March 2020

What do you get if you mix a bullet-hell shooter with a deck-building game like Slay the Spire? You get One Step from Eden, and it is a revelation.

So much is like Slay the Spire. You have only one life to see how far you can get. You choose cards to add after battle. You choose between different paths to follow. There are bosses, mini-bosses, and things to do other than battle (rescue people, visit the shop, etc). You buy, sell, remove, and upgrade cards. You gain experience which goes towards unlocking new cards and characters. You even progress towards something - Eden in this case, not up a spire.

But at the same time it's incredibly different. In One Step from Eden, you move. You play on a grid - you on one side, enemies on the other - and you need to move around to line up your abilities while dodging what your opponents throw at you.

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You're a few days in, the Able Sisters have set up shop, and it's time to get some fancy threads in your Animal Crossing: New Horizons town. But where can you find new custom designs?

If you want to download some lovely designs into your game, chances are you'll be looking through Twitter and Reddit for ideas. New Horizons allows players to upload their work and share it via codes - but there's no official database either in-game or online allowing players to browse through everything and select designs they like. So, naturally, a fan is here to help.

Last night Reddit user plump_tomato shared their work-in-progress database called Nookpedia, and it's already received a significant amount of attention. Users can upload screenshots of their codes and name their designs so other users can find them with the search bar and filters. And, if you want a complete lucky dip, you can simply browse through the custom design pages until you find something you like. I've already spotted several stylish Mulan pieces, and contributed my own Fire Emblem: Three Houses Dimitri cosplay.

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Activision has yet to officially announce its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remaster, and yet footage of the entire game is now readily available to watch online.

It includes the mission No Russian - the series' most infamous level where you can massacre civilians in an airport terminal while posing as an undercover terrorist.

As Eurogamer reported yesterday, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Campaign Remastered launches today, at least on PlayStation 4. And while it's not yet available to download, copies are clearly already out in the wild.

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After an initial leak set the floodgates open yesterday, new details have been published on how Nintendo's upcoming array of Mario games old and new will actually be released.

There's a little more, too, on the Switch's new Paper Mario game, which has yet to be announced by Nintendo itself.

Venturebeat reported that the three 3D Mario remasters would be offered in a collection, dubbed something like "Super Mario All-Stars 2". This is branding Eurogamer has heard of being used internally.

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Grab this special Fire Emblem: Three Houses calendar in the latest upcoming issue of Famitsu.

The post Celebrate your Favorite Fire Emblem: Three Houses Character’s Birthday With an Exclusive Calendar appeared first on Siliconera.

The PlayStation 4 and PC versions of the Resident Evil: Resistance Beta test are now accessible.

The post The PlayStation 4 and PC Resident Evil: Resistance Open Beta Tests are Now Live appeared first on Siliconera.

Arc System Works announced that it has decided to cancel the Arc World Tour 2020 in its entirety due to ongoing coronavirus concerns.

The post Arc World Tour 2020 Cancelled Due to Ongoing Coronavirus Concerns appeared first on Siliconera.

The collective of Obsidian Entertainment, Virtuous Games and Private Division have done it: they've weathered the storm formed by coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, and are now ready to release The Outer Worlds on Switch.

According to the publisher it's now due on June 5, with a retail edition that will sport a physical cart: yes, the delay led to them including a cart in the mix, and the game is priced at $60 both digitally and physically.

But there is a catch! Obsidian warns that there will be a massive day one patch that "could take up to 6 GB of space," which is a pretty big doozy of a possibility for some Switch users. The patch will contain "various gameplay optimizations and hi-res textures." At 6 GB, it's pretty significant. For comparison, all of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's base game is 13.4 GB.

As a reminder, The Outer Worlds was our Game of the Year last year and is worth playing at some point. Though we don't know how the Switch edition fares, quality-wise, keep your eye on it if that's your only option.

Outer Worlds to launch on Nintendo Switch on June 5, 2020 [Obsidian]

Human: Fall Flat, my favorite wobbly puzzle-platformer, is getting a new Thermal level.

The cavernous stage was originally designed by Manuel Nowak for a 2019 level-design contest, and as one of two winners, Thermal is now joining Human: Fall Flat in an official capacity on the main menu. It has character-lifting vents, a sketchy mine cart, and a massive drill that you can latch onto as it spins.

The PC version of Human: Fall Flat is getting the free Thermal update first – it's out today! – followed by PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch "in the coming weeks," according to No Brake Games.

