Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 launches June 4, is headed to PS5 and Xbox Series X

3 years ago

CI Games has announced an official launch date for its long-distance shooter Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2. Arriving on PS4, PC, and Xbox One June 4, the developer/publisher has also newly-announced next-gen editions will also launch day-and-date on PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Donning the laser-sighted eyeballs of master assassin "Raven," players will journey across a large, Middle-Eastern sandbox map, completing various objectives and giving a selection of hapless marks an extra hole in the dome. Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 prides itself on its authentic weaponry and long-distance engagements, ranging well over 1000 meters. Pin-point accuracy rewards those who take every element of the environment into account before squeezing the trigger.

You can check out a brand new gameplay trailer below. Pre-orders for Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 are now live at selected retailers and include a bonus DLC bundle containing the Marcus Tactical light sniper rifle, the FFF-45 ACP Luring Pistol (for distraction purposes), and two exclusive weapon skins - because snipers are nothing if not renown for standing out against their hiding spots.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 launches June 4, is headed to PS5 and Xbox Series X screenshot

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Author
Chris Moyse

There's a Fortnite Sea Shanty TikTok emote

3 years ago

Fortnite has jumped on the Sea Shanty TikTok craze with its own take, an emote named Shanty for a Squad.

Set to the tune of Wellerman, it features Fortnite's own lyrics singing about the island's storm brewing up and a squad surviving to get their "dub".

As with the game's Christmas carol emote, the more of you in your squad using the emote at the same time, the more parts of its vocals are filled in. It's a neat nod to the collaborative TikTok, and/or a cunning plan to encourage all four squad members into a purchase.

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Defense Grid dev working on a "AAA, third-person, open-world Dungeons & Dragons" game

3 years ago

Hidden Path Entertainment is working on a triple-A, third-person, open-world fantasy RPG "that will be taking place inside the Dungeons & Dragons franchise".

The announcement came with little fanfare: a note on Hidden Path's website and a tweet to say the studio was hiring staff for the project.

The only extra info I gleaned from Hidden Path's website reveals this mystery game is built using Unreal Engine 4. Doesn't tell us much, I know!

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Nintendo Download: Apex Legends

3 years ago

Following a few good first-party weeks for the Nintendo eShop, it's time for third-party studios to shine.

Apex Legends is a huge get for Nintendo, and is out on March 9 alongside of double XP from that same date through March 23, and 30 free Season 8 Battle Pass levels for Switch players. It's quite the incentive for people to jump in immediately. But Apex isn't the only game in town, as Sea of Solitude is also hopping in via the Director's Cut version, as well as Gnosia, which we'll have a review of very soon.

As a note, yes, that does say "Super Metboy" below. Remember the Mets from Mega Man? They're back, in off-brand non-Capcom form.

Nintendo Download: Apex Legends screenshot

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Author
Chris Carter

Nintendo Switch Pro will reportedly have 720p OLED screen

3 years ago

Nintendo's widely-anticipated Switch Pro model will feature a seven-inch 720p OLED screen and output at up to 4K when connected to a TV.

That's according to a Bloomberg report, which cites sources aware that Samsung will provide its screens and begin production on those from June.

Nintendo's plan is to reveal the new Switch model this year with an eye to launch in time for the lucrative holiday season, the report concludes, though no firmer release window is given.

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Call of Duty: Warzone Leak Suggests Multiple New Modes, Including a Casual Sandbox

3 years ago
A series of Call of Duty Warzone voice lines have leaked, suggesting the game will introduce new modes called 'Plague' and 'Sandbox' (which might include racing activities) alongside the previously announced Exfiltration mode. As spotted by PC Gamer, ZestyCODLeaks posted the news on Twitter, with a link to a video containing all of the leaked lines. They point towards a trio of new modes which could be introduced in the future, although no dates have been suggested for when they might arrive. "We can't lose Verdansk, find those damn zombies," reads one of the lines related to a mooted Plague game mode. The narration talks about how "Verdansk is lost" and overrun, and there are multiple mentions of "plague zones," the players should avoid. "Extraction cancelled, nuke inbound for Verdansk," barks the narrator, likely when the mission has failed. The suggestion is that players will have to try and reclaim Verdansk from a zombie horde and then exfiltrate. If they fail, the map will be nuked.
Author
Jordan Oloman

