Genshin Impact developer asks fans not to share Update 1.5 leaks
Yesterday was a little bittersweet for developer miHiYo. The day started out very positively with the launch of the long-awaited Version 1.4 of its money-printing gacha title Genshin Impact, but this release was also followed by the news that a chunk of content from its next major update had already up and leaked onto the information superhighway.
As these things are wont to do, the information was supposedly scored by savvy players via datamining, before quickly making its way throughout the internet via social media. The info supposedly authenticates the arrival of two new characters, as well as several other tidbits of information. miHiYo has released an official statement asking players not to spread the impromptu news.
"Recently, we discovered the dissemination of leaked version 1.5. content. Such behavior not only disrupts our plans to develop and promote the new version, but also causes some Travelers to have misconceptions about the content of the new version." said the developer on Twitter. "Here, we kindly ask for the support and help of all Travelers to resist leaks, and maintain a fair gaming environment. We will also increase our efforts to deal with such illegal disclosures."
Genshin Impact's Version 1.4 update, now live on all platforms, brings with it new character Sister Rosaria as well as a fun spring event - The Windblume Festival - and new quests, gear, recipes, login bonuses, rewards, and side-features. You can read all about it in the official patch notes.
Also, I like the term "illegal disclosures" and will be using it more in conversation.
Contest: Win a custom-skinned Xbox Series X, courtesy of Dungeon Defenders: Awakened
In today's contest you can win a brand new Xbox Series X, courtesy of Dungeon Defenders: Awakened!
I'd say the worst part of my job here is that I give away all sorts of cool stuff, but can't actually win any of it, myself. Case in point; I don't have an Xbox Series X. Today I'm giving one away. All my blood, sweat, and tears results in you winning a brand new next-gen console!
Isn't that kinda messed up? I want to play Dungeon Defenders: Awakened. But I can't. Well, at least you can if you win this Xbox.
Necromunda: Hired Gun already looks like one of the good ones
There are arguably too many Games Workshop-based video games vying for our attention, but when so many ideas are thrown at the wall, some of them are bound to stick. Streum On Studio, the team behind E.Y.E. and Space Hulk: Deathwing, is back with a first-person shooter called Necromunda: Hired Gun.
I don't always like to bring up Microsoft Store leaks – sometimes, the store pages are too sparse or the games are too uninteresting for me to justify coverage – but that's decidedly not the case here.
This game looks sick as hell. You can take on bounties as a merc with a Cyber-Mastiff by your side.
The unannounced game will be published by Focus Home Interactive, and the Microsoft Store lists the Xbox versions of Necromunda: Hired Gun for June 1, 2021. (In case the page is pulled down before the official reveal, yes, there's an "Optimized for Xbox Series X/S" badge.) PC should be a no-brainer.
Even without seeing a trailer, I'm much more into this hive-city joyride than prior attempts. That said, it's too sunny outside for me to be tumbling down wiki lore rabbit-holes again. Release me!
[Thanks, Vesalius]
Puzzling Places makes me want to dust off my PlayStation VR
Don't pack up your PlayStation VR for good just yet – there are a handful of new games coming to the platform in 2021, and one of them, Puzzling Places, is a 3D jigsaw puzzle game. Some might scoff, but I genuinely love that idea, I can already picture myself getting cozy with the PS4 version this winter.
Instead of grabbing flat puzzle pieces, inspecting them up close, and finding their rightful home on a board, in Puzzling Places, you get to construct "3D scans of interesting places from around the globe."
If I were allowed to upload audio recordings in my articles, you'd hear a distinct gulp. Assembling detailed photogrammetry models, one chunk at a time – in VR – sounds tricky. But watching the gameplay footage in the trailer and clips on the PlayStation Blog, it seems surprisingly doable.
"Each puzzle will also have multiple difficulty variants, so you have the choice if you just want to jump in for a quick 50-piece session or want to dive deep into the puzzle flow, challenging yourself with hundreds of pieces that could take a few days to finish," said Realities.io co-founder Daniel Sproll.
Better yet, you can try the PC VR beta now if you have a Quest. Imagine if this had co-op!
Xbox Game Pass PC subscribers are getting 60-plus EA games on March 18
After a longer-than-expected rollout, Xbox Game Pass subscribers on PC will soon be able to play a bunch of EA-published games at no extra cost – including Star Wars: Squadrons. Game Pass and EA Play are bundling up. While that already happened on Xbox consoles, the PC side of things has been weirdly slow-going. The official start date? March 18 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific. Hey, that's tomorrow!
If you aren't sure where to start with this stuff, there's a minor hassle involved before you can access your free-with-a-membership games. You'll have to download the EA Desktop app, log in with a current or newly-created EA Account, and link it with your Xbox account. I know, I know. Too many steps.
That said, the actual process is pretty straightforward: just try to install an EA Play game through the Xbox app on PC and the system will point you in the right direction as far as the EA app is concerned.
It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to "sign up" for EA Play. It's an automatic perk.
You can find an up-to-date list of included EA Play games over here; highlights include Jedi: Fallen Order, Titanfall 2, A Way Out, Unravel Two, Spore, and 10-hour new game trials (click "See Games" in the Xbox app). All told, there's 60-plus PC games. Many aren't what you'd consider "recent," but they hold up fine.
If you have Xbox Game Pass for PC or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, knock yourself out. I've said it before, but more often than not, "renting" EA games is my preferred method. Game Pass makes it easy.
Four months later, Spider-Man: Miles Morales swings in at No.1
In an interesting turn of events, Insomniac Games' pseudo-sequel Spider-Man: Miles Morales has clambered to the top of the UK Charts, just over four months after its initial November 2020 release.
Miles Morales' belated arrival at the No.1 position comes after the UK received a major restock of PS5 releases, with the next-gen version of the open-world adventure accounting for 90% of all Spider-Man sales over the past week. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, even if you discounted PS4 sales, our boy Morales would still have found himself in the top spot, usurping Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury after one full month in the premier position.
The PS5 restock also saw a sales boost for other older releases, with the PS5 edition of Warner Bros. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate returning to the Top 40 at number 18, and Ubisoft's Immortals: Fenyx Rising returning at number 14. It's still very much a Nintendo-led Top Ten, however, with over 50% of the division taken up by Switch releases including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Ring Fit Adventure, Minecraft, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars - all of which will no doubt be joined by Capcom's incoming Monster Hunter Rise in just a matter of weeks.
(Update) We'll finally get a fresh update on Dying Light 2 this week
[Update: Techland's March status update for Dying Light 2 showed a few gameplay snippets, an unnecessary Mean Tweets-style bit, and a notice to "stay tuned" with a "2021" closer – you good?
"This is a huge and complex project, and we needed time to make sure it will live up to our vision," the team said in the video. "All of us here are putting our hearts into delivering a game that you will keep playing for months. We will be ready to start talking about Dying Light 2 very very soon."
It's tough to believe that release window will stick, but we'll see.]
Techland is finally ready to offer new information on the development of Dying Light 2. The developer will release an update pertaining to the long-in-limbo sequel on Wednesday, March 17, giving patient fans a little more insight into the current state-of-play regarding the survival-horror release. The new info will be first announced via the official Dying Light Discord channel.
