Resident Evil 2 Has Sold 7.2 Million Units

resident evil 2

The Resident Evil 2 remake launched in January of last year, and was immediately met by thunderous reception, being considered one of the best games in the series and a worthy modernization of the PS1 original. Right off the bat, it enjoyed strong sales, and by the end of 2019, it had topped 5.8 million units sold (in the process outselling the original game, which has sold 4.96 million units). And in 2020, even with a new Resident Evil game having released, the 2019 remake is continuing to sell impressive figures.

Capcom have updated their Platinum sellers list, which combines and details the exact sales figures for all of their games to date that have crossed the 1 million units sold milestone, and Resident Evil 2 has climbed further in their ranks. The game has now sold 7.2 million units worldwide as of June 30, 2020. This makes it their 6th highest selling individual release of all time (re-releases and multiple SKUs not counted), and as far as the Resident Evil series is concerned, RE2 only trails Resident Evil 5, 6, and 7 in sales.

Meanwhile, the Resident Evil 3 remake, which launched in March of this year, has sold 2.7 million units as of June 30. Though its pace of sales falls well below its immediate predecessor, Capcom say it has been a "solid" release for them, and has more or less performed per expectations.

Dying Light – Hellraid DLC is Now Available

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It may be five years since release but Techland continues to update Dying Light. The latest DLC to come to the first person action platformer is Hellraid, based on the developer's on-hold hack and slash RPG. PC, Xbox One and PS4 players can get their hands on it now.

The story sees a strange arcade machine appearing in the basement at the Tower. Upon investigation, the player is dragged into a dark medieval fantasy world where they must assault Ba'al's Tower and fight off a variety of enemies like skeletons. Instead of makeshift weapons, you'll have access to swords, hammers and axes, which can also be used outside in Harran.

With four player co-op support and it's own progression system, Hellraid should make for a decent diversion. Techland has also promised free content, collectibles, weapons, ranks and a bounty system for Hellraid with the first update out by September end. In the meantime, development continues on Dying Light 2 which is coming to Xbox One, PS4, PC, Xbox Series X and PS5.

Gamescom Opening Night Live Will Have Over 20 Games

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Along with the upcoming DC FanDome, Gamescom will be one of the few major digital showcases left for the season. It caps off the Summer Game Fest and despite the physical event's cancellation, several publishers like Activision-Blizzard, EA and Bethesda will have an online presence at the show. There will also be a Gamescom Opening Night Live and if host Geoff Keighley is to be believed, there will be quite a number of titles.

According to Keighley on Twitter, the live show will feature more than 20 games with "lots to reveal in the next few weeks." Of course, how many of these will be major announcements remains to be seen. Nevertheless, if last year was any indication, there should be a few big titles to look forward to.

Gamescom Opening Night Live takes place on August 27th and kick off the entire event, which ends on August 30th. Currently, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park fame is confirmed to be composing music for the live show. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

A Total War Saga: Troy Downloaded 1 Million Times in First Hour

Troy - A Total War Saga

The Creative Assembly's A Total War Saga: Troy released yesterday on the Epic Games Store. Unlike past titles, however, it's completely free for the first 24 hours of release. The developer is now reporting on Twitter that it's had one million downloads within the first hour of the giveaway.

This is pretty crazy, though one to wonder what kind of return it's getting. The giveaway, along with the timed-exclusive deal with the Epic Games Store, was done to help grow the series' audience. A Total War Saga: Troy will have DLC so perhaps revenues from that and the deal with Epic Games will cover costs in the long run.

In the meantime, anyone with an Epic Games account can claim the game for free. A Total War Saga: Troy is focused on the Trojan War as heroes like Achilles battle with the likes of Paris and Hector. Along with the return of duels, the strategy game features mythological units but presented in more realistic fashion.

Halo Infinite – What is Going on with it?

Ever since 343 Industries took control of the franchise from Bungie, Halo has had a rough go of it. With the three releases that 343 Industries have managed, things have gone from bad to worse from them. Halo 4 was by no means a bad start for the 343 Industries era of the series, though it didn't touch the heights of its predecessors. Following that, Halo: The Master Chief Collection suffered from an infamously bad launch, and though 343 have over time managed to turn things around for it, the poor state it released in is hard to forget. Then came Halo 5: Guardians, which is perhaps the most underwhelming and disappointing game in the series to date at launch. 

