DC, Marvel, and indie comics’ biggest names, unfiltered

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A range of Samsung, Asus and Razer phones will soon support Stadia.

Google's game-streaming service will, on 20th February, become compatible with nearly two dozen Android devices. The full list lies below.

Up until now, Stadia has been confined to Google's own Pixel smartphones - as well as on PC and on TVs with a Chromecast Ultra.

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At PAX East, people will learn about Baldur's Gate 3's story and gameplay.

The post Baldur’s Gate 3 PAX East 2020 Appearance Will Show Its Story and Gameplay appeared first on Siliconera.

Take your Steam or GOG progress to Switch

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I'm almost at a 100-day streak on Duolingo, even though I feel bugged by the app's notifications into keeping going. I guess that's sort of the point? The game-ified language learning app makes things just fun enough - but it is still learning, and sometimes I'll need that nudge.

It'll get to 10pm and I know that I still need to finish a couple of lessons before midnight. I could skip a day, sure, though I'll use up valuable currency on a streak saver. And there's always the next achievement or leaderboard place to go chase.

Duolingo's constant nagging to keep going is theme of today's video - which sees the app's friendly owl mascot becoming ever more zealous and threatening as he interrupts a user's evening in the pub to make him play.

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Control and Alan Wake developer Remedy Entertainment is preparing to jump into the live service arena with a new project codenamed 'Vanguard.' ...

New Releases highlights some of the hottest games releasing each week, and this episode has a whopping 23 games. Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle has 18 of them, and the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle is another two-in-one package. They're not the only re-releases coming this week either, as Hunt: Showdown comes to PS4 and Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition lands on Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, the fighting game community gets a chance to throw down with Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r].

Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle -- February 18

Available on: PS4, Xbox One

These Platinum Games cult classics launched 10 years ago, and they're being bundled together on PS4 and Xbox One to celebrate. Those of you with a PS4 Pro or Xbox One X can even experience them in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. Seems like a good way to refresh yourself before we finally get Bayonetta 3.

The Saipark opens its doors

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Last week former Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski revealed that his former studio, Boss Key, were working on an Aliens game before Disney purchased Fox. Today, Duke Nukem developer 3D Realms says the same thing happened to its own Aliens project.

Vice President of 3D Realms, Frederik Schreiber, replied to Bleszinski's original tweet with his own story of a failed Aliens pitch. The idea, detailed briefly by some pitch slides, paint the picture of a co-operative shooter where players would face off against waves of Xenomorph enemies before confronting one of many Xenomorph Queens.

It all sounds a bit like Left 4 Dead in the Aliens universe, which seems like a good fit. Schreiber explained that the project was far into pre-production when the deal between Disney and Fox went through, which then ultimately lead to its cancellation.

Atlus warns people to follow Persona 5 Scramble streaming restrictions or face a rather cruel and unusual punishment.

The post Persona 5 Scramble Streaming Restrictions Revealed appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco released a new trailer for My Hero One's Justice 2 that highlights new characters, its different game modes, and story scenes.

The post My Hero One’s Justice 2 Trailer Highlights New Characters, Game Modes, and Story appeared first on Siliconera.

Larian Studios has been fairly secretive about the upcoming Baldur’s Gate 3 following the reveal in June 2019, but it’s finally about time to lift the veil.

Today the developer released a video providing a few sneak peeks on development assets and the usual inevitable comedy, but the juicy part comes at the end.

Larian Studios Founder Swen Vincke reveals that the gameplay reveal will happen really soon at PAX East, on top of a Q&A that will be hosted on Thursday, February 27 at 3:30 PM ET.

No further details were shared of what and how much will be shown, but this is quite promising and exciting.

You can enjoy the video below, and dream of the upcoming reveal. Hopefully, the game will be worthy of its glorious legacy.

If you want to see more about Baldur’s Gate 3 you can check out the original announcement trailer, a clip introducing the project, and a video celebrating the announcement and explaining what was going on in the original trailer.

Only 200 units of the RTX 2080 Ti Cyberpunk 2077 Edition are being produced

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[Update: Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct presentation added.]

