Build by day, fend off the wild by night

If you’ve done all that you can do in Rise of the Tomb Raider, you may want to take a look at this DLC that just dropped today. It’s called “Endurance Mode,” and essentially adopts the core Minecraft gametype (yep, that game isn’t just about building things) — scavenge and craft by day, and survive at night when the enemies come out. The developer is billing it as an “unforgiving” mode, where you need to actually build fires and find fuel to survive, and so on. I can’t vouch for it but it sounds cool on paper.

As a reminder, Rise of the Tomb Raider‘s exclusivity is likely going to die off soon with the PC release next month.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Minecraft Wii U Will Support Voice Chat and Keyboards, Says Report

Japanese eShop listing reveals a few features for Wii U version.

The Wii U version of Minecraft will support USB keyboards for sending messages and is compatible with the Wii U Pro Controller, according to a listing on the Japanese Nintendo eShop.

The listing, which was spotted by Reddit user Gamestoper, states the Wii U version will also include voice chat functionality. These features are yet to be officially confirmed by Nintendo, Minecraft creator Mojang, or its parent company Microsoft.

On December 9, it was revealed that Minecraft Wii U would not let players use the console’s GamePad for inventory management, as many expected it would.

Responding to questions on Twitter, Mojang developer Owen Hill said such a feature “would be cool,” but it’s not supported, at least not yet.”

He continued: “It’s just used as an alternate screen if someone is using the TV. Would be cool though.”

Since Mojang and Nintendo have promised regular updates for Minecraft on Wii U in the future, so it may be that GamePad inventory management will be introduced in the future. This is just speculation, however.

Minecraft for Wii U launches on December 17 through the eShop and will include six DLC packs, while more than a dozen others will be available to buy.

Minecraft Wii U Will Support Voice Chat and Keyboards, Says Report

Microsoft has a new Nintendo game … that’s a strange thing to write.

Minecraft comes to Wii U on Thursday, and we got our hands on a copy of the blocky world-building phenomenon. We’re going to try it out to see what it’s like, and you can watch along as we punch trees and craft swords and shovels out of rocks.

Just click play on the video below:

Watch us play Minecraft: Wii U Edition

Writing on Twitter this weekend, Microsoft confirmed it has nothing to announce regarding any of its games outside ofMinecraft coming to Wii U.

This comes after a tweet from the Microsoft Studios account suggested that the company might be open to the idea of bringing Xbox One‘s Rare Replay to Nintendo’s console.

“We appreciate all your suggestions!” Microsoft said. “However, we have no information of any games coming to the Wii U other than Minecraft at this time.”

As for the initial tweet that started all of this, here’s what happened. On December 7, someone asked if, in addition to Minecraft, Microsoft might bring Rare Replay to Wii U. Microsoft responded by saying anyone who’s interested in that should take it up with the Microsoft-owned UK developer Rare.

This led some to believe Microsoft was open to the idea of Rare Replay one day coming to Wii U. Interestingly, Microsoft’s statement ends by saying it has nothing to announce “at this time,” which leaves open the possibility of some announcement being made down the road.

Minecraft for Wii U launches on December 17. Microsoft acquired the Minecraft franchise and developer Mojang in 2014 for the price of $2.5 billion.

Would you like to see Rare Replay or another Microsoft game come to Wii U? Let us know in the comments below.

Microsoft Has “No Information” About Bringing Anything Except Minecraft to Wii U

Update brings Live Photos and 3D Touch support to Tumblr’s iOS app

Update brings Live Photos and 3D Touch support to Tumblr’s iOS app

Minecraft: Pocket Edition Celebrates a Year Filled with Updates

“Microsoft Monday” takes a look back at the past week of news related to Microsoft. This week, “Microsoft Monday” includes details about Minecraft coming to the Nintendo Wii U, making peace with Apple for the holidays, a HoloLens app idea competition, criticism by former CEO Steve Ballmer, the new FindTime app, how Memphis police officers replaced a kid’s stolen Xbox, the open sourcing of Chakra, a focus on employee diversity, the Halo 5: Guardians December update, the Microsoft Lumia 550 release and more.

Minecraft Is Coming To The Wii U

Today Forbes contributor Paul Tassi published an article about how Minecraft will be available for the Nintendo Wii U later this month. Minecraft will be released for the Wii U on December 17th with six DLC packs included. The retail price of Minecraft for the Nintendo Wii U will be $30 when it is released.

