With more and more gaming moving towards digital distribution, downloadable content and online features, Capcom has decided it needs to make a serious investment to keep up and succeed in a “challenging” video game market. To this end, the videogame developer/publisher titan – popular for franchises such as Resident Evil and Dead Rising – has announced it is to spend the equivalent of around US$78 million to build two new R&D labs near their Osaka headquarters, focusing on the new trend.

“The appearance of next-generation consoles with a variety of network functions has shifted the focus of sales from conventional package software to digitally distributed content,” Capcom said. “The profit structure and business model are changing at an increasing speed as a result. Furthermore, the popularity of social games due to the widespread use of smartphones is enabling games to reach more user segments and enlarging the entire game market. To succeed in this challenging environment, Capcom has been focusing resources on strategic and growing areas under a policy of selection and concentration in order to operate with speed and flexibility.”

Capcom are fitting out their two new buildings with all kinds of modern technology that’s come into common usage in the videogames of today, including rooms dedicated to motion-capture technology; and a sound effects studio. They’ll also contain large, multi-purpose communal spaces for gatherings of over 100 people. With these, the company hopes to speed up game development and increase efficiency. The buildings will also have seismic isolation systems to protect against earthquakes.

The smaller building, currently nicknamed “R&D Building S”, will on completion consist of an 8-floor office with 2,054.38 square meters of floor area; and will cost an estimated ¥2.5 billion ($24.6 million) to complete, which Capcom aims to do by January 2015. Its bigger brother, “Building N” is over twice the size, with 16 floors and 10,972.87 square meters of floor space. Expected to cost around ¥5.5 billion ($54 million), this one should be ready in February 2016.

Wait a minute… GAME is still alive and well?!? Seems like it, since The Pokémon Company International has once again announced it’s teaming up with the UK-based specialist retailer to once again offer a distribution event promoting Pokémon X and Y and the new XY Trading Card Game Expansion. Colour me surprised.

From Friday 4th April, anyone who brings their 3DS into any GAME store across the United Kingdom, with a copy of Pokémon X or Y inside, can claim a free Pokémon for their game. Players with Pokémon X can receive Magmar free upon request, whilst those with Pokémon Y copies can claim Electabuzz. Additionally, both will be holding their respective Trade Evolution item – the Magmarizer and Electirizer respectively – meaning these free Pokémon can be traded to a trusted friend to obtain their evolved forms – Magmortar and Electivire!

As if that wasn’t enough, there’s a bonus for fans of the Trading Card game too. At each store while stocks last, you’ll be able to get a Pokémon TCG: XY special sampling pack containing a card from the new expansion along with a special “holographic” Pikachu card. Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Last year, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced that Game Boy Advance games are on the way to Wii U’s Virtual Console – and now the Japanese gaming giant is making good on the promise.

Nintendo UK took to Twitter and Facebook to announce that hand-held classic Advance Wars is on the way to the Wii U’s Virtual Console on April 3, marking the first GBA title to hit the Wii U Virtual Console. The game will be playable on your TV or through the Gamepad’s own screen like most Virtual Console classics, so you can either recreate the hand-held experience it was made for; or beam it up to the big screen.

Advance Wars is the first of what will likely be a wave of GBA titles which will gradually hit the console over the coming weeks and months – Satoru Iwata already confirmed in last month’s Nintendo Direct that Metroid Fusion, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Super Mario Advance: Yoshi’s Island are also planned releases. However, none of these have yet been given an English launch date. With the precedent now in place, however, it’s likely we won’t have much longer to wait – watch this space!

Keiji Inafune’s spiritual Mega Man successor game, Mighty No. 9, has rode the hype train rather conservatively since its phenomenally successful Kickstarter campaign, with leaks of new info perfectly timed for just when people may have forgotten about the project while its development continues apace; and until now, not very much is known about the game at all. Today however, as part of a talk given at GDC this year, Keiji Inafune revealed a short gameplay trailer for Mighty No. 9 which fleshes out the game’s details a reasonable amount.

After previous screenshots showed hero Beck redesigned in a 2.5D graphical style and standing on a 3D stage, the latest trailer reveals that the entire game is now being developed in a 2.5D viewpoint not unlike the Classic Sonic stages in Sonic Generations. Also seen in the trailer is some new Action mechanics including what looks to be some combo attack possibilities; as well as some more platforming action. We’ve even got some new animations being shown off – the “hanging from a ledge” animation at 1:28 is particularly adorable. But perhaps the biggest news is we’ve got concept art and basic biographies for all of the other eight “Mighty” robots Beck will encounter in the game; and even hints towards a rudimentary storyline:

Exciting!

So, the latest SimCity patch including offline play has dropped…   What do you think?

After reading this thread and trying out Update 10 please use the following links for feedback and additional questions:

 

Update 10 Feedback Thread – http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/0/10023457.page
Offline additional Questions – http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/0/10023459.page

 

Q: How do I play SimCity offline?
A: The new Single-Player Mode allows you to play SimCity anytime, anywhere, without the need of an active Internet connection. For the full details please read our blog post here – http://www.simcity.com/en_US/blog/article/simcity-…y-now-available-for-pc-and-mac.

