Persona 5 Strikers was another spin-off to the popular last entry in the RPG saga. It also helped to bring the Phantom Thieves to two new platforms in the Nintendo Switch as well as PC. It was the first foray for the Thieves on PC, and only the second game in the series to go to PC following the release of Persona 4 Golden. Now that version gets some updating.
The PC version of the title received a new patch that addressed a few issues. The main thing is that it fixed some problems the port had with crashes as well as freezing issues that saw the game hang from time to time. It also fixed a problem some users had where the game would tell you your OS wasn't supported even if you were using Windows 10. You can see the full details through here.
It was recently reported based on details that were allegedly gleaned from Capcom's massive data leak last year that Monster Hunter World could not see a simultaneous PC launch alongside its console release due to a deal between Capcom and Sony, and that the same deal also stipulated that cross-play and cross-saves would not be enabled. It wasn't that hard to believe, honestly, for multiple reasons- Sony was explicitly against cross-play until just a couple of years ago, paid exclusivity deals happen in the industry all the time, and Sony and Capcom themselves have had more than a few such dealings in the past.
As it turns out, however, that that might not have been the case after all. As reported by DSO Gaming, closer inspection of the leaked Capcom documents in question don't really hold any of the aforementioned details, with the only thing that's mentioned in them being an exclusive marketing deal for the game between Capcom and Sony for Monster Hunter World, which also stipulated a 30% marketing expenditure cap for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne on PC.
Meanwhile, @AsteriskAmpers1 on Twitter, who originally reported that Sony had paid to block Monster Hunter World's PC launch and cross-play, has also taken to Twitter to state that the information was misinterpreted.
So there you have it. Again, seeing a limited exclusivity deal between the two companies would not have been that surprising, but it doesn't seem like such a deal was ever in place to begin with.
On more careful reading I misunderstood. SIE deal was limited marketing spenditure to a cap of 30% for IB PC (it does imply there was an outright marketing ban on MHW). However the reference to the SIE deal scope is unknown if strictly Mktng, which I'm looking into.
God of War is (and has been for a while) SIE Santa Monica's most important IP without question, and they are, of course, capitalizing on the success that it continues to bring them and Sony and PlayStation as a whole. God of War: Ragnarok(or whatever it ends up being called) is in development- but that's not the only thing the studio has in the works. It's recently come to light that SIE Santa Monica is currently also working on another unannounced title (presumably a new IP), and though it's going to be a while before we hear anything concrete about it (seeing as it hasn't even been announced yet), we might have a little bit more to go on now.
A job ad recently posted by the developer on its website suggests that the unannounced game will have a fantasy setting (spotted over on ResetEra). The listing, which is for the position of Senior Character Concept Artist, hints at that a couple of times. Under responsibilities, it mentions the development and maintenance of "strong creative and collaborative partnerships across subject areas to help further develop the in-game characters, visual language, and rule sets for fantasy-based worlds". Meanwhile, under requirements, it stipulates "strong design skills with the ability to render realistic believable fantasy-based characters, creatures, and props."
Plans change for games quite significantly during development all the time, especially when projects are in early development (as this one seems to be)- but one of the few things that developers usually decide early on and then stick with (for the most part) is the setting. Whenever it is that we hear something official about this game, it seems a pretty safe bet, based on this job ad, that it will have a fantasy-based setting.
Since its launch, Call of Duty: Warzonehas become central not only to the franchise, but to Activision as a whole. The free-to-play battle royale shooter has consistently seen steady growth since its launch in 2019, and recently, it was confirmed to have hit another major landmark.
Taking to Twitter via the official Call of Duty page, Activision have confirmed that Call of Duty: Warzone has now amassed over 100 million players since launch. At last count, in December, that figure stood at 85 million. A jump of 15 million in the time since then is quite impressive by any metric.
Call of Duty fans have plenty else to look forward to as well. Reports have claimed that this year's title will be developed by Sledgehammer Games, return to a World War 2 setting, and will be titled Call of Duty WW2: Vanguard. Meanwhile, there have also been rumours of a standalone Zombies game being in the works. Read more on that through here.
Developer acquisitions are all the rage these days, so it isn't surprising we're seeing another one. Focus Home Interactive announced it has acquired Streum On Studio in its latest fiscal report today. Streum On is a small studio with twenty employees; it owns the E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy license. Streum On developed Space Hulk: Deathwing, and are currently working on Necromunda: Hired Gun, another project set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The publishes also mentioned it was in active talks with several other developers.
"Over the past year, and particularly the past six months, we have profoundly transformed Focus Home Interactive," said Focus Home Interactive chairman of the management board Christophe Nobileau. "Our Group now has an adjusted business model and a dedicated M&A team, as well as renewed governance, a strengthened Executive Committee and a retention programme for key managers. These changes allow us to invest much more in game development and to significantly improve our profitability, starting next year. On the external growth front, we are delighted with the acquisition of the Streum On Studio and are continuing our discussions with other partner studios as well as structural targets for Focus Home Interactive."