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Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny coming west on Nintendo Switch June 29

3 years ago

NIS America has announced that the localization of RPG sequel Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny will launch in North America and Europe on Nintendo Switch June 29. The announcement was made during today's edition of the New Game Plus Expo (NGPX)

NIS America also released an announcement video, (which you can check out below), spotlighting bonus characters Adell, Asagi, Rozalin, and a female variant of the mischievous demon, Laharl. These characters will be made available exclusively to players who pick up Disgaea 6 at launch. Although the anime adventure is already available for purchase on PS4 and Switch in Japan, a localization for the PS4 edition has not yet been confirmed.

Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny coming west on Nintendo Switch June 29 screenshot

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Author
Chris Moyse

Guilty Gear Strive delayed to June 2021

3 years ago

Arc System Works has delayed Guilty Gear Strive to June 2021.

The promising PC and PlayStation fighting game was due out 9th April 2021. It's now due out 11th June 2021.

The developer said it needs extra time to polish certain aspects of the game, such as online lobbies and server stability, following feedback from the recent open beta.

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Pocky & Rocky Reshrined launches on PS4 and Nintendo Switch this fall

3 years ago

Taito and Natsume announced this morning that the revitalized sequel to SNES classic KiKi KaiKai: Nazo no Kuro Mantle - known in the west as Pocky & Rocky - will launch on PS4 and Nintendo Switch this fall. The new adventure has been officially titled Pocky & Rocky Reshrined.

Developed by The Tengo Project, the team responsible for cool retro remasters Wild Guns: Reloaded and Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors, Pocky and Rocky Reshrined sees the shrine maiden and her tanuki pal return for a brand new adventure, utilizing a brand new engine and modern gaming technology while retaining the top-down, multi-directional shooter action and 16-bit audio/visual aesthetic of the original games.

Check out the previously released trailer below. What a delight! I can't wait!

Pocky & Rocky Reshrined launches on PS4 and Nintendo Switch this fall screenshot

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Author
Chris Moyse

Nintendo draws ire after it commemorates several Mario games that are getting nuked this month

3 years ago

Strangely, weirdly, annoyingly; several Mario games are going away at the end of the month.

Including one that's a free bonus for Switch Online subscribers! Of course, that doesn't include the Fire Emblem NES release on the eShop or the shutdown of online components for Mario Maker on Wii U, which are frequently left out of the conversation (I didn't forget you, guys).

But while folks are dealing with that impending doom in different ways, Nintendo is blindly ignoring the critics. In fact, they recently tweeted out a little infographic of just how many Mario games there were on the Switch, a marketing exercise that was supposed to make the system look good, but with one exception; they put two of the "going away to the vault" games on it!

Right there is Super Mario Bros. 35 as well as Super Mario 3D All-Stars, both of which are heading out, even at retail, for the latter. Fans have taken to "Thanos snapping" the games from existence ahead of time, with mockups like this tweet here.

Of course, Nintendo could have a change of heart after it squeezes every last sale from folks due to FOMO. And then they'd have their cake and eat it too, as they can frame it as "we listened to the fans." But in any case, it's a very strange, and very 2020-2021 move to even threaten to nuke them in the first place.

Super Mario 35th [Twitter]

Author
Chris Carter

Call of Duty: Warzone Season 2 update fuelled Virgin Media's biggest download day on record

3 years ago

Last week's Call of Duty: Warzone Season 2 update fuelled Virgin Media's biggest download day on record.

Virgin Media said the battle royale's update, which launched on 25th February, contributed to a 24-hour period in which the average user downloaded more than 20GB of data. That's nearly 3.5GB more than the already record-breaking daily average of 2020.

The Season 2 download weighed in at around 17GB. This was the update that came alongside a warning from Activision that those who own a standard PlayStation 4 with a default hard-drive of 500GB may need to make room if they have the full versions of Modern Warfare, Warzone and Black Ops Cold War with all modes and packs installed.

