April 2020

In yesterday's Streets of Rage 4 coverage, Digital Foundry dissected the original Mega Drive trilogy, discerned the key aspects that made the original games so successful then applied the same criteria to the brand new sequel. Our verdict? It's a masterpiece, a retro modern title that stands tall alongside Sonic Mania, Mega Man 11 and Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. But how do the various versions compare, and specifically, does the Switch version hold up against the other console platforms?

While we were able to cover PlayStation 4 and Steam code before launch, Xbox and Switch were not available - but the game is live now and we've been able to run the rule over every rendition of the game. The good news is that they're all brilliant, we can recommend a purchase for any given system, but there are some oddities we'd hope to see addressed in the short term via a patch.

To cut to the chase though, the number one question we've been asked since the embargo lifted concerns the quality of the Switch release - and with good reason, as this style of game would make for a brilliant handheld experience. Here, we can report that the title is totally identical to the PlayStation 4 release. Whether you're playing docked or in mobile mode, frame-rate is locked to 60 frames per second and the game's visual make-up is the same too. Even the graphics menu is fully present and correct on Nintendo's console/portable hybrid. Just like the other consoles, four-player local co-op is supported, and as you may hope, two users can each grab a single Joycon to get in on the action with no extra pads required.

Platinum Games has delayed the physical release of its spruced-up superhero action romp The Wonderful 101: Remastered due to shipping and distribution issues relating to the coronavirus. The digital release will, however, still go ahead as originally planned.

The developer announced the delay in an update to Kickstarter backers earlier today, confirming a revised retail release of 30th June in the US and 3rd July in Europe for the physical version of The Wonderful 101: Remastered. Its digital launch remains unchained, meaning the game will be available to download on PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC on 19th May in North America, and on 22nd May in Europe.

As part of its announcement, Platinum warned that although Kickstarter backer rewards are "being given the highest priority", those that opted for the physical version of The Wonderful 101: Remastered as part of their pledge may now, unfortunately, not receive it until after the game's general retail release, due to logistical challenges.

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Respawn has rolled out its Apex Legends reveal box once more, this time flinging the doors open to unveil the game's next playable hero: Loba Andrade, a thief who's out for revenge.

Those with relatively decent memories might recall an intriguing tease that came toward the end of Apex Legends' previous character reveal, when - after some cheeky sleight of hand by Respawn - robot hitman Revenant stepped into the spotlight. Revenant's reveal video concluded with a young girl weeping over the body of her father, the assassin's latest target, leaving many to speculate that she might soon return.

The name Loba, meanwhile, has been connected to Apex Legends for some time, thanks to the efforts of dataminers, but now all the pieces have finally snapped together, with Respawn confirming that, yes, Apex Legends' latest playable character is a grown-up version of the girl we saw mourning her father 25 years previously, and yes, her name is Loba.

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All other Fortnite events will be held online

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You’re Most Wanted or you’re nothing

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Shhh... Gigantamax Meowth is sleeping

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See the pages as they would have appeared in physical copies

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The latest from The Office co-creator Greg Daniels finds the humor in a futuristic capitalist critique

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Rocking some red threads

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Oh, it’ll be a beaut once it’s done. On completion, Landlord’s Super promises a mundane fantasy of construction and socialising in your own dismal slice of English decline – seasonal changes, health concerns, rental markets, union interferences and all. But those frivolities can wait. Launching today in Steam Early Access, the Landlord’s offering the simpler pleasures right now. Home renovation, and getting absolutely knackered down the local.

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Is Dreams PS4 a great source of engagement for kids during a global pandemic? We sent our Writer Dad to surf some dreams and find out.

The post Dreams Can Be a Quirky Quarantine Toybox appeared first on Siliconera.

Reports are circulating that Nintendo may not end up holding the customary June Nintendo Direct this year.

The post Rumor: Nintendo Direct June 2020 Not Happening as Japan Struggles With Work Disruption appeared first on Siliconera.

