Mario maker reveals Comic-Con lineup includes blockbuster Wii U games, as well as 3DS Zelda and Yoshi games.

Nintendo today announced its 2013 Comic-Con lineup, revealing the public will be able to play numerous unreleased Wii U and 3DS titles at the San Diego show later this week and into the weekend.

Nintendo's booth on the show floor will feature various Pikmin 3 kiosks as well as "unique photo opportunities" for attendees.

Those without a Comic-Con badge can visit the Nintendo Gaming Lounge at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina hotel, where various Wii U and 3DS titles will be playable.

These include The Legends of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, Sonic Lost World, and Bayonetta 2. Also playable will be New Super Luigi U, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Rayman Legends, Skylanders Swap Force, Disney Infinity, The Wonderful 101, and Just Dance 2014.

3DS games on display will be Yoshi's New Island, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Shin Megami Tensei IV, and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate.

Nintendo is not the only game company that will have a presence at Comic-Con. Sony and Microsoft are bringing the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, respectively, to the show, while Capcom, Ubisoft, Deep Silver, and TellTale Games will also attend the show.

GameSpot will be on-hand at Comic-Con later this week. Check back for more as the event unfolds.

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Mario maker reveals Comic-Con lineup includes blockbuster Wii U games, as well as 3DS Zelda and Yoshi games.

Nintendo today announced its 2013 Comic-Con lineup, revealing the public will be able to play numerous unreleased Wii U and 3DS titles at the San Diego show later this week and into the weekend.

Nintendo's booth on the show floor will feature various Pikmin 3 kiosks as well as "unique photo opportunities" for attendees.

Those without a Comic-Con badge can visit the Nintendo Gaming Lounge at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina hotel, where various Wii U and 3DS titles will be playable.

These include The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3, Sonic Lost World, and Bayonetta 2. Also playable will be New Super Luigi U, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Rayman Legends, Skylanders Swap Force, Disney Infinity, The Wonderful 101, and Just Dance 2014.

3DS games on display will be Yoshi's New Island, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Shin Megami Tensei IV, and Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate.

Nintendo is not the only game company that will have a presence at Comic-Con. Sony and Microsoft are bringing the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, respectively, to the show, while Capcom, Ubisoft, Deep Silver, and TellTale Games will also attend the show.

GameSpot will be on hand at Comic-Con later this week. Check back for more as the event unfolds.

Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot

Chief product officer Marc Whitten admits company has not done enough to communicate benefits of Xbox One, says family sharing plan could return.

Xbox chief product officer Marc Whitten has addressed messaging issues for the Xbox One, saying "shame on us" for coming up short in communicating to consumers the benefits of the next-generation console.

"I think it's pretty simple. We've got to just talk more, get people understanding what our system is," Whitten told IGN in a new interview. "The thing that's really gratifying is that people are excited about the types of features that are possible, and it's sort of shame on us that we haven't done as good of a job as we can to make people feel like that's where we're headed."

Whitten also spoke about the Change.org petition calling Microsoft to reinstate its controversial Xbox One policies. He said Microsoft's decision to reverse its policies was done to give consumers more options and explained that the company still has work to do to get this point across to consumers.

"What it tells me is we need to do more work to talk about what we're doing because I think that we did something different than maybe how people are perceiving it," Whitten said. "When I read some of the things like that petition, from my perspective we took a lot of the feedback and, while Xbox One is built to be digital native, to have this amazing online experience, we realized people wanted some choice. They wanted what I like to call a bridge, sort of how they think about the world today using more digital stuff."

"Frankly, I think we need to just do more to let people see how the console works, what they're going to be able to do for it."

"What we did, we added to what the console can do by providing physical and offline modes in the console. It isn't about moving away from what that digital vision is for the platform," he added. "It's about adding that choice. Frankly, I think we need to just do more to let people see how the console works, what they're going to be able to do for it. I think a lot of the things they're wishing for are frankly there."

Also in the interview, Whitten specifically addressed the Xbox One's family sharing plan, which was killed off when Microsoft announced its change of policies. He explained that this feature--which would allow gamers to share their digital libraries with up to 10 others--could make a return if consumers make enough noise.

"If it's something that people are really excited about and want, we're going to make sure that we find the right way to bring it back," Whitten said. Check out the full IGN interview for more.

The Xbox One launches this November for $500 alongside competitor Sony's $400 PlayStation 4.

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Microsoft implements 30 percent price cut for tablet line; development of rumored smartwatch reportedly shifts from Xbox team to Surface division.

As was rumored, Microsoft today announced a 30 percent price drop for its Surface RT tablet line, cutting $150 off each model.

The 32GB entry model is now available for $350. Full pricing information is as follows:

• Surface RT 32GB - $349.99
• Surface RT 64GB - $449.99
• Surface RT 32GB with Touch Cover - $449.99
• Surface RT 64GB with Touch Cover - $549.99

The price cut comes after a March Bloomberg report claimed the Surface tablet line has underperformed for Microsoft, selling 1.5 million units since launch in October.

Separately, The Verge reports that development on Microsoft's prototype smartwatch has shifted to the company's Surface team. Previously, it was believed that the Xbox accessories division was working on this device.

It is not clear if this rumored shift was a result of Microsoft's recently announced company-wide reorganization.

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DM Mad Catz's Ho Kun Xian fights against Japanese, Korean, and American top players to earn first place in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition.

Update: The original article previously listed Eduardo "PR Balrog" Perez-Frangie's under the Mad Catz brand when it should have been Evil Geniuses. The article has been amended to reflect the change.

