Apr 29, 20:00


Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 3:10 PM
    

Overwatch had a nontraditional approach to keeping score. Typically, competitive shooters like Apex Legends and PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds keep a running list of kills, points, and team ranking on a shared scoreboard. Overwatch, instead, used a less specific system that awarded an individual gold, silver, and…

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Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 2:55 PM
    

Here's how I know Nintendo Switch Sports is a good party game: I now hate my friends.

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Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 1:20 PM
    

I don't need to tell you that the Call of Duty franchise is massively popular. Equally, you're already well aware that the Modern Warfare sub-franchise within Call of Duty is pretty successful too. So it's no surprise that we are getting another Call of Duty Modern Warfare, this one a sequel to the 2019 MW reboot.…

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Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 12:55 PM
    

Yesterday, Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse announced that the latest update for their open world RPG would be delayed, a first for a live service game that's been reliably consistent for the past two years. The official Twitter account said that version 2.7 would be postponed because of "project progress," and that…

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Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 12:45 PM
    

If there's anything that's going to finally get me back into the terrifying prospect of a crowded, dark room with poor ventilation, it's Sam Raimi directing a Doctor Strange sequel. But unless Strange PhD has cast another of his wayward spells, I'm going to be spending far too much time staring at the background…

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Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 12:40 PM
    

RIP Wii Sports. Bowling only has ten pins. Boxing is gone. The most anticipated mode—golf—isn't even available yet. But perhaps the most egregious crime committed by Nintendo Switch Sports is how it totally sidelines Miis, the lovable oddball player-created avatars who've defined Nintendo accounts for years. However,…

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Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 12:30 PM
    

The Overwatch 2 beta has arrived, and it's come bearing gifts for tank and damage players who've received a bunch of new bells and whistles to mess around with. But alas, healers, the stalwart cornerstone of the team-based shooter, are feeling left by the wayside. Blizzard just rolled out a patch for the beta, and…

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PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 1:23 PM
     Valheim update shows off new Mistlands creatures and ruins

Developer Iron Gate has posted a short but tantalising Valheim update to the game's Steam news page, providing fresh information on development for the survival game's newest Mistlands biome. The update shows off a couple of structures that the Valheim dev team has been working on for the Mistlands, with some rather striking stone designs, as well as unveiling the biome's first mammal, the Mistlands hare.

The work-in-progress Mistlands area, which is the first new biome since the game's release, is still under construction. While you can visit it in-game, there is currently very little there and no active creature spawns can be found. Originally it featured giant trees and spiderwebs, although these were removed in a patch last November and the current location is fairly barren.

The Iron Gate team says that "just like the other areas of Valheim, the Mistlands were once a place where civilisations of old built homes and strongholds alike. In the past month we have been finalising the designs of these structures and we quite like how they fit in the world!" The devs note that these designs may change somewhat before they arrive in the final game, as they have been built mostly intact but the intention is to turn them into weathered ruins to emphasise their age.

RELATED LINKS: Valheim system requirements, Valheim building tips, Valheim progression guide

PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 3:48 PM
     Genshin Impact 2.7 delay announced by Miyoho

Developer Mihoyo has announced a Genshin Impact 2.7 delay, stating that the next big Genshin Impact 2.7 release date has been temporarily postponed. The delay is likely at least in part due to the recent COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai where Mihoyo is based. This means players will have to wait a bit longer for the much anticipated new Genshin Impact characters Yelan and Kuki Shinobu, who are due to arrive in the version 2.7 update.

Fans of the open-world RPG were anticipating a May 11 release date for version 2.7, based on the regular six week development cycle that Genshin Impact updates have mostly stuck to in the past. However, this announcement almost certainly means that the update will be arriving a little later down the line. The official Genshin Impact Twitter account which announced the delay did not give a specific timeframe, but said Mihoyo "will provide the corresponding information to Travellers as soon as possible."

Datamined information for Genshin Impact 2.7 means some of the key components of the update are already out there. Part of the 2.7 trailer has been leaked, though it doesn't give away much new information. New character Yelan's ascension materials are already likely known, so check out our guide if you want to use the extra time provided by the delay to prepare the things you need to level her up when she arrives.