It might not be the exact oasis you were waiting for in the current Nintendo Direct drought, but any Direct – game-specific or wide-ranging – is worth a look. This one's all about Animal Crossing.

The next Nintendo Direct is scheduled for February 20, 2020, at 6:00 a.m. Pacific. Nintendo plans to spend around 25 minutes showing a final pre-launch look at New Horizons before it's out on March 20.

Fishing and fossil collecting are my hobbies of choice, so I hope we hear more about potential museum activities. There's so much left to learn, especially when you think about how beefy Animal Crossing guide books have been in the past. I feel like Nintendo has only scratched the surface so far.

Xbox Live typically has a nice selection of games on sale each week, but these past few weeks have been more notable thanks to Anime Month and multiple publisher sales all going on at once. This week, EA joins the fray with a wide assortment of steep discounts on popular games. In addition to the EA publisher sale, you can still shop Ubisoft's sale, Anime Month, and a new "Wild World of Animals" sale featuring games starring furry friends.

Before We Leave is a winning concept for a peaceful city-building game. It's a relaxing take on games like Anno and A Kingdom for Keflings in which you'll harvest resources from a lost civilization, explore and expand to neighboring islands, establish trade networks, and eventually fly off to other planets.

I was into the pitch when we learned about Before We Leave last year, and I'm still into it now, in 2020, after spending a couple of hours with an alpha build. Time flew the heck by while I was playing this.

The trailer is worth watching if you missed the announcement – it captures the experience well.

In the beginning, you'll have just a few humble "peeps" who have left a bunker to start life anew above ground. It's not entirely clear what happened, but something happened long ago. There are remnants – bombed-out skyscrapers, broken-down automatons – but the only signs of life are you and the trees.

You'll plop down roads, wells, farms, and houses on a hexagonal tile-based planet, and the peeps will get cracking. Before We Leave handles much of the minutia with minimal fuss. Your job is more about smartly positioning buildings to gain bonuses (like placing a field near a well), keeping your subservient citizens well-fed and motivated, and checking supply lines so materials get where they need to go.

What it means that the third decade of the Modern Age is upon us

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You can pretty much always find something you need on sale at Amazon, but when notable PC gaming sales roll around, they usually appear as a one-day-only promotion. That's the case with today's Deal of the Day, which features Logitech gaming accessories and audio equipment for up to 50% off.

The sale features Logitech gaming mice, like the G602 wireless gaming mouse with 11 programmable buttons and up to 250 hours of battery life. Normally sold for $80, that mouse is down to just $23.

Bea takes losing hard

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Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions has a story mode called "Episode of Tsubasa" that is set when Tsubasa Ozora was in middle school.

The post Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions Gives Story Mode a Unique Touch appeared first on Siliconera.

Every time that Xbox Game Pass has a month like February 2020 I always wonder how this console generation would have been so different if the Xbox One had this from the start, or at least early on.

February 2020’s full list of Xbox Game Pass games, especially for console, is just bonkers; doubly if you’re a fan of great Japanese games.

Xbox Game Pass for console will receive the following games:

• Feb. 20: Ninja Gaiden II
• Feb. 25: Kingdom Hearts 3
• Feb. 25: Two Point Hospital
• Feb. 25: Wasteland Remastered
• Feb. 26: Yakuza 0
• Feb. 27: Jackbox Party Pack 3

Xbox Game Pass for PC is similar but has a few changes considering Kingdom Hearts III isn’t available on PC at all. No dates are listed for these, just “Coming Soon.”:

• Indivisible
• Reigns: Game of Thrones
• Two Point Hospital
• Wasteland Remastered
• Yakuza 0

Finally, we learned what games will be leaving Xbox Game Pass sometime this month. For PC it’s just the 3D platformer Snake Pass. As for console:

• Fallout 3
• Just Cause 4
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Snake Pass
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham City
• Batman: Return to Arkham – Arkham Asylum

Most games bought via Xbox Game Pass are discounted by 20%, so if you’re currently playing any of these games and want to keep playing them, you can at least get a decent amount off for it.

