There's no two ways about it, Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is one of the major successes of 2020. While the lead-up to Mediatonic's madcap multiplayer title was somewhat subdued, Fall Guys absolutely exploded onto the scene come launch day, even going as far as to crash its own servers under the incredible weight of players eager to get their bean on.

Fall Guys became a household name practically overnight, many of my friends and relatives  - including those who generally don't play video games - asked me about it. Hell, even the staff at my local coffee shop were chatting to me about their crown-grasping escapades over the counter (and through plexiglass dividers - mask up, folks). There is that magical zeitgeist that comes around once so often, the zeitgeist where your mum suddenly starts asking you about video games. And Fall Guys had it.

This week saw the launch of Fall Guys' second season, bringing with it new rounds, new costumes, and a few wild gameplay tweaks, all dressed up in a fun medieval vibe. This refreshing new content will no doubt keep Fall Guys regulars running up that hill like Kate Bush well into the fall season.

Hamster has released the newest entry to its incredible range of Arcade Archive releases, which now boasts hundreds of old-school coin-op classics. And they don't get much more old-school than this, Sun Electronics' Arabian.

Originally launched in 1983, Arabian is a single-screen platformer as was typical of the day. Players control a brave prince on a quest to rescue his fair princess, held prisoner within her own palace. Our young hero sails the seven seas, ventures through dense jungle, and scales the outside of the palace, before finally saving the girl and taking flight on the obligatory magic carpet. The player must gather a selection of vases, spelling out "ARABIAN," while dodging various enemies and hazards strewn throughout the environment.

You can check out the action below, in this video from YouTuber Old Classic Retro Gaming.

While Arabian's gameplay is undeniably simplistic, Sun Electronics' formative platform title is very creative. It has a fun "storybook" presentation, four very distinct stage settings, cute sprites, and a fun, if bafflingly anachronistic soundtrack which includes "The Can Can" and The William Tell Overture. Arabian certainly has its fair share of fun ideas.

Arabian is available to download now on Nintendo Switch, priced at $8.

Procedural village-builder Townscaper was already a delight. A wonderfully tactile little tool for popping together quaint wee archipelagos with a look you could easily slap on a postcard. It’s frankly rude, then, that developer Oskar Stålberg has gone and made it even prettier in a new update, letting you move the sun itself to paint your perfect little seaside getaway.

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"SBMM" - aka skill-based matchmaking was a trending phrase on Twitter this week as the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta went live and players resorted to killing themselves over and over again in a bid to improve their experience with the game.

SBMM relates to the way matchmaking works in video games, and it has become a hot topic within the Call of Duty community in recent years. The idea is by deliberately gaining a negative kill / death ratio in matches, Black Ops Cold War's SBMM will essentially demote you down its skill ranking, and then matchmake you with players more your level (or you'll do better against).

The issue flared up with the release of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alpha, which saw players complain its SBMM was too harsh and lobbies were "like COD League Finals".

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Indivisible

is as finished as it’ll ever be. There may have been plans to add a number of crossover and crowdfunded characters to the turn-based-but-not RPG, but the implosion of developers Lab Zero has put one hell of a wrench in the works. This week, publishers 505 Games clarified the situation regarding future Indivisible updates, and regret to inform that there’ll be no further work done on the game.

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Baldur's Gate 3's character creator is pretty good. There are a number of fantastical races to pick from, there's a cool surprise I won't spoil, and while the number of heads and voices available in early access is limited, players have come up with some incredible designs.

Well, some players have, anyway.

In a post about Baldur's Gate 3's latest hotfix on Steam, developer Larian lamented the fact the most popular choices in character creation resulted in just about the most generic man you could imagine. Or, as Larian put it: "the default Vault Dweller."

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So long, Crucible. Amazon’s free-to-play shooter hasn’t had the easiest ride, greeted by a release so underwhelming developers Relentless Studios chose to take it back to the shop for a bit of a tune-up. Three months later, the devs have decided that Crucible may just be beyond salvaging. Development on the beleaguered shooter has ceased, with servers set to shut off over the next few weeks.

