April 2020

Star Wars Episode I: Racer, the arcade-like racing series based off of arguably the best part of The Phantom Menace, is getting a second chance on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The remaster was set to launch on May 12, but has now been delayed on PS4 until May 26. The Nintendo Switch release date has not been affected.

The delay was communicated by publisher Aspyr Media, which tweeted out the update. It gives no indication as to why the game has been delayed or why it only applies to one platform.

Racer originally launched on the same day as Star Wars: The Phantom Menace in 1999, releasing on PC and Nintendo's N64. A Sega Dreamcast port arrived a full year later in April 2000. This racer, which includes characters like Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba, shouldn't be confused with its sequel, Racer Revenge, which launched on PS2. That version featured a more grown-up Anakin akin to the one in The Clone Wars, and included updated visuals and different tracks.

Gears Tactics releases today on PC, and as a first-party game it's included in Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service. Many of Microsoft's own PC offerings are dual-platform, releasing on Xbox One and PC simultaneously, but this time PC gets a wide headstart with no release date given yet for the Xbox version.

Gears Tactics is a spin-off from the regular shooter series, instead giving you an overview of the battlefield and ordering troops in a system reminiscent of the tactical series XCOM. It's received pretty positive reviews across the board, including in GameSpot's own Gears Tactics review.

"Though Gears Tactics wears itself a little thin by the end of its protracted campaign, the rush of pulling together a victory from the jaws of defeat carries an exciting, chaotic energy," Mike Epstein wrote. "Unlike most strategy games, playing well doesn't necessarily make you feel like a mastermind, so much as though you've cheated death. Every successful plan, even a last-ditch effort, feels like a small stroke of genius. That's no small feat."

The wild co-op physics game Moving Out releases today across multiple platforms, but Xbox One packs a little surprise for Game Pass subscribers. The game is included in the subscription service, which comes as a surprise seeing as Microsoft hadn't mentioned it was coming as part of the lineup.

The announcement came in a tweet from Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, with a link to the game page. The moving simulator from Team17 has caught attention since it debuted in February, looking similar to the popular party game Overcooked.

Microsoft announced a new slew of games coming to Game Pass just a week ago, seeming to outline the rest of the April slate. That included games like Gato Roboto, Deliver Us The Moon, Hyperdot, and Levelhead. But Moving Out wasn't mentioned in that announcement. The first-party game Gears Tactics is out today on PC, and is included in the PC version of the service.

If you're looking to pick up some new PS4 or Xbox One games for cheap, Best Buy's current Deal of the Day slashes the prices of a variety of great titles to just $8. The list of deals includes Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Yakuza Kiwami, The Banner Saga Trilogy, and more. Best Buy's Deal of the Day only runs until 10 PM PT / 1 AM ET, so you'll have to make your choices quickly. Additionally, some titles--such as the few Switch games offered--are already sold out. The best deals might not be up for grabs all day.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the final game in the rebooted adventure series, is only available for $8 on Xbox One--the same goes for Dragon Ball FighterZ. Though Yakuza Kiwami recently released on Xbox One, this deal is specifically for the PS4 version. The Banner Saga Trilogy, a wonderful Norse tactics series, was discounted to $8 on both PS4 and Switch, but the Switch version is sold out.

In its biggest news toot so far this year, Google has unveiled over a dozen titles heading to its Stadia streaming service in the coming months and beyond, including Octopath Traveler, PUBG, plus a handful of 'firsts' yet to grace other platforms. That includes five titles coming as part of a deal with EA, including FIFA and Madden NFL, due to arrive before the end of 2021.

Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, FIFA, and Madden NFL will be the first EA titles to arrive on Stadia, with FIFA and Madden scheduled to arrive this "winter", while Fallen Order carries an even more nebulous launch window of "by the end of this year". EA says it'll be bringing two additional, but as yet unannounced, games to Stadia in 2021.

Alongside news of its partnership with EA, Google has announced a total of 13 titles getting the streaming treatment over the next few months. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds - developer PUBG Corporation's one-time battle royale darling - is up first and available to play today, supporting cross-platform parties and cross-platform play for those using controllers.

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Bored out of his mind due to the ongoing lockdown, Jalopnik senior editor Jason Torchinsky made a working plush Atari 2600 joystick out of old t-shirts and socks. As you do.

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io9 is thrilled to exclusively reveal today that Dreamworks’ Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts—the coolest dystopia around—is coming back to Netflix for a second season this summer. We also have a special look at Kipo’s coming battle with the evil (but fashionable) Scarlemagne in the first teaser.

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A 1-Year PlayStation Plus membership, a Macy’s fine jewelry sale, a Gooloo 4000A jump starter, a RAVPower 10W wireless charger kick off Tuesday’s best deals.

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Many of us have plenty of time to play games these days. If you’ve exhausted your backlog (ha), May’s Xbox Live Games with Gold has some new stuff to try. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active Xbox Live Gold subscription.

