See some of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity's combat in action with the latest trailer for Nintendo and Omega Factor's upcoming hack-and-slash.
The latest trailer, which can be seen below, shows Link, Zelda, Revali, and other characters on the battlefield. Sheikah Slate skills both old and new show up, and there is even some surprise guests with the presence of the devious little Korok.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity – Untold Chronicles From 100 Years Past – Part 3 – Nintendo Switch
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity follows the timeline of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, taking place 100 years before the events of that title. Fans will be able to learn more about Zelda, the King of Hyrule, the four champions, and other key characters as they set out to protect the land of Hyrule from Calamity. However, unlike Breath of the Wild, there's some good news – weapons in this game are invulnerable and won't break over time.
Note that this title will feature compatibility with Nintendo's amiibo figures. To go along with the release of the title, figurines of the Four Champions will also make their debut.
The game will come out on November 20, 2020 for the Nintendo Switch.
If games have taught us just one life lesson, it's that war never changes. However, Leviathanimation's Tyrania – A Kinetic Visual Novel attempts to twist this time-tested narrative through the actions of just one man. However, despite its grandiose vision, this title falters at getting its point across.
Tyrania – A Kinetic Visual Novel Review
In a land where cities are burning, children are crying, and war is never ending, Edo lives in the neutral area of Dominence with his guardian Mr. Smith. Times are tough for him in this distraught world, with the talented pianist Anjeru serving as his only source of happiness. Though he is in a relatively safe area, he wishes to seek out an end to the war by any means necessary.
However, everything quickly changes when he finds a bracelet in a piano, one that has the power to control technology. When Edo wields it, he hears a voice from an alternate reality that tells him that he can achieve his dreams in exchange for his humanity. What follows is a struggle to figure out what he is truly fighting for, and where his place lies in this crazy world.
It's a cliche tale, one that is overly melodramatic at every turn. Everything is placed straight, and edgy personas are the norm. The moment you learn that Edo's brother is working for the enemy is the moment you realize that the development team has watched one too many shonen anime series. The moment you see a dramatic outcry like "NONESENSE!!!" [sic] is the moment the cheese is laid on far too thick.
This dynamic extends to the rest of the cast – it's not uncommon to see high ranking officers be evil for the sake of being evil, or generic warscapes to show the horrors of war. It oftentimes feels like the development team wanted to create dramatic setpieces that showed shocking things, rather than tie them into the narrative.
The narrative also has a problem with cohesion as things progress. There are times where Edo desperately cries out about Anjeru's death, only for her to be perfectly fine without any fanfare less than 15 minutes later. There are also times where the scenery will change from somebody's bedroom to a conference room to a dreamy alternate reality in a matter of minutes. These images were likely taken from stock assets and blurred, but they do not make sense in the context of the story.
The character designs do not fare much better. Anime eyes, spiky hair, and scruffy guys with a cigarette in their mouth are the norm. Everything is poorly drawn, with the perspectives coming across as somewhat odd. There's a distinct lack of detail in its design, and nothing in this visual novel ever seems to mesh well together.
Those who know even the most basic of anime tropes will be well acquainted with all the major beats of Tyrania. This visual novel is as basic as they come, and the lack of polish makes it an easy pass.
This review of Tyrania – A Kinetic Visual Novel was done on the PC. The game was freely downloaded.
If games have taught us just one life lesson, it's that war never changes. However, Leviathanimation's Tyrania – A Kinetic Visual Novel attempts to twist this time-tested narrative through the
After being announced back in June of 2019, Genshin Impact finally arrives. Is this free to play adventure worth checking out, or should you stick with something else? Check out our review and find
A short interactive tale, Far Few Giants and De Fault The Night Fisherman tells of a fisherman, an Englishman, and a seascape draped in twilight. Should players climb aboard, or does this tale not
Seventeen years after the last Rogue Squadron, Star Wars: Squadrons flies in to fill the void. Was the wait worth it, or should we hold out for remasters of the Rogue Squadron series? Check out our
There is an objective in Phasmophobia that needs the Crucifix. This guide on How To Use The Crucifix In Phasmophobia explains an easy but effective method of completing the Objective titled "Prevent the Ghost from Hunting with a Crucifix".
Each level in Phasmophobia has a series of optional objectives outside of your main objective to find the identity of the ghost. Once such objective requires the Crucifix. This is not always possible as the objective can appear when you don't have the equipment, and it can also appear on levels where you are hunting a ghost that doesn't react to the Crucifix.
How To Use The Crucifix In Phasmophobia
The Crucifix can be very useful, regardless of whether or not you have the Crucifix specific objective. Depending on your difficulty level and the ghost you are hunting, they begin a hunt phase where activities usually go off the scale. The doors get thrown shut, locked, the lights go off, your torches begin to flicker. It's usually at this point when one of your fellow ghost hunters becomes the hunted.
The Crucifix can delay this hunting phase but it's a challenging and often unsuccessful setup. Due to the very limited radius of the Crucifix, it's a good idea to have at least two, but three is also a very good option. It's definitely possible with a single Crucifix, but it very much depends on what map you're on and what room the ghost is haunting. In the larger rooms, one Crucifix can be very challenging but it's easier to manage in the smaller rooms.
The trick to using the Crucifix, especially to complete the Prevent the Ghost from Hunting with a Crucifix objective, is to use it early. Head into the house and locate the room as quickly as possible. Once you have located the room, place 1-3 Crucifix down on the floor. If the ghost is within range of one of these Crucifix when it attempts to begin hunting, it will delay the hunt. The range is unclear but it doesn't appear to be more than 5-10ft.
It's not the most reliable technique in terms of saving lives but if you're just hoping for the additional money for completing the objective, this has a decent success rate. It very much depends on where the ghost spawns for the hunt and where you place the Crucifix.
Two Adventurer Feats require you to find two unique collectibles. This guide on Where To Find Gyozen's Lost Scrolls & Oni Treasure In Ghost Of Tsushima Legends will tell you where to locate these special items for completing the Kami Friend & Collector Feats.
Before you are able to find Gyozen's Lost Scrolls or Oni Treasures, you must first complete the entire story for the Legends DLC. It's not huge but it can take you a few hours depending on your approach and play style. Once you have completed the Legends campaign from start to finish, you will unlock Silver Difficulty mode. This lets you replay the same missions with increased difficulty. This includes more enemies, more hitpoints, more tethers, the difficulty can ramp up pretty quickly.
Where To Find Gyozen's Lost Scrolls & Oni Treasure In Ghost Of Tsushima Legends
Once you start a campaign mission on Silver, you will get notified of Bonus Objectives, you can also view these on the pause menu in-game. There are usually three objectives. Find a Gyozen Lost Scrolls, an Oni Treasure, and complete a curse.
Oni Treasure is a large, treasure-like box that needs to be opened. Once opened, it summons several powerful guardians that must be defeated in order to claim the Oni Treasure. Once defeated, you interact with the treasure box and complete the objective.
The Gyozen's Lost Scrolls are simple scrolls hidden around the level. You can find it using your senses with the touch pad. The levels are not very big so they aren't hard to find.