RELATED LINKS: Play Genshin Impact for free, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide

PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 3:46 PM
     Genshin Impact 2.7 release date, delay, and banners

Want to know about the Genshin Impact 2.7 release date? Genshin Impact's 2.6 update dropped on March 30, and we already have enough information on the next update to highlight what's coming up next. The devs have even officially confirmed two new Genshin Impact characters, both of which are rumoured to join the open-world game next month.

Datamined information for Genshin Impact 2.7 has already appeared online, giving us a glimpse of Yelan and Kuki Shinobu's abilities. We also know what Yelan's ascension materials are likely to be - check out our guide to gather everything you need ahead of time to level up her talents immediately.

Most of the leaks in the Genshin Impact 2.7 update focus on the new characters, with more information to come over the next few weeks. We've put together a guide on everything that's being talked about currently, and we'll update it as more information comes to light. Here's everything we know about the Genshin Impact 2.7 update so far.

RELATED LINKS: Play Genshin Impact for free, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 6:47 PM
    

Our Nate (RPS in peace) is a big fan of Age Of Empires 2, calling it the best strategy game ever made and, in his Definitive Edition review saying it was still that, "but now, there's a lot more of it."

Well, there's more of it again, now, with the release of the Dynasties Of India DLC. If you want to watch an elephant headbutt a pyramid until it bursts, watch the trailer below.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 6:07 PM
    

For me, the fun of Rocket League lies entirely in how its supersonic acrobat rocket-powered battle cars control. That means it's still fun even if you remove the ball and, say, turn it into a free-for-all battle royale about punting opponent cars out of bounds. That's what the time limited Knockout Bash mode does, which is available from now until May 10th.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 5:39 PM
    

Creative Assembly have laid out the 2022 development roadmap for Total War: Warhammer 3. It contains detailed descriptions of the fixes and balance tweaks to come over the next few months, but the exciting stuff will all land this autumn, including the series-spanning Immortal Empires, mod tools and the first of several revamps for the series' older races.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 4:56 PM
    

Pirate 'em up Skull & Bones has been delayed and delayed, and is currently expected to reach port sometime this year or next. It's been a while since we last saw it in action, but four minutes of footage leaked earlier today, showing a walkthrough of the game designed to prime journalists or testers before they play the game.

The seemingly old footage has already been taken down, but the official Skull & Bones Twitter account has tweeted a hint that it won't be long before we see something more official.

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Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 6:35 PM
     Today Cloud Imperium Games released the new Alpha update for Star Citizen, numbered 3.17, alongside a few new videos.

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 4:53 PM
     Today third-party developers had news and releases to share for Microsoft Flight Simulator add-ons, including the launch of the BAE 146.

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 2:46 PM
     Despite releasing back in 2017, Dead Cells is still going strong, releasing plenty of DLC, each of which is packed to the brim with new features, maps, and gameplay tweaks. At PAX East, I got to sit down and speak with the developers behind the game, picking their brains regarding the future plans for the […]

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 2:42 PM
     Nippon Ichi Software released another trailer of the upcoming real-time strategy JRPG GrimGrimoire OnceMore.

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 2:19 PM
     Announced today in a tweet is that Until Dawn spiritual successor The Quarry has officially gone gold and is on track for its June 10 release date. The tweet includes a short video celebrating the news with a nice campfire setting. The tweet reads: #TheQuarry has officially gone GOLD and we're extremely proud of our […]

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 1:04 PM
     Ryu Ga Gotoku studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama provided a small development update on the next Yakuza game from Nico Nico Chokaigi.

Siliconera Friday, April 29, 2022 3:00 PM
    

best nintendo sports game wii bowling

The release of Nintendo Switch Sports has us thinking: which Nintendo sports game is the best? There are a lot of 'em, and many could be a favorite! Here are our choices.


I'm going to make it hard for all of the rest of you by going with Wii Sports Bowling. It's easy to play. You feel good about yourself, because it isn't destined for the gutters like it is in real life. You get to be active, but not "exhausted and sweaty" active. Everyone can play it. There's a great balance to this inviting sport. — Jenni

best nintendo sports game ring fit adventure

Do fitness games count as sports games? I hope so, because I really had (and continue to have) a blast with Ring Fit Adventure. One of the longstanding issues with fitness games since the Wii era has been the suspicion that they just can't give an adult a workout that beats a decent selection of exercise videos (or a gym membership) without being as boring as those things.

