April 2020

The summer is starting to fill up with games. Along with the recently announced release dates for The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, and Deadly Premonition II, THQ Nordic has locked in the Destroy All Humans remake for a July 28 release for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

Destroy all humans originally released on June 21, 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and put players in control of a power hungry alien named Crypto-137 who arrives on earth in the 1950s and uses sci-fi tech to possess our bodies, level our towns, and take down our government. He can take the form of a human to sneak among them and hop into a flying saucer to obliterate everything he can.

The remake holds true to the original game's design and retains the voice acting and missions, but features improved visuals, combat, abilities, and a different save system. It'll be good to have Crypto back, but I wonder how the humor holds up. We'll find out in just a few months.

The PlayStation Plus May 2020 titles may make staying in easier. You can virtually go outdoors with Cities Skylines and Farming Simulator 19.

The post PlayStation Plus May 2020 Games Offer Rural and Urban Experiences appeared first on Siliconera.

Final Fantasy VII Remake is just another part of the FFVII Compilation, and Nomura has more to say about the term "remake."

The post Final Fantasy VII Remake Is Part Five of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation and Nomura Talks About The Term Remake appeared first on Siliconera.

Humble Bundle has kicked off its Golden Week Sale, bringing major discounts to a number of Japanese and Japan-adjacent PC titles.

The post Adventures and JRPGs Headline Humble’s Golden Week Sale appeared first on Siliconera.

The new Dragalia Lost video offers a better look at the Fire Emblem Heroes Peony and Chrom units joining the game.

The post Get a Better Look at Fire Emblem Heroes’ Peony and Chrom in Dragalia Lost appeared first on Siliconera.

Check out field comparisons between the Definitive Edition and the original Wii version of Xenoblade Chronicles.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles Screenshots Compare Definitive Edition vs Original Version appeared first on Siliconera.

These days, staying connected with others online is more important than ever, and for many gamers, that means shelling out for a membership to services like Xbox Live Gold, PlayStation Plus, or Nintendo Switch Online. The latter two services aren't cheap, with a 12-month membership normally costing $60, but right now Xbox One players can snag a year of Xbox Live Gold for a cool discount.

Ebay is offering 12-month Xbox Live Gold memberships for $50 each via reputable seller NeoGames. This is a digital code you'll receive via email within 24 hours--once you get the code, you can redeem it in the Xbox Store to start or extend your current membership at a discount. A limited quantity of codes are still available, so you might not want to wait if you want to start reaping Xbox Live Gold's benefits this week.

If all the violence and strife on Fortnite's battle royale island has got you feeling anxious, the game has a new mode to soothe your woes. First discovered prolific Fortnite dataminer Lucas7yoshi, Epic Games later officially launched Party Royale, where players will be free to explore the island and engage in non-combat activities, such as skydiving.

"Welcome to Party Royale, a new experimental and evolving space. All chill, no sweat. Leave your weapons and mats behind and hang out with friends, play games, perfect your skydive, and more. The party's just getting started," Epic Games said in an in-game announcement.

The mode takes place on a smaller island than the traditional battle royale mode, and there are custom activities to complete. These include a checkpoint-style race, and you're thrown into a small squad when the mode launches. It doesn't appear the full 100-player limit it used for the mode.

PlayStation Plus members can snag another round of free PS4 games from the PlayStation Store until the end of the month. As usual, May 2020's PS Plus lineup consists of two PS4 games: Cities: Skylines and Farming Simulator 19. You can also download one of June 2020's free games, Call of Duty: WWII, before the new month even begins.

Cities: Skylines is an acclaimed city-building sim in which you plan and develop a metropolis. The game offers a realistic take on the genre, giving you full control over zoning neighborhoods and letting you establish districts and policies.

Farming Simulator 19, meanwhile, has you running a farm business. You'll need to plant and harvest crops, invest your money in new equipment and land, and take care of livestock.

Season 1 of Pokemon Go's Go Battle League is coming to an end this week, and developer Niantic has shared the first details on what's next for the online PvP mode. Season 2 kicks off this Friday, May 1, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET, and it features some new rewards and other changes.

