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Here, we present some of the most striking images around the world this past week.
Multilateralism and global partnership are critical to building a new world order that will ensure people reach the future they desire, agreed the attendees of a top-level international forum in Conghua district of Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Monday.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced on Tuesday it will soon unveil a new round of relief measures, one day after the city recorded its biggest plunge in retail sales.
I just spent a week in Hong Kong, and luckily, it was peaceful. Radical protesters had called off violence for the previous weekend in order to "ensure" that the District Council elections would not be canceled. As a result, things were normal on the ground. However, as has been typical for the past few months, in the following weekend, things quickly sparked up again.
The government's proposal to create an Independent Review Committee to find why and how the violent protests happened and what to do in their aftermath would be a step in the right direction if Hong Kong is to move on, Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Chairman Allan Zeman said.
Although sentencing is an art and not a science, there are occasions when the duty of the courts is crystal clear. Public disorder is an obvious example of the type of criminality which invariably requires a firm response. As the Court of Final Appeal explained in its judgment in an unlawful assembly appeal in 2018, "public order must be maintained", and this requires the judges "to consider the factor of deterrence in sentencing" (FACC 8/2017).
Civil servants convicted of criminal offenses will face not only the legal consequences but also disciplinary action from the government, Hong Kong's civil servant chief said on Wednesday.
A United States senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, has pushed and prodded his colleagues with misleading information, gained bipartisan support, and finally managed to obtain unanimous Senate approval of his benignly named Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019.
The pro-establishment camp's defeat in the District Council Election is not entirely unexpected. Notwithstanding the common-sense presumption that most Hong Kong citizens are opposed to the street violence, property destruction and transportation disruption wreaked upon our once-safe and orderly society by the "blackshirts" in the past six months, there was a reliable opinion survey before the election showing that 40 percent of the citizens actually support their anarchy! With such deviant thinking, what can you expect!
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government should make no further concessions to violence, but must resist it with all the means at its disposal, the city's former director of public prosecutions said on Tuesday at a legal forum on the ongoing social unrest in Hong Kong.
On Wednesday, both houses of the United States Congress passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act - a bill designed to implement sanctions on officials and rescind the city's "special status" if Washington deems certain requirements are not met. Sponsored and pushed by hawkish senators such as Marco Rubio, the bill is expected to be signed by President Donald Trump, despite his personal ambivalence and unwillingness to get involved on the issue. The legislation is expected to cause disruption to US-China relations, with Beijing condemning it as a violation of national sovereignty and intervention in its internal affairs.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
MADRID - Cristiano Ronaldo set yet another Champions League record on Wednesday, scoring in Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund to become the first player to find the net in all six group-stage matches.
CAIRO - Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the US rescind President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as "occupation" and the violation of international law.
CAIRO - Arab foreign ministers on Sunday demanded that the US rescind President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, calling it a "grave" development that puts Washington on the same side as "occupation" and the violation of international law.
The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has set the guideline for China's development and renewed its commitment to an open economy, which has great significance for the world, China's top publicity official said on Thursday.
China's national internet platform featuring information about lost or stolen cultural relics went online on Thursday in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province.
The number of Chinese students taking advantage of an Optional Practical Training (OPT) program in the United States, has seen growth for seven straight years, according to a report released on Tuesday.
President Xi Jinping attended the grand opening ceremony of the Vietnam-China Friendship Palace, which was built with Chinese assistance, in the middle of a new district of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on Sunday.
China's Belt and Road Initiative is expected to tighten connections between Asia-Pacific economies and explore new growth engines in supporting a more open regional market, according to officials and experts at the 25th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam.
China and Vietnam signed documents to boost cooperation in such areas as the economy, investment, finance and cultural exchanges on Sunday during President Xi Jinping's state visit to the neighboring country.
Fortnite fans rejoiced when Epic not only announced that Aloy of Horizon Zero Dawn fame would bejoining the game, but would also team up with Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft in a special mode. The straightforwardly named “Team Up! Aloy & Lara Limited Time Mode”, was supposed to go live today but some technical setbacks have forced Epic to push it back a few days.
This team-up is a special duos mode where two players are outfitted in Aloy and Lara Croft skins and will only have the bow/dual pistols at their disposal. Unfortunately, the Fortnite Status Twitter account sent a message acknowledging that the mode was not appearing in some versions of the game. The support page doesn’t cite a specific cause, but whatever the issue appears to be severe because Epic has disabled the mode and moved its launch to April 19.
The Team Up! Aloy & Lara LTM has been temporarily disabled until the mode is up on all platforms. This mode will now begin its run starting the week of April 19. Stay tuned for an update on when players can jump in. pic.twitter.com/3aFUrjTU9T
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) April 16, 2021
Although players won’t get to throw down as a tag-team of two of gaming’s most popular icons,PC Gamer reports that players can still purchase the Aloy bundle. It includes the Aloy outfit, Glinthawk Glider, the Aloy the Skywatcher loading screen, and other goodies (that can also be bought individually). So if nothing else, you’ll still get to run around the island as Aloy which is pretty cool in itself.
All of this is a part ofFortnite Chapter 2, Season 6 which is themed around hunters. New additions have included the aforementioned Miss Croft as well as animal predators such asvelociraptorsbecause hey, why not? Fortnite has proven it can get away with doing anything it wants at this point, which, and least for me, makes it a very interesting game to keep an eye on even if I’m not actually playing it very much.
Have you enjoyed Fortnite Season 6 and are you bummed about the delay of Team Up! Aloy & Lara LTM? Let us know in the comments!
[Source:PC Gamer]
Lego launched its Super Mario line of sets in 2020, delivering fun kits including Whomp, Toad, King Boo, Bowser, and more. While the full line features a wide range of characters from the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond, Mario's ever-present brother is conspicuously absent. However, a recent firmware update for the Lego Super Mario figure seems to drop a hint that more figures and sets, including Luigi are on the way.
According to a video posted by Twitter user Jay Phoenix, the Super Mario figure has a new voice line where he calls out to his missing brother. You can see the somewhat haunting video in the embedded tweet below.
So, was fiddling about with LEGO Mario for the first time in ages cos of that new treasure hunt update and pic.twitter.com/Ztk44ZAY3G
— Jay Phoenix (@AyliffeMakit) April 15, 2021
While that video could be written off as a mod or some kind of hack, Lego seems to confirm the new voice line seemingly unprompted in a way to indicates that Luigi could very well be on the way. In response to a Facebook user talking about how her child has started resorting to putting Mario's pants on Bowser Jr. to create his own version of Luigi, Lego was rather coy in its response. "Now that's a very creative way to get his missing brother," Lego said in the Facebook comment thread. "We did notice that LEGO Mario has started calling for him, we're looking into it and hope to have clarity on why this is soon. Stay tuned! "
The voice line was snuck in as a part of a new update that added a new treasure hunt challenge to the Super Mario set. Using the Super Mario Lego figure, players can search levels they've built for hidden rewards and collect as many coins as possible. The Lego Super Mario set launched on August 1, 2020. We don't currently know when Luigi and other sets are planned to be introduced, but with a tease like this, it can't be far off.
[Source: Jay Phoenix on Twitter, Lego on Facebook via Eurogamer]
When The Elder Scrolls Online first released, the MMORPG was met with a very lukewarm reception. The vanilla game seemingly took forever before the story kicked off, and even then, it struggled with pacing issues. Since then, numerous expansions have been released, effectively building a wildly enjoyable Elder Scrolls experience. That trend of engaging content continues in Oblivion with the Blackwood expansion, set 800 years before the events of its single-player counterpart.
As a massive RPG lover, one feature I enjoy is romance. The introduction of this type of feature in an RPG setting adds yet another layer of immersion to the story, especially for those like myself that thrive on building entire character sheets for their journeys. While The Elder Scrolls Online experience doesn't have that quite yet, Blackwood does introduce companions. Even better? Creative Director Rich Lambert confirmed to me earlier this year that the addition of companions is to lay the groundwork for possible romance ahead. "Down the line, romance is definitely somewhere we want to get to," he told Game Informer. "We just want to make sure when we add it that we do it right."
Knowing that, I was eager to learn more about the companions within Blackwood and I couldn't wait to get started on this new expansion. Returning to Tamriel for this new chapter, Blackwood has around 30 hours of new narrative content to explore. It also offers new dungeons, side quests, bosses, and other miscellaneous additions to the newly added zone. In true expansion format, the next step for The Elder Scrolls Online will release in waves, including new chapters, PvE instances, and more. For our hands-on preview, I was able to take on the new story and the new world events as well. These world events operate similarly to the Abyssal Geysers from the Summerset DLC and all previous additions throughout each expansion's release. They are pretty straightforward, acting as additional challenges to gain XP and earn loot. For Blackwood, these special events come in the form of Oblivion portals, which is fitting with the Deadlands being a major focus.
The new area that Blackwood opens into is the Leyawiin, an Imperial City. It wasn't really anything special, nothing like Summerset where the zone looked completely unlike anything else. However, it wasn't unenjoyable. The city's setup is pretty standard from what you'd expect from an Elder Scrolls game, but what did make it stand out was the NPCs. God, some of them were so annoying. Many of the NPCs encountered were haughty and frigid, meant to make you feel like you were beneath them. I'm not going to lie; there were times where I wanted to punch those types of characters in the face, but they weren't all bad. More than that, each character was voiced to perfection. Whether annoying or not, every NPC was fully realized, which made falling into this story feel more organic, and it drove me to want to talk to everyone that I could and scoop up every questline that I could spot.
So what about the companion system? Look, if you don't have an annoying follower that doesn't bug you incessantly, did you really play an Elder Scrolls game? Having a companion in this game is a major game-changer and one that I can't wait to see evolve. For now, there are two companions we get to meet with Blackwood: Bastian and Mirri. "Bastian is kind of this chivalrous Knight kind of personality," Lambert told me earlier this year. "And he was the son of a noble; there was a little bit of strife with his history that you'll learn more about while adventuring with him. He became a servant to another noble family and is essentially being the protector of this rich sniveling idiot. The questline that you go through to unlock him as a companion covers one of those adventures. And then once you unlock him, you find out a little bit more about who he is and what his personal tragedy is."
On the other hand, Mirri is a Dunmer thief who Lambert describes as having a "stab you in the back" kind of personality. Lambert mentioned that she has an interesting twist in her storyline, but wasn't willing to tell me more no matter how much I was intrigued to hear everything.
What's even better is that these aren't just pretty faces; they are fully upgradable. Additionally, their inclusion is a massive boon for those that like to play solo. With the new dungeons and PvE instances, running this game solo can be done, but it can also be incredibly frustrating. Companions can be specced out to the fighting style of your choice, which makes running solo a little easier to manage and more enjoyable to do.
To get these companions, you've got to complete their questlines for them to be classified as "allies." Mirri was hands down my favorite. There are parts in her writing that almost reminded me of Isabella from Dragon Age 2 with her sassy humor and take-no-s**t demeanor. When playing through what Blackwood has to offer, I genuinely found myself captivated by what both of these characters would have to bring to the RPG aspect of this MMORPG, though I definitely gravitated to her the most because of her strong personality and wit.
But there is more to this expansion than just the NPCs and new companions. Upon leaving the city, the true beauty of the new zone shines. The area surrounding the inner city is beyond stunning, filled with greenery and playful wildlife that was genuinely fun to explore. There were many times when I would be making my way to a new quest area, only to stop and just mindlessly explore a little bit. Plus, you've gotta climb those mountains incorrectly; this IS an Elder Scrolls game, after all.
As beautiful as the surrounding area is, and as excited as I am to learn about how Mehrunes Dagon rose to power with his cult followers, there was one thought that followed me around during my entire progression: I've been here before. I loved the Elsywer, Greymoor, and Summerset expansions because each one felt vastly unique from one another. Every time I dove into a new DLC, it felt like I was both returning to an enjoyable game and enjoying a new one at the same time. The city of Leyawiin felt too similar to the base game to feel new, which - unfortunately - colored how I saw all of the interactions. With Greymoor, we had Vampire Bae Fennorian. With Morrowind, we had the Warden class and familiar areas from Skyrim. With Summerset, we had the Psijic order to learn from and explore. With Blackwood, I didn't feel that same impact. It felt like a much smaller update, and that's not something you want to feel when diving into a new storyline.
Click here to watch embedded mediaI'm interested in seeing where this new journey goes, especially with the promise that more companions will be coming later. Each step of this ongoing Elder Scrolls journey has shed a new perspective on the games we love, especially Skyrim and Morrowind. I'm eager to see Oblivion through a new lens as well, and Blackwood is poised to be that fresh perspective. My only concern is that the setting itself may not be enough on its own to separate itself from previous iterations. However, the companion addition does change the game feel in a positive way. Between that and future updates that will come in true expansion style for The Elder Scrolls Online, including new chapters and narrative branches, I feel like Blackwood could truly evolve into something special as more content rolls out.
For those interested in checking out the origins of Mehrunes Dagon and the history of Oblivion, Elder Scrolls Online Blackwood arrives on June 1 for PC and Stadia players, with a June 8 release on Xbox and PlayStation. For those with a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Series X, June 8 is also slated for a free upgrade for next-gen systems.
MLB The Show 21's stadiums are at full capacity with fans basking in the summer sun and eating hot dogs as they cheer on the home team. It's a vision of a pandemic-free world, something we all desperately hope to return to. This ideal scenario vanishes when the final out is recorded and the players retreat to their dugouts. The socially-distanced reality many of us live in now comes roaring back into perspective, and is a big part of MLB's presentation, right down to video conferences being conducted in living rooms with some participants having audio issues.
All of the post-game commentary is presented through podcast videos of former MLB superstars, MLB Network analysts, and The Show team members talking about your performance. As they deliver engaging conversations, you get a view into their homes and will see just how much they invested in their audio and video setups as they talk. It's a surreal experience to take in, but it's also successful. I have watched every one, and feel like these videos (that have differing levels of quality depending on who is speaking) do a nice job of carrying the narrative forward, especially for Road to the Show, which I am loving out of the gate. Note: I'm playing the game on PlayStation 5, but will also be looking at the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 4 versions over the course of my review.
I'm only a month into my RttS season, but being able to be a two-way player (pitcher and position player) gives you the best of the entire sport. I play first base every four days and pitch on the fifth. As I try to make my way out of Double A to the Major Leagues, I'm using the new pinpoint pitching system, which, while delivering plenty of gameplay in its different analog movements and timing for each pitch, has been a struggle. I walked five batters in my first game, and four in the next, leading to a bloated ERA of over 6.00. While I like the challenge, I don't feel like I'm missing by much (given the 90-94 percent accuracy marks I'm often getting), yet my pitches float well out of the zone. I'm going to stick with it for a bit, and try it in other modes, but I may default back to the excellent (and proven) timing system.
