New DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power trailer highlights fighting, fashion, and fixing up the city
Nintendo has a very busy June ahead of itself with E3 and a handful of significant new releases, like Game Builder Garage and Mario Golf: Super Rush. That may be where all the attention is now, but there's another game set to launch next month that you might want to keep an eye out for.
As revealed in the last Nintendo Direct, DC Super Hero Girls: Teen Power is set to hit Switch on June 4. Earlier today, Nintendo — which is publishing the title — released a new overview trailer highlighting the different aspects of Batgirl, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman's fight against Toyman.
Total War: Three Kingdoms gets one more substantial patch as team moves on to new game
Creative Assembly has announced a big patch for Total War: Three Kingdoms, which will also be the last big one it gets. Patch 1.7.1 will be the end of the content rollout for Three Kingdoms, but Creative Assembly isn't done with the setting just yet.
In a new Dev Diary today, Creative Assembly confirms the team is transitioning to another project based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. More will be shared in the future, but the team said that they will be increasing their focus on the novel's cast of characters and individual narratives.
Today's 1.7.1 patch contains a number of community-requested fixes, as well as changes to the campaign map and additional improvements. You can find the full patch notes here.
It seems like Three Kingdoms was a solid entry in the Total War series, and it definitely garnered a good response from fans. While the sun may be setting on one entry, Creative Assembly seems to have found some solid ground in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
KeyWe, a kiwi mailroom game built for co-op, is out August 31
[Update: KeyWe's summer launch window has been narrowed down to August 31, 2021.]
I'm always on the lookout for charming co-op adventures, and for a while, I've had my eye on KeyWe, a puzzle-platformer about two bumbling birds who must somehow work in sync to run a postal office.
KeyWe was announced as a PC game — far from my preferred co-op platform — but the launch plans have grown more ambitious than just Steam. With an assist from Sold Out, developer Stonewheat & Sons will also release KeyWe on Nintendo Switch (yay!), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
The release date trailer shows the chaotic nature of kiwis zipping around to deliver mail, label shipments, and send messages one button-hop at a time. It's a neat premise in and of itself, but the creative and super-detail-packed environmental work seals the deal for me. I can already tell I'm going to need to customize the look of my bird to be as disgustingly bright and noticeable as possible.
As for multiplayer options, the game has online and local support, so you should be covered. I have a spot reserved in my mind for "the next co-op game I've gotta play," and right now, KeyWe is it.
Last year, EA released Rocket Arena, an online multiplayer competitive shooter from developer Final Strike Games. If you don't remember it, I don't blame you. It dropped off the gaming radar faster than its price dropped in stores.
When Knockout City was first revealed earlier this year, I was pretty pompous in my assurance that it would face a similar fate. It just didn't seem like something anybody would be talking about after it dropped. But now that I've played it, along with at least two million other people, I don't think that's going to be the case. I think this one has staying power.
Horizon Forbidden West didn't get a release date, but here's flashy PS5 gameplay
That's a wrap on today's State of Play for Horizon Forbidden West, and... no release date! Drat.
The highlight of the mostly gameplay-focused presentation was some decked-out environmental art that spanned a jungle, beach, and a couple of moments underwater near the Golden Gate Bridge. I know the Tremortusk was meant to be the showpiece, but I'm stuck on those beavers. What's their story?
The brief narrative setup for Horizon Forbidden West is that a "strange red blight" has been "spreading across the land," which Aloy will need to try and stop using tech artifacts scattered among the ruins. During the PS5 gameplay showcase, she had to rescue Erend from his raptor-riding captors.
I wouldn't say the familiar armor-stripping action-shooter gameplay blew me away or anything, but I do think the combat looks a bit more fun than my memory of Horizon Zero Dawn. I'd fight that mammoth for sure — and I am partial to hovering across sprawling worlds, in this case with a Shieldwing.
Horizon Forbidden West is also coming to PS4, but when? Sony isn't ready to say.
"We don't have an exact release date just yet, but development is on track and we will have an update for you very soon," tweeted Guerrilla Games. "Thank you as always for your ongoing support!"
PowerWash Simulator snags a publishing deal with Square Enix Collective
A very soothing simulator has secured a new partnership to keep its development going. FuturLab has announced a partnership with Square Enix Collective to publish PowerWash Simulator under Square Enix on Steam.
This collaboration will allow FuturLab to continue developing PowerWash Simulator, which recently launched on Steam Early Access.
"Our original vision for PowerWash Simulator was to expand the game in ways that would appeal to a large audience, with the potential of licensed content," said FuturLab founder and creative director James Marsden in a press release. "Square Enix Collective is the perfect publishing choice as we share a united vision regarding the future of the game."
This soothing simulator really captured our attention here in the first GIF we saw, and it sounds like Jordan has enjoyed his time with the Early Access version of the game. Hopefully this collaboration leads to even more, and possibly some wild crossover content too. I'd like to imagine Midgar needs powerwashing too, right?
PowerWash Simulator is currently available in Early Access on Steam.
Horizon Forbidden West's State of Play starts soon, so settle in
With Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart almost here, it's time for PlayStation to start spotlighting the next head-turner: Horizon Forbidden West. That's right — another stream today. The dam is about to burst.
The State of Play stream for Horizon Forbidden West starts at 2:00 p.m. Pacific today.
Guerrilla Games said to expect "14 minutes of brand new in-game action" from the PS5 version in this presentation, with the total runtime taking up about 20 minutes. That I can handle. In and out.
We always enjoy hearing the Dtoid community's thoughts as they spill out of your minds and tumble into the comments during live news streams. Horizon Zero Dawn resonated with so many of you, and it's only natural for expectations to rise with this (presumably) even more confident adventure.
I'm looking for oohs and aahs from this State of Play. I want some Beast Wars-tier machines.
