Review: Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids
You want more Assassin's Creed Valhalla?
Well you got it! And not much else.
Review: Famicom Detective Club
It was quite a surprise when Nintendo announced it was remaking and localizing its Famicom Detective Club titles for the Nintendo Switch. The games, originally released in Japan for the Famicom Disk System, are two of the few early gaming titles from Nintendo's repertoire that haven't been reintroduced to new audiences. Outside of a Super Famicom remake of the second game, both have happily existed as footnotes in Nintendo's extensive library.
But story-driven games are as popular as they've ever been, and with the Switch still red hot, there is no better time than now for Nintendo to pull these two relics from the past and into the modern era.
Huntdown for Steam is slicker and sicker than ever before
[Update: Huntdown is now live on Steam, early purchases will bag a 20% price discount.]
There's no denying 2020 was an explosive year for video games. But among the mega-bucks, mega-marketed, mega-sellers of the industry, smaller titles were still keeping it real, making names for themselves off of the back of hard effort, great design, hard effort, and solid gameplay.
In this regard, Coffee Stain Publishing's Huntdown completely won me over last spring, going on to become one of my most played games of the year. Developed in Unity by tiny Swedish outfit Easy Trigger Games, Huntdown overcame its budgetary shortcomings by accentuating its positives: awesome pixel graphics, a hard-hitting soundtrack, superb sound design, and raw, compelling, shamelessly violent gameplay. Huntdown is a dirty, dirty gem.
Hades for PS4 listed on the Korean Ratings Board
The greatest spoiler organization on the planet, The Game Rating and Administration of Korea, are at it again. As spotted by eagle-eyed Resetera users, the board has released a new listing that appears to show Supergiant Giant's much-loved dungeon crawler Hades is preparing to cut loose on PS4.
Launching on PC and Nintendo Switch in September of 2020, Hades won over an army of fans with its compelling story, super-cool style, wry sense of humor and hot-as-hell (literally) cast of "heroes" and villains. Hades would go on to sale over one million copies by the end of 2020 — winning numerous end-of-year awards — and is still finding new followers all the time. A PS4 port would only add to this Army of The Damned.
For clarification, there has been no officially confirmation that Hades is headed to the PlayStation platform, but time has long shown that once a title appears on the Korean listings site, it's more or less all the confirmation that you need. Here's hoping Hades arrives soon, I really miss Dusa... and Zagreus... and Nyx... and Megaera... and...
Which video games do you think demonstrate the sharpest A.I.?
Cblogs of 5/8 to 5/14/2021
-Gamingnerd wonders if single-player games are simply a multiplayer game against the game's AI.
-Febochulus reviews indie game, Hylics.
-Lord Spencer reviews Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix as part of his PS1 REVIEWS blogging series.
-Dinoracha reviews the early access version of RoboQuest.
-NinjaSpeed writes about playing a long-term franchise for the first time.
-ABowlOfCereal continues their balancing suggestion for Guardian Tales.
-Boxman214 shares his experience being a Dungeon Master for the first time.
-ChronoLynxx opens this week's TGIF community thread.
Umurangi Generation brings the miserable future to Switch next month
As a budding amateur photographer, I am always on the lookout for photography games. Not video games with photo modes, which are a dime a dozen these days, but games built around the activity of taking pictures.
So naturally, when I first heard of Umurangi Generation, it immediately shot to the top of my most-wanted list. Unfortunately, it only came to PC, and because I'm an evil cretin known as a Mac user, I had to wait for the inevitable Switch port. As I found out today, I'm only going to have to wait a few more weeks. Publisher Playism confirmed today the game will hit the eShop on June 5.
Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed will be haunting the west in late July
XSeed Games, in association with Marvelous!, have announced that the western localization of the upcoming RPG Akiba's Trip: Hellbound & Debriefed will be arriving in the west a mere two months after its Japanese launch. The 10th anniversary remaster will launch in North America on PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch July 20, with Europe to follow on July 23.
Duke Nukem Forever proves the worst part of Duke Nukem is Duke Nukem
Does Duke Nukem Forever really need an introduction? It was announced before I hit puberty. It spent 15 years in development hell, becoming legendary for its protracted development time. Every few years, another tease would come out, saying, "no really, prepare your uterus, he's coming for real this time," only for 3D Realms to roll over and fall asleep again. When it finally hit, reactions ranged from negative to "I guess it could have been worse." James Stephanie Sterling ripped the game a new one on release, right here on Destructoid.
There were only two reasons people cared to begin with: They either liked Duke Nukem 3D because it was an amazing title and you should love it, or they just like gawking at the carnival freak show. I was a part of the former group. Since playing Duke Nukem 3D at far too young an age, I've been in love with it. Every few years, I replay it and am reminded of how it sizzles, and just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. But somewhere down the line, perhaps even from its inception, developers made a severe mistake: They bet on Duke.
'80s oddity Guzzler is this week's Arcade Archives release
Following on from last week's excellent obscurity The Astyanax, this week sees Hamster add another relatively unknown title to its Arcade Archive range. Now available on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, Guzzler is a post-Pac-Man maze title from Tehkan Electronics.
Originally released in arcades in 1983, Guzzler puts players in control of a cute little dude with fantastic water-retaining abilities. Each of the game's 30 stages sees "Guzzler" drinking up puddles of water before extinguishing a variety of fire-based enemies and their respective generators. Amusingly, Guzzler can also down a swift cocktail power-up which, inexplicably, temporarily freezes the fire while fully refueling our hero. Talk about getting loaded.
Check out the strange action in the video below, courtesy of Old Classic Retro Gaming.
Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat is my new happy place
Last month, the Apple Arcade service got a real shot in the arm when Apple surprised dropped more than two dozen titles onto the subscription service. We've covered a few of those titles already, but there were many more we just didn't have the time or manpower to dive into for you. If you have the service, you should give games like Wonderbox, Star Trek: Legends, and Clap Hanz Golf a go. The latter title is from the developer of the Everybody's Golf series and features excellent touch controls and an interesting spin on the sport.