Halo Infinite is a make or break moment for them, for the series, and for Microsoft. This is a chance for them to get this legendary franchise back on track, to go back to what endeared it to millions in the first place, to recapture the magic that it so effortlessly captured during the years of the Xbox and Xbox 360. And certainly, that's what it's being billed as- a spiritual reboot, an ambitious step forward for the series, a game that hearkens back to the days of Combat Evolved. Massive properties like The Legend of Zelda, Resident Evil, and God of War have all reinvented and revitalized themselves this generation, and with Infinite, Halo is supposed to be doing the same thing. 

But things haven't gone smoothly for it- not at all. First revealed at E3 2018 with an impressive but ultimately vague trailer, Halo Infinite then went dark for a long stretch. It reappeared very briefly a year later, but after a story trailer that did little to sell audiences on the game's promise at E3 2019, it was nothing but radio silence for another year after that. Its gameplay reveal this July was supposed to be its big moment, and that, of course, didn't exactly go as well as planned either. 

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We don't need to go over exactly why that was the case- many (ourselves included) have talked about that at length already. Worryingly enough though, that's far from the only stumbling block 343 Industries and Halo Infinite have hit of late. Just recently it got delayed into 2021– I'll speak about that in more detail in a bit, but even before that, there were things that seemed worrying. In August 2019, for instance, Halo Infinite's creative director Tom Longo left the studio, and there were many who suspected that that wasn't a particularly encouraging sign for how development was going. 

And sure, that's purely speculative, so it might not be entirely fair to the game or to 343 Industries to worry about the game based purely on that, but recent months have only given us more cause for concern. For instance, Halo Infinite is supposed to be this "spiritual reboot" of the series – which is a phrase that 343 themselves keep on using – and yet its gameplay reveal didn't feel like that at all. It felt like more Halo, but in a larger space- but that's it. Is that because 343 Industries are perhaps overstating how different and changed Halo Infinite is going to be? Or is it because the parts that they feel merit that "spiritual reboot" descriptor aren't ready to be shown yet? Neither possibility is very encouraging. 

There's also the visuals, of course, which so many people have said so much about these past few weeks, so rather than flogging a dead horse here, I'll just state the obvious – seeing the next big Halo game, which was supposed to be the flagship launch title of the Xbox Series X – in that visual state set off plenty of alarm bells. And rightfully so- even if that was supposedly an earlier build of the game. 

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It's also become clear over these last few weeks that 343 Industries were hit hard by COVID-19. Of course, most (if not all) developers in the industry were impacted by the pandemic, but 343 Industries in particular have been refreshingly open about the struggles they've had to face.

Back in March of this year, for instance, when 343 Industries confirmed that they had shifted to remote work, the wording of their message made it very clear that they were prepared for challenges that might very well throw a wrench into whatever they had planned for the game's development, saying, "We're removing all the obstacles in our path and tracking well, but need to be mindful of our current limitations and understand that the coronavirus situation may get worse before it gets better."

Similarly, immediately after the game's reveal a couple of weeks ago, the developers made it clear that their plans for a beta were not going to pan out. After E3 2019, 343 Industries had made it very clear that Halo Infinite would indeed be receiving several betas, which wasn't surprising, considering the series' focus on multiplayer, and the fact that beta testing has usually been an important milestone for it, especially under 343 Industries.

So when, a year later, they came out and said that "the unprecedented challenges of this year" – namely the pandemic – meant that they weren't where they wanted to be with the game and its beta, it was no longer a stretch to assume that the game had obviously been going through several issues in development. As such, though the recent delay was definitely huge new, and definitely disappointing, it wasn't really out of the blue, especially given how the developers specifically noted the pandemic as one of the reasons for the delay.

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Ultimately – and this goes without saying – the delay is a good thing. It's great news for Halo Infinite, its great news for Halo fans, and if the delay means the developers and 343's staff won't have to crunch too bad and won't have as much pressure on them as they would have for a November launch – which hopefully they won't – then it's even better news for 343 Industries. 

