A Scarlet Nexus demo is coming later this month
Bandai Namco's anime action-RPG Scarlet Nexus is still a ways out, but there will be a chance to test it out coming later this month.
Confirmed in a tweet today, Scarlet Nexus' demo will be coming first to Xbox on May 21. According to Eurogamer, the PlayStation version of the demo will follow on May 28. There's been no word on a PC demo, though we've reached out to Bandai Namco to clarify.
『Demo Sequence Updatedã€
— Scarlet Nexus (@scarlet_nexus) May 12, 2021
Play the demo first on @Xbox when it arrives May 21st. #SCARLETNEXUS
Are you ready to connect? [Y/N] pic.twitter.com/fnO2OsJ0NE
We've had a few glimpses at Scarlet Nexus thus far, both through gameplay and through its rockin' anime opening. Its mix of brain powers and action looks pretty rad, so it's nice to have a chance to go hands-on before its release date.
Scarlet Nexus is due out for the PC, PlayStation 4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on June 25, 2021.
Review: Famicom Detective Club
It was quite a surprise when Nintendo announced it was remaking and localizing its Famicom Detective Club titles for the Nintendo Switch. The games, originally released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System, are two of the few early gaming titles from Nintendo's repertoire that haven't been reintroduced to new audiences. Outside of a Super Famicom remake of the second game, both have happily existed as footnotes in Nintendo's extensive library.
But story-driven games are as popular as they've ever been, and with the Switch still red hot, there is no better time than now for Nintendo to pull these two relics from the past and into the modern era.
Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is just shy of reaping one million sales
It's the little farm that could. Marvelous has announced, (via its latest earnings report), that mystical farming/adventure game Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is just a little short of hitting the one million sales milestone, having harvested over 950,000 shipments and digital sales since its 2020 launch on PS4, PC, and Switch.
Fall Guys is getting The Slimescraper, a successor to Slime Climb, on May 13
The Season 4.5 update is coming to Fall Guys on May 13 with a pair of new levels, revamps of existing stages, and some pleasant surprises like the ability for PS4 and PC players to "matchmake together in all game modes." The best bit, by far: a "spiritual successor" to Slime Climb called The Slimescraper.
According to the developers, The Slimescraper is a race against rising slime across "multiple floors of mayhem." The other new Season 4.5 level, Button Bashers, is a one-on-one round in which everyone's split up into "dueling pairs." As for mid-season remixes, expect low gravity on Hex-A-Gone and Thin Ice.
Here's some of the spicy variants we've got coming in Season 4.5 (Dave)
— Fall Guys 🤖 WE RELEASE DAVE TOMORROW 🤖 (@FallGuysGame) May 12, 2021
Dave will be released really soooOOooooOOon ðŸ'€
Tag a Dave that you think will enjoy it ðŸ'€ pic.twitter.com/Ps9TwuwBpN
Other Season 4.5 features:
- Custom lobbies: "You can start games with as few as four players, and PC and PS4 players can play together."
- Cross-play: "PC and PS4 players can now matchmake together in all game modes! (Cross-platform parties are not possible yet.)"
- Cheater reporting: "New Player Reporting feature for if you spot potential cheaters. We'll never act solely on reports (reports help us with cross referencing) and we'll never ban anyone for grabbing or using in-game mechanics in a normal fashion."
- Less latency: "Improved latency when grabbing objects or mantling. Things should be much more responsive now."
- Connection quality signal: "In-game visual indicator to show connection quality to help troubleshoot issues."
- Fixes: Improvements for "de-sync, physics, and related issues," among many others.
Mediatonic says this update, codename Dave, is its "most ambitious mid-season to date" for Fall Guys.
Even after all of the seasonal updates and refreshes, Slime Climb is still one of my favorite levels in Fall Guys by a significant margin, so that's all I really needed to hear to want to show up tomorrow.
It's going to be fantastic to have this game playable on Switch and Xbox in hopefully tip-top shape. (You probably heard, but those versions were recently delayed.) I never want to take cross-play for granted.
Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+ jets into battle on PS4 and Switch next month
ININ Games has announced that it will be releasing a standalone edition of Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX+ in western territories on June 11. Available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, the sci-fi shmup is an updated edition of 2011 arcade Dariusburst Another Chronicle EX (minus the "+").
Review: Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids
You want more Assassin's Creed Valhalla?
Well you got it! And not much else.
PlayStation reportedly has more than 25 PS5 games in development
It sounds like there's a lot of PlayStation 5 games in the pipeline. Hermen Hulst, a co-founder of Guerrilla Games who was made PlayStation Studios head in 2019, told Wired in a new article that the group has more than 25 games in development for PS5, and nearly half are new IP.
"There's an incredible amount of variety originating from different regions," Hulst told Wired. "Big, small, different genres."
In the same article, it says Guerrilla's Horizon Forbidden West is still on track for later this year. And while it's coming to PlayStation 4 as well, Guerrilla's studio director Angie Smets teases some of Forbidden West's DualSense haptics, like feeling the leaves when you dive into long grass.
While PlayStation 5 has had a number of exclusives so far, like Demon's Souls and Returnal, the news of more to come is a good sign for those who have managed to snag one of the new consoles. PlayStation still has its own exclusives, like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Horizon Forbidden West, on the docket, as well as console exclusives like Arkane's Deathloop. And while some are established franchises, it's good to hear more new IP is on the way for a new generation.
Chun-Li's graceful style fits perfectly into Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
You absolutely have to hand it to nWay. While Mighty Morphin' tag-fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid launched in a mediocre state, the developer has worked consistently hard over the past two years to build upon these ho-hum foundations - adding characters & stages, a story mode, improved visuals, cross-play, new mechanics, and extra platforms to create what stands today as a neat alternative to the market leaders.
Today, Battle for the Grid might not be the best fighter on the market, but its easy-to-play style and dedication to franchise lore has knocked it up several tiers, to the point where it can enter into a collaboration with the grand-daddy of them all: Capcom's Street Fighter. Incoming DLC will see SF poster kids Ryu and Chun-Li don Power Armor and step into the ring, bringing their unmistakable skills to Power Rangers' colorful, crazy universe.