Minecraft is already available for Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Phone, Microsoft Xbox One, Microsoft Xbox 360, Apple Mac OS X, Apple iOS, Sony PS3, Sony PS4, Sony PS Vita, Google Android, Linux and the Raspberry Pi. Even though Nintendo will be late to the Minecraft party, better late than never! Minecraft has sold over 70 million copies across all of the aforementioned platforms already and it still seems to be going strong.

Microsoft Monday: Halo 5 Update, Minecraft For Wii U, HoloLens Goes To ISS, Lumia 550 Priced At $139

Minecraft is coming to Nintendo’s Wii U console. Better late than never!

Mojang and Nintendo said today that Minecraft: Wii U Edition will be released for $29.99 via the Wii U’s digital store on December 17. The Wii U version of the game will include some of the game’s more popular content add-on packs that have been released over its life on other platforms, and additional content packs, mostly with branded content like The Simpsons and Dr. Who, will be available for in-game purchase.

Great, great. So what took Nintendo so long?

Minecraft really shouldn’t have taken Nintendo by surprise. The block-building, survival-themed, creative kids’ masterpiece was already incredibly popular in the spring of 2012, when Microsoft and Mojang released the game for the Xbox 360’s download store. Nintendo at that point should have aggressively pursued a similar deal, working alongside Mojang to craft a unique Minecraft experience for Wii U’s GamePad controller, which would lend itself quite well to Minecraft‘s creative building gameplay.

Currently, there are disc-based versions of Minecraft for Xbox 360 and One, PlayStation 3 and 4. Combined, these games were the 10th-best-selling retail title in the United States in September, even though they were released months or years ago. And that’s not counting digital sales, or the mobile versions, or the original PC game.

Finally, Wii U gets to join the party. And this release does indicate that Microsoft, which acquired Mojang in 2015 for $2.5 billion, plans to be platform-agnostic with its Minecraft property. It could simply cancel any other versions and require you to own an Xbox or Windows platform to play it, but instead it’s expanding Minecraft‘s reach. (Microsoft and Nintendo have historically been buddy-buddy anyway; other Microsoft properties have appeared on Nintendo platforms in the past.)

Would a more timely release of Minecraft have saved Wii U? It’s impossible to know, but in 2012 a well-executed version of Minecraft would have been a killer app. Too bad Nintendo at the time seemed more interested in chasing ports of Call of Duty and Mass Effect that ultimately sold nothing.

But that’s a bunch of pixelated water underneath the blocky bridge.

What can Minecraft do now? Well, Nintendo should get a disc version out as soon as possible, and then release a console bundle with Minecraft packed in and prominently displayed on the box, assuming its deal with Microsoft would allow such a thing. This would be at least a minor boost to Wii U’s fortunes.

The real question, though, is what Minecraft could do for NX, Nintendo’s next dedicated game device. If a Wii U version of Minecraft now means that NX can play Minecraft on day one, then perhaps this should be seen as less of a hail-Mary for Wii U and more of Nintendo getting all its blocks in a row for a real run at its next generation.

Minecraft Is Finally Coming to Wii U. What Took So Long?

If you have children, you will know about Minecraft. If you have children and know about Minecraft, the chances are you will have heard of Stampy Cat too.

Stampy Cat is a YouTube star (real name Joseph Garrett) with over six and a half million followers worldwide. Kids love him and the videos he makes and will happily sit in front of a computer screen and watch him for hours. He got famous making Minecraft videos, where you can follow the exploits of Stampy Cat and his friends. Most of them have their own YouTube channels too you know.

Anyway, back to Stampy and some important news for the youngsters among you. He is going to be on the BBC today (December 3 2015). The RSE’s (Royal Society of Edinburgh) Christmas lecture broadcast by BBC Scotland, will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer. Stampy is giving the one off lecture to 2000 Tayside schoolchildren, where he will talk about his career, how he makes the videos and will be making one in front of the kids too.

Now to put things into perspective, I mentioned that Stampy has over six and a half million subscribers to his YouTube channel. Compare that to a prime time TV show like East Enders, which regularly gets between seven and seven and a half million viewers and you start to see how big services like YouTube have become.

Is it really surprising though, when the gaming industry is larger than the film industry, that the two should start to blend together? We have seen films based on games, rather than the other way around and there is even a dedicated YouTube service just for gamers at https://gaming.youtube.com/ where players can upload games they are playing for their avid followers to watch.