But there is another game I would like to talk about today because it has brought me so much joy since I downloaded it to my iPad. That game is Taiko no Tatsujin Pop Tap Beat, and it is immaculate.
Everything that happened at the Final Fantasy XIV 2021 FanFest keynote
Somehow, someway, Final Fantasy XIV keeps getting better over time.
It's not typical that an MMO holds in terms of quality for this long, but XIV is hitting yet another stride with the move to PS5, and the next expansion, Endwalker, looks incredible.
Sadly, the FanFest event this weekend couldn't be held in person for obvious reasons, so it was broadcast instead. Upfront, here is the listing for the Fanfest event so you can watch everything yourself. Or you can check out this recap!
Whatcha been playing this week, Destructoid?
Howdy folks, it's yer boy Moyse. Back in full effect and now with added Super Blood. Well, perhaps not, but since last week I've had some needles in me, and now I feel the Red, White, and Blue of your American drugs coursing through my very veins. Funnily enough, I was the only person in the room to receive said drug, which is WELL SUS. But I'll take your 95% effectivity rate, thank you very much. I just wish Valentine from Skullgirls had been there to administer it to me. But she wasn't. Mainly because she's a drawing.
In regards to gaming, I mostly bounced around some regular releases, but I also took time out to check out Huntdown's explosive new arcade mode, which somehow makes the game more chaotic than ever before. It's a real blast, and now it's on Steam maybe consider letting loose this weekend with a dose of old-school mayhem. I also went seven leagues under to check out the upcoming Switch port of shark-'em-up Maneater. So look out for my thoughts on that very soon. This shark... swallow you whole.
So I hope that all of you have a very happy and restful weekend. But before you jump into your Saturday morning activities, take a few moments to jump into the comments and fill us in on the games that have been taking up your time lately. Whether up to your eyeballs in bullet-hell aliens, vampiric babes, cuddly Poké critters, or anime corpses, be sure to fill us in on your thoughts about your current obsessions, old or new. (Just go steady on the spoilers, thanks!)
Have a wonderful weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.
Destructoid is live on Twitch with The Evil Within
Tonight I'm playing The Evil Within on Destructoid's Twitch channel starting at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
Welcome back! All this Resident Evil prep has totally immersed me in the survival horror genre. I picked up The Evil Within 2 earlier this week, and even though it gives me a run for my money sometimes I'm enjoying it thoroughly. I thought this could be the perfect time to explore the first game in the series, too. I've heard many times from chat that the first Evil Within outshines the second, so I'm eager to see what differences I notice and how it all comes together.
PS — Did you play the newest RE Village yet? Let me know what you thought of it! What are your favorite survival horror games?
Miss the last stream? Catch the on-demand archive of Resident Evil Village right here.
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. :)
Who's your favorite Mass Effect squadmate?
The Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out today, letting first-timers and old veterans go cruising back through the Milky Way aboard the Normandy. But it's not just about the end destination, but the journey, and the friends you make along the way, right?
Mass Effect's squadmates became, throughout the trilogy, as integral as Shepard themselves. Garrus was a rogue C-Sec agent-turned-sniper Batman, Wrex goes from mercenary to leader, and even the cold, guarded super-biotic Jack grows and lets people in over the course of the games.
So as folks embark on new journeys, we wanted to ask, who's your favorite squadmate? Who do you always bring into battle? Who's your romance, and who's your ride or die?
Grindstone is finally coming to PC, but it's just on the Epic Games Store
Grindstone just won't stop, and with more platforms still to hit, that's for the best. Capybara is updating its monster-mashing puzzle game on Nintendo Switch and iOS today — the Fortune Grind update is out now — and the team is also releasing a PC version of Grindstone on May 20, 2021.
The PC version is launching exclusively on the Epic Games Store, and assuming it has price parity, it'll cost $19.99, which is fair. From Apple Arcade to Switch to the Epic Store — it's been a journey.
As for Fortune Grind, it's a new form of the Daily Grind mode in which you'll spin a wheel while strategically slicing through foes and pray it lands on a boon, not a creep. It's not something I plan to engage with, but I will probably dip back into the main game to find the newly-added cave with 10 more levels. Capybara has also tucked in a Gold Health Potion and new recipes in the Slöp Höuse.
This game rules. It's very long — to the point where you might not ever fully finish it — but it rules. It's so satisfying to try and master Grindstone. Even once you think you've got it all figured out, and you can get every optional goal done without relying on items, it'll find evil new ways to push back.
Five '80s action stars who should definitely be in Call of Duty: Warzone
Next week sees perhaps the most bombastic crossover in gaming history. On May 20, Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo and Bruce Willis' Die Hard hero John McClane will step away from the silver screen to bring their respective brands of rat-a-tat-tat mayhem to Activision's Call of Duty franchise, joining the rosters of CoD: Black Ops, CoD: Mobile, and uber-popular battle royale release CoD: Warzone.
The Reganized 1980s saw a (literal) boom in action movies, as a staunchly conservative populace fell completely and utterly in love with solving the world's — or just the neighborhood's — problems at the barrel of an Uzi. While some of these films were dang awful, we also received an abundance of stone cold classics, with films such as RoboCop, Total Recall, and Commando as ridiculous and as entertaining today as they ever were.
I think the Call of Duty franchise is sitting on a veritable gold mine with its "'80s Action Stars" crossover event. Presented for your consideration are a further five stars of the decade taste forgot, without whom Call of Duty: Warzone will never, ever reach its full potential. No need to thank me, Activision, just pay me the 1600 COD Points I purchased last month that never arrived in my account.
Nintendo is continuing on the path of profitability, as the Switch surges to potentially 100 million in total sales by the end of the year. But what do they have on the docket, software-wise? Let's take a look.
