Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night launches on iOS and Android next month
NetEase Games has announced that the mobile version of Koji Igarashi's Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is almost good to go. The Gothic adventure title, shrunken down into pocket-sized form, will launch on the iOS and Android platforms in December, priced around $10.
Developer ArtPlay has managed to squeeze the entire kingdom of Hellhold, complete with all of its post-release DLC into the mobile port, claiming that it has made "no compromise" on visual quality of graphical fidelity. Bloodstained for mobile will utilise an overhauled interface and control scheme, complete with redesigned icons to benefit the reduced screen size. Ain't technology grand?
You can check out a new trailer for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on mobile below. In other recent news, Team IGA announced that boss character Bloodless will be added to the playable roster on all platforms at some point in the coming weeks.
Harmonix is a fascinating case study of a studio.
What was once the "Frequency/Amplitude" developer (this is how I'll always remember them) eventually made their mark on gaming with the Guitar Heroes series, followed by Rock Band. It's ironic that the folks that helped start the in-home guitar revolution ended up living longer than their creation, having been the steward of Rock Band for around 13 years now.
But Harmonix has always struggled to move out of the shadow of that success. Games like Fantasia: Music Evolved, while fun, never quite put them on the map. Before long the next Rock Band project would be announced and they'd fall back into a comfortable rhythm.
Fuser tries to do something interesting in that same rhythm space, but like several of their other ideas, it comes up short in many respects.
We've gotten to the point where Astro Bot is now a series and I am here for it.
The little Sony mascot that could originally starred in 2013's Playroom, before it catapulted into stardom with Astro Bot Rescue Mission: a fully-fledged platformer for PSVR. Now it's out of the VR realm and ready for action once again as, in part, a taster for a new piece of tech.
Sony certainly killed it with the PS4, didn't they? I mean, Microsoft handed them the "W" on a silver platter as soon as that draconian DRM presentation hit.
But something remarkable happened: Microsoft fought back. Instead of throwing in the towel, they made strides in the backward compatibility arena that no publisher had done before. All the while, Sony crafted killer exclusive after exclusive, fighting the good fight with the thing that matters most: games. Sony had to work to sell those 112-million-plus units and take a coveted spot in the "top five all-time best-selling console" list.
This generation, after all of the groundwork laid by Microsoft, we're poised for a fairer fight. But Sony is really coming in swinging yet again with the PS5.
[As this is our second of the two major console reviews, here's a quick side note. We've made both articles fairly uniform, so you can compare and contrast them together. You can find our PS5 unboxing article here.]
Review: Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Back in 2018, I talked about how much Spider-Man, as a character, meant to me.
It sounds hyperbolic, but fiction can absolutely get people through some tough times, especially if that character is particularly relatable. Okay, maybe not Spider-Man himself, but Peter Parker sure gets the job done.
The thing is, there are lots of different versions of Spider-Man that people can relate to. Now, we just got another one in Miles Morales — and like the first time around, Insomniac did its job once again.
Contest: Win DIRT 5 Amplified Edition for PS4, Xbox One, or Steam
In today's contest you can win DIRT 5 Amplified Edition for PS4, Xbox One, or Steam!
No disrespect here, but man how does a game called "dirt" sell so many copies? It's crazy! You've gotta have some cajones to name your game after stuff you swish off your feet after walking around outside.
Well, DIRT 5 is upon us, so you know what that means -- contest time! We're giving away the Amplified Edition, which includes all post-launch DLC and other goodies. I'm also going on a technicality on this one, but since the game has a free upgrade to PS5/Xbox One Series S/X (God I hate typing that), you're technically getting the next gen for free, too!
Fill the Dungeon Keeper void with Dungeons 3 while it's free on the Epic Games Store
It's no Dungeon Keeper, but if you're in the mood for efficient base management and capital e-Evil, you may wanna grab Dungeons 3 for PC while it's free to claim for one week on the Epic Games Store.
Wait, wasn't this supposed to be something else? You're right – nice attention to detail.
Before a last-minute switch, this freebie was going to be Wargame: Red Dragon. I remember because the game's name kicked off a recurring "all things Hannibal Lecter" chat with Chris and Brett. Without fail, one of us will say something every few weeks to trigger it and we end up talking about the good doctor for way too long. The chat inevitably ends in us rattling off iconic scenes from Red Dragon.
Before you dwell on other matters, please take a moment to remember Edward Norton's bleached hair.
Next week, the Epic Store will have The Textorcist for free. It's a loosely "educational" typing-action game about banishing demons and a whole lot of other nonsense. I'll circle back on November 12.
This Spider-Man: Miles Morales commercial has me all keyed up
Ever feel as though life has hurtled you helplessly through the air, leaving you to plink off of a taxi cab and go crashing into an electrical box? When you're down and out, just say to yourself "Remember, I'm Spider-Man.*"
Sony has produced a 30-second TV ad for Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and let me be perfectly succinct here: It gets the job done. It's devilishly simple. Just a lot of web-slingin' and ass-kickin'. That's what you want from a Spider-Man game and it's also what you want from a Spider-Man commercial.
Anyway, watching this will probably get you geared the hell up for next week. Seven more days until PS5 is here, and seven more days until a new Spider-Man game. Hell yes, it's the most wonderful time of the year.
*Probably only works if you're actually Spider-Man
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater gets a big update that makes it way more replayable
I blazed through Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 back in September (which [counts on fingers] was 34 years ago now) and quickly found myself out of stuff to do. That's because the original games let you play through the tours with each individual skater. The remake, however, aggregates all the goals so that they only need to be accomplished once across the whole roster of skaters.