Focus also posted strong fiscal results for the year, bringing in record revenue and announced several new games. The publisher also stated that it plans to announce three major games at E3 and later at The Game Awards. Focus may be a relatively small publisher, but they're clearly a name to watch in the future.
Today, the Game Developers Conference revealed the finalists for nominations for the Game Developers Choice Awards. The winners will be chosen at the CDGA ceremony, which will take place at the Game Developers Conference on Wednesday, July 1st at 4:30 PM in conjunction with the Independent Game Festival 2021.
The nominations, picked by developers, are led by a three way tie between Supergiant Games' Hades, Super Punch Productions' Ghost of Tsushima, and Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part 2. Valve'sHalf-Life: Alyxcame in second with five nominations. All four are nominated for Game of the Year. The other games up for more than one award are Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Media Molecule's Dreams.
Hades was nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Innovation, Best Narrative, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year; Ghost of Tsushima was nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year; The Last of Us Part 2 was nominated for Best Audio, Best Design, Best Narrative, Best Technology, Best Visual Art and Game of the Year.
It's a good list, though there are some notable snubs. DOOM Eternal was only nominated for Best Sound Design, which is baffling given the game's technical and design prowess. Final Fantasy 7 Remake was also only nominated for Best Sound Design, which is an odd choice given the sheer bravery of the game's narrative. Ori and the Will of the Wisps, another snub, only received a nomination for Best Visual Design.
My money's on either Hades or The Last of Us Part 2 to take home Game of the Year given how other awards shows we've seen have worked out, but we'll have to wait until July to be sure.
You can check out the rest of the nominees and the honorable mentions here.
If you were worried about Microsoft acquiring Discord, you can breathe a little easier, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal. While the two companies were in talks last month for a potential acquisition that could have cost Microsoft more than $10 billion, those discussions have apparently been shelved.
Microsoft wasn't the only company interested in acquiring Discord. The company behind the VoIP/communication app, which has over 140 million monthly users as of last year and is a mainstay of PC gaming, was allegedly in talks with at least three companies interested in acquiring it, but has decided to remain independent, at least for now. Apparently, it is also considering an IPO in the future.
This is probably good news for everyone who uses Discord. Microsoft's acquisition of Skype made the app substantially worse, and many were afraid that a Microsoft acquisition would do the same to Discord. How long Discord will decide to remain independent is unknown, but given the company's value, which is only going to increase, it seems unlikely that there are many companies that could afford to buy it.
Today Microsoft revealed ID@Azure, a self-service program that hopes to make the company's Azure cloud services more accessible to indie game developers. The program harkens back to Microsoft's work on ID@Xbox, which made self-publishing possible on Xbox consoles.
ID@Azure launches this summer and will offer members free access to game development tools, Azure credits that will allow them to try out the program's services, and best practices implemented by studios under the Xbox Game Studios banner and cloud engineers at Microsoft.
Microsoft claims Azure will work with games built for any platform and on any engine, and should be beneficial to studios with and without experience working with cloud tools.
"With Azure cloud, game creators can build, scale, and operate their game on the global, secure, and reliable Azure cloud," the company said. "Developers can quickly scale up and down when their needs change, only pay for the resources they use, and let Microsoft manage infrastructure."
ID@Xbox has been widely praised by developers and was instrumental in getting more indie developers publishing on consoles, so if Microsoft can recreate that with ID@Azure, the program should be very helpful, especially given the importance of cloud gaming in recent years. We'll likely learn more about ID@Azure closer to the program's launch this summer.
"It was truly the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to create worlds and heroes for such a passionate audience. I want to express my deep appreciation to everyone at Blizzard who supported our games, our game teams and our players. But I want to say a special thanks to the wonderful game developers that shared in the journey of creation with me.
"Never accept the world as it appears to be. Always dare to see it for what it could be. I hope you do the same."
Blizzard also announced that Aaron Keller, an eighteen year Blizzard veteran, former World of Warcraft developer, and founding member of the Overwatch team, would be stepping into the role of game director. In a message to the Overwatch community, Keller said that the development of Overwatch 2 was "continuing at a good pace" and that the team would be sharing more regular updates soon.
Kaplan is the latest in a number of high profile departures from Blizzard that have occurred in recent years. Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development Chris Metzen, who served as a writer and later creative director on several of Blizzard's biggest hits like StarCraft and Warcraft3, retired from the company in 2016. Mike Morhaime, the company's co-founder and CEO, stepped down in 2018.
Several former Blizzard developers have founded new studios in the time since, mostly notably Dreamhaven, founded by Morhaime, and Frost Giant, founded by Tim Morten and Tim Campbell, the production lead on StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void and the lead designer of Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne, respectively.
