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Ocarina of Time is perhaps the most beloved of all the Legend of Zelda games, which is why this map of Hyrule featuring locations from Ocarina of Time is simply astounding. It’s a collectible piece of video game history, carefully laser-etched so that each detail is highly visible. The piece is designed to be hung on a wall and measures 24″ by 18″ tall. For the somewhat hefty price of $195, it can be yours.

My favorite thing about this piece is not only does it showcase the various locations from the game, but also all the weapons you can obtain in the game to complete your journey, as well as a better look at the Hylian shield crest. It’s an awesome piece for any video game collector. What do you think?

Today’s special deal comes courtesy of Kmart and its rewards program, called Shop Your Way. If you don’t have a local Kmart in your area I believe you can sign up for the rewards card on Kmart’s website. This requires some finagling, by by the time you finish you’ll have pre-ordered 2 games for around $35 a piece.

Adding two games to your cart will bring the total to $104.98. Using the coupon code MAXSOCIAL75 will drop that down and with the rewards points from your card, you’ll have around $41 to add to bring the total down. Here are some eligible Wii U games for the promotion:

• Yoshi’s Woolly World
• Xenoblade Chronicles X
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Wii U
• Mario Party 10
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Pictured)
• Zelda Hyrule Warrior (Release Date 09/26/14)
• Bayonetta 2
• Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
• Splatoon

Note: Make sure your account has the required points according your original order otherwise your order will be cancelled due to insufficient points when fulfilling your order. Also make sure that you see “Earn For Next Order $41.05 in points” in your order summary page. Otherwise you are not getting it.

If you have other questions about the deal, be sure and see the SlickDeals thread where people are reporting success at ordering not only Wii U games, but other games as well.

Once again we have made the great journey around the sun, another year has come and gone, and with it another set of new Pokémon games. This time we’re looking at a remake of the Gen 3 Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. But how does this new generation compare to the originals? To find out we’re going to examine this image, a collection of comparisons of the original games and the remakes, and analyze each set of images to see how the game has evolved since it’s predecessor.

With our first image, we have something pretty simple: just a shot of May in her room, the very first second of gameplay in fact. It’s not much, but it does give a nice first look at how well the game made the jump to 3D. We can also see that May has changed her room up a bit and gotten a Wii U since we last saw her 10 years ago.

Okay, so the jump into 3D in some ways is really great, in other ways… not so much. This is one of those moments that’s not improved by the better graphics. One good thing about having undetailed sprites is that you can use your imagination to fill in what the game can’t show. Without context a human sprite looking and a Pokémon sprite facing each other really doesn’t mean anything, it could be him petting the dog, or talking to it.

It was the frantic music that really set the original scene and gave it a sense of urgency and danger; after all, for all you could guess from the sprites, Professor Birch could be just barely holding that dog back as it tried to tear out his throat (at least that’s how I imagined it). Your mind could fill in the blanks with whatever you felt fit the scene. So, while the new graphics have allowed the developers to make the Professor more expressive (you can clearly see he’s scared here as opposed to before), they also take away a lot of the gravity of the scene as the Professor now just looks like he’s overreacting to being harassed by a particularly yappy neighborhood dog, rather than terrorized by a dangerous Pokémon.

On the other hand, these two images show us how the new graphics can be used to quite good effect in allowing the characters to become more expressive. Professor Birch’s new look is certainly more memorable than his bland, unexpressive old one because of them.

Next we have a nice shot of Oldale Town and the “helpful” tutorial guy, who will kindly drag us around town to make sure we know about both Pokémon Center, Pokémarts and everything Pokémon. This shot itself is somewhat interesting though, as we can see some of the visual upgrades the town has gotten, along with the Pokémon Center’s new look.

I really love this shot. Graphically, it’s not so impressive, but the angle and seeing the Beautifly flutter across the screen, I think it just helps make the world seem so much more full and alive. It’s a great establishing shot. We never got a shot like that in the original, but whoever made this image seems to have pinpointed where it will take place (Route 102, just before reaching Petalburg City) pretty accurately in his comparison.

Next we have a picture of the very tip of Route 104, right before we would get to Rustboro City. Not much has changed here aside from the graphics and camera angle. Although, you can see that the puddles will be slightly larger in the remake, as in the original they were 2×2 squares while in the bottom image they appear to be 3×3. We can also see that diagonal running is back from X and Y, which is unsurprising.

