One of the many knocks against Stadia thus far is that it doesn't have any exclusives worth getting worked up over. That might be changing as Google has signed on two developers who have cult followings.

Both Supermassive Games and Harmonix are creating new properties for Stadia. Supermassive is best-known for Until Dawn and The Dark Pictures Anthology; Harmonix is a household name because of Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Dance Central.

That's not to say we got any sort of hint as to what these new projects entail. Both companies gave Google interviews (Harmonix, Supermassive) where they revealed nothing about the games but emphasized how excited they are to be developing for Stadia.

There are some smaller exclusives to come out of this morning's Stadia Connect too. Gears Tactics developer Splash Damage is making a cartoony multiplayer shooter called Outcasters (here's the trailer) which is not to be confused with People Can Fly's Outriders. Also, Uppercut Games (Submerged, Epoch) is doing something for Stadia.

Supermassive and Harmonix have the kind of pedigree Google needs for third-party exclusives that'll draw people to Stadia. Will they help move the needle and raise Stadia's adoption rate? It's too early to tell because we don't have an inkling of what they're working on.

Blizzard has announced the next expansion coming to Hearthstone, Scholomance Academy. The school for fledgeling witches and wizards takes a jauntier tone than the dark and edgy Ashes of Outland, and introduces a few new spell-based mechanics along with a few other surprises. It will add 135 new cards in all, and it's set to launch in early August.

Scholomance Academy's biggest addition comes in the form of 40 new Dual-Class Cards. Each class has been matched with two others that share certain aspects, like Druid and Hunter's affinity for Beasts. The Dual-Class Cards are split down the middle with the color-code for each of its classes, and these cards can be added to decks of either of the classes. Longtime players may recognize the mechanic as similar to the tri-class gangs in Mean Streets of Gadgetzan.

A new Spellburst keyword will also accent the spell-focused flavor of the expansion. The new keyword will trigger a one-time effect from a minion the first time you cast a spell. Some will be ideally triggered on the same turn they're played, while others will get the best effect if you wait and keep the minion on the board for a subsequent turn. It works like a delayed-action Battlecry, letting you choose when the impact enters play.

In the latest Stadia Connect presentation, Google outlined 15 more games coming to the service in the coming months. That includes the critically acclaimed Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the upcoming action-RPG Outriders, and five platform exclusives.

Sekiro is coming in Fall 2020, letting Stadia users catch up on GameSpot's 2019 Game of the Year award winner. The presentation also announced the full Hitman series including Hitman 3, with the two previous ones coming in September. Outriders is coming this holiday, and WWE 2K Battlegrounds is coming September 18.

The Stadia Connect also debuted a couple of exclusives, along with studio deals on a few more. The multiplayer arena game Outcasters from Splash Damage will be exclusive to Stadia, along with Orcs Must Die 3. In fact, Orcs Must Die will be included for Stadia Pro subscribers as of July 14. Google also announced that Harmonix, Uppercut Games, and Supermassive Games are all working on Stadia exclusives.

During its recent Stadia Connect livestream, tech giant Google announced a partnership with several developers that will create games exclusive to the cloud-streaming platform. The company has detailed two of the five exclusives that will come to Stadia, alongside 15 other titles that will arrive throughout the year.

The first is from developer Splash Damage, the studio responsible for Brink and Gears Tactics. The game is Outcasters, a "vibrant and accessible competitive online multiplayer game set in a distinctly stylized vinyl world." It includes millions of customizations options for you to create unique casters as you compete in matches with up to eight players for glory and rewards. You can expect tons of sharp-shooting, bouncing, and springing on the multiple hectic battlefields. An official release date has not been provided.

Last year, Google announced that Orcs Must Die 3 would be exclusive to its Stadia streaming service. Today the company surprise-launched the game, which is also free for anyone who is a member of Google's Stadia Pro service, or you can purchase it for $29.99. 

As a series, we've always liked Orcs Must Die, but it's been a long time since we've had a numbered sequel. Orcs Must Die! 2 released in 2012, and Orcs Must Die! Unchained experimented with MOBA and free-to-play elements that turned off some fans. Time will tell how the new entry fares.