[Update: If you're here for a release date, no news on that front. Just gameplay today!]
Dying Light 2 Stay Human arrives this December
The City will be filled with zombies this holiday season. Techland announced today that Dying Light 2 Stay Human will arrive on Dec. 7, 2021.
Developer Techland showcased more gameplay of Dying Light 2 today during a previously teased livestream, featuring some hints of story and a whole lot of gameplay. The sequel will keep the first game's use of parkour for traversal, utilizing even more verticality in a city that builds up over the dangerous streets.
The first Dying Light also had this interesting mix of zombies and Mirror's Edge, though this new game seems to be taking things even further with more parkour options and tools like the glider that appeared in a previous gameplay preview. It also comes with the subtitle Stay Human, indicating the thin line between staying human and becoming infected, as well as more emphasis on choice and consequences. You can hear more from the Techland devs in today's panel segments here, where they talked about the world and mechanics of the new game.
Dying Light 2 Stay Human will be coming to PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S on Dec. 7 in three retail editions—a standard, deluxe, and Collector's Edition.
Want a free copy of Among Us? Hit up the Epic Games Store this week
It's all right there in the headline — if you haven't gotten Among Us yet and you'd like to, you can play it for free. The Epic Games Store is giving away the mega-popular social game until June 3, 2021.
I probably don't need to explain the appeal of this cartoonish sci-fi imposter-deducing game, and you probably don't want to hear it at this point, so let's just say that some players are cut out for "all in good fun" deception and some aren't. I'm not! As for the Epic Store freebie, hey, five bucks is five bucks.
Among Us was teased as a "mystery" giveaway, and next Thursday's free game will be one too.
Let's watch this mysterious Dying Light 2 stream
It's time to (hopefully) get some more details about the parkour zombie action game Dying Light 2.
Following a mysterious tease earlier this week that had me pointing a small UV flashlight all over my apartment, we're getting a new stream today at 3 p.m. ET that will hopefully give us a few more details about what's to come for Techland's zombie series. You can watch along here.
It's been quite a while since Dying Light 2 was first unveiled at E3 2018. Its E3 2019 gameplay demo was fairly impressive, but the studio went quiet for a while following an indefinite delay.
No doubt there are hopes for something concrete here, but I'm personally eager to see more gameplay, and if the lofty ambitions of that 2019 preview are still holding strong in 2021. We'll find out together during today's stream, I suppose?
Dragon Star Varnir for Switch is headed west this summer
Dragon Star Varnir will soon be heating things up for Nintendo Switch owners this side of the pond. As announced by Idea Factory International, the scaly anime JRPG, which launches on the Nintendo platform in Japan today, will be winging its way west in time for the summer season.
It's been a hot minute since we last talked about Dragon Star Varnir, which launched on PS4 in 2018, before receiving a PC port a year later. The high-fantasy adventure tells the story of a world where witches and dragons have been outlawed, and are being summarily hunted down by the kingdom's knights. One such knight has a change of heart, however, after being saved from certain death by a coven of young witches, who bestow upon him the powers of our fire-breathing friends. Now working alongside the coven, our hero fights to protect the witches from their oppressors, while coming to terms with his powerful new abilities.
Nintendo Download: World's End Club
World's End Club is the big focus this week on the Switch eShop, and one of the few featured games in a sea of oddities.
The oddest is easily Spy Alarm, which gives off extremely '90s "your sibling will get caught breaking in your room" vibes. For $10, "Spy alarm transmits an invisible infra-red beam from IR Camera at the bottom of the right Joy-Con, if someone or something crosses the beam, the beams bounce back to the IR Camera which then sounds the alarm."
It's from Sabec, the same publisher who did the Switch "calculator."
Resident Evil Village hits four million shipments and sales in just 19 days
Resident Evil Village is on its way to becoming one of the fastest-selling titles in Capcom history. The super-grim sequel has already raked in over four million shipments and digital sales in its first 19 days, comprised of figures taken from PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Stadia platforms.
For the sake of comparison, previous sequel Resident Evil 7: Biohazard popped the four million mark around 10 months after its release, while 2019 remake Resident Evil 2 rolled out five million copies in just under a year. While the quality of each title is subjective, there's no denying that Village enjoyed far more viral/pop culture global marketing than many of the series' recent releases, which has no doubt paid off in spades for Capcom.
Here's everything that happened at the first Sonic Central stream
Well that was fast! Haha, get it?
Sega promised new announcements today during their Sonic Central stream, and that's just what we got. The big news? A Sonic Colors revival and a tease for the first new Sonic game in years, which will be coming in 2022.
Beyond that, Sega touted how it can throw its weight around and get Sonic into basically any game it wants, including a very brief "blink and you'll miss it" Minecraft split-second clip. We're also getting a free Sonic concert with some big names, more merch (of course), and another retro compilation.
Never underestimate Sonic's ability to make everything that's old new again. Here's a full recap.
House of Ashes is a descent into madness with a 'very real' threat stalking you underground
Supermassive Games is finishing up the third horror-adventure game in The Dark Pictures Anthology this year, and while I was a little late to Man of Medan, I'm hooked now. I want to play all of these games right when they come out, even if they can't quite live up to the fan-favorite legacy of Until Dawn.
From a ghost ship labyrinth in Man of Medan to a foggy witch town fever dream in Little Hope, there's always something out there slinking around in this spooky character-choice-driven series. In the next standalone chapter, House of Ashes, we'll be stalked by an "inhuman enemy threat" in a buried temple.
Surprisingly, the game is set in Iraq in 2003 — the United States is looking for chemical weapons, and this can only end badly. But while the conflict rages above ground, something ancient stirs below.
Sonic Central's 'one more thing' is a new Sonic game tease for 2022
Oh Sonic Central. You were about to leave us with "here's a remaster" and "a bunch of merch and collaborations," but you just had to give us one more tease!