There's no word on what's next for Kaplan yet, but several of the biggest names at Blizzard leaving the company and then starting new ones staffed almost exclusively by former Blizzard developers probably isn't a good sign for the one of the most storied Western game studios, but only time will tell of these departures will impact Blizzard's games. Blizzard is still developing Diablo 4 and and Overwatch 2, neither of which have release dates.
Ask anyone what the best video game movie is, and odds are they'll tell you it's the original Mortal Kombat movie, which was released in 1995. It's not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, but it is an enjoyable one, and its managed to enter popular culture culture like no video game adaptation before or since.
The new Mortal Kombat movie has a lot to live up to then. The new film releases in theaters and on HBO Max on April 23rd, 2021, and is the feature length debut of director Simon McQuoid. The cast features film, television, and martial arts talent and includes Lewis Tan as Cole Young, Jessica McNamee as Sonya Blade, Josh Lawson as Kano, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Raiden, Mehcad Brooks as Jackson Briggs, Ludi Lin as Liu Kang, Chin Han as Shang Tsung, Joe Taslim as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero, and Hiroyuki Sanada as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion.
I won't spoil the clip, but suffice it to say that there's plenty of both story and action here, and fans of the series will recognize some of the plot beats. The clip is well-shot and choreographed, so it should be sure to make Mortal Kombat fans happy. I know its made me more excited to see the film.
It's not a day that ends in 'Y' without people claiming that an extremely popular and competitive online game is dead.Here's what's up with #RIPFortnite.
If you've hopped on Twitter over the last several hours, you might have noticed that "RIP Fortnite" is a trending hashtag.
So what's the deal? Is Fortnite dead–like, actually dead? Are people just upset about changes in the newest season?
Here's everything you need to know about the "RIP Fortnite" hashtag.
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So here's the deal: Fortnite isn't shutting down or dead or whatever else you might want to call it. People are currently upset and tweeting with the "RIP Fortnite" hashtag for one of two reasons. The first is that they simply think the game and its community are old news and "dead." The other reason is a little bit more complicated.
Epic Games is trying to crack down on wager matches by telling popular streamers who promote them that they'll be banned unless they stop. Wager matches are exactly as they sound: a type of unofficial game mode that has people betting on who will win the match. Despite being against the Terms of Service agreement that every Fortnite player agrees to when playing the game, popular streamers like Clix have been promoting them.
Also won't be able to play arena with the amount of fucking stream snipers I have so will be starting to play Arena Box Fights!!!!!! orrr green vs purple go goated!
"RIP Fortnite" is trending because a lot of people think that these wager matches have been keeping the game alive. Even though it promotes gambling to children, a lot of people are upset over Epic Game's newfound strictness.
Cyberpunk 2077 had been one of the most hyped games of last year. However, much to the disappointment of fans, the game had a lot of issues at launch, and it failed to live up to expectations. In fact, the game's poor optimization on last-gen consoles led to its removal from the PlayStation Store.
After the backlash it received at launch, the developers posted an apology promising fans that it will be releasing two major updates to fix the issues the game had. The 1.1 Patch was released back in January, and it did bring a number of improvements to the game, ranging from crash fixes to memory usage improvements. Here is what we know about the next patch, Update 1.2 so far.
When CD Projekt Red issued an apology back in December, it had stated that the first patch will come in January, followed by the second one in February. The first patch came on time, but just after that, the company was hit by a cyber attack that disrupted its plans, causing the patch to be delayed.
ICYMI, last week we presented a selection of changes from the upcoming Patch 1.2 along with some insights from our developers.
The update is currently being tested and we will be sharing patch notes ahead of its release, so you know what's coming. Stay tuned for more info! https://t.co/fcHgVN3Sht
Now, the patch is slated to be releasing this month itself. With just less than a week left for March to end, we will get the 1.2 Update pretty soon. However, as of now, the release date hasn't been announced. That being said, the developers have stated that the patch is being tested, so it shouldn't be long before we get the update.
Cyberpunk 2077 Update 1.2: Patch Notes
The patch notes of the 1.2 Update haven't been shared yet. However, in a recent Night City news report, the developers have highlighted what fans can expect from the update. Here is a gist of everything confirmed so far.
Police will be responding to crimes slower than earlier.
Drones will be assisting the police in assessing crimes.
A new steering sensitivity slider will be added to the game.
The Steering has been optimized to make it smoother and more more consistent whenever there is a drop in the framrate.
A new feature will be added which help players get their cars freed when stuck
Right now, double tapping on a movement key makes the character dodge. This will be disabled in the next update.
The second episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldieris now available on Disney+ and many fans were left with the same question, who is Isaiah Bradley?
For those that may not have caught up with the latest episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier you have been officially warned, there are spoilers ahead.
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Who Is Isaiah Bradley?
