My PS3 backlog just spiraled out of control and I need to prioritize what to play
With Sony cutting off access to the PlayStation Store on PSP, Vita, and PS3 later this year, some of us have been exhaustively combing through recommendation lists to whittle down which digital games we want to grab before we're no longer able to purchase them. As I've covered before on Destructoid, it's a needlessly drawn-out process. I'm nearing the end of this arguably ill-advised project — I hope!
For me, half the battle was just going through my Download List and getting everything I already owned situated on my PS3 and PlayStation TV. That step wasn't strictly necessary (the store cutoff date is for making new purchases, not the ability to download your stuff), but it helped me organize my thoughts.
Along the way, I've dabbled with PS1 Classics I always intended to play, I've messed with a few out-on-a-limb titles, and, to be honest, I've fallen head over heels with PixelJunk Monsters again. If you're in the tower defense mood and the 2018 sequel didn't cut it, my goodness does the original still hold up.
I'll likely continue down this "play everything and nothing" path for the near future.
Arcade Archives' Saboten Bombers got its first ever home release this week
Hamster has decided to ramp up the silliness and the rarity when it comes to this week's Arcade Archives release. Now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, NMK's single-screen platformer Saboten Bombers has been made officially available for home consoles for the first time ever.
Released in Japanese arcades in 1992, Saboten Bombers sees 1-2 players control anthropomorphic cacti, running rampant through 50 levels of reckless, explosive-tossing chaos. The aim of the game is to take out each stage's weird cast of enemies - including insects, killer fruit, plants, and giant boss characters - while ensuring our spiky friends stay a spine's length from danger.
Oh, you also need to collect slices of cake for bonus points and extra lives. Sure, why not? And just in case things already sound a little too sensible for you, each stage takes place against the backdrop of a house interior... or a tropical paradise... or a picture of kittens. Incredibly silly stuff from a wonderful era of game development, where arcade designers - especially in Japan - often just threw anything at the wall to see what would stick.
Check out the fast-paced, infectiously dopey action in the video below, courtesy of YouTuber arronmunroe. Saboten Bombers is available to download now on PS4 and Nintendo Switch.
We're a third through 2021 already! Do you already have a GOTY frontrunner?
Cblogs of 4/2 to 4/9/2021
-Seymour rates every single game they played in the first quarter of 2021.
-Dinoracha shares their thoughts on a big story moment in Dragon Quest XI.
-Kerrik52 reviews Tales of Berseria as a part of their Traveler in Playtime review blogs.
-Siflox Gaming reviews the current version of Fortnite.
-Black Red Gaming shares a list of four games they thinks everyone should play.
-Moths explains why Monster Hunter is now the only series they buy at launch.
-Taterchimp shares a list of their Top 10 food.
-Exber reflects on the first year they started blogging on Destructoid.
-ABowlOfCereal shares their balancing ideas for Guardian Tales.
-Queen of Philosophy opens this week's TGIF open community forum.
Destroy All Humans! remake lands on Switch in June with a £350 collector's edition
THQ Nordic has announced that it will be bringing its remake of old-school blow-'em-up Destroy All Humans! to Nintendo Switch on June 29, following its 2020 release on PS4, PC, and Xbox One. The publisher also revealed the existence of two high-priced collector's editions, which will release exclusively in Europe and the UK.
I would very much like to holiday in the Dungeons of Hinterberg
With so many games in production from so many developers, large and small, it's pretty impossible to keep track of every interesting title that's on the horizon. I try my best to remember those trailers that really catch my fancy, but for Dungeons of Hinterberg, I'm going to make an effort to keep it at the forefront of my mind.
From developer Microbird, Dungeons of Hinterberg takes place in the Austrian Alps, where the small town of Hinterberg has become a tourist destination due to its lush scenery and crisp mountain air. And also monsters. It's a great place to holiday if you want to kill some monsters.
The game, currently in development for PC and consoles, will blend hack 'n' slash action RPG gameplay with social sim elements, giving players the ability to unwind and make some friends after doing some monster slaying and dungeon diving. Unfortunately, there isn't a trailer just yet for it, but Microbird has been updating its Twitter feed with some particularly scrumptious little morsels that have me plenty excited.
Whatcha been playing this week, Destructoid?
Boy, I really ear-wormed people with that Street Fighter x Juri x Kill Bill article. It seems that many of you spent the whole day wandering around whistling "Twisted Nerve." My apologies... even though I've probably just triggered the same tune again. Kill Bill was a saga scored with a lot of indelible tunes, with some of them being kinda annoying in that regard.
It may surprise you, but I'm not really a huge fan of Tarantino's tribute to "DO YOU KNOW I WATCH OLD MOVIES?" The films enabled a sub-atomic level of homage and self-indulgence that has bothered most (but not all) of the auteur's work since. I am happy, however, that so many great stars - Hannah, Chiba, Carradine, Parks, Haig, and Kuriyama - got a payday, and it also looked a helluva lot of fun to shoot. Maybe I owe the Kill Bill duology a long-overdue revisit, but there are only so many hours and movies one can fit into this short life.
Speaking of time, I've struggled to find some for myself this week. So it's mostly been bursts of CoD: Zombies and the odd rumble on Killer Instinct for old time's sake, before crashing out in front of "easy" flicks like Raw Force, Hard Target, and Sister Street Fighter. I do have a couple of games lined up for this weekend that I'm excited to get stuck into, so hopefully I'll get bitten by that bug once again.
But I'm willing to wager that all y'all are already elbow-deep in gaming goodness. The joyous thing about gaming is that there's always a genre to suit your mood. So whether you've spent your week throwing lead and fists in harm's way, or just letting the hours slide by with a calming city-builder, jump into the comments below and share your experience with us, pals.
Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.
According to a report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Naughty Dog is at work on a PS5 remake of its miserable 2013 third-person adventure The Last of Us.
The supposed project is referenced by Bloomberg as part of a larger report on PlayStation's growing focus on blockbuster video games, noting the designers, artists, and other developers within the PlayStation family who are growing uncomfortable with the corporation's aggressive push toward mega-budget mega-sellers over all other projects.
This unrest has reportedly led to the disbandment of a Sony development division known as the "Visual Art Service Group." This San Diego team - who have been working on many PlayStation releases in recent years - had been tasked with developing The Last of Us remake for Sony's PS5 hardware, before Sony bosses handed off the project to original TLOU developer Naughty Dog. Bloomberg cites eight former members of the Visual Arts Service Group - who felt mismanaged, ignored, and undervalued - as its source. Neither Sony nor the group's founder wished to comment on the matter.
Destructoid community stream night is live on Twitch
Hi everyone! I'm Anabela, your weekly super duper variety streamer extraordinaire! Tonight I'm streaming Magic: The Gathering Arena on Destructoid's Twitch channel starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
I started playing MTG: Arena back in late December so I'm extremely new, but it only took two weeks then to reach Mythic. This is the first time I've ever really played Magic; I played a round of Commander once with my brother a super long time ago but didn't remember anything about how to play.