As before, the Go Battle League's format will rotate every few weeks. From May 1-25, battles will be contested under Great League rules; the format will then shift to the Ultra League from May 25-June 15; and the Master League will run from June 15-29.

Coinciding with the Master League will be Go Battle League's first-ever Premier Cup. Like the Master League, there are no CP limits in the Premier Cup, although Legendary and Mythical Pokemon cannot be used. After June 29, all three leagues and the Premier Cup will be live until Season 2 ends on July 6.

Turns out Dying Light isn't dead quite yet--and neither is the long delayed Hellraid. Techland is planning one more paid DLC expansion for its parkour-focused zombie survival game, and it's scheduled to release this summer.

The new DLC, Dying Light: Hellraid, takes place in the dark fantasy universe of Hellraid, a Techland game originally scheduled to release for Xbox 360 , PS3, and PC in 2013 before being delayed for release on Xbox One, PS4, and PC in 2014. In January 2015, Techland officially put development of the game on hold. Though it takes place in a different universe, the DLC will still feature Dying Light's traditional style of gameplay.

"We wanted to bring a piece of Hellraid to our community, and this is our way of sharing a bit of the dark fantasy world with them," Techland senior PR manager Ola Sondej wrote in an email to GameSpot. "We currently have no plans to resume development of Hellraid, and the game is still on hold."

Call of Duty Mobile has just started its new season, a western-themed update it's calling Once Upon a Time in Rust. The season includes new maps, modes, and events alongside a slate of new bug fixes in the latest patch notes.

The new season pass will be available on April 30, but some parts of the update are already live. For one, the fan-favorite map Rust from Modern Warfare 2 has been added as the featured map for this season. Another map, the Saloon map, will come in mid-May and introduce a new 1v1 Duel mode. The new mode will also be available in Killhouse, and Saloon will also be playable in 2v2 Showdown.

The classic Capture the Flag mode will also be added in early May, with a bit of Old West flavor. Rather than capturing a flag, you'll be trying to claim a big chest full of gold. Kill Confirmed is also due in early May.

The PlayStation Store's massive Spring Sale has finally ended, but there's a new lineup of PS4 deals to browse right now. For the second time this year, PSN is hosting a Games Under $20 Sale, giving you a chance to pick up a wide variety of great titles for cheap. More than 100 games are discounted, including past AAA hits like Fallout 4, Assassin's Creed Origins, and Hitman 2 as well as wonderful indies such as What Remains of Edith Finch and Outer Wilds. The sale runs through May 12, so you have two weeks to make your picks.

A bunch of games from Ubisoft's tentpole franchises are on sale, including Assassin's Creed Origins, Far Cry 5, and Ghost Recon Wildlands for $15 each. For Honor, the methodical sword-fighting action game, is just $9.89.

Cliff Bleszinski, former Gears of War producer and head of the now-closed studio Boss Key Productions, says he's keeping busy during the pandemic by making something new. While he isn't sure what form it will take yet, he does mention that a new game is a possibility.

In a pair of tweets, Bleszinski says he's "noodling" with a new intellectual property, and that the characters and world he's crafting somehow revolve around dogs. He said he's unsure if it will ultimately become a movie, game, graphic novel, or TV series.

Cliff Bleszinski is most known for his work at Epic Games, having been the lead designer on the first trilogy of Gears of War games. When he left Epic in 2012 he said he was stepping away from video games, but he went on to found the independent studio Boss Key Productions in 2014. That studio produced Lawbreakers and, facing financial difficulties, jumped into the battle royale market with Radical Heights just before ultimately closing in 2018.

Ghost Ship Games has released a new trailer for Deep Rock Galactic, which announces that the Steam Early Access game will officially release for both Xbox One and PC on May 13. The co-op first-person shooter will be available for $30 USD / €30 / £25.

"When we started developing Deep Rock Galactic four years ago, none of us at Ghost Ship Games had imagined the game as it is today," Ghost Ship Games CEO Søren Lundgaard said. "While many of the core features have evolved and work as we hoped, there are also entire sections of the game that we didn't dream of, and that is largely due to our community."

