I would rather not give you hints or maybe even blatantly lie to you! I did add several hints, just not as clear and noticeable as you may like. If you get stuck in certain areas, make sure you try new ideas.

Thank you for sticking around and reading my post. Come by and hang out with Emily, her dolls, and their new friends. Emily Wants to Play Too is available now on Xbox One.

A few days ago, Zen Studios put out a massive new patch for Pinball FX3 on Nintendo Switch that boosted handheld performance to a whopping 60fps, bumped docked resolution up to 1080p and made a slew of other additions and enhancements to make the game that much more enjoyable to play. In light of this patch, and just for a spot of competitive weekend gaming, we’ve opened up a tournament on Pinball FX3 that you can participate in right now.

The details for the event are as follows:

Tournament Name: NL

Table: Sorcerer’s Lair

Length: Three days

Rules: Classic

Password: Reggie

We picked Sorcerer’s Lair for the inaugural debut because that table comes free with the game, meaning that you have no good reason not to compete. The rules of the tournament are the same you’d find in a standard arcade: three balls, unlimited plays, no power-ups. And, of course, we had to appoint Reggie as the gatekeeper of our competition.

The tournament will be running through Sunday, and we’ll post a breakdown on Monday with the results of our top players. Though no prizes are being offered for this tournament, you will be rewarded with the satisfaction of knowing that you are objectively better than everyone else on this site at playing pinball. If you think you’re good enough, we dare you to come give it a go. If you don’t think you’re good enough, we double dog dare you to jump in.

Will you be joining us for a little pinball action this weekend? Let us know in the comments below…

Starbear: Taxi is Now Available on Steam and is 15% off!*

A fast-paced, VR-native title that really delivers. Race a spaceship taxi around Starbear’s tiny, futuristic city to deliver busy bear passengers to their desired destinations. Bears gotta be places too, you know?!

*Offer ends May 10 at 10AM Pacific Time

Alongside the launch of Warmind, a new season of gameplay updates begins for all players of Destiny 2, including powerful upgrades to Exotic weapons, the introduction of Ranked Crucible play, new Crucible maps, Private Matches, Heroic Strike Modifiers, Multi-Emote, additional Vault Space, and much more.

These Season 3 updates will be available to all players of Destiny 2, regardless of Warmind ownership. Full Patch Notes will be published on May 8.

Exotic Weapon Tuning will enhance some of the most unique items in your personal arsenal. 

Seasonal Crucible Rankings will deliver new ways to earn bragging rights and some coveted weapons in the competitive arena.

New Crucible Maps will give every player new spaces to fight in the Crucible. All matchmade playlists will feature Meltdown and Solitude.  

Private Matches will give you full control over your competitive experience. Set your own match and invite willing combatants to play.

[Note: You’ll need to purchase the Expansion to use the new maps in Private Matches.]

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Juicy Realm is Now Available on Steam and is 10% off!*

Juicy Realm is a roguelike game in which players must square off against bizarre fruits all across the world. The line between the animal and the plant world has become blurred, and the food chain has been completely disrupted. Humans, upon making this incredible discovery, have set up outposts along the border of the aggressive plants’ habitat for investigations, defense, and in preparation for what may come. You take the role of a soldier on the front lines charged with confronting this strange new enemy.

*Offer ends May 10 at 10AM Pacific Time

From the get-go, Nintendo has said that its decision to bring some of its brands to iOS and Android games was ultimately in the hopes that those titles would lure mobile players to Nintendo’s own hardware and, according to current Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima, those efforts may be starting to pay off.

In the translated transcript of a Q&A with Nintendo investors, Kimishima notes that Nintendo’s smart-device business a driving force behind what one investor described as a “relatively large percentage of Nintendo Switch sales” from countries outside of Japan, the Americas, and Europe when compared to past Nintendo consoles.

Kimishima notes that Nintendo’s customer base in Asia and the Middle East in particular is growing thanks to the fact that new players in those areas have been introduced to Nintendo IP first through its smartphone games like Super Mario Run, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and are seeking out and purchasing Nintendo Switch systems as a result. 

