The Stream Team: Guild Wars 2 griffon egg hunting in Elon Riverlands

In honor of Guild Wars' anniversary on the 26th, Massively OP's MJ is hopping into its sequel, Guild Wars 2. There, she's halfway though the tasks that will grant her a griffon mount. The next stop is heading to Elon Riverlands to hunt eggs — and apparently raid the Dead House! Sure, that doesn't sound […]

Black Desert welcomes May with tulips on PC, awakens the Sage on console, adds the Kunoichi to mobile

Every version of Black Desert has seen an update of some sort this week, which means that not only is there a whole lot for players of the MMO to experience, but we're going to tap out some bullet points for you. It's just easier to write and to read this way, honestly. Also Bree […]

Not So Massively Roundup: Valorant's Breeze, Apex's Olympus, Runeterra's expansion, and Jeff

Welcome back to another roundup of news for Not-So-Massively and MMO-adjacent games in the MMORPG orbit! Valorant: Riot's Valorant has rolled out the Breeze map this week, set on a "remote island distinguished by its bright, playful, and colorful environment, with wide open spaces and opportunities for long range encounters." And if you for some […]

The Stream Team: Saying sayonara to Defiance 2050

It's been a long, long time since Massively OP's MJ hopped into Defiance 2050… and today is her last chance! The game, as well as Defiance the first, shut down early in the morning. MJ can't let it head off into the land of the sunsets without a goodbye, so join us live at 5:00 […]

Super Mario Party expands its online multiplayer offerings in latest update

Yes, we know, Super Mario Party is not an MMO. Here's your celebratory basket of onion rings for pointing that out. For everyone else who likes multiplayer games (which are also under our purview) and would like to play some digital Mario board gaming with others, there's a free update that has vastly opened up […]

Final Fantasy XI kicks off multiple boost campaigns in May

If you still have leveling to take care of in Final Fantasy XI, you might want to hold off until May 11th. Not because you won't be able to level before then, of course, but because the game is kicking off a variety of campaigns starting on that date, including double to triple the total amount […]

Champions Online is holding a kaiju-themed costume contest on April 30

Ah, the costume contest. That venerable piece of emergent content that vets of a certain superheroic title will remember all too fondly (or bitterly depending on how judging went for you). Champions Online is certainly no stranger to encouraging this sort of thing, and the devs at Cryptic will be doing so this coming Friday, […]

Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go's May events look fairy good

Pokemon Go's finally getting back into the swing of things. While mini-events have been on offer in the past, May looks to be returning to longer, meatier events, complete with more accessible player participation (perhaps as a result of the recent Sustainability Week failure). May 4th through 17th will be the Luminous Legends X event, […]

Wizard101's massive spring update is live with new social grouping tools and myth ninja pigs

Wizard101 has been in the headlines a lot in 2021, owing largely to the fact that its studio, KingsIsle, was bought out by Gamigo and Gamigo's parent company, MGI Invest, earlier this year. MGI has called the buyout a "transformative acquisition" and talked up a console port for the 101 games as KingsIsle hastened to […]

City of Heroes' Rebirth server adds new Guardian archetype and powersets with first Issue

Rebirth might be one of the smaller rogue servers in the City of Heroes community, particularly compared to the largest batch; according to its own website as I type this on Wednesday morning, only around 25 people are in there right now. But its first major update is a whopper worthy of attention. Readers will […]

Elite Dangerous launches Odyssey alpha phase 4, affirms improvements to its final build in livestream

Today is the last day for PC-playing Commanders in Elite: Dangerous to kick the tires of the Odyssey expansion as the fourth and final phase of the alpha test is now officially live, bringing over player characters from the live game into the alpha build as well as all of their ships and credits instead […]

Perfect Ten: Why I'm a sucker for MMO collector's editions

If you've ever wondered what kind of naive sucker would plunk down a semi-thick wad of perfectly good cash on an overstuffed MMO collector's edition, hi, I'm Justin. I do just that. I don't buy collector's editions for every MMO I pick up, but I do have a strong habit of purchasing them that dates […]

Crowfall's Carnage adds more than just HungerDome, including crafting and trading updates

"Carnage" doesn't exactly sound like like a safe and relaxing time, but we'll make allowances for Crowfall, which has rolled out its Carnage update this week. Less colorfully known as beta 6.520, Carnage specifically opens up the HungerDome arena being used for the Eternal Champions Series 2021 esports tourney, which as we noted over the […]

Former Marvel Heroes developer Brian Waggoner is now working on Marvel's Avengers

Remember Marvel Heroes? You probably do! It was a pretty popular game, after all, and as we noted last year it was ultimately the implosion of its studio that killed it rather than a lack of players. It was also bizarre in how badly that sunset was managed, to boot. People really enjoyed that game. This stands […]

Corepunk's third Q&A talks about class quests, criminals, and more

The questions keep rolling in for Artificial Core's Corepunk, and the devs keep answering them! In this month's third Q&A session, questions are posed about a wide variety of interesting topics including game optimization, PvP roaming, and talent builds. For those wondering what camera options there will be with the isometric viewpoint, the devs said, […]

