Whatcha been playing this week, Destructoid?
It's the weekend once again, and I'd be lying if I said the days and weeks hadn't long blurred together to make one long day. Time seems simultaneously too fast and too slow, and I'm definitely struggling with the separation of day-to-day activities and events. Still, I have friends, I have games, I have movies, and I have you. Until we can get matters back to a state of normalcy, that will be enough for many of us. I hope this weekend finds you and yours well, and I hope you're keeping your mind exercised and occupied as we push through this particularly tricky period.
A big part of my week has revolved around just grabbing short bursts of gaming wherever I'm able, which hasn't been too often, to be frank. I've mostly resorted to hitting Capcom Arcade Stadium for small, cathartic breaks playing familiar favorites. While many of the games featured on that compendium are titles I've played to death, I'm still finding some new loves, such as Cave's excellent 2001 shmup Progear, which has a gorgeous aesthetic and challenging, satisfying gameplay. That's the great thing about video games, there's always new gems to discover, whatever your generation.
But this morning it's your time to talk gems. I appreciate you taking time out of your weekend to visit Destructoid, and I'm looking forward to reading about all the titles old and new that are occupying your free time, whether you have hours or even just minutes to play with. Jump into the comments below and let us know what you've been hitting this week. Hope it was a rad one.
Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.
Sexy Demon's Souls vinyl soundtrack now available to pre-order at select stores
One of the elements that makes FromSoftware's Demon's Souls so utterly engaging is its epic score, composed by the brilliant Shinsuke Kida. If you're both a Demon's Souls fan and one of those "It has a much 'fuller' sound" types, then you'll definitely be pleased to hear that the grim adventure's OST is now available to pre-order in sleek, double-LP vinyl format.
Doom Eternal is half price on Switch and the eShop also has Bethesda, WB, and Activision sales
Doom Eternal is half price ($29.99) on the Nintendo Switch eShop, and that's a solid deal.
Panic Button's well-liked Switch port of Doom Eternal only released digitally, and it's still relatively recent compared to the older PC and other console versions that came out first, so for anyone considering waiting on a "good deal," this is likely your best opportunity for a good long while.
For a tech analysis, I'd turn to Digital Foundry. The Switch edition looks blurry even when you aren't stacking it up side-by-side, but it plays well, and it's a "near locked 30 frames per second experience" in docked play. As for those pesky Marauders, I can't help you there – you're gonna have to practice.
While I'd say Doom Eternal is the focal point here, a few other notable eShop sales are running right now that you can peruse all at once over on Nintendo's sales and deals page. For once, it's not too cramped.
Bethesda has the wider Doom and Wolfenstein series on sale. Everything is half price, which works out pretty well for the classic Doom titles, but not so much for Skyrim, which is still charging $29.99.
The Warner Bros. Games sale is mostly a chance to save on Mortal Kombat 11 ($14.99) and assorted LEGO games, from Jurassic World ($9.99) to Marvel Super Heroes 2 ($7.49) to The Incredibles ($14.99).
Activision Blizzard has titles like Diablo III: Eternal Collection ($29.99), Overwatch ($19.99), Spyro Reignited Trilogy ($19.99), and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled ($19.99), but those prices aren't as tempting. I'm mostly just mentioning this sale since we're already here and I appreciate those remakes.
These deals will stick around until April 11 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (Activision Blizzard), April 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (Warner Bros. Games), and April 15 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (Bethesda). Plenty of time.
Outriders is going through some some launch server woes
Outriders went live yesterday, and it seems like a lot of people are hopping on, because the servers are having some trouble keeping up. Players are reporting disconnections and troubles staying logged into servers.
Over on the Outriders subreddit and on social media, users have been posting pictures of the start screen. Developer People Can Fly has been openly addressing it though, posting updates on the Outriders Twitter page.
In a statement, studio head Sebastian Wojciechowski says that Square Enix is working to fix the server issues as soon as possible.
"As developers, who've been working super hard for the last five years to make this game awesome, we really hope that you will judge the game rather than those teething troubles related to server issues," said Wojciechowski. "It is frustrating for you and it is frustrating for us."
Launch server outages are hardly a new story in video games, with lots of online-enabled multiplayer games struggling to deal with sudden surges of popularity. Outriders also seems to be garnering a lot of players, given the Steam numbers it's been putting up despite the outages.
The team says it's going to do the "mother of all turn-it-off-and-on-agains," which will take all servers offline for a short duration. Hopefully kicking the plug out completely will give Square Enix a good chance to rebuild and be ready for the player influx.
[Update: Looks like servers are back online. Time to get back to shootin', lootin', and wranglin' the wilds of Enoch.]
Well, shoot – another delay. And not necessarily a game I expected to be pushed back again.
TT Games planned to wrap up LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga by spring 2021, but as of today, the self-proclaimed "biggest and best-ever LEGO game" won't make that release window.
The developers noted on Twitter that they simply "need more time" – but stopped short of sharing a revised target. We'll hear more about the "updated launch timing as soon as possible."
Thanks to all our fans for your continued patience. pic.twitter.com/tCDV9Ikftd
— TT Games (@TTGames) April 2, 2021
From everything TT Games has been saying about The Skywalker Saga (including the fact that there are several hundred playable minifigs and that means they're going to have to get a bit weird with character picks), it feels like a real culmination. I hope with more time, it's everything we've been wanting.
If you haven't been following the game much (or you just forgot... I kind of did!), you'll be able to pick up the story and play at any point in the nine-movie timeline. I'm sure I'll do the whole obsessed completionist thing either way – this is a LEGO game, after all – but I appreciate having that choice.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga may not be at the top of our most-wanted list for 2021, but you know what? Time away from LEGO games, the Star Wars franchise at large, and even just online discourse has done wonders for my interest in it. TT Games hasn't had much to show of The Skywalker Saga lately – maybe I should've seen this delay coming? – but just flipping through the screens right now, yeah, sure, I wanna trip some AT-ATs on Hoth for the easily hundredth-or-more time. Let's go.
I'm half-tempted to bust out Rogue Squadron II tonight. It's in writing now so I can't back out.
Fantasian, World of Demons, and a bunch of other games hit Apple Arcade today
Fantasian, the new dioramic RPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, launched on Apple Arcade. But as it turns out, that wasn't the only game coming to the service.
Apple announced today that over 30 games are coming to the subscription gaming service, spread across new games and old classics. Alongside the new originals, Apple launched two new categories: Timeless Classics and App Store Greats.
