Available for the Wii U, 3DS, and PC later this year, Scribblenauts will see Maxwell take up the cause of super-herodom as he traipses through Gotham, Atlantis, Metropolis, and other DC Universe locations to help our favorite comic book characters stop evil!

The potential for this series is limitless, and we’re all very excited to see how this shapes up.

I mean, for crying out loud, the Anti-Monitor is in there! – JB

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Deathstroke! Batman! In a fight to the death! Though Rocksteady isn’t helming this project, I can’t help but get a little excited about it. How about you?

Also, pre-order at Amazon.com to get Deathstorke as a PLAYABLE character, as well as a $10 credit voucher! – JB

The post Batman: Arkham Origins – Official Teaser Trailer appeared first on ++Good Games.

Amazon.com has begun slashing prices on tons of their digital download game titles, including XBLA bundle packs! Never in our lives did we think that someone would be able to abuse our wallets as deftly as Steam, but Amazon.com is seriously calling this belief into question. Not only can you save a ton on PC titles, but XBLA titles, too! Get over to their Digial Games MAYHEM event, ASAP!

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Press Release – Marvelous USA, Inc. today announced its formation as the U.S.-based publishing operation of leading Japanese publisher MarvelousAQL Inc.  Reflecting this news, both XSEED JKS, Inc. and ATLUS ONLINE will unify under “Marvelous USA, Inc.” effective immediately; however, our console and handheld video games will continue to carry the “XSEED” brand name.

Our “XSEED” console business will continue to be run out of our Torrance, CA office, but due to the expansion of our business, Marvelous USA will be adding a second office in Irvine, CA to handle mobile and online social games. This division will be branded “Marvelous USA” and will consist of the merging of XSEED’s recently created mobile team together with ATLUS ONLINE, a division of Index Digital Media that has been recently acquired by Marvelous USA.

We see this as an opportunity to renew our resolve, and to explore new possibilities through diligence and open communication. We would very much appreciate your understanding and continued support.

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Revealed earlier today, on Gamespot, the next game in the storied and historic Wolfenstein franchise steps forward.

The post Wolfenstein: The New Order, Revealed! appeared first on ++Good Games.

Thank you again for your continued support and please be sure to tell your friends all about the ++Good Games podcast.

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In the past we’ve had the pleasure, honor and privilege to interview the likes of; Trip Hawkins, Tim Schafer, Terry Wolfinger, OXM, Eric “Shidoshi” Patterson, Aram Jabbari, Kat Steel, Justine Joli and many more! As the ++Good Games Podcast closes out three years of gaming-audio-excellence, we’ve asked ourselves “where do we go next?”. Our answer was to go back to the source and talk to the men, women, visionaries and luminaries that started, defined or redefinied video gaming today. This week we start off year four with one of THE ORIGINAL founding fathers of the gaming industry, a name that is synonymous with the birth of console video gaming, a living legend who started the careers of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, David Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead, and countless others, none other than, Nolan Bushnell (founder of Atari, Chuck E. Cheese and many other companies).

Nolan Bushnell is a man whose body of work spans over four decades and, as you’ll hear on the show, is still being added to today! Nolan Bushnell made his original mark by kick-starting the gaming industry with Pong, yet now he has his sights set on an exciting marriage of technology and education with Brain Rush. Make learning swift, fun and truly allow one to realize their fullest potential.

Last month, Nolan Bushnell wrote a book entitled, “Finding the Next Steve Jobs: How to Find, Hire, Keep and Nurture Creative Talent” which is currently for sale over at Amazon.com. In this book Bushnell explains how to find, hire, and nurture the people who could turn your company into the next Atari or the next Apple. Bushnell’s advice is constantly counter-intuitive, surprising, atypical.

The business world is changing faster than ever, and every day your company faces new complications and difficulties. The only way to resolve these issues is to have a staff of wildly creative people who live as much in the future as the present, who thrive on being different, and whose ideas will guarantee that your company will prosper when other companies fail.

It’s a truly amazing journey and one that that ++Good Games works to uncover the past, present and is allowed a glimpse into Bushnell’s vision for the future.