Finding both of these items is sometimes challenging but there's a few things to know that will help. Firstly, the exact location is random each time. So you can repeat the same level multiple times and both the Lost Scroll and the Oni Treasure will move locations. However, as well as using your senses to locate them, there's another hint.
When you in the correct area within the level, the bonus objective will appear in the upper left corner of the screen and be visible throughout the entire area. If you complete the objectives and move through the gate to the next area, that objective will be lost. So make sure, if the bonus objective of finding either the scroll or the treasure is on-screen, search the area thoroughly before leaving.
The Legends DLC introduces a class system to the game. This guide on How To Unlock All Classes In Ghost Of Tsushima Legends DLC explains how open up additional classes to play in the Legends DLC, as initially you only get to select one class.
When you first begin the Legends DLC in Ghost of Tsushima there is a brief tutorial. During the tutorial the game introduces the class system by allowing you to play with each of the classes available. Every class has access to the same basic tools. Ranged weapon, melee weapon, assassinations, etc. However, each class has a unique class and ultimate ability that allows them to excel at a particular role. You can choose any class, they are all viable and fun, and other classes can be unlocked as you progress through the DLC.
How To Unlock All Classes In Ghost Of Tsushima Legends DLC
Once you have unlocked your first class you can check the Character menu from the main menu in the Legends DLC. Here you can see the other classes available. There's Samurai, Hunter, Ronin, and Assassin. You get your first unlock token when you reach Rank 8, which is also show in the Character menu.
Once you reach rank 8 you can select any of the classes you currently have locked, and choose one to unlock. That class is then permanently available and can be used in the same way as your first class. The second class unlock is at Rank 15. You can easily reach Rank 8 progressing through the Legends DLC story.
Reach Rank 8 on your account
Head to the Character screen on the main menu of Legends DLC
Choose your class to unlock (further options unlock as you progress)
Switching stances was one of the original games most important combat elements. This guide on How To Unlock Switch Stance In Ghost Of Tsushima Legends DLC goes over the drastic changes in the stance system, providing a more restrictive aspect in favor of rewarding team cooperation and collaboration.
In the original Ghost of Tsushima, changes stances was vital to answer any oncoming threats. Specific stances offered abilities and combination attack that worked better against certain enemy types. For example, switching to the Wind Stance is the best way to counterattack enemies that wield a spear. It was this versatility in combat that made the fighting so exciting. Unfortunately, for reasons I'm not completely convinced of, the Legends DLC has removed that ability, at least so far.
How To Unlock Switch Stance In Ghost Of Tsushima Legends DLC
When you press R2 in the game when playing Legends DLC, you will only see a single stance. The stance is linked directly to the weapon you are currently using. As you can see above, my Assassin has both a Stone Blade and a Wind Blade. Equipping a Stone Blade will allow me to use the Stone Stance in combat. It works the same for the Wind Blade, it will allow me to use the Wind Stance.
UPDATE: There are further weapon unlocks that allow you to switch to additional stances, as shown below:
It is more than likely that the top tier items do in fact allow you to switch between multiple items.
All characters begin with Stone Stance
Some Green Weapons can be found with another stance
To mark its launch, Nintendo has released a new trailer for their real-world racer Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
In this title, players will place gates and customize courses around your home in real life. From there, in-game environments (like jungles and snowscapes) and obstacles (like Piranha Plants) can be placed. From there, players can get an on-screen view with the Nintendo Switch, positioned right behind the driver's seat.
Both Grand Prix and Custom Race modes have been included. In order to enable multiplayer for up to four players, each racer must have their own Nintendo Switch system, the Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit game, and a Mario kart or Luigi kart.
Learn more with the trailer below:
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is now available at select retailers for an MSRP of $99.99.
The Legends update for Ghost of Tsushima is now available to download across multiple platforms. This guide on How To Download The Ghost of Tsushima: Legends DLC will tell you how to download the update on the PlayStation 4 as it's not the same as a traditional update.
Ghost of Tsushima was already set up to be a serious contender for game of the year, with high praise from players and critics alike. While the single player adventure was a masterpiece of storytelling and action-packed combat, today's update brings an entirely new depth to the game with the introduction of multiplayer – something that has stirred up some serious hype since the Legends DLC was announced.
How To Download The Ghost of Tsushima: Legends DLC
The Legends DLC for Ghost of Tsushima is now available to download on the PlayStation 4. A title update is available but we've had mixed reports on peoples ability to download the new update. The regular method, simply pressing the "Options" button over the Ghost of Tsushima box on the PlayStation 4 dashboard seems to work for some, but not for others.
If that method is not working for you, the alternative is simple.
Highlight the Ghost of Tsushima game on your PS Dashboard
Press down and navigate to the PlayStation Store tab
Highlight the Legends DLC option
Select purchase/download
The download is approximately 9GB
The update is completely free, there is no charge, although you will need PlayStation Plus if you're hoping to play online. That should be enough for you to know How To Download The Ghost of Tsushima: Legends DLC. Happy slaying!
Ahead of its launch next month, Sony has revealed more information as to what players can expect with the PlayStation 5 user experience.
Completely centered around the player, the new user experience features a new Control Center. This center provides immediate access to almost everything once the PlayStation button on the DualSense controller is pressed in-game.
In addition, the new Activities feature allows players to discover new gameplay opportunities, backtrack to things one may have missed, or even jump directly into challenges or levels. Select Activities can also be put into a picture-in-picture mode.
To make sure navigation is quick, the entire software stack (from the console to the network) has been rebuilt. This means that navigating the interface, switching between games, and hopping into online play is a speedy affair and ensuring that players will spend less time waiting to interact with each element.
Learn more with the video walkthrough for the user experience below. Though what is shown is a pre-production environment, it should give fans a general idea as to what is to come in November.
First Look at the PlayStation 5 User Experience
The PlayStation 5 console will launch on November 12, 2020.
The fourth episode of today's Night City Wire event saw a number of new videos for CD PROJEKT RED's Cyberpunk 2077.
The first video, dubbed "Rides of the Dark Future," put the spotlight on the vehicles that will make an appearance in the game. The development team stressed that every car and motorbike has been crafted with incredible attention-to-detail from the chassis to the body to the interiors.
Cyberpunk 2077 — Rides of the Dark Future
A number of behind-the-scenes videos also make their appearance during this episode of Night City Wire. "Revving Up Night City" took a look at the sound design that went into the title, including the recordings done with the audio recorded for each vehicle in the game. In addition, "Arch Motorcycle with Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger" transports players to California City Municipal Airport as they talk all about Arch Motorcycles.
Cyberpunk 2077 — Behind the Scenes: Revving Up Night City
Cyberpunk 2077 — Behind the Scenes: Arch Motorcycle with Keanu Reeves and Gard Hollinger
Finally, "2077 in Style" puts the spotlight on the look, feel, and fashion of the denizens of Night City.
Cyberpunk 2077 — 2077 in Style
A 38 second teaser was also released for the title, featuring the protagonist V walking into a diner. You can watch it below:
Cyberpunk 2077 — The Diner
Cyberpunk 2077 will come out for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia on November 19, 2020. The title will also be available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X when available, with a free upgrade to those versions from the current generation version at a later date.
I haven't forgotten about Grime, and I hope you haven't either. Clover Bite's action-adventure RPG about a "humanoid black hole" who can absorb bizarre creatures continues to show great promise.