First entering Steam Early Access in 2018, Deep Rock Galactic sees you and up to three friends team-up as a group of dwarven miners. There are four classes of dwarf, and your team is encouraged to work together in order to explore procedural-generated caves and reach your goal. Mistakes can see you accidentally encountering hostile aliens, which your team will then need to defeat.

Revealed at E3 2019, Cris Tales is a time-bending 2D tribute to classic Japanese role-playing games. In a similar vein to Chrono Trigger and Radiant Historia, Cris Tales brings together a cast of young heroes as they travel the world and explore three distinct time periods in the past, present, and the future. It leans heavily into time-manipulation gameplay by allowing you to explore and interact with characters across different eras in real-time, which results in various consequences, expected and otherwise, in your adventure ahead.

A free demo of the opening hour of Cris Tales is available now on Steam, but we had the chance to get an early look at the game's next major story event set in the walled city of St. Clarity. From here, we got to see how in-depth the game's time-travel gameplay can get. In addition to storylines and side-quests that can bend and alter with your actions, protagonist Crissbell can also manipulate the flow of time in battle, allowing her to amplify attacks and weaken foes with the use of her time crystals.

Speaking with GameSpot, Modus Games executive vice president of production Derek Neal and Dreams Uncorporated studio head Carlos Rocha Silva explained what went into the making of Cris Tales.

Ubisoft has kicked off a stream that will reveal the setting of the next Assassin's Creed game. Interestingly, the setting will be revealed via a unique piece of artwork produced by BossLogic, an acclaimed artist known for his awesome Street Fighter pieces and, more recently, his collaborations with Marvel and DC. With much of the drawing complete, it appears naval combat will play a large role in this year's game.

BossLogic will be streaming his progress and, by the end of the showcase, we'll know where the new Assassin's Creed will take place. Those who watch the official stream on Twitch have a chance to earn a drop for a future Assassin's Creed skin. However, the event can also be seen on Mixer, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.

We're currently a few hours into the stream and the setting hasn't been fully revealed, but the artwork shows a few notable points. On one side of a silhouetted figure is an icy sea and some ships, while on the other is a land-based battle scene with a castle in the background. This may be indicating the rumored Viking setting, but we'll have to wait for the stream to finish to know for sure.

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu included a spread on the upcoming NieR upgrade NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139… and on the mobile game NieR Re[in]carnation.

This included new concept artwork and the first screenshots for both games.

You can check them out in the gallery below.

NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139

Screenshots

Streets of Rage 4 on Nintendo Switch

For a Genesis-kid that has been following the Streets of Rage series for decades, it’s kind of hard to believe that Streets of Rage 4 is actually real. If you thought the wait for Final Fantasy VII Remake was bad, Streets of Rage stans have been waiting around since 1994 for a new game. It was cut off for no reason other than 2D games were kind of thrown aside while developers and publishers experimented with 3D after the release of the Nintendo 64, Sega Saturn, and PlayStation.

Even in recent years with 2D games enjoying a renaissance, thanks largely in part to great indie developers, there was still no word on Streets of Rage 4.

I thought for sure after Sonic Mania that maybe this was the beginning of a 2D Sega resurgence but nope, still nothing after that. It’s easy to see why someone could lose hope as time continued to pass.

Sega though did eventually give Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games the green light to take a stab at one of the most beloved Genesis franchises of all-time.

Developer and publisher Dotemu may not be a household name in the U.S. but they have proven themselves capable of handling work on important franchises such as Metal Slug, Final Fantasy, and more in the past.

I’m thrilled to say that Dotemu once again has proven why they should be trusted, as they have delivered a fantastic and faithful follow-up in Streets of Rage 4.

Greymoor, the next chapter in Zenimax’s popular MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online, is just a month away, and it’s set to bring with it a number of interesting new features. That includes the Antiquity system, which is comprised of two mini-games and an adventure across the continent as part of the Antiquarian Circle to track down prized relics.

A new trailer showcasing the system in action for the first time was published earlier today. As you’ll see below, the Antiquity system features unique collectibles, styles, treasures, PvP, and “Mythic” items as players work toward becoming master historians.

