Free book for boys and reluctant readers

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices

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US$8.99 Paperback

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Reading is important

Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.
–Maya Angelou

Most adults would agree that reading is important, but many kids detest reading. Video games, devices, and TV are preferred entertainment and escape. They provide instant gratification. Reading takes time. For some kids, reading isn’t engaging.

had this same problem with my son, so I solved the problem.

The classic stories I remember enjoying as a kid don’t interest my son and his immediate attention span. If he doesn’t enjoy the story from page one, he will not read further.

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

So how did I get my son to read?

I showed him how much fun it is to get sucked into a story.

Your book is amazing I can’t stop reading it
– Joseph Young via twitter

Contemporary and Classic titles alike don’t interest many kids. Don’t worry, the love of reading is learned. We need a starting point. We need that one book that is just as engaging on the first read as the fifth, just like a really great movie that kids want to see again and again. A positive association with reading will make kids want to read more.

A love of reading is cited as the number one indicator of future success. My son didn’t have the desire to read. He didn’t care about the books I chose to read to him, and was overwhelmed with the selection at the library. I want my son to succeed, so I had to do something. Since we struggled to find books he cared to read, I wrote one. An epic saga about the things he loves. I put it in a world he loves and addressed the issues he faces in his life.

I just love your books I’ve been reading them over and over again.
-Carson via twitter 

But it’s a video game book

Don’t worry; it’s not a book about video games, nor is it a game strategy book. Flynn’s Log is a hero’s journey that takes place inside the Minecraft world that today’s kids know and love. The protagonist, Flynn, naturally flows through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (builds shelter and tools, learns what to eat and discovers a digital friend) and faces questions about his destiny. He learns important life lessons about friendship, integrity, and trust. Flynn’s Log is good for kids without being boring.

Thank you so so much for the free ebook. My son loves Minecraft now with this book I can get him to read to me.
Jennifer Wilkins

Start your son or daughter on journey today, reading Flynn’s Log 1: Rescue Island. Free on available these devices and apps.

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices

Choose your device

KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online

US$8.99 Paperback

Shop LocalAmazon-USAmazon-UKAmazon-Canada

Why is Flynn’s Log 1 Free?

My son loves reading — finally. If you have experience with a reluctant reader then I know your pain and I want to help. I’ve seen thousands of kids transform with this book. My readers, who don’t usually read books during the summer, couldn’t put Flynn’s Log 1 down.

Good book I thought I would never read a book on my summer but I feel I’m gonna finish it soon
– Multigamer 47 via twitter

Let this book change your kid’s life too. You have nothing to lose and an avid reader to gain.

Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.

–Frederick Douglas

I am giving away Flynn’s Log 1 free because I want to give you a risk-free way to hook your reluctant reader.

Please and I mean PLEASE, WRITE MORE! I absolutely love it! They’re outstanding books.

-Devon123321 via twitter

What are Books for Boys?

I spend lots of time with teachers and parents. I hear parents ask, “How do I get my son to read? Do you have books for boys?”

I wrote the Flynn’s Log series for my son, and this book is interesting for boys. However, the series is a non-stop read for both boys and girls, especially those who are interested in Minecraft.

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

—Dr. Seuss

What are you waiting for?

You have nothing to lose!

Minecraft Adventures - Books for boys

Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices

Choose your device

KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online

US$8.99 Paperback

Shop LocalAmazon-USAmazon-UKAmazon-Canada

News for Parents of Reluctant Readers

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Minecraft console commands and cheats every player should know

Whether it’s to copy an existing build, change the gamemode, or flat out cheat your way to glory, Minecraft console commands are an important part of playing the game day-to-day. While there are a lot of different commands out there, all varying in complexity, we’ve got a run down of the ones you need to know, and, of course, the ones you can use to troll your friends. Because what’s Minecraft without a bit of friendly griefing?

If you’re wondering how to enter the Minecraft console commands listed below, all you need to do is hit the forward-slash key (/) and that’ll bring up a small window. Input the code and hit enter and your command will activate.

Shorthand Codes

Below are the shorthand codes to save you from typing in different player names. These are worth memorising so you don’t have to type in names like “Sniper_Kitty_Bruv_91” every time some jobber joins your game.

