Ubisoft announces UK scholarship initiative for Black students in game development
This weekend saw Ubisoft UK hold its first UK Black Game Pros Mixer event, in which an extensive panel of some of the UK gaming industry's most successful Black professionals held an video forum to discuss opportunities and share advice for those looking to get started in the gaming industry, be it as a coder, designer, artist, or even an esports specialist.
As part of the event, Ubisoft announced a new initiative: the Ubisoft Scholarship for Black Game Students. This program will offer two Black students currently studying for roles within the gaming industry financial and educational support in their schooling. The chosen candidates will each receive £11,250 toward tuition fees, as well as living expenses at Newcastle University's School of Computing.
"A lack of diverse workforces in the science and technology sectors is a challenge." said School of Computing head Prof. John Fitzgerald. "This Ubisoft scholarship is another step forward in attracting the best students from underrepresented backgrounds to Newcastle and we commend our partners at Ubisoft for taking action. In the School of Computing we are all committed to making this initiative a huge success, and ensuring it has a wide-ranging impact on the lives of the students who will benefit from it."
While studying, the chosen candidates will receive external help and advice from Ubisoft developers and, upon completion of the course, will receive a three-month paid internship at UK studio Ubisoft Reflections, also based in Newcastle. Interested parties can find full details - alongside eligibility requirements - over on the Newcastle University School of Computing website.
Ubisoft unveils scholarship for Black UK students to support games career [GamesIndustry.biz]
Boot up your copies of the Doom retro re-releases for some free Doom Zero DLC
Doom and Doom II will never die.
I can confirm this, as I recently finished the sequel on Switch for the billionth time. It's one of the few games where it's kind of a given that it's going to be re-released over and over, especially if a bunch of old school lost levels from id Software and the community are proliferated throughout time. That's the sort of gaming history you don't want to lose on an errant floppy disc in a cardboard box somewhere.
To that end, Bethesda has granted access to Doom Zero: a free 32-level-strong DLC for folks who own Doom or Doom II. Described as DLC that "isn't low-calorie" (you could have gone a little more hardcore there!), it features "new enemies, bosses, sounds, music, and sprites." Yet, it's still very much
This is all possible because of the Doomworld forums mod that was released in 2019 on PC: a solo effort by modder Christopher Golden. You can find out how that whole saga came about here,
Doom Zero [Slayer's Club]
'Mr. Sakurai presents Sephiroth' Smash Bros. stream coming tomorrow
If you are one of the many Smash Bros. fans who cannot wait to see Final Fantasy VII antagonist Sephiroth in action, then your wait is almost over. Nintendo has announced that the gameplay breakdown for the One-Winged Angel will be released tomorrow (something we already knew); but now we have the additional info that it will run a meaty 35 minutes in length.
Hosted by the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate producer himself, the curiously titled "Mr. Sakurai presents Sephiroth" stream will feature over a half-hour of looooong sword action, showcasing Sephiroth's attacks, abilities, and Final Smash skills. More importantly, it might feature more of Sakurai's amusing dry wit and self-deprecating humor, which is what we actually tune in for. You can check out the stream over Nintendo's official Youtube channel.
Confirmed via a dramatic trailer at last week's Games Awards event, Sephiroth is the third third-party character to join Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's massive roster, alongside FFVII rival Cloud Strife and Dragon Quest's Hero. It will be interesting to see what the reprehensible prick will bring to the SSBU meta, besides washboard abs and wistful angst.
SmashBrosJP [Twitter]
(Update) Kojima Productions celebrates fifth anniversary tomorrow, teases 'exciting updates'
[Update: As expected, the Kojima Productions anniversary updates didn't amount to much. The studio released a wallpaper for its mascot "Ludens", and announced a line of branded clothing. Additionally, head honcho Hideo released a video, (which you can check out below), thanking fans for their loyalty. Kojima Productions is currently in pre-production stages on its next project.]
Believe it or don't, it has been five full years since Hideo Kojima launched his self-founded studio Kojima Productions. Originally established as a subsidiary of Konami, Kojima Studios has since branched out as an independent studio, releasing its first non-Konami venture, Death Stranding, just over one year ago.
As part of the studio's anniversary celebrations, Kojima Productions has teased that it will share several "exciting updates" tomorrow, December 16, at 14:00 JST / 21:00 PT / 00:00 ET. Now, don't lose your drawers just yet, these are "updates," so I wouldn't expect a full-fledged title reveal or anything similar. But it will be interesting to see what Hideo and co. have been up to in this particularly challenging year. We will, of course, keep you notified of any developments.
Overwatch has Winter Wonderland weekly challenge skins for Junkrat, Roadhog, and Ana
Is there a German word to describe a person who has stopped playing a live-service game but still keeps tabs on the outfits for no particular reason? That's where I'm at with Overwatch. I can't let go.
Today's Winter Wonderland 2020 event is adding eight new skins (three of which will be doled out in weekly challenges), and 4v4 Freezethaw Elimination, a mode in which eliminated players become frozen. It's basically a tug-of-war to de-thaw your teammates and fully wipe the opposing team, and if you aren't into it, there's also Yeti Hunt, Snowball Deathmatch, and Mei's Snowball Offensive.
Onto the new-for-2020 skins, starting with the challenge skins that require nine wins a piece:
Elf Junkrat (Weekly Challenge 1 from Dec. 15 to Dec. 22)
Gingerbread Ana (Weekly Challenge 2 from Dec. 22 to Dec. 29)
Frosty Roadhog (Weekly Challenge 3 from Dec. 29 to Jan. 5)
Penguin Mei
Toybot Zenyatta
Ice Empress Moira
Conductor Reinhardt
Lumberjack Torbjörn
I maintain that Zenyatta has a top-tier wardrobe and I'll be bummed if his luck runs out in Overwatch 2 (a game permanently shrouded in fog in my mind's eye). As for Winter Wonderland in general, it'll wrap up on January 5, so no rush. Blizzard has a few new emotes this year too if you're keeping up.
Xbox will make your Space Jam visual novel game and put it on Game Pass
How are you at pitching? When you're a big-brained business type, you don't need to sell things. You just need to sell ideas. And they don't even have to be good ideas! You just have to make them sound good.
Go ahead and pitch Microsoft on the wildest Space Jam game you can think of. If they like your pitch enough, it'll get turned into a real game and added to Xbox Game Pass.
All of this is a promotion for the LeBron James-starring Space Jam: A New Legacy movie that's due out next year. Microsoft's hosting a contest where two pitches for arcade games will go through development and released. All you have to do is pick one of the 16 pre-selected images that best depicts your idea, and then explain it in 500 words or fewer.
Did your mind instantly go to erotic visual novel? Mine neither. But if you can make your Space Jam-themed erotic visual novel sound intriguing enough, Microsoft will probably definitely fund it. Or, maybe pitch a grand strategy 4X game where Bugs Bunny is some kind of emperor. How about a walking simulator where you examine authentic NBA gameplay (traveling joke!). Let's talk, Microsoft. I got ideas for days.