Episode 2 of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced a brand new character to the MCU, Isaiah Bradley. The new character was portrayed by Carl Lumbly and although this is his first appearance in the MCU, it appears the character is a pivotal part of the super-soldier storyline.
Isaiah Bradley isn't a made-up character just for the MCU, he is actually a character that appeared in the Marvel comic books. Bradley is depicted as an early outcome of the USA's Super-Soldier program, which fans will know is how Steve Roger's Captain America came into existence during World War II.
In simpler terms, Isaiah Bradley is another Captain America. In the Marvel Comic Book universe, Isaiah took on the name of Captain America after it was presumed Steve Rogers had died.
During Episode 2, Sam and Bucky head to Baltimore to meet Isaiah Bradley, who is now an elderly and confused man.
Bradley informed Bucky and Sam that he stopped using his powers a long time ago because he believed the process of being turned into a super-soldier was government-sanctioned torture. Bucky then insists that Bradley was a hero and one of the soldiers that HYDRA truly feared. Bucky knows that HYDRA feared Isaiah because the two were on opposite sides back in the '50s.
It looks like this won't be the last time we see or hear of Isaiah Bradley, but fans will have to wait until next Friday (April 2) to see where Episode 3 takes The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 2
Fans can watch "The Star Spangled Man", which is the second episode of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, right now on Disney+.
The runtime is 50 minutes long, so get comfy, get the snacks, and get watching!
New episodes of The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are released every Friday.
[Announcement] The #AnimalCrossing@Sanrio Collaboration Pack amiibo cards are available starting today! Use them with Animal Crossing: New Horizons and bring some Sanrio cuteness to your island. Available exclusively at @Target. @HelloKittypic.twitter.com/VqfqnN0FDB
The other (confirmed) major event happening in April is everybody's favourite, Bunny Day.
While this year's event kicks off in just a couple of days, on March 28, the main Bunny Day is set for April 4 and will contain a range of "new items" for players to collect.
On top of that, Nintendo has already confirmed via their official Animal Crossing: New HorizonsTwitter account, a range of other events. These are:
Nature Day (April 15- April 22) – Inspired by support for the environment, players will be able to purchase a "Cool Globe" from Nook Shopping.
Sinimogi (April 1- April 10) – Another nature focused event, Sinimogi is a day about caring for forests and planting trees. It originated in South Korea. During the event window, players will be able to order a "Forsythia" plant.
Prom (April 1 – April 30) – April is all about prom season in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. For the whole month, players will be able to purchase a range of prom-based items including a Sash, Prom Floor and Prom Wall.
April Fools Day (March 26 – April 1) – For the next few days, players will be able to purchase everybody's favourite prank item, the whoopee cushion. A range of colours will be available until the April Fools Day itself.
The Risk of Rain 2 Bandit skin is the first new addition to the recently joined character that you can unlock through a simple challenge.
Risk of Rain 2 Anniversary Update was rolled out recently, adding tons of new content, items, playable characters, and cosmetics to the game. One of the new additions is Bandit, the new playable characters who have also received an alternative skin that can be unlocked easily.
MORE GUIDES: Risk of Rain 2 Planula Boss Item Stats
How to Complet the Bandit Challenge and Get the Skin?
In order to complete the Bandit challenge and get the alternative Risk of Rain 2 Bandit skin, you will only need to kill 15 enemies while playing as Bandit. The only thing you should keep in mind is to finish all of those enemies with your revolver. If you don't, the challenge will be failed, since you need 15 finishes with your revolver in a row.
How to Play as Heretic
Aside from Bandit, there's also a new class that can you play as in the game right now. If you manage to obtain all the Heresy items including Hooks of Heresy, Visions of Heresy, Strides of Heresy, and Essence of Heresy, you will turn into a new character called Heretic. The new character cannot be unlocked permanently, which means every time you want to play as them, you need to collect the aforementioned items once again.
What is Risk of Rain 2?
Risk of Rain 2 is a third-person roguelike action game where you can team up with your friends and starting finishing different stages by completing the objectives. The more you stay at a certain level, the stronger the enemies become. So, you need to climb up the stages as fast as you can to avoid super challenging enemies.
Risk of Rain 2 is now available on PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and PC.
A brand new Anniversary Update forRisk of Rain 2 went live on March 25 and not only brought with it a new hidden character, but a brand new Boss Item known as the Planula.
We've put together a full guide surrounding the Planula Item, including how you can get your hands on it and what the stats are surrounding the newly included item.
Part of the new Anniversary updated included a hidden character known as the Heretic, if you want to know how you can play as this secret character check out the link below.
The Planula is a healing item that was added in the Anniversary Update on March 25. It can only be obtained by defeating a boss, but not just any boss drops this new item.
In order to get the Planula in Risk of Rain 2, you will need to defeat the Grandparent Boss Monster. The Grandparent Boss is a new type of boss monster that was also added in the March 25 Anniversary Update.