Shortly after hitting Mythic, Kaldheim came out, and things kinda cooled down for me. I was more interested in other games — the meta was super volatile and not fun for me — but a few months later I'm having fun again. I mostly play Standard Ranked, but lately, I've been enjoying Cube Draft.
My main colors so far are Dimir, mono white, and Boros, but I'm interested in a lot of things that I plan to play in the future like more green and Izzet.
*****
A bit about me: As I was growing up, my older brother shaped my interests in games and fantasy culture. We were obsessed with dragons, fantasy books, world and creature building, you name it. Most of our time was spent hanging out and chattily imagining things. We dipped into Pokémon when I was six with trading cards, figurines, and books, but even our very first video games on our Dad's computer were split right down to the controls; he would do movements and I'd do action buttons. Over time we tried dozens of games, however RuneScape, D&D, and Pokémon always stuck with me the most.
It's been almost two years since I first started streaming. I tend to stream all sorts of games now, but my favorite genres came to be RPGs, puzzles, adventure, and strategy -- bonus if it's fantasy-themed or an MMO that I can play with my friends and an instant favorite if the atmosphere is just right! Alongside trying new games together, my heart is in our bubbly banter while we all talk it up in chat. I'm so happy to have met people who have the same passion as I do for all these games and cool hobbies.
But how did I get here? A while back, Destructoid hosted its "So You Think You Can Stream?" contest. It was my first time entering any type of serious contest, but I still wanted to shoot my shot and really get out there. Although I didn't win, I was elated to hear that my audition stood out and there was an opportunity for me to come on board to stream alongside Dreezy on the Dtoid channel.
Come catch me live at Destructoid's Twitch channel every Friday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern! Let's chat it up about anything and everything while playing cool games! I hope to meet you there. :)
I wasn't ready for this off-the-rails video game trailer, and you won't be either
It started with a tweet, and then another tweet, and now here I am, telling you to watch an off-the-rails trailer for a trashy Steam Early Access game called Together BnB that has "mostly negative" reviews.
i found this game on steam where you own a bed and breakfast but you spend the whole time taking creepshots of girls in their room. then suddenly you're in the woods shooting wolves with a gun pic.twitter.com/dx0hZAuKId
— Lonnie (@veryfriendly) April 9, 2021
The game's plot — surprisingly, there's a plot! — revolves around the newly-established manager of a bed and breakfast, James, and his brother, who owns the joint, but has vanished. In the meantime, James "has to assist the beautiful tenants of the BnB, satisfy them, and help them achieve their goals."
With that setup in mind, please enjoy this batshit trailer in which James drives up a mountain road, unloads his gun on a wolf (?), fires at his kitchen (??), and then shoots some late-night hoops (???).
"This trailer looks like it's showing me the daily routine of a psychopath and I cannot tell if it's intentional or not," wrote one spot-on YouTube commenter.
"Kojima's new project looks like an absolute banger," joked another.
This is one of the strangest trailers I've seen in forever. Happy Friday, everyone.
Spacebase Startopia is a bit of a weird thing. On the surface, it is definitely some sort of remake/reimagining/remaster of 2001's Startopia. It's even right there in the name. Looking over the marketing however, you'll find a suspicious lack of mention for the original or a word about what it considers itself.
Make no mistake, though, this is Startopia. Sure, it's got a new paint job and things got rejiggered. The aliens are new, there's no sexy love-alien brothel, and things have been renamed, but the list of similarities dwarf the differences. Simply looking at the game can tell you that, yep, this is Startopia.
It is definitely Startopia.
Breaking into Spelunky 2's Black Market without bombs is a bold strategy
While I may have sidelined Spelunky 2 after finally earning the "Master" trophy and deciding that I'd need to recuperate before earnestly attempting to reach the real final zone ("Awakened"), that doesn't mean I can't enjoy watching other people's painful clips. Spelunky Schadenfreude is my jam.
This clip from Reddit user Kayzito is less about enjoying someone else's misfortune and more about admiring their ingenuity when they're backed into a corner by Spelunky 2's devious procedurally-generated machinations. You can never completely know what items and hazards will be thrown your way, and figuring out when – and when not – to seize an opportunity is so much of the fun.
I've done desperate things to reach the Black Market, but this method hadn't dawned on me.
Sometimes there's no other way. from r/spelunky
What do you do when you get far enough into the Jungle to find the hidden entrance to the Black Market but – oh crap – you don't have any bombs left to break in? Well, if you're packing 15 hearts with the Kapala, a handful of ropes, over $75K, and Hou Yi's Bow, you'll probably consider just about anything to avoid restarting your up-until-now promising run. It's a classic Spelunky pickle – as is the inevitable crushing aftermath when you try and figure out "where it all went terribly wrong."
In this case, Kayzito decided to sacrifice their jetpack in an entrance-opening explosion.
If you didn't know, you can unequip wearable items like the jetpack or cape by crouching and pressing R1 (or whichever button you use to enter doors). The jetpack is volatile and it can be set off with a stray shotgun blast (as I'm sure all Spelunky 2 players know) or, in this clip, with a well-aimed arrow.
What happened next? (Location spoilers.) "I got spring shoes, climbing gloves, and several bomb boxes. I went Abzu and kept the ankh, took the yellow cape from the Sun Challenge, and got to 7-20."
"...I died to an off-screen poisonous arrow trap into 99 fall damage in a Sunken City layout, yay."
That swift and brutal outcome sums up why I ravenously played Spelunky 2 for a hundred-plus hours in 2020 without getting bored and why I'm relieved to be on hiatus right now. Love hurts. If you're waiting for the sequel to come to Nintendo Switch this summer before playing, start mentally prepping yourself.
Review: Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
So good but so, so buggy.
Dota 2 adds hammer-swinging new hero Dawnbreaker
Winter's over and the dawn is here. There's a new Dota 2 patch today, which means a lot of balance changes to the map, item shops, individual heroes, and more, but also a new hero: Valora, the Dawnbreaker.
Dawnbreaker is the herald of the light, traveling across the universe to fight the shadows. She's all about light, illumination, and healing, while also swinging a giant hammer.
The dark days of winter are finally behind us as today's update heralds the break of radiant dawn. Introducing an all-new cosmic hero, Dawnbreaker, and the 7.29 Gameplay Update.https://t.co/BSMzhoXu0i pic.twitter.com/YVKEoQOrPq
— DOTA 2 (@DOTA2) April 9, 2021
Her abilities include swinging her weapon around and hammering it down on foes' heads to stun them; chucking the hammer and recalling it like Thor with Mjolnir; healing on successive attacks; and literally leaping across the map to her allies' aid, healing them and harming foes. She's described as a durable melee carry, with life-giving Strength as her main attribute.