Google's game streaming platform has had a bit of a rough start, but the media giant isn't giving up on the service yet. This week, during a Stadia Connect briefing, Google announced a handful of Stadia exclusives and a few other notable details. 

In addition to the surprise release of Orcs Must Die 3, Google showed off a new game called Outcasters (pictured above). From developers Splash Damage (Gears Tactics), this colorful competitive online multiplayer game​ features a stylized vinyl aesthetic. Up to eight players can duke it out in this top-down shooter and players can put some extra spin on their attacks. 

Google also announced that it's working with developers like Harmonix (Rock Band, Fuser), Uppercut Games (Epoch, Submerged), and Supermassive Games (Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures anthology) on a couple of unannounced projects. The company didn't detail any of those projects, but it's nice to see that more studios are working on games that might drive people to the service. 

Finally, Google announced that the following games would be coming to its service soon:

This guide is made for new and aspiring indie devs who have no prior knowledge of game development, covering essential parts of game development from the idea to the finished game. ...

UK developer Splash Damage is making a Google Stadia exclusive, it's announced.

Outcasters is a colourful competitive online multiplayer top-down shooter set in a stylised "vinyl world". The focus is on customisation of your Caster, matches of up to eight players and curling your shots around the arena. Two game modes were revealed, a free-for-all last Caster standing mode, and a team-based objective mode.

Here's the debut trailer:

Read more

Google has announced 16 new games coming to streaming service Stadia, including five exclusives.

Outcasters is an "Only on Stadia" game from Gears Tactics and Brink developer Splash Damage. It's a colourful competitive online multiplayer top-down shooter in which you can curve your shots. More on that here.

Orcs Must Die! 3 is also an "Only on Stadia" game. Robot Entertainment's sequel sees players fight against huge orc armies, and it's playable in Stadia Pro now or costs $29.99 without Pro.

Read more

Summer Games Done Quick organisers have unveiled the full speedrun schedule for this year's online-only charity event, which gets underway in just over a month's time.

As announced back in June, Summer Games Done Quick 2020 will run from 16th-23rd August and is ditching its usual real-world component in favour of an exclusively online event, in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It'll feature more than 140 speedruns, with all money raised during the show going to Doctors Without Borders.

This year's schedule offers a typically broad selection of speedruns, featuring retro classics, indie favourites, triple-A blockbusters, and a couple of oddities thrown in for good measure too. A quick scan down the list reveals the following eye-catchers: Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Night Trap, A Short Hike, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, Dusk, The Talos Principle, Hypnospace Outlaw, the Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Pringles: The Video Game.

Read more

A Portable Music Player

The first of our Death Stranding PC mods that needs to exist is a portable music player. Death Stranding has an absolutely amazing soundtrack and it’s a shame that its music plays only in specific locations and instances.

You can listen to music in your private room but once you’re out and about in the world, you only get the ambiance of nature and the occasional BT.

We’ve all gone on long trips or walks while listening to music so adding a portable music player would increase immersion within the game and give us an on-demand playlist to listen to.

Despite being delayed, then later moving entirely online due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Summer Games Done Quick is still preparing for some awfully fast gaming next month. The schedule for this year’s event has just gone up, kicking off the annual week of charity speedrunning on Sunday, August 16th. Expect your usual bouts of boundary-breaking and donation shouting, of course, but can you really call it GDQ without the couch banter?

Yeah, probably.

(more…)

Bringing back the RPG in MMORPG

Continue reading…

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has sold over 70 million copies to date and is celebrating by remastering the Sanhok map for Season 8 as part of Update 8.1. Sanhok has been overhauled into a new overgrown and abandoned jungle destination.

Since its release in 2017, PUBG has sold over 70 million copies across Xbox One, PS4, and PC. Season 8--which launches on July 22 on Steam and on July 30 on Xbox One, PS4, and Stadia--adds more than just a remastered map.

Season 8 introduces the loot truck, an autonomous vehicle that players can attack and destroy for loot, including weapons with pre-installed attachments, and the new overhauled ranked system. The ranked system now gives points based on both personal performance and team placement.

There isn't just a Paper Mario: The Origami King Metroid Easter egg. The upcoming Switch game also references Donkey Kong.