In a follow-up to Techland's update announcement on Twitter, the developer admitted that it had jumped the gun on Dying Light 2's reveal, which took place way back at E3 2018. However, Techland said that production has been continuously moving forward since the initial reveal, and as such the sequel was not in any form of "development hell."
Originally announced for PS4, PC, and Xbox One, Dying Light 2 was initially scheduled for launch in spring 2020, before being pushed back to an as-yet-undisclosed release date. Hopefully this week's update will shed a little more (dying) light on the release, lest fans continue to consider the sequel dead and buried.
Controversial horror title Devotion now available via Red Candle Games
Delisted horror title Devotion is back on the market, some two years following its initial release, after Taiwanese developer Red Candle Games opened its own store in order to sell the creepy adventure game directly to anybody who wishes to purchase it.
Originally launching in February 2019, Devotion was pulled from the Steam platform following a massive surge of negative reviews after a talisman was discovered in-game openly criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping. Red Candle removed Devotion from sale, claiming that the offending message was a placeholder, never intended to ship in the finished product. But egos had already been damaged and, ultimately, Devotion would not return to the Steam store. In completely unrelated events, Devotion publisher Indievent had its business license revoked by China later that year.
The situation would then go quiet until December 2020, when publisher GOG.com announced on Twitter that it was preparing to carry Devotion on its retail store. GOG would do a complete u-turn mere hours later, refusing to release the game "after receiving many messages from gamers." Clearly, Red Candle Games has decided that the only course of action - some two years later - is to step up and sell the controversial title directly to players.
Destiny 2's Trials of Osiris mode has imploded again
Bungie has been having an issue with Trials of Osiris, one of its high-level premiere PVP events (alongside of Iron Banner) ever since it debuted in Destiny 2 last year.
Like many things Bungie, the team can't really figure out how to balance the mode's bugs, as well as player exploits. It's a balancing act for sure, but it's tough for Bungie to keep Trials up for extended periods of time at any rate.
What was the issue? Well last week, "fireteam rejoin functionality" was acting up, amid "win trading," which lets players earn high-end Trials gear. The short of it is that Trials is that it's intended as a "win repeatedly or you're out" sort of high stakes deal, with the victors earning their right to see a special in-game area through "flawless" runs.
Instead of doing that, some folks are trading wins to guarantee victory. Right now the plan is to disable Trials again until March 23, at which point a decision will be made. Either way, folks won't "miss" rewards, as per Bungie, during this craziness.
Cheating and exploits have always been huge problems for the Destiny series, thanks to some spaghetti code in many respects and a lack of proper anti-cheat software. Instead of really giving a lot of these facets the love and care they need, Bungie is keen to take the "band-aid" approach to a lot of this; resulting in situations like this past week. It's becoming increasingly difficult to predict when they'll actually figure this all out. Some of us have been waiting nearly seven years.
Bungie [Twitter]
Hi there! My name is Noelle and I'm the new Features Editor here at Destructoid. I'm a cat mom, dancer, and K-pop fan (I'm particularly into girl groups like Blackpink, Twice, ITZY, and LOONA). But we all know what I'm really here for: video games.
My love of games has been lifelong, but I didn't really fall back into them wholeheartedly until a few years ago. It starts back in the days of 3D Pinball Space Cadet when we had the aptly named "Computer Room" in our family home, and through to the graduation up to various handheld consoles, a PS2, and an Xbox 360 in my pre-teen years.
However, around the time I hit middle school, I set games on the backburner to follow my love of books, and dove deep into a love of literary storytelling (much to the excitement of my mom, a third-generation English teacher). In college, I majored in Classic Literature, and planned to pursue a master's degree in that field as well -- that was until a friend sat me down and had me play The Last of Us. I was immediately floored by Naughty Dog's 2013 masterpiece of cinematic interactive narrative, which is really an all-but-perfect character study disguised as apocalypse genre fiction.
From that moment on, all I could think about was how games are paving their way as a new storytelling medium, and I knew I had to be a part of it. I dug into researching narrative design, the history of storytelling in games, and how they're evolving to tell better and better stories year after year. I even gave a TEDx talk about it at my university. Unsurprisingly, all of my current favorite games focus a lot on narrative, like Disco Elysium, Kentucky Route Zero, and Hades.
I landed an editorial internship with Nerdist and then began freelance writing for games, both on the development side and as a journalist. After graduation, I made the move from my small town in South Carolina to Los Angeles, working first as a games writer at Skybound Entertainment, and then a QA Tester at Naughty Dog, the very studio that inspired me to uproot my entire life in the first place.
That brings me here, to Destructoid, in a position that is incredibly exciting to me. One of the things I love most in the world is thoughtful, productive conversations about art, how it affects us, and what it says about our experiences as people. Is that a little pretentious? Well sure, but I was planning on going into academia, remember? It comes with the territory.
My ultimate goal is to look at games, and the industry that surrounds them, through a critical lens that will hold them to the same standard as any other artistic medium out there, literature included. Journalistically, that's what features are perfect for, hence my enthusiasm in this new role. I really believe that if we continue to elevate our conversations about games, it will foster a reciprocal relationship that inspires better art, which will in turn create similarly rich and meaningful conversations as a reflection of that art.
Jumping into a well-established community like Destructoid is admittedly a bit intimidating, but it seems that those conversations are already happening here. All I can hope is that I can lend a unique perspective, and help enrich that environment even more. So thanks for having me, and I will do everything in my power to make you all fans of K-pop as well!
Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.1 out now on Switch, includes Metal Slug titles
I'm going to cover this news even though they didn't include Leona in the promotional shot. Harumph.
SNK has released Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 on Nintendo Switch. The retro compilation is now available to download from the Nintendo eShop for around $40, which is less than these titles would cost you if you picked them up today in their original form.
The compilation brings together great titles from SNK excellent but ill-fated handheld from the early '00s. Included in the package are the previously released Samurai Shodown! 2, King of Fighters R-2, SNK Gals' Fighters, Fatal Fury: First Contact, The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny, and the brilliant SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium. New to this compilation are cutesy golf sim Big Tournament Golf, RPG Dark Arms: Beast Buster, and both Metal Slug: 1st Mission and Metal Slug: 2nd Mission.
PlayStation is giving out 10 fantastic PS4 games for Play at Home 2021
We had heard that more free-to-keep PS4 games were coming soon from Sony after the Ratchet & Clank giveaway (which you can still claim today!), but I can't say I was expecting 10 more titles to show up for the Play at Home promo. It's not just about quantity, either – these are all quality releases.
You'll be able to grab nine games from March 25 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific until April 22 at 8:00 p.m.
- Abzu
- Enter the Gungeon
- Rez Infinite (PlayStation VR optional)
- Subnautica
- The Witness
- Astro Bot Rescue Mission (PlayStation VR)
- Moss (PlayStation VR)
- Thumper (PlayStation VR optional)
- Paper Beast (PlayStation VR)
Sony is also kicking in one of its own: Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition. You can add the robo-dino-hunting adventure to your PS4 library for free from April 19 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific until May 14.
