Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries is way too picky, but I keep playing anyway
I've thoroughly enjoyed my 2.5 playthroughs (and counting) of Resident Evil Village. But while the main story is a blast to roll through, I've been having a much less consistent time with The Mercenaries.
It could be worse. It absolutely could be. Capcom could've packed in the throwaway PvP spin-off Re:Verse and called it a day. (No joke, I forgot Re:Verse existed until I spotted it in my PS5 library last weekend.) Instead, we also have The Mercenaries — even if it doesn't quite feel like "Mercenaries."
I'm not sure how the rest of you are faring in this score-chasing arcade gauntlet (or if you've only scratched the surface so far), but I thought I'd share my quick take and we could commiserate.
I'll say this much: as someone who recently went through all of Resident Evil 4 again in the lead-up to Village, including taking the time to earn those five-star ranks with every character in The Mercenaries to unlock the Handcannon, this new version of the mode falls way short of its potential. It's less that it's structured differently — which is fine! — and more that it's just too dang picky for its own good.
Fairy quick tips for Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD is nearly here (or now if you did the edition with incredibly odd early access). Owing to the fact it's roughly an 18-year-old game, some of its ways might feel obtuse to the modern JRPG player or newcomer to the SMT series.
I began my life here at Destructoid as something of an enthusiast for this game, even going by Pixie the Fairy for a time because she's actually the Demi-Fiend's canon sidekick. She serves as a way to introduce you to the wild ways of the post-apocalyptic Vortex World, a hellscape I'm starting to prefer to the one we currently live in.
Things can get dire in the Vortex World very fast, especially if you try to play Nocturne by the logic of other JRPGs, so let me set you on the right path.
Review: Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster
Shin Megami Tensei is criminally underrated.
Look, I understand that it's rated. In JRPG circles, it's spoken of constantly, and fondly. But the name doesn't carry as much weight in general scenes as, say, Persona. That needs to change at some point.
And Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is helping that happen.
Thunderbird is bringing portable healing to Rainbow Six Siege: Operation North Star
For the past few seasons, Ubisoft's Rainbow Six Siege has added multiple new weapons, gadgets, and techniques to reduce your opposition to dust — regardless of whether you're playing Defender or Attacker. To date, only Doc and Finka can be considered anything close to "healers" within Siege's fast-paced, fast-dying universe. But that's all set to change come the tactical shooter's newest season.
Operation: North Star welcomes new Defender Mina Sky, better known by her call-sign "Thunderbird". Heralding from the Indigenous Nakoda nation, Mina grew up with a deep love and reverence for Mother Earth, dedicating her early life to the study of both hydrology and medicine. Now a trustworthy pilot, a fearless explorer, and a master of field adaptation, Mina's brave heart and skillful application of aid under fire saved the life of Rainbow operator Saana "Nomad" El Maktoub, an act which brought Mina to attention — and eventual induction — at Team Rainbow.
Review: Path of Exile: Ultimatum
Somehow, Path of Exile is simultaneously in its best and worst state. Every league, it just gets more bloated as Grinding Gear Games (GGG) adds previous league mechanics into the "core" game. As someone who has played in a pretty serious capacity the last handful of leagues, I enjoy the new challenges and additions as I come up with zanier and zanier build ideas.
But the new player experience is at an all-time low. I cannot seriously recommend people to just jump into Path of Exile today and enjoy what's there. I'd recommend spending hours and hours performing some research first, and probably DMing me, and then tempering expectations before jumping into Wraeclast. As a result, this review will mostly be catered to those who have a decent understanding of the game, and ideally a conversation piece for others to share their opinions.
Deathloop preview: Arkane's greatest hits with an asymmetrical twist
Deathloop always starts back at the beginning. Colt, struck with amnesia, wakes up on a beach with one heck of a hangover and the revelation that time, on this island, is looping. He has a simple objective: to hunt down the Visionaries spread around Blackreef and kill them all in a day, closing the loop in the process.
He can wield handguns, nail guns, shotguns, a machete, and a handheld hacking device, all in the name of taking out Blackreef's partygoers and scholars, but there is one problem larger than the legion of Eternalists between him and his targets: Julianna Blake. She's armed, and she has one goal: stop Colt from ending the loop.
I recently attended a preview session for Deathloop, where we got to see a slice of hands-off gameplay of the time-looping adventure. Across the preview, we saw a few different options for Colt: means of approach, ways of playing, and methods with which to dispatch the various Visionaries. And it looks pretty dang good.
What's your all-time favorite Game Boy release?
Cblogs of 5/15 to 5/21/2021
-Eggs&Brewsterjr discusses eight Game Boy games they know they would love to play.
-GamingDino highlights another gaming dinosaur in ARK.
-D-Volt writes about how the Sonic franchise may be limited by their own focus on Sonic's speed.
-Manasteel88 highlights an incoming Sonic fan gaming jam.
-Lord Spencer reviews Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.
-Black Red Gaming reviews Days Gone on the PC.
-Queen of Philosophy opens this week's TGIF open community forum.
Arcade Archives back on its shmup kick with NMK's Task Force Harrier
If you think Hamster has already re-released every single 1980s shmup to its Arcade Archives range, they've only scratched the surface. Easily replicable at speed, the credit-killing genre saw a tidal wave of releases, reaching well into the treble figures in a short space of time. Thus, it's likely that we'll see many more examples of the genre's lesser-known entries over the coming weeks, months, perhaps years.
This week's entry is NMK's Task Force Harrier, which hit the arcade scene in 1989 before eventually being reworked for Sega Genesis in 1991. A fairly standard vertically scrolling shmup, Task Force Harrier has players pilot a futuristic jet fighter, alternating between air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry against waves on enemy fighters and terra firma-based defenses. Power-ups add miniature "escort fighters" which add the player vessel with additional firepower.