In case you are worried about your kids spending too much time in front of a computer (it used to be TVs right?), then think about this. The success of people like Joseph Garrett and his Stampy Cat channel can give kids something to aspire to and demonstrates that anyone can become a star. All it takes is a little imaginating, dedication and above all practice and you too could become the next big thing.

Anyway, I am off to watch my kids’ favourite YouTuber on BBC iPlayer now. Byeeeeeeeeeee.

Stamp of approval for gaming star

Nintendo is gearing up to make an announcement very soon. Fans should keep an eye out for news sometime on Monday.

Damon Baker, Nintendo of America’s senior manager of licensing and marketing, shared a tease about what’s to come during Nintendo World Report’s podcast in support of Child’s Play. He said earlier today:

“Speaking of announcements, I wish I could tell you guys, but stay tuned for Monday. Monday there’s going to be something… something happening on Monday. It’s going to be big.”

Baker closed off his comments by stating: “Stay tuned, it’s going to be good.”

As far as what announcement is planned, it could be anything. Baker has been known for his involvement with indies so something in that area is one possibility. Maybe it’ll be news about the Smash Bros. presentation airing this month. Ultimately, we really don’t know!

Some sort of Nintendo announcement coming on Monday

Riot released huge updates for League of Legends this week aiming ultimately to reduce game-time and to accelerate the speed of matches. Instead of expecting things to feel different, players were instead more surprised by the minions update.

Turrets are the team’s defensive structures, hindering enemy minions and champions from getting into the player’s base and destroying everything. Riot’s Patrick “Scarizard” Scarborough expressed that the turrets are now “more vulnerable to enemy damage” at the beginning of the match. As long as the turrets are taken out quickly, the turrets will be easier to take out. The team that’s able to do so early on will be able to increase their forward momentum more rapidly than they could in the 2015 season.

The minions, on the other hand, are given a big performance boost, although situational. The team with a level advantage over their opponents are awarded combat bonuses for their minions. In effect, the leading team’s minions are expected to be stronger and stronger as long as they maintain their lead. Minions are now also able to respawn fifteen seconds earlier at the beginning of the game.

A strong factor that led to these changes are the long standing issue of the online game’s long match times. Earlier comments from players were very skeptical saying that these changes may lead to a snowballing- giving a leading team more and more advantages and making it more difficult for the other team to catch up. MonteCristo, eSports analysts tweeted that although the changes are good, the minions are likely to create “brutal snowballs.”

As gamers continue to adjust to the many big changes to League of Legends, it is more likely they will soon get into the groove of things as they get attuned to the new meta.

Riot Games’ ‘League of Legends’ Minions Update Surprises Gaming Community

Minecraft players will no longer need to close their game whenever a call is coming or an urge to take a selfie occurs. Verizon Wireless, one of the largest wireless telecommunications providers in the country, developed an app that lets players create a phone that actually works inside the game.

Before this new update is released, Verizon said that even if players built a phone they wouldn’t be able to use it to call, text or take a selfie. Verizon, together with Wieden+Kennedy and BlockWorks, developed a function that gives Minecraft players the ability to browse the Internet, make video calls, and send MMs selfies to their friends by creating a selfie stick.

SethBling and CaptainSparklez, both Minecraft experts, conducted the beta test of this new Minecraft update. They showed how the phone functions during the game through video demos

“Users can open up websites, take an MMS selfie using a selfie stick, and even make a video conference call to a cell phone-all visualized within Minecraft’s standard blocky interface of course,” Verizon stated.

Verizon explained how they came up with the new changes. “In the world of Minecraft, almost everything is made of blocks. We’ve created a web application, Boxel, that translates real web pages and streaming video into blocks so they can be built on a Minecraft server in real time. Our server plugin uses Boxel-client to handle the communication between Minecraft and the real world as translated by the web application.”

The codes behind the stunts created by the game experts are posted on a special Verizon page in Github. These libraries were open-sourced so that everyone can try it out, even those who only have a little knowledge in coding.

Kelsey D. Atherton of Popular Science posted his own explanation about the new Minecraft feature. According to the post, in order to make a cellphone call, one must first plant a cell tower tree in the Minecraft’s “blocky” soil. After a few seconds, the planted tower will rise which will provide players an actual cellular service. To complete the tower, the user should just switch it on, and the Minecraft phone will then connect to the Internet.

‘Minecraft’ Updates & News: Verizon Develops an App That Lets Users Create a ‘Working’ Smartphone

Minecraft Update 1.9: Snapshot 15w49a, 15w49b Deliver Small Tweaks And More Bug Fixes

Listen up you little Creepers and Zombies out there. Microsoft wants to teach you how to code using Minecraft as a teacher.