This is the only way to obtain the Planula Item, it cannot be obtained from chests. Boss items also only drop if its respective boss monster spawned as the teleporter boss.
Planula Boss Item Stats
So, what does the Planula do exactly? Well, it's a healing item that doesn't do much apart from heal the player.
The Planula allows the player to receive flat healing when attacked, according to the Risk of Rain 2 wiki the Planula will "Heal from incoming damage for 15 (+15 per stack)".
Risk of Rain 2 Anniversary Update
There was a big update for Risk of Rain 2 on March 25, the Anniversary Update went live for the game and brought with it a lot of new content.
You can find the full patch notes and everything you need to know about the Anniversary Update at the link below:
The time has arrived – Monster Hunter Rise is here and players all over the world are beginning the hunt.
Those who pre-ordered Capcom's latest entry into the series received some interesting pre-order bonuses, in the form of Layered Armor. Those who purchased the Deluxe Edition would have received some too.
Here is everything you need to know about the bonuses.
WATCH OUT – Apex Rathalos to Join Monster Hunter Rise next month.
What Layered Armor is available in Monster Hunter Rise?
For pre-ordering Monster Hunter Rise, players gained access to a pair of Layered Armor items, they are as follows:
Palamute Retriever Costume layered armour
Palico Forest Cat Costume layered armour
Players who purchased the Deluxe Edition of the game also gained access to three more Layered Armor items – these are:
Kamurai Hunter layered armor set
Shuriken Collar Palamute layered armor piece
Fish Collar Palico layered armour piece
How to redeem and equip the Layered Armor pre-order bonus.
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Redeeming these items is relatively simple.
First of all, players need to get far enough through the game to speak to Hinoa, the Quest Maiden.
Following that, players should receive a prompt, letting them know the extra content is available.
From there, players can head across to the courier (who is actually a Palico) and initiate a conversation with them. Players will need to select the "Add-on Content" option and then they can simply accept all items.
Equipping the items is equally as simple. Players just head across to the Item Box, select the "Layered Armor Sets" section and then equip the armor they require.
Today is the day that eager Monster Hunting fans have been waiting for as it hits the Nintendo Switch.
Unless you are one of Masaki Hiyama's employees, who runs Japanese VR development company, Mark-on, and you have been given the day off, chances are that you're going to have to wait until after work to play Monster Hunter Rise.
Or maybe you were clever enough to book it off. Either way, Monster Hunter Rise releases today on the Nintendo Switch. While players will want to get stuck in and start their hunting spree as soon as possible, let's start off with how you can look your best killing monsters.
How to change your appearance in Monster Hunter Rise
We all know what it'slike to get fed up with how we appear after awhile so thankfully, changing how you look in Monster Hunter Rise can happen without fuss at any time.
All players have to do is head to their room in Kamura by quick travelling and opening the Item Box or alternatively, players can interact with the Item Box near Hinoa by choosing to change their appearance from the options.
Once you have done that, you'll then notice a screen that allows you to change up how you look in character creation like when you initially started to craft your character at the beginning.
You'll then have the choice of choosing different options from clothes, makeup and hair to eyebrows and whether you would like a fancy beard. Just to be clear, you can't change your gender or change how your Palamute or Palico looks.
What time does Monster Hunter Rise release on the Nintendo Switch?
Monster Hunter Rise should be released today at 12 a.m. Eastern on March 26, 2021, in North America. In The UK, players who pre-ordered the game will get a sneak peek before everyone else the night before but for those who haven't preordered, they should be able to get stuck in at 2 pm GMT
How long is Monster Hunter Rise?
Depending, of course, how you like to play your games and if you like to rush opposed to taking your time, that will factor into the game's length but generally speaking, it should take somewhere around 20 to 30 hours to complete the story of Monster Hunter Rise.
If you want to play as the Heretic class, you need to find the Risk of Rain 2 Essence of Heresy and Hooks of Heresy items as well as the two other Heresy collectibles.
Risk of Rain 2 Anniversary Update is now officially live in the game and players have access to a wide variety of new content for continuing their exploration in the game.
ROGUELIKE: Risk of Rain 2 Anniversary Update Patch Notes
If you have already checked out the Risk of Rain 2 Anniversary Update patch notes, you are aware of the new additions such as the Heretic class. As you may already know, this not an unlockable class, but you can turn yourself into a Heretic by collecting all Heresy items.
Risk of Rain 2 Essence of Heresy and Hooks of Heresy are two new Heresy items that have been added to the game with the latest update.
How to Obtain Risk of Rain 2 Essence of Heresy and Hooks of Heresy?
In order to obtain the Hooks of Heresy and Essence of Heresy items, you will need to complete the Blockade Breaker challenge.
In addition to the two Heresy items above, you are going to obtain the Visions of Heresy and Strides of Heresy items as well to turn into the Heretic.