Task Force Harrier offers little of note, slotting in-between the myriad shmups that packed out arcade centers in the late-'80s. Without much in the way of unique or groundbreaking gimmicks, Task Force Harrier is more of a "completionist" release, only really for those who are really digging building a collection of forgotten sky-fighters. Task Force Harrier is available to download now on Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8. Check out the action in the trailer below, courtesy of YouTuber World of Longplays.
Which Marvel characters would you like to see in their own game?
Marvel Studios recently released a dramatic trailer for the fourth phase of what has come to be known as "The Marvel Cinematic Universe" (MCU). Leading on from over a decade of fantastic comic-book movies — each and every one a chapter within a compelling, emotive, and wildly entertaining universe — the coming years will see a new breed of heroes step from page-to-screen, defending a planet and its populace from the fallout of the devastating Infinity War.
As regular readers will be aware, I love movies. I've had the good fortune to spend four solid decades enjoying many films, from many countries, many budgets, and many generations. And while it's super fashionable to scoff at and mock the MCU, the fact remains that I am completely in love with this franchise. I consider it a blessing that I was able to not only experience the full cinematic run of movies — from Iron Man to Avengers: Endgame — but that I was also able to feel the hair-raising highs, heartbreaking lows, pulse-pounding action, and intense drama of this smash-hit series of blockbusters.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier... since you asked.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion fails to live up to the eccentricity of its name
It's pretty difficult for small indie games to get noticed these days. There are so many platforms out there and so many other tiny studios pushing out new games on a weekly basis, that getting lost in the crowd is the expectation for so many titles. Small games have to do anything they can to stand out, something to hook people in. That can be a clever game concept, beautiful artwork, or, in the case of developer Snoozy Kazoo, one catchy-ass title.
The name Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion easily burrows itself into the brain. It's the type of name that I hear once and immediately want to see what it's about, like Snakes on a Plane or Love Death + Robots. Of course, when you have such an exceptional title, you should probably make sure there is an exceptional game lying underneath.
Get out some of that pent up aggression against pedestrians in Courier Crisis
Nineteen ninety-five was a rough time for games. The market was transitioning to 3D graphics, and there was a lot to figure out. To prove this, you need only look at the earliest PlayStation games; the ones that came in those ugly cardboard clamshells. Games like ESPN Espn2 Extreme Games and the original Twisted Metal plainly show the difficulties developers had with the new hardware. Warping textures, awkward physics, and…
Oh, hold on a moment...
Courier Crisis came out in 1997!? Wow, that's embarrassing.
Whatcha been playing this week, Destructoid?
Howdy, buckeroos! Welcome to the weekend! I hope that this week was a good one for you, and send love that the weekend will be even better. It was a rough one for yer boy, who had a horrendous flare-up of tendonitis. For those who don't know, my knees are totaled — a hard-run life of exploration, pro-wrestling, retail, and spending a lot of time kneeling down, (grow up). And occasionally, my patellas simply explode. It feels like having ground-glass in your kneecaps. So yeah... sign up for that.
As for video games, feeling under the weather has kept me from really indulging as I'd like. I spent some time in the red, red waters of Maneater for Nintendo Switch, (so expect a port report next week). I also checked out some of the new content for Call of Duty: Warzone, which sees Johns Rambo and McClane enter the world of Battle Royale. Once the pain subsides, I'm finally going to dive into Resident Evil Village... Well, at least until the first jump-scare, when I'll just uninstall it and go hide under the sheets.
But I don't want to know about me, I want to know about you. So before you dive headlong into your weekend, please take the time to drop a comment below and let us know what games you've been playing lately. The release year has started to pick up, and there's all sorts out on the market right now — not to mention the backlog I know all y'all have. So take a second to join the party below and share your current quests with us.
Have a wonderful weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.
Destructoid is live on Twitch to finish The Evil Within
Tonight I'm playing The Evil Within on Destructoid's Twitch channel starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
The Evil Within is WILD! I thought I had dipped my toes into survival horror enough to know the genre but I've never played anything like this and it's just so cool! There's so much choice and customizability on top of the setting and pacing.
Last Friday we burned through the first six chapters in a single sitting (and I finally picked up the sniper so I'm set for life). The combat can be daunting as a new FPS player, while still manageable, and the areas/storyline have me hooked. There are so many Resident Evil type callbacks and I honestly feel like this series outshines RE sometimes. If you're a fan of survival horror, join us tonight! You'll quickly be a fan of The Evil Within, too.
Miss the last stream? Catch up with the video on demand for part one of The Evil Within.
Come catch me live at Destructoid's Twitch channel every Friday at 9:00 p.m. Eastern! Let's chat it up about anything and everything while playing cool games! I hope to meet you there. :)
This Lady D vs. Lady Maria fight in Bloodborne didn't go the way I expected
I never fully "got" the so-and-so fighting such-and-such mod craze, but that was before I came across this gem on the Bloodborne subreddit — it's a brawl between Lady Dimitrescu and Lady Maria.
This video was orchestrated by Garden of Eyes, and it truly goes places I wasn't expecting.
After watching all ten minutes of dueling, I'm expecting a mess of boss-vs.-boss mod videos to flood my already pretty questionable YouTube recommendations feed. It's a worthy price to pay to see these two fandom-capturing personalities vie for our continued admiration. I have room in my heart for both.
...that's what I'd say if I wanted to play it safe. Go Lady Maria go!
Stellaris: Console Edition will receive a major update on June 17
Ever since Stellaris released on consoles in 2019 it has been in a hyperdrive lane, barreling through updates and versions that released since Stellaris first launched on PC. As an older PC player, it has been interesting watching my friends on console get to different stages of the release and remembering all the changes the game has gone through over the game's five-year stint on PC. Console players might not have to live in the past for very long as the next update pack for Stellaris: Console Edition will bring the game much closer in parity to the PC release.
