March 2020

The Outer Worlds is coming to Nintendo Switch both physically and digitally later this spring, June 6.

The announcement comes by way of an official blog post earlier today by developer Obsidian Entertainment, which not only confirmed the date but also detailed the physical package. The Outer Worlds’ physical edition comes on a cartridge, and it’s “accompanied by a day one patch that could be up to 6 GB.”

It’s explained that the patch “will optimize gameplay, provide additional hi-res textures, and include other fixes to provide the employees of Halcyon with the best gameplay experience.”

Both digital and physical editions of the game cost $59.99.

The Outer Worlds is an action-RPG played from a first-person perspective. It’s heavily inspired by the Fallout series, a franchise that Obsidian Games has previously been involved with as the team behind Fallout: New Vegas.

The Outer Worlds launched on PS4, Xbox One, and PC last year to critical acclaim. Twinfinite reviewed it and was similarly impressed, scoring it 4/5 and concluding that “its story and narrative were consistently engrossing.”

The game has gone on to record notable commercial success; publisher Take-Two Interactive confirmed sales of The Outer Worlds were 2 million as part of its financial report last month.

The post The Outer Worlds Is Coming to Nintendo Switch in June appeared first on Twinfinite.

Eidos-Montreal and Square Enix are putting a hosting a flash Deus Ex sale and donating the proceeds to charity. ...

The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red has donated $950,000 to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.  ...

Luciano Iurino from Spanish dev The Troglobytes, who have Hyperparasite, their relentless twin-stick shooter/roguelite set in the roaring '80s, discussed the positive effects of having their game in the new Steam Game Festival. ...

E3 2020 has already been canceled, but Gamescom 2020 may still survive. The event's organizers are still planning to hold it this August, though it could be a digital-only event in order to avoid exposing attendees to coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

In a joint statement to Gamesindustry.biz, German industry association game and Gamescom venue Koelnmesse said it's possible there still could be an in-person event. Gamescom will be held as a digital event from August 25 to 29 at the bare minimum, and the organizers will make a decision in May to determine if it will take place in its normal home of Cologne, Germany. Regardless, they're preparing to expand digital coverage to reach more viewers.

"If an on-site event is possible, there will also be more information at that stage with regard to which changes need to be made in order to fully ensure the health of all visitors," the organizers added.

The Coalition is preparing the next big update for Gears 5, which will introduce Operation 3: Gridiron. The extensive patch notes for PC and Xbox One cover everything coming in the update, from new character drops, achievements, and changes to ranked playlists.

The biggest deal is the arrival of new additions to the roster: Cole, Clayton, Myrrah, and the Theron Guard. As a former Thrashball player, Cole gives the update its gridiron namesake. In response to player feedback, the studio has reduced the requirements to unlock the new characters. They'll only take half as much character XP to earn as previous ones--30,000 down from 60,000--and they will no longer need to fulfill challenge requirements. Previous Operations characters will retain their old requirements, out of fairness to those who already earned or bought them.

If you'd rather just unlock all the new characters at once, you can buy the Gridiron Bundle for $20. That will grant you the four new additions, the Hot Rod weapon skin set, 1000 iron, and 30 days of boost. You can always buy individual characters for 500 iron apiece.

15% Off Bokksu Subscriptions and Gift Boxes | Bokksu | Use the promo code KINJA15

Read more...

I’m just as stunned as you are

Continue reading…

Xbox Live Gold subscribers have some racing to do next month

Continue reading…

Blaine performed on The Late Late Show with James Corden while in self-isolation

Continue reading…

Retailers respond to mixed messaging from the biggest comics houses

Continue reading…

New art book reveals canceled storylines

Continue reading…

The comedian appeared on James Corden’s Homefest special

Continue reading…

The updated scene is slightly better, but the core issues remain

Continue reading…

Another update, another week without patch notes - but it seems v12.30 has a couple of surprises in store for players, as two new items have been introduced.