Riot Games' demand to shut down a fan-run 10 year-old League of Legends build causes a community uproar

Riot Games is back in the news for yet another unsavory reason as the League of Legends developer has acted against a fan-made emulator of the game, and while that matter isn't necessarily remarkable (or legally out of bounds), it's the uncouth manner in which it's been done that has caused some community outcry. The […]

Dreamworld co-founder's ex-fiancee calls out Kickstarter fibs but says he's not intentionally scamming

A couple of weeks back, we covered the impending Kickstarter funding of Dreamworld, a game by a couple of MMORPG industry novices promising the moon and throwing up red flags left and right. As we noted at the time, the Kickstarter was stuffed chiefly with stock assets and promises to put an "infinite open world […]

WoW Classic cancels Burning Crusade raid test, leaks deluxe edition mounts

If you were hoping to get an early dive into Karazhan with the rest of Burning Crusade Classic's testing crowd, steel yourself for minor disappointment: Blizzard announced that "due to unforeseen technical difficulties" it had to cancel this week's test to address an unspecified issue. The studio said that it would reschedule the raid test […]

The Daily Grind: What's the story behind your MMO character's name?

When I see a character cross my path with the name "XxDoodyHeadxX," I'm not usually that curious about how such a name came about. Presumably it was just a random firing brain cell and an ill-timed fart. But I certainly do grow intrigued when I encounter players with beautiful or seemingly significant character names. I […]

The Stream Team: Puzzled to death in SWTOR

With seven combined deaths already on the Death Counter, Massively OP's Larry and MJ have only made it through part of The Shroud's lair in SWTOR. They've got quite a bit left to complete — and that includes puzzles! (Sorry, the traffic jumping puzzle and all its amusement is over though!) Tune in live at […]

Monster Hunter Rise unleashes Apexes and crossover with Monster Hunter Stories 2

Hold on to your butts: Monster Hunter Rise is letting the current Apex monsters out of their rampage cages and into the wild. Capcom's also introducing Apex Diablos and Apex Rathalos for rampages and sticking title monster Magnamalo into the rampage rotation. Capcom's also adding past Elder Dragons Kushala Daora, Teostra, and Chameleos to the […]

Survival MMO Stars End struggles with low engagement, reaches alpha milestone

Last fall, we noted that an intriguing-looking space survival MMO called Stars End had sort of stealth launched on Steam early access and wasn't doing a lot to draw attention to itself. As it turns out, it was pretty much DOA — but it's fighting for a brighter future even still. Steam Charts notes that […]

Voxel MMO Elteria Adventures revamps its visual style, plans open playtesting this week

Back in May of last year we took a peek at Elteria Adventures, a voxel-based MMO that featured floating islands, destructible environments, building features, and monsters like Crystal Llamas and Boarmelons. It also stood out because its voxel style was very Landmark-esque, with voxels being smoothed out into more natural-looking shapes. It turns out that […]

Massively OP Podcast Episode 319: A sadness prison for addicts

Justin and Bree discuss Destiny 2's tmog, Elite Dangerous Odyssey, PSO2's New Genesis, RuneScape and Albion on mobile, and Jeff Kaplan's farewell, with adventures in Guild Wars, City of Heroes, and SWG Legends, plus a mailbag discussion on Blizzard's downfall and future.

Final Fantasy XIV and XI now support more authenticator software for one-time passwords

If you want to enable a one-time password for your Square-Enix account to access Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XI, or both? That's a good and sensible security measure. And now it's easier to do even if you're not interested in making use of the Square-Enix software token app available for your phone or the physical […]

TERA Console opens a new dungeon and makes several dungeon adjustments in latest update

The console version of TERA has gotten a recent update that's almost exclusively about dungeons, which is good news for those who like to get their action combat kicks in the variety of instanced locations in the game. For those who enjoy new delves, the update brings the Immortal Manaya's Core dungeon, an item level […]

Neople opens a teaser site for its new game Dungeon and Fighter: Overkill

In a story from the tail end of last year (and in coverage from a year before that), we cast our eyes on Neople's Project BBQ, which was elaborated as a "parallel universe" MMO from the Dungeon Fighter Online IP featuring 3-D graphics, movement, and combat. Now, we have an official name for the game […]

Fallout 76 launches its Locked & Loaded update

Today, Fallout 76 is ready to lock things and load other things, or possibly load something and then lock it when it's been loaded? That second one makes more sense. Look, the point is that the Locked & Loaded update is live today, bringing a new season of reward progression for players along with double the […]

Multiplayer PvPvE shooter Scavengers enters early access April 28, floats 9000-player-and-bot mode

This past March we got a look at Scavengers, a multiplayer PvPvE survival shooter where up to 20 teams of three players are tasked with surviving the elements, AI attacks, and potential fights with rival teams as they try to gather the most datapoints in the map and exfiltrate to win. If the load of […]

