Spider-Man: Miles Morales STRIKE Suit Concept Art Revealed
Dave Rapoza, a Freelance Illustrator, Concept Artist, and Comic Artist, took to his Twitter account to reveal his concept art for the S.T.R.I.K.E suit in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales title. Seeing the artwork for it really shows how much detail went into its excellent design:
my Strike Suit concept art for 'Spider-Man: Miles Morales' from the beautiful people at Insomniac Games pic.twitter.com/iDgRQmSGpU
— Dave Rapoza (@DaveRapoza) November 30, 2020
And here's the close up of the artwork for your viewing pleasure:
In-game the S.T.R.I.K.E suit is equipped with the Venom Overclock Visor Mod with the effect of increasing Venom Power recovery the lower Miles's health is.
Dave Rapoza has been working freelance for over 11 years with an extensive client list that includes Riot Games, MTV, Marvel, Epic Games, CDProjekt Red, 20th Century Fox, Blizzard Entertainment, Bethesda, ID Software, Dark Horse Comics, and more. And by looking through his online portfolio, you can see that Rapoza even has had his art on the front of Marvel comics.
Recently Insomniac took to social media and announced that Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 will now have saves transfer to Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered. While not available at launch, Insomniac rolled this feature out in an update that arrived near the end of November. Additionally, the three new Spider-Man suits that were going to be exclusive to the remastered version will also now be rolling out on the PS4 version of the game as well.
To celebrate the release of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, DualShockers joined with Latinx in Gaming and a panel of guests to discuss our thoughts on Insomniac Games' latest title and what it means for inclusivity and representation in video games. The panel features Mario Rivera (Video Manager, DualShockers) and Cameron Hawkins (Staff Writer, DualShockers). You can also read up on why Reviews Editor Ryan Meitzler felt nostalgic for New York City after playing the game.
If you happen to be a sneaker head, we reported on how Miles' footwear had changed and instead of him wearing his iconic set of Air Jordan 1 shoes, Miles now seems to prefer red and black Adidas Superstars. Insomniac said that it wanted to honor the sneaker's 50th anniversary in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and even is creating a real pair of these shoes that will go up for sale later this month on November 19th.
If your interested in some pretty cool Spider-Man: Miles Morales comic book covers, check out this article. The five variant covers showcase Miles Morales at different stages in his hero's journey, of which all are tied back to the eagerly anticipated Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales is available right now as a PS5 launch title, alongside the PS4. If you were able to nab a PS5, you can pick the title up on Amazon here.
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The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Mario and More are Re-Imaged as Intricate Wood Carvings
Etsy shop Pigminted features some truly gorgeous works that celebrate several Nintendo IPs. The shop features beautifully detailed wood carvings of box art and in-game screens from such titles as The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Super Mario, and Super Smash Bros. Check out some of the pieces in the gallery below:
If you're interested in buying, you can both support the small business and net a lovely work of nerd art by purchasing from here.
Dave Rapoza, a Freelance Illustrator, Concept Artist, and Comic Artist, drew incredible fanart of Link and Ganon. And this father built the ultimate The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild playhouse for his kids. Illustrator @comfycorduroy drew several Breath of the Wild pieces reenacting several iconic scenes from Studio Ghibi's Princess Mononoke. And back in August, another talented artist by the name of Jo (@BigSkyCastle on Twitter) created several Breath of the Wild illustrations in the breezier and lighter Studio Ghibli style.
Then there's this nifty 3D printed breakable pot one fan made and showed off. If you're a chef in the making, you can pick up a copy of the The Unofficial Legend of Zelda Cookbook. An extremely talented artist combined scenes from the upcoming Breath of the Wild 2 with the artstyle from the recent Link's Awakening remake. Another artist created A Link Between Worlds diorama using the shell of a Gameboy. There's an absolutely stunning Studio Ghibli-style Breath of the Wild fan animated trailer, while a dedicated fan spent two years recreating Breath of the Wild weapons.
