Rockstar Games' plans to launch a standalone version of Grand Theft Auto Online were prompted, at least in part, by sheer market saturation for Grand Theft Auto 5.

"As you sell that many units, you will at some point arrive at the conclusion that you've saturated for purchasing the title," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said at a Morgan Stanley technology conference. "At that point you're willing to experiment with the possibility that maybe there is another way to bring people into the online experience. Make it super-low friction, low price point. Sure, you don't have access to the original single-player experience, but you do have access to an online world. Our view is perhaps that's a different market and that's a way to expand the player base."

He said the company's experience with putting out Red Dead Online as a standalone release, apart from Red Dead Redemption 2, was a proof-of-concept. That gave Red Dead Online its biggest month since launch, and the people who get in using the online experience might upgrade to the full version too. He sees it as an opportunity to bring in a larger player base, which then helps feed long-term success.

The standalone version of Red Dead Online is regularly priced at $20, but it was 75% off for the first several weeks, bringing it down to $5. We might see a similar approach for GTA Online, but Take-Two and Rockstar have not announced release or price details.

A new presentation by direct Masahiro Sakurai provides a deeper look at the latest fighters—Pyra and Mythra—being added to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate later today. Yes, they might be yet another set of sword fighters, but the duo’s complimentary move sets look like a really fun combination. You can see the video below.

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Our space adventure slash survival game holds a galaxy filled with more than 1000 unique worlds, over 20 interactive space businesses, and various points of interest. Here's how we made it. ...

There is a lot happening in the world of Dungeons & Dragons currently. Following the news that actor Hugh Grant is set to play the role of the lead villain in the upcoming D&D movie, new information has arisen about yet another tabletop-inspired project in the works. As confirmed by Wizards of the Coast back in 2019, one of the "seven or eight" projects currently in development is an open-world game from Hidden Path Entertainment. 

In a recent tweet, the studio confirmed the new game with a hiring notice. "We are in development on a AAA, third-person, open-world fantasy RPG that will be taking place inside the Dungeons & Dragons franchise," reads the tweet. 

Hidden Path is hiring! We are in development on a AAA, third-person, open-world fantasy RPG that will be taking place inside the Dungeons & Dragons franchise.
- Graphics Programmer
- Lead Graphics Programmer
- Senior Technical Artist
- Writer
More info:https://t.co/gs8ld6AJL3

Nintendo is reportedly working on a new iteration of its Switch console that will feature a larger touchscreen OLED display. ...

With a little bit of Firestarter thrown in

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If you were born in the 90s or early 2000s, then you’ve had the distinct pleasure of growing up in the 2000s, but how well do you remember them?

Put your knowledge of the 2000s to the test by acing this quiz on video games, Marvel, anime, music, and more!

Once you’ve proved that you’re a master of the new millennium, check out some of our other quizzes such as this Marvel Movie Quiz, How I Met Your Mother Quiz, or this Pokémon Quiz.

Can You Remember The 2000s? Lets Find Out!

Climbing is one of those things that works really well in VR with motion controls, but rarely gets more than a moment to shine. The Climb 2, though, is all about it. This is developer Crytek’s second iteration on the idea of scaling large, vertical obstacles, and it’s a major improvement over the original Oculus Rift launch game in terms of controls and level design. And even though climbing sounds pretty basic on its own, the simulated sensation of dizzying heights makes the tension feel real – and The Climb 2 comes with a bump in graphics that shows off what the Oculus Quest 2 can really do when it’s running on all cylinders.

If it sounds like the amount of content here is light, that’s because it is: that’s a total of just 15 levels. Don’t come in expecting a story, either. The Climb 2’s storytelling is all found in its intricate level design, though a bigger plot is something that could certainly have made this experience even more cohesive and interesting. The only thing you’ll be doing is jumping, gripping, and swinging your way up this meticulously detailed virtual climbing wall – and you’ll do it alone.

After a few weeks of playing Stardew Valley 1.5 on Nintendo Switch, I'm at the point – 60-some hours into the game, and a bit into Year 3 – where I'm prioritizing Ginger Island now that I'm cool with most of the villagers and the Community Center and Movie Theater quests are wrapped up. Ginger Island is a huge time-sink with lots to do everywhere I look. There's just one problem: the ground is blue!