A rough beast indeed, Hunt: Showdown, slouching toward the daylight after a couple of years in Early Access. A genre chimera, blurring survival horror with boss rush shooter and battle royale, not quite one thing, not quite another. At a glance you might confuse it with Far Cry 2 - there's the same malarial background hum, the same flammable brown palette - but in motion it's closer to PUBG, shunning the clear ground, ears pricked for proximity chat. It has the vivid markings of a Monster Hunter, but those patterns are really just for show, like the eye-whites of a killer whale - masking the gunsights protruding from its abdomen. You certainly wouldn't call it handsome, but you can't seem to drag your gaze away. How did something so... multiple ever survive the evolutionary process? But alas, you've looked for too long. It knows you're there now. No, don't try to run! The creature's girth is deceptive. We'll have to see if we can bring it down.

If Hunt: Showdown's unusual - and, as it turns out, fantastically exhilarating and engrossing - mixture of inspirations has a single guiding principle, it's that predators become prey. It's a game in which stepping on a twig while chasing a zombie can get you shot from a hundred yards off, and the time-honoured ceremony of a bossfight offers zero defence against the player lobbing dynamite through a window.

Kingdom Hearts 3 is also coming to Xbox Game Pass

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New Weapons

If there’s one thing that’s been really noticeable as part of Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 1, it’s been the stripped-back arsenal of weapons we’ve had in comparison to past seasons.

Where in previous seasons there were about three or four different types of Assault Rifle, numerous shotguns, SMGs, launchers, and weird and wonderful weapons for players to use, Chapter 2 simplified everything. There’s no longer half as many weapons, but it has somewhat simplified the pros and cons of each weapon in different combat scenarios. Though we’re still not over the loss of the beloved Hunting Rifle. F… F.

Chapter 2 Season 1’s not been completely devoid of new additions to the roster of weapons. The Harpoon Gun made its debut, offering a faster way to fish, as well as deal damage to your opponents. Sidegrading also introduced the Heavy Assault Rifle, albeit in a limited fashion (you can only get it from sidegrading).

Stick the fedora back in the closet, gang. Empire of Sin, Romero Games’ prohibition-era mob operation won’t kick off its roaring spree for a few months yet. No, John and Brenda Romero haven’t been taken outta the picture by a rival studio. The long arm of the law hasn’t finally shuttered their backroom dealings. The devs just reckon they’ll need a little more time to put their perfectly respectable business together, delaying Empire of Sin until Autumn 2020.

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Apex Legends: Top 10 Tips Every New Blood Should Know Read More »

Try as it may, it seems as though EVE Online developer CCP cannot get a first-person shooter to stick. In 2016, it canceled PS3-exclusive Dust 514 after an underwhelming run. Later, it canned Project Legion before it left the prototyping phase.

Add another one to the pile. Four years after being announced (but before it ever actually launched), CCP has shut down class-based shooter Project Nova. This attempt at an EVE Online FPS was set in the popular space MMOs world but didn't share a synchronous world the way Dust 514 did. CCP parent company Pearl Abyss confirmed the cancellation of Project Nova in an earnings call over the weekend.

In true EVE shooter fashion, something new is rising from the ashes of Project Nova. CCP's London studio is now dedicated entirely to developing a new multiplayer shooter that uses Project Nova's framework. CCP head of PR George Kellion said "It is very common for games in active development to evolve over time, often substantially. We remain committed to offering a rock-solid, action-oriented gameplay experience with stellar visuals, but due to significant changes in the scope and direction of our sci-fi multiplayer shooter game concept, it also made sense to update how we refer to this project internally. So, we are no longer using the codename Project Nova for this game concept."

Swedish developer-publisher Paradox Interactive has published its financials for the full-year ended December 31, 2019, and both revenues and operating profits are up. ...

Update: The Witcher 3 for Switch has now been updated to version 3.6 in the west, with full patch notes from CD Projekt Red. In addition to the PC save functionality, you can also use touch controls for the HUD and menu controls, and for playing Gwent. The full patch notes are below. Original story follows.