After a brief delay as a result of COVID-19, Zenimax has since announced that Antiquities arrives with The Elder Scrolls Online: Greymoor on May 26 for PC/Mac and June 9 for Xbox One and PS4.

If you’re wanting to see more of the expansion, which takes players to the frozen tundra of Skyrim, then you can check out a previous trailer showcasing exploration, combat, and story.

If you’re a fan of simulation and management games, May’s PS Plus freebies are likely to be right up your alley. For everybody else, not so much. Cities: Skylines and Farming Simulator 19 are two simulation games with polar opposite aesthetics, and they’re free to download and keep for PS Plus users from May 5.

Cities: Skylines is described over on the PS Blog:

The acclaimed city-builder sim by Paradox Interactive, you make the decisions that will see your city flourish or fail. You’ll need strategic smarts to keep your burgeoning ecosystem from collapse, ensuring your ever-growing populace stay happy and the industries that are the lifeblood of your expanding metropolis continue to thrive.   

Farming Simulator: 19, meanwhile, is teed up as follows:

“Developer GIANTS Software has packed in a wealth of agricultural pastimes to lose yourself in as you set out to maintain a homestead. Harvest crops, raise livestock, tackle forest, ride your own horses…or just jump behind the wheel of your John Deere tractor or one of over 300 authentic farming vehicles and go for a drive.”

Fans of Dying Light have been eagerly awaiting news on the series’ superb-looking sequel after it was delayed earlier this year, but developer Techland still isn’t done supporting the original game. Today, a new paid DLC chapter called Hellraid was teased, with a launch window of later this summer locked in.

Hellraid isn’t typical of Dying Light’s previous DLC. Described as “fresh” experience, it features a single demonic dungeon full of monsters for players to hack and blast their way through with all manner of different weapons.

Techland tees up the DLC’s story premise as follows:

“It all started with an arcade machine survivors found in the Tower’s basement while investigating an odd power outage. None of them could remember seeing this strange device ever before. They moved it upstairs, unaware of its true nature.”

A new trailer published in tandem with today’s announcement provides a first look at the action, which you can watch below.

Armor in Fallout 76 can be made and repaired using scrap. With irradiated creatures and other players trying to kill you around every corner, you’ll want some protection from damage. Luckily there are also plenty of unattended items lying around that are yours for the taking. It’s worth grabbing a ton of scrap to repair armour. (more…)

It’s not even out of beta yet and Valorant is tempting pros from other games into its ranks. San Francisco Shock’s star player, Jay “Sinatraa” Won, is the first Overwatch League player to be making the switch, joining up with the Sentinels’ new competitive Valorant team. Sinatraa announced his retirement from Overwatch yesterday, saying he “straight up just lost passion for the game”.

“Idk what the real killer was for me but maybe it was 2-2-2 lock, maybe it was bans I’m not sure… I just know it was hard for me to log on to play and I didn’t have fun in scrims/ranked at all anymore.”

(more…)

The new Gears Of War spin-off, Gears Tactics came out yesterday, and already players are turning their soldiers into characters from other games. Tactics has you recruit various soldiers as you go on, you see, and while you can’t change the general look of their bodies or faces, there are still a bunch of features you can alter to adjust them to your liking.

So, here’s a few examples you could follow if you fancy having characters like Duke Nukem or Doom Guy in your squad.

(more…)

As they’re wont to do, like kids sneaking peeks in their holiday presents, some regular Fortnite dataminers have gone snooping through the game files in today’s 12.5 update looking for clues to Fortnite’s future.

They’ve unwrapped what might be a big one: something that appears to be a new, smaller map for Fortnite all about partying and minigaming with friends rather than fighting for victory royales. According to the data leakers, a new map called “Papaya” will have obstacle courses, fishing, and skydiving with friends among other activities.

