Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Lots of cute crafts using Acorns and Pine Cones await
Click to watch embedded media In another universe, fans of Ian Fleming's super spy would be only a week away from James Bond's first on-screen adventure since 2015. But unfortunately, we're not in that world but we can take solace in the fact that there are plenty of other, often hilarious, video game options for people to fill their time. Enter James Bond 007: Nightfire, an original story following Pierce Brosnan's Bond as he tries to save the world from nuclear destruction. Join Andrew Reiner, Brian Shea, and me as we try to conquer not only the nefarious ne'er-do-wells of Nightfire but the control scheme as well.
We went live earlier, but you can catch the full archive of the stream above. If you can't get enough of our live shows, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Twitch, Mixer, Twitter, and Facebook to get notified when we go live each week! Thanks and enjoy the show!
The Xbox One Spring Sale is in full effect to break in the new season of warmth and the blooming of flowers. While the weather is warmer, you still might want to stay indoors and check out some of these heavy discounts and savings.
The Xbox Spring Sale is now live right here and there are some excellent titles discounted at the moment such as Borderlands 3, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Mortal Kombat 11.
Square Enix is gearing up for the release of the Final Fantasy VII Remake and more trailers and gameplay clips.
The videos have been released on Twitter, including three character trailers focusing on Tifa, Aerith, and Barret.
Two additional gameplay clips also showcase the darts minigame and the pull-up one where Tifa can work out those rock hard abs and biceps of hers.
You can check them out below.
It doesn't feel like four years have passed since Persona 5 was originally released in 2016. Atlus' PlayStation 4-exclusive RPG developed a fervent fanbase and, thanks to their efforts, the title has remained an ever-present part of gaming culture. Persona 5 is a game that, in more than a few ways, was built to linger in the mind and stay in conversations. Its themes and subject matter are complex and its characters are nuanced. Everything from their visual design, to their personalities, and their place within the story resonated with people.
It can't be easy, then, to go back and introduce something new to the game after the fact. Changing something that such a huge number of people have fallen deeply in love with is a daunting challenge, but to have that change be a brand new character placed at the center of the story is a potentially overwhelming one. But that's exactly what Atlus has done for Persona 5 Royal, and the task of designing the new character fell upon Shigenori Soejima.
Soejima has defined the Persona series as we know it and, many of gaming's most recognizable characters come from his mind. In this episode of Audio Logs, Soejima shows us exactly how he approaches creating a character. More specifically, how he created Kasumi, the newest member of the Phantom Thieves, who makes her debut in Persona 5 Royal.
It can be tricky to get friends or family into video games--it's certainly become easier in recent years with the rise of mobile gaming, which has created a more accessible market for gamers of all skill levels. However, there are still people out there who haven't played a video game. If you happen to know and live with such a person and you're hoping to get them to participate in one of your favorite pastimes now that you're spending more time at home, you may be wondering where to start.
We've found that a good way to get people who aren't regular players interested in video games is to play a co-op game with them. But, of course, that begs the question: What's a good video game to play with someone who's never played one before, or who rarely plays games and may not want to commit to something that's too skill-focused? Well, in the following article, we detail some of our personal favorite games that are fun to play, whether you've been gaming all your life or just starting for the first time.
Our list includes all sorts of games, ranging from silly couch co-op experiences you can play with the whole family, like Super Mario Party and Jackbox Party, to approachable online multiplayer games that you can play with a friend if you're both stuck at home, such as Rocket League and Destiny 2. We'd love to hear from you all if you think we missed anything--leave a note in the comments section about your go-to when you want to play a game with a friend or family member who isn't normally into video games.
Continue Reading at GameSpotFortnite Season 2's not-so-secret Deadpool skin has officially arrived. Battle Pass owners can unlock the character skin by completing all of this season's Deadpool challenges, including this week's pair of missions. Like those from previous weeks, these two tasks are fairly straightforward, but if you need help clearing them, we've put together this guide on where to find Deadpool's pistols and enter a phone booth or port-a-potty.
Like previous Deadpool challenges, this task doesn't require you to hop into a match; rather, you'll find the two pistols around the main HQ. The first is laying conspicuously under the table that displays this season's challenges, while the second is located by the barbells in the lower right-hand corner of Meowscles' room. Simply click on each of the pistols to collect them and you'll complete the challenge.