Right as the stream was about to end, Sega gave us that classic "one more thing." For a few seconds Sonic ran through a forest and presented the below symbol for us all to speculate on. Folks noticed this earlier this week when they saw a not-quite Sonic Colors tease in the recent fan appreciation video. As it turns out, it's a new project.
The year "2022" and the platforms PS4/PS4, Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and Switch was the only info provided beyond the symbol.
Sonic Origins is another compilation coming to new systems
Can't get enough Sonic retro compilations? Well, Sega can't either!
Later this year Sega will release Sonic Origins, which packages together Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic and Knuckles, and Sonic CD. "More info will be coming later in the year," but for now, we just know it exists. Sonic Mania and Team Sonic Racing are also available now on Amazon Luna, and Sonic Forces and the aforementioned other two games are coming to PlayStation Now.
That's basically it! Now you can argue about which classic Sonic game was the best all over again with new people in your life.
Sonic Colors is making a triumphant return on modern systems
It's Sonic stream day, and does it feel like E3 is here already? Because it's kind of here.
In what might be the biggest news of the week, Sega has announced that Sonic Colors is getting a remaster. Described as "better than ever," the re-release is called "Sonic Colors Ultimate," and will arrive on September 7. It's slated for PC (Epic Games Store) PS4, Xbox One [Series X], and Switch: and will have "baby Sonic keychain" physical order bonuses.
Oh, and it's also getting an animation collaboration! It's called "Rise of the Wisps," and the first episode is coming this summer. Roger Craig Smith is returning to reprise his role, as we learned recently.
Hearthstone's next card set is Wailing Caverns
If you didn't experience World of Warcraft's Wailing Caverns dungeon back in the day, odds are you got a chance to see what all of the fuss is about in WoW Classic.
It's an early dungeon, to be sure, but it's one of the more memorable labyrinthine layouts in WoW history. Back when dungeons were basically mazes the players had to figure out as a meta-puzzle, for better or worse. Now it's coming to Hearthstone.
Announced today by Blizzard, this 66-card "mini-set" will contain four legendary cards, one epic card (x2), 14 rare cards (x2), and 16 common cards (x2). It hits the store on June 3, and will go for either $14.99 (at which point you can buy the set) or 2000 gold.
One big gimmick of the set involves summoning an army of 2/2 tokens with various abilities, but spell schools will also be involved, and the legendary cards are drawn straight from Wailing Caverns lore.
Note that this mini-set isn't going to be resetting the season (or the tavern [season] pass). It's part of the same formula as past years, where mini-sets just shake up the meta in a minor way without completely disrupting it. You still have some time to finish your pass.
It's time to watch what I am basically just calling the 'Sonic Direct'
"You're too slow!" Wait, I'm right on time!
In just 30 minutes we'll see what the future of Sonic the Hedgehog entails. The official teaser for what Sega calls "Sonic Central" involves: "upcoming projects, partnerships, and events." The occasion is Sonic's 30th anniversary, so hopefully the publisher has something interesting up its sleeve.
The unveiling of a Sonic Colors re-release project is undeniably in the cards, as well as a potentially new Sonic game altogether, on top of whatever other merch Sega is going to peddle us. Maybe we'll see footage of the new Sonic Prime Netflix show? Or a film teaser? Sonic is wrapped up in all sorts of cross-media projects these days, so anything is possible.
You can catch the stream here on YouTube or here on Twitch. We'll embed it once it's live (Sega seemingly hasn't figured out the whole "scheduled video" thing).
Fallout 76 gets a smallish patch to sweep up some bugs
We're getting the second part of the Steel Dawn questline fairly soon in Fallout 76, but before that larger update arrives, we just got a smaller patch that paves the way for that hefty amount of content.
A new patch is live for all versions of the game, ranging from 2.46GB to 9.40GB depending on the platform. As usual these are sort of catch-up updates, squashing lingering bugs, mostly with armor effects and CAMPS: a classic source of bug fixes.
In terms of raw gameplay, VATS attacks are fixed in PVP, Daily Ops markers now will display the correct quest, enemies will now spawn correctly, and three quests have been fixed so you can finish them properly (Cheating Death, Disarming Discovery, Over and Out).
There's just so much to fix in this game it's kind of insane, especially when you account for some of the bugs that Bethesda is catching up on from launch. Thankfully the foundation has been getting upgrades in the last year or so, allowing for quality of life changes like more inventory space and additional CAMP and perk slots.
You can find the full patch notes below!
Update Notes [Bethesda.net]
Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown DLC takes the roster back to the blocks
It might not have hit the ring just yet, but Sega has already announced a day-one DLC pack for its upcoming Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown. The aesthetic-only add-on sees Akira and pals return to their strangely unnerving polygonal roots.
The "Legendary Pack", which will launch alongside Ultimate Showdown on June 1, will add alternate skins for every character on the roster, replicating the classic "Virtua" look that took the arcade scene by storm back in 1993. While this turns back the clock for classic characters such as Pai, Wolf, and Sarah, it's going to be fun to retroactively see latter-day fighters such as Vanessa, El Blaze, and Eileen recreated in beautiful, box-headed glory.
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is reportedly headed to PC
It looks like the next PlayStation exclusive in-line for a PC port will be Naughty Dog's rock-climbing, treasure-hunting, neck-snapping adventure Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, which originally launched on PS4 back in May 2016. Yes, it was that long ago.
The whispers began after the third-person adventure was name-checked in a Sony Investor Day Presentation. As you can see in the linked document, a slide was shown noting Sony had more PC ports planned, specifically referencing Uncharted 4 alongside recent PC arrival Days Gone. Sony itself is yet to publicly announce the port, but does have a Horizon-themed State of Play event scheduled for later today, so it's not impossible confirmation might be made of Uncharted's port status.