This game is such a simple pleasure, but I adore its split-screen co-op.

When you think of Doom, whichever generation, you immediately picture that classic, genre-defining, first-person perspective. Gun barrel (or chainsaw) sat center screen, head bobbing up and down, as you plow your way through the armies of hell.

But let me just blow your mind for a moment with two words: Third Person.

Boom! ...Right? Well, perhaps not. In fact many would probably consider such a suggestion tantamount to heresy. But for those of you who are curious as to how id Software's apocalyptic shooter would play in such a mode, it seems that modders have you covered.

The Fearless Cheat Engine community has discovered a third-person camera hidden within the code of the recent Doom Eternal. Upon activation, players are able to Rip and Tear from a whole new perspective. You can see a video of the camera in action below, courtesy of Gameplay Store. It's pretty wild, and frankly a bit dizzying. Warning: the photo-sensitive among you should take note that the video contains a lot of flashing imagery.

Fnatic may be better known as an esports company, but as their excellent Fnatic Streak keyboards have shown, they’re quite the dab hand at making top-notch gaming peripherals as well. The Streak and its compact tenkeyless miniStreak companion have been sitting atop my [cms-block] list ever since they came out, and their Flick 2 and Clutch 2 mice aren’t half bad either. Now, Fnatic are completing the set with their React gaming headset. Here’s wot I think.

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Almost everyone is stuck at home right now due the Covid-19 lockdown, and whether you’re working or gaming, your internet bandwidth is likely being soaked up a lot more than normal. Steam is one of the worst offenders when it comes to devouring bandwidth, often using a bit more than its fair share. So to help out with how much it’s using, Valve are rescheduling those pesky auto-updates for games you probably forgot you had, to free up some of that precious bandwidth at peak times. They’ve also given a handy reminder of a few options you can change yourself to further minimise your usage, too.

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Honestly, I’m glad Resident Evil 3 is a short game, because it was really, really, stressful to play. After six hours of it, I was thoroughly jangled, and just wanted a break from things trying to messily dismantle me. Which, to be fair, means it did exactly what I wanted it to do. Before my nerves tattered and I evolved into a Strategy Dad, you see, I used to love a bit of survival horror. So I knew what boxes RE3 needed to tick – and it left great bloody claw marks through all of them.

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Paladins, wizards, magic spells, unicorn motorbikes, and crafting are coming to Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds with the silly Fantasy Battle Royale event mode celebrating April Fools’ Day. Starting Wednesday, it’s Plunkbat, right, but with fantasy classes. What I most like is how all this is dressed as shoddy LARP gear: the Paladin in tinfoil greaves; the Barbarian wearing a Buster Bluth muscle suit; the Wizard in his dressing gown; the Ranger with two off-brand Pringles tubes as thigh-mounted quivers; the unicorn mount that’s a motorbike with a plush unicorn head strapped to the front. This live-action trailer is great too.

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It’s only been a couple of years since the release of the original Persona 5, but Atlus is already back with a new and improved version of the game. Persona 5 Royal comes packed with so much new story content that you can be prepared to add another 20 to 30 hours to the already long playtime. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s new in Persona 5 Royal.

Persona 5 has some of the most visually pleasing aesthetics and UI art in any game, ever. With Persona 5 Royal coming out today, it’s a great time to add some of that visual flair to your desktop with Persona 5 wallpapers.

There’s sure to be something below for P5 fans, no matter who your best girl or best boy happens to be. Let one of these Persona 5 wallpapers be a constant reminder of your love for Atlus’ JRPG.

Japanese mobile developer-publisher Colopl has acquired entertainment company Mages for approximately $14.92 million. ...

In this post, you will learn about the improved Unity C# out Parameters feature that is available since C# 7.0. ...

Back in February, the Nintendo Switch version of The Outer Worlds was delayed because of the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as port developer Virtuous has offices in Singapore and China. The pandemic continues, but the Switch port has a new release date this June.

The Outer Worlds will release for Nintendo Switch on June 5, and it will be available as both a digital download and a physical cartridge. The physical version, which was not originally planned, will require an additional patch on launch day that will take up to 6 GB of space, and it adds higher-resolution textures and other gameplay improvements.

"We appreciate your dedication to the Board," Obsidian said in an in-character update post on its website. "And remember: it's not the best choice, it's Spacer's Choice!"

After experiencing technical issues that delayed the PS4 and PC versions of the Resident Evil Resistance beta past their Xbox One counterpart, the beta is now live on all platforms. It will run until Resident Evil 3 launches on April 3.