The post Paper Mario: The Origami King References Both Metroid and Donkey Kong appeared first on Siliconera.

THQ Nordic continues its almost Atlus-level trailer campaign for upcoming remake Destroy All Humans! Moving on from his recent rampages held in Washington D.C. and Area 42, intergalactic bastard Crypto has now infiltrated the militarised zone of Union Town.

After gaining access to one of the army's biggest basses via his nifty cloaking and cloning devices, Crypto puts in an appearance at a top-level meeting with the war-hungry General Armquist, before laying waste to all and sundry in his own inimitable way. Crypto also finds himself all at sea on a huge ocean line, and taking on towering mech boss battles as his one-alien war against humanity continues. We deserve it, frankly.

A scene will be rewritten, says Swery

Continue reading…

Portal 2 speedrunning isn't just about who can get around fastest: another category exists that focuses entirely on getting around using as few portals as possible.

As shared by prolific Portal 2 speedrunner PerOculos, the latest breakthrough is on the Chapter 4 level Column Blocker, which had previously been completed with a minimum of two portals. Back in 2016, another speedrunner called Jetwash demonstrated that a zero-portal route would be possible for the level, but admitted some "crazy bullshit luck" would be required for the method to work. After a lot of practice, PerOculos managed to jump to the cage, turret climb and then perfectly align that (frankly ridiculous) turret throw.

"In my brain, I practiced enough to know I only needed to mind two things," PerOculos said. "Timing the throw, and throwing it up high enough, and it came together so well."

Read more

Just ahead of the new American Truck Simulator‘s launch, developers SCS Software have injected a touch of nitro into the game engine with screen space ambient occlusion (SSAO). This technique for making shadows more realistic is not a mega-fancy and drastic modern technobell or cyberwhistle, but it is a welcome one. The scenery just feels more… present. So simply by downloading a patch, my game has become prettier. Nice.

(more…)

How an impressive setup leads to a frustrating wrap-up

Continue reading…

With Ghost of Tsushima launching this Friday, reviews for Sucker Punch Productions' latest PlayStation 4 exclusive are filing in. What do critics think of the open-world samurai action game? Read below to find out.

Critical consensus on Ghost of Tsushima is relatively high, with the game receiving mostly favorable reviews on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. The gist of Tsushima's reception is that it's an enjoyable romp held up by its exquisite audio and visual design. Many reviewers, however, note the game's rote combat encounters and overly familiar gameplay, with a few citing Assassin's Creed and other open-world adventures as obvious comparisons. It doesn't reinvent the open-world ethos or anything, but critics call Tsushima an worthwhile swansong that, alongside Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, properly wraps up this current generation.

AMD have announced a fresh free games bundle for would-be graphics card buyers today, letting you pick up World Of Warcraft’s recent Shadowlands expansion and Gearbox’s upcoming Destiny-style “looter-slasher” Godfall for free. The bundle will run from now until October 3rd (the same date as their ongoing free Assassin’s Creed Valhalla bundle for new Ryzen CPU buyers), so read on below for how it all works.

(more…)

Nintendo is making every Animal Crossing villager a star with its new Animal Crossing Instagram account.

The post Animal Crossing Instagram Is Showing Love to Its Villagers appeared first on Siliconera.

For the last six weeks, EVE Online has been under siege by an extradimensional enemy known as the Triglavians. Recently, players were asked to join alongside the Triglavians and help them gain a foothold in the EVE universe. Many players accepted this challenge and fought alongside the alien invaders against the NPC…

Read more...

I haven't thought about Orcs Must Die in a while.

It's weird too, since I spent so much time toiling away by myself with the first game and with my wife for the sequel. It's not a series that really pops into my mind all that often, but thankfully it's back (in non-free-to-play-form) with a real sequel: Orcs Must Die 3.

Heads up, creators: Game Developers Conference organizers want to be sure you don't miss out on the opportunity to showcase some of your remarkable artwork at next month's exciting all-digital GDC Summer! ...