Elsewhere in patch 7.29, the map has been reworked to move the spots of several ward locations and the outposts, as well as the foliage surrounding towers and reducing the number of Bounty Rune spawns to two every three minutes.
Dota 2 players know that numbered patches like 7.29 can get pretty lengthy, so I won't list every change here, but there are a few that caught my eye right away:
- Heroes now spawn with only one TP scroll, but get one scroll on death. Free trips back to lane!
- You can deny your own wards if they're blocking a camp, so now no one will see your shameful ward placements.
- Necronomicon is no longer in the game. My condolences to Lycan mains.
- Shared Tangos expire after 40 seconds, though your mid player will still ask for them.
- Broodmother got a pretty sizeable rework. Still don't like giant spiders.
- Both Davion and Invoker got balance adjustments, while Mirana gets no anime buffs.
There's also reworked Aghanim's upgrades—including new ones for Hoodwink—and a boatload of numbers adjustments. It will take days to sort through how all this meshes together, but that's part of the fun of Dota 2. With a new patch and some added help for newcomers, it'll be fun to see if a bunch of folks start hopping back on this weekend. I know I'd like to give that big hammer a try.
Uncover the block moving secrets of the Rapa Nui in Konami's Moai-Kun
I love Moai. It's an interesting aesthetic; huge, monolithic humans with warped proportions. But do you know who loves Moai more? Japanese video game developers. They show up as bosses and in the background all the time in a wide variety of games such as Atlantis no Nazo, Rainbow Islands, and StarTropics. Even more so, Konami seemed to be crazy about the stone statues. They were a staple in their games, even appearing in Castlevania as a bonus item.
The heavy-browed monoliths would often alternate between antagonist and protagonist roles. They were a mainstay baddie in the Gradius series, while Konami Wai Wai World featured a Moai as one of its playable protagonists even though it had yet to feature in a title of its own. But the Moai would finally get the spotlight in Moai-Kun, a side-scrolling puzzle game found only on the Famicom.
Seeing Final Fantasy music in concert is something you should definitely do before you die.
I've had the good fortune of sitting in on numerous gaming-related musical events, like "Video Games Live," and a heap of side projects like Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses. In concerts like the former, Final Fantasy music is often peppered in. And you better believe a lot of that is Final Fantasy VII related.
Take this "trailer" for the Orchestra World Tour for Final Fantasy VII Remake. As our own Jordan Devore pointed out when he showed me this clip, "trailer" is underselling it a bit. It's basically a miniature show for free!
For reference, the clip was actually recorded back on February 13 of this year at the Tokyo International Forum, and is just being released by Square Enix publicly this week. It's all part of the Orchestra World Tour, which will be beginning in Osaka, Japan on April 17, then moving to the United States in August 2021, before hopping around the world starting in October. You can find the full list of current dates here.
You can also find the set list for the trailer below, with timestamps from yours truly. Stand Up! I can't believe the Honeybee Inn is still this prolific decades later. That's the power of Final Fantasy VII.
Unlock codes for the TimeSplitters 2 port inside Homefront: The Revolution have been discovered
Homefront: The Revolution might have been sitting dormant in some people's game libraries, but there's a new reason to break it back out. Following a tease that TimeSplitters 2 was hidden away in the game, players have since discovered how to access it.
A recent bout of developers sharing their Easter eggs, to coincide with Easter, prompted a former Dambuster developer to divulge his proudest moment: a "fully playable, native 4K" port of TimeSplitters 2 hidden inside an arcade machine in Homefront: The Revolution.
TimeSplitters 2 holds a special place in the hearts of split-screen console shooter fans, so a modern playable version would be a big deal. The existence of TimeSplitters 2 inside Homefront: The Revolution has actually been known for years, but only to the extent of a few levels, not the full game. Phillips said the game was "fully playable" through an unlock code, but he no longer had the notebook where he jotted it down. According to Phillips, he even tried leaking it through a friend in a Discord, and that friend was banned for it.
Luckily, it seems like the code hasn't been lost to time after all.
Here is a nice writeup. You can just enter the code on the level select screen for the easiest result. pic.twitter.com/ovUXyohqAr
— Lance McDonald (@manfightdragon) April 9, 2021
The codes were discovered by users and shared in Discord (via Lance McDonald). There's a full list, for both PlayStation and Xbox inputs, to unlock the Story, Arcade, and Challenge modes, as well as additional codes that users speculate are for Extras.
It turns out that in the previous thread, a mostly unknown user had posted one of the codes and it went mostly unnoticed, until another community member decided to test it out. Looks like you can finally play TimeSplitters 2 on a "modern" console; and while the data and files have been known for some time, being able to freely access the game as-intended is pretty neat.
Reports right now are indicating that you'll need to play through enough of Homefront: The Revolution to get to the arcade cabinet and use the codes, though. While that's a bit of a rough ask, TimeSplitters 2 might just be worth it.
New Dragon Quest 3 speedrun strategy involves swapping around other cartridges
Speedrunners have a knack for finding new ways to mess with games in the search of faster clear times, and the latest Dragon Quest 3 strategy is no exception. Runner Hitshee has now cleared Dragon Quest 3 in under seven minutes by swapping the cartridge around with a few other games while playing.
In a video, Hitshee broke down their strategy, which involves pulling the cartridge for Dragon Quest 3 and inserting several other games: Dr. Mario, Final Fantasy, and Kirby's Adventure. They recorded their full playthrough of the speedrun, but the video in the tweet below highlights the cartridge-swapping action.
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— Hitsheegameï¼ ãƒ›ãƒƒãƒˆãƒ—ãƒ¬ãƒ¼ãƒˆä½¿ã„ RTAinJapan (@Hitsheegame) April 7, 2021
(実æ³å‹•ç"»ï¼‰FC版 ドラゴンクエスト3 ãªã‚"ã§ã‚‚ã‚ã‚ŠRTA ä»»æ„コード実行ãƒãƒ£ãƒ¼ãƒˆ 6:47 https://t.co/8tCN7ww2IE #sm38547442 #ニコニコ動ç"» #ドラゴンクエスト3 #RTA pic.twitter.com/bpg9unTztJ
Nintendo Enthusiast broke down Hitshee's explanation of the technique. By swapping in new cartridges and inputting specific commands, it will result in some rewrites that result in maxed-out party members, item codes being rewritten, and the game getting a little buggy. Once the right swaps and inputs have happened, the player can simply Zoom to the castle in Tantegel and, with a few finishing moves, be greeted with the ending of Dragon Quest 3.
Dragon Quest 3 runners are no stranger to odd techniques. It wasn't that long ago that some in this "anything goes" category were putting their consoles on a hot plate after discovering they could bug saves when their cartridges reached a specific temperature.