Game director Al Yang shared the news on his Twitter page, adding that players will need to download the game's latest update if they still cannot play the game online.

The beta's launch comes just a few days before Resident Evil 3 releases on the same systems. All copies of Resident Evil 3 come with Resident Evil Resistance as a free bonus, regardless of whether they are digital or physical. It was originally announced as a completely separate game, but was revealed as a freebie when Resident Evil 3 was revealed in January. It is the only way to get Resident Evil Resistance.

In a departure from past video game consoles, the Xbox Series X stands upright instead of laying horizontally. Microsoft says that design choice was part of an effort to make the hardware’s fan as big and efficient as possible.

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Pokémon Go’s transformation into game for people who don’t like leaving their house is almost complete. Developer Niantic said it’s currently working on adding remote raiding to the game as well as more ways to connect with distant friends and family.

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There's a widely held belief that fighting games are hard to get into. That their steep learning curve, niche appeal and high skill ceiling are just too much to swallow. Arc System Works, developer of both the hardcore Guilty Gear and the more accessible Dragon Ball Fighterz, has come up with a sweetener with Granblue Fantasy Vs. As an adaptation of a super popular mobile JRPG and created by arguably the best producers of fighting games today, Granblue has the potential to be truly stellar. Is this the fighting game for those who struggle to find enjoyment in the genre - or is it simply more of the same?

Starting with the roster, Granblue Fantasy Vs has a pretty shallow pool of 12 characters to pick from. If there's a silver lining to that slim selection, though, it's that the diversity of fighting game archetypes is surprisingly large. You've got everything from your classic fireball and uppercut fighters, long distance oppressors, and grapplers, alongside a myriad of others with vastly different play-styles. This character diversity comes hand in hand with the appearance of each character, as all of them seem to fill a wide range of tastes. Are you a tad edgy? Vaseraga is for you! You like things basic and simple? Gran is the most vanilla of protagonists you'll find all year. This lack of overlapping looks and fighting styles should ensure you'll find someone you enjoy.

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Delayed in February over coronavirus closures

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The Outer Worlds Switch delay pushed its digital and physical release to June. Make room for it and its 6GB patch.

The post The Outer Worlds Switch Will Launch in June With a 6GB Day One Patch appeared first on Siliconera.

The Australian, European, and North American Void Terrarium release dates all fall in July 2020.

The post void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium Will Leave Japan in July 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

The 2020 Fire Emblem Heroes April Fools' Day joke involves some 8-bit Fire Emblem maps and accessories.

The post Get a Good Look at the 8-bit Fire Emblem Heroes April Fools’ ‘Joke’ appeared first on Siliconera.

With coronavirus concerns pretty much shifting the entire timetable of Hollywood up or out, we're starting to see more home video options roll in en masse.

One such project is the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, which is out today on video on demand for $20 (or you can go for the 4K UHD edition for $25) to buy. That's a huge distinction, mind, as some studios like Universal are experimenting with the concept of renting newer films for $20, while others are letting you purchase them outright.

Anyway, the Sonic movie is now available outside of theaters, and Paramount is celebrating with a bold new deleted scene that shows baby Sonic before the design took hold. That's on top of very early unfinished animation sprinkled throughout (that slowly increases in finish as the clip goes on), leading to a perfect concoction of distilled nightmare fuel.

Note that the below clip involves very minor spoilers of the film's opening moments: so if you've been holding out, just wait until you catch the flick first.

It’s been a very, very long time, but Mount And Blade 2 Bannerlord is finally in early access. But if the first game is anything to go by, the sequel will have some very alien concepts for a lot of people. However, with these top tips and by putting some time into it, you may very well get significantly better at combat and have an army that will have bandits quivering in their boots. (more…)

In Other Waters is a little game about a xenobiologist named Ellery Vas exploring an alien sea, and finding it (unexpectedly) teeming with life. You don’t play the biologist, you play an artificial intelligence powering and controlling her advanced diving suit, but you are essential in helping Ellery to observe and classify these new species, to collect specimens, and to navigate the seabed. Despite what sound like similarities, In Other Waters is, as Nate pointed out, definitely not Subnautica.

It is really very good, though. It’s very meditative. Calming. It’s possibly exactly what you need right now.

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The Persona games are long. I mean, they’re really ridiculously long. One playthrough of any of the recent three Persona games can easily take up to a hundred hours, and with Persona 5 Royal, that playtime is about to go up even further.

