A new mod has added 17 new races to Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War.

The impressive Unification mod for Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War expansion Soulstorm makes a huge number of quality of life changes to Relic's 2004 real-time strategy classic, but most exciting of all is the addition of 17 new races, all playable in multiplayer and against the AI.

Unification is the work of the Thudmeizer Mod Team. It's an advanced combiner mod that lets you seamlessly combine almost all community-created races. But it's also much more than that. Here's the list of new races:

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A card based on the Pokemon GO professor will be available in the TCG this Summer!

The post Pokemon GO’s Professor Willow Will Appear in the Trading Card Game appeared first on Siliconera.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has committed $1 million to a partnership with the Black Girls CODE initiative, a mentoring program which offers education, support, and tuition for Black girls and young women with an interest in computer sciences and technology.

Via its scholarship arm, The ESA Foundation, this new collaboration will see The ESA support Black Girls CODE on its mission to teach coding and other skills to over a million students by the year 2040. The capital will be used for the funding of workshops, investment in volunteer work, and to purchases resources used for training and educational purposes.

"We are excited to work with the ESA Foundation and video game industry on increasing access and opportunities for girls and young women interested in exploring technology as educational and career options," said BGC of the partnership. "By cultivating the next generation of developers, we hope to grow the number of women of color in the technology sector who will ultimately become the future leaders in this space."

Initially based out of the tech hub of San Francisco, the Black Girls CODE initiative hopes to utilize its ESA collaboration to expand into other major cities such as New York, Washington D.C., Houston, and Los Angeles. BGC's ultimate goal is to shrink "the digital divide": the gap between those who have regular and convenient access to modern technology, tech education, and resources, and those who do not. The BGC offers Black girls and young women the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills, and support needed in order to find roles and career paths within the computing industry.

The Nintendo Switch was launched on March 3, 2017. Just as the console passes the four-year point, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa discusses the hardware and its lifespan in a new interview with Nikkei Business.

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The otome dating sim set in the King of Fighters universe will be shutting down at the end of March.

The post King of Fighters for Girls Will Shut Down in March 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

If you count both variants (a la Sheik and Zelda), Smash Ultimate just got two more sword users with the addition of Pyra and Mythra. 

This is following several other sword users across both Fighters Passes, including the most recent addition of Sephiroth. So what gives? Well, series father Masahiro Sakurai says that you can't blame him!

Speaking to Washa Live (via Nintendo Everything) this week, Sakurai had a few brief things to say on Smash Ultimate's DLC choices, but also had their hands tied a bit by how much they could elaborate on. When asked why there are so many sword fighters (a question he gets often), Sakurai explains, amid laughter: "Like it or not, it’s not up to me whether another sword fighter goes in the game."

When pressed again, saying that the playerbase often groans when another sword user is announced, Sakurai follows up, noting: "Well even if it is another sword fighter, it will be fine as long as we balance them properly." He also states that sword fighters are "easy to implement," especially compared to insanely intricate characters like Steve.

Developer Crystal Dynamics and publisher Square Enix have announced a new update for their comic-book epic Marvel's Avengers. Dropping on March 18, the new patch will decelerate the amount of XP delivered to the player, slowing down the progression of each individual character and making it a tad longer to assemble Avengers.

In a statement on its official blog, Crystal Dynamics stated that the reason behind this move was to prevent players from being overrun with skill points and attributes early into a character's build. By slowing down the leveling process, players will be given the opportunity to explore a hero's skills and abilities at a more relaxed pace, rather than bum-rushing them with, hypothetically, a choice of six new moves after a single boss fight.

"In most RPGs, the amount of XP you need to level up increases as you gain levels in a curve, but our system is a straight line. This has led to pacing issues, such as skill points currently being rewarded too fast, which may be confusing and overwhelming to newer players. We want each decision to invest in a skill or Heroic to be more meaningful".

Another week, another bucket load of video game news! We heard the Switch Pro, which Nintendo has yet to announce, will reportedly have a 720p OLED screen. Is that good enough? Join Eurogamer reporter Emma Kent, news editor Tom Phillips and me to discuss this and more on Nintendo's next console.

Elsewhere, the Eurogamer News Cast team talk about Sony's bananas video game controller patent, Sony's decision to retire video purchases and rentals from the PlayStation Store, EA's decision to delay the next Need for Speed in order to support the development of the next Battlefield, and Elden Ring's leaked trailer. Phew, that's a lot!

On top of that we have our regular 'what we've been playing' catch-up, and, to end, the traditional Eurogamer News Cast mug check. Spoilers: Emma flops. Again.

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Derek Kolstad, best known for writing the John Wick films, is bringing Hellsing to life for Amazon Studios as a live-action feature.

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For several years, Pokemon Go existed in this sort of phantom zone; where it didn't really connect with any mainline games at all.

The Pokemon Company was clearly trying to gauge whether or not it was a hit and worth the effort to bring into the family proper, and when it really took off, they did just that. Pokemon Go started to get crossovers with recognizable stuff like Team Rocket, and it eventually could be connected to proper Pokemon titles for transferring.