Play at Home 2021 also has an "extended" 90-day trial for Funimation/Wakanim. If you're a new member and you want to go on an anime binge to end all binges, you have from March 25 to April 22 to take them up on the offer. I'll leave recommendations to the readers – they know what's good.
Unlike the usual monthly "free games," you do not need PlayStation Plus for any of these.
To give you a little bit more context on how much I like the games on this list, I own everything here except for Paper Beast – and the only reason it's on my yet-to-play list is that I've been on a VR break lately. Subnautica is one of my all-time favorites, Astro Bot is PSVR at its best, and Horizon Zero Dawn is a crowd-pleaser. I'm envious of anyone about to carve through these games for the first time.
PSA: Nintendo is offering bonus Gold for Switch Online memberships
It's time for a really simple PSA post. Don't get too excited! It is dealing with Switch Online after all; one of the least flashy online services (you get what you pay for!).
As of now until May 10 at 11:59PM PT (so specific!), Nintendo is running a promotion that grants you extra Gold Points (read: gold can be redeemed on the eShop as cash) for Switch Online subscriptions. Specifically, 12-month plans.
If you get an individual membership, it's $19.99, and you'll be granted 200 Gold Points. If you're aiming for a 12-month family membership, that's $34.99, and 350 Gold Points. As a reminder, Gold Points roughly equate to one cent per one gold.
Normally, you earn them through buying digital stuff (which nets you 5% back), or physical games (1% back). Annoyingly, Gold Points expire after 12 months on the last day of the month they were earned. If you need an explainer, you can find one here.
That's it, it's basically a few bucks off the price of a 12-month membership, and not really "a few bucks off" so much as "you have funny money/gift card cash to spend on the eShop now." This should barely be considered a promotion, but it's something to be aware of nonetheless.
Buy a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership and get My Nintendo Gold Points [Nintendo]
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut seeps onto PlayStation, PC, and Stadia March 30
It's time to wake up once again, detective. Developer ZA/UM has announced that its amazing, award-winning RPG Disco Elysium is getting ready to enthrall adventure fans all over again with the release of expanded edition Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, which will launch on PS4, PS5, PC, and Stadia on March 30. Xbox and Nintendo Switch editions will follow at some point this summer.
The Final Cut is described by the developer as the "definitive edition" of the abstract 2019 graphic adventure, which sees a beat-up, amnesiac detective on a brutal murder case, set against the backdrop of a dilapidated civilization, struggling to press forward in the aftermath of a nightmarish war. Upon its original release, Disco Elysium received rave reviews across the board for its fascinating universe, excellent writing, and inventive conversational style. It would go on to win numerous end-of-year awards, and was even chosen by TIME magazine as one of the previous decade's best releases.
Hello Destructoid! I'm Eric, and I'm joining on as a Senior News Reporter for the site.
Over the past six or so years, I've covered a lot in the realm of video games, reported and otherwise. I've written for a few different sites as both a staff member and as a freelancer, though you'll probably recognize me most as one of the folks from USgamer.
One thing the last year has made very clear is that news, as it pertains to video games, can be a much wider blanket than you'd think. Reporting has expanded a lot, even in just the last year; events shut down and game development slowed due to a health crisis, political candidates made Animal Crossing islands and Among Us lobbies, and a brick-and-mortar retailer became the focal point of a short squeeze.
My own work has stretched over a lot of these topics—covering how musicians used Minecraft to host concerts amid shutdowns, and how a studio managed to right the ship after a rough launch. I've also profiled some inspiring competitors in the scene, watched some really terrible movies, and yes, one time I found out why a guy was taped to the ceiling.
I like stories: untold histories and forgotten legacies, the how and why of what's happened, and how they inform what's to come. Video games are a part of our modern culture, even more today than they've ever been, and my goal is to find those fascinating stories and share them with y'all.
Otherwise, I'm based out of Texas, watch a fair bit of sports, and have been trying to up my cooking game while we've all been stuck inside. I usually keep up with whatever's big on streaming, and I sorely miss live music. (I listen to a lot of different music, though lately I've been really digging Phoebe Bridgers!)
I've got a bit of a competitive drive, so I play a lot of Valorant, Overwatch, and Dota 2, and I'm eagerly looking forward to Guilty Gear Strive. My favorite games include The World Ends With You, Nier Automata, the Zero Escape series, and Mass Effect—which I've spent literal years discussing with my friend and co-host on our podcast, Normandy FM.
I'm looking forward to getting to know the ins and outs of this community, and I hope y'all enjoy the news, reviews, and stories I'll be bringing your way.
Nintendo low key lets it slip that the next Mario Maker 2 Ninji speedrun event is the last
Nintendo is killing Mario Maker 1 online support at the end of the month (don't forget!), but it seems like they're going to be stopping support for Mario Maker 2 soon too, in some form or another.
In this innocuous tweet, Nintendo reminds us that the "Cap Mario Master" Ninji Speedrun Course is out now, which tasks players with collecting 100 coins amid the Super Mario World theme. Fine, right?
Well, in the next tweet reply, which is a little more sly and sans a marquee accompanying image or hashtag, Nintendo also notes that another Ninji speedrun event is "planned to launch on April 14." That's fine too, right? Read the fine print: "The volume of this 20th and final Ninji Speedrun will be bigger than usual and last for 2 weeks. Please be sure to keep an eye out!"
Wait, what? Yep, if you're still enjoying those Ninji speedruns, keep in mind that they seem to be ending in roughly a month. Also, note that Nintendo is willing to drop Mario Maker support like a sack of potatoes, so it stands to reason that in a few more years, Mario Maker 2 could be shut down like its predecessor.
Especially if there's a Mario Maker 3 in the works, with 3D support. I kind of want it, but I also don't want it to be inevitably shut down. Catch-22!
Nintendo of America [Twitter]
Chicory: A Colorful Tale describes itself as 'like Zelda in a coloring book world'
Prepare to grab your brush and beat the devil out of it, as publisher Finji has announced that charming-looking paint 'em up, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, will be launching on PS4, PS5, and PC this spring.
Developed by Greg Lobanov, previously responsible for the joyful Wandersong, Chicory tells the tale of a pupper artist who must wield a mystical artifact simply known as "The Brush" in order to recuse a fantasy world from its drab, monochromatic aesthetic. Guided by the titular spirit, our modest hero will bring extraordinary life, light, and color to the surroundings, using the power of art to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and generally put a little joy in some hearts.
Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 8K with ray tracing: need I say more?
We've seen various "4K Zelda" mods and the like, quite often actually, in the past year or two. But 8K and ray tracing? Well that's not something you witness every day.
Over on YouTube the channel Digital Dreams did just that, with the following parameters: "8K Zelda Botw CEMU - Raytracing GI Revo Reshade -Ultra graphic comparison - Gameplay." To say it looks gorgeous is an understatement.
