Contest: Win Boomerang Fu for Switch or Steam
In today's contest you can win wacky multiplayer title Boomerang Fu!
I like bananas and avocados. I also like boomerangs and power-ups. Lastly, I like when all of these things are unceremoniously thrown together to make a strange, cute little video game. I'm extremely easy to please.
If you like all of these things, too, then you should check out Boomerang Fu. Most websites would tell you to just go buy it, but we here at Dtoid believe in at least giving you the chance to get it free!
Jurassic World looks surprisingly cool in Minecraft
Even if you have no interest in Minecraft's crossover content, you might get a kick out of this trailer for the just-released Jurassic World DLC. The music, the iconography, the classic dinos – it hit me hard. I don't know the last time I watched Jurassic Park, but whenever it was, it's been far too long.
Similar to that recent-ish Pac-Man add-on Chris told us about, Jurassic World is available from the Minecraft Marketplace for 1340 Minecoins. (Quick reminder: it's $9.99 for 1720 Minecoins). The pack includes 21 skins, 60 dinosaurs – some of which are hybrids – and familiar faces from the movies.
"Craft and train dinosaurs, build exhibits, manage the park, and open it for business," according to the listing. "Use vehicles and your team of NPCs to solve disasters or go on expeditions to find dino DNA." As the unenviable park manager, you'll "see how long you can keep the park open for a high score."
All that and a Dr. Ian Malcolm skin. Not bad!
Jurassic World [Minecraft]
Do your part to get Fall Guys' yellow team deleted forever
Yellow team gets fucked. That is the first unwritten rule of Fall Guys, as everyone gangs up in games like Egg Scramble and Hoarders to ensure that yellow team is eliminated. It is hilarious exactly 67 percent of the time.
You can help change the tides of history with relatively little effort. Fall Guys developer Mediatonic has committed to deleting the yellow team if this tweet gets a million retweets:
Resident Evil 7 is getting welcomed to the Xbox Game Pass family
Book a one-way trip down to the bayou where everyone is a monster. It's another Good Get for Xbox Game Pass.
Microsoft has kept us in the loop as to the next couple weeks' worth of additions to Xbox Game Pass, and the list includes 2017's reinvention of Resident Evil. On September 3, Resident Evil 7 joins the Xbox Game Pass lineup.
We gave Resident Evil 7 a perfect 10 when it launched, praising the move to first-person and the always-on-your-toes pacing. The majority of the game feels only Resident Evil in spirit, and it's mostly divorced from all of the series' lore baggage. It's very possible to go into Resident Evil 7 as your first mainline Resident Evil game and you won't feel as though you're missing out. It's just an excellent horror game.
There are a lot of quality games coming to Xbox Game Pass before Resident Evil 7 hits on September 3. In fact, a handful of them show up on their launch day. Here's what's coming to Xbox Game Pass in the next two weeks:
Oculus is going to require you to have a connected Facebook account to use its VR headsets
The day many virtual reality enthusiasts feared is nearly upon us. Sooner or later, every Oculus headset is going to require a linked Facebook account in order for it to function.
Oculus messaged this policy change today, and it has a few different angles. For anyone who hasn't yet bought an Oculus VR headset, Facebook will mandate that new users sign up with a Facebook account starting in October 2020. That's the most immediately restrictive of the new terms and conditions.
Anyone who already has an Oculus account will be able to use that through the end of 2022. Facebook won't require that you merge your Oculus account with a Facebook account until January 1, 2023. At that point, Oculus says that your device won't be fully functional without merging, although it wasn't clarified as to how shortchanged those accounts will be. It's likely that some social features won't be available, but it could extend to use of the Oculus storefront and possible incompatibility with purchases that have already been made.
However, that timeline is sped up for upcoming headsets. Oculus says "All future unreleased Oculus devices will require a Facebook account, even if you already have an Oculus account." There's a heavily-rumored updated version of the Oculus Quest that's expected to be announced this fall. (Oculus Connect always takes place in late September or early October, but there's no date yet for this digital-only event.) The new Quest will likely be the first headset that absolutely requires you to have a Facebook account connected to it.
Facebook doesn't even try hiding the fact that it's using this merging as a way of harvesting data. In the FAQ section of the announcement post, it's stated that "We will use information related to your use of Oculus and Facebook for purposes such as showing you personalized content, including ads, across Facebook products. This could include recommendations for Oculus Events you might like, ads about Facebook apps and technologies, or ads from developers for their VR apps." You virtual reality headset will need to be connected to a social media account so that you can be more effectively marketed to.
For anyone on existing hardware, the consolation here is that you have a bit of time before the change is forced upon you. It's also worth noting that you can sign up for an Oculus account without actually owning an Oculus VR headset. Anyone who might get a Rift or Quest in the near future -- and doesn't care for the forced Facebook tie-in -- might want to preemptively sign up now. It'll help you circumvent the inevitable for a few years.
A Single Way to Log Into Oculus and Unlock Social Features [Oculus]
Splatoon's 2's Chicken vs. Egg splatfest returns this weekend
Fans of Nintendo's arena shooter Splatoon 2 will have reason to jump back into battle this weekend, as the popular multiplayer title will re-run the fun on one of its classic splatfest showdowns. And this time, it's a question almost as old as time itself.