Not only does this seem a little bit safer, it also has some real results. In the video above, Hitshee sets a time of 6:47.10, and they've posted times below six minutes as well. The ingenuity of speedrunners to not just find fast methods for beating a game on its own terms, but to discover any way they can shave minutes off a run—even resorting to hot plates and hot swaps—will always amaze me.
The Fallout 76 team takes a deep dive into Daily Ops quality of life changes
Bethesda is planning a new big update for Fallout 76, titled "Locked & Loaded."
The huge focus is on Daily Ops, which are literally daily quests that take roughly 10 minutes each, which randomization elements that wax and wane with each day. They were introduced six months ago, and mainly facilitate constant Fallout 76 play; for dedicated folks who want to be part of the world more often and earn more rewards in the process.
They were added in earnest roughly six months ago to Fallout 76, and they've caught on to the point where Bethesda is doubling down on them. Enter the Locked & Loaded patch, which is going to "double the amount of randomized elements," completely changing the landscape of Daily Ops as a whole.
The big thing is more variation. Mole Miners, Mothman Cultists, and Scorched enemies are now a part of the rotation in Locked & Loaded, which will increase the replay value of Daily Ops all by themselves. But it's also adding new mutations (like poisonous hazards triggered by enemy deaths, or Diablo-like auras from enemies that heal their allies) and a new mode called Decryption (which tasks players with disabling three radio interceptors).
It really is a good idea, all told. Fallout 76 hit the key elements it was lacking at launch (a world that felt actually lived in, and a real narrative that connected anyone to the game itself), then decided to experiment with high-end content and replayable stuff like Daily Ops. As of today, Locked & Loaded is slated for an April 27 release. After that, it's roadmap time.
You can test all of this now in the PTS, and watch the deep dive below straight from the developers.
Inside the Vault [Bethesda.net]
Path of Exile's most powerful item will be easier to get in Ultimatum
As players start to become more familiar with specific builds and "meta" items of Path of Exile, they are bound to come across one item mentioned a ton:
Headhunter.
And, realistically, a bunch of flasks and Watcher's Eye. But you don't wear those, so they don't count. Personally, I've never owned a Headhunter because it's always too expensive. Plus, I don't really play builds that utilize its unique mechanic very well. But I still want one really bad. If anything, just to say I've had one before.
In Path of Exile's upcoming expansion, Ultimatum, Grinding Gear Games is adding Headhunter to the default drop pool, meaning it can drop at any time while playing. So why is this belt so sought after? And how much could this update change its availability?
Destiny 2 is nerfing a few dominant exotics, buffing Linear Fusion Rifles
Destiny 2 is messing with weapons again, and of course, some things are on the chopping block.
Let's get to the big stuff first. Exotics. You know, the most personality-driven items in the game, the stuff that's usually overtuned and gets nerfed the quickest. Bungie is altering The Lament sword, which is dominating the sword meta at the moment. The heavy attack (revved up) is being reduced by 16% across the board, which is a functional and very easy to follow change.
Bastion will stagger unstoppable champions now, and the spread angle is being increased by 13 percent. However, both Bastion and The Lament are going to be a casualty of the removal of chip damage, which impacts the whole sword archetype as well. In short, both of them will not do any chip damage at all, which previously allowed bypassing shields and doing little packets of damage to things like stasis-encrusted foes.
Bungie is also nerfing hand cannons for PVP's sake, as well as Vortex Frame Swords. The Quickdraw and Frenzy perks are getting nerfed too, with Reservoir Burst seeing a buff. You can find the full preliminary patch notes below.
This Week at Bungie [Bungie.net]
Oh look it's a bunch of New Pokemon Snap footage
It's been 22 years...
Pokemon Snap came out in 1999. Feel old yet? The weird little project that could from HAL Laboratory has withstood the test of time, spurring myriad think pieces about how great the game is and how there should eventually be a sequel. Over two decades later all those photography fans are getting their wish with New Pokemon Snap, which is under new management via Bandai Namco Studios.
You really have to wonder what they'd have to do to screw this one up, because as of right now, it looks like a surefire bet. I'm especially relieved to see this new gameplay footage from the Japanese Pokemon Company YouTube channel, which clocks in at nearly seven minutes.
The clips walk you through the basics of the game, which are easy to grasp even if you don't understand a lick of Japanese (you can even hear keywords like "gyro!"). The main takeaways: you can explore an on-rails environment and capture photos of creatures living their lives, interact with them through various items, check out leaderboards, and flip through photo albums that can be customized with stickers and the like.
This is the chill game 2021 needed.
(Update) Analogue is restocking the Super Nt and Nt Mini Noir tomorrow and, well, good luck!
[Update: The Super Nt consoles are now out of stock, and while the purchase process was unsurprisingly nerve-wracking, I got one. How did it go? Here's a quick recap of what went down and what to potentially expect next time.
Right at 8:00 a.m., my cart wouldn't update (a common issue, from what I read), so I had to hammer on the add-to-cart button for about eight minutes. My Super NT Classic finally showed up and I filled in my address, and then I was sent to a queue page that warned me not to refresh. Seven-ish minutes later, I was let in, I filled out my billing info – it would've been faster if I had Apple Pay – and the order was placed. My shipping was $24. I got my confirmation email at 8:17 a.m. and let out a big sigh of relief.
The cart error message showing up the second the clock struck 8:00 a.m. felt like a bad omen that the bots and scalpers had already won again. I'm glad I didn't give up. Assuming Analogue uses a similar setup for future product drops, consider setting up Apple Pay to expedite the billing process.
I will say, it was nice to be able to secure a sought-after product just using a phone rather than some multi-browser setup on my PC or a sketchy-looking secret URL to beat the crowd.
At the time of writing (9:30 a.m.), the Nt Mini Noir is still in stock.]
Super Nt will be restocked in Classic, SF, and Black.
— Analogue (@analogue) April 8, 2021
Available April 9, 2021 at 8am PDT.
Limit 2 per customer. pic.twitter.com/yhYeSjeBfW
I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and try to grab a Super Nt – but I'm not holding my breath. My lucky streak for successfully placing online orders for sought-after consoles is bound to run out soon. If you're up for it, the Super Nt will be available again tomorrow, April 9, starting at 8:00 a.m. Pacific.
The transparent design has been discontinued, but the other three models – Classic, SF (Super Famicom), and Black – will pop up in the online shop. The console costs $189.99 (plus shipping), and Analogue is limiting two per customer, a move that has spread anxiety about scalpers swooping in.
According to a heads-up newsletter I got today, "all orders will ship by the end of the week." As for 8BitDo's matching SN30 - Classic and SN30 - SF controllers, they're currently still out of stock.