One of the known issues with Stardew version 1.5 on Switch is that in certain areas – namely, the northern part of Ginger Island near the Volcano Dungeon – there's a "blue floor bug." It doesn't affect the whole map, of course, but it's pretty distracting. There's also an issue with the zoom-out options, though I haven't seen it yet as someone who now exclusively plays in split-screen co-op.

Both of these bugs were fixed today in an update, according to Stardew creator ConcernedApe. I booted up the game this morning to take a look and had to resist playing "just one more day."

Here's what the blue floor bug looked like before, near the Volcano Dungeon entrance:

And here's what that it looks like after updating Stardew Valley to Ver. 1.5.4.1:

It's a jarring comparison!

Developer IO Interactive has unveiled Hitman 3's March 2021 roadmap. The next batch of content, mostly available to all players for free, includes new weapons, elusive targets, and escalation missions, as well as contracts by game outlets Easy Allies and Eurogamer.

Hitman 3's March content kicks off with The Lesley Celebration escalation mission, which sees players assassinate various targets while inside a Berlin nightclub. March 11 is the start of the first series of featured contracts in Hitman 3 by Easy Allies. The media company will take players on a plethora of unknown missions through the Chinese municipality of Chongqing.

From March 19-25, players can track down The Stowaway elusive target on the Isle of Sgail. Following this event is the next series of featured contracts by Eurogamer. On March 25, the publication will take players to the Argentinian city of Mendoza for some unknown missions.

The two big Hitman 3 events fall at the end of March: an escalation mission exclusive to Hitman 3 Deluxe Edition owners and an Easter seasonal event collecting eggs in Berlin. The former, titled The Satu Mare Delirium, tasks players with escaping a high-security facility. Completing the mission unlocks a straitjacket, the Taunton dart gun, and the straitjacket belt. Meanwhile, the Berlin Egg Hunt has players hunting eggs located around Berlin. This event runs from March 30 to April 12, and players who complete it will unlock the raver outfit.

Check below for a look at what's coming to Hitman 3 this month.

More to climb, more to fall off

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Chinese developer miHoYo’s free-to-play RPG Genshin Impact earned critical acclaim upon its launch last year, and it’s proven a huge commercial boon, too. A new report from Sensor Tower estimates its revenue as having already hit $874 million, making it the third highest-earning mobile game in the five months since its release.

Only Honor of Kings and PUBG mobile best its performance, with Genshin Impact’s $175 million per month average revenue enough to see it beat out giants like Niantic’s Pokemon GO.

The latest patch for NHL 21 is coming on March 4, EA Sports has announced. Don't expect any gameplay changes in this update, as it's primarily focused on World of Chel and adding new uniforms.

For World of Chel, players can expect "additional content" to support NHL 21's new Chel Challenges; no further specifics were announced.

As for the uniforms, patch 1.5.0 adds four new ones, including alternates for the Washington Capitals, along with new jerseys for lower-level teams like the Oshawa Generals, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, and the Prince George Cougars. You can see the full patch notes below.

In other news, EA Sports just announced that NHL 21 will be added to Xbox Game Pass in April, so subscribers can check out EA's latest hockey game at no extra cost very soon.

NHL 21 is available on PS4 and Xbox One. A bespoke edition of the game for PS5 and Xbox Series X is not available, but the game plays on the next-gen systems through backwards compatibility.

We asked Wobbledogscreator and developer Tom Astle some questions about his project, the journey it has been and its direction for the future. ...

Following the news that the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie landed its new writer with John Wick creator Derek Kolstad and the reports that Chris Pine is in the film as well, a new casting decision has been announced. Hugh Grant is slated to play the role of the lead villain in the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie alongside It's Sophia Lillis. 

In a new report from Deadline, Grant is poised to play the big villain of the upcoming movie. Lillis' role is unclear at this time, though more details are expected to drop soon. As for the rest of the cast, Grant and Lillis both join an impressive roundtable of actors including the aforementioned Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Rege-Jean Page (Bridgerton), and Justice Smith (Detective Pikachu).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fans can start their day off with something special, as game director Masahiro Sakurai has showcased the new combo DLC fighter, Pyra/Mytha, as part of a livestream that has now concluded. Most notably, we learned that Pyra and Mythra release for Smash Ultimate today, March 4, alongside a new update. As is typically the case, there will also be new Mii Fighter costumes, including ones based on Monster Hunter. Here's a rundown on everything that Sakurai had to share during the broadcast.