Once again, players will be asked to choose an answer to the old conundrum of which came first: The Chicken or The Egg? Everyone's favourite rap-rock duo Off the Hook are in full effect, with Pearl standing in the corner of Team Chicken and Marina backing Team Egg. As always the battle will be decided by a three-point system, with one point being designated to a public vote, and the other two being won via Normal and Pro play battles.
I don't love that Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe was delayed, but I love the way it was announced
The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe has a history of showing up late to work. Originally announced in late 2018, developers Galactic Cafe and Crows Crows Crows aimed to push Ultra Deluxe out the door in 2019. Then it was delayed until the first half of 2020. Now it has been delayed again.
Ultra Deluxe, like a lot of other video games, won't release in 2020. That much was messaged earlier today when the developers announced that it's being pushed back yet again, this time to the first quarter in 2021. However, they made efficient use of resources, proving their value to any middle managers who are watching.
Here are the two Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe delay messages:
Persona 5 anime begins streaming on Funimation today
If you enjoyed Atlus' blockbuster JRPG Persona 5 and thought "Y'know, I'd love to see this exact same story again, but told really breathlessly and not quite as well," then you're in luck, as Persona 5 the Animation joins the Funimation streaming service today.
All 26 episodes of the 2018 anime are available to watch via Funimation, along with the "Dark Sun" and "Stars and Ours" special episodes. Viewers in North America and Canada can check out the entire series with a choice of both its original Japanese or new English dub. The latter sees the original cast of the video game stepping back into their respective roles as Joker, Ryuji, Haru, Morgana and Lady Ann, et al.
Deathloop won't be a launch window PS5 game after all
If you were expecting to play Deathloop this holiday season on your shiny new PlayStation 5 or your beefed-up PC, there's a change of plans – the first-person assassin game is launching in Q2 2021.
Arkane Lyon shared the news on Twitter today, citing a need for extra production time to "bring Deathloop's world to life with as much character and fun as you've come to expect from our team."
"The health and safety of everyone at Arkane Lyon remains our top priority. As we've adjusted to work-from-home, we found that delivering this new and exciting experience, at the polish and quality level that defines both an Arkane game and a true next-gen experience, is taking longer than normal."
This admittedly isn't as high-profile of a delay as Halo Infinite, which feels sorely needed on Xbox's part, but it stings. With the way the next-gen launch landscape is shaping up, I could have pictured people who missed Dishonored still taking a chance on Deathloop in 2020 because it's here and it looks cool.
"While we know this is the right decision for Deathloop, we share your disappointment, and apologize for making you wait even longer," Arkane said. Remember the Before Time? I miss the Before Time.
@deathloop [Twitter]
Baldur's Gate 3 is starting Early Access on September 30
It won't be much longer before we're chatting up squishy Intellect Devourers.
If you're into Larian Studios enough to want to show up for Baldur's Gate 3 on day one, rough edges and all, we now have a release date: the Early Access launch is set for September 30 on PC and Stadia.
The Early Access date was announced during a lengthy Panel From Hell with creative director Swen Vincke, senior writer Adam Smith, Wizards of the Coast's Chris Perkins, and host Geoff Keighley.
At launch, the Early Access build of Baldur's Gate 3 will have five Origin characters – Astarion (Elf/Vampire Rogue), Gale (Human Wizard), Lae'zel (Githyanki Warrior), Shadowheart (Half-Elf Cleric), and Wyll (Human Warlock) – as well as the option to create your own if that's more your speed.
The game's first act is "approximately 25 hours of self-contained content." In a press release, Larian said to expect 80 combat encounters, 45,980 lines of dialogue, and 146 spells and actions, just to name a few figures. As for the Early Access time frame, the current estimate is "at least one year."
The recommended specs – Intel i7 4770k / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X, 16 GB RAM, and Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX580 – are "subject to change" and "might decrease over the course of Early Access."
There's going to be a special Chinese Nintendo Direct just for Ring Fit Adventure this week
Nintendo is bringing out everything but the kitchen sink this summer: and that sink is a standard Nintendo Direct! We've gotten a mini Direct earlier this year, as well as a Nindies Showcase today, and now there's going to be a Chinese Direct just for Ring Fit Adventure. Huh?
Yep, despite the fact that Ring Fit Adventure arrived all the way back in October of last year; the little fitness game that could became an unlikely phenomenon due to the current global situation, and it seems like Nintendo still wants to capitalize on it.
According to a Weibo translation by Chinese Nintendo, the Direct will mostly deal with the release date of Ring Fit Adventure in China, as well as information on where to find it and a general rundown of the game. In other words, the likelihood of DLC announcements or information that anyone would find relevant elsewhere in the world is low.
That said, the fact that this exists at all is pretty good news for Ring Fit Adventure fans. Nintendo clearly cares about this IP and it seems like it's here to stay.
Ring Fit Adventure [Wiebo via Chinese Nintendo]
Indie producer fans the flames of Firewatch movie
It might be time to check the batteries in your trusty walkie-talkie, as Campo Santo's intriguing indie hit Firewatch is once again being courted for a live-action adaptation.
As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, indie producer Snoot Entertainment - previously responsible for 2018's Blindspotting - has expressed interest in the acclaimed game, with hopes of adapting its tale of isolation, exploration and mystery into either a film or TV series. Snoot Entertainment's Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder will co-produce the project alongside Campo Santo's Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild-inspired RPG Genshin Impact is out next month
When Genshin Impact was first announced. it made waves as one of several games that decided to ape a recently released Zelda game: in this case, Breath of the Wild.