On Monday, Microsoft announced a partnership with Code.org that will teach kids (and adults) the basics of computer science in an hour using Minecraft-themed lessons. Microsoft bought Mojang, the Swedish video game company behind the hit game,
for $2.5 billion last year, and wants to use the title to get the more than 100 million players around the world interested in coding.

The new Minecraft module is part of Code.org’s third annual Hour of Code, a worldwide campaign that tries to demystify code by teaching the basics of computer science in just an hour. The Hour of Code takes place during Computer Science Education Week from December 7 – 13.

Minecraft, released in 2009, has no storyline to speak of, but instead lets players create their own worlds and explore others in an infinite digital sandbox.

If users sign up for the free Hour of Code Minecraft module, they’ll learn how to use blocks of code to make Steve or Alex, the two main character skins from the game, adventure through a Minecraft world. Other modules, including some based on Star Wars, “Frozen” and other popular content, are also available on the Code.org site.

Minecraft lead developer Jens Bergensten provides the introductory video for the Minecraft module, and and other members of the Mojang team walk students through the process of building code to get their characters to achieve various goals like shearing sheep and breaking down trees into wood resources.

“A core part of our mission to empower every person on the planet is equipping youth with computational thinking and problem-solving skills to succeed in an increasingly digital world,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said a statement. “With Minecraft and Code.org, we aim to spark creativity in the next generation of innovators in a way that is natural, collaborative and fun.”

Students who choose the Microsoft module will tackle a series of 14 coding challenges, including some free play time so they can take the coding tactics they learn during the module and explore the Minecraft world with code. The Minecraft module is available for crafting now.

Microsoft and Code.org want to teach kids to code with Minecraft

It’s the battle of the heavyweights as the legendary Mario from the Super Mario video game series takes on the guy from Minecraft in this video published Sunday by Dorkly.

In the clip, Mario and Minecraft Guy — aka The Player, or Steve or Steve? — try to determine once and for all which video game franchise is better. Things get heated the second Minecraft Guy comes into the room, calling Mario “Chef Boyardee,” which really sets Mario off.

The two argue about which franchise is more popular, whether or not people are actually playing any Mario games on the Wii U gaming console and how long kids have spent playing each respective franchise.

Ultimately, the video makes it seem like Minecraft is the winner here, but I have to disagree. I’d much rather sit down with my kiddo and build a level of iconic Mario side-scrolling goodness in the new Mario Maker game than watch him build things in Minecraft.

For me, at least, Mario’s nostalgia easily wins out over the creativity afforded by the blocky sandbox construction game of Minecraft. But maybe that’s justa-me, Mario fan.

Let us know which video game franchise you think is best in the comments.

Mario takes on Minecraft Guy in battle of the video games

I know that many Minecraft: Pocket Edition [$6.99] players have been anxiously waiting for redstone to be added to the game, and we are finally very, very close to at least trying to build amazing contraptions. MCPE developer, Tomasso Checchi, mentioned out of nowhere the other day that the 0.13 update had been submitted to Apple a while ago. The quite short cycle of this update bodes well for the game’s future because in the past, we had to wait a lot between updates. Now, the road to version parity appears to be both shorter and smoother. Depending on when the update was actually submitted, we might even get it this week, which would be great.

In case you haven’t been following the game’s news, the 0.13 update will bring redstone circuits, redstone lamps, redstone torches, levers, tripwire hooks and tripwire, daylight sensor, pressure plates, buttons, weighted pressure plates, detector rails, activator rails, trapped chests, note blocks, faster boats (finally), bouncing rabbits, iron doors, desert temples, and more. No pistons or dispensers, yet. This is a pretty huge update that will help me add a steampunk aesthetic to my castle. Trust me, simply being able to walk into your castle without having to manually open the door (courtesy of pressure plates) saves so much time.

‘Minecraft: Pocket Edition’ 0.13 (Redstone) Update Has Already Been Submitted for Review

The third entry to Telltale Games’ new series “Minecraft: Story Mode” has finally been released, and if the last two games were able to keep your attention, you’re bound to know what’s in store for this title.

Here are what the critics are saying about the third chapter:

Gamespot

Gamespot finds this entry to be the best in the series so far despite being noticeably short.