Featuring the Federations expansion as well as the Necroids and Ancient Relic packs, this will bring the console edition up to 2.8, leaving only the Nemesis expansion pack unreleased for consoles, which only released for PC a month ago.
While the Necroids and Ancient Relic packs aren't much to get excited about, the Federations expansion was a huge leap forward for the diplomacy side of the game, expanding not just on intergalactic relations but also expanding on your own society. Having just gotten back into Stellaris after two years away, grappling with the changes from even Federations' free update was enough to make me have to take a step back and readjust how I approached the game.
While no price was announced, previous expansion packs of this size were $24.99 at launch.
Along with the announcement of the expansion, it was revealed in the press release that optimization tweaks had been made for the Xbox Series X/S release of the game with the PlayStation 5 version "still playing great."
The Stellaris: Console Edition Fourth Expansion Pass will release on June 17.
Rewire the entire United States in Kemco's Electrician
For Famicom Friday, I cover a lot of obscure titles because I find it more fulfilling than regurgitating games that people have more likely heard of, but the downside is that the cream usually rises to the top. Often, you haven't heard of something because it's not worth hearing of. Not always.
Take Kemco's Electrician, for example. It's an obscure Famicom Disk System game from 1986 that I hadn't heard of until a shopkeep convinced me to buy it one day. I'm glad I took the advice, because Electrician is some of the most fun I've had on my Famicom Disk System since the day I changed the belt and recalibrated it. Except, you're probably going to make fun of me for liking it so much.
How the PS5's DualSense got updated to make its haptics feel better for PS4 games
While there have been some new games making use of the DualSense's haptics and triggers, plenty of backward-compatible PlayStation 4 games also use their own controller feedback. Today, The Last of Us Part II co-game director Kurt Margenau detailed just why those are feeling better lately.
"As many of you are jumping back into TLOU2 on PS5, you may notice the haptics feel better," Margenau says. (The Last of Us Part II recently got a performance update for the PS5.) "This is actually thanks to a firmware update to the DualSense controller back in April."
As many of you are jumping back into TLOU2 on PS5, you may notice the haptics feel better. This is actually thanks to a firmware update to the DualSense controller back in April. THREAD: pic.twitter.com/zle0XQwDw6
— Kurt Margenau (@kurtmargenau) May 21, 2021
Margenau goes on to say that a few months ago, he was able to send some feedback to the DualSense team, in order to improve "certain timing, intensity, and 'texture' of haptics when in backwards compatibility (BC) mode." This was intended to bring the feel closer to what Naughty Dog created for the original DualShock 4.
The difference, as Margenau details, is inside the controller; the DualShock 4 has two different-sized rotating weights inside it, and the DualSense has two weights that move forward and backward, and can express frequency and amplitude at high fidelity with low latency. The firmware in the DualSense has to receive "old" signals, and then emulate the resulting feeling in the controller using a different mechanical method.
This means accounting for timing differences and emulating inherent variations and the "'rumbly' feeling" that comes with a rotating motor, and it's all done inside the controller, without the game code changing. The DualSense's internal haptics have already been impressive thus far in games like Astro's Playroom. This in-controller implementation to make PS4 game feedback feel right? Pretty mind-boggling work from the DualSense team and Margenau to make it happen.
Of Bird and Cage â€" Review in 3 Minutes
There's only so much time each week to check out new games, much less play them — much less fully review them! — and inevitably, plenty of interesting games are destined to slip through the cracks as many of us move onto the next shiny thing. To supplement Destructoid's usual coverage, we're teaming up with our sister site The Escapist to fill in some of these gaps with their helpful 3 Minute Reviews.
In this 3 Minute Review, The Escapist's Will Cruz covers Of Bird and Cage, a metal album meets adventure game from Capricia Productions. It really has to be seen — and heard — to be believed.
Mech-based base builder The Riftbreaker will launch on Game Pass
Exor Studios' The Riftbreaker is a mix of mech action, survival, and base-building. And if that combination sounds appealing, you'll be able to try it out if you have Xbox Game Pass.
Today, Exor Studios announced that The Riftbreaker will be available day-one on Game Pass, for both Xbox consoles and PC. No firm release date has been set yet outside of this coming fall.
If waiting until the fall seems a bit too long, there's also a demo out for PC. Dubbed The Riftbreaker: Prologue, it takes place prior to the events of The Riftbreaker's campaign, letting you collect resources and fend off waves of angry alien hordes.
The Riftbreaker will be coming to Xbox consoles and PC, as well as PlayStation 4, later this fall.
$10 coupons are back on the Epic Games Store for the Epic Mega Sale
I pretty much just stick to free games on the Epic Games Store — speaking of which: this week's freebie is NBA 2K21 of all things — but I know some of you love your (basically) limitless $10 off coupons.
With the Epic Mega Sale running until June 17, it's once again possible to knock $10 off any full game priced at $14.99 or higher, and each time you do, you'll get a fresh coupon that can be applied to another purchase. You probably know the drill by now, and you can get your first coupon over here.
If you're open to recommendations, I've got a handful of games to check out:
- Grindstone ($14.99) — a ridiculously satisfying puzzler from Capybara.
- A Monster's Expedition ($15.99) — another puzzle game that flew a bit under the radar.
- Narita Boy ($17.49) — I'm a sucker for the pixel art, okay?
- Mundaun ($15.99) — hand-drawn horror in the valley of the alps.
- Hades ($19.99) — an instant classic for hack-and-slash roguelike fans.
- Curse of the Dead Gods ($14.99) — the lesser-known (but still great!) action roguelike.
- Breathedge ($17.49) — I've heard people liken this to "Subnautica in space," albeit with a humorous tone, but it's still on my backlog.