At the start of the video we're in the classic Lost Woods zone, sans extra framerate issues. Then they whisk us away to the open world, where we get to see a little combat demonstration against an unsuspecting Blue Bokoblin. Then we're sent to Faron, which is one of the most striking regions in the game and a perfect opportunity to show off the ray tracing effects, as well as the lovely water visuals.
Unlike a lot of other mods, this one doesn't sacrifice the core integrity of the game's visuals. It pretty much looks the same? Just a little snappier and more responsive. I know a lot of people are purists when it comes to this stuff, but I'd take a stable framerate and clearer draw distances any day.
EA working on new ways to tackle racist and toxic content in FIFA 21
Electronic Arts is working on new technology with which it hopes to tackle the problem of racism and other toxic behaviors within its globally popular soccer sim, FIFA 21. The publisher announced it is investigating new measures to reduce problematic behavior in-game in response to an online investigation conducted by Eurogamer.
Eurogamer found that one of the core problems with FIFA 21 relates to the title's Pro Clubs mode - a sort of "Fantasy Football" league which allows players to create their own which allows players to create their own individual footballers and clubs with which to compete in online leagues and tournaments. Players have used this mode in order to name their team members and clubs with racist or homophobic slurs, or direct references to far-right groups.
Despite the Pro Clubs feature being around for well over a decade, it seems that the problem remains not only prominent, but happen with very regular occurrence. EA told Eurogamer that it works to eradicate racism and toxic behavior in FIFA, noting that it had banned over 9,000 accounts and issued 35,000 warnings since FIFA 21's launch in October of last year. Furthermore, EA says that it is working on implementing new technology with hopes of further reducing the toxicity within Pro Clubs, as well as in FIFA 21 in general.
"Under our Positive Play Charter, our teams are focused on improving in-game reporting and moderation tools, along with a players' ability to report any offensive content at ea.com/report," EA told Eurogamer. "This helps ensure that when people don't play by the rules, there are easily accessible channels to report problem players or inappropriate content."
"We take all reports seriously and regularly action against our findings [...] We're committed to continuously advancing our tools and solutions to address new challenges, including more intelligent monitoring and migration technology that will be released in the coming months."
FIFA is not the only video game brand combating racist user-created content, with almost every title/platform that allows user-uploaded material facing a battle against toxic content on a daily basis. In regards to gaming, this issue stems as far back as the medium's formative years, when arcade developers would add filters to high-score tables in order to prevent swears and slurs. It's an indictment that, decades later, these problems remain - both in gaming and, sadly, in the world at large.
EA Vows to do more to tackle racist content in FIFA 21 [Eurogamer]
Doom Eternal DLC The Ancient Gods Part 2 launches tomorrow, March 18
Following its tease earlier this week, Bethesda Softworks has released the full trailer for The Ancient Gods: Part 2, the second DLC expansion for id Software's hellish shooter Doom Eternal.
The new DLC, which drops on PS4, PC, and Xbox One tomorrow, March 18, sees the Doom Slayer and his small army of hellions rise up in battle against his vicious alter-ego, The Dark Lord. (I mean, Doom Slayer is pretty vicious himself but you get what I'm saying. The violent trailer is particularly epic in scale, with an all-out war perhaps beyond anything seen in the legendary franchise to date.
The time has nearly come for Mario to face the music.
In just a few weeks, a handful of games will be removed from sale or service. One of the weirdest parts of this operation is that Super Mario Bros. 35 is going bye-bye, which is a huge shame given that it's one of the very few perks that Switch Online is actually offering up.
Alas, we're getting one last hurrah for Mario 35, a "Special Battle" that will take players through the full game. That's World 1-1 to World 8-4, mind, and it'll be in order of the original. Nintendo warns that this event is "short," and they mean it. It'll run from March 19 at 16:00 JST to March 22 at 15:59 JST.
Do I think that Mario 35 is gone forever forever at the end of the month? Probably not. It'll likely come back at some point, as Nintendo views this classic take on the franchise as evergreen. But it'll be going away for the foreseeable future, that's for sure.
It's just especially strange when Tetris 99 is still alive and kicking, but this has to be the one that gets the axe.
Super Mario 35th [Twitter]
Animal Crossing: New Horizons breaks European record for fastest-selling title in Nintendo history
Nintendo has proudly announced that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has had better first-year sales in Europe than any release in the company's storied history. The news of this record-breaking milestone comes just a few days shy of the cute social sim's first anniversary.
Since its release on March 20, 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has sold over seven million copies in Europe, with the incredible number taking into account both physical and digital sales. The figure is a healthy chunk of New Horizons' global sales, which ranked around the 32 million mark as of Nintendo's December 2020 financial report. Nintendo has gone on record as stating that the title is responsible for a huge increase in Switch hardware sales. Whether Isabelle and chums will surpass Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the best-selling Switch release ever, (around 33.4 million copies and counting), remains to be seen.
"We're truly grateful that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been embraced by so many players across Europe," said Stephan Bole, president of Nintendo Europe in a statement posted by VGC. "Animal Crossing has long been a popular franchise in Europe, and its continued growth is due to the love of our fans for this unique series."
While Animal Crossing: New Horizons was already a highly anticipated release for a very popular gaming franchise, its comfortable and relaxing atmosphere also provided something of a haven for many players against the backdrop of 2020's darker days. The upcoming anniversary is to be celebrated via the arrival of several fun in-game items, while the incoming spring update will see the return of mischievous, egg-hiding bunny Zipper.
(Update) Players figured out how to glitch 12 people into Destiny 2 raids
[Update: And it's gone! It took roughly two weeks, but Bungie has put an end to the fun, as evidenced by the latest patch notes. Here's the rub: "Fixed an issue where players were able to cram 12 people into activity that clearly couldn't handle the might of that many Guardians." It makes sense, but it was cool while it lasted!]
Interestingly, people are breaking Destiny again to make it more fun. Expect the police to arrive any day now!
As spotted by PC Gamer, folks have been forcing 12 players into Destiny 2 raids, which are normally six-player affairs. The gist? You form two fireteams (groups), one with five players on it, another with seven. Then you do some trickery with the invite/chat system and launch an activity; right as the timer hits two, you load both in at once.
So there's a bit of history around this. Scrub, the YouTube channel embedded below, perhaps showcases the effect the best in a very short video. But the trick was allegedly discovered by ChildCelebrity on Twitter, then popularized by this group in the Last Wish raid on February 26. Before that, it was only whispered about in some circles. It's gone viral now.
So it's been nearly a week since the playerbase has been engaging in these "extra player" raids, and the development team is aware of it. There has been no formal announcement on what a fix might entail or when it's coming.
Genshin Impact Version 1.4 is now live on all platforms
miHoYo has released the hugely anticipated Version 1.4 edition of its gacha RPG Genshin Impact. The new update - now available to download on all platforms - brings with it a brand new character alongside new events, gear, quests, weaponry and much, much more.
Joining Genshin Impact's ever-burgeoning roster of characters is the solemn Sister Rosaria. This almost ghostly woman is a member of Monstadt's Church of Favonius and sports an attitude and social style as cold and sharp as her intimidating style, demeanor, and devastating polearm skills. One thing is for certain, she sure doesn't look like any nun I've ever encountered. And I've met, like, loads.