Prior to the anniversary update, completing the Blockade Breaker challenge would only grant you Visions and Striders of Heresy, but now, it provides all four heresy items to players.
Unfortunately, you cannot unlock Heretic at the moment. Every time that you want to play as Heretic, you will need to obtain the four Heresy items again.
Risk of Rain 2 is now available on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. This is a roguelike game with a huge popularity thanks to its varied gameplay elements and multiple playable classes and characters, each with their own abilities.
A brand new Anniversary Update forRisk of Rain 2went live on March 25, and it brought a brand new mystery survivor known as the Heretic.
Here's everything you need to know about the new character, and how you can play as the Heretic. If you haven't seen it already, DualShockers have got the full patch notes and information surrounding the Risk of Rain 2 Anniversary Update, you can check it out at the link below.
Risk of Rain 2 is a third-person shooter developed by Hopoo Games, it was released for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in August of 2020. The game most recently received an Anniversary Update to celebrate 2 years since the release of it's Early Access version.
The sequel to the popular title Risk of Rain follows a similar approach in terms of gameplay, up to four players must progress through several levels whilst taking out enemies.
Each of these levels will have a teleporter that players must find and activate, once activated they must survive the hoard of enemies and bosses until the teleporter is fully activated.
One of the biggest changes from the original title, is Risk of Rain 2 is now set in a 3D environment as opposed to 2D.
Risk of Rain 2 is available right now on Steam, PlayStaion 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.
How To Unlock Heretic In Risk of Rain 2
If you're wondering how you can play as Heretic after the latest update on March 25, here's how.
The Heretic is a unique character that isn't actually playable from the character select screen, instead, there's a different method to obtaining this character.
To play as the Heretic you will need to collect all four of the Heresy Items in-game, you will then turn into the Heretic. It's also worth noting that since the latest update, there has been two new Heresy Items added, meaning there are now four to collect.
Unfortunately, even after you collect the four Heresy Items, the Heretic won't become a selectable character to play with. If you want to continue playing as the Heretic in Risk of Rain 2, you will need to continuously collect the four items.
Heretic Skills
So what special abilities or skills does the Heretic have? Well, the abilities will come from the Heresy Item set. This means that you will have the following abilities as the Heretic:
Visions of Heresy – Hungering Gaze Fire a flurry of tracking shards that detonate after a delay, dealing 120% base damage.
Hooks of Heresy – Slicing Maelstrom Charge up a projectile that deals 175% damage per second to nearby enemies, exploding after 3 seconds to deal 700% damage and root enemies for 3 seconds.
Essence of Heresy – Ruin Dealing damage adds a stack of Ruin for 10 seconds. Activating the skill detonates all Ruin stacks at unlimited range, dealing 300% damage plus 120% damage per stack of Ruin.
Strides of Heresy – Shadowfade Fade away, becoming intangible and gaining +30% movement speed. Heal for 18.2% of your maximum health. Lasts 3 seconds.
The Heretic also has a total of 440 health (+132 per level) and deals a total of 18 damage (+3.6 per level).
Hardcore Gun Rush will dish out Double Rewards this week in Rockstar Games' Red Dead Online.
This week's Featured Series is a hardcore take on Gun Rush and Gun Rush Teams, one with no Ability Cards or Tonics. Those that come out on top can get an Offer good for 50% off a Hat up to Rank 15.
Not only will A New Source of Employment missions pay out Double this week, one can also get a free treasure map for completing any one.
Those that are a member of the Outlaw Pass No. 5 can receive a Reward for a free Accessory, Role Outfit, or Emote this week, in addition to 5 Fast Travel Vouchers and 2,000 Character XP.
Playing Red Dead Online from now to April 26 will grant players a Reward for 3,000 Club XP and 2 Miracle Tonics. All Camp setup fees will be waived too.
Take advantage of the following discounts this week:
50% off all Ammo
50% off all Provisions
40% off all Pistols and Revolvers
40% off all Off-Hand Holsters
40% off all Pamphlets
40% off all products sold by Wilderness Outfitters
40% off the Deluxe Campfire
40% off all Ponchos
Finally, Red Dead Online players that have connected their Rockstar Games Social Club account to their Prime Gaming account will receive Rewards for a Free Bounty Hunter License and a Free Trimmed Amethyst Bounty Wagon Livery. Those who connect to Prime Gaming before May 10 will receive Offers for a free Varmint Rifle and 30% off the Hunting Wagon, along with a Reward for 50 free Trader Goods.
The Soul Powered Savant will soon make her way to Capcom's Street Fighter V: Champion Edition as part of its latest Season Pass.
As one of the five new characters coming to the Street Fighter V Season Pass, Rose originally made her debut in Street Fighter Alpha. For fans of the anime and manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, she was modeled closely after Lisa Lisa from the Battle Tendency arc of the series.
