April 2020

Twitch has updated its community guidelines to prohibit gaming the system

Continue reading…

The Avengers: Endgame director says his Netflix movie reaches for the action-movie bar

Continue reading…

The Assassin’s Creed series debuted in 2007, and since then, the series has become a fixture in the gaming landscape. It received reliable annual installments (or more!) for several years; that cadence has relented a bit now, but the franchise's long history has certainly left us with no shortage of Assassin’s Creed games to enjoy. But how do they stack up against each other?

 We originally published a version of this list back in 2015, but more Assassin's Creed games have released now, and some of our perspectives have shifted. So we are taking another look at the titles in the whole main series (no spin-offs or side-stories) and ranking them, highlighting the best moments and acknowledging the weaknesses in each.

City planning and farming aren't for everyone, but in the video game space the building aspects of Cities: Skylines and Farming Simulator 19 speak to a niche life that has already captured the imagination of millions of gamers. Paid subscribers to PlayStation Plus can embrace their inner creator by picking up these games for free in May.

This console version of Cities: Skyline does a good job of adapting the original PC controls as well as including a variety of city-building features, and Farming Simulator 19 includes riding and tending to animals as well as growing crops.

You can start downloading and playing these titles on May 5 until June 1. April's titles – Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and Dirt Rally 2.0 are available until then.

[Source: Official PlayStation Blog]

The music is the weapon, but in Girls' Frontline's crossover with DJMAX Respect, the weapon is also the weapon!

The post Girls Frontline Shoots to the Beat With DJMAX Respect appeared first on Siliconera.

Sega's new Sega Music brand has been revealed. The company will use it for its video game music going forward, starting with Sakura Wars.

The post Sega Launches New Video Game Music Brand Sega Music appeared first on Siliconera.

The Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestra World Tour has had three of its shows delayed until 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The post Some Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestra World Tour Shows Delayed Until 2021 appeared first on Siliconera.

With its cheery vibe and snappy gameplay, Ninjala is constantly compared to Splatoon. The Ninjala Exclusive Ninja Club beta showed they're very different.

The post Is This the Next Splatoon? The Ninjala Open Beta May Hold the Answer appeared first on Siliconera.

Developer Novaquark released a new trailer of Dual Universe, its ambitious space MMO that invites players to basically build the universe in which they play.

The game has been in development for quite a long time and it’s currently among a series of alpha tests with a beta coming later this year on PC. This will also mark the end of the NDA allowing testers to share their adventures with the world.

The trailer celebrates the launch of the official Twitch channel that will host a live Q&A session with the developers tomorrow, April 30, at 2:00 pm EDT.

CEO Jean-Christophe Baillie accompanied the press release with a statement:

“We think this trailer will be a good introduction for players to the core concepts of such an innovative game as Dual Universe

[…]

We started this company with the goal of being community-centered. Whether it’s through our AMAs, our roadmap updates, or transparent communication with our players, we’re trying to accomplish that to stay true to our original vision for how we wanted our relationship with our community to be like.”

You can watch the trailer below.

Drake

If there’s one artist that immediately springs to mind when we’re talking about some kind of insane Fortnite event, it’s got to be Drake. The actor-turned-rapper is one of the biggest names in music right now and almost every single he releases turns out to be a grade-A bop.

So you can imagine fans’ excitement if Drizzy himself decided to drop into Fortnite for a quick gig. One Dance, God’s Plan, Passionfruit (yes, it’s a banger), In My Feelings and Toosie Slide is your setlist right there.

V-Bucks would rain down from the sky in homage to the God’s Plan video where Drake’s seen handing out stacks of cash to complete strangers.

Today Cloud Imperium Games finally released Star Citizen alpha 3.9 to all backers with the title “Locked & Loaded.”

The update adds a ton of content and features to the growing persistent universe of the game including penal gameplay, a unified friend list, the interior of the New Babbage landing zone on Microtech and the moons orbiting around the planet, a new dropship, and more.

Below you can read a list of highlights, while the full patch notes can be found here.

XCOM: Chimera Squad is, true to its mythological namesake, an amalgam of some of the best concepts and mechanics from throughout the series long history. It is a distillation of the moments that makes these games so addictive, but in doing so removes some of the depth that made those moments so memorable in the first place.

This is an XCOM game on a far smaller scale; the stakes are tiny in comparison to the mainline games, and as a result, there is less for you as a player to do overall. Taking place five years after the events of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, you command a futuristic SWAT team of humans, aliens, and hybrids that have been deployed to City 31 in an attempt to quell mounting racial tensions between the various species that call it home.