Even certified classics like Wii Sports and Wii Fit tend to treat the exercise aspect as incidental while paying lip service to the idea that a game can help you stay healthy. Ring Fit finally proved it, though, by actually having challenging, resistance-based exercises using the included resistance ring. It isn't perfect (I still curse the leg strap at least once a week), but it's a great tool for getting you moving in a way that regular walks and stretches don't, while keeping things fun and breezy. — Josh

best nintendo sports game nintendo pocket football club calciobit

Nintendo and its development partners have really refined what makes a great sports game, over and over. So the game I want to highlight? It could really use a more substantial shot. Nintendo Pocket Football Club, only released in PAL territories on the 3DS eShop, updated and polished Japanese release Calciobit into a real gem.

Way more approachable than Football Manager, NPFC takes a Kairosoft-like approach to building and training up a soccer team. There are fun players to recruit! There are powerful training combos to find! And hey, there's something about watching your hard work make a difference on the pitch.

If only developer ParityBit would take a breather from Derby Stallion releases and give the partnership another shot. — Graham


What is your favorite Nintendo sports game? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And read our other handy roundtables for more thoughts from the Siliconera team.

The post What's the Best Nintendo Sports Game? appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, April 29, 2022 2:00 PM
    

Hololive Houshou Marine Pop Up Parade Figure Costs Slightly More Than Usual

Another Hololive Vtuber Pop Up Parade figure is on the way, as one for Houshou Marine is up next. It will show up in Japan in September 2022 and North America in November 2022. This one is also more expensive than usual. It will cost ¥5,500/$49.99. Following the announced price increase for the line. these figures normally cost ¥4,800/$43.99. Good Smile Company didn't mention a reason for the increased cost.

Marine is part of the third generation of Japanese Hololive Vtubers. She's in Hololive Fantasy alongside Shirogane Noel and Usada Pekora. She is the captain of the Houshou Pirates. Though really, that is her dream and she just dresses up as one. She's wearing that outfit in her figure. This means she has her normal hat and eyepatch. Also, she's wearing an oversized coat.

Here's a closer look at the upcoming Pop Up Parade figure.
[gallery ids="925716,925717,925718" link="file"]

Another Hololive Fantasy figure appeared recently. Good Smile Company opened up pre-orders for the Noel figma in April 2022 too. The knight will come with her mace and a beef bowl when she's released.

The Pop Up Parade figure of Hololive Vtuber Houshou Marine will appear in September 2022 in Japan and November 2022 in North America. Pre-orders are open until May 25, 2022.

The post Houshou Marine Pop Up Parade Figure Costs Slightly More Than Usual appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, April 29, 2022 1:00 PM
    

FFVII Remake Bright Arts Gallery Cactaur and Tonberry Figures Will Appear in 2023

Square Enix announced two new pieces of Final Fantasy VII merchandise. This time, they feature monsters from the remake. They're also part of an entirely new line of decorations. The FFVII Remake Bright Arts Gallery Cactaur and Tonberry figures are in the works. Both are expected to appear in January 2023.

Each Bright Arts Gallery FFVII Remake figure is $39.99. Both are die cast metal figures. Of the two, the Cactaur is slightly taller. It will stand at 2.64 inches tall. The Tonberry will be only a little smaller. Its height is listed at 2.17 inches. Square Enix didn't note the exact materials. However, the colors and design make them exactly resemble the foes' in-game appearances.

Here is the Tonberry. It will carry its lantern and knife in its pose.
[gallery ids="925694,925695,925696" link="file"]

And here is the FFVII Remake Bright Arts Gallery Cactaur.
[gallery columns="2" ids="925698,925697" link="file"]

Square Enix regularly releases merchandise based on FFVII and its remake. For example, one of the more recent items is a Buster Sword alarm clock. It has different color options and plays songs from the game for its alarms.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC. The FFVII Remake Cactaur and Tonberry Bright Arts Gallery figures are expected to release in January 2023.

The post FFVII Remake Bright Arts Gallery Cactaur and Tonberry Will Appear in 2023 appeared first on Siliconera.


Siliconera Friday, April 29, 2022 12:30 PM
    

Hololive Error Train Arc Begins and Gets Its Own Site

Hololive Error is Cover's horror project starring its Vtubers and telling a story that appears in videos and an upcoming horror game. Now that a new arc kicked off, there is a new site to go with it. The Hololive Error Train Arc began with episode 9, and people can now explore a site alongside the three episodes in this portion of the story.