Detailing the twilight days of Nathan Drake's adventures, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End sees Drake — alongside long-time companions Sully and Elena — don the hiking boots for one last death-defying journey into lost civilizations' past. The sequel was universally acclaimed by press for its gorgeous art design, frenetic action, and worthy conclusion to the engaging story of Drake and his pals. Uncharted 4 would become one of the PS4's best-selling titles, having shifted over 15 million copies to date.
See Nintendo, this is how you celebrate a franchise's 35th anniversary.
Square Enix hosted a live stream earlier this evening to celebrate 35 years of Dragon Quest, and buddy, it did not disappoint. Six games and updates were announced during the stream, including the confirmation of the next entry in the mainline series. Below, I have wrapped up everything revealed in the stream.
PlayStation Store's Days of Play sale has deals on Demon's Souls, Sackboy, and Miles Morales
The PlayStation Store is running its annual Days of Play sale through June 9, 2021 — and if you're hoping to scoop up some PS5 game deals in addition to the usual PS4 sale circuit, you're finally in luck.
I'm glad to say that the early MVP Demon's Souls has a discount. Now, it isn't a great discount — the game is $60.19 — but 14 percent off the top isn't nothing. It's been slow-going since launch outside of Returnal and Resident Evil Village, and if we're talking big, impressionable PS5 titles, Demon's Souls is still my favorite. Spider-Man: Miles Morales, another fun one, is down to $39.99 for PS4/PS5.
Some other recommendations from the Days of Play 2021 sale:
- Assassin's Creed Valhalla ($35.99)
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure ($49.79)
- Ghost of Tsushima ($40.19)
- The Last of Us Part II ($29.99)
- Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate ($26.99)
- Sekiro ($29.99)
- Dreams ($9.99)
- Judgment ($29.99 for PS5, $19.99 for PS4)
- Yakuza: Like a Dragon ($41.99)
- Nioh Remastered - The Complete Edition ($39.99)
- Nioh 2 Remastered - The Complete Edition ($39.99)
- Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville ($7.99)
- Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition ($25.99)
- Overcooked: All You Can Eat ($31.99)
- Immortals Fenyx Rising ($29.99)
- Blasphemous ($9.99)
- Bugsnax ($18.74)
If you ended up getting a PS5 but you could only snag a Digital Edition console that can't play discs, and, as a result, you're at the mercy of the PlayStation Store for your PS5 game deals, I feel for you. It's going to be a long wait for some of these $70-at-launch titles to reach anything approaching half price.
One thing I'll say about this sale: while a lot of the deals aren't very enticing price-wise, I appreciate the new sorting options in the web-based PlayStation Store. I like being able to break these sales down by platform, content type, and even "most downloaded" to quickly see what's catching everyone's eye.
Sega announced today that the official video game for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, that may or may not still happen, will be released on June 22, 2021. It features track-and-field events, baseball, rock climbing, and more, but most importantly, there is also avatar customization, and the options are great.
In the trailer for the game, you can see an eager and determined astronaut, still suited up for space travel, keeping pace with Olympic hurdlers as they dash across the field. In another, an armored knight steps into the boxing ring, which seems a little unfair but hey, it's a video game.
While we already have the Mario & Sonic take on the Olympic Games in Tokyo, that's an arena where goofiness is expected. Seeing a massive, fire-breathing turtle-king sprint along the track is the norm. But here, in a somewhat-realistic Olympic event with realistic competitors, I love the one astronaut, determined to proudly represent their nation.
And as the site details, there are options to create your dream competitor. Astronaut, pirate, caveman, ninja, knight, and I think some sort of steampunk attire are all in the clothing options.
As for actual events, there is a bevy of track-and-field events as well as basketball, baseball, rock climbing, swimming, boxing, judo, tennis, table tennis, soccer, beach volleyball, rugby, and even BMX. Yes, my glorious astronaut will conquer them all on June 22, when Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: The Official Video Game launches for PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Stadia.
Dirt 5 adds the Xbox Series X fridge as a Game Pass perk
Virtual racers have dealt with all kinds of obstacles in user-created arenas, but today might be a first. The Xbox Series X arrives in Dirt 5 today, not as a gaming console, but as a fridge.
Imitating an infamous meme that became a real-life appliance, the Xbox Series X fridge arrives in Dirt 5 today as part of the Power Your Memes pack, an exclusive content pack available as an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate perk.
Stay cool, and respect the ⬛ U N I T ⬛
— DIRT (@dirtgame) May 25, 2021
The DIRT 5 ‘Power Your Memes’ Perks pack is available right now for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members, on Xbox and Windows Store, featuring the legendary Xbox Series X fridge!
Full details | https://t.co/nyuyqAhN4u pic.twitter.com/v40wI1HX38
If you're a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber you can log on and simply redeem it, and coincidentally, Dirt 5 is also on Game Pass. It all works out pretty well! Also included in the pack are three new liveries for cars, one of which is adorned in Xbox logos and designs.
Normally this is something I'd expect to see in a modded Trackmania server, but sure, any excuse to jump a car over a giant Xbox-emblazoned fridge is a good one.
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny localized demo now available on Nintendo Switch
Disgaea fans have had one helluva wait for Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, but we're on the home straight now. With the latest entry in the long-running RPG series just a skip over a month away, publisher NIS America has dropped a demo on the Nintendo eShop, giving the community a final burst of hype to help get them over the finish line.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid - Super Edition includes the Street Fighter pack
nWay has released the "Super Edition" of its high-energy tag fighter Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid. Now available digitally on PC and consoles, this bumper pack includes the base game alongside all previously released DLC. Everything you need for a Mighty Morphin' melee.