In this narrated footage from director Yarden Weissbrot, we're shown just how much utility the absorption ability has, from catching and sending back projectiles to dislodging tightly-held shields. As you absorb foes, you'll fill out a bestiary and start to unlock (and rank up) traits with bonuses/abilities like dealing more damage with backstabbing attacks or pulling on "nearby vulnerable surfaces."
I'm also intrigued by the "fully interconnected" map – it already looks like a world I want to pore over.
I know some of you are feeling this game, and I imagine plenty more of you will be on-board today if you happened to miss the Gamescom trailer in August. Grime is still scheduled to release on Steam in 2021.
I'm excited as anyone to get my hands on a PlayStation 5 and marathon Demon's Souls with a sleepless binge, but with that said, I'm still having a wonderful time with my PS4, and I'll continue to enjoy it right up until the new console shows up at my door. (Fingers crossed for no last-minute delivery delays.)
I'm not sure I'd have an answer if someone asked me to name my favorite console – I'm terrible at coming up with top tens for anything– but I know that the PlayStation 4 would be up there pretty high.
I've consistently liked this system since 2013, even back when it was little more than a Resogun machine for me. It brought about Bloodborne, one of my unshakable all-time besties, to say nothing of many other modern classics. I also loved PlayStation VR more than most people – it rekindled something inside me. Resident Evil 7 VR will go down as one of the best gaming experiences of my life.
Before I get any sappier, here's a fun video to watch on the precipice of the PS5 launch. PlayStation Access edited a three-minute montage with "one second from every game that defined PS4." It's not just the usual obvious picks, either – you're going to wonder what some of these games even are.
Many of the games in this video aren't PlayStation exclusives, and some of them have undeniable flaws, but that's what makes this list so interesting. On the whole, it really captures the last seven years.
It's been a damn good run, one that's worth reflecting on and celebrating.
Ah, here we are with another installment of The Jackbox Party Pack, the insanely popular virtual party game enterprise that takes every nerd's house by storm each year - although perhaps it's now more mainstream, as my parents are starting to take part and there are now explicitly family-friendly settings and options!
So, without further ado, I present this year's games.
World of Warcraft's Shadowlands expansion might be delayed, but we have the pre-patch and this newest seasonal event to mess around with in the meantime.
Hallow's End has been a staple of WoW for a while now, with the Headless Horseman's Hearthstone arriving in 2018 when Battle for Azeroth came into the picture. Among several other rewards this one is recently cited as the cornerstone of the event; allowing players to add to their spooky outfit with some visual effects when hearthing. Now you can earn it again as of this week.
From now until November 1, the Hallow's End event will be running through Azeroth. Basically all you need to do is log in, queue up for the Headless Horseman challenge (which can drop up to i395 gear) or visit Razor Hill or Goldshire to participate in world events. In all there's 14 quests to participate in, as well as trick or treating stations to earn candy from; throughout Kalimdor to Outland, Northrend, the Cataclysm regions and Pandaria.
Given that Halloween events typically tend to be the most flavorful in MMOs, I'll be poking my head in among all of the other stuff I'm doing with the pre-patch right now.
It's no secret that Marvel's Avengers isn't in the best of places right now. Yes, it sold big in September, enough to top Super Mario 3D All-Stars as the month's top title on the NPD charts, but it's struggling, and with new consoles and several massive titles on the horizon, things are not going to get easier for Crystal Dynamics. But just because it's down now doesn't mean it's out. As we've seen with No Man's Sky, developers can pull their games back from the brink.
That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Charlotte, Occams, and Dan chat about Marvel's Avengers, Ring Fit Adventure, Dragon Quest Tact, and Spooky Encounters. All that, plus you shouldn't rap about real crimes you're committing, on Podtoid Episode 463.
Dragon Quest of the Stars hit North America at just the wrong time earlier in 2020. Arriving almost five years after its initial release in Japan, the free-to-play, gacha RPG reached our shores right around the same time COVID-19 did. A month later, my employer put out a memo instructing anybody who could work from home to do so, and soon enough I found myself dropping off this mobile adventure in favor of Dragon Quest XI S - Definitive Edition on my Switch.
In a few months though, depending on how this winter goes, I'll start going back to the office for a few days a week. Because I won't be stuck at home as much, I'm probably going to once again find time for those simple little gacha games that help pass the time. And while Dragon Quest of the Stars still has some life to it that I wouldn't be against picking it back up, it may have to step aside for Dragon Quest Tact.
Call of Duty is hosting another horror crossover for Halloween, and this year, Billy the Puppet from Saw and Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are here to play. Don't be alarmed if you see them running around in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or Call of Duty: Warzone. Well, be a little alarmed.
Activision has a full recap of the Haunting of Verdansk – the event starts October 20 and will stick around until November 3 – but there's also a quick and to-the-point roadmap below in one easy image.
Aside from the premium Saw and TCM skin bundles (for Morte and Velikan, respectively), Warzone is getting a "nighttime" variant, there are Trick or Treat supply boxes to collect (with 16 total rewards to find), and Zombie Royale mode will skip the Gulag skirmishes in favor of turning fallen players into zombies who can move faster, jump higher, hit harder, and rely on thermal vision to stalk their prey.
"When a player is killed, they drop a syringe that shows up on the map. Collect two of these Syringes as a Zombie and you'll parachute back in with your loadout on your Squad for a second chance! The last squad standing with a surviving Operator wins... even if the rest of the squad has turned undead."
Even if the horror movie outfits are way too pricey, I always appreciate a good Halloween event.
While Electronic Arts' football simulator FIFA 21 retains the number one spot of the UK Charts for a second week, a surge of physical sales saw a glut of Nintendo Switch titles shoot up the rankings.
Elsewhere in the charts, there is little to report. Activision's Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time remains in the Top Ten at number nine, while Square Enix'sMarvel's Avengers has seemingly long-peaked, leaving the upper echelon within a month of release. nWay's Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid saw its physical launch this week, but failed to make much of an impact, debuting at number 38. Releasing digitally back in 2019, fans would likely have picked up the licensed tag-fighter long before now.
Two weeks ago, Sony revealed the 10 PlayStation 4 games that won't work on PS5. It's a small list, and there's nothing of real consequence being left behind. One game wasn't mentioned meaning it's de facto backward compatible, but people wanted confirmation anyway.
That game is PT. We asked Sony whether PT could be played on PS5, but we never heard back. Everyone was just left to assume that it'd work. Why wouldn't it work?
Hold up. GamesRadar+ got ahold of Konami who confirmed that PT wouldn't be backward compatible. Konami says "[PT] will not be available on the PS Store, so users won't be able to re-download the content through the backwards compatibility feature to the PS5."
That seems wrong though, doesn't it? Konami's statement only appears to address what we already know (and have experienced) with PT. It was delisted in April 2015 after the announcement that Silent Hills was canceled. Nobody has been able to download PT for more than five years.
But, Konami's seemingly ignoring the option to transfer it from hard drives for people who already have it downloaded. Sony has said the transfer process works for both wired and wireless connections. Simply moving the game from PS4 to PS5 should work. Or, at least we don't have any evidence as to why it shouldn't work. Time will tell, but it kind of appears as though Konami missed the intention behind this question.