It’s a far cry from the last stand of humanity in XCOM, or the desperate guerilla warfare of XCOM 2. At the same time, thanks to its zoomed-in perspective, Chimera Squad is able to tell a far more intimate story, and each member of your team has a distinct personality, in addition to unique skills and completely different playstyles.

The agents that comprise Chimera Squad are likable and well written and each has an important role to play on the battlefield, and in between missions they trade their best cop quips with each other. They all have extensive biographies you can read up on, and coupled with the games arresting comic-style cutscenes, make these characters distinct and memorable.

While Haikyuu! may follow the story of the Karasuno Crows, the anime is full to the brim with a roster of enigmatic characters from different schools in Japan. We’ve sorted through those personalities to come up with a character quiz that details what character you are most like in the series.

Will you be the star? The support? The comic relief? Or maybe all of the above. Take your Haikyuu! personality quiz below and find out for yourself.

(Images courtesy of Crunchyroll)

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is… fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”

This riveting sentence was uttered in 1933 during the first presidential inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It has stood the test of time as an inspiring message to rally a nation (definitely up there with “nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care” and “my fingers are long and beautiful”).

Trenchant though the sentiment may be — and yes, that’s the most pompous word I intend to use in this article — FDR was not yet privy to the true horror that would be unleashed upon the world some six decades later, when Super Mario 64 launched alongside the Nintendo 64 in 1996.

So I ask… do you remember the first time you arrived at Jolly Roger Bay?

After romping around sunny meadows and scaling a snowy mountain populated by penguins, there was a sudden, tangible change in the atmosphere. Belied by the gorgeous soundtrack, this stage had an eerie fog and dark, foreboding waters ahead.

“Plunder in the sunken ship” was the only guidance we had, so deeper and deeper we swam down the cavernous void, our health ticking away with each passing second.

The eponymous ship came into view, and there he was, peeking at us from out of the window — Unagi, more commonly known at the time as ‘the eel’ or simply ‘aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh’!!

After quite a good run in Early Access, Deep Rock Galactic is emerging from the depths in just a couple weeks. The co-op dwarf FPS will move to version 1.0 on May 13th with new tunes, ranks, and quality of life improvements. If you’ve already been playing in Early Access, you can try out the release candidate by opting in to the experimental branch through Steam.

(more…)

Tapeworm, the latest game from The Binding of Isaac creator Edmund McMillen, launched its Kickstarter campaign early Tuesday only to immediately reach its funding goal in just four minutes.

After hitting its $25,000 target Tapeworm continued to climb far past it, currently sitting at just over $325k raised at the time of publishing. This isn’t the first time McMillen has found success on Kickstarter either, with The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls card game raising $2.65 million in late 2018.

[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=first-look-at-tapeworm-by-edmund-mcmillen&captions=true"]

While not related to McMillen’s past games in any way, Tapeworm follows in Four Souls’ footsteps as a multiplayer card game with his signature strange (and unsurprisingly gross) style. In it, players take turns playing and connecting cards to create as long of a worm as they can, which can be manipulated by special effects or even cut off entirely.

In its Kickstarter video, McMillen said he originally came up with the idea for Tapeworm nine years ago, with the focus being on making a card game where spacing and positioning of cards really mattered. He also explained that he wanted it to be “as simple as Uno, but have a good amount of depth," so that it would be accessible to anyone but still strategic.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/01/14/return-to-dark-tower-unboxing"]

It's now clear that remote work under the threat of COVID-19 isn't the same your average work-from-home process. ...

Techland is making use of a currently stalled game project by bringing maps and enemies from the dungeon crawler into its parkour driven zombie game Dying Light. ...

Following a leak this morning, Fortnite’s latest mode is now live in the game. The Party Royale mode features a small new island map. Instead of building and shooting, players go fishing, do time trials, and just hang out.

Read more...

TaoTronics BH22 ANC Headphones | Amazon | $30 | Promo code KINJAD2E

Read more...

Square Enix recently announced the temporary removal of its Trials of Mana demo from Steam due to “unforeseen circumstances.” The company provided no further details, but this news comes hot on the heels of players finding a way to access the full game through the demo without having to pay for it. Hmm.

Read more...

Yesterday Call of Duty: Modern Warfare received a new update and additional data pack, adding over a dozen gigs to an already huge game and eating up ever more space on people’s console and PC harddrives. Lots of games want to be the only one you play; Modern Warfare seems to want to be the only one you can keep…

Read more...