The clone command

/clone <x1> <y1> <z1> <x2> <y2> <z2> <x> <y> <z>

Clones a selection of blocks to another location. Very helpful if you’re building a city space and want to duplicate multiple buildings to different areas. “<x1> <y1> <z1>” is your start point. “<x2> <y2> <z2>” is the end point. And “<x> <y> <z>” is where you want the cloned blocks to spawn.

Example: /clone 100 234 -10 200 100 0 300 200 100

How to change the difficulty

/difficulty <difficulty>

Changes the in-game difficulty. Replace the latter section of the code with one of the following:

Example: /difficulty peaceful

Add an effect to yourself or someone else

/effect <player> <effect> [seconds] [amplifier] [hideParticles]

Adds a status effect to the targeted player. “[seconds]”, “[amplifier]”, and “[hideParticles]” are all optional conditions, so feel free to ignore them unless you want to change the length, how strong the effect is, or whether the effect shows as particles or not. If you want to remove an effect from a player, type “/effect <player> clear”.

Example: /effect PCGamer water_breathing 30

Enchant an item

/enchant <player> <enchantment ID> [level]

Adds an enchantment to the item the player is holding. So that’s smite, bane of the arthropods, sharpness—any enchantment you’d pull from a book or enchant table. Here’s a list of Enchantment IDs.

Example: /enchant PCGamer minecraft:smite 1

Exp modifier

/xp <amount> [player]

Gives the targeted player an amount of experience points. If you just want to add levels instead, which is easier for enchanting, try “/xp <amount>L [player]”.

Example: /xp 100L PCGamer

Change the gamemode

/gamemode <mode>

Changes the gamemode for everyone in the session. Add a player’s name to the end of the code to alter the mode for different players. Replace “<mode>” with one of the following options:

Example: /gamemode Survival

Give an item or items

/give <player> <item> [amount]

Drops an item into the player’s inventory. Perfect for if you want to start a run with a full set of diamond gear. Just keep in mind the amount section only works for stackable items. You can’t give yourself 100 diamond swords in one go, as cool as that’d be. For a full list of item IDs, head here.

Example: /give PCGamer diamond_sword 1

Help if a command isn’t working

/help [command name]

Offers additional information about any console command. If you’re trying a command and it isn’t working as it should, type the above command before the name of the command that isn’t working and you’ll be treated to more details about how it works.

Example: /help kill

Turn keep inventory on

/gamerule keepInventory true

Changes the game rules so should you die, you keep all the items in your inventory. Replace “true” with “false” to turn it off again.

Kill everyone or everything

/kill

Kills everything, including the player. But should you want to kill another player, use “/kill <player>”. And to kill a certain type of mob, “/kill @e[type=mobType]”.

The play sound command

/playsound <sound> <player>

Plays a specific sound file. Great for if you want to use a command block to play a sound when someone opens a door. Who doesn’t love a good doorbell? Take a look at all the sound file names here.

Example: /playsound minecraft:entity.elder_guardian.ambient voice @a

How to check the world seed

/Seed

Displays the seed for their current world should you wish to replay the seed again from scratch or pass it along to a mate.

Set the world spawn

/setworldspawn

Changes the world spawn to wherever the player is standing. If you don’t want to do that, you can also set it to a predetermined location with “/setworldspawn <x> <y> <z>”

Example: /setworldspawn 100 80 0

Stop time from changing

/gamerule doDaylightCycle false

This completely turns the daylight cycle off so it’ll always be the current time of day. To reenable the cycle, replace “false” with “true.”

Spawn a mob

/summon <entity_name> [x] [y] [z]

Summons a mob to a specific location. Remove the “[x] [y] [z]” section at the end to have the mob spawn right on top of you. Just remember if you’re spawning the Wither you’ll need to leg it as fast as possible.

Example: /summon creeper

Teleport

/tp [target player] <x> <y> <z>

Teleports the targeted player to a designated location. And yes, you can indeed teleport a friend into the sky and laugh as their body flails back down to earth.

Example: /tp PCGamer 100 0 10

Alter the in-game time

/time set <value>

Sets the in-game time. Add one of the following numbers onto the end to change the time of day to something else:

Change the weather to something nicer, or worse

/weather <clear/rain/thunder>

Changes the in-game weather to a different type. I.e. “/weather thunder” would start a thunderstorm. This one’s a must if you’re going after charged creepers. Nobody’s got time to sit around waiting for it to thunder.

Minecraft console commands and cheats every player should know

Man recreates Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk in ‘Minecraft’

POINT PLEASANT BEACH –

A former New Jersey man says that he missed the Jersey Shore so much that he spent years recreating the Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk using the video game “Minecraft.”