This Italian fortune teller wields a mysterious form of energy known as Soul Power, which manifests itself with moves like Soul Illusion and Soul Throw. Her V-Triggers in Street Fighter V include Soul Fortune and Soul Satellite.
Rose brings with her the stage Marina of Fortune. In addition, players can also take advantage of the story, battle, nostalgia, summer, and track suit costumes with this DLC.
Learn more with the trailer below:
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition – Rose Gameplay Trailer
Street Fighter V is now available for the PlayStation 4 and PC via Steam. You can read our review of Street Fighter V: Champion Edition here.
The endro species needs your help to survive with DreamlessHero's new survival game Endro. These little creatures may seem innocent enough, but those that spend even the smallest amount of time with this title will want to quickly kill them all.
Endro Review
The endros of Endro come in four different varieties, each with their own perks. The Speed Endro shoots beams at enemies that slow their movement, the Shuriken Endro throws shurikens at enemies that inflict damage, the Shield Endro taunts enemies and can take a hit, and the Bomb Endro explodes when touched. Each of these creatures has a different point value, and players are given a set amount of points each round to allocate. No matter which one you choose, each has a single eye that packs a thousand-yard stare – creepy stuff.
It all seems simple enough, but things start to hit the fan once things begin in motion. Once the Endros of your choosing are available, players must find a way to dodge threats and survive as long as possible. Made up of different shapes and sizes, each enemy has a different movement and firing pattern that players must contend with. This normally wouldn't be so bad, but the execution is incredibly poor.
For one, the only way to prevent players from dying right away is to drag each one around with the mouse. There's no feedback or much of anything to go off of; as a result, it feels like players are moving files around rather than making an attempt for survival. With every endro doing their own thing, getting good at the game boils down to dragging and dropping until one wins. Things get that much worse when it comes to trying to take down enemies; those that don't have the proper Endro for the job will be at an absolute loss.
When each of these endros dies out, there's no flash or anything else; they just disappear without a trace. As a result, everything can feel anticlimactic. Though there are 10 different enemy types and five different bosses to contend with, the sterile black and white presentation lacks any sort of personality. What you see is what you get, and what you get are graphics that lack any sort of personality.
There's not much content-wise to encourage players to come back. The average run lasts a few minutes, there's no leaderboard, and there are no achievements to speak of. The proverbial carrot on a stick just isn't there, and as a result there simply is no incentive for players to dive back in and get better at the game.
Endro is a game without purpose. The poor, minimalistic presentation and gameplay devoid of strategy makes this title feel like a waste of time.
This review of Endro was done on the PC. The game was purchased digitally.
The endro species needs your help to survive with DreamlessHero's new survival game Endro. These little creatures may seem innocent enough, but those that spend even the smallest amount of time with
After more than 20 years, Square Enix's SaGa Frontier has received a remaster. Does this JRPG hold up to today's standards, or should you stick to some of the more modern players in the space? Check
A couple of years after Disco Elysium hit the scene, ZA/UM has released the Final Cut on the PlayStation 5. Find out if the game is worth checking out two years later with our review
A risk-reward title that encourages wild driving, kunstwerk's SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID (yes, we checked that we spelled that correctly) has players burning rubber to get ahead. Does this time-honored
Yesterday's Resident Evil showcase provided a number of new details regarding Capcom's upcoming survival horror title Resident Evil Village.
This title asks players how far somebody would go to save the one they love. The protagonist Ethan Winters has had everything taken from him, and must fight for both his daughter Rosemary and for survival. Along the way, Ethan must contend with both Mother Miranda and the evil Alcina Dimitrescu. According to the director, the title was designed as a horror movie that you can play.
See it in action with the fourth trailer for the game below:
Resident Evil Village – 4th Trailer
Resident Evil Village Director Morimasa Sato also recorded a video regarding Resident Evil Village's The Mercenaries mode. See how this fan-favorite mode has evolved for this entry with the video below:
Resident Evil Showcase | April – The Mercenaries
The game will come out for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PC via Steam, and Google Stadia on May 7, 2021. The PC version of the game in particular will feature both ray tracing and AMD FidelityFX.
Version 1.5 of miHoYo's Genshin Impact, Beneath the Light of Jadeite, will make its debut on April 28, 2021.
This update gives players the chance to experience the second installment of Zhongli's story quest. A new series of Hangout Events will also give players the chance to spend time with Diona and Noelle.
Also new to the game are the playable characters Eula and Yanfei. The Spindrift Knight Eula is a five-star character who is Captain of the Knights of Favonius Reconnaissance Company. She wields a claymore and the power of Cryo, dishing out AoE damage. She can also increase her resistance to interruption with her Elemental Burst and Elemental Skill. Meanwhile, The four-star Yanfei is a Pyro-using catalyst wielder that is a young half-human, half-illuminated beast. She has dedicated her life to studying, interpreting, and advising her clients on Liyue's laws.
