Abandoned Will Have Its Full Gameplay Reveal During E3 2021 Time Period
Earlier this week, we got the surprise announcement of a PS5 exclusive title called Abandoned. The game came with a teaser trailer that looked interesting and gave us some eerie vibes. It left many with questions (as well as a bizarre theory the game was secretly Hideo Kojima's next title, which has been refuted by the developer). Well, the game still has a ways to go before its set to release, but we should see the gameplay reveal soon.
In an interview with Dutch outlet Gamer.nl (and then translated thanks to the folks at ResetERA), Director Hasan Kahraman revealed that we will see the full gameplay trailer for the game sometime around the timeframe of E3 2021, which was recently confirmed to be happening in June as a virtual event. They seemed unsure of whether the game would be at the E3 event itself, or as part of whatever Sony will do before or after the event, but it will seemingly be within that general time.
"A lot of folks think of Resident Evil when talking about Abandoned. That is a shame, because its such a different game. Abandoned has elements of horror, for example you're constantly being hunted by a religious sect, but we want to focus on the realistic gameplay. We will show that in a gameplay video which we'll release in the future. We'll probably show it during the virtual E3. It will obviously appear on the PlayStation YouTube channel."
Abandoned is set to release only on PlayStation 5 in Q4 of 2021.
Apex Legends – War Games Event Adds Rotating Takeovers, Out on April 13th
Respawn Entertainment's Apex Legends will have a new event starting April 13th with War Games, which adds five limited-time rotating Takeovers. These feature new modifiers, new cosmetics and a new rewards track. Check out some of the new skins below.
The new modifiers include Armor Regen, where your shields will regenerate; Ultra Zones, which provide top-tier loot; and Auto Banners where banners from fallen teammates are automatically recovered. Each of these Takeovers will be available for a few days or so. The rewards track offers numerous cosmetics and skins, including an epic Rampart skin, to earn.
Stretch challenges that reward unique badges are also available to unlock and any challenges completed will stack with the Battle Pass. Other Legends like Pathfinder, Gibraltar, Mirage, Bloodhound, Wraith and Lifeline are also getting some new skins so keep an eye out for the same. Apex Legends is currently available for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch.
Days Gone Sequel Pitch Was Unsuccessful; Sony Bend Working On New Game – Rumor
Days Gone released in 2019, and while the critical reception was more mixed than the typical big Sony exclusive, the game seemed to find an audience and had a good string of constant updates. One would think a sequel is a pretty sure thing, but it now seems some recent reporting puts that into doubt.
In a lengthy report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, he details some of the unrest within some of Sony's PlayStation studios. One of those was Sony Bend, who served as developer for Days Gone. They say that despite the game's apparent success, a sequel pitch for the game was rejected. Instead, one team within the studio was put on a multiplayer title being developed by Naughty Dog, with their other team being put on an as of now unknown Uncharted title that was in development. So, effectively, for a while they were turned into a support studio. Apparently, staff in the studio was unhappy with this, and the studio is now working on a new project.
Days Gone is available now on PlayStation 4, where it is also available this month as part of PlayStation Plus, and will come later this year for PC.
New Pokemon Snap Trailer Highlights Research Levels, Branching Paths and More
A new trailer for Nintendo's New Pokemon Snap has been released, showcasing the game's various mechanics. This includes branching paths (as discussed in recent previews), Illumina Orbs, Research Levels and so on. Check it out below.
Developed by Bandai Namco Studios, New Pokemon Snap sees the player venturing to the Lental region and exploring an archipelago. Each island plays host to different Pokemon and as a photographer, it's up to you to capture them all (on camera, that is). Depending on the quality of photos, one can raise the Research Level of a region, causing more Pokemon to populate the area.
Of course, some Pokemon will be in hiding so you'll need to use Fluffruits to lure them out. Players can also toss Illumina Orbs to light up Pokemon and photograph their behavior or play music to see them dance. New Pokemon Snap is out on April 30th for Nintendo Switch – stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.
Path of Exile: Ultimatum Gameplay Revealed, Legacy Content Rewards Reworked
Along with showcasing new gameplay for Path of Exile 2, Grinding Gear Games also revealed Path of Exile's next big league/expansion – Ultimatum. It introduces a new NPC named the Trialmaster who serves as an emissary for Chaos. Players are challenged to complete encounters and upon clearing the first set of enemies, can either collect their reward or engage in a tougher encounter for more rewards.
With each subsequent encounter, a new modifier can be added which makes things tougher. On the tenth wave, there's a "surprise" that can await players. Of course, if one fails at any point, then they leave with nothing, reinforcing the Vaal civilization's idea of sacrifice.
At key points, players can also find items for the Map Device called Inscribed Ultimatums. These will teleport the player to the Trialmaster's Domain where completing the encounter allows for numerous benefits, like doubled Divination Cards, doubled currency and so on. Once again, fail and you lose your offered item. Along with the Ultimatum league, the next major patch will also rework rewards for Atziri, Betrayal, the Lord's Labyrinth and much more. Check it out in greater detail here.
Path of Exile: Ultimatum goes live on April 16th for PC.
Second Sight Returns To Steam For First Time Since 2012
Way back in 2004, there was a little game called Second Sight. It was developed by Free Radical Design, a group of former developers from Rare, and came originally for the PlayStation 2, Gamecube and Xbox, then eventually making its way onto PC. The game vanished from PC storefronts, however, back in 2012. With it also not being available on any console digital fronts, it effectively meant the game was not accessible without seeking a physical copy. That is, until now.