One last nifty detail: if you look closely at the bottom image you can see that at the time that screenshot was taken it was still a beta build. Because, in the original games when you ran across puddles like that little splashes would trail behind you. Yet, in this image Brendan is clearly running, yet there are no splashes in the puddle. Which I found kind of interesting.

Here we get a good outside shot of Rustboro Gym. The Gym has got a new, distinctive look, which I like. We can also see that the city itself has gotten some new groundwork in, which is certainly nice, it gives it a much more unique feeling. Also, the dude hanging out in front of the gym changed his hair color in the last ten years, yet I feel he has not changed his jacket in that same time period. It is kind of nice how faithful the developers were to the original sprite though.

Okay, so this picture has been talked about a lot, but I feel I could go over it again. So apparently Roxanne didn’t just get the outside redone, she’s had her entire Gym remolded to look like a museum. It’s certainly a welcome change, as it was a little bland before. Also, fun fact: the statues at the very back are from left to right: Kabutops, Dragonite and Lileep.

Here we see Brendan about to face Roxanne. You can see her dialogue is unchanged, but the new 3D allows us to get a nice close up. Like some of the earlier ones, this shot really shows how the upgraded graphics can allow the developers to make the characters more expressive, which I think is great.

Here we have a nice shot of a Pokémon battle (probably against Roxanne), nothing too interesting or new here, since it seems to be pretty similar to the battle system from X and Y. I thought it was worth putting up anyway though.

Here we have a nice shot of the player sailing to Dewford Town across Route 106, nothing too interesting. The fact that the graphics now allow for the developers to use camera angles other than just top-down is nice. It lets them get some cinematic shots like this that can really help to set the mood.

On the other hand though I liked the sailing in the original because you could see the route you were sailing on, and it looked like a route. It let you build up anticipation since you knew you could come back later with Surf and check out all the things you missed the first time. It’s really a matter of personal preference though which way you prefer.

And now we get to the fight against Brawly, the Fighting type Gym Leader of Dewford Town (what a creative name he has). We get a nice look here of how he’s reformatted his gym over the years. He’s got from the old maze-like design, to a more interesting gym-themed design, which I feel makes more sense with his Fighting type Pokémon.

Here we have our first shots of Granite Cave. The first thing you might notice about these two images is that they’ve either altered the way Flash works, or they’ve removed the need to use it entirely. In the original Ruby and Sapphire, using flash would expand your field of view to an orb directly surrounding you, like in the top image, but it wouldn’t fully illuminate the cave like it would in Red and Blue. So, since the bottom image has no orb of vision, we can probably assume that either Flash works differently, or you won’t need it at all this time around.

Here we have out first look at Steven. We can see that his room is a lot more… throne like this time around as he stands at the very center of the very top of a long set of stairs as opposed to the original where he just happened to be in room in a cave.

Here we have a nice shot of Route 117. There have certainly been a lot changes on the route over they years, and it appears that you’ll be able to make a Secret Base here now as well.

Here we have the Mauville City Gym. It seems to be mostly the same trap-wise: you hit the switches to turn on and off different streams of electricity to open new paths. I like the new industrial look it’s got going on though, definitely better than the gaudy old yellow tile.

Here we have a shot of Cycling Road. Nothing too exciting, but I kind of like it’s new look.

Next we have an image of Route 111, the big old desert route. It looks a lot different now, it seems they’re going for less of a “sandy desert” look and more of a “rocky desert” look. There appear to be stairs and cliff sides, which weren’t there before.

Here we have the Gym of everyone’s favorite gym leader Flannery of Lavaridge town. I think this new design better keeps the “Japanese hot spring” theme than the old one did, I really love the rocky design. It looks like it kept the same old fall traps though… which I actually found kind of annoying now that I think of it.

I love this image. So, so much. It really conveys everything about Flannery so well: she’s fairly new at her job, and doesn’t have a lot of practice or confidence yet, but at the same time she’s trying really hard to act tough. The dialogue in the original conveyed that well enough, but her expression and body language here just sells it. This is one of the great things about 3D graphics, that I feel really adds to the games.

Here is an interior shot of the Petalburg City Gym. Nothing to exciting, but I like how they were able to convey the whole “dojo” theme it’s got going on even more clearly this time around.

This is another one of those scenes that does not improve with better graphics. The image at the top is really simple when you look at it: it’s three red guys staring at dogs, who themselves are staring at another dog, who is also being stared at by a blue guy, as though they were all just hanging out in the world’s most hellish dog park. What’s nice about the un-detailed sprites though is that they imply a really fierce battle, as Archie manages to hold off three Team Magma grunts all on his own. You can imagine that from those sprites combined with the context.