Anyway, two winners get their game made and put on Xbox Game Pass, along with a prize package that consists of: an official credit, LeBron-signed merch, Space Jam and Nike merch, a personalized Xbox Series S (spring for an X, Microsoft!), a private screening of the film, and a virtual Microsoft coding workshop for their local community.
I've settled on my pitch: It's about a 5'9" games blogger who gets drafted into the NBA even though he's in his 30s and doesn't have much of a jump shot. It'll be a rhythm-based shmup.
Want to Help Design the Xbox Space Jam: A New Legacy Arcade-Style Video Game? [Xbox]
Risk of Rain 2's 2021 roadmap includes a paid expansion and a cut-content update
Hopoo Games is growing, and so is Risk of Rain 2. In a developer blog post today, the team announced three new members – doubling the core crew size – and gave release windows for the 2021 schedule.
As was already announced, Risk of Rain 2 will still get one more big update and ongoing support, but otherwise, it's shifting to a paid expansion model to release "meaningful" new content that will "give RoR2 fans a reason to come back and support the game." That's what I want to hear for a roguelike.
The next step – the Anniversary update – is aiming for March 2021. It'll include cut content "like the Grandparent boss," new items and a new Survivor, profile stats, and improvements across the board.
Much later, in Q4 2021, the first paid expansion – "around two to three content updates in size" – will come out to "refresh the game for long-term fans." An alternate final stage and final boss, another mode, new Elites, new music, and more Survivors, common foes, stages, and items are on the docket.
Another promising move: better support for modders, which is a gift that will keep on giving. "We're also keeping an eye on our ever-growing modding community, and are making some internal changes (like moving away from fixed enum indices for content and more towards scriptable objects, investigating an engine upgrade) to work toward an easier and more sustainable modding environment for RoR2."
The new faces at Hopoo Games are programmer Ben Schofield (who's focusing on gameplay), Javid "Snonepe" (who's on animation), and Nick Bizzozero (who's working to keep Risk of Rain 2 an "engaging and visually slick experience" and previously cracked me up with the actually-fun Yo! Noid 2).
Hopoo struggled to find time and energy to hire during Early Access, but after "a bit of a breather," the creators "knew that we'd eventually expand Hopoo Games to better support RoR2 long term."
You can find the 2021 forecast below, but keep in mind, things are still "flexible."
Dev Thoughts #19 - Risk of Rain 2 In 2021 [Steam]
Fortnite just got an Among Us mode and 120hz support for new consoles
With the new console updates already in the bag, I've been playing a lot of Fornite with my wife. The Xbox Series X and PS5 versions run very smoothly for the sessions that I don't feel like playing on PC, and those ports just got a lot better today.
As of this afternoon, version 15.10 added in 120FPS support for both console families. Ally you need to do is enable it, and the game will convert to 1440p on Series X and PS5, and 1080p on Series S. That's it: it's enabled for all modes, not just PVP like Destiny 2. To be clear, these are legit Series X/S and PS5 versions of the game, not older versions that just happen to work.
The other big piece of news today is the addition of a limited-run "The Spy Within" mode, which is literally just Among Us, Fortnite style. You'll start on either the side of the "agents" (eight people) or the "spies," (two people). The latter will attempt to take out the former without being noticed, while the agents try and complete tasks and vote out alleged spies. It's going to be a yelly-Twitch-fest.
It's also, neatly, a community-created endeavor with Epic crediting DolphinDom, KKSlider, Bunni, Wert, Blanky, jstKamui, MackJack, Ritual, and Snownymous. A new twist will be cycled in and out of the playlist "every few days."
Of course, there's a big-budget, Epic-money spin on it all that makes things a little more interesting. You can use the Houseparty video chat app to actually set up a full meetup while people are away from each other or in quarantine. This tech isn't brand new (it debuted in November), but the timing is impeccable in multiple ways: way to steal the Among Us Switch thunder!
I took the first day for a spin, and the initial scenario is a lot like the main Among Us shtick. The agents have to gather up enough coins in the main foyer of a mansion to win the game, or suss out the spies. Tasks and coin-getting typically involve looking directly at an object; leaving a blind spot for the spies to come whack you. Voice chat is enabled by default, naturally. It's...a distraction! To really get the most out of it you're going to want to invite close personal friends.
This is on top of the standard 1-4 squad battle royale mode, team rumble, arena, creative play, the battle lab (random player-created concepts), and party royale (hangout mode with minigames). Fortnite has come a long way since it was just Save the World PVE, and it's essentially an entire platform now.
The Spy Within [Epic Games]
Assassin's Creed Valhalla has a long way to go
Assassin's Creed Valhalla just got its second major patch this morning, another much-needed Band-Aid as Ubisoft marches toward making this game function as intended. It really highlighted how long this is going to take.
As expected, the update 1.1.0 patch notes are all over the place. There's a bunch of general stuff like optimization and performance stability. There's broad-reaching gameplay tweaks like adjusting enemy power levels. As far as new content, this update also paved the way for an upcoming Yule Festival, which hasn't been detailed yet.
Most important, there are fixes for a ton of quests that were bugged. Ubisoft seems to be prioritizing the quests that affect actual progression while backburnering World Events that won't actually prevent people from continuing to play the game. Just like the first patch, there are approximately 100 different issues that are addressed. Check out the patch notes to see if your specific problem was tackled.
How long will it take until Assassin's Creed Valhalla is in a perfectly acceptable state for the majority of players? A long time. On the game's forums, the mega-thread of known issues seems to be growing faster than bugs are being moved to resolved. In the Player Support sub-forum, people are posting their new bugs with a new thread popping up approximately every minute. There's obviously a ton of overlap with the same problems being reported multiple times, but it's crystal clear that so many people have so many issues that they need fixed.
Me? I've still got a few lingering bugs that are blocking 100 percent completion even though I haven't done everything in all the areas yet. There's not a ton of motivation when I know that I need to wait for Ubisoft to squash my particular problems. I'm going to leave this one on the figurative shelf for a few months and cross my fingers that Ubisoft gets around to them eventually. There's certainly a ton of other bugs that are higher priority.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla -- Title Update 1.1.0 [Ubisoft]
Nominees for Destructoid's Best PC Game of 2020
2020 was a weird – and for many people, at times frustrating – year for PC gaming.
That sentiment goes for plenty of people who tried to secure a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S at launch, and it definitely also goes for PC gamers. You might've been ready to upgrade your GPU while the going is good, but for many would-be customers, it was just one annoying close call after another. Whether you were hunting down a 3070, a 6800, or seemingly any piece of sought-after tech in this cooped-up "at least we still have gaming!" nightmare of a year, you weren't alone – the bots were out in full force.
That's not to say there weren't great PC games to check out in 2020 (in between our old favorites that are still going strong with regular updates), but the out-of-stock woes did overshadow things a bit.
I can't complain, though. For all of the frustration surrounding future-proofing purchases, this year also brought pleasant surprises like Gears Tactics, mind-bending out-of-the-box strategizing in Spelunky 2, a veritable VR masterclass in Half-Life: Alyx, and the long-awaited end of the road in Kentucky Route Zero.