With no real announcement or fanfare, THQ Nordic (who bought the rights to Free Radical's work) has returned the game to Steam, which you can see a link to here. Do keep in mind, this isn't a remaster, so it's basically like playing a game from 2004 for all the good and bad, but it is a bit of a gem from that era, and you can't be mad at it finally being available once again.
Second Sight saw you take on the role of John Vattic, who is slowly gaining telekinetic powers, as he must escape various settings as he becomes more powerful and gains more abilities. Second Sight is now available on PC via Steam.
Path of Exile 2 Might End up Skipping PS4 and Xbox One
After many long months of little to no updates, Grinding Gear Games provided significant new details on Path of Exile 2 at the recent ExileCon, showcasing new gameplay footage from Act 2 and detailing everything from new enemies to new weapons and much more. Something else that the developer highlighted was the visual upgrades that are being made to the game over its predecessor- but that might end up coming at a cost.
In a press Q&A, Grinding Gear CEO Chris Wilson told Wccftech that Path of Exile 2 might end up skipping the Xbox One and PS4, and could launch only for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It's worth noting that he said it's "very likely" that that will happen, so nothing is set in stone yet- but it's safe to assume for now that the game won't be releasing for last-gen hardware. Meanwhile, Wilson also confirmed that cross-play is being looked into, but once again, stopped short of confirming anything.
With how Path of Exile 2 is being structured and the fact that it will share its endgame with the first game, it should be interesting to see how next-gen exclusivity for the game will work, if that does indeed end up happening.
Path of Exile 2 is currently due out some time in 2022, with its production having met with COVID-related hurdles. A more specific launch date is yet to be announced.
PS5 and Xbox Series X CPU Difference is Too Small to Matter for Next Gen Development – Dev
While the PS5 and Xbox Series X are almost six months old at this point, the difference in their hardware and how it affects development is still up in the air. Recently, Monster Truck Championship producer Łukasz Bróg spoke about how the difference between both consoles' SSD wasn't noticeable. The same seems to apply to their difference in CPU speeds.
The Xbox Series X's Zen 2 CPU cores are clocked at 3.8 GHz while the PS5's Zen 2 has its cores at 3.5 GHz. When asked about his thoughts on the difference, Bróg noted, "Both are very good processors, and the difference is so small that it does not matter when creating games for next gens. They are far than enough to create modern games requiring a lot of calculations."
Regarding the difference in GPU performance for both consoles – the PS5's GPU is capable of 10.28 TFLOPS while the Xbox Series X's GPU can deliver 12 TFLOPS – Bróg responded, "Many console variants are always a challenge for game developers. It creates the need to perform additional work in order to optimally adjust a game to the performance of various devices. However, we have already got used to it, since we had to deal with it in the previous transition for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro, as well as Xbox One X and Xbox One S.
"Currently, the performance of the hardware in the latest generation does not cause major problems."
Monster Truck Championship launched last year for Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch with the Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions having recently become available. For more details on the title, check out GamingBolt's interview with Bróg.
Path of Exile 2 Shows off its Second Act with 20 Minutes of Gameplay Footage
Grinding Gear Games had been awfully quiet about Path of Exile 2 ever since it was announced, but at the recent ExileCon, they lifted the lid on the upcoming action RPG once again, and did so with quite a bit of new gameplay footage and information. In addition to a new cinematic trailer, they also showed off about twenty minutes of new gameplay alon with commentary, this time focusing on the game's second act.
There's quite a bit to dive into here. New weapon types, new enemy varieties, and several bosses are shown off. The Spear in particular is looking a promising addition, with its focus on agility and movement during combat. Meanwhile, the gameplay walkthrough also demonstrates the how non-linear the progression will be in the game's second act, while something else that's abundantly apparent is the visual upgrades that the game boasts over the first game. It's all looking quite promising. Check it out below.
Path of Exile 2 is slated for a 2022 launch, following COVID-related development troubles, and doesn't yet have a concrete release date.
Resident Evil Village Will Have Multiple Visual Modes, Director Suggests
Resident Evil games in recent years have been absolute lookers, thanks in large part to the impressive RE Engine, and the upcoming Resident Evil Village is looking like it's going to take that to new heights regardless of what hardware you're playing on. If you play it on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, however, it seems the game will offer multiple graphics modes to let you choose what you prefer.
In an interview with the Official PlayStation Magazine (spotted by MP1st), RE Village director Morimasa Sato said that players will be able to pick between settings to optimize the game as per their preference, but didn't go into any details. "There are settings which will allow each player to optimize the experience according to their preference," he said.
It's worth noting that if the PS5 exclusive Maiden demo is anything to go by, Resident Evil Village will already be targeting 4K at 60 FPS with ray-tracing enabled, so it should be interesting to see what other options the games will offer. Meanwhile, based on the recent PS4 Pro gameplay footage shown off, the upcoming survivor horror game isn't going to look like a slouch on last-gen consoles either.
Resident Evil Village launches on May 7 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. New details and gameplay footage on the title will be revealed in a new Resident Evil Showcase on April 15, so stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, the game's upcoming second demo was also recently uploaded to the PSN backend, so it's likely that that will go live on the same day.