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Nacon calls The Sinking City allegations 'unjust,' accuses Frogwares of 'sabotaging our investments'

3 years ago

There appears to be no end in sight for the debacle surrounding Lovecraft-inspired title The Sinking City. Following the mystery-horror's removal from Steam - triggered by a DMCA request by developer Frogwares - publisher Nacon has responded to accusations that it pirated a copy of the product from another store in order to re-sell on Valve's platform.

"Nacon hereby wishes to set the record straight regarding these unjustified accusations," said the French publisher. "Nacon is contractually the sole exclusive distributor of The Sinking City game on Steam. Nacon has contributed to the financing of development and the payment of royalties to Frogwares to the tune of 8.9 million euros to date (including the full payment for a version of the game for Steam), making the global investment far above 10 million euros when integrating the marketing costs. Contrary to Frogwares’ allegations, Nacon has paid all amounts due".

Nacon goes on to address the issue of royalties, as well as Frogwares' decision to actively discourage sales of the recent Steam edition of The Sinking City.

"Despite this blocking situation created exclusively by Frogwares, Nacon has allowed players to access the game on Steam while still expressly indicating the ownership of Frogwares’ rights to the game. Frogwares will also receive the royalties generated by Steam sales. By encouraging the gaming community via Twitter not to buy the game on Steam, Frogwares is once again sabotaging our investments in the game. Nacon obviously regrets this conflict, for which it is not responsible, and for which it did everything possible to avoid".

Author
Chris Moyse

Outriders is a third-person cover shooter you really shouldn't play as a third-person cover shooter

3 years ago

Outriders seems to want you to play like you're playing Gears of War, which isn't a stretch, given its developer.

Polish studio People Can Fly is the studio behind 2013's Gears of War: Judgment, and there is so much of that game here. To a fault, really. Last, last generation level design is all around. That Xbox 360 brown fudge, that convenient hip-high cover dipped generously into a war-torn flan. Chunky enemies and chunks of enemies, bad guys exploding in a puff of blood for no real reason at all. The chug of a rifle, a shotgun blast when someone gets too close. Hold a button to observe. Even the name of the game sounds like something Spark Unlimited would have come up with the decade before last.

The story is one I've heard a million times before. It revolves around a soldier who mysteriously gains powers and must fight to save humanity on a harsh alien planet called Enoch. There's a quite incredible tonal whiplash as your soldier shifts from utter bemusement to wise-cracking asshole and back again. Outriders is trying to be a gritty, cool sci-fi romp, but its demo is too often undone by unintentionally hilarious cutscenes whose character deaths ought to be accompanied by canned laughter. The story teases that you'll eventually uncover the truth about the alien planet's mysterious energy, but when the writing's this bad it's hard to care.

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Whoa, the box for the new Mario 35th anniversary pin set is huge

3 years ago

You better believe that I was racking up Mario missions so when the day came that they would come in handy: I would be ready.

That day did come after all, when Nintendo announced the second anniversary pin set. You also better believe that I was refreshing that mess of a rollout constantly, and eventually was able to place an order for one.

Behold, the fruits of my labor!

Whoa, the box for the new Mario 35th anniversary pin set is huge screenshot

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Author
Chris Carter

Smash Ultimate's new DLC costumes include Monster Hunter and Ghosts 'n Goblins crossovers

3 years ago

Continuing with the paid costume DLC tradition, Sakurai unveiled two new collaborations for Smash Ultimate, and surprise, it's Capcom at the helm again.

The costumes include Monster Hunter and Ghosts 'n Goblins crossovers, with Hunter Equipment (Swordfighter), Rathalos Equipment (Swordfighter), Felyne (hat), and Arthur (Swordfighter) DLC. Sakurai says that because of Monster Hunter Rise and the fact that you can fight Rathalos in-game, the costumes make sense for Smash. The same goes for the recent Switch Goblins game.

These costumes will release alongside of the Pyra/Mythra fighter(s) today and will clock in at $0.75 each.

Smash Ultimate's new DLC costumes include Monster Hunter and Ghosts 'n Goblins crossovers screenshot

Author
Chris Carter

Before Your Eyes is an afterlife adventure game that you control by blinking

3 years ago

In the narrative adventure Before Your Eyes, each and every blink matters. Literally! GoodbyeWorld Games and Skybound Games are pitching it as an "interactive afterlife played with your eyes."