Valis is the latest old-school franchise to tease a possible comeback
Telenet Japan's classic adventure Valis is the latest in a long line of retro franchises considering lacing up the boots one more time. The action-adventure series, which will see its 35 anniversary in 2021, has just received a shiny new website in Japan, complete with the potential teasing of a brand new entry.
Originally launching on the PC-88 and MSX home computers in 1986, Valis: The Fantasm Soldier, told the story of a modern-age schoolgirl - Yuko Asou - who is designated by fate to protect three spiritual realms from invading monsters. Shocked by this dimension-hopping revelation, young Yuko nevertheless picks up the legendary sword "Valis" and heads into battle against the demon lord, Rogles.
While Valis itself is fairly clunky and rudimentary, it has been praised for its surprisingly layered story, use of cinematic cut-scenes, and great, old-school soundtrack. Valis would be followed by no less than five sequels in the ensuing years - appearing on PC, Famicom, Mega Drive, and FM-77 - before finally an unfortunate comeback as hentai series Valis X in 2006.
Still, with Valis' 35th anniversary on the horizon, a swanky new website, and the current trend of long, forgotten game series making a comeback, there is a strong possibility that Yuko might be donning the armor and taking it to nightmare-inducing monsters once again - proving, as if proof was ever needed, that you can't keep a good gal down.
Super Valis IV will be joining the SNES: Nintendo Switch Online app on December 18.
Valis: 35th anniversary website launched [Gematsu]
PlayStation and Xbox get Super Meat Boy Forever about one month after Switch
It's a little sadist of Team Meat to make the masochists wait an extra month. But, I guess the masochists will appreciate that punishment.
During last week's Game Awards, we found out that Super Meat Boy Forever is launching on the Epic Games Store on December 23. It spurred us to email PR and ask about timing of the console versions. We got a big ol' "We're not talking about [that] right now." With this morning's announcement that Super Meat Boy Forever will be a Switch exclusive at launch, the vague non-answer made a lot more sense.
Other platforms won't have to wait too long to jump in the grinder. PlayStation and Xbox versions of Super Meat Boy Forever are expected about one month later. That presumably means either late January or early February.
I, for one, am fine waiting another month. My reflexes go into hibernation at the end of the year. I just want to wrap up December with the least stressful games you can imagine. Then, once the new year hits, I'm back to peak performance. In fact, I might just wait until summer. Super Meat Boy Forever feels like it has big June vibes (or maybe my Vibe-O-Meter isn't calibrated correctly).
EA has to delay its Xbox Game Pass on PC integration until next year
You've heard of game delays. Now let me introduce you to subscription service delays.
In terms of sheer bulk, access to the whole EA Play library is a pretty good reason to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. That partnership was announced earlier this year. EA was just hitching its wagon to Game Pass Ultimate, making all of its subscription service offerings available to Ultimate subscribers.
It's already implemented on consoles, but PC is behind schedule for some reason. Today, the two sides needed to announce that EA Play for PC won't be coming to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate until sometime in 2021. There's no word about the cause of the delay apart from "We need more time."
A lot of EA's best stuff is on EA Play, and that's certainly valuable for people who subscribe to Ultimate. The website lists about 60 PC games, with stuff like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and the Dead Space games standing out. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers on PC will find out all about that next year.
Update on EA Play: Coming to Xbox Game Pass for PC in 2021 [Xbox Wire]
Nominees for Destructoid's Best PlayStation Game of 2020
Looking back on 2020, I'm having a hard time fathoming that Dreams and Spider-Man: Miles Morales – to say nothing of the PS5 in general – all came out in the same year. It's been a long one. Too long.
Even if there is a new console on the market (if you can beat the scalper bots), the PlayStation 4 had a fantastic "final" year, though I hesitate to even call it that; it's not going anywhere. As someone who luckily did manage to get a hold of a PlayStation 5 at launch, I have to say, I'm truly splitting my time – I'm just as likely to boot up a PS4 title on this beefy boy than an honest-to-goodness PS5 game.
In some cases, like Ghost of Tsushima hitting 60fps, these games run substantially better on the new hardware. I hope that continues. I get the distinct feeling that even as true only-on-PS5 exclusives ramp up throughout 2021, I'll still be revisiting the PS4 hall of fame. That, to me, is a sign of staying power.
The PlayStation 4 was (and still is!) a hell of a machine, and this year's lineup brought it.
From the creative whimsy of Dreams, to the effortless flow of Miles Morales, to the harrowing terror of Last of Us Part II, and everything in between, PlayStation fans weren't short on memorable experiences.
The next 'face-melting metal' Viking Magic set arrives in Arena on January 28
The time has come for Wizards of the Coast to pull back the curtain on Magic: The Gathering's next viking-themed set: Kaldheim.
Billed as the most metal set yet, Wizards is kicking off preview/spoiler season on January 7 at 9AM PT, at which point we'll start to see the flavor and mechanics of the set come together. After that, it arrives on Magic: Arena and Magic Online (yep, that's still around!) on January 28, which marks the official launch of the set. From there it'll be available in pre-release form on January 29 (physical cards) and fully on February 5.
For now Wizards has given us a preview of some of the art, and it's pretty glorious: truth be told the art for the presumed land cards/environments are lovely! Wizards is also leaning hard into the metal aspect for the set's promotional materials, including a very stylized poster and collector booster set pack art. You can see all of that in the gallery below.
As a reminder; Throne of Eldraine, Theros: Beyond Death, Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths, Core Set 2021, and Zendikar Rising are still in standard. When Kaldeim hits, standard play is going to get even more complicated as deckbuilders will be able to draw from a huge pool.
I'm looking forward to a hopeful shakeup beyond Gruul Adventures and Dimir Control decks! And on a personal level, some more staple mono-Red cards.
Kaldheim [Wizards of the Coast]
Monster Hunter Rise video series looks at an arsenal of stabby sticks
Capcom has released a selection of trailers looking at the intricate and ornate weaponry that will feature in its upcoming Nintendo Switch adventure Monster Hunter Rise. Each death-dealer in the hunter's arsenal has a style and personality befitting of its bearer. Choose wisely, as these tools are the only thing standing between you and your humongous prey.
For those who like to stay in the thick of the fight, but just out of harm's way, The Lance is here for all your mid-range poking needs. A mostly defensive weapon, the lance allows for guard-stepping, slick evasive maneuvers, and medium to long-distance striking.
CD Projekt Red has the benefit of releasing a major game once in a blue moon to a roaring applause.
I was hooked from the very first Witcher (which is frankly still some of their best narrative work), and continued on through Geralt's journey into card game-dom. Now, we're fast-forwarding that old fantasy timeline quite a bit with Cyberpunk 2077.
While it's more than adequate at giving us a general look at a dystopian techno-future, a lot of the details are muddled.
Blizzard just did a massive deep dive into World of Warcraft: Shadowlands' art and it's beautiful
Playing World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, I was constantly in awe of the scenery. I mean, just look at the screenshots I took for my review!