Road to the Show's challenges and clubhouse approach are mostly unchanged, sans faster loads and even cleaner menus. It's still a fun playthrough, especially knowing my Road the Show character can float over to Diamond Dynasty, another mode that I briefly checked out.
The card collecting element is as prominent as ever in Diamond Dynasty, as are the number of avenue of plays. Before I even stepped on the field, my roster seemed more formidable than in the past, and the game threw a bunch of Cubs (the team I noted as my favorite) my way in the first packs I opened, one of which was tied to the Diamond Dynasty tutorial. Again, the interface for this mode is fantastic and the reduced load times on PS5 shuttle you along from challenge to challenge or game to game quickly.
I still have days of playing ahead of me, but I can already say that MLB The Show 21 is a hell of a game. The first impression it makes is strong, and it looks absolutely stunning. The lighting, fluidity of animations, sharpness of picture; it screams of quality. The Show is obviously the best baseball game out there each year, but it has also long been one of the best sports series, period. From what I've played thus far, this entry upholds that legacy in fun, inventive, and deep ways.
The March U.S. NPD sales number are in and continues to trend with Nintendo Switch being the best-selling hardware platform both in units and dollars, Call of Duty's return to the top spot for games, and PS5 coming in shattering U.S. fastest-selling console records.
NPD analyst Mat Piscatella broke down March U.S. sales, going over spending trends across key areas of the market, including accessories, content, and hardware. The month of March saw a record of $5.6 billion across the board, which is an 18 percent increase from the year before. The ongoing pandemic and work-from-home orders are an attributing factor, as well as a new generation of systems becoming available in sporadic waves.
US NPD Spend Trend - Monthly sales are now comparable to year ago periods that were impacted by pandemic-driven consumer spending increases. March 2021 gains in hardware, accessory and content sales (particularly Mobile) pushed the market to growth despite the elevated comp. pic.twitter.com/qVBHSLByie
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) April 16, 2021
He notes that hardware dollar sales are also on the rise, seeing an increase of 47 percent over the last year with a record of $680 million. The year-to-date hardware sales revealed in the most recent NPD report shows a total of $1.4 billion, which is a hike of 81 percent when looking at the previous year.
Nintendo, once again, dominated sales with the Switch platform as the best-selling hardware platform both in terms of dollar and unit sales. That being said, the PS5 is the fastest-selling console in U.S. history, both in units and dollars. It's important to note that this does include scalpers that use bots to mass order units in bulk.
Despite a small reprieve, Call of Duty is once more the best-selling game in the U.S. with Black Ops Cold War, with Monster Hunter: Rise coming in at the number two spot (number one on Switch). Outriders follows up, ranking the number three spot on both Xbox and PlayStation. Outriders was also a day one addition to the Xbox Game Pass.
US NPD SW - March 2021 Top 20 Sellers pic.twitter.com/JC6AQdilpN
— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) April 16, 2021
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales also dethroned both The Last of Us Part II and Ghost of Tsushima on the PlayStation side, with Mortal Kombat 11 rounding out the 10th spot.
To see the full list of sales data from NPD, including by platform and yearly comparisons, you can check out the full thread right here to learn more.
Are you surprised by the March NPD data regarding video game sales? Weigh in with those analytic thoughts in the comment section below.
Player housing is always a hot topic in games, and it's finally coming to Genshin Impact on April 28th with the launch of the Beneath the Light of Jadeite update. Genshin Impact continues to push out content at a steady clip for the game as players continue to hungrily await news on Inazuma, the giant third region. Let's check out the trailer, as it contains a ton to look at.
Click here to watch embedded mediaFirst, let's talk about player housing. Players get their own special item called the Serenitea Pot. Inside the magic teapot is your very own home realm, where you can decorate with numerous styles both indoors and outdoors. You can discover blueprints via various activities all over Teyvat. Out of all the updates (well, excluding any news on Inazuma) that could be coming to Genshin, this is the most exciting to me. Player housing can be a tricky beast to balance and make interesting for players, but the model of encouraging other gameplay activities to bring back special things to work on seems compelling. We'll have to see how it actually turns out once we get a chance to play around with it!
This update also marks the PlayStation 5 version of the game, so if you've been lucky enough to obtain one of the new consoles, you can enjoy some serious enhancements on console. Big Genshin patches often come with new characters, and this one is no exception. Players can pick up Eula and Yanfei in this update. Eula is a five-star claymore wielding cryo element master of area-of-effect damage, able to slog through the most intense battles and chew through multiple enemies with ease. Yanfei as a four-star will likely be easier to accumulate some copies of, and is a catalyst wielding pyro user.
However, there aren't just new friends to find and old friends to spend quality time with in the Light of Jadeite. A new Trounce Domain boss, Azhdaha, will confer weekly rewards to those that can beat him. Like other weekly bosses like the big wolf, these rewards are often quite substantial and worth battling for. Azhdaha can alter terrain during the fight, so it probably contains some interesting multi-phase mechanics! Cryo Hypostatis is also joining the standard boss lineup, and can be found in Dragonspine.
Finally, Genshin Impact has also revealed some concept art for Inazuma, which fans have been craving since the game launched. I'll let you decide for yourself if this new region looks awesome.
Do you play Genshin Impact? Are you going to be pulling for the new five-star character? What do you think about player housing? Let us know in the comments!
Our latest issue contains a studio profile on Supergiant Games – a small independent group of developers that keeps surprising us with inventive ways to tell meaningful stories punctuated by stellar gameplay. To celebrate the studio, we’re going to be posting the stories behind the games as told to us by the team who created them. Today, we’re starting with Supergiant’s formation to create its debut game: Bastion.
Bastion is approaching its 10-year anniversary this July, and it was the beginning of everything for Supergiant. The narrated action/RPG not only helped establish the studio, but set the standard for what we’d come to expect in terms of art, music, narrative, and gameplay – especially the way all these elements combine to create impact in Supergiant’s games. The journey to getting Bastion off the ground wasn't easy, and it took a team of talented individuals believing in themselves and each other to turn it into the success we know it as today. This is the story of how “the Kid” came to be and changed the lives of a young group of developers forever.
Sometimes the stars align, bringing us together with the right people at the right time. When Supergiant co-founder and studio director Amir Rao took a job at Electronic Arts, it led him to meeting two key players on the Supergiant Games roster: Gavin Simon and Greg Kasavin. The trio worked together on the Command & Conquer franchise, quickly forming close friendships and learning each other’s talents and how they complement one another.
Around 2008, they all were playing games like World of Goo, Braid, Castle Crashers, and Plants vs. Zombies. “It was really inspiring,” says creative director Greg Kasavin. “These games were made by just a handful of people, but they’re really well-crafted and just more interesting in a lot of ways than what was happening then in the big triple-A space. That’s when we started thinking, ‘What would we do if we could ever do something like this?’
As ideas percolated, Rao turned to his dad for guidance. “My dad was encouraging me to start a company as well, because he felt I was young enough that if it didn’t work out, I could always try to find a job again,” he says. “And so, he let us work out of his house and we formed Supergiant Games in 2009.”
Their primary office? The living room, which is where they made the entirety of Bastion, Supergiant’s debut game. Both Rao and Simon quit their jobs at EA and got to work, officially becoming co-founders of Supergiant Games. “I didn’t really even sit down and think about or weigh the pros and cons about, ‘Is this a good idea or not?” says development director Gavin Simon. “It’s just like, ‘This is what’s going to happen and I’ve no idea how it will go.’ [Making my own game] is just what I always wanted to do.”
The duo soon recruited their third member through another friend connection. Alex Ahad, best known for his work on Skullgirls, knew Rao’s best friend from high school. When Rao said they were looking for an artist, Ahad thought of his co-worker who he happened to sit in the cubicle across from: Jen Zee
Zee, who knew she wanted to be an artist ever since seeing Tetsuya Nomura’s character art for Final Fantasy VII in a video game magazine, calls the timing “serendipitous” as she was starting to think more about where she could grow as an artist. Gaia Online was her professional gig and she was mostly focusing on environmental work. She was ready for a change of pace and more responsibility.
Before landing as Supergiant’s art director, Zee came on as a three-month contractor while she continued her day job. “The first thing she drew was the Bastion,” Rao recalls. “And it was so good that we immediately asked if she would quit her job and join us.” Zee knew it was a risk, but she was willing to take it. “We all know the statistics around the failures of startups,” Zee says. “I was young and didn’t have children. I remember calling my dad and he said, ‘You don’t really have a lot to lose right now.’”
From there, Rao’s connections only brought in more talent. He went back to Kasavin for the role of creative director. Kasavin was now at 2K Games, but was ready to quit his job there for his dream position – even if it meant asking his family for financial help for the first time since high school. “I'd never written a story for a game before … but I wanted to do it for so long,” Kasavin says. “It took Amir [Rao] and Gavin [Simon] knowing me and believing in me to fill that role on the team. But that's not a job I ever could have applied for and gotten at another studio; I just would have had nothing much to show for myself. And that's one of the catch 22s of the game industry. Every position requires having prior experience, so how do you get the prior experience until you have the job?”
Rao continued to believe in his friends’ abilities to fill the essential roles. Next, he went to his former roommate Andrew Wang, who he interned with at EA Orlando, for the role of technical director. At the time, Wang was working at Infinity Ward on the Call of Duty franchise, but he was ready to move on. “I’ve always wanted to do something with some of the more autonomy and responsibility that comes with the smaller company,” he says. “That was one of the big things that drove me in that direction from the beginning. I always knew that my stay at Infinity Ward was going to be limited and I wasn't going to be like a lifer on the Call of Duty series.”
Most of Supergiant’s team members came from Rao’s industry contacts, but the last two were his childhood friends; Darren Korb and Logan Cunningham do music and voice work, respectively. Rao met Cunningham in youth soccer, and Rao had been playing Dungeons & Dragons with Korb since elementary school. Fun fact: they still play together to this day.
Neither Korb nor Cunningham had ever worked in games, but Rao wasn’t worried about their experience. “I would say, at the time, it did not seem like a leap of faith,” Rao says. “For me, it was a no-brainer to call Darren [Korb] when I needed music and sound on a game, partially because I actually worked on some projects in college and Darren and Logan provided voiceover and music. So, when I ran into the same problem again with music and sound, I called Darren.”
There’s an old adage that you shouldn’t work with friends, but Rao says it’s part of what makes Supergiant work: “When things get hard, and they will get hard, having a friend there is really amazing, right?”
These seven original members who helped bring Bastion to life are still with the studio today, and have worked together to shape all four of its games. But back when Bastion was in development, none of them knew if Supergiant would have the opportunity to make more games. “We gave Bastion everything we had,” Kasavin says. “We were able to make this personal experience and put ourselves into our work.” In Bastion, your journey as the Kid is narrated as you attempt to rebuild a world reeling from the apocalyptic Calamity.
The team recalls having an exciting energy around doing something new and on their own – even if they knew it was a risky venture. “Everything felt like it came together so fast,” Rao says. “The game was made in less than two years, but the first year was just like, ‘What the hell are we even doing?’” adds Kasavin.
Bastion started with Rao and Simon just passing ideas back and forth and taking scans out of D&D books to use as placeholders. Rao was a huge Diablo II fan and Simon loved The Legend of Zelda series, so the pair wanted to make something that was a cross between their favorite games. “We just talked about games and games we loved,” Simon says. “We just seemed to have a lot of the same thoughts and interests about everything and it rolled forward from there.”
Things really picked up when Zee joined and got straight to producing assets. “There was no pre-production on Bastion,” Kasavin says. “It was ironic to us, because it was a game that was celebrated for its artwork, and people would be like, ‘Oh, do you have an art book? I’d love to see an early concept of all this stuff.’ But almost everything [Zee] did went straight into the game.”
After working at a company where she needed constant approvals, Zee welcomed the challenge. “The feeling that you have ownership and accountability over the entire process is super empowering,” she says. “It’s also very scary, but right off the bat, I was given so much ownership. It was just really nice, and it was very clear we just needed to get stuff done.”
For composer and audio director Darren Korb, learning the process took some time. “For me, an effective way to learn something is to just jump in,” he says. “It quickly became apparent that what I thought might work [wouldn’t]. For instance, I was trying to do something ultra-realistic at first. It’s just like, ‘Well, what does it sound like when you hit a box with a hammer?’ And it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s not the thing you want it to sound like in a video game.’”
When Korb finally got down to creating the music, one thing that Rao said really informed his direction. “Something that stuck with me early was when Amir mentioned what the tone of the game was going to be and said, ‘What if Cormac McCarthy made a fantasy video game?’”
From there, details would trickle in about the atmosphere and the different areas the game would include, like ruined societies and frontiers, and Korb would go off those few details to create a soundtrack that pulled you into the world. Korb says he thinks it helped that from the beginning, Supergiant put equal emphasis on music as a vital component of the game and its role in driving the experience. “I don't believe a lot of studios have that same approach,” Korb says. “But it doesn't seem totally outlandish that all of the different aspects of [game development] are of equal importance to create the sum total of the thing. I think the fact we feel that [the soundtrack] is a critical part of the experience [helps].”
After a fantastic unveiling at PAX 2010 (where the team literally only had 20 minutes of the game made), Bastion debuted on Xbox Live Arcade in July 2011. The action/RPG was met with good reviews and sold decently. Our own Matt Miller noted in this review how all the parts come together to create a memorable experience: “As the well-written narration, excellent music, and bright visuals draw you in, the game feels like a storybook in which you control the outcome,” he wrote.
While the game received plenty of praise, it took time to gain momentum. “I feel like people tend to forget Bastion was not a hit immediately,” says principal voice actor Logan Cunningham. “It took some time for people to take notice. But it was huge for me immediately, because it allowed me to leave my day job at a movie theater. I could just focus 100-percent on being an actor.”
Bastion hit PC the following month, but Kasavin said its success “crept up” on the team and only became clear toward the end of the year. “We figured, it’s a single-player game,” he says. “It’ll maybe get talked about for a couple of weeks, and then it will just fall by the wayside. But people kept talking about it.”
Successful sales and end-of-year award nominations brought Bastion to a new level of profitability. “It was really unexpected, and went against the common wisdom where you take your first month’s sales and multiply it by three and that’s how you estimate your lifetime sales,” Kasavin says. “Nevertheless, it did become fairly clear we’re going to be able to stick around with a small team and start paying ourselves livable wages.”