As the instantly-bittersweet-looking story unfolds, the game can detect your blinking in real life, using an actual webcam, and that's how you'll move forward through scattered scenes of a life well-lived.

The concept behind Before Your Eyes has been kicking around for years – "for the better part of a decade," according to game director and composer Oliver Lewin – and it can be traced to Close Your, which won the Independent Games Festival Best Student Game award in 2015. Now it's back as a fleshed-out commercial project with a more distinct art style, and it's ready for a wider audience.

Between the life-reflecting premise and the trailer footage showing kittens and a funeral service, I'm expecting a full-on tearjerker. Consider restocking your tissues before the April 8 release on Steam.

Before Your Eyes is an afterlife adventure game that you control by blinking screenshot

Author
Jordan Devore

NieR: Re[in]carnation Achieves 10 Million Downloads

3 years ago

Today Square Enix announced a new downloads milestone for its latest mobile game NieR: Re[in]carnation.

According to the announcement made on the official Twitter account of the game, the game has been downloaded 10 million times, which is really flattering considering that it’s available only in Japan for now.

Since the milestone was reached sooner than expected, the celebratory bonuses have not been decided yet and will be announced at a later time.

Of course, the NieR: Automata crossover that launched together with the game may have helped with its groundbreaking popularity.

You can see the tweet below with a cute celebratory illustration.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Valheim: How to Build and Use Portals

3 years ago
Getting around in Valheim can sometimes be rather tedious, especially as you venture further from your base. So, cut down on your travel time as we teach you everything you need to know about building and using portals in-game.
Author
Angie Harvey

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Black Ops Cold War Adds Dead Ops Arcade: First Person Mode

3 years ago

After being announced in the patch notes for Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's zombie-heavy Season 2, Treyarch has announced that Dead Ops Arcade: First Person will be arriving for Black Ops Cold War on March 4. While previous versions of Dead Ops Arcade allowed players to briefly enter first person via a power-up, this is the first time the arcade mode is entirely playable in first person.

While the first-person mode looks to be mostly the same as the classic Dead Ops Arcade 3 experience, it adds a few special abilities not available in the top-down view. When the new mode launches you'll be able to sprint, jump, slide, and swim, making DOA: First Person a true hybrid game mode.

Author
Hayley Williams

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Maglam Lord for PS4 & Nintendo Switch Gets New Gameplay Trailer Showing Akrao

3 years ago

Today D3 Publisher released a gameplay trailer focusing on another of the characters of its upcoming JRPG Maglam Lord.

The trailer showcases Akrao, who is one of the characters who can serve as soulmates for the Demon Lord (the protagonist of the game).

As usual, we get to see his gameplay and the dating situations in which he will interact with the player to deepen their relationship

Maglam Lord is developed by Summon Night 5 studio Felistella, while the scenario and the world view are by Summon Night series writer Kei Miyakozuki.

The character design and illustration are by lack, who is known for having worked on Fate/Grand Order (for instance, the art for Izou Okada).

The soundtrack is by Puresound, which worked on the Summon Night and Metal Max series.

The main theme is by Chiaki Fujita of Sing Like Talking, who previously worked on the theme of Summon Night 2.

Author
Giuseppe Nelva

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Skullgirls confirms Future Club is involved with new content creation

3 years ago

In a delightful bit of news to start the day, it has been confirmed that Future Club - the indie developer born out of the dissolution of Lab Zero - will be directly involved in the creation of new Skullgirls content, alongside current developer Hidden Variable and publisher Autumn Games.

Last month, Autumn Games showcased a bright future for the awesome tag-fighting title, announcing a brand new season of content including multiple new DLC characters and stages. While this was wonderful news, it brought with it a twinge of sadness, with the possibility that the original Skullgirls team - many of whom left Lab Zero due to its toxic environment - would not be involved in the new content's creation.

But in a new tweet, Autumn Games confirmed that Hidden Variable will indeed be working with these developers and their new studio, Future Club, in order to design and create exciting new content for Skullgirls, to be drip-fed to its dedicated community of players over the coming years.