Each zone was mesmerizing in its own way. Bastion was a literal city in the clouds and the aesthetics reflected its undying hope. Maldraxxus was dark and dreary, but ready for war at a moment's notice: the lush greens were evocative of the envy of some of its denizens. Ardenweald is breathtaking (just like you!) and has slowly become one of my favorite zones to roam around in. And Revendreth: it's vampire burg, enough said. That gothic architecture is kissy fingers perfect.
Blizzard knows that they knocked it out of the park when it comes to Shadowlands' art, so they've set up a huge deep dive on Artstation for everyone to take a gander at. This is basically a free "art book" online, compliments of Jeff Parrott, senior art manager on World of Warcraft.
In it, they take us all on a journey throughout all of the zones I mentioned above, as well as a number of character and weapon designs. It's extremely expansive! I'm talking over 100 pieces of art, with individual breakdowns of which artist worked on each piece. I especially love seeing how the concept art measures up to the in-game reality.
For reference, Blizzard is calling this "part one," so there's more to come. Having seen most of what Shadowlands has to offer these past few weeks, I can attest to that! There's so much more to explore.
Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Art Blast (Part One) [Artstation]
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War gets final update ahead of Season One, details battle pass contents
Tonight will see Activision's blockbuster shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War receive its exciting Season One content drop. Developer Treyarch has added one final update to the title earlier this morning, which is now available to download on all platforms.
There are no patch notes - with details likely coming alongside the Season One premiere - but dedicated CoD community member Drift0r has already started to pick away at the details, listing numerous weapon re-balances, (thank heavens I already maxed out the AUG), as well as the foreboding arrival of the H.A.R.P. scorestreak - a recon plane that shows enemy positioning and direction. The troublesome flak jacket has also received a small nerf.
Everything that happened at Nintendo's Indie World December 2020 presentation
Today, Nintendo held yet another Indie World Showcase, to "ring in the holidays," as the publisher put it.
Although their big first-party push is done for the year, their indie side isn't, and for 15 whole minutes, we got a look at what other publishers have in store for the Switch. Yes, just the Switch. That's how Nintendo rolls these days! The 3DS and Wii U are dead, and there isn't a whole lot of new mobile development focus in 2020.
Behold! All of the news from today's Indie World Showcase, down to the menial dates and "console exclusive" windows and everything. As usual, they bookended the big stuff: the highlights are Spelunky 1 and 2 hitting Switch in the summer of 2021, and Among Us coming out today.
No Hollow Knight: Silksong news eh?
Oh, of course Among Us is coming to Switch...today!
Among Us may have launched back in 2018 on mobile and PC, but that hasn't stopped it from becoming a viral hit during 2020's quarantine.
Given that developer Innersloth canceled the sequel and decided to double down on the monster hit they eventually had, it makes sense that it's going to be proliferated on a ton of platforms. After two years, the day has finally come: Among Us is hitting the Switch today.
That's it! You can yell about your suspect memes on another platform now. There doesn't seem to be any special bells and whistles here, it's just the social elimination game it always was.
Like mobile, I can see playing it in person all together being pretty fun, so the Switch is a good choice for Among Us' first launch console. Also, it will have cross-play.
Spelunky 1 and 2 are coming to Switch with local and online multiplayer
So as of...about five minutes ago, Spelunky 2 was only slated for PC and PS4.
But now, as part of today's Indie World Showcase, developer Derek Yu has revealed that both the original and the sequel will be available on the Switch together. Yu confirms that it's arriving in 2021, with both local and online multiplayer.
Later on in the broadcast, Nintendo confirms a "summer 2021" window for both titles.
Wow, four Xbox generations can play Crimson Skies together with system link
This is probably one of the coolest things I've seen all year, and a bright gaming spot in an otherwise rough 2020.
As Modern Vintage Gamer has pointed out, it is possible to run the system link feature across four generations of Xbox. As in, the original Xbox console, the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, and the Series X/S. That's 19 years of backward compatibility with features like local multiplayer on top of already running the game.
Modern Vintage Gamer goes over the entire process in the video below, using Crimsons Skies' system link to connect all four generations. Back in my day you used to have to make your own 50-foot crossover CAT-5 cable to play Halo between two consoles (yes, I crimped it myself and everything).
Having run many multiplayer LAN parties before (you haven't lived until you've played Mario Kart Double Dash to its true potential), this is an amazing achievement, and would make the logistics of those get-togethers so much easier. I've commended Microsoft again and again for sticking to backward compatibility and game preservation, and now I'm doing it again today.
Bravo.
Here Comes Niko! trailer actually increased my life force
Gears for Breakfast, the studio behind beloved adventure A Hat in Time, has revealed the brand new title Here Comes Niko!, currently in development at indie studio Frog Vibes.
As the announcement trailer details below, Here Comes Niko! sees the titular kid arrive in a new locale as part of an "Professional Friend" internship, before they immediately set about micro-managing the lives of the island's inhabitants, while sprucing up the landscape itself. We get to see Niko growing plants, gathering fruit, solving dilemmas, playing games, exercising, painting, and just generally working hard at enjoying their new world, all while making a bevy of anthropomorphic pals. What a glorious way to live.
With noticeable vibes of several popular titles - including Paper Mario, Animal Crossing, and Harvest Moon - and described as a "cozy 3D platformer for tired people", Here Comes Niko! looks set to become a sweet obsession to keep your fingers busy during lazy afternoons. Available for wish-listing right now on Steam, (with a Nintendo Switch edition also in the works), I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more about this cute title in the coming months.
Is it time to revisit GTA Online? The biggest expansion yet just dropped
GTA Online continues to live on after its 2013 debut, as Rockstar continues to pump resources into this money-maker.
At this point it's tough to say when GTA VI should actually come out from a financial perspective; as it would behoove Rockstar to avoid oversaturating their own online market and have people jump ship if the main squeeze is still healthy. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me to see GTA VI's online component arrive much later.
Either way, today, GTA Online players feast. The free Cayo Perico Heist update is out, but it's more than just a heist. Rockstar is calling it the "biggest update ever," with a substantial geographical landmass increase, alongside of a new club, extra music and DJ performances, and more vehicles, clothing, and weapons.
The most significant part of the update for me? Rockstar says that this is the "first heist that's playable completely solo from start to finish," on top of the open-ended nature of the event. So even if you're pressed for time and don't want to wait for Mark to show up 20 minutes late to every online session (Mark!), you can just run it on your own schedule.
Oh and one more thing: if you log in between December 18 and December 20, you'll get a free Dinka Veto Classic go-kart.
Cayo Perico Heist [Rockstar]
Mortal Kombat movie koming to theaters and HBO Max April 16
It's been a bit of a bumpy road for Warner Bros.' new cinematic adaptation of NetherRealm Studios uber-violent fighter Mortal Kombat. But, following minor shooting and schedule delays, it seems that Scorpion and his pals are good to go, with the new movie premiering on April 16, 2021.
Mortal Kombat, which wrapped shooting back in early 2020, was tentatively scheduled for release in April 2021, before being pulled forward to January 2021 so as not to clash with certain other Warner Bros. projects. However, given that the COVID-19 pandemic has rendered many productions unfinished and thrown release schedules into disarray, it seems that Mortal Kombat has officially returned to its original release date.