In a move I don't think anybody saw coming, Sony has announced that its big-screen adaptation of Naughty Dog's Uncharted will now arrive ahead of schedule, having had its release date pulled forward from November 2021 to July 2021.

This will no doubt come as a surprise to regular readers who will be aware of the trials and tribulations the project has gone through en route to theatres. Having been re-written, re-cast, and re-scheduled multiple times, all while passing through the hands of no less than seven directors, Sony has consistently struggled to get the project out of the starting blocks.

In fact, according to star Tom Holland, shooting was shut down on day one due to concerns pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. With no discernable end in sight to the global health crisis, it seems that Sony's decision to pull the troubled movie forward simply has to be a matter of penciled scheduling, rather than a full ink committal. Nathan Drake can't catch a break.

Uncharted is scheduled to launch in theatres worldwide July 2021.

Uncharted movie release date pushed up to July 2021 [IGN]

I still remember where I was when I played Guitar Hero for the first time in 2005. I was with my wife (then girlfriend), and a family member had bought it for us as a gift.

Sitting down in our living room we rocked out to two guitars, and I picked it up right away. An hour later I was shredding on expert, and for the next several years, I'd compete in local tournaments. Although Rock Band was a fun party game and a great competitor, nothing it offered came close to the pure thrill the original trilogy of Guitar Hero games offered.

Techland has released a brief trailer teasing new DLC for zombie-smasher Dying Light. The new content, which will arrive this summer, seems to reference Hellraid, a first-person Techland title that never saw the light of day, ultimately being abandoned mid-development.

While the teaser doesn't show much in the way of gameplay, the accompanying blurb suggests that a possessed arcade machine will be bringing the underworld to Dying Light, offering a brand new dungeon, filled with brand new enemies, waiting for a howdy from your brand new weaponry. More information on Hellraid will be announced at a later date.

Dying Light is available now on PS4, PC, and Xbox One.

Pokemon Sword and Shield still has some life in it yet with the upcoming expansion, but World of Warcraft is also getting in on the pet battling fun.

As part of the "Bonus Event" system to keep people interested until the Shadowlands expansion drops (which still has an unannounced date), all pet battle experience is buffed 200% once again, and you'll earn rewards for winning five pet battles (which you can queue up by pressing shift+P to open your pet journal, then hitting "find battle").

Next week on May 5, the pet battle bonuses are done and the Timewalking Dungeon Event starts, which allows players that are level 91 or higher to access a Timewalking Dungeon queue which scales players down to old Mists of Pandaria expansion dungeons. Timewalking has been in for ages, and the concept is similar to Final Fantasy XIV's roulette system. You can find a link to the in-game event calendar below.

As we covered previously, World of Warcraft is undergoing some massive changes in the coming months: some of which will have rippling effects the game has never seen before.

The Pet Battle Bonus Event Has Begun [Battle.net]

For a brief period in the late 80s and early 90s, the side-scrolling brawler captured the imagination - and the coinage - of gamers everywhere. Standing shoulder to shoulder around an arcade cabinet taking down waves of enemies as you gradually work your way to the end of the game was a wonderful experience, but Sega's Streets of Rage not only brought this experience home, it took it to the next level. And now it's back, better than ever. In fact, Streets of Rage 4 is nothing short of a masterpiece.

The golden age of brawlers kicked off with a wave of games spearheaded by Double Dragon, a coop-based side-scrolling beat 'em up that triggered a deluge of competing titles from a range of publishers. Capcom asserted its dominance here with the epic Final Fight - and its subsequent port to Super Famicom in late 1990 served as a powerful opening salvo in the 16-bit console war. Despite enjoying success with Golden Axe, Sega needed something darker, grittier and more 'urban'. It needed a Final Fight killer and Streets of Rage was its answer.

Released just six months after the Super Famicom conversion of Final Fight hit the market, Streets of Rage boasted simultaneous two-player action, with crunching combat backed by a killer soundtrack. It was a strong effort, but it was with Streets of Rage 2 and its sequel that Sega amped up the action, refining a winning formula and fully delivering on what I consider to be the three key pillars of brawler design.

Read more

If you're more used to the reflexive third-person shooting of traditional Gears of War games, then the methodical turn-based strategy of Gears Tactics may seem unfamiliar and difficult. This series spin-off--which is exclusive to PC for now--models itself on the unforigiving tactical formula of the infamously difficult XCOM games, so failure is to be expected. Fortunately, you're not completely out of luck, as we've come up with a few essential tips to help you strategically rip apart the Locust horde with ease.