First, in case people missed out, here are the three most recent episodes in this arc. Keep in mind that if you didn't watch the first eight episodes, there will be spoilers and you might get lost. There are English subtitles for each one, should someone turn on closed captions.

First, here's Chapter 9: The Ghost of Aogami Station, the episode that kicks off the Train Arc. Oozora Subaru shows up as Ukai Kaoru, Yozora Mel appears as Kisaragi Saya, Ookami Mio appears as Kamishiro Miku, Shirakami Fubuki plays Shirayuki Inari, and Yukihana Lamy is Yukihara Touka.

Episode 10 is Error in Normalcy. It adds Usada Pekora as Mizuta Uzuki.

The most recent episode is Chapter 11: Ghost Train. It launched on April 29, 2022 and focuses on the main "player" character, Uzuki, and Akane. However, Yuka is comes up as well.

As for the site, it gathers information about this arc together. People can see a story synopsis, the profiles of the characters present in this section, and direct links to the latest chapters in the story.

The Hololive Error Train Arc is ongoing. The full version of the Hololive Error game will appear in 2022.

The post Hololive Error Train Arc Begins and Gets Its Own Site appeared first on Siliconera.

Apr 29, 12:00


Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 11:05 AM
    

Narrated test footage for Skull and Bones has leaked online, showing off a big part of the blockbuster's transformation since it was last officially shown at E3 2018. It's pretty and also looks like a textbook modern Ubisoft game. Players will collect blueprints, loot materials, and build up their infamy rank to get…

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Kotaku Friday, April 29, 2022 9:45 AM
    

Hope Wallston—an ex-realtor, single mother, and blogger within The Sims 4— has been living inside of fellow Sims Rodney and Kristyn's walls for nearly two months. Her captor, the TikTok account @simslicious, has been documenting all the ups and downs of her imprisonment, which includes a visit from Santa and,…

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PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 11:50 AM
     Genshin Impact 2.7 delay announced by Miyoho

Developer Mihoyo has announced a Genshin Impact 2.7 delay, stating that the next big 2.7 update has been temporarily postponed. The delay is likely at least in part due to the recent COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai where Mihoyo is based. This means players will have to wait a bit longer for the much anticipated new Genshin Impact characters Yelan and Kuki Shinobu, who are due to arrive in the version 2.7 update.

Fans of the open-world RPG were anticipating a May 11 release date for version 2.7, based on the regular six week development cycle that Genshin Impact updates have mostly stuck to in the past. However, this announcement almost certainly means that the update will be arriving a little later down the line. The official Genshin Impact Twitter account which announced the delay did not give a specific timeframe, but said Mihoyo "will provide the corresponding information to Travellers as soon as possible."

Datamined information for Genshin Impact 2.7 means some of the key components of the update are already out there. Part of the 2.7 trailer has been leaked, though it doesn't give away much new information. New character Yelan's ascension materials are already likely known, so check out our guide if you want to use the extra time provided by the delay to prepare the things you need to level her up when she arrives.

RELATED LINKS: Play Genshin Impact for free, Genshin Impact character tier list, Genshin Impact leveling guide

PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 11:15 AM
     Final Fantasy 16 update: RPG in

Naoki Yoshida, producer on Final Fantasy 16 alongside his work on the hugely successful MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, has given a Final Fantasy 16 update in an interview with Uniqlo Japan's in-store magazine saying that FF16 is in the final stages of development. Via translation by aitaikimochi on Twitter, Yoshida hopes that players who have drifted away from Final Fantasy will find it to be a game that reinvigorates "the passion that you once had with the series."

It's been a while since we heard much about the development of Final Fantasy XVI, with the upcoming JRPG having its development delayed "by almost half a year" due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans were reassured that the game's next big reveal would be due in spring 2022, so this brief nugget of information should come as welcome news as it suggests things are still on track for the time being.

Yoshida's statement, part of an interview for a special 35th Anniversary edition of the Uniqlo magazine, also speaks to their general goals with the project. Yoshida emphasises that Final Fantasy XVI is designed to be a single-player experience which "focuses on the individual player and immerses you in the story."


PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 9:25 AM
     YouTuber beats Minecraft challenge run with no kills

Minecraft challenge runs are a staple of the crafting game's creator community. It's generally not what we'd call a violent game, but you do end up killing a surprising number of enemies in a normal playthrough - whether that's the zombies that bother you at the beginning, farming items from creatures in the Nether, or just slaying the Ender Dragon - and so a pacifist playthrough is trickier than you might think. You enact a lot of violence without ever really planning on it.

You don't have to though, and we know that now because of SwitchBackMongo, a Minecraft YouTuber who mainly plays in Hardcore. SwitchBackMongo decided that the cycle of violence had to end and embarked on a journey to defeat the game without killing any Minecraft mobs. Well, mostly. They technically didn't kill anything, but the explosive beds - that's right - they used around the Ender Dragon definitely did.

Anyone who's played Minecraft before will know that if you're looking for resources, you end up having to defend yourself. When you're deep in the crust of the overworld, skeletons, spiders, and creepers are all going to try and find and kill you, so just avoiding them is a fairly titanic effort. Even the simple act of grabbing some iron can get you into a fight or, y'know, killed. Remember, this is Hardcore, so death isn't an option.

RELATED LINKS: Minecraft console commands, Minecraft skins, Minecraft mods

PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 8:59 AM
     Total Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires release date: not before July

Creative Assembly has published the Total War: Warhammer 3 roadmap for its 2022 DLC releases, which includes two free Regiments of Renown unit packs and a rough window for the Total Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires release date. The RTS game's much-anticipated Immortal Empires DLC is set to release in Q3 2022 (July - September), which is probably later than fans would have hoped given that Warhammer II's Mortal Empires campaign released just a month after the base game's launch. Q3 will also see the arrival of mod tools with the Total War Assembly Kit.

The Total Warhammer III Immortal Empires combined map is scheduled to launch with update 2.0, and will unite all three Total War: Warhammer games into one grand-scale campaign for players that own all three of the titles. The mode will intially be available as an integrated open beta, and Creative Assembly calls it "a monumental undertaking that will continue to grow and evolve" over time.

Update 2.0 will also see overhauls for the remaining races who haven't been brought up to date with Total Warhammer III's newer mechanics. First up will be the Warriors of Chaos, who are likely to see new systems, units, and balance to help bring them up to speed with the current game. Also releasing alongside update 2.0 is the first true DLC pack, currently titled Lord Pack I. This will introduce new legendary lords, heroes, and other units which can be used in both grand campaign and multiplayer modes.

RELATED LINKS: Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC, Total War: Warhammer 3 races, Total War: Warhammer 3 review

PCGamesN Friday, April 29, 2022 7:27 AM
     Bungie's claim against Destiny 2 cheats seller dismissed

The everlasting struggle between game companies and cheat sellers rages on, with recent developments to a complaint filed by Bungie at a Seattle federal court. The FPS game's developer is accusing Destiny 2 cheats seller AimJunkies of both copyright and trademark infringement for its 'Destiny 2 Hacks' toolset. TorrentFreak reports that U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Zilly has now dismissed Bungie's claims of copyright infringement, although the trademark infringement accusations still stand.

Bungie had success in its ongoing fight against cheat manufacturers earlier this year when it successfully sued GatorCheats alongside Valorant developer Riot Games. The lawsuit ended with a £2 million settlement and the shutdown of GatorCheats. However, Bungie's case against AimJunkies has now hit a slight stumbling block with the Judge's ruling that Bungie "has not pleaded sufficient facts to plausibly allege that AimJunkies copied constituent elements of Bungie's work."

This does not mean the end of the case, as Judge Zilly concluded that the trademark infringement case was suitably pled. This refers to AimJunkies' unsolicited use of the Destiny name and logo in a manner which "is likely to cause confusion, mistake, or deception as to the source, origin, or authenticity of the cheat software." The Judge notes Bungie's claim "that it has invested substantial resources in marketing, advertising, and distributing" using the Destiny name and logo, meaning that its "false origin" claim (often tied into trademark infringement) is also being upheld.

RELATED LINKS: Destiny 2: Beyond Light review, Destiny 2 exotics, Play Destiny 2

Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 11:36 AM
    

Rarely has the threat to bite your thumb at someone resulted in all-out nuclear armageddon, but one group of Fallout 76 players will prove the exception tomorrow when they perform William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet live in the game. The Wasteland Theatre Company has even built a stage they say is modelled after London's Globe Theatre, renowned for its performances of the Bard's plays. They're a week late to celebrate Shakespeare's birthday, but I won't judge because I can't even add up properly in Freddos.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 11:30 AM
    

This is just superb.