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The Indivisible Switch version is already on the eShop, though even developer Lab Zero didn't know about the launch date.

The post Indivisible Switch Version Launches Without Anyone, Even Lab Zero, Knowing appeared first on Siliconera.

Aksys will release a Collar x Malice Unlimited Limited Edition, which will include a soundtrack with songs from both games.

The post Collar x Malice Unlimited Limited Edition Includes a Soundtrack With Songs From Both Games appeared first on Siliconera.

With NieR: Automata reviving interest in the franchise considerably, Yoko Taro and friends are probably keen to get more NieR out in the world, and what better way to do that than to bring back a misunderstood classic. 

A NieR Replicant re-release project burst onto the scene in March and subsequently confused everyone involved. Was it a remaster? A remake? A re-imagining? No one was really sure at first until the details of the "version up" started to fall into place. Now thanks to a new interview from Famitsu (as translated by RekkaAlexiel), we have an even clearer idea of what this thing is.

According to the studio, Replicant (which is being handled primarily by Toylogic) is "more than a remaster," but isn't quite a remake: hence the use of the term "version up." They clarify that the camera work will be the same as the original, which does warrant the term remake, but there will be "additional elements" that are new. That includes the appearance of the voice actors for Automata's 2B and 9S, who will be playing new characters and the refinement of "clumsy" original elements.

Here's the kicker. We knew Platinum was involved, but now we know the extent of that collaboration. Takahisa Taura, senior game designer at Platinum, who worked on games like Metal Gear Rising, NieR: Automata and Astral Chain (what a resume) is overseeing the action sequences to make sure they are kosher and to his standards.

All of this will come to fruition....at some point on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Nintendo has released a trailer for the newest update headed to mobile battler Fire Emblem Heroes. Arriving April 30, this newest summoning event will see the arrival of popular Fire Emblem: Three Houses character Edelgard, who joins the FEH roster as its latest Legendary Hero.

Edelgard is a young noble and captain of The Black Eagles, one of Three Houses... erm... three houses. A woman of incredible beauty, grace, and poise, Edelgard is nevertheless a master war tactician and a fierce warrior on the battlefield - cutting down her opposition with a swing of her mighty axe.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition

The Xenoblade Chronicles series has been getting lots of attention lately due to the excellent sequel on the Switch and the under-appreciated Xenoblade Chronicles X on the Wii U (where’s that dang port, Nintendo?).

And now, the original game that released on Wii is getting a definitive edition that looks way prettier than its counterpart and has had some extra bells and whistles added to make it easier than ever for people to jump in for the first time –there’s even a new epilogue for returning players too.

Star Wars Battlefront II developer DICE announced that The Battle on Scarif update coming this week will be the final free content update for the game.

The free update will go live for all platforms on Wednesday, April 29 and includes several new locations to the Supremacy and Instant Action game modes.

The Age of Rebellion section contains locations of Hoth, Tatooine, Yavin 4, Death Star II, and Scarif, which first appeared in 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront.

All the new locations will be fought exclusively on the ground in Supremacy, but some will have access to pilot starfighters.

Meanwhile, Scarif and Crait will be added to the Heroes and Villains game modes and the Co-op mode will now be playable in offline solo play.

The update also adds new cosmetics and outfits for Rey, Kylo Ren, Emperor Palpatine, and Darth Maul.

Star Wars Battlefront II originally launched in November 2017 and received 25 content updates, including completely overhauling the game’s progression system to minimize loot boxes. DICE said it is transitioning the game from regular content updates to individual events such as double XP and in-game challenges after The Battle on Scarif update.

It’s no secret that the Sonic the Hedgehog movie has become a success story for video game film adaptations, grossing over $306 million in the box office before it was rushed to digital home release less than two months earlier than normal after theaters closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The movie was so successful, some say it might warrant a sequel.

Not so fast, says director Jeff Fowler.

In an interview with USA Today, Fowler said that there are no official talks or plans of a sequel for the Sonic movie. However, that doesn’t stop him from thinking of all the possibilities for the Blue Blur and his friends in the cinematic world.

“There’s so many great characters to bring in and just more stories to tell, [but] nothing would bring me more happiness than getting another shot with these characters and to tell more stories. We’d love to do more with the Sonic cinematic universe.”

For those who caught Sonic in theaters back in February, Tails made a surprise appearance at the end of the movie to look for Sonic, leaving audiences implying that there may a sequel. While that may be plausible, considering how successful films often follow up with a sequel, that is not in the cards for Paramount as far as Fowler is concerned.

Even if there were plans for a sequel, it’s not appropriate for Paramount to discuss them during the current pandemic, especially with their rival studios delaying the release dates of other movies by several months to a year or two as a result of theater closures and subsequent uncertainty as to when they’ll reopen again.

Following the western release of Sakura Wars Sega has made a few ways to decorate your desktop, mobile, or PS4 available.