The new film will premiere in theaters and on HBO Max. As a reminder, all of Warner Bros. major releases for 2021 - including Denis Villeneuve's Dune, DC Comics' Wonder Woman '84 and The Suicide Squad, and The Matrix 4 - are all set to arrive in theaters and on the paid streaming service simultaneously, offering an at-home experience for those still unsure about visiting the theater in these unprecedented times.
Hopefully, we'll be seeing a trailer for Mortal Kombat very soon. Given the talented cast of stuntmen and martial arts experts, it seems that solid fight sequences are a given. As for everything else? That remains a bit of a dice-roll.
Review aggregate site OpenCritic has accused developer CD Projekt RED of demonstrating "deceptive and selfish behavior" in regards to the marketing and launch of the PS4 and Xbox One editions of Cyberpunk 2077.
The last-gen editions of CDPR's epic action-RPG launched alongside their PC brethren on December 10. However, the console edition of Cyberpunk 2077 is particularly shoddy, so much so that CDPR is now offering refunds to customers who picked up the new release on PS4 or Xbox One. Prior to release, all reviews covered the vastly-superior PC edition of Cyberpunk 2077, while footage of the console ports in action was almost non-existent.
OpenCritic co-founder Matthew Enthoven vented his thoughts in a scathing article on the score-gathering website, claiming that "[CDPR] did it knowing that many publications generally can't re-review games. [...] They did it knowing that, to this day, it is still challenging for consumers to return a video game. [...] They did it knowing what they were doing was wrong. It was deceptive, selfish, and exploitative. They did it anyway."
A new disclaimer now appears on OpenCritic's Cyberpunk 2077 review page, noting that there are "significant disparities" between the PC and console editions of the release. CDPR yesterday apologized for the release state of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 and Xbox One, and is working on several updates to improve the title's standing on last-gen platforms. The studio hopes to have the title in much better shape by February 2021, but suggests, in the meantime, unhappy parties contact their retailer or email helprefundme@cdprojektred.com. This email will remain open until December 21.
OpenCritic accuses Cyberpunk's developer of 'deceptive and selfish behavior' [VGC / VG24/7]
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble joins Nintendo Switch Online this week
It's been a while since we got an update to the SNES Nintendo Switch Online and NES Nintendo Switch Online catalogs, but this week will see five games hit the platforms just in time for winter break. The biggest of the bunch is without a double Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, the third and final entry in the DKC series on the SNES. Coming along with it are:
- Tuff E Nuff (SNES)
- Super Valis IV (SNES)
- The Ignition Factor (SNES)
- Nightshade (NES)
Studio Wildcard says Vin Diesel played over a thousand hours of Ark: Survival Evolved
Not only is Vin Diesel acting in Ark II – a wonderfully bewildering revelation from The Game Awards last week – he's also an executive producer on the sequel, and he's apparently a big fan of Ark in general.
According to Studio Wildcard CEO Doug Kennedy, Diesel is an "accomplished gamer who has played 1000s of hours of Ark: Survival Evolved." I will never, under any circumstances, unlearn this fact.
"I'm having a lot of fun playing Ark and also really excited to join the Studio Wildcard team to develop the story both in-game and in the new animated series," Diesel said in a press release. Kennedy added that "he understands the game intimately and is providing direct feedback to the development process."
Shedding a bit more light on Diesel's character, the actor is playing Santiago, "a full rendered hero protagonist" – though it's worth noting that Ark II is still going to be an "online multiplayer sandbox."
I'm curious to see how this all pans out. Ark II is far from Diesel's first appearance in a major video game (and I'm sure he's cleared the thousand-hour mark in other games too), but the role is a head-turner.
Ark II will be a PC and "Xbox Series X/S console launch exclusive" in 2022.
Sea of Thieves has been cruising along for 1,000 days already
If you had a thousand bottles of beer on your wall, and every day since Sea of Thieves launched, you took a bottle down and passed it around, you would now have zero bottles of beer on the wall. If Vanessa Carlton started walking on the day Sea of Thieves set sail and only walked one mile each day, she'd have reached her destination and she'd see you tonight.
Rare is celebrating the one thousandth day since Sea of Thieves launched on March 20, 2018. It's a game that has maintained a health player base because Microsoft and Rare committed themselves to supporting it through a regular cadence of updates and events. Back on launch day, it was a fascinating social game that lacked depth; it was tough to imagine this is a game that'd stick around for years to come. Now it's a model for how live service games should be approached in a lot of regards.
Of course there's more than just the mere mention of Sea of Thieves' longevity. There are commemorative items! Anyone who logs in by December 16 will get a special eyepatch that has the Roman numeral "M" on it. People who have been around since day one will get a gold version of the "M" eyepatch. 15 million players can't be wrong.
1000 Days of Play! Sea of Thieves Celebrates with Free Gifts, New Audio Book and More [Xbox Wire]
This footage of Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood makes me want to bust out Prototype
We've already established that Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood looks ridiculous in a "dumb fun" sort of way (and I mean that as a compliment), but here's a much longer look at Cyanide's action-RPG.
As dated as this game looks, I think it's going to speak to a particular player at a particular price.
Infiltrating a base as a wolf, tearing fools apart as an even beefier beast (with distinct combat stances), morphing back into human form to fire a crossbow – I'm getting Prototype vibes, and I'm into it. Toss in some over-the-top exosuits and exploding red barrels, and we've got a video-game-ass video game.
Earthblood is still on for a February 4 launch on PC and all consoles – minus Nintendo Switch.
Podtoid says goodbye with a look back at 2020
Well, here we are. Two and a half years ago, I got the crazy idea to bring back Podtoid after Steven Hansen left us to go join the Red Army. It would be a lot of work and I wasn't even sure it would be good or not. But I got Chris Moyse, Dan Roemer, and Occams to sign on, helping me revive the show nearly two years ago to the day. The first show wasn't so hot, but we got better, added Charlotte to the cast, and figured out a way to create some truly wonderful episodes in the weeks and months that followed.
As much as I've enjoyed the past two years, all good things must come to an end and today, this version of Podtoid takes its last bow before exiting stage right. On the show, the whole crew is here to look back at the great things from 2020 and some of the not-so-great things as well. We talk games, movies, books, and more as we say goodbye to this godforsaken year. Also, Moyse's Simpsons knowledge is put to the test with a trivia quiz. All that and more on Podtoid Episode 470.
Nominees for Destructoid's Best Switch Game of 2020
The degree to which the Switch has bounced back from the troubles of the Wii U is nothing short of impressive.
In under a year, the Switch outsold the Wii U from a hardware perspective. In a little over a year, the Switch surpassed the total software sales of the Wii U. I know what you're thinking: leave it to Chris to talk at length about the Wii U in a Switch Game of the Year post. Classic! Let's get back on track here, because 2020 was an amazing year for games.
Very early on during our quarantine reality, Animal Crossing: New Horizons popped up and sold millions of copies. Although it's faded from the spotlight a bit Nintendo is still doing seasonal events for it, and sales are still climbing. It's already the number two best-selling Switch game of all time, and it may surpass Mario Kart 8 (number one) eventually. It's a juggernaut.