So Miitopia is set to make a small splash later this month, with Game Builder Garage and Mario Golf: Super Rush rounding out June. Then in July we have Skyward Sword HD, followed by Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl later this year. And then there's a few titles slated for 2022 (Pokemon Legends, Splatoon 3), and Metroid Prime 4, Bayonetta 3, and Breath of the Wild 2 are floating around somewhere.
So, it's not a whole lot confirmed for 2021 yet. Until today, vaguely. Speaking via the recent financial results Q&A conference call to investors, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa teased that there is more to come on the horizon, as early as this fiscal year.
He states: "Although the number slightly decreased after the beginning of this calendar year, a lot of consumers are playing Nintendo Switch with the recent March release of Capcom's Monster Hunter Rise, so we don't think that the momentum is fading. Many new software titles will be released this fiscal year, starting in the first quarter, which we think will help continuously expand the range of consumers who play Nintendo Switch to include those who haven't played Nintendo Switch in a while or are completely new users."
It's hype from a company top frontman, but I have no doubt that come next month, Nintendo will be revealing new stuff that we didn't even know about; as well as dole out dates for stuff we did know about.
Q&A Summary [Nintendo]
Get acquainted with Konami's Getsu Fuuma Den before playing Undying Moon
The announcement of GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon caught me off guard. It's like running into your human wreckage of an ex. You thought all they did was gamble away their money constantly, but here they are talking about their new job like nothing ever happened. You start remembering all the good times, you dare to believe that maybe they've finally cleaned up their act. Maybe Konami has really changed and this is proof of that. Truthfully, I'm expecting to wake up and find my wallet and jewelry missing.
What's weird about this, however, is that GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon is actually based on a Famicom exclusive title from 1987; Getsu Fuuma Den. It was never released in North America, it never received a sequel, all we got were some cameos in games like Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, while Japan would see him again in the Wai Wai World titles. I wouldn't go as far as saying the series was forgotten, but when Konami is sitting on a treasure trove of marketable franchises, it's strange to see them reach this far into the bucket.
Of course, it's unlikely you'll need to be versed in Getsu Fuuma Den to understand the new game. It's technically a sequel taking place 1000 years later, with the actual core gameplay being completely different. There is a connection there for fans, but likely nothing so intense you'll need to have the background. Nonetheless, let's take a moment to get acquainted with Konami's not-quite-classic.
Monster Hunter Rise is running a new free event with cosmetic rewards
I'm still fiddling around with Monster Hunter Rise on a regular basis, and the ease in which you can hop into lobbies makes things so much more enticing. Little breaks to hunt down a monster here and there in portable form, wherever I want in my house, is a chef's kiss prospect.
Of course, Capcom is putting in little Siren's song updates and events on a regular basis to get people back in, too. The newest run is "Heart of a Warrior," which allows you to fight a Goss Harag and Magnamalo for new titles. There's 10 in all as a reward, and you can access the quest via the mailman in the village square.
The events themselves have garnered a polarizing response in some circles. Predominately, they are granting cosmetic rewards rather than weapons or armor, which some people want more of. But to be frank, it's still early in the game's lifecycle, and the game was pretty packed to begin with.
Rise is only going to go up from here. We have confirmation of a 2021 release for the PC edition, which Capcom is going to want to capitalize on with some form of content updates. We also have...the entire rest of the year, and historically, Monster Hunter has done a decent job with free DLC.
I'm willing to wait! I'm still experimenting with the base game and all of the weapons on offer as-is.
Monster Hunter [Twitter]
A spoiler-free guide to mitigating disaster in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
The Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is finally out, bringing the whole Shepard trilogy onto new consoles with a fresh tune-up. For a lot of long-time Mass Effect fans, the build-up to release has been a rosy and nostalgic journey through all the reasons we love Mass Effect: compelling characters and tough choices, with ramifications that can ripple through all three games.
For newcomers though, the thought of making the "wrong" choice might seem a little daunting. My first point of encouragement is don't worry so much. Your Shepard's journey is your own, and there's no wrong choices to make—well, some are fairly morally deficient, but they're still your choices to make.
That said, I've played through the original trilogy numerous times, and guided a number of newcomers over the years in terms of what's good to know going into each game. This isn't a detailed walkthrough of Mass Effect 2's suicide mission or anything; rather, it's just a smattering of tips that should help guide you a bit.
A fan created a more detailed Pokemon Pearl and Diamond remake mockup
With the heavy amount of ceasing and desisting, the Pokemon modding community is very smart in the way it delivers its games: basically, dump them after they're finished, let them proliferate, then acquiesce to the legal threat from Nintendo.
But a bunch of groups and individuals have also diverged from that path, instead creating mockups of games that might be, especially in light of the polarizing fan reaction to the art styles of recent main series titles. Enter millenniumloops. The creator crafted a lovely little mockup they call "Pokemon Adventures Sinnoh," which takes us through the motions of a Diamond and Pearl remake that is a little more involved than the official reveal.
The results, to be frank, are stunning. This looks like a legit game, and although the actual creation of said project would be much more involved than this game concept, I really dig what they're putting down. It was made in Blender with after effects via Photostop, and they are calling it "fan art."
Sinnoh is one of those underrated regions: found in a period of time when some old school Generation 1 fans aged out of the games. It naturally has a lot of newer fans as the series never really slumped in terms of sales, but for many, this will be the first time they enter the Sinnoh region. And I have to say, I wouldn't mind doing it via Pokemon Adventures Sinnoh.
Very Quick Tips: Subnautica: Below Zero
Whether you're diving into Subnautica: Below Zero fresh off the original game or you're coming in hoping to shake off the rust, here are some tips to get you started in this new standalone adventure.
The whole process of re-releasing Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is fascinating: especially when you account for the fact that it arrived on modern systems with basically zero fanfare or warning.