Kevin Domenic tells News 12 New Jersey that his family once owned a beach home in Point Pleasant Beach and that he has many happy childhood memories there. But he says that he moved away to Missouri to be closer to his wife’s family.

“[Point Pleasant Beach] is my favorite place in the world,” Domenic told News 12. “I thought, ‘Why not try to recreate it in ‘Minecraft?’’”

Domenic documents the process in a series of YouTube videos set to slow piano music. Even the smallest details, such as the color of pavers in some walkways, were copied.

New 12 New Jersey showed the recreation to some Jersey Shore residents, who said that they were impressed by the level of detail.

“The Jersey Shore has a huge impact on people from childhood,” says Point Pleasant Beach resident Lynn Krohn. “It’s a memory you have, being here, smelling the salt water and obviously it had a huge impact on him. I mean, this is incredible.”

Domenic even recreated the Minard Lane bungalow that his family once owned.

Man recreates Point Pleasant Beach boardwalk in ‘Minecraft’

Nearly 50,000 ‘Minecraft’ Accounts Infected With Malware Thanks to Modified ‘Skins’

Thousands of “Minecraft” accounts were recently infected with malware that can potentially reformat hard drives and delete backup data and system programs, according to cybersecurity company Avast.

The malicious software is apparently distributed via “Minecraft” character skins created in the PNG file format and uploaded to the game’s official website by fans. Skins modify a player’s avatar and they’re quite popular. Avast estimates nearly 50,000 “Minecraft” accounts have been infected.

“The malicious code is largely unimpressive and can be found on sites that provide step-by-step instructions on how to create viruses with Notepad,” Avast said. “While it is fair to assume that those responsible are not professional cybercriminals, the bigger concern is why the infected skins could be legitimately uploaded to the ‘Minecraft’ website. With the malware hosted on the official ‘Minecraft’ domain, any detection triggered could be misinterpreted by users as a false positive.”

“Minecraft” is one of the biggest games in the world. It’s sold more than 144 million copies since its launch in 2009. Microsoft bought both the game and its developer, Mojang, for an estimated $2.5 billion in 2014. In a recent interview with PopSugar, Helen Chiang, the new head of “Minecraft” at Microsoft, said the sandbox game now has 74 million active players worldwide. This makes it a ripe target for hackers, but Avast said only a small percentage of the player base actively uploads modified skins, which has kept infection numbers low.

Avast said anyone who downloaded modified skins should run an antivirus scan. Some might need to reinstall the game or, in extreme cases, restore data on their hard drives. Infected users might also receive unusual messages in their inboxes with subjects like “You Are Nailed, Buy A New Computer This Is A Piece Of Sh*t,” “You have maxed your internet usage for a lifetime,” or “Your a** got glued.”

Avast said it contacted Mojang and they are working on fixing the vulnerability.

Nearly 50,000 ‘Minecraft’ Accounts Infected With Malware Thanks to Modified ‘Skins’

‘Pacific Rim’ Box Office Disaster Shows Why ‘Tron 3’ Is A Bad Idea

Pacific Rim: Uprising has earned just $55 million. At this juncture, it should top out a bit over $60m domestic, which is well short of the $102m domestic gross of the first Pacific Rim back in 2013. And while it’s doing a little better overseas, Legendary’s $150m-budgeted sci-fi sequel isn’t making up for lost ground, not even in China. While the sequel arguably only exists because Pacific Rim earned $113m in China five years ago, this time out Uprising scored a $66m debut, terrible word of mouth and a swift decline to under-$100m. With $267m worldwide, it’ll be lucky to top $280m. It’s a big miss.

This shouldn’t be a surprise since Legendary (and distributor Universal/Comcast Corp.) violated the most obvious rule of all: Don’t make a sequel if folks didn’t flock to or love the original. As a general rule, sequels happen when a movie earns a lot of money or grosses a figure that is A) noticeably higher than the production budget and B) has a somewhat leggy, buzzy run which in-turn leads to a vibrant post-theatrical lifespan. Sequels are supposed to be a reward for a movie that is a big hit and (theoretically) has another story worth telling. If the first film bombs, you shouldn’t get a sequel.

