Stardew Valley Review @ School Library Journal

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Stardew Valley is a retro-styled farming game that first appeared on the PC in February 2016. Since then, it has also cultivated a large fanbase on the PS4 and Xbox One. The serene simulation is the work of a single developer, Eric Barone, and it was hugely inspired by the Harvest Moon franchise.

Teen Librarian Alanna Graves recently reviewed Stardew Valley for School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox, and she was quickly entranced by the game’s rural rhythms:

There isn’t a good or bad way to play Stardew Valley. Players generally try to fix up the Community Center because they can get special items and unlock special areas around town. The second thing players try to do is get married. There are certain villagers whom you can marry if you have enough friendship hearts, and it doesn’t matter what gender the player is. I chose to marry Elliot, a sensitive soul who lives on the beach who is trying to finish writing a novel.

[…]

Like any role-playing game, Stardew Valley will have a niche audience because it is a slow paced, relaxing game. If you are a gamer who liked Harvest Moon, I highly recommend Stardew Valley.

Stardew Valley is currently available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The game will be released for the Nintendo Switch sometime this Fall.

Max Brooks’s Minecraft: The Island Novel is Now Available

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Mojang teamed up with Max Brooks (the author of World War Z and The Zombie Survival Guide) to create the first official tie-in novel based on Minecraft. Titled Minecraft: The Island, the book is targeted at a younger audience and it’s available on store shelves today.

When writing Minecraft: The Island, Brooks found inspiration in classics like Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe to tell his own tale of survival and mystery:

Washed up on a beach, the lone castaway looks around the shore. Where am I? Who am I? And why is everything made of blocks? But there isn’t much time to soak up the sun. It’s getting dark, and there’s a strange new world to explore!

The top priority is finding food. The next is not becoming food. Because there are others out there on the island… like the horde of zombies that appear after night falls. Crafting a way out of this mess is a challenge like no other. Who could build a home while running from exploding creepers, armed skeletons, and an unstoppable tide of hot lava? Especially with no help except for a few makeshift tools and sage advice from an unlikely friend: a cow.

In this world, the rules don’t always make sense, but courage and creativity go a long way. There are forests to explore, hidden underground tunnels to loot, and undead mobs to defeat. Only then will the secrets of the island be revealed.

You can read the first chapter right now at Random House Books.

ALA Games and Gaming Round Table’s Report from ALA Annual 2017

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The American Library Association’s ALA Annual Conference traveled to Chicago this year, and there was quite a bit of discussion about games and gaming.

The ALA’s Games and Gaming Round Table highlighted some of the events as part of a report for the ALA’s Games In Libraries page:

This year’s ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, was brimming with opportunities to experience and learn about games. The Games and Gaming Round Table (GameRT) started with Escape to the Library, a pre-conference about escape experiences and breakouts in the library. Attendees at this sold out event received an overview of escape rooms and breakouts, experienced three different custom breakouts, and received guidance in approaching the design process.

The Games and Gaming Round Table also looked at several other topics in their report. The ALA Play event, where game publishers and distributors demo their products, was a bit hit. As was Conference Sessions that discussed enhancing discovery of game collections and active learning through games. Sharing Sessions looked at “Teen Driven Game Programming” and “Using LibGuides to Promote Your Game Collection,” and a huge panel about “Tabletop Gaming 101” closed out the gaming portion of ALA Annual 2017.

Best of E3 2017 Winners Selected by Game Critics Awards

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e3Every year, the Game Critics Awards, a collection of editors from more than 40 major publications that cover the video game industry, get together to choose the best games at the E3 Expo.

While all of these titles are still in development, you should keep them in mind when you add games to your collection this Fall and into 2018.

Super Mario Odyssey was named “Best of Show,” and the full list of winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →

This Week’s New Releases + Game News: May 22 – May 28, 2017

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week includes a trio of re-releases and a beautiful puzzle platformer.

Leading things off, Capcom released Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers for the Switch on Friday, May 26. The publisher is hoping that this re-release will introduce the arcade classic to an entirely new generation, but it also includes a brand new first-person minigame, new color variations for all characters, and two new fighters (Evil Ryu and Violent Ken).

Another re-release that made its way to the Switch this week was courtesy of NIS America. The import house launched Disgaea 5 Complete on Nintendo’s console, which includes the original strategy RPG and all of its downloadable content.

THQ Nordic also brought the original Darksiders to the Wii U as Darksiders: Warmastered Edition. This new version of the action/adventure game include enhanced visuals and redone graphical effects, and was previously released for the PS4 and Xbox One.

But if you’re looking for new and never-before-seen games this week, Tequila Works brought their puzzle platformer Rime to the PS4 and Xbox One. Featuring a unique and moody graphical style, the exploration game should offer an interesting change of pace.

More “New Retail Releases” can be found at Warp Zoned, and this week’s “News Headlines” are available after the break. Continue reading →

High School Video Game Club @ Programming Librarian

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Running a regular “Video Game Club” is one of the best ways to connect library patrons with their favorite video games. And Geoffrey Greenberg, a High School Librarian from Illinois, recently discussed the ins and outs of his biweekly “Video Game Club” at Programming Librarian:

Video Game Club (VGC) is a club that meets biweekly in the library, with 60 members who show up at various times. We let the students pick the games they play, as long as they are pre-approved by myself or the other librarian.

Greenberg said that the most popular game franchises with his group are Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, and Dragon Ball Z.

Splatoon Manga Will be Released in Fall 2017

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CoroCoro Comics published a manga series based on Nintendo’s Splatoon in Japan after the game’s launch in 2015. Serialized in CoroCoro magazine, the series, which was written and illustrated by Sankichi Hinodeya, was eventually compiled in two volumes.

This weekend, Viz Media announced (via Twitter) that they’re translating it into English for a North American release this Fall.

Fans will also get the chance to dive back into the world of Splatoon this July when Splatoon 2 launches for the Nintendo Switch.

2016’s Game of the Year Winners

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The following games received “Game of the Year” honors from the five major industry award shows in 2016:

    The Game Awards: Overwatch
    GDC Awards: Overwatch
    DICE Awards: Overwatch
    SXSW Gaming Awards: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
    BAFTA Games Awards: Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

A complete list of all winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →