New Nintendo 2DS XL.

Everything about that name is what is wrong with Nintendo's handheld strategy.

• Nintendo 2DS - The 2D version of the 3DS, the followup to the DS, because the 3D feature was a failure and unattractive to parents of young children.
• XL - It has a larger screen than the 2DS. Also see the Nintendo 3DS XL.
• New - It has the "New" internals of the New Nintendo 3DS, the followup to Nintendo 3DS, which is the followup to the DS. As it doesn't have the new eye tracking 3D from the New Nintendo 3DS (because its 2D), this is basically the addition of the C Stick and the new internal hardware that one game supported.

Or in other words, its the 2D version of the New Nintendo 3DS XL.

It does look like very nice hardware and the 2/3DS platform has a great library of games, but Nintendo should be trying to get you to buy a Nintendo Switch, which is their competing handheld product.

The New Nintendo 2DS XL will be available July 28th in North America for $149.99.

Episode Gladiolus brings the first substantial DLC to Final Fantasy XV (let's not discuss the Moogle Chocobo Carnival) and the game’s first paid add-on. It’s essentially an hour long boss rush where you fight through a series of rooms of ever harder foes with limited healing items in your quest to defeat the legendary Blademaster Gilgamesh. It’s a fun challenge, but what makes the episode particularly interesting is the revised combat system for the titular beefcake.

Gladio is a much more ponderous character than Noctis, who had the ability to warp around the battlefield on command. Instead you need to focus on dodges, blocks and counterattacks in a combat system that feels more like a brawler. Gladio has a rage meter that strengthens his attacks and powerful AOE attacks that can be unleashed once charged. It took some time to get the hang off, but by the final fight I felt right at home.

The add-on also has a fantastic remix of Clash on the Big Bridge from Final Fantasy V.

Final Fantasy V:

Final Fantasy XV (no spoilers):

Final Fantasy XV has also received an update to the controversial Chapter 13. This section was criticised at release for taking away all your weapons and party members and made you slowly progress through a labyrinth which felt unfinished and lacked any interesting content. The plot revelations in this section mostly happen off screen and fail to explain character motivations. If you’ve completed the original game I encourage you to read the Wikia article on Ravus and tell me how much of that you got from the game.

Chapter 13 Verse 2 is designed to fix these issues by showing what was happening from the perspective of Gladio and Ignis. You can play this section from the main menu which is a nice convenience for players that have already completed the main story, however this extra 40 minutes of gameplay doesn’t achieve very much. You play as Gladio using the combat system from Episode Gladiolus, however the chapter provides no challenge to enjoy and no progression that can be carried forward, making a second jaunt through the least interesting environment in the game incredibly unappealing.

The additions to the story are incredibly minor and of no real consequence, and the final challenge was made a joke by the fact the enemy AI decided to concentrate entirely on Ignis, who is completely invincible. It probably didn’t help that I experienced this chapter months after the original game, but overall it was incredibly disappointing.

But hey, there is always Episode Prompto.

This is a crosspost from my personal blog. To read more of my ramblings on video games, as well as programming and technology, check out Clidus.com.

Remember when Prompto also disappeared for a good portion of the game? Final Fantasy XV's second DLC is going to cover that.

I'm calling it now, Episode Ignis is going to show when Ignis became blind off screen. In an incredibly bizarre bit of storytelling, the original game spends ages showing the impact of this event while completely neglecting to show what actually happened.

Destiny 2.

The second Destiny.

The Destiny after the first Destiny.

What a stupid name.

Everyone’s favorite real-time strategy game is getting a face-lift. As Blizzard president Mike Morhaime announced at this weekend’s I <3 StarCraft event in South Korea, the original game and its Brood War expansion are both getting an HD overhaul and being repackaged as StarCraft: Remastered, due out later this summer.

Well this was unexpected. The game will be remastered in 4k with refreshed audio. It will be launched via the Blizzard client and is compatible with the original game's save data and online matchmaking. The original StarCraft and Brood War will become free downloads at the end of this month.

Via Kotaku.

Everyone has a dream. Corey Bunnell’s was to one day work for Nintendo. But he wasn’t sure how to make that happen so he asked for advice one day on a forum. That was ten years ago. This month, Nintendo shipped The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with his name in the credits under “Wildlife Programming.”

This is a lovely feel good story. A Reddit user spotted his English name amongst the credits and found his 2007 forum post. Kotaku did some more research and confirmed he joined Nintendo after graduating University.

“I want to make a game that everyone can enjoy, the whole world,” Bunnell says toward the end of the video, and with his contributions to Breath of the Wild, I’d say he’s done exactly that. According to the staff database site Kyoto Report, Bunnell joined Nintendo in 2014, the same year he graduated from Ritsumeikan.

Via Kotaku.

One of the things I love the most about Breath of the Wild is how every little system interacts with each other in delightful and surprising ways. In this video Nintendo shows how they originally developed a 2D version of the game to prototype these mechanics and ideas. It's worth a watch if you've been obsessing over this game as much as I have.

There are two more videos on Story and Characters and the games Open-Air Concept that you can watch over on their YouTube channel.

Via Gamasutra.

Gilgamesh!

GameSpot have posted a 15 minute look at Final Fantasy XV 'Episode Gladiolus'. Released on March 28th, the DLC takes place following the gangs encounter with Ravus where Gladio leaves the group. It's expected to bring 2-3 hours of new gameplay, with Gladio playing quite different to Noctis.

Via Nova Crystallis.

This looks hot.