Now look at the bottom image. Once you add more detail, it once again becomes three red guys staring at dogs, who themselves are staring at a dog, who is also being stared at by a blue guy. Except now you can clearly see what’s going on, and it’s much less impressive now. When you don’t have those details you can fill in the blanks and imagine the fight that’s happening; but when you add in details but don’t change the scene to compensate, there’s no longer an implied battle, it just becomes four people and their dogs standing around.

Fortree City has always been my favorite city from any Pokémon game. And I feel it looks even more impressive here than it did on the Gameboy Advance ten years ago. I feel it looks more… “forest-y,” if that makes any sense. Either way, I like the change

Holy crap! Tate and Liza have just completely overhauled their gym. It doesn’t even look remotely similar to what it used to be. Not that that’s a problem, it looks amazing, but still. It’s got a crazy deep void now and everything.

Anyway, it looks like to get through the gym this time around you’ll have to move by going over those little dotted lines somehow.

Here we have a shot of Phoebe from the Elite Four. Again, nothing too exciting, pretty much the same as every Elite Four room, but the reflections on the floor are pretty nice though.

Now this image is pretty awesome. It’s been talked about before, but Secret Bases are getting quite a revamp in this game. This time you’ll be be able to set them up like mini-gyms and exchange them via Streetpass. So now you can fight your friends in their own personalized gyms or set up your own gym from which they can fight you in their game! I think this is one of the most exciting features about the new game.

So, how about you guys though? What did you think of these new images? Do the have you excited for the new games? Do you think you’ll be getting them?

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The Chromecast dongle just keeps getting better and better. Earlier this year, Google released a developer SDK for the device, opening the door to third-party apps and even games. In its latest update, Google has imbued the dongle with the ability to mirror the screen of any compatible Android phone or tablet:

The feature will be enabled on Samsung, HTC, LG phones and tablets "over the next ...

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Over the weekend we told you that the Mario Kart 8 promotion we wrote about a month ago is now live at McDonald’s, with several different racers from the franchise available. It turns out there’s another aspect to these toys, as each has their own special activity that can be activated inside the McPlay app for iOS/Android. By scanning each of the eight available racers, you can unlock special games in the McPlay app.

While the games that can be unlocked from these figurines are geared towards children, if you’re the type who likes to collect them all be sure and download the McPlay app on your iOS/Android device and give it a go while you’re collecting the racers from McDonald’s Happy Meals.

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Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo of America both tweeted today confirming that the previously Japan-exclusive Mercedes-Benz DLC will to coming to their respective regions this summer. Licensed by Mercedes-Benz, the DLC is free and allows the player to drive a Mercedes-Benz themed Kart throughout the game. You can read the full tweets below:

We’re planning to release a GLA-Class kart from @Mercedesbenz for #MK8 this summer. Stay tuned for more info! pic.twitter.com/c5Gp886s7e

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 20, 2014

Mario Kart meets Mercedes-Benz, with a special GLA-class kart, planned to arrive on #MK8 in summer as add-on content! pic.twitter.com/B217WPavvO — Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) June 20, 2014

Aside from being confirmed to be arriving this summer, no specific date has been given. So, what do you all think about this? Would being able to drive a Mercedes-Benz in Mario Kart interest you at all? Does the idea of having sponsored content in your game bother you? We’d love to hear your opinions!

Square Enix has announced another spin-off on the way, titled Final Fantasy Explorers. The 3DS game appears to be an action RPG akin to Monster Hunter, with multiplayer consisting of players using common Final Fantasy job classes.

Last week at E3, I got to see Ashley go hands on with the new Harvest Moon title from Natsume, Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley. I couldn’t really tell you much about it since I’ve never played a Harvest Moon game, but it does look really good. Natsume has taken the Harvest Moon franchise and added an extra layer to it, the Z layer. What I mean is that instead of being trapped in a 2D plane, you’re able to build however you want whether that be left, right, or even straight up.

The trailer for The Lost Valley touts this as something that will allow you to build your valley so that its different from everybody else’s. From what I saw last week, that’s not far from the truth. Check out the trailer and let us know what you think.

If you’re looking to get your hands on some Mario Kart 8 merchandise to celebrate your love of the game, I hope you enjoy Happy Meals! McDonald’s offers a look at the upcoming toys that will be available for its Happy Meal box designed for kids, with one of the next toy sets being Mario Kart 8 racers. You’ll be able to collect Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Toad, Yoshi and Donkey Kong.

