There’s a new Windows 10 update out, which instils a tiny bit of fear into me because these updates tend to break at least one random piece of software on my PC. But, there are at least a few things to look forward to. Windows are rolling out the new DirectX 12 Ultimate, which will should help some of those lovely video games have nicer graphics. There’s also a bunch of accessibility changes being introduced, and those quirky lil’ kaomojis are now much easier to use ♪(^∇^*).

(more…)

Outriders, the upcoming third-person shooter from People Can Fly and Square Enix, has been flying a bit under the radar as of recent with more pressing titles hogging what little spotlight there is today. But for anyone with even the slightest interest in the game, today was a good day as the developers launched the first of what will be several broadcasts showing off the gameplay, graphics, customization options, and more. This includes a deep dive look at the Trickster class, though I'm far more curious about the Pyromancer that'll be covered in the next video presentation.

The 26-minute broadcast can be seen in its entirety below, but my favorite part is at the end where the developers offer very simple answers to very simple questions. People Can Fly's community manager Robbie Palmer confirmed Outriders is not a "games as a service" title and will be "a complete experience right outside of the box." He also confirmed it will feature neither Denuvo nor microtransactions. Let's hope that remains true even after the game releases, which sadly isn't always the case these days.

Bitsummit, Japan’s leading annual showcase of independent video games, has today provided new information about upcoming its digital event, called Bitsummit Gaiden, scheduled to kick off on June 27.

As Twinfinite reported earlier this year, the event replaces the 8th edition of Bitsummit that was canceled in the wake of COVID-19.

“Gaiden loosely translates to ‘side-story’ in Japanese and while this new incarnation has a different format, we’re bringing back all the things that make BitSummit special,” John Davis, BitSummit Organizing Committee. “BitSummit Gaiden will still have great indie games, amazing music, thought-provoking talks with game industry luminaries, and a thriving community eager to check out the fun and innovative titles.”

As for what’s being showcased, Bitsummit has unveiled the full list of 75 games over on its website.

It also announced a new plan to divide each day into groups represented by different “Heroes,” something which is inspired by Japanese traditions and aimed to foster a greater sense of community during the event. As per the press release, the teams are as follows:

Even though the marquee Switch games this week are mostly ports, it's still a huge moment for the eShop.

Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is out, bringing the JRPG classic to its third platform in roughly a decade (following the Wii and New 3DS). 2K is also releasing a trio of SKUs this week, including the BioShock Collection (all three games plus DLC), the Borderlands Legendary Collection (1+2+Pre-Sequel) and XCOM 2 (with DLC). You can read more about the 2K games here. 

If you aren't yet satisfied, there's Shantae and the Seven Sirens, as well as Liberated: not to mention all of the releases below. It's a packed week! For now, I can heartily recommend Xenoblade.

It's going to be all about the pew-pew next month for PlayStation Plus subscribers, as Sony has revealed that June's second PS Plus game is Electronic Arts' Star Wars: Battlefront II, which will join the service on June 2. The second free title, Activision's Call of Duty: WWII, is available to download now.

Released back in 2017, Star Wars Battlefront II sees characters, vehicles, weapons and locations from the huge Star Wars universe colliding in massive multiplayer battles. Players can run-and-gun as sharpshooters such as Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Lando Calrissian, or unlock the lightsaber skills of iconic Jedi such as Luke Skywalker, Rey, and Darth Vader himself. The PS Plus release will include over 25 updates released since the initial launch.

Twitter user Tsukimaro has an interesting project: bringing the classic Studio Ghibli anime Spirited Away to life in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Read more...

Red Dead Redemption 2 (PC) | $36 | CDKeys

Read more...

Would your PC benefit from a shot in the PCI-e slot? For mid-range gaming PCs, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super is arguably the best Nvidia graphics card you can buy for 1080p gaming at the moment, and the good news is that it’s currently back down at its launch price of £220 over at Currys in the UK and $230 over in the US, which is the lowest price we’ve seen for this card in quite some time.

(more…)

Roll up, roll up, The Butcher’s Circus is (about to be) in town. Merciless RPG Darkest Dungeon is set to launch its PVP mode later today, letting you pit your band of stressed out adventurers against those of a stressed out person in the real world. The new mode is completely separate to the singleplayer campaign, and comes with new trinkets and reworked Heroes.