Rainbow Six Siege Board Game looks like the most violent edition of Cluedo ever
You might remember, back in 2020, we reported that Mythic Games was in the early stages of devising a tabletop version of Ubisoft's intense multiplayer shooter, Rainbow Six Siege. Well, it seems that the game maker is getting set to launch a crowdfunding campaign, which will hit Kickstarter later this summer.
Titled 6: Siege - The Board Game, the finished product will see two players battle it out in typical twitchy Siege fashion, seemingly picking their way through a small-scale map as one of a selection of the game's huge roster of operators — stylized as cool miniature playing pieces.
Details are still thin on the ground, but Mythic has released the first images of the playing board, featuring a top-down view of the playfield, space-based movement, and 3D models for cover and door barricades. Just from this single image, I'm really intrigued as to how the final game plays, particularly as each player moves their team into strategically chosen positions. Given that Siege is all about surveying the scene and out-thinking the opponent, it seems a well-suited brand for tabletop gaming.
You can sign up to receive notifications when the Kickstarter campaign is live, but don't fret, as we'll be sure to give you a full recon report once Mythic is ready to spill all of the vital deets.
Huntdown for Steam is slicker and sicker than ever before
[Update: Huntdown is now live on Steam, early purchases will bag a 20% price discount.]
There's no denying 2020 was an explosive year for video games. But among the mega-bucks, mega-marketed, mega-sellers of the industry, smaller titles were still keeping it real, making names for themselves off of the back of hard effort, great design, hard effort, and solid gameplay.
In this regard, Coffee Stain Publishing's Huntdown completely won me over last spring, going on to become one of my most played games of the year. Developed in Unity by tiny Swedish outfit Easy Trigger Games, Huntdown overcame its budgetary shortcomings by accentuating its positives: awesome pixel graphics, a hard-hitting soundtrack, superb sound design, and raw, compelling, shamelessly violent gameplay. Huntdown is a dirty, dirty gem.
Remember when Sony said that cross-play was a no go, and then Epic "accidentally enabled cross-play for Fornite" showing us that it was all a scam? Well, under different circumstances, Destiny 2 just got surprise-cross-play.
We're far removed from the dark times of Sony excusing a lack of cross-play as "Sony systems being the best place to play" (yikes), but not every game has true cross-play even still, including Destiny 2...at least right now. This week a bunch of Destiny 2 players were randomly noticing, with incontrovertible evidence, that folks were interfacing with players from different platforms.
This was officially acknowledged by community manager Cozmo, who addressed the situation on Twitter. Cozmo notes: "We are seeing reports that some players are able to get a sneak peek at Crossplay. This isn't meant to be live yet and is not representative of the full experience. We will be implementing a fix to remove public access later this week, but in the meantime feel free to partake."
In this situation, Bungie gets to have their cake and eat it too. Simply enabling cross-play is a huge effort, as we've been told by publishers and developers alike in the aforementioned dark days. So players get to enjoy this little bonus period and drum up good PR while Bungie smooths the feature over. You'd think that a casual "we'll get to it later this week" reply wouldn't fly with all of the publishers involved, but it seems fine!
Still, it is a good thing in the end, and now that we know it works, we can be fairly certain that when it is "ready," it will actually come. We've seen it! Now everyone can commiserate over the insane transmog system together as one.
Cozmo [Twitter]
U.S. tech giants form 'Semiconductors in America Coalition' to address component shortage
Global tech giants including Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft have banded together to form a lobby known as the "Semiconductors in America Coalition" with an eye to solving the mass electronic component shortage currently plaguing the U.S. manufacturing industry.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the new super-duper friends club also includes communication companies such as AT&T, Intel, Hewlett Packard, and Verizon — all of whom are seemingly holding a ceasefire over market dominance because nobody is making All The Money anymore. The coalition is asking government leaders to fund technological research and chip manufacture processes to the tune of $50 billion USD. The coalition already has the support of U.S. President Biden.
"The current shortage of semiconductors is impacting a broad range of industries throughout the economy," said the SiAC in a letter addressed to U.S. congress Speaker Pelosi, as well as Leaders Schumer, McConnell, and McCarthy. "To address this problem in the short term, government should refrain from intervening as industry works to correct the current supply-demand imbalance causing the shortage. For the longer term, robust funding of the CHIPS Act would help America build the additional capacity necessary to have more resilient supply chains to ensure critical technologies will be there when we need them."
As well as Ensuring Critical Technologies, new funding for component manufacture will help get the machines rolling on next-gen platforms such as PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, both of which have suffered from a severe lack of stock since their respective launches in 2020. Further hindered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the component shortage is causing havoc for multiple industries in the development and production of global hardware.
Pokemon Sword and Shield just got a stability update, but how about more Pokedex?
Pokemon Sword and Shield came out in November of 2019, and my how time flies.
I mean, adding two very spread out DLC campaigns will extend the life of your game fairly well, and I think at this point I prefer that single SKU additive approach over starting all over with a "third or fourth" version of the game: hopefully it continues! But despite how additive Game Freak was, there is still a laundry list of things fans want them to add, namely the National 'Dex.
Over 200 creatures were added via the expansions, but it still wasn't a true National 'Dex. So when I saw that Pokemon Sword and Shield was updated this week, I did a double-take and quickly dove into the patch notes...only to be greeted by sweet sweet stability.
This latest update "fixed the issue where some Pokemon icons were not properly displaying during online or local wireless battles" and adjusted "several issues have been fixed to improve gameplay experience." So if you were having problems playing the game recently, the new version might have shored things up for you.
Maybe Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl will add more into the mix? Or Legends will do something? Surely they must be planning around the backlash if nothing changes.
Version 1.3.2 [Nintendo]
Gabe Newell hints Valve may have incoming news regarding console releases
Valve president Gabe Newell has hinted that his company has plans to return to the console market, with further news currently scheduled for release later in 2021. Newell made the obscure teaser during a recent Q&A session held at, of all places, a high school assembly.
Taking the opportunity to quiz Newell on Valve's future plans, one student asked "Will Steam be putting any games on consoles, or will it just stay on PC?"