That’s what made a second Pacific Rim so intriguing. Guillermo del Toro’s monsters versus robots flick earned mixed reviews and didn’t really break out beyond the hardcore nerd crowd, earning $101 million domestic from a $38m debut and $411m worldwide on a $190m budget. Yes, $411m+ worldwide is pretty solid, especially for an original live-action feature, but that was still barely over double its budget. And with marketing costs being what they are, 2.5x-the budget is usually the magic spot for eventual profitability once VOD, DVD and other post-theatrical revenue streams are tabulated. So, Pacific Rim: Uprising was a big-budget sequel to a big-budget flop.

Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle and the clickbait-driven media, we get all kinds of buzz about continuations to every franchise under the sun. Chris Pine joshingly responds in a positive way to the notion of a third Princess Diaries movie and it gets reported as if it’s a greenlit picture. Folks are asked about Fantastic Four and they act like it’s something that’s actively being considered. But no matter how much Karl Urban talks about playing Judge Dredd again on the big screen, we are no closer to getting a sequel to Dredd than we are of getting MacGruber 2, Terminator Genisys 2 or John Carter 2.

But Pacific Rim 2 actually got made. Sure, this all started in 2014, when Universal had recently joined forces with Legendary (the first Pacific Rim went out as a Warner Bros./Time Warner Inc. release) and when Universal was lower on stockholder-friendly franchises. But as Universal’s 2014 slate of record profit margins (in a year sans tentpoles) led to a market share-winning 2015, Pacific Rim: Uprising became less an essential IP and more of… something from a bygone era. Pacific Rim 2 was a lot less necessary in 2018 than it was in 2014. In retrospect, Pacific Rim could have been treated as a “dodged a bullet” one-and-done.

Universal was planning to toss Kristen Stewart out of her own franchise before Snow White and the Huntsman even opened in June of 2012. Taking a female-led hit, and it did earn $156 million domestic and $394m worldwide on a $170m budget, and creating a male-driven spin-off was both a bad idea in terms of why the first film did well and oddly cruel. But the appeal of saying “Hey, we’ve got a new franchise!” was too much to resist after Battleship bombed and The Bourne Legacy slightly underperformed. Yet, by early 2016, Universal needed The Huntsman: Winter’s War as much as Disney needs Tron 3.

Disney has threatened to make a third Tron movie in one form or another over the years. Tron: Legacywas more successful than the other “next Pirates of the Caribbean” or “Disney’s Avatar” titles (The Sorcerer’s ApprenticeJohn CarterThe Lone RangerPrince of Persia, etc). The Joseph Kosinski-directed sci-fi sequel has its cult following (it’s still terrible but Oblivion is good and Only the Brave is a new classic). But once Disney started kicking butt with Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, plus those live-action fairy tales doing their thing, there was zero need to take a risk on a third Tron movie.

Pacific Rim sequel became riskier and riskier with every year that went by, as the new installment now presented itself not as a sequel to a recent hit but as a long-gestating sequel to a film that wasn’t all that fondly remembered or (depending on viewer awareness) an outright original. And once Guillermo del Toro jumped ship, you somewhat lost the fan loyalty that almost justified the project in the first place. Unless Steven S. DeKnight had created a new classic on par with, I dunno, Edge of Tomorrow or Fury Road, this was always a huge risk, even with a winning John Boyega in the lead role.

Pacific Rim: Uprising was a sequel to a box office miss, borne of a notion that having IP was in itself valuable to the overall portfolio no matter if that IP had any worth. You don’t get and shouldn’t expect sequels to truly underperforming originals. You can get sequels to surprise blowout hits like Ted or leggy cult favorites like Pitch Perfect or John Wick. Yes, you can have breakout sequels, but those have to originate from films that earned good reviews, profitable global box office (preferably with a leggy run) and post-theatrical interest. Pacific Rim was 0-3, and you can’t will a franchise into being.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a hit ($68 million worldwide on a $17m budget), so the production of The Spy Who Shagged Me shouldn’t have been a surprise. Unbreakable was a minor disappointment, earning $96m domestic and $256m worldwide on an $80m budget, so it’s no surprise that a sequel didn’t come until M. Night Shyamalan released Split and then made Glass into a 2-for-1 sequel Unbreakable/Split sequel 18.25 years after the first superhero drama. And even if you argue that Tron: Legacy was a minor hit, nostalgia magic didn’t strike twice for Blade Runner 2049. A movie isn’t more appealing because it’s a sequel.