If you already have the PC version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt but want to play it on Nintendo Switch without losing progress, a new update could be the answer. A patch released in South Korea appears to have added cross-save with Steam alongside other graphical features, though there is no indication of when it will release elsewhere.

GameSpot has reached out to CD Projekt Red for clarification.

Great news for Xbox fans, as Annapurna Interactive has announced that its gorgeous, emotive, and utterly unique musical odyssey Sayonara Wild Hearts is headed to the Xbox One platform next week.

Sayonara Wild Hearts wowed critics and fans when it launched for the PS4, Nintendo Switch, and iOS devices back in September 2019. Players control a steel-hearted woman, on a fast, action-packed, and visually stunning trip through the light fantastic, with each stage representing a track from Daniel Olsén and Jonathan Eng's brilliant score. Sayonara Wild Hearts was one of the most fascinating titles of 2019, better experienced than explained.

The Pokemon Twilight Wings episode 2 focuses on Bea, Galar's fighting-type gym leader who appears in Pokemon Sword.

The post Pokemon Twilight Wings Episode 2 Has Bea Fighting to Be Her Best appeared first on Siliconera.

Just last week, Fire Emblem: Three Houses got its biggest update yet. The new patch introduced a few quality of life changes for the base game, and also came packed with the brand new Cindered Shadows DLC for Expansion Pass holders. You might already know this, but it’s a good ass DLC.

Introducing a new, secret fourth House called the Ashen Wolves, Cindered Shadows gives players access to four new characters and classes, and they all mostly add new freshness and depth to what was already a very dense RPG.

The new story scenario itself is also a hefty affair, taking me about eight hours to complete on Normal Classic difficulty. The side story is completely separate from the main campaign, giving players a set party of characters including all three House leaders, and a student rep from each House as well. In addition to that, you get the Ashen Wolves themselves, and they sure are a special bunch.

Cindered Shadows kicks off with the most cliched of openings: Byleth and the three leaders spot a shady figure disappearing through a hole in the wall that leads to the basement of the church, and they decide to pursue. Once inside, they meet the four Ashen Wolves who automatically assume that you’re there to kill them, and so you fight.

Somehow, through the heat of battle, they learn that your intentions are actually pure, so you stop fighting and become friends. This is when Byleth learns of the Abyss, an underground society dedicated to those shunned by the surface and that need help. The story then sends you on a journey to find a long lost Chalice that can resurrect the dead, and uncover the mysteries surrounding this artifact.

It’s a very basic setup, and the plot itself is a bit predictable. But as we all know, it’s the characters and the way they interact with each other that make up the backbone of a Fire Emblem game.

NIS America has announced that it will be publishing Game Freak’s RPG, Little Town Hero, for the PS4 with some added features.

The Big Idea Edition on PS4 will include an art book, poster, lapel pin set, and official soundtrack CD with music composed by Toby Fox.

There will also be an easy mode added to the game that lowers the attack and defense of enemy Dazzits and special effects from enemies will show up less often. A big complaint of the original game on Switch was that the boss battles were extremely long and difficult so this update should remedy those issues.

Our reviews editor, Zhiqing Wan, wasn’t a huge fan of Game Freak’s new RPG, scoring the game a 2.5/5 which is a “poor” on Twinfinite’s rating scale. Here’s what she had to say about it:

Little Town Hero’s soundtrack is easily its saving grace, because it’s stellar, which is to be expected from the composer of Undertale and Deltarune, Toby Fox. Even then, it’s certainly not the strongest collection of music we’ve seen from him, with more than a handful of tracks that are often just mind-numbingly grating and repetitive.

Epic Games is continuing to roll out the teasers for the upcoming Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 2, and this time it’s hinting at the return of the previously-vaulted Dynamite.

The teaser comes to us via the same way that the other ones have. It was posted on the official Fortnite Twitter account not long after the previous ones, that you can check out here.

As you can see from the image above, it doesn’t really tell us a whole lot else other than that Dynamite is making its return. The words surrounding it are all translations of the word ‘danger.’ These various translations may be a nod to the ARG that Fortnite has currently got going on, too.

