Pokemon TCG Online Codes Offered in Last Month’s Pokemon Newsletter Should Activate Later Today July 12, 2017

Every month, the guys over at The Pokemon Company send out an e-mail newsletter with the latest official news about the Pokémon franchise. Pokémon Trainers all over the world should pay close attention to these newsletters as they can include unique unlock codes for the 3DS games or Pokémon TCG Online. About a month ago, The Pokémon Company included a unique Pokémon TCG Online code in that month’s newsletter which they said will expire on July 30, 2017.  However, unlike every previous code offered in the Pokémon Newsletter, users who input their codes got a weird message that they were not yet active, and would not be active until this week…several weeks after the codes were originally issued.

For people who got this message when trying to redeem their free Pokémon TCG Online code, I have good news for you. No, your e-mail has not been hacked, nor are there any issues with Pokémon TCG Online, the codes were simply sent by mistake, and the game’s developers are working hard to rectify it.

You will be able to redeem Pokémon TCG Online codes on every platform the game is available on except for the iPad version. You can also redeem your code on Pokemon.com. As of this time of writing, the codes are still not active, but I’ll update the article when they can be redeemed.

Splatoon 2 Direct – 7/6/17 July 6, 2017

Splatoon for the Wii U was probably my favorite online multiplayer game over the past few years and now Nintendo is planning to release the follow-up to that game for their newest console, the Nintendo Switch.

Earlier today, Nintendo posted a massive half-hour preview of Splatoon 2, and now it has been published for all to see, enjoy.

Splatoon 2 is coming exclusively to the Nintendo Switch. The Splatoon 2 demo should be available to download right now.

Massive Halo News Revealed Today July 6, 2017

Microsoft and 343 Industries made several massive announcements earlier today and I’m happy to reveal them to all of you.

First off, current owners of Halo 5: Guardians for the Xbox One will be happy to learn the game will be upgraded to natively support 4K displays when played on the upcoming Xbox One X console.  This puts Halo 5 on the list of Xbox One games (including Gears of War 4) that will offer enhancements when played on the Xbox One X.

Secondly, Microsoft has announced they will be offering Xbox One backwards compatibility with the Xbox 360 games Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.  This means Xbox One players with original copies of those games will be able to play the original versions of those games on the Xbox One without having to buy Halo: The Master Chief Collection.  While Backwards Compatible users won’t be able to play against Halo: MCC players, they will be able to play online multiplayer against Xbox 360 players. The best part of this announcement is Microsoft now intends to offer all the games’ DLC (including the multiplayer map packs) for free.

Halo 3, Halo 4, Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is out now on the Xbox 360.  Halo 5: Guardians is out now exclusively for the Xbox One.

Dungeons and Dragons Beyond Website Enters Beta Phase 3 July 1, 2017

Big news for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition players. D&D Beyond is an online reference for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition content. As we reported earlier, the website is currently in the process of a three phase beta test.  The first phase, launched a few weeks ago, offered players online access to reference material for races, classes, monsters, and items. The second phase is designed to offer players the chance to create custom characters, and the third allows players to keep track of their custom scenerios.  Today, I’m happy to announce that the website has just entered Beta Phase 3, and players can now use the website to create new player characters and keep track of their custom campaigns.

This is enormous news, especially for new players like my friend the Unknown Cameraperson, who has been trying to perfect the creation of a Tiefling Sorcerer character with very little experience playing the game.  Now players like my friend will be able to use the website to create fully legal player character sheets they can bring to any campaign without the need of a Player’s Handbook or the Basic Rules.

D&D Beyond will be free to use during the beta test but the company running it does plan to start charging customers to use it once it leaves beta. You will need to have a Twitch.TV account to make full use of the website during the beta phase.

Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire Launches June 30, 2017

Square Enix recently teased an all new free-to-play Final Fantasy XV game would be coming to smartphones and tablets and today I’m happy to announce the game has just been digitally released.

Final Fantasy XV: A New Empire is out now on Android and iOS smart devices.  You can download it for free on your device’s respective digital marketplace.

PS4 System Software 4.71 Released June 28, 2017

A very minor software update has just been released for the PS4.  The system software is called version 4.71 and its release notes contain only the catch-all terms of non specific bug fixes and improvements.

Currently, you don’t need to install the Software Update to use your PS4 (your system will sign in to PSN just fine), but I wasn’t able to start playing Final Fantasy XIV without installing it. This is pretty unusual behavior for the PS4, so I just wanted to make a note of it.  So while you currently won’t need to download this update to simply run your PS4, you will absolutely need it if you plan to play an online game.

Make sure to install the update manually using the system software update option in the console’s Settings menu since it doesn’t seem to be installing automatically yet. If you had a previously recent firmware already installed on your PS4, the new firmware should only weigh in at around 330MB.

Final Fantasy XV Episode Prompto DLC Released June 27, 2017

Final Fantasy XV players can expect a major patch to be released for the game today. While the update includes a lot of free content that all FFXV players can enjoy, the patch also brings compatibility with the highly anticipated DLC expansion Episode Prompto. If you want a closer look, here’s the official trailer.

Episode Prompto will be available to download today.  Final Fantasy XV Season Pass owners will be able to download it free of charge.

Final Fantasy XV is out now for Xbox One and PS4.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy E3 2017 Preview June 21, 2017

While at E3 2017 I had the pleasure to check out the next game in the Uncharted franchise, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The Lost Legacy is a standalone expansion to Uncharted 4, and follows fan-favorite character Chloe Frazier as she is forced to team up with Nadine Ross, one of the antagonists from Uncharted 4, to seek out an all-new treasure.

All of Uncharted‘s staple gameplay and humor is present in this game, as I’m sure you’ll discover for yourselves as you watch the demo. While on the E3 show floor, I couldn’t get the developers to admit if they were using PS4 Pro dev kits to demo the game, I did get them to admit to me the demo ran at a consistent 30 frames per second.

Here’s a closer look, enjoy.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is coming in August exclusively to the PS4.

The Evil Within 2 – E3 2017 Extended Trailer June 19, 2017

I found a lot to like with the multiplaform horror game The Evil Within, and I was pleased to hear the game is going to get a sequel. Take a look at this extended E3 2017 trailer to get a closer look at the game!

The Evil Within 2 is coming to PC, PS4 and Xbox One on October 13, 2017.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm – E3 2017 Gameplay Preview June 16, 2017

The guys over at Square Enix were nice enough to release a twenty minute gameplay demo from Life is Strange: Before the Storm.  In this prequel, you control the fan-favorite character Chloe Price before the events of the first game. Enjoy.

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is coming in three parts to Xbox One, PS4 and PC.