While Battle for the Grid had something of an inauspicious launch, nWay has faithfully supported the game in the ensuing years, not only adding DLC characters and stages, but also a full story mode, voice talent from the original TV series cast, brilliant online play, crossplay, and even a dedicated competitive league. As testament to the title's underdog spirit, Battle for the Grid has even partnered with fighting game kings Capcom for a Street Fighter crossover.
CDPR doesn't know when Cyberpunk 2077 will return to PlayStation Store
CD Projekt RED cannot offer a date for when its troubled RPG Cyberpunk 2077 will return to the PlayStation Store. The hi-tech, hi-issues title was pulled from the PSN platform by Sony following the game's incendiary launch, which saw the PS4 edition plagued with problems and subject to thousands of refunds from disappointed players.
"We are still in discussions and with every patch the game gets better and there is a visible progress," said CDPR Co-CEO Adam Kicinski in a shareholders' meeting. "As we said, the decision is an exclusive decision of Sony. We are waiting for the information about the fact that they took the decision to bring back this game. Until then I am not able to tell you anything more."
Work continues at CDPR to improve the state of Cyberpunk 2077 on both PS4 and Xbox One, with numerous patches and hotfixes applied since the game's notoriously rough release in December of last year. The publisher has previously stated that abandoning the port is "not an option". Cyberpunk 2077 is scheduled to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X this year, but these releases are obviously now mired in a queue of damage control and after-market repair on its platform predecessors.
Despite all of the above, Cyberpunk 2077 was — at least from a strictly sales standpoint — hugely successful for CDPR. The controversial title sold over 13.7 million copies in 2020 alone, with over half of all sales taking place on PC, where the title is far more stable. This huge number led to a revenue growth of over 550% for CDPR, year-on-year. In regards to refunds, only 30,000 copies of Cyberpunk 2077 were returned via CDPR's own refund program, though the numbers pertaining to PlayStation and Microsoft Store refunds remains unknown.
CDPR still waiting for Sony's approval to bring Cyberpunk 2077 back to PSN [VGC]
June's PlayStation Plus games include spies, squadrons, and Virtua Fighter
Sony has announced its PlayStation Plus lineup for June, the month of E3 2021, and it's a good mix of both old and new.
On the PlayStation 5 side, Plus subscribers can pick up Operation: Tango, a new upcoming co-op infiltration game. One player acts as the spy on the ground, infiltrating a locale in-person, while the other player is their hacker-in-the-chair, navigating firewalls and helping them solve puzzles.
Face zero-grav dogfights in Star Wars Squadrons, go head-to-head with legendary brawlers in Virtua Fighter 5 or team up for a spy adventure in Operation: Tango, your PlayStation Plus games for June: https://t.co/nzsEzyJtg2 pic.twitter.com/226uhQnNE4
— PlayStation Europe (@PlayStationEU) May 26, 2021
It's launching on June 1, and it supports both cross-platform play and Friend Pass play. If you're not getting it through PlayStation Plus' PS5 offering, you can also pick it up on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, or PC via Epic or Steam.
If space is more your style, PlayStation 4 Plus subscribers can get Star Wars: Squadrons, last year's solid spaceship sim. The recently announced Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown rounds out the offering, reigniting the fire for battle on June 1.
All in all, it's a really solid month for PlayStation Plus—one new game, one resurrected game, and one stellar Star Wars game, with a mix of good single-player, co-op, and multiplayer offerings. As someone who's been neglecting to redeem their Plus games in recent months, I'm setting a reminder for June 1.
Xbox and Bethesda games showcase set for June 13
Xbox and Bethesda have both confirmed their plans for their summer games showcase. The two will be hosting a joint Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase stream on June 13 at 10 a.m. PT.
The stream will focus on games from both Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda, as well as other partners around the world. Now that Bethesda is under the Xbox umbrella, the two will share the stage for a 90-minute show that will run down upcoming holiday launches and additions to Xbox Game Pass.
Games, Games, Games 🗣ï¸
— Xbox (@Xbox) May 26, 2021
World Premieres 🎬
New titles on @XboxGamePass â«
Save the date for the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase: https://t.co/ezcMtO6JM6 | #XboxBethesda pic.twitter.com/WHVbgZl5Fo
The show will be airing on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, and Xbox will also be hosting a digital FanFest this year as well.
At least now, we have a clearer idea of both company's plans for E3 2021 and the big summer showcase rollout. The teaser image makes it fairly obvious that Halo Infinite will be a part of the showcase, but Xbox and its massive lineup of studios could have a lot more to show as well. We'll all find out on June 13.
Get a taste of Guilty Gear Strive's Absolute Bangers, fellow kids
As much as it is typified by its wild fashions, awesome artwork and litany of fairweather players, Guilty Gear Strive is known for its relentless, teeth-gnashing soundtrack. A veritable melody of metal and mayhem combined, GG's guitar-squealing riffs and sub-Mike Patton wailing has become as iconic to the brand as anybody on its colorful roster of characters.
Guilty Gear Strive is apparently no exception, with each and every one of the starting roster's 15 characters being blessed with their own bespoke theme song. Dramatic to the point of operatic, and packing more adrenaline than Eric Stoltz in a dirty bathrobe, the GG Strive soundtrack looks to be the series' most ambitious to date, and will hopefully help each and every fight feel like a world-ending battle for the ages.
The Heroes of the Storm team walks us through how they made the new Overwatch skins
I really miss the days when Heroes of the Storm was more active than pretty much any other MOBA.
The team has always killed it, giving it their all when developing content of any kind, and they're still killing it, even with a smaller scope due to Blizzard's cutbacks. But it's a real treat when we get a peek inside the window every now and then and see how the sausage is made: like the recent breakdown of the new Overwatch skins.
In case you missed it, Heroes just got its first big patch in months, in the form of "Overwatch Cosplay." And thankfully, senior artist Andrew Kinabrew stopped by the Blizzard blog to give us some insight as to what actually went into making those skins happen.