"You will... uh... get a better idea of that by the end of year," hinted the Valve boss, amusingly offering up the sort of teasing tidbit that reporters would kill for at an E3 or a Gamescom — but during a small school assembly. The Q&A was partially recorded by student Odysseic, who has since uploaded the footage to Reddit.
Valve's last console release was tactical shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), which arrived on PS3 and Xbox 360 way back in 2012. Perhaps the publisher's best-known console release remains The Orange Box, a stellar compilation from 2007 which included Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and a debuting Portal. Since then, Valve has remained focused on its PC platform Steam, though its recent wares — such as the fantastic Half-Life: Alyx — would undoubtedly be welcomed back into the console market.
The folks behind the SteamWorld games say more are on the way, and I'll just take one more of each
In case you missed it, a few years ago Image & Form Games merged with Zoink under the banner "Thunderful," an arrangement that continues to this day. In fact, the new conglomeration actually acquired Headup Games, so they're continuing to grow! And a Twitter update today is now reminding us of what's to come.
So the official Image & Form account (which still exists) is teasing out "several new SteamWorld games." That's nice! We knew they were coming, but it's good to hear that they're still in the works as of today and moving full (don't say it) steam...ahead. Images for the entire SteamWorld universe were shared in the tease.
But the account also talks a little shop, explaining that Thunderful is indeed the daddy of the situation, directing folks to that handle, while telling fans that Image & Form is still under their purview. Here's the rub: "The Image & Form teams are part of Thunderful since a while back. While we're no longer a separate studio from Thunderful, you can count on quality games from the same people (and new faces) for years to come! Thanks for all these amazing years. We can't wait to show what's next!"
That said, the Image & Form account has 22K followers, it wouldn't make much sense to trash it. According to the tweet this morning, they're "dedicating this space to SteamWorld games old and new." Fine by me! It's the thing that interests me the most out of all of Thunderful's offerings by far.
"New SteamWorld games" could include any number of new subfranchises, as well as sequels to Dig 2, Heist, Quest, and even SteamWorld Tower Defense, if they really wanted to get retro.
Image & Form [Twitter]
Guilty Gear Strive Starter Guides return with Anji Mito
We sit at the eve of the newest beta for the complex and attractive fighting sequel Guilty Gear Strive. The latest playtest, which kicks off on PS4 and PS5 tomorrow, May 13, will feature GG's sexy starting roster in its fullest, including latter-day reveals Anji Mito and I-No.
As such, publisher Arc System Works has fired up its "Starter Guide" series, giving players a quick crash course on each and every one of the game's highly skilled warriors. This morning sees the arrival of Anji Mito, the handsome, fan-waving fighter of questionable loyalties and those abs. Anji Mito returns to the franchise after successful prior appearances in previous iterations such as Guilty Gear Xrd and Guilty Gear XX.
Xbox May update adds more improvements to Quick Resume
A new update is going out to Xbox Series X and S users today that's adding some quality-of-life upgrades to various aspects of the consoles, including the Quick Resume feature.
Jonathan Hildebrant, Director of Program Management at Xbox Experiences, broke down the new update in an Xbox blog post. A big part of it is improvements to Quick Resume, which will have faster load times and improved reliability, as well as tags for Quick Resume-capable games and a group that can aggregate all your Quick Resume-saved games into one area.
The Xbox team is also adding passthrough audio for certain media apps, for those who use external sound systems, and a new dynamic background.
Quick Resume has been a big feature for Xbox, allowing users to flip between games quickly rather than close one app and open another. It sounds like it's been a real hit for those who went with Xbox this generation, and it's nice to see them continue to build it up.
In the world of game mods, bimbos reign supreme
For the past few years, aided by the glamorous memory of Paris Hilton's miniskirts and a reassessment of sex work by internet people who realized that money is cool, the word "bimbo" has flipped from meaning "brainless Barbie" to "savvy, powerful hot girl." But for some makers and users of game mods, this positive spin on the bimbo isn't exactly news.
Popular mod destinations like LoversLab and Tumblr have offered a decent selection for at least a decade, tucked away but not entirely hidden, like good cherries swinging from the top of a tree. Want to be a dirty homewrecker in the Sims? Check out SkillfulSimmer340's "Homewrecker Aspiration Pack" that requires you to have several partners, find out one of them is married, and buy an expensive object in order to receive the Master Homewrecker trait. Wish you could rule Final Fantasy XIV as a bikini-wearing himbo? Who doesn't! Just download Sko514's "Thicclander" mod and let your tiny shirt, big abs dreams come true.
Review: Subnautica: Below Zero
Subnautica was a survival game for people who thought they were sick of survival games.
Not only did it stand out in the genre with its one-of-a-kind alien water world, it also nailed a sense of genuine chart-your-own-course exploration. I felt like I had to work for every discovery, whether it was some bizarre biome or a new tool that would help me dive deeper, but it never felt like work. The game even had a pretty compelling sci-fi mystery to unravel, complete with an actual ending to reach.
In my 2018 review of the original Subnautica, I suggested that it might be the "best underwater game ever made." I stand by that today. Free-diving, recklessly piloting a submarine, stomping around the seafloor in a Prawn Suit — it felt fantastic to get to know Planet 4546B back then, and it still does now.
Three years later, after another Steam Early Access push, Unknown Worlds has put the finishing touches on Subnautica: Below Zero. Version 1.0 is done, and I'm glad I had enough restraint to hold off.
Blizzard is showcasing new Overwatch 2 gameplay later this month
We've seen some of Overwatch 2's PvE in previous streams, but later this month, Blizzard will be turning the focus onto the competitive side. There will be a PvP livestream held on May 20 to detail some of the changes coming to Overwatch's multiplayer with the sequel.
In the first developer update hosted by new game director Aaron Keller, he says he'll be joined by other members of the Overwatch 2 development team to play through the new maps and talk through some of the philosophy behind changes coming to Overwatch 2's PvP.
Keller stepped in as game director following the departure of longtime director Jeff Kaplan. Revealed back in 2019, Overwatch 2 has been in development since, surfacing for the occasional BlizzCon stream. It was confirmed to not be a 2021 game, but after getting looks at the PvE prior, next week's stream will likely be big for those who are still playing competitive Overwatch today.