I'm not a fan of most fighting games. All too often they have too many elaborate moves, too much memory testing, or they feel like glorified puzzles you have to figure out the one solution to.

Hats Are Not Allowed takes an approach I find far more interesting. Combat is pared down to a few basic principles, and the challenge comes from learning how to combine them, and timing is less about animations than about second guessing your opponent. I can't say it's one of the best dueling games ever, but it's the best one I've played for ages.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 10:30 AM
    

Battle royale spinoff and subtitle collector Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt launched this week , following a delay to address feedback from its early access phase. That included ample reports of performance issues, but fortunately, what I've played over the past couple of days points towards a much more stable brand of last-vamp-standing shootery. Let's take a look, then, at Bloodhunt's PC performance, system requirements and the best settings to tweak.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 10:30 AM
    

QA contractors working directly on the next Dragon Age with BioWare Edmonton have filed to unionise, just the latest in a string of such decisions affecting high-profile companies throughout the industry. The workers are employed by the internationally-operating contract services company Keywords Studios but contracted out to BioWare. They've now formed the KWS Edmonton United group and have named low pay and concern at being instructed back into the office while Covid-19 remains a danger as their reasons to seek collective bargaining.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 8:30 AM
    

A rooster calls, and the sun rises as I stock the shelves for another day in Winkeltje: The Little Shop, a business management game about running a little store in a fantasy town. I recently inherited Hefford's Hovel and, after a manic start, have managed to become well-known for my loaves of bread. Each day customers charge into the store and raid the various displays, tussling over freshly-baked rolls before scrambling home to slap them on a plate. It's mass hysteria, but what can I say? I make damn good bread.

Fresh meals are just one of six item categories you can sell in Winkeltje, but I don't need to worry about the rest. Over a few in-game days, your store starts to specialise in the goods you stock, so customers will visit expecting to find those same items. When you enter the Hovel, you're greeted with the toasty warmth of the oven as the scent of baking dough drifts through the air. You won't see us preparing potions or crafting clothes, no sir. For that, you'll have to go elsewhere.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 8:13 AM
    

Take chess, reduce one side to only the king, fill him with a terrible wrath, hand him a shotgun, then watch him go. That's Shotgun King, a roguelikelike turn-based shooter where units (mostly) move like chess pieces, only our lone king has a shotgun. It might sound like a throwaway joke game but Shotgun King is an interesting and fun challenge, especially when your upgrades also bestow different buffs upon the opposing army. And it has a free early version so you can have a go yourself.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 7:56 AM
    

The latest backstory video for Apex Legends has arrived, but it turns out Respawn and EA pulled a fast one on us when they supposedly confirmed the identity of rookie Legend Newcastle as Jackson Miller. So Newcastle isn't the Newcastle that's been in the Apex Legends backstory for ages, yet he is Newcastle. How does that work? Well, Jackson Williams is Newcastle now. He just wasn't always.

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Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Friday, April 29, 2022 6:57 AM
    

Shareholders in Activision Blizzard approved overwhelmingly to accept Microsoft Corporation's offer of $68.7 billion (£54.66 billion) to acquire the company at yesterday's Special Meeting of Stockholders. More than 98% of the shares voted in favour of the buyout offer, Activision Blizzard confirmed in a statement released on their website. The largest payment for a technology company in recorded history, toppling Dell's acquisition of EMC Data Storage from 2016, it's now expected the deal will conclude during Microsoft's fiscal year, which ends on June 30th 2023.

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Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 12:00 PM
     Today aNCHOR announced that the Muv-Luv Alternative manga has become available on the popular online reading portal and app INKR.

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 11:31 AM
     Microsoft has just revealed the four games that will be available for players through Games With Gold in May 2022. These games can be played by Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Live Gold subscribers at no extra cost. All four games are playable on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, while Xbox 360 users […]

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 11:29 AM
     Today D3 Publisher announced the Japanese release date of their upcoming action game Earth Defense Force 6.