Blizzard won't be hosting a BlizzCon this year
Blizzard has confirmed today that there won't be plans to try and return to an in-person BlizzCon this year. The company announced today that it will not be hosting a BlizzCon this year.
Today's statement notes the amount of preparation large events like these entail, from both inside Blizzard and organizing the production and competition side as well.
"The ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the pandemic have impacted our ability to properly move forward on many of these fronts," wrote Saralyn Smith, executive producer of BlizzCon. "And ultimately we're now past the point where we'd be able to develop the kind of event we'd want to create for you in November.
While there won't be any in-person festivities, Blizzard does say it's still planning for something online similar to its recent BlizzConline event, albeit not this year. Blizzard says it's planning a global event for the early part of next year, combining the online show aspect of BlizzConline with "smaller in-person gatherings," and that it will share more as plans come together.
This isn't too surprising, and likely the best choice, as many events are still opting to host online virtual experiences. Plus, it seems like the games most would want to see from Blizzard, like Diablo IV and Overwatch 2, are still a ways out.
Relayer is an epic mech battler coming to PlayStation from Kadokawa Games
[Header image via Famitsu]
Japanese developer Kadokawa Games, (of Metal Max and God Wars fame), has announced a brand new strategy RPG. A self-proclaimed "New age space opera", Relayer is currently in development at the studio for release on PlayStation platforms at some point in the future.
A feature in the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu offered up the sci-fi title's preliminary deets. Set in Stardate 2049, humanity has come into contact with a new alien life-form known as "Relayer". At the same time, a supernatural phenomenon is reported across the planet, seemingly brought about by the arrival of a "Star Child" known as "Terra". Understandably perturbed by the increasingly unnerving events, world governments and military factions become entangled in the situation's escalating drama.
Rooting its characters, narrative, and arc within Greek mythology, Relayer will see players pilot platoons of mechs — known as "Stella Gear" — in a variety of small-and-large-scale battles. Relayer is a turn-based strategy title, and will feature numerous classes, maneuvers, weapons, and ally patterns, tasking the player with creating efficient attack patterns to win the day and become one step closer to God... quite literally. Oh, and of course, all of the Stella Gear pilots are sexy and stylish anime characters, each of which has their own sub-stories to be explored as the main campaign progresses.
It's very early days, with nary a screenshot or trailer in sight. We also don't know whether Relayer will do the numbers necessary to see a western localization. But for strategy/anime fans — perhaps those who dig the great gameplay and melodramatic nature of Valkyria Chronicles — Relayer might prove to be one title worth keeping an eye on.
Relayer confirmed for PS5, PS4 [Gematsu / Ryokutya2089]
Overwatch 2 will 'almost certainly' get a beta, Switch version will have 'compromises'
Nothing is a given in the world of Blizzard. The phrases "soon" and "Blizzard Time (tm)" aren't just jokes, they're a reality.
While the "gameplay first" mantra wanes a bit from project to project in modern times, for the most part, Blizzard gets a decent chunk of time to create their games, with the aim of supporting them for long periods of time. And as we wait for Overwatch 2, people have a lot of questions.
So is there going to be a beta? It seems like it! On the recent Overwatch 2 AMA, technical director John Lafleur confirmed just that. Lafluer states, plainly, "Almost certainly, yes. If I knew when, I couldn't tell you. If I told you, I'd have to kill you. But u/blizz_akeller [Game Director Aaron Keller] is our resident secret-leaker, so you might give him a try! :)."
He also reminds us that the sequel is making some technical strides, noting: "Yes, we've had a lot of changes to the game engine. Many optimizations, better lighting, and many new features have been added. PvE has also allowed us to look much more at how our environments tell our story, so we've added many features that help with that."
However, he also says that "Switch is a little more challenging than some, and we'll have to make some compromises there." He further explains the situation by stating: "For that reason, some of the higher end visual enhancements might not be visible, there. We'll focus on making sure all of the gameplay-related features get in, first, and then accentuate with additional features as much as possible."
What about Overwatch 1? Well, it doesn't seem like it's going to get major upgrades for the time being, as Lafleur says that they "don't have any plans" to provide a 120 FPS PS5 patch, and would have to "invest a non-trivial amount of time to upgrade original Overwatch to recognize and separately treat the PS5." Instead, they're "focusing on Overwatch 2."
blizz_jlafleur [Reddit]
Mayhem Brawler will bring its knuckle-dustin' Streets of Rage 4 vibe this August
You might remember, back in the fall of 2020, we sent word of a sexy-looking street scrapper, Mayhem Brawler, in the works at indie outfit Hero Concept. Well, the comic-book style brawler has a release date, and will bring its titular mayhem to PS4, Xbox One, PC, iiRCADE, and Nintendo Switch August 18.
Set in a self-styled "urban fantasy", Mayhem Brawler sees a city that has spiraled wildly out-of-control, with its avenues and alleyways dominated by a super megacorp and its army of mutated minions. While the thugs roaming the streets are trouble enough, things get really out of hand once you throw werewolves, wizards, vampires, and other fantasy creatures into the mix. Fucking wizards, I tell ya.
Into this burned-out berg stride three agents of the Stronghold enforcement division, for whom a routine investigation is about to become a real bad day. While they may be hopelessly outnumbered, our protagonists Star, Dolphin, and Trouble are loaded for bear with amazing martial-arts abilities and super-powered special moves, redressing the balance somewhat against the horde of bad dudes that stand in their way... Including the wizards. Again, Do Not Forget the Wizards.
Far Cry 6 gameplay reveal is coming this Friday
This Friday, we'll get a glimpse at the gameplay of the next entry in the Far Cry series. Ubisoft has announced that a new live stream featuring gameplay of Far Cry 6 will air on May 28.