Hades is also one of the clear favorites, which is in a unique position of being a console exclusive on Switch. But there's plenty of other games right on its heels, including the incredible follow-up to the Bloodstained retro spinoff, Curse of the Moon 2, and a surprise-hit Age of Calamity, which is now the best-selling Warriors game of all time.
Add Clubhouse Games, Mario 3D All-Stars, and Darksiders Genesis into the pot and baby, you got a stew goin'! Join us next week to celebrate the winner together.
Fall Guys Season 3 seems like a big step up with seven levels and Crown Ranks
The second season of Fall Guys came and went for me, but I'm feeling far more optimistic about tomorrow's update. When Season 3 starts on December 15, it'll bring seven levels – one of which is an all-new finale – along with 30-plus costumes and another progression path called Crown Ranks.
As covered this morning by Mediatonic, there are seven new Season 3 levels:
- Tundra Run – Dodge snowballs, punchers and flippers in a mad dash to the finish line!
- Freezy Peak – Use blizzard fans and flippers to ascend the peak in the most epic race Round yet!
- Ski Fall – Traverse a giant ice slide and dive through bronze, silver and gold rings to score points and qualify!
- Pegwin Pursuit – Chase down and keep hold of the Pegwin to score points for your team!
- Snowy Scrap – Roll your team's Snowball over snow patches to make it larger! Last team to hit 100% are eliminated!
- Thin Ice – New Final Round! A spiritual successor to Hex-A-Gone where players must traverse layers of breakable ice to avoid falling into the slime. Last bean remaining wins!
- Roll Off – A Final round variant of Roll Out with added rising slime to make things interesting. Get grabbing!
As for Crown Ranks, they're a new carrot on a stick for high-level players to fuss over. As explained on the PlayStation Blog, your hard-fought crowns will contribute to a rank that rises as you win, and it's retroactive, so your Season 1 and Season 2 crowns will be counted. The higher your Crown Rank, the more exclusive items – colors, patterns, and even "Golden" costumes – you'll be able to unlock. As someone who peaked in Season 1, that sounds like a nice extra incentive to get good and stay good.
The Season 3 update also includes improvements:
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Stay up-to-date on Fall Guys news and announcements with the new in-game Bulletin feature
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You can now link your Amazon Prime account to Fall Guys for exclusive in-game rewards
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The Show Selector will have a clear indicator for when new shows are available
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Improved in-game messaging for various errors and connectivity dialogs
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Improved performance and visuals of transparency effect when Fall Guys are occluded by geometry
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[PC] Early Access release of Private Streamer Lobbies is now available! This is invitation-only for now, and requires 40-60 players to start a custom match
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[PS4] The camera sensitivity slider has more degrees of freedom on PS4
And bugfixes:
- Fall Mountain: improved the issue where grabbing the crown sometimes does not end the level. We will monitor this fix through launch!
- Royal Fumble: invisible platform has been removed
- Perfect Match: fixed issue with spawning next to the spinner
- Physics: fixed ball objects being jittery or non-responsive in levels like Hoarders
- Item Shop: fixed certain items not coming into the store
- Parties: further improved groups stability in certain cases
- UI: Certain language fonts had missing or corrupt characters
- Show Selector: Searching for multiple shows will now correctly display the show landed on during matchmaking
- Levels: fixed the Score and Elimination UI in-game on certain levels
- Levels: bugfixes across most of the rounds
After wrapping up several story-driven games back-to-back in an effort to freshen up my backlog before the new year, I'm kinda in the mood to goof off in a silly multiplayer game like Fall Guys.
Demon's Souls players are noticing a lot of changes in update 1.004
Bluepoint isn't done patching Demon's Souls – not when there are still exploits to stamp out.
Update 1.004 isn't accompanied by official in-depth patch notes, but players have already noticed a bunch of changes and compiled their observations. Here's a recap from Reddit user LeeShawBrown:
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Activity Cards for warping to Archstones now function correctly.
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Message appraisals now display correctly, the text and numbers no longer overlap.
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Network setting "Invasion Limit" has been removed.
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Network setting "Server Selection" now displays the correct latency(ms). The closest server should now show the lowest ping.
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With "Show Helmet" off in the options, a new crossed out eye icon will show on the helmet in the UI.
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Golden Coin glitch has been fixed.
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Ring of Magical Nature would give a free spell slot by attuning a spell with it equipped, attuning a spell and then removing it. This has been fixed.
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Ring of Longevity would allow rapid health regeneration when quickly equipping and removing it. This has been fixed.
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Damage numbers now seem to be capped to the enemy's total health.
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Some new DualSense sound effects added for item uses such as consuming warrior/hero souls.
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Players are no longer able to break the standard progression route.
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As an example; this bug made it possible to load 4-4, then warp to say 5-1 and close the game as soon as 5-1 stops loading. Then, upon opening the game again and killing one's self, it'd warp to 5-4.
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As originally intended, you can now obtain the Large Sword of Searching from any curved sword, not just from a scimitar.
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When you reload your current area at an archstone, the menu selection will no longer change to the farthest archstone of that world.
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for example, reloading 5-2 at the 5-2 archstone will no longer set the selection over 5-3 if you've progressed that far. It will instead auto select 5-2 to reload your current area quicker.
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In the Old Monk PVP encounter, you no longer have to watch the cutscene every time as an invader.
Elaborating on this list a bit, the Gold Coin trick was used to break Demon's Souls through a combination of essentially limitless Luck and a particular weapon (the Blueblood Sword) that scaled its damage with that stat. It was entertaining while it lasted, but the glitch's days were numbered. It was too impactful.
Also, the bullet point about the Large Sword of Searching is a big deal for anyone who didn't pick the Providential Ring as their gift. Long story short: you can trade that sword with Sparkly the Crow to get the ring, and this change – accepting any Large Sword of Searching – makes the process less finicky.
So far, players have reported mixed results with this update's networking changes. Some people are struggling to find matches in previously popular locations now that there's a more granular server selection, but others say they're finding higher-quality matches with better pings after this update. It also seems as if Bluepoint made a few divisive changes to player invasions and summoning.
I'm not at all surprised to see the Gold Coin or "wrong warp" glitches go away, but I am curious about the co-op and PvP tweaks – I get the sense that Demon's Souls hasn't fully settled into place yet.
At the very least, we still need to be able to delete our abandoned characters.
This weekend, Bandai Namco proudly announced that its en masse brawler One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 had successfully passed the milestone of one million shipments and digital sales across PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. This latest entry in a series of One Piece adaptations hit said milestone faster than its three predecessors.
Alongside this revelation, Bandai Namco released the trailer for the third and final DLC character heading to Pirate Warriors 4's second character pass. As predicted by many of the game's fanbase, Kozuki Oden will be joining fellow samurai Kikunojo and Kin'emon in order to round out the Wano County DLC Pack, which launches on December 17.