If you're reading this, you're likely familiar – maybe a little too familiar – with the Super Nt. If not, it's a well-crafted FPGA system designed for folks who want to get the most out of their Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges in 2021. I'll kindly direct you to My Life in Gaming's extensive video review.
With the recent Pocket postponement news, we learned that Analogue was planning to restock a few of its products soon. Apart from the Super Nt, the "very last" Nt Mini Noir units will be available on Analogue's shop at 8:00 a.m. Pacific on April 9, with a limit of one per customer. It's a $499.99 beast.
"Shortly after" that mad dash, the company will also restock the Mega Sg and DAC.
On the one hand, I'm kind of relieved these systems aren't readily available – I'd feel like a kid in a candy store that was accidentally given a twenty. On the other hand, I want to play my SNES carts on a modern TV without jumping through a bunch of hoops. After a recent splurge, I am so so ready.
I'm sending you all of my best "online shopping in the Covid era" vibes. Godspeed.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World remake launches June 24 and it's looking radical
You might have forgotten that, among the hustle and bustle of last year's Endless 3 festivities, Jankenteam announced a cute remake of Sega Master System classic Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Well, the indie developer has been beavering away at the retro revisit, and has announced that Alex Kidd will be returning to PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch on June 29.
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX is a ground-up remake of the original 1986 platformer which - having been pre-loaded into every Sega Master System unit soon after the title's launch - quickly became a household name among Sega fans. Miracle World sees the young adventurer and "martial-arts expert", (he has one literally giant punch and that's your lot), on a quest through to rescue the royal family of Radaxian from the evil usurper, Janken the Great.
2K says that Borderlands 3 isn't coming to Switch, PEGI rating was an error
Borderlands 3 coming to Switch? Not so, says 2K!
The rumor started swirling earlier this week when Borderlands 3: Director's Cut was rated by PEGI for every current platform (PC, PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X) and Switch. Wait! Maybe the community found a scoop! Evidently not: at least, allegedly.
While E3 2021 would be the perfect place for Gearbox and 2K to triumphantly announce that Borderlands 3 is coming to Switch later in 2021 (prediction!), for now, they're sticking to the story that it was a PEGI error. Gamespot writer Gabe Gurwin confirmed the news, noting that a 2K rep stated that a Switch edition is not in the cards. In fact, the offending Switch listing is actually removed as of the time of publication, and 2K says that it was an error from PEGI, not a deliberate submission.
Borderlands 3 would probably work on Switch. I mean, it might come at some point, as 2K and Gearbox have shown a lot of interest in the platform these past few years. 2K goes where the money is, and after sniffing out a potential Wii U disaster, they're basically going all-in with tons of re-release ports.
Also, how great is it that the PEGI icon for "in-game purchases" is a cartoon hand eagerly holding out a credit card?
Borderlands 3: Director's Cut [PEGI via Gabe Gurwin]
Super Meat Boy Forever runs, jumps, and splats onto PS4 and Xbox One next week
Team Meat has announced that its sweat-inducing platformer Super Meat Boy Forever will finally be bringing its gooey, multi-death action to PS4 and Xbox One on April 16, following on from its release on PC and Nintendo Switch back in January.
This fan made Super Mario Odyssey Switch manual is glorious, and could be official
Super Mario Odyssey may have come out nearly four years ago (!), but people are still buying and playing it.
In fact it's still a top-seller on Switch, boasting over 20 million units sold, and taking the sixth overall spot in lifetime Switch software sales. But it didn't come with a manual. Content creator Aurumonado is changing that.
Showing off their crafty sensibility on YouTube, they've created a physical manual for Mario Odyssey that you can buy off their Etsy store and insert into your Switch case. They flip through each page and I have to say the details are phenomenal.
Not only is it actually instructive, but the images and tutorial screens are spot-on. There's a lot to digest in Mario Odyssey after all, and even things like the credit page and the cute "customer service hotline" on the back are nice little homages to Nintendo's history. I wish this was out when the game was released, as I would have loved to have flipped through it as the game was loading up. Staring at the "press start" screen with music blaring in the background while my nose was stuck in a manual was a ritual.
As a reminder, Nintendo fans have been creating their own lovely little manuals for quite some time. Someone made a 44-page Super Mario All-Stars instruction booklet that you can still buy, and this fan supergroup crafted themed manuals for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
There's a need, because even Nintendo's official digital manuals section is woefully inadequate.
HalcyonInkAndImage [Etsy via Nintendo Life]
Capcom is looking into the Monster Hunter Rise Melding Pot issue
So far, with several weeks pre-launch and a few weeks post-launch, I haven't hit any major Monster Hunter Rise bugs. I'm lucky! They do exist, and Capcom is making an attempt to fix them, as evidenced by the 1.1.2 patch.
But the publisher evidently found another bug in Rise, and this one has to do with the melding pot.
Here's the full statement from Capcom
"Regarding an issue with the Melding Pot: We have confirmed a bug for some players when using 'Melding—Wisp of Mystery' that results in the same Talismans being produced in the exact same order. We are currently looking into the cause and how to fix it, so we will post another notification as soon as we find out more. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our players. We kindly ask for your patience while we look into the matter."
So let's break this down. The Melding Pot is a mechanic that's baked into some of the main vendors in the town square. It's a way for players to basically craft talisman equipment (read: passive buffs) through different combinations of reagents. But in some particular cases, the bug causes duplicate item combos, unintentionally.
The notice from Capcom didn't make it clear which combinations are impacted, but given the fairly fast turnaround for the last bug, it could be pushed live in a matter of days.
Important Notice [Capcom]
This No More Heroes 3 video really wants you to play Travis Strikes Again
We are a little more than four months away from the release of No More Heroes 3, which is more than enough time to drive into Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes if you haven't yet. I can understand if you've avoided it thus far. I mean, I've seen its Metacritic score and as somebody who bought it day one, it's a bit of a tough recommendation. If you haven't tried it by now, you're probably not going to at this point, but it's clear the people at Grasshopper Manufacturer think you're missing out by not giving it a go.
Yesterday, Suda51 hosted a live stream for No More Heroes 3 and out of that, we got this Garden of Sylvia video below. It gives a quick recap of the series, tells players to go look up anything it doesn't tell you on Wikipedia, plugs Travis Strikes Again, and shows off some brief new footage from the upcoming sequel. I'm just happy to see Bad Girl and Shinobu fighting side-by-side.
What's that? You thought Bad Girl was dead? Gee, I guess you should have played Travis Strikes Again then.
NEO: The World Ends with You launches July 27 on PS4 and Switch, is also headed to PC
Square Enix has dropped a double helping of exciting news regarding NEO: The World Ends with You. Not only has the publisher announced via its press hub that the uber-cool JRPG sequel is launching July 27 on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, but Squeeeenix also revealed the existence of a PC port, which is scheduled to launch later this summer via Epic Games Store.