Continuing this season's spy theme, Kingsman umbrellas are now available as legendary items in the game. Presumably these are based on the Kingsman comic and film series, particularly the scene in which Harry uses an umbrella to deck a bunch of thugs in a pub - and similarly, the item seems to be fairly useful in Fortnite too. You can use it to dart forwards, smash things, hit other players, and even block bullets (for a short amount of time). Like a very dapper riot shield.

The umbrellas even briefly work as a glider, but this has been causing problems for some players, who clearly assumed it would stay open for longer than three seconds. An easy mistake to make, given it looks very similar to Fortnite's famous victory umbrella gliders.

Read more

A number of nominees in this year's BAFTA Game Awards are now on sale at the Humble Store.

Frustratingly, it's a bit of a mixed bag in terms of good offers. Some prices, including those for Sekiro and Control, are the lowest we've seen for those games so far on PC. Others you'll find for cheaper elsewhere if you do a quick scout around.

I've put some of the key offers and prices below, but you can find everything (and maybe even a few hidden gems) on the full BAFTA Game Awards Humble sale page.

Read more

Sci-fi role-player The Outer Worlds will arrive for Nintendo Switch as a physical release and digital download on 5th June.

Boxed copies will include a physical cartridge - but also a sizeable download, as has rather become the norm. You'll need space to fit a 6GB download, described as a "day one patch".

The game's Nintendo Switch price point has been set at £50/€60.

Read more

Update: And we're back here again. Stock of Ring Fit Adventure appears to be drying up after selling out in around an hour. If any more retailers make stock available over the coming days I'll be sure to update this page.

Original Story: After weeks (months?) of zero availability, Nintendo's quirky home fitness curio Ring Fit Adventure is now starting to come back in stock.

At time of writing, Game is currently taking orders for Ring Fit Adventure at £79.99. It's unlikely to last long, so better snatch a copy quickly if you've been hankering for a home workout.

Read more

Square Enix announced that its April 2019-launched treasure hunting smartphone RPG Last Idea will end service on May 29, 2020.

The post Square Enix’s Last Idea Ends Service on May 29, 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

inXile Entertainment has announced that its strategic post-apocalyptic sequel Wasteland 3 will not meet its scheduled May release date, having been pushed back several months, and is now expected to arrive on August 28.

In a statement posted on the official Wasteland Twitter, inXile studio head and Wasteland series director Brian Fargo noted that the team's shift to working-from-home has caused unforeseen delays, which will require a little extra time before you and your fellow Desert Rangers can wander out into the hazardous, mutant-and-mecha-filled landscapes of Colorado.

"As with most companies, we moved to a work-from-home environment some weeks ago, and that’s of course introduced new challenges that many of us throughout the world have been learning to manage," notes Fargo. "We’ve been excited to see the Wasteland 3 beta so well received, but the reality is that with these new logistical challenges our release was going to be impacted... With that, Wasteland 3‘s new release date is August 28, 2020."

Wasteland 3 joins a long list of industry titles and events impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, it's obviously better that developers and their families stay safe, healthy and not pressured by extra stress during this difficult time. This makes decisions such as those taken by inXile an inevitable, but correct course of action.

Wasteland 3 will now launch on PS4, PC, and Xbox One on August 28.

Games with Gold is back in April, with a fairly well-rounded set of offerings: two RPG-based titles and two offbeat racers.

The former category is easily the big-name here, as Fable Anniversary is a remaster of a first-party game: one that people may have missed the first time around in 2004, or even with the aforementioned remaster in 2014. It's a perfect Games with Gold offering, in a sense.

The other RPG entry is Knights of Pen and Paper Bundle, which includes the Deluxe Editions of Pen & Paper I and II. The racers include the nearly three-year-old Project Cars 2 and the cartoony Toybox Turbos. In all, including Project Cars 2's whopping still-$60 MSRP, it comes to about $130 in free games this coming month.

As a reminder, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate $1-for-a-first-month deal is still running, which includes Xbox Live [Games with] Gold and Game Pass. You can find the full dates and links to the Games with Gold April titles below.