The second of Week 7's Deadpool challenges does require you to hop into a match, but it is likewise very simple. All you need to do is enter a phone booth or port-a-potty. There are several of each scattered around the island, and you only need to enter one of them to complete the mission.
Continue Reading at GameSpotCall of Duty: Modern Warfare will launch its third season next week. Activision announced the date with a teaser image on the official Call of Duty Twitter account. Season 3 will launch on April 8, 2020.
A new season means a refreshed battle pass with new rewards to earn. Midway through Season 2, Infinity Ward launched the battle royale mode Warzone, which is free for all players (even if you don't own Modern Warfare) and uses the same battle pass progression. That trend will likely continue for Season 3, though this time the free Warzone players will have the entire season to work their way through the battle pass. The teaser image shows the Warzone logo right next to the Modern Warfare one.
The teaser image shows three figures enveloped in red smoke, including Alex from the Modern Warfare campaign, who now has a prosthetic leg. Ghost, who appears in the background, joined the roster as a special battle pass unlockable in Season 2 as well, and his reveal trailer helped lay the groundwork for the Warzone mode.
Continue Reading at GameSpot
HBO is getting in on the social distancing relief. The network has announced that dozens of its shows and Warner Bros. movies have been made available to stream without a subscription, starting today. We’ve picked some things you might want to check out, and some to probably avoid. You’re not that desperate.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the island getaway we all need. My island paradise is covered in coconut trees, red tulips, and peacock butterflies. It’s perfect… a little too perfect, perhaps. The game presents a glamorous tale of island life when the reality is much more complex.
Given that your daily doses of shameless outdoor cavorting are likely fairly regulated right now, you probably won't object to more free stuff being bundled into your laps to keep those hours distractedly ticking by - and Epic Games is once again on hand to do just that, this time flinging Gone Home and Hob up onto its store's weekly freebie table.
Gone Home, of course, needs little introduction, having brought the so-called walking simulator genre crashing into the limelight back in 2013. Developed by The Fullbright Company, it tells the story of a young woman who returns to her family home after a year abroad, only to find it mysteriously deserted.
What follows is a frequently captivating, wonderfully authentic family drama that slowly unfolds as players piece together the clues and scraps of information strewn naturally around the expansive home. It's a little bit spooky, surprisingly moving, and should even managed to prod a few nostalgia buttons, given its keenly realised 90s setting.
IGN recently caught up with Xbox boss Phil Spencer, who confirmed that at this time, they don't see a delay for the Xbox Series X hardware despite the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hitting their pipelines.
But after chatting about hardware, Spencer switches gears into software, and the question of Scalebound inevitably comes up. As we all know there are frequent rumors that Scalebound, which was canceled in 2017, could be coming back. But Spencer is adamant that it's not going to happen.
Spencer as usual is extremely candid with his response, noting that "it's not a moment I see as a high point for me in my role...having to cancel a game we've talked about for years." He also adds that he regrets that he was so public about the game given what happened, but they "just didn't get there" with their collaboration, and he still has "a lot of respect for Platinum," noting that he still talks to the company.
He follows that up by saying "though for all the people who still think there's something in the works...there's not." Spencer says he's "almost positive" that Platinum isn't working on it, and insinuates that the IP is dead in the water. If you need a recap, both Microsoft and Platinum accepted fault at one point for the end of the project.
The conversation starts roughly 40:00 in if you want to hear it for yourself.
Resident Evil 3 doesn't have that many puzzles, but we decided to help people out with the scant few included ones anyway.
Minor puzzle spoilers below.
As we noted earlier this week, Final Fantasy VII Remake's pre-load date has been bumped up a bit. In the physical realm, copies are already being shipped in some regions, allowing select folks to play it early. But what about the digital edition? It's a no go on the early release, says Square Enix.
Noting the "frustration" of the situation on their official support center, a Square Enix rep explains that they will not move up the digital date, as the "bulk of [their] shipments to retailers across the globe are still scheduled to arrive in stores" on the April 10 release date.