Over time people slowly saw it become its own thing, and now it's getting ready to launch and make its mark on the world. Publisher miHoYo just confirmed this week that Genshin Impact will be fully released on September 28, on the Android, iOS and PC platforms. As a reminder, the game is still in the works for PS4, and will be "revealed at a later date." There is zero talk of the Switch version in that same announcement date post.
I'm very wary of the free-to-play scheme, but so far the aesthetics and the soundtrack have me intrigued. We'll find out just how playable it is beyond the existing betas (that sometimes play softball with monetization) soon enough. Cross-play and cross-progression between the trio of September 28 versions could be a good enough concession, though.
If you're interested, you can pre-register here.
September 28 [Genshin Impact]
A Final Fantasy XIV player was randomly handed 999 eggs to eat, and it became a massive event
It started with a simple tweet: "Logged onto FFXIV and some guy gave me 999 eggs and asked me to eat them. I'm down to 685. On Marlboro [sic] if you want to come watch."
If you play Final Fantasy XIV and have access to the Malboro server, this was a call to action. Everyone and anyone who's played XIV already knows the place from the background: Limsa Lominsa (my favorite capital city!). It was only a matter of time (after some RTs) until a crowd started to form.
Amazingly, Twitter user RubberNinja actually chronicled the entire thing, complete with the growing crowd cheering him on while he slowly ate every egg. As a note: you can eat however much food you want in FFXIV (which provides a small temporary buff to your stats), you just won't benefit from stacking food. This was done purely for the thrill of it. The alleged egg dealer took to Twitter afterward to jokingly apologize for making them do this; later vowing that "Marlboro will become known for our eggs."
This is partially why people love Final Fantasy XIV so much. People will just tweet "check out my house, it's at [x]" and folks will come in droves. Producer Yoshi-P and his team smartly have expanded a ton of elements of the game that facilitate these sort of wacky adventures, and over the course of many years, those efforts have paid off.
RubberNinja [Twitter]
Everything that happened at today's August Indie World Showcase
Today's Indie World Showcase just wrapped up: did you enjoy it?
Nintendo book-ended the big things: a Hades Switch port from Supergiant Games at the start, and an Untitled Goose Game multiplayer update at the end (which will be coming to other platforms too). A few other interesting things are sprinkled in too, like Takeshi and Hiroshi (which was actually released on the Apple Arcade earlier this year), as well as several other games that are coming today.
You can find a full list of every title announced or dated during the stream, as well as a breakdown of games that were shuffled into the very-quick-moving sizzle reel.
Untitled Goose Game is getting multiplayer for free next month
As part of the "one more thing" announcement from today's Nintendo Indie World Showcase, Untitled Goose Game made an unlikely appearance, taking over the show at the last minute.
The reveal was simple: two geese?! How can this be?! The implications are obvious. Yes, Untitled Goose Game is getting multiplayer. While it was confirmed on the Nintendo stream itself, developer House House's official site lists the Steam and Itch release coming on September 23, along with the co-op update. In the description for the official trailer (below), House House doles out a bit more info beyond the scope of the showcase. Evidently you can "play through the entire game with two players." Rad!
Also announced at the end of the stream: there's going to be a physical version of Untitled Goose Game on Switch, which you can view below.
Supergiant Games' Hades is coming to Switch, will offer cross-save with PC version
Kicking off the Nintendo Indie World Showcase today, the stream was frontloaded with a bigger announcement: Supergiant Games' Hades is coming to Switch.
Previously announced for PC and currently in a very lengthy early access period (since late 2018 to be exact), Supergiant is bringing the roguelike Greek God action romp to Nintendo's portable. The best part? When it does arrive it'll have cross-save support, so all of the time you spent with the PC version thus far won't be wasted. You gotta love that feature!
Right now the only date we have is "this fall." That fits, because the PC version is still slated for the "third or fourth quarter."
Fall Guys turns brandwagoning into charity bidding war
If there's one thing big brands know how to do, it's jumping on the coat-tails of the latest viral smash. Mediatonic's Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is no exception. Since the super-fun battle royale title launched last fortnight, a host of major retail brands have taken to social media to squeeze their logos and colour schemes into potential Bean skins.
In a smart turn of events, Mediatonic has come up with a smart way to take this new-found attention and use it for a good cause. The developer has set up a bidding war for any brands interested in being featured in Fall Guys. Brands can put forward a monetary bid and the brand declared the highest bidder in a fortnight will then be immortalised as an in-game skin.
The money raised by the final bid will be donated to UK charity SpecialEffect, who offer support and equipment to help disabled and vulnerable people enjoy video games. For more information about the organisation's efforts to make gaming more accessible, visit the official SpecialEffect website.
Sensibly, Mediatonic has noted that it reserves the right to refuse any bid should it come from a brand deemed unsuitable or offensive for the Fall Guys audience. One of the brands that has already fallen to this ruling is adult gaming developer Nutaku Games, whose entry - though admittedly quite cute - was considered a little naughty for the family-friendly title.
Fall Guys is available now on PS4 and PC.
Fall Guys pits brands in bidding war to win in-game skin [DualShockers]
It's not quite a Direct, but Nintendo is streaming an Indie World showcase soon
[Update: The Indie World showcase begins in around 20 minutes. Be sure to tune in below!]
Where's the big summer Direct? Well it hasn't happened yet. It may never happen. But until then, we'll get plenty of side shows.
