Following the extended gameplay video for The Last of Us: Part II, Naughty Dog has released another video for the much-anticipated post-apocalyptic PS4 game. The latest "Inside the Details" video shines a light on the level of detail that Naughty Dog has put into the game--and it's a lot.

In the video, developers speak about bringing the game's characters to life through things like veins that pop on a character's forehead when they're in a stressful situation. Additionally, the game has a new animation system that lets the developers adjust how tears flow off the eyes and face.

Another way that Naughty Dog has focused on details is by giving enemy characters names. When you kill an enemy, their friend might call out in anguish. The enemies you kill may also scream in blood-curdling pain. It's all part of helping increase the tension and immersion you feel as the player.

A Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Sequel has been confirmed by Paramount Pictures, with the director, writers, and producers coming back.

The post Paramount Officially Confirms Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Sequel appeared first on Siliconera.

Anyone hoping that Electronic Arts and the NFL’s long-standing exclusivity arrangement was going to go away any time soon is going to have to keep hoping for a few more years, as both parties agreed today to continue the deal that makes EA Sports the only company allowed to release an NFL simulation game.

Read more...

The Witcher series has sold 50 million copies to date, with CD Projekt Red's flagship property hitting a new sales milestone this year. After the success of the hit Netflix adaptation, it looks like the adventures of Geralt have captured everyone's attention.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has sold around 28.3 million copies all on its own, contributing to over half of the figures now being celebrated by CD Projekt Red.

PC copies of The Witcher 3 further accounted for around 12 million of total units sold for the game, with PlayStation 4 copies coming in a close second at 10.8 million copies.

Nippon Ichi has released two trailers for Shoujo Jigoku no Doku Musume that show the two modes used to fight and clear stages.

The post Shoujo Jigoku no Doku Musume Goes Over Battle Basics in Its New Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

The Corrupted Cauldron is a boss at the end of the Soggy Swamp area in Minecraft Dungeons. It's not the most challenging boss fight in the game, but it can be a little tricky--mainly because it's one of the first proper bosses you'll come across.

The Soggy Swamp itself is home to many witches who have been brewing a variety of potions to distil a terrifyingly potent concoction for the Arch-Illager. The Corrupted Cauldron is where said concoction ends up, so to stop it from reaching the Arch-Illager's kingdom, you'll need to take it down in the deepest part of the Soggy Swamp.

Below we detail how to defeat the Corrupted Cauldron boss. But if you're looking for extra tips on how to get better at Minecraft Dungeons in general, check out how the enchanting system works, or consult our list of essential tips and tricks. We've also put together a handy piece on everything you need to know about Minecraft Dungeons. You can also read our Minecraft Dungeons review.

Minecraft Dungeons, the new dungeon-crawling adventure game from the creators of Minecraft, is pretty different from the game it’s spun-off from. Instead of mining, woodcutting, farming, and gallivanting across diverse biomes in first-person, you’re tasked with exploring dungeons packed with all kinds of nasty enemies. One of the most prominent differences outside of the overall genre shift, though, has to do with the implementation of Artifacts.

Artifacts, although magical in nature, are different from enchanting, so we’ve put together a separate guide for how the enchanting system works. If you’re only starting out, though, you should start off by checking out everything you need to know before playing Minecraft Dungeons, before consulting our list of essential tips and tricks guide. You can also read our Minecraft Dungeons review.

What Are Artifacts?

Artifacts in Minecraft Dungeons are sort of like the spells you’d expect to find in a traditional RPG. You can equip up to three Artifacts at one time, meaning that you have three different spells to make use of when you go dungeon-crawling. Just remember that they are set to cooldowns, so each Artifact will be temporarily off-limits after you use it (fortunately, some cooldowns are remarkably short).

Today Cloud Imperium Games released a brand new video of its upcoming space simulator Star Citizen.

The video showcases weapons with a brand new damage type, in the form of a handgun and a sniper rifle dealing “electron” damage.

We hear that eventually, they will also lead to non-lethal weapons like tasers. 

The second part of the video focuses on the upcoming trading feature that will let you us other players currency on the short term and then evolve further in the future (for instance with two-way trading).

In other Star Citizen news the crowdfunding total  has passed $290 million today.

To be more precise, it’s almost at $291 million and it’s sitting on $290,892,451 at the moment of this writing, meaning that it made over 6.5 million during the latest Free Fly event started last Friday.

The number of registered accounts is now well over 2.6 million (currently 2,681,625).

As usual, 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.

Paramount Pictures and Sega Sammy have confirmed to Variety that a sequel to this year's successful Sonic the Hedgehog movie is in the works. The original movie currently sits at a 64 percent on movie-review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, with a 93 percent audience-approval rating. In addition, it earned the best opening weekend ever for a movie based on a video game.

This news comes exactly one month after director Jeff Fowler said that there were not yet plans for a sequel. Now, Fowler is set to once again direct, with the writers of the first movie, Pat Casey and Josh Miller, returning as well. Casting decisions and production dates have not yet been determined.