It's pretty cut and dried: if there was going to be a magic early release button press, we'd know about it by now. This is just a week away from launch after all, and changing the date that quickly could mess up a lot of distribution agreements as folks clamor to buy the game digitally from whatever PSN region it's available on. It would be chaos.
The good news: well, I just told you the good news. It's finally coming in just a week! After all these years of waiting, it's actually happening. You can find the full response to the situation below.
Knowledge Base Search [Square Enix Support Center] Thanks Jeff!
I skulk through a bottleneck boulevard before pausing to launch my newly-charged sonar arrow at a wall. Its my signature ability, and reveals the locations of all enemies within a small radius. As the timer winds down, I decide it’s time for a last-ditch effort to plant the spike. I launch myself around the corner and ru-
Bang! I don’t see where it comes from, but one shot from the Vandal, aka AK-47, and I’m reacquainted with the dirt for the third round on the trot. I hear a cacophony of tuts from my disappointed teammates who knew exactly where the assailant was. This all feels vaguely familiar.
Valorant is Riot’s spin on the first-person team shooter, and is gearing up to compete in the big leagues alongside Overwatch and Counter-Strike. At the moment it boasts a roster of nine Agents, all of whom have their own unique abilities, and its core game mode involves either attacking or defending a bomb site by planting or defusing a mysterious object called the Spike. Like Counter-Strike’s bomb defusal mode, you can also win rounds by eliminating the entire enemy team – although this only works if the Spike hasn’t been planted yet. You earn credits after each round, which you can then use to buy better guns and extra abilities at the start of the next one. Pretty standard stuff.
Blizzard have added Hearthstone‘s first new playable class since the game launched six years ago, the scowling Demon Hunter. That’s a whole new set of cards with whole new tricks, not to mention a whole lot of growling. Illidan Stormrage is the first Demon Hunter hero, and today you can unlock the class and its starter deck by playing through a short free story campaign telling his daft history. Having played through this free prologue, I’m impressed that Blizzard didn’t paper over Illidan being a big idiot baby – but I maybe wish they would? Lads and germs, your new champ is here, and he’s still hung on on a millennia-old crush.
Need a cheat sheet before you head back to Shujin? We've got you covered. Here are all the Persona 5 Royal answers.
The post Make the Grade With These Persona 5 Royal Answers for Classes appeared first on Siliconera.
People in North and South America will experience a Levi's Super Mario Collection delay.
The post Levi’s Super Mario Collection Will Be Delayed in the Americas appeared first on Siliconera.
Niantic has announced that Pokemon Go will be “springing into spring” with a brand new event. Like in previous events, there are lots of perks and features to look forward to.
First off, players can expect to find certain Pokemon wearing a flower headgear: Buneary wearing flower crowns and Pikachu wearing flower hats can be caught in the wild, and Pichu and Togepi wearing flower crowns can be hatched from eggs.
Other spring-themed Pokemon, such as Exeggcute, Chansey, Mareep, Marill, and Torchic, will be found more often in the wild. If you’re lucky, you may even find a Shiny Exeggcute, which is making its Pokemon Go debut.
For the duration of the event, hatch distance will be halved when eggs are placed into incubators. Rare Pokemon such as Happiny, Munchlax, Tyrogue, Chingling, and Riolu will be appearing in 2 km eggs. All eggs received from gifts will be 2 km eggs instead of 7 km, making them easier to obtain.
Next, Alolan Exeggutor, Azumarill, and Audino will appear as rewards for event-exclusive field research tasks. Out of these, Audino will be the rarest to appear as a research reward.
For players who enjoy customizing their character, a Togepi bag and hoodie will be available for purchase in the in-game shop.
Finally, two additional bonuses will go into effect for the duration of the event: players will receive 2x hatch candy and lucky eggs will last for one hour.
The Pokemon Go Springtime event begins next week on April 9 at 8:00 a.m. local time and will last until April 16 at 10:00 p.m. local time.
Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 recently received a brand new PvE mode, and Bandai Namco released a trailer to celebrate.
The new PvE mode (which was announced last month) is certainly a very welcome addition for the game, which was previously focused on its original 6 vs. 6 PvP mode, so those like me who suck at shooters can enjoy the game more.