Ghosts could be a pretty scary modern version of Night Trap
FMV games can already range from campy to outright scary, but what about one you can only play at night?
That's the pitch behind Ghosts, a new FMV adventure that just launched its Kickstarter campaign. This live-action horror game from developer Visible Games and Limited Run Games takes place in real time, and the trick is, it's meant to feel like it's live. So essentially, you'll only be able to boot up and play Ghosts when it's 10 p.m. in your time zone.
Excited to announce that I'm making a REAL-TIME, live-action HORROR video game w/ creature design by @slimyswampghost & made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop!
— Jed (@Jedshepherd) April 7, 2021
Released by @LimitedRunGames & starring Haley, Jemma, Emma, Radina and Caroline. They can tell you all about it-#ghosts pic.twitter.com/5PeUa4CrHT
Ghosts is written and directed by Jed Shepherd, who also wrote the Zoom horror movie Host. Five actresses from Host—Emma Louise Webb, Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Radina Drandova, and Caroline Ward—star in Ghosts, with Trevor Henderson (SirenHead) on creature design and those creatures fabricated by the Jim Henson Creature Shop.
The plot of Ghosts is that you're a broadcast producer of the live specter-hunting program Ghosts, as the cast is on the prowl for the rumored Long Lady. With camera feeds and heartrate monitors in front of you, you decide what gets sent out live over the air.
The choices you make, and what you broadcast, will change the story, but you can also only boot it up at 10 p.m. (The campaign notes that you can crack the "test" card and play a version with saves, though where's the fun in that?)
If you leave the broadcast station, the cast dies, so take care of any other responsibilites before 10 rolls around. Ghosts seems like a mash-up of modern-day FMV game Not For Broadcast and older titles like Night Trap, and as someone who grew up around live-action games, I'm pretty excited to see whether it can come together.
Ghosts is targeting an estimated delivery of Feb. 2022, though it notes that funding amount could move that around.
The launch of Fantasian really snuck up on us. After getting announced back in 2019, it flew under the radar until right around New Year's when developer Mistwalker confirmed the JRPG would release this year. Then, out of the blue, it dropped last week alongside a slew of new titles for Apple Arcade.
For many people, this was the first time they read the words "Apple Arcade" in months as the subscription service has more or less dropped out of the spotlight since its high-profile launch. I don't know if that will change with these new titles, but if there is any game that will get people paying attention to it again, it's probably this stunning RPG from the father of Final Fantasy.
Hot Wheels Unleashed is worth watching for arcade racing fans
Whether or not you have strong ties to the Hot Wheels brand in 2021, I'd say that based on the first gameplay trailer for Hot Wheels Unleashed, Milestone's upcoming arcade racer could easily still click.
The cars look suitably cool, the winding plastic tracks look fun to drift across, and that surprising leap-of-faith shortcut at 1:27 helped establish depth beyond the pick-up-and-play exterior.
Depending on how varied the stages and hazards are (I like the web-shooting spider obstacle that can stick players to the course, but I'm less into the warehouse vibe in general), Hot Wheels Unleashed could end up being one of the fondly-remembered video game tie-ins. Did you ever play Hot Wheels Turbo Racing on PS1 or N64? I never rented it, but refreshing myself now, I'm starting to wish I had.
In terms of cars, the currently-known roster includes Night Shifter, Dragon Blaster, Sharkruiser, Rodger Dodger, Twin Mill, Bone Shaker, and Rip Rod, but there will be more than 60 cars at launch on September 30, to say nothing of alternate skins. That whole side of the game could get out of hand with DLC. There's also going to be a livery editor, a track editor, and – heck yeah – two-player split-screen.
We'll keep an eye out and see how the game progresses from here. This was just a surface-level look today – a chance to figure out if Hot Wheels Turbo Racing is worth following at all. I think it will be.
Ancient evil and massive caravans abound in Path of Exile 2's latest trailer
It's a new year, and today developer Grinding Gear Games debuted a new trailer for its upcoming dungeon-crawling sequel Path of Exile 2.
The new Path of Exile was revealed back in 2019, right on the heels of Diablo IV. Still keeping the dungeon-crawling, loot-grabbing spirit alive, Path of Exile 2's trailer today gives us a better look at some of the locales we'll be visiting, and they sure do look pretty.
You can get a greater sense of what they look like in action with the in-depth gameplay walkthrough also revealed today, but these visuals are pretty striking. The caravan aspect in particular is cool—there's a part where you're fighting across a bridge while the massive wagons drift underneath, and it really adds a sense of scale to what's happening. It's got kind of a dark fantasy Fury Road vibe, y'know?
I'm admittedly not as well-versed in Path of Exile as I am with other loot games, but it seems to have found a sizeable audience. The sequel seems like a good time to get even more folks like me onboard, even if it's now competing with both a Diablo sequel and a remaster of Diablo II. It all just means more loot for the loot god.
Path of Exile 2 still doesn't have a release date, though on its site Grinding Gear Games says it doesn't expect to start a beta until "2022 at the earliest." Until then, there's also a new update coming to base Path of Exile to tide players over.
The last time we checked in with the long-awaited Oddworld: Soulstorm, things were looking good.
Let's see how it turned out.
PC Gaming Show and Future Games Show set for June 13 and please keep it under two hours
Two more showcases have been added to the growing calendar of summer live streams. PC Gamer has announced that the PC Gaming Show 2021 will premiere on Sunday, June 13, to be immediately followed by another iteration of the Future Games Show.
Last year's PC Gaming Show was notable for three specific elements: the exciting announcement that Persona 4 Golden was launching that moment on Steam; the fact that it was almost two-and-a-half hours long on a Saturday, and the appearance of fun co-host Devbot, who kept things trucking along with his Telebug ways... You don't know what Telebugs is because you're 19.
We will, of course, be on hand to cover the biggest stories out of this year's event. Do you think they'll drop Persona 3 FES onto Steam? How about Persona 5 Royal? That would be exciting - though to be clear this is just wishlisting on my part - so don't run with it like people did with that Abandoned rumor... Wait, what if Devbot is Hideo Kojima?..
Outriders studio is giving in-game gifts to its players for launch issues
People Can Fly's Outriders went live last week, and it had some trouble keeping servers up right out of the gate. Though the situation has mostly stabilized since then, the developer announced today that it's sending launch window Outriders players an "appreciation package."
In a lengthy Reddit post outlining the first major updates to Outriders after its launch, the studio says it's disappointed the launch didn't go as planned. As a show of appreciation to those who stuck it out and sent messages of support, the team is sending out a special package of in-game gifts to players who either played between March 31 and April 11, or who experienced an automatic inventory wipe restoration.
The items are a level-appropriate Legendary Weapon and quantity of Titanium, as well as a "Frustration" emote that is, for the time being, unattainable aside from this package.