For more on our thoughts of Sonic the Hedgehog, check out our video discussion about the film.

[Source: Variety]

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie, which is Mostly Fine, did well enough that a sequel is already in development.

Read more...

It’s been a little too easy to write off People Can Fly’s upcoming “RPG shooter” Outriders. A particularly beefy Destiny 2, from what’s been teased so far. The loot-shooter that’s willing to show some heads exploding. But today saw the devs post their first in-depth look at Outriders in what intends to be a series of monthly broadcasts – and there’s some fascinating depth behind all the exploding goons and burst heads.

(more…)

While 2K Sports has a football game on the horizon, it's EA that has walked away with a coveted, multi-year exclusivity deal to make the officially licensed NFL simulation games. This announcement comes hot on the heels of an NFL vote concerning who to cement as the organization's partner in the game, esports, and media sphere.

According to a press release from EA, this multi-year deal has been inked between the publisher, the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), and the NFL itself. With Madden NFL 20 being the most successful game in the franchise's history, and Madden NFL 21 due to drop later this year, now appears to be as a time as any for the NFL to capitalise on that momentum.

The deal between the three bodies will encompass developing "games in new genres, expanded esports programs, and additional experiences for fans across more platforms," as per EA's statement.

• 00:00:00 Welcome!
• 00:01:15 Splatoon's 5th anniversary discussion
• 00:16:47 News: BlizzCon cancelled, Dead Cells update, and more
• 00:25:45 Games out this week
• 00:41:53 What we're playing
• 00:47:00 Question Block!

• Minecraft Dungeons - 5/26, $20
• Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - 5/29, $60
• XCOM 2 Collection - 5/29, $50
• BioShock: The Collection - 5/29, $50
• Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition - 5/29, $30
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection - 5/29, $40
• Borderlands Legendary Collection - 5/29. $50
• Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling - 5/28, $25
• Shantae and the Seven Sirens - 5/28, $30
• Atomicrops - 5/28, $15
• Turmoil - 5/28, $15

• Casey: DDR
• Brian: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
• Seth: Minecraft Dungeons
• Brendan: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Maneater

NVC is available on your preferred platform!

You will be utilizing traditional art training and knowledge of 3D art, design and computer graphics software to build efficient, high quality special effects. ...

Valve's rolled out Steam Cloud Play, a cloud-based gaming feature that, for now, lets developers enable users to play games from their Steam Libary in Nvidia GeForce Now.  ...

†œBoth with regard to sales and net profit this was the best first quarter in the Group's history, explains CFO Piotr Nielubowicz. ...

… even though it changes everything about the book 

Continue reading…

A recent study from analytics firm Newzoo claims that at least 80 percent of video game fans eat or drink something while they sell turnips in Animal Crossing and demolish demonic hordes in Doom Eternal. Assuming I didn’t already hate gamers, this is all it would take to push me over the edge.

Read more...

Niantic's annual Pokemon Go Fest event is returning once again this summer with some major changes. While the event is traditionally held in-person at Chicago's Grant Park, this year developer Niantic is transforming Pokemon Go Fest into "an entirely global event in a virtual format."

Pokemon Go Fest 2020 will take place on July 25-26. Not many other details about the event have been announced yet, but Niantic says that all ticket holders will be able to attend both days and the new virtual format will allow players to join the festivities regardless of where they're located.

"While we'll miss the traditional congregation of Pokemon Go fans, we're thrilled to bring a special Pokemon Go Fest experience to Trainers," Niantic wrote in a blog post. "Not only are you in for an exciting weekend of bonuses, Pokemon encounters, and Special Research, there will also be exciting ways to connect with other Trainers and experience other fun surprises throughout the entire summer."

The Nords gave out some awards at the 2020 Nordic Games Conference. ...

Localisation is a tough task, even when not considering languages English has tried its hardest to stamp out over the centuries. But today’s 1.8 update for Dicey Dungeons brings developer Terry Cavanagh’s dice-roller a little closer to home by adding full Irish language support, alongside proper gamepad controls, balance overhauls and two new baddies who’ve been waiting on the sidelines since launch.

(more…)

HP's new $600 VR headset packs in some impressive tech from Valve on a bigger display. ...

The Nintendo Switch is today’s must-have game console. It’s both portable and playable on your TV, plus it has a wealth of amazing games—including loads of gems from Nintendo itself.

Read more...

It’s not often that a spinoff title ends up selling more than an entry in the main series. It’s even more uncommon for a three-year-old port to outsell the original version. And yet, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe managed to do both, outselling its original Wii U counterpart as well as Super Mario Odyssey. Since launch, it’s gone on to be the best selling game bar none in the Switch’s library. Why, then, has Nintendo abandoned it?

Since launch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has gotten the absolute minimum of post-launch support. The extent of its post-launch updates have been the usual bugfixes, Labo support, one new character skin, one new bike, one new set of tires, and one new glider. That’s the entirety of the DLC provided to the best selling Switch game of all-time.