PlayStation is giving out PS4 themes and avatars for Days of Play 2021
Sony is hosting a PlayStation Player Celebration for its Days of Play 2021 event, which is just a fancy way of saying that if you sign up this month and play games and earn trophies, the community at large can work together to earn some free stuff — namely, PlayStation-themed avatars and themes.
Before I get into the minutia, here are the prizes:
Sign-ups for the PlayStation Player Celebration opened up today and they'll stay open until May 31, 2021. You've just got to log into the PlayStation Store and click a link. That's about it for right now.
There are three "stages," each with distinct avatars and themes on the line, as well as bonus goals. For instance, the first stage, on May 18, has a goal of 2.4 million games played and 7.2 million trophies earned. Stage two starts on May 25, and stage three will begin on June 1. If we collectively reach all the baseline goals, we'll get a "cumulative prize": a neat theme and avatar with the PlayStation symbols.
If you can rope any of your friends into this scheme, you'll get double the goal progress for any games you play together online. Too complicated? Just register and do your own thing. I'm sure we'll hit it.
Even though I've got a PS5, I haven't left my PS4 Pro behind yet — it still has a tremendous library of games and cross-saves keep me connected. As such, there's still some value in themes, but I do wonder when, if ever, the PlayStation 5 will get themes. It's got to be one of the top "nice-to-have" requests.
EA Play Live will return in July
This year's EA Play Live event will not only be dodging E3, but doing it by a whole month. Electronic Arts announced today that EA Play Live is coming back on July 22, 2021.
EA Play Live is coming back July 22nd. Save the date! pic.twitter.com/qh9OOGhPTm
— Electronic Arts (@EA) May 11, 2021
Last year, EA hosted a brief Play event, with new Dragon Age looks and the reveal that a new Skate in the works. It also took place in June, right around the time that E3 would've normally been happening.
This year looks to be a bit different though. Along with E3 2021 moving ahead with a digital event, there was also a recent tease that the next Battlefield will have something to share in June. Couple that with Respawn's constant growth, BioWare working on both a new Dragon Age and the next Mass Effect, plus Skate, and this could be a larger show—and maybe why the event is putting some distance between itself and June.
We'll see what EA has in store on July 22.
Ubisoft's Skull & Bones has been pushed out again to 2022 to 2023
The eternal production of Skull & Bones, Ubisoft's multiplayer pirate game, shall continue on. The publisher confirmed that Skull & Bones won't be launching until at least 2022.
In an earnings report, Ubisoft laid out the road ahead for its various titles over the next fiscal year, which runs through March 31, 2022. Far Cry 6, Riders Republic, The Division Heartland, Roller Champions, and the game somehow still under this title Rainbow Six Quarantine. Ubisoft made special note of Skull & Bones as well, saying it will now be released in "2022-2023"—which means sometime between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.
Ubisoft also noted that its portfolio is set to expand in the future as well with Avatar, Beyond Good & Evil 2, and Star Wars. And while the Prince of Persia remake has recently indefinitely delayed, Ubisoft confirmed in its call that it will arrive sometime before March 31, 2022.
The delay of Skull & Bones has become a pretty frequent event since its reveal in 2017, with the most recent statement being a letter from last year saying that we'd see more of Skull & Bones in 2021. Hopefully that can stay true, even if the release date is still a ways out. The ship combat of games like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag still holds a special place in my heart.
Nier Reincarnation pre-registrations are open on Android and iOS
More Nier is on its way to the west. Pre-registrations opened today for U.S. Android and iOS users to check out Nier Reincarnation, the mobile entry in the Nier series.
Stylized as NieR Re[in]carnation, it's a "command-action RPG" from Square Enix and Applibot. You can find the Google Play Store and App Store links here.
"It is a place called The Cage," the story description reads. "A girl awakens on a cold stone floor. She finds herself in an infinitely vast place filled with buildings that touch the very sky. Guided by a mysterious creature who calls herself Mama, she begins to explore her new surroundings.
"To reclaim what she has lost—and atone for her sins—she sets off on a journey through this place of unknown creation."
It definitely has some Nier style, though it looks like you also collect a party of various characters for combat. And yes, it looks to have gacha mechanics, through currencies and summons. Nier Reincarnation has been available in Japan for a little while now and already accumulated a pretty good amount of downloads, so hopefully that's a sign of good things to come when it arrives here.
Square Enix notes that a Closed Beta Test for Android devices will be "held soon," and the project is still directed by Yoko Taro and produced by Yosuke Saito. It seems like, similar to Fire Emblem Heroes, my love for a franchise might outweigh my usual wariness of mobile games.
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 for PS5 pushed back to late-2021
CI Games has announced that stealthy shooter Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 will not arrive on PS5 June 4, alongside its PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S brethren. The PS5 port of the head-popping sequel has been pushed back to late-2021 due to "unforeseen technical issues" discovered just weeks before the title's launch.
QuakeCon will go digital-only again this year
QuakeCon will return this year, though it won't necessarily be back in Texas. The official QuakeCon account confirmed today that 2021's event will once again be a digital-only event.
"We can't wait to get back to Dallas with our QuakeCon family," the statement reads. "But for the continued safety of our staff, the volunteers, and the community, this year's QuakeCon will once again be a digital-only event."
We can’t wait to get back to Dallas with our QuakeCon family, but for the continued safety of our staff, the volunteers, and the community, this year’s QuakeCon will once again be a digital-only event. We’ll have all the Peace, Love, and Rockets â€" remotely â€" August 19-21. pic.twitter.com/8EaM7EY5Sv
— QuakeCon (@QuakeCon) May 11, 2021
QuakeCon 2021 will run Aug. 19 through 21, and there will be more details on streaming, charity, giveaways, and more in June.
Last year, QuakeCon was one of many events that went digital in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, many seem to still be following suit and keeping their events online, from the FPS festivities of QuakeCon to E3 2021.
Exclusive: Here's a look at some upcoming Magic: Arena Historic Anthology V cards
Magic: Arena is still rolling along with a heavy focus on standard, but over the past few years, Wizards of the Coast has added several classic modes to help extend the life of the game.