For more about Gears Tactics, be sure to read our full review. The game is out now on PC through the Windows 10 Store and Steam, and it's free through Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Not All Cover Is Created Equal

Even if this is your first turn-based tactical game, you probably already know that your units should always be in cover. As you advance and flank your enemies, ensure that your soldiers are safely tucked behind a low or high wall before you end your turn.

Dick pics, veiled threats, and silly goofs

Continue reading…

No uglies allowed

Continue reading…

Noami Osaka, and more, will participate as well

Continue reading…

Learn more about Sega's latest Sakura Taisen installment with Siliconera's Sakura Wars livestream. It'll begin at 12pm PT/3pm ET/9pm CET.

The post Watch Siliconera’s Sakura Wars Livestream appeared first on Siliconera.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare received another update that mostly consists of bug fixes, but requires console players to download another 15 GB for the update.

Called the “Data Pack 1,” this update is a required download for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 players. The update is around 15 GB and can be accessed by opening the game and selecting a game mode, which will then take  players to a game install menu.

No information was given on what is included in the Data Pack 1 to warrant such a huge size, but the game has had high installation sizes in the past.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare update before the huge patch contains many bug fixes such as out of bounds exploits, control issues, specific GPU issues for PC, and for the Special Operation co-op mode.

The newest addition is an item for the Warzone battle royale mode called Armor Satchel. The new item allows players to carry up to eight armor plates instead of five, and can be looted from other players.

It also becomes a guaranteed reward for completing scavenger contracts instead of gas masks, which will remain in the loot pool and are purchasable from buy stations. Check out the full patch notes for the list of changes.

The post Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Update Provides Fixes; Requires 15 GB for Consoles appeared first on Twinfinite.

Cooperative mining and first-person shooting game Deep Rock Galactic will be launching from Steam Early Access on May 13, developer Ghost Ship Games announced today.

The game will cost $29.99, the price it currently is now, and the developer said the price will not increase after its launch. Although the game’s official soundtrack will increase in price from $7.99 to $9.99 after being expanded with another 50 minutes of music.

Two cosmetic-only downloadable packs, named MegaCorp and Dark Future, will launch alongside the game with sets of skins for armor and weapons. The DLC will make up the game’s deluxe edition, though those who already own the game will receive a small discount buying both together.

Ghost Ship Games has continually updated the game through Steam Early Access and said it has surpassed one million copies sold. The studio said it will continue to update the game with new content and will release a roadmap a few weeks after launch.

Deep Rock Galactic first began as a closed alpha in 2016, then entered Steam Early Access and the Xbox Game Preview program on Xbox One in 2018. The game will be fully launching for Steam, Windows Store on PC, and Xbox One on May 13.

How often does a game get new DLC five years on? Maybe more often than I can recall offhand but hey, here’s Dying Light announcing an upcoming DLC for its zombie action parkour world from 2015. As with the main game, you’ll be able to dive into Dying Light – Hellraid either alone or with friends. It’s planned for release sometime this summer.

(more…)

10. The Madden Curse

Rumors of a cheaper, smaller iPhone swirled for years before Apple actually announced the $400 second-gen iPhone SE this month, so it’s likely that the company has long been planning to release a successor to its popular pint-sized iPhone. But the iPhone SE is so much a gadget of this specific moment in time that, if…

Read more...

Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have been making clips of the game’s two stars getting their groove on at work, set to all sorts of music. It’s become my new favorite playlist for chilling out during these stressful days.

Read more...

Would you rather establish and manage a bustling city or run a productive farm?

That's the question facing PlayStation Plus subscribers. Cities: Skylines and Farming Simulator 19 – two deep and fairly demanding simulation games – will be up for grabs for PS Plus from May 5 to June 1.

Many of us have more time on our hands than usual while we're stuck at home, and sim games are one surefire way to pass it with a vengeance. It's one thing to glance outside for a moment and realize the sun has suddenly set while you were absorbed in a minutia-filled virtual world. It's another thing entirely to be so lost that when you do finally peer outside, you realize the sun is actually rising.

If you had to pick only one of these games and you want more immediate satisfaction, I'd side with Cities: Skylines. It's more approachable, and it can take a while before bad building practices catch up with you. Farming Simulator, on the other hand, can feel dense and overwhelming – especially upfront. It's the kind of game that demands persistent video and wiki check-ins when you're learning the ropes.

A decent PC setup is the preferred way to play both of these games, but don't let that stop you. I can't speak to the PS4 performance for Cities: Skylines, but Farming Simulator works surprisingly okay.