Today’s update of the free to play PC game Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation brings a second chance at the new character, Patty.

Patty was introduced at the end of April, and today’s update added a new gacha that allows players to try and unlock her once more.

Unfortunately, the gacha is of the paid-only variety, so you won’t be able to give it a try unless you’re willing to pull out the credit card. 

The fact that the chance to actually draw the SSR costume required to unlock her is 0.78% makes things even less appealing.

Usually, it takes a few months for a new girl to become available in free gachas. For instance, Saiyuri was launched in December and the first free chance to unlock her came in March. Incidentally, Saiyuri is currently available in this week’s free gacha.

Keep in mind that this is valid only for the Japanese version of the game via DMM. The Steam version in English is behind in content by approximately a year, so it won’t be getting Patty for roughly that long.

If you’re not interested in wasting a lot of money for a slim chance to unlock Patty, logging into the game will yield several freebies from the latest livestream, including a ticket with a guaranteed SSR costume from May’s selection. 

Below you can see the new costume in a dedicated trailer.

Minecraft Dungeons, the recently launched spin-off of global blockbuster Minecraft, differs from its predecessor in a variety of ways. There’s no mining for diamonds in the depths of a cave, nor is there an option to build your favorite landmarks out of sand, stone, or netherrack. Instead, your goal is to make your way through dungeons filled with monsters, slaying all kinds of enemies as you make your way towards the castle of the dastardly Arch-Illager.

This is made a lot easier by enchanting your weapons and armor. Minecraft Dungeons, like Minecraft, features a full-fledged enchantment system of its own, but it works a little differently in this case. Although it’s easy to understand once you get the hang of it, it might take a little while to figure out how it actually works. Fortunately, we’ve put together a handy guide on how the enchantment system works in Minecraft Dungeons.

If you’ve got the hang of enchanting already, be sure to check out our essential tips and tricks for Minecraft Dungeons. On the other hand, if you’re curious about what Minecraft Dungeons even is, here’s everything you need to know about Minecraft Dungeons. You can also read our Minecraft Dungeons review.

Oscar winner Cate Blanchett will take a leading role in Eli Roth's upcoming movie adaptation of Gearbox's Borderlands series.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Blanchett - whose credits include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Thor: Ragnarok, and Roth's 2018 adaptation of The House with a Clock in its Walls - will play as Lilith, described as a "siren and legendary thief equipped with magical skills".

Borderlands fans will perhaps best know Lilith as one of the original game's four playable characters, but she's made frequent return visits to the series since then, appearing as an NPC in Borderlands 2, the Pre-Sequel, and Borderlands 3.

Read more

You have until June 9 to complete these quests and collect these items

Continue reading…

A free-to-play game that inspires jealousy

Continue reading…

After years of hard work, we are proud to announce that MARVEL’S IRON MAN VR has officially gone gold! We can’t wait for everyone to #SuitUp when the game releases exclusively for PlayStation VR on July 3. pic.twitter.com/NZnsG12Pgy

The Twin Peaks director’s daily weather reports return

Continue reading…

The first trailer for Experience's next dungeon crawler is here! Get a better look at Yomi wo Saku Hana’s characters and combat.

The post Yomi wo Saku Hana Explores Hidden Depths of Combat in Its First Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

If you know anything about Xenoblade Chronicles, you know it’s 92.7 percent side-quest. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, the spiffed-up version out tomorrow for Nintendo Switch, is no different. There are enough side-quests in this role-playing game to put Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Fallout 4, and The Witcher 3…

Read more...

Break out the party poppers – Prey and Dishonored developers Arkane Studios turns 20 years old this year. Well, sort of. The studio may have been founded in ’99, but who am I to ruin a party? To celebrate two decades of sneaking, stabbing, and all-round immersive sim’ing, Arkane are dusting off the oldest book on their shelf by giving away free copies of the studio’s 2002 fantasy debut Arx Fatalis.

(more…)

Gamasutra chats with writer Mitch Dyer about the process of doing narrative development for the Star Wars universe. ...

Update #2: Electronic Arts has officially announced the extension, adding that it is planning new games in "new genres with more forms of play and self-expression, available on more platforms, including expanded offerings for mobile players."

Furthermore, NFL commissioner Roger Goddell added, "The expansion of this partnership is not only about the continued success of the Madden NFL franchise but also the creation of new avenues for our fans to connect with the sport they love."

EA says that Madden NFL 21 will be previewed on June 1.

Update #1: A source has told NFL reporter Albert Breer that the NFL has indeed voted to extend the league's license with Electronic Arts, giving the Madden NFL publisher/developer the exclusive rights for sim-related football games through 2025. There is an option for the following year if the franchise is deemed a financial hit.

Per source, NFL owners just voted to approve an extension of their deal with Electronic Arts. This one will run through the 2025 season (and through 2026 if revenue markers are hit).

So when it comes to that kind of game, it'll be Madden for a while.

Whisper of the Heart cuts to the core of John Denver’s country classic

Continue reading…