People curious about the behind-the-scenes work going into the Castlevania Netflix animated series can see sheets for four antagonists.

The post Castlevania Netflix Series’ Character Art Shared for the Council of Sisters appeared first on Siliconera.

"So many of the established smoke and mirrors techniques you use in level design just didn't work for us. We actually had to put full environments behind the curtain, so to speak." ...

Building off the virtual concerts that have graced the battlefields of Fortnite's traditional battle royale maps, Epic Games' latest addition to the game eschews combat to instead focus on online hangouts. ...

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was officially revealed today by Ubisoft with a gorgeous cinematic trailer, introducing fans to the next entry in the popular action-adventure franchise. Since the trailer was lacking actual gameplay footage and details, here’s a list of facts we know about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla that you might not know about.

It’s Coming to Next-Gen & Current-Gen Consoles

Even though there was only an Xbox Series X logo at the end of Ubisoft’s hot trailer for Valhalla, the title is still coming to PS4, PC, Xbox One, Stadia and the PS5 sometime in the holiday of 2020.

Following the official reveal for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Ubisoft has released a new developer commentary video to its YouTube channel that stars the creative director Ashraf Ismail, and narrative director Darby McDevitt, as they breakdown the cinematic trailer, scene-by-scene.

You can watch the lengthy 20-minute trailer breakdown down below to learn more about Valhalla’s setting, the main character, and how the Viking longships factor into the gameplay:

Here’s the official description for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla from Ubisoft:

In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you are Eivor, a fierce Viking warrior raised on tales of battle and glory. Explore a dynamic and beautiful open world set against the brutal backdrop of England’s Dark Ages. Raid your enemies, grow your settlement, and build your political power in your quest to earn your place among the gods in Valhalla.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will launch in the holiday season of 2020 and will release for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PC, and even Google Stadia.

Today Square Enix released a brand new video of Final Fantasy XIV, talking about the story behind the NieR: Automata crossover. 

The video stars Final Fantasy XIV producer and director Naoki Yoshida, NieR: Automata creator Yoko Taro, and producer Yosuke Saito as they talk about the creation of the YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse series of raid.

If you’re wondering, it’s a heavily story-driven series of 24-man raids that brings the worlds of Final Fantasy XIV and NieR: Automata together, and it’s arguably (try to argue against it if you can) the best crossover ever implemented in an MMORPG.

At the moment only the first chapter has been released, and the second will come with update 5.3 in the summer.

You can check out the video below.

If you’d like to learn more about Final Fantasy XIV, you can read latest interview with Naoki Yoshida, and our review of Shadowbringers.

Dell UltrasSharp 24” Monitor | $250 | B&H Photo

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Streets of Rage 4 is officially out today for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch. I got a chance to play with the one and only Heather Alexandra as we checked out a nice mix of the different modes the game offers. I also get a little more detailed about nitty gritty improvements to combat. Check out the video…

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Fine art is all the rage in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Last week, players of Nintendo’s adaptation of Animal Farm were introduced to an in-game art dealer (in the form of a somewhat fraudulent fox). And in the real world, museums are transforming art from their collections into New Horizons designs.

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Mysterious keycards are appearing in Call of Duty: Warzone, sending players on a hunt to discover what they may unlock.

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Pre-order Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) | $60

Development studio The Outsiders has announced that its grim-looking monster RPG Darkborn is no longer in development. The game has been put on hold after four years of development in favour of a new project.

Originally referred to as Archenemy, before being renamed Project Wight, the first gameplay footage for Darkborn was released a year ago, telling the story of a group of fantasy creatures who are forced to take a stand against an army of human marauders who have been laying waste to their species. Darkborn was expected to launch this generation on PC and consoles.

"In spite of our best efforts to continue, ultimately we had to make the difficult decision to halt development on the project," said The Outsiders in an official statement. "Perhaps one day we will return to it: we all hope so and genuinely appreciate the support of everyone who followed us over the years."