It also allowed the team to move out of Rao’s living room. Bastion proved the team had a special creative synergy, and Supergiant wanted to see what else it could do with that. Their newfound success also brought unexpected challenges. The studio never planned beyond Bastion, and figuring out the next steps took time, especially with more at stake than ever before. “We had nothing to lose [with Bastion],” Rao says. “But suddenly we had a team that was worth keeping, a studio, and a lease.”
Tune in Tuesday (April 20) for the story behind Transistorand how it challenged the team in more ways than they were expecting.
The fourth and final season of Netflix's Castlevaniaarrives next month, and while we did get a poster earlier this week, fans have been clamoring for a trailer to see what's next. Netflix has obliged, and we've got our first look at what Castlevania season 4, the show's final season, has in store for vampire-loving fans.
The @NXOnNetflix account took to Twitter to share our first look. While just a teaser, the accompanying text bodes well for an explosive series finale. The video begins, saying, "The whole world's gone crazy. Targoviste, this is where it all started." Carmilla can be heard following the pleas for help to "save our souls," adding, "I am Carmilla of Styria. I am going to take everything from everybody."
This is where it all started. The final season of Castlevania arrives May 13. pic.twitter.com/sLqWjJxjoA
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) April 16, 2021
The teaser trailer teases major schemes for the 10-episode fourth and final season of the animated adaptation of the hit Konami franchise. The final step of this ongoing adventure is set to arrive on the streaming service on May 13. Also worth noting in a new report from Deadline, writer Nellie Andreeva also added that they have heard that Netflix is "eyeing a new series set in the same Castlevania universe with an entirely new cast of characters."
The Castlevania Netflix adaptation first made its debut back in 2017, and the reception was overwhelmingly positive. Fans loved the animated take so much that the second season was received in an even more positive light, netting a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
There have been some shakeups behind the scenes in the last year. Writer and executive producer Warren Ellis was accused of several instances of sexual misconduct allegations, which he denied. According to Deadline, Ellis has not been a part of any talk surrounding a continuation of the Castlevania series space with a possible spinoff.
What are your takes on the Netflix Castlevania series? Any particular hopes regarding the final season? Sound off with your vampire-hunting thoughts in the comment section below!
Wasteland 3 is getting its first narrative expansion this June. The Battle of Steeltown sends players back to Colorado to take on a new threat while enjoying a suite of features designed to freshen up the experience.
The story centers on rangers being sent to the factory complex of Steeltown on behalf of the Patriarch. The town is responsible for manufacturing the technology and equipment that powers the region, but production has been disrupted. Upon your arrival to the factory you discover its mired in chaos such as constant bandit raids, worker strikes, and other problems. Your job: fix this mess before Steeltown collapses for good. Check out the announcement trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe expansion features new quests as well as fresh enemies to tackle either alone or with a friend in co-op. Added features like telegraphed attacks, stacking status effects, non-lethal weapons, and elemental shields add new wrinkles to combat, as does revamped arsenal of weapons and armor. The introduction of combat and gear scaling means enemies will now keep pace with players whether it's their first or fifth time taking on Steeltown.
Game director David Rodgers said in a press release “The Battle of Steeltown represents not just a fantastic new chapter in Wasteland 3’s story, full of choice, consequence, and Wasteland 3’s unique brand of humor, it’s also a culmination of all the hard work we’ve put into the game since launch For those playing Wasteland 3 for the first time they’ll be playing the best version of the game. For players coming back to visit Steeltown they're in for a treat with new story, characters, and combat mechanics that really change up tactics in challenging new ways. They’ll also see characters and stories they started in the base game make an appearance, with new interactions for everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed parrot, Santa’s Elves “Where Are They Now?” and more. All of this is complemented with incredible new post-apoc music.”
If you’ve been itching to jump back into Wasteland 3, The Battle of Steeltown launches June 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC for $13.99. Xbox Game Pass subscribers get a 10% discount on the expansion as well.
For more on Wasteland 3, check out our review of the base gamehere.
Are you looking forward to hopping back into Wasteland 3? Let us know in the comments!
Back in April 2018, Quantic Dream, the studio behind games like Detroit: Become Human and Heavy Rain, sued French newspaper Le Monde and the website Mediapart over a report that went public back in January 2018 regarding allegations about the work environment. These allegations put the studio under heavy fire given the nature of the report, including accusations of abuse, racism, homophobia, and sexism. A recent statement has been released to the public as part of a document that includes the "conclusion of court decisions" that arrived earlier this week.
In the blog post, the official statement includes a timestamp of April 7, 2021, where the Paris Court of Appeals issued the latest court decision, effectively dismissing the plaintiff's claims. While this does not dismiss the claims of those that came forward about their experience while with the studio in terms of their own dealings, it does dismiss said claims legally.
“These accusations, formally denied by the company, its managers, its Staff Representatives, and its employees, and contradicted by the reality of objectively verifiable facts, seriously damaged the honor and reputation of the studio,” Quantic Dream said.
These objective, factual and verifiable elements, confirmed by the competent judicial or administrative institutions, show indisputably that the allegations contained in these articles were untrue and likely to damage the studio’s honor and reputation. Quantic Dream has chosen to make these elements public today in order to set the record straight.In the statement, Quantic details that the latest decision comes on the heel of three previous rulings, all of which reportedly "invalidated" all previous claims against the studio. You can read the full statement regarding those proceedings here.
One aspect of previous rulings included over 600 digital images that were photoshopped, depicting various members of the staff wearing Nazi uniforms or in various sexually precarious situations. One former employee cited that the culture reflected in the photoshopped images was a primary reason for their departure.
Upon further review, the Paris Court of Appeals issued the ruling that these images were not classified as "homophobic, racist, or degrading" towards the plaintiff in this case. The decision also cited that there was no reported correlation between the images that went public and the employee that has since left the studio. This judgment that followed ordered the employee to pay a total of €10,138 to the Quantic Dream for retribution.
When the media coverage of these events first began, David Cage pushed back, claiming that all allegations against the studio - especially regarding racism and homophobia - were "ridiculous, absurd, and grotesque."
Despite the ruling, there is still a bigger conversationhappening regarding the past several years centering around Quantic Dream and what the heart of the work culture is truly like. It is also important to note that the most recent ruling did not address the larger picture of the reported toxic work culture at the studio. For now, Quantic Dream has issued its presumably final statement regarding the matter and has since been legally absolved of any responsibility regarding the various allegations against it.
Are you ready for more Bloodborne? Of course you are! Today, we're getting started a little later than usual, by about an hour. We've got to sharpen our blades and get our silver bullets ready! So join us for part six of the Bloodborne Super Replay today at 3 PM CT!
Are you ready for a chilling thrill ride through FromSoftware's masterpiece? Bloodborne is a dark horror action/RPG that tasks the player with navigating through haunted streets full of werewolves and shuffling, shambling ghouls – and that's just the first hour. Bloodborne showcases immaculate environments dripping with atmosphere, creative and cruel monster designs, and terrors ripped from the great beyond. And we're going to play through it! Super Replay, the legendary Game Informer series that pairs pro players with even more professional commentary, is back.
Click here to watch embedded mediaAs the flagship revival title, Bloodborne is going to be live and uncut every Friday at 2 PM CST. So won't you come join us for a blood-tinged brawl? How many times will I choke during boss fights? Will I even remember how to use the parry guns? (Probably not).
But I have faith that together, we will make it through, even if that includes farming up a mess of blood vials to get past a grotesque pig and other creatures of the night. This is a raw, organic playthrough at its finest, as I haven't really touched the game since my second playthrough of The Old Hunters shortly after it launched. In short, it's the perfect way to bring all the fun and intensity of the Super Replay directly into your eyeballs, shot live and beamed into reality via livestream.
"Bloodborne is a blood-drenched horror gem that has only the faintest of cracks in its façade. Bloodborne succeeds through sparse storytelling, lush atmospheres (conjuring up notions of the best of Lovecraft’s work), and tight combat that forces you to be aggressive," I said in my Game Informer review. "While this new IP doesn’t stray far from the established Souls franchise, it is a magical, wondrous work that admirably instills both terror and triumph in those brave enough to delve into it."
Checkout the entire Replay series here and get started with the Bloodborne run in epic fashion here.
Do you like Super Replay? Are you glad to see it back? What other games would you like to see featured in the future? Let us know in the comments!
With Microsoft and Sony both making some wildly major power moves regarding acquisitions for a new generation of gaming, all studios are seemingly up for grabs when it comes to the rumor mill. Earlier this week, Bloomberg Japan published a report that Square Enix was in talks with "multiple potential buyers," and the company itself immediately turned around and shot it down.
Square Enix kicked today off with a firm statement against the rumors that spread fairly quickly, saying, "Bloomberg has reported today that there is interest from several buyers to acquire Square Enix. However, this report is not based on any announcement by Square Enix Holdings Co. LTD. We do no considering selling off the company or any part of its businesses, nor have we received any offers from any third party to acquire the company or any part of its businesses."
Some have picked apart this message, only focusing on the first half where it doesn't seem like an outright no. "Based on any announcement" could simply mean that nothing from behind closed doors has surfaced. But the message, as a whole, is quite clear: no offers have been made, and no outreach attempts are the goal. Could that change in the future? Absolutely, anything could happen, but the most recent reports are inaccurate, according to the company itself.
It's important to note that companies having potential investor/buyout conversations is nothing out of the ordinary; they happen all of the time. That being said, in no way do those conversations automatically mean something will come of it. Sometimes it's just gauging interest, sometimes that conversation comes naturally as part of other discussions, but oftentimes it doesn't mean what people assume it means.
The rumor mill was quick to pick this report up and run with it, with predictions that this could be the next Microsoft acquisition. This rumor was beefed up even more with Xbox's Phil Spencer's previous commentary about wanting a stronger working relationship with Japanese studios and more RPGs. While there are undoubtedly more acquisitions on the way from both Sony and Microsoft as the healthy competition between the two in the market space continues to heat up, Square Enix has officially left the chat.
What do you think about the recent rumors regarding Square Enix? Would you like to see the company acquired by a larger brand? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comment section below.
[Source: Square Enix]
Recently, I was struggling through my weeklies for Destiny 2, particularly with going up against cheaters in Iron Banner and slogging through Crucible when all I wanted to do was literally anything else. I love the game, don't get me wrong, but sometimes a break is needed. But I was so close to Legend and just needed a few more rounds, so I decided to blast Slayer's Reign in Blood album from 1986 and go ham. Immediately, my attitude changed and I just started slaughtering other Guardians. It was pretty epic, not going to lie, but it got me thinking: What are some good games to play for heavy metal fans?
There are the obvious choices that literally incorporate heavy metal into the experience, but there are others that just pair well when needing that additional boost of motivation when looking to pwn. Some of the games don't have actual metal in the title itself, so I've supplied a few band recommendations for those in particular. So, without further ado, here are my 10 games to play for heavy metal fans!
Raining blood, from the bowels of Hell? Honestly, I think it's pretty obvious that any of the Doom games are perfect for metalheads, and not just because of the ramped-up music that the games have. Doom, especially in later years, is a hodgepodge of fast-paced action, hand-banging music, and weapon mechanics that make you truly believe that you can conquer any foe. Listen to the organic game's soundtrack while ripping and tearing, or put on some Otep to provide some juxtaposition; one thing is for certain: This game was made for heavy metal fans.
Plus, could you imagine Doomguy in the pit with all of his armor? Talk about bringing the heat.
Coffee Crisis is one of my favorite games over the last decade. This indie title comes from Mega Cat Studios and honestly? It's bats--- bonkers regarding gameplay. So what is Coffee Crisis? It's a neo-rogue brawler that basically has players take on the role of the few remaining baristas left on Earth. Even better? They have enough heavy metal pumping through their veins to throw aliens into the mosh pit of annihilation. It's a fun game to play solo but infinitely more chaotic with its co-op, so I can't recommend this enough.
Plus, coffee. That's just paradise.
Killing Floor 2 is a 6-player co-op game that basically has players just slaughter through as many Zeds as possible. The addition of the 12-player Versus Survival mode too also ups the ante, actually letting players be the Zeds in an effort to claw their way through survival.
The combat in Killing Floor 2 makes the first game almost a distant memory. Much like Doom, this game is incredibly fast-paced and the combat relies heavily on building up a chaotic momentum. It's also incredibly gory, so if I could recommend a band to check out whilst murderin' some Zeds, might I suggest you check out 3 Inches of Blood?
Iron Maiden: Ed Hunter is an album and it's a game, but its primary function is to be an album. With that in mind, don't go expecting this to be a monumentally good game like the ones mentioned above (and the ones following this recommendation). It is comprised of just eight levels that can easily be seen as repetitive. I recommend this one because you're getting a sweet album with the added bonus of some light gameplay. It's a pretty bad setup, but it's bad in a way that almost makes it good.
If you're an Iron Maiden fan, this is a must, especially with the level 8 finale with The Evil That Men Do. Despite being metal, it's also surprisingly enough a solid game to fall asleep to. It's short, straight to the point, and has phenomenal music. The perfect calm before the storm that is the next day. Just... don't expect it to be Game of the Year material.
Post Void is great for the more, uh, 'seasoned' gamers like myself that remember the joys of old-school mechanics and graphics. Post Void reminds me of Doom and Wolfenstein from back in the day and this game has a very metal OST and absolutely brutal combat. More than that, this game values speed before anything else, so kill as fast as you can and let the power of the metal gods flow through you so you can kick every butt in your way as fast as possible.
This game, because of its pacing, arguably feels like a video game version of a mosh pit. One warning though! This game has some serious epileptic triggers, so if you're like me and have photosensitive epilepsy, it might be best to sit this one out. If you feel like braving it, please check out my Epileptic's Guide to Gaming tips here to do so safely.
The Halo franchise has one of the most amazing soundtracks in gaming history and a lot of those tracks are soothing and audibly beautiful. So why is this on a metal list? Because the combat music is pretty epic, but taking on PvP in multiplayer is ramped up to 11 if you blast your favorite band in the background.
I've been playing Halo since it first came out in 2001 and my favorite way to dive right in, to this day, is playing some of my favorite bands while teabagging my friends after ruining their Spartan lives. Some of my favorite band picks to listen to while taking to the world of Halo include Arch Enemy, Kitty, Pantera, Gorgoroth, Cradle of Filth, Fear Factory, and Mastodon.
You can't have a games list centered around metal and not include Brutal Legend. Not only is it just a phenomenal title in its own right, but the literal purpose of it is to pay homage to heavy metal as a genre. Tim Schafer brought this vision to life in an big way and honestly? Saving the world through the power of heavy metal is about as metal as it gets. With Jack Black taking on the role of Eddie Riggs, everything about Brutal Legend just feels right. Let's be real, we all know metal has magic, even if some people aren't quite ready for that conversation yet.