- Ghostrunner ($14.99) — pretty slick fast-moving cyber-ninja action.
- Carrion ($14.99) — a cathartic action-exploration game where you're the vile monster.
- Amnesia: Rebirth ($14.99) — the latest horror romp from Frictional at a great price.
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 ($25.99) — it's fantastic even if you're brand new to THPS.
- Rogue Legacy 2 ($15.99) — the early access version has enough content that it's worth diving into, and even if you want to hold off, it's going to be tough to beat this price.
- New Super Lucky's Tale ($20.99) — 3D platformers always get my nod.
- Mortal Shell ($20.99) — something different for Souls fans in between replays.
- Superhot: Mind Control Delete ($14.99) — a tempting price for the new slow-mo shooter.
- Destroy All Humans! ($14.99) — more heavy lifting from the coupons.
- Huntdown ($15.99) — an absolute no-brainer for arcade shooter enthusiasts.
Some of these prices might not seem all that good on their own, but when you can easily take $10 off the top without jumping through hoops, it's a whole different story. Crazy deals.
This is not a drill, Victoria 3 is real
After years of memes and jokes and wondering if the world would ever see a sequel to Victoria II, it seems that our collective waiting now has a hypothetical end as Paradox Interactive announced Victoria 3 during PDXCON Remixed today.
Victoria 3 will send grand strategy fans back to the industrial revolution with all of its mechanical wonder and societal upheaval. The sequel to Victoria II looks to lean on the population mechanic that allowed the game to endure in fan communities for over a decade, despite using a very out-of-date engine. The population mechanic or pops hopes to create a political puzzle for players to solve by making sure that your citizens stay happy, lest they want revolution to foment in their lands. On top of the returning population mechanic, Victoria 3 aims to expand the trade with its deepest economic simulation yet as well as an emphasis on political negotiation in the last age of imperialism.
While the announcement was met with a wave of excitement from me, the fact that there was no talk of a release date or even a window is a bit worrying. Although whenever the game does come out it will be on Game Pass day one, so any subscribers can immediately dive into the 19th-century simulation.
Victoria 3 will release when it's done on Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and the Paradox Store.
Take-Two posts record $3.37 billion in revenue, has huge release plans for the coming years
Publisher Take-Two Interactive has released its financial report for the fiscal period ending March 2021, revealing that the Grand Theft Auto publisher raked in a staggering, record-breaking revenue of $3.73 billion USD over the course of the past year.
Recurrent spending is the main driver of Take-Two's profits, with 68% of revenue coming from the communities of ongoing releases such as Grand Theft Auto Online and NBA 2K21, as well as microtransaction heavy mobile titles such as Borderlands 3, Two Dots, and WWE SuperCard. GTA Online was particularly successful, with a record number of players jumping into the MMO over 2020, and in-game spending up 30% on the previous year.
PSA: Scarlet Nexus' demo is live on Xbox today
Action-RPG Scarlet Nexus is just a little over a month away, but if you've got an Xbox console handy, you can try it out today.
A new demo for Bandai Namco's stylish anime action game is out today for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. In it, you can play as either of the two main characters: Yuito Sumeragi or Kasane Randall. According to Xbox, you'll also get some in-game rewards for playing the demo.
PlayStation owners won't have to wait long to try it out, as Bandai Namco says the Scarlet Nexus demo will come to PlayStation 4 and 5 on May 28, one week from today. If you're looking for something flashy and filled with combat to eat up some time this weekend, sounds like Scarlet Nexus might be able to make that happen.
Scarlet Nexus is coming to PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PS5 on June 25, 2021.
Shadow Warrior 3's newest trailer is all about the firepower
Shadow Warrior 3 knows what its audience wants. Apart from those rare occasions when the marketing focuses on amazing-looking, psychotic, demon women, Devolver Digital mostly directs all attention to the sequel's huge arsenal of ground-shaking weaponry.
This latest trailer is no exception, featuring a little over 90 seconds of explosive action featuring a wild range of pistols, automatic weapons, and heavy artillery — not to mention some pretty brutal melee weaponry for when things get up-close-and-personal. From the fast-firing six shooter "Outlaw", to the dual-wielding SMGs "Sidekicks" and the land-leveling power of the "Crimson Bull", Shadow Warrior 3 has the tools necessary to get the job done. Upgrades too? Give the bad guys a chance, man.
Meet the 'Cleaners' of upcoming Left 4 Dead-alike Back 4 Blood
For those of you eager to start mashing monsters in that unmistakable Left 4 Dead-style once again, the Turtle Rock Studios incoming Back 4 Blood will definitely scratch that gross, oozing itch. Publisher Warner Bros. Interactive has released a new trailer, spotlighting the eight heroes getting set to take lead to head come October.
Narrated by Spunky & Sarcastic (tm) gal Holly, the trailer introduces us to Back 4 Blood's rag-tag gang of zombie slayers — or "Cleaners" — getting set to wade their way through armies of the undead. These include medical expert Doc, marksman Jim, explosives nerd Hoffman, obligatory alterna-girl Karlee, and a more matured, tough-as-old-leather lady known as "Mom". Each of Back for Blood's eight Cleaners comes loaded for bear with unique skills, allowing for smart synergy between well-scouted teams.
Shin Megami Tensei III HD director: 'Dante was part of our original project proposal'
In case you weren't aware, Dante has a part of the Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne DNA for a long while. It spawned an entire cottage industry of "Featuring [x] from the [x] series!" and was one of the most prolific gaming crossovers of all time.
I got to chat with Kazuyuki Yamai, director of the new HD Remaster, to see how it all went down, nearly two decades later.
No Man's Sky players unlock Mass Effect's Normandy to add to their fleet
The ship that carried Commander Shepard and their crew through the Mass Effect trilogy is coming to another game. No Man's Sky players have unlocked the reward for a mysterious expedition: the Normandy SR-1.