It's even more bizarre when you consider the history of Black Isle Studios (which remained dormant for many years), who published the original Dark Alliance and developed the improved-upon sequel. And when you start to dive into the story behind Champions of Norrath (which utilized the Dark Alliance engine) and the rights issues involved there, it gets really messy. So many of the studios involved in those games simply don't exist anymore!
Alas, someone worked out something, as Dark Alliance 1 is out and you can buy it. But what about the sequel? Apparently it's "on the table."
Responding to a fan on Twitter, the account for Black Isle Studios notes: "PC release [of the first Dark Alliance] is in the works right now. Hoping to have it on Steam this year. And the sequel is on the table. Stay tuned!"
While nothing is for certain, this seems like an implicit confirmation. And at the very least, Black Isle Studios has access to the sequel from multiple angles. So there's a chance. And I'll take it! Especially since the original game can go for upwards of $150 used on the secondhand market: I was lucky enough to get a copy on the cheap around a decade ago.
Game preservation is a drum I beat often, and a lot of these old forgotten hack and slash titles need a revival because they withstand the test of time and deserve to be remembered.
Black Isle Studios [Twitter]
Retailers are pulling Pokemon cards from store shelves after customer chaos
Citing "safety concerns for customers and staff," two major U.S. retailers have temporarily halted the sale of Pokémon trading cards in-store, following numerous altercations, mass panic-buying, and scenes of physical and verbal violence.
Target is restricting the sale of Pokémon cards (as well its NFL, NBA, and MLB trading card brands) to its online store, removing the sought-after decks from the shelves of its physical outlets. Speaking to Bleeding Cool, Target said it was exercising "an abundance of caution" following a May 7 incident where a gun was brandished in a Target parking lot, reportedly over a sports trading card dispute.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends 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.
It's all right there in the name — quick, to-the-point breakdowns that'll bring you up to speed.
In this 3 Minute Review, The Escapist's KC Nwosu covers Hood: Outlaws & Legends, a stealthy castle-robbing PvPvE team action game from Focus Home Interactive and Sumo Digital inspired by myth.
[Update: Blizzard has announced that character clone pricing has been "updated" and "course corrected," and as such it will now be priced at $15.
Community manager Kaivax passed over the info, stating: "This service – providing a player with a second copy of a character in a different game – is new for us. Our original concept of the value of this service was largely based on how we price other optional items and services. We want players who choose Classic Era realms to feel as though their choice comes with the possibility that they'll be able to build relationships and guilds with other players they can count on."
You can find all of the details here.]
Blizzard often operates under "Blizzard Time (tm)" and things will be ready when they're ready. But that trend has been bucked several times under the Activision banner.
Warcraft III Reforged certainly wasn't ready, and Burning Crusade Classic is seemingly coming relatively soon to ease the blow of the current very content-light state of Shadowlands. A February announcement and a June 1 release isn't typical of the company, but here we are.
Yep! As announced in this blog, Blizzard is aiming to release Burning Crusade Classic in less than a month. It'll hit on June 1 at 3PM PT, 6PM ET: and you can check the timeline in your current country with the graphic below. But you'll have to make a big decision before that date on May 18.
Call of Duty: Warzone's '80s Action Heroes event kicks off May 20
Activision has officially announced that Call of Duty will be getting a hard-hitting dose of '80s Hollywood next week, as May 20 will see the arrival of both John Rambo and Die Hard's John McClane in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Call of Duty: Mobile.
The strange-but-whatevs crossover will see the two gung-ho heroes — respectively portrayed by Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis on the big screen — available to purchase as paid DLC skins. While Activision is yet to reveal a price, it seems a sure bet that each character will run the prestige cost of 2400 COD Points, or roughly $20. That's undeniably a lot of moolah, but it will frankly prevent all three games from just becoming two teams of Rambo and McClanes. I'm more than happy with Glam Helen Park, myself.
This isn't either character's first gaming rodeo, as both the Rambo had Die Hard franchises have received numerous video game adaptations over the past four decades. Rambo himself has recently come off of a successful stint in Outworld, kicking ass in NetherRealm Studios' Mortal Kombat 11. As such, I doubt the run 'n' gun bombast of the Call of Duty franchise will give the muscle-bound maniac too much hassle, he's literally just been battling elemental ninjas and four-armed warrior women.
Resident Evil Village's Duke and RE4's Merchant are friends, so they may as well match!
Resident Evil Village is scaring up a decent chunk of sales and goodwill with Resident Evil fans, and now comes the part where we all dig into the nitty gritty of all the unlocks, and of course: mod the ever living crap out of the game.
We've seen some good ones in just the few short weeks the demo and the full release have been floating around, and now this one is just perfect for multiple reasons. It's simple: a Merchant costume for Resident Evil Village's new resident merchant, Duke. It was created by the appropriately named JWesker, and you can find it here on Nexus Mods.
The significance of the outfit actually goes into lore-based territory. In Village, Duke makes a meta-reference to the "what're ya buyin?" quote from Resident Evil 4, stating that "it's something an old friend of [his] used to say." When I first heard it my eyes lit up! Now we can imagine he uses the same sense of style, too.
Itch.io's first Creator Day to support makers on the platform is today
Indie games platform Itch.io has been a haven for independent creators for some time, and today, it's launching a new campaign to help support them even more.
Today, May 14, is the first Itch.io Creator Day. From midnight to 11:59 p.m. PT, Itch won't take its usual cut of sales on the site—so 100% of sales (after taxes and payment processing fees) will go directly to developers, artists, musicians, and creators on the storefront.
ðŸ—"ï¸ THIS FRIDAY is our first ever @itchio Creator Day!
— itch.io (@itchio) May 12, 2021
What's that? We're setting everyone's revenue share to 100% for 24 hours. Learn more here: https://t.co/sRq7CpdI0d
Thanks for being incredible and supporting @itchio and all the creators we host #gamedev
Much like Bandcamp Friday, this seems like a great way to support some indie creators. Lots of them are posting threads on social media of their various games, and some have even banded together to form a bundle in honor of the day.