We also have an animated pixel art mockup of a dungeon scene from Zelda II. The winner for last year's official Link's Awakening fanworks contest was revealed, with some great submissions from plenty of talented artists. And if you want something incredible from outside this contest, there's this fantastic 3D printed recreation of Koholint Island from the game. The artist even provides a tutorial at the end of their video in case anyone else wanted to make one for themselves.
Some other works include Link's house from Breath of the Wild faithfully created using Lego blocks, this lovely Sheikah runes phone charger, art of Twilight Princess meets Breath of the Wild, fanart of Link in the vibrant forest from Majora's Mask, a recreation of the Breath of the Wild lantern, a bottle of Lon Lon milk from Ocarina of Time, and an alarm clock that plays A Link to the Past's theme.
Check out our glowing review of the first BOTW by our Editor-in-Chief. The sequel is on its way and the cast recently revealed that all voice work has been recorded.
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Doom Can Now Actually Run on a Pregnancy Test, Thanks to Programming Genius
Back in September I reported on an incredibly talented hardware engineer and software programmer Foone Turing who was in the process of taking the often tongue-in-cheek "but can it run Doom?" challenge to new heights — by getting it to work on a pregnancy test of all things. And after much headache in a very detailed and amusing Twitter thread chronicling their process, they finally succeeded in their goal:
endianness fixed, bluetooth controller missing, alternative bluetooth controller broken, alternate alternate controller found, and now I have DOOM ON A PREGNANCY TEST:https://t.co/TFd37y9mGd
— foone (@Foone) September 7, 2020
I tried zooming in and turning up the in-game gamma a bit, so you can see what's going on slightly better.
(It's a 128×32 pixel monochrome display, it's never gonna be great) pic.twitter.com/dAU7LZ1pkT— foone (@Foone) September 7, 2020
They plan on releasing a basic how-t0 guide of the process, so definitely keep tabs on their social media. You can also check out the full library of other videos they've gotten running on the above setup. And if you want to support them, here are links to their Patreon and ko-fi pages.
This is hardly the first crazy thing done with Doom. In other Doom running news, YouTuber Equalo set himself a challenge to run DOOM solely by using the power of potatoes and succeeded. And in a video shared on Instagram, a user named Richard Mallard was able to get xCloud running through his smart fridge to play games, with DOOM Eternal being one of the showcases for this marvel of technological feats.
Developer id Software released a new patch last month for Eternal that included a variety of different Render Modes which gives the game drastically different looks, depending on which you choose to implement. One of these is "Retro Handheld" which resembles the original Game Boy's iconic green color palette.
On the completely opposite end of the graphical spectrum is Nvidia's own recent video demonstration of their RTX 3080, which showed off DOOM Eternal.The video shows comparisons between the RTX 3080 and what was previously considered one of Nvidia's most powerful cards in the RTX 2080 Ti. Running at max settings, DOOM Eternal is able to consistently net between 100-130fps during combat while running at a 4K resolution.
Check out our review of the original DOOM Eternal here, which according to the piece "is a drastic improvement over its predecessor in every way and sees the Doom Slayer reclaiming his throne in the shooter genre."
The post Doom Can Now Actually Run on a Pregnancy Test, Thanks to Programming Genius by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.
Silk Hat Arcade in Japan to Officially Close its Doors Next Year
Silk Hat Ikebukuro, the famous Japanese arcade that has been an integral part of the shopping district's landscape, will be officially and permanently closing its doors on January 11th, 2021 according to a status update made on their official Twitter account. The status, posted below, states:
"Thank you always for your patronage. We sincerely apologize, but Silk Hat Ikebukuro will be permanently closing on January 11. The entire staff would like to express out heartfelt appreciation to all of our customers who have lovingly supported us for so long."