The Dungeon’s first free trial weekend also kicks off today, so you can get all cross without spending a penny.

(more…)

Atomicrops

is not your granpappy’s pixel art farming sim. It’s not a farming sim at all, really, but more a twin stick bullet-hell-and-tarnation with some very light nods to life-sim elements through upgrades. It’s also moreish, dizzyingly vibrant, and full of more squirming veggies than when you threw up that carrot cake your mum tried to make look like a regular birthday cake by dumping a bucket of sprinkles and icing on top.

(more…)

A few weeks back, Riot Games released the first proper details surrounding the game’s competitive ranked mode. They also revealed the names of each of the ranked tiers, listed down below:

• Iron
• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Immortal
• Valorant

That last title might be a little confusing, as the top ranked players would be known as Valorant players which, y’know, just sounds kinda awkward when you’re trying to explain your in-game rank to others who might not be familiar with the system. Thankfully, Riot Games has heard the player feedback loud and clear, and they’ll be changing that top rank title.

Speaking with Polygon, senior designer Sean Szopinski stated:

“When we were brainstorming these names, Valorant seemed like a really awesome choice for the top rank. What could be cooler than climbing the ranks, aspiring to become an elite and heroic Valorant, the personification of the game itself! You guys are right though, it’s a bit confusing. We get it. I get it. We’ll change it for launch.”

Polygon

While Riot has yet to reveal what the new title will be, Valorant will be launching properly on June 2, and the ranked competitive mode will be released two weeks after launch.

The post Valorant’s Competitive Top Rank Title Will Be Renamed to a Less Confusing One appeared first on Twinfinite.

In case you missed it, Twitch recently secured a deal with SNK to bring a ton of games to the Twitch Prime platform for free. 

The first "drop" of three includes classics like King of Fighters 2000 and Pulstar, which will be live next month alongside of their regularly scheduled free stuff. That list includes Forsaken Remastered, Observer, Project Warlock, Steel Rats and The Flame in the Flood.

There's also going to be a few more content/cosmetic drops, most notably drops for Apex Legends and Doom Eternal. Legends of Runeterra and Teamfight Tactics also get a small shoutout to represent the typical Riot loot drop, with a few mobile games mixed in there.

As I've said in the past, thankfully Twitch doesn't do that staggered "half the month you pick up this stuff, the other half you grab the rest" schedule. It's all going to be available from June 1-30. You can check out the full list below!

Twitch Prime [Twitch]

After almost 10 months in early access, the full version of Atomicrops is now available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. This post-apocalyptic farming simulator slash roguelike from developer Bird Bath Games tries to do a lot but often falls short of excelling in any one area, making for a balanced…

Read more...

After growing a little threadbear over the years, Volibear now has a spiffy new look in League Of Legends and some new abilities. He’s here, he’s hairy, and he’s crackling with lightning. If you go down to the jungle today, you’re sure of a big surprise – not just because of what bears usually do in the woods.

(more…)

In 2011, role-playing fans banded together to fight for the Western release of three games on Nintendo's Wii console - The Last Story, Pandora's Tower and Xenoblade. It was known as Operation Rainfall - and, astonishingly, it worked. All three games got English language releases but it was Xenoblade - renamed Xenoblade Chronicles in the West - that found the greatest success. Sequels followed for both Wii U and Switch, but now the original is back - remastered and updated for Nintendo's current-gen system. It's called the Definitive Edition, but just how much of an upgrade do you get?

Perhaps by default, the Definitive Edition delivers the best Xenoblade experience. It's using more modern rendering techniques, there's a fully remastered soundtrack, additional content and a revamped user interface. Technologically speaking, it's built on the same engine that delivered Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for Switch, with some minor graphical tweaks. First impressions are solid, but as it shares the same tech as the sequel, this also means that the game inherits some of its less impressive aspects, principally image quality. The game is rather soft, even compared to a typical Switch release.

The newest Sea Of Thieves update docked yesterday, and though it hasn’t got quite as much big new stuff as last month’s, Lost Treasures is bringing a whole heap of mini-events to earn bonus loot for your pirates. More importantly, there are also tons of quality of life changes being introduced, the first of which are the long-awaited checkpoints for Tall Tales.