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 10:09 AM
     "There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign." It's time to take control of the controller, as Dark Horse Direct is creating an amazing replica of Mass Effect's original Reaper, Sovereign. Standing in at 14 inches tall and weighing […]

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 9:52 AM
     Today, Lillymo Games' 2D shoot'em up, Habroxia 2, has finally made its way to the PS5. This news came by way of Twitter, where Co-Owner Colin Moriarty revealed that the title would be arriving on the platform and that PS4 owners would also get a copy for free. Alongside this news, Moriarty also revealed that […]

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 9:51 AM
     The official Genshin Impact Twitter account has just recently announced that the game's upcoming version 2.7 update will be delayed. The tweet mentions that there will be player compensation for the delay and that more details are on the way for those who are looking to get a grasp on the situation. New version updates […]

Twinfinite Friday, April 29, 2022 8:44 AM
     Developer 11 Bit Studios has announced that its acclaimed war-torn survival sim, This War of Mine: Final Cut, will be launching on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S next month. The expanded version of the Polish developer's strategy game will officially drop on May 10 and will bring with it a multitude of improvements. Specifically, This […]

Week in Review: Apple is up, Netflix is down, and Meta is just being annoying

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April 29, 2022
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Welcome to the Week in Review
Plus: How can a video of a helicopter catching a rocket be boring?
We’ve managed to make it through another week, and TechRadar’s UK team is planning for a three-day weekend, as there’s a public holiday on Monday – which is a double-edged sword for me.
 
On the one hand, it’s great to have some time off with the lovely family. On the other hand, we need to make sure we’re stocking up on top content for you all to keep reading while we pretend the weather is warm and that having a barbeque is a very good idea – and we’ve got some wonderful features going up.
 
Anyway, back to the week that was. Apple managed to – once again – rack up some incredible profits, Netflix seems to be flummoxed, and we go back in time to look at the history of wireless headphones. It’s a good one this week, I promise.

Gareth Beavis, Global Editor-in-Chief
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Start with This
Apple shines brighter than ever
(Shutterstock)
You might look at Apple’s latest monster financial quarter, during which it earned $97.3 billion – mostly on the back of an apparently very well-received iPhone 13 line – and only see the headline number of dollars the company is making.
 
Maybe you’ll equate it to how many of the latest thing you bought you could get with that money – I could get about 20 billion smoothies, for instance.
 
But whenever these financials come out, there’s always one thing I’m looking out for, and that’s services. That’s Apple Pay, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+ – the stuff that isn’t hardware but which brings decent amounts of money into the Apple coffers. And this quarter, the services numbers have been pretty robust, with 825 million paying subscribers plumping things up to the tune of $19.8 billion. 
 
That number in itself doesn’t mean much – but what it does do is show that there are close to a billion people who are more ‘locked in’ to the Apple ecosystem than ever before. We’re not just talking iTunes being the place where you have all your MP3s, so moving to another platform would be annoying; this is people using their iPhone to pay for things, or to get fit, or to watch TV shows, and being less likely to get off that carousel when it’s time to upgrade.
 
Of course, it doesn’t mean there aren’t good alternatives: Google Pay is great, Spotify rocks, and there are a million on-demand videos to help you get into shape. But if the system is working for someone, they’re less likely to want to leave – and that’s something we can expect Apple to stay more focused on in the coming years.
This is Big
Netflix is feeling the pressure
(Shutterstock / Vantage_DS)
Netflix isn’t having a great time at the moment – the reports of the streaming giant shedding subscribers are pretty much everywhere, and it’s having to defend its new portfolio of shows as being good, and not just ratings bait.
 
People are looking to the world’s biggest streaming service to see how it plans to turn things around, and it seems that one of the main things it wants to do is strip things back a little – and man alive, did you all love this story.
 
Tom Power’s in-depth take on all the rumored and confirmed things Netflix is looking to get rid of – and the effect that’s going to have on TV and movie production – was one of the biggest stories we’ve ever published.
 
Will Netflix survive? Of course it will – while two million subscriber losses is bad, we’re talking about hundreds of millions of people still being subscribed, and more signing up daily. But we’re now in a world where Disney+, HBO Max and a host of other services are stealing Netflix’s lunch.
 
While it’s easy to think that more choice is a good thing, as the cost of living skyrockets you'll want to make sure that you’re regularly weighing up your various TV, music and other subscriptions to ensure that you're still getting good value for money.
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    Know This
    Meta is annoying people, again
    'Meta Quest' just doesn't have the same ring to it (Boumen Japet / Shutterstock)
    I really enjoyed this piece from Hamish Hector, because it contains some excellent thoughts on why Meta, parent company of Facebook, is letting users down by rebranding the Oculus Quest as the Meta Quest.