Travelers in No Man's Sky can encounter the Normandy as part of the second expedition and have the opportunity to add it permanently to their fleet. The ship's description has some fun little references too, like how it "needs aquarium."
Players have until May 31 to undertake the Beachhead expedition for themselves. So if you want to add the Normandy to your fleet, better get moving!
Expeditions were added a little while ago to bring seasonal content to No Man's Sky, offering rewards for players who ventured and completed tasks together. Honestly, if more ships like the Normandy are going to end up being the rewards, I think it might be time for me to start playing No Man's Sky again.
It may have launched a little rough, but No Man's Sky has been steadily building up over the years, with additions like the massive Origins update bringing it closer to, maybe even beyond, its original vision. With the Normandy in the game, it'll be pretty exciting to see what else Hello Games has in store for future expeditions.
We've known that Destiny 2 would be reintroducing the classic Vault of Glass raid for some time, but now it's actually happening.
As highlighted in Bungie's new blog, the Vault of Glass will unlock on May 22 (that's a Saturday) at 10AM PT, at which point the race for world first will begin, and the streaming-fests will be flowing. As is customary the developers is doing a "world first title," and a 24 hour "contest mode."
Oh, and there's a real-life freaking ring reward if you finish the raid before May 25 at 9:59AM PT, which you have until June 30, 2021 to redeem. If you finish it before June 1 at 9:59AM PT, you can claim this raid jacket. Note that you have to purchase both, the code just rewards you the privilege of buying them. The ring is $124.99 and the jacket is $149.99. No one said this post-Activision era would be cheap!
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity reveals its special expansion pass DLC costume
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity has been out for half a year now, and we already want more content. That's how these things go! People tear through the Warriors games as a whole in an insatiable fashion. But eventually Koei Tecmo and Nintendo did announce that there was more coming: like there was any doubt.
So here's a recap: on May 28, folks who buy the expansion pass will get a new weapon and costume for Link. Then afterward in June, we'll get an "expanded roster," as well as more weapons, Royal Ancient Lab challenges, and "more challenging enemies."
Here's the plot for the second live action Sonic movie
Sonic the Hedgehog came out in early 2020 and managed to sneak in a pretty good box office showing: and was apparently enough of a hit on home video to strike up a deal for a sequel. Thankfully the same creative team is returning, so there's a chance it'll be just as authentic as the first.
With some new plot details leaked via the US copyright catalog, I think the chances of that air of authenticity is even higher.
Mild synopsis spoilers below:
Biomutant looks mighty fine running on PS5 & Xbox Series X
After a lengthy period of hyped and hushed development, THQ Nordic's epic open-world adventure Biomutant is almost upon us. The environmentally friendly journey of an ever-adaptive mammalian warrior will finally launch, May 25, on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
While no next-gen edition exists, developer Experiment 101 has released two new gameplay videos, showcasing the PS4 and Xbox One editions performing on their PS5 and Xbox Series X counterparts. As expected, both editions look great, with PS5 running in native 1080p at 60 frames-per-second (upscaling to 4K with Dynamic Resolution), while Xbox Series X pulls of native 4K at 60 frames-per-second, bringing the luscious and dangerous world of Biomutant to life.
Virtua Fighter x eSports live stream comin' at ya next week
Sega has announced that it will be holding a Japanese live stream next week to announce the details of its previously teased "Virtua Fighter x eSports Project" The stream will be held on May 27 on the publisher's newly launched Virtua Fighter YouTube channel. Squee!
While no details have been released as to the stream's content, it's a snug bet to assume that Sega is getting set to officially announce Virtua Fighter eSports/Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown, which was recently leaked via the Korean Ratings Board, as well as the PlayStation Store database. This is believed to be an updated edition of the series' last entry: 2010's Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown.
Given the emphasis on the word "eSports", one can also assume that Sega has plans to push the 3D fighter hard onto the competitive scene, so perhaps expect the formation of some sort of league, ala Capcom's Pro Tour. The stream begins at 20:00 JST, which is an eye-searing 04:00 PT / 07:00 ET, but rest assured we will bring you all of the details once they are revealed.
I'm very excited to see what Sega has in store for this great fighting franchise. It might not be a true sequel, but it's a start, and it if gets people playing again — online and at events — I'll take it.
Samorost is back with a free enhanced version on PC, iOS, and Android
Whatever happened to Samorost, the darling point-and-click space gnome adventure we played in our browsers in the early 2000s? Don't worry, it hasn't been lost to the ravages of time. It's here — right here, actually. You can play a remastered version on Steam, itch.io, iOS, and Android. Best of all, it's free.
You might not be able to put your finger on what's different if it's been years since you've played Samorost, but as the video seems to suggest, there are touch-ups. According to Amanita Design, this new version for 2021 has "remastered sounds, enhanced graphics, and new music by Floex."
I had a lot of love for Samorost back then and I still do today. It put this team on the map for me.
As for what's next for Amanita Design, more adventuring. The studio's next project, Happy Game, is freakier than you'd expect — by like a few orders of magnitude. It's expected to hit Steam in 2021.
Also, I won't lie: that long branch extending out into another tree's "mouth" still cracks me up.
Phantom Abyss is a trap-dodging temple adventure with frantic asynchronous multiplayer
I don't necessarily like to boil games down to just their inspirations, but in the case of Phantom Abyss, I feel like I have to point out the prevailing notion: this seems like a wild adventure-platformer brew seasoned with elements of Indiana Jones, Mirror's Edge, and Dark Souls bloodstains. I'm into it.