It doesn't just have a stellar tracklist either. The game's story is incredible and the gameplay expertly blends action-adventure and real-time strategy. If you pick up only one game from this list, please let it be Brutal Legend. You won't regret it.
The name Rick doesn't typically inspire fear and awe, but it definitely does with Splatterhouse. The hand-to-hand combat of this game alone makes it pretty metal, but what he can do with meat cleavers and other makeshift weapons? It's art, man.
He can also regrow his limbs back if they are severed, so that's something nifty. Collecting the blood of his enemies, Rick powers up and rolls out to cause mayhem, destruction, and an impressive killstreak that would make the devil himself jealous.
Splatterhouse is a pretty straightforward single-player experience that holds a deeper plot than one might think. Driven by the desire to save his kidnapped girlfriend, Splatterhouse is honestly made even better by jamming out to your favorite band.
Band recommendations for this treasure include Judas Priest, Motorhead (RIP Lemmy), Anthrax, Fear Factory, and Children of Bodom.
We've already gotten the Doom franchise out of the way, but you can't have that without a little Quake action too. Id Software knows a thing or two about crafting a perfected shooter experience and Quake's quick-action combat and high-pressure level design pairs perfectly with thrasher and black metal. I have so many memories of staying up late, playing this game with friends with Black Label Society, Black Sabbath, Dimmu Borgir, and Bathory playing in the background. It's a competitive experience, to be sure, but an easy one to tank hours into for no other reason than to just have a good time.
Bethesda tried to bring back the Quake name in its entirety with Quake Champions back in 2017, and while it has seen numerous updates since its release, it seems to have fallen into the abyss. There is a very devoted community, however, that appreciates Quake Champions for what it has to offer, and for good reason. This is an incredibly intuitive FPS experience with how it redefines the Deathmatch with its expert-level design, power-ups, and varying arenas. Quake Champions takes what made Quake so good and modernizes it without destroying the original experience's integrity. Honestly? That game deserved better.
With a game that literally has the world "metal" in the title, you must have known this was going to make the list. Twisted Metal is about as extreme as it gets when it comes to action-packed racing, brutally unforgiving recklessness when it comes to coming out on top, and top-tier weaponry attachments that make crashing through enemies so much fun. Pair that with the twisted humor that the Twisted Metal series is known for, and you're in for a hellish good time.
White Zombie, Absu, Deathspell Omega, Borknagar, and Sodom are all epic picks for headbanging your way to victory. This addition to the list is even better with the recent Twisted Metal TV series announcement.
As mentioned, playing Destiny 2: Iron Banner and Crucible is what inspired this list because metal helped boost me up when I needed it the most, so I want to include a few little honorable mentions:
What did you think about our list of games for heavy metal fans? Any others you'd like to add? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! In the meantime, see you in the pit!
There are quite a few gaming adaptations in the works, including a show based on a hit franchise from Naughty Dog. While we are still quite a bit away from a trailer, we do have another face that is joining the fray. HBO's The Last of Us TV series has revealed another new cast member, this time with Gabriel Luna playing the role of Joel's younger brother.
As reported by Variety, Luna is the latest cast member to be joining the HBO adaptation as Tommy alongsidePedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) as Joel and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) as Ellie. Tommy is a former soldier that is a bright ray of sunshine in an otherwise bleak world, and honestly? He's a good fit, especially with Pascal as the lead character.
Luna has an impressive roster of roles under his belt already, having played Gabriel/REV-9 in Terminator: Dark Fate, Robbie Reyes in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Eddie Lunez in Rosewood.
In a new previous report from CBC Canada, the Director's Guild has confirmed the location and the time after months of rumors that this is where the show was headed. The Guild currently says that the HBO take is set to begin filming on July 5, 2021, in Calgary, with an expected wrap-up slated for June 8, 2022.
The upcoming TV series is under the umbrella of Sony Pictures Television, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog. The HBO adaptation is meant to be a new beginning for the franchise following The Last of Us Part II's release. The games themselves artfully intertwined combat and narrative cutscenes, so setting this franchise adapted in TV format isn't really a huge stretch. While the sequel was met with a very mixed reception, the first game is pretty universally loved. With reports that Sony is remaking The Last of Us for the PlayStation 5, it will be interesting to see a fresh lens on a universe that was a vital part of the last two generations.
What do you think about the latest casting decision regarding the upcoming The Last of Us TV series from HBO? How are you feeling about the franchise as a whole with so much news centered around it in the past year? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below and tell us what you think. Do it for Ellie.
Netflix has been going hard on gaming adaptations, and Resident Evil Infinite Darkness is looking to continue on that hot streak. We've previously seen small glimpses of the upcoming animated series on the streaming service, but Capcom shared a full new trailer during today's showcase. The company also shed some light on new details, as well.
The upcoming show takes place in 2006, two years after the events in Resident Evil 4. Ashley is back, and we'll actually get to meet her father, the US President, as he is forced to evacuate the White House during another takeover.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe Resident Evil Infinite Darkness trailer, seen above, starts with Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield recognizing Racoon City from a child's drawing. The foreboding is intense and immediately leads viewers right into the action. This is an entirely new adventure with the main goal of protecting the President. We already protected his daughter, so why not make it a family thing, am I right, or am I right?
Animated also seems to be the way to go with an adaptation such as this, but only time will tell how this show fares when paired up against Netflix's many other projects. That being said, this is our first detailed look at what the show will have a lot to offer fans, and it might just be me, but it looks pretty spiffy.
Between this and the extensive gameplay trailer revealed earlier on in the show, it's a great time to be a Resident Evil fan. Even better? Capcom has promised that there are even more surprises that await in the coming months.
What do you hope gets revealed from the Resident Evil Village team next? Thoughts on the animated Resident Evil Infinite Darkness series from Netflix? Shout those hot takes out loud and proud in the comment section below!
A new Resident Evil Village gameplay trailer is here and there is a lot to unpack. From Lady Dimitrescu's continued cat and mouse game with Ethan Winters to, what looks to be, a betrayal made by Chris Redfield, there is a lot going on to make fans excited for the next step of Capcom's epic horror franchise.
During the most recent Resident Evil Village showcase, Capcom showed off a hefty new trailer that explores both the castle in which Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters reside and the village that surrounds it. Shrouded in mystery and chaos, the latest look at the upcoming gaming holds a lot of information, namely that the story seems to be a lot more complicated than we first thought.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe trailer starts off with the mysterious Mother Miranda being referenced in the creepiest way possible, a person fans have speculated is the mysterious masked figure from a Japan piece of promotional art previously spotted.
We already know that Ethan is on a quest to find his daughter and that Chris killed Ethan's wife, Mia. One question from this has been "Is Chris Redfield evil," and it looks like Village is set up to answer that once and for all. Whether he truly is evil or under the control of a more sinister power remains to be seen, especially since there are a billion and one different fan theories surrounding the character, especially given the events in Resident Evil 7. There is a lot of back and forth in the latest gameplay, including Winters imploring Chris, telling him "Do me and finish the job." Earlier in the trailer, he also cries out when Chris attacks him, pleading, "Ethan, no, why!?"
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but this game seems to be like a Lycan battle royale. I'm not saying it's an actual battle royale game, that would be silly, but the Lycans are not messing around when it comes to protecting what's theirs. There is also a small flash of a waterfall that shows off a beastly-looking water creature.
The latest Resident Evil Village gameplay trailer shares a lot about what's in store for the road ahead. What part of our latest inside look has you the most excited? Sound off in the comment section below!
Game director Mac Walters has confirmed that Mass Effect Legendary Edition will have a Photo Mode. That's not us taking 5,000 screenshots of Garrus, that would be silly.
Walters took to his Twitter to confirm the Photo Mode addition in response to a question from an interested player. Given how strongly the community feels about a certain former C-SEC operative, he chose well, selecting an image of our favorite Turian in front of the Mako:
We were just calibrating, but #MassEffect Legendary Edition will have a photo mode. https://t.co/QghTqwS4Ah pic.twitter.com/tfNKcgyplu
— Mac Walters (@macwalterslives) April 15, 2021
Photo Modes in games have been becoming increasingly popular in recent years, and for good reason. With so many stunning adventures out there and open worlds to explore, being able to capture those moments for ourselves long after the end credits roll is incredible. The Mass Effect trilogy itself has some phenomenal planets, so being able to tinker with various photo options is going to be a real treat.
Personally, one of my favorite locations to take snapshots of during my time with the original trilogy was both on Omega (especially during a particular DLC with Aria in Mass Effect 3) and during the Shadowbroker DLC. To be able to not only capture those moments with an actual Photo Mode but to also be able to customize it has me incredibly excited.
As part of our cover story last month, we went all-in when learning about what went into the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. From Mako tweaks to character improvements, there is a lot to look forward to for returning players. For newcomers to the trilogy's adventures, the ability to play all three games as they are meant to be played (thanks to the included DLC) is an exciting first step into a fandom that continues to be passionate to this day.
To learn more about Mass Effect Legendary Edition, check out our exclusive game hub here. From no multiplayer to lost code that can never be recovered, we asked it all.
We’ve already gotten so many reveals during the Resident Evil showcase that include a new gameplay trailer for Village as well as some new movie footage. In addition to these announcements, Capcom is now partnering with Oculus Studios and Armature Studio to bring the acclaimed and fan-favorite Resident Evil 4 to Oculus Quest 2.
Mike Verdu, the VP of Content at Facebook Reality Labs, made the exciting announcement towards the end of the showcase. While the game will arrive as a first-person experience as opposed to the third-person perspective that was on display back in the day, Verdu promises that the VR version will still have that classic RE4 feel and look. Verdu concludes, “You’ll be able to step into the game, for the first time.”
More information about Resident Evil 4 VR— how the title was optimized for VR and some more gameplay footage—will premiere during the Oculus Gaming Showcase on April 21.
We all know that this won’t be the first time that Resident Evil is getting a VR port. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard not only signified a visual and mechanical shift for the series, it was also playable using the PlayStation VR headset. Elise Favis declared that the seventh entry is best played on VR:
“It may sound gimmicky, like 3D movies at the theater, but Resident Evil 7 in VR surpasses that ideology with intense scares and a strong sense of immersion I have yet to find elsewhere. Virtual reality still has its flaws and stumbling blocks, but in Resident Evil 7’s case, it doesn’t feel like an afterthought. Instead, it holds promise for future full-length VR games by showing that it is possible to not just make a good horror game, but a terrifying VR experience worth playing.”Hopefully this means that Resident Evil 4 VR will be just as good when it drops!
Dead by Daylight has steadily introduced new properties and crossovers into its stable of killers, survivors, and more, but today, developer Behaviour Interactive announced it has secured a big one. The quintessential video game horror franchise, Resident Evil, is joining the long list of properties present in Dead by Daylight, the studio teased during today's Resident Evil Showcase.
During today's stream, Behaviour Interactive's game director and head of partnerships Mathieu Cote gave us an initial tease, letting us know that the world of Resident Evil will be invading Dead by Daylight. While we didn't get much in way of hard details, a full reveal is currently slated for May 25, with a release date scheduled for June of this year.
Click here to watch embedded mediaTo this point, Dead by Daylight has featured a ton of wide-ranging horror properties. We've seen the likes of Michael Myers from Halloween, Ghostface from Scream, Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and plenty more from IPs like Stranger Things, Ash vs. Evil Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Saw. While Resident Evil joining in on the fun is a huge boon to Dead by Daylight, Capcom's classic franchise isn't the first inclusion from the world of horror gaming, as last year saw the addition of characters from the beloved Silent Hill franchise. However, the Resident Evil franchise is certainly the bigger horror property in 2021, with several acclaimed titles in the last few years, as well as a new mainline game, a new movie series, and Netflix series on the way in the near future.
For more on Dead by Daylight, check out our coverage of the March addition of a murderous K-Pop character. For more on what's next for Capcom's long-running series, head on over to our exclusive coverage hub for the highly anticipated Resident Evil Village. If you'd rather see Resident Evil Village in action, you can watch us play the Resident Evil Village PlayStation 5 demo that came out in January in this episode of New Gameplay Today.
The upcoming Resident Evil movie reboot has officially wrapped on set, and now the team is focusing on CGI monsters! Capcom confirmed the good news during today's Resident Evil Village showcase. While we still don't have a trailer, we do at least know that there shouldn't be any delays before Resident Evi: Welcome to Racoon City's September release later this year.
Directed by Johannes Roberts, the upcoming live-action movie will be set during the first two games (whereas the Netflix animated show will take place two years after Resident Evil 4). Roberts has previously assuaged fan worries by confirming that the reboot will be completely rebuilt from the ground up and won't be like the Milla Jovovich takes.
The upcoming movie will tell the stories of key characters from this franchise like Claire and Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Jill Valentine, and more. Also confirmed is that the array of characters is to pay homage to the feeling of the games where players typically can play as more than one protagonist.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City will have two major focuses, as well. Obviously, Racoon City is a big focus, something we saw for ourselves with previous on-set leaks, but the police station will also play a major role.
It will be interesting to see the characters we've known and love for so long get a new eye, especially with the director's name behind it. It also has an all-star team behind the film, including Robert Kulzer as producer (Paul W.S. Anderson's Resident Evil movies), James Harris (I Am Not A Serial Killer), Hartley Gorenstein (The Boys), and Martin Moszkowicz as executive producer. Alex Zhang (Greyhound) and Victor Hadida are slated to co-executive producer, with Colin Scully and Alex Westmore overseeing the entire reboot.
With so many Resident Evil experiences on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how this new movie reboot compares. The original Paul W.S. Anderson series was met with much fanfare when the film series began, but each new movie seemed to stray further and further away from what Resident Evil is.
We'll be able to see more for ourselves when Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City makes its theatrical debut on September 3.
The Resident Evil Showcase is already off to a great start. A new gameplay/narrative trailer gave some more background on Resident Evil Village’s two primary, explorable environments: the castle and the village. You’ll be able to explore those locations for a limited amount of time when the demo drops. But, in addition to the exciting base game, Director Morimasa Sato revealed a highly-requested, classic Resident Evil mode for fans to sink their teeth into: “The Mercenaries.”
For newcomers (and potentially veterans of the series that may have forgotten about it), The Mercenaries is an arcade-style game mode that highlights speedy action over the more slow-paced, atmospheric pacing of the campaign. Players must reach the goal in a specific arena within the allotted time limit while surviving the onslaught of terrifying creatures. Of course in exchange for running this challenging gauntlet, you’ll get some cool rewards.