The stream, which will go live at 9:30 a.m. PT, will be the first glimpse we've had of the next Far Cry in a good while. On top of seeing gameplay, I'm also hoping we see more of Giancarlo Esposito's villain too, as he stars in the teaser for this week's stream:
Since Far Cry 6 was delayed from its previous launch, it'll be interesting to see how much we learn about the new game this Friday. With Ubisoft's E3 Forward looming, this could be getting some news out a little early, or at least teasing more to come once June 12 rolls around.
And this Far Cry stream also adds onto the pile of streams scheduled for this week. Tomorrow will feature both a Dying Light 2 stream and a State of Play centered around Horizon Forbidden West, as well as a "Sonic Central." The summer of gaming is well underway, folks.
Miitopia update patches in support for Universal Power-Up Bands
The new version of Miitopia is pretty much the same as the old one, and both of them support amiibo functionality.
But of course the new hotness always benefits from advancements, and in this case, the Switch edition just got patched to support the Power-Up Bands from Universal's Super Nintendo World theme park. This is on top of all of the prior amiibo figure functionality.
As a refresher, these bands are sold at the park (and can be imported on the secondhand market), and are basically amiibo equivalents. Right now Nintendo is only producing them for some of the more popular characters in their stable, but if they catch on, they'll likely expand the line. You can read all about them here in our hands-on impressions.
To use them in Miitopia, you'll encounter an NPC called the "Nintendo Fan" (which you can customize) very early in the game: just a few steps from the starting town. Head to them and just tap an amiibo to your controller/Switch and you're good to go. Figures range from outfit to minor item bonuses.
Miitopia [Nintendo]
(Update) One of Sonic's most iconic voice actors will no longer be performing the character
[Update: In this roller coaster of a saga, four months after announcing that he was departing the role of Sonic with a broken blue heart, voice actor Roger Craig Smith tweeted out a picture of a mended heart, noting: "I hope to honor your support and passion as I'm officially back voicing Sonic the hedgehog in games."
Uh what? I mean, that's good news, but maybe some sort of contract deal got worked out on the backend, possibly involving Smith voicing the character in Sonic Prime? This news comes right on the heels of May's Sonic news stream, so maybe we'll hear more about it tomorrow.
Either way, we got a taste of Smith coming back to voice something Sonic related in this recent inspirational Sonic video from Sega.]
Odds are you've heard Roger Craig Smith speak before.
Perhaps as Chris Redfield in modern Resident Evil games? Or in cartoons like Regular Show, as a host of different characters. He's even been the voice of Batman several times! But many ardent fans will always think of him as the main voice of Sonic following Jaleel White's turn in the role: until today, that is.
Shared on Twitter by the man himself, Smith had the following to say today: "Welp, 10 years was an amazing run. Onward to new zones! Much love to the fans who've been so kind. It's been an honor."
Fans are speculating that the parting was not mutual, using the broken blue [Sonic] heart in the tweet as evidence. While it's hard to say what went down; it's possible that Smith has become busy as he has no shortage of work, and offered the broken heart as a message to his fans. Or, Sega wants to offer the role to Mr. "Jean-Ralphio" himself, Ben Schwartz, who played the character in the feature film: or go a different direction entirely.
Schwartz would be a shrewd pick, as he has a history of voicing cartoons, so he'd slot into any sort of cross-media project Sega might have planned. Either way, Smith was a fantastic Sonic and was mostly beloved by fans (myself included), so I'm sad to see him go. We'll likely see the next stage of Sonic whenever Sega decides to unveil the new projects they've been teasing for forever.
Roger Craig Smith [Twitter]
Monster Hunter Rise's Ver.3.0 update, and new ending, arrive soon
Monster Hunter Rise is getting another update to end the month, and alongside some new creatures to take down, this also includes a new ending for the story.
Announced during today's Monster Hunter Rise stream, the Ver.3.0 update will go live at 1 a.m. BST on May 27, which means U.S. players can get a hold of it later tonight. The update is free for all players, and alongside a new ending, also adds the Crimson Glow Valstrax and Apex Zinogre.
Capcom also laid out the road ahead for Monster Hunter Rise, which includes several more free updates for players. Three Capcom collaborations are due from mid-June through August, as well as more DLC and event quests.
It's nice to Monster Hunter Rise not only get a full ending, but so much post-launch support. It's definitely a good reason to boot back into your village and hunt some more monsters.
Nintendoooooo!
While I have no doubt that Zelda will get some sort of anniversary shindig, the jury is out on some of the other series (poor Metroid). Some rogue agent on some Twitter account might put out an unauthorized "remember this series I grew up with?!" tweet, but that's all about I'd expect for say; Kid Icarus. At least it's getting an in-game Smash Ultimate event?
Nintendo announced via the official Smash Bros. Twitter account that the next Ultimate event this weekend will commemorate the Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus, Castlevania, and Dragon Quest anniversaries. Well, they're off the hook for the latter two, but uh, what about everything else?
Look, I get that Nintendo didn't want other anniversaries bumping up against the big Mario bash (or funeral, depending on your point of view). But at least recognize the day it actually turned 35? As one of our readers pointed out, Phil Spencer did more to honor Zelda on its anniversary than Nintendo did.
Smash Bros. JP [Twitter]
Pokemon Legends: Arceus will turn back the clock January 28, 2022
A double dose of Pokémon news this morning. Not only did we receive a date for Nintendo DS remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, but The Pokémon Company has also revealed the release date for Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which will launch on Switch January 28, 2022. Pre-orders are now live on the Nintendo eShop.
A step away from the traditional Pokémon experience, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is set in the Sinnoh region's bygone days — a take on Japan's feudal era — when the forefathers of what will come to be known as Trainers gathered their own Pokémon with somewhat more mechanical and ramshackle variants of the tools used by today's critter catchers.