"But what happens to my old cards" is always a question people ask in digital games (where resell value is zilch), and with the Historic format, Arena had an answer. Allowing folks to use their old stuff has been a boon for the game, especially as Wizards has steadily added cards in via their "Historic Anthology" system.
With the fifth set coming to the game, we were given five exclusive cards to show off. Hailing from sets including, but not limited (ha) to Dragons of Tarkir, Innistrad, Scourge, and New Phyrexia, this pack adds a new wrinkle into historic play, all with very low cost curves.
I'll just take a second to say how much I appreciate cards like Dromoka's Command, which offer up multiple choices and decision points, especially at instant speed. Four, no less! And I'm a huge sucker for permanent global enchantments like Intangible Virtue, plus the potential for Stifle can get really nuanced in some Historic play. And Phyrexian mana (found on Vault Skirge) is....interesting!
It's a fun bunch!
Call of the Sea sets sail on PlayStation platforms today
Anyone fancying a spot of sun, sea, surf, and... sinisterness is in luck, as today will see publisher Raw Fury launch the PlayStation port of its Lovecraft-inspired graphic adventure Call of the Sea, following on from its previous release on Xbox, PC, and Game Pass platforms.
Well boys and girls, the Switch has finally made it: Calculator is coming to the eShop on May 12.
Typically these kinds of throwaway apps can be a shell game for emulators, or some other hidden software that slips by the eShop certification process. Or, Sabec, a company with a reputation for Switch shovelware, is selling a regular calculator for 10 bucks. I just love that Calculator is rated "E for everyone."
Sabec seems to have cribbed from the iOS calculator style, basically using the same coloration and font. The Switch is definitely no stranger to shovelware, as Nintendo seems to approve basically anything in their bid to put 30-40 games on the eShop each week.
Crazily, this led to all sorts of chicanery with gaming eShop sales charts, a practice that was eventually squashed somewhat after developer outcry.
Calculator [Nintendo]
Stone-cold classics Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol will reanimate this summer
Dotemu has made a name for itself as of late for being a pretty reliable developer/publisher of sequels to, and remakes of, classic games from the '90s. Last year's Streets of Rage 4 is still one of the best games I've played this generation, and I can't wait to see how Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge turns out. But before that hits, the company is giving players a one-two punch of some classic run'n'gun games from the 16-bit era of consoles.
On June 29, Dotemu and LucasFilm Games are bringing Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol to Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC as a combo pack. The last time either of these titles saw the light of day was back on the Nintendo Wii when they released on Virtual Console. This time around, the games will ship with some new features, including a quick save option, gallery of previously unreleased artwork, video interview with the original developers, and achievements.
If you've never tried these games and are looking for more local co-op titles, I highly suggest checking them out. While Ghoul Patrol may not have aged all that well, Zombies Ate My Neighbors is an eternal joy. You can pick up both games digitally for $14.99, but if you'd rather have a hard copy, Limited Run Games is handling the physical release and will announce details on when it'll open for preorders at a later date.
Sega reminds fans that Sonic fan games are OK, but exceptions may occur
For years, folks have been making Sonic fan games without reprisal from Sega. It's an institution!
And in some cases, folks are even hired to make official Sonic games off the back of their work. It's a well known entity that Sega is more accepting of these types of projects than other publishers, and here in mid-2021, the company decided to remind people of the vague contract they have with creators.
Speaking on Twitter, social media rep MiniKitty explains: "So long as no profit is involved, there is usually* no issue with y'all using our blue boy to hone your art and dev skills." The "usually" bit is clarified to not serve as a catch-all, since for "legal reasons, [they] can't promise all content is OK." They follow up that fan game donations are a "grey area," clarifying: "If something Sonic-related is used as a vessel to make a profit (i.e. calling out the donations through the Sonic content), it's normally best to avoid if possible."
It's pretty standard stuff, but it's good to be aware of Sega's continued support for fan games. I mean, they kind of need it to keep the goodwill going at times when there's a good Sonic game drought.
The character is kind of in a holding period now, as there hasn't been a real successful game in a while, the films are doing their own thing, and the Sonic Boom TV series has been scrapped in favor of trying something new on Netflix. The fan community is doing a good job of bolstering Sonic's image while we wait for all this new stuff to arrive.
Katie [Twitter]
Yippee Ki Yay: Looks like Die Hard's John McClane is headed to Call of Duty: Warzone
Just yesterday, we got word that '80s action star John Rambo was readying his bow for war in the battle royale world of Call of Duty: Warzone. And it seems that old Sly won't be coming alone, as Activision has also been dropping hints that kamikaze cop John McClane — protagonist of the Die Hard series — will also be skydiving into Verdansk real soon.
A tweet on the official Call of Duty Twitter features a faux-advert for a company called "Nakatomi Duct Cleaning". As film fans will realize, Nakatomi Plaza is the opulent skyscraper held to siege in John McTiernan's excellent 1988 action flick, with the building's duct system used by put-upon NYPD officer McClane — caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
While there has been no official reveal or date for McClane's arrival, yesterday's teaser implied that John Rambo will be arriving on May 20. It seems unlikely that all of these Hollywood stars will drop on the same day — hell, it takes a month to save up for each of the highly priced prestige skins — but we'll be sure to give you a heads-up when we hear that John is ready to join the party... pal.
This new Panchamp Pokemon short is considerably less wacky than the original Poketoon
In 2020 The Pokemon Company debuted its first "Poketoon," which managed to draw inspiration from classic cartoons of the Chuck Jones and Fleischer eras. It was a hit, and as expected, it takes time to prep more. Well, here we are!
This Poketoon however is a stark contrast to the aforementioned goofy short, and is done in a more traditional reflective, slice of life anime style. That's not to say it's not as good, per se! It might not turn as many heads (especially since it's more limited with Japanese-only audio at this time, rather than the unspoken universal antics of its predecessor), but it's still a fun little watch.
This one takes us on a journey with a small boy and a dedicated Panchamp, who trains every day in an effort to become something more. Even if you don't understand Japanese, the message is fairly universal.
Whatever the delivery system might be, more Poketoons is a good thing. I love how these branching multimedia opportunities allow for different creatives to put their spin on it, without having to bow to the anime series.