So you're stuck at home, own a Switch, and don't find the current Switch Online subscription service to be enticing enough to pay for. You probably took advantage of Nintendo's recent free trial period, right? Well, thankfully the publisher is renewing that trial even if you already redeemed it, so you can play for another week for free.

Announced by way of the Nintendo of Europe Twitter account, the terms are simple: "Enjoy seven days of online play, 70+ classic NES and Super NES games, and more with a Nintendo Switch Online free trial! You can enjoy this offer even if you redeemed a free trial previously. Visit the Nintendo eShop on your console to get started."

For those of you who aren't attuned in the ways of Switch Online, the banner above actually highlights all of its "benefits." The first is online play, followed by NES (and SNES, not pictured) bonus games, then cloud saving, mobile app use and the dreaded "mystery box."

Switch Online has had its ups and downs, with sometimes shaky service (Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the most recent culprit) and inconsistent retro suite additions. While the SNES suite was a second wind for the retro game perk, things have slowed down considerably in recent weeks. Right now, Nintendo has no real incentive to step things up, but free is free, even for a limited time.

You can find the free trial directly in the Switch eShop, as well as a My Nintendo bonus here.

Nintendo of Europe [Twitter]

So the Switch Pro Controller slaps, and I've been using it weekly since it launched alongside of the system. Remember when we realized Nintendo etched a secret message into every Pro Controller? Good times. It rules.

Sadly, over time, the Pro Controller has been hit with the same "drift" problem as the now infamous Joy-Con remotes, but Nintendo has a new fix available for the former. Billed as system update 10.0.2, the new patch does one simple thing: "We have fixed an issue where a Nintendo Switch console with system menu version 10.0.0 or 10.0.1 does not set up a new Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, sometimes causing incorrect joystick control."

So that's the official term, eh? "Incorrect joystick control?" Well, a rose by any other name would prick your finger with its thorns. However you slice it, although many Joy-Con are still drifting from a hardware perspective, this issue seems to address the Pro's woes on a software level: specifically for new remotes setup during versions 10.0.0 or 10.0.1, preceding the new update. I'll take this as a "W."

As for Joy-Con, since that's a hardware problem, you still have to send them in (when you can).

Ver. 10.0.2 [Nintendo]

Publisher Happinet has released a demo for its regal strategy-RPG Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia. Available to download on Nintendo Switch worldwide, the demo gives players the opportunity to check out the attractive war-mongering title, ahead of its official release in June.

For those new to the title, Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia is a sequel to the 1998 PlayStation release Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena and its 2000 remake Brigandine: Grand Edition. This new Nintendo Switch title will feature the same lavish artwork and cross-country combat of the original games, as players meticulously pick their way through tactical, turn-based battles, against the backdrop of an opulent fantasy universe

If you're an Xbox Live Gold or Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, then this weekend is ready to keep you busy. Microsoft has revealed the three games included in its latest Free Play Days event, which runs until May 4 at 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET. This weekend's games are Yakuza 0, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and Sonic Mania, and if you want to keep playing them past Sunday, then you can snag Yakuza 0 and Sonic Mania at a discount. Unfortunately, there is no special discount for Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Yakuza 0 are both already available on Game Pass for console, so Game Pass subscribers don't have to worry about paying extra to keep playing these games after the weekend. Sonic Mania, on the other hand, is something new for both Gold and Game Pass subscribers.

A new batch of challenges is now live in Fortnite. In addition to this week's secret No Right to Bear Arms challenge, which asks you to disarm gnomes and bears to prevent them from going to war, there's the first set of Season 2 Overtime missions, one of which ironically asks you to destroy gnomes in Camp Cod or Fort Crumpet. If you need help finding those, we've put together this guide showing you where to go.

Where Are The Gnome Locations?

As the challenge mentions, the gnomes are located in two specific areas: Camp Cod and Fort Crumpet. The former is in the southeastern corner of the map, in grid square G8, while the latter can be found northwest of Sweaty Sands, in A3.