These toys aren’t currently available yet but are slated to be one of the upcoming toy releases for the Happy Meal, so you can expect to see them either at the end of June or sometime in July. Expect Nintendo to make quite a fuss about this, since it’s a promotional tool designed to get kids and parents more aware of Mario Kart 8 on Wii U.

Will you be collecting these once they’re released?

One of the very first games I reviewed was Dragon Fantasy Book I for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. To say the least, it was the most fun I had with an RPG in quite some time. The humor that Muteki Corporation brought to the game was a refreshing break from the more serious tone that this genre tends to steer towards as of late. So when I heard that my good friend Adam Rippon was currently working on a 3DS port of the game, I had to know more about this version.

In short: Dragon Fantasy Book I is the best on 3DS for a while. I say a while because the changes that Rippon has made to the game will be coming to the PS3 and PS Vita version in a patch later on. The game makes good use of what the 3DS has to offer and doesn’t let much go to waste. For one thing, the map that’s usually only accessible by pulling it up in game on the other versions now populates the lower touchscreen outside of battle. When you’re in combat, the map is replaced by the battle commands, allowing you to issue orders to your party members.

Speaking of party members, Chapter 1 now supports up to four party members. Previously, Chapter 1 was solely about Ogden’s quest and getting him back into the swing of things. While that aspect of the story remains true, Rippon has taken fan feedback to heart (something I’m glad to see a developer do) and implemented the monster-catching ability that was toyed around with in Chapter M and later became a key part of Dragon Fantasy Book II. Now instead of traveling alone, Ogden can capture monsters to aid him on his quest to save the kingdom.

There are a lot more changes in Dragon Fantasy Book I for the 3DS so please, watch the interview and tell us what you think about the game.

 

Reggie Fils-Aime and Satoru Iwata opened a lot of eyes, pleased a lot of ears and piqued a lot of interests when they revealed Nintendo Amiibos earlier this week. They’re collectible figurines that can be used to beam characters into games like Super Smash Brothers and other upcoming titles from Nintendo. It’s not unlike the Disney Infinity and Skylanders movement that has caught fire as of late.

So what more do we know about these things three days later? For starters, we’ve gotten our first look at retail packaging for the little guys. It’s your standard stuff here: they’re housed in a nice, clear plastic chassis to show off every bit of Nintendo glory and goodness inside of them. This is also the first crop of characters confirmed to be offered as Amiibos. The list, along with Mario, now looks like this:

• Mario
• Kirby
• Pit
• Princess Peach
• Villager
• Pikachu

We imagine that nearly every characters in Super Smash Bros. Wii U will be well-represented as Amiibos by the time the game launches, though that still can’t be confirmed just yet. Wondering how much they’ll be at retail?

Fils-Aime revealed that they’ll be similar in pricing to Skylanders and Disney Infinity, so you can expect them to run you in the range of $10 to $15 (not bad, especially if you’re getting these things more to collect than for purposes of gameplay). Will you be picking up some Amiibo characters of your own? If so, let us know which ones with a quick comment below!

[Update]: We’ve seen seen that Samus, Donkey King, Link, Yoshi and the Wii Fit trainer have all been confirmed. As we said, we expect a lot more to come so don’t be surprised to see this list grow as the week goes on. [Thanks Scott!]

 

[via Neogaf]

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Ever since we started the Google self-driving car project, we’ve been working toward the goal of vehicles that can shoulder the entire burden of driving. Just imagine: You can take a trip downtown at lunchtime without a 20-minute buffer to find parking. Seniors can keep their freedom even if they can’t keep their car keys. And drunk and distracted driving? History.

We’re now exploring what fully self-driving vehicles would look like by building some prototypes; they’ll be designed to operate safely and autonomously without requiring human intervention. They won’t have a steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal… because they don’t need them. Our software and sensors do all the work. The vehicles will be very basic—we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible—but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button. And that's an important step toward improving road safety and transforming mobility for millions of people.

It was inspiring to start with a blank sheet of paper and ask, “What should be different about this kind of vehicle?” We started with the most important thing: safety. They have sensors that remove blind spots, and they can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections. And we’ve capped the speed of these first vehicles at 25 mph. On the inside, we’ve designed for learning, not luxury, so we’re light on creature comforts, but we’ll have two seats (with seatbelts), a space for passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route—and that’s about it.

We’re planning to build about a hundred prototype vehicles, and later this summer, our safety drivers will start testing early versions of these vehicles that have manual controls. If all goes well, we’d like to run a small pilot program here in California in the next couple of years. We’re going to learn a lot from this experience, and if the technology develops as we hope, we’ll work with partners to bring this technology into the world safely.