The image above takes you to our Stitcher feed however ++Good Games is also available on iTunes, Mevio and where ever else fine podcasts are served.

Additionally, you can also check out the ++Good Games team on Twitter too:

++Good: https://twitter.com/#!/doubleplusgames
Anthony: https://twitter.com/#!/24BitAJE
James: https://twitter.com/#!/JamesDBacon

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Here’s what developers are saying about the all new DualShock 4 for the PlayStation 4. Source: Official Playstation YouTube Page

The post DualShock 4 appeared first on ++Good Games.

Injustice: Gods Among Us (XBOX 360 [reviewed], PS3, Wii U)
Developer: NetherRealm Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Release Date: April 16th, 2013
MSRP: $59.99
Words by James Bacon

Injustice is unashamed about its comic book feel. The premise and all of the details are appropriately cliche – a multiverse with hero and villain duplicates, including an evil Superman; cross dimension conundrums; sweeping, global implications due to the actions of the few; primary colors; stretch pants… it’s completely unabashed while using all of the kitschy comic book cliches it can muster, just like the Marvel Movieverse. Meanwhile, the DC movie poster-child, Batman, has taken realism to a degree that, believe it or not, breaks my suspension of disbelief. It’s too gritty, and it’s too realistic for characters whose roots run deep into ridiculous territory. Arrow does the same thing, though not to the same degree, and while I understand the desire to head in this direction (due to the Schumacher snarls that were Batman Forever and Batman & Robin), but after having been shelved for so long, and taking a look at how Marvel is approaching their properties, you’d think that, maybe, they could have gone in a direction that’s a bit closer to the source. The banks of which Injustice boldly fords.

I mean, for chrissakes, Batman hangs out in space on a regular basis with two aliens and an amazon princess!

Something that Boon has concerned himself with from the beginning is story. He insists that the fighting genre can be a vehicle for more than the typical vinettes that populate the space. Mortal Kombat’s characters had motivations, relationships, and goals, and they were applied in a very thorough way. Character actions affected more than just themselves and the person they were punching in the face. These motivations, relationships, and goals have gotten more complex with each game Boon has made. Now he has almost 80 years of history to work with right out of the gate (not all of the characters are so old, but Superman sure is)! Of course he’s going to borrow from some of the more memorable and successful arcs. The plot is definitely something that we’ve seen before, albeit not exactly with these details, but that’s often how comic book plots go. That doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile, or that it’s hackneyed or slapdash. It’s organized a great deal like the Justice Lords two-parter from the original Justice League cartoon, while character reactions and revelations unfold in a fashion similar to Kingdom Come. For the uninitiated, know that you cannot borrow from better source material. Period.

The character designs are not only really cool, being both new and familiar all at once, but there’s a reason for all of the armor. With people like Superman, Wonder Woman, Aqua Man, and others on the roster, the non-powered group of characters would get utterly stomped without protection. The designs echo this concern in a very interesting way (it isn’t ONLY the costumes beefed up with armor that’s protecting these guys, but I’ll leave that for you to discover in the game). I love it when character designs carry substance, like this. I also love new costumes. I always have. I love the spider armor, Iron Spider, Future Foundation, Phoenix Five… you get the idea. Not every costume is a hit, but I enjoy every attempt, and even if I end up disliking the end result, I always appreciate the effort. The concept designers who worked on Injustice really stuck close to the source material (some deviating the most discrete ways – Superman, Wonder Woman; and others being drastic departures while carrying familiar patterns – Harley, Sinestro), but even in so doing were able to find satisfying originality in their varied details. And again, there are plot reasons for most character appearances.

Another thing Boon has always done well is understand his setting. The Mortal Kombat franchise, having debuted in 1992, was clearly influenced by the film Big Trouble in Little China, and other films of that ilk hailing from the mid to late 80′s. He equally understands the comic book origins of  the stable he’s working with, here, but let’s be honest… not one of you is reading this review for commentary concerning story or visuals for a fighting game hailing from the 20 year pedigree of the Mortal Kombat series. I thank you for sticking with it this long to get to the meaty bits: the gameplay.