Itch.io has been in the news recently, thanks to it being dragged into the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Epic. But aside from having a good sense of humor, Itch has also provided a platform for tons of interesting, offbeat games and hosted massive charity bundles.
So yeah, later today I'll be taking a tour through the various tags of Itch.io to find some rad new games to add to my collection. Itch says it hopes to make this a regular event, not just providing more revenue but also a good excuse for developers to share and promote their work. If you have any you want to shout out, drop 'em down below!
Halo turns 20 this year, and Microsoft is celebrating with a bangin' wallpaper
I could wax poetic about the history of Halo all day. And I will!
I'll never forget writing off the Xbox before launch, until I won a Taco Bell contest and had it delivered to my door for free. A full day later and I was hooked on Halo (and Fuzion Frenzy, but that's a story for another day). Weeks later and my friends were hooked. Months later and I had crimped and crafted my own 40-foot Ethernet cable for multiplayer and half of my class was hooked.
Along with all-night WCW, GoldenEye, and Mario Kart N64 sessions, local network Halo parties were some of the best memories of my life. It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since the series started, but Microsoft is reminding us this week of how old some of us really are.
Right here in this tweet, Microsoft confirms it. Halo is officially 20 years old in 2021, with its anniversary falling on the classic "Xbox" day of November 15, 2001. To celebrate they released a 20-year piece of art, containing Combat Evolved and later Halo designs mixed into one lovely piece (Microsoft calls them "CE [Combat Evolved]" and "Infinite" Chiefs).
If you follow the link even further to Halo Waypoint you can find 4K wallpaper options all the way down to mobile device reworks and Facebook covers. Say what you will about Infinite, but given that they're taking the time to polish it, I'm more excited for a new Halo game than I have been in a long while.
Halo [Twitter]
Check out the super stylish opening to NEO: The World Ends with You
We are still a couple of months out from the launch of long-time-coming JRPG sequel NEO: The World Ends with You. To whet the appetite of fans while they wait, publisher Square Enix has released the super stylistic and charismatic opening to the metropolitan adventure.
WARNING: The following sequence contains flashing imagery.
My Nintendo just got some new swag, and a Build-A-Bear contest
My Nintendo just added a Pokemon Snap reward several weeks ago, and teased another: the time for that reward has come.
It's a pair of zipper pouches, y'all!
As of today you can sink 500 Platinum Points into the clear zipper case set, which are waterproof, and contain minimalist designs of various Pokemon from the game. The large case measures at H5.1"xW6.7" and the smaller one is H3.6xW4.8". And to whoever is putting that very cute "cat in a basket" picture in basically everything recently: I salute you.
Oh, and there's this Platinum and Gold Coin pin set! It's 800 Platinum Points: just note that pins often sell out fast on My Nintendo.
In other My Nintendo news, the site is also running a Build-A-Bear contest. The short of it is, each account can enter for a chance to win the New Horizons collection (Tom Nook/Isabelle) up to three times, by paying a menial Platinum Points fee. It's a money sink! But it's something you can do if you missed out on them and care enough.
As a reminder, you can find our full Platinum Point guide here. It's been updated with all of the newest ways to earn points, like the Pokemon Snap website hunt.
News [My Nintendo]
Katy Perry's Pokemon song 'Electric' won't melt your popsicle, but it should make you smile
It's Friday, and if you're anything like me, this week has been long, exhausting, and mentally draining. I am ready for the weekend recharge, to step away from my work computer, put on Spotify, and lose myself in the music. I have a growing Liked Songs list on the app, and it's about to get one track bigger with the release of "Electric," the new song from Katy Perry written and recorded to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pokémon.
Take a listen.
Ghostrunner 2 announced for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X
Wasting no time at all, publisher 505 Games has leapt upon its recently purchased IP, Ghostrunner, excitedly announcing a sequel for the tower-climbing, limb-severing, cyberpunk adventure. Ghostrunner 2 is being developed for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S, although 505 Games did not offer any information regarding an expected release window.
"We are particularly excited about the future release of Ghostrunner 2," reads a statement from 505 Games' parent company Digital Bros. "Together with One More Level, we have created a thrilling and engaging video game. This new collaboration deepens 505 Games presence within the Polish video game market, a reality now among the firsts in Europe for the development of video games, new projects and talents. We will continue to pay close attention to the Polish market to constantly improve and expand our product portfolio with video games capable of satisfying the tastes of the entire gaming community."
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is coming to Xbox Game Pass at launch
Xbox Game Pass owners will have a new avenue for their dungeon-pilfering needs next month, as Tuque Games announced that Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance is coming to Xbox Game Pass.
This new Dark Alliance will be available through Microsoft's subscription service on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and phones and tablets via Cloud Gaming all on June 22, the day it launches.
The new Dark Alliance is, of course, a dungeon-crawling action game that you can play with up to four other players. It will also have cross play between PC and Xbox, so Game Pass users can still match up no matter where.
Playing as either Drizzt, Catti-brie, Bruenor, or Wulfgar, your party can blast through hordes of monsters through Icewind Dale. The developers are doing a live stream every Friday at 12 p.m. PT leading up to launch if you want to check out some footage, or if you'd rather get that Dark Alliance fix now, there's also a re-release of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance out on consoles that's, well, exactly how you remember it.
Play at Home 2021 is giving out free stuff for Warframe, Warzone, Rocket League, and other PS4 games
The next phase in Sony's Play at Home 2021 giveaway is a bit... unexpected.
After giving out a dozen PS4 titles this year including Ratchet & Clank, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Subnautica, the next freebies are just in-game content rather than more on-the-house full games. It was fun while it lasted, right? Actually, some of you may get decent mileage out of this stuff. Some.