If you’d like to follow updates about the project and share your thoughts, please join us on our new Google+ page. We’re looking forward to learning more about what passengers want in a vehicle where their number one job is to kick back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

Posted by Chris Urmson, Director, Self-Driving Car Project

It's always been somewhat baffling that Pikmin 3 couldn't use their stylus and the GamePad touch screen to control their little helpers. That appears to have changed, thanks to a new 2.0.0 update that is now live, giving players the option to control their Pikmin with the Wii U GamePad and stylus.

Mobile version of the PS2 game priced at £13.99/€17.99.
Square Enix has released Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King on iOS and Android devices.



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The 3DS puzzle series Pushmo is coming to the Wii U this summer. Nintendo has announced Pushmo World will hit the eShop on June 19 for $9.99. Aside from a hefty helping of new puzzles presented in HD, Pushmo World will introduce an easy sharing hub to make and find user-created puzzles.

Mario Kart 8 is getting an unexpected bit of downloadable content in Japan. The Mercedes Benz GLA will be available this summer for free, as a co-marketing deal between Nintendo and the car manufacturer. No word on whether it will be coming westward, but the Japanese ads look absolutely bonkers.

Link and Impa swing swords and cut clowns.
Nintendo has released a new batch of screenshots of Hyrule Warriors, the upcoming Zelda-themed version of Techmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors series.



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In Game 2 against the Boston Bruins, Thomas Vanek came to life, scoring two goals and wiping away concerns about his play after four straight games without one.

In Game 6 against the Boston Bruins, Thomas Vanek came to life, scoring two goals and wiping away concerns about his play after three straight games without one.

In Game 3 against the New York Rangers … well, we’ll see.

He’s gone three games without a goal, or a point for that matter, skating to a minus-3. His ice time dropped to a playoffs-low 11:41 in Game 2. Coach Michel Therrien then dropped him to the fourth line in practice, skating in a rotation with teammates like Danny Briere.

"In the Boston series, after the first [game] people started getting on him and he had a big game where he scored a couple goals," Briere said. "That's Thomas Vanek -- he can be dangerous at any time, he can come out and hurt you and make a big play. I'm not too worried about him. He seems to get it done when you least expect it."

Well, yeah, that’s the sunny side of Thomas Vanek, owner of hockey's most bipolar offense. He’s also the Adam Dunn of the NHL, one putting one over the fence for every six strikeouts.

That streakiness has defined him but it hasn’t ever crashed his stock, mainly because his highs are so high: Like that 20 points in 19 games for the Islanders from Dec. 20, 2013, through Jan. 25, 2014.

Also high: His salary. Vanek makes $7,142,857 against the cap (thanks Kevin Lowe) and is expected to be seeking as much (depending on term) when he hits the market as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

It used to be that “hits the market” meant “signs with the Minnesota Wild," as a prodigal son (well, at least for college) returns.

But like Vanek’s offense, things can change in an instant. Consider what’s happened to the principals in the last two months:

1. Minnesota Proved It Might Not Need Him

The Wild produced a respectable 2.69 goals per game in the playoffs, totally eclipsing the anemic 1.40 GPG they had in five games under Mike Yeo in the 2013 playoffs. Twenty-eight of their 35 goals came from forwards.

What the Wild learned in the playoffs: The future is bright. Mikael Granlund (22), Charlie Coyle (22), Erik Huala (23) and Nino Niederreiter (21) all landed in the top six goal scorers on the team.

The problem was on the blue line and in goal. As Mick Hatten wrote, in bemoaning a Vanek signing: “It feels like there’s a need for another solid all-around defenseman who can move the puck for the Wild. Call me crazy, but that’s where I’d spend my money in free agency.”

Could they use Vanek’s offense? Any team could. But at what cost to other areas of need, and at what cost to the continued maturation of young offensive stars?

2. Vanek’s Stock Has, in Fact, Dropped

Perhaps the streakiness plays betting in a one-newspaper town like Buffalo or in Long Island obscurity. In Montreal, Vanek is being fitted for goat horns due to his inconsistent play; and more than a few pundits have called him out for having his mind on the money and Minnesota.

Gazette columnist Jack Todd wondered if Vanek was “suffering from a sprained Minnesota and a broken Wild” after Game 2.