Microids has announced that the remake of classic first-person shooter XIII will not meet its originally announced release date on Switch. While the PS4, PC, and Xbox One editions are all still set to launch on November 10, the Switch release has been pushed back to 2021.
Playmatic's XIII is a remake of the 2003 Xbox and PS2 title, based on the 1980s Belgian comic book of the same name. It follows the hazardous and violent journey of a nameless and amnesiac man wanted for the killing of the U.S. President. Teaming with a mysterious female mercenary named Jones, "XIII" (from the identifying tattoo on his shoulder) must uncover the truth behind the assassination, his role within it, and a shadowy organization known as "Mongoose."
Microids also released a new trailer, showing off the arsenal of lead-flingers that XIII and Jones will utilize in their ballistic quest to stay alive long enough to bring down Mongoose and discover the facts behind our anti-hero's origins. The remake will feature all of the content from the original title, as well as its iconic cel-shaded look, which has been redesigned to make the most of modern-day visuals.
Employees of big box retailers in the United States are generally subjected to the same annual Thanksgiving routine: Do all the family stuff early in the day because they're off to work in the evenings. The Black Friday creep gets earlier and earlier every year, as each store tries to set the pace for how soon people can shop their sales.
In a bit of refreshing news, GameStop employees will have the full Thanksgiving holiday free this year. GameStop has revealed its Black Friday-centric plans, and it includes all stores in the United States being closed on Thanksgiving.
There are likely a couple strategic reasons for the closure. GameStop has announced that it'll host "more pre-Black Friday sale events than ever before," although it hasn't revealed any of the deals yet. Also, with the pandemic very much still in progress, GameStop is probably (rightly) predicting that in-store traffic will be lower than during normal years. All the hustle and bustle of jam-packed consumerism isn't as cute when there's a contagious virus on the loose.
It's the right outcome, especially from a company who has a very recent history of doing the wrong thing. In March, GameStop circulated an internal memo to employees directing them to refuse compliance with local orders to shut down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasoning was that GameStop and all its video game hardware and software should be classified as "essential retail."
The logic seems to be that GameStop is hoping to spread sales out over a longer timeline rather than just chasing a spike on Black Friday. We'll see if it can resist putting all of its best deals on actual Black Friday. Unlikely but maybe. It's not like there will be any new consoles available to lure customers in anyway.
Nintendo has been going in pretty hard on its mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes lately, with a slew of characters and events added to the free-to-play title on an almost weekly basis. This week is no different, with the arrival of four new characters from Switch release Fire Emblem: Three Houses, one of which is very much my jam.*
Joining the expansive Fire Emblem Heroes roster are Three Houses powerful Thunder Knight, Catherine, magical cutie-patootie Flayn, chief aide of the Church of Seiros, Seteth, and finally, the Officer Academy's master archer, Shamir. I'm a big fan of Shamir, and I'm of no doubt that FeH is about to gobble up all of my orbs as I attempt to add her sharpshooting ways to my army.
The four Three Houses heroes will be accompanied by a brand new story chapter, titled "In Her Service." The new update should be live in-game by the time you read this, so check out the cool new trailer below, then get out there and start... erm... hoping you randomly win your chosen character, I guess.
That's because the game's impact on cats is immediately apparent, as evidenced by several other anecdotal tales this week. Cats are not just attracted to the device as it speeds around the house, but they also serve as great moving hazards for folks who aren't keen to create their own intricate setups.
Shinji Mikami has now been a part of the video game industry for 30 years. Over those three decades, Mikami has been involved with the creation of a lot of excellent projects, such as God Hand, Vanquish, The Evil Within, and Dino Crisis, but his strongest legacy will forever remain one of the most enduring and genre-defining franchises in gaming history: Resident Evil.
Continuing its series of video interviews with some of gaming's greatest auteurs, Archipel Caravan sat down for an interview with the 55-year-old as he reflects on his 30 years within the industry. In this, the first of a special two-part episode, Mikami discusses his beginnings in the business, his love of the horror genre, his work with Capcom, and how this unholy trinity of interests birthed one of the most successful and indelible brands that players would ever see.
This is the third of Archipel Caravan's new series, following a sit-down withDanganronpa creator Kazutaka Kodaka and a live performance by Panzer Dragoon composer Saori Kobayashi. Future episodes are expected to feature conversations with Yakuza director Toshihiro Nagoshi, Square Enix's Naoki Yoshida, and legendary anime and video game illustrator Yoshitaka Amano. We will be sure to inform you as each of these episodes are released.
While we knew about the additional zone, one of the biggest features of the DLC is the ability to capture old legendaries, going back to the original generation. That means Mewtwo, Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos; among many others. Thankfully, grabbing them is going to be a little less frustrating than some folks assumed.
The most recent episode of the Japanese TV show Pokenchi has revealed the process for catching legendaries, and things are looking up so far. According to the program, you need to battle three Dynamaxed Pokemon first in a sort of gauntlet situation on a Dynamax Adventure. Once those are out of the picture you can move on to the legendary.
The program claims that once you get to the end of the line and have the ability to capture the legendary, it's "guaranteed." That's great news, but we'll have to see how time consuming this process is for ourselves.
Those of you who have been enjoying the high-speed, arcadey action of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta will be stoked to hear that Activision has decided to extend the open trial session for an extra 24 hours.
The extension has been offered as a "reward" for the CoD community solving a series of coded emails sent out by the publisher over the weekend. Originally scheduled to end this morning, the servers will now remain open until tomorrow, October 20, at 10:00 PT / 13:00 ET / 18:00 BST.
The 24-hour extension gives wannabe mercs even more time to bring a living hell to the streets of 1980s Miami. The beta is available to all players on PS4, PC, and Xbox One and includes classic modes such as Kill Confirmed and Team Deathmatch, alongside new matches Combined Arms and VIP Escort. You can check out some of my own thoughts on the beta right here.
Last week the PS4 community was in a state of confusion after firmware update 8.00 changed the way parties worked; while causing a few bugs in the process.
Following the update Sony tweeted out that it was investigating issues with the PlayStation Network, but now folks are taking umbrage with the changes as a whole. In short, parties and messages now have a more merged identity, instead of utilizing groups across both apps.
It sounds nice on paper, but folks are reporting issues with starting parties and getting people into their group easily; something that was dead simple before 8.00. A lot of this is table-setting for the PS5, which makes a whole lot of sense. But users are still confused as to why features were taken away from the party system, which worked fine before the update.
In response, Sony is "looking into feedback" as of October 17 "on the recent changes to parties on PS4." They followed up by noting "thanks for speaking up - we'll keep you posted." It seems like change could come if enough people aren't a fan of the new system. At the very least: as far as parties are concerned.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is really sneaking up on me.
Sure we have the two new next-gen console launches coming in a few weeks, but after that on November 20 we get a new Zelda game. While it might not be a traditional mainline Zelda, it sure looks increasingly legit as we obtain more and more info on Age of Calamity.
We already know that the Yiga Clan will be playing a bigger role in the game, but now thanks to a new clip today Nintendo has made it clear that the Korok Hetsu will be front and center as well: on top of the role that Koroks will be playing in Calamity, serving as the main collectible to chase. Whoever pitched the idea of a prequel, pre-100-year-amnesia-Link, is a genius. It makes so much sense and fits within the framework of this world.