You can grab the following free content and virtual currencies from May 17 at 8:00 a.m. Pacific until June 6 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific:
- Rocket League: PlayStation Plus Pack – includes four unique customization items including Blue Notch Wheels, Blue Smoke Boost, Blue Rocks Trail, and the Trimpact BL Player Banner.
- Brawlhalla: Brawlhalla: Play at Home Pack – includes the Rayman Legend Unlock, Sir Rayelot Skin with Axe and Gauntlet Weapon Skins, Shrug Emote, and Grimm Sidekick.
- Destruction AllStars: 1100 Destruction Points.
- MLB The Show 21: MLB The Show 21 10 The Show Packs.
- NBA 2K21: The Play at Home Pack – includes MyTEAM Series 2 Amethyst Damian Lillard, 5,000 MyTEAM Points, and more.
- Rogue Company: Rogue Company: Play at Home Pack – includes the Kyoto Undercover Ronin Outfit and 200 Rogue Bucks.
- World of Tanks: Five x1.5 Silver Boosters, five x2 XP Boosters, seven days of Premium Account, and more.
- World of Warships: Tier III battleship Arkansas, 7 days of Premium Account, and 5x Rare Boosters of all five types.
- Warframe: Warframe: Starter Bundle – includes 100 Platinum, 100,000 Credits, 7 Day Affinity Booster, Essential Base Damage Mod Bundle, and more.
And there's a Warzone giveaway from May 20 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific until June 6 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific.
- Warzone: Five 60-minute Double XP tokens ("accessed exclusively in-game through the Message of the Day").
I feel like the Warframe, Rocket League, and Warzone freebies will be the most enticing around these parts. As someone who keeps up with literally none of these games, I'll be sitting this one out.
E3 2021's online portal and app detailed
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has started laying out its plans for a digital E3 this year, with a virtual experience to run alongside its four-day broadcast.
The ESA's plans for E3 2021 include an online portal and app, which will act as a hub for the show. In it, there will be virtual "booths," events, video conferencing, profiles and avatar creation, and online forums. There will also be lounges, or online gathering spots for attendees, and "leaderboards," with gamified show elements that can be collected and put on display.
Prior to E3 2021, which will run from June 12 through 15, there will be a five-day media week that will also use the online portal to allow media to check things out early.
We've seen some virtual conferences in the past, with the ability to roam around booths like a video game—heck, Devolver Digital even made a game about it. With conferences largely taking a digital approach this year, an online portal might be a nice way to simulate that sense of massive crowds and impressive booths, now with less running between halls and aching feet.
Oh my god, Kiryu is a rubber duck
I can't begin to describe the whiplash I experienced today when I learned that not only is there a toy duck version of Yakuza's Kazuma Kiryu, he's just the latest in a long and bewildering line of gaming, movie, and comic book characters — even Tofu! — who have been rubber duck-ified by Tubbz.
RKG Studio shared the news with a head-turning tweet this morning. Love that shot.
Imagine taking a bath with the Dragon of Dojima — now you don't have to!
While Sega has collaborated with Tubbz before on "cosplaying duck" versions of Shenmue's Ryo Hazuki, Jet Set Radio's Beat, and a freaky Dr. Eggman that makes me uncomfortable, this is a new direction for the Yakuza series. Obviously, we gotta get Majima up in here too. They complete each other.
The 3.54" tall Kiryu duck will be available in July 2021 for $15, and pre-orders are open today.
Resident Evil Village has a trick to make those infinite ammo unlocks easier
Resident Evil Village players have discovered a sneaky trick to make the infinite ammo unlocks in the post-game Extra Content Shop less of a grind. Before I get into the convoluted setup, it's worth mentioning that this method works best if you've got a late-game save, ideally right before the final boss. It's also best if you have lots of Lei on hand— or the ability to sell everything to earn a fortune.
Before I get into the trick, you need to know how the infinite ammo unlocks work in Village.
So, once you beat the main story, you'll unlock the Extra Content Shop. Like in prior Resident Evil games, there are challenges, some of which are tied to achievements/trophies and Mercenaries mode, and some of which are feats like beating bosses super fast, getting particular weapon kills, and so on.
You can clear these post-game challenges across any of your past or future Village runs to earn account-wide completion points. Then, in the Extra Content Shop, you can spend your CP to permanently unlock special weapons like the Handcannon and even infinite ammo capabilities.
Still with me? The special weapon unlocks are self-explanatory — note: some won't show up until you clear harder difficulties — but the infinite ammo feature is a bit different. To even have the option to buy infinite ammo for a gun using CP, you need to fully upgrade and fully customize that specific weapon with The Duke using Lei. This means you need to have all attachments and maxed-out stats.
Now, here's where the trick comes in. Instead of running through Village a bunch of times just to earn enough Lei to max out your favorite guns so that you can buy infinite ammo, you can be more efficient:
- With a late-game save — or any save file in which you have a significant amount of Lei at your disposal — sell everything except the gun you want to have infinite ammo.
- Spend the hundreds of thousands of Lei you need to max out the gun with The Duke and then buy all of its weapon attachments (where applicable). Certain attachments, like the Wolfsbane's Long Barrel, can only be found out in the world, so plan accordingly.
- Next, back out to the main menu without saving. If you did everything right, the Extra Content Shop should now (permanently) sell infinite ammo for your weapon of choice.
- You can go back into your "ideal save file" and repeat this process with other weapons. When everything is said in done, you'll still have all of that Lei in your wallet.
- (To save time, you can just hit restart in the pause menu once a weapon is maxed out; you don't need to go back to the main menu for the infinite ammo listing to show up.)
An example of a fully upgraded weapon. You'll need to fill in all of the Power, Rate of Fire, Reload Speed, and Ammo Capacity notches, as well as all of the attachment slots before you can unlock the infinite ammo listing in the Extra Content Shop.