Coming to Steam Early Access (and GeForce Now) this summer, Phantom Abyss is a roguelite game with procedural temple runs. The twist is that while you're cracking your whip, dodging spike traps, and making heroic leaps of faith, you'll get to "watch and learn from the mistakes of up to 20 phantoms including your Steam friends that have attempted the same temple and steal their whips as they fall."
It remains to be seen how fun it is to move around this hostile world — "glide jump" and "extended slide" blessings will surely help — but if literally nothing else, I'm sold on the phantom concept. Another nice layer: you'll be able to share Temple Codes so your pals can face the exact same challenges.
What's the end goal? To recover keys that can open up "deeper, deadlier sections of the temple that house more coveted relics. The more difficult a relic is to obtain, the greater the reward — the final Legendary Relic of a temple allows you to claim the whole temple so that it's gone forever."
Devolver Digital and developer Team WIBY expect to stay in Early Access "for at least a year" while they build out more content — "new rooms, traps, whips, zones, and additional gameplay features."
At launch in June, Phantom Abyss will have "three fully developed zones out of a planned five."
Stylish small-town mutant story Mutazione comes to Switch and Xbox next week
The beautiful mutated world of Mutazione is coming to some new platforms next week. The mutant space opera will land on Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles on May 26, 2021.
Mutazione is an indie adventure that's racked up a few awards already, including the 2020 IGF award for Excellence in Audio. That excellence in audio is also getting commemorated in its own way, as iam8bit has announced a 2xLP vinyl soundtrack for the game, complete with a stylish cover.
If you haven't seen it around before, Mutazione follows 15-year-old Kai in the secretive community of Mutazione, as she cares for her ailing grandfather, attends BBQs and band nights, and deals with both apocalyptic threats and small-town drama.
Mutazione has been on my backlog for ages, and it coming to Nintendo Switch might just be the push I need to finally put some hours into it. I'm loving the art and the vibes, and honestly, I could use a simulated virtual hangout with townsfolk these days.
Essays on Empathy â€" Review in 3 Minutes
There's only so much time each week to check out new games, much less play them — much less fully review them! — and inevitably, plenty of interesting games are destined to slip through the cracks as many of us move onto the next shiny thing. To supplement Destructoid's usual coverage, we're teaming up with our sister site The Escapist to fill in some of these gaps with their helpful 3 Minute Reviews.
In this 3 Minute Review, The Escapist's Amy Campbell covers Essays on Empathy, a narrative adventure game compilation with "offbeat tales" from Deconstructeam and Devolver Digital. It's out on Steam.
Overwatch 2 will move to five-on-five for PvP
We got a big glimpse of Blizzard's plans for Overwatch 2 in terms of its competitive multiplayer today, including one big change: smaller teams. Rather than 6v6, Overwatch 2 will go to five-on-five for PvP matches.
During today's stream, Blizzard confirmed that the tank role would be bumped down to one spot per team. Where teams in current Overwatch—at least in role-defined queues—are two tanks, two DPS, and two supports, now there will be one tank apiece.
The team says they experimented with a few different ideas for changes, and it seems like the reduction of tanks is intended to make battles a little easier to read, for both players and spectators. It will also help with supports not having to split their attention between two tanks.
A few hero kit changes were shown off, too; Winston, for example, now has an alt-fire that lets him charge up a longer-range blast, rather than just having his electric shock, and Mei's regular Endothermic Blaster attack no longer freezes people. Things are still in flux, but game director Aaron Keller referenced a change the team is considering around movement speed as an example for how deeply Blizzard is examining the PvP in Overwatch 2, to consider what could be altered or changed.
Overwatch 2 is still a ways off, as Activision Blizzard confirmed earlier this year it would be skipping 2021. Still, it seems like some big changes are coming for both the single-player and multiplayer Overwatch experience.
It's time for another first-party Nintendo release. No it's not Zelda. It's not Mario. It's Miitopia! Remember that thing on 3DS? Well it's back, in Switch form.
Miitopia is launching tomorrow, May 21, and at 50 bucks, it has a lot to prove. But it's also joined by Knockout City, which is doing a very strange "first week free trial" scheme. After that you can "convert to the full game before the Block Party ends to keep your progress and unlock exclusive rewards." Yikes?
Of course another big-time game is coming out in the form of Shin Megami III Nocturne HD Remaster, which arrives on May 24. Note that we have not tested the Switch edition, just the PS4 port on PS5. So...I hope it works out!
There's other stuff coming to the Switch eShop this week too:
The Falconeer: Warrior Edition takes flight on PlayStation and Switch this summer
Tomas Sala's beautiful aerial exploration/shmup title The Falconeer will be winging its way onto Nintendo Switch and PlayStation platforms this summer, following on from its 2020 release on PC, Xbox, and the Game Pass service.
Final Fantasy XIV players gather to pay tribute to Berserk creator
Kentaro Miura, the creator of significantly influential series Berserk, passed away at age 54, it was recently announced. And soon after the news hit, Final Fantasy XIV players who were fans and influenced by his work took to their own servers to pay tribute.
Players on various servers donned their Dark Knight armor and stood in line as a tribute to Miura's work. Berserk has often been cited as an influence on many fantasy works over the years, from Souls games to characters like Soulcalibur's Siegfried/Nightmare and Cloud Strife's infamous Buster Sword.
FF14 players are making a tribute to Kentaro Miura, author of Berserk by having Dark Knights (job HEAVILY influenced by Guts) standing in line pic.twitter.com/z5CZ6h46LB
— Lulu🌈🎠(@luulubuu) May 20, 2021
A whole bunch of DRKs gathered in Balmung's Ul'dah in tribute to Miura tonight, I think there's a real intersection between fans of FF and fans of Berserk. pic.twitter.com/k0YgKwBjj4
— Kyrie 《Alexander (Primal) stan》 (@uwurianger) May 20, 2021
Balmung's dark knight memorial to Berserk author Kentaro Miura. I love this community. pic.twitter.com/QYveSkQ9Go
— Oz! @ 5.5 (@localhyurzen) May 20, 2021
One gathering shared around frequently was on Balmung, but players have reported similar vigils being held on other servers as well. It seems clear that Miura's influence will keep carrying on, resonating in the creators and players who hold his work dear.