New Stage: Cloud Sea of Alrest

Nintendo kicked off the broadcast by talking about the new stage, Cloud Sea of Alrest. It's set on the back of Azurda, the titan that Rex lives on. Other titans appear in the background of the stage as Azurda sails. Additionally, other characters and their blades appear in the background--Nia and Dromarch, Tora and Poppi, Morag and Brighid, and Zeke and Pandoria.

New Fighters

During the livestream, Sakurai said he considered having Rex fight alongside Pyra during development, but ultimately he decided to go anoher way.

Players can use their down special to change between Pyra/Mythra in a similar way to Shiek/Zelda. You can choose which one to start as on the fighter select screen.

Kulu-Ya-Ku, Pukei-Pukei, and Jyuratodus also join them from the New World.

The post Monster Hunter Rise Will See The Return of Anjanath and Tobi-Kadachi appeared first on Siliconera.

Today sees Sega release its third and final free content update for its colorful and extremely compelling puzzler Puyo Puyo Tetris 2. Available now on PlayStation and Xbox platforms, as well as Nintendo Switch, the crossover block-buster will also drop in on PC March 23.

The new update adds four more playable characters to the Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 roster. These include warbling angel Harpy, young warrior Ragnus the Brave, dramatic knight Legamunt,  and finally the charming sorceress Rozatte. Alongside these new characters, four more tracks have been added to the game's score, including a remix of "Escape from the City" from Sonic Generations, in keeping with the blue blur's recent roster addition.

Game director Masahiro Sakurai presents Ultimate’s new DLC

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Game director Masahiro Sakurai presents Ultimate’s new DLC

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Ahead of March 18's next-gen upgrade and the launch of the Hawkeye DLC in Marvel's Avengers, developer Crystal Dynamics is making a few changes to just how players earn XP and grow their heroes in the process. From level 25, the amount of XP needed to level up will increase the closer you get to level 50.

While this change won't affect how players increase their overall power, Crystal Dynamics says that the decision was made to help new players from being overwhelmed as they earned skill points too quickly in the early stages of the game.

"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," the developer explained in a blog update.

If you already have characters who have reached the current level 50 maximum, they won't be retroactively affected by this change. Crystal Dynamics also intends to fix another bug that allowed players to quickly level characters up at a faster-than-usual pace if they have multiple high-level characters once the Hawkeye DLC arrives.

Cosmetics are also being reworked as the current goal is to provide more player agency and clarity while removing randomness from the process. Random cosmetic item drops will be temporarily disabled as the studio plans to make sure that when you earn a cosmetic item, it is something you have had a choice in working towards.

These items will eventually be available from the cosmetic vendor and other places in a future update and can be purchased with Units, which in turn can be earned from in-game activities.

Xbox Live Gold - 12 Months | $50 | Newegg | Use Code EMCETEU53

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FF Dot: The Pixel Art of Final Fantasy | $14 | Amazon

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The classic Fatal Fury character has been known for his bone-breaking Koppouken style martial arts.

The post KOF XV Andy Bogard Still Has His Bone-Breaking Elbow Attack appeared first on Siliconera.

Square Enix has announced that its recently released NieR Re[in]carnation has already been downloaded 10 million times. This already extraordinary figure made all the more incredible by the fact the mobile spin-off has been on the market for just two weeks.

Launching in Japan on iOS and Android February 18, NieR Re[in]carnation is a standalone tale of an amnesiac child, "White Girl," who must pick her way through a serene-but-stark environment known as "The Cage." Guided by the adorable ghostly presence "Mama," White Girl must explore the lonely environment to seek the truth of her existence, her steps dogged by a sinister and shadowy being.

A whole life told in several blinks of your eye

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It's World Book Day! And while we mainly do our work via video games, we're relatively sure that most of the staff can read. Probably? Actually, maybe best not to ask. Still, we know at least some of them can, as we amassed a whole range of recommendations on what the Eurogamer crew is reading outside of work.