EVE Online releases the second half of its industry update, asks players for footage for an anniversary video

It's one part work and one part celebration in this EVE Online news posting. On the work side of things, the second part of the game's industrial shakeup has gone live today, introducing the promised blueprints, reactions, and components for ship manufacturing, while also adjusting the materials received when reprocessing tier two ships and doubling […]

Guild Wars 2 releases summer roadmap, plans End of Dragons reveal event for July

Guild Wars 2's Icebrood Saga Episode 5 Chapter 5 Judgment is launching today, and of course we've got our Guild Wars 2 columnists bringing you coverage from the press event and impressions of the new content. But ArenaNet also has a big announcement launching at the same time, one you won't be too surprised about, […]

Flameseeker Chronicles: Hands-on with Guild Wars 2's Judgment world boss, Dragonstorm

Judgment is upon us, friends, in this edition of the Flameseeker Chronicles: The fourth and final chapter of Guild Wars 2's The Icebrood Saga: Champions drops today! Eighteen months of living, breathing content culminates in a whirlwind of a world boss encounter – Dragonstorm – and one of the highest stakes showdowns we've seen in […]

Swords of Legends Online drops a brand-new lore trailer and concept art

Swords of Legends Online would really like your attention, and it's apparently going to keep pumping out trailers until it has it. Today, Gameforge, Wangyuan Shengtang, and Aurogon have released a lore trailer that explains just what the heck is going on in the gameworld when players drop in for the first time. Chaos, benevolent […]

Choose My Adventure: RIFT was fun before, wasn't it?

My time in RIFT this past month has left me confused, frankly. Primarily because I remember genuinely enjoying this game more than I did. That's not necessarily to suggest I had a bad time these past few weeks in the game, to be clear. I've just had a reasonable time. A wholly unmemorable time. A […]

EA insists it's focused on 'engagement,' not monetizing FIFA players into gambleboxes

Yesterday, Canadian outlet CBC published a massive Electronic Arts document leaked by a supposed "gaming insider" that seemingly confirms what you already thought about EA: It really wants you to buy lootboxes. The 54-page memo was originally circulated internally within the Canadian division's FIFA teams and declares, among other things, that lockboxes – are the […]

An infamous WoW Classic griefer sees his 16 accounts all banned during a livestream

If you've got your finger on the pulse of the greater World of Warcraft: Classic community, you perhaps are familiar with the exploits of one TinyViolin69, a player whose entire reason for existing in-game is to camp World Buff sites with 16 different boosted and paid-for accounts in order to dispel buffs that other plays […]

Star Wars: The Old Republic explores dark secrets with today's Update 6.3

Hey you! Drop everything — groceries, babies, financial responsibilities — and make a dash over to the Star Wars: The Old Republic launcher. You see that? Yup, it's a patch in progress, bringing you into the era of Update 6.3: The Dark Descent. The headlining feature of this update is a new flashpoint that takes […]

EverQuest's 'random loot server' Mischief and item comparison are coming in May

There's a portion of the classic EverQuest community that absolutely lives for days when a new time-locked progression server is added to the roster. But this year is bound to whip the MMO faithful into an even greater frenzy thanks to the announcement of Mischief, a time-locked progression server that just so happens to feature […]

The Daily Grind: What's the best way MMOs can improve player retention – other than new content?

Months ago, Gamasutra published a piece about the long-tail of game development – basically, how to keep a video game selling copies and/or attracting players long after it's faded from the front page of every website and dropped out of Steam's top 10. The specific suggestions are simultaneously obvious, depressing, and irrelevant: make a game […]

The Stream Team: Before Blackwood, anything goes in Elder Scrolls Online

After checking out ESO's upcoming Blackwood, Massively OP's MJ can't get all that lava out of her mind.  She just can't focus as she waits to explore the new lands. Luckily, there are a multitude of other things she can do while she waits! Tonight is an anything goes adventure! Join us live at 8:00 […]

Runes of Magic plagued by murder bunnies and psychedelic eggs for spring

All of the surviving bunnies (sorry, "wabbits") from Easter and leftover colorful eggs have migrated to the safe haven of Runes of Magic, which is just now holding its Spring Rain Festival. The event, which kicked off this past Wednesday, promises to bring "a contagious atmosphere of joy and happiness," or as we better know […]

Animal Crossing: New Horizons announces content-light updates until June

Nintendo just announced that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is expected to get some new content for the next several months, starting with a May Day event from April 29th through May 7th, followed by International Museum Day events and the June Wedding Season Events. Sound familiar? That's because as it did with Bunny Day, Nintendo is bringing […]

Survival shooter Vigor adds a new weapon and more loot events in Season 8 update

The multiplayer survival shooter Vigor continues to cross our news desk like a whack-a-mole. This time around there's word of a new season for the game, bringing with it a couple of updates like the PH M82 sniper rifle, a new battle pass, the addition of two loot events to every encounter, and the addition […]