But it was generally a one way street, as Pokemon Go didn't directly impact the series as a whole. That changes with this newly announced collaboration, which sees the original Go character of Professor Willow making his way into the trading card game. They'll debut in the "summer" of this year, in part due to the 25th anniversary of the series, as well as the fifth anniversary of Go.

It might not sound like a big deal if you fell off Go, but it's a huge moment for developer Niantic, as they've made their mark on the series at large.

A collaboration has been finalized between Pokemon GO and the Pokemon Trading Card Game [Pokemon Go]

One of the most pleasing announcements from yesterday's New Game Plus Expo (NGPX) presentation was the surprise news that retro-infused sci-fi actioner Blaster Master Zero is getting ready to blast off for one final chapter. Blaster Master Zero III is in development for  PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, and is scheduled to launch on July 29.

The third and final entry in the resurrected retro franchise will see protagonist Jason return to where it all began, the planet Sophia, in a last-ditch effort to save the life of Eve in the dramatic climax to the interstellar story. Once again piloting the sturdy and heavily armed G-SOPHIASV battle tank, Jason will face off against hordes of new enemies and boss characters in an adventure that will see our heroes not only cross the stars, but dimensions.

In addition to this second sequel, Inti Creates also announced that it is producing a compilation title, Blaster Master Zero Trilogy: MetaFight Chronicle. This release will feature all three titles in the Blaster Master Zero franchise, along with all previously released DLC. As a trilogy-exclusive feature, new voiceover work will be added to the first two titles in the series. It has not been made clear whether the trilogy release will be made available in the west, but is scheduled to launch in Japan alongside Blaster Master Zero III.

Miriam has sure been getting around lately. Fresh off of her recent jaunt to Blasphemous' grim world of Cvstodia, the Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night hero is preparing to bring her hack 'n' slash ways to the arenas of Forthright Entertainment's recently released brawler, Mighty Fight Federation.

As revealed during yesterday's New Game Expo Plus (NGPX) presentation, Miriam will arrive in-game this spring, joining a list of VIPs who have made guest appearances in the fighting title, including retro hip-hop heroes Toe Jam & Earl and platforming buddies Yooka-Laylee. According to developer Komi Games, Miriam will have one of the largest movesets in MFF to date, combining her mastery of multiple weapons with her cursed Shardbinder abilities. Bloodstained designer Koji Igarashi was on hand to ensure the authenticity of Miriam's inclusion.

While no in-game action has been made available, a short video shows off our gal's new character model and animations. She's lookin' cool, that's for sure. Hopefully, more developers will come to realize how you can immediately improve your game and optics by adding a solid dose of Miriam, and I won't rest until the Shardbinder is available in Super Smash Bros., Tekken, Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, and Madden.

The SSBU update that added Pyra and Mythra DLC support added Persona 5 Strikers' Sophia and Ghosts 'n Goblins' Arthur to the game as Spirits.

The post Persona 5 Strikers Sophia and Ghosts ‘n Goblins Arthur Spirits added to SSBU appeared first on Siliconera.

Troy Leavitt, the game developer at the centre of a controversy last month after it was discovered he had run “a reactionary YouTube channel focused on attacking feminism and social justice”, has resigned from his position at Avalanche Software, developers of the upcoming Harry Potter game Hogwarts Legacy.

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Apex Legends will receive a new Collection Event and gameplay changes alongside the game’s launch for Nintendo Switch on March 9.

Coming off the recent Anniversary Event is the new Chaos Theory Collection Event with another track of earnable rewards and purchasable cosmetics. It will also change the Water Treatment location on Kings Canyon into Caustic Treatment, where players can drain toxic liquid to uncover gold loot.

Players will be able to try out a new playlist called Ring Fury, where multiple “ring flares” appear randomly in the safe circle and damage players the same as being outside the current ring would. Other than avoiding the flares, players can use the new Heat Shield item given each game to avoid damage and speed up healing items or revives.

The Heat Shield will receive its own spot on the inventory screen called the “Survival Slot.” The spot is dedicated to the new item or the Mobile Respawn item, so it will not waste a space in the normal backpack inventory.

Apex Legends players who prefer to play solo will now be able to alongside the update with no-fill matchmaking. Players will be able to launch into Duos or Trios by themselves against other teams. Developer Respawn said the game is about teamplay, but the feature could be used to either warm up or try out new characters.

No-fill matchmaking will not be available for Ranked mode, and each game will allow six potential no-fill players so it is not quite a solo queue option.

The Collector's Editions for the games are designed to complement one another.

The post No More Heroes 1 & 2 Switch Physical Editions Open Next Week appeared first on Siliconera.

While most big games released have a main studio that’s often based somewhere like the United States or Canada or the UK, they also frequently make use of outsourcing studios in other countries to get their games made. Studios where, surprise, the working conditions can be not great.

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Deus Ex: Human Revolution was one of my favourite games of the past decade, a combination of stealth, adventuring and some incredible art design. Yet when its sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided hit five years later, I only spent a few hours with it before writing it off and getting on with my life.