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October is here and that can only mean one thing: terrible novelty songs on the radio. There are several Halloween songs out there, but obviously, the most well-known is "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett. But is the song "Monster Mash" about a song called "Monster Mash" or a dance called "Monster Mash?" Or is it both? Or does it not matter because this is the type of argument you should only have if you're high?

That's one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Chris, Dan, and Occams come together to talk Genshin Impact, Super Mario 35, Inframan, granny getaway drivers, and Mafia: Definitive Edition. All that, plus we answer your listener questions, on Podtoid Episode 461.

Star Citizen's single-player campaign, Squadron 42 is still in development, Cloud Imperium Games has insisted, but don't hold your breath on it coming out any time soon.

"We still have a ways to go before we are in beta, but everyone on Squadron 42 is working very hard to deliver something great," CIG boss Chris Roberts said in an AMA on the Roberts Space Industries website to coincide with Star Citizen's eight birthday (Star Citizen was unveiled on 10th October 2012).

The AMA was meant to celebrate Star Citizen's milestone, but among posts about upcoming features for the main game were questions from clearly disgruntled fans who complained about the radio silence around Squadron 42, which is currently six years behind its original delivery target.

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There's an ever-present comfort that welcomes me every time I return to Cafe LeBlanc in the evenings. One that smells as fresh coffee mixed with curry, the menu specialty that would raise customers' eyebrows anywhere else but here. A feeling best illustrated in the old couple that have been regulars for years sitting at the same table, asking for the usual each time. For both the protagonist and myself, this is home. But I never get to enjoy it.

Compared to its predecessor, Persona 5 Royal does the unthinkable: now the 16-year-old main character isn't forced to go to sleep at 7pm almost every day. This means evenings are free to tackle however you see fit, even after spending hours inside a palace fighting shadows. Naturally, this in turn means there are more places to visit and activities to invite your friends to. Pool, darts, a jazz club. It's great.

When I first played Persona 5 in 2017, I fell in love with its digital routine. The back and forth of hanging out with friends and taking part in activities that later benefited me during my heists inside adults' distorted realities was truly engaging. I became fond of the "take your time" premise it evokes. But I quickly realized it doesn't hold the same meaning in Royal. There is no real penalty for overworking yourself with this new freedom, and as with any other JRPGs, you end up filling every possible slot in your schedule. As someone who has a tendency of using breaks to try and complete something from my endless backlogs and to-do lists, even more so in lockdown, I saw my habits reflected in this routine like a mirror.

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Amazon has cancelled Crucible, its free-to-download multiplayer action game.

Crucible launched in May 2020 with little fanfare, and player numbers dwindled soon after. In early June Amazon "retired" two of its three modes. Then, later that month, Amazon "un-released" the game, bringing Crucible into closed beta in a bid to save a project years in the making.

In a post on the game's website, developer Relentless Studios said "ultimately we didn't see a healthy, sustainable future ahead of Crucible".

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It’s trite but: autumn really has come out of nowhere. A fortnight ago, I walked through a forested glen with a pal and saw barely any non-green leaves, let alone fallen ones. This week, I walked along the local river and kicked through deep drifts of yellow leaves. Seasons.

What are you playing this weekend? Here’s what we’re clicking on!

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Spike Chunsoft has released the fourth episode of its excellently in-depth "Dangan TV" show, looking at the inspiration and creation of the adorable and maniacal Danganronpa franchise. The video series was produced as part of the ongoing anniversary celebrations for the visual novel franchise, which has presented fans with a decade of destruction.

Following previous episodes - which focused on specific franchise entries - Episode 4: Hope Keeps on Going is more of a series overview, spotlighting one of Danganronpa's most important features: its stylish soundtrack. Host Megumi Ogata returns to hold court with series planner Shun Sasaki, sound designer Jun Fukuda, and composer Masafumi Takada, whose memorable tunes have scored many a brutal murder and intense confession.

In this particularly lengthy episode, our panel discusses the importance of sound and music within the franchise, as well as the influences behind Takada's awesome OST. With help from Danganronpa fans on Twitter, the team also present a "Top Ten" of the series' most popular tunes, including Danganronpa 2's "Kill Command" and Danganronpa V3's "Let's Kill Each Other" ...are you noticing a trend here?