The Colonists, a chilled-out city-builder, is coming to consoles
Depending on who you ask, Steam is overrun with city-builders, but there aren't a ton of options for the console crowd – and even then, it can be hit-or-miss to find games that are comfortable, legible, and run okay on consoles. Even if they aren't ideal, I'm open to these ports. I'll give them a chance.
The Colonists is a self-described "relaxing" settlement-building game about laying down efficient resource-gathering and transportation routes for robots who have left earth behind to build a new home. It's a logistics game, the kind that feels productive even though you've just spent the last hour unwinding instead of chipping away at that personal project you've been putting off for so long.
Developer Codebyfire has been doing its thing on Steam since October 2018, and The Colonists is in a good enough place for console ports to make sense. Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions of the game are coming in 2021 with an assist from Auroch Digital and publisher Mode 7.
Here are some preview screenshots taken from the PS4 build:
Apart from the noticeably larger UI elements, the port developers say they've reworked the controls "from the ground up" for consoles, added new hats for the bots, and worked on other "cute touches."
The favorable Steam reviews have drawn a lot of comparisons to The Settlers, and I dig that there are separate "peaceful" and "military" tracks for folks, like me, who don't necessarily want to duke it out.
"Very easy to get into from a mechanical perspective as well, so this is a great game for someone who hasn't tried a city builder before," wrote Steam user reviewer Sethyboy0. "For experienced players, the biggest challenge will be putting together a colony with good production without your roads getting clogged up with goods. You'll have to make good use of all the tools available."
I look forward to inevitably realizing that my supply chain is awful and fighting the urge to start over.
Contest: Win an Another Eden prize pack, featuring an official artbook and keyboard and mouse mat
In today's contest you can win an Another Eden official artbook and desk pad prize pack!
Happy birthday, Dtoid! I know it's our birthday, but that doesn't mean we can't give you a nice little present, right?
On deck today is a fun little prize pack from Another Eden, featuring an official artbook and a keyboard/mouse mat! Just try not to get wrist grease all over the mousepad, yo.
Happy 15th Birthday, Destructoid!
Hit the lights, strike up the band, pop the corks, lose your pants. We are gathered here today to celebrate the anniversary of the coolest and hippest video game website on the internet - right up there with such contemporary trends as Tamagotchis, Fidget Spinners, and The Macarena. Yes, friends, today sees Destructoid celebrate its 15th birthday.
It's been 15 long years since founder Niero Gonzalez started his own gaming blog for the sole purpose of blagging an E3 press pass. Suffering for his art, our affable overlord crammed his head inside a home-made, razor-sharp helmet and spread the gospel of a brand new games media experience. A website that aimed to take a wry look at the video games industry - its wares, people, politics, and curiosities, offering informed and honest information without taking itself too seriously.
Since those humble beginnings, Destructoid has grown into the "phenom" it is today - like The Undertaker, but without the weirdly right-wing clothing. For well over a decade, Destructoid has posted thousands upon thousands of features, reviews, videos, interviews, podcasts, show reports, and contests. The site has raised money for numerous charities and causes, while Destructoid alumni have birthed memorable series such as Podtoid, Jonathan Holmes' 'Sup Holmes, Ashly Burch's Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin'?, and The Jimquisition, hosted by the irrepressible Jim Stephanie Sterling.
SOMA sold a million copies on PC and it deserves every last sale
SOMA has got to be one of my favorite horror games of the past decade – doubly so when I try to think about contenders that aren't remasters, remakes, or rehashes. It's heartwarming to hear that I'm far from alone in feeling that way, and that it's continuing to sell well by Frictional Games' measure.
In a mostly Amnesia: Rebirth-focused blog post, the studio mentioned that SOMA has "sold more than one million copies on PC and quite a lot more if you combine it with sales on PS4 and Xbox One." The milestone actually happened "some time ago" – the developers just now got around to celebrating it.
"Reaching the one-million milestone once again shows that our games have a really long tail and the way we like to interpret that is as a seal of quality and that our games receive a strong push over time through word of mouth. The game even sold quite a lot more last year than it did the year before that, but that has probably a lot to do with the buzz surrounding our studio thanks to the Rebirth release."
I'm not afraid of the deep ocean, and SOMA messed me up big time anyway. Come for the disturbing horror-game sights, stay for the all-too-real existential dread that sticks with you well after you shut it off. You might've heard about a Safe Mode to keep the creeps at bay, but that can only go so far. This is one of those rare horror-adventures you put yourself through for the sake of a powerful story.
Before you go skimming the whole blog, watch out: there are (well-labeled) postmortem spoilers for Amnesia: Rebirth. Sales-wise, the game cleared 100,000 copies in its first five months. Is that enough? It's not profitable yet – but Frictional feels "really optimistic about the future for the game."
On a more concrete note, Frictional says it already has two new titles in the works: the developers "just initiated production on the next game (which has now had tons of pre-production time during Rebirth) and we're kicking off pre-production on a second project as we speak." Rebirth is still on my list.
Amnesia: Rebirth – Five months later and SOMA sells 1M+ copies [Frictional Games]
SkateBird's new office video puts the 'grind' in 'daily grind'
It's been a minute since we heard from avian xtreme sports title SkateBird, which will see your local bird-box buddies take to four-wheeled decks and bust out some sweet-ass feathered flips, bro. But developer Glass Bottom Games has returned with a brand new video, showcasing the absurd but fun-looking skater.
The new two-minute preview gives us a look at SkateBird's "Office," as our adorable feathered friends take advantage of desktops, staplers, magazines, and other stationery (literally) items in order to pull off a sick run, racking up combos, points, and bonuses along the way. The video is narrated by Glass Bottom Games' Xalavier Nelson Jr., who provides context for the amusing on-screen action.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is adding more slots and options for custom designs
Nintendo covered a lot of ground in Animal Crossing: New Horizons today while previewing the March 18 update and other incoming content, but one year after the game's launch, the support plan feels incremental. We're waiting for exciting new stuff to do, and we're still (mostly) getting themed items.
Not to downplay that strat too much – some of the items do look cute. It's just hard to keep your expectations in check when you consider everything New Leaf accomplished and weigh it against New Horizons' content pace. There's also the matter of data-mining; folks are still wondering about Brewster.
The café will have to wait for another day. Here's what to expect from the March 18 update:
- There's a new Custom Design Pro Editor+ to unlock for 2,000 Nook Miles – it lets you deck out "umbrellas, small flags, uchiwa, and photo stands." Nintendo is also adding 50 more design slots for Normal and Pro custom creations if you could use the space.
- Nintendo Switch Online players can use the Able Sisters' Custom Designs Portal directly from their NookPhone.
- The 1st Anniversary Cake (check your mailbox at home).
- Sanrio Collaboration Pack support including furniture and fashion pieces (available at Target for $5.99).
And there are new seasonal items to snag:
- Nook Shopping will sell whoopee cushions from March 26 to April 1.
- The Able Sisters and Nook Shopping will have prom-themed apparel from April 1 to April 30, including "a prom wall, prom night flooring, and a prom sash."