There will also be a balance patch, which among other things addresses a Legendary exploit and tunes down the power of the "Vulnerable" status and the Trickster's Twisted Rounds. In the case of the latter, People Can Fly says it wants the infinite bullet uptime build to be "high risk, high reward," but it sounds like it was mostly just high reward and little to no risk.
Despite these issues, Outriders appears to be going strong. It's a pretty alright loot-shooter, and the number of players hopping online and slamming the servers is also a testament to how many folks want to play the game. It will be interesting seeing how Outriders develops over the coming months, considering the studio's stance against it being a "games-as-a-service" game.
Street Fighter V's 'professional' costume DLC sees Juri channel her inner Daryl Hannah
You wait three seasons for Juri to get some decent clobber, and then an entire wardrobe comes along at once. Yes, in addition to the great, contest-winning outfits that dropped just last month, Street Fighter's spider-lovin' assassin is now getting her Kill Bill on as part of a pack of "Professional" DLC skins headed to Capcom's foremost fighting title.
As revealed during this week's "Street Fighter V Spring Update," Juri, Vega (or "Claw" for all you pedants), and Seth will each receive new gear representative of the workforce. Juri is rocking a nurse's outfit with just more than a passing resemblance to Elle Driver, the deadly assassin played by Daryl Hannah in Tarantino's 2003 slash-fest. Of course, this outfit also recalls Skullgirls' own nefarious nurse, Valentine, so I better name-check her too, lest I get "ACKSHUALLYD" in the comments.
Blasphemous is getting an unholy physical edition in June
Fans of the grim 'n' gory a Blasphemous might want to mark June 29 on their calendars, for that is the day when Team17, in association with physical media marketers Sold Out, will be releasing a physical edition of the gothic horror title on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Brace yourself, we're getting five Smurfs video games 'over the next five years' from Microids
I don't know how you go about making five distinct and worthwhile games based on The Smurfs, but I'm curious to see Microids try. The publisher struck a deal with IMPS to roll out four new untitled Smurfs video games that will "gradually launch over the next five years" and "explore different genres."
There's something about Microids' exact phrasing – "Four new Smurfs video game adaptations will be released over the next five years!" – that tickled us this morning in the Destructoid staff chat. Will one of them be a straight-faced gacha game? We didn't need much imagination to picture it and start riffing.
"Get ready for the holiday event, grind for SSR Papa Smurf (Santa) and SSR Smurfette (Elf), with 0.001 drop rates." [...] "I already spent $2,000 rolling for Grouchy Summer Smurf, please no more."
On top of the four-game deal, there's also a fifth Smurfs project, The Smurfs - Mission Vileaf, from OSome Studio. It's a Gargamel-thwarting 3D platformer for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One due out in 2021. Microids released a piece of concept art today and it's... unexpectedly beautiful? Wow!
If you're going to tap into an older brand like this, you might as well go all-out. I respect it. And as someone who knows far more about the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon than the original Belgian comic that – from what I've heard – really goes places, I better start brushing up on my extended Smurfs lore.
Well, I didn't expect Pac-Man 99 to spring up out of nowhere on the eShop, but here we are.
As of yesterday, Pac-Man 99 was announced and dropped on the eShop. It's there! And it's a Switch Online pack-in just like Tetris 99 and Mario 35 was. Yep, that one is still dead as of this past week.
Cozy Grove rounds out the offerings this week, as does the JRPG Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV, Don't Give Up: A Cynical Tale, and Say No More. The eShop is about to get scalding hot soon as Nintendo gears up to launch Pokemon Snap later this month. Until then, you'll play Pac-Man 99 and you'll like it.
There's a good chunk of games (especially from big publishers) I kind of avoid until they're basically out. "No, I don't want to watch this NPC backstory video. Call me when it's out!"
Our own Jordan Devore can't count the number of times I've asked "is [x] out yet?" whenever he's tasked with covering a specific beat. It's weird to think about now, but Fortnite was a big one. When it was just the "Save the World" edition I never really bothered to pay attention to its development process until it was finally out.
Outriders is another big one. It's one of those huge releases that is whispered in the wind, and I'll see it when I see it. Well, I saw it! And it's better than some of the other ill-fated looter shooters in recent memory, but it still has plenty of issues.
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise is apparently headed to PC later in 2021
Rising Star Games may be getting set to port rubbish adventure Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise to PC in 2021. As spotted on ResetEra, the wack and wacky supernatural thriller popped up in a financial report issued by Rising Star's parent company, Thunderful Group, suggesting that the Nintendo Switch title will come skateboarding onto Steam this year.
Deadly Premonition 2 tells a dual story of investigation featuring returning protagonist Francis Zach Morgan and FBI agent Aaliyah Davis. The two characters work to unearth the truth behind a weird case of occultism, located in the unnerving town of Le Carré, Louisiana. The adventure's singular plotline spans the course of a decade, with players bouncing between both the past and the present while indulging in odd conversations and sill mini-games.
Cliffy B teases potential return to gaming, and it better be a Jazz Jackrabbit revival
Cliff Bleszinski, also known as "Cliffy B," has been an enigmatic figure ever since the launch of Gears of War, but no matter how you slice it, I think the industry is better with him in it.
Following the closure of Boss Key Productions I've missed his impact on the industry, and I found myself wanting him back in the fray these past few years. Well, I might get my wish, based on a new cryptic tweet.
This week, he tweeted: "And, yes, for the record, I'm working on some new stuff, and you should know every damned day it's agonizing to not talk about it." So in a follow-up tweet, Cliff notes: "bear in mind it might not necessarily be a video game." However, he also has a playful conversation with Rami Ismail, famed co-founder Vlambeer (which is no more), in that same breath.
So "new stuff" could involve both game and non-game projects. Cliff has been involved in the latter as of these past few years following the closure of Boss Key, including Broadway production.
What am I hoping for? A Jazz Jackrabbit revival. It's time! Get a killer art team to do the visuals and bring it back for $10 on every platform you can muster.
Cliff Bleszinski [Twitter]
So, Stadia announced a bunch of games today that are coming to the platform as part of the "Stadia Makers" program, and one caught my eye. Snoochie boochies!
The dynamic duo of Jay and Silent Bob are back in beat 'em up form, with Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch. So as I intimated in the header, Chronic Blunt Punch has been around for a while: it's not a brand new Stadia exclusive thing. It was funded on Fig in 2016, and is currently "in its final development push" according to developer Interabang Entertainment. In case you're confused, this is not the Mall Brawl retro-tinted game that was released in late 2020.
Also note that this is still "coming soon," as it's been billed for quite some time. We didn't get any new hard information on the release date today, so hopefully the final push line is correct, and everything goes smoothly for an actual soon, and not Blizzard soon (tm) launch.