The Classics section has some longtime standards: a chess and backgammon app, for example, as well as the pretty solid Good Sudoku by Zach Gage. App Store Greats, meanwhile, holds a number of mobile classics ad-free and fully unlocked, including Fruit Ninja Classic, Mini Metro, and Threes!, which is responsible for a lot of lost hours for me, personally.
A big surprise is PlatinumGames' World of Demons, the action mobile game first shown back in 2018 that later quietly disappeared has snuck onto the Apple Arcade list. It's got some really striking, Okami-esque visuals for its tale of samurai and yokai.
And of course, there's Fantasian, which has a really interesting battle system that lets you deposit monsters into a pocket dimension and battle them all at once. Plus, it has a bunch of miniatures and dioramas that look really pretty.
As an Android owner, I'm admittedly a little jealous. Hopefully Fantasian makes its way to other services like some of the other Arcade hits like Grindstone have. Check out the Apple blog for the full list of games coming to the service, including some genuine surprises like Taiko no Tatsujin: Pop Tap Beat and the swiping-RPG Reigns.
When's the last time you splurged on games?
I may have accidentally gotten back into collecting Super Nintendo games. Yeah, let's go with "may."
As many of you have no doubt experienced first-hand, it's been an expensive time for collectors from all walks of life. For anyone looking to lighten their loads, there's an opportunity to strategically cash out, especially when it comes to even vaguely "rare" games, trading cards, and other nostalgia-inducers.
For some buyers – those unfortunate souls who lack enough patience to wait for prices to maybe one day settle into something approaching normal times – it's been a trip. I don't know why my brain decided I should rekindle my SNES love all of a sudden, but it did, and I'm trying not to overdo it.
Recently, that meant a few nights of impulse buying spread across eBay – yeah, eBay! I haven't used it in over a decade! – and a trusted local game store with accurate online listings and high-quality photos.
For now, I've been focusing on the carts I never personally had as a kid – within reason. So, more along the lines of repeat rentals, games I enjoyed at friends' houses, and cool stuff I read about in magazines, not so much "obscure gems people overlooked in the '90s that are now obscenely expensive."
Hearthstone's new standard rotation and the thematic Barrens set has shaken up the game
I don't like to cover every Hearthstone set, because some are way more impactful than others.
But when there's a full standard rotation, it's kind of a big deal. Forged in the Barrens is a pretty hefty shakeup for the entire game, mostly because it also coincides with the recent new Core Set of cards.
Nazo no Murasame-Jou deserves to be remembered alongside Metroid and Zelda
Nineteen eighty-six was a transformative year for Nintendo. Super Mario Bros. had released at the end of the previous year and ushered in a slew of influential games. The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus (I guess), many of which were riding on the features of the Famicom Disk System, which also released that year. Home console games would quickly shift away from the cyclical arcade model and more toward adventures with endpoints; final goals to work towards, rather than just a high score.
We received many of the fruits of this labor. The Legend of Zelda would ship with a special battery backed cartridge to allow saving on the NES, while Metroid and Kid Icarus would swap to passwords. One notable game, however, was left in the dust among those titles; the second original title on the Famicom Disk System, Nazo no Murasame-Jou. Whether it was because it was too Japanese for Western audiences or… actually, that's the only reason I can think of because it's an excellent game that could have totally gotten away with just using a password system.
Oddworld Collection compiles three classics for Nintendo Switch
Classic adventures from the book of Oddworld are being compiled for release on Nintendo Switch. Publisher Microids has announced Oddworld Collection; a physical release that will include a trio of Abe and Co.'s weird, puzzle-platforming adventures.
The first of the three titles is Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty, a ground-up remake of the original 1997 PlayStation release Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee. New 'n' Tasty sees heroic Mudokan Abe begin his rebellious push back against the nefarious, capitalistic Glukkons, who intend to turn both Abe and his people into intergalactic foodstuffs for galaxy-wide distribution. This first series entry introduced players to Oddworld's bizarre universe, as well as its non-confrontational, puzzle-solving, micro-management gameplay.
The second title featured in Oddworld Collection is 2001's Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, which sees Munch, a Gabbit hunted to near-extinction, and his efforts to free himself and the few remaining Gabbits from a floating research laboratory overseen by a cruel race known as Vykkers. Munch's Oddysee saw the action transition from 2.5D to 3D, as Munch, (with an assist from Abe), picks his way through the laboratory in an effort to bring down the Vykkers from within.
Rounding out the collection is 2005's Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath. This western-themed title takes a wide side-step from its predecessors, embracing a dual third-and-first-person shooter gameplay while still retaining some of the platform and puzzle action of its brethren. As "The Stranger," players track and taking down wanted varmints, while exploring a wide variety of locales from the Oddworld universe.
It should be noted that all three titles in the Oddworld Collection are already available for purchase from the Nintendo eShop, but for any fans who have been holding off on pulling the trigger, Oddworld Collection will be a handy way to have all three games on one cartridge when it hits stores May 27. Microids has stated there are currently no plans to bring this all-in-one release to other platforms.
Larian founder Swen Vincke on dice, druids, and Baldur's Gate 3
Putting a game out early to the public can be tricky, but Early Access is not new to Larian Studios anymore. The RPG studio utilized a staggered launch with Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel to their success, and now with Baldur's Gate 3, it's looking for a third win.
That doesn't mean there haven't been growing pains, though. Baldur's Gate 3 is a different kind of game from Original Sin 2; it has a different combat system, a more cinematic approach, and is firmly rooted in the old tomes of Dungeons & Dragons.
Following the recent addition of the Druid class and another Panel From Hell, we reached out to Larian to see just how its Early Access has been progressing. On a call with studio founder Swen Vincke, the studio head says they've been receiving a lot of feedback from the community, through both analytics and vocal feedback on forums like Reddit, and there have been a few course corrections.
"I know that the community wants us to go faster than we can," Vincke tells me over a video chat. "It does take time to implement things, especially for a game that's as vast as Baldur's Gate 3—also a game that we're still developing—so we have to balance the two things to each other."
Yet overall Vincke is happy with the reception thus far. Reviews have been positive, and problems that are being flagged by players are things already being charted on the roadmap. So what does the road ahead look like, then?
This new Dynasty Warriors movie trailer heavily leans into the games, to its benefit
So, the Dynasty Warriors movie is almost out in China, as it's set to debut on April 30.
Wait, what?! Yep, it's a real thing, and it's finally coming out after ages of hearing about it. I know it's an international release, but it's really flown under the radar in terms of recent overarching "game adaptation film" conversation especially in light of flicks like Sonic (which is getting a sequel) and the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot.