RuneScape player's huge history book goes on sale for charity

The full history of RuneScape, which spans two decades of development and operation, is far more than can fit in any one book. That's why July, the self-proclaimed "RuneScape History Nerd," wrote three such tomes as an exhaustive account of this MMORPG. This History of RuneScape trilogy, which clocks in at over 1,000 pages in […]

Neverwinter will reopen the Hell Pit for PC players to test their mettle on April 29

With Neverwinter on the precipice of war and the legions of hell looking for strong souls to join their ranks, now seems as good a time as any for the game to invite players to see if they're worthy with the Hell Pit event, which is coming back on Thursday, April 29th and running until […]

Rise Online is a two-faction MMORPG inspired by Knight Online currently in open alpha

If you were looking for a new MMORPG that's similar to the 2004 title Knight Online but is designed by someone else (and you somehow missed out that game's arrival to Steam in 2016), then Turkish developer Rokosoft would like to introduce you to Rise Online, a new game that's like that old game but […]

Profane previews its sound design by focusing on a tropical beach biome

While the developing PvP MMO Profane will obviously feature the sounds of fighting between players and the sounds of combat in general, a new development preview Twitter thread is taking players on an audio journey to a serene tropical beach while also talking about how head of audio Marlon Kroth crafts the soundscape for the […]

Star Wars: The Old Republic to launch update 6.3, The Dark Descent, on April 27

Earlier today, we made a snarky joke about how the next Star Wars: The Old Republic patch has had plenty of its content teased but not yet gotten a hard release date. It turns out that we should have waited just a little bit longer, because the release date for patch 6.3 has just been revealed […]

Not So Massively: Checking up on multiplayer RTS Iron Harvest 1920

Last fall, this column covered Iron Harvest 1920, an alternate history RTS with a strong multiplayer emphasis and surprisingly poignant story-telling. Once I got into the full game, it only continued to impress, and I've been following it since. I thought now might be a good time to take stock of how Iron Harvest has […]

New Eden is a pixel graphics Souls-like MMORPG that's in open early alpha testing

This one's for the MMORPG fan that likes a more hard-bitten challenge in their game and doesn't mind some old school visuals to go along with it. Introducing New Eden, an in-development 2-D MMORPG that pairs pixel graphics with Soulsborne-esque combat to create a game that the devs at Wanderwolf Studios hope will "push the […]

Instruments of Destruction Promises to Take Demolition to a Whole New Level

Instruments of Destructions is an upcoming physics-based demolition game entering Early Access later this year.

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May's Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville is Hitting the PS4, Switch and Xbox One

May's Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville is coming to the PS4, Switch and Xbox One, nearly ten years after it debuted on the Nintendo DS. May's Mysteries: The Secret of Dragonville is a puzzle game heavily inspired by the Professor Layton series, which features the titular May looking for her lost brother. The DS incarnation […]

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Fallout 76's Locked & Loaded Update is Available Now

Fallout 76's new update, Locked & Loaded, is now available and, amongst other things, lets you have more than one home base.

The post Fallout 76's Locked & Loaded Update is Available Now appeared first on GameSpew.



No More Robots Unveils Gene-Splicing Tycoon Game Let's Build a Zoo

No More Robots and Springloaded Games were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.

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Song of Horror's Deluxe Boxed Edition is Coming This Summer

Song of Horror, originally an episodic PC game, is getting a deluxe physical release on the Playstation 4.

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For the Love of God, Outriders, Just Give Us More Legendaries

Hey, People Can Fly! Stop being so tight with your loot!

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Battle Axe Review

With beautiful pixel art graphics and old-school hack-and-slash gameplay, Battle Axe feels like its been ripped straight out of the 90s. But is it any good?

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Microsoft Unveils May's Xbox Games With Gold

Wondering what May's Xbox Games With Gold has to offer? Microsoft has revealed the games that'll be arriving next month.

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Strategy-RPG Star Renegades is Getting a Limited Physical Release

Star Renegades, released digitally last year, is receiving a limited physical release on Nintendo Switch and PS4.

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Sci-Fi RPG Dark Envoy Has a New Story Trailer

Dark Envoy has a new trailer which contains a lot of misery and absolutely no fluffy bunnies.

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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's Latest Trailer is Here

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has a new trailer which also reveals the name of the female Lombax featured in the game.

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Gloomy Roguelike Nadir Comes to Kickstarter This Week

Nadir, a roguelike based on Dante's The Divine Comedy is coming to Kickstarter this Thursday.

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The Best Picross Games on Switch

Like picture-based logic puzzles? These are for you.

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Don't Forget Me Invites You to Mess With Memories

Don't Forget Me has a bumpy start but becomes a buffet of memory-meddling and questionable moral decisions.