That's changing tomorrow. Developer Vicarious Visions is adding a Solo Tours mode where goal and medal progress resets for each skater. Now the full game can be played over and over again. The original version is splintering off to something called "Crew Tours" where players can complete all the game's objectives across as many skaters as they want.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 was already an incredibly challenging and time-consuming completion, but it's going to get significantly tougher. This update also adds more than 100 challenges across 10 challenge sets. They touch on all corners of the game -- solo play, multiplayer, create-a-park, comboing, etc -- and should keep the hardcore community grinding even longer. On the one hand, it'll be good for stocking up on XP and cash; on the other, knocking everything out is even more intimidating now.
Lastly, THPS is getting some create-a-skater items that are Crash Bandicoot-themed. A new deck, three hats, and nine shirts are up for grabs as part of the free update. Some of the stuff is shown off in the video above.
Activision has been steadily supporting THPS 1 + 2 with new features in the two months since it launched. Last month, it was a bunch of social and party features. The Solo Tours update drops on November 6 and similarly goes toward making it a much more robust game. But, you know what'd go toward making it, like, way more robust? The Tony Hawk 3 DLC that everyone desperately wants.
Xbox Series X and PS5 will be (very briefly) back in stock at Walmart on launch day
Is it better to know precisely when to show up for a pre-order, or do you prefer having little to no notice before they go live, forcing everyone to uniformly scramble? If you've tried to get your hands on an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 over the past couple of months, I'm sure you have a stance on this topic.
Walmart will have another batch of consoles in stock on their respective launch days: November 10 (Xbox Series X) and November 12 (PS5). You'll need to try your luck online again with the internet at large, though – there aren't going to be any in-store launch-day orders due to, well, you know.
These are the specific start times. (Don't tell the bots.)
Xbox Series X ($499) and Xbox Series S ($299)
- Tuesday, November 10 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
PlayStation 5 ($499) and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition ($399)
- Thursday, November 12 at 12:00 p.m. ET, 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m.
Remember when Walmart went rogue and kicked off PS5 pre-orders early? It's tough to forget!
I'm curious to see how this shopping experience compares. It's also worth reminding that the cheaper PS5 Digital Edition will probably be much trickier to secure than the model with a disc drive.
In retrospect, I almost miss waiting in lines. Almost.
Review: Borderlands 3: Designer's Cut
So Borderlands 3 is getting more DLC. Who could have guessed!
Operating in a sort of middle-ground between a full live-service game and a complete looter shooter, Borderlands 3 gave us four premium DLC packs that each focused on a new zone and storyline. But for the second season pass (which you can buy right after second breakfast), they're doing things a little differently.
So far, a little too differently.
[You can find all of our previous Borderlands 3 reviews here: the base game, Moxxi's Heist, Guns Love and Tentacles, Bounty of Blood, and Psycho Krieg.]
Monster Hunter World: Iceborne will unlock 'virtually all event quests' in early December
Fatalis may be behind us – well, some of us – but Capcom isn't done updating Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. The next drop is coming in "early December," and it'll permanently open up "virtually all" event quests. You won't need to worry as much about schedules and the simmering stress of missing out.
Heads up, Hunters. #Iceborne Version 15.10 is arriving early December. Updates include:
— Monster Hunter (@monsterhunter) November 5, 2020
🉠Safi'jiiva Siege can now scale for one or two Hunters.
🎊 Astera/Seliana Fests will rotate every 2 weeks.
ðŸ"œ Virtually all Event Quests will be live. pic.twitter.com/J8Kwr9XBOM
Once update 15.10 is released, there will be a two-week rotation for the Astera and Seliana Fests. Iceborne will also bounce back and forth between Kulve Taroth and Safi'jiiva every two weeks.
In arguably even sweeter news, the multiplayer-centric Safi'jiiva Siege is about to give solo players a fighting chance – the quest can be scaled down to one or two hunters once the update kicks in.
And just like that, Iceborne shot up to the top of my gotta-try-it-on-PS5 list.
Commandos 2 HD Remaster brings the battle to Nintendo Switch December 4
Kalypso Media has announced that Yippee Entertainment's remaster of classic PC stealth title Commandos 2 will come crawling through the bushes and onto Nintendo Switch on December 4, following on from its previous release on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Commandos 2 HD Remaster features all of the strategic action from Pyro Studios' 2001 release Commandos 2: Men of Courage, revamped with improved visuals, a new interface, and an overhauled control scheme. Players guide a small squad of military specials on a series of assassination, theft, espionage, and sabotage missions deep in enemy territory.
Outnumbered and outgunned, players must rely on expert planning, on-the-spot adaptation, and each squad member's various skills in order to pull off the perfect operation and get out from behind enemy lines unharmed. It's no picnic, and notoriously one of the trickiest and most intense stealth titles ever released. You can check out a new trailer for the Switch release below.
It should be noted that the remaster removes all references to the Nazis, all depictions of the swastika, and all depictions of the Japanese "Imperial Sun" insignia from the campaign. Kalypso Media has stated that it voluntarily took the decision to remove these elements, stating that "We do not want to encourage racism, discrimination or exclusion with our games."
Commandos 2 HD Remaster launches on Nintendo Switch December 4.
PlayStation 5 won't have expandable SSD support until a future update
It's very easy to add more SSD storage to your PlayStation 5. It's not quite as simple as the Xbox Series X letting you pop an expansion card into a slot in the back, but it's not too intimidating. Sony's teardown video of the PS5 revealed that removing the side panels allows access to an M.2 slot for installing your own PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD. Unlike Xbox, it won't require a proprietary drive.
However, that's not all good to go on November 12. In a statement to The Verge, Sony confirms that the M.2 slot is useless at launch. "This is reserved for a future update," Sony comments.
There's no specific window as to when PS5 will support expandable SSD storage. The Verge says it's because these NVMe SSDs need to be fast (hitting more than 5.5GB/sec of bandwidth), thin enough to fit into the SSD bay, and compatible with Sony's I/O controller. It's unclear if Sony has started testing yet.
However, PlayStation's Mark Cerny had sort of set the expectation that SSD expansion wouldn't be included at launch. Back in March, he posited that it'd probably come "a bit past" launch. We don't know how far past November 12 we're looking at, though.