Nintendo also previewed a late-March update for the Switch Online app that'll let Nook Link users earn daily Nook Points "by accessing the app to redeem prizes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons."
Fair warning: Bunny Day is returning on April 4. If there's any lingering business you need to wrap up on your island before the egg menace returns in full over-the-top force, you'd better get cracking.
Thankfully, the "newly-added" Bunny Day items for 2021 will be "exclusive to Nook's Cranny."
(Update) Rockstar pays modder $10,000 for fixing GTA Online's loading woes
[Update: Rockstar has applied a new update to the PC edition of GTA Online which - according to reports from PC Gamer - has seriously reduced load times across the board by minutes. Fine work, t0st, the GTA community owes you a debt of gratitude.]
Rockstar has offered thanks and compensation to a player/modder who discovered a way to severely reduce the load times of the PC edition of the publisher's bullet-riddled MMO GTA Online.
Back in February, a tinkerer going by the moniker "t0st" discovered a discrepancy in GTA Online's source code which could be manipulated to improve the epic title's load times, up to as much as 70% in some cases. As reported by Digital Foundry, t0st's discovery instructs GTA Online to bypass billions of unnecessary coding checks, allowing players to get into the murky online world and start robbing cars and popping domes faster than ever before.
Earlier this week, almost a month to the day that t0st made the game-changing discovery, Rockstar responded to the fan fix in a statement released to PC Gamer. "After a thorough investigation, we can confirm that player t0st did, in fact, reveal an aspect of the game code related to load times for the PC version of GTA Online that could be improved," said GTA's head honchos. "As a result of these investigations, we have made some changes that will be implemented in a forthcoming title update."
Rockstar offered its thanks to t0st for their hard work, with the modder noting that they had received $10,000 from the publisher via its "Bug Bounty" program, which rewards players for their feedback on serious tech and program issues within the GTA Online universe. While the program is generally only focused on security issues, Rockstar told t0st it was making an exception for this particular discovery.
GTA Online is the jewel in Rockstar's revenue crown. Since its launch way back in 2013, the highly hazardous MMO sees hundreds of thousands of players on a monthly basis, bolstering Rockstar's coffers with expansions and microtransactions, while contributing to Grand Theft Auto V's reign as one of the single best-selling video games of all-time.
Super Bomberman R Online headed to PC and consoles, and it's free-to-play
Previous Stadia-exclusive Super Bomberman R Online will come blasting onto PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch at some point in the near future. Rumors of a port popped up back in February, after a listing for a PC edition appeared on The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea's website. Konami officially announced the multi-platform port earlier today.
Super Bomberman R Online takes the famous and frantic gameplay that is the franchise's trademark and applies it to a larger, battle-royale format. Up to 64 Bombermen are deposited across a selection of 16 maps, blowing each other (and often themselves) to kingdom come until there is a last bomber standing. Players can kit their custom master blaster out in over 100 different items, ensuring that they have the coolest-looking bomber on the block.
As Super Bomberman R Online features a heavy emphasis on customization, Konami has decided that the new port will be released as a free-to-play title. A "Premium Pack," which will retail for around 10 bucks, will include a selection of unique items and skins based on famous Konami brands such as Castlevania, Gradius, and Silent Hill. Players will also need to purchase the Premium Pack if they wish to set up private games or access the "Grand Prix" mode. The mammoth 64-player battles, however, will be available to everyone for free.
[Update: As an extra bonus, Square Enix has uploaded a music video for Blinding Indigo from The Primals, the theme song of the Leviathan raid boss in the Shadowbringers expansion. It, like the Endwalker theme, is also isolated audio without background sound effects and such: you can watch that below! If you're curious, you can watch the fight here.]
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has a huge focus on music. Huge!
It drives so many of the boss battles, and adds a ton of flavor to the game as a whole. Hardcore fans look forward to hearing a new boss or raid theme just as much as the encounters themselves, at times. That's why it's such good news that Square Enix finally put out a version of the Endwalker expansion theme without background noise.
Previously folks were listening to it via the presentation stream video, which was full of noise from the actual trailer. But thanks to a tweet from Square Enix directly, you can listen to the isolated audio yourself. Check it out below.
Another added bonus of the video? It's informative!
Clocking in at just under two minutes and 50 seconds, you can get a bird's eye view of the entire expansion pitch. It goes through everything from the new story content, to the two dungeon teases, to the PS5 beta and the enhancements therein.
Neurodiver, sequel to 2064: Read Only Memories, is headed to PS5 and Switch
Mind-ripping animated adventure Read Only Memories: Neurodiver will be coming to PS5 and Nintendo Switch, in addition to its previously announced PS4, PC, and Xbox One editions, when it finally hits the market in the first quarter of 2022.
Developed by indie outfit MidBoss, Neurodiver is the sequel to 2015 release 2064: Read Only Memories, and will follow the escapades of psychic detective ES88 as they attempt to help a sketchy bounty hunter with a particularly dangerous pursuit. The esper will be able to use their abilities to delve into minds and read the innermost thoughts of those connected with the case. But handle with care, these are the heads of others that you're playing with, and you can cause much damage.
Originally expected to launch in 2020, Read Only Memories: Neurodiver is now tentatively scheduled to hit the airwaves in the first quarter of 2022. So start getting your brain in gear.
Fortnite's newest season is called 'Primal,' and has map changes as well as Lara Croft
Fortnite just kicked off their next season [battle] pass: "Chapter 2, Season 6."
Leaving the hunters and The Mandalorian in the dust, this new offering, dubbed "Primal," will feature none other than Lara Croft, a character that was heavily rumored to appear in the prior season.
"Primal" is more than just a name, as the new map is decidedly more wild, with crafting mechanics, a heavy focus on bows, and animals dotting the map.
Jade Raymond founds Haven Studios, already developing new IP for PlayStation
Canadian video game producer Jade Raymond has announced the founding of a brand new studio. Based out of Montreal, Haven Studios is a new and independent developer that has already gotten straight to working on a brand new mystery IP for PlayStation platforms.
"Many of the talented game developers I have worked with for years (and love dearly!) are coming together to do what we are most passionate about," said Raymond in an official PlayStation blog. "It's time for us to refocus on GAMES in a place where we can practice our crafts without any barriers or impediments. We want to create worlds where players can escape, have fun, express themselves, and find community. We want to pour our passion into a project. We want to make something wondrous for people to experience."
The founding of Haven Studios comes a mere month after the news that Raymond - formerly of Ubisoft and Electronic Arts - had left Google following the closure of Stadia's internal studios. In the introductory blog, Raymond alludes to the difficulties she has faced - both in games development and the world at large - over the past year, and how she hopes her studio will offer a metaphorical "haven" for its staff and customers.
"We want to make something wondrous for people to experience. Because we believe in the power of games to bring joy to people's lives. And Sony does, too. Their commitment to excellence is unmatched. It's why I couldn't be happier for their backing and support," continues Raymond. "Together, we want to create games that are a haven for players, and we want to build a studio that is a haven for developers."