いつも当店をご利用頂きまして、ありがとうございます。
誠に勝手ながら、シルクハット池袋は2021年1月11日(月)の営業をもって閉店させていただく事となりました｡
長きに亘るご愛顧、スタッフ一同、心より感謝申し上げます。
残り僅かな期間となりますが、皆様のご来店をお待ち申し上げております。 pic.twitter.com/aPD6cjXsIU— シルクハット池袋 (@SILKHAT_ike) December 1, 2020
Silk Hat Ikebukuro is a large-scale Japanese arcade with a lineup of joystick-and-button video games, crane games/UFO catchers, interactive card games, music/rhythm games, and sticker picture booths. Unfortunately the seemingly evergreen Japanese arcade industry (at least compared to the US market) has been suffering even before coronavirus hit, as the rise of PC and online gaming has eroded the market audience for years. But the pandemic seems to be the final tipping point for many of them.
Silk Hat isn't the only major arcade that met the same fate. On August 30th Sega previously closed down its iconic arcade in Akihabara, the famous "electronics and otaku mecca" of Tokyo.
Previously they announced that it would shift a significant part of its arcades game development staff to consoles. Famitsu then reached out to the company regarding the news of Sega Group selling 85.1% shares of Sega Entertainment to Genda. The shares transfer, happening on December 30th, 2020, means that most of over 200 Amusement centers and Game Centers owned by Sega in Japan will now be owned by Genda. Most likely many shops will be closed as the sale was decided on due to the crisis many shops are facing with said pandemic.
For more of an in-depth look into the ins and outs of the arcade business and why Sega made this decision and its consequences, check out this detailed breakdown from our Senior News Editor Iyane Agossah.
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Designer of Astro's Playroom Says He Would Consider a Sequel or Expansion
Astro's Playroom comes packed in with a PS5. The game is a platformer that toys around and demonstrates the new features of the new DualSense controller. The platformer has been widely considered not just a great showcase of technology, but a great game as well. With that said, in a recent interview with Edge magazine (via VGC), the lead designer stated that he would consider creating a sequel or expansion content.
In the interview, Japan Studio boss Nicolas Doucet stated that he has not decided on what the development team will create next, whether it is a new game or something related to Astro's Playroom. When asked if he would consider a sequel or DLC, he stated: "At this moment in time, there's no plan for an extension of Astro's Playroom, but I think it's going to come down to the popularity of the game. So far we've heard a lot from the media, and it's been very positive, and we're really, really happy. But a lot of it is going to come down to the consumer experience."
He continued and said that he would like to wait and hear from casual players and players who happen to be new to gaming.
"I think we need to hear from them too. And that's going to happen post-launch, once the console is in the hands of consumers. But if the character has popularity, and if it proves that people are really having fun, [an extension or sequel] could be one avenue to follow. But at the same time, in Team Asobi we're always trying to come up with ideas from technology, and so there are lots of things we want to try and do around the controller. And as we make these prototypes, if one of them turns out to be a game idea in its own right, it could end up being a new direction that we take and we'll run with it. So it could be one or the other, but at this moment in time I don't really know."
Astro's Playroom is currently available for the PS5. The game comes bundled with the console, so if you have the PS5, you have Astro's Playroom. Make sure to check out DualShockers' official review of the game right here.
The post Designer of Astro's Playroom Says He Would Consider a Sequel or Expansion by Grant Huff appeared first on DualShockers.
Xbox Will Reportedly Announce Something at The Game Awards
Microsoft has not been shy about making announcements at The Game Awards in the past. Last year, Xbox showed off the Xbox Series X for the very first time at the show. According to Jeff Grub from GamesBeat, Xbox might have another announcement for the show.
Grub teased the announcement during a GamesBeat video stream on Friday. He didn't go into any other further detail on what the announcement could possibly be.
Microsoft has made some hints that it will be at the show in some capacity. The official Xbox Twitter account has tweeted to followers to tune into the show. The December Game Pass update also ended stating: "See you at the Game Awards friends!"
Tune into #TheGameAwards this year to see great games get honored
Watch on December 10: https://t.co/MsAPmdhl1E pic.twitter.com/UcHgp3o4ID
— Xbox (@Xbox) December 4, 2020
I know what many of you are thinking. Halo Infinite right? Unfortunately, Microsoft has already stated that the game will not be shown at the show. However, there will be a "high-level update" coming sometime soon.