Resident Evil Village has already hit 3 million shipments and digital sales
Capcom has finally revealed the launch numbers for its newest survival horror sequel, Resident Evil Village. Available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC platforms, Ethan Winters' journey into a sepia-tinged nightmare has amassed over three million global shipments and digital sales in the few days following its May 7 launch.
This highly impressive number sees Resident Evil Village surpass the launch of 2017's Resident Evil VII and is more or less equal to the incredible launch numbers attained by 2019 remake Resident Evil 2. Resident Evil Village also made its debut at the number one spot of the UK charts. In addition, the success of Village pushes sales for the entire Resident Evil franchise beyond the 100 million mark. That's a helluva lot of scares.
The product of several years of intense hype, Resident Evil Village is the eighth mainline title in the Resident Evil series and the 27th Resident Evil release overall. The new game follows the exploits of returning protagonist Ethan Winters, seeking revenge and redemption in a hideous and miserable Romanian town. Marketing for the title has been spearheaded by numerous campaigns from Capcom, including product tie-ins, teasing demos, bizarre puppet shows, and the capitalization on the viral popularity of antagonist Lady Dimitrescu.
It all seems to have been warranted in the end, as Resident Evil Village has been praised by both critics and fans alike as a quality entry into the legendary Resident Evil canon. Now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, Resident Evil Village is a hair-raising, gut-punching jaunt into an unforgettable and utterly unnerving world.
EA teases something soon in June for Battlefield
It looks like we might be getting a look at the new Battlefield, uh, "soon." Today the Battlefield Twitter account put out a tease involving "soon" and "June."
"Words that rhyme with 'Soon,'" the tweet reads. "June. Boom." A clever way of saying hey, look forward to June. And also, boom?
Words that rhyme with Soon:
— Battlefield (@Battlefield) May 10, 2021
June
Boom
EA confirmed recently that two Battlefield games are in development, one being the next Battlefield game for console and PC, and another standalone mobile game. In it, the company said that a reveal for the new Battlefield is coming "soon."
While EA usually skips out on E3, a June announcement still fits right into place. We're still waiting to hear what the plans are for this year, but it's probably safe to say Battlefield will be a component of whatever news EA might roll out in June. In other news, I can't stop thinking of words that rhyme with "soon."
Duke Nukem Forever proves the worst part of Duke Nukem is Duke Nukem
Does Duke Nukem Forever really need an introduction? It was announced before I hit puberty. It spent 15 years in development hell, becoming legendary for its protracted development time. Every few years, another tease would come out, saying, "no really, prepare your uterus, he's coming for real this time," only for 3D Realms to roll over and fall asleep again. When it finally hit, reactions ranged from negative to "I guess it could have been worse." James Stephanie Sterling ripped the game a new one on release, right here on Destructoid.
There were only two reasons people cared to begin with: They either liked Duke Nukem 3D because it was an amazing title and you should love it, or they just like gawking at the carnival freak show. I was a part of the former group. Since playing Duke Nukem 3D at far too young an age, I've been in love with it. Every few years, I replay it and am reminded of how it sizzles, and just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. But somewhere down the line, perhaps even from its inception, developers made a severe mistake: They bet on Duke.
Life is Strange is not part of Dontnod's strategy for the time being
Dontnod Entertainment might be well-known for its work on the Life is Strange series, but it won't be helming the next entry in the series. From the sounds of it, the studio is looking to other options as it moves forward.
In an interview with IGN, Dontnod CEO Oskar Guilbert discussed the road ahead for the studio, which has also produced games like Vampyr and Tell Me Why. The Life is Strange intellectual property is not owned by Dontnod, but by Square Enix, and while that doesn't prevent Dontnod's return, it sounds like the focus for the studio is on what it owns.
"Never say never," Guilbert told IGN. "But for the moment it's not our strategy, yeah. We want to create our own IP. That's what we want to do."
The next entry in the series, Life is Strange: True Colors, is being developed by Deck Nine, who also developed the prequel series Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Dontnod, meanwhile, has been working on other narrative games, including Tell Me Why and Twin Mirror.
According to IGN's interview, the studio now has seven projects in the works, six internal and one it is publishing from developer Portaplay. That's a whole lot to handle, but now we'll get to see how the Life is Strange franchise fares in the hands of a new studio.
Resident Evil Village had the second best physical launch of 2021
Capcom's latest jaunt into the world of survival horror, Resident Evil Village, has had a successful start, debuting at number one in the UK Charts. The creepy sequel saw the second-biggest physical launch of 2021 so far, behind Nintendo's Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. In regards to UK physical sales, Village saw both the third biggest launch on the PS5 platform, and the second-largest launch on Xbox Series X/S.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, Resident Evil Village did not hit the same UK launch numbers of Capcom's 2019 remake Resident Evil 2, nor did it hit the same launch numbers of 2017's Resident Evil VII. It should be noted that with each passing year, sales lean further toward digital sales, so Village's true impact is yet to be ascertained. Assuredly, however, it has definitely been a hit.
Elsewhere in the charts Housemarque's PS5 release Returnal has already dropped out of the Top Ten, now sitting at number 15. Nintendo's snap-happy New Pokemon Snap shifts from number one to number two, while the remainder of the Top Ten is mostly rounded out with other Switch releases, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ring Fit Adventure, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.
Closed beta sign-ups for Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier are open
If you've thought of yourself as SOLDIER material, the chance to virtually prove your mettle is coming. Registration is open right now for Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier's closed beta.
Square Enix has sign-ups open through May 27 at 8 a.m. PDT, after which a play period of June 1 through 7 will follow for those selected. You can pre-register on the Google Play Store, and you'll be notified if you make the cut—though Square Enix mentions that registering does not guarantee a closed beta invite. It's also only open for Android users; sorry, Apple fans.
If you need a refresher, Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier is a battle royale set in the universe of Final Fantasy VII, where SOLDIER candidates compete to be the last one standing across Midgar. While there are certainly guns, there's also plenty of more Final Fantasy options, like summoning Ifrit for help or using materia to get the upper hand.