That last shot though! Seeing Link glide across the sky in classic Breath of the Wild fashion while the Champions follow suit: glorious. My wishlist mostly involves filling in more subtle backstories in a natural way, like this one, which fans have speculated on for several years.
The wait for Breath of the Wild 2 is going to be so much worse after playing this.
Notoriously gory anime franchise Corpse Party is headed to the Nintendo Switch in the form of a new remake, Corpse Party Blood Covered... Repeated Fear, which will bring its head-caving, eye-gouging misery to the Nintendo platform later in the near future.
As a quick refresher for those less inclined, Corpse Party is a multimedia franchise that began way back in 1996, before finding its feet in handheld gaming a decade later. The Corpse Party titles tell ghoulish tales of hapless schoolgirls who venture into haunted scenarios, before fast becoming utterly destroyed in extraordinarily grim fashion. Yucky stuff.
Corpse Party Blood Covered:... Repeated Fear will be a remastered edition of 2015 Nintendo 3DS release, which itself is a remake of the original Corpse Party. The new Switch edition will feature all of the content of the nightmarish classic, built within an optimized engine and featuring newly recorded voice acting for previously silent sequences. Due for release this winter in Japan, no western localization has been announced as of yet.
If you haven't been paying attention, Microsoft has been cozying up to Nintendo for several years.
They were the first two console publishers that teamed up for Minecraft's "Better Together" update for cross-play; a concept Sony was staying out of at the time. They've also partnered up with Nintendo for Banjo Kazooie and Minecraft representation in Super Smash Bros. Things seem to be going well, according to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, but that doesn't mean more Microsoft games are coming to Switch as a result.
If you recall, Spencer stated roughly a year ago that Microsoft was going to cool it with releasing games on Switch. That position hasn't really changed in 2020, despite a few exceptions here and there. Speaking to Kotaku, Spencer does reiterate the good working relationship between him and Nintendo: "We have a very good relationship...And I think we see our work very synergistically, in terms of trying to grow the market. And it just makes it easy. Every conversation we have with them has really been easy."
Spencer expresses admiration for Shuntaro Furukawa, current Nintendo president, as well as Doug Bowser; Reggie's Nintendo of America successor. Yet, Spencer notes that releasing individual Xbox games on Switch "doesn't feel sustainable," and feels like he would need a "full Xbox ecosystem somewhere" to support it. Features like Game Pass and Xbox Live integration were mentioned.
It makes a lot of sense. Microsoft might be buddying up with their competition (and in the case of the Switch, potentially their best-selling competition once the dust has settled) every once in a while, but they also need to demonstrate their own value. First-party games are a big part of that: which the Xbox Series X will need to really kick into overdrive in 2021. After all, Microsoft didn't make all of these expensive acquisitions to eschew exclusivity altogether.
The NBA 2K community has hit back at publisher 2K Games after unskippable adverts materialised within the latest entry in the basketball sim, NBA 2K21. The adverts were not in the sports title at launch, and have popped up one month after release, to the chagrin of many paying customers.
As reported by Stevivor, fans spotted video adverts for Oculus Quest 2 hardware that auto-play during certain NBA 2K21 loading sequences, as a part of "2K TV" cinematic presentations. The adverts always complete before the segment finishes loading, regardless of platform or PC capabilities. You can see the offending segments in action in Stevivor's video below.
Microsoft has announced that one of the finest shooters on the market, Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege, will be joining the Xbox Game Pass service for console and Android on October 22.
Originally releasing to a so-so reception back in 2015, the latest entry in the long-running Rainbow Six series of counter-terrorism titles sees teams of players battle it out online in incredibly intense, twitchy, tactical gameplay. A far cry from the typical genre shooter of the world, Rainbow Six Siege is a shooter where every step, every lean, every peek down the scope is fraught with danger, and teamwork, smart movement, and razor-sharp reflexes are the core elements of victory or defeat.
After a slow start, Rainbow Six Siege went on to improve its gameplay in almost every way, and to date over 60 million players have checked out the action on PS4, PC, and Xbox One, while the development team has drip-fed monthly content in the forms of weapons, maps, gadgets, technical, and mechanical overhauls. Rainbow Six Siege will continue its course onto next-gen platforms, allowing players to carry over their accounts onto PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Rainbow Six Siege joins Xbox Game Pass on October 22.
Publisher Arc System Works, in conjunction with developer CyGames, has revealed the third character headed to Granblue Fantasy: Versus as part of the gorgeous fighter's second character pass. And this time around its none of than the daring adventurer, Yuel.
Yuel was announced in a brief teaser at the end of a new gameplay trailer, which gave us our first look at cheerful mage Cagliostro in action. Yuel is an extremely popular character among the Granblue Fantasy community, undoubtedly thanks to her teasing, femme-fatale nature. A brave and steadfast warrior on an epic journey to find a thousand-year-old treasure, Yuel is very easily distracted by the worlds, characters, and events she experiences while en route to her goal. She also throws up a pretty mean nWo Wolfpac signal.
As for Cagliostro, the young alchemist will launch in Granblue Fantasy: Versus tomorrow, October 20, bringing her ancient arcane powers to the fight. A "mistress of blades," as it were, Cagliostro uses her magic skills to conjure up razor-sharp swords, spears, and whirring buzz saws on the battlefield, while staying out of her foe's grasp with her frustrating teleport abilities. Don't let her cute, wholesome demeanor fool you, this angry gal will cut you down in seconds flat.
Granblue Fantasy: Versus is available now on PC and PS4.
From here on out, special Pikachu will be distributed for Sword and Shield, tailored around the idea of it being "Ash's Pikachu" with eight different hats. The first one is available today, with more coming later "through various means." If history is anything to go by, codes doled out during tournament streams and the like are a safe bet.
To get the initial rat, enter "P1KACHUGET" into your copy of the game.
To unlock the second version, use: "1CH00SEY0U."
A third version has been released: "P1KAADVANCE."
As well as a fourth version: "V0LTTACKLEP1KA."
And the fourth version: "P1KABESTW1SH."
And the fifth: "KAL0SP1KA."
There's even going to be a full website for it! It's not live at the time of publication, but The Pokémon Company says more info will be available here. You can also take a look at the array of hats below.
With Team Ninja dropping Nioh 2 DLC every few months, it's tough to catch up and stay caught up.
Darkness in the Capital uses the same structure as The Tengu's Disciple, meaning there's a new weapon to learn (Fists and Clawed Fists), a few main story missions (set in the Heian period), a handful of side skirmishes, and more "stuff" across the board – higher-level gear, several new guardian spirits, new yokai including a big-ghost-headed ox cart, and the next New Game+ difficulty tier, Dream of the Wise.
Oh, and there's a bonus fight against a certain Hayabusa. He's a slippery son of a gun.