That being said, the developers have clarified that the focus of the game is still PvP, and that will remain the priority for future updates.
As a matter of fact, they believe that implementing a PvE mode may make more people interested in trying PvP.
On top of that, players are also enjoying the Spring Festival Z, which focuses on the iconic MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam.
You can check the trailer out below.
If you want to see more about the game you can enjoy the launch trailer from the western version, which was launched back in October 2019.
When it comes to Musou games, most have come to expect cookie-cutter installments that don’t stray too far from the norm, if only because there isn’t much you can do to break from the core experience. Enter One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, an installment that, while not stepping out into completely uncharted territory, does attempt to breathe some life into the weathered and worn genre through small but worthwhile tweaks.
As with past games in the Pirate Warriors series, Pirate Warriors 4 follows a pretty standard framework. As one of several key characters from the series, players must battle their way through hoards of enemies as key events in the One Piece story play out.
Or at least, they do up to a certain point in the story’s canon. The game only adapts the story up to the current point the anime has reached, that being the Wano arc.
Likewise, only certain key arcs – like Alabasta, Saobody Archipelago, and the Paramount War arc – are adapted from the story’s earlier segments, usually in an abridged format to get through them more quickly.
This might be a downside for those who prefer the earlier segments of the series, but for those who want to get right to the newer content the game has to offer, it’s a godsend. Getting through retreaded content from past games in the series only takes a few hours, and after that, it’s largely new content on display for fans to enjoy.
This article introduces the 'Three Levels of Culturalization' model to demonstrate why knowing your global players and their context is critical to the success of games studios. ...
A New York Times article on Amazon's semi-recent dealings in the video game industry notes that the company's take on a cloud-based game platform, Project Tempo, might not see the light of day until next year. ...
Destiny 2's Trials of Osiris is back again this weekend, and thanks to a new hotfix from Bungie, the weekend multiplayer event should no longer fail to drop rewards for players braving its intense battles. Exotic vendor Xur also returns to the solar system this weekend with a new crop of gear that can help you stand against the other competitors in Trials. Here's everything you need to know about what Xur's got and where you can find him.
Head to Io to find Xur this week, in the Giant's Scar area. For his weapon this week, Xur is offering Hard Light. Hunters can pick up the Orpheus Rig leg armor; for Titans, there's the Stronghold gauntlets; and for Warlocks, Xur has Controverse Hold gauntlets.
Start at the Giant's Scar transmat zone, then hop on your sparrow and head north through the archway. You'll find Xur inside a shadowy cave set in the wall on the northern side of the area, past a group of Taken.
Continue Reading at GameSpotAnimal Crossing: New Horizons has only been out for two weeks, but players quickly found a way to exploit spawns for valuable bugs to get rich. One of these money-making schemes involved farming tarantulas, the semi-rare and nocturnal arachnid that are worth 8,000 bells each if you can catch them. But the arrival of brand new bugs for the month of April has also meant new competition for the profitable tarantula--the giant water bug is here and it's ruining Animal Crossing's tarantula island.
We have a whole guide on tarantula farming, but the gist of it is this: you head to a deserted island via Mystery Tour and clear out all the resources like rocks, trees, stumps, and flowers. This removes spawn conditions for other bugs, which will force the tarantula to spawn more than usual. Previously, players didn't have to worry about bodies of water on their deserted island, because in the Northern Hemisphere at least, there were no seasonal bugs that spawned on water. Enter: the giant water bug.
In the times of coronavirus (COVID-19), many of us are spending way more time at home and social distancing from our friends, family, and neighbors. Suddenly being cut off from our regular social circles can be a lonely and depressing experience, but fortunately, there are still ways to connect and have fun with your loved ones online. Platforms like Netflix Party help you watch TV and movies with others; Steam's Tabletop Simulator allows for virtual board game nights. And if you're looking for lighthearted games to play online with others--especially people who aren't normally into video games--it's hard to find a better option than The Jackbox Party Pack series. Fortunately, the entire party game franchise is currently on sale at various digital storefronts.