New Games with Gold for April 2020 [Xbox Wire]

Twitch Prime has pivoted in the past year from just games to offering up free loot for some big titles, and it seems as if the latter is their main focus in 2020.

Borderlands 3 is getting an exclusive Superstreamer Shotgun and three golden keys, Apex Legends is getting a Mirage Lucky Charmer skin, and Doom Eternal is welcoming the Doomicorn Slayer costume on top of "three months of exclusive master collections" that involve extras like skins, animations and podiums (cosmetics).

The real draw this month yet again is Destiny 2, which is hosting the classic weapon Prometheus Lens, as well as the Eye of Osiris weapon ornament. The free game list includes Turok, Etherborn, Light Matter, Earthlock and Kathy Rain: the former is probably the big focus this time.

A few other games are getting in-game loot too, like League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, Legends of Runeterra (three Riot Games now!), Ring of Elysium, World of Tanks, Raid Shadow Legends, Black Desert Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Mafia City. Nearly everything is available now or on April 1, sans that annoying "check back periodically in the month!" strategy that several other services employ. Only Mafia City, Mobile Legends and Black Desert Mobile content drops are sprinkled throughout the rest of the month.

Check out the full list below, or claim the loot here with a Twitch Prime account.

Sometimes you come across a mod video that involves a creation that you really want to buy, but only exists in limited form. This is one of those times.

Behold, the N64 SP, a portable Nintendo 64 modeled after one of the greatest portable devices of all time: the Game Boy SP. The video below describing it all is pretty much perfect. It clocks in at three minutes long and shows off the unit wonderfully while GmanModz walks you through the process of how it was created: that's it.

So here's the detail recap. The battery lasts around two hours (you can also opt for USB-C power charging to play beyond the battery's lifecycle.), and the back of the unit, just like the original Game Boy SP, accepts an actual cartridge. The creator also walks us through the advancements in N64 emulation, including new controller technology and how they transposed the ULTRAHDMI N64 mod into the device.

GmanModz notes that there have been other portable N64 mods, and the concept actually turned them on to the modding hobby, but the N64 SP is very unique.

Koei Tecmo has announced that an upcoming update for its 3D fighter Dead or Alive 6 will be its last, bringing an end to a year of patches and expensive DLC practices.

The final update - bringing DoA 6 to Version 1.22 - will include two sets of DLC costumes: The "Revival" High Society costumes and "Revival" school uniforms, along with a run of bug fixes and balance tweaks. After the patch is implemented, further DLC support will end for DoA 6, although obviously the servers, rankings, and online store will remain available.

I found Dead or Alive 6 a disappointment. Following the excellent Dead or Alive 5: Last Round - and taking into account developer talk of having a whole new perspective on the franchise, focusing more on The Fight and less on the cheese - it seemed like Dead or Alive 6 was going to be a rebirth of sorts, prepping the long-running series for its leap into a new generation.

With unprecedented measures currently being taken to ensure public health, much of the world is locked down in their homes, asked by government officials to be judicious about when they venture out. While it's important to balance any hobby, gaming is one that not only often asks you to stay in your home, but is also adaptable to a diverse array of needs. We've compiled a list of some of the Game Informer staff's recommendations for gaming during this time based on various situations and needs.

Delightful Distractions

The outside world is pretty heavy right now, so here are a few games that are joyful experiences from start to finish.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)

The Animal Crossing series has always been a bastion of wholesomeness in Nintendo's library, but the recently released entry serves as the perfect staycation for anyone hoping for a soothing gaming experience during these troubled times. It's also a great way to connect with friends who are also tending to islands of their own. Read the review.

Resident Evil 3's Nemesis is an imposing force who stubbornly chases you throughout your entire playthrough. He's also harder to avoid than Resident Evil 2's Mr. X, so if you're having trouble with Nemesis in the early game try taking him down with grenades. A well-placed grenade will take Nemesis out of the fight for a short time. As an added bonus, Nemesis drops weapons upgrades and other high-powered artillery when you stun him.