That's not to say the PS5 doesn't have any expandable storage. It still supports USB HDD storage right away. That won't deliver the next-gen speeds that both PS5 and Xbox Series X are using as major selling points, but at least it's a place to keep your games without uninstalling them altogether. But, for a big add-on SSD that makes good on all the PS5 promises of super fast loads, you'll have to wait a little longer.
Sony confirms the PS5 won't support SSD storage expansion at launch [The Verge]
It's no secret that Microsoft was fighting an uphill battle with the Xbox One. The initial announcement of the draconian DRM strategy did not go over well, with Sony and the gaming community at large taking every opportunity to dunk on it. But over time, the console landscape shifted dramatically. Microsoft, along with Phil Spencer, completely changed the conversation.
Xbox Games with Gold provided players with permanent copies of 360 games. Microsoft extended its hand to other publishers, opening the floodgates for cross-platform play — while Sony opposed the program for another year, only relenting for certain big-ticket games. Xbox Game Pass utterly shifted the landscape of "generations," becoming the first major successful "Netflix for games" concept.
That philosophy extends to the Xbox Series X family.
[Since this is our first of the two new hardware reviews, here's a quick side note. We've made both articles fairly uniform, so you can compare and contrast them together when the PS5 review hits. You can find our Xbox Series X unboxing article here.]
Fallout 76's next battle pass adds allies as rewards
In its first two seasons, Fallout 76's battle passes have looked mostly the same. Some cosmetic decorations, some microtransaction currency, some boosts -- it's all a bunch of stuff that Fallout players want but don't necessarily need. Next season is going to raise the stakes a bit.
As part of a developer overview of the upcoming Steel Dawn expansion, Bethesda has confirmed that Season 3 will add allies to the list of rewards. There are two who are eligible to join your C.A.M.P. There's Solomon Hardy who's a Brotherhood of Steel medic, and there's Yasmin Chwdhury who's a chef. They're both permanent cast members for anyone who unlocks them.
Information about these allies was the rare detour from talking about everything to do with the upcoming Brotherhood of Steel-focused expansion. Let's bullet-point some of the major details:
Apart from nailing Demon's Souls' pretty new PS5 sheen, Bluepoint and SIE Japan Studio have gone to "great lengths to recreate every feature of the original game." When it comes to the character creator – the tool that lets us make horrible monster people and then hide their faces with helmets – the developers are adding "many more customization options than you'll remember from the PS3 game."
There are "up to 16 million permutations" for player-created characters, according to creative director Gavin Moore. The avatar examples posted today on the PlayStation Blog look surprisingly good, to the point where some of them don't immediately scream Souls, but I'm not complaining. Not at all.
The remake's heightened visuals carry over to the character creator, and with old and new settings to tweak, the highs are going to be higher – cooler than ever – and the lows are bound to be absurd.
Bring on the ugly-as-sin protagonists. I want to see a flood of posts on November 12.
The PlayStation Blog post also previewed a few screenshots taken from the all-new photo mode (it's similarly very pretty) and reiterated a cool detail: you can leave photo filters on in regular gameplay.
One filter adjusts the "brightness, contrast, and color levels to closely resemble those of the original PS3 game, for those who may prefer that classic look." It may not be perfect, but the effort shows.
First look: Demon's Souls character creator and Photo Mode [PlayStation Blog]
Here's how to access Borderlands 3's new Arms Race DLC
Borderlands 3 is getting a fancy new DLC pack in a few days.
Okay so maybe it's not so fancy (it's some skill trees and a new mode), but it isn't abundantly clear how to access the Arms Race gametype at first: especially if you miss out on the quick prompt or your quest log is buried with unfinished jobs.
Here's how to find it on Sanctuary 3.
Rainbow Six Siege teases Operation: Neon Dawn defender Aruni
Ubisoft has teased the next operator heading to its twitchy multiplayer shooter Rainbow Six Siege. Arriving as part of the upcoming Operation: Neon Dawn event, Aruni will be the latest in a long line of door-kickers to join Siege's expansive roster of counter-terrorist operatives.
Nintendo Download: Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin
We're so close to the next generation: but Nintendo doesn't care!
For them, "next-gen" arrived three years ago, but truthfully, Nintendo kind of skates around the idea of "generations" anyway. They do what they do, they (generally) sell a ton of consoles and first-party software, then they do their own thing yet again. The Switch has been executing that strategy to aplomb with strong hardware and software sales.
Speaking of software, this week sees the release of Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin and Fuser on November 10. The third-party support for the Switch continues, while Nintendo itself is gearing up for a major release soon enough with Age of Calamity on November 20. Soon!
Here's a full rundown of everything else:
We're nearly there!
Just seven more days until the next-gen arrives and we can start calling it the "current-gen." I'm going to milk the phrase "next-gen" as often as I can, so look forward to that in the next week or so. EA knows we're pretty much at the gates of next-gen (got ya) too, so they've shared their next-gen (got ya again) plans with the world today. Here's a rundown.
EA Sports are coming back according to the publisher, who notes that UFC 4, NHL 21, Madden 21 and FIFA 21 will run like they do on either Xbox One X or a PS4 Pro for now; while Madden and FIFA will get "next-gen upgrades" on December 4 for free. Need for Speed Hot Pursuit Remastered, despite coming out so close to the generational leap, will also follow a similar path of running "like the Xbox One X or the PS4 Pro."
Sims 4, however, will get "faster loading and smoother framerates" on next-gen systems. Apex Legends will run at 1440p on next-gen systems, with "more formal enhancements planned for next year." Star Wars Squadrons will also see an upgrade, running at 2160p and 60 FPS on Series X with the "visual quality" setting and 2160p and 120 FPS on the "performance" setting. PS5 statistics for Squadrons were not provided, though it will "run with improved lighting and the same resolution and framerate as the PS4 Pro."