It's a curious-looking battle royale, but between the chocobo attire and the Midgar locales these candidates are fighting in, it at least seems faithful. Those looking for more traditional Final Fantasy VII Remake content can instead look towards the most recent Intergrade trailer. The PS5 upgrade of Final Fantasy VII Remake goes live on June 10, not long after First Soldier's closed beta closes.
Rambo is coming to Call of Duty: Warzone on May 20
It looks like the recent murmurs were true... The official Call of Duty Twitter has posted a short teaser video that implies John J. Rambo, the tortured military veteran played by Sylvester Stallone, is getting set to step into the deadly battle royale world of Call of Duty: Warzone.
A short video sees a hapless soldier picked off by a flaming arrow from a very familiar face. This is followed by the message "Become War. The Action Begins May 20", printed in the familiar Rambo typeface. With no details, one can assume that this means John Rambo will be joining the roster as a paid DLC skin on the listed date. You'd expect everyone to be playing as this character, but CoD prestige skins are pretty dang expensive, so donning the scarlet headband will likely be a financial commitment.
Just last year, Rambo also stepped into the realm of Outworld to lay waste to the roster of NetherRealm Studios' Mortal Kombat 11. Stallone also returned to the role for the big screen in 2019's Last Blood — a highly questionable flick which saw John forced to return to his killing ways when death and violence comes to the front door of his humble farm homestead.
The transition of Rambo from the mentally-ruined Vietnam veteran in First Blood to an M60-pumping cartoon, Mortal Kombat, and Call of Duty star is... odd to say the least. But I guess as long as a war is happening — on the front doorstep, in another dimension, or... in a free-to-play battle royale game — John and his serrated knife will never see the sanctity of retirement.
The Coalition is moving to Unreal 5, but don't expect new announcements anytime soon
Gears of War studio The Coalition has announced today that it's moving into next-gen development and using Unreal Engine 5. The studio says it will be developing on Unreal Engine 5 for "multiple new projects" in the coming years, but don't expect an announcement of those titles for some time.
Today's announcement notes that shifting to a new engine for development is a big undertaking, so The Coalition says it will "not be announcing any new projects or titles for some time."
Gears 5 will still receive Operations 7 and 8, and there will be more store updates and new content through the end of the year. As for new games, the studio says it is eager to show what it's working on "when the time is right."
The Coalition has been hard at work over the last year or so, bringing Gears 5 to 120 FPS on the Xbox Series X and launching both Gears Tactics and the Hivebusters mini-campaign. Whatever they can put together with a new Unreal Engine will certainly be something to see.
Fan-created NieR: Automata PC texture pack finally finished
A dedicated NieR fan has finally completed their work on a HD textures pack for PlatinumGames' NieR: Automata. As noted by Eurogamer, the mod has been in development ever since the PC port of the much-loved sci-fi adventure first launched back in the spring of 2017.
As the NieR community knows all too well, the PC port of NieR: Automata was a less than stellar release, suffering from weak visuals and a stuttering frame rate — betraying Yoko Taro's opulent and stylistic universe. Modder GPUnity took it upon themselves to give the PC edition the visual polish fans expected from the release, and began steadfastly working on a homebrew texture pack to give Automata's world and characters a little more hi-tech sheen.
The newest episode of Nintendo Minute gave us the wildest official picture of Waluigi yet
Over the weekend Nintendo put out a pretty innocent looking "Nintendo Switch Lite Blue Unboxing + Color Comparison" video, which was supposed to just compare and contrast the new Lite model. But uh, another story sort of took shape and conquered that conversation.
Very early into the video, Nintendo Minute host Kit states "We got Waluigi, yes," when showcasing all of the toys and props that will be used to highlight the color of the blue Lite. But right as they say that, a new seemingly official Waluigi render pops up on screen and it is provocative!
He's stretched around in a sultry manner, with his tongue out (a rare Waluigi tongue sighting), and is ready to lick that rose. Something is going down and right before you can try and imagine what, the video cuts and everyone acts like they never showed that image. But we saw it.
You can see it in the video here, or watch it below at roughly 15 seconds in. Extreme Ghirahim vibes!
Oh, and you get six good minutes in with the Switch Lite blue model if that's what you want. But that's not what you came here for.
Ubisoft to rebrand its first-party games 'Ubisoft Originals'
Ubisoft announced that, effective immediately, all first-party titles will be branded "Ubisoft Originals."
Ubisoft confirmed the new branding in a succinct statement to Eurogamer. "Moving forward the 'Ubisoft Original' mention is attached to all of Ubisoft's games created in-house by our talented developers," said the Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six Siege studio.
While Ubisoft does not currently publish titles from exterior developers, the soundbyte-happy publisher is likely just looking for a trademark signifier, not dissimilar to "A Netflix Original Series". The mind boggles that it didn't go with "Ubisoft Iconics".
The first game to receive the sparkly new branding is Tom Clancy's The Division: Heartland — a new, free-to-play take on the non-political tactical shooter series. Developed by the series regulars, Red Storm Entertainment, The Division: Heartland is expected to launch on PlayStation, PC, and Xbox in 2021/2022, with a mobile port also in the works.
Who says Resident Evil Village isn't scarier than 7? Baby Chris Redfield will haunt your dreams
Resident Evil games can get real weird.
Weird as in, "a grown man's head on a baby" weird? Uh, yeah that's about par for the course for this series in its complete camp heyday. It may not even be a top five all-time weird hall of fame event, and "we had clone DNA of Chris Redfield lying around" will probably be uttered at some point in series history.
This Resident Evil Village mod from creator JTegh takes things a step further and just thrusts us into a world where this is already a reality. It takes the Baby Rose model from Village and swaps it with a Chris Redfield head, and the results are as horrifying as you'd expect.
Just like in the Resident Evil 2 remake, people are going to town with Village mods already, sliding Thomas the Tank Engine and Barney into the game. But again, while slapping existing IP into Resident Evil could work in some sort of dream/hallucinogenic sequence, Baby Chris might be canon one day: mark my words!
No matter how many reboots Capcom might go for, they won't be able to resist baby clones of popular characters.
Mini Me Chris [Nexus Mods] Thanks John!