Skullgirls confirms Future Club is involved with new content creation screenshot

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Author
Chris Moyse

Outriders Demo Guide: Which Character Class Is Right For You?

3 years ago

Upon completing Outriders' prologue, you'll be able to pick one of four classes. You need to choose carefully--your class is permanent (though you can adjust your character's appearance whenever you want upon entering Outriders' first hub area). In the following guide, we break down the benefits and drawbacks of the Devastator, Trickster, Pyromancer, and Technomancer so you can more easily decide which is right for you.

During the Outriders demo, you will be able to unlock the first four abilities of each class, giving you a pretty good idea of how they all play. While all four classes are geared towards fighting out in the open, they differ primarily in playstyle and methods. But each class isn't entirely a cut-and-dried role; each possesses specializations that allow you to twist them into fulfilling specific squad-based roles.

Devastator - Tank Class

The Devastator commands gravity, ripping apart the earth around them both as a means of protection and offense. This class excels in the heat of battle and its abilities allow it to take quite a bit of punishment before going down, possessing a 15% boost to maximum health and 30% increase to armor. If you typically play as the tank role in your group of friends, the Devastator is for you.

Author
Jordan Ramée

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Call Of Duty: Warzone And Modern Warfare Get High-Res Texture Packs

3 years ago

A new high-resolution texture pack is coming for Warzone and Modern Warfare players on PS4 Pro, PS5, and Xbox Series X. The texture pack is the third to be made available, and players will receive an automatic prompt asking if they want to download it after the next update.

As reported by VG247, the pack is 8.4GB on PlayStation consoles, and while the size on Xbox Series X hasn't been reported yet, it's likely to be similar. With the file size of Warzone and Modern Warfare already incredibly large, players should make sure they have the space to spare before downloading.

File sizes on the recent Call Of Duty games have expanded so much that Activision recently had to warn players that Modern Warfare, Warzone, and Black Ops Cold War would no longer fit all together on a 500GB PS4 with all extra content installed.

The new texture pack "supports the most detailed textures for weapons and Operators," according to the description on the download page.

Author
Hayley Williams

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Report: Nintendo Announcing 4K-Capable Switch Model With Bigger Screen This Year

3 years ago

For years, we've been getting reports of a "Nintendo Switch Pro" model that would add extra power and other features meant to appeal to core gamers. While reports of a new Switch model in 2019 ended up pointing toward the handheld-only Switch Lite, the rumors have continued to swirl regarding a potential more powerful Switch console. As recently as last August, reports continued surfacing about a 4K-capable Switch set to launch in 2021.

Today, Bloomberg reports more details on the heavily rumored model than we've ever seen before. The report states the new model will feature a larger Samsung OLED touchscreen on the device for use in handheld and tabletop mode. The screen is said to be a 7-inch OLED panel capable of 720p resolution, with production to get underway as early as June and shipments set to go out to assemblers in July. The current Switch models feature a 6.2-inch screen on the base model and a 5.5-inch screen on the Switch Lite. 

Author
Brian Shea

Marvel’s Avengers Getting a Big XP Rework; Cosmetics Will Be Slightly Easier to Get in the Future

3 years ago

Since its launch last year, Marvel’s Avengers hasn’t exactly had the smoothest ride. While the single-player story campaign was serviceable, the live elements of the game were subpar, and the leveling mechanics felt too easy and a little unbalanced.

To address some of the game’s existing issues, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have announced that they’ll be working on some XP and cosmetic reworks to make the game better.

To start, CP progression will start to slow down a little once you hit level 25, and this is done so that players won’t progress too quickly, and new players will have more time to adjust and not feel like they’re being overwhelmed with too many rewards.

In addition to that, cosmetic rewards are also getting tweaked, and the developers have stated that instead of just getting all cosmetics through RNG, they want players to be able to work towards getting particular rewards as well. To that end, random cosmetic drops in Marvel’s Avengers have been temporarily disabled in preparation for that change, and the developers will release more details about the rework in the coming weeks.

Marvel’s Avengers is now available on PC and consoles.

The post Marvel’s Avengers Getting a Big XP Rework; Cosmetics Will Be Slightly Easier to Get in the Future appeared first on Twinfinite.

Author
Zhiqing Wan

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