Dark Horse Will Publish The Art of Cuphead This October

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Cuphead‘s unique blend of vintage-style animation and ultra-hard platform shooting helped make it a huge hit back in 2017. An expansion, The Delicious Last Course, is slated to launch later this year, and fans will also get to page through the game’s gorgeous art thanks to The Art of Cuphead.

Published by Dark Horse, the 160-page hardcover will feature a “curated collection of artwork designed to capture the vintage look and feel of the Thirties”:

Peek at the early concepts, production work, and early ideas that went into the making of Cuphead’s characters, bosses, stages and more. Relive the most cherished and challenging moments of Cuphead and Mugman’s adventure to reclaim their souls from The Devil, all in a way you’ve never seen before! Guided by personal insights from game directors Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, take a one-of-a-kind trip through the Inkwell Isles and discover an all-new appreciation for Cuphead’s animation style and challenging retro gameplay.

The Art of Cuphead will be available in bookstores on October 22.

New Battle Royale Game: Tetris 99 from Nintendo

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Nintendo absolutely blew up the “Battle Royale” genre with today’s announcement of Tetris 99.

The consolemaker teamed up with The Tetris Company to create a massive 99-player version of the classic puzzle game, and it’s available to download now as a free-to-play title for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.

Tetris 99 is rather bare-bones at the moment, but Nintendo has plans to support the game down the road with a series of upcoming online events and other updates.

New Battle Royale Game: Apex Legends from Respawn Entertainment

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Respawn Entertainment is breaking into the “Battle Royale” scrum with Apex Legends, a free-to-play game for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One that takes place within the Titanfall universe (but which doesn’t actually include any Titans).

Available to download right now, Apex Legends will feature a variety of unique characters who will compete against each other to be the last one standing (and to collect loot, of course):

Overview
Conquer with character in Apex Legends, a free-to-play* Battle Royale shooter where legendary characters with powerful abilities team up to battle for fame & fortune on the fringes of the Frontier. Master an ever-growing roster of diverse Legends, deep tactical squad play and bold new innovations that level up the Battle Royale experience… all within a rugged world where anything goes.

Features

  • A Roster of Legendary Characters: Master a growing roster of powerful Legends, each with their own unique personality, strengths and abilities that are easy to pick up but challenging to truly master.
  • Build Your Crew: Choose your Legend and combine their unique skills together with other players to form the ultimate crew.
  • Strategic Battle Royale: Use your abilities (and your wits) to make strategic calls on the fly, adapting your crew’s strengths to meet new challenges as the match evolves.
  • Genre-Evolving Innovation: Experience a brand-new array of innovative features that level up the Battle Royale genre, including Respawn Beacons, Smart Comms, Intelligent Inventory and an all-new way to drop into the action with Jumpmaster deployment.
  • Sweet, Sweet Loot: Drop in and loot up with a host of powerful weapons, diverse attachments and useful armor to protect you in battle. After the fight, collect a wealth of cosmetic options for personalizing your character and weapons, and unlock new ways to show off during the match.

Respawn uploaded a trio of new trailers to help prospective players learn more about how Apex Legends works. A Cinematic Trailer, a Gameplay Trailer, and a Gameplay Deep Dive Trailer have all been embedded after the “Continue Reading” link. Continue reading →

Video Game Librarian’s Favorite Games of 2018

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Every year, I feel I’m slowly drifting further and further away from gaming’s EPIC titles. I absolutely appreciate the artistry and craft behind games like Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Far Cry 5, but I find myself having no trouble passing them over (though I’ll eventually get around to Spider-Man).

I still found a lot of fun new titles to love in 2018, and you can see what they are after the “Continue Reading” link. Continue reading →

Running A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament @ Games In Libraries

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Super Smash Bros. tournaments have been popular with library users ever since the release of the first game all the way back in 1999. And they’re about to become an even more essential part of your programming schedule thanks to the recent release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Switch.

To help you get started, the ALA’s Games In Libraries blog has published a new post providing instructions for everything you need to know to run a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament, including tips for unlocking all the characters and how best to use Tourney Mode:

Want to put on a tournament of your own for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch? Here’s what you’ll need for a basic setup.

The Super Smash Bros. franchise is famous for including a lot of different gameplay options and a sample ruleset to simplify setup is also available.

American University Will Host 2019 Libraries, Games, and Play Conference on April 6-7

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American University’s Game Lab has announced they will host the Libraries, Games, and Play Conference this year in Washington D.C. on Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7:

Explore the latest educational uses of games in libraries around the country and be part of the movement of librarians integrating games into library programs. We’re collecting examples of innovative uses of games and bringing the librarians who’ve designed these programs to Washington DC next April to share their stories.

The American University Game Lab will be hosting the Libraries, Games, and Play Conference on April 6th with an accompanying Showcase of innovative programs on April 7th. If you have used games in your library, please tell us your story in the Co-Design section of the site. Or peruse our growing list of engaging case studies in the What’s New section.

The organizers are currently looking for librarians willing to share “stories and examples of educational uses of games in library programs” and they plan to offer travel stipends for presenters through their Game Scholars Program.

Admission to the Libraries, Games, and Play Conference will be free, and American University plans to announce more information about the event soon.

Insight Editions Will Release The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook in March 2019

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It looks like Insight Editions will expand their line of game-themed cookbooks in March 2019 with the release of The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook.

The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook will be written by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, an author who previously cataloged the fictional cuisines from Hearthstone and World of Warcraft. Readers can expect to find more than 60 recipes from “Skyrim, Morrowind, and all of Tamriel” in the book:

Feast on all of the delicious dishes found in Skyrim, Morrowind, and all of Tamriel in this beautifully crafted cookbook based on the award-winning Elder Scrolls game series. Immerse yourself in the diverse cuisines of the Nords, Bosmer, Khajit, and beyond with these recipes inspired by food found in the Old Kingdom, across Tamriel, and more. With over sixty delicious recipes for fan-favorite recipes including Apple Cabbage Stew, Sunlight Souffle, Sweetrolls, and more, The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook will delight every hungry Dragonborn.

The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook will be released on March 26, 2019.

2018’s Best New Books About Video Games @ The Guardian

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If you’re looking to fill your shelves with some of the best books about video games from this year, The Guardian‘s Tola Onanuga has got you covered:

If you’re a gamer after something more in-depth than coffee table books, here are some of the most thought-provoking reads about gaming.

The journalist chose to honor six titles that neatly slot into two distinct groups. There’s a trio of tomes about game history, including Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play by Meagan Marie, Boss Fight Books: Shovel Knight by David L. Craddock, and The Evolution of Gamepads: A History of Video Game Controllers by Kevin Harbin). And there’s three more titles about how gamers connect with games in 2018, including Significant Zero: Heroes, Villains, and the Fight for Art and Soul in Video Games by Walt Williams, Playing With Feelings: Video Games and Affect by Aubrey Anable, and Woke Gaming (which was edited by Kishonna L. Gray and David J. Leonard).