Announced this morning, Nintendo will air the next Indie World showcase tomorrow, August 18, at 12PM ET. It'll run for "roughly 20 minutes," and will provide "information on indie games coming to Switch."
As a reminder, these streams are very low key and mostly focus on known games, as well as vague date windows. If you want to get an idea of what type of announcements you can expect from one of these, you can view a full recap of the March 2020 Indie World stream here.
You can watch it directly below when the time comes, or at the Indie Showcase landing site!
Ikaruga model kit edition will be coming west on PS4 and Switch
Nicalis has announced that the Japanese physical release of Treasure's iconic shmup Ikaruga will be headed west this fall. Pre-orders for the limited set are now live over at the official Nicalis store.
New Neptunia project for 'new hardware' to be revealed tomorrow
There are a lot of unanswered questions pertaining to the next generation of gaming platforms, but we can finally put one of the most important, crucial inquiries to rest. Yes, Nep-Nep will be making an appearance in some fashion on next-gen consoles.
Compile Heart has announced that it plans to reveal a "new development" in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series tomorrow, August 19. Incidentally, this date represents the tenth anniversary of the franchise, which began with the release of original JRPG Hyperdimension Neptunia and has gone on to spawn several sequels and spin-offs, alongside a catalogue of cute memes.
The new project will be revealed as part of a "Compile Heart TV" live stream, which will broadcast sometime in Japan's evening hours. No further information regarding platforms, release date, or whether this new development was a straight sequel, a VR title, another spin-off, or something else entirely. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. NEPPU!
Neptunia new development for new hardware to be announced [Gematsu]
The publisher of TERA, as well as Dark Crystal and Stranger Things games, is shutting down
En Masse Entertainment, widely known as the North American publisher of TERA (formerly TERA Online), is shuttering.
The news was announced on the TERA Facebook page, as the publisher explained that they had "begun the process of discomfiting the business of En Masse Entertainment" yesterday. They're focusing on helping out their team now, but will announce more information on their current array of products "in the coming weeks."
As a note, TERA will continue (as well as Closers) because it spans far beyond the scope of En Masse. Korean-based Bluehole Studio is ultimately at the helm of TERA, with three other publishers in league with them beyond En Masse handling worldwide publishing duties. En Masse even confirms that "support will continue."
Even if you've never heard of En Masse, it was kind of a big deal to a lot of people. TERA has been in operation since 2012 in North America, even moving to current-gen consoles in 2018. The publisher also handled several games that are still in operation, as well as handling one-off publishing duties for titles like Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and Stranger Things 3: The Game. En Masse even had their own launcher!
You can find the full statement below.
TERA [Facebook]
Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is a 'layer across the whole game'
Frontier Developments is starting to open up about Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, the next step in the space sim's ongoing adventures. In this "early 2021" expansion, you'll be able to ditch your ship for a bit of otherworldly on-foot exploration. Better yet, you'll be able to scan alien vegetation and sell the data.
I recently spoke with a pair of developers working on Odyssey to try and fill in a few of the blanks.
Art director Jonathan Bottone called Odyssey "one of the largest updates where we've taken the technology that we had originally, reworked it based on the simulation, and created an even more immersive experience than before." Players have been losing themselves in Elite Dangerous since 2014.
Odyssey is a visible new entry point for the long-running game but "not at the expense of the existing player base," according to lead designer Gareth Hughes. Frontier is sticking to the "fundamentals" of Elite. "For us, it's combat, trade, exploration, and all the blurry bits in between that merge," he said.
"It's 'How can we take those things from the space game and transpose those into on-foot so it doesn't feel like we're making a compartmentalized addition?' It feels like a layer across the whole game."
Planetary exploration will be a matter of "How far can I go before my suit energy starts to run out? Am I going to be able to make it back to my ship? Am I going to be ambushed while I'm out there?"
"We're playing around with how heat, gravity, and radiation will affect the player," said Hughes.
"We're still balancing that stuff. It has to be enough of a threat without suppressing your ability to actually go out and explore. It's a really fine balance to make these environmental factors meaningful without them affecting the gameplay loop so severely that it's no longer fun."
Whatever it takes to fill in Codex entries, I'm probably in. They'll claw away at my mind.
Aside from your pilot's scanner – a tool used to "identify organics in your locality on the planet surface" and extract "genetic information that can be sold back at port" – I had to ask about outposts.
Hughes told me that human settlements are "populated by the factions you're used to seeing." You can accept missions from NPCs, trade with them, "massacre them," play the role of pirate – the usual. Elite Dangerous "doesn't tell you who you have to be and when you have to be that."
Players will also be able to disembark at ports. They're intended to be "social hubs where you can meet other players, find mission givers that you might not otherwise experience, and create a safe space where pilots can meet and do piloty things," according to Hughes. "The social element is important."
I'm curious to see how on-foot combat shapes up – it wasn't shown during the remote press event – and how well Frontier will manage to keep planets feeling distinct from one another given the scope of Elite in general and this DLC in particular. Odyssey seems like a challenge, but it's one worth taking on.
Contest: Win Dreamscaper for Steam
In today's contest you can win a Steam Early Access copy of surreal action-RPG Dreamscaper!
It feels like forever since we've given anything out around here. What's it been, like three days? Let's fix that by giving out copies of Dreamscaper, which just hit Steam Early Access. That'll scratch the itch!
Planet Coaster: Console Edition has keyboard and mouse support if you really need it
I wasn't worried about how Planet Coaster: Console Edition would fare on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, but if I had been, a recent live hands-off showing from Frontier would've helped convince me.