Nominees for Destructoid's Best Xbox Game of 2020
This, broadly speaking, has been a year of silver linings. It's the only way you can stay sane. If you focus exclusively on all the ways our lives have been upended in 2020, you'll doom and gloom yourself into sleeping 18 hours a day. Everyone has to take the positives and appreciate the things that bring them joy. That's why it pleases me to say: This year, surprisingly and against all odds, was actually pretty fucking fantastic for video games.
You may have heard there are new consoles. That's not a huge point of emphasis here, as Xbox Series X-exclusive titles aren't a huge point of emphasis for Microsoft. Instead, everything works cross-generation while simply running best on Series X. It means that the best Xbox stuff mostly launched earlier in the year. (Despite backward compatibility being such an important Xbox feature, I'm told I can't nominate Forza Horizon 4 for 2020 GOTY.)
It's not a new-gen showcase, but it's mostly an Xbox Game Pass showcase. Nearly everything here (five of the seven games, by my count) are available for Game Pass subscribers to download and play either on consoles, PC, or their mobile devices via cloud streaming. That's what's important to Microsoft. Not how many people buy consoles, but how many people continuously pay to be part of this ecosystem. To its credit, Microsoft has created a value proposition that people want to take advantage of.
To nip it in the bud -- no, none of these games are true Xbox exclusives. Microsoft's commitment to PC support through Play Anywhere meant that Xbox exclusives went the way of the Dodo years ago. Besides Crash, every game here is first-party, on Game Pass, or wrapped up in some sort of exclusivity deal. That's a much better position than past years where the Xbox category was largely "Here's a first-party game or two, and then a bunch of stuff that didn't fit anywhere else but should be represented somewhere."
These are the nominees for Destructoid's Best Xbox Game of 2020:
That super scary horror game from The Game Awards? Yeah, it's apparently set in the PUBG universe
The Game Awards was an exhausting marathon blur of game reveals, ads, and the occasional award. After nearly four hours blogging, I logged off thinking that only one new game actually made an impression on me: The Callisto Protocol.
The Callisto Protocol is described as a "single-player, third-person, story-driven, survival horror game." It has Dead Space DNA as the developer's CEO and founder, Glen Schofield, used to work on EA's renowned horror franchise. The cinematic trailer is simply stunning. It's extremely early and we haven't seen anything in-engine or actual gameplay, but all the pieces look in place thus far.
There's a weird and ill-fitting piece in the mix, though. IGN interviewed Schofield following the announcement, and he confirmed that The Callisto Protocol takes place within the PUBG universe. The tactical shooter battle royale will have a monster-focused horror game that's set in space as part of its official lore.
The business-oriented answer to this riddle is that Callisto Protocol developer Striking Distance is part of the Krafton publishing group who also owns PUBG Corp. Krafton seemingly wants its games tied together, all grouped up under a tidy umbrella. Schofield says "The funny thing is, I came in with this story when I went and met with the PUBG people for the first time and started talking about [The Callisto Protocol] and building a studio. I presented this game to them, and so what we did was we made it fit within the PUBG storyline."
But, to be clear, The Callisto Protocol is set 300 years after PUBG; takes place in a prison in space; is all about monsters; and is definitely a true third-person horror game. The actual connection to PUBG seems tenuous at best. Taking all that into consideration, the only real question on everyone's mind is: Why?
The Callisto Protocol Wants to be The Scariest Next-Gen Horror Game Ever [IGN]
Panzer Dragoon: Remake PS4 physical edition available in a sweet Sega Saturn jewel case
The physical media funsters over at Limited Run Games have announced that they will be producing a short run of physical copies for the PS4 edition of Sega's Panzer Dragoon: Remake.
Wonderful 101 Remastered just got a new cheat code, in addition to the Bayonetta one
In case you haven't been following along, The Wonderful 101 just recently got a special demo and a pair of codes to unlock early content: a whole six months after launch. Platinum vowed to give us some more, and that day has come.
The newest code is "TEAMUNITEUP," which unlocks three characters: Wonder Captain, Wonder Scarf, and Wonder Gramps. This is in addition to "UMBRANGIFT," which unlocks Wonder Bayonetta, and "ANGELSLAYERS," which grants you access to Wonder Jeanne and Wonder Rodin (also from the Bayonetta series).
Remember cheat codes? They're usually just microtransactions and/or DLC these days, but Platinum is having a little fun here. The studio teases that there's going to be seven codes in all, so there's four more to go.
It's a clever little way to extend the life of the game, coupled with the high score nature of some of its modes. It's also on sale on select platforms for a few more hours (including Steam), so read our review and see if it's worth the plunge.
Wonderful 101: Remastered [Steam]
Amidst controversy and furore, Cyberpunk 2077 debuts atop of the UK Charts
Night City's fascinating and dangerous world - inhabited by a cast of intriguing and amoral characters - has been providing an exciting experience for many Cyberpunk 2077 players. However, the slew of undeniable controversies surround CDPR's development process and the title's eventual launch - from technical, critical, employee and consumer standpoints - has gone some way to damping the fire for what was one of gaming's most-hyped releases ever.
Of no surprise, Cyberpunk 2077 debuted in the No.1 spot of this week's UK Charts, becoming the second biggest UK retail release of 2020 - beaten out only by Electronic Arts' soccer sim FIFA 21. While this is an achievement, these numbers generally reflect the sales of the PS4 and Xbox One editions of Cyberpunk 2077, the very same editions that CDPR is currently offering refunds for, due to their shaky technical performance.
Elsewhere in the charts, other blockbuster titles such as Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Sony's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla continue to jockey for both position and those all-important Holiday sales. Over in Nintendoland, sales continue for Switch releases Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and perennial Xmas seller Just Dance 5.
This Zelda: Breath of the Wild mod injects Mario 64 into the mix for one wild combo
Once again the Zelda: Breath of the Wild community shows us that there's more surprises left for the game; whether it's via official content or modding. This particular mod is from Waikuteru, a Breath of the Wild creation guru who we've written about many times.
In a pleasant surprise, it's all themed around Super Mario 64! Dubbed the "Throwback Expansion," the mod even has a little story to back it up: "An unfamiliar voice speaks to Link and asks him to collect a valuable star fragment before monsters do and abuse its power. After Link has picked up the star fragment, he finds himself on a floating isle." Hey, if Link's Awakening is a thing that exists (and has Mario characters in it no less), I can buy this!
Folks will recognize the below video as a take on Whomp's Fortress, featuring the vertical climb and arch-heavy infrastructure. The map will be populated with Breath of the Wild enemies, and tasks players with finding eight red coins. There also seems to be three (or more) star missions in all from a menu selection screen, so this could be a pretty packed mod.
Waikuteru is planning on releasing the mod to the public on December 25.
Hitman 3's dramatic opening sees 47 ply his trade in the Middle East
IO Interactive has released the intro movie for the next entry in the stalwart Hitman franchise. Courtesy of IGN, the tense cinematic sees 47 infiltrate Saudi Arabia, working alongside a fellow shadow-walker, problem-solver... problem-eliminator.
The duo is seen performing reconnaissance on on the controller of a mysterious organization known as "Providence" with which our dynamic duo appear to have some sort of mysterious history. Frankly, it's interesting to see 47 working in the field alongside his fellow "asset," with the video introducing us to one of the few people to stand in 47's presence, and live to tell the tale. Dare we say... a friend?