When we look back at the launch of the Nintendo Wii, there are a few titles that immediately come to mind. They're the ones that would go on to define the console throughout its lifespan. There's Wii Sports, obviously, the pack-in that your grandmother probably still plays today. Then there is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Nintendo's first cross-gen hit that was saved from the Wii's poorly performing predecessor to find massive success in the new generation. Those two titles were enough to sell the console to millions of people and radically expand the market for console gaming. As much as I enjoy both them, when I look back at the Wii's start and the titles it launched with, honestly, it's Excite Truck that fills me with the warmest memories.
The Excite series has never been a priority for Nintendo. The NES original didn't see a sequel for more than 15 years when Excitebike 64 hit the Nintendo 64 near the twilight of its life. In fact, I'd say more people know the game from its inclusion in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe than as its own franchise. I don't think Excite Trucks did enough to move the needle in the franchise's favor — and really, what do you expect launching alongside Wii Sports — but it did prove popular enough to give us a sequel that remains one of my most treasured racing games of all time: Excitebots: Trick Racing.
I really enjoy the Star Wars universe. Not to the point where I know anything about the extended universe, but I like all the movies in their own way. Yes, even the prequels and The Last Jedi. So I'm not the expert that is going to either gush or nitpick when Squadrons throws some new lore my way, but I will admit that I got rather excited when Admiral Ackbar was giving me directions. "I know that guy!" I yelled to no one in particular.
What I also really enjoy is tight, small experiences that do one thing and do it well. This basically summarizes most of the indie scene, but Squadrons also fits the bill. At $40, and with this much polish, it's easy to find an enjoyable experience here.
After several months in Early Access, Echtra Games is pushing Torchlight III out the door.
As a quick refresher, in my Steam Early Access review, I called Torchlight III more of a "spinoff than a numbered sequel." I said it didn't "do enough to encourage experimentation or creativity." It's a lighter, fluffier action-RPG, one that has a place but probably won't live up to long-time fans' expectations.
Did they turn it around for the 1.0 launch? Not exactly. My overall impression has barely budged.
The Outer Worlds on Switch prompted a lot of conversation about if some sacrifices are worth making when porting a game to weaker hardware. For those who played it on PC, PS4, or Xbox One, it was a noticeable downgrade for sure. For me, having never played it on stronger systems, I found it to be decent enough.
It looked rough and disappointingly barren, but that might change later this month when the long-awaited patch will release on Switch. Full patch notes are being withheld for now, but the game's Twitter page decided to give us a sneak peek at how the visuals will improve with the download.
We're looking to the skies to save us thanks to this week's Arcade Archives release. Konami's chopper classic, Super Cobra, is now available to download on Nintendo Switch, courtesy of the retro scallywags over at Hamster.
Originally released in arcades way back in 1981, (before later being ported to the Atari 2600 and several other formative consoles), Super Cobra puts players in the pilot seat of a fully-armed, hi-tech attack helicopter, not unlike the one that would appear a year or two later in Roy Scheider movie Blue Thunder.
A precursor to Konami's intergalactic classic Scramble, Super Cobra is a basic horizontal shmup, featuring 10 stages of simplistic sky-high action as our futuristic chopper rains death and destruction on the titular villains... You thought "Super Cobra" was the helicopter itself? Apparently not.
You can check out the action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber Old Classic Retro Gaming. Super Cobra is available to download now on Nintendo Switch, priced around $8.
Nintendo is the king when it comes to experimentation.
I would have really liked to have seen how wacky the Wii Vitality Sensor would have gotten, but in its stead, we've seen Labo and countless other flights of fancy. Mario Kart Live is the latest in a long line of toys from Nintendo, and like many others, you get out what you put into it.
Another anime superstar is headed to the ranks of Bandai Namco's 3D fighter My Hero One's Justice 2. As revealed in this week's edition of Weekly Jump. The happy-go-lucky Itsuka Kendo will arrive in-game as paid DLC "soon."
Fighting game rosters are always fascinating to me. For an industry where fans are always demanding "new, new, new," it's the one genre where old is good. Old characters, old stages, people just want to see everything they're already familiar with plus a couple of new additions to separate the new entry from the old one.
Not every character can be in every entry, and as we've seen in the past with multiple fighting games, those missing favorites can cause an uproar amongst the fanbase. And with social media, that uproar is louder and more annoying than ever. But I get it. Milenna is a great kharacter with a great backstory and mouth so big it makes Steven Tyler's lips look like Betty Boop's.
That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Dan, Charlotte, and Chris come together to talk John Rambo, FIFA 21, Watch Dogs 2, the Monster Hunter movie, Resident Evil reboot, beaches full of drugs, and home baking. All that, plus Michelle Rodriguez's pleather pants, on Podtoid Episode 462.
Whenever someone needs to be digitally blown up, stabbed, or shot, the overlords at Destructoid always seem to deem me the person for the job. I'm not sure why, given that I'm very clearly the Bernadetta of the editorial team. Regardless, it's that time of year again, and with the impending release of a brand-new Call of Duty title, it falls on me to load up on guns, throw on my sexiest legwarmers, and return to the political upheaval of the 1980s.
The secondCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta weekend begins today, offering first-person shooter fans the chance to check out Activision's latest entry in its money-printing franchise. All PS4 players - alongside PC and Xbox One pre-order customers - can dive into the action today, the beta will then open its doors to all players on all three platforms from Saturday, October 17.
But your boy Moyse has already cut his own path of destruction through said beta, capping out at Level 25 one murderthon at a time. In the hours I've spent with Black Ops Cold War so far, I've gotten to grips with a selection of weapons, modes, and maps, I've been the king of the scoreboards, and been found face-down in a pool of my own tomatoes. It's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times. But what I'll mostly remember is the laughter.
Here's a selection of my humble thoughts regarding Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War:
It has been a week, both in my own localised life bubble and in the greater picture of this here planet. I miss the days when I could open these articles with a simple "Hey yo" and a brief reminder to love yourselves and each other, but the reality is that troubled times continue. While I'm not interested in pretending we aren't all having a tough run right now, it's still important to remember that we all have our saving graces, be they friends, family, pets, movies, exercise or, of course, video games. Keep it up, folks, you've got this.
This week has seen me engaged in military warfare on two very different fronts. Firstly, I spent some hours runnin' and gunnin' through 1980s Miami in Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta. Then, far and away from that "real-world" action, I've been taking on the might of COBRA in Game Mill's G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout. The only real conclusion I've drawn is that global warfare is far less traumatic when fought by glasses-wearing dominatrixes (domanatrices?) and evil dudes with solid silver heads. Still, at least I know that now, and knowing is half the battle.
That's more than enough about me. I'm crawling back under the duvet to stick my head in the proverbial sand. Why don't you jump into the comments below and tell us what you've been enjoying this week? It doesn't even have to be gaming related. Perhaps you've read a cool book, or enjoyed a movie, so tell us about that instead. What's important is that you interact. We have a wonderful community here and you're very welcome to be part of it.
Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.
I hope you still have Ghost of Tsushima installed on your PS4. If not, queue that download.
Earlier today, Sucker Punch released Legends – a co-op mode with two-player story missions and four-player wave-based survival maps, both of which make fantastic use of Ghost's sneaky combat. Best of all, it's free. If you own the game, you can download update 1.1, load up Legends from the main menu, burn through a few "remember how to play?" tutorials, and start queuing with your warrior of choice.