I won’t mince words here. When I first played the original Persona 5, I managed to clear the game in about 85 hours, and that was with me rushing and skipping voiced dialogue once I’d finished reading the text. When Atlus claimed that Persona 5 Royal would add another 20 to 30 hours of content on top of that, they weren’t lying. My playtime is at 120 hours right now, and again, I was definitely rushing a little to get my review out in time.

Atlus certainly went all out with the new content: two new Confidants, expanded stories and events for certain characters, new abilities for everyone, improved combat mechanics, huge Mementos overhaul… the list goes on. The amount of new content in Persona 5 Royal is insanely staggering and overwhelming, and even before you dive into the meat of the actual new story stuff, you’ll have a lot of new mechanics and little additions to contend with.

So, is all that stuff worth playing through this massive JRPG yet again? The answer, as much as it might sound like a total cop out, is that it depends.

You see, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the original Persona 5. You can read my review to find out why, but my complaints centered around the main cast of characters being underdeveloped and feeling like missed opportunities. I went into Royal believing that this would be the definitive version of the game, and that all the new content would make me finally love Persona 5.

Alas, it wasn’t quite meant to be.

Many gaming events have already been cancelled or postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but the organizers of Gamescom in Germany aren’t giving up just yet.

Today they reached out with a press release to announce that the event will not be postponed and will definitely take place at least online in its scheduled dates from August 25 to August 29. Yet, the format remains to be seen.

The plan is being revised by “significantly expanding” the online portion of the event, with Gamescom: Opening Night Live and Gamescom Now receiving new modules.

The same goes for the Devcom developer conference to be held between August 22 and 24 August.

As for the physical event at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany, it might still happen. An evaluation will take place in mid-May as to how it can take place “based on the latest developments of the corona pandemic at that time together with the responsible state authorities.”

If holding the physical event is possible, more information will be released at that stage on which changes may need to be made in order to ensure the health of all visitors. This has already been arranged with the largest exhibitors.

On the other hand, if gamescom or devcom cannot take place physically, both visitors who already purchased tickets and exhibitors will be refunded.

Managing director Felix Falk accompanied the press release with a statement:

Microsoft announced the April lineup for the Xbox Games With Gold program, offering four free Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles to Xbox Live Gold members.

Beginning April 1, Project Cars 2 will be free to download for Xbox One throughout the month of April. The racing game features 180 vehicles, 140 tracks, dynamic weather physics, and multiple game modes.

The other Xbox One game is Knights of Pen and Paper Bundle, which includes Knights of Pen & Paper +1 Deluxier Edition and Knights of Pen & Paper 2 Deluxiest Edition. These console versions of the popular mobile series will be available between April 16 to May 15.

For the Xbox 360 games of the month, the games are Fable Anniversary and Toybox Turbos. Fable Anniversary is an HD remaster of the original Xbox game, and Toybox Turbos is a racing game with 35 table top cars and 18 tracks.

Fable Anniversary can be downloaded from April 1-15 and Toybox Turbos from April 16-30. Both are backwards compatible with Xbox One.

Meanwhile, Xbox Live Gold members can still grab a few of March’s Xbox Games With Gold games such as Batman: The Enemy Within – The Complete Season, Sonic Generations, and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.

The post Xbox Games With Gold Offers Project Cars 2, Fable, and More in April appeared first on Twinfinite.

Today Sega released another new trailer of its upcoming game Sakura Wars, focusing on the art behind the title.

To be more specific, we take a look at the character design of the three rival revues that we’ll encounter in the game, all of which are designed by well-known artists.

The Shanghai Revue has been designed by Yukiko Horiguchi, known for the character design of K-On! and Lucky Star.

The Berlin Revue has been created by Fumikane Shimada, known for the character design of Girls und Panzer, Strike Witches, and more.

The London Revue’s designs are by BunBun, whom you may recognize for his work on Sword Art Online and Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de Aru.

You can check out the video below.

Sakura Wars is already available in Japan and it will launch in the west on April 28, 2020, exclusively for PS4.

Today NIS America announced the western release dates of one of Nippon Ichi Software’s most recent games, void tRrLM(); //Void Terrarium.

The game will launch on July 14 in North America, July 10 for Europe, and July 17 in Oceania. 

On top of the release dates, we also get a new trailer focusing on the tender and slightly creepy story of the game, which prompts the player to take care of a sick kid in a post-apocalyptic world.

You can check it out below, alongside the limited edition that will be released for both PS4 and Nintendo Switch priced at $59.99.