Hitman 3 will launch January 20 on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Stadia. A Nintendo Switch port - utilizing cloud-streaming technology - is also in the works.
Fox gal Yuel joins the Granblue Fantasy Versus roster today
Granblue Fantasy: Versus receives a brand new character today, one who seems sure to be popular with rushdown fans and DeviantArt supporters everywhere. Foxy franchise fan-favorite Yuel is now ready to join the battle, arriving as part of the gorgeous fighter's second season pass.
In Granblue Fantasy lore, Yuel is a daring adventurer, who is constantly distracted from her life quest to discover a thousand-years-old treasure by the people and places that she encounters on her journeys. A very popular character in the Granblue Fantasy universe, no doubt thanks to her teasing, femme-fatale nature, lavish design, and playful attitude, Yuel joins the GF:V roster as a speedy rushdown character, tackling her opponents on ground and in the air with her trademark "Foxfire" swords. Yuel is also equipped with her "Third Dance", a stance that slows mobility but allows for slick counterattacks.
You can check out Yuel in action in this feet-happy gameplay trailer.
Bethesda has a bunch of Fallout 76 quality of life upgrades planned
In case you missed it, Bethesda just launched Fallout 76's free Steel Dawn update, which will conclude sometime next year with a subsequent patch. But they're also working on a ton of upgrades behind the scenes, a few of which we're privy to thanks to a new blog update.
The publisher reminds us that on December 15 the new season will begin, which will include a "Scribe of Avalon" scoreboard (read: a season pass board game-like track to traverse while earning rewards). The entire thing is themed around the "medieval civilization of Avalon," drawing from the Arthurian legend of old. As previously revealed, allies will be a part of this track, including a cooking vendor (who replenishes your hunger/thirst once every 24 hours) and a medical vendor (who can heal you).
But more importantly, those quality-of-life upgrades! Those are coming in January, and are capped off by a full-on stash increase. No strings attached, the plan is to increase it by 50%, to "a maximum of 1,200 pounds." You'll also be able to see stack weights at a glance, and your Pip-Boy can now sort items by stuff that's newly acquired (surprised it took this long given how much junk is in this game), armor, and food/drinks. Also, player vendors are now more discernible on the map.
Beyond that January update, as a reminder, Bethesda may even extend the game beyond the scope of the current West Virginia map in the future. This game isn't dead, folks!
Inside the Vault [Bethesda.net]
Nintendo is running a Direct-like Indie Showcase for Switch this week
We're not off the hook yet, folks! Nintendo has one more stream for us this year: thankfully it's a short one.
Out of nowhere this morning (that's how Nintendo rolls in 2020), we got an email telling us about a new Indie World Showcase that's happening tomorrow. Yep, on December 15 at 9AM PT, Nintendo will strut their indie stuff with another showcase stream, which is going to last "roughly 15 minutes." I know, don't get too excited! You can find the stream here when it airs.
As a reminder, these are fairly low key and generally give us info on games we already knew about, with a few new announcements peppered in. The big headliner for August's showcase, for instance, was the two-player update for Untitled Goose Game. You can also expect a giant sizzle reel for a ton of upcoming games in a rapid-fire format.
Hopefully we'll get something cool to close out the year, then we have time to relax! 2020 has been exhausting.
EA swoops in to acquire Codemasters, overtaking recent bid by Take-Two Interactive
Last month, we reported on how publisher Take-Two Interactive was in the final stages of purchasing developer Codemasters, with the latter having agreed to a non-binding offer from the former which had valued the UK studio at around $6.40-per-share, or roughly $975 million USD.
But, in a sudden and surprising move, Electronic Arts made a last-minute bid this weekend, successfully swooping in and snatching up the studio before the ink has dried on the Take-Two agreement. It is believed that EA put in a late offer at around $7.98-per-share, ultimately valuing Codemasters at around $1.2 billion USD. Codemasters is expected to close the deal in early 2021.
"We believe there is a deeply compelling opportunity in bringing together Codemasters and Electronic Arts to create amazing and innovative new racing games for fans," said EA CEO Andrew Wilson in a press statement. "Our industry is growing, the racing category is growing, and together we will be positioned to lead in a new era of racing entertainment."
Given that Electronic Arts owns franchises such as Need for Speed and Burnout, it seems obvious why the publisher would be interested in bringing Codemasters on board, with the developer having long proven their pedigree with road-rippers such as DIRT, OnRush, and the F1 series. Despite Codemasters' apparent delight at the Take-Two deal, it seems that the developer has now put all of its chips in with Electronic Arts, joining the publisher's already bulging portfolio of studios.
Business, eh?
Games giant Electronic Arts gatecrashes Codemasters takeover [Sky News]
CDPR apologizes for the poor state of Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 and Xbox One, is now offering refunds
CD Projekt RED has offered an apology for the shoddy performance of Cyberpunk 2077 on base PS4 and Xbox One platforms. The apology comes after several days of players sharing videos and testimonies of a slew of bugs, glitches, comparison videos and crashes, spread throughout social media via the hashtag "#Cyberbug2077."
In a statement posted to the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter, CDPR first apologized for not releasing any footage of the PS4/Xbox One versions of the RPG during Cyberpunk 2077's lengthy marketing process, (review outlets were also restricted to only reviewing the PC edition). CDPR then states that it should have "paid more attention" to Cyberpunk 2077's performance on PS4 and Xbox One.
CDPR goes on to note that it currently working on several patches to improve matters. One update dropped just recently, with another expected in a week's time. Further updates will be applied in early 2021. Finally, CDPR is offering refunds for all players who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 on PS4 or Xbox One. The developer suggests customers who purchased a physical copy contact their retailer or - failing that - reach out to CDPR directly at helpmerefund@cdprojektred.com. This email address will be open until December 21.
Cyberpunk 2077 launched on PS4, PC, and Xbox One on December 10. Already the most successful PC launch of all-time, the long-awaited release immediately recovered all of its developmental and marketing budget in a matter of days. A PS5 and Xbox Series X edition will launch in 2021.
Call of the Sea is the debut game from Out of the Blue Studios, a Spanish outlet comprised of industry veterans that's dedicated to creating narrative and puzzle titles. Their first product is a marriage of the two genres - a first-person, narrative-driven, adventure-puzzle game that evokes the spirit of old film serials and the Jules Verne Voyages extraordinaires novels that they liberally borrow from. It makes a stunning first impression, but it doesn't take long to realize the developers might have been a bit too eager to show you everything they have up their narrative sleeve.
Worms has been a part of my life since I was a kid.
My first foray into the world of tactical wormy combat was on the Game Boy many moons ago, and my wife and I have been jamming the series together for over a decade. For the most part though, things have been relatively comfortable for Worms. It might get a new gimmick, another theme, a level editor, or more customizations — but at the end of the day, you're inching around shooting guns in a turn-based manner.
This is why I applaud Team17 for experimenting yet again with Worms Rumble, even if it comes up a bit short.