It feels like a lot of publishers are giving us this news down to the wire. The disparate nature of some of the numbers here when comparing the Series X and the PS5 really remind me of the launch of the last console era: where Microsoft was clowned on for having slightly lower resolution. The cycle will continue, I guess.
Sony reveals that launch PS5 sales will be 'online,' says not to camp out or line up at retail
This is coming in hot, but Sony is warning fans not to expect physical PS5 sales this year. Meaning: the typical "camp out for your next-gen system" routine is right out in 2020.
Sony's content communications senior director Sid Shuman shared the news this morning, explaining that "in the interest of keeping our gamers, retailers, and staff safe" amid the pandemic, they are "confirmation that all day-of launch sales will be conducted through the online stores of our retail partners." "Don't plan on camping out or lining up at your local retailer on launch day," Sony re-iterates. "Be safe, stay home, and place your order online."
So what happens if you pre-ordered a console at a store already? Sony says that "you should still be able to do so," at a "designated appointment time, under the retailer's safety protocols." They state that you should confirm this directly before the day of.
As we rush headlong into winter and the shopping season, this move is completely expected: we suspect a lot of other retailers and manufacturers alike will follow suit. Except GameStop, maybe.
PlayStation 5: Launch Day Ordering Update [PlayStation Blog]
Here's an exclusive look at the upcoming Magic: The Gathering Commander Legends decklists
The Commander gametype has really taken off in Magic: The Gathering in recent years, no doubt due to its accessibility and the excitement of playing as a "hero," which standard Magic play can often lack.
In very basic terms, Commander games allow players to take one card that doubles as a "commander," that can be casted at any time via the "Commander Zone." There are also some deckbuilding nuances involved, but preset decks like the upcoming Commander Legends packs take care of that step for new players.
In addition to snagging exclusive full decklists for the new Legends sets (scroll down for those!), I had the chance to speak with Magic senior designer Gavin Verhey about a few of the finer points of the Commander scene, to really drill down into why Commanding is so enduring.
Nintendo Switch has sold 68.3 million units worldwide
Nintendo has released its latest financial earnings report, which reveals that the developer/publisher sold an impressive 6.86 million Nintendo Switch consoles in the quarter ending September 2020. This pushes the global lifetime sales of the hybrid platform past the 68.3 million mark.
In addition, just under 50 million games were sold on the platform during the summer season, with worldwide lockdown legislation no doubt playing a part in the surge of in-home gaming. Accounting for the boosted sales, Nintendo has altered its forecast for the current fiscal year, raising its initial target of Switch hardware sales from 19 million to 24 million, a prediction that the company was hesitant to make earlier in the year.
2020 has been a good year for the Switch platform, with steady hardware sales alongside the launch of successful new titles such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and Paper Mario: The Origami King. As Microsoft and Sony prepare their powerful next-gen hardware for 2021, the Nintendo Switch will occupy a cozy spot where it will continue to be enjoyed by millions upon millions of video game fans worldwide.
Nintendo Consolidated Financial Highlights [Official]
(Update) The free Marvel Avengers 'appreciation' rewards are now live
[Update: Make sure you log in by 10AM PT today (November 5) if you still want them!]
If you still play Marvel's Avengers, you should probably log in between now and November 5 (10AM PT) so you can grab this "Player Appreciation Package," that some might see as an apology package for delaying next-gen upgrades and new content.
In short, you're getting: 1500 credits, 7000 units, 250 upgrade modules and 20 DNA keys. That amount of credits is just enough for a legendary skin for your favorite character. Currencies! Can't live with them, live service games can't live without them. As someone who still plays Avengers from time to time: I definitely could have lived with a few less currencies in this one, as Crystal Dynamics, like Bungie before it, still has a long ways to go until they nail down a fun live service game loop.
Hell, even if you don't play Marvel's Avengers but own the game, you should probably log in just in case to claim those items anyway for future use. You never know, Crystal Dynamics could completely overhaul the game one day and you'll be glad you had those extras. Or, they could combine multiple currencies and devalue this set of rewards.
Who knows! Live service games are wild in 2020 and beyond.
Avengers War Table [Square Enix] [Image from VGphotomode on the Marvel blog]
Let us dance! Mileena returns in Mortal Kombat 11 gameplay trailer
NetherRealm Studios has released the long-awaited, highly anticipated gameplay trailer for the TRUE Outworld Kahnum - that minx of mischief, the sultry sai-thrower, the teleporting Tarkatan, and the source of a thousand and one abominable death threats. It's Mileena, of course.
Making her debut in 1993's Mortal Kombat II, Mileena is the pseudo twin-sister of Kitana, created in the Flesh Pits of evil sorcerer Shang Tsung in order to provide Shoa Kahn with the bloodthirsty daughter he so desired. Mixing her sister's DNA with Tarkatan blood gives Mileena her sister's stunning beauty, mixed with the razor blade smile and feral aggression of the Tarkatan race.
Rising above her status as a mere "experiment," Mileena would go one to become ruler of Outworld following the death of Shao Kahn, before meeting a gruesome end at the hands of the Outworld Rebellion, led by Kotal Kahn and the sly D'Vorah. Having found her way back into the world of the living thanks to Kronika's time shenanigans, Mileena is out on her own... and out for revenge...
Nintendo just gave us an update of their top 10 best-selling Switch game list, and it's a doozy! Although not a whole lot changed per se, the rich just keep getting richer as Nintendo continues to sell through a ton of software.
The last update was through June 30, 2020, but now we have a better idea of how several titles are selling through as of September 30, 2020 thanks to a new report this morning. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has pushed all the way up to 28.99 million units sold, a roughly 2.2 million increase since the June 30 report. It's still the crown jewel of the Switch and refuses to give up its throne.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons however is nipping at its heels, commanding a powerful 26.04 million units sold as of the end of September, a nearly four million unit increase since the last period. Smash Ultimate also sold a little over a million more units to hit 21.10 million, while Zelda sold nearly a million more, a testament to its pedigree and long word of mouth tail (my wife just started playing Breath of the Wild recently, so I've seen it first-hand!).