If you're looking for new reading material and hoping for something superb to bookend your weekends, we've got some advice on where to begin. Or head to the page we put together on Jelly Deals for everything you need to know on how to make the most of World Book Day!

I'm now one of those people converted by Chris Donlan into recommending Skyfaring to anyone. Written by veteran British Airways pilot Mark Vanhoenacker, this book offers an experienced, inquisitive and infectiously romantic view of the wonders of flight - and it's one I frequently find myself dipping back into while stuck at home and on the ground.

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This new emote takes direct inspiration from Japanese festivals.

The post New Final Fantasy XIV Wasshoi Emote Will Have You Ready to Celebrate appeared first on Siliconera.

We're seeing a resurgence of farming sims, as indie developers chase the success of Stardew Valley and extend the life of the genre beyond Story of Seasons.

Littlewood recently came out on Switch, and now, we have confirmation of another farming-centric adventure coming to the same system: Coral Island. The team recently smashed all of their Kickstarter goals and snagged a cool $1.6 million in funding, and are aiming for a late 2022 release, with a 2021 Early Access build target.

The gist, according to developer Stairway Games, is to "reimagine" the farming sim genre, but also take notes from the classics. You'll be able to "grow crops, nurture animals, and befriend the islanders" while staving off a greedy company (like Stardew). The inaugural trailer also gives us hints of how farming will work, including the Stardew-esque sprinkler system layout.

There will be 16 romanceable characters (a child mechanic is teased), as well as 16 townsfolk, and the ability to build your own farm, tending to seasonal crops. The "adventure" conceit comes in via diving, which you'll do to save the town and clean up the ocean, and there's a twist with support for skill trees as well.

You can find the full tentative schedule below!

Coral Island [Kickstarter]

A few years ago, The Silver Case and its sequel, The 25th Ward: The Silver Case, were given the HD remaster treatment on PC and PS4. For Western fans of Suda51, it gave us a look at some of his earlier work, the games he made before he had really established himself outside of Japan with titles like killer7 and No More Heroes. With the Switch as popular as it is, it was only a matter of time before both titles jumped over to Nintendo hardware.

Last month, both games hit the Switch in Japan as a compilation called The Silver Case 2425. If you've been wondering when those of us out west will be able to get our hands on it, it turns out the wait won't be too long. NIS America confirmed during today's New Game+ Expo stream that it is localizing the game this summer.

Wasteland 3 is getting permadeath as part of a new update coming soon.

Patch 1.3.3, titled Death & Taxes, adds permadeath mode as well as an optional difficult skill checks mode, respeccing, new character customisation items, and a raft of improvements and fixes.

Wasteland 3's permadeath works as you imagine it should: when activated at a game's start, your characters will die good and proper when their health reaches zero.

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Earlier this week, I was involved in an all-too-familiar Valheim tragedy: after sailing too close to the shoreline, I was pursued by a rather large insect and nibbled to death, leaving my tombstone (and all my precious belongings) stranded in a distant land. What followed was a high-risk naked rescue mission that only just succeeded, but it turns out there was a far easier way I could have solved this: by enlisting the help of Valheim's very own Body Recovery Squad.

The BRS is a group of Valheim players dedicated to helping others recover their items, no matter where the tombstone is stranded - and they do it all for free. Players in need of assistance can head over to the community's Discord server, join a channel called #assistance-application, and hit an "SOS" button which changes their Discord role and allows them to request help in the channel. At this point one of the team members (known as operators) will get in contact with the client, organise to join their server, and a bunch of burly Vikings will set sail to help them recover their gear.

It all sounded like a fantastic community effort, so I got in touch with BRS founder and leader Lucas (known as Rim Jaynor) to ask him more about the process. In the real world, Lucas is a mechanic who lives in northern British Columbia, but he decided to establish the BRS after he and his friend had a brush with a deathsquito. "We were lucky that we had a portal close by and another friend who wasn't with us," he explained. "For us it was a quick run back through the portal to grab our stuff. In the discussion of the events it came up - 'you know, what if we weren't that lucky? We'd be back in the Stone Age!'"

Additionally, a new story chapter is scheduled to arrive very soon.

The post NieR Reincarnation Downloads Surpass 10 Million Users, Special Campaign to Appear appeared first on Siliconera.