This trailer does the new Dynasty Warriors movie a lot of favors. It starts off with a little homage to the games, then jumps straight into over-the-top combat and big-picture military strategy footage. The anime-like moves look authentic, the costumes are on point, the game soundtrack is infused into this clip. Everything checks out on paper.
I don't know why, but the "produced by Omega Force" logo at the beginning really got to me. A lot of the time when a gaming adaptation is produced, the original studio that started it all is completely forgotten. Like when "Sega" is credited with producing the Sonic movie, and so on. But to see a trailer with the developer front and center: it's a beautiful thing.
Earth Defense Force: World Brothers will bring cute carnage westward on May 27
Get set for the more adorable little invasion you ever did see, as D3 Publisher, in association with Yuke's, has finally announced a western localization for the newest, pint-sized entry in the EDF franchise: Earth Defense Force: World Brothers, which will launch on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch on May 27.
Microsoft has done a bang-up job in terms of game preservation and backward compatibility this generation.
The Xbox Series X is a powerhouse of a console in terms of cross-generation preservation, letting people play a large swath of games across the entire lifecycle of the Xbox ecosystem. The program expanded even further recently as Microsoft explained that backward compatibility support was headed to the cloud, with "classic Xbox and Xbox 360 games" available on mobile devices.
Responding to a fan on Twitter, Microsoft reiterated their commitment to the past. Here's the full statement from Microsoft's Xbox team: "As time goes on, it becomes more important than ever that we ensure gaming icons and classics are preserved for new and old players alike. Whether your first time playing Morrowind is from 2002 on your Xbox or 2021 on your phone, we're excited to share these experiences with you!"
Having played Morrowind in 2002, that statement is wild to think about. While I figured games would proliferate on as many devices as possible in the future, I never thought it would be a shared ecosystem like this; with pushes from cross-play and cross-progression.
I've said this many times, but Sony's "this is how you trade games" PSA is coming back to bite them now. Microsoft could have made that video ten times over this generation with all of their advancements, like the aforementioned backward compatibility push, as well as things like save and upgrade license transferring through "Smart Delivery." Oh, and last generation: cross-play, when Sony was the last big holdout.
How times have changed!
Xbox [Twitter]
The Medium's Bloober Team steps away from 'incompatible' acquisition talks
Bloober Team - the horror-loving studio behind titles such as Observer and The Medium - as backed away from acquisition talks from various potential buyers. The Polish studio had been looking into merging or selling to a larger conglomerate, but has decided its best option is to remain relatively independent for now.
The news came in a report by Polish outlet Bankier, (as translated by VGC), where Bloober said it is more likely to try and work in cooperation with other companies, rather than be purchased or merged outright with them. Bloober believes that such a merger might jeopardize the studio's "strategic objectives" going forward.
"The company has decided not to continue discussions with potential financial and industry investors interested in acquiring a majority stake due to the high risk of losing its overriding strategic objectives," read the Banker statement. "At this stage it would be incompatible with the culture of the organization, and would significantly limit the potential growth of the company's value in the coming years, especially taking into account the projects implemented and planned."
Borderlands 3 is bringing back the Eridium bonus event, and expanding the reward system
Borderlands 3 has reached the point in its life where we're repeating events. In some cases, that's fine! A few of them have been pretty fun ways to inject some more personality into the loot system and encourage curated, timed plays where everyone is on at the same time. Show Me the Eridium was one of those lightning-in-a-bottle events, and it's back this week.
There's actually three bits of Borderlands 3 news all at once, and we'll go step by step. Show Me the Eridium (one of many self-described "mini events") is running from now through April 8, and will increase the Eridium drops across the board. Oh, and Gearbox reminds us that you need to spend 500 Eridium to take on the Hemovorous the Invincible raid boss in the paid Director's Cut addon, which is still slated for April 8. Good to know!
So the second part is actually related: there's more Eridium rewards now. This change is facilitated through two new machines (Crazy Earl's Reroll and Maurice's Black Market Vending Machine). The former (which is near Crazy Early's abode in the cargo bay) lets you reroll gear similar to a lot of other looter shooters and MMOs, and the latter provides "top-tier legendary loot," with its location scattered across Pandora's non-DLC zones each week. In short, it's basically Xur from Destiny.
Next up is the hotfix, which added all of the stuff you read about already above and added a stacking cap to the Operative's commitment skill for balancing purposes, and adjusted a few skills from the Gunner and Siren classes; as well as tweaking several weapons. It's a busy week for Borderlands 3! And it's going to get even more crowded on April 8.
Show Me the Eridium [Gearbox]
Ghostrunner PS5 upgrade arrives fall 2021
It has been a big week for One More Level's cybernetic hack 'n' slash adventure Ghostrunner. Not only was the entire IP - along with its underlying technology - purchased by Italian publisher 505 Games, but the new owners have also announced release windows for its upcoming DLC, as well as an exciting upgrade for the PS5 platform.
505 Games revealed Ghostrunner will receive three further content drops in 2021. Spring will see the arrival of both a Photo Mode, the new "Kill Run" mode, and an Amazon Luna port. The summer months will see the addition of two unannounced content bundles, as well as another new mode and a paid Vanity Pack, containing new customization options for yer boy Jack.
Monster Hunter Rise caused a surge in Switch hardware sales in Japan
Monster Hunter Rise, as expected, is a powerhouse. It's a "system seller," and the data is showing that's the case, at least in Japan thus far.
Famitsu has reported its latest sales figures for Japan for the week of March 28, and no surprise, Monster Hunter Rise leads the way on Switch with over 1.3 million units sold. Trickling down, the Switch sold 190,133 units through the week of March 28, with a further 77,364 Switch Lite units (looks like the Lite was a good idea!).
For reference, the last Japanese chart numbers, for the week through March 21, had the Switch at 52,579 units sold and 36,525 Switch Lites. It's a significant jump! And given that Monster Hunter Rise can be played both online and locally, pretty much anyone can grab a Switch, grab the game, and go, and play with friends.
Looking at the rest of the chart, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is still doing well, as is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which refuses to die in the region. It's kind of insane how dominant the Switch is, still, in terms of hardware and software. The next highest contender in the latter category is the PS5 with 51,931 units pushed that week, then the PS5 Digital Edition with 10,364.
Some weeks, it's not even a contest!
Monster Hunter Rise Switch Sales [Famitsu via Gematsu]
MLB The Show 21 will be on Xbox Game Pass at launch
The previously PlayStation-exclusive MLB The Show franchise coming to new consoles was already one new step for the series this year, and now it's making another big one. This year's entry of MLB The Show will be making its way to Xbox Game Pass on day one, or April 20, 2021.