This resonates with comments Nintendo’s incoming president Shuntaro Furukawa made to the Japanese publication Nikkei just recently, explaining that the company is looking forward to bolstering hardware sales in the Middle East and South East Asia and that he envisions Nintendo’s future efforts in mobile as a $900 million business.

Across all regions, the Nintendo Switch has sold 17.79 million units in just over one year, with roughly 15 million of those sales falling during the 2017-2018 fiscal year that concluded March 31. Even with nearly 18 million units sold, Nintendo predicts that the Switch will sell 20 million additional units during the 2018-2019 fiscal year, something it hopes to achieve by appealing to people that may have never played a Nintendo console before.

“In this second year, the initiatives we are planning come from our recognition that we also have to challenge ourselves to delivering Nintendo Switch into the hands of consumers who have never played a Nintendo platform before, and to those [that] have played before, but not recently,” Kimishima explained in the Q&A. “In order to sell more units than we did last fiscal year, the software lineup we have planned is meant to attract people, including those who have not been playing video games recently.”

Thursday has arrived once more, bringing with it another weekly update to all of Nintendo’s current eShop fronts. We’ve got plenty of indie sleeper hits, classic retro throwbacks and big titles all waiting to tempt their way into your virtual collection. As always, feel free to add a vote in the poll and a comment or two with your potential purchases below. Enjoy!

Switch eShop

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo, $59.99) – Barrel blast into a critically acclaimed Donkey Kong adventure as this beloved franchise makes its Nintendo Switch debut with a (banana) bunch of new features. Traverse islands packed with platforming perfection and nonstop action as the classic Kongs in the original game, or mix things up by playing the story as Funky Kong in new Funky Mode for a more approachable experience for players of all ages and skill levels. The Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze game will be available on May 4. Read our review.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition (WayForward, $27) – Save the day as belly dancing half-genie Shantae, conquer Sequin Land as the evil Risky Boots in “Pirate Queen’s Quest” and swap between Sky, Bolo and Rottytops in “Friends to the End!” Use multiple abilities while in different forms: wall jump as Ninja Shantae, soak up sun as Beach Shantae and serve justice as Officer Shantae. The Shantae: Half-Genie Hero Ultimate Edition game will be available on May 8. Read our review.

Cast of the Seven Godsends (Merge Games, $12.99) – Cast of the Seven Godsends harks back to the days when classic 2D, run ’n gun, action-shooter games ruled the arcades. Four levels of difficulty, six worlds to conquer, twelve mid and end-of-level bosses, seven god-like armour sets, five basic weapons and thirty-five magic combat spells!

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM (Bandai Namco. $19.99) – Players will unleash powerful jutsu attacks, perform acrobatic evasive maneuvers and even run up walls and over water as they pursue their opponent for ninja supremacy. Players will be able to customize their character’s fighting style and recruit up to two support characters to put their own stamp on the action.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 2 (Bandai Namco, $19.99) – Impressively faithful to the universe of the anime, the game takes players through the Naruto Shippuden story arc with new battle systems enhancing the gameplay. Players must choose the right companions to fight alongside and together unleash explosive Team Special Techniques to lay waste to opponents.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 3 Full Burst (Bandai Namco $19.99) – NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Ultimate Ninja STORM 3 has been given a thorough overhaul for its FULL BURST comeback! Not least among the wealth of enhancements is the addition of the feverishly anticipated chapter in which Sasuke and Itachi take on Kabuto in a nail-biting confrontation.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy (Bandai Namco, $39.99) – All three entries in the NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja Storm series are coming to the Nintendo Switch in a single package! Start with Naruto’s origins in Ultimate Ninja Storm, relive Shippuden and his ferocious battles with Akatsuki in Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, and experience the beginning of the Great Ninja War in Ultimate Ninja Storm 3, all in one game!

Raging Justice (Team17 Digital, $13.49) – Raging Justice is a classic beat ‘em up game of epic proportions, dragging the savage charm of the genre kicking and screaming into the 21st century! Available May 8.

SKYPEACE (Sonic Powered, $0.99) – Exhilarating yet simple action! Soar away into the sky at full speed!