In short, always keep a grenade on hand in case of a Nemesis sighting. If you're out of grenades or don't have one in your inventory, keep an eye open for interactive environmentals, such as exploding barrels or electrical boxes, which can help buy you enough time to run to the nearest safe room. Naturally, grenades aren't the easy solution during end-boss encounters, but they still deal massive damage, so don't waste them on puny zombies. Save that firepower for the big guy. Read our full review of Resident Evil 3 here.

Early access deck builder For The Warp doesn’t so much wear its FTL influences on its sleeve, as it does creep into FTL’s bedroom when it’s out to try on FTL’s lipstick and stare dead-eyed into a vanity mirror while muttering “I’m a very pretty spacefaring roguelike, yes I am”. If FTL ever goes missing while out for a late night jog, odds are that For The Warp has it trapped at the bottom of a big hole and is forcing it to moisturise. There is imitation, and then there is wearing the skin of the game you love and slow-dancing alone in your basement illuminated only by a low-hanging, buzzing incandescent bulb.

(more…)

GTFO’s big free Infection update is out today, bringing new maps, weapons, enemies and objectives to the tense tactical survival-horror shooter. It’s brought a whole new Rundown with it too, wiping away the old one to make room for a bunch of new levels.

If you’ve not had the chance to play GTFO yet, it’s a super tense co-op experience where you and four friends play as prisoners dropped into a mysterious underground complex. You have to be pretty stealthy and extremely coordinated to get to your objectives, because there are some very angry zombie-things that demolish you in hordes if you don’t.

(more…)

I’ve seen complicated skill systems in the past, but I’ve never seen anything quite like Mount And Blade 2 Bannerlord. It took a while, but I think I’ve managed to decipher just what you need to do to upgrade your character’s abilities and make them a force to be reckoned with.

(more…)

If you too are trying to do home workouts with bottles of water and bags of sugar for weights, this might get you pumped up: a mixtape from Destiny 2 combining throbbing beats with the motivational words of Lord Shaxx. The Shaxxercize tape is a wee Easter egg in one quest from the new season, hidden on a shelf in the office of Commander Zavala, and now Bungie have put it on YouTube for everyone to enjoy. Shaxx is the hornhatted fella who commentates PvP matches with Shakespearean boisterousness, our fightdad who’s always proud of us but knows we can push just a little harder. And now he wants you to feel the burn.

(more…)

You can play as a baby in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. I have words, but I’m not sure why.

(more…)

Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord has finally charged into early access, albeit with quite a number of technical issues in tow if Sin’s early experience is anything to go by. I’ve yet to become mired in the same loading time issues and mission crashes as she has, so I’m afraid I can’t offer any quick fixes for those unfortunately, but what I can talk about is how the game runs more generally, and how to make sense of its various graphics settings to help you get the best experience from Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, as well as the best performance. Onwards!

(more…)

It’s not April Fool’s Day just yet according to my calendar but Blizzard Entertainment seems to be partaking in the comedic festivities a day early. Overwatch players have begun to notice today that all of the heroes’ eyes have been replaced with cartoonish googly eyes.

One of our writers, Haley, discovered this today while she was enjoying a few matches of Overwatch and shared a couple of photos of the characters such as Symmetra, Orisa, and Widowmaker, sporting the new googly eye look.

You can see some of the images down below or just hop into Overwatch right now to check it out for yourself:

Death Stranding’s upcoming PC release was originally set to debut an all-new photo mode, but two months ahead of that launch it’s been added to PS4 in a new update.

Available today, Update 1.12 is around 1GB in size and is said to make various performance improvements as well as add the much-requested photo mode.

A Tweet from Kojima Productions earlier today celebrated the photo mode’s launch:

I know you all have been waiting for this. The latest update (v.1.12) for #DeathStranding is now available, and features Photo Mode! Change angles, colors, frames, expressions and more! What will you snap?#TommorrowIsInYourHands pic.twitter.com/whPvRDVG2u

— Kojima Productions (@KojiPro2015_EN) March 31, 2020

If you haven’t as yet seen any of the sample images showcasing the function, then you can check them out in a previous report we wrote on the photo mode.