It's confirmed in an Xbox blog that both the Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One versions will be available on Game Pass, as well as Android phones and tablets via Xbox Cloud Gaming for Ultimate users. Both Xbox platforms will receive the standard edition, and there will be cross-platform play and progression.
MLB The Show was already confirmed as coming to other platforms, but seeing it also come to Game Pass right away is very interesting. The above trailer even opens with an Xbox logo, which is immediately followed by a PlayStation studio. It's not exactly the only game crossing lines between the two either; both Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo are PlayStation console exclusives at launch, despite now being under the Microsoft banner thanks to its purchase of Bethesda.
We live in strange times, but at least in this case, those oddities mean Xbox owners can finally get a chance to see what they've been missing out on for their baseball simulation needs. There's been no word yet on a Switch version despite Nintendo's cryptic tweet from 2019, but otherwise MLB The Show 21 hits PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on April 20, 2021.
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown for PS4 appears on Korean ratings board
Get ready to Ride the Tiger once again, Virtua Fighter fans. An unannounced listing for Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown has popped up on the website of that bastion of industry spoilers: the Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea. As spotted by Twitter user @nokcha334 the new title was rated on March 19 and listed as coming to the PS4 platform. This news is dangerously close to April Fool's Day for my liking...
While this is total speculation on my part, this listing suggests that Sega is preparing to release another new update for its fantastic 2006 release Virtua Fighter 5. The one-on-one 3D slugfest last saw attention back in 2010, with the release of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown. The beloved but relatively low-key franchise laying has laid dormant since, despite pleas for a sequel from hardened fighting game fanatics, yer boy Moyse included.
While this is not the Virtua Fighter 6 that we all might have hoped for, this ratings board listing suggests that Virtua Fighter might be about to receive some form of fresh attention - which no doubt ties in with the mysterious "Virtua Fighter x eSports Project" announced by Sega back in September 2020. You better believe we'll keep you updated should confirmation and new info be forthcoming. Don't you go all mobile port on me, Akira...
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown rated in Korea [Gematsu / @nokcha334]
Nintendo just put out a cute little Bravely Default 'personality quiz' on My Nintendo
Bravely Default II kind of came and went, but it's still on my mind.
This little JRPG helped kick off 2021 and it is still a Switch exclusive after all, so it's hard to forget! And it got a bit of My Nintendo merch, as a little extra marketing push. Now My Nintendo is back with another promo, but this one is a little more cheeky and less rewarding.
It's a "personality quiz" that you can access on the My Nintendo site. Thankfully it's zero Platinum Points, so there's no awkward digital barrier to pass. You just "buy" the quiz and have at it. While I presume a lot of folks will skip this over, it's a cute little time-waster for those of you who did dig the game, or might be on the fence.
More importantly for some, Nintendo also put out two digital wallpapers for the game, and they're pretty lovely. You can find them on the same page, or directly on the media section of My Nintendo. Like the other wallpapers, they're 50 Platinum Points each.
Find your Bravely Default II job with a new personality quiz [My Nintendo]
Fortnite added a Stonks Guy skin, and I can hear the groaning through my speakers
Coming fresh off of raptors, a map addition pretty much everyone is enjoying, Fortnite decided to lean into the memes and add the "Stonks Guy." You know, the "stocks are doing well" image you may have seen before? It was all for April Fools', but like several other jokes, this one is real.
The skin is 1200 V-Bucks (roughly $10), and references multiple goings-on recently, not just the meme itself. The phrase "the market is open and it's time to shine. Buy! Hold! Win!" with the subtitle "To the Moon!" is a direct homage to the whole WallStreetBets saga. He comes with the skin itself, which is basically Fortnite's take on the Stonks Guy, and the "Gains!" back bling, which is an orange rising arrow; also part of the meme.
Epic was so proud of it in fact, that I had to watch a video of it when I loaded up the game. And you couldn't mash a button to skip it: you had to hold down the skip button for multiple seconds. I haven't seen the skin yet in multiple games with hundreds of players as a sample size, so if you hate the idea of this, the "silence, brand" mantra seems to be winning out.
The good news is that there's a lot of recent in-game business to distract people from this stunt, as Fortnite just kicked off the "Spring Breakout" series of quests, which comes with its own set of XP and a reward (Webster's Tactical Quaxes). All you have to do for the main legendary questline is collect bouncy eggs on the ground, which can be done in battle royale or Team Rumble.
I've found that the trees near the lighthouse in the northwest of the map is a great place to farm them.
Fortnite [Twitter]
Pokemon Sword and Shield put in an impossible to catch Magikarp for April Fools'
I'm always itching to jump back into Pokemon Sword and Shield, even though I've pretty much exhausted everything I can do at this point.
Whether it's messing around with expeditions or hopping into new Max Raid Battles, the call of getting a slightly different Pokemon is always there. And that's by design! But this time, for April Fools', folks were greeted with something else entirely.
You know how the game has Max Raid Battles from time to time? Well to add insult to injury, they were changed to allow Magikarp to be caught in every raid. And on top of that, he's unable to caught. Yep, Game Freak just trolled the entire playerbase.
I can imagine someone playing randomly, or maybe a newcomer trying to make sense of the situation, then slowly going "ooooooohh." These sorts of harmless pranks make up for a lot of the other nonsense this week! Though I'm sure some people aren't happy that the game is having any semblance of fun and want Game Freak to add the rest of the Pokedex in still.
I really wonder how the next game is going to go if the full 'Dex isn't in.
Pokemon Event [Serebii.net]
Picking up a first-print PS4 copy of NieR Replicant will bag you this stylish theme & avatar set
Are you excited for the upcoming release of NieR Replicant? If so, and you're planning on picking up the remaster on PS4 come April 23, then you'll be pleased to hear that you'll also receive an exclusive download kit, allowing you to decorate your PS4's entire dashboard with NieR's haunting aesthetic.
The "first-run" set will include a dynamic desktop theme featuring protagonists Nier, Kaine, and Grimoire Weiss, as well as an avatar pack which includes a meaty 14 portraits of the apocalyptic adventure's cast of characters. In addition, players picking up the title early on any format will also receive a bonus "mini-soundtrack," which contains three cuts taken directly from NieR Replicant's sweeping score.
So, Heroes of the Storm, which Blizzard is woefully supporting, has a speedrunning community
How do you speedrun a MOBA?! Well, I'll tell you!
Amazingly, there is a cottage industry of speedrunners for Heroes of the Storm. Spotted on Reddit, these brave souls apparently go solo, fight no enemies, and try to take down the opposing core as quickly as possible.