Incidentally, since my last post, the game has been released on the North American PlayStation Store, joining the European one.

First of all, let’s take a look at the free options. A bunch of wallpapers for your desktop and mobile are now available via Sony Interactive Entertainment.

It’s interesting to see that there are some featuring the older games. It’s also rather unusual since most of them have never been localized and western arms of publishers normally make a point to hide from sight whatever isn’t available in North America and Europe.

That being said, they’re certainly welcome none-the-less, alongside the lovely legacy character design by Kosuke Fujishima, whom you may know for his work on the Tales series.

Speaking of character design, we also get a full-size version of Tite Kubo’s key artwork for the new game, which is awesome.

Celebrate the different regions

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This requirement will end on May 21

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Scopely has acquired PierPlay for an undisclosed sum after first working alongside the developer to launch the mobile game Scrabble GO last month. ...

For Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney, chasing the whale is the wrong tack, even beyond ethical reasons. It's just not good business. ...

Pokemon Go's Remote Raid Passes have arrived, and to celebrate, Niantic is bringing back a handful of Legendary Pokemon to the game. Darkrai, Altered Forme Giratina, and Virizion will all return as five-star Raid bosses over the next few weeks, and this time around, you'll have a chance to catch their Shiny forms.

Darkrai is the first to return; the Pitch-Black Pokemon will appear as a Raid boss from April 28 to May 5. Immediately following Darkrai's departure, Altered Forme Giratina will return to Raids until May 12, and Virizion will be back from May 12-19. You can read more details on the official Pokemon Go website.

Thanks to the aforementioned Remote Raid Passes, you can challenge these Legendaries without having to physically travel to a Gym. You can get three Remote Raid Passes through a special one-PokeCoin bundle available now in Pokemon Go's in-game shop. Niantic is also selling additional Remote Raid Passes at a limited-time price of 100 PokeCoins.

Capcom has kept the free updates rolling for Monster Hunter World: Iceborne since its release late last year, but that's set to change. According to a recent tweet, the fourth title update for Iceborne has been delayed indefinitely due to the effects of coronavirus. The tweet also notes that the Italian, Spanish, and French language versions of the game will receive only simplified voiceover for the new content because of these production issues.

This update was originally scheduled for May and will introduce the black dragon Alatreon to the world of Iceborne, along with his attendant weapons and armor. Capcom has provided a new development roadmap that clarifies the timing of some of these new features, including Arch-tempered Namielle and some exclusive Event Quests. Event Quests that are currently available will be extended for the foreseeable future as the studio continues to work on the new update.

Generally, a game's release shouldn't be a surprise. It's nice when it is for players, letting them download it straight after an announcement. But it should never be one for its developers. At the very least not in the way Indivisible's release on Nintendo Switch today apparently surprised its creators, Lab Zero.

According to Indivisible's lead designer, Mike Zaimont, Indivisible launched today on Nintendo Switch without any indication that it was coming. It was a nice surprise for fans waiting for a portable version of the RPG, especially with the 20% discount at launch, but it shocked developer Lab Zero, as Zaimont explained on Twitter.

Modder and hacker Lance McDonald is no stranger to mucking around in the code of Souls games, but he appears to have accomplished another technical feat. Though Bloodborne is widely considered one of developer From Software's best games, it was capped at 30 frames per second for its original PS4 release--often falling far below that on a base PS4--and it's never made the leap to other platforms that could provide better performance.

The Destroy All Humans remake, which was revealed during E3 2019, is scheduled to launch on July 28 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Publisher THQ Nordic has shared the official release date trailer in all its HD glory, which you can check out below.

Destroy All Humans is available to pre-order on all three platforms, though the PC version is $10 cheaper than consoles. Picking up the game before launch nets you a bunch of free skins to use, such as the King of Rock and Roll, an Evil Clown, and more. Destroy All Humans will retail for $30 on Steam and $40 on PS4 and Xbox One.

Nintendo Joy-Con Grip | $10 | Amazon

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Final Fantasy wouldn’t be Final Fantasy without summons. Ever since Final Fantasy III, you’ve been able to call on superpowered mythical beasts for aid in battle, effectively turning the tide at the press of a button. Final Fantasy VII Remake, the new dance-off game from Square Enix, is no different.

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Borderlands 3 may have over one billion guns, but right now, all players need is one.

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Apex Legends’ Battle Armor event starts today and lasts until Season 5 begins on May 12. Over the next two weeks, players will begin matches with a specific piece of armor, which will change as the event goes on.

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Nintendo Switch Lite (Gray) | $200 | Amazon
Nintendo Switch Lite (Coral) | $200 | Amazon

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Electronic Arts has agreed to bring a number of its games to Google’s video game streaming platform, Stadia, including FIFA, Madden, and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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Release Date

Story and Gameplay

COVID-19 has changed that. Like so many businesses, the games industry hasn’t been immune to this unprecedented event, and conferences, games, and consoles have all been affected.

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