(more…)

⁦@haroldgoldberg⁩ and I are Talking Games in a new podcast. Donations will fund activities for underserved communities. One of the first guests: ⁦@geoffkeighley⁩ Join us! https://t.co/9DjakIFwqO

Official Xbox One Stereo Headset w/ Adapter | $35 | B&H Photo

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For the past couple weeks, a growing number of Twitch’s top streams have not been live, despite claiming to be. In order to maximize viewership gain from Valorant’s beta key drop system, some streamers have been tossing up non-live footage to keep streams going 24/7. Now, that’s no longer allowed.

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As with so many aspects of life during COVID-19, it started with a Zoom call. Joel Hodgson and the team behind Mystery Science Theater 3000’s latest live tour were scheduled to discuss their next project over the videoconferencing service in the days before social-distancing measures and emergency lockdowns were…

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I’ve been hankering to play some Cities: Skylines lately, so May’s PlayStation Plus games feel like eerie perfect timing. As always, these games are only “free” if you have an active PlayStation Plus subscription.

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Limited Run Games has finally revealed its Limited Collector's Edition for brand new brawler Streets of Rage 4, which launches April 30 on PC and consoles. This special set will be made available for pre-order on Friday, May 1, and is expected to sell out in double-quick time.

The Limited Collector's Edition includes a copy of the game itself in classic Sega Genesis-style casing, alternate steelbook packaging, a fake metal Sega Genesis cartridge, a soundtrack CD, art book, poster, and a seven-inch diorama of heroes Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding. Best of all, this set includes a stress ball styled after a roast chicken. Yeah. The set will retail for around $150.

If I were to track my "most-played games of all time" list, a lot of simulators would be up there.

The fact that people are able to create living worlds with their actions speaks volumes in terms of replay value, especially for incredibly creative universes like Minecraft. Animal Crossing might be more restrictive, but life...life finds a way.

Sharing their imitative on Reddit, user tybat11 managed to create a weed removal service for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The gist? They go to your island and remove your pesky weeds, give you some weed tips (wholesome, I promise), collect a potential tip, then go off on their merry way. While so many similar services and items are going for $20 and above on eBay, tybat11 is doing it for free.

The demand has gotten so ridiculous after their service blew up that they now have a Google Doc booking chart and "hired an employee." It's such a simple, cute idea that encourages player interactions in a time when so many are isolated from one another.

To all the people who will inevitably say that these people have too much time on their hands: there's a global pandemic! We have nothing but time.

WeedCo Weed Removal Services [Google Docs via Reddit]

As April prepares to collapse imperceptibly into May, Sony has cracked its knuckles and wrenched back the curtain of mystery to reveal the next duo of games being made available as part of its PlayStation Plus subscription service - which next month look an awful lot like Cities Skylines and Farming Simulator 19.

Cities Skylines, developer Colossal Order's much-loved city management sim, has been around the block more than a few times by this point, initially launching on PC back in 2015. It immediately managed to capitalise on the less-than-stellar reception of 2014's SimCity, with its more robust set of city building options, and has received a teetering pile of expansions and DLC content in the years since.

It finally made its way to PlayStation 4 in 2017 and, despite the inherent complexity of its construction and management systems, made the transition to console admirably, with a control scheme and interface that make tinkering away to forge your own metropolis a pleasure.

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Nintendo has launched a new promotion that'll get you a free Switch Online membership for seven days.

Now, there's always been a seven day free trial of Switch Online available to new members when they first register. However, once you've used it, it's gone. This offer, though, is available to everyone who doesn't have an active membership. So, you can grab it even if you've already activated the Nintendo Switch Online free trial in the past.

Not a bad thing if you've wanted to schedule a few rounds of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with friends while in lockdown. Or if you've just picked up one of the best Nintendo Switch bundle deals currently available.

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Dying Light gets a Hellraid DLC this summer, Techland has announced.

Hellraid is the on-hold first-person fantasy game pitched as a mashup of The Elder Scrolls and Dying Light, and the spiritual successor to Hexen and Witchhaven.

It was initially planned for release on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 back in 2013, but was delayed to launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2014. Then, in 2015, it was delayed indefinitely.

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Combine your blueprints for the ultimate weapon

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Kitty Green’s new film follows one harrowing day at a film production office

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Including the one where Captain America’s a werewolf

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