As someone who stuck with ranged combat as much as possible in the campaign, I initially went with the Hunter over the Samurai, Ronin, or Assassin. You'll be able to unlock all four classes eventually – Legends really leans into its loot and XP-based progression – but make sure you pick whoever strikes your fancy. That said, while they all have their specialties, they don't feel dramatically different at first.
Everyone can use ranged and melee attacks, and much of Jin's toolkit carries over from the main game, albeit split across class-based ability trees and equippable Charms and Ghost Weapons that you'll unlock as rewards for clearing objectives. The actual loot (and its ensuing "Ki" power level) is mostly shared across the four classes – a design choice I adore – but each archetype levels up independently.
I had only planned to play a few – not all! – of Legends' nine co-op story missions before sharing my impressions. Unlike the side quests in the main Ghost of Tsushima campaign that began to grow stale as early as the second island region, none of these outstayed their welcome. One mission had me watching lightning to locate and dispatch ghost warriors. Another involved powering up my katana with color-coded energy. My favorite level let me and a co-op buddy sneak around several ships at sea.
These stories are fully narrated, they only take about 15 minutes to clear, they're broken into three well-paced parts (with quick torii gate transition scenes in between), and they're just big enough in scope to feel open-ended yet still playable with a random person online who isn't using a microphone.
While I'm not sure when I'll go back to play everything again on the higher difficulties (there's a bronze, silver, and gold-tier system with varying Ki power level requirements), I probably will make the effort. I had that much fun. There's something wonderful about taking out two guards simultaneously with a stranger or nailing a far-off headshot on a foe before they can stab your unaware pal in the back.
As a Nioh fanatic, I'm also here for the loot. But don't let that scare you off if you aren't.
Aside from ranking up to unlock new (and alternate) class abilities, you'll need to spend a moment swapping in new gear items – a katana, bow, Charm, and two Ghost Weapons – as you earn them. Everything has a rarity tier and Ki level associated with it, and the best stuff has special properties or perks (which you can re-roll using currencies earned from playing and dismantling unwanted junk). If that sounds like Too Much, it honestly isn't – the loot situation is pretty intuitive and manageable.
As for the survival missions, they aren't as inspired – remember when every game had to have a mode like this? – but they are enjoyable with even a decent-at-best group of players. Across 15 waves, some of which have beefy demon boys, you'll want to divide and conquer to defend multiple control points from being captured (or risk losing a chunk of your health bar for a limited time if you let them fall).
It's worth noting that you can go into Legends alone – heck, you can even go in alone with photo mode enabled. In my experience, the public matchmaking is super fast and the connections are reliable.
After spending an afternoon with the mode, I'm looking at my schedule and trying to find room to play more of it soon. Legends could've easily been a paid DLC pack – and it would've been worth the money, too. The fact that it's free and there aren't microtransactions is just wonderful. I'm now at the point where I'll be sad if a potential sequel doesn't have co-op support. It fits this combat style perfectly.
Even if you burned yourself out on Ghost of Tsushima, don't skip Legends. This mode feels fresh.
Can ConcernedApe do no wrong? After Stardew Valley got online multiplayer, I wrote off split-screen co-op as something that probably wouldn't happen – but where there's a will, there's a way. The developer has continued to improve the game over time, and he's making good on another heavily wishlisted item.
As part of update 1.5, Stardew Valley will let you play side-by-side with a buddy.
Elaborating on the feature, Eric Barone said that it's coming to PC and consoles, although "the number of simultaneous players might vary" depending on where you play. For PC, it's up to four-player split-screen. For certain console platforms – presumably Nintendo Switch – the cap could be two players.
I'm over the moon either way. When update 1.5 drops, I'm gonna lose myself to Stardew all over again.
Unlike most modern "mini" pack-in play consoles, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini has neither become impossible to find nor has it seen drastic price-drops. It's the very definition of a middling success, which is more than the original iteration of the system could say for itself. Due to a variety of reasons, the system never took off outside of Japan, though it's still home to a litany of classics: Bonk's Adventure, Snatcher, andCastlevania: Rondo of Blood, to name a few.
My guess is the modern "Mini" version of the console has fared better so far due to years of passionate word-of-mouth praise from TG-16 obsessives such as myself. If it were up to me, it would be Bonk, not Sonic, battling Mario at the Olympics, palling around with James Marsden at the movies, and eating chili dogs in the dreams of many a millennial. He's my favorite 16-bit baby boy.
That said, the TG-16 Mini wasn't truly the best vessel for him, and the TG-16 library, to make its return. It's missing so many classics: Bonk 3, Valis 2, Legendary Axe 1 & 2, Bloody Wolf, Keith Courage, and Far East of Eden. Sure, you could just hack the thing to add the ROMS of those titles to the console, but for those that want to play the original software sans tampering, Analogue has the solution.
Today the boutique console developer announced the Duo, a new emulation-free piece of hardware that runs everything from the TG-16/PC Engine family, including the SuperGrafx, TurboGrafx CD, PC Engine CD-ROM², and Super Arcade CD-ROM. The console doesn't release until next year, but you may want to sign up for the mailing list now. Perhaps due to issues around FPGA board availability, consoles from Analogue tend to be produced in extremely limited quantities, so if you want in on this higher-energy game system, you better work.
In today's contest, you can win a Switch copy of Dead Cells - Prisoner's Edition from Signature Edition Games!
Today, we've got a beefy one! Not as beefy as say, a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, but definitely a behemoth in its own right.
Signature Edition Games produces physical editions of beloved digital indie titles. They're got this massive Prisoner's Edition of indie darling Dead Cells up for grabs, and let me tell you, this thing has it all!
Most of the discourse around the Xbox Series X has been what it can do faster than the Xbox One. Its PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD means that it's capable of performing loading and transfer tasks quicker than console players are used to. For instance, the breakdown of file transfer times demonstrates nicely what kind of speed we're dealing with.
Here's an area where Xbox Series X hasn't improved: When installing from a disc. According to GamesRadar+'s preview coverage of the new Xbox, its disc installation times are almost identical to last-gen. The example given is that Titanfall 2 took about 35 minutes to install.
Here's a story that you could've deduced with a little simple logic. Microsoft owns Double Fine. We learned earlier this year that Double Fine's classic remasters are breaking free from PS4 console exclusivity. All of Microsoft's first-party games are eventually destined to wind up on Xbox Game Pass. QED, Double Fine's classic remasters are coming to Xbox Game Pass.
Sorry for the flashback to 8th grade geometry. You're not really any less awkward now but at least you're taller!
Double Fine has confirmed that it's three big classic LucasArts remasters -- Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango -- will make their way to Xbox Game Pass sooner rather than later:
If CD Projekt Red had its way, it'd certainly prefer that everyone buy Cyberpunk 2077 through GOG. That's because CDPR owns the digital storefront, meaning 100 percent of proceeds go straight into the the Polish publisher's pocket. No advanced economics degree is required to understand why that's better than a revenue split with Steam or Epic.
To that end, CDPR has sweetened the pot for anyone who's undecided about where to purchase Cyberpunk 2077. GOG is getting some exclusive digital add-ins that might seal the deal for some people.