The small island of Singapore can now add Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition to its list of eSports game achievements.

Singapore's own DM Mad Catz Xian brings home the gold. (image credit: SRK and Evo2k13)

Singaporean tournament player Ho Kun Xian (who goes by the game handle "DM Mad Catz Xian") won and took first place in the SSFIV: AE tournament at the Evolution Championship Series 2013 (EVO 2k13) tournament held at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Nevada.

Using his main character Gen, he fought against Japan's top Akuma player, Hajime "Tokido" Taniguchi. The remaining players in the top eight finals included Eduardo "EG PR Balrog" Perez-Frangie, Lee "Infiltration" Seon-woo, Sako "HORI Sako" Naoto, Bruce "AVM GamerBee" Hsiang, Tatsuya "Haitani" Haitani, and Daigo Umehara.

Other notable victories included Job "FS EMP Clocker" Figueroa, who won first place in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 against Justin Wong; Philip "VxG.EMP KDZ" Atkinson, who was triumphant in Injustice: Gods Among Us; and Joseph "Mango" Marquez, who was the winner in the Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament.

Xian was also the winner of the SSFIV: AE tournament in the Community Effort Orlando 2013 event held last month. Check out GameSpot for more EVO 2k13 coverage.

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Developer recommends fans "check out the demo again" to spot differences and examples of variety.

People were "too quick" to compare Destiny's enemies to Halo's iconic Covenant forces, developer Bungie Studios has said in its latest Mail Sack feature.

Describing the four-armed Fallen enemy type in Destiny, Bungie said this antagonist force is actually more varied and diverse than the Covenant are as a whole.

"Take the Fallen, for example. When people saw them at E3, they were all too quick to compare them to the Elites you fought in Halo," Bungie said. "In truth, the Fallen are as varied and diverse as the Covenant as a whole."

Bungie then recommended players watch the demo again for further evidence of the differences and examples of variety.

"Check out the demo again, and see how many varieties you can spot. Some of the smaller targets, like the Shanks and Dregs, will draw your fire," Bungie said. "The larger crews, the ones that include Vandals or Captains, will have you wishing you brought that Fireteam. And let's not forget about those moments when we'll drop something as big as a Devil Walker in your path."

Destiny, along with an all-new Halo title, is currently in development for release in 2014.

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Technology giant probing accident where a Chinese woman was reportedly killed by electric shock after answering a call while her phone was charging.

Technology giant Apple has launched an investigation into the death of a Chinese woman killed by an electric shock she reportedly suffered from answering a call while her iPhone 5 was charging.

Twenty-three-year-old Ma Ailun, who lived in China's western Xinjiang region, died last Thursday, according to the Xinhua news agency (via Reuters).

Apple said in a statement that it was saddened to learn of the event and will look further into the matter.

"We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter," Apple said to Reuters.

"Experts" told Xinhua that mobile phones have an output of only 3-5 volts, not enough to physically harm the human body. It is unclear, then, what caused the accident.

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Prequel game launching September 19 with new roster of characters and Telepods figures from Hasbro.

Rovio Entertainment today announced Angry Birds Star Wars II and revealed the game will feature integration with Hasbro's Telepods technology, similar to that of the toys-to-life franchises Skylanders and Disney Infinity.

Over 30 collectable Telepods figures from Hasbro will be available. Players can place these figures on their phone or tablet camera to scan them into the game. Check out the video below for more on how this new feature will work.

Angry Birds Star Wars II, teased last week, will launch across app stores worldwide September 19. It will be based on the Star Wars prequel films and introduces a roster of never-before-scene Angry Birds Star Wars characters.

"At this point we will not comment on rumors or speculation that Jar Jar Binks will be in the game," Rovio said in a statement.

Also for the first time, players will be able to choose their side in Angry Birds Star Wars II. Gamers can "join the Pork Side" or enlist with the emperor, Rovio said.

In addition to the Telepods toys from Hasbro, new Angry Birds Star Wars II plush, books, and apparel will launch alongside the game on September 19.

The original Angry Birds Star Wars (2012) is based on the original Star Wars trilogy, casting the Birds as the Rebels and the Piggies as the Empire.

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Through new program, Valve's own teenage employees will discuss challenges and questions regarding breaking into the industry.

Valve has introduced a new program called Pipeline, an initiative aimed at helping up-and-coming designers seeking careers in the game industry.

According to its newly launched website, Valve's Pipeline program will help answer questions like "What is it like to work on video games?" "What should I study?" "What colleges are best for preparing me?" and "How do I get a job in video games?"

Valve's Pipeline initiative is itself an experiment. Traditionally, Valve explained, the Half-Life and Steam studio has been known to mainly employ very experienced individuals.

However, the new Pipeline program is a trial to see if Valve can take a group of high school students with minimal work experience and train them to be successful at a company like Valve.

"We want to establish a connection to the world of teenagers that are asking many questions about getting into the gaming industry," Valve said. "We look to answer many of these questions and are willing to reach out to the community and give them the information they need."

The first wave of information from Valve Pipeline is expected to be released "within the next month or so." For more, check out the video below, produced by Valve's new Pipeline employees.

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Avalanche Studios releases first gameplay footage for 2014 open-world car combat game.

Avalanche Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today released the first gameplay trailer for the 2014 open-world car combat game Mad Max.

Check out the full trailer, titled "Soul of a Man," below.

Mad Max was announced during the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo last month. It will launch next year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

The game does not feature multiplayer.

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