(more…)

Today sees the launch of the latest entry in WayForward's utterly delightful Shantae series. Shantae and the Seven Sirens, previously available exclusively on Apple Arcade, is now available to purchase on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

However, regarding the Switch release, not all territories have seen the Half-Genie Hero and her pals arrive on the eShop. It seems that Europe, Australia, and New Zealand have suffered a last-minute delay, and Shantae and the Seven Sirens will not be available to download on the Nintendo console until June 4. WayForward simply cited circumstances "beyond their control" as the reason for this holdup.

Talk about timing, on everyone's part!

Right before the Borderlands Collection goes on sale on Nintendo Switch, the Epic Games Store is giving away the entire thing for free. That's still a $60 semi-recent collection, mind, of Borderlands, Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel: as well as all DLC. It's a pretty huge drop all things considered, and one of the biggest in the past year beyond the Grand Theft Auto V freebie.

If you're looking for recommendations on what to start first; Borderlands 2 is head and shoulders above the other two, especially given that these collections come with the heaps of DLC BL2 has in its back catalog at this point. Note that the game is also fully multiplayer-capable, so everyone who has been on the fence about joining you on a new Borderlands campaign can pick it up, gratis.

This sale will run until June 4 at exactly 11AM ET, at which point another freebie will take its place. You can grab it very easily from this link right here.

Free Games [Epic Games Store]

Recently on Japanese TV, singer Utada Hikaru recounted the story behind one of her most memorable tweets: the time she discovered a porn DVD on a Tokyo street.

Read more...

I hope you're ready to witness hundreds of Captain Price clones in your Modern Warfare lobbies, as the latest trailer all but confirms Price will be the next operator available on the battle pass for season four. Oh, and that season is starting next week on 3rd June.

To recap the narrative so far - which has run from the campaign through Spec Ops and into Warzone in the last couple of seasons - Infinity Ward has released a new story trailer to bring everyone up to speed. The most important titbits include the fact that chemical weapons are "in the wild", antagonist Mr. Z is still out and about, and Captain Price and Gaz have now been called in as part of an elite task force to sort out the mess in Warzone location Verdansk. There was also a brief snapshot of that nuclear warhead players recently discovered in one of the Warzone bunkers, which seems likely to play a part in the events of season four.

At the end of the trailer there's also a peek at two new weapons: the Vector and the Galil, both of which were recently leaked on the Modern Warzone subreddit. Players have also spotted the Galil on a season four teaser posted to the Call of Duty Instagram - in case you needed further convincing.

As we face more weeks of staying at home, equipping your PC with one of our best gaming headset recommendations for playing games online with your mates has never been more important. As well as improving your game audio (and preserving the sanity of those around you), a gaming headset’s built-in microphone means you’ve got everything you need for playing online all in one place. But the best gaming headsets do more than just provide great sound – they’ve also got to be comfortable for hours of play, and not crumble away to nothing if your face gets hot.

That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best gaming headsets we’ve tested here at RPS, to help you find the best gaming headset for you and your budget. You’ll find everything here from the best budget gaming headsets all the way up to the best wireless gaming headsets, as well as everything in between. No matter what you’re looking for, I’ve got a best gaming headset recommendation for you.

(more…)

The scaffolding has come down, the cranes are gone. Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan looks ready to open.

We've seen various photos of its construction over the past year, but this fresh drone shot of the park looks feature complete. Bowser's Castle sits in one corner, opposite Peach's Castle in the other.

There's a towering mountain of platforms topped with clouds and a warp pipe section with sandy pyramids. Walkways lead in and out of warp pipes, and along one path are a series of musical note blocks. It's not huge, but it looks densely packed. Inside the buildings are rides themed around Yoshi and Mario Kart.

Read more

Fire Emblem Heroes will be welcoming a new Mythic Hero tomorrow, as Nintendo reaches deep into the franchise's past to bring us Mila, Goddess of Love. This oldest of old-school characters will be gracing the mobile battler with her presence tomorrow.

Mila made her debut in Fire Emblem Gaiden, released for the NES way back in 1992, before being remade as 3DS release Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia in 2017. Mila is one of Valentia's gods whose duties, as Earth Mother, includes the blessing of land and the overseeing of bountiful crops and harmonious nature.