The linchpin to this offer is a 50-page digital comic called Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams. It tells the story of two scavengers who are "stealing cyberware and spending money on parties and braindances." It's The Odd Couple by way of Cyberpunk as they both want to live very different lifestyles. It sounds like an inessential side story that should help fill in the lore of this world.
There's more. Buyers on GOG also get some "print quality" posters, and a new set of wallpapers and avatars.
If you're going to get Cyberpunk 2077 on PC and you're fine with GOG as your launcher, this is kind of a no-brainer. I'm in love with braindancing and just want as much braindance content as humanly (or cyborgly) possible.
Nothing is set in stone in Fall Guys, that's for sure. After some of us complained that the medieval-themed Season 2 levels weren't showing up nearly enough in the rotation, Mediatonic has addressed the issue – and added a new Slime Survivors playlist – with an update on PS4 and PC today.
The update increased the odds of the four Season 2 levels showing up, decreased the odds of nicknames and nameplates appearing in the store, and added an alternate playlist, Slime Survivors, that's all about survival-based rounds, culminating in either Hex-A-Gone or Jump Showdown. The latter was bugged initially – the same levels kept repeating over and over – but it has since been fixed.
I'm happy about these changes and I'm excited about two more: a hotfix "early next week" that makes your party member the default selection in spectator mode, and a twist on dull old Perfect Match. Mediatonic is testing a rotating stage hazard for the memory game in the "mid-season update."
Working on level variations for the mid-season update...
I'm halfway through another run of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and knowing what I know now: it makes combat trick videos all the sweeter. Twitter user A.xk is taking things to the next level though, completely trashing a Guardian with a ton of abilities rolled into one video.
You've seen Guardian flipping, right? Well A.xk incorporates it into their beatdown. Using the Cryonis to set their prey up, they launch right into the attack with a gnarly surfing slow-motion archery shot, which looks extra flashy thanks to the Daruk's Protection aura. Then they stun it, launch it, use the momentum from the launch to follow it up in the air with their glider; then continue to lay the smack down while the thing is aerial, flinging it back to the ground.
Of course, the slow-motion badass no-look walkaway at the end is not optional. It must be done or there will be a price to pay (less views I'm guessing!). Note that their character is basically maxed out, with multiple stamina rings and a row of hearts. Don't try this at home kids!
Truth be told I'm still having fun with wrecking Guardians three years later. It's pretty much the first thing I do now when I start a new game: go to Hyrule Field and have a field day. Farming up Guardian parts and running straight into the maw of Hyrule Castle is still my aesthetic.
Those who recreate the past are doomed to get hit with a red shell. Pretty sure that's how the proverb goes.
Nintendo has remade the first Mario Kart track that most of us ever played inside Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Check out the simplistic Mario Circuit 1 from the SNES Mario Kart as experienced through the AR lens of Home Circuit:
Tis the season, as they say. Two more weeks to revel in the macabre before society goes back to thinking you're a weirdo for 11 more months. Murder's only cute one month out of the year.
PlayStation has a big ol' Halloween sale to get everyone in the mood. The sale mostly stays in its lane, too! Sure, there's some weird stuff like Crash Team Racing, but most of it's at least tangentially horror-related. You can see the connection for about 90 percent of the games.
Oh, you want recommendations? Fine. Let's start at the very top of the list with Alien: Isolation for $8. Mortal Shell for $25 is one of the newer games here. It might be your time to check out Death Stranding since it's down to $30. Salt and Sanctuary and Little Nightmares -- each around $5 -- are also excellent gets. I don't know if this is cheap or not, but I had a lot of fun with Darksiders Genesis and it's $28 in this sale. Lastly, I feel compelled to call out the Raccoon City Edition which is the Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 remakes bundled together for $40. The name is far from intuitive but that might pique a lot of curiosity.
Sony is about to make a frustrating change to the PlayStation Store that's going to hit desktop and mobile users the hardest. Soon, it will no longer be possible to buy PS3, PSP, or Vita games (or their DLC) from the PlayStation Store if you're browsing on a web browser or mobile device. That restricted access also goes for apps, themes, and avatars – and the wishlist feature is being "discontinued" too.
What's the deal? Sony is cleaning house for the fast-approaching PlayStation 5.
The company sent out an email to PlayStation users yesterday with details about these (previously rumored) PlayStation Store changes and when they will take effect. On desktop, the switchover will happen sometime next week. On mobile devices, the removal is happening on October 28, 2020.
Under the new setup, if you want to buy a PlayStation 3, PSP, or PS Vita game, you'll need to do so on your original system using its less-than-ideal storefront. (One of the big reasons why this change is such an annoyance.) If you want to get PS4 apps, themes, or avatars, you'll need to use your PS4.
To be clear, your purchases aren't being revoked – "you will still be able to access all your previously purchased PS3, PSP, or PS Vita content as before," according to Sony. The issue is ease of access.
As for the web-based wishlist feature going away, I don't get it. That's just irritating. If you've got a bunch of potential games stockpiled for a rainy day, it's time to take notes and plan accordingly.
Last night, Bandai Namco announced that spectator mode would be arriving for Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Maxiboost On. The frequently teased mode was not the only addition however, as multiple quality-of-life additions were included. A new "Player Match Arena" setup was added for lobbies, as well as one of the most desired features within the overall fighting game community.
There is now a Wi-Fi indicator built into the game, exposing players that are on wireless connections.
For the new Player Match Arena lobby, it can be described as a tournament setup. Players will fight in elimination matches, with the pairings determined by when they joined, a random shuffle, or by the room owner. Other room members will be able to spectate in a similar manner to watching replays, so expect the framerate to dip if you choose to watch all four players at once. The addition itself is nothing revolutionary, but it does help run online tournaments, which is a huge benefit given COVID-19.
On the other hand, we have the Wi-Fi indicator. While the heavily requested feature did make its way into Tekken 7 earlier this year, I don't know if this was the right move. To put it bluntly, the online player base for Gundam Extreme Vs., at least outside of Japan, is not in a healthy state.
Throughout the week I've been unable to find ranked matches, and have seen near-empty lobbies. I fear the resulting purges, as lobby owners can now mass kick based on connection type, will further damage what is left of the remaining player base rather than help revitalize it.
That being said, Bandai Namco is largely to blame for the state of the player base. While I did state in my review that there was a possibility of no DLC characters, the lack of any post-launch additions has been astonishing. Outside of these new modes and quality-of-life changes for player lobbies, there have been zero additions otherwise – not even a balance patch. It's not surprising that people fell off once they realized nothing was coming, or their favorite character had no hope of being buffed.
If this is what the developers choose, then it's no longer possible to recommend the game for its online suite, as the population just isn't there.
While many fighting game players love the thrill of testing their skills and mettle in online battles, it must be said that playing almost any fighting game's "ranked mode" can sometimes be a frustrating, deflating, and even stressful experience.
Certain fighters (I'm looking at you, Kombat League) put ridiculous emphasis on keeping your score momentum at terminal velocity, with the very worst punishments reserved for those at the top of the chain - despite the potential for online lag, disconnections, or the dreaded "off day." For many ranked players, the need to maintain that W/L percentage becomes paramount, superseding the desire to experiment in battle, or simply enjoy themselves. This is a mindset Arc System Works is hoping to change with its incoming fighter Guilty Gear Strive.