Resident Evil Village's Lady Dimitrescu to receive her own flavor of G Fuel
I'm not really sure of the demographic crossover of vampiric society queens and energy-drink-guzzling esports types but, never one to miss a marketing opportunity, Capcom has collaborated with G Fuel to produce a brand new flavor based on Lady Dimitrescu, one of the popular antagonists from the recently released Resident Evil Village.
Titled "Maiden's Blood", the powered hell comes in a container not quite as tall as the good lady herself, along with a 24oz shaker cup which will make you the coolest person at the gym. Honest. Packed with vitamins and supplements to increase focus, endurance, and reaction, G Fuel hopes that Dimitrescu's horrifying elixir will help consumers reach new heights. But not 9'6". What does "MAIDEN'S BLOOD" *thunder clap* taste like? Melon. Fucking melon.
Scheduled to launch in July 2021, interested parties can jump on a waiting list right now over on the official G Fuel website. I'll definitely be downing the stuff while I go about my slavish tasks for Lady D, including sweeping her floors, polishing her shoes, getting the bloodstains out of her dress, responding to her emails, and sorting her recycling.
It's a living. Besides, Daniela is surprisingly good at Crossfire.
Returnal fixes corrupted update issue, but still doesn't offer proper saves
Did you update to Returnal version 1.3.3? That's old news! 1.3.6 is the new hotness. Ah, modern game development.
In case you didn't hear, Housemarque tried to warn people last-minute about not allowing auto-updates on your PS5, as they may mess with your Returnal run (which requires players to put the game into rest mode). Unfortunately that was an understatement, as 1.3.3 corrupted some saves, amid other bugs.
In response, the studio thankfully got a quick fix out and within two days, had addressed the issue in the aforementioned 1.3.6 edition, which is the latest patch. This one fixes some crashes, collision problems, "incorrect healing behavior, controller mappings, and "numerous minor" bugs, too. You can find the full notes below.
This whole situation is very unfortunate, and I wish that the powers that be allowed the game a little more time in the oven to shore this all up before it shipped. While I haven't had major issues with the rest requirement yet, I've had many run-ins with the PS5's wonky rest mode in the past, and it's just a matter of time. For the long haul, Housemarque should nip this whole system as soon as possible.
Housemarque [Twitter]
Resident Evil and Monster Hunter drove Capcom to a fourth year of record-breaking profits
Capcom has released its latest financial earnings report and, in news that will come as no surprise to anybody, the long-time developer/publisher's fortunes continue to soar. The new report records a fourth consecutive year delivering record-breaking sales figures for the company, thanks to quality new releases and continued steady sales of its back catalogue.
For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, overall net sales increased 16.8% on the previous year, raking in just over ¥95 million (or roughly $876 million USD). Meanwhile, operating income skyrocketed 51.6% on the previous year, which translates to around ¥34.5 billion (or roughly $317 million). This figure represents the eighth consecutive year that Capcom's operating income has grown, with the company forecasting growth to ¥42 million by 2022.
Capcom's core "Digital Contents" division sees the lion's share of the sales. 2020 remake Resident Evil 3 and 2021 Nintendo Switch release Monster Hunter Rise were both smash hits for the publisher, while Monster Hunter World and its expansion, Iceborne) — Capcom's most successful release of all-time — continues to see sales over three years on from its initial release. Quietly adding to the coffers in the background are dynamic actioner Devil May Cry V, 2019 remake Resident Evil 2, and Capcom's beleaguered-but-steadfast Street Fighter V.
Last week saw the launch of Resident Evil Village, one of Capcom's most anticipated releases in some time. Switch-owning Monster Hunter fans can look forward to Monster Hunter Stories 2 this summer, and it remains an open secret that Street Fighter VI has long been in development. While 2020 brought Capcom misfortune in the form of a serious ransomware attack, it seems that the legendary studio has much to celebrate for the past 12 months, with the party set to continue into 2022 and gaming's newest generation.
PS5 hardware stock woes likely to continue into 2022
In a private briefing with investors, Sony has reportedly told shareholders that it expects the short supply woes currently bothering its PS5 hardware to continue for the foreseeable future, throughout 2021 and leading into 2022.
While the PS5 has gotten off to an incredibly strong start sales-wise — even beating out the launch numbers of the previous generation's PS4 — a shortage of manufacturing components hangs heavy over the industry, with Sony expect demand to far exceed that of production. According to a report by Bloomberg, Sony Japan has openly addressed this problem in a meeting held not long after the release of its latest financial earnings report.
"I don't think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PlayStation 5 next year, our supply wouldn't be able to catch up with demand," Sony CFO Hiroki Totoki reportedly told investors "We have sold more than 100 million units of the PlayStation 4 and considering our market share and reputation, I can't imagine demand [for PS5] dropping easily."
The shortage of PS5 consoles is, essentially, a two-pronged attack on customers. At the supply level, a lack of internal components is causing slow production of the physical console itself, while at the retail level, customers have struggled in battles with scalpers and multi-buyers to bag what little hardware hits the market. Add to the mix production delays and distribution issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and it's easy to see why all major publishers — not just Sony — are struggling to get their wares into the hands of the public.
Sony has shipped over 7.8 million PlayStation 5 units since its release in November 2020. The corporation forecasts to have sold 14.8 million consoles by the end of the current fiscal year.
Learn Japanese using the power of love and violence in Nintendo's Popeye no Eigo Asobi
We've been friends for a while now, right? And after all these Famicom articles, you're probably thinking, "gee, that lady sure does know Japanese." That's not true. My Japanese can best be described as existent. I can sometimes take directions and pick out the odd word from a sentence. I can read some parts of instruction manuals, just enough that I can figure out what is a power-up and what increases your speedo. I was able to tell someone I don't drink coffee, and I know the difference between a densetsu, a daibouken, and a monogatari.
So, no, I'm hardly fluent in the language. I don't study as much as I should. Famicom games just rarely require a high level of comprehension.
So, for this Famicom Friday, we're going to get a little vocabulary practice in using Popeye no Eigo Asobi or (and I'm using my actual language skills to translate this) "Popeye's English Game". Or play. Or pastime. Let's go with my first translation.