 

Q: How do I download the Single-Player Mode for SimCity?
A: The Single-Player Mode will be included as part of Update 10 at no additional cost. This will be available to all current and future players on PC and Mac starting March 18, 2014.

 

Q: Will I still require an Internet connection to play?
A: An Internet connection is required to download Update 10 when it becomes available on March 18, 2014. You will not require an active Internet connection to play SimCity offline in the Single-Player Mode.

 

Q: Can I still play the game Online?
A: Yes, the Online game and all of its features are still intact. This includes Multiplayer, SimCity World and Online Save Games.

 

Q: Will my previous Downloadable Content (DLC) be playable in the Single-Player Mode?
A: Yes. All of your previous DLC is available for use in both the Single-Player Mode and Multiplayer Mode.

 

Q: Do I need an Origin Account to play?
A: Yes, you use Origin to download and launch SimCity. Once you’ve installed Update 10, you can put Origin into offline mode when you are playing Single-Player Mode.

 

Q: How do I put Origin into Offline Mode?
A: To put Origin in Offline mode, log in to the Origin client and select: Origin>Go Offline

 

Q: Do I need to login to Origin online in order to play the Single-Player Mode?
A: No. If you do not have an active internet connection, you can put Origin in the offline Mode and play SimCity offline in the Single-Player Mode.

 

Q: What features are available in Single-Player Mode?
A: Single-Player Mode allows for a multi-city Single-Player experience without requiring an internet connection. All region maps are available in Single-Player Mode. Since Single-Player Mode does not require a persistent internet connection, Leaderboards, Citylog, Achievements, Friends List, Player Profile, the Region Wall, and region invites are not available in Single-Player Mode. The Global Market will be available in Single-Player Mode, but prices will be fixed.

 

Q: What are the requirements to play in Multiplayer mode?
A: The requirements to play Multiplayer have not changed. An Internet connection is required to play Multiplayer mode, Origin must be running in online mode and SimCity must be updated to the latest version.

 

Q: Can I transfer my regions between modes?
A: No. Single-Player and Multiplayer are separate modes and regions cannot be transferred between modes.

 

Q: Where are Single-Player regions saved?
A: Single-Player regions are saved locally, not on the server.
You can find your regions on PC here: \Documents\SimCity\Games\~ID NUMBER~\
You can find your regions on Mac here: Go->Documents->SimCity -> Games -> ~ID NUMBER~

 

Q: If I uninstall or change machines, can I transfer my Single-Player Mode regions to the new install or Machine?
A: If you uninstall SimCity, your saved games will still be available. However if you change machines, you will need to manually move your game files to the games file location on your new machine.

 

Q: Can I move my Single-Player Mode saved game from my PC to Mac and vice versa?
A: Yes, you can transfer your Single-Player Mode saved games between PC and Mac.

 

Q: How many regions can I have?
A: There is no limit to the number of saved regions a player can have in Single-Player Mode. The file size of your regions will vary depending on density and population of your cities.

 

Q: How do saves work in Single-Player Mode?
A: Autosave is on by default and saves your region every ten minutes. Your region is also automatically saved if you quit your region or switch to another city in the region. To disable Autosave, go to the Options menu > Settings > Gameplay tab and uncheck “Enable Autosave in Single-Player Mode”. Disabling Autosave will allow you to save at points you want to save at. If Autosave is disabled, you will be asked if you would like to save your region when you quit or switch to another city in the region.

 

You can manually save your region at any time by pressing “Save Game” from the options menu.

 

Q: How do I rollback my regions? How do I make a copy of my region?
A: If Autosave is disabled, you can save your region at a certain point and then experiment with your region. If you wish to go back to a previous save point, you can choose not to save your region when exiting the game. If you load that region from the main menu or resume page, it will load from the last saved point.
If you would like to make a copy of your region, press “Save As…” from the options menu. You will be prompted to name the copy of your region. This gives you the control to come up with a naming convention that works for you for your copied version. Once you submit that name, you will load the copy of the region. The original region will remain at the last saved point. You can access the original or the copy from the Main Menu in the Play tab.

 

Q: What cheats are available in Single-Player Mode?
A: Existing live cheats are available in Sandbox regions while playing Single-Player Mode. The following cheats are available in Single-Player Mode in non-Sandbox games.
Add §10,000 to City budget. Windows: CTRL + ALT + W OS X: CTRL + ALT + W
Add §5,000 per hour to City budget. Windows: CTRL + ALT + S OS X: CTRL + ALT + S
Add §100,000 per hour to City budget. Windows: ALT + W OS X: ALT + S
Disasters are unlocked in Single-Player Mode.

Remember we also have an active SimCity region you can join, just add Lonesamurai as a friend on Origin for an invite