Given that you need to destroy at least one end line structure to get to the core, you can't just rush it; you have to work your way there as quickly as possible. Right now Raynor holds the record as the fastest hero to clear out the core in 12 minutes and 13 seconds, piloted by the player Wardeh. You can get a quick look at how these runs typically go with the video below.
The gist is that merc camps are often crucial to the success of these runs. Braxis Holdout is also a popular map for these sorts of runs, as players can capture the Zerg-pen objectives, and unleash the horde on one lane of the enemy side, creating a tidal wave effect. Raynor is perfect for this because of his safe range and ability to sustain himself via healing without having to "back" to base.
As an aside, it's crazy how much Blizzard has been disrespecting Heroes of the Storm even as of late. There was zero presence at BlizzConline, and there hasn't been a lot of buzz for the game from any arm of Blizzard in months.
I get that we don't have access to the books, but Heroes is in a fantastic state, and in some ways, firing on all cylinders. It deserves another chance and a second look from the MOBA community at large. Every time another MOBA falters and people swear off of it, that's Blizzard's time to strike.
Heroes of the Storm [Speedrun.com via Reddit]
Remedy's Control demake for April Fools' is rad
Today is April 1, also known as April Fools' Day. Some companies make fake game announcements, others make real ones, and every piece of information is treated with incredible scrutiny.
The fake game announcement has been a classic in the games industry, and today, Remedy Entertainment joined in the fun by posting a trailer for a theoretical PlayStation demake of its 2019 game Control. These are fairly common, but Control is a really interesting game to choose—with lots of unique physics concepts to get around, and a style that's still fairly recognizable, even at the low poly-count.
I'd definitely play this version of Control for at least a little while; PlayStation aesthetic nostalgia aside, it's really neat to see the spaces of Control reimagined in this old look. Even without the ray tracing, the brutalist architecture of the Oldest House is imposing, and the idea of Jesse's supernatural powers like telekinetic tossing and flight in an older engine is pretty novel.
That's actually maybe the most bizarre part of this, is noticing some of the modern gameplay conventions that have evolved after the PlayStation's lifespan, demade into this era's visual space. The camera zooming in when the player aims down the sights, for example, or even just how the twin-stick aiming feels so different from other third-person shooters at the time. Watching this side-by-side with Syphon Filter or WinBack is wild.
Anyways, it's a nice, fun, not-mean April Fools' Day video. Remedy, if you're not too busy working on some other projects, I'd definitely play this version of Control.
What time period should the next Assassin's Creed take place in?
Look, with Tenchu basically dead, I'm coming in hot here. HOT.
The next Assassin's Creed should be set in Japan right? So we're agreed.
Wait, you want Assassin's Creed Revelations 2? That retreads on the same locations you've been to before? You want another Rome game? We have different priorities, friend!
Hades turned me into a hack-and-slash machine
Hades was love at first sight for me. It has the bright and stylized art that I love, roguelikes are one of my favorite gameplay genres, and I was one of those Greek mythology kids who was obsessed with the Percy Jackson series growing up. Check, check, and check. My immediate enthusiasm for the game may have been predictable, but the fact that I'm still playing it over 250 hours and 200 runs later? Not so much.
Developer Supergiant Games released three games prior to Hades, and each one was an indie darling. The studio has racked up dozens, if not hundreds, of awards since their debut in 2011, and they've also been lauded for promoting a healthy work-life balance for their employees, something that's not very common in the games industry.
You can unlock this free freaky World of Warcraft monkey charity pet now
Look into the eyes of that monkey. He totally wants to eat your player character after you sit down to take a nap. But he's a charity item! So it's probably wholesome. Still...I'm watching you.
Wait where were we! Oh yeah, talking about World of Warcraft freebies. As part of a drive for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a monkey pet named Bananas is now free for everyone. They were part of the $500,000 goal, with a further stretch goal of $1 million.
At the moment, the drive is sitting at just under $700,000 at publication, so it'll probably take a bit more time to finish out. Note that the Daisy pet can ride on your back though, it seems, so I'm a little more interested in that perk. Oh, and it doesn't look like it wants to murder you.
You can grab Bananas here from the Battle.net Blizzard Shop, in the pets section of World of Warcraft. It's right there at the top, for free, and listed first. The next stop on the charity train is Daisy the sloth at the $1 mil mark. Eventually, that should get unlocked through the same means and will be available in the Blizzard Shop.
Bananas Unlocked! Claim Yours Today and Donate to Unlock Daisy [Battle.net]
Twin Peaks-inspired classic Mizzurna Falls gets new fan translation patch
For fans of obscure PlayStation games and the TV series Twin Peaks, the 1998 PlayStation adventure Mizzurna Falls has been a bit of a white whale. Several translation efforts have been released over the years, but a new patch doesn't just translate it—it also fits the game back onto a disc.
An update on the ROMhacking site details the history of the translation, including the most notable effort involving translator Resident Evie and PlayStation hacker Gemini. While the project did eventually manage to fully translate the game's script, it fizzled out because of one problem: it was too large to fit onto a PlayStation disc.
A new effort from two other developers, nikita600 and Cirosan, uses Evie's script as a base to create a working translation patch. Nikita created a new compression algorithm to fit more text on the disc than was previously possible, and Cirosan—with Evie's blessing—did a fundamental rewrite and edit of Evie's script that was able to fit. So, after months of work on this specific patch and even longer overall, Mizzurna Falls can now be patched to run on a PlayStation disc.
Mizzurna Falls, if you're unfamiliar, is an adventure game from Clock Tower developer Human Entertainment that follows high-school student Matthew Williams' search for his missing friend in the fictional town of Mizzurna Falls. It was notable not just for the Twin Peaks influence worn on its shoulder, but for its real-time NPC schedule and open-world gameplay that was fairly ambitious for the time.
It's easy to respect the dedication that went into making this 1998 cult classic playable on a PlayStation in English; it's a very specific niche, but in terms of preservation, it can hopefully let one of the earlier precursors to games like Deadly Premonition live on a little longer.
Someone rounded up all of the Switch's top-scoring games that you can beat in four hours or less
Anyone remember when the Switch came out?
Those initial eShop flood gates? Who could forget...Vroom in the Night Sky, arguably an early low point? Or Kamiko? An amazing high point? Well, there's been a lot of games since that initial period, and Redditor yuxbni76 managed to wrangle up a very choice selection of them.
Cleverly, yuxbni76 hand-picked 144 games with a "75+ Metacritic score that you can beat in four hours." It's simple and elegant. And informative! If you're looking for a rainy day weekend game, these sorts of things can be perfect to just grab and go with.
There's a ton of gems in there, some old, some new. Check out the below list for a starting place, and a good idea of what this missive has to offer.