    The writing looks to be on the wall for the Oculus Quest name – the Oculus Store has just been renamed the Meta Store – but as Hamish points out, millions of VR fans are still clinging to the Oculus name, and it’s not too late for Meta to reverse its decision.
     
    I totally agree. Oculus is a great name, and it isn’t synonymous with Facebook – which for me is the likely reason why Meta exists in the first place, so the brand can distance itself from the social network. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?
    POLL QUESTION:
    What should Meta call its VR headset?
    VoteOculus Quest
    VoteMeta Quest
    VoteThe Oculus
    VoteFacebook VR - let's just be transparent about it, eh?
    Read This
    You've been doing copy and paste all wrong in Windows
    (Rui vale sousa / Shutterstock)
    This is less a hot take on the tech industry, and more of a public service announcement. Following a thrilling Slack conversation in the TechRadar workplace, Matt Hanson found out that very few people knew about using Win+V rather than Ctrl+V to paste text and images.
     
    What’s the difference? Well, using the Windows key allows you to see your history of copied text, which means a single click will always get you the snippet you want. I’ve started using it since I read this article – and yes, I can confirm I’ve been doing it wrong all these years.
    What About This?
    Is a color Kindle on the way?
    (Amazon)
    E Ink is one of those technologies that is so cool but never gets the love it deserves. It’s low-power, can rejig itself into any form you like and, essentially, can make books come to life on a screen.
     
    However, it’s been mostly used in its monochrome form for years – color versions of it have always looked too washed-out, and the need to see book pages in color is a little redundant.
     
    But recent advances in the tech means color E Ink displays are now faster (and I mean much faster, with speeds of around a second to refresh rather than 10 seconds when the tech debuted) and look far more vivid.
     
    They’re also flexible, rollable and perfect for things like digital comic books. Wait, doesn’t Amazon own Comixology, the platform that offers exactly those titles? Hmmm…
    Don't Miss This
    Hear me out on this one
    (Shutterstock.com / Iuliia Pilipeichenko)
    I do love a good retrospective about a piece of technology, and this one from our regular writer Carrie Marshall is right up my street.
     
    If you’ve ever plugged in earbuds or slipped a pair of cans over your head, then trust me: there will be something in this history of headphones that you’ll really love. I didn’t know, for example, that the first headphones was designed to be for workers using the telephone, or that one of the first pairs of earbuds was launched before 1900.
     
    Or that you could dial into concerts through the telephone and listen to them over 100 years ago – a proto-Spotify that shows how there have always been new and innovative ways of catching your favorite tunes.
     
    It’s a fascinating read and one that I think readers of this newsletter will gobble up.
    The Sign Off
    Try harder, rocket-catching helicopter guy
    A screenshot from a Rocket Lab video showing a dummy booster being captured by a helicopter during a recent test (Rocket Lab via Twitter)
    Look, I know already that I’m wrong about this, but when I saw the headline ‘Rocket Lab catches dummy booster with a helicopter in dramatic new video’ I was hooked.
     
    However, it turns out that all the video shows is a helicopter flying smoothly through the air, then hovering over a slowly-falling parachute with a rocket booster suspended from it, and using a rope to hook it out of the sky. It looks pretty easy.
     
    I know that’s hugely unfair, and that if the pilot came to me and said ‘Right Gareth, you give it a try’ I wouldn’t have much of a comeback. But I was hoping to see a rocket falling from the sky at speed… a helicopter racing through the air to intercept it… a split-second moment where you knew that a miss would lead to catastrophe.
     
    Maybe I have watched too many action movies, but it would have been cool.
    This is from the editor
    I just wanted to say thank you again to all of you who write in each week. I’ve had some lovely ‘welcome back!’ messages, and one of the best ones was from Billy, who had a simply stupendous signature. 
     
    If you’ve spent time crafting an immense signature, or you just want to tell me how wrong I am to be complaining about that video of the helicopter catching a rocket, then feel free to email me, remembering to include NEWSLETTER in the subject line.
     
    And if you’ve haven’t yet signed up for this newsletter, or think someone you know would enjoy getting it in their inbox, then here’s the link you want. It’ll make your life 97.3 billion times better, and I'm not exaggerating.
     
    Have a lovely weekend!
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