Players have noticed phone numbers in random advertising popping up around the world. Phoning these numbers from a local landline results in a voice clip being played, often talking about ‘Agents.’

In February 2020, Kingdom Hearts III, Ninja Gaiden II, and Yakuza 0 are heading to Xbox Game Pass.

The post Yakuza 0, Ninja Gaiden II, and Kingdom Hearts III Xbox Game Pass Debuts Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

Entries from both the Dishonored and Wolfenstein series are the latest games to arrive on GOG - and to celebrate they're all available for up to 70 per cent off.

Although GOG already has a decent number of Bethesda titles in its library, this is the first time you've been able to get games from fantastical stealth-em-up Dishonored and the Nazi-punching Wolfenstein series DRM-free. Recent sequel The New Colossus and co-op spin-off Youngblood are not yet included, however.

Still, to see what is there, you can view the full Bethesda publisher sale or check out some of the choice highlights below:

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Nintendo Switch Online members will have two new SNES games to play starting tomorrow, February 19. Pop'n TwinBee and Smash Tennis break the months-long drought of new classic games in the Switch's SNES library. If you're still looking to get your hands on the official SNES Switch controller, Nintendo has replenished its stock, but you'll probably want to hurry.

Each time the controllers have been available over the past few months, they've sold out extremely quickly. The latest restock has been live since yesterday, though, so it appears Nintendo may have more available than usual. Still, it'd be smart to snag one as soon as possible if interested.

Official SNES controllers for Switch mimic the original design while adding updated features, including wireless functionality, a pair of shoulder buttons, and USB-C charging (cord included). The gamepads cost $30 each--not including shipping--and they are exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. There's a four-controller limit per account as well.

I played Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy for the first time in 2020, and I have zero regrets about that decision. I almost certainly would've clicked with it even more in 2001 (I just had a GameCube at the time), but things didn't work out that way. The remastered PS4 version holds up really well.

If you're ever hoping for a 3D platformer in the vein of Jak and Daxter with a bonus dash of MediEvil, consider keeping tabs on Pumpkin Jack. It looks straightforward in the best way. There's a dodge roll, basic combo attacks, and assists from companions like a crow – nothing too fancy or over-designed.

You can also pop off your head and crawl around the cheerfully spooky place. I badly want to do that.

Pumpkin Jack is launching at the end of 2020 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. If you're curious enough to try a demo, surprisingly, there is one! It's playable on Steam right now.

I can already picture droning on and on about this game with Chris and Brett in the room until Brett has no choice but to snap. "Who the hell is Pumpkin Jack?! You've been talking about him all day long."

Whatever you do, don't tell him. He might read this, but at some point – months from now – he'll forget.

Xbox Game Pass continues to impress with yet another great line-up of additions due on Microsoft's subscription service soon. Most notable, perhaps, is Kingdom Hearts 3 on 25th February - which follows today's release of lots of Kingdom Hearts games on Xbox One via a couple of big compilations.

The acclaimed Yakuza 0 (26th February) and Ninja Gaiden 2 (20th February) are also on the way, along with Wasteland Remastered and enjoyable Theme Hospital spiritual successor Two Point Hospital (both on 25th February).

Rounding out the new console additions will be Jackbox Party Pack 3 (27th February), which includes mini-games such as the brilliant Quiplash 2 and T-shirt creation competition Tee K.O (which I have actually bought a T-shirt from).

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Nintendo has added another color to its lineup of Nintendo Switch Lite variations. On April 3 you can get the handheld-only system in coral--though it's bound to be shorthanded to simply "pink."

Nintendo announced the new color in a tweet, showing the coral system next to the existing default colors--turquoise, gray, and yellow. It will cost $200 just like the other colors. That date puts it just after the March 20 release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which is getting its own snazzy Switch system.

The Switch Lite was introduced as a handheld-only version of the hybrid Switch console, trading its TV connectivity for a smaller and lighter form factor, better battery life, and a lower price. We've seen small sales on Switch Lite systems but it generally sticks pretty closely to the $200 MSRP.