Unless you’re Batman Begins and you earn $371 million on a $150m budget but with rave reviews, superb legs, great word-of-mouth and strong post-theatrical, your next chapter isn’t going to be The Dark KnightPacific Rim: Uprising was a big budget sequel to a big-budget predecessor that wasn’t remotely an outright hit. So if you’re wondering why we don’t have Tron 3 or why Universal is gun-shy about a third stand-alone Hulk movie, well, look at Pacific Rim. They didn’t need Pacific Rim: Uprisingany more than they needed The Huntsman or Disney needed Tron 3. Having no franchise is better than having a poor franchise.

Universal will be fine (go see Blockers), but what could have been a box office game changer instead becomes an all-too-apparent cautionary tale. In the end, the lesson of Pacific Rim: Uprising, a movie that I actually enjoyed on its own pulpy merits, is pretty simple: Don’t make a sequel to a box office bomb.

‘Pacific Rim’ Box Office Disaster Shows Why ‘Tron 3’ Is A Bad Idea

Watch this AI figure out how to place blocks in Minecraft

Artificial intelligence doesn’t compare favorably to humans when it comes to problem solving. Ask any eight year old child to place a few blocks on a grid in Minecraft and they’ll almost certainly be bored by the task. A computer, on the other hand, doesn’t grasp such difficult concepts so easily.

Stephan Alaniz, a researcher with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Technische Universitat Berlin, yesterday published a white papertitled “Deep Reinforcement Learning with Model Learning and Monte Carlo Tree Search in Minecraft.” In his paper the scientist explains his efforts to create a superior method for training an AI to perform simple tasks based on visual input.

If we’re ever going to have robots that can live and work among humans seamlessly without damaging us or our property they’re going to have to understand how to interact with the environment using visual context. One of the most popular ways to train AI for this task is using video games with simple controls.

We can judge an AI’s effectiveness at completing specific tasks in a structured environment, like Minecraft, by comparing it to human efforts.

Watching the above video, it’s apparent that AI – even one that’s shown to be more effective than other agents trained to perform similar tasks – isn’t very good at doing simple things yet. But developing cutting-edge technology takes time — though advances in machine learning techniques are happening at a terrifying pace.

Future research will drive training times down, effectiveness up, and generate new ideas for algorithms that further blur the lines between artificial and human intelligence.

But for now, it’s interesting enough to watch an AI process hundreds of different moves as it tries to figure out a simple block placing challenge in Minecraft. It might be worth remembering, in the future, how simple these things were when they began learning.

Watch this AI figure out how to place blocks in Minecraft

Rabbids Peach Dances To Beyonce In Just Dance Trailer

The release of Just Dance 2018 for the Nintendo Switch opened up a lot of possibilities for the console, including crossover content from some of Ubisoft’s other games. More specifically, there’s a video showcasing a crossover of the Rabbids version of Princess Peach from Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle dancing to Beyonce’s “Naughty Girl”.

The video of the Rabbids Peach was posted up over on the official Nintendo YouTube channel. It’s only a minute long and starts off with Rabbids Peach doing a similar kind of dance routine to what you would expect from Beyonce.

The background is littered with other Rabbid backup dancers, shuffling and moving their hands and feet to the beat of the music, while Princess Peach’s castle stands erect in the background, and the washing machine-looking portals are nestled on the other side of the screen.

The gameplay is still typical Just Dance, requiring players to stay in sync with the rhythm of the music, and manage the beats of the dance routine to the song. The dance icons scroll through at the bottom of the screen, with the character silhouettes being represented by outlines of the Rabbids.

Players are required to pull of the motions depicted in the images. Those who manage to perform the moves in rhythm to the beat of the music will acquire higher scores.

Beyonce’s “Naughty Girl” is just one of 300 songs featured in Just Dance 2018, which came out last fall in 2017 for home consoles. The Ubisoft dance title is just the latest in a long line of games that have come out within the franchise.

The comment section on the video isn’t entirely happy about the inclusion of the Rabbid dance trainer, mainly because Rabbid Peach doing rather exotic dances to Beyonce’s “Naughty Girl” has already mentally scarred some people who just weren’t prepared for the kind of imagery present in the video above.

Nintendo allowed Ubisoft to use the Super Mario characters and themes in Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. The game sold well enough for what it is and I suppose Nintendo allowed Ubisoft to go a step further by using the Mario-themed characters from the turn-based RPG in Ubisoft’s other title, Just Dance 2018.