The visual fidelity was there, and while I only saw a theme park in its early, not-too-crowded stage of life, Planet Coaster didn't show any worrisome performance blemishes in a build running on Xbox One.
I also saw some new character-driven tutorials (which reminded me of Planet Zoo) and the reworked-for-gamepads control scheme (which looks like it'll click within the first hour once you get the contextual buttons down). One of the highlights was the up-close, first-person coaster-building tool.
Frontier "rebuilt the UI from the ground up" in an attempt to "make the basics super accessible and still retain all the intricacy of the tools," according to lead designer Andrew Fletcher. "We had a good experience with Jurassic World Evolution and bringing that to console and PC at the same time," he said. "That kind of showed us that there was an appetite for management games on console platforms."
On that front, Planet Coaster: Console Edition will come with far more pre-built creations "so that newcomers can more quickly put a park together," it'll support mouse and keyboard – "you can just plug in and out and it'll switch on the fly" – and there's a Frontier Workshop for sharing user content.
You can browse content like parks, coasters, shops, and scenery items. You can even follow creators, rate items, and edit them. Frontier "built up a whole sharing platform" to "foster the community."
Next-gen consoles were an "ideal opportunity" to "really go big," said game director Gary Richards.
He added that if you buy Planet Coaster on PS4 or Xbox One, "all that content and all your save games and everything you create in those versions will be upgraded to the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X version when you then upgrade your console. There's no reason not to buy it. Everything will transfer across for free."
With the way these console ports are shaping up, I sincerely hope Planet Zoo is next.
The next Batman game is probably getting revealed tomorrow
Oh, Warner Bros sure does love a good tease, huh? Now that it has two DC Comics games in the hopper, the teases are coming fast and furious. The latest one points to an imminent reveal.
A new verified Twitter account has popped up with the handle @r3dakt3d. The bio for this edgy l33t-speak account reads #DCFanDome. It only follows two accounts, WB Games (the publisher) and WB Montreal (the developer). It has a URL with the same "r3dakt3d" branding. This site simply says "We have been expecting you. 8 [August] / 18." That's tomorrow.
If you do some link chasing from the site, you'll find an Instagram account with this tagged photo:
Battletoads has a bike achievement that will drive you hopping mad
The Turbo Tunnel was the end of the road for most Battletoads players. The infamous bike stage -- only the third level in the game -- was so difficult that most people never progressed past it. It was like running into a brick wall both literally and figuratively.
The Battletoads that launches this week probably won't have anything so notoriously punitive. Developers generally want players to finish their games nowadays. There's a bike level though because paying tribute is important. And there's an achievement tied to it that might ruin some friendships.
Xbox Wire released most of the Battletoads achievements today (save for five secret, probably story-spoiling ones) and "Live and Let Drive" sticks out like a sore thumb. You'll need everyone to stay alive on bikes for 5 straight minutes in three-player co-op. Jordan's input on this challenge is that he played the bike level at a show with another journalist and they "died a lot." However, Jordan did not have the familiarity, memorization, and practice that you and your friends will eventually have. I'm confident you can do it, even if it requires finding more talented friends.
Here are the Battletoads achievements. With some luck, skill, and perseverance, Pimple and Zitz won't be the only things poppin'.
Learn about the sexier side of Skyrim on this episode of Podtoid
I imagine one of the most entertaining parts of building an epic video game is building up the world players will be exploring. There are many different ways to do this, and in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you can find a lot of information about the inhabitants of this world the old-fashioned way: in a book. You can find out about the history of the land, as well as some saucier little details you might not expect.
That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. Charlotte, Dan, Occams, and CJ talk Skyrim, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, IKEA furniture, Epic's lawsuits, Galaxy of Terror, and the Xbox Series X launch. All that, plus you shouldn't point a gun at your dick, on Podtoid Episode 455.
Hitman 3 is 'making some changes' to Elusive Targets and dropping Ghost Mode
As the "dramatic conclusion" to the current Hitman trilogy, you'd probably expect Hitman 3 to maintain most of the side modes from the last game, especially given IO Interactive's trajectory with this series. That said, there are a few removals and changes – some of which will affect Hitman 2 players.
In a blog post, IO Interactive outlined Hitman 3's modes:
- Campaign: "A globetrotting adventure to sprawling sandbox locations."
- Elusive Targets: "The stakes are high and the clock is ticking" but the developers are "making some changes to the Elusive Target formula that we'll reveal at a later date."
- Escalations: "Expect your gameplay skills to be pushed to the max as new elements are thrown at you in each stage of the contract."
- Contracts Mode: "Choose your own targets, choose how to eliminate them, and then make it all happen."
- Sniper Assassin: "Can be played in existing maps as a single-player experience only."
Ghost Mode, Hitman 2's one-on-one competitive multiplayer mode, won't be back for Hitman 3. Going a step further, IO is shutting down the Ghost Mode servers for Hitman 2 on August 31, 2020, and "taking all of those learnings onboard for what we do in the future with regards to multiplayer."
If you're stressed about unlocking the Phantom Suit, heads up: it'll be "added as an unlock in Hitman 3."
Similarly, IO Interactive is planning to sunset the co-op servers for Sniper Assassin in Hitman 2 "before the [January 2021] launch of Hitman 3." The team says it'll "share an exact timeline and a solution to the mode's multiplayer trophies in the coming months," so there's some silver lining at least. A smidgen.