There are numerous gnomes scattered around each area, so you shouldn't have much trouble coming across them just by exploring. You can see exactly where Camp Cod and Fort Crumpet are located on the map below.

Apex Legends developer Respawn has released a brand-new Stories from the Outlands trailer, Legacy of a Thief, which confirms that the young girl that Revenant orphaned in the Season 4: Assimilation launch trailer is Loba Andrade. The talented thief will be added as a playable character in Apex Legends Season 5: Fortune's Favor alongside a new Quests mode.

Like Octane, Wattson, Crypto, and Revenant before her, Loba was datamined prior to her official reveal--leading to fan speculation that she would ultimately become a playable legend in Respawn's battle royale game. However, there always was a nugget of doubt, given that Respawn included character files for Forge as a smokescreen to trick dataminers into thinking he would be Season 4's new character.

Of all the mini consoles out there, the Neo Geo Mini is the only one with a screen, allowing you to play it on both a TV and in your hands. This makes it particularly unique among the SNES Classic, Genesis Mini, and TurboGrafx-16 Mini, and if you want to enjoy 40 of SNK's best games, then you can do so at a great discount. Amazon has the Neo Geo Mini for only $30, down from its original price of $50. It's important to note this only includes the console and not the mini HDMI cable or any controllers. You can pick up the controllers separately--the white pad is $20, while the black pad is $23.61. On the other hand, a solid mini HDMI cable is only $10.49 on Amazon.

Activision has announced that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered is now available on PC via Battle.net and Xbox One for $20. Purchasing the game nets you a themed digital bundle to use in both Modern Warfare and Warzone.

In order to play Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, you will need to have either Modern Warfare or Warzone installed as it is only accessible through either of these games. The remaster, a "complete enhancement with stunning high-definition visuals," was already available on PlayStation 4 and lacks multiplayer. It still features the controversial "No Russian" mission, though, which has caused many problems for Activision including dividing developer Infinity Ward and barring its sale in Russia.

Assassin's Creed Origins and its sequel, Odyssey, both redefined the Assassin's Creed formula by introducing more role-playing elements into their open-world adventures. This included standard level progression, determining what gear you could equip, what enemies would give you a harder time, and more. With Assassin's Creed Valhalla, that won't be the case anymore.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla creative director, Ashraf Ismail, has explained that Valhalla prioritizes power over numerical levels, which takes into account the skills you've unlocked and the gear you've equipped over a linearly increasing number.

Speaking to Game Informer, he added, "As part of our fresh take on the RPG elements and progression, I would say it's less about levels and it’s more about the sense of power. Based on the skills you have, you gain power. That's how we look at that mechanism in the world; it's really about your capacities and what you can do."

While Ubisoft has yet to make an official announcement on the matter, new Assassin's Creed Valhalla product details reveal that the upcoming open-world action-RPG will "leverage" Xbox's Smart Delivery service. In other words, you only need to buy AC Valhalla once on Xbox One to get the Xbox Series X version, and next week's Inside Xbox livestream will give us our first look at its gameplay.

Publisher 505 Games has claimed that the surprise launch of gorgeously animated action-platformer Indivisible on Switch earlier this week - a surprise, in particular, to its somewhat dismayed developer, Lab Zero Games, which said it had no forewarning of the release - was down to a "release tool" error.

When Indivisible made its sudden eShop appearance on Wednesday, Lab Zero Games' Mike Zaimont - who served as project lead and lead designer on the title - took to Twitter, writing, "Feel like you missed the announcement? You're not alone, our team found out because people on Twitter sent us congratulations! I had no idea! But there it is!".

Although Zaimont applauded the quality of the Switch version, specifically calling out the porting team's "seriously excellent work", he shared his disappointment at a series of failures with the release - including the lack of a launch date announcement from 505 (and indeed "no lead-up PR at all"), the wrong eShop art being used, and the fact the port was based on a build missing a range of recently added features, including couch co-op and a New Game Plus mode.

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