More importantly, it shows that Microsoft understands the importance of this game, and of getting it right. Halo has been stumbling from one error from the late, and it cannot afford another high profile error, especially not with a game that is being billed as it's big return to form, a spiritual reboot of the franchise. Halo Infinite no longer being an Xbox Series X launch title is surely a big blow for the console, and for Microsoft- this was surely the biggest reason to get the console at launch, after all. Which is why Microsoft's decision to allow this delay feels that much more significant- they understand that a rushed launch for the game is going to be devastating for their biggest franchise, and thankfully, that's not a sacrifice they're willing to make to sell more Xbox consoles this Holiday. 

343 Industries have been saying all the right things about Halo Infinite. Free-to-play multiplayer, a larger, more open-ended campaign, atmosphere and gameplay that calls back to the series' roots, a story that feels less convoluted than Halo 4 and 5- all of that sounds excellent, of course. The only problem so far has been that none of what we've seen of the game so far has done a great job of highlighting those selling points very well. Now though, more than anything else, people will be hoping that with the extra time they have on their hands, 343 Industries will be able to ensure that Halo Infinite lives up to their lofty promises.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time Wiki – Everything You Need To Know About The Game

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time is a platformer developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision. A follow up to 2017's collection of remakes for the original Crash trilogy, Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, it is the fourth chronological game in the series, the eighth mainline instalment, and the first new mainline game in the franchise since 2008's Crash: Mind Over Mutant.

Development

Unconfirmed reports emerged in early 2020 that a new mainline Crash Bandicoot game was in development and would be revealed in the coming months. In early June, leaks of new merchandise for the franchise fueled further speculation. Just days afterward, several members of the press were sent a jigsaw puzzle by Activision, which showed the image of a mysterious mask, leading many to believe that a new Crash Bandicoot game would be revealed soon. 

Promptly afterward, a listing for Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time was published by the Taiwan Digital Game Rating Committee, prematurely leaking not only the game, but also its box art, and a short synopsis. Another leak a couple of days later stated that the game would launch in October. Around the same time, developers Toys for Bob started teasing an announcement that would be made imminently. 

The game was officially unveiled during the Summer Games Fest 2020 on June 22, where its name, developers, and October 2 release date were confirmed. The game is developed by Toys for Bob using Unreal Engine 4, who previously worked on the collection of remakes of the original trilogy of Spyro games on the PlayStation, called, Spyro Reignited Trilogy. They also did support work on Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, which was primarily developed by Vicarious Visions. The developers noted that the game's subtitle, It's About Time, was a play on words, not only because it was the first new Crash Bandicoot game in many years, but also because time manipulation would be central to the story and gameplay. 

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time was confirmed to be coming only to PS4 and Xbox One at launch. When asked about the possibility of ports for PC and Nintendo Switch or the upcoming next-gen consoles PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, Activision said that they were evaluating additional platforms they could bring the game to. In August 2020, mentions of Nintendo Switch were found in the source code of the game's official website. 

Activision have also confirmed that the game does not include microtransactions at launch.

Story

crash bandicoot 4 it's about time

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time takes place after the events of the third game in the series, Crash Bandicoot: Warped, retconning the events of the four games that followed it in the series' chronology. Neo Cortex, Uka Uka, and N. Tropy are able to break out of their space-time prison after several attempts, creating a rip in the fabric of time as a result. In doing so, they expose a multiverse. In order to restore order to the multiverse and put a stop to the impending doom brought about by their actions, Crash and Coco must travel through the multiverse and find, unite, and work with four Quantum Masks.

Gameplay

crash bandicoot 4 it's about time

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time features a gameplay style similar to Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy, with a focus on isolated, linear levels that place an emphasis on platforming challenges instead of the more open-ended collection and exploration-focused style of later games in the series. Franchise staples also make a return, such as collecting Wumpa fruit, smashing crates, checkpoint boxes, Nitro crates, and more.

Levels have distinct settings and themes, ranging from pre-historic jungles and urban and futuristic cities to frozen caves and landscapes, pirate ships, volcanoes with rivers of lava, and more. There are also sections in which Crash runs toward the screen while trying to escape from incoming enemies and hazards, similar to previous games. There are over 100 levels in the game, which is more than the levels in all of N.Sane Trilogy put together.

The game features several playable characters. The two primary playable characters are Crash and Coco, who both have the same movesets, including jumping, swinging with ropes, sliding, zip lining, wall running, and rail grinding. Players can switch between them at any time during levels, and the entire game can be played as one or the other.