Meanwhile, the venerable Eric Duhatschek writes:

When times were good in Montreal, there was some talk that the Canadiens might actually consider bidding for Vanek in free agency. Now, it seems highly unlikely, given what a negligible impact he’s had on their run to the semi-finals. But will Minnesota welcome him now, after making inquiries at the deadline, but ultimately settling for Matt Moulson, because the acquisition cost and the dollars out were more affordable? Moulson wasn’t a great fit in Minnesota and the New York Islanders would do well to try and kiss and make up, after dealing him for Vanek in the first place. Minnesota has the great good fortune of having Dany Heatley’s $7-million cap hit disappear after this season, but committing that money to Vanek, a player of questionable playoff pedigree, seems ill-advised at this stage. The Wild seem to have a good thing going, with the group they’ve assembled now. Sitting out free agency this summer makes the most sense for them.

That “good thing going” could be read a few ways, and one of them is that Vanek might not be the guy you want in that room as a leader of young players.

An inescapable part of the pedigree for Vanek was that drunken mess of an Austrian team that played in Sochi. As Austrian Ice Hockey Federation President Dieter Kalt said: “[Chosing] Vanek as team captain to have an experienced player and this obviously went wrong.”

Oof.

In fairness to Vanek, his struggles in the postseason might have some catalysts. There’s concern he’s injured, as Arthur Staple of Newsday writes:

“He briefly left Game 3 of the Bruins series after teammate P.K. Subban delivered a big hit on Boston's Reilly Smith and leg-whipped Vanek in the chest after the collision. Since that game, Vanek has two goals, but only seven shots on goal in six games.”

Vanek’s also complained about his usage in the playoffs, skating in a more counter-punch, defensive role with Tomas Plekanec’s line. “I think it’s a different role," he said, via the CBC. "We start a lot more in the [defensive] zone. But at this time of the year, it doesn’t matter where you’re at, you just want to be in the lineup and contribute."

(Vanek is starting 35.8 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the defensive zone through 13 games.)

In some ways, Vanek is experiencing what his former Buffalo Sabres teammate Ryan Miller experienced in St. Louis, after his own escape plan from Buffalo was executed. Neither of them were terrible – Vanek had 15 points in 18 regular-season games for Montreal after the Islanders trade, and is tied for the team lead with five playoff goals – but neither of them were the quintessential difference-makers they were acquired to be.

And hence, both of their stocks have fallen as free agents.

Again, it’s the streakiness that’s defined Vanek. One moment he’s the jewel of free agency, the next he’s a hot potato being tossed between St. Paul and Bell Centre. One moment he’s a leading scorer for Montreal, the next he’s skating fourth-line shifts with Brandon Prust.

One moment he’s scoreless in three games.

The next moment he skates into MSG, posts a multi-point game, the Canadiens are back in the series and Vanek’s stardom is lauded.

And no one would be surprised by it.

MORE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS COVERAGE FROM YAHOO SPORTS:

Mario Kart 8 is coming soon, the eighth entry in the long-running series that has been often imitated but never duplicated. Though the core structure is still mostly in place, it introduces quite a few changes that long-time fans and series newcomers might like to know before they take it for a spin. Fortunately, that’s just what we’re here for. Check out some tips below, and read our review for more details.

Earlier this year, Sarepta Studio unveiled a co-op puzzle adventure that let players control a boy and his shadow at the same time, each one interacting with their respective worlds of solid and shade. Shadow Puppeteer was announced as a PC title, but the studio hoped to bring it to consoles at some point. Looks like the Wii U eShop will be the first!

Shadow Puppeteer is described as a cross between Limbo and Little Big Planet. The protagonist witnesses the evil Shadow Puppeteer stealing all the shadows from the village, turning their owners still and silent. The boy's shadow manages to elude the puppeteer, so together they travel across the dark world to put a stop to all that shadowy puppeteering work that's going on.

Shadow Puppeteer is designed as a local two player co-op game. One player controls the boy running around in the regular world of solid things, the other the shadow who can only interact with objects' shadows. Since each one experiences the world in a different way, they have to learn to cooperate to solve environmental puzzles so they can progress.

No release date for either the Wii U or the PC version have been announced. The game's Greenlight campaign has steadily climbed its way to 80%, close enough so that a few more votes will nudge it into future Steam territory.

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Putting a number on the Mario Kart series may have been a mistake. Nothing makes a game franchise feel long in the tooth as a high number at the end. Mario Kart 8 naturally raises the issue of its age, and with it come questions of whether the series is just driving in circles. But while this entry doesn't reinvent the wheel, it shows a playful spirit, refinement, and attention to detail that has been missing in the last few entries.