In case you're unfamiliar: The Jackbox Party Packs are bundles that each contain five different party games. All games are played by using the web browser on any device of your choice, whether that's your phone, tablet, or PC. Jackbox games will have you input answers or draw things on your device, which will then appear on the screen for everyone to see. Many of them involve answering questions, drawing weird doodles, or coming up with hilarious captions for images.
Grindstone, the Apple Arcade exclusive from developer Capybara Games, has received a surprise update that adds a lot of new content to the color-matching puzzler.
Since launch, Grindstone has only received small content updates, mostly to celebrate seasonal events. Today, however, you can look forward to 15 new levels, a new enemy that eats other creeps and steals their colors, and three new weapons to purchase. The update is live now and available as long as you're still subscribed to Apple Arcade.
Grindstone launched with Apple Arcade last year, and remains one of the best games on the service. There's still no way to purchase it outright in case it's the only reason you're still subscribed, but a whole new world of levels is a good reason to keep the subscription going for at least one more month.
Continue Reading at GameSpotMountains, the developer of the critically acclaimed interactive story game Florence, has hired the lead programmer of the wildly successful indie puzzler Untitled Goose Game.
The studio announced that programmer Cherie Davidson, who did "a lil code for Untitled Goose Game" according to her official website, is now a part of the team. The studio also brought on the lead developer of the kid-friendly arcade treasure hunter Calamari Kid and a programmer of the co-op parenting simulator Think of the Children.
Mountains said in a follow-up tweet that all three programmers have been "on board for a while now" and that the studio "can't wait to show you what we've all been working on together."
Continue Reading at GameSpot
Even for streamers who can comfortably do their jobs from inside their homes, seemingly indefinitely, it’s impossible to ignore covid-19. Before it’s all said and done, everybody will be impacted. To help streamers make ends meet, Microsoft-owned Mixer has given all its partners $100.
I appreciate it whenever a cool April Fools' Day gag turns out to be a real project. That's the case for Darkest Dungeon: The Butcher's Circus, an upcoming PvP-themed DLC for the brutal strategy RPG.
The add-on will let players pluck four of their favorite fighters from the campaign and duke it out in "no-holds-barred PvP combat." Don't worry: their lives aren't on the line as far as single-player progress is concerned. The mode also has its own "gladiatorial trinkets" and "banner components" to unlock.
The new arena will be accessible from the Hamlet, and Red Hook Studios had narrator Wayne June record new quips to liven up the PvP battles. I've gotta say, the hero roster screen looks badass.
The Butcher's Circus is coming to Steam in May 2020. As for Darkest Dungeon 2, the sequel is "still in progress!" The PvP DLC was "developed alongside DD2 with additional resources and staff."
Indie developer Re-Logic has proudly announced that its survival/adventure title Terraria has sold a huge 30 million copies across all platforms since its original launch in May 2011.
For those of you who aren't among that impressive number of players, Terraria is a genre-blending sandbox game that features elements of crafting, world-building, adventure, and combat in a large, procedurally-generated world. It's not inaccurate to call it a 2D equivalent to titles such as Minecraft, although Terraria has its own distinct look and appeal.
Originally launching on PC, Terraria has since been ported to a wide variety of platforms, including PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. Re-Logic continues to support their passion project with multiple updates and expansions, the latest of which - Journey's End - is currently in development and may be the title's final DLC drop.
After dropping out months ago, I'm contemplating resubscribing to Apple Arcade for another month just to play the new Grindstone update – that's how much I'm into Capybara's maniacal puzzle game.
The "Back to the Grind" update adds 15 new levels to Grindstone – along with a boss, Jorj's rival, who can also combo-chain his way through hordes of creeps – and a new Jerk-Go-Round puzzle mechanic that rotates baddies around the stage. There's enough stuff here to keep the format fresh, I think.
There are also more items for Jorj to collect like the OK Boomerang and Throwin' Bombs, plus a new creature called the Jerkameleon who can swap colors based on whatever creep he just swallowed.
All in all, it sounds like a great reason to check back in. I sincerely hope Capybara can release Grindstone on other platforms – especially Nintendo Switch. It's one of my favorite puzzle games in years.
For now, Grindstone remains an Apple Arcade exclusive on iOS.
Image: Red Hook Studios
Image: Bungie
Image: Bungie