Neo Cortex is also featured as a playable character, and he has unique abilities and movement options, with a greater focus on strategizing rather than skill-based platforming, entailing the usage of gadgets to overcome obstacles and challenges. Neo Cortex can use a ray gun to transform enemies and obstacles in the environment into platforms, which he can then jump on and use to his advantage. Unlike Crash and Coco, he cannot double jump, but has a sideways dash ability.

crash bandicoot 4 it's about time

Dingodile is also featured as a playable character for the first time in a Crash game. Following the events of Warped, Dingodile retired and came into ownership of a diner, but the chaos caused in the multiverse brings him brack into the fold. In some levels, characters such as Neo Cortex or Dingodile are the only ones who are playable. Each character can be visually customized with various skins that are earned through in-game challenges. The game will also feature several boss fights against a mixture of returning and new characters, with N.Gin confirmed to be returning as a boss. Boss fights are designed to be more challenging, and some have multiple phases. 

Masks will also play a major role in gameplay and in story. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time sees Crash and Coco travelling the multiverse to gather four unique Quantum Masks. These are gained by fighting and defeating bosses, and each mask has a unique gameplay application. The Time Mask, Kupuna-Wa, can be used to  slow down time to a crawl in order to move past fast moving obstacles or enemies, or even avoid the explosions of Nitro crates. Ika-Ika, the Gravity Mask, allows Crash and Coco to flip the direction of gravity for themselves during levels. Lani-Loli, the Phase Mask, is used to phase objects, crates, and obstacles in and out of existence. The fourth mask is called Akano. Crash and Coco can switch between these four masks in order to tackle various challenges and platforming puzzles. Equipping each mask is accompanied with a change in outfits for the player character.

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time also features a mode called N.Verted Mode, which is a mirror mode of sorts. This sees all levels being completely transformed in various ways, from the aesthetics and art style completely changing to new objectives and mechanics. For instance, one level is transformed into black and white, and Crash or Coco bleed colour into the surroundings everytime they spin. Players have to use the coloured sections of the level to find the right path forward. Inverted Mode – which is developed by Beenox, who previously developed of Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled – is unlocked after beating the game.

Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.

Fortnite Removed from App Store and Play Store, Epic Sues Apple and Google

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A momentous sequence of events over the last day has seen Epic Games suing both Apple and Google. Yesterday, to go alongside permanent discounts on in-game purchases in Fortnite, Epic Games enabled an option direct payment methods within the game for both iOS and Android, which offered a discounted price on purchases as compared to payments made through the App Store and Play Store on iOS devices respectively.

Apple and Google take 30 per cent of all revenue made through digital purchases within apps through their stores, and with Epic bypassing those and offering direction payment options as well, that option allowed for discounted prices, with Epic stating that the savings were going not to them, but to the players. This was significant because App Store and Play Store guidelines both dictate that in-app purchases can only be made through their stores, which makes the 30 per cent revenue cut (and as such, higher prices) more or less unavoidable.

With Apple and Google stating that Epic Games had violated these guidelines, they removed Fortnite from iOS and Android. Epic, in retaliation, has sued both companies, alleging that they are exercising a monopoly in the market through their practices.

Epic's complaint against Apple claims that it is not seeking monetary damages, nor is it looking for Apple to make an exemption for them in particular, but is instead seeking injunctive relief against those guidelines to allow for fair competition. In particular, Epic's complaint states that since there is no way for apps to be downloaded on iOS other than through the App Store, and that since apps on iOS devices are forced to use Apple's payment methods rather than direct methods as well – which, in turn, leads to revenue losses – those two points in combination mean that Apple is exerting a monopoly on third party developers.

Epic's complaint filed against Google stands on similar ground- though things on Android are a little more different. Unlike the App Store, the Google Play Store is one of many options available on Android devices- third party stores and apps are allowed on the mobile OS (Epic themselves have their Epic Games launcher available on Android devices), while downloading of apps can also be done through direct links (which is something that is an option for Fortnite on Android as well). Fortnite, in fact, can still be downloaded on Android devices through those means, though it is no longer available on the Play Store.