Click here to watch embedded mediaSato also stated that there will be new features added to The Mercenaries that’ll shake up its age-old gameplay loop. Now players will be able to access the shop while playing The Mercenaries. You’ll collect money while mowing down the creatures you encounter. In between each area, you’ll be able to purchase weapons, consumables, and other equipment to help prepare for the following engagement(s). You’ll also be able to customize your weapons’ power, rate of fire, reload speed, and ammo capacity levels.
Perhaps the most exciting new feature (well, it is for me!) coming to The Mercenaries are the equippable power-ups/abilities that’ll be littered throughout the arenas you explore. Try increasing your handgun damage to wipe out enemies much faster or amplify your movement speed to prioritize clearing time checkpoints. Maybe you’d prefer playing the long-game by tanking damage instead; do whatever fits your style the best.
Resident Evil Village launches on May 7 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Earlier this week, we announced that Village is gracing the cover of our upcoming magazine. You can head here for all our exclusive coverage on the game.
The first Resident Evil Village demo was a PS5 exclusive. Given that many can't get their hands on the new generation of PlayStation, players were understandably feeling left out in the cold. Luckily, a new wave of Resident Evil Village demos are on the horizon; here's what you need to know.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIn the most recent Capcom showcase, the studio confirmed that PlayStation players will get early access both in the village and in the castle. Don't worry, though; demos will come to all platforms, including both generations of PlayStation and Xbox, Steam, and Google Stadia. The demo is slated to last one hour for the multiplatform early access, 30 minutes for the castle, and 30 minutes for the village demos on PlayStation.
North America demo dates - One hour
European demo dates
Asia demo dates
North America demo dates
European demo dates
Asia demo dates
PlayStation 5 and PS4 players can also preload the demo starting today for those interested. Capcom has also given the green light to stream and share gameplay to their heart's content for those that have garnered early access to the demo. So go ham and say hi to Lady D for us.
Are you excited to dive all-in on the upcoming Resident Evil Village demos? After watching the earlier gameplay trailer, what are you the most excited to see when taking to the latest horror game from Capcom? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!
Cyberpunk 2077’s 1.2 patch was announced at the end of last month and vowed to help fix an ample amount of bugs that either affected immersion or outright broke the game. 1.2, however, ended up going above and beyond its original goals, boasting over 100 fixes that optimized quests, reintegrated missing assets, and introduced some more technical, backend remedies. But among all of those updates, a dataminer apparently found some unreleased quest information that could foreshadow potential DLC.
Eurogamer spoke to a modder named romulus_is_here who used “CP77 Tools” to unearth the quest data from the archives. According to romulus_is_here, Cyberpunk 2077 quest data is categorized by prologue, part one, and epilogue (or, q000 to q204). The extra quests that haven’t appeared in the game as of yet are listed as q301, which would put them outside of the numbering range for the three default categories. These quests have a “story-ep1” tag which contains “street stories,'' with their own interesting objectives and characters. You’ll meet some mysterious figures like “Wagner” and “Anthony Anderson.” Additionally, some mission objectives will have you disrupt a hostage situation, find a hidden den of netrunners, and disarm a bomb in a swimming pool (among a lot more info) — you know, normal Night City situations.
The kidder thinks that these episode 1 “street stories” will likely take place in Pacifica, because they predominantly feature that district’s fixer: Mr. Hands. While there has definitely been little to no information on whether or not these quests even exist or if they’re slated to be DLC, it’s still very easy to imagine episodic content being rolled out with future patches.
What do you think about the quest data that romulus_is_here found? Let us know what future content you’re imagining for Cyberpunk 2077 in the comments below. You can also learn more about the game’s tumultuous launch with our game hub right here.
[Source: Eurogamer]
Playing Oddworld: Soulstorm is as arduous as Abe’s quest to liberate his Mudoken brethren from slavery. Each step is a supreme test of patience as you methodically guide your followers through challenging hazards, sweating over the fact that one slip-up could unravel all your effort. If you enjoy putting up with that old-school challenge, you might love this journey. However, if you’re a newcomer or a fan that believes this style of platformer hasn’t aged very well, turn back now. Soulstorm doesn’t do enough to modernize the series’ tedious gameplay, and a litany of severe technical hiccups spoil Abe’s attempted comeback.
A reimagining of Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, Soulstorm’s gameplay remains largely the same: you recruit and guide followers through 2D platforming stages littered with dangers. As charming as the classic Oddworld games are, they can be frustratingly difficult and that hasn’t changed much in Soulstorm. Most Slig enemies and other hazards mow Abe down instantly, and I was infuriated by how little wiggle room I had to correct course when things went sideways. Abe drops so fast that it makes the health meter seem like a cruel tease. While playing Soulstorm, I often felt like I was walking on eggshells because of that high price of failure, retracing every step, re-recruiting every Mudokon, and carefully guiding them through a gauntlet of foes is soul-crushing when it all falls apart in seconds. Dying to unexpected perils, like being suddenly gunned down by off-screen enemies, feels cheap and happens way too often.
Click here to watch embedded mediaA crafting system serves as Soulstorm’s biggest addition, but it doesn’t feel necessary. You must repeatedly gather the same ingredients every time you die (by searching lockers, trash cans, and fallen foes), which wore me down in a hurry after repeatedly replaying certain sections. The crafted tools themselves, like proximity mines, smoke screens, even a flamethrower, do add a welcomed element of flexibility and improvisation to gameplay. Dropping smoke screens to create hiding spots anywhere is nice, but I wished I didn’t have to make these items myself and grew tired of digging around the same spots over and over.
Even when Soulstorm’s difficulty eases up, the gameplay is bland. The action feels largely the same from previous games in the series, and that formula doesn’t evolve significantly beyond the first few hours. Even the more interesting sequences, like facing down a giant mech aboard a speeding train, are far too punishing to be fun. I’m glad that Abe controls better now (he even has a double jump), but inputs still have a mushy unresponsiveness that makes entertaining actions, like possessing Sligs, feel like a hassle. The controls also lead to additional deaths because Abe doesn’t act as swiftly as you need him to, especially during the ill-fitting, overly demanding combat arenas that pit you against waves of baddies while you try to protect fleeing Mudokens.
Soulstorm would be a tough recommendation for anyone outside of diehard fans if it performed flawlessly, but I encountered several progress-sabotaging bugs (even after installing the big day-one patch) that should scare off even those players. When I died, Mudokens sometimes failed to respawn alongside me even though my tally indicated they were still alive and under my command. That meant I lost out on turning in followers that I’d spent ages trying to safely liberate, which negatively affected my overall quarma – a vital metric in determining which of the four endings you get.
Abe occasionally gets stuck in environmental geometry, forcing a restart. At one point, I fell into an infinite loop. One escape portal permanently vanished once I reached it, forcing me to abandon followers. A gun in a late-game turret sequence failed to shoot despite working fine in previous segments. After multiple restarts, I randomly discovered that clicking the right stick “fixed” the weapon for some reason, allowing it to fire. I spent over an hour trying to lead a large group of followers through a particularly challenging area, but once I opened the exit door an invisible wall prevented me from moving forward. I was forced to restart this entire, lengthy sequence twice before the exit worked properly. Soulstorm’s gameplay pushed my patience to its limits, but these bugs sent me over the edge and made me nervous every time I started a new level. “What on Earth is going to screw me over this time?” I regularly asked myself.
Soulstorm’s faults are a shame because its narrative and presentation brought a smile to my face. Abe and his pals are goofy, delightful underdogs I couldn’t help but root for. The enjoyable story is packed with heart, and the cutscenes look great. I wanted to welcome Abe into a new generation of gaming with open arms, but Soulstorm fails to make a case for why its brand of cinematic platforming works today. In fact, Soulstorm only reaffirmed that Abe’s past adventures are best viewed with rose-colored glasses.
Summary:Soulstorm retains the series' signature charm, but it's not enough to forgive its tedious and dated design as well its litany of swear-inducing technical issues.
Concept:Help Abe liberate his fellow Mudokons from Glukkon tyranny while unraveling the truth behind his own destiny
Graphics:The CG cutscenes look great, and I love seeing the camera pan out while dozens of Mudokons scurry in the background
Sound:This voice-acting remains charming and humorous, but the soundtrack is unremarkable
Playability:The platforming feels much better when compared to New ‘n’ Tasty, but these controls are still stiff and clunky and can cost you your life against the quick-drawing enemies
Entertainment:Soulstorm has oodles of charm, but tedious design and annoying bugs make an experience that only the most hardcore and forgiving Oddworld fans might enjoy
Replay:Moderately Low
While there have been a plethora of great titles through the first few months of 2021, we've seen a wide swath of the AAA experiences get pushed to later this year and beyond. Resident Evil Village has been an outlier though, and with its May 7 release date rapidly approaching, Capcom is once again lifting the curtain on one of the biggest titles of the year.
But what can fans expect to see from this month's brand new digital showcase? The last time we heard from Capcom, fans of the series were inundated with new gameplay, a peek at the company's plan to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series, and so much more. But will Lady Dimitrescu and her hauntingly beautiful band of vampires make another appearance? Will we finally find out more about Chris Redfield's turn to the dark side? I think you'll have to tune in to find out.
And what better people to watch the Resident Evil showcase with than with your friends at Game Informer. Dan "The Jacket" Tack will be joining me as we watch along with you and provide the hottest takes and best insight you come to expect from GI.
We're kicking off the fun at 4:45 p.m. CT, so be sure to join us in the chat and react live as Capcom unveils the future of the Resident Evil franchise. If you can't get enough of our live shows, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook to get notified when we go live each week!
If you haven't heard yet, the Game Informer cover this month is Resident Evil Village! If you can't wait to hear more about Capcom's newest entry in its iconic horror series, be sure to check out our exclusive look at the game's upgrade systems and hunting mechanics, our cover announcement, and more!
Eyes up, Guardian, it's that time of year again. The Guardian Games are returning to Destiny 2 where the Vanguard ceases fire with the Cabal Empress Caiatle to get into the friendly competitive spirit. Friendly as that may be, we still want to crush those Titans. Kidding. Mostly.
Just like every year, this is a free event for all players and it kicks off next week on April 20. The games will run until May 9 with the banners for each class raised as the competition begins.
Last year, Titans absolutely creamed Hunters and Warlocks. Embarrassingly so, and as a Warlock main, I am personally asking to please get your act together so we can take home the W.
Just like last time, every week will give Guardians a chance to win gold, silver, or bronze auras that will last through the duration of the seven-day period. The class that wins at the end of the event will be recognized during the Guardian Games Closing Ceremonies taking place between May 7 - May 9.
But what about the rewards? The winners will earn the Heir Apparent Exotic Machine Gun (with its Catalyst), an Exotic Sparrow, Legendary class items, a pair of shaders, and two emblems.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Glowing is pretty too, so you can rep your class with more pride than you may feel with the special Guardian Games Universal ornament set, plus a new weapon ornament for Heir Apparent and new Exotic emotes. Take a look at all of the rewards with the slideshow below:
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Thoughts on the rewards for this year's Destiny 2 Guardian Games? Shout out that class pride in the comment section below. Even Titans. I'm not salty.
Ubisoft announced its next digital event, Ubisoft Forward, will kick off E3 2021 on Saturday, June 12. Although the publisher doesn’t give any details on what to expect, it’s the first step in clearing the fog in terms of who’s doing what and when during the biggest event in video games.
Announcing the next #UbiForward 🔥 Part of #E32021
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) April 15, 2021
👉 https://t.co/wadfUzS9PM pic.twitter.com/YrE3o6NHyB
The show airs live at 12 p.m. PT. The previous Forward presentation took place last September, so it's been a good while since we've gotten one of these. In case you missed the other shows, Forward is basically Ubisoft’s equivalent of a Nintendo Direct or State of Play. That means it’s time to start speculating on what the company will do and, most importantly, what we as fans think they should do.
Far Cry 6 is arguably Ubisoft's biggest game it has waiting in the wings that we haven’t heard a peep from since it was delayed last October. The same goes for the unfortunately named Rainbow Six: Quarantine. There’s also Skull & Bones, the long-awaited multiplayer pirate that has been lost at sea for years at this point. Could that title finally pull into port?
We know there won’t be an Assassin’s Creed game this year since Valhalla will continue to receive expansions and updates going into 2022. Ubisoft could provide an update on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, which was delayed indefinitely in February. Remember the raucous-looking Riders Republic? That game’s launch also got pushed back. Did we mention that Ubisoft has a lot of games that have been delayed? To be fair, it’s far from alone on that front.
E3 takes place June 12 to June 15 and will be an entirely online event that's free of charge for fans to enjoy. Companies like Nintendo, Microsoft, Capcom, and even Konami have been confirmed to participate while Sony, for now, seems to be sitting out once again.
What do you hope to see pop up during Ubisoft Forward? Let us know in the comments!
Call of Duty: Warzone is notorious for its constant surge of cheaters. In addition to high-volume banwaves, the Call of Duty security and enforcement teams issue bans on a daily basis (yes, literally seven days a week) to take down repeat offenders or smaller, individual offenses. This past Monday marked the seventh massive banwave since Warzone launched over a year ago. And apparently, to date, a little under half a million cheaters (475,000 to be exact) have been hit with permabans!
To thwart cheaters, a multitude of countermeasures have been put into effect, including 2-factor authentication, increased support and resources directed to the security and enforcement teams, more large-scale banwaves in general, and more community-focused updates to keep players in the loop. 45,000 black market accounts (accounts that are farmed and sold to repeat offenders) have also been banned, which prevents cheaters from simply using alternate accounts. Similarly, hardware bans have been pushed out at a frequent rate.
At the end of the most recent post on the Official Call of Duty Blog, the staff assured players that they’re working around the clock to mediate the constant cheating issues, “As the security and enforcement teams continue to tackle cheating through enforcement, prevention, research, and technology, we will continue to share constant updates on our progress. Again, there is no place for cheating. Delivering a fair and fun experience for all players is our top priority.”
A Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen banwave went out towards the end of last month in other cheat-centric news. The Bungie tweet that was posted alongside the Destiny 2 banwave evoked similar sentiments as the Call of Duty blog post,“The Game Security team has taken a swing with the banhammer. Keeping the playing field level is important to us. Play fair; we're watching."
Have you run into an abundance of Call of Duty: Warzone or Destiny 2 cheaters? Go ahead and ring that bell of shame in the comment section below.
It's Pickle Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick. In a random crossover we never saw coming, two Rick and Morty bundles are coming to Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. The tribute to Pickle Rick and Gromflomites comes as a surprise, but not an unwelcome one.