Just in time for Microsoft Flight Simulator and Star Wars: Squadrons

Continue reading…

After what feels like a long sequence of community polls, voting, and blogs, the time for a Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack trailer has arrived. Get ready to dive into all kinds of new content for your Sims, from hairstyles to clothing, furniture to activities, and more! We all got to vote on the components that make this pack what it is, meaning that Nifty Knitting is one of the most unique, if not the most unique, additions to the game yet.

The trailer showcases cute new content like rocking chairs, comfy sweaters, a marketplace known as “Plopsy” where your Sims can sell their crafts or buy others’ creations, and more! We’ve never seen such adorable additions to the game before– just look at those plants, chairs, and little bears! The colorful aesthetic of this stuff pack is enough to make us want to see more. Is your Sim ready to let their inner grandma take over?

Take a look for yourself and get ready to knit and become a Plopsy simoleonaire on the release date– July 28!

Did you spot the Unravel Easter egg? Hint– check the shelves!

While you’re waiting for to unleash your inner boomer with the release of this nifty pack, how about having a go at our Sims trivia quiz?

The Season 3 wave of DLC has finally kicked off with Jungle Fury Purple Wolf Ranger RJ.

The post Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid Gets RJ Today appeared first on Siliconera.

Folks who love Deadly Premonition the most will tell you that it's rife with technical issues, but those quirks only make it more lovable. Most fans were also relatively forgiving of the game's less-than-ideal social messaging, particularly around concepts of gender. Not to spoil it, but there is at least one gender non-conforming character in the game that, while sometimes displayed in a sympathetic light, still plays into more than a few negative stereotypes. 

Many guessed that The Missing, a newer game by Deadly Premonition's creator, was an apology for Deadly Premonition in that regard. By most accounts, it does a fantastic job with trans representation. That had fans of Swery, the director of both games, hopeful that Deadly Premonition 2 would follow a similar trend. Again, no spoilers, but suffice it to say most of those fans are disappointed.

In fact, the way protagonist Francis York Morgan talks about trans people – and later, to one trans person in particular, who features heavily in Deadly Premonition 2 – almost comes off as self-parody. It's one thing when this series is intentionally or unintentionally "bad" for a laugh, but when it comes to the game's depiction of this marginalized population, many are not amused.

In as strong a display of empathy as I've ever seen from a game director, Swery has announced that he's planning to consult with advisers, rewrite these parts of the story, and patch the edits into the game.

In the fourth episode of Star Trek: Picard, a familiar face storms onto the scene. With plenty of legacy characters, this might just be another day at the (space) office. But this is Seven of Nine, beloved, iconic, even more badass than she was during her time on Voyager—and she was always pretty badass. “You owe me a…

Read more...

There’s no denying how great The Sims 4 is, but we could all likely agree that the bare base game is lacking in the objects, clothing, and customization departments. There’s no better way to spice up your gameplay experience than to download some fan-made stuff, so we’ve gone ahead and picked out a few of the best custom content packs in The Sims 4 that will leave you wondering how you ever played without them.

The covid-19 pandemic has up-ended our educational system. In the middle of last semester, many students and teachers had to shift from traditional school environments to 100% online learning, with little or no warning and no time to prepare. The result has exposed just how pervasive technological inequality is in the…

Read more...

Today Microsoft released a new trailer for its upcoming next-generation console Xbox Series X.

The trailer focuses on the features brought to the table by the console’s “velocity architecture” that is at the heart of the system.

It also showcases the games already announced for the console in a neat sizzle reel.

You can check it out below.

An accompanying blog post provides a reminder of what the Velocity Architecture brings to the table:

Nifty Knitting Stuff ... try saying that five times fast

Continue reading…

Games stories are getting increasingly intricate, and are often a core selling point of a game. Yet games don't usually provide players with tools needed to follow a story. ...

• Custom NVME SSD: The Series X SSD allows for 40 times the I/O throughput (essentially the amount of data transfer the console allows every second) of Xbox One, but has been designed not to drop in performance below a certain level. Essentially, developers can design their games without having to work around data transfer constraints (by, for instance, introducing the "loading tunnels" we've seen in open world games this generation).
• Hardware Accelerated Decompression: Series X uses both an industry standard LZ decompressor, and a proprietary algorithm designed specifically for decompressing game texture data (typically the largest portion of over all game size).