The S.T.A.K.E. is a better infinite ammo candidate than the Wolfsbane, but it's gonna cost you.
This method lets you make the most of your Lei, and while it has limitations — and most people probably won't need or even want infinite ammo for everything — hey, it's nice to have options. Of course, you'll still need enough CP to actually buy the infinite ammo. There's no getting around it.
In other words, this trick is more about efficiency than letting you bypass the whole bonus shop. Thankfully, you can leverage multiple saves (and reloads) to beat challenges and earn CP in a similar fashion. If it's not too late, try to place strategic "extra saves" that you can revisit to grind 'em out.
For instance, for the Make It Rain challenge ("Get a total of 8,100,000 Lei in the story"), you can sell all of your stuff to The Duke and hit restart from the pause menu, over and over, to accumulate wealth.
As for which infinite ammo weapon you should prioritize, a lot of players have pointed to the absurdly strong S.T.A.K.E. magnum, but it's pricey as hell to max out. Instead, I went with the Dragoon first. Chris Redfield's "favorite" assault rifle is plenty powerful on Hardcore difficulty. On that note, don't rush into Village of Shadows — it can be a struggle even with some of these over-the-top unlocks. Good luck!
[Thanks for the no-nonsense bonus shop overview, Ruba Jaiousy]
The PS5's DualSense is getting two more color variants next month
The PlayStation 5's been out for a little while now, and those looking to pick up a player-two player-three controller will finally be getting some options to change the color scheme up.
PlayStation announced today that two new colors for the PlayStation 5's DualSense are arriving next month: Cosmic Red and Midnight Black. I gotta say, both look pretty sleek.
PlayStation says both colors will available at retailers starting next month, though date will vary by location. You can check out the PlayStation site for more details.
While I'm still holding out hope for a classic grey DualShock throwback, at least PS5 owners will be able to vary up their controller lineup now. Much easier to differentiate whose-is-whose as local play becomes more of a reality.
Sunrise's Scarlet Nexus anime will premiere in Japan July 1
A lot of us are keeping a close eye on upcoming apocalyptic hack 'n' slasher Scarlet Nexus, which is headed PC and consoles in June. Developer/publisher Bandai Namco has a lot of confidence in the stylish-looking franchise, as it has already commissioned a tie-in anime, set to premiere in Japan July 1.
Nintendo Download: Famicom Detective Club
Wildly, I get to announce the arrival of the Famicom Detective Club series in the west today, three decades after its debut. The Girl Who Stands Behind and The Missing Heir are both hitting the Switch eShop, and you can read our reviews for the pair here!
Aerial Knight's Never Yield, Subnautica, and Subnautica: Below Zero are also arriving on Switch: so there's lots of choices if you want a new game. That said there are "only" 24 other games debuting this week, which is slim by insane bloated eShop standards.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance also got a late last-minute-delayed release. Dig in!
Layers of Fear 2 will have you shocking your Switch next week
The horror aficionados at Bloober Team are at it again, having announced a release date for the Switch port of spooky sequel Layers of Fear 2. The nightmarish first-person adventure will arrive on the Nintendo platform on May 20, following on from its 2019 release on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.
Heroes of the Storm gets its first big patch in months, Overwatch event on the way
[Update: A user datamined the Overwatch skins via the PTR. You can check them out below!]
Earlier this year we got a very vague and possibly accidental tease for an upcoming Heroes of the Storm event in the form of Overwatch skins: but have been stuck in an eternal winter for some time now. I'll explain.
So Heroes has been in a bit of a transitional period. Adam "AZ" Jackson, the lead designer for the game, moved to the Diablo IV team in January. AZ was a huge boon for the community, having been a competitive player himself, and a common source for communication, as a lifeline to the development team. After he left a lot of that communication stopped: until it started back up again recently on Reddit this past week.
Heroes itself also hasn't been updated in long while. It hosted minor balance patches in January and March, but has ostensibly been running on the "winter event" patch from December, complete with out of place Christmas-nearly-in-July loot boxes. It was awkward, and for months fans lamented the fact that the game wasn't being updated regularly. That changes as of this week.
The new PTR patch notes are up, and highlight five hero reworks (Anduin, Johanna, Raynor, Stiches, Valla) amid other balance changes and bug fixes. Folks also uncovered a new Overwatch loading screen, which no doubt will usher in those skins you see in the header that I mentioned earlier. It's all coming together!
While the PTR patch isn't gigantic (it's more balance than content), it's something, and teases a new event; possibly the arrival of another hero. The last one was Hogger over five months ago, so we're due for another at some point.
Again, it's vague, but given that Heroes of the Storm still stands on its own as a formidable MOBA even with a lack of regular content cadence, it's good news. It's great to see this game still alive.
Heroes of the Storm PTR Patch [Battle.net]
It's your last chance to claim Horizon Zero Dawn for free on the PlayStation Store
[Update: Just a quick reminder that the deadline to grab Horizon Zero Dawn for free is almost here.]
Sony's next free game for Play At Home 2021 is Horizon Zero Dawn, the trap-laying, robot-beast-hunting adventure from Guerrilla Games. If you need it — specifically the Complete Edition — it's time to add it to your library. You can claim HZD from the PlayStation Store until May 14 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific.
Of course! That's what we're here for.
Also worth remembering: you don't need PlayStation Plus. This is actually "free."
Apart from the substantial base game, Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition also comes with The Frozen Wilds (an expansion quite a few of us missed), some miscellaneous outfit and gear packs, a digital art book, and a PS4 theme. Normally, Sony charges $20 for this version, so it's a pretty nice giveaway.
As a sort of refresher, here's a clip of someone going to town on a Thunderjaw:
A Seasoned Hunter VS A Mighty Thunderjaw from r/horizon
I'm not sure what else needs to be said about this game — you all know it well enough by now. You've either played through it already, you've chipped away at it but never finished Aloy's journey because the open world distracted you (same here), or you've needed a nudge like this giveaway. Or you don't care.