As for PC VR, "what I can tell you today is that Hitman 3 will include PS VR support at launch." Uh huh.
HITMAN 3 - Game Modes [IO Interactive]
Do you love The Witcher 2 enough to watch a five-hour video essay?
Have you ever been at a party, maybe a little tipsy, and you get trapped in a conversation with a guy who just. will. not. quit. talking. Like, you're long past the point of feeling guilty about not contributing enough. You're over it. He's still yapping away, but you're focused one hundred percent on an escape plan. There's no way to break this off without feeling like a jerk. "Dude, I really gotta piss," you mutter before wandering in the opposite direction.
That inescapable party conversation is the spirit animal of this Witcher 2 breakdown. This video essay goes on for five hours, as YouTuber Joseph Anderson dissects (probably) every single aspect of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. I say "probably" because I definitely didn't watch this.
But Anderson isn't producing marathon videos, releasing them into the void, and praying YouTube's algorithm loves it. He already has a very dedicated audience for these videos. His Patreon pulls $6,000/month from about 1,800 supporters. His YouTube channel is over a half-million subscribers. People are tuning in and people are paying.
The Witcher 2 isn't a one-off random topic. Anderson's working his way through all of the games in CD Projekt Red's most popular series. His video on the original Witcher broke two million views and clocked in close to four-and-a-half hours. You can only assume that his inevitable Witcher 3 video will be the longest and most popular yet.
Sincerely, kudos on the hard work, effort, and dedication to produce these videos. I get tuckered out after blogging for like 40 minutes. I can't imagine chipping away at a project of this scale.
Spelunky 2 is releasing on Steam 'no later than a few weeks' after PS4
Clarifying the Steam release window for Spelunky 2, creator Derek Yu says that the PC version of the trap-filled roguelike platformer will be out within "a few weeks" of the PS4 launch on September 15.
There was a bit of fuzziness surrounding the Steam date – Spelunky 2's appearance during a recent State of Play stream was understandably PlayStation-focused – so it's nice to have more clarity.
The developers need time to "make sure that Spelunky 2 runs well on PC," according to Yu.
"That includes testing online multiplayer, but it's not the only thing we'll be busy with." Mossmouth and BitWorks are "working hard to make sure the two release dates are as close as possible."
He also mentioned that the Steam page has new screenshots, which my mind started dissecting and "playing," like you do (if you're obsessed with Spelunky). I'm gonna have a rough go with the lava.
@mossmouth [Twitter via PC Gamer]
Can you imagine a better Tony Hawk secret character than Jack Black as Officer Dick?
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater has no shortage of secret characters across its many games. Spider-Man can be unlocked in THPS2. Daisy, modeled after porn star Jenna Jameson, can be unlocked in THPS3. The list is long and fascinating, but none of the secret characters are more iconic than Officer Dick.
Officer Dick, more Paul Blart than RoboCop, is the policeman who is an unlockable skater in the first four Tony Hawk games. He's seemingly back for this fall's modernization of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2, played by a very famous actor. Call it Tenacious Donut.
UFC 4 taps out Animal Crossing to take top spot of the UK Charts
Despite middling reviews, Electronic Arts' UFC 4 has successfully debuted at the number one spot of the UK Charts, with the MMA simulator pushing Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons off of the top spot and into second place.
A very quiet week for new releases saw little change across the board, as Sony's Ghost of Tsushima, Codemasters' F1 2020, and Nintendo releases Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Paper Mario: The Origami King, and Ring Fit Adventure continue to jostle for position within the Top Ten.
As we head into September, publishers will start to push out their big releases for the holiday season. Given the looming next generation of consoles, as well as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it will be interesting to see how the current climate affects customer behaviour during the year's most lucrative sales period.
Sports Story delayed on Switch to 'ensure that everything makes it into the game'
The next sports game from Golf Story developer Sidebar Games needs more time.
Originally announced for Q2 2020, Sports Story has "become rather ambitious," to the point where the developers "want to take some more time" with it. They're "excited about how it could turn out" and want to "ensure that everything makes it into the game." A new release date wasn't mentioned.
"We are eager to reveal the results of these past two years so please look forward to future updates."
We've prepared a Sports Story update video to shed some more light on the situation. âš½ï¸ðŸðŸŽ¾â›³ï¸ðŸ"º pic.twitter.com/FpGPVyFhD3
— Sidebar Games (@sidebargames) August 17, 2020
The team also shared a hint-filled video about what's in store, from vampires in a hotel to soccer with a dog. On that note, Sidebar previously pitched Sports Story as "a game about sports, but not always."
Speaking of cool indie games on Switch, Nintendo is streaming another Indie World Showcase tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Pacific. Sports Story first showed up during one of these events.
The eShop can be a sludge-filled wasteland at times, but then games like Golf Story come around.
@Sidebargames [Twitter]
Check out 15 minutes of Control's AWE DLC right here
Publisher 505 Games has released a lengthy preview video for AWE, the incoming expansion for Remedy Entertainment's world-warping adventure, Control. The 15-minute video gives fans the chance to check out the DLC ahead of its official launch on August 27.
AWE will continue the bizarre adventures of SBC special agent Jesse Faden, as she investigates a new division of The Oldest House, on a mission that will take her beyond the walls of the bureau and into the mysterious backwater town of Bright Falls - a locale that may seem strangely familiar to many video game fans. Bring a torch.