Top scoring Switch games [Google Sheets via Reddit]
The Pokemon Company just sent this bizarre Bidoof email to everyone with a Pokemon account
It's April Fools', which means I should be laughing and smiling more. But I'm not!
The "holiday" has become somewhat of a farce in recent years, with publishers trying to get in on the "fun" by marketing real games that end up disappointing or fake games that would be amazing but never get made. "Fun!"
But sometimes, a company kind of knocks it out of the park. And when I got a very spammy looking email from The Pokemon Company just titled "Bidoof," I knew I just had to click on it, even if it was leeching my bank account info in real time.
Sure enough, the email contains a gif of a pack of Bidoofs, and by clicking the only link (titled Bidoof), you'll be whisked away to the below music video...featuring the many faces of Bidoof.
This is some "Sonic Twitter" style harmless wholesome fun. I'm so into it. Bidoof.
Fighting EX Layer's Switch edition, Another Dash, is headed west April 15
You might remember, back in February, Arika announced an adapted Nintendo Switch edition of its cult fighting title Fighting EX Layer, with the promise of further news on April 1. Well, it seems that "further news" is the game's actual release - at least in Japan - as Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash is now available on the Japanese iteration of the Nintendo eShop, with a western release to follow on April 15.
Fighting EX Layer: Another Dash is a free-to-play "stripped down" edition of the 2017 fighter, which features an overhauled control scheme, as well as the removal, or replacement of certain mechanics within FEXL's "Gougi" system. The free-to-play edition of Another Dash includes four characters - D.Dark, Darun, Kairi, and Shirase - while a paid DLC pack adds all remaining members of the FEXL roster, as well as online play. This will be the same delivery system for the western release, with the paid edition retailing for around $25.
Fighting EX Layer struggled to find its place in the crowded fighting game market, and while it has never really taken off as much as Arika might have been hoping, it's a solid little fighter, with am old-school cast of characters and solid and generous support from its developer. Perhaps this new Switch edition will help the game to find a new audience in handheld form.
Here's how to get five new Magic: Arena Strixhaven sleeves for free
Magic: The Gathering Arena is getting ready to host the Strixhaven expansion very soon, and it seems like it's going to shake up the meta pretty hard.
I mean at that point you'll have to deal with seven different sets in standard, including Strixhaven itself. Deckbuilding is going to be interesting! Or people will continue to use a lot of busted Eldraine and Ikoria cards in standard. Such is life! But before that happens on April 15 in Arena, there's card sleeves for the set that are already live.
In short, each sleeve represents the accompanying school for Strixhaven, and includes an image of one of their followers, as well as the seal of said school. As a reminder, you can input them inside of the game itself in the store.
Wondering where these are from? They're part of the official BuzzFeedy "what school are you" quiz on the official Wizards of the Coast site. But given that it asks for your personal info, you can just input the codes below and wash your hands of it all.
5 new sleeves already on MTGA [Reddit]
Dead by Daylight's BTS collaborated K-pop killer is cutting more than records
The newest chapter is now live in Behavior Interactive's asymmetrical survival horror title Dead by Daylight. The "All-Kill" event brings with it a new survivor, record producer Yun-Jin Lee, and the psychopathic, mass-murdering K-Pop megastar Ji-Woon, better known by his stage pseudonym of "Trickster."
Recounting the backstory from our previous report, Ji-Woon was part of a super-successful boy band, who were indirectly killed on account of his actions. Finding a taste for death gave him an appetite for art, Ji-Woon began abducting and murdering fans and industry pundits, recording their death throes as samples to be worked into the young star's music. Swiftly abandoned by his record label, Mightee-One, the now-reinvented "Trickster" is out at large and out for revenge.
Someone found the source of the background art for all of those classic Pokemon cards
If you played the Pokemon Trading Card Game as a kid, you remember those classic backgrounds. You know, the plains, or the trees? The things that looked like they were straight out of Digital Blasphemy? Well, they kind of were! Or at least, something like it.
Twitter user Fanamel recently put out an incredible video that details their hunt for Pokemon card background art, and the results are astounding. According to them, the art comes from a series called "Datacraft Sozaijiten," which is allegedly "used in a lot of Japanese media and Nintendo games." It all just sort of came together over time: finding them on a stock photo site.
The comparisons are obvious, and even if you look directly at just the background out, Pokemon first edition fans will recognize them instantly. This is not only a blast from the past, but still extremely relevant! Pokemon cards are doing better than ever, as Wizards of the Coast just had their best financial report recently. The trading card market is really taking off due to the state of the world in the past year, and Pokemon is booming.
I'm always looking for more people to play kitchen table matches with! Hopefully Wizards of the Coast eventually gives this game the proper Magic: Arena treatment, with a modernization of the UI.
Fanamel [Twitter]
Resident Evil movie delayed to November 24
Sony Pictures has announced that its upcoming big-screen adaptation of Capcom's Resident Evil will no longer meet its September 3 release date. The clunkily titled Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is now expected to launch in theaters on November 24.
While no reason was given for the movie's delay, the original release date would see the survival horror flick collide with Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It would stand to reason that Sony is uncomfortable going up against any major comic-book movie, particularly after such an extended drought of MCU films. The new date does, however, mean that Resident Evil will miss the thematic Halloween season.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City is a reboot of sorts, and is expected to follow the narrative, characters, and locations featured in the classic video game series a little closer than previous Resident Evil movies. Fans will see iconic heroes such as Chris & Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Leon S. Kennedy in action, along with appearances from femme fatale Ada Wong, doomsday scientist William Birkin, Raccoon City police chief Brian Irons, and the series' long-time antagonist Albert Wesker.
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City premieres in theaters November 24.
Bethesda's Fallout 76 AMA reveals more hope for the future
Fallout 76 is still happening, and it will be happening through at least the end of 2021. As a reminder Bethesda posted a road map, and there's plenty of things on the horizon. The recent AMA reconfirms it.
So what's new? Well, the development team explains that Expeditions are indeed "slipping" out of the roadmap for 2021, which soft confirms more work to be done in 2022: far longer than I ever expected this game to be supported. Expeditions are a new mechanic that allow players to "go outside of the current map," and the team is "very committed" to making them.
Another big takeaway is that mod support is being talked about for private servers in the fall. A "hint" involves server setting options and toggles, but this is "just the beginning." Unfortunately, it seems to be staying a "Fallout 1st" (subscription service) feature. New allies are coming too, as are new pets (different dogs at first, then cats, then they'll "go from there").