The all-new Trounce Domain opponent, the "Lord of Vishaps "Azhdaha, will provide rare rewards once a week for travelers. The Cryo Hypostasis will make an appearance as a new Boss Enemy in Dragonspine.
Finally, the Traveler can explore their own personal realm with the Serenitea Pot item. This teapot allows players to build and decorate their home as they wish, with different house and realm styles available.
Learn more with the trailer below:
Version 1.5 "Beneath the Light of Jadeite" Trailer | Genshin Impact
The game is now available for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS and Android devices, with a PlayStation 5 version coming out April 28. You can read our review of the base game here, which we gave a score of 85/100.
Ahead of its release later this month, Bandai Namco, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company have released a new overview trailer for New Pokémon Snap.
This guided tour video for the game serves as a guide for what the Lental region is all about. Highlights include the ways players will be able to take in-game photographs of Pokémon, along with the behaviors these Pokémon show when witnessing the mysterious Illumina phenomenon. Pokémon behaviors include creatures patrolling their territory, playing, or lurking in out-of-the-way spots.
Take the tour for yourself below:
New Pokémon Snap – Overview Trailer – Nintendo Switch
In New Pokémon Snap, the photos players will take can be used to fill your own Pokémon Photodex. Photos are scored based on such factors as each Pokémon's pose, how large they appear, and how directly they're facing you in the frame. Rare Pokémon behaviors can also be captured, which help aid in its in-game rankings system. For those who captured the perfect shot, players will be able to share their favorite photos with family and friends in-game.
The game will come out for the Nintendo Switch on April 30, 2021.
Dive back into the world of Fabraz and Playtonic's Demon Turf Trials with the latest mega update to the game.
Performance-wise, this update features a number of fundamental and structural changes, including a faster start-up time, faster loading times, and better memory usage. Players now have more options to adjust performance per machine. Visuals have also received improvements as well, with a new anti-aliasing method, better gamma setting values, and improvements to shadows.
Of course, the bread and butter of a game like this is its platforming, and the gameplay has received a number of improvements as well. A Super Dribble has been added, camera values have been adjusted, and tweaks have been made to the gliding.
See some of the best players in the Demon Turf Trials community with the trailer below:
Demon Turf Trials: The Champions!
Demon Turf is a 3D platformer that has Beebz jumping, spinning and punching her way in a quest to take over the Demon Turfs and become the Demon Queen. Along the way, players will make use of momentum-driven combat and self-placed checkpoints.
You can grab the free Demon Turf Trials demo here.
Bunkovsky Games and Playstack's charming, cheeky, and strategic roguelike deck-builder Rise of the Slime will come out for PC and consoles this spring.
Featuring turn-based, positional combat, Rise of the Slime puts players in the shoes of the titular squidgy hero Slime. To get ahead, players must quick step, push, and flip behind enemies to gain an advantage. Locales include sizzling fire swamps, toxic marshlands, and breezy unfurling gardens.
Keeping things fresh are shifting routes, gameplay mutators, and hundreds of deck build variations. With more than 100 magical cards at launch, the creator Maris Bunkovsky has set out to make sure that no two playthroughs are the same.
Learn more with the trailer below:
Rise of the Slime – Announcement Trailer | PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S
The game will come out for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The title previously had an Early Access period on Steam.
Learn more about the features coming to the PC version of Bend Studio and PlayStation Studio's Days Gone with the latest trailer for the game.
This version of the game will include ultra-wide monitor support, unlocked framerates and improved graphics. Players will be able to take advantage of increased details, field of view and foliage draw distances. Gameplay-wise, this title will also include a New Game Plus mode, a Survival mode, a Challenge mode, and a number of different bike skins.
See it in action with the trailer below:
Days Gone – Features Trailer | PC
Originally released for the PlayStation 4, Days Gone is set in a post-apocalyptic Oregon and stars former outlaw-turned-drifter Deacon St. John. In order to contend with the "Freakers," players must make use of different firearms, melee weapons and improvised weapons. A motorcycle can also be used to manage inventory and traverse its world.
The game will come out on May 18, 2021 for Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Learn more about the voices coming to ININ Games' Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World with the latest trailer for the game.
Dubbed the "Voices of Monster World," the trailer details the voice over talent that is coming to this version of the game. Rising star Fairouz Ai will voice Asha, Praprill XIII, and Pepelogoo, with other characters being voiced as well.
Hear them in action with the trailer below:
The various voices of Monster World (ESRB)
Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World stays true to the series' roots, being developed by the original members of Westone Bit. The original creator Ryuichi Nishizawa is joined by Character Designer Maki Ōzora, Composer Shinichi Sakamoto, and Creative Manager Takanori Kurihara. The title will pay host to cel-shaded 3D graphics and 2D gameplay, along with enhanced visuals and quality of life improvements with the gameplay.
The game will come out in Q2 2021 in North America, Europe, and Australia for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The physical version of the game will include the original Monster World IV.
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