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Ghostrunner is Transformed on Console Thanks to 60fps

Ghostrunner is no longer a lesser experience on consoles thanks to a PS4 Pro performance mode and the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

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From Tuesday You Can Play as Neymar Jr in Fortnite

From April 27th you can play as Neymar Jr in Fortnite and participate in a manner of Neymar-related events.

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Alien Isolation is Free on the Epic Games Store

Alien Isolation is free on the Epic Games Store, but this time there's a bonus in the shape of the Last Survivor DLC.

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Get Wrapped Up in Resident Evil Village With This Lady Dimitrescu Towel

Capcom have created a three meter towel featuring a life-size image of Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village.

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Kowloon High School Chronicle Opens its Doors This May

Kowloon High School Chronicle, a 2004 Playstation 2 Japan-only dungeon crawler will be arriving on Nintendo Switch this May.

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Ys IX: Monstrum Nox Arrives on PC and Switch This July

Action RPG YS IX: Monstrum Nox is slashing its way onto the Nintendo Switch and PC this July.

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Destruction AllStars Season One Starts May 5th – Blitz Mode, AllStar Pass, and More Detailed

Destruction AllStars Season 1

Season One of Destruction AllStars starts on May 5th and brings a bevy of new content to the multiplayer vehicular combat title. This includes a new AllStar named Alba and her hero vehicle Claymore, Blitz Mode, the debut of the AllStar Pass and more. Check out the first trailer below.

Alba is described as a "veteran" of Destruction AllStars. Originating from Scotland and touting a battle suit, she'll be receiving her own Challenge Series when Season One launches. As for her abilities, Alba can summon blockers in front of her while on foot while Claymore, her vehicle, can fire lasers at nearby vehicles instead of slamming into them. The AllStar Pass is essentially the title's battle pass approach, costing 1000 Destruction Points and including two Legendary skins, one Heroic skin, emotes, avatars, banners and more over its 100 tiers.

The new mode Blitz arrives half-way through the season and is round-based. Each round requires picking a new AllStar, though energy for character abilities and hero vehicles will carry over between rounds. Blitz will have an unranked playlist in Season One and provide exclusive cosmetics for those who take part.

Finally, there's Photo Mode, coming a few weeks after the season's launch and allowing players to capture, edit and share photos of the game. Stickers, filters and frames will be available to customize shots with.

Destruction AllStars is currently available for PS5. Check out our review for it here.


Tales of Arise Trailer Showcases the Deserts and Snowy Mountains of Dahna

tales of arise image

Like it did for Scarlet Nexus, Bandai Namco has released a trailer highlighting the environments of Tales of Arise. The focus is on Dahna, whom protagonist Alphen is a native of, and its various ecosystems. Check it out below.

Calaglia is the sweltering desert environment which has a host of machines for refining oil. Cislordia, on the other hand, is a snow-covered landscape with artificial light. Compared to Tales of Berseria, the last mainline title in the series, the environments are way larger and more detailed. Despite this, Tales of Arise isn't an open world game and takes a more linear approach for the sake of story and character development.

Releasing on September 10th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4 and PC, Tales of Arise follows Alphen and Shionne, the latter being a resident of Rena which is subjugating Dahna and its people. The duo seem to be on a revolutionary journey of sorts despite being at odds with each other. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.


New English Famicom Detective Club Trailer Released

Famicom-Detective-ClubFamicom Detective Club's road to the West is a wild one. Released in Japan more than thirty years ago on the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES), the series was very popular. It was so popular, in fact, that Nintendo wanted to add Ayumi, one of the main characters, to Super Smash Bros., but ultimately decided against it when they realized Western audiences wouldn't know who the character was. Despite being re-released several times via ports to the Game Boy Advance and the Virtual Console, the series never released outside of Japan.

Recently, however, Nintendo announced that remakes of two of the games in the series, Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind, both of which were initially released on the original Famicom, would be coming to the Switch and be localized for Western audiences.

With the game's releasing on May 14th, another trailer seemed inevitable after the reveal, and Nintendo has released it today. The trailer discusses the stories of both games (so you might want to avoid it if you'd like to go in blind) and shows off the gorgeous new art, some of the characters, and the Japanese voiceovers.

If you're interested, the games can be purchased separately, but buying one will get you a $10 discount on the other. The Missing Heir is the first game in the series, but since The Girl Who Stands Behind is a prequel, you can play them in any order. If nothing else, this is an interesting experiment from Nintendo, who still hasn't released Mother 3 in the West despite fans asking for it for years.

Both Famicom Detective Club games launch on Nintendo Switch on May 14th. You can watch the latest trailer for the titles below, courtesy of Nintendo.


Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach Out in Late 2021

Five Nights at Freddy's Security Breach

Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach has been making sporadic appearances since its announcement last year for PlayStation consoles and PC. Its gameplay was revealed at Sony's February State of Play with a 2021 release window attached. Series creator Scott Cawthon has now confirmed that it will be out in late 2021 for PC, PS4 and PS5.