As stated before, the Xbox team is not shy about making big announcements at the show. I mean, if they were willing to show the very first look at its brand new console, I think plenty of big-time news is in play. It should be noted though to not get your hopes up since this isn't a confirmation directly from Microsoft.
The Game Awards is going to be streamed live this coming week on Thursday, December 10. The show will begin at 3:30 pm PT/6:30 pm ET. Geoff Keighly has shared that the show will feature many celebrity appearances to give awards away. Some are prominent figures in the video game industry like Troy Baker and some are not so much.
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Spiritfarer, Ooblets, and More OSTs are Gathered in the Wholesome Games "Slice of Life" Collection
Wholesome Games has announced a brand new OST collection, which gathers music from soothing and sweet games such as Spiritfarer, Ooblets, A Short Hike, Kind Words, and more. "Slice of Life: Songs from Wholesome Games Collection" features 21 songs in total and all proceeds will be donated to Galaxy Fund, a new grant for women, BIPOC, and LGBT+ founders of game development studios:
If you're interested in the vinyl album compilation, you can pre-order the collection here.
Spiritfarer is a "cozy management game" that has players taking on the role of Stella, a spiritfarer that helps transport various creatures and characters through their journey into the afterlife. While the game addresses some heavy themes and topics, the game itself aims to deliver an immersive and thought-provoking journey with stunning animation and visuals.
Our staff writer Cameron Hawkins reviewed Spiritfarer and gave it a near perfect score. From his time with the game, Cameron came away impressed by its "beautifully crafted, memorable experience" that takes players on a compelling, profound journey. Spiritfarer is available now on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, PC, Mac, and Linux.
Ooblets, which launched for early access on July 15th Epic Game Store and Xbox Preview Program, features daily quests, an expandable farm, and must-see dance-offs. Players grow various crops, build up a team of dancing Ooblets, and meet the wonderful folk who make up your town.
Released in September 2019 on PC and Mac, Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) delivered an unusual but heartwarming premise. Aside from featuring a relaxing, soothing space for players to enjoy, the game is centered around sending anonymous letters to other players for encouragement and positivity, with a new update bringing even more encouragement for an impressive in-game milestone. Kind Words (lo fi chill beats to write to) is available now on PC and Mac through Steam.
The post Spiritfarer, Ooblets, and More OSTs are Gathered in the Wholesome Games "Slice of Life" Collection by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.
Activision Suing Netflix for Allegedly Stealing Chief Financial Officer
Activision-Blizzard announced that they are filing a lawsuit against Netflix for allegedly poaching their Chief Financial Officer back in 2018. According to the company, Spencer Neumann resigned from Activision on December 31st, 2018 and two days later announced his new CFO position with Netflix. This is despite signing a three year contract with Activision that would have ended on April 30th, 2020.
In January 2019 they terminated Neumann's contract, which according to Reuters was due to the breached contract. The lawsuit against Netflix confirms this as according to the filing the company "knowingly induced Neumann to breach his employment contract with Activision," and "engaged in tortious conduct when Activision — with Neumann's assistance — was negotiating with Netflix over a commercial partnership to distribute Activision's linear media content."
Because of the sudden departure, Activision was forced to pay millions of dollars more to his replacement as well as millions more to other executives in order to prevent them from leaving as well. The company wants Netflix to cover those and other costs, and it's also after punitive damages and an injunction against what it says is "a pattern and practice of unlawfully inducing employees of other competitors to breach their fixed-term contracts."
According to the lawsuit: "Unless Netflix is restrained by appropriate injunctive relief from continuing to raid Activision's workforce by targeting its executives who have voluntarily entered into enforceable and ongoing fixed-term employment agreements, Activision will continue to suffer irreparable harm, including, but not limited to, losing the value of its valid fixed-term employment agreements, damage to its business reputation, workforce, and business opportunities, while Defendants will continue to be unjustly enriched by their tortious and unjust conduct."
Activision-Blizzard has had a rough year. After laying off roughly 800 members of its staff in early 2019, the publishing giant has now closed another wing of its company this week. Reported by Bloomberg, Activision Blizzard told employees in October in its office located in Versailles, France that it would be closing the location down.