With Google, though – in addition to bringing claims similar to Apple against what they allege to be monopolistic practices and their restrictions on in-app purchases through the Play Store – Epic also states that though Android devices do allow apps to be downloaded outside of the Play Store, they are still placed at a disadvantage. Some examples that Epic mentions in its complaints are users having to click through multiple – often dozens – of links and confirmations while downloading apps through these means, and often also getting bombarded with malware warning and messages, or apps not downloaded through the Play Store not having auto-updates enabled.

Epic Games and their CEO Tim Sweeney have both publicly spoken out against Apple and Google's practices several times over the years. Beyond now having taken legal action against both, Epic are also seemingly going after the two companies – specifically Apple – in other ways as well. It recently released a video titled "Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite", a jab at Apple's iconic "1984" ad, in which it publicly denounces Apple's monopoly. The video was shown live in Fortnite, uploaded online, and is being played on a loop on the game's YouTube and Twitch channels. You can view it below.

PS5 4K Development Has Been A 'Struggle' For Some Devs, Alleges Insider

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Even though we haven't gotten any official dates for either system, we're pretty close to the launch of a new generation of consoles. We know Microsoft will release their Xbox Series X at some point in November, and odds are likely the PS5's launch will be around that same time frame. In the meantime, there's still lots of speculation about both machines, and there's some new rumors that are sure to get plenty of buzz about Sony's machine.

AestheticGamer aka Dusk Golem, who has leaked information about Resident Evil for years, answered a few questions on his Twitter about Resident Evil Village's performance. There he shared that apparently Capcom was having some issues with the PS5 version of the game. He also says he's aware of other devs having the same issues, and it seems a lot of it pertains to the console's ability, or lack therefore of, with native 4K. He says that we should be expecting a lot of "fake 4K," (I presume he is talking about checkerboard rendering) with PS5 titles.

Dusk Golem isn't too clear if he's factoring in frame rate here or not, as games struggling with 4K/60 FPS meaning we'll see a lot more 4K/30 FPS, or just 4K development in general. He still does say that Village will run fine. Another interesting point he makes is that he says people should get ready for the possibility that the PS5 will be the more expensive piece of hardware of the two, despite being 'less powerful.'

We have seen the raw, on-paper stats for both systems, and it's not totally unbelievable that the Series X has a bit more juice to run native 4K, but it's worth keeping in mind here that while Golem has a decent track record on leaking about certain game franchises, this is really the first time he's weighed on anything related to hardware power, so take it with a grain of salt. As I've often said about all of these talks of power and whatnot, we won't really get an idea of what the deal is until the systems are out and tested in real world settings. Which will, hopefully, be very soon.

Madden NFL 21 To Add New "Backyard-Inspired" 6v6 Mode, The Yard

madden nfl 21

Real life football is trying to make a comeback despite all the issues with COVID still plaguing the United States. Who knows how that will go in the end, but at the very least, there's no doubt the virtual version of the sport will be coming in as normally as possible later this month in the form of Madden NFL 21. The game promises the familiar things you've come to expect from the long running franchise, but it is also looking to shake things up a bit with a new mode.

Today, EA announced that with a new trailer for said mode called The Yard. This will be a new "backyard-inspired" game mode that features 6v6 matches on a smaller field. It will also apparently have different rules to accommodate the smaller team size, though it's not clear what that entails, and it will also have a big focus on customization. Check out the trailer below.

Madden NFL 21 will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on August 28th, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions to come later. You can also check out everything you'll need to know about the annual football game through here.

FIFA 21's Career Mode Changes Get Highlighted In New Trailer

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As is the case with many different annual series, there is always a certain familiarity you come to expect year after year with new installments. With sports title, especially, it's easy to get into a certain grove. That can also make things get a little on the stale side, too- but even the most comfortably familiar series need to shake things up every now and again. Such is the case with FIFA 21 this year, which is looking to change up its career mode in big ways, and they have a trailer to highlight it now.

Last month, EA Sports detailed the big changes they planned for this year's iteration of career mode. That included Interactive Match Simulation, which allows you to jump in and out of a simulated match as you like, as well as huge overhauls to player development systems, improved transfer options, the ability to select sell and swap offers, and a lot more. You can see the trailer breaking this down below, and you can also read the full and more in-depth breakdown through here.

FIFA 21 will release October 29th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, with versions coming for PS5 and Xbox Series X later. You can check out some of the gameplay focusing on new dribbling and other gameplay tweaks through here.