Not everyone was mentally unprepared for the crossover in the multiplayer dancing game. Some gamers were quite thrilled to see the characters hopping from one game to the next and bringing some levity and hilarity to the dancing game. And besides, if everyone is having a good time being goofy and enjoying themselves dancing, then isn’t that the whole point? I’m sure seeing those swinging hips of Rabbids Peach is well worth the laughs that come with the crossover… right? Right?!

Rabbids Peach Dances To Beyonce In Just Dance Trailer

The First Two Shenmue Games Are Being Rereleased

With Shenmue 3 set to launch sometime later this year, it looks like folks hoping to catch up on the series’ story up to this point are in luck. According to Sega, remastered versions of the original two Shenmue games are on the way.

SEGA

@SEGA

You’ve asked, we listened and we’re extremely excited to finally announce that Shenmue I & II are coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC in one package! Both games will feature Japanese and English voice overs, the choice of classic or modern controls and more!

The above tweet comes directly from Sega, who have officially revealed a launch of Shenmue and Shenmue II on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The best news is that these spruced up versions of the games will be launched as a single package, allowing folks to get the full narrative in a single purchase. It’s also noted that players will be able to enjoy both the Japanese and English voiceovers, as well as choose between classic and more modern controls. Other tweaks are mentioned but not detailed.

Of course, this is the internet, so rather than be excited to get playable versions of the first two Shenmue games, many of the comments gripe that folks would also like remade versions of games like Jet Set Radio or Skies of Arcadia. And then there are of course the obligatory “what about Switch?” comments.

We’re excited to see this news, even if we’re not exactly surprised. The original Shenmue and Shenmue II launched on the Dreamcast at the turn of the century, a console most folks in the U.S. didn’t own. Also, another issue was that, if memory serves, Shenmue II came out on the original Xbox here in The States rather than the Dreamcast, which wasn’t exactly an ideal scenario. After that Xbox launch in 2002, things went quiet for the series.

Several years back, director Yu Suzuki announced during the Sony E3 press conference that he would be taking the series’ third chapter to Kickstarter, hitting its $2 million goal almost instantly. The latest launch window has Shenmue IIIarriving later this year and, given all of the attention the series has received in recent years, it makes sense that Sega would want to make the original games available, too. We’re sure there’s a decent recap of the first two games available on Youtube somewhere, but this move means folks can choose to simply play the games and get the story firsthand instead.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t just the result of a third game finally arriving for the series nearly two decades after the plot was left dangling. A while back, Sega held a poll asking players what old-school games they’d like to see remade for modern consoles. At the top of that list was Shenmue, so this can also be seen as Sega offering some nice follow through.

So what do you think, folks? Are you excited to finally have the chance to play the original Shenmue games on modern consoles? Drop your thoughts into the comments below.

The First Two Shenmue Games Are Being Rereleased

Classic Sega Titles Are Coming To The Nintendo Switch

A recent Sega event in Japan is turning up all kinds of interesting news for the publisher, including the fact that a collection of Genesis and Master System games are heading to the Nintendo Switch. Get ready to party likes it’s 1985.

It’s been a busy weekend for Sega, what with the announcements of the Shenmue I/II rerelease and another micro-console heading our way. But for folks gaming on the Switch, the biggest news is likely this new collection of retro games being called “Sega Ages.” According to a report from Polygon, the collection will include 15 titles from the Sega Master System and Genesis, though only a trio of titles have been announced so far. Those include the original Sonic the HedgehogPhantasy Star and Thunder Force 4. Since M2 is working on these titles, we have a feeling they will be direct ports rather than remasters. However, that does not rule out additional bells and whistles like art galleries, save states, the ability to rewind gameplay, etc. None of that has been confirmed at this point, I’m just listing examples of some of the modern touches a lot of rereleases have been getting these days. The good news is that M2 has already worked on bringing plenty of 8-bit and 16-bit Sega games to more modern platforms, so we’re expecting some solid work out of the Sega Ages lineup.

We also know that the games will arrive sometime this summer, though nothing more specific than that has been listed at this point. We’re kind of curious what 12 games will make up the remainder of the collection. Since there are only 15 total, we figure they probably don’t want to do all three Sonic games when they could give up those two spots to other Sega classics. Then again, all three Sonic games are playable on about every platform known to man at this point, so maybe it makes sense that they all three make their way to the Switch.