Not finishing games you bought is a foreign thought to me, but it happens often!
I mean you're probably thinking to yourself: "I rarely finish games!" And data would support you, friend.
Based on a new trophy-scouring report from UnGeek, Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most-finished open world games on the PlayStation platform, but it still only clocks in at a 50.2% completion rate (for the main story). Before you react, that's actually pretty high!
The report looked at many other open world titles of the modern era, and found that only Marvel's Spider-Man beat out Ghost with a 50.8% completion rating. Assassin's Creed Origins was below it at 38.2%, followed by Far Cry 5 (36.7%) and Days Gone (34.7%). You can find the full list below.
In many ways, Ghost of Tsushima's quality speaks for itself in terms of why it was able to hook so many people. It's certainly a more involved and longer game than Spider-Man, which makes its completion stat all the more impressive.
Ghost of Tsushima has one of the highest completion rates among open-world games on PlayStation [UnGeek]
If you hated the Balan Wonderworld demo, there's going to be a day one patch to address 'feedback'
The Balan Wonderworld demo was...contentious, to say the least!
Some folks enjoyed the warm feelings that it evoked, as well as the nostalgic leanings toward Yuji Naka's older works. Others thought it was basic. We'll all get a chance to collectively see what the game has got in full when it's out in 10 days: but for now, we'll speculate.
A new blog post from producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto, in a rare display of humility, acknowledges some of the demo's more polarizing bits. Here's a quick blurb from Fujimoto: "There's been a wide range of opinions and responses to the demo, and unfortunately at the current stage of development, it simply isn't feasible to reflect every piece of feedback into the game. However, to offer you all a more balanced gameplay experience, we will be implementing a day one patch for the full game."
The blog post actually gives specifics! Apparently it will "adjust movement controls" as well as the camera, and will "rebalance" difficulty. Whether more "adjustments" will come later is unknown, but I'm sure some of you out there want them.
Again, I'm anxious to see what the full version has in store. I can deal with technical issues and limitations, so long as the rest brings its A game.
The many layers of Balan Wonderworld [Square Enix]
Nintendo is poised for a huge year for the Switch, with 'record software and hardware' sales
Right now the Switch is riding high. Just four years into its lifecycle,
Nintendo is touting roughly 80 million units sold, between the Switch and the Switch Lite. That's good! As in, it's approaching the top-five all-time best-selling console list good. All it needs to do is beat out 102 million PlayStation One units, and it'll have cracked the list and even overtaken the Wii, which is currently in sixth place. It's ready to crack the top 10 right now basically, as soon as it surpasses the PSP's suggested 82 million units. But what about the future?
Bloomberg reports that Nintendo is going to make a huge push this year and try for record-setting numbers in terms of software and hardware. Allegedly, there are plans to unveil more blowout software titles this year, which we could see as early as this summer.
Bloomberg also notes that part of the reason the Switch continues to sell is due to the lack of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S hardware. Yet, Nintendo also faces the same bottleneck as Sony and Microsoft via manufacturer woes and shortages.
They are still pushing those reports of a Switch Pro, which would further propel Nintendo into 100 million sales territory "in the latter half of the year," if that plan comes to fruition. With "stronger blockbuster" software and a new alleged OLED/4K Switch model, Nintendo could easily hit their targets.
Nintendo Targets a Record Year in Switch, Game Sales [Bloomberg]
Quirky PS5 video features Resident Evil Village, FFVII Remake Intergrade, Returnal, and much more
PlayStation Japan has released a quirky promo that presents itself as a "leaked" internal video. The amusingly titled "PlayStation 5_Lineup_Presentation_File_2021-03" trailer features clips taken from a who's who of great titles, all available on (or headed to) PS5.
The five-minute preview includes Capcom's Resident Evil Village, Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Housemarque's Returnal, Bethesda's Deathloop, ArcSys' Guilty Gear Strive, Sega's Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and many, many more. As a catalogue of some of the exciting games already available or coming soon to PS5, it certainly presents a powerful advertisement for the new next-gen platform. Though it should be clarified that many of these titles are not PlayStation exclusive.
Microsoft is ready to share a few new Xbox Game Pass titles today, and it's quite the list!
As we knew, Outriders and Undertale are coming to the service, but there's several other big names too. Empire of Sin is already making its way to Xbox Game Pass, just several months after launch. NieR: Automata is another heavy-hitter too, as it will be available on the PC arm of Game Pass. It's one of the many evergreen titles that will give Game Pass value as long as it's on the service.
Octopath Traveler is another welcome title, which will be arriving on both consoles and PC on March 25! Add in Yakuza 6 and Star Wars: Squadrons, and you got a stew going.
This is easily one of the strongest months yet for Game Pass. You have a few classics to choose from, several newish titles that are bankable "Game Pass rentals," and Outriders, a brand new game coming day-and-date.
Microsoft is going all-in on Game Pass and I'm loving it.
Story of Seasons players sure love taking creeper photographs
We're a week away from the launch of Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town in North America, and if you've been following it all in Japan, you know things haven't been going so well. The game released there with a slew of issues that were so bad, producer Dai Takemura actually issued a public apology over the state of the game.
That hasn't stopped people from playing it and exploring one of the chief new features developers created for this entry. Photography plays a pretty decent-sized role in your farming life as you're asked to snap candid photos of wildlife. Of course, you can take pictures of whatever the hell you want, as evident by the photographs that populate the loading screens.
Most of these pictures are nothing out of the ordinary. There are shots of the town, shots of animals, and shots of people, about half of which are out of focus. There is also a nice collection of glitches people have captured, like this boulder owl.
Nintendo boasts improved Zelda: Skyward Sword HD controls that are 'smoother' on Switch
The day Zelda: Skyward Sword came out, I hooked up my shiny new golden MotionPlus controller and...had some mechanical issues.
Then I tried my two other MotionPlus-adapter-ready Wiimotes, and...had more issues. Namely, deadzoning for bomb rolling and a few aiming problems: sword swinging was mostly on point. It turns out Nintendo thinks that system can be improved upon, based on a new ad for the game.
Shared over on Twitter by Nintendo of America, Skyward Sword HD on Switch will apparently have new enhancements with more precise motion controls. Here's the rub: "the original controls have been recreated on Nintendo Switch, and are smoother and more intuitive than the original version."
It's a really bold marketing claim, to dump on the Wii like that; especially when Miyamoto got up on stage and touted how advanced MotionPlus technology was. But if it actually pans out, I'll take it.
It won't fix all of Skyward Sword's problems, but it's a start.
Nintendo of America [Twitter]
Batman x Fortnite comic Zeropoint will include in-game bonus items
DC Comics and Epic Games are teaming up once again for further Fortnite-based shenanigans. The comic-book giant has announced a new miniseries which will see the lawmakers and lawbreakers of Gotham City meet up with some of the battle royale title's cast of heroes and villains.
Batman/Fortnite: Zeropoint will see a tear in the fabric of space and time appear in the skies above Gotham, thrusting The Dark Knight into Fortnite's colorful and chaotic universe. Now struggling to regain his sense of being and identity, Batman will be forced to adapt to his new surrounding, while facing off against some of the strange new world's Champions - including Renegade Raider, Bandolier, and Fishstick...