In a recent Reddit post, Cawthon said that the title was originally slated to release by 2020 end. "But as we kept working on it and kept adding to it, it just kept getting bigger and bigger and needed more time to finish. And now, again, I've made the decision to put more time and money into it to make sure it's finished properly, and that means a late 2021 release instead of an early 2021 release like I had originally wanted. It will be worth it!"

Cawthon also announced that Security Breach: Fury's Rage is now available for PC players as apology for the delay. A side-scrolling beat 'em up, it's free on Game Jolt.

As for Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, it's certainly a larger scale affair than previous titles. Set in Freddy Fazbear's Mega Pizza Plex, which is three stories tall, players will have more freedom of movement than before as they evade the killer animatronics. Unlike previous titles which Cawthon developed alone, Steel Wool Studios of Five Nights at Freddy's VR: Help Wanted fame are also involved. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.


Gearshifters, "Arcade Action Shoot 'em Up Roguelite," Announced, Releasing This Year

Gearshifters

Developer Red Phantom Games and publisher Numskull Games announced Gearshifters today. The game, described as an "arcade action shoot 'em up roguelite" (try saying that three times fast) coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC via Steam. Gearshifters is set to launch sometime this year.

Here's a description, straight from the game's Steam page:

About

Arcade shoot 'em up roguelite. Steer, blast. and battle through enemy vehicles, and annihilate bosses. Adapt your loadout of mods, defenses, and weapons for each hazardous mission.

  • Drive and Destroy – Employ precision control and expert driving skills to race rings around foes, dodge incoming projectiles, and unleash intense attacks. High-octane action at every turn, slide and spin.
  • Mega-Vehicle Boss Battles – Defeat the lawless factions that dominate dystopian future Europe, and take down their insane, heavily-armed boss machines.
  • Get Paid and Upgrade – Tackle dangerous delivery missions to ensure the safe arrival of precious cargo. Get paid, and modify your car with offensive, defensive, cosmetic and performance-based customizations.
  • Explosive Delivery – Expand your territory across the post-apocalyptic continent. Only the most skilled Gearshifter can take on the most perilous routes and reach the mysterious Citadel.

Key Features

  • High-intensity physics-based top-down vehicle combat.
  • Procedurally-generated roadways and enemy waves.
  • Fight across 27 stages through nine environmental zones, each with its own faction and complement of opponents.
  • Customise your combat vehicle with over 100 randomly-unlocked upgrades.
  • Story arc across five acts.
  • Standard, Casual and Deadly (perma-death) game modes.
  • Vibrant top-down 3D world.
  • Original soundtrack.
  • A range of accessibility options. (TBA before release.)

While we don't have much gameplay to go on yet, Gearshifters reminds me of the top-down shoot 'em ups of old. It looks fast, features big bosses, lots of enemies, and a good amount of bullets. The roguelite nature of the game is interesting. Since upgrades appear to be randomly generated, as do levels, Gearshifters might offer something like Faster Than Light or Hades, where you end up with a substantially different build and path each time. Combining that with the top-down action of a shoot 'em up sounds like a winner, but we'll have to see when the game launches later this year.

You can watch the announcement trailer below, courtesy of Numskull Games.


Blood of Heroes, Nordic PVP Arena Combat Game, Announced

blood heroesVizor Games announced Nordic-themed PVP Arena game Blood of Heroes for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. A closed beta test of the game will begin on PC on May 4th. Players can sign up for the beta now on the game's official website.

Vizor describes Blood of Heroes like this:

Blood of Heroes pits the greatest heroes of an unforgiving borderline world against each other in intense player-versus-player combat. Set in medieval Nordic arenas, fearsome warriors fight to the death in a quest for glory as players unleash an array of fighting styles and wield an arsenal of lethal weapons and deadly abilities. Players can experiment with six distinct heroes in the closed beta in both one-on-one and group combat modes. Hone your skills in a battle where the artistry of the blade is enhanced by powerful war sigils—and met with blistering counterspells. Players must learn to master the character that best suits their playstyle, weighing up if they prefer fast darting blows, powerful measured strikes or area-of-effect abilities that disrupt their foes.

"We wanted to make a game that we'd absolutely love to play ourselves: a wicked, adrenaline-pumped world, inspired by Dark Souls, with unforgiving player-versus-player battles and warriors who show no pity or fear," said director Dmitry Voronov in a press release. "In Blood of Heroes, just like in history, heroes are not always knights in shining armor who fight for the greater good. They can be relentless, sly, vengeful, or, vice-versa, supporting and protective. Their essence is tried and revealed by combat. We tried to give them personality, so the player could make a choice that fits their mood and gameplay style."

So far, Blood of Heroes sounds like a cross between Dark Souls and For Honor. Not a bad combination, all told. It also makes me think of Nosgoth, Psyonix's underappreciated multiplayer-only spinoff of the Legacy of Kain games that was unfortunately canceled after it failed to find much of an audience. In hindsight, a lot of what Nosgoth offered has only become more popular since it died. The enduring popularity of games like For Honor proves that. Hopefully, Blood Heroes manages to find more of a market.