Pokemon Sword and Shield hit the 19 million mark with around .8 million more units sold, while Mario Odyssey peddled nearly a million more copies in that same period. Let's Go Pikachu saw one of the smallest gains with just .29 million more units, with Super Mario Party seeing gains of .16 million units, and Splatoon 2 increasing by roughly .5 million. New Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is hanging on to that number 10 spot with 8.32 million units sold, a roughly .9 million unit increase from the June 30 report.
What does this all mean? Well, first-party Nintendo games, which rarely, if ever, go down in price, are still crushing it. I wonder if we'll see another game creep up on New Super Mario Bros. in the next six months. You can find the full list below!
IR Information [Nintendo]
Super Mario 3D All-Stars has already sold more than five million copies
While there are still many questions as to why Nintendo would limit the availability of Super Mario 3D All-Stars to just six months, there's no denying it's been an effective sales tactic. After seeing big preorders and demand for the game back in September, we finally got a look at just how successful its launch was. Today, Nintendo revealed the game has sold 5.21 million copies worldwide since its release.
Its success is just one of the highlights from Nintendo's most recent quarterly statement. Paper Mario: The Origami King also proved to be a hit, moving 2.82 million copies since launching in July. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is also still showing its legs, selling nearly four million units in just the last quarter. According to Nintendo, 20 different games have sold more than a million copies on Switch in just this fiscal year.
Consolidated Financial Highlights [Nintendo]
Steam makes beta testing a lot easier for developers and players
Large-scale closed playtesting seems like something that can be kind of a pain in the ass to arrange. Developers are generally left to select hundreds or thousands of players, and distribute unique keys to each of them individually.
Steam is streamlining that whole process. Today, Valve introduced Steam Playtest which is a revamping of how beta testing works on Steam.
Here's how it works: Players request access to a playtest from the game's store page. Then they're placed in a queue that the developer has control over. They can choose how many people are in the test and how many more to grant access to. There also seems to be functionality for manually adding individual users.
It's quite simple, but this isn't something that needs to be overly complicated. Playtest seems like it'll cut down on the hassle of getting people into a beta, especially when you consider that studios no longer have to manage key distribution. That implementation alone should leave a lot of developers eager to give Playtest a shot.
Steam Playtest: Invite Players To Test Your Game [Steam]
Dontnod is working on five unannounced games
A half-dozen. Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but six. That's now many games Life is Strange developer Dontnod Entertainment has in production right now.
That ambitious tidbit came from a GamesBeat interview with Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert. "Our studio is growing, with six games in production now," Guilbert said. Twin Mirror launches on December 1, and that almost certainly counts as "in production." Apart from that, all of Dontnod's projects are unannounced.
It helps that Dontnod has significantly ramped up its staffing. The developer opened a new studio in Montreal where some key Life is Strange creators will focus on a new narrative-oriented property. Between Paris and Montreal, Dontnod will have approximately 300 employees.
Dontnod's trajectory is similar to that of Telltale's, episodic games and a whole lot of 'em. Guilbert tells GamesBeat that it's important to learn from Telltale's mistakes and avoid the same outcome. "We don't want to stick to the same thing ever time," Guilbert states. "We innovate. We are reinventing ourselves in terms of quality, mechanics, and technology. Finding new ways of telling stories is really important." With five unannounced games lined up, that's a lot of opportunity to find those new ways.
Dontnod expands with back-to-back games and a new studio in Montreal [GamesBeat]
Apart from faster load times, Sea of Thieves will get a bump to 60FPS on Xbox Series X and S
Sea of Thieves might not be your first order of business on Xbox Series X/S, but the next time you're in the mood for swashbuckling, you'll benefit from some noticeable visual and performance gains.
As confirmed by Rare today, Sea of Thieves will reach 4K/60FPS on Xbox Series X and 1080p/60FPS on Xbox Series S. As expected? I'd say so. I think we're bound to see similar results elsewhere.
That said, the real win – the thing I'm most excited about for backward-compatible games, in general – is spending less time waiting to actually start playing. Both consoles will "lead to significantly reduced load times" for Sea of Thieves, according to Rare. The current slowness is a widely-held gripe.
Backing that claim up with some real-world testing, in its pre-release coverage, The Verge clocked the game's load time as 20 seconds on Xbox Series X and 1 minute and 21 seconds on Xbox One X.
"This optimized version of Sea of Thieves will be available to all players with Xbox Game Pass alongside the launch of both consoles [on November 10], and via Smart Delivery for existing owners," said Rare.
When this game first released, I wasn't sure it would still be kicking in 2020. What a turnaround.
Sea of Thieves on the Next Generation of Consoles [Rare]
Only 364GB of the Xbox Series S' 512GB SSD is actually usable
Anyone who buys an Xbox Series S will probably find themselves scrambling for extra storage before too long. Or, they'll have to resign themselves to a life of installing and uninstalling a bunch of games.
Now that next-gen consoles are making their way into the wild, we're getting some consumer reports on exactly what we can expect out of the box. Reddit user spead20 was lucky enough to find that their Xbox Series S showed up a week early. Can't complain about that!
Someone asked them how much usable storage the Xbox Series S has out of the box. Spead20 confirmed that 364GB of the console's 512GB SSD is actually usable after system updates are applied. That's 71 percent of an SSD that's already fairly small.
The options are to pony up for the 1TB proprietary SSD, make use of an external USB HDD that doesn't offer game optimizations, or to simply juggle installs. A silver lining is that Microsoft previously confirmed that install sizes will be about 30 percent smaller on Xbox Series S because it won't require 4K texture packs.