Don’t Die, Mr Robot! DX (Digerati, $8.99) – Don’t Die, Mr. Robot! DX is a remixed version of the much-loved arcade bullet-hell avoid ’em up, completely remastered and rejuvenated for Nintendo Switch. Read our review.

Japanese Mah-jongg (ITL, $5.00) – You can enjoy Mah-jongg, one of major table games easily with Japanese Mah-jongg. 2 Players mode is enjoying competition with your friend by hiding your hand with single device.

Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Sly Spy (FTE Games, $6.99) – It is the year 199X, Secret Agent Sly must protect the U.S. from a nuclear missile attack from the terrorist organization CWD (Council for World Domination). Play an arcade classic! Secret Agent: Use your jetpack and the golden gun and save the world from Evil.

Nihilumbra (Beautifun Games, $7.99) – Discover the beautiful world of Nihilumbra and join Born on his adventure to find himself whilst trying to escape from his inevitable curse.

Perfect Angle (Ivanovich Games, $9.99) – Challenge your mind with puzzles based on optical illusions. Find the perfect angle by rotating the camera to clean up the chaos and find a shocking story fraught with twists.

Professional Construction – The Simulation (United Independent Entertainment, $39.99) – Experience life on the construction site like the pros, and use heavy equipment and massive machinery. Enter an open world scenario to complete a large variety of assignments. There’s no way you can get bored repairing roads and doing so much more. A wide range of heavy construction equipment stands ready for your use. Utilise pavement milling, bulky cement mixers, powerful dump trucks, practical mini excavators and more!

Timberman VS (Forever Entertainment, $1.99) – The game loved by millions of players all around the world – Timberman, now has a brand new, polished axe! Are you world-class wood chopper? Enter the digital forest and find out! Discover the Nintendo Switch version of this classic, casual game – slice and dice trees in an arcade-style, challenge your friends and be the fastest timberman alive!

ACA NEOGEO STAKES WINNER (HAMSTER, $7.99) – “STAKES WINNER” is a realistic jockey action game released in 1995 by SNK. Use skills such as showing the whip, formation split and hyper dash, collect items on the course, and power-up your beloved horse in this multifaceted game. Ride with your horse through a variety of races as you aim to conquer the GI.

Arcade Archives 10-Yard Fight (HAMSTER, $7.99) – “10-Yard Fight” is a sports game released in 1983 by IREM. Players can enjoy American football with its simple but intense play mechanics. Score touchdowns as you play against increasingly powerful opponents. This version also contains the 1984 version of VS 10-Yard Fight with the additional two-player mode.

Animal Super Squad (DoubleMoose, $9.99) – Animal Super Squad is a physics-based adventure game that lets you play as your favorite animal. Speed through a world full of dangers and bananas. Create your own levels, share them with the community, or forget all that nonsense and just play other people’s stuff.

3DS eShop

3D Retro Dungeon Puzzle Challenge (Skunk Software, $0.70) – A short puzzle adventure game with unique levels. One of the best games under $1. Only for New Nintendo 3DS.

Wii U eShop

Rainbow Snake (RandomSpin, $0.99) – Eating Food, Snake Painted In Different Colors. Collect a colorful snake and avoid the green walls. Over time, the snake is gaining speed!

Demos

Nintendo Switch

Aegis Defenders – Demo Version (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch)
Midnight Deluxe – Demo Version (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch) – Available May 4
Portal Knights – Demo Version (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch) – Available May 7

Activities

Too Cool for Hyrule: May My Nintendo Rewards – May is a special month for The Legend of Zelda fans! The Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition game for the Nintendo Switch system launches on May 18. To celebrate the game’s launch, My Nintendo is offering the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask: Dire Moon Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu theme. You can redeem your My Nintendo points up to five times to receive up to five codes for the theme. Don’t forget to redeem your points for a wallpaper and a May calendar featuring the Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition game. Enjoy the month of May with great discounts on select games in the Legend of Zelda series. For more info, click here.

So that’s your lot for this week’s official update to the North American eShops. Feel free to leave a vote in the poll and a comment below…