You can watch the announcement trailer below, courtesy of Gematsu.


Total War: Rome Remastered PC Requirements Revealed, 45 GB Space Required

Total War Rome Remastered

Sega's Total War: Rome Remastered is out today, based on The Creative Assembly's classic strategy epic Rome: Total War. It's available to pre-load for those who pre-purchased it but in the meantime, its hardware requirements have been revealed in a new FAQ. First off, 45 GB of installation space is required regardless of your set-up while the Enhanced Graphics Pack needs an additional 30 GB of space.

Minimum requirements include an Intel i3 or AMD FX-4000 series CPU, 6 GB of RAM (8 GB on PC integrated GPUs like an Intel UHD 620) and an Nvidia GTX 600 or AMD HD 7000 series with 1 GB VRAM. These will deliver 30 FPS at 1080p resolution on Low settings (with 66 percent resolution scaling). The frame rate may also drop during larger battles.

Recommended requirements include an Intel Core i5-4570 or Ryzen 5 1600, 8 GB of RAM and Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or AMD Radeon R9 290 with 4 GB VRAM. This provides 60 FPS at 1080p resolution on High settings, though again, frame rate drops may be seen in larger scale battles. It's worth noting that the Recommended requirements are pretty much the minimum for Enhanced Graphics Pack users.

Minimum requirements

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1809)
  • Processor: Intel i3 series | AMD FX-4000 series
  • Memory: 6GB* RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 600 series (1GB VRAM) | AMD HD 7000 series (1GB VRAM) | Intel UHD 620
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 45GB available space
  • Additional Notes: PC Integrated graphics chipsets require 8GB RAM, e.g. Intel HD/UHD series. Estimated performance on Low settings at 1080p (66% gameplay resolution scaling): 30 FPS. Framerate may drop in large-scale, graphics-intensive battles.

Recommended requirements

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 20H2)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-4570 | Ryzen 5 1600
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 4GB | AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 45GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Estimated performance on High settings at 1080p: 60 FPS. Framerate may drop in large-scale, graphics-intensive battles.

If you're using the Enhanced Graphics Pack, here are the minimum requirements:

  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1809)
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-4570 | Ryzen 5 1600
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 4GB | AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: Additional 30GB available space

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade's Co-directors Talk Yuffie in New Interview

Final Fantasy 7 Remake IntergradeIt's kind of wild that we're getting a Final Fantasy 7 game staring Yuffie. After all, she's an optional character in the original release that most players probably missed on their first playthroughs. You have to find her, fight her, and then answer a set of specific questions properly to get her to join you. Mess up at any point and you'll miss her. Worse still, she might run off with some of your Gil.

If you were lucky enough to get Yuffie, though, you know she's a delight. And in Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, she's the protagonist, not just another party member. Not a bad showing for a character most players probably never even got. In a recent interview published on Square Enix's website, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade co-directors Naoki Hamaguchi and Motomu Toriyama sat down to talk about Yuffie, her moogle suit, the episode, and more.

Here's the full interview:

What do you think makes Yuffie such a popular character?

Toriyama: "In the original Final Fantasy VII, Yuffie was the type of person who would appear wherever and whenever she pleased… and you'd never know whether or not she was going to join you.

"Even if she does join you, you could never let your guard down, because you didn't know when she'd steal your materia!

"That makes her quite different from your other allies in the fight against Shinra and Sephiroth. She's always after materia, honest about her desires, and never afraid to show that.

"It's that combination of traits that leads to unpredictable and unexpected twists, and I think one of the reasons she's become such a popular character."

How does the Yuffie we meet in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade "EPISODE INTERmission" differ from the original game?

Toriyama: "It's very much the same Yuffie we all know and love that appears in Midgar.

"She's still elusive, and still does things at her own pace, but she's also fired up by her desire to exact revenge for her homeland of Wutai—and to execute her mission as a ninja."

Hamaguchi: "When I think about Yuffie, the first things that come to mind are: 'a materialistic materia hunter, who's not comfortable or proficient with vehicles.'

"Materia is Yuffie's motivation, and I was mindful to bring that aspect of her personality to the forefront in every part of the new episode, from the story to even the mini games."

Oh no—does that mean she's going to steal our stuff in the new episode too?

Toriyama: "(Laughs.) Yes, in the original Final Fantasy VII, she caused quite the hassle because she stole her allies' materia!

"Don't worry—in the new episode Yuffie's the protagonist, so rest assured you don't have to worry about your valuable materia getting taken away."

Hamaguchi: "Actually, we'll be introducing some new materia that wasn't included in Final Fantasy VII Remake. That's pretty exciting!"

Yuffie does sport a new look though with her moogle outfit. Why is she dressed like that in the new episode?

Toriyama: "Actually, the moogle hood draws its reference from the time it was used in Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, and Yuffie wears it whenever she is on a covert mission.

"She might think she's perfectly disguised, but it actually makes her stand out even more in a metropolis like Midgar.