But, to frame this against the file size of one of this year's surefire most popular games, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a 136GB install. When we're working with these kind of numbers, you can see how it'll turn into a problem pretty quickly.
Make sure to grab Borderlands 2's Commander Lilith DLC on Nintendo Switch while you can
I spent a surprising amount of time with Borderlands 2 on Nintendo Switch this year, and while I've had my fill – enough to the point where I might not ever revisit this game – sure, I'll take a moment to claim the Commander Lilith & the Fight for Sanctuary DLC while Take-Two is still giving it out. Just in case.
You can do the same if you own Borderlands: The Handsome Collection (that's the two-game bundle) or Borderlands: Legendary Collection (the compilation with three games). The Commander Lilith DLC is free to claim until December 3, 2020, and you can find it listed on the Nintendo eShop – I'd link it if I could.
Once it's installed, how do you access the quest? Hit up a Fast Travel station at level 30 or higher and look for "Fight for Sanctuary." Aside from new guns (including the Effervescent rarity tier) and more bosses, areas, and enemy variants, there's also a new level cap: it's bumped from level 72 to level 80.
A word of warning: I've seen some players report that the DLC is crashing Borderlands 2 (especially the comments on the YouTube trailer embedded above), so it's probably worth waiting for the all-clear.
Otherwise, in general, Borderlands 2 is pretty good on Switch (if you're still into it).
The dream of a global Yakuza launch is just that – a dream – but it feels more tangible than ever.
Yakuza has skyrocketed beyond niche status in the West thanks to the best-in-class Yakuza 0, and as word of mouth continues to spread, curious players who don't usually play these sorts of games have taken a chance on the wacky, bold, unapologetic series they've heard so much about over the years.
No one else is really doing what Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has been able to consistently pull off.
I maintain that Kiryu's origin story is the high-water mark – Yakuza 0 is one of the defining greats – but if you're looking for something new to try or you've been there and done that in the cabaret clubs and you don't want to commit to a full series playthrough, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is an enticing next step.
With a new Dragon Quest-loving protagonist, a much larger city to hang out in, a vastly different combat system to master, and little in the way of narrative baggage, this could easily be your introduction.
Xbox Series X has a really handy filter for quickly finding your games that have next-gen upgrades
Seeing as how Xbox Series S/X is completely backward compatible with Xbox One, a lot of people are going to have a new console that populates a very large library of already-owned games. But, how to quickly find the games that get the most horsepower out of the Xbox Series S/X?
Microsoft has created a nice quality-of-life filter that sorts by games that are optimized for Xbox Series S/X. Xbox's Major Nelson showed it off this morning:
Sniper Elite 4 reveals sharpshooting Switch gameplay
This month, stealth 'n' snipe adventure Sniper Elite 4 will arrive on Switch, marking the series official debut on the Nintendo platform. Developer Rebellion has released a new trailer, giving wannabe sharpshooters their first decent look at the Switch version in action.
It's referred to as a "gameplay trailer," but aside from the opening 10 seconds is still a little too "quick-cut" to really get a feel for how the Switch will handle the third-person adventure. We do get to see our man in Italy, taking down the Nazi regime one bullet at a time, as expertly demonstrated through Sniper Elite's gloriously gory X-ray kill cam.
The video also espouses some of the features incorporated into the Switch port, including gyroscopic aiming, HD Rumble support, character customization, and local multiplayer modes for up to four perfect shooters. Let's hope you don't get me on your squad, decades of coffee have left my hands about as steady as a rock grinder.
Sniper Elite 4 launches November 17 on Nintendo Switch. Pre-ordering via the eShop will bag you a 15% price discount.
Yes! New SteamWorld games are on the way, sequels 'not ruled out'
The SteamWorld series has been near and dear to my heart since 2013 (sorry SteamWorld Tower Defense), ever since I first played SteamWorld Dig on my 3DS.
Developer Image & Form really had a hit on their hands, which they've expanded upon to great success with SteamWorld Heist, Dig 2, and Quest. Moving into strategy and RPG realms was a big move for the company, but they pulled it off and managed to craft a fun and unique shared universe along the way. Now, after around a year of near-silence regarding the franchise, we could see it expanded even further in the near future.
Speaking to a fan on Twitter, Image & Form explained that they are "making new SteamWorld games" (first of all, yes) and they are "not ruling out sequels." Going a tad further, the studio says that they would "love to revisit earlier games in the series." Boom. That's like, triple-confirmation!
Obviously our imagination could run wild here, but I think turning SteamWorld Dig into a trilogy is the most obvious move. Next, a whole new game in a completely different genre would be my next bet. Either way, the world is Image & Form's oyster. They seem to have a firm foundation of a fanbase around them and are expanding far beyond the confines of the SteamWorld universe, developing titles like Gunk on PC/Xbox.
Image & Form [Twitter]
This OutRun Arcade1Up cabinet makes me think I need to get a bigger apartment
Even though I was rarely good at them, one of the great joys of going to the arcade back in the '90s was taking a seat in one of the many racing games and putting the pedal to the metal. Games like Crusin' USA, Daytona USA, and Hydro Thunder devoured many of my quarters on these trips. I would have unloaded many more into OutRun, but sadly, my local arcade only had the upright version of the cabinet.
I guess now is my chance to play the game in a way I never got to with the OutRun cabinet from Arcade1Up. This is the first seated racing cabinet from the company and it includes the Sega arcade classic along with Turbo OutRun, OutRunners, and Power Drift. The cabinet features a 17" LCD screen, steering wheel, gas pedal, brake, and dual speakers.
BlizzCon Online won't have a premium watch fee, Blizzard says
BlizzCon Online is slated to stream on February 19-20: a format that Blizzard can easily control the messaging for and be shielded from potential "boos" from the audience.
But unlike previous shows, there will not be a "premium pass" or anything of the sort that's required for full access. Instead, on a recent "2020 Blizzard Fireside Chat" video, Blizzard president J. Allen Brack confirms that the event will be completely free. Brack is fairly plain in his statement in the first minute of the below clip, noting: "We wanted it to be a big virtual celebration, so BlizzCon Online will be free to watch and engage in."
