This Week’s New Releases + Game News: June 20, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Minecraft: Wii U Edition and Ori and the Blind Forest.

Most game publishers won’t release new games during E3 week, so the appearance of Minecraft: Wii U Edition on store shelves is great for librarians looking to fill out their Wii U collection with a title they know everyone will love. Minecraft’s Wii U Edition is the same virtual playground that we all know and love, but it also includes the Super Mario Mash-up Pack expansion, which adds Mario-themed characters, textures, and music to the game.

Also available this week is Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition, an enhanced and expanded version of the well-received “MetroidVania” for the PC and Xbox One. Players will still be able to guide young Ori through the forest of Nibel, but the Definitive Edition will add new areas, new abilities, more story sequences, and multiple difficulty modes to the game.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

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International Games Day 2016 Registration is Now Open

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internationalgamesday2016The American Library Association has announced that registration for the 2016 International Games Day @ Your Library is now open:

This year many donations will be managed through this blog. You can subscribe to the blog to receive updates about donations, resources, and information on running a successful event.

You must register to be eligible for donations. Donations are available while supplies last.

A Press Kit to help you plan your IGD@YL event is also available.

Journey: Collector’s Edition Review @ School Library Journal

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journeycollectorseditionVideo games fans have been waiting patiently for the next project from ThatGameCompany for several years now. But while we continue to wait, the developer has repackaged its slightly abstract catalog (Flow, Flower, and Journey) in a PS3 and PS4 compilation known as Journey: Collector’s Edition.

Journey: Collector’s Edition was released in 2012, but Teen Librarian Alanna Graves recently reviewed it for School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox. And she found it as magical as many other video game fans have:

Journey has all the right elements to make it a staple in the gaming industry: breath taking graphics, an excellent soundtrack, an intimate feeling when playing with other players, and a strong emotional response. I highly recommend this title for circulating library collections, as well as teachers/librarians trying to use it for programs!

The PS3 version of Journey: Collector’s Edition was released on a Blu-ray disc, but the PS4 version of the game is only available as a download through the PlayStation Store.

This Week’s New Releases + Game News: June 13, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is, believe it or not, a three-fer.

Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is a first-person action game from DICE, the same team responsible for Star Wars: Battlefront. Available for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst is a prequel/reboot to 2008’s Mirror’s Edge, which was a cult favorite among gamers for its focus on acrobatic wallrunning over gunplay. Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst will appeal to fans of the favorite, as well as anyone looking for something different from the first-person genre.

Kirby: Planet Robobot is the latest side-scrolling platformer in Nintendo’s Kirby franchise. This time, the pink puffball has to stop an alien invasion using his copy abilities… but he’ll also pilot a giant mech to bring the fight directly to the extraterrestrials. Kirby: Planet Robobot is an all ages title that should appeal to fans of platformer games and Nintendo-published titles.

Finally, Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir (PS4, PS3, Vita) is a high definition remaster of Odin Sphere, a side-scrolling RPG originally released for the PS2 in 2007. Developed by Vanillaware and published by Atlus, Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir draws on Norse mythology for its storyline and features beautiful hand-drawn graphics. RPG fans will definitely enjoy this one.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

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Preview of Gaming Events at 2016 ALA Conference @ International Games Day Blog

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The ALA’s International Games Day @ Your Library blog has provided a preview of the gaming events that’ll be available at this year’s ALA Conference in Orlando:

Not only does the American Library Association’s Games and Gaming Roundtable (GameRT) manage International Games Day, but they are also active in transforming libraries. GameRT will be bringing its magic to Orlando, but not in the form of wizards. All of this magic is done by librarians from various libraries around the United States.

The 2016 ALA Conference is scheduled to begin on June 23 and run through June 28. More information is available at ALAAnnual.org.

World of Warcraft Cookbook to be Released in October

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worldofwarcrafttheofficialcookbookThe Warcraft movie isn’t getting the best reviews over at Rotten Tomatoes, fans of the franchise will be able to cook like an orc this October. That’s because World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook will be published by Simon & Schuster on October 18:

Prepare a feast fit for a warchief with World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook, a delicious compendium of recipes inspired by the hit online game from Blizzard Entertainment.

Revitalize your raid group with Azeroth’s most scrumptious treats. Featuring recipes for Horde and Alliance favorites such as Dirge’s Kickin’ Chimaerok Chops and fresh loaves of Mulgore Spice Bread, World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook teaches you how to conjure up a fantastical menu of foods inspired by Blizzard Entertainment’s beloved massively multiplayer online role-playing game. The book’s vast and varied selection of colorful recipes offers something for everyone, whether you’re an apprentice cook or a master chef, a plant-loving druid or an orc hankering after Beer Basted Boar Ribs. This tome of exquisite delicacies also includes a few tasty recipes for brew, including Greatfather’s Winter Ale, Junglevine Wine, and Winter Veil Egg Nog.

World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook will be written by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, an author who previously lent her culinary skills to the similarly-themed A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook.

Doom (2016) Review @ Library Journal

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doom2016The Doom franchise roared its way back into the world with a vengeance last month, all thanks to id Software’s ridiculously brutal reboot/sequel, which is known simply as Doom (PC, PS4, Xbox One). First person shooter fans will find a game that’s like nothing else out there. Doom is a very fast and intense experience that doesn’t skimp on the things (the shotgun, the chainsaw, the demonic imagery, etc) that made the franchise famous.

Library Journal columnist M. Brandon Robbins recently reviewed the shooter sequel, and he greatly enjoyed the wild action as well:

Released on May 13, 2016, Doom is a true rebirth of the series. Bringing back the fast-paced gameplay of the original while implementing mechanics from modern shooters, this Doom feels simultaneously familiar and fresh. The shotgun is still the trusty friend one remembers it being, enemies will still (sometimes literally) eat you alive if you stand still for more than a couple of seconds, and the anxiety of walking into a new room only to have the doors shut and the sound of demonic howling is more intense than ever. There’s more hand-to-hand combat, with “glory kills” being a way to pick up health power-ups. Players can upgrade their armor and weapons and earn buffs for their character, which make finding secrets, surviving damage, and dealing out damage easier.

I’ve been playing a lot of Doom myself, and I have to wholeheartedly agree with this assessment. The game is a must play for fans of modern first person shooters, as well as anyone who grew up playing the original Doom back in 1993.

This Week’s New Releases + Game News: June 6, 2016

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vgl-pickThe Video Game Librarian Pick of the Week is Dead Island Definitive Collection (PS4, Xbox One), a compilation containing Dead Island, Dead Island: Riptide, and Dead Island: Retro Revenge.

Dead Island and Dead Island: Riptide are first-person melee-focused zombie games where players try to escape a tropical island crawling with the undead. Both games were originally released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 a few years ago, and they were fairly well-received by action/horror fans at the time. Meanwhile, Retro Revenge is a brand new side-scrolling spinoff created exclusively for the Definitive Collection.

All Links in “This Week’s New Releases + Game News” are Provided by Warp Zoned.

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