I also wanted to showcase this game to talk about how much I appreciate that folks are holding water for the beat 'em up genre. I mean Battletoads just came out, Streets of Rage 4 rocked, and now we have a Turtles revival. Oh and that Asterix project. Is it 3AM in the Big Apple, or am I dreaming?
So how has ol' Kevin been doing lately? Well, he just helped his daughter, actress Harley Quinn Smith, get her vegan podcast off the ground, and appeared as a presenter in The Last Blockbuster documentary. He's also working on a horror anthology flick called Killroy Was Here, and is in the planning phases of Clerks 3.
Spring's Resident Evil Showcase will take place April 15
Capcom has announced that it will be bringing another bloodsucking bevy of Resident Evil news next week, with the screening of the second Resident Evil Showcase live stream. Taking place on April 15, the online presentation will offer new news related to Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil RE:Verse and any other matters pertaining to sexy giant heels the undead.
While fans can definitely expect new trailers and gameplay footage from the survival horror franchises' incoming releases, the Resi community is waiting with bated breath for the announcement of a brand new Resident Evil Village demo - a listing for which was spotted on the PlayStation database just yesterday by website MP1ST. The popular "Maiden" demo was launched in conjunction with the previous showcase event, so this fan fervor is understandable, even if there has been no official word from Capcom as of yet.
You can watch the Resident Evil Showcase live on PlayStation's YouTube and Twitch channels. The action kicks off on April 15 at 15:00 PT / 16:00 ET / 23:00 BST. If you cannot watch the stream live, have no fear, as we'll be sure to get you up to speed right here on Destructoid!
Resident Evil Village launches May 7 on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox platforms.
Deathloop has been delayed to September
Deathloop, Arkane's time-looping shooter, is being delayed once again. The studio announced today that Deathloop will now be arriving on Sept. 14, 2021.
In a statement from game director Dinga Bakaba, art director Sebastien Mitton, and the Arkane Lyon team, they say they are committed to the quality and ambitions set out for Deathloop, while also ensuring the health and safety of those at the studio.
An update on DEATHLOOP from @ArkaneStudios: pic.twitter.com/tJwUSM5vum
— DEATHLOOP (@deathloop) April 8, 2021
"We apologize for the extended wait and thank you all for your passion and excitement," read the statement. "It is the fuel that powers our creativity and our hard work. We can't wait to show you more Deathloop soon!"
Deathloop was previously set to launch next month, a date pushed back from its original window of the PlayStation 5's launch. There have still been updates over the last few months on Arkane's mix of superpowers, firepower, and a Groundhog Day-style loop with two assassins on the prowl.
It seems like we're not done with delays yet this year, though. TT Games recently confirmed that LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga will miss its spring window, and games like Back 4 Blood, Humankind, and even the Analogue Pocket have all suffered delays. Xbox's Phil Spencer said last year that 2021's games would feel the impact of the pandemic and shift to remote work on development, and that seems to be coming to fruition.
Nintendo tweets in support of a digital E3, and uh can we get a Direct this year?
E3 2021 is back in digital form, and it's not going to be a paywalled affair. That's good!
Nintendo and Microsoft were also confirmed to be in on the festivities, and the former actively showed their support on Twitter via Nintendo of America president and Reggie successor Doug Bowser.
Bowser tweeted, stopping short of confirming a showcase or stream event like a Nintendo Direct: "It's going to be great to get the video game industry back together with our fans this June. We'll make the virtual format fun and engaging. Looking forward to seeing you all in June!" If you recall, Nintendo did not have a proper Direct in all of 2020 (just Minis or Directs for specific games), much less an E3 presentation.
As you may recall, Microsoft was also proudly announced to be part of the festivities too by the ESA, and Phil Spencer joined in on the hype. Spencer tweeted out that he's "glad to see the game industry coming together again in June," and that E3, and "other summer events are proof that our industry is strongest when we work together."
Working together, eh? Now, this is all theatrics and PR optics, but at the same time, that's clear shade being thrown at Sony, who may once again be a no-show at E3 this year. That's their choice, and it might make business sense for them! But in terms of the consumer-side, Sony was super slow to implement cross-play and cross-progression in the past, and in recent years, has become a sort of island.
Doug Bowser [Twitter]
Streets of Rage 4 'Mr. X Nightmare' DLC will include new mode, music, and playable Estel Aguirre
Dotemu, Lizard Cube, and Guard Crush Games have just delivered news the entire world (well, me at least) has been waiting for: Streets of Rage 4 is getting new DLC later this year, which will bring with it a new mode, new music, new weapons and - best of all - a new playable character in the form of cop-turned vigilante Estel Aguirre.
Mr. X Nightmare is set after the events of Streets of Rage 4, will see Axel, Blaze, Cherry and Co. engage in a virtual training program concocted by Streets of Rage 3 star Dr. Zan. This virtual arena will see our bone-breaking heroes come up against numerous villainous scenarios, allowing the gang to keep in fighting shape for future throwdowns... Axel's getting up in years and yer boy has to keep those aging knees in shape. I can relate.
Developer clarifies Abandoned is not a 'secret Hideo Kojima project'
Lordy, the internet loves a good conspiracy story. Developer Blue Box Games, who recently showed off its upcoming PS5 exclusive, Abandoned, has been forced to insist that the creepy survival horror title is not, in fact, a top-secret Hideo Kojima collaboration, following internet rumors to the contrary.
After the Dutch studio revealed its eerie-looking new project on PlayStation Blog yesterday, internet tongues immediately set to wagging that the Metal Gear creator was involved in the next-gen title's development, with theorists suggesting that "Blue Box Games" and director "Hasan Kahraman" (THE INITIALS!!) are mere pseudonyms for Kojima Productions. A new statement on the studio's admittedly sparse website, however, claims that there is no truth to the speculation.
"We received several emails regarding the Hideo Kojima rumour," states Blue Box Games. "We have no association with Hideo Kojima nor do we claim to have any association nor was it our intention to claim such a statement. We are a small group of developers working on a passionate title we wanted to work on for a long time."
"We have been assisting other studios in the past with their projects and we wanted to work on our very first big project. While it is true that we've been working on small projects in the past, we certainly didn't use that for marketing purposes. We hope this has clarified this matter and hope to see you all in our very first gameplay reveal of Abandoned."
It should also be noted - as discovered by VentureBeat - that Blue Box as a studio has not simply launched out of nowhere, having had previous releases meander around Steam's Greenlight and Early Access programs as far back as 2015. Still... that's just that kind of long-con scheme Hideo Kojima would perform.*
Abandoned is scheduled to launch later in 2021, exclusively on PS5.
*He wouldn't. It's not him.
Crysis Remastered receives a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S next-gen upgrade
Developer Crytek has released a next-gen upgrade for Crysis Remastered. The update allows PS4 and Xbox One owners to upgrade their copy of the interstellar shooter to a newly-enhanced version on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S respectively.