The mechanics are evidence that Ed Boon is actually learning from other fighting franchises, and it’s highly noticeable. Games like Tekken, from which has been borrowed a King-like ground-grab system for Solomon Grundy (among other things), and Street Fighter (as well as virtually every other fighter out there) from which we finally escape the trappings of a block button in favor of simply holding the D-pad or joystick away from your attacker. These pieces of gameplay elevate the typical Mortal Kombat formula, much like the advances made by Mortal Kombat (2011) elevated it to the point where it could be seriously considered for tournament play. Even while learning from other games (and some might add “FINALLY!”), the new wager system and Clash mechanic are evidence that he’s still comfortable as ever with reevaluating the entire genre and forging ahead with his own fresh ideas. After your first health bar expires (everyone has two), you are given the opportunity to challenge your opponent during a combo wherein you wager sections of your special meter. Whoever wagers more wins, and then the results of the Clash are applied, be they healing, or damage. It’s semi controllable, and it attempts to disallow completely one-sided battles. Along with learning and applying new (though old) mechanics, and integrating fresh ways in which to play, the standard mechanics which you’d expect are also present. Meter burning special moves, spectacular and satisfying super moves which replace fatalities and X-ray moves, and also, unfortunately, the “dial-a-combo” system. It isn’t as bad as it was at its inception at MK3, as you have a great deal of free form play regarding juggling, and the points in any specific combo where you choose to insert a special move; however, it still feels rigid and antiquated. Heavy hits do not flow naturally from medium hits, and medium hits do not flow naturally from light hits. As a result, it becomes extremely difficult to execute combos properly if, like me, you’re used to Street Fighter or Vs., wherein you can double tap buttons to ensure timing. If you double tap in Injustice, you’ve blown the combo.

It is definitely worth mentioning that Injustice includes the most ingenious multi-player lobby in any fighting game ever. The game being played presently, as you’re spectating, is installed directly in the lobby dashboard itself. It will fill the screen at the push of a button, and you can shrink it back down just as easily. If you decide to leave it as is, you can go about browsing the Hero Cards (stats) of everyone else in the lobby. The amount of loading required is minimal, and getting in to one is very simple, and quick.

I’ll lastly comment briefly on the sound, which includes effects, music, and of course, voice acting. The voice acting for the characters are all fantastic. Even though Arleen Sorkin no longer does Harley, Tara Strong, an immensely prolific voice actor, does a fantastic job; Kevin Conroy (the standard by which every Batman should be measured and judged), is just as perfect as he ever was for the character of Bruce Wayne; and though Mark Hamil has decided not to continue to do the Joker (also the standard for this particular character), Richard Epcar, another prolific voice actor, takes up the mantle and embraces it. Stephen Amell voices Green Arrow, and even though I cannot say I am, as of yet, a fan of the show, I appreciate the choice in favor of consistency. All this to say the game is cast very well. Likewise, the sounds of bones crunching, armor clanging, guns firing, lasers zapping, and the dull packing thud of fist-on-face combat are duly satisfying; and the music, much like the plot, hearkens back to the Justice League cartoon.

The game is good. Yes, I’m an Ed Boon fanboy; and yes, I’m a DC diehard, but that doesn’t prevent an objective view. While I’ll get far more out of the game given the characters and subject matter, someone who’s never heard of DC comics, Ed Boon, or even the fighting genre will certainly be able to enjoy this.

Verdict: 8.5 (+Good) – This game does a lot right, and like its immediate predecessor, should be making its way into the tournament circuit shortly. Ed Boon has learned a lot about the genre in the 21 years he’s been with the MK franchise, and he’s put it all to good use in Injustice, borrowing mechanics from other series while still boldly infusing his brand of originality through new mechanics and deft story telling. Unfortunately, the oft maligned “dial-a-combo” combo system first introduced in MK3 has survived, and though there is a measure of free form to kicking butt, it isn’t nearly as diverse a system as Capcom employs for the Street Fighter or Vs. series. This game is, however, worth not only the $60 dollar price tag, but also the additional $15 dollars for a season pass.

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Source: IGN & Bethesda Softworks

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