“Minecraft Story Mode’s third episode is the best so far, weaving action and story in a tight, focused package. This is another short episode (my first playthrough clocked in at less than 90 minutes), which makes Story Mode a little on the brief side compared to recent Telltale offerings. But that brevity is my biggest complaint, which, if you look at it from the most charitable view, means the game never outstayed its welcome. Story Mode remains a great experience–especially if you’re playing with younger fans of Minecraft–and my anticipation for the next episode remains high.”

We Got This Covered

We Got This Covered found “The Last Place You Look” to be a huge improvement from the last entries and advises Telltale Games keeps up the pace.

“The Last Place You Look is undeniably a major improvement over the last outing, and hopefully Telltale can keep this momentum going for the remaining episodes. They’re continuing to get an impressive amount of material out of a license many fans doubted, and while it would still be nice to get longer installments, people who enjoyed the first portion of the season will get another very enjoyable outing here.”

God is a Geek

God is a Geek concurs that the series is on an incline with this title, but still believes there’s a lot to be desired from the developers.

“This is the strongest entry to date in Minecraft: Story Mode. It still isn’t hitting the heights of some of Telltale Games’ best work, but this episode makes good strides in that direction. It has a lot more action than the previous two, and the narrative is tighter, with greater focus on character development and progression. I’m interested to see how the next episode plays out, and going on the release schedule for the first three episodes, hopefully we won’t have to wait too long.”

Game Informer

Game Informer highlights the entry’s progression in narrative and action, which makes it the best out of the three so far.

“With a feeling of real narrative progression, strong action sequences, and a script that draws you in to the events unfolding in the story, The Last Place You Look is Minecraft: Story Mode’s best episode yet. Episode 3 gets the series back on track and make any fears I had stemming from Episode 2 feel like a distant memory.”

Minecraft Story Mode Episode Three: ‘The Last Place You Look’ – Review Roundup; Best Entry In The Series So Far

Two new updates are coming to the Minecraft game on Xbox consoles. A new holiday pack for the Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 3: The Last Place is now available for the Minecraft fans that are playing this game from their Xbox consoles.

Telltale Games and Mojang have worked on the Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 3: The Last Place and it seems that this new episode is finally available on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles.

Lawrence Hryb (aka Major Nelson), director of programming at Microsoft, made the announcement a few days ago, on November 24, 2015, that the Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 3 : The Last Place is available for download on Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

We remind you that two other episodes from “Minecraft: Story Mode” are expected to be released for Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC. To get access to all five episodes, the players will need to pay 24.99 dollars for the PC version or 29.99 dollars for the Xbox 360 or Xbox One version.

Minecraft: Holiday Pack for Xbox One

In another post, Hryb announced that the Minecraft: Xbox One Edition has received a new holiday pack. In concordance with WinBeta, the holiday pack for the Minecraft game on Xbox One will contain a full digital version of the game along with a number of DLCs.

Even if Christmas is not here yet, the game also includes the Festive Mash-up DLC which features Santa Skins, new music, snow textures and a “festive world”. In addition, the holiday pack comes with three texture packs: City Texture Pack, Minecraft Fantasy texture Pack and Nature Texture Pack.

In addition, the players will notice that they will have two skin packs: Beasts skin pack and Battle Skin pack that will allow them to customize their characters. If you are a Halo fan, then you should know that you will receive some “Halo” textures, music and skins along with a “Halo” themed Minecraft world.

Minecraft Story Mode Episode 3 The Last Place is Now Available

For years, those of us wanting to drink our fill of butterbeer had to travel all the way to Orlando, Florida.

Thanks to Universal Studios Hollywood, fans will soon have their own Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Universal City, California.

If you can’t wait until spring, when the theme park is set to open, you can get a peek in a video posted Thursday on YouTube.

A Hogwarts Express conductor takes you on a tour of Hogsmeade village, where you can visit some of the wizarding world’s best shops like Zonko’s Joke Shop and Dervish and Banges.

There’s the Owl Post so you can send letters home with the official Hogsmeade mail post. Hogwarts castle and Hagrid’s hut both get a shoutout for fans hoping that Hollywood’s Harry Potter attraction has the same enchanted destinations as its Florida counterpart.

If you’re hungry from all that magical shopping, there are eateries like Three Broomsticks and Hogshead Pub. Honeydukes candy shop is on hand to replenish our supply of chocolate frogs. Ollivanders wand shop is there too, of course.

The new park also promises rides like the immersive “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” and “Flight of the Hippogriff.”

I’m counting down the days till I can wave my new wand and get hopped up on butterbeer.