The Witcher 2 is five bucks on Xbox 360/Xbox One for another week
Did you miss the memo that The Witcher is pretty popular right now?
Despite the fact that developer CD Projekt Red has only made three proper Witcher games in nine years, the series lives on through its legacy, as well as the recent success of the Netflix television series (which is already getting spinoffs).
If you've already devoured Witcher 3 and are looking for more, Witcher 2 is now an option on the Xbox store: where you'll find it for five bucks for the next seven days. As a note, this is the Xbox 360 edition (the game was never fully ported to current systems), but you can play it on Xbox One: or enjoy the "Xbox One X enhancements." If you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, you can actually get it for three bucks.
While a lot of folks fawn over Witcher 2 and 3, I'm still thinking about the original game, which is criminally not available on modern platforms outside of PC. While it's a bit dated it has one of the best storylines to date from CD Projekt Red, with nuanced narratives and a cast of three-dimensional characters. Give it a shot if you ever cross its path!
The Witcher 2 [Xbox]
Fire Emblem Heroes update has Three Houses leaders geared for battle
Now that they have enjoyed their summer vacation, it looks like the stars of Three Houses are ready to get back to the business of bustin' heads in this latest update for Fire Emblem Heroes.
Joining the mobile battler in this week's A New Future update will be Blue Lions leader Dimitri, Golden Deer head honcho Claude, and the ever-popular Black Eagles' overseer Edelgard. The quartet will be rounded out with the addition of one of Golden Deer's youngest students, Lysithea. Each of the characters is depicted adorned in particularly resplendent new gear.
Pokemon Home just added some welcome quality of life changes
Still use Pokemon Home? Well, it's slowly morphing into a more function app, due in part to the most recent update: 1.2.1.
Live now on mobile (and likely Switch at some point today), the new patch quite literally patches up some lingering issues, mostly in terms of quality of life changes. Search filters should now be more accurate (which is great considering the sheer number of Pokemon out there now), including searches for mythical creatures.
You can also put multiple Pokemon in the Wonder Box at once (nice) as well as navigate battle data screens better (there's a back button now!). It's all very small potatoes, but eventually a ton of these little patches will add up. Pokemon Home is a nice app in the long term, as three supported platforms ensures that it won't become a legacy program after the Switch has run its course.
Pokemon Home [Apple]
Did you check out the Marvel's Avengers beta?
This week saw Square Enix open the doors on its upcoming comic book extravaganza Marvel's Avengers, as the third-person adventure offered select players another opportunity to check out the superhero action ahead of its September launch.
This latest beta was made open to Marvel's Avengers pre-order customers, as well as users of certain network providers, such as Verizon and Virgin Media. It is no doubt hoped that allowing players get to grips with the action might help to turn around some of the negativity that has surrounded the game in recent weeks. Early impressions, weak gameplay trailers, and a slew of piecemeal marketing offers, (not to mention the Spider-Man x PlayStation controversy) has left pre-launch perception of the epic adventure in a poor place, way before Iron Man and co. even had a chance to suit up.
Still, the fact remains that Marvel's Avengers has not yet launched, and as such could still win over an audience provided it offers solid gameplay, great characters, an engaging story, and an enticing world. There remains much to do, as in the eyes of many fans - yours truly included - Marvel's Avengers has thus far failed to generate the same degree of interest and hype that one expects, especially post-MCU, from an Avengers product.
Marvel's Avengers launches September 4 on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. Next-gen editions are in the works for PS5 and Xbox Series X, and are scheduled to launch in late 2020.
Killer7 is not coming to Switch, according to the studio that ported the PC version
Killer7 should probably be on more platforms at this point. Okay, it definitely should.
After living comfortable on just the GameCube and PS2 for over a decade, Grasshopper Manufacture/Engine Software and NIS America got together to make Killer7 happen on PC: which is one of the most accessible platforms you can dream of.
But their work isn't over, as they need to add a few more modern ports into that mix. Based on a recent LinkedIn listing that dream was on its way to becoming a reality, but now that hope seems to be dead according to a new statement from port studio Engine Software.
Speaking to Nintendo Life, the Switch port was "never in development" according to Engine Software rep Ruud van de Moosdijk. They state that "the decision was made not to work on a Switch version," and that the LinkedIn listing "should have been changed," and was created erroneously.
Engine Software says that the Switch port "has not come up in conversation" actually, as Suda51 is "quite busy at the moment." The studio says to "never say never," but given that it took 13 years to get a lone PC port, it might be a while before we see more Grasshopper games on more platforms.
Turns Out Engine Software Isn't Bringing Killer7 To The Nintendo Switch [Nintendo Life]
Orwell's Animal Farm to receive video game adaptation
George Orwell's fundamental classic, Animal Farm, is to receive a video game adaptation. Developed by indie outfit Nerial (of Reigns fame) and published by The Dairymen, Orwell's Animal Farm will launch on PC and mobile platforms this fall.
Originally published in 1945, Animal Farm is an allegorical tale about a herd of farm animals who overthrow their human masters to form their own community of freedom and equality. It is not long before a natural lust for greed and power rears its ugly head - captained by a bullish pig known as Napoleon - and soon the animals find themselves in a similar state of control, under an entirely new band of ruthless dictators.