Hello again everybody, and welcome to another weekend. As we already push toward the middle of October in what has been simultaneously the shortest AND longest year in the history of time, I hope that this post finds you very well indeed. The challenge that is 2020 continues, but I hope that you're keeping safe and healthy, and finding plenty of opportunity to rest, recharge, and sink yourself into things that you love, be it video games, movies, music, books, or the warm arms of partners, friends, or doges. You're doing just fine.

As we approach the lucrative holiday season, its time for AAA publishers to start unleashing their heavy-hitters - heavier than ever given the approaching new generation. As such, I've spent the last couple of days checking out Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War beta. For some reason, whenever people need to be blown up, stabbed, or shot, the lords of Destructoid always call on lil' old me, the Bernadetta of the team, to get the job done.

But that's enough about me, let's hear about you. I love the fact that you continue to fill out the comment section each and every week with hundreds of posts discussing your current gaming obsessions with your fellow community members. So whatever it is you're playing, whether an old favourite, a recent release, or just grinding through the backlog, be sure to take a moment to fill us all in on the action. You might even find your next obsession in the discourse while you're at it.

Have a safe and pleasant weekend, from all of us at Destructoid.

In the latest chapter of the Epic Games vs. Apple feud, a federal judge granted an injunction Friday to keep Apple from terminating Epic’s developer account but also said the tech giant wouldn’t be compelled to bring Fortnite back to its App Store.

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And why is the manga-turned-anime so popular?

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The development team behind Crucible, Amazon Game Studios†™ effort to break into the free-to-play multiplayer shooter genre, announced Friday even it would halt development of the game. ...

The stop-motion comedy comes courtesy of Patton Oswalt

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Rising like Godzilla from Tokyo Bay after a long 1,000 year slumber, it’s Kotaku Splitscreen! Yes, Splitscreen is back with both a brand-new cast and the blessing of the old one.

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Looks like the chapter on Amazon Games' Crucible is coming to a close. Developer Relentless Studios is shuttering the game after its short-lived lifespan of a few months.

"We'll be discontinuing development on Crucible," Relentless Studios wrote in a blog post. "We very much appreciate the way that our fans have rallied around our efforts, and we've loved seeing your responses to the changes we've made over the last few months, but ultimately we didn't see a healthy, sustainable future ahead of Crucible."

Currently, servers for custom games will continue to remain live. But even those will shut down on November 9 at 12 PM PT / 3 PM ET. This means you have less than a month to keep playing the game if you have done so with friends.

The rocky saga of Crucible, the free-to-play team-based shooter Amazon released in May 2020 and then unreleased in July 2020, is coming to an end. The developers announced today that they intend to shut down servers on November 9. The team will then transition to development on Amazon’s MMO, New World.

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A few could actually happen in the new spinoff

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Radha Blank breaks out as a middle-aged playwright moving into hip-hop

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Every discussion about the American version of Super Mario Bros. 2 invariably turns to its origins as a completely different game. “It’s not the ‘real’ Super Mario Bros. 2,” is a fact some folks are more than happy to point out, and in some ways, they’re absolutely right. I just don’t think it matters all that much…

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From the very first moment its main menu loads, Rogue Company radiates bold personality. You’re immediately punched in the ears by a surprisingly catchy hip hop-infused soundtrack playing alongside a raucous cast of unique characters. This free-to-play, team-based shooter combines facets from many of the most successful FPSes already out there, from Overwatch to Counter-Strike, to deliver a fun package that requires skill, patience, and an appreciation for teamwork to succeed – even if that also means it’s lacking in originality.

Rogue Company is a multiplayer-only third-person shooter with a gallery of interesting characters called Rogues, each with their own distinct abilities, loadouts, and perks to choose from. Moment-to-moment gunplay is snappy and responsive, but movement is a little light and floaty. You eventually get used to it, but at first it feels a bit like characters are skating around the map. Since everyone can dodge roll, fire fights can get very tense and erratic quickly, which helps combat stand out (in a good way) from the other games Rogue Company was clearly inspired by. Just because you get the drop on someone doesn’t mean you’ll down them necessarily since time-to-kill varies wildly depending on your Rogue and the weapon you’re using.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/rogue-company-gameplay-reveal-trailer"]

Manga readers can catch up before the premiere of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon

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Watch out for Amazon’s new Blumhouse series, too

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Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima is a stunningly beautiful story that helped end the era of PS4 on an incredible note. For those interested in Sony's Game Boost feature, this is an option that will make the PS4 game even more breathtaking. 