Originally working alongside her more warmongering sibling Duma, before their fateful divide, Mila is responsible for the prosperity of the land from an ecological standpoint. Despite her harmonious appearance and outlook, Mila can be a dominant force in battle, calling upon her shape-shifting abilities to take the form of a ferocious dragon.

The last time we checked in with Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, it was coming along nicely. Now, the theme park looks like it’s nearly finished.

Read more...

Minecraft Dungeons is a lot more fun, albeit a lot more challenging, when you’re playing with friends. Teaming up with another player is rather simple to set up, whether you’re playing with friends online or family members in the same household.

You do need to do a few things first in order to set up multiplayer, but once you have, you’ll be exploring levels with family and friends in no time. Just make sure to have each other’s back, as the monsters do get tougher when playing with other people.

(more…)

Spent a good chunk of lock-down doing this important work. Boozy liquid shader, now available in the latest update for Half-Life: Alyx pic.twitter.com/Iw9h98pmEg

There are two types of weapons in Minecraft Dungeons: melee and ranged. Your hero will be using both in battle, either to attack hard-hitting enemies from afar or to slice up weaker foes up close. There’s a big variety in the types of weapons you can wield, from sickles that attack enemies up close very quickly, or the rapid fire crossbow that shoots arrows at a steady pace.

(more…)

Each story mission in Minecraft Dungeons can contain a hidden level. Some are always in the same place, but others may take multiple trips to unlock.

When they are unlocked these secret missions could be long, semi-randomised dungeons, or they could be shorter levels with the chance to find some decent gear. All missions have a list of items that can appear, so it’s worth knowing in advance where to unlock specific equipment

(more…)

Looking to create a new Warzone loadout for your favourite gun? You’ve come to the right place. Our Warzone loadout guide features top-tier loadout choices for 10 of the most popular weapons in Warzone, from the Grau and M13 to the ever-popular HDR – and even one or two surprise weapons you might never have expected to be top-tier. We’ll go through all the attachments you’ll need for each loadout, and why these particular combinations make these weapons some of the very best weapons Warzone has yet seen.

(more…)

The summer's ever-bulging calendar of randomly dated live streams continues. Square Enix has announced that it will be hosting a special broadcast entirely dedicated to showcasing its upcoming superhero epic Marvel's Avengers.

The "War Table" live stream - which will be screened on June 24, will feature a new trailer and fresh gameplay footage taken from the star-studded adventure, which made its debut back at E3 2019. The War Table stream will debut Marvel's Avengers' co-op action, and will offer new details regarding the game's plot and cast. We already know Ms. Marvel is on board, so I'm sold. Now, if you wanted to give Spider-Woman a cameo...

Today Compile Heart announced a Nintendo Switch port for its shipgirl-focused action JRPG Azur Lane: Crosswave.

The game was originally launched in Japan only for PS4, with a PC port added for the recent western release.

Now it’s coming for Nintendo Switch with a release date in Japan set for September 17, 2020.

The Switch release will include out of the box two of the six DLC packages released for PS4, specifically the ones dedicated to Taihou and Formidable.

On top of that, the photo mode has been tweaked so that you can take pictures of six girls at the same time.

You can check out the first trailer and the opening animation below.

For the moment, Idea Factory International has not announced a western release. We’ll keep you update in case they do. 

Star Wars VR is so hot right now.

Coming off of Vader Immortal and an in-person VR experience, ILMxLAB has announced another Star Wars VR project called "Tales from Galaxy's Edge." As many of you Disney park fans are already wondering: yes, this is a deliberate synergistic callback to the newly minted "Galaxy's Edge" theme park addition. In fact, it will "connect to Galaxy's Edge" both "inside and outside" of the parks, and the project is in collaboration with Oculus Studios.

The story of this Galaxy's Edge takes place between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker on the planet of Batuu, featuring "both new and iconic characters from the Star Wars galaxy." Interestingly enough this project will sport "multiple difficulty settings," which is a long-requested feature for VR enthusiasts (many games are merely intro experiences meant to "wow" you with the act of VR, with no long term replay value).

Right now all we have is concept art of the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu: the focal point of the game. As is the case with most high-budget VR productions: this one is on my radar.

Tales from the Galaxy's Edge [Star Wars]