If you're keen for more PVP elements, "Q3" will have additional concessions for it, as well as "hardcore survival elements" on the aforementioned private servers. The alien threat later this year is reconfirmed (the Zetans), as are more shelter styles, more ceiling wallpapers (though those are "farther out"), and expanded social features. For the latter, "guilds, clans, text chat, and mail systems" were all specifically asked about in the AMA, and the team says "we're going to add new functionality." So maybe a mixture of that?
Either way, the info about private servers is huge, and could potentially change the game. If mods are truly allowed, the community may have the ability to fix Bethesda's sandbox for them. And it's at that point, a few years removed from launch, some people might be interested finally.
Developer AMA [Bethesda.net]
Nintendo Download: Star Wars: Republic Commando
It's that time again.
We had a good run with a few brand new games, but now it's back to re-releases. Well, this one isn't quite the same! It's not a port of a six-month-old title that was released on every platform but Switch. No, it's Star Wars: Republic Commando, the 2005 classic; and one of many, many Star Wars re-releases. The force is strong with the brand, they'll never stop until the husk that is LucasArts (Lucasfilm Games) has a real-life money bin.
Alas, you can download it on April 6! And Breathedge is coming too to Switch on that same date. And a bunch of other stuff! You can read all about them below. You really have to give it to a title like "Press A to Party." I mean, I followed it to the listing! And that concept sounds pretty fun on Switch.
Sol Cresta, Platinum's April Fools' Day joke from 2020, is apparently now in development
"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, 'Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... you can't get fooled again.'"
- George W. Bush.
PlatinumGames has announced that Sol Cresta, its April Fools' Day shmup from last year, is now actually in development for PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and will launch at some point later in 2021 as the first release in the publisher's new "Neo-Classic Arcade" range.
Sol Cresta was revealed on April 1, 2020 as one of the Japanese developer's "Platinum4" announcements. Ostensibly a sequel to both 1980's Moon Cresta and 1985's Terra Cresta, Sol Cresta was supposedly a joint production between Platinum and the retro-loving Hamster corporation, before the former ultimately revealed that the title was merely a cute gag made in the spirit of the season.
Man, wind bombing is so fun in Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Going back to Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a treat. As is learning all the lingo that the community comes up with.
It was crazy playing it pre-launch in a complete bubble, talking to no one. Slowly but surely, after that embargo lifted, I saw people doing a lot of the same things I did. And very quickly, and completely unexpectedly, folks started sharing some crazy clips.
By the time the makeshift boat and airship clips hit, I was completely hooked at delving into the unknown oddities of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I don't just like chronicling them, I like trying them out for myself. This one, shared by Independent_Regular8 on Reddit, explains why.
The clip itself can be quickly summed up: a player glides through the air and shoots an explosive at a cave to uncover a shrine. But the term "wind bombing" is key here in terms of how great this video is. Did you know about it? The practice of leaping up into the air, selecting a bomb really quick, blasting yourself off into space, then gliding?
A lot of people are going to go "I know this already!" And some of you are going to have your minds blown.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Console Enhanced launches June 8 on PS5 and Xbox Series X
Publisher Bethesda Softworks has announced that the next-gen console edition of The Elder Scrolls Online will launch on June 8, offering an enhanced edition of the fantasy MMO for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players. This new edition will be offered as a free update within the same console family to anybody who currently owns ESO.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Console Enhanced will remain the same title from a gameplay standpoint, but will be gifted a wide selection of visual and technical updates. These include full 60 FPS gameplay while in "performance mode," higher resolution textures, improved anti-aliasing, improved shadow and reflective effects, an increased draw distance, more realistic Ambient Occlusion, and improved load times across the board. All of these visual upgrades will allow Tamriel to shine better than ever before, offering console players a smoother and more immersive experience.
PSA: When you're playing Outriders, don't forget to mess with the World Tier whenever you want
The time has finally come for Outriders' launch, and all of us can stop farming gear in the demo and jump into the real thing.
It's been...interesting so far! While some of the core loop has the potential to get stale, it's fun jumping into games with random people and seeing how class synergy works. The moment to moment gunplay is fun, and I'm actually experimenting with different builds without feeling overwhelmed. Oh, and the lack of live service nonsense or loot boxes helps. It has a baked-in season pass type system to ramp up and unlock cosmetics, but it is not monetized. Praise be.
One big thing I've been messing with during my playthrough is the world tier system, and I think a lot of people are going to like it. In short, it's a sliding difficulty scale that also dictates the quality of your loot. Now, this isn't new. Even the term is old hat. But typically, a lot of games ask you to set your world tier before you do a mission, or in certain zones. Outriders lets you do it whenever.
Remember that! You can pause the game whenever you want, solo, and set your tier. The game even clearly and cleverly labels their difficulty, starting with "story," then ramping to "easy, normal, hard, expert, master, legend..." and so on.
The thing is, the penalties for ramping down aren't that massive early on (the difference between loot rarity is only 10 percentage points in the first three levels), and you can dynamically swap as needed. Having trouble with a boss? Roll down and best them. You won't get as good of a loot table, but hey, you won't be banging your head against the wall for an hour straight.
Likewise, do you have an area down and want to reap the rewards? Roll it up. It's flexible like that and should accommodate a wide variety of players, from casual fans who just want to stroll through the story to veteran loot-heads who want all of the legendary drops possible. It's there. Use it! No matter what side of the fence you're on.
Nintendo is releasing some Monster Hunter Rise wallpapers to celebrate its launch
Monster Hunter Rise wallpapers? Don't mind if I do!
In classic My Nintendo fashion, the site has put up a very small, all-digital promo for Monster Hunter Rise. Although some games have gotten the physical item treatment, other big titles kind of come and go without it.
I mean, we could get a physical Rise reward at some point! But for now, there's digital wallpapers. Just head on over to the My Nintendo landing page for them, and you can download three wallpapers that fit both a PC desktop and a mobile device. As a heads-up, you can find all of the resolutions you'll get below.
Weird promo aside, I love these, especially the first two that employ a unique chibi style (the third uses the same classic Ukiyo-e motif that the game employs for monster images).
The catch is they're 50 Platinum Points each, if you're down for that. If you need some scratch, you can head to our ultimate guide for My Nintendo points and you'll be good to go in minutes.
[Update: They meant it! If you try and look for Mario 3D All-Stars on the official site, it leads to a 404 when you attempt to buy it digitally. The Super Mario 35 page redirects to the main site and does not exist anymore. Welp! Maybe it'll come back on the next anniversary! Good night, sweet plumber prince!]
The time has come.
We've been talking about it for ages. We knew it was coming! Mario is dead tomorrow. At least, several newish games about him are.