The two bundles cost 2160 R6 credits each and include a character skin, a weapon skin, and a charm. The Pickle Rick Smoke and the Gromflomite Sledge bundle are both available now. Check out the trailer below to see them in action:
Click here to watch embedded mediaFor those intrigued (and honestly, who wouldn't be), here is a quick breakdown of each bundle:
Gromflomite Sledge - Attacker
Smoke Pickle Rick - Defender
The 2160 R6 credits equal about $15 - $20 and will net both bundles as yours to keep. Ubisoft has been on a roll recently with the bundles, especially with the Resident Evil crossover back in March and the return of Rainbow is Magic.
Pickle Rick has been a cultural phenomenon, much like the show, and it's wild to see how much this series has taken over pop culture. That being said, this crossover is pretty hilarious. It's interesting that this mash-up didn't happen in a game like Fortnite, which continues to be the undisputed reigning king of weird mashups.
What do you think about Pickle Rick joining the fight in Rainbow Six Siege? If you could build your dream bundle crossover, what would it be? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below!
Pokémon Go continues to roll out new content and timely events to coincide with things happening in the real world and the greater Pokémon universe. With New Pokémon Snap on the horizon (check out our final preview of that game here), Pokémon Go developer Niantic is encouraging players to whip out their in-game cameras in its hit mobile game.
Beginning April 29, Pokémon Go is adding themed research, avatar items, and Pokémon that appear in New Pokémon Snap in the wild. A new type of research task that features the Pokémon Go Snapshot feature will give players a chance to encounter Smeargle (you'll even have a shot at a Shiny encounter), while Pokémon who are known to appear in New Pokémon Snap's Lental region (like Venusaur, Dodrio, and Skarmory) will be more common in the Pokémon Go wild. New avatar items themed around cameras and photography will also appear in the Pokémon Go Style Shop.
Here's a picture of Metapod that The Pokémon Company has provided in support of this announcement:
As you likely remember, Pokémon Go launched in 2016 and immediately became a worldwide phenomenon, with massive groups of players roaming from destination to destination in hopes of encountering a rare Pokémon, sometimes leading to awkward or even dangerous encounters of a different kind in real life. While it's no longer the massive, unavoidable hit it was five years ago, it remains one of the top games in both the iOS App Store and Google Play. Niantic also continues to host Pokémon Go Fest every summer, attracting thousands of players from around the globe. Unfortunately, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, last year's event, like nearly every in-person event, was turned into a virtual celebration. No announcement for Pokémon Go Fest has been made for 2021.
The New Pokémon Snap Celebration in Pokémon Go runs from April 29 to May 2. New Pokémon Snap comes to Switch on April 30.
Do you still play Pokémon Go? Are you looking forward to New Pokémon Snap? Let us know what you think about this event in the comments below!
On this week's episode of The Game Informer Show, Supergiant Games' Greg Kasavin (@kasavin) joins us to talk about his work on games like Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades. Kasavin also shares his insight into how games are written and why making them is harder than it seems.
Then we discuss a handful of the games we've been digging recently, including Outriders, Pac-Man 99, Hades, Oddworld: Soulstorm, Monster Hunter Rise, and The House in Fata Morgana. Of course, we also discuss our recent Resident Evil Village cover story, talk about the game's crafting mechanics, and how Capcom designed the new werewolf-inspired Lycan enemies. Finally, Matthew Haag, A.K.A. Nadeshot (@Nadeshot), joins us to talk about his time playing Call of Duty professionally, his work at 100 Thieves, and his recent partnership with Excedrin helping gamers maintain good head health.
It's a full show, but we make time for another fantastic round of community emails. So please join Kimberley Wallace (@kstar1785), Alex Stadnik (@Studnik76), Blake Hester (@metallicaisrad), and Ben Reeves (@Benjaminreeves) for another wild and ever-entertaining episode!
Thanks for listening! Please make sure to leave feedback below and share the episode if you enjoyed it. You can watch the video above, subscribe and listen to the audio on iTunes or Google Play, listen on SoundCloud, stream it on Spotify, or download the MP3 at the bottom of the page. Also, be sure to send your questions to podcast@gameinformer.com for a chance to have them answered on the show!
Our thanks to The Rapture Twins for The Game Informer Show's intro song. You can hear more of their music on their website.
To jump to a particular point in the discussion, check out the time stamps below.
00:00:00 - Introduction
00:00:49 - Greg Kasavin Introduction
00:23:13 - Pac-Man 99
00:33:19 - The House In Fata Morgana
00:38:19 - Outriders
00:49:28 - Oddworld: Soulstorm
00:51:33 - Monster Hunter Rise
00:59:24 - Resident Evil Village
01:23:01 - Community Emails
01:54:51 - March Mayhem Finale
02:09:53 - Nadeshot Interview
Update: The patch went live immediately after this article went live, you can find that update at the bottom of the article.
The crossplay issues with Outriders have been resolved, but there's still that inventory wipe bug plaguing the game. With the servers much more stable than they were at launch, the team over at People Can Fly has done a phenomenal job at being 100% transparent with players about work being done behind-the-scenes for total optimization. Since the studio has implemented a few safeguards to push back the inventory wipe bug temporarily, the latest update is positive. It bodes well for a fix being in place very soon.
The studio took to the game's Twitter once more to provide a light at the end of the inventory-lacking tunnel:
— Outriders (@Outriders) April 14, 2021
The Twitter post above reads, "We're pleased to confirm that testing for our upcoming patch to address the inventory wipe issue is continuing to progress as planned. The situation continues to be our key focus, and we are aiming to share more news very soon."
In addition to fixing the issue, the team is also hard at work getting as much of the inventory lost back into player hands. While not a 100% guarantee, it's great to see the dev team looking to address the entire bug's impact versus just trying to sweep it under the rug.
The launch issues were honestly awful, and I almost feel bad for admitting that I was fortunate enough not to really experience any issues outside of the day one server shutdown. The server issues, which you can learn about here, were bad enough where the team had to pull them down completely to repair them. Fortunately, I didn't run into any bugs or glitches while in Enoch when playing the game for my review. Because I was one of the lucky ones, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment I spent in the looter shooter from the studio that gave us Gears of War: Judgement and Bulletstorm. For those that haven't dived in yet, or are maybe waiting until the bigger issues are patched, you can read our full review here, with a small excerpt below:
"Outriders isn’t revolutionary, and it’s not trying to be. Outriders is a well-thought-out shooter with expertly tailored RPG twists. It's an enjoyable ride that is made infinitely better by playing with friends but not inherently hurt by running solo either. This game takes the best parts from other looter-shooters and the best aspects of sci-fi RPGs and blends these elements into an experience worth diving into because of its high replayability, customizable play style, and fun story. I'm already strapping in for another run. "
Whenever an anticipated game has severe launch issues, it is frustrating, and that frustration is understandable and justified. That being said, it is worth noting the above and beyond levels of communication and transparency from the folks at People Can Fly as they work hard to ensure players are aware of what's going on every step of the way. To drive this point home, the community lead didn't even log off until after 3 a.m. during Easter weekend, ensuring that players were as informed as possible. The dev team continues to work on optimization. That level of transparency is rare and sets a positive example for the industry. Sometimes, things happen. Sometimes, server demand is higher than anticipated. Sometimes, there are missteps. While every launch is a learning opportunity, the studio behind Outriders has done an exemplary job setting a standard of honesty with its player base.
UPDATE:
We have just released a new patch that addresses the bug that has been causing the inventories of certain players to be wiped.
— Outriders (@Outriders) April 15, 2021
More information here:
>> https://t.co/3eqThKAP3A
1/4 pic.twitter.com/ImraGlrZQW
Each month, Game Informer prints questions that are submitted by readers via email and standard mail. We'd like to give our website readers the chance to make the magazine as well.
You'll need to log in to your GI account, and click "okay to print" for your letter or question to go through. We'd also love it if you included your location (city, state, or country will do). We'll look through the questions and pick a few to include in our next issue, which releases on April 13.
In each issue, we ask readers a "Question of the Month." For the Resident Evil Village issue that should be hitting mailboxes now, we ask...
"What game do you want to see get announced for next-generation machines?"
You can answer this question and/or include any other feedback you want. Thank you again for all of your support throughout the years, and we hope many of you get the chance to have your letter printed in an upcoming issue!
Core arrives as a free-to-play platform today (In early access) on the Epic Games Store. You’re probably wondering what Core is. If I distill it down to the base concept, it’s an online world where you can roam from game to game solo or with friends, using your core avatar and cosmetics as you move from experience to experience. Oh, and you can also make the games to play there too, with an incredibly robust and easy to use toolset that you can basically drag and drop assets out of the ether to construct a shooting arena, RPG farm zone, a dodgeball fight, a platformer, a MOBA, or whatever else you feel like making.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe sky's the limit, and you can invite your friends along with the click of a button or the sharing of a link. Yep, you can have it just pop right open from a shared link in say, Twitch chat, and you can be playing in the same game in seconds. After diving in to the experience for a brief foray, I can say this is definitely a place that you’re going to be spending plenty of time in if you’re a fan of the map-making and modding that was a staple of the old StarCraft and Warcraft III days. Whatever you’re looking for, you can find it, and if you can’t, you can build it.
In about an hour or so on the platform I played shooters, fantasy PVP games, platformers inspired by Ghosts’N’Goblins, mini-MOBAs with one lane and lower player counts, and more. Many of the games available are bite-sized in comparison to what we’d consider a “full game” these days, and maybe that’s okay. As part of the huge “world” of Core, you’re never forced to stick around if you’re not having a good time, as the next game to try is just a click away from either the select screen or by actually walking to a portal in the featured area.
While picking a game from a selection of boxes like you would from a digital storefront is fine, the aspect of being “in-world” comes in with Core and you can roam around, throwing out emotes and chatting while you look at flashy “billboard portals” trying to entice you to come on in and try out a new game. Some of the best stuff out there gets featured in this ever-changing area, so after you come back after a while new games might be calling your name as you ride around on your mount in the public area. It’s an interesting way to promote the browsing experience while still allowing for “instant transport” via a link or traditional menu searching.
There are over 20,000 games on Core right now, with a few hundred being added daily. Obviously, there’s no way you’ll ever be able to play all of them and certainly, some are better than others, and plenty of unfinished pet projects litter the untraveled streets in the back alleys of Core. But with so much creating and playing going on, you can find all kinds of weird experiences that might surprise you.
There’s a wild west style typing game. Yeah, where you mosey around town looking for misspelled words. There are farming games, there are deckbuilding games, there’s pretty much anything you could be looking for in some style and fashion. And while you may not gravitate to one and stick with it forever, or even for more than a few minutes, a lot of the journey is in exploring from game to game. Since your avatar is unified across all games in the core, you travel as your hero (and your associated cosmetics) to everything. Aspects like carrying over your avatar loadout give Core a meta, unified feel even though you’re engaging with many disparate experiences.
Core is live today on the Epic Games Store, and it is free-to-play (cosmetics are available to purchase, of course, to make your avatar look like various things) so really there's not much else I can tell you that you can't go see for yourself with minimal time investment. Go forth, discover games, and play them!
Hot on the heels of the Days Gone 2 cancellation reports, Sony has released a new trailer confirming Days Gone is coming to PC. More than that, it's launching on PC soon.
The trailer shows off PC-specific features added to the game for players to enjoy. Horizon Zero Dawn and Death Stranding are the two biggest titles that led the charge away from PlayStation exclusivity. Days Gone continues the trend of widening the player base.
Click here to watch embedded mediaDays Gone on PC includes ultra-wide monitor support, improved visuals, and unlocked framerates. More unofficial features are surely on the way because now that it's on PC, it's open season for modders to take over and do what they do best: put Thomas the Tank Engine in it.
Days Gone was a pretty divisive title at launch. Some loved it and thought it was a masterpiece, while others thought it left little to be desired. We here at Game Informer fell between the two, scoring the previously exclusive PlayStation title a 7.75.
"Days Gone’s narrative is standard and sufficient, but it trips up when it leans on minor characters at multiple points for important and/or dramatic turns in the plot," said Matthew Kato in his review for Game Informer."This strains credulity, makes the world feel too small, and pads out the experience with filler missions using otherwise boring stealth gameplay mechanics. My least favorite was being asked to search for a guy’s MP3 player as the story was all coming to a head."
He added, "Days Gone has good gameplay foundations. The scarcity of supplies and the ever-present threat of zombies put me on edge as much as it gave me options to escape by the skin of my teeth. But the inability to fully deliver on either the story or open-world fronts makes it a title of both possibilities and limitations."
Days Gone is set to arrive on PC on May 18, 2021.
What are your thoughts on Days Gone coming to PC? Do the recent revelations about a possible sequel make you happy to see the first game widen its reach, or does that sour the reveal for you? Sound off in the comment section below!
Skate City, the skateboarding game from developer Agens and publisher Snowman, will be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via the Epic Game Store and Steam on May 6. The game was originally released as an Apple Arcade exclusive in 2019, but wasannounced for consoles back in February.
Skate City takes place in famous skate spot cities around the world such as Oslo, Norway, Barcelona, Spain, and Los Angeles. Taking equal inspiration from the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Skate series, the game features an easy-to-use-tough-to-master control scheme on a mobile touch screen. While Skate City felt intuitive on mobile and easy to pick up and play, it'll be interesting to see if and how the controls translate to a more traditional controller scheme. Skate City's port is being handled by developer Room 8, which also developed ports for Abzu and What Remains of Edith Finch.
On Switch and Epic Game Store, Skate City will be available to pre-order starting on April 29. During its pre-order period and launch week, April 29 to May 13, on Switch and Epic, the game will be on sale for $9.99. Aside from that, Skate City will cost $14.99.
Skate City is the third game in the Snowman catalogue that's been moved from mobile to console after a period of exclusivity. Back in August 2020, the publisher re-released Alto's Adventure and Alto's Odyssey together as The Alto Collection. Additionally, Where Cards Fall, developed by Blaseball developer The Game Band and published by Snowman, is expected to be re-released sometime this year on Switch and PC. You can read our exclusive interview with The Game Band and Snowman about Where Cards Fall's move to other platformshere at the link.
Over the past 25 years, the upgrade systems in Resident Evil have taken a back seat to make players feel powerless against the horrors that go bump in the night. Resident Evil Village isn’t a seismic shift for the series, but Capcom has put a new emphasis on powering up its protagonist. Join us as we take a first look at the upgrade systems for both Ethan Winters and the weapons he carries.
If you look past the terrifying creatures looking to maul your face, you’ll see some animals that you can hunt and butcher for meat. Some of the animals in the village won’t go down without a fight. Animals will clap back when you attempt to kill them, so be prepared to utilize some of your precious ammo for a quick kill.
