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