Developed by series veterans Game Freak, Pokémon Legends: Arceus features its own tweaks on classic Pokémon gameplay, allowing players to use stealth mechanics to sneak up and swipe Pokémon without the need for battle. Additionally, as The Pokémon League is yet to be invented, Pokémon battles will instead take place out in the wilds of Sinnoh's untamed lands.
Our protagonists' actions will eventually lead to the creation of the very first Pokédex, blazing a trail for Nintendo's marketing teams for centuries to come. Wow, it's like Genesis... but for small furry monsters.
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl will launch November 19
Grab those Poké Balls, trainers. Nintendo and The Pokémon Company announced the release date for Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl. The two Nintendo DS remakes will be hitting the Switch platform November 19, just in time for the holidays.
Much like previous remakes Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, or HeartGold & SoulSilver, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl will recreate the player's trek across the Sinnoh region, hunting, catching, and training a roster of critters in tried-and-tested Poké-fashion. The twin remakes are handled by developer ILCA, as stalwart studio Game Freak is already hard at work on Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
A new tweet from The Pokémon Company showcases the cover art for both titles, which once again feature Dialga and Palkia in all of their (literal) dazzling glory. Oh, we also get a shot of our two trainers, Lucas and Dawn, but sadly not in their hilarious and divisive chibi stylings. But don't fret, I put Dawn in the header image to remind you all of her huge wellie greatness.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Pokémon Shining Pearl launch on Switch November 19.
Smash boss Sakurai allegedly considering retirement, maybe ending 20 year Famitsu column
All good things must come to an end...is the exact phrase I was thinking when reading over Masahiro Sakurai's newest Famitsu column, as reported by ryokutya2089.
In case you've missed it, Sakurai has been contributing to a Famitsu column for nearly 20 years, dishing out inside info and insights into the development process of the Super Smash Bros. series. He's able to get fairly frank in these articles (within reason), and provide a window into his mind in a fireside chat sort of way.
But, they might be ending. Musing in the latest Famitsu column, Sakurai allegedly is thinking about retiring, noting that "everything must come to an end." He also notes that he will not "stop working on games," but is thinking about ending the long-running Famitsu column in general after the last DLC for Ultimate ships this year.
As VGC points out, the full Famitsu column will give us a better picture of the context when it hits. But at this point, with his masterpiece almost done, it would make perfect sense to retire afterward and maintain a sort of "consultation" status in the gaming world. That way he technically doesn't "stop working on games!"
Sakurai [ryokutya2089 via VGC]
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart continues to astound in new story trailer
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart can most assuredly be called a "next-gen" title. With each and every video, Insomniac Games' world-hopping adventure looks bigger, brighter, and better than before — at least in regards to its delightful aesthetics and modern-day technology.
Tinytopia is a miniature city-builder with zany levels
We've built and run virtual cities as omnipotent mayors before, but not quite like this. In MeNic Games and Mastiff's PC city-builder Tinytopia, we're working with wobbly miniatures in precarious places.
The game is less of a typical data-heavy city-builder with lots of minutia to worry about — which can be fun in its own right! — and more of a lighthearted physics-based playground. You'll stack buildings on top of each other to transform them into "megastructures" and hope they don't topple over.
Tinytopia also has challenge levels with distinct hooks, whether it's building a well-balanced town on a teetering ruler or crafting an island retreat that can hold up against a knock-off Godzilla wind-up toy.
In a note from the publisher, Mastiff said the team is looking to touch up the game before it releases on Steam this year — they want to improve the UI, tutorials, and writing, add in new level goals and achievements, and work in "a new illustrated Instructor to guide players through Tinytopia."
The game looks cute, which is something I've rarely if ever said about a city-builder.
Cloudpunk devs tease new slice-of-life sim alongside launch of sequel-scale DLC
Today, developer Ion Lands launched DLC for its cyberpunk taxi game Cloudpunk. Dubbed City of Ghosts, it's the size of a sequel, according to Ion Lands. And what's more, it's not all the developer has planned for the world of Cloudpunk.
City of Ghosts sees players return to the city of Nivalis, continuing the story of Rania and Camus. There are two viewpoints, swapping between Rania and deadbeat gambler Hayse, as well as new features like street racing and vehicle customization.
Alongside the launch of City of Ghosts, Ion Lands also launched a store page for Nivalis, a slice-of-life sim set in the same world as Cloudpunk. Taking place in the city of Nivalis, you choose how to spend your time: grow your business, hang out with characters, and decorate your home, or blow it all off to go fishing.
There's no release date or window set just yet, only a Steam page. It's nice to see that Ion Lands is finding more ways to explore this world, though. Cloudpunk was a pretty alright little experience that I've heard folks talk about for a while, and an experience that's just about running a shop and living your life in a cybernetic future? I'm intrigued.
Valve reportedly working on a portable gaming PC
It seems like Valve might be working on a new PC gaming device that's a little more portable than a PC. A new report from Ars Technica says that Valve has been working on a portable, Switch-like PC that could run games on the Steam platform through Linux.
Earlier in the week, SteamDB's Pavel Djundik noticed a change in Steam's code pointing towards a device named "SteamPal," which seemed related to another codename, "Neptune." These came with a string for "Neptune Optimized Games," though their intent was unclear.
According to Ars Technica, this "SteamPal" (which might not be the real, final name) is an all-in-one PC with gamepad controls and a touchscreen. Multiple sources familiar with the information confirmed to Ars Technica that this PC has been in development for some time.
Ars Technica also says that while it can confirm the device's existence and development, as well as gesture at a recent coincidental statement on something console-related, Valve is still in a position to switch things up—it could still get delayed or canceled or any reason. Hopefully this device fares better than other hardware attempts, because a portable PC handheld certainly sounds appealing in light of the Switch's popularity.