...I mean, it's still better than that time he had to fight through all of American history.
"When DC first approached me about doing a Batman/Fortnite series I thought it would be a lot of fun," said Zeropoint writer Christos Gage. "After speaking with Donald [Mustard, Epic Games' CCO] and discovering just how deeply we'd be diving into the secrets behind the world of Fortnite, I was amazed! This series will reveal things about Fortnite that have never been seen or heard before yet are very much part of the canon of the game."
As a bonus, Fortnite fans who pick up the first run of physical issues will find codes for special in-game items and skins inspired by the mini-series. The first issue will feature a New Rebirth Harley Quinn gear, and players who purchase all six issues will get access to an exclusive Armored Batman Zero outfit for their character.
Batman/Fortnite: Zeropoint will launch in both physical and digital format on April 20, with following issues to release each fortnight... Naturally.
There's one week left before Fall Guys Season 4 starts
How does March 22 sound for Fall Guys Season 4? Ready or not, here it comes – a futuristic new season starts in one week, so if you have any ground left to cover in Season 3, you'd best get going.
The more trailers I watch for the game, the more this grim realization settles in: if someone – say a tricky Cenobite-type character – were to lock me in a room with the Fall Guys theme song blaring for a day, I would not need the full 24 hours to animorph into a bean man. It would be a quick and painful fate. Thankfully, this time, the iconic main-menu tune quickly fades into a far chiller track from Gunship.
I know this is a cinematic trailer, and we've only gotten a good look at one of the seven new Season 4 levels so far, but I'm pleasantly surprised. Even though "The Future" is such a widely-used theme in pop culture, it fits pretty well with the game-show concept of Fall Guys, and I'm sensing more creativity and ambition as Mediatonic scales up. I hope they go a little Running Man on us, even if it's just a simple nod.
Some of the levels being teased: Power Trip, Roll On, Big Shots, and the aforementioned Skyline Stumble. If you loathe team games on principle, well, it looks like there's at least one more on the way.
Apart from the Among Us crossover costume shown at the end of the video, which is pure headline bait, Fall Guys also has a cat costume lined up for Season 4 that I must add to my pile of never-worn outfits.
I wouldn't say Fall Guys necessarily has that gotta-be-there-day-one factor for season debuts to the same extent as other mega-popular multiplayer games, but it is clawing its way to that status. By the time the Nintendo Switch and Xbox versions are out this summer, I might have a whole new outlook.
This might come as a shock to you: I'm not a fan of the Crash Bandicoot series. I know this doesn't make sense, as I'm British, and we in Blighty love the mad marsupial as much as we love pie-and-mash and rewarding corruption... To be fair - I'm not a fan of Britain either. My general mood toward Crash is rooted in my dislike of "into-the-screen" platform games. There's a special place in the underworld reserved for the people who decided platform games needed to make the transition from the tried-and-tested horizontal layout.
I personally find it bizarre that a genre entirely based around perfectly gauging distance would choose to have its camera perspective changed in such an unholy fashion. And while the 3D Mario titles get away with it - thanks to their softer gameplay pace and large open areas - Crash Bandicoot seemed to want to capture the same frenzied speed and funneled action of a Sonic the Hedgehog, but with all-new depth perception issues, adding elements of frustration and false difficulty to the proceedings.
Still, as technology progresses and visual clarity improves, this has become somewhat less of a problem in modern 3D platformers. It has taken many years, but developer Toys for Bob has turned me around with its excellent Crash Bandicoot 4, which has won me over with its spirited world, infectious personality, creative level design, and fun, wholesome aesthetic.
I've finally found a Crash Bandicoot platform game that I enjoy playing. It's about time.
I'm the world's foremost expert on the Army Men series of games, and while I can see you raising a skeptical eyebrow, I have to ask: do you really want to challenge that claim? The series is something of a guilty pleasure of mine. A majority of it is mediocre, some of it is decent, but a lot of it is bad. The experience is a lot like dumpster diving; every once in a while, you might find a discarded treasure, but you're mostly just going to wind up with tetanus and a foul smell.
It's an interesting part of gaming history because a massive deluge of the titles hit between 1998 and 2002 before it coughed out the disturbingly depressing eulogy that is Army Men: Sarge's War shortly after 3DO went bankrupt. The rights were bought up by Global Star Software, a subsidiary of 2K. They tried rebooting the series twice before just giving up and leaving it to be forgotten.
Army Men: Major Malfunction is the first such effort. Developed by Team 17, it at least has some pedigree, but sometimes pedigree comes with severe medical complications and genetic mutations.
Tekken's Katsuhiro Harada debuts chilled, bar-based interview series 'Harada's Bar'
Katsuhiro Harada, the affable and charismatic Tekken producer, has debuted a brand new web series, which sees the sunglasses-sporting icon operating a classy drinking establishment whilst interviewing famous names from both the FGC and the video game industry at large.
"Harada's Bar" - as spotted by Event Hubs - sees Harada working the counter of a pretty smart-looking watering hole, which will be visited by new guests each and every week. The first episode sees the former Sony Computer Entertainment chairman Ken Kutaragi take time out from his undoubtedly busy schedule to enjoy a pint and set the world to rights - generously bringing along his own ornate casket of Saki as a gift for our host.
Sony is shutting down the PlayStation Communities service next month
Sony has announced that it is pulling down the shutters on the PS4's PlayStation Communities service. As of April the long-running dashboard feature - which allows players of particular games to build forum-style discourse, share screenshots, form parties, and other activities under the banner of specific titles - will be no more.
The announcement was made on the official PlayStation site as part of a general update about the changing face of the PlayStation 4 platform. Both PS4 and PS5 still allow for direct messaging, along with the public sharing of content, guides, live streams and tips for specific games. The PS5 in particular having a slew of features built around game-based communication, so it seems inevitable that Sony would start sunsetting some of its older social features. The PlayStation Communities mobile app was already shut down back in March of last year.
The PlayStation Communities service is expected to close with the arrival of update 8.5, currently expected to launch within the next five-to-six weeks. So if you have any PS Community pals you want to stay in touch with, best jump back into your local groups and start dropping some friend requests.
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection will be 4K 60FPS on Xbox, as God intended
Thanks to the gift that keeps on giving (Microsoft Store listings), we now have a bit more info on Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection's technical specs.
The listing confirms that the game will feature 4K Ultra HD visuals, as well as "60FPS+." That's great news for any Ninja Gaiden purists, as they'll probably want the game to favor the latter in any case. Still, both is good. Just in case the listing gets taken down, we've screencapped the pertinent parts below.
Note that while this technically only applies to the Xbox editions of the game, it stands to reason that the PS4/PS5 editions and the PC port will sport similar compatibility. 4K on the Switch though is probably not in the cards.
Note that the collection is still on track for a June 10 release, so we're still a ways out. But really, a competent re-release of just Ninja Gaiden Black and 60FPS is all we need. The rest is extra.
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Deluxe Edition [Microsoft]