As re-iterated multiple times, Nintendo is putting an end to several Mario titles on March 31. That includes physical and digital sales for Mario 3D All-Stars and physical Game & Watch devices being pulled from sale. Yep, they're even shutting down physical sales and aren't shipping more copies to stores. Savage.
You basically have today to make your peace with it. If you've been wanting to buy All-Stars via the eShop, do it now. If you want to get some final (?) games in with Super Mario 35, do it today. If you're on the fence for a new Game & Watch device, consider it before the eBay prices jump.
Or skip it all and don't play into Nintendo's hand. I can't tell you what to do!
Maneater: Truth Quest DLC brings conspiracy theories to the shark-'em-up this summer
Tripwire Interactive has released the first details for the previously announced DLC expansion to crazy, bloodthirsty "shaRkPG," Manteater. Coming at some point this summer, Maneater: Truth Quest will return to the waves for more over-the-top boat-chomping action.
Following on from the events of the 2020 Shark-'em-up, Truth Quest will venture into the realm of internet conspiracies, as roving reporter Trip Westhaven investigates the growing rumors and theories surrounding the Naval Wildlife Organization. (4 life). Supported by an army of ViewTube followers - or "Questers" - Westhaven embarks upon a boat-rocking journey (literally) to uncover the clandestine government reports of armored, toxic, and electrically powered sharks lurking in the deep blue.
Demon's Souls remake director Gavin Moore leaves Sony Japan Studio
Today is the day Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan begins its restructuring process, dialing back on both its production and workforce as it refocuses its resources toward Astro's Playroom developer Team ASOBI. As reported by VGC, and in news that is unlikely to be coincidental, Demon's Souls PS5 director Gavin Moore has confirmed that he has left the studio.
"After 24 years at Sony and 18 of those in Japan, yesterday was my last day at [Sony Japan Studio]," said Moore in an emotional goodbye on Twitter. "I will miss the great creative spirit and camaraderie of the studio that was a huge part of my life. Time to seek out new and exciting opportunities!!"
Moore relocated to Japan almost two decades ago to work with Sony Japan Studio, a career which has seen him involved in the development of titles such as Puppeteer, Siren, and The Getaway as an animator, producer, and director. Moore headed up the development of 2020's Demon's Souls remake, arguably one of, if not the best title currently available on PlayStation 5 hardware. Moore intends to continue working in video game development.
Moore is just the latest in a line of highly talented Sony Japan alumni to leave the studio in the past year. Bloodborne alumni Masaaki Yamagiwa and Teruyuki Toriyama both left the studio in 2020, as did Gravity Rush producer Keiichiro Toyama, who has since founded Bokeh Game Studio. Just yesterday, it was revealed that Gravity Rush character designer Shinsuke Saito had taken his leave of SIE Japan, as had long-time developer Kentaro Motomura.
All of these are major names who have contributed greatly to the success of Sony Japan's output in recent years. And while I'm not intending to write these updates as some kind of scaremongering doomsday vulture, it's unarguably a very unhappy scene to watch all of these brilliant creators simultaneously hit the bricks, undoubtedly with good cause to do so. Here's hoping Sony Japan Studio isn't left looking back on this period of change with serious regret in the near future.
Demon's Souls PS5 director confirms Sony exit [VGC]
Suspicious NieR Replicant trailer turns the remaster into a Stardew Valley-style life sim
April Fools' Day. My Favourite. When your job is writing news, and the annual day of w-w-w-wackiness rolls around, it's frankly a pain in the ass. This is especially true of recent years, when companies have taken to revealing very real products while relishing the idea that the public might not believe them. Let's see if I get through today unscathed.
Still, I'm not without humor, and as such wanted to start the day sharing this fun trailer for Square Enix's upcoming remaster NieR Replicant, which re-purposes the hack 'n' slash adventure as a "slow life sim" in the vein of titles such as Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon. The video sees protagonists Nier and Grimoire Weiss indulging in a spot of crop-growing and animal-rearing, while eavesdropping on the neighbors and enjoying some obligatory fishing. Frankly, I'm all for it, and would gladly take respite from all the slicing 'n' dicing to just spend all my time growing a pumpkin patch. Any marriage options?
You can check out the most cyberpunk farming sim ever made in the video below. Meanwhile, back in pseudo-reality, NieR Replicant will launch on PS4, PC, and Xbox One April 23. And that's no foolin'
Here's how Borderlands 3's Diamond Keys and Vault Cards work
Borderlands 3 is still trucking along, with that patented string of Gearbox DLC and monetization.
It's crazy to think that it actually came out in 2019, but here we are, still getting paid add-ons for it. The Director's Cut is on the way, and will add a ton of content like more story missions and a new raid boss. But beyond that, it's also bringing in vault cards and diamond keys.
The former are basically talismans that add loot and XP bonuses, and are granted via owning the Director's Cut add-on, which is still slated for April 8. "Three" cards are slated for launch "by the end of 2021," and you get the first one day one. Basically, you level up the cards for rewards, just like the system in Marvel's Avengers.
Diamond keys are like a new evolution of golden keys. Billed as a "full room of loot" (not just a chest, like how the golden keys interact with the game), you'll access the "diamond armory" to use them (which has been added to the hub below the bridge). Once you open a chest, you have a specific amount of time to grab one item from it. Then you get a guaranteed piece of legendary gear.
It's all sort of confusing and very skinner box-like: just like Gearbox wants it to be. But at least we know how it works ahead of time.
Vault Cards and Diamond Keys Quick Guide [Borderlands]
Analogue Pocket shipments delayed to October
The Analogue Pocket, a new machine that can play a breadth of portable games, is delaying shipments due to a shortage of necessary components.
Analogue confirmed in an announcement that the current global state of affairs has created supply chain challenges outside the company's control. The new shipping window for the Pocket is set for Oct. 2021.
"There have been sudden and severe electrical component shortages as well as logistical issues leading to a domino effect of challenges for nearly everyone in the industry," the blog says. It also backlinks two news stories, including one about the Ever Given, the boat that was stuck in the Suez Canal.
Analogue says it is working to get the Pocket out as fast as possible, and that those who pre-ordered and would like to cancel for a full refund should reach out to Analogue Support.
The Pocket was revealed in 2019 as a multi-video-game-system portable handheld. It's set to be able to play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games out of the box, and adapters will allow it to play other systems' games, including the Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket Color.
It's also set to have the ability to dock and connect to an HDTV, and on the console itself, it will have a 615ppi LCD with 1600x1440 resolution. Basically, a super-powered Game Boy.
Analogue also noted on Twitter that its Super Nt will be restocked in April, while the Mega Sg and DAC will follow shortly after.