"I feel that's just very 'her', and probably why I like it so much!"

So what can we expect from Yuffie in Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade "EPISODE INTERmission"?

Hamaguchi: "The new episode takes place at the same time that Cloud and company are continuing their fight in Midgar. The story follows Yuffie on her mission as a ninja operative—tasked with stealing valuable materia from Shinra.

"Our goal was to present players with a story that leads up to Yuffie's later encounter with Cloud and his group. In addition, the new episode was an opportunity to dig deeper into the lore of Final Fantasy VII.

"I would definitely encourage people who've played Final Fantasy VII Remake to experience it when they've completed the game—I think they'll really enjoy it."

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade releases for PS5 on June 10th. You can read our review of Final Fantasy 7 Remake here, and watch a trailer for Intergrade below, courtesy of Square Enix.


The Sinking City is Now Available on Xbox Series X/S

Frogwares has released an Xbox Series version of The Sinking City on the Microsoft Store, according to Gematsu.  The Standard Edition is $49.99, while the Deluxe Edition is priced at $64.99. As with the PS5 version of the game, the Xbox Series version does not feature a free upgrade from the Xbox One version.  This is due to ongoing disputes over ownership of the IP between Frogwares and Nacon, the game's original publisher. Frogwares requested that The Sinking City be delisted from storefronts last year while the problem was sorted out.

The Sinking City returned to storefronts earlier this year after French courts ruled in favor of Nacon. The game was originally released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on June 19th, 2020. It was ported to the Switch in September and PS5 in February. The original release was a solid title overall, with a fairly compelling story, complex choices, and some genuine scares, though it's clear it was a budget title and its combat doesn't feel great.

Here's an overview of the game, including what the new versions offer, and a trailer, from Frogwares:

About

The Sinking City is an adventure and investigation game set in an open world inspired by the universe of H.P. Lovecraft, the master of Horror. The half-submerged city of Oakmont is gripped by supernatural forces. You're a private investigator, and you have to uncover the truth of what has possessed the city… and the minds of its inhabitants.

Key Features

  • An oppressive atmosphere and story inspired by the universe of H.P. Lovecraft.
  • A vast open world that can be explored on foot, by boat, in a diving suit…
  • High replay value thanks to an open investigation system: each case can be solved in a number of ways, with different possible endings depending on your actions.
  • An arsenal of weapons from the 1920s with which to take on nightmarish creatures.
  • Manage your mental health to untangle the truth behind the madness.

Next-Gen Features

The Sinking City on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series offers the following improvements:

  • Native 3840×2160 resolution (4K)
  • 60 frames per second
  • Improved graphical fidelity
  • Significantly faster loading times
  • DualSense features support

Deluxe Edition

  • The Sinking City game
  • "The Worshipers of the Necronomicon" – Three new quests in which Charles Reed investigates unsolved cases and sets out in search of mysterious spell books that harbor unspeakable powers.
  • "Merciful Madness" – Three new quests that explore Lovecraft's iconic stories and bring to light the mysteries of Oakmont and its demented citizens.
  • "Investigator Pack" – Upgrade your gaming experience with an exclusive private investigator outfit and access to a first aid kit, antipsychotics and a crafting materials starter pack.
  • "Chicago Organ Grinder" – This downloadable content grants early access to the most powerful weapon in the game, the Tommy gun, and comes with a golden skin of the weapon.
  • "Experience Boost" – This downloadable content includes a skill point that can be used from the start of the game. Use it wisely to upgrade your combat skills, vigor or mind.


Canceled Dreamcast Castlevania Game Leaks Online And You Can Play It

Castlevania-Resurrection-DreamcastCastlevania Resurrection was announced at E3 1999. A build was shown to press and VIPs behind closed doors. It was quietly canceled less than a year later, and the world mostly forgot about it. The game was said to have been around 25% complete when it was canceled, but about the only proof that the game ever existed, aside from a demo pretty much nobody saw, is an old preview article from IGN and assorted magazine pieces.

Until now, that is. After more than 22 years, Colby Laurent, the owner of the Sega Dreamcast Info Preservation Games website, got his hands on a copy at auction and released a ROM image that can be played on both Dreamcast emulators and the original hardware.

The game features five levels (though one is only accessible via emulation) and lets players control Sofia Belmont, the first member of the legendary vampire hunting family. While the levels would likely have been connected in-game, this is an incomplete build. Players can move through the levels using the debug menu, which is accessed by pressing start.

Because the build is so early in development, large sections of it don't work. Sonia's roll hasn't been properly implemented, the game's lock on system doesn't work, and there are a number of other bugs and several crashes.

Castlevania Resurrection is the latest of several unreleased games that have leaked recently. In February, a nearly complete build of the canceled GoldenEye 007 remaster that was in development at Rare leaked. That leak was followed by a fully playable leak of a prototype of Rare's canceled Dinosaur Planet, which would later become Star Fox Adventures.