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Square Enix's FFXIV live-action commercials advertising the free trial appeared and even included Estinien.

The post Estinien Comes Alive in Final Fantasy XIV Live-Action Commercial appeared first on Siliconera.

Star Citizen is continuing to make progress toward the next alpha numbered 3.13, and today a new video shows a major component of the update.

We’re getting massive planetary caves designed so that they can be entered by vehicles or even starships, which is definitely interesting for the more daring pilots out there.

The second part of the video also showcases the upcoming mining components that will let players customize their mining experience.

You can check out the video below.

In other Star Citizen news, the crowdfunding total passed $349 million today, and it’s currently at $349,021,395

The number of registered accounts recently passed three million, and it’s at 3,032,832 at the moment of this writing.

As usual, you should keep in mind that it’s known that not all of them are paying players. The number includes free accounts created for a variety of reasons, including Free Fly events and more.

We recently learned that 2020 was a record year for Star Citizen’s extremely successful crowdfunding campaign, shattering the previous record from 2019.

Monster trucks are the automotive embodiment of a slightly tipsy dad coming home after a wedding: spirits high but knocking over all the garden gnomes. They’re big, loud, and a little destructive – but lovable oafs, nonetheless. It’s hard to hate a giant, five-ton truck wearing a novelty hat.

Monster Jam Steel Titans 2 quaintly leans into this kind of wackiness with a series of large, themed open worlds celebrating a silly yet earnest stable of official trucks shaped like dogs and zombies, but its anticlimactic exploration objectives and the vanilla, chore-like structure of the competitions on offer unfortunately make for a surprisingly boring drive.

The lack of spark is quickly evident. After a bafflingly basic tutorial, I was suddenly and unceremoniously dumped into the first of several open-world environments, leaving me to press pause and shuffle through menus to uncover what I was actually supposed to do.

Steel Titans 2 splits its action over two separate career paths, but neither of them are very interesting. There’s the arena and stadium-based championship career, which resembles traditional, real-world Monster Jam events, and then there’s the World Career mode, which is literally just a series of exactly the same arena and stadium events but with a waypoint challenge or circuit race based in the open worlds included occasionally.

If you’ve been wondering why there haven’t been more clones of Crusader Kings, it’s because the systems that define Paradox’s game are really hard to copy! Pawley Games are going to give it a shot, though, and they’re going to do it in space.

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It’s shallow and it misses some opportunities, but it’s still a good time

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Thanks to the NIS America twitter account we now know that The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV (I know the Legend of Heroes part is important to the franchise as a whole, but it’s so much easier to use just the series name) will be hitting PC on April 9, 2021. This is the same day as the game will be arriving on the Nintendo Switch.

It’s possible this article could include some SPOILERS from previous games in the series, so advance with caution.

The story rejoins the tale of Class VII and Rean Schwarzer not long after where Trails of Cold Steel III left off. Now without the guiding light of their instructor, Class VII must figure out for themselves what to do next.

The Steam page listing gives one important piece of information to know:

Today Microsoft and Asobo Studios released another development update for Microsoft Flight Simulator, including a few interesting details.

First of all, the third major “Sim Update” which will focus on improving the core simulation now has a release date and is coming on March 11, alongside a new trailer with undisclosed content.

Interestingly, the much-awaited visual contrails will also be added to the SDK on the same date.

The next world update, which will add content and details to France and Benelux is still slate for a generic “early April.”

Incidentally, the Piper A28R Arrow III by Carenado is mentioned among the new releases. At the moment of this writing, it has not appeared in the marketplace, but it should appear soon.

Recently, we published our massive interview with head of Microsoft Flight Simulator Jorg Neumann, who provided a lot of new info about the present and future of the sim.

As Lead Producer you are responsible for translating the game†™s creative ambitions and vision into a project that manifests them in the highest possible quality within a realistic schedule and budget. ...

Timecodes:

• 00:00:00 Happy Birthday, Switch!
• 00:23:30 The new Switch rumors
• 00:45:30 More news
• 00:51:04 Games out this week
• 00:57:52 What we're playing
• 01:06:06 Question Block!

NVC is available on your preferred platform!

Blaster Master Zero - developer Inti Creates' excellent retro reimagining of Sunsoft's classic Blaster Master series on NES - is getting a third instalment on 29th July.

Blaster Master Zero 3 is described as the "final chapter" in the series and promises a "journey into uncharted territory full of new experiences" - although it'll retain the wonderful blend of tank-based Metroidvania-style exploration and top-down shooting seen in previous games.

"Protagonist Jason travels to where the series all began, the planet Sophia, in order to save series heroine Eve in this final instalment of the story!", the developer explains on its website. You can get a taste of the ensuing action in its enthusiastically narrated trailer below.

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Nickelodeon announced the creation of Avatar Studios just last week, so fans have been trying to figure out exactly which stories the new Avatar series will tell. There’s no way to know for sure yet, but these are some of the stories that we’d love to see explored.

The bill would force mobile platform holders to allow third-party payment options, but notably includes an exception for game consoles and other similar devices. ...