The PS5 Game Boost feature aims to improve performance of PlayStation 4 titles and Ghost of Tsushima will greatly benefit from that. For those that play this Sucker Punch title on the next generation of PlayStation, they will note a potential 60 FPS experience thanks to this particular boosting addition. 

Tsushima will also be taking advantage of the PS5 SSD capabilities, insuring faster loading times for those playing. 

Even more so, Sucker Punch also promises that players will be able to transfer their saves from the PlayStation 4 system to the PS5, something that is not guaranteed for all titles going into next gen. For those looking to make the jump from PS4 to PS5, this save transfer can be done via external storage or via WiFi, something Sony talked a little more about earlier today. 

Celebrate the Pokemon Sirfetch'd, Farfetch'd, and Galarian Farfetch'd with this anime short and adorable merchandise at the Pokemon Center.

The post Pokemon Sirfetch’d and Farfetch’d Merchandise and Anime Appear appeared first on Siliconera.

Larian Studios isn’t mad, just disappointed

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Yup, that’s right. You spent 45 minutes in Baldur’s Gate 3‘s character creator looking at drow and tieflings, considering horns and tails and beards, oh my. Then you said “oh, to hell with it” and made a human Cleric with your own skin and eye color whose face is just a little more attractive than yours. That’s how you’re going to venture forth, is it? Steve Plainface is going to save Baldur’s Gate from mind flayers and date Shadowheart, is he? Yup, he sure will.

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Mere minutes after I posted my take on Baldur’s Gate 3’s character creator, Larian Studios (coincidentally) announced the release of a third hotfix for its long-awaited CRPG, which contained this intriguing morsel:

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The remastered edition of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was released worldwide on Aug. 27 this year. It is available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS, making it unique in comparison to the original only available for GameCube players. It’s an interesting mix of platforms, especially as players will now be able to experience this classic on mobile.

To learn more about what inspired the development of this remastered Crystal Chronicles, Twinfinite interviewed director Ryoma Araki.

Read on for the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles interview– you’ll learn some interesting details regarding the game’s multiplayer, and challenges faced by Square Enix.

Now that Lab Zero Games has essentially dissolved following controversy with game director Mike Zaimont, publisher 505 Games has confirmed that production has ended for Indivisible.

At present, there is an update in submission for the Nintendo Switch that will add more challenges, a New Game+ mode, and couch co-op, bringing Indivisible on Nintendo Switch to the same developmental level as the other platforms. After this, 505 Games has no plans to introduce more content or updates for the game. This patch starts rolling out on October 13.

"At this stage, apart from content that is already in submission, there will unfortunately be no more production on [Indivisible]," 505 Games said in a development update post. "We understand that longtime players have been waiting for guest characters as well as some backer-created characters. Regretfully, this additional content will not be added to the game."

Square Enix has revealed when Final Fantasy XIV's next big content update will drop. During its latest Letter from the Producer broadcast, the publisher confirmed that Patch 5.4, titled Futures Rewritten, will arrive in early December, and it'll introduce a wealth of additional content for the Shadowbringers expansion.

Among other things, Patch 5.4 will add new main story quests. As Square Enix describes, "Following the grand conclusion of the Shadowbringers story in Patch 5.3, players will set out on a new adventure" in the December update. The patch will also introduce the third installment in the Eden raid series, as well as the next chapter in the Sorrow of Werlyt questline.

Beyond that, Patch 5.4 will also bring the dreaded Emerald Weapon to Final Fantasy XIV. Players will be able to challenge it in both normal and extreme difficulties. There will also be a new dungeon, Matoya's Relict, which is going to be part of the new main story questline. On top of that, the patch will introduce a new Unreal trial and a new Explorer mode that lets you venture around dungeons to take screenshots without have to worry about dealing with enemies.

In this 2018 GDC panel, Yujin Kiem, Cory Turner & Brian Sousa share their insights, experiences, and eventual success of remastering Crash Bandicoot, StarCraft, and Full Throttle. ...