As the original post points out, this could also be taken as a bad sign for some Switch fans, as it sure makes it seem like an alternative to the Virtual Console. Then again, maybe Nintendo simply isn’t worried about bringing outside consoles to a Switch Virtual Console. We know that something has to be in the works for first-party titles, as classic games are a part of their premium online plan. But that also doesn’t mean that games other than those offered through the plan will ever be made available. That would seem like Nintendo was leaving an awful lot of money on the table, but we’re basically done trying to figure out how the company thinks.

Still, whether it’s through a Virtual Console or not, it looks like 15 classic Sega games are heading to the Switch. What titles would you like to see included in the lineup? Let us know in the comments below.

Classic Sega Titles Are Coming To The Nintendo Switch

Minecraft On The Nintendo Switch Will Award Xbox Live Achievements

The release of Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch has a weird caveat: in order to use the online multiplayer mode for cross-play, you need an Xbox Live account. Well, for that reason, it turns out that playing the game on the Switch can also earn you Xbox Live achievements.

Polygon is reporting that starting later this year, Nintendo Switch owners will be able to unlock Xbox Live achievements. This was spotted by Patrick Maka over on the True Achievements website, where a list of achievements for the Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft were spotted.

The achievements also apply to the PC version of the game and the iOS and Android versions of the game as well. Obviously, the PlayStation version of Minecraft relies on the trophies instead of achievements, so that’s why it doesn’t appear on the achievement list.

The reason for the tie-in between the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox Live is because in order to enable the cross-play functionality between the PC, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch, gamers on the Switch needed an Xbox Live account. There’s no word yet on if this will still apply when the premium version of the Nintendo Network gets underway later this year.

What we do know is that a spokesperson for Mojang told Polygon that this wasn’t a mistake or a fluke, but that Nintendo Switch owners will be able to legitimately link up their Xbox Live accounts and unlock achievements for their account by playing Minecraft through the Nintendo console…

We can confirm that Minecraft players on Nintendo Switch will soon be able to earn achievements tied to Xbox Live once the Bedrock update is released,

The Bedrock update is scheduled to launch at some point later this year. Last year, the update enabled Xbox, iOS, Android, PC and even owners of VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive to play with each other using cross-platform compatibility.

The game has already been out and available for the Nintendo Switch, but this particular update will enable the ability for gamers to unlock achievements on the Switch.

PlayStation gamers have been unable to join in on the fun due to the fact that Sony has denied gamers the ability to engage in cross-platform compatibility. The company cited console security concerns as the reason why there wouldn’t be any support offered for cross-platform compatibility. However, Sony does allow PS4 and PC gamers to play with each other, despite the fact that PC gamers actually can undermine security and utilize cheats in games.

Even still, Switch and PS4 gamers won’t be playing with each other anytime soon. Switch and Xbox gamers will share a much different relationship, though. What’s more is that Switch owners who have Minecraft and their Xbox Live account enabled will be able to earn achievements when the update goes live later this year.

I do wonder if this will also work to lure more Switch gamers over to the Xbox or if it will lure Xbox gamers over to the Switch, maybe to play a portable version of the game?

Minecraft On The Nintendo Switch Will Award Xbox Live Achievements

Xbox Live Achievements are Coming to Nintendo Switch Version of Minecraft

In what is perhaps the strangest story of the week, it seems that Minecraft players will soon be able to earn Xbox Live achievements while playing the game on Nintendo Switch.

Patrick Maka was one of the first to notice this odd revelation over on Twitter where he tweeted out a screenshot of the achievement listing. Much like the iOS and Android versions of Minecraft, it seems that the Switch version will boast the same achievements as every other platform that the game has appeared on.

Polygon was able to later confirm what Maka found by reaching out to Microsoft. A representative from the company responded and stated:

“We can confirm that Minecraft players on Nintendo Switch will soon be able to earn achievements tied to Xbox Live once the Bedrock update is released.”

One of the underlying factors that made this situation possible was likely due to the fact that the Switch doesn’t have a native achievement system tied to the console. The PS4, on the other hand, does not boast these achievements due to the use of the console’s trophy system.

As of now, we don’t have a timetable for when the Bedrock update will be rolling out for Minecraft on Switch, but it likely won’t be too long considering the update has already released for other platforms. Once it does release though, all you’ll have to do is simply login to your Xbox Live account on the Switch to start earning those achievements for yourself.