Cygames and Senran Kagura creator reveal mystery title 'Project GAMM'
Japanese developer Cygames has announced that it is hard at work on a brand new mystery title codenamed "Project GAMM." The new game is described as a fantasy adventure and will be produced and directed by Kenichiro Takaki, creator of the Senran Kagura franchise.
In a short teaser in Weekly Famitsu, Project GAMM is described as being a multiplayer-focused title set in a steampunky world of magic and machines. Lavish illustrations from veteran industry artist Mogmo spotlight a variety of sullen characters, such as a magical maid. Early screenshots appear to depict Dynasty Warriors-style mass battles, despite Project GAMM's heavy PvP slant. No release date or platforms were confirmed.
Since Kenichiro Takaki moved on from Marvelous — following his frustrations with Sony's censorship of the Senran Kagura series — the producer has been looking for a title to sink his time and talents into. While I'm in no doubt whatsoever that Project GAMM may also prove to be very fanservice heavy, Mogmo's gorgeous early artwork is pretty darn classy. The new title, whatever form it takes, could see Takaki step up a rung on the director's ladder in the eyes of the industry — something of a diversion from the cheesecake titles that are synonymous with his brand.
Ni No Kuni II is coming to Switch this September
Switch RPG fans are getting another grand adventure. The very stylish Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - Prince's Edition is coming to Nintendo Switch on Sept. 17, 2021.
Confirming an ESRB rating picked up on last month, the Prince's Edition will have all the DLC content that's been released for the original 2018 game, with both a digital and physical retail version at $59.99.
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom follows the adventures of Evan Pettywhisker Tildrum, the dethroned ruler of Ding Dong Dell, as he works to build a new kingdom. It also stars Roland, a president from an unnamed Earth nation who is transported into the fantasy realm of Ni No Kuni. It's kind of a wild setup, but the art style and writing is very charming, and the "Higgledies" mechanic was pretty interesting.
It's a pretty solid RPG, if you're looking for something to fill the hours with this summer. And really, it's hard not to be happy about more RPGs on the Switch.
Battle royale Super Bomberman R Online hits Switch, PC, and PS4/PS5 for free next week
Super Bomberman R Online was announced a few months ago and stewed for a bit, but now it's ready for release. Konami has revealed this week that the game will be headed to PC, PS4 (it's "PS5 compatible"), and Switch on May 27.
In case you missed this entire franchise return, this is not the standalone Super Bomberman R game that came out back in 2017. It's the one that came out on Stadia originally late last year. Instead, the "Online" moniker brings it more into spinoff territory, functionally turning it into a 64-player battle royale game.
Note that this is a free-to-play title, which supports itself on a 100 rank season pass scheme (which is being ported back to the Stadia version too). Seasons will run for "three months," (similar to a lot of games like Fortnite) and add in an exclusive hero as well as other characters and a currency called Bomber Coins. The first bonus is a big one: Old Snake Bomber from Metal Gear Solid.
Now, the free-to-play schema is very confusing deliberately, but the game itself is actually free, so download it and give it a shot. The battle royale layer actually works far better than you'd think, and there's a fair amount of strategy to both the macro-game and the micro-arena battles.
If you're looking for the Xbox One and Series X/S edition, keep looking! Konami says that will be confirmed "at a later date." Maybe they're waiting for a crossover.
AkSys Games announces 2D throwback fighter Blazing Strike
Publisher AkSys Games is feeling the 1990s with the announcement of its brand new fighting title, Blazing Strike. Taking the genre back to its roots, Blazing Strike promises heavy-hitting, 2D, pixel-based throwdowns when it launches on PC and consoles next year.
"I was always fond of classic fighting games and I wanted to make a fun fighting game with an emphasis on mobility," said Mark Chung, founder of Blazing Strike developer RareBreed Makes Games. "Our goal is to create an homage to the classic pixel art-based 2D fighters, but with updated game mechanics that not only will bring nostalgia to 90's arcade kids but will offer something new and entertaining to all gamers, regardless of whether they have played fighting games before."
The footage below is taken from the title's failed 2019 Kickstarter. As such, it might be unrepresentative of AkSys' revitalized project, but it still offers an example of Blazing Strike's old-school style.
Outriders boasts 3.5 million unique players since launch
Outriders came just a week after Monster Hunter Rise, and man, do we have a lot of looter-type lifestyle games at this point.
While the two games have nothing to do with each other on many levels, there is one common denominator: time! One only has so many hours in the day to balance all of these lengthy loot-chasers, but People Can Fly is reporting that a good chunk of folks did indeed answer the call of Outriders.
As their main Twitter account notes, they have "surpassed 3.5 million unique players in the first month after launch." Platform breakdowns were not given, which in this case would be super helpful since it launched day one on Xbox Game Pass. But still, a 31-hour average playtime is nothing to sneeze at. The top, most-dedicated player invested "797 hours" into the game.
Amazingly, the studio also reveals that the class breakdown is pretty close together, with the Trickster clocking in at 27.9% as the most-used option, followed by Pyromancer (best class) at 26.3%, Technomancer at 23.9%, and Devastator in a commanding last with 21.9%. There's a bunch of other useless stats flung around too, but the most popular legendary weapons are the Deathshield and Funeral Pyre.
How many active players does it still have? That information wasn't provided. But we'll see what they have planned in the coming months and whether or not they can keep people invested.
