Another week has past us by and in the gamer world a lot can and as always has happened; hopefully you squeezed in a game or two as well.
Let’s start our week in review with a look back at the games that released making the week gone that much better. Novastream’s first official review of 2016 was Undertale, a game that by all reports has well and truly over-achieved. An indie steam release with a strong RPG feel, our reviewer Pat gave this little gem of a game 5/5, a Novastream first! Here’s his final verdict, “In all honesty, this game felt flawless to me. Being realistic, its simplistic style and old school representation may deter some audiences but I believe this game is solid proof that games don’t need to have true to life graphics and A-class voice acting to tell a story that goes right to your core and stays with you long after the credits have rolled.”
In other releases during the week, Assassins Creed Chronicles: India snuck its way on to most platforms with early reviews suggesting this assassin’s game doesn’t always get the execution right. Oxenfree also launched on PC and Xbox One during the week with many remarking on its beautiful story and attractive simplicity.
While some games have graced us early in 2016 we’re gradually learning more about when other games will find their way to us. DC Universe Online has been on PC and PlayStation for a few years now but it will be making its way to Xbox One at the halfway point of this year as the game celebrates its fifth anniversary. 
Meanwhile with the 2016 Olympics at Rio nearly upon us, the inevitable Mario and Sonic entry will be out very soon with Nintendo confirming that it will hit the 3DS on March 18 with the Wii U release date yet to be confirmed. Ahead of its release in March the dates of beta for Tom Clancy’s The Division has been announced with gamers able to get their first taste of the game on the Xbox One January 28-31 and PC/PS4 January 29-31. I mentioned last week the leaked image of a possible Homefront: The Revolution release date and Deep Silver has removed all mystery revealing a May 20 release date for the sequel across all platforms in both Australia and NZ. A beta version of the game will be available to play exclusively on Xbox sometime in February. And finally Quantum Break, the game delayed many times is nearing completion in 2016 with their head of PR saying its ‘so close’ to being finished ahead of its current April 5 release date.
2016 is set to be a huge year for virtual reality and after the Oculus Rift finally became available for pre-order, HTC’s own attempt at VR via the VIVE PRE will be able to be pre-order from February 29. No price as yet so that pre-order date should be an interesting day for the future and pricing of virtual reality gaming.
Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has revealed his plans for the gaming company in 2016 with games surprisingly not the top priority. Nintendo’s foray into smartphones app is a big priority for the president saying their first app will launch in March this year, could it be Pokémon Go? Also discussed was a possible branch out into anime with expected details on the NX strangely over-looked. The president also said he hopes the company makes a profit of $100 billion yen in the next few years which equate to around $850 million. In other Nintendo news, Super Mario Maker has become the sixth Wii U game to pass 1 million sales, have you made a Mario level yet?
It’s no secret that a Titanfall sequel is in the works but what wasn’t so wee known is that Titanfall developers Respawn Entertainment are seemingly working on another game. According to a recent job listing, the developers are recruiting for a 3rd person action/adventure IP. In late 2014 the developer did announce their team had split in two to work on a new, smaller game and it appears this is what they’ve been keeping busy with.
The latest Hitman game is set to release on March 11 but not in the usual way with Square Enix announcing an episodic release for the game that will see new locations and story progression released each month. Beta for the game will release February 14 for the PS4 and February 19 for PC. As we get closer to release the collector’s edition of the game has been revealed with a sweet 10-inch Agent 47 “Chessmaster” Statue along with a hardcover 60-page art book curated by art director Jonathan Rowe not to mention Agent 47’s red tie and clip set.
In a quick wrap of eSports, sports media giants ESPN have launched a site dedicated purely to competitive gaming. “Today’s launch – anchored by the influential voices of Darin Kwilinski, Rod Breslau and Tyler Erzberger – is our latest push to reach and connect with this growing and passionate audience,” ESPN.com editor-in-chief Chad Millman commented. Adding that, “Fans will find the same level of quality content and journalism that users of ESPN.com have come to expect, including in-depth looks at the competitive gaming world and on-site reporting from the major tournaments.”
The gaming forecast for this week sees Resident Evil rise up via Resident Evil 0: HD Remaster and Resident Evil: Origins Collection both release January 19. While another Life is Strange episode is due for release also on the 19th with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam for 3DS itself out on the 22nd.
And that my fellow gamers, was the week that was, game on!
News by Josh Thomas