There are a lot of unknowns and some relatively "given" announcements coming here. Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm will probably get expansion and hero reveals respectively. World of Warcraft will likely dish out more details on what's coming next for the Shadowlands expansion, due out this month. Starcraft II, now in maintenance mode, could be done for good when it comes to new reveals.
But the rest is shrouded in mystery. What about Diablo 4 news? How substantial will that update be? Or more importantly, what even is Overwatch 2 at this point? Will Blizzard walk back the idea of forcing people to pony up for a sequel and integrate it into Overwatch proper? Could we see a new game?
Lots of questions! Although the fiery hype for BlizzCon has had setbacks over the years, I'm sure a lot of people will be tuning in to see what happens regardless.
Awesome Games Done Quick reveals games list for 2021 event
Awesome Games Done Quick is getting set for its 2021 iteration. The organizer of the annual speedrunning marathon has released a tentative games list for the event, revealing over 150 titles from the pantheon of gaming - all being played in efforts to raise money for a worthwhile cause.
The AGDQ 2021 schedule includes a huge list of great titles, old and new. In attendance will be GDQ mainstays from The Legend of Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros. and Metroid series, alongside games making their GDQ debut. These include Supergiant's Hades, WayForward's River City Girls, and Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2. Also on deck are a selection of fun and unique retro titles such as Mr. Bones, Snow White: Happily Ever After, and Rollergames.
As was the case with summer's SGDQ 2020 event, AGDQ 2021 will be an online affair, keeping all runners and staff safe and socially-distanced in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The week-long event is expected to feature giveaways and competitions, alongside hours upon hours of awesome gaming action. All runs will be broadcast live over on the official GDQ Twitch channel.
The proceeds raised by generous viewers will be directly donated to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, with which GDQ has long been a benefactor. Earlier this year, AGDQ 2020 raised a record-breaking $3.1 million for the cause, so here's to hoping the 2021 event will be every bit as successful.
AGDQ 2021 takes place January 3-10. You can check out more details on the GDQ website.
Here's a list of Pokemon that still aren't in Sword and Shield yet, after the DLC
Pokemon Sword and Shield is seemingly done with DLC. Now, there's a chance Game Freak could announce an additional expansion or even a second season pass, Gearbox style, but at the moment, this might be the "complete" edition of Sword and Shield.
The Crown Tundra add-on introduced a ton of legacy Pokemon into the game (as well as a few new ones), but there is still a large amount of creatures that just simply are not supported. As in, you cannot find them out in the game world (or in either expansion) and they can't be transferred in.
According to Serebii.net, there are exactly 234 Pokemon that still have not made the cut. You can check out a full list here, which includes a host of Generation 1 characters and several starters like Chikorita. At the time of publication, the current grand total of all Pokemon across all games is 898: the list ends with Calyrax, the new Crown Tundra legendary. With a new generation, that number could break 1,000.
In spite of its issues, I enjoyed my time with Sword and Shield well enough. But if Game Freak never adds the ability to recoup most (if not all) of these Pokemon, it'll likely be forever-talked-about in the community. Game Freak has the opportunity to turn the conversation around on this, but I don't know if they will.
Unobtainable Pokemon [Serebii.net]
Ghostrunner cuts a path onto Nintendo Switch November 10
Co-publishers 505 Games and All In! have announced that cyberpunk hack 'n' slash adventure Ghostrunner will be slicing 'n' dicing on Nintendo Switch on November 10, following its release just last week on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Ghostrunner tells the story of a highly skilled but amnesiac young warrior who awakens at the base of a mega structure known as Dharma Tower. Seemingly the last remaining example of an experiment to create an army of unbeatable soldiers, our protagonist must climb Dharma Tower in order to face off against the mysterious "Keymaster" who runs the stacked metropolis with an iron fist. You know Dredd? Kinda like that.
Equipped with highly tuned senses and multitude of acrobatic and deadly skills, players guide the Ghostrunner in a vertically climbing war against an army of underlings. Both the Ghostrunner and his prey are defeated in a single hit, so be sure to use every technique at your disposal in order to reach the summit of Dharma Tower and face destiny.
You can check out our own Anthony Marzano's glittering review right here.
Ghostrunner launches on Nintendo Switch November 10. Players purchasing the game in the first month of release will unlock two exclusive in-game swords.
Fire Emblem Heroes getting its Ninja Rap on with new update
Nintendo has released a new trailer showcasing the next update for its free-to-play mobile battler, Fire Emblem Heroes. The new event, which launches November 6, re-imagines several members of the Fire Emblem roster as that stealthiest of assassins: the ninja.
The quartet of heroes joining the gacha barrel are Fire Emblem Heroes' own Laevatein, Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light's Navarre, Path of Radiance' Zihark, and finally The Blazing Blade's Lyn, accompanied by her bestie Florina. Each character is decked out in attractive new shinobi gear, all set for a life of running rooftops and striking from the shadows.
As always, the new update brings with it a new paralogue chapter, titled "In the Moment". The new update will go live in-game on November 6 at 00:00 PT / 03:00 ET / 07:00 BST.
Fire Emblem Heroes is available now on iOS and Android devices.
Sega's parent company sells off majority of its physical entertainment business
Sega Sammy Holdings has announced that they are jettisoning off 85.1% of their entertainment business shares to the Japanese mega-corporation GENDA: retaining the other 14.9%. What does this mean for Sega/Atlus videogames? Absolutely nothing for now, as it's more of a broad strokes picture of what's going on at Sega as a whole.
As most of you know, Sega merged with pachinko magnate Sammy in the mid-2000s, in a bid to takeover both the home and retail entertainment markets. It was a good arrangement for a time, but given the current outlook of physical gaming spaces for the near future, something needed to change.