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Final Fantasy XIV Producer/Director Discusses Rebooting Process and Who He Admires
The next interview in the Archipel Caravan stars Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida, who helmed the successful reboot of the title after its disastrous initial release and continues to lead it to this day. In the interview he discusses the process of redoing the MMORPG in detail, which is always a fascinating story. Check out the 30 minute interview below:
According to the official description: "Final Fantasy XIV currently stands at the top ranks of the MMORPG genre, ten years after its initial release and an unprecedented full reboot after being heavily criticized.
"We've spent some time with Naoki Yoshida, who took the helm of the project in December 2010, who recollected on his career, his beginnings at Square Enix and the evolution of FFXIV, now at the end of its third extension. Yoshida also told us about his admiration for Yasumi Matsuno, creator of Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, who is now heavily collaborating on FFXIV, in addition to his views about the future of the MMORPG genre."
Archipel Caravan specializes in creating and publishing documentaries about various Japanese creatives. Their previous interviews was with the Yakuza creator, Danganronpa creator, and with the Resident Evil creator here. You can support them financially through Patreon here. If you enjoyed this video, Archipel has an entire lineup planned, which they posted on their official Twitter account:
Archipel Caravan – Lineup (2/2):
– Toshihiro Nagoshi: Yakuza 15th Anniversary | Interview
– Naoki Yoshida: FF14 10th Anniversary | Interview
– Isamu Kamikokuryo: toco toco reboot special
– Yoshitaka Amano, Kazuko Shibuya: Final Fantasy | Cross-Interview pic.twitter.com/icERy7yNVS— Archipel | アルシペル (@SailToArchipel) September 29, 2020
For those who have already invested in next-gen consoles, Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida has revealed his desire for the title to come to PS5 and he believes it could still come to Xbox consoles according to an interview published in July.
The most recent patch, Patch 5.4, will add several new quests and dungeons including a fight against Final Fantasy VII endgame superboss Emerald Weapon. Patch 5.2, Echoes of a Fallen Star, released on February 18th and featured new main quests, a new raid dungeon, new general dungeons, and VII's other endgame superboss Ruby Weapon. The previous Shadowbringers update, titled 5.1 "Vows of Virtue, Deeds of Cruelty," introduced a brand new NieR Automata-themed patch featuring new gear, a new dungeon, new game+, and the Fellowship.
Announced by Yoshida via a press release, Final Fantasy XIV has now surpassed 18 million registered players in total. This number is comprised of players across all of the game's platforms which include PS4, PC, Mac, and even the PS3. Meanwhile, be sure to check out our official review of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers here, as well as our E3 2019 interview with Final Fantasy XIV director Naoki Yoshida here. Shadowbringers is available now for PS4 and PC on Amazon.
The post Final Fantasy XIV Producer/Director Discusses Rebooting Process and Who He Admires by Allisa James appeared first on DualShockers.
Original Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age Has Been Delisted in Favor of the S Version
Square Enix has delisted Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age from many different digital storefronts now that the new S version is out in the wild.
There is a note on the Steam page for the game that reveals that it was delisted "at the request of the publisher" and will not appear if players try to search for it. The note states: "At the request of the publisher, DRAGON QUEST® XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
– Digital Edition of Light is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search."
There is another note below this one that points toward the newly released Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age.
If you were to travel to both the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store, you will also notice that the game has been delisted there as well. Humble also shows that the game is unavailable.
The feedback has not been very good for Square Enix. The definitive S version is a port of the Switch version finally making its way to PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The game includes some improvements and extra content, however, there are graphical differences that you might consider a downgrade depending on your tastes. The move has caused players to leave negative reviews on the game's Steam page. Players also do not like that they will have to shell out for a full-priced game if they would like to access more content.
Players can still pick up a physical copy of the original Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age. Plus, you can still play your digital version if you picked it up on release.
The post Original Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age Has Been Delisted in Favor of the S Version by Grant Huff appeared first on DualShockers.