By all means, claim away. It's no accident that HZD has a strong fan following and people are generally feeling good about the sequel's potential. You might end up loving it. And with Horizon Forbidden West staying essentially silent lately, there should be plenty of time to get situated. No rush at all.
I'd consider giving Horizon Zero Dawn another spin from scratch if there was 60FPS support on PS5, but as is, I'm leaning toward trying out Days Gone the next time I have wiggle room in my backlog. Maybe. I'm very much in a pick-up-and-play mood right now and neither of them resonate with me that way.
Indie showcase Wholesome Direct returns next month with more cozy games
The Wholesome Games crew is back again this year with some more wholesome games. The Wholesome Direct will air on June 12 at 1 p.m. ET.
Last summer, the Wholesome Direct was a nice, relaxing break from the usual press showcases, filled with lots of cozy game trailers. This year looks to be more of the same, with even more on display: Wholesome Games is saying it will have exclusives from over 75 games, including new game reveals.
#WholesomeDirect returns on June 12 at 1pm ET! ðŸ"º We'll have new game reveals, exclusive footage, and even games that will launch *during* the show! And thanks to our pals at @GuerrillaCollec, @Twitch, @IGN and @GameSpot, Wholesome Direct will reach even more players this year 🥳 pic.twitter.com/NGy9TrSWyd
— Wholesome Games (@_wholesomegames) May 12, 2021
There will even be games that launch during the show! I have to admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for the "available now" thing.
Among the games already confirmed for the Wholesome Direct are Unpacking A Life, We Are OFK, Moonglow Bay, Paralives, Bear and Breakfast, Ooblets, The Gecko Gods, and Amber Isle. As we gear up for the big summer showcases, and especially with E3 2021 right around the corner from this direct, I'm pretty psyched to hear more about some chill games I can relax to.
The Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance re-release is exactly how you remember it, for better or worse
Oh hey, it's Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, on modern platforms!
If you were alive in 2001 and even remotely liked hack and slash romps, odds are you've heard of this project at some point. At the time, it was one of very few opportunities to engage in the genre on consoles, outside of dalliances like Diablo 1 on PS1 (we weren't even in the age of mass Raven Software Marvel beat 'em ups yet).
Is it still worth playing? Well, it depends on your tolerance for jank, and re-releases where the bar is basically "does it work?" Mostly.
New Xbox Series X dynamic theme evokes memories of the original Xbox
Xbox has certainly come a long way since the brand's initial debut way back in 2001. The industry has transformed ten-fold in those two decades, and while Xbox has sometimes been in the lead, sometimes been behind, it has nonetheless endured, bringing us to 2021 and the brand's current hardware iteration, Xbox Series X/S.
If you own one of the aforementioned consoles and fancy taking a trip down memory lane, then you're in luck, as a brand new dynamic theme offers an aesthetic somewhat similar to that of Microsoft's original beast of a console. Strictly speaking, it isn't exactly the dashboard as you might remember it, and is more a reference to Xbox's strange, almost alien boot screen. But it's still a neat look, evoking the iconic black-and-green branding.
Titled "The Original", the dynamic theme is now available to download for all Xbox Series X/S owners. You can check out the new theme in action below, in this tweet from The Verge's Tom Warren. For me, it definitely stirs up memories of Halo, Dead or Alive 3, Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions (remember that?), and having to buy a remote control in order to play DVDs.
How about you?
Who says Resident Evil Village isn't scarier than 7? Baby Chris Redfield will haunt your dreams
[Update: And now we have the inverse! Baby Rose's head on a giant Chris Redfield body is now out, compliments of modder JTeghius Kittius. You can find it here.]
Resident Evil games can get real weird.
Weird as in, "a grown man's head on a baby" weird? Uh, yeah that's about par for the course for this series in its complete camp heyday. It may not even be a top five all-time weird hall of fame event, and "we had clone DNA of Chris Redfield lying around" will probably be uttered at some point in series history.
This Resident Evil Village mod from creator JTegh takes things a step further and just thrusts us into a world where this is already a reality. It takes the Baby Rose model from Village and swaps it with a Chris Redfield head, and the results are as horrifying as you'd expect.
Just like in the Resident Evil 2 remake, people are going to town with Village mods already, sliding Thomas the Tank Engine and Barney into the game. But again, while slapping existing IP into Resident Evil could work in some sort of dream/hallucinogenic sequence, Baby Chris might be canon one day: mark my words!
No matter how many reboots Capcom might go for, they won't be able to resist baby clones of popular characters.
Mini Me Chris [Nexus Mods] Thanks John!
Microsoft introduces Console Purchase Pilot scheme in efforts to combat Xbox Series X scalping
As both PlayStation and Xbox continue to struggle with low stock production of their respective new gaming consoles, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, both publishers' efforts to get the new hardware into players' hands is being furthered hindered by the presence of scalpers — buying up multiple units to re-sell at a premium on the aftermarket.
Microsoft has announced that it is currently trialing a new system in efforts to ensure that incoming batches of Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles only end up being ordered by and delivered to genuine Xbox fans. The Console Purchase Pilot scheme, now live in North America, allows Xbox Insider members to reserve a console directly through an app installed on Xbox One.
Microsoft's logic is that players reserving a console through this scheme would not only be registered as an Xbox Insider account, but also signaled their purchase via an Xbox One console, extra steps which Microsoft hopes will provide added authentication, remove anonymity, and also deny access for bot software, which scalpers have been using in order to raid retail web browsers. Of course, with these restrictions the scheme is only available to a specific group of people, but that's exactly the point.
Interested parties should check out the Xbox Insider Hub on their Xbox One console for more details. As a pilot scheme, Microsoft has noted that not everybody signing up is guaranteed a reserved console, but hopefully the scheme will prove efficient and will roll out globally in the near-future.