Knowing when to take your shot and when to conserve ammo has always been the key to survival in Resident Evil, but slaying animals in Village offers a bounty of riches that might be worth a few spent shells. Once you’ve secured the necessary poultry, fish, and other forms of meat, you can take these ingredients to The Duke’s Kitchen. Our fine friend offers an assortment of recipes that allow players to obtain powerful and permanent upgrades, which they’ll need when Lady D and her lovely group of vampires cross their path.
Ethan can also upgrade his arsenal. The key to tricking out your weaponry and becoming the ultimate Lycan-hunting machine is lei, the game's currency. And how do you obtain lei, you might wonder? When players take down the game’s antagonists, they might drop precious coins and other valuables that can be sold for cash.
Players can also find hidden treasures in the environment, which The Duke will happily take off your hands in exchange for more lei. Once you have enough lei, there’s plenty you’ll be able to purchase to assist you on your quest to find Ethan’s daughter. Sniper rifle swaying too much to be effective? Go buy a cheek rest for more accurate aiming. Not killing your foes quick enough with your pistol? Go upgrade its power, rate of fire, reload speed, and ammo capacity. You may feel uneasy using your ammo supply, but Village promises to make those kills more meaningful as Ethan’s arsenal become more deadly.
The risk-reward balance of Resident Evil resources has always been a centerpiece of the series, and Village is no different. And while some may find it helpful to hoard their riches, some of the game’s enemies may need an extra special dose of firepower.
If you enjoyed this video, be sure to check out our latest cover reveal along with our hub, where you'll find all the latest updates on Resident Evil Village!
Nintendo’s Indie World showcase may have only ran for 20 minutes, but the House of Mario packed it a ton of announcements within that time. We saw the reveals of Oxenfree II and OllieOllie World, got a new trailer for TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, learned that Konami has a new action game in the works, and were surprised to hear that the critically acclaimed Fez is arriving to Switch today. But if you missed the showcase, we've rounded up the remaining big announcements and trailers in one, convenient place to make sure you don't miss out on some promising titles launching to Switch (and, in some cases, other platforms) this year.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThis procedurally-generated, story-driven adventure game centers on a teenager who meets another youth as they embark on a roadtrip to the mountains while being pursued. Questions such as what your goal is, who’s chasing you, the people you meet and how they will help you depends on your choices and the road you decide to take; literally and figuratively. Look for Road 96 on Switch and PC later this year.
Click here to watch embedded mediaWe featured this stylish auto-runner in our list ofupcoming games starring POC characters, and we learned it’s coming to Switch and PC on May 19. The game is set in a futuristic version of Detroit where players will run, jump, and slide to the beats of both homegrown and international hip hop artists in an effort to save the future. If you think it looks rad, you can try it out via a playable demo that will be available on the eShop later today.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThis narrative adventure features three separate protagonists whose worlds collide thanks to a supernatural crisis unfolding in their home of London. Last Stop comes from Annapurna Interactive and is billed as an anthology drama with three stories in one. Uncover the mystery when it comes to Switch and PC later this July.
Click here to watch embedded mediaAnother Annapurna joint, Hindsight appears to center on a woman’s memories as she grapples with which moments are worth remembering and what should be forgotten. Hindsight is coming to Switch later this year.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe Longing is a dark and unique adventure game that launched on Steam last March. Players control a servant who must wait 400 real-life days for him to awaken. The in-game clock is ticking even when you’re not playing, and it's up to you to figure out what to do (or not to) in the meantime. The Longing will be available on Switch later today.
This bizarre title was a big hit when it came to PC last year, and now Switch owners have a chance to bask in its weirdness. What is this game, exactly? Let’s just say that the less you know going in, the more fun you’ll have. Or you can watch the trailer above to get an idea, I suppose. The best part is that There Is No Game is available on the eShop today!
Click here to watch embedded mediaWe’ve been looking forward to this gorgeous time-bending RPG for a long time, and now we finally know that it’s coming July 20 to Switch as well as PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Check out the new trailer above.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThis unique action game features a futuristic version of Mesoamerica and stars Ashley, a warrior who sports a giant robotic fist. She’ll need such a heavy hand to battle gigantic gods. The fist can be upgraded and is also used to explore the large levels via parkour style traversal. The techno-flavored take on Aztec culture looks great and not something you see very often (if ever). We look forward to seeing how it pans out when it arrives this fall for Switch as well as PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
After launching on PC back in January, this action-packed 2D rogue-lite sets its sights on a Switch release. Look for the game to arrive sometime this summer.
Click here to watch embedded mediaRevisit the 1996 arcade classic remade with polished up graphics and improved, modernized shooter gameplay. Up to two players can mow down hordes of zombies together when it arrives later this year.
What game were you most impressed with during today’s showcase? Let us know in the comments!
The first major expansion for Assassin's Creed Valhalla has been delayed, but the good news is that the pushback isn't very far. Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids DLC has been delayed, now set to release next month.
The upcoming expansion was originally slated for April 29, 2021, but the team working on the title has shared with fans that they would like a little more time perfecting the experience. Also included in the studio's announcement is a promise for more information in the effort to "provide transparency and share insights on our dev process."
To deliver a more refined experience, we’re sharing that:
— Assassin's Creed (@assassinscreed) April 14, 2021
⛰️Wrath of the Druids will now release on May 13
📝We’re working on an article to provide transparency and share insights on our dev process
Thanks for your patience. Keep an eye on our social channels for future news! pic.twitter.com/aQUPR8cWNV
Wrath of the Druids is the first expansion for the game, but not the last. This DLC will task players with exploring the haunted wilds of Ireland as they go head-to-head against a vicious druidic cult know as the Children of Danu. Players will be able to conquer forts, become the best smuggler in all of Ireland, and gain the Gaelic Kings' illustrious favor.
The next expansion after that will take players to Paris, though that will come much later. While any delay is disappointing, it's a smart move on their part to buy a little more time to ensure a flawless (or as flawless as possible) release. With many studios still under Work From Home orders due to COVID-19, the day-to-day has changed, so a little understanding goes a long way when these types of decisions are made.
What are your thoughts on the Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids arrival next month? What are you the most excited for to see next? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below. While we wait due to the delay, you can also check out where one Valhalla dev wants to see the franchise go next right here.
The auto battle genre lept into life, spurred on from the map modding scene like many explosive genres before it. Now, Riot Games looks to both the past and the future of this genre to determine the path ahead for Teamfight Tactics and itsnew expansions, lab modes, and more. If you’re not familiar with what makes this particular game style work, there’s a lot of strategy and decision making to engage with, but not a lot of micromanagement or twitch-reflexes to handle, making it an ideal candidate for chatting with viewers as a streamer, an on-the-go choice for mobile engagement, or something to kick back and watch some movies while you play.
The element of chance is also a pervasive factor, so there’s the excitement of seeing each new crop of characters pop up, something akin to peering down at pocket aces or kings in a game of Texas Hold’em. So what’s in store for the future of the auto battler? What can we expect to see in Teamfight Tactics? We caught up with Teamfight Tactics product lead TJ Bourus to talk everything about auto battlers.
Game Informer: So Reckoning is the next expansion set. What’s different? What’s new?
TJ Bourus: So Reckoning is going to be our fifth set of Teamfight Tactics. It's kind of positioned as good versus evil. There'll be forces of good fighting forces of evil and you'll be building a team comp that will allow for a mixture of the two to fight against the other players in TFT. We also have a new set mechanic we're dubbing the armory. The armory is a new system that allows you to choose items at certain phases in the game in your shop. So instead of having them randomly drop, you're presented with like one of three items you can choose from or one to five. In addition to that system, we're also adding new items that we're calling shadow items that are variants of existing components or items.
Has there ever been any consideration toward giving players more information during the carousel phase? I always hear from new players that they have no idea what they’re picking.
Yes, there is definitely consideration. We actually had a solve for this, we actually took it out of the game... I want to say when TFT first came out around set two actually so for the Rise of the elements, there were trade icons above the champion in the carousel. But we quickly removed that a few patches after because it was too noisy, especially as we were releasing mobile, it actually wasn’t the right solution. But we've talked many times about needing to get hover states or right click to inspect on the moving carousel. The reason it hasn't happened as quickly as it's a little tricky because they're moving targets. But that's kind of the solution we're thinking about right now.
Where do we take this genre next to make it really breakout?
Yeah, I think there are two two areas right now that are top of mind for us that we've talked about. New modes. So with the release of Reckoning we’re releasing our very first mode Hyper Roll. So these are alternate ways to enjoy the core strategic auto battler is what I'd say. You know, there's only been the one version that many folks have really played from TFT as well as the competitors. We want to kind of change up that formula and learn what else we can do within the genre very similar to how like TFT was created. It was created from within a MOBA and that was the same for the auto chess was created from within a MOBA. What can we do from now this new way to experience this like top down isometric character building game to make alternate experiences? I think that's where like the genre is going to find even more evolution is from its roots, evolving from a different type of gameplay. How can you now evolve that into many different ways to experience auto battle, like modes, and that's something we're super interested in. We'll start with things like Hyper Roll, which are just rule variants, but longer term we may consider even more dramatic changes.
Additionally, I think eSports has like a lot of room to grow here. With TFT I compare it probably closer to poker, which there isn't really an eSports competitor that is very like that in this space, it is really on you versus the other eight players that you go into a game with. And you can then extrapolate that to a very large group of competitors playing against each other to then find the finalists to go to worlds and that's kind of what we're trying to shoot for. Lots and lots of people can go to qualifiers, can play, can sit down with a group of folks and climb up the ranks within an event to hopefully be eligible for that set’s finals. And I think that's something we want to invest more into and, and build out the scene around because it's unique within eSports.
Alright, so who's the strongest unit in Reckoning?
Vel’Koz. Vel’Koz. We've had him in the past and he shoots the laser, but this time when the laser is shot, it starts to widen the longer he casts. So a well-positioned Vel’Koz gets the right angle and spends enough time casting, there’s no one that’s not getting blasted by a ton of damage.
So how do I get somebody into Teamfight Tactics today? How do I pitch them on it? Because in my experience, you're either already well versed in auto chess, and you like it and you play it or I can't get you into the genre at all.
The way that I usually tell my friends, why this is such a fun game, is I reference it to games like Risk or games like Civilization or games where the strategy with decisions you make in the now are impacting things further down the line than you may be expecting. And that's kind of the fun of it. It's like you can make many decisions right now, but you need to think about how those will impact you later. And that's the fun of TFT. But also it’s a casual fun game. It's a game you can play while doing something else. I play a ton of games at the same time as Teamfight Tactics. And that's been like a pretty good selling point to me is like, hey, if you want to destress TFT is a great game for you. If you want to sweat and try hard. It's also a great game for that too, to be honest. And then I also highly recommend at least for now, the best way to get someone on board because it can be daunting at first, is to sit down in a game with them. There's no better way to teach someone than like just show them the ropes. I think once you play what we found is once you play about two or three games with Teamfight Tactics it really starts to click.
You can play Teamfight Tactics on PC (Inside the League of Legends client), iOS, or Android.
Final Fantasy XIV for PS5 boasts improved framerates, beautiful 4K resolution, incredibly fast loading times, haptic feedback features, and 3D audio. For those looking to take to the online world of Final Fantasy XIV on this generation, the open beta is now available for all to enjoy!
Final Fantasy XIV had a rough launch when it was first released. Players were both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by the structure of the game. Since then, numerous tweaks and expansions have come out, effectively turning it into one of the most beloved MMORPGs on the market. With it now on PS5 with the open beta, newcomers can jump right into Eorzea and see what adventures await.
Click here to watch embedded mediaSquare Enix director of community Matt Hilton took to the PlayStation Blog to update gamers on what they can expect from the open beta, an access period with "no limits." Hilton also promises that this move is great for those that maybe haven't tried out the MMORPG yet. Whether you've created your character and explored to your heart's content on the PS4 or just coming in for the first time, all can enjoy what the open beta has to offer.
“During the open beta period, players who own the PS4 version of FFXIV can experience all of the same content, but on PlayStation 5," said Final Fantasy XIV lead project manager Shoichi Matsuzawa. "The Worlds (or game servers) that you’ll connect to are the same ones that players on PS4 and other platforms play on, and there are no restrictions from a functionality perspective for open beta participants."
He added, "We are launching into open beta as a precaution since there is a massive amount of existing content in FFXIV. If we do not see any critical issues, we plan to transition straight into official service.”
For the newbies hopping in, the Free Trial version of the game is available during the open beta, which means you can play A Realm Reborn and Heavensward up to level 60. If you like it and you decide to put a ring on it, your character progress will carry over into the final game when purchased.
The full version of Final Fantasy XIV on PS5 will be available once the open beta closes, so it's a great time to hop in and see if this is the MMORPG for you.
From an updated UI to beautiful 4K, the game looks and feels amazing on PlayStation 5. For those who haven't been able to score one yet due to console shortages, the latest update also lives on other platforms. You can learn more about that here.
Nintendo’s Indie World showcase concluded with the surprise announcement for Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. The game is a follow-up to the 2016 original and sports a new cast, new story, but the same eerie weirdness.
Oxenfree II takes place five years after the events of the original. It stars Riley, an environmental researcher who returns to her hometown, Camena, to investigate the mysterious radio frequencies that are all too familiar to fans of the first game. We get a look at one of Riley’s companions and Edwards Island seems to make a return based on the premier trailer. The choice-driven dialogue that formed the core of Oxenfree will still play a big part in steering Oxenfree II’s narrative. Check out the spooky announcement video below.
Click here to watch embedded media“Words cannot begin to express how happy I am to finally talk about Oxenfree II: Lost Signals,” said Sean Krankel, co-founder and studio director at Night School Studio in a press release. “Oxenfree is such a special game to us, and it has been an incredible experience to revisit this world. We’re eager to welcome our players back while inviting newcomers to embark on an adventure with an entirely new cast of characters that retains the weird, heartfelt, and personalized experience of the original.”
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals launches this sometime this fall. We only know it’s coming to Switch and PC as other platforms have yet to be confirmed. For more on what to expect, you can read our review of the first gamehere. In between Oxenfree and Oxenfree II, Night School has released the supernatural comedyAfterparty as well asNext Stop Nowhere for Apple Arcade.
Did you enjoy the first Oxenfree and are you excited for the sequel? Let us know in the comments!
The OlliOlli series has let players skate across several environments, ranging from humble, basic beginnings to some of the most over-the-top, seemingly impossible skateparks imaginable. Following sequel success in OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood, developer Roll7 is back six years later with OlliOlli World.