Outriders [Twitter]
Resident Evil Village Lady Dimitrescu hat mod casts some serious shade
It took scant hours for the mod community to jump on Capcom's Resident Evil Village, with a fistful of weird, twisted, and fun code tweaks that added Barney the Dinosaur, turned Lady Dimitrescu into Thomas the Tank Engine, and swapped the heads of Chris Redfield and baby Rose Winters... Amusing and disturbing stuff, for sure.
But this new creation from modder Kallialee, while not quite as horrific, is equally as bizarre. The mod once again features everyone's favorite bloodsucking hostess, Lady Dimitrescu, chasing down the hapless Ethan Winters as she is wont to do. Only this time, each and every time Alcina shows up, her hat has grown in size. While modest at first, the good lady ends up blocking out more than a fair bit of light by the end of the video below.
As noted by several commenters, the freaky, super-sized chapeau recalls Trooper Champlin and her ever-growing hat in Scary Movie 3... NOT THAT I'VE SEEN IT. But given the people's love for Lady Dimitrescu, her eye for style, and her timeless fashion, I'm hoping that we'll be seeing real-life versions of these monstrosities on the catwalks of Milan this year.
We'll find out exactly what's in the Monster Hunter Rise 3.0 update next week
Some people in my circles have taken breaks from Monster Hunter Rise, but that might change once the next big update hits.
We're currently in the era of 2.0, but Capcom is ready to unleash 3.0 on us....soon enough.
As detailed in a new tweet, the publisher is ready to rock with another "Monster Hunter Digital Event," one of many Direct-like presentations for the series. They've typically been focused on Monster Hunter Rise as the main story, followed by Monster Hunter Stories 2 information afterward.
The next one will be held on May 26 at 10AM PT, which seems to be the current cadence for these things. "Details for Update Version 3.0 and the latest news for Stories 2" is directly teased. You can find the link to watch it right here! Capcom says that the update will be 1.4 GB in size, and if you haven't updated before, the full requirements are 2.9 GB.
Although I'm still enjoying logging in here and there, I hope they bring it for this update and get all of my friends back in. Also, an expansion at some point would do wonders, but that's likely not coming until the PC launch at the earliest, in early 2022.
Capcom [Twitter]
Returnal 1.3.7 update touches down today, blasting multiple bugs
Housemarque's great roguelike Returnal is getting a brand new update today. Version 1.3.7, which should be available on PS5 as your read this, brings with it a handful of welcome bug fixes and stability improvements, making Selene's journey into the unknown just a tad smoother.
Among the issues addressed in the new update are several black screen crashes, a bug that was causing our girl to get stuck in the scenery on rare occasions, an audio issue that would cause sudden amplification in sound, and a very specific issue regarding the Ophion boss fight. In addition, Deceased Scouts should now appear in the game world with more frequency. You can find the full patch notes over on the Housemarque blog.
It bears reminding that, should your PS5 be set to "auto-update", any live games of Returnal will automatically shut down once the update drops, so bear this in mind lest you suddenly lose a multi-hour run. The lack of mid-run save options is a complaint that has been levied at Returnal by some of its players. Housemarque is currently investigating ways that it can address this complaint, while retaining the sci-fi title's thirst for challenge.
Hello? Is it amiibo nightmare buying experiences you're looking for? Because you're in one! Two references, I'm on fire today.
Ah man it feels like forever since I've written something like this, but the Loftwing & Zelda amiibo situation is unlike anything I've experienced in years as an amiibo collector. So it came out recently that the figure would interface with Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and add a feature that basically should have come standard as a quality of life upgrade. Now we have a bit more info on the toy, and how tough it might be to acquire it.
First off it's $25, which is roughly nine bucks higher than the average figure. OK, it's bigger generally, and more detailed. Some people can live with that. But it's also one of the most elusive figures in years, and has sold out at GameStop and Best Buy at the time of publication: sales that went up in the evening (US East) without warning.
All of that aside, we also have a full picture of what amiibo support will entail in Skyward Sword HD: and you're looking at it. According to the site, "The Zelda & Loftwing amiibo figure is the only amiibo that can be used in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD." For a lot of people that's a sigh of relief, for others, it's kind of a pain that this hard-to-find, more expensive amiibo is the only way to unlock that fast travel anywhere feature: even if you own other Zelda figures.
Good luck if you're trying to get one!
New Zelda & Loftwing amiibo Figure [Nintendo]
Injustice animated movie in the works at Warner Bros.
It has been revealed that Warner Bros. Animation is currently in the midst of producing an animated adaptation of the DC Comics/NetherRealm Studios fighting franchise, Injustice.
The project was unceremoniously revealed in a press release listing the special features for WB's next animated feature Batman: The Long Halloween - Part II. One of the aforementioned bonus items is titled "A sneak peek at the next DC animated movie: Injustice," which somewhat gives the game away ahead of any official announcement.
Injustice: Gods Among Us, which launched for multiple formats back in 2013, saw DC's finest heroes and villains square off in a fighting fashion akin to that of NRS' own Mortal Kombat. Boasting over-the-top super moves, a unique control system, and some of the ugliest faces ever to grace gaming, Injustice told the story of two distinct DC universes that collide in a battle that could annihilate them both. Injustice was followed by superior sequel Injustice 2 in 2017 and also spawned a comic book adaptation.
Warner Bros. and NetherRealm have never been shy in cross-promotion, and often work together to time content — particularly DLC guest characters — to synchronize with incoming movies. With that in mind, some have taken the reveal of an Injustice flick as a clear signpost that a new Injustice game is in the works. While that seems a relatively snug assumption, a lot is currently up in the air at Warner Bros. Interactive, following the recent AT&T/Discovery merger. For now, all bets are off regarding Warner Bros. Interactive and its subsidiary studios.
Batman: The Long Halloween - Part II will premiere on streaming platforms July 27.