According to an official statement, Sega Sammy plans on transferring most of their physical business to GENDA, which will help that department remain solvent. Naturally, savvy businessmen have their sights on low-cost investments that could grow exponentially in a post-pandemic world: whenever that may be.
Again, what does this have to do with games?! Well, the pachislot industry is certainly gaming, or gaming-adjacent, but this deal impacts Sega as a whole. Although their physical entertainment industry is the only space impacted here, it could help ensure that Sega Sammy doesn't have to make any cuts for existing studios. The future is uncertain, but it seems like Sega Sammy had no real choice here other than to find a buyer.
The corporation even explains it in their own words, noting that the "utilization of facilities has declined remarkably, and a significant loss was recorded at 1Q of the fiscal year ending March 2021."
Sega Sammy [Sega via Explica]
Mayhem Brawler is rocking that Streets of Rage 4 vibe
Hero Concept, the indie outfit behind the Doughlings series, has revealed that it is hard at work on a brand new side-scrolling beat 'em up. Mayhem Brawler is currently in development for PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch and is expected to launch sometime in 2021.
Set in a dystopian "urban fantasy," Mayhem Brawler will follow the exploits of Stronghold law enforcement agents Star, Dolphin, and Trouble as they take to the streets in a fist-throwing fight against a sinister megacorp and its army of super-powered minions. The heroic trio will face off against, thugs, werewolves, wizards, and vampires in a knock-down, drag-out battle with the fate of the city's freedom at stake. WIZARDS.
From the short trailer below, we can quickly ascertain that the title is clearly inspired by DotEmu's fantastic sequel Streets of Rage 4, and will similarly feature multiple characters, three-player co-op, and painstakingly hand-drawn art and animation. Mayhem Brawler will also feature 12 unique boss characters, comic-style presentation, and even multiple endings. It's no secret that I'm personally a huge fan of this genre, and there's always room for another great, modern-day brawler.
Mayhem Brawler will launch on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2021.
Contest: Win Jetboard Joust for Steam
In today's contest you can win Jetboard Joust for Steam!
Remember how we used to turn to fantasy to escape the harsh truths of reality? Let's do that. Like, right now. We need it.
Retro, arcadey shooter Jetboard Joust just hit Steam -- and it's a looker! Live out your dreams of destroying intergalactic bugs as the Silver Surfer in this skybound action game. Chant with me: FAN-TA-SY! FAN-TA-SY!
How have you been liking Genshin Impact?
Genshin Impact has been out for around a month now and it's pretty insane the positive buzz the game has for being a free-to-play gacha game. Despite the inherent dangers of gambling your money away on in-game content, the game beneath the gacha mechanics is really good. I am an unapologetic sucker for games with grinding mechanics, and Genshin Impact has grinding in spades.
Will Super Lone Survivor keep its mask mandate in place?
Lone Survivor is still my favorite game about suffering from psychosis, and as much of the world reaches month eight of government-mandated COVID-19 precautions, it's now proven to be one of the most prophetic as well.
Even under cheerier circumstances, the game was an intriguing downer, balancing quiet moments of isolation with your pet with tense, often horrific voyages into the outside world. Balancing the need to gather supplies, try (and often fail) to take care of yourself, and maybe even put an end to all the terrible things in your life made for a game with plenty of depth, despite mostly taking place in small, cramped spaces. I wasn't kidding when I said it was prophetic.
Now Lone Survivor is coming back in a new engine for Switch and PC. Lone developer Jasper Byrne is remaking it from the ground up for modern consoles, and after having talked with him a few times over the years about his thoughts and feelings about making games, I'm nothing short of shocked. I really thought he was done with this particular chapter in his life, but I guess if 2020 has taught us anything, it's that we can never be sure what our ever-changing world will inspire in us.
Jasper's even adding new scenario to the story, which will no doubt offer reflections on his experiences since the original title was released in 2012. Look for it in 2021.
PlayStation 5 will boost Days Gone to 60FPS and dynamic 4K
Slowly but surely, we're checking off Sony-published PS4 games that will officially look and run better on PlayStation 5. Days Gone is next on the list with a confirmation from Bend Studio that the gargantuan open-world romp will reach "up to" 60 frames per second with dynamic 4K on PS5.
According to senior staff game designer Eric Jensen, you'll need the 1.70 patch – a recent 25GB download that brought stability improvements, optimizations, and bug fixes, among other things.
That's as good of a reason as any to start up a New Game+ run (when your backlog allows it, of course). For many of us who never made time for Days Gone despite seeing a pretty favorable reception from players, we'll be able to check out the game on PS5 with the day-one PlayStation Plus Collection.
This game has always felt like a big commitment to me – there's only so much room in my life for open-world gaming, and I don't like leaving games half-finished – but I still want to circle back eventually.
I hope this 60FPS trend continues. There are more games on the PS Plus list I want to hit up.
@BendStudio [Twitter]
Xbox Series X reveals launch-day entertainment apps including Netflix, Disney+, and Spotify
Xbox has revealed the line-up of entertainment and streaming apps that will arrive on Xbox Series X and S come launch, which is just one short week from today, believe it or not.
Once they unwrap their shiny new box, proud owners will be able to use a selection of the most popular TV and Video streaming services, which to be fair are probably available on every other device in your house, but the choice is still nice. Services available include movie channels Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, TV streamers such as HBO Max, Disney +, and NOW TV, alongside popular online services such as YouTube, Twitch, and Spotify.
Xbox not only promises that the services will boost the image clarity, color, and dynamic sound experiences of your favorite services, but also notes that it has slashed the loading time of the Microsoft Store and its respective services in half, allowing you to access your entertainment faster than ever before.
You can check out a full list of the available services on the official Microsoft blog. It should be noted that certain channels may or may not be available dependent on country.
Xbox Series X launches November 10. Xbox will be holding a launch live stream to mark the occasion.