Announced during today's Nintendo Indie World presentation, OlliOlli World hopes to capture the creativity and expression afforded by the art of skateboarding. OlliOlli World takes you on a journey across Radland to meet the legendary skate gods. "We're embracing the weird, wonderful, and diverse sides of skateboarding in a game that's all about going on a road trip with your friends, finding crazy spots, and, of course, skating everything in sight," creative director John Ribbins said in the Indie World presentation.
Featuring a beautiful, hand-drawn art style, OlliOlli World tasks you with skating, grinding and wall-riding your way across the island on your quest for gnarvana. The smooth 2D gameplay of past games allows developer Roll7 to combine skateboarding action with elements from platforming, rhythm, and puzzle games to create a unique experience that appeals to far more than typical skateboarding or sports fans.
The OlliOlli series presents players with a massive collection of tricks to master, and OlliOlli World appears no different. If you've played previous games, you know that much of the fun comes from finally landing that trick you've been struggling with, or learning how to best combo your way through a sequence within a stage.
Click here to watch embedded mediaWith new elements like quarter-pipes introduced into the stages, OlliOlli World is said to feature an even greater emphasis on level design that encourages you to flow between tricks within combos. You can also enjoy branching paths within the same level, allowing you to directly choose how intense or chill your experience is. You can also meet a colorful cast of characters, take on side quests, and uncover the secrets of Radland.
OlliOlli World is set to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC this winter. For more on the OlliOlli series, check out our reviews of OlliOlli and OlliOlli2: Welcome to Olliwood.
Earlier this year, we got our first look at the throwback title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge that brings fans back into simpler times filled with delicious pizza, a chorus of "Cowabunga," and pixelated glory. While the game looked incredible, we didn't have any platform information at that time. Luckily, Nintendo changed that when it confirmed that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge is coming to Switch later this year.
During Nintendo's latest Indie World Showcase, the team gave us a new look at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge with a brand new trailer, showing off the bodacious blast from the past on the hybrid platform:
Click here to watch embedded mediaSure, the Tribute Games team could have gone a more modernized route, but the beauty of Shredder's Revenge is that it takes us back to the glory days of the arcade. “We wanted to bring back a game for the fans of the ‘87 animated series and also the old arcade games of the ‘90s,” said Tribute Games co-founder Jean-Francois Major to Game Informer when the game was first announced. “Because we felt that people missed it. And including us, because, personally, I played those games a lot as a kid and I missed them a lot. So that was the idea that started it.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge reunites Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Leonardo once more in a nostalgia-filled new adventure in perfect 1987 style. The side-scrolling beat-em-up game pulls from a long legacy of adventures for one of the most passionate fandoms out there. Choose your fighter, play with friends, and kick butt with 4-player co-op and a totally radical new story mode.
As a long-time fan of TMNT, I'm stoked to see how this game plays out, even more so now that it's on Nintendo Switch. I have fond memories playing TMNT on my Game Boy Advance, so taking the next adventure on the go with the Switch feels natural and right.
We don't have a release date at this time, nor do we have what other platforms it will be available on other than PC, but that's OK. We have pizza until then.
Thoughts on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and our latest gameplay look? Shout out those hot takes loud and proud in the comment section below!
Are you ready for a new roguevania 2D action game? Then you just might want to keep an eye on Konami’s upcoming GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon, which is heading to the Steam Early Access program on May 13, with a full launch expected for PC and Switch in 2022. GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is being developed by GuruGuru alongside Konami Digitial Entertainment. Check out the trailer below for a look at what to expect.
Click here to watch embedded mediaOne thing you’ll immediately notice about GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is the aesthetic, which is striking and based on traditional Japanese art. Players make their way through Ukiyo-e style underworld levels and master multiple weapons and tools that can come together to create varied playstyles. Beating back evil spirits and big bosses looks quite regal here as players engage in the artistic tapestry each attempted run.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first game in the GetsuFumaDen world. The original Getsu Fuma Den released exclusively in Japan on the Famicom back in 1987, so there’s a good chance you had no idea it ever existed. Obviously, the new game is quite different, but the original title featured 2D side-scrolling platforming mixed with first-person exploration. Why is this especially relevant? Well, if you opt into the Early Access phase of GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon, you’ll get a port of the original game too, so you can go back for a quick history lesson before digging in to today’s offerings.
Why Early Access anyway? “Having an Early Access period gives us a great opportunity to build a community for GetsuFumaDen and ensure the game is as strong as possible. Throughout this period, we want to utilise user feedback and foster an active discussion to increase the quality of the game,” says producer Shin Murato. “We will work very closely with our community to help bring this game to life through content review, bug fixes, and balancing. Our focus is on Early Access at the moment; we will share more details about Nintendo Switch in the future.”
Does the art style attract you to this one? Are you into “roguevanias”? Let us know in the comments!
On May 25, you are invited to live a pirate's life in King of Seas, an action/role-playing experience developed by 3DClouds and published by Team17 Digital for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. Drawing clear inspiration from the amazing Sid Meier's Pirates! series of games, King of Seas puts you in command of your own pirate vessel to explore deadly procedurally generated waters for riches galore.
While you are free to explore the world and set sail in any which direction you desire, developer 3D Clouds says a series of quests create a narrative path forward that will introduce a variety of characters. The goal is to become the king of the pirates. If you veer off of this path and conquer territories, the game will adapt to your ways, changing the naval routes to make a more challenging playthrough.
Along with the randomly placed islands and threats, weather is also unpredictable, bringing storms and strong winds. The fog that blankets your path may also bring rival pirates that bring ship-to-ship combat and perhaps even the threat of a giant squid beneath the surface. The trailer above shows that a ghost element is also present in ships that glow and perhaps hold a crew of undead pirates.
As you fill your cargo hold with gold, you'll be able to upgrade to one of five different vessel types and customize it to your liking. You can even put a giant shark on the front of it.
If you want to take King of Seas for a test drive before its May release, a short demo is currently available on Steam. You can download it here.
It's a new week, which means a new reset in Destiny 2 Season of the Chosen. The latest update brings back the Proving Grounds Grandmaster Nightfall strike (and opens it up for all), the final Iron Banner for season 13, and a new set of raid challenges. Eyes up, Guardian, here's what's new in Destiny 2.
With the Guardian Games coming soon, this week is pretty light, but there is another lore drop for this week. This week's lore centers around learning more about Calus and his original plan to get super friendly with the Darkness via the Scorn. For those that enjoy the Presage quest, this is particularly neat (at least to me) because the lore reveals how the Darkness completely took control of the ship (which is evident during the new Exotic Scout Rifle questline) and how it manipulated the Scorn.
For those interested in some lore backstory, some of the dev team went into detail about how they made this sci-fi horror adventure a reality right here.
Bungie brought back the Proving Grounds once more for this week's Grandmaster Nightfall, an instance that requires Guardians to be at level 1325 or higher. A lot of players are confused by this move, because usually the rotation is more spaced out, and the player base is divided on its sooner-than-expected arrival.
Maybe I'm just a wimp, but the Proving Grounds Grandmaster Nightfall is the most difficult GM Nightfall to date. This rubberband has half of the community excited to dive back once more into an incredible challenge, whereas the other half are groaning in dread at having to run it again for their weeklies. This is one of those instances where I will run my Titan into the ground because my Warlock went smush more times than I'd like to admit.
What is good news about this particular rotation shift is that previously, players had to have either the Season of the Chosen Battle Pass or the Beyond Light expansion to enjoy this particular adventure. Bungie has confirmedthat it has removed that block and that anyone can hop into this Nightfall, should they choose.
As previously confirmed, this week's Iron Banner is the final Iron Banner before season 14 arrives. Bungie previously revealed two brand new weapons arriving next weekend and two returning weapons, which you can learn about here, so this is the last hurrah to get the current loot grabs. No new armor yet, but that's coming down the line in a few seasons.
Below are a few other tidbits from this week's reset to be aware of, for those looking to squeeze everything out of this update:
And that's it for this week's Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen update. Are you excited to see the reveal of Destiny 2: season 14? Sound off with your hopes and dreams in the comment section below, or just go ahead and make fun of me for how bad I am at GMs. It's okay, I can take it.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the most calming AAA games out there, and a large part of that is due to the soothing sounds of its music. Nintendo has revealed the Animal Crossing: New Horizons soundtrack and the collector's version of it for those who want to take that island getaway with them even when out of the game.
Courtesy of Nintendo Everything, we've got our first look at the soundtrack, including the tracklist, a release date, and the artbook attached. The only caveat is that this seems to be a Japan-exclusive. However, it is available through the Amazon Japan storefront and Play-Asia, so getting it elsewhere isn't that difficult.
For those interested in the tracklist for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons tracklist:
According to the site, the release date has also been pushed back from its anticipated launch later this month and is now releasing on June 9 instead.
The Play-Asia storefront shows a few different options, including the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Original Soundtrack (which is the big box seen above) retailing at $101.99, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Original Soundtrack BGM for $47.99, the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Original Soundtrack for $41.99, and the Animal Crossing: City Folk Original Soundtrack (Japan) for $29.99. For those interested in scooping up one of these editions, you can do so right here.
Xbox Game Pass is a worthwhile service that allows members to have instant access to a plethora of games at no additional cost. The subscription service has grown immensely since its birth, even more so with the recent Bethesda acquisition and EA Play merge, but now it's taken a more futuristic turn: let AI technology download your games for you. That's right, Xbox Game Pass has added Alexa support to its list of features.
While Alexa is not a true AI (Artificial Intelligence), the Amazon machine does use AI technology. As it continues to evolve into a more versatile piece of tech, more and more companies are finding ways to use this piece of electronic equipment.
Unlike certain features of Alexa, you won't have to download an additional skill in order for this to work the way it is intended on Game Pass. Instead, simply say, "Alexa, download [game name here] from Xbox Game Pass," and the download will commence immediately. Don't really have anything you want to download, or unsure of what you want to play next? You can also ask Alexa for any recommendations on what to play, what's new, and even what's leaving soon.
Before you start bossing your Alexa around, make sure you have the system linked up to your Xbox. You'll get this prompt when you first ask 'her' to download a game. If you already have it linked, then you won't need to do anything else, as mentioned above. If you don't have it linked, however, you will need to install the Xbox-specific skill in the Alexa mobile app.
This isn't the first time Alexa has integrated with Xbox and it won't be the last. There are also some games you can play with through this AI technology, including - you guessed it - Skyrim.
For those that may not have Xbox Game Pass yet, it's a deal that you've probably heard a lot about in the past year. It's grown impressively, and the value is undeniable. For those still on the fence, there are two options to choose from with the normal Xbox Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate. Xbox Game Pass is $9.99, whereas the Ultimate version includes Xbox Live for $14.99.
It's a solid investment, especially if you're a little pickier when it comes to games. Xbox Game Pass allows players access to over 100 titles at no additional cost outside of the membership, including first-party day one additions and acquired studio games (like Bethesda).
Thoughts on the latest Xbox Game Pass update with Alexa? What do you hope to see Microsoft do next with it? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment section below! Alexa would want you to.
Rovio is well known for Angry Birdsgames, merch, and evenmovies. On April 15, their new team-oriented RPG, Darkfire Heroes, comes to iOs and Android. Like many other mobile releases, Darkfire Heroes did have a soft launch in some regions, but the global launch is scheduled for this Thursday. The game marks the first release from Rovio’s Copenhagen studio and is the first release under CEOAlex Pelletier-Normand. We caught up with Rune Vendler, head of Rovio Copenhagen, to ask a few questions about the upcoming game and the mobile environment.
Game Informer: Outside of discoverability, what is the biggest challenge in mobile gaming today?
Rune Vendler: One challenge the entire mobile games industry is now facing is the upcoming Apple Privacy Policy change. We don’t know how the policy changes will affect us; nobody in the industry has an answer to that yet. But we at Rovio are very well prepared for this change. We have a strong community base for the game that formed during the soft launch period, which will help us with discoverability and fan engagement.
When we talk about game types, sometimes we hear the term “mid-core” when defining a game. What does this term mean?
I'm not aware of any formal definitions. In my view, the mid-core market is defined by the RPG, strategy, and shooter genres - games that often exhibit more complexity in their mechanics, content, economies, or player-to-player interactions than the casual/puzzle titles.
What makes Darkfire Heroes different from other games like it on the market?
Darkfire Heroes does a really good job of offering both an engaging campaign (PvE), as well as an exciting arena (PvP). We've spent a long time designing some really exciting and varied heroes to collect, and both PvE and PvP play really well with the real-time battle mechanics in the game - there's a good balance of skill and power. These two sides also come together in the game's events, where players, either on their own or in clans, battle it out in a variety of special game modes.
We work closely with the community to balance and evolve the game. It has been great to see how fans have engaged with Darkfire Heroes already during the soft launch period. Even though the game team is of course defining the roadmap, we pay a lot of attention to the community, and we also have a players' council, where we talk directly to key community members.
Why the shift to Darkfire Heroes from other established studio IP?
Rovio acquired Darkfire Games studio in 2020 to strengthen its genre mastery in RPGs, expand the games portfolio to new areas of the mobile gaming market, and to reach a different kind of target audience. The team is really knowledgeable on building RPGs and they know how to do it well from working together for so many years. The studio had Darkfire Heroes in soft launch already at the time of acquisition. This game is our first entry into the team-based action RPG genre, which opens up new opportunities for us to utilize our genre mastery philosophy as part of our growth strategy. Part of our growth strategy is also to diversify the games portfolio with new IP's while Angry Birds remains a unique asset for Rovio and we keep on investing on Angry Birds brand in the future as well.
The target audience for this game is 16-44 mid-core gamers who enjoy a game with the right amount of action, RPG and strategic depth which can be enjoyed on the go. So like all Rovio games, this game is developed and marketed to adults but might appeal to different types of gamers.
What were some of the features that were tried and scrapped in the creation of Darkfire Heroes?
Over the course of development, we've tried out a variety of game modes, heroes and enemies, level designs, and magic spells. Some made the cut, and some didn’t – though there is always a hope that some of the designs might resurface again later. I think we've managed to find a good selection of features for the game so far, but there are always opportunities to expand the game.
Are there any plans to take Darkfire Heroes to other platforms?
Currently no, we are launching the game on iOS and Android for now.
As mobile games continue to innovate strategies to keep players engaged and entertained, how has this intertwined with monetization? Have analytics and data come through to create new models and strategies to get players invested and active as DAUs and MAUs?
We still start from the same principles as always: we have to create a game that is engaging and fun. That way, we earn the players' attention and time, and as they connect with the game, we strive to create enough value for them that they want to spend money in the game. Analytics help us understand what's working and what's not and can point us towards improvements and optimizations. The insights also help us personalize the experience and balance the game.
Do you play mobile games? Are you interested in checking out this kind of experience? Let us know in the comments!
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