Upon release, Orwell's book received praise for its satire of politics, hierarchy, and man's general inhumanity to man. While initially penned as a spoof of The Russian Revolution and its following era of Stalinism, the themes of Animal Farm only ring truer as years pass, with its depiction of Napoleon's line-shifting hypocrisy representational of many world governments. The thinly veiled allegory may seem unsubtle to modern readers, but Animal Farm's themes remain disconcertingly apt.
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends is a new co-op multiplayer mode coming this fall
Sony Interactive Entertainment, in association with developer Sucker Punch, has announced that a brand new co-op multiplayer mode is coming to acclaimed samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima as a free update this fall.
Ghost of Tsushima: Legends will stand aside from the main single-player campaign and will feature a selection of heroes, villains and, seemingly, demons from Japanese folklore and mythology. With an emphasis on action, synchronicity, and combat, Legends will allow two-to-four players to team up online for savage, class-based swordplay and adventure.
A new round of Marvel's Avengers datamining uncovered a ton of very spoilery characters
Just recently a dataminer uncovered several characters in the Marvel's Avengers beta this past weekend that could be coming to the game, and that very same person managed to unearth even more names yesterday.
Reddit user 6plus4equals52 is back at it again, and this time the list is even more of a doozy than three potential Echo Fighters. You can find the full list below if you don't mind vague spoilers, which also includes potential villain appearances.
Summer Games Done Quick 2020 is now underway
It's that time of year once again, and nothing's gonna stop it. The Games Done Quick (GDQ) speedrunning community has hit the green light on its annual summer event Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ), which will see some of the world's fastest, and trickiest video game players blast through a mammoth list of back-to-back titles while raising money for a good cause.
As long-time GDQ fans know, these events generally operate out of the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Minnesota, but while the world remains mired in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the team has been unable to get together at their regular stomping ground. Undaunted, this year's SGDQ is an online affair, and will see players streaming their runs from the own homes, delivering the same action we've come to expect from these awesome events, but within a safer, socially-distanced environment.
Frequent nose-bleeder Master Roshi joins Dragon Ball FighterZ next month
It has been a minute since Dragon Ball FighterZ got a new character as part of its third season of DLC. Following the additions of Kefla and Ultra Instinct Goku earlier this year, Bandai Namco confirmed the third fighter to join the expansive roster this year will be Master Roshi. This dirty old man is bringing his legendary fighting style to FighterZ starting next month as the game's 41st character. To give fans an idea of how he'll play, Bandai Namco dropped the trailer below during its livestream on Sunday.
Cblogs of 8/8 to 8/14/2020: Yakuza, No Man's Sky, and survival horror
Cblogs Recap: Week 33
-Chierhu tries to figure out why Animal Crossing: New Horizons became extremely popular this time around.
-Dinoracha discusses the embedded loneliness in playing No Man's Sky.
-Shoggoth2588 continues reviewing the last decade in gaming, with this review of 2017. Here is part two.
-Manasteel88 shares the obvious about the difficulties in making games, even hobby-level games.
-ChronoLynxx starts Dtoid's first "TGIF" community discussion blog, check it out.
-Eggrollbuddy reflects on Sonic the Hedgehog Movie six months later.
Review: Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers (Patch 5.3)
Well, here we are.
It's been a long time since the last Final Fantasy XIV patch: February, to be exact. There's a reason for that of course! But FFXIV fans have been hungry for more for quite a while, putting a lot of pressure on patch 5.3 to deliver the goods.
It does. The major patches usually do, because of how much effort the FFXIV team puts into them.
I'm something of a cheerleader for rail shooters. I feel the sub-genre has still gone largely untapped, and that it's a formula the indie market could really make work. Lost Wing is something like that. However, I'm also a huge snob, so it's going to take more than a bossy cameraman to impress me.
It attempts to bring a sense of speed and unpredictability to the mix while also focusing on its neon visuals and a synthetic soundtrack. It's like if you married Star Fox and Tron and they had a child named Audiosurf, but then they had another child and that's what Lost Wing is metaphorically; it's Audiosurf's little brother. It's similar but they probably wouldn't agree on anything.
When I first jumped into the Early Access phase of Risk of Rain 2, I enjoyed my time but naturally wanted more. I haven't revisited it since, and have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of content the game has in its 1.0 release.
A roguelike is nothing without content, and I can't wait to see where Hopoo Games takes this game moving forward, because what they've created with the jump from 2D to 3D has been great.
Rampart is the first Apex Legends character with a specific weapon type proficiency
Apex Legends Season 6 launches in two days, and compared to the map modifications and new weapon, the biggest potential shakeup to the meta between seasons is always the new character. In a character trailer released today, Respawn has finally provided more granular details on Rampart's abilities.
As expected, Rampart's tactical ability allows her to place cover walls that can be fired through in one direction, but there's a twist: outgoing fired is powered up, dealing more damage than usual. It appears she can place three walls in quick succession, one for each legend on a standard team. Also expected was her ultimate being the mounted machine gun Sheila, though the trailer does add that it has a long reload time, implying it has limited ammunition.
The one piece of the puzzle we have been in the dark about is her passive ability, and it turns out it has been quietly staring at us in game for a week now. The limited-time mode Always Be Closing Evolved introduced the graffiti mod for the Spitfire, which increases its magazine size and reload speed. It turns out that was basically Rampart's passive ability in a mod, as she'll have a natural proficiency with light machine guns, bumping those stats for the Spitfire, Devotion, and L-Star. This proficiency also extends